Amid the cradle of darkness, under the thick, inked sky, the settlement shimmered with sporadic glimmers of light. The occupants of the camp, weary from travel and the happenings over the last few days, slept.
In this fragile tranquility, one of the sentries patrolling the perimeter tensed. His gaze, exhausted yet vigilant, caught sight of a figure stumbling through the night, frantically waving and bellowing with unbridled fear etched across his features.
"Monster! A monster’s after me!" the man shrieked, voice serrated with terror.
No sooner had the warning erupted in the still air than an enormous shadow lunging from the velvety blackness, pouncing on the hapless individual with feral savagery.
The guard’s eyes widened, his heart thumping against his ribcage like a desperate prisoner as he witnessed the horror unfolding before him.
The creature, a grotesque, malformed troll with grey skin as tough as stone and eyes glowing with malevolent red, sank its teeth into the man, silencing his screams. It tore off the man’s head before ripping into his gut, removing his organs and gorging on them.
Once it was done, it sensed another presence and locked onto the guard staring at it. The troll bared its fangs and tossed the corpse aside before it charged at him.
“Shit!” The guard gripped his short sword, which was nothing more than a large knife, tightly as fear started to overcome him. He froze like a deer in the headlights, staring at the deadly creature before him.
It wasn’t until it was a few feet away that he finally came back to his senses and jumped out of the way. Unfortunately, that only delayed his death by a few seconds as the troll turned and smashed its large fist into the man’s sternum, caving his chest in.
Blood immediately rushed into his lungs, and his vision started to darken. He knew he was about to die soon, but with every ounce of his remaining strength, he opened his mouth and shouted at the top of his lungs, “MONSTER! RU-UGH!”
The troll pounced on his body, squishing the remaining life out of the man.
The guard's final, blood-curdling scream resonated throughout the camp. Moments after his cry, figures emerged from tents and makeshift huts, their faces a blend of confusion and fear. Those closest to the scene were the first to arrive, horror taking root as they witnessed the monstrous troll indulging in its grotesque feast.
A woman, clutching a kitchen knife tightly in her hand, shouted in horror, "AHHHH! There’s a troll in the camp! HELP!”
In a panic, men, women, and even some brave youths brandished whatever weapons they could grab.
There were kitchen knives, pitchforks, and even some firearms, but only those who were part of the police had them.
A burly man named Anders with a shaggy black beard, short black hair, taut muscles, and a makeshift spear came forward, rallying a group. "Form a line! We need to protect the camp!"
Suddenly, the deafening ring of an alarm echoed through the encampment, a shrill cry that pierced the night. The camp, once quiet, now erupted in chaos. Tents flapped open, children cried, and shouts of confusion and fear intermingled.
Despite the disorder, a few of the camp's leaders and experienced fighters attempted to organize the camp’s defense. They formed a defensive line, holding their makeshift weapons high, trying to appear larger and more intimidating to the approaching troll.
However, as soon as the monster came into view, many of them began to tremble in fear. The rough breathing, deep heartbeats, and thundering steps of the creature shook them to the core, but being surrounded by so many people emboldened them.
Seeing so much food in front of it, the troll’s eyes lit up as he roared and charged at them.
“HOLD YOUR POSITIONS!” Anders yelled, taking a step forward as he prepared to lead the charge.
The troll lunged, its movement surprisingly swift for its size. It struck with colossal force, missing its target and hitting the ground, the impact reverberating through their bodies, making the earth beneath their feet tremble. Anders side-stepped with practiced ease, but his eyes narrowed at the power behind the monster.
He dashed to one of its blindspots and thrust his spear into the monster, but his attack was barely enough to pierce its tough skin.
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Suddenly, he heard gunshots coming from the crowd as the few local policemen started unloading on the creature.
Unfortunately, all that did was agitate it.
Now, with bullets lodged in its skin, it ignored Anders and turned to where the noises came from.
“ROAR!” The troll cried out and launched itself at them.
“NO!” Anders yelled, but it was too late.
The troll stomped on two terrified civilians, crushing their spines and killing them instantly. It wantonly swung its meaty fists at the nearby people, caving their skulls in and moving on to its next target.
“DIE! DIE! DIE!” The police officers reloaded and shot at the beast again, who immediately put them on its kill list.
The frenzied scene was a whirlwind of screams and chaos, with camp dwellers scrambling away from the advancing troll, trampling over one another in a blind panic. Each gunshot tore through the night, reverberating in a dissonance of echoes, amplifying the terror coursing through the encampment.
Amid this turmoil, Zayzal and Sera, with eyes wide and muscles tensed for battle, emerged from their tent, instantly assessing the mayhem unfolding before them. With hardly a beat, Sera's hands began to glow with a subtle golden hue, mana flowing and coalescing between her fingertips as she prepared to erect a barrier.
Zayzal's gaze flitted between the troll and the frantic crowd. With swift determination, he moved, his body darting forward like a shadow, spear in hand and eyes locked on the enraged monster.
"Cover me!" He shouted to Sera, his voice carrying over the turmoil.
With a nod, Sera equipped her shield and war axe and ran after him.
Zayzal darted forward, his spear whistling through the night air, its tip aimed unerringly toward the troll's vulnerable eye.
The beast, sensing the approaching threat, swung its colossal arm in an attempt to swat him away. Yet, a protective barrier formed around Zayzal and absorbed the blow, its surface rippling like disturbed water, diffusing the monstrous force.
This provided Zayzal with the split-second he needed to thrust his weapon forward.
The spear found its mark, sinking into the troll’s eye with a sickening squelch. The creature roared, staggering backward, its hands clawing at the embedded weapon.
Yet, the spear held fast, its tip lodged within the beast's skull. The troll thrashed around, blinded and in agony, its movements growing increasingly erratic.
Sera, seeing the troll distracted, seized the opportunity. With a war cry, she sprinted forward with her war axe raised high. As she approached, the troll swung wildly in her direction, but she deflected it with her shield while bringing her axe down with incredible force on its leg. The sharp blade bit into its flesh, drawing a gush of greyish-red blood.
The camp's atmosphere changed subtly, from absolute panic to a flickering hope.
The camp dwellers watched, eyes wide with awe and fear, as Sera and Zayzal skillfully held their ground against the nightmarish creature.
A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd. "They’re holding it off!" one whispered.
"Fight! Kill that thing!" another voice yelled, strengthened by the sight of the battling duo.
Inspired, several camp members joined the fray, wielding their makeshift weapons with renewed determination.
Anders, reinvigorated, lunged again at the troll, his spear finding purchase in its side.
With each passing moment, the troll grew weaker, faltering under the relentless assault.
Finally, with a coordinated push, Zayzal and Sera struck simultaneously at its head and heart. The beast gave a final, shuddering roar before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.
Silence, thick and heavy, descended upon the camp, broken only by the soft whimpers and cries of the shaken dwellers.
Then, slowly, a cheer began to build, a chorus of relieved and triumphant voices rising into the night.
Zayzal and Sera turned to face the crowd, their faces streaked with sweat and troll blood, eyes shining with the fire of victory. They glanced at each other and smiled. Their teamwork seemed to be improving with every battle.
Anders approached them, clapping Zayzal on the shoulder with a grin.
"Good shit, you two," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "Without you, I don’t know if we would’ve been able to kill this thing."
Zayzal turned to the man and noticed he was the only person in this camp with a black talent. He put that aside and nodded with a chuckle, “I don’t know, you looked pretty skilled out there.”
“Well…” Anders became silent at the unexpected compliment and wasn’t sure what to say. He had practiced a bit with the bo-staff, but he’d never used it in real life. The fact someone could recognize that made him a bit happy.
“Anyways, is this normal? We’ve seen monsters before, but nothing like this.” Zayzal steered the subject while glancing at the troll.
“Hmmm…” Anders thought for a moment before he spoke up hesitantly, “...I wouldn’t say normal, but there have been sightings of monsters in the area. However, this is my first time seeing one up close.”
Zayzal nodded seriously and looked at Sera, who had the same expression as him. They both had the same thoughts.
“Seems like a dungeon is nearby.” He muttered, causing Anders’ eyes to widen.
“Dungeon?! You mean, like the ones from those fantasy stories?!”
“Quiet down.” Zayzal shot him a glare, feeling all the eyes turn to them. Anders immediately shut up after realizing his mistake, but the shock never left his expression. “It’s just speculation, but certainly a possibility. However, we’ve only seen one dungeon, so I could be wrong.”
Allowing Anders to digest this information, Zayzal walked over to Sera and whispered, “What do you want to do? Try and find this dungeon, or keep moving forward?”
Sera fell into contemplation. There were numerous pros and cons to looking for and entering an unknown dungeon. The pros were the possible loot, battle experience, and other potential discoveries, while the cons were, of course, the danger and time investment.
While they weren’t exactly on a time crunch, the sooner they reached Greece, the better.
‘But, the fact that Zayzal asked me means that he’s fine either way.’ Sera thought before a large smile etched on her face. She had come to her decision.
Zayzal noticed that expression and shook his head with a wry chuckle. However, his eyes gleamed with battle intent as well. “I guess we’re going hunting.”