Before long, I had more chopped wood than I knew what to do with. There was a boatbuilder who lived on the outskirts of the village, so I decided to pay him a visit to see if he was interested in buying any of the wood. I carried a small log with me to show him the quality of the wood I would be selling.
That was when I happened upon a scene.
"Euuk!!"
"You little freak! How dare you lay a hand on my sister!"
There were three boys. Two of them were ganging up on another boy who was crying on the ground. They were punching and kicking him in the head while the boy desperately tried to shield his face.
A girl was standing off to the side with a scornful look on her face. She had blonde hair, which caught me by surprise. In this world, mostly foreigners and slaves had blonde hair.
"Keep your hands to yourself, you damn ogre!"
"Euuk!!"
The sight reminded me of my old life, and it infuriated me. The boy crying on the ground was like an image of myself. Much of his appearance resembled my old self too; for one, he was much bigger than the other boys.
He was huge. He looked to be 18 or 19, but the other boys couldn't be older than 12. He was fat and appeared to be roughly six feet tall, and the more I looked at him, the more he resembled an ogre. He had a broad face, a flat nose and a row of miss shaped teeth.
Still, even though he was bigger than them and most likely stronger, he was still taking their punishment.
"Euuk!"
'Pathetic! They are all ganging up on his just because he's weak minded.'
All the boys there were older than me, and I knew they were further along in their assimilation than I was too. A fair fight wasn't in the cards for them. I wouldn't even bother questioning them either.
Instead, I snuck up on them and swung the piece of wood I had in my hand.
I felt the force of the attack in my shoulders when the log impacted the back of their heads. The first one fell silently, holding the back of his head, blood spurting out. The other turned to move, but the log struck the bridge of his nose before he could utter a word.
I cringed every time the wood hit them. I wasn't as panicked as when I killed Floki but still… I wasn't calm either. This was an absolute villain move, attacking them from behind and I was loving every second of it.
"What the hell? Who are you?!" the last one remaining shouted.
He was the one hurling insults before. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small knife. Its blade was jagged, and the handle was wrapped in brown cloth. His eyes darted to the girl and then back at me.
The moron just revealed his weakness.
I moved to grab the girl instantly which caused him to panic, and that's when he blindly charged at me. He made a broad swing, leaving himself open. As if he wanted to get hit in the groin, and I was happy to oblige. The impact was so hard that even I was left squinting.
His screams were like the Gjallarhorn signaling Ragnarök as he collapsed on the ground holding what remained of his nut-sack.
They made it too easy for me so I didn't feel an ounce of pity. I had caught them completely off guard, yes, but instead of using their Máttur they panicked like the fools they were.
The blonde haired girl crossed her arms and looked at me with a smug expression on her face. A look that said I wouldn't dare hit her. I desperately wanted to prove her wrong, but the boy's wailing was making it more dangerous to stay there long.
"You'll pay for this!" the girl said. "You have no idea who my father is."
I couldn't put my finger on it but there was something not quite right about her. The only way I can explain it is that the look she was giving me wasn't one I'd expect from a child.
On the surface she was a beauty without any doubt but staring into her blue eyes, I couldn't help thinking that she was a bit creepy.
She bent down to pick up dirt to throw at me, but all she grabbed were leaves. They scattered in the wind before they even came close to me. I didn't react; I just stood coldly, watching her throw her tantrum before turning to leave.
"My father will make you pay for this!" she screamed as I walked away.
Even when I was miles away, I could still hear her screaming. Like a psycho. I also heard rustling in the bushes behind me, as if someone was following me. They were doing a poor job of it; half their body was sticking out when they attempted to hide behind a tree.
It was the ogre... I mean the boy who had just been beaten up.
"You want something?" I asked.
"..."
The two of us engaged in a staring contest until he finally stepped out and revealed himself.
"What's your name?" I asked again, but instead of answering, I was met with,
"Euuk~"
Huh? What the hell is a 'Euuk'? I couldn't help but sigh. This was a waste of time. I turned my back and continued on to where I was going, but I could still hear his footsteps behind me.
Soon, I arrived at a small wooden house in a clearing in the woods. From what I gathered, this was where the boatbuilder lived. I approached the house and knocked on the door, with the giant still following me.
I heard loud creaks in the floorboards as someone approached the door. The door opened to reveal a woman. A woman as big as a troll and, dare I say it, as ugly as one too.
She towered over me like a seven-foot behemoth. Her hands were bigger than my head, and her muscles made her look like a bodybuilder. She gasped and covered her mouth as she opened the door.
"MY BABY!!"
Baby?—
Before I could even finish the thought, I was hurled out of the way, landing on the floor with a thud. The behemoth wrapped her arms around the giant boy and began showering him with kisses.
"WHO DID THIS TO YOU?!"
She began questioning him about who had hurt him, to which he only answered with "Euuk~." This caused the behemoth to turn her gaze sharply to me while I was still lying on the ground, a little bewildered.
Suddenly, a giant axe appeared in her hand as black tattoos traced from the back of her hand to the base of her neck.
Those tattoos…This is the first time I saw someone that far along in their assimilation!
"Did you do this to my son?!"