Sacred Land (1)
This time, the empire's army invaded our lands. But why the hell aren't they hitting our Bear Claw Tribe!! The warriors were seriously pissed about it.
"This is... this is!! Humiliating!!"
"Drenggr!! We gotta take bloody revenge on those empire bastards right now!!"
"Or give the empire commander the blood eagle!!"
With everyone united under the single goal of revenge, their Fighting Spirit surged even higher. And that's when the advantage of marching with just this small elite force of sixty men kicked in.
"They've already pushed this far... Lord Ulfrik's decision was spot on."
"Damn right, Hakon. We're gonna hit as many battlefields as we can."
To outsiders, it might look like guerrilla warfare—mobile strikes with a lean force. But what's our lineup?
"Fifty hardened Berserkr and ten ultra-elite Huscarls."
"That's more than enough to wipe out some minor empire noble house, no sweat."
"You got it! And finally—"
Whooooosh!!
"I finally get how to handle this Fighting Spirit thing."
"L-Lord Ulfrik's insane Fighting Spirit!!"
"This is gonna be epic!!"
Clink! Clink!!
The warriors and even Mjolnir are hyped as hell! With prep done, we mounted up and charged out fast. It wasn't long before Hakon spotted a battlefield.
Slash!! Thud!!!
Rooooaaar!!!
"Our people's getting pushed harder than expected."
"We're the weird ones. In the end, wars come down to numbers. But those empire knights won't be riding horses in this frozen hell."
Just like Hakon said, the empire knights were all fighting on foot, stuck to the ground. Their biggest edge? Gone. Which means our tactics would work perfectly!
"Lord Ulfrik, what's the play?"
"Only one choice, obviously!!!"
I raised Mjolnir high, and the Berserkr trembled with excitement from head to toe.
"Finally!! It's go time!!!"
"Can't wait, Drenggr!!!"
"Ahh! Our first glorious battle to defend this land is right there—!!"
The young warriors' pumped-up vibes even got the Huscarls smiling as they gripped their weapons. Our Fighting Spirit—pure hype—started pouring out. And then came the roar everyone was waiting for, echoing across the field.
"Wipe 'em all out!!!"
"""Rooooaaar!!!"""
Sixty warriors leaped off their horses and charged the battlefield. The empire troops smirked at the "small reinforcements," but then lightning the size of a house wrapped around Mjolnir. I hurled it straight in—and the field exploded like a missile strike.
BOOOOMMM!!
"Gaaahhh!!"
"Wh-What the hell?!"
"Commander!! Red-clothed barbarians on the flank—!!"
Chaos was our opening!
"Launch!!"
"""Yes sir!"""
Our tribe's signature shock breakthrough—Viking Missile!!
Me and the warriors turned into flying Vikings, leaving the empire troops speechless. I called Mjolnir back from the sky and slammed it into the ground—!!!
RUMBLEEE!!
I crashed into the field like a real missile. The shockwave threw the empire line into panic, and that's when the other Berserkr piled in. Knights rushed to intercept, but we'd already been sliced up by knights back in Cardia.
"Th-They're not dying!! Immortal freaks!!"
"Monsters!!!"
"Hahaha! Losing your hype over this shit?!"
"Fighting Spirit!! Fighting Spirit conquers allll!!!"
Dodge instant death, and we win. The Berserkr shredded the intercepting knights with reckless offense, ignoring defense. The rest of us latched onto the empire's left flank, turning the field into total mayhem.
Time to let the warriors handle it! I bulldozed left to center, center to right, swinging my Rune Hammer wild. Our rear lines crumbled in seconds, and Berserkr slammed into the empire main force's back with roaring hype.
"Wh-What?! Enemies from behind?!"
"What the hell?! We gotta watch the front—gah?!"
"Finally looking our way?"
"Honor awaits usss!!"
Splat!!
The enemy got caught in the hammer-and-anvil trap. Break one side or die. One's an endlessly regenerating hammer. The anvil's locked with shields—rock solid.
"This is payback for passing us by!!!"
"Die, honorless empire scum!!"
"Siuuuuuuu!!"
We and the Berserkr carved into the center, shredding their main force into chaos.
The Sacred Land had been peaceful until the empire swarmed in. Tribes banded together to intercept, but the enemy numbers were insane, their tactics crushing the clans. Things looked grim—until.
"Wh-What's that?!"
"Hey!! Eyes front!!"
"No distractions!"
"But look over there!!"
Something red streaked across the sky, closing in on the field....
RUMBLEEE!!!
Blue lightning ravaged the field, flipping the flow. Nord warriors froze, but the bolt rampaged through empire ranks. Wherever it passed, shockwaves and blood mists bloomed.
What the hell? Red-garbed warriors flashed in too. Seeing the empire crumble, the Nords squeezed out every ounce of strength for a hard-won victory.
"Th-The enemy's fleeing!!"
"Ancestors!! We've defended the land!!"
"Did you protect the honor of those who fell first...."
Over piles of empire corpses, the Nords roared in triumph. But many brave warriors lay dead. No time for mourning, though—the war chief leading them had to thank these mystery badasses first.
He rushed to the red-clothed warriors handling cleanup.
"Casualties and wounded?"
"Zero!"
"Huscarls make sense, but no wounded at all among the rest...."
"Lord Ulfrik's tactics worked perfectly, and the warriors have grown even stronger."
"I see."
The chief felt like he was facing legends. Then came a sight that moved him.
"Bring a double-headed battle axe now!!"
"""Yes!"""
"W-Wait!! Take us prisoner and ransom us to our houses—!!"
"Don't need that shit!!"
Whoooosh!! Slash!!
The blue-lightning warrior executed the loathsome empire noble with brutal flair.
'They... value honor over gold?'
His heart raced, but duty called. The chief offered thanks and spoils.
These unknowns were honor-bound beyond expectation.
"We're busy. Keep it all—no need."
"Wha?! B-But!!"
"Hey, didn't hear the Drenggr say take it all?"
"You gonna make the Drenggr repeat himself?!"
"Never!!"
Blasted by the others, the chief floundered. But one question burned.
"To repay this light, at least tell us the Drenggr's name!!"
"How 'bout it?"
"It don't wear out. I'm Ulfrik Ragnarson, warrior of the Bear Claw Tribe."
The battle-winners vanished wordlessly. But their echo lingered far beyond imagination.
"Bear Claw Tribe...."
"So the war chief met that rumored Drenggr Ulfrik?!"
"No way such warriors are real."
Nords live and die by honor. Ulfrik's deeds hooked them instantly.
Aaah~ Nothing like empire corpses to soothe the soul!
The other warriors looked refreshed too. We fought four more battles, aiding our kin. Wanted to keep going, but....
"Everyone's wiped."
"S-Sorry!! Drenggr!!"
"Our Fighting Spirit fell short...."
"Haha, being old's a real curse."
Everyone's tapped out—end of the day. "Lord Ulfrik, pushing more will exhaust the horses."
"True. Everyone, even if it's a pain, set up camp and rest."
"""Yes sir!"""
At my order, they built camp deep in the woods. As we shed gear for sweet rest, I asked Hakon about faster recovery.
"Any spell to restore stamina fully?"
"Spells aren't wish-granting stars. But there's an effective one."
Swish....
"Sleep powder. Sprinkle on the fire."
"Sleeping pills as recovery magic, huh.... Nah, that's straight-up scientific. Grandma Helga's methods are next level."
I listened to the war report.
"Major tribes under strong Yarls are holding the empire fine."
"Minor clans and tribes are the problem."
Non-main factions getting wrecked.
"Should've conscripted more and split forces...."
"Lord Ulfrik, wars demand cold blood."
"Yeah, can't save everyone."
"But good news: Master and the seniors are mobilizing."
"Oh."
Grandma Helga hitting the front? With Hakon's bros too?! Might witness shamans grinding empire troops.
We're going opposite their path, though.
"We'll meet them at the end for sure."
"Cool your jets. But... lotsa rats around?"
We're in the central hot zone, littered with defeated empire spots. Stragglers scavenging, naturally. One group headed our way.
Defeated in the frigid North Sea lands, the survivors were pathetic.
Whoooosh!!
"C-Cold...."
"Starving...."
"Told ya this expedition was suicide!!!"
Warm empire borders? Lose and flee, you're fine. But here? Mages and magic gear gone. Supplies frozen solid.
Stragglers turned into the land's infamous ice-corpse statues—until some figured the one way to survive.
"Loot!!! Raid everything!!"
"They're all barbarians!!"
"Y-Yeah!! Survival first!!"
Mad with desperation, empire stragglers attacked anything nearby. One band spotted a tiny "clan" camp.
"That a so-called clan?"
"Barbarians too weak for tribes, nomadic scum?"
"Ch-Chance!!!"
Supplies and intel to escape this curse—maybe. They crept in for ambush, but picked the wrong prey.
Swish....
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
A shadow loomed overhead. The vanguard looked up to a musclebound freak in red underwear smiling warmly.
"Shit!! Busted!! Battle positio—?!"
"Uh...."
"Gah?!"
Wasn't just one. Red-underwear musclemen surrounded them, gazing softly.
Chills hit the empire troops—then.
"Come on in."
"You entered free. Leaving? Not so much."
"Daaawww!!"
"Gyyyaaahhh!!!"
The deep forest under moonlight filled with empire screams.