historical

Tyr found himself in a dire situation but he also knew he could not show fear despite these seasoned Vikings smelling it off him.

"What is the matter, Tyr? You could back out if you do not want to fight." Erik said in a belittling manner, one which Tyr did not appreciate as it drew mocking laughs from the warriors around them.

No one will blame a runt like you for running from the great wolf!" The Viking he picked boasted, with his arm spread to show he did not view Tyr as a worthy opponent, to begin with.

This much was expected because Tyr was just a slave from an unknown land that became a son of Ragnar, he was yet to prove himself outside of the privileges that came with being a son of Ragnar.

Tyr thought about it for a minute but he knew for certain that turning tail was no option because now he had to defend the proud name that came with Ragnar.

"I accept," Tyr said, looking at the man that called himself a wolf, straight in the eyes but the only thing different was the fear in his eyes vanishing.

This response brought forth a deranged smile from Erik as he clapped his hands and the moment he did this, the circle opened up to reveal a table with various weapons and shields on them.

"Before we begin, I want you both to pick your weapons of choice for the duel." Erik gave further instructions as the challenged had his pick first, it was a broadsword with a very long reach, and his size made it possible for him to wield such a weapon accompanied by a shield. This was the normal weapon for a duel but Tyr's choice drew surprised looks from everyone that was watching. He did not pick up a sword or a shield but chose to go with two axes. It was rare to see someone capable of dual-wielding.

An ax was not the easiest weapon to wield but Erik could tell he was still an amateur by the way he handled the weapon, he was more interested in him after seeing this.

Both returned to the center of the circle with Erik exiting.

"Only one of you survives.." Erik reiterated, and the starting signal was given.

"I am surprised you are not shaking in your boots!" Wolf teased him.

"Not shaking? I am scared shitless but I cannot let you guys know that!" Tyr thought, his composure was not a reflection of his feelings.

Both stood for what seemed like an eternity, Tyr was not making the first move but the length of the blade that Wolf had extended his reach and he could easily reach Tyr at this distance.

Wolf swung that humongous blade, the speed at which he swung it took Tyr by surprise because he expected a more controlled swing.

He managed to dodge it in the nick of time by leaping backward, watching the steel smash against the floor he was previously standing but looking up, his line of sight was obscured by an open palm.

"What!?" Tyr exclaimed, he could not believe that someone this big was so nimble, noticing he had let go of his shield to grant him more mobility.

"Gotcha!" Wolf said but Tyr managed to jump out of the way in time thanks to his quick feet.

The warriors cheered, the brat was not half bad and Erik was surprised he could even dodge the famous 'iron claw' move of Wolf because even more skilled warriors have had difficulties evading it.

"What is that guy?" This was the only thought in Tyr's head as he composed himself and watched him pick up his shield. He was full of openings but Tyr knew these openings were intentional. There was no way a warrior as strong as this would be this careless, or was he underestimating him? Tyr knew he had to catch him unaware because his only move had to be his final move, he could tell he was holding back and intended to make him regret it.

"You are not bad, kid," Wolf said but this was only because this attack was meant to test his mobility to give him an accurate measure of the speed of the much smaller opponent.

He rushed forward and the speed with which he did betray his size, Tyr picked him because he thought he would be slower than his brother Bjorn due to his size but this man was faster despite being bigger.

Tyr expected a sword swing but instead was taken by surprise with a shield attack that collided hard against his body despite trying to dodge it, he could not do so in time and this sent him crashing to the floor. Looking up, he saw the descending sword of the man he now deemed an enemy, he managed to roll out of the way in time and the spectators went crazy.

Erik was enjoying this duel more than he thought he would despite Tyr not showing anything of worth.

But the fact that he was still alive was impressive in its own right even though Wolf has had the upper hand since the battle started and Erik expected it to remain so for the entirety of this battle. If only Tyr had chosen someone thrice more his size, maybe this predicted outcome might be different but Erik could not see Tyr winning against him.

Tyr was out of breath, he barely had room to move because this man was closing the distance between them as soon as it was made forcing him to only evade or dodge but while Tyr was lost in thought, he took his attention from the sword in his other hand and this made him miss the incoming sword that was swung with the intentions of taking off his head.

'I guess that is it then," Erik said, sounding disappointed as the floor was painted red.