Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Snailicide

With solemn faces, they stood for a while looking at the tide of snail-bulls. They had distributed the rocks among the three visitors, and separated into three groups. Previously, it had been verified with smaller ones that they really fell where they should.

The hardest part had been making sure no one was hunting their prey at the impact sites. In the end, Gjaki had lost her patience, and used Bloodlust to intimidate those who didn't want to leave. They had fled in terror, as they believed that she wanted to suck their blood.

"We'll have to finish it quickly, before they come to investigate," Diknsa suggested, who nevertheless found the situation amusing.

"Send the signal whenever you want," her daughter replied, while looking away from her mother.

A blue flare rose into the sky, and surprised those who didn't know what it meant. Shortly after, the noise of the falling rocks and crashing against the snail-bulls scared more than one.

Eldi, Goldmi and Gjaki went from side to side of their respective ledges, to take out the huge rocks from the inventory. The rest were in charge of pushing them, thus letting them fall down the slope, including a certain lynx. They all carried various blessings, some useful, and some just to share the experience. Furthermore, there was an Area of Attack on each ledge.

Not all the rocks rolled in exactly the same trajectory. They weren't perfectly spherical, and that was the consequence. In fact, many were rather oval.

That, far from being a problem, was benefiting them. It meant that each one landed in a different place, on different snail-bulls, thus decimating their numbers.

Everyone could notice how the experience was accumulating, although none as much as Goldmi and Eldi. Luckily, despite being extraordinarily fast, it didn't come as suddenly as had been the case after killing the queen ant and its guards. In total, they raised four levels, and reached 86.

The first spell recovered by Eldi, in 83, had been Electrocute Yourself. It imbues an enemy with an extremely annoying electrical aura. It was very useful against final bosses, if the caster could get to touch them. It was at 10.

Sand Everywhere is also very annoying for enemies, especially if they are wearing armor. The sand gets into all the nooks and crannies, and it is better to protect eyes and ears. It's very useful against certain enemies, like undead knights, which is why it was at 8.

Ignite is a powerful but difficult spell to use. It builds up the power of the sun to create a huge explosion, but the buildup can last for hours. He barely had it at 3, as it was too boring.

Soundproofing creates a thin barrier of ice, with water melted inside. This significantly reduces the power of sonic attacks. It's situational, but in certain events, he had been forced to use it continuously, so it was at 7.

In terms of skills, Hammeraxe implies being able to use the axe as a hammer. The result is less powerful than using the proper weapon, as the axe lacks sufficient mass. However, it can be very useful in certain situations, when it isn't possible or convenient to change weapons.

At 84, Intuition is a passive skill that alerts the wielder to any immediate danger. It gives an idea of the direction of the danger, but little else. However, it is extremely valuable, as it can easily save a life.

Inspire is similar to Lion's Heart but in a group, since it allows combating fear. It also helps to lift morale, give hope and clear hearts. It was very easy to level in group activities, so it was at 10.

Finally, Vibrate simply causes a weapon to vibrate. It can be useful for recovering a weapon stuck in something, or for digging into a wound on an enemy with strong defenses. From a small wound, it can help to pierce through an enemy from side to side, if they are still. It is also very useful in certain situations, such as going through doors or walls.

At 83, Goldmi had recovered Consecrated Ground, which imbues an area with purifying power, though it can also be used as a lamp. It wasn't easy to level, since it required it to have an effect, that is, to fight against the darkness. She had it in 4.

Chaos is a spell that imbues an area with wind, and that wind can blow in any direction or with any force. She hadn't found a use for it in the game other than as a joke, so he had it at 3.

Natural Perception is used to locate a certain being with the help of plants. However, unlike dryads, it is limited, and can only give a rough idea. Still, it could be quite useful. Like all Nature spells, it was at 10.

Finally, in 86, there was Lady of the Arrows. Through this spell, allies' and enemies' projectiles can be controlled with the help of the wind, although the cost is increased for each projectile. Despite this, it can be very useful, as well as easy to level up. Therefore, it was at 10.

The first skill regained had been Outcast. It is a fearsome skill that can't be used lightly, or the forces of nature could turn their backs on the one who has misused it. In-game, it could mean not being able to use those types of abilities for several hours. It consists of marking the target as an enemy of nature, thus being repudiated and hated by all plants and many animals. The effects aren't immediate, but they are terrible.

Bridge creates bridges and stairs with branches and roots.

Vibrate is the same skill as Eldi's, and was shared by many players. It was at 10.

Thousand Cuts is an expensive and powerful sword and dagger skill, which is capable of overwhelming the most dangerous foes with rapid consecutive attacks. Due to its high cost, it's not easy to level up, plus Goldmi didn't usually fight melee. So, it was at 3.

When they went down the slope, they could see up close the magnitude of the snailicide. While there were many survivors, there were more totally crushed. The state of the carcasses wasn't an impediment for three assistants to start collecting snail slime.

It was valuable, although very difficult to obtain. A special method was needed to collect and store them, so it wasn't usual to hunt them. However, for the visitors, it was ridiculously simple.

"We've ruined the road," Goldmi muttered.

"If we remove the stones, maybe I can fix it."

"Of course we remove them! It took us all morning to get them!" Gjaki exclaimed.

However, it wasn't that simple. There were still many survivors.