Legends Never Die: Temptation (ch. 7) (Patreon)

I realized my mistake too late. After defending my home, then the raid… the amount of praise I had gotten went straight to my head and I hadn't realized it. Everyone proclaimed me as a great warrior unlike any other, to the point I had been so distinguished that I got fifty acres worth of land. I had become so strong that I could mold the earth with my sheer, raw physical power…

My mistake was thinking that because I was a great killer of men, that meant I could kill anything. I had believed what people said about me -- that I was blessed and chosen by the gods. That I could not fall in battle. That I could kill any enemy before me, no matter how many. I had become overconfident.

The black wolf was a stark point with a pelt as black as Fenrir. I had no doubt that it was sent by the Allfather to remind me that I was not a god. I was just a man. A young one. And I could die like one.

The wolves howled and Fast Counter told me that there were at least ten other wolves around me. My keen hearing picked up the sound of the pack descending on my position through the snow and underbrush, coming from all directions. However, my focus was on the large one. It hung back, looking at me as it took a step forward, entering a ray of light cast from the moon above. Its coat was pitch black, so dark that it seemed to absorb the light cast on it. The wolf hung back, letting its pack do the leg work, watching me as if it could see into my soul.

I gripped my axe tightly, taking in a bracing cold breath and letting it out as a cloud of fog. I heard a snarl behind me, and the battle began. I pivoted, lashing out with my axe and catching the wolf in the neck, and as soon as it fell another three descended upon me. Two flanked out at my sides, nipping at my heels and harrying me while the third lunged for me. The moment I attacked it, the other two made their attacks. Unlike men, a pack of wolves worked together almost seamlessly. I felt fangs bite into my thigh while I killed the wolf that had gone for my throat, and another beside it with the same swing.

Snarling in pain, I slammed the butt of the axe into the top of its skull, shattering it with a Power Attack. Only to feel another wolf slam into me from the back, teeth biting into my shoulder while it shook its head, sharp fangs tearing deeper into me. Reaching up, I grabbed it by the scruff of its neck before ripping it off of me, slamming it into the ground before burying my axe into its exposed belly.

Seconds was all it took. A real life and death struggle was decided in a moment. Five wolves were dead, and my leg and shoulder were already injured. I felt hot blood flow over my skin, dripping down my chest and back. I took in another deep breath and let it out, shifting to take the weight from my injured leg. I turned my gaze to the largest wolf as the remaining half of its pack inched forward, snarling and biting at air to draw my attention, or lunging forward, only to retreat a half-second later.

The black wolf walked forward, striding towards me. It was then that I noticed that I could actually see its muscles ripple underneath his black coat. Its head was low, face twisted into a snarl as its eyes peered at me. I hunched low, readying myself for what was about to happen next. I took in a third breath, and it saved me, I realized a second later when the wolf lunged for me. I swung at it, and for the first time in years, I missed, the swing dodged. A gap formed in my guard and the wolf seized it, lunging for my throat as it tackled me.

We both hit the ground, but I only felt the intense pressure around my neck like a hot vice. I reacted on instinct, grabbing the wolf by the head, preventing it from throwing its head back and ripping my throat out while I reach back and swung blindly at the wolf’s head with my axe.

I swung twice. The first was a bad swing, the axehead striking at a bad angle and scraping off the wolf's thick coat, but once I knew where it was I adjusted my grip, and as the giant beast drove me into the snow covered dirt, fighting my grip in its bid to tear out my throat, the second strike landed dead on. The edge buried itself into the wolf's head, making the wolf whimper before clamping down harder.

Hitting it again did the trick, and I felt the pressure around my throat lessen significantly as the wolf tried to flee. I let it, practically shoving my now free hand into its mouth to make sure that it couldn’t change its mind and try to finish the job. It leaped off of me as if it had been burned, retreating back as I scrambled to my feet, a hand on my neck to stifle the blood seeping out of me. Given that I wasn’t dead, it couldn’t have punctured my carotid artery. But, it felt like my neck was bleeding a lot.

Blood dyed the snow red, both from me and the wolf. It looked at me, blood drenching its fur as I saw I had struck it right over one of its golden eyes. It snarled at me, and I snarled right back, shifting my weight for another attack. The other wolves snapped their jaws at me, making me swallow thickly…

Only for the black wolf to turn away. There was no other sign or cue, but the wolf simply turned tail and ran, prompting the others to chase after it. I leaned heavily on my axe, peering into the darkness while trying to hear where they were going to see if this was some kind of trick. However, after a few seconds, it became clear I didn’t have the time to stand around. I felt blood dripping down my forearm and body, while my pants felt soaked.

Swallowing thickly, I made a snap decision. It was further away, but no one at the farmstead knew anything about medicine. A cut was seared closed, or filled with dirt to slow the bleeding. Given the shape I was in, that would be just as likely to kill me. Instead, I turned to Morrigan’s cottage and began to walk. Pain flashed in my leg with each step, but I was used to pain. It was something you had to live with in this time. Just like I was used to pushing to my limits.

My trail was marked with footprints in the thickening snow that were dyed red. I couldn’t tell how much blood I was losing, but I was starting to go light-headed. I ignored that and soldiered on, spotting a flickering flame that I hoped wasn’t the light everyone said not to walk towards amidst the trees. I let out a long, ragged breath as I pressed on, my feet carrying me down a familiar path, one that I had made, until I saw the cottage I built. It was on the small side, with a sloped roof, and a fenced area for a small garden, but overall solidly built.

I stumbled a bit when I reached the cottage, my fist banging on the door. There was a quick reply on the other side, “Go away, fool-” I heard before the door was opened. Morrigan was dressed in warm furs, her face twisted into an expression of annoyance. When she got a look at me, it quickly changed to one of surprise, then of concern.

I managed a feeble smile, “Sorry for the inconvenience,” I said, my legs starting to go out as my vision began to fade. The last thing I saw was the rapidly approaching floor, but if I hit it or if Morrigan caught me was anyone’s guess.

…

Awareness returned to me slowly, ebbing and flowing like the tide. There were times when I heard people talking, but I could never quite make out the words. Then I would be pulled back into the realm of unconsciousness for a time until one time I simply opened my eyes.

I felt something wrapped around my throat and my skin felt sticky. My throat felt worse though, like my tongue was a sponge that had soaked up every trace of moisture in my mouth. I was laying on a bed and I heard the crackling of a fire. Looking over, I felt a flash of pain in the muscles in my neck, making me abort the action. Opening my eyes, I looked through the corner of my eyes to see the hearth.

Morrigan was standing before a black cauldron, tossing in a bundle of herbs. Off to the side, surprisingly, was Havi. His arms were crossed, and he was leaning against the wall, intently watching Morrigan as she worked. He glanced at me and-

"Eivor! You're awake!" he exclaimed, rushing to my side. He looked me over, wide-eyed. "What happened?"

I gathered spit to speak but Morrigan brushed past Havi, "Move, you lackwit. He needs water," she said, offering me a cup. I eyed it for a moment, earning a smirk from her. "Melted snow," she offered, knowing my issue. I took a sip and felt immediate relief, like a fire inside me was being doused with water.

"Wolves," I answered, my voice more of a croak.

Havi nodded, "We found the bodies."

"Big one. Very big. Nearly got me," I said, testing my body. My shoulder felt stiff and so did my leg. "How long…?"

"You've been asleep for a day. In my bed," Morrigan replied, sounding thoroughly annoyed with me. But not so annoyed that she made me sleep on the floor. “You stumbled through my door half dead. You would be if not for me. That is twice I've saved your life."

I grunted, “Owe you.”

Havi looked sheepish and Morrigan rounded on him, shooting him a scathing look, “See, you buffoon? I have done nothing to your brother except aid him. Accuse me of bewitching anyone again, and you’ll find yourself cursed,” she snapped at him, making his blood drain from his face.

I grunted again, “Morrigan wouldn’t do anything like that,” I said, forcing the words out, taking the heat off of Havi before he could flee for the hills. “Everyone okay?”

Havi nodded, “We were all fine, and so were the animals. The wolves were skinned and we gained a bit of meat for the winter. Tormond is working with the thralls to continue tearing up trees… how are you feeling Eivor? I’m not used to seeing you cooped up in a bed.”

To that, I looked to Morrigan to see that her lips had thinned. “You will bear some scars, but 'tis too soon to tell how much they will impact your ability to move. To heal, you have to want to heal. My herbs and prayers can only do so much.”

“We’ll sacrifice a goat to the gods to aid your recovery,” Havi said, but I shook my head, making him frown. I didn’t want to waste a goat. The milk that it gave was valuable, and cheese was one of the few things that could be preserved easily.

“The wolf… it was sent by the gods. It had to be. It was twice the size of the others and black as Fenrir,” I said, taking another sip of the water as I began to shift myself back until I was in a sitting position. “The gods wanted to remind me that I’m not invincible,” I said, taking in a deep breath. “They did a good job of it too,” I admitted. With humans, fighting was messy and uncoordinated. When you were in the thick of them, they stumbled over each other and that was half the battle. Simply because humans didn’t want to die.

When you were in their face, screaming and covered in blood, for most, their reaction was try to get away rather than bring me down. They fought to survive, not to kill the enemy. Wolves fought like a unit. All of them aided in taking me down by either acting as distractions or engaging in joint attacks. And that black wolf…

That wolf… something hadn’t been right about it. Not at all. How it acted wasn’t natural. What could it have been other than a sign from the gods? A test from Odin or Thor to prove myself to them, and to remind me that I was only a man? I was thankful for it. The scars would be a reminder of that fact that I would never forget, ensuring that I wouldn’t die from making the same foolish mistake again.

“The gods didn’t need to send a pack of wolves at you. They could have just watched any of the times we smacked the stuffing out of you,” Havi said, his shoulders drooping with relief, a tension leaving him now that he saw that I was alright. Morrigan, however, was less so.

“Be off with you,” she said, shooing him away. “He needs rest and he won’t get it with you wringing your hands and hovering over him.” Havi looked to me, and I offered a small nod, feeling a flash of pain in retribution. I did need rest and I had a question that I didn’t want to ask in front of the others.

“I’ll be back on my feet in no time. Tell the others not to worry,” I told him, and Havi spared one last look at Morrigan before heading out. The door closed and I let out a sigh, my lips thinning from the pain. Morrigan looked at me, and I searched her eyes for a moment. “Sorry about them. They don’t… get it.” I offered, making a brief expression of surprise flicker across her face before she let out a dismissive scoff.

“As if I care about the words of empty-headed fools,” she dismissed the idea entirely. “As for you, perhaps you should consider midnight as a good time to not be outdoors. Many animals go hungry during winter. You might as well baste yourself in honey and roast yourself over an open fire.” she chided as she took a seat next to me, her hands roughly pinching my chin and tilting my head to check the bandages on my neck.

She made a sound of approval. “The bleeding has stopped, so no veins were torn or punctured. One could call it the favor of the gods, but I suspect it’s something quite different. I’ve watched you unearth tree stumps on your own. The reason your injuries are so light is that your muscles are denser than normal,” she spoke her theory, giving me an odd look.

She sounded suspicious. Oakskin was a boon I had used more than I thought I ever would. It had likely saved my life as much as Morrigan had. I didn't dare to confirm or deny anything -- the Wise Woman had known when I was lying, and I didn't know if Morrigan possessed that same magic. “How long until I’m back at it?” I asked her, making Morrigan frown in thought.

“For the flesh to mend? A week. Perhaps two- Shall I bind you to the bed?” She questioned, sounding unimpressed with my sour look when I heard that. “Do what everyone else with slaves does and leave the work to them, you fool.” I frowned deeply at that as I sank into the bed.

“They’ll catch their death out there,” I muttered unhappily. Two weeks? That might as well be forever. I was on track to clearing the acre and setting things up for Spring… that fucking wolf. I almost hoped that it was still in the area so I could kill it and wear its pelt like a fucking cloak for being such a pain in the ass.

Morrigan rolled her eyes so hard there was an honest risk of them rolling right out her head. “Then purchase more,” she pointed out, as if it were obvious.

“Slaves don’t stop being people just because they become slaves,” I refuted, and the look I got from Morrigan told me that she didn’t see the difference. Or, if she did, she didn’t care. For a healer, she didn’t seem to value life too much. Which drove home the fact that she probably would have left me bleed out if I hadn’t been me. “I don’t have any free money. It’s all tied into the farm. We need a good year,” I sighed, making Morrigan’s lips thin when she heard that.

A sigh heaved out of her, and I could tell she was making a show of it. “In that case, I would not be averse to making sure your property doesn’t die when they inevitably find creative ways to get themselves killed,” she offered, not sounding happy about it.

“How generous of you,” I remarked lightly, still not liking it. I didn’t mind hard work myself. I was uniquely suited for it, not to mention the quest rewards. For the thralls, it would just be hard labor for the sake of hard labor. They wouldn’t reap the benefits as the farm prospered.

Hard work should be rewarded.

“My generosity knows no bounds,” Morrigan responded, pushing up the blanket to reveal my leg. She checked the bandage that she had put on, peeling it back to reveal… honey. The rent flesh was sewn together with thick twine, with honey slathered over it, but on the other side of the bandage was a fish skin. She saw me eyeing it and explained, “The honey is for infections and the fish skin is for its oils. It’ll help with the scarring so the flesh doesn’t become tight and brittle. However, as I said, actual recovery will rely on you. If you want full range of motion, you’ll have to want full range.” she stressed, reapplying the bandage.

The gods help those that help themselves. “You’re a good healer,” I remarked, earning a small scoff from Morrigan, though I did note that she appeared pleased with the compliment.

“'Tis because of my mother,” Morrigan answered with a small shrug.

“How is she? Won’t she be lonely without you?” I asked her as she did the same to my other wound, leaning over me as she inspected my shoulder. It was much cleaner in terms of the injuries being straight lines.

Morrigan made a tsking sound, “I doubt it. She will simply take in another daughter whenever one wanders by,” she answered, her tone uncaring. There was no affection in her tone in the slightest. “That hovel would have been my home forever if she had her way. 'Tis our way, she said. I have no interest in some meager existence brewing love potions for empty-headed girls or telling men what they have to do to make the burning sensation when they piss go away.”

Huh. “Or convincing parents that their son isn’t possessed by a foul spirit,” I said, earning a small breath of amusement.

“I’m not entirely certain that you aren’t, but I care not,” Morrigan admitted. “It makes no difference to me. Our fates are bound together. T’would only make sense to ensure you don’t get yourself killed. To that end, your secrets are mine to keep and your interests my own.” she informed me, standing up and towering over me. Her golden eyes regarded me with something akin to softness, but were still guarded. “At least until you prove yourself unworthy of my aid.”

I settled into the bed, allowing myself to rest, “Then I won’t ever prove unworthy.”

…

It took a week for my wounds to close and my flesh to mend, but with the stitches I had, it was another three days before I could take off the bandages. I was up before then as the pain lessened significantly. I couldn’t actually do anything though because I would pull my stitches. During that time, I amused myself with Morrigan, much to her chagrin. Boredom was a real mind-killer, so I had to do something.

First, it was a few hundred games of hnefatafl. Then we quickly moved on to riddles, which I did terribly at. After that, she started to show me herbs and mushrooms, labeling them and telling me what they did. She wasn’t eager to share her knowledge, I’m guessing because she saw it as what gave her value to me, but I learned a decent bit.

My brothers continued the work that I had started, and over the course of a week and a half they cleared most of the acre of land. A few dozen trees had been felled, their branches stripped. I took up whittling to help boost my crafting exp. Morrigan often remarked that I wasn’t happy unless I was doing something, and it had never been so clear to me until it had been pointed out.

For thirteen years, my life revolved around increasing my stats. To always be doing something that would grant me exp. From picking fights with my brothers, to making traps, to doing chores. I was always doing something. Everyone else treated winter as a time to relax, almost, but I wouldn’t be satisfied until I filled every hour of every day with some productive task.

And once I was cleared, I returned to the daily grind with renewed vigor. The rest of the trees in the area were cut down, the stumps were pulled up, and the new farmland was prepped for spring. The sheer amount of shit I drove into the earth was of epic proportions. With that done, I turned my attention to the huge surplus of wood that I had. I couldn’t turn it all into firewood, and even whittling didn’t make a dent into the dozens of trees I had stacked up.

So, I set about upgrading my homestead. A larger pen for the animals. A high fence around my farmland to keep out the wolves -- the ones that attacked me hadn’t returned, but I didn’t want to make it easy for them if they did. A wood floor was added to Morrigan’s cottage and a stone path laid out to it, much to her annoyance. The rest, I stripped of its bark and began to turn it into planks for easy selling in Alabu.

My body healed as the days turned into weeks. I had a nasty scar on my shoulder, but the worst one was on my neck. Havi and Tormond had taken to calling me Wolf-Kissed because of it. In no time at all, the weakness I had felt after not doing anything for a week and a half was replaced by new strength as I fully recovered. It was slow going at first, but I got there. Soon, I was proving that I was better than ever.

By the time the snow stopped falling and there was the first break of winter, I had reached new milestones in Stewardship, Learning, and Martial.

Blacksmithing hadn’t seen much use on account that the equipment needed for it was expensive, but it had been a prerequisite. For Crafting, my options were Early Scandinavian Shipbuilding, Basic Farming, and Basic Construction. The first was self-explanatory, but the latter two were less so. Farming would allow me to create primitive machines to help with the farm -- the seed drill was the teaser of the description, which I hoped would aid in the speed of seeding the fields. Construction would teach me more advanced construction techniques, like insulation, or teach me how to make a stable second floor.

The depth of Odin’s knowledge was beyond anything I could have imagined. Not only was longship construction a highly valued secret between masters and apprentices, but the word Early implied there were greater versions. From the future. If Basic Farming and Construction could completely change how the farm worked then what would advanced Farming and Construction look like? I couldn't even picture it in my head.

I settled on Farming. Shipbuilding seemed more exciting, but there really wasn’t a need. In the end, Jarl Horrik had perfectly serviceable ships to use. If they got sunk or were damaged, that would change. For now, it would be a waste. Construction was a better pick, but given that I had a large farm and I wasn’t a builder by trade, it made sense to pick Farming over it.

For the second time, I got a Natural Knowledge milestone. I had mastered Germanic, speaking it fluently as if I had been born learning it. Because of it, I had a choice between three perks -- Alchemist, which was a leftover, Navigation, and Emergency Aid. Alchemist would allow me to distill chemicals, allowing me to eventually make stuff like tonics. Emergency Aid was self-explanatory. Navigation would teach me methods of navigating land and sea to a high degree.

Given the attack, my choice had been Emergency Aid for obvious reasons. Some of the knowledge given was mysterious -- I didn't understand why boiling a knife before using it to cut out an arrowhead stuck inside someone would lower the chance of an infection… but who was I to question the wisdom of the gods? It might not just save my life, but the lives of others. However, with my extra Learning perk for reaching the stat five milestone, I chose Navigation. It would be incredibly important going forward.

Property Management in Stewardship reached its first milestone, giving me a choice between Earth Wealth or Ore Wealth. Both were a map of my property, all fifty acres, which would show me where the fertile ground was or where there would be some kind of mineral vein like iron or possibly something more valuable like silver or gold.

Mining was dangerous -- the dwarves that toiled below mountains guarded their wealth jealousy. If I found a good source of ore, whatever it might be, I would have to go to the Jarl and request that he negotiate with the dwarves on my behalf, as did everyone when precious metals or stones were found. Depending on the deal that Jarl Horrik struck with the dwarves, it might be in his best interest to seize the farm from me.

I didn't want to give him any reason to do that, so Earth Wealth was my pick, because I was a farmer first and foremost.

Lastly was Martial. I gained another Physical Condition perk. Keen Eyes was a holdover, while the two new perks were Fast Healer and Light Sleeper. The former would make it so I would only need half of the time to recover from a wound and the latter would make it so I only needed four hours of sleep a night. Light Sleeper was very tempting, if only because it would open up more hours for me to work. However, Fast Healer was my choice. It was more circumstantial and required me getting hurt in the first place, but I couldn’t bring myself to pick anything else after being laid up in bed for a week and a half.

With my new perks, I continued my work into the last days of winter. I created the seed drill in preparations for spring. I made a crank with metal bristles to straighten wool gathered from the sheep. Among other things to help with the daily tasks.

Then, one day, I realized I had worked through the winter because the green of the land began to reveal itself. Spring had returned, and with it even more work.

Agro, my workhorse, helped till the fields at speeds that couldn't be accomplished by men. The seed drill also sped things up considerably since we didn’t have to do things by hand. The animals were allowed out of their pen to graze the land since there was a larger fence up around the property. The first crop of barley was planted, as were turnips, onions, rye, and cabbage. The oats were still growing in the earth, having slumbered, but the winter rye was quickly harvested and planted. Even with the extra acre, we were done days ahead of schedule.

My wagon was filling up with various goods -- things I had carved, wood planks, foodstuffs, things that the thralls and my brothers made to pass the time, and various pelts of things we had hunted over winter. In all, it was a very good first haul for the farm as I prepared to head out to Alabu early for the Sigurblót. My first one. I was hoping to get to the markets early so I would have more time to sell my wares.

All that was left was one thing, “Do you want to be free?” I asked the thralls on the farm, speaking Germanic at them as my brothers continued to load up the wagon. My question seemed to catch them off guard because they froze, looking at me with wide eyes. “I took you all as my slaves because I needed help breaking in the farm. Now that it’s broken in, there’s no reason you need to remain slaves.”

“Are you forcing us to leave?” The leader of the bunch asked, his name Ebba. There was a note of worry in his tone, and some tension eased out of him when I shook my head.

“No, you’re all more than welcome to stay as free men and women. But, if you want to move on, I can give you a ride to Alabu. And perhaps some rations if you want to try to make it to your homeland.” I said, taking a sack full of grain and putting it on a cart that was rapidly getting heavier. There wouldn’t be enough room for the entire load. “I was just asking because I don’t want to keep you as slaves now that I don’t need to.”

Ebba looked around the farm, at the fields that had seeds planted, at the farm animals wandering about, then at the others I had posed the question to. It was Luitgard, the only female thrall I had taken, who spoke up. “I can’t speak for the others, but if it is our choice, then I would like to stay. With you speaking our tongue, it’s not so different from home. I don’t mind it.” There were a few nods around, showing that they felt the same.

I looked to Ebba, who nodded. “I think we will stay. For now, at least,” he amended, admitting that at some point, he at least would move on. Which he was free to do.

I offered a smile as I took a seat on the wagon, the old wood groaning under my weight. “Then, as your master, I grant you all freedom. Take care of the farm while I’m at the Sigurblót,” I told them, speaking to them just as much as I was my older brother, Tormond, who would be staying behind to look after the farm.

“Take care of yourself, little brother. Farm life doesn’t agree with me as much as it does you,” he said, reaching out an arm, and I clasped his forearm.

“Dirt washes off easier than blood,” I said, giving him a nod while I looked to Havi and Kirk, to see that they were ready. “Keep an eye on the treeline,” I warned him, knowing that my farmstead could be attacked just as easily as my parent’s farm was. I hadn’t seen Kalf yet, but if he was the one that was behind the attack, then I couldn’t imagine that he was enthused with the arrangement.

To prove the point, I looked to the treeline to see Morrigan watching us leave. I offered her a small nod of my head to see what I thought was a fleeting smile… but it didn’t matter.

Because we were set off to Alabu. To trade. To make connections…

And to see where we would next raid.

...

As a heads up -- Eivor's name will be changing by next Wednesday. Eivor being a girls name was a feedback I got everywhere I posted this, and I really don't feel like getting reminded every time I post a chapter. That, and I think a name change would help clarify a plot point down the line.