The Winter's Hunt

by R. K. Rickson

  “Not yet, I must see the other jarls and high jarl first,” Torga replied as Olvir retrieved his greataxe for him. “We still have Erik and Isolda to deal with.”

  As the two exited the arena, Torga and Leila were met by the other rulers of Hjaalren, and the four jarls all exchanged greetings and pleasantries.

  “Jarl Torga,” High King Ostein began, “We are here to aid you as fellow jarls and warriors, for your village has suffered. We have batches of food and supplies to help your people survive the rest of the winter, so that they may not go hungry.”

  Torga’s face became one of surprise as several sleds of crates of food and supplies were pulled by people of the various jarldoms.

  “You…did this for us?” Torga asked, bewildered by such an act.

  “Aye, we did,” Jarl Argor said with a wink. “Yer young advisors made their case to me, and with all the evidence found from the storehouse at the port we were presented, it was irrefutable. Besides, as long as I’ve known ye and yer da, I didn’t want to believe the rumors and word that you were failin’ yer people. I’m happy to know that I was right.”

  High King Ostein nodded and added, “This was a situation that went beyond whether you were capable of looking after your people or not. You are a true jarl to the end, and we would not let one of our own suffer at the behest of a coward. Your people will survive the winter.”

  Leila put a hand to her mouth as tears ran from her green eyes, and Torga bowed his head, then said with some effort, “Thank you, all of you for your kindness. I don’t even know how to begin to repay the three of you all.”

  A howl of a wolf was heard, which gave cause for everyone to spin around and look in the direction. To the eastern boundary of the gates, a tearwolf with a ruff of icy blue fur stood on both hind legs, and started to approach, with three more in tow.

  “The alpha!” Leila cried out as all guards and men with weapons came to the jarls and stood at the ready. At the same time, a loud sound of a violent puff sounded where the villagers were, as panicked voices watched a silver plume of smoke go up and pour out.

  “An IHB smoke bomb,” Kaito said and through the reflective nature of the smoke, saw the shadows of villager’s scramble to get away from it. After several minutes, when the smoked cleared, Erik and Isolda were gone from sight.

  “Kaito!” Ryland called out as he drew his weapons again, “Erik and Isolda, no doubt. Track them down, and I’ll help deal with the tearwolves here before coming to help!”

  “On it,” Kaito replied and started off in a jog for the two.

  Leila left her father’s side and took off for Kaito, and stopped when Gerald called out, “Torgasdottir!”

  She halted her run and turned to see Gerald run up to her, with his sword in its scabbard, and held it out to her.

  “Take this, you are much more dexterous on your feet with lighter weaponry than that large greataxe you have,” Gerald offered, and Leila hurriedly gave her greataxe over, and took Gerald’s blade in place. She lashed the sword at her hip with her belt, and it felt much lighter to move along with her bow and arrows instead of the heavy weapon she normally used. “I know you wish to use the same weapon as your father, but maybe your own legacy is to be forged with a sword. Use it for now, and bring it back, okay?”

  Leila nodded with a smile, and replied, “Thank you, Gerald.”

  “Hey Leila!” Ryland called out as the jarl’s daughter turned to her friend. “Better catch up with Kaito, he moves quick!”

  “I’m on it!” Leila called back and resumed her dash, until she caught up with the martial artist.

  As the two made their way for one of the paths that led to a pass in the mountains for the north, Kaito looked to see the jarl’s daughter approach his side and said, “Strength in numbers. Shall we go catch your father’s enemies?”

  “Yes. Let’s. I have a score to settle with both of them,” Leila replied with furious intent in her voice.

  The two kept a light jog down the trail and saw a pair of footsteps that gave a clear trail for Kaito and Leila to track them with.

  “I don’t know these parts, so I’ll defer to your lead. If they choose to fight, that’s where my expertise comes in,” Kaito instructed politely.

  Leila nodded and answered with a grin, “With how you and Ryland carry yourselves, I’ll let you take the lead on anything combat or fights. If you’re Ryland’s friend and fellow bounty hunter, I trust his selection of friends.”

  Chapter XV: All-Out Battle for Hemmigatr!

  The horn from the gates sounded in the air, in a series of calls, and the people of Hjaalren turned to face the gates, aware of what the signal meant.

  “What’s happening now?” Ryland replied as he took company with the jarls while the guards of all jarldoms and Gerald’s men came together to set out for the field outside of the gates.

  “An approaching small army of men, no doubt Erik’s mercenaries he spoke of,” Torga replied. “The men should be able to handle it outside of the gate, and thankfully we have some unified forces here to combat them with the other jarls present.”

  “Well shite! If the durned mercenaries are at the gates wantin’ a fight, we better go give ‘em one!” Argor boomed, and the dwarf adjusted his belt, then turned on his boots for the united Hjaalren battle group and hurried off after them with a proud roar of a battle cry.

  Targus beamed and shook his head, then clapped Torga on the shoulder and said, “Just like old times when the Teroskin Kites mercenary group tried to invade us, huh? I bet they’re the ones outside that gate right there; maybe they’ll learn the second time around.” With that, the jarl of Falmod gave chase after his dwarven companion and called out, “Oi, Argor! Don’t take all the fun for yourself!”

  Torga and Ostein laughed aloud, the first hearty laugh from the Hemmigatr jarl in weeks.

  “That just leaves the alpha and the other tearwolves,” Ostein declared, his eyes fixed on the oncoming lupine creatures at the gates.

  “I’ll retrieve the pup; hold them off until then,” Olvir said to Torga and took off as fast as he could, given his own injuries from the hunt.

  Ryland started off for the tearwolves and was joined by the large figure of Gerald. The proud warrior of Falmod gave Ryland a nod and clenched a fist with a smile before his face.

  “You seem quite capable enough to work together with,” Gerald noted to the bounty hunter, “Let us unite our strength and take them on.”

  Ryland grinned, and felt his spirits rise with Gerald’s as he offered a hand out to clasp arms with, to which Gerald proudly returned in kind.

  “We just need to hold them off long enough for Olvir to return,” Ryland replied, as the two continued to the stretch of snow where the gates boundary was on the eastern front.

  Gerald thumped a fist on his shield and answered, “Should be easy enough. I’m without my sword, so I’ll guard the best I can for you. You’ll have to be my blade in this setup. You can manage, yes?”

  Ryland twirled his axe and took a ready stance to the right and behind Gerald as the mighty warrior held out his shield to the alpha that stood before them. The others sat or stood still behind it, as if they were to watch their pack leader handle the fight.

  The alpha gave a deep howl to the skies above, then turned its snarling snout to the two combatants before it.

  Gerald and Ryland glanced at one another, thumped their chests, and let out a battle cry of their own together, which only further boosted their resolve to fight.

  The alpha then sprang into action, as its icy blue fur flowed with majestic and savage grace for the two.

  “Here we go!” Ryland called out as the two charged forth to meet it.

  Off the coast of Port Burmir, a small ship was full of mercenaries that made its way for the snowy country. One of the navigators, a woman in a black cloak with white stripes that diagonally went down the lapel to the body, which matched the others, was reading a map and compass. The ship had full sails out and coasted
along the icy waters, making its way for the port in question.

  “Yep, there’s a ship out there all right, just as we were informed to look out for,” Donnie said to Jeff as the first mate of The Raging Hammer turned to his captain.

  Jeff grinned widely, then touched the handle of his battle hammer at his hip that he normally left in his personal cabin. He ran a hand through his prominent sideburns, then said, “Well, looks like we’re going to have a sea battle after all! Captain Hirand Skyleaf is taking the southern parts to pin down the other ship there that wanted to approach Falmod and travel the trail to Hjaalren.”

  Jeff walked to the railing which looked down to the main deck, and anyone that wasn’t manned up on a navigation post was armed and ready for combat as Jeff called out to his men, “Okay, you rowdy bunch! You’ve been cooped up long enough without a fight, and you’ve been getting me in trouble at the last few pubs we’ve been at. Well, there’s a whole ship full of paid mercenaries that want a piece of the jarl and his people. Do you all want a piece of them?”

  The crewmates all roared with a resounding, “YES CAPTAIN!!!”, weapons raised in the air.

  “We’ve been waiting for this day for too damn long, captain!” a man with well-kempt brown hair and brown eyes called back.

  Jeff knew the voice belonged to one Sean Riley, the ship’s cook, and one of his toughest crewmates.

  “Well Mister Riley, you and the others have a fight on your hands approaching. Don’t you go puttin’ me and the ship to shame, now!”

  Jeff turned to face the oncoming vessel, which slowed it approach, no doubt having caught visibility of The Raging Hammer. The helmsman kept a steady speed and bearing for the mercenaries’ ship.

  “It’s just a sloop, nothing we can’t handle,” Jeff called out. “You boys wanted a real fight, you got one! Now let’s go forth and help our friend Jarl Torga and take these guys down!”

  The crew all bellowed with rapt excitement, a feeling of camaraderie and vigor in the air as Jeff sailed his ship for the one in the distance.

  “They fly no flag…but those cloaks all look the same,” Donnie called out, “Captain, you ever seen these guys before?”

  Jeff walked over to his first mate, took the spyglass, and peered through for himself. The black and white-striped cloaks were no stranger to his recollection.

  “They’re the Teroskin Kites, a mercenary group that’s got a reputation out here in the Jepsward Sea. I know Erik called for mercs, but I had no clue it was these guys,” Jeff explained. “They picked the wrong person to take a contract from.” Jeff handed Donnie his spyglass back, then called out to his crew, “Okay boys, when you’re done pummeling their crew, I want you all to raid the ship and see if we can find that mercenary contract on them.”

  “We’re approaching in less than a mile or so; they’re manning a few archers on the bow,” Donnie called out.

  Jeff grinned and shook his head, then replied, “The Teroskin Kites must not be too well-versed in sea battles. Let’s show them what we can do!”

  Gerald thumped the alpha with his shield when it leaped into the air to assail him, and Ryland followed with three deft axe slashes during its fall. The beast fell in the snow and was much slower to rise again than before. The two had managed to hold it off with such teamwork where Gerald would create an opening, and Ryland would strike during the opportunity.

  Red gashes were peppered all over its body, and the alpha surely had felt the weight of its injuries as it hesitated to keep up the assault. Ryland assessed that the lupine creature wasn’t going to put up too much more of a fight with its injuries, but he knew to never underestimate the power of a creature driven into a corner for survival.

  The alpha let a low growl out, then its ears suddenly perked up with the other tearwolves as they all looked to the left of Ryland and Gerald. There stood Olvir, with the tearwolf pup in hand. The little furry wolf let out a whimper and looked to the alpha and other tearwolves ahead.

  The alpha immediately went on its haunches and started to approach, with fury in its eyes, and staggered for the older man.

  Ryland was quick to arrive at Olvir’s side and quickly took the pup from him, not wanting Olvir to suffer any more injuries if the alpha attacked again. He took a moment to look over the pup and appreciated how cute and innocent the small tearwolf was.

  All the others watched with tense gazes and waited to see what would happen in such a standoff between the two.

  “Okay little guy, time to get you back with your family,” Ryland said with a smile, despite the approaching threat. He gave the pup a scratch behind the ears and the pup let out an excited yap, then licked his hand.

  The alpha stood still, then watched Ryland as the young bounty hunter cautiously closed the distance some. Ryland then lowered the baby tearwolf into the snow and gave him a pat on the head.

  “Don’t go causing too much trouble when you’re older now, okay?” Ryland affectionately said to the pup. The pup trotted in a small circle, barked, then licked his hand again before it scooted off to the alpha.

  The large tearwolf sniffed its baby and licked it on its face as the two greeted each other with sniffs and licks. The alpha then looked to Ryland, who stood ready for more fighting if needed, and made no advance or hostile snarls to him. The tearwolf’s eyes lost their red color, and changed to a deep blue, much more like the canine species it shared relation to. The young pup turned to face Ryland, happily panted, then gave another yap before the alpha took it by the scruff of its neck and hoisted it off the ground.

  All the adult tearwolves gave a long howl, then proceeded to clamber over the wooden fence of the eastern boundary, with the alpha at the rear. It turned to give Ryland one last look, who gave a nod to the creature in turn. The alpha then managed to climb up and over, followed by the swift and quiet crunches of snow as the small pack took off.

  When the tearwolves were gone, Gerald exhaled and said to Ryland, “That was a big gamble there! Why did you all have a tearwolf pup, not to mention that it belonged to the alpha?!”

  “Erik’s doing,” Olvir replied. “It was tied up on our hunting route when were initially attacked. We didn’t want to just leave it out there, so we took it with us.”

  “I see. The coward just knows no bounds, hm? Luckily, the alpha didn’t attack you or Ryland,” Gerald responded. “Though I must say, the little cub there took a liking to Ryland well enough!”

  Ryalnd grinned and replied as he put his axe away, “I grew up around animals in the mountains back in Stonetowne. I just get along with a good amount of them, I suppose.” The bounty hunter then turned to face the path that led for the mountains and headed for it at a jog.

  “Where are you off to?” Torga asked.

  “To help Kaito and Leila,” Ryland replied. “We’re not done here until Erik and Isolda are captured as well.”

  Gerald took a step forward to head with Ryland as a voice called his name. The proud warrior turned around to see the voice belonged to High Jing Ostein. Gerald bowed his head and said, “High jarl, what do you ask of me?”

  Ostein smiled at the corner of his mouth, then replied, “I believe you’re needed elsewhere.” The high jarl pointed to the main gates, where the distant cries of battle were heard. “If you feel so inclined to redeem your honor today, go help your people in the fight there.”

  Gerald grinned a wide smile, then replied as he took off for the gates, “By your order, I shall give those enemies a beating like they’ve never had before!” With that, the warrior let out a battle cry from his chest and charged for the gates.

  Torga couldn’t help but smile with Ostein, and said to him, “It’s almost like one big family reunion, Hjaalren’s three jarldoms back in arms together, huh?”

  “Starboard ballistae fire!” Jeff bellowed to his men. Three loud snapping noises were heard from the outer hull as a trio of large metal spears fired forth and shattered through the Teroskin Kites’ port side hull to the aft side, all of which were ti
ed off with rope. The ships were bound together from the attack, and Jeff’s men wasted no time with the boarding as his men swung from ropes tied to the mast, across the freezing sea below, and landed on the decks, weapons at the ready.

  The Teroskin Kites clearly didn’t expect seaborne company, Jeff observed, and grabbed one of the ropes on the return, then swung across the gap between the two vessels, as the chill sea breeze whipped at his face. Once he landed on the deck, Jeff saw his men already engaged in melee with the mercenaries, their surprise interception at sea having caught many of them off guard.

  Jeff made his way through the fighting, and shoved one of the mercenaries to his cook, which Sean unloaded on the poor man with his metal gloves and slugged with bombastic power shots that dropped the mercenary with little trouble.

  “Ha ha! Now this is a fight!” Jeff roared as another enemy went to slice at him with a knife. The captain sidestepped the attack and returned with a harsh blow to the back of his assailant’s head with his hammer, which sent the Teroskin Kite member flying forward, limp and off his feet.

  A man in a large overcoat with the same striped design as the cloaks the mercenaries wore leaped over the side from where the helm was and landed on the main deck where the all-out battle took place.

  Jeff grinned, and took stock of his new opponent, then said, “Say there, you wouldn’t happen to be the skipper for this fine vessel, eh?”

  “I am,” the man grunted back as he drew a cutlass from his hip and pointed it towards Jeff.

  “Oh ho, pleased to meet you! And a cutlass, too? Are you a pirate by any chance?” Jeff teased as he held his hammer at the ready.

  The captain of the mercenary ship wasted no breath on pleasantries and stepped forward, then slashed twice at Jeff. Jeff, having spent much of his years on the seas, knew the fighting style associated with cutlasses and the pirates that oft wielded them, and dodged with ease.

  Jeff then cut an angle with his footwork and smashed forth with a downward attack, attempting to bait an attack from the opponent before him. The captain saw an opening, and went to move forward and cut Jeff, which cued the success of his draw. As the hammer came fully down, Jeff quickly freed his right hand as the hammer went to his left, stepped forward, and came up to grab the mercenary captain’s sword arm, which succeeded.