Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 485: CDLXXXV. The Four Groups

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The next day, both of them were awakened by the sudden sound of the bells, which due to their proximity to the Colossus Palace, was very loud.

Even Thalos, who could sleep in all conditions and in every place, leaped from the floor, beginning to bark and growl, looking around.

Dag, after raising his head from the soft fur pillow, sighed and lay down again.

"Thalos, stop barking, don't worry... it's just the sound of the bells" he said, thinking that his wolf had never heard it before.

Freydis was the first to get out of bed and after giving Dag a good morning with a kiss, she went downstairs and turned off the fireplace, noting that both armor and clothes were dry and clean.

"Come on, sleepyhead! The Clan warriors are waiting for you!" she exclaimed, urging Dag to get out of bed.

He obeyed and reached her in front of the chimney, replying: "You will help me. I've seen that few of them use the spear, which means they don't know anyone who can teach them how to use it properly. Get ready, because from today you will be my assistant! Haha!" he chuckled, winking at her.

"All right, I'm in! I think I'm up to it. And then, I'm bored of standing still without being able to help you" she said, determinedly.

After getting dressed quickly and making sure to carry their weapons with them, Dag and Freydis left their small house and locked the door, followed by Thalos, who did not intend to be in there alone.

Some passers-by, who certainly lived in the area, turned to look at them, noting that their outfit did not coincide with that of the palace guards or Clan warriors, despite being armed.

Trying to look as grumpy as possible, Dag looked back and greeted a group of people, consisting of a man, a woman, and their children, probably all part of the same family.

The little girl moved her hand to greet him when her mother interrupted her gesture and moved her behind her legs, for fear that the stranger might hurt her child.

"They all look like good people here... who knows what it must be like for them to know nothing about Okstorm, ignoring that it is teeming with inhabitants and cities. Do you think they ever wondered that?" Dag asked, trying to kill time as he approached the arena.

"Yes, perhaps some of them do. I think most of the citizens of Tungvek are quite cultured, they don't seem to me to be ordinary farmers! And then, judging by the quality of their streets and their buildings, you can tell they care a lot about their city and their Clan" Freydis said, who was thinking the same things as Dag, observing the behavior of the people around them.

When they arrived behind the Colossus Palace, the bells of which still kept ringing intermittently, Kranus and Wrage were still there and, unexpectedly, Gunnar was also present, sitting in a chair next to them, above the stairs.

"Good morning " Dag said, greeting everyone warmly.

Kranus and the Shield Master responded to the greeting, while Gunnar merely looked at Dag with contempt and then looked away, unwilling to be polite to him, once again.

"We were waiting for you. The warriors have already completed their warm-up phase, they are waiting for new orders" Wrage said, as Kranus watched Carefully at Dag and Freydis, trying to guess from their eyes if they had spent a good night.

Dag nodded and, along with everyone else, headed into the arena, descending one of its long staircases.

Gunnar, on the other hand, slowly rising from his chair, was forced to get help from some of his soldiers, who shrugged his shoulders and, step by step escorted him downstairs.

"Good morning everyone, Giants Of Ymir" Dag exclaimed, looking shamelessly at the faces of the young warriors in front of him and greeting them, letting them know that they could speak freely with him, who was not as stern as Wrage and Gunnar.

Some of them responded timidly, while others remained silent, not being accustomed to that kind of greeting.

"She is Freydis and along with me, she will teach you some of our basic combat techniques. I have noticed that few of you use to fight with spears or similar weapons... Freydis is an expert on that kind of weaponry and will be happy to pass on her knowledge, right?" Dag said aloud, asking for confirmation to his woman, who confirmed with a smile, excited to be able to teach someone to fight with her style.

"As I explained to you yesterday, after the fight, you have to divide into four groups, each of which will be led by a leader. I already picked one, Kane. The others will be chosen by you, I don't care. Judgment is part of the battle, you have to be able to understand which your strongest allies are on every occasion, and the same goes for your enemies: figuring out who you can face and who is out of your reach is crucial to the success of a mission" Dag continued, ordering the warriors to divide into four groups.

In ten seconds, already prepared for that question, the Giants Of Ymir settled into four neat rows, each of which had its leader ahead. 

"Very well... let me see... what kind of weapons do you use?" the young Master thought aloud, walking in front of the young leaders and succinctly analyzing their equipment.

"You fight with two axes, you use a long sword, you use a shield and a spiked mace, while you fight with a spear... perfect! It seems like a good setup, I like it!" he continued, drawing a smile from his new students and fomenting them.

After that brief introduction, Dag and Freydis spent most of the morning training the boys, teaching them how to fight together, both alone and in groups.

The key to the success of the upcoming battle against the Claws Of Fenrir, according to Dag, was that being the wolves always gathered in herds, they had to be surrounded in order to be defeated.