Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons 138 CXXXVIII. Hang The Trophy

He quickly put the new bow into position and tried to stretch the rope, without an arrow, simulating that it was in the middle of a battle.

Although the two wooden wings made that weapon larger than its previous longbow, Kjetil's bow was much lighter and more manageable.

"It's a fantastic weapon. I've never taken one so beautiful. I think with this bow, I can increase my attack speed even further" said Reidar, who put it on the shoulder with the other, returning the Red Executioner to Dag.

"I'm glad you like it" said Dag, looking at Kjetil's corpse stuck on the wall as if it was a painting.

"I know what you're thinking, Karl" he replied.

Karl looked up at Dag, surprised.

"If he had been a normal bandit, probably after decimating his warriors I would have let him go. But I told you... I just can't stand those who **** defenseless women. Think about Agnes, she could have been this bastard's next victim" Dag continued.

Karl looked down again, saddened.

"You've made the right choice, Dag. Only I would never have had the courage and the coldness" he said.

Dag approached his companion and put a hand on his shoulder, looking into his eyes.

Karl looked at his right eye, which was still purple.

"When magenta blood is circulating in my body, I feel this insatiable craving for blood... that's why I need your help. I hope that through your method, I will be able to gain my powers without losing self-control" Dag confessed, admitting that he had acted impulsively.

"We'll find out soon. The 12 hours have passed by now and the infusion should be ready. After I'll mix it with your blood, I will put it back in your veins and that will be the moment of truth" Karl replied, grabbing Dag's hand on his shoulder, confirming to his Captain that he had not lost faith in him.

The two friends exchanged fraternal smiles.

"Captain, I think I found the dorm" said Reidar, who was browsing the hut in the meantime.

The throne was not fixed on the ground and Reidar pulled it towards him, moving it over the floor: under it, a small staircase led to an underground room.

"Well, it's definitely a good way to save space, I have to admit it!" said Karl, in a tongue-in-cheek tone.

The three friends descended into the room, lit by torches from that night.

There were about twenty straw beds, next to each other a few inches away.

After snooping around the room, they made sure there was nothing useful and climbed up the stairs, returning to the surface.

"Let's get the wagon in here" Dag said, walking toward the exit of the hut.

"The wagon? What are you going to do?" asked Karl.

"Look how much stuff is in here. As those bandits used to say, it's all valuable merchandise... I think it will be enough to raise the fortunes of those poor people. And ours too!" Dag chuckled as he exited the hut.

Reidar and Karl were struck by Dag's magnanimous reasoning, which even at a time like that, after killing dozens of enemies, managed to reason with altruism, caring for the others.

They took the horses and led them into the hut.

They opened the wagon and began to fill it with every item that had value: fine fabrics, furs, gold ornaments, and other precious stuff.

The wagon filled up almost completely and they came out of the hut again.

"Wait a minute" Dag said, approaching the second hut near the warehouse.

Its door was locked, with a large padlock chaining the two handles.

Dag pulled out the hammer and hit the padlock hard, which shattered after two or three shots.

His body was still under the effect of magenta blood and opening the door was a breeze.

When he entered the second hut, the daylight coming in through the door illuminated its interior: on each wall, numerous shelves reached up to the ceiling, containing food in abundance and provisions of all kinds. In addition to food, there were medicines, ointments, herbs and much more.

"Well, now we can fill the wagon… hahaha!" exclaimed Dag, satisfied that he had discovered the bandits' stockpile.

As they finished filling the wagon, Dag dropped a sack to the ground, losing balance for a while.

"What's going on, Dag?" asked Karl, approaching him, worried.

Dag shook his head and immediately recovered: "My head was spinning... but it only lasted a moment, I'm fine".

Karl looked him in the eye. Both of them were back in their original color.

"The effect of the blood you ingested is over" he said.

Dag looked at his hands and clenched his fists, trying to figure out if his physical strength had diminished.

"Yes... I don't feel all that power anymore. But nothing like this ever happened to me" he said.

"I think it's normal. You used many skills that required a great deal of physical energy, one after the other. You've fought tirelessly against numerous enemies, your physique now just needs some rest" Karl continued, trying to make a diagnosis for his Captain.

"You're a really good healer, I had no doubt" Dag smiled, picking up the bag of supplies he had dropped from the ground and putting it into the wagon.

When they finished filling it completely, Dag barely closed its doors. It was full to the brim.

"Get on the wagon and get out of this place. Wait outside, there's one last thing I have to do" Dag said, walking to Kjetil's hut.

Karl and Reidar got on the wagon and hit the horses with their reins.

The two battered steeds began to move slowly, dragging the wagon, much heavier than usual.

They stopped immediately after the palisade and waited for Dag, who after a few minutes of waiting, sprang out of the hut and walked to his companions.

Chapter end