Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Prairie (III)

Rather than attempt to kill them, Gjaki decided to immobilize or distract them. She wanted to inflict as little damage as possible, thus avoiding stealing experience. She took advantage of the fact that those beings were different from other dungeons inhabitants. They were vulnerable to illusions, so she decided to use them against those which were getting up.

The natural enemies of these wildebeests were the scarlet lions, although, physically, they looked more like a cougar than a lion. However, they lived in packs like lions, one of the reasons they had earned their name among gamers.

It is true that these packs were different from those of the lions, since they were composed of males and females alike. Their pyramidal social structure was similar to wolves, with an alpha male and female. Nonetheless, it wasn't something most players worried about, nor was it important at the time.

The only important thing was that Gjaki remembered their form, so she could create illusions with Imaginary World. Upon meeting their natural predators, the wildebeest faced them, without attacking, without running away, as that would have meant turning their backs on them. In this way, she had managed to control three of them.

Another that was still on the ground had been immobilized with Blood Bind, by linking its two legs together. The lynx had easily killed it, before attacking from behind one of those facing an illusion.

The other two were slain by Goldmi, who even used the grass to Tangle and hinder her prey. Her level 90 arrows, created by Eldi, were as always of a high quality, as was her bow. It helped to reduce the consequences of the difference in level.

Also, as they were still, it made it easier to shoot accurately. Some arrows entered through their eyes or ears, thus taking advantage of it to reach where the brain should have been. Although the mana beings didn't really have a brain, for some reason, they had the weaknesses of a real being. Surely, if the dungeon had been created manually, someone had taken care of the details.

Perhaps, Goldmi's main drawback was that light magic wasn't as effective as usual against the dungeon inhabitants. Nonetheless, on this floor at least, she had the help of a fake nature. It gave her a strange feeling, but worked. To dryads or half-dryads, it gave them chills.

Eldi, for his part, was in charge of the six that had fallen into the holes. Due to the Icicles at the bottom, one was dying, and two others were badly injured, but the other three had barely suffered any damage. Despite this, it wasn't easy for them to get out, as they didn't have the right skills.

However, they had enough power to dig their powerful hooves into the earth wall, and try to climb little by little. It was what the high human was trying to prevent.

If it had been just one, he could have finished it off, but the three of them were far apart. If he focused on one of them, the other two could escape. Therefore, he created three Frozen Golems to join the hounds in the distraction. Eldi was trying to restrict their movements, while waiting for his companions to return.

The Golems fell on them, thus spreading their iciness, and attacked them somewhat clumsily. Other than that, he used a few Javelins with slightly lower level spears, aiming at their legs. However, the difference in level caused them to lower their effectiveness, and he only inflicted a few scratches.

What hurt those beings the most was the blessing Your Magic is Mine. Normally, it's useful for getting some mana back while taking it away from an enemy. However, against mana manifestations, it's extremely effective. One of them even lost strength in one of its legs and fell to the bottom of the hole.

That didn't kill it, but it did cause the other badly wounded wildebeest it had fallen on to crash into the Icicles again. Many were broken, but that being was also badly injured, so the impact only further destabilized its mana body, almost causing it to collapse.

Seeing that, a Burning Spear was stuck in its open side thanks to Javelin. It didn't finish it off immediately, but it kept burning until its form could no longer hold.

"It gathers faster, just like in the game," Eldi muttered, while glancing sideways at a mana stone.

The increase in brightness was barely noticeable, which was more than he had witnessed so far. In fact, the three of them were carrying those stones to absorb part of the mana that came from the creatures, just like all the adventurers. It was the main source of income for those who adventured there.

He only looked at it for a moment, while he wielded the hammer and cast Propel on a wildebeest that had managed to reach the edge of the trap. Thanks to the difference in level, how tightly its paws were anchored to the wall, and the reinforced toughness of its body, it managed to stand its ground. Even after the second. However, it couldn't withstand the third.

The hellish wildebeest couldn't defend itself as it tried to scale the vertical wall, so it was only a matter of time before it fell. Eldi watched its fall as he walked in the direction of the next one. It had yet to reach the edge.

His plan was as simple as it was effective. He waited for them to arrive to send them back to the bottom. If the fall, golems, hounds, and blows didn't kill them, he would repeat the operation until Goldmi arrived.

When the elf appeared, there was only one left trying to climb, and several unable to attempt it. She didn't need more than to fire many arrows to kill them without wasting mana or energy. Afterwards, she sent her assistant to collect them, while she worriedly turned to her companions.

"There's something behind, but my sister can't find it," she murmured. "The other eight are still watching us from the direction we came from."

"I don't remember there was any invisible enemy on this floor," Eldi frowned.

"There isn't. They must be an adventurer. I doubt they mean well if they are approaching stealthy. Neither the other group," Gjaki assured. Her voice seemed to emit a murderous aura.

No one doubted the elf's words. Her Alarms were as effective as they were discreet, so whoever they were, it was almost impossible for them to have noticed. Perhaps, only someone at the level of a dryad could have picked up the subtle warning from the plants when they had been stepped on. They were imbued with Alarm.

It wasn't strange that the vampiress didn't hesitate to think there was an enemy stalking them. She had a lot of experience in that realm, whether she was the stalker or the stalked.