Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Underground attack (IV)

While Eldi was fighting together with several adventurers, Gjaki joined a group that was having trouble with a herd of corrupted rodents. They weren't very big, barely a meter long, but there were a lot of them. They had started emerging after a snake was killed, and their numbers and ferocity were overwhelming the adventurers.

She was confident that she could kill them all on her own, and even get into the tunnel, but the vampiress didn't want to attract attention. Therefore, she just skillfully took out the ones closest to her, by executing various dagger skills. She could dodge her bites with ease, and Weak Point told her where it was best to attack.

Besides, a look between her and the elf was enough for some arrows to fly to the right place. A Light Arrow even entered the mouth of one of the rodents when Gjaki held it open to avoid being bitten. After that, the corrupted being barely lasted a few seconds.

Furthermore, she had secretly dropped some threads and summoned a Bat. With her familiar inside the dark tunnel, she manipulated the thread with Live Thread, and then created a Cobweb to slow the arrival of the corrupted rodents.

With the help of the vampiress, and the support of archers and magicians, they managed to contain the stampede of those beings with powerful incisors. Thus, they prevented them from going out and creating chaos, from attacking from all sides as was the intention of the shadow.

The number of losts was even higher than what Goldmi had believed, and much higher than the adventurers'. Only containing them, and being able to deal with them little by little, would make it possible to eliminate them.

The adventurers had a plan B, which was to execute a powerful spell to hold their enemies and flee. Nonetheless, that could mean serious trouble.

They would have to alert all the contiguous areas, and execute a meticulous plan to eliminate them. To make it more complicated, if they moved into the underground again, it would be very difficult to locate them. Therefore, it was vital to eliminate them. At least, as many as possible.

The biggest problem was that there were more enemies than expected, and their mana and energy reserves weren't infinite. Therefore, after discussing it with some of the leaders, Maldoa approached Eldi.

"Do you have any more of those potions? We'd need to shut two more exits down," she asked him.

"Sure. Take these to Gjaki," he asked, and turned to the adventurers. "When I warn you, move away! I'm going to close the tunnel!"

They had finished off the mole and two other slimes. Now, they were fighting against a lizard, which couldn't exert all its abilities, as it couldn't get out of the hole.

"Now!" he yelled as the corrupted reptile began to disintegrate.

Several loud explosions were heard in a short interval at two different spots. Gjaki and Eldi gave each other a thumbs up, while Goldmi smiled in the distance. At the same time, she shot several arrows that pierced the eye and ear of the lynx's adversary. She had managed to place it in that position and had notified her sister, who had seized the opportunity.

Suddenly, a loud roar was heard a few meters away, and the whole earth trembled. Everyone who wasn't fighting looked towards the spot, and found the two dwarfs high-fiving their palms, visibly exultant.

Those who knew them shook their heads, and went about their business, while the rest couldn't help but ask. They soon discovered that the dwarfs had Collapsed one of the tunnels on its occupants. That might not kill everyone, but it would hold them for a while. The only losts with the ability to dig were those in the front side.

For her part, the goshawk destroyed the eyes of a huge snake. The reptile had managed to raise, so that its head was out of reach of the warriors. Also, its body was strong enough to hold on for a long time.

From that position, it could launch dangerous Poison Spits, and even raise miasma barriers to block projectiles and spells. It was a difficult adversary, and the main advantage was that it completely blocked the exit, so the other corrupted beings had to wait.

What it couldn't block was the fast albino bird, who came from a blind spot and Collided with it. Without giving it time to recover, she attacked its eyes with her beak, her claws, and her wind aura. As soon as she finished her work, she took to the air, and got out of reach of the enraged now blind corrupted snake.

It continued to shoot poison, but it could no longer aim or block the ranged attacks. The damage that the goshawk had inflicted wasn't very high, but it was in the right place to leave it totally vulnerable.

With fewer open exits, the adventurers could take turns. Those who had to rest went to the forest to recover, to the live area. Meanwhile, their companions were in charge of containing and eliminating those that were coming out.

Besides, more and more adventurers were arriving from nearby areas, or groups that hadn't been notified with enough time. Thus, even when a new exit opened up, it was no longer a problem.

They were there for three days, killing the continuous flow of losts, and even opening the previously sealed tunnels. There, some corrupted beings had tried to break through, had harmed themselves in the process, and had barely made any advance. They attacked ferociously as soon as a hole opened, but they were at a clear disadvantage. They had to climb to the exit and face many enemies at once.

Despite this, one after the other didn't hesitate to attack. They were both following orders and wishing to die, and be released from their captivity.

For their part, Eldi and Goldmi managed to raise to 90, which was somewhat bittersweet for the drelf. On one hand, she was happy for them, but on the other, she was sad. It meant that they would have to split, as she wouldn't be able to accompany them where they were going.

She could only be with them because they were fighting in the corrupted area, and only after pulling some strings. However, she couldn't get very far from the front. It was the mission to which she had committed herself decades ago. She was the link with the dryads, so her presence was vitally important. Maldoa sighed. She could only wish them luck.