Chapter 11 War of Nerves

Bjorn quickened his movements out of caution that he believed enemies would escape from them. No matter how great their warriors were, it was meaningless to fight an army that had over 15 times of people than them.

Hence, the most logical answer would be buying time for their people until they escape and that was where his play came into effect.

Bjorn believed they would caught off guard when he crossed the mountains to head toward their people and he would use them as hostages to pressure Magnus.

As a chief who worked with Magnus for years, he was keen when it came to his thinking. There was no way that he would abandon his people even if he would be injured in the process.

" The wind is stable. Charge forward!"

His eyes glowed dangerously under the light of the sun and the reflection of the snow. Each step they took spelled calamity upon Magnus and his people.

Meanwhile in the village.

" Hnng*"

Halfdan tightened the ropes to make things sure when they went out. He ordered young children to help others while doing some chores with the remaining children aged between 8 to 12 who had much more stamina than them.

" Cross that section between it and tie it like this. This way it wouldn't drop into the water even if the flows are turbulent."

He carefully instructed them to tie the knots while checking the essential items like food, seeds, water, and some items for their survival. Other baggage was useless in his mind, so he didn't think twice before throwing them out.

Items like carved wood, a small furnace, and mirror were too heavy to carry in the raft in the first place, thus he just ignored them despite their value.

In medieval times, most of the mirrors were made from bronze or silver. This made them much heavier than modern sand mirrors, so discarding them was an inevitable choice on his end.

As for other items, they could make them whenever they wanted like carving wood or painting it wasn't that difficult for Vikings who had superior techniques when it came to carpentry and nature collection.

" Can I carry this, brother?"

A young child showed the little statue of her passed mother to Halfdan who softened when he saw it. He heard the story of this child's birth before from his elders and knew his mother died from birth difficulty because she was a frail woman.

" It is alright to carry it, Liv. Don't drop it in the water."

He then secured it on her tiny neck to make sure it wouldn't drop no matter what happened to her. Obviously, the girl was happy to keep her mother's keepsake, smiling brightly under his gaze.

" You look exhausted, Halfdan. Don't take it too hard."

Erik noticed Halfdan had dark circles under his eyes after observing him for a few minutes. Even though they were in a hurry, his priorities lay in Halfdan who was the blood of the chief and spiritual leader of their young generation.

" We can't wait anymore. With each passing moment, our people shed their blood to protect their families."

Hearing his words made Erik smile with gratitude since he saw the images of both of his parents from him.

" Hmm*..."

However just as he was about to answer his reply, he felt something in his guts like something terrible was going to happen.

The hunters are exceptionally trained in their senses, specifically their 6th sense was higher than normal people's, so he didn't doubt his instincts since they saved his life countless times.

" What is wrong, father?"

Helena saw her father's face quiver for a second before changing back to normal and she knew Erik was hiding something from them because he usually stroked his beard when he did that.

" Nothing, child. I have to go somewhere. Can you look after them and finish it? If I don't come back before the sunset. Send the elder out or go without me."

He feigned ignorance to not make her worry while picking up his old bow and axe. Although he could use a sword, an axe was much more comfortable to him in his mind.

" ... "

Halfdan didn't pry into his matter but he noticed a subtle change in him.