Return to Jorgaldur Volume I: the battle mage

In group with some nobles

When she saw them leaving the dungeon, only four of them and with sad faces, Lidia decided not to open her post yet, heading towards them. Something had happened, so she had to find out what.

"Hi guys. You look so down... Are you okay?" she greeted them.

"Hello Lati. We're fine, just a little tired," Jubo lied.

Not only was it obvious to Lidia that they weren't telling the truth, but the fact that Etina kept quiet was revealing.

"You look exhausted. Why don't you come home? I'll make you some tea, it'll be good for you. Also, yesterday I made some cookies. Come on, it'll cheer you up a bit."

At first, they refused. But the insistence of Lidia, or Lati, as she called herself there, ended up convincing them. She had been very good to them. She had even treated them in a somewhat maternal way, and, in a month, had earned both their trust and that of other inhabitants of the small town.

She led them to the small townhouse she had rented, and accommodated them on a sofa, bringing them tea, some pastries, and taking Etina to help her with the cookies, which only needed one last cooking. Although, in reality, it was an excuse to be alone with her, since she knew that the young woman was from whom she could get information more easily. In fact, she hardly needed to ask, because the youngster collapsed, crying and telling her everything.

The green haired warrior was furious, worried and trembling with fear for what had happened. She hadn't shown it with her friends or her brother, she had wanted to look strong, but against Lati's maternal figure she couldn't hold it back. Lati listened and comforted her, wiping away her tears, assuring that it would be a secret between them, as she intended it to be. She might be using them to get information, and hiding her identity, but her feelings were real, which made her feel a little guilty.

She left them sleeping on the couch, it wasn't the first time, while heading to open her buy & sell stall. She had to keep her disguise, and, above all, to keep watching that suspicious merchant. Lati saw him there, apparently nothing had changed in his attitude, so maybe he didn't know anything yet.

In fact, she didn't know for sure either, but there were too many coincidences. The blessings that Etina had described weren't only very unusual, but she had seen the visitor using them, and also the healing spells.

In addition, the fact that he was carrying an exceptional staff, although it wasn't one of his weapons, reinforced her in her suspicions, as visitors used to possess all kinds of extraordinary material. Even the attitude Etina had described reminded her of his.

Her pose was calm, but, inside, her heart was pounding, she was trembling from the depths of her soul. She wanted to enter the dungeon and go after him, but she couldn't do it. It would attract too much attention, and she had to keep watch. She had no choice but to trust him, and wait for an opportunity to confirm her suspicions.

The scene looked somewhat ridiculous. One of the two level 50 warriors was watching from the entrance to the room, while the other was keeping the skeleton boss at bay, but without damaging it. Both looked like expert warriors, as their multiple scars seemed to prove. At the same time, the other three, including the best adventurer in the kingdom, were hitting on its back. Their level was slightly higher than the four young adventurers, but they were much clumsier.

In fact, they were little more than noobs who had learned to use their weapons and skills, but not to face their enemies. He didn't discard that, until then, it had always been that way, that they had raised their levels by killing enemies from behind, while another was keeping their attention.

The huge skeleton threw the bone, which was dodged by who was keeping it at bay. But bad luck wanted it to break when it hit a rock, and some fragments hit two of the three young noobs.

"Aaah! What are you doing Dolgo!?" one of them complained, running to Eldi. "Quickly, heal me!"

It was only a minor injury, it wasn't enough reason to leave the fight. In fact, Dolgo was much more bruised. It looked absurd, but he had no choice but to heal him. And also the second one, who had also complained about the pain.

They returned to the fight, and continued using their weapons and skills without control, without reserving anything, until they were exhausted, and Dolgo, secretly, killed the skeleton.

"Ha, we are great! Not like those newbies who had to run away," one of them boasted.

"Sure, Likthon. A little tiring, but it wasn't that difficult," Aljhon boasted too.

"Nothing we can't handle," bragged the third, called Lakduon.

They were two minor nobles, friends of the count's nephew, and equally full of themselves. Where they saw a feat worthy of praise, Eldi had only seen a pathetic spectacle. And the wry smile that the two bodyguards were hiding when they didn't look at them meant they felt the same. But it was their job to care for and flatter that handful of nobles.

"It has been a fantastic battle," Dikgo praised, the one who had been watching the entrance.

"What do you say, Fínord? How does it compare to the rookies you had been with before?" Aljhon asked.

At that time, Eldi was healing Dolgo, who had approached him, and whose gaze told him that he should play along.

"There is no point of comparison. It's like trying to compare an insect with a lion," Eldi flattered them, although internally he was thinking just the opposite.

"Ha, ha, you're absolutely right. And above all, those commoners... Did you see how they were glaring at us!? I don't know how they were so full of themselves...," he complained.

"We should teach them a good lesson," Lakduon suggested.

"Sure. Besides, those women were commoners and dirty, but they weren't too bad, it could be fun. Dolgo, Dikgo, what do you think? You can take the men. And Fínord can have his turn with whoever he wants, when we finish," Aljhon proposed.

"Well, it wouldn't be bad, those boys looked so cute... And with the healer, only we had fun," Dolgo laughed, while Dikgo nodded with a huge smile.

"It would be interesting," Eldi tried to smile, although he really wanted to throw up.

He had planned to separate from them as soon as he had the chance, and continue alone through the dungeon. But his plan had just changed.