The others woke up and after we were given a short while for breakfast, we were on the move again, on higher alert than ever before.

“Expectations for the day?” I asked no one in particular within the first minute.

“I have a gut feeling we’re bound to see some more combat today,” Draco said. “We had better stay alert.”

“Always,” I replied. “I’m hoping there will be fewer plants and stuff and more dirt. It really makes things easier.”

“Make sure to check the trees, though,” Velariah suggested. “And don’t pass them too closely.”

“Already avoiding that. Not that I can pass them that close in the first place.”

“Good point,” She noted.

“We need reinforcements over here!” The soldier to our left shouted in our direction. “A party has been requested further down the line.”

“We’ll get it,” Velariah said, changing course and moving towards where the knight was pointing. He, in turn, moved to fill the gap that was created and at the same time I heard the horns blowing again, two short toots this time.

“That’s the signal to halt,” Velariah clarified. “But I think you figured that one out.”

“Easy to understand,” I said. “If there’s a request for backup, we better have everyone stop so we can clean up before continuing.”

“Exactly,” She said, nodding. “Our entire operation revolves around the idea of moving as one. If we need the others to stop, or you suspect more time is needed, give the signal.”

“Let’s keep it moving,” Seralyn said as she moved towards the front, an arrow nocked. The next soldier pointed us further down the line as did the next.

When we arrived at the scene of the fight, we found a smaller party of three elves alongside two soldiers locked in battle against ten or so goblins. The equipment belonging to the adventurers seemed to be of high enough quality; mail armor combined with hardened leather and long spears which were mighty effective against the green-skinned creatures should be more than enough, even if outnumbered. However, as Valtheril had said, if there was any uncertainty at all, call for help.

Perhaps they just weren’t too experienced in combat.

That thought was quickly brushed away when I saw them use their weapons to great effect, felling goblin after goblin. It made me wonder why they called us in.

It was then I saw the multitude of green corpses near their feet. They’d already killed many and, deciding to waste no more time, I charged in to assist them. As soon as I did, an arrow flew past me and struck down a goblin that had just appeared from behind a tree. When I saw it fall, I heard a roar in the distance that sent shivers down my long spine.

“Troll!” Velariah shouted from behind me. Both she and Draco had trouble keeping up, but did what they could to warn the others, potentially because she wasn’t sure if they had recognized the sound with which we’d become familiar.

Nira used her powerful wings to launch herself off my back when I neared the party in need of help and moved behind the main line of battle, away from danger, as I completed my charge.

My polearm cleaved through the flesh of five green-skinned creatures as I used a leg to stab another to my other side. My momentum was enough to strike them down and kill them without allowing them to suffer. After that, the remaining goblin was dispatched quickly by the others as the elves and lizardman took their position, knowing there was more to come.

“Looks like we have a concentrated but disorderly attack here,” Velariah stated. “Any injuries?”

The two males and one female belonging to the relieved elven party shook their heads while, at the same time, the iconic roar of a troll was heard again, joined by another, and another.

“Seems we got multiple trolls incoming,” Draco said quickly.

“You fought trolls before?” Velariah quickly asked.

“No,” One of the unknown elves said. I could hear in his voice that he was trying to be confident, and while he did a good job at it, I could hear the inexperience that I once possessed.

“Right,” Velariah continued. “Spread out, and for the love of the goddess, don’t get hit. Your armor is useless against their blunt weapons. They are slow, so try to isolate them and team up against them. We can provide the damage needed.”

“We will lead the way,” One of the soldiers stated clearly, their experience showing. I was convinced they had dealt with trolls before and, if not, they knew how to execute what we’d just suggested.

They, and Velariah, Draco and Eric, moved forward and spread out while I walked off to the side, intending to strike when our enemies were locked in combat and relatively stationary.

A few seconds later, the source of the roars made themselves known. Three large trolls came running towards us, their large maces raised and their every step shaking the ground. The elven adventurers were visibly taken aback at the sight of such adversaries, to no surprise. It was obviously their first time seeing trolls, and the bloodlust in the enemies’ eyes was something that would send many a man running for the hills.

I admired their courage to hold their ground, even if more seasoned warriors were at their side and nearby.

The elf, lizardman, human and two knights spread out and got the trolls’ attention without issues and I waited. Seralyn fired off an arrow and hit one of the trolls in the forehead, quickly followed by another which hit her intended target: the eye.

The recipient screamed in pain and rage before charging to the nearest target, Velariah. The knight nimbly dodged the troll’s attack but had to use her sword to deflect the next blow which came sooner than she anticipated, and from an odd angle. She managed to reduce the impact, but she staggered and tumbled over backward. I didn’t waste any time and ran to her aid while she kept rolling over the ground.

She managed to stand up again and keep the enemy focused on her as she slowly stepped backward, keeping the grey-skinned creature at bay.

He never saw me coming.

While his attention and fury were fixated on the white-haired elf, I reached the monstrous creature and drove my blade deep into his flank, cutting halfway through before it was separated from his flesh.

A reverberating shout of pain followed which was joined by his mace being brought down onto the ground, sending a shockwave through it. I ignored the tremors and dashed behind the troll while his hammer was on the ground and plunged my dual swords into its back, striking its vitals and finishing it off.

I quickly withdrew my blades and ran over to the others, noting that one of the other remaining enemies was already dead. It had several cutting wounds over its body, some of which were charred due to the dragon-blessed steel, but its death was due to an arrow that had penetrated its eye socket deep enough to embed itself in its brain.

Its assassin was currently supporting Draco and Eric. They and two of the three adventurers were attacking the last remaining enemy, each dodging the heavy blows before the other two used the temporary opening to deliver blows of varying lethality. Some did nothing, but others created large cuts, drawing blood. I was about to help, but our enemy charged forward and brought his mace down from above his head, barely missing one of the elves who jumped out of the way, falling onto his butt.

Eric saw an opportunity and rushed forward, stabbing the troll in its side. His sword had trouble penetrating the monster’s tough skin, but with all his strength behind it, he managed to get it in a couple of centimeters. It wasn’t enough to kill the enemy, but a couple more of those attacks would certainly cause it to bleed out.

Draco smelled blood in the water and used the troll’s short attention span to run up behind him, leaping into the air to bring down both axes into his enemy’s back.

The troll’s rage-filled eyes went wide with shock before the haze lifted, its knees giving out and its torso toppling over forward, hitting the ground with a thud.

“And that,” Draco said as he removed his axes from the corpse, “is how you deal with trolls.”

I grinned. I had to admit he looked heroic in his deeds. The words that he just spoke complemented it all too well.

Eric chuckled as he, with all his might, retrieved his sword from the troll’s corpse.

Seralyn chuckled as well and went to fetch her arrows before something spooked her. In no time, she had an arrow ready and aimed it at the source of her sudden reaction. She fired a shot and within a split second, I felt, and heard, something impact my shoulder plates.

I realized it was an arrow and raised my shields, while trying to spot my enemy.

“It’s dead already,” Seralyn called. “Just a straggler, I think. I don’t see more. Elania, do you sense any?” She asked, referring to my ability to feel the vibrations in the soil.

I focused and felt a slight tremor. Something heavy was still moving around, but it felt as if it was far away.

“There is something,” I said. “But it’s not close. It’s heavy, and feels like a troll.”

“Just one?” Velariah asked.

“Just one,” I confirmed. “Forward, I’d say about a hundred yards out, but wait…”

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I closed my eyes and directed all my attention to my legs, trying to get an idea of where this bulky creature was going.

“It’s moving away from us,” I pointed my finger to my northeast. “In that direction. Pretty much our old position, but further forward.”

“Think it saw what happened?” Draco suggested as he stepped forward. “And it’s getting reinforcements?”

“Plausible,” Velariah concluded. “And that would be the safe assumption. Should we get more reinforcements ready?”

One of the soldiers joined in and shared his thoughts.

“I think that would be the wise call. A counter-attack may be imminent.”

“Especially since the line is thin there since we left our original position,” I added.

“Let’s get back then. Will you come with us?” Velariah asked the party and soldiers.

“We’ll have to remain here,” The knight who spoke earlier replied, “But the adventurers are free to assist.”

I suddenly felt more shockwaves in the ground, but due to their pattern, I was quick to make out that the origin was that of a horse. A minute or so later, one of the elven messengers arrived, just as we were prepared to fall back in line. He noticed the corpses and asked if everything was alright.

“No issues here,” Draco spoke. “But it seems there may be enemies incoming a bit further down the line.”

“Alright,” The messenger-knight replied. “We’ll remain halted for a while longer. There were a few smaller skirmishes here and there, so I don’t think we’ll be moving for the next fifteen minutes, perhaps longer. I’ll remain nearby so that you can call for reinforcements quickly should you need them. ”

“Understood.” Velariah nodded and thanked him. He returned the gesture with a small bow before he led his horse away.

“Seems we may get more action than anticipated,” I commented on our way back, this time with the party of not-so-inexperienced-anymore adventurers.

“I know, right?” Seralyn said triumphantly. “It’s great. Fucking trash has annoyed us long enough.”

The disdain in the archer’s eyes when she said that was frightening. It was as if… scrap that, she most definitely had issues with goblins on a personal level. Then again, so did Velariah, and I imagined there were many other elves with the same kind of hate towards them. Again, I hoped they’d get some closure after all this.

We reached our initial position and sat down, getting some food and drink, and simply rested, recovering some of the strength we’d used before. The battle wasn’t that tiring, but it was entirely possible we’d see more soon.

“Thank you for the help earlier,” The same man as before spoke, munching on some obviously stale bread that was provided by one of the couriers. “I’m Krelion, the leader of this ragtag band of adventurers. This here is Katus,” He said, pointing to the other male who held up his hand. “And this is Melsa.” he then pointed at the female elf, easily recognized by longer, black hair protruding from her helmet onto the back of her mail chest. “We took some advice from others when we geared up for this quest, but seeing you guys in action was something else.”

“Glad you enjoyed the little show,” Velariah said. “If one can even call it that. This, for us, is a good way of dealing with them. Also, good job on your weapon choice. Spears are quite the counter.”

“I should have brought one as well,” Eric said with a chuckle. “They do seem much more effective.”

“They are,” I said with a smile. “But you still did a great job back there. I wanted to let you know earlier, but I didn’t get the chance. Was that your first encounter with trolls?”

“It was,” He replied lightheartedly. “How did I do for a first time?”

“Excellent,” Draco responded. “You saw the opening, you took it. Well done.”

“If need be,” Velariah continued, “it’s possible to kill them through the death by a thousand cuts method, which at first might seem like a good idea, and it works to a degree, but...”

The new adventurers and Eric all had their eyes locked on the white-haired elf explaining a thing or two about trolls.

“One thing to know is that trolls, when they get increasingly injured, go into a blood-crazed rage. They become faster, stronger, and will stop at nothing to kill you. Besides, the method I mentioned will tire you out significantly, and if you’re exhausted and up against an enemy who only seems to get stronger, well, you can imagine what happens. That’s why we try to be decisive, and we are, mostly thanks to our equipment.”

“Yeah,” Katus, who’d previously remained quiet spoke. “Those axes seemed to go right through one as if he was butter. What the hell is up with those? I’m not even speaking about… Elania was the name, right?” He looked at me when he spoke the last words, earning a giggle from Velariah.

“Elania is… how do we call it? An exception, I guess.”

In the meantime, Draco laid down his axe-shields in front of himself, still stained with disgusting troll blood. I was certain that all of us had thought about cleaning our weapons, but the possibility of more combat soon would render doing that pointless.

“These are made by Coldanus. I don’t know if you’re from around here, but I’m sure you’ve heard of him. You had to get those spears from somewhere, after all.”

“Yup. We’ve heard of him,” the female, Melsa finally spoke. “Haven’t had to deal with him personally, but I can still feel the pain in our wallets after buying those spears. Doesn’t sound like the most enjoyable person to be around.”

Velariah winced, but grinned at the same time.

“Well, he does make the best weapons in the area, a pretty large area at that. That is, provided you have the coin to pay for his exorbitant prices. We provided the metal ourselves so we got a good discount there. Dragon-blessed steel is something else, as you’ve seen.”

“It’s good,” Draco said. “But there was quite a bit of force behind that attack I did.”

“I wonder if my father could create something like it,” Eric said, staring at Draco’s armament. “If I get him the right material.”

Velariah shook her head, and it looked like she was going to say something, but she kept her mouth shut and averted her gaze from the human.

“What were you going to say?” Eric asked curiously.

“Coldanus is over six hundred years old. He’s worked the forge for the majority of that. Just mastering the art of working with blessed steel takes up a good deal of that time.”

“Oh,” Eric said with a sigh of disappointment.

It was sad, but Velariah was right. There wasn’t a way a human could get the same amount of experience an elf could get due to the major difference in lifespans between the two races.

“I’m sorry,” She said.

“It’s okay,” Eric replied. “That just means I’ll have to save up and get something commissioned from him, but that won’t mean I’ll part with my other sword. I knew from the very beginning it wouldn’t last forever.”

“It got you quite far,” Draco said politely. “And it will continue to take you forward for the foreseeable future. Your father knows his trade well.”

“Thank you,” Eric replied, his spirits lifted by the lizardman’s kind words.

“Right,” Seralyn said, seeing her chance. “Nice stories and all, but what about the mission? Elania, any update? Still sense anything?”

I shook my head.

“Nothing. Whatever it was, it’s out of my detection range.”

“You can sense enemies?” Krelion said in astonishment. “Is that some kind of magic?”

“Feel,” I said. “I can feel the vibrations in the ground. I can more or less judge how big something is, and, depending on its size, somewhat pinpoint its location.”

“That’s… pretty damn useful,” He replied with a chuckle.

Seconds later, I was made aware of approaching hoofsteps.

“And now I can sense that the messenger will soon be here, coming from the north,” I said, crossing my free pair of arms.

They seemed to have a hard time believing what I just said, but when they heard the horse’s steps before me, they looked at me in shock.

“Told ya,” I said with a grin.

The elven scout, a different one this time, came to a halt close to us before relaying a message.

“Everything is clear. We’ll move out on the next signal.”

He spoke calmly and got straight to the point. As soon as he’d finished speaking his words, he was off again.

We readied ourselves, to Seralyn’s great delight, and a few minutes later, the sound of horns reverberated through the forest again. With it came the continuation of our mission.