Battle Through the Nine Realms - Chapter 38 - A Jog Through a Forest (Patreon)

“Stop complaining,” Thorodd growled at Skarf.  “We have a few more hours before we need to stop and prepare camp.  You know the more ground we cover now, the better.”

The red-headed Viking groaned and said nothing in reply, just continuing the pace the massive man set.

Magnus had already laughed when Skarf complained about how unfair the stride Thorodd had when running, but the truth was the man carried heavier armor and weapons.  He wore chain armor over his shoulders and chest. The amount of metal added up over the hours they had been jogging.

The road they ran on wasn’t the greatest. Rocks and ruts that had formed during the wet season required them to be mindful of where they placed each step. No one came out here often enough to take care of the roads due to the risk involved.

The wind blew gently in their faces, helping to mask their scent from anything ahead.  Giant limbs stretched out overhead, and the creaking of the trees did little to make anyone feel better. 

The only good news was that enough of a clearing had been cut along the trail.  Anything that came from within the trees had to cover a ten-to-twenty-yard clearing, depending upon where they were on the road.

Massive seventy-foot-tall trees sprouted up in some areas, reminding Einar of the pine and other trees.  Some places had ones over 300 feet tall with massive trunks, but these weren’t like that.  Instead, they grew slower but had a much denser core.  Chopping them down wasn’t easy, even with the Strength they possessed.  Axes dulled quickly, and unless someone had money to spend on rune-etched and enchanted blades, they weren’t going to come down easily.

“Someone’s thinking,” Thorodd said between steady breaths. “I can see it on Einar’s face.”

“He’s always thinking,” Skarf added. “Even in his sleep, I swear he thinks.”

Ignoring the banter, Einar was still working on the costs of things and his plans.

Securing rune-enchanted items wasn’t easy.  Bior had a set for himself as well as a few extra replacement pieces, but most of the stuff worth acquiring was in the capital, and there was no way he would get there anytime soon.

The cost of a basic rune-enchanted weapon ran over a few hundred gold.  Sure, he could get a lesser quality one for fifty or maybe even seventy-five, but those weren’t worth it to him.  Spending money on something that just held an edge versus adding more damage wasn’t a good way to invest his money.

Then, there were all the problems of gear for the different realms. Each realm had its own issues.  Once they reached the fire or ice realms, gear needed to be enchanted to help fight off the terrible heat or extreme cold.  Weapons need to be prepared to do damage or resist the heat and not melt.

Everything costs gold, and I’ve been spending it so fast…

The boots he wore were a godsend but had put him back fifty gold.  They provided a 20 percent decrease in fatigue while running, and a few had joked about him buying them, but with all the running he found himself doing, they had been well worth the cost.

Even now, his legs felt fine after hours of jogging.

“I can’t help it. Skarf can barely write his own name, let alone think long enough to not upset every leader or jarl in 100 miles.”

Thorodd laughed while Skarf held up his middle finger and pushed it through the hole he made with the pointer and thumb on his other hand.

“What are you thinking?” 

Pointing at one of the stone trees, as they called them, Einar smirked.

“I’m just trying to find a way to cut one of those down and get it back to the capital.  If I could, that would be a large sum of gold, and I already have ideas on how to spend it.”

The large man chuckled quietly, each of them doing their best to not draw any more attention than the sound of their weapons that occasionally banged against the shield on their backs.

Each had a spear and a large axe tied to their shield, secured to make sure they didn’t fall off or slip out.  Two axes hung from their hips, and a dagger was always present somewhere.

“You’ve spent more money than most of us could imagine, but then again, you earned it.  Bior is grateful for how you and your two friends are changing things for the better.  Even now, the combatants at this year’s Symposia should be fun to watch.  Rumor is they all have you to thank for that.”

Winking, Einar said nothing, knowing he continued to get a good income of coins each month for his workout program and the regiment he sent out.  Many Lendmann and even both Jarls were anxious to see how things changed.  A lifetime of working out and studying different methods had given him enough insight into how to scale things for everyone.

A howl further down the trail sounded, and immediately, all three of them slowed down a step, adjusting the axes on their belt loops.

It was still a good mile off, yet in fifteen or so minutes, they would be there at this pace.

The howl came again, echoed by another, and after a minute, it continued south from them.

“No more talking, and mind your weapons,” Thorodd said.  “We need to keep moving.”

All of them scanned the woods and ran as quietly as possible.  

None had forgotten how deadly the woods they were in were. It was just a reminder that becoming lax could cost them dearly.

***

“How long?” 

“A little over ten minutes,” Einar replied.  “I’ve still got a half-dozen more spikes to set up.”

Thorodd continued stacking rocks and logs together, creating a small barrier they would use for the night.

All around them, both Einar and Skarf were building a wall of spiked limbs that were forced into the ground.  It wasn’t the greatest defense, but it was better than nothing.  

With a good-sized tree at their back, the wall that Thorodd was building, and something to slow down anything that attacked, they would not get much sleep, but running at night wasn’t an option anyone wanted.

“Fire’s ready,” Skarf said.  “I’ll get a little more wood once you two are ready to join me.”

“Don’t want to go in the woods alone?” 

“You can, Einar, but I prefer to not get eaten alive if I can help it.”

Chuckling, they finished setting up the camp and the defenses, trying to beat the encroaching darkness that came quickly as the trees blocked out the fading light of the sun.

***

Howls continued to come from a variety of directions as Einar sat near the fire, always scanning the darkness with the light behind him.

His axe and shield were both ready in his hands, and the other two men were sleeping or at least trying to, both knowing at any moment the weapon next to them might be needed.

A few eyes glowed off across the road, staying in the shadows, but they were so low that he knew they were just smaller animals.  Still dangerous, as many had poison or sharp quills to fend off the creatures that roamed these woods.  They wouldn’t come near the fire, and with nothing cooking, there was no reason to risk approaching the camp.

Hours passed slowly, and the two moons in the sky shone down with light, their massive forms filling up a good section of the heavens.

It was hard not to forget that sometimes this hadn’t been his home his whole life on a night like this.  Not his real home.

Einar had a task, and finishing it meant saving friends, but each day, that memory seemed to fade a little.  Every rising and falling of the sun turned this world into his home.  Friends were here, some just as close as Martinez and Dawson had been. The thought of Avitue flooded his mind, and he knew it had been a year since he had seen her because both of them had been gone when the other was in Kopanes. 

I’m going bat shit crazy thinking about all this… focus!

The slight sound of gravel grinding against the ground to his left made Einar turn his head slowly, just a little, and look out of the corner of his vision.  

A pair of eyes that were almost impossible to see, black like the shadows, seeming to absorb the light of the fire, were about thirty yards away.  The moonlight vanished from its shape, earning the name many had been given.

Shadow walker…

Clearing his throat and acting like he hadn’t seen a thing, Einar began to hum for a moment and then slowly started to sing.

Oh, wake you, Viking, slowly, you see

For on my left is death for me

Grab your axe and shield you two.

Before the shadow walker comes for you.

Humming after those chords, Einar heard the steady breathing fade and a small scrape of the blade across a stone.

His eyes tracked the creature as best he could, his Perception paying off more than he could realize. Most men wouldn’t have noticed it, and even now, it was taking all of his attention to be able to pick out the creature in the darkness.

Many warriors had died to the claws and teeth of these things, and only a few had ever seen one and lived.  

Gorm had mentioned in training that only one had ever been killed in a very long time.  They were predators of a different kind.

It got within fifteen yards and stopped, its head slowly turning from where Einar sat to where the fire and the other two men were still lying down.

Another crunch of gravel came, and Einar wished Osvif was there so he could kiss him.  His friend had given him a few bags of what reminded him of pea gravel six months ago when they were enjoying a meal together. He told him how one of the Vikings in his warband always carried gravel in pouches and used it for night duty.  Because of that, he always carried some, and tonight, that pouch served its purpose well.

Acting as if he was cracking his neck, he looked to the right and saw the same outline as before, only this one slightly bigger.

Another pair of black eyes was low to the ground, paused from the noise it had made and the way Einar had glanced in its direction for a moment.

Humming again, he had to clear his throat twice to make sure it didn’t crack.

Two walkers approach from my right and my left

Don’t delay before they steal our breath.

When they come, I’ll shout and move really quick.

If you don’t move fast, I’ll punch you in the dick.

A chuckle came from Skarf, and Einar’s stomach dropped.

Gravel sounded, but this time, it was from something pushing off.

“Up! Take left!”

Without wasting a moment, he spun and looked to the right, seeing the shadowy shape coming toward them, bounding on four feet.

Thorodd and Skarf were up and moving to his left as he had commanded, their shields and axes rising to meet whatever was coming their way.

As the shape got closer, it began to rise, quickly reaching a height of eight feet and about three feet wide.

Large claws hung off a beast that, even in the darkness and standing, was hard to see. It was like light somehow vanished around it, and his eyes wanted to avoid looking at it.

“Where is it?” Skarf called out.

“I can barely see it!” Thorodd shouted.

He couldn’t help the other two, as dealing with this one was going to be hard enough.  

The shadow walker appeared to be studying the stakes and how to maneuver around them, and Einar knew time was only going to last so long before it either jumped over, ran through, or found a path.

Moving quickly, Einar rushed to the fire, sliding his axe into the belt loop, and grabbed a branch that was mostly burnt.  Ignoring the heat, he picked it up and tossed it where the shape was.

As he pulled his axe from his hip, the flaming stick smacked into the edge of the creature as it dodged, barely striking the side of its body.

Sparks and embers flew, cascading over the beast.

Holy shit! 

The sight before him wasn’t anything he expected at all.