Chapter 9 Haldir

For now let’s leave Kazuma and travel to the different parts of the world. The situation was the same.

The air messed up his hair, Haldir turned in the other direction. He didn't like this wind. He brought many things with him; the strongest of them was the smell of change. Haldir shivered at the thought. The wind was cold as death itself. Haldir walked without end, until he found shelter. The cave was large enough for him to enter.

Haldir found freshly cut wood in one of the openings. The mountain hall had at least four or five openings that were full all sorts of items. Haldir hesitated at first. Until the pain in his stomach, became so strong that there was no way of stopping it. He returned to the second opening, in there he found dried meat. In the center of the hall, a small fireplace was built. Haldir lighted the fire. The warmth of fire was mesmerizing, Haldir looked at the figures that danced in the fire. The dried meat was, to him, a blessing from heaven. He ate slowly. Thunder hit the nearby wood, signaling, that the storm was near. He didn't have to worry about the rain. The cave was well isolated and hidden; the rain could only bounce off the steep mountain sides. Haldir was well protected.

He found moss in the cave, made a primitive bed, and fell asleep. Outside, everything was quiet. The storm was gathering on the horizon. The large wolf looked at the sky, he turned and returned to his shelter. A honey-eating bear looked at the deer that was passing through. A deer was running for his life, like he was chased.

“What's with you?” the bear asked, lifting his head from the honey. The bear had nerves that were thick as a sailor's rope. Only a few things excited him.

“Don't you see?” the deer said. “A storm is coming. You better return home,” the deer disappeared in the bush.

The bear stood up. He turned his head, on the other side of the forest; the rain was already falling. The bear went his way. A thunderbolt danced across the sky. He quickened his peace.

The bear stopped in front of his cave. He saw footprints that weren't his.

“Someone,” the bear said in a low voice, “is in my cave.” The bear's face changed. He was more than angry.

He entered. The cave was bright as Rit on New Year's Eve. Once, long ago, he went to Rit to buy supplies. The city was lit, every corner of the city was bright. He got lost; he wandered for hours, until he found the shop. The shop was bright as the town. The bear needed a few moments to adjust to the lights.

“What do you want?” the shopkeeper said. “We have everything.”

“Only the basics,” the bear said, “a few things.”

“And do tell me, what are the basics?”

“The usual stuff.”

A lightning bolt returned him to the present. The bear entered the cave. He turned to the openings. He was shocked. The first opening was half full, the rest were empty. The bear was full of rage. He went up and down the cave, until he found Haldir sleeping in his moss. For a minute, he looked at him.

“What are you doing in my cave? Speak, human! Or I'll cook you, at once!” he said with anger.

Haldir moved to his side. He moved his leg and continued to sleep. The bear looked with shook. Haldir was sleeping like a log. The bear kicks him in the groin. No response. The bear stopped, planned his next action. He aimed, aligned his kick and kick Haldir in his backside. Haldir jumped.

“What happened?” he asked, half awake.

“What are you doing in my cave?” the bear asked, his arms were crossed.

“Your,” Haldir was shocked, “your cave?”

“Yes,” the bear was losing his patience.

“I thought it was deserted,” Haldir searched for a way out.

“No.” the bear's eyebrows gathered above his nose.

“What now?” Haldir asked.

“Now? You go into the stew.”

“Why me?”

“Because, you are a trespasser.”

“It makes sense; I guess.”

“How would you like it?”

“Medium heat.”

“Strange, but alright…” the bear made the stew. He lifted Haldir up and tossed him in the stew. The bear sat. He waited.

“Is there a way?” Haldir said, “That we can make a bargain?” his head was above the water.

The bear went to the cauldron. He stopped for a moment, turned and looked at Haldir.

“What kind of bargain?” greed could be seen in his eyes.

“We will play cards. If I win, I'm free.”

“If you lose?”

“If I lose, I'll give you my sister.”

“Your sister? Why her?”

“I don't have a daughter.”

“Fine,” the bear said. He lifted him up, from the cauldron. “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” Haldir said. “Chose a game.”

“Very well, then. I chose Ghidni.”

“Let's play.”

They reshuffled their decks, constantly looking at each other. Haldir draws six cards, looks at them, and waits for his opponent. The bear does the same. They wait. None of them want to play first. The cards shake in their hands. Haldir polls a card from his hand. He quickly changes his mind; he returns the card to his hand. The bear lifts his face from the cards. They wait. Haldir's gaze goes from one card to the other. The bear changes the order of his cards. They wait. Sweat drips from their faces onto the floor. They wait. Neither of them wants to play first. Time slowly passes by. They wait. The bear looked at him. His face was like stone. He was focused only on the cards.

“This,” the bear said, “is going nowhere.”

“True,” Haldir said. His hand moved. “What do you suggest?”

“Who has the largest card, plays first.”

“Fair.”

“Shall we?”

“Yes.”

Both of them looked at the cards. The bear places his card on the board. The card was a unit type. It had a stronger attack power, the bear hoped that his opponent has a smaller number. With a thousand and five hundred points, the unit was a medium strong.

Haldir paused for a moment, lifted his card and waited. Finally, he has decided to play his card. The card he has placed was a range unit. With a thousand and eight hundred points, the unit was also medium. The bear couldn't believe it.

“You play first,” the bear said in a sarcastic tone. He had a card up his sleeve.

“If that's decided. Let's play,” Haldir said also in a sarcastic tone.

Haldir placed the first left card on the board, a defense unit. The bear placed the first right card on the board, a shield card. Their first turn was over. Haldir attacked the shield card. The bear swiftly activated his range unit.

“See, my friend, I activated a range unit,” the bear said, laughing. “He's destroyed in the process. The shield card is undamaged.”

“We shall see,” Haldir moved a card to the right.

The second turn was over. The third was about to start. Haldir looked at the cards in his hand, took a long breath. The bear wasn't sure in victory anymore. Now, he only hoped, that the cave would remain his. There's still a chance that he could win, if, he has the right cards.

Haldir places a card on the magic field. The bear looks with shock.

“You know this card?” a smile danced over his face. “Don't you?”

“Yes,” the bear replied.

“We will see, if luck is on my side.”

Because of his magic card, Haldir draws two cards. He hopes, that they will change things. He was right. Haldir kept the first card, returned the second in the deck.

 “What card did you draw?” The bear's face changed.

“A good one,” Haldir replied. “You know this card. Let's, not waste anymore time. The card is Althiara.”

“That card…”

“Yes. You know what it does. It lets me choose two cards, then, I can keep one.”

“Which one?”

“We shall see,” Haldir places the card on the field, waits a moment and moves his hand on the deck. “Let's make things more interesting.”

“What do you suggest?” the bear looks at him with a puzzled look.

“That, you choose a card from my deck.”

“Explain, before I choose.”

“Very well. Like everything a deck has a beginning, middle, and end.”

“I only have to choose.”

“Yes.”

“That won't be easy.”

“We have time.”

“Good to know.”

“I… I choose…”

“Already decided?”

“Yes.”

“I choose in the middle.”

“Your choice.”

Was it the card that Haldir wanted? A lot of things were going through his mind, if, the bear chose the right card, it will be over soon. His hand stopped. Everything was on this one draw. The tension could be felt. There was no stopping, now.

He found the middle, took out the two middle cards.

“What are you doing?” the bear asked.

“It's easy to guess,” Haldir replied.

“I didn't say what middle.”

“True, if, you said the upper middle or the lower middle, then it would be only one card.”

“So, more choices?”

“Yes.”

“The chances are equal. I like that.”

“What card, do you chose?”

The bear halted for second. He thought, made a face that was mix between a Buthar monk and philosopher sleeping. Finally, he chose:

“I chose… the right one.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Haldir turned the card. The bear's jaw went down:

“There is no way. I was sure, that that card was at the bottom of the deck.”

“We reshuffled, remember.”

“True, but…”

“I have to ask. How many wives do you have?”

“Three.”

“What does that have to do with Ghidni?”

“A lot. How many sisters do you have?”

“Three.”

“I know, why you chose Ghidni.”

“Why?”

“It's easy. You defeated three travellers in the last month. That's how you got three wives.”

 “How do you know?”

“The footprints are fresh.”

“What about the second part?”

“The travelers returned, you defeated them and gave them one of your sisters.”

“True.”

 Haldir's card was a Shieldbreaker. With one move, he destroyed most of the cards in bear's deck. The bear, with only three cards left in his hand, placed a protect-unit.  

This turn was over. Haldir moved the unit card to range row. He attacked the protect-unit. The difference in points was taken from the bear's points.

“Not bad,” he said. “You haven't seen anything, yet.”

“I'm always for something new,” Haldir replied in a sarcastic tone.

The bear placed a Dhalir. He attacked. Haldir countered with a trap card.

“Nice,” the bear said. “That's an effective trap card.”

“I'm not done,” Haldir placed another card on the field. The card was spirit unit.

“That's something new.”

“You think?”

“Yes. I have a card up my sleeve.”

“Do, show it.”

Spirit units couldn't be destroyed or attacked. They were almost immortal. There are certain mixes that can make a unit stronger than ever before. But, the risk is huge. The player that tries these mixes, must at least have two protect-units at once on the field.

“What are you planning, now?” the bear looked at him. There was no way; he could guess, what Haldir was planning.

“Something risky,” Haldir replied with a smirk on his face.

“You aren't gonna explain?”

“In a minute.”

He looked at the cards. There is a chance that we succeed with his plan.

“You know the term soul-mix?” Haldir said without emotion.

"You're planning to do, that?”

“Yes.”

“There is no way.”

“I only need one card.”

“Will it be the right one?”

“We shall see.”

He took the left card, placed it on the summoning field. The unit depicted on the card, was a multiplier.

“A multiplier,” the bear's eyes widened, “you don't have a protect-unit.”

“You are wrong,” Haldir pointed on the range unit. “He has a special power; he works also as a protect-unit.”

“With a protect-unit on the field, you can multiply the unit by the number cards you have in your hand.”

“I have three.”

“Great…”

Haldir looked at his hand. He placed a samurai unit in the melee row:

“I can mix him and the spirit.”

“That's something new.”

“Yes.”

The samurai card changed, becoming almost translucent. The bear knowing it was over, lifted his hand and placed the cards on the table. Haldir, seeing that victory is his, placed only one card on the table.

“That card is… a Ferdian beast,” the bear said with shock.

“Yes,’ Haldir replied.

“What now?”

“Now?”

“I leave this place, and you will lead me to the nearest town.”

“Great…”

“Lead the way.”

“Follow me.”

The bear turned. Haldir followed a few steps behind him.

The storm has passed. Maybe, this one passed but there are more to come.