Chapter 37. Life and death. Part 3.

“Haaahhh…” I let out a sound as I relaxed my body.

“I’m Asger… Haaah… Haraldson… Haaah…” I make a loud breathing sounds while laying down on the ground.

“So Asger, how did you do it?” He asks looking at me. But before I can say anything he begins muttering as if talking to himself: “Well it looked like a lightning magic and that dash looked similar to that bastards, but… We can’t use magic and the red color…”

“*Cough* Yes… That was magic... Haaah… Haaah… And red battle aura… Haaah… Haaah… You… Seen this skill before?...” My breathing is rigid and I’m dead tired, so even speaking in short sentences is quite hard.

“Ah! The battle aura and lightning…” He nods slightly and shifts his attention back on the beasts body while speaking to me in a strong and somewhat proud manner: “Who do you think I’m? I’m Skegg Dansson, the bull of the North. I traveled far and wide, seen thing that others can hardly even imagine and hunted beasts which most don’t even meet in their nightmares… But still I got to admit it’s my first time seeing a northmen, able to use magic.”

“Well…. Haaah… It’s hard but possible.” I say to him.

“I see…” While saying this, he once again nods slightly.

Then suddenly he swings his axe with a huge force and strikes at the dead beasts chest making a big gash.

As he sticks his arm through the gap into it’s chest, he murmurs in a hushed voice: “Che.. Back in the good old days I would have taken this bastard out single–handedly…”

Skegg pulls out a small pebble from the dead body and turns back to me while speaking: “During my travels I met a lot of different people. Good and bad alike. Anyway there was a time I fought alongside some human troops. Their leader, Gillian, was a strong lightning magician and a quite stubborn bastard. Well every time he was about to be hit he would move instantly a few meters to the side. I believe he called that skill ‘Dash’ or something like that…”

As he cleans the pebble in his arms, I notice a crimson red glint.

‘It’s a red core. This is the first time I have seen one.’ I think looking at the small crystal in his hands.

At this moment Skegg turns his head and for a few seconds looks towards the depths of the woods.

“It’s getting dark pretty quick. We should start heading back.” He says in a commanding voice and pulls out my axe from the dead body.

Then with a fast pace he walks towards me and with a single hand lifts me up like a sack of potatoes.

“I know you are wounded and tired, but right now we have to reach at least the road.” He says in a serious voice, as he tries to help me get on my feet.

Before long we finally start walking with me using Skeggs shoulder as a support. But each step I take makes my legs feel like they are on fire.

“Ughh…” I let out an occasional groan of pain, but I keep on moving.

I have to admit. If I was alone, I seriously doubt I would be able to do something like this in such a state. But when a complete stranger is sacrificing himself so much for my sake, I also somewhat feel obliged to push myself over the limit. Especially so when a person in question got a frigging stab wound and he’s acting like it’s nothing.

“Haaah..” My breathing is getting louder, as we keep on walking without a stop.

Being so close to the man, only just now I notice how wrinkled his face is under that helmet.

‘Just how old is this guy?’ A thought runs through my mind.

“Ha, ha, ha, ha…” Suddenly Skegg bursts laughing.

“W-what?” I ask a bit startled.

“Ha, ha, ha… I just remembered something my first wife used to say. You see whenever we would get in a situation like this, she would always say: ‘We can’t stop now… We must keep on moving… We will rest once we are dead.’…” Even though he was laughing but I could still hear sorrow in his words.

‘Rest once we are dead huh? That’s definitely a northmen philosophy.’ I think to myself somewhat amused.

“She sounds like a fine woman.” I say feeling that this is the best thing to say, even thought I might somewhat disagree with it.

“Yes… Asfrid was quite a woman…” He says in a slightly hushed voice.

I look ahead trying to avoid seeing Skeggs sorrowful face.

‘Haaa… Why can’t you remember some funny stories? Dude, I’m beat up to the pulp and I’m tired as hell, so why do we need to speak about sad things?...’ I think to myself.

But when the next moment I glance at him, strangely I find Skegg frowning instead.

I want to ask what’s wrong, but he suddenly starts speaking: “Seriously…You are an interesting person, you know that, Asger Haraldson? A northmen who can use magic. Ha, ha, ha… By the ancestors, one day you will definitely become a legend, which parents will tell for their children… Ha, ha, ha… Ahh… I just wonder what kind of story it will be…”

‘Huh?’ I look at him questioningly.

But as if not noticing my look, he continues speaking: “You are still quite young and a whole life is ahead of you… Haaa… Remember death always comes earlier than you might have expected, so live every day like it would be your last, without any regrets... Find some good women to keep you a company, make some friends, make some enemies and who knows maybe one day you will say: ‘I had a great life.’ Ha, ha, ha…”

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Suddenly he gives the puzzled me a wink and pushes me forward, making me take a few meters before I managed to stop.

“What are you doing?” I ask looking back.

“Nothing. Ha, ha, ha… I’m just going to meet my wives and some old buddies. That’s all. Ha, ha, ha…” Skegg says while laughing and then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he adds: “Ah! Here take this.”

He takes off a small metal plate hanging on a simple cord around his neck and tosses it to me.

“On one side there is a map showing way to a still undiscovered ruins in the Far North and on the other side… You can find the names all of my comrades who perished on the journey there.” Suddenly his face becomes somewhat sorrowful as he speaks: “I guess we were never meant to reach that place, as even the weather itself was against us. Haa… Anyway if you ever get the chance to find it, leave that plate at the ruins. That’s… My only wish, my only regret.”

At the end of his monologue he equips his axe with a shield and turns back.

For a moment I keep stand still looking at his back not knowing what to do.

“Go forward and don’t look back!” Suddenly he shouts to me in that strong voice of his.

It doesn’t take long for me to understand that something must be coming after us and that he is preparing to meet it or them head on.

“B-But…” ‘how can I just run away?’

“Ah! Do you still have some magical tricks, that you can use?” Suddenly he asks me.

“I could probably fire one, maybe two lightning bolts.” I say somewhat disappointed in myself.

He slightly shakes his head and says: “Go! Let this old man have the honor of becoming part of your story. Ha, ha, ha…”

Strangely I didn’t hear even an ounce of doubt in his voice and even his laughter sounded very sincere.

“GOO! Or I will cut you in half myself.” He shouts again in a very commanding tone this time.

Reluctantly I finally turn around and begin limping away with a heavy heart.

“Feeling other people is quite hard especially at such a distance, but I believe there is quite a number of them on the road... Anyway it was a pleasure meeting you, Asger Haraldson.” When I’m about ten meters away from him, he suddenly says to me.

I look at him and say in a serious voice: “Thank you for saving me… I will never forget you… Skegg Dansson, the bull of the North.”

I turn back forward and limp towards the road, but this time at a much faster pace and with a glint of determination noticeable in my eyes, as a single thought repeats in my mind: ‘People on the road…’

“Ha, ha, ha…” Suddenly I hear a deep rumbling laughter coming from behind of me.

But I don’t look back again and only rush forward.

About ten minutes later I finally emerge through the last thicket and into the grass field.

The distance from where I left Skegg till here isn’t that far, only about five or six hundred meters, but it was enough to make me feel like dying was the better option.

“Haaaah… Haaaah… Haaaah…” I breathe heavily while looking around.

Sun is gone, so it’s pretty dark, but I still manage to make some humanoid shapes in the distance.

“EEEEIIIII!!!” I shout as loud as I can, while lifting my right hand up in the air.

Immediately I notice some shadows starting to run towards me, while a few stay behind.

Once they get closer I recognize a six giant and bulky figures with their weapons already in hand.

‘Ha, ha, ha… This must be the first time that I’m so glad to see those mountains of muscle. I think I could even kiss them.’ I laugh a bit in my mind.

Before they reach me I point towards the direction of where I left Skegg and say: “Help… One more person there…”

The woman, with the most square face I have ever seen, nods slightly and darts into the woods with four others following her. While the last one slows down and walks towards me.

Seeing this I finally relax a bit. Immediately the right hand, which I somehow lifted before, goes limp again, the taste of blood, which I already forgotten, reappears in my mouth and the legs, which carried me out of the woods, starts to shake until finally they give up to the weight of my body.

But the one who stayed behind catches me before I hit the ground.

Luckily for me I’m in such a bad state that I didn’t notice how I got carried like a princess for a moment or I would have suffered also a mental trauma for the rest of my life…

Anyway as she gently lays me on the grass, my mind finally drifts away into the land of dreams.

== End of chapter 37 ==