Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Assassins in distress (II)

The feline jumped from the tree branch where she was hidden. Her hind legs flexed as she landed, and they extended with great power to propel her forward.

In just a breath, she reached her destination. To her natural speed her, Light Feet had been added, which she had received from her sister through Remote Control. The assassin, who had started his run to support one of his companions, turned as he perceived a shadow approaching menacingly from the side.

He drew his two curved swords to face the magical beast, without knowing where she had come from. He didn't remember that she was any of the inhabitants of that floor of the dungeon, although he wasn't completely sure. The assassin had been traveling in a group, and his level was higher than that floor, so he hadn't been too worried about them.

Just a few moments before the arrival of the lynx, three arrows fell on him. The elf might be able to help her other companions, but her synchronization with them wasn't comparable to what she had with her sisters. Her attacks were fully coordinated.

Engenak's agent cast Half Moon with one of the swords. It is a combination of skill and spell that requires high mana consumption to rip through space. It can ward off a sudden attack.

The three arrows were consumed at the cost of mana, while he prepared to receive the lynx with the other sword. However, a succession of attacks came from the sky. They broke through his defenses and hit him on the head.

The elf wasn't the only one who could coordinate with the feline. The winged sister had released several Wind Blades at the right time. They weren't strong enough to be deadly, but could damage and distract her enemy.

The assassin took two steps back. He was trying to dodge the attacks that came from above, and gain a few seconds to face the feline, who was approaching quickly. He had lost sight of her for a moment, and was surprised when his eyes rested on her again.

The lynx had been covered in fire after stimulating her Lineage of Flame. Besides, she was closer than expected, as she had Jumped to pounce on her prey. He was even stunned at a crucial last moment by a Roar.

With only one sword and in a panic, the agent barely blocked the feline's claws, but she had more claws and powerful jaws. She let her claws protected with Steel Skin slam into the weapon, while her jaws sought his neck, her other claws tore into a shoulder, and her speed and weight brought her enemy to the ground.

It was a lightning attack, and she didn't even need the arrows that came while the assassin was falling. Specialized like the others in sneak attacks, the powerful feline's frontal charge wasn't something he could deal with easily. Adding the support of her sisters and the dizzying speed with which everything had happened, the Engenak's agent hadn't had a chance to react.

The feline released his neck and dropped his lifeless body. Then, she turned to her left. She was sensing the threat that was approaching the vampiress.

"Gjaki is in danger, we have to help her," Goldmi urged her.

The lynx didn't hesitate. She might have some differences with Gjaki, but she really liked her. Furthermore, she respected her combat ability, and loved to fight alongside her. They could fight together without getting in each other's way, while her sisters supported them from behind and from the sky.

Quickly, she started running to her aid.

Gjaki ran in straight line towards her enemy. That was the most powerful assassin to have survived and was still fit to fight. Those who were badly wounded were finished off by Goldmi from range. There was no mercy against the assassins who wanted to kill Eldi, and were responsible for so much suffering.

She didn't hesitate to activate Blood Overload to speed up her run and her senses. Frowning, the assassin faced her by brandishing two daggers just like her rival, and Strengthening her body to deal with the presumed crash, but it never came. The vampiress jumped over her adversary, and did a somersault.

"Stupid," the assassin thought.

It was normal to think like that. By jumping over her, even though she might disconcert her for a moment, for a few seconds the vampiress would lose all her maneuverability. Even with flying abilities, one couldn't move freely without solid support.

The assassin didn't expect that, as she followed her with her gaze, Gjaki would suddenly pounce on her. The vampiress had propelled onto a Wind Step created by Goldmi.

Engenak's agent was quick to react, and blocked one of the daggers with the other two. She also partially dodged the other's attack, thus receiving only a scratch on her cheek. It was much better than losing an eye, or a hole in her throat.

Unfortunately for the assassin, she had completely lost the initiative. That fact was corroborated when, instead of simply falling, the vampiress used the point of the clash of daggers as a foothold to turn her body backwards. This way, she managed to land her foot on the back of her opponent, who staggered forward.

The assassin, who was forced to defend herself and surprised by the speed and flexibility of her enemy, had been unable to prevent it. In addition, the high-pitched sound of Grate as the metals clashed had also distracted her.

She tried to turn, face her enemy before it was too late. However, she was interrupted by Disrupt.

After using Detect Wounds to locate the exact spot of the enemy's scratch while her back was turned, Gjaki had relied on her blood spell to distract her again. Furthermore, she had increased its intensity thanks to Blood Pressure, at the cost of increased blood consumption. It was followed by Sanguine Disruption, which made the assassin's movements more awkward, and made her feel somewhat numb.

The vampiress plunged both daggers with Backstab, and Bit her, thus not giving her time to recover.

She was getting up to help her companions when she felt a strong pressure. It was like an aura that restricted her essence as a vampiress, her blood abilities.

Gritting her teeth, she intuitively used Decoy, dodged back, and her clone was impaled by a spear that plunged into the ground.

She didn't see them, but she could feel them, they were vampires. Thanks to this, Gjaki was able to discover several shadows that were moving towards her. They revealed themselves when they realized that she had seen through their disguise. They were powerful, she was surrounded, and her blood had been restricted somehow.