Author Note: Shorter chapter for this chapter, as an introduction to Alexander, and the Church of Phil. I do hope you enjoy, and the changes in POV are the only reason I kept this story in a 1st person. For those that don't like the POV changes, these will not be frequent, but will be important.

A glint of anger raised to my eyes as I gripped the hilt of his sword, my knuckles turning white under the pressure, two light skinned men stood in front of my lanky figure. I was taller than most, standing little under seven feet tall, a giant in comparison to the people that lived in this region near a foot taller. The two people in front of me had a crazed look in their eyes, they understood that I would not only kill them if they lost, but that I was also a priest. Turning, almost twirling along the ground as the dust pulled up turning to a small cloud around my feet. My sword met a small amount of resistance as one of the men tumbled down to the ground, with a thrust behind me, my cape fell settling behind me, still like the two bodies behind me.

I had only a small part in this battle, and the battle would have been won without me interfering, but this was a holy crusade. My appearance was necessary, and I picked the time which the danger was a minimal in the chaos of war. These were farmers, their swordplay minimal, their strength below average, and I was an Outlander. My people were of course the builders of this religion that the people followed, but it was a real god that they raised statues to, the very god that sent them there. Even if he didn’t have an inspiring name, the people saw the priests of Lord Phil, they couldn’t argue that their power was confined to human standards, a healer could heal the impossible, the warriors could topple nations. In my case however I was a thief, and in my opinion a thief was the scariest of those options, my lies could convince nations without bloodshed to bow before the mighty Lord Phil, and those who weren’t convinced… they would disappear without a trace.

Breathing out heavily, my swords flicked hard as blood splattered on the ground creating two thick lines of crimson on the ground as he walked back to his post. The crusader’s men cheered as he made it back, their swords now moving with much more fervor than before, this was the religious zeal that was bred in them. “Believe in your god, hold your spirits high, this will keep your swords sharp.” I casually said. My words were of little importance, I found that any words that I said would make their spirits burn like a bonfire as long as I said them with enough conviction.

Three people waited for me, drinking some wine in this hell hole looking like vampires drinking blood from glasses. Their eyes looked bored, it was reasonable as they had done this hundreds of times, murdering all but the children to bring them up under the doctrine of Phil. They were following some of Earth’s history, loose memories of the raise of many religions from classes that they barely paid attention to. They tipped a glass to me before one of the burly priests threw the glass, I grabbed at it, twirling it in my hand every droplet of wine inside the cup now.

“I’ve always wondered how you can do that!” The burly man grinned.

“Some of us aren’t muscle bound idiots,” I twirled around my cup the wine flowing in and out of the cup, like some magic trick, the liquid doubling suddenly as another cup was in my hands. The burly man went to take a drink as he watched, looking baffled at his empty hand then he became angry that I had stolen his cup. I drank both cups smashing them into each other, making thousands of shattered pieces of glass before me like confetti, sparkling in the sun’s light.

“How dare you Alexander!” He bellowed, grabbing at his large ax that was at the side of his chair. A soft laugh courting his ear, a swift hand moving to his chest, a glass filled with water as it slowly turned red in her hand.

“We can’t squabble in front of the minions, there are like NPCs in any game you play. If you see your kings fighting, they will raise their swords to join one side or another.” She looked dully at both of us, she was a smaller woman almost mouse like in appearance, her face small and eyes big. She was one of the two that had been lucky enough to actually have an affinity with magic, her an elemental mage able to change the properties of the elements, and the other, even smaller man was a man of healing.

“These are real people though,” I replied, squinting my eyes at the mousy woman, I had a belief that the lower you were to the ground the more you could use the power of magic. “In numbers I’m sure they could kill us.” Frowning at the looks of disbelief in their eyes, almost mockery at my words. Knowing that one day this might come and bite us in this ass, I was the only one that made diplomatic relations with the men and women of these lands.

Many of the newcomers didn’t know this, but this world worked a lot slower than their other world, and they aged like that. With this world’s time, I was a little over sixty years older than he was when he came, looking at his body he only looked maybe four years older which was confirmed by the newcomers as they told them the year. This wasn’t constant though, ten years could pass without a day passing on the outside, but five years could pass in one, but it never turned backwards. I was one of the oldest in the group, second only to the leader of the church but none would know that as I was the youngest to be taken into this world, a meek sixteen year old child at the time.

They all however were gamers, and that was the only thing they shared in common, perhaps it was the ability to accept another world that was ingrained in their minds. I didn’t like that thought, for children could be accepted into this world as well if that were true, and if so then none had survived thus far.

“We will head to the city of Alder soon after this, then all the barbaric cities around the Holy City of Phil will be completely in our control.” The mousy woman exclaimed, I had never remembered her name, it was foreign, and exotic, unlike her actual features which seemed overly dull.

“Those that have not heard the name of our lord Phil in our country shall bow before it by the last sunset of this year.” I agreed quietly, hoping I was fulfilling his mission to make this world better.