Return to Jorgaldur Volume V: Reunion (2)

Against an army (V)

Kan Golge calmed down after giving the order. Watching the losts trample each other made him consider stopping them, but he soon dismissed it. Without the shadows, he didn't need the losts, at least, not so many. He just needed to find a secluded spot to absorb the miasma.

It would give him great power to crush his enemies, albeit at great cost. He wouldn't survive long in this state, only a few years, but it had to be enough to find alternatives. At least, he could better prepare his plan B. Besides, there was no turning back now. In his current state, he would last a few days at most, perhaps just hours. He could feel his body decomposing despite the regeneration.

He turned to leave, but found a Bat blocking his way. Once again, it seemed to him that it was mocking him. He raised his hand to destroy it.

Three arrows hit him one after another. Each of the projectiles exploded with purifying light, which broke through the miasma shield. The third one had almost reached halfway. Unfortunately for the elf, she didn't have much time to focus on him.

"You dare offend me!? You'll pay for it!" he turned around again. He had forgotten his plan, and was angrily heading towards his enemies.

Although the losts trampled, pushed and even hit each other, that didn't make it easier, quite the opposite. The corrupted beings might suffer more damage, but there were too many of them piled up. If one succumbed, another took its place.

Goldmi continued to aim at the enemies that attacked from range, as they were the most dangerous, since they could attack from any position at any time. Likewise, Arrows Rains fell on the losts continuously. The area attack might not be very powerful individually, but the continuous damage was accumulating over many enemies. The limit was the energy she had available.

She was also casting Light Traps in the midst of the corrupted beings. It was her most effective ranged attack, although casting it repeatedly depleted her mana reserves.

Like everyone else, she had taken a potion that increased her already high mana regeneration. It was added to the fact that, in the dryads' area of influence, the concentration of mana was high. Still, it wasn't enough to offset the expense.

She could ask her sisters, but they needed it too. Therefore, when her reserve was dangerously low, she asked the plants for theirs.

Mana Loan has the limitations that it can only be asked for once a day in an area, and it must be returned. That is because plants also have their limitations, and they mustn't be overexploited.

However, the situation there was different. The plants were overflowing with power from all over the continent, and the dryads were more than willing to not only lend it to her, but to gift it. Perhaps, in the future they would claim compensation in the form of food, but that would be settled if they got out of there alive.

Therefore, she could take that mana almost once every hour, without changing position. Such a limit was imposed by her own body, since the mana had to be assimilated, converted into her own, and that caused stress on every cell. Absorbing it more often was too dangerous.

Something similar happened with Energy Loan. The vitality of the plants wasn't a problem in this situation, and that had allowed her to bombard her enemies with Arrows Rain. Together with her supply of many thousands of arrows, she was able to weaken the enemies before they reached her companions.

Eldi, Gjaki and the lynx fought shoulder to shoulder with the plants. Those were trampled by the losts, but their roots persisted. With the help of the power of the dryads, they sprang up again and again, and entangled themselves in their enemies.

In addition, those that didn't directly enter into combat often bloomed and produced seeds, which colonized other purified areas. The destructive power of the miasma and the corrupted beings was enormous, but that of the dryads was only limited by the amount they could channel. Besides, that amount was increasing as it circulated and the roots grew stronger.

However, it was a slower power, one that enveloped little by little, that was continually regenerating what was destroyed. Corruption won in direct confrontations, but was globally losing ground despite this.

The corrupted beings that attacked them head on had no time to awaken. They were aggressive and reckless. They exposed themselves, and didn't care about the damage received. Their only target was the living.

It wasn't so for those that were coming from the sides or behind. They had to go around the hole where the root was, from which the still thin trunk of a young cherry tree was emerging.

Compact Nature Walls blocked the way for the losts, while branches, stems and roots entangled their legs. They could trample and damage the plants, but the vitality provided by the dryads made them grow again.

A corrupted mantis was dismembered by Eldi's axe and Gjaki's daggers. A toad took advantage to advance, and crushed the remains of the insect. Before it could arrive, an X projection shot out from the battle mage's axe and cut the amphibian into four pieces. Its level wasn't very high, so it couldn't withstand the attack.

Before it disappeared, a poisonous liquid splashed on the three of them. Eldi immediately cast Cure Poison. He was about to heal the lynx and the vampiress as well, when Goldmi stepped forward with Antidote. Given the vitality of the plants, all traces of poisoning disappeared from the three of them.

Meanwhile, the lynx had dismembered and incinerated a two-headed worm which was surprisingly quick. Although not as fast as the feline.

The vampiress took advantage of a moment of respite to extend some more threads. There was no clear place to attach them, but the plants had collaborated by burying them up to their roots.

They were holding off their enemies well for now, but even with the ones that were awakening and the support of the dryads, they would end up exhausted. They were spending the minimum of mana and energy, but it was still too much. That's what Goldmi warned.

"There're too many of them. We can't continue like this."

"Give me a few more minutes, it's almost charged," he asked.

"Will it work?" Gjaki asked, worried.

"It'll open a gap. We should be able to reach him without any lost nearby, if he survives. Be ready."

It must be said that Kan Golge was getting closer. Given the density, it wasn't easy for him to walk among the corrupted beings, despite being able to order them to move away. Therefore, he was now walking on top of them, stepping on their backs.

Goldmi was busy delaying him and keeping him busy. Even though he had the power to defend himself against her, the lost he was on or was going to jump on often disappeared. In addition, the Rough Arrows managed to slow him down a bit.

They wanted to face him, but not in a crowd of corrupted beings.