The Convert: Part I - The Wreck

Gudmund drifted in and out of consciousness as he lie on that beach. The events that led him to that point flashed before his eyes – his fellow vikings scrambling about the longboat, their frantic yelling drowned out by the howling winds and pounding waves.

 

He remembered looking out over the side of the vessel and seeing jagged rocks careen out from the dense fog. He and his comrades had mere seconds to correct their course, and before Gudmund knew it a thunderous crash had sent him flying over the edge.

 

He swam as best he could, delirious and half-drowned, but the rough currents took their toll. Each stroke of his arms sapped away his strength, until he could only drift wherever the waves took him.

 

Barely conscious, he silently lamented that he would never see Valhalla or Fólkvangr. He and his kin were sailors and navigators of great renown. Most importantly of all, they were warriors who lived and died by the sword - drowning to death in a storm was hardly a fitting end.

 

Suddenly, he felt sand run up against his body. Approaching the shallows, the waves dumped him on a small stretch of beach, flanked on either side by jagged rocks. Before finally losing consciousness, he saw an older man with black robes and a strange staff approach him…

 

 

Part I: The Wreck

Part II: The Vow

Part III: Wind from the North

Part IV: The Blood That Stains

 

 

My entry for the Friends or Foes Collaborative Category as part of Summer Joust 2023. Huge thanks to my parters - MkJosha, Exetrius, and MagnusW!

Done