Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Leveling up (II)

Eldi narrowly dodged the ant's Skewer. Even if his armor had protected him, he could have taken damage.

"That's what you get for laughing!" Gjaki accused him, and stuck out her tongue.

Goldmi took a deep breath. She, too, had gotten carried away, although the archer could afford it, as she was in the rear. However, if she stopped shooting, the pressure on their enemies would lessen, and that could endanger her companions. That was even worse than being attacked.

The truth was that they were a bit relaxed, and excited to fight together. The combat, or rather the annihilation of ants, was easy if they maintained a minimum of concentration. The insects had to face a direct adversary, the elf's arrows and various spells. In addition, they may have previously been injured by a certain albino bird. Not to mention that their enemies helped each other, and attacked them from the flanks.

In fact, they were taking the opportunity to try out some of what had been crazy ideas in the game, but could now come true.

After briefly slowing his ant down with an Ice Blast, Eldi crouched down, clasped his hands together and snapped them up to propel the vampiress' feet.

"A little less next time. I almost hit the ceiling," she complained. "Well, maybe it's not that bad like that either."

On the verge of colliding from the momentum, she had spun over herself, landed on the ceiling, and propelled into the ant from above. On its back, she had opened two long wounds after digging in the daggers and moving over it.

"Okay, okay, whatever you say," he shrugged.

He was on the ant that belonged to Gjaki, which had been previously knocked down by her. He had jumped with the hammer and Earthquake, and then Crushed it. He took the opportunity to Charge against the badly injured ant of the lynx. The feline didn't miss the opportunity to finish it off.

It was when they thought it was being too easy that the vampiress thought of increasing the difficulty.

"Why don't I put some curses on you? Maybe that way, you could develop resistance against them," she proposed.

At first, they looked at her incredulously, but she ended up convincing them. Curses could be very annoying, and being resistant was very convenient. In fact, the lynx volunteered, while the goshawk preferred to pretend she hadn't eared anything. With her place being the sky and her greatest weapon being her speed, she was much less exposed than her "four-legged" sister. The lynx fought on the front lines, and had suffered them sometimes.

Therefore, with the blessings, she alternately added Weakness and Numbness. Also, since she was standing still in the rear, Goldmi got Stand Still! and Bleed. Since the archer didn't need to move, and didn't risk receiving injuries, adding them wasn't counterproductive. What they weren't clear about was whether they generated resistance if they didn't act.

Weakness made attacks less powerful, while Numbness slowed the action of skills and spells. They could be dangerous, but they had the confidence that they were winning handily, in addition to their ace in their sleeve. In case of problems, Gjaki was level 100, so she could solve them. Of course, if that happened, they would interpret it as losing, and none of them liked to lose.

Without a doubt, the curses made the fight a bit difficult, especially at the beginning, until they got used to its effects.

"A curse can be really dangerous if it catches you off guard in a tight fight. It changes the dynamic, it's a little confusing," Eldi praised.

"Really? Maybe I'll have to use them more," Gjaki mused.

Although she had used them, she had not suffered from them, so the vampiress wasn't sure how they affected her enemies. It was good to have a victim's point of view.

"Maybe, I'll have to incorporate them into the manor's training," she thought, with a mischievous smile.

The truth is that it didn't take them long to get used to, and overwhelm the ants. Although the insects were higher in level, the difference in experience, equipment, and resources made it impossible for the insects to take on their enemies. Besides, they were in an unfavorable terrain for the insects.

Therefore, in the end, they ended up using both curses at the same time, not sure if it would really do any good. That slightly slowed down the speed with which they killed their enemies, but not too much.

Although slower, the spells and skills were still just as effective. Perhaps, they felt a little weaker, but the curses didn't affect their weapons, their armor, or their jewelry, so the effect was diluted. Above all, they didn't affect their teamwork.

Eldi was the first to level up, as he was the lowest until then, so the experience he received was comparatively higher.

The spell was Lightning Ball. It was very effective for a ranged stun, and then approach to melee fighting. Therefore, he had it at 10.

The skill was for spear, Pole Vault, whose use is exactly what its name indicates. It made it easier for him to overcome slopes or quickly climb a tree, plus it was fun. It was at 10 too.

Although somewhat tired, when Goldmi returned to her home, she couldn't lie down on the bed. Her daughters had missed her, and she felt guilty for leaving them alone all day.

"I managed to hit the trunk!" Eldmi exclaimed.

"Me too!" her sister boasted.

"Once out of twenty attempts, and far from the target," Elendnas clarified.

"Shh! Dad! Don't tell mum that!"

The two pouted, while Goldmi and her husband laughed. They assured that they would do better in a few days. The next day, it couldn't be. They had school, and they would stay there to play with their friends.

The village was small, and there were hardly any children their age. However, that wasn't a problem, since there was a system of static gates to take the children to school. They required a significant amount of mana, which was provided by the entire village. Giving a little when you're not going to use it is easy. Thus, empowering the gates was one of the communal tasks.

In fact, Gjaki had managed to copy that system over the years with some help, so the power needed for her mansion could now be provided by everyone. Although she didn't mind doing it herself, the vampiress didn't want to happen it again if she wasn't there. Her family couldn't be defenseless again if, for whatever reason, she couldn't charge the gem herself.

Goldmi spent the rest of the afternoon with her daughters, and tucked them up until they fell asleep. After that, she ended up wrapped in the embrace of her lover.