The future

"Thud, thud, thud."

Deep into the afternoon, Floki tirelessly sawed, hammered, and assembled pieces of wood. The long, narrow boat neared completion, its fierce dragon head carved meticulously onto the prow.

If one listened closely, they could hear the occasional giggle escaping Floki's lips, a testament to his joy.

However, one crucial element was still missing: the anchor. While Floki excelled as a boat builder, he had never ventured into the craft of blacksmithing. So, he descended the mountain in search of his friend Ragnar.

As Floki made his way down, he overheard voices and quickly hid behind a tree. There, he spotted Ragnar and his son Bjorn, looking just like their TV show counterparts. Although Floki had only watched the early series, the thrill of seeing fictional characters come to life was unmistakable.

Donning a mask, Floki jumped out from behind the tree, laughing heartily.

"Bjorn, meet Floki," Ragnar introduced.

"Ah, yes, Bjorn, I see you have your father's eyes, unfortunately," Floki remarked with an air of seriousness.

"Why 'unfortunately'?" Ragnar asked, perplexed.

"It means he'll be like you, and he'll want to do better than you, and you'll hate him for it," Floki cheekily quipped as he backed away, feigning fear from a stick.

"How can you tell all that from my face?" Bjorn inquired innocently.

"People are like trees; I can tell the best tree to use just by looking at it, after working on them for six d-decades," Floki stammered, realizing his mistake toward the end.

"Six decades?" Ragnar questioned. "You're only 32, my friend."

"Oh, yes, my mistake," Floki laughed again and led them both up the mountain toward his shack.

Upon arrival, Ragnar grinned, gazing at the magnificent longboat.

"You did it," he praised.

"Of course, Ragnar. I'd do anything for you," Floki replied. He paused briefly and added, "Though we are missing the anchor."

Ragnar nodded, promising to obtain one from the blacksmith.

'The look in his eyes tells me it will be difficult.'Floki mused to himself, as he sat down inside his shack.

With a moment to think, Floki began contemplating all the inventions he could bring from the future.

First, a compass. While Ragnar's sunstone worked well, in his future kingdom a compass would be more suitable for trade.

Secondly, an aqueduct. The thought of diseases spreading in a typical city in this age made Floki nervous. His faith in the gods remained steadfast, but his newfound knowledge compelled him to take fate into his own hands.

And most importantly, paper. Although simple cloth parchment wouldn't be as advanced as future paper, it would serve as an invaluable tool for messaging and recording history accurately, unlike Vikings had done in his last life.

The first project on his list: a compass, a simple invention that would guide the Vikings to England.