Return to Jorgaldur Volume V: Reunion (2)

Clues

"Well. Explain to me why these fragments are so important for you to want to kill my friend," Gjaki questioned him.

Golgo was sitting on the other side of the table, in a room in the mansion. The shackles on his hands inhibited mana circulation, so he was completely helpless.

On that table, there was a fragment of a strange stone, in the shape of a small slice of pizza or cheese. Some lines and curves were engraved on it. They had to follow on the adjacent fragments, wherever they were. The visitor was looking at it with desire in his eyes.

"The salvation of my people, of millions of them," he explained briefly.

"What do you mean?" she insisted.

"Do you remember the Red Desert, from the game?"

"Yeah."

"In the past, it wasn't a desert. It was a garden, there were forests, and water was abundant. Until a fight for power caused one of the contenders to desecrate the most sacred taboo of our lands. He massacred the temple, and stole the Aqtlua, our most precious treasure, the one that maintained the balance. What followed was what's called the Great Cataclysm, the Eternal Drought," he explained.

She looked at him with interest. She had heard about it in the game, but hadn't paid much attention to it. Back then, it wasn't necessary for any mission, it was just a backstory.

"How it was broken or how it was lost isn't clear. What's unquestionable are the consequences. The rivers, the springs, the fountains, all dried up. Many died, many others emigrated. Those who remain survive on the increasingly scarce water that can still be found. The only way to save them is to find all the fragments and restore the Aqtlua. I've managed to find the structure and four fragments, but many are still missing. I don't know how the Engenak nobles found out I was looking for them, but somehow they had one. They offered it to me in exchange for my help. I accepted the deal as one more step to save my people, whatever the consequences, even if it's my life," he confessed.

Gjaki looked at the fragment very seriously. She picked it up and turned it over, studying it. Nevertheless, she didn't discover anything.

"What about the other fragments?" she asked.

"I have some clues, but they're not easy to interpret or follow. It's said that one is owned by an ancient evil, but no one knows what evil, or how to find it. Another went missing in the underground city they called the Big Brotherhood. It's been lost for centuries, and there's no way to know how to find it. It's assumed that there was another one in the ancient Kaltsur empire, which no one knows exactly where it is. There was also one in the home of the Guardians of the North, in the heart of corruption, where it is impossible to reach. Those're all the ones I know something about," the visitor revealed.

He didn't care if they knew. They were of no value to anyone but him. Even if they found them, and wanted to sell them to him at an exorbitant price, it was fine with him. He would gladly pay anything just for a clue.

"The Great Brotherhood? Wow..." the vampiress was surprised.

"Do you know it!? Do you know where it is!?" he half sat up and approached the table. He was excited even though his hands were tied.

For him, nothing was more important than saving his people. The images of people dying after another of the wells dried up were always present in his memory. His people were dying, and there was only one path to save them.

"I've heard about the city. I know who has been in the ruins. Surely, he could go back if he wanted to," she explained.

"Who!? You have to tell him to help me! Please!" he begged.

"The person you wanted to kill," she revealed, while staring into his reptilian eyes.

He stood with his mouth open, paralyzed, until he dropped into the chair. He seemed depressed, in despair.

"What've I done...?" he cursed himself in a low voice. How was Eldi going to help the person who had wanted to kill him?

"It's ironic, right? I understand that you want to do anything for your people. Maybe, I would've done the same in the past, I'm not sure. However, actions have consequences, and more so on Jorgaldur than on our home world. Karma exists here, or something similar. The only thing in your favor is that Eldi is too kind. Even if he despises you, he might help you. When he gets back, we'll talk to him. Rest for now," the vampiress said goodbye.

She left the room, where the crestfallen reptilian was cursing himself. He had chosen the direct path, without considering the consequences, who could be hurt, whether he was guilty or innocent. Had he achieved his goal, Golgo might have buried the only person who could help him obtain one of the fragments.

"I was sure I was doing the right thing, but now..." he muttered, confused and tormented by what he had been about to cause. Now, the sniper was even grateful for having failed so miserably.

He stayed for long hours immersed in his thoughts, in his feeling of guilt. He wanted to justify himself by saying it had been for the greater good. However, all hope may have been buried if he had killed him. He didn't even know if Eldi would help him now. It wouldn't be surprising if he considered him his enemy.

Golgo barely slept a wink the entire night, as his thoughts returned again and again to what had happened, what he could have gone through, the reasons and the consequences.

The faces of his loved ones were drawn over and over again in his mind, since he couldn't take out the photos of his wife, his children, his friends. They were the reason he had ignored everything else. To save them, he had been willing to do anything, even selling his soul if necessary. Because of that, he had almost ruined it. Golgo wondered again if he hadn't done it anyway.

It was at some point during the night when he remembered certain words from his father-in-law. He had long forgotten them, buried deep in the back his mind.

"Whatever you do, never betray yourself. My daughter and my grandchildren want you to come back. They don't want the person to come back be someone that has stopped being who you were," he had asked him before leaving, worried.

Golgo stared at the ceiling, absorbed, without moving. Little by little, tears began to appear in his eyes. Little by little, the guilt and shame that he had until then kept at bay broke all the containment.

"When did I lose my humanity? What have I been about to do? I can't go back to them like this, like an unscrupulous murderer. I can't use them as an excuse," he murmured. He was unable to console himself.