Night 1

     As Ra prepared to once more repel Apophis, great serpent of the night and chaos, he screamed at the deckhands, “If you’re not in it for the glory, why take the job!”  Ra is a bright and commanding presence, impossible to ignore at nearly 8 cubits tall.  He laughed hysterically as he conjured a massive scimitar to his right hand, and to his left, a scepter taller that he is.  The sun behind us, carried by Ra’s barge, was supposed to be the source of light, but I am sure that the shadows fluttering on the deck right then were not from the sun, but from the power of Ra and Apophis, already in a battle of sorts before the first blow is even struck.

     Apophis struck first, as always.  Restraint is not exactly something the ancient thing understands.  Ra easily avoided one of the many heads of the serpent.  The deckhands were not so lucky.  Two are consumed instantly by the night.  Several are tossed over the railing of the barge, screams becoming more distant as they fall toward the body of the serpent, the infinite black of the antithesis of creation.  After making it all the way to the afterlife, they will be undone.  I am doing what I always do during the night.  Hiding and waiting.

     We are the ‘worthy dead’, and this is our ‘reward’ for a life in service to the gods.  I applied for this position through my status as a noble and devoted servant of Ra, as we all are.  I wondered what it meant when Anubis gave me that grin (or whatever a jackal can do.  I think it is just more like the baring of teeth, or a snarl.  But I didn’t like it).  I think I know what the grin was about now. 

     Like always, this battle will go on all night.  Wait, that's not right. The battle IS the entirety of night as well as the concept of it, so I have to think of it as just how long it takes for Ra to beat Apophis and then we can pull the sun back out.  Yeah, I guess that works. Wait, but is that not just the same as night and day?  Whatever,  it’s not like time matters anymore.  I hated it there.  My thoughts were rudely and suddenly interrupted by the triumphant yelling of Ra.

     “Yar! A new record!  At this rate my plan to create solstices will come around in mere cycles.”

     I came out from under the staircase to the upper deck to congratulate him.  He is really tall, though, so it would have been difficult to look him in the eye even if you could.  The golden eyes of the hawk’s head perched on his massive human body burn with the same light of the sun we drag across the sky behind us.  To meet his eyes directly would cause the same sort of damage as if attempting to look at the sun through a magnifying lense.  I could not bring myself to resent or hate him, but nonetheless, his very presence means danger for the noble dead, so making friends also isn’t a good option.

     He addressed me first, “Ah, Nkosi, I have not been seeing you in the fray these past nights.  I expect better from someone of your reputation.”  I should have known the light of Ra would see everything.  I was on his ship, after all.

     “In fact,” Ra continued, “I expect better from you all.  Worthy dead‽ Ha, you’re all the cowards of the soft noble class of the weakening society I left behind so long ago in Egypt.  Even Nkosi, one of the only real warriors amongst you, who lived and died by the scimitar, has carried none of the spirit of life into his death.  I’ve communed with powers different than my own.  Soon, some of you miserable lot will be unneeded.” 

     I didn't know what that meant at the time, obviously.  By the following night, I had a pretty good idea.

     This is because during the fight that night, I was witness to Eluf and Yærrick, who were, well, you know.  NOT Egyptian.  How did they get here?  I wasn’t sure.  Who were they in life?  Who knows?  I didn’t know what to call vikings at the time.  Eluf was tall.  Not as tall as Ra, but he towered over most of the Egyptian noble dead.  Ra only introduced them as part of the new wave of reinforcements who would be coming from various other afterlives to assist him in his glorious fight against the dark.  He had a beard, not long, but thick, and was heavy along with his tall build.  He looked as stout as the mast in the center of the barge, and that is without considering the massive double edged axe he carried on his back.

     The fight continued that night, but not as normal.  Eluf and Yærrick are with us, and we have been ordered to stand our ground against Apophis.  Apparently we must earn our keep.  At least that’s what Ra said.  

Night 2

     Apophis struck first, like always.  The screams of those making the descent into the void dissipate quickly, but it seems like they linger, maybe just in the mind.  Either way, you don't tend to easily forget the sound.  So I’m there, with the two handed scimitar I wielded in life, fearing death for the second time, when I hear Eluf roaring in some foreign tongue, flinging what could only be a stout mix of the names of gods fused with various curses.  With his axe held high, he deftly rolled to avoid the tendril of the god of the night, and with all his might, he struck a blow.  Did the strike do a lot?  Not really.  But then again, technically, even Ra doesn't ever do much to hurt it, just slap it around enough so that it decides we aren’t worth the time.  So it must have been the thought that counted.  That he would dare strike at all.

     Either way, Apophis takes notice of this new ‘threat’, if it can be called that.  The body of Apophis is not completely corporeal, so fighting him is...  Odd?  Eluf sort of just, takes flight, and is enveloped in a crashing wave of the dark.  That was fast.  I heard Yærrick yelling as I waded through the fray, seeking any place the darkness would have trouble reaching.  Close to Ra, but not too close.

     Ra, seemingly impressed by the vigor of Eluf, finished the fight early yet again that night.  The mad god is really going to change the amount of time in a day.  But that’s not all.  Eluf didn’t die that night. Yærrick tied himself to the mast and dove off the ship after Eluf; however, he still did not manage to survive unharmed.  The best way to explain it is that he just wasn’t all the way there.  Literally, some of him was missing.  At first, I thought it was the light from the Sun and Ra, but that wasn’t it.  Light was simply shining through Eluf at odd angles.  He seemed to flicker a bit, as if the serpent god of unmaking were threatening to finish him at any moment.

     It was in that moment, some semblance of a plan began to form in my mind.  If he can get here.  I can get out.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

     The crew had anchored the sun, and we were halfway through dragging it across the sky, when I spotted Anubis skulking about.  I managed to corner the jackal.

     “How do I get off this cursed boat,” I demanded.

     To my suprise, Anubis responded easily, “As long as you meet the requirements and fill out the necessary forms,  I can have you off by tomorrow.  We recently established a partnership with another top flight afterlife program, and Eluf and Yærrick were only the first to transfer.”

     “Where are they from,” I asked.

     “Ah, some place called Valhalla.”

     “Why did they request a transfer?”

     Anubis conjured a tablet and began to look it over.  “It says here… Eluf.  Reason for transfer: bored, tired, looking for adventure.  And the same for Yaerrick.  I’m pretty sure they were a package deal.”  Anubis dumped the papyrus on me and was just gone.  Said he’d be back in a few hours with the latest transfer.

     I had to get to work on this paperwork.  The requirements page is actually pretty short and simple.  I think I got a bit lucky though.

1. Do you believe in the might and wisdom of Odin, and his son, Thor?

1. Yeah, anything goes when you live on a boat with a bird god dragging around the sun.  

2. Did you die in combat while holding your weapon? (Explain in detail)

1. Yes, I died from an arrow wound towards the end of a melee after I was removed from my chariot.  More technically, I drowned in my own blood after the damage from the chariot tumble added onto the already serious hole the arrow had put in my chest.  Pulling the arrow out wasn’t the best idea.

     The other pages were just NDAs, waivers, and other legal affairs I just had to put my glyph on.  There was also a page for where I wanted to transfer to, but there was only one available option.

Agreement of Non-Disclosure:

I, ______________ , hereby declare that, under penalty of Hel (and various other gods of evil and end), that I shall not disclose any information concerning the methodology of the passing from one’s designated afterlife to the afterlife of another.

Waiver of Liability:

Additionally, I, ______________ , hereby waive all liability from any and all deities concerned with the passing and/or of life to/from the world of the living to the world of the dead/alternate afterlife.  Furthermore, it is not the concern nor the responsibility of the passage deities in the event I am:

1. Cursed by a creature of the depths in passage

2. Fragmented by the rift

3. Desecrated by an angry spirit

4. Lost in transit

Transfer Confirmation Check:

[Valhalla]_________

[Elysium] (Pending)

Niflheim (Pending)

Purgatory (Pending)

Tartarus (Pending)

[Heaven] (Pending)

*note, some options are premium afterlives (denoted by [])and could have different as well as additional fulfillment requirements in order for a transfer request to be honored*

     I wasn’t too scared during the battle where I lost my life, but unfortunately, I died.  Looking back, it wasn’t worth it for this.  The warrior life isn’t for me anymore, so anywhere other than that boat sounds like a personal palace on the Nile.  I could really use something boring.  I heard Eluf talking about mead and a great hall somewhere. What’s that about?

     Anyways, Anubis came back before that night, like he said, and he’s got with him a seven cubit tall woman with wings!  This is the transfer‽

     “Hey, Anubis,” I whispered just out of her earshot. “Who and what is that?”

     “Oh, you mean Sif.  Yeah, she’s another out of Valhalla.  She’s a Valkyrie, and she’s here to help out Ra with his solstice project… You finish that transfer request paperwork.”

     “Yeah, I got it right here.”  As I hand over the papyrus to Anubis, I think he smiles again, or whatever he does.  He seems to be playing something, and he is definitely letting me do this easier than I should be able to.  And the vikings types are kind of crazy, but hey, the afterlife doesn’t sound like a bad place.  Anything is better than there.

Night 3

     Apophis struck first.  That night was different yet again.  We stood out, open on the deck, a display of couregous (or stupid) defiance against the dark.  Men soared.  Men were devoured.  It was chaos.  The serpent itself was chaos.  It had conjured more of itself for this fight.  It was immediately clear that on that night, there would be nowhere to hide.  I flexed my shoulders, felt the weight of the scimitar in my hand, the one that served me in life, and prayed it would do the same in the face of a second death.  Avoiding an attack from the serpent is not like a normal attack.  You don't see an object.  Everything just gets dark, and you know that you have been briefly selected for a free trial of UnmakingTM.  I rolled right.  Once you break line of sight from the dark, you can ‘see’ it in a sense, or rather, you can see where it was, or maybe where it isn't?  Doesn't matter, the point is, I could hit it with a blade, and so I did, ignoring what I saw after Eluf struck the beast.  That was a potentially fatal mistake.  Darkness began to consume my vision as fast as I could avoid it.  Over half my vision consisted of slim, dancing shadows, each one a razor sharp needle whose only purpose is the undoing of what is done.

     Suddenly, my vision was bright again.  I expected only to see Ra, but I saw Sif, the Valkyrie, flanked by Eluf and Yærrick.  Sif not only could hold her own, clearly, she could play a part in driving Apophis back.  What is this wondrous power of strength and determination your people wield?

     We formed a unit, and I fought against the night for the first and the last time.  I avoided my unmaking for another countless night, but as Ra struck the final blow that night, I knew things would be different for me.  I had a way out, and would no longer have to face the terrifying darkness, powerless for the duration, existing as the entertainment and casual motivation of Ra.  I would never meet the fate of my comrades, who had not only suffered death once, but twice.

******

     As I finished up the story of my life, or rather, my death, or afterlife, I stretched and looked around the great hall of Valhalla.  It’s a nice place.  Lots of friendly people, plenty of drinks, food, and even the valkyries aren’t so scary once you get to know them.

     I was interrupted by the deafening sound of a horn.  I was speaking with one of the more decently dressed vikings.  He had a wild look in his eyes.

     “What was that,” I asked.

     “That was the Gjallarhorn.  Ragnarök is here.”