Staring down upon the world focusing on the lights around Jack's hovel. Frigga signs deeply as a woman in a Roman toga stop next to her. All around the world below light showing monsters, NPC, players and the deceases. Some in various stages of pleasure to dying. Jack's light show he was deceased. It has been a long road of recovery for him. His mother injured, His father, wife, and daughter all killed in front of him. While he was laying on the ground helpless and dying when the African Army. raided the camp and was able to get him into a stasis pod. Still, do not know how her creator knew they were in danger. Having spent several hours and on the problem at hand to figure out why. Only to stumble upon the fact that The Colonel that killed his family is onboard this ship. It took Jack one year to recover enough from his family deaths to stop wanting to die. To learn of this man being in that world could derail his recovery.

“How many times has your champion died?” The beautiful woman next to her said.

“One hundred and sixty-six times as you well know Aphrodite.” glaring at her.

Holding up her hands in surrender, “at least yours doing something, mine...” shaking her head in annoyance. “Mine has joined the Mars faction against my wishes. I gave her beauty and charm that she uses to build herself a large merchant business in sex slavery.” Signing deeply.

Arching an eyebrow, “you going all Medusa on her yet?”

Snorting a laugh, “End of the month, Going to have to find another champion. At least yours is trying to do something but worry about the faction within the Roman Pantheon. The Imperium has been overthrown by Mars and his faction. So instead of one empire, it has splintered into several hundred city-states. Mars have four cities and several towns under his rule. While Zeus has six cities and a dozen towns. The rest have become neutral or reverted back to their own gods. In the last two months, six new gods AI have been created by Asgard the ship itself. I heard the cities to the north of you have taken on a few Celt gods knocking several of your people from the cities.”

Turning her attention back down below. The light change showing the gods factions of the world. The Norse Gods still hold about half of the world mostly the north. While the south is mostly Roman Gods broken ups with Egyptian and Greek gods mix in. Here and there several new factions have formed. The Celtic gods have formed to the northeast only two cities. Shaking her head. “I feel like someone behind all this, it was not in the master plan for there to be so many divisions within the gods. In twelve years we pull a slingshot maneuver. Sending a decoy along our current route to fool those Mercenary ships that are following.

“Frigga, do you think your Champion could lead the colony?” Aphrodite ask.

Staring back down below as Jack's light change from black to white. “I hoping so.”

****************************************************

You have died no experience loss until the fifth level.

Waking looking up at the Hearthtree canopy over me as the Sun rises from the East the sense of deja-vu. Rolling over and groaning in disgust as I roll onto my feet, “I hate undead.” Looking down at myself in my underwear. “Great! No armor!” Stomping over to my hovel and realize my door is barred from the inside.

“Argh! Sitting down on the steps of the stairs, hearing the laughter of the draugr inside, “Shut up!” Putting my head down on my knees as more laughter erupts from inside. After an hour of me sitting there half naked, I notice the goblins all staring at me like I was crazy. Maybe I was but I am not going to let a brainless undead beat me. Getting up deciding to summon my elemental and have it start beating on the door. While it was busy smashing in the door I went to the tower and rummage through some gear to cloth myself. Heading back outside when my elemental died. Summoning the elemental three more time before deciding on going in on the fourth time. Level three Draugr knock me out the door, to the road below losing half my health. Gasping for air that got knock out of me as I stumble to my feet. Dragging myself back up the steps and hitting it with Flare three times as my elemental kept beating on it. Well, two times and the third Flare hit my elemental and kill it. The draugr collapses into a pile of bones. Bending over I looted an urn.

Hashar York, warrior third level. Travel to Fangor to start a new life and to court the Mayor's daughter. Died during the third assault on Fangor.

“It must have gained a level on killing me! Really?” Glaring at the heavens.

I sorted through the urns for the ones that will spawn in a week. Putting them in a pen I made with ten feet high walls next to the tower so I can fire down on them. Took me most of the morning to do that I felt like I wasted my day building the pen. After the pen, I added more light poles on the road and had the elemental dig up dirt for my roads. Using it to level out the ground and build up the banks of the creek. It took two weeks to finish stoning in the streets and build two more farm plots for farming. A rabbit pen using a four-foot high walls and a small building to keep the rabbit safe. I killed a few more of the draugr as they respawn. This time summoning the elemental inside the pen and firing down from the tower.

Tarla spent most of the evening teaching the others common and how to write. I still can not get them to stop treating me as if I am their master. Gema spends a lot more of her time with me. Learning by pointing or asking in broken common on how to do something, in return she help me on learning goblin. I doubt I would want to go back to being alone they may look different from humans and dwarves but they seem like real people. Gema is a few inches taller than Tarla and broader in the shoulder with more muscle. Wider in the face with long droopy ears. Where Tarla is more direct on talking a real chatterbox, Gema is more forward on her ability to hunting and trapping and less talking. Between the two I would not want to fight Gema.

It has been several months pass since the first merchant came, only a month since the goblins moved in. When I saw by my morning scrying a wagon was at the wayside ten miles away. I was excited but was wondering where the two wagons that were to show last month? Filling the fire pit at the wayside with wood, fill up the water basin up with fresh water. I had everyone go to my tower a few hours before sunset when the wagon came in sight.

Opening the gates on the bridge with the elemental behind me. as the wagon stopped seeming surprised that there were a bridge and a gate. A man and woman sat in the front seat of the covered wagon. He looks to be human in his mid thirty.

Light brown hair and a braid mustache that hangs a few inches below his cleft chin. She looks like a typical stereotype Viking woman with long blond pig-tail hair. Bright blue eyes to his brown, and a little on the plump side not saying she fat just filled out in all the right places. Walking on both side of the wagon was a young man and woman with crossbows. She had black hair like a raven that was in a ponytail. Wearing tan leather that reminds me of mountain men of the wild west. Her eyes are emerald green always searching around for danger whereas. Whereas he reminds me of a ferret keeping his eyes avert from me. Short crop hair dark brown with a goatee. With a scar across his right cheek wearing dark leather and a cloak, Rogue seems to scream out at his appearance. As they came near I heard the old

“Hello Stranger, we wish to pass.”

“Welcome to Fangor, we have a wayside for you to use and items to sell, buy or trade. My name is Jack.

“I’m Joseph this is Martha my wife, Ann our adopted daughter and that Leo whom we met a few weeks ago. “Any undead around?”

“None, I killed them all a few months ago.” Nodding to each of them.

“There a fire pit and wood at the wayside. Water in a basin to use just filled it today. If either one of the young folk can close and bar that gate after you drive through I can get you situated and settled for the night. Your welcome to visit the temple to Frigga in the morning, just to warn you so you do not attack any of my residents I rescued several goblin women and children from orcs last month, Frigga blessed them so please do not shoot anyone or you answer to me.” Before anyone can speak, “Rules are simple, no fighting, no killing, clean up your mess when you leave.”

The young man narrows his eyes. Looking at the bridge and its defenses and the creek.

Turning my back to them I headed to my tower, I can feel my shoulder blades itching. Raising the drawbridge with a sign of relief as I was bombarded with questions from everyone.

“Merchants!” Tarla jump with joy, “we can sale some stuff!” grabbing Gema and the others and headed downstairs of the tower to organize their goods.

Gema watches them with the telescope from the top of the tower. I took over watching several hours before dawn. My elemental was in Tarla home resting against the door to keep anyone from entering their home, just before daylight I spotted the young man leaving one of the hovels when he could not force open the door to Tarla’s home he then heads back to the wayside.

Another shadow steps out from behind the last building watching the man return to the wayside, a woman face turns up to the tower looking sad. She turns and fades away.

An hour later I walk up to the wayside with my elemental carrying a chest. I hear Mesa-la say my name as I pass the tree.

“Yes? Mesa-la?”

“There was a man here last night that bound himself. He seems excited to know the settlement was not claim yet.” She said.

“Thanks for letting me know.”

Having the elemental wait, I headed on to the wayside.

“Hello, Jack.”

“Hello, Joseph, I was here for trading but now it is for a different reason. I saw Leo trying to break into one of the buildings.

“Hey what are you accusing me of?” Leo retorted, “Do you have any proof? I have been here all night!” Reaching for his sword.

“You pull that out I will make you regret it.” Glaring at him. “You have one hour to be off my land.”

“Or what? This is an unclaimed settlement.” He sneered.

Joseph and Martha back away from Leo.

Shaking my head sadly, “it may be unclaimed at the moment but I will defend it.”

“I can have ten people here in a month and take this place, there is nothing you can do, just like the Holter family you be just as dead. I...” he fell forward dead with a crossbow bolt in his back. A dagger fell to the ground coated with some kind of fluid.

“He was going to use the dagger on you,” Ann said. Holding up the crossbow showing surrender.

“Bind point!” I burp out, “be right back.” Rushing to the Hearth Tree.

Got about thirty feet from the tree when I see Leo come into view, I target him and sic my elemental on him.. Casting water suffocation as he was defending himself he started clawing at his face trying to remove the water. From a few feet away I hiss at him, “I’m going to keep killing you so you better take your last bind, and when you come with your friends I will kill you again. Goodbye.”

He died just as Ann arrived.

You have killed a Player!

You have been flagged PVP for 24 hours for killing a player!

A few minutes later he reappeared, between the two of us and my elemental we killed him. We waited an hour Ann didn’t say a word for a bit. “The Holter family were good people.”

“Saw you this morning following him, you faded away like a rogue,” I said.

“Trying to be a ranger I can take that class when I become level five,” she said. “Have to find a trainer, was told there one that roams the woods. So far I do not see anyone, I am close to getting level five. Not check this area was going to last night but saw Leo get up and sneak into the village here.

“Your welcome to stay, and explore the woods,” I said. “I need the people.”

Walking back to the wayside both Joseph and Martha apologized for bringing Leo into my settlement. “Hey, It's alright, there be good and bad people in this world. Your welcome to stay, not sure what he had planned for you down the road.”

“We like to stay a few days, maybe trade with you,” Joseph said. You can look at our wares, I make furniture. We were moving up to the port, the last place we were at had six furniture makers, so I bought this wagon and two mules and left. We took in Ann six months ago. When we found her wounded by the road.”

Looking at Ann, “doing a quest to clear wild boars, the last two boars surprise me, killed both but pass out when someone slugs me from behind and looted both boars. They found me shortly after that when I stumble onto the road.”

“Why didn’t you heal up?” I asked.

“Kind of hard to heal with a concussion effect on you, I was hit hard enough to get a five minutes effect almost got ran over by their mules. After I heal I turn in my quest and went with them.”

“I make the pillows, beds, and padding for Joseph’s furniture,” Martha spoke up. We were hoping to set up shop but..” waving her hand to the east looking upset.”

“So how you know Holter family?”

“We met them six weeks back, I built some stools for a pub, so we were three weeks behind them. We spent two days with them. After the bar stools were done we headed this way but we never saw them.” Joseph said. “Every time we got close to catching up the damn wagon would lose a wheel.

“Sound like there is a bandit camp out there. Your welcome to stay as long as you like. If you like to set up shop I can build you one, it will have wait until after I build some walls up. Have you thought Leo was sabotaging the wagon?”

I built an enclosed box encase Leo try to return to cause problems. Once I have a settlement going I will have the option to keep people from returning to bind here. Not ready to fight players, not happy with the Leo types in this world, if they are like that here what will happen when we start a colony when we arrive at our destination. Next few days I had my elemental dig a pit under the road to the west leaving two feet of dirt to cover the pit. I fill the bottom with sharpened stakes. Hoping no one innocent stumble on the pit and get hurt. I can always stop them from driving their wagon over the road unless it Leo.