Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 427: CDXXVII. The Ace In The Hole

"I... I don't know what my Warchief's proposal will be, this is information that only he knows. But if he sent the three of us so far from home just to make peace with you and your Clan, it does mean that he really cares to apologize for what happened" Kjell said, deftly reciting the role of a sorry soldier who bears his captain's orders. 

The three Jotunns and the guards on the side of the door confronted each other, gesticulating and making clear their lack of confidence in the three travelers, when Kranus responded. 

"Get out of my sight. And tell your captain, if he sets foot on my grave, he will pay the consequences! I will exterminate all your people, no one is excluded! I'm going to raze Okstorm to the ground, erasing it forever from Skjold's story! Now go awaaay! Get out before I change my mind!" the old man yelled, using all the breath in his body and exuding strange negative energy from it, which made the air vibrate nearby. 

"Lord Kranus, we..."

Before Kjell could finish talking, as he tried to get close, a Jotunn put his hand on his chest, interrupting him and pushing him backward, so as not to bring him closer to Kranus. 

Instinctively, without giving a direct order to his body, Kjell grabbed the arm that had pushed him and did the same, causing the Jotunn, whose weight was more or less 400 kilos, to perform a half twist. 

"Fuck, fuck!" Terje thought, recalling the words of Dag, who had explicitly asked him to be careful of Kjell's laughy attitudes, that he did not have the patience to keep talking when subjected to stress. 

When the giant was pushed away, turning on himself, everyone was silent for a few moments, and Kjell, after realizing that he had reacted instinctively, stepped back trying to apologize for his gesture. 

"What kind of messengers are you?" Kranus inquired, who was about to discover Kjell's true level of strength, which had remained hidden until that moment.

Kjell took a deep breath, trying to remain calm and focusing on his next words, which would be decisive. 

"We are three trusted messengers of Master Dag. What I just told you is the truth, he would like a formal meeting with you, Lord Kranus. He told me to tell you that he has what you're looking for, the reason you sent your troops to the shores of Okstorm" the chain-warrior replied cold-bloodedly, knowing that that phrase would strike Kranus's unmovable spirit.

All the Jotunns and the guards, after hearing that clear reference to the Giantbane, turned simultaneously towards their commander, whose expression changed slightly, as if suddenly Kjell had his attention back in his hands.

"What are you saying? Explain better... your luck is that I am a very patient man..." the old commander answered, praising his person.

"You know what I'm talking about. Maybe saying it in front of all these people would be a risk, I don't know how aware they are of all this. I just told you what my Warchief told me to tell you. He's willing to negotiate" Kjell continued, looking his interlocutor in the eye.

Kranus rose from the chair on which he had sat floating in the wind and began to walk toward the three companions, touching his long beard and thinking, interested in the argument.

When he arrived in front of Kjell, about a meter away from him, he looked up at his eyes and said: "You're not telling me anything new, I know he has what I mostly crave in the world. Only a madman would send his entire fleet to an unknown nation for no reason. I know many more things than you imagine, my dear messenger, I have reliable sources that tell me everything in detail. What is your leader's proposal? What kind of deal does he wanna make?" 

"I've already told you, Lord Kranus... this is some information that only Master Dag knows, we aren't permitted to know it. Once you'll meet, he will clarify everything in detail. Believe me, he is a person who knows how to explain himself very well" Kjell said, who began to speak well of Dag despite their initial enmities, inflating his figure as a leader and making Kranus and all other listeners believe that Dag was the supreme commander of their forces, whose orders were inescapable.

Kranus's three bodyguards, standing behind him, rested their hands on their weapons, ready to dash on Kjell, who was dangerously close to their commander, though he did not appear to have any violent intentions. 

Kranus remained silent for a few more seconds, looking into Kjell's eyes and digging into his soul, desperate to figure out if what he was saying was the truth.

Judging by his reaction, Orvar and Terje also understood that the subject matter was of paramount importance to that old mage, who had left his throne and met them personally only to know what Dag had to say. 

Kjell looked back with him, but Kranus's eyes did not seem doubtful: it was as if that man already knew what to answer, but he was struggling with his inner ego, which tried to put pride above all else.

"Does this mean your Warchief is in Krypstorm right now?" the Giants Of Ymir leader asked, wistfully.

Terje and Orvar looked at Kjell, imagining that if they were in his place, they would not know what to answer.

Kjell, on the other hand, maintaining a certain composure, particularly unusual for his character, nodded his head, confirming the hypothesis of Kranus, who for the first time since he began the conversation, made an astonished expression.

"Sir, we have to evaluate this proposal well, I think it is a trap and... aaargh!" 

One of the guards tried to talk to Kranus and dissuade him from accepting the proposal, but the old commander, without even turning to him, moved a hand and a bundle of wind enveloped the man's body, immediately turning into thick ice and blocking him up to his neck.