Svalgard

The air was cool, and the wind was gentle. There were no signs of any army. I saw a man sitting down on a rock and watching the sun rise above the horizon. He wore a light suit of armor for mobility. The leather was sewn with golden threads and crafted by the best crafter. The coat was engraved with symbols. The entire armor looked well-worn and used. But its colors and pattern still stuck out. He slightly turned his head to look at me. He sighed and placed his helm next to him.

"You look a little different." he said

"You look rather calm." I said

"Back there, you asked who I was. Do you mind if I tell a tale first?" he asked.

"If you wish to." I said.

"I appreciate that," he said, "come by the fire."

I cautiously walked over to him. He laid his sword on the ground. I sensed no malice in him.

"This is quite the long tale. I'll begin by saying where we came from. We are Vikings and we came from a frozen land called Svalgard. Food has always been scarce. It's hard to grow anything when winter is eight out of the twelve months. So, we turned to the ocean. Fishing made us very prosperous and stopped the hunger, for a while. Little did we know that they weren't unlimited. We fished and fished. Ate and fished without a thought. Big ones, small ones, pregnant ones. Sharks, dolphins, whales, salmon, you name it, we hunted it. Everyone was so happy. My father was Rjour Salazar, the Peacemaker. The Rune Blades were at, well, peace when he was Chief. When he became ill and passed, I took the clan and I was visited by a man, about a year or so ago, I don't really remember. I was walking along the shores when his boat arrived. He claimed to be a god, but he looked like a man and spoke a different language, but also, he spoke mine at the same time. He taught me how to speak more clearly and said that more land was yet to be discovered. I told my people that lush land existed beyond the sea. They didn't fully believe me, and hence my title - The Dreamer. Our island was large. Other clans lived there too. We Vikings are about honor, gold, and glory. If there is an argument, it will be settled with violence. It has been our way for centuries and will continue to be this way. Our enemy was the Styrka, Clan Styrka. As the years went on and food grew scarce, we had no choice but to invade other parts of the island. We attacked and killed and looted. But, alas, it was their beach not ours. Instead of hunting we should have planted. But what are we, but beasts? My ancestors began killing and my clan followed them. Those who opposed were mauled to death. I followed the ancient way to please everyone. We defeated Styrka many times in the past, but this time it was different. It seemed that the Gods were pleased with them and not us. Their Chieftain, Nikolus Kyur, took over the clan and that's when it began to change. The world, them, and even us. Our boats were sinking to an unknown monster under the waves. When it was finally killed, it felt like we killed a God's kin. A disease fell upon us and scouts saw Nikolus gathering his men and preparing to march. They were blessed with food and materials we desperately needed to win and to survive. I had to make a choice." he said

"Leave or fight?" I asked

"Exactly. Since I had thought I dreamt of the man, no one truly wanted to sail away from our land. But it was either die at sea, hoping to find some uninhabited land, or die at home - fighting a war we would lose. I spoke to them and told them our honest situation. Of course, despair fell upon their faces. So, we prepared the boats. Packed everything we could and everything that we needed. When the land was in sight, I cried and cheered. So did they. The first thoughts that entered my mind were: the children won't starve, and we won't have to fight. But that didn't last long when our fleet hit the shores. I couldn't believe my eyes. A full fortress on the beach. When they started ranting and cheering, I knew I could do nothing. For they would not even listen to Marago, if he appeared before us. Their bloodlust was too much. If I could do it again, I wouldn't have mentioned my dream to anyone. I would've chosen to fight a war we already were losing. For what it's worth, I'm sorry. What was that boy to you?" he said

"Everything." I said

"I see. If only I knew that people, with loved ones and friends, were here..." he said

"Who attacked first?" I asked

"We did. With the confusion. We destroyed Heart Stone. Then I met the man again. He motioned for me to come closer. He told me to conquer this land we must go north, to a fort named Zeke. His exact words were: "A demon resides within those walls." I listened to him and brought everyone there. At first, I thought he meant the girl. But then I saw the boy she fought with. I thought: "Ah, that must be the demon." But then you and your... friend ran up the hill and after fighting with him I realized it was him who had to die. Still, I remained incorrect, because you, Black Knight, are the demon he warned me about. Killing factions, killing War Lords, and now you have come before me to kill me. The man said to meet him at Eidothea after killing you. It would be wise for the victor to meet him. Whether it be I or you." he said

"Is the man Remian?" I asked

"I believe so. His armor had the symbol. I know you won't be able to forgive me. If you win, I hope you find peace. Tell me where you have buried him, so if I win, you'll rest beside him." he said

"North of Osetrun Village there is a great oak tree. You'll see Kyle Landon's grave there." I said

"Kyle Landon and Rowan Niron. Your names shall be echoed throughout all of the heavens and the earth." he said

"Roman Salazar, I do not forgive you, but I believe your words. Thank you." I said

"If you kill me, leave me upon this hill. No need to bury me. I wish to gaze upon the stars for the rest of my days." he said

"As you wish." I said

We both stood up and he placed his helm over his head. We walked away from the fire to an open space and readied our weapons.