Putting on the helt given by that strong man, Gao Yang felt it was loose on his head, afraid it would fall off accidentally.
He held the heavy helt with his left hand and an axe with his right, looking at the room full of strong n, feeling very strange.
These people weren’t young, generally in their forties or early fifties, dressed basically like Viking pirates, except they replaced the usual Viking weapons like spiky hamrs, teor hamrs, and two-handed greatswords with axes.
The key thing was, the music playing in the bar was very familiar to Gao Yang. So he’d heard, so he hadn’t, but he could tell from a segnt that it was one of his favorite bands, singing one of his favorite singles.
The band from Finland, Ensiferum, performing the song "Victory Song". Even though the volu was turned down, the battle-filled music still made one’s blood rush to their head.
The Finnish Viking tal band, Gao Yang’s favorite, Ensiferum, had special significance for him. At Satan’s last full gathering, many people sang this band’s song with him, that song "Lai Lai Hei", including Test Tube. After that gathering, they went to Syria, and Test Tube died in Syria.
Gao Yang was there to seek help, not to drink. He couldn’t drink at the mont, but when a strong man enthusiastically handed him a large wooden cup, Gao Yang found it filled with beer.
The strong man apologized, "Beer, just have a casual drink. We’re about to go to war soon, can’t drink strong alcohol. By the look of you, I can tell you’re a warrior. After our battle is over, we’ll have another gathering where we can drink freely."
Just having a few sips of beer didn’t seem to hurt, so Gao Yang raised the big wooden cup in his left hand and lifted his axe in his right hand, suddenly shouting.
"The guard blew the bronze horn, waking the sleeping people. The enemy is right in front of us, muster your courage, fight!"
Gao Yang recited the lyrics, and it was the lyrics being sung. It was a war song, fitting for the helpers Kaval gathered since the battle was near.
After reciting a verse, Gao Yang shouted, "Victory!"
"Victory!"
Gao Yang’s shout received a thunderous response. Everyone raised their cups, taking hearty gulps of beer.
After a hearty drink, Gao Yang put down the cup; it was too big for him to finish.
The strong man in front of Gao Yang emptied his large cup in one go, then laughed heartily, tapped Gao Yang on the shoulder, and said loudly, "I like you, really, I like you a lot, mate. What’s your business with Koval?"
Gao Yang replied loudly, "Didn’t he tell you?"
A man beside, looking a bit more composed, said loudly, "It’s obvious he recruited us for a battle!"
The strong man laughed, "Since you know Koval, you’re not an outsider. This is our annual gathering, only this ti, it’s different. This ti, we’re reuniting and heading to the battlefield again! So we have rules: you have an axe, you can join in. No axe, you wait outside."
"Play a revenge song!"
Soone in the crowd shouted, squeezed through to Gao Yang, looked at his axe and then laughed loudly, "Mate, this is indeed your lucky war axe, and it’s made in my country, so drink up."
Gao Yang took a sip from the cup, then suddenly the music blared, and the man who just invited him for a drink shouted, "For Ferocious’s sorrow! Revenge!"
Ferocious was Koval’s nickna. When the man shouted the revenge slogan, everyone imdiately raised their cups, yelling, "Revenge! Revenge! Revenge! Ho! Ho! Ho!"
Gao Yang just wanted to know when Koval would return, but he couldn’t get a word in as these old guys started singing after a few shouts.
Was this a joyful revenge mobilization eting?
Gao Yang was anxious, but he couldn’t help but sing along, mainly because he was familiar with the song and he couldn’t interrupt the excited and wild old guys.
Each looked wild and free. Gao Yang felt the drinking crowd looked more like they were participating in so sacred ritual.
If they were performing a Viking pre-battle ritual or tradition, Gao Yang could understand. In the Viking mindset, fighting and entering Valhalla after death was the best outco; dying of illness or old age was the worst. Drinking heavily before a battle and after a battle, and laughingly going to die if defeated, was optimal if they could drink one last ti before dying.
After the chorus finished, another old man started singing, put down his cup, picked up a wooden shield with his left hand, and beat the shield with his axe using his right hand, singing a song in a language Gao Yang didn’t understand.
The song beca more exciting, with others responding anyti, beating everything around with axes to keep rhythm.
Gao Yang felt helpless, thinking he might as well leave, as he wouldn’t be able to ask anything this way.
Just then, the door opened again, and Koval appeared, accompanied by a man in his fifties, not very tall, with blonde hair, sharp eyes, a gentle smile on his face, and carrying a big bag with a backpack on his back.
But once that man stood at the door, the bar fell silent, and everyone raised their cups simultaneously, shouting at the newcor, "Raise your cups! Salute the leader!"
The newcor clenched his fist, waved it, then put down his bag, but did not take the cup handed to him, instead smiled at Gao Yang and said loudly, "Hello, you must be Ram. Koval has already told about you, and I’ve heard your na before, Satan’s Ram."
Gao Yang held the cup in one hand and his axe in the other, unable to free his hands, so he could only smile apologetically and say, "That’s right, I am Ram."
The man pointed at Gao Yang’s axe and smiled, "Good, you have an axe."
Gao Yang also smiled, "Yes, it’s my lucky axe. If I’m not mistaken, you’re Koval’s brother, Furious? Right?"
The man shook his head, smiling, "Sorry, you’re wrong. It’s a bit complicated. Let introduce myself first. You can call Arctic Fox. It’s been a long ti since I used that nickna, so you can also call Alexander. As for us, we are all rcenaries. I am their leader, and our rcenary group is called Aurora."
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