Oh I went through forest,
passed over sand and sea,
to impress a fair maiden,
to live proud and free!
Life's harshness, I cherish,
Like winter's winds biting,
to prove to her,
I'm not good at dying!
Hahah!
So the nonsensical rhymes of Styrk continued for a good part of the day as he and the survivors of the wreck went over the road towards the port known as Snekkholm. Some faces were disturbed, others thoughtful and there were those who seemed rather apathic in the face of what had befallen them. Styrk turned to look over his shoulder, his bald head reflecting the sun's light as he cast eyes on his companions. Their horses were a stocky breed and fairly small compared to most in the world. They were only few, too few for all the men. Frar and Bjorstein rode with him. All others, wether with or without their free will had to walk along. Unbidden the image of grandeur came to Styrk's mind. The memories of the journey filled his spirit with fire and he had plots in his mind to get some money's worth out of the journey.. Even if Isenwald was going to refuse.
Meanwhile forstrang was still chewing on a bone, that is to say, trying to splice it with a dull rock to get at the marrow within. The brute just kept eating and eating to the point he had disgusted most others. Only Uxinn seemed to keep eating along, but more so because he saw it as a worthy challenge, even as he began puking he tried to keep pushing in more meat to no avail. The large man had thus won his respect!
Bjorstein had broken a few more words with Styrk, it seems the cold man had indeed garnered some form of respect for Styrk. As the bald man was picking his teeth on the dunes, taking in the view for what it was worth. Then Bjorstein approached, with several fresh braids in his greying golden hair. "You led well even if it went to the dogs in the end. We killed a lot and the strongest are what are left here. I appreciate that, hargh! You make me your second and make sure I have something to return with me to Skjalddis. Then I'll give you a chance to meet the Drake-mother in person." Styrk glanced sideways at him, "I heard she's a moon-touched woman that can tear a grown man in half if she has a mind to it... any of that true?" Bjorstein stared a second, "Yep.." "She also sleeps on a bed of gold like drakes do in the tales, ja?" "Not sure.. could be." Then Styrk grinned, "Well she sounds like she's dangerous, she can't be poor if she has her own hold... I accept your proposition.. Besides.." Bjorstein nodded, then frowned, "Besides..?" "Besides, I wonder how well she can devour a man too, hrahah!" Bjorstein caught on to the joke and mild irritation was etched on his features, but he kept quiet.
Behemund had kept to himself mostly, Frar was little different and those others that had come through followed in tow since there was nothing else for them. They arrived in the port several hours later. The place was a robber's hole if any they had ever seen. No mistake about it, the defenses while not exactly dwarven craftsmanship would service those within for a long enough time if it were needed. The guards at the gate were less disciplined, more like a gang making wages and eyeballing pockets if anything. They had crude axes and clubs on their sides and they made gesture for Styrk and the others to halt. "Where are you lot thinking you're going? You have half a hint of an idea where you are?", a redheaded brute with yellow teeth asked in good humour.. though the undercurrent of danger was present in his voice. Styrk rose his chin.."I have come here to join in the spoil-sharing with jarl Isenwald and these here are my men! Care to take issue with us entering? Can't promise I can hold my crew back. We've had our patience tested all the way since we landed!"
"Big mouth eh?", the gatekeeper said as he gestured for his lot to approach. They took their weapons from their belts. Styrk's crew needn't be told to come forward too. It was rather obvious that either side was going to be a good match for the other if it came to blows. Faces flushed, eyes bulged and muscle tensed on faces and necks.. Teeth were bared and hands tightened around wood and iron tools of battle. Styrk seemed to enjoy it, "We'll be seeing Isenwald, with or without your consent. So what is it going to be?" The gatekeeper folded one of his brows, he looked like he was about to shoo them off regardless of the display.. then from behind came a voice. "Hé what is going on here?", a man called out, his eyes were startlingly blue and his hair was raven black. "Wargolf, is that you?", Styrk asked aloud. The man approached the gatekeeper, "Let him pass man, he's with Isenwald." The gatekeeper looked back, "Your boyfriend there comes here by horse and I am to believe that? How about you go find som-" Before anyone had a good mind of what was going on Wargolf stuck his long-knife in the man's leg, he fell and the gatekeeper's men made a circle around him. Wargolf held the bloodied blade up, "You motherless dogs even try to lay a hand on me and they'll be chopped off before my chief has you all sucking up seawater till you're bloated corpses on the bottom!" Styrk was laughing.., "Better listen! I've seen svertings that met a similar fate, just for sport!" Within moments the gateway was made clear, the gatekeeper was staring daggers at the men as they came by, however he yet clutched at his leg and didn't do a thing.
Inside the place was tumbled and crudely repaired. Once this may have been a thriving place, but then abandoned and taken over by all the misfits this part of the world had to offer. There were women sweetly calling to Styrk and his crew.. "Look at how they admire me boys!", Uxinn uttered as he started to display his bulging shoulders. He was head over heels as he got a few "Ooo's." and "Aaa's." out of it. Forstrang sniffed the air and pulled a face, "They stink.." Not an opinion shared by the others, their eyes bulging in delight of what they were seeing and teeth grinning like beasts do to tasty-looking prey.
They passed over the muddied road, kept intact with thick boards rammed into the ground to make it somewhat passable. No families lived here, each house was either completely empty or used as an inn of sorts. The smartest of the company were alarmed as they came to end up at the harbor itself. Most wyrm-ships had left. However atleast Isenwald's was still there. With Wargolf it needn't take long to find the man himself. He was in the largest den of the place, as they entered, music was playing. Poems of some refinement while all around rough-faced men were gambling, drinking and showing off the fine ornaments from the east to the ladies of the establishment. They had the eyes of magpies, Styrk noted.
The man was sitting on the first floor up the stairs, a wall had been removed between two rooms to make it larger and from the wood a crude stage was made. There Isenwald sat on a throne, decorated with antlers and on either side were two large chairs, though less impressive. One remained empty, the one on the right, Wargolf went to sit in it. He distracted Isenwald from the woman on his lap. Clearly one of the prizes he had taken in the east. Styrk and the others went largely unnoticed. Here the best of the best of the fleet were gathered, they were doing little else than the men below. However these men had a rare quality in this town. Integrity. Styrk felt a bit jealous if he were to be honest with himself.
Isenwald was a handsome man indeed. He had the physicality of a hero, his hair was bright golden and his eyes were a stormy blue. A trim beard covered his cheeks and as he glanced at Styrk after all, he offered a winning smile. Bjorstein was the only man that came with Styrk. The others looked around themselves. Uncomfortably so.
"So, I heard the sea ate your ship.", Isenwald said calmly. Styrk caught on instantly in the pretty boy's voice that a predator was hidden there. Such was the somewhat subtle viciousness present in him. "Not the sea, but the weight of all the loot brought it beneath the waves.", Styrk replied. Wargolf smiled, a game of words it was going to be then. Isenwald answered in turn, "Surely if it were so laden with loot that it went to the bottom it was on the head of the crew to see that this would be so. Had they not the good wit to toss some overboard? Or see the spoils to the other ships!?" Bjorstein interjected, Styrk just hoped halfway through that this was not going to be something to give Isenwald an excuse to kick them out of the port. "We killed our fair share of the Svertingjar, we took their loot as you ordered us. Had you told us to abandon our loot we might've, however on the last raid we were also ordered to go back with haste! We followed your word to the letter. There was no time to exchange anything. We wouldn't be blamed in the sharing of the spoils to have left anything behind either.", Bjorstein said it with such conviction that it may well have been truth, "Now Styrk has lost his ship and loot and there are those men whom have sank to the bottom on behalf of those orders you gave."
Styrk was impressed, it was a bit brazen surely, however the reply made the chieftain think on something witty. It didn't come out, they probably had been drinking all day. The man nodded, "Fine I"ll offer you recompense for the ship and for the dead men." The words were left hanging in the air. Styrk nodded, "Your reputation as a fair man speaks for itself!" And another silence between them kept hanging in the room, it was a matter of time before payment came. "We hope to see you next year if you can afford another ship for yourself by then." Styrk and Bjorstein exchanged glances, this pennypincher was not going to pay them! However the grin on the man's face and a subtle gesture around the room said it all, they hadn't the numbers to match his.
That night Styrk's crew had broken into an empty house. Behemund needn't be told to make some room, every bit of old furniture that looked like it could break apart he kicked in, "I'll mount his head on that princeling's chair of his!" The wind whistled through cracked walls and what dry wood they could find was used to make a fire in the center of the building. "So that is it for all our trouble!", Frar cried out, "How will I face my wife like this!" Forstrang grumbled, Uxinn had gone off with a few others to visit the ladies and convince them with their good looks into a night of pleasantries. Styrk sat there thinking, "Hueheh.. well let us get what we can first. When dawn breaks.. we are going to have a bit of fun in this wild town!"
