"Dag! Are those the rooms of your Masters?" he asked, pointing to the three doors with the engraved symbols.
"Yes" said Dag, who looked with melancholy toward Magni's room.
"They must be valiant warriors. I'd love to see them fight!" continued Karl.
"I'm sure there will be other opportunities. For now, we must hope that no one else will try to attack Temple" said Reidar, who remained silent until then.
"I agree with you" Dag replied, trying to figure out more about him.
Reidar smiled at him.
"What a good smell... it seems stew. I think the kitchens are that way" said Karl, who walked along with his sense of smell.
"Hahaha, yes. Don't worry, we're not walking blindly!" chuckled Dag.
When they entered the kitchen, about ten people moved frantically inside, preparing the dishes for dinner.
"We're going to take a bottle of mead, to toast the long journey ahead" Dag said to a woman who walked next to him.
"Of course. Take one from that table… also, get some vegetable stew! Here you go! " the woman said kindly, distributing dishes full of fragrant hot stew to them.
After taking the food, the bottle and three glasses of clay, Dag and the other two moved to the circular dorm room, where Thor and the serpent Jormungandr's large fresco hypnotized Karl, who stood still staring at it.
"To my new teammates... and our journey! Let the Gods assist us and bring us luck!" said Dag aloud, raising the glass he had just filled with mead.
"Skäl!" Karl and Reidar said in chorus, toasting.
"Dag... Master Egill was talking about an intermediate destination between Mount Torden and Hevnen. What is it?" asked Reidar, sipping the mead and eating the stew.
"We will go to the village of Tyven. It's our first destination" Dag said.
"Tyven? Isn't it one of those villages on the coast of the Kvete region? What are we going to do?" continued Reidar.
"You're right, it's a legitimate question. Just outside the populated area of that small village, there is a blacksmith, with divine powers. I want to know more about my powers, maybe he will be able to tell me if they belong to this world or not."
"Are you talking about Vegard?" asked Reidar again.
Meanwhile, Karl, as he listened, filled the second glass of mead.
"Do you know him too?" continued Dag.
"I know the stories that are told about him. My father passed on to me many legends and myths of our lands, I remember him telling me them before I went to sleep" Reidar said, continuing to sip mead.
"Vegard is not just a legend. He's real. I'm sure of it... and I know exactly where he is" Dag said, slamming his empty glass on the table.
"It is said that he can forge any kind of weapon, capable of..."
"Capable of beating every opponent. I already know this story, my friend" Dag interrupted.
Reidar marveled at his captain's response.
"I already own a weapon forged by him. But it's not mine, it belonged to someone else, who is no longer in this world" he continued.
Karl stopped drinking and looked Dag in the eye. Reidar did the same, without saying a word.
"You need to know that the weapons that Vegard can forge are not mere objects, but are endowed with an internal spirit as if they were human beings. Come with me, I'll show you... eyes explain better than words".
As he spoke, Dag rose from the table and invited his two companions to follow him to the library.
In the corridors, he explained in detail the story of Brann's axe to his companions, who were astonished by his story, which to their ears seemed impossible.
When they arrived at the library, they followed Dag to the table.
He uncovered the axe, which had been covered with a linen sheet.
"This is the Red Executioner" he said.
"Unbelievable... Is this the famous Brann's weapon? I've never been lucky enough to meet him, but his fame speaks for him. What you just said about him is absurd, I still can't believe it" Reidar said, as he looked intently at every detail of the weapon.
Karl did the same, resting his hand on its rod, wrapped in a leather handle.
"Look here, in the deer's eyes. These two little red crystals... they are the result of Soul Fusion with Eirik, which I was just telling you about" Dag continued, pointing to the two rubies embedded in the weapon.
"I think you should use this weapon, Dag" Reidar said, looking at him with a convinced air.
"It's true, brother. It's a shame not to fight with such a strong weapon. At least Brann's brother will not have died in vain" Karl added.
"Yes, I agree with you. I will use the power of this weapon, but for a just cause... there's only one problem: a double-headed axe of this size doesn't fit my fighting style and assumes that I stop using Magni's hammer. I will ask Vegard to amend it, making it smaller, so that I can fight with double weapons, both the hammer and the axe" Dag replied, resting his hand on the hammer hanging from his belt.
"I think it's a great idea. I can't wait to go with you!" said Reidar, clenching his fists.
Dag smiled: "As Karl and I did before leaving Jernhest, I want you to prepare everything you need to make the journey ahead. Tomorrow morning we will leave at the first light of dawn. Remember, in addition to your weapons and your courage, you also need provisions".
"On orders, Captain!" continued Reidar, bowing his head and walking away from the library to his room.
Dag still couldn't believe he had two warriors in charge. He was in a position of great responsibility: in addition to looking after himself, which he was already able to do, now their lives also depended on his choices. He had to be wise, as his Masters.
He took the Red Executioner and wrapped it back in the linen towel, tying it firmly to the shoulder bag so he could carry it.