Tyranny of Steel

The sun began to set over the hidden corner of the world where Berengar found himself a guest of a long forgotten clan. Having completed the first of his trials, a great feast was set for the Kaiser in celebration of his victorious contest. 

Berengar sat near a campfire with a horn of mead in one hand, and two local beauties clinging to each of his arms while he spoke of his previous conquests. The two young women's full attention was on the handsome man and his tales of wonder. 

"I must have been no older than twenty when I killed my first man. You see, my brother had sent assassins after me, in one of his many attempts to claim my rightful position as heir to our father's lands and titles. These bastards thought they would ambush me in the mountains during a hunting trip, but you see, I knew they were coming.

So, in the middle of the night, while my party was asleep, I grabbed my rifle and stalked through the hills, eventually entering a wooded clearing. As I silently made my way through the thicket, I accidentally stumbled upon one of the assassins who was relieving himself. 

Naturally, upon coming face to face with a man who wanted to kill me, the two of us fought to see who could arm himself first. Fortunately, that night I was the quicker man, as I swiftly attached my bayonet, and stuck its blade into the man's throat before he could even call for help from his comrades. 

Shortly thereafter, I climbed up on a hill above and sniped at the remaining assassins. I killed a total of four men that night, and in doing so, gained critical evidence of my brother's misdeeds. Later on, I was able to use said evidence to banish the little cunt from my family and its holdings.

Of course, the bastard came back some time later searching for vengeance, and in the heat of battle, I slayed him. It's funny, if my brother had just chosen to support me, rather than usurp my birthright, he would be living a life of unimaginable luxury and happiness right now..." 

Berengar had lost himself in thought for several moments after telling this story. It had been many years since he last thought about Lambert, and how things could have been had the boy not been such a scheming prick. Looking back on the past over a decade after the fact, he could not help but think had he reincarnated into this world a few years earlier, he might have been able to prevent such a cruel fate. 

Inadvertently, by staring into the fire while remaining completely silent for several moments, Berengar had further charmed the two young women who sat in his arms. They wanted to know more about this mysterious guest's life, and how he had made his way from the heart of Europe all the way to this secluded valley. 

Siv watched the scene of her two elder cousins staring at Berengar with sparkling eyes and felt embarrassed on their behalf. It was almost as if the two young women were meeting a man for the first time in their lives. When the girl's mother saw this, she giggled before teasing her daughter. 

"A bit jealous, are we?"

A slight snort escaped from Siv's nostrils as she shook her head and rejected the very idea. 

"As if! The man is practically old enough to be my father!"

This remark only caused Siv's mother to giggle further, an act which caused the young girl to pout. As for Berengar, he continued to enjoy the company of the two young women for a little while longer before the food was brought out.  Though the food was bland, Berengar did not mind. He was just about to dig in when the Chief of the clan stood up and made a toast. 

"To Berengar Sieghardson, may he complete his second trial tomorrow, with the same skill and fervor as he did so today!"

The entire clan, along with the company of Marines who escorted Berengar to this location, lifted their horns of mead, and chanted the toast back to the chief. 

"To Berengar!"

Berengar had long since become used to being the center of attention and was the first to drink the mead. After doing so, he dug into the roasted reindeer and enjoyed the savory flavor. Before long the meal was completed, and the same seeress who had bathed Berengar in the pool of magical water stepped forward. 

Like before, a headdress made of a reindeer's skull and raven feathers obscured the top of her face. When Berengar noticed the seeress' approach, he felt as he had when encountering other supernatural beings. Though the seeress was human, she dabbled in seiðr, which left a mystical energy around the woman. Something Berengar was easily able to pick up. 

There was a white fur cloak, with the head of a polar bear in the woman's hands, as she brought it forward, and placed it upon Berengar's skull, the front paws of the beast, wrapped around Berengar's chest, and could be tied into a knot, or pinned with a broach to tightly fasten the cloak to the user's head. 

Berengar was slightly surprised by this, but felt the spirit and characteristics of the bear overwhelming him. He gazed up at the seeress in shock, where a slight smile emerged on her eerily pretty face. 

"This hide contains the hamr of the Polar Bear which you have slain. It took some effort on my part to calm the beast's spirit, but now you will embody the power, and spirit of the bear when you wear this cloak! On behalf of our clan, I proclaim you: Berengar the Berserker!" 

In truth, Berengar knew very little of norse traditions, and beliefs. He had no idea what hamr was, but he could feel the might of the bear flowing through him. Whatever magic the seeress had performed was as real as anything else in this world. He could only nod his head in acceptance of this gift while continuing to drown himself with mead. 

Thus, Berengar continued to feast, and charm the women of the clan, with stories of past conflicts and victories. By the end of the night, nearly every women and girl of age in the village wanted the man to take them to bed. However, he remained chaste, after all, he had enough drama with women in his life, and the last thing he needed was to add another to the list. 

Eventually Berengar entered the longhouse that was provided for him, and fell asleep by the fire, not realizing that he was sleeping within the home that belonged to Siv and her mother. After only a couple of hours, Berengar awoke, with the need to relieve himself, where he walked outside into the dead of night and took care of business.

After returning from his little venture, he noticed Siv alseep, her head lying on her mother's lap, who appeared to be alert to his arrival. An awkward expression appeared on Berengar's face, as he realized he had been sleeping in this woman's home, without paying proper respects, and thus he sat down by the fire and apologized.

"My apologies. I was so drunk that I didn't realize whose house I was sleeping in. Oddly enough, I feel sober already, with only a couple of hours of sleep. I should thank you for your hospitaltity even though I haven't been the best of guests." 

A gentle smile emerged on the woman's face. It was only now that Berengar was realizing that she was roughly his age, perhaps even younger. Despite this, her beauty was that of a younger woman. As if age had yet to really affect her. She nodded her head in understanding before assuring Berengar he had done nothing wrong.

"There is no need. You underwent a difficult challenge today, and you will have an even more precarious time tomorrow. I understand the need to celebrate a great victory. However, if you're wondering why you feel sober so quickly after drinking more than your fill, it likely has to do with the ritual you went through. 

It has been many years since the gods have blessed a member of our clan with such a gift, but I've heard that such individuals are capable of eating and drinking more than before, without suffering ill effects such as weight gain or hangovers. So it is not at all unusual given the circumstances." 

The more Berengar learned about his newfound abilities, the more impressed he became. For whatever reason, he recalled his previous curiosity, and felt compelled to ask the woman about herself and her daughter.

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

The woman could tell exactly what Berengar wanted to know, and was quick to interrupt him. 

"You have yet to even ask me my name, and yet you want to know the specifics about how my daughter was born? Have you no shame?"

There was a very clear teasing intent from the woman's words, especially when Berengar gazed upon her pretty face and saw the lighthearted expression she wore. Just when he was about to apologize and ask the woman for her name, she volunteered it. 

"It's Brynhildr, by the way..."

This caused Berengar to chuckle as he made a joke regarding the woman's name.

"You mean like the valkyrie?"

Brynhildr simply smiled and nodded her head before continuing her story.

"That's correct, however if you wish to know the origin of my daughter's birth, then that is a story best left for after you finish your trials. Assuming you live through them, that is."

A feigned expression of offense appeared on Berengar's handsome face as he cracked another joke with the woman, as if they were old friends. 

"What do you mean if I live through them? Obviously, I'm going to survive. It's what I do best!"

This lighthearted response caused the woman to giggle. She knew just how severe Berengar's trials would be, and yet the man did not appear concerned in the least, even after wrestling a polar bear. Despite her initial reservations, Brynhildr unconsciously found herself falling for the man's charm, like every other woman in the village. 

Of course, she knew why this was. Not only had Berengar's appearance improved with the ritual, but so too did his charisma. So much so that despite knowing this reality, Brynhildr couldn't take her eyes off the man, as if he were a shooting star, who would disappear in the next moment, leaving her awestruck. 

Noticing the atmosphere that was forming around him and this woman he barely knew, Berengar decided that now was the time to call it quits before he ended up making a big mistake. He bade Brynhildr good night, before hopping onto a nearby straw mattress while wrapping himself up in his new fur cloak. Leaving the woman on the other side of the room, staring at his sleeping self with a hint of regret in her eyes. 

When the dawn rose on the next day, Berengar would be faced with his second trial, one that would challenge him, mentally, physically, and spiritually. 

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