Breven, leading the pack, motioned for the others to stop. He leaned over a large divot in the path, sniffing suspiciously at the air.
“What is it?” Collin asked, examining the strange mark on the ground.
"These are troll tracks. And big ones at that.” Breven explained.
“Trolls?” Collin gulped.
“Never tousled with one before, eh?” Breven laughed. “I’m not surprised. Trolls tend to stay far from the cities. They like the forests and mountains, where it's secluded.”
“And how well do they take to strangers?” Collin asked.
“Last troll I met wanted to tear off my limbs to make a necklace out of them,” Breven said. “So not very well.”
Collin stared with terror down at the footprint roughly the same size of himself. Breven patted him roughly across the back.
“Don’t be so tense! You have old Breven Battle-Axe here to protect you,” he said, taking a heroic pose.
"Why do you call yourself 'Battle-Axe' when you wield a sword?" Polly asked frustratedly.
"Well, it's a funny story-" Breven began.
Just then there was a deafening rumble that shook the trees. A gigantic, pale fist burst from the bushes and grabbed Breven. In an instant, the fist retracted into the darkness of the thicket.
“Breven!” Collin cried, racing after him. The other followed closely behind, climbing over the rough terrain. Animus transformed into a long, fox-like creature with two curved ram’s horns. They scooped Polly, Kace, and Collin up onto their back and ran far quicker than they ever could. They reached a clearing with a cave. A pair of the same tracks as before lead off into the dim cave’s mouth.
“It must have gone in there,” Collin said, sliding off Animus’s back.
“I say we just leave the big oof,” Polly pouted.
“That 'big oof' is the one who started this quest in the first place.” Collin scowled. “He has the map, and the brute force we need to reach the Oracle.” Collin turned toward the cave gripping his fists at his side. “Besides, he’s saved me more times than I can count. I have to return the favor.”
“You'd do all of this for a Knight?” Polly spat.
“An ex-Knight, maybe. For a friend, definitely.” Collin said with a determined look in his eyes. He marched off into the cave, Animus and Kace following close behind. Polly stomped her foot angrily, kicking up a cloud of dust. Reluctantly, she ran into the cave’s mouth.
. . .
The cave led down into a chasm far below the earth. Collin groped around in the darkness, following the cave wall with his hand.
“Here,” Kace whispered, cupping his palms together. A small blue flame appeared between his hands, casting a small range of light.
“So you can do more than just teleport?” Animus said with intrigue.
“A magician always has a few more tricks up his sleeve,” Kace taunted, holding out the flame.
The light fell upon a wall of hairy, pale blue skin. It was the boney, arched back of the Troll, rising and falling with each loud snore. Still clutched in the monster’s grip was Breven, struggling to break free.
“Breven-” Collin gasped, kneeling beside him.
“The bloody beast has my arms pinned. Otherwise, I would take out my sword and lob off its head!” Breven cursed.
“Shh,” Collin hushed. “You don’t want to wake the Troll.”
“You can yell all you want in here!” Breven wailed, his voice echoing down the cave. “Trolls have notorious narcolepsy. Nothing could wake the beast right now.”
“Anyone have a dagger?” Collin asked, turning back toward the others.
Animus unsheathed a sizable dagger from the scabbard strapped across their back. Collin took it and wedged it gently between the Troll’s fingers. He painstakingly pried open each of the Troll’s fingers until its grip was just loose enough for Breven to slip loose.
“I owe you one,” Breven sighed, standing.
“Consider it even for saving me from that orc back in the Fungor.” Collin teased.
The Troll began to stir, snorting and grumbling quietly. It rose wearily from the ground, walking on the knuckles of its two front, enlarged fists while sitting on its smaller, flat hindlegs.
“I thought you said nothing could wake them!” Collin hissed.
“Typically! This one must be a light sleeper!” Breven protested.
The Troll had a long, arched nose almost like a bird’s beak. Its face was neither human nor animal, but like something that had risen from the forest floor itself. Its pale body was covered in moss and fungi, shaggy bangs covered its storm-grey eyes. It looked from its empty fist down toward Breven and snarled, revealing a row of yellowed fangs. Its roar was like deafening thunder.
“Well, we should get going!” Breven said hurriedly but politely. They ran down the length of the cave, the Troll chasing after them. A few feet from the entrance, Polly spun on the heels of her laced yellow boots and struck her wand out toward the Troll.
The ground beneath the Troll cracked but refused to break.
“What are you doing?” Collin snapped.
“I thought I would summon some vines to ensnare it, but the ground is too tough to break through,” Polly said.
Breven charged past her, sliding below the Troll’s enlarged stomach. He drew out his sword and plunged it into the rocky floor.
“Now!” he roared.
Polly swished her wand to the side like a graceful conductor, summoning two thorned vines out from the earth. The vines coiled around the Troll’s body, trapping it in a ball of vegetation.
"We should leave while we can," Polly panted, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Those vines won't keep the beast at bay forever."
The others nodded, hurrying back out into the clearing.
“Great job out there,” Breven said to Polly, swinging his sword over his shoulder. “We would have been troll-food if it weren’t for you,” he added, extending out his other hand.
Polly gave him a confused, hesitant look. She had never seen a Knight without their mask. Breven’s bright, toothy grin was something Polly never expected to see beneath the cold metal helmet. She reached out and shook his hand delicately, nodding in silence.
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