"Squawk!!"

A black shape dropped out of the sky and landed amidst some baggage in the middle of the deck. It's yellow eyes observed the three man aboard.

"By Odins beard, what is this." Said a giant with a shock of red hair.

"It's a demon, my lord a demon bird."

"Aye it is a nasty looking black one, throw it overboard"

"Sqwaaaaakk!!!"

"Ah it bit me, it bit me!"

The giant roared in laughter:
"Har har, what is this, you brave Vikings afraid of a little bird?"

"You try it!"

"I will, here birdie birdie birdie, OUCH! The damn beast pecked me on my head. Where is my spear, I will teach it a lesson. And you two stop laughing."

"Sure, pffrr, Orm we will pfrtt try. But if you had seen your face, bwahahaha."

"Harrumpf, Right, birdie say your prairies, nobody makes me a laughing stock in front of my man."

"KALUDZARD"

"The spear, it, it just disappeared. This IS a demons beast. By Loki, what is this beast for a hellspawn?"

The raven sat up and it managed to look righteous indigenous "I am not a hellspawn, I am Cecil. Cecil the brave, Cecil the mighty, Cecil the beautiful with his black feathers that makes all girls wild. Cecil the �."

"I get it, I get it. What are you doing here."

"Oh, that's easy, your father, you know that red haired man named Brand, sended me."

"He is dead."

The raven leered at Orm, and when he spoke it was in a mocking tone: "Is he now, well he was alive when he sended me away."

"Sure, and why did he send you to me. Did he want to punish me with your annoyance?"

The raven puffed out it's chest. "Well, hardly I am a trained magician of the sixth circle. I will take you as my apprentice and teach you magic."

"Har har har, you sound as if daddy had sended you alright. But no deal, I do not want to learn all that stuff. I thrust on my strength."

"He told me you would be stubborn. I'll guess I'll have to prove the usefulness. "

"PROTARRR"

A spear coming from nowhere hurls through the air, straight at Orms chest. Orms dodges and it lands in a wave some 100 yards hence. "Hey, that was my spear! How did you do that?"

"As I told you, I am a master magician of the sixth circle. With my magic I could 'distract' your weapon and thus I avoided to get skewered by it. Magic is powerful, It makes me as strong as you, even stronger! I Urck!"

Holding the bird in his strong right hand. "Much good your magic is now little bird, I could squeeze you easily now."

"You've got a point master, now please release nice Cecil?"

"Thanks, what I was trying to tell you Orm, is that magic comes handy when you cannot rely on muscle or swordplay. It is an extra weapon, a joker in the hand, a dagger in the sleeve, a white feather in the honeypot, a �.."

Orm kicks at the barrel the raven is perched on, making it loose it's balance.

"Squaaawkk!"

"I think you talk like a priest of Loki, I despise priests of Loki. Come to the point."

"Alright, alright, sheez humans. Well remember the magically reinforced barns in the cell? And you couldn't escape? Or perhaps the demon casting it's mesmerizing spell on you?"

"I escaped and the demon is cinder, so."

"Sure, you escaped because your nephews saved your sorry ass. Hey stop glaring at me, it is true isn't it. What would you say if I thought you how to neutralize magic? Not for a long time, mind you. But long enough for you to do something useful, like bending those bars or do a bit of manslaughter?"

"Hmmm, keep talking there might be something useful to this magic stuff after all. But just a few tricks, I have no plans of becoming a full-time mage and a lokitouched as my father."