Return to Jorgaldur Volume III: blood warrior

Guide (II)

Two Bats were scrutinizing the terrain they had to traverse, while another was circling around, alert for any possible danger. The ezihuq, as this race of humanoid reptilians was called, were looking at all directions. They were restless when facing the sounds of the night.

Sometimes, they stared at their guide, who seemed calm but alert. She could see at night, but they had no guarantee that no danger lurked. In fact, she had already dodged a few cobwebs and intimidated a few night dwellers. Even an owl had been shot down by the archer, after being pointed out by her.

They had lamps prepared to light in case of any setback, since that way they could see their enemies and fight them. However, they refrained from having them on all the time, as it would be like putting a bull's eye on their back.

The bugs could be annoying, but the ezihuq had a cream to repel them, while the vampiress simply was mostly covered. In addition, she had a Darkness Aura, in case some clueless insect dared to try it.

She was following the map that they had given her, although she only pretended to read it. Obtaining it had partially dissolved the fog in her virtual map, although only the details that the map reached and weren't wrong.

That made it much easier, since she could see his own position and her companions' on the map. As she had stealthily Marked them, they also appeared there.

A scarlet fox with two tails moved out of their way at the sound of their approach. Its level was 34, and its size was similar to a fox from the vampiress' home world, so those beings weren't its prey.

A snake also preferred not to interfere. It was a couple of meters long and quite poisonous, so it might have attacked if there had been a single individual.

Going in a group made them noisier, but also less vulnerable, less likely to be attacked. Only beings much stronger or in a group would dare to do so. Maybe beings that could strike fast and run away with their prey would try it too. Like a level 33 burgundy anaconda, which emerged towards the one in front, the vampiress, from a small stream.

The river looked small and harmless, but it was much deeper than it seemed. It was connected to a much wider stream, one that they had recently crossed over a bridge.

The snake tried to coil around her and drag her into the water, but it didn't expect its prey's reaction to be so fast. Gjaki had jumped back and left a Decoy in her position to fool her attacker.

"Kigja!" Krongo yelled.

They could only watch as she was caught and disappeared with the snake into the water. They couldn't know it was an illusion.

"I'm fine."

They all saw her appear from the shadows. They were sure they had seen her fall, but she didn't seem to be even hurt.

"How...?" Krinia asked, stunned.

"An illusion. Cross carefully. Don't make noise."

They looked at each other and at their guide, not quite sure what to think. Illusory magic was difficult and rare, so they didn't expect her to possess it. In fact, they hadn't seen her use it until then. Without a doubt, that nightwalker was even more mysterious than they had thought.

They decided to use a lantern over the water to cross, as they were fearful of another sneak attack. They even watched for any ripples in the water. Nonetheless, the snake wasn't going to reappear so soon, and there were no other predators around. If there were, they would have fought each other for territory.

They followed the vampiress without really knowing what to think about her. She didn't talk much, partly because she was focused on her job and alert, and partly because of shyness. She felt somewhat uncomfortable with that group her age, which reminded her of others who had been hostile to her at school.

Although they hadn't shown anything in that regard, even the opposite, she couldn't shake that feeling. She feared being set aside or excluded. Maybe worse, if they found out what she was, and treated her with contempt or fear. That made her seem distant.

Although, to the reptilians, she was simply mysterious. They wanted to know more about her, but they didn't dare to ask, for fear of offending her. Besides, the night was dangerous, and they didn't want to distract her.

"Wait a minute," the vampiress stopped them.

After that, she disappeared behind some trees. The dawn was approaching, and she had to get ready. Although she was almost completely covered, the eyes and the surrounding skin could be affected by the sun's rays. Therefore, she took out sunscreen and applied it, as well as putting on sunglasses almost identical to the ones she was wearing. If they asked, she would say that they got dark in daylight, or that it was better to have them on if she was going to use them later. She also took the opportunity to drink some blood and replenish her reserves.

There wasn't much sunscreen left, as she had stopped needing it after reaching level 100. She had then sold all that was left, except for a tube already opened, so it couldn't be sold. Now, she regretted it, because that half tube was all she had left.

She continued to lead them for another half hour. As the light began to shine, she let Kroquia take the lead. It was the most dangerous position, and her heavy armor made her the best suited to be in the front.

The light made it possible to see that Kroco looked even paler. His condition was clearly getting worse, and his injuries looked bad. So, they took advantage of the daylight and quickened their pace.

"Where are you from?" Krinia asked, curious.

Now that the vampiress wasn't in the vanguard, the mage had a chance to try to strike up a conversation.

"From... far away," Gjaki replied.

The answer seemed somewhat cold and reluctant, as if she didn't want to speak. Actually, she didn't know what to answer. Gjaki couldn't say she came from another world, as it wouldn't be credible. They could even think she was crazy. She dared not say that she was a visitor either.

The mage was somewhat disappointed by the apparent lack of collaboration, but she didn't give up so easily.

"How do you become a nightwalker?"

"This... It's not something I can talk about," the vampiress answered, without meeting her eyes.

It was true. She couldn't talk about something she had no knowledge about.

Krinia frowned as she pondered what to ask to break the ice. Gjaki was fearing another question she couldn't answer, so she decided to take the initiative.

The vampiress wasn't very good at starting a conversation, so she decided to act like in the game. That is, she asked about the "mission", despite partially knowing the answer.

"Why did they want to kill you?"

This time, it was Krinia who didn't know very well what to answer, or if she should. She glanced at the archer and the warrior, but they looked away, since they were in the same situation. It was Kroquia who answered.

"Because of greed."