Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Hundreds of small houses were built in a disorderly manner next to each other, sometimes getting stuck together and getting confused due to the color of the dark brown rock, which made everything look the same.

Despite being in broad daylight, many small lights came out of the windows of each individual dwelling, indicating to Dag and the others that that city was not only home to warriors, but also civilians, defenseless workers who only needed shelter.

In that place where the night was confused with the morning because of the unseeded sky, the population density seemed to be very high, even higher than Tungvek, which was relatively large. 

At the center of all the houses, which were one with the rocky base on which they were built, stood an imposing castle, that exceeded everything in height, as if it was a divine monument.

That building, in addition to having two observation towers popping up from both its sides, extended several meters in height and had a very different shape than the ordinary palaces that could be seen in many large cities: it was in fact narrow and high and seemed as if it could fall at any moment.

"That's the main center of their Clan, I'm sure. That's where their leaders are hiding" Kranus said, who even if he was certain he wasn't the only one who understood that detail impossible not to notice, wanted to say it explicitly, to avoid misunderstandings.

"Going through all these roads and getting down there won't be easy. From our clothing everybody can understand that we are not warriors of this place, I just hope that no one tries to stop us because here we will not get rid of the guards" Dag said, who slightly spurred his horse, began to ride towards the end of the staircase, ready to enter that urban jungle, where the houses were built in a confusing way, one on the other, as if they were competing to reach the top.

When the stairs finished and were replaced by the rocky substrate that made up the floor of the whole city, in front of the five travelers appeared three guards, who as soon as they heard the noise of the hooves of the horses turned in their direction.

One of them pointed his spear at Dag, who stopped the horse and remained silent, with his hood on his head, like everyone else.

"Where are you going? Who are you and where do you come from? Show up, otherwise, you can't go any further" the guard said, who seemed much more open to dialogue than those guarding the outside gate. 

His armor was very similar to that of the other warriors, and Dag did not fail to notice that even the three men in front of them at that time wore a kind of hardened and strengthened leather jacket much larger than their size, so much so that it got below the area of the genitals.

"Now I have no doubt... those who wear such big sized armor, are those who can turn into wolf warriors! Now everything makes sense... after the transformation, the volume of their chest and especially of the upper body increases considerably, that's why they need more space in their armor, which although ridiculous, are certainly functional to their shapeshifting" he thought, avoiding immediately answering the guard and taking a few more seconds to reflect.

"We came here from the east to bring a message from the Giants Of Ymir to the leaders of your Clan. Ours is a simple diplomatic mission, once we have reported the message and obtained an answer, we will leave without problems" Kranus said, who was getting tired of acting and was looking forward to meeting the leaders of his bitter enemies.

Although the ice mage's mind was focused on the mission, watching those guards' armor made his blood boil in his veins, recalling all the battles he had fought against that Clan and all the men who had sacrificed their lives to defend Tungvek and the Outposts.

"Giants Of Ymir? They never tried to communicate peacefully with us, why should we believe you?" the guard asked, generating even more anger in Kranus, who, trying to keep his tone calm, stepped forward and replied: 

"It never happened because you immediately began to plunder and destroy their Outposts, to kill their soldiers, and to seize their territories! But it's never too late to start talking without a fight, don't you think? Now, you're the third person asking us where we're going... if we're here, it means the guards at the south entrance to the Randt Massif got us through, right? It doesn't make much sense to ask any more questions!" 

That response left the man stunned and the other two guards also approached him, to help him in case of need.

"Let them through... they don't seem to have bad intentions... and then, they wouldn't stand a chance against our Packmaster" one of them replied, inviting the first guard to lower his spear and step aside.

Appreciating the gesture, Dag thanked the guard with a nod of his head and continued with his companions, still keeping a low profile, even though the citizens of that city were not used to seeing horses: the wolf warriors, in fact, preferred to move running on their four legs rather than relying on steeds, slower and less intelligent of them once transformed.

Precisely for this reason, even wanting to leave the horses in some type of stable, the five adventurers would not have the chance, because there was no such a place in the Rock Prison. 

With the central tower of the palace popping up towards the sky, passing the roofs of the houses in front of them, the diplomatic team continued to advance towards the heart of the city, under the gaze of the most attentive civilians.

"Did I hear bad or that man just said 'Packmaster'?" Freydis asked, approaching Dag and Kranus, for fear of falling behind alone.