Return to Jorgaldur Volume I: the battle mage

In search of a path

Eldi headed towards the pass that should allow him to easily cross the mountains that divided the forest into two. In ancient times, it had also divided two of the many small kingdoms that, centuries later, had united to create the kingdom of Engenak.

In the game, there was nothing but the ruins of ancient fortresses and some missions to find relics from past times, but, since then, one of those fortresses had been rebuilt to watch the passage. It was a remote place to which they used to send the soldiers or officers to whom they wanted to punish, or set aside for a while.

That was a serious problem for him, because now he couldn't cross through there. That meant taking a huge detour, or trying to find some of the hidden paths known in the game, many of them with great dangers and great rewards. But not only the rewards were much scarcer than the dangers once the game had come true, but he already had more than enough dangers looking for him, or waiting for him in the shadows of the forest, or that he would have to face in the dungeon.

Despite this, he toured the base of the mountains, exploring how many caves he could locate, and finding no more than some mushrooms when he was lucky. There weren't even hardly any enemies to face, no more than four in two days of an unsuccessful search that was making him doubt if it wouldn't be better to make a detour.

It was then, while searching for the next cave to explore, that he encountered an unexpected situation. A robust level 33 feline, similar to a tiger but double in size, with a horn on its forehead and dark red skin, was harassing three humanoid figures, who looked similar to the mix between a man and a mole. Being level 25 and equipped with spears and light armor, they were troubled to deal with the feline, as was evidenced by the wounds it had inflicted on them.

Behind them, two other of those beings were attending a wounded combatant, whose chest armor had a deep cut that looked serious. Meanwhile, a smaller one was hugging one of them, presumably his father or mother. And, further back, two others were attacking with spears into a hole, trying to prevent whatever was there from coming out.

They were what in the game used to be called mole-men, beings not particularly aggressive unless you invaded their tunnels, something that players used to do in search of treasures, ingredients or to complete missions. Although, as Eldi already knew, little or no impact had had on the reality of those beings, beyond the ethereal presence of visitors.

They weren't very pleasant to look at, but he didn't hesitate to run to their aid. He couldn't be sure if they were enemies or friends, but he could never forgive himself if he left them to their fate, especially those who should be civilians, or the kid.

An arrow wrapped in fire stuck in front of the feline, which had dodged it by a small margin, since its attention was focused on the spears that were intended to reach it. And it had to jump back to avoid another three, while watching as a figure approached. But since he was 3 levels lower than it, it didn't perceive him as a threat. Therefore, it attacked the closest prey again, but more arrows were aiming towards it.

The latter ones didn't even carry fire, because Eldi didn't think he was going to hit, but they gained some time. Little or no harm would have been done to the feline, but it was cautious and dodged them. And, shortly thereafter, a Burning Wall stood between the huge tiger and its prey.

It could go through it, because the damage it would receive would not be critical, or jump it, but the feline chose the simplest option, which was to surround it. It groaned when another wall was found, so it decided to surround it more quickly. But then, an axe brushed its side, causing only a small cut.

Eldi had used Boomerang after applying Regenerate to the humanoid moles, two men and two women, in addition to some blessings, although he didn't have time to help better the one on the ground. They were surprised at the appearance of who, normally, would have been received with very little hospitality. But not only was their situation desperate, but that man was helping them.

The jasper tiger, as it was known in the game, used its jumping skill on Eldi, a skill that makes the attacker twice as fast, but it wasn't so close that Eldi couldn't dodge it by rolling to the side. The animal didn't expect it, because it believed that he would be like those moles who walked on two legs, somewhat awkward and slow beings, with reduced vision and not used to moving outdoors.

However, the newcomer was much more agile and had more resources, and caused it damage with Shred. Although it isn't the most effective skill against a single individual, in the situation he was in, at a certain distance and with an axe in his hands, it was the fastest way to do some damage. He had a slight hope that, with the disadvantage in numbers and being hurt, it would retreat. The important thing now was to treat the injured, and know what other threat was coming from the ground. Gaining experience or raw materials was not a priority.

But far from retiring, the feline roared. It was a skill similar to Lion's Roar, which didn't affect the man or those who were fighting the tiger, as Eldi had applied Lion's Heart to them, but it did to everyone else. The boy and those who were treating the wounded were immobilized by fear, while those who were fighting against what was in the hole ran away, abandoning their responsibility.

Immediately, the feline rushed towards those fleeing, leaving the rest behind. They were the easiest and most vulnerable preys, and it only needed one of them to quench its hunger. After that, it would leave with the prey in its jaws, so it could devour him with ease.

Eldi tried to create a Burning Wall to stop it, but the feline jumped it easily, quickly approaching its victims.