Return to Jorgaldur Volume I: the battle mage

The sons of the count

He moved slowly, trying to blend in with the shadows and make no noise, but it was hardly necessary, since it was mostly empty. A few servants were waiting to be called, in a room near the magic forklift, while the soldiers were watching the access to the floor, but weren't on it.

He would have preferred to stay in the library, which should be on one of the lower floors. He could have gotten there the knowledge he wanted to know about magic or alchemy. Maybe, he could study the weapons and armor in the armory, or to get some materials to build them himself. However, what he had come to do there had nothing to do with any of his preferences.

He wasn't sure if he would be able to maintain his stand, play the role he was aimed to be. His intention was to scare the counts, let them know that he had returned, and that he could retaliate if they didn't amend their attitude. He wasn't sure if it would work. In fact, he doubted more and more, but he couldn't back down now.

He walked through the halls, trying to find out where the count's room was, when some voices caught his attention.

"Fuck, Godo, you've killed her," complained one of the voices.

"I couldn't avoid it. That expression of agony, without believing it... I couldn't but wanting to see her face."

"Uff, you are always the same. Now we will have to find another toy. Anyway, at least, this time I had a little fun."

"Hahaha. But you know that, at the end, it's you who gets tired and gets rid of them."

"But not so quickly!"

Eldi didn't like that conversation, fearing the worst. And when he glanced at the half-open door of the room that was the origin of the voices, his worst omens were fulfilled. In the bed, a teenage girl of about fifteen was lying, naked, and who was no longer breathing. Meanwhile, two young men between twenty and twenty-five were laughing more than arguing. Their levels were between18 and 21.

He hesitated a moment. In his world, he would have called the police, he would never have taken the law into his own hand, even if he could. But there was no police, there was only him. Perhaps, he could have considered letting them be, forgetting what they had done to that teenager girl with a life ahead, or to those who they may have killed before, but never to those who would be murdered later. It is true that it would turn him into a judge and an executioner, or that he had never killed a human being, but turning his back would make him an accomplice, someone who could have avoided more deaths and suffering, and hadn't done so.

"Who are you?" One of the young men was surprised looking at the man wrapped in a black cloak that had broken into their room.

But the man didn't answer, just looked at the lifeless body of the young woman for a moment, increasing if possible his anger towards them. Then, he turned to the one who had spoken, his eyes shining with rage. A spear appeared out of nowhere in the hand of the man, who threw it using Javelin. It went through the chest of who had spoken, nailing him to the wall, although that didn't kill him immediately.

"Sig!" Exclaimed his brother, terrified.

But he had no time to take care of his dying brother, since the man had once again pulled a spear out of nowhere, and had thrown it to him. He managed to dodge it, only tore his shoulder a little, but his enemy had taken the chance to get closer and attack him with a huge axe, severing his arm. He wanted to scream, but a kick left him without air, and when he wanted to react, the axe was already rushing over his neck, ending his life.

Eldi looked at the other young man, whom he had impaled on the wall, but had also died. It hadn't been a fight, it had been an execution, because not only their levels were lower, but they weren't used to fighting. They had learned some techniques reluctantly, and had leveled up by killing off the prey that others hunted for them. But they had no interest in the warrior facet that every nobleman is supposed to learn, and it had cost them dearly.

Eldi clenched his fists. The scene of the two lives which he had taken wasn't pleasant, but he was somehow comforted by having done what he believed he had to do. He covered the young woman's body, regretting not having arrived a little earlier, not having been able to save her.

He sighed bitterly, and took from his inventory a magic stamp, a stamp he had used in those missions long ago, an unfalsifiable stamp. The man pressed it on the lifeless bodies of the count's children, leaving his marks and announcing to the world the return of Eldi Hnefa. He had planned only to scare them, threaten them, but, with regret, he had to admit that this was far more effective. Punishing those who had tortured their people with death was the clearest message.

He went out and closed the door behind him, using the key he had found in the clothes of the count's children. He hoped that it would take longer to discover what had happened there, and the alarm wouldn't go off too soon. Eldi hadn't found any other interesting object, and he didn't take those of value because he didn't want to be accused of being a thief, although nothing was preventing them from lying about what had happened there.

He didn't know whether to leave that place or take a look further, but a cry of pain decided for him. He went to the origin of that cry, when a door opened. He had just enough time to hide, when a middle-aged woman left the room, talking to someone inside.

"Don't move, I'll be right back. I'm going to look for some toys. If you behave, we may even have a little fun."

Her tone was between mocking and suggestive, but no one answered her from within. So, carefully, Eldi peered into the room as soon as the woman was out of sight, far from imagining what he was going to find inside.