Chapter 70 - The Trolls Nest
A loud strike woke Bryn, and the sound of wood breaking and falling beside him drove his senses to the max. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, and he used his mana sense to help him understand the surroundings.
“Sleeping recklessly is dangerous.”
Standing next to the falling tree was his instructor.
“Mr. Jonas, good morning! I still have a lot to learn.” Bryn said as one of his hands scratched his head, holding Akusashi.
“Bryn, I have news. Gabriel has found your parents.”
When those words entered Bryn’s head, he thought of believing them.
“How? It was so quick.”
“I can assure you it is done. So you have a call to make.”
Bryn’s eyes were nostalgic as his mind clicked at the sound of Jonas' voice. A call to make? What is he talking about?
Rushing different scenarios, he was sure that something was happening to him or they had no time limit on the vow. He had made sure not to be bound by such restrictions on his wording. While thinking, he didn’t notice his hands reinforcing his grip on Akusashi.
Is this kid for real? Jonas thought at Bryn’s reaction.
“Calm down. You have two paths; the choice will be yours.”
Realizing his challenge was intellectual, Bryn settled the storm in his heart. For the first time, Jonas felt the climate around him change. It wasn’t fear, especially the physical type. But the feeling he got from Bryn was aching to face a beast.
The faun’s posture changed in mere moments. His eyes sharpened; they were nothing like the previous trusty eyes for knowledge, and they reflected the excitement about facing animals and leveling up. They seemed seasoned despite his size. Bryn used his magic to form a frozen chair before him, sitting down as both hooves remained on the ground. His elbows touched his knees as both hands crossed in front of his face.
“Please continue.” He asked.
If Jonas hadn’t seen the situation with his own eyes, he would never have believed it.
“He will tell you,” Jonas said as he removed his medallion from his shirt and extended it to Bryn.
Unlike all the moments he had given Bryn portions of information or guidance, the faun remained unchanged this time. His eyes looked at Jonas every inch. The man recalled his previous times before the court. Bryn extended one hand to grab the incoming medallion. The other changes caused Jonas to forget to explain the hours the medallion worked, but that didn’t faze Bryn.
“Mr. Gabriel?”
Jonas decided to leave both of them talking while he organized the next round of training.
Few creatures were around, so he would have to change locations soon. He used his mana to rise towards the sky to get a vantage point of view around. To his surprise, he found signs of a troll nest not far away. Investigating, he saw the nest was in the early stages; it would be Bryn’s greatest gift away. He smiled, thinking about the development of the young faun.
Circling the area one last time to ensure nothing was there to cause trouble, he returned.
Bryn still held the medallion in his hand; his position was the same.
Jonas knew Bryn would have a tough time the more he stayed here. To force Gabriel out of isolation was something the forces of this country would only let go of with thorough investigation. Jonas estimated that there would be more visitors in their village within a month.
“Have you decided?” He asked.
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Bryn looked at the man dead in the eyes. Actions spoke louder than words; Bryn simply allowed a cold killing intent to flow as he grabbed Akusashi by the sheath with his left hand.
“Good choice. Come,” Said Jonas as he started to run toward the troll nest.
Bryn remained silent as the two of them ran side by side. Jonas kept increasing the speed he ran until Bryn’s hooves had a few difficulties keeping up.
The forest became denser with every minute that passed. Avoiding the obstacles at high speed forced Bryn to maximize his mobility. The new status points were still synching in. His breathing started to get more and more pronounced. His exhales caused smoke to come out of both his nostrils and mouth.
The day passed in a flash. The dense forest blocked the sun's position, and the constant environment clouded the passage of time. Bryn realized that so much time had passed only when nighttime started, and the plants began to show their colorful glow. This time, Jonas didn't stop running in the dark of the night; their journey continued.
Arriving about a mile from the nest, Jonas stopped.
"Bryn, your next training is to eliminate the Trolls nest a mile in this direction." He said, pointing toward a gap between some of the trees.
Bryn nodded as his mind started to work. He considered all the different versions of trolls before he began to formulate a strategy.
Jonas won't always be here to offer me information. Jonas would not risk my life directly, so there must be a way to kill them all. I'll test myself as well.
Ignoring Jonas for a moment, Bryn decided to analyze his body. The moment he felt most connected with himself was when he was practicing yoga. It allowed him to validate his body state, breathing, mana flow, and core situation. It wasn't a continuous decision, but he started a couple of exercises while pondering the best course of action.
Information, confirm I can kill at least one, and plan for the scale.
After validating he still had some energy and focus within, he decided today would be about spying on the trolls. He approached them slowly, he didn't want to call any attention toward himself or the direction he came from. Guaranteeing his nights wouldn't be disturbed by ill intentions from the trolls was of extreme importance.
He circled the nest, arriving at it from the west. What he saw had some similarities with his recollections. The creatures were more prominent than regular humans; the smaller ones were paired with the female adults he knew. The bigger ones were half a meter bigger than Kwame. There wasn't a clear distinction between males and females; all had leathery skin and pronounced muscles. Despite the size of their heads, the faces felt like they were squished into what wasn't covered by the fur around the head, beard, and back. Their ears were pointy, their noses were big, and they walked in a strange posture, sometimes using their arms as crutches.
For the remaining portion of the day, Bryn continued analyzing the social workings of the nest before going back to camp to sleep.
The night wasn't great; his mind rushed about his next steps in dealing with the nest, but he was still calm. His first attack started a bit before sunrise. He arrived at the nest from the portion closest to where a few smaller trolls were. He used appraisal to confirm the strength of the ones close to him and was surprised to see their high statuses. They were as strong as some of the bigger boars he had been facing. Still, it was no time to face the challenge.
Bryn formed a small water ball the size of a marble and threw it at one of the trolls' faces. The creature woke up startled, causing a bit of noise to the others. When they moved, Bryn counted at least 15 enemies. The number had increased by 50% from the day before.
His heartbeat increased as the beasts growled at the one who woke them. Most turned to sleep again, but his target was still awake. Bryn used this opportunity to reflect some light into his face. Like a cat looking at a laser dot, the troll stood up, stretching his bottom with its eyes glued to the reflection Bryn tried pointing at it.
The lack of light made it hard to call enough attention to the reflection, forcing Bryn to send a second marble flying at the side of the troll's head. The impact had done it; the troll started to walk strangely toward the nest's edge, looking dead into the forest.
A fight here would cause the entire nest to come at me with everything they have. Let's bring this guy away… Bryn thought as he kept provoking the creature with water marbles a few hundred yards from its home.
The moment he confirmed their distance, Bryn went all out. He activated Bryn's Inferno as he dashed full speed at the creature. It had no chance to react. Bryn didn't know it then, but those trolls were less than a week old. They had barely left the inner portion of the nest. The high status was a characteristic of the race, but they were still learning how to walk. Nonetheless, Bryn instantly gained a level as Akusashi split the beast into two.
The result encouraged Bryn to repeat the process several times, killing another five creatures before the nest was operational again. He also gained another three levels, reaching level 25.
It is time; let's check the stronger ones!
He moves, concealing his presence the most he can, forcing his mobility near the camp to be extremely slow. The moment he circled the troll's encampment, his eyes almost popped out of his head. The number of adult trolls had increased as well.
Fuck, they reproduce this fast; it means I'll have to kill them faster than that! I get the challenge now. How should I go about this… Bryn bit his finger as he thought about his situation.
Far from the nest, Jonas evaluated his performance as he spoke with Gabriel. He had voiced his concerns about how Gabriel dealt with the young faun and their deal. Still, it wasn't his place to intervene now.
Gabriel was impressed that Bryn hadn't asked Jonas many things before he started to deal with the nest, but according to Jonas's report, the number and power of the trolls had yet to pass his limits. His time with Freya and Sylas at the capital allowed him to get a perspective of how things had evolved in the edges of his beloved country, but they were still waiting for an audience with the king. Jonas cut his connection to Gabriel when he noticed Bryn approaching an adult troll, quickly repositioning himself near the two.
Bryn made small noises a few yards away from the creature's path. The trolls' curiosity astonished Bryn. Anything was enough for them to rush in the direction it came from. Clearly, their continence or intelligence was lower than that of the animals he had faced so far.
Appraisal still worked on the creature. For the first time, it had some status higher than himself, mainly on vitality and strength. A smile formed on Bryn's face as his blood boiled through his body. He started to run a bit loudly away from the nest. The creature didn't think twice. It used everything to rush straight in Bryn's direction. It broke whatever was in its path, be it trees or bushes. It ignored them, focused solely on the noise ahead.
Far away from the nest, Bryn concealed his movements once again. The forest's silence caused the troll to stop running and look around the lightly illuminated jungle. Bryn used his speed to change positions and prepare an attack at its blindspot. The young faun jumped from a tree, aiming his sword at the creature's neck, but was surprised by the instinct it showed. A hand turned back at incredible speed. What shocked Bryn wasn't the speed itself, but the momentum behind it.
Evading the slap mid-air was had, but Bryn couldn't do it, slashing the troll's leg and causing a flesh wound. Bryn quickly hid again in the jungle, looking at the creature agonizingly and licking its leg, curious about the origin of its pain.
The saliva started to mix with the blood, and as Bryn began sprinting toward the next attack, his body stopped. The leg slowly trembled as the beast's flesh and vessels quacked and reformed. It took five long seconds, but the cut was nowhere to be seen. Only the splattered blood remained.