Lord Asbjorn was taking things well. Lykopis had come running towards him, waving her sword around. Her skills were top-notch, but as she struck his skull she seemed less graceful. The Wendigo's call could induce her to fight, but it could not induce the training that comes with a free mind.

Now, Lykopis's blade was sharpened before the battle. And her arms were strong enough to crack bone. And yet, Asbjorn remained standing, as blow after blow hit the roof of his skull. Finally, Lykopis howled in rage and swung harder than she had before. "You will die!"

The blade lodged itself into Asbjorn's skull, and Lykopis felt her fingers slip from their grip. She fell over backwards. The back of her head struck the wall, and her eyes darkened.

***

"Wake up, Amazon."

Lykopis groaned, and then realized who was speaking to her. Lord Asbjorn's massive head, twice the size of a bear's, was hovering over her body. The strench was awful. He did not seem to be aware of the insected running along his fur or the drippings from his mouth. Her sword was still stuck in the roof of his head.

"I spared you this time because I could see in your eyes they had control over you. Do not be so foolish as to think that you can resist their cry. Next time the madness takes you, I will bite your head off."

His voice was deep and loud and roared like a furnace. But it was what he said that caught Lykopis off-guard. "You called me Amazon. How do you know what I am?"

Asbjorn laughed. Grubs spilled out of his mouth, and Lykopis felt a new wave of nausea hit her face from his breath. She brushed a spider off her face. "I am familiar with Cerberus. He is of my pack, you see. I have seen the females from your pack. Well, I have seen their shadows."

"My sisters," said Lykopis, grinning. "The other Amazons. Cerberus guards them in the land of the dead."

"He is here, on this ship, the same as you and I. Cerberus says you can be trusted. I hope for your sake he is right."

Lykopis was confused. "But you were attacking us."

"We were attacking the Wendigo. You got the way."

"We were trying to figure out what the hell is happening on this ship." She stood up, unafraid of Asbjorn. "Wait. You are going to stop attacking us, correct?"

Asbjorn did not reply at first. "...Cerberus said you could be trusted. He said nothing of the others. Garm, I believe, will finish the rest off. I will not deny any in my pack their share of flesh."

Lykopis grabbed the handle of her sword to pull Asbjorn's face towards hers. "Listen to me, Danish dog, those men are my friends. You hear me? They are not to be harmed." She twisted the handle a little bit, and Asbjorn grunted from the pain.

Then, he began laughing again. "Danish dog? Ha ha ha..." Lykopis covered her nose. Asbjorn shook his tattered hide and let out a mighty howl. Three or four howls could be heard afterwards. "It's been too long since someone has been so brave in my presense."

"I am about to get a lot braver," said Lykopis, her fingers dancing around the sword handle. "Now tell me...what is going on here?"