Return to Jorgaldur Volume I: the battle mage

Toads (II)

The city had been a blessing to the toads. They usually buried themselves to protect from their predators and the inclement weather, waiting for a warm and humid time to re-emerge from the earth. But digging, they had found a paradise.

During the last hundreds of years, the magic stones had continued to gradually release the power they contained, thus fulfilling their function of maintaining the temperature in the city, a city that had been built next to an underground water stream. It had been the ideal place to settle and, later, it had become the ideal place for their new lords.

But the warmth granted by the city was gradually being disturbed by Air Conditioning, and the low temperatures were something that affected those cold-blooded beings, unable to self-regulate their body's temperature. And while it wasn't exaggeratedly cold, it was enough to make them somewhat slower, to slow down their metabolism, reducing the advantage that the difference in level gave them.

Tica used a tactic similar to the rest of her teammates, moving away a little after having provoked it. The toad followed her and fell into the makeshift trap of Quicksands that her companions had created. It was just enough to save time while the amphibian was trying to get out of there. In fact, they even missed the advantage and didn't try to hurt it. They simply set another trap in case it approached again.

In each fight, they were avoiding the amphibians' poisonous mucous, moving away from their Tremors, and being caught by surprise by Slap, a painful impact with the tongue. It wasn't a blow that could knock them out, but they couldn't afford many like that.

They used the houses and the Earthen Walls that Eldi had erected to hide and gain time. Their main tactic was to use their skills on the ground to unbalance and annoy their adversaries, especially when they used Leap and found that, instead of crushing their prey, they had fallen on unstable ground that gave way to their weight. However, little by little, the warriors-mole were forced to retreat. If they continued like this, there would be no space left. The annihilation group had to hurry up.

Meanwhile, Eldi had used his own terrain manipulation skill, Mole's Power, along with several Icicles. His enemy's Leap to surpass the Earthen Wall had encountered a painful trap.

Due to Air Conditioning and all the blessings, he hadn't much mana left, which is why he had used a regeneration potion, and was casting his spells sparingly, but he didn't have that problem with energy.

Mill blocked the discharge of poisonous mucous, and Perforating Impact managed to nail his spear, but only halfway. Although its skin isn't very resistant, the difference in level made its defense counteract the attack of the human. However, the toad was trapped, and its legs damaged by cold spears of ice, so it couldn't act freely.

At the same time, the archer-moles' arrows were nailing in it like little stingers, and the poison with which they had rubbed them were sharpening the numbness of the confused toad. It used its tongue to catch Eldi, but he had moved behind its back, which made the path longer and slower. This allowed him, not only to dodge it, but to try to place a potion instead of him, although he didn't achieve it.

As he had done on other occasions, he wielded the hammer to prevent the toad from getting out of the trap, with a succession of Devastating Strikes and Propel. With that, he was also damaging it, and nailing spear and arrows more deeply.

When the wounds and the poison ended it, the larger group had already killed three, and they had reinforced the other groups with an additional member. Among them was that of Tica, who had succeeded with a potion that act as instant glue. Her enemy's tongue had been stuck to a rock for a few seconds, enough to pour into it the poison she had been keeping.

When the toad managed to take it off and retracted it, it didn't take more than a few seconds to suffer severe convulsions. Half a minute later, its body stopped moving, while a dark foam came out of its mouth. It was an extremely potent poison, and of a totally different nature from that of the toads, extracted from one of its predators, a level 50 snake. It is difficult to apply, since it only lasts a few seconds in contact with air, so it can't be used in arrows or spears, but the young woman-mole had found the right time and place.

Tica and her group turned quickly to help their closest companions, but these, with the help of Eldi's group and a couple of reinforcements, were finishing off another of the toads. They all went to rescue those who had taken refuge in a nearby house, while a little fairy kept collecting the remains.

With twelve reinforcements, the toad used its tongue desperately in a Circular Strike, trying to hit them all and drive them away, but it found that they were already waiting for it, so they dodged, and there was also a Frozen Wall. Surprised by the icy touch and the numbness of its tongue, it was unable to counteract the advance of sixteen enemies. Its attempt to Leap in order to flee was frustrated by a ground that wasn't able to sustain the pressure, outcome of the skills of the warriors-mole.

Pierced by spears and arrows, crushed by a hammer and cut by an axe, it died before the annihilation group arrived. It was the last of the amphibians, but they didn't think that it would end there. Ten of them weren't enough to dominate the entire city, so there should be many more.

However, they had gained in knowledge of the enemy, and some of them had leveled up. There were already several at 46, some of them near 47, and many had risen even two levels on that expedition. Although none as much as Eldi. He had risen another 3 and was at 48.