Vinland Saga (2)

"Stop!" Askeladd shouted as all four ships came to a halt. Everyone's eyes fell on Askeladd, who was standing atop the deck of the ship with a sword in his hand. Confidence vamoosed around his body, and everyone, even Draco, felt it.

"We have finally reached our destination! We will proceed as discussed!" Askeladd motioned with his sword towards the gorge in the distance. It was quite tight, but that only worked better for Askeladd's plan. As his words reached everyone's ears, three ships moved forth.

However, the fourth one moved away from the others and quickly reached the land. It was also the ship where Draco was currently helping everyone pack their weapons.

"I can't believe we have to go so far just to kill one bastard." Asketill, the first person whom Draco met in this world, complained as he grabbed a bow from the ground. There were at least twenty of them on this ship, and they were all to stand above the gorge to ambush this mysterious bastard.

"Agreed. Askeladd is definitely taking this too far." Another barbarian complained.

"Oy, stop talking shit about our leader." A few others joined the conversation.

"I never did, you moron."

Soon, everyone was engaged as they proceeded to talk. From the side, it would look like they were arguing, but Draco knew it was just their normal way of talking.

"Oy, errand boy, bring us some of that leftover ale!" Asketill ordered, taking a seat on the ground as everyone followed. They still had some time before having to leave. Might as well drink a bit before the job.

A warm smile appeared on Draco's face as he immediately obliged, pouring and bringing everyone a mug. No one noticed the viciousness hidden beneath his smile.

"Yeah, that's the feeling!" Asketill gulped everything down, smiling in joy and revealing his rotten teeth. Everyone followed his example, making Draco's smile turn even brighter. It didn't take long for these dumbasess to understand that something was wrong as they felt their bodies grow heavier.

Before long, all of them were lying on the floor, not having any ability to move. It was the paralyzing effect of the mushrooms he had found hidden in one cabin. Yesterday, he simply mixed these mushrooms with the leftover ale.

"What the hell is happening!?" Asketill screamed, though it was not so easy for him. The poison was quite potent, hence most of these barbarians couldn't even move their mouth.

"Errand boy! What the hell did you?! I swear if yo-"

Before Asketill could say anything else, Draco ruthlessly stepped on his head, killing intent clear within his eyes. "Please kindly shut your mouth. You are getting on my nerves."

Asketill unconsciously gulped, looking away from Draco's kind smile. He didn't fully understand why, but he felt an extremely dangerous feeling coming from this kid. It felt as if he was staring into the eyes of a monster.

Just how many did he have to kill to have this kind of gaze?

"Thank you very much," Draco mumbled, picking up a sword from the ground. Fear flashed in Asketill's eyes as he once again opened his mouth to say something.

However, it was too late. Asketill's neck was already pierced with a blade. Everything happened in just a second since Draco had no hesitation in his movement, and he cleanly killed him without making too much noise.

Heartlessness flashed within his eyes as Draco went on to kill everyone else on the ship, not caring even when they begged for mercy. There had to be no liabilities in his plan, and leaving some of them alive could very well lead him to his demise.

"Now, onto the next part of the plan." Draco stretched, jumping out of the ship with a sword in his hand. Not wasting any time, Draco sprinted towards the gorge, leaving a hellish scene back on the ship.

-

"I, Thors Snorresson, challenge you to a duel." Thors calmly said, pointing his sword towards Askeladd. Bjorn could be seen sitting on the ground beside him, his face evincing signs of being beaten.

Despite attacking them all at once, almost ten of the warriors have been defeated without even injuring Thors. That already showed how monstrous his power was.

"Hahaha!" Askeladd laughed loudly as he grabbed the sword and jumped onto another ship. He stopped a few meters before Thors, looking him straight in the eyes. "I accept."

They talked about the conditions before eventually starting to fight, much to the awe of everyone around. Draco, who was currently hiding in the water just beneath the ship, looked at Thors, whose name was shown above his head. It was red.

'I have finally found you... but do you really need my protection?' Draco thought, seeing how easily Thors defended against Askeladd's strikes. Even though they weren't using any mana or martial manuals, their battle was still frightening. The level of control over their own body and the sheer strength of their strikes was incredible.

Draco was impressed. They were both at least [G+] rank.

'I see, so that's what caused your death.' Draco saw a little kid shouting from the other side of the ship. A few other men were surrounding the kid, but just from their eyes, Draco could tell that they weren't warriors.

"I have won."

Just as Draco predicted, Askeladd was completely overwhelmed and he no longer had a weapon to protect himself. Despite losing, Askeladd's expression only brightened, as it seemed that he was content with the strength of his enemy.

"You are truly strong, Troll of Jom. I am no match." Askeladd mumbled, looking Thors straight in the eyes, a smile disappearing from his expression. "However, by the order of Floki, I must assassinate you. Unless you kill me here right now, I will have to proceed with the mission."

From the beginning of the battle to right now, there was no change in Thors's demeanor. He always kept himself calm and didn't show any signs of weakness, but when he saw this sly smile on Askeladd's face, a feeling of dread overcame him.

Looking astern, Thors saw his little son being held by Bjorn, who was pointing a knife towards his neck. A sigh escaped from Thors's mouth as he looked back at Askeladd. "I have won the duel. Please keep your word."

"Of course," Askeladd answered seriously and Thors nodded. The grip over his sword lessened, and he threw it into the water, still no change in his expression. Deserving of Troll of Jom. Askeladd took a deep breath and lifted his hand into the air, signaling the ones above the gorge to open fire.

To his surprise, there was no answer and even after a few seconds, not one arrow appeared in sight. An awkward silence descended upon the vicinity, causing Askeladd to furrow his brown. "Those bastards aren't the smartest bunch, but they would never go against my orders... what happened?"

As if to answer his question, Askeladd heard a thud coming from the distance. Blood spurted into the air and he saw a head rolling towards him until it hit against his foot. Everyone sunk into silence, shock clear in their eyes.

Bjorn was dead.

"That wasn't so hard."

Askeladd, together will everyone else, moved their gaze towards a youth standing beside Thorfinn. White hair fell on his shoulder as blood dripped from the sword in his hand. A warm smile spread across his cheeks, though everyone could feel the venom in that smile.