Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 426: CDXXVI. Commander Kranus

Kjell continued to say nothing, standing still and pretending to caress his horse. 

Two of the three giants approached as if performing a predetermined rite, and when they were before Kjell and his companions, one of them said: "No one is worthy to present themselves to our valiant commander with such insolence! On your knees!" 

Kjell continued to look at those big black eyes, which, along with the pointed, slightly broken fangs that spilled out of his jaw, should have scared him.

"I said... on your knees..." the Jotunn replied, speaking with his baritone voice and approaching his face a few centimeters to that of the chain-warrior, disturbing his sense of smell with the stench of his breath. 

"No one can stand on his feet, yet the only ones who have to kneel are us..." Kjell snorted, making his companions shudder, who realized that he had just said an absurdity and lowered their gaze, petrified in imagining what was about to happen. 

*growl*

A very deep growl was produced by the giant, who lowered his eyebrows, sulking and rising to his feet, after lowering himself to look Kjell in the face.

"What did you say?!" the Jotunn asked, giving Kjell a second chance. 

"Kjell, my friend. Please... uhm... I apologize to everyone on behalf of my partner. The journey was very long and tiredness must have taken over, he doesn't know what he says" Orvar smiled, intruding into the speech and stepping forward as a drop of sweat dripped from his forehead. 

The second giant approached the first and placed a hand on his shoulder, to prevent him from losing patience. 

"You shouldn't let people talk if they're not in good condition. Commander Kranus has no time to waste" he said, looking at Orvar and referring to Kjell, who looked annoyed at his companion. 

The archer bowed, casting a penetrating glance at the other two behind him, who, though reluctant, did the same. 

"Excellent... now you can start to introduce yourself" the third giant said, who like the other two wore armor only at the bottom, while large geometric symbols were tattooed on his bare chest. 

"I apologize for my tone, Commander Kranus... as my friend says, it's because of the tiredness of the long journey" Kjell said, his eyes down and his head slightly lowered. 

"I am not Commander Kranus" the giant replied surprisingly, moving sideways and unveiling the arcane. 

Behind him, an elderly man, in his eighties, sat in a sort of small carriage, consisting of a wooden throne with wheels decorated with precious materials. 

The man wore a long white tunic, as well as his long hair and long beard, which dangled under his chin, touching his abdomen. 

"What?! Is he Kranus?" Terje whispered in a low voice, without being heard by anyone, unable to hold back the astonishment of that discovery. 

The man was so old that even his eyebrows had lengthened, giving his angry expression further credibility.

"As my soldiers have just said, introduce yourself immediately" he said, in a solemn voice, acting as if he were a demigod. 

"Of course, Lord Kranus. We are messengers from Okstorm and we are on a mission for Master Dag, which you should already know" Kjell replied, avoiding crossing his gaze with him.

"Are you making fun of me, kid?" Kranus answered, getting nervous even more and not realizing that Kjell's words weren't offensive. 

Terje, at that moment, perceived something next to them, something he had never felt before.

"No, sir! I'm telling you the truth! We come on account of the Iron Alliance, to make you a peaceful proposal" the chain-warrior continued.

Before anyone could respond to that statement, Kranus took a deep breath, and at the same time, a gust of wind struck his beard and hair, causing it to float forward. 

Suddenly, the wind increased its energy and the white-bearded old man dematerialized, entering for a few moments in the trail of white wind and materializing again in front of Kjell, with an ice sword pointed at his throat. 

Kjell was paralyzed, knowing that if he tried to extract the weapon, he would die, but if he let him continue, he would die anyway. 

"Peace?! How can a man ask me to make peace if he killed my youngest son in cold blood?!" Kranus exclaimed aloud, slightly touching Kjell's throat with his blade. 

"Commander... if I can afford to talk... why don't we kill these foreigners now? We have no reason to keep them alive!" one of the giants on the front line exclaimed, attracting the attention of his master, who turned to him and removed the blade from Kjell, shooting back into thin air and exploiting the currents of icy wind to move freely through space without making the slightest effort. 

"Let's ask them... why shouldn't I kill you right now? I'd only need one second, believe me." 

Orvar focused on the details, noting that Kranus had no weapon with him, and judging by his long white canvas dress, he had to be a magician. 

"Our leader, Dag... he'd like to have a peaceful confrontation with you, Lord Kranus. If you accept, you will decide the place of the meeting, where it will be only you two, plus two of your men" Kjell continued, explaining the terms of the agreement. 

"A meeting to do what? I'm going to kill him and all his people for what he did to me! My son's blood must be avenged with more blood! If you think you can make me change my mind, you're wrong! He outraged me and my men, leaving them to die in your dirty land!"

After those words, Kjell clenched his fists and for a few seconds stopped talking, while blood boiled in his veins in anger. 

The chain-warrior thought of the hypocrisy of that sentence: the Giants Of Ymir had attacked Okstorm first, for no apparent reason and had killed dozens of innocent people, feeding on their corpses to prolong the effect of the transformation into Jotunns and despite this, that old man spoke of outrage and revenge, as if he was an innocent victim.