Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

"The Crystal of Fire... here it is, in all its splendor" the old Wizard whispered, while even his Jotunns were speechless looking at the Giantbane.

Meanwhile, Orvar and Skaldr, who had just entered the snowy forest, were continuing the route as quickly as possible, followed by the allied troop, ready to hide as soon as Dag and the others would be visible.

"This is called Giantbane, forged by the God Weland himself. The crystal belongs to me by right, created by the blood of a mortal, an earthling man, like me" Dag said in a solemn voice, knowing that Kranus was already aware of those details and prompting him to reveal something else.

"Weland is nothing but a servant of the great plan of the Aesirs, boy. Now hand me the axe and I will consider your debt to me repaid" Kranus replied, omitting to Dag the rest of the story.

"The debt? I'm sorry, but I don't owe any debt to you, Kranus. You've lost many of your soldiers, but their numbers are still lower than the innocent victims they killed, razing two entire villages to the ground. I never wanted to kill him. but he tried to kill me and take my axe away, it was the only way I had to stop him" he continued, who even though he knew he dared too much with those words, was intent on not lying about that part, so as not to arouse suspicion about his disposition.

Kranus, before answering, looked down, saddened to think of his son's death, and then looked again at Dag, but angrily.

"My son was worth more than 1000 of your men and you interrupted his young life! He was the warrior destined, one day, to wield the Crystal of Fire and avenge the Gods, as announced by the great and powerful giant Ymir before he was trapped on the bottom of the Great Deep See!" 

"What? What are you talking about? Use the Crystal against who? Which enemies are you referring to?" Dag asked, who had a hunch.

"That doesn't concern you, I said! You're making me lose my temper! I was told that your insolence was your signature trait, but I didn't believe it up to this point! I demand respect when you talk to me, kid! I am the descendant of the great Ymir, who gave me some of his powers to rule this frozen land!" Kranus yelled, beginning to get seriously angry and scolding Dag, while his eyes became slightly clearer and his pupils changed color, becoming white.

"Listen to me, Kranus. Never in my life, I have thought I would disrespect you. Anyone who knows me can tell it's not in my disposition. The real reason I came here is... I... I want to know more about this Crystal. What are its real powers?! I feel inside me that this axe hides much more than the power encased in its blades! I'm asking you, wise Kranus... explain to me what is really hidden within the Crystal, because Weland, not even on the point of death told me the whole truth and I ignore the reason!" Dag replied, raising his voice and with his eyes shining, caught by a wave of anger coming from his bowels, from the inside of his body, as if the bond between him and that axe was something that touched his soul.

"On the point of death?" the magician wondered in amazement.

"Yes. He sensed something dangerous in me and at first identified me as an enemy to be defeated. My warriors and I were forced to defeat him in combat and reduce him to death to convince him otherwise." 

At those words, the two Jottuns shuddered, looking puzzled at their leader, who was also shaken by the news.

"You... you defeated a god?!"

Dag nodded, without adding anything else.

Egill and Reidar stood behind him, listening intently to the conversation.

"And why did he think you were an enemy? How can a strong creature like Weland fear an insolent little boy like you?" Kranus asked again, beginning to believe the words of his self-confident interlocutor.

"I will tell you if you tell me why you want to take possession of my axe at all costs. It seems a fair deal to me" Dag continued, who suddenly, despite becoming in disadvantage, took control of the dialogue.

...

"Here they are, I see them! I see Dag, Egill, and Reidar, in front of three enemies... oh my goodness! What are those?" Gridd exclaimed, who hid behind two huge bushes along with all the others, spread evenly in the vegetation, could not help but notice the two rhinos.

"Fuck, they're huge! They can even bear the weight of the Jotunns! They look like two war machines!" Karl exclaimed, who stood by his sister and was admiring the beasts carrying the enemies in amazement.

"I don't remember what they're called, but the Giants Of Ymir use them often. They are much less fast than horses, but their physical endurance is impressive... think that their skin is like a natural armor, hard as a rock!" Orvar said, who had seen rhinos before, but having been through a long time, he could not remember the details.

When all the warriors scattered, without straying from each other, Gridd and Freydis positioned themselves slightly further ahead, almost at the boundary between the woodland and the snowy plain.

The two Shieldmaidens, who had been entrusted with the command of the troop, ordered everyone to remain silent and move only at their signal.

"I can't hear anything from here, but it looks like they're arguing peacefully... hopefully there will be no need to intervene" Freydis said, who from a distance, looking at the hand gestures of Dag's hands, understood that the tone of the conversation was quite normal.

Gridd looked at the caves in the middle of the mountain and said: "Please help me checking those caves... the darkness inside them is favored by sunlight, which illuminates the entrance but not the deeper parts, making them ideal hideouts for enemy warriors. Keep your yes open, Freydis."