It had begun.
Men , women and their children were running and screaming at every corner in the trading post, serving as a harbor for sailing merchants. The most opulent of these surrounded themselves with their guardsmen, yelling and cursing at their men to get their wares to safety before all else! All the while trying to stay out of sight from Ockham , the ruler of this village. He had appeared on the streets with his personal bodyguard, half-dressed for battle because there was no time to spare! Swiftly he climbed the ladder up the stone walls around the place, but it was already too late. He arrived only in time to see the hundreds of raiders beneath breaching through the gate and into the open plaza behind.. , "Head down, repel these bandits with all you have!!" He would've jumped down just to get there faster, while his heart began drumming in his dry thoat! "Who are these men? I haven't seen anything like them ever before?!", one of the village maidens cried in panic. Ockham replied, "They're from the northwest, thieves and killers! Grab what you can friends and fight them with all you have!!"
From above it was a frustrating business for the few archers, those round shields they held overt heir heads proved to keep the men beneath safe and sound, only left and right they picked someone off, but it soon ended when arrows flew their way in answer! The western warband split off in smaller groups. Left and right leaders were calling out to their followers to join with them. There was a distinct lack of organization in the assault itself, but they kept close to their nearest brethren and by the time Ockham and his swordsmen along with ragtag villagers clashed in the dusty streets a wave of dismay went over the defenders!
Ockham would never forget that day, not until his lifespan had run out. They were ugly, but it made them no less capable as warriors! Their horrible blue and green eyes were ablaze in a joyful frenzy with each man, woman or even child unfortunate enough to get within the reach of their spears and axes! His eyes stuck to a broad figure with a rope of braided hair dangling from his chin, the only part not covered by his helmet! The brigand stabbed his straight sword into the belly of Harith one of his guards, the man fell down instantly yelling it out in pain and he himself valiantly stepped in place with his curved blade in hand to swing!
It was a stalemate for now, on both sides people were falling and Ockham took heart! "Yes!! Yes!!! Bring them down, one by one if we must!!", he yelled exalted as he slashed a man's unprotected face! He understood that these raiders were not used to the hot sun, they were ill equipped to deal with her blazing light! It made them sluggish and out of breathe! They may just drive them out! Then Rope-Chin yelled, "Forstrang.. Ox.. come give these svertingjar a fair fight!!" In the chaos the leader of the easterlings did not understand much of it, he had been pulled back and now he kept on oversight of what was about to happen.. His eyes widened in surprise at what came next!
A man with a face so beaten that it could've resembled molten wax and a massive wild-haired giant armed with a long knife came in running in that order! The first ran straight into the defenders' their line, knocking back two villagers to make space for the monster coming in from behind! It all went downhill from there, they fought like maniacs!! The bruiser had gotten through and managed to bring some men to their doom by simply striking them from behind!! While in the same time the giant threw up over himself as he kept hacking at anyone whom didn't back away! Ockham decided it was now or never, he jumped out of the line away from his men's protection. He went straight for this bearded leader and brought him down with a lucky strike into his helmet! He wanted to jump back, around his men, but then he saw a young boy.. he believed the name was Fahoud crawl through the gap and run away! His fear was contagious.. suddenly every villager and a fair bit of the fighters abandoned the battle to save their hides! "No!! We nearly have them!! We Nearly-" He suddenly felt a large force pressing down on him and he fell, he thought that this was the end of his life.. So he waited as he quietly cursed to himself.
He felt his heart beat.. and another beat.. still another.. he probably had been laying there for a shorter time than he suspected. But he now realized he wasn't dying.. not even hurt. Somehow he got pushed to the ground and a body was on top of him. He kept silent and still.. he felt wetness run over his face and into a red pool besides him.. His own? No, it was dripping on him from somewhere.. He then heard a terrible cheer of brutish joy! He kept still and looked back at the plaza and his house. He could see one of his elder servants being pushed out of the door. He wasn't even allowed the chance to plea for his life as some vile figure with near white hair struck him in the neck with his sword.. The battle had been lost.. the village had been lost.
--
The next day he was sitting on the untouched wall. He had scraped what food and drink he could together. He had taken the bow and arrows from one of the dead archers and used it to shoot at each vulture that would dare try to eat from the many bodies that were now strewn around the streets. His eyes were red as fire from the crying.. and his mind still raged as within he heard the screaming, roaring and the sound of iron beating iron. The village, his village.. had been left in a smoking ruin. Some survivors had returned,.. they did not speak, only shook their heads and left off again or took their own lives as they were unable to handle the loss. His house had been thoroughly picked clean, he was no longer a rich man. Just a hapless beggar, one like so many he had shunned from the gates in the past.All that he still had was his sword and his life. He looked at the iron.. "One day..", he thought, "One day I shall go to the homeland of these men.. and take back what is rightfully mine!"..
