Jörmundgander

Before dawn

"Ion get up!" Erika said as she shook my body.

"Yes yes yes" I said with a yawn.

-By the Gods, Thor can throw a lightning bolt at you, you don't get up for anything- Erika said as she adjusted her armor -I'm glad, that sleeping with me gives you peace but we can't afford to leave late-

-Okay, I'm sorry- I put on an armor that they had prepared for me, a chain mail, and a fur cape that represented the clan leaders. A shield and an ax that Erika had left over were all the equipment we would have to use.

We headed to the port, going down the hill where the town was located, in the port various warriors were accommodating things in the Drakkar, the warships, and a Snekkar.

Although their names seemed strange to me they had their differences, but according to what I understood the Snekkar was the best between the two since its use was to walk in the vast ocean and not by the sea, the Drakkar would be the ones that would best fulfill their performance in this siege were already low waters. It would be advisable to use another Drakkar but a couple of months ago it was lost in a battle so the best thing was to use a Snekkar.

We could hardly see a few rays of the sun when we all went to the bear clan that is to the east, in a few hours we would be on their land and if everything goes well at night we will attack them

The waters were calm while we advanced, without enemies or storms, that's how the whole trip must have been, but a strong storm began to occur and the waves grew quite a bit, moving us a little to the open sea.

Thunder and rain began to fall, a storm came like the wind without warning and without dark clouds to give a clue that they were coming.

"Everyone hold on tight, put your oars away and move your sails to the east, if we're lucky we'll make it to shore!" Erika yelled so loudly she could be mistaken for thunder.

The waves became stronger, and a shadow among them could be seen in the distance. It was so abrupt that one of the boats capsized, only the screams of the men and women who fell into the water were heard. the strong waves stopped when at one point we stopped on a 20-meter-high cliff we could climb or go around when the storm stopped the strangest thing is that we didn't hit the rocks that are normally on the cliffs.

A few minutes passed but it was still raining and thunder falling, but the waves stopped where we were.

Erika was alert, looking from one side to the other, I was also the same, sadly we are in different boats, otherwise, I would take her by the hand since I don't like this feeling of uncertainty at all.

A large yellow eye opened at the spot where the cliff was supposed to be. with great force, it moved and made the boats almost capsize but luckily it didn't.

A large white-skinned snake with a beard appeared in front of us and stared at us, his gaze so imposing that it was impossible to stand.

"Everyone put away your weapons and sit in your boats!" Erika yelled sitting up.

Some warriors near me began to whisper

-It's Jörmundgander I never imagined being able to see her- said one of the warriors

-They say he is one of the wisest beings since he can see the future and the past- said another warrior.

A few seconds passed until I moved to the edge of the boat

-Do you know what happened to my home?- I could imagine my region falling but in the other regions, I wasn't sure what happened.

"Ion, what are you doing, I said sit down!" Erika said, but I didn't even hear her in my ears, Ion, by the gods, what are you doing, her pulse trembled for fear that something would happen to Ion.

-You are very far from home- said the snake in a very slow way, his voice was exaggeratedly thick.

-Tell me, I beg you, what happened to my home-

-Sadly for you I don't know what happened, I have no domain in a land that rejects my power-

-You have to know something, whatever helps me-

-The Gods are responsible but not all the Gods those with the power to refuse did nothing but those who could not be forced into a war against your people-

Jörmundgander turned around and left without being able to ask him any more questions. With his body he made a strong push towards our boats, a big wave formed, and on the opposite side of where Jörmundgander was, there were a lot of trees.

.

.

.

We fell mercilessly and the ships crushed many warriors, others were stuck in trees, or simply did not survive the fall.

I was hurt in the head, but I didn't care if I was hurt or not, what mattered to me was.

-Erika! - I shouted searching among the people who had

Just a few meters away I could recognize a figure, it was Eika who was bleeding on her side, I ran and hugged her even though she growled at me because of the pain she didn't deny the hug.

-Stay seated and take care of yourself I'll see if I can find more survivors- When I was almost leaving she took my arm

"Did you find the answers you wanted?" he asked me in an emotionless monotone voice.

-It wasn't the answers I wanted but it was better than nothing-

She tightened her grip on his arm and a sob in her words.

"Don't worry me like that again," he said as his eyes almost watered.

I almost started to cry, but I knew that her tears weren't just because of me, her plan was thwarted and her people might not survive this winter. And as I feared him there were no other survivors and those who seemed to still be breathing before I approached had already perished.

"Erika, how are you?" I said worriedly.

"I'm fine but the important thing is there more survivors?" Erika said without hesitation.

I shook my head and his expression changed to one of annoyance, the weight of losing so many warriors and if they don't return to the village in a few days, the spies from other clans would make a siege to exterminate or enslave their people.

"This is the end of my clan," he said in a voice of pure suffering.

-Certainly- I said without hesitation -You are still alive and as long as you live your clan will always be alive, it is no longer just your clan but our clan, as long as we are together and remember what we lost they will still be alive- Maybe it sounded like I was only referring to his clan but I also meant my homeland.

-What we should worry about is why Jörmundgander left so abruptly, it seemed more intentional as if he was taking us away from something- his eyes showed no damage so there is no explanation I doubt it is due to carelessness, although it could be due to the arrogance of a god he didn't mind launching us.

-It could also be my fault I asked him and maybe that offended him- although there was also this option

-Hmmm, you're right, his eyes never showed the intention of harming us, and Jörmundgander is a being that many adventurers have encountered, but he has never had this attitude-

-You come from land without Gods, at first it seemed silly to me that maybe you are too young to understand how strong the gods can be but seeing you standing in front of Jörmundgander as if nothing is something that someone from other lands does not even would dare

-I didn't ask you your age, would you tell me now?-

-twenty-one-

-You are too young, I'm 28-

-Tell me about your land-

-Erika- she hurt me because she tried not to touch the problem that surrounded us her eyes didn't lie to me she wanted to scream and cry, burst with anger probably scold me intensely but she doesn't because she has a love for me something that to has arisen in me these days.