That first day was undoubtedly the most miserable I'd experienced. All we did was ride. I even pointed out that the horses couldn't maintain this pace and that we needed longer breaks. But apparently, there were stables in villages where you could switch horses.

Even the scenery was nothing remarkable. While forests were pleasant, when your in pain they quickly became monotonous. As the day progressed, however, it seemed the trees were gradually giving way to more open land. We stopped at noon for some rest and food, but I was in such a wretched mood that I didn't talk much. It was during this break that I learned more about my companions. They had been doing this job for over ten years, and both were without families, which allowed them to take on more dangerous contracts.

My torment finally seem to end when a village came into view.

"Is the saddle giving you trouble?" Alira teased, clearly enjoying my discomfort.

My misery seemed to be the topic of the day, and they took great delight in reminding me of my shortcomings. But it was all in good fun, right? Riding all day was a pretty boring activity.

"If you're as good a fighter as you are a rider, the trolls better watch out!" Viper chimed in, joining the teasing.

Even Steel couldn’t resist adding to it. “He’ll confuse the trolls as to why he’s protecting his ass and not his face!” Laughter erupted.

"How many more days do I have to suffer until we reach our destination?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"If the weather holds and we maintain a good pace, reaching a new outpost every day, we'll be at the border in three days. After that, we'll have to proceed on foot, as horses would attract too much attention," Steel explained, taking on his usual role as the planner.

"So, tell me about the trolls. Do they speak the same language? How dangerous are they really? Do they have any weaknesses?" I inquired, trying to cover all my bases.

"As I mentioned on the first day, everyone understands each other, but they do have a peculiar accent. They are extremely dangerous because of their high health regeneration. Essentially, they're difficult to kill; they just get back up like nothing happened," Alira explained.

"They must have some weakness; otherwise, they would have conquered everything," I reasoned.

"Unlike us, they aren't really the conquering type. Their tribal nature leads to frequent wars, so they don't need more territory due to population pressure," Alira elaborated, showcasing her knowledge.

"And how exactly are we going to find one lone man in the hinterlands?" I asked, skeptical of our plan.

"We know the route he took, and we'll follow it. It's between two tribal lands, so we won't be heading straight for their cities or anything," Steel assured, though his uncertainty was palpable.

"And if we find out he was captured and not turned into stew, then what? Attack the village?" I hoped they weren't that foolish.

"Let's just say a distraction that could keep them busy is exactly why it took us four days to accept the contract," Viper revealed, clearly enjoying the suspense.

Feeling my patience waning, I retorted, "Let's be serious here. You saw my shield and approached me without even knowing if I had any offensive abilities. Clearly, I'm supposed to be the bait. So, is it really that complicated?"

Alira lightened the mood. "Look on the bright side, with their regeneration, you won't have to worry about killing them too easily."

With that, both Viper and Steel raised their eyebrows, and the amusement on their faces turned to surprise.

Smiling at this small victory, I added, “So, Alira, what’s your role in all this? Are you the bait with me or part of the rescue mission with them?”

"I'll watch our backs to make sure we're not ambushed by another group," she said, though even the hunters chuckled at that statement.

"Sure, let's go with that," I said.

If this was the only mode of transportation this planet had to offer, I was buying myself a little farm and retiring as early as I could afford it.

After three grueling days, we reached the border. At least the weather held, and we made good time.

The hinterlands were not that impressive: a small forest here, a bit of grassland there, then more patches of forest. All it did was make walking unseen difficult. At one point, we even stumbled upon a camp in a forest clearing that seemed to have belonged to the noble’s son, so at least we were on the right track.

"So, what exactly was their destination that made it worth pushing through troll territory?" I asked as we had some cold rations.

"There's a legend," Alira began, "that after a titanic battle between two gods, a fragment of a god fell into a mountain and created a cave." She paused for effect. "Now, here the legends differ somewhat. Some say it grants power, others say it brings the dead back to life, heals you, makes you immortal, or, the classic, grants a wish."

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"So, I assume the mountain is nearby, but what makes people believe in it?" I asked.

"There's no proof, but the trolls avoid the mountain for some reason. And whenever a new warlord wants legitimacy that the gods didn't grant, they use the old 'the magical cave gave me this trinket, so I rule now' excuse," Viper explained.

One of my favorite movie jokes was just too perfect not to say. "Strange caves distributing trinkets are no basis for a system of government," I quipped. Viper burst into laughter, and even Steel cracked a smile, which, for him, was quite an achievement. But Alira watched me closely.

"It's less funny when you're quoting others from your world," she said, with such certainty I started to wonder if she had some power to read minds or detect lies.

Deciding not to dig myself deeper, I replied, "Yes, it was said by others, but how did you know? You seemed almost certain. Are there powers that can read minds?"

"You've led an easy life; you don't know how to lie," she said, seemingly meant as a dis, but her tone made it sound more like a compliment.

Steel decided to answer the second question. "There are powers to read minds, but they're very rare and give you terrible headaches, so they can't be used against you without you knowing."

"That has some interesting implications. So, I'm assuming every king has one on the payroll?" I asked.

"You'd think so, but some have a second power that's essentially mind control. So, every empath with a shred of intelligence keeps their powers secret. They're one of the few powers that are to be killed on sight," Steel explained matter-of-factly.

"Damn, that's harsh." But it's one of those problems with no easy solutions and great potential for really messed-up situations. "So, don't choose mind powers ever. Good to know," I concluded.

The night passed uneventfully, and by the next day, we found some signs of a recent camp. They had about twenty people in the expedition, so tracks were still visible where they stopped. By the third day of walking, we couldn't find any more tracks or campsites, so it was reasonable to assume they were ambushed and captured by tribes in the area.

"So, what tribes are in the area?" I asked as Steel unfolded a map, studying it carefully for a few minutes.

"Stonejaw seems the most likely culprit. They're more aggressive toward outsiders, and while not the closest, my coin is on them," Steel replied, focused on the map.

"And which tribe is the closest?" Alira asked, showing a rare gap in her knowledge.

"Bloodfang, but they're the most peaceful towards humans," Steel responded.

"Your kidding?" I interjected.

"Despite what the name suggests, they've never caused problems for humans," Viper added.

"Maybe those who are taken by them never live to spread the stories?" I suggested.

"Guys, I think we're being watched. Try not to make any sudden movements, just act normal," Alira said calmly as she continued eating.

"Well, let's pack up slowly and surely. Maybe they're content just to watch," Viper suggested as he began gathering his backpack.

An arrow streaked through the air and hit Steel in the chest, but it broke instantly. Alira dodged another arrow and took cover behind a tree, while Viper hid behind some nearby rocks. Steel seemed torn between staying and hiding, and I couldn't help but wonder why, if he had powers like mine, we needed a distraction again.

Between all the arrows, some trolls became visible even to my untrained eye; clearly, many of them had started advancing. They were very tall and lithe, with white paint on them in various combinations with blue, indicating their clan maybe.

A blue lightning bolt hit Steel in the chest, and he crumpled. It seemed his power and magic didn't mix well. Steadying my hand, I sent a Lightning bolt of my own toward the closest troll, and he went down just as easily. That seemed to give them pause. Maybe it was the similarity between powers or the ease of it. Whatever it was, the attacks stopped. With not much else to do, I went to where Viper and now Alira were standing.

It appeared Alira had anticipated this to some extent, as I learned troll shamans could wield lightning, something uncommon for humans. They were under the impression that another tribe might be nearby. That was her theory, at least. But that impression wasn't going to last much longer. Taking Steel on my shoulder, we headed in the opposite direction.

"They are still following us," Alira mentioned, and we quickened our pace.

"They are too many to fight; our only chance is to cross over into Bloodfang territory," Viper added.

After some walking, Steel showed signs of waking up, so we paused for a few seconds to let him regain his bearings. Unfortunately, our retreat was taking us out of the forest and into the plains. As we slowly made our way, their numbers became apparent; there were at least fifty of them.

With the forest giving way, they had confirmation no other tribe was present and attacked.

"Run!" Viper yelled, and we immediately took off as arrows started whizzing past us.

Still they didn’t seem to be going at full speed, perhaps because the hilly terrain still provided some ambush opportunities. Their hesitance allowed us to keep our distance and even gain some ground.

As we passed another hill, it became apparent that Stonejaw had been wise, as ten or so red-painted trolls rose from the grass, and tiny darts flew at us. Viper was hit by a few and went down, Alira dodged a few, but since we were surrounded, the darts were coming from every direction, and she went down as well when one dart finally connected.

Steel lasted longer, as the darts bounced off him, but then a lightning bolt struck him down, as before. I was having better luck; the darts weren’t finding their mark, and I managed to down one Bloodfang troll. The second lightning bolt came for me, but it was absorbed by the Mana Shield, and it didn't feel as draining as my own spell which was encouraging. Without the forest to conceal them, it seemed only one troll in a more complicated paint pattern was responsible for the spell. Perhaps he was the shaman leader.

By this time, the other tribe had caught up, and more and more red-painted trolls appeared from the grass until their numbers were almost equal.

There was no way I could take on that many trolls. So, the only plan I could think of was to scream, "I surrender!" and put my hands up. Maybe they would kill each other, but that seemed far-fetched. Still they seemed to forget about me or ignore me, as one from each tribe approached, engaging in a heated conversation, though they were too far for me to hear. I used that time to check the pulse of my companions. They were alive; they must have been hit with something non-lethal.

There wasn’t much else to do but wait. It seemed the white paint troll was angrier, and he was gesturing more animatedly. After a few more shouts between them, the white-painted trolls started to retreat. Just my luck with all the tribal squabbles between them, I find the two tribes that solve conflicts diplomatically, and the leader was coming in my direction.

"I surrender," I said again, trying to keep my voice neutral.

"You will come with us," the leader said in a somewhat understandable but guttural voice.

Not wanting to sound sarcastic, in case they understood human mannerisms, I maintained the neutral tone. "Where are we going?"

"You will follow. No harm will come to you."

It could have gone worse, I guess.