The Mighty Viking
The year is around 826, 10 years have gone by and many things have happened and when I say many things I mean adventures, the Emperor and his Paladins have been on all kinds of journeys, fighting beasts, giants and dragons alongside their new friend Ishtar-Deela and her bull.
Childe Rowland has also become one of the finest and mightiest of the Paladins, when Pellinore offered to give Rowland Durendal, Rowland refused saying;
" It is your sword, not mine "
Rowland instead wields the sword known as Jokulsnaut.
From time to time, the Paladins would visit Ishtar-Deela and ask the goddess of Nakh to summon a hero from the past, present and future, so that they may have a glorious battle and Tortolina is the one who has asked this of Ishtar-Deela the most, the second individual would be Christine, who is going to ask on this very day.
" So, who do you want to fight this time? " asked the goddess.
" Someone mighty, someone strong, someone who enjoys blood and battle " said Christine.
" Penthesilea? "
" No, I have already fought her and man, that was one hellva battle " said Christine with a smile.
" You broke four ribs, " said Angelos.
" Yeah " said Christine with a smile.
" Then how about Remus? "
" How about a Viking? "
Ishtar-Deela thought about it for a second and then said, with a smile;
" I know just the Viking "
Since his Paladins and knights enjoyed battles so much, Emperor Louis has created an arena where the many battles can take place, while the people look on and the warriors cheer on.
Christine was standing within the arena waiting for her opponent and I would just like to take this moment to say that Christine wields the Singing Sword of Conaire Mór.
" Odd that you would choose a sword like that? " said Shiva.
" What can I say, I like to listen to music while I battle " said Christine who now gave the signal to Ishtar-Deela that she was ready.
Ishtar-Deela held forth her hand and from the dust of the arena appeared a man with a legendary sword.
" Before we begin, let us introduce ourselves, I am Christine, the daughter of wrath and the wielder of the Singing Sword "
" I am Sigebert, the Mighty Viking who befriended the dragon and the wielder of Bal-Gram-Mung "
With the greetings now over, the battle began, Sigebert and Christine answered each other blow for blow.
" I may be going mad, but is your sword singing whenever I strike? " asked Sigebert.
Christine did not reply, she just smiled.
" I see "
The warriors continued their battle while the crowd was excited and the Paladins cheered on.
The crowd and the warriors watching on got to see the amazing skills of both Christine and Sigebert, and in the end, Sigebert was defeated but he did not disappear with shame rather, the Mighty Viking disappeared with a smile.
Christine, now covered in blood and sweat, raised her Singing Sword towards the sky, and combined with everyone's cheering, there could be heard a beautiful melody from the kingdom of Louis.
The great rivals
" Hey Christine "
" What's up? " said Christine talking to Rowland.
" Do you want to join me for a 2-on-2 match? "
" Sure, who are we fighting? "
" Well, I have just finished the Aeneid and Beowulf and I have some great warriors in mind " said Rowland with a smile.
Christine and Rowland were now at the Arena, and Per Rowland's request, Ishtar-Deela summoned the great rivals, Turnus and Breca.
" I gotta say, this was an ingenious idea, " said Christine.
" Yeah, hey, after this, how about you and I do it tonight? " said Rowland.
Christine looked at Rowland with a surprised look.
" So, you are finally ready? " asked Christine.
" Yes " said Rowland without hesitation.
" Very well, just make sure that I don't regret it, " said Christine with a smile.
" Don't you worry, I will leave us both satisfied " said Rowland with a smile as well.
The 2-on-2 match now began and both Christine and Rowland would later find out why Breca and Turnus are known as the great rivals.
Later.
" Are you ready? " asked Christine.
Rowland was nervous.
" Is this your first time? "
" Is this not your first time?! " asked Rowland shocked.
Christine just smiled.
" You just gotta do it, "
" All at once? "
" Don't worry, once it is in, you will feel a world of pleasure and I will be with you all the way " said Christine with a warm smile.
Rowland felt a warmth in his heart.
" Okay…. here I go! "
Rowland took his cup and drank it all down.
Everyone in the bar cheered and Christine finished her cup as well.
The priest and the demi-god
It is said, that in medieval times, knights, crusaders and paladins all had to go through a certain test/state of humility, which meant that two riders had to share a horse, some might say that Rowland has passed this test with flying colours, since he is sitting on Rainbow behind Christine.
" You feeling embarrassed? " asked Christine.
" Not at all, " said Rowland, confused, " Rainbow is your unicorn, I have no right to sit at the reins, " said Rowland innocently.
Christine just looked back at Rowland.
" Right, I forgot that you are a humble Paladin "
The two of them were just enjoying the forest while Rainbow was just walking peacefully.
" You hear that? " asked Rowland.
" Yeah, sounds like footsteps, " said Christine.
A man, who looked like a priest and a young man, who was in perfect shape now walked up to Christine, Rowland and Rainbow.
" Greetings! " said the fit man.
" Salutation " said the priest.
" Hello there, " said both Christine and Rowland.
" Are you two perhaps lost? " asked Rowland.
" Not at all, we are just passing by, " said the priest.
" Now for introductions! " said the individual who was not all human.
" I am Oneiros, and this is Saint Achilles "
" A Saint?! " said Rowland surprised.
Rowland got off Rainbow and wanted to give the Saint a more worthy greeting.
" Please dear child, there is no need for that " said Saint Achilles while stopping Rowland.
" May the lord bless and praise you for your kind and humble heart "
The four of them now chatted for a bit, till eventually, the Saint and the demi-god had to leave, so all four said their farewells and there was now some distance between Oneiros and Saint Achilles.
" What nice people, wouldn't you say, father? " said Oneiros, and for those wondering why Oneiros just called Saint Achilles father, Saint Achilles was the one who raised Oneiros as a child when he was brought to the monastery by a woman of the sea, and plus, Saint Achilles is a priest after all.
" Indeed, but I suppose it is time for us to move on to our next adventure " said Saint Achilles with the warm smile of a priest.
" Then let us get going " said Oneiros with a smile that showed that he loved his adopted father very much.
Oneiros and Saint Achilles now left the world of Christine.
" Hey Shiva? " said Angelos.
" Yes? "
" Was that one of the sons of Achilles with that priest? "
" Indeed "
The god of heaven and hell and his Íroes
" So, what do you wish for today? " asked Ishtar-Deela.
After having thought about it, Christine said
" Surprise me " and then Christine left.
Ishtar-Deela took a puff from her Hookah and then said
" Do you want a shot? "
" I will handle this, " said Hades.
Per Ishtar-Deela's instructions, Christine and Rowland found themselves at a vast open area near to the kingdom.
" Why did she ask us to come here? " said Rowland.
" I don't know, but I think that we are about to find out " said Christine gesturing that someone was coming towards her and Rowland.
A man who was more handsome than the word itself could now be seen, this man was wearing armor fit for a god, this man or should I say god, was Hades himself.
" Now, what would the King of Heaven and Hell want with us? " said Christine with a smile.
" You know him? " asked Rowland.
" Trust me, you would know him the moment I said his name, Hades "
" Hades! " said Rowland while surprised and honored.
" You still have not answered my question? " said Christine.
" I am here to give you all a taste of my army, my Íroes " said Hades with a smile.
A gigantic gate now opened up from behind Hades and out walked all the greek heroes.
" So it is just like Odin and his einjarhar, but in this case it is Hades and the greek heroes, " said Christine.
" Zeus may have the aid of the gods, but I have the aid of heroes " said Hades with a smile.
" Uhm, Christine dear, I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but I don't think that you and Rowland can take on the might of Hades and his army of heroes " said Angelos.
" You are probably right, it would probably take all we had just to take down two or three of them at the very least " said Christine.
" You could always unleash my powers " said Shiva.
" If I did that, then this universe would not survive, and besides, Hades is the god of the underworld, thus, death has no effect on him " said Christine.
" Then how about magic? I mean, I was the one who taught Hecate magic " said Angelos.
" I have a better idea, " said Christine with a smile.
" What are you up to? " asked Rowland but Christine did not answer, her eyes instead glowed, for she had just asked her cousins for help.
The current Nephilims now appeared on Christine's world, and the current Nephilims were;
Jacob.
Jack.
Anna.
Melitron.
Luke and Lucy.
Uri.
Sam and Stephanie.
Toby.
Erik.
Sa'adah.
Apollo.
Plus, Christine.
Jacob was sweating like crazy while Hades was glaring at him.
" Hey Jacob, is that not your father-in-law? " said Jack.
Jacob was now sweating even more.
" Hey bro, look! It's Alcibiades!! " said Lucy and Luke was smiling, Luke then said
" Wait… Caenis, what are you doing over there? "
" I am also a greek hero, " said Caenis.
" Heracles and Achilles, " said Melitron with a smile.
" Wait, what is Heracles doing over there? " said Erik.
" Best not to question it, " said Toby.
" Ajax the great- and lesser are there as well, " said Sam.
" Really, Hades brought the lesser with him… " said Stephanie.
"Atalanta is there as well, " said Saint Anna.
" Even Cadmus and Bellerophon are there, " said Apollo.
" Odysseus as well, " said Uri.
" Why did Hades bring Theseus? " said Sa'adah.
" At least Hades has brought Perseus, " said Christine.
There were many more heroes to be named but for the sake of my sanity, I will let you guys find more on your own and I will tell the rest of this story, but I would just like to finish off by saying that Aeneas and Hector were also a part of Hades' army.
Poor Rowland did not know what to do.
" Hey Rowland- Rowland now looked towards Christine- why don't you sit this one out? " said Christine with a smile.
Words would not come out of Rowland's mouth, Rowland instead just fell on his butt and enjoyed the show.
The Nephilims now went to war with the heroes, except for Jacob, who was being chased around by Hades on Cerberus….
The battles that followed were nothing short but legendary, Rowland's poor brain could not fathom the scene that was playing out before him, but the one thing he did feel, was the fact that he felt lucky to behold such a once-in-a-lifetime event.
The great Khan and his golden horde
The Emperor, having grown tired from just watching his Paladins having all the fun, now also wanted a piece of the action, so he went to Ishtar-Deela and asked her to bring an army worth a challenge, the goddess, granted his request, and brought Ghanghis Khan and his golden horde, this epic battle was going to take place at Roncevaux Pass.
The Emperor and his Paladins and knights were now face to face with the great Khan and his golden horde.
" So, one last epic battle " said Charny to his Emperor, but Louis was quiet, it almost seemed like he was enjoying the moment, for despite his title and like his father, Louis was after all, a warrior at heart.
" I will be right back " said the Emperor who now rode to meet Ghanghis Khan in the middle of the battlefield.
" Greetings, Khan "
" Greetings, Emperor "
(Now for a quick fun fact, Ghanghis Khan may have been a ruthless and bloody ruler, but from time to time, the first Khan did show respect, and sometimes even mercy towards his opponents)
With that in mind, it is no wonder that the Khan and Emperor immediately formed a bond of mutual respect for one another, both rulers knew that they were going to try and kill each other, but that does not mean that they could not respect one another.
The Emperor and Khan exchanged these last words.
" Just make sure that you don't fall off your horse " - Emperor Louis with a smile.
Ghanghis Khan glared at the Emperor.
" Just make sure that you don't disappoint your great father " - Ghanghis Khan with a smile and it was now the Emperor who glared at the Khan, but both men now smiled and left to join their respective armies.
" Sire, we await your speech " said Charny, but the Emperor had another idea.
" My general, you give the speech " said the Emperor with a smile.
" But Sire… I am not- but the Emperor caught Charny off- " My beloved and loyal general, if there is anyone among us who is worthy, then you, are more than worthy "
Words seemed to escape Charny, the general looked back at the knights and Paladins and saw that all of them agreed with the Emperor, Charny felt that he could not disappoint them all, so he said
" If there is one thing that grants all knights the capability to achieve the impossible, then it is the love for and of a damsel " said the great knight Charny.
All the knights and Paladins remembered the ones they held dear in the hearts, and oddly enough, Rowland and Christine were looking at each other.
It was now time for the Khan to give his speech.
" My men, my horde, my Mongols, once we were divided, but now, we stand as one, and now, as one, let us conquer these mere mortals! "
The battle began and I am sorry to say that I won't be able to tell all the amazing things that took place in this epic battle, I will however mention some noteworthy things, like Menw transforming into a T-rex to fight,
And the famous fight between Tortolina and Subutai, where Tortolina had won the battle but she had broken her arm and several of her ribs.
Jacquermin fought Jamuka, and of course, the Emperor fighting the Khan.
All the battles were long and hard but it oddly seemed like all the warriors were enjoying themselves, but like all good things, an end was near, and the end came for the mongols who all disappeared with smiles on their faces.
The Emperor, the Paladins and the Nephilim all returned back home, some of them wounded but all of them having felt truly alive.