“Fjora! It’s good to see you!” Bjorn chuckled as he slapped Clay’s hero on her back. “Still as solid as ever, I see.”
Fjora swept her golden braided ponytail over her shoulder before raising her hand to slap Bjorn’s shoulder. However, she burst out laughing when she saw Bjorn flinch at the gesture. Bjorn scowled in return when he realised she was just messing with him.
“You can’t be worried about a little tap, right?” Fjora replied once her mirth died down. She looked down at Bjorn, who only came up to her chest area. “So, any idea what this is all about?”
Bjorn gulped as Fjora’s muscles rippled when she removed her fur coat and revealed the sleeveless leather vest she wore underneath. Bjorn’s gaze went to the large two-handed dwarven-crafted steel club lying against the tree beside her. ‘To think she wields that with one hand. Why wouldn’t I be worried about her giving me a tap.’
“We’re headed North. Lady Ania’s group will join us along the way. King Harik has commanded us to deal with an invasion.” Bjorn replied while wearing a grim expression.
“An invasion?” Fjora asked as she clenched her square jaw. “How big is the army?”
“There’s no army,” Bjorn said as he pulled his coat tighter over his armour. “They’re sending their priests in to convert Skardians to Elven religions.”
“You had me worried there!” Fjora burst out laughing as she stretched her arms. “So we crush a few skulls, and that’ll be the end of it. What’s all the fuss about?”
“We’re not allowed to kill them. That’s the problem.” Bjorn sighed as he shot a sideways glance at her. “Ania’s group will deal with those on our side of the border. Our job is to go into enemy territory and do the same thing they are.”
Fjora frowned as she studied the displeased expression on Bjorn’s face. “Well, there’ll be no harm if we sacrifice a few elves to the gods. We just have to make sure we don’t get caught. So brighten up!”
Bjorn wheezed as a heavy pressure landed on his back, and he found himself swallowing a mouthful of snow. He groaned as pain spread from a spot between his shoulder blades where Fjora had playfully clapped him on his back. He suddenly felt light as Fjora picked him back up with her left hand and put him back on his feet with an embarrassed expression.
“Sorry about that. I’m still getting used to my strength.” Fjora mumbled as she gave him a look over to make sure he was ok. “How’s your armour?”
Bjorn groaned as he felt some metal squares rubbing against his spine where they had been dented. “There are some dents, but it should be fine.” ．
Bjorn groaned again as he studied Fjora’s concerned expression. “I know I’m pretty tough, but that doesn’t apply to my insides. Every time you’ve ever hit me, I’ve always ended up coughing up blood for days. Just try to get a handle on it, yeah?”
“Sorry about that. You’d think I’d have learned to be more careful by now. Especially after that time when I accidentally knocked you out and thought you’d passed out from the drinking.” Fjora replied with an apologetic smile as Bjorn’s face turned scarlet.
“It was definitely the mead!” Bjorn grumbled as he looked down at his feet. “I drank far too much that night!”
“Pfft!” Fjora scoffed as she put her fur coat back on. “No, it was definitely my fist after you grabbed my arse! I even held back, but you just had to land on that table and pass out.”
Bjorn cursed under his breath as he glanced at the mountain of a woman. He hoped beyond all reason that she would forget about that night. ‘She’s a fine warrior and dedicated to the gods. If it weren’t for the fact she could accidentally kill me during the deed, I’d try my chances.’
Fjora cocked an eyebrow when she saw Bjorn let out a long sigh. His warm breath hovered in the cold air for a moment before disappearing. She shrugged her shoulders as she grabbed her club with her right hand and laid it across her broad shoulders.
“We should get moving. It’ll be dark soon.” Fjora said as she stared at the dull glow of the setting sun.
Bjorn nodded as he walked toward his horse and jumped up into its saddle. ‘I have a bad feeling about this. Something tells me we shouldn’t be leaving Skardia right now.’ Bjorn frowned as his gaze turned to the South. ‘There was a foul smell on the winds before I left. An ill omen if ever I saw one.’
Meanwhile, King Harik studied the reports on his desk as a warm fire chased off the chill of the onsetting night. He scratched his head as he read the piece of parchment in his hand. ‘There’s so much to do. I feel like I’ll be in my grave before I get through it all!’ He groaned in frustration as he tossed it into the fire.
A gentle knock sounded on the door to the room before Sarri entered with a concerned expression. She stared at the bags under her husband’s eyes while shaking her head.
“Harik, don’t you think you should call it a night? It’s already been three nights since you came to bed.” Sarri shivered as she held tightly to the fur blanket around her shoulders.
“I wish I could, dear,” Harik grumbled as he picked up another sheet of parchment. “But these are reports from all over Skardia. The Kings are hoping for compensation since I ordered the construction of fortified cities on the coast and fleets of ships to be built.”
“If the gods have commanded it, why should you pay for it?” Sarri asked with a confused expression. “They’re Skardians too, and this is for everyone’s benefit. They all have to pitch in.”
Harik frowned as he listened to her words. ‘By the gods! My wife is right! Why am I fretting over the costs and where we’ll find the money?’ Harik chuckled softly, as he searched through the various reports for those concerned with funding for those matters.
The fire roared as it ate away at them when Harik tossed them into its flames with a wide smile. ‘That eases my burden a bit.’ Harik chuckled as Sarri walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist. Harik could not help but smile as he returned her embrace, only to find out that she wore no clothes beneath the blanket.
He immediately became aroused as he passionately kissed her. Sarri let out a soft moan as she felt his fingers run down her spine. However, at that moment, Harik suddenly froze. His eyes had caught sight of a letter with King Bagrux’s signature at the bottom of it!
Before he knew it, he was reaching for the parchment. But Sarri grabbed his wrist and gave him a stern look. She allowed the blanket to fall to the ground as she raised her free hand to caress Harik’s cheek.
“Leave it till morning. You have more important duties to attend to now.”
At the same time, Allyce studied the records spread over her bed with a grim expression. ‘This can’t be right!’ Allyce groaned as she adjusted her position to ease her pain. Her eyes raced across the scroll as her expression became more severe.
‘Nar’Kozz devoured all life on an entire island. The civilisation disappeared in a single night before the gods became aware of the deed.’ Allyce read as a bead of sweat appeared on her brow. ‘When the gods moved to intervene, Nar’Kozz was slain and his body ripped into pieces.’
‘With the threat gone the gods chased after his creator. However, their search was unfruitful for many years. Soon after the War of the Fallen began, Nar’Kozz reappeared, more powerful than ever.’
‘The gods surmised that Nar’Kozz had to be immortal, and only by killing his creator could the beast eventually be slain. However, this was not the case. The Skardian God Jor slew Nar’Kozz’s master, and later was rumoured to have slain Nar’Kozz outside the godly city of Valheim during a later battle.’
‘Nar’Kozz eventually reemerged during the War’s later stages. Stories of Nar’Kozz being slain by many gods appeared during this era. However, his name is linked to many key battles. At some point, Nar’Kozz fled from a critical battle. However, no reason could be found as to why this divine beast did so.’
‘A historian of the time guessed that Nar’Kozz’s power had likely waned. With the loss of his creator, the historian assumed that Nar’Kozz could not replenish whatever he used to resurrect himself. However, I disagree. I myself fought Nar’Kozz many times. He indeed lost power with every death. However, after my last battle with him, I stored his corpse in a safe place.’
‘I kept watch over his body for the time of his resurrection. I wanted to understand if there was a way to end that threat for good. However, reports soon came in of Nar’Kozz’s resurrection. His corpse was still where I had stored it, and I reached a grim conclusion after piecing all of the stories together.’
‘I believe that upon Nar’Kozz’s death, his consciousness and most of his power is transferred to one of his children. It is my conclusion that the divine beast retreated after losing too many of his brood. Therefore, I surmise the only way to kill Nar’Kozz the Devourer is to first wipe out all of his children. It is important to state that Nar’Kozz himself must be cornered before that. To prevent his escape and eventually replenishing his numbers.’
Allyce sighed as she set the scroll aside after checking the author of that account. ‘My mother wrote this. I have to warn Lord Exile about what he’s dealing with…’