Return to Jorgaldur Volume V: Reunion (2)

Parting

"This's the exit," Eldi pointed out.

There were Eldi himself, Gjaki, Goldmi and her sisters, Maldoa, Pikshbxgra, and many Guardians of the North.

The purple beings were covered from head to toe, so it wasn't possible to discover their identity at first glance. Among them, there was only one girl, as the others children had stayed behind, protected by a few adults and their elven allies.

Little Menxilya, over a hundred years old, was needed for the mission. She was the bearer of the Eternal Flame gem, which was embedded in the necklace that Eldi had made months ago.

"Are you sure we can't accompany you?" Menxolor, the girl's father, asked anxiously.

"No. Only them. You... Be careful, okay? We all have to meet with mom," Menxilya begged her father.

"We'll be. We'll buy you time," her father assured, and then looked at Eldi and Goldmi first, and the others later. "Take care of her for me."

Without waiting for a response, he turned around. He didn't want his daughter to see him cry. It was the first time they had been separated in almost a hundred years.

In fact, he didn't want to do it, but his daughter had been firm, and her words couldn't be doubted. She was more than only his daughter, she was the future prophetess of his people. By now, her intuition guided her, but that intuition couldn't be ignored. She had more than proven it.

They watched them leave with solemnity. The Guardians of the North were heading towards the same destination as them, but following a different route. Maybe, they wouldn't even arrive. They may die along the way. However, whatever the future, the Guardians were ready to fulfill their mission. They had to give their people a chance.

Menxilya said nothing as one after another bowed at her and her companions, before following Menxolor out of the cave. Nonetheless, her tears didn't stop flowing. It wasn't until many minutes later that the last of her people had disappeared that she was able to contain them. Perhaps, she didn't have any more left.

"It's time to go," Eldi announced. "How're the surroundings?"

"Clean," the vampiress assured. The truth was that the previous group had already taken care of it.

The goshawk jumped off the shoulder of her sister, who was still hugging the little Guardian of the North. She quickly left the cave and rose towards the sky.

On the one hand, it was a relief for her to fly again, to leave behind the closed tunnels, or caves. On the other hand, the air there wasn't clean, since the miasma also reached the heights. Although, luckily, much more diluted.

They waited for the albino bird to recognize the terrain before leaving the cave. The fairy then began to expand her presence and power. Little by little, so that any possible shadow wouldn't detect her.

"There're no bad guys," she reported. After that, she hid again among Aunt Omi's clothes, not far from a certain kraken.

"Thank you, Pikgra. Are you ready?" she asked Menxilya.

"Let's go!" she exclaimed. She was trying to act strong, and bury her feelings in the deepest part of her heart.

The truth is that she didn't quite achieve it, but she did move forward determinedly, followed by the elf and the drelf. Eldi, Gjaki and the lynx were ahead.

They followed a different direction than the group of Guardians of Menxolor, and with much more caution. It was vitally important that they weren't discovered too soon.

"One less tree... Skullsmash, are you sure they're coming? This's so boring..." a barbarian complained.

"Again? How many times have you asked this already?" one of Smashy's daughters answered.

"I haven't asked you!" the barbarian shouted angrily.

"And? What're you going to do about it?" she provoked her.

The rest of the barbarians, including Smashy, observed this or other similar scenes. They weren't known for being patient, and cutting down corrupted trees was quite boring to them. On the other hand, the dwarfs seemed to enjoy the ride.

"Axe goes!"

"Axe is coming!"

"Fucking axe goes!!"

"Fucking tree falls!!"

They chanted similar phrases over and over again, with more or less variations. It looked like they were on an excursion, although much of it was to keep morale up. The miasma was just as unpleasant to them as it was to everyone else.

Suddenly, Crushy advanced a few meters and raised his fist, imbuing it with mana. It was the signal for them to stop. Both barbarians and dwarfs stared at him.

"They're coming! Five minutes until the clash! Thousands! Get ready!" he announced.

The mana and energy they had been reserving until then surged chaotically over the place. Spells and skills to reinforce oneself or one's allies were being cast to face the impending battle.

"Everyone come closer!" Merlin ordered.

Like the barbarians and other groups, they had been warned of the arrival of the losts. Therefore, they had to prepare to receive them.

The cat mage cast Mass Award, a spell that help distribute blessings at a reduced cost. After that, as had been decided, the different spells that had been agreed upon in advance began to be cast. They distributed the load among the different mages, so no one ran out of mana.

Likewise, traps and protective barriers were placed, and the ground was secured. Subterranean enemies couldn't attack from underground without breaking the protections, which would warn them.

They faced battle very differently from barbarians and dwarfs. Those weren't good with traps or barriers, since their fighting method was much more direct.

In fact, barbarian shamans were only a bit less reckless. That is, they were at the front, but they didn't pursue their enemies alone. Well, they usually didn't.

The healing method of barbarian shamans is different from usual healers. They're specialized in close cures, at a distance around one meter. Those are faster and more efficient, but it forced them to be on the front lines. Of course, it's not that they care. Rather, they couldn't bear it otherwise.

In the case of Merlin's group, the healers were in the rear, safe and protected. Although their cures were somewhat slower, they could cover more area. This meant that they needed fewer healers than the barbarians, although the latter also contributed more offensively.

For now, they had just cast a few blessings. They had to conserve their mana, as it will be needed soon.