Pursuit (IV)

The mage was level 47, and when her shield gave out, she was still able to dodge the lynx and create another one. Luckily for her, breaking her protection had caused her enemy to slow down.

The hood had come off, so a goblin of advanced age could be seen. She wished to use the dryad's blood to regain her youth. Whether it actually had that effect or was just an unsubstantiated rumor was something she was willing to check. The mere prospect of lengthening her life had been too tempting for someone like her, who was capable of murdering her own teacher to steal her possessions.

However, she didn't have a moment's respite before the lynx attacked her again. Terrified, she used Fireballs against her, which were more powerful than Fire Breath, but which also damaged her shield.

She hoped that a direct blow of fire would seriously wound that terrible beast, something that a Roar seemed to refute. The skill terrified the mage, who was unable to react to the new destruction of the shield.

When a paw appeared behind the smoke screen, she reacted at last, and released a Fire Breath with all her might. The result was that four claws ripped her clothes and skin, so inflicting a deep wound.

She took a step back, which wasn't enough to avoid the other claw, which dug into the arm that she had raised to defend herself against it. With hardly time to react, the face of the feline appeared in front of her. A scream of terror was the last thing she uttered.

Not far from there, the elf was facing two orcs in Berserker. They were very fast, dangerous, and oblivious to pain. However, they were unable to think beyond exterminating her enemy while the skill was active.

With Disarm, she managed to snatch the huge sword from the female orc, but she didn't seem to care. She lunged at her with her body, so Goldmi was violently pushed back.

It was a heavy hit, but she managed to stabilize with Support Wind, and recover with Basic Healing. She then summoned a dagger with Wind Blade and threw it with Fleeting Dagger. The blade stabbed at one eye, but that didn't stop the orc from charging toward her.

However, this time she again relied on Block and Recoil to fall back, although the second orc nearly hit her with an axe. He had caught up with his partner, so they were both attacking at the same time, and making them more difficult to dodge. Luckily, their injuries caused their speed to not be as explosive as it should be.

She decided to combine Swipe with Wind Push to get away from them. It was costly in mana, but also efficient, and she could shoot them as she fled, while always aiming at their legs to slow them down. If it weren't for the dangerous situation, she would even have found it amusing.

The elf made a wide detour to return to the entrance of the cave, while she was still being pursued by the two orcs. Then, she positioned herself behind one of the Abyss traps that hadn't been activated. From there, she concentrated on firing the arrows with more precision, on targeting the not yet closed wounds on their legs.

When the orcs fell into the trap, she knew they would soon escape, but the moments trapped were enough to fire three Slow Arrows at the female orc at the same time, since she was the most wounded. If she could eliminate one of them, or disable it temporarily, it would be a big gain.

In addition, when they managed to break free, her sister joined the fight. As they had agreed, she pounced on the orc female, whose damaged legs couldn't withstand the onslaught from behind.

Meanwhile, Goldmi used Dual Dance to block the orc's continuous attacks, although his power was making her back away, in addition to feeling her hands go numb. Basic Healing reversed the effect, but it was dangerous, and it was a significant waste of mana. So, she went back to Block and Recoil, in what was a perfect example of kitting.

However, instead of attacking her opponent, she shot, when she could, the one who was savagely facing her sister, fists against claws, teeth against teeth, both rolling on the ground.

One of the arrows that had nailed into her back plunged deep as the orc struck the ground, piercing her. Another, in one hand, kept her from clenching her fist. But despite this, she was attacking the feline nonstop, her eyes bloodshot.

Her fists were powerful, but the sharp claws and fire much more incisive. Had she had her sword, the fight would have been more dangerous for the lynx. Without it, the orc succumbed little by little. When she finally exhaled her last breath, the feline was bloody and numb from the blows, though most of the blood wasn't hers.

She would have wanted to rest, but there was still one enemy left. She struggled to her feet, something that wasn't ignored by her sister.

"No need…" the lynx wanted to prevent.

But the elf ignored her and, while gritting her teeth, she used Life Link to share the damage with her sister. The pain came suddenly, but she was prepared for it, since it wasn't the first time. Immediately, she used Basic Healing to recover. She was starting to run out of mana.

The elf had been dodging and falling back through Block and Recoil, Slide, Fallback, and Light Feet, while damaging the orc from range.

"You damn coward! Stay still and fight!" he demanded, furious, and more and more tired and hurt.

Obviously, she ignored him. She simply changed direction little by little to get closer to her sister. When the feline jumped on her enemy, the elf herself approached to help her.

As the feline dodged the orc's weapons, Goldmi used Hilt to stun him for just an instant, as Berserker's effect lessened all of disabling conditions. The lynx took the opportunity to attack, at the same time that her sister executed Stab first and Sword Thrust later. Between the two, they finished the last enemy. The same Berserker which had given him strength, speed, and immunity to pain, had also lowered his defenses too much.

They still had to hunt down the last of their enemies, and try to rescue the dryad, but first both needed to regain strength and heal their wounds. They sat next to each other, and took the opportunity to eat a bit. They would soon have to continue.