Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

"So we're not the only ones who have Masters in command of the Clans..." Dag said, trying to bridge the differences with his interlocutor.

"I don't know how your Clans are organized, but ours has 2 Masters and a Commander, who is tasked with overseeing the Masters and governing fairly on the population. Follow me inside the arena so I can introduce you to them." 

The black stone arena was dug below ground level, so it was easy to see what was going on inside by easily looking down.

To access it, four comfortable staircases had been carved into the rock at the four corners of the circumference, ensuring multiple access and exit points.

Continuing to follow Kranus, Dag and Freydis descended on one of the access points to the lower part of the arena, where dozens of novice warriors were busy performing their morning training, similar to the one all the younger warriors did in Jernhest.

"Hey!" Kranus exclaimed, drawing the attention of everyone, who as soon as they saw him, interrupted what they were doing and lined up neatly in a row, with an incredible rigor and respect.

Two older men, dressed in armor, stood in front of the young soldiers, and when they bowed their heads slightly, all their students did the same, to greet their Commander.

"All right, that's enough... Gunnar, Wrage... here's someone I need to introduce you to" the magician said again, calling the two men to report, hinting to Dag and Gridd that they were the two Masters.

"Soldiers, start training again! Free fight until we return! Come on, quick!" one of the two men yelled in an aggressive tone towards his students, who were intimidated by his personality and immediately executed the order.

The man in question, had a normal physique, both for his stature and for his musculature. Also, al clear receding hairline in the center of the head reflected the white light of the morning sky, attracting the gaze of Dag, who held back a laugh, noting the funny aspect of the man.

The other one approached them without saying anything and they both stopped a few meters away from Kranus, for whom they had a deep respect, judging from the way they looked at him. 

"Dag, they are my two Masters. He is Gunnar, Master of Arms" Kranus said, introducing his men and pointing to the one with his hand.

Gunnar stepped forward and bowed his head slightly, never looking away from Dag, who did not understand whether that was a provocative greeting or gesture.

"And he is Wrage, the Shield Master." 

The other man stepped forward, while Gunnar returned to position.

Unlike the first Master, he was much bigger and definitely over 120 kilos in weight. His stature was not much taller than Dag's, but his arms and legs were the same diameter as the forest tree trunks.

"My pleasure" he said, lowering his head and showing himself more friendly and helpful than his colleague, who kept looking at the two strangers snarlingly until his gaze fell on Thalos, who very politely, was sitting next to his master.

"Well, I'm glad to inform you that our Clans are structured in almost the same way, even though there has never been a confrontation between us and despite an entire sea separates us" Dag exclaimed, realizing that the Giants Of Ymir also had a Master Of Offense and a Master Of Defense, only that they were called by slightly different names.

"My friends... this young warrior is Dag, the Exiled. He is a powerful Master of an Okstorm Clan as well as the Warchief of a great guild. Don't underestimate him by his appearance: he was able to beat Nok and Trako in less than two minutes" Kranus said, praising Dag, who did not look very threatening in the eyes of those two combat techniques experts.

Gunnar, in fact, could not hold back his astonishment and exclaimed: "What?! They told me they were defeated, but I didn't know it was just one individual... of this size!" 

Before Kranus could respond with chuckles, Dag interjected in the conversation: "The size is not always the most important thing, my friends. The two Jotunns warriors I faced to earn the trust of your Commander were incredibly strong, especially Trako. I've never seen a giant so huge move so nimbly and launch fast and precise attacks like his. I guess you were his Masters, right?"

Gunnar and Wrage looked at each other and then nodded, not knowing what else to add, in disbelief that their two best warriors, who had become Kranus' personal bodyguards after many years of training, had been beaten in two minutes by a little boy from Okstorm.

"Great job then. I am sure you train your warriors with passion and dedication, I noticed it by descending into this magnificent arena. I can breathe wisdom and respect and that's definitely due to your job, Masters" Dag continued, trying to praise the men in front of him for appealing to them and earning their respect.

Freydis, meanwhile, remained silent, listening to Dag's words and learning from him how to behave to be accepted by warriors so different from them.

"Well, now that you've introduced yourself, follow me. There are some important things we need to discuss. The warriors will finish their daily training with their supervisors. I'm waiting for you in the meeting room of the Colossus Palace" Kranus concluded, turning and heading for the exit of the arena, followed by Dag and Freydis, who, after nodding respect for the two Masters they had just met, politely farewelled.

As he climbed the five-meter-long staircase to the surface, Dag couldn't help but notice the incredible organization of that Clan's army.

"The Commander is the supervisor of the Masters and the Masters command someone else! Nothing is left to chance, their organization is impeccable! I would never have said that when I faced them in Runar..." he thought. 

Merely observing the set of palaces around the arena, each of which performed its specific function, the two adventurers followed Kranus inside the palace.

...