With the death of the last of the three bodyguards, the highest leveled one, they had risen to 53. The first spell unlocked had been Light Barrier, similar to the Cyclonic one, but much more powerful, though only against dark spells. Although it could be interesting against corrupted beings, in the game, she had had few occasions to use it. Sometimes, she had used it to illuminate the partner who had to look for the rest when playing hide-and-seek, and also as a joke. She had it at affinity 4.

At level 53, there was Wind Touch, which envelops the weapon in a wind aura. It makes it faster, and adds the cutting power of the wind. It is somewhat more expensive than other blessings, but also very effective. That was the reason because she had used it often, and raised its affinity to 10.

Armor of Thorns, at level 52, creates an additional armor of plants on the target. It not only protects them, but can also damage with its sharp thorns whoever tries to hit them. She had it at 5, as it had been basically used on Eldi when he was doing the tank role in the group.

At level 53, she had unlocked Swap, which consists of placing the sword where the dagger was and vice versa. It wasn’t very useful in the game, except in duels against other players, which Goldmi wasn’t very fond of. So, she only had it at 3, which slowed the swap a bit.

They were still eating when one of the Alarms warned them that something was coming. The goshawk rose above the forest to explore, while the elf and the lynx Camouflaged themselves in it. Although it wasn’t easy for the bird to distinguish the figures among the foliage, she could get a rough idea.

“They are two-legged. More than ten, less than twenty. They’ll pass by your position in two minutes. They are surrounding the area”

Both sisters decided to go into some bushes, where they assumed they wouldn’t pass through. They were prickly and poisonous, but the plants opened a path so that the two sisters could hide easily.

“Are you sure it’s around here?” asked a familiar voice.

“Krusledón…” the elf cursed silently.

“Yes, this is where my familiar has seen the elf and the feline. They had hidden in a kind of plant shell. They’ve recently left, and have disappeared around here. The remains of the bodyguards are in that direction. The wolves have already left,” assured a tamer.

“How can that useless red bird have lost sight of them!?” the prince was irritated.

“They… They must have some spell to hide themselves. If you wish, I can torture her into confessing it…” she suggested.

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“It won’t be necessary, I’ll take care of it. Make sure no one leaves the perimeter!” he yelled.

When she had sent her familiar to investigate why the bodyguards were taking so long, she had discovered their remains, and the wolves. Also, her familiar had spotted the presence of the elf with the lynx.

They had come to the conclusion that she, somehow, had managed to escape from the three warriors due to the intervention of the wolves. They didn’t know what she was doing there, but like the bodyguards, the prince attributed it to fate, that she was destined to him.

“You’re mine, you won’t be able to escape,” he murmured.

Those words were heard perfectly by the elf, who was just a few meters away. Their hiding place was good, but they knew they would find them as they closed the perimeter. They need to escape from there.

Suddenly, a shadow streaked from the sky, by flying at breakneck speed through the trees. It was impossible were it not for the Slalom skill.

“Noooo!” the tamer suddenly yelled.

Without warning, she had felt the pain of her familiar. Then, their connection had been broken, which left her stunned. The goshawk had decided to eliminate the spy bird, for which she had barely taken a few seconds. First, she had located it with the help of her sisters and Visual Link. Then, she had swooped into the forest, Collided against it, and held it in her powerful claws.

Her victim hadn’t had time to react, and it had died after the blow, without needing to deal another one. So, the winged sister had simply let it go, for she wasn’t interested in her prey as food, unless her sister cooked it.

The tamer’s scream made the prince and the two bodyguards who accompanied him, at levels 56 and 57, turn towards her. The elf took advantage of it to get up and shoot several arrows.

She had first doubted. However, after what she knew, what she had heard, and the previous attitude of the bodyguards, she had understood that the prince was her enemy, and her loved ones’.

The first arrows were stopped by the protection spells his bodyguards had given him, but three more followed immediately. These and the next eight were stopped by artifacts capable of generating defensive shields. However, they soon ran out of power, largely due to the amplified force of the wind.

By then, the two bodyguards had already reacted, and had rushed towards the elf to stop her. However, they had made a big mistake by entering an area densely populated by flexible branches, and full of poisonous thorns.

The poison might not be lethal, but their bodies were completely Tangled in the undergrowth. Dozens of thorns stuck into them, so the irritating poison penetrated their flesh while they were immobilized.

Normally, the skill requires roots, but this is mainly due to the lack of other more suitable means. At that moment, its full power could be seen.

Goldmi finished them off with Stab, while the lynx found its way out of the undergrowth, and pounced on the prince.

His defense spells had been nearly rendered useless by the elf, while his ability in combat was far below his level. He had leveled up by finishing off weakened or immobilized prey, and he was used to others fighting for him.

The tamer, for her part, was terrified at the sudden appearance of the huge feline engulfed in fire. Although her level was 55, she wasn’t a fighter but a scout. Not even the snake around her neck was a match for the lynx. She only used it for personal protection, or to scare others, but it couldn’t face who was attacking the prince.

He screamed in panic, which caused the perimeter to break down. All of them ran to the rescue of whom they were supposed to protect.