Return to Jorgaldur Volume V: Reunion (2)

Vortex (II)

Purification spells were effective against the miasma. However, the continuous flow of corrupted mana wore them down in just a few moments. Even spells like Rock Wall didn't last long. The mana they contained was soon crushed by the amount of miasma that was overwhelming it.

Finally, Eldi created a hole by casting Mole's Power several times. They took refuge inside, thus fleeing the pressure of the miasma. It continued to pass over their heads, but they were no longer in its path.

It is true that the miasma that permeated the land was also moving, heading towards the vortex that Kan Golge had become. However, the amount was much smaller. With Consecrated Ground, and a Mana Loan to the elf, they could handle it for the moment.

Shadow Protection held out for a good while, shielding them, since darkness magic had a certain similarity to miasma. It wasn't attacked directly, but the miasma accumulated. When it finally broke, a large amount of miasma passed through them at once.

After overcoming the problem thanks to a Light Pillar, they decided not to try again. They simply had to endure with consecutive Consecrated Grounds.

The lynx, the kraken, and the goshawk also gave their mana to their sister through Mana Link, but it didn't seem to end. The miasma traveled from far away to answer the call, and even if it was less dense underground, it was still a lot.

They didn't know how long it would last, but the information they got from the goshawk wasn't encouraging. The miasma vortex wasn't losing strength, and waves of miasma kept approaching from all directions.

Their mana was running out, and it wasn't easy to restore it. The mana crystals they used to do it in the middle of the miasma were barely enough to compensate for the consumption, and they would run out if the situation dragged on too long. Everything indicated that it could last for days.

As if that weren't enough, from time to time, underground losts appeared. Besides, their power had increased due to the accumulation of miasma. Maybe, it wasn't difficult to get rid of them, but they brought more miasma and destabilized the Consecrated Ground.

Luckily, the army of losts and shadows were too busy in front of the vortex, and the miasma hid their aura. There was too much of it to detect the living. However, numerous enemies were gathering.

"What can we do? We won't last long like this," the elf worried.

"We still have three purifying projectiles left. Maybe, I can make their power disperse little by little. If they don't explode," Eldi suggested.

He didn't want to try it if it wasn't the last option. He wasn't sure he could avoid the explosion, from which they wouldn't come out unscathed.

"I can't stop it like the first time, but maybe I can absorb it," Gjaki offered.

"No way! We don't know what could happen to you!" the elf refused.

"But we have to do something," the vampiress protested.

"Maybe..." Eldi wanted to say.

"Shut up for a moment!" Goldmi ordered.

Both her sisters and her two companions looked at her strangely. It wasn't a usual reaction for her, not even under stress. Although, even stranger was what she did next.

She closed her eyes, and expanded her aura. There wasn't only purification, but an aura of life. It was similar to Maldoa's, although weaker.

"What's she doing?" Gjaki asked, surprised.

"I have no idea," the high human admitted.

They stared at her, confused, until a smile appeared on their friend's face.

"Maldoa has succeeded. Reinforcements have arrived," she informed them, without opening her eyes.

She needed all her concentration to call them. Her aura was serving as a beacon to be found. Afterward, she had to guide them to what had become the center of the miasma. She still couldn't talk to them, but they could read her feelings.

"Reinforcements? Don't tell me that...!" the blood warrior was surprised.

Nonetheless, there was no need to answer the question. For a moment, it seemed to them that their friend's aura was intensifying enormously, but they soon realized that it wasn't hers.

Roots appeared in their shelter, crossed it and entered the ground again, in the direction of Kan Golge. The aura emanating from them was intense, but also warm, pleasant. The miasma simply disappeared around them, purified.

"Dryad friends," the fairy smiled.

She came out of her hiding place and sat on the huge root, which wasn't one, but many intertwined.

Pikshbxgra placed her small hands on it, thus adding a bit of her power. Fluidly, it naturally mixed with the dryads' power, in harmony. Somehow, they were saved, for now.

"Something is coming out of the ground," the goshawk reported a little later.

The albino bird could see something similar to branches appearing, surrounding Kan Golge, emitting a pure aura that contrasted with that of the miasma.

As if possessed, the losts attacked those branches and destroyed them. However, more and more came out without stopping. They were purifying their surroundings, intertwining with each other, gaining robustness. The corrupted beings continued to attack them, as they had been seized by a destructive frenzy. After a while, they were barely managing to destroy the outer layer, which was soon replaced.

The shadows didn't know what to do. Their subordinates had escaped their control, and that aura terrified them as much as it attracted them. Some even fired their Death Rays, but no matter what they destroyed, it regenerated again.

The miasma also kept coming without stopping, and without stopping, it was purified by those branches. They grew thicker and thicker, and even leaves were sprouting from them. They weren't very resistant, but they never stopped sprouting, and were purifying the corrupted mana with greater efficiency.

"It's incredible. There's a purified path. Even plants are coming out," the albino bird was amazed.

It was especially evident in the vicinity of the Source from which they had emerged. From there, the glow was stronger, and the vegetation became denser by the moment around it. Little by little, it was advancing along that path of power.

No doubt, what was conquered was only a tiny part of the Lost Forest, but it was also a challenge to the miasma and the corruption that had prevailed until then. Despite the miasma, life was once again springing forth from the Sources and the Origins. It was driven by the power channeled by the dryads from across the continent.