Asgarth the Invincible: Chapter IX

It was a bitter moon that glowered upon Asgarth as he rode astride his valiant mount through the yawning gates of Sargoth, his band of loyal adventurers close behind. Many days had they spent in pursuit of the ignoble sea raiders, but to no avail. If he was to win the voluminous heart of Lady Kaeteli, he would have to explore fresh fields of glory.

As Asgarth left the city he saw another mighty fracas underway in the plain below, an invading force of Swadians in pitched battle against the nobles of the Nords - including none other than Jarl Harald, father of Asgarth’s beloved. “Now I may prove my love for his pulchritudinous offspring!” exhaled Asgarth vigourously. Spurring his steed forth, he betrod the shadow of doom once again, plunging into hell-fury like a demon unleashed by the death-dealing forces of Hades.

As he charged his mount into the depths of the Swadian lines, Asgarth realised he had left his men behind and was now surrounded by dozens of enemies, thirsting for his beating life-blood. “By the peaks of Gahalala,” he gasped as his mount was pierced by a ten-foot-long pike and crashed whinnying to the ground, writhing in the throes of equine mortality.

No sooner was his horse dispatched than the Swadian foe turned their attention to its rider, and launched upon Asgarth’s fallen form like a pack of ravenous blood-wolves from the misty Mountains of K’Shah’a, where the sun rises but once a year, and the valleys are steeped in a total blackness of the sort which now came over Asgarth’s awareness, though not before he uttered a furious, “This is bullshit...”