Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Anthill (IV)

The two looked back, and they couldn't help but stay for a few moments contemplating in amazement the mountain of ants that rose towards the hole in the ceiling.

"Eldi, what we tested the other day with the threads," the vampiress reacted.

He nodded, and moved closer to the spears that were still stuck in the ground. He grabbed the threads, and simply applied his mana with the electrical attribute, without any additional spells.

The mana spread down the long thread, and electrocuted the ants. It wasn't enough to kill them, but it had given them all a strong shock.

Gjaki grabbed the threads, and felt a light cramp. The electrical mana had weakened after passing through the ants, but there was still some left. She then applied Lethal Thread to sharpen them and cut the ants. She was tempted to use Lethal Net as well, so that the threads would tighten and come towards her. Unfortunately, it was well above the level that she had promised not to exceed.

Instead, Eldi put on strong special gloves for the occasion, took the end of the thread and began to stretch it. He coiled it over the spears that were on the ground. Gjaki did the same to the other end. Therefore, the threads were tightened even more, which caused the ants to be even more constricted, and the sharp filaments embedded deeper in them.

Only corpses and dying ants remained in the initial part of the tunnel, which blocked the path for the others.

"Help Goldmi. I'm going to investigate the tunnels," Gjaki asked.

Eldi nodded, and headed towards the mountain of corpses. The vampiress needed all her concentration to direct so many Bats, which also had to dodge the ants. The latter was relatively easy with one, but she was controlling many more. She was more than tempted to break her promise and use Parallel Thinking.

They needed to choose a path. There were two tunnels on either side, and more forks had sprung up ahead. Therefore, she made her explorers go through the tunnels, while Eldi arrived next to the elf.

The goshawk jumped from crushed ant to crushed ant. They were immobilized by the wounds and the weight over them, so it was easy to rip out their eyes and antennae, even dug into their brain. The lynx was finishing off those she saw moving from her side, while Goldmi did the same from hers, especially with Sword Thrust. It was a good way to train the skill.

They had to finish them off as quickly as possible, for they were coming closer from behind, and there was movement visible from above.

The lynx let Eldi pass, and went to watch the rear. She easily dodged the traps, for she had seen how her sister had set them, and could feel her mana as if it were her own. Without hesitation, she attacked an ant with half a body inside one of the traps.

The ant, which already had enough problems trying to escape from the unexpected Wind Abyss, suddenly had the huge feline attacking from behind it. She pushed it against the trap, as she sunk her fangs into its flesh. It was defenseless, and at the mercy of the feline, although those which were coming from behind weren't.

Meanwhile, Eldi used Colander to pierce the ants, or Perforating Impact if there was only one target. He wanted to train Tearing Sting, but he couldn't afford the energy cost, plus it was a bit overboard for the current situation.

He saw how the head of an ant was poking over the body of its partner, as it tried to get through the corpses. When it discovered the high human, it opened its mouth to Spit out the corrosive acid.

Eldi didn't waste time in unpinning his spear. Instead, he summoned a Frozen one and threw it with Javelin. It entered through its open mouth.

A pair of pincers appeared from another side, and the rest of the mandible soon after, along with the antennae that wanted to investigate the surroundings. The latter and one of the eyes were the target of the albino bird, which seemed to enjoy tearing the ants apart with her beak and claws. This was how she was releasing the stress of being in a closed place.

At the same time, the three assistants continued to work non-stop, without being able to carry out it all. They were a little Gjaki, a little Goldmi and some kind of cyber fairy.

The two companions had questioned Eldi about the appearance of his assistant. They wanted to know why it wasn't a little Eldi, but he didn't know the answer. The battle mage didn't remember that, back then, he had been obsessed with fairies and robots. Perhaps, he didn't want to remember.

"Follow me! I've found the queen!" Gjaki exclaimed.

They quickly reunited, while she was cutting off some legs that were trying to cross Eldi's Walls. It wouldn't be long before they began to pass through them.

They entered the tunnel that ran diagonally down, the one that Gjaki had roamed almost halfway through. At the entrance, Eldi placed a Burning Dome, without caring much if it consumed the oxygen left behind.

In addition, he was creating Earthen Walls, which in that narrowest tunnel, blocked it almost completely. That way, he hoped to make the ants believe there was no path out, or at least slow them down.

Goldmi, the lynx, and Gjaki led the way, while the goshawk watched from her sister's shoulder. They were now using more mana than they could regenerate, even after taking a potion. They wanted to get through the area as soon as possible, as the relatively narrow tunnel could be a death trap. However, they didn't waste it either. They couldn't afford to run out of it.

It should be said that they didn't have to ration potions. Eldi had made more than enough for several levels. He had his ingredients, his companions', those that could be found in the mansion, bought in the nearby town, or obtained in Goldmi's village.

Even in the Blood Kingdom, several counts were stockpiling ingredients. Not only did they help their queen, friend and savior, but they could keep the surplus.

After years of merciless fighting and murder, few artisans had stayed voluntarily. With the peace of the last few years, some had returned, looking for opportunities. Nonetheless, they weren't too many, nor of an excessively high level. Among other things, it was due to the lack of magical platforms.

Many had been stolen or sabotaged to prevent use by their enemies, and restoring them wasn't easy. They were working on it, but it took time to get back to normal. It had been hundreds of years of continuous confrontations on a smaller or larger scale.

It was precisely because of that peace that Gjaki, the blood queen, was so adored by her subjects. She had accomplished what seemed impossible in a land cursed by endless wars until then.