Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Elfhumvam

"When did you come back? We've been looking for you all these years," Goldmi asked, not quite believing what her eyes were showing her.

"A few months ago. It was incredible. One day I was in bed, dying of old age, and the next moment I was here. It's like a dream," he confessed. "When did you arrive? What do you mean by 'we'?"

"Oh! Gjaki is here too! She was the first to arrive. She had an accident shortly after closing the game. It must be about ninety years ago. I arrived ten years later. I'm going to call her!" she explained

"Eighty years... You don't look like it," he was surprised.

"We elves live many years. I think all visitors' races. You weren't a normal human either, were you?"

"A high human, although I don't know how many years we live. Well, my children are close to a hundred years old, and they look young," he thought aloud.

"Your children?" the elf looked at him incredulously. "Did you have children in the game?"

"Ha, ha. My adoptive children. Do you remember Lidia and Liodon?"

"Oh! Now that you mention it! I hadn't thought about them... We should've contacted them... How could I forget about them..." Goldmi lamented.

He didn't even see her approaching until she was in front of him. The two stared at each other for a few moments, until she pounced on him and hugged him.

The vampiress had jumped from the hole on the second floor, thrown against the wall and landed in front of Eldi, while the twins looked at her excitedly. She had been astonished to see him, and she had quickly moved closer to confirm that her eyes weren't deceiving her.

"Why didn't you say anything? I sent you a message through the guild," Gjaki reproached him, not wanting to let him go.

"Oh! It was yours? I thought it would be from the game... I saw that I had one in Goltrak, but I wasn't going to stay long, and they would take time to bring it. So I thought I'd go to Narzerlak to look for it. I haven't had time yet," Eldi apologized.

"Goldmi the same... I don't ever know why I tried it..." the vampiress complained.

"I already apologized!" Goldmi exclaimed.

Gjaki looked at them for a moment as if she was annoyed, but then her face softened, and she broke into a huge smile again. She had even missed complaining about her companions. In the game, several times, they had forgotten to read the messages that she had left them to tell that she could not go, or to meet at another time.

"The important thing is that we're all together again. Elfhumvam is back! Long live Elfhumvam!" Gjaki exclaimed. She was laughing while saying it.

After so many years, that name was still embarrassing. Even so, she felt elated as she said it.

"Ha, ha. Long live Elfhumvam!" the elf accompanied her.

The two of them stared at Eldi, waiting. He sighed and shrugged, there was no escape.

"Long live Elfhumvam..." he added reluctantly, without much enthusiasm.

Back in the game, he had found it somewhat embarrassing to write it in the chat. Now, it was uncomfortable to say it out loud.

"Tsk... You're still just as surly..." Gjaki criticized, clicking her tongue, but also chuckling.

""Long live Elfhumvam!"" the twins exclaimed, not knowing very well what that was about.

They had come closer, and were looking curiously at Eldi, who was a little surprised to see them. They were two adorable blonde elf girls, with a certain resemblance to Goldmi. He looked at her, and she smiled.

"My daughters. This is Gjami. This is Eldmi. Say hello to my friend Eldi."

""Hello Eldi!"" they greeted at the same time.

"Are you that Eldi? Mom and Aunt Gjaki's friend?" Gjami asked, curious.

"What is Elfhumvam?" her sister also asked curiously.

"Wouldn't it be better if you come inside?" Elendnas suggested, a little further back.

Eldi was surprised to recognize him. He was the elf that Goldmi had introduced them to in the game, and that she often went to visit. Many times, they had joked that she had fallen in love with him, just like they had joked about Melia. Apparently, there was more truth than they had believed back then.

"My husband Elendnas. I don't know if you remember him," Goldmi introduced him, and invited them to enter.

"Of course I remember, although it was a long time ago. Everything was so different back then... Nice to see you again," Eldi greeted him.

"The pleasure is mine. Come in, come in. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about."

The elf had heard Eldi name many times from the mouth of his wife and her friend. He even remembered him, albeit vaguely. Except for a couple of times, there had been a kind of haze around him, as with most visitors.

"Mommy, what is Elfhumvam?" Eldmi insisted.

"Mommy! Is that Eldi?" her sister asked again.

"Yes, he's that Eldi. Elfhumvam was the name of our group. They're the letters of elf, human and vampire in a language from another world," Aunt Gjaki answered with nostalgia.

"From another world? What world?" Eldmi asked.

"Girls, you can ask later. Now, they have a lot to talk about. Why don't you go play outside?" Elendnas interrupted them.

""But..."" the two complained, while puffing out their cheeks.

"Aunt lynx tells you to go out and play with her," her mother bribed them.

""Okay!"" the two exclaimed at the same time, and run after the feline, excited.

"The buns stuffed with meat with spicy sauce," she claimed as payment through her bond.

"I'll help too!" the albino bird offered. "I'll settle for the mini snake pizzas."

"Opportunist," the lynx criticized.

"Look who's talking. You couldn't even watch them without me," the goshawk replied.

Goldmi let them quarrel, as she knew it was one of their favorite pastimes. Also, even if they took the opportunity to claim food, her two sisters felt very close to the twins. They even pampered them more than they admitted.

"Seriously, it had to have been at least a yellow light, if not a red one," the vampiress demanded.

"Red would've been too exaggerated... And it wasn't as urgent as yellow..." the elf defended herself.

"Ha, ha. Despite the years, you remain the same. You quarrel for anything," Eldi laughed.

The two looked at each other, smiled, looked at Eldi, and stuck out their tongues.

"And you unite against me..." he shrugged.

They both laughed, and he joined in the laughter. Even without having drunk any alcohol, everyone was euphoric by the reunion.

"And you're the same complainer. Come on, explain everything to us. When you came? What has happened since then?" Gjaki demanded.

"Before that, do you know anything about Melia? I haven't been able to find her, and no one wants to tell me anything. I... I would like to see her..." Eldi asked, revealing her feelings.

"No idea," Gjaki shrugged, somewhat depressed at not being able to help.

"My friend Maldoa is her niece. Maybe, she knows something. She comes often. When I see her, I'll ask," Goldmi proposed.

"Thank you," Eldi thanked from the bottom of his heart, hopeful. For the first time, he had a clue.