Return to Jorgaldur Volume II: the druid archer

Folkinxor (I)

There were no hunters in that area by now. For this reason, its inhabitants had come out of their hiding places. Among them, there was a huge wasp of one and a half meters, and level 60, that was stalking them.

It wanted to capture them alive. After that, it would immobilize them with its venom, and inject an egg. A larva would emerge from it, and devour its hosts from within while they were still alive.

What it didn't expect was that a smaller and lower leveled being would attack unexpectedly, with a power not typical of that level. Beak, claws, and wind were focused on one of the wasp's wings, which didn't break, but suffered considerable damage.

The insect turned on the goshawk, but she was already flying away. That distraction cost it the attack of three arrows enhanced with Accelerate, Wind Touch, and Piercing Arrow. They were aimed at the same wing that had been already attacked, to try to finish breaking it.

They managed to pierce it, although not that the wasp completely lost control of its flight. However, it had lost control of the situation. Specifically, it had lost sight of the lynx.

She had taken the opportunity to quickly climb a nearby tree, jump on the bewildered wasp, and finish tearing the already damaged wings. Immediately, she leapt to the side, as her prey tumbled in circles.

The blow didn't kill it, but it had lost all of its mobility, so making it an easy prey for the elf's arrows. As it was at level 60, and with the experience they had accumulated, they leveled up to 55. However, their joy was overshadowed by the fear that the mana fluctuations would alert their pursuers.

At 55, she had recovered the Wind Overload spell, which is similar to the light one. Nonetheless, the cutting power of the wind was much more useful in the game. Due to that, she had it at 10, which showed how many arrows had exploded because of it.

Also, she had now the Hammer skill, which involves striking with the handle of one of the weapons to one that is nailed, with much more force and precision than could be done without the kill. She used to only rely on it to finish off mobs in the game. Otherwise, it can be difficult to retrieve the weapon. She had it at 6, as it wasn't always easy to achieve the conditions to execute it.

The arachne wasn't the only one to feel the mana fluctuations, though she was the only one who had an idea about who she was. Most believed they were other bounty hunters, or perhaps some beasts which were hunting. She rushed in that direction. Maybe, it wasn't easy for her to follow a trail, but it wasn't too difficult to run towards a certain point.

When she arrived, she found only the remains of an insect from which all the usable parts had been extracted with great skill. Although surprised, she concluded that someone had done it before the fight that she had detected, and that it was just a coincidence that it was there. Whatever her prey had struggled with, it couldn't be that. She couldn't know that a fairy could take care of it very quickly, besides come and go while they went into the forest.

It took her a few minutes to discover the correct trail, as that wasn't her specialty, so she decided to continue at full speed in that direction. Every time she lost the trail and had to look for it again, it took too much time. Therefore, she bet on running towards there, in hope she could get close enough.

A little later, the opossum-woman arrived. She had discovered the trail long after, but, as a skilled tracker, she had been able to follow it much more efficiently. The hunter was concerned about the arachne's presence, but she was confident she could stalk or outrun her.

The lynx dodged with a jump the Silk Spit of a worm the color of the earth, and little more than a meter long. It wasn't very big, but if it hit them, they could be immobilized by the tough and sticky substance.

Tangle immobilized their level 60 enemy for a few seconds, while Nature Wall covered their backs as they fled. They had no time to fight against that being, which was slower than them. It was enough to increase the distance, and ensure there were some trees in between.

They were no longer using Life Detection, but were running in a hurry. They knew that something was following them, something much more powerful than them. Her winged sister had caught a glimpse of what was perhaps a giant spider. Although that wasn't the most important thing. Their pursuer was gaining ground, despite Light Feet.

Luckily, they were close to the ruins, although they didn't know exactly what to look for there. In her recognition from the sky, her sister hadn't found anything that could be a tunnel. While it is true that the arachne wasn't heading exactly in her direction, she wasn't heading very far either. However, for now, she hadn't triggered any nearby Alarms.

They passed under what was left of a large stone archway, which was completely covered in different types of creeper plants or lichens. The elf used Naughty Branches to block the entrance, so making it a bit difficult for their pursuers to follow. Right after, she placed a Wind Abyss, for, despite the plants, it was the most accessible entrance.

That action uncovered some inscriptions on the stone. Although they weren't complete, their content could be guessed: "Welcome to Folkinxor."

The remains of the walls, many of which were covered with thorns, were still high enough to make it difficult to pass. The most crumbling parts were precisely those that were covered most densely by the plants that had claimed their territory.

The goshawk continued to guard the perimeter, and search with her keen eyes for any sign of a tunnel. Meanwhile, the lynx and the elf split. Although it could be dangerous, it was even more dangerous not to find an escape route.

The feline began to walk around the wall from the inside. Goldmi entered the ruins, towards the remains of a large building almost in the center of the ancient city. Some of its walls were still partially standing, and some of its domes could still be seen. Although broken and on the ground, they still retained some of the splendor of yesteryear. At that ancient time, they had covered the great bazaar, which had been the economic heart of the city.