Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Meanwhile, Gridd, Reidar, Karl, and the other two Masters were still traveling, sinking their feet in the thick snow as Dag and Freydis had done just before.

Following the Chromed Army's men on horseback at a rapid pace, they noticed that, unlike the outward journey to the Fort, which they had reached only based on an old map studied in detail by Dag, the return was much quieter.

So quiet that there were no enemies along the way and the only big problem to deal with was the freezing temperature, that was even lower in open spaces like the one they were walking through.

While the King's men were perfectly equipped, having only arrived at Krypstorm for a few hours, the rest of the Iron Alliance soldiers was almost exhausted: after the battles fought to get there, including the one against the Claws Of Fenrir, during which many of their men lost their lives, their equipment had suffered irreparable damage and many garments that served to keep their muscles warm had been destroyed and torn apart, thus becoming unusable.

Believing that they had to stay at Fort Hvit for a little longer and not even remotely suspecting the arrival of the King himself, they had thought of devoting themselves first to the renovations of that place, useful to allow everyone to sleep in the heat and with a roof over their heads.

During that walk, the gazes of the warriors who had believed to the last in the Iron Alliance's exploratory mission and had enthusiastically taken part in it were turned off and faced down.

The only ones who were excited about what was going on were Orvar, Skaldr, and their Hunters Of Ullr, who for the first time in their lives were preparing to travel on a ship to land on a new continent, which they had barely heard of during their childhood.

Talking to each other, they fantasized about what would happen once they got to Okstorm, how people got dressed and what they looked like, what kind of food they would eat in the months after landing, and especially about women, which were rare around Fort Hvit, that was lost in the middle of nowhere.

Reidar and Karl, who were the closest to the Hunters Of Ullr, who closed the line, smiled as they listened to their words, being happy for their enthusiasm and understanding the reason why.

Gridd and Egill, on the other hand, walked side by side, talking about Dag and Freydis and commenting on their decision, trying to imagine the future developments of their choice to escape and travel to Tungvek.

"What if Kranus were to refuse to help them? They would be without food and without resources in that endless snowy plain! Although my brother has always been a good hunter, I doubt he can hunt any animals in that place!" Gridd said, who couldn't think optimistically.

"Gridd, you have to stop thinking about these things. Kranus will never refuse to help Dag and Freydis because it is in his interest. If your brother decided to leave us and run in that direction, it means he's sure to make it, don't you think?" Egill replied, calmly trying to make the Shieldmaiden reason.

"Yes, maybe you're right... I should calm down. Who knows what they're doing right now... she replied, looking up at the sky as if looking within her brother's distant gaze.

...

While Dag, Freydis, and Kranus were inside the small room of the palace where the two leaders had discussed the history of the Crystal of Fire the day before, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in" Kranus replied.

The door opened and Gunnar and Wrage entered the room, whose door was closed soon after by a guard, who remained to look after the area.

"My friends. You may be wondering what the warrior who killed my son and dozens of your best warriors is doing in my room. Before you can make an incorrect assumption, I'm going to ask you a question. What do you know about the prophecy of the 6 Crystals of the Elements?" Kranus asked his men, inviting them to sit at his table, on the opposite side of Dag and Freydis. 

"Uhm... I remember you told us about them some time ago when we discovered that the Crystal of Fire was in Okstorm thanks to that spy" Gunnar said, confessing everything he remembered.

"Yes, Commander... just before we organized our attack and gathered the fleet, you told us that this gem of infinitely great power had fallen into the wrong hands and that for the will of the great Ymir we should have recovered it and brought it to you" Wrage added, scratching his thick brown beard with one hand and squeezing his meninges.

"Fuck, the spy! I completely forgot about that! Kranus can tell me who secretly told him all the information about our movements and our tactics!" Dag thought, who immediately after hearing that word, changed his expression, and as soon as the two Masters stopped talking, exclaimed: "a spy? What are you talking about?" 

"Eheh... as you can see, you haven't really thought about everything, Dag. The movements of the Crystal of Fire were constantly monitored and I, despite being here, thousands of miles away from you, knew exactly what you were doing, with whom you were and everything I wanted to know" Kranus replied, believing that Dag had not even imagined being spied on by someone.

"Mmh... yes, I hadn't really thought about it. Well, in the name of our new friendship, I'd like you to tell me the name of this man or woman who acted behind our backs. In any case, I will have no way to communicate it to my men who have gone away, so I assure you that the spy will be safe" Dag continued, insisting on the subject, pretending to have suspected nothing and claiming to know the identity of the traitor.

"I don't care about his life, so I can tell you his name. But the question is... why do you want to know? If you can't get revenge, why do you still want to know who cheated on you?"