Vol. 3 Chapter 41 - Lundene

A.D. 878 'City-Settlement' of Lundene

***Harbor of Lundene***

/povHaestan/

"The 'All-Fathers' fucking!.. 'Mighty-Cock'!.. thats a big ship.. what the fuck!.. get our men here now!.. get Siegfred!.. and Eric!.." I start shouting.. this is bad.. theres not enough men here.. fuck it..

I ordered a couple more men to run and gather more.. then I pretended to do the same.. but I'm not coming back.. fuck that!.. I just saw a fucking 'wooden-mountain' float sailing down the Thames..

I haven't survived to this day by running towards death.. or staying when death is coming right at you.. that ship says death all over it just from one glimpse.. Fuck!.. we just took this fucking city.. what do we do now?.. go back to Ireland?.. Fuck!..

*****************

***Onboard The 'World-Eater'**

/povMC/

"I see Danes!.. waiting to be killed!.. looks like someone decided to attack Lundene before we got here!.. you know what that means boys!.. time for 'supper'!.. The gods want them to die on this day!.. They demand their deaths!.. We will give it to them!.. 'Hounds'!.. Kill all who wield weapons!.. but no killing peasants!.. No killing children!.. No killing women!.. unless you are attacked by them and in fear of your life or your lack in trust of your own fucking skills to battle peasants.. women and fucking children!.. Those are my fucking 'words'!.. make sure you burn them into the back of your fucking skulls!.. we shall divide the women.. cattle and silver after the city has been cleared!.. You are as of this moment!.. 'Un-leashed'!.. Feed my 'Hounds'!.. Feed on the souls of our dying enemies while they beg for mercy!.." There it is.. my 'spiel' as I like to call it.. as we approach the harbor of the 'Roman-built' 'walled-city'.. I lay down the laws before my men.. in hopes they don't force me to 'blood-eagle' them in public.. for that is the punishment of breaking my 'military-law' during anytime serving as my soldiers.. it's the way of doing things the way they should be..

"Hounds!.. Go!.. Get me my fucking 'glory'!.. Aeric!.. take the command!.. make me proud!.." and with that.. the 'death-warrant' for the pagan occupation of Lundene has officially been signed by me then ratified by the gods.. then enacted by my 'hounds' of justice as they will be now known as of late..

****************

/povEric/

"Siegfred!.. We must go!.. we have the silver get to the ships we must get out of here!.. you must see that!.." I shout at my brother trying to reason with him..

"I know that.. I just want to see what he looks like.. get the men gathered with the silver.. make them ready to leave!.. I'll be back.." my brother the fool said.. leaving to go towards the floating fortress coming towards the harbor..

*************

***Lundene Harbor***

/povAeric/

"'Hounds'!.. With me!.. clear the harbor!.. end anyone still wielding weapons!.." as we docked at the pier the loading-deck flopped and crashed on the structure almost making it collapse..

"Go!.." I shouted.. as I charged towards the small group of Danes who were either trying to form a shield-wall at the mouth of the pier or just scrambling trying to get to their 'long-ships'..

Once I was within reach of them.. I took a quick stride into the front of the shield-wall leaning in with my armored-shoulder bashing into the shield in front of me.. letting blades and spear-heads glance off my armor..

Once I 'shoulder-bashed' a gap big enough for a full-strength wide horizontal swipe of my arms.. while clenching my hands tight around the shaft of my war-hammer..

I swung with everything I had in me.. Aethred taught me my job was to make three or four swings of my hammer and destroy their co-ordination..

I should leave the rest to my men.. it's a good thing too because my hammer weighs so much even the strongest arms would be made to be like jelly after a few swings..

So I opened a gap in the enemy shield-wall.. then swung my hammer enlarging the gap.. then the 'hounds' rushed into the gap started to expand the cleared space I had made..

Men were stepping over guts and blood.. slipping on piss and shit only to be crushed to death by armored-feet..

"Push!.. make them break!.. kill all who have weapons!.." I try my best to scream over the noise.. I try to keep pushing forward but I've ran out of gas.. I can barely hold my hammer up off the ground..

"Thats enough Aeric!.. clear the field!.. take the gates to the city!.." I hear my lord yelling to me..

"To the gates!.." I gave my order and pushed with the men.. the Danes were already fleeing like chickens with their heads cut off.. just one more swing and I can rest..

"'Hounds'!.. Finish strong!.." I used my last remaining strength shouting with all I had left.. whilst delivering my final blow before running out of strength to hold my weapon.. exploding a used to be alive Dane's head like a water-melon.. I couldn't hold my hammer anymore.. I dropped it and I fell to my knees and had to put my hands out because I though I would fall right on my face.. but one of my men caught me.. "Leave the rest to us young 'lord'.. 'wolf' says good job you made him proud.. rest now.." I hear him telling me.. then I closed my eyes to drip off to slumber..

***************

/povMC/

"Haha!.. who wants to live!.. 'Hounds'!.. Enough!.." I yelled for a stop after we had taken control of the gate to the city from the harbor..

"Any man here!.. face me!.. if you impress me you shall live.. if you dont.. haha!.." I informed the remaining few Danes left alive..

"You boy!.. yes you!.. someone seperate that boy from them.. it's not his day to die today.. hmm.. let's make this interesting shall we.. theres only five of you.. one by one would be no fun.. how about all five of you and me?.. shall we make the 'square' of branches?.. hmm.. 'Hounds'!.. Build me the 'square!.. Fetch the branches!.. Yes!.. wait.. let me stretch first real quick.." I say as I start to get limber for my next 'dance-of-death'.. gotta stretch it out..