《The Hinterlands》


 Chapter 1- Debt

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    ¡°Fhfhfhfhfh¡­ Fhfhfhfh¡­¡± Desmond¡¯s teeth were clattering from the biting cold as he sat in a frozen daze. He had a wealth of modern knowledge, and many years of experience in the field of life, but he couldn¡¯t fathom how he¡¯d just shown up where he was. He could only look around and absorb his surroundings. There were many evergreen trees that continued in thick clusters, seemingly endless, creating a forest that ruled the horizon in every direction he looked. Yet behind him stood a decrepit old house with vines growing from every crack, clearly standing on its last limb. It seemed to be a longhouse from those movies of the Norse Vikings from the medieval era, likely indicating he was in Norway somewhere, though why a landmark like this was left untapped was beyond him. The house looked so real and in such a perfectly preserved, though not much really, condition, which meant that someone was keeping up with it, albeit rather poorly.


    While he was scanning the house, he noticed that there were no windows, only small panels on the upper ceiling of the ¡°First Floor¡± and a wooden door crafted from three long wooden planks, tied together with aged twine. A rope was attached to the front door where a door knob would usually be, as it was wrapped around a stick of some sort that protruded from the wall. It seemed to be a mechanism that was used to keep the door closed, though it repeatedly opened and closed with the bursts of wind, only being limited by the knotted rope.


    The next thing that struck Desmond, and the most shocking thing of all so far, was that the house and trees seemed small, a little bit too small, the trees especially so. As Desmond looked down, he noticed his body was much heavier than before, and he was several inches if not a foot taller, with much broader shoulders, and a tied beard hanging from his chin. He felt a weight on his waist, and upon glancing, he noticed he was wearing a hatchet or axe of some sort. Upon second glance, he noticed that he was also wearing leather clothing that was thick enough to greatly limit the impact of a sledge hammer, while also providing warmth, though seemingly not in the right places, as his clattering teeth suggested.


    What the hell?! This was clearly not the same attire he wore before, nor the same physique he previously had. This was too bizarre a situation, enough to be a dream, though after pinching himself several times, and even resorting to banging his head against a tree, he failed to wake up.


    ¡°What is happening?! Where am I?!¡± He voiced into the abyss that was the forest only several meters away. He was somewhere he¡¯d never been, in somebodies¡¯ body he¡¯d never known, wearing things he¡¯d never wear, and entirely alone with absolutely no explanation as to what was occurring. Several moments ago, he¡¯d simply been reading a book of a knight that journeyed to the four corners of the earth to gather the pieces of reality and cast them back together, or something like that. He was in his humble abode in an urban no name city in the Midwest, minding his own business. Just when he closed his eyes for a literal second, he opened them to this bizarre situation.


    While the uncanny feeling this entire situation gave him continued to build, and just when he¡¯d been about to explode, he heard a twig snapping deep in the distant forest. What was that?! He swung his head about in the direction of the noise as it repeated itself, this time a little louder.


    Chik. Chik. Crack.


    As his mind jumped into overdrive, he began looking around, trying to prepare himself for a course of action in case it was a threat. To his surprise, he was rather calm. Aside from the sun barely rising upon dawn, and him being in a deep dark forest, it was a rather contained situation thus far. As he thought to himself, he looked down to his, what he¡¯d assume at this point, hand axe, then at the house. Forming his plan, his hands and legs sneakily jolted into action as he drew the hand axe and moved towards the house. Upon arriving, he began unwrapping the roped latch as the sounds grew closer.


    Chik. Crack. Chok.


    The sounds of twigs snapping and leaves rustling echoed in a mysterious reverb in Desmond¡¯s ear as he had finally undone the last loop in the rope. Swinging the door open, he walked in and grabbed the rope on the other side. Just when he was about to shut the door-


    ¡°Chief?¡± A hefty and manly voice tinged with a bit of excitement sounded out from the direction of the twigs. Chief? Desmond looked in the direction of the voice, and sure enough, the physique matched the voice. What he saw was a six-foot-nine tall burly bear of a man who was clearly well-fed, if not a bit too well fed, who was dressed in almost identical attire to himself, and rather than carrying a hand axe, he held a 7-foot spear in his right hand along with what seemed to be a single long plank being used in place of a shield strapped on his back. Along with all this equipment, the man carried another unique feature, which was the beaming smile of a happy puppy splattered across his face that could light up the forest and shame the sun. The man carried a lively and uppity jog as he strode over.


    ¡± Are you-¡±


    ¡°Chief.¡± Another voice suddenly called out. Behind the burly man came a second, much smaller man from the same path the bear-man emerged from. This man, however, seemed to be of the exact opposite nature. The man held a gloomy death in his eyes as he seemed to walk with a lack of life to his step. Aside from his eyes and stride, no emotion could be seen, as his lips laid flat and his head was level. Upon seeing Desmond however, his posture entirely changed. His eyes flashed before going back to normal, but his back became straight as it speared for the heavens. His mouth forming into a half-smile, he now wore a strange look of gratitude as he peered into the depths of Desmond¡¯s eyes.


    Before Desmond could voice his confusion, another man appeared, followed by another, and another. Several burly men, meek men, tall men, short men, wise and arrogant, brave and timid, and all arrays of different men continued to arrive. Within a short minute or two, over fifty people had gathered, all with expressions of anticipation, and all with the same respect to Desmond, and all sharing the same word of exchange, that being ¡°Chief¡±.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    What the hell is happening?!? Desmond¡¯s mind was crying aloud for an explanation. One surprise after another greatly overwhelmed him, but they were all irrelevant compared to what happened next. As he was thinking of who these men were and, in fact, who he was, a pain streaked across his forehead like a bolt of lightning, completely crippling him to the ground. As the gathering of battle-ready men rushed to his side, he lost consciousness to the sound of the first man shouting something along the lines of, ¡°Fetch the three Sages!¡±


    ***


    ¡°That bastard!¡± Desmond awoke to the sound of a man shouting to a ceiling with fury like no other. Opening his eyes, his throat felt hoarse as he realized it was him, but not him. He wasn¡¯t in control of this dream within a dream, but he could tell that he had the same physique from a moment ago. ¡­What¡¯s happening now??? He sighed within his mind. Before he could think any further, he shouted yet again, ¡°You and your tribe kill my kin and spit at my honor, and you find the stones to request my FORGIVENESS?!?¡± Desmond shouted at a man who held his head low enough that he could practically lick the ground.


    ¡°Chief Ebinferr did so to collect a debt. He requests your wise and powerful self, Chief Aelrich, to look past this offense for the greater of the two tribes. It was only a woman and a few elders!¡± The messenger cried in defense.


    ¡°Only a woman and a few elders?!? She was my brother¡¯s wedded! And THEY were my tribes¡¯ ancestors! I tell you! Your way with words and your evil deeds have cost you greatly, for this offense shall be repaid in a debt of BLOOD!¡±


    Shouting these words, the entire longhouse fell silent. The air was deathly still, and cold as could be. The men from both tribes eyed each other with a strange sense of unease and both sides reached for their weapons. The messenger eyed Desmond, or rather Chief Aelrich, with a frightened look flashing through his eyes as he seemingly couldn¡¯t piece together what went wrong so suddenly.


    Noticing that everything had come to a standstill, and that the words were spoken and could not be retrieved, the burly bear man stepped forward, a fury contrary to his demeanor in the forest etched onto his face as he spoke, ¡°Leave now, before the flames of the debt begin with you!¡±


    With these words, the few men that had come as dignitaries hastily evacuated the longhouse, mounting a few slightly malnourished horses before speedily galloping for the horizon.


    With them gone, the remaining men all turned to Aelrich with worry in their eyes, their faces all familiar too him. ¡°Are we truly going to repay the offense in blood?¡± One of the few questioned.


    ¡°If we weren¡¯t, we would be dishonoring those who stood before us and gave us food to live, and food to nourish the very lives our offenders took.¡± He paused, stepping forward with resolve. ¡°Today, we prepare. Tomorrow, we eat. Then finally, we repay our offenders.¡± Hate flashed through Aelrich¡¯s eyes, as not only were the elderly slaughtered and his brother¡¯s companion killed, but even several other women were deflowered, the offenders taking their purity with them.


    Hearing these words, the men in the longhouse began to breath heavily, their blood boiling as they shouted to the ceiling with starving anticipation, as though slaves liberated from their chains.


    Naturally, along with the entire event before him playing out, Desmond felt every emotion that ran through ¡°Chief Aelrich¡±, and his anguish was shared to the corners of his mind. Before long however, another unearthly pain struck before his vision went black.


    ***


    After an unknown time, Desmond awoke again, yet was forced to accept his fate. He was once again in the brawny body of Chief Aelrich. It was now safe to say that he and Aelrich were one in the same, as a grand collection of memories came flooding into his mind like a broken dam. He knew who he was, and where he was, and, more importantly, who the three elderly men whose wisdom beyond their greater years showed in their eyes were. They wore distinct leather padded wool coats with a vibrant black tassel wrapping around their shoulders, displaying their intelligence and importance.


    ¡°Sage Rolf, Sage Asper, Sage Erenn!¡± He exclaimed, noticing that even his entire demeanor was rapidly adjusting.


    ¡°Chief!¡± All three immediately rushed to his side and inspected his condition through and through, almost as if seeing a miracle occurring before their eyes.


    ¡°How do you feel Aelrich?¡± The eldest of the three, Sage Rolf, asked from the side, immediately spearheading the key issue. He had a curious tone to his question, as he looked Aelrich in the eye rather than inspecting his condition physically. Although others often called Aelrich ¡°Chief¡± out of respect, the three of them had a seniority and position nearly equal to the young and ambitious man before them and they had raised him from birth, serving his father, thus they had no obligation to call him so.


    ¡°My head is burning with pain, and I¡¯m a bit fatigued. Aside from that, I¡¯m fine.¡± Aelrich responded. Half of him wanted to explain the situation with his other half, but he quickly stopped himself. The few reasons were simple. If he¡¯d told them that he¡¯d merged souls with another man, the amount of misunderstandings that could arise may be infinite, let alone the fact that he may be known as Aelrich the Cursed, or if someone entertained the brilliant idea of questioning his legitimacy due to this. Aelrich understood what type of world this was, which was clearly not earth, and what doctrine of culture these tribes practiced. If they knew that an otherworldly spirit had merged with Chief Aelrich, they would do everything in their power to rid of it, no matter the cost, and neither Aelrich, nor Desmond, had time for this. Besides, there would be absolutely no gain in speaking of this event, but there would be everything to gain from keeping it close to heart.


    ¡°Can you stand?¡± Sage Asper questioned enthusiastically.


    ¡°I can.¡± Aelrich nodded.


    ¡°Can you fight?¡± Sage Erenn questioned heartily.


    ¡°I can!¡± Aelrich¡¯s blood began to boil.


    ¡°¡­ Will you lead?¡± Sage Rolf questioned daringly.


    Aelrich began to rise, gripping the hand axe that laid quietly by his cot, ¡°I will.¡± As he put one foot in front of the other, he opened the longhouse door to be greeted by weak and fretful gazes of his brothers in arms before raising his weapon and roaring to the gods, ¡°THE BLOOD DEBT WILL BE PAID!!!¡±


    ¡°UWAAH!¡±


    ***

 Chapter 2- The March

    Far north, north of all ¡®Civilized Peoples¡¯, there was a peninsula. This peninsula was frozen year-round and was known to the world as ¡°The Hinterlands¡±. Here, a people un-tamed by the dominant and authoritative Empire of Keystone dwelled, clinging to their barbaric culture and ways of war. In the ever-frozen land of the forbidden, there were twenty-seven tribes, to each their own claim to the kingship of the Hinterlands. Of these twenty-seven tribes, three were ruled by the iron fist of a High-Chief their own, the remaining twenty-four fighting amongst themselves to stand shouldered to these few giants.


    Of these twenty-four lowly Chiefs, one, young and spry, could be found marching through a forest to the further northern boundaries of the barren land, followed by the warriors of his tribe. Every man wore an expression of unabated anger, with a hint of anticipation playing about their lips. A fury like no other could be discovered in their eyes as they put one foot in front of the other towards a common location.


    As Aelrich marched forward, a sense of unease welled up within him. He had not expected to transmigrate into such a situation, or to even transmigrate at all. These past several hours, he had been sorting through the memories of his two lives that had been clashing violently, creating tremors within his mind. On one hand, he was a man in his early thirties who had created an income from stock investing, spending most of his overwhelming amount of free time reading fantasy novels, how-to guides, ¡®for-dummy¡¯ books, and many other things, along with the occasional video-game.


    On the other hand, he was a chief of a tribe that closely resembled the early Norse of his previous life. According to his newfound memories, which greatly influenced his actions unbeknownst to him, he truly was filled with concern toward his people but, coupled with the xenophobia towards outsiders most tribes carried, he was also exceptionally cold-blooded to those that offended him and his kin. This resulted in his shockingly spontaneous decision to war the bordering tribe led by Chief Ebinferr, as well as his iron-willed resolve in carrying out this decision even when he had merged with Desmond, reflecting his vengeful, stubborn, and caring nature in its own colorful way.


    Regardless, he found it more than interesting that such a conflict in fact did not result in a multiple personality disorder of any sort. It was more-so a situation where he could clearly make decisions on the surface, but his gut would urge him, suggesting whether it was a good, bad, smart, or stupid one. And so far, going to battle gave him one of those ¡°I¡¯m not so sure¡± urges, one only a coward would feel.


    Spending all his efforts to quell this fear, he set aside his thoughts and listened in on the conversation occurring behind him.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna show that lot what they have comin¡¯ to ¡®em.¡± A deep, burly voice echoed amongst the fifty-odd men followed by a round of laughter.


    ¡°Asbjorn, my brawny friend, not ten men together could best you, but you dare not slay a single one lest your loving heart shatters, yet you still utter these words? Hahaha!¡± A resounding and straightforward voice playfully jeered.


    ¡°I find death a heavy consequence none should bare unless it is well deserved, as should you Arne. Blindly slaying my foes brings no glory, only loss of another life. But these vile miscreants we march to hold no morals, thus no one can shame me for returning few in kind!¡± Asbjorn retorted.


    ¡°Bah, you¡¯re no fun at all! Though I do agree, we should return an offense as it has been offered! I can only imagine the count of women awaiting us!¡± Arne threw his hands up in triumph as he turned to his fellow warriors, eliciting a round of applause and yelps of excitement.


    ¡°There will be no such thing!¡± Just then, a sour voice shattered the mood as the atmosphere tensed. A gloomy, dreary-eyed, spear-spined man stopped at the front of the crowd as he stared at Arne with unveiled contempt. The jovial spirit in every man involved was extinguished as they laid their eyes upon the chief¡¯s brother, Halstein, who¡¯d just lost his beloved to the opposing tribe. ¡°Should I see anyone of you defiling a lady, I shall rip your life away, should the gods not reach you first.¡± It was quiet, but with the area as silent as it was, his words were as loud as a lion¡¯s roar. The entire time, his gaze had not left Arne, as despise could be found on every inch of his face.


    Before anyone could respond, a deep and relaxed tone woke everyone from their stupor, ¡°It is as he says. No man shall defile nor deflower any woman.¡± Aelrich paused for effect, ¡°However, Halstein, you should not allow such words to exploit a weakness in your heart. They meant only humor by what was spoken. This being said, let¡¯s drop the argument, and carry on, we only have a short while before we reach our wrongdoers.¡± He tried quickly to redirect the topic and focus their attention elsewhere. The last thing everyone needed was morale to be low due to a few words spoken from their own people.


    As he said this, everyone visibly relaxed as the almost tangible tension in the air dissipated at a visible rate. As everyone resumed their conversations, following Aelrich¡¯s lead, they continued to march toward their objective.


    Further ahead, Aelrich continued to sort his mind as he thought about the history of the three who¡¯d led the argument just before. Asbjorn was the first person he¡¯d met when coming to this world, the burly bear man whose innocent smile radiated brighter than the sun, and whose morals were upright. He was rumored never to have told a lie in his life and was the eldest of the three aforementioned. No matter where he was seen, or what he was doing, one could always find his seven-foot spear lying around nearby or strapped to his back.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Beside him was Arne, who was known as a man that closely followed the will of his base instincts. He was the only one known within the tribe to have actually become a berserker, someone who could essentially lose their minds on the field of battle by unleashing their fury and exploding their personal combat effectiveness by several-fold, while still somehow retaining the ability to distinguish friend from foe. He was the youngest of the three and was known to be extraordinarily selfish. But when the matter involved the tribe, he would set aside his self-gratifying desires as much as needed and help with all he could offer, always being the first to sacrifice his own needs for the better of the clan. Aside from all this, he would always have two hand axes buckled on his belt to be used in any event.


    Lastly, standing a distance in front of the two was Aelrich¡¯s younger and only brother, Halstein. He was always a quiet person, often regarded as an observant realist. He was also quite selfless and, in fact, commonly accepted as Arne¡¯s opposite. He would never be caught looking out for his own interest, as he frequently set aside his own needs and wants to further the betterment of the tribe. When people¡¯s homesteads fell apart, he would be the first of the first to offer a hand of assistance, even when his own home was in tatters. Of all people to offer a word to speak, as shown before, his words carried the weight of silver pennies, and were respected third only to Aelrich and the three sages respectively. Just as the other two, he carried a tool of war at all times. But unlike the other two, it was a weapon rarely found in the northern lands. A sword, an arming sword at that. It was of rather poor condition compared to those weapons of the empire, but he¡¯d maintained it rather well.


    Among the crowd of fifty-some men, these three were the most notable for one simple reason. They were the Chief¡¯s Huscarls. They were entrusted with the greatest respect and responsibility of the tribe and were allowed to act in the Chief¡¯s name. More importantly, in the battlefield, they were the Chief¡¯s personal guard, and were expected to go to hell and back should the Chief embark on such a journey. In terms of standing, it went Asbjorn, Halstein, and Arne respectively. Although Halstein was the Chief¡¯s brother, Asbjorn was entrusted to Aelrich by the previous Chief before he passed, and Halstein was pronounced a Huscarl far after, thus his standing was paradoxical.


    As Aelrich was sorting out these thoughts at great length, Halstein finally reached his side. He could feel his younger brother¡¯s curious gaze intensifying as they continued to walk without word. After a few more seconds, Aelrich couldn¡¯t take it anymore as he cautiously questioned, ¡°Yeees?¡±


    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re acting different is all. You¡¯re much more reserved than usual, and even this morning you seemed to be out of your wits, what with the collapse and all¡­¡± His observant gaze intensified before relaxing as he finally finished his last word.


    ¡±I¡¯m simply on edge. A lot is about to occur and, should we fail to deal with this event appropriately, many problems will follow.¡± Aelrich turned to glance at his younger brother meaningfully.


    Halstein seemed to understand as he slowly nodded his head, ¡°I¡¯ll ensure everything goes the way it should.¡± He quickly ended the conversation as he followed along Aelrich quietly. The silence between the two was unusually serene, as a keen understanding sparked amongst them. Only the laughter of the crowd behind them could be heard as the group traversed the dense, snow covered forest, recreating the jovial atmosphere.


    ***


    Before long, the assembly of warriors made their way atop a ridge. They came to a halt as every man absorbed the scene before them. Several hundred meters away was a cluster of buildings. Among them was a longhouse of a much greater size and condition as compared to Aelrich¡¯s own. The group went silent as they overlooked such an unusual scene. It was quite uncommon for the peoples of a tribe to gather their homes together. Most tribes would have their people spread their homes about and claim a section of land, where they would have exclusive rights to hunt. There was no known crop that could easily survive agriculture in such a place, as it was cold year-round, so the people of a tribe would rarely group their homes like so. Among other reasons, including sewage and lumber, it was simply a foolish idea.


    As the crowd eyed the five or six buildings and ten or eleven people that walked about, they couldn¡¯t help but collectively scoff. Aelrich couldn¡¯t help but do so as well. He was impressed by the courage it required to gather like so, but in a few months or, unlikely, years, other issues should abound.


    Regardless, Aelrich shrugged it off as he waved his Huscarls over and spoke to the crowd, ¡°These few and I will hold an audience with Chief Ebinferr to announce the time and location of battle. The rest of you shall stay behind and encamp this ridge. We will return within ten minutes.¡± Saying this, Aelrich began to walk down the slope, his three Huscarls closely following behind.


    As they neared the village, the alarm in everyone¡¯s eyes was clear to see as they began retreating into their homes, a few of the men running to the longhouse while the remaining stood guard on the outskirts.


    Disregarding these few men, Aelrich marched to the longhouse. Two guards blocked his way stating that he ¡°Needed to wait for an audience with the Chief¡±, but he simply pushed them aside and threw open the doors. ¡°Ebinferr! You coward! I know you¡¯re in here you swine! Come and meet me!¡± Aelrich shouted with a grand reverb flowing about the longhouse.


    Several seconds passed before a much older voice responded weakly, ¡°The Elders and I figured you would respond shortly to our request, but we did not expect your response to be so rash¡­ Speak, what is it that you want?¡± From a side door, likely the Chief¡¯s bedroom, Aelrich noticed a man emerge who was nearing his later forties or early fifties and was slightly hunched over, resembling his remarkable test of time and labor. His hair was beginning to grey, yet his shoulders were no less stout than Aelrich¡¯s own.


    Noticing the man already present, Aelrich huffed before growling, ¡°Here, at dawn, my men shall meet yours in a test of arms.¡± He paused. He could see the deceit in the old man¡¯s eyes sparking as he spoke, obviously thinking of a way to turn this around on him in some sort of verbal spar, but he continued before Ebinferr could speak, ¡°You shall gather your men and follow one of two courses of action. Either present all offenders to my tribe for execution or disregard your tribes¡¯ crimes and fight to the last man.¡± After this declaration, Aelrich turned about, throwing open the door yet again and marching back to the camp, leaving Chief Ebinferr and his Elders to wrap their minds around what to do.


    After arriving at the camp, he stopped in the center next to a lit campfire, scanning his surroundings silently. As everyone noticed him, they stopped and turned their attention to him. After a short silence, he nodded.


    ¡°Today, we eat. Tomorrow, we repay our offenders¡­¡±


    ***

 Chapter 3- Sorting things out

    The sun was still high in the sky, and the cool winter breeze covered the entirety of the Hinterlands. Just up a hill overlooking the cluster of buildings, Aelrich sat on a rock that was protruding from the slope. He had an unusually gloomy gleam to his eyes, and his aura was downcast. Most avoided being around him during this time, no one knowing what had dampened his mood so much. Completely oblivious to the worried and questioning gazes set upon him, his thoughts ran amuck.


    I wish I had a toilet¡­ He lamented. Of all the things he¡¯d faced when coming to this world, the freezing winter day, the dirt built up from the previous Aelrich not bathing for weeks for the same reason, and many other things, the lack of a throne to lay waste upon and the sweet silk called ¡°toilet paper¡± being nowhere to be found was among the top of the list. He was just now realizing in his lonesome that from now on, he would have to wipe his arse with leaves while exposing his delicate skin to the cold breath of winter as his groin retreated within himself.


    Not only that, due to the exceptionally low temperatures there was no stream he could bathe in lest he catch hypothermia. Along with this, there was no easily accessible water source nearby that he could draw from to pour on himself either. And even tooth brushes weren¡¯t really a thing. The best he could do was snap a twig in half and use the whiskers of the inside to brush, flushing his mouth with his drinking water before spitting out what was removed. Point in case, hygiene was a hard necessity to satisfy this far up north, and this was nearly lethal to someone like Desmond, who was now a warlord stuck in the ever-frozen Hinterlands. The only solace he could find was that a part of him seemed to be used to it, and had some sort of tolerance, but that just made the whole situation much more sickening.


    ¡°What¡¯s gotten you so down Brother?¡± A voice lightly spoke, seemingly unsure whether it was wise to disturb Aelrich from his stupor.


    ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ Anxious about tomorrow.¡± Aelrich said whatever first came to mind. It wasn¡¯t this that entirely bothering him, but it was still a truth. Rather, it would be worse if he whined of how he felt uncomfortable relieving himself, something he should be quite used to by now.


    ¡°The fight? You of all people¡­?¡± Halstein replied with a shocked expression.


    ¡°Ha! Believe it or not, yes. In fact, it feels like I haven¡¯t fought in a long while, if even once in my life, strange as it sounds.¡± Aelrich nearly burst in laughter at the irony of the conversation. Though he was sure that his instincts would kick in and he would suddenly fight like the ¡®Chief¡¯ he is, should the situation become dire enough, he still wasn¡¯t willing to bet his life on it.


    ¡°Would you care to spar then Brother?¡± A devious glint crossed Halstein¡¯s eyes before going quickly falling back to concern.


    Aelrich naturally caught this change in expression, and his hair stood on end. He must be really looking forward to this! ¡°Sure, I could use a little refresher.¡± As he said this, Aelrich stood to his feet.


    ***


    The two walked side by side under the watch of every man present as they went to the outskirts of the camp. Once they finally arrived, the two came to an understanding as they spread out, searching the area for a three foot and a one-and-a-half-foot stick. Once they found some branches to snap and procured said items, they swapped them, Aelrich now holding the one-and-a-half-foot stick while Halstein held the three foot one.


    The sizes represented the weapons they used. Most found it odd that Aelrich, the Chief of the tribe, would gift his family¡¯s arming sword, meant to be wielded by the Chief, to his brother, while he in turn used a common hand-axe. To this pair however, it made perfect sense. The Aelrich of before was proficient at using his whole body, fighting with an entirely unorthodox style. He would use his free hand to grapple his opponent and hold them still while using his hand-axe to slash away at the now-grounded enemy. He also frequently employed the use of the rest of his body according to the situation, sometimes using his legs, sometimes his shoulders, knees and, on a rare occasion, he would even do a full body tackle or two.


    On the other hand was his brother, Halstein, who liked to take the fight ever so slowly. For his combat style, it was of great help to have a durable weapon such as his arming sword that was capable of parrying and wearing down his opponents. He used a shield and was a remarkably talented defensive fighter. Most often, he would only counter-attack, rarely taking the initiative unless an opportunity presented itself that was absolute. Considering the fighting style of the two brothers, they were polar-opposites, which made them uniquely compatible.


    After recalling this information, Aelrich smiled to himself. Before, he simply had no clue of how to fight, or even how he used to, but now he had a comprehensive blueprint of what and what not to do. Seeing his brother return the gesture, he took one step forward, his brother mirroring his move. One step after another accumulated until he was at a jog before he finally jumped forward in a grip-tackle.


    Halstein was one step ahead as he dodged to the side, swinging down his stick for a clean blow to Aelrich¡¯s back. Ba! Before the rod could land, a shorter stick intercepted at a peculiar angle before deflecting the swipe altogether.


    Aelrich turned to meet his brother¡¯s stance before throwing his left hand forward in a gripping motion while simultaneously sweeping to the right of his target from above, cutting off his escape.


    Caught by surprise, Halstein¡¯s eyes darted around before he abruptly jumped forward, swinging his right foot down and tripping Aelrich with the counter-weight of his charge.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Before Aelrich knew what was happening, his face welcomed the earth as he took in a mouthful of dirt. ¡°Blegh! Pu! Pu! Quikpu!¡± He opened his mouth and repeatedly spat with disgust. ¡°Hahahahaaa!!¡± In the background, a mocking laughter resounded.


    ¡°You bastard!¡± Aelrich smirked as he stood to his feet and finally succeeded in grappling his brother, throwing him to the ground. ¡°Oh shit!¡± Halstein cried as he was caught off guard before taking several lashings to the arm and back.


    Before long, the two finally tired out. Aelrich got back to his feet while Halstein weakly followed, ¡°You didn¡¯t have to beat me so much!¡± Halstein whimpered while he feigned a grimace of pain on his face.


    ¡°Using my own tactics against me and even humiliating me so, you¡¯re lucky that¡¯s all I did to you!¡± Aelrich shouted with a playfully forced anger. He was happy that he could fight, and fairly well at that. It seemed that he simply needed to think about what he wanted to do, and his body would follow suit, almost like muscle memory. Regardless, he was now confident in tomorrow¡¯s battle.


    The two joked with each other and went a few more rounds, albeit entirely worn out along the way, before finally calling a rest.


    ***


    When they returned to the camp, they went their separate ways as it was now getting later in the afternoon. Around this time, all the warriors began consolidating the firewood they¡¯d gathered the past few hours with enough to last them into the night. They then started to erect windshields of cloth, followed by igniting a large fire in front of Aelrich¡¯s tent in the center of the camp, along with many smaller ones spread throughout.


    After around fifteen minutes of preparation, several men withdrew bundles of cloth from their bags. After unwrapping the cloth bundles, it was apparent they had brought along some freshly hunted rabbit that was frozen over from being left in the winter cold for an extended period of time. The various animals, ranging from rabbits to squirrels among others, were clearly gutted and cleaned to preserve the insides, while the animals themselves were left with their pelts still intact.


    As these few men began skinning their meals, several other groups of large men came out of the wilderness with baskets containing a few vegetables. There wasn¡¯t much, but it was food nonetheless. As the fifty-some-odd men worked in unison, they resembled a machine made of several cogs grinding towards a common objective as they quickly finished dinner just before nightfall. However, after dinner was prepared and passed out to each man, the atmosphere shifted, becoming fraught with solemnity. What was an anticipation that filled the air before suddenly became complete silence. As Aelrich began to wonder what was happening, it began to dawn on him, but before he could sort his thoughts, every man began to line up in a row. At the front stood Asbjorn only several feet away.


    He took three steps forward, bowed, gripped his wooden spoon and scooped a generous portion of his meal before throwing it into the fire to the side. While Aelrich gave his utmost effort to maintain his composure, his mind was trembling with marvel as to what was happening. Before too long, the man grabbed a large bowel from his waist and presented it to Aelrich with a lowered head.


    In return, Aelrich accepted the bowl, yet held his head high. He didn¡¯t quite know why he did this, it simply felt right. As he held the bowl in both his hands, Asbjorn took another generous scoop and dumped it in Aelrich¡¯s bowl. ¡°For the Ancestors. For your Strength.¡± After the big burly bear man finished speaking, up came Halstein, following the same process, excluding the large bowl. Followed by Arne. After fifty-some repetitions of the ceremony, all the men gathered around the large campfire, each of their eyes tightly shut, with only Aelrich looking about.


    Knowing what he should do next, he took his spoon and scooped the bowl that was as big as his chest, taking a whole fourth of the meal and throwing it piece by piece into the fire before taking a deep breath. ¡°For the Ancestors.¡±


    Once he said this, all eyes opened and looked towards him in pause for his last move. As he scooped yet another spoonful, he bit down, chewing before entirely gulping down the mouthful of strange flavors that rather favored the bitter, tasteless side.


    Finally, seeing him eat his first bite, the pressure in the air dispelled as everyone went back to their own conversations.


    ***


    By the time the ceremony was done, the sky had already welcomed the two moons. As Aelrich looked to the sky, he found himself breathless. The first moon to touch upon the horizon was nearly blood red, the lower parts colored a shade of crimson. It was fascinating, beautiful, mysterious, and ominous beyond all belief all at the same moment. Strangely, unlike the moon of his previous life, this one was twice the size, and even more strange was the lunar cycle that it seemed to follow. Instead of a horizontal shift, this moon followed a vertical shift, meaning when the moon from earth was covered from top to bottom during some phases of the lunar cycle, this moon that most called Ces was covered from left to right.


    ¡°Brother?¡± A tone of inquiry sounded out from a distance away. Aelrich had retreated to a small hill just beyond the tree line sometime ago to sort his thoughts, and many others had witnessed him do so. His younger brother had apparently come to check on him.


    ¡°What do you need Halstein?¡± Aelrich continued to view the stars as his voice was carried by the wind in a soothing tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m planning to turn in soon. I just came to ask if you needed anything of me before I do so.¡± Halstein wasted no time in voicing why he¡¯d come.


    Aelrich thought for some time. From what he¡¯d remembered about Chief Ebinferr and the crimes committed by his people, Aelrich wouldn¡¯t find it surprising if he tried something fishy throughout the night. And according to anything he¡¯d ever read ever, people like Chief Ebinferr often took advantage of situations like this. Considering a few counter-measures, Aelrich finally came to a decision.


    ¡°Yes, I have one thing,¡± He paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Take all the men and have them keep watch in shifts of two hours overnight. This will insure that everyone gets a good night¡¯s rest. To decide on those who start the watch, have them draw lottery or something¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter, as long as there are ten people on watch at all times.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Halstein assented right away, ¡°Is that all?¡±


    Aelrich said nothing, only nodding his head, his eyes not once breaking from the sky as he observed the second moon that was now rising from the horizon and revealing its splendor. As Halstein walked off, Aelrich couldn¡¯t help but hold his breath. The second moon, of which most called Elon, shined with a luminescent blue and green ocean of waves that closely resembled a world of auroras. It was both beautiful and dignified, yet it emitted another strange feeling. One of a mother¡¯s loving gaze as she overlooked her children. Elon seemed to embrace the world with its endless warmth.


    Before Aelrich knew, he¡¯d fallen fast asleep on the hill, wrapped in this endless embrace.


    ***