Coldness...Paul felt nothing but coldness. Icy wind tearing through his clothes chilling him to the bone. But how could that be, didnt he die?
"Where am i?" Paul asked while opening his eyes. He wasnt at home anymore thats for sure, but he never expect to find himself on the bottom of stair made of stone. Paul looked around disoriented and took in the breathtaking view around him. A giant Lake covered in Fog, a golden Palace with a thunderstorm above it in the distance and this giant tree that was towering over everything seemingly holding the sky, sun and moon in their position.
Paul could just gaze in awe until suddenly a white raven flew past him followed by a sharp icy wind that made him feel as it would cause his blood to freeze. Thats when he saw that he wasn´t alone on these stairs, around him several men were delivered by something Paul could only describe as angels in armor with a feathered adornment in their hair.
And strangely every man that was delivered, was wearing armor and cloaks made out of fur and they were all laughing as if they achieved their lifes dream.
"HAHAHA what a battle to die in!" A warrior, with a brown beard, to left from Paul called out while laughing. "And you, i know you, you are the one that killed me!" The warrior said to another warrior. Paul stumbled back, he expected them to fight but they just laughed and hugged eachother.
"You are a great warrior piercing my chest with your sword like that!" The brown bearded warrior said. "But how did you die?" "HAHAHA i got hit in the back by an arrow, after i heard someone shout BROTHER!" The other Warrior said while stroking his blond beard.
"Ah Ivar, you avenged your brother!" The first warrior said while pulling his former enemy into his arm slowly climbing the stairs together. "HAHAHA the blood of great warriors lives in your family! May many generations to come find their way to Valhalla!" The newfound friend shouted while many warriors that also climbed the stairs started to cheer for them.
"Valhalla?" Paul said to himself, he could not believe it. Naturally he heard of Valhalla but wasn´t all of that a myth, a story told in school while learing about the vikings. Valhalla, the heaven promised to every worthy warrior that died in battle, to live and fight eternally as an Einherjar under the Allfather Odin´s command? Then Paul realized that he really died, his life while fulfilling was cut short by an drug-addict breaking into his house in search of money.
But Paul could not wait anymore, now that his first shock passed he felt the cold again and started climbing the stairs hastily to reach the longhouse at the top that promised warmth. And Paul was surprised, he knew himself well and knew that he would be breathing and sweating heaviely after climbing all these stairs but it was as easy as walking of flat ground for him. It was as if he transformed into a super human, but Paul felt too cold to mind this discorvery much thought and entered the giant wooden longhouse.
The warmth of the giant fire that blazed in the center of the Longhouse purged all the cold out of Paul´s body while the smell of meat and honeyed mead was tickling his nose. Warriors cheering, drinking and laughing could be seen everywhere, most of them were male but here and there women with big round shields on their were celebrating with them. And Paul could make out some special female warriors, the ones he thought were angels with tugged in Wings and feathers in their hair, Valkyries.
Even the heartiest warrior made space and saluted these beautiful winged warriors that scoured every battlefield and brought every exalted warrior that ever stepped into these sacred halls to Valhalla. Paul was in trance, when suddenly someone called out to him. "Hey my friend, you look lost! Come, sit with me!" A hooded figure in a corner called out to Paul which reacted like a machine and slowly sat down opposite of the figure.
"Tell me if i am wrong but you seem like the usual folk that arrive here, am i right?" The hooded man asked Paul.
"No." Paul answered truthfully "I feel as i could be dreaming right now, if there wasn´t the memory of me dying in a puddle of my own blood."
"Yes, many would answer like you but i think in your case its meant different. You speak as if Valhalla, or the concept that something like Valhalla exists was not real for." The hooded stranger said. "So i take it that you are not from midgard."
Paul talked about his life and how he died and ended up here, when suddenly the stranger stood up and pulled his fur line cloak from his back and gave it to Paul. "Take it, you will need it. And remember you are an exalted warrior that is worthy of Valhalla." The hooded stranger said as he started walking away.
"Wait! Who are you?" Paul asked.
"I am just a wanderer that searched for a bit of warmth, but you may call me Grimnir." The man answered before suddenly a horn was heard and a loud shout cut through the noise.
"Exalted warriors of Valhalla! Arm yourself, do your duty! Smite down the enemies of Asgard!" A Valkyrie in silver armor with white fur of a snow hare and blond hair shouted. "I, the Valkyrie Hildegard shall lead you into battle!"
"For the Glory of Asgard! For the Glory of Valhalla!" Every warrior shouted in unison as the answer.
Paul was swept in a wave of humans towards an exit in the back, he couldn´t do anything but follow the warriors. A short while later Paul found himself on a battlefield with an Axe and a shield in hand. Somehow he even wore a chainmail and a helmet and adrenaline was coursing through his veins.
But Paul had no time to think about the past, as he saw a rising cloud of dust and snow rising in the distance. The enemy was advancing upon them.
"THOR!"
"ODIN!" Warriors called out praying for the blessing of the God they believed in while they were alive.
With terrible animalistic screams the enemy charged ther position and crashed into their battleformation. Creatures more animal than man, their thirst for blood could be seen in their round bloodshot eyes as they tried to kill the warriors of Valhalla. Their fur on their body ranging from brown to black tough like armor and with their nails and teeth clawing at everything they could reach.
"Kill those Kobolds and hold the line!" The Valkyrie Hildegard shouted. Paul had no choice but to fight for his life, he imitated the other warriors and joined the shieldwall to withstand the first charge of the enemy.
Blood was spraying everywhere as both armies collided but the Viking army stood their ground and after the first charge passed the shieldwall was disbanded an the melee began. The trained warriors of Valhalla cleared the area around Paul giving him some breathing room until a small slightly wounded kobold lunge at him. But Paul had more preparation than against the drug addict, he rammed his shield against the chest of the kobold and chopped his axe into the neck of the monster.
The Kobold died while gurgling and Paul mercilessly ripped out his Axe out of its body. But the Kobolds weren´t the only ones that took casualties, several Warriors near Paul were bleeding and some were ripped apart by their opponent. Paul just tried helping up a wounded warrior when a giant mace slammed down and ended the warriors life.
A gigantic Kobold, three meter tall, his fur black as night stood before Paul with blood in its teeth and pulling back its mace. But luckily Paul wasnt alone, before the monster could concentrate on Paul other warriors advanced towards it trying to avenge their brother in arms. But the kobold was too strong, many warriors were wounded or died against that beast and no man was able to fell it.
Paul was observing the gigantic kobold fighting and shook his arms to loosen his muscles and start running towards the fight. The kobold saw Paul running towards it and focused on him. Paul barely avoided the kobold striking at him and he did something that nobody expected, he threw his shield towards the kobolds face. He caught the monster of guard and chopped his axe toward the kobolds knee, but Paul didn´t anticipate the kobolds decisiveness as it dropped its weapon and punched Paul in his stomach throwing him back letting his axe miss and hit some kind of strange yellow rock.
A loud bang rang through the air the kobold stumbling back from the shock of the small explosion, giving Paul time to try to stand up. His lungs burning with pain, blood flowing from his lips and a sharp ringing in his ears. He looked down on the ground picking up a sword that was laying around, as he spotted a small yellow piece of rock on the ground and a devious plan began forming in his mind...