Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Deadly trap

"Damned useless!" the shadow cursed when it saw the albino bird appear again.

It had sent four to be sure its enemy was killed, even though one should have been enough given the difference in level. To it, they were just flying beasts, and the stronger ones had to devour the weaker ones.

Concepts such as speed, maneuverability or intelligence weren't even considered. It couldn't imagine where the missing corrupted bird was, nor how that living with wings was still flying over its head, as if mocking.

In its fury, it momentarily activated the miasma to execute the skill that consumed all the miasma accumulated over the years. However, that shadow hadn't yet lost all traces of intelligence, and it went no further.

This was a secret weapon for dealing with large numbers of livings, which needed some time to be released. Spending it on a single living was a waste, plus the attack had no guarantee of hitting. Therefore, it looked around to command fourteen winged losts against the daring bird that was watching them.

While she easily dodged the three corrupted birds that were chasing her, the goshawk increased the search area. They had failed to find the general, and were beginning to lose hope.

She had to be careful, because both the hummingbird and the crows could shoot rays of miasma. They were easy to dodge, but she had to be alert.

Suddenly, she felt a strong mana fluctuation, corrupted mana, miasma. Her sharp eyes focused on that point, as did the elf, who she was looking through them.

The fluctuation stopped a few moments later, but not the bird's attention. There, hidden among the losts, there was something.

"There it's! We've found it!" the elf exclaimed.

Though her joy soon turned to worry. A multitude of winged beings were rising toward her sister.

"Let's hope it doesn't move. I'm coming to you," the goshawk abruptly changed the plan.

She dove, turned as she Plummeted, and regained a horizontal trajectory in her sister's direction. Behind her, many corrupted beings followed, while trying to match her speed. However, they needed time to catch her, as she had a good advantage.

Her pursuers could reach different speeds, so after a while, they had separated, distanced between them. For this reason, after a long chase, she Plummeted again, to pass them again from below in the opposite direction. She flew over the forest at low altitude and breakneck speed.

Only when she was close to the last of her enemies did she rise up again, thus gaining great altitude at the cost of her speed. However, she got it back shortly after, when diving again. After accelerating, the goshawk changed direction once again. She had gotten the pack that followed her more compact.

Shortly after, she reached the edge of the forest, and descended again, although without accelerating much. Her pursuers also descended, eager to catch her, to devour her life.

With the closest ones only a few meters away, she passed between two walls whose existence was totally out of place. The corrupted birds followed her without hesitation, not realizing that they were flying into a trap.

It was impossible for them to discover the resistant threads that rose up after the goshawk. They collided with them, followed by an inferno of fire and purifying light.

Only three, which were a little behind, managed to avoid the deadly passage. One of those corrupted beings, a powerful griffon, was attacked by the lynx. She was on the Rock Walls, waiting for the opportunity.

She Jumped over the corrupted griffon, engulfed in flames. The feline Shredded it with her claws blessed with Purifying Touch.

Her enemy was powerful and its level higher, but its wings were vulnerable. In addition, the extra weight of its attacker prevented the lost from controlling its flight. The feline focused her attacks on one of those wings, not only Shredding it apart, but also Chewing it with her powerful jaws.

She jumped a few seconds later onto the Wind Staircase that had been created by her sister. Easily, she landed on her four, as the griffon spun around and crashed to the ground.

Without hesitation, the lynx went to finish it off. She wasn't afraid of a winged being that could no longer fly, and which was badly injured. It hadn't even really been necessary the Protect that Eldi had cast on her, thus sharing the damage if necessary.

Meanwhile, Eldi was dealing with the trapped birds. Various Burning Blasts joined the previously placed Light Abysses. Five spears flew with Javelin towards the birds that seemed to resist the most, and he even threw the axe with Boomerang a couple of times. There was also a Non-Defense Area, that diminished his enemies defenses.

Not all the corrupted birds died, but none could fly again. They were easily finished off as the vampiress removed the threads, and the high human stepped forward and retrieved a few spears. With several Perforating Impact, he finished off the dying losts.

Goldmi dealt with the remaining two who had managed to dodge the trap. They were flying low, and had been forced into a sharp maneuver, that had reduced their speed. It had left them at the mercy of the arrows.

She used the level 86 arrows that Eldi had made for her. They might be several levels lower than her enemies, but the quality was also far superior to ordinary arrows.

She added Purifying Touch, Piercing Arrow, Accelerate, Sharpen, Harden, and Light Overload to them. It was a pity to break the arrows, but the difference in level was important, so she wanted to make sure.

The arrows dug into a wing of each corrupted bird, pierced through, and exploded with potent purifying power an instant later. With three arrows stuck in, the wings exploded.

"I think you've overdone," Maldoa observed, impressed.

"An arrow would've been enough. Maybe, fewer skills," the vampiress valued.

Goldmi ignored them. She was staring at her sister air-fighting with the griffon. She would surely survive the fall, but not unscathed.

"Ready," the feline warned her.

She jumped off the griffon fully trusting her sister, who created the steps of wind under her feet.

Sighing in relief, the elf turned to where the trap of Rock Walls and orichalcum threads was. Eldi came out of there, his body blackened by the ash.

They had managed to kill fifteen of those beings, and advance to the next level. It is true that they had invested a lot of mana and energy, but there was no imminent danger, so they could focus on recovering. At worst, there were Gjaki and Maldoa.

"I'm going to watch it," the goshawk announced.

As she wolfed down a small cream-filled biscuit, she returned to where the general had been sighted. If it sent more forces against her, she would once again lead them into a deadly trap.