"Don't worry about me, I'm fine... it got scared because of the sudden noise in the trees and defended its master, like a watchdog. It wasn't its fault, it just followed its instincts!" she replied, rising from the ground and cleaning her clothes. 

"Instincts?! The same instinct that was going to kill you when you were under the control of the Frostsinners? The same one that forced Dag to fight against his own comrades, completely losing control of his actions?! That thing is dangerous, Freydis... you can't pet it like a dog!" Karl continued, scolding his older sister, who didn't seem at all frightened by what had happened.

"You managed to touch it... what did you feel?" Gridd asked, walking forward and continuing to look at the two dark arms coming out of Dag's back, with their tips pointing forward.

"Yes... it was a magnificent feeling... it's an incredibly cold material, more than ice! But at the same time, I felt a kind of heat flow over my skin and get up to my back and legs. I felt invigorated, rested. I don't know how to explain it to you, you should try it to understand" she said, who still couldn't make that strange feeling come true. 

"I understand you. Imagine amplifying the cold and heat by a hundred times, or even more. That's what I feel in my body, starting from the center of my chest" Dag exclaimed, with one hand resting on his chest at the heart.

"I'm sure that by concentrating, you can make it take on any form. If it activates in case of danger, some of us should try to attack you and you should think about an armor, or a s.h.i.+eld, I do not know how it works..." Freydis continued, empathizing with Dag and imagining to control the dark power.

Dag clenched his fists, trying to feel the extensions of his body and sense their movements.

"All right, let's try. But on one condition: Reidar will try to hit me with an arrow so n.o.body will risk getting hurt " he said, ready to test himself.

"What? No, Dag... it's too dangerous! I will try, with a fake sword, so that even if I hit you, you will not suffer any damage.

"I said no. The fluid can hurt you again. Reidar, are you ready?" Dag asked, looking at his companion with a determined look.

"Yes, Captain... I think so" the archer replied, positioning himself in front of him, about ten feet away. 

As Soon as Reidar pulled an arrow from the quiver, the two dark arms began to fidget, circling around Dag, sensing danger.

"Give me the signal, Captain!" Reidar said, loading an arrow over the Failnaught and aiming, turning a blind eye.

Dag pointed to the center of his chest with his hand, asking his friend to aim at it, and after taking a deep breath, he yelled: "Go! Now!" 

Reidar fired the arrow, which traveled at great speed towards him, following an imperceptible trajectory in the eyes of all: the two dark arms, moments before the start of the arrow, rose quickly upwards and then skewered the ground, expanding their volume and widening, creating a kind of huge black plate in front of their Master, covering his entire body.

The arrow hit the surface of that particular s.h.i.+eld, partially penetrating it, getting stuck with the tip sticking out behind it, stopping a few inches from Dag's chest, which soon broke in a cold sweat.

"Yes! Yes, I knew it! You did it!" Freydis shouted, jumping for joy and looking at Gridd and Karl, who for a moment had feared the worst.

"All right, Captain?" Reidar asked, putting the bow back in its place and waiting for an answer.

The black barrier in front of Dag doubled into two beams, returning to its previous form and splitting the arrow in half as if it was a twig.

"Yes, I think so" he exclaimed, satisfied that he was able to parry such a quick shot, but scared at the same time, not being very practical in terms of defensive moves.

After that intense training session, Dag realized that in addition to boosting his powerful offensive attacks, which remain his workhorse, he needed to strengthen his defenses, to be able to defend himself against unknown enemies, who with their fighting techniques could put him in serious danger.

Thanks to Freydis's advice, that despite her less combat experience than him, Gridd and Reidar, Dag was able to strengthen his control over the fluid, managing to control it not only in combat but also in a dangerous situation, rendering it harmless.

The next few days, he preferred to train away from the arena, in a wide clearing he found in the middle of a forest, intending to replicate the attack he had used to end the battle against the Jotunns.

His goal was to slightly weaken that attack, infusing the power of the two elements into the dark arms, without exhausting all his energies.

He noticed that unlike Magni's hammer, which within seconds could store enough electricity, the Giantbane needed more time to reach the maximum temperature and unleash flames as high as the ones that broke the ground last time.

He also discovered that by wrapping the top of his arms with fluid, the electrical and thermal energy moved behind his back faster, immediately loading the two dark arms.

...

It was about a week, when Dag and his teammates were called in to report by Sander and the other Masters, having completed their intense training session and resting enough, charging their spirits in antic.i.p.ation of the battle.

With the hope painted on their happy faces, Dag, Freydis, Karl, Reidar, and Gridd made their way to the Masters building on the Rocky Crown as the Sun set on the horizon.