Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

An urgent notification

"The gold and the black, the true lord, hope," the high human recited.

Those words embarrassed him, since they undoubtedly referred to him. He had even complained to his daughter about them.

"It's too late to change them," Lidia had shrugged.

However, the smile on her lips hadn't shown any sign of regret. In fact, she had been proud.

The man's eyes widened, and he even breathed a sigh of relief. That mysterious newcomer wasn't an enemy, it seemed that everything had been a misunderstanding. It was also possible that he just knew that password, but it was unlikely. Besides, he would soon find out.

"We're his hands, eyes and ears. His spear, his axe and his hammer. While we wait for his return, we preserve his legacy," the green-haired man recited, with adoration in his voice.

He then wondered where the spear that had been threatening his life had disappeared. However, he immediately took out a strange dodecahedron-shaped device from his bag, to verify if the one his interlocutor had taken out was authentic. They were linked to each person, and were considered impossible to forge.

Both resonated as expected. However, it wasn't that which surprised the member of the rebellion, but that Eldi's had a golden glow.

"Who... Who're you?" he asked, between confused and scared.

"What do you mean? Hasn't it worked well?" Eldi was surprised.

"That's... a command identifier... of the highest level. But you're not one of them," he pointed out, accusingly and perplexedly.

"Oh, wow, that girl... Lidia gave it to me, and she didn't tell me anything. She'll have to give some explanations to me," Eldi sighed. He was speaking half to himself and half to whoever was in front of him.

The rebel looked at him stunned. Who could speak like that about one of their leaders? She was one of the people most feared by her enemies, and respected by her allies. The only name he came up with was discarded as too fanciful, totally impossible. He wasn't Liodon either, as the rebel knew his voice.

Eldi sighed again. He knew there was no choice but to do it, so he put his hands on his hood and pushed it back.

The rebel stared at him for a few seconds. His mouth was open, and his eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets. Furthermore, the device had fallen to the ground and rolled a couple of meters.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing, but it was definitely real. His words, his rank and even the spell he had used couldn't all be forged.

As if that weren't enough, the high human had disabled his Disguise, so his power was clearly visible. It was overwhelming for someone at level 42.

The man remained motionless for a few seconds, unable to quite believe it, to assimilate what his eyes were showing him. Meanwhile, Eldi didn't really know what to do. His daughter had already told him that they idolized him, but he had never seen it firsthand.

The man quickly knelt down as he regained control of himself.

"I... I'm... I'm sorry for my discourtesy... I didn't know that... that you were... It's a ho... honor for me to meet the great Eldi Hnefa," he stammered, nervous.

Eldi felt somewhat helpless for a long time. He was trying to get him to get up. At least, he got important information.

The rebel's name was Holgur, and he had been posted there to guard the village. He had two tasks. The first was to warn his allies if there was any problem, and to protect the villagers if it was within his means.

The second was to inform if someone unknown arrived, and describe them. They were supposed to be a rebel or a valuable ally, and this was the meeting point. It wasn't known when they would arrive, and it could even take months. Holler had been there for two weeks, and would be replaced in one more. There was also a companion, who was sleeping at that time.

What he would never have been able to imagine was that Eldi Hnefa himself would be the mysterious ally who was going to arrive.

The high human had arranged with his daughter that he would go there. She had assured him not to worry, that she would know when he arrived.

Otherwise, no relevant incident had occurred in the village. In fact, the county as a whole was strangely calm.

Others nobles had replaced the previous counts, but they had avoided any action that might anger Eldi Hnefa. They didn't know if he was there, but they did know that he could return at any time and retaliate.

For this reason, not only had taxes decreased significantly, but the attitude of soldiers and representatives had lost any hint of arrogance or prepotency. Everyone feared a ghost called Eldi Hnefa.

"An urgent notification? Now? It better not be another stupid thing," Liodon complained.

He was resting with his mother and his sister, while enjoying the sounds of the forest that the dryad had taught them to appreciate. They were supposed to be eating, but for some reason, Melia had served the food earlier than usual.

He listened to the report with reluctance at first, though soon his eyes opened more and more.

"What's wrong?" his sister asked. She was looking at him with some concern.

"Dad is back! Lets'go!" he stood up suddenly.

"You knew it..." she accused her mother.

The dryad smiled mischievously, and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Hurry up. Don't make him wait," she urged them.

She was as happy for them as she was saddened by not being able to accompany them. Nonetheless, her thoughts didn't show in her crystalline green eyes. The time would come, or at least that's what she wanted with all her soul. The wait and the uncertainty were unbearable.

When Eldi entered through the main entrance, the villagers had already hidden the children. They had been working on the crafting platform, but they couldn't let others see them. They knew that the calm prevailing in the county wouldn't last forever.

The villagers continued with their chores while looking askance, with distrust and nervousness, at the newcomer with the face covered. Although no one stood in his way. The level he showed was much higher than any of them.

With some anguish, they watched as he approached the leather platform, although not how he smiled. A master could sense whether it had been used, and at what level.

"Without a doubt, they have worked hard," he said to himself.

He raised his head and looked at the windows of the house in front of him. He took a deep breath before shouting.

"Tin! Ten! Is this how you receive me?!"

The villagers listened to him surprised, and some even recognized the voice. Everyone saw how the door of the house opened and two children rushed out, running towards the newcomer.

"Teacher!"

He received them with open arms, into which the two siblings threw themselves without hesitation. There wasn't a day in which they hadn't thought of their savior, benefactor and teacher.