As the door to Alice's apartment opens I can picture Doctor Quest standing there instead of Alice. They really couldn't be more different. As I sit on her sofa I consider the woman, wondering if I'd actually accept a contract to kill her.
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The longship scrapes against the sand of the beach, carving a short channel before coming to a halt. I'm one of the first to jump over the side, landing with a splash in ankle-deep water, and soon only a skeleton crew is left aboard. It was a bonfire that guided the ship into the cove and now we're closer the outline of a church can be seen, clusters of huts gathered in its shadow.
Saxon priests have much and don't fight you for it. An eager grin works its way onto my face when the captain gestures towards the village and in near-silence all of us begin picking our way off the beach. We pass overturned boats, wanting to burn the crude vessels but unable to in case the village is warned of our approach. Soft grassland replaces the sand and we increase our pace, little jangles from loose equipment marking our passing. The company splits in two as we near the village, we'll swing round and shepherd the Saxons either into their church or towards the longship to be enslaved, and I follow the captain through a small copse of trees.
We disturb an outlaw camp, figures suddenly leap up around us, and hot blood sprays over me when I bring my axe down on someone's head. A man is left to search the camp, his shoulders drop unhappily as he bends to his task, and the rest of us continue, coming across an old stone road. The captain waves us into an even faster pace, promising glory at the end of the road, and we all break into a run.
The sounds of our approach, from north and south, draws the curious outside. Fisherfolk and farmers emerge from their homes with lit torches and the sight of the captain chopping down a young man has them all scurrying. Some lag, turning with purpose, and I burst out laughing. They're armed with pitchforks, hoes, tridents. Tools. I flick my axe to clear some of the blood off it, and pick a target as the company divides further into the warren of narrow streets. The boy doesn't even get to swing his staff before I've buried my axe in his chest, twisting it when wrenching the weapon free. A nearby villager, clutching a trident close, backs away as I straighten, trembling when I take a step towards them.
Our movements have us enter the circle of light cast by a dropped torch and I see my cringing opponent is a girl, just into adulthood. Her eyes widen as she properly notices my bloodied appearance and I sense the resignation in her when she shifts the grip she has on her trident. A wild swing I deflect with my shield and I step in, axe slicing through the girl's neck. She topples but I've already moved on, following the captain's plans.
In the end the villagers choose to barricade themselves inside the church. One of the priests tries to settle with us, nobody's quite sure which axe killed him, and the captain has us surround the building. I'm prowling, the stench of fear hanging in the air has stirred the predator in me, and finally I resort to cutting through a side-door. Screams greet me when I rip the door away and I lead the others into the church.
It's a slaughter, terrified and unarmed men and women of all ages against bloodthirsty warriors. Crimson flies in great loops as we reap a harvest, my shield is dripping more blood than my axe by the end. A few faces stand out, the priest on his knees, a woman who tried hiding under a pew. It's the last villager I kill that I remember the most, it's always that way for me. She's an old woman but there's no fear on her face, only a calm acceptance. I take off her head with a strong blow, doing her an honour.
No Saxon survives the night and the captain has us loot the village before we put it to the flame. The longship is laden with gold and other jewels as it's pushed off the beach, glistening in the light made by the burning church, and the company is in high spirit, our songs echoing around the cove. Each of us scrambles onto the longship when it starts floating and the captain moves to his place by the tiller, calling for us to take up oars.
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