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[ It's been a little while now, since Floki arrived in this world. He's had a lot to deal with, emotionally when it comes to the Gods here. Believing that any interaction, involvement or acknowledgement of them is a direct insult to his Gods, the real Gods!

It's also taken him a while to get used to the communication devices. Floki is fluent in Runes, one of the lucky and knowledgeable Vikings that managed to teach himself how to communicate through them. Floki could read and write, understand and create tales through this means, yet the phone device he was given? This was all new and strange.

So, here he was. The first appearance over the network sat in what looked like a beautifully crafted, ornate wooden Viking boat. The head was of Fáfnir, the mythical Midgard Serpent. Floki slumped against he neck of the dragon, a smirk-like sneer pulled over his lips. He placed the phone on the side of the boat, freeing his hands so that he was able to pick up a rather large wooden statue he'd handcarved himself. ]

May the Alföðr himself, bless my boat.

[ Raising both arms to the sky, fingers twitching in random movements, a strange chirp of a giggle left his lips before he stroked the statue with one hand, a gesture of praise with his other, moved down his forehead before kissing the knuckle of his thumb. ]

The true Gods should be pleased to see someone still worships them. I shall be blessed a bountiful life so long as I reject these false deities... And you should all be wise too, turn your back on their lies, for Odin is forgiving of the ignorant and blind but not those who will turn their backs in blasphemy.

[ Turning his head aside, Floki spat at the ground as if he was so disgusted in what he was saying, disgusted that people here fell for the glamour these so-called Gods had them under. ]

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Ivar was here. He may still be here, I suppose, but I have not heard from him in some time. And I suspect that means he is gone, as he had been so eager to learn some of my magic. I hope he is home, where he can continue to slaughter his enemies.

[She grins. It's a true sentiment - a rare thing from her, but it has more to do with her encouragement of his violence than any particular desire for him to be well.]

Don't you worry. If you're anything like him, and if what he said of his people is true, then I think we can cooperate. Besides - that craft of yours looks too large to be crewed by one, and much too hard for one to steal.

[ There were two things Floki wanted to know more about in her comment. The part about her being able to perform magic and Ivar slaughtering his enemies. Scratching the stubble at the side of his face, twisting his expression around with his many thoughts before he finally spoke. ]

What kind of magic do you possess exactly? As I noticed, you look as though you come from Álfheimr... Are you Døkkálfr or Ljósálfr? Either way, you are fairer than the sun to look at, so it must be true.

[ It makes no real difference to Floki, if she was a Dark or Light elf, what matters is that she was a friend to Ivar. A friend who managed to survive his apparent rage. ]

You say Ivar slaughters his enemies, yes? How old was he? What weapon did he wield and how did he get around?

[ Maybe she had the wrong person? Or maybe Ivar had somehow aged when coming here? Anything was possible. As the topic shifted back to his boat and to the way of his people, Floki let a proud, if not a little smug smirk pull at his lips. ]

I taught Ivar everything! From the Gods to fighting. He was so eager to learn from me, even when so small as he was.

[ She can make of that what she will. Sure, there was no other Viking like the one Ivar would grow to become, but Floki was not as helpless or foolish as he might have looked. ]

[Ah, another flatterer. That's fine by her, and she smiles at the compliment. If he means it, then he'll be easier to work with than she had predicted.

What is it with this place and buff human sailors? There's a feral look in the eyes of this one that she can certainly appreciate.]

I am not any of those, and I am not völva either, despite what Ivar thought. I can tell you more in person, if you like. Too many eyes and ears here on the network. If it helps, Ivar suggested there were many in your world called 'Christians' who deeply feared my kind.

But Ivar - he spoke of a friend he admired, whose fervor for your gods was unparalleled. Might that have been you? He was a young man while here, perhaps eighteen or so. Fought with axes, and found travel made easier thanks to a wheeled chair someone built for him. Or flight, which I was able to grant him temporarily.

[ He does indeed mean it, Floki is many things but a liar is not one of them. He feels no need to flatter if his compliments are false. After all, he makes such pretty boats, he can appreciate something beautiful be it animate or inanimate.

Floki chuckled a little, that strange breathed out hiccup of a laugh of this, he was amused and impressed that Ivar had thought her to be a völva. What amused him, even more, was the fact that she implied Christians feared her. Maybe they would get along swimmingly after all. ]

I'd like that, yes. I will meet with you here, by my boat. Anyone who is an enemy of the filthy Christians is a friend of mine.

[ There was pure hate in his voice as he spoke of the other religion. Floki even spat on the floor and cursed something under his voice, clear distaste for the faith. The twisted expression soon swapped for a one of admiration and pride. he was so pleased to hear Ivar had spoken of him so highly. Floki's Gods were his life, it was wonderful to know his knowledge of them had been passed on and respected by his friends youngest son. ]

Te-hee! Yes, yes that man is me. Though I'm just a joker, I take my Gods very seriously... I never joke when it comes to them.

[ Hm okay, so Ivar was clearly older now. Might be something to do with that Gate he came through into this world. Maybe it was able to age you? To pluck you from another time of pst of future? How interesting. ]

Then, if what you say is true, Ivar has grown into an honourable, powerful Viking, worthy of his own settlement. I feel overwhelming pride towards my crippled little friend.

Good, good. I'm glad we could come to an agreement - and perhaps from you, I can learn more about your gods, since Ivar had little time to tell me much about them himself. But, the boat first. Where shall I meet you?

[Maybe one of these days she'll learn what a Christian is. The gods of these viking men sound intriguing as well - she has no reason to dislike them and if they inspire such aggression and violence in their followers, they may even be willing allies some day, until it is their turn too to be consumed in the depths of the Abyss.]

I would be delighted to teach you of my many Gods. Like many others before, you will come to find a favoured one that sparks most of your interest. I myself have one that is almost my kin-

[ He has to stop himself before he rambles on about the differences between the Gods and the kind of people who draw strengths from certain ones. On to more pressing matters. ]

I'm settled behind a small orchard, I'm not sure with Island that is exactly as I have no sun stone to tell the direction... Nor do I trust the skies here, their stars and moon seem so unfamiliar to mine.

[Bad news, Floki, conversion attempts are not going to work on this one. Caedra has no god, but that may indeed someday change as the lord she serves hopes to become one - and may in fact succeed eventually, where so many others have failed. But she listens, looking for all the world like she actually cares, and then nods at the description of his location.]

It's right to be cautious of such things. I think so far for the sake of convenience we have been calling the east the point where the sun rises, and the west where it sets, but I can't tell you if it's an accurate assumption. The orchard, though, there is only one of. I should be able to find you easily.

[And she will - whether Floki responds to that last message or not, she's on her way. She may as well be showy about it too, why not - Ivar had reacted with such awe when he saw what she was capable of. So once she's on the island with the orchard she takes to the air once more, and it certainly does make the man with his boat far easier to see, out there past the trees. The black humanoid speck floats down out of the sky and becomes clearly the same black-eyed woman he saw in the video. She lands a short distance off and waves as she walks toward him. Dramatic, but she doesn't want to take him too much by surprise, as she expects his cooperation will be necessary in the future.]

Floki? I'm Caedra.

[Floki didn't get a chance to even respond to the video message before he realized she was already on her way. He liked that about her, she was keen and very interesting, besides, if she was okay in Ivar's books she must be something special.

He sat there, inside his longboat, a bunch of chopped up wood was gathered beside it, Floki had a plan to move the boat across the logs, like rail tracks or the Viking equivalent- But that was a secret for now and the boat wasn't going out on the sea just yet.

As he waited, Floki became nervous. Meeting new people was always awkward or him, he was a free spirit, one of a kind and a very strange man indeed. Often people took a while to take to him or never fully took to him at all. Hopefully, that would be different today.

After a little while, Floki spotted the female floating above as light as a feather. Needless to say, he was in awe. Stumbling back in his boat a little until his back met with the other side of it. His hands steadied himself and with his mouth agape in amazement, Floki made a sign at his forehead with his index finger and thumb before kissing the knuckles. Uttering something in Norse under his breath.

She was fascinating. Truly she must have been a God herself!? With such abilities, Floki wouldn't believe anything else! Upon her nearing and waving, he found his feet for but a moment managed to clamber over the side of the boat and straight onto his knees before her. Floki bowed his head low and uttered a prayer before turning his head up to meet her eyes. Her obsidian eyes as dark as the dead of night. ]

Cae~dra...

[ He uttered the name slowly, making sure his pronunciation was as she had said it. With his painted eyes still wide, Floki scanned over every detail of her. From the deep olive of her skin to the rich darkness of her hair. She was beautiful. ]

Wh-What... What are you exactly?

[Good, good, that's the sort of reaction she was hoping for. Nothing like a little fear and awe to make a real first impression. Well, that and she certainly catches that appraising look of his. She's used to it. She might even take him up on those desires, if he presses, because she's curious to find out if he's as wild as those eyes suggest.

She smiles, lets his question hang there for a moment as she smooths down her skirt, then looks up at him once more to reply.]

I don't normally make a habit of saying what I am to your kind, but there are several here who not only know but who will shout it on the network and from the rooftops and anywhere they can in some attempt to warn people, so I'll be straightforward. The reason your Christian enemies fear me is because I am what they call a demon.

[ Floki was Viking, his blood ran red hot with passion and wildness unmatched by any other breed of man or beast. They were a free people that believed in celebrating in the flesh to please their Gods. Floki, if he was not too afraid, could easily become besotted by this divine woman.

He hung on her every word, his chest heaving as it raised and fell like her story gave him life. Fear was exciting, she was exciting! And Floki would worship the ground she walked on and set a blaze of fire in her wake to keep those who would think of her as anything but astonishing.

The moment she revealed what she was and what it meant to the filthy Christians, Floki exhaled a sharp sound of shock and excitement. He flung himself back onto the ground! Hands trembling as they touched his face, his neck and chest, just to make sure he was still alive! That's when the fit of laughter started. Eyes closed, running fingers through his tufts of hair before he sighed blissfully and tilted his head to gaze back upon her. ]

A demon? In my tongue, you could be close to a relation of Angrboða or even Sigyn, perhaps one of their spawn. Both beautiful Goddesses who loved my dear Loki so very much. And Christians despise of you? Then, you are truly worthy of my worship, Caedra.

Edited 2018-06-13 01:10 (UTC)

[Well, isn't that quite the display. The smile grows on her face as she watches him writhe with emotion. Ivar had not been quite so overcome, but he ate up her tales of warfare and blood sacrifice with similar ferocity.

Yes, she decides. She likes these vikings quite a lot. Enough where she feels comfortable switching to Abyssal, rather than that abhorrent Common tongue. This place will still translate, but the words, the meanings, are always so much harsher in the ears of others. More beautiful, she thinks.]

I will gladly have your worship. There are few here who have ever shown such appreciation, although many here do fear me. As they should, but - aid me, not them, and you will never have reason to fear me. I will raise up the blood of our enemies for you to drink, and you will never go thirsty.

[ Among all the excitement and fear, Floki secretly listened, watched the environment around them. Not out of distraction or distrust, no. No, he was looking for a sign from his Gods, a sign that told him not to believe or follow this woman's seductive words. Yet, nothing happened? No thunder, no wind or striking beam of light! No caw of crows or hissing of snakes.

This made Floki's smile spread, low and sly like the fox he was likened to. ]

I-

[ Try as he did, Floki was left speechless. His eyes wide as her Abyssal words flooded his ears. His body shivered cold and wet, like the splash of a sea squall. Though he had never heard such a language, he understood every word and oh how her words pleased him so. ]

I will offer a blood sacrifice in your name this eve!

[ Pounding his balled fist to his chest as he rose to his feet. Floki was a Viking after all, he was almost 7 foot when not all bent crooked at the back, o he towered over her form. ]

Your words light fires in my soul! I can feel the heat in my veins. For you, for you, I will build the finest vessel! And at your side, I shall conquer this world and the next until the Valkyrie pulls me from your arms!

[ Spinning on the spot, excited and fierce, his words were dramatic, yes, but that's just Floki for you. The important thing is, that he meant every word of it. ]

[Gosh this one might be her favorite mortal, suddenly. Semiyon is a dear companion, and Law is a real treat in bed, but blood sacrifice! She can't quite make a lot of concrete use of such a thing here, she suspects - who knows how this world works, but her tie to the Abyss is so tenuous with the Door in its way. At the very least, it may help establish a new link between this new world and her home, so that some day the darkness may finally creep through.

She's so shocked and so pleased that she can't help but draw a hand to her face, laughing a little through her fingers, mouth wide and toothy. Oh, Floki. You know how to make a tanar'ri girl very happy. It takes her a moment to even find the words to say to all of this.]

Well. It will be a true honor to accept a sacrifice from a warrior with such passion. Let me make a small request, however, regarding the ship. The one which you shall build for me is to be captained by Trafalgar Law, who you may have spoken to already, or perhaps will be soon. To best serve me, to fight by my side, I ask that you build according to his requests, for he is the one I have chosen to lead us to victory against these false gods when it comes to the challenges of the sea. Fight for me, but build for him.

[Boy, would Law get a kick out of that, she imagines.]

[ Floki was overwhelmed with emotions. This place had tricked him, the false Gods had taken all of Floki's attention and energy- until now. Now that he had found a true God, a true God that wanted his skilled hands.

She wasn't asking for anything undoable but he was slightly ruffled upon learning that his ship would have to be designed a specific way. Floki was a spur of the moment kind of man, this went with his boatbuilding too. He would only use materials he personally picked out and design the hull of the boat in a way that he saw fit. Hopefully, Law's requests wouldn't be too far from Floki's ideas. ]

Then I shall hunt and find a fitting sacrifice. Tonight! When the moon lights the skies, I will spill its blood and pray for our alliance.

Yes, I have spoken with that Captain already, we plan to talk more on boatbuilding, have no fear. I will need to know how many people my ship will be carrying and for how long to sufficiently provide you with the best ship.

[ Sure, Floki he is already fast becoming obsessed with this woman, but he wasn't stupid. Passionate sure, but no fool. Should he find out he was just being used, his fanatical nature taken advantage of, Floki could be a terrible enemy. Still, he smiled, knelt down at her feet and took hold of the sides of her skirt, looking up at her in adoration. ]

My axe is yours to command, as is my heart, my life, Caedra.

[Oh, Caedra will certainly use him, because that's what worshipers are for - but she's elated, at the same time. Truly, genuinely pleased to be the object of his, or anyone's devotion. It certainly offers some new perspective on why the powerful seek out worshipers. Caedra does so love to be adored.

And she also can't resist showing off a little, hoping to firmly cement whatever view he has of her as worthy of this devotion. With a now-calm smile, Caedra reaches down to cradle his head with her left hand, while her right reaches into the air. From the black veins of her wrist pours liquid upward, defying gravity, until it solidifies into the familiar form of her rapier with its elaborate vined hilt weaving a protective cage around her grip. She lays it down flat against his back.]

Then I trust that you will serve me well, and I await your sacrifice.

[ So this must have been the magic she mentioned? The magic that Ivar had admired and wished to learn. He couldn't blame him, she was truly powerful, amazing and Godly. As she cradled his face with a hand, Floki pressed into the touch and sighed. The Vikings Gods were alive, real and could come down from Asgard and touch their worshipers whenever they wanted. The fact that she was doing just that right now, cemented the idea that she was otherworldly completely.

As the weapon was formed with her own blood, Floki's breathing began to labour. Watching her veins open and pour upwards in an almost Brownian motion. Letting out a sharp little-struggled breath, as if he was in shock from the awe. Floki trembled as the weapon was pressed against his back before he pressed a kiss to the palm of the hand that had been holding his head, tipping his head back and letting his eyes roll back to white, trying to absorb her power, her words, her energy. ]

I shall, I shall! Trust Floki!

Hmm, good man.

[Satisfied that he is fully committed to her now, she strokes his head before lowering her hand to her side and reabsorbing her rapier.

She'll let him bask in her glory for a moment, or whatever he's trying to do, but in the meantime she turns to look over his boat. It really is an impressive piece of work, and she strays from his side to run her fingers over the wood, admiring the carving.]

[ Feeling her move away, Floki turns to watch her. Still, on his knees, he shuffles a few feet closer before pulling himself back up and taking a seat upon the chopped logs off to the side. He scratched under his beard, tipping his head aside and watching her touch his boat. ]

She's not finished yet. I can make this one bigger yet, there is still time and wood that calls to me from the silence of the forest.

[ His eyes move from her face and back to the boat a few times. ]

Do you like her? ...

I do.

[She doesn't hesitate to say it. It's impressive work, and even more so that it was made by only one person. And it represents such hope, such relief, really. Maybe she won't have to be trapped here much longer.]

Law and I have been lamenting the fact that seemingly nobody here was able to build a ship that could leave the islands behind. I'm glad your work is so beautiful. I would love to set sail in a craft like this.

[Though she'll leave Law to judge the actual quality of it.]

[ To her words, especially the ones complimenting his work, Floki stood up with a spring to his step, took to her side and offered his hand. ]

Would you like to board her?

[ He would help her inside if she wanted to stand and walk along its deck. Floki would be happy to tell her all of the marvellous things he had already done, yet the way she spoke of Law, he assumed she might not understand or appreciate it as much as him. ]

Give me a few more days, a week at most and she will be worthy of the open seas. If there is a way to escape the Gods here too, she will be the ship that takes us on our journey.

Please.

[She takes the offered hand and hops up onto the ship. She takes a moment to pace up and down it, pleased. No, it's no galleon, it doesn't have multiple decks like the one she rode to Hafeld on, and it looks like it will require a lot more rowing to power it than that one too, with its single sail. No beds, either, which doesn't bother her any, but it must be difficult on the mortals, given their need for sleep.]

So this is the sort of boat you and your people take across the seas to go to war? How long are your usual journeys?

[ Floki follows behind her, curiously watching her face, to try and see if she is truly pleased. Had he known he was going to be building a ship for a Goddess, he would have made it even more beautiful and worthy of her eyes.

Her question pulled him from his staring. Floki wrapped an arm around a huge, sturdy mass right in the middle of the ship. ]

It is but one, of my very own design. See, the hull will larger, deeper and the oars are to be fixed so to help the men. The slates below are not nailed to the bulk of the ship either, they are plated against one another, so they slide in reaction to the waves of the sea. It stops the boat from crashing into larger waves and see how the wood here is as smooth and curved, like a woman's body from the thighs to the back?

[ Floki pointed to the parts of his ship he was talking about. They might not have seemed much to the untrained eye, but every little detail was unique and what truly made his ships the best, the ones all Vikings sort after. ]

We could be gone to sea for weeks, no, even months at a time.

[She certainly seems interested. Pleased, well - it's a lovely boat but she knows so little about what makes for a good vessel that she doesn't know whether to be happy or not. It's clearly very skillfully made, she's just not sure if it really does have what they'll need.

But as he says, and as Ivar had told her before, a craft like this can serve well for a long time. She'll have to see it to believe it.]

Months! We may need it. What is your people's custom, then, for long journeys on a boat like this one? How do you sleep? How do you stay comfortable? Or is it simply not a concern?

[ Floki wandered around his boat. In his mind's eye, he was picturing his friends from home, all taking their favoured spots in the boat. He would be over there, Ragnar at the other end, Thorsten and Björn there and there.

He rubbed his beard and smile a longing smile before snapping out of it and answering her questions. ]

A Viking is comfortable no matter where he is, so long as its out to sea. But for your comfort a sleeping quarter could be back, at the back and below the boat. In the belly of the ship, like the beating heart of a Dragon.

We would talk salted meats, cheese, bread. Mead, water and thickened blood clots mixed with oat. We fish and hunt when we near land, stopping to camp if the land is close. You could live out to sea on a boat a bit bigger than this.

[She nods, as he describes the quarters. She doesn't need them, but as he describes them, they do sound appealing. Being able to get away from the others into some sort of privacy is appreciated, and besides - Floki's people might be tough enough to get by without somewhere to rest, but they won't have that luxury here. Most of these people are soft and unused to months of rowing. She'll gladly work a slave to the bone to get what she needs when they're easy to replace, but here, these people need to be strong, well-rested, and of good morale to get her to her goal.]

Your people sound very impressive. I'm not sure the ones here are so used to that amount of work, and sleeping in the open - but they may have no choice. We'll simply have to pick the best to come along, and they will have to get used to it. You'll need ways to collect water, too, and an appreciation for fish! We may not come near land for a long time.

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