Quest Details:

 The village was in shambles so it was only natural for Vali to assingn more patrols at the gate. Vikings were ordered to remain at the gates with their torches. The fire from the torches burned quietly, but when the wind began to pick up the flames were thrown to and fro. One guard began to see a small glow in the distance. He squinted his eyes worrying less about the howls of wind and more about the growing glow. It was then that the Vikings realized what was happening. Quickly one of them turned to his peers behind him. "There is someone approaching, get Jarl Vali!"

Everything happened for a reason; that's what Vali and his older brother were taught by their parents. The gods always had their hands in a fateful event. For a few days Vali had mostly been at ease. After returning to a ruined home, he had mostly been depressed in his home. His father, however, ordered for a village clean up during. The young Jarl was simply defeated, yet he knew that his job as leader was not a choice. He played with his fingers, tapping them on his ale-filled cup. Through all that had happened, the people around him continued to support him. As he sat in the main hall, he gazed at the floor, sulking in the Jarl's chair. His father, Tristan Onfroy, and Bunda stood in front of him.

"This is the second time that this has happened..." He sighed talking to the people in front of him. The Jarl rotated his cup, causing the ale inside to lightly splash inside along its walls. "The Rune Knights...have destroyed us...again." He repeated. The titan threw his head back, looking at the ceiling.
"And now we must decide what we will do." Vali's father remarked. "No not "we", father, me. You need not worry about the duty of an Jarl anymore." Vali sighed. Tristan scoffed, but his eyes remained on his son. Vali was still Naive, a child perhaps. "We should gather all able men and march towards the dungeon when the bodies have been properly buried or burned. Freeing our people should be our main priority. If we come up with a battle-strategy, use the Nekos, then we definitely have a chance." Bunda added. "Why do we always need to solve things with battle and war? You want to march to the most famous dungeon in Fiore with the men we have available when Nearly half of our entire army has been taken or killed. People are still grieving, Bunda. You may have not noticed but we are in no condition for another battle.."

Bunda quickly spoke up again. "We cannot let our people stay in there, Jarl Vali. They are probably being tortured or executed as we speak. With each passing minute, our enemies will do whatever they want to our people." Vali stood quiet. "Do not worry about that, Bunda. I will figure out something soon and get every single one of them out." Tristan raised an eyebrow, wondering what his son was thinking. "Very well. On another note... your people need their leader, Vali, so stop whinin' and get yourself together. You are no longer a little child, you are a Jarl- the very first Jarl of Nyr Skaal- so act like one." The red-headed titan faced forward, looking at his father in the eyes who simply glared back at his child. Suddenly the hall doors swung open. A ginger Viking shouted towards Vali. He was about six feet and wore light leather armor and had a slightly worried look on his face. "Jarl Vali!" The warrior shouted, running towards the man sitting on the Jarls chair.

"There are people approaching. They do not look friendly." He stated calmly. The Jar looked at Tristan, then over at Bunda before his eyes landed back on the ginger. "Ready our warriors." The red-haired Jarl stood, leaving his cup beside his chair. Bunda nodded and left the mead hall to ready the warriors just as his Jarl commanded. Vali on the other hand immediately stood up as him and his father followed the Viking out.

When Vali stepped outside, he could see a nearly empty village. Everyone was either killed, in the dungeons of Era, or home resting in preparation for the coming morrow. The children were probably sleeping and many of the villagers had been working diligently to set up a proper send-off for the dead. The Jarl led the pack of Vikings. Beside him was his father who walked silently. His furry dark cloak dragged on the grassy grounds. Bunda had been elsewhere preparing the warriors in case these approaching strangers were intruders. The titan wolf walked quietly as well. The cape from his vanguard armor flapped lightly in the breezes. Behind them were two guards and in front of them were another two.

As they all approached the gate Val was surprised to see just how many people were in front. In fact, a part of him grew worrisome rather quickly. These people were huge on their horses. Some of them smiled eagerly and some of them held no expressions upon their faces. The young Desiertan leader watched with an expression of utter nonchalance. The man at the very front of the gate cleared his throat. Vali was the official Jarl. Although it came at a point where it shouldn't have, it was his duty to bear the burden of leading. With the wave of his hand, he commanded his warriors to open the gates, completely sure that these strangers wouldn't just burst in. Why would they? If they wanted to battle they wouldn't have waited to meet with Skaal's leader.

"Icebergans...welcome." The man in the front began. His hair was long and brown- almost red. His skin resembled the same color as Vali's. It was no secret that Vali was surprisingly dark for an Icebergan but his size only helped in making him look more like the strangers and less like an Icebergan. The Jarl placed his hands behind his back, nodding."...." Vali said nothing. This man was a complete stranger, and although Skaal had been in the north for a year, the man in front of him greeted him by saying "Welcome." This could only mean Worth Woodsea, at least, was his home. The abnormally large man hopped off of his loyal steed and slowly began moving closer towards Tristan and Vali. His armor was heavy and made clanking noises as he stepped.

Without a moment of hesitation, the Viking warriors stepped forward to warn the stranger to halt. The Man simply smirked, nodding slowly as his eyes met with Vali's. "I am Lord Ikua, ruler of the Iron Star Clan. I have heard a lot about the new Village in the north." Ikua's voice was proud. There was an obvious devious look in his eye like he wanted conflict. The Viking Lord quickly put his hand on the hilt of his blade as he gazed upon the warriors behind Ikua. He had about a good fifty men. While his numbers here in this moment were hardly enough to be the warriors of Skaal, Vali was no fool. He brought warriors to intimidate us...

" I am Jarl Vali Onfroy. It seems Skaals reputation precedes me. What brings you to Skaal?" Vali spoke confidently, eyes peeled on Lord Ikua, watching his every movement. "Well, you've managed to conquer a tribe we used to do business with- and I heard that you have fought against the demons and the Knights of Fiore. It was only a matter of time before I heard of this village." Word spread quick here. Like a forest fire, it continued to spread until someone like Ikua came to stop it from going any further. Vali was growing impatient to know what exactly this stranger was doing here. Intimidation tactics, randomly arriving so late at night... this man obviously had ambitions. "Aye." Vali responded, His voice was just as cold as Ikua's though his tone was much kinder.

Suddenly Ikua's smirk vanished, and now his demeanor was more serious. "In Worth Woodsea the few kingdoms, the many tribes, and the many clans all know me for being a gracious ruler. I'm not here because I want to be...my friends, I'm here because, well, I have to be- because who else will create order in these forests? It's important for me to build alliances with all of the people in my land." Vali and Tristan both remained quiet. The two of them knew exactly why Ikua was here. It was to establish control. Suddenly the air between both groups of people began to thicken. "If you have intentions of creating an alliance with me then tomorrow is a better day to deal with such diplomatic matters." Not once did Val waver.

Tristan remained quiet, occasionally his eyes moved from his son to Ikua. For the former Jarl, this was a matter that only his son could handle. "You misunderstand, Jarl Vali, tomorrow is not a better day at all. Tonight is a much better time to talk." The Jarl simply waited for a moment to respond. His thoughts were bouncing quickly, but then he nodded. "I see...very well. Your men will have to wait out here." Lord Ikua turned to his warriors with a nod, reassuring them that he would be fine. The two leaders didn't know much about each other- or at least Vali was uneducated on Ikua. Lord Ikua then moved forward, passing through the gate as Tristan then ordered for it to be closed.

Vali entered the great hall, finding his way onto the podium where his throne was before turning to face Ikua. Tristan stood below his son, while two guards stood behind Ikua and another two on the side. The red-headed man smirked, acknowledging the fearlessness of the Icebergans. "I'm listening.". Ikua faced the Jarl. "Let's get straight to the point. Swear fealty to me. The Iron Star clan has valuable resources, and allies. There is no-one better in these lands that could help Skaal flourish." He stated. Vali raised an eyebrow, and even Tristan was filled with surprise. The elder man turned to his son, almost baffled by how blunt Ikua was. "Swear fealty? To you? A man I have only just met? Skaa has allies and resources already. The things you present to us are not the things we need."

"You are in the most northern part of Fiore. There is nothing but cold weather and fish here. The jackpot is in the east, where the weather is warmer and crops flourish. I think it's safe to say that you are an enemy of Fiore, no? How long do you think it will take for King Reigns army to march onto your village only to slaughter everyone in sight? I can offer you protection. Your village is small, I doubt you have the men necessary to fight back. From the looks of things, you're struggling. You need me, Jarl Vali- I'm sure you see that. Swear fealty to me, and I will protect you and your people."

"If I needed protection then I would have sought you out. Instead, you have traveled from the east to meet with me- in the north. If I didn't know any better, I'd say for some strange reason, you need me." Vali responded quickly.

"Well, you occupy the North. The North of Worth serves as a landmark for immigrants who travel to Fiore by water to avoid moving through the other countries and avoid Fiore's government. It is not that I need you, it's that I need the land. If you are worried about your position, then rest assured, I will not strip you of your title as Jarl...Take a moment to think about what I am offering, you'd see how much this would benefit you."

"What is an Jarl, to a king?" the Titan growled. "I occupy this land- the land that you want. If you think that I will surrender my authority and the freedom of my people to you, then you are sadly mistaken. Why would I willingly give up my people now that I know how important it is to you?" It was a dangerous game, but Val was going to play anyway. "I will not call you king, but I am always open to potential allies. Perhaps Skaal and the Iron star clan can settle some sort of arrangement if you need the north." Vali then sat back onto his throne, as if he was bored of the conversation. His father smirked. He was entertained for sure.

Ikua's smirk dropped, much like how it did before. He seemed unhappy with how stubborn Vali was being. "The only arrangement that matters involves you swearing fealty to me. Unfortunately, it's clear that you have no intention of naming me your king, so there is nothing more for us to discuss here. I should have known that an Icebergan wouldn't be so smart. I will come back, and I will forcefully establish control, this is your warning." Ikua stated before turning his back on Vali. He attempted to step forward, but the warriors in front of him lifted their swords. Lord Ikua's eyes shifted quickly to the men beside him as they also drew their swords.

"You would rather bloodshed than an alliance that would equally benefit both of us?" Tristan asked. Vali watched and waited for the man to speak. "Yes, exactly. It's that simple."

"Then perhaps it would be wise for me to kill you now."

"And what would your gods say to that? Isn't war your way of life? Are you not a man of honor, Vali?"

The Jarl smirked. With a nod to his guards, they let their swords down. Then, Vali and the men would escort Ikua out. After, the Lord would leave silently with his giant barbaric-like warriors.