Return of the First God

Huff!

Huff!

Six months had passed since the team had been assembled.

All preparations had been made, and it was time to begin the journey.

But right now, Ragnar was more focused on not dying. 

His eyes widened as the axe passed within an inch of his eyes, sending flutters of his hair scattering.

He leaned back forward after the axe had passed to attack his opponent, but there was another axe waiting for him.

"Shit!"

He dove to the side, avoiding it.

"Ha!" Ulf laughed as he chased after Ragnar. "Stay still, you little shit."

Clang!

Ragnar rose to his feet, swinging his axe and knocking off the attack from Ulf.

Half a second later, he skipped back as Astrid's axe passed through where he had been standing.

He grunted as Ulf was on him again, none of them giving him any room to breathe.

He could tell that the twins were not taking the spar as seriously as he was, but that was okay.

If they were, they would've defeated him a few seconds after the spar started.

And he liked it this way.

Just by having these extended spars, he'd learned a lot and his fighting ability had grown.

A popular saying among the elders was 'iron sharpens iron,' and he could see that.

Just by training with the best of the best, he'd already grown much stronger.

His eyes narrowed as the twin increased the intensity of their attacks, Ulf with a wide grin on his face, and Astrid's expression as cold as usual.

He twisted around her attack, swinging his own axe towards her neck, when he froze.

Ulf had his axe at his neck. "You lose. Again."

Ragnar sighed, stepping back. "I already know what's going to happen, but I find myself disappointed everytime."

Ulf put his hands around Ragnar's shoulder with a grin as Astrid walked away. "Don't talk like that."

"From what I know of your divinity, once you meet actual opponents, you'll outstrip us in no time."

Ragnar knew Ulf was right, but he didn't just want to rely on his blessings. 

He also wanted to be able to defeat people without using them.

"Chin up, Ragnar." Ulf patted him on the back before walking off to meet his sister.

Ragnar exhaled, before walking towards the barrels. He needed a drink.

"You did good."

A deep voice resounded, and Ragnar turned his head to see Bjorn standing there, cradling his gigantic axe.

"Thanks." Ragnar grinned. Praise from Bjorn meant he actually did good.

After all, he was a man of few words.

And when he spoke, he meant it.

With that done, Bjorn walked away.

Ragnar continued his walk to the barrel. 

He dipped a cup inside and drank deeply from the scooped water.

When he was done, he placed the cup back into the barrel and focused on something just as necessary.

"Status."

[Name: Ragnar Iverson]

[Patron: The Allfather]

[Titles: Cursebreaker(Equipped)| Aberrant | Incarnation of the Allfather]

[Core Attributes:]

- Strength: 13

- Agility: 19

- Endurance: 22

- Vitality: 7

- Willpower: 20

[Blessings: Extraction, Rend, Cloak of Night.]

[Curses: Curse of the Forsaken (PURGED)]

[Quests: Kill the Gods, Return to Origin.]

It was just as he expected. 

Everything was the same, except for three attributes.

Through training, he'd been able to raise his strength and endurance by two points each, and his agility by four points.

He'd also made an interesting discovery. 

Each point added to his attributes represented a minimal increase in that particular attribute.

But if he keeps stacking them, maybe when he gets to 100, he'd be able to do truly divine things. Like pick up a giant boulder and throw it with an arm. 

For now, he still had three blessings, but that was understandable.

He needed monsters with existing blessings before he could extract them.

"Holy One."

"Ahh!" Ragnar screamed.

His head snapped to the side to see Erik standing there.

The man had managed to get close to him, and he hadn't even noticed.

His ability to dampen his presence was truly exceptional.

"Elder Harald asks for you." Erik continued as if nothing happened.

He was used to people being surprised when he speaks.

"When did you get here?" Ragnar asked, trying to calm his racing heart.

"I watched your spar with the twins. Just like Bjorn said, you did good."

Ragnar's eyes widened.

Erik had been around the whole time?!

And he hadn't even noticed!

'Terrifying!'

"S— So, why are you here?"

"It is time." Erik said.

At his words, Ragnar froze. 

Then, he exhaled.

"So, it is time."

"Yes." Erik nodded. "It is time."

Ragnar nodded and turned, walking out of the training yard.

After six months of constant training, the warriors that would escort him and his team to the chains of ascension had been chosen.

The journey wasn't really dangerous, as monsters don't really roam the Wastes, but the escort was necessary.

After all, the monsters all come from the chains of ascension.

Just because they didn't like to venture out, that doesn't mean they don't venture out.

Rarely.

With that in mind, he headed into the room that had been prepared for him in the elders dwelling, taking his bath and cleaning himself up.

With that done, he dressed himself and stepped out.

"There you are." 

Ulf said from where he leaned against the wall.

"We've all been waiting for you."

Ragnar nodded in acknowledgment. "Let's go."

He followed Ulf through the halls of the dwelling, and out into the city.

And the sight before him, almost froze him in his tracks.

Standing right in front of the building, their backs to it, was the rest of his team.

Bjorn, Ola, Astrid.

Oh, and Erik.

"You're finally here." Ola grinned at him.

"Yeah. I'm finally here."

Beyond them, facing the building were the elders.

Standing just behind the elders, also facing him were the escort warriors, a hundred strong.

And standing behind them all were the rest of the Forsaken.

Their whole people, thousands of them, had arrived to witness history.

They filled the streets, children on the shoulders of adults, all craning for a view of the holy one.

"Welcome, Ragnar." Elder Harald smiled kindly.

"We've all gathered here today to wish you luck, and the people would like to hear encouraging words from you."

Ragnar stared at the crowd, a weird feeling in his heart.

These were his people.

His family.

They had been chained, forsaken, and abandoned, just like he had been.

He would free them, even if that was the last thing he did.

And so, he opened his mouth.

"Brothers."

The murmur of the crowd reduced so that they could hear him better.

"Sisters." 

Ola grinned at him.

"Forsaken."

"We were all born in the eternal darkness of the Wastes." 

"Raised in it." 

"Crawled in it, while others stood in the planes above." 

"Knelt in it while others soared."

"The gods abandoned us, cursed our blood, cut off our divinities, and left us to rot in a land where nothing dares to grow."

"But they made one mistake."

"They thought we would break."

"I stand before you now not as a boy who took the trial, but as the man who survived it." 

"I bled. I crawled. I died."

"And I rose."

"And in rising, I shattered the curse that bound us."

"The chains of ascension were not built for us."

"But I will climb them."

"I will face the monsters inside."

"And I will burn a path to the thrones above."

"This world said we were nothing."

"But from nothing, I will forge everything."

"I do not ask for prayers. I do not ask for praise. All I ask is that you remember this moment."

"For the Forsaken are no longer forgotten."

And the crowd roared.