Return to Jorgaldur

Instead of grieving for the loss of a piece of tentacle, the squid attacked its daring prey, whose power didn’t feel superior to its own. In fact, it was one level higher than Eldi’s, but there were other variables that the presumed hunter wasn’t able to evaluate.

Another five tentacles were thrown after its prey, who, incomprehensibly, had managed to escape and hurt the squid. However, they found an Earthen Wall that they surrounded without delay. It couldn’t see its food, but it knew he was there.

Eldi took a few steps back, keeping out of the squid’s field of vision with a spear in his hand. He waited until the last of the tentacles appeared around the wall, and used Perforating Impact to pierce it, driving the spear into the ground. Immediately, he repeated the action three more times, as the fifth tentacle recoiled, but now he had the monster trapped. It was a little precarious, so he took out the hammer, nailing the spears deeper.

The squid struggled, but it was not easy to free its tentacles. It would have got rid of them if it could, because they would grow back soon, but it was not among its abilities. However, it didn’t hesitate to attack its prey once more when he was in sight again and while it was still struggling with its trapped tentacles.

“It hasn’t decreased much,” he told himself while noticing that the monster that had appeared in the waters still had 115/132 health left.

Without hesitation, he left the hammer on the ground and use Javelin with his last spear covered in fire, remembering that aquatic animals used to be vulnerable to that element.

Anchored by its tentacles and without being able to perceive the danger until the spear was very close, the huge being could not dodge the attack that penetrated almost a meter, burning its inside. And while it was struggling with the wound it had received, a rain of arrows fell on it, eight in all, that pierced and burned it. Its body was soft and offered little resistance and the fire did a lot of damage, so it didn’t take long to sink back into the water, lifeless.

Eldi stared at the carcass without daring to touch it, and wondering if he could drag it to the ground and retrieve the spear and arrows. And, then, a new assistant sailed the water and began to collect them, even submerging.

“If only I had known before …,” he complained, remembering the work of collecting each of them after his battle against the wolves.

Next, he marked it for the other cybernetic fairy, who began to butcher the squid, starting with the part sunk into the water.

Lesser paralyzing essence, squid mucous, eyes of squid of the marshes, etc. Lots of variety was extracted from the squid, being rings of squid, cataloged as food, which surprised him most.

“If only I had the cooking profession …,” he regretted again.

But he didn’t have much time for regrets. While checking the damage on the weapons and also recovering the spears, since the assistant was unable to unearth them, a greenish wolf approached threateningly, attracted by the sound of fighting and the smell of the quartered squid. And as usual among its kind, it didn’t come alone. There was a total of ten.

Eldi looked at them worriedly, as his battle with the abyssal wolves was recent, and he didn’t have the advantage of the wellspring anymore. However, he was now level 5 and those wolves between 5 and 7. Also, he was now well-equipped and his reserves of mana and stamina hadn’t decreased much, so he decided to confront them, although always trying to approach the cave where he would be safe.

Aside from the level, there was another difference with the abyssal wolves: while the abyssal ones had a passive skill that gave resistance to their skin, these wolves had piercing eyes, which allows seeing through the camouflage but wasn’t useful at that time.

He wasted no time and threw himself at the wolves in the direction of the cave, creating up to four walls to delay the others. When he reached four meters from them, he used Smash Ground, stunning the two wolves in front of him for a few seconds. Immediately, he rushed at them and attacked their legs with Devastating Blow, restricting its movements. It was something that couldn’t be done in the game, where only the total health was damaged. And it was part of his plan, a plan he had devised in the village, although he didn’t expect to have to use it against so many at once.

The other wolves didn’t take long to jump or encircle the wall and reach them, so Eldi lifted up with another wall, applying ice and raising more walls around the newcomers. And while the walls grew and the wolves looked confused, he took out three containers of resin and threw them at the wolves.

Disoriented by the sudden ambush between earthen walls and the sticky liquid that clung to their skins, they were not quick enough to react. And when an arrow hit one of them and burned the resin, it was already too late. That trap between earthen walls became a hell that burned alive eight wolves, whose howls of agony didn't leave their executioner indifferent, who paid no attention to the two who escaped.

Although they had attacked first, and although it wasn’t the first time he had killed similar beings, he could not help but feel shaken.

He returned to the cave and to the village when his assistant picked up what little it could salvage from the burned bodies. He had risen his level to 6, but didn’t feel encouraged to celebrate or inspect what he had unlocked.

Eldi barely dined and didn’t create any new equipment, as he had planned in the morning, limiting himself to repairing the one damaged.

“Good night,” he said to the Oracle.

“Goodnight.”

It took him long to fall asleep, and in his dreams there was no lack of nightmares, although, little by little, they dissipated as if, from somewhere, someone were cradling his sleep.