Andrew Brown
The original author's spelling is retained.
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The Tale of Holger the Trapper and Hjalmar the Safeguard
Chapter One
The icy storm blew over the The Dark Swamps. Not a single soul was still living on any of the swamps Holger had searched with his faithful boar, Hjalmar the Safeguard, but with Hjalmar still on high alert Holger dared not rest for the night. His boar had kept him alive more times then even Odin knows, so Holger brandished his spear as the two trudged thru knee deep muck.
"No wonder the Konungs Peace Treatys hold no weight here", Holger grumbled to himself, "Not even the King of Clans wants these lands."
This was the third and final Isle Tower Holger planned laying his traps upon on that night before turning back into the mainland during his excursion to Holmgang. Without any warning Hjalmar the Safeguard jumped fifteen feet in the air and snagged a spear out of the sky with its
fierocious muzzle, and snapped it like a twig. As the boar landed, seemingly weighless and faster the strike of a viper, the boar charged thru the swamp and gored an armoured horse and its green clad rider. With a few loud screech the horse fell over crushing its rider and both lay on the ground in completely motionless, Hjalmar standing over the lifeless corpses as Holger trod behind his faithful boar.
The entire altercation took place in seconds, and to any unseasoned warrior, you would have missed it completely.
"Now Hjalmar, Save some of the fun for me next time." As the man searched the pockets of the dead warrior, he started talking to himself to take note of who attempted to ambush him.
"Fanatic, I had thought they all had fled south after the slaughter their people faced in Jotenheim, but it seems this one stayed back and still to held a grudge. I must stay more alert as we make our way to the final tower." The boar snorted as the two continue to force their way thru the thickets of the swamp.
As they exited into the clearing before Tower, the swamp still had that eerie gloom that had driven so many warriors to their death. The Boar even quivered and tensed in the shadow produced by the fabled Tower of Holmgang.
"We place the Seige trap, fifteen minutes, in and out.Then back to the Inn for sup. Sound like a plan Hjalmar?" The armoured boar, still tense, lead the Trapper to the entrance of the tower.
End of Chapter One