Blackbeard; The Legend

A Proper Introduction

Entering the courtyard, the other Vikings who had been conversing with Asmund and Kanin turned to look at the three of them. They were a definite odd bunch, as they eyed her and the others. Along with that, they were only four of them. Her mother had told stories of how Vikings were so numerous in number that they had multiple halls all across the Svellands to accommodate them, but standing before Akahana were just a ragtag group. 

Darby clapped her hands. "Everyone! Meet our new members!" She gestured to them eagerly. "Akahana, Takahiro, and Ryota." She pointed to them one by one as she said their names. "Now, would anyone like to introduce themselves first to our new fellows?" 

"I can!" An eager voice piped up, and from the group Akahana smiled nervously as the first of them walked towards her, Ryota, and Takahiro. He was a wolverine, not as tall as the others, but not as short as Dagfinn. He wore a simple red tunic, lined with yellow, and a belt that had the snowflake symbol of the Vikings. A spear was affixed to his back, the metal glistening. His amber eyes glimmered warmly as he extended a fuzzy hand, his lips stretched out in a welcoming grin.

"Hello!" He greeted. "My name's Gjurd Ottosen!" 

"Hello," Akahana shook his firm hand. "My name's Akahana."

"Pleasure to meet you." Takahiro greeted formally. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from the Svellands!" Gjurd responded.

"He means which city, you doof." Dagfinn scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, I'm from Håndverkerby!" The wolverine smiled. "You guys are from another country, right? That's so cool!" He leaned forward. "What is it like where you are from? What kind of monsters are there? What did you guys-"

Darby chuckled softly. "I think that's a bit too many questions, Gjurd." She said as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "They'll need time to adapt, so it's best if you ask these questions a little later, okay?"

"Oh...Okay..." Gjurd looked down at the ground.

"Why don't you tell them something about yourself, hm?" Darby suggested, and Gjurd's eyes lit up immediately like a relit candle. 

"I can do that!" He exclaimed. "So, fun fact about me; I really like eating stuff, meat especially." Gjurd said. "Oh, and also, I'm new like you guys! And trust me, it's awesome being a Viking! We train everyday under Instructor Darby, and she's the best!"

"Definitely," A voice remarked dryly behind Gjurd, "It's totally awesome when she makes us break our bones every morning." A small giggle could be heard following the remark, and Akahana looked to see two of the Vikings tittering; a snow leopard in purple and cerulean cloth, her arms fitted with leather gauntlets, and a lynx, wearing an emerald green tunic, a bow and quiver strung on her back.

Darby narrowed her eyes. "Do you want to say something, Maiken?" She asked, and the leopard rolled her lemon-coloured eyes and shook her head. "How about you greet our new members next then, hm?"

"Fine." Maiken stepped forward, and she grinned as she extended a hand to Akahana. "Welcome to the slaughterhouse, fresh meat." She whispered as she leaned in. "Hope you can fend for yourselves."

"I can hear you Maiken." Darby furrowed her brows disapprovingly . "That's no way to greet your fellow Vikings, now is it?"

Maiken sighed. "You're no fun today, Darbs. I'm just joking." She turned back to Akahana and the others, the intimidating gleam in her eyes replaced with a friendly one. "The name's Maiken. Maiken Granum. Brawler extraordinaire." She cracked her knuckles and shook each of their hands. "Apologies for what I said earlier. I just wanted to see if you're made of the stuff. And if you wanna know something about me, it's that I'm always itching for a fight." A gleam of interest flashed in her eyes. "Hopefully you're as good as Asmund said." With that, Maiken turned around, her thick bushy tail swishing behind her as she returned to her spot beside the lynx, who gulped as she hesitantly stepped forward. She was slightly shorter than Akahana, and she tucked one of her legs behind the other as she extended a shy paw.