Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Meanwhile, Taya, who was listening to the conversation without intervening, stood up.

"Warriors of the Sons Of Freya! I'd like to make a toast here! I confess that initially, I was skeptical of the strength and determination of this young boy, who I have known since he was just a little boy with a perennially lost gaze. But incredibly, he managed to change my mind in less than 24 hours! Let's drink to Dag, the iron Alliance's new Warchief!" she said aloud, raising her mead glass again, urging everyone to do the same.

"To Dag!"

"To Dag of the Hammers Of Thor!" 

Slightly uncoordinated, everyone toasted his name. 

He stood up, smiling at Taya, who looked him in the eye, proud of him.

"Thank you again... seeing so many warriors sitting at the same table reminds me of the success of my Clan after the battle against the Fangs Of Jormungandr, who threatened the walls of Temple Of Orn. This isn't the first time that they have proven to think only of power. I hope that, in the future, we will establish verbal contact with them, so that we can discuss and deal fearlessly, but until then... I officially declare that the Fangs Of Jormungandr Clan is an enemy of the Iron Alliance and therefore, must be stopped at all costs if they decide to put their sticks in our wheels again!" he said.

"Skäl!" shouted all the warriors seated at the table, including Karl and Agnes. 

"That was the bad news. Speaking of good news, tomorrow morning I will leave for the Temple Of Orn, to have my Masters affix the Hammers Of Thor seal on the parchment announcing our Alliance, making it full-fledged official. I would like to see a small delegation of you come with me, in addition to my men, so that you can begin to cultivate closer relationships with the warriors of my Clan" Dag continued, looking at their faces.

"I volunteer!" said a young man, who rose suddenly to his feet, with his glass of mead still full in his hand.

"Me too! I'd be honored to witness the moment your Masters apply the Clan's official seal!" exclaimed a Shieldmaiden. 

Within seconds, almost all of the warriors at the table stood up, volunteering to accompany Dag and his team to Temple Of Orn. 

"It looks like you're spoilt for choice, brother! Hahaha!" laughed Gridd.

"What about you? Are you coming with me?" asked Dag, turning to her.

"Come with you? If I leave too, who will stay here at the fortress to protect it from unexpected attacks?" she replied.

"Taya and Jens will stay here. After going to the Temple, I'd like to travel to Skjegg, to make the same proposal to the Crows Of Odin. It won't be easy, but I'm sure we can convince them. If you're with me, you'll give more credibility to my words, sister" he continued, making eyes at Gridd, trying to convince her.

"You miss her, don't you?" 

"Yes, there is no point in hiding it. We haven't seen each other in months... I can't wait to meet her again". 

As the warriors seated at the table talked to each other and Karl, asking him for curiosity about his Captain and their adventures, Gridd looked at Dag, softening to his younger brother who asked her for a favor.

"All right, I'll come with you. Even though I'm sure that spending a lot of time together, we're going to get in trouble!" she chuckled.

"Hahaha! I knew it! Thank you, Gridd!" replied Dag, happy with the answer.

"Tomorrow morning, you will choose the warriors who will accompany us. They all seem very excited, but you know them better than me, so you can leave the strongest ones here at Fort Skjonnet" he replied. 

"Do you want me to choose the warriors of the delegation? Okay, I already have two or three in mind" said Gridd, who was pleased to have decision-making power, considering her brother had just become his boss.

The dinner went on without a hitch and all the participants had fun, drinking and eating in abundance.

After finishing, everyone slowly returned to his room, being late at night, while Dag, Gridd, and Jens stayed and talked, sitting in front of the large fireplace under the majestic statue of Freya.

"The road to Mount Torden is short and safe. It's only going to take us a couple of days, don't worry" Gridd said, after Dag told her of their first journey, passing through the FossilWood forest and reaching the north of Kvete.

"Well, that comforts me! Hahaha" chuckled him, watching the fire burning wood in the chimney.

"So you fought against giant animals? Legend says that the forest of fossil trees is populated by huge monsters and that it is impossible to cross it while remaining unharmed" asked Jens, curious about Dag's story's details, which had only hinted at what happened in the forest.

"Still, here we are. We were able to cross it without dying. It took longer than expected because we were looking for something in particular" Dag replied, imagining if it was appropriate to tell Jens about the Crimson Tooth. After all, maybe he knew more than Karl.

"What exactly were you looking for? Not to get into your business, but It's not often that I talk to people that crossed the FossilWood Forest and stayed in there to explore it!" continued Jens, enthusiastically.

"A flower. It's called the 'Crimson Tooth'. Do you know it?" asked Dag, looking Jens in the eye and hoping for a positive response.

"Mmmh… I must have read something about this plant somewhere... but to be honest, I don't remember. Herbalism is not my specialty" Jens replied, scratching his head.

"So are you telling me that you and your team risked your life for a stupid flower?" exclaimed Gridd, incredulous.

"It was used by Karl for an 'experiment'. It was so important and that flower grows only in a few areas of the planet, in specific humidity and temperature environmental conditions" Dag continued, remaining vague, avoiding saying such sensitive information in front of Jens, whom he'd just met.