Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Underground attack (I)

Goldmi and Eldi had managed to raise their levels to 89 thanks to multiple blessings, traps and their direct work.

Therefore, the high human had recovered Rock Shield, which allows protecting many allies behind a powerful shield. He had it at 8, due to some periodic events in which some villagers had to be saved.

Next up was Burning Golem, which creates an entity that can be given basic commands. It is slow, but quite powerful. It was at 7, as it was very useful in the game to send it into caves infested with enemies. They either got out, or were attacked by one Burning Golem after another.

The name of the skill was as short as X. It consists of a double axe swing, which forms an "X" that seems to break the space itself. That "X" is thrown forward, in a straight line, thus hitting whatever is on its path. As a teenager, he had loved that skill, since it was very flashy and with a long range, so it was at 10.

At 89, there was Baseball, which uses the hammer to return a projectile. It is relatively slow due to the weight of the hammer, so two in a row can't be countered unless they are together. The upside is that it can deal with quite powerful projectiles. It was at 10, because, in the game, an annual tournament was organized with small cannons and players who had this skill. In one of them, Eldi had finished fifth.

The elf had unlocked Remote Control, which isn't a spell in itself, but allows other spells to be cast through her sisters. The mana cost is doubled, but it can still be very useful. Since she had used it often, it was at 10.

A Wind Golem is faster than a Burning one, although its effect is less devastating. She had used it from time to time, so it was at 6.

The Cross ability has certain similarities to Eldi's X, although with lower range, is faster, and adds wind magic. A dagger and a sword are needed to create said cross, and it is useful if there are enemies close, right in front of the caster. Its use had been sporadic, so it was at 4.

Finally, there was Hold. After shooting an arrow, it can be Held. This allows launching a single attack with a multitude of them if a few had been Hold previously. It was at 10, as it was very useful for surprise attacks.

They had decided to stay around the corrupted area until reaching level 90. It was the minimum limit they had set for themselves to go into the dungeon, which was already several levels below what was supposed to be necessary. Therefore, they had moved to another area of a slightly higher level than the previous one. They had been there for a couple of days.

"No baddies," the fairy assured.

She was still in the baby-carrier, where she was able to look around but not feel the environment, unless getting out. The fairy did it from time to time briefly, to make sure there was no danger.

The rest of the time, she watched the group, or looked sadly at the corrupted trees. She knew what they had been, and it hurt her what they had become.

With the help of the fairy and the goshawk, and with Gjaki's protection, they could go deeper into the corrupted forest than other groups, without much danger.

"There're many ahead," Goldmi frowned, since her sister hadn't seen them from the sky.

"An underground trap?" Eldi guessed.

"We'll have to get them out," suggested Gjaki.

"How many is a lot?" Maldoa asked.

"At least ten, but I don't think it's all. I have to get closer to check it, but they're already quite close," the elf explained.

"How close?" the drelf asked.

"About ten meters. They must be pretty deep. I'm moving just a little closer."

Her eyes widened as she took a few steps and cast Life Detection again.

"At least fifty. They are moving southwest. Some are just below," she hurried to warn them.

They all moved quickly to the side, while looking at the ground suspiciously. However, nothing happened, so Goldmi cast the spell again.

"They're moving in the same direction. There may be more than a hundred."

"A general must have ordered this. Can you keep an eye on them? I'm going to alert our allies," the drelf asked, solemnly.

They agreed, so it didn't take long for the drelf to disappear in the distance, though she was watched by the goshawk. If she was in any danger, they would rush to her aid.

The group continued in the direction indicated by the elf, who was confirming the position of their enemies every so often. Meanwhile, Gjaki and Eldi spent their time by cutting down corrupted trees. They got very little experience from them, but they also had nothing better to do.

The pace of the corrupted beings wasn't fast, but it was constant. In all probability, it was because they had to advance digging the earth. Therefore, it took them more than two hours to cover the distance that it had taken them just a few minutes. They had walked out of the corrupted forest, and had arrived at the wastelands, still full of miasma, the border to the living's lands.

Many adventurers had gathered there, with the drelf at their head. They were looking at the group with some mistrust, as they believed that it was another false alarm. Since it had been an official call, they had had no choice but to come.

A man and a woman approached Goldmi with disbelief and reluctance. They cast their own detection spells. They expected to find out it was a false alarm, thus being able to leave. However, they soon found out how wrong they were.

"In what direction?" the woman asked.

"That way," the elf pointed.

She nodded, this time with sincere respect. The two of them ran towards the rest of the adventurers, who hastily moved to intercept the underground convoy.

They Hardened the ground to force them out, while setting up an improvised defensive formation. Eldi watched with interest as they created some kind of walls, and platforms for healers and ranged warriors. The corrupted beings would have a hard time getting there.

They almost held their breath as they watched as Goldmi's group inched forward while stalking the underground beings. The man and the woman each stood to one side, to detect if those beings changed direction before the obstacle.

"They're going up!" Goldmi warned as she walked away.

A few moments later, the ground began to shake, crack, and rise. When it opened, a corrupted turtle appeared.