Return to Jorgaldur Volume V: Reunion (2)

Fortress (I)

The Guardians of the North advanced quickly, with mixed feelings. Because of the contour of the mountains, many recognized the lands they were traveling through, but at the same time, those lands were unrecognizable. They had returned to what had been their home, but there was hardly anything left of what it had been.

Many had to hold back their tears. There, huge trees had risen, under which they had played as children. In another direction, a huge lake of crystal-clear water should be spreading its freshness, but now it was nothing more than blackish swamps where nothing grew. The vast plains, where all kinds of food had been grown, was now just a dark wasteland.

It is not that they didn't know it, it is not that they hadn't expected it, but it still broke their hearts. Their home had become a corrupted land without life, like so many others throughout the Lost Forest.

At least, they were alive, and they had the hope of recovering their people. Others hadn't had such an opportunity. The corruption had swallowed them up without mercy, and killed them quickly if they had been lucky. It had given them a slow death if they had been unlucky. It had corrupted them if fate had been against them.

"There, look," one of them pointed out.

In the distance, there was the Great Gate, the main entrance to their underground city. It stood as always, facing south. To it, it seemed that nothing had changed. The gate was still there, imposing, unfazed by the passage of time or corruption. It gave the impression that nothing could affect it.

"The southeast gate is clean," another pointed out. He had been using a kind of magic telescope to observe in the distance. "So was the southwest."

"It was to be expected. Most likely, they're in the northeast, it was the weakest," Menxolor assumed.

A little later, the explorers returned, and confirmed part of his assumption.

"West gate clean. We haven't even seen a single lost," another informed.

"The same in the east. Everything is silent and empty. It's chilling," the other explorer explained.

"It could be a trap," another guardian warned.

"No doubt. If not here, it'll be somewhere else. Let's continue with the plan," Menxolor interjected.

They all knew the danger they were in. They knew the place, but also their enemy did. Cahldor was surely expecting their visit, they were convinced of it, and he had had many years to prepare. They weren't so naive as to believe that their journey through the corrupted area had gone unnoticed.

However, they had all assumed their role. Their main mission was to divert the attention of their enemies as much as they could, even if that meant sacrificing their lives.

The Guardians of the North advanced cautiously, as they circled their old home from a distance, and were looking at it with nostalgia. The truth is that they didn't know what it was like inside, if there was still hope. They could only cling to that possibility.

It took them hours to discover the first enemies in the distance. As they advanced, their position allowed them to widen the angle of vision on the northeast gate, and also what was in front of it. There were tens of thousands of corrupted beings. They were forming a wide semicircle in front of the entrance.

The space right in front was empty, and the reason was obvious. Those losts were specialized in ranged attack, and they were continuously bombarding the huge gate. Anything that was close would be annihilated.

It was half the size of the main entrance, but it was still immense. They didn't know how many years it had been resisting the continuous bombardment, nor did they know what condition it was in. It was impossible to inspect it from that distance, and they obviously couldn't get close to it. What they did know was that there shouldn't be much time left, that they wouldn't have another chance. Menxilya's prophecy had been quite clear on that point. Time was running out

"There it is," one of the guardians pointed out.

They all approached her position, and overcame the hill that had prevented them from seeing it until then. As the explorers had described, the fortress was intact. Nothing had disturbed the seals placed when their civilization had fallen into a long slumber.

It was one of the fortresses that protected their city. It dominated the lands to the northeast, thus allowing them to defend from any attack coming from that direction. The natural walls that rose in front of it left only one passage, and the fortress blocked it now that its doors were closed. If their enemies wanted to attack from there, they had to take the fortress first. Unfortunately, the enemies had been inside, not outside.

"No one has touched it. Cahldor would never have left it intact, unless it's a trap," the same guardian who had previously feared one assessed.

"No doubt, but we have no other choice," his wife held his hand.

They all looked solemnly at the imposing fortress. They feared that their companions were right, that this place could be their grave. In any case, even if it were, they would fight until their last breath.

They had already gathered their resolve before parting, and had faced several desperate situations. As much as they feared death, fear wasn't going to intimidate them. Their group had a mission to fulfill, that of giving their people a chance. They could not fail them.

They didn't advance to the entrance of the fortress, but only approached until one of the inner walls was in sight. There was a strange inscription there, which only worked if the fortress was sealed, as it was.

"Take it," Menxolor offered a huge carved stone.

It was the size of a basketball, and its shape was similar to a sphere, although it was a polyhedron carved with different types of faces. One of them was empty, and showed the hollow interior of the gem.

"Thank you," a guardian took it.

In the past, she had been the commander of the fortress. For her, it was the honor of activating the key.

She infused mana into the gem, and it began to shine, as the light concentrated in the hollow. After a few long seconds, the light emerged from inside the gem and reached the inscription. In it, strange patterns were activated, which reflected the light back, even more intensely.

For a few moments, a powerful glow enveloped the guardians, blinding them. When they opened their eyes, they were inside the fortress, in the command room. Several mana screens began to appear. They showed the surroundings and its interior. The fortress had awakened.

It was then that everyone heard a voice that sounded familiar to them, although perhaps it was more hoarse and dark than they remembered. The voice came from outside, but they could hear it from inside the room, as the sound was transmitted there.

"Welcome, I've been waiting for you for a long time. In the past, you left without saying farewell, it wasn't nice. Don't worry, I don't hold it against you. I've even prepared a warm welcome for you. Once again, welcome to what will be your home forever, your tomb."

"Cahldor," Menxolor muttered. There was anger in his voice.