Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Reidar saw a woman crawling to the ground in front of the entrance to a hut and rushed towards her, calling his companions.

"Karl! There is a wounded woman, she needs help!"

"It's too late for me now" the woman said, showing Reidar a huge cut in her stomach.

"That way..." whispered the woman, in a voice so low that Reidar had to approach her mouth to hear.

When Karl lowered himself towards her, there was nothing left to do.

"She said to look that way" Reidar told his teammates, pointing to a nearby hut that had remained more or less intact.

Dag approached the door slowly, trying to hear the noises coming from inside, nodding to his companions with his hand, to keep them silent.

"Shhh! Silence! The bandits are still here!"

It was a female voice.

"Don't be afraid! The bandits are gone. We are warriors of the Hammers Of Thor Clan. It's all over" Dag said aloud, so everyone could hear him.

Then he quickly opened the door, stepping back.

When the three companions looked inside the hut, a group of about 20 people huddled on the floor looked at them with terrified eyes.

4 women, 2 old men, and many children.

"Did you kill all the bandits?" a woman asked, clutching a newborn baby on her chest.

"Some of them managed to escape. But you're safe, don't worry" Dag replied, entering the hut to reassure survivors.

After everyone calmed down, they came out of their hiding place to thank Dag and his companions.

Karl said some of them had been slightly injured in the rush.

"Thank you... thank you very much! Where are you from? I've never seen warriors like you around here" said one woman.

"Are you from Hevnen?" asked an elderly gentleman.

"No, we come from much farther. From Mount Torden to be exact, near Jernhest" Reidar said.

"To the Gods! You traveled a lot then! You will be exhausted!" said one woman, who walked inside the hut.

"And what brings you here to the Kvete region?" the old man asked again.

"We are explorers of our Clan and we are headed to the village of Tyven" Dag said.

"I don't understand what can ever lead young and strong warriors like you to such an insignificant village, but... I'm going to avoid asking for more questions. This old man thanks you for saving his people, or at least a part of them" the man continued, showing his gratitude.

"Jernhest warriors! Come in!" said the woman who had entered the hut towards Dag and the others.

Without having it repeated twice, they pandered to it.

Within minutes, the woman, helped by another young woman and children, had set up a whole table of delicious hot dishes.

"Unfortunately, we don't have much to offer you. I'd be glad if you accepted this meal as a thank you for saving us!" she continued, bowing her head toward the three adventurers, out of respect.

The young woman and the children did the same.

"We thank you infinitely for your kindness. We welcome your gift, provided that you eat with us!" replied Dag, smiling.

Meanwhile, Karl stared at the young girl next to the lady.

She had two large blue eyes, and blonde hair sticking out of the fabric hat she was wearing.

When she looked back, Karl looked elsewhere, intimidated.

When everyone sat around the table, a serene air was breathed, despite the tragic event that had struck that village of humble peasants, visible just outside the door.

Karl and the young girl kept watching each other as they ate.

"What is the quickest way to get to Tyven? From here you can't even see the coast and we know that the village is right there, to the north" Dag asked, trying to get information useful for his purposes.

The other elderly man stroked his long beard and replied: "It may seem distant, but actually, the coast is only a few hours away from here. There are hills after this village... immediately after there is the sea".

"I believe that with your steeds, you will arrive at your destination in less than two days" said the other old man.

Dag looked at him in amazement.

"Yes, we saw you coming, just before we hid in here" he continued.

As Karl continued to watch the girl sitting at the table in front of him, Dag noticed the exchange of glances between the two.

"Karl, why don't you go take a look at the horses out here?" he said, winking at Karl as if he wanted to help him approach the young woman.

"Of course, Dag. I'm going right away" Karl said with a smile, as he got up from the table and walked out the door, looking behind him, to make sure the girl followed his movements.

As Dag and Reidar continued to talk to the peasants, Dag saw the girl get up, whisper something in the adult woman's ear, and walk out the door.

Then the woman looked at Dag, smiling.

Dag smiled again, real posing that the woman, who may have been the girl's mother, had approved of what was about to happen.

"What do you know about Vegard, the blacksmith?" asked Dag to the two men, who as soon as they heard that name, stopped drinking and eating.

"Many great warriors have ventured into our region in search of this blacksmith, but no one has ever been able to find him" said one.

"Legends tells that every time the Blacksmith forges a new weapon, a famine strikes our lands. The Gods punish Kvete's lands because of him" added the other.

"Do you believe it or not? To be scared at the idea of divine punishment, does that mean you think Vegard really exists, right?" replied Dag.

The two old men looked into each other's eyes.

One of them sighed: "None of us have ever met him. We have experienced several famines in recent years and we don't want it to happen again. Please don't go looking for him".