They entered the rest area again, badly wounded. Goldmi had an ugly wound on her side, and the lynx on her back. Both were in danger of bleeding to death within hours. A slug had caught them just as they had left, without giving them no time to react, and surprising them with Spittle.
The feline had covered her sister. She had sacrificed herself to save her sister’s life at the cost of serious damage. And the elf wasn’t unscathed either.
Immediately, she started using Basic Healing on herself. Otherwise, she could pass out from the pain and they would be doomed. And as soon as she felt that her wound was under control, that she could resist, the elf went on to treat the feline, until she exhausted her mana reserves. Both were still injured, but their condition was no longer critical, so they lay on top of each other, recovering their energy and breathing.
“Damn bug,” muttered the elf.
It wasn’t the first time that they had received serious injuries. It wasn’t easy to know if it was near or far before leaving the rest area, because the slug sometimes lengthened its round, and other times shortened it. In fact, she was no longer able to wear level 8 and 9 armor, since being shattered, so she put on a level 7 one.
They had been there for ten days, and each one they had checked that the corrupted beings were still outside, waiting, without even flinching. And, day after day, they had tried to gradually weaken their enemy, which was almost at 50%.
At first, it had been easy, slow but without great risks. But then, a second slug had appeared. She concentrated her attacks on the first, while the lynx was busy distracting them, since she could predict its attacks in advance and was very agile, so it wasn’t difficult for her.
But they weren’t always together, and they couldn’t always foresee where the second would be. In fact, they hadn’t seen it for almost a day, so they had believed that it had left, until they had found it just as they had crossed the entrance.
They looked at it with resentment, while it seemed to examine the place where they had disappeared, and, after a while, it left. A couple of hours later, fully healed, they came out again with extreme caution, and she cast Life Detection as soon as they made sure the place was safe.
It detected its prey, but they didn’t go towards it. The second was too close. They were in danger of being cut off from their retreat to their refuge, as it had already happened on one occasion. So, they had almost died, and they didn’t want to repeat the same mistake.
Only when they were certain that they could return to the safety of the rest area did they head for their target.
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The lynx passed in front of the rest area, and, after a while, a slug appeared. The elf kept waiting until the second passed, only then did she come out. They had been trying to find opportunities for several days, but it was getting more and more difficult. It seemed that the instinct of these beings made them protect their wounded fellows. Or maybe they wanted to absorb their energy.
The biggest problem was that they had means to protect themselves. Their Wall of Slobber was impossible to pierce with her arrows 11 levels below, it lasted ten minutes, and it could be set every thirty. Being three, they could continuously cast it. Without a doubt, with the appearance of the third of those beings, it had become quite difficult to finish the work in which they had spent so much time and effort.
So, they had chosen a more risky tactic. Goldmi had wanted to oppose, since she didn’t want her sister to be in such danger, but the big cat had given her no choice. She had simply stepped out to carry out the plan, and the elf couldn’t just waste the opportunity.
The third slug was approaching in the distance, and the archer wasted no time. She launched four bursts of three arrows each, combining Ethereal and Piercing Arrows, along with Three better than one, and then re-entered the safety of the room.
She saw Spittle hitting the spot from which she had fired, and how the arrows of mana continued to be nailed into the gelatinous body, wounding it as it moved. It barely had 0’2% of health left. 0’15%. 0’1%. 0’06%. 0’03%. 0’01%.
It looked like that its health would never run out, but, in the end, it died, it collapsed. Suddenly, Goldmi’s level rose to 10, then to 11, and didn’t stop until it reached 14, and quite advanced on it. They had finally made it, but she couldn’t be happy, she was still worried and anxious. It wasn’t until her sister returned that she calmed down.
The lynx was wounded, but it wasn’t too serious, and she had also reached level 14. This had significantly reduced the difference in levels with the slugs, in addition to increasing her agility.
She had lured the first into a side tunnel, snapping out as soon as it approached, and not giving it time to react, leaving it behind as it slowly tried to turn around. Then, she had run to the second, deftly dodging the Spittle which she had already grown accustomed to anticipating. And, after overcoming it, she had run to meet her sister.
“I think we have to celebrate it,” suggested the lynx, while the elf was healing the corrosion produced by brushing with the slobber on the ground.
“And I bet you’re thinking about food,” sighed Goldmi, although, as much as she tried, she couldn’t hide her smile.
Admittedly, they were still several levels below the enemies on the first floor of the dungeon, but the difference had narrowed noticeably and was no longer so abysmal. They were confident that, if they had made it at level 9, at level 14 it would be much easier.
They had suffered for more than twenty days to eliminate just one of those slugs, and there were two more around, six levels stronger, but that didn’t stop them from being euphoric. They had gained strength, agility, defense, mana and energy, spells, skills… Even the lynx had regained a skill by reaching level 10.
Soon, a kitchen expanded through the rest area, which didn’t take long in being flooded by the fragrance of the food that was being cooked by some little fairies, who in turn were being fervently observed by a lynx that didn’t stop salivating.
And, although it wasn’t the first time that she had seen her sister in that state, the elf couldn’t stop laughing. Too many days had they passed on the brink of death, despair, collapse. As much as remained to be done, she felt relaxed and optimistic to face an uncertain future.