Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 488: CDLXXXVIII. Atran And Kron

"Of course, Commander. Our men obeyed without objecting, but... we have all wondered the reason behind this choice. I'm sure it has to do with a tactic against our enemies, but when confronted outside the walls of Tungvek, Kron and I both couldn't figure out what it is" Atran replied again, referring to his colleague, who hadn't said a word yet.

"Well, that was exactly the question I expected from you. I knew that you were two very intelligent and insightful men, that's why I summoned you here to introduce you in person to the warrior who will carry out the prophecy." 

"The prophecy?! That prophecy?!" Kron exclaimed, who had been silent until those words.

"Exactly, that of the Crystal of Fire and the other Crystals of the Elements. Dag?" Kranus replied, calling the attention of Dag, who had not lowered his guard for a moment, as soon as he was appointed, detached his axe from his belt and placed it on the table.

As soon as they saw the axe in the hands of an unknown boy, Kran and Atran rose from their chairs and immediately pulled out their weapons, positioning themselves near their commander, ready to defend him.

"I just said you're two smart men, don't let me eat my own words. Put down your weapons and sit back" the mage replied in a low voice as if he was being ashamed of their ridiculous behavior.

Without understanding why Dag had placed an axe on the table, they both returned to sit cautiously, slightly moving the chairs away from Okstorm's two warriors.

"My name is Dag, and this, my gentlemen, is the Crystal of Fire" he said as if he had studied a script, even leaving Freydis amazed by his self-confidence.

Kron was the first to approach the axe and, without touching it, approached his face to its blade, peering at every detail, while his companion was behind him, waiting for a comment.

"That gem embedded between the blade of the axe and its handle, it is the Crystal of which the prophecy speaks, it contains a fragment of the Sun that one day fed life on Earth" Kranus said, emphasizing the discovery of his new guests, who began to believe his words only after a few minutes of reflection.

"And what are you doing here? You're not a member of our Clan, which city do you come from?" Atran asked, looking Dag in the eye.

"I'm from Okstorm, I'm a Master of Hammers Of Thor. This axe belongs to me by right and those who tried to take it from me, have known my wrath. I gained the trust of your leader with a lot of effort and now here I am, ready to speak with you peacefully" Dag replied, immediately making his role clear. 

Atran and Kron's gaze fell again on Kranus as if every statement by Dag needed his confirmation first to be believed.

"What he says is true. In addition to being one of the strongest warriors I have known, young Dag is momentarily a Master of our recruits and is devising winning tactics to end the battle with the Claws Of Fenir, who for years has been gripping our poor people" Kranus added, taking another sip of his drink.

"What? But... Commander... what Wrage and Gunnar think of all this?" Atran continued, demanding further explanations.

"Both of them approve of my decision. Now, back to us... how many of your soldiers have survived and are willing to continue their lives in the Ice Giants army?" 

"200 as regards Outpost 1, my Lord" Atran said, looking down at the table.

"In Outpost 2, 180 soldiers survived, Commander. We had problems with Klorr's Lies Of Loki, who didn't like our presence nearby" Kron confessed, who seemed much more sorry to give that news to his boss.

"When did this happen?" Kranus asked, coldly.

"About a week ago. The Claws Of Fenrir had attacked us and we bravely defended the Outpost, but... some of the Lies Of Loki infiltrated the wolves, transforming their appearance and using the gift of invisibility to kill many of our warriors, forcing us to a tactical retreat. After all, one of their leaders said precisely that if we hadn't left the Outpost after a few days, they would come back and kill us all" Kron explained, reviving those still vivid memories in his mind.

"The last thing we needed... now they too put themselves amid our affairs, as if those damn wolves were not enough..." the ice mage replied, thoughtful.

"If the diplomatic mission we have planned will be successful, you will never have to worry about Lies Of Loki again. Kranus, you explained to me that they are Krypstorm's most powerful Clan right now... but that's just a matter of numbers. They've taken control of two cities because they have more men than you or the Claws Of Fenrir, it's pretty trivial" Dag interrupted, clarifying that aspect of the problem.

"Diplomatic mission? What is it?" Kron asked, who unlike Gunnar and Atran, who seemed the most skeptical of his words, intended to learn more, understanding from a simple glance that his commander blindly trusted him.

"Your commander will gather with my help a team of a few units that will travel to the Randt Massif to complete a diplomatic mission. We will ask the Claws Of Fenrir for a truce, and possibly even to join us against the Lies Of Loki" Dag continued, introducing this new shade to the plan, which until then had never explicitly stated.

"Mmh..." Kron muttered, which strangely, had a very calm reaction to the young Master's proposal.

"And what will happen if the warriors who are going to serve the mission get in trouble? With the wolves, it will be impossible to talk and if they want, they will kill our team in a few minutes, making the mission an unnecessary waste of lives. This is also trivial" Atran added, resting his hand on his colleague's shoulder and trying to get him to change his mind while watching Dag.