《Rebirth Online V3》


 Prologue- A Glimpse Into The Future And a look into the past.

    Harbinger of Chaos, Servant of the old Gods, Beast Master, Monster, Betrayer. Wilhelm Shadowsong has held many titles befitting of his role in the history of Re:O, but none believed the stories of the greatest player in the massive VRMMO. But as the simulcast stream of his latest exploits took over screens around the world all were forced to bear witness to his madness.


    Standing between the armies of the Roman-based guild The High Legion. And the Anglo-Saxon based guild The Grand Crusade he stood alone among the countless corpses of wolves, bears, lions, foxes, and ravens.


    A beast of a man standing at nearly seven foot tall with a head of long wild brown hair that reached the middle of his back, His beard came down to the top of his pectorals, His body a mass of solid muscle. Clad in nothing but a black kilt with a pitch black Halberd that was large enough that it could easily cleave through a horse.


    His tanned flesh marked with both Nordic and Celtic tattoos, scars marred his otherwise smooth flesh, But despite being surrounded the man seemed to be grieving the loss of the animals around him.


    Upon closer inspection, they had all been struck down by a cloud of arrows. Alone he stood unharmed, yet coated in blood. The beasts closest to him had covered his body with their own to protect their master.


    If someone had not been keeping up on the current events in the world''s greatest video game turned international television sensation they would not understand why two armies of one million players and npcs each would band together to kill just one man.


    But as the sun dipped beneath the horizon and the amber glow of Twilight engulfed the world a blood-curdling howl was heard as the lone man threw back his head, It was a sound that all could relate to sadness and rage. And it was at this very moment that all hell broke loose.


    The tattoos all over the man''s body began to glow a deep crimson as the beast blood all around him began to glow and flood towards him, At the same time the two armies began their charge, their mages starting the incantations for their spells as priests cast their blessings upon the soldiers.


    Before the eyes of all the blood was absorbed into the man''s body and his howl turned to a cruel laughter as the man swung the halberd across both of his shoulders and began to shout in a deep voice that carried out across the plains, drowning out the warcries of the two armies.


    "I, The Forsaken Wolf of Odin, The Beloved Champion of Freyja. Surrender my Honor!"


    "I, The Blood of the Tuatha, Beloved of the Morrigan. Toss aside my Pride!"


    "I, The Old Friend of the Forest, The Body of the Beast, Savior of Yggdrasil Discard my Kindness!"


    "I, The Leader of the Damned, Chosen Warrior of Hades. Embrace my Insanity as I Lose my Humanity!"


    "I Sing the Song of Shadows! The song of Vengence! I welcome The Fury and Hatred!"


    With every line he spoke an aura of dread began to emanate from his body, a light of black and crimson shone down upon him, Around his neck, On both of his ankles, and both of his wrists a black iron band appeared, each etched with different languages. Gaelic, Nordic, Greek, And an unintelligible script never before seen.


    The Halberd shattered as he slammed the spiked butt to the ground, the very earth shook and cracked open, Pale green flames shot forth from the cracks and engulfed the bodies of the beasts as they rose to their masters call once again.


    At the same time, the man''s body shook and began to grow larger, His jaw, Metatarsals, Phalanges, And Metacarpals becoming elongated, As his body grew his skin grew dark as hair began to cover his body rapidly. Soon Standing at eight feet tall and weighing five hundred pounds of solid muscle, Was the Lupus Rex.


    The King of all werewolves both Player and NPC, His fur was the same dark brown as his hair but what stood out was the brilliant grey-silver fur that was in place of his tattoos, the intricate designs still shown upon his body.


    With a bone-rattling howl, the reanimated beasts scattered, charging their killers ranks, And once they were close enough to enough enemies they would explode in a blast of fire and bone. The blood of the Ravens and Crows had become acid which now rained down from the sky killing all those unfortunate enough to be out of range of the healers.


    In mere moments both armies had sustained heavy losses, But their horror was far from over. The Beast crouched over one beast that had not moved when the others had been reanimated, A large black female wolf with a silver patch of fur on her lower back that looked like a perfect Triple Goddess.


    A Wiccan Symbol that represented the stages of life, The Maiden, The Mother, And The Crone. As the Beasts claw ran tenderly across her fur the wolf''s body changed to that of a beautiful young woman, A Druid. Her flesh was pale as snow; her hair was long and straight, and as black as night.


    She was a larger woman, standing at six feet tall but with a toned yet voluptuous figure, The woman had been his partner, the only one who would not fear him despite his immense rage, Yet now she was dead all because of some rumors that he was building an army to conquer the world. Rumors that he was an NPC that held immense wealth.


    The Beast stood and grasped the band around his neck and shattered it, causing the moon to rise more swiftly in the sky until it stood at its zenith, the light shining down upon the beast as three brilliant albino crows descended and perched upon his body.


    But the beast shook and pointed to the woman as he growled, While the crows showed concern they fluttered down to the woman, and as they did her body began to ascend into the sky.


    This act would shock everyone as he had used one of only a handful of resurrection items in the game. The only one that had been attained by a player. The Torc of The Morrigan. You see the reason why the game was called Rebirth Online was thanks to its intricate system of Rebirth.


    When a character died, they could be reborn, but with a bonus for every level over twenty, they had grown in the game. However, the feature was only active for Players and what he had just used it on was a lowly NPC.


    As the woman vanished into the sky with the crows and the pillar of light dispersed the Beast threw back his head and howled out once more before he kicked the ground hard, creating a crater as he launched into the nearest battalion of soldiers and began ripping them apart in a terrible and painful manner.


    Horror was apparent in the eyes of the soldiers around him as their blades could not even cut his pelt, His level and defenses were simply too high for those who served as infantry, those who were promised that this would be an unlosable fight.


    With every kill the Beast grew faster and stronger, biting into the throats of men and ripping out large chunks of meat, flesh, and bone. Gulping it all down as fireballs began to bombard him. Killing dozens of soldiers around him while he stood unharmed.


    Seeing even high-level spells have seemingly no effect on him some attempted to run, But as they did a brilliant golden light shown down upon the battle. Countless winged figures plummeted from the sky and slammed down in a crouch around the battleground.


    At the same time, hundreds of ghostly Draken Harald H?rfagre class ships sailed down from the heavens, each packed to the brim with the eternal warriors of Odin, The Einherjar. And as the ships came to a halt the Warriors leaped from the vessel and joined the Valkyries in blocking all from running.


    And as massive shield wall was completed a deep voice rumbled down from the heavens.


    "Those who dare to challenge a Demi-god have no right to flee, Die a glorious and honorable death and perhaps you may still have a chance to be reborn again!"


    Horror was felt by all as a message was displayed on their screens. Warning! attempting to flee this battle will result in instant death at the hands of Odin''s warriors and your character will no longer be eligible for rebirth and instead, you will be forced to make a new character.


    For the next six hours what was displayed was a brutal slaughter as a lone beast, The most dominant player of Re:O let all know his wrath and power. It was not until the half-way point in the battle that the strongest players in the armies even stepped forward.


    While their attacks managed to wound the beast the wounds healed within seconds of taking another life, Even when his arms and legs were separated from his body they would reattach as soon as he shoved the parts to their stumps.


    None below a certain level of perception could even see the beast''s fur anymore, all that they saw was a gruesome blood-soaked whirl of malice. And as the sun began to peak over the horizon the beast stood alone upon a mountain of corpses.


    His body returned to its human form as he let out a savage war cry, and as he did the sound of axes, spears, and sword slamming against shields rang out as the Einherjar and the Valkyries began their accent back to Valhalla.


    What all would see was the sight of a monster wearing the suit of a man, his body even now impaled with spears, arrows, and daggers. But still, he stood tall and proud, His heart pounding so violently that the Cradle was forced to alert local EMTs to his home as he went into full Tachycardia.


    Twelve Months Earlier.


    Virtual Reality, It all started as a simple head mounted display, a headset with two small screens that would allow the wearer to feel as though they were the character that they were playing by overlapping the image into both eyes to create depth of field.


    However this could only take one''s immersion so far, Next came the inclusion of haptic feedback clothes. Designed in such a way that the wearer felt exactly where attacks landed, adding another level to their immersion.


    But again it was not enough, No matter what addon was developed for the experience there was one thing that was lacking, Emotion. Even if one could feel vibrations where they were hit, interact with the world through touch and gestures thanks to special controllers it was not enough.


    If one''s character died, it served no purpose other than to tell them that they had done something wrong and must try again. There was a desire for a truly immersive game, one where the player could truly feel the pain, smell the smoke and fire, feel the blood running over their hands.


    And so it came around in the year 2116 that one had succeeded in creating actual virtual reality. The ability to leave one''s body behind and enter the game itself, Where they could become the hero. At first, there was not much variety in the games Most were military shooters which made the player take on the role of a soldier in boot camp.


    But it was in August of 2117 that a new game swept the world, Rebirth Online. It was a game that promised its players a chance to start life from scratch, starting in a fantasy world as a teenage orphan who was just about to go through their rites of passage to enter adulthood.


    Based on real history the user''s ancestry was traced back and allowing them to choose an area based on their heritage, be it in ancient Greece, Rome, England, Scottland, Norway or nearly anywhere else in the world. From there once the rites of passage were complete the user would be free to do as they pleased.


    But that is where things diverged from the usual, Re:O would also add Magic to the game, the ability to learn spells from all of the mythos around the world, be it the blessings of a Christian monk or the hexes of an African witch doctor.


    Re:O was the first VRMMO to feature such an ability, especially in such depth and detail. As such the entire world heard about the game and struggled to buy the required hardware to run it, However, the real problem came down to how many copies of the game would be available.


    Due to concerns for how much strain would be placed on the servers by the popularity the developers of Re:O, Apex Industries announced that the would limit the game to ten thousand copies per three months.


    While this was primarily to stop the servers from being bogged down by millions of players attempting to log in all at once; This would also allow the games AI system Freyja, to process things more organically.


    As an MMO there was the standard trope that every player was the Hero, The chosen one, But in Re:O this was not the case. Upon character creation, Freyja would observe the players every action, from their names to their interactions with the NPCs.


    From there Freyja would create complete stories for every player on an individual basis, Making it so that no two players would have the same experience.


    Adam sighed as he tossed the magazine he had been reading down onto the coffee table, Sitting up from his slumped position he took a look around the room. He was currently in the stuffy and sterile waiting room of a hospital.


    Today was the day he was finally released after his accident, Nearly a year ago now Adam had been in a car crash involving one of the new self-driving cars. A failure in the system caused the vehicle to run a red light where it slammed into Adams motorcycle.


    When he woke up three months ago, Adam had been told everything from there in; The paramedics had declared him dead upon arrival, and even once they arrived at the hospital the doctors said that nothing they could do for him.


    He had been declared dead just hours before his twenty-second birthday; It was three hours after this when his body was being prepared for the autopsy that he sprang back to life, thrashing and struggling.


    While he had no memory of this, the nurses told him that they rushed him through a series of tests after having to sedate him, after which he was placed in a medically induced coma to keep the strain on his body to a minimum.


    The full report of his injuries was staggering, So much so that it spanned two full sheets. The To Long Didn''t Read of it, however, was that he had his right arm amputated due to severe damage to the circulatory system and risk of blood clots.


    His body had numerous scars from where his bones had broken through the skin or had been grated away by the asphalt. His right eye had been lost due to a shard of glass from the windshield of the self-driving car gouging it out. His helmet protected him from any brain damage, however, and he had been told that it was a miracle that his spine was undamaged.


    In the end, he was in the coma for nine months, Even then, however, his body was still racked with severe pain. For one month he had been left to rest and readjust, and for the last two months, he had been undergoing physical therapy to get his muscles to a point where there was no risk of him collapsing from fatigue while walking to the bathroom.


    But in addition to his therapy, a lawyer had been in and out of his room during this time; Sent to Adam as a representative on behalf of both the driver and the manufacturer of the car he was there to offer a settlement.


    The driver had been one of the founders and lead programmers for Apex Industries, as such he was offered a premium Cradle package, The highest grade luxury model available with full support for any maintenance. A Deluxe internet package and a lifetime subscription to Re:O in addition to being one of the first players allowed to log into Re:O at launch. As well as a penthouse suite at the condominium owned by Apex and used as a home for their employees.


    The manufacturer of the car had agreed to give him one of their self-driving cars which he was assured had had all the bugs worked out of the systems since the accident. In addition to this, they had agreed to pay him ten thousand dollars per month for the rest of his life.


    While Wilhelm acknowledged that this was a substantial settlement he still knew that his life would never be the same, As his name was announced, he filled out the final papers to be released as well as to pick up his first prescription of painkillers.


    He was lead by a nurse to his new car; It was an all black recreation of the classic 1960s chevy impala, one of his favorite models due to a popular television show his grandfather made him watch every time he came over to visit from Ireland.


    He decided to go to the mall to buy himself some new clothes so he could get out of the scrubs the hospital had given him however while walking through the mall the stares of pity and disgust he got from people was almost as bad as a physical blow.


    He stood at six foot eight inches tall, and now only one hundred and ninety pounds which made him look frail and gaunt. His hair and beard were both long and unkempt dark brown curls with small streaks of premature gray.


    His right eye hidden by a medical eyepatch, His left eye was a dark brown but had a cold look to it as though he were a shark. His left arm remained covered with scars, His shoes nothing more than crocs.


    He walked into a small punk rock shop and moved quietly through the store grabbing things out of habit, only to have to go back and look for clothes three sizes smaller than what he usually got.


    He grabbed a few pairs of jeans and some band tees along with a few bandanas; he, unfortunately, was stuck with his sandals due to how large his feet were.


    After his shopping had been finished, he hurried to get out of the mall and back to his car. Adam had never been uncomfortable in a crowd before, but now he could feel their eyes burning holes into his flesh, Staring so intently as though he were some exotic creature on display.


    Adam panted a little as he slammed the car door shut and leaned back in the seat as he buckled himself up. "Take me home please..." His voice was coarse and weak; He was both physically and mentally drained despite only being inside for an hour at the most.


    As the car took the calculated route to his new home, Adam took out his phone and began scrolling through it to see the messages he had missed over the past year. So many things had happened in such a short period.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    His girlfriend had ended up moving on just weeks after the accident, His eldest sister had finally broken out of her shell and begun dating, His other sister had been knocked up twice by some deadbeat of a baby daddy. His younger brother had died of a drug overdose.


    His baby sister was now entering high school three years early due to a natural gift; He had been terminated from his job though this was not much of a surprise since he was a year late and an arm short. After all, it was hard to take a one armed bouncer seriously.


    His best friend since childhood had gotten married to his high school sweetheart, and they were now pregnant with their first child, A story that seemingly applied to all of his friends as of late.


    As he sat lost in his memories the car came to a halt and shut itself off; It had arrived at his new home where the car had parked itself in his assigned space. Adam gathered up the three bags he had with him and went to the elevator.


    He crouched on the ground and began fumbling in one of the bags for the keycard he had been given so that he could call the elevator down. But as he found the card and went to stand up the doors opened to reveal a beautiful young woman who at a glance was around his age.


    She was a woman of nearly flawless appearance; She stood at six feet tall with waist length raven black hair, She had a very hedonistic body that filled out her tight dress suit flawlessly. Her skin was a soft tan like honey.


    Her eyes were a startling cobalt blue that reminded him of ice which matched the look she gave him as she looked him over. However without a word she walked right past him, as though he were not even worth the time of a greeting.


    Adam sighed as he stood up and moved into the elevator, tapping his keycard to the sensor and letting the system do the rest. After a short wait, the doors opened once more to reveal a grand hallway with dark cherry hardwood floors.


    The walls were finished using a dark red, nearly the color of blood, The hall was relatively empty, only having a small table meant for him to toss his keys. For now, he continued inside, as he left the hallway, he came out into a large living area.


    His new home was, for the most part, a studio, high ceilings with an open floor plan. However, he did notice a few doors here and there. The apartment had already been furnished thankfully.


    He went first to the kitchen area, separated from the rest by a wrap around bar. All of the appliances were made of stainless steel. The cabinets were made of a pitch black hardwood he could not identify, so he assumed it was man made.


    When he opened the fridge he was surprised to see that it was filled with a few of his favorite things, The fridge itself was loaded with nothing, but hard cider, much like his fridge would have been before. And the freezer held something that put a bit of a smile on his face.


    In place of the cheap frozen meals he would usually live off of he noticed that the meals inside were made by his mother, All put on a cafeteria style tray and placed inside of a vacuum seal pouch. All he would have to do was pull the strip along the side of the bag and put it all in the microwave, and it would steam it up as though it were made fresh.


    He took out one of the meals that had pulled pork, corn, green beans, and a dinner roll out and tossed it into the microwave, starting the cycle before he grabbed one of the ciders, happy to see that there was a bottle opener mounted on the wall over the trash can.


    As he, sipped from the bottle he began roaming the apartment once more. The living room area had a large leather wrap around couch with an equally large coffee table of the ever present cherry wood. On the table were a handful of game controllers and remote controls to operate the large projector mounted on the wall at the opposite end of the room.


    While he liked all of this, he was more interested in the Cradle. Part of his settlement that allowed him to keep the apartment required him to play Re:O for at least five days a week and let his feed be recorded and used by Apex for promotional purposes, In effect, he had been hired on as a professional player.


    Adam decided to check one of the doors, opening it wide and causing an automatic light to kick on and illuminate a large bedroom, it held a king sized bed and a small writing desk; the room held two more doors which he assumed were to a closet and bathroom.


    He closed that door and checked the next, only to find a small guest bedroom, the next held a guest bath, But behind the fourth door at the far end of the apartment, he found it, a large study lined with bookshelves, a large desk with a computer, large leather futon. But it also held the Cradle.


    It was a sleek black pod nearly as long as the futon, On it was a note from his manager at Apex


    " Hello Mr. Sterling, Before you may begin using the Cradle you must go through the setup process on the computer nearby, Your physical information has, for the most part, been entered already using your medical records. All that is left to do is to approve the information, confirm your consent.


    Once completed your company access code which will allow you to use the cradle will be issued. And you will be ready to enter the cradle and wait for the server unlocks at 9 pm.


    We suggest you bathe and eat before going into the cradle as you will be unable to log out until after the tutorial segment which will last, at a minimum. Four real world hours.


    -Sierra Wescot."


    Looking at the clock on the wall he saw that it was still only 4 pm, Adam shrugged as he went and grabbed his meal before returning to input the last few details for his setup process which doubled as his employment data.


    It didn''t take much effort or thought; It was a standard deal what with entering his personal information, filling out a silly survey type test as you would expect. By the time he had finished eating his set up was complete and his numbers were issued, though he could only laugh as he was lucky employee number 00666.


    Rolling his neck, a little Adam went ahead and took a shower, having gotten used to using only one hand to wash his hair. He had thought about cutting it off, but it oddly felt natural to have it so long.


    Looking down over his body he grimaced, His skin was pale and gaunt; he looked so frail compared to how he once was what with his ribs showing through his flesh. And to make things worse, he had not only lost a full sleeve along with his arm, but three of his other tattoos had been destroyed.


    Sighing Adam looked back on how things had been, He once looked like a biker, broad chested and well muscled. He weighed three hundred and twenty pounds and had one full sleeve on his right arm, an intricate design of Celtic knotwork.


    The others damaged were his family crest that was on his right pectoral, a Wiccan pentagram on his left shoulder that his grandfather had gotten him. And the last was a small Mjolnir that was on his left forearm, a piece for his father''s side of the family.


    Now the three tattoos were scarred over, marked by the asphalt. It would be a few more years at the least before he could have them redone.


    But that was enough feeling bad for himself; Adam rinsed the suds from his body before grabbing the towel and drying himself off, He had to use a robe that was hanging on the rack next to the shower to dry his back properly.


    After he was dried off, he went back to the living room and grabbed his bags before going to the bedroom. Laid out on the bed was a pair of black swim trunks with a white tribal sun, The logo for Re:O.


    He shrugged and pulled them on after tossing his bags on the bed; He was thankful that the trunks were made to size, with a cloth cinch belt to take up all of the slack.


    Still, only a quarter after six Adam returned to the study, browsing the shelves and smiling as he saw his books lining a few of the shelves. The rest were older books that seemed to be related to mythology, history, crafting, cooking.


    He knew that Re:O had an extensive crafting system that allowed players to take any job they pleased as long as they knew what they were doing, allowing real-world skills and information to be translated into the game with no effort once you perform the tasks in the game.


    It seems his employers wanted to make sure he had a full list of options to choose from, While thankful. Adam already knew what he would be doing. From the start when he heard he would be playing the game his starting race, country, profession. All of it set in stone.


    For as long as he could remember his father, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers had told him stories of their lineage. On his father''s side, they had been smiths, metal workers, hunters. On his mother''s side, they had been warriors, soldiers, outlaws.


    To pass the time Adam had sat down in the chair and started research into one of the newest prosthetics to replace his arm. Over the past ten years, prosthetics had hit a turning point, becoming fully robotic and tying into the user''s nervous system, behaving just as their arm would.


    The only issue with these new limbs was that they were not readily available, As such, he had to place an order for one, and it would be nearly a year until it would be made. While he would not need to pay just yet, he had to schedule for a technician to come to him and take his measurements, and once his body began to return to what it once was, he would need to get adjustments every few months.


    But as a benefit of the extensive process, he managed to burn through his remaining time. His alarm went off telling him it was five minutes until launch. Closing out of everything on the computer he opened the cradle program, a simple step by step tutorial showing him how to start the recording software, so all he had to do once inside was make a gesture.


    Adam stood up and went to the cradle, hand trembling with excitement as he entered in his employee number and the pin he had set. The sound of pressure being released made him jump a bit, the hatch opening on its own to show a form-fitting bed made of the same type of material as say a hot tub.


    He slipped inside and was almost disturbed at how perfect the fit was, though it would be too tight in time at the moment he fit in perfectly like a glove.


    But before he could do anything else the lid began to close once more, his breathing picked up at the feeling of paranoia hearing the pod locking once more. But what made it worse was when the fluid began flooding the chamber.


    He panicked and started struggling only to be held in place by the form fitting chamber. But soon a small buzz caught his attention before a stern yet sultry voice came through what must be a radio built into the pod.


    "Calm down Mister Sterling, the fluid now filling the chamber is a completely safe and breathable Perfluorochemical solution. It will provide you with vitamins and nutrients should you stay inside for extended periods. As well as keeping your body at the perfect temperature no matter the season, It is also a requirement for the system to create a real VR experience."


    As he was about to speak the fluid had already filled the chamber, while he understood what the woman was saying he didn''t believe her, holding his breath for as long as he could before he was forced to take a deep breath.


    The taste of honey flooded his mouth as the fluid filled his lungs, and after a few panicked moments, he found he was still alive, and oddly breathing. But before he could relax there was a sharp pinch at the back of his neck and the world went black, and the female voice from earlier sounded out.


    "Link Started, User Vitals Stabilizi... "


    When his eyes opened again, Adam was floating in the middle of space, Despite being in space in nothing more than the trunks he was comfortable. But his attention was soon drawn to a beautiful woman in a long flowing white sundress, her hair a bright blonde and her eyes a piercing blue.


    She had a soft and caring expression as she looked over to him. "Welcome, Mr. Sterling, After analyzing your Ancestry I have found that your bloodline has extremely high concentrations of Norse and Celtic descent is this correct?"


    Adam nodded in agreement as he continued examining the woman, she was flawless, not a single imperfection could be seen with her face or body to the extent that she could be considered a goddess. And as he noticed this he realized that she said ''I.'' "That''s correct, both my parents are first generation immigrants to the country, Are you Freyja by chance?"


    The young woman nodded as she gave a formal curtsey."Yes, I am Mr.Sterling, I oversee the entrance of new players to help them through the initial start-up phase before placing them in their tutorial."


    Hearing this made Adam tilt his head a bit in curiosity. "Their tutorial? We all get our tutorials apart from one another?" Freyja smiled softly as she shook her head.


    "Unfortunately not Sir, however, every village will undergo the Tutorial phase, letting players experience some of the traditional rites of passage as well as a few we have created to teach you about the world and its combat, crafting, and magic systems."


    She paused for a moment to make sure what she was saying was acknowledged before continuing. "This will allow the players to all interact with one another through the start and build lasting friendships, childhood friends if you would as you will be locked to the age of thirteen at first. In addition to the NPCs having a reason to know who you are, your actions will leave a lasting impression on them which will effect you later down the line."


    Adam nodded softly but stopped after a sudden thought. "But how would this work if there will be more players streaming in over the following months won''t that be strange that players would be hearing about people they had not met yet or perhaps would never meet?"


    This caused a smile to spread across Freyja''s lips. "No Sir! I will be watching everyone as they go through the trials, recording their every choice and action, analyzing them to create new NPCs for the tutorial phases. Think of it as a less powerful AI clone of yourself, thinking and reacting as you would."


    As Adam went to speak again, Freyja raised a finger. "And to prevent any confusion players will be able to watch highlights of their NPC every time a new batch of players are introduced, allowing you to see the bonds made by the NPC and letting you choose to continue them or break them off at your leisure."


    Laughing softly Adam smiled."So a miniseries of sorts that changes a little more every month, That''s fascinating Freyja."


    With a light bow, the AI smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Sir, Now if you don''t mind, would you like to choose your starting village, from your ancestry I have narrowed your options down to the Celtic village of Morgana, And the Nordic village of Thorson..."


    As she spoke the scene shifted, their bodies were descending towards the earth until he could see the two villages, Interestingly enough they were not that far from one another all things considered, perhaps a week by ship if the weather was not the best.


    Adam turned to look to the AI Goddess with a broad smile on his face. "Is it ok if I ask the focus of each village? The state of its affairs? What their current focus is on?"


    Nodding Freyja snapped her fingers, causing the scene to change again to show the two villages close up, letting him see that they were both very new settlements. "But of course Sir! Both have the same level of technology, and the same number of villagers, however, the village of Morgana is a community of devout followers of The Morrigan of the Tuatha D¨¦ Danann."


    The scene changed to focus on Morgana, an idyllic village built on the top of a seaside cliff, allowing them to be well defended while still allowing for hunting, fishing, and gathering of herbs. A small freshwater spring and river could be seen creating a waterfall down to the beach far bellow.


    "A militant type village formed by those who were supposedly dead, only to have risen from the grave after a battle between two clans. The risen had abandoned their clans to create a new one in thanks to the goddess who spared their lives."


    The scene shifted once more to show Thorson, A village formed in a Fjord, surrounded on three sides by a vast forest and the bay, Much as Morgana had a spring. Thorson had a small river of fresh water flowing through its center, coming down from the great mountains that formed a nearly impassable wall around the back of the village after almost thirty miles of forest.


    Though something stood out the most to Adam, In the center of the woods was an enormous tree that towered above all others, standing three times as high and at least twenty times thicker than any other tree.


    "Now for Thorson, A well-rounded village not focusing on any one field in particular. It was founded recently by a by an enigmatic warrior and his war band after returning home from a bountiful raid only to find he and his band had been labeled outcasts in their home village and chased off when they attempted to make port."


    Nothing Freyja had said had truly registered to Adam as his gaze remained fixed upon the tree, it called to him in a way he couldn''t explain, he had never been an outdoors type of person. Sure he went camping, but that was just because it meant a few days of getting hammered and fucking off in the springs.


    "I want to go to Thorson if that is ok....." His voice was distracted, something that caused a faint smile on Freyja''s face as she nodded, pleased with his choice as she could see what had him so transfixed.


    "Very well Sir, Now I am required to let you know how the Trials will work, Over the course of the four real hours you will experience around five months in the village. Every month will be only one for every year of your characters life; this time is accelerated significantly from the usual time scale to allow a more immersive experience in as little time as possible."


    "During each month the trials will be explained to you, and you will be walked through the basics before a final exam so to say, Now full completion using the usual system will take you four hours. This is the streamlined version where you will be granted a set number of levels and skills before you are given the ability to roam the world as you please."


    "However if you can invest the time your experience will be a total of five years in the span of twenty-four hours, For choosing this option you will be able to have the best experience, your characters stats and skills will be tailored specifically to your playstyle rather than just a Generic all purpose skillset. Which would your prefer Sir?"


    Adam shook his head firmly as he pulled himself away from the tree to take in everything he had been told, It was a gamble of sorts as a player who chooses to take the general route would have a head start over those who took the specialized path.


    But everyone knew that by taking the longer road there was some special reward to be given to those who took the hard road. The question was whether or not the reward would be worth being twenty hours behind the other players.


    However, Adam smiled softly as he remembered that he had nothing better to do for the next week, so there were no consequences for him taking the longer route and then binging to make up time. " I wish to receive the full experience Freyja, The full five years in this world. Something tells me I won''t regret the sacrifice of twenty hours."


    "Indeed you won''t Sir, But first we must decide your background, You may choose one of five and then give a first and last name. The backgrounds are, Slave. A child captured during the last raid and taken in by one of the young shieldmaidens who had yet to take a husband. Wild One. A child found out in the forest all alone by the scouts who went out on the first hunt for food since settling, one of the villagers will take you in and teach you their ways. Warbound. A child who was from the original village, Stowing away to take part in the raid and as such earning respect enough to be allowed to take your trials in the new village. Strangers Blood. A child born to a family during a time when the husband was away, a doppelganger having taken his place though neither has noticed the discrepancy in the timing. Or Outcast. A relative of the war and who was forced to leave with them to the new village."


    Adam smiled a bit as he heard all of the options, each seemed to be interesting especially from a roleplaying standpoint."Before I chose, I must ask is there any benefit to picking one over the other? Also how long before the trials will I have to adapt and adjust?"


    Freyja smiled once more as she shook her head."There is no statistic based bonuses simply for choosing, however, living the lifestyle of each background will affect your relationships and stats over time, As for the trials you will live six months before your first trial is announced, I am not allowed to say anything more than this, however."


    With one last nod, his choice was made."Then I will become Wilhelm Shadowsong, a Wild One." Freyja nodded and snapped her fingers, his body suddenly regressing to that of a thirteen-year-old version of himself. No Tattoos, Scars, Or missing limbs!


    This, however, meant he was now five foot five inches tall and a hundred and ninety pounds as he had been so long ago. As a result, he was quite husky, not quite obese but still heavily set; His beard was replaced with the scratchy stubble of the first growth of puberty, His hair stayed long and curly just as he had it then. His eyes were now bright and full of life once again.


    Freyja then waved her hands, and his trunks vanished, Leaving him completely naked before her which caused an involuntary yelp as he went to cover himself up, causing the AI to laugh softly.


    "With this, you are prepared to live the life of a Wild One for the next four months before the scouts will find you, you will be living a time before the others get settled in the village. You will not meet any other Wild Ones until you enter the village even if you look for them, But keep in mind that you must fend for yourself for the next four months, food, water, shelter, you must gather it all and survive until you are located. And as a result of your age being reduced to that of a thirteen-year-old, you will experience all of the hormonal mood swings, growing pains, and hunger of one. Good luck Wilhelm."


    Adam went to speak but what came out was only a guttural growl, his throat hurt as he tried to form words. But before he could try again the Goddess smiled and gave him a hard push towards the scenery of Thorson. His body was plummeting down from space as he fell into the forest where he blacked out.


    When he opened his eyes next he could not move, nothing hurt really but Wil noticed that the sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon, and at the same time he could see a timer, slowly counting down the final thirty seconds before the servers would launch.


    "Well that was rude, She didn''t even wait for me to say goodbye..." Though this was all in his head as he could not move a single muscle, Not even his eyes could move from the fixed gaze to the brilliant Northstar, only seeing out of his peripherals that it was dawn. But he could hear the sound of water running off in the distance, A promising sign.


    But as he watched the timer ticking down he could only feel his pulse quicken, his excitement building. He was scared at the prospect of potentially starving to death, but at the same time, it would be a great challenge he had never known. Something that called to him in a way he had never expected


    5


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    Welcome to Rebirth Online! Time until rescue 2919 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds.

 Chapter 1 - The First Steps

    As the timer hit zero Wilhelm scrambled to his feet and began looking around to see what was available to him, He knew the basics of survival thanks to his past as a fisherman, however, brief it was. As his grizzled old captain loved to remind him, You can survive for 3 Minutes without air (oxygen) or in icy water, 3 Hours without shelter in a harsh environment, 3 Days without water, And 3 Weeks without food (if you have water and shelter).


    Bottom line was he needed water and shelter; the rest would fall into place as animals needed water, so a water source meant food. So the first thing on his list was to start towards the sound of running water. At the same time, he kept his eyes open for any well-known edibles, as well as anything he could use as either a weapon or to help him build a shelter once he found his water


    After only a few minutes of walking, Wil groaned in pain as his feet were sore and he was sweating bullets, Remembering that he was never the most active child until he turned seventeen. But that would have to change this time around. He pushed himself harder, picking up decent sized branches as he walked which only made things worse, the weight of the branches plus the bark on his flesh soon rubbed his shoulders raw.


    By the time he reached the sound of water his shoulders were bleeding, panting he dropped his bundles of branches and all but collapsed into the small stream. His chest heaving as he struggled to take in air, his blood washing away in the water as he lay in the shallows. Wil could not remember the last time he had ever been in so much pain, Long before he was an adult that was for sure.


    Once his heart felt like it wouldn''t explode and his lungs could hold oxygen again Wil pushed himself up from the water and moved towards his small pile of wood, It was hardly enough for a decent fire, something he still had to build. But for now, he grabbed the most club-shaped branch and began walking around the area to look for the best spot to make his shelter, something which would require as little effort as possible would be the best.


    When he was younger, he loved to watch reruns of Alone with his father, an avid outdoorsman who was quite understanding of his son''s dislike for the outdoors lifestyle but still liked to make him watch shows with him. Something that always stuck in his mind was the way they chose their camps, Always picking the high ground in the case of rain to prevent their shelter from becoming a pool, choosing something that was already semi-decent to improve upon such as a downed tree that had hollowed out.


    But for Wil who currently had the body of lazy little shit, things would need to be as simple as it could be. Hopefully, he could find a small rock overhang he could sleep under while stacking up rocks or branches to form a wall. For nearly three hours he roamed the woods, always staying within three hundred yards of the stream, not wanting to get lost he would also drag the makeshift club behind him to leave a mark in the fallen leaves of the forest floor.


    As one would expect from the Scandinavian area it was filled with huge spruce trees, so there were plenty of needles along the ground, It was noon by the time Wil found a suitable place to stay. A ten-minute walk north of the stream he found a large spruce that had been stuck by lightning. As such it had burned from the inside out and left only the trunk of the tree on three sides of the tree, The inside still had a good bit of solid wood, so he didn''t has to worry about it falling apart too quickly.


    Wil looked around the area and was pleased, the inside of the tree was large enough for him to sleep inside of as long as he curled up a little. Checking the ground he saw no prints other than his own to indicate an animal living nearby, He then began the work of making a roof for his new home. As the stump was only around five feet high, he was able to comfortably lift and set small thin branches up at the top in a mesh-like pattern.


    He then began gathering pieces of bark to layer on top to act as an improvised shingle. While far from beautiful it would hopefully last him long enough to scout farther out. For now, he sat on a small log he had brought with him and began devouring the little handful of blackberries he had found nearby. Wil sighed as he looked outside and up into the sky, the top of the massive tree that had caught his attention before still visible, sending a shiver down his spine as he began to wonder what was under its broad blackish green leaves.


    After a few minutes of rest, Wil stood up once more and decided to use the rest of his time today to gather more berries, firewood, kindling, and most importantly, starting the fire. To begin with, to prevent setting the tree on fire again he built a small pit out of stones he gathered from around the area, leaning a large slab-like rock against a log to act as a heat reflector to direct the heat into the tree a little more.


    While he was gathering rocks, he found a large piece of flint that was naturally in the shape of a triangle about the size of his hand, smiling Wil held onto it, and once back at camp he began working on making his fire. As he had no lighter or steel to go with it, he would have to resort to a friction fire. To do this, he needed a few things, a thick piece of bark, a small bundle of kindling, And a smooth, straight stick.


    From there he would place the bark down on the ground with the bundle on top of it before he would begin rolling the stick between his hands while pushing downwards with the tip in the middle of the bundle. Doing this fast enough would in time make him a small coal to build a fire. However, it would take its toll on his tender hands.


    In the time it took him to get an ember using this method the skin on his palms were completely covered in blisters, and some had already burst open. When he was originally this age he would have quit long ago, But now it was different, Wil knew he would die if he didn''t get this fire started. While it was comfortable out right now at a nice seventy degrees, he knew well that at night the temperature would plummet.


    He took the time to nurse his fire up using bundles of dead spruce needles and small sticks before laying a large log next to the fire on the edge of it, just enough so that the fire would slowly catch it on fire. Once he felt safe with his fire, Wil ran down to the stream and began washing his hands thoroughly, taking a few long drinks of the icy cold water before he went back to camp.


    Along the way, he was happy to find a few small Sage plants, Carefully uprooting them, he would replant them closer to his camp. Sage had great medicinal properties which he would no doubt need in the coming months. He took one of the leaves and placed it into his mouth and began chewing it idly, Smiling as he remembered his best friends Alice and Lily.


    They had been his friends since childhood, Their parents had been neighbors, and as a result, they ended up playing together a lot. The two were twins who last he saw were charming girls, Both were only 4''11 and weighed around a hundred and fifteen pounds soaking wet. Both girls were well toned as a result of their hobbies, Alice was a swimmer for their college team, whereas Lily was a member of the track team.


    But what was truly unique was that both of them were Wiccans, Though in slightly different ways. Alice was a Green Witch as she liked to be called. She had a love for herbology, gardening, and the outdoors. Choosing to spend as much time as she could outdoors, Truthfully she was the reason why Adam went camping so often. Lily, on the other hand, was a Kitchen Witch, though she liked to be called a Hearth Witch. She had a gift for making gemstone jewelry by hand and natural remedies or potions as she preferred to call them, Between the two he never had to worry about a cold.


    And while he did not have the same talents as they did Adam was a Wiccan as well, though this was simply because he could not find a name for someone who believed in both the Celtic and Norse mythology. His parents had been Wiccans of different covens, but after meeting each other at a gathering of local Wiccans, they were inseparable. Back then Adam, Alice, and Lily got along so well that their parents always joked that the three should just get married, Something that may well have happened if Adam had not changed so much when they entered high school. Whereas the girls became more involved in their studies, he fell in with the wrong crowd, A young group of kids who were the sons and daughters of a biker gang.


    It had all started there, to be honest, His sudden shift from an A student who was a bit of a geek to being a rebellious punk who would skip school to go drinking. As a result, he got pulled into the gang lifestyle for nearly six years, Hell they were the reason he had a job as a bouncer. It was only in the year before his accident that Adam had begun to make things right again with Alice and Lily, though they were still more than a little pissed at how he brushed them off for so long.


    As he spat the pulp of the sage leaf into his hands, he winced but began rubbing his hands together, While not what it excelled at Sage was a bit of an antibiotic plant though more for the respiratory system. Wil smiled as he remembered playing dungeons and dragons with the girls back in middle school, silently wishing he had never stopped talking to them, That he had never tried to impress the gang. All because he had wanted to get with a young woman who was the daughter of one of the members, the same woman who moved on after only a week of him being in the hospital.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Gritting his teeth, Wil shook his head and knelt down before the fire and taking his triangular piece of flint and placing the narrower, sharper end into the fire to let it get hot. He then grabbed a thick stick about the length of his forearm. He began using it to carve a hole into the stick. He was planning on trying to fashion an improvised hatchet, after getting the rock in the place he wanted he began knapping the edge of what would be the blade.


    A process of carefully hitting it with another rock to chip an almost serrated edge onto it. While not too effective it would do for now. Though he would have to be careful with it as he currently had nothing to lash the flint in place. But by now the sun had begun to set, and Wil resigned himself to stopping for the night and moving inside of his tree hut. Laying on a bed of soft green needles and fir leaves he made sure to keep feeding his fire to last through the night, and right before he went to bed he built it up to a larger flame.


    The next three weeks went just like the first day, Scouting just a little more each day, gathering more wood, building up his shelter slowly and steadily. He had begun stripping the bark carefully from saplings to make an improvised rope to lash his flint into place, once that was done his hut grew from the inside of the trunk. He made an A-frame style shelter with a long thick branch coming off of the roof with more smaller branches being leaned against it with leaves and debris being thrown on top of it to act as insulation before more bark shingles.


    He had even begun fishing by fishing a gig from a long stick, carefully splitting the end of the green wood into a cross shape, lashing some of his rope between the pieces to keep them apart before burning them carefully carving points onto them and burning it in the fire to help harden it. Though allergic in the real world he was pleased to find that eating fish here had no effect on him. Something he was very grateful for as he would have wasted away without some proteins.


    Even now he had lost a shocking amount of weight, Though all of his running around and working to survive had served to tone his body at the same rate, He almost wished this had been an option when he was younger. But the biggest catch was happening upon a dead wolf down by the stream at the start of the second month; The beast was massive, Nearly the size of a fully grown horse and while its silver gray pelt was covered in a large number of scars there were no fresh wounds. However, its age was apparent.


    While he had never been a hunter, his Irish grandfather had practically beaten two valuable lessons into him, How to skin a kill, And never eat that which you didn''t personally kill. There was no telling what happened to the wolf be it just its age or if it got into something toxic, some disease, or all of the above. But that was aside from the point, After carefully laboring over the old wolf Wil had a large gray fur pelt. He grimaced at the task but began to carve the beast into smaller, more manageable pieces. The smell of blood would attract predators sure enough, But to leave an entire corpse near the water he drank was worse.


    Instead, he took the body back to his camp in five trips, hanging the wolf pelt near his main fire to help it dry out while taking a burning branch and forming a new fire a few yards from his shelter. He worked it up to a great blaze before kneeling before the fire; He laid the pieces of the wolf onto the fire before he bowed his head and offered a prayer.


    "I offer this ancient one to the All-Father, And to Flidais. May he find peace in the next life.." Though this was all in his head as try as he might he still could not speak, His best guess was that this was a part of the game, planning to make him learn the language once he was found. But something caught his attention; the fire began to glow with a soft golden light, A light that soon grew until it took the form of the giant wolf he had found.


    It stared down at him intently, tilting its head before it walked over to its pelt, brushing against which caused the pelt to glow brightly before falling into the fire, The flame flared up before going out, and laying in the pit was the pelt. The Wolf grabbed the now slightly charred fur and brought it to him only for him to see that it had changed to become a large hooded robe, like one would see a sage wearing though the hood was that of a wolf''s head. Hands shaking Wil reached out and grabbed the clothes, his body growing warm just from touching them.


    The wolf nudged its head against Wils shoulder before it began walking away only to stop and look back to him expectantly. Swallowing the saliva in his mouth, Wil hurriedly stood up and pulled the robe on, a small bone toggle holding it shut, Without worrying about anything else he began to follow the wolf despite the fact that it was getting dark. His eyes were fixed to the graceful form of the giant beast loaping through the woods, each of its strides was ten of his own, so he was forced to run to keep up. Though the wolf would stop and look back towards the small fur-clad human, making sure he had not lost him if he got too far ahead.


    As night engulfed the forest, only the beast was visible, a golden beacon of light in the darkness. Wils heart was pounding violently in his chest as he forced his tired undernourished body to its limits to follow the beast. He didn''t even know why he had left the relative safety of his camp; Wil could hardly believe he had run off into unknown territory without anything to defend himself. As he was lost in thought, he slipped and came crashing down, rolling down the hill that they had just crested, Only coming to a stop as he slammed violently into a tree.


    He let out a yelp as the wind was knocked from his lungs, The hit was hard enough that Wil ended up vomiting what little food he had managed to get that day. As he was struggling to catch his breath, the wolf stood over Wil, looking down at him more annoyed than worried, as though it were disappointed by how weak the boy was. Noticing this Wil forced himself up to his feet and looked once more to the wolf and nodding as a sign for it to continue through the forest.


    This continued through the night, from dusk till dawn Wil followed the wolf. And finally, they arrived at a vast cave, But as he stepped foot inside of it, Wilhelm collapsed and blacked out. When he next opened his eyes, he found himself staring at the roof of his debris hut, Sitting up and looking around revealed that he still had the fur robe. However, his feet were uninjured.


    If not for the robe he would have written everything off as a dream, however, he began wondering why he was suddenly back at his camp rather than in the cave. Did it have to do with him passing out? As he wondered this Wil crawled out of the hut, stretching his arms up above his head before reaching down to his toes, letting out a strange laugh as none of his joints ached or popped.


    His entire adult life had been spent working either as a bouncer or a fisherman, so both were rough on his body be it the constant standing weighing on his knees and back, or being hunched over a pile of fish and shrimp for hours on end. At the tender age of twenty-three, he had monthly visits to his local chiropractor to help keep his bones in proper alignment lest he permanently injures his back.


    Looking into the sky he could see it was still before noon, so he decided to be bold, Grabbing his little hatchet and the fish gig he set out into the woods, Wilhelm had grown tired of fish and wanted to try hunting small game. And after seeing what happened when he offered the body of the wolf, he wondered if perhaps he could re-trigger the event somehow. At the same time, he began making his way through the forest in the direction he could remember the cave being, any sign of him fumbling through the woodland was long gone.


    It all baffled Wil as he knew that the way he moved there should have been visible marks of his passing, snapped limbs, disturbances in the nettles on the ground, Something. But there was nothing to be seen; He kept coming back to the idea that it was a test, one he failed miserably, A test of endurance to keep up with the wolf and make it into the cave.


    As he was lost in thought, however, he was being watched by a little raven fluttering through the tree tops, A beautiful young bird with bright red eyes that seemed to glow like the embers of a fire. Silently it kept watching over the boy as he pressed on, never hesitating as he kept making his way deeper and deeper into the forest. It refused to let him out of sight though never getting close enough to be heard or seen.


    Relying purely on his seemingly drunken memory and instinct he pressed on. Though his pace slowed over time as he began hearing wildlife, the faint sounds of leaves rustling, The stream was near enough to pick out the sound of water going over small stone ledges. It had been hours since his little search had begun without a single break or drink of water, Making his way down the small hill and towards the sound of water Wilhelm froze in place as he cleared the brush.


    Before his eyes stood a monstrous wolf much like the one he had found the day before though this one had a brilliant white coat like freshly fallen snow. However this wolf''s fur had intricate symbols laying across it, but they drawn on these were naturally grown into its coat. Before he could even consider turning to run the wolf caught his scent and looked up at him, letting out a savage growl as he saw the boy as another wolf thanks to the hooded robe of fur, Unfortunately for Wilhelm the scent of the clothes original owner still evident.


    While he wanted nothing more than to run away, Wil knew he would die the instant he turned his back, his breathing quickened as his pupils dilated, allowing him to take in more of the scene around himself as his eyes remained locked on the wolf. An icy tremor ran along his spine as it always would when he was about to fight, the feeling of fear and adrenaline kicking in all at once.


    Without thinking, Wil lifted the fishing gig up and grasped it with both hands in front of him, much like a spear, though as soon as he did this, the wolf snarled and began running full bore at the boy. SO much rushed through his mind all at once seeing the horse sized wolf charging him, unquestionably knowing it could tear the tiny boy to shreds with ease. Though as he thought of the beast''s size, he remembered something done by soldiers long ago.


    As the beast got within range of the gig it leaped into the air to pounce upon his body; it was at this exact moment that Wil dropped to his knees and slammed the base of the gig into the ground with the spikes up. It was something much like a band of Infantry would do when faced with cavalry, They would take to their knees while raising their shields to defend from weapons while their spear went up to kill the horse or hopefully the rider. At the same time, he reached down to grab his hatchet, which was a good thing as the instant the wolf saw the gig suddenly in a place to take its throat it began to flail, turning somewhat to make the gig slam into its side just behind its front right leg.


    The gig shattered and cracked while Wil dove to the side to prevent being crushed or caught by the beast''s claws. However, he failed to some extent as the massive claw raked across the left side of his forehead, down across his eye, cheek, jaw. And down to his collarbone before carrying down from his collar to his hip. While the fur robe luckily took everything from his collar bone down his left eye was ruined, one of the hook-like claws having torn right into the tender organ. A savage, guttural cry of pain tore from his throat the instant he hit the ground, the icy water of the stream covering his face.


    At the same time, however, the wolf was in a similar state, howling weakly as the gig had managed to puncture one of its lungs, But it was far from done with the boy, spinning around and preparing to take another lunge when a small raven swooped down and began harassing the wolf. Clawing and pecking at its eyes while narrowly avoiding its fangs. After a moment the wolf growled and ran off, leaving the pesky raven and the boy, Though it stopped to look back at Wilhelm, Without knowing it the boy had just made an enemy that would haunt him for the next five years.


    Gasping for air as the pain wracked his body Wils vision began go grow dim, But the last thing he could see was the shape of the raven changing into that of a young feminine human, and the last thing he had heard before he blacked out was simply "Amadain...."

 Chapter 2 - Recovery and Remembrance

    2118, August the 16th


    Death, Everyone fears that which has no defined form and death is the ultimate example of this. Death comes in a countless variety of ways be it through battle, illness, suicide, sacrifice, But as it has inflicted terror in some, it has inspired fascination in others. The end to everything, And yet at the same time, The beginning.


    As he knelt upon the mountain of corpses, Wilhelm panted raggedly, wheezing as blood dripped down from his eyes, lips, even his ears. Blood poured out of the numerous wounds across his body, The Hail Mary of the allied armies was an attack with Ancient Silver weapons. Looking up weakly as the forces of Odin returned to Valhalla until only one Valkyrie remained, One in the form of a small girl with pale white skin and dazzlingly blonde hair like that of pure gold. Bright eyes that seemed to hold a galaxy in each of them.


    As she began walking towards Wil, the three albino crows returned, gliding down from the heavens until they perched on both of his shoulders and one on his lap. The three pressed against his body in a nurturing way. As the young Valkyrie stood before the man, she smiled as she reached out and caressed his cheek tenderly.


    At the same time from the base of the mountain a pale blue fire erupted and from the inferno crawled out a massive triple-headed dog, Cerberus, The gatekeeper to the Underworld in Greek mythology, It resembled a huge Doberman pincher with three heads and a long tail that was a black serpent. The beast had its tail and heads low as it climbed the mountain and lay down behind Wilhelm, and wrapping around his body, letting the tired warrior rest back against the warm body.


    And as the sun rose its color turned as red as blood, its light spilling over the treeline and into the man''s eyes just before a vast dark oak tree sprouted from the blood-soaked ground. It''s leaves as red as the blood that fed it, Casting its shadow over Wilhelm to keep him out of the harsh light. It was a darkly beautiful scene as these omens of death all gathered around this one man, The man who had lived four lives in such a short amount of time,


    A man who had earned the respect of not one, but three pantheons of gods, and the respect of Nature itself. While most would be forced to accept their death with a little time to come to terms, The harbingers waited for the warrior to draw his final breath, staying with him silently and putting aside the hatred for one another rather than bickering over who would get custody over his soul this time. The three messengers of death stayed close to the warrior as his body grew colder, his eyes growing dull as he let out one ragged breath before everything went dark.


    When he next opened his eyes, he was greeted with the now familiar expanse of space overlooking the earth. He welcomed the sight of a beautiful goddess whose face was twisted with tears as the life of one of the humans she had grown to care so much for hung in the balance.


    His body reverting to its true form, That of a young man standing at six foot eight inches, his dark brown hair combed back with a long braid coming down from the left temple. His jaw covered with a bushy beard that was finely combed with three small silver beads woven into them, The Nordic rune of fire, A Celtic Triskele, And a wolves skull. His left ear pierced with a golden ring that held a small dangling black spinel cut in the shape of a feather.


    His dark brown eye was tired, filled with a deep sadness and yet a growing fire, the right covered with a black leather eyepatch. He was quite fit and had a fighter''s physique; His right arm was a prosthetic made of carbon fiber while the left was covered in numerous tattoos of Nordic design, He was currently wearing nothing but a pair of black silk boxers which exposed a body covered in scars and a growing collection of tattoos. If someone were to see him at the beach they would not think of him as a calm and collected person but a violent biker who would sooner throw a punch than help rescue a kitten from a tree.


    With a deep, ragged breath the man collected himself and gave a broad smile, showing a full set of perfect white teeth as a small amount of blood began dripping from his nose." Well then my dear goddess, What is in store for me now?"


    2117, August the 16th


    Wils right eye opened slowly to be met with the sight of a rocky ceiling, As he tried to sit up he howled in pain as the wounds he had received were now sealed up and scabbed over for the most part. But before he could move too much something bright white filled the vision of his right eye, Right before a stinging pain drew a yelp from him. He had just been slapped back down to the bed!


    Growling lightly he turned his head only to be slapped again though now he was met with a weight on both of his arms and his chest, and as his eye focused again, he was met with the sight of a young woman with blood red eyes, pitch black hair, and snow white skin. She was clearly furious with him, but her beauty had him speechless as he took in everything he could about her, from the feeling of her soft skin on his own to the intricate top and kilt made of ravens feathers and leather.


    While he didn''t quite understand what she was saying he caught a few select words that let him know that this young woman was speaking Scottish Gaelic, Something he could hear his grandfather Atticus using when they would go visit him during the summers of his youth. Regretting not taking the classes offered to him he decided to lay back and wait, stopping his resistance as he looked up into the girl''s eyes. Trying to speak only to let out a guttural growling sound. His frustration was evident to her.


    After he went still the girl nodded lightly, but she stayed on top of him as she grabbed a small wooden bowl and pressed it to his lips to make him drink it, The smell made him flinch which resulted in her grabbing a thick handful of his hair to hold him still. He despised the smell but he knew what this was an herbal tonic much like his mother and Lily would make. A combination of herbs to help reduce pain and infection. It didn''t mean he had to like it, however.


    Forcing himself to drink it all Wil panted breathlessly once the bowl was removed from his lips, the mixture of herbs and berries were boiled into a tea and were known to have potent antibacterial and antiviral properties and though he could not identify every herb he had been given. He was left with the aftertaste of sage and blackberries, A taste that reminded him of his childhood from when his grandmother would make cough syrup.


    As his breathing returned to normal Wil looked up to the young woman who was still straddling his chest, grunting with obvious annoyance as he shifted a bit in an attempt to make her move only served to make her dig her knees into his palms, he could see that she was just as annoyed as himself. Though exactly why he could not tell, Despite this he kept struggling against her, only wanting the weight off of his body.


    Soon he growled and kicked up with his legs, causing the wound on his side to rip open somewhat his legs soon wrapped around her upper body, Pulling back down with his legs he slammed the girl down onto the bed. Managing to reverse their positions he now sat over her as she was now pinned below him on her back with her legs pressed up towards her shoulders. Panting lightly his head spun from the sudden movement and the pain of his wounds beginning to open again. But the girl merely looked surprised that he had managed this much, reaching up she carefully wiped away some blood that had started to drip from the ragged scar covering his left eye.


    However, at the same time, there was a soft red glow in the palm of her hand right before a sharp pain shot through his head, and he blacked out once again. He entered a dream, a memory in truth, One of his first days in high school. The same day he met Rubie and Perry, The twin children of the leader of their cities largest motorcycle club. They were beautiful people, nearly the ideal for what boys and girls their age lusted after.


    Rubie had naturally full lips that would draw one''s eyes in before she ever spoke, Her voice was a thing of beauty, like something one would expect a siren to have, soft and low as though her every word could barely contain a moan. Her figure was a flawless hourglass with firm DD breasts, a narrow waist, and a perfect set of wide child bearing hips. Her butt was plump and firm that jiggled just slightly with every step. She was well toned all over, showing love for fitness, her skin like honey, well tanned from plenty of time outside in the sunlight, Her hair reached down to her lower back was as black as the night sky while her eyes were a vibrant green. She stood at an astonishing 5''11 despite only being fifteen years old.


    Perry, on the other hand, stood at 6''2 and two hundred and thirty pounds, and like his sister he was well toned, His body was the ideal for the football team, thickly muscled calves and thighs, a barrel-like a chest and broad shoulders. His hair was cut in a short undercut; the sides shaved clean with the top staying at three inches, He kept his face clean-shaven which showed a strong jawline. Like his sister his eyes and hair were just the same regarding color, His voice was as smooth as silk, a fact he would be exploiting.


    When he first saw the two Rubie was wearing a pair of tight fitting low cut jeans, black leather boots with heels, a tight black crop top, and a red and black striped hoodie that was left unzipped. A pair of golden earrings in both ears one over the other, and a black leather choker with a Ruby pendant around her neck. Perry was wearing a pair of skate shoes, well-worn jeans, and a sleeveless shirt to show off his arms. They were with a small group of friends who were dressed very similar to themselves.


    When he was younger, Adam did all he could to avoid their type, the popular children who stood out no matter where they went. Something he would have stuck to until the group surrounded Alice and Lily afterschool. He would later find out that Perry had taken a liking to the girls as even back then they had a very athletic build with flawlessly smooth skin that was as white as snow. It was a scene that he knew too well, after all, every new year the two were swarmed by guys who wanted to try and date them, though they would swiftly brush them off and go on about their day.


    This time, however, the guys were not taking No for an answer, As he had none of the same classes as the girls did in the afternoon, he had been waiting for them in the parking lot as they had discussed. But when they didn''t show up he went looking for them only to find them out behind the gym where they boys of the group had crowded them up to the wall, and wouldn''t let them leave, Rubie and her friend were sitting nearby laughing about it all the while.


    When he first entered high-school Adam was a behemoth of a child, standing at six foot six inches and weighing three hundred pounds. He had a mop of thick dark brown hair that reached down to his chin, and a short beard that was only patchy near the tops of his cheeks, having been told by his father and both grandfathers to let it grow out in line with their traditions. His voice was a deep, gravelly baritone like something you would expect to hear from a soldier used to shouting over the battle. On this day he wore a pair of black combat boots as it was the only thing they could find to fit his size fifteen feet. A pair of black slacks. And a brown hoodie that was loose on him. He had a single golden ring in his left ear and a copper bangle on his left wrist, and a leather cuff on his right that was embossed with a Triskele in the form of three interconnected crows.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    He could vividly remember this as the first time he had ever been in a real fight, the first time he had drawn blood, And the first time anyone had ever seen his fury and how deep it ran. What was said was a blur, but the events still came to mind. He had tried to ask politely for them to leave his friends alone, the two crying as they saw him, knowing he was not violent by nature. Always having been a timid boy, a Gentle Giant if you would. But when he asked them to stop all that happened was laughing as one of the boys punched Adam in the nose, dropping him in shock. His forelocks and beard were instantly matted as the blood poured out. He could remember the sight of his thick blood covering his hand as he pulled it away, the taste of iron in his mouth and the smell of it.


    When he stood up again, the boy punched him again, this time in the right cheek. Though it was like hitting a stone wall, the blood made his hair stick to his cheeks and showed his dark brown eyes, as sharp like a hawk and the hate was evident in them. Grabbing the boys collar Adam pulled him close and slammed his forehead into the kid''s nose before shoving him aside, A deep growl slipping from is throat as he seemed to get larger. Now standing up straight for the first time before he swung his large fist and punched the next boy to step forward, hitting him square in the mouth with a sickening crunch as he broke out the boys two front teeth, the jagged stumps cutting through the boy''s lips and into Adams'' knuckles.


    As their friend began to vomit from the pain the remaining two both attacked him at once, Perry and the boy whose face continued to be a blur worked together; the kid grabbed Adam from behind while Perry went to punch Adam. As he was grabbed from behind Adam turned and slammed himself as hard as possible against the building, a sickening crack sounded as the kids head slammed back against the building resulting in a fracture. This left just Adam and Perry and would be the start of a rivalry between the two.


    Perry pulled a knife from his pocket and lunged at Adam, catching him in the shoulder which resulted in a howl of pain. But with the adrenaline running through him Adam didn''t stop, He kicked out and caught Perry''s right knee, shattering it and making him drop to the ground while leaving the knife in Adam. Without hesitation Adam fell upon the boy, pinning Perry''s arms down as he pummeled him, Adam would likely not have stopped if it weren''t for Rubie who tackled him, stunning both him and the other three girls as she pinned his arms above his head and kissed him. The taste of blood being forgotten as the taste lavender and rose along with her tongue slipped past his teeth and twisted with his own. She held the kiss until he was left breathless, at the same time he came crashing down from his rage.


    All of the pain hitting him at once left him unable to move as Rubie got off of him with a smirk, She apologized to Alice and Lily before her, and her friend left the group before the EMTs and police could arrive. Adam was left wondering why this memory was returning to him when the scene suddenly shifted. Gone was the world he knew and instead he found himself in the idyllic hills of Scottland, like those seen on postcards. There was a small village on one of the knolls, and in the center, a pole was erected, Lashed to the pole was a young girl who could be no more than five years old. She had been stripped naked and covered with many lashes from a whip, Her black hair matted with blood from the beatings she had received.


    Tears streamed from her brilliant red eyes as she struggled still against the bindings that held her in place, All the while men and women, boy and girl alike took turns adding an armful of sticks and twigs, or even logs to the pile at her feet, each spitting on her in turn. As he watched the scene, Adam could make out a large seemingly new building made of stone behind them all, And at the top sat the most hated religious icon in history, The Christian cross. Everything began falling into place for him now.


    While the timeline was completely different than his worlds, in this world the Christians had already started wiping all other religions from the earth, converting those who did not want to die while absorbing their religions into their own. It was a fact that the Christians had killed more than any other religion through not only the crusades on Jerusalem, the conversion and absorption of other faiths, the complete genocide of some cultures. But also through the total halt to scientific advancements that could have saved millions during the dark ages when the plague came.


    And of course, he now was forced to watch one of the most famous things the supposed "Good" Christians did, Burning a perceived witch at stake. The little girl had likely been persecuted for something such as following the old ways, having an odd feature, or simply someone didn''t like her and started rumors. The poor girl screeched in pain as hot pitch was tossed over herself and the wooden pile that now reached her knees. All the while a brown-robed monk began preaching before throwing the torch in his hand onto the mound of wood and igniting the blaze and the girl.


    But rather than burning as the monk had expected the weather of the bright sunny day rapidly changed, the skies darkened as black storm clouds formed and a heavy rain began to fall, dousing the flames before any more damage could be done to the girl. At the same time the clouds parted as three albino crows flew down from the heavens, but before they could land the crows turned into women, A beautiful young lady just entering adulthood, A woman in her prime, and a graceful crone nearing her end. It was The Morrigan, The Celtics goddess of among other things, Fertility, War, And Death


    the three made their way to the girl and cut her bonds, the mother taking her into her arms and holding her caringly as the crone raised her staff and pointed it out and waved it at the crowd. "Ye all have forgotten who you are it seems, Forgotten your spines and your ways. For this, I curse all of you from this day forth that not another child will be born to your bloodlines, Any man who tries to lay with one of these women here shall be unable to raise his sword, while any male here will simply be unable to raise his sword. Even if you seek outside of this village, this curse will hold..." With a sudden flash, the wounds of the young girl vanished, her frail body shrinking and turning into a small crow before the four disappeared.


    It was at this time that his eye flew open and a deep gasp tore from his lungs. His body was stiff, and he could not move, his mouth was dry as though he had dust in his mouth, His eye found the young woman who had been taking care of him laying on top of him, staring down into his eyes with confusion and wonder. As he looked into her dark blood red eyes, he realized that she was the girl from the scene he had seen. Her voice was wispy and soft as she placed her arms on either side of his head and carefully pushed herself up."Just what are you...."


    The surprise was evident on Wilhelms'' face as he could understand her, At the same time when she pushed off of his chest he could see his wounds were now healed, his flesh no longer scabbed over but thoroughly scarred. He had been forced to dream for an untold amount of time while his body recovered. Confused he tried to speak only for a guttural growl to come out, Frustrated he closed his eye to allow him to make out the faint timer dictating his rescue, Still another month to go. He opened his eye once more and tried speaking again only for the girl to push a finger to his lips before she took a small wooden bowl and poured a liquid into his mouth, cringing instantly until her found that it was fresh spring water and he began to swallow every drop he could.


    Once the bowl was empty, Wil gasped once more for breath, licking his slightly cracked lips before he tried again."Th...anks..." It was faint and sounded like gravel, but it was indeed his voice. This made him grin faintly as he could at least speak a little bit now. And as the water spread throughout his body he could feel his arms and legs beginning to respond to him once again. As a result, he sat up which made the young girl drop into his lap with a solid thud, at the same time her hands rested on his shoulders, grabbing them softly. "Always in a hurry aren''t you?"


    Wil tilted his head slightly in confusion but shook his head." N..not.. hur..ry." Still agitated by how everything he wanted to say was twisted to be simple and broken." Con...fused...you.to...comfort....able." Though she clearly understood his complaint she purposefully wiggled in his lap to get more comfortable. Seeing the way she was behaving made him wonder if she was the girl from his dream. It was far from what one would expect a child who had suffered so much to become.


    As he was thinking this, the girl leaned in far too close, the concept of personal space was clearly not in her vocabulary. Before he could say anything, she had moved her face down into the crook of his neck, taking in his scent before she pulled back and got up."Come on, you can bathe yourself now, and you need it..." nodding Wil stood up only to find that his fur robe was nowhere to be seen, and unfortunately his hostess was already out of the small chamber they were inside of.


    With a bit of a groan, Wil hurried after her, always turning a corner at the same time he did as though he were in a horror movie catching a glimpse of a wraith. Soon he found himself in a warm fire-lit chamber that had a natural hot spring, she was already inside of the spring and floating lazily, her clothes strewn about the entrance way to the chamber. He sighed once more before he joined her, slipping into the water, wincing as the hot water washed over his scars.


    Groaning softly he leaned back and began floating in the water and letting his hair float out around him; he could feel the oils washing out of his hair and around his body, shivering he reached up and began scrubbing his scalp roughly to clean the dirt from his hair thoroughly. Soon he had to use his thumbnail to clean the dirt out from under each nail before chewing his nails short, Wilhelm shivered when the girl suddenly ran a hand along the left side of his body that was now scared. He looked down at her body and saw not a single scar, not even something as simple as having walked with a sharp stick.


    As she ran her fingers along his scars, Wil could see the confusion in her eyes. Sighing softly he splashed her in the face with a little bit of water before drifting just out of her reach and smirking softly as she pouted for a moment. But before he could do anything she stood up and jumped on top of him, her elbow slamming into his stomach as she shoved him under the water. Coughing Wil grabbed her legs and pulling her down with him before he went up for air, coughing up the water had gone into his lungs.


    Before the girl could come back up Wil pulled himself out of thew water and laid on the ledge where he had stepped in from, He was so tired, his body weak from the forced sleep she had kept him in for the past two months. He had lost more weight, and along with it his strength and energy, he could already feel the pangs of hunger clawing at his stomach, and it was evident he would not last too long if he did not eat something solid. Though this may have all been in his head given the way his hostess rolled her eyes when she saw him.


    Pulling herself from the water, she kicked him in the butt as she walked by."Come along pup; I have stew cooking..." Groaning Wil stood up and stumbled after her, shivering as the girl bent over to grab her clothes, exposing everything to him, Truthfully he wondered why she bothered with the clothes if she had no problem with being seen naked. But as she grabbed her clothes she grabbed his robe from a small seat and threw it to him; it had been cleaned and folded until now. Catching the robe, he pulled it on and shivered as a rush of heat ran up his spine pulling an almost lustful groan from his throat.


    As the sound left his throat he pulled the hood up and looked to the ground, not wanting to see the look of amusement on the girls face, He would not realize it for a while, but he had just found his answer as to why she wore the clothes made of crow feathers. She walked over to him and grabbed his hand, pulling him along with her back through the winding caverns to the room he had been sleeping in, and then beyond it to a wide open cavern that opened up to the outside world, the moon and stars shining brightly.


    She took him over to a small cauldron that was sitting over a fire, After removing a wooden lid, he was shown a stew made with potatoes, sage, venison, and from what he could guess was goats milk. However, the rich scent made his mouth begin to water instantly, some drool slipping from his lips and down his chin as he watched her get him a bowl and a spoon. Though as she handed him the bowl, he began slurping right from it, drinking down the hot gravy like liquid of the stew as fast as he could


    As he finished the first bowl she held out the second one without being asked, taking it, he finished it just as quickly, but he felt himself getting full quickly now. Finishing the second bowl of stew, he licked his lips but came to a realization that there was an important detail he had yet to discover." My name Wilhelm. What your''s?" Hearing him ask her name the girl smiled happily, licking her spoon clean before she answered him."My name is Samantha."

 Chapter 3 - Exercise and Explanations.

    2117 August 16th


    Day 99


    Wil let out a deep sigh as he climbed out of the hot spring and made his way out to the large clearing just outside of the cave, once there he laid down on a large stone slab and let himself dry out in the sun as he thought back on last night. After eating dinner Wil and Samantha had turned in for the evening, Wil found a spot in the room where Sam slept that looked warm before laying down to sleep.


    He felt it was only right to let her have her bed back after letting him use it for so long while he was recovering. However, before he was fully asleep, he felt a weight on top of himself. Upon opening his eyes, he found Sam naked as she slipped herself inside of his robe before she laid her head down on his chest, and while he welcomed the feeling of her soft, warm skin on his own he had to ask the question of Why was she on him. To which she only answered with "Mine."


    Though he wanted her off of him, she would not budge, and when he genuinely threatened to remove her, she held her hand to his left cheek and the sharp pain from before returned, and he passed out. When he awoke, Sam was still on top of him sleeping peacefully like a kitten. A possessive, violent kitten. Wil carefully rolled so that she was beneath him before slipping out of his robe. Leaving it to cover her naked form as he went outside to where the main cave was, remembering another cauldron which he assumed held fresh water.


    And upon removing the lid he found water, but at the same time he could see his reflection, it made his stomach churn seeing his face scared over once more. However, something else caught his eye. There was a blood red pentagram on his left eyelid, it was the size of a half-dollar coin and was an intricate design consisting of a Celtic knot circle and a pentagram inside. Upon seeing the tattoo, things began clicking into place, why Sam treated him like he belonged to her, why she was able to knock him out without hitting him. It''s because he did belong to her now.


    She had placed some form of spell on him while he had been recovering from his encounter with the black-furred wolf, what exactly the spell was he could not be sure of, but at the least, he knew he still had free will. Further that she had the ability to render him unconscious with just by touching the mark on his cheek. Surely the game would not allow one of the players to be forced into slavery. Right?


    Wil Let out another deep sigh as he sat up, stretching his arms up above his head"Well then, what to do today..." As he spoke aloud more to himself than anything, his robe suddenly hit him in the face, knocking him back down. With a groan, he pulled the fur on and turned his head to see the young witch herself standing in his blindspot, fully dressed and looking irritated as though she were an owner who had just found their dog playing in the park."Who said you could leave?"


    With a grin Wilhelm stood up as he finished fastening the belt around his waist before letting the robe slip from his shoulders, grabbing the sleeves and tucking them into the belt so that it now looked more like a kilt to help him cope with the summer heat."Well, you looked so comfortable I didn''t want to wake you, and besides that, I''m not your pet so it would be nice if you quit treating me as such." As he finished speaking, however, a pout settled on her lips.


    "You are mine though; I marked you..." There was a slight whine in her tone, as one would expect of a child not getting what she wanted. In truth it almost made him want to give in, almost. Wil walked over to Sam and patted her head softly. "Come on now no pouting you''ll waste that cute face..." Before he could say anything more, he noticed Sam moving a little bit in his new blind spot, knowing exactly what she was after he let out a low growl while slapping her hand away."And the next time you knock me out I will be leaving, I don''t care how cute you are I am no pet..."


    As her hand was knocked away, Sams expression changed, becoming more in line with a spoiled child. He could see the anger in her eyes which only made him grin more, the more time he spent with the young woman, the more she reminded him of his former lover Rubie. A realization that only made him want to tease her more, for now, however, he walked past her and into the forest along a small game trail.


    She turned and watched as he strode off into the forest, clearly having some goal in mind as he left the safety of her camp"Where are you going?" Sam whined as she had to jog to catch up to Wilhelms longer strides. With a glance back he grinned."I''m going on an adventure.."As he finished speaking Wil broke into a full run along the game trail.


    Unlike the other times he ran, he felt a strange exhilaration, and elation, He felt his heart racing with excitement as he took everything in, the sights, smells, the cool fall breeze running over his body. He could feel the muscles in his legs and core filled with the strength he had only felt when he had begun going to the gym on a daily basis. Even then it was nearly five years before he had reached a point where he felt this good.


    In less than a minute he had cleared what he roughly guessed was one-sixth of a mile, nearly two-hundred and fifty meters, a pace that was the standard of the fitness tests for the U.S. Army which required members to be capable of running two miles in no more than thirteen minutes. Something that he did not manage until he was twenty-three years old, as he realized this Wilhelm came to a halt, digging his feet into the dirt and coming to a sliding stop.


    Panting ever so slightly he looked back to where Sam should have been to see a small crow instead, though as it got close, the bird suddenly shifted into the ordinary young girl, Confused she tilted her head as she looked him over."What''s wrong? Tired already?" Wil was stunned at not only her transformation but the way that she saw nothing strange with his speed."Sam, how am I able to do this? I have never been this fast before...." He looked over his body as he spoke, and while Wil was by far in better shape than he had been at this age, it should be impossible for him to run this fast so soon.


    Sam showed him a look of surprise at this question, walking closer she reached down and ran her hand across the fur that covered his lower body."You have not only acquired but tapped into the power of a Fetish without even knowing what you have been using as a simple robe?!?" Wils look of confusion only deepened, He understood that a Fetish was an item that was believed to hold magical properties, Represented in many different cultures from the African Voodoo, The Norse Asatru, to Native American Shamanism.


    The Norse Berserkers or in the old Norse Bear-Shirts were named for the act of wearing a bearskin into battle; Their counterparts were the Ulfhednar or Wolf-Hides. These warriors were said to have transcended humanity and become divine predators, able to become their totem animal. The Berserkers had an unrelenting fury that leads to the slaughter of all those around them, including their allies, As such these warriors were feared just as much as they were revered, often being sent into battle alone.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Their counterparts on the other hand while channeling the same fury excelled in fighting in a group much as the wolves would. It was similar to many other nations as even the Native American tribes had their Totem spirits, animals that to them embodied certain aspects of life, They would often see one particular animal throughout their lives and would identify with this beings characteristics. For example, the Bat represented rebirth, longevity, secrecy, initiation, good listener, long life, illusion, journeying, inner depth.


    Shaking his head to snap himself out of his thoughts Wil looked down to Sam as she kept running her hand along the pelt."But how does just having this pelt make me faster?" At this question Sam sighed and pulled hard at the pelt, leaving Wil bare before her which resulted in a yelp at the sudden movement. She held the pelt up and spun it around so he could see the inside of it before pointing to a handful of faint markings that looked like scratches in the hide from more than a few inches away."This is no mere pelt, it has been etched with runes of power, and judging by your lack of knowledge it was not by your hand, How did you even find this out in the wilds?"


    Wil leaned in closer to the pelt to see that it was indeed etched with Nordic runes."I was going down to the river to fish when I found an old wolf lying dead, rather than letting the carrion eat him I skinned him before taking the pelt and his body back to camp where I burned his remains save for the pelt which I hung near a smaller fire to dry. Next thing I know the fire in which I was burning the wolf exploded, and I was face to face with a ghost wolf, he brushed up against the pelt and knocked it over into the fire, and this is what remained..."


    The look on Sams'' face as he described the events of the robes creation was one of pure surprise and wonder."The spirit willingly blessed the fetish without a ritual of binding. That is unheard of...." As she was lost in thought, Wil took back the robe and pulled it back on, the familiar rush hitting him once more as he moaned out. The world seemed to grow duller, color fading from most everything around him. This caused him to panic slightly as he began rubbing at his eyes, Sam soon grabbed his hands and pulled them from his eyes."Don''t worry it just means you are being given more of his senses."


    Wil nodded as he began fixing the robe back into the kilt fashion he had earlier."What do you mean by more of his senses?" Sam sighed softly at his question but responded none the less."A fetish is usually created using the remains of a beast and imbuing it with the spirit of that animal, In your case, it seems to have been a great wolf. When a soul is bound to the fetish, the user can gain their senses and their strengths."


    Sam paused a moment to let this knowledge sink in before she continued. "When one becomes a Druid they will gain their memories and in time the ability to shapeshift into the animals form, There are risks for using these powers however as if one is not careful they will break, and their mind will be taken over by the beast. It seems that since your animal willingly entered the fetish, he is regulating how much of his power you can take at once to prevent you from going feral."


    Druid, The ancient Celtic religion turned traditional class in roleplaying games focusing on animal affinity, nature skills, and healing. Druidism was common in his childhood as it was his mother and grandparents religion, as such he knew it very well. The goddess Flidais was a member of the Tuatha De Danann, the supernatural race of gods and goddess'' that made up the Irish mythology. Some say that the Tuatha were, in fact, druids who had reached a greater understanding of the world and achieved enlightenment.


    Wil nodded as he looked over Sam and had to ask something that had been bothering him since he first awoke within her home. "Your clothes were made from the feathers of a Raven, and you seem to be an advanced druid novitiate, you also specified your mother... Are you by chance a child of The Morrigan?" As he said the name, he saw the girls eyes become wide with shock and astonishment.


    "H..How do you know that name?!?" Sam moved closer to him, her hands grabbing his shoulders as she kept him still, looking deep into his eye in a way that gave the feeling that she would know if he told her a lie. So he decided to play to his strengths. "It is easiest to say that this is not my first life, But my second..." Druids believed in the cycle of rebirth; specifically, they found that the ultimate goal in life was the cultivation of Wisdom, Creativity, And Love.


    That once one had achieved a clear understanding of the three they would be granted entrance to a form of heaven known as Tir-nan-og. Sam seemed to accept this however she countered with an apparent flaw in his argument."Then how do you not know of the Fetish or the abilities of a druid?" Luckily enough this was easy for him to repose. "I come from a time when magic had died out, as such these teachings were not passed down to us."


    While still eyeing him with doubt Sam decided to place him to a small test. "If what you are saying is true then you must surely know the Blessing of Protection?" This question made Wil smile sincerely as a look of love and remembrance entered his eye, it was his grandmother''s favorite blessing. With a deep breath before he begun


    "Deep within the still center of my being, may I find peace.


    Silently within the quiet of the Grove, may I share peace


    Gently and powerfully, within the greater circle of humankind, may I radiate peace."


    The moment he finished a soft green veil of light shimmered across his skin, sending a chill along his spine as a sense of security flooded his body. A feeling of warmth filling his core and chest, And at the same time, he could see a look of joy and peace on Sams'' face as one of the core beliefs she had been raised upon was proven right before her eyes. "I am sorry for doubting you elder; My life has been one where our kind is hunted and slaughtered...."


    Wil nodded as he reached out and gently placed a hand upon her head, stroking her hair. "It is ok I understand, The cycle will be broken this time..." A sincere desire filled his mind now, a complete halt to the advance of the Christian religion, preventing the murder of millions and the destruction of entire religions. An endeavor that would have been nigh impossible if not for the fact that now Wil knew that the old beliefs held power in the game, prayers would not go unheard as legions of Romans, and in time Englishmen fell upon the other religions.


    "In my day the Christians had all but wiped our kind from the planet, hunting every last one of us down like dogs for not believing in their god. I refuse to let it happen again, And I would like to ask for your help in this matter. Train me in the correct ways of the Druid." As he spoke, Wil dropped to both knees before Sam, bowing his head softly as he placed both hands on his knees. Showing a submission that he had refused to show her until this very moment.


    With a dazed look on her face, Sam nodded her agreement before swallowing softly."To answer your question elder, I am the child of The Morrigan; I was born to an English soldier who had was the lone survivor of a brutal battle between one of the first scouting parties and a small clan of warriors. Mother took pity on him and tended to his wounds, and in time he gained her affection, and soon love. As is the norm with a child of a god I was given to my mortal parent as soon as I was able to survive without mother. That is how it should have stayed until I came of the age that my powers would manifest naturally.."


    As she trailed off, Wil knew what he had suspected was true."But you were discovered by the Christians weren''t you..." The girl nodded softly in agreement as she hugged her own body."Mother refused to stand by and wait to claim me, she came down and saved me from being burned alive at the stake, she healed my wounds and brought me here to a land where she said no Christians would ever find me, a place where I could learn our ways in peace. A place I have stayed for eight years without meeting another human, That is until you showed up in the forest so unexpectedly."


    As she recalled his sudden appearance, Sam looked up into his eye as he rose from the ground."How did you come to be here when you are still so young and clearly without power?" Wil scratched his head gently as he smiled."What would you say if I told you that there were indeed gods outside of the Tuatha, Some that would help wanderers such as myself?"

 Chapter 4 - Wonders and Wounds.

    Sam looked at him with disbelief, after all the only God outside of the Tuatha she had learned of was one that promoted the torture and murder of those who did not follow him."There are no other gods; The Christians are merely creating a god to pin their actions upon!" To be honest, he had expected this reaction; it was the one thing that was common in the olden days was a lack of knowledge of other religions.


    Wil shook his head as he patted Sams head gently."That is where you are wrong little one, but this elder will enlighten you and show you the wisdom I have culminated so far...." Stepping back from her he dropped once more to his knees, resting his hands on his knees as he tilted his face up to the morning sky. He decided to use his paternal grandmother''s daily blessing this time around.


    <table><tbody><tr><td><table><tbody><tr><td>"Freya, Goddess of gold, Inspire me today."


    "Teach me to walk through my day with pride in my own being, with confidence, with power."


    "Goddess of fiery passion bless me with the insight to the marrow of my bones that I am a person of worth in the eyes of the Gods, in the eyes of the ancestors, and of myself."


    "May I radiate this and transforms all I meet. That is my prayer for this day, oh great and powerful goddess, that I may mirror your presence throughout my day."


    "In return, I shall praise you always, and lay amber before your image, consigning it to the sacred fires that burn when the day is at its longest."


    "Hail Freya, Shining Goddess of gold. I praise You."</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>


    As he finished the prayer, a brilliant amber light covered his body, flooding it with a heat that tore a deep gasp from his chest, right before Sams'' eyes a bizarre blue cat walked out of the forest and rubbed against his body. Licking at his scars and right in front of her eyes causing them to heal and return his body to its unmarred state while causing him to grow more muscular, As this happened Wil smiled faintly and reached out to stroke the cats head softly before he fell asleep.


    Sam looked at the cat in shock and awe as it nuzzled the now unconscious boy''s cheek, Looking over at Sam it bit his shoulder roughly though there was no blood. However in its place was a small mark that took the shape of a cat curled up with a wolf. Once the mark had taken form, the cat vanished before her eyes, like a haze of mist that soon left the two there alone, Wil asleep while sitting on his knees, and Sam with her eyes and mouth wide open at what she had witnessed.


    Even as the daughter of a goddess the existence of another pantheon was something, she had always believed as a pipe dream, especially since the only other religion she had known about was that of Christianity in which the followers were encouraged to kill witches, pagans, and all who did not conform to their ways. But now she had been shown proof to the contrary by none other than one who had proved himself as a druid from another time; It was all so much to take in that she could not help but collapse to her knees.


    She couldn''t help but stare at him as he slept while still on his knees, head slumped down with his forearms resting on his thighs, it was as though he were still praying. Without the wounds, she was surprised at how attractive he was, though she had thought he was cute before now it was evident that in the future he would be both handsome and powerful judging by his current build. But now she had seen he had the innate affinity to be a Druid, and now she had seen that he was able to offer praise to another goddess of a religion she knew nothing of.


    Her eyes flicked up to his left eye, more importantly to the dark crimson pentagram that remained on his eyelid. To save him before the fetish could use its full powers to heal him she had to bind him to herself as a familiar, a servant meant to defend her, and in return, she could channel her mana to keep him alive. She had yet to tell him of this, but she could tell that she had made the right choice to keep him alive, he would become the ideal guardian if she could teach him how to harness the powers of a druid.


    For five hours Sam watched over Wilhelm as he slept, the entire time her mind raced with the new information. Growing hungry she decided to pour mana into Wil to forcefully awaken him. Raising her hand up to his cheek she gently rubbed the mark on his eyelid, a pulse of black and red light filled the mark as she yelped in shock. The draw was intense, pulling every ounce of mana from her body and leaving her panting before she could see his eyelids flicker open.


    There was a deep gasp from Wil as though he had been holding his breath for too long; his eyes darted around taking in the surroundings before he calmed down, remembering what had happened. He shook his head before holding his hand out and speaking with a ragged breath. "Show Status..." There was a flash of familiar black and red light as a black leather tome appeared in his hand, Sam to tilted her head when he opened the cover. It revealed a list of numbers and colored bars, he then began flipping through pages until he settled on one that said Spells, there were two entries, Both were the ones he had just cast.


    Curious she moved behind him and looked over his shoulder as he read he spells. The first was the blessing of protection she had asked him to cast; the second was called the Blessing of Freyja. As she read the page, she shivered faintly.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>                                                    Blessing of Freyja</td></tr>


    <td colspan=''1''> Cost </td><td colspan=''1''>Free</td><td colspan=''1''>Uses</td><td colspan=''1''>Once per week</td>[/tr]


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>                                                    Description</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>One may call upon the goddess Freyja to heal all wounds and scars, returning them to their original appearance. However this blessing must be used cautiously as the user will be forcefully put to sleep for twelve hours as their body enters an intense state of regeneration, all excess body fat will be converted to speed up the process. An ally may sacrifice all of their mana and take a penalty of being unable to regenerate mana for three hours to reduce the time remaining by 4 hours.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Wilhelm began laughing as his head fell back, the tome vanished from his hands at the same time. Sam could not help the sense of wonder as she looked down at him as she stood up."Just what are you?" Wil stood up and rolled his shoulders as a grin settled upon his lips."I am a heathen beholden to no one god or goddess, At least not currently as I doubt I would be allowed to draw power from every pantheon."


    Sam swallowed as she looked over his body, he had lost his excess weight, his young frame already rippling with muscles showing good definition in his calves and forearms, the faint showings of a six pack. He was the form of a warrior. "And why do you want to become a druid if you are not bound to our gods?" This made Wil smile as he spread his arms wide. "Because Druidism is not just a religion but also a mindset, a way of thinking. A bond to nature and inner peace that is what I hope to gain by learning proper druidism."


    Seeing the look of bewilderment on her face Wilhelm couldn''t help but laugh, something that earned him a look of agitation from Samantha, Her face turning a little red, out of anger or embarrassment he would never know. "And just what is so funny?" Wil smiled and motioned softly to her."You are, just your confusion and the way you are taking this all. A long time ago if someone were told all of this, they would call the other a liar, attack him, or call a heretic. But you just look dazed and confused... It''s an adorable, and refreshing look to see."


    With a huff Sam changed to the raven form and pecked him in the forehead before fluttering off, landing on a nearby stump before tilting her head down the path. Noticing that she wanted him to follow he pushed himself up to his feet before stretching, taking a deep breath, and kicking off of the ground as he took off in a run towards her, as he took off she did as well. She made sure that she was flying low enough to remain in his line of sight while he ran, forcing him to run as fast as he could just to keep up.


    She decided to put him to the test, Her mother once told her that to become a druid was no simple matter, but now she was faced with someone who seemed to want to do it only for fun. As such she decided to place him in a situation to prove his determination, while she was exploring her new home she had discovered a crypt not far from where they were. If he wanted to become a druid, then he would first have to do the world a service.


    It took thirty minutes to reach the crypt, and when they arrived a shiver shot through his spine. They stood a few hundred yards from the entrance to the crypt, and between stood three skeletons, one with a bow and another with a rusty wood cutters axe, the third was unarmed but stood taller than the other two by a foot and was much broader.


    From the bushes where the two crouched Sam nudged him. "If you want me to teach you how to be a druid then you must go through the crypt and exterminate all the undead within." As she finished speaking a small black window with crimson text flashed in the corner of his eye.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>                                                   Cleansing the Corruption</td></tr>


    <td colspan=''1''> Difficulty </td><td colspan=''1''>Moderate </td><td colspan=''1''>Time Limit</td><td colspan=''1''>None</td>[/tr]


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>                                                        Description</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''> In return for teaching you the path of the Druid you are to enter the Forgotten Barrow and destroy the undead within!</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>                                                         Reward</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''> The Druid class, A spell tome, A Hunting Knife.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    With a resolute nod of his agreement, Wil stood up. " I accept your quest.." While walking out of the bushes, he spoke the blessing of protection and then decided to try another. A blessing his grandfather would recite before every match back in his time as an MMA fighter.


    <table><tbody><tr><td><table><tbody><tr><td>This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    "Morrigan, Queen of Battle, Chooser of the slain give me the gift of relentlessness so I might turn and turn and return. Letmywill become that of a wolf seeking to protect his pack, A bear seeking to stand his ground, And a Raven seeking its home.


    Grant me your blessing so I may turn my enemies'' blows to healing. Let me be resolute and undoubting on my path, let my blows be as powerful as a smiths hammer, and my decisions as wise as thecrowwho sees the battle from above. Bless me, O'' Queen of Phantoms, with all these qualities in your name and in your service."


    </td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>


    While he finished a soft crimson light covered his body, and at the same time on his right shoulder blade a new tattoo was formed, One of a human skull with elongated canines framed by a crow with its wings spread. Adjusting the robe until it was properly fitted on his body with the hood pulled up Wilhelm did the only thing he knew to do.


    He took a deep breath and charged the three skeletons, He stayed low to the ground, his hands occasionally digging down into the ground to act as another set of feet. The first target had to be the one with the bow, the other two would be easier to handle without an archer in the mix. Once close enough Wil lunged at the skeleton, his right hand grasping its skull as he knocked it over, slamming its skull down to the ground.


    With a loud crack, the skull fell apart, the skeleton following after it. Moving swiftly Wil grabbed the bow and quiver it had held before rolling away just as the larger of the two skeletons tried to jump on top of him. Thinking swiftly Wil looked at the bow he had grabbed, it was worn out, and the string was nearly broken, he would be an idiot to even risk using it.


    So he decided to put it to use more safely, he ran a short distance from the two skeletons before stopping, placing the bow against the outside of his right foot, stepped inside of the bow with his left leg before turning sharply to his right while pushing down on the bow. This created enough slack for him to un string the bow, effectively turning it into a curvy stick with rusty iron points.


    At that second Wil took the bow stave in both hands and spun around, knocking the skull clear off of the smaller skeleton, though this didn''t kill the skeleton it immediately ran after its skull. With just the big one to worry about Wil fell upon it with the stave, using every ounce of strength he had to deliver heavy blows down onto the skeleton. Cracking the bones of its forearms until he finally broke through them, bringing one more blow down onto its skull before the stave broke and turned to dust.


    At that moment he could hear the rattling of bones from behind him, He quickly grabbed one of the larger skeletons femur bones and spun around just in time to block the axe as it came down towards his chest. The haft of the axe had caught the bone, before the skeleton could react Wil used the bone to pull up against the axe, grabbing the head of it and snatching it away from the skeleton.


    He then brought the femur down violently to shatter the skull of the skeleton, causing it to fall apart like a morbid game of Jenga. Panting softly Wil went to retrieve the axe, giving it a few light swings as he looked it over. It was a standard light axe favored by woodsman for the smaller tasks of processing trees after they had been felled and split.


    The head was a little loose but nothing that would lead to a catastrophic failure, For now at least. Though he had to break the bow, Wil hung on to the quiver, strapping it around his waist so that he could keep collecting arrows as he went along, having had no doubts that he would encounter more archers during this ordeal.


    With one last breath of the fresh air, Wil walked through the opening to the crypt, once inside he found himself in a circular chamber with five doorways around the room. In the center sat a large altar that reminded him of one used by his aunt for black magics, but what stood out the most to him were the statues. Five in total all the size of a medium dog, most importantly was that he didn''t recognize any of them.


    While far from an expert on mythology it was impossible for there to be five goddesses or deities in the Nordic mythos that he didn''t know about, not with them being drilled into his head as a child. The first thought that came to Wil was that these were a new pantheon created by the developers, moving closer to the altar Wil placed his hands softly upon it as he leaned in to take a good look.


    Reaching out he gently stroked the statues, cleaning the dust and cobwebs away as he examined them all. They were beautifully made, a quality that should not have been possible before modern tools and the material was cold to the touch and as black as night. It was like metal but at the same time like stone, shaking his head lightly he moved to the one to the far right, the statue depicted a goddess with an athletically built body sitting upon a stump, wearing a flowing gown with an ornate staff with a wolves skull mounted to the top. A look of sorrow on her face as she held a rabbit, the body clearly damaged. Not by the passage of time but intentionally.


    She was seemed to be mourning the loss, but as he looked closer, there were thin strands of a silver thread linking the goddesses hand and the rabbit, giving the image that rather than soothing the animal she was siphoning from it. This gave a different look to the goddess in Wils eyes, she was not sad at the animals passing, but at how small it was, that she was not receiving more from it.


    Swallowing the spit in his mouth he moved over to the far left, this goddess was full figured, plump all around though not overtly. Wearing a gown like the other she had the look of a mother, this was accented by the fact that she stood over numerous cradles with small babies carved inside. However once again strands of silver went down inside of the cradles and wrapped around the children, one, in particular, was highly detailed, thin and emancipated.


    He looked to the next one in towards the center, another thin goddess though rather than the flowing gowns of the other two this one wore a suit of what looked like leather armor by how form fitting it was, a quiver of arrows on her hip and a large ornate recurved war bow in her hands. Defying sense that a bow should not be used in a melee Wil could make out curved blades nestled in the recurves on the limbs, over the wielder''s hand was an armor plate embossed with a symbol that looked like solar eclipse, brought out by gold material on the outside of the black orb. A blade was mounted to the front of the plate meant that the bow could be used as a stabbing weapon in a pinch. A large bear stood before the goddess tearing a man apart, another man seemed to be running away only for an arrow from the goddesses bow to have pierced the back of his head and come half way out through his mouth.


    Shivering as the air around him grew colder Wil went to the second statue on the right, this goddess also wore light armor. However, she carried dual war axes, seemingly simple in design but clearly made for killing armored soldiers with a large spike coming off of the back of both, beautiful engravings of the eclipse covered both of the axes. This goddess was depicted straddling another female with the blades of both axes seemingly flaying the flesh from her face. The woman''s legs flailing as the goddesses knees had her arms pinned to the ground.


    Finally turning his head to the center goddess, he shivered violently, as though a hand made of ice grabbed his heart. This goddess was the most beautiful of the five, the easiest way to describe her was Amazonian, wearing a set of heavy plate armor over the top of what seemed to be a robe. The eclipse once more embossed on her chest plate, she stood with a sword that could hardly be called as such, the blade was as wide as she was from back to front, the handle large enough for four hands. However, she had it slung over her shoulder with ease as she stood over a pit, her left hand outstretched as golden threads went into the pit, attaching to the skulls of skeletons and zombies as they tore their way out of a mass grave. In the background of the scene, it was clear that the undead minions were attacking humans.


    Wil stood staring at the statues, transfixed at the grim scenes countered by the beauty of the goddesses. No small amount of fear running through his mind at the thought of a pantheon such as this coming to power as some form of boss battle, but in equal measure, he was filled with excitement. There was an unknown war like pantheon that he knew nothing about, he licked his lips faintly as they were now as dry as a bone.


    Shaking his head clear of these thoughts he was brought back to the task at hand, the scent of earth and dust flooding his nose as he took in the chamber. He could feel a chill running down his spine as he listened carefully. The rattle of bones could be heard behind the doors, the scratch of bone on iron as they fumbled with the latches. Tightening his grasp on the haft of the ax Wil made his way to the closest of the doors, pressing an ear close to the door. He could hear the faint rattle of metal against bone, whether from the hands on the door or weapons in hand he would not know until he lifted the latch and opened the door himself.


    Steeling his nerves, he lifted the latch and pulled the door open, leaping back as a skeletal hand flew out at him. Narrowly avoiding the hand that would have grabbed him by the throat, looking through the doorway, he could see three skeletons, the two in the front unarmed though the one in the back held a small shield and spear. The skeleton with the spear would be a problem, in such a narrow hallway the shield alone was an issue, hardly larger than a buckler yet not quite the same size as a traditional round shield.


    It covered a large enough area that even a skeleton could move fast enough to deflect an attack, then came the spear to thrust out should the opponent over extend themselves and leave a hole in their defenses. Taking a breath, Wil prepared himself for pain as he charged in for a strong start, swinging his axe as hard as he could while keeping in mind the length of the haft and the hallways width, slamming violently through the first skeleton. It''s ribcage and left arm were torn apart, its skull clattering to the ground only for Wils large heel to come slamming down on it as he swung his axe once more.


    The brittle bone couldn''t hold against the force and shattered right as the axe came into contact with the second skeletons skull and shattering it in near unison. It was at this exact moment that the spear bearer moved, lunging at Wil as the spear shot out with a shocking amount of speed. Yelping as the blade bit into his left shoulder, slicing him to the bone despite being a glancing blow. Wil let out a loud yell as he grabbed onto the spear before the skeleton could pull back, Pulling as hard as he could Wil swung his axe down hard, shattering the skeletons left clavicle and knocking its arm, and by extension the spear loose.


    With another shout Wil charged his enemy, his hand going up to grab onto the shield to prevent it being used as a weapon, slamming the skeleton into the wall with enough force to fracture its sternum, using the back of the axe he shattered the skull before dropping to his knees. Panting raggedly as he clutched his shoulder. Putting pressure on the wound as he wracked his brain for a prayer, it had worked out well enough so far that he tried his best to find a prayer of healing from his childhood.


    One came to mind, a foggy memory of when he had shattered his hip as a child, Alice, Lily, and himself had been playing in the woods in the rain when he managed to fall into an ancient well that had been over grown. The next thing he remembered from that time was his father standing over him in the hospital praying out loud, his mother fast asleep.


    <table><tbody><tr><td><table><tbody><tr><td>


    "I call on you Eir, I call on your sisters, Hl¨ªf, Tj¨®evara, Hl¨ªftursa, Aurboea, Bj?rt, Bleik, Bl¨ªe, and Fr¨ªe.


    I call upon your mercy and your love, I beg for all the help of your kin. I pray that you may watch over my body, I pray that you may keep death away.


    I offer in your name a sacrifice of wealth..."


    </td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>


    As he completed the prayer an intense heat enveloped his body, dragging a howl of pain from his throat as the wound was sealed shut, a grisly scar reminiscent of a burn in its place. Wil stayed on his knees panting for nearly ten minutes, the pain finally reaching a tolerable level as he stood up shakily. He slid the axe into his belt before he grabbed the shield, as he lifted it up a small sheet of surface rust fell away to expose none other than the emblem of an eclipse. Though the paint was now gone, he could make out the embossing on the shield. Rolling it over revealed that it was a unique design, the shield was mounted to an iron gauntlet that he had not seen earlier.


    Wil did his best to look inside of the gauntlet as he pulled the bones out of it, a small part of him thinking that anything tied to those goddesses had to come with a price. Looking inside showed nothing like spikes that would bite into his flesh should he try to remove the piece, so he slowly pushed his arm in. Flexing his fingers once inside of the gauntlet before standing up and moving his arm with the shield on his left side, wincing slightly as this pulled on the scar. Despite this it was a well-made shield, still light weight despite being made of metal, the gauntlet was loose as one would expect since its user was now a teenager.


    Grabbing the spear Wil took a moment to take a stance, left foot back, right foot forward, shield arm held in front of his body while keeping it tilted just slightly to help deflect arrows while still allowing him to see over it, the spear rested in a small discrete notch, at the ready. He smiled as he thought back to his early teens, to the times that Alice and Lily would drag him out of his room and into their mother''s car to a larp their cousins ran. While they called it a larp it was more of a historical combat training group, using full sized accurate models of weapons made with hard latex and wood.


    They taught proper form using the ancient manuals that lasted to the modern day, held within was all manner of information on tactics, the proper weapon uses, and stances. Some of which used to be thought of as a joke until put into practice such as grabbing a sword by the blade to uses the guard to hit an armored enemy in the eyes, a technique used mainly during a long battle when the blade was nearly dull, to begin with.


    Wil nodded as he stood up straight, rolling his shoulders as he began making his way deeper inside of the crypt, new questions entering his mind as while similar in design to the barrows the Norse would have created, this was now clearly something built by worshippers of the unknown pantheon. Whether it was a resting place for their soldiers or a warehouse for the undead soldiers he now wanted to know more. No, he Needed to know more.

 Chapter 5 - Entrapment and Entertainment.

    Wilhelm let out deep, guttural sound of excitement as he made his way down the first passage. After his initial run in with the spear bearing skeleton, things got easier, the shield helping immensely. Rather than using it in a purely defensive manner, Wil used it as a weapon, bashing and charging at skeletons. Shattering bones as the edge of the shield hit them, or completely crushing them as he threw his full weight behind the shield and slammed them up against walls. He found that the spear was impractical as a weapon against the skeletons, the spear just skidded off of their skulls leaving small gashes.


    After two small packs of trying the spear, he decided to sling it across his back, tucking it down inside of the robe so that the haft was against his back and held in place by his belt. Keeping the shield however he soon ran into a skeleton using what seemed to at one time have been a battle axe, though now all that remained was the well-worn handle and an iron clump that the blades used to be attached to. He decided to take it up and use it like a mace, putting skeletons down with embrace as the makeshift mace shattered skulls and arms alike, from what he could tell so far weapon wielding skeletons were quite rare.


    In the past thirty minutes, he had only encountered the spear bearer and the one with the ruined axe, The entire time he walked the hall stayed the same, four feet wide, three narrow recesses in which linen bound remains laid, undisturbed. Wil found himself no concerned with good reason as it seemed that not every body would rise, but on occasion, a skeleton would roll out of a linen wrap and clatter onto the floor like a newborn calf.


    The awakening seemed to be random for now, but he had a sinking suspicion that the longer he stayed in the crypt, the more skeletons would rise until they were all exhausted. Soon he came to what had to be the end of the hallway, a large circular room containing an embalming table. Looking around Wil found all manner of tools for embalming the dead or rather harvesting the blood and organs judging by the jars lining the shelves, reagents for the darkest of magics, Curses.


    As he looked around he found a small leather box with a metal clasp, as he lifted it up, he could hear the faint chime of glass. Curious he opened it up to see five rectangular vials about an inch across and five inches tall. Inside only three were filled, two held a red liquid that gave off a faint glow, the third held a blue liquid that glowed even brighter than the two put together. While he had a good idea that these were health and mana potions, small elixirs that would heal his wounds or replenish his mana he didn''t entirely trust them to be unadulterated.


    For the time being, he slid them onto his belt, keeping them directly in front of him and carefully working a flap of the robe over the box to hide it. Besides the box, there was a thick leather roll that upon opening revealed a pristine set of torture implements, made of steel that was still shining, covered in what he hoped and prayed to be oil or rendered animal fat.


    While never planning to torture anyone he figured a set like this had to be worth something, tucking them into his belt he gave the room one last thorough look over. Running his hands across every surface, pressing every slightly out of place stone on the wall, even moving the jars around. Soon a moment of paranoia hit him; he saw a large brazier in the corner of the room, unlit but full of well-dried wood. Grabbing one of the torches that lined the wall he lit the brazier before he covered his mouth and nose with the sleeve of the robe, opening the jars before carefully fishing the organs out of them and tossing them on top of the fire, destroying them. As for the blood, he opened one to see it had turned to a blackish red powder and since it couldn''t be used for any grisly curses that he had ever heard of he let them be rather than breaking all of the jars.


    The thought that had sparked his paranoia was quite simply What if? What if there was some form of lich or witch in the crypt that would discover his presence and make its way to this room to prepare reagents for a battle against him. Wilhelm stood and watched the organs in the fire, even as the flames flickered black and blue he watched. Making damn sure that not a spec of them remained, even as the stench of burning flesh flooded the chamber. And only when the fire died out, and all that remained was ash did he leave the room, On the way back out he decided to get proactive.


    Rather than testing his theory that the entombed dead would rise over time, he began pulling the bundles on the floor and opening them, shattering every skull he found, it would be his luck that not doing this would cause his quest to drag out. It took nearly an hour of smashing skulls to make his way back into the center chamber. A jolt of fear shot through him as the statueson the altar had all turned to face the doorway he was walking out of, while he felt no danger there was the deep feeling of primordial fear of being watched, and now he knew that these deities, or perhaps Sam were watching him.


    Though his right hand was trembling Wil made his way to the next door over, with one last glance over his shoulder at the goddesses he saw that they still faced the other doorway. Swallowing his spit Wil opened the door and instantly raised his shield, mace at the ready as a skeleton lunged at him like earlier, shoving forward with the shield he began laying into the enemies with the mace. There were more now, six in total. All unarmed but he could make out that one had a piece of armor on, a vambrace that seemed to be made of black leather. Thinking nothing of it, he kept bashing his way into the hall, knocking away skeletons until finally, only one remained, the one with the vambrace.


    It had stood back and watched Wil fight, let him tire himself against the others before it moved in itself. With a deep breath, he pulled his shield up and swung at the skeleton as he had done at least twelve times today, expecting the same impact of his shield on the skeleton only for it to drop low to the ground, under the shield before lashing out with its left hand. There was a flash of silver as a hidden blade came flying from the vambrace and biting into Wils side, dragging a shout of pain out of him as he swung the mace violently. Across the width of the hallway, shattering the skeletons right leg, sending it off balance and falling to the floor before he fell upon it.


    Raining down a flurry of blows with the improvised mace until its skull laid in pieces and its arms were dust, Placing a hand on his side and bringing it up showed a minor amount of blood. He had gotten lucky this time, and the blade had not cut deep thanks to the skeleton hitting the bundle of tools on his hip with the base of the blade. Wil groaned softly as he bent over and picked up the vambrace, giving it a thorough look over. It was made with an ambidextrous design; the release trigger was a small cable attached to a ring that was made to slip over one''s middle finger, With a twitch of the finger it was possible to deploy the blade.


    Looking closer all Wil had to do was pull the cable again and the lock disengaged, letting him push the tip against the floor before it clicked into its base. He buckled the vambrace on and was pleased to see that it fit pretty well, carefully sliding the ring onto his middle finger Wil gave it a try. He made a fist and without moving his forearm turned it up, giving a quick flick of the wrist which activated the blade, shocking him as it shot out with enough force to send a jolt through his arm as the blade locked into place. After a moment of looking at the excellently detailed work of the weapon he opened the lock and pushed the blade back into place using the wall.


    Nodding he resumed his walking, deciding to follow the same method as last time he fought any "Living" skeletons as he progressed through the hallway, This time, however, this time he found something new. At a point where he would have fought another weapon wielding enemy, he found a set of stairs that spiraled down to a lower floor. With a shrug to himself, Wil began down the stairs, smooth stone that showed signs of heavy wear, either there was a leak when it rained hard enough or more likely this was a frequently trod path. With every step down it grew colder and colder, and by the time he reached the bottom of the stairs the floor had a light sheen of frost.


    He had reached a depth that he could only guess was two stories below the surface, if not for his disposition to cold environments and the fur robe he would have been shivering right now. The area was now different, showing signs of construction more than just excavation. This area had been dug out, and the walls of cobbled stone were put up along with support pillars. As he walked, he heard a new sound, an almost human groan as the sound of flesh on stone sounded ahead. Footsteps that were not his own, Wilhelm leveled his shield as he chose to slip his makeshift mace into his belt, pulling his spear free and bringing it up to the shield.


    Soon he entered a new, far larger area than the last, judging by the torches he could see the area was a vast chamber that was nearly fifty feet wide by what he could only guess to be two hundred feet long. This area was dimly lit compared to the last; the torches were spread few and far between creating areas of complete darkness which threw off one''s sense of distance. And the farther he stepped into the room, the louder the sounds of footsteps grew. Once he was ten feet past the door it slammed shut violently behind him, all of a sudden torches flickered to life and lit the room up enough that it hurt his eyes, now looking through lidded eyes he could make out the source of the sounds. A vast group of undead.


    Wils heart rate spiked suddenly as he leaped backward towards the now closed door, his eyes readjusting in time to see exactly what stood before him. Draug, they were effectivly the second level of undead one could raise in a technical sense. These were stronger, smarter, and faster than skeletons, retaining enough strength to wear sets of armor and full sized weapons. While they were stronger, they were still not quite as powerful as an actual zombie, a corpse which still maintained the vast majority of its muscle mass due to only having been dead for a fortnight or less.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Panic ran through Wil as his vision returned and he was met with the sight of fifty Draug, all of whom wore full leather armor, though all stood unarmed, and in perfect ranks, small squads of five in ten rows. Most notable however was that they all stood before a behemoth of a man, or what was once a man. Standing before Wilhelm was a human male who seemed to be in his mid-twenties, His skin was as white as freshly fallen snow, his eyes as red as blood. Wil found himself looking at an eerie undead version of himself, well his real body anyway. The man had dark brown hair that reached between his shoulder blades, pulled back into a neat ponytail, he had a well-groomed beard of matching brown.


    He stood tall and proud in a full suit of black leather armor with chain mail underneath with an eclipse embossed on the chest piece; He wore only one pauldron that was made from bleached bears skull. He held a massive battle axe in the same design as the one wielded by the goddess sitting with its pommel between his feet, his hands resting on top of it. As Wils eyes came back into focus, the man smirked coldly, a look of bored amusement on his lips. "Welcome little warrior to the arena..." As the man spoke the Draug broke ranks, splitting in half and moving to either side to reveal a small pit, lined with wood it was similar to one of the underground fight rings one would see in ancient Rome.


    Wil swallowed deeply as he looked back to the man. "My name is Wilhelm, What about you? What is all of this?" As the strange undead heard his name a faint smile crossed his lips, a look of nostalgia. "My name little warrior is something you will have to earn..." With a snap of the warrior''s fingers, Wil felt four hands grab him from seemingly nowhere. As he struggled to pull free, he found himself faced with two beautiful elf women, twins who were much like the unnamed warrior, wearing similar armor though one had a pair of long daggers on her waist and the other had a small tome on her waist. The one to his right giggled slightly at the look of combined fear and obvious lust in his eyes, though things shifted suddenly and the world grew cold as the one on his left suddenly reached a hand into his hood and touched the back of his neck.


    His legs went limp as he soon found himself on his back with the two began stripping him of his belongings, The woman on the right pouted as she clicked her tongue. "Vivian you''re so dull, he''s just a kid it''s not like he could have over powered us... It''s been so long since I had someone who could fight back even a little...." As she spoke, the woman ran her hands over his body, feeling for weapons as she removed his axe from his belt, sliding it towards the warrior''s feet."Behave Lilim; we can''t make the master wait because you want to play with the toy..."


    The woman he now knew was named Lilim kept pouting as she straddled his waist, setting her full weight down on him as she began pulling the robe away. At the same time, he noticed that so far Vivian had not removed her hand from his neck, this small detail letting him know that her spell likely required constant contact. Lilim wasted no time removing his belt and with it the roll of tools and his potions."Well well, looks like we have a little Raider, didn''t your mother ever tell you that stealing from the dead is bad luck..."


    She then gently pried his right-hand open, working one finger loose at a time as she freed the spear from his grasp and sliding it across the floor to her master, followed by Vivian doing the same with his makeshift mace. She then did the same with his left hand, prying his hand open to remove the shield before tossing it to the warrior''s feet, next Lilim unclasped the vambrace and tossed it on top of the small pile as she stood up. Grabbing him by his right arm as the pair stood him up, pulling him to the edge of the pit.


    He could tell it was sand in the bottom, though he could see the splatter of blood staining the sands, apparently not having been used for some time. Then Lilim grabbed the hood of his robe and pulled it back as Vivian shoved him forward, sending him sprawling into the pit now naked of all weapons and his robe. However as the last inch of robe left his body Wil let out a pathetic whimper, shivering violently as the world grew dull once more, colors growing less vibrant, his body growing colder as he now could see his breath.


    This reaction caused Lilim to shiver herself, licking her lips as she felt her own body up."Sooooo cute!, Hey hey master can I have him when you''re done?!" However as she was lost in her sadistic pleasure, Vivian pulled the robe from her hands and looked at the inside of it before carefully folding it, walking over to the pile and setting it on top of the shield. "His robe was a Fetish Sir, A powerful one at that." The warrior smiled faintly as he watched his elves work, laughing as he walked to the edge of the pit and looked down at the boy, taken aback as he saw the tattoos on his body. "Not just that my girls, He is also being watched by not just one but two goddesses...."


    The warrior crouched down as Wil struggled to stand up, his shivering making his feet slip out from under him more than once. "Just who are you, little warrior? It is rare for a goddess to take an interest in a mortal, and two interested in the same one is actually unheard of outside of my goddesses..." As Wil finally stood up he grew annoyed at the look of amusement on their faces, he could tell that they could have killed him instantly, but now they are just playing with him, the way a ."J..j..just wh...who the hell are you three!"


    As he stood up, the warrior smiled, crouching and looking down at Wil from the edge of the pit."I am a Deathlord of the Forsaken Legion, these two are my personal guards, that is all you have earned little warrior, And now it is time for you to earn your death..." With that, the Deathlord sat down on a cushioned stone bench with a back near the ring as he snapped his fingers. In one perfect unison, the two elves took a seat on either side of their master, and a walked to the edge of the pit, a rack of weapons near its right, turning to the Deathlord to seek orders."You will now fight my horde, should you defeat them all then I will give you the honor of fighting one of my guards. However, since you are but a whelpling I will make you an offer, Kill five of these Dragur with your bare hands and I will grant you your choice of your belongings, just one, however...." With a wave of his hand, the first Dragur dropped into the ring unarmed.


    The Dragur had been a short man in life, but stout, despite his shivering Wil nodded and took a deep breath, "Blessing of Protection!, Blessing of Battle!" As he shouted, the ring was light up with a dark crimson glow as his body was coated in an aura, From his seat, the Deathlords smile grew larger, through the boy''s aura he could make out the truth about him. What he was deep down in the depths of his soul. "That''s the spirit lad, now....Begin!"


    With the permission of its master, the draugr rushed towards Wil, and all Wil could imagine was being grabbed and crushed to death in the large draugr''s arms. Having a disadvantage in every way, Wil decided that survival was the key here, not honor or glory. As his opponent got closer, he dove to the side, rolling a little as his right hand scooped up a handful of the sand, throwing it into the undead''s face, blinding it as he charged, moving swiftly he leaped at the dragurs legs.


    Knocking it down to the ground on its face before he mounted it, grabbing it by the jaw with his left hand and placing his right on the back of its head, pushing and pulling at the same time to violently snap its neck, causing it to vanish in a puff of dust. Luckily for him, it seemed that the conditions for killing the dragur were the same as a human. Standing up Wil began to dust himself off as the next opponent dropped in, this one, however, wielded a black steel dagger, this made Wil groan softly as he got ready. Between his heart rate rising and the rush of adrenaline, his body stopped shivering.


    This draugr was tall and thin, likely some type of rouge in life, it held its dagger at the ready with its off hand out and prepared to grab Wil should he make a mistake. Wil decided to try repeating his earlier tactic, to a degree, kicking his foot down into the sand and up towards the dragur to try and blind it. However, the dragur had paid attention to its fellows fight, turning his back towards the sand as it spun and dropped low, slashing out with the dagger right as Wil charged, putting a deep gash in his chest which drew a howl of pain from him. As the blade passed from one side of his chest to the next, it bit into his sternum, luckily going no deeper than that this time as Wil pushed through the pain and kept up his charge.


    Before his opponent could take another swing his hand lashed out, grabbing its wrist as he balled up his right hand into a fist, bringing it down viciously upon the dragurs face, his knuckles splitting open as he kept going. Pinning the dragurs other arm down with his right leg, soon a wet crunch sounded as he managed to crack its skull and ram a shard into its brain. Causing it to explode and vanish. Panting Wil staggered to his feet as a slow, albeit steady stream of blood dripped from his chest. As he stood up however he had a small amount of sand in each hand. Keeping his fists balled up as he grit his teeth, opening his right hand he shoved the fine sand into his wound and rubbed it in, hoping to staunch the blood loss even if only for a little while.


    With another howl of pain another foe dropped into the pit, luckily it was unarmed, panting Wil didn''t wait for it to stand completely, rushing it and throwing the sand in his left hand. Not stopping even as it raised an arm to block the sand, throwing his full weight into the charge only for the dragur to side step him, one of its hands cupping the back of his head as he passed and shoved hard, sending him face first into the wooden wall. Tears sprang to his eyes as he struggled to keep them clear, spinning with blood pouring from his nose, letting out a shout of rage he charged once more. Though as the dragur tried to side step him Wil dropped down to the ground and lashed out with his leg, knocking its feet out from under it and falling upon it, once more beating its skull in with his right hand, the bones on his knuckles now exposed and glistening white in the torchlight.


    Standing once again Wil shoved another handful of sand into his chest wound and ground his fist into the sand as he panted raggedly, but as he stood up fully, there was a sudden burning pain on his back. And a sudden crack, the next draugr had already jumped into a pit, now wielding a whip, Crying out in pain Wil staggered forward and spun to face his newest foe right as the whip returned, striking across his right eye and drawing a guttural cry of rage and pain from him. However as the next strike came, Wil lashed out with his left arm, growling in pain as the whip laid his forearm wide open.


    As a result of his sacrifice, he managed to grab hold of the whip. The draugr tried to pull it back, and Wil let it, jumping into the pull, slamming his right heel into the undead''s face, killing it instantly. Panting harder now as sobs tore from his chest Wil stood at the ready, looking up and spinning around like a wounded beast, looking for the next draugr as they had all taken places at the edge of the ring, circling it ready to jump from anywhere. None held weapons, but the weapons now floated above the ring, just above the torches which explain why they didn''t cast shadows. However, they were still in the reach of the Draug as they leaped into the pit


    The next draugr to enter the pit held a short sword and had a nimble build, short and lithe, and upon closer examination had once been female. Wil jumped back as this one wasted no time, kicking off of the wall and staying low to the ground as it lashed out, laying a deep slash into his thigh. Howling at the pain Wil bit his lip violently, blood flooding his mouth as he pushed through the pain and brought his knee up into the draugr''s face, the force of its charge and impacting with his knee snapping its neck and making it vanish. Spinning Wil looked up at the Deathlord and panted, swallowing his blood as he pointed to his belongings which now floated above the bench that he and his "guards" sat upon.


    "I want my robe back now...." There was a deep hate in his eye that made all three of them lean forward in their seats; he could see Lilim licking her lips while Vivian looked him over. The Deathlord smiled from ear to ear as he nodded."Very well little warrior...." With a wave of his hand the robe fell into the pit, and as Wil pulled it on, he let out a sigh of relief, tying the belt tightly as he pulled the hood up. And before another draug had the chance he howled out "Blessing of Healing!" The aura around him grew clearer now, the color darkening as they could see his right eye seemingly catch fire, the wound burning shut as his remaining left eye turned a bright gold with the pupil dilating, his nostrils flaring as every sense in his body kicked into overdrive. What stood before them at the moment was a caged beast who understood that the only way out, was through.

 Chapter 6 -Empowerment and Embarrassment.

    Sam made her way inside of the barrow, curious to see how the boy was doing. She had taken the form of a crow to slip through the bars of the gate, returning to her human form as she began looking around. She saw statues of the Norse gods, all neatly polished by the boy who last entered.


    Making her way down the halls, she saw the remains of the skeletons strewn about, crushed to dust in most cases. Sam could tell he fought with a savagery that she couldn''t help but find surprising considering how he seemed to have wanted a peaceful life, none the less the young druid carried on down the halls, taking in the splotches of blood now and then. The especially broken skeleton and fresh blood told her she was close.


    After a few more minutes she came to a large gate that was sealed shut, but from behind it a howl that sounded less human and more beast shook her. Sam looked up to see a small crack big enough for her crow form to squeeze through, she eagerly changed forms and took a short flight to the opening, pushing through before flying up into the rafters to look down and what she saw shot chills through her.


    There Wilhelm stood in the center of an arena unarmed, surrounded by draugr all armed with a variety of weapons. She could see the gashes through the battered robe as his blood splattered the ground with every dodge, every time he moved, however, a draugr fell and returned to dust. That is until a sharp whistle pierced the air, turning her head she saw them, the man covered in pitch black armor and the two elven girls clinging onto him as through watching a show.


    As the whistle sounded the draugr, all threw their heads back and let out a bone-chilling screech, their eyes shining bright blue as they became stronger and faster. Now every time she saw Wil roll under an attack another would strike him tearing another savage howl from his body, and shortly after he would shout out a spell before his entire body seemed to catch fire, all of his wounds burning shut as the inhuman howl tore from his throat once more.


    This brought a round of laughter from the three on the floating bench, clearly enjoying the spectacle of Wil fighting through the pain. Sam had to struggle not to intervene. She had given him this quest, and as a result, she could not assist him, no matter the costs. But before her eyes she noticed Wil changing, his movements became faster, sharper, less human and more beast-like.


    The cycle, however, would continue, a handful of dragur would fall, more would jump int the arena, a whistle would strengthen them all, Wil would endure a handful of blows before his body would catch fire. Soon however after the tenth blaze, he dropped to his knees, the robe falling away to show his body coated in scars, even the two tattoos of the goddesses were scared over.


    Panting raggedly Wil tried weakly to dodge as a spear flew at him, but he was not fast enough, the spear went right through his left shoulder, dragging a yelp from him as he was dragged up to his feet by the spear, only to have more spears pierce his body. Sam wanted nothing more than to look away from the gruesome scene, but something wouldn''t allow it.


    Clicking his tongue the man on the bench pulled himself from the two elves before he whistled once more, all the draugr not holding spears within Wil dropped to their hands and knees, forming a staircase for their master as he soon came face to face with the boy. A gauntlet covered hand weaved through his long hair and pulled hard to lift the boys head up, smiling gleefully as he looked down. "Impressive feat little wolf, to last five hours against my soldiers. More impressive was that you were dodging them by pure instinct for the past two hours..." As Wils head was lifted up, Sam shuddered to see a massive scar across both eyes.


    Sam watched in horror as the man stepped back and clapped his hands, a large wooden cross rising from the ground just behind Wil."Hang him up too dry out!" With their command two draugr removed their spears before lifting Wil to the cross, only for all the draugr to remove their spears before driving them home once more, Wil howling weakly as his hands, biceps, hips, calves, and feet were pierced to the cross, blood spilling from his previous wounds as he shuddered violently.


    Wils world grew cold as he pinned to the cross, he could see nothing but the pain told him what he needed to know. He had finally lost, despite death creeping in upon him however he grew more and angrier, unable to do anything now due to his weakness. Every word from the deathlord made the deep burn feeling in his chest grow, and soon there was a gentle caress on his cheek. It was as cold as ice, but the skin was softer than anything he had ever felt before.


    Soon there was a brush against his ear, the feeling of lips as a whisper entered his ear. "Do you want the strength to survive little one?" The voice sent a shiver up and down Wils spine, so soft and kind while holding a sultry feeling to it. "The strength to destroy all who stand against you?" With every word, she spoke he could feel the fire burning stronger inside of him. He could do little more than grunt before a faint chuckle sounded."Then you will become my harbinger, the first in a millennium..."


    The voice grew distant but still present."Normally I would need to exchange a great many souls to empower a new harbinger, but you seem to have found the corpse of my last harbingers pet. It has just enough strength to grant you my blessings, though it will come at a cost to your little one.." The voice came close to the familiar feeling of the robes power came coursing through him. "But luckily it seems Wraith has a bond with you already, This will be a rushed job but when you have recovered be sure too read our covenant. I will give you that much as consolation for your fight..."


    As the voice began to trail off, a sharp pain filled his body, howling and struggling as it felt like he was being torn apart. Little did he know this was all normal for the process he was enduring, Sam, however, watched in horror as the draugr and the deathlord were blown away suddenly, the blood-soaked robe flying to its master before it began integrating itself to Wil, melding into his very flesh as the boys body began to break and reform itself.


    In a matter of seconds what stood in the center of the arena was best described as a werewolf, long dark brown fur-coated his body, his jaw had elongated to be a muzzle with large canines jutting out, his hands had grown larger. Nails began turning to claws nearly six inches long as his metatarsals grew longer, the nails on his toes growing more significant as his body became more muscular. Wils eyes opened to reveal blood red pupils as a savage howl of a beast shook the entire hall.


    The deathlord stagged to his feet as his draugr all began rushing the beast, He begrudgingly leaped out of the arena to grab his two companions."Well, I can''t say I was expecting Her of all people to choose a harbinger. Nocturna..." He took one last look back at the boy as he fought against his horde, tearing them all to shreds as bone and sinew fell before his claws. Smiling he canceled the spell holding Wils gear in the air allowing it all to fall to the floor "But I can''t say im not glad to have another chance of testing the boy as he matures...."


    Sam watched on as the deathlord conjured a black gate to carry the two unconscious elves away as one by one the draugr ran at Wil, only to fall as his previous tactic of dodging and reposting now could not be stopped, his claws catching blades and turning them away as he tore apart the horde.


    For near an hour she watched the chaos before he dropped to his knees in the center of the arena, the draugr staying as physical bodies now however as his body returned to a human form. His body remained covered in scars though now his eyes had returned. The tattoos of his goddesses stood out against the scars though now one more had appeared upon his chest right above his heart.


    It was a symbol she did not know, a massive broadsword held in the teeth of a wolves skull, framed by a circle of thorns. Swallowing her saliva, Sam flew down to the boy and gathered the items that had been in the air before carefully slipping them onto his body, pressing the spear into his right hand as she stood up and looked down at him, clad in a simple black kilt with a steel belt buckle in the shape of a wolves head. She wanted to carry him home but aside from putting his armor on she could not move him, and this told her he was meant to remain here for now. "What a shame, and here I was looking forward to playing some more... I guess I''ll have to come back to get him after the tutorial phase ends."


    Sam opened her tome before activating a spell that caused her to disappear, leaving behind the feather of a single crow. Wil, on the other hand, remained in the center of the arena, surrounded by the fallen draugr for a period he was unsure of, he could not hear or see anything, all he could do was sit and wait.


    _______________________________________________________________


    Three months after Sam vanished from the forest ships landed in a nearby harbor, Vikings. Outcasts that would form the first settlement here in ages, a gathering of the weak, elderly, banished criminals, and most importantly the defiant warriors who refused to surrender their secrets to their king. The Warband had found the secret to crossing the sea, making their way to the English lands. This gave them access to new riches and rich farmland to plunder.


    When their king demanded the secrets of traveling the sea but refusing to reward them they declined, due to their high renown and strength, he could not just kill them for their disobedience. He could, however, send them off to guard a settlement of criminals, in effect banishing them from his lands and giving them time to think about their choices.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    However things would not go as he had hoped, across five of the ships they could spare the king crammed all of the criminals, outcasts, and the weak that he could not openly kill and sent them off to the harsh north. Due to the attitudes of the passengers, it was expected to be complete mayhem, what with criminals attempting to break free, and general discord.


    That, however, was not the case. The Warband took control of the ships by spreading themselves across the boats, acting as peacekeepers. When one of the criminals would try to act out, they were quickly silenced. While they would not submit or entirely and change their ways, they knew better than to try and mutiny.


    Their new home was a large fjord that would offer them the best protection the elements, great fishing, and most importantly it was easily defendable thanks to it only having one entrance by water, large imposing mountains to dissuade attackers from land. Upon landing the first thing to be done was creating a shelter for them all to stay in, this was done by hauling two of the ships up onto the shore and bracing them with logs cut from the forest.


    They then removed the sails and stretched them between the two ships to create a temporary shelter, progress on the permanent structures could come later, but for now, it was essential to get a lay of the land. The leader of the warband gave the order for half of their number to spread out through the forest and hunt, gather resources, and most importantly create a map of the area.


    It did not take long for a scout to find a barrow, the scout in question was a large man standing at nearly seven feet tall with a chest like a barrel, his arms rippled with muscle, his hair and beard were a dull grey with streaks of black. His right eye was covered with a black leather patch; his clothes consisted of a pair of brown leather breeches, a soot-stained white tunic, and a leather apron.


    Upon seeing the barrow, the man pulled a hammer from a ring on his belt, holding it at the ready he made his way inside. He was met with the sight of a large alter adorned with statues of the gods, small but ornate, one for every god both major and minor. All covered in dust, shaking his head a bit the man began cleaning the statues, and the altar before taking a large wineskin from his bag.


    The man took a moment to pour the contents of the skin into the offering bowls before offering a prayer; a soft hum echoed in the hall as the door on the other side of the alter slid open, the torches lining the walls beginning to light one by one. A shiver shook his body at the eerie sight, but he pressed on, offering another prayer to Thor as he slid the heavy hammer from its holster on his hip prepared for whatever may come. His exploration was quite dull, the halls were clean as if they had been used recently, after a few long minutes of wandering the halls he came to the massive iron gates that had a motif of Odin fighting back a horde of undead.


    As soon as the man pressed his hand to the cold iron, they swung open as though they weighed nothing, walking past the gates with his hammer at the ready the man soon came upon a sight he had never seen before. Kneeling in the center of the arena was a young boy only twelve or so, covered head to toe in burns and scars. Clutching a spear and shield as mounds of draugr surrounded him, the sight tore the man''s breath away.


    It was something out of an untold Saga, he moved to the side of the arena and dropped down into it, moving closer to the boy as he crouched down and cautiously reached out and touched his arm. He was confused as the boy''s body felt hot to the touch like a fire was raging within his skin. But no matter how long he shook the boy his eyes never opened, and after a long, while the man stood up and returned to the fjord, eager to tell the leader of the boy. Upon his return he was met with skeptical looks as all the other scouts had returned long ago, most had thought he had gotten lost.


    But as he told his tale of a young warrior sleeping inside of a barrow filled with Draugr most had thought he was drunk, only the leader and the mans wife and daughter believed his story and as such the four soon set out to the barrow, a small number of those curious as to the stories truth followed. The day was nearing an end as they reached the barrow, entering it to find the altar and torches as he had said, and deeper inside the same door. Until finally they all stood around the arena looking down upon the boy.


    All but the old man stood in awe. However, the first to move was the man''s daughter. Carefully she climbed down into the arena and went to the boy who was the same age as her, though it was difficult to tell past the scars and burns. Without thinking, she reached out and touched the boy''s cheek to see if he was alive when his eyes flashed open for just an instant, And in that instant, all of the adults standing around the rim of the arena were in fear. The bright blood colored eyes were just part of the reason, and it was the deep bloodlust that the felt in the shocked gaze of the young eyes devoid of innocence. And just as swiftly as they had opened his eyes shut once more before falling forward into the arms of the girl, the leader was the first to recover his wits."Make a stretcher. We are taking him back to the shore..."


    Wil was disturbed from his sleep for just an instant to be greeted by the sight of ten men and a woman standing around the arena, without thinking his body tensed ready to fight before his eyes fell upon the small, frail-looking girl before him, looking over his body with concern. Realizing he was not going to have to fight again his body crumpled once again, however this time he did not sleep, he found himself standing beside his body as four of the men came down with their spears, and a cloak strung between them, laying them on the ground before they gently shifted him onto the makeshift stretcher. Moving his arms across his chest so that his shield sat in the center with his spear laying on top of it.


    It looked like they were hauling off a corpse but Wil followed them, curious as to where they were going. But as they walked he shuddered, all around he began seeing shadows flickering in strange ways as though fighting against the light of the torches, Wil felt as though something was following him, breathing down his neck but every time he turned he was greeted with nothing more than the empty halls of the barrow.


    Wil tried his best to shake the shadows and the feeling from his mind, but as they left the barrow the moon had risen and looked up he came face to face with the sight of something straight out of an H.P. Lovecraft novel. Entwined around the moon he saw a writhing mass squirming, and soon a massive blood red eye opened wide, and he could feel it looking straight at him. Shivering violently Wil ran after his body, following to his new home.


    As the group walked, Wil decided to distract himself by listening to their conversations. He ignored the four carrying his body as they only spoke of how un-natural he was, something he could not deny, but he didn''t need them to keep saying it. Wil instead chose to walk behind the old man and the man who gave the order to carry his body. Finding he walked beside the old man''s wife and the little girl as the two men spoke. "Arcturus you cant be serious about this, the boy may be a warrior but that bloodlust. I have only felt something like it one time from..."


    The man stopped as the leader lifted a hand."I know Ignis, the same as that monstrosity that we killed across the ocean..." Arcturus looked back at Wil and shook his head for a moment."The only reason I am taking the risk old friend, is the tattoo of Freya on his back, even then the other two markings are concerning." As the two spoke the sound of the waves hitting the shore reached Wils ears, a soothing sound as soon the sight of two beached ships became visible, the ones who had remained behind had chopped down a handful of trees and had already delimbed them to use as fuel for the fires.


    Wil noticed something as he returned his attention to those around him, he saw the little girls gaze flick between his body and where he stood, at first he thought she was looking past him, after all, no one else had commented on him being in two places at once. But as he began moving about the group, he saw her eyes follow him around, shaking his head a bit Wil decided to listen back in on the leader and the old man''s conversation. " Just why in Hel do I have to take him in Arcturus?" A sigh slipped from the other man as he ran a hand through his hair."Because you are the only one I can trust to do this, if I take him in then it will be setting expectations upon him, think about it, the son of a smith, or the son of the village leader, which holds more sway?"


    With a groan, Ignis nodded in concession."Fine but I want a big house and a better forge than ever if the boy is staying under my roof im going to work him to the bone..." Wil shuddered as he heard this, the old Smith reminded him a lot of his Papa, his grandfather on his father''s side who made Wil help in the forge every time that he went overseas to visit his grandparents. Soon Wil found himself kneeling next to his body as the four men dropped him on the ground like he was a sack of rocks before hurrying away.


    The smith and leader sat down on a nearby bench as the smith''s wife and daughter ate before they returned to him, Wil tilted his head for a moment as he watched the older of the two grab the upper parts of his stretcher and drag his body to the water. Wil followed and grew flush as he was forcibly stripped of his belongings, even his kilt was removed causing the young girl to blush as the old woman had a bit of a grin.


    Wil sat embarrassed at the edge of the water as the girl was instructed on how to wash a man''s body, as it would be her job to tend to him until he awoke. Every time he looked back at the two his eyes would lock with the girls who only made both of them flush. "What are you blushing for Sasha, you are near to age you will have to get used to these kinds of things if you want to get a husband." As she said this, he heard a faint squeak from the girl who could only look down embarrassed at the thought. Wil, however, had to shake his head from the shock, reminding himself that the age of adulthood was vastly different than what he knew.


    Wil moved over to his body as he knelt down, looking over the girl as she shyly took over washing his body, a strange experience to see yet not be able to feel her hands on his body. As he got closer however he noticed that there was a faint line across the girl''s throat, a scar from a sharp blade. It explained why he had not heard her speak, he felt terrible for her, so young but to be unable to talk because of another.


    Shaking his head, WIl stood up and walked to the edge of the water and took a step in, feeling no difference in being wet or dry but the instant his foot entered the water there was a feeling of something stirring in the fjord. Waves began lapping at the shore until the old woman, and the girl dragged his body back up towards the ships so he could dry off. Wil looked out into the fjord for a moment before he saw the reflection of the blood red eye on the moon, shuddering he saw a writhing mass at the shoreline as if the thing had been trying to touch him through its reflection. A thought that sent a shudder through him once more as he forced himself to return to his body, dropping to his knees as he watched the outcasts all eat freshly hunted deer before resting for the long day they had ahead of them. Wilhelm, however, would find no rest that night, nor any other.

 Chapter 7 - Inspection and Invasion

    Wilhelm shivered as he looked around the site of the outcasts camp, not from the cold, but from the strange haze around some of their number. A dark muddy mist hung around almost half of their number, the rest, however, Wil saw the faintest glow of silver, with the brightest being around the smith''s daughter. He began wandering around the camp and listening to the conversations that were going on, taking in the names and faces of as many people as he could.


    He learned that Ignis'' wife and daughters names were Sigurn, and Freyja respectively. Wil paid close attention to the ones he had found out were criminals, the same ones who had the dark mist moving about them,  moving closer to them as the night went on. When most of the outcasts had gone to bed, a handful of the criminals began whispering to one another while being mindful of those on guard duty.


    "This is worse than the kings'' prison. I tell you!" a whispy man hissed. "At least in there, we weren''t worked to the bone." A heavyset man grunted in agreement."The food was bad though..." "Oh shut it you lout!" hissed the same whispy man. "Both of you be quiet, we will bide our time, for now, spread the word, do as you are told, don''t cause trouble. We will strike when we have earned their trust." The man that spoke this time had the darkest mist around him, but his most notable feature was his face, he had a massive gash running down through his right eye and cheek.


    The two from before fell silent and nodded."Yes, sir Asta.." they spoke in near unison, hearing the name Wil remembered the conversation he had overheard between Arcturus and Ignis. This man was the leader of the criminals, a man who had been close to the king and planning a coup. Wil made a note to keep an eye on the group''s interactions, hoping that the time he was in the out of body state would not be much longer but for now, he would make the best of it.


    The sun rose after what Wilhelm felt was an eternity; he had been unable to sleep last night as every time he closed his eyes he felt as though the being entwined around the moon was reaching for him. As such he watched quietly over the outcasts as they slept, having watched his body as it was pulled over beside Ignis and his family. Freyja ended up sharing her fur blanket with him as the night grew cold, a gesture he would not forget as from the way she squirmed and flushed she was a shy and innocent child.


    As a result, Wil ended up beside the family as he waited out the night sleeplessly, at first light however he began wandering once more, choosing to follow Ignis as he started to help with felling trees. The women of the group began gathering small stones to build the foundations of the first building of the settlement, that of a vast longhouse which would act as the village chiefs home as well as a gathering place for the village in times of crisis. But most importantly it would be where the group would sleep as more homes got built.


    The building site was back from the shore to where the beach sand turned to dirt, as the men cleared away the trees around the area, including digging up the stumps. From there a few of the men traced out the perimeter of the building, digging holes for the support posts as the women then came in with the stones, placing them down to form a floor to keep them off of the ground. As the men began setting the posts into the holes and packing the dirt around them the women would come behind and place the last stones around it.


    The children had been sent off to dig up dirt, creating a large mound beside the building which was then broken down into many smaller piles with small basins scooped in the centers. Then the children would then gather up water in buckets and pour them into the holes as the adults would mix it into a thick mud before using it to fill in all the cracks between the stones.


    As for the walls Wil observed as the men began carefully notching every beam, cutting a small trench that would allow the next one to sit flush. The children then started mud between each beam as the men lay them in place, this would serve to fill any gaps and help keep the wind and water out. By noon all that remained to was gather the materials for the roof, it was at this time that a group of hunters that had left earlier in the morning returned with their catch, four large bucks and a basket of edible herbs and berries.


    Wilhelm was impressed with their efficiency, the entire group worked in harmony, though there was some bickering between a few of the criminals and the elderly about the number of breaks that they were taking. Aside from this, there were no issues. Once the hunt was dressed, the women began cooking lunch, roasting the meat over a fire as the group continued to work. Within the hour all of the materials needed for the roof were gathered and prepared, in this case, it was bundles of long grass that would overlap one another before being coated in mud.


    Wil went and sat down beside his body as he watched the group break for lunch, as he watched them all he watched as Freyja carried her food and sat down beside his body, glancing over at him sheepishly once in a while as she ate. Smiling as he watched her, he decided to check something, standing Wil stepped over and crouched down in front of her, his face near hers as he spoke for the first time since they found him."You can see me cant you Freyja?"


    At the sound of his voice, the girl flinched but tried her hardest to not look at him again as she ate. As a result, however, Wil stepped over his body before crouching down low and looking up at her face only for her to look away. After a few times, he sighed softly and plopped down on top of his body. "Okay fine pretend that I don''t exist, that''s fine too..."


    As he sat there, Wil decided to check something."Show Status." As he spoke, he held his hands out and like before the giant book that served as his character screen, menu, and quest log appeared in a flash of black, crimson light. Though the cover had changed where before it was a simple black leather journal what now sat in his hands was a black leather tome with a crimson emblem on the cover, the same as the tattoo that appeared when he agreed to the covenant with Nocturna.


    He took a moment to run his hands across the cover, taking in the ornate details that now adorned it. From the emblem to the embossed thorn and bone motif, shaking his head a bit however he returned to the task at hand. Opening the cover, he turned through the pages slowly to see what else had changed.


    "Let''s see here... Level is still one, health is now five hundred! Mana is up to two hundred. Stamina is up to four hundred!" Wil was shocked to see the amount his stats had gone up, shaking his head again he kept looking through his stats to see the actual changes. "Vitality has reached fifty, Intellect is at twenty, Stamina is at forty,  my Dex and Str have gone up to twenty and twenty-five as well-"


    According to the starter guide, each level grants ten points to level with, every point in vitality, intellect, or stamina results in a five-point boost, so for one level the most your health, mana, or stamina can go up would be fifty points at a time. For stats such as strength, dexterity, wisdom, and charisma each point is a 1:1 value. "Going by the guide then that means my stats are on par for... A level 33 character with no equipment bonuses..."


    While he knew that through training one could raise their stats, but this was pure insanity, while his long fight in the gauntlet could explain the boost in his stats he knew there had to be more to it than that. Looking down a little more he saw that the class line had been filled in, Harbinger of Nocturna, swallowing his saliva Wil read on, just below it he saw the active benefits of the class.


    [Soul Infusion] When conquering a powerful foe you may infuse their soul granting access to new skill lines and boosting your status based on their own When infusing a soul of a higher level effects will be reduced until at the appropriate level.


    [Death Wish] When facing overwhelming odds while at or below 10% health your health and stamina will be boosted by 50%, Kills while in this state restore health equal to the damage you deal.


    [Through the Veil] Through your covenant with the goddess of the forsaken you have gained the ability to see through the veil and see that which is best left unseen, as a result, you can now see nightmares, ghosts, demons, and angels even before they take a host body.


    [Nocturnal Predator] You have gained the eyes of a nocturnal predator allowing no light vision, Damage dealt is increased by 25%.


    [Frosaken Constitution] For every five points in Vitality gain one point of Strength, For every five points in Stamina gain one point of Dexterity. +25 Vitality, +20 Stamina.


    [Forsaken Might] Two-Handed class weapons and Heavy class armor no longer have status restrictions. Level restrictions are reduced by 10.


    [Soul Skills]As a result of absorbing the soul of the dread wolf Wraith you have gained the skill line Blood of the Beast.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    [Beast Blood] You have unlocked the primal strength locked inside, when fighting foes stronger than yourself or when below 50% health you have a chance to lose control of yourself and succumb to the blood of the beast. Taking on the form of a werewolf until either you or your opponent are dead. While in this form all status are increased by 200%. While in this form no weapons or armor may be used.


    [Savage Combat] When in battle the blood of your enemies heals your wounds. Health and Stamina regeneration increased by the amount of enemy blood on your body, weapons, and armor. Up to a maximum of 100%.


    [Pack Mentality] When in a party your senses are heightened, allowing faster assessment of party members status''. When party members are gravely wounded the chances of Beast Blood activation are increased by 10% when a party member dies Beast Blood has a 100% activation chance.


    [Beast Tongue] You have learned the language of beasts large and small.


    [Soul Infusion Status]


    Current Souls: 1


    Status Increase: +30/300 Vitality, +30/300 Stamina, +20/200 Strength, +20/200 Dexterity


    Status Requirement: Locked until Level 10, full unlock at level 100


    As he read over his stats Wil couldn''t help but groan, they were powerful sure, but he knew this would get him into more trouble than he wanted to deal with. Reading on he saw what he wanted to know, just how long he would be in this disembodied state.


    [Exhaustion] Through surpassing your body''s limits you have entered a state of forced sleep to recover. Time Remaining: 30 days (Real-time thirty minutes.) To compensate for the inconvenience we have adjusted the time difference your tutorial time has been shortened to be five hours and thirty minutes instead of the expected twenty-four hours. Current time dilation set to one year per hour of real time.


    Letting out a deep sigh Wil fell back off of his body and laid in the grass as he looked up at the sky, while it was boring to be a ghost he figured it was worth the trade of a sped up tutorial, it would allow him to track down his friends that much sooner.


    He smiled softly as he remembered the text he had read just before getting inside of the cradle, his childhood friends Alice and Lily had both managed to secure their cradles earlier that day due to cancelations so they would be looking for him as soon as possible. As he was daydreaming about seeing his friends again, he heard a shout from the group of adults. Lunch was over, and it was time to finish the longhouse.


    Wil watched from afar this time as cross beams were hoisted and lashed into place, small saplings were woven between them to make a grid to support the bundles of grass as they were fastened into place, the ends overlapping before mud was caked over the top and smoothed out. By mid-afternoon he was watching as the makeshift shelter of the two ships was broken down and the adults and children broke into groups.


    The children began foraging for berries and herbs as the adults started gathering water and felling more trees, getting a headstart on the next day''s work. Wil could see that by the time his month was up the village would be completed. Yawning softly Wil soon found himself drifting off and falling asleep in the warmth of the sun, after all, he would find no rest after sundown.


    Wil passed the remaining hours of daylight in blissful sleep until the night came and he felt the eerie feeling of being watched, looking around he saw that the majority of the people had gone inside to rest. The only ones remaining outside were the woodworkers who had begun debarking some of the logs while dinner was being made, along with Ignis who was laying out stones in the shape of his new home. As the village''s only smith Ignis'' home and forge got the priority after the chiefs home that served as the community shelter for the time being.


    To help speed up the process in the morning, Ignis had pre-dug all the holes and laid out the perimeter of his home, making sure to give himself enough room to expand. After all in the Norse communities families stayed together, one did not get their own home just because they became an adult. For now, he had two separate rooms planned aside from the common area and the forge, one he and his wife would take, and one for his daughter Freyja and the boy, if he ever woke up.


    Wil took a moment to walk around the perimeter, smiling as he saw that the smith had already begun laying the groundwork for his forge, having brought a large anvil all that was left was to make a stand to for it and to build up the forge to a reasonable height.  Seeing this all made him think of his papa, an old Norwegian man who lived out away from the city as best he could; he was told that his papa had been forging blades since he was just a boy.


    He remembered his father telling him the real reason he moved to America was to get away from the old man so he could have a break from the forge, Laughing softly to himself he followed Ignis as he went inside of the longhouse. The inside was a little cramped seeing every outcast present, but there was still enough room for them all to lie down,  looking around he saw every wall was lined with benches that could be used as beds, furs bundled up upon them as some chose to rest on the floor instead for more space.


    Wil decided to begin wandering and eavesdropping once more after seeing where Ignis and his family, along with his body laid, there were no essential conversations to be observed tonight, however, so he found himself walking back to his body after only a half hour of wandering from one end to the other. In this time the small candles all about had been snuffed, and the cooking fires had died down to coals.


    In the darkness Wil carefully stepped around sleeping villagers, not wanting to be rude after all,  he heard muffled sobbing, turning his head he saw the cause. Sitting on Freyjas chest was a Mare. A hideous little demon that was best known to cause bad dreams, the source of the term Nightmare. Wil growled as he strode over to the girls'' side without any hesitation as he kicked the demon violently, shivering at the satisfying feeling of teeth breaking as the being was knocked into the nearby wall, causing it to vanish in a puff of black smog with a bone-chilling wail.


    Looking down he saw Frejas eyes were wide open, she had been unable to sleep due to the Mare, her eyes only shut to avoid looking at it for too long. But as the weight lifted from her eyes, she opened them to see the boy now kneeling beside her, reaching down Wil gently stroked her hair."It is ok little one; I won''t allow them to bother you anymore..." And it was true; he could only imagine the terror this girl had felt too this point, seeing the creatures that were tormenting her from the shadows.


    As his hand ran through the girl''s golden hair, she smiled softly before drifting off, her head pressing into his hand as she slept. Wil showed a light smile as he sat like this for the rest of the night, as the hours crept by he saw more monsters in the corner of his eye. Whenever he turned his eye they would vanish, something that both deeply disturbed and annoyed Wilhelm.


    The next week passed much the same, the focus, for now, was establishing the village, building up the priority buildings such as the smith, leatherworker, and woodworkers shops. Once they had the basic shops open things began to progress smoothly as tools were repaired, new bows were built, it did not take long until there was a longhouse for every family.


    For those without families, however, smaller houses were built to conserve materials as they could always build onto the existing homes down the line. Wil was shocked at how quickly the homes were made, the last of them being completed on day twenty as once they got the final longhouse built the village split into three smaller crews to construct the little houses.


    With the final home built the villagers looked outwards from their new home, the hunters had brought stories both good and bad. They had managed to find a few potential mines nearby with a massive one built not too far from the barrow. The bad news, however, was that they had seen the den of a monstrous wolf that had a large scar on its side, with a pelt as black as the night sky and eyes as red as blood. It has made its den inside of a massive tree that gave most of the hunters a bad feeling, as such, it was decided to avoid the place for now.


    As they spoke, however, Wil knew the beast they spoke of, after all, it was the same one that mangled him not so long ago. And from the sounds of it, the creature had grown since their encounter; some had even gone as far as to call it Hati due to the darkness of its fur, claiming it must have been burnt while chasing the sun. Wil had begun spending his time sleeping during the day while watching over Freyja during the nights. As a result, he noticed a few things.


    Since he had begun watching over her, she had more energy and strength, shockingly more to tell the truth. Wil had seen her lift a crate of furs that weighed close to fifty pounds with ease despite her age and size; it was later that day when he overheard it from her parents that she had regained her blessing of Baduhenna, a lesser known goddess of battle in the Nordic mythos.


    Wilhelm had begun to discern that nearly all of the villagers had a blessing, usually related to their professions or upbringings. But it was a shock to see the shy, doll-like little girl hoisting crates with ease, blessing or no. Before he knew it the timer was down to just one more night before he was free to move as he wished, it was that final night however that things went haywire.


    The night was passing much, as usual, a few Mares would try harassing the villagers, and Wil would run them off. Everything changed however as midnight came, a monstrous howl tore through the night, causing the houses to shudder. Wil had just returned to his body when he saw Freyja bolt up and out of her bed, running to his own before cowering under the covers beside him.


    He heard the door to Ignis'' room fly open before the main entrance was thrown open, curious Wil walked over to Freyja and patted her head through the covers."Stay here little one, and I''ll go take a look..." Walking right through the wall as had become the norm Wil was greeted with the sight of torches flaring to life as doors were flung open. Looking around Wil swallowed as he saw more demons than usual, all bathed in the ominous red light of the moon. Looking up against his better judgment Wil found himself looking at the Great one wrapped around the moon, writhing and pulsing as the shadow of the earth covered the moon.


    Wil knew then and there that something was wrong, he knew that the Eclipse was known to bring about more cases of supernatural activity for many reasons, the same could be said for the blood moon. But to have both of these events line up with the start of the witching hour created what could only be called an invasion. Screams tore through the night air, dragging Wils attention back to earth.


    In the treeline, he could see the blue-tinted glow of eyes that sent shivers through his core, draugr much like those he had fought before, in addition to Mares. These, however, were not just astral bodies that only he could see, the villagers could see them as well, they took many forms, the small hairy men with pointed ears he had seen most of the time. Besides those he saw a few in the form of black horses with bright white eyes, their lips pulled back in a disturbing mockery of a smile.


    Wil swallowed deeply as he watched the supernatural charge into the village, attacking the villagers. The villagers, of course, fought back against the creatures as best they could, but the shock of seeing their superstitions come to life he knew they were shaken.


    Hearing a scream from inside Ignis'' home Wil turned and ran back inside to see a small Mare had broken into the house, armed with a short black pitchfork had stabbed Sigurn in the side as she went to take shelter with Freyja. As he entered the room, he charged the Mare and kicked it as hard as he could, smiling as he watched it fly across the room before slamming into the wall.


    While they had physical forms they were still beings of the astral realm, the issue, however, was that they had more strength now, the tiny beast scrambling to its feet and lunging at Wil. Swallowing his fear he dropped low, taking a knee as he swung his left arm out to deflect the spear, wincing as it tore a gash in his forearm. Biting through the pain his right hand shot out and grabbed the demon by the throat, squeezing violently as he heard whimpering behind him. Turning back he saw Freyja looking at him with a hint of fear in her eyes, and he could see why reflected in the mirror finish of his shield hanging over the bed.


    His eyes glowed with blood red light, and the same sinister black aura he saw around the criminals covered his body,  shaking his head faintly he smiled."Its alright little one, I will protect you all..." Wil then squeezed the throat of the creature violently, causing it to writhe in pain as he stood, lifting it up into the air as he ripped the pitchfork from its grasp before carrying it from the room and the home. Once outside he impaled the Mare on the pitchfork, as he did the blood of the demon splattered across his hand, sending a rush of pleasure through his body as he felt the wound on his forearm beginning to close.


    As the rush ran through his body Wil felt the hesitation and fear fading; he could hear subtle growling deep in his mind. Wraith was beginning to awaken and with it the beast within Wilhelms'' heart.

 Chapter 8 - Alternatives and Attacks

    One Month Earlier.


    Inside the Forest


    Freyja stayed close to her mother as she was lead through the barrow, in truth she had no idea why she had followed the adults, though her father seemed to approve of the decision. She had always been a shy child despite being blessed by a goddess of battle, though this was due to childhood trauma, the same one that left her a mute.


    She had been attacked as a child, before then she had been bold and cheerful, greeting everyone in their village without care. After Freyja recovered from the accident, however, she began avoiding people she once liked, even crying when some came too close. Everything had changed for her, from the lack of a voice to the way she saw people.


    She had realized the change when she saw the one who attacked her again, compared to those who had been around during her recovery this person form was hardly recognizable through the Haze. From then on the girl had been able to see peoples true character, the weird haze around the person in question that would have a different color, a white glow for the just, and a black mist for the unjust.


    Ignis, her father had picked up on her reactions, watching them closely he began to notice that she only panicked around those who were less honorable, those thought to steal rather than work, those who raped the women of their enemies while pillaging. When he realized her new talent, Ignis kept his daughter close and her ability a secret lest she is taken away by his former king.


    Perhaps this is why he let her come, and he wanted to know just what this Einherjar was like before they decided what to do with him. As they navigated the halls of the barrow, she stayed close to her mother, looking around in wonder at the pristine and clean halls, nothing like those that they had back home.


    Freyja swallowed the saliva in her mouth as they came to the great iron gate her father had spoken of. "Stange, I didn''t shut it when I left...." Ignis said, apprehension clear in his voice as he pulled the hammer from his belt. The other men followed suit, all turning to look around as Arcturus and Ignis moved to the door, looking upon one another before shoving hard against the gate.


    The doors swung open with ease despite their size, looking about the entire arena was fully lit now, revealing a scene of shock. Kneeling in the center of the arena was a young boy, no older than twelve, his body covered in scars with strange black armaments clutched in his hands. Before the boy laid a mountain of draugr, beaten and broken the lot of them. The party began moving with caution towards the arena, no concern for the boy but of more draug hidden beneath the remains.


    Freyja, however, began moving towards the boy without hesitation, his aura was mesmerizing, it was far more extensive than his own body, nearly filling the arena in a swirl of silver and black with a tinge of crimson. Within the torrent, she could see the shape of a wolf laying behind the boy filling the arena, like a dog watching over its master. Swallowing down her concerns as the vast creature looked down upon her as she knelt beside the boy, reaching out she gently touched his cheek, shivering faintly at the feeling of the scared flesh beneath her fingertips.


    For an instant, the boy''s eyes shot open, glowing dark red like fresh blood as the wolf let out a mournful howl, long drawn out baying that held a feeling of sorrow. At the same time, the glow of the boy''s eyes faded until only the iris was the sanguine color, he then collapsed upon her, she could think of how light he was despite how broad his shoulders were.


    Behind her she could hear the party shuffling down inside of the arena before the boy was moved onto a stretcher, her mother pulled her close, hands trembling softly. As the men began carrying the boy from the hall however she noticed something, there was two of him, like a ghost he was invisible to the others.


    Shaking her head, she decided to ignore him as she had with all the other specters she had begun seeing the past years, wanting to avoid any more problems with the being taking an interest in her. As they walked, however, he didn''t make it easy, moving closer to her once they locked eyes, his sly grin making her look away immediately as he kept trying to talk to her.


    She forced herself to stay quiet if he thought she had just been looking in that direction he would lose interest soon right? Much to her chagrin, however, he did not lose interest, even as they returned to the camp and ate he sat beside his body, watching over it solemnly. Sigurn, however, had noticed her daughter''s eyes shifting over towards the sleeping boy and smiled, while she had been shocked at the bloodlust she felt earlier she could only imagine the boys past.


    She had discussed it with Ignis and Arcturus, between the three of them they had decided it would be best to take the boy in, and perhaps rather than him just living with them, he could become more. After all the choices for son in laws were very concerning at the moment. Sigurn stood up and nudged the silent girl with her foot and smiled."Come on, let''s wash him up before it gets too dark!"


    Freyja blushed darkly as he mother grabbed one side of the stretcher and dragged the boy''s body to the water''s edge as the specter began chasing after her, trying and failing to stop the cheery woman as she laid him down and started stripping his clothing and arms away from his grasp. As he was laid bare, she swore the boy''s specter had turned pink as he looked away, all while her mother made a sound of approval.


    "Come now child there''s no reason to be shy, it won''t be too long, and you will have a husband to be tending to yourself, think of this as training for that day!" While she tried to get out of this new duty, she noticed the specter was squirming about and acting embarrassed about the sudden exposure, at least she was not alone as her mother refused all of her pleas until with a solemn sigh she grabbed the other cloth and began wiping down the young warrior''s body."


    Once his body was scrubbed clean, they moved him back up towards the camp, patting him dry before she clumsily wrapped the kilt around his waist. She found herself wondering what the purpose of the garb was, after all, she had never seen a man wear anything aside from breeches even in the hottest of summers, nor had she seen it used in any rituals. For now, however, she did her best to cover him up as close as she could while the specter stood over her shoulder fussing about how to fasten a kilt.


    As she finished she went to eat with her family, watching the specter roam the camp, stopping and listening to all the stories and gossip it could, laughing from time to time until finally, her eyes grew too heavy, she found herself laying between the boy and her father, sleeping well for the first time in months.


    Ignis woke up long before the others, as he always had, after all even though there was no forge yet he was accustomed to waking up hours before anyone else to stoke the fire. As he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes he for a moment could have sworn he saw the boy they had taken in kneeling at the edge of the water, much in the same position he had found him in. Head down, hair wild, his small back covered in scars and the tattoos of the gods that made him feel like an ancient warrior.


    The instant he blinked, however, he was gone, the old Smith shook his head before he went down to the waters edge himself, dropping to his knees beside where he had seen the boy and took a deep breath in, holding it for a moment before releasing. Ignis scooped up the frigid salt water and splashed his face and beard, rubbing thoroughly before shaking his head.


    "What a farce this has become... Exiled for nothing more than demanding fair pay for our knowledge, all because some insecure old fool of a king wants to play at being a god..." After a moment Ignis pushed himself up and dusted off his breeches, stepping softly through the camp as he grabbed his bow, ax, hammer, and hunting knife. While the rest were asleep, he decided to venture out and search for a nearby source of iron.


    Unknown to most the Nordic people did not always find their iron in mines, very few did. Most often the metal used by their smiths was bog iron, as its name implied he had to find a bog, preferably a large one that would yield a large amount of metal each generation. As such he found himself wandering upriver towards the barrow, not sure why he felt that it would be the best place he soon found some strange signs, those of a person living in the area months ago.


    He found small limbs that had been cut off regrowing, following them he saw a large number of small berry bushes encircling a small shelter adorned with a large wolves skull. Swallowing he cautiously moved closer. Finding the charred skeleton of the wolf crudely butchered and laid in what he could only assume had been a pyre. Ignis found his mind returning to the boy, after all, he was the only one they had seen since they arrived, the shelter looked to be around his size, and this was an area as far from civilization as their provisions would allow.


    It was unthinkable for another to be out in these woods, bringing himself back from his thoughts he caught a whiff of what he was looking for, walking farther north from the camp he found what he needed. A vast bog, the sun had begun to rise, and he could make out a thick jarnbr¨¢k already. His curiosity drove him to wade into the knee-deep swamp carefully before moving his boot around until he felt the heavy thud.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Taking a breath he reached down with both hands and grabbed at the object, grunting as he pulled back with all his might, it was a slow process, but soon he could hear the faint slurping sounds of the mud releasing. And soon he hefted the large chunk of iron out of the bog and grinned; it weighed nearly thirty pounds, something this size would easily give him five new ax heads.


    For now, Ignis brought the chunk back to the small campsite and placed it within the shelter, uttering a prayer to the gods before he returned to the shore. Offering a greeting to the lucky hunters to have found a few hares he went to tell Arcturus of his find and stake his claim over the area as was his right as the discoverer, however when he found his old friend he was sitting on a rock looking out at the waters edge lost in thought. "What is on your mind Arc?"


    Hearing Ignis, the chief raised a hand in greeting, and without looking away, he motioned to the shore."Do you see him Ignis?" The question "Who" was on the tip of his tongue when he remembered the scene from this morning. He found it easy to forget Arcturus patron god Heimdalls blessing allowed one to see the unseen, at times it is the ghosts of the slain and others the rogues cloaked in shadows.


    "Aye, I saw him this morning, just for a moment while my eyes were still trying to focus..." Ignis sat beside his friend and nudged him firmly. "What does this mean though old friend, his body is still warm and breathing, why is his spirit wandering?" With a grunt, the chief shook his head before turning to the smith."I am not entirely sure, he must be ill and near death''s door." He glanced back to the shore as he watched the specter rise and begin wandering the now lively camp."When I first saw him, he was wandering through the camp as though he was patrolling, watching us like a hound..."


    The thought sent a shiver through Ignis'' spine, just the idea of always being watched running through his mind made him begin to question if that had been paranoia or some spirit."With that intense presence we felt yesterday it begs to question if he is safe to keep around Arc, and with what I found this morning I can only wonder whether or not he is sane..." As Arcturus looked at him quizzingly, Ignis gave him a rundown of his finds this morning.


    "A child of the wilds it seems, perhaps if we look long enough we will find the ship his family used to come here, but I wonder how long he had been out here, and just what was with that mound of Draug he was kneeling in front of...." Shaking his head more violently now he stood up."Enough dwelling on what we can''t help, we need to focus on building for now...."


    A week had passed since the group had brought the boys body into the encampment and nothing had changed, his body was kept clean, and he was fed broth and water to ensure he survived. Ignis, however, had bigger concerns, after a few days he noticed his daughter Freyja staring at one spot for a while, the place always changed but she was always staring off into the distance when she was not doing her chores.


    While most parents would assume they were day-dreaming he knew that with her gift she had seen the boy and given how she knew not to let them know she could see them Ignis could only assume she was watching him closely. He had also noticed that she had regained her energy, wondering what had happened he stopped her one morning and sat down with his shield and a piece of charcoal."Its time to talk little one, I know that the boy is roaming the camp. Uncle Arc has seen him as well, so what I need you to tell me is what he has been doing..."


    At first, Freyja had been concerned when she had been stopped but as her father asked about the boy she nodded her head eagerly and began writing down everything she had seen, running the charcoal across the surface of the shield to write her runes for her father to read the story. "He roams, listens to stories, watches us work. He patrols the camp at night, hunting, watching..."


    She had filled the shield at this point and passed it to her father; the Smith grunted softly as he read the runes before wiping the shield clean with a rag."What does he hunt little one, what is he watching?" As she was asked the girl smiled brightly, a smile he had not seen in some time from her, He could tell she was happy as her writing became a little frantic. "He hunts the monsters! The ones that tormented me, and the others! He watches the bad men, listening to them at night..."


    Ignis'' eyes opened wider as he read her message, swallowing as he couldn''t help glancing through the window at the boy''s body, laying in a bed covered in furs. The thought of one so small being able to not only identify those who had ill intent, but also fighting off the nightmares that plagued the camp. There was a twinge of guilt as he remembered questioning the boy''s intentions, after all, to give off so much bloodlust was something unheard of even for veteran warriors.


    But for him to be fighting spirits and watching those with ill intent he could only think of Tyr, a god that embodied justice and courage. Looking down at the shield once more he nodded, patting his daughters head." Keep an eye on him for now little one, kept track of what he does but don''t reveal you can see him if possible... Now go and do your chores before your mother notices."


    Ignis stood up as the girl ran off with two large buckets, heading to the river to gather water for the day. Running a hand through his beard, the smith began pondering what to do with the boy as he returned to his forge. As the next two weeks passed by the village was quickly built, and every day Freyja would tell her father of the boy''s actions, informing him of his watch, more specifically who he was watching the closest. By the third week Sigurn, Ignis'' wife had found out about the boy''s spirit wandering the village, watching over everyone.


    Rather than being angry at Ignis for using their daughter''s gift despite the warnings from their seer, she was more mad about being kept in the dark about the boy''s actions. After that she became more caring, speaking of him more like a son as she saw the effect the nightmares had on her little girl, something even the seer''s remedies did nothing for, to her that was all that she needed to know to make her trust him.


    Things went smoothly until the night of the eclipse, one month had passed since the boy''s arrival, and it was the first time that anyone had run into Dragur despite the extensive exploration around the village, the only thing that had stood out was the wolf and bear populations. Namely the monstrous black wolf they had named Hati. However, the beast mostly left them alone unless they came close to its den.


    Tonight, however, things were different. It all happened at the stroke of midnight a skull-rattling howl shook the eves of every home in the village, those who were asleep sprang from their beds, the men rushed for their arms as most of the women moved to grab their children to protect them. As the men made it outside the alarms began to sound, the shouts of the guards sang a song of fear and confusion.


    Arcturus wasted not one second as he ran from the longhouse with nothing but a shield and ax, wearing only his undergarments as he charged to the source of the alarms, shouting orders as he forced all into ranks behind him. As he saw the small army of nightmares and draug, however, he wavered for a moment, shaking his head as the scene of the boy kneeling before a mountain of draug came back to mind. "Shieldwall!" The command was simple, and all shield bearers snapped to attention, moving forward and locking their shields together as they marched forward while the guards fled towards them.


    As the group pressed forward the world became bathed in blood red light, causing shouts of confusion and fear as the enemies before them seemed to grow larger, stronger. A chorus of howls and cackles rattled from the monsters as they charged the villagers while they were still in disarray.


    In a matter of seconds, the beasts crossed a hundred yards between the two groups and smashed into the spears of the villagers, the ones behind the front line shoving their impaled allies farther along as they quickly washed over the villagers as they threw away the weakest amongst them to get rid of the spears.


    The blatant disregard for losses on their enemies part sent a wave of fear through the ranks of defenders, some of the weaker-willed even turned and ran from the frontlines only to be struck down by the monsters that were running past the shield wall and into the village. Upon seeing this Arcturus took a deep breath and stood up straight, realization dawning on him that they stood no chance of getting through this without some losses.


    But at the same time as he exhaled he let out a booming roar. "Stand and fight you, cowards!" As the roar swept through the throng of man and beast he slammed his ax to his shield resulting in a brilliant white shockwave rippling through the villagers, sending the draugr and nightmares flying back


    While not all returned to the front most did, beginning the counter-attack with the room granted by the shockwave their leader created. Those who did run away were swiftly taken down by the nightmares pitchforks, Arcturus could hear the screams beginning to rise from the village as the nightmares began beating down doors to get to the women and children.


    He was within seconds of ordering some at the rear to go to their aid when he caught sight of a nightmare hovering off of the ground, struggling and grasping at its throat moving backward out of the smithy until it was under the blood red light and the source of its pain was clear. The boy they had taken in, or at least his spirit killed the nightmare by impaling it upon its own weapon.


    Even from the distance, he could see the malicious haze radiating from the boy''s limbs as he threw the beast away and threw himself upon the next. Shaking his head Arcturus returned his gaze to the enemies before him, feeling secure in knowing the wraith seemed intent on killing those who meant them harm.


    Wilhelm howled with savage glee as he slaughtered the beasts, the more he was hurt, the more blood that caked his body the stronger he got until soon he was standing before a mound of broken beasts, his body coated head to toe in wounds and blood as he continued with reckless abandon.


    "Don''t stop, keep moving, don''t let a single innocent die tonight..." these thoughts along with the savage pleasure he took from the pain he was receiving and the act of violence he performed kept him moving without fear for himself even as his body began to slow down from exhaustion. That is until a bone-chilling howl brought his attention to the forest where he locked eyes with the pitch black dire wolf he had been attacked by his first few nights.


    At the sight of the beast, Wil knew it was the one in charge, if they could just take out the wolf it would all be over. With a loud, baying howl the monsters all around stopped and fell back, regrouping themselves. Even the ones in the town that he had been hunting vanished in a haze only to pop back up in ranks.


    Wil shook his head clear of other thoughts and ran straight for the line Arcturus was commanding, but along his way, he saw little Freyja and her mother had come outside. As he was about to say something he saw the look of concern in the elder woman''s eyes, and the fear in the youngers.


    As he got closer he could see they held his spear and shield, Sigurn held his shield as it was too heavy for Freyja who seemed to have trouble even with the spear, and it was in the reflection of the shield that he saw a scene from a horror film, a blood-soaked boy walking away from a mound of corpses.


    As he got close enough however Sigurn reached out with a cloth and wiped the blood from his face before smiling."Don''t push yourself too hard my little Einherjar, it wouldn''t do if your soul was defeated before you could move the body Freyja has been caring for...." As she said this she spun the shield around to expose the gauntlet on the back to him.


    Nodding lightly he smiled softly he tossed the blood caked pitchfork aside and slid his hand into the shield and gripped tightly, shuddering at the sensation as he gently took the spear from Freyja. "Yes, mother. After all, it would be a shame if there was no one to keep the nightmares away..." Reaching out with the gauntleted hand he gently patted Freyjas head before he took off into a run towards the frontlines.