Would You Like to Play Again: Book 1: First Steps

by James Howlette

Copyright© 2019 by James Howlette

A Would You Like To Play Again Story (1)

Description: A young man's life is accidentally cut short. He is given a choice to go to a new world, instead of being trapped in Limbo. Will he be able to survive this new world and its dangers? Will he finally be able to find a girlfriend? What dangers and trials await him?

Tags: Some Sex, Ma/Fa, Magic, BiSexual, Heterosexual, GameLit, High Fantasy, DoOver, Anal Sex, Cream Pie, First, Oral Sex, Petting, Safe Sex, Squirting, Big Breasts, Slow

Published: 2019-12-30

Updated: 2020-03-29

Size: 171,697 Words

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Glossary of Terms

Glossary of Terms

Drops:

Items that appear after an enemy in the dungeon has been vanquished.

Items that can drop:

Orbs - exchanged for money

Crafting Materials - hide, scales, ore, silk, herbs that can be crafted into useable items

Tomes - books used by spellcasters to learn spells and abilities

Usable Items - Armor, weapons, potions, repair stones, etc

Drop rate: the frequency to which a monster within the dungeon will leave an item behind.

Grind:

A term used to describe a method of fighting in a dungeon. One way to grind is to use the longest method of travel to a destination, in the hopes of encountering as many enemies as possible. Another is to choose not to progress to a difficult area right away, instead choosing to stay within a zone until a specific goal is achieved. The purpose is to increase experience gained, as well as collecting as many orbs(for money) and other loot as possible. This has the effect of making progression within the dungeon easier, due to the increased stats, levels and or money that was spent on higher tier equipment.

Farm(ing):

To stay within a given area and exploit spawning / replenishment cycles to collect money, orbs, drops or harvestable materials used for potions or fabricating items, weapons and armor.

Spawning / Replenishment:

Spawning refers to monsters returning to a section of the dungeon, after they had been killed, after a set amount of time. The spawning rate differs from floor to floor and the type of monster.

Replenishment refers to harvestable materials re appearing in the dungeon after a set amount of time. Time differs from floor to floor and the type of material being harvested.

Chapter 1

I woke up with a very fuzzy feeling in my head, like my thoughts were stuck inside a thick, viscous fog. I was unable to focus on anything, the thoughts dashing from my grasp before I could latch onto one. It felt like an eternity before my mind began to clear and my memories came back into focus.

The last thing I remembered was walking home from a video game store a few blocks away from my house. A game that I had been waiting months for had finally been released - Pillars of Eternity - and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I know, I am a gamer, and yes, I prefer making friends and companions in a game rather than real life. I admit I am not all that good with people; I believe the term is an introvert and I have no problem admitting that I am that to a ‘t’. After all, in video games, unlike in the real world, I’m extremely good at what I do. I prefer role playing games, or RPG games, the most. I can complete most RPG games to one hundred percent completion - without resorting to cheats - in a third of the time most people were able to. While I could be classified as a speed runner in how fast I can complete them, I don’t use exploits to skip parts of the game and I make sure to take in all the nuances. This newest game was supposed to have two hundred hours of gameplay with another fifty hours of side quests. It was a monumental feat, to be sure, as even Skyrim had only about a hundred hours, with another thirty hours of quests coming from expansions. It was also the first isometric RPG of this kind since the Baldur’s Gate games of the past. I was reading the manual as I made my way to my apartment which was above a convenience store and less than a block away. One minute I was going over the user interface section, then nothing but darkness.

Once my eyes focused my thoughts returned to my present situation, I took a look around me to see where I had regained consciousness. Much of the detail of the room was obscured in darkness; only a dim light illuminated the room from a fire in its center, the light of its weak embers illuminating only a few feet in all directions.

The fire was contained within a hearth (I think that is what it is called). It was made of some kind of stone, but the lack of light made it hard to determine. The hearth looked to stand five feet high, with a six-inch recess for the fire to sit in. I made my way to the hearth slowly, being careful not to bump into anything as I went. The lack of light was disconcerting, and I hoped that there would be wood near the base of the hearth, to help invigorate the fire. When I arrived, I looked and felt around the floor, but only felt the wooden planks of the room itself. As I stood up in front of the stone structure before me, a gust of wind filled the room and the fire burst with new life. Its light became just enough to illuminate the room, allowing me to see the interior and move freely without falling or injuring myself.

The walls were void of any pictures or trinkets that one would expect in a home and looked to be old wood panels with a weathered and worn look. The panels along the length of the room rose from floor to ceiling and each panel looked to be a few feet wide. I walked over to one wall and saw that the panels were secured to ribs by dark, iron rivets, a spattering of rust on each one. I moved along the wall, intrigued at the way it was made, running my hand along the surprisingly smooth wood. As I moved, I noticed that the wall had a slight curve to it, as did the one across from it. I looked at where they met, and I realized that the room had a unique oval shape to it. I gave the walls of the room a second look and I noticed that it reminded me of what the inside of a wooden boat would look like. My suspicions were confirmed when I looked up at shape of the roof and I decided that it was a Norse longboat made into a dwelling. Having a keen interest in the beliefs, life and technology of those people, I had gotten my hands on any information I could find.

I continued to look around the room, but I couldn’t see a door, nor did I see any windows. All the walls were solid and despite the aged look of the walls, quite sturdy. There seemed to be no way out of this room that I could find as I looked around more frantically for some chance of escape.

I began to get a sense of unease, as if I was being watched by someone that I couldn’t see. The hairs on the back of my neck felt like they had gone up, and goosebumps covered my skin. My fear ramped up a few more notches and I did my best to keep myself from freaking out.

I looked around the room again and felt surprise and fear. There was now someone standing before the hearth. I slowly made my way towards the hearth and began to see more features on the individual who I could now tell was a woman. I knew that she had not been standing there when I had initially been looking for a way out of the room only a few moments ago. As I moved to stand near her, I began to take notice of her unusual garb.

She was standing facing the fire, her hands over it, palms down, absorbing the warmth from the flames. The woman was dressed in a long dress made of what I believe was a type of cloth, perhaps linen. It was golden in colour, with a low-cut V-neck not typical of what she was wearing. A hood of the same material was over her face, masking much of her features with dark shadows. Only her jaw, as well as her lips, were illuminated enough to make out under the hood. From what I could tell as I got closer to the hearth, the dress went all the way to the ground, where it pooled at her feet. While the hood was of the same golden material as her dress, the cloak was different than any I had ever seen before. It seemed to be an intricate collection of what looked to be feathers, but I couldn’t make out the color or size due to the lack of ambient light. The cloak was long and flowing, leading from her shoulders to the floor, trailing about a foot behind her.

When I got a few feet from the hearth, I saw another two sets of eyes peeking out from behind her cloak, their irises glowing from the flickering light. I looked closer and saw that they were the eyes of two cats, both abnormally large for typical house cats. The coats of both cats were grey from head to tail and they had deep golden eyes, an unnerving intelligence behind them. They silently sat on her right, behind her long flowing cloak, the only movement was their tails swishing through the air.

Now, when I looked back at her, I could see the hood had been drawn back and now her eyes were on me. They looked soft and gentle, and yet they also seemed to bore into my very soul with an intensity I had never felt before - as though all of my thoughts, fantasies and dark secrets are laid bare to her knowing gaze. The power I sensed behind her eyes, frightened me and I felt the urge to run.

While these thoughts filled my mind, she continued to stare at me, as the awkward tension continued building in the silence between us. The only sound in the room was the flickering and popping of the fire; even the cats were silent. Slowly she returned her gaze to the hearth before her and the heavy and unnerving tension vanished as quickly as it had come. The fear, however, that didn’t go away and I stopped before reaching the hearth.

“Come closer, my child,” she said softly. Her voice had a slight, melodic ring to it as she spoke. “It is alright, you do not have to be afraid, we have much to discuss.”

She glanced over at me, a warm smile on her face that seemed genuine to me. As I looked into her eyes, the last of the tension dissipated, as a sense of ease washed over me. I slowly made my way to the hearth, my eyes never leaving her, as I moved to stand at the opposite side. As I got closer, I could see more of her features that had been hidden by the cloak. Her hair was golden, done in an intricate, braided ponytail. Golden ornaments adorned her hair as it framed her face and fell over her right shoulder down past her breast. Her face was young and reminded me of some of the women I had seen on a trip my family and I took to Europe when I was twelve. As I stood across from her, our eyes once again locked, and a small smile once again appeared on her face. This time, there was no unease or tension, just peace and calm radiating from her. Her eyes had a light hazel look to them, and I could swear that there was almost a faint glow emanating from them.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” I asked, using all the courage I could muster. “Where am I? How did I end up in this place? And who are you?”

Her smile grew wider, revealing pure white teeth, gently illuminated by the firelight. After a moment, her eyes returned to the hearth, and her posture changed. She stared silently at the flickering flames, her smile never faltering, before she looked up at me and answered.

“Three very good questions, my child,” her smile saddened a little, “To the first question, this place where we find ourselves currently is a crossroads of sorts. An in-between place that separates a person from many possible destinations. Here, one may be guided to a new life if the situation calls for it or sent to their final eternity. The destination tends to depend on many different factors and, from time to time, extenuating circumstances.” Her expression became even more somber. “Indeed, I am afraid that a certain situation has called for you to come here, to this place.”

I was sure that the look on my face was one of bewilderment at the first answer she had given. It was cryptic, vague and only generated more questions. The worst part was, it had been only the first question. I wondered what else I would learn from the other two questions as I tried to mask my shock.

“What do you mean that ‘this situation’ has called for it?!” I asked, the shock I tried to hide painfully clear in my voice. “What is it you are not telling me?!”

“To answer your second question,” she softly replied, without looking up from the flames. “I am sorry to tell you this, but you are no longer one of the living, though you have not crossed over yet. As you might recall, you were on your way home to your apartment, from picking up a new game from your favorite gaming store. While you were distracted reading the game manual, you did not see the large truck speeding towards you up a narrow alleyway. The driver had been trying to escape some police who were tailing him and had turned to look back at the cruisers chasing him when you walked into his path. He hit you square on at one hundred kilometers per hour, hitting you in your midsection, and then ran right over you. You hit your skull on the initial impact, but you were knocked unconscious, so you were not conscious for most of the injuries. You suffered multiple broken bones, lacerations and a few perforated organs from bones breaking and piercing them. You began to hemorrhage immediately and bled out before an ambulance could arrive at the scene.”

Her words shocked me to my very core and my legs gave out beneath me as the news of my death set in. I lashed out and grabbed the edge of the hearth to try and keep myself upright, and moderately succeeded.

I was dead! Hit by a truck while walking home. How cliché! It sounded like the beginning to a few of the anime shows I watched, as well as some movies. I was eighteen years old; I was far too young to die like this, when there was so much, I had not experienced yet. I hadn’t even gotten laid yet, or even kissed a girl, for that matter. This was total bullshit! Now this strange woman was telling me that I was dead, all because some stupid driver decided to evade some police and wasn’t looking. I felt my emotions get the best of me, knowing my death had been so meaningless and my grip gave out. I stumbled to my knees, my hand hitting the floor in an attempt to not fall completely to the ground. I felt numb, as though I was having trouble breathing and I just couldn’t understand why this was happening to me.

Unshed tears began to fill my eyes, as the reality of everything sank in, knowing I would never see my parents or sister again. I would never get to play video games or see my friends again, or to even have a chance at romance. I would miss being able to play video games, as it was one of the few pleasures I had, and I felt that this was becoming the worst day of my very short life.

As I sat there, wallowing in my own self-pity, I felt something soft brush against my right hand. Then the same sensation moved along my left hand and I looked down to find the two cats rubbing against me. I had no doubt that the two were trying to ease my pain and comfort me as only cats can do. The tears finally started to fall, as the cats continued rubbing their faces and bodies along my arms and hands. I felt a soft purr vibrating through their bodies. I petted the two cats as a thank you, though the action felt slightly hollow, even though I was feeling some ease from my pain.

“I am sorry, young one,” the woman uttered from beside me; pity and sadness filled her voice. “Losing the chance at a long, eventful life, with all its unique ups and downs, is a cruel and unjust thing to happen.”

I rose once again, using the edge of the hearth to brace myself and used my free hand to wipe the tears from my eyes and face. My legs still felt a bit shaky, as if they were unable to hold my weight, but I tried my best to ignore it. My stomach felt like I had been hit in the gut by a defensive linebacker and at any moment I would throw up. I was actually surprised that I had not thrown up already and it took most of my willpower to keep the nausea at bay.

“Now, to answer your final question, child,” she paused, and I felt anticipation and dread ramping up. “I am Freyja, or Freya as it is pronounced in this current era. I am Queen of the Vanir, proficient in the old magics and wife to Odin All Father. While you may know me as Frigg, the Edda’s were a bit blurred and I was assumed to be two different people. However, in the earliest times I was one an the same. However, over time and through the evolution of the various tribes, my identity was split to satisfy specific tales. I am what your kind would refer to as one of the gods of the Norse Pantheon. I am the one tasked with helping people with transition from the life they have left, to their next chosen existence. Whether to a final resting place or to another world in which to start over, depending on the circumstances of their life and their death.”

I had to give it to this woman, she didn’t flinch in the slightest as she revealed her name to me. First, she tells me that I died a meaningless death, then she hits me with the fact she is a Goddess of the Norse Pantheon. While I tried to believe that this was just a dream, I knew that this was anything but a dream. Could this day get any more messed up and unbelievable for me? If this is a crossroads, where the hell am, I going to end up when I am finished here? Why am I even talking to her? Shouldn’t she have just sent me to my next destination already?

With a gentle tone the goddess continued, “I am sure you find all of this overwhelming, but I assure you that all will be made clear.”

I am sure what she said was meant to be reassuring; it only intensified my depressive feelings about the matter. My mind began to hop back and forth between all the things I will never do and what could be lying in store for me. Had I been a good enough person to go to heaven? Were the Norse right and would I be going to Hel? I soon felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to once again meet Freyja’s gaze.

“My child, you were not meant to die today, nor were you meant to die as you did. It is a rare thing for the Sisters of Fate to make such a mistake and they are uncertain as to why this has occurred. Before you were brought to this place, they and the Council looked at your thread and were shocked to see that you had a full life intended for you. What that was, is unclear, but the potential that was lost was incalculable. It had only happened a handful of times since time began and due to that fact, you will be granted a special boon. A boon that had only given out a handful of times in the past when these rare circumstances occur. You will be given the opportunity to go to a new world, one that will allow you to benefit from some of your skills in your past life.”

Her final comment surprised me more than anything else she had told me so far. It was one thing to find out you died in a meaningless way; it was another to be told that you are going to be sent to a new world and get a chance at a new life. What could she mean that my skills would be useful, though? All I have done is play video games all the time, though most were RPGs, with a side of action/adventure games.

“All I did was stay inside all day and play various video games,” I said with a confused look on my face. “How will that help me in this new life you spoke of?”

She smiled and replied, “That, young man, you will have to see for yourself, but know that you will go there the same age you are now. You will have all your memories and the experience you have gained in your previous life. Do not fret, I believe you will be pleasantly surprised and thankful for what you will receive.”

I thought about it for a moment and realized that it isn’t like I could go back to my old life. I thought about the possible darker outcomes that could occur, and it sent shivers down my spine. Then I realized something that she had said, and my curiosity was piqued.

“You said ‘given the opportunity’,” I asked, “meaning I would have to choose to do it. If I don’t choose this option you have given me, what other options do I have to look forward to?”

Her smile disappeared as she answered, “You have not done enough in your life to warrant a verdict on where you could be sent. If you don’t choose this option, I am sorry to say that you will end up in limbo. It is not a fate I would wish upon any mortal or god alike. An eternity in an empty void, no sound or sight. Only vast emptiness, with no end.”

“Wow, things just keep getting better,” I said sarcastically. Now not only had I died, I have no choice but to take the deal or I end up in limbo for ever. I didn’t doubt her, for when a goddess says that it is worse than going to hell, you know that it is seriously messed up. I don’t know how my shut-in life would be useful in whatever place I could end up. There was nothing else I could do but take the deal, I just hoped that the deal was decent, and this ‘goddess’ doesn’t screw me over.

I looked at her with a blank expression and said, “I guess I have no choice but to take the deal, but I still have reservations about all of this.”

She smiled brightly and the hearth ignited further, becoming a roaring fire. The room illuminated completely, and I could see that I had been correct in assuming the roof had the outline of a boat. I had read that the Norse had used their boats to make their homes and great halls. They would do this so that they could have long-term or short-term shelter. They would give honor to their boats by burying them, even going so far as to erect a rune stone marker at the burial site. This boat had probably only been used for short distances, due to its small size, but it was an impressive sight, nonetheless. You could see battle damage and wear in the wood, from the various patches on the hull.

She came around the hearth towards me, her two cats following on either side of her feet as she approached. Sometime after I had stood up, they had silently made their way back to their mistress.

“You will be sent as you are,” she began, a warm sheen returning to her features. “No changes will be made to your body or your mind, other than what is necessary for your transition to this new world. You will, as I said earlier, keep all the knowledge that you gained from your old life. However, we ask that you limit how much you try to pull from it, as there are limitations due to the time period your new world is in. Given the nature of the time period, we do not want to try and introduce elements that will bring a severe imbalance to the world. There have been only six of these instances in our history, so you will mark the seventh to be given this honor.”

She laughed a little, no doubt from the severely confused look on my face. She ran her palm along my cheek, much like my mother used to when I was a child and confused about something.

“Though I wish I could reveal more, I cannot tell you everything you wish to know,” she said softly.” However, I will tell you as much as the Council will allow. The rest will have to be a surprise.”

I gave her a nod in response and while I wished that I could get as much information as possible, I guessed I would already arrive with an unfair advantage.

“First, I suggest we sit down, as this is a lot to cover.” And with a gesture a table and two chairs appeared beside the hearth.

We both took a seat, I plopped down on mine, while she gracefully lowered herself onto hers. Her cats leapt onto her lap and got themselves settled, as their eyes remained locked on me as they did so. She placed one hand on each and proceeded to pet them on their heads, between their ears.

She took a big breath, and began, “A few thousand years ago, your world changed with the coming of the Jewish god. For centuries, each of us had been worshiped by our own group of followers. Our followers would fight another god’s every now and then, but it didn’t have much effect on their faith in us. Mostly, each group kept to themselves, though some would trade or even work together on occasion. Our Pantheons were strong and flourished with our peoples’ love and faith. Some were older than others, but as long as they did not try to interfere, they were welcomed. With the coming of the One God, and his decree that no other gods could be worshipped before him, we found ourselves unprepared. Like a plague, the One God’s followers washed over the world. Others began to pop up, a different name, the demand was the same. They were the ‘one true god’: all others were false. The people would have to convert, or they would have to be wiped out as heathens.

“The ones they didn’t convert, they killed in holy crusades or by withholding the most basic of needs until they agreed to convert. I am sure you know all too well what I am referring to: a god of love that generates hate. As the number of our followers dwindled over time from persecution and murder, the power we had on earth dwindled, as well. Though centuries to us it are like a drop in the ocean, we felt the loss with each person killed or converted, every time. Soon we found ourselves powerless here, unable to help our children, to protect them from these new dangers they faced.

“The One God believers were insidious and at times even fanatical in their pursuit of eliminating what they called heresy. Soon there were no children asking for our help, only the echoes of the dead asking us why we couldn’t prevent what had happened to them. Over the centuries, we had to sit by and watch as our children had to hide their faith out of fear of persecution. It wasn’t until the modern era that we began to feel the power of our children believing and worshiping again. It was then that we decided to retire from your world, and make a new one, of a sort. The heads of our godly Pantheons came together and decided to make this new world much smaller and different than yours. One they could retire to and that would allow them to live among their followers as equals, if they so choose.

“We knew that there would be the chance that strife would be raised between the different groups, but the risk was worth the possible gains. It was then decided that a new way to show the strength of our families would be used in this new world, one that would not cause a war between the different goddess and goddesses. Instead, it would be a form of friendly competition that would also ensure a limit to the damage that would be done to our children in the process of competing. Some of us had become aware of the use of our names in things called Video Games over the past thirty of your earth years. Odin himself had been used so much he had taken an interest in looking into what these games were about. It was this exploration of the genre Role Playing Games that he came up with an idea that the others in the Council decided to implement. He believed that the role-playing system could be altered to fit the new world, and that our people and gods could interact differently there, as a result; that gods and people could grow and prosper without war breaking out between different Pantheons as in ages past.

“Now that we have covered what led to the creation of this world you will be added to, I will tell you a bit about the world’s unique system. It is called Eden, and there are only thirteen countries on the planet. Twelve of these countries contain different numbers of gods and goddesses, each has its own Pact House. These Pact Houses are comprised of adventurers that go into the dungeons in the name of their Deity. These adventurers complete quests and events in order to increase their gods’ standing. The thirteenth country is home to the Council, as well as of adventurers that have earned retirement through their efforts. Others could purchase a retirement there if they have collected the required amounts, which are quite large. Very few have been able to buy a home there and, given the nature of your arrival and participation, I have no doubt that you will end up there in the end. From that country, the Council oversees the ‘game’ so to speak, as well as deals with any discord or arguments that may arise. The Council also oversees the selection process for all new adventurers, you will probably not see them again once you are placed in your Pact house.

“You are a unique element that is about to be placed into well-ordered and established world. One that has existed and grown for centuries, full of creatures and species you have only seen in fantasy books and games. Due to your unfamiliarity with this world, you will get one advantage over all others, one that will cause you some strife. The boon that I mentioned before to you, is a special one and it will set you apart instantly from the rest of your Pact house. Though there is a cover story you will have a tough time, but I am sure you will be up for the task.

The people of this world have been born and raised in the life they are living, either supporting the various towns or being adventurers. They live their entire lives with a fundamental understanding of the world they live in and how it works. As such, you will be given a support person from the very beginning of your time on this world. They will help you in the dungeons, as well as be your resource for knowing and understanding your new world and new life. One person in each Pact house is trained every five years in preparation for a new arrival such as yourself. Despite it only being thirty years since we moved on, over three hundred thousand have passed on this world. This makes the arrival of someone like you very special as it happens only once in an age.”

I sat there, assimilating all of the information that she had just given me. There were a lot of gaps that would either be filled when I arrived, or I would need to learn as I went. I still felt very put off by the situation, but what she was able to tell me alleviated those feelings a bit. Things were going to be very different from now on and the idea that I will not be doing it alone eased a small amount of my fears, it also had added new questions, as was common with my hyperactive mind. How much would this person know? Would they be a superior and would I in turn answer to them until I proved myself? Would they answer to me and would I be responsible for another person as well as myself? I began thinking of all the hardships I had before me and the troubles that could arise from my new situation. My mind began to wander on just who this person could be, as Freyja had said that each house trained a person just in case someone like me arrived. Which meant that there would be multiple houses to pick from. That was compounded by the fact that there were multiple places I could end up. There was just so much information to process in regard to the possibilities.

I felt like I was stuck in a game of roulette, because it seemed that I had no control over what house I would get placed in. She didn’t tell me of the structure of the system, so I wouldn’t even know the restrictions a house could put on me. Freyja rose slowly, breaking me out of my thoughts as I stood to join her out of respect. While I had moved rather quickly, she rose slowly, allowing her cats to jump down before she stood up fully.

“Now, my child,” she said softly,” I am afraid that our time has drawn to a close and we no longer have the time to discuss this topic further. You need to give me your answer - which choice you will pick - as the Council is waiting for your reply. Will you choose this new life, with all the gifts and danger it brings in turn, or will you choose limbo with no end?”

I already knew my answer to the question; there was no question as to which path I would choose. However, I know that certain things needed to be done and stood up a little straighter.

“I choose to take your option of a new life,” I said with as much confidence as I could muster, “with all the benefits and risks that this choice entails, knowing that there is no return from this choice I now make.”

Her face lit up with a smile from ear to ear, which made me feel a bit better about the choice I had just made. She slowly walked up to me, placed a hand on either cheek or pulled my head to hers. Her lips touched my forehead slightly and a blinding light filled my vision, followed quickly, only by darkness.

Chapter 2

I was really getting tired of waking up from a strange nothingness as it felt exceptionally weird each time it happened. You would think I would have at least dreamed something while I was out, but, alas, I was not so fortunate. It seemed like only a moment had passed since I had lost consciousness and once again, I found myself waking up in a barely lit room. I was disoriented and a little woozy, with no idea where I was this time. Unlike before, I was not lying on the ground when I came to but sitting in a chair.

The chair was plain in both function and design, its style unlike any I had seen before. The paint on it was weathered - well, what was left of the paint, that is. It had simple legs and arms, free of any ornate design or coloring. However they had a strange wave to them that made me wonder how it stayed upright. The chair was comfortable enough; there was a pillow on the seat. By the feel of it, the pillow was one of those feather-filled ones and was quite soft, yet firm. There was another pillow-like piece on the back of the chair and another small one where my head would be. All in all, the chair was quite comfortable, despite how old and odd it seemed. What I found odder was, if I had been unconscious, why was it I was not sore anywhere. How long had I been out? I found that I was in a bit of an awkward position when I awoke.

As I settled upon these thoughts, I began to feel uneasy in the chair, as once again I felt unseen eyes on me. The strange unease that had first hit me when I had looked into Freyja’s eyes, was now increased by a huge margin. I slowly got my bearings and, as I looked around the room, I noticed that it was extremely large, compared to the last one. Where the longboat had been around fifty square feet in expanse, this had to be over five hundred feet in diameter and perfectly circular. I knew this because the room was bigger than my apartment, and that had been five hundred square feet. Along the walls there were small torches, spaced out a couple of feet between each of them. They had a dull, black iron design that looked medieval and out of place in the room. The torches themselves were only two feet long, kind of like the one on the Statue of Liberty, but with a more angular looking spikes on the base. What was unique was the forearm and hand made of black iron holding each torch.

The torches were not lit, which was disconcerting, as it added a more ominous tone to the room. The only illumination was coming from a skylight in the ceiling directly above the center of the room. It looked to be at least fifteen feet or more off the ground and the opening looked about six feet in diameter. Those were guesses, of course, but it reminded me of the transport rings from the Stargate franchise. While bright and blinding, it barely illuminated the walls of the room due to the vast size of the open space. The walls looked to be made of a white marble or granite tiles; various colors of grey moved through the pieces, cut into various shapes and sizes. The tiles seemed to be constructed to fit together so closely and perfectly that there was no mortar that I could see between them. It reminded me of various ancient sites all over earth that were thousands of years old. Most of these sites and cultures used stone cut so precisely that no mortar was ever needed between them, but this was in many ways more advanced.

The floor and ceiling, however, looked to be made of a single piece of marble, weighing probably enough to make me a pancake. The engineering required would have been insane, but then I remembered that I was dealing with gods from my world’s history. They were insanely strong, able to lift and even manipulate many things that would seem impossible to humans.

As I pondered this, the torches begin to flicker alight with flame. Starting from directly behind me and moving to the opposite side of the room to the area directly in front of me. An elevated balcony about three feet above the floor became more visible. While the touches had helped to make it visible, there were no details beyond the edge that I could make out.

“Welcome to Eden, child,” came a voice from somewhere in front of me, seemingly on the balcony. The voice was deep and powerful, sounding almost like an eastern European accent. I couldn’t tell who spoke, as the light from the ceiling, along with the lack of other illumination, was hiding the voice’s location.

“We are pleased to see that you chose our offer,” said another male voice, this one wasn’t as deep and had a slightly middle eastern accent.

“We will now begin the selection process,” said a third male voice. This accent I had not heard before; it sounded like it was, maybe, from western Europe.

“Sirs,” I said with as much respect as I could muster, “if you don’t mind me asking, the selection process for what?”

A slight rumble filled the room, the floor shook slightly from the vibrations. A section of the floor in front of me sank about half a foot, and then split apart and hid within recesses in the floor. It left a hole about six inches in diameter in the floor, and who knew how deep it went. Despite the light from the ceiling right above it, the hole still looked pitch black as its cover slid beneath the floor as into an abyss. Seconds later, there was another rumble as something began to rise from within the hole, into the room. After a few moments, something looking like a pedestal of some kind began to slowly rise up from the recess in the floor. After about five minutes, the rumbling sound ceased, and the pedestal completed its ascent. I stood up from the chair and approached the pedestal slowly, my eyes glancing up to the balcony in hopes of catching a glimpse of who was up there. Unfortunately I was unable to see anything, so I focused on walking around the new object and looking at it more closely. As I neared, sections of the floor near its base rose up to form a small set of steps around the pedestal.

The pedestal was about five feet tall and looked to be made of one piece of solid marble. If looked at from directly above, its sides would seem to be a pentagon shape, five sides completely smooth and exactly the same size. Despite the solid marble finish, each side of the pentagonal pedestal had a symbol engraved in the center of it.

The first wall of the pedestal had a lightning bolt engraved at the perfect center of the side. The next engraving was a planet with rings, very reminiscent of the planet Saturn. The third wall had what looked to be an eye, reminding me of Egyptian images I had seen before. The fourth wall had three triangles one above another, a very unique and familiar image. The final wall had a trident with a snake wrapped loosely around it.

On the top of the pedestal was a glass jar, a light glow coming from its depths. It looked like It was mounted directly to the pedestal and was filled with something that looked like water. However, there had been no rippling from the liquid when the pedestal had risen from beneath the floor. At the bottom of the jar were twelve coloured crystals, which reminded me of the twelve birthstone crystals people would have placed in jewelry.

“Please place your hand directly over the jar,” said a new voice I had not heard before. “When you do, ensure that your hand is open and palm down, please”.

The voice was light, soft and had a thick Italian accent. I did as I was requested and placed my right hand over the center of the jar, palm down.

“Now concentrate,” said yet another voice, making me wonder how many people were up there. “Look deep within yourself and call out to the stones you see before you.”

This accent I could not tell, as it sounded like middle eastern, yet at the same time significantly different.

I tried to clear my head of errant thoughts, instead, hoping to focus on the task at hand, which was not easy given all that had happened to me so far. I tried to imagine a stone moving through the liquid and lifting into my hand.

For a few minutes nothing happened, the lack of response began to frustrate me greatly. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate even harder, I couldn’t let myself fail at the beginning like this. I took a deep breath, and focused on pushing out the confusion, frustration and other feelings that were distracting me. A slight buzzing began in the back of my mind and I pushed the sensation out of my thoughts and continued to concentrate. As I focused more on the crystals, the buzzing increased in strength and I felt my concentration waning, I did not let it deter me. Instead I started to focus on that buzzing, despite the pain the sound was now causing in my ears, feeling that this was what I was supposed to do. All of a sudden, the buzzing stopped, as a jewel from the jar smacked into the palm of my hand.

It appeared red hot like a rivet fresh from a forge and was warm to the touch, yet it did not scorch or burn my palm. I brought my hand up to my face and looked closer at the crystal, trying to see which one I had received. As the glow began to dissipate, it began to reveal that the stone was ocean blue in colour, but too dark to be an aquamarine. I suspected that it could be a topaz or a light sapphire, but I was not that familiar with gems and how to tell them apart from one another. I wouldn’t be able to say from looking at it which one it was, only that aquamarine, topaz and sapphires were blue.

The crystal was one of the most pristine objects I have ever seen, though I must admit that I had not seen very many jewels up close before. I had never seen such a perfect shape as this - it was perfectly oval in shape, yet had many small facets, much like those of a diamond. The combination of the facets and the smoothness that caused every possible colour of blue to be refracted from it was amazing.

A rumble filled the room as the pedestal and the small staircase, began their descent back into the floor. I watched as the floor closed up after the pedestal had sunk beneath and you could not see where the hole had been, nor was there any sign that it had been there. The floor was once again a seamless piece of marble. Although I knew the great power of these Pantheons, I was still shocked at the sight.

Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps approaching from behind me. They were soft and moved at a slow but purposeful pace. I turned to look at who would be approaching and strained to see them in the dim light. Slowly, a vision of beauty came into focus and my attention locked on this rare sight. She slowly became illuminated by the overhead light, and I took in every detail, as I knew I would not have a chance to see such a beauty in the flesh again. She looked to be no more that fifteen - that stage between a girl and a woman - but given how young Freyja had looked, I wasn’t certain. Her hair was a chestnut brown and was put up in a beehive-style bun, with a few ringlets falling free to frame her angelic face. Golden clips adorned her hair, no doubt used in keeping such a mass of hair in place and add to her ethereal beauty. The clips were gold, intricately designed and accented with small pearls. She had a circlet of gold, also adorned with pearls, atop her brow as well as gold and pearl earrings.

I was starting to see a theme in her wardrobe, though I was ignorant of the possible meaning of what the theme was. Her face was soft and round as expected of a teenager, not yet free of the baby fat most lose during puberty. Her eyebrows are full but perfectly shaped over her oval-shaped eyes. Her eyes were a color of hazel I had never seen before; they were almost gold in colour. They reminded me of Freyja’s eyes and never before had I seen such a beautiful female in my life.

As she continued towards me, I’m ashamed to admit that I began to look down and take in the sight of her body. I am an eighteen-year-old male who had never had a girlfriend, so sue me if I decided to take a look, I was only human.

Her slim neck was accented by a golden necklace with loose ringlets of hair on either side. The focal point of the necklace was an eye. Two golden curves that touch at each end, a ring of gold in the middle, with a pearl in the center. It was simple, but elegant and matched with the other jewelry she was wearing. She was slim, with what looked like an athletic, but soft, build. She was toned but had soft curves that I would say were more in line with what a model in the early nineties would have been like. Most of the models around the time I died - save for models like Kate Upton - looked like they had not eaten in months. This young woman wore what looked to be a two-strap gown, layered, that flowed down her body. It reminded me a bit of a toga, but those only have one strap across a shoulder, not two. It touched the floor around her feet and while it did suggest the curves of her body above her hips, it flared out, hiding the shape of everything underneath.

On her biceps were golden bands and her wrist-bracelets were solid gold, with pearls on the very center. A belt of gold and pearl hung loosely from her hips.

One thing the toga-like dress did not hide, was her bust. The straps were set up to create a huge V neckline, that went almost down to her navel, but hugged the shape of her torso. It stopped just above the golden belt, and it was obvious she was not wearing a bra. Her small breasts bounced and jiggled freely as she approached me. With each step the possibility of them bouncing free increased, which only made the view all the more enticing.

I started to feel heat in my cheeks and began to feel ashamed at my staring at her. Trying to return my eyes back to her face, I could see a small smile on her face, and it was obvious that she had noticed my gaze. It appeared that she did not mind the attention I had given her and her body, but I still felt some guilt at doing it. As she finally closed the distance, she took my hand that was holding the crystal in both of hers. Her eyes bored deeply into mine, as she increased the pressure of her hands, effectively trapping mine between them.

She smiled softly as she said, “Now we begin the next step on the path that you have now chosen.”

“You have chosen the Topaz crystal,” she exclaimed, her eyes flashed with a radiant golden light. “This places you in the country of Tretkane. Next, we will find which town you will reside in.”

My hand began to feel warm in hers, I looked down to see her hands glowing. The light was as brilliant as the light from her eyes and though my hands felt warm, the heat was tolerable. The crystal soon began to get too hot to hold within my closed hand. No doubt sensing my discomfort, the young woman let go just before it became too painful. Her hands were now on either side of mine, still glowing with a brilliant, golden light. As the glowing increased in the crystal, she slowly raised her hands a few inches above mine. The crystal rose from my hand and began to hover in the space between the woman’s open hands.

She then said softly, “Extend your dominant arm in front of you, full stretched and fist closed, if you please.”

I nodded and extended my right arm, fist closed, as she had requested. The crystal then shot towards my wrist, stopping only a few millimeters from my skin. The girl uttered a few words in a dialect I had never heard before, and a golden glow spread from the crystal. As the golden glow slowly began to spread, it started wrapping itself around my wrist. The glow was about an inch wide, much like the band of a watch. Once the band closed against its opposite end, it began to reshape itself, stretching and warping. It expanded out more on the top than on the bottom and when the glowing stopped, I looked down at what had been created. A solid golden bracer now resided on my right wrist. At its center point, sat the crystal that I had chosen. It was clearly an archer’s wear.

I moved my arm around at different angles, to get a better look at my new accessory. It was plain with no designs or engravings on it whatsoever. Yet, despite the fact it was made of solid gold, it seemed that there was almost no weight. When I flipped my wrist over to see the bottom, I noticed that the bracer was completely solid, with no separation of any kind. There was no clasp, nor was there enough space for me to slide my wrist out of it. Did I have to wear this all the time? Would it harm my skin over time as the gold began to weather from oxidation?

“Umm, pardon me, but I have a question,” I asked nervously. I had raised my hand like a schoolboy. “How, exactly, do I take this off, if I somehow need to?”

I heard a chuckle from the woman in front of me, her smile showed it was one of amusement at what I had asked her. I could also hear faint chuckles from the rest of the presences in the room.

“You do not need to take this off, nor would you want to,” she replied. “You have nothing to fear, as there will be no harmful effects for wearing this bracer.”

I thought about that and then replied, “What if I need to bathe? Wouldn’t the bracelet chafe my wrist, or the gold be affected by the water?” ​​​

Again she let out a small laugh and replied, “that will not happen. Though you have it on your wrist, it will never wear, break or chafe your skin. It will keep the area beneath itself clean and therefore you will have no need or reason to clean under it. Effectively, this bracer is now a part of you for the rest of your life on this world.”

I was shocked and amazed at that, for it would make things a little easier in dealing with the bracer. All that it could do was astounding, given the intricacies that were involved to make this. I nodded; I was being given something that was beyond price; who the hell was I to argue. This is their world after all, they would know better than I what happens within it. Each new revelation was blowing my mind and I wondered what would come next.

“Now, we will go over what your bracer is for and how it is meant to help you in this world,” she began, her soft voice both calming and musical.

God, I could listen to her voice forever, but I really should pay attention to what she is going to tell me. I ignored the stirring I felt and put my focus on the information she was giving. The last thing I need is to die five minutes after starting because I didn’t listen to what she was telling me. She turned my wrist over and placed her hand on the crystal.

“Statistics Display,” she commanded loudly. When she moved her hand the crystal began to glow. A light emanated from the glowing crystal and what looked to be a display page appears before my eyes. It reminded me of stat pages from most of the RPG games I had played over the years. It appeared about a half a foot away from the crystal, and only slightly transparent. I could barely see the bracer, but I could make out shapes beyond the display. I guess the best way to describe it would be the interface Batman had on his bracer in Arkham Knight.

“This is your personal statistics display,” she told me softly. “It will display your current stats at any time you wish to see it. All you need to say is ‘Statistics Display’ while touching the crystal and the display will appear.”

She placed her hand over the crystal, blocking the light, and commanded, “Close Display!” The display disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and the glow was no longer emanating from the crystal. I nodded at the simplicity of the system, admiring how simple it was to activate and deactivate it. It was an innovative idea and aspect of this new world that made me look forward to all the new things I would experience.

“It will show your level as well as your current values for your various statistics,” she continued. “You will also be able to look up any feats or skills you have obtained over the course of your time there.” She again touched the crystal and commanded, “Statistical Display!”

She pointed to two square shapes that looked like ‘buttons’ from a web page or interactive user interface in a game. On the bottom of the display one said Feats the other said Skills. She tapped the Feats ‘button’ and the screen changed to show the Feats page. There were lists for Passive and Active feats, with active showing two lists. One was for feats that would be continuous until deactivated, the other was for feats that were temporary.

Now, at the bottom there were ‘buttons’ for Stats and Skills. She then moved to the Skills page and showed me how that worked. The amount of coding that would have been required in a video game to reproduce this interface, would have been quite staggering. When we returned to the Stats display, I realized that there was something wrong.

She looked me deep in the eyes and said, “You are wondering why your stats and level currently show as zero.”

I nodded and was a little put off as it seemed like she had read my mind, but after a minute of thinking, I knew that the question was an obvious one.

“That is because we have not finished the final step before they send you to begin your journey. Until we complete the final step, you do not exist in the world yet.”

I cocked my head to the side in the universal gesture of ‘huh?’, which caused that beautiful smile to appear on her face once again.

One of the five voices, the European one I believe, spoke. “The final stage of this process is to be tied to your respective deity. As Freyja told you, each area has a number of deities that have cast away their godly power to live among the beings of this new world.”

I nodded, remembering that part of my discussion with Freyja. Given that the world was filled and ruled by Pantheons, there would be a staggering number of them there.

The Italian one continued, “Each god or goddess has formed Pact houses and sent adventurers into the dungeons located in each city. As such, you will be entering this world to be one of these adventurers.”

I remembered Freyja mentioning that as well, before I arrived here. I could feel the anticipation and trepidation at the prospect of what was to come.

He continued, “To make it fair, we developed this process to determine which house you will be added to. The first step was selecting one of the twelve crystals that will determine the region you will be sent to.”

The middle eastern voice than said, “This final step will determine which god or goddess you will be sent to serve. There are a number of them in your region and, to make it fair, we randomize the entire process. This will also determine what city you will be sent to, as there are twelve in each country. Each of them has a handful of gods residing within them.”

The other middle eastern voice took over, “The woman before you, who has helped you through this process, is our Oracle. She is tasked by this Council of five, with preparing new adventures.”

The Eastern European voice then said, “She will finish this process with the powers we have given her. She will place her hands on your bracer stone and with her power learn to whom you will be sent. The name she calls will be your deity and Pact leader. Serve them well.”

She once again placed her hands over the bracer and began to chant in that language I have never heard before. The bracer began to glow in a radiant, golden light, as did the sparkling, blue crystal in its center. The light continued to get brighter and brighter, until I could no longer look at it. A loud crash of energy filled the air as the light exploded and then dissipated. It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck in the center of the room.

When I looked down to the bracer, new designs covered the edges and center area. I could see that elder futhark runes now stretched along the outer edge of the bracer. While I recognized the runes, I could not read them, as they were probably an ancient form of Norwegian or Icelandic. In the center, above the crystal the shape of a pillar was shown, with two arm-like extensions at the top. It was raised instead of etched in, and below the crystal were three large runes. I could easily tell what they spelled. It was Tyr, the one-handed Norse god.

“You have been tied to the house of Tyr,” the oracle exclaimed loudly for us to hear. “That designates that you will be sent to the city of Kortinos to begin your new journey on this world.”

A booming laugh filled the room and the eastern European voice spoke. “It seems you have been added to my son’s Pact house. Serve him well and you will go far. We all expect to see great things from you, young man.”

I was in awe as I realized that I was hearing the voice of Odin Allfather, head of the Norse Pantheon and husband to Freyja. As I thought on what this meant, it caused me to remember something that Freyja had told me, before I had been sent here.

“Umm, Freyja said that I was supposed to get a support person to help me as I participate in your world. When do I get the honor of meeting them?”.

The oracle was the one to reply, “Your supporter will be introduced to you after meeting with Tyr. Now you will have to relax, as you will now be sent to your new Pact house. Good luck in your adventure, as I am looking forward to reading about your adventures.”

Her final comment confused me, and as she, and soon the other voices, began to chant, I tried to ask what she meant.

It sounded like the five voices of the Council were chanting together with the Oracle, as the light above me went out. A blue haze surrounded me, and my head began to feel light, as the urge to sleep began to take me over. I hoped this wouldn’t happen anymore because I was getting tired of constantly passing out and waking up disoriented and somewhere new.

Chapter 3

For the third time I woke up disoriented in a place I didn’t recognize, and I was pissed. It never felt good and it took me a while to get out of the groggy fog that accompanied it. The only saving grace was, unlike the previous times this had occurred, I was waking up on something soft. Not to say that the chair in the Council chamber wasn’t comfortable, but the position I had woken up in was uncomfortable. I was laying down this time and this had to be the most comfortable bed I had ever slept in.

As I got my bearings, I looked around the room I had woken up in and was amazed at what I saw. The walls looked to be made of some sort of stone, possibly cobblestone or a rough granite. The ceiling looked to be about seven feet high and the walls were bare of anything, save for some torches spaced a few feet apart. Looking down at what was beneath me I found I was lying on a twin-sized bed with a minimal wood frame. There were no intricate designs or carvings on the back board or floorboard, while the posts were small and round. To the left of the bed was a wooden door leading out of the room. Next to it was a wooden dresser and a full-length mirror. The dresser stood four feet tall with four drawers, two on the top and two on the bottom. The wood was plain and looked to be the same that was used on the bed frame as well as the frame for the mirror. To the right of the bed was a table with two plain chairs at either end, again made of the same wood. A small candelabra sat on the table, made of iron and fresh candles sat on it.

Across from the foot of the bed stood a wooden mannequin and a small chest beside it to the right. The lock on the chest had the same symbol as the one above my bracer, ‘Tyr’ in runes. I could not see any keyhole present in the lock. There were no windows in the room and the door was a plain one with no discernable locking mechanism. The latch looked to be iron, black in color, and simplistic in its design, just like the other iron items in the room. Tyr’s name was etched into the door near the top, the runes at least half a foot long, inset with gold. Below that, near the dead center of the door, was his symbol. This one looked to be two feet long, and the portions that had been etched in were filled with gold. No doubt about it, I was now in the Pact house that they said they were sending me to.

There was a light knocking at the door. The sudden noise caused me to jump a little, shaking the bed. I got up to stand next to the bed, nervous about who it could be and how they knew so soon I was here.

“Y-yes, come in,” I said, trying to hide how nervous I was feeling. The door opened slowly, and a young woman walked in.

She was average height, standing only a few inches shorter than myself. She made her way into the room, with a warm smile, to stand next to the table on the far side. Her hair was dirty blond, wavy, and hung down past her shoulders. She was using two pins shaped like Tyr’s symbol to pin her hair up and help it to frame her face. She looked to be around my age, as there was less baby fat on her face than the Oracle I met before. Her eyes were a bright cerulean blue, and they were framed by full eyebrows and a small, pert nose. Her lips were full and lightly tinted a shade of pink, no doubt their version of lipstick, and suited to her overall look. While I am a man, I can notice and appreciate how makeup can enhance a woman’s look. Her smile widened as she turned to face me, and her natural beauty made my stomach flip. Her slender neck had a golden choker around it, its amulet matching the symbol on my bracer.

“Hello there,” she said softly, “my name is Amenthia, I am here to escort you to meet with our Pact leader. Tyr has anxiously been expecting you; he called me as soon as he sensed you were here, and you don’t want to keep him waiting.”

Her voice was music to my ears, and she gestured for me to follow her as she left the room. I had to take a minute to compose myself before I let go of the bed and begin to follow her out. As I passed the full-length mirror, I noticed that my clothes and shoes from before I had been killed were gone. They had been replaced by a cloth shirt, leather belt, leather pants and calf high, leather boots. The shirt was a plain cream colour, but not as rough or abrasive as I expected cloth like this to be. It felt like a fine silk, rather than cloth, and there was very little weight to it. The pants were a medium brown with a rough feel to the exterior, no doubt to make them durable. The inside, however, was soft and the pants didn’t seem to restrict any range of movement. This was probably to ensure that adventurers didn’t risk being hurt because their clothes wouldn’t allow them to move a certain way. The boots were black and felt like they were lined with soft velvet. I was surprised at how well the new clothes fit and how comfortable they felt compared to all the clothes I had in my old life. I had never worn anything this comfortable before; it was almost as if the clothes were lined with silk.

I was thankful I wasn’t naked and asleep when Amenthia arrived. I was embarrassed enough being around such a beautiful woman, I didn’t need her to see any of that.

As we left the room, I fell into step behind her as she guided me through the vast corridors of the Pact house. We turned right from my room and made our way down the stone hallway and while I tried to maintain focus to make sure I was going where she was leading. I couldn’t help staring at her. Hopefully I wouldn’t offend her if she caught me staring, as I am not exactly movie star handsome, but I wasn’t ugly either. Many times in my old life, I would be caught by the women I was looking at and their response was to either make fun of me or their face showed disgust.

Pushing those memories out of my mind, I continued to appraise her as she guided us through the corridors of the compound. While her build was obviously athletic, with slim arms and toned legs, she had serious curves. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if her curves put the great Kate Upton to shame and I knew a few porn stars that had to get surgery to look half as good as she did. She is wearing leather bracers on her wrists, with one of them having an opening in it for the bracer crystal to be accessed. Both had the same markings along the exterior ridge of the bracer that the golden bracer had on it. The top she had on was billowy like satin or another luxurious material such as silk. The shirt hugged her curves while not being skintight, showing enough to interest without being scandalous, and had a modest V-neck cut.

She had a leather belt on that had numerous small pouches, typical of most adventure games and anime, and a front clasp with the Tyr symbol. While the shirt that she was wearing was billowy, the pants were skintight, reminding me of yoga pants women on my world used to wear. They looked to be made of the same leather as mine, but they flattered her curves much better than mine. I have to admit, I let my eyes linger on her ass for a while, it was full, curvy and fantastic. I am not an ass man by far but, damn, her ass could make me convert. Her boots were a bit like mine, only they went up to her knees instead of mid-calf. While the length of the boot itself would be referred to as ‘come fuck me’ boots, the heel was not designed for running for long periods. While my boots seemed to have a one-inch heel, hers seemed to have at least a four-inch heel on them. I knew from multiple sources that heels like that, while not always practical, would make her ass and calves look even more fantastic. I had to wonder if she knew the effect it would have on others - or did she just like to wear them? I did know that heels like that wouldn’t be useful or comfortable to use on multiple terrain types. Perhaps these ones were only for day to day and she had different ones for when she was dungeon crawling.

She abruptly stopped and spun around, catching me off guard before I could take my eyes of her body. I was unable to keep from bumping into her and felt as her noticeably large breasts pressed into my chest. Despite the brief contact, I could tell they were soft and firm, but I couldn’t tell if she was wearing some kind of undergarment. My mind thought of the possibility of her not wearing anything under, and I lost strength in my legs for a moment. I figured that her clothes were designed with some kind of support, as I stumbled back and muttered an apology and tried to keep my eyes on hers. I am a breast man and had always hoped to meet a woman with a large pair, but holy cow, I had never seen such a large pair in my life. Mind you, I had seen many from the internet trying to be that large over the years, with most of them being implants that never fully recreated how natural breasts sit and move. I could tell that I was probably blushing from head to toe and it was easy to see that she had noticed my embarrassment as well. She had a slight, knowing smile on her face and a mischievous twinkle in her beautiful, blue eyes.

“Happy to see you approve of what I am wearing today, I was hoping you would like it,” she said with a giggle, her smile growing wider. “This door leads to our Pact leader’s personal quarters. Due to your unique status and arrival to our Pact house, you are to meet Tyr privately.”

“Understood, Amenthia,” I replied with a slight smirk on my face, “and thank you. I look forward to seeing you during my time here.”

She flashed me another amazing smile that made my heart skip a beat and then turned to knock on the door behind her. The door was slightly larger than the door to what I assume would be my room and made of an extremely dark wood. The door frame was accented by a rim of stones intricately carved with lines of elder futhark along their smooth surface. Each of the carvings was filled with gold, much like the carvings in the other doors in the building. At its center was a very large version of that same symbol, as well as the elder futhark runes spelling his name, though these were filled with another metal that created a stark contrast to the dark wood of the door.

She knocked on the door three times softly and a deep voice from within the room bellowed a reply, “Send him in, my dear Amenthia.”

She opened the door slowly, gesturing me to enter and I slowly stepped in through the threshold once she had opened it fully. The room was lit only by the light of a massive fireplace at the far end of the room, leaving most of the room cast in shadow. Only the items nearest the fire reflected enough detail for me to make out what they were, but the various objects were used in maintaining the large fireplace. I could not see the fireplace directly as a large chair was blocking the view with a small table to the left of it. The chair looked like a large throne, though I could not tell from the doorway. On the table there looked to be a long, horn-shaped object sitting in an iron holder.

I slowly made my way towards the chair, making sure not to be overly loud so as to not disturb the man sitting there. As I came into view of the front of the chair, I bowed slightly to make sure to show him respect, as I passed by. I stood in front of the fireplace and turned to face the man I knew I would be spending a great deal of time answering to. As I looked upon the man before me, I was surprised at what I saw, as he defied my expectations. He was exceptionally tall, sitting nearly to the full height of the chair, which was about six feet. His hair was a deep brown, wavy, and hung down to his chest. He had a thick beard that hung lower than his hair, stopping at his lap.

He had a long, fur cloak draped along his shoulders with what seemed to be a velvet lining pooling at the floor by his feet. There was a gold chain going from one side to another, clasping the cloak to him. Each side of the chain had his symbol fastening it to the cloak. Tyr was wearing a leather jerkin, from what I could recall from some of the medieval conventions I had gone to, with chain mail underneath it. He looked to be wearing the same leather pants that Amenthia and I are wearing, though his looked to be reinforced by something. His boots were a solid black leather, with no laces or buckles, the top rimmed with fur. His belt had the same symbol, associated with him, as a buckle and I had seen the same on Amenthia’s belt as we were coming here. The thing I noticed most, though, was that, true to the myths and eddas of the past, one of his hands was missing. While his left hand was sticking out from a golden bracer not unlike the one, I was wearing, his right hand was only a stump. My mind flashed to the story of how he had placed his hand into Fenrir’s mouth, while the other gods bound him. His penance for being captured was taken by Fenrir biting off his hand. They were destined to kill one another during Ragnarok.

“Please sit,” he said with his deep, accented voice, as he gestured with his hand. “I am sure you have a few questions, such as who I am and what you will be doing as part of the Pact house.”

I looked behind me and saw a small seat, almost like a stool, simple, with a soft pillow on top. I sat down and did my best to be comfortable, as Tyr patiently waited for me to be ready.

“I do apologize, young man, but I rarely allow anyone visit my private quarters and as such I don’t have places to sit, other than this chair. However, in this instance we are required to allow steps that are different than usual or traditional, given your unique circumstances.”

I nodded, adjusting how I sat on the stool (hopefully I wouldn’t need to sit on it for too long). His steel-grey eyes set on me, piercing into my very soul, much as Freyja’s eyes had when all of this started.

“If you are not already familiar with me, I am Tyr, Son of Odin Allfather. Brother to Thor Odinson and Balder Odinson and Loki, of course, is my step-uncle. I am the Norse god of war, and leader of this Pact house and if you have been sent here, it is because you have the heart of a warrior. I was told of your arrival by my father and sent Amenthia to collect you.”

A warm smile appeared on his face and the tension I was starting to feel from the power of his words faded away.

“Now we must start the preparations for you to start your journey in this world as a member of this house,” he said, as he leaned forward and took my bracered hand. “The first step on the new journey requires that I use my godly energies to empower your bracer crystal. With this, you will become a first level recruit to my Pact house. Your stats will default to one in each category and as you fight, your stats will increase depending on the situation. For example, the more you dodge attacks coming from your enemies, the more your speed stat will increase. Another example being the more enemies you kill with a sword or blunt weapon, the higher your strength becomes. This will apply to many things you will do which will translate to increases in all the other stats. I have been informed that you know what I am talking about, from previous experience with these kind of mechanics.”

I nodded in confirmation of his assessment of my knowledge. “Yes, I believe I understand how this will work, my lord,” I replied.

He let out a hearty laugh, and continued, “You do not have to call me ‘my lord’, ‘Sir’, is well enough. After your level is selected, you will be given a tour of this compound, by Amenthia, covering all of the important areas a new adventurer must learn about. Keep in mind that while many aspects of the world are based on the role-playing games of your world, the idea of a class is much more flexible. For example, your personal playstyle would be much like Skyrim, while the team dynamics would be typical of the Borderlands series. The creatures you encounter will react like flesh and blood beings, despite the rules of this world, so a hit to the heart or brain could instantly kill them.

Eden is a young world by your standards, yet older by ours. The name was my father’s idea, a snub at the ‘One God’, though you well not see anything like that here. As well your agnostic background was why you were given the choice to come here. At the end of the tour you will be taken to our quartermaster, where you will be given your equipment. You will be given the opportunity to request specific gear given your unique status but know that this will be a onetime thing. Any future requests, you will need to supply either the raw materials, or the gold to get them.”

I nodded again in confirmation; there was nothing really that I needed to say in response to his explanations and I felt honored that I would be given the option to pick my own gear.

“Now, let us begin,” he stated, his face becoming serious. “Please extend your bracer to me, so that you may become a part of my Pact house.”

I extended my slightly shaking arm towards him, nervous at what was about to happen, yet filled with unparalleled excitement. He placed his hand on the bracer, covering the crystal with his palm and his hand began to glow in an ethereal, azure light. I looked up and saw that the same glow had started to emanate from his eyes, so much so that azure energy leaked out of them like wisps of smoke. The azure energy rose from his eyes, dissipating half a foot above his head and I stared, transfixed, at the raw power being displayed. As I looked back down to the bracer, I noticed that my forearm is beginning to glow as well, though my fingers looked unchanged. I could feel the energy he was pouring into the crystal begin to course through my body, and the rush was incredible. The sensation is difficult to describe, but the closest I could come was it felt electrifying and yet at the same time, warm. After a few minutes, the glow began to slowly increase in intensity, until it became almost blinding. With an audible snap, like lightning hitting the ground during a thunderstorm, the glow disappeared, and the warmth receded.

Tyr then pressed softly on the crystal, which still had a slight glow at its center, and called out, “Statistical Display.”

He pulled back his hand and my stat display appeared in its stead, showing my newly updated information. As he had said, my display now showed that my current level was one, though my name was left blank for some reason. My strength, defense, speed, vitality, magic, intelligence, stealth and awareness all showed one point. Selecting my other screen, I could see my feats were still empty and no skills were listed, as well. I returned to the stat display, placed my hand over the crystal, obscuring the display and gave the command to close it.

Tyr smiled softly and said, “Now that we are finished with this task, it is time to introduce you to your supporter. She will help you in dungeons, collecting drops, and fighting alongside you, giving you back up. She will also give you advice and knowledge to better help you succeed, as she has lived her whole life in this world. She has spent years training to ensure she would be the best supporter she could be, so she is both knowledgeable and experienced.”

I nodded in acceptance and my mind began to run through the different possibilities of who it could be, though a part of me hoped it would be Amenthia. He did say ‘she’, but there was no telling how many women were in this Pact house, so the chances that I would end up working with her would no doubt be slim.

“It has been two centuries since our last outsider joined this world, so I am expecting great things from you, child. I do hope that you will not let me down.”

He slowly rose from his chair, placing all his weight on his left hand. I got up as well, ensuring I showed the proper respect befitting my new leader.

“Now, I have business to attend to in preparation for your first trek into the dungeon. I do hope you enjoy the tour, as well as the items that will be given to you by our quartermaster. I am sure that you will put them to good use and will be impressed with their quality. Remember this is a one-time arrangement and their quality will immediately set you apart from the rest. Your companion has also been given a rare gift, befitting her role as your supporter. Now take this - all of my Pact members wear it. It is a symbol of your faith in this house, and your allegiance to me.”

With that, he handed me a pendant similar to what he and Amenthia had been wearing - his symbol, with his name etched in it in elder futhark. With a mere wave of his hand, my belt buckle changed to match as well. I thanked him and smiled, placing the pendant around my neck. He then gestured towards the door to his room, and we slowly made our way to it.

“Evening meal will be in a few hours and I will see you there.” Before he opened the door, he picked up a helmet that looked to be golden in colour. It was form fitting, wing-like appendages on either side, and reminded me of the helmet Thor wore in comic books and movies. He placed the helmet on his head, which increased his intimidation factor, in my opinion, but it looked very cool.

“Now, let me introduce you to your supporter and companion. She will take care of you out there and I hope that you will do the same for her.”

With a warm smile, he placed his hand on the door, and revealed the woman who would be my supporter.

Amenthia was standing on the other side of the door and I swear my jaw hit the floor, while she, of course, had a smile of the cat that ate the canary. She knew from the moment I entered the room and, though I was hopeful, I never once considered it actually happening. So now my supporter is the most beautiful woman I have ever met, and she knows that I think she is beautiful. I was in so much trouble.

Tyr bade us farewell and left me in Amenthia’s ‘capable’ hands, and I felt those butterflies returning in earnest. I was not too sure what it was, but there was something in her smile that seemed dangerous to me.

It was slightly off-putting, and I couldn’t figure out what it was that bothered me about it, but the feeling was there, regardless. I would have to keep an eye on her, especially If she was supposed to have my back, I didn’t want to be caught off guard. Still, I didn’t think that Tyr would pair me with someone who would be a danger to me. Especially if they were expecting ‘big things’ from me in the near future, but I would still keep my guard up for now.

We made our way down a corridor - there were shields and other weapons adorning the walls every few feet or so. They were mounted on plaques with golden plates inscribed beneath them and upon closer inspection I realized that they were tributes to fallen warriors that fell in battle. In between those ornaments and trophies were torches that illuminated the stone corridors. There was no small talk as we made our way through the building and a small tension filled the air. My thoughts drifted to the plaques and the meaning behind them and, for the first time since this started, I was afraid. Despite this tension she was polite and bubbly as we continued onward to our destination.

“Our first stop will be here,” she said in that soft, sensual way of hers, gesturing to a large door in front of us.

She opened the door and it revealed a huge stone room full of equipment. The ceiling had to be at least twenty feet high and I would guess the walls on either side were fifteen feet apart. From what I could tell, due to all the items in the room, it had to be at least fifty feet long or more. It reminded me of a grocery store in how it was laid out.

There were chandeliers hanging every ten feet along the center of the ceiling, illuminating the entire room. I could tell that it was daytime as there were windows along the wall to the right. The light poured into the room from large stained-glass panels, bright and warm. She led me down the main aisle and was pointing to the different items as we went. I saw shields and swords of every kind, shaped in traditional and unique ways. All of them seemed to be plain in design, slightly old and worn closest to the door. There were also a bunch of armour sets of many kinds. Most looked, like the weapons, worn and old. As we continued to the end of the aisle, the quality of goods went up. A Large man was standing at the counter as we approached, tinkering with a weapon of some kind.

He looked to be at least six feet tall, with a large, stocky build and he had dark skin with a slight hazel hue and long, pointed ears. His look reminded me of the drawings of elves and the Hyrulians from the Zelda series, though the dark skin was where they differed. He had on a linen shirt, green in colour, and blue leather overalls with stains and rips in it. There were patches all over his clothes, showing they had been worn often and repaired numerous times. He had a focused look on his face as he worked to restore what I realized was a worn dagger. The piece had certainly seen better days, I was not confident that he would be able to make it usable, but I wasn’t as knowledgeable or as experienced as him.

He raised his eyes as we approached, his focused look was replaced with a warm smile. He put down the dagger and the stone he had been rubbing it with, wiping his hands on his overalls to get the dirt off them. He opened the counter panel to his left and stepped out from behind it, approaching us while still cleaning his hands.

“Amenthia,” he said with a warm, deep baritone, “it has been too long since you have come to visit my shop, my dear.”

He wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground. A musical laughter filled the air as she giggled from the act; it reminded me of what some fathers did with their young daughters. After a few moments, the hug ended, and the large man returned Amenthia back to the ground. He then turned to me and extended his right hand, a warm smile on his face. I took his hand and gave it a single shake, the strength of his grip was apparent, especially when he gave it a quick squeeze. He grinned and shook his a few more times, my arm wobbling with the force of his movements. He was insanely strong, and I made a note to ensure never to cross this man while I waited for my arm to once again be mine.

“Welcome, young man,” he said, “My name is Brot’k, and I am the quartermaster for new recruits and seasoned adventurers of Tyr’s Pact house.”

He released my arm which now felt like a limp noodle of spaghetti and I rubbed my shoulder to help return some of the feeling in it, causing him and Amenthia to laugh.

“All new players are able to collect starting equipment from here,” Amenthia said, while gesturing around the room, “until they reach level two. Once you get to that level, you should have enough to buy low level gear from here or the smith Pact house stores. Brot’k is also quite the smith in his own right and, as such, will be providing you with custom equipment due to your unique circumstances. Only Tyr, myself and a select few have knowledge of his smithing abilities, so it is not to be advertised. Tyr has planned to state that your equipment had been made to special order and delivered to Brot’k.”

I nodded, as it made sense. I was just glad that I wouldn’t have to enter the dungeon without any equipment at all. This made the initial venture into the dungeon more survivable for me – and for her. I was sure that the starting area monsters wouldn’t be too tough, but I have also had characters wipe me in my video games because I was cocky. One thing that would help was that Amenthia would be assisting me while in the dungeon, but I wouldn’t assume anything and planned to be cautious for the time being.

“That is correct. I have been made aware of that,” Brot’k said, breaking the silence. “Now, my boy, it is time to choose some weapons and armour for you to use in the dungeon. I will ask you a few questions, as well as take a few measurements and we will go from there.”

I nodded, as we crossed the remainder of the room and approached the counter he had been working at earlier. While we stood at the counter, Brot’k made his way back behind it and picked up what he needed to record with. When he returned, I looked at the page he had brought, and it looked like a character load-out sheet used by dungeon and dragons players. I couldn’t help but laugh, as it had a head, torso, leg, arm, shoulder and hands section. Each section had a line going to an area where one could write information and there were also sections on the sides for measurements, preferred armour type and combat information. It was very detailed, even more so than the ones I had used in my past and I found myself impressed at the thought that had gone into these systems.

“First, we should establish your preferred combat style,” Brot’k said, placing his quill on the character sheet. “This will have a direct effect on your weapons and armour choices as we continue. Do you plan to use magic or weapons as your preferred combat method? If you do plan to use weapons which fighting style would you prefer? There is one handed, two handed and dual wielding.”

I thought about it for a while, recalling the games I played always forced this, but that was through a game sprite. This time it was me who was going into the dungeon, so I needed to be able to kill enemies without too much hindrance. I needed to ensure my survival, and that of my partner. While magic could prove useful, it would have to be an auxiliary function, as I preferred to use weapons whenever I played. The question was what kind, and what style did I want? Two-handed weapons were strong but slow, dual wield would double my attack strength, but that, too, would have a drawback.

I then looked back on the games, D&D campaigns and LARPing I had done in the past. Within a few minutes, I knew what I would do best with, though I could change it down the road if I wanted.

“One handed weapon and shield will be my primary,” I answered, “as the other two do not guarantee the protection I will need at the start of the game. Ideally, I hope I can use the sword with two hands, should I find myself in a situation without a shield. I can always change my fighting style later, once I am more seasoned and can afford better weapons.”

Brot’k nodded, writing it all down, “Amenthia, he knows what he is doing! He is making some good choices and with sensible reasons, I think that you two will do very well. The next choice is going to be armour. Given your fighting style, you will want flexibility, correct? Given this, would you mind if I make a slight suggestion?”

I turned and started glancing down the aisle and replied, “Not at all, I know that both of you are far more familiar with this world and dungeon than I am. What is it, exactly, you have in mind?”

“Cloth, lined with leather, leather, with chainmail beneath, and iron with leather backing are what we have in stock. We have a couple of sets that have slight differences, but the design is over-all the same. The first would give you the most range of motion but sacrifice protection. The second is a good middle ground and what I would suggest for you, with the last being defense at the cost of mobility.”

I nodded at that and began to think on just what would be best. I will need to ensure that I have adequate protection, and I had no idea how long it would take to get new gear. I also needed to make sure that I could move freely and be able to dodge, as flexibility will be key to my fighting style. I guessed that cloth would be a light armour, leather with chainmail would be medium, and iron with leather would be heavy. The leather and chainmail combination would give me the best protection-to-movement ratio, while ensuring that I retain the needed agility.

I turned back to them both and answered, “I will take leather armour with the chainmail undercoat that you have suggested would work best. It will give me both a decent amount of protection and the needed maneuverability.”

“I think I have something that would fit you just fine,” Brot’k said, smiling at my response. “It is a bit old, but I think you will like it and it will give me an idea of what to make.”

He put his paperwork on the counter and made his way down an aisle that was to the left of where we were standing. Amenthia and I heard a bit of clunking and shuffling of crates, as Brot’k searched for the armor he had in mind. A few minutes later, we heard his footsteps as he returned with a wooden crate. He got behind the counter and placed the crate in front of us with a large grin. We watched as he took out the various pieces from the crate, I looked at them and couldn’t help but smile. They were in surprisingly decent condition, compared to most of the other items in the room. There was a long chainmail shirt; it was in relatively good condition as it had no signs of oxidation. There was a breast piece, a piece of leather that spanned the pectoral region. There were clasping points at the sides and base of it. Then he placed shoulder pads that had clasps on one side and were connected to a back piece. The back piece spanned the shoulder blades as one piece, then had overlapping layers that went down the middle of the back.

The next thing he pulled out were bicep guards. They would not stop much damage, but, paired with the chainmail, would be adequate. There was one for each arm, just as there were bracers for each arm. However, one leather bracer had an opening, no doubt to allow me access to the crystal on my gold bracer. The next three pieces were abdominal pads and side pieces that attached to the abdominal pads, with contact points for the back piece to attach to them. The buckles and interlocking pieces actually allowed for the parts to be three times thicker than your usual leather armour while maintaining the flexibility I needed.

He then pulled out leather hide pants that had reinforcements to protect the thighs. A crotch guard came next, that I was very thankful for, which looked to connect to any belt easily. Then finally it was a pair of calf high leather boots.

All in all, it would be a decent suit to work with and I was beginning to look forward to the adventure before me. The final look of the gear was not ostentatious at all, it was mute, but could probably use a bit of colour. I smiled at the equipment, it was perfect, I couldn’t wait to try it out.

“Now, helmet, or not? some adventurers don’t use them because they find it to constricting to their field of view, while others feel they needed the protection that they offer. What is your preference in this regard?”

I thought about that for a little while and replied, “I think a helmet will be the best option for me, so let me see how the armour looks and maybe we can come up with a decent helmet to match.”

Brot’k nodded and the three of us set out to put the armor on me, which was no easy feat. I was happy that I had their help, and after roughly ten minutes, I was garbed in full armor. I moved around, stretching in different ways to get a feel for how it would restrict various movements.

Amenthia smiled, then said, “Down the aisle there is a mirror. Take a look at the armour and let us know how it looks.”

I smiled and made my way down to stand in front of the mirror and see how it fit on me. It looked fantastic, covering me well and it looked like it fit my proportions. Even with the chainmail underneath I didn’t feel like it was too heavy, so it proved to be no problem at all. It kind of reminded me of the bat suit from the most recent Batman movies. The segmented areas of leather provided protection to vital areas, while the spaces in between would allow flexibility. The chainmail beneath would prevent some damage should a weapon with a sharp point get in a space between the leather. It would look good in black, which could help with blending into dark areas in the dungeon, when sneaking was necessary.

“If the helmet could be as tight to the head as the armour is,” I called out with a smile, “it would be fine. If you could also make them both in black, I would appreciate it.”

I took a blank sheet of paper and his quill and drew a quick sketch of what I was looking for, both a front and profile.

Brot’k nodded and smiled, “I will need to be up all night, as I will be putting some personal touches on it, but the armour will be done for tomorrow, lad. I wish you luck in your first trial, I am confident that you two will do well. I will have a sword and shield prepared for you tomorrow, as well.”

I nodded and then we worked together to quickly get the armour off. I couldn’t wait to see what it would look like tomorrow and I was sure that Brot’k would do an awesome job. Before he put his papers away, he brought multiple swords and around four types of shields for me to try out. He wanted to see how I moved and how I felt about the items he provided. As I assumed, a hand-and-a-half sword would be ideal, and we found two that were balanced the way I wanted. They were also not too heavy - which was ideal as most of my time would be spent using it with only one hand. We went through the shields, settling on a medium-sized shield, though none of the metal ones felt right to me. We went through half a dozen or more shields before Brot’k said he had all the information that he needed. He had jotted down nearly a page and a half of information and I realized that he had been writing in elder futhark. He was sure that with all the information he had gathered, he would have some amazing equipment ready for me.

Amenthia and I both said our thanks to Brot’k and made our way out of the room. Amenthia looped her arm into mine, and gently pulled me along the corridor. We headed left from the room, and then made a right, down the seemingly identical corridors. I mentioned it to Amenthia, and she laughed saying I would get used to it soon enough. The walls in this section had windows along the right side, and unlit torches along the left as we made our way down yet another corridor. There were no adornments on the walls in this area, which I found odd but not surprising. After a few minutes we arrived at a large set of double doors, with futhark inscriptions filled with gold along the frame. The frame was made with golden plates and riveted with silver, which gave it a unique, though ostentatious look. The runes for Tyr’s name were placed on both doors and his symbol was inscribed in the center of the doors, also filled with gold. Half of the symbol was on one side, the rest on the other. There were no handles on the door that I could see, and I wondered how we would enter the room.

“This is the dining hall for our Pact house,” Amenthia said softly, breaking me out of my thoughts. “All meals are served here, and the kitchen is open at all hours, allowing you to collect food for the dungeon as well. This is due to the random times that adventurers could be leaving for, or returning from, their quests in the dungeon.”

I could agree with that, as some of my dungeon crawling, as well as raids in my video games could take hours. In this world, I was sure that the time would be double or triple that in some cases, but it only served to excite me more.

That was a preview of Would You Like To Play Again?. To read the rest purchase the book.

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