Return to Jorgaldur Volume II: the druid archer

Last floor

The level 25 eyes didn't turn out to be a fearsome adversary, plus they were quite vulnerable to spells such as Wind Push or Tramontane. Maybe the barrier was protecting them, but not enough to avoid being destabilized, which disrupted their aiming.

The biggest problem was that, on many occasions, they were in group. Although the lynx could easily avoid one and attack its blind spot, with several of them that operation was impossible, since there was no blind spot with more than one. In addition, it was extremely difficult to dodge several consecutive beams.

However, once drawn close enough to be within range of the wind spells, they were easy prey for the feline.

The only problem was that the wind also affected the arrows. And while she could fine-tune her aim to make up for it, since she had to be nearby to cast those spells, the elf preferred to use her sword and dagger to attack.

As they were vulnerable to physical damage, the most efficient option was fighting hand-to-hand, although it also carried more risks. More than once, Goldmi had received an attack, but between the armor, Cyclonic Barrier, and blocking skills like Feint to the Foot, the attack power was greatly diminished, and the pain was bearable. And nothing that a Basic Healing couldn't fix.

They used to start with a few arrows to get their attention, and then hide at a crossroads, in which they were safe from their attacks. As soon as the eyes reached their position, some wounded by the arrows that were stuck in them, they were immediately exposed to a Wind Push, and the constant siege of Tramontane, in addition to the offensive of the two sisters.

Fortunately, they didn't always find many at once. If there were one or two eyes, they could kill them while keeping the mana. If not, they would have been forced to take more breaks.

It took them a couple of days to face the final boss, which they weren't sure if it would be like the others bosses, or considerably more powerful, as was the case in the game. There, the dungeons' final bosses were considerably more dangerous than the bosses of each floor.

On their way, they had defeated more than two hundred eyes, and managed to reach level 27. In fact, they had found the boss relatively soon, but had preferred to keep exploring until they had leveled up.

She had reacquired the Disruptive Touch spell. Single use, injects a small amount of mana so that it simply volatilizes on impact, thus affecting the surrounding mana, and being able to interrupt other spells that are being cast. It was at 10, since, as she recalled while her lips curved into a nostalgic smile, Gjaki always liked having that possibility close at hand.

And she also now had the Shoot Anyway skill. It consumes energy for every second that it is active, and allows the caster to shoot arrows as if standing still, even when running, slipping or riding a lynx. She loved that skill in the game, so she had it at 10. Although, in order to use it effectively while on her sister, she needed a spell that she hadn't yet unlocked.

They were three spheres of about five meters in diameter each, which were floating next to each other, so covering all angles. They were in the center of the cavern, and one of those eyes stared at them. After a few moments, a beam one meter in diameter struck the place where they had been, from which they had escaped shortly before.

It wasn't one of the toughest final bosses in the game, if you had the right group. Just a tank to block the shot, and someone to heal him, was enough to attack it from range safely. Or it could be fought at melee if having enough confidence, as Gjaki had done long ago.

They had encountered a similar boss, although of a higher level, and Gjaki had decided to attack it directly, while Goldmi did it from range, and Eldi protected her by using his shield skill, in addition to having granted various blessings. It hadn't been a difficult battle, and Gjaki wouldn't even have needed to be so reckless, but she 'wanted to practice'. Besides that, that way, it had been faster.

But those memories only served to fill her with longing, for they couldn't repeat that strategy. There were only two of them, and the lynx couldn't cover her sister with a shield. Although she could try something like Gjaki's.

She ran towards the three-eyes, while dodging the beams that one of the eyes was shooting towards her. Only one of them could do it, the one which was looking at her, so it was no more difficult than with the little ones. Although much more dangerous. A single impact could seriously injure her.

Goldmi peeked out shortly after. Since her sister was keeping the eye in her direction busy, she could shoot freely. She tested all types of arrows once more, and concluded that the result was similar to the other eyes. Only physical arrows were efficient, and the protective barrier was even more powerful.

As fast as the beam was, it needed the eye staring at its target, plus there was a prior mana fluctuation, much more evident in the final boss. Therefore, the lynx easily dodged it.

There was no point staying at a distance, as it was being able to foresee the attack what allowed her to dodge it, and not the distance, which was covered by the beam in just an instant. And so, she could also take the opportunity to scratch it.

She tried to get into the space between the three eyes, but, suddenly, they all turned towards her, so she left the place quickly, and returned to the position in front of it.

For her part, the archer had to watch the other two eyes. As her sister was dodging, sometimes one of them managed to get just enough angle to look at her. Without waiting for them to fire, she hid if they looked at her, at least at first. Little by little, she became subtler, as she grew more confident, so she only hid when she felt the mana fluctuations. Although never as subtle as her sister, who seemed to enjoy playing with danger.

For now, the final boss was proving easy, if a bit slow. However, they couldn't be too confident. Their enemy hadn't yet shown all its cards.