As my connection to the others began to flare with rage, I realized that it was affecting me more deeply than I would have liked.
Ed was wearing armor that resembled the guardsmen's quite closely, though his had to be modified to match his height and build. Meliss wore similar armor, though hers had a breastplate of a strange metal with numerous engravings etched into it. What those engravings meant was something I couldn't understand if I tried.
"Are you alright?" Athar asked hushedly over my shoulder. "I'm fine, it's just… been a while," I replied with a subtle nod just before I noticed Ed and Meliss pushing their way through the crowd. "It's good to see you again, Thoma! How long has it been? A little over a year, right?" Ed asked, letting go of Meliss's arm to wrap me in a tight hug.
"Yeah, something like that," I chuckled loosely as I patted him on the back. "Damn, did you finally put on some weight?" he asked with a chuckle, leaning back to look me over and grabbing my shoulders. I'm not sure how to answer this, I sent mom and Ysevel, who seemingly understood what I meant. "Hello there, Edryd. I believe I'm the cause of that," Mom said as she stepped forward, causing his eyes to widen.
"H-Hello," he said, almost fearfully at her presence, causing him to blink a few times. "Sorry. I just haven't seen any other elves aside from Ren, Thorn, and Nenvalur. Although it's been a few months since I last saw them," he noted with a slight, pensive pause. "Ah, well, that's alright. I think anyone would be surprised to see me here," Mom waved dismissively before glancing around the room at the handful of guards who were watching her closely.
"I'm glad to know he was in good hands, then," Ed said with a smile that fell immediately when he noticed Irun standing a few meters behind me. His eyes flared with third-stage mana momentarily, and I could tell from our years together that he was probably going to attack him.
"What the fuck is he doing here? Better yet, what are you doing standing next to him?" Ed snarled, prompting a few of the remaining dwarves around him to take a few steps back. "Ed, calm down. We're not here to start a fight. This is neither the time nor the place to do that, and if you let me, I'll explain everything," I said, raising my hands to try and stop whatever he was thinking.
"That sack of shit got Batch killed, or did you forget that already while you were over there in Caegwen?" he hissed through gritted teeth, prompting me to put a hand on his shoulder and do my best to de-escalate the situation.
"No, I didn't forget about that, but like I said, I'll explain everything later. You also have some shit to explain, so don't think that you're the only one who's got some questions to ask, alright?" I said, dropping my tone just enough to let him know I was serious. Ed looked at me with both anger and confusion, but after glancing at the others, who all held similar glares, he finally relented with a heavy sigh.
"Fine, but you'd better have a really good reason for this," he said hushedly while glaring at me from beneath a furrowed brow. "A part of that reason is why we're here in Narin to begin with," I said, holding up the leather bag. He looked at it curiously for a moment, and once I held it out for him to take, he cautiously looked inside to find Grond's severed head. "W-What the fuck?" he asked with widened eyes.
"Like I was trying to say, we're not here to pick a fight. We need to speak to whoever the ruler of Narin is, or someone with enough influence to give us the attention these creatures deserve," I said calmly with a slow nod, hoping it would let him know that there were much larger things at stake here.
"I guess introductions to the others will have to wait, for now," Ed replied, understanding my intent. "Come on, I'll introduce you to someone I know can help," he said, gesturing for the others and I to follow him down one of the side halls. I could see that Meliss was staring at me out of the corner of my eye, but I could only offer her a slight, greeting nod.
So she's the zuresh that broke your heart all those years ago? Kalia asked as she passed by her without indicating she'd just inspected nearly every part of her. It might have been over a decade for us, but it hasn't even been a few months for her, I replied, not wanting to give that much more thought than it needed right then.
Regardless, I think you handled that and Ed's anger rather well, Ysevel added. Well, I'm just glad to know I wasn't the only one caught off guard by it, I sent with a slight chuckle after recalling the emotions they'd fed me through our connection.
Ed led us down several hallways that had each corner lined with more of the glowing mana stones. There were many trophies, weapons, and other advanced mechanical devices that I couldn't identify along the walls and in trophy-like cases. Still, no matter where I looked, I could hardly understand what they'd be used for, let alone how they were made.
"Where are you taking us?" I asked, still trying to understand even half of what I was looking at. "To make a long, and rather convoluted story short: I'm taking you to see Balgrim. He's the head Druid of this place. If anyone would know what to do about those creatures, it'll be him," Ed replied over his shoulder as we walked, causing my Mom to chuckle through her nostrils subtly.
This should be fun, she sent with a wry tone. Is he the one you were looking for? Ysevel asked with a raised eyebrow. Yep, and if that fuck knuckle has risen to the ranks of Head Druid, this meeting is not going to go smoothly, Mom sent back with a heavy sigh, letting us all know the two of them had history.
Ed led us to a large, double doorway with various runes etched into the stonework that lit up as we approached. "Listen, he's old, cranky, and doesn't get along well with people, so just try to be patient with him," he cautioned just before opening the door. "I think we'll be alright," Mom grinned, gesturing for him to push the doors open.
As we entered, we found an incredible amount of equipment strewn about the large room. In the center, there was a vast table with more equipment and a handful of scrolls messily laid about, while many of the glass phials contained strange, fuming liquids. The room, only illuminated by the glowing mana stones embedded in the walls, felt much smaller than it appeared.
"Balgrim, are you in here?" Ed called out, but as soon as he did, we heard a rustling of metallic parts and a grunt of pain. "Damn you, Edryd. How many times do I have to tell you not to come in if the runes on the door light up?" Balgrim's grouchy voice snarled from beneath a pile of metallic arms.
"Well, you have visitors, so get out here already, you cranky old bastard," Mom called out, bringing an immediate halt to the rustling. "Oh, fuck no. No, no, no. It can't be…" Balgrim muttered in a panic, immediately revealing himself from beneath the pile.
He was covered in a slick, dark substance from head to toe, though his thick forearms and hands held scars that could be seen even beneath the dim light of the laboratory. He doesn't look like a druid, I sent Mom with an awkward glance. Dwarves have a different use for the word, but he's still extremely powerful when it comes to mana manipulation, so don't underestimate him, she replied, still observing the grimy old dwarf as he tried to compose himself.
"Hello, Balgrim. It's been a while," she said pleasantly, trying to maintain some form of diplomacy. "Not long enough for the likes of you, but I know you wouldn't come back here without a good reason, much less drag around companions that haven't seen too many winters. So, go on then; out with it," he huffed, causing her to chuckle at his frustration.
"I suppose I should have expected that kind of welcome, but as you wish. We're here to warn you that creatures are invading your lands, unlike any you've ever seen," she began, gesturing for me to approach with Grond's head. "The fuck you mean I've never seen these creatures before? Do you have any idea how ma-..." he trailed off as soon as I unfurled the bag's brim to reveal the head.