Karl approached Dag's horse by the side. He was evidently troubled by what had happened.

"Hey, Dag! I remember as if it were yesterday when you told me you were going to be King of all Vikings. Look at you now... you have the n° 8 emblem! Isn't that great? If you continue at this pace, your dream may soon come true!" he said, smiling at Dag.

Dag reciprocated the kind words with a forced smile: "Don't you think it's strange that I managed to get two emblems in just over a month? When we trained in the Jernhest Arena, Taya told us many times that getting the emblems was a long and difficult task, even for the greatest warriors".

"Well... but Taya has never seen you smas.h.i.+ng the chest of one of Skjold's strongest warriors with a magic hammer! Hahahah!" chuckled Karl, pleased with the power of his Captain and drawing a sincere smile from him.

"Since I was a child, I have done nothing but suffer misfortunes in my life... Maybe I can be lucky too?" asked Dag.

"Fortunes, sooner or later, happen to everybody. Imagine the faces of the members of the other Clans, when you'll propose to join us, showing the emblem n° 8. You will be a feared and loved leader at the same time!" said Reidar, turning his head back.

After those words, Dag thought of Brann: "He had the n° 6 emblem, not much more prestigious than my current one. But on one thing, maybe he was right... you can't conquer the strongest emblems with good manners. You have to fight mercilessly, never losing sight of your goals."

"You're right, boys. What happened on that farm was a great fortune!" he said.

"And the soup wasn't so bad!" exclaimed Karl, prompting laughter from his friends.

The three adventurers continued their journey to Tyven.

When they pa.s.sed yet another mountain, the FossilWood Forest was finally visible.

"Have you noticed that the Sun sets more slowly? I think spring is approaching" Dag said, watching the sunset on the horizon.

"You're right, Captain. I noticed that too" Reidar said.

Dag rode forward to his companions, making his way.

"That way! I can see a path. If we are lucky, we will be able to get down from the Mountain and enter the Forest" he exclaimed, pointing his finger in front of him.

Karl, as he rode, was flipping through the almanac.

"Dag, the book says that a 'transfusion' will not make the union of the two types of blood definitive. By injecting the blood of the hawk into your veins, you would prolong the effect of your powers, but after a few days, they would vanish because your body would slowly regenerate your own blood, which would replace the stranger one" Karl said, his gaze fixed on the almanac.

"Then it was just like Reidar said" sighed Dag, looking at his companions.

"Wait. We must not lose hope. I'm confident we'll find a way" Karl continued, trying to focus.

After about ten minutes of intense reading, he exclaimed: "There is a flower... whose seed can insulate the liquid part of the blood from its energetic part".

"I think it refers to blood plasma and red blood cells..." said Dag, who approached Karl, leaving the command to Reidar.

"Red blood cells? What are you talking about?" asked Karl.

"Nothing. Keep reading" Dag replied.

"Then... this flower is derived from a plant that grows in some swampy areas. The almanac says that leaving its seeds soaked in blood, the separation of the two parts takes about 12 hours".

"I don't know what's your point" Dag continued, as he spied on the almanac that Karl kept open on his horse's back.

"If I can separate the energy part of the hawk's blood, which should be the one that gives the magenta color to his blood, maybe I can add it to yours! I mean... picking up your blood, we can mix it with what we get after the chemical reaction of the flower and then we can inject it back into your veins! It should work!" said Karl enthusiastically.

Dag was astonished.

"I didn't think you were that smart, bro!" he chuckled.

"Hahahah! Don't be an idiot! I'm serious! If my idea will work, you could permanently amplify your powers!" continued Karl.

"What's the name of this plant?" asked Dag.

"It is called 'Crimson Tooth' because of its red color and the sharp shape of its petals and leaves. There's also a map showing the places where it's already been found" Karl continued, showing Dag the almanac.

"But... they are far away from where we are now! These regions are much further north than Kvete!" he replied, scratching his head.

"Yes, I see..." Karl replied.

"The forest in which we are headed has never been fully explored. The stories tell that the only people who have strayed from the main path, have disappeared and have never been found. It says the flower needs swampy areas to grow, right?" interrupted Reidar.

"Yes. Apparently, it gets nourishment from sludge rich in organic material, typical of marshes and swamps. What do you mean, Reidar? I understood that the FossilWood forest was an expanse of dry trees and arid soil... It can't be a swamp in a place like this, it's impossible!" said Karl, objecting to Reidar's thesis.

"It may be. Having not been fully explored because of the great dangers, no one really knows if there are swampy areas. We could try!" exclaimed Dag, caught in a sudden wave of optimism.

"Hahaha! Well! That's the stuff, Captain!" chuckled Reidar.

"Bu… did you totally lose your mind? We're about to enter one of the most dangerous places in the nation, which hasn't all been explored yet... and what do we do? Are we going for a walk in search of a flower?!" shouted Karl, in a frightened tone.

"Are we explorers or not? I am sure there are no dangers we cannot overcome together! We will delay our arrival in Tyven by a single day, dedicating ourselves to the search for the Crimson Tooth. If we don't find it in that time frame, we will continue on our way" Dag continued, smiling at Karl.