Rebirth of a Norsemen

Chapter One - Leaving an old life

Brad caught the spear in midair turning it around in his hands and sending it back towards its sender. The man hit the ground with a thud that couldn’t be heard over the roar of battle. Fueled by the simple bless of battle Brad ran forward tearing the spear out of his recently slain foe and thrusting it into another. As the battle drew on Brad’s hands grew slick with blood and his muscles ached from overexertion.

Feeling true fatigue for perhaps the first time in his life, Brad pulled a small disc made of bone and inscribed with the rune Uruz. With a brief prayer to Odin thanking him for this gift and another to Thor for protection Brad swallowed the bone chip absorbing the Physical strength and speed from the rune.

With his new found energy Brad felt that nothing could stop him. He removed the one handed axe that hung from his belt. Like a fierce wolf he lashed out at his victims. The axe became part of his body and the salty tang of his prey blood stained his face. Spear, axe or sword it didn’t matter, they all become his claws and teeth once he entered berserk mode. This was both the blessing and the curse of the rune he used.

From a fog Brad watched as another man’s head toppled to the ground. Another foe fell grasping his leg. Brad knew it would only take seconds for the man to bleed out without a healing rune so he moved onward to his next opponent.

With one swing Brad shattered the warriors shield and forced him to his knees. With a downward chop Brad smashed into the warriors head. He barely noticed what would otherwise be agonizing pain from his shoulder. Looking down slightly he could see an axe head buried a good four inches into him.

Turning around he saw the sneaky rat that attacked him from behind. Brad spat in the cowards face before burring his own axe into his skull. Two more foes stabbed at him with swords. One only landing a glancing blow against Brads axe head whiles the other ran him through the gut. Brad sent them both to their own deaths with quick flurries of his weapon.

With his back on the earth Brad gazed upward to the skies. So much left undone in this world. He had hoped to take his son for his first raid. To see his daughter wed to a strong and honest man. With a blink darkness took over his vision. A massive tree glowed in the distance and on its own accord Brad’s body flew towards the tree. As he approached he could see the nine worlds that were held in the trees roots and branches.

“Yggdrasil,” Brad whispered in shock to himself.

Brad was pulled closer to of the planets. It was flat, more like a floating rock with oceans, pastures of lush green grass and building somehow managing to not fall off the edge of the world. Brad’s feet came to rest in front of a giant hall. The double doors were wide enough for twenty men to easily pass through at once and they were high enough that Brad’s eyes could only see clouds instead of a frame. On the sides of the door frame gold inlays depicted heroes of ages long passed.

Before him the doors opened, beckoning him in. With each additional step he felt renewed. Ready for battle; even longing for it. Moving deeper inside a spear appeared in his hands followed by an axe on his belt. Ahead of him he could hear men laughing and the clear pounding of goblets hitting each other.

He entered the room that the men sat in and a sword and shield manifested on his back. The new room was a dining hall and smells of roasted pork, beef and salted fish filled his nostrils. The room fell silent with his entrance and everywhere he looked the men’s gazed followed him.

“Gunnar! Come drink, eat and be merry. Tomorrow we battle,” said a man with grey hair and matching beard sitting at the front of the hall.

“Gunnar? Who is Gunnar?” Brad asked.

The room erupted with laughter. Men hit each other on the shoulder and a couple even spat mead from their nose. Brad didn’t see what was so funny. He felt like he was the only one in the world left out of a joke and he didn’t care for it much.