Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Farewell

At 94, Eldi had regained Lord of the Elements. It is a versatile spell capable of nullifying fire, ice, lightning or earth magic. It can be useful defensively or to nullify magical constructs such as Burning Walls. He had it at 10, since there had been many occasions to use it.

As a skill, he now had Insurmountable. It is a mix of skill and earth spell, which makes the user an Insurmountable wall. They can only be overcome if they run out of mana, energy, or are defeated. It was at 10, because despite not having needed it on many occasions, when he had cast it, it had been active for a long time. It had been very useful for not letting enemies escape, for protecting allies, or simply for taking a good beating.

Goldmi had unlocked Wind Lord, which makes the owner of said spell almost immune to wind magic, unless they are of a higher level. It was at 10, as there were many circumstances in which it could be used.

The Loved by Nature skill made her immune to spells involving plants, as they loved her too much to injure her. She could use it on her sisters, and to a lesser extent on her allies. It must be said that it had some limits. If a dryad used plants to attack her, it was totally insufficient.

They couldn't help but regret that Nilgha had to leave them, but she had work to do. With the rest of the elite squad wiped out, there were many matters to attend to. Among them, giving them false information as the only survivor.

She went out with a group that they met in the intermediate area. Half of the group had gone out to explore the bottom floor. They wanted to see it firsthand, and decide how to deal with it in the future. The other half had been waiting, wishing to return.

The companions had approached them to buy their tent. They had said that theirs had been damaged, which was true. Although more than damaged, it had exploded.

It was a fair deal, since they paid well, and the group could buy another one as soon as they left the dungeon. It wasn't suspicious either, it was even common. In the dungeon, there was no other way to buy resources than from other adventurers who were preparing to leave the place.

In fact, many offered their potions and other materials before leaving, at a higher than market price. If someone needed them, it was worth paying the extra price, since leaving the dungeon and returning to the last floor was a huge waste of time.

Nilgha explained that her companions wanted to explore the next floor, but she had to turn back. She had promised her boyfriend to return after the penultimate one, or so she claimed.

After that, they said farewell with many hugs, and Goldmi gave her several portions of food, especially preserved food. Eldi promised that he would send her the weapons through certain channels, while Gjaki whispered to her about certain lingerie. The boyfriend thing had only been a half-lie. There was one waiting for her in the resistance.

That way, she was able to go out with a group instead of alone, reducing the chances of attracting attention. They didn't know if the vampires who had attacked them were watching, lying in wait.

She then headed to a resistance safe house, where she managed to contact Liodon. When he heard that there was news about his father, he hadn't hesitated to drop everything and answer the call in person.

A day and after several conversations later, she contacted the kingdom.

"All killed!? Only one survivor!? How's it possible!?" Ricardo exclaimed.

"That's the information, my lord. The survivor has told us that they were set up. Maybe, Eldi Hnefa wasn't even there. It seems that everything was a conspiracy to attract them," the liaison explained.

"Damn rebels! They'll pay for it!" he yelled angrily.

"There's something else, my lord. The survivor was able to hide, badly injured. She said that she heard that the Eldi they saw was one of them in disguise, that he still had to reach that level. She also said that Frojlnei County would be the next target. We don't think it's a trap, they couldn't know she was listening," he assumed.

"What if she were an infiltrator? She could have set the trap for them," Ricardo suggested suspiciously.

In fact, he had guessed half of it, and not for the right reason. Nilgha hadn't set the trap, but she was an infiltrator.

"It could be..." the liaison agreed.

He hadn't considered that possibility. All the members of the squad were elites who had been tested in action. They had been forced to kill innocent people or rebels. The thought that a member of the resistance had infiltrated their ranks had never occurred to him. However, after the disastrous failure of the mission, he couldn't rule out that possibility.

"Capture her, interrogate her and eliminate her. We can't take risks. Guard Frojlnei, but only with normal troops, not loyal ones. If it's a trap, we can't suffer significant casualties," Ricardo ordered.

"Yes, my lord."

Lidia and Melia sighed with relief, although they were also a little scared. The trap his enemies had set for their father and lover, respectively, had been very dangerous. Luckily, they had underestimated his companions. Not only had Gjaki dealt with the Assassin's Guild, but the five of them were a force that couldn't be scorned.

Knowing that he was fine was all they needed, although they listened in detail to everything their brother and son excitedly told them. He didn't always have the opportunity to tell the adventures of his father, although what he most wanted was to see him, to hug him. They all wanted it, but also knew they would have to wait.

Besides, all of them also wanted to meet his companions, especially Goldmi. From her mother, they knew that the dryads were especially pleased with her. Not only was she close to nature and fairies, and therefore to dryads, but her cooking was exquisite.

Perhaps, they could doubt the sense of taste of dryads, even half-dryads, but Nilgha had personally confirmed it. They wondered if the day would come when they could share a great banquet with all their friends and family. At least, there was hope.

Melia looked at them and smiled motherly as she hugged them affectionately. They had fallen asleep lying on her, as they did when children. She knew that her children had to be constantly alert, that danger stalked them, that the forces of the kingdom wanted them dead.

Therefore, only when they were with her could they let themselves go. The dryad couldn't use her powers to help them in their rebellion, to protect them when they were away. However, here, with her, they could feel completely safe. No one could attack them in that place, in her sanctuary.