Return to Jorgaldur Volume II: the druid archer

Suspension bridge (I)

The eagle, plus the two previous snakes and what they had accumulated had been enough to reach level 54. She had unlocked Light Overload, which, when it is applied to an arrow, makes it explode once it hits its target. So, its purifying power penetrates through the wound. It can cause great damage, although an arrow is lost each time it is used. She had it at 5, for being very useful against beings of the darkness, but there was few of them.

The ability was Toxic Nature, which allows using poisons or other substances from plants, and apply them to arrows or weapons. The biggest problem is that its effectiveness depends on the surrounding plants, although it is also its greatest potential. She had it at 10, like all nature-related skills.

It was an old stone bridge, which had connected the two parts of the old road that crossed the place hundreds of years ago, or thousands. The remains of the road's cobblestones could still be found, if one looked among the leaves or plants that covered them.

The first and last arch, whose pillars reached the base of the river, had remained standing. An impressive height of more than a hundred meters evidenced the majesty of that old construction. Even half in ruins, it was imposing, as was the fact that part of it still stood.

There were no clues there as to what had caused the huge central arch to collapse. Perhaps the passage of time. It could have been an earthquake. Maybe, it had been demolished for some reason lost in history, such as an ancient war.

"We can't float to the other side, it's too wide," the elf concluded after observing the space that separated them from the other end.

"Farther up would be dangerous," the goshawk warned.

It was just as dangerous to go back as it was to enter higher-level areas, so the elf pulled out several ropes.

"Can you pass them behind a tree and bring them back?"

"Of course!" the goshawk exclaimed, as if she was offended by the question

Thus, the elf shot three arrows with tied ropes, which reached the other side of the collapsed bridge. They passed by a tree with a trunk several meters in diameter.

One by one, the goshawk reached the ropes, grabbed them, looped them around the trunk, and flew back with them in her claws. It is true that the weight of the entire length of the rope could exceed several kilos, but the bird was level 54, so she could carry it without much difficulty.

Thus, they created a kind of suspension bridge. Four sections of rope, which corresponded to the round trip of two ropes, formed the base. The other rope served to hold.

The three ropes were tied after circling another sturdy tree several times, with several knots to tie the ends. For nothing in the world did she want them to get loose. Surely, she had seen too many movies.

The elf and the lynx looked at each other while in the edge of what was left of the stone bridge. The fall was intimidating. Perhaps, they could survive by using Float in the end, but a raging river was awaiting below.

"Something is coming. It looks like a group of two-legged. There're more than ten. They'll arrive in less than an hour. I think they've discovered your trail, they're following the same path," the goshawk informed them, as she was watching from the air.

"We'd better hurry," the elf muttered.

"Yes, you first," replied the lynx.

"Is the four-legged afraid?" her winged sister scoffed at her.

"What is there to be afraid of?" the feline pretended to be offended, although she didn't like having only a few ropes under her feet.

Anyway, she stepped forward. The ropes moved, as if wanting to separate, but she was holding them together by force. It was much easier to do with four legs than with two.

The elf followed closely behind her, while clinging to the two sections of the upper rope, and ready to use Float at any moment. They moved slowly, step by step, but as they did, the rope structure moved more and more. Partly, it was because they were further away from the land, and partly because the wind was stronger in the center, a wind that was swaying them mercilessly.

The goshawk was alert, and watching them with concern. She was startled when one of the elf's feet lost support on the rope, but by grasping with her hands, she managed to recover. The lynx had it somewhat easier, since the ropes were held between her claws. Even so, they were moving too much for her liking. The worst was that they weren't even halfway there yet.

Suddenly, a purple and black hawk appeared in the sky, and headed towards those who were crossing the bridge. Its level was 59, but it wasn't that level what most concerned the goshawk, but its hunting habits. It didn't hunt alone.

A high-pitched screech was heard shortly after. It was the Call skill. Immediately, it dived towards those who were trying to cross the canyon.

The lynx had enough to stay on the precarious suspension bridge, while the elf was no better. So, the goshawk rushed to intercept the hawk. It was four levels more powerful than her, and she no longer had the increased power of wind from the valley, so it was dangerous.

The hawk changed direction toward the approaching enemy, its claws set to meet her. At the last moment, the goshawk used Slalom to dodge it, rapidly ascended, and dived from above, from where she had the upper hand.

When the hawk recovered from its surprise, the goshawk was getting dangerously close. It turned in midair to meet her with its claws, but she again dodged, ascended, and immediately Plummeted again. The hawk had lost its speed while trying to face her, so it was at a clear disadvantage, since it was unable to use its abilities in that situation.

The hawk was unable to gain speed in the short term, so it could only prepare to be attacked. Its enemy was spiraling down toward it, circling at high speed and closing in.

It tried to face her, but Slalom not only serves to dodge, but to change direction quickly, as long as the minimum required speed has been reached. She attacked it from an impossible angle by using Collide, which sent it flying and rolling in the air.

The albino bird didn't stop, but continued to attack the hawk over and over again. She didn't give it time to regain its balance, to regain control of the flight. She didn't stop until it hit the rock on the canyon wall, and fell to the bottom of the river.

The goshawk had suffered some minor bruises, but she wasn't seriously injured. However, four other hawks were closing in.