Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons 166 CLXVI. The Boa

"Your companions have just told us where you come from and where you are headed! They also told us that you are a healer, isn't it?" the innkeeper asked, as he filled two other dishes of stew.

"Ye… yeah. You can't say I have much experience, but yes. I'm actually a healer" Karl replied modestly. 

"Soon he will be one of Okstorm's most famous healers, you will surely hear about him... or you'll read his name on some almanac of herbalism, or things like that! Haha!" chuckled Reidar, raising his glass to Karl, toasting him, who was happily surprised.

Karl and Agnes joined the banquet and after toasting the victory against the two attackers and the kindness of the innkeepers' couple, they rose from the counter, ready to go.

"We thank you for blinding your eye to the damage we have caused. Let us at least pay for lunch!" said Dag. 

"You can forget it, boy. Rather, if you happen to, come back here again, you Heroes of Halm. You will always be welcome and we can't wait to find out how your adventure is going!" the innkeeper replied, smiling at Dag and his companions.

"Of course! It will be done! One day we will definitely see each other again!" continued Dag, greeting them affectionately.

As they left the tavern, a round of applause broke out among the people sitting at the tables.

"Long live the Heroes of Halm!" 

"Long live the Hammers Of Thor!" 

Dag felt a particular empathy with that place, which immediately inspired his confidence.

He thanked the crowd with his hands as if he was a celebrity, and his companions did the same. 

Karl also shook hands with an old man sitting on a stool, who grabbed him by the arm, complimenting him.

When they left the Red Rose, they breathed a sigh of relief, slightly dissatisfied that they had already left.

"We have to look for Emil now" Dag said, returning serious and determined to reach Hevnen, going to untie the horses.

"We should give a look over there, there are boats that I didn't see yesterday" said Reidar, who was always attentive to every detail.

They headed in that direction and a large wooden boat was docked at the pier, while dirty, muscular men loaded goods, carrying them into the cargo hold.

It was a gorgeous boat, with the shape similar to a Viking Dreki, but much higher, being used for travel.

On its deck, two wooden doors led to the hold, and next to them were steps, leading to a raised floor, with a large lever, which probably served as a rudder. 

Many oars came out of the sides of the boat, through circular holes, which probably overlooked the space used by the rowers to move the ship.

Two large red sails rose in the middle of the bridge, supported by a master tree and a smaller one. 

On them, the symbol of a large shield with runes drawn around.

The sides of the boat were also decorated with runes, which lined the entire length of the aquatic vehicle to the bow, which tightened and rose.

At its tip, a small Valkyrie with open wings pointed at the front, carved into the wood.

After looking at the boat with admiration, Dag noticed that while preparations were underway to leave, a man stood still in the harbor, sitting on a kind of rock that served as a mooring.

He approached that man, who was intent on sharpening the blade of a knife.

"Captain Emil?" he asked.

The man continued to sharpen the knife, without turning to Dag.

"We leave for Innsjo in 10 minutes. 1 golden coin each, plus another for each horse" he said, in a stern tone.

Without answering, Dag in a few seconds collected the sum from his companions and placed 7 gold coins on the rock next to the man.

He took them and put them in his pocket, finishing his job.

"It's a nice boat" Dag continued, walking away with his companions on the wooden axle leading the boat, drawing the attention of Emil, who looked at them from behind.

Once they got up, a man pointed to them a door to the hold, where they would have to tie their horses and they obeyed without objecting.

The below deck was dark and soggy.

"I'm sorry, Aslan, but I'm not the one who makes the rules here. You'll see, the journey will be short-term" Dag told his horse, stroking his upper neck.

When the operation was complete, they climbed back onto the deck and noticed that the boat had just departed. 

Dag went to sit by the bow, looking down, unable to see the bottom of the Lukket Sea, which although it was a closed sea, was quite deep and its waters were of a deep blue.

His companions sat down just before, without leaning too far.

Karl immediately suffered from seasickness and his belly began to grumble.

"Beautiful weapons" said a male voice, coming from behind Dag.

He didn't turn around and said: "Thank you".

He knew it was Emil.

The captain of the ship put his foot on the bow, lowering himself towards Dag.

"You're not from around here, are you?" he asked.

"No, we come from Temple Of Orn" Dag replied, continuing to look at the sea, mesmerized by its beauty.

"You are part of a Clan, therefore. You never took a boat, did you, boy?" continued Emil.

"No, this is the first time. Jernhest has a much larger port than this, where hundreds of boats arrive and depart every day... but I never got on one of them, I always just looked at them from afar" Dag continued, closing his eyes and enjoying the cool wind in his hair and the feeling of being cradled by the waves.

"I've been sailing since I was a kid. My father taught me everything I needed. You know, at the bottom of this little sea, there used to be a volcano".

Chapter end