Return to Jorgaldur

They were heading to a pass that in the game led to the elven kingdom. Although it was fraught with dangers, such as huge spiders, they were now at a level far higher than what the place required. Even though they couldn’t be too confident, none of them have any doubts they could cross that path. Undoubtedly, it seemed the safest one.

Bounty hunters and, perhaps, agents of the Engenak kingdom would be waiting at the border. Therefore, there was no question how dangerous it would be to try to cross it.

Although staying in Goltrenak seemed the safest option, it would be pushing their luck. Any slip or mistake they might not even be aware of could lead those seeking her on her trail.

In fact, they feared that this huge hole might give them away, that sooner or later they would come to investigate. That was one of the reasons why they hadn’t accepted Quilxia’s invitation. Elendnas, Maldoa, and Pikshbxgra were the other reasons.

They had been walking through the forest for several days. The elf was in disguise, in case anyone saw her. It was the same green-haired elf disguise with which she had approached Quilxia, although she had decided not to be called Arwen. With the help of her new friend, they had decided on a rather more common name, Miltxia.

They stared in amazement at the mountain that loomed in the middle of the forest. Although it wasn’t easy to see it from there, due to the dense presence of the treetops, from the sky it was an impressive scene. All of them could enjoy it, one directly and others through Visual Link. They had discovered that the link worked in any direction between them, even between the feline and the bird.

“Do you now understand my superiority?” the goshawk boasted arrogantly to the feline.

She had felt the fascination of her sisters, and she couldn’t help but brag.

“Let me show you something,” the lynx replied.

“Aah! Damn four legs! You’re just jealous!” the albino bird was first scared and then angered, while her sisters were laughing.

The lynx had come within an inch of an ugly insect. When establishing the Link, the first thing the goshawk had seen was a huge and horrible being that she didn’t expect, although in reality it was only the size of a grain of corn. It hadn’t taken her more than a moment to realize it, but it had been quite a scare.

They continued arguing for a long time, as they left behind the mountain that contained the dwarf city of Khaladok, to which they had been recommended not to approach. Not many years ago, the short-lived King of Goltrenak had tried to subdue it, so they were reluctant to let outsiders in. While it wasn’t dangerous, they would be most likely wasting their time there.

Apparently, the attempt had been unsuccessful. The city’s strong defenses weren’t something any sane army wanted to face, while the siege they were subjected to only infuriated them. After all, not letting them import alcohol had been a serious offense. Nonetheless, as much as they appreciated it, it wasn’t going to get them to surrender. When it came to food, they knew how to get it from the tunnels, even if it wasn’t always delicious.

Stubborn and proud, loyal and honest, they hadn’t given an inch when facing threats or blackmail. Enduring the discomfort that the conflict had brought was a source of pride for them.

Also, it didn’t last long. The reign of the king was brief and, with his disappearance, also the problems disappeared.

The three sisters were oblivious to most of those events. They only knew that the dwarfs probably weren’t going to let them in, so they simply surveyed the place from a distance. Not even a trace of the dwarfs could be seen.

Suddenly, the goshawk and the lynx stopped arguing, as the last one was on alert. The first one went quickly to the area that her sister had indicated, and flied over it. The sound had come from there.

It is true that it isn’t easy to distinguish from the sky what is under the treetops. However, it is somewhat easier if you know exactly where to look, if you can observe the specific area carefully.

“There’re several figures. They’re big. They may be trolls. They seem to be fighting each other. I’m not sure if there is anything else. I’m going to take a closer look,” the goshawk informed them.

“Be careful,” Goldmi asked her.

She and the feline approached with caution, and used all Camouflages when the presences appeared in Life Detection’s range. There were five of them. Four were of similar level, between 54 and 56, while the other barely reached 10. Three were surrounding the other two. Although they already knew this. Her winged sister had already informed them.

Shortly before, the goshawk had perched on a high branch of a nearby tree, after flying from branch to branch to find a safe position from which to observe the situation.

The albino bird had discovered that, as she had anticipated, they were trolls. Three of them were surrounding two others, one of whom was protecting a shorter troll, who was scared, and who she assumed it was a kid.

The one who was perhaps his father, or his mother, since the goshawk had never been able to differentiate the gender of the trolls, had multiple wounds. Although they were regenerating, their situation didn’t seem good.

Through the Visual and Auditive Link, everyone was able to get an idea of what the situation was.

“You give girl. You leave or you die,” threatened one of the trolls.

“Leave daughter in peace. Take I,” answered the troll that was protecting the child.

“You not useful. We teach she be real troll. Kill enemies. You no longer good soldier. You old, you not learn. She come with we. You leave or you die,” the one who should be the boss gave her an ultimatum.

It is true that none of the sisters knew exactly the context, nor did they have any reason to get into a conflict between trolls. This was especially strange for Goldmi, as trolls in the game had always been unintelligent mobs to kill for experience. However, none of them suggested letting them be, or not getting in trouble.