Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

"A meeting with him? How does it come to you? He doesn't seem like someone to chat with quietly, he's the leader of the Jotunns!" Gridd exclaimed, unable to hold back.

"One of their largest villages is about 15 kilometers from Fort Hvit, but I don't know for sure if Kranus is there right now. Anyway, what would you propose to do? It would take an ambassador, someone brave among us to show up at the gates of their city and ask to meet their leader" Orvar said, trying to understand more. 

"It takes two people. I'm sure two unknown warriors could never pose a threat to the giants, and in this way, they could get us into the city without any problems. I volunteer, I just need someone to come with me. Not necessarily another Master, better if a normal soldier."

"You?! Hahah! This wine must be particularly alcoholic, my brother is already drunk!" Gridd said again, joking that Dag had just said nonsense. 

"Your sister is right, Dag. You shouldn't expose yourself to such a great danger. Without you, the mission would no longer make sense to exist. Remember the axe issue, we can't risk losing you" Egill said, continuing the Shieldmaiden's speech.

"Axe? What are you talking about?" Orvar asked, who couldn't figure out what they were referring to.

Egill sighed, realizing that he maybe was wrong to talk about it openly, and looked at his colleagues, who all turned together to Dag, leaving him the choice. 

The Warchief, before answering those questions, tried to predict what the consequences of his words might be.

If he had spoken of his divine axe with Orvar and Skaldr, they probably would not have believed him or began to look at him with admiration, believing him to be a divine emissary or something. 

Believing that in any case, nothing bad would happen and this delicate information would only strengthen the bond of trust between them, Dag made his choice and said: "It all started with this. It's called Giantbane." 

He took the axe off the magnet and placed it on the table, as he had done in the past with Egill, who immediately believed his words. 

"It looks like a magnificent weapon, of excellent craftsmanship" Skaldr said, admiring its details and materials. 

"It is. Not only this... it is also endowed with singular power. If its blades come into contact with any amount of blood, they become glowing like magma" Dag continued, recounting things a little at a time. 

"Very interesting. But I still don't understand what the link between this weapon and your exploratory mission is. I mean, the world is full of magical weapons... its power is so strong, but... nothing incredible in my opinion..." Skaldr replied, agreeing with Orvar. 

"Can you see the crystal embedded between the blade and the handle?" 

"Uhm... Yes?" 

"Have you ever heard of the Crystal of Fire?" Dag asked. 

At that moment, everyone was silent, waiting for the Hunters Of Ullr's response with fear that they would know some baffling secrets. 

"Mmh no, what is it?" Orvar answered, after briefly consulting with Skaldr, who also didn't know why the Giants Of Ymir had tried to take over the Giantbane. 

Dag and his companions breathed a sigh of relief. 

For some strange reason, they were glad that the two hunters knew nothing about that story, so they could continue to live their days with a specific goal, without running the risk that the real reason behind their mission was disappointing. 

"Well, we don't really know either. All we know is that the Giants Of Ymir tried to steal it from me, which means there has to be a reason behind it. They know something about my weapon that I don't know. Something worth the lives of dozens of their men who died during an assault on Okstorm" he replied, skipping the detail about Weland and the Soul Fusion. 

"Mmmh... so let's do this. One thing is certain, you, who are the owner of what they want most absolutely do not have to come to their village. To prove our new friendship, I'll go, because I know the way. And with me, one of you will come, so that I can defend myself if things get bad" Orvar continued, making his proposal and volunteering. 

"But in doing so, giants will never know that we really own what they want and will believe that we are just charlatans..." Gridd added, opening up a doubt.

"That's true, but maybe it's good. If they don't believe our story, at worst, they're going to kick us out of their town, but our lives will be saved. Instead, if we brought the Giantbane to them, we would only do them a favor, not having to waste time and resources looking for it!" Kjell interrupted, who after remaining silent to listen, also expressed his opinion. 

All those seated at the table proposed something different, until, unable to agree, they were forced to vote between various options. 

After the vote, the majority chose to send three people to the village. 

The only constraint was the absence of Dag, who according to all of them should not have exposed himself so dangerously in a hostile and unknown environment. 

One of the three brave ones had to be one of the Hunters of Ullr, because among them all, they were the only ones who knew the way. 

Another one had to be a particularly skilled Master or warrior, able to resolve the situation in the event of a surprise attack by a few enemies. 

The third warrior of the expedition, on the other hand, could be anyone, because the success of the diplomatic mission would not depend on him, which would only serve to make numbers. 

The bottles of wine ended one after the other and in the meantime, the other soldiers also found a place to spend the night, having a small snack and preparing for the next day, waiting for the orders of their Masters.