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“Mffgl” The dead spearman tried to speak just before he fell upon me Torn flesh and a broken jaw rendered him incomprehensible

“Help!” Ito be throttled again, I caught both the creature’s wrists The thing’s strength was shocking, and the burned flesh slid and tore beneath rip

Across the way, just behind my attacker’s head, I saw Snorri butcher the corpse- its neck with two quick axe blows With the second blow a horrifying change cathmy arms back it now brushed aside any attempt at defence and sealed both hands around my bruised neck once more

The ruined face ca over shattered teeth and a hideous intelligence in its eyes Yards behind, Snorri caught the head of his last opponent in both hands and with an oath pushed it away froth, as if his enerown in power, and the scarlet mouth he tore from his hip trailed skin and strands of flesh fro’s face, booted it away, then pursued, raising a big rock on high to pulp its head

Again, as if sost the corpses and noed from the destroyed corpse into the last available vessel,hts it should have snapped rown, the creature’s grip actually weakened

I looked down and where ht burned The white heat of a desert sun bled betweenblood and living flesh The dead thing crisped where I touched it Fats bubbled, flesh burned back, exposing sinews that smouldered, then shrivelled

I nearly let go in shock

Snorri ca, axe recovered and ready He whirled it in a bloards the monstrosity’s head, but soht the weapon beneath its blade The haft thunked against its palled to pull his axe free, but though he dragged the dead ers, he couldn’t defeat the thing’s strength

The Norserip to the end of the axe haft and to the head, and used the weapon as a lever to twist the spearave, flesh tore Leaving his axe in the broken hand, Snorri bore his foe to the ground and proceeded to pulp the grinning face with a large chunk of rock

Released, I rolled clear, struggling for air The hand that had heldfrom the dead man’s forearm Even now my breath wouldn’t draw I fell into unconsciousness, reflecting rather abstractly that I’d never even known that there were two bones in a man’s forearm

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