Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 223: CCXXIII. The Brotherhood

"The Horns Of Heimdallr have always been a threat to you because they're geographically very close to Runar... is that correct?" asked Dag, in a serious tone.

"Uhm... yes, we have never had good relations and..." 

"If we help you solve this problem, will you join the Iron Alliance?" he interrupted.

"Mmh... of course! I will always need the confirmation of Master Kjell and Master Ellen, but I promise I will pressure them, trying to convince them to accept! You have my word, boy!" replied Sander, reaching out to Dag, who unhesitatingly squeezed it, confirming the agreement.

"Captain! But how... how can we accomplish such a feat? We don't have an army, we're not ready to attack Vaeren Island!" asked Reidar, who was dismayed by the words of Dag, who had impulsively accepted a very dangerous pact that would put everyone's lives at risk.

"Don't worry, Reidar. I will go to those motherfuckers" Dag exclaimed, turning to his friend.

"What? You? You alone? Hahaha, boy... better not to joke, we are talking about a delicate issue..." continued Sander, while Gridd and Karl could not believe their ears. 

"I've never been so serious. The Horns Of Heimdallr are on an island, right? This means that catching by surprise is practically impossible because they can constantly monitor every boat that arrives and leaves. They could never suspect that one man could pose a danger, I'm sure they'll let me dock" Dag replied, getting up from the table and walking toward the bookstores, thinking. 

"How are you going to defend yourself? Alone? Dag, don't be silly! I know how strong you are, but you couldn't survive such numerical inferiority" Gridd said, interrupting him.

"Yes, Captain, I think Gridd is right. Even your powers would not be enough, we have to study a plan and wait a few more days..." Reidar confirmed, supporting Gridd's thesis.

Dag turned to them, who noticed that he had tears in his eyes.

"My life would no longer make sense without her. If my destiny is to die fighting alone, I will be ready to accept it. I need to know if Freydis is still alive and I need to do it now, I can't wait any longer" he said, crying.

"Dag..." said Gridd, sorry to see him reduced in those conditions.

"You won't fight alone. I will come with you, Dag" Karl exclaimed unexpectedly, standing up and walking towards him.

"I can't continue to put your lives at risk for matters that only affect me... I wouldn't be any different from Brann!" replied Dag, touching his forehead and looking sadly down.

"She's my sister, Dag. As you already know, the idea of going to an enemy Clan's island makes me cringe, but... I would do anything to save Freydis. I'm not going to let you go alone, I've decided. If we die, at least we will know that we have tried and we will reach Valhalla" Karl continued, resting his hand on his shoulder, sharing his pain.

Dag stopped crying and hugged his friend, unloading the tension of the moment. 

"I didn't imagine she was so important to you, brother, I admit. Well, I can't let my younger brother and Iron Alliance Warchief commit suicide, so... I too will be forced to come with you" sighed Gridd.

Dag looked up, happy to know that his companions cared for him and Freydis, despite the dangerous circumstances.

Karl and Gridd watched Reidar, who sighed.

"When do we leave?" he asked, smiling at his captain, intent on leaving with him and the others.

"We're going to leave right away, but I'll tell you again: don't feel compelled to come with me. If Freydis is alive, I need to intervene now... I'm going to make those pieces of shit pay for it! said Dag, wiping away tears. 

"I've never seen a close-knit team like yours. I'm sorry, but as you can imagine, I can't put my men's lives at risk on an impromptu, dangerous mission like this. The Horns Of Heimdallr have to pay for what they did, but we need a plan. I'm going to give you some advice, Dag... If you find out your woman couldn't survive, try to escape from the island and come back here. We will reset everything and attack again" Sander said, intruding into the speech.

"I thank you for your words and I understand your decision, I would have done the same if I had been in your place. When we come back, I expect to know the other two Masters!" said Dag, approaching him to shake his hand.

"I must ask you only a favor. As you can imagine, we don't have a boat... could you lend us one?" asked Dag again, determined to leave immediately. 

"Of course. We have a lot of boats, but I think there's only one that suits you" Sander said, who got up from the table and took an empty scroll from one of the shelves, along with a feather and an inkwell.

He placed the parchment on the table and unrolled it, beginning to write something.

After less than a minute, he closed it again and handed it over to Dag, saying: "First of all you have to get to Gurn, the only port of Runar connected to the Island of Vaeren. Once there, look for a man named Frank and give him this scroll. The harbor is guarded day and night, so Frank will be there for sure and help you out. Have a good trip". 

"Thank you so much, Sander, I will be able to repay your kindness" Dag replied, tucking the parchment into the leather bag he carried behind his back.

"Killing those sons of bitches will be more than enough, you can consider your debt already repaid!" he smiled, looking at the 4 adventurers with a friendly look.

"Let's go then, there's no time to waste! It's still afternoon, maybe we can get to Gurn before the night comes" Gridd said, urging his teammates to hurry.