Pffft! Pffft! Two arrows whizzed past, singing a deadly song near my ear. I ducked low, urging my mare forward. Her nostrils flared, eyes wide with terror, mirroring the frantic pounding of my own heart.

The stench of Orc filled the air, thick and suffocating, a monstrous presence closing in fast.

"Micah! Jasmine!" I screamed, my voice snatched away by the wind.

Their figures emerged from the trees, faces etched with grim determination. Jasmine reined in her horse, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Let me stay with you," she pleaded.

I shook my head, my jaw set. "You need to go with Micah. Get to Landcaster, warn the king. The Orc King has returned."

Her gaze held mine for a beat, then she nodded, a tender smile gracing her lips for a fleeting moment. With a final nudge, I sent her horse galloping away, Lyam and Wilgar flanking her like loyal guardians.

Lyam, ever the optimist, let out a rough laugh. "Trying to hog all the glory, are you? Not a chance!"

Wilgar, his face a mask of stoicism since the Orcs had butchered his family, remained silent, his grip tightening around his axe handle.

"Today's a good day to die fighting Orcs," he finally rasped, his voice a low growl.

A tense silence descended before the forest erupted in a cacophony of guttural roars and pounding feet. The Orcs were upon us.

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"The trees rustled, and a troll stepped out. It was a behemoth, towering over seven feet tall, its skin covered in a grotesque tapestry of fungi. Glowing red eyes, burning with malevolent intelligence, scanned the surroundings. With a guttural roar that shook the very ground, it charged.

Lyam, ever vigilant, loosed an arrow. It found its mark, sinking deep into both the troll's knees. The creature howled in rage, its bellow echoing through the forest. Enraged, it swung its massive club, a tree trunk-sized weapon that pulverized a boulder in its path. Lyam, narrowly escaping the devastating blow, rolled aside.

I, riding close behind, seized the opportunity. With a swift, practiced motion, I slashed at the troll's hamstrings with my sword, 'Deathbringer.' The creature reeled, its legs buckling under the combined assault. It swung its club wildly, a desperate, indiscriminate attack as it sought to regain its footing. We, both Lyam and I, danced around its frenzied assault, knowing that a direct hit from that weapon would mean certain death.

Lyam, with a cool precision that belied the chaos, loosed another arrow. This time, it found its mark with chilling accuracy, gouging out one of the troll's glowing red eyes. The creature shrieked in agony, its movements becoming more erratic, more desperate"