311 CCCXI. The Taming

But despite her incredible qualities, Gridd was often challenged by Freydis, who specialized in particularly fast and precise shots, often followed by a low sweep, at the height of her legs, which if hit the target, allowed her to repeat the series of attacks unlimitedly.

Watching his sister and girlfriend train together, Dag felt a sense of contentment, feeling within himself that knowing they both were safe, made him happy and serene.

Unlike his companions, focused on studying new skills and perfecting parries, attacks, and dodges, Dag devoted the first few days of the week to cultivating his dark powers, looking for the best way to control them without losing control and understanding the strongest combinations with the two elements, of which his weapons were imbued.

While lightning, due to its incredible propagation speed, was suitable for hitting multiple targets and electrocuting them to death, the fire allowed it to inflict extensive damage on a single target, burning out the flesh and organs from the inside.

Finding the right balance between the two forces, he knew that his dark power would benefit, combining with them and unleashing its full power.

Recalling the movements made during the last two battles, through which he had managed to summon the two dark arms, Dag began to repeat them day by day, perfecting them more and more.

After some practice, he realized that he was able to extract them in a few seconds and that the point of the body from which this process was faster was the back.

His companions, when he trained his powers, stood still and watched, enchanted by that dark matter, of which the origin remained unknown.

In addition to the shape of the arms, Dag was able to give the fluid every possible shape, the only limit was his imagination, but that of the two pointed beams at their summits remained the easiest to perform.

Freydis, unlike the others, who merely admired the beauty and destructive force of those powers, tried to suggest to Dag other uses, such as defense.

On the fourth day of training, after a fight with his teammates, while the Sun was high in the sky, Dag summoned his two dark arms, preparing for his daily fluid control session.

"I remember that liquid material can also enter your skin, without damaging it. On Vaeren Island you used that technique a couple of times if I'm not wrong" Freydis said, approaching him, who as soon as he saw her, stepped back slightly.

"Yes, remember well... I can get it into my body, temporarily strengthening my muscles and achieving an effect similar to one of the skills I learned at the Temple Of Orn, called Call of the Berserkr, which, if activated simultaneously to the dark power, gives me an even greater upgrade" he said, as subtle bundles of dark fluid began to come out of his back, twisting and thicking up, taking on the typical spider's leg shape with the sharp tip.

"What if there's a way to absorb the damage?" Freydis continued, stretching an arm toward Dag, who immediately grabbed her wrist.

"What are you doing? It can be dangerous...wait for me next to the others" he said, urging Freydis to move, not yet having full control over the substance, which emitted a sound unparalleled with everything else, vaguely reminiscent of the flow of water, only much more viscous and dense.

One of the two arms in particular, after growing up entirely and positioning itself vertically behind its creator's back, seemed to look at Freydis, as if it was a cobra ready to attack his prey.

"Yeah... Freydis! I'd move from there!" Karl exclaimed, stepping forward and approaching his sister, intent on grabbing her arm and pulling her away from Dag.

But despite the words of her boyfriend and brother, the young Shieldmaiden did not seem willing to leave and continued to watch that fluctuating dark being, who seemed to possess its own soul and intellect.

Dag stood motionless, noting that the dark arm moved slowly toward Freydis's arm, stretched in that direction.

The fluid continued to emit that liquid noise and came closer and closer to her finger, stopping a few inches before touching it.

"I'm not going to hurt you... your master and I are not enemies, we are on the same side!" she said, smiling as if the lifeless substance could understand her words.

The sharp tip of the fluid beam, after those words, rotated slightly to one side, leaving all the others open-mouthed.

"What the fuck..." Reidar and Gridd whispered at the same time, avoiding looking at each other, still embarrassed.

"Get closer... try to touch my hand! You will understand that my intentions are good" Freydis continued, rising on her tips and extending her arm higher, approaching Dag's dark arm again, while he couldn't believe in his eyes.

Within himself, every time he summoned the fluid, he had a feeling of growing anger, like a small flame that gradually spread and from a bush stretched into a forest, leading him to lose control, but that time was different: the guest who had long lived in his body seemed to accept the presence of Freydis and touched her finger with the rigid and pointed tip of the beam.

"It's not possible..." Karl said in a low voice, in disbelief.

At that exact moment, as Freydis was about to caress his dark arm as if it was a domestic puppy, a large bird sprang out of a tree near the arena, emitting a sudden noise of leaves and branches and flying away into the sky.

Due to the unexpected sound, both of Dag's dark arms moved independently and their noise changed, becoming louder: with an incredibly fast and circular movement around their master, they hit Freydis, knocking her to the ground and then returning to their original position, ready to counterattack in case of danger.

"Fuck! I knew it!" Karl replied, running to his sister and helping her get up, making sure she wasn't hurt.