Chapter 58

After receiving their new orders from Sjorn the troop of hunters had swiftly split up and each group chased after the lone contingencies of casters. Their chase was fast and it didn't take long until the hunters came upon something that confused them.

The thing that confused them was nothing special, at least in their opinion, but since Hoelbrak was currently under attack they were wary of whatever it was they had discovered. Right there before their eyes was something carved into the mountains that made up the basis for Hoelbrak, something that hadn't been there before.

The further they progressed the more often they came upon these strange symbols. None of the hunters was proficient in the arcane or new what these symbols may represent. Thus, they agreed in their small units to try and disrupt the symbols by carving a few more lines through the symbol, hopefully preventing its use.

Sadly the runes were protected from mana and even while trying to infuse their axes or arrows with mana didn't do any damage to them. Thus, they returned to their hunt but promised themselves that they would report their findings to Sjorn once they returned. Unfortunately, that would never happen as they soon after their first few finds were ambushed by the casters and decimated, not leaving a single one of the hunters alive.

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With dull thumping sounds the enemy troops kept attacking their gates, this time not only consisting of Norn but also of corrupted creatures made of ice that had come to life by Jormag's mana.

While the troops upon the wall reigned down metal and fire upon the enemy Sjorn knew it would now only be a matter of time until they would breach the gates and he was right.

With a crashing sound the huge wooden gates of Hoelbrak splintered and burst open while the enemy troops flooded inside under outcries of victory or bloodlust.

"BRACE!" Sjorn roared and like one being the warriors at his side lifted their shields and spears like a wall and marched forwards steadily. The enemy meanwhile had seemingly lost every rationality in their craving for war and rushed like madmen into the shield wall, which sadly gave in at some points when Norn were met by ice creatures for example, getting skewered in the process until the shield wall had no choice but to give in completely, simply because of the weight the number of dead enemies laid down upon the shields.

"OPEN! FORM UNITS! LEAVE NONE ALIVE!" Sjorn roared and his orders were met with roars as answer while his subordinates did as he had said.

Sjorn himself clothed himself in a faint protective barrier made of mana, unfortunately only protecting him from glancing blows at best, and rushed into the enemy lines like a beast.

Swinging his axes without regard for his own safety Sjorn for the first time in his life completely ignored what may happen to him and soon was covered from head to toe in splashes of blue blood or shards of splintered ice, pertaining to some unfortunate ice creatures.

Pulling a son of Jormag towards him with the inner part of his axe Sjorn used his other axe to slide down the handle of his holding axe and caved in the held head from the man he had pulled over. Turning around he unceremoniously gripped his one axe on the lower part of the handle and with a mighty throw embedded said axe in the skull of another one. Rushing over to his axe he picked it up and continued his onslaught, like a whirlwind of death that split skulls and rendered men useless left and right, none who came close enough to do any damage surviving long enough to do so.

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His breath running ragged under his helmet Sjorn did not know how much time had passed since he had entered the battle, the adrenaline slowly leaving his body and brought with it the fatigue and burning of his muscles.

While he faintly registered how his smoke like breath rose into the air he was more focused on his surroundings and knew that his time would soon come as barely any of his troops remained.

His soldiers continued to fight but in the end they were outnumbered without a doubt. Taking in another ragged breath Sjorn rushed into the battle lines of the enemy once again, his fallen comrades paving his way with swords, spears or arrows sticking in their bodies and told the tale of how these brave men and women had met their end.

'I'm right behind you brothers and sisters. Soon I will join you all and journey together with you towards the resting place of our ancestors where we will recount our adventures and rejoice at the legends we all created. And what legends we created! Truly, there couldn't be a better end to our lives than to die with heads held high on the battlefield!' Sjorn thought and let a grin form on his face while a sound half battle cry, half laughter broke through his lips until he disappeared behind the enemy lines exactly the way he had lived: With axes swinging an a smile on his face…

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Drakkar knew the battle had finally come to an end and his master's enemies had been eradicated to the last man. But his mission was not yet done and thus made his way over to the grand city Hoelbrak, ordering his troops to retreat all the while.

Marching through gates, breaking them down in the process, the beast soon arrived in the middle of the city and could feel all the symbols his subordinates had carved into the surrounding mountains come together exactly where they were supposed to.

Thus, with a growl Drakkar awakened the mana of his master that slumbered inside of him and had made him into what he was today. The mana began to swirl around his huge body and grew from a small whirlwind into a tornado that soon encompassed the whole of Hoelbrak, hiding it behind its blue spinning might until he began to incantate the words his master had whispered to him at his last visit with the order to only do so once the battle was concluded and who was he to deny his master's orders!

Under his instructions and his master's incantation the mana soon pierced everything inside of Hoelbrak. The walls, the houses, the trees, the animals and yes, even the dead that laid at the entrance into Hoelbrak.

Under roaring laughter Drakkar observed as the translucent spirits of the Norn were pulled back from the mists and slowly took form besides their former bodies, confusion clear in their eyes. With viciousness glinting in his eyes Drakkar began the second incantation his master had given him and with satisfaction watched how the horrified faces of his enemies soon morphed into blank iciness and took over newly risen bodies made of blue ice until said golems came to life themselves, now fuelled by the enemy until his master had found another purpose for those that had defied him.

'Truly, revenge is sweet if you knew how to go about executing it…' Drakkar thought while his vicious grin transformed back into his usual face, only a small smile remaining on his face. Turning around he marched over to the great hall and soon fell asleep inside of it, Hoelbrak all the while turning into a necropolis of cursed ice, guarded by those that once lived there with the one who killed them as jailor and master for all eternity if Drakkar had anything to say about it…