[center][h2][b][color=ed1c24]WATFORD RAID[/color][/b][/h2][/center]
Reidun ran past the guard shacks on the way to the castle walls. She noticed that the walls had cracks in it in places but it still looked plenty strong. Most of the men went round the front to the gates. Some were going to ram it til it broke while others were going to defend the others.Some of the men were archers although there were a lot more axe and swordsmen in the viking group. Carrying her shield and weapons she ducked underneath a tree near the back and looked for anything to use to her advantage. The walls were about twenty five to thirty feet high. She spotted a sewer grate but that was all. She started to head to the front but was stopped mid thought.

Looking at the grate she got closer. Reidun smiled and waved those closest to her over. Harek and Conall were close enough to see her. She called them over.

[color=f49ac2]“Look here. We can pull the grate off. The mortar is damaged badly. With a little muscle it should pull out and we crawl through and walk right in.”[/color] She grinned. 

[color=green]“Great idea”[/color] Conall said running towards the grate Conall with a wide smile.  Laying down his axes he grabbed and threw the grate out of the way.  Waving for Harek to follow him he shouted[color=green] “Better keep up old man, unless you want me to get all the glory.”  [/color]

Harek jogged after Conall into the sewer grate cursing at him quietly. [color=blue] “Why do we have to go the sewer?  I know you always smell like this, but some of us want people to be able to breathe around us.” [/color] As they got further into the sewer the ceiling got smaller and smaller, making Harek kneel down close to the ground.  If he were any taller he would have to get down on his knees and crawl.

Conall a little irritated at Hareks last remarks looked back replying [color=green]“Well I figured you would be at home here considering the amount of shite that comes out of yer mouth.” [/color] After finishing that last bit Conall turned around only to hit his head on the ever shrinking ceiling.  [color=green]“Argh! Whose idea was it to make me go through this small tunnel?”  [/color]

Reidun chuckled. [color=f49ac2]“Mine! Now hurry up all I can see is your arses in front of me.”[/color] Looking at the ceiling she asked Harek,[color=f49ac2] “Is it still getting smaller up there? I hope not. I’d do it but someone will pay if I have to crawl through shit to kill them. Although….I can’t wait to see Aksel’s face when we are there to let him in.” [/color]She grinned widely and chuckled softly.

Harek was about to answer when the sewer took a tight turn and he came upon a grate.  It was right above him and it appeared to lead into a dark room.  Harek turned to the others and held up a hand, telling them to stop.  After waiting a few seconds trying to listen in on the room he rubbed his hands together.  He reached up and grabbed the bars, pushing them up.  They gave a bit of leeway, but didn’t come off.  Harek brought his arms down and after taking a deep breath hit upwards.  His palms hit the edge of the grate and dislodged it from its spot in the ground.  After pushing the grate aside Harek pulled himself up and moved to the door.

Conall being the next to make it out of the hole moved quickly to the same door he saw Harek waiting at.  Moving to the other side of it so that each of them were on different sides of the door.  Conall stood gripping both his axes itching for a fight.  Looking over to the grate he waited for the rest of the raiders to come out before charging.  After the last of the warriors came out into the room Conall looked over to Harek with a smirk.  “What do you say Harek old pal on three we kick down the door and raise hell?”    

[color=blue]“How about you go be a distraction, and Reidun and I will go open up the gate.  After that I’ll join you in the fun.”[/color]

[color=green]“Ay sounds fair enough”[/color]

[color=blue]“3...2..”[/color]  Without waiting for one they both kicked at the door, nearly knocking it off its hinge.  Letting Conall go first Harek took off in the opposite direction and set off towards the gate.  After a few paces he began to move at a brisk walk and put on a helmet he saw laying on the ground.  If you acted like you belong people will think you belong.

Reidun followed Harek and Conall out into the outer edges inside the castle walls. There were lots of soldiers around and only the three of them inside so they had to hurry. [color=f49ac2]“If anyone looks at us they are going to recognize us as outsiders.”[/color] Once close to the gates she looked up and saw people on stairs leading up to the towers. Reidun knew there had to be a way to get to the gate itself but there were too many guards there in case the gates broke. 

[color=f49ac2]“Well hello boys, “[/color] she murmured as she ran up behind the soldiers and started her attack. It wasn’t long before men were falling at her feet. 

Conall knew he had to draw the attention of most of the guards so that both Harek and Reidun could open the gate.  Conall yelled at the top of his lungs [color=green]“Come on ye gutless fools! Who wants to meet their end at the hands of the great Conall?’  Turning, he quickly and efficiently placed an axe into the back a poor soldier running to the gate.  Removing the axe Conall took off running, carving a path of destruction through a cluster of homes near the wall.  As Conall ran through the houses he could be heard shouting phrases and curses in a strange language that Harek could barely pick out words from his times spent with Conall.     

Harek watched Reidun take down the two guards and Conall go stampeding off yelling obscenities.  He quickly sprinted up the steps of the gate house.  He met a guard on the way up and shouldered a guy in the knees.  The man flipped over him and fell down the stairs.  After reaching the top of the stairs he saw the winch for the gate and two guards standing next it.  Harek threw his helmet at the first guard and rushed the second one.  He pulled out his sword and stabbed the man through his stomach.  Spinning around he slashed the other man in the chest.  Rushing over to the winch he began to crank it.

Reidun watched as Harek ran past her jumping over the carnage she had left all over the ground. Just as Harek got to the winch a soldier shot an arrow at him and Reidun happened to see it and jump in front of it just in time blocking it with her shield. Rolling to her feet she jumped straight into an attack on the closest soldier who appeared to fight better than some of the others. Ducking his swipes at her with a sword she bashed him with her shield and then parried and clipped him in the side with her axe. As he fell he seemed shocked that it was a woman to take him down.  Reidun spit on him and kept right on fighting. 

As Harek cranked the gate open Reidun stayed with him to protect him while he was busy. When the gate opened up and the others raced in Aksel caught sight of them and started laughing.  As he passed and went into the fight he clapped Harek on the back and laughed. Reidun grinned and ran towards Conall to help him, as if he might actually need it.

Conall was tearing through any and all men that would dare try and challenge him.  Anyone who could come across him would surely be shocked at the amount of bodies that were already left at his feet.  Though to be fare his size and ferocity in battle was often enough just give most new recruits a heart attack.  [color=green]“Can any of ye offer up a real fight?” [/color]Conall shouted out to the defending army wanting a real fight.  Seeing Reidun run up to where he was currently he said [color=green]“Glad to see you and Harek could get your part of the job done.  Come to join in on the fun Have you love?” [/color] after finishing his question Conall ducked letting a sword pass right over him as he planted his shoulder in to the poor man's stomach.  Standing up he hurled the man over his head and forcing him to his back.  Just as the man had the wind knocked out of him Conall planted his axe square into his chest.

Reidun joined straight into dropping the enemy ducking and staying out of Conall’s way. She answered him with a grin.[color=f49ac2] “I can’t let you have all the fun! You should have seen Aksel’s face!”[/color] She laughed as she planted an axe in the chest of her current enemy and continued forward in her reign of slaughter on the soldiers. She looked up and saw a child of no more than two or three standing in the middle of the battlefield. Reidun barrelled through the people between her and the child. She scooped it up blocking with her shield as she did. The child screamed and cried for its mother as she ran it to the side of a building.

[color=f49ac2]“Where is your mama?” [/color]She asked the toddler. It pointed towards a building and she kicked the door in. A young woman screamed and ran forwards and dropped to her knees in front of Reidun. 

[color=orange]“Please don’t hurt my child!”[/color]  Reidun gave her the toddler back and looked at the older men and women as the children in the room and ordered them. [color=f49ac2]“Bar this door behind me!”[/color] Reidun went back out to fight and she made sure that the vikings left that building alone.

Conall while commenting on it, had seen what Reidun had done making him smile.  It was good to see that she wasn't a mindless killer like some of the raiders who left not even innocent women and children alive.  Turning his attention once more to the battle Conall laid to waste the rest of the guards that were near him.  After the last one fell Conall seemed satisfied by his work as he waited for Reidun. To catch back up.

Harek had been watching a few minutes of the battle making sure the didn’t get ambushed.  After he was confident there were no surprises at the moment he decided to go looking for the English commander.  Harek began to move at a light jog towards the main hall of the keep, calling a few men to follow him as he went.  As they went down the road and left the chaos of the gate they came upon a squad of soldiers about twice their size heading the opposite direction.  After a few seconds of surprised silence Harek pointed his sword at the other group,[color=blue] “Let’s get em boys!!!”[/color]

Charging at the group Harek could feel his blood pumping behind his ears and his vision becoming red.  The rage was going to envelope him.  Letting out a roar Harek blocked an overhead strike and pushed the man back.  He impaled the fallen man and slashed the back of a man who was facing the other direction.  Spinning he cut the ankles of another man and stabbed another through the chest.  The rest of the fight was a blur of death and screaming.

Isgred was too busy to be able to enjoy the battle and Englishmen dying, because there were plenty of injured Vikings who needed her attention. The truth was that running around the battlefield and patching up men was a bit scary. The songs always told stories of great battles, weapons swinging, men covered in blood of their enemies, enjoying the glory in the name of the Gods. But none of the stories mentioned the horrible smell of ripped out guts, screams of men trying to put their intestines back inside or trying to put their shattered bones back together.
 
She was used to blood, injuries and things related to them, but the sheer amount of people screaming here was overwhelming. Isgred forced herself to shut the caring part of her mind off, letting herself be controlled by the practical and pragmatic part. Patching up one man and going right next to another. Skipping the ones that were beyond her help.
 
Someone grabbed her ankle and she turned around with a dagger in her hand. It was a dying English soldier, very young, quietly begging her for something, whether it was water or help or a quick death she couldn’t say. [color=0072bc]“Let go of me,”[/color] she growled and shook his hand off. She sure as hell wasn’t going to waste her efforts on treating enemies.
 
She could hear there was still some fighting in the city, but it seemed to be only small isolated skirmishes with the remains of the defenders. It seemed safe enough to enter the city.



Colab with [@Wick] [@Pandapolio] [@Raylah]