Blackbeard; The Legend

Tearful Goodbye

A massive iron gate towered numerous feet in the air before Akahana, casting its titanic shadow over the snowy ground. Equally enormous stone walls were connected to the sides of the gates, the bricks fortified and sturdy, and it stretched across miles in both directions. People marched around on the allures of the walls, armored and armed, their eyes scanning the ground below. Squinting, she could see even more colossal buildings behind the walls, and behind it all, obscuring everything, was a thick white mist that lingered in the air, where the shadows of structures could be faintly seen. Gasps of surprise and awe came from the passengers as they too gazed at the magnificent structure, and Ryota whistled.

"Now THAT is a what I call proper defense." He remarked. 

"If you're that impressed, then you'll be surprised at what lies inside." Asmund smirked. "It seems that the other wagons are in good shape as well." He commented, and Akahana followed his gaze to see the other carts filled with the rest of the rescued prisoners waiting at the gates. As their wagon neared, one of the warriors spotted them and yelled in greeting.

"Oi! Asmund and Kanin are here!" He shouted, and the other soldiers cheered as the cart rolled to a stop, and Asmund and Kanin hopped out of the wagon to greet them, wide grins on both of their faces. "Where have you been?" One of them asked. "We were waiting for you earlier today, and you didn't arrive on time."

"We were held up by a Beowulf." Asmund replied, and a gasp arose from the Vikings. 

"A Beowulf?" They murmured. "They never come close to the road!"

"No need to worry my friends!" Asmund exclaimed heartily. "We managed to drive it back and send it scurrying with its tail between it's legs!" At that, the Vikings' nervousness vanished and was replaced by triumph as they commended Asmund.

"So how did you and Kanin defeat it?" One of them asked eagerly.

"Oh, Kanin didn't help." Asmund said, and he turned to look behind him at Akahana, Ryota, and Takahiro. "They did." Akahana gulped as she exited the wagon and walked towards Asmund and the other warriors, Ryota and Takahiro equally nervous. "Everyone, this is Akahana, Ryota, and Takahiro." He introduced, and at first, no one spoke. "These three saved me from the Beowulf, and she in particular was the one who defeated it." He pointed to her, and a bead of sweat trickled down her face as the soldiers examined her, murmuring and casting curious glances. 

"She was the took it down?" One of them asked, and Asmund nodded. "A passenger?"

"She shattered that beast's jaw and sent it fleeing for it's life." He described, and he patted her back. "She saved my life." He added, beaming. The soldiers buzzed for a few moments more, before one of them stepped forward and extended a meaty hand. 

"Anyone who can take down a Beowulf and save our leader is a hero in our eyes." He said. "Ain't that right lads?" Shouts of agreement rose from the warriors, and Akahana smiled as they whooped and applauded. 

"Alright, alright," Asmund chuckled, raising his hands. "I think that's enough for now. Besides, we have refugees to drop off." The warriors nodded, and saluted before they dispersed and went back to their wagons. Asmund looked up at the guards perched on the walkways, and he made a thumbs up sign. The sound of gears and chains churning echoed loudly as the gate began to creak and groan, before it began to slowly rise, revealing what was behind it.

Tens of hundreds of small cottages and houses were practically squished together in multiple bunches that lay scattered across the ground like little towns, with small paths leading to and from one another, with a few more being constructed by groups of workers. In the middle was a large town hall made from timber and stone, and a paved trail emerged from the back of it, leading towards a smaller second gate, separating the area from the rest of Krigerby, as behind the second gate were much more sophisticated buildings. And behind it all was that same cold thick fog that blanketed everything behind it, although Akahana could see the outlines of those titanic edifices a bit more clearly.