Return to Jorgaldur Volume II: the druid archer

Assault on the cave (I)

A huge blackish buffalo, whose hair had hardened due to the corruption, was the first lost they encountered. It was running towards the same place as them, from another direction. The elf's arrows stopped it, pierced its knees, and caused it to stumble and fall.

Although it may seem strange, the corrupted being didn't turn to them, but tried to get up to continue its path, because it had orders that had to be carried out. However, the lynx didn't allow it. She took advantage of the fact that the lost wasn't trying to retaliate.

She pounced on it while it was still trying to get up, knocked it off balance, and dug in her powerful claws reinforced with Shred and Purifying Touch. It barely resisted a few moments before disappearing, since, by not defending itself and only wanting to advance, it was totally defenseless.

"There's a general," Maldoa frowned.

She had extensive experience, so she recognized in that attitude the presence of one of their enemies. And she wasn't the only one to come to that conclusion.

"There are bad guys nearby," Pikshbxgra assured.

She was sheltered in Goldmi's clothes, so she wouldn't have to face the miasma. As a fairy, her resistance was much greater than before, but still it weakened her little by little.

Her aunt nodded, while continuing to scan her surroundings. She needed to discover and kill them as soon as possible.

Little by little, the number of losts they encountered was increasing. It didn't take long for groups of two or three to appear. And soon, they discovered a large agglomeration, which seemed to converge towards a rock wall. None of them could know what was behind it.

Luckily for them, they weren't attacked. But that could change at any moment, something that would put them in grave danger.

"There's one there," said the fairy.

The elf peered in that direction, as the lynx disposed of a huge worm that was too close, and Maldoa was pre-casting a powerful spell. She wasn't sure if she would cast it, but she wanted to have it prepared, since the mana consumption wouldn't be much if she simply canceled it.

What worried the drelf most was the amount of mana she would invest in it, and that it would take her a long time to recover it. The mana density was low, so it was slower, but that was only part of the problem.

Given the huge level difference between the zone and hers, it was very difficult to absorb mana after a certain amount, as if a gas was trying to enter a place occupied by another at higher pressure. At about half her reserve, the absorption rate would start to slow down. It could be days before she fully recovered, and now she needed all of her power.

Goldmi tightened the rope on which three arrows rested and released it. All three projectiles flied at high speed, as they had been infused with Accelerate.

Frhgolor glanced at Griojcxzer, without hiding its contempt. It hated babysitting, but that were orders. They had to go two by two. In fact, Griojcxzer thought the same of the first.

But both, like the other two pairs of shadows, were more interested in the cave. They had been chasing them for years. In those years, their preys had slipped from their ethereal fingers many times. It had been a frustrating pursuit, for they fervently wanted those living beings, as it would represent more than remarkable merits.

They were convinced that this time it would be different. That hiding place wasn't like the others. They hadn't chosen it, but had been forced to take refuge there. Therefore, there would be no more hidden passages. There would be no more impossible escapes. They had them trapped.

What worried them most was that the others didn't take the recognitions that belonged to them, so their troops were competing to be the first to break the barrier. For being the first to take a life. For taking as many lives as possible. For finding what Father wanted. For pleasing Father.

So they were all too busy watching the cave and the movements of their rivals. Even getting in the others way, something they did subtly at first, but was blatant now. It wasn't unusual for any of the creatures under their command to attack or perish at the hands of one of their rivals'.

Therefore, they didn't notice that someone else was approaching. They didn't even care when a few of their creatures disappeared. The shadows assumed it had been one of their rivals. They just growled through their teeth. They only became suspicious when one of them disappeared.

"Where's Frhgolor gone? Damn it, what is he up to?" Griojcxzer muttered, while completely ignoring the arrows stuck where its companion had been before. Why worry about something that supposedly can't hurt them?

"Hmm, Frhgolor has disappeared. He's got something up his sleeves," murmured Hrtafren, another of the shadows.

"Where's Frhgolor? Well, it doesn't matter, he's far away. He'll fight with the others," Jzvyren told himself.

And two others just ignored it. They were more concerned with the nearby shadows.

When, shortly after, Griojcxzer's presence also disappeared, they began to get more nervous.

"Either they're fighting each other or they have allied against me. They've hidden their aura in some way. Dammit. I'm not going to let them get away with it," Hrtafren feared.

"Mmm. I better watch out. They are preparing something," Jzvyren worried

"Jzvyren is nervous. Where've Frhgolor and Griojcxzer gone? Let's see what they do. Better for me if they fight each other, I'll just have to worry about who wins," Vdcailj thought.

"Hrtafren and Vdcailj seem distracted. Frhgolor and Griojcxzer have gone into hiding, they must be up to something. Perhaps, I should use this opportunity to take advantage," Drltyof planned.

"Two down! Aunt Omi is the best!" Pikshbxgra was delighted. "I feel another there, a little further away."

They knew they had to get rid of the generals as soon as possible. Without them, the danger would lessen. In fact, there were already quite a number of losts which were tied to the last orders given, either waiting or advancing. That made their task easier.

Maldoa couldn't perceive them as clearly as the fairy. She felt the evil, but it was impossible for her to pinpoint the direction. There were too many corrupted beings and miasma, besides that they were far away. However, she could feel how two presences disappeared.

Meanwhile, a certain lynx continued to take advantage of it to reduce the enemy's numbers. Since they didn't defend or attack, she could get rid of one every few seconds, even the ones whose level was a little higher than hers.