WHEN ALFRED AND MIYAMOTO WENT INTO the forest, it didn’t take them very long to find evidence of a troll. They were big clumsy oafs, and that made them very easy to track as subtly wasn’t exactly a strong suit. As the followed the trail, things started to look either really good or really bad. There were multiple tracks for them to follow, which meant this was one troll that was moving back and forth all over the place, or there was a group of trolls walking together. Just as the sun was going down, they managed to track down what looked like the troll’s camp, but to their surprise there was no one there. There was no fire, only empty piles of leaves that indicated to the men that at least three trolls were camping here.
“This is not good,” Alfred said, “Where the hell are they?”
“Could be anywhere,” Miyamoto said, just as concerned. “Hunting, swimming or even out causing trouble. We need to be careful cause the last thing we want to do is fight three of these buggers at the same time.”
“Or more,” Alfred agreed, “They could be doubling in the leaves for warmth, so that could mean maybe six. Let’s get out of here.”
“Agreed,” Miyamoto said as the two of them vacated the area.
They doubled back the way they came in hoping not to bump into he very things they were tracking. Once they were out of the forest, and back on the trail to town they started to calm down a bit and let their guard down. That didn’t last for long as the closer they got to town, the more messed up things appeared. At one of the crosswalks where there was usually just a street merchant, there was a small crowd of people, many of them wearing on robes and night dresses which looked out of place. The two warriors ran up to see what the group was doing there.
“What’s going on?” Alfred said, inspecting them for any wounds.
“Trolls,” one of the women cried out, “Several of them showed up into town just after sunset and started throwing things around and causing mayhem.”
“That’s odd,” Miyamoto said, “Usually they prefer to stay away from big towns.”
“They look angry,” Another man said, “As if they were provoked.”
“Now that makes more sense,” Alfred said, “They likely got frustrated from bad fishing and hunting, then came to town to steal food.”
“And the more people resist, but angrier they will become.” Miyamoto said, as he raised his hands to calm the crowd. “Remain here and stay calm. We’re going into town to deal with this matter. We’ll do our best to dispatch these grotesque things from your town.”
It was at this point where a loud, and very ear-piercing howl filled the air. A roar that was so loud that it had everyone covering their ears. The two warriors looked at one another in disbelief.
“Is that what I think it is?” Alfred asked.
“Hakken,” Miyamoto confirmed, “But that was no ordinary howl. There was a lot of anger behind that.”
“So, trolls and Hakken?” Alfred said, sighing. “Could it get any worse?”
“It could, but let’s hope one takes out the other before we arrive,” Miyamoto said, “And then we’ll just finish off the other or what’s left of it.”
It took the two men little time for them to jog the rest of the way back into town, and when they did enter the town, the mess waiting for them was brutal and messy. There were bodies, even horses torn apart in the chaos as trolls didn’t care for anything when eager to get what they want. Both men had swords drawn and were slowly walking down the street, and when they turned a corner that would lead them closer to the town square there was a surprise waiting for them: a dead troll.
“Look here,” Miyamoto said, as he pointed to a part of the troll with the tip of his blade. “Claw marks. This troll was killed by the Hakken.”
“Common enemy I guess,” Alfred said, “Even Hakken hate the trolls.”
“No one likes trolls,” Miyamoto concurred, “They are sloopy, unthinking brutes that rub everyone and everything the wrong way. So, it’s not that surprising that even the Hakken despise them as well.”
“It also means they might have caught up to us,” Alfred also added, “These could be the Hakken trying to take Calissa away.”
“One problem at a time,” Miyamoto said, “Let’s clear the town of all pests and then we’ll worry about where to go next.”
While walking closer to the town square they came upon two more troll bodies, and they were also brutally clawed up. As they were checking the troll body, another loud howl came from the center of town, and it was louder and sounded even more blood curling than the roar they heard outside of town.
“This way,” Miyamoto said, as the two men picked up their pace.
When they arrived at the town square, the did so just in time to watch the last troll die. Where were claw marks all over its body, and the two men watched as some pretty big furry hands twisted the trolls head so hard that it was separated from its body, which fell to the ground with a rather a large thud. When the body hit the ground, the two men watch were finally able to see the source of the howl. There was only one Hakken present, and it was not only as tall as the troll it has just murdered, but its fur was a stunning snow white from head to toe. The wolf before them dropped the trolls head and then arched its head towards the sky and let out another howl that was so loud, that windows within a block were shattering. The two warriors covered their ears and couldn’t believe what was going on.
“Holy crap,” Alfred said, “That thing has lungs!”
“I’ve never seen such projection before,” Miyamoto confessed, “This isn’t a normal Hakken, especially that coat. I’ve never seen a white Hakken before.”
“What are we…” Alfred stopped mid sentence as he noticed something. “Look!”
The Hakken in the middle of the square was suddenly starting to shrink. The fur was also turning short and even disappearing as the wolf was transforming before their eyes.
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“It’s changing to it’s human form,” Miyamoto said, as he drew out his sword, “This is our only chance; let’s sneak up on it while it’s distracted!”
They both started to run up towards the Hakken as it was returning to its human form, but as they got closer something looks weird and Alfred didn’t like where this was going. As they came right upon the human he reached out and stopped Miyamoto before he could strike.
“Wait!” Alfred said, as he reached out to stop his friend from moving in closer for the potential kill.
What they witnessed was the Hakken’s body also shrink smaller than what the assumed would be a normal sized human, and then the dark hair set something off in Alfred’s mind as he was hoping his instincts were not correct.
“Calissa?” he called out.
The now human frame before then turned her head and looked up at the two men, and it was indeed Alfred’s daughter that was sitting on the ground before them. She didn’t have a stitch of clothing on, as the large frame that the wolf possessed had likely torn them off her body as she changed. Without hesitation, Miyamoto put his sword away then tore off his cape and then put it over the girl’s shoulders to shield her from the cold and prying eyes. With the wolf gone, people started to emerge from the buildings around the square to see what was going on.
“Pick her up,” Miyamoto ordered, “Get her out of here before they understand what’s going on. We’ll pretend she was attacked.”
“Alright,” Alfred said, scooping his girl up into his arms. Without hesitation he started to walk her back to the inn that they had checked into.
“What happened out here?” someone called out.
“I can’t answer that,” Miyamoto said, “But I can tell you that it’s over. All the trolls are dead, and they will be bothering you anymore.”
“Are you sure they’re all gone?” another civilian asked.
“I’m not entirely sure,” the Samurai replied, “But I can remain a few days to make sure if that will make everyone feel better.”
“You killed the trolls?” someone called out.
“A colleague of mine did,” Miyamoto said, “I was out looking for them when the attack occurred. He realized a sizable crowd had gathered now. “I found their camp and it was empty, so that leads me to believe they were all here and are not dead. My colleagues and I stay a few days and scout more to make sure that’s true. Thank you for your co-operation.”
Without taking any more questions, Miyamoto removed himself from the gathering and started to walk back to the inn Alfred and his kid were staying. He recounted the troll bodies and realized there were at least six large sized corpses. He would have to speak to local trades people to figure out how to dispose of the bodies as they are usually too gross to do anything else with. He would speak to the funeral director in town about taking the bodies out of town to burn them all in one spot. Taking them out of town would save the town the stench that usually comes from a burning troll body. He decided to look into that later as he walked back to the inn at an elevated pace, went up the stairs and into Calissa’s room. Alfred was still in there as he had tucked the girl into bed, and she was already soundly sleeping.
“She tried to defend the people,” Alfred said, “She said that she became outnumber and that’s when it happened.”
“The intensity of the battle turned her,” Miyamoto said, closing the door.
“What were we thinking?” Alfred asked, “Leaving her here like this?”
“We were thinking,” Miyamoto countered, “Trolls normally do not attack towns, and this was highly uncharacteristic of them. They are dumb, unthinking creatures so the normally don’t deviate from their habits. This is very strange indeed.”
“She killed them all, after she turned.” Alfred added, “How man dead trolls are out there?”
“I counted four as we walked to the city square,” his friend answered, “But I found one more walking back here, so there are at least five. We will stay a day or two and guard the town in case there are any more.”
“Alright,” Alfred concurred, “That will give Calissa time to rest and recover from what happened. Have you seen anything like it?”
“No,” Miyamoto answered, “The white fur, all one color from head to toe and that howl that broke the windows are all new to me. I’ve never seen a Hakken do that before. Then again, there’s a good chance I’ve never seen a natural Hakken turn. This could be the difference between an infected and natural Hakken.”
“Do you think they heard her?” Alfred asked.
“Maybe,” Miyamoto honestly guessed, “But nothing we can do. Hiding here for now is the best course for her and the town. In a few days we’ll move on after we figure out where to go next.”
Both men sat there by her bedside and watched as the young girl slept. Physically she appeared to be unharmed, but that didn’t mean she didn’t take any wounds during battle as she did have a rapid healing ability. The Trolls could have caused damage but it all would have regenerated immediately, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt and cause trauma to the poor child. She laid there in a deep sleep for what felt like days but was only several hours. When she finally opened her eyes, the sun was up, and it was a new day. Her father was sleeping in the chair he was sitting in, but Miyamoto was awake and sitting on the window ledge watching the people outside as they cleaned up the streets from the previous night’s attack.
“Master,” she softly called out, “What happened?”
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Miyamoto countered.
“I was going to attack a troll,” she answered, “I had cut his leg and was going to try to finish him off. Anther troll came out of nowhere and grabbed me. I was outnumbered and…”
“You turned,” Miyamoto said, “You became a Hakken and proceeded to dispatch at least four trolls, including the big one.”
“Oh, my gaud,” Calissa said, “I thought I had just blacked out?”
“I’ve heard that is common for a first turn,” Miyamoto said, “But all that killing is not normal for a first turn, but then again most Hakkens are given a chance to turn in a controlled setting so nothing normal about this. Are you alright? Did the trolls hurt you before you blacked out?”
“No, I don’t think so.” Calissa said, “I must have looked hideous as a Hakken.”
“I’m afraid not,” Miyamoto said, smiling back at her. “You looked different. Your fur was all white, like freshly fallen snow. You let off a loud howl that had such a high frequency that it shattered a lot of windows. They’ll be fixing them for weeks.”
“I’m sorry,” Calissa said, feeling rather ashamed, “I didn’t mean to do it.”
“I know you didn’t,” Miyamoto said as he got up off the window ledge and walked over to sit on the corner of her bed. “But even in your Hakken state, you defended yourself and the town from the threat. You did well.”
“Thanks, I guess.” Calissa said, “I never want to do that again.”
“I know you don’t,” Miyamoto said, “But there will be circumstances when the wolf will want to come out and does without asking. Being in danger is one such instance where the wolf will come out to prevent injury or death.”
“So, you’re saying it was protecting me?” She asked.
“I believe so,” her master confirmed, “That wolf is a part of you, and not breathing is not in its best interest either. It will come out whenever you are in grave danger, when if feel the threat is real. I’m sorry for not preparing you for that.”
“How do you know so much about them?” Calissa asked.
“When I was hunting for the wolf that killed my family,” Miyamoto started, “I killed and captured many of them during those long years. The ones I captured were rigorously interrogated by myself and the order I worked for. We learned a lot from those captured and even tested weapons on them to learn their weaknesses. It wasn’t an ethical thing to do, but it was necessary to find out how to fight back.”
“Did you eventually find the wolf that killed your family?” Calissa asked.
“I don’t know,” Miyamoto said, looking back at her. “But I killed so many of them in my homeland, I might have dispatched him in the heat of battle. There aren’t any tags I can use to identify them like they have here for dogs. I may never know but with the battles I waged, and the enemies dispatched, I believe they’ve been sounded avenged. They may rest easier knowing that I made them all pay for what happened, and I’m afraid that will have to do.”
“What now?” Calissa asked.
“Now you rest,” Miyamoto said, pulling the blanket back up to cover her shoulders. “Get your energy back. I’m going to dispose of the troll bodies. Let your father know when he wakes up, alright?”
“Understood,” Calissa said as she snuggled into the blanket. “Good night.”
“Good night, little white wolf,” Miyamoto said with a smile as he left the room and closed the door behind him.