Odin smashed another Valentinian sorcerer with his mace before the man could even begin to mutter an incantation. He felt the bones of the magician's body crush instantly as the life drained away before his very eyes; the man's entire figure deform and fall apart in a bloody mess on the ground. Every inch of Odin's body was radiating with energy as he drew in the atmosphere of the battle and prepared himself for the next opponent. His ears twitched at the sound of war; battle cries, death blows and the last wails of those being taken to Endelphia. He never felt more alive than when he was on the battlefield. He was, after all, Demon Lord Odin; part of the royal family of the war nation Ragnanival.
The war hero scanned the terrain, and muttered a deathly curse. He was a master with battle tactics; and even a bystander could tell his side was losing. The Valentinians had pushed their army to the edge of the battlefield, causing the Valkyrie to disperse and lose formation. Their spells and magic had managed to suck the life out of any of the Aesir that approached. Although Odin was an accomplished sorcerer and warrior not even he alone was able to battle an army like the Valentinians. He noticed his fellow Valkyrie and axe-men warriors fall prey to the strength of the enemy and crumple to the ground, dead. The only really successful warriors were the barbarians clad in bear fur wielding many strong hand-axes. Even then, many would succumb to death.
At that moment Odin's advisor, an axe-man approached him and spoke.
"Lord Odin, our army is disintegrating. We fight a losing battle. There is no other option than to retreat."
Odin cursed again. "Retreat?" He roared. "The lives we have lost will be for nought if we run like frightened rabbits now. This battle must be ours." He paused. "Pull back the troops and have them fight from the left side of the battlefield only. Have the barbarian warriors in the frontline and instruct the Valkyrie to fight in large groups. We must send a messenger to the palace for more reinforcements."
The axe man nodded and left just before a large Valentinian swordsman approached Odin and attacked from behind. Odin swerved and swung his mace into the back of the soldier, who froze and screamed in pain before his soul was snuffed out.
Odin glared at the corpse approvingly. "This is for my country." Years ago, the Valentinians came to Erion on magical flying ships and quickly started to scour the lands and conquer them. Their knowledge of sorcery and magic gave them a steadfast advantage in war, and they quickly owned roughly a quarter of Erion's land. Before long Valentine forces began pressing in on the kingdom of Ragnanival; and they were at war. Odin despised Valentine for their greed and strength, and he fought with more strength than he knew he had to defend his country from them. He knew the importance of protecting this area of his kingdom from the enemy. If they allowed Valentine to capture it they risked defending their main capital from two enemy assaults at once. Such an attack would lead to ultimate destruction, and Odin was willing to sacrifice anything to avoid it.
However, his plans were somewhat different to his father's.
A few days later, the Aesir were forced to pull out of the battlefield and return to the confines of Ragnanival. Valentine had proven successful and captured the area. Odin went back to the palace to examine his wounds. He was a man in his prime, of large stature and strong build. His hair was a striking silver colour and was smoothed back and cut short. He had small features and a thin face, but his eyes blazed like fire with the energy of a proud warrior and magician. He wore dark silver armour and a tattered dark blue cape. All his subjects feared and respected him with the same reverence as their king, as Odin himself had incredible presence and authority. He had proven himself a competent war hero from a young age and was trained to become one of the leading generals of the Aesir.
After healing himself, he approached the King's throne room. His father was there, whom he bowed down to; despite feeling certain the great king did not deserve it.
"A report, father. We have lost this battle. Although our armies were matched in numbers, the magicians of Valentine easily crushed our army to half its size with their spells. We have no knowledge of their skills and could not retaliate in kind." Odin paused and glared at his father. "With the lack of reinforcements, we were forced to retreat, and lost many lives and our forts as a result."
The King leaned back in his chair and considered the information. He was a large man of exceptional physical strength and presence, but he was past his prime and had grown old. His pride did not allow him to step down from battle and he continued to act the way a true king of a war nation should. However, more than once Odin had considered himself to be a much more fitting king for Ragnanival as he felt his father's weakness held back the war efforts of the country.
"Odin," his father said, "I know of the situation. We shall hold back conflict for the moment. We must first concentrate on rebuilding our forces. It is essential for us to be at full strength when we attack the capital."
Odin tried to contain himself. "Father, we have lost many lives as a result of retreating from that battle. We do not have time to waste. As we speak the enemy are recovering and preparing to attack our next base; we must retaliate to re-capture that area with all our strength before they can. You know of the importance capturing it is to us."
The King glared at Odin. "Hold your tongue. You are too hasty. We cannot dive into battle without preparation. There is no hope in re-capturing our lost base if we do this. I am not willing to spare all our reinforcements from the defence of our capital. The only way to defeat the Valentine army is with tenacious strategy and planning."
Odin could no longer contain himself. "Father! You cannot even dream of conquering the Valentine army without making sacrifices! If you had permitted reinforcements to the front of the assault our army would have succeeded. Yet you refuse to comply with my strategy of an all out attack. Only when we have conquered that area can we hope to defend ourselves from Valentine."
"Silence!" Odin's father roared. "You are a fool to defy me. I understand the Valentinian army far greater than you and can say with confidence that we would be destroyed by doing an all out assault at this point and leaving our country defenceless. Now leave me and spread word of my intentions to the generals. Do not tempt me into truly punishing you for your defiance."
Odin held his ground for the next few seconds, but turned and left the room soon afterwards. His father was the fool, not him. If he were in charge of the kingdom he would operate at total war and destroy Valentine before the week was over. However, he had no choice but to obey the whims of his weak father. Although the king was ambitious, Odin felt only he had the true nature to overcome the demands of war and succeed.