Eirik spent the next 6 hours in the training room to burn off some energy and get tired. He would go to sleep at the 14-hour mark, giving him a solid 6 hours of preparation time before they landed, after a healthy 8 hours of sleep. "Well, 6 hours if Freja is not busy with her business," He thought as he ran on the treadmill.'

Freja had "opened" an unofficial and unregistered organization of assassins, much in the same way Eirik had made his mercenary company, to begin with. The main difference was personalized training from start to finish, making each fully trained operative a costly and lengthy affair, but this also made them the best at what they did. No one was safe once they were target-locked. But this work also took a very large amount of her time.

Eirik was fine with it. If it gave her a sense of fulfillment then that was good enough.

When the time came to go to sleep, Eirik was slightly annoyed. He was exhausted but not tired and had trouble falling asleep. Tossing and turning he eventually gave up and got up to go for a walk around the ship. As he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his feet got tangled in the blanket and he fell out of the bed. The last thing he saw before everything went black was the nightstand next to his bed, rapidly approaching his face.

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He slowly woke up, feeling strangely well-rested. His hand flew up to his forehead, but he felt no injury. Sitting up, he looked around and found himself in the shade of a forest, a campfire burning an arms-length away. Slowly rising from the ground, he suddenly felt like he was being watched. A second later he threw himself to the side, an arrow whistling past where his arm had just been.

"You still have the hunter's perception. Wonderful!" A man came out of the forest. He looked to be slightly younger than middle-aged, his clothes were plain, made from leather. His beard was thick and trimmed short. In his hand he held a bow and on his back was a shield and a set of skiis.

Only one of the gods would carry those Items. "There are easier ways to test that, Ull," Eirik said as he got up and brushed himself off. He noticed he was wearing his regular outfit from back home. Cargo pants and leather jacket pulled over the black military uniform of his Empire, complete with combat boots.

"dǫnsk tunga" Ull said with the slightest hint of disappointment. "Saga neglected to tell me you were of the Danes. How disappointing..."

"What, you thought I was a Swede?? Ew" Eirik couldn't help himself. The ancient rivalry between Denmark and Sweden had never flared up again, instead of remaining the good-natured teasing you would normally see between brothers, as it had been since 1809 when the last true war had been fought between them. But 400 years of collective warfare between the 2 countries made for an interesting culture of love and hate. They hated to love each other and loved to hate each other.

Ull started chortling with laughter at Eirik's response. "But every bit the personality she said you would be! I am happy I took her advice and brought you here to talk!"

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"Talk about what? You are the god of skiing, shields, the bow, and..." Eirik trailed off as he remembered the last responsibility of Ull.

"The hunt!" Ull finished the sentence for him, an almost manic look on his face. "You are hunting Eirik, and hunting effectively. Moving fast, finding clues, through brute force if subtlety fails. Once you have your target in sight, you hunt to completion. You do not let your mark suffer and wither. You finish it fast, as it should be done. You also stand your ground." Ull gestured to Eirik's leg that still bore the scars of his encounter with the wolverine

"But we will not speak long of that. Mostly, I want to talk about your little Empire." Ull's face became serious and he sat down on a log near the fire. Eirik followed suit and sat across from Ull.

"What about it? And why would the god of the hun talk to me about that?" Eirik was puzzled, something in the back of his mind screaming to be heard but he could not remember what it was.

"Do not forget I had to fill in for Odin for 10 years, mortal!" Ull roared But Eirik didn't flinch.

"I remember that Odin all but banished you here, to Ydale, in spite, over you having been the one to take over," Eirik said calmly.

With a small sigh, Ull threw a stick into the fire. "As much as I enjoy living here, I miss the feasts" Ull unstrung his bow and started rubbing oil into the wood to keep it flexible. "As for your little Empire, Eirik the Bloodcrazed, You would do well to remember a few things. First, the happiness of the people is a reflection of your skills as their leader

Second, Always keep enough gold in your coffers to carry your people through hard times. You are their lord. They are your responsibility. Third, Be firm with your neighbors, but never insult them. Invite their leaders on visits, treat them to the best of your abilities, and bestow gifts upon them. The goodwill of a neighbor is worth its weight in gold countless times over. Fourth, surround yourself with well-educated advisors. Make sure they are not too ambitious, otherwise, they will try to undermine you.

And finally, try not to get assassinated. Though, that should not be an issue, since you are paired with one of the best" Ull chuckled again

"She is among the best?? That should make her happy to know.." Eirik mused. "But that is sound advice I shall take to heart. I have a question though. Why do you name me *Bloodcrazed*? "

Eirik's question made Ull stare at him like he had killed a puppy in front of him. "You are not serious, are you Eirik?"

"I am!" Eirik retorted, slightly annoyed

"Eirik, you have killed more people alone than some entire armies of old! The amount of death you have dealt in your life would have been considered borderline apocalyptic in the old days you yearn for so much. And don't deny it, why else would you equip your men with a modern version of the same weapons!" Ull exclaimed, gesturing wildly as he spoke.

"That was mostly modern weapons. Most of them did not fall directly under my hand." Eirik defended himself.

"A weapon is merely a tool Eirik. Just like the bow is a tool for the hunter. It takes will and dedication to use it for its intended purpose. With an axe, bow, or gun, a kill is a kill. Your name is earned by your actions, and your actions clearly show a dedication to fighting. That you are good at it is just to your advantage. So keep it up, Eirik the Bloodcrazed! I would like to go hunting with you soon!" With that, he tapped Eirik on the shoulder and Eirik felt the sense of freezing and burning again.

"WAIT!" Eirik yelled, "What about my current hunt?"

"Oh, yes. Your prey is an old wolf, Eirik. It has learned many tricks and gathered a large pack. The predator you see is not the one you should worry about!" Ull said as Eirik vanished from the realm of the gods"

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Eirik slowly woke up, his head pounding and his body sore. He could hear someone else in the room and spoke "How long was I out?"