Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Reinforcements (I)

Goldmi then fired a few arrows, which bounced several times with Billiards to hit her enemies from all directions. They defended, confused, while fearing that there were more enemies hiding among the trees.

Taking advantage of the confusion, the elf made use of her special connection to nature to summon a massive Tangle. Dozens of roots sprouted from the ground and trapped their enemies. At the same time, Naughty Branches made the branches harass and cause a few scratches to the confused and terrified vampires. It seemed that the forest had turned against them.

These roots weren't a permanent problem for them, because by exercising their power, they could free themselves. In fact, a couple of them had achieved it thanks to Liquid Body. It isn't exactly what the name suggests, but can soften one's body, and help free them from the binding.

These were precisely the first to die, as their heads were severed by a powerful axe thrown with Boomerang. On the other side, near Goldmi, a huge hammer smashed two vampires at once, breaking their bones.

Crushy picked up the axe with a leap, and fell upon the vampires, lopping off limbs and heads with Thousand Axes. The visitor's muscular body, the skulls on her belt, and her bloody appearance impressed the elf, who had been waiting for them.

Gjaki had contacted them, and informed her friend, while the albino bird had been keeping track of their movements. She already knew they were coming.

Smashy raised his hammer over and over again, as if he was playing a child's game based on hitting toy heads out of holes. Of course, this time it was a bit bloodier.

Goldmi also started shooting her arrows, and the lynx appeared from one of the sides. The two barbarian siblings looked at her for a moment, surprised. Nonetheless, they had been warned by Gjaki, so they knew that she was an ally. The feline also knew it, despite which she preferred not to get too close to them. She didn't know them, and they vastly outpowered her.

"Shit... How have those idiots been able to find me?" Krovledi cursed.

In the past, she had joined a group that had to fight against the corrupted beings, although she really wanted to attack them and turn them into vampires. However, the barbarian siblings had concealed their power, and they had turned out to be much more dangerous than she had expected. Therefore, she had been forced to flee, after killing the group's healer. It was something they hadn't forgiven her for.

At the same time, in the space between the forest and the ruins, huge rocks covered in fire began to crash into the ground, and into the vampires that were in the area. Merlin had summoned a Meteor Shower to deal with them.

"You've left me no choice," Krovledi threatened between her teeth, as she took a few steps back and entered the ruins.

She opened her hands, and rose them in front of her. A powerful aura of blood and mana began to emanate from each of her fingers. It split and invaded the surrounding vampires.

The twenty vampires fell to the ground, screaming in pain and dying. Their skin wrinkled and dried, as if they had aged suddenly, or something was sucking them from inside.

Their skin, muscles, and bones became rigid and brittle. They broke easily, and eventually crumbled to dust. However, not everything in them had disappeared. Their blood and essence concentrated in front of Krovledi, and then separated into four. It didn't take long for each of them to take on a diffuse canine form, to become beings of great power.

With Infernal Sacrifice, the vampiress had drawn the blood and life essence of her children to create those powerful creatures, which she sent without hesitation against her enemies. It was the most powerful card up her sleeve, at the expense of sacrificing her subordinates to summon it.

Subconsciously, she forcefully grabbed her necklace. If it didn't work, she would have to run. For now, she had to remain vigilant, ready to deliver the coup de grâce to her enemies if there were a chance.

"Four-legged sister, run away! You can't face what's coming!" the goshawk urged her.

The lynx was reluctant to flee, but she knew well that her winged sister wasn't joking. Without saying a word, she climbed a tree. From it, she could jump to help, or escape to a nearby tree.

The barbarian siblings solemnly turned towards the aura heading towards them, though without fear. They even smiled at what looked like it was going to be a tough fight. That they had been reborn into a warrior race hadn't been a coincidence.

Merlin also got ready. Although one-on-one combat wasn't his specialty, he was by no means helpless. Dozens of Fireballs formed around him, ready to be shot towards his target.

Gjaki waited for those strange beings to come out for her allies. They had certain similarities to her Blood Hounds, but were clearly more powerful, as they didn't rely solely on the summoner's power. The sacrifice of the subordinate vampires gave them that extra bit of power.

Without a doubt, it was a spell as powerful as it was cruel, and one that couldn't be used often. It wasn't that easy to have vampires subordinates with enough power.

She approached Krovledi, who was watching the attack of her creations with expectation and concern. She was sure they could overwhelm the mage, but she wasn't so sure about the barbarians. As for the elf archer and her pet, she didn't doubt that they would be torn apart if found.

Gjaki deactivated Darkness as soon as she got close enough. One more step, and she would be discovered, so there was no need to hide anymore. Now, she could exert all of her speed.

Startled, Krovledi noticed a presence behind her. She turned just enough to discover her attacker.

"You..." was the only thing she managed to say.

She barely had time to defend herself, to prevent the fierce and swift attack from being deadly. Her mana protective shield shattered into a thousand pieces, and the armor she hid under her body wasn't able to fully stop the dagger.

Gjaki had discovered that performing Backstab with both hands at the same time multiplied its power. The main problem was the great stress it placed on the weapon and her hands.

However, her hands were only slightly numb for a few seconds, before Self-Regeneration alleviated the symptoms. As for the black dagger she was wielding, it was one of the two obsidian daggers that Eldi had forged in the game especially for her. It wasn't going to break that easily, and she could always repair it.

Although they were black, they glowed yellow when mana flowed along their blade. Also, a beautiful ruby adorned the hilt. That ruby could even store mana and blood, which circulated through the dagger to make it stronger and sharper.

The surprise attack had hurt Krovledi, but it hadn't killed her. She jumped away, put a hand to her wound, and glared hateful at her enemy.

"I guess it's time to finish what we didn't," Gjaki threatened.