A-(throw axe:

The blade spins in a perfect arc towards the mummified warrior's head. Just at the last minute, the warrior raises his stone shield and the rusted axe shatters down the middle as it is deflected.

Fragments of metal lay between you both. The undead's feet crunch into them as he approaches. After a few slow steps the hatred for life that all undead share kicks in and Bjorn ColdSplinter lunges forward with his flaming axe.

It carves into your side.

It carves into your leg.

It carves into your arm.

As you are forced to back against the wall and crouch behind your shield, it carves into the wood. Burning and hacking away with ferocity that could tear apart a castle, and yet...

Nothing changes.

Your shield shows no give and your blood stops pooling up at your feet. The steady rhythm of hacking doesn't cease for a second, but the world seems a tad bit quieter. From around your shield you see the glow of Bjorn's own shield.

A slab of stone emblazened with your family crest. Two ice picks crossed before the skull of a bear. Another odd rune is carved out behind the crest. You don't know what it means, but it exudes a calming aura.

But calm will only get you so far. You stand into a charge with both hands on your shield and push the mummy into the stone wall. With one hand you wrestle the axe from his grip, sliding the back of his hand against the jagged stones until the weapon falls into your hand.

You swing hard at his neck.

The legendary hero's head rolls across the floor and the body collapses. The stone shield buries itself in the dirt at your feet with such weight that you worry about a second avalanche.

Continue to Part 4, New Beginnings.

B-(charge:

Your shields clash together with a bang like a tree punching a rock. Wood scrapes against stone as you shove the mummified warrior into the side of the barrows.

Bjorn's bones crack as you pin him upon the jagged stone wall. You lay into his neck with your rusted blade. After an invigorating minute of struggling to keep the mummy immobilized, you see a large squirt of old blood burst from the creature and things seem to be going your way.

It is hardly noticable in this moment, but Bjorn's feet shift into a different stance and his shoulders lean forward. With a burst of strength and experience that only his body remembered Big Bjorn bashes his shield into yours.

Your shield cracks open your lip and you stumble back several feet. You only taste the blood filling your lips for a second before it fades away, a slash on your arm that you hadn't noticed is already nothing more than a streak of dried blood.

The undead's wounds are beginning to heal as well. The slab of stone Bjorn is using as a shield has been glowing since you walked in, but now... now it's as if the pulsating illuminates every inch of every wall.

While never formerly schooled, you've been told that you're quite clever, and if the magical family sigil on Bjorn's shield is healing both of you then why bother with pretenses?

You charge again, this time with your shield covering only your head. Bjorn's flame covered axe bites deep into your stomach, but you ignore the pain. The beak of your axe wraps around his shield and you pull it down, away from his face.

With all of the might you can muster, you target the opening and send the mummified head of your ancestor spiraling across the room.

Continue to Part 4, New Beginnings.

C-(wait for it and try to get around the shield:

Something is unsettling about that shield; well, actually, something is calming about it, but it's not in your hand and that's unsettling enough.

You are not a hardened warrior, but you manage to keep your distance quite well. The two of you circle like sharks with blades ready to strike. When you move your blade he moves his, ready to intercept you.

You wonder if the experience this man has remains with him in death. That thought alone causes your adrenaline to spike, and that causes you to make the first move. One step forward and he carves a large chunk out of your arm. Your rusty battle-axe clatters to the ground and he strikes again.

Your shield comes in front of your neck just in time. Panic still laces your nerves, but you remember a move your dad taught you. Your shield scoops around the side of his shield and you pull him off balance.

He doesn't let go of the slab of stone, but he does stumble forward. Right into a massive kick up. You manage some good and some bad with the kick.

Bad news, you hit the shield square with your knee and hear something crack.

Good news, your shin breaks the weak mummy fingers holding onto Bjorn's flaming axe.

Great news, your knee glows with a radiant warmth and seems perfectly healed, as do your cuts.

You spin forward to catch the flaming axe mid-air and slash Bjorn across the neck. It fails to do the trick, but you bring the axe down hard on his shield arm.

It flops to the ground behind the stone shield. The weight of the stone hitting earth seems to cause an avalanche somewhere else, farther in the barrows.

The flaming axe cuts through Bjorn's tough neck as if it were butter. His head rolls into the next room.

Continue to Part 4, New Beginnings.

D-(fight Big Bjorn ColdSplinter? What are you nuts, I'm running.

You turn heel and bolt back down the way you came. Just as you near the dead end where you first fell into the crypt you feel something heavy hit you in the back. The axe protruding from your spine hardly even hurts, it's just heavy. Heavier than it should be. It drags you to the ground as your vision blurs. You find yourself gazing out of the hole above to see your house go up in flames.

That is the last thing you see as you die upon the rocks.

Sometimes running is not the best answer.