Among the fears that humans possess which one is the deadliest? The answer would be the nature.
The very being that gave birth to all living beings was the bane of their existence. In front of such great power, no humans could potentially survive its wrath and the same went for the Vikings. They had the greatest warriors in their era and their reason for decline was due to nature itself.
" Hold the sails! Don't let it sink. Focus on pushing."
Magnus shouted with a serious face, looking at the endless abyss with horror. The ocean and the sky were revered as the embodiment of the gods and nature, and that was true.
No matter how wise and powerful he was, he was nothing in front of such horror that engulfed everything. Perhaps, there was a reason for humans to stay on the land but it was beyond late.
His choice bore the result of what he desired and the consequences of that were hitting him hard.
" Magnus, the left boat's hull has been broken. At this rate, they are going to sink to the ocean."
Freyja could barely see his silhouette in this torrent while keeping command of the other decks. Her whole coat was drenched thoroughly by the storm and her body was shivering in the coldness even though she had the toughest body of all women around here.
" Tell them to jump to the other decks with ropes. Close the gap between the boats to accommodate them in."
Magnus's hoarse voice barely penetrated the curtains of the rain while Freyja went for the command. His rough hand grabbed the thick rope to hold it down as his palm flesh was torn down from the friction, yet he didn't show any discomfort.
" Row! Row it quickly!"
He didn't see anything further ahead and he couldn't pinpoint the stars. However, his instincts were telling him that he was near. The land was just after this horrendous rain and waves.
" Wave!"
A giant black water rose above the boats as Magnus raised his head with a bitter face. He looked at his exhausted men for the last time before taking a breath. This was their last obstacle and he was sure that many wouldn't make it out from here.
Crash*
The tide came crashing down on them, washing away many brave men to their deaths. The sorrowful cries of their last grasp gently tickled his heart, reminding the cost of their journey.
" This is the end."
The black sky finally lifted its curtain, revealing gentle sunlight to them but everyone had sorrowful faces filled with determination.
" Sail forward to honor them."
Magnus clenched his fist, saying with a calm face despite his pain.
Meanwhile in Roma
The bustling city of the capital was filled with noise, yet nobody was annoyed with it. The vendors and merchants called out people, selling products that ranged from food to slaves in the open streets.
One knight was walking among the crowd with a hood over his head. He was holding an old sword that looked nothing out of ordinary but if one looked closer, they could spot the sigma of the church.
" Boy, over there. Can you guide me to the nearest church branch?"
Peter looked at the beggar boy on the street with a calm face while giving him a gold coin. The boy quickly hid the coin in his pocket, not daring to show it to anyone because that was the rules of the backstreet. Furthermore, he didn't ask Peter because clearly, he wasn't a talkative type.
" This way, sir. There is one branch near from here and people are kind there."
Peter could understand what he meant by that and he appreciated his quick wit as he followed him from behind.
The path wasn't that long and he reached there like in a matters of minutes. The old diluted stone church could be seen from far away and a few children in rags were playing outside it with happy faces.
" Hello, sister. I am looking for the head of the church."
Peter took out a leather patch from his pocket, showing it to a nun who was cleaning outside. The nun gulped when she saw the sword emblem.