Two more trolls exploded from the treeline, rushing toward Firtz.
[Volley]
A-Nis saw them in time and let loose a flurry of arrows, causing one of them to veer away back into the forest. She kept the pressure on it, firing arrow after arrow as it weaved through the trees. The other troll slammed into Firtz, who had just enough time to raise his axe before the massive thing's bulk crashed down on him. Abad threw his flames at the creature, which screamed as its skin burned away. Firtz began hacking at it's legs, trying to cut it down to his size.
Abad heard something behind them. Just as he turned, another troll exploded from the treeline on the other side of the road. A-Nis didn't have time to react to the new creature. She was clipped in the shoulder by the creature's fist just as Shani lifted her shield to block it's strike. In retaliation, she heaved, cutting the creature's arm off at the elbow.
The new troll's attack gave the creature who escaped into the treeline enough time to exploit their vulnerable position. The troll roared as it exited the treeline, a dozen arrows littering its body, and slammed its bulk into the sisters, overrunning them. The warrior was thrown forward but rolled, preventing the brunt of the attack, but A-Nis was trampled by the surprise attack, the creature falling on top of her.
Abad threw his flames into the armless troll's stump. A hellish scream emitted from its lips. It gripped its cauterized arm as it stomped back into the forest. A loud crack sounded from the pile of troll and elf that writhed on the ground, the woman's screams muffled by the troll's bulk. Firtz roared and slammed his axe into the creature's spine, causing it to fall limp on top of her.
[Heroic Might]
His muscles bulging and with a massive heave, Firtz threw the troll off her and pulled her up. Her face was bloodied, and her bow was shattered on the ground where she had been pinned.
The warlock reached out with his senses just in time to catch the armless troll's attempt at a surprise attack. Without thinking, Abad let loose his flames, striking the creature directly in the face as it exited the trees. Within seconds, it was twitching on the ground in death spasms. He grabbed a nearby branch and lit it on the dying troll's flames, scorching the other two before they could regenerate. He was using too much mana and didn't want to reveal his warlock abilities if he didn't have to.
Shani ran to her sister and looked her over, he eyes filled with love and concern. Leaving them to check on one another, Abad searched with his senses again. There were a half dozen more trolls surrounding them in the woods, held back by the burning flesh of their fallen allies. They were hazy, indistinct, but he could feel them. There was something else too. Something much bigger coming toward them, but it was further off. Too far to be an immediately threat.
"We should move! Now!" Abad shouted at the group. None hesitated. Firtz scooped the boy up in one arm, and Shani helped her sister hobble as they ran. Knowing the creatures would be more reluctant to attack him, he held himself back, calling upon more flame with [Burn the Weak], then used nearly the last his remaining mana to cast [Aura of Dread]. The others visibly shuddered as the wave of negative energy flowed over them. He'd have to think up a lie later. He would be able to cast one, maybe two more spells before pulling on his life force, and he didn't have much of that to spare anymore.
Life force.
He turned and sprinted back to the burning corpses. One by one, he reached down and touched the still-twitching flesh and cast [Essence Transfer]. Motes of blue and red energy poured from the creatures. They had far more essence within them than the old corpse had back in his vault. He felt his power grow substantially... and inside of their life and mana essences, there was something else. He could feel a small black ball of... something.
"Give me a few moments!" He shouted to them as they ran away. They shouted back at him to hurry as another troll exited the treeline ahead of them. He focused on the black ball of essence, his senses soon fading, leaving him heedless of the battle happening around him. He could hear the dwarf shout, the girls calling to one another, the boy's little footsteps receding from them, but none of it mattered. All that mattered was here, floating in front of him, just out of reach.
He reached out to it with will, pulling mote of black to him. It slowly floated onto the skin of his palm, then sunk in, entering his spirit. There, he felt his soul surge as the little black ball melded with the corruption within him, and words burned into his mind.
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You have reached Shadowspawn II.
You have gained the [Siphon of the Abyss] talent.
[Siphon of the Abyss] (Shadowspawn II, Talent): Tap into the power of your corrupted heritage to drain life essence from nearby enemies, dealing a moderate amount of damage and lightly healing yourself with each target you drain. This ability is particularly effective against creatures who share your heritage.
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Coming back to his senses, he heard the sounds of battle. Another one of the trolls was down, Firtz carving into its outstretched arm as it futilely tried to defend itself from his attacks. Past him, the girls were fighting back a particularly ugly and large troll. They kept saying a word. His name.
"Abad! We need some help over here!" A-Nis screamed, stabbing and slicing with her dagger as the troll pressed its attack. One of her arms hung limply.
"Come on, hurry up!" Shani cried, the troll slicing into her leg with its claws.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
[Heroic Strike]
She returned the gesture by taking half its head.
[Burn the Weak]
He conjured a second ball of flames and ran to them. When the wave of dread cascaded over the first troll, he looked away from Firtz and received a ball of flames for its trouble. Abad sprinted past, toward the girls and the half-headed troll. He threw his other spell with all his might. When the flames hit its exposed brain, its head lit up light a candle. It took faltering steps toward the forest as its brain meat sputtered and smoked. Before it reached the edge of the road, however, he lifted his hand and snapped his fingers.
[Siphon of the Abyss]
Tendrils of black energy shot from his outstretched fingers, burying themselves into to two nearby creatures, and ripping scintillating essence from their spirits. The half-headed troll collapsed at the edge of the road, its body collapsing into ash. They wouldn't survive if he held back. He'd deal with the repercussions later.
[Burn the Weak]
His flames consumed the troll Firtz had torn apart, its severed flesh burning to ash in seconds.
Firtz rushed to the girls and placed his hand on A-Nis, whose arm was torn and bloodied.
[Lay on Hands]
The thick gash on her forearm closed, and she picked up a second dagger that she had dropped with her half-healed arm. Shani's leg was bleeding and half her face was soaked in blood.
[Lay on Hands]
Firtz laid his hands on her, then grumbled. The wound on Shani's forehead closed, but her face was swollen. "I'm out of mana. Mage, you've some dark magic. We'll have a talk once all this is done, yeah?"
Abad cursed his luck. "If we survive, sure, but keep your head about you."
The man's steely gaze looked him over, but he nodded. "How many are left?"
"Maybe the same amount? Some feel like they're the same strength, but one is much stronger. None are to the south now. The strong one is heading up the road from the wagons."
Firtz rushed forward and braced himself in front them all facing the trees on the north side of the road. The rest of them readied themselves behind him. "Come on out, you rat bastards!"
Focusing with his senses, Abad could feel the presence of the trolls. His senses were getting more acute. He wasn't struggling as much to feel them out. His scroll unfurled in his mind.
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You have upgraded [Fey Senses] to [Fey Senses II].
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And then, he could feel it. He could feel them.
There were four more. Three to the north, one to the east. The one coming up the road was much stronger. It was moving slowly, deliberately, observing them as they fought.
"Where are they at, mage?" The dwarf shouted.
"I'll call them!"
[Burn the Weak]
Wicked flames appeared in Abad's hand again. He had to pull on some of his life force, but he would be okay. When they saw the flames, the creatures fell still. He could feel them watching. Between his aura and the flames, Abad knew they'd be wary, but their fear wouldn't last long.
Suddenly, something entered his aura, screamed, the pushed through.
"Left!" The group turned. A troll charged out of the darkness but was cut down by the focused effort of the three before it could do anything, then was burned away from Abad's flames.
A roar came from the other side. "Straight ahead!" Abad shouted as another troll erupted from the treeline. Still another emerged from the right.
[Burn the Weak]
"I've got this one, take the one to the right!" The party obeyed, charging the one he called for them, leaving him alone. He held his flames in front of himself, and the creature, eying it and him with hungry rage-filled eyes, slobbered as it tried to get around the hungry flames. The troll to his right squealed as the trio cut into it.
They worked well as a team. The troll didn't stand a chance.
Abad could see the dumb creature in front of him thinking. It smiled a cruel idiot smile as it concluded something. Giggling, it darted to the right, but its eyes gave it away. The second its foot hit the ground, it cut back to the left, but Abad saw the feint. He slammed his flaming fist into the creature's face. It's head ignited instantly, its skin peeling away as its flesh cooked, the fat melting like a candle. Within seconds, its eyes popped, and it began to claw at itself before falling down, dead.
[Siphon of the Abyss]
He felt some life force flow back into him, but he was tiring. His mana was spent. He was beginning to feel his head pound. The three had cut down their opponent, so he rushed forward and burned it away with another [Burn the Weak]. His aching head began to pound. Before it could burn away completely, Abad placed his hand on the smoking creature and cast [Essence Transfer]. He again was filled with some mana and life force, but this troll was far weaker than the last, and there was no mote of dark power within.
"You may be dark, lad, but you're quite the mage!" Firtz roared as he turned down the road, ready to end the fight. Shani was visibly tired, and her eye had swollen shut. A-Nis looked worse. She was panting, and blood covered her limbs and tunic. She was favoring her right led.
"One more. Be ready!" He warned them.
He closed his eyes. He could almost see the final creature in his mind. It was a troll, but far larger. It was watching from the shadows of a tree just out of sight to the east. He could feel the creature's malevolence, some cruel intellect guiding it. The other trolls were dumb things that were drawn to combat by hunger, but this thing was cunning. It had sized them up, watched as its fellows were cut down to figure out their strategies. Let its fellows wear them down so it could finish them off. "This thing is much stronger than the others. Ready yourselves."
"Stronger? Bah, we've killed nine. This'll be cake!" The dwarf raised his large axe and looked around, waiting for the final creature to reveal itself, and reveal itself it did.
It marched out of the forest, bearing its toothy maw as it emerged from behind a large oak. It was huge, standing at least twelve feet and was almost as wide. It's long limbs dragged on the ground, its huge fists balled. Black, wiry hair covered most of its body. It howled at the moon above, beating its chest once.
Then it spoke.
"Meat. No fight. Die now."
Abad was taken aback. Trolls couldn't speak. Barely could think. He'd only ever heard tales of one troll that was able to learn the common tongue: Thrakkar. But Thrakkar had been crossed with an orc in one of Zaros' experiments. This thing was far bigger.
"It's talking..." Shani hissed.
"I see the great Goddess has given us another gift tonight!" Firtz spat on the ground and laughed heartily. The laughter sounded silly in the face of such a threat. "Your speech won't save you from our blades, foul thing!"
"Small warrior fall like others." The creature sniffed the air, pointing at Abad. "Elf smells strange. Eat him last. Eat you first!" It pointed at A-Nis.
The troll exploded, moving with far more speed than anything they had faced. Before either warrior could react, it slammed into them, a wild backhand sending Firtz flying twenty feet up the road, it's house-sized chest throwing Shani into Abad. They landed hard on the ground, only recovering just in time to see the beast snatch up A-Nis in a hand bigger than her torso. Lifting her overhead like she was nothing, he shook her violently then threw her. She flew at least as far as Firtz had, struck a tree, and landed in a heap. She didn't move.
"A-Nis!" Shani screamed.