Return to Jorgaldur Volume V: Reunion (2)

Preparations (IV)

"My lord, there're movements towards the corrupted area. An army is gathering, from all corners of the world," a vampiress reported.

"Continue monitoring them. Inform me of numbers and composition," Kan Golge ordered. "So, they have decided to act... I wonder if they managed to make the necklace"

He then contacted others teams, which were monitoring certain villages. They could not enter them, nor see what was inside, as there were powerful shields protecting them. However, they could monitor who came and went.

"There's been an unusual movement. Eleven draconians visited it this morning," one of his children reported.

"Yes, my lord. At noon, a group of twenty entered. They were covered, so we couldn't see their race. Their power fluctuations were too stable, so we think they must have been hiding it. They left an hour ago," another reported.

One after another, almost every village reported unusual visits. Nothing was really suspicious individually, but there was a pattern.

"Either they have something in all of them, or they're trying to divert attention from the important one. Anyway, they're preparing something. We must send reinforcements, we can't miss the opportunity," he said to himself.

Immediately, some support troops were called. He suspected that the Eternal Flame was hidden in the elven jungle, and those villages were the most promising places they had found. Unfortunately, they didn't have enough strength to destroy them all at once. In fact, it was unknown what kind of defenses could be there.

The outer barrier was half defensive, half concealment. There could be more barriers inside, or some defensive forces. It couldn't even be ruled out that some of them were a rest area for warriors. What they did know was that if they attacked one, all of them would be alerted.

For now, the plan was to wait. They hoped their prey were there, and that the prey would come out on their own. All the movement at the border of the corrupted area indicated that they were planning something. Hopefully, the Guardians of the North who had escaped his clutches in the past would show themselves. If that happened, he would be prepared.

Pikshbxgra fluttered around curiously. Normally, she stayed in the forest, but on this occasion, she had decided to accompany the elf into the depths. It was a strange place, totally unknown to her, although not hostile.

To the astonishment of the mole-beings, she hovered around them, the buildings, even the toads that were now at the service of the legitimate inhabitants of the city. To the surprise of the vampiress, said toads hadn't tried to hunt the little fairy. They could sense that she wasn't food.

"We want to go in that direction, as far as possible," Eldi explained.

"Precisely in that one?" Fita was surprised.

She was in front of an ancient map of the tunnels that left the Great Brotherhood.

"Why?" the high human wondered.

"It's the only other exit that's more or less clear. The vampires bothered to remove the rubble, but we don't know why. There're no signs that they advanced much," the mole-woman explained.

"What tunnel is it?" Gjaki asked curiously.

"This one," Fita pointed out on the map. "If the path is clear enough, you might want to go here."

On the way, there was a small settlement, or there had been in the past. It had been built as an intermediate point for trade routes. Beyond, was the name of a long-forgotten city, with which the mole-beings had once traded. It was the place pointed.

After the disappearance of the trade with the beings of the depths, it had lost much of its value, and had declined. Its ruins had been engulfed by the corruption upon its arrival, many centuries later.

"Well, we'll have to go, and see if there's anything," the vampiress proposed. She was impatient to get started.

"I don't know if it's a good idea," Fita was worried.

"Why? Is there something there?" Goldmi was confused.

"How to say it... We haven't really discovered anything, but the feeling is chilling. It's not just me saying it. Even the dwarfs think the same. It's also strange that there aren't many animals, but perhaps they were killed by the vampires. The toads are also afraid of it," the mole-woman explained.

"We should take a look before making a decision," Eldi proposed.

"Good idea! Let's go!" Gjaki started walking.

"I hadn't said now... Ah... Doesn't matter... Let's go," he resigned.

Goldmi didn't say anything. She just followed them, along with her sisters.

Barely anything remained of the original nexus. It had been opened by the vampires, in what the mole-beings considered a "big botch." In fact, several experts were deciding how to fix "the mess." It was an important task, since it would serve as a test to restore the others.

They hoped to be able to open them, explore them, and contact other tribes. Hopefully, like them, those would have forgotten any past grudges or grievances, and could collaborate openly.

They stood aside to let the newcomers pass, to greet them respectfully. Most had barely interacted with those heroes, but they knew what they had done for them.

Fita accompanied them. She was looking suspiciously at the walls, as if fearing that they would fall on her. There was no doubt that she didn't trust the work of the vampires.

As soon as they left, the three companions perceived something unusual and familiar at the same time. Now they, understood the sense of apprehension of the mole-beings.

It didn't affect them, as they had experienced it much more intensely. Therefore, they could also recognize it.

"There's no doubt, miasma," Eldi muttered, seriously.

"Yeah. It's still far away, but some traces had arrived. There're not enough plants here to purify it," Goldmi added.

"What's it?" Fita asked.

"The corruption. It's somewhere up ahead. As we move forward, it'll become stronger. Goldmi?" Gjaki asked.

"Sure. Close your eyes."

A Light Blast purified the surroundings. Perhaps, it was a bit disproportionate, but right now the elf had plenty of mana, and it served as confirmation.

Fita was suddenly relieved. Every trace of miasma, no matter how small, had disappeared. However, the mole-woman could not help but shudder.

She had heard about the corruption from those three visitors. Further along the tunnel, they had hoped to find a settlement of their race. Now, she desired there had never been one there.

"Are you going?" Fita asked.

"Yes. We'll take care of whatever it's there," Eldi responded.

"We'll accompany you. We have to see it," she assured, with a firmness not lacking in fear.