Return to Jorgaldur Volume III: blood warrior

Assassination (III)

Drigca and her men desperately tried to put up a fight, but were clearly being outmatched. It was even impossible to escape. If they started running, they would be defenseless.

The knights were advancing in formation towards Drigca and her party. They supported each other, fought together, and made sure that none of their enemies could overcome them and reach the prince. At least, none of the visible ones.

Gjaki was stuck against the wall and hidden in Darkness, behind a small ledge that blocked the light. She thought of summoning more hounds again, as this time perhaps they would meet no opposition. However, she feared that it would expose her.

She also had to be careful with her mana consumption. Summoning four more would put her in a somewhat delicate situation. Therefore, she waited while trying to find a solution.

"Your Highness, better not get any closer, it's dangerous," suggested one of the prince's companions.

"Come on, nothing will happen, I want to see her on her knees. How dare she raise her hand against me!?" the prince refused, still blinded by anger.

His gaze was focused on the fight, in which the knights clearly had the upper hand. One was wounded and being treated in the rear, while two from Drigca's group were unconscious, or dead. The rest, Drigca included, seemed on their last legs.

Then, Gjaki took the opportunity to launch two Fleeting Daggers against the orbs that were still providing light. That attack exposed her momentarily, but no one was looking in her direction. Soon, the darkness engulfed her.

"What happened?"

"Bring out more light orbs!"

"Make sure none of them get past!"

"Where are they!?"

Gjaki could see that, seizing the opportunity, a member of Drigca's party had extinguished their own auxiliary lamps, and activated the portal to flee the dungeon. It was a shame they had escaped, but they weren't her primary target.

It didn't take long for the light to return, for some knights to take out new orbs. The first thing they saw was that Drigca and two others had disappeared. Right after, they heard a scream.

"Majesty! Quickly! Healer! Come!"

He couldn't do anything for him. A dagger was stuck in his neck, with a blue dragon drawn in it. It was the emblem of the house of Drigca. The vampiress had gotten it through Telekinesis. After that, she had taken advantage of the darkness and her Night Vision to approach the prince and stab him, with the help of Backstab.

She could have finished off his guardian and the other companion as well, but Gjaki had nothing against them. Simply, she took advantage of the confusion to disappear, while the shadows protected her.

The atmosphere was a bit heavy in Kroquia's group. They had gotten rid of the prince, but it could have consequences. Luckily, everything pointed to their enemies, so they didn't expect to get involved. Just in case, they stayed away while the prince's entourage escorted the body out of the dungeon.

For a moment, they considered going back, but that might make them look suspicious, or that they knew something. The best way was to pretend that they hadn't heard anything and continue in the dungeon. The longer it took them to get out, the better, probably.

So, they decided to go to the next floor. If there was any kind of investigation, ceremony or whatever going on, it was better to be away.

They followed a path that was as far as possible from the place where the events had taken place. They avoided the cockroaches if possible, or killed them as quickly as possible, while always trying not to spend too much energy or mana.

Finally, the group reached the floor boss' room. It was a huge cockroach, just over three meters tall.

"Be careful with their legs, they're very sharp. It moves fast despite its size, and its armor is tough. Underneath it's vulnerable, but it isn't easy to attack there," Kroquia reminded.

It wasn't a particularly difficult floor's boss, albeit a tedious one, and the five reptilians had already beaten it a couple of times in the past. Now, they were a bit stronger, and had an additional member, so they hoped to defeat it easier.

They watched as Gjaki Climbed the stone wall. Then, wrapped in Darkness, she Glided over the huge cockroach. She quickly plunged a spear with all her strength, which barely penetrated a few centimeters into the thick armor. Immediately, she used the hammer to sink it deeper. It wasn't enough to hurt it much, but it was enough for her to hold onto the spear.

The boss, which seemed to be watching those at the entrance of the room, reacted violently. It tried to get rid of her, but the vampiress was holding firmly, and she had made sure that her prey had no ability to roll over. In fact, there were records indicating that it was one of its blind spots.

That tactic wasn't used much, since it wasn't easy to climb on it, and it was difficult to do damage from there. In addition, there was the need to have some method to maintain balance. She, however, had no such problems.

Corrosion from dark magic could chip away its shell, though slowly, and the hammer did some damage even if it didn't pierce it. Besides, her main goal was to distract it.

Krinia and Kruloz attacked from a distance without having to worry about being Rammed. Kroquia was waiting to intercept it if it changed targets. She could block it, although not very often, and she needed to use a shield skill. Luckily, her Presence not only buffed her allies, but slightly weakened her enemies.

Kroco was also waiting, after having bestowed some boons. His focus was on his sister and Krongo, the ones most likely to be hurt, especially the latter.

The warrior was seeking the back of the mana bug, and attacking from there, with his two axes, his preferred weapons. He was trying to reach its legs, in order to weaken and hinder his enemy. He was also careful not to step on the crosses on the ground.

Before climbing onto the cockroach, Gjaki had circled the battlefield, set up some traps, and marked them. If the boss turned on them, they had to try to lure it over those traps. They couldn't only hold it back, or at least slow it down for a moment, but also attack it from below.