Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Just then, from the hut behind them, they all came out.

One of the old men said something to his people, pointing to the corpses that were still on the ground. They were probably organizing to bury them.

Then he approached Dag, who put a hand on the man's shoulder and together they walked away to speak, on the sidelines.

"We spotted a man on horseback. He was spying on us from the top of that hill. We think he could be one of the bandits who managed to escape" Dag said.

The old man looked at him with a worried expression, without saying anything, as if waiting for words of comfort to come out of Dag's mouth, which sighed before continuing.

"Perhaps it would be better to try to pinpoint the origin of the bandit raids that periodically come to plunder your village. I think as soon as the darkness falls, we're going to get out of them" he continued.

The old man's eyes lit up with hope.

"Son, I don't know you, nor do I know your friends. But you've already managed to save us once... If you could eliminate the scourge that has plagued us for months, we would be grateful for it for the rest of our lives. I will sing your names until I'll have breath in my lungs and everyone will know the strength and goodness of Dag of Jernhest, the liberator" he said.

Dag smiled. The man's words were sincere, he could read it in his eyes.

"If I had the necessary strength, I would have come with you and killed those bastards, to the last. All the young men among us died, the bandits killed them first, thus eliminating the defenses of our small village. I don't know how many are and where they are established, but I think it's not far from here, judging by the frequency of the latest attacks" the old man continued.

"Kjetil".

A female voice interrupted the conversation.

Dag and the old man turned around: Agnes was behind them and Karl was next to her.

"Dag, I think Agnes has some information that might come in handy" he said.

"Tell me, Agnes. I'm listening" Dag replied.

"I heard the bandits talk to each other once. I hid inside a closet in my house and they came in. Fortunately, they could not find me, but I was able to listen carefully to their words. They talked about someone called 'Kjetil', saying that the women in our village were too old and ugly to satisfy him" she said, shyly.

"Are you saying their boss is looking for a young woman to satiate his sexual appetites?" asked Dag.

Reidar, too, approached to listen to the conversation, which was no longer private.

"Yes, I think so. They talked about how displeased he was and the punishment they would receive by not bringing to their boss what he had specifically asked for. That time I thought I'd turn myself over to them, thus avoiding further bloodshed... but I couldn't... I didn't have the courage!" the young woman continued, resting her hands on her face and beginning to cry.

Karl hugged her, trying to console her and looked at Dag.

He nodded with determination.

"Tonight we will go up the hill and identify their settlement. We need to know how many they are and what types of weapons they use. Only after assessing the risk, we will kill them and they'll never harm you again, this is a promise!" exclaimed Dag, definitively winning the trust of the surviving peasants of the village.

After thanking him, Agnes and the old man returned to the hut to explain Dag's plan to their fellow villagers.

"How are we going to be able to not be seen by them?" asked Reidar, who had remained silent until then.

"Certainly the night will be our most precious ally. Look at that, the point where we spotted the spy. There are no torches on the ground, not even a trail. If their camp is as close as I think, we're just going to have to watch out the bandits who will be on guard. We will move stealthily as long as we can" Dag said.

"Then you'd better take off the pieces of metal armor, which are the loudest" Karl interjected.

"Yes, that's right. We'll have to be quiet. In order not to risk, we will go there on foot, leaving the horses safe here. That Kjetil... he's our target. If they are just bandits, without a leader they will never know what to do and they will go back to where they came from" Dag continued, explaining the plan to his companions.

Karl and Reidar nodded, ready to follow Dag's orders.

Soon after, Karl separated from them and entered the hut.

Dag and Reidar went to the horses, to feed and quench them.

After a few hours, the sky began to darken and gloom enveloped the hills surrounding the village.

Karl came out of the hut and walked to his companions.

When he got in front of Dag, he pulled a flask of magenta blood from his pocket, showing it to his captain.

"The other blood is infused. Agnes will make sure it stays in a dry place so that the reaction with the seeds of the Crimson Tooth takes place. Better you keep this, Dag. We could use it if in danger" Karl said.

Dag took the flask of blood and tucked it into his pocket, without adding a word, proud of his partner's thoughtfulness.

After making sure they could move without making excessive noise, the three friends made their way to the hill, while the village farmers watched them fearfully.

Karl looked at Agnes with a sad expression.

"Don't worry mate, you'll see her again in a few hours" Reidar whispered, approaching him.

Karl answered with a smile.

As they climbed the hill, the grass became taller and the vegetation thicker.

There were no trees on the slopes, only large bushes from whose branches hung large orange berries.