Chapter one: The great forest massacre
General Maxumis of the 16th 9th and 20th legions lead his men deep into the Viking lands after learning about a revolt had began and warriors and chiefs from across the country were meeting at the Ward, a massive and ancient fortress that has served as meeting place for Vikings to repel invaders. The man who warned the General was his childhood friend Abstrix who had been sent as a child to the Eternal City as part of a treaty between the Earth Republic and his farther Chief Ordian of the Cherusci. Now grown Abstrix had become chief of his clan and remained a stead fast ally of the Earth Republic and a good friend to Maxumis. It was why he was so willing to take his friend's advise to march out during a very wet and cold spring to face the gathering hold of Vikings, despite the warning of his advisers and officers to fight them behind the walls of their forts.
Even now with mud ankle deep, wagons struggling to move even a few feet, and legionaries morning and complaining about the cold and the rain and that they were marching through an ancient forest that was home to dark and evil gods, he still believed that Abstrix was gathering his allies to help put down the rebellion. He only realized his mistake when he felt a spear thrown from some own seen air bender with the force of thunder burst through his chest, knocking him off his minitor and pinning him to the ground. His last sight before passing on was a horde of Vikings charging out from the forest and attacking his legions with his old childhood friend leading them.
The massive army Abstrix had created came from all corners of his nation. Some were heavily armored housecarls from rich costal clans, some were mad berserkers wielding clubs and wearing nothing but a bear skin and loin cloth. Others had came down south from beyond the Frigid Mountains wielding weapons made from animal bones. Some rode dragon-wolves that dive bombed the legions and others lead monstrous trolls that crushed all that lay in front of them. Clans who have been feuding for centuries now stood back to back, united by the simple desire to kill as many Legionaries as they could as they came streaming out of the thick forest from all sides.
Abstrix lead the attack from the front as any true Viking would, leaping high into the air with his bending he came falling back down, crushing the solder he landed on. Another legionnaire came at him with a short sword, which he parried with his own long sword followed by a blast of air from his free hand sending the man flying into a tree, pinning him on a dead branch. Then out of the corner of his eye the great warlord saw an earth bender preparing to smash a bolder into his head. So in a split second he jumped over the incoming rock and then with a blast of air he charged into his attacker with enough force that he broke nearly every bone in his enemy's body when he hit. Abstrix spotted another legionnaire which he tried to kill by throwing an axe at his head, but as it turned out this was a metal bender who easily blocked the axe only to throw it back at him. Using his air bending he was able to deflect the axe, then a non-bender Viking hit the metal bender from behind with a massive wooden mallet, crushing his head and sending bits of blood and skull flying. But Abstrix didn't pay this any mind for his attention was drawn back to the rest of the fight around him.
The battle raged for another three hours, with the mud beneath their feet mixing with the blood of the fallen, and despite losing their leader the famous disciple of the legion held true. But eventually their lines began to shake from being attacked on all sides by what seemed to be an endless horde of vikings, then finally the legions broke and the solders attempted to flee back to their forts. They were hunted down and killed by the Vikings, with only a couple dozen making it to safety. Twenty four men of an army that was once thirty thousand strong. To say this was the biggest loss the Empire had faced in a hundred years was an understatement. This battle would be remember for generations as horror story for the people of the Empire and a day of victory and the triumph of freedom over tyranny for the Vikings.
Of course Abstrix didn't know this as he walked through the battle field and saw all the copses of both allies and enemies spread out in front of him. No his mind was focused on how this victory would effect his relationships with the other chiefs and jarls, would they stand by him or pack up their warriors and go home, thinking the threat of invasion was over? Also the questions of when the empire would strike back and if they would still be interested in conquering them lingered in his mind. Of course this all left his mind when he saw his childhood friend laying in the mud, his tan skin had all the color drained out like his blood, the brown eyes that where once filled with life where now dead and soulless. The tall golden haired man with icey blue eyes turned to the two body guards that followed him.
"Aslak, Osk, you are to take this body back to my tent. Let no one touch it until we arrive, this man is to be treated like the honorable enemy he was."
"But sir he is…" Aslak started to say, but Abstrix cut him off like a knife, sharp and quick.
"Do not question me Alsak! I am you're chief and warlord of the clans and I will not have this victory corrupted by dishonor!" With that the two housecarls, with their wooden armor and mallets on their backs picked up the fallen general and followed their chief as he marched back to the camp.