Return to Jorgaldur Volume II: the druid archer

Bodyguards (II)

The level 60 warrior paused for a moment, hesitant, since a wall of wind had been erected around the elf. Its thickness and height far exceeded what would have been a Wind Ring of the elf's level. At that moment, the lynx attacked.

He turned quickly, so both bodies collided. It is true that the feline was 10 levels below, but also that the warrior faced her with his bare hands. So, although she took the worst part in the impact, the damage she suffered was rather light. Besides, she left a few scratches as a gift.

At the same time, the goshawk took the opportunity to attack, but this time her objective was ready. So, the bird had no choice but to abort the attack and dodge. The damage she would take in a direct hit was far more serious than her four-legged sister.

"I was hoping you would teach me how to attack," mocked the lynx.

"You haven't been able to distract him long enough," she complained.

Although they were joking, they were extremely worried. It wasn't an easy fight, although there were only two left.

He realized that he couldn't hesitate any longer, as three other Wind Arrows had hit him, and his armor was beginning to suffer the effects of the attacks. He crossed his arms over his head, and went through the Wind Ring, so falling into a Wind Abyss.

Goldmi took the opportunity to step back. She knew that she couldn't hold him for long, so she set another trap at the exit of the Ring.

Meanwhile, the level 58 enemy had managed to escape, and was furiously looking at the archer, but also with caution. He had overcome two hells. Not only his body was full of cuts, but also his armor, so he didn't want to fall into another one.

He approached her, while brandishing his massive sword, as the lynx and the goshawk were stalking him. He used Front Slash to create a crack in the ground in front of him, and quickly ran through the crack, to re-cast the skill. That way, he could deal with the traps or roots in front of him.

The second time, the three sisters took advantage of the final phase of the skill to attack. The arrows arrived just as the movement ended, so preventing him from reacting. The lynx Jumped on him, and the goshawk Collided against him, while wind surrounded her.

The coordinated attack not only worsened his wounds, but the feline made him fall. She took the opportunity to approach his neck with her powerful fangs, while her claws were immobilizing his sword. The warrior defended himself with his hands, with enough force to push her back. At the same time, he also had to defend against the claws and the beak that were attacking his eyes, along with a wind aura.

He used a skill that created an Energy Blast around him, so knocking them back. However, just at that moment, the elf arrived with Lunge. She was wielding the black sword made by Eldi in the game, whose quality was comparable to normal weapons around 10 levels higher.

She drove the sword into his back, between the holes in the leather armor, though it wasn't deep enough to be lethal. Goldmi knew she wouldn't have time to complete Stab, so she tried Hilt.

Due to the difference in level, the stun from the skill was quite weak. Somewhat confused, he turned around while wielding the sword. The elf parried it with Block and Recoil, so she was sent several meters back. Thanks to Naughty Branches and Float, she avoided being hit by a tree.

At that moment, the level 60 warrior escaped from the trap, and ran to the aid of his companion. He first crossed the Wind Ring from the same place he had entered, and then circled around it. He wasted some time, but made sure not to fall into another trap.

He was an expert tracker, but even for him, it had been impossible to detect the Wind Abyss right behind the Wind Ring. Its aura was masked by the previous spell, so preventing him from discovering it.

He got out in time to see how the elf was thrown back, and the lynx lunged down his companion's back again. This time, she reached his neck. The warrior dropped the sword to try to get rid of her, by hitting her. However, despite the strong blows, she didn't let go of her prey, and her fangs sunk deeper.

The bird took the opportunity to attack his eyes, so causing him severe pain when she pierced one of them with her sharp beak. As he was weakened by the wounds and attacked on several fronts, he died before his partner could arrive to save him.

Given the difference in level and the accumulated experience, his death was enough for them to raise one level, in addition to advancing quite a bit in the next. It meant that their disadvantage with the warrior level 60 had decreased slightly, and that he was the only one remaining.

Nonetheless, the lynx was injured, but not enough to rely on Life Link. It would mean not being able to use it later, when perhaps it could be more critical. Furthermore, the archer had depleted a large amount of her mana. She had even consumed a potion to regenerate it faster, but she still didn't have much left. Therefore, they were in a very dangerous situation.

She had gained the Wind Pillar spell, analogous to that Light one. It had slashing damage instead of purifying, a higher mana expenditure, and was at 10, since it was very useful for close attacks in area.

The skill was Antidote, which allows to combine the essence of the surrounding plants to fight a poison. It had the advantage that it could fight poisons above the caster level, and the disadvantage that there weren't always suitable plants. She had it at affinity 3, as she hadn't had many opportunities to use it in the game.

However, none of her new acquisitions seemed likely to have much of an impact on the current fight. Although she was curious about Wind Pillar with the increased power of the place, her current mana pool didn't allow for frivolities.

So, she settled on something more practical, if less spectacular. With the extra power of the wind, she relied on Light Feet and Slide to escape her foe while regaining mana. It was what Gjaki called kiting.