Talk with Runar 1

Even though the sky was full of dreary gray clouds, the sun's rays shone down upon the small settlement, waking up its residents. Some went directly towards the river for a fishing trip, while others went towards the smokehouse to see if the jerky was being smoked.

All in all, the still young settlement was thriving, with people working day and night to make it a better place for future generations. The men hunted and fished while the women chopped wood and gathered fruits from the nearby forest, all the while working together to make sure the settlement would be a safe and happy place for years to come. But the undercurrents were working thanks to the usurpers, preparing to make their move...

Yet, the besieged Lemovii settlement quickly turned into a bloodbath, with women and children screaming and begging for help that would never come. The few remaining survivors were forced to flee with nothing but clothes on their backs.

The man, who was the cause of the destruction and mayhem, just woke up from his slumber. He was washing his face in the river, maybe trying to erase the bloodstains and sins he had caused.

"Freaking Herald and, his god-awful drama," I cursed under my breath.

I strode towards the smithy without having breakfast, feeling as if today was going to be just as awful as the initial few weeks from my reincarnation. Even though the day started poorly, the good news I received erased it.

"By Odin's missing eye! Runar, how did you do it?" I asked as I marveled at the new weapon. An effective one that even a 5 year old could use, a weapon that had long been created in the East. I was in awe of how he had managed to create something so perfect.

"Herald! You did everything! You designed the weapon! I hardly had even a contribution to this weapon!" A voice that was close to shouting and laced with excitement and agitation came from behind me.

Yet, I didn't turn around. I kept studying this piece of engineering, as I asked the important question: "The string! How many shots could it hold?"

"This is the problem with it! It's only able to shoot four to five shots before the string snaps or wears down. As for reloading, it takes too much time and leaves the user vulnerable to attack." He said as he continued "Do you want to test it ?"

"Absolutely not!" I replied, my heart pounding in my chest. "I feel like I'm being watched, Runar," I stated, my eyes darting around the room thankfully.

I remembered that I was alone with Runar and sighed with relief. "No problem! Four shots could do the trick!" I said as I put down the weapon on the wooden table, not forgetting to hide it with a piece of cloth. I mumbled to myself, "That zombie bear will die without a doubt."

Looking at the wall on which I had inscribed the illustration of the said weapon with charcoal, I added "Runar!! Scrap that wall down! And I hope you create more of these weapons secretly!! Without telling anyone!!"

I quickly turned my body, shooting a fierce and harsh glare towards the portly man, who was shirtless and had a long beard that swung from side to side if he moved his head. "Do you understand what I'm saying?" I asked in a threatening voice, my eyes narrowed and focused on the Loyalty information next to his name. [Runar, 100 Loyalty].

Runar laughed uproariously as he scratched his face full of black stains while his gray beard shook. He nodded approvingly, and he said, "Lad! Do that with the other, not me!! We know who to be grateful for!! But pay attention!! They hate you for destroying their customs!! " He looked deeply and intently into my eyes as he invited, pointing towards a table outside the forge, "Come sit with me and enjoy a cup of ale with me!!"

"So, as I said my boy—why did you have to abolish the sacrifices?" Runar asked as he swung his crudely carved wooden cup to his lips, taking a sip of his ale.

"Useless!!" I said fiercely. "God rules the heaven while men rule the Earth!!" I slammed my wooden cup against the table.

"Understandable," said Runar as he filled my cup and inched closer to whisper the latter part of his words. "Do you know who they are? I'll help."

"Runar! You lost your son in that battle with my father! Then you lost your wife to grief! Stay in your smithy and watch! Watch as I rip them apart! Let them stay in the dark like the rats they are! I'll wait for them to slip and when they do, they will find swords piercing every part of their useless bodies! I know where all of this started! When Hans gave me his seat! Those useless pieces of sh*t anouced that it's tradition for the older to take the seat!"

"You just have to make me remember!" I saw Runar sigh in grief while pouring his cup filled with ale into his wide mouth. Alas, clumsy, he spilled half of it on his clothes as he continued angrily. "Bjorn and his recklessness! I told him many times that one day he would leave you all alone! Look now, he took his wife with him and left you two brothers to fend for yourselves!"

"For that, I am truly and deeply sorry," I said as the image of that blurry, retreating figure resounded in my mind, making me shake my head. "But you can mark my words: one day, I will bring an army of thousands of fierce warriors and destroy that clan, leaving no one alive - not even the innocent children or the women. Their names will be nothing more than dust. I will burn it to the ground, Vengence !! For everything, they did to us!"

While I was met with no enthusiastic response, I looked deeply into his face which was looking down at the ground while his facial features were depressed. I said, without hesitation, "Runar, for that I need your help! A well-planned and long-feared revenge is more satisfying!"

Maybe just to respect my position, I saw Runar slightly lift his head while nodding. Alas, his eyes were depressed and bland. Indeed, it was my fault making him remember his lost kin. But, do I look like a people pleaser?

"I want you Runar ! To keep hitting your hammer !!"

"Hmm" he nodded.

Nodding a bit, I decided to tap into his ambition. "Listen, Runar. Right now, our people, and other tribes, are known for their solo fighting. They don't help each other. They don't fight and kill together. But imagine our warriors, disciplined, fighting as one. They don't move unless I tell them to. They don't draw their weapons unless I command it!"

"What do you mean?" puzzled Runar asked.

"In short, our people are like primitive, uncivilized people! There is no unity, no law, no personal freedom, and no sense of belonging. No monetary system! And in the name of the Nine worlds, we are still sacrificing humans!" I said as I stood up.

"Imagine this, Runar: you are one of the smartest men in our tribe. Imagine this: a land where the weak are protected and the strong are kept at bay. A land where everyone has a right to belong. A land where everyone is united. A land where everyone is equal. A land where there are no slaves! A land where even dead warriors aren't nameless anymore!! A land where everyone could rise! A land where the Sick are cared for! A land where children could choose to do other things apart from going to raid enemy land!"

"Fairytale !! How could you do that Herald !! Just the slave part is impossible !!" Runar injected, his voice laced with anger and disbelief. I felt that he was angry at himself; Alas. I couldn't care less.

"Hahaha!" I cackled in delight. I was already anticipating this question. I added, "Everything is possible! Do you know how I'll do that? Even without your help!"

"How?" he asked.

"I will pave my road with blood and bones. I'll kill everyone who stands before me! Be it the North or even the South and in every direction, every man and woman will wish they could come to our land! Where food will be plentiful and shelter made of bricks! "

"Food?" Runar asked, slightly intrigued by the pit I had created. "Are you talking about that pit?"

"That's easy! Next year you will see an unprecedented amount of grain! Hell, you can even swim in it!"

"And what do you have for weapons? If it's something like that one, I could see it happening!"

"Of course! I have many ideas! For example, we will change our round shields into rectangular ones. Since our warriors will be disciplined, they will fight together as a unit instead of alone. There will be no need for round shields!"

"Aye! I could see it happening! Round shields leave a gap and do not protect the feet of our warriors. If you say that you can tame our warriors, you could of course try."

"I also have some ideas about how we could improve our javelins and swords. We could discuss that later. But now, Runar!! Are you with me?? Help me bathe this land in blood!" I said while stretching my hand towards the chubby man. Thankfully, he didn't hesitate to take my head while leaving a passing remark.

"I have nothing left in this world worth my time, young Herald," Runar said with a small, sad grin that couldn't hide the deep grief and sorrow in his eyes.

"By the way, what is the name of that weapon?" Runar added as he patted his clothes that were drenched in ale. His eyes were down and his cheeks were rosy from the ale he had been drinking.

"CrossBow," I said.