Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 487: CDLXXXVII. The Outposts' Leaders

"My warriors are very efficient, they have been forced to learn it. Only those who obey my orders quickly are worthy of representing the glorious Clan of Ymir. Follow me, Dag. I'm going to introduce you to my men" Kranus said, who after those words walked down the stairs.

Dag called Freydis and together with Thalos, they left the arena, while Wrage and Gunnar remained to guard the soldiers, allowing them to continue their training.

Within minutes, Kranus and his two guests reached the entrance of the walls, finding the huge stone door already open and a large group of soldiers waiting outside. 

In front of them, two bare-chested muscular men, both wearing fur coats that only partially covered the upper part of their bodies, stood still waiting for their commander to arrive, carefully scrutinizing Dag and Freydis and not remembering that they had ever seen their unknown faces.

"Kron, Atran! Welcome back to Tungvek, my faithful warriors!" Kranus exclaimed, approaching them with open arms, showing an unusual affection.

"Sir... your sight cheers our tired eyes. It's a pleasure to be home again" one of them said, looking at his commander with his orange, piercing eyes, while on his long blonde beard hung a silver ring, tied in a sturdy braid.

"You have done a really good job in the Outposts, but it is time to end this war for good. Come, follow me to my palace, there's a lot to talk about" Kranus continued, smiling and inviting his men to come in, who unlike the recruits in the arena, were already adult and experienced warriors.

Dag, who did not say a word, merely looked at them and studied their way of moving and their attitudes towards Kranus, noting that like everyone, they were incredibly respectful when they addressed him and obeyed him to the letter.

Some of the soldiers behind the two Leaders of the Outposts looked at Freydis from head to toe, no longer accustomed to seeing any women, having been away from civilization for months, even years.

When she realized that she had all those eyes on her, she positioned herself behind Dag and Thalos, walking by their side, as if trying to hide, realizing that those men, if she had been alone, would certainly have tried to take advantage of her.

"Don't worry, Freydis... I'm here. Don't look at them" Dag said, who without speaking to her understood what she was feeling and tried to reassure her.

As Kranus continued to talk to Kron and Atran, two of his best warriors, people on the streets of Tungvek began to cheer on the warriors who returned from the Outposts, recognizing them and remembering their names.

Many of them greeted the people, and some met their respective families, who ran toward the warriors and embraced them. 

Right next to Dag and Freydis, one of the warriors who was walking behind his Chiefs, he was called by a beautiful girl, who when she saw him, ran into his arms and kissed him. 

"Who knows how long these poor men have not returned to their families. I'm happy for them, these scenes make me smile despite everything" Freydis confessed, looking with happiness at the men who met their loved ones after all that time spent away by Tungvek.

Dag appreciated his woman's thought but tried to stay focused on the three men in front of him, noting that, at one point, one of them turned back and looked at him for a second, then turned again to Kranus and continued to talk to him.

"Kranus has no reason to speak badly of me since he made them come back here under my advice. I hope things don't get bad, facing all these warriors or running away from them would literally be impossible and Freydis wouldn't make it" Dag thought, who for a moment looked at Freydis smiling and thought he shouldn't do anything risky because their lives were constantly in danger as long as they were in that place.

When they arrived at the foot of Colossus Palace, as if it was a ritual, Kranus invited Kron, Atran, Dag, and Freydis to follow him to his private room so that he could formally present them.

Without even knowing each other, the four warriors entered the meeting room almost simultaneously, followed by Thalos, who was smelling on the ground, following the trail left by the two strangers.

"Your soldiers have returned safely from their families. This fills my old heart with joy" Kranus began, slowly lowering himself to his knees and sitting in his peculiar chair, implicitly asking his guests to sit at the table.

When they were all seated, the two big warriors of the northern Clan began to look at Dag and Freydis, as if they had just noticed their presence at that moment.

"So... as I explained to the messengers who have come to warn you to come back, from now on there will no longer be a need to control two Outposts outside our walls and attack the Claws Of Fenrir randomly. You will all remain here so that the forces of our imposing army are not split in three" Kranus continued, grabbing a glass of clay resting on the table and drinking something from it. 

"What do you mean there will be no more need, Commander? You mean we're going to abandon the Outposts forever?" the man with a blonde beard asked, continuing to look at Dag out of the corner of his eye and beginning to suspect something.

The other warrior, who had long, black hair gathered in two long braids and a short, shaggy beard, tried to guess something, wondering why two total strangers sat at that table with them to talk about such important and delicate topics.

"In the message to be reported I was very clear, specifying that you had to bring with you all your stuff, permanently clearing the Outposts. Did you execute my order?" Kranus asked again, already imagining a positive response.