Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

"His attack speed has grown! I have to come up with a strategy, otherwise, I will never be able to defeat him" he thought.

Weland tried to hit Dag with a lunge, which made a deep noise as if it was the firing of a cannon.

Once again, the shot was dodged, thanks to Dag's remarkable speed.

"You're fast, mortal... but how long can you last?" said Weland, turning back to him.

"I'll tell you again... I am not your enemy, nor an enemy of the Aesir! I took an oath, I swore eternal allegiance to Odin when I became Berserkr! Look!" exclaimed Dag, quickly taking off his jacket and shirt to show Weland the Berserkrs' mark on his shoulder, next to the rune tattoos sprinkled on his arm.

After a few seconds of pause, Weland shouted: "You are not worthy to pronounce the name of the Alfather! You will be punished!"

Dag was gripped by a sense of despondency: he was trying in every way to avoid the inevitable. He had to fight that God. What would happen next was a mystery.

"Call him then. Call Odin! He will be able to understand whether I tell the truth or not!" continued Dag.

Weland pretended not to hear and pointed Mimungr at him.

The red blade of the sword began to channel a vortex of fire, which quickly spread to Dag, still motionless in his position.

He tried to activate Call of the Berserkr, but the flames caught up with him before he could.

He pointed his arms forward, trying to protect his face from the heat released by the fire, which began to burn the rest of his body.

"Aaaagh!" shouted Dag, in pain.

When the vortex stopped enveloping him, Dag tried to stay on his feet, but he put his knee on the ground, without strength.

The burns on his body were quite visible: both on his arms and legs, large blisters had flared his flesh and in some places, his skin had been completely burned.

When Reidar and Karl began to regain consciousness, they saw their Captain in those conditions, with a smoking body as if he was a firebrand.

"You're insolent. You come here, in the Great Forge, a sacred place and demand that I listen to you. Why are you so foolish, mortal?" asked Weland, approaching Dag as he walked slowly, crawling the tip of his sword on the floor, emitting sparks as he passed.

"You have helped an evil man... to gain more power... you've been silent, like a lamb... while his brother was burning alive in magma... you are not a true God, you are just a worm" Dag said to hard, as he suffered from burns.

Weland paused, observing Dag with an expression of anger upon him.

"You Gods are not different from us humans. Legends describe you as superior beings, free from flaws... but that's not the case. You know I'm innocent, despite where my blood came from... and yet you can't decide with your own head" continued Dag, who was trying to waste Weland's time.

"What are you babbling now? I decide whether you live or die!" the blacksmith replied aloud.

Reidar and Karl got up from the ground and tried to sneak up on him, without making a noise, trying to figure out how to help their Captain.

"It is Odin who decides for you. He is the true God. You're worth less than zero, you're just a blacksmith, a means in the hands of the man in charge" Dag said, clenching his fists.

As he spoke, the black liquid began to flow from his chest to his legs, then on his back and finally on his arms, healing the wounds.

Slowly Dag regained his strength and his veins swelled, increasing muscle mass: Call of the Berserkr was active.

"Grrr! How dare you! I am a God, you humans should die just because you saw my true form! By the way... where are your little friends?!" said Weland, who turned to the wall on which Karl had catapulted a few minutes earlier.

When he noticed that they were no longer there on the ground, he continued to turn his head looking for them, but an arrow hit him on the neck and two more magic arrows on his chest.

"Aagh!" he said, not expecting to be hit.

He stepped back, trying to pull the arrow lodged in his neck, when Karl, who had managed to turn around, taking advantage of his distraction, hit the hand holding the sword with the tomahawk, and simultaneously hit Mimungr with a shield shot.

The manoeuvre was effective and within seconds, Weland was disarmed.

Just during that short time, Dag got up from the ground and jumped into the blacksmith's neck, attacking him from behind.

"Aaaagh! Go away!" began Weland, waving his arms to shake Dag out.

But his grip was very strong, as his muscles grew as a result of the skill activated without his enemy knowing.

As he tried to suffocate Weland with one arm, Dag raised his upper arm, pointing the hammer's head upwards.

Karl and Reidar looked at the ceiling, noting that the rocks which composed it began to crumble until a small breach opened in the big vault.

Dag clenched Weland's neck with additional force, pointing his gaze upwards, while his arms turned black, absorbing all the fluid he had generated.

Weland grabbed Dag's arm, but he could not free himself from the grip, too tight even for a God.

From the hole in the vault of the Great Forge, for a few seconds, the clouds were glimpsed, before the sky was fleshed by celestial lightning, which widened the ceiling hole, entering the cave.

Under Karl and Reidar's incredulous gaze, the lightning bolt, just before hitting the hammer, turned intense purple.

"Aaaaagh!"

Dag and Weland screamed simultaneously when Magni's hammer charged with electricity, while Dag hit the blacksmith's face.

The violent blow triggered an explosion of light and a shockwave that spread across the room, dropping all weapons from the walls and Dag's companions.