"Arghhhh!" the troll bellowed, the sound sharp enough to rattle teeth. It had found a red sword buried deep in its foot—driven there by Cassian the instant the creature's step came close enough to pierce all the way through. For a giant like the troll, it wasn't a crippling wound… but judging from its howl, it hurt like hell.
Inside his war armor, Cassian allowed himself the smallest, pained smile. Blood was already soaking the padding beneath the plates, his body a mess of torn muscle and fractured bone. The sheer shockwave from the troll's footstep had been enough to rupture him from the inside, armor or no.
That strike had been the last he could manage. Now, all he could do was endure—and pray help arrived soon. His war armor might still be intact, but his body wasn't in any state to move. Every drop of mana his domain gathered was being poured into healing.
