Return to Jorgaldur Volume V: Reunion (2)

Plan D (VI)

The centaur had reached its companion's position, and had raised its corrupted spear to aid in the efforts to break the Rock Wall. At least, that was what everyone had thought it would do. However, the spear pierced the unprotected corrupted centaur's neck.

It hadn't expected the attack, so it hadn't defended itself. Its miasma shield was prepared against distant projectiles, but not against a fierce melee attack.

When its companion pulled out the spear, it turned its head towards it. Given the hole in its neck, this gesture gave the impression that it was going to break.

"Thank you, Deya. Come quickly," it muttered, although it wasn't clear where those words had come from. After all, There was a hole through which the air was supposed to pass.

Then, it fell to the ground, and its body slowly faded away, before the centaur's fixed gaze. Her expression was indecipherable, although calm.

Goldmi and the lynx stared at her, the latter at a Jump's distance. She didn't quite know what to do, how to interpret her actions.

When her companion's body disappeared completely, the centaur raised her spear, which put them on alert. Although, once more, she surprised them by stabbing herself in the chest.

"Have a good trip Neso, I'll be with you soon," she said goodbye, before looking towards where the drelf's aura could be felt. "Whoever you are, thank you for allowing me to be the owner of my actions again. Finally, we're free. Finally, we can reunite with our families."

Tears ran down Goldmi's cheeks. She had heard the centaur through her sister and Auditive Link. The elf was so moved that she didn't hear a soft murmur nearby.

"Peace be with you all," Menxilya could barely be heard.

However, the brief moment of stupefaction ended quickly. Still with tears in her eyes, the elf shot three arrows to form a Light Trap right behind Eldi. This forced the losts which were chasing him to enter or make a detour.

It was more complicated to do the same with Gjaki, but her sister was returning to help her. Although it was feasible to shoot a few arrows aiming at the losts' knees or ankles. It wouldn't kill them, but it could limit their movements.

Suddenly, the lynx stopped, before passing through the mesh of threads. The drelf's aura had reached its peak, so it was time to retreat.

"Tell Eldi!" Goldmi urged her winged sister.

The goshawk flew almost at the height of the high human, and took advantage to throw some Wind Blades at the losts over which she were flying. Upon seeing her, he stopped, created a Rock Wall and hid behind it.

His pursuers surrounded it without delay, until they realized that they had lost sight of him. They stopped and looked around, until realizing that he was behind them, climbing the Wall. Immediately, they ran towards him.

Eldi jumped and created new Rock Walls to hold them back. Despite the high mana consumption, he created a second line of Walls, as it was important that they didn't go too far. Immediately, he ran away.

He easily dodged the concrete-bear. It had fallen behind, and was trying to catch up with him. He only had to go around, because the corrupted being paid its impregnability with clumsiness and slowness.

He then noticed the ground tremble, and looked towards the tower. It seemed more unstable than ever.

"I have to hurry," he told himself with apprehension.

When her aura reached its peak, thick roots came out of Maldoa and penetrated the stone structure and the ground. Meticulously, they destabilized the materials that formed the tower and its foundations. The drelf skillfully adapted to the vibrations that the ruins of the building transmitted to her through the roots.

It wasn't the first time she had done something like this, but it was the first time with that intention. She needed to be precise and fast, to reduce the time during which her companions were exposed to danger.

She could feel the structure destabilizing, as well as the frantic movements of the losts inside trying to reach her. They had already destroyed a large part of the wall she was behind, but some of the roots had wrapped around them. In addition, an unusual sensation was picked up by one of the roots connected to her.

"Now, it's not the time," she told herself, as she made sure to remember exactly the place.

Her efforts didn't take long to bear fruit. The tower, that had stood for so many years, crumbled on the side opposite to where she was. She had made sure to preserve part of the wall, and protect herself with some roots from the imminent collapse.

Tons of stone crushed the losts inside, and would do the same to whoever was in their way, presumably more losts. She couldn't know that some of her companions had entered the fall zone, even knowing the risk.

The Demolition plan, or plan D for short, was now being completed. It was destroying everything in its path, whether friend or foe.

Eldi saw the tower fall towards his position. He would have preferred not to be there, but there was no other option if he wanted to finish off the losts. The high human was sure that the rain of rocks would finish them all off, or almost, but he could also be one of the victims. He was too far from the palace's backyard.

With Mole's Power, Eldi created a hole, and inside it another, and another, and another. Then, he used it to create a horizontal tunnel, which was plugged to prevent the dust from entering.

A few seconds later, he felt even from his shelter how everything was shaking, and part of the roof was coming off, threatening to bury him. Luckily, they were only small landslides caused by the tremors, and they soon stopped.

He waited to remove the Earthen Wall that had been created to protect him from the supposed dust, and advanced with his mana lamp, protected from the dust by Projectiles against me? The spell wasn't designed for this, but it was capable of repelling inert particles in suspension.

Finally, he reached the end of the tunnel, and sent his lamp upwards. The battle mage found what he had feared, although he had wished it weren't so.

"I'm trapped," he lamented, after realizing that huge rocks and debris were blocking the exit.