Viking - Chapter 5 Beta (Patreon)

Magnus had made careful and slow steps toward a sapling he had spotted.  It grew closer to the edge of the barrier that seemed to be in place.  He hadn’t felt anything when he walked through the area between the stone pillars and after quickly hacking the sapling down, he grabbed it and raced back to the side he felt was supposed to be safe.

He had made a ton of noise dragging that sapling behind him but for the next part, he didn’t want to work on the side of the forest.

Using the axe, Magnus stripped the bark and chopped off all the small branches, forming a spear that was about eight feet long. It wasn’t heavy and the sap felt sticky enough to help his grip as he gave a few simple thrusts.  

“Can’t say I’ve ever used a spear until now, but it makes sense why they gave common folk something like this,” Magnus muttered under his breath as he finished getting his new weapon prepared.

Tying his shirt around himself it took a few times to make it where the axe would stay in place on his back, not bouncing around and slamming into his shoulder or head.  A few branches had been cut and sharpened also, wedged in his waist and one in each boot.

As he started to move across the boundary, a noise came from inside the woods.  Something was moving around deep within the trees and Magnus froze, listening and waiting.  The sound of it came again and it took a moment for him to realize what it was.

It sounds like a boar!

The squeal that it made as it rooted around off to his right reminded him of the sound he had heard countless times before shooting at those varmints.  They would tear up property with ease and reproduced so fast it was hard to keep them from spreading.

Taking a few deep breaths, Magnus began moving toward the forest and the sound of the creature inside.  

Part of him wanted to run and not risk this, but inside his chest was a string that seemed to be pulling him toward this moment.  It was as if Odin himself had created this place to test the warrior to whom he had gifted a legendary rune.  

Running seemed like an insult and Magnus knew if he wanted to get stronger and save his friends, there were probably going to be moments like this, things that seemed pointless and yet he could feel eyes from above watching to see what he did.

The noise of the boar got louder, and Magnus was doing his best to make his way through the brush. He was grateful the wind was blowing along the edge of the forest and not into it.  

The plants and shrubs that had grown up were not overly thick, probably kept down by animals  living inside the forest, choosing to eat the plants on the edge that provided an easier time finding.  

Like a drum, his heart beat inside his chest, steady, not racing, simply providing blood and oxygen to his muscles.  Magnus had faced down worse odds in his previous life. 

After going a few dozen yards into the dark forest, he spotted the creature that was rooting at the base of a tree, sending dirt up in a spray, trying to find whatever it was that its snout had discovered.  It was only about fifteen yards away from him, oblivious to its surroundings at the moment.

Wisdom told him that fleeing was still on the table.  The boar was three feet tall and about five or more feet long.  It was a lot larger than he had expected.  Brown, course hair covered its body and swollen teets hung off the bottom of the creature.

It’s a female… perhaps with a litter?

The thought of possibly finding some little ones gave Magnus the willpower to stay on this course even though common sense dictated he shouldn’t attempt it.  

Female boars in his world could have tusks but were generally much shorter than a male.  They also only fought when they had to. 

Frozen behind the tree, the female boar pulled her snout out of the ground and sniffed the air a few times before diving forward again face first into the dirt, sending up another wave of dirt.

Magnus knew the time to act had come and he could see there wasn’t going to be a better chance to try and land an attack.

He moved forward quickly, covering the short distance as fast as possible.  His hands gripped tightly around the shaft of the spear, wondering how it was going to handle the blow he hoped to deliver.

No one ever trained him in the art of spearing, yet it seemed obvious.  Stick something with the sharp pointy end.  Use the long stick to keep distance between yourself by jabbing with the tip.

Two yards away from his spear finding the side of the boar its brown head rose from the dirt it was covering itself in.

It tried to react, a squeal coming from it as the boar turned toward Magnus.

Without hesitating, he drove forward, aiming the spear into the sow’s throat.  His original plan had been to aim for where he knew the heart would be.  The head was too thick and the protective plates in its shoulder would stop his wooden weapon without a problem.

Almost like a thread was attached to the tip of his wooden spear, it moved right under the upward turned snout and punctured the thick hide, sliding down its throat and into the esophagus. What had seemed impossible worked with a result that Magnus couldn’t believe as he watched inch after inch go deeper into the beast.

The creature twisted, snapping off the spear and almost yanking it from Magnus’s hands at the same moment.

It tried to squeal, instead a gurgling sound came as blood rushed into its lungs.  The tip was lodged inside, He couldn’t see where his weapon had gone but the tiny piece that was sticking out was at a weird angle, almost looking like it had gone down the pig’s throat. 

It grunted, pinwheeled and came toward Magnus who dove back, using the splintered spear to keep a little bit of room between him and the boar that didn’t have the speed or power right now to really attack him.

Turning to run only exposed its side to a man trapped inside a teenage body.  Magnus moved with speed and precision, driving the mangled end of the spear into the creatures rump, causing it to stumble a moment before trying to turn again, its breathing sounding more laborious each second.

Blood was everywhere, covering the leaves and dirt, creating a copper smell mixed with fresh-turned earth.  

It took five steps, staggering as it went before the sow fell to the side, its lungs trying to expand but only a gurgling sound coming from it.

Magnus’s hands trembled as he continued to breathe slowly.  He knew how to hold the adrenaline trying to rush through his body at bay.  There wasn’t any time to wait and seeing that the boar was barely able to move, he pulled the axe from his back, wondering what Valgard might do if he had ruined it.

With the axe in hand, he moved quickly to the beast, ignoring the kicks its legs sent, spasming as life drained out of it.

Swinging the axe Magnus connected the blade, not concerned about how sharp it was, instead using his strength and a thread he could almost see, cleaving into the spot where the neck was exposed.

It took about eight full swings to finally sever the head off completely.

Warmth flooded Magnus and he felt lightheaded for a moment.

Sensation within every part of his body began to burn, his chest feeling tight.

[ Your actions have earned the favor of Odin. ]

[ A wager was won about your bravery. Bonus experience granted. ]

[ A boon has been gifted for 2 hours. Strength of Thor - 2x Base Strength ]

[ Rune Leveled up ]

[ Rune: Gungnir’s Strength - Level 1 ]

[ Level 1 Bonus: 10% Bonus to Strength and Endurance ]

“What the hell?” Magnus gasped as he stared at the beheaded creature.

They bet on me? That I would do this?! Those assholes!

Breathing slowly, Magnus examined the beast. 

Whatever the gods had done or bet, following the feeling in his heart had been the obvious right choice.  

I’m not certain who is watching or how this works, but I might as well play the role.  Who knows what this might lead to. If the gods are as fickle as the stories say, I guess I will have to offer sacrifices to them as well.

“Odin and Thor I assume,” Magnus said out loud, looking up at the trees above him. “Thank you for your blessing and this gift.  I’ll do my best to serve you well.”

Wiping the blood covering the blade off on the dirt, Magnus tried to ignore the fact he was splattered in it.

Sounds began to come from deeper within the forest and Magnus knew it was time to get out of there.  Sliding the axe quickly into the hole of his shirt, he then bent down and grabbed the legs of the sow.  

Tugging with everything he had, Magnus tripped and fell as the creature moved across the dirt a few yards, much more than he had expected it too and with a lot more ease.

“The boon!” he exclaimed as he jumped to his feet and grabbed the legs, pulling again and watching as it slid across the ground at a decent speed.

It was harder moving through the dirt that was torn up but the howling and yips of multiple creatures in the forest having caught the scent of blood spurred him on.

Like so many times in his life, Magnus had pushed and pulled heavy loads, knowing it would take training to build his body up.  Technique acquired a lifetime ago showed him how to hold the two back legs with the corpse on its back, arms extended behind while he leaned forward and pumped his legs.

His lungs burned as he saw the opening to the forest.  The sound of whatever beast was coming toward him was getting closer but Magnus didn’t focus on that.  His eyes were set on a point he knew was on the other side of whatever barrier must separate this section of land.

The ground inside the forest that had been covered in roots, risking a chance of turning an ankle vanished as the barren area took over and Magnus breathed over and over, steady breaths.  Whatever was chasing the scent of blood was much closer as growls and barking came from different areas, possibly laying claim or offering a pact to tear this scrawny teen’s body to shreds.

Driving his legs, all Magnus focused on was the need to get stronger so he could save Martinez and Dawson.  That meant food and he was holding enough food to help that journey for quite some time.  

Magnus tried to ignore the thoughts that came as he ran.  Bringing home something like this would cause some problems. Showing up with this to the farm, the day he was basically struck down couldn’t be ignored.  Yet if he wanted to succeed, to become the warrior he needed to become, but there was no other choice.  They couldn’t afford meat.  He had seen that.  There were no animals, which meant someone had to be trading for milk or cheese.  Any meat they got had to be purchased and if what he assumed was right, the man in charge was keeping them poor for a reason.

Loud shrieks and squeals of pain echoed in the trees behind him as whatever had been drawn arrived to find another claiming the head and the blood trail for its own.  

Twenty yards!

His legs were burning. Even with the massive boost to strength, his lack of endurance was going to be his downfall. The taste of copper, metal, and blood was in his mouth, and his lungs were having problems converting the air he needed as he pressed on.

Fifteen… ten…

Sounds came from behind him, and a quick glance over his shoulder as Magnus kept running revealed three massive black wolves, each of them bigger than any wolf he had ever seen in his life back on Earth. Yellow eyes stared at him and the carcass he was dragging, blood trailing behind him, leaving a path for anyone with a nose to follow.

They charged after him, eating up the distance without a problem, four legs making short work of the ground between.

Five…

Magnus could hear their paws and trusted in something magical to protect him, not even sure if the barrier he believed was there would do anything.  Thora had mentioned it casually, that it prevented creatures from the forest from coming into their lands.  ‘It stops them,’ was all she had said, like he was asking a stupid question.

His ears pounded, and the threat of death behind him made his legs move even faster.

If I drop this, will they leave me alone?

The spot he hoped for was so close yet so was the sound of predators running across the dirt.

He had a choice to make and there was no more time to think about it.