Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

"I'm okay, I'm fine!" he exclaimed when he saw that Dag and Kjell were looking at him with a worried air.

In a hurry, the three Masters entered the huge cave that towered over the beach and wedged the harpoons at the end of the three chains in the best possible way, making sure that those rocks would not yield to the traction exerted by the boat.

"Soldiers! The anchor! Throw the anchor to the other side!" Kjell yelled again, trying to overpower the sound of the waves slamming into Krypstorm's basaltic rocks.

Within seconds, two soldiers pulled the large anchor from its compartment and threw it into the sea, respecting the will of their Master.

At that very moment, the Iron Emerald stopped, stabilizing perfectly and gradually approaching the coast, as if by magic.

"Wow! I must say that this maneuver was incredibly effective! I congratulate you, Kjell, for your naval experience!" Dag said, putting aside antipathy between them for a few seconds and giving him sincere compliments.

"Thank you... but I couldn't do it alone" he replied, implicitly thanking his two accomplices.

As soon as the lower surface of the boat touched the mainland, the soldiers slid the bridge outwards, connecting it to the beach and got off the boat, happy to be back on dry land.

"We made it! Good, you're Okstorm's best crew!" Dag yelled, to lift the spirits of the troops, who galvanized those words, celebrating the success of the first part of the mission. 

"So, all of you come closer! I want to tell you about my action plan!" Kjell said, who invited the soldiers to gather in a semi-circle in front of the Masters.

"If my colleagues agree, we will wait on this beach until sunset and look for the fastest way to get to the surface. I noticed that there are tunnels carved into the rock at the end of this cave. If they lead nowhere, we will be forced to climb the vertical wall or find an alternative. However, moving with the Sun would not help us, considering the fact that we will walk very slowly, not having at our disposal of the horses" he continued, looking into the eyes of Dag and the others, who nodded, accepting his proposal, which seemed reasonable and would allow everyone to recover their strength.

"The first part of the mission has been well surpassed, but... don't get too comfortable. We don't know what dangers lie ahead and Krypstorm is really huge to explore. Anyway, I remind you that we're in no hurry... it is better to always move all together and at certain times, playing with cunning. All clear?" Dag asked, hooking up to Kjell's speech, which looked at the soldiers one by one, assessing their state of stress from their gaze and posture.

"Then it is decided. Divide into multiple groups! Some of you will check whether those rain channels carved into the rock will come to the surface and assess its stability, others will head to the embankments of this beach, taking a look at the cliff and figuring out if there are some footholds needed to overcome the slippery surfaces of the icebergs... but above all, a group of you will take care of lighting a fire and cooking something, I'm starving! Hahaha!" Sander laughed, easing the tension, giving orders in a funny way, as only he could do.

All the soldiers set to work, exploring the natural cavity and its surroundings, trying to retain their body heat, not being accustomed to the kind of cold, which exceeded that of Okstorm in the winter months.

It was a different cold, characterized by a high degree of humidity, which froze the bones and organs from the inside, penetrating the airways and limiting the use of hands, which had to be covered with gloves in order not to freeze.

After talking to the other Masters, Dag approached Freydis, looking at the cave's high vaults.

"This rock is very beautiful, isn't' it? They are basalt, volcanic rocks" he said, hugging her from behind before she noticed his presence.

"You made me scared! I was enchanted to look upwards! Yes, they're beautiful, but I'm wondering what it's going to look like on the surface. I thought that at this point, the cold should be contained, because of the sea, which tends to make the temperatures milder and the cave, which is offering us shelter from the wind. Above the cliff, the temperatures will be even colder, especially at night! Let's hope those tunnels Kjell talked about bring to the surface... Climbing the wall from the outside will not be easy with your hands and feet frozen!" she said, explaining her perplexities to Dag.

"It's true, you're right. Caught in the euphoria of the moment, I hadn't thought of it. Let's go and see with our own eyes, follow me" he answered, grabbing Freydis's hand and pulling her towards him, heading to the final part of the cave, where a group of soldiers was already examining the rock.

"Master Dag! It looks like these tunnels are going up and they're big enough for us to pass!" one of them said as he saw him coming.

All the others moved sideways, allowing Dag to make his own remarks.

"Look here. The rock is flat and the edges are smoothed... do you know what that means?" he asked, who as usual used every moment to show off his knowledge of geology.

"Yeah... no, I don't think I know" 

"Neither do I..." 

"Maybe it was the water?" a Shieldmaiden asked approaching the rock face to see better.

"That's right! The water... but not that of the sea, or rather, not completely. It seems that these vertical tunnels were dug by the rain, which has eroded rocks different from the basalts that we have around us, not easily porous and permeable. And if my intuition is correct, you can imagine how rainwater has come to get here. It started its journey from the surface! Over the years, it has had all the time to act undisturbed and create these natural wonders!" he continued, explaining to the concerned soldiers the physical reasons behind the phenomenon.