Fate Rebellion

Before he moved on, one more thought entered his mind. '…I wonder how much those crones know of Luna's interference. They used her likeness once, but that doesn't have to mean anything. She was my wife in my first life, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd simply taken her image from that.' 

'Besides,' he continued thoughtfully. 'They surely would have mentioned her if they knew anything about Luna's true identity and interference… right?' 

But since he still had mostly questions and few answers, he shook himself free and focused on the here and now. Looking around, he noticed people were starting to come to their senses and started caring for the wounded. He figured it was time for him to show his leadership, so he asked Eilin about her status. 

"Eilin? How are you feeling now?" he asked sternly, absentmindedly caressing her hair. 

"A little better, Master," she groaned, having finally recovered enough to hold a normal conversation. "M— My brain isn't braining right… my vision gets periodically blurry, and its… a little hard to focus—But I can still serve!" 

Rurik smirked and chuckled. "No, you can't. You have a concussion, so get some rest. You'll serve me best by recovering as quickly as possible, because I'm going to need you." 

But Eilin wouldn't let it go that easily. "S— Screw you, Master!" she growled, showing her determination and fiery nature. "Y— You think a little concussion will s— stop me?!" 

She tried to struggle out of his grip and stand up, but Rurik rolled his eyes, and used the opportunity to stand up himself, before pushing her back down. With his hands on her shoulders, he stood in front of her and looked into her eyes. 

"Disobeying me, are you, Eilin?" His raised eyebrow appeared teasing, but she knew better. That look meant punishment was coming if she didn't immediately change course. 

The ginger-haired firebrand trembled under his gaze. She opened her mouth for less than a second, but then quickly crumbled, and sagged against the rock. "N— No, Master…" she muttered with an aggrieved pout. 

"Good," Rurik nodded, his gaze quickly softening. "Recover and wait here for me, I'm going to see what we're dealing with." 

He turned around and walked away without waiting for an answer. Behind him, Eilin followed his figure with hazy eyes full of fervour. 'Come on, stupid brain!' she growled in her thoughts. 'Recover!' 

Unfortunately, it didn't listen, and she was forced to remain. 

Meanwhile, Rurik realized the six ships that were here consisted of three Drakkars, the Viking's largest warships, two Snekkjas, smaller, more manoeuvrable ships that would work well on rivers, and one Knarr, a cargo ship. 

With a quick calculation in his head, that meant there should be somewhere between two hundred and three hundred people here, most of whom would be warriors. 

"Lord Wolfscar!" a number of warriors greeted him with nods of respect. All of them various wounds on their body, ranging from minor cuts, like Rurik, to broken bones and concussions. 

But these were just the ones able to stand on their own two feet. Several more were strewn about the beach, either dead or unconscious. The warriors had already begun to gather the wounded and tend to them. 

Rurik nodded back at them. They were still in front of his own Drakkar, so most of these men belonged to his network. He quickly noticed the ship's captain, whose arm was hanging useless by his side. "Anders! What do we know?" he barked at the man authoritatively. 

"Not much, my lord," the man shook his head with a stern frown. "Except that the rest of the fleet is nowhere in sight, and this land shouldn't be here…" 

'No shit,' Erik rolled his eyes inwardly. Meanwhile, Anders showed some grit. Growling in pain, he pushed his arm back into its socket. Fortunately, it wasn't broken. 

"Well, first things first," Rurik nodded, his eyes wandering over the beach. "Check the bodies and tend to the wounded, we'll bury the dead later. I'll go see how the other ships are doing. Particularly that cargo ship should be useful." 

After Anders accepted his orders, Rurik walked towards another nearby Drakkar, glancing at Eilin as he walked. He hadn't forgotten the crones warning about not staying with the people he came here with, but… surely, he couldn't leave Eilin behind? 

Setting aside that he simply didn't want to, he doubted Luna's intentions for Eilin were over already. It's possible she did something he wasn't aware off, but he doubted it. These other people he would leave behind in a heartbeat, however; mostly for his own well-being, but also for theirs—he doubted they could stand up to these Children of Norn. 

Still, for now, he waited. He doubted these Norns would be on him immediately, and until then there was safety in numbers. He also hoped to get another message from Luna about Eilin. 

Turning his gaze back, he walked over the next Drakkar, but he was lost in thought. Too lost to notice a short form, leaving the crowd of warriors in the next Drakker and running over to him. 'I wonder how father and Maria are do—' 

"Big Brother!" 

Suddenly, a Maria-sized monster impacted his body and tightened its tentacles around his chest. "Thank the Gods you are here, and alive!" the monster exclaimed emotionally. 

This time, Rurik was genuinely stunned. 'Out of all the ships in the fleet, theirs made it here with me…?' he muttered sceptically. 'I guess they were sailing near me, but… I'm not sure if have the freedom to believe in coincidence anymore.' 

Sensing Rurik was lost in thought, Maria looked up with large, wet eyes. "B— Brother…? Are you alright?" 

Rurik quickly shook himself free from his thoughts and looked down at the golden hair of his little sister. "Maria…" he smiled fondly. "Yes, I'm fine, and I'm glad to see that you are, too. In fact, you seem to be in a better state than most." 

Maria's clothes were barely scuffed. She didn't even have cuts on her body. Yet, he also noticed there was grief in her eyes, mixing with the joy of seeing him again. 

"It was Father… he protected me, but… he's in bad shape…" she muttered sadly, pressing her forehead against his chest.