That way I can both work on my personal strength and the test at the same time. The only drawback is the fact that I need to return to the castle every day at dawn to train my troops. Otherwise I could stay out there and just hunt for a few days straight.
Since it is still a few hours until dawn I decide to get some rest, I've been pushing fairly hard since I entered the test. Then when dawn comes I get up and head out to take my troops for their run. Shard and his troop are waiting with mine, so I take everyone and set off running.
"Shard, for the next few days can you lead the exercise for both troops?"
Shard says "Sure, I can do that. Mind if I ask why?"
"I am working on a quest for the adventurer's guild and need some time to complete it."
Shard says "Okay, no problem."
With that problem solved I can now go hunt for the next few days without any interruption. Once the day's training is done I get some food and pick up some supplies before I head out. After making my way down the trade road I attack and kill the ettin lookout.
His yelling brings four more running but I easily avoid them and make my way into the hills. My goal is to return to the underground but since it is day time there are a lot of ettins above ground. Avoiding the groups, I do manage to find three more ettins to kill as I make my way towards the cave.
When I finally get within sight of the cave entrance I am forced to stop, there are more than two guards. In fact there are six ettins guarding the cave entrance, more than I can handle. Giving up on getting in that way I start hunting through the nearby hills looking for another way in.
The cave system seemed fairly extensive so the odds of there being another entrance are fairly high. Now it is just a matter of finding one without running into a group of ettins. Of course, anytime I find an ettin alone I do my best to kill it quickly before help can arrive.
Four more ettins die as I search a dozen caves, but none of them connect to the cave network. I am starting to think I will have to wait until nightfall to try and get in the main entrance. However, the next cave I walk into changes my mind, this isn't because of the sleeping ettin in the cave.
It is because as soon as I step into the cave I can feel air flow coming from the back of the cave. After making the ettin's slumber eternal I move to the back of the cave and find a small crack. A few well placed blows from my fist widen the crack enough for me to squeeze through.
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This drops me into a decent sized cavern with over a dozen exits, but I have no idea which one to take. In the end I just pick one at random and start exploring, soon I am completely lost. It is a complete maze down here, with tunnels crossing and doubling back.
After three hours of wandering I finally find my way into the underground world. However, it is through a completely different entrance than the ettins use. As soon as I enter the underground world I realize night has already fallen outside because the crystals are fully lit up.
Since my plan is to avoid going into the shadow apes caves where I can be overwhelmed I start hunting ettins. I quickly find out that even down here they have changed their behavior, instead of running around solo they are in pairs. It makes it harder to kill them but not impossible, it just takes more time.
While I am taking a break, to catch my breath after killing my third pair, I spot an unusual ettin. This ettin stands two feet taller than the regular ettins, he also has a single horn growing out of each forehead. Since he has two ettins following him, acting as bodyguards, I am convinced this is the ettin's chief.
The other odd thing is instead of a club he actually has a sword, to a human it would be two-handed but he is using it in one hand. Three ettins at once would be hard enough but I get the feeling the chief will be a tougher opponent. However, I have no intention of missing this opportunity, he needs to die.
Without their leader the ettins should be much easier to deal with, chaos provides opportunities. So, I drop down from the branch I was resting on and start stalking after the three ettins. My plan is to deal with the two guards first and then the chief by himself.
I follow the three ettins until they come across an area where they are forced into moving single file. Waiting until the chief and the first guard pass around a tree, I rush out to attack the second guard. He is currently isolated and it will take at least a few seconds for the other two to turn around and come back to aid him.
My first attack catches him completely by surprise and I manage to slash his hamstring. This forces him down to one knee and gives me a chance to inflict some serious damage. As he is roaring in surprise and pain I hit him with my claws again and again.
Every hit is aimed at a weak spot, I am hoping to at least cripple him before the other two arrive. However, to my surprise it isn't the first guard that comes back to help first, it is the chief. He comes around the tree moving much faster than I expected and as I see him he is already swinging his sword.
As he swings the sword it is wrapped in flames, so I definitely don't want to get hit by it. As I duck under the sword I hit the chief's wrist and redirect his swing so he hits the wounded ettin. As the chief's sword is cutting through the wounded ettin's chest I move in closer to the chief and swing at the inside of his knee.
*DING*
Congratulations! You have acquired the combat skill Hand to Hand Basics!
Hand to Hand Basics
Level: 1
Str +2 Agi +2
Hand to Hand Damage +10%
'Well, it's about time!'
With a loud crack the chief's knee folds the wrong way and he falls to the ground. As he is struggling to get back up I kick the wrist of the arm holding the sword as hard as I can. His sword goes flying and he yells in rage as he tries to slam into me with his body.