Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

His words were filled with sadness.

Egill understood that Dag was telling the truth and put a hand on his leg.

"You've done even more than you were supposed to do, boy. You saved the Temple Of Orn and for that, you'll always have our gratitude. Now sleep, you need to rest to get back in your strength. I will report the story to Dargeon and your comrades" he said.

Dag turned his head across the room. Magni's hammer was there, resting on the ground next to the bed. It was still blood-soaked.

He closed his eyes and fell deeply asleep.

...

Dag awoke.

His head had stopped spinning.

He looked at the wound on his shoulder: it had vanished. All that was left was a small linear scar.

Before he got up, he rubbed his eyes and touched his face. The hair typical of adolescence was beginning to harden, becoming a real beard.

He got out of bed, slowly.

He had fully recovered his strength.

Magni's hammer was still there. After drinking a sip of water and moving to his weapon, he took it and put it in his belt.

He walked out of the room.

The hallways were empty. A buzz came from the courtyard and he walked in that direction.

Fortunately, the dormitory remained intact after the battle against Wolnir and the Fangs Of Jormungandr.

Dag had lost track of time.

A strong light came in from the windows above the ceiling of the corridors.

Once out of the dormitory, Dag had to cover his eyes with his hand before he could see: his eyes needed to get used to the sunlight.

In front of him, dozens and dozens of warriors were busy doing something: some of them carried wooden beams, others moved boulders and various kinds of tools.

It was only after turning to the main entrance of the Temple that he realized that the walls were being rebuilt and the damage sustained after the battle was underway.

Dag continued to look at the warriors, not knowing exactly what to do.

"How much longer do you want to stay still there?" said a Shieldmaiden carrying two bags filled with a grayish powder.

"Yeah... what I'm supposed to..."

"Dag! You finally woke up!" interrupted Dargeon.

The Master approached Dag and patted him on the shoulder.

"Y... yes, Master" Dag said, making a slight bow, as a sign of respect.

"Excuse me, Master... How long did I sleep?" he continued.

"Well, if I'm not wrong, you've been sleeping for about a week" Dargeon said.

"What?! A week?!"

"Yes. Egill prevented most warriors from approaching you in the dorm to avoid waking up. He said you needed rest to regain your strength" Dargeon continued.

Dag nodded, looking for Master Egill with his eyes.

Dargeon said: "He's in the library."

"Thank you" Dag replied, beginning to walk in that direction.

"Ah, Dag!"

Dargeon called him, approaching him.

"I wanted to thank you. Without you, we would probably all be dead and the Temple Of Orn would have fallen into the hands of those bastards" he continued.

"It's an honor to serve the mighty Thor and his people, Master. All I did was just my duty as a Clan warrior" Dag said, looking down.

"Even though you're a humble boy, you also know that's not the case. I'm going to discuss it with Egill. Your effort will be rewarded in some way" the Master said, smiling.

Dag felt a deep sense of happiness, a feeling he was about to forget, given the recent events.

He smiled back.

Once he arrived at the library, he opened the doors. Both on the outside and inside the situation was always the same: the shelves with books and scrolls were intact.

Egill's runic spell had to be very powerful to withstand the attack of dozens, perhaps hundreds of warriors.

Dag approached the shelves of level 3 scrolls and began to observe them closely.

"I think you're ready for level 4 too" said Egill, who sprang from behind the bookstore, busy restocking some ancient manuscripts.

"You know, this library means everything to me. Some of Skjold's most powerful warriors have stepped on the same floor on which we are walking now. I have been protecting its walls for almost 40 years and managing its knowledge. The Masters Of Healing before me, they left me this important task" he continued.

Dag turned to him and bowed, resting one knee on the ground.

"Master Egill. Thank you for saving my life" Dag said, staring at the floor.

Egill smiled: "It was the least I could do. Now there's something you have to do for me".

Dag looked up at his Master, waiting for orders.

"Magni, in addition to being an excellent warrior, was also one of my closest friends. What I want is to honor his name, respecting his will" Egill continued.

"I... I don't understand..." answered Dag, trying to understand.

Egill laid down the books he had in his hand on a table and took one.

It was a not very large book, with the cover lined with rough leather.

"This is his personal diary. Despite his appearance, Magni was a very thoughtful man. He noted some of his thoughts and misgivings on the pages of this diary."

Dag rose to his feet.

"After listening to your story, I went to his room and read it all in one breath, focusing on the last pages".

Egill opened the diary and began to browse it.

He paused on a particular page and laid a finger on it.

"I read to you what it says:

[...] I remember hearing numerous stories in childhood of the man who was my first and only Master, Brann from Earth. The boy reminds me of him tremendously. Something in his gaze brings me back to the past: there's a kind of fire inside him, but he doesn't know how to use it to his advantage, I don't know either, actually. But one thing I know for sure: his heart is pure and his spirit is harder than steel ... I will try to teach him all my skills, to pass on to him my knowledge and when he will be ready, it will be up to him to maneuver his own destiny. He will be the next Warchief of the Hammers Of Thor [...] "