Chapter 58
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As I watched the eight-foot monstrosity stalk toward me, I suddenly recalled the Trollhunter cartoon that Luca and I loved when we were younger.
The hero of that story was a kid like us who inherited a magical amulet that turned him into the titular Trollhunter, complete with a magic sword and cool looking armor. Believe me, the parallels of that fantasy and my own real-life story weren't lost on me.
The troll—because of course, it was a troll—wore a wolf head cap on top of its big head that was attached to the thick fur cape draped across its shoulders. Its armor was an electrum scale mail similar to the hobgoblin officer I just defeated. In its hands, the troll carried a steel war hammer.
"He's big," Luca said.
"Yup," I answered. "Want to tag-team it?"
Luca hefted his broadsword over his back. It was a habit he'd recently formed that I liked to call his hero pose.
"Sure," he said. "Foolish Strength is still active. It would be a waste if I don't go all out here."
I looked sideways at him and observed his face. From the cold-eyed stare to the clenched teeth, his expression was certifiably intense. It was a stark contrast to his usual mild-mannered look.
Seeing him like that made my forehead crease, and I wondered how much longer I would have to watch my brother risk his life before I was able to win back his freedom.
"Aura, watch our backs," I said.
"Of course," she responded from behind me. "Don't go too crazy though. Stick to the plan."
"I always do," I said jokingly. After all, nothing ever went according to plan.
I glanced behind me and saw the midnight blue padded vests and shields gathering there.
"You hear that, Ashley?" I called. "It's time to hunt. So give us some breathing room, will you?"
Ashley's response was an order to her squad. "Alright, guys, just like we practiced... Form shield wall and repel all attackers."
As they carried out their orders, Ashley's shield squad was like a well-oiled machine. They strode forward, moving past me and my fireteam, and engaged the enemy soldiers ahead of us.
The sounds of metal clashing against metal rang out from the front. From behind, I heard the call of "Foolhardies" from the other members of my unit who had finally caught up with my reckless charge.
Edo was the first to arrive. He had Shaqs tagging around him. More Foolhardies arrived to engage the enemy around us, giving me a brief respite from the ongoing battle.
"Did everything go smoothly on your end?" I asked him.
Edo pointed to the two severed heads stuffed inside the fishnet bag strapped to Shaqs' thick leather belt. One of them belonged to a dark-haired elf. The other was unmistakably human.
I shivered at the sight. I couldn't help it. The adrenaline I'd earlier experienced thanks to Darah's rallying cry had dissipated after my first officer kill.
"Line commanders who didn't have enough sense to get out of our way," Edo cracked the knuckles of his left hand using his right hand. Then he nodded at Aura. "Are you sure you don't want me fighting at your side?"
Aura shook her head. "Thank you, my friend. But I'll be fine."
Edo's eyes darted toward me.
He scowled. "Not with this one, you're not."
I ignored the snide remark and tossed him the tracker orb I'd kept in my coat pocket.
"Go find me more targets to hunt," As reaching his shoulder would have required me to jump, I lightly slapped the back of his arm instead. "We'll follow after we deal with big ugly."
Edo followed my line of sight to the troll and his soldiers who were pounding on the wall of bronze shields formed by Ashley's squad. They were a mere ten yards away from us.
"Don't kick the bucket while you strive to achieve your goals, Dean," Edo's tone, although not exactly fatherly, was full of honest encouragement. "And don't drag Aura down with you."
I nodded. "I'll do my best."
Edo took Shaqs and Luca's raiders with him when he left to follow my order. Once he was gone, I turned my attention back to our current target.
Despite the malicious destructiveness of each swing of the troll's hammer, Ashley's steelbark shield held. The troll's soldiers fared no better. They too were repelled by the bronze shields held aloft by Ashley's shield squad.
"You two ready?" I asked the two members of my personal fireteam.
Both Aura and Luca gave me the affirmative. It was time to hunt.
"Ashley, let the bastard through," I ordered.
Ashley spared me a quick glance before she tapped on the soldier to her right. Both of them quickly pulled back to create a hole in their shield wall. This allowed the troll to push past our line. Once he was through, however, Ashley and the other soldier immediately plugged the hole they'd created, ensuring no other enemy soldier was able to follow their commander.
At the same time as this occurred, Luca and I both rushed forward to engage the troll and keep him from attacking the back of Ashley's shield wall.
Luca lept forward with his broadsword held high. He slashed downward but the troll raised its hammer to block the attack.
Clang!
Sparks flew as Luca's shadowblade rebounded after it was repelled by the steel pole of the troll's hammer. But this didn't deter my little brother one bit. He simply tightened his grip on his sword hilt and sent the shadowblade slicing sideward.
Clang!
The troll lowered the war hammer's pole in time for another block. His bright yellow eyes glared menacingly back at Luca.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three successive slashes. Each one with the force of Luca's berserker strength behind it. However, the troll's own strength was a match for Luca's. It blocked each of Luca's attacks successfully. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.
As it pulled it raised its hammer to counter another attack from Luca, I saw the deep gashes along the width of the pole. Luca, with amazing accuracy I didn't think possible without a skill like Fool's Insight, had been striking the same part in the troll's war hammer.
It was then that I realized that my brother's incredible athleticism had opened the path for victory.
"Luca, switch!" I ordered.
Quick as a cat, Luca lept back, creating enough of an opening for me to charge in.
My falchion's shadowblade slithered forward as I charged. The shadowblade snaked toward the gash in the pole of the troll's war hammer. Thanks to its constant vibration—an effect equivalent to a chainsaw—my sword cut through the pole, which, despite obviously being steel-tier, had already been thoroughly weakened by Luca's attacks.
The surprised troll had zero time to feel surprised, however, because I had just yelled, "Switch!" and then lept back to allow Luca to charge in.
Luca, his expression even more intense, swept his shadowblade sideward and cut deep into the troll's thick right arm.
The troll screamed in pain. It was a roar that made my ears ring.
An undeterred Luca continued his attack, sending his shadowblade right back into the troll's right arm and finally cutting it off along with the war hammer's head and half a steel pole.
The troll yelled, "Guards, rally to me! Defend me from these brutish humans!"
Whoa! I thought. The troll commander sounded nothing like Shaqs who sounded like a typical dumb brute. And did he just call us brutes? Really?
The troll's big yellow eyes darted left and then right. Its mouth formed into a deepening frown. The forehead creased. And then a sudden understanding appeared on his face. Only then did he notice that the trap had been sprung.
Surrounding the troll in a square formation were members of Ashley's squad. Half of them held their shields up facing the troll while the other half raised their shields outward to protect the line from outside enemies.
"Infantry square formation completed, Dean!" Ashley yelled.
"I noticed," I yelled back."Thanks!"
"No problem. Just kill it quickly... we can't hold this formation long... some of us have our backs exposed," she said.
"You heard her, Luca. Let's—"
I didn't have time to finish that sentence as the troll, possibly noticing his own precarious predicament, lunged for me and Luca. The clawed fingers of its only remaining hand reaching out for my neck.
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As I watched the eight-foot monstrosity stalk toward me, I suddenly recalled the Trollhunter cartoon that Luca and I loved when we were younger.
The hero of that story was a kid like us who inherited a magical amulet that turned him into the titular Trollhunter, complete with a magic sword and cool looking armor. Believe me, the parallels of that fantasy and my own real-life story weren't lost on me.
The troll—because of course, it was a troll—wore a wolf head cap on top of its big head that was attached to the thick fur cape draped across its shoulders. Its armor was an electrum scale mail similar to the hobgoblin officer I just defeated. In its hands, the troll carried a steel war hammer.
"He's big," Luca said.
"Yup," I answered. "Want to tag-team it?"
Luca hefted his broadsword over his back. It was a habit he'd recently formed that I liked to call his hero pose.
"Sure," he said. "Foolish Strength is still active. It would be a waste if I don't go all out here."
I looked sideways at him and observed his face. From the cold-eyed stare to the clenched teeth, his expression was certifiably intense. It was a stark contrast to his usual mild-mannered look.
Seeing him like that made my forehead crease, and I wondered how much longer I would have to watch my brother risk his life before I was able to win back his freedom.
"Aura, watch our backs," I said.
"Of course," she responded from behind me. "Don't go too crazy though. Stick to the plan."
"I always do," I said jokingly. After all, nothing ever went according to plan.
I glanced behind me and saw the midnight blue padded vests and shields gathering there.
"You hear that, Ashley?" I called. "It's time to hunt. So give us some breathing room, will you?"
Ashley's response was an order to her squad. "Alright, guys, just like we practiced... Form shield wall and repel all attackers."
As they carried out their orders, Ashley's shield squad was like a well-oiled machine. They strode forward, moving past me and my fireteam, and engaged the enemy soldiers ahead of us.
The sounds of metal clashing against metal rang out from the front. From behind, I heard the call of "Foolhardies" from the other members of my unit who had finally caught up with my reckless charge.
Edo was the first to arrive. He had Shaqs tagging around him. More Foolhardies arrived to engage the enemy around us, giving me a brief respite from the ongoing battle.
"Did everything go smoothly on your end?" I asked him.
Edo pointed to the two severed heads stuffed inside the fishnet bag strapped to Shaqs' thick leather belt. One of them belonged to a dark-haired elf. The other was unmistakably human.
I shivered at the sight. I couldn't help it. The adrenaline I'd earlier experienced thanks to Darah's rallying cry had dissipated after my first officer kill.
"Line commanders who didn't have enough sense to get out of our way," Edo cracked the knuckles of his left hand using his right hand. Then he nodded at Aura. "Are you sure you don't want me fighting at your side?"
Aura shook her head. "Thank you, my friend. But I'll be fine."
Edo's eyes darted toward me.
He scowled. "Not with this one, you're not."
I ignored the snide remark and tossed him the tracker orb I'd kept in my coat pocket.
"Go find me more targets to hunt," As reaching his shoulder would have required me to jump, I lightly slapped the back of his arm instead. "We'll follow after we deal with big ugly."
Edo followed my line of sight to the troll and his soldiers who were pounding on the wall of bronze shields formed by Ashley's squad. They were a mere ten yards away from us.
"Don't kick the bucket while you strive to achieve your goals, Dean," Edo's tone, although not exactly fatherly, was full of honest encouragement. "And don't drag Aura down with you."
I nodded. "I'll do my best."
Edo took Shaqs and Luca's raiders with him when he left to follow my order. Once he was gone, I turned my attention back to our current target.
Despite the malicious destructiveness of each swing of the troll's hammer, Ashley's steelbark shield held. The troll's soldiers fared no better. They too were repelled by the bronze shields held aloft by Ashley's shield squad.
"You two ready?" I asked the two members of my personal fireteam.
Both Aura and Luca gave me the affirmative. It was time to hunt.
"Ashley, let the bastard through," I ordered.
Ashley spared me a quick glance before she tapped on the soldier to her right. Both of them quickly pulled back to create a hole in their shield wall. This allowed the troll to push past our line. Once he was through, however, Ashley and the other soldier immediately plugged the hole they'd created, ensuring no other enemy soldier was able to follow their commander.
At the same time as this occurred, Luca and I both rushed forward to engage the troll and keep him from attacking the back of Ashley's shield wall.
Luca lept forward with his broadsword held high. He slashed downward but the troll raised its hammer to block the attack.
Clang!
Sparks flew as Luca's shadowblade rebounded after it was repelled by the steel pole of the troll's hammer. But this didn't deter my little brother one bit. He simply tightened his grip on his sword hilt and sent the shadowblade slicing sideward.
Clang!
The troll lowered the war hammer's pole in time for another block. His bright yellow eyes glared menacingly back at Luca.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three successive slashes. Each one with the force of Luca's berserker strength behind it. However, the troll's own strength was a match for Luca's. It blocked each of Luca's attacks successfully. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.
As it pulled it raised its hammer to counter another attack from Luca, I saw the deep gashes along the width of the pole. Luca, with amazing accuracy I didn't think possible without a skill like Fool's Insight, had been striking the same part in the troll's war hammer.
It was then that I realized that my brother's incredible athleticism had opened the path for victory.
"Luca, switch!" I ordered.
Quick as a cat, Luca lept back, creating enough of an opening for me to charge in.
My falchion's shadowblade slithered forward as I charged. The shadowblade snaked toward the gash in the pole of the troll's war hammer. Thanks to its constant vibration—an effect equivalent to a chainsaw—my sword cut through the pole, which, despite obviously being steel-tier, had already been thoroughly weakened by Luca's attacks.
The surprised troll had zero time to feel surprised, however, because I had just yelled, "Switch!" and then lept back to allow Luca to charge in.
Luca, his expression even more intense, swept his shadowblade sideward and cut deep into the troll's thick right arm.
The troll screamed in pain. It was a roar that made my ears ring.
An undeterred Luca continued his attack, sending his shadowblade right back into the troll's right arm and finally cutting it off along with the war hammer's head and half a steel pole.
The troll yelled, "Guards, rally to me! Defend me from these brutish humans!"
Whoa! I thought. The troll commander sounded nothing like Shaqs who sounded like a typical dumb brute. And did he just call us brutes? Really?
The troll's big yellow eyes darted left and then right. Its mouth formed into a deepening frown. The forehead creased. And then a sudden understanding appeared on his face. Only then did he notice that the trap had been sprung.
Surrounding the troll in a square formation were members of Ashley's squad. Half of them held their shields up facing the troll while the other half raised their shields outward to protect the line from outside enemies.
"Infantry square formation completed, Dean!" Ashley yelled.
"I noticed," I yelled back."Thanks!"
"No problem. Just kill it quickly... we can't hold this formation long... some of us have our backs exposed," she said.
"You heard her, Luca. Let's—"
I didn't have time to finish that sentence as the troll, possibly noticing his own precarious predicament, lunged for me and Luca. The clawed fingers of its only remaining hand reaching out for my neck.
As I watched the eight-foot monstrosity stalk toward me, I suddenly recalled the Trollhunter cartoon that Luca and I loved when we were younger. The hero of that story was a kid like us who inherited a magical amulet that turned him into the titular Trollhunter, complete with a magic sword and cool looking armor. Believe me, the parallels of that fantasy and my own real-life story weren't lost on me. The trollbecause of course, it was a trollwore a wolf head cap on top of its big head that was attached to the thick fur cape draped across its shoulders. Its armor was an electrum scale mail similar to the hobgoblin officer I just defeated. In its hands, the troll carried a steel war hammer. "He's big," Luca said. "Yup," I answered. "Want to tag-team it?" Luca hefted his broadsword over his back. It was a habit he'd recently formed that I liked to call his hero pose. "Sure," he said. "Foolish Strength is still active. It would be a waste if I don't go all out here." I looked sideways at him and observed his face. From the cold-eyed stare to the clenched teeth, his expression was certifiably intense. It was a stark contrast to his usual mild-mannered look. Seeing him like that made my forehead crease, and I wondered how much longer I would have to watch my brother risk his life before I was able to win back his freedom. "Aura, watch our backs," I said. "Of course," she responded from behind me. "Don't go too crazy though. Stick to the plan." "I always do," I said jokingly. After all, nothing ever went according to plan. I glanced behind me and saw the midnight blue padded vests and shields gathering there. "You hear that, Ashley?" I called. "It's time to hunt. So give us some breathing room, will you?" Ashley's response was an order to her squad. "Alright, guys, just like we practiced... Form shield wall and repel all attackers." As they carried out their orders, Ashley's shield squad was like a well-oiled machine. They strode forward, moving past me and my fireteam, and engaged the enemy soldiers ahead of us. The sounds of metal clashing against metal rang out from the front. From behind, I heard the call of "Foolhardies" from the other members of my unit who had finally caught up with my reckless charge. Edo was the first to arrive. He had Shaqs tagging around him. More Foolhardies arrived to engage the enemy around us, giving me a brief respite from the ongoing battle. "Did everything go smoothly on your end?" I asked him. Edo pointed to the two severed heads stuffed inside the fishnet bag strapped to Shaqs' thick leather belt. One of them belonged to a dark-haired elf. The other was unmistakably human. I shivered at the sight. I couldn't help it. The adrenaline I'd earlier experienced thanks to Darah's rallying cry had dissipated after my first officer kill. "Line commanders who didn't have enough sense to get out of our way," Edo cracked the knuckles of his left hand using his right hand. Then he nodded at Aura. "Are you sure you don't want me fighting at your side?" Aura shook her head. "Thank you, my friend. But I'll be fine." Edo's eyes darted toward me. He scowled. "Not with this one, you're not." I ignored the snide remark and tossed him the tracker orb I'd kept in my coat pocket. "Go find me more targets to hunt," As reaching his shoulder would have required me to jump, I lightly slapped the back of his arm instead. "We'll follow after we deal with big ugly." Edo followed my line of sight to the troll and his soldiers who were pounding on the wall of bronze shields formed by Ashley's squad. They were a mere ten yards away from us. "Don't kick the bucket while you strive to achieve your goals, Dean," Edo's tone, although not exactly fatherly, was full of honest encouragement. "And don't drag Aura down with you." I nodded. "I'll do my best." Edo took Shaqs and Luca's raiders with him when he left to follow my order. Once he was gone, I turned my attention back to our current target. Despite the malicious destructiveness of each swing of the troll's hammer, Ashley's steelbark shield held. The troll's soldiers fared no better. They too were repelled by the bronze shields held aloft by Ashley's shield squad. "You two ready?" I asked the two members of my personal fireteam. Both Aura and Luca gave me the affirmative. It was time to hunt. "Ashley, let the bastard through," I ordered. Ashley spared me a quick glance before she tapped on the soldier to her right. Both of them quickly pulled back to create a hole in their shield wall. This allowed the troll to push past our line. Once he was through, however, Ashley and the other soldier immediately plugged the hole they'd created, ensuring no other enemy soldier was able to follow their commander. At the same time as this occurred, Luca and I both rushed forward to engage the troll and keep him from attacking the back of Ashley's shield wall. Luca lept forward with his broadsword held high. He slashed downward but the troll raised its hammer to block the attack. Clang! Sparks flew as Luca's shadowblade rebounded after it was repelled by the steel pole of the troll's hammer. But this didn't deter my little brother one bit. He simply tightened his grip on his sword hilt and sent the shadowblade slicing sideward. Clang! The troll lowered the war hammer's pole in time for another block. His bright yellow eyes glared menacingly back at Luca. Clang! Clang! Clang! Three successive slashes. Each one with the force of Luca's berserker strength behind it. However, the troll's own strength was a match for Luca's. It blocked each of Luca's attacks successfully. Find authorized novels in Webnovelfaster updates, better experiencePlease click www.webnovel.com for visiting. As it pulled it raised its hammer to counter another attack from Luca, I saw the deep gashes along the width of the pole. Luca, with amazing accuracy I didn't think possible without a skill like Fool's Insight, had been striking the same part in the troll's war hammer. It was then that I realized that my brother's incredible athleticism had opened the path for victory. "Luca, switch!" I ordered. Quick as a cat, Luca lept back, creating enough of an opening for me to charge in. My falchion's shadowblade slithered forward as I charged. The shadowblade snaked toward the gash in the pole of the troll's war hammer. Thanks to its constant vibrationan effect equivalent to a chainsawmy sword cut through the pole, which, despite obviously being steel-tier, had already been thoroughly weakened by Luca's attacks. The surprised troll had zero time to feel surprised, however, because I had just yelled, "Switch!" and then lept back to allow Luca to charge in. Luca, his expression even more intense, swept his shadowblade sideward and cut deep into the troll's thick right arm. The troll screamed in pain. It was a roar that made my ears ring. An undeterred Luca continued his attack, sending his shadowblade right back into the troll's right arm and finally cutting it off along with the war hammer's head and half a steel pole. The troll yelled, "Guards, rally to me! Defend me from these brutish humans!" Whoa! I thought. The troll commander sounded nothing like Shaqs who sounded like a typical dumb brute. And did he just call us brutes? Really? The troll's big yellow eyes darted left and then right. Its mouth formed into a deepening frown. The forehead creased. And then a sudden understanding appeared on his face. Only then did he notice that the trap had been sprung. Surrounding the troll in a square formation were members of Ashley's squad. Half of them held their shields up facing the troll while the other half raised their shields outward to protect the line from outside enemies. "Infantry square formation completed, Dean!" Ashley yelled. "I noticed," I yelled back."Thanks!" "No problem. Just kill it quickly... we can't hold this formation long... some of us have our backs exposed," she said. "You heard her, Luca. Let's" I didn't have time to finish that sentence as the troll, possibly noticing his own precarious predicament, lunged for me and Luca. The clawed fingers of its only remaining hand reaching out for my neck.
