Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Fights (III)

Sorry, I uploaded the wrong chapter. This is the good one.

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The barbarian shamans had a lot of job to do that night. Although they had won some battles, overall they had been painfully defeated.

The giantesses were unbeatable, and had single-handedly knocked out at least a dozen barbarians. The three companions, nine more, before the amused gaze of the elf's two sisters. The rest had suffered different fates, although with a favorable balance for the adventurers.

Defeated, the barbarians ended up activating their passes and exiting the dungeon, where their wounds would be treated. Those wounds weren't serious, but the humiliation had been painful. However, there was no resentment, only anger at having lost. Although stubborn and aggressive, they knew how to accept defeat. They might want a rematch, but never seek revenge.

Smashy and Crushy knew that well. Every five years at most, one at least, they had to defeat this same tribe. In their favor, it had to be said that they didn't give up. Although, it could also be said that they were extremely stubborn.

They got up a little later than usual, and they weren't the only ones. The events of the night had thrown the adventurers' plans upside down a bit, though most were in good spirits. Only those who had lost their battles looked downcast.

They said goodbye to each other as they began their respective journeys. No doubt the great brawl had strengthened the feeling of camaraderie. Not to mention that many had collaborated in healing the most bruised.

With the help of the goshawk, Gjaki, Eldi, Goldmi and the lynx got away from the rest of the adventurers, and continued to locate Lava Serpents. In addition, they decimated the Lava Larvae that were found. By midafternoon, they had reached level 93.

Similar to the previous floor, it wasn't worth their while to continue on that floor. While they could take them down more efficiently, they needed twice as much for a similar amount of experience. That made them have to cover more ground, which also made it more difficult for them to find free spaces from other adventurers.

Also, they were tired of the heat and the lava. Frozen Aura protected and cooled them, but the atmosphere was still suffocating. Therefore, they decided to head to the next floor.

At 93, Goldmi had recovered Miracle. It is a slow skill that requires a large amount of mana, but its effects are Miraculous. It not only heals, but can regenerate body parts. She had it at 10, since in certain refugee missions it had been essential.

As a skill, she had regained Drill. It was a skill shared with Gjaki, though the elf used sword and dagger instead of two daggers or fingernails. Its use had been occasional, although she had practiced it against certain types of very slow golems. Therefore, it was at 4.

Eldi had also recovered Miracle, and he also had it at 10 for the same reason. In fact, they had carried out those missions together.

Nor was the skill different, although in his case, Drill was executed with a spear that was held with both hands. He had brought it up to 8, as it was much easier for a melee fighter to level it up.

It was a serpent similar to the ones they had been hunting so far, but it was considerably larger. It was huge.

Besides, they couldn't make it follow them and get it colder. The floor boss didn't stray far from the lava lake, which covered the passage to the next floor. Also, unfortunately for them, that boss wasn't that popular.

If they didn't want to make things hard, they could turn around and wait for the next day. Many groups left in the morning to go directly there. They used to attack the boss together to move on to the next floor, not bothering about the challenge. They just wanted to leave the lava behind.

Of course, if they wanted to do that, they wouldn't be there. The challenge was interesting to them, and they didn't want to waste so much time. Goldmi missed her family, and so did Gjaki, even though she didn't recognize it. Eldi's case was different, since he couldn't go with who he wanted. However, the high human had to admit that he felt comfortable in the mansion.

The huge serpent was waiting for them inside the lava lake, which made it impossible to attack melee. The strategy was simple. Goldmi would attack, and the rest would defend the elf. At least, during the first phase.

The archer began the attack with three Wind Arrows, as they were somewhat more efficient than the Ethereal ones. They dug into the body of the huge snake, without going too deep. The wind magic would continue to take effect until it was countered by the burning mana.

The floor boss counterattacked by Spitting Lava. Goldmi could have intercepted that attack, but her role was to use all of her mana and energy to attack. Therefore, she let Gjaki, Eldi, the goshawk and the lynx block it with their bodies.

It was painful, but only that. Even though it was supposed to be lava, it was actually mana imitating it, so the attack was just as powerful as the mana was. It could only hurt them a little, though it burned.

Gjaki let Self-Regeneration work, while Eldi healed himself, the lynx, and the goshawk with Basic Healing. Immediately, he reapplied all of them Magic Mirror. The spell had returned half the damage from the attack, while the other half had been reduced by Frozen Aura, each other's armor and defenses.

It was a tactic they had used often in the game. They allowed themselves to be hurt to reflect damage. Of course, it had a difference from the past.

"It burns..." the vampiress complained.

"In the game, it didn't hurt..." Eldi also protested.

However, it was only a moment, and they already expected it. Neither the lynx nor the goshawk complained, though not because it didn't hurt. Neither of them wanted to be the first to complain, and let the other make fun of her.

Goldmi looked at them feeling a little guilty, because she was the only one who didn't have to suffer. She looked at Eldi with concern, and also with gratitude.

Her winged sister was the most vulnerable. In game terms, she had fewer hit points. Therefore, the high human had Protected her, thus taking half the damage the bird took.

Of course Eldi had This Is Nothing, which allowed him to ignore the pain. Whether he used it was something the others would never know.