Return to Jorgaldur Volume V: Reunion (2)

Redeemer (I)

"Shit! Shit! Shit! How could they've known why I wanted it!? How could they've known that I'd be waiting for them!? How could they've set that trap for me!?" Kan Golge couldn't quite believe what had happened.

He couldn't know that, in reality, it had been a coincidence. Not even his enemies could have imagined that his actions would be so decisive.

The idea of the doll playing Menxilya had been to confuse the enemy, to buy time. The fake necklace had been the same. They knew that their enemy wanted it, so they had come up with the idea of making a fake one. They had hoped to buy more time, perhaps tempt him, attract him.

The ambush had surprised them, because they hadn't imagined that they would be waiting for them, nor so many enemies at once that they weren't losts. In any case, the fact of not having acted, of having seemed scared, had been to observe, buy time for Goldmi, and decide exactly what to do.

Not for a moment had they imagined that the vampire would open his chest in front of them, take out a bloody, cracked stone from inside, and put the fake core in its place. They couldn't have planned it better even if they wanted to.

The reason they had come to that place was important, but so was chasing their enemy. Therefore, soon the magic circle glowed, and Gjaki, Eldi, Goldmi with the kraken and the lynx appeared.

"How!?" Kan Golge was surprised again.

He couldn't imagine how they had been able to open the gate again. His blood was needed for it, and he had made sure that not a drop was left.

"Have you missed us?" Gjaki mocked, as she summoned three Bats to explore her surroundings.

She didn't know where they were or what enemies they could find, apart from a point on the map in enemy territory. Her eyes were fixed on the other ancestral vampire, while their companions were arriving.

She was prepared to charge at her enemy, to activate all her skills, when, once again, a barrier stood in her way. It wasn't as strong as the first one, when he had implanted the false core on himself, but it was stronger than the last one.

"You've asked for it! You've forced me to do this!" he threatened.

His situation was critical, so he didn't want to make great efforts. It was one thing to be injured with a cracked core, and quite another to have a false one. He knew that, at any moment, he would be forced to use his blood skills just to stay alive. He had no heart, no power center, and there was even the possibility that the current one would explode.

Kan Golge wanted some calm to think of a solution, even if it was temporary. He still had a few children left, and perhaps he could use their hearts. Although weakened, he could survive. Of course, it would be better if he could get his hands on Gjaki's or, better yet, that of his missing biological daughter. Obtaining the true Heart of the Eternal Flame was certainly the ideal solution, but he didn't know where to start looking.

However, his enemies left him no other choice. He extended his nails and made a deep cut on his arm, as his enemies were attacking the shield.

"It's tough. It's going to be hard to take it down," Eldi cursed. He was hitting with the hammer and his Burning Aura.

"It repairs itself even if I Decompose its Mana. I don't know how long it'll take us. What's he doing?" Goldmi asked, worried.

"Nothing good. Let's keep attacking," the vampiress attacked again with her daggers and some hounds.

They had more powerful spells, which could probably destroy the barrier. However, they didn't dare to use them. If, for example, Gjaki cast a Death Ray, not only would she run out of mana, but it was very possible that everyone would be affected by the after-effects of the spell. They were in a relatively small room, and the explosion would reach them all.

Meanwhile, Kan Golge took a container from a cupboard and began to pour the contents into his wound. It looked like blood, although they could make out little else. The barrier blocked any other perception.

Several liters of that liquid were absorbed into the wound. The arms, legs and body of his enemy grew, he gained volume. It seemed as if his muscles had suddenly developed, albeit with a reddish hue that seeped through the vampire's rather pale skin.

His eyes were now completely red, not just the irises anymore. His mouth was twisted in a grimace of pain and rage. His pointed ears were bleeding from the inside, which made him look even more terrible.

They stared at him, as they were preparing for the impending confrontation. It was clear that he wasn't going to run away, so they were no longer in such a hurry to break the barrier. In fact, they stopped attacking and stayed in position. They even added an Area of Defense, of Attack, some traps, spread threads and renewed blessings.

None of them knew how powerful he was with that transformation, but their enemy seemed confident in facing them. However, it seemed temporary, so it was a good idea to waste time.

Of course, Kan Golge had no intention of waste it. Since the barrier had been raised by another of his artifacts, he could also deactivate it. As soon as he did, Gjaki's eyes widened. She recognized that aura.

Wasting no time, he lunged at them. The elf seemed to him to be the most vulnerable, as her range was useless in a closed room.

He passed through the Tentacles with hardly a flinch, ignored the damage from the Light Abysses and reacted quickly to the hole in the floor, overcoming it. Eldi tried to get in his path, but the vampire activated a trap in the room. The floor crumbled beneath his feet, and then caught him. The trap barely held him for a couple of seconds, but it was enough for the vampire to jump aside, and have a clear path to Goldmi.

As he rushed towards her, he unsheathed his sword for the first time. It took on a threatening red color, as it was imbued not only with the vampire's aura, but with that of the liquid he had absorbed.

Their enemy didn't think his prey could block him, although he was prepared to continue attacking if she managed to. He didn't expect her to simply let herself fall after the clash of their weapons. She had taken advantage of the momentum to fall to the ground and hit the vampire's foot, all with the help of Feint to the Foot. She rolled away, moving away.

In fact, the lynx would have intervened if her sister hadn't firmly ordered her to move away.

He turned quickly. Seeing that Gjaki had almost reached him, he had no choice but to turn to her, confident, as his current strength had to be far superior to the vampiress'. What happened was nevertheless inexplicable to him.

"You dare to use their remains against me, the Redeemer? So you were the one behind..." Gjaki's enraged voice was heard.