HI. Welcome back to the second part of 'Wood, Iron, and Steel'! For some news first: Marching Fire has finally been released! with that said, I am having second thoughts about bringing the Wu Lin heroes in here. They won't be in as a whole faction, and will only appear as minor characters ;). Also, managed to finish far earlier since I have finished the first semester of college! Hooray! Anyways, enjoy the chapter! xP
Discord server :P: https://discord.gg/8CU9Un9
I find your lack of faith in my disclaimers, disturbing. o_-
I do not, in any ay, own For Honor or any resources that might make an appearance here. If I did, then aliens would invade us :v
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- Back in the Citadel of Harrowgate, General POV... -
Whitesong: "Oi! Just because you got promoted to an actual officer doesn't mean that you can just move around and whatnot!"
Black: "It's fine. I didn't do anything too serious. Are you envious of me, Arthe?"
Whitesong: "What? No! I'd put cattle in your room for saying such thing!"
Black: "Hey! Don't you dare do that again!"
Amber and Mercy watch from a distance as the two Lightshield Captains comically argue like kids. It was almost amusing for the two women.
Mercy: "Them? Are you sure that you want to bring them with us? They are Lightshields and all, but them?" Mercy asks Amber, very much confused.
Amber looks at the shorter woman for a second, then gazes back at the two Captains who are now at each other's throat, already made her decision.
Amber: "Yes. They will do." She replies briefly, before walking towards the two with Mercy following shortly.
The two Lightshields kept on arguing as the two female Knights walk towards them. Amber stops a few meters short by them and calls them out.
Amber: "Captains." She says them in a calm voice.
The Marcus and Arthe immediately stops whatever they were doing, stood straight side by side, and saluted the higher ranking person in front of them, as if nothing happened before.
Whitesong: "Commander Peltaris! We weren't doing anything suspicious like sneaking in ale from the mess hall!" The blonde suddenly and unconsciously says while the black-haired one facepalms.
Amber raises an eyebrow in confusion, which sent both of them on edge. Marcus elbows Arthe at the side of his cuirass, which snaps him off to reality, and composes himself before answering properly.
Whitesong: "Oh! Um... so, how can we help you, Commander?" He asks, hoping that he's not in trouble.
Amber: "I want you two to take me to either Commander Titus or Commander Meneth. I have a request for them." She says to them.
Whitesong: "Of course, Commander. This way." He says and the two Captains turns towards wherever their commanding officers are, and Amber and Mercy follows suit.
Along the way, they continued arguing, although at a lower scale. Eventually, it turned to hand slapping all the while they lead the way. Mercy chuckles at this and Amber smirks.
Mercy: "You know... they remind me so much of (Y/n) and Ademar when they used to argue like that." Mercy comments, and it's Amber's to have a small laugh.
Amber: "Heh, I can imagine."
- A little bit later... -
Amber and Mercy arrived to the same training field that the Lightshield Cohort always used. She is greeted by the Cohort's members as they make their way. Davius and Ademar were overseeing their men who are constantly training with whatever they are good at. Ademar notices the four approaching, and he nudges Davius to get his attention.
Marcus and Arthe, who finally stopped arguing, walked up to their commanding officers to inform of Amber's intentions.
Black: "Commander Titus. Commander Peltaris here requested for your audience, as well as Commander Meneth's." Marcus Black tells them as Amber walks closer to them.
Amber: "Commander Titus. Commander Meneth." She greets them with a salute.
Davius: "Commander Peltaris. This is an unexpected visit, but a welcomed one." Titus comments while also saluting himself alongside Ademar.
Amber: "Thank you. First of all, I would like to congratulate you for your promotion to Commander. You truly deserve it."
Davius: "Many thanks, Commander Peltaris. Now, let us get to the business that you have brought here."
Whitesong: "We shall be leaving you to your conversation. Excuse us." Arthe says, and they were about to leave but were stopped by Mercy who stood in their way.
Mercy: "No. This matter involves you two." The Peacekeeper tells them, and she swore that they went as pale as freshly-cut turnips when she finished.
Ademar overhears this and became curious and suspicious.
Ademar: "What? Have they been doing something that warranted a report here?" Ademar asks Amber while the two Captains nervously look at each other with their backs towards the four Blackstone commanders.
Amber: "No, no. Nothing of the sort. I have a request that I wanted to tell you two, and it indeed involves them." She assures everyone while gesturing to the two Captains.
Marcus and Arthe both sighed at that assurance, which Mercy raised an eyebrow at in amusement. Davius and Ademar looked at each other before talking back, with Ademar crossing his arms.
Davius: "So, what would that be?" He asks Amber as he leads everyone to the nearest set of chairs and table.
Everyone sits down except the two Captains who are still slightly on edge.
Amber: "Do you remember the task that Apollyon gave me?"
Davius: "Indeed I do. You and Summerfield are assigned to study the Myre personally, but you are given time to prepare." He answers.
Amber: "Yes. I would need people that will come with us. I can't bring all of the men under me, so I have to choose those who are capable with tasks regarding covert activities. The Lightshield Cohort is what came to my mind first." She tells them, which the two commanders of the Lightshield Cohort hummed in agreement.
Ademar: "And you wanted some of our men to take the job, correct?"
Amber: "Precisely, and I chose these Knights to do that." She says, gesturing to Marcus and Arthe.
Black: "Wait, what?"
Davius: "We understand. I can recommend some others as well if you are interested." He offers to her.
Amber: "No. I don't want to remove more of your manpower as it is, even though you are managing to slowly expand the Cohort to nearly a thousand strong. These men would do."
Davius: "Very well. I do hope they return back to us in good shape." He tells her, with the two gulping at the possibilities.
Amber: "Worry not, Commanders. I will treat them as well as I do with my own men." She assures them.
Ademar: "Then we have no more issues. If you need more candidates for your group, just tell one of us."
Amber nods and they all stand up. Ademar talks a bit to the two Captains while Mercy goes to Amber.
Mercy: "That went better than I expected." She comments.
Amber: "That happens if you have a good impression and relationship with the other commanders here." She says, which Mercy agrees to.
Davius had already went back to spectating their men, and Ademar joins him again, giving Amber a nod that signifies that all is well. Amber nods back, and turns to see the two Captains walking to her and Mercy.
Whitesong: "We are yours to command, Commander Peltaris."
Black: "We'll do whatever is in our power to help you on your mission."
They both say to her, and she smiles.
Amber: "Now, I do hope that you two won't argue again, especially during our mission. It might jeopardize all of us." She tells them, referring to their earlier interactions.
They both chuckle nervously, and Amber and Mercy looks at them in great amusement.
Mercy: "So, who else do you have in mind?" Mercy asks Amber.
Amber: "I'm thinking one of my two officers. Sir Ringo cannot go, for I will be leaving him in charge of our men. Perhaps Captain Dain or Gavin. Then I would consult Cross for anyone he might refer. If that doesn't work, then we can go back to the Lightshields." She says while she contemplates with her right hand on her chin.
Mercy: "Sounds like a plan. I'll see if I can get Captain Witherridge to spare anyone from the 274th Phalanx for the sake of skill diversity."
Amber: "Excellent thinking, Mercy. Good luck."
With that Mercy and Amber saluted each other, and Amber leads the two Lightshield Captains to where her men are staying, giving them a rundown on what they might undertake during their mission.
All is going well.
For now.
- Stigandr's flashback... -
Gulisano: "... Now, have you been inside Odinsgard before?" Gulisano, one of Anaximander's friends, asks the Warborn jarl as they sit on top of a hill overlooking a good portion of the docks in question.
Stigandr: "A few times, but they were never thorough." The jarl answers.
Gulisano: "Then it's where I come in. Information from our agents suggests that their men numbers less than a thousand. They have been cut down over the months by constant raids from other clans, most notably the Bearclaw clan. The force that you have brought is more than enough to take them on, if not a little overkill."
Stigandr: "They have destroyed our way of life. My people seek nothing more than erasing them of our lands in any way possible." The jarl spits at the man.
Gulisano: "That, I cannot argue with. However, the gate and the walls around it are quite fortified." He say as they turn to look.
Below them and farther away is the main section of the wall. Blackstone Knights littered the ramparts as well as behind the gate itself.
Stigandr: "So what do you suggest?" Stigandr asks.
Gulisano: "That is why we are here. Down this hill leads to a wooden fence." Gulisano says as he points down towards the base of the hill they are on. A wooden fence is barely seen from their position. "There is an opening in the fence that one of our agents made just for you, and it will take you straight inside Odinsgard, behind their main lines. From there, you can wreak as much havoc as you can. Once you entered through the opening, head to the left, and go up some ladders; you will be at the gate controls before you know it. Be vigilant, for you will face stiff resistance despite their diminished numbers. Nothing that you couldn't handle, I'm sure." The mysterious man with the white mantle decorated with a red cross tells the jarl as he gets up to leave.
Stigandr: "I still don't understand how a foreigner like you is so dedicated to help me and my people." Stigandr comments as he stands up himself.
Gulisano: "Hah! That's what your brother, Gudmundr said to us when we talked about it. Now, go, and liberate Valkenheim." The mysterious man replies as he walks down the hill, disappearing through the trees.
Stigandr, while still unfriendly towards the person and his group, had to agree to himself that he has a lot of points. He turns towards Odinsgard, with a decision that will change everything.
Stigandr: (Narrating) "We would need ships, and I had been out of action for long enough."
He slides downhill, and prepares for combat.
- Present time... -
Julius Salavander and two of his guards, a Warden and a Conqueror, walk out of one of the buildings, observing the situation for a bit. Stigandr and Helvar rush to confront Julius and his men, and they all had a staredown for a bit. Julius thrusts his sword into the air and shouts:
Julius: "NECA EOS OMNES! (KILL THEM ALL!)"
Helvar and Stigandr prepare for a harder fight.
Stigandr: "Odin's beard!" He retorts.
They charge and face the Blackstones on the wooden bridge over a body of water with a broken down gate at their right; a treacherous battlefront.
Apollyon: (Narrating) “The Vikings had built up their settlements and shipyards over decades, centuries. It took a little more than a year for it all to fall into disrepair.”
Helvar somehow parries the top attack of the Warden, knocking her off-balance and allowing the Berserker to break her guard and use one of his axes to pull her down to the water, immediately removing a threat.
As this happens, Stigandr charges the Conqueror with his shield in an attempt to push him back, but the Conqueror held his ground well with his own shield. The Knight attempts to hit the jarl from behind his shield, though Stigandr sees this and backs off to evade. Helvar attacks the Conqueror, though his strikes were blocked and attempts to push him down the water. Helvar evades the shield bash and Stigandr attacks again. He breaks the Conqueror's guard and flips him towards his back; his opponent slipping the side of the bridge and towards the water.
Stigandr looks forward, but the other Knight is nowhere in sight.
Helvar: "He must've ran away. What a coward." Helvar comments, noticing the absence of the Knight as well.
They both enter the buildinv in front and sees more footmen and Captains.
Helvar: "I'll take care of them. Go up the stairs and join our men. Go!" The Berserker says to the Warlord and they nod at each other.
Helvar engaged the Knights in the building while Stigandr goes up to the stairs at the left corner. He goes up and follows the path. He finds himself outside once more and he joins the Warborn in pushing the Knights back. One by one, they took them down, eventually reaching the building at the end of the narrow battlefield.
Apollyon: (Narrating) “Viking clans do not truly join one another. Alliances are common, but are just as commonly broken. The ‘Warborn clans’ are just a way of saying ‘all the clans who cannot defeat the Warborn in combat.'"
Stigandr takes out a flask the the mysteriouss group of helpers apparently supplied the Warborn with from his pouch. He throws it inside the building and it explodes, killing everyone inside.
As his men goes in, he sees the goldclad Knight to his left, watching from afar. He jumps down to the concrete platform below the stone bridge and jogs towards the Knight Commander with Helvar joining him.
With no other way out, Julius faces both of the Vikings. He immediately goes in to break Stigandr's guard, but the Warlord pushes him off and the Warden stumbles back. Stigandr attacks Julius, though the Warden rolls to the left to evade. Stigandr attacks again, and is evaded again, taking a hit from the Knight's longsword.
Not relenting, Stigandr attacks again, and Julius evades to his right, but this time, he got caught by Helvar who broke his guard and punched him in his gut.
Julius falls down but he quickly gets up. He glares the two Vikings down with his helmet, breathing heavily. He is outnumbered and doesn't know how to fight them.
However, something fell off from the wall behind Julius. It all got their attention and looked at it; a small black sphere with what appears to be a lit up rope.
Suddenly, it explodes and envelops their surroundings with smoke, each one of them becoming nothing more than silhouettes.
Taking the opportunity, Stigandr charges through the smoke and pushes the silhouette of their opponent, and drives his sword to his gut, earning him a groan from the Knight. He pulls it off as the smoke slowly clears, letting the still obstructed body fall down. He holds his sword behind his shield hand and turns to Helvar who is now standing down.
Stigandr: "Odinsgard is ours." He says as they shake hands and hear their men shout victoriously.
- Later... -
The rest of the Warborn Clan arrived and inspected their spoils of war.
Stigandr: (Narrating) "Those Blackstones has quite a haul."
After speaking with Runa, Stigandr opens up one of the crates, full of what appears to be rectangular currency of unknown origin. Helvar walks up to Stigandr.
(Helvar taking out a Samurai helmet from one of the crates. Source: For Honor wiki.)
Stigandr: "Where did these come from?" He asks Helvar, who takes out a Samurai helmet.
Helvar: "Samurai ships, washing up all summer long... Fulla this junk." He says as he tosses the helmet to Stigandr, who looks at it for a moment.
An idea comes to mind.
Stigandr: "The Samurai!" He announces to everyone who then stops to listen.
Helvar: "They're weak. We outnumber them ten to one!"
Stigandr: "And they've had a good year!" He tosses the helmet back to Helvar before proceeding to open several crates, revealing similar loot inside. "We're gonna need a fleet."
The Warborn look at each other, nodding at each other in approval. They then all laughed cheered.
Stigandr: (Narrating) "It was time for a raid."
- On top of the hill where Stigandr was before observing... -
(Y/n): (Narrating) "It is done. Valkenheim has been liberated. And now, a new goal has been set."
Anaximander, Krebs, and Gulisano are all standing on top of the hill, watching the Vikings celebrating their great victory.
Krebs: "So, Valkenheim is free. What happens now?" The Lawbringer who has his face obstructed asks their leader.
Anaximander: "With the Samurai loot, they have found a new purpose for their docks and ships."
Krebs: "They will turn their eyes to the Myre. It'll be like the Blackstones' campaign here before all over again. Only this time, it's the Vikings versus the Samurai of the Myre." He says, realizing the possibility. "I think they should know." He says, referring to their friends from the Myre.
Anaximander: "I know. Better that they know sooner." The cloaked Warden replies as he continues to gaze at the Vikings.
Gulisano: "You think that they will take it well; the fact that we are allowing the Vikings to assault the Samurai; their people?" The other person to Anaximander's left side asks.
Anaximander: "Arashicage, I have no doubts. Yana, on the other hand, may not like the idea. Even so, we must make her understand that many sacrifices must be made in order for this plan to work." He replies seriously.
Krebs: "She knows what she had signed up for. She must understand." Krebs comments.
Anaximander: "Agreed. But we have other concerns..." He trails off, taking out a golden medallion decorated with an eye with rays of light emanating from it and looking at it. It's Julius Salavander's medallion. "We need to go back and show our friends the truth."
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Great events will happen in the future, my friends! Our mysterious character, Anaximander; the catalyst for all of these will turns his eyes to the Myre as will the Vikings. But he mentioned that he has something to do back home in Ashfeld. Hmm, what would that be? Anyways, hope you people enjoyed and have a great day/night!
Arcani out!