Chapter 53 - 53 A fruitful voyage and a challenge

After we sailed out of the fjord I manipulated the air currents so we'd have optimal conditions. I then made the ship lighter allowing it to reach almost 27 knots. (50 km/h)

I had already sent out a conspiracy of ravens to keep me notified of the locations of both Earl Hogun and the slave trader.

Right now Hogun is home in Vendill, Denmark in a place that I'm pretty sure will one day be called Frederikshavn.

While the slave trader has trekked across Sweden and has just set sail on the Baltic Sea.

So I first go after the slave trader.

Right now he's almost 1000 kilometers ahead of me. He'll reach his destination in 560 kilometers, so I'll have to sail at least twice as fast while navigating through the narrow gap between Denmark and Sweden.

After a relatively short 21 hour voyage, we see the slaver's ship on the horizon.

Less than a minute later we get close enough for my eagles to shoot accurately enough.

"Aim for their archers! Fire!" Immediately five arrows fly in an arc towards their ship, hitting two of their six archers.

"Steady your bows and fire when ready!"

By the time we reach their ship the archers are all dead and they only have eight combatants left.

As we throw our hooks in their ship and my men pull their ship next to ours some of their men take out crudely made spears and start thrusting wildly at us.

As he flies at me I catch him by the neck with one hand, snap his neck and throw him over my shoulder into the water.

"Kill all of them, except the one cowering in the back. He's mine."

As the first three are killed in an instant, two more throw down their weapons to surrender. As soon as my people kill them, the last two try to get away by jumping overboard.

Knowing they won't be able to hold their breath for very long, I set up my eagle archers to shoot them as soon as they come up for air.

That being taken care of, I approach the slave trader.

"No! S-Stay away from me!" He screams as he's wildly waving a little dagger around.

I grab him by his wrist and break it. As he screams out in pain and drops the dagger, I catch it and stab it under his chin, through his lower jaw, into his brain stem.

"My lord, what should we do with the slaves?"

At the back of the ship is a cage with twelve people inside. Six women, four men and two children, a girl and a boy.

I walk up to the cage and break the lock with my b.a.r.e hands. "Get out. All of you."

They're all a bit hesitant, but right then the first of the two swimmers comes up for air and immediately gets an arrow through his skull, scaring them.

"Now."

I gather them all in the middle of the ship. One by one I take their hands in mine to read their memories. I do so in order to learn two things. Whether they have a home to return to, and what kind of people they are.

Only two women and one man have somewhere to return to.

I give them a pouch of gold each, belonging to the slaver and turn them into Swifts, a species of bird that never has to land. I then put directions into their minds and send them on their way. As soon as they get home they'll of course turn human again.

I turn around to deal with the others when I notice they're all kneeling and muttering prayers.

'Hmm, guess I should have blindfolded them first.'

"Stand up. None of you have a home to return to. So for now, you will come with me. Once we are ashore you can choose for yourself where you wish to go.' I then approach the children. 'Except for you two. You're coming home with me."

I walk over to the stern of my ship and take my seat.

"Get all the cargo on board my ship. We go to Denmark to kill Earl Hogun."

As we sail away I snap my fingers without producing any sound audible to humans, confusing the new passengers. Seconds later the former slaves look on in amazement as a nearby pod of humpback whales smashes the slaver's ship to pieces.

After a few more hours at sea, we can see land on the horizon. Earl Hogun's home is in a coastal town so I decide to hide us in a large fog bank.

As we get there we beach our ship and jump out. With one wave of my hand the fog lifts, revealing our presence.

Civilians run off the beach screaming, terrified for their lives.

It doesn't take long before a group of armed men and women rush onto the beach and form a shield wall.

So far they outnumber us two to one, but we are larger in stature and far better equiped.

However I did not come here to raid, pillage or steal. I only came to kill Hogun.

So I step away from my people towards his and take off my helmet.

"Earl Hogun! Come out and talk to me!"

Like myself, Hogun appears from his shield wall and walks toward me. He's a muscular man with short blonde hair and a large scar over both his eyes.

"Who are you? Why have you come here?" He asks.

"To challenge you to a fight to the death, winner takes all."

"So, a Holmgang?" Hogun asks.

"No, I won't wait three days. It has to be today.' I then point to my ship. 'That ship has twice your weight in gold, silver and gemstones aboard. If you kill me it will all be yours along with my men.

If I kill you... well, let's just say killing you is the reward."

"Why do you want me dead so badly? I don't even know you." Hogun asks confused.

"I am Fenrik, uncle of Lagertha."

"I don't know you and I don't know any Lagertha. Is she a whore I f.u.c.k.e.d? I don't remember." Immediately a few of his men laugh out loud.

"The little girl you sold into slavery because she stole a loaf of bread from you."

"Haha, I wasn't far off then. That little whore stole. The punishment for thievery is being sold into slavery. I merely followed the law."

Having enough of this fool, I turn my attention to his people.

"People, we have not come here to raid. We are not interested in your wealth. We only want Hogun dead.

We will harm no one who does not raise their arms against us. But those who do will be slaughtered without mercy.

I challenged your earl to a fight to the death. If he accepts, no one else needs to die today.

What say you, Earl Hogun?"

Clearly pissed at putting him on the spot like that. He now has little choice but to accept.

"I accept. We will fight in two hours time." Immediately Hogun storms off the beach.

I walk back to my people as we push the ship off the beach and drop the anchor.

Along with my two largest bear men I then walk into the village to where our battle will be.

A small open square in front of the earl's longhouse.

I sit on a stool in the middle of the square, patiently waiting for the battle to begin while secretly keeping an eye on Hogun to make sure he doesn't run.

He might have been trying to hide it but I could smell the fear coming off him when he realized he was going to have to fight me.

Surprisingly though, he doesn't run. Instead he decides to sacrifice a cow to Odin in hopes of winning his favor, not realizing he just made his death more painful by sacrificing an animal to a false god.

A few minutes before we begin, a crowd starts to gather.

Hogun appears with his own heavy armor along with a sword and shield.

I stand up and hold my hands out to the sides. My bears lift my back- and b.r.e.a.s.tplate over my head and take off my under armor as well, revealing my upper body which has changed since I came to this world.

I used to have lean muscles but now I look more like a bodybuilder.

"What is the meaning of this?" Hogun asks angrily.

"To make it fair." I say as I leave my sword and shield with my men as well.

"Hmpf fine, it'll be easier for me."

We both ready ourselves and start to circle eachother. He doesn't wait long as he approaches me and tries a few thrusts with his sword while protecting himself with the shield.

Without warning he dashes towards me, trying to slam me with his shield while also thrusting his sword towards my neck.

I easily duck down underneath his sword, and shoulder bash him to the ground.

As he falls, he accidentally lets go of his sword.

As he reaches for it, I stand on the blade.

He looks up at me as I lift my other foot, intending to stomp on him.

He raises his shield over his head while I lower my foot into his stomach, breaking pretty much everything beneath my foot.

With Hogun's body lying lifeless on the ground it takes a second for everyone to realize that an unarmed man just killed a man who was wearing heavy armor and was carrying a sword and shield, all in less than ten seconds.

Not sure what to do, they get to their knees when a man speaks first. "All hail Earl Fenrik."

'Wait, what? Oh...shit.'