Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 481: CDLXXXI. The New Division

Scratching his eyes and kneeling trying to catch his breath, Gunnar remained helpless for about ten seconds, during which time Dag repeatedly punched him in the face with a very quick series of direct fists.

The sound of Dag's knuckles slamming violently into the Jotunn's face echoed outside the walls of the arena, along the streets of the city, and it was so loud that some citizens were frightened, unable to identify where it came from.

After the chain of attacks, the Master of Arms's eyes were completely turned backward and he had lost consciousness.

Under the weight of his body, as if he was a lifeless boulder, Gunnar fell backward, with his back to the ground, his knees bending like two fragile twigs unable to sustain all that bulk.

"That's enough! The fight is over!" Kranus yelled, who had not stopped looking at Dag for a moment, and after he had got up and started relentlessly beating one of his Clan's strongest warriors, he had already decreed the outcome of the fight, which strangely had incurred an unexpected twist.

"Hahahaha! Yes!" Freydis exclaimed, who, being surprised as everyone else could not hold back her happiness when her man was declared the winner.

Wrage looked at Dag with respect and his hands slowly began to beat on each other, generating in a few seconds a round of applause among the warriors, who, showing considerable moral value, celebrated Dag's arrival in that way, thanking him for his demonstration.

He approached Gunnar again and as he lowered himself towards him, he looked at Kane and other young warriors out of the corner of his eye.

"Help me lift him, I don't think I can do it alone" he said, as his muscles returned to their original form, and Call Of The Berserkr exhausted its effect.

As soon as he heard his new Master's call for help, Kane rushed to him, along with three other companions.

In a gesture that increased the esteem that the warriors of that Clan felt for him, Dag lifted Gunnar's senseless body and dragged him along with his helpers to the top of the staircase, then placed him on a cot in one of the buildings surrounding the arena, which looked like an infirmary.

Freydis and Thalos followed him briskly, and when the girl entered that little concrete hut, she took bandages and a bucket of hot water and began to clean his wounds on his face and check his physical condition, smiling for happiness.

You did it! For a moment I feared that giant would tear you apart! How is it possible that you stopped moving? I've never seen you so distressed against a single enemy!" she said, as Dag stroked Thalos, who noticed his master's wounds and was licking his hand nonstop.

"He used a skill I had never seen anywhere. His body began to emit a strange substance that, scattered in the air, made my muscles freeze and my whole body unusable. I immediately thought that strengthening my nerves and muscles could help me, so I activated Call Of The Berserkr, although I had to make an immense effort. Fortunately, it worked..." he answered, who still was wheezing for the last effort necessary to carry Gunnar's heavy body.

After finishing with medical treatment and cleaning up the cuts and bruises on Dag's face, Okstorm's two lovers exited the infirmary, noting that Kranus and Wrage were inside the arena waiting for them, looking at them out of the corner of their eyes and gesticulating toward them.

Dag and Freydis descended the stairs, and when they set foot in the arena, another round of applause began from the warriors, some of whom unexpectedly began to shout his name, astonished by his unique fighting style.

"Soldiers, order!" Wrage yelled, asking everyone to remain silent, knowing that his commander was about to speak.

"So... Master Dag. What are your conclusions after this demonstration duel?" Kranus asked, looking his interlocutor straight in the eye.

"There is a lot to work on. We're going to create training subgroups. It's going to be 4 of them, to be precise. Each of them will be supervised by a warrior, no matter his age or his rank... what matters is his value and determination. In this way, the new troops will get used to the idea that, during a real battle, you often find yourself with a few companions by your side and you can rely only on your own skills and instincts" he said, looking intently at all the warriors and starting to think about who could play the role of leader of the group.

"This is an interesting idea... I had never thought of such a thing. Well, Master Wrage will help you, as will Master Gunnar, as soon as he recovers from his injuries. Ah, one more thing. I just sent men to both of our Clan's Outposts. The soldiers who are there will be informed that they have to return to their capital and in a few days, they will all be gathered here in Tungvek" Kranus continued, resting his hand on Dag's shoulder and making it clear that he had accepted his advice, after he had shown him his worth in battle for the second time, beating such a strong enemy in enemy territory.

"Excellent. You won't regret it, Kranus." 

After that speech, the soldiers, in a more or less orderly manner, surrounded Dag, asking him a thousand questions about his combat style, curious to know where he had learned it and whether he could teach it to them too, having never witnessed a warrior of his size who beat with his bare hands such an enormous giant.

Dag responded summarily to everyone by saying that in the following days he would devote himself to their new type of training and before leaving, while Kranus and Wrage were still beside him, pointed to Kane with his hand and said: "He will be the leader of one of the four troops."