Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

"Wait. It's not what you think. I am an enemy of the Xis! I'm an anomaly. Even they, with their advanced technologies, couldn't identify my genes. Believe me Kranus, let's fight for the same cause! Let us join you! If we fought among us, we would play their game!" Dag said, raising his hands and declaring himself innocent. 

"What happened to your eye then? Who tells me you're not all Frostsinners? Give me your axe, I don't trust your words, stranger!" 

"You know I can't do it. Like you, I made a promise to the Gods. I too have sworn to avenge their name and end Xis' rule on Earth! I know the truth, Kranus... I had a vision once... they were the ones who killed the Sun, only to be able to enslave humanity! Let me take this weapon against them! With the strength of your army and your knowledge, we will gather the greatest army Skjold has ever seen and declare war on the Frostsinners!"

Reidar and Egill were speechless, waiting in silence for Kranus, who continued to look at Dag with a confused air, not believing that that match could change the game.

"I can't trust you if you don't give me proof of what you say. And if it's true and you're an enemy of the Frostsinners... who guarantees me that you are worthy of holding such a powerful relic? How do I know you've actually defeated the God Weland?" Kranus asked, who finally began to believe his words. 

"Test me. Let me face your best warriors, even more than one at once! I will show you my powers and you'll understand that being my ally is the right thing to do, for the sake of your Clan and for the good of all of us!" Dag replied with conviction, putting his axe on the belt magnet. 

"Mmmh... you can't keep on living unpunished for what you did to my son, the rightful heir to that weapon. I promised myself that I would avenge him at any cost!" 

"None of this would have happened if you hadn't attacked Okstorm. Our meeting comes from that very moment, without which I would never have assembled a team to land at Krypstorm. Perhaps fate wanted things to go that way and your son played his role in the story, dying with honor, like a true and valiant Jotunn warrior. Do you believe in fate, Kranus?" the young Master continued, who took advantage of the magician's feelings to exploit them to his advantage, praising his son and making past events part of a larger project. 

The mage got off his horse and handed the reins to one of the two Jotunns, who looked at him confused, not understanding what he was doing. 

"Commander...!" he exclaimed, trying to tell Kranus that getting so close to three strangers could be dangerous, but his boss silenced him with a movement of his hand. 

About a meter and a half away from Dag, Kranus stopped.

The young Master, indulging the powerful leader in front of him, got off his horse and made the same movements, positioning himself before him, never stopping to look him in the eye. 

"You'll face one of my bodyguards, now, before my eyes." 

"All right. But that won't prove my true strength. As you wish, I will face whoever you want" Dag replied, not moving from his position. 

"Trako has never lost a one vs one duel. He's one of my strongest Jotunns fighters, I'm sure you won't be able to defeat him," Kranus announced, underestimating Dag's strength. 

"Why don't you let me fight against both of them? That way I can prove you better than being worthy." 

"Don't say nonsense... on the off chance you kill them, I wouldn't have anyone to return to the village with."

"Mmh... I didn't think it was a problem for you, maybe all this snow scares you. You will have my word that none of us will follow you or anything, you will come back alone" Dag said, teasing his interlocutor's patience. 

Kranus's sulky expression pointed to his dissent, but suddenly, one of the two Jotunns behind him exclaimed: "Don't worry, Commander. There's not even a slight chance that this brat will beat us both. Let him try it, it's going to be fun!" Trako said, the older Jotunn, speaking in a very deep voice and looking at Dag with his little black eyes, dug into his angular and slightly deformed skull, due to the transformation.

"Yes, Commander, Trako is right! If the boy dies, you can take the axe without any problems!" the smaller Jotunn added

"Come on, Kranus... let me try, give me a chance" Dag answered, smiling almost evilly, who couldn't wait to spill Jotunn's blood. 

Reidar and Egill, while holding Dag's horse, looked at the two Jotunns, trying to understand their level of strength.

In particular, Egill used Niva, the same skill that Dag had used several times in the past when a slight difference in strength could have made a difference. 

The smaller Jotunn was surrounded by a yellow aura, making him an unresponsive enemy for Dag, but Trako's aura skimmed the purple. 

"Damn, the biggest one seems to be a tough cookie!" Egill thought, who soon after looked at his former pupil, noting with amazement that his aura was deep red. 

"What is it, Master? You looked concerned" Reidar asked, noting the expression on Egill's face. 

"Nothing, Reidar... I'm just assessing their level of strength and... that Trako seems to be a very strong warrior" the Master Of Healing said, who did not go far enough to explain the details. 

"There is no enemy capable of defeating the Captain, Master Egill. When he was younger and inexperienced, I saw him kill even the owners of emblems with his own hands, not to mention the Frostsinners. We're in good hands" Reidar replied, who unlike Egill, was sure Dag wouldn't disappoint them and sat comfortably on his horse with his arms crossed, waiting for the fight to begin.