100 C. The Journey

That discovery had caused him to drop all his certainties, messing his mind.

He needed to act more and think less.

"I'm home!" said Eirik aloud, after entering the farm.

"Hello, brother. How was your day at the market?" asked Dag.

"Always the usual. You, rather... I see you're packing stuff, are you leaving?"

"Yes. I'll leave with Karl tomorrow morning. We got a long journey ahead of us" he continued.

"All right. I'm too tired to argue. I wish I'd spent more time with you when you were here at the farm. I hope I can make up for that time in the future" Eirik replied, moving his neck sideways, trying to relax his sore back muscles.

"It will be so, Eirik. When we were younger, our ideas were too different, getting along was impossible. Everything will be different from now on. Take care of our mother, I know she will be safe in your strong hands" Dag smiled.

Eirik smiled back and patted Dag on the shoulder.

It was time to have dinner.

Dag paused to listen to the stories of his brother and mother, about the daily events at the market and the monotonous but happy days at the farm, spent taking care of the animals.

For once, it was appropriate to stop talking about himself all the time and listen to other people's stories.

When they finished the venison, all three toasted Dag's journey, wishing him good luck.

After dinner, Dag continued to drink with Eirik, but in moderation.

When he got to bed, it took him a while to fall asleep, due to an intense headache.

...

The rooster began to sing, inaugurating a new day.

The Sun had not yet risen completely when Dag got out of bed.

Before leaving, he walked out of the farm, entering the fence, where the cows had just awoken.

He filled a bucket of fresh milk and drank some. The rest of the warm, sweet-smelling milk was left on the table, avoiding some of the fatigue at Asa, once awake.

He wore his belt and put the hammer in its dedicated noose.

He then took Brann's axe, which he had carefully wrapped in a linen sheet, and tied it to the leather bag strap, which he placed on one shoulder, hooking the weapon behind his back.

He joined another strap on the first one, crossing it on the other shoulder, to create a real backpack.

Then he checked the stability of the load on his back and left the farm, walking to Karl's house, which was waiting for him in front of it.

After walking for about ten minutes, the two friends met. Karl also looked well equipped: in addition to the shield tied behind his back and the tomahawk on his belt, near the other leg, he had a small inlaid leather box.

"Good morning, boss! I'm ready!" said Karl aloud, while Dag was still several feet away.

Dag looked at him closely, smiling: "Well, it looks like you're ready for real. Did you get everything you need? I don't know when we'll be able to get back to Jernhest".

"Yeah, we can leave" Karl replied, eager to start a real adventure.

"What's in there?" asked Dag, pointing to Karl's leather box.

"Since my father got sick, I've learned to use medicinal herbs. Now I'm able to create small potions and compresses. I hope I'll never open this bag, but I think it will come in handy!" continued Karl, who opened the box, which contained several medicinal herbs ordered next to each other and tied with strings. Next to the herbs were some small empty glass ampoules.

Dag made an astonished expression, complimenting Karl on his versatility.

Without wasting any more time, they set out on the path, descending towards the city.

After arriving at Jerhnest, they lined its walls until they took the path that would lead them to the Gronn Forest and then to the Grey Mountains chain.

The Sun began to rise as they entered the dense forest.

"I've never seen this part of the forest" Karl exclaimed, astonished.

"It's nothing compared to the valley that's there right after. Wait and see, you'll like it" said Dag, who walked past him, making his way.

The two friends continued to walk and chat for a couple of hours, passed the Gronn Forest and then stopped to drink water from the river flowing into the valley.

"The view here is magnificent! Look at those mountains! They're so high that almost touch the sky!" said Karl, who kept marveling at everything.

"I too, the first time I crossed these places, looked at everything with wonder. Nature always offers magnificent performances. This is only a small part of the nation of Jordstäl. There are so many other lands just waiting to be explored" Dag said, flaunting his geographical knowledge as if he was a veteran explorer.

"The greatest ambition a Viking can have is to travel. Together, we will explore all the regions and cities of this planet, without exception!" replied Karl, full of adrenaline.

Dag chuckled, then nodded his hand, signaling to Karl that it was time to leave.

As they walked, Dag continued to tell Karl about the episodes he had experienced there: the Renegades' attack and how Magni had managed to defeat them all with one shot.

"It's true, with a travel companion, time passes faster and the route seems to shorten" Dag thought.

The sun began to set again when Dag saw the path leading to Temple Of Orn, at the top of Mount Torden.

After passing in front of the bear's lair, he told Karl of his hiding place and the battle he had won against the Fangs Of Jormungandr, boasting about his powers and the fact that he had quickly become an elite member of his Clan.

Karl hung from his lips, looking at him with admiration.

The sky began to get dark when the two friends found themselves in front of the large statue of Thor.