"We're gonna need to leave this place soon, Zoya." Kahseh whispered to her as the giant Avian purred. His hands were light on her body, but heavy enough to bring her comfort. Bunda was dead now so all he had left was this magnificent beast. It's been a month if not more than a month since he met Zoya, yet he still felt as if he'd known her forever. She was easy to communicate with and not that hard to take care of. As far as food went, she hunted freely on her own nearby so managing her wasn't a challenge. The duo remained side by side as they faced the rest of the town. People were looking at Kahseh weird, he seemed to stand out a lot more than usual these last couple of days. Although he didn't destroy the seatrain, he did assist Bojack with his evil deed in someway. Kahseh was sure that the people close enough to see who he actually was were dead because of him, but there was still a chance that people saw him - not to mention there weren't too many seven foot people in O'Kara. Humans were hard to understand at times. Despite the young Viking saving a bunch of innocent bystanders the distaste for his existence was evident almost everywhere he looked. "I think we'll be safer if we just camp in the forests." He began with a disappointed smile. "It's a little weird being the bad guy." He laughed awkwardly. Rubbing his head, he turned towards his giant dragon-like bird, warmly smiling at her. "Alright girl, there's nothing left for me here anyway. I'll check in with Bojack later I guess. Weird, I only know that the guy's a trouble maker and I'm still somehow involved in his world."

Zoya stretched her wings only a little to prepare for take off. The civilians around her jumped from her sudden movement and shuffled away. "Maybe they're just looking at the giant dragon bird in the middle of their home." K joked with a slight snicker. Just as he was getting ready to climb onto his companion, he heard a voice from a short distance away.


Kah turned without a second thought as he heard the cry for help from a man. He was covered in gray, tears fell from his eyes and his clothing was damn near destroyed. The people around him moved away nervously, trying to stay out of his way and focus on their own lame lives. Everyone here was such a pussy it was disgusting, not like they had anything to lose from just listening to the guy. "I see there's no real sense of community here." He thought aloud. "Well, Mr. HoNoRaBlE man... he's nothing to get worked up over. He's a lowly bum from the villages outside of our town." Another man spoke from behind Kahseh with such disgust in his voice. K turned and raised an eyebrow at the man, not even bothering about fully looking at him. "He's still human." he replied. "Yeah...a lowly human. Learn to mind your business, people like you die ya know~" The man said matter-of-factly as he walked away. "Tuh." The viking shook his head as he quickly made his way over to the begging man. He hated to see people suffer, especially helpless people. As he approached the man, the ash on his skin seemed to expand until he could see that actually his entire body was covered. "Hey! Every-" The man noticed Kahseh and scurried to meet him halfway. "Please please help me sir! They came - a bunch of them a-a-and they took everything - they took all that we had - they burned it and raped and killed and-" Kahseh tried to follow but the man spoke way too fast for him to actually understand what was going on. "Sir, sir, I might be able to help you but you gotta tell me what happened, who did it, and where."

The man swallowed his saliva and took a deep breath before speaking. Nothing changed, his words shot out like bullets but the bronze raider tried his best this time to follow. "My village, they burned some of our homes down, they killed the fighters, raped some of the women, and enslaved the rest of them along with the children! they wore big leather clothes, s-some with fur and they were HUUUGE, a lot of them around your size! They were like nothing I've ever seen even more brutal than the pirates!"

"Leather, fur, extreme brutality... no way..." K's eyes widened as he thought outside of his mind. "Wait, you know these people?!" Kahseh didn't respond. Instead he turned and sprinted away. "Wait! Hey! Where are you going?!" The man asked frantically as he ran behind K. The man covered in ash stopped when he saw Zoya. The Avian turned her long neck and stretched forward to face him eye to eye. Immediately the man backed away. "Holy fuck!" Kahseh leaped onto Zoya, before patting her left side. That was the side of the wing that was shot by the Thunder Dykes. "Hey! Don't worry. I can't bring back the people that you've lost, but I'm sure I can free the ones that are left. Don't come back to your village until I return." Kah fished into his cloak and took out a bag of Beli before tossing it at the man. "Here's your reimbursement, it's all I got. Sorry that happened to your people."

"Wait huh? Reimbursement? Why are you reimbursing me?!" Zoya turned fully towards the man. "You're welcome. Now where is your village?" The man was confused but if there was someone willing to actually help him he wanted in. "I-I'm not sure. It took me days to get here I was lost out there!" The mans head fell. "Days? Damn, it's fine I'll find it." K patted Zoya to tell her to lift up. The beast slowly began flapped her wings, causing a small amount of wind to blow, picking up the dirt on the ground. "What's your plan!? One man can't handle all of those monsters! What are you gonna do!?" Kahseh smirked and looked forward.

Zoya sped through the skies, cawing whenever she got a chance to. Of course these noises she made meant something, but Kahseh was unaware of their definitions so instead he just listened to her booming voice. His brows arched as the wind crashed against his ears creating a ripping sound. The brown orbs scanned below still waiting to fi ally see a village that reeked of violence when boom, there it was clear as day. On the outskirts of the forest by a large body of water secluded from the rest of the sea he could see nearly an entire village full of vikings. Happily Kahseh's eyes widened. For a moment this all seemed to good to be true but he knew it was real because for the man back at O'kara, it was too horrific to be true. He felt like a kid with a massive amount of ice cream or toys, the gods were surely giving him a sign. Though it's been a while since he's even acknowledged the gods this was the one moment where they could get his thanks. He closed his eyes in relief before speaking to Zoya. The magnificent creature circled the village as eyes from below began to look up at the duo. "We're here, girl. These are my people, the vikings from Karakuri that I told you about." K patted her left side and commanded her to land so she did. Her wings slightly moved forward so that they could stay in place, before flapping slowly as they lowered. "Archers! Spearmen!" Quickly the large, vicious warriors with fur, leather and horned helmets circled the giant bird. "CAWWWWWWWW!" Zoya roared in response to feeling threatened. Still, she trusted Kahseh so much that she would even put herself in danger. "It's alright!" Kahseh shouted just as they landed. The red suit he wore belonged to his father and it was exclusively only for Tristan Raider so even if these men didn't quite remember who he was from the jump many of them fell at ease just from seeing Kahseh's clothing. Slowly he climbed down before raising his hands with a smile. The warriors instantly dropped their weapons as their faces filled with awe, mostly confusing but a lot of shock. "L-lord Kahseh??" The man asked. This was none other than Barute. The son of the Viking Army commander. "I'm home." He spoke with a warm smile. The men at first hesitated on what to do next. "This is your Lord fools, show some respect." The men then shook out of their cloaks of disbelief and fell to their knees. "No need for all that! Just glad to see you all." He sighed.


The men stood up, Barute doing so himself with a smile. Barute was a about seven feet though he was still a bit shorter than Kahseh himself. They were both known as the tallest boys in their village and according to them the bigger they were the more potential they had to be a great warrior. Needless to say this is the reason why many people thought Kahseh was the chosen one. Barute was just as great as special as Kah was though despite being a year younger. "Baru, look atchu all grown up, wonder if you're still as strong." He snickered. "You know I never had a problem beating you up." Barute smirked.


Barute and his men turned to face the voice before nodding their heads in respect. "Earl Luke."

"Commander." It was none other than the former right hand man of Kahseh's own father, Luke. Kahseh's brow raised in response to the titles of not only Luke, but Barute too. He glanced at the two men. Barute was trained to become Lord Commander, it was only expected for him to be a Commander by now. Luke's title on the other hand took Kahseh by surprise.

"Earl...Luke?" Luke may have been the current leader of his people but Kahseh was the son of The Great Viking Lord Tristan Raider himself. He was not only the rightful Earl of his village, but he was the rightful leader of all the vikings. Luke paused for a second as Barute looked back at Kahseh. "Barute, make sure all the perimeters are guarded..." The commander nodded and left without another word. It was early day so the sun shone upon the village with it's dazzling rays. The way the light shined upon the broken and burned village was oddly beautiful. There was a gap between both Kah and Luke. The young Viking was practically Luke's nephew. Their relationship growing up was very positive but that all changed after his attempt to kill his father. The only reason Luke was still standing here was because somehow Tristan found it in his heart to forgive his friend, even accepting him back as his right hand after Luke begged for forgiveness. They were like brothers but Kahseh could never fully trust the man again. He reeked of cowardliness. "So you finally got what you wanted; "The Mighty, Earl Luke" now?" Kahseh folded his arms. The Earl slowly moved closer, tucking his lips into his mouth to form an awkward smile. "I've stopped wanting this a long time ago, Seh." he began shaking his head. He was the only one who called him "Seh". In his eyes he looked sincere. Luke was actually a really great liar it was disgusting but he could never fool K.

"But you were the best option since my mother was dead and I'd gone missing."

"If there could have been anybody else-"

Zoya interrupted Luke by sticking her head in between the conversation. Her lengthy neck curled as she peered directly at the man. Luke remained still, his eyes calmly watching the beast to not agitate her. He wanted to say so much after seeing her but he thought it'd be smarter to keep those comments in his head right now, though they were questions of her origins and compliments anyway.

"This is Zoya." Kahseh crossed his arms coldly.

"You named her after your mo-"

Zoya opened her mouth widely, exposing her tongue and everything else that belonged to her mouth before letting out a loud screech. Luke stopped talking and turned his head, trying to avoid the spit from landing directly into his eyes. Kahseh lifted his hand and rubbed her head. "Alright, girl. These are our people, we'll be staying here so be nice." As if she understood she backed away.

"I'll tell you what, I'll have my men feed your friend over there and tonight we throw an old fashioned celebration in honor of your return, to thank the gods for bringing you back to your people." Kah nodded. Tristan nodded as well, calling to the men behind him to bring Zoya to the barn. "I'll show you to your home for now."

"No. I'll be staying with Zoya in the barn, bring everything I need there." He stated before turning to walk away as the men followed. Luke stood with a smirk as he watched the young Lord walk away. "As you wish, Viking Lord."

Here he was, back with his own people yet it all seemed too good to be true and weird. A lot of the people seemed to respect Luke for one reason or another. Kahseh couldn't take that away from him. He was the one that built his people up again after he fled to safety. K looked over at his companion as they both relaxed in the Barn, Kahseh leaned up against her as she slept in the middle of the wooden structure. He sighed, playing with his fingers to pass time. Thoughts about what was and what would be crossed his mind as he waited for someone to see him. Barute was busy and by now that was the only person he truly had a positive relationship with here.


Kahseh's eyes shot up towards the entrance hoping that it wasn't Luke. Zoya had been sleeping, but her eyes shot open after hearing the door. She lifted her head as if she'd been called but this was obviously for Kahseh. "Come in." he called. Two large men opened the doors and entered with their weapons holstered.They carried four big chunks of meat. "From Earl Luke to your companion, my lord." The men didn't move any closer. They watched the beast nervously as they dropped the food for her. Slowly Zoya extended her neck and observed the food before chomping down. "Your celebration has begun, we're ready for you at the large house at the end of the village." Kahseh nodded with a smile before getting up and dusting himself off. Even if he wasn't really happy he had to act like it. "Okay then, take me there, brothers." The men nodded and ushered Kah outside of the barn. Before the young lord took his steps outside he turned back to Zoya. He was going to tell her not to worry but she was too busy enjoying her meal. He faced the men again before gesturing with his hand for them to lead the way. The three men walked out, closing the door behind as the beast ate. She was probably pretty hungry so he was thankful for Luke blessing her with a meal.

As they walked down the village Kahseh noticed wandering eyes of other vikings and even some women. Last he checked they didn't bring women on Raids. They had to be slaves. They looked dirty and uncared for, nervous and frightened. They walked back and forth to homes, then back to the gardens. However, he did not see the children. Hang in there, I'll get you all out of here. He thought. Freeing the slaves would never happen as long as nobody accepted Kahseh as their leader. Even then, Vikings lived off enslaving their enemies and people caught in between raids, it was tradition. Now that he was back, he would try to change all of that.

The two viking warriors walked in front of him, guiding him to the home of the Earl, lit up by lights and candles fro inside the house.  He heard voices of laughter and chatter and to be quite frank he grew more excited as he approached the door. The two men pushed it open and held the doors for their lord. Tristan was on the other side, sitting at a long table with a drink in his hand. He stood up immediately with a large grin before introducing the one and only. "The Viking Lord is finally here!" he said bowing his head. The other men in the home stood up and stopped their chatting to show respect before going back to what they were doing. Luke waved at Kah, pointing to the seat beside him with his cup full of ale. K merely looked around before making his way through the people to sit beside the Earl who then offered him a cup. With a fake smile he took the drink and slowly put it against his lips before taking a small sip. "You know, we all thought we'd never see you return."

"But here I am." Kah lifted his cup towards Luke, offering a toast between the two. The Earl lifted his drink as well, tapping it against his rightful superior. Both men then drank from their cups.

"I gotta ask, why'd you come here? To this weird and pink place, makes me feel all soft."

Kahseh nearly chuckled at Luke's words. Typical, he felt the same exact way but how he came here was all but by choice. Seeing as though he didn't really like Luke he didn't give him the opportunity to see that what he said was actually comical. Kahseh, put theca to his lips before turning to face the people in the home. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, laughing and joking about, drinking and speaking loudly. K gulped from his cup before turning back towards Luke who'd been waiting for his response with a warm smile. He tried his best to make Kah believe that he was comfortable with his return but If the young lord was in his position, he'd feel threatened. "Well after the Happo Navy and the Marines stormed our home I found a few other survivors and we just... left. We didn't have a destination, we let the gods decide where to take us." He finally said, taking a sip from his cup. Luke nodded. "Well I'll be damned. I'm assuming you navigated the ship yourself?"

"No..." Kahseh began, eyes still focused forward.

"Oh?" Luke lifted his cup, drinking from it as he watched the viking.

"Bunda navigated the ship." He said as he sipped. Luke and Bunda were also close friends before he betrayed Tristan. The Earl was excited to know that he survived the attack on Karakuri. Excidetly Luke smiled.

"So Bunda did survive. When we collected the bodies I didn't see his, I hoped that he was fine. This is excellent information! Where is he?! He should have came with yo-"

"He's dead." K clenched his jaws and looked down at his cup, remembering his friend. Luke was taken by surprise it seemed. He placed his cup onto the table before him and frowned. "I'm sorry." He said to Luke, finally turning his head to look at him. Ironically Luke turned from Kahseh to face forward as he grasped the reality of his friends existence. The earl cleared his throat.

"Was it a good death?" He asked softly.

"I like to believe that death is never a goo-"

"Did he die with honor, Kahseh?" He asked somewhat nervously.

"Yes. He faced death fearlessly and died a warrior." The bronze viking turned to face forward, chugging the rest of the liquid that was in his cup.

"Well then I will see him again in Valhalla. Let us celebrate our friend." Luke concluded before slamming his empty cup on the table a few times. The attention of the rest of the vikings quickly turned to him. Slowly he stood, then proceeded to pour a cup for both himself and Kahseh. The young Lord watched the earl as he then raised his cup. K stood. It was tradition to stand while the Earl was making a toast. "Tonight I was met with saddening news. Our very own Bunda, the Seastrong has left our world to join the gods in Valhalla. Let us remember him today." He paused before looking about the room. His eyes then fell on Kahseh. The bronze man cleared his throat before raising his cup with a smile. "To Bunda, the seastrong- "And to the return of our beloved Lord." Kah glanced at Tristan. He didn't understand why he'd be celebrating his return in the first place, he didn't know what Luke was actually trying to do but whatever it was was hardly working. It was as if Luke hoped that somehow Kahseh would trust him again but that could and would never happen. The warriors all began to drink their ale and K followed, chugging his up in a few seconds. Now the affects were starting to kick in..

Kahseh, sat back down, watching all of his people talk to one another. Ever since he arrived many of them acted as if he didn't exist. Many of these men were there to watch him grow so to see them not even slightly interest in his return saddened him a little. Moments like these were when he really missed Bunda. Him and the navigator had gone through a lot together and it still feels like he's alive. He'd like to think that the navigator was playing a joke on him and would just pop up at a random moment. It wasn't a joke though, it was real. Kahseh grabbed the bottle of Ale, shaking the thought of Bunda off of his mind for now to pour the liquid into his cup. Luke sat beside him with a smile on his face although it was probably a smirk. Evil men usually smirked right? Kahseh watched him as his eyes dimmed, disgust evident in his eyes. So many thoughts about Luke went through his head, so many curses and bad wishes. Luke turned and saw the young Raider watching him, he noticed the hate and disgust in his face. Deep down, Luke could are less about Kahseh.

"You know, I hope one day you'll find it in your heart to-"

"Tch. Never." he said cackling.

"I never meant for any of this to happen, I swear it to the gods. I never wanted your mother-"

"Stop."

"To die, and I never ever wanted your fath-"

"STOP." K said louder. He turned to fully face Luke, his disgust transformed into anger and his fists balled up as if he was ready to destroy the man who ruined his life - though Luke wasn't the man who destroyed his life. "I find it very interesting how you became Earl after my father was murdered. It feels like the fucking gods are playing a god damned joke on me - on my whole fucking family, for allowing you to survive the Happo Navy and the World Government's attack on our home. How could they even allow a man like you to lead MY people. Dammit how could they even allow you to breathe still."

"They're OUR people, Seh."

"No. By right, by law, they're MY people. Did you forget that my father wasn't just the Viking Lord?! He was the Earl of our village! And I swear to the fucking gods if you call me "Seh" again..." He paused, showing Luke his fists. Luke however remained calm, but K could tell that he was getting aggravated.

"Kahseh, listen to me." The earl whispered. Luke moved closer, now more serious then before. "When the village was destroyed there weren't many of us left. A lot of the women and children were safe because I, Luke Hatchin got them to safety in time. That was an order given to me by your own father. By the time I returned to the battle field most of our men were dead, including Lord Tristan. With nobody left who had the required experience to lead, I stepped up to the plate. After all, the right hand is the one next in line after the Earl's son and queen. When the other villages decided that they wouldn't accept me as their Viking Lord, the most I could do was be the Earl of MY village and so I did just that. Now if you want to hate me for doing what's right then go ahead, but I don't feel bad about my decisions -


Kahseh's fast landed on Lukes right eye. Immediately both men shot up.

"Shut the fuck up." He said coldly. The entire building got silent as the men watched in shock. They couldn't really do anything for their Earl for two reasons. The first being because although Luke was their Earl, Kahseh was still their Viking Lord which was a position much higher than Earl and the second reason was because they believed in man versus man.

"You little piece of shit." Luke said angrily as he covered his eye in pain.

"Let that be a reminder of the difference between our status. I'm going to bed, I've already heard enough for one night." Kah said as he confidently walked out of the home. As soon as he left, Luke turned towards two of his guards. "I want you to watch him in case he does anything stupid, I've been waiting for a reason to kill him."

Kahseh left the building with no remorse. All he felt was rage as he stormed back to the barn to where Zoya was. He knew she would make him feel better just by cuddling with him. As soon as he approached the doors of the barn, he swung them open. Zoya's head shot up and she faced her companion. She twisted her head a little before stretching her neck towards Kah. The young lord, rubbed her head with a sigh as he moved towards her large body. She was laying down probably sleeping herself until he interrupted. Once Kahseh reached her, he plopped down and laid his head on her side. "I know how these games work. Luke's tryin' to get in my head so I can be comfortable with his position as Earl, but I won't ever be comfortable with that. I am the rightful ruler of my village and I am the rightful ruler of all Viking territories." He stated. He turned his body to face the wall, still laying on Zoya. "And I'm gonna take back what's mine." He stated as he closed his eyes.

Kahseh slowly rose up from his bird bed before rubbing his eyes. As soon as he arose, Zoya lifted herself too. The Avian made her way to the front of the door before stopping and turning towards K. With a smile he spoke. "Good Morning girl. You want some fresh air huh?" Kahseh pushed himself up before strolling to the front of the barn and opening it. Zoya wiggled between the doors and stopped when she was outside. "Go ahead, girl. Stretch your wings but don't take too long. Depending on how things turn out right now I may or may not need you." Zoya probably didn't understand half of what he was saying, but he was sure that she got a gist. The Avian turned forward and screeched loudly. She then flapped her wings, and in seconds lifted off into the sky to enjoy her alone time. Kah smiled as she flew away, he loved her so much seeing her happy made him happy. "Alright." He said to himself as he turned towards the barn. He glanced to his left and could see a few viking warriors watching him from a few meters away. Kahseh turned to his left and saw a few warriors watching him from a few meters away as well. He frowned. "This bastard has people watching me now?" He whispered as he shook his head. Quickly he walked into the barn. The plan was to just go up to Luke and demand respect for his position as Viking Lord, as well as giving him back his rightful place as Earl. Anything could happen though, knowing Luke wasn't to be trusted it was important that he get his weapons together. Kahseh picked up his Bow and arrows and put it over his back. He grabbed his dagger, and sheathed it on his right side, and grabbed his sword, sheathing it on his left side.

Now it was time. Kahseh slowly stepped out of the barn, finding that the warriors were still watching him from both sides. In annoyance Kahseh shook his head. As he began walking towards Luke's home, the warriors from his left side began to follow him. At first he was simply going to ignore them, but he had enough after a few seconds. The young Viking swung around to face the 2 warriors following him. "Stop fucking stalking me, dammit. If I see you following me again, I will chop you in to pieces myself, and feed you to my to my Dragon Bird." The men didn't say a word. Kahseh faced his destination again and began walking forward but Instead of the men listening, they began following again. "You gotta be kidding me..." he murmured under his breath. Unsheathing his sword and full of fury, he turned to the warriors, placing the tip of the swords blade to one of their necks. For a moment they stood, but the other placed his hand onto his own sword. Kah glanced down at the mans hand. "Oh I dare you to raise your blade to me, I'll kill the two of you at the same time. I am your Viking Lord. I can kill everyone here and I will still be your Viking Lord, dumbass. Raise your blade to me, go ahead... I will command your Earl to behead you for treason." The man bit his lip but eventually his hand let go of the hilt of his sword. The other man stood still as the sword was resting on his neck. "Good. Glad you understand, now stop following me. That is an order." The men snarled and turned away. The struggle for power was real. Kahseh was in shock by what just happened. These people must really look up to Luke for one reason or another if they were willing to stand against him...their very own Viking Lord.

Finally Kahseh was at Luke's home. Two warriors stood outside of the home, guarding it but K didn't give not a single fuck. The warriors looked at him, waiting to see what he would do. K simply walked forward but was stopped by the guards as they placed their axes in front of the door. "Move." He said softly. "I'm afraid we can't do that, Kahs-" K grabbed the man by his color before punching him right in the face, knocking him out cold. K turned to face the other man as he readied himself with his Axe. "What's going on here?" Luke said as the door swung open.

Luke closed the door behind him. His two guards looked at him for directions but his eyes were set on Kahseh, still quite angered for what he did the last night. Kahseh faced Luke. The first thing he noticed was the eye patch on his eye, it nearly made him chuckle. There was a moment of silence as the two just stared each other down. "You did well as Earl but your time is over, Luke. I am relieving you of your position as Earl. Hand to hand combat isn't necessary because I am the rightful Earl, that is the law." He simply stated. K turned to walk further away from the home as Luke trailed behind him. "I decline." He responded. Kahseh snapped towards Luke, eyes widened in surprise. He knew that Luke wasn't one to obey the laws but this was something entirely different. This was a law that all Vikings were raised to respect. "You...decline? This isn't up for debate, Luke. You're no longer the Earl of our village." Luke snickered as he nodded to three men behind Kahseh to close in. The Viking Lord didn't need to look behind him to know what would happen if this escalated. Without hesitation he unsheathed his sword. People began to watch, both warriors and slaves. "Kahseh, Kahseh, Kahseh. I'm afraid that you came a little too late to the party, haha! I saved these people's lives. Rebuilt our village from the ground up with these same men. They respect me as their Earl, no matter the law. We've been without a Viking Lord for months now, do you honestly believe that's still a thing?" K snarled, as Luke stopped advancing about 6 feet away from Kah. "Then I'll kill you myself!" He shouted as he attempted to charge towards Luke. The warriors behind him didn't let that happen. They used the hilts of their axes to crack Kahseh right in his head, causing him to fall. "No... you won't Viking Prince." Kahseh stood up as Luke backed away with a sly smirk.

"Yes... I will. If you don't kill me here, right now, I'll have your head." he spoke, breathing heavily. Luke shrugged, still with that evil smirk. "Chain him to the cave." The guards behind Kahseh nodded and obeyed as they moved forward to grab K. However, the bronze man was not going down without a fight. He turned still with his sword in hand and sliced one of the warriors necks, as the other swung his axe. Kahseh moved back just in time before thrusting his blade into the second warriors stomach. The other guards beside Luke advanced forward. The Viking snatched his sword out of the mans stomach and turned to them before swinging downward sloppily, connecting with the sword of one of Luke's guards. "Listen. You don't have to do this, I don't want to kill you! I am your rightful Earl, I am your viking lord!!" He shouted as he pulled away for another swing. Before he could swing, another warrior from behind sliced his right leg. "Gah!!" he yelled out as he fell to one knee. "It's over, Kahseh. Now you're bowing to me." Luke concluded. The other warriors quickly dismantled Kahseh as he breathed heavier then before. K looked up at look, hate in his eyes and ready to risk it all just to kill him right where he stood but a guard stepped before him and blocked his view from Luke. He looked up at the guard and to his surprise it was Barute. K's eyes widened, now this was something he'd never though he'd see happen. "Barute?" he whispered in a saddened tone. Barute shook his head and hesitated to give Kahseh his final blow. "Don't worry, I'll help you I promise." Kahseh looked up at him confusingly before the man smashed the hilt of his axe onto K's head, knocking him out cold.

"Good Job, commander. Now tie him up and bring him to the cave. He'll die there slowly."

Darkness. Am I...dead? Kahseh's eyes opened, or at least he thought they did. He couldn't tell considering he was submerged in nothing but darkness. He breathed heavily, frantically looking around for something that could tell him where he was. It was safe to say that at the moment he wasn't fully conscious. His arms remained above his head, and his legs immobilized. With a grunt he tried to pull his arms down, but all he heard was the rattling of chains. After doing the same thing with his feet, he understood exactly where he was. Well...not exactly, though he did realize what was going on. I'm chained to a fucking cave? He thought as he panted. Now his consciousness was coming back in full. Kahseh grunted and growled as he attempted to move his legs and arms, rattling the chains quite a bit.


His eyes darted towards the sound of what seemed to be matches only for his eyes to be met by one of Luke's warriors. The man put the match on top of a torch, lighting it immediately and radiating the cave. Kahseh looked up at his arms and saw how he was chained, then looked down at his legs to see how they were chained. Typical. It was sad that at this point he couldn't even call them his warriors. Luke had them brainwashed or something. They truly believed that Luke was the best thing for them. The viking holding the matched stepped forward with a smirk. "You're finally awake sleepy head." he snickered. "How long was I out?"Oh how he hoped it was nothing more than a day, 'cause if not then that would mean Zoya had already returned looking for him, and that would mean some very bad things could have happened to her. "About 4..." the man began with an evil smirk. "Four...what?" He asked nervously. He didn't show just how nervous he was though but anybody would be able to assume someone in this predicament would be nervous. "4...days, hahaha." Kahseh's eyes shot up and met with the mans. He wanted to remember his face.

"Get *pant*... me *pant*... out of here..." He demanded. Kahseh could feel a throbbing pain on his forward then he remembered the last face he saw before he blacked out; Barute. Barute said he had a plan to get K out somehow so if this man wasn't working to do that, then he would have to wait until Barute himself came. "Sorry, no can do. Direct orders for Ear-" "I am your Earl!" His voice boomed angrily throughout the cave. The viking simply laughed before shaking his head. "Heh. Well that would have been true if you came back for your people, but you didn't. We don't respect you as our Earl." Kahseh growled. "I thought everyone was dead." He responded. "Yeah well you thought wrong." The man concluded as he blew out the fire and strolled out of the cave.

"I WILL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU WHO DENY ME AS YOUR EARL AND VIKING LORD!!" The man left without another word.

Kahseh dropped his head, facing the ground underneath him. Come on Barute... I need you. He thought as he continued to breath heavily. As soon as the man left he realized just how bored he would be if he spent the rest of eternity here. At least the man gave him some kind of conversation. What did I do to deserve this? He asked himself. He waited for a moment as if someone inside his head would give him an answer. Silence. "What did I do to deserve this!?" He shouted in confusion and frustration as his head flung up to what would have been the sky. Kahseh's father always believed that his only son was favored by the gods but ever since he got here the only thing he witnessed was pain and heartbreak. Ever since he left Karakuri his faith in the gods dwindled. "First my entire village, then Bunda, now here I am, watching myself die! How could you allow my family and my friends to die just so I could get here and rot in a damned cave!?" He asked aloud. When there was no immediate response he grew aggravated. "Huh!?!" Still, Nothing. "Answer me!!!!" He shouted as his head fell back down. streams of tears fell from his eyes before dripping onto the ground beneath him.

The young lord closed his eyes. His mind drifted in a matter of moments and he went back to his happy days.

Zoya, his mother standing in front of him, smiling with her bright white teeth as her brown skin glistened in the sun. Her lips pressed against his forehead. Safety. Love. Comfort. Kah could feel them all in her presence. Zoya grabbed her son's hand before turning and running towards the water where another figure seemed to be standing. At this moment Kah knew he was dreaming or hallucinating or probably just losing his god forsaken mind but it felt so real. When him and his mother reached the water, the mysterious figure turned around with a confident smirk. It was none other than his father. "Ah, there you are my son." Kahseh was in complete shock. Zoya moved beside her late husband and the both of them stood in front of their child. "Everything you've been working so hard for will fall into place soon, you just need to have faith." The woman said. Her voice was as soft and smooth as he remembered. A tear fell from his face as he looked upon them. "I-I don't know what I'm doing. I've lost everything...Bunda, you, all my trustworthy friends. I have nothing." He complained. It felt so good to be able to vent even if it was to figments of his imagination. "Nonsense my boy. The gods still favor you, your mission will not be over any time soon. It will be hard and very very long but you have to keep going. You have to bring glory back to the Raider family name." Kah looked down at the ground, seeing the ice sand underneath him. Zoya stretched her arm out and lifted her son's face. "You will find a way to win. You always win, don't give up now. Your journey doesn't end here, my child. You must fight! Just like you've always done, fight!" "I'm tired ma....I'm tired of fighting..." "You fight or you die, son. You have a good heart, you're humble and I know you don't want to hurt anyone but sometimes that it what you need to do. You have to slay all of your enemies before they slay you or you will die." Kahseh was silent.

"I....I..." slowly his body began to distance themselves from the two figures. There they stood smiling at him, holding each other. They looked like they were finally at peace since the last time he actually saw them. Kah looked around frantically as his body moved away. He didn't want to leave them, not again. "No, no!" He shouted as he moved further. "Fight Kahseh." his mother spoke again. "Fight!" His father's voice echoed before everything faded to black.


"No! No!"

"Kahseh!"

"Ma! Dad!"

"Kahseh! Come on bro we gotta get you out of here." Said a familiar voice. The person shook Kahseh, waking him up almost immediately.

"Wha...what's going on?" Finally regaining consciousness he could see exactly who it was. Barute. He came back to help just like he promised. Behind him stood about 12 other warriors to K's surprise. He thought he had nobody willing to back him up. "Hurry. You two, unchain him." Quickly two viking warriors dispersed to each of the chains that held his arms up, striking them with their weapons to break them. Barute struck the cuffs around his writ, breaking those as well. Kahseh was far too weak to stand up correctly so when the chains broke he fell forward onto Barute. "I got you bro." Slowly Kah's eyes moved to him. "You actually came back." Barute smiled and rolled his eyes. "I never break a promise." he began before turning towards the warriors. "Come on, break the chains on his feet we gotta hurry." The men did just that and before Kah knew it, he was being carried out of the cave. "Where are we going?" "I don't know but somewhere away from here, it's not safe." "The Luke will know for sure that you helped me. No, we can't." Barute stopped moving, looking Kahseh right in his eyes. For a moment there was silence, but he already knew what Kahseh planned just from knowing him. "Oh no, you can't possibly be considering...." Kahseh sighed. "We have to Barute. Luke is not the rightful Earl of our village and my father would want me to fight." "Kahseh... you can't take them all on." "No, but we can. You will help me, right?" Kahseh paused and moved away from Barute to face all the men he brought. "All of you helped me escape because you knew that Luke isn't your rightful Earl, so help me get my position back. I promise you all I will lead you to a better life but I need your help first." The men looked amongst each other before nodding. Barute sighed and shrugged, concluding that there was nothing else he could do but fight with his friend. "Well I guess we're going to battle. But you, you'll die in your current condition we gotta let you heal first."

"Don't worry about me, I have the Raider's armor, I won't take much too much damage. Besides, it's not my time to die, I still have a long journey ahead of me."

This is where things were going to be settled. A face off between two of the most powerful men amongst Vikings. Though Luke probably bested Kahseh in combat, Kahseh fought with his brain. Not many people were as smart as him when it came to moving around the battle field. Kah was a man that utilized everything around him to fight. There were no rules, that was something Bunda had taught him. Hopefully things didn't come to that. Even though Luke had his Viking Lord chained to a cave, he was still hoping that there was a way for him to get his position back without violence. So far that didn't seem to be apart of the plan for Luke. Kahseh limped down the hill with a total of 11 warriors behind him. Helping him was Barute, the 12th warrior with him. At the bottom of the hill, Luke had been standing with about twenty men behind him but more were coming from their places to join him. K looked around with a frown as a drop of sweat ran down his forehead. Barute scanned the area as their group continued walking toward the war-ready soldiers. When Kah and Barute stood directly in front of Luke and his warriors, they stopped. There the dark haired man stood, arms crossed over his chest. His large fur coat sat afraid his shoulders so that his arms were fully out. Luke had a very athletic build and his skin tight combat suit made it obvious. "If this comes down to an all out battle, we'll die, you know that right?" Barute whispered calmly into K's ear. "Are you ready to die for me, my brother?" He asked just as calmly. "Always have been, always will be."

One of the men behind Kahseh tapped him to hand him his weapons. His bow, his sword and his dagger were all in good condition. Luke stepped forward. Kahseh took his arm from around Barute's and limped forward. Luke's eyes strolled over to Barutes face, meeting him with a deadly glare. Barute glared back, though he was nervous he was good at masking it. The darkened skies would definitely make this a harder battle. "I didn't want to believe that you'd actually betray me, Commander Barute. How will I tell your father that I happily murdered his only son?" Luke asked sarcastically. Barute remained quiet, eyes still on Luke. "Kahseh, it's over. Let's just go back to the cave, and you and your pals accept your punishment for treason and this'll all be over soon." Kahseh shook his head with a sigh.

"Luke... things don't have to be this way. Do the right thing. You need to stop pretending to be some savior of our people" Kahseh responded. He forced himself to stand straight on his two feet, frowning at his enemy. "No can do. We'll fight for the position, like real men." He drew his sword and raised it into the air. Immediately Kahseh used 3 of his skills that would allow him to take significantly less damage than he normally would. Hell, it was possible that he would actually take no damage but that didn't mean that he would win. As he activated his skills, his bodied glowed with a white vibrant light. K drew his sword and whispered to Barute. "You all run when he initiates, that way his men will chase you and you can at least use the environment to your advantage. There's too many of them and not enough of us, you have to fight smart." Barute nodded and drew his sword just as the warriors behind them did. Luke smirked before moving forward towards Kahseh. "CHARGE!!!"

Immediately Barute turned and began to sprint back towards the cave they came from. "Let's go, let's go!!" He shouted as he waved with his blade for them to follow him. Some of the men were confused as to what was happening. They watched Kahseh to see how he would react to Barute's attempt to flee and leave Kah behind, but when Kahseh didn't turn, they realized that this was apart of some plan. Kahseh dashed forward with his knight's sword in
his hand. As he approached Luke, he swung his blade down. It was a basic strike, easily defended by Luke who simply raised his sword. The current Earl looked around at his men who stood confused as to what to do since Barute fled. "What are you fools standing around for!? All of you, catch Barute and his squadron of traitors! I want them back alive so I can personally behind them!" He turned back to Kahseh before kicking him in his stomach, sending him flying back a few feet. "I'll deal with this one myself." The already injured viking quickly stood up, with a frown. "I didn't feel a thing. You hit like a little bitch." Luke chuckled. "You better break grateful that your blood allows you to use the Raider's Armor. I used to envy your father for having it, but now even I don't think it's so great. All it allows you to do is null damage, however you can still be knocked back, trapped, it's really not that hard to beat if you're a good fighter." "We'll see about that!" He shouted as he dashed forward, swinging his blade diagonally as Luke intercepted it. Kahseh then drew his dagger with his left hand from his hip, and sliced horizontally attempting to slice Luke's stomach. However, the Earl was too fast. He simply leaped back in the nick of time. "You never were the best fighter. Your father hat-" The dagger zoomed across the space between the two Vikings, hitting Luke in his right shoulder.

"You're talking way too much right now. Let's just get this over with." Kah was not only thinking about himself, but about his allies that moved back up the hill. Of course he didn't want them to die. Luke smirked, looking at the blade in his shoulder before ripping it out and tossing it. "Well. Aren't you eager to die."

Both men charged towards each other, their swords gripped in their hands ready to ultimately destroy each other. Luke swung his blade first, being countered by Kahseh. The two countered each other's strikes for some time, both dodging to their best abilities though it was safe to say that even if Kah didn't dodge, the blade wasn't strong enough to deal any damage. That's when a plan came to mind. Luke leapt back, trying to give space between the two but K didn't allow that. As Luke leapt back, the young lord dashed forward. He didn't swing his blade, nor did he prepare to attack, instead Luke straightened his arm, and pointed his blade at Kahseh, stabbing him directly in his heart. Kahseh stopped as the blade touched his chest, dropping his head as if the blade actually did damage. Luke didn't move his arm, instead he breathed heavily with a frown. As he realized that his blade actually connected, his frown flipped upside down. "Look at that. Your armor is not as durable as you think. Not compared to your father. Pity. I was actuall-" "HAAA!!" Kahseh thrusted his sword directly into the stomach of his opponent, catching him off guard. With a smile the bronze man pulled away, ripping the sword out of Luke. As he pulled away he revealed that the sword in fact did not leave a wound, it simply was only strong enough to press Kahseh's skin. Luke fell to his knees, and Kahseh followed. Two different things were happening here. Kahseh was already weak before the fight started so right about now his body couldn't take any more stress. Luke on the other hand was dying. Kah breathed heavily with a smirk. "Fool. This fight has come to an end, kinda quickly too." He laughed. Luke looked up at Kahseh with a large grin.

For a moment there was silence. K's smirk changed into an expression of awe as Luke stood, but not because he stood... it was in fact because his blood was "Black?! No way..." Kahseh began as he remained on his knee. "Yes. I'm a black blood." "How!? All this time you...you had black blood!? Your kind was supposed to be wiped out before I was born!" Luke smirked as he walked slowly towards Kahseh. the struggling Viking tried to stand, but he caught a sharp pain in his back. "Me and your father had what you can call a forbidden friendship. Before the wipeout of back bloods we were friends and although he killed my parents and the rest of the black bloods, he couldn't bring himself to kill me. He didn't think that I was a disease, he embraced my differences." Kahseh couldn't even speak. Black Bloods had the ability to manipulate their black blood and use it as a weapon. The black blood contained poisonous properties that could really have a devastating effect if used correctly. Rumor had it that once you kill a black blood, your blood becomes black but of course you don't gain the poisonous properties. The rumor is thought to be myth though. Luke allowed his blood to spill on the ground, it sizzled as it touched the surface.

"Earl Luke! We got the traitors." About 17 men walked down the hill. Some men held Barue and the rest of the tiny army with rope. Kahseh, sighed and put his head down. "Dammit." Kah whispered to himself. "Kahseh! I'm sorry, brother. I tried. We all tried to fight back but we could only kill around fifteen of them." Kahseh still didn't look back. He didn't want to take his eyes off of the Earl in case he could use an opening to strike. Right now he was resting. Luke looked up at his men with a smile. "Great job. We've won this short battle, as to be expected. Soon, we will be able to celebrate." Luke smirked, and wiped his wound with his hand before moving closer towards Kahseh. "Don't you do it." Kahseh warned, as if he was in any position to give demands that Luke would listen too. he wasn't sure just how strong Luke's black blood was. For all he knew it was strong enough to tear through the armor after a while. "With this, we ensure that our enemies will die a slow and painful death." Luke stood directly in front of Kahseh, slowly lifting his hand. Barute turned away, he couldn't watch his friend die like this. Everything was happening so quickly and as much as Kahseh didn't want to accept his death it looked like he would have to.



Immediately everyone turned their heads to the large screech they heard. From Kahseh's right and Luke's left, Zoya soared the sky, aiming directly for the battle. Kah's eyes lit up. This was the perfect time to *Shhhhkk" The Viking Lord swung his blade down onto Luke's hand and sliced it off. "GAAAAAAHHHH!!" he screamed as he fell to his knees. "No...no!" He shouted as Kah lifted himself and his blade. "I heard that black bloods are forbidden in Valhalla, let's see." Kahseh stabbed his blade into Luke's neck before he could say another word, killing him on impact and ripping it out before turning to face the men holding his allies captive. Zoya roared, stopping above her companion and screeching again, using her wings to create wind strong enough to push all the men back even Kahseh's allies. She probably didn't realize that they were here to help but what she did gave them a chance to get away from Luke's men. Quickly Barute and the rest of his team moved to Kahseh who used his blade to cut their ropes and free their hands. Luke's men came to their feet, watching Zoya as she landed in front of Kahseh. The young Viking slowly moved beside her so Luke's men could see him.

"You see how quickly the tides of battle can change?" Kahseh asked rhetorically as he leaned on Zoya. "I am the Viking Lord and I am your Earl." He said coldly. "Drop your weapons, my friend here doesn't take Kindly to them." The men did just that, more scared of Zoya than they were of Kahseh. "Bunda, tie these men up, and bring them near the water, I'll deal with them in a moment." Bunda nodded and began moving towards them. "You heard what the Viking Lord said, let's deal with the real traitors."

"Zoya.. You don't even understand how you've saved my life." Kahseh smiled as he petted his creature. She snuggled into his arms, purring with affection. The two of them sat by the water, waiting for Barute and the others to finish apprehending those who stood against them about an hour before this all went down. Zoya literally saved Kahseh's life and up until now he didn't realize just how valuable she was. Sure he knew that she was a great asset, but now he had even more faith in her than before. "Thank you, girl." He finished. The breeze cooled him down as he watched the waves crash from a distance. Finally he felt at peace, though there was still much left to do. He'd have to find a way to get to Karakuri. Now that Luke was dead, the vessels he used to get here belonged to him and surely one of these men had some navigational skills to get them home. Oh, he could see it now, the faces of his people when he returned would be priceless. Hopefully not many of them actually felt like they owed Luke their loyalty, because then things could get even more intense on Karakuri. Besides a navigator, Kahseh also needed a log pose which was extremely hard to come by for some reason.

From behind the young lord could hear crunches in the dirt, footsteps approaching him. Still he petted his dragon-like bird and watched the water. "My lord, all the prisoners have been rounded up. They're in front of Ear- I mean Luke's old place." Kahseh turned to Barute and nodded, his smile dimming into a more serious facial expression. Things weren't going to be pretty just yet. "Alright girl, I gotta go handle some things." He informed her before gently moving her head off of his lap. Quickly she picked up her head and allowed it to fall onto the ground. All that flying around before coming back must have made her tired. "Come on." the bronze raider walked in front of his friend as he dusted off the back of his pants.  He could see all 17 men on their knees, arms tied behind their backs, and feet tied together with gags in their mouths. They were lined up in a row awaiting their fate from their New and rightful Earl. "Here." Barute began taking Kah's dagger from his pocket. "It was on the ground." Kahseh nodded and grabbed the knife, admittedly he almost forgot about it. "Thanks. I forgot all about it." He looked down at the dagger as his hand gripped it tightly. Barute noticed his friends silence just before they approached the men awaiting their punishment and placed his hand onto Kahseh's shoulder. "Hey... we do what we have to do for the survival of our people." Kahseh looked at Bunda before nodding. "Yeah..." he said softly before turning to face the men and putting his dagger on his hip. Execution was the only punishment for treason, yet the idea still didn't sit too well with him.

Both Kahseh and Barute stopped, facing the men as their heads faced the ground. Their eyes however watched their leader. "Take the gags out." He demanded coldly. 9 men stood behind the prisoners, their swords and axes ready to strike down any person stupid enough to try leaving. Two other men followed Kahseh's orders and took the gags from every traitor. "I am Kahseh Balewa Raider, son of Tristan Raider and Zoya Balewa. I am the rightful Earl of Uketekah and the rightful Viking Lord of all of Karakuri's viking nations. None of you are exempt from that. You're all my people." He paused before taking another step forward, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Everything here belongs to me. Any vessel used to get here? It's mine. All of you? are mine." Again he paused. He looked back at Barute who gave a nod comforting him in the decisions he was about to make. "I am giving you all a choice... follow me, accept me as your rightful Earl and Lord... or die for treason. I promise to never abandon you all again. I promise to make sure there is food in your stomachs and clothes on your back and I promise that our people will rise to be stronger and better than ever before." "My lord, I don't th-" "You have thirty seconds to make your decisions." Quickly Kahseh turned to Barute before placing his arm over his shoulder and taking a few steps away so that nobody could hear them speak. "Earl Kahseh, this is not a very good decision. They could lie and tell you what you want to hear." The Earl removed his arm from around Barute, looking him dead in the eye. "And if they lie, they'll find themselves unable to stop my reign." "I don't know Kah, this is a big risk." "And I'm willing to take it. I don't fear these men. I will say this though..." Slowly he took another step closer towards Barute closing the distance between them, their noses only a few centimeters apart. "Don't ever question my decisions in front of people." Kah's voice became colder as he spoke. Barute's eyes widened a little from being taken by surprise but he nodded. "Apologies, my lord."

The two returned to the men quickly. The white headed man drew his sword. "All those who accept death as their fate, raise your heads." Nobody moved. Every person here seemed to want to serve Kahseh or at least they pretended to want to. Kahseh nodded, lifting his sword to put it away but then... "I accept Valhalla as my fate. I pledged my loyalty to Luke. I didn't know he was a black blood, but that's where my loyalty lies." The man lifted his head and looked directly at Kahseh. The bronze man turned his head to Barute. Again his friend nodded. "Alright." he sighed. "Anybody else?" To his surprise, a total of seven more men raised their heads. Damn. he thought. "Pull the others to the side." The men behind the traitors quickly grabbed the other ten men with their heads down and pulled them to the side where they all would watch the execution. Kahseh moved to the side before taking a deep breath. Deep down inside he didn't want to do this. Despite these men fighting against him and hoping to kill him, it felt wrong. "Your families will be safe under my protection and properly cared for, you all have my word."

"We have to do what we have to do for the survival of our people." He whispered to himself. Slowly Kahseh lifted his sword. "I give you passageway to the afterlife." He said aloud. Quickly he swung his blade downward onto the first of his seven prisoners, chopping his head clean off. When it was done, he stopped and watched the headless body fall while the man's head rolled down a few feet. Kahseh breathed heavily through his nose as he clinched his jaws. The viking warriors moved the body quickly so that their lord could stand beside the next to do the same thing. Slowly the Raider moved the next prisoner. He couldn't believe that these men were willing to die for Luke even after he was dead. "We do what has to be done." He whispered to himself again before lifting his blade and swinging it downward onto the second man. The process repeated five more times before he was officially done beheading but when he was done he couldn't wait to drop his blade. By the time all seven men were excited, blood had drenched his the front half of his shirt and pants. He wanted to cry, he really did but he couldn't for multiple reasons. "You did what you had to do." Barute stated as he patted Kahseh on his back. K nodded.

"Burn the bodies, tonight we feast."