Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 409: CDIX. The Far Fortress

"Well then... this way!" Dag commanded, walking on the frontline in the direction marked on the map, sinking one after another his feet in the untouched snow, which in that stretch of the plain had not been trampled for a long time.

The good weather conditions allowed all the troops of the three Clans to proceed straight without a hitch, while a light cool wind blew over them, but they were well equipped against it, carrying their weapons and other bags full of resources, which further weighed down their clothes, increasing their thermal power. 

After traveling just under five kilometers in the middle of nowhere, the plain slightly increased its slope, as they approached the area of the mountain range, visible throughout their journey in front of them.

The ground bent gently and the plain gradually became a kind of valley that passed through two huge mountains, more than a hundred meters high.

Dag continued to walk without ever looking back, proceeding briskly and determinedly toward his goal, when Reidar joined him.

"Captain, what do you think they made of Claire?" the archer asked, knowing he was asking a delicate question.

"Even if it doesn't seem, I never stopped thinking about her, Reidar. I thought I'd find her inside the cave, but even after hearing from that Giants Of Ymir warrior about the battle between the two Clans over there, I immediately dropped the hypothesis. As far as I know, she may already be dead. There's no point in thinking about a way to save her if we don't even know where she is. Krypstorm is really huge, trying to locate her would be impossible" Dag said, with an apparent coolness, which actually hid concern. 

"I understand. I'm so sorry about that girl..."

"She has embarked with us even not being a true Shieldmaiden. I'm sorry, my friend, too, but it was her choice. She should have stayed in Okstorm, safe. Instead, she foolishly chose to follow her heart and stick with me, even though she knew Freydis was already on our same boat. I've already saved her once, I doubt it can happen again." 

The two comrades talked for a few more minutes, but Dag tried to cut the conversation straight away, knowing that remembering Claire and what had happened between them would only be a distraction. 

Looking forward and noticing that the snow on the ground began to decrease progressively, as the rocky terrain became visible on the surface, Dag saw something on the horizon.

"I think I can see it! It seems to be the village! Maybe we're almost there, get ready, the enemies could be anywhere!" he yelled, alerting all his warriors, who immediately pulled out their weapons and looked around, unable to see anything.

"Dag, I don't see anything... where exactly are you looking?" Egill asked, walking faster to reach him.

"Don't worry, in a few hundred yards you'll be able to see it too" he said, accelerating his pace further.

Believing in Dag's theory, Egill and the other Masters continued to follow him, as did the soldiers, who circumspectly tried to identify other forms of life around them, even though the only visible things were the snow and the black rocks that sprung up every now and then under it.

Finally, after walking another 500 meters, they all saw what Dag was talking about.

Although it was not easy to distinguish the details from that considerable distance, about a kilometer from them they could see walls, which looked very similar to those of a real city, although much smaller in extension.

"They look like the walls of Fort Skjonnet" Gridd said, squinting and trying to focus on the structure in the distance.

"I thought the same thing, sister. I believe that this is not a village, but a real fortress. The walls look tall and sturdy, they will be at least half a meter thick. But the grooves at the highest points are half-destroyed, as are the windows of the observation towers. I have a bad feeling, I think it's abandoned..." Dag said.

"But how the fuck do you manage it? I mean... I can barely see the contours of that stuff while you tell me about windows and towers? It's impossible that you can tell such small details from this distance, I can hardly believe it!" she replied, not believing her ears.

"When we'll get there, you'll believe me, sister" Dag smiled, knowing that his incredible sight wouldn't disappoint him for the umpteenth time.

Continuing to walk, the warriors noticed that there did not appear to be anyone near that fort, either outside it or at the top of the walls. 

When they arrived about 300 meters away, they were able to see clearly the whole structure, ascertaining Dag's thesis and noting that the general appearance of the walls and the 4 towers that stood at the corners, forming a perfect square, were run down.

"You were right, Dag... this place seems abandoned. There's no one inside" Karl said, who breathed a sigh of relief, glad that there were no fights in sight and that maybe they could use the place as a shelter for the night, which was still far away.

All together they approached the building, keeping their weapons and shields up, despite not hearing a single sound coming from that direction, apart from that of a small flock of crows fluttering above their heads, making the scenery chilling, despite it being broad daylight.

At one point, Dag stopped, unconvinced of the situation, decidedly too calm compared to what he had imagined.

"Dag, I really don't understand you... I guess it was important for you to find the Jotunns village, but you should be glad you took us to this place! It's a real fortress... we could stay here tonight and leave tomorrow morning! We have walked a long way today..." Karl continued, walking forward with a smile printed on his weary face.

"Karl, move from there!" Dag replied, screaming, after hearing an almost imperceptible sound coming from the top of the walls in front of them.