BTtNR - Book 2 - Chapter 006 - Impressing a God (Patreon)

The miog had provided a little bit of experience for his runes.  He knew that in time the plan was to allow as many of his warriors to strike and inflict damage upon whatever they faced but right now that wasn’t possible.  

Every creature was too dangerous and needed to be killed as fast as possible.  Some like Hogni were going to level up their runes faster, getting to strike multiple creatures from afar with his bow.   Others like Hallad and Stakard would have to endure the attacks of opponents, gaining experience through battle.

Don’t forget to command… Bior reminded me that commanding will gain me experience in the thick of battles… Osvif is right. I need to not always try to be the one swinging the axe, but instead the one directing it.

It had been so long since he had led a squad.  Now with his pack and learning their talents and skills, Einar was trying to do his best with the little intel he had.  Even the book Bior had shared provided barely enough real information about the beasts they would face.

The journal in his pack would serve as his new way to keep track of what they encountered.  

Every detail Thorve or anyone else gave about a creature, realm, god or anything else found a place inside. 

I’ll need to try and get Lyeneru to share with me some more–

The tell-tale sound of gravel under something's foot came from his left.

Faking a yawn as he let go of the handle of his axe, resting across his knees as he sat on a log they had placed where he wanted it, Einar let his eyes gaze to the spot the noise had come from.

Something pressed against him, a sensation he could remember and recall.

There in the darkness of the night, two pairs of black eyes that absorbed the light of the fire behind him were there.  Both were about thirty yards out, each a few yards away from the other, not moving as he yawned.

Cracking his neck and glancing to the right, it took more effort but another pair of eyes was spotted as he stretched.  This one was about forty yards, not to the gravel they had tossed out.

Three…

Clearing his throat, Einar was about to sing when his eyes caught the faint outline of a shape directly ahead of him.  It was larger than the other three and wider as well.  Perhaps fifty yards away, yet his mind was on full alert, picking out what shouldn’t be there.

Rotating his shoulder, he yawned again, allowing himself the chance to widen his eyes, letting in all the light that was possible from the fire behind and saw that flanking the large shape was two smaller ones, half the size of the creature before him.

Each of them took a single step toward him.

Awake my friends and don’t be slow,

You on the wall, pick up your bow.

Six fiends I see on all my sides,

They’ve come to collect my beautiful hide.

Two on the left, maybe eight feet tall.

One on my right, closer to the wall.

Three before me, straight ahead.

A brute bigger than the rest, that wants me dead.

Resting his hands on the handle of his axe, Einar heard the slightest shifting from the men behind him.  

The sound of a warbling bird from their home village came from within the fort, signaling that Osvif and the others were ready.

Each second felt like hours as the shadow walkers moved toward him.

Their tight skin didn’t make a sound and his mind fought against the overwhelming presence that wanted him to not see them.

A stench, now familiar from all the times he had touched it and worn it filled his nostrils.

The moment was coming as the ones at the side neared the trap.  Even better was the pair of smaller ones that moved ahead of the larger one, coming toward him from the front and in between the spike trail.

He couldn’t make out the lines, but Einar knew they were there.

Sixteen different metal threads, each with a hook set in the rope.  Osvif had bled more from that rope and winding and unwinding it but tonight it would get its first real test.

The moment was coming and his odds did not appear to be good as the five moved closer, gravel making noise as they approached.

Be ready my friends to help me please,

Otherwise I shall be dead in those trees

Drug by these creatures who are so close

Ready to –

A wave of something assaulted his mind and nose and Einar lost his train of thoughts for a moment. He blinked, realizing that a few seconds had passed as his eyes adjusted and saw that now each of the shadow walkers were just a few yards away from the moment everything had to be sprung.

The bigger one! It has to be it!

“TO ARMS! WAKE UP YOU FOOLS!”

Awakening the Wyrd within, Einar rose to his feet as he yelled, flooding his body with the power of his rune.

Immediately his mind returned to normal, shaking off the fog that had been closing in.

The stench was overpowering, enough to make him want to gag.

Shrieks came from all around and the five began bounding toward him, moving with no regard for the defenses he had built or the men who were starting to stir behind him.

“OSVIF! LIGHT IT UP!”

Einar’s axe ignited with flames as he grabbed the shield off his back, preparing for the assault.

More shrieks came as the shadow walkers found themselves entangled in the wires and hooks that had been prepared.

The tight, black flesh like armor found the hooks burying themselves into the small ridges between the smooth sections, piercing and holding until their own power ripped away parts of their hide.

Einar watched as the smaller pair that came charging at him ran straight first into the five foot tall maze of barbed wire, slicing and cutting themselves as their momentum ground to a halt, even when they ripped one of the wooden spikes they had set in the ground as an anchor out.

Wood banged against wood as the monsters tried to make it to their meals.

“We’re here!” 

Bodalf and Geir both came up from behind him, shield and spears out.

“That smell, it–”

Dry heaving came but as the men stood next to Einar it seemed they were able to resist the siren song of the smell from the large one that hadn’t moved closer.

Three flaming arrows came from above the wall and hit the section of flammable tar, igniting it and creating a circle of fire that traveled to the wall, trapping the five shadow walkers inside.

Past the flames a loud shriek came from the larger one as its black eyes locked onto Einar who was moving toward the smaller pair, their attempts of moving and getting free, tangling themselves more and binding the two of them together.

“Aim for the tongues! That’s their weakness!”

Even though Einar had drilled that information into the men about twenty times, with whatever had assaulted their minds, he couldn’t take the risk they had forgotten.

Swinging the flaming axe, it connected, cleaving through the protruding jaw, cutting off both tongues and sending the shadow walker into a crazed state of trying to claw itself.

More shouts were coming from the walls and the sound of arrows puncturing their targets filled the night air.

A claw came for him by the smaller shadow walker on the left but it wasn’t able to reach him, the metal rope it had ensnared itself with, cut the attack short and left it open for Einar who swung at it.

Shifting its face away, the smaller shadow walker took the blade to its shoulder, losing its front right section in a single strike as his axe burned through it.

Einar slammed his shield into the shadow walker as it tried to react but couldn’t, its ally’s thrashing yanking it sideways.

That metal edge of his shield held the jaw up, avoiding those pincers that tried to chomp at him.  A single thread formed as Einar swung, leading his blade to the side of the shadow walker's jaw and slicing halfway through.  The beast began to try and claw at its own face with just one claw as the snake-like tongue that had just been cut fell to the ground.

Taking a few steps back from the pair that were thrashing on the ground, he glanced at the spot where the larger one had been, outside of the ring of fire.

It was gone, nowhere to be seen, and so he turned, watching Bodalf and Geir protect his sides as they thrust and slashed with their spears, at the shadow walkers that were struggling to move.

“It’s getting away!” Geir shouted.

The one on the right had managed to pull out four of the wooden stakes and was bounding toward the fire, dragging the wood its bonds were tied to behind.

“Focus on the other two!”

All three turned and began to attack the two that had attempted to free themselves, only to become bogged down by the attempt of the other as they tightened the wires around them.

Bodalf’s spear connected as he thrust his weapon's tip at the left one’s jaw, cutting the tongue as the blade pierced the creature's face.

Its right leg came up, the massive spike on its knee joint hit the wood and shattered the spear handle, leaving the  other section still inside.

A few seconds later the shadow walker was clawing at its face, ignoring its plight.

Geir moved forward with his attack, thrusting at the remaining one and the shadow walker twisted as it swiped, causing the wooden spikes it had torn up to fly through the air.

One caught the viking in the leg, puncturing his thigh and shattering the femur.

The sound of broken bone, the cry from the man and then the noise of the wooden spike being torn from his flesh as the shadow walker turned and tried to run.

“I got him!” 

Einar nodded as Bodalf moved to help his brother in arms, dragging him away from the chaos of the fight.

Picking up the spear Geir had dropped as the pain of what he just experienced shocked his senses, Einar channeled his Wyrd through it, igniting the entire weapon. Taking one step, he pivoted and hurled it at the back of the monster, trying to reach the wall of fire and hopefully safety.

Arrows were sticking out of its body but none had done much in the way of damage.

The spear was different, flaming it flew straight and true, following a thread that had appeared as Einar was about to let go.

One moment the spear was nothing more than a well made weapon, next it was something greater.  Something blessed by the power of Odin.  Filled with the Wyrd of the All-Father, touched by the magic of the runes he had given the Vikings, it became death.

As the spear pierced the beast, it entered its backside, traveling through the core and midsection until the weapon exited the head where a flaming hole appeared.

[ Rune Experience Gained ]

It fell dead, no longer moving as its body tumbled along the soil, landing in the burning tar and began to burn.

Turning to where the other had run, Einar saw that it was gone, a burning object and loud clanging of wood traveling off to the west.

“Thorve! Osvif! Skardi! Now!”

Ropes unwound as they were tossed over the wall and soon all three were on their feet, coming to where Einar stood.

Thorve’s runes were glowing as she reached the warrior, moaning in pain and attempting to not move.

“I have him!”

As she took care of the injured warrior, Einar pointed at the two smaller ones.

“Skardi, finish them!  Osvif, finish the other one!”

Without a word both men moved, a large two handed axe in their hands, preparing to be the instrument of death for these monsters.

[ Rune Experience Gained ]

[ Rune Experience Gained ]

[ Rune Leveled Increased ]

[ Rune Leveled Increased ]

[ Rune Leveled Increased ]

[ Rune Leveled Increased ]

“Praise be to Thor!”

Einar turned, his mind struggling to believe what had just transpired so quickly and the notifications he just received.

“Bodalf?”

The bald headed Viking had tears in his eyes.

“Thor has just given me a boon!”