Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 525: DXXV. The Second Alliance

The other two soldiers in red armor stood still without moving a finger.

Having formalized the end of the meeting with his last words, Kranus ordered his guards to close the door and the order was executed immediately.

Walking forward, he stood next to Dag and put his hand on his shoulder, looking him in the eye with a satisfied air.

"I didn't think I'd ever say that to the man who killed my son, but... you were right about everything, Dag. Perhaps his death was the missing piece of a bigger plan. Fate has brought us together and together we will be capable of great things. Well done, earthly boy" Kranus said, while a slight smile appeared on his face.

"I was wondering if Bloodfang had found any spy among his men, but at this point, there's no need to continue with questions. Lies Of Loki will pay for everything they've done to us. The time for their punishment has come... the Gods will be by our side" Dag replied, smiling and appreciating Kranus' words, feeling some compassion for the death of his son, who was killed for a weapon.

"Let's go back to the arena and complete our investigation. Tomorrow is the big day, by today we have to complete the preparations" the ice mage continued, starting to walk again. 

"Perhaps, while all Outposts warriors will be inside the arena, we should take advantage of this to make a public announcement to the citizens and inform them of what is about to happen... I think they have every right to know" Dag replied, making Kranus think that, having to do everything quickly, the order of things to do was crucial.

"All right then... I will trust you once again. Follow me." 

As Dag followed the wizard, Freydis approached him and stroked his back, attracting his attention and whispering in a low voice: "You made it again Dag... and this once in half the time..." 

"Half the time?" 

"You created another alliance, just like you did at Okstorm! This is incredible! How did you do that? In Skjold's history, no one has ever done what you're doing and as if that wasn't enough, you've done it twice in a row!" she continued, looking at Dag with shiny eyes, as if her love for him was growing disproportionately. 

"I didn't do anything, Freydis. I just exploited the hatred. The hatred these people feel for other Clans, the vengeance they are constantly seeking. Krypstorm is an inhospitable place, this is true... but the fact that each Clan is independent and does not have to submit to the laws of a single King has facilitated my task, speeding up the process... I did not have to win any title, nor ask for the official permission of every single Clan Master. I just had to prove that I was smart and ruthless... and apparently, it worked." 

"When you were a kid you aspired to become 'King of all Vikings', do you remember?" Freydis asked again, smiling and recalling the times they spent in Jernhest during their childhood.

"Yes, I remember it well... but as you can see, every now and then you need to live in anarchy. It gives a sense of... Freedom. I feel free to be able to do what I want with whoever I want, without running the risk of transgressing the laws that created who knows who... King Einar may also be the warrior who conquered the emblem n 1, but that doesn't mean he's a wise King" Dag replied, who after meeting the King in person and realizing he was a tyrant, had completely changed the way he saw the crown, thinking there were bigger powers at stake, such as that exercised by the Xis on the human race. 

"You're right... I feel the same. Also, I know we've been living together for a short time, but we probably couldn't have done that if we had returned to Okstorm because our respective Clans would have explicitly requested our presence. Here instead we are together all day every day and our life is exciting, full of new discoveries and battles. If we will die tomorrow, I would reach Valhalla happy to have spent the last days of my life by your side."

Dag turned his gaze towards Freydis and put his forehead to that of his girlfriend, sharing her emotions and feeling a strong empathy towards her.

When they arrived near Colossus Palace, they noticed that both Kron and Atran had gathered their warriors and were heading to the arena with them.

"It will not be easy to spot the spy among all these men... there are hundreds of them... but at the same time we cannot fail to announce immediately to the citizens that there will be a war ... they need to know it right away so they can prepare themselves psychologically. We will wait for all the warriors to be gathered behind the palace and find a way to warn the people of Tungvek... maybe Kranus has available a few trusted messengers" Dag thought, watching all those men pass before their eyes and resting a hand on Kranus' shoulder, blocking his advance.

"What's going on?" the ice mage asked, demanding explanations from Dag.

"Before we talk to the Outposts soldiers we should warn the citizens. Time is pressing, Kranus and they must know the truth even before the warriors!" he said, trying to be as convincing as possible.

"Do you think that if we did the opposite, the supposed spy could also take advantage of the remaining time to escape and warn enemy leaders?" 

"That's right, I see you understood without further explanations... I was thinking you could give this task to a few messengers and they could walk the streets and tell the news without being too theatrical. Meanwhile, all warriors, except recruits, will be with us in the arena and cannot be informed until you give them the news of the battle" Dag continued, explaining his point of view.