Bj?rn awoke early from a sleep born of hard work - something in the air was not right, a vileness was heavy around the camp. Throwing back his covers, Bj?rn looked over to Rognald and Asger who stared back at him, no words necessary. "Come on lads!" Bj?rn bellowed to the whole camp, "we need to move – now".
The dawn sky was ashen with a dusky red hue off to the south and a sulfurous scent of smoke in the air. As the men quickly readied the long boat, they noticed an odd stillness to the normally, more rapidly flowing Elbe River. The river was glassy smooth; the normal sounds of animals at the edges of the river was non-existent. There was none of the normal banter or good spirited vocal jabs among the explorers, just enough words were used to get the longboat loaded. They moved out with the anticipation of something unpleasant on the wind. Fulton sat in the middle of the longboat recounting grand tales of David, Joshua, and Gideon – bolstering their spirits and calming their hearts with stories that told of unlikely biblical heroes that threw back the opposition. These seasoned warriors were not afraid of a good fight – the feeling moving up the river to them from the south, was not your ordinary foreboding, there was evil in the air, and they were going to end it.
After two hours rowing on the glass smooth river Bj?rn steered the longboat into some reeds on the east bank when he could no longer see the prow due to smoke. The sailors stowed their oars letting the boat drag to a stop - grinding of the sand dully echoing through the hull. The smell of charred meat was staggering, and the heat of fires could be felt from infernos a hundred plus yards away. Men disembarked with the tools of conquest on their backs and in their belts. They hunkered down a bit, trying to minimize any silhouettes, waiting while Bj?rn and Rognald could take stock of the situation.
The two leaders crept toward the fiery hell. They caught site of two centurions that appeared to be posted at a point, to keep people from fleeing the town via the river. The site of the centurions seemed to play a trick on their eyes - the faces of the Roman centurions were WRONG. Within the helms of the men, there seemed to be a second face hiding just on top of their teeth and cheekbones, a rendering of a skull. Their eyes were dark, not a solid black, but there was no separating the pupil from the iris, it was a clear black on white. In the background of their bodies there was a smokey looking black aura, burning around their whole figure – you could just notice it when they were silhouetted against the light gray color of the graveled road. In their hearts, Bj?rn and Rognald now understood the deep foreboding they had felt back at camp – this was an enemy not of this world – something else from one of the nine realms, these were spirits of Helheim holding on to a living body, causing destruction for the sake of destruction.
Bj?rn led Rognald back to the river where the men were waiting. Bj?rn was looking for Fulton - "Fulton" Bj?rn whispered hoarsely, "I don't know what these are, but they are not men. Their bodies are infused with death and smoke, I don't understand what I am seeing."
Fulton was immersed in prayer, he barely heard Bjorn speak...his feal was palpable, "These things are born of hell, Bj?rn. They are men who have sold their sold their souls to Satan. They have no other purpose now except to cause destruction. The people here are doomed, we cannot help them all. The demons are powerful Bj?rn, we should save the ones closest to us and flee." Fulton was now looking into Bj?rn's eyes, pleading, "Please, we cannot defeat the spawn."
Bj?rn took a knee in front of Fulton, who was still kneeling in prayer. Bj?rn spat the man's name, "Fulton! You'd better get up and get moving, your acute lack of faith is embarrassing. You cannot profess to be one of the Allfather's children while planning to flee from the enemy. Get yourself together son, we will not leave these people to suffer if we can help in any way. We," Bj?rn waved his hand around, indicating ALL the Vikings, "would all rather die than not go to battle with the spawn. I need you to think...what can we do, how can we defeat them? What has your church done in the past to fight evil like this? You have fought evil before, have you not?"
"You are right Bj?rn, I am weak – my sincere apologies." Fulton stood, beating back his fear, "I have some knowledge, yes - it should help. Gather the men, circle them around me." Fulton pulled his Holy Water from an inside pocket of his smock, "Point your weapons in here men, I need to sprinkle the water on them." As he treated the weapons with holy water he chanted in Latin, words of blessing on the weapons to give them power beyond the plane of man.
"Allfather" Bj?rn began, "give us the strength and stamina to free these townsfolk from this demon infestation. Guide our blades and arrows, protect our backs, and lead us to victory. We will fight and fall for your glory. Use us as the hammer of your vengeance. Amen."
With added vigor, Bj?rn set the men into action, "Sven, Leif – take your men, go far left. Asger, Arik – your team goes left center. Rognald, take Bodvar and his team and go center – eliminate the two goat sacks we saw. Felix, with me – we will circle the docks." Bj?rn pulled his axes from his belt as he looked over his men. "Do not play with these Hel spawn. If you can take them down with a bow in the back, do so. These aren't honor bound warriors, they have sold their souls to the adversary, they have forfeit any fairness. When you come across survivors, send them back to Fulton, he will find a place to keep them safe...won't you Fulton?" Bj?rn, arrow focused his eyes to Fulton's. "Rognald, I have a feeling the leader will be close to the docks since they came in by boat. He is probably directing from there. I think if we cut the head from the snake, it will weaken severely. Meet me at the leader."
The men all left at a trot to their respective routes. Bj?rn leading his men toward the docks, with the river on his right. He wanted to clear a path, so civilians could flee back to Fulton. They slowed pace as they came to the first building, veering slightly left as they met the corner. One of the demon centurions was surrounded by dead civilians. His right hand, pulled back and loaded with a short sword, was at its peak – prelude to a death blow, when an arrow zipped past Bj?rn's right ear sinking into the left eye socket of the centurion and out the back of its skull dropping it like a sack of meal. Bj?rn stepped through the carnage and grabbed the man who had nearly died – pulled him to his feet and motioned for him to run back the direction the Viking's had come. "Go, go!" he shouted. Bj?rn took stock of the area before they took off again, he wanted to head away from the river a bit, see if he could find more survivors. They took the street away from the river to the next intersection at a jog and hung a right.
A centurion had some men, women, and children cornered in a dead end. One man was in front bleeding from his left arm, holding an old rusty sword in his right, attempting to defend a half dozen of his people. "Hey, goat-shat for brains – back up and let's have a go" Bj?rn yelled, begging for the demon's attention. The demon slowly turned an about face to his left wanting to find out who, or what, had the spine to call him out. He looked Bj?rn up and down seemingly unimpressed. He turned back a bit to the would-be defender, "I will be right back to finish, please don't go anywhere." The demons voice grated like a steel billet being dragged across stone. The look on the demon's face seemed pained as he spoke, like it was unnatural. "You should not be away from Hel demon, let me send you home" Bj?rn goaded as he walked toward the centurion. The demon began stalking toward Bj?rn, rotating his short sword in circles. Bj?rn had a one hand bearded axe in each hand, flexing his arms at the elbows, prepping for the battle to come. They met in the middle, demon striking first, overhand blow toward Bj?rn's exposed neck and shoulder. Bj?rn easily caught the blade in a scissor move of his axes, rolled the blow over his head and to the right sending the sword off, and following up with an attempt at the demon's exposed spine with his left axe – the demon had used the momentum to step forward and out of reach. The opponents faced each other once again.
"What are you?" the demon asked, perusing Bj?rn like a new weapon, "you are not like these peasants, there is strength... and light in you."
"Nothing for you to worry about, you smelly beast. How about less talking and more ass kicking, you soul selling worthless sack of goat bits."
The demon snarled and launched at Bj?rn with a straight stab toward his heart. The way the demon moved this time, was not at human speed, it was something more. Bj?rn barely sent blade wide as he caught the shoulder charge of the centurion right in the sternum and sent him barreling backwards. Bj?rn curled his legs and used the momentum to drop into a roll. As he came to his feet, he jumped further backwards to make sure the demon was far enough away for him to set up for the next round.
The demon was surprised at Bj?rn's backward spring and the fact that his short sword did not pierce flesh. Bj?rn was two paces away from the townsfolk survivors, the fear in their faces strengthened his resolve. His men moved to engage the demon, but Bj?rn jerked his chin up as a sign to ward them off. Bj?rn started forward, doing his ass kick shuffle, keeping his feet close to the ground in case he needed to push off. The demon stalked slowly toward Bj?rn, moving his sword in a figure eight pattern, using it as a diversion. Bj?rn kept an eye on the demon from the waist and down, looking for those telltale signs of a next move. The combatants were close enough now - the demon's right foot touched the ground and turned a bit in, the telltale sign Bj?rn was looking for – Bj?rn beat him to the literal punch and launched first, off of his left foot that was posted. As he came inside the demon's reach, his axe handles slid down in his hands, so the axe heads were solidly resting on the tops of his fists – as he came inside the reach of the demon, the tips of the bearded axe heads punched into the unarmored arm pits of the centurion demon. Bj?rn's powerful arms tried to push the axes together, as much as he could, puncturing the demonic breathing devices. With the forward momentum, Bj?rn performed an inside leg sweep to force the demon to the ground, withdrawing his weapons from the body as they fell. In order to make sure the demon was truly sent to Helheim, Bj?rn tilted his axe heads in, like a big scissor, over the demon's neck – 'Schnick' – no more head.
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Bj?rn stood, head bobbed his men, and then pointed to the townsfolk. Felix ran to the scared people to talk to them. He had picked up enough of Fulton's language to enable some rough communication. He got them off to the monk. "Okay guys", Bj?rn started "these are not men, they are stronger and faster – know that. If we can cut them down with arrow's, that's what we ought to do, no more hand to hand. Let's head back that way and cut back, see if we can catch Rognald."
The men headed back to where they shot the first demon they found; it was clear. They moved back south with the river on their right once again. There were only a few bodies here, the townsfolk must have seen the demon's make landfall and fled – they needed to end this before the people were herded together and slaughtered. Off through the smoke, Bj?rn could just make out some type of roofed pavilion several, streets away. Probably the main market where goods came in and were sold. This was his goal; he had a feeling this is where the head goat-shat eater was.
Quickly covering the distance, he saw Rognald, and his team come out of a side street just in front of them and turn left to make the market center as well. Rognald stopped his team though, to wait for Bj?rn to catch up.
"These are NOT human, Bj?rn", Rognald nearly shouted "they do not die easy and if you're not careful, they even dodge arrows" he stated incredulously.
Bj?rn gave a rough grin, "I know my friend, we ran into one, or two, as well. We need to finish this quickly. I really hope cutting the head off the snake works. If not, we are in big trouble. Were you able to find any survivors?"
"Yes, we found a pocket of people being ravaged by two of the centurions. Not easily dispatched, but we got them."
"Okay, let's move- let's see if we can find the serpent's head."
The men moved toward the pavilion. Bj?rn and Rognald heading to the center, their 15 men spreading out on either side to create a net, keeping anything from slipping through. Making their way past the tables and stalls, they came out into a large, airy gazebo – looking on the primus pilus, the leader of this centurion legion.
He was not a big man, but his posture and presence spoke volumes about his capability. He held his horse hair plumed helmet under his left arm, resting on the grip of his short sword, and his kite shield was hanging on his back. The primus has the same smokey aura as the other demons the Viking's killed, but the smokey aura on the Primus was darker and more pronounced. The skeletal features within the plumed helm were more defined on the primus, and the eyes were all black, no sclera at all. "I could feel you believer..." this demon's voice did not grate when he talked, it was silky smooth, like a used horse salesman. "I did not think to find any of your kind here." The demon was slowly walking around the edge of the square, still mumbling. Bj?rn not sure if it was talking to him, or himself "Oh, there are some – many people, in fact – who simply believe in the Christ, but you – you actually hear him, don't you?" the demon asked still rambling, "No. No – there are not many like you, I will need to finish you here, I have work to do for my master. It is time to turn the tide – we will win the war; we will walk free." The demon's eyes bored into Bj?rn accusingly.
It took a minute or so for Bjorn to decipher what the demon's monologue meant. Much of it seemed to be the internal musings of the monster, but the demon eluding that Bj?rn could hear the Christ...that was something new, something plausible, but how did he know? Bj?rn did feel like he could hear something in the back of his mind. He could often feel a presence or hear a voice surrounding him – he usually felt it as being his own thoughts, not the voice of his Allfather. Bj?rn came back to reality when the primus spoke again, "Your men are making it hard for my associates to do what has been tasked by our master – come, we must finish this. Shall we do this 'quie est homo' Bj?rn, man to man." The primus flourished his cape and walked toward the center of the open, vaulted, pavilion. He donned his helmet, drew his short sword, and pulled his kite shield from his back, setting himself up for combat facing Bj?rn and Rognald.
As Bj?rn moved forward, Rognald grabbed him, "Stop" he snarled "We have to do this the smart way – you know that I am the better fighter, Bj?rn. You are good, but you are still learning from most of us. I'm the battle leader, I'll go. Besides, if I happen to lose he should be soft enough for you to finish then."
"I can't let you do this Rognald, the Allfather is with me – us, we will prevail." Bj?rn implored Rognald, attempting to move from that iron grip.
"I know the Allfather is with us, but that doesn't mean that we do something childish and stupid. We know what we know – I am the best fighter we have here, by far. We must play smart. You know that being blessed does not protect you from doing something stupid?"
"Okay, you're right. You go but be cautious and take your time. See how he –"
Rognald cut Bj?rn off – "Who taught you how to fight Bj?rn, Thor's goats? I what I'm doing. Pray for me, grant strength and cunning – we. Will. Win." He turned and began marching to meet the primus in the center of the pavilion. His two-hand broad axe in his right hand and a small buckler shield mounted to his left forearm. Well-armed and lightly armored, the six-foot-four giant was no one to be trifled with. Bj?rn knew he was not the best fighter of the explorers, but nobody else scared him, just Rognald – he was the monster that monsters looked for under their beds before they went to sleep.
"Come children" the primus bellowed, "one of you needs to come out here. I can't have any more of my brethren die than necessary. My patience is wearing thin, Bj?rn. Make sure no one else interferes – the Creator did not give us much, but he did give us the benefit of fair single combat. If anyone else interferes once combat is underway, they will die at the will of the Allfather." Bj?rn looked to the Primus, confusion rolling across his face, "I don't know what you're talking about demon...we're honorable regardless..." Bj?rn's words tapering off, but the demon responded cryptically and Bj?rn could sense the truth through the spirit of the Allfather, " I am sure you are not aware...this has not been done in a millennia – the fallen don't live by any rules but their own...except for single combat with a chosen of the Creator. Once committed to combat if any of your men interfere, they will literally, just die. This is the only assurance the fallen now have from Him. We don't have to abide by many rules, except for this is one." The primus was watching Rognald enter the proverbial ring, "Don't worry about interference, Demon, I am going to make sure you can't do this" Rognald used his hands to indicate the whole town, "to anyone or any place else."
"Time to quit playing, Rognald" the primus snarled with venom, "it's time to die!" The Primus shot forward with his sword aimed at Rognald's heart, the Viking spun into the attach with his buckler, deflecting it to his right, and spinning with his axe in an attempt to cleave the primus' head...near miss.
Facing each other again, primus began banging his shield with his sword. Rognald was too seasoned to take the bait – he could not really hear any of it. Rognald began circling to his left, giving him the advantage of power to use his large axe. One step, two step, primus lunged – Rognald stepped inside the sword, but was bashed with the shield catching the brunt of it on his axe arm. The primus' strength was much more powerful than his sub six-foot frame would indicate. Rognald was not easily pushed aside and recovered almost immediately.
Sortie number three began; the primus began to circle to the right forcing the advantage of his shield. Rognald juked – the primus flinched and raised his shield above his eyes and shied back just bit – Rognald reached out with his axe and hooked the top of the shield and pulled. Caught off guard, the primus used his demon strength to pull and lift against the tug. Rognald let go of his axe, as the primus' shield flew up, Rognald lunged in while drawing his long seax to punch it through the primus' bronze armor – the seax was deflected - the armor was steel, not bronze. The primus came across his body with his sword in hand and punched Rognald in the face with the pommel. The demon infused blow knocked Rognald off of his feet and a couple yards off to the side.
Rognald was down for only a moment, dazed as he came up. The primus was there to meet him with over hand strikes to Rognald's head region. The buckler took the first blow, the second blow he stepped back a half step, the third blow cracked the buckler and Rognald went to his right knee. The fourth blow, the buckler split, and half of the wood fell from the iron frame. The primus paused in anticipation of victory, as he pulled his arm back for the fifth strike Rognald blessedly stumbled across his axe. The fifth strike fell obliterating the final bits of wood in the buckler. As the primus pulled back acticipating the final blow, Rognald stood and in the same fluid motion, kicked through the primus' left knee completely shattering it.
With his post gone, the primus was falling to his left. Rognald's momentum never stopping, he spun to his left, full circle, regaining the two-handed grip on his axe, and severed the primus' head from his body, as they met in combat for the final second.
A cheer went up immediately at the same time the primus' head left his neck. The Vikings lifted their fists and eyes to the heavens in a triumphant shout. It was not lost on them that Rognald had really almost lost, almost died – Rognald had NEVER been knocked from his feet like that, never a friend and especially not a foe...Rognald was blessed. That sounded like a good name to the explorers - Rognald the Blessed he would now and forever be.
Off in the village, there were feral howls rising and falling. Bj?rn guessed it had something to do with the demon leader being beaten in fair, single combat. "Lads!" Bj?rn shouted, "head into the village, check for survivors. See what we can do to assist in stopping the fires from burning down the rest of the homes and shops." No longer than a heartbeat after the words left Bj?rn's mouth, the sky darkened with thunderheads that opened to douse the fires of the demon's fury. The cleansing rain cleared the blood and dirt out of the town, and into the waiting river, like it was trying to erase at least some of the damage that had been done.
Bj?rn kneeled down next to Rognald who had collapsed to his arse, and pulled the man into a brotherly embrace, speaking words of thanks to the Allfather for delivering the town from evil while preserving the life of his best friend and life mentor. A few moments passed and Rognald groaned in pain so Bj?rn released him and fell to his back side. They looked at each other, a bit dumbfounded - and wet - Rognald ran his left hand over his face where the primus punched him, "I have a real headache, Bj?rn. I have never been hit like that in my whole life."
