Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 215: CCXV. The Platforms

"I'm coming, my love. I hope you can hear me, I'm very close. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, I've been through a lot of misadventures and the only thing I want is to hug you hard, kiss you and smell your gorgeous red hair" he thought, sleeping as he looked at the stars.

...

At the first light of dawn, Dag was the first to open his eyes and stand up, already full of adrenaline. 

One by one, Karl, Reidar, and Gridd also awoke and after recovering from sleep, they mounted on horseback, while Dag hurried them, repeating them not to waste time.

It was about an hour when they reached the foot of the mountains surrounding Skjegg. 

"It's... It's magnificent!" exclaimed Karl, his gaze pointed upwards, in disbelief at what he was looking at.

The mountains were not very high and their peaks had been artificially flattened, allowing the construction of four huge concrete structures arranged at the same distance from each other along the perimeter. 

The space between those buildings was occupied by a very long pile of wood, with sharp beams protruding from the mountains' tops as if they were a real crown.

"And I thought Hevnen's walls were incredibly high! These people are just crazy! They have no walls, they have mountains! I wonder what would happen if both tunnels collapsed... no one could go out or get in anymore! Doesn't sound very cunning..." exclaimed Karl again.

"Actually, I never thought about this detail..." whispered Reidar, trying not to point out to Gridd and Dag that he was unprepared.

"So? What are we waiting for? Let's get in! That way, follow me!" said Dag, impatiently. 

The other three followed him to the gallery.

Four guards guarded the entrance and one of them approached Dag, seeing him ride quickly.

"Who are you?" asked the man, who was wearing plate armor, complete with a heavy helmet that covered his entire head, leaving only his face uncovered and holding a long spear.

"Hammers Of Thor and Sons Of Freya. We are here to meet your Clan's Masters" Dag replied, showing the hammer symbol on his armor, as Gridd stood next to him and did the same.

The guard looked closely at Dag and Gridd and soon after at the other two, a few feet behind them.

"And what about them? The guy with the bow has the same symbol on his armor, but the other one doesn't. Who are you, kid? You have weapons, I can't let you in without knowing that you have no bad intentions" continued the man in armor, who despite his harsh tone did not seem hostile towards them.

"He is our curator. He's not part of the Clan yet because he's too young... but he's incredibly skilled, more than any other experienced healers I know" Dag replied, looking at Karl and winking at him.

"Why do you want to meet the Crows Of Odin Masters?" the guard continued.

"We bring important news from the north and we have a proposal for them to make" Dag said, in a serious tone.

"All right, you inspire me confidence, boy. You don't look bad. The city is teeming with other guards like us, so remember not to do bullshit, did we understand each other?" replied the man, pointing his spear at the entrance of the tunnel, allowing the 4 adventurers to pass.

Dag nodded his head, confirming that he understood. 

He and his companions crossed the tunnel, more than a hundred meters long and illuminated by two rows of torches on both sides.

"Look how thick these mountains are! Who knows how long it took to dig these tunnels!" thought Karl aloud, who kept looking around fascinated.

When they left the tunnel, three other guards stood on the other side and looked at them suspiciously.

Dag stopped near one of them.

"Hello! We're ambassadors from others Okstorm's Clans. We came here to your city to communicate good news to your Clan's Masters. How can we get up there?" he asked, pointing to the summit of the mountains surrounding Skjegg.

The guards kept looking at them for a few seconds, then one of them said: "You have to leave the horses in the town stable and then walk that way. Some platforms will take you to the top of the Rocky Crown. Once you arrive, follow the road to the larger building. That's usually where the Masters are staying".

"Thank you so much!" replied Dag, happy not to give more information. 

Together with his companions, he made his way to the stable indicated by the guard.

After firmly tying the horses side by side and recommending the groom to pay attention to them, they headed to the west side of the city, where they were supposed to find a way up.

"Wow, I didn't think they were that big!" exclaimed Reidar, when he saw two huge wooden platforms that, connected to the top of the Rocky Crown with sturdy ropes, carried people up as if they were elevators.

As he and Gridd discussed that impressive engineering work, Dag remained silent, waiting their turn, slamming his feet to the ground, compulsively.

Two platforms alternated on the west side and two more on the east side, ensuring a continuous exchange between the base and the top of the mountains.

It was an incredibly efficient and ingenious system.

Other guards stood next to each other to make sure no one had escaped the background checks. 

The huge wooden platform touched the ground gently, lifting a few inches of dust.

"Come on, we can go up!" exclaimed Dag, ordering the others to follow him, after the guard granted them the permission to go on.

The strained ropes began to slide inside the draft mechanism and the 4 friends, along with 5 other people, climbed up.

Karl and Reidar continued to look around curiously, while the other passengers of that unusual vehicle peered at them haughtily, realizing that they were foreigners.