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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

_______________________________________________________________

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

When their king demanded the secrets of traveling the sea but refusing to reward them they declined, due to their high renown and strength, he could not just kill them for their disobedience. He could, however, send them off to guard a settlement of criminals, in effect banishing them from his lands and giving them time to think about their choices.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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