3 Holy Holiday
Uppsala, Sweden, 905 CE.
The cold day at the apex of the winter solstice was contrasted by the significant number of people gathered for the customary Dísablót, or sacrificial holiday, very similar to modern-day Christmas.
At the foot of the Sacred Tree, a red-haired Erik was offering a thankful prayer to his patron Goddess, Freyja.
He was wearing the typical seasonal attire for the northern common folk and completely unarmed.
Erik felt the overwhelming rush of speaking directly to mythological gods and traveling through time and space from the Bifrost.
"Shit, those thralls were fucking terrifying, but how did I get myself into this mess?!", Erik thought as he remained kneeling with his eyes closed.
Working with Special Forces units like the Navy SEALs trained him to go with the flow during high-stress situations, but he couldn't imagine the result of being dropped into the dark ages.
Erik's extensive training and education would serve him well, but he didn't hold the tools to be an effective operator.
"I don't even know how to swing a sword properly.", he thought while the locals and pilgrims dwelled by the Sacred Tree.
He finally opened his eyes and immediately found the Soul System he had created using Freyja's excess divinity from the dark ritual.
Erik found a few categories on the overlay, such as resources, personnel, armory, culture, and research, but empty.
The only one worth reviewing for Erik was the character menu that numerically displayed his basic attributes like strength, agility, endurance, intelligence, and character traits such as Runecrafter, Gods' Tongue, and Soul System.
His physical stats were about 20 points on average, with intelligence taking the top spot at 22 points. Lastly, it stated his official title as Freyja's Champion right next to his name.
Erik designed the Soul System to assist him during the epic quest, but he still required sufficient experience points to forcibly upgrade his stats.
Erik seriously thought, "I can't wait for too long, or else I'd be vulnerable to strangers. I've only got one shot at gathering enough divinity for my team's resurrection, and I can't die again without putting up a decent fight."
He began contemplating his strategic and tactical options while considering the massive difference between modern society and the dark ages.
After a few minutes, Erik concluded that capitalizing on his early advantages would be key to opening more opportunities to collect divinity.
Eric thought, "Culture and religion play a vital part in this society, so I'll always have to keep that in mind during my journey."
His playmaking abruptly ceased when a middle-aged woman with a face covered in white paint and a head adorned with Nordic Tribal headgear approached, saying, "Erik, it's your turn to commune with the Old Gods outside the temple."
He hadn't met anyone since arriving in 905 CE but played along, assuming the new interaction was part of Freyja's custom game start.
Erik followed the priestess while examining his surroundings for the very first time and found the temple's structure simple, to say the least.
It was clearly designed for practical purposes, but it exuded the sanctity one would expect from a venerated holy site.
A few common folks were offering their prayers to the gods and requesting help and guidance, and Erik was able to practice an integral aspect of the Soul System, Identification.
Erik focused on a stout Northman a few meters away. He then instinctively activated the 'Identify' skill, revealing the target's name, affiliation, culture, religion, and other vital information that would help inform his decisions.
It was obvious he'd learn the man had a much higher strength stat at 23 points than him but pitied the below-average 7 points of intelligence.
Erik thought, "The 'Identify' skill will be extremely useful when I begin recruiting people to my cause."
He continued following the priestess towards the temple's facade where the sacrifice would take place and found a swathe of people numbering a few hundred in attendance for the customary celebration.
Erik was accustomed to strangers in foreign lands as the United States wasn't shy in deploying its forces across the globe. Though, a mass of 10th-century Northmen did slightly perturb him.
He was ordered by the priestess to stand at the center before announcing, "Erik, what will you sacrifice, and for which Old God are you seeking patronage?"
Erik currently owned nothing but the clothes on his back, but he quickly deduced, "This situation shouldn't merely be a random event during my game start. Freyja planned for it, no doubt."
He considered the game setting, time period, culture, and win conditions to find a solution and decided, "Fuck it. I'm gonna roleplay. Good thing I took Foreign Studies seriously."
Erik leaned on his title as Freyja's Champion. He declared, "I will sacrifice my blood to the strong and merciful goddess of love, fertility, beauty, sex, war, gold, and magic, the magnificent Freyja. May my blood be worthy of our beloved goddess as she already possesses the grandest riches."
The common folk observing the ritual appreciated the young man's profound knowledge and dedication to his patron god.
The priestess accepted Erik's choice and procured a decorated dagger before grabbing his left hand and scoring it across the palm.
She held Erik's hand over a stone bowl that rested on a simple wooden pedestal, allowing his blood to drip into a mix of various herbs.
The common folks expected a usual ceremony like every year, but today would be one they'll remember forever, as a flash of blinding light forced everyone to shield their eyes for a moment.
Next, they saw an ethereal yet still beautiful warrior descending upon Erik; her distinct snow-white hair and godly cloak and necklace conveyed to the masses she was Freyja.
Hundreds of Northmen remained silent as they observed the ethereal woman sensually hold the face of a random young man at the temple's facade.
Her tranquil voice echoed through the forest as she stated, "Erik, my champion. I am glad you are well after your journey through the Bifrost. The path toward completing your epic quest will be long and dangerous but remain steadfast in your faith, and you shall persevere with my guidance. I urge you to seek gold, for plenty is required to raise a Grand Warband. We shall meet each other again soon. May you find glory, Erik."
Freyja's ethereal form slowly vanished into thin air as the hymns and light subsided.
The crowd was dumbfounded as they observed the apparent Champion of Freyja. At the same time, Erik noticed an overlay window appear in his peripheral vision, "You have received the S rank chain quest, Raise a Grand Warband. Please refer to the Soul System for more information."
Erik mentally noted it on his to-do list, as he had more pressing matters to deal with after suddenly becoming the celebration's center of attention.
The priestess that presided over Erik's sacrifice signaled one of her subordinates to conduct the remaining rituals before leading the young man back into the temple.
After arriving in a secluded and secure area of the Sacred Temple, she said, "My name is Helga, the high priestess of Uppsala. I was skeptical about the vision I received during a dream last night of Lady Freyja entrusting me to find a man named Erik that fit your description and performing your ritual myself. It seems you have truly gained her divine favor. Though I am curious, what is the journey she spoke of?"
Before Erik responded, he thought, "Oh, a high priestess. It would be worthwhile to make an influential friend early on this quest. Thank Freyja."
He continued roleplaying and said, "I come from a faraway land. My Warband of 24 brave warriors valiantly defeated countless thralls corrupted by a Dark Ritualist. I successfully lifted the terrifying curse, but at the cost of my life and the lives of my brothers. The esteemed Freyja took pity on my soul when she found it outside the Gates of Asgard and offered me the opportunity to reclaim our lives. I spent what felt like eons traveling on the Rainbow Bridge, The Bifrost, to arrive at the Sacred Tempe of Uppsala."
His story was mostly true, albeit missing plenty of key details about how Erik found himself in 905 CE.
Erik would've been thrown into a psychiatric facility if he had told the same story to someone in modern times. Still, the Dark Ages was a period of superstition, mythology, and many impressionable folks. From now on, Erik would need to socialize with people who'd believe the smartphone was a magical artifact.
Helga zealously raised her arms in praise and sincerely said, "Uppsala is blessed to host the Champion chosen by Lady Freyja herself. Please remain in this place for as long as you need, and you are always welcome here."
Erik received another notification on his system overlay stating, "Your Relation Status with Helga has increased by multiple ranks from Neutral to Honored, and your Social Status at Uppsala changed from Stranger to Holy Guest.
Erik exhaled a sigh of relief and thought, "At least I won't need to worry too much about getting stabbed while I sleep tonight."
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