The sparse trees thickened the deeper they moved. Bark changed color to a slightly reddish hue here. The squad marched quietly, and Rayne kept his eyes on the ground, careful not to step on dry leaves and branches.
The excitement of leveling up and gaining a new skill had faded after an hour of following troll tracks. Each time he looked down at a new imprint, he realized what they were going to be dealing with.
Splayed toes, each as thick as a forearm and four inches deep into the earth. The absolute carnage the trolls had dealt through human ranks played over and over in his memory. One of them was enough to kill dozens if they weren't careful.
It was a sobering thought, and he felt glad that they had only found one type of footprint.
"Holy gods, please don't ask for my soul today. I'm far too young," Kesh prayed for the nth time.
Ardan put a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be fine, son."
"I nearly died with the goblins. I fear I might just get crushed under one of these," he said, pointing at an imprint. "I would've been better off dealing with traps in the dungeons."
"Dungeons aren't easy," Ardan said. "Lots more deaths there. And with the monster exodus, you'll see a lot of outbreaks. Stranger monsters too. I once fought a two-legged humanoid fish called krakenars."
Rayne looked over at the veteran. "These monsters aren't from the dungeon?"
"Trolls? No, they're just ones that have territories around here. Lots of goblins nest in this part of the plains—deep into the hills and forest. You can never burn all of them with how fast they repopulate, and trolls make their caves around their nests. We're lucky they can't repopulate as fast as goblins. It's hard for them to give birth."
Rayne took in all the knowledge and stored it away in his mind. Monster exodus was a repeating event every five years where the Valerian army would deal with the numerous dungeons around the Pascar plains that came into being due to a long-running mana ley line.
Since so many of them were in sparse locations, it was impossible to conquer them all, leading to outbreaks. The army was here mainly to deal with that.
Monster nests weren't something Rayne's instructors had focused on in training.
"I don't think not having more trolls to deal with is good luck when just one could kill the entire squad," Kesh said, clenching the sword in his hand a little tighter.
"You're quite the optimist," growled Rayne.
Kesh snorted, ending any conversation as they moved.
Honestly, he shared his fear and was terrified of dying so early in this new life, but showing it wouldn't do him any good. With Kesh already playing that part, they didn't need two of them.
Instead, Rayne focused on their surroundings. He looked for other signs of the troll to distract himself from the impending battle. And the signs that a troll had passed through here were as clear as day.
Damaged branches, broken trunks, flattened bushes aside from the imprints. It hadn't been subtle in its movements, and Rayne wondered where it was heading.
With no other troll tracks, it couldn't be a cave.
"Where do you think it's heading?" Rayne asked Ardan.
"I can't be sure, but there's a river that should be nearby," he replied.
"A river? That's not good for us, right?"
Ardan shook his head. "No, the banks can be slippery, and we won't be in formation while fighting the troll. I'm pretty sure Axel would want to take it on if it's only one. You all need to be careful not to slip."
Kesh frowned at that, having already made one such mistake.
Movement up ahead caught Rayne's attention, and he saw the two scouts Axel had sent returning.
The march came to a halt as the leaders got the report before a grim expression took over Axel's face. He whispered something to Hobbs, who turned toward the rest of the squad.
"We've found the troll twenty minutes ahead of here, drinking water from the river. The scouts haven't found more, so it's safe to assume it's a lone one. We'll increase our speed and get there before it can run away and flank it. Understood?"
Several men nodded as panic clawed its way into the hearts of every man, especially the new recruits. Tense faces like Kesh's were common as they increased their pace.
The plan felt rushed to Rayne. It could lead to disaster if the troll saw them before they even began to lay down an ambush. But he couldn't say anything about it. Maybe trolls didn't have good eyesight. He could only hope that was true.
Rayne kept his hand on his sword and shield, growing closer to the river. The rest of the men did the same as the rustle of weapons replaced the silence.
As Rayne skipped over a root, he heard and smelled it.
Low splashes and the smell of wet earth. He met eyes with Ardan, who nodded, and the pace slowed. The thick forest around them gave good cover as they neared the river.
Axel raised a fist and the squad stopped. He moved toward the center before issuing orders in a whisper. "The troll is up ahead. Spread out along the bushes. Stay low. It's drinking from the river and won't see us. We'll flank it from all sides, and if it tries to run across the river, we'll let the archers shoot it down. Understood?"
All of them nodded. One part of the squad moved with Axel to the right to flank it, while Hobbs took some soldiers and moved left.
Ardan took the rest of them to the middle, and they crawled to the edge of the bushes. They sat down there, staying low but able to peer over, and Rayne finally got a look at the troll.
It crouched near the river, gulping down water straight from the current. Matted green skin covered it, filled with grime and blood on its shoulders. A club rested right next to it.
Even crouched, it looked close to nine feet tall, with long arms and muscles that could smash a man's head into blood and brain matter.
He took in a sharp breath and felt a hand pushing him down.
"Stay low," Ardan growled. "We need to wait for the signal. Remember, go for the legs, eyes, and neck. It'll heal fast from our attacks. Bloody troll regeneration."
Everyone nodded, and we waited as the troll took a few more gulps.
Rayne glanced to the right and saw Axel making hand signals. Kesh gulped next to him. He gripped the hilt of his sword hard enough for his knuckles to turn white.
It happened then.
The creaking sound of bowstrings being drawn touched his ears. The troll's ears twitched, and it turned back.
Rayne briefly met eyes with it as arrows flew through the air. They hit its shoulders, drawing blood, while a few missed the mark. It shrieked, grabbed its club, and let out a roar that made the ground shake.
"Charge!!" shouted Axel, and they rushed it.
Troll spit flew through the air, and it stomped its foot down as the soldiers charged from different directions, Hobbs and Axel at the front.
The deputy used a large axe and clashed with the club but was thrown away. Axel took his place, his sword glowing a bright blue. He ducked through the assault and slashed at its legs. It let out another shriek and crashed down its club haphazardly.
A soldier put up a shield but got crushed right in front of Rayne's eyes. He dodged as the club came for him, passing over his head, but another man got hit on the side, crashing into a tree.
I'll die if I'm not careful. The thing is far above level 20!
He growled and got up.
Next to him, Kesh's legs trembled as the man was barely able to stand. All around them, soldiers rushed in and were thrown and crushed. A few even slipped to their death under the troll's feet. Arrows streaked through the air but did minimal damage. Only Axel seemed to have good enough skills for a prolonged battle. He kept attacking its legs, but the troll stomped and intercepted the attacks.
Any wounds it procured slowly began to heal as Rayne watched.
It truly felt like ants trying to crawl over an elephant, only to be crushed. Every second the troll stood, more casualties occurred.
Knowing he couldn't stay still for long, Rayne looked at Kesh. "We need to attack the legs from behind."
"Huh?" Kesh looked at him like he was crazy.
Rayne didn't care and waited for an opening, dodging if the club came in his direction.
It happened then.
He saw Axel jump over the club and hit the troll in the gut with enough force to push it back. His sword glowed even brighter with mana.
"Now!"
Rayne shouted and didn't wait for Kesh to respond. He rushed, throwing away his shield knowing how useless it was, and slid under the troll's leg and saw Kesh coming the next second.
Adrenaline filled him alongside the dread of death as he plunged his sword in the troll's back legs. Kesh did the same and they twisted it, pushing all their weight into piercing the thick skin of the monster. The power of his title probably helped as it dug deep.
Hot ichor rushed out of the wound, the troll screamed in pain and twisted. Its left hand came down at them and Rayne dodged by jumping straight into the river.
Kesh wasn't so lucky and tumbled through the ground, crashing into a tree. He screamed and Rayne simply hoped he was alive as the troll locked eyes with him.
He gulped, backing away. More arrows and sword strikes came to take its attention, but the troll kept its gaze on him. Then, it screamed and charged right at him.
Rayne yelped, swimming across the river. The current was mild, but he still had to push himself hard. But the troll could simply walk across it due to its size.
As he reached the surface of the other side, his instincts screamed at him and he rolled. Ground smashed and dust flew where he stood just moments ago and he twisted his body to look at the troll that stood above him like the reaper.
It bared its teeth, saliva dripping out. It swung its club again, and Rayne dodged by the barest margins again.
The troll stomped its feet in frustration, shaking the ground, blood from its wound spraying everywhere and giving Rayne time to stand up. He looked around, finding his back to a rock wall. The entrance to the woods was to his left, but he doubted he could shake off its pursuer.
The only way was to fight till the others crossed the river.
He held his sword tightly and the troll attacked again, its club coming at him in a downward strike. Rayne dodged to its left and lunged straight at the troll's legs, shoving his sword deep into its foot.
More ichor oozed out, but the club again came to take its head and he jumped, falling on its knees. A sharp cracking sound came and pain rushed across his body.
He tried to stand as the troll came to him, but his legs gave up. More saliva dripped down on the ground and the troll grinned, knowing its victory.
It walked towards Rayne, who panicked. He didn't want to die here. Not like this. An idea struck him just then. Ardan's words rang in his ears and knowledge gushed out from his new skill into his brain.
A guttural voice came out of his throat. "You are an ugly fuck."
The troll stopped. Its eyes widened and he looked over at him again as if wondering if Rayne actually had green skin.
That pause was enough. Rayne desperately tried to stand up, not caring about the overwhelming pain and jumped straight into the river. Cold water washed over him and he heard footsteps.
Dread and panic filled him and he closed his eyes.
A painful shriek echoed from the troll. He opened his eyes and saw the troll's body fall at the edge of the river, an axe lodged deep into its skull and a large gash running through its back done by a sword.
He raised his eyes from it to look at Hobbs, Axel and a few other soldiers standing there. They crossed the river while he had been fighting.
"You are suicidal, forsaken," Axel said, shaking his head.
Instead of replying, Rayne plunged his head back into the cold water. Exhaustion washed over him and his chest heaved and fell, panic slowly leaving his system. But only thought occupied him.
They had won. The troll was dead.
As if on cue, he felt notifications buzzed inside his mind. He ignored it, too tired to let his status seep away his remaining strength and rested.
His first major battle was over.