On the other side of the forest, the little wolf-girl was locked in a standoff with the eldest of the Andre brothers.

Her eyes were filled with a murderous resolve, a clear sign that he had completely lost his sanity. She watched him warily.

"Heh, you mongrel, how dare you kill my only brother!" The Andre brothers had come out to make their fortune. With the second brother gone, it had just been the two of them, and what seemed like a windfall had turned into a tragedy with the loss of his last sibling.

As he charged forward, a sudden chill touched his neck. He reached for it, only to see the crimson blood on his fingers...

A stunning figure slowly appeared in the air.

The little wolf-girl cried out in joy, "Winnie Sister!"

...

Meanwhile, Tarom was beginning to question whether his forces had overestimated these forest trolls. They had planned to ambush them, but much to their surprise, the trolls had set up perimeter alarm spells, forcing them to kill the sentries who came to investigate.

Now, they had been discovered.

However, Tarom wasn't overly concerned. It hadn't been easy for his few hundred men to remain hidden; an ambush was simply the safest approach. Now that an ambush was out of the question, a frontal attack would do just as well. After all, Tarom's army, The Savage Shields, specialized in head-on assaults.

What's this?

Tarom observed dozens of trolls clad in crude armor charging out from the half-orc tribe.

"Prepare for battle formation!"

In an instant, the few hundred troops began to move in an orderly fashion. Shield-bearers with shields as tall as a man formed impenetrable walls. Pikemen extended their three-meter-long spears through the gaps in the shields, while crossbowmen and a few casters stood ready at the rear.

They looked every bit the well-trained force.

Tarom's lips curled into a smile as he watched the seemingly disorganized forest trolls; he felt that there was no need for The Savage Shields to get involved. His elite troops could easily wipe them out.

Shadar frowned at the sight of these humans. He hadn't expected to face a regular army. Past human caravans would have scattered at the sight of so many charging trolls. But regular armies were different, and this many soldiers could potentially wipe out their entire tribe!

"Humans, why do you trespass on forest troll territory?" Shadar didn't rush headlong into battle.

At his hand signal, the female trolls began to spread out, readying their spells, while the male trolls watched the human army with vigilance.

"I'll give you a chance to live. Submit to a master-servant pact with the Volton family," Tarom said slowly.

Subjugating the troll tribe would be far better than annihilating them. With a bit of training, these forest trolls could become formidable soldiers.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

It was a pity that the demonization potion only worked on humans; otherwise, it would be worth seeing if a troll version of The Savage Shields could be created.

"What?" Shadar stared at Tarom as if looking at a fool.

"Ha! You think you lowly swine are fit to be our masters?" Shadar scoffed with contempt. How could these despicable humans ever compare to a true dragon? Besides, everyone on the continent knew humans were the most cunning creatures; if you believed their words, death was not far behind.

"Since you're so unappreciative of life, then go to your deaths!" Tarom was not angry. As a qualified leader, maintaining composure was fundamental, and he had been prepared for rejection.

With Tarom's command, the archers loosed their bolts.

Swish, swish, swish!

Arrows flew towards Shadar and his trolls.

"Attack!" Shadar roared.

Thud, thud, thud!

The sound of arrows sinking into flesh was incessant, and several trolls at the forefront became pincushions, yet they did not fall. These were the strongest warriors of the Eviltooth tribe, leading the charge by withstanding the most pressure.

"Amplify Spell: Defense!"

The female trolls at the back quickly cast their unique amplification spells on the male trolls in battle. A blue magical glow enveloped the trolls, giving them a significant boost.

Facing the ferocious charge of the forest trolls, Tarom calmly gave his orders, using them to assess the sharpness of his forces.

"Prepare for impact!"

"Shield-bearers, hold firm!"

"Pikemen, get ready!"

The pikemen anchored their spears into the ground as the trolls closed in rapidly, trying to leap into the enemy ranks. But they were met with the casters' fireballs and ice arrows.

Several trolls at the front were hit directly and fell, lifeless. The ones behind dodged the spears and crashed into the shield wall.

Bang, bang, bang!

Shadar, more fierce than any, broke through a gap, sending two human soldiers flying. But another line of defense awaited him as more pikemen attacked.

Shadar's mithril armor was exceedingly tough, and the spears could not penetrate his defenses.

"Ha, die, you swine!" Shadar laughed as he grabbed a spear and impaled another human soldier.

Tarom had been keeping an eye on Shadar. The troll chieftain was incredibly resilient. But no matter, the chieftain might be strong, but not enough to turn the tides of the entire battle.

Elsewhere, troll warriors continued to fall.

How could they annihilate the slavers and the half-orc tribe with such strength? Did they pay too high a price?

Tarom couldn't figure it out.

"Constricting Formation!" he ordered again.

The crescent formation of his army slowly began to encircle the remaining thirty or so trolls. The female trolls were protected in the center by the males, while the shield-bearers and pikemen continued their relentless attack.

The space for the trolls to maneuver grew smaller and smaller.

Only Shadar still had the upper hand, but even his rough armor began to show cracks. After all, mithril was not entirely impervious, especially unenchanted.

Seeing Shadar wreaking havoc, Tarom decided not to waste any more time.

"Shield thirty-eight, shield fifteen, strike! Kill him," Tarom pointed at Shadar.

Two Savage Shields unslung their greatswords and charged. Their massive figures bulldozed towards Shadar, crushing the head of a troll warrior who stood in their way.

Just after killing a soldier, Shadar sensed a dire threat and instinctively placed his beast-bone club across his chest.

Boom!

The two Savage Shields' swords slashed down, and Shadar's club lasted only a second before snapping in two. He was thrown into the air, and without hesitation, one of the Savage Shields landed a punch directly into Shadar's chest, caving in his mithril armor and causing a gush of blood to spray from his mouth.

"Chieftain!"

"Chieftain Shadar!"

...

Shadar was caught by two troll warriors.

"Hold your hand!" Tarom ordered from a distance.

The Savage Shields stopped their assault.

"Forest trolls, I'll give you one last chance. Sign the master-servant pact, and I'll spare you and your tribe!"

"You should see the vast gap between us!"

Tarom looked curiously at Shadar, who had survived a hit from two Savage Shields and was severely wounded but still alive. It was rare indeed.

This forest troll was quite extraordinary!

He was beginning to admire the troll's tenacity.