Return to Jorgaldur Volume III: blood warrior

In group: antepenultimate floor

That floor of the dungeon was quite easy, as the grasshoppers were clumsy in those narrow tunnels. They were also easy to spot with the Bats, so there were no danger that enemies appeared unexpectedly from behind. Also, a hound could hold them back if necessary, so her companions weren't in danger.

She didn't think the floor's boss would be a problem either, since its limitations were similar to its little siblings, although significantly more dangerous. What the vampiress was concerned about were the following floors.

"What do you think about the next floors?" she asked them.

They all knew what there were ahead, as they had studied it. They looked at each other. Then, they looked at the vampiress.

"Impossible. The next one is too dangerous, unless you can clear a path. The last one is even worse. They move fast. Walking away from the rest area would be suicidal."

"I see. We'll do like this. In the penultimate, I clear a path and Kroquia comes with me. Then, the same and we go to the boss. In the last one, it'll be easier than you think," Gjaki smiled.

Those on the penultimate floor could hide, but they came out if they detected life. She didn't know if a hound would be enough to make them appear, but she was. The clear-path suggestion was just what she needed.

They looked at her questioningly. They weren't going to let her be until she told them every single detail of her plans, especially about the last floor. When she did, for a long time, they didn't know what to say. They didn't expect that proposal, their companion didn't have to go that far for them. They were deeply grateful.

Killing the nearly two hundred grasshoppers to level up wasn't difficult, but it took her three days.

In 43, she had regained Costume. It was an illusionary technique that was in perfect harmony with the tailoring profession, and made her the perfect spy. It was practically impossible to see through her, unless she made a mistake.

As a skill, it was Did you get something in your eyes?. She couldn't help but think of Eldi, as he had criticized that name in the past, that of a skill that was tremendously useful. Its effect could be simulated without it, but much less efficiently. It consisted of brushing the ground with one of the weapons, taking some dust with them, and blind the eyes of an enemy with it.

She tested the new skill on some grasshoppers, and blinded them with either dagger or whip. However, the importance of the eyes in the mana beings was less than in the living ones. On the other hand, she found it impossible to apply it with the other weapons, though Gjaki was convinced that she could do it in the future.

After those tests, they went directly to the floor's boss' room. Its location had been marked on her virtual map after having assimilated the maps provided by her companions.

It was a huge grasshopper about three meters tall. Its greatest skill was to Jump to escape from its enemies, or to link with its other skills. Plummet was one of the most dangerous, plus it could fly. Of course, inside a cavern, it only managed to hit the rock again and again. The stalactites were its worst nightmare.

It was an easy fight, and even comical. Gjaki's biggest problem was avoiding the boss's unpredictable falls after jumping and hitting the ceiling, or its bumpy and chaotic flight. However, since its speed wasn't very high, the vampiress's agility allowed her to do it reliably.

She just waited, while dodging the absurd attacks, and damaging it only when it fell into one of the Tentacles that she had placed.

The boss got a little better after splitting in two, as they didn't always crash now. Although, as they were two, they ended up crashing even more in total. Besides, the traps were now more effective, as the smaller bosses had a harder time freeing themselves when caught.

Sometimes, they collided with each other, although not many. However, when they became four, these events multiplied, as well as the occasions in which one fell into a trap.

It wasn't a difficult battle, just a bit chaotic, perhaps absurd. She wasn't even very tired, so she headed straight for the next floor, while the rest waited for her there.

She was halfway when one of those magnetic worms emerged from the ground. As soon as it did, its strong magnetic power covered her. It pulled not only iron, but any metal. However, she was prepared, and wasn't wearing anything that could be affected. She regretted not being able to wield her obsidian daggers, which would have been perfect for this occasion. Unfortunately, she was far short of the minimum required level.

Luckily, her enemy was neither very strong nor very fast. A large part of its power was in that magnetic force, so the rest was rather diminished.

Many adventurers felt powerless against it if they hadn't prepared beforehand, as they couldn't rely on their weapons and their linked skills. Perhaps, the mages had an advantage, but it was dangerous if the worms caught them unaware by coming out of the ground, and the warriors didn't have their weapons to defend them.

It is true that there were some warriors who weren't affected by this, but their number was low. Also, it is somewhat inefficient to have several of the same type.

For Gjaki, it was an inconvenience, but by no means an insurmountable obstacle. She couldn't use daggers, or any of the less common weapons. However, her whip had no metal, and her hands and legs were themselves deadly weapons.

She received it with a kick, which included Dark Aura. The slow worm was especially suited as a dummy to practicing Martial Arts, although for now she was in a bit of a hurry. Therefore, she used Spearhead to pierce it with her hands multiple times. No part of its body was especially vulnerable, but the sum of several wounds soon finished off the insect.

She reached the rest area and turned around, to bring her companions. She escorted them always alert, because it could never be ruled out that one of those worms had regenerated. It was too fast for the last one, but some other group might have killed some earlier.

It is also true that they met fewer and fewer groups. They hadn't had any more problems, since each one minded their own business. Perhaps, they glared at the vampire suspiciously, for not having a tail, but it wasn't that unusual either.

So, they settled in there and let the vampiress explore the floor for herself.