Return to Jorgaldur Volume V: Reunion (2)

Preparations (I)

Gjaki arrived at the mansion in the company of the leprechaun. There, Eldi was waiting for them. They had notified him of their arrival.

"Goldmi may already be there. Should we go?" he proposed.

"Let's go," Gjaki agreed, more serious than usual.

"Thank you for the transportation," the leprechaun greeted him respectfully.

The battle mage activated the Gate, which the three crossed. They appeared in a small cabin, where Goldmi was waiting for them.

"Hello, everyone. They're waiting for us," she greeted them.

The other three greeted back, and they all went out the door together. They walked along the path to a much larger cabin, escorted by the guardians of the north. Those guardians were stationed on both sides of the road, and were bowing the newcomers as they passed.

The guardians looked at Goldmi and Eldi with the utmost respect, because they knew that they were two of the chosen ones. To the leprechaun, there was gratitude, because he had made sure that they could live in the safety of that village. To the vampiress, there was curiosity, because they didn't know who she was. They had never seen her before, but she couldn't be just anyone if she was there.

The atmosphere was solemn. At least, until Menxilya appeared and threw herself into the elf's arms.

"Goldmi!" she greeted her effusively.

The archer caught her in the air, smiling. She had often come to see them, many times with her daughters, who got along well with Menxilya. She looked and acted like a little girl, although she was already one when the elf met her for the first time, several dozen years ago.

There was wisdom in her, and a strange power of clairvoyance. However, she continued to act and play like the child she seemed to be.

"Eldi!" Shortly afterward, she also hugged the high human who had created for her the necklace with the gem of the Eternal Flame.

"Hi, Menxilya," he hugged her tenderly, while caressing her greenish hair.

After letting him go, the purple girl watched the vampiress curiously. She approached her while looking at her with her huge eyes.

"What's your name?"

"Gjaki," she responded, also looking at the girl with curiosity.

"Will you help us?" the girl almost begged.

"That's why I've come," Gjaki assured. She couldn't help but ruffle the girl's hair. Menxilya looked too adorable with her two little horns.

"Please come in," Menxolor asked them, while ignoring the attitude of his daughter.

Therefore, they did, as Gjaki and the leprechaun were dragged in by the girl. There, about twenty guardians of the north were waiting for them around a table. They were standing, and didn't sit down until the newcomers did. It was a sign of respect.

Only one empty chair remained, Menxilya's. The girl had decided to sit on the lap of the vampiress, who had given her a candy stick made by Goldmi.

"Let me explain to you what our objective is..." a woman who looked to be about fifty years old began.

"We're going to look for mom!" Menxilya interrupted.

Most smiled at the interruption. Normally, they would have felt depressed at those words, at the impossibility of carrying it out. Now, for the first time, they had the opportunity to try. They just had to plan how.

"So, you are afraid and want to cancel the competition," a barbarian mocked.

It must be said that he did it less abruptly than would have been usual. The chief of the other tribe, Skullsmash, was truly fierce and powerful. Even if he was boastful, he didn't want to make her angry for anything in the world.

"I don't want to cancel it. I want to change it for something more fun," she smiled, challenging.

"Something more fun? What nonsense are you thinking about this time?" Another of the chiefs was suspicious. The last time, they had almost fallen to their deaths.

They were in the assembly of tribes. The barbarians met there to settle disputes and prepare competitions. Those were almost always some type of fight.

"There's going to be an offensive against the corrupted beings, and we don't want to miss it. We propose that this year's competition be who kills the most," Bonescrusher proposed.

Suddenly, everyone started talking at the same time, rather excited. Competitions were fine, but there was nothing like a real fight, with the life on the line. Furthermore, they also hated the corruption.

In fact, many barbarians had been going to fight there, but lately the battle front had become stagnant. There were no big battles, so it had lost much of its charm. The prospect of a good pitched battle was most stimulating.

"Are you sure? When would it be?" another one wanted to make sure.

"The sources are reliable. I don't know the exact date yet, but probably less than a month. If you don't piss on yourself, I'll let you know as soon as I know," Smashy provoked.

"Ha, ha! To me, the legs of Breakinglegs don't shake! If anything, my enemies' ones do! Ha, ha! Although I don't know if Pierci will dare," he challenged another barbarian.

"Stomachpiercing isn't afraid of anyone! We'll see if you can get half as many preys as me!" another of the chiefs picked up the gauntlet.

One after another, they provoked and challenged each other, although no one challenged Smashy or Crushy. A challenge was fine, but banging their head against a wall wasn't. Both siblings had been undefeated for years, except for challenges between them.

"Then, all that remains is to decide the points of each prey. Do we have a list?" another chief asked.

"Yes, I've passed it on to the council of elders," Cruhsy smiled.

"Ha, ha! Well done! It's boring now! Who dares to arm wrestle?" a chief challenged. "Smashy, wait!"

"Are you a coward now?" another mocked.

"Fight against her if you're so brave!" the previous one countered.

"I'd do it, but the shaman has forbidden it to me for a few days," she looked for an excuse.

"What a coincidence! Me too!" Another joined in. He was mocking and taking the opportunity to escape at the same time.

"Bunch of cowards! I'm in! I can lose, but I won't run away from a fight!" another boasted and challenged Smashy.

It should be said that she only lasted a few seconds. Nonetheless, she managed to embarrass those who had looked for excuses. A true barbarian loses rather than flees.

"I know you're all very excited, but we have to decide what to do with those scavengers. We can't leave our elders and children without protection," another intervened.

He was as wild or even wilder than the others, but also surprisingly cautious. His words soon cooled the atmosphere, since it was undoubtedly a matter of utmost importance.

While the "elders" and children could fight, they weren't enough, nor as powerful as the others.

"We have a plan. You'll like it. Hopefully, they'll attack, and we'll get rid of them once and for all," Crushy revealed.

They all turned to him. They were more than curious to know this plan. The "scavenger" tribes had been a problem for too long.