The year was unbeknownst to me. Ender being a pirate for hire. My ship had been stuck somewhere via magic. Meaning a bottle, or so I was told. I was hiring out of a port where Cafe Shi had been transported to by some time wizard or other. Into café Shi walked a redheaded lady. All women to me, Ender the pirate, were ladies. Some for better, some for worse. She announced she needed some crew for her adventure. Her name is Reanna the Red.
Being a pirate, I had heard of this viking lady in a different age and era. However, being a time traveling pirate. This made this adventure something to look forward to in a past story that Ender had heard a long time ago. So when she was signing people up, I signed my name. Ender Talon.
So, all the other members that had signed up. Well, they had just put down their mark of an X or Y instead of a signature. Reanna the Red looks up from her scrolling and says something to affect a learned man, uh?
Being a pirate, I just smiled back. Missing a front tooth kind of usually shut people up because. Well, because I was a scary-looking person. Reanna the Red pointed to me and another scroll of parchment. Which I read out loud to her as she showed she wanted it.
It was in Latin. My Latin to be honest sucked in that time and age. They failed to space lettering, and punctuation was always a question in anyone’s mind. So I started the story. Wolf’s treasure was buried with him in a Forest Finns fae ring on a farm in Norway. At that point Reanna the Red shh Ender. That is good enough. You will do this adventure.
So the question of the adventure was answered: our group was off to find a dead man treasure at some farm. The number of people being signed up, and the type were big and fighters. This made Ender wonder about what type of farmer Reanna the Red the vikings were up against?
Reanna the Red after signing up close to fifty men. Then she bought the house a round and then ordered everyone onto her ship. She kept Ender Talon close by and her scroll.
The first night out on the ship was wild. The ship had pulled out of port with the wind at the sails and was pushing the ship along. When all of sudden dead calm. The ship came to a dead halt in the middle of the water. When in the middle there was no land in sight and the night sky was coming?
Reanne ordered the Red Order thirty men below and broke out the oars. The men going below screamed a bit. The twenty of us left above were kind of wondering what was going on. However, oars were pushed out, and the ship moved again.
After setting up a bit. Reanna the Red had me read her scroll. The story went along the lines of a Bard named Alford, who was a servant of the dead man. His poetry sucked to be honest, however it was more to the point. Where you find my bones you find my treasure. The problem with the rest of the story. As Ender told Reanna the Red was the treasure seemed more literary than gold.
Meaning? With ink and parchment in hand I write my gold. With this story is my treasure told. Ender tried to explain. That Alford was seemingly saying the spot or whatever it was. On the farm seemed to indicate the place would be a poem or something outside of gold.
Reanna the Red nodded her head and agreed. Reanna the Red sighed and said “It is the beginning of a great adventure Ender.” And with that she went off to bed. While the men at oars continued to oar. And no wind blew.
The ship reached a point in Northland, at which point Reanna the Red pulled out a map. All us twenty-two got on a march while Reanna the Red allowed the thirty below to sleep.
The trip carried the group across a bridge. That troll guarded. Their tax was too high. So the fight that followed was rather lame, to be honest. Two ole trolls fighting men with swords and axes. However, the trolls proved their skill. And brought down six men. Before falling under a combination of thrust from swords and men pounding them.
So, fourteen men, Ender and Reanna the Red continued along the map’s route to the farm. A bit up the road from the bridge among trees a band of merry men attacked with arrows. Before anyone knew what was going on. Taking two more men. Before the band disappeared into the forest.
Hence twelve men, Ender and Reanna the Red moved out of the forest into some farmland. Just about to the farm area marked with an X on the map. When another group vikings engaged Reanna the Red. The slaughter went back and forth. Reanna the Red fighting at the head of her group. The fierce fighting between similar equal numbers of men.
Just when all looked lost. Ender and Reanna the Red together engaged the leader of the other vikings. And within a few slashes and clashing of weapons brought an end to him. His head rolling down the hill. With that the other vikings broke and ran. Counting all the losses were six.
So with six vikings, Ender and Reanna the Red reach the farm. There the farmer home was burnt and the easy line from the back of the barn. Where we followed the route to the place marked on the map with an X. Ender and the six started digging. Digging about four feet down, they discovered a large stone with runs written on it. Ender translated again. “Here lays the hammer of the thunder god.”
Everyone was excited except Ender. Reading on for the rest of the runes said Prepare to fight for the hammer. A foot lower and they discovered skeletons.
Reanna the Red viking at heart. She kept everyone working as hard as the men on the oars, but this time with shovels digging into the night. Moving bones to one side. Where Ender kept on praying and placing the bones together for a thoughtful grave.
Around midnight, the six again hit upon another stone. This one was in Latin. Alford last will and testament. Which made Ender wonder how on earth if this was his last will and testament Reanna had gotten the scroll or the map.
The Latin words were an incantation or spell holding back something. What? The warning did not go that far or say what it was.
The pushing and pulling of the stone took around a few minutes after midnight. When all of a sudden Ender noticed the fae ring began to lit up. With the lighting of the ring the skeletons started to assembly themselves. To say that Ender and the six men were perturbed was to say much less than normal.