Return to Jorgaldur Volume V: Reunion (2)

Entrance

Maldoa opened a small crack in the Source dimension, so the fairy could expand her aura. It was a different Source than the one she had brought the Guardians of the North to, one close to the group's target.

"No bad guys nearby," Pikshbxgra assured.

Therefore, they went out. The fairy expanded her aura further, now that it wasn't limited by the small crack. She did this until she found something.

"Bad guys there, there, there," she pointed.

"A lot. There could be more behind," Eldi worried.

"Luckily, we're not going in that direction. It smells like a trap. Pikgra, can you go check if we're approaching any? I'll tell Aunt Omi to give you more candy sticks," the vampiress asked.

"Don't spoil her at my expense!" the elf complained.

Although she knew she couldn't refuse. The fairy had nodded with more enthusiasm than usual. So, with Goldmi, the lynx and the fairy at the head, they began to advance cautiously. Eldi and Gjaki followed them, while the drelf closed the formation, and held a purple girl in her arms. She was very still, perhaps because she had recognized the lands that had been her home.

"A bad guy there," the fairy pointed out.

"A bad guy there," she pointed again a while later.

"A bad guy there."

At least, they had dodged six shadows. Without a doubt, those had regrouped there, and were watching their base of operations.

This time, they didn't attack them, as they didn't want to alert their enemies. They simply changed direction to avoid them. The corrupted trees, Darkness and the uneven ground allowed them to go unnoticed.

Finally, they stopped in a place as desolate as the others. It was a small depression in the ground that didn't seem to have anything special. It was similar to so many others they had passed near. Eldi took out a purple emblem that Menxolor had given him, and imbued it with mana. Suddenly, in total silence, the ground opened before them, and revealed the entrance to a hidden tunnel. They looked at each other, and entered one by one.

The entrance closed behind the drelf, as soon as Eldi cut off the flow of mana. It left them momentarily in darkness. A pair of floating lamps solved that slight inconvenience.

They advanced slowly through the labyrinth of tunnels. The forks followed one another. They led to different places, dead ends or perhaps even deadly traps.

They followed Menxolor's instructions strictly. Meanwhile, several Bats were exploring the different detours, since they didn't want surprises. It was necessary to reach their destination.

It was a silent journey, in which only the sound of their breathing and their steps could be heard. It was somewhat stressful to always be alert, though they didn't find any setbacks or enemies. In that place, it seemed that not a soul had passed in many decades.

Finally, they reached a large underground room. It seemed like a dream, after several hours of traveling between the austere stone walls.

Before them, on the other side, there was a double door four meters high and two meters wide. Around it, there were multiple statues of ancient heroes of the people of the Guardians of the North.

The ceiling, which until then had been about two meters high, was now at least twenty. The width, in which until then barely two could stand together, was now difficult to discern. The end wasn't even visible.

The darkness had also disappeared, and was replaced by a soft purple glow. It gave the room a magical and solemn appearance.

They advanced towards the door, which was more than two hundred meters away. Meanwhile, the Bats expanded their scanning range, as they flied in all directions.

"I'm afraid I can't let you advance any further," a voice was then heard. It seemed somewhat gloomy.

On the ground in front of them, a magic circle had lit up. From it, the figure who had spoken those words had emerged.

Others circles lit up, and other figures appeared, surrounding them. They were short-distance teleports, so they didn't need as many resources as usual. However, it was necessary to draw them in advance, and they had been hidden under the dust. It was undoubtedly a trap.

Everyone stood on alert, ready to fight. The level of most of their enemies wasn't very high, but they kept coming. Gjaki felt something else.

"They're vampires," she whispered.

After that, the vampiress advanced a couple of steps. She had sensed the essence of blood in them, but it was stronger in the one in front of her. She could recognize it easily, as she had sensed a similar one before, when meeting Ljila. If there was no mistake, that figure was the biological father from whom Ljila had fled, and was still hiding.

"Kan Golge, I suppose," she greeted him, while staring at him.

"The Blood Queen herself. What an honor," he bowed, although there was irony in his voice.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"In the past, I was interested in you. You were a potential ally, or a valuable resource. Your blood would've been useful to me. However, now I have other interests," he revealed.

Just as he said those words, the ground opened beneath their feet. They jumped to the sides, but found themselves separated from the drelf and the girl.

The elf had been casting Life Detection, but what had risen to the surface was a mana artifact, not a living being. Her spell couldn't sense it.

Perhaps, Detect Mana would have warned her, but she couldn't afford to continually cast all kinds of spells. Her mana wasn't infinite.

"Maldoa!" Goldmi called, worried.

The attack hadn't only separated them from the drelf and the girl, but these two hadn't been able to stay together, as the girl was thrown out. Maldoa extended her roots to retrieve her, but a stalagmite of mana emerged from the ground before she could reach her. It pierced the girl from behind, and the tip came out of her stomach.

Purple blood dripped and stained the lethal attack, while Menxilya remained completely still, inert. Her face was covered by her hood, but the situation left no doubt about her condition.

They stood frozen, unable to react. A strong barrier separated them from the lifeless body. Even the drelf couldn't reach her. Because of this, they couldn't prevent a figure from approaching the corpse. It has been allowed to pass through the barrier.

"Father, I have it!" he held up a necklace, which emitted an unmistakable aura.

"Ha, ha, ha! It's mine now! Finally!" he boasted in front of the furious gaze of his enemies.