Part 2: A Battle of Death

Dacina looked at all of the slaves they had saved. "I want your names!"

"Why should we give them to you?" A norn asked.

"You are right. We'll send you back to the grendels," Torl started.

"Wait!" The norn said and Torl nodded.

"Good," Torl said.

"My name is Rortic," the norn said and Dacina nodded.

"What about the rest of you?" She asked and they all looked at her. Slowly, but after some time, she did get all of the new norns' names.

"My name is Dacina!" She yelled. "I'm in charge here! If you have any problems. I'm the one you come to! If you want an assignment, you tell me! If there are any other comments, you will bring them to me. The rest of the norns are not to be bothered!"

"What are their names?" A norn asked. He clearly was angry that they had to tell her their names, but she didn't tell them the others names. Dacina glared at him and growled.

"You are not to use that type of attitude with me!" She yelled.

"Yes, ma'am!" The norn said and Dacina looked at him and the others.

"Very well. This is Torl. He is second in charge and almost as bad as me! Mess with him, and the consequences are dire. He is not a nice norn!" She said. Then she turned to the rest of her main team. "These two I believe you have already met. They are our youngest fighters. Their names are Corren and Aiden."

"Are they like you, or can we talk to them?" The norn from before asked with sarcasm in his voice. Dacina had a look in her eye that could have spooked a grendel.

"Don't mess with them, or you mess with me and Torl," she hissed.

"Both of them?" The norn asked.

"Both of them!" She yelled and smacked him. She turned around and walked out. The others just watched as Torl ran after her.

"Aiden, Corren, keep everyone from going insane!" He told them and tossed Corren a gun. They both sat there and everyone froze.

"Dacina!" Yelled Torl. "What's wrong?"

"It's that norn in there! He reminds me so much of a grendel!" Dacina said angrily.

"Dacina, I think that you are becoming paranoid," he said.

"Don't give me that crap!" She yelled an he sighed.

"Fine!" He yelled and she growled at him. They kept it up for a few moments.

"You can move," Aiden offered. The norns hadn't moved since Dacina and Torl left.

"We won't hurt you!" Corren agreed. The other norns still didn't move.

"They're scared to death!" Aiden said. Corren sighed.

"Let me try!" Corren said. "Go have fun! That's an order!"

The other norns ignored the fact that the two of them were there now. The children began to play and the adults started to chat.

"Well, I'm glad that's over," Aiden said and Corren agreed.

"Do you think Dacina is okay?" He asked.

"Torl's with her. My guess is only one will come back," she joked. Corren started to laugh.

"If one does come back!" He chuckled and she grinned even harder. That's when they saw the two of them come back out with Dacina leading.

"Miracles are known to happen," Aiden reminded her friend and he nodded.

"Guess so," was his response.

"Any trouble?" Dacina asked and he shook his head.

"Good," Torl said.

"Corren, Aiden, get some rest. We're going back tomorrow," Dacina said. She turned to the new norns. "The rest of you are to train for some time."

"Why don't the kids have to?" They asked and Dacina looked at him with a glare.

"Because they already passed their tests," was the norn's reply and the two kids went to bed.

Aiden followed Corren to a spot and lay down beside him. They were still very young and Dacina almost smiled. Torl came up behind her. "Dacina."

"What?" She snapped quietly.

"Do you really think that these newcomers can do anything?" He asked.

"I don't know, Torl," came her answer. He looked at her and smiled.

"You are doing your best," he told her.

"What do you care?" She asked and he sighed.

"I'm beginning to wonder," he answered. "Maybe because you are team member!"

"So what?" She yelled. "We have never exactly had a polite conversation!"

Corren and Aiden were silent. Neither of them had the nerve to interrupt them. They were supposed to be sleeping anyway. Dacina sighed and lay down. Torl walked away from her and lay down.

The next morning was warm and Corren was up at the same time Dacina was. He woke up Aiden and they followed her out. "Are you two sure you want to do this again?"

"Yes," Corren responded and Dacina turned to Aiden.

"Of course!" The female norn answered.

"Good," she said and went to wake up the others. They were soon out there. Dacina and Torl gave the same speech they had before and they were ready to go.

Dacina walked carefully, the gun placed against her chest and her heart was beating hard. It was not from fear, but anticipation. She wanted to kill her enemy. She knew them and hated them.

Torl was being careful as possible. He was watching Dacina's back. That was his job, and he took it as serious as possible. He also wanted to kill some grendels and that part of him was not kept hidden.

The two kids were ready to fight. They were prepared to go to the next town and help some norns. An ettin ran up to them. "There are some grendels coming!"

A shot ran out and the adult began to hide behind the trees. The two kids headed toward the town. Dacina and Torl began to shot at them. "How many are there?" Dacina asked.

"Enough," was his reply.

"That is not an answer!" She told him.

"It's a good enough one for now!" He told her and shot two more. She grumbled something. The grendels came closer and closer. "I'll stop them! Cover me!"

"Are you insane?! You'll be killed!" She yelled at him.

"I thought you didn't care!" He yelled back.

"I am not letting one of my best soldiers kill himself!" She yelled.

"Dacina! Forget it! We have to buy the kids some time!" He yelled. Dacina knew he was right and let him go out to shoot. She shot at them too. The two kids went back with the ex-slaves that they had saved and ran back.

"What's going on?" Corren asked.

"We exterminated them," Dacina answered. She got up off the ground. That was when she noticed someone was missing. "Torl!"

She went to every norn, looking for her friend. The children assigned one of the norns to help the injured home. "Torl! TORL!!!!" Dacina screamed.

"Dacina?" She heard a quiet voice mutter.

"Torl?" She asked. She walked over to him.

"You are a mess," he told her and Dacina gave him a sad smile.

"You're not exactly a beauty yourself," she told him.

"Mmm. You're right," he winced.

"Don't talk, Torl. You'll waste your energy," she whispered.

"You're probably right. Did we get them?" He asked.

"Yes," she cried.

"That's good," he told her.

"Yeah."

"So, there is nothing left here?"

"Besides you, no."

"Soon there will be nothing, then."

"Torl..."

"Dacina, I want you to know that I love you. There is no one else that I would have rather known."

"You can't die. Stop talking like that."

"You knew that this could happen. You'll be fine. You're strong."

"Please, Torl."

"Good-bye, Dacina," were his final words and his breathing stopped.

"Torl!!!" Dacina screamed. "No!"

She held the red Pixie norn's head in her hand and screamed at his death. Corren came over to her and set his hand on her back.

"We have to go home, Dacina," he reminded her. She picked up his body and followed them home. When they got home, Dacina started to dig him a grave.

"Do you think he knew that I loved him?" She asked Corren.

"He had to have known," was his response.

"I'm not so sure. I was so rude to him," she said.

"Yes, but he wasn't the nicest person either. It was the type of relationship you shared," Aiden added.

"Perhaps," she said and she got back to work. She didn't let any of the other norns aside from Aiden and Corren help her. Finally they were finished.

"Do you want to say a few words, Dacina?" Corren asked.

"After you and Aiden are done," she said.

"He was one of the norns that could make me laugh through the bad times. He was a joker and a good friend. I am really going to miss him. I wish we could have stayed together for a longer time," Aiden said and looked at the ground.

"Are you okay?" Corren asked and she nodded.

"Yes," she answered.

"Are you done?" He asked and she nodded.

"It's your turn, Corren," Aiden said. She checked on their friend. She did not look like this would kill her, but there was an angry look in her life.

"When I first came here, all I wanted was to be left alone. Torl helped bring me out of that. He believed in me and my ability. He really was a friend. I wish I could have been here longer," Corren said. The two children looked at each other and walked back in the cave.

"When I first came here, I hated everyone. If there was anyone I hated most, I thought it was you. I was wrong. I have never been good at showing my feelings. I never should have left you go. I know you would have disobeyed me, but there might have been some change," she said.

She placed her head into her paws and began to cry softly. She hadn't cried in the longest time. Her fur was soaked.

"Why did you have to be the hero? You are leaving me here! I don't know what to do now!" She whispered.

"Dacina," Corren asked and Dacina nodded.

"Corren needs me now. I'm going to go in. I am going to miss you. We'll continue the work that we began," she said and place a flower on his grave.

"Are you okay, Dacina?" Aiden asked.

"I will be."

"Are you sure?" Corren asked and she nodded.

"Yes. Don't worry about me," she told them.

"What are we going to do now?" Aiden asked.

"I'll talk about it in the morning. For now, let's get some sleep," she said and the other two nodded.

"Are you sure?" Corren asked.

"Yes," she answered and lay on the ground. The other two stayed up a bit longer.

"Do you believe her?" Corren asked her.

"She cared," Aiden said.

"Do you think he knew, really?" He asked.

"I think so. Let's face it, they did care about each other," she said and Corren nodded.

"That's my opinion too," he said.

"Good night, Corren."

"Good night, Aiden." Both of the children closed their eyes and went to sleep. Both of them knew what Dacina wanted. She wanted REVENGE and she wouldn't be the same until she got it.

To be concluded...