CHAPTER 5

Present time

The man they rescued was large, broad-shouldered and muscular. His fists were twice the size of Nio's, his hair long and curly, the colour of copper. He was shorter than Nio, but most races were shorter than elves. His skin was very dark. The only people in Raal who were so dark came from the south of Malfer.

Nio decided to play a guessing game. When he was younger, he was very good at it. Maybe a soldier? No, human soldiers could not develop such muscles, especially because they spent half their time drinking and whoring. Builder? Perhaps, but still, the strength of the upper body was not consistent with hauling materials and spending most of their day hanging from scaffoldings. No. Someone who had enough money for food and used his hands all day. Blacksmith? Yes, the man was probably a blacksmith. And a very good blacksmith judging by his nutrition. If he was not as well fed as he was, he would have died in that cave with the rest of the prisoners.

As Nio and Shieena ate, the man they rescued woke up. Shieena brought him some food and began talking quietly to him. After eating Nio went to the creek next to which they camped as it was high time for a wash. He hasn’t washed properly for weeks. He took off his boots, his cotton shirt and leather pants. Both the human man and Shieena stared at his back. Nio could feel their gazes. They had good reason. Nio's back was riddled with deep wide scars that stretched from his neck to his knees. It seemed as if some huge beast clawed into his flesh.

Although the wounds healed, the scars remained. Uneven torn edges where the flesh was torn from the body. They were so numerous that it was difficult to find any healthy tissue. Nio ignored them and continued washing. When he was finished, he turned to pick up his clothes and the same horrible sight greeted them on his chest. He dressed and sat down by the dying fire.

Shieena asked in disbelief: "Nio, o spirits, how did you get those wounds?"

Nio looked at her and said: “A gift from an old friend. Long story."

“An old friend? What kind of beast could make such wounds? Okay, sorry, it’s none of my business. This is Jon.”: Shieena said.

Nio remained silent.

The goblin continued: “He is a blacksmith from Taras, a small human village southeast of here. The vampires came a week ago and took a dozen prisoners, killing everyone else in the village."

Nio looked at Jon. The man looked better. Food and rest obviously helped.

He asked: “Tell me Jon, how can a blacksmith from a small village afford such good food? Except for the last few weeks, I'd say you've had a pretty good life. Good food, good bed. It's hard to believe that a small village has so much work for a blacksmith."

The man, still looking pale and weak replied: “You are right. It doesn’t. I was a blacksmith for lord Kell, ruler of the Kellana region in Malfer. It's a long story, but I'll tell you if you're interested."

Shieena interrupted them: "That's enough, you can tell the story later, you're still weak and need rest."

The rest of the day passed without surprises. They couldn't move on because Jon needed time to gather his strength and recover from the blood loss. Fortunately, the vampires that fed on him did so in smaller doses, presumably to preserve him for longer. The others in the cave were not so lucky. Shieena made him drink a lot of water and even managed to find some herbs that were supposed to help with blood loss. Jon obeyed without question. It was funny to watch that big man take orders from a little goblin.

Nio did not insist on further questioning. He knew Shieena was right, the blacksmith needed rest, and though he desperately wanted to continue the journey, he had no choice but to wait. The day slowly slipped away and another rainy morning came.

Shieena went pillaging in the forest and managed to put together an assortment of berries, fungi and stuff Nio didn’t recognize, all immersed in a white oily liquid. When she returned to the vampire cave the night before, she found a few earthen pots in addition to Jon's clothes. The mush in the pots looked like a weird kind of porridge. Nio dipped his fingers into the porridge and began to eat. It was quite good. As they ate, Jon thanked them for saving him and inquired about their plans.

After Shieena explained where they were headed, Jon took some time to mull it over and then said: “My village is gone. I doubt a soul is alive there anymore. The only other option is for me to go back to lord Kell. But because of him, I have too much blood on my hands already. No. I’m not going back. If you’ll have me, I will gladly travel with you. My sword, if I actually had one at the moment, is yours. For as long as you’ll have me. Oh, and I want to be clear about one thing. I never had slaves, not everyone in Malfer agrees with that horrible custom."

Nio sighed. Fate it seemed, decided to play one of her games. Again. He looked at Shieena and the little goblin nodded. Nio wanted to laugh out loud, but instead just smiled. Neither one of them had any idea what they were getting into.

He finally replied: “Fine Jon. If you want to travel with us, I won't stop you. I do not know what happened between you and your master, but my journey will not be without blood and death. And from your words, it seems to me that you have had more than enough. Still, you’ll have plenty of time to change your mind. We will leave in an hour."

As Nio's words died away in the semi-darkness of the forest, all three grew silent, lost in their own thoughts.

After a while, Jon turned to Nio and said: “Violence and death are everywhere. There is no escape. I tried. It even found me in my village. I'll go with you. For now. "

Shieena smiled at him and Nio just nodded. A little later they packed up what little they had and continued their journey.

It was late afternoon when they came out of the woods. The bright sun greeted them like long-lost friends. It took them much longer to get to Velas than Nio had expected. Jon was still weak and they had to stop often to allow him to take a break.

After their eyes adjusted to the blinding sun, they looked around. In all directions, green slopes slept lazily under the sky. They reached the elven farming land. Hundreds of stalls grazed on the bright green grass and they were a sight to behold. These magnificent animals were five-foot-tall, with shiny silver coats, huge rounded heads and curved horns that could reach three feet in length in a mature stall.

Nio felt at home for the first time in a long time. He inhaled the familiar air and his thoughts turned to his mother. A beautiful woman, even by elven standards, but what he remembered most vividly were her hands. Her hands caressing his hair and tickling his cheeks. And he remembered her blue eyes, so full of love, the love he had often dreamed of. He shook his head to drive the ghosts out of his heart and thought of Teria’n instead. Close, so close. Just a few more miles.

He turned to his companions and said: “About half a mile to the west is an old abandoned mill. Go there and wait for me. I will head north to the Dal estate. When I’m done there, I’ll join you. Then we can continue north."

Jon looked at the elf and said: "And can we know what you plan to do up there?"

Shieena asked at the same time: “Nio, if we are going to continue north, we will need transportation, provisions and maybe some new clothes. We're going to have to stop somewhere. It's too far on foot. And I don't think I'll be able to hunt much. If I get noticed, it will be bad. Goblins are not welcome here in the south. Or humans."

"You're right, Shieena. We will have to stock up and we will need horses. And we'll get it all. I promise. And soon. But first I have to find Teria’n and deal with him. As for your question Jon, my plan is very simple. I will go to the Dal estate, find their eldest son and kill him. Anything else?”: Nio replied.

Jon remained silent. He looked upset, but said nothing. He nodded and the two of them headed for the mill.

Some fifteen minutes later, Nio was standing in front of the Dal estate. Tall dense trees formed a kind of fence around the estate, and the only entrance was through a massive iron gate. Nio still remembered the interior. He lived there for a while. The door was unlocked. No one in Velas was crazy enough to try anything against the Dal family. It was one of the most influential wizarding families in the land. Lord Dal, Teria’ns father, was a powerful sorcerer who had a seat on the elven high council. Nio didn’t know what Teria’n was doing now, but he was undoubtedly high in the elven hierarchy. Nio entered the estate and found himself in the gardens.

Elegantly cultivated shrubs, carefully maintained flower beds, delicate flowers and silver-blue grass, everything in the garden spoke of immense wealth and power. A small waterfall sang playfully in the distance, and its waters spread across a small pond full of rainbow-colored fish.

Nio saw none of that. His gaze was fixed on the main house.

All the elven buildings were made of a material carefully selected to be in harmony with nature. The base for the building bricks was a mixture of sand and earth which was then further mixed with a special type of paste. This paste was made from processed silver dust and tiny seeds from elven sacred trees. These sacred trees, called eloeins, grew in dense forests throughout Velas. And Velas was the only land in Raal where those trees grew. The elves believed that they carried the souls of their ancestors. Beneath each of these groves were underground chambers that served as resting places for dead elves. Their bodies provided nutrients for the roots, while their souls gave the trees its life force. Above the ground, these trees, eerily resembling distorted elven figures, yielded hundreds and hundreds of seeds, collected and eventually mixed into the paste.

Once the building was completed, those seeds would give new life. And that life would flow throughout the building, roots and branches would spread everywhere and let out a silvery glow. But their purpose was far from aesthetic. Newly formed trees would strengthen the building, roots would be caught deep underground, while branches and trunks would strengthen the building above. Another marvel in the lands of Raal.

It is said that the main elven capital, Veltas, was built with so much silver and seeds that afterwards there was a shortage of both goods for years. No wonder the elves were able to build their glorious towers that reached far into the sky. Nature itself gave them grandiose means of building.

But although Nio's gaze was directed toward the main building on the estate, he did not think of the elegance and mastery of construction. Hate sang deep in his heart and raw magic began to dance around him filling him with power and rage.