Battle Through the Nine Realms - Chapter 40 - Always Trying To Make Gold (Patreon)

A giant bonfire burned near the wall, and everyone who wasn’t forced to man the walls that ran along the stone mine in the middle of this forest was present.

Einar had learned that someone had stumbled upon this so long ago, a rectangular stone 100 yards long, thirty yards high, and twenty feet wide.  It was as if a pillar of some kind had fallen over.  Deep inside, it was ore that took a while to chip out of the exceptionally hard stone.  Even after hundreds of years, they hadn’t gotten halfway through the thing.

Securing the ore had taken lots of manpower and required them to build a wall and outpost to withstand the constant threat of trolls and other creatures that liked the taste of men.

Now, it was a place where many warriors found themselves stationed, all for different reasons.

Sipping his mead slowly, Einar fought off the yawn that came, knowing he still had another hour before he could turn in.

Jokes and stories were being told, and the men and women had already cheered on his rendition of how the fight had gone down.  None believed it had been a lucky strike, all attributing the first shadow walker their lives to Odin’s help.

“Tell me, Lambi, how bad has it really gotten out here?”

The bald-headed man rubbed it a few times with his left hand while leaning against one of the logs they had rolled out. He stared at the flames, which danced for a bit, before turning to look at Thorodd, who was waiting for an answer.

“Every year it gets worse.  This morning we killed four.  Yesterday was three.  Some days it's five or six.” 

Shifting where he sat on the dirt, the Viking frowned and then spat on the ground.

“Trolls don’t breed that fast, or as far as we know they don’t because none have been unlucky enough to watch that take place.  Lately it’s as if the realms have opened portals and dumped out their outhouses, spilling filth all around us.  The other day one of our scouts saw a pack of twelve black wolves together.  Twelve…”

Einar sat quietly, listening to the two men talk and trying to absorb what was being said.

“Do you think it’s true then? The signs?”

Scowling, Lambi looked at his friend and then motioned to his head where Einar was.

“You’re certain you want to have this conversation around someone so wet behind the ears?”

Laughing, Thorodd turned and gave Einar a thump on his back with his massive hand.

“I’d wager money on this pup against any man or woman you want to put up against him.”

Conversations ended around the bonfire and every eye and ear turned to where the two seasoned veterans sat, eyes locked in staring contest.

“Wager money? On a pup? Against any of my men or women here?” Lambi repeated slowly, raising his eyebrows as he tried not to blink.

“I’d even be willing to bet ten gold,” the massive man said.

Lambi broke first, blinking rapidly a few times and then turning his attention to Einar.

“Ten gold! You must be Loki himself trying to buy your way out of throwing down a challenge like that!” exclaimed the bald-headed man.  “Just who do you think this boy is? Even if he did kill a shadow walker by himself, that doesn’t mean he can win against the ones here.  You know—”

“Ten gold,” Thorodd said again, cutting off the captain of the mine.

Lambi sputtered and grunted, backed into a corner to either risk a large amount of money or declare that he considered none of his people good enough to duel a man not old enough to have a beard yet.

Sighing, Einar shook his head and drained the rest of his drink.

“If you two decide to make this happen, can someone just tell me in the morning who I’m fighting? Two days of running, one while carrying a shadow walker on my back, and an evening listening to two old men brag about who has the biggest pecker, has tired me out.”

Laughter came from everyone, and they all started to roar, nodding at how Thorodd and Lambi were acting.

“Fine! Give that boy some sleep, and he can see if in the morning anyone wants to take this crafty thegn up on the offer of gold!”

A few groaned and muttered about how Lambi was trying to weasel out, but a shieldmaiden stood up and motioned to Einar toward the sleeping quarters.

“I’ll show him where to sleep,” the red-headed maiden said. 

A whistle came from one man until a punch to his side from the woman's shield sister connected, and he grunted, not saying another word.

“Make sure he gets tucked in, Jodis,” Lambi said with a wink.

She held her finger out and slid it between the circle of her other two fingers, telling the man what he could do to himself.

Laughter came again, and as Einar and Jodis moved from the fire, no one paid them any more attention.

“Forgive that bald-headed bastard,” Jodis said. “And no, I’m not tucking you in before you ask.”

Laughing, Einar waved his hand and nodded. She was an attractive woman with a long red braid down her back.  She was fit, but there were a few scars along her arms.  Each arm sported a tattoo, one that stretched over the exposed area of her front shoulder.

Four or five tattoos easily…

“I wouldn’t think of asking just after meeting you,” Einar said with a wink.  “First, my woman, who is a shieldmaiden, might not appreciate it.  And besides, I’d expect at least a meal and a drink from someone trying to capture my heart.”

Jodis began to laugh and punched Einar in the arm, grinning when he didn’t budge as they walked.

“I forget sometimes there are real Vikings outside these walls.  Too many of the ones here have been stuck inside and forget what foreplay is.  Now tell me.  What is the name of my shield sister that has laid claim on you?”

“Avitue Serksson.”

A smirk appeared on the woman’s face, and then she began to grin.

“I know of that one.  She is extremely talented and strong for her age… she comes from—”

Jodis stopped talking, her eyes widening as she stared at Einar.

“You’re from Kroppr! You’re the one who won the Symposia and is changing the way Vikings are training!”

Chuckling, Einar nodded. 

“I’m not sure if I should be impressed that you know that much about her or about me,” he replied with a grin.  “Still, she and I are bound to each other.  And a lot forget that it’s nice to know the person you spend time with has enough brains to converse with when you’re trying to catch your breath.”

Jodis’s eyes sparkled in the light of the torches as they walked toward the building.

“Einar, slayer of a shadow wolf, is a Viking who knows what a shieldmaiden wants. Are any of our women safe?”

“I’ll do what I can for Odin to make sure they all sleep soundly at night.”

Jodis moved closer and put a hand on Einar’s arm.  Her eyes almost glowed now as they drew closer to the torches.

“You do realize that Avitue and I are shield sisters.  You understand what that means, don’t you?”

Smirking, Einar bobbed his head.

“I guess that leaves me no choice but to prove myself, doesn’t it?”

A throaty laugh echoed off the wall as they drew near to the sleeping area. She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward a different building.

“I must ensure my shield sister will be well taken care of, then.”

***

Skarf leaned across the table where they were eating and tapped Einar’s plate.

“Did you get lost last night? I didn’t see you in the barracks I slept in.”

Thorodd and Skarf were both grinning like cats that had just eaten the canary, and Einar rolled his eyes at them, stuffing another bite of meat into his mouth.

They waited as he chewed, still not talking. Only after he had taken a drink did Thorodd become involved.

“Listen, boy, I just want to know what happened.”

“I guess there is more than one place some Vikings can sleep at here,” Einar replied, his face blank before he stuffed another bite into his mouth.

“Bah, you’re worthless,” Skarf complained.  “How am I supposed to live through the Champion of the Symposia as well as the killer of a shadow walker if he doesn’t tell me anything good.”

“Oh, let me help them,” Einar replied after swallowing.  “You need to bathe.  That is your first problem.”

Thorodd pounded the table a few times, laughing while Skarf turned red, his face having achieved the same color as his hair once again.

“If I didn’t like you, I’d take you outside and fight!” the red-headed Viking complained. “It’s a good thing Gorm forbids it.”

“Gorm does what?” their tall companion asked. “I’m pretty sure he said anyone could—”

“Shut it!” Skarf exclaimed, rising and moving from the bench he was sitting at.  “I’ll be outside, not that either of you care.”

Both Einar and Thorodd watched as the man stomped away.

“He’s so funny.  One day, I may push him too far.”

The larger man shook his head and grinned.

“Oh, don’t worry about him.  When he’s silent, that’s when you have to be afraid.”

***

“Tomorrow, we’ll be ready to go,” Lambi said as the men continued to load ore into a wagon.  “I’ll have three loads going out and can send six defenders with the workers and horses.  Beyond that, I can’t really afford to give anymore.”

“Can they still make it to the border in three days?” 

Shaking his head, the bald man frowned, wrinkles appearing on his scalp as his eyes narrowed.

“No, the horses aren’t strong enough for that now.  We need a few more, but Bior hasn’t sent us in a while.  Tell him that soon I won’t be able to do much if we can’t get some younger and fresh ones.”

Lambi handed Thorodd a rolled-up parchment with a wax seal on it.

“Make sure he reads that this time.  I’ve got a list of things I need, and he is going to hate me for it.”

Flipping the rolled-up paper a few times in the air, the large man nodded and shrugged.

“That’s why I like not being in charge.  All I have to do is obey and occasionally tell someone to pull their head out of their arse.”

Einar laughed, and both men turned their attention to him, having forgotten he was there this whole time.

“You had a question, didn’t you?” Lambi asked.

“I do.  Can you give me a list of items from out in this area that are worth money back in the city? While in Kroppr I talked with a few alchemists and many commented on how they desire items from out here. I’d like to possibly go out and explore or hunt if it’s worth my time.”

“You mean your life?” the bald man asked. “You do realize that going outside those gates, even when the sun is up, is asking for your life to be over.  Don’t you remember that I told you a pack of twelve black wolves was spotted recently? Only a fool would go out there against those odds.”

“Oh, please don’t say that,” Thorodd said with a sigh. “You’re looking at the king of the fools.  If there is a way to make money and the chance of dying is nine out of ten times, he’ll risk it.”

Rubbing his face, Lambi groaned and looked at Einar, who was just smiling and not saying a word.

“Remember when we were this young and stupid?” Thorodd asked. “How many times did we die before we got smarter?”

“It only took me once,” Lambi replied, “but I think it took you about four times.”

***

The gate closed behind him, and Einar smiled at Jodis and Torfi, the two shieldmaidens who wanted to come with him on this adventure.

“You’re right, he is crazy,” Torfi teased as each woman held a spear pointed up and their shields at the ready.

Ignoring their taunts, Einar looked at the map Lambi had drawn for him and pointed to the south.  

“Supposedly, there is a small clearing about 300 yards away with some flowers and roots.  Are you two up for an adventure?”

“I’m standing outside the gates with a spear and a shield in my hands, aren’t I?” Torfi replied.

Grinning, Einar set down the sack he had over his back and pulled out a clay jar.

“Remember how I said this might get messy and smelly?”

He opened the lid, and both women winced, backing up and grimacing at the smell.

“That wasn’t what I had in mind,” Jodis said as she coughed.  

“Me either!” exclaimed the blond-haired shieldmaiden who had joined her friend on this trip.

“Well, there is always bath time when one will need to be scrubbed clean,” Einar said with a smirk.  “But if I’m right, this stuff will keep most creatures from coming up near us.”

“By Odin’s nose, that’s because it stinks worse than anything else I’ve ever smelled!” Torfi complained.  “I’m not sure this is worth all that.”
Einar didn’t miss where the woman had motioned when she had said that. Instead, he scooped his hand into the jar and pulled out a handful of the black blood he had drained.  Moving toward Jodis, he grinned. 

“I promise to make it worth it.”

Without hesitating, she stepped toward his outstretched hand and just bit her lip.

Sighing, Torfi joined her friend and shook her head.

“You better!”