522 DXXII. The Expertise

"I'm sure other undercover warriors hide among those of the Outposts, we have to keep our eyes open... and then, I have another suspicion, but I don't know if it's just some random shit generated by my mind..." Dag replied, who was particularly thoughtful about that subject.

"Oh, yes? What's your suspicion?" the Shieldmaiden continued, looking at him in the eye and trying to guess something.

"Mmmh... forget about it, it's nothing important. If I notice any other details, I'll tell you... otherwise, it is useless to alarm you and anybody else" he replied, making the mysterious and continuing to walk.

After a few minutes, the Sun began to illuminate the majestic palace and the two of them circled it, reaching the arena, from which came the typical noise of the warriors intent on training.

"Good morning, Kranus!" Dag exclaimed, approaching Giants Of Ymir's commander from behind.

"Hi, guys... welcome back. How's the girl?" he asked, showing a genuine interest in Claire's physical condition.

"She's much better. She woke up and told me what happened with Bloodgfang. She was forced to confess everything and despite this, she suffered several tortures. Her body speaks for her" Dag replied, looking at his interlocutor in the eye and making him understand the anger he was feeling for the leader of the Claws Of Fenrir, disrespectful to all his allies.

"You know that my men and I also feel a hatred for those sons of bitches, but as you said yourself... allying with them is the only way to have any hope against the Lies Of Loki." 

"Still no news from the Rock Prison?" Dag continued. 

"No, still nothing. Today we will continue with our training. Kron and Atran are already inside the arena. They were waiting for you to start" Kranus replied, advising Dag and Freydis to join the two generals for the lesson on Lies Of Loki's most widely used tactics.

"All right, don't make them wait any longer. Come on, Freydis... follow me" Dag commented, taking his leave and walking down the steps below the surface of the ground, followed by his girlfriend.

Once they got down the long staircase, the two generals were intent on explaining something to the recruits, flanked by Gunnar and Wrage, who were working as usual and were unaware of the outcome of the diplomatic mission.

"In these difficult times, it is right to organize your forces against all the enemies of our Clan, not only against the Claws Of Fenrir! As you know, the Lies Of Loki Clan is Krypstorm's real threat and we, Giants Of Ymir, must always be ready for any kind of event. Atran and I, as many of you already know, come from the two Outposts that our wise Commander created years ago to contain the threat of wolf warriors, whose base is inside the Randt Mastiff, not far from here. In addition to them, during our stay in the camps, we were also forced to face the Lies Of Loki, who more than once, showed themselves to be very skilled warriors and incredible tricksters" Kron added, continuing the speech of his colleague.

"The Lies Of Loki?"

"Why do they say this? Are we at war against them?"

"No way… other enemies!" 

"Shhh! Be quiet and let them talk!" 

The recruits in front of the two generals, after Kron's words, began to mumble something, knowing by hearsay that the Lies Of Loki were enemies beyond their reach and fearing imminent defeat.

"As Kron was saying, today we will teach you how to counter some of the tactics most used by their warriors. Are you ready?" Atran asked, raising his voice and stir up the crowd of young soldiers, who responded in unison with a decisive scream.

The lesson began under the helpless gaze of Wrage and Gunnar, who were of a lower military rank than the two Outpost generals and knew they could not intervene, beginning to suspect something.

Both of them stood still near the walls of the arena, sitting on a bench, while Gunnar's body was still recovering and discussed which was the real reason behind those strange lessons, knowing that the Lies Of Loki, during all those years, had never really taken an interest in their territories.

"The God Loki is a traitor, a devious and petty being who knows no love and compassion... son of a giant and a goddess, he has always been the greatest strategist the nine kingdoms have ever known... after eating the heart of the giantess Angrboda, laden with wickedness, he gave birth to his three children... Fenrir, Hel, and Jormungandr were generated by the hatred he felt for Asgard and Odin, and their ultimate task was to destroy everything that belonged to those domains. We, Giants Of Ymir, are the true heirs of the Giant dynasty and we will show those sons of bitches that the power of the Jotunns can bring peace, as well as destruction!" Kron exclaimed, who with his words enchanted the soldiers, who were fascinated by the tale.

It was as if that general really felt the sensations he described, through which he showed Dag, Freydis, and all the other listeners that his hatred for that Clan was true and pulsating, like a still-open wound.

"Precisely for these reasons, Loki and his servants must always be distrusted, in any case! Because they do not know the good, they have no allies, only enemies. The soldiers who now occupy the cities of Dolken and Klorr are known for the gift of Shapeshifting, but this is not their only dangerous power... in addition to changing their appearance and making it similar to anyone else's, those men can become invisible for a limited and relatively short time" Kron continued, looking at Atran and waiting for him to continue the speech.