Chapter 5: The chaos
- "It is a massacre out there!" Tusk whispers as he peeks through the meadhall's doors.
- "What should we do, sir?" A Guardsman with a young face asks. Tusk feels cold sweat drops on his back. Even though he has fought in a few battles before, his body still trembles as he recognizes the forces waiting outside.
Looking at his back, Tusk realizes that under his command are only a few fresh Guardsmen, who have only fought bandits and looters. Oh god, how can I lead these guys to fight against the finest warriors on this continent?
- "Move out of the way, Tusk!" A soft voice slowly rings between the ears of Tusk, making him turn his back toward the door.
The Guardsmen all step back in surprise as they see the women, numbered around 20, who were weeping and crying just a moment ago, are now all armored, armed with shields, swords, or spears, standing side by side behind Leila, the chieftess of the village.
- "I am sorry, my lady. But what are you guys planning to do? They outnumber us at least 2 to 1. Even the best men in the Guardsmen struggle to match a Samurai in battles." Tusk speaks. "And one of the Tsubachi Ten Spears is here. Our only hope is that we can hold this meadhall until Sir Knuckle and 30 Guardsmen camping not far from here come to our rescue."
Nods from the guys around him confirm his words. Most of them are young, and many of them are frightened seeing the veterans in the Rangers getting cut down like sheep.
A smirk appears on Leila's face as she speaks loudly:
- "Do you hear that, ladies. Perhaps Mr. Tusk and his men should wear the dress and do the cooking while we women go to war."
Laughing erupts in the room. The women smash their swords onto their shields, creating the battle rhythm of the shieldwall - the ultimate formation in the army of every Norseman.
Tusk's face froze, he did not know what to do. He remembers the warmth of his wife and the smile of his baby daughter. He left them a week ago to help Captain Woft on his militia recruiting mission. Now, he deeply regrets it. He knows that he needs to do his duty as a Norse Guardsman; However, love does make a man weak. He wants to come back home and fall into the arms of his wife and eat another sandwich made by his daughter.
-"We are Norse, Tusk. You and your men can lead the young master to escape while we distract the enemies."
Erik, the young lord, who has just changed to commoner clothes, is standing behind a door, peeking at the women with a red face. Every young man in the room shares the same feeling - a mix of embarrassment and fear. They look at Tusk, the senior in the room, to look for guidance as the women keep moving forward.
- "Do not say anything, Tusk. It is our husbands and sons they are slaughtering out there. No Norsewomen will stay idle when their families are harmed; that is the reason why Norsewomen can join the shieldwall and become shieldmaidens, which is a feat that no other culture can share."
With no further words, Leila and her women push the men aside, open the meadhall doors. In front of them is a scene of fire and chaos. Leila looks at the women beside her, speaks out loud again. Her golden hair shines brightly in the moonlight, and her voice is like the steel ringing in the ears of the bystanders.
- "Sisters, tonight, the Valkyries will welcome us, our husbands and sons. Our names will be spoken through generations to come! CHARGE!" The last word from Leila is a battle cry, catching attention from everyone fighting in the village.
The horde of female warriors charges forward into the fiery night, leaving the men in the meadhall behind in complete silence. Tusk signs in distress:
- "Kids, that's the type of woman you wanna marry, not those women in the Shogunates who spend their entire days dressing up and putting powder on their face."
-"T.. Tusk, what are we doing?" Erik steps out of the room where he is hiding and asks.
- "We will get out of here, master. We all need to make it back to Frostborn and notify your father about what is happening here!" Putting his helmet on, Tusk signals his men. The men immediately raise their shields, surround the young lord, and stay alert as they move out of the meadhall.
A rider notices the group and charges forward, chanting ancient steppe's war chant as he raises his saber, intending to slash Tusk's neck. However, before he can lower the saber, Tusk simply throws a dagger, which pierces through the lightly armored rider easily, leaving him fall onto the ground and dragged on the dirt by the horse.
- "Craig, you are the fastest rider among us. Ride outside of this mess and find us some reinforcements."
- "As you wish, Sir." A Guardsman jumps on the horse and rides outside of the village.
- "Now, we need to survive until the reinforcements arrive." Tusk and the rest of the Guardsmen look to their left, as more riders notice them.
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The village center has turned into a bloodbath. Corpses lie everywhere, and the smell of blood lingers in the air. Among the Norsemen, Leif is the only man still standing. Blood covers his face, armor, sword, and shield. Snow slowly fell on the field, creating a beautiful canvas for his fiery blue eyes, which shine brightly in the darkness.
- "You are an extraordinary warrior for your age, kid. It would be a shame for me to kill you." Taiga Tsubachi speaks with a smirk on his face. However, if we observe, we can notice traces of worry in his eyes.
Around Leif, there are corpses of 5 Samurai, whom he strikes down with his sword. Leif is breathing heavily. Everything on his body feels so heavy. His shield misses a large piece, and his left hand misses a finger - a lucky outcome for a person who is daring enough to block a spear thrust from a Spear of Tsubachi.
The village center is completely silent as Taiga's men, numbering around 20 strong, create a circle around their master and the young warrior. Being Samurai - the noble class in the Shogunate, they look at Leif with admiration in their eyes.
- "I will give you a chance, kid. Surrender to me and I will pardon your family." Taiga Tsubachi lowers his spear. "I am searching for a talented second-in-command. You might be a right fit for that."
There is nothing changes on Leif's face as he hears the offer. He just keeps staring at the veteran warrior with a fiery gaze as if he wants to melt all the snow around them. I hate that look, Taiga thinks to himself. That is the look of someone ready to die.
- "You are all by yourself. Please surrender. I do not want to destroy a talent." Taiga speaks again.
- "He is not by himself." A woman's voice yells out.
Reaching the village's center, Leila's group is reduced from 20 to only a handful. They are all covered in scars and blood. Before anyone can say anything, another voice fills the silence in the village:
-"I am backing him as well, Tsubachi dogs." Captain Luke slowly walks into the scene with his cane, followed by what's left of the rangers and Wolf. Just like their companions, they are covered by wounds, scars, and blood. On some of them, there are arrows, but these wounds are nothing other than minor inconveniences for the Norse.
-"I hate these blue eyes." Taiga whispers to himself. Turning to one of the Samurai, he nods. A war horn is blown, and from a forest, a horde of steppe riders appears, numbering at least 200. On their spears are the heads of Knuckle and those who were left at the camp.
- "I want to see desperation in those blue eyes." Taiga speaks softly. But what he sees fails him. Having only 20 men left, they show no sign of fear. Wolf walks slowly forward Leif. The Samurai drift into two sides, letting the giant man go through.
- "So somehow you have convinced the steppe tribes in the region to fight against us without letting Lord Ingstad know." Wolf speaks as he puts his gaze on the Tsubachi leader.
-"They agree just for the chance of having your women as your rewards. They want to ride Norse women all night if you know what I mean." Taiga Tsubachi speaks before wildly thrusting his spear forward. Surprisingly for everyone, Wolf dodges the spear swiftly, unnatural for his huge body.
- "I have heard of you, Wolf. Lord Tsubachi wants to recruit you many times, but you refuse. We outnumber you 10 to 1; you will not be alive out of here." Taiga shouts, frustrated as his technique seems ineffective compared to the man in front of him.
- "1 to 10, huh? At least it will make a fair fight." Wolf smiles. The Norse laugh and smash their swords and shields together, creating their battle rhythm again.
- "Then let the fun begin." Taiga Tsubachi raises his spear high. In answer, the steppe riders charge forward with their lances and sabers. The battle begins once again.