Chapter One
The Light of Fire
Of course, life was never easy on those who had seen life as a test of ones survivability. However, the Gods were a might crueler, believing that some things of Life were made for their entertainment, much to the dismay of other Gods. One god, no one remembers which now, had found a idea that it had thought funny.
Send Varl to a foreign land, where they would cause chaos and bring dismay to lands of the peaceful. But things did not go the God’s way, and he’d sent them to a world stricken with war and grief. He could only hope the Varl would… As they say, die of old age.
Finnr had woken up, staring up at the night sky. He took in a deep breathe, not wanting to move. The last thing he’d remembered was fighting on a large bridge… Dredge everywhere. Once had gotten around his shield, driving it’s strange weapon into his side, and knocking him over the side. He felt around his stomach, patting his sides, realising there was no wound, which confused him.
Faen.
However, the thing that was on his mind now, was the stars. His eyes widened as he looked up at the moon, full in it’s form, and couldn’t help the smile on his face.
However, then a smell caught his nose, his eyes widening further. Smoke. He shoved himself to his feet, looking around, realising he was in some forest. On the ground beside him was his mace and shield. Quickly, he took up his weapons, and prepared to run in the opposite direction of the smoke, but then he heard the yelling, the yelling of other Varl.
He let out a low growl, charging further into the woods. Faen the fire, he had Dredge to kill, and brothers to save.
Charging through the underbrush, he could feel branches and thorns rip at his tunic, but it did not bother him, he’d survived worse. A low branch was in his way, and he rose his shield, slamming through the branch, splintering it into many pieces, all of them falling onto the dark earth beneath his feet.
He had to ignore the sounds in the bushes to his side, but then realised a thought; what else could be in these woods. Bears? Wolves? Dredge…
Finnr could help but look to the noises he heard, now they seemed to be getting closer, but he didn’t know if it was his mind messing with him, and so, he couldn’t completely worry about it.
Suddenly, he was in a clearing. He had to look back to make sure the forest had even be real. It was, it just suddenly ended, with not a single tree stretching out further… It was strange, certainly…
Looking back ahead, he could see large figures in the distance, fighting against smaller things. What boggled him was the strange energies he saw flying from the figures, some striking a Varl, from what he could tell, and drop them.
Weavers… He thought angrily, charging forward.
He could hear the Varl better now, some shouting order, something about cutting the heads off, that the witchcraft would be useless to the dead. However, before he could get any closer to the fight, he felt something burning strike his side, staggering him.
He braced a knee, nearly falling, driving the base of his shield into the ground to keep from falling, looking to her right, glaring at his attacker.
Only to see a small horse, with a glowing horn.
Then it fired another blast of energy at him, and he barely raised his shield in time to block it. The shield splintered violently, and caught flame, startling Finnr greatly. He swung the shield, trying to rid himself of it, but he’d strapped it to his arm, so not to lose it. He let out a deep yell, rushing at the small creature, which in panic, turned to try and run.
“Do not run from me, coward!” Finnr screamed, catching up quickly, giving a wide swing with his mace. It connected with the creatures flank, a resounding crack sounding out, followed by a howl of pain.
Finnr stood of the pony, which wriggled in pain on the ground, before looking up at him, glaring. It spit at Finnr, causing him to snarl at it. It’s eyes widened, “Monster!” It screamed, before firing another blast, catching Finnr off guard as it struck the left side of his face, bursting on impact.
A loud yell of pain could be heard for a great distance. Finnr had felt the burning, the hair on his head catch flame, burning him. He could remember the flames from his birth, being dug out of the fire. His right eye snapped open, and he only saw red. He screamed, raising his flaming shield, driving the pointed base into the pony’s rib, a satisfying couple of snaps and a wheezing gasp reaching his ears.
He kicked up, snapping the shield in two, before rending the burning part from his arm, swinging down at the pony’s head, the remaining wood splintering over it’s head, and he saw the horn crack and break part. The scream he heard horrified even himself.
Slowly, his vision returned, just in time no less, for him to barely block a floating sword swung at him. He could feel the pain in his face, and only just realised as he calmed down slowly, that it had started to rain, the water putting out what remained of his hair, and causing pain in his face, where the water ran down over the burnt flesh.
Looking around, he could find the user of the sword, and had to keep stepping back, fighting nothing! Faened nothing! A single sword with no person to use it, was attacking him!
He’d block another strike, and reach out, grabbing the handle, trying to take the sword from nothing, only to find there was a resistance, and he could hear something let out a strained grunt behind him.
Without looking, he held onto the handle of the sword, swinging out his mace behind himself, hearing the crunch of a skull caving in. The glow was gone from the sword, and he let it fall. Maybe he get a moment to look around, and start giving orders.
Slowly, he took a breath, looking around. He could see the creatures routing, and let out a sigh of relief. He’d fought Dredge, but they had no magic like this… Except the Sundr, but they were a entirely different kind of Dredge, and he didn’t want to remember seeing Bellower on the faened bridge.
He could see the Varl, moving to quickly put out the fires that had taken the grass, assisted by the rain. He tried to smile, but found that the left side couldn’t, and his eyes widened. The faen creature… He thought bitterly. His fist shaking, he slowly sat down on the wet ground, looking at the corpse in front of him.
What was it? It looked like a horse, but they were dead. They Horseborn saw to that, and had succeeded in their own horrible quest, so what exact were these?
He could hear Varl groaning, some with limbs missing, others with melted flesh, seemingly frozen at the sight of being burned.
Fire… The creatures could throw… Fire… It was every Varl’s nightmare.
He couldn’t help but be remind of his birth, all those years ago… The flames, the pain of it all… Hadrborg… Faener.
Sitting there, remaining quiet, he could only hear the sounds of rain and the Varl trying to figure out what had happened. He could hear some talk about Einartoft, others spoke of Grofheim, saying it had been destroyed, but that couldn’t have been correct. It was the capital. The most Varl. If it had fallen…
“Finnr?” He heard a gravelly voice ask. Slowly, he stood, using his mace to help. He felt weak, it was annoying… Looking to the source, he saw a large Varl staring at him. In the light between clouds, he could make out his features.
Blue eyes, crooked nose, and those hanging ears… ear… The left was freshly gone. He was tall, with dark blonde hair. Ulfrid… Good friend.
Finnr’s eyes widened when he finally recognised the Varl. He’d seen him die on the bridge…
“Ulfrid… How did you survive?” Finnr asked, stepping back slightly. Ulfrid looked pained, shaking his head, “I didn’t.” He’d said simply. Finnr noticed his sword, the upper half gone. It was caused by the Dredge that had cleaved through it, separating Ulfrid’s right shoulder from his body.
“Then… If you are dead… Or… We died… Where are we?” He’d ask, taking a look around. There was a lot more Varl than he’d originally thought. He saw at least a couple hundred… There might have been more, but he saw a great deal of Varl dead as well.
Olfrid shrugged, looking at his Great Sword, “I do not know… But if the things here can hurl fire, I’d guess a personal Hel.” He’d say quietly, growling at the pony corpses.
Finnr shook his head, letting out a dry laugh. It hurt to laugh, his face burned, like it was still on fire, but he had to ignore it, “I’d hope not… If it was Hel, they wouldn’t let us fight… Just torture us.” He’d say, looking to Ulfrid, who rose a rose, reaching up to the hole where his ear had been, rubbing at it, blood getting onto his fingers.
Finnr watched as Ulfrid did that, the large Varl staring at the blood, as though confused. Finnr had heard that Ulfrid was amazing in combat, having been able to avoid many injuries… Until the bridge… Until tonight.
He looked to the moon, and strangely, he thought it was staring back. A strange, creeping feeling washed over him, like he was examined, studied. He felt wrong. He forced his eyes from the moon, but the feeling did not waver for another few minutes. When it did finally leave him, he noticed that Ulfrid was watching him, a few other Varl too. He snarled at them, causing them to smile, and turn back to what they’d been doing.
Finnr watched them, then looked to the moon a final time, before back to Ulfrid, “We must rest… In the morning, we leave, those other creatures escaped, but the were clearly apart of an army, liking scouting. They’ll return for us.” “Let them come, we are expecting them now.” Ulfrid responded, patting his sword.
Finnr growled, “They have the weavers magic, but they do not need to shape it. Fire, they can hurl fire at us. You know the Varl will not respond will in combat when fire is involved.” He’d explain quickly, getting a look of understanding from Ulfrid.
Ulfrid would nod, “A fari point… So… Are you saying that you are our commander now?” He’d ask, chuckling tiredly. Finnr let out a deep sigh, growing more annoyed by the pain in his face, “Why not you? You are older and more experienced.” He’d say, causing Ulfrid to laugh, “If you didn’t notice, I already died of old age.” He’d joke, causing FInnr to laugh, “Wouldn’t want it to happen again while leading.” He’d finish, shaking his head.
Finnr could agree with that, “I’m not a leader, but I can try to be.” He’d say, slumping his shoulders, feeling the tiredness hit him suddenly, “We must rest, call for a rest, put a fifty Varl on watch…” He’d say, before sitting back, the wet ground comforting in a strange way. Slowly, he laid back, grabbing up some mud with his free hand, smearing it over his burns. It hurt, but slowly, the cool mud helped to stop it, if only for a little while.
Slowly… Slower than he wanted to admit, he fell asleep, finally drifting off into sleep. But it would be restless…
Finnr found himself sitting in a strange place. Darkness was everywhere. Strange purple wisps flew about the place, and the ground seemed as though it were made of obsidian. It was all wrong… He rarely dreamed, and when he did, it was of fighting, or drinking.
Looking around, he realised this place was endless, seeming to go for many leagues, before being enveloped in a strange purple cloud, lightning flashing within it. He knew better than to try and go there. Bad omens.
He could hear echos, of people speaking. Some voices were happy, others seemed scared… He could hear battle, the cries of Varl.
He reached up quickly, grabbing his horns, “Shut up…” He’d mutter, the voices only seemed to get louder.
“Stop it.” He’d say, more firm this time. It seemed to upset the voices, which rose to greater heights of volume.
Finally, he rose to his full height, letting out a bellowing roar, “I SAID TO STOP!” And it did.
For a moment, he found himself at peace, then, only silence remained. Now, he couldn’t hear the thunder in the distance. Suddenly, there was a strange sense of loneliness.
Now, he wished he could hear the voices, but then, he did. A single voice, but now it was talking to him.
“Strange… You demand silence, but when you get it, you long for the voices…” The voice, a woman, spoke softly. Finnr growled, looking around, “Show yourself, witch. I will not be tricked by you. What faened magic do you have over this place?” He’d ask, glancing around, looking for his weapon, only to realise it wasn’t with him.
“You will find no weapons in our realm, stranger.” The voice would say, seeming to find his actions funny.
Finnr, getting annoyed, challenged the voice, “Come and fight me, I can rip you apart with my bare hands!” He’d yell. There was no response, and for a moment, he was happy with himself.
Then, a dark cloud formed in front of him, a strange mare appearing. She was wearing a strange, dark armor. It reminded him of the Dredge, “So, you decided to fight me, I hope you are-” was all he could say, before he saw the magic fire from her horn. It was not mere ball, like the others that he’d seen…
It was like a boulder of faened energy had been laughed at him, and he felt terror build in him as he felt the heat raise as it got closer.
It fell away, turning into those purple wisps, the mare now in front of him, “I believe you would be wise to never challenge me. I am one of the two strongest in our world. And I do not care what you may think of yourself, I will rip you apart, without even touching you.” She’d speak, in a disturbingly calm voice.
Finnr stepped back, staring at the mare, “Why are you here?” He’d ask, then she’d respond the same, “Why are you here? You are in our world, through some use of excessive magic… I will not fall for any tricks, beast.” She’d say, glaring. Finnr couldn’t help but stop to think on that.
Why are we here… What else has come with us? He’d ask himself, only to notice the mare glaring at him.
“I don’t know why we are here, but do not torture my Varl, if need be, we will avoid you, but you should avoid us. We came into this world only today, and it was your people who attacked us first.” He’d say, though he didn’t know if it was true or not.
The mare gave him a level look, before shaking her head, “My sister will likely not stop so quickly, so I suggest you get on the move, if you wish to avoid any more burns.” She’d say grimly, causing Finnr to let out a low growl, the mare smirking in response.
Suddenly, he was falling, and hurtling toward the… earth…
“Wake up damn it! Finnr!” He felt someone kick his side, and he leapt up, raming his head forward, knocking down a Varl. He snarled, looking for his mace, when he found it, the others were staring, having back away slightly. Ulfrid stared at him, raising a brow, “Finnr, you’re fine, no Dredge to be found near here.” He’d say, hoping to ease Finnr.
Finnr did relax, only slightly, looking around, “Weed to go now, how much supplies do we have?” He’d ask, getting to the point. Ulfrid looked annoyed, but looked to the Varl beside him.
Finnr was sure he knew who this Varl was, but couldn’t place a name. Faener…
The Varl spoke quickly, seeming a bit disturbed by Finnr’s sudden attack, “There is rough 300 to 400 of us, so, with what we gathered and cut from the creature corpses, we have about two days worth of supplies for travel.” FInnr rose a brow… There hadn’t been that many attacker…
“Where did you get the extra meat?” He’d ask, the Varl looked nervous, “We… We went to a nearby town, pillaging it, killing a good deal of those living there, and gutted them… Found salt, but-” Finnr didn’t let him finish. He grabbed the Varl by the horns, hefting him up, over his shoulder and above him, then brought him back down, slamming him down hard into the dirt.
The horn he’d been holding broke off… No… It was ripped from the skull.
A gaping hole was left in the dead Varl’s head, leaking blood quickly, brain showing past a thin membrane. Finnr sighed, shaking his head. “Should have known better.” He said, looking at Ulfrid. He looked… Sad, staring at the dead Varl. Finnr rose a brow, looking back to the Varl, then he realised who he’d killed, “Kvig…” He’d mutter.
He stared at the corpse, dropping the horn, “I… I didn't know.” He’d say quietly, looking to Ulfrid. Ulfrid only shook his head, “Let’s get moving, I don’t want to be here when the creatures return.”
Finnr couldn’t help it, but as Ulfrid said that… He got the distinct feeling that they were being watched, and as the walked from the wood, in the opposite direction the ponies retreated, he found himself, looking around.
He was sure, someone was following them.
Author's Note
First chapter! I hope you guys like it so far!
Be sure to tell me about any mistakes, or just things you have questions about, and I'm happy to answer!