Preview
Coming up You saw Picturebook, our contribution to the SIH 1995 party, held in Roosendaal, the Netherlands. Not the prizes to be won inspired us to make this demo but the fact that it was over a year ago we released our comeback with Big Time Sensuality. Just after we finished making Movements NUMB together with 911 & Alex. We havent done much after that, as far as the scene goes. Only releasing a musicdisk called CHIP. Hope you enjoyed our 35mm screen. We are glad this demo has reached the deadline for this party, although we're sorry to report that this demo was not properly tested on different kinds of Amiga's because of lack of time.... (we managed the deadline by 2 minutes!!! this sucks!) As for the lovers of reading big scrollers, there will be a whole filmscript from Erik the Viking after this scroller - Press Right Mousebutton to hold the scrolltext - Sorry Reality, Iso just hadn't got the time to make a half-an-hour tune for the graphics compo. Hope you did like all the comic representations for the big screen, it was quite a lot. As you already noticed, we used no full-screen effects, as is used in almost all demos. Instead we used a 35mm lookalike, as in the cinemas. Which is quite impressive to look at (like filming with Panavision). As for the stills, we used a fullscreen-mode. Otherwise we had to scale the original pictures, which isn't exactly the thing we had in mind -no scanning methods are used-. Techniques with Brilliance, like smear and airbrush Axis internals, quote of the month Steroid: 'Ik ga het uitmaken met mijn vriendin want ze begint mijn tong te pijpen Team reply: 'IQ Factor 10 ?' Het is nu weer goed tussen die twee Team reply: 'Goed zo jochie' Nu is het toch weer uit ! We send our regards to the following people ^ Polka Brothers Airwalk Devilstar Slide Pixie Chaos Reality Whale Elliott The Fox 2 Tycoon Rebels Excess Nighthawk Andromeda Dr.Jekyll Mr.Hyde Fairfax Archmage Sanity Ra Moby The Flame Arrows Sobje Mirage Jack TRSI Norby mr.King Spaceballs Dope Lizard Danny Quartex Abracadbrasax Prestige Fletcher Elite Sledge Magician Bambam Radium Static Bytes Fashion Effect the Raver Complex Titan Reward Pygmy Projects Jester Flame Mellow Rayon Huib Krypton Glue Macro Sascha Noodle Victor Melon Dezign Alex Nam Drifters Clary CnCd Destop Groo Kube Stelios Dean Dizzy Virtual Dreams Dr.Skull Open Eyes Lemon. Nao Facet Astro Synth Dream Jenkins Anthrox Pan Eltech Skinner Realitor Us Haralampie Eremation brainwasher Cydonia Cro Iris Chivas Hemoroids Enzo Sink Essence Infant Intense Hysteric Saturn React Waveriders Soldier Energy Action Bcd Big Boost Phuture 303 Base Sentry Tijmen Leon Frans? Passion Boogeyman Illusion Pinki Facet's Pussy Tijdloos Ratbone THD Outlaws Flynn Banal Projects Andy Subject Wizard Disney USA James Baxter Chris Wahl Randy Fullmer Lisa Keene Vera Lanpher Tim Sito Bitmap Brothers Eric Matthews Argonaut Software Tim & Dave Moss Virgin Games Graeme Nightware Uco -Eppo- Egmond Independant people Rodney Magic Raphael Gesque Nicholas Eleftherianos Cyber Pirate ^ as for Celtic's outer-scene greetings : From Celtic : Babette - Nienke - Elvis - Cem,Fred and Tejan the suckers! Nico - Wouter - Maarten - the bones brigade skate posse Haarlem... Greets from Hollywood In absolutely no order, to... me, the person sitting next to me, the person sitting next to him. And the guy next to that. And all the guys here at the party. Ok, I'll try to remember some names. :) Lowlife, Iso, and all the Axis guys yet to arrive. SuperNaaaaaao, who is currently blowing smoke all over me, my partner in travel (Aquafresh), Astro Facet, Danny, Lizardking, uhh, uhh, mindblock, fuk... And Chromag, Colin, Chorus, Dark (both of ya!), Groo, Haralampie, Dreamfish, Jay-One, ex.Wal, Loony, MASE+Posdnuos, Nutcase, Red Devil, Skull, Strobo, Stelios, Spin, Talisman, Twilight, TDK, all the guys on amigascene and trax on IRC, and anyone else I know, like, at all, ever. Hello mum. In short, read RAW, listen to my music-disc, when it finally comes out, and don't mess with the best. But you can mess with Axis, if you ask our mommies first. And pay. Drugs, too. That was all, concerning our greetings. Some private messages will follow... Airwalk...hope you have a good time in Israel during 3 months Sob.......still going to red-light districts ? the Fox 2....your music has got worse since you read the message. Gutted. ;) (but it's still great. Goddamn.) Kayo.....what's up in playstation land ? I'm intending to buy one, it's really a neat machine Sledge....PTV rules ? Hope the Ultra 64 will be a living scene again, like the old 64 and Snes days... Nao.....how are things going with lightwave ? Heard you are working on a 100 Mb Virtual Dreams animation for this party I'm really curious... James Baxter....your John Smith animation was awefull de Belastingdienst : get lost ! Luke and Arjen....good luck with your 1st PC shoot-em'up < And now a few words from the weirdo one called Iso .. I want to thank some artists I really admire: Bjork ............. You're really my favourite! Without your music I wasn't able to make it myself. 'Post' is the best album ever made! Those strings in 'Hyper-ballad' and 'Isobel' rule .. The Prodigy ....... The best house-act ever. 'Jilted..' was a masterpiece. I'm looking forward to the live-performance at Lowland's in Holland. A third album surely will be stunning. Tricky ............ Very very weird samples and very nice drumtracks. Also the female singer on 'Maxinquay' is fabulous! FSOL .............. Those samples! Wow! Chemical Brothers . Pure drums rule .. Sven Vath ......... My girlfriend is a balet-dancer. arf! .............. Yes Joris .. just kiddin'. You're getting far too good. Did I help you enough now? I hope arf! will be forever and heavy. ^ This last group is very unknown but not bad at all or ... It's a co-op-band by The Fox II and me. Ambient and breakbeats rule at arf! By the way Joris, thanks for all the beats you once gave me. Some of them are used in the tunes in this demo as single drum-sounds. Thanx pal. Kisses to my girlfriend Geertje who is a brilliant support to my composing. Message from Iso to Anthony: lekker he 17 jaar? je weet dat je strafbaar bent he? het is zelfs zo dat Geertje nog ouder is dan jouw Trudy ..... enough gezeikt. Lowlife quote : strakke pop Reply from Anthony: So what... you're just jealous!!! Look who's talking, Lowlife, sleeping with a french coder on the party... Yuck! Iso: That's it for me this time. Hope you enjoyed my tunes ... clary: hello to all drifters members especially to my sister IO... Coming soon.... Axis AGA music-disk called Time and Emotion, with music from Hollywood. Programmed by Nik, and graphics by Lowlife. August, stay tuned! On a longer period you can expect our AGA-Slideshow called FairyTale, from one of our artists Lowlife. And hopefully also some pictures from t'Vaan. Joining Axis ? I doubt if you want to, but anyway Write to the following adresses Experienced 68000, 65c816 or PC demo programmers Anthony - Anthony - Donker Eerste Donk 101 5233 HK, Den Bosch the Netherlands Experienced Graphic Artists, please send your portfolio Angelo - Lowlife - Bod Sneppendijk 31 6026 AA, Maarheeze the Netherlands You can also leave a message on EMail for Hollywood it is : S.M.CARLESS@DUR.AC.UK for Nik it is : NJH@UKC.AC.UK or just leave a message on our support Board; Neon City 2 nodes of fun Your Sysop : Fletcher node 1 : +31-(0)4780-12733 node 2 : +31-(0)4780-14014 Liberator couldnt stand the heat anymore, so he bought himself a new computer. As we say, once a freak, always a freak ! That sentence does not include everybody, anyway. !!! WATCH OUT !!! For Video Games Development Companys If there is need for cartoons - animations - graphics or 3D Graphics animations dont hesitate to contact us at the following adress. We are also looking for people who want to join our Games-Development team. the specifications for those are coming up after the adress. NightWare Personnel Dept. Aalsterweg 136 5615 CJ - Eindhoven (NB) the Netherlands tel : +31-(0)40-121294 fax : +31-(0)40-121145 Note : these numbers will be changed after october 1995 the Dutch Telecom will change all numbers in Holland Game Programmers Must posses strong C, and problem solving skills along with experience in, 65C816, 680XX, RISC, 2D or 3D Graphics techniques. Previous game development experience or a college degree is required. Artists Succesfull candidates will be experienced in computer based graphics animation, and familiar with Dpaint, LightWave 3D and conventional illustration. Please send your portfolio, when replying. Axis 1995 bodycount Anthony - tortured programmer Celtic - programmer Hollywood - audio engineer Iso - audio engineer Lowlife - graphic artist Liberator - oncoming sysop Nik - swapper Nik - programmer Steroid - mascot Subi - audio engineer t'Vaan - graphic artist < We welcome our 4 new members, of which one member is back again, yo Hollywood. We are glad to have you back in our team Furthermore we have Subi ex-Desire, joining our other 2 musicians. And ofcourse Nik (also ex-Desire), who will be responsible for the programming together with Anthony. Also I like to welcome Celtic (ex-Mellow) to our team, who will also be responsible for some programming as well. ^ Credz coming up : Allround Programming & FX by Anthony Production Designer & Computer Generated Engineering by Lowlife Sound Engineering Iso Recorded at The Demon's Tale studio - Hilvarenbeek ( NL ) Loadertune....Keek-A-Boo Introtune...Good Morning Mainscore......Spoongirl Endscore.......Born Deaf Soon available on Internet, if requested Modeling and motion software used LightWave 3D Imagine Pixel Pro Brilliance Deluxe Paint Art Department Pro Adobe PhotoShop ..PowerMac Wavefront ..Iris Crimson/SG Other used suplies AsmOne 1.20 14 Liters Chinese ink 30 pencils 62 soft pencils 1 hard pencil 27 India rubbers 38 Kilo of paper 2 Amiga 1200's 1 Amiga 4000 1 Atari Mega STe2 67 Liters of Coca Cola 10 aspros 1 Telephone line, with some bills attached Audio Equipment & software used : Gem S2 Turbo Synthesizer X-Protracker 1.0 Cubase 2.0 Soundlab 8-bits samplertje
Released and distributed at : the Somewhere in Holland 1995 Party, the Netherlands This demo was dedicated to Geertje, Rivka & Trudy Copyright Audiovisual ® 1995 Axis All Rights Reserved. < - Terry Jones Blackness. Flames begin to lick upwards from the bottom of the screen. Suddenly all hell breaks loose. Screaming, yelling. Black figures flash across the foreground, with the flames still burning behind. There follows a confusion of burning, raping, killing and looting - we don't clearly see what's going on. Suddenly we cut to the interior of a hut. The door is in the process of being broken down. The camera pans onto the close-up face of an attractive girl who is staring in horrified fascination at the door. Her arms are white with fresh dough and flour. Suddenly the door bursts open and a wild-looking Viking leaps into the hut. He holds a sword. He looks around wildly and then his eyes come to rest on the girl. This Viking, I'm afraid, is Erik. We are about to see him in the worst possible light so be prepared. The girl, whose name is Helga, cowers, and looks terrified but resolute. Erik glances round. Then slowly he advances on the girl, forcing her back onto a chest. Erik holds his sword to Helga's throat with his right hand, while his left hand searches to find the thongs holding up his trousers. He is clearly having difficulties trying to hold his heavy sword to Helga's throat at he same time as undoing his trousers. He fumbles and lowers his sword for a moment. HELGA Have you done this sort of thing before? ERIK Me? Of course! I've been looting and pillaging up and down the coast. HELGA (looking sceptical) Looting and pillaging, eh? ERIK (on the defensive) Yes. HELGA What about the raping? ERIK Shut up. HELGA It's obvious you haven't raped anyone in your life. ERIK Sh! He covers her mouth with his free hand, and looks round to make sure no one's heard. Then he carries on trying to undo his trousers, but he is now somewhat more than half-hearted about it. Helga watches suspiciously. HELGA Do you LIKE women? Erik is clearly shocked and stung by the insinuation. He stops. ERIK Of course I like women... I LOVE 'em. HELGA (pointing out the obvious) You don't love ME. ERIK No... right... this is RAPE... Mark you, I'm not saying I couldn't get to like you. in fact... well, to be quite honest, I prefer it when there's some sort of mutual feeling between two people... HELGA What - rape? ERIK No. It isn't rape then, is it? HELGA Oh, get it over with. ERIK (hesitates again) I don't suppose... no... HELGA What? ERIK I don't suppose you... you DO like me at all? HELGA What d'you expect? You come in here, burn my village, kill my family and try to rape me... This is too much for Erik. We withers under the irony. ERIK I'll kill you if you say anything about this to anyone. HELGA (puzzled) About raping me? ERIK About NOT raping you... HELGA You DON'T like it, do you? ERIK Well it just seems a little bit crude, that's all. HELGA What about the killing and looting? That's just as crude, isn't it? ERIK Oh well - you've GOT to do them. HELGA Why? Why have you got to go round killing and looting? ERIK To pay for the next expedition, of course. HELGA But that's a circular argument! If the only reason for going on an expedition is the killing and looting and the only reason for the killing and looting is to pay for the next expedition, they cancel each other out. ERIK Oh! Stop talking as if we were married! HELGA Well you started it. ERIK I just said I didn't feel like raping you. HELGA And I was just saying that rape is no MORE pointless or crude than all the killing and looting that goes on. Erik vents of his frustration on the already shattered door. ERIK Scream. HELGA Ah. ERIK Louder. HELGA Aaagh! Rape! ERIK (he'd forgotten about that) Oh, thanks Two more Vikings burst in with eyes blazing. They have the very unfortunate names of Ernest and Jennifer, but it doesn't really matter, for reasons which will become obvious very quickly. They are also slightly drunk. ERNEST Rape? JENNIFER Where? Jennifer the Viking sways and leans against a door post. The marauder's eyes come to rest on Erik and Helga who are standing, fully clothed, about six feet apart. They look slightly puzzled. HELGA He raped me standing up. There is a pause. Erik looks up at Helga. Why has she saved his face by telling this lie? Jennifer the Viking turns to Erik. JENNIFER You finished, then? ERIK Oh... yes... I suppose so... ERNEST Right! Me first! JENNIFER No! I asked! Ernest leaps on top of Helga and pins her to the ground. Jennifer joins in. Erik looks stunned for a moment. Then he suddenly leaps to Helga's defence. ERIK Leave her alone! He pulls Jennifer off, but Jennifer fights back. Erik forces Jennifer back until he falls into the kneading trough. They fight in the dough for some moments, until Erik runs Jennifer through. The dough is stained red, and the film is rid of such an inappropriately named Viking once and for all. Erik then turns his attention on Ernest who is still on top of Helga. Without a moment's hesitation, Erik runs him through the back. Ernest screams. So does Helga. Erik turns white, and pulls out his sword. Ernest falls over into a heap with his co-misnomer, and Erik kneels beside Helga to find a bloodstain under her breast where he has inadvertently run her through. She is clearly not long for this world. HELGA Thanks for saving me from a fate worse than death. ERIK I didn't mean to! HELGA (gasping for breath) Oh, that's all right then. .. it's the thought...that counts... Erik cradles her head and tries helplessly to staunch the blood. ERIK You told them I raped you - why? HELGA (dying) I dunno... you looked so... so vulnerable... ERIK Why should you care? HELGA (dying) Why... should YOU care? ERIK Tell me your name? Helga looks up at him, but dies in his arms, without ever saying her name. ERIK Tell me... what IS it...? Erik realizes she has gone. He gazes at her for some time. He looks around at the two dead bodies beside them. Then he listens to the sound of raping and slaughter continuing on the outside. Screams and bloodthirsty shuts echo alongside the roar of flames and the cries of animals. The camera tracks into a big close-up on Erik. Superimpose the title: ERIK THE VIKING: Second title: TIM ROBBINS. Mix through to wide shot of the burning village. Figures running here and there. Superimpose the rest of the opening titles. By the last of the opening titles the last of the flames are dying down. Cut to a close-up of a very loud-looking Viking screaming into the camera, as he hurls an axe. This Viking's name is Thorfinn Skull- Splitter. The axe thuds into the wall a few inches away from the face of a frightened girl, Unn, who is pinned to the wall with her braids spread out. The Vikings are hurling axes at her a la Kirk Douglas in THE VIKINGS. Several Vikings sitting at ale-bench, laugh in a rather unpleasant way. Erik, however, frowns. He is sitting at a table on a dais, next to his grandfather, the chief of the village. His grandfather almost chokes with merriment. Erik's mother glances at him with some hostility. Meanwhile the drunken Thorfinn has just lifted the totally legless Ivar the Boneless up off the floor and presses an axe into his hand. A tremor of nervousness ripples round the females in the Mead Hall. Ivar is clearly in no condition to throw anything, except, perhaps, the contents of his stomach. Unn winces. Finally, amidst much giggling, Ivar throws wildly, and the axe smashes into a jug being carried by one of the serving girls. The menfolk erupt into drunken hysterics at this. The women clearly feel that the occasion is getting out of hand. But before any of them can work up enough courage to intervene, Thorfinn Skull-Splitter has thrust an axe into the hands of the even more plastered Sven the Berserk. Now Sven is not the Viking to let a little matter like not being able to see straight stop him heaving the axe at a young maiden. He takes the axe and whirls it wildly over his head. Even the other drunken Vikings realize this could be dangerous, and they cower behind the table. Sven lets go of the axe. Unn shuts her eyes prepared for the worst. There is a dull thud and a grunt and then a whoop of mirth. Unn opens her eyes to find that the axe has come to rest in the back of a totally stupefied Viking who merely slumps forward onto the table he is sitting at. On the opposite side sits Harald Missionary, a rather seedy cleric who has long since given up trying to convert the pagans and found solace in their mead. He thinks about intervening, but decides that it's a bit late really and that he might as well finish off his ale-cup instead. Grimhild Housewife (his only admirer) refills it for him. At this moment, however, the axe-throwers have run out of axes, so, as they go to retrieve the ones they've thrown, Harald Missionary salves his conscience by lurching across to the unfortunate Unn. He pokes his dog-eared bible under her nose. HARALD If you were thinking of converting, my dear, this would be an IDEAL opportunity... UNN Not now! HARALD (who is used to rebuffs) No, of course not... (he hesitates) You might not get another chance, you know... UNN Go away. At this moment another axe thuds into the wall, speeding up Harald's desire to get back to the ale-bench. HARALD Yes, of course... I'll pray for you anyway, my dear... Suddenly an axe shatters a large earthware vessel. HARALD Yes.. That's what I'll do... Harald scuttles back to the ale-bench as fast as he can. Erik meanwhile, stares in astonishment as, for a fleeting moment, he sees Helga, the girl he accidentally killed, standing there with her braids spread out in place of Unn. He shakes his head and the vision passes. In the meantime, however, Ivar's mum (perhaps the toughest lady in the village) has decided that enough is enough. IVAR'S MUM Let her go! THORFINN Why? VIKINGS Yes, why? SVEN THE BERSERK Why should we let er go? THORFINN We haven't hit a single braid yet! The Vikings all guffaw. Ivar's mum has had enough. She throws the contents of a jug of ale over Thorfinn. He is shocked, but after the first shock he grins evilly, because now he's been given carte blanche to do the thing he enjoys doing most. Without another thought he throws a vicious right hook at Ivar's mum and lays her out cold. Erik reacts with disgust. His grandad, however, gives a whoop of glee. GRANDAD Whoah! Heee! That showed her! Meanwhile a little shrivelled old man is jumping up and down. INGEMUND THE OLD Hey! He hit my wife! Ingemund starts to go for Thorfinn, but Thorhild beats him to it. She grabs one of the long-handled cooking griddles from the fires and swings it at Thorfinn. Thorfinn, however, ducks, and the red-hot griddle hits Sven the Berserk, who is standing with his back to Thorfinn. Sven screams and goes berserk, turning round and hitting Thorfinn who is now standing upright again. INGEMUND THE OLD Leave him alone. Ingemund hits Sven. Thangbrand hits Ingemund and a general fight breaks out. Erik's grandad clearly considers this the highlights of the evening, but Erik looks at it in disgust and at his grandad in despair. Eventually he gets up and walk out of the Mead Hall. His grandad notices and frowns. He knows something's wrong with his grandson but hasn't a clue what it could be. Erik's mother frowns and nods to his grandad. Grandad gets up and fights his way through the melee to follow Erik out of the Hall. The snow lies thick over the village as Erik's grandfather joins his grandson beside the little quay. Erik is staring broodily into the night. GRANDFATHER What's the matter, son? Erik doesn't reply. His grandfather glances back at the Mead Hall, whence the sound of the fight drift across the snow. GRANDFATHER We're missing all the fun... ERIK What's it all about? GRANDFATHER What? ERIK We toil and labour, we loot and pillage, rape and kill... and yet... GRANDFATHER You talking piffle, son? ERIK Where does it all get us, Grandpa? GRANDFATHER Who have you been talking to? ERIK I met this girl... GRANDFATHER It's always the women that start the trouble. ERIK She got me thinking... GRANDFATHER So? What'd you do to her? Erik stops in his tracks - as if brought up short by the horror of what he has done. ERIK I... I... KILLED her... GRANDFATHER That's my boy! Erik's grandfather gives him a paternal hug. Erik looks at him and thinks about the generation gap. Cut to feet running in the snow. It is day. ERIK Freya! Erik looks around him and calls out again. ERIK Freya! Erik runs into the distance - a small figure against the dramatic wintry landscape. Cut to a remote, barren mountainside. Erik climbs up into shot, and continues climbing until he reaches a cave. He enters it. As his eyes get used to the dark he can make out a few signs of life: a cooking pot on a fire, a straw bed, a pile of rune-sticks. ERIK Freya? Freya? There is a bundle of rags behind Erik. A head rises from it. This is Freya. FREYA Ah... Erik... Erik the 'Viking'... It is not clear whether her words are not a little mocking. FREYA Now what CAN you want with me, Erik the 'Viking'? ERIK I shouldn't have come. FREYA They will make fun of you for listening to an old woman's stories? Erik doesn't reply. Freya watches him craftily. FREYA Young men are only interested in fighting and killing. Erik looks up at her sharply. It is as if she has read his mind. ERIK But has it always been like that, Freya? From the beginning of time? Freya doesn't reply. Instead she walks to the mouth of the cave. Erik follows her. They look out at the grey, desolate landscape. Nothing but arctic wastes, snow and desolation. Above them the black clouds boil ceaselessly. FREYA What do you see, Erik? ERIK I see the world. FREYA I it night or day, Erik? ERIK It is day, of course, Freya. FREYA Is it summer or winter, Erik? Erik looks round at the snowy wastes and then back at Freya, puzzled. ERIK The winter is past, thank goodness, Freya. It is summer. Freya puts her face close to Erik's and peers into his eyes. FREYA Have you ever seen the sun, Erik? ERIK The sun is up beyond the clouds - where it always is. FREYA But have you ever seen it? Think back... ERIK Of course not... but... when I was a child... I remember a dream.... it was as if the whole sky was blue... FREYA The sky WAS blue, Erik... once. Erik looks at her. FREYA The Old Stories tell of an age that would come such as this - when Fenrir the Wolf would swallow the sun, and a Great Winter would settle upon the world. It was to be an axe age, a sword age, a storm age, when brother would turn against brother, and men would fight each other until the world would finally be destroyed. Erik looks out across the bleak and gloomy landscape and the black, boiling clouds in the sky. ERIK (almost to himself) Then... this is the Age of Ragnarok? Freya turns to go back into the cave. ERIK Wait, Freya! Erik re-enters the cave. ERIK Is there nothing men can do? FREYA The Gods are asleep, Erik. ERIK I will go and wake them up! Freya turns and looks at him. She clearly enjoys his earnest enthusiasm, but is afraid he doesn't know what he is talking about. ERIK Tell me what I must do, Freya! Freya thinks for some moments. The she speaks. FREYA Erik... Far out in the midst of the Western Ocean there is a land... men call it Hy-Brasil. There you will find a horn that is called Resounding. You must take the Horn Resounding, and three times you must blow it. The first note will take you to Asgaard. The second will awaken the Gods, and the third note will bring you home. But remember... once you are in the spell of the Horn, hatred will destroy you. Erik turns to go and then hesitates. ERIK And will the dead ever return, Freya? FREYA That I cannot tell you. Cut to a big close-up of a head being banged on the ground. It is Thorfinn Skull-Splitter's. The person doing the banging is an enraged Sven the Berserk. Suddenly Erik pushes his way through the crowd and separates them. There is general disgruntlement all round, and murmurs of: 'Who does he think he is?' ERIK'S GRANDAD What are you doing, Erik? Thorfinn just said Sven's grandfather died of old age. INGEMUND THE OLD They must fight to the death. THORFINN SKULL-SPLITTER That's right! Sven must kill me. OTHERS Yes. Stay out of this. What's it to do with you? (etc) Sven grids his teeth and struggles to get at Thorfinn, but Erik still keeps them apart. ERIK Aren't you afraid of death, Thorfinn Skull-Splitter? Thorfinn shrugs. THORFINN Not death by the sword! It means I shall drink in Valhalla with the great warriors. Cut away To Harald Missionary engaged in his usual business of chatting up any available female. HARALD MISSIONARY You don't still believe in all that Valhalla stuff, do you? THORHILD THE FEMALE Go away. HARALD Fine... right... just checking. He moves off. ERIK And you, Sven, aren't you afraid of crossing the Rainbow Bridge to Asgaard? SVEN I will join my grandfather there. THORFINN He's not in Valhalla! He died of old age! SVEN You liar! They start trying to kill each other again, and crash through a fence into the pig-sty. Pigs squeal and run in all directions. ERIK Stop it! OTHERS Leave them alone! Keep out of it, Erik! The others pull Erik away. GRANDAD There's only one way to settle it. EVERYONE Yes! THORFINN He MUST kill me! EVERYONE Yes! That's right! (etc) Sven struggles again to oblige, and they both topple into the duck pond. Erik dives back to keep them apart. ERIK There is another way. GRANDAD Who gets killed? ERIK Nobody gets killed. THORFINN Oh, well... He starts attacking Sven again. Erik decides there is only one way to make his point. He lets fly with his fists and lays both the antagonists out for a moment. ERIK But it will be dangerous. Maybe none of us will return. SNORRI THE MISERABLE Ah well, that's much more sensible than just Thorfinn getting killed. Shall we all go and pack now? SVEN What are you talking about, Erik? ERIK What if we could find Bi-Frost the Rainbow Bridge? This causes a sensation amongst everyone watching, on the lines of 'You can't do that' and so on. They scoff at Erik. THORFINN (in disbelief) FIND the Rainbow Bridge? ERIK Find it... AND cross it! Super-sensation amongst everyone - except for Harald Missionary who shakes his head sadly. HARALD Look! You can't find somewhere that doesn't exist. GRANDAD (to Harald) Shut up! Harald shrugs. SVEN Only the dead reach Asgaard, Erik. ERIK What's the matter? Are you afraid to try? Thorfinn and Sven are put on the defensive. THORFINN Of course we're not afraid to try, but... Erik rounds on Thorfinn, sensing he had the advantage. ERIK 'But' what? THORFINN But... ERIK What? Thorfinn's mental powers find it hard to articulate any proposition on such a vast metaphysical concept. Sven comes to his rescue. SVEN Nobody's ever crossed the Rainbow Bridge to Asgaard. ERIK We'd be the first! SNORRI You mean we'd be dead? ERIK No! We'd be the first living men to set foot in the Halls of the Gods. Pause. Uncomfortable shifting. SVEN But HOW? ERIK I don't know - but I'm not afraid to try. THORFINN Well I'M certainly not, either. SVEN Neither am I. ERIK Then you'll come. HARALD But there isn't such a place as... Look... THORFINN & SVEN Shut up! ERIK What d'you say? SVEN Well... I'm game. THORFINN Me too. Erik grins. He has persuaded them against their will. GRANDAD Aren't you going to go on fighting? SVEN & THORFINN No. OTHERS Oh... There is general disappointment all around. IVAR THE BONELESS Oh, go on... GRANDAD Just have a bit of a fight. INGEMUND THE OLD I'LL fight someone. GRANDAD You're too old. INGEMUND THE OLD No, I ain't. Cut to an adze striking timber. The Viking's ship, GOLDEN DRAGON, is being repaired and fitted out for a JOURNEY. Erik is there, directing operations. The camera tracks through all the activity and finally comes to rest on Keitel Blacksmith. He is a magnificent mountain of a man in an Arnold Schwarzeneggarish sort of way. He hammers a sword, and sparks fly, but his eyes keep returning to the preparations for the voyage. Clearly something is worrying him. His assistant, Loki, sidles up to him. LOKI Wish you were going too? Keitel grunts angrily and plunges the sword into cold water. Steam and bubbles. LOKI But you CAN'T because you're too busy. Keitel pulls the sword out of the water and tests it. It slices like as razor, Loki watches. LOKI Ooh, that's a good one! You could charge Halfdan fifteen for that one. KEITEL Yes, it is good. But I told him ten. LOKI You could charge him what you like. Loki takes the sword from Keitel and stacks it alongside a lot more freshly made swords. LOKI You just can't make enough swords and spears and knives and daggers to satisfy the demand. You could charge Halfdan twenty and he'd pay it. KEITEL (shocked) Oh, I couldn't do that! The Blacksmith's Code says... LOKI Yes yes... of course.... the 'Blacksmith's Code'... Keitel goes back to his forge and pulls out a fresh dollop of white-hot ore. Loki comes up behind him. LOKI If this IS the Age of Ragnarok, Keitel Blacksmith, it is GOOD to us. KEITEL (banging with his hammer) Can't make enough swords! Bang! Bang! Bang! KEITEL Can't make enough axe-heads! Bang! Bang! Bang! LOKI But, Keitel, if Erik ever finds the Horn Resounding... if he ever crosses Bi-Frost, the Rainbow Bridge... if he ever wakens the gods.. Keitel stops smiting the metal on his forge. He stares into space. KEITEL They chase Fenrir the Wolf from the sky... LOKI The Age of Ragnarok ends... KEITEL The bottom falls out of the sword business! LOKI It's not just YOUR livelihood that's at stake but your son's, and the livelihood of ALL blacksmiths. KEITEL (this touches a nerve in his muscular mind) My brother blacksmiths! LOKI That's right. KEITEL The Blacksmith's Code says I must... LOKI Honour and protect all blacksmiths. KEITEL (as if reciting his oath) Together we stand! LOKI You can't let Erik do THAT. Loki smiles. He has Keitel playing into his hands, although Keitel doesn't realize it. Fade. Cut to some days later. The expedition is set to leave. Thorfinn Skull-Splitter taking leave of his mum and dad. THORFINN'S MUM And you've got BOTH axes? THORFINN Yes, Mother. THORFINN'S MUM And something to sharpen them with? THORFINN Yes, Mum. THORFINN'S MUM And don't forget: never let your enemy get behind you. THORFINN No, Mother. THORFINN'S MUM And keep your sword greased. THORFINN Yes, Mother. Goodbye, Dad. THORFINN'S DAD And don't forget to was - you know - ALL over. THORFINN No, Dad. THORFINN'S MUM And if you have to kill somebody, KILL them! Don't stop to think about it. THORFINN (mildly) I never do... Cut to Sven the Berserk who is also being lectured. The lecture is coming from his father - Ulf the Maddeningly Calm. SVEN'S FATHER (sotto voce) It's a tradition. SVEN I know, Dad. SVEN'S FATHER I was a Berserk for King Harald Fairhair... SVEN You went berserk... SVEN'S FATHER I went berserk in every battle I ever fought for King Harald... SVEN So did your father... SVEN'S FATHER So did my father and his father before him. SVEN But it's a responsibility... SVEN'S FATHER But it's a responsibility being a Berserk. SVEN I must only let the red rage... SVEN'S FATHER You must only let the red rage take hold of you in the thick of battle. SVEN (losing his temper) I KNOW! I'VE HEARD IT ALL I THOUSAND TIMES! A sudden silence falls, as all the village turns to stare nervously at Sven. He goes berserk and demolishes a nearby hut with his head. Ulf the Maddeningly Calm shakes his head. SVEN'S FATHER No no... you'll never make a Berserk. If you let it out now you'll have nothing left for battle... IVAR'S MUM Besides... it's dangerous. SVEN'S FATHER (gloomily) It's the end of a family tradition. In another corner of the village Leif the Lucky is standing with his pregnant girlfriend. GIRL Bye, Leif. LEIF Bye... sorry... GIRL Yeah... well... LEIF You will wait? GIRL What d'you expect me to do? She takes a bracelet off her arm and gives it to Leif. GIRL Wear this for luck. Leif looks at it. LEIF That's why they call me... Leif the Lucky. GIRL Please. Cut to Harald Missionary dumping a bag on board the ship. Grimhild Housewife is helping him. Snorri looks at him in surprise. SNORRI YOU coming? You don't even believe in Asgaard. HARALD I thought I might do a bit of business on the way.SNORRI You're wasting your time. HARALD Listen. I've been in this dump for sixteen years and I haven't made a single convert... SNORRI There was Thorbjorn Vifilsson's wife. You converted HER. HARALD Thorbjorn Vifilsson's wife became a Buddhist, not a Christian. SNORRI Same thing, isn't it? HARALD No, it is NOT. Meanwhile in another part of the village, Loki is strapping a large consignment of swords onto a pony. He glances round and then sneaks surreptiously out of the village, over the barren hills of Norway, under the boiling black skies of Ragnarok. Back at the quayside, GOLDEN DRAGON is ready for the journey. Erik addresses the villagers. ERIK Well... we'll be off now... Erik's grandad waits for some time before he realizes that Erik isn't intending to say anything else. GRANDAD You need to say a bit more than that! ERIK Oh... er... yes... The faces of the village-folk turn towards him. There are many moist eyes. Erik's mother starts to cry. ERIK Oh, there, Mum... (he turns and addresses everyone) Don't be sad.... You all know why we're going, so don't grieve. Maybe untold dangers do lie ahead of us, and some of you may well be looking at the one you love for the last time... Someone bursts out sobbing. Erik desperately tries to rally their spirits. ERIK But don't grieve! Even tough the Hordes of Muspel tear us limb from limb... or the Fire Giants burn each and every one of us to a cinder... More crying. ERIK ...though we may be swallowed by the Dragon of the North Sea or fall off the Edge of the World ... don't cry. More crying. ERIK No! Don't cry.... By this time most of the village is blubbering profusely. Cut to Harald Missionary. He has his arm round his weeping girlfriend. HARALD MISSIONARY Sh... There... it's all fantasy, there's no Dragon of the North Sea, no Edge of the World... GRIMHILD HOUSEWIFE That's what YOU say. ERIK (aside to his Grandad) What's the matter with them? GRANDAD Just say something cheerful. ERIK Oh... right! (He can't think of anything) Well.... CHEERS everybody! Erik smiles broadly and waves. The entire village stares back at him with tears in their eyes, and biting their lips. Suddenly one mother can't hold it back any more. THORFINN'S MUM Don't go! Another mother rushes out and grabs Ivar the Boneless. IVAR'S MUM My son! I don't want you to go! IVAR I don't want to go, either... ERIK Oh gods! Please, everybody! Keep calm! It's not certain ALL of us are going to die... and in any case we may not die HIDEOUS deaths. More renewed sobbing. Grandad's eyes go heavenwards. GRANDAD (to Erik) I think we should go... ERIK Right. (he turns for a last salute) Farewell.. for the last time... may the gods prevent... GRANDAD No, don't say anything else! Suddenly Keitel Blacksmith steps forward. His muscles ripple. His handsome face radiates heroism and manliness. KEITEL Wait, Erik! ERIK Keitel Blacksmith? They stop and turn. KEITEL You can't go without me. Who will repair your swords and mend your shields? Renewed sobs from the women. WOMEN Oh, no! Ah, lackaday! Not HIM too! ERIK What's the matter now? UNN If Keitel Blacksmith goes with you... THORHILD We'll have no one to do the things he did for us THORKATLA THE INDISCRETE OR sharpen our knives and make our pans. An awkward silence. The others all turn on her and frown - a bit of shin-kicking goes on. It's clear that Keitel is popular amongst the womenfolk. Erik doesn't notice. ERIK You will have Keitel's assistant, Loki, to do all that. WOMEN Loki? Eurrgh! ERIK What's wrong with Loki? He's become very good at blacksmithing. WOMEN Yes... but... THORKATLA He's so small and... The others all shush her up. More shin-kicking. THORHILD (innocently) Oh, yes... we've got Loki... That's true... Cut to Loki leading his pony across a bleak landscape. He eventually stops and looks ahead. There stands a gibbet with two corpses dangling from it. He is nearing his destination. Cut back to Erik and his men getting into GOLDEN DRAGON. Erik notices Thorfinn and Sven quarrelling over Leif the Lucky. ERIK Hey, you two! What's going on? SVEN I was sitting there. LEIF No, you weren't. THORFINN Leif's sitting here. I need a bit of luck. LEIF See. SVEN Look, I bagged it last week. ERIK It doesn't matter WHERE you sit! SVEN Yes it does! We could be at sea for months. ERIK Well, what difference does it make where you're SITTING? SVEN I don't want to have to sit next to Snorri all that time. Sven nods towards Snorri the Miserable - an Eeyore of a Viking if ever there were one. SNORRI Thank you VERY much indeed. ERIK Now stop it! SNORRI It's SO nice to feel wanted. ERIK Leif, you sit there. Even, you sit there. Harald, you'd better sit over there... SNORRI Trust me to get the missionary. Suddenly Erik notices Sven's father climbing aboard. ERIK What are YOU doing here? SVEN'S DAD You may need a real Berserk. SVEN I AM one, Dad! ERIK We haven't got a spare place. IVAR He can have my place. I don't want to go anyway. ERIK Well, you ARE! KEITEL Bjorn's not. He could have Bjorn's place. ERIK What's the matter with Bjorn? THORFINN Nothing... Halfdan the Black chopped his hand off last night. ERIK HE was lucky... (to Sven's dad) Sit there. SNORRI You can't have Sven's father sitting next to Sven. They'll argue the whole time. ERIK That's true. (to Sven) YOU'D better sit there. (to Sven's dad) You there, and Ornulf there. SNORRI Now you've got all the big ones on one side. Erik looks around. It is true that all the tall burly ones are on one side. ERIK All right, you go there. You here... Sven's dad and Ornulf swap places. SVEN'S DAD Ohh! I wanted to sit next to Leif. ERIK Shut up. You there. You there and you there. Ivar and Ornulf swap places. Erik surveys this re-arrangement. ERIK That's better. SNORRI Now you've got all the ones with beards on one side and all the moustaches on the other. This is true. Erik thinks some moments and then: ERIK It doesn't matter. They start to haul the sail up. Ropes are released. The boat rocks. Suddenly a voice cuts through the crowd. It is Erik's mother. ERIK'S MUM Wait! Wait! Wait! ERIK What is it? (he is clearly a little embarrassed) ERIK'S MUM Here, son. She tries to hand Erik what looks unmistakably like a pillow. Erik is dumbfounded. ERIK'S MUM Your father always made sure he could rest his head at night. Erik is mortified. The others snigger, though not without some sympathy for Erik. They've ALL been embarrassed by their mums at one time or another. ERIK I can't take THAT on a voyage! ERIK'S MUM It was your father's! Erik will find it hard to refuse now. But he hesitates. ERIK'S MUM It was the pillow HE took with him. He said it once saved his life. Erik reluctantly takes the precious object. His mother kisses him. Everyone has fallen silent now. The relatives stand helpless on the shore as GOLDEN DRAGON starts to drift away from them. The Vikings sit in their places, hands on the oars looking back at their loved ones. Erik stands at the prow of GOLDEN DRAGON. For a moment he thinks he sees the girl he killed, standing, white in death, the spear-wound still fresh. Erik raises his hand in a half-goodbye. We cut back to the loved ones, now the girl is no longer there. They too half-raise their hands. Erik suddenly turns and gives a shout: ERIK Huuup! The oars go up and then into the water, and GOLDEN DRAGON commences her voyage. Cut back to GOLDEN DRAGON at sea. Snorri is feeling queasy and gazing gloomily at the receding coastline of Norway. Thangbrand is sitting near him and feeling equally queasy. SNORRI Have a good look... that's the last we'll see of old Norway. Snorri is desperately trying to control his insides. SNORRI Goodbye home... goodbye family... goodbye loved ones... (he starts to throw up) Goodbye lunch... THANGBRAND Oh! Shut up. Harald Missionary puts his arm around Snorri. HARALD You know, my son, our lord said... SNORRI YOUR lord. HARALD Quite... MY lord... said: 'The Prayer of Faith shall have the sick.' SNORRI I hope the Dragon of the North Sea gets YOU AND your lord. Harald Missionary gives him a condescending smile and a weary shake of the head. He knows the Dragon of the North Sea does not exist. HARALD Darkness and ignorance... Meanwhile Ivar the Boneless and Sven the Berserk are both suffering from the effects of the sea. SVEN (keeping a wave of nausea down) It's not so bad when you're rowing. THORFINN SKULL-SPLITTER That's right Thorfinn gobs onto the whetstone with which he is sharpening his axe. Sven can control himself no longer. He rushes for the side. SVEN THE BERSERK I want to die. This sets off Ivar. IVAR THE BONELESS Uh oh! He leaps up and pukes over the side. Mass puking breaks out all over the boat. Keitel Blacksmith looks around at his preoccupied shipmates, and it slowly dawns upon him that this might be the moment to try a little sabotage. He goes to the ship's lodestone, which is hanging from the mast. Keitel glances around. No one is looking, but this sort of covert behaviour goes against his normally sunny and open disposition. KEITEL (to himself) The Blacksmith's Code... He steels himself, takes down the lodestone, snaps out the piece of metal in the base and throws it over the side. Keitel hangs it up again on the mast. THORFINN Are you all right? IVAR No, I'm not. THORFINN You don't need to feel bad about being sea-sick, you know. IVAR How can you help feeling bad when you're sea-sick? THORFINN I mean many of the greatest sailors were. Pause. IVAR I know. I know. THORFINN Olaf Tryggvason used to throw up on every single voyage... the whole time... non-stop.. puke... puke... puke. IVAR Look! I don't feel BAD about it. I just feel ILL. Thorfinn pauses and waits for a wave of nausea to creep up on Ivar. THORFINN He used to puke in his sleep. IVAR Bastard. He throws up. Meanwhile Erik is in the stern, gazing out behind them. ERIK Thorfinn... look over there. Thorfinn leaves Ivar and joins Erik. On the horizon a sinister sail is following them. Thorfinn grins with evil pleasure. He scents a fight. Erik turns to the crew. ERIK Break out the oars! Thorfinn's smile disappears and he spins round to confront Erik. THORFINN What are you talking about? ERIK (to his reluctant crew) Come on, move it! Most of the men are being sea-sick. MORD FIDDLE We've only just started cooking lunch. The crew glance at Mord Fiddle and then throw up again. ERIK Move it! Reluctantly the crew take up their rowing positions. Thorfinn buttonholes Erik (except of course that he doesn't have any buttonholes). THORFINN It's Halfdan the Black! ERIK I know. Snorri! Get your oar out! Snorri is sitting in position but without his oar. Keitel has meanwhile joined them. He, too, stares at the horizon. He is a little puzzled by this turn of events. Loki has said nothing about Halfdan coming after them. KEITEL (uneasily) Do you suppose he wants to stop us waking the Gods? Erik looks at Keitel with a certain amount of contempt. Keitel is not renowned even amongst these Vikings for his brain-power. ERIK What do you think? KEITEL But how could he know... unless... Keitel stops in mid-sentence as he realizes it must be Loki's doing. THORFINN (scornfully) So are you going to run away from him, Erik? Erik turns to Thorfinn. ERIK Row, Thorfinn Skull-Splitter. Thorfinn hesitates. ERIK And you, Keitel Blacksmith. KEITEL But... Keitel shrugs and turns to take up his rowing position. He is still a little confused by this turn of events. Erik confronts Thorfinn. ERIK I gave an order. Or didn't you hear? There is something about Erik's manner that carries an authority that Thorfinn cannot argue with. ERIK Come on, Ivar. Erik manhandles Ivar over to his drum and thrusts his drumsticks into his hands. Halfdan's ship is twice the size of Erik's and, as Erik is only too well aware, consequently travels at twice the speed. There is no real chance of them escaping, unless... Erik suddenly catches sight of a thick bank of mist in the distance, and steers his ship towards it. IVAR (still feeling ill) I want to die... (then, suddenly catching sight of Halfdan's ship behind him) No, I don't! ERIK Row! Row! Row! Ivar tries to get into the new rhythm, but has a bit of difficult. As Halfdan's ship gains on them inexorably, GOLDEN DRAGON glides into the sea mist. There is a tremendous roll of thunder very close. All the Vikings look scared. Erik, however, grins. ERIK Row! Row! Row! He doubles the speed. The drum beats faster. SVEN'S DAD (shouts out angrily) We can't keep this up! Erik grins and then leans on the steering oar. GOLDEN DRAGON curves around to its left. Then Erik lays his hand on Ivar's drum and silences it. ERIK Oars up! The Vikings ship their oars and sit there in the mist listening to beating of Halfdan's drum getting closer and closer. At the final moment, however, Halfdan swings his ship in the opposite direction from Erik's and the sound of his drum disappears into the mist. Erik's men breathe a sigh of relief... even Keitel Blacksmith... Fade. Fade up some time later. GOLDEN DRAGON is still drifting in the mist. Erik has his fish-lodestone and is trying the direction, but the lodestone is just swinging round uselessly. After trying a few times, Erik gives up and throws the lodestone away into the boat. The men peer into the thick mist; they are lost. Suddenly Erik sees something ahead. ERIK The Gates of the World... MORD FIDDLE What? GOLDEN DRAGON silently guides between two weird islands. ERIK We have passed through the Gates of the World (he looks around at the other) No we are in the Unknown... GOLDEN DRAGON drifts on and the mist gets thicker. There is a crash of thunder. Then a series of flashes lights up the mist around them. The Vikings are uneasy, sensing a storm brewing. Suddenly Erik points above them. The others look up too. They all gasp. ERIK (hardly daring to breathe) So THAT is what the sun looks like! Above them hangs a luminous yellow globe, its light just breaking through the mist. VIKING (to each other) The sun! It's the sun! Look! SVEN'S DAD (in wonderment) I never though I should live to see the sun again. HARALD MISSIONARY Where? The Vikings all gaze up above them in awe. Harald looks from one to the other and then tries to follow their eyelines. He clearly can't see it. Magic music fills the air. Suddenly the 'sun' swoops off to one side and starts swaying from one side to another. ERIK Should the sun do that? HARALD MISSIONARY What are you looking at? ERIK Look out! VIKINGS Ah! The Vikings scream and flatten themselves against the sides of the boat, as the 'sun' suddenly lurches down on them out of the sky, revealing for the first time that it is NOT the sun at all but a strange monster with a long neck that disappears off into the mist and a glowing globe for a head, and huge chomping jaws. The Vikings are, understandably, terrified. VIKINGS It's not the sun! It's not the sun! HARALD MISSIONARY What is it? SNORRI It's the Dragon of the North Sea! HARALD MISSIONARY (knowingly) Ah! THAT'S why I can't see it. As the Dragon of the North Sea rises up again, however, its jaw apparently drops off and falls to the deck, and lands on Snorri. SNORRI Aaah! Keitel nervously picks it up and holds it up for everyone to see. I is a strand of sea-weed. The Vikings are non-plussed. They look back at their now jawless monster. Harald Missionary picks up the sea-weed. HARALD Some dragon! Ooh! He tosses it back amongst his terrifies companions. Suddenly there is an incredibly loud clap of thunder and flames shoot out of the mist. SVEN Look out! As... unbelievably... a huge monstrous visage looms out of the mist...It is a creature from the nethermost depths of the ocean... and the incandescent globe is no more than a sprouting on the end of its nose! More fire shoots out from its nostrils and sends all the Vikings (and even Harald Missionary) diving for the deck. Then the monstrous head disappears back into the mist as quickly as it came, taking its light with it... The Vikings are paralysed with fear for one brief moment. ERIK Row! ROW! They all scramble for the oars in a determined hysteria. Ivar the drummer, in his panic, has set a ridiculously fast rate and nobody can keep up with it. ERIK Slower! Nobody can row at that speed! IVAR (hoarsely) Sorry. HARALD What's all the panic about? SVEN'S DAD (in a panic, shouting back over his shoulder) The Dragon... Harald gives a patronising smile. HARALD Children afraid of the dark... Suddenly there is another roar, and flames shoot out of the mist and across the deck of GOLDEN DRAGON. One man, Ornolf Fishdriver, who hasn't had much to say so far, is set on fire. Another, Bjarni Jerusalem-Farer, who has and will have even less to say then Ornolf Fishdriver, leaps out of the way of the flames and falls over the side. THORFINN Man over board! Thorfinn starts trying to fish him out. Ivar has started to panic and is beating the drum too fast. ERIK Slower! In... Out... IVAR Sorry! SVEN (his eyes showing their whites) We're being attacked! KILL! Kill! Kill! SVEN'S DAD Not now, Sven... SVEN I must KILL! Kill! SVEN'S DAD It's no good going berserk against a dragon! Sven's dad slaps him around the face. There is another roar from the monster. Erik turns to Ivar. ERIK Faster! IVAR Make your mind up. Suddenly the Dragon's head appears out of the mists above them once again. There is panic amongst the Vikings as some start to row faster than others. Screams. ERIK Keep up the strike! The Dragon's jaws open. Flame licks out, and down the centre of the vessel. There are screams as the Vikings leap out of the way. Sven goes berserk again. SVEN KILL! KILL! SVEN'S DAD Stop it! The Dragon's eyes dilate and its jaws open. The men throw themselves to the deck as if expecting more fire. But instead the creature's fangs crash into the wood of the stern of GOLDEN DRAGON. ERIK ROW! SVEN DEATH! SVEN'S DAD Shut UP! ERIK Row! Erik looks around at his terror-stricken crew. He realizes this is an important moment. It is up to him to save the situation. Suddenly an idea occurs to him, as he catches sight of the pillow that his mother gave him. ERIK Keep rowing! Erik dashes to his sea-chest under the mast and pulls out the pillow. THORFINN Erik! Row! What are you doing? ERIK (holding up the pillow) It saved my father! Erik starts to shin up the mast. SNORRI Barmy. Sven's dad is desperately holding Sven back. SVEN'S DAD HOLD it! HOLD it in! SVEN DEATH TO DRAGONS! ERIK Row! SNORRI Has anyone told him we've got a dragon eating our boat? Erik has reached the top of the mast and is now right up with the incandescent globe on the end of the long stalk that grows onto the monster's nose. He grabs hold of it and swings across onto the monster's nose. At his moment Sven breaks free of his dad and throws himself onto one of the Dragon's teeth. SVEN Red mist! He bangs his head against the monstrous denture. Sven's dad looks heavenward in despair. Cut to Harald Missionary who is offering his bible to the petrifies Vikings in the prow. HARALD It's at time like this that you'll find this book MOST useful, you know... Keitel takes the bible from him and hits him over the head with it. KEITEL Row! You idiot! The monster's eyes dilate wildly as they try to focus on the tiny figure of Erik on its snout. Erik shoves the pillow up one of the Dragon's nostrils. Snorri watches Erik incredulously. He shakes his head. SNORRI His father went crazy too... Used to take forty winks in the middle of a battle... Thorfinn frowns - he has a glimmering of an idea of what Erik is doing. Erik now plunges his sword through the pillow in the Dragon's nostril, and feathers immediately fly into the air. ERIK Now... take a deep breath. The Dragon goes cross-eyed, trying to see what's going on on its snout. ERIK Go on! Breathe in, you cod-brain! Meanwhile the Dragon's tongue suddenly licks out around its tooth. Sven instantly slices through it with his sword. The bright blood spurts, like bursting a sausage. The Dragon gives an agonized roar and a sharp intake of breath. The feathers that have leaked out from the pillow are instantly sucked inside and the whole pillow disappears right up the Dragon's nose. For a moment everyone holds their breath. The Dragon's eye dilate wildly. Then it wrinkles its snout. Then it starts what is unmistakably a sneeze. THE DRAGON OF THE NORTH SEA Ah... ah... ah... ERIK Hold TIGHT! THE DRAGON OF THE NORTH SEA Ah... ah... ah... Erik leaps back across the mast. To be continued....