Baldur stepped inside the dimly lit cell before leaning on the wall to his left while facing the door of the cell. He would have crossed his arms but the shackles on his wrists prevented him from doing so. Now that he was locked in a cell and stripped of his armor and weapons, all he could do now was wait patiently for things to blow over. He was confident it wouldn't take too long and he'd be gone by tomorrow morning.
When the Shield Princess of Ken ordered her Dawn Templars to seize him, Baldur made the decision to drop his bearded axe and allow himself to be restrained by the Dawn Templars. While he could've fought back and escaped which may result in him killing a number of Dawn Templars and knights if they tried to stop him, he knew this would only lead to problems in the future. For him and his company. He knew that if he cooperated then this thing would blow over soon enough and he can go back to Félagborg without a hitch. After all, he wasn't the one that instigated the duel. It was that boy. Armand. Everyone in attendance witnessed it yet it appears that they seemed to have become tight-lipped when Shield Princess Claudia demanded to know what happened. Not even the Duke of Boudelaire and the Duchess of Lavaud defended him. The only one who spoke in his defense was Knight-Captain Isabelle. He might not say it out loud but he did appreciate what she tried to do.
While the Dawn Templars were leading him to his cell in the dungeons, Isabelle promised him that she would get him out and straighten this whole mess with the Shield Princess. She swore on her honor as a Dawn Templar. Baldur simply nodded at her before allowing himself to be led away. Perhaps if she wasn't a Dawn Templar, he would extend an invitation for her to join the company. She would still go through the requirements of course. No matter who they are and what their station is, everyone who wishes to join the company must meet the prove their worth first.
As for the Duke of Calvet, Duke Arnoult only found out about it when Baldur was already being escorted to the castle's dungeons. He demanded an explanation and when he received it from the Marshal of Ken, he reserved his judgement of Baldur. He wanted to know the full story before deciding whether to condemn Baldur or defend him. He owed the Nord that much after his company saved him from being captured by the Discordians during their attack on Besanvin. He also considered Baldur a friend of sorts and the Nord knew the advantage of rubbing elbows with the nobility of a country.
Baldur shook his head and stared at the wall past the cell's iron bars. To think all this happened because some snot-nosed brat thought he could kill him with a single stroke of his blade. All this was a waste of damn time but if it meant the leader of the principality and the Grand Mistress of the Dawn Templars won't put a target on his and the company's backs then he'd endure it. Being wanted by an entire nation was bad for business after all. Especially when he had been thinking that it was time to expand past the Duchy of Calvet.
Close to Vinlun was the River Trouvé. The river was interconnected with the different rivers of the Principality of Ken and all would lead to River Lucent which itself was connected to the massive River Thane in the Land of Garan. Said river was now under the Discordians territory after they took over the land but the river was so massive that they could not defend it from raiding Nordmænd from Feoh. The Discordians raided the Principality of Feoh back with their own ships as well as the other principalities with slight success except for the Principauté de Ken as the end of the River Lucent was protected by the Gates of Céline. Named after the former Shield Princess who commissioned the large river chain to be built and prevent raiding parties from entering the Princiaplity of Ken.
Baldur had sought to build a river fortress that doubled as a shipyard by the River Trouvé and use the ships built there to travel between the territories of Ken faster as well as traverse to the other principalities to find mercenary work as well as infiltrate Garan and raid the Discordians. It was evident that the Principality of Ken didn't have much in terms of a naval force. The only ships they used were for trading. This opened the opportunity for the Shield Companions to offer their services as a stand-in navy. Raiding settlements in the Land of Garan or patrolling the waters past the River Lucent and attacking any Discordian ships -if they have any.
The Black Dogs already had branches in each of the principalities under the Seven Shields Alliance and had assimilated many of the local mercenary bands in their ranks. Baldur intended to rival them as well as the Red Vixens as they were the second largest mercenary company in Eostia. He would see to it that the Black Dogs and Red Vixens will be brought to heel. Perhaps even absorbed into the ranks of the company. Once they were influential enough in Eostia, Baldur would then set his sights past the Forgotten Sea and expand to the land of the Aurelians and Eldonians as well as whoever their neighbors are.
In the back of his mind, a small part of Baldur whispered for him to use the wealth and prestige he has earned to return to Nordland and take back what was his. Become the King of Frostrike like his father before him. His traitorous uncle was probably dead by now. Either from old age or death in battle. He was never able to beat his father in a spar. It's one of the reasons why his uncle needed his father's Huscarls to help him usurp the King of Frostrike. This meant his cousin would be sitting on the throne now. Last he remembered, Ráðúlfr was only five years of age. He would be twenty eight by now. He wondered how the boy would rule or ruled Frostrike.
The Mercenary Lord of the Shield Companions grunted and decided to put that away for another time before sitting on the floor to take a nap. It's only been a few minutes since he was put in here. He could afford one small nap while he waited.
(Line Break)
Far from the dungeons of Château de Vallonton, Oleg watched as the Stálbrjótar silently made their way towards the high wooden walls of the fort that belonged to a mercenary company called the Bloody Vagabonds. The reason as to why the Shield Companions were about to attack the fort was simple. The Bloody Vagabonds pissed off the merchant that hired them after they raped the man's daughter for hours on end while forcing him to watch. They said it was her fault for teasing them but in reality, she never did. They had been eyeing her from the start and when the job was over was when they decided to make their move.
When the merchant was finally allowed near the beaten and broken body of his beloved daughter, he swore revenge but they laughed him off and left. Taking his goods with them. After handing his daughter to the church, he overheard a couple of passing freelancers talking about the Shield Companions and the deeds they've done during the Vallonton Campaign and decided they were the ones he needed for the job. The merchant paid them as soon as they accepted and promised that he would pay them more if he brought him the heads of every single one of the Bloody Vagabonds but capture their leader. He wanted to drive a knife into the man's heart himself. He also told them break the man physically and mentally before delivering him to the merchant.
The Shield Companions didn't care much for his reasoning but he paid them plenty and promised more so they would do as he asked. After finding the hideout of the Bloody Vagabonds, Oleg -who had accepted the job and took the newly inducted Axe Companions, Sword Companions, Baldur's Stálbrjótar and his Varjági with him- decided that they would attack at dawn with the Steelbreakers sneaking inside the fort to open the gates and allow the rest of the company entry into the fort. Mirroring Baldur and the Stálbrjótar's actions when they took Castle Vallonton from the Beastmen.
That would have been the plan had the Bloody Vagabonds not spotted them.
An arrow struck the ground next to Steelbreaker Captain Erik's head and the Nordmand stood up before he pointed his bearded axe at the fort and the mercenaries occupying it.
"ODIN OWNS YOU ALL!"
The rest of the Steelbreakers removed themselves from the ground and revealed their presence to the rival mercenaries. They started howling and bashing their weapons on their shields before making a beeline for the fort's wall. Trudging through the muddy ground all the while they were pelted by arrows and javelins. Thanks to their Adamantine armor, the Steelbreakers were able to shrug off the Bloody Vagabonds' missiles until they reached the foot of the wall where they used grappling hooks to scale the wall and reach the top.
Erik grunted as he pulled himself up to he top before vaulting over the battlements of the wooden wall and quickly engaged the closest Vagabond Archer. He swung his bearded axe and buried it in the man's midsection before driving his seax -which he held in a reverse grip- into the top of the mercenary's head skull. The Steelbreaker Captain removed his weapons from the corpse and watched as his fellow Steelbreakers jumped down into the battlements and mercilessly killed the first Bloody Vagabond they set their sights on.
With each kill, the Steelbreakers slowly became more and more feral in their fighting. Building up a dark rage within them before unleashing it when the time was right. Going Berserk saw them mercilessly cut down their enemies in the most brutal of fashion. The same happened when they killed the remaining Beastmen in the County of Vallonton. Letting themselves go into a rage of pure violence and leave behind a haze of red mist in their wake.
The Steelbreakers, however, were different compared to the Berserkers of old. The main issue was that the Berserkers of old were unable to fully control their rage which caused problems for the allies around when not in battle. Even a light tap to the shoulder would sent a Berserker on a nigh unstoppable rampage. This led to Berserkers becoming outcasts and only the bravest of Jarls would dare take them in their warband. Fortunately, after centuries of reigning in their dark rage as well as refining it, the Berserkers were now able gain control of their Berserker state. Allowing them to tell apart friend from foe and keep their rage in check when not in battle. This lifted their outcast status and allowed them back into society. They were still unpredictable in battle when enraged but they know who they would direct their rage to and can go in and out of their Berserker state at will.
Erik made his way over to the staircase and saw three Bloody Vagabond mercenaries heading towards him. The Steelbreaker Captain growled and bared his teeth before his eyes suddenly rolled to the back of his head and his body started to convulse as if he were being possessed by a demon which wasn't too far off. Erik roared to the heavens before throwing hhimself down the stairs and into the Bloody Vagabonds. His body crashed into them and they all fell down the steps until they reached the ground. Erik didn't give them time to recover as he started hacking and stabbing away at the mercenaries underneath him.
Once he was done killing the mercenaries, the Steelbreaker Captain removed himself from the pile of corpses and made his way towards the gates of the fort. Growling like a hungry beast. No doubt Mercenary Commander Oleg was waiting for them with the others behind those gates and were itching for a fight.
"DIE!"
Erik turned to face the incoming mercenary and blocked his sword with his weapons before breaking the man's guard then slashed the mercenary across the throat with his seax. Another came at him and Erik smashed his helmet against the man's nose before bashing him with his shoulder and into a wooden post where he proceeded to bring his axe down and split the man's head in two.
The Steelbreaker Captain spun on his heel and swung his axe into the abdomen of another mercenary. Forcing them to keel over before he grabbed the man by the shirt then proceeded to sink his teeth into the mercenary's neck. In a display of absolute savagery, Erik ripped a large chunk off of the man's neck before lifting him off his feet then slammed him hard into the muddy ground. Leaving him to bleed to death. He then spread out his arms and let out an animalistic roar.
A couple of feet in front of him, a quivering Bloody Vagabond stared at the Steelbreaker Captain with terrified eyes before dropping his spear and shield on the ground then ran. Erik didn't let him get far and removed his axe from the corpse before throwing it at the fleeing mercenary. The axe sailed through the air before burying itself deep into the man's back and caused him to fall to his knees in pain. The last thing the Bloody Vagabond heard was Erik laughing behind him before the Steelbreaker Captain proceeded to grab the top of his head then slit his throat open with the seax.
Erik -still holding onto the man's head- removed his bearded axe from the dead mercenary's back then kicked the corpse to the ground before making his way to the gates. Passing by Oluf and Holger who were brutally finishing off their opponents and proceeded to follow their captain to the gates. Once they reached it, the three proceeded to remove the bars keeping the gates locked before Erik kicked them open. He stepped aside and gestured at the fort as Oleg and the rest of the company ran inside.
"I WELCOME YOU!" The Steelbreaker Captain yelled "AHAHAHAHAHA!"
When the Shield Companions flooded into the fort, the Bloody Vagabonds didn't stand a chance. Oleg himself captured their leader and had him shackled. Rather than leave, he ordered the company to loot the fort of anything of value as well as telling them that they would rest for the night. As the company went to looting, the Steelbreakers howled over the pile of corpses while Oleg made sure the Bloody Vagabonds Leader watched. He allowed ten Bloody Vagabonds to be captured only to have them brutally executed in front of their leader by the Steelbreakers who were still in their Berserker state. The execution of the captured mercenaries was akin to a pack of hungry wolves tearing apart their prey.
The sight alone almost broke the Bloody Vagabonds Leader and when he demanded why they were doing this, the Vaegir replied with the words: 'Nothing personal. It's just business.'
Then without warning, the Vaegir proceeded to break the man's arm. The night was filled with the howling of the Steelbreakers and the screams of the Bloody Vagabonds Leader as he was tortured by the Shield Companions. When the merchant arrived in the fort much later, Oleg presented to him the broken form of the Bloody Vagabonds Leader. Castrated and with his arms and legs broken. The merchant showed no pity and Oleg handed him his dagger before watching as the portly merchant repeatedly drove the blade into the man's chest.
As Oleg watched the merchant release his vengeance upon the Bloody Vagabonds Leader, the Vaegir wondered how Baldur was doing. Must be boring considering the Nord was never much for feasts.
(Line Break)
Baldur's eyes snapped open at the sound of approaching footsteps and he turned his head to look past the iron bars of his cell. The footsteps drew closer until his eyes took in the sight of Armand. Accompanied by four helmetless Beaugendre Knights and two other young noblemen. The Nord smirked when his gaze landed on the young noble's bandaged nose. No doubt it was crooked underneath. It appears the boy needed to be taught another harsh lesson but it seems he now has a couple more heads to knock some sense into.
The Mercenary Lord stood to his full height and walked to the center of the cell. He watched as the door to his cell was opened and the four knights stepped inside then proceeded to close the door shut. One of them handed the set of keys used to unlock the cell to Armand before facing Baldur who eyed each of the knights without a hint of emotion on his face.
Meanwhile, the son of Duke Corin de Beaugendre let out an obnoxious laugh as he looked at Baldur before his mouth formed into a smug smirk.
"Look what we have here, gentlemen. A caged barbarian. Fascinating, isn't it?"
Armand leaned on the bars of the cell and spat on Baldur's boot before addressing the Nord.
"Don't think just because you bested me in the duel that it's over. Far from it. While old man Calvet and that Templar whore try to convince the Shield Princess for your release, these men will take the time to teach you a very important lesson. I never lose. Gentlemen, make an example our of this filthy savage."
One of the Beaugendre Knights laughed before taking a step towards Baldur.
"Je vais profiter de ça."
Unbeknownst to the man. By chosing to beat up Baldur with his fists rather than taking up his weapon, he had just forfeited his life. He reared his fist back before throwing a punch to the Nord which he effortlessly dodged before grabbing the man by the back of the head and proceeded to slam his face against the wall opposite of the cell's iron bars. The knight staggered back and held his forehead in pain only to feel something wrap and start constricting his neck. Causing his vision to narrow as the air slowly left his lungs.
Baldur, having used the chains connecting the shackles on his wrists to choke the Beaugendre Knight, pulled his shackles back hard until the man's head started turning purple from the lack of oxygen. Then with a strong kick to the knight's back, Baldur snapped the man's neck and subsequently ended his life. The Nord removed himself from the now dead knight and turned around to see the dumbfounded looks on the faces of his assailants as well as the terrified visage of Armand.
The Nord dropped to one knee and unsheathed the arming sword from the dead man's scabbard before rising to his feet and sending a bloodthirsty grin at the remaining knights.
"þu færðist of mikið í fang."
With a roar, Baldur threw himself at the three remaining knights as they drew their weapons. One threw a swing at Baldur hut the Nord deflected his blade before kicking him back with enough force to cause him to stagger back into the cell's bars. He then bashed his shoulder into the second knight and sent him stumbling back before elbowing the third in the abdomen and forcing him to bend over in pain. Baldur held the arming sword with both hands before raising it above his head then slammed the pommel down hard onto the back of the bent over knight's neck. A crack was heard when the pommel made contact with the man's neck and his body immediately crumpled to the floor.
Baldur then ducked underneath the swing of the other knight and slipping underneath the man's arm before quickly elbowing him on the back of the head and caused him to stumbled forward. He then swung his blade in an arc to deflect the sword of the first knight before expertly switching to a reverse grip and pushed the edge of the blade into the man's throat. Pushing his body back as well until he hit the wall and the Nord dragged his blade across the knight's throat.
The Mercenary Lord of the Shield Companions turned to face the third Beaugendre Knight only to have the man try to tackle him. Keyword being try. The knight was barely able to move the Nord who had an unimpressed look on his face before grabbing the man on the back of the head and pulled his head back so he was looking at Baldur. The Nord then slammed his forehead against the knight's nose.
The Beaugendre Knight stumbled back and Baldur grabbed him by the surcoat before punching him repeatedly in the face. Blood spilled and coated his fist as well as stained his shirt. The knight fell to his knees yet Baldur continued beating his face in until it was nothing more than a bloody pulp. Once he was done, he let go of the knight's surcoat and watched as the man fell to his back on the ground. The only sound coming from him were soft whispers of mercy. Baldur either didn't hear or blatantly ignored his words as he raised his boot and brought it down on the knight's face.
Behind the cell door, Armand stared at the scene with wide eyes. His jaw nearly touching the floor as he witnessed the Nord brutally kill his knightly escorts. Quivering in fear, he was too scared to notice that the two like-minded noblemen he brought with him had already left. The two having scrambled to the dungeon's door as soon as they saw Baldur kill the first knight. The young nobleman's hands shook so bad that he dropped the keys on the floor which was then soaked by a puddle of piss as Armand once more lost control of his bladder.
Baldur walked towards the cell door before leaning his forehead on the bars then his hands gripped the bars as well. His eyes stared into Armand's own and the Nord could only see fear behind the young noble's eyes. All the arrogance it held before was gone. Replaced by fear and fear alone.
"Drepa." The Nord droned as he looked at Armand through the bars. He wanted to see if he can scare the boy into shitting his pants "Drepa. Drepa. Drepa."
Baldur continued to chant the word -foreign to Armand's ears- and the young nobleman couldn't take it anymore. He ran for the door only for said door to burst open and the Shield Princess of Ken entered the dungeons. Followed by Duke Arnoult, Knight-Commander Marjorie, Knight-Captain Isabelle and four Dawn Templars. Armand couldn't stop himself in time and would have smashed into Claudia had the Grand Mistress of the Dawn Templars not grabbed him by the shoulders at the last second.
"Lord Armand. What is the meaning of this? What are you doing here?"
"M-Monster." Armand stuttered "Monster. MONSTER!!"
Claudia was shocked at the young noble's manic state before handing him off to two of her Dawn Templars and giving them orders to keep him detained and to not let him leave. She still had questions for him. She then made her way over to Baldur's cell and her body turned rigid while her eye's widened at the sight that met her. Four dead knights and one bloody Mercenary Lord who looked at her without an ounce of emotion.
"What- WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
"Ask him." Baldur gestured his head towards Armand before letting out a snort "If you can get anything out of him that is."
Claudia bared her teeth and grabbed Baldur by the shirt. She intended to pull him towards the bars but that was useless as his forehead was already pressed on the bars so she settled for glaring at him.
"Explain. Now."
"Hm."
Baldur decided to humor the Shield Princess but not before straightening his posture and effortlessly pulling his shirt fee from Claudia's grasp without much effort.
"The boy thought it'd be a good idea to have his men beat, maybe even kill me, while Duke Arnoult and who I assume to be Knight-Captain Isabelle try to convince you to let me go. As you can see, it didn't end well for them."
"Don't think it won't end well for you, sellsword. You just killed four knights of House Beaugendre. You will be hange- "
"Is it a crime if I killed them in self-defense?"
"What?" Claudia asked through gritted teeth.
"I asked if it was a crime if I killed them in self-defense?"
"No."
Baldur leaned his arm on the iron bars and rested his forehead on his forearm while maintaining eye contact with the Grand Mistress.
"Then what did I do to deserve being thrown into the dungeons and hanged?"
"You were going to kill Lord Armand!" Claudia shot back "The only heir to the Duchy of Beaugendre."
"Tch. If I wanted to kill him I would have done it already. I stopped the axe when the edge was inches from his neck. He may be a little prick but that wasn't reason enough to kill him and it wasn't worth the effort."
"Then why did you do that?"
"I wanted to see the look on his face after all that talk of striking me down with only one stroke. Hell. He even told me 'Prepare to die'. Seeing him scream like a child was good enough for me. But making him piss himself? That was even better."
Claudia narrowed her eyes at the Nord who kept his face neutral as always and she found it hard to read him.
"So you did all that just to... humiliate, Lord Armand?"
"The boy could use a peg or two off his high horse. Work on his attitude."
Not really. He could care less about the boy's attitude. He just wanted to get a good laugh at the young noble's expense. Though if he knew it would lead to this waste of time he never would have entertained the boy's challenge.
"I'm sure somebody else already tried that in the past and failed considering how he talked to me back in the hall but now it's my turn. I like to think my methods worked well."
Claudia and Duke Arnoult looked at Armand's cowering form and his delirious mumbling before the latter turned to the Nord with a wry smirk. While he considered Duke Corin of Beaugendre a friend, the same cannot be said to his son. The boy was a prick.
"It seems it worked a little too well, Lord Baldur." He then turned to face the Shield Princess "As you can see, Your Highness. This was all a misunderstanding."
"And what about them?" Claudia gestured at the corpses around Baldur "How are we going to explain that?"
"Your Highness. They were willing to attack, perhaps even kill, an unarmed and shackled man that had been mistakenly locked in MY castle's dungeons through a misunderstanding. This proves that they are no better than bandits."
Claudia huffed and crossed her arms "Maybe so but they are still Beaugendre Knights. I think it would be fitting if Duke Corin were the one to pass judgement on this sellsword. This mercenary would also have to explain to the Duke of Beaugendre why his heir has become nothing more than a bumbling mess. He would remain in this dungeon until Duke Corin arrives."
Duke Arnoult opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it. He looked to Knight-Captain Isabelle and shook her head when she moved to speak before turning back to the Shield Princess of Ken.
"As you wish, Your Highness. I shall send a raven to inform the Duke of Beaugendre of the situation."
Claudia nodded and gave Baldur one last glare before leaving the dungeons. Taking the delirious young noble with her along with her Dawn Templar escorts. Once she was gone, Duke Arnoult turned to address Baldur as well as Isabelle who didn't leave with the other Templars.
"I apologize, Lord Baldur, for failing to convince Her Highness to release you early. If that fool of a boy hadn't done this perhaps she would have let you go but the damned boy made things worse."
"You're not condemning me for killing these knights?"
"No." Duke Arnoult shook his head "They were all too willing to harm or even kill an unarmed man that had been wrongfully imprisoned. Even if you had kept them alive, word would have spread of what they've done. I would make sure of it. Shame would be brought down upon their house and name. Any chance they have in earning titles or rising up in the hierarchy of the nobility is as good as gone. Their deaths would be seen as payment for their actions. Though if you had kept them alive, their house would have paid a hefty ransom to get them back. Especially if they are the sona of powerful and rich nobles."
Upon hearing this, the Nord cursed himself for forgetting one of the most profitable endeavors in Calradia. Ransoming. Of all the things he could've forgotten, it just had to be the one which could have earned him coin while he was here. After fighting Beastmen, Orcs and Dark Elves who were too dangerous to ransom, He got used to just killing them that he forgot that there were benefits in keeping your opponents alive. The Beastmen could be used for their hides and horns dead or alive but the greenskins and the Dark Elves? The former didn't really have anyone to ransom with and the latter couldn't be sold off to slave traders as slavery was outlawed and there were no slave traders in the county. At least alive ones. The Beastmen probably ate them. Those who did survive probably fled the county shortly.
"Damn it."
Duke Arnoult snorted before turning serious.
"Like I said to Her Highness. I would send a raven to inform Duke Corin of the situation. I will not spare details of what his son did. You will be free to return to your company but I fear it might take a few days before you can do so. Your company have been a great help in retaking Vallonton and your Mercenary Commander, Batu, was it? He saved me from becoming a prisoner of the Discordians. For that, I owe the Shield Companions a debt which I intend to pay in full."
The Duke of Calvet looked at the corpses inside the cell and grimaced.
"I'll have someone retrieve the bodies later and bring you food as well as a fresh set of clothes. Though we might have trouble finding one of your size. Rest assured that you would be treated as a guest rather than a prisoner though you will have to stay down here for the time being."
Baldur nodded his thanks before sitting back down on the ground and leaned his back on the wall once more. He noticed that Isabelle didn't leave yet and raised a brow at the Knight-Captain.
"Need something?"
Isabelle was silent for a few moments before letting out a sigh.
"I'm leaving tonight to inform your company of what happened here. I don't want them finding this out from somebody else that might get the story wrong. I know how much your mercenaries are loyal to you and I'm afraid that they would take up arms to free you if they didn't hear the full story."
Baldur thought for a moment before nodding in approval "Good thinking. Give me something to write on and write with first. They're going to need proof."
Isabelle nodded and left to find a quill and parchment. Baldur watched her go before leaning his head back and stared at the ceiling. He let out a sigh through his nose and wondered how long this whole ordeal was going to waste his time.
AN: Translations
• Je vais profiter de ça = I will enjoy this.
• þu færðist of mikið í fang = You bit off more than you can chew.
• Drepa = Kill.