Return to Jorgaldur Volume II: the druid archer

Moving forward (I)

At level 46, she had recovered Light Abyss. It is a trap similar to Wind Abyss but with purifying and light power. She had it at affinity 3.

At level 47, there was Sharp Bubbles, which is an application of wind magic in water. It creates a cloud of bubbles that aren't static, but moving inside, so causing cuts to anyone who touches them. It was at 3, as she hadn't had many adventures in water.

At level 48, she had unlocked Disguise. It is a spell which is shared by all classes, so Eldi and Gjaki had it too. The group had used often, so it was at 10.

Finally, at level 49, there was Fog. The pressure of the wind manages to gather and condense the surrounding water, and causes a dense fog through which it is very difficult to see. She had it at 6.

About skills, those between 46 and 49 were common to all players. They were related to a special type of unarmed fighting, which was essential for certain types of missions that required tavern fighting. Goldmi had been a bit reluctant at first, but she had been dragged by Gjaki. She had ended up finding them quite amusing, especially when they ambushed Eldi. They were Head-butt, Elbowing, Boxing and Fast Steps.

None of those spells were useful at the moment. Not even Fog, for blinding beings whose most important sense was smell didn't make much of a difference.

However, they had gained four levels. It had made them more powerful, perhaps enough to try something different. If they continued as before, they were sure of being able to resist and gain another level. However, without a doubt, it would be too late for the dryad, if it was not already, since they had been trapped there for hours.

"Are you sure you can...?" the elf asked once more.

"It doesn't matter how many times you ask, the answer won't change," her sister growled.

She gritted her teeth and stepped forward. She looked once more at the feline, who was facing an ant, and skillfully hopping between its legs.

With Camouflage, she could blend into the shadows provided by the dim illumination of the Light Arrows that she was leaving along the way. Meanwhile, Camouflage II made her invisible to the smell of ants.

She needed to move slowly, but not too much. The ants generally looked straight ahead, not down, and remained motionless as long as they couldn't advance. So, it was relatively easy to pass under them.

However, it was extremely dangerous. If they found out, they would put her in a very difficult situation. However, it was the only way they could think of to get through the wall of ants.

She rolled over to avoid a leg of one of the ants, thus avoiding being discovered. Then, she jumped forward to avoid another. They had all moved a little forward.

The worst thing was that she couldn't use magic or skills, as she risked the explosion of mana or energy alerting the ants. It was even more dangerous touching them. Luckily, they stopped shortly after.

Sometimes crouching and sometimes on all fours, she moved forward until she found the opening through which the ants were entering. If she continued and left the hole behind, their density would be lower. There were some ants there, but they weren't pressed one against the other to advance toward her sister.

She then used Visual Link to gain a real idea of the situation.

"I'm going to put a couple of Twisters in the hole through which they enter, that will entertain them. There're fewer ahead. I'll take care of distracting them, so you can come."

"Be careful," asked the lynx, somewhat concerned.

It was dangerous, but they had already talked about it, about finding a way to reunite. If not, Goldmi wouldn't have agreed to leave her sister behind, no matter if she was willing to stay there, and retrace her steps until her sister got help to come back and look for her. In fact, the lynx was most concerned about being forced to eat uncooked ant meat.

When mana surged in front of the opening, and two Twisters materialized in that direction, all eyes turned there. The elf's presence had been exposed, but she was ready.

Three groups of three Slow Arrows immediately pierced into the ant above her, so penetrating deep inside it. Also, they were mana arrows, so they didn't stop damaging it.

As she fired, she had hovered slightly with Float, so that, after putting the bow away, the elf was perfectly positioned to use Stab and Multi Sword Thrust. She broke through it defenses by using the path opened by the arrows.

While it was a huge drain on energy and mana, which she couldn't sustain to fight hundreds of ants, it was enough to exterminate one of them.

Shortly after, she used again Camouflage I and II, and emerged from under the deceased ant. She moved away from there little by little, pressed herself against the wall, wielded the bow again, and let a couple of ants pass. They were watching their deceased companion, so leaving the passage relatively clear.

In the distance, she could see the silhouette of another ant, which meant that she could move forward without problems. However, the archer stayed there, while controlling the Twisters, waiting for her sister, and looking anxiously though their Visual Link.

The feline hadn't finished off the badly wounded ant. Instead, she had taken advantage of the fact that its condition diminished its response, to crouch under it. It is true that the lynx wasn't exactly small, but the size of the ant allowed her to pass under it.

Quickly, and without giving the next ones time to react, she lunged forward, and crossed under the next three. She wasn't worried about hitting their legs, as she only needed to not give them time to react.

However, the surprise factor soon ceased to have an effect. The Communication between them was fast, and powerful jaws were awaiting her. She jumped immediately to the left, where the ant there was slightly more forward, and then went straight on. When its jaws wanted to close on her, they did so on the leg of one of her kin, which turned aggressively.

She took the opportunity to jump under the first one, so avoiding the next ant, and repeated the operation, so causing chaos between them. By now, she was managing to advance quite quickly, but there was still a long ant road ahead of her.