Return to Jorgaldur Volume III: blood warrior

Recapture (I)

The village was in fact a huge cave where more than a hundred goblins lived, and were protected by the warriors from the dangers of the forest. They grew nutritious mushrooms, raised worms that produced a tasty yellowish liquid, and ate the meat their hunters brought.

However, they were no match for the twenty goblins specialized in raiding and robbing settlements. They had tried to defend themselves, but their soldiers and hunters hadn't been enough.

Now, they were locked in a side cavern, except for the young people, who hugged and cried before the cruel fate that was in store for them. A destiny that was being delayed due to the arguments of their captors.

"You can keep her if she's back. If not, I'll choose her," a goblin notably taller and bigger than the rest prevailed. He was almost one and a half meters, and was at level 16.

The other had no choice but to give in, despite him, as he wasn't as strong as the boss. Of course, if he couldn't choose the one he wanted, the goblin would choose another. It would cause a ripple effect, which was making everyone wait impatiently, while enjoying the stolen food.

Outside the cave, a pair of 12 and 13 level goblins guarded the entrance. Each one had a bone in hand, and was gnawing at the remaining flesh.

"They're late. I hope they find her..." said one of them.

"Damn, what's taking them so long? They better not go overboard with the guide. I like him, I don't want to choose another," his female partner complained sulkily.

"Sure, you'll be the one to go overboard with him. Ha, ha," he laughed.

"Heh, heh. You know me well!"

Suddenly, a figure appeared among the trees, and peered out shyly, fearful.

"It's her!"

"Quickly! Don't let her escape!"

They both ran after her, while thinking how stupid she was to have come back, to believe they could have left so soon. When they were caught by some Tentacles, they realized that she wasn't the stupid one.

Tili had been the bait, and Gjaki the executioner. Tado also wanted to test the mace she had lent him, to vent his anger. He crushed an arm, but wasn't as efficient as the terrible vampire.

He was still looking at her suspiciously, while Tili seemed to have lost any fear of her. The female goblin only regretted not having arrived in time after picking up the spear, as she would have wanted to use it.

"There must be about fifteen left. And now what?" she asked, while oblivious to the desiccation of the corpses by Gjaki's nurse. She preferred not to look.

On his side, Tado watched the scene apprehensively, but he didn't dare say anything.

"Let's explore the situation first," said the vampire, and summoned two Bats.

Maybe she still couldn't maintain them for hours, but she could do it for a few minutes without emptying her mana.

"There are four in a cave with several barrels. They look drunk. Another three guarding the prisoners. The rest are eating and drinking near a few frightened and bound goblins. The problem is that we need to go through them to get to the others."

"Can't we use the path through I escaped?" Tili asked.

"They have closed it so that nobody enters, but perhaps we could force it. Will she fit?'' Tado hesitated as she looked at the vampire.

"I'm not that fat!" she protested.

"It isn't about fat, it's about height. You can always crawl," Tili explained.

"Well, tell me where it is. I'll send one of the explorers to scout."

After a while, a Bat hung from the ceiling in front of a hut, whose construction only had needed the front. For the back, the cave wall had been used.

There were a couple of wooden boards nailed to the door to prevent it from opening, or delay whoever tried. Obviously, they wanted to prevent anyone from entering. They weren't expecting someone to go out there.

Gjaki cursed the goblins, all of them. That tunnel forced her to crawl while they were walking easily. It was terribly uncomfortable, and the path took a long detour, so she almost had to go a mile like that. Her knees would have ached if it weren't for Self-Regeneration.

"Luckily, most of the cave is high enough," she consoled herself.

After a long journey that seemed interminable, they reached the end of the road. The goblins pushed the piece of furniture blocking the entrance, which Tili had dragged to the hole that morning.

Everything was untidy. Chairs and tables were thrown away, some broken. Cupboards were open or directly smashed, and their contents were scattered. Pieces of various plates or vases were scattered on the floor, and even some curtains were torn.

Both goblins looked at the place sadly, while clenching their fists tightly.

On her side, Gjaki was delighted to be on her feet again. She gazed thoughtfully at the nails sticking out on this side of the door, as she stretched out her legs and arms.

"I know how to open it, but it'll make a little noise," she said, as she pulled out a two-handed hammer.

"Wait!" Tili exclaimed.

The two goblins searched until they found a small hammer, with which Tado began to gently pound on the nails. He made them to come out little by little.

"He is a carpenter's apprentice. I want to be a hunter," Tili explained proudly.

"How old are you?" Gjaki asked curiously.

If her knowledge of goblins was correct, she should be a couple of years old, maybe three. Even though she didn't seem like it when she spoke.

"Seventeen. I'm a week and a day older than Tado!" she exclaimed.

"You always have to brag about that," he growled.

The vampire said nothing. She had been treating them almost like children, and it turned out they were a bit older than her. She was feeling a bit uncomfortable. At least, they were shorter.

"How old are you?" Tili asked curiously. From what she knew of vampires, she could be hundreds of years old.

"All the nails are out," Tado announced.

"Let's go. It's time to open the door," Gjaki urged, thus escaping the question.

The boards made some sound as they fell, but much less than the opening of the door with the two-handed hammer would have been. There was only one Bat now, as she didn't want to spend too much mana, to which she ordered to scout around the area. It didn't find anyone, so it didn't seem like they had alerted her enemies.

"The cellar is this way. The barn where they're imprisoned, a little further on," Tado informed. He was beginning to get used to the presence of the vampire.

So, with the Bat scouting ahead, they advanced toward the cellar.