Chapitre 2: Divine Blessings
The concept of time and space didn't apply to the strange place Erik had found himself after destroying the corrupted tree branch with the magnificent sword.
A serene and elegant womanly voice reached his soul, "Don't be afraid and open your eyes, child."
Erik followed her guidance and slowly gained a vision of vast space filled with distant stars and a radiantly beautiful shield-maiden wearing the most ornate hawk feather cloak and a necklace of fiery amber.
The heavenly she-warrior amicably said, "I am called Freyja, and we are in the space just outside the Pantheon of Asgard. I commend your courage and resolve in destroying a tainted piece of the Sacred Tree of Uppsala, one I personally blessed thousands of years ago. What is your name, selfless warrior?"
The young SEAL felt more comfortable in the strange space with the goddess around and said, "My name is Erik Johnson."
Freyja nodded in acknowledgment, then said, "Ah! A fantastic name. Was your father, John, a great warrior like yourself?"
Erik didn't have much of a choice and honestly answered, "My father's name is Alex, and he's an architect in New York."
Freyja seemed slightly disappointed, but she sincerely said, "Time has changed much in the mortal realm, but no matter. I shall hold my promise of a reward for your valiant sacrifice in lifting the curse. I am sure Odin will welcome your brave companions to Valhalla if they do not fancy Sessrúmnir, where they will feast with companions until the dawn of Ragnarok."
Erik felt a rush of grief fill his heart after realizing not one on his team survived the terrifying mission. It was his first official mission with Seal Team Six, but he'd been training with them for almost a year straight. Each of them had family back home waiting patiently to celebrate Christmas together.
He hopefully inquired, "But I saw Anchor, Jester, and The Captain still fighting hard as I struck the tainted branch with the sword."
Freyja moved closer to Erik's soul form and despondently explained, "By destroying the branch, you released all the divinity and magic that had been collected and utilized for the dark ritualist's enthrallment, thereby forfeiting all life in the explosion's vicinity. Your Warband has saved countless innocent souls with its sacrifice."
Freyja observed the young man's melancholy, then cheerfully added, "The forceful extraction through the evil rituals garnered a significant amount of divine power. The levy alone should sustain Odin's Pantheon for a long time. So, Erik Johnson, what would you ask of me to celebrate your heroic deed?"
Erik felt dejected but jokingly said, "Well, can you bring my comrades back to life?"
He chuckled as you would in soul form until Freyja replied, "It would be difficult and require a large amount of divinity, but it is possible. After all, I am also the goddess of life and death of the Asgardian Pantheon."
A string of ideas revolved around Erik's soul, then he asked, "I don't mean to disrespect, ma'am, but could you please elaborate? I'd like to know if the promised gift could be exchanged to spare the lives of my brothers."
Freyja didn't mind explaining, "The gods' powers are limited in affecting the mortal realm, and the last time I was near powerful enough to do so would be more than a thousand years ago."
Erik murmured, "The Viking Age."
Freyja perked up and excitedly responded, "Yes, The Viking Age. Do you know of the exploits of Asgard's sons and daughters? Then, our pantheon was amongst the strongest!"
Erik honestly replied, "Ivar the Boneless, Bjorn Ironside, and Ragnar Lothbrok. I've heard many tales of the great Viking warriors."
Freyja smiled brightly and said, "Many of them have built legends that have stood the test of time, and Asgard's continuing existence could be attributed to their efforts in spreading Old Norse. Yet even during our Pantheon's height, I would not have enough power to resurrect your entire Warband."
Erik formulated a quick strategy, then inquired, "What if I can gather more divinity for you to use? I'm willing to do anything to save my brothers."
Freyja's intoxicating beauty did not fade as she put on her thinking face attempting to find an answer to the young man's question.
"Kawaii. So cute and badass.", Erik thought as he admired Freyja's heavenly form while waiting for a response.
Being a young guy training almost every month of the year to achieve a spot in Seal Team Six was hard enough, but there weren't many women around Special Forces facilities. Thank the gods for R&R.
Freyja found an idea and suggested, "Enough divine power can do anything, as the many-named god successfully resurrected his chosen prophet merely a few thousand years ago. Though gathering divinity is quite challenging. I would need countless sacrifices, honorable kills, and the dedication of great accomplishments, among other methods. If you are prepared to fight and die for the glory of Asgard, then I am willing to assist your compassionate quest as my promised gift."
Before Erik could reply, an elaborate golden chariot pulled by a pair of magical goats soared through the starry space to join in the conversation.
An aged warrior with an eye patch emerged from the chariot and confidently said, "I would like to meet the Hero of Uppsala before he is seduced into entering Sessrúmnir. I was impressed with how you wielded Ragnar Lothbrok's Sword."
Erik had already accepted his fate and wasn't too surprised to meet Odin, King of Asgard. He finally deduced why the burial mound was so complex; it was built for the legendary Viking, Ragnar.
Freyja defended her pride by saying, "I initially gave Erik a choice between our great halls, but he has decided to partake in an epic quest to save his Warband. He vowed to offer us great deeds to amass enough divinity within our pantheon for complete resurrections." Odin laughed loudly and said, "I can admire your ambition, child. Until you find yourself outside the Gates of Asgard as the result of a glorious death, I will offer you my pantheon's support! I grant you the knowledge of Runecraft. Only worthy people can create and wield runic items, and your handling of Ragnar's Sword proves your character."
Erik instantly felt a divine mark seared into his soul, providing swathes of information about magic, materials, chants, and everything needed to craft runic items.
Erik accepted Odin's blessing with the utmost respect and said, "My comrades and I appreciate the generous assistance of the King of Asgard."
Freyja interjected in annoyance, "Hold on a moment, Odin. Erik is MY champion."
Odin nodded his head and replied, "He shall remain your champion. I merely honor his efforts with a piece of Asgard."
Freyja ignored Odin, turned to Erik, and said, "With my powers, I offer you the Gods' Tongue. It will give you the knowledge to converse charismatically with all intelligent life. You may do as you wish with the remaining usable divinity from the dark ritual. May it bring forth the success of your legendary endeavor."
She emphasized, "As Freyja's Champion."
Another divine mark engraved into Erik's soul carrying the knowledge of the languages, statecraft, and persuasion.
Erik remained humble in front of the goddess and respectfully responded, "I would never have received the opportunity to save my team without your benevolence, Freyja. We will forever be grateful."
The Goddess held out her soft palm and touched Erik's soul to transfer divinity, then said, "Fortunately, Odin has bestowed the fundamental understanding of magic into your soul. It will be much easier to mold it to your liking. My ability to transmigrate your soul is limited to the Viking Age, the height of my power. I shall create an appropriate beginning for your journey and send your soul through the Bifrost when you are ready. "
Erik followed her instructions like a dutiful warrior and attempted to control the power that felt between hot and cold, sun and moon.
Odin added, "Take your time, child. It is safe outside Asgard's walls, and you are under our protection here."
He contemplated the most effective tools to increase his chances of succeding in the newest mission.
"Super-strength and other basic abilities would be flashy, but that won't help me in the long run. I'll probably need to fight wars and earn capital in far-off lands with no cars, planes, or electricity."
He required a flexible blessing from Freyja that could scale throughout his journey.
Erik noticed the runic symbols and its writing system shared similar logic structures to modern-day programming.
A wild theory came to mind, then Erik started forming the simple structure of a video game, like numerical values for resources like divinity and gold that could assist in managing his future campaigns.
He assumed he'd depleted more than a third of the divinity shared by the Goddess but was surprised to know plenty was remaining.
"Freyja is entirely serious with me being her champion.", Erik thought while manipulating the divinity in his soul.
He went off the rails and began adding more complex systems relevant to his situation, like the diplomatic management from Crusader Kings 3 and the progression tree from Medieval 2: Total War.
Erik attempted to cheat the system by adding high fantasy or science fiction systems, but no matter how hard he tried, they seemed incompatible with the runic language.
At the end of the process, the real-time map feature consumed the last bit of divinity, then Freyja gently embraced Erik's soul and transported them to the rainbow bridge to Midgard, the Bifrost.
Dazzling colorful lights emanated from the bridge as Freyja said, "Erik, Live by my tenets, honor my name, achieve glory, and I will help you attain your conclusive victory."
Erik's soul began to morph in and out as it passed through the rainbow bridge, like a bad acid trip, but he eventually arrived at the foot of the Sacred Tree of Uppsala in 905 CE.
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