-Vandlind-

The moon glowed its gentle silver, smiling at me from the West horizon. The faint breeze blew long stalks of grass back and forth, and insects hummed their natural rhythms, unaware of the danger that crept forth in the darkness of the night.

I examined this disturbance by inspecting my wards, To the right side and behind, multiple pressures being placed, simply prodding.

Though the perimeter I set was much further out than I could use mana sense properly, I sent a quick burst to get any available information, anyway.

Shit.

Even with the distance, I could tell there was a lot.

I nudged Veylin awake.

“Wha-?” she groaned from her face-down position.

‘Shhhhh,’ I hissed telepathically. ‘Something's fucking with my wards.’ I felt her heart rate spike.

‘Are they breaking through?’ She slowly sat up to avoid making noise.

‘No, just… testing them, I think. Wake everyone up as quietly as you can. I’m going to check if those guys in the back wagon noticed anything yet.’

Veylin took a few moments to replace the gear she’d taken off to sleep before silently moving through the camp.

I swung my quiver and bow over my shoulders, fastened my sword belt, and carefully stepped through the shapes of sleeping bodies as I approached the wagon opposite from me. After a second of deliberation, I put my helmet on too. No sense in looking cool if I died.

More and more guards jerked awake as Veylin roused them, hurriedly reaching for their equipment.

I swung open the cloth tarp covering the back wagon and looked in. A female with angular features, brown hair, green eyes, and unmistakably pointy ears, was inches from my face.

Wood elf?

“You’re new,” she said quietly, sniffing around my head from her vantage point and failing to reduce the minuscule distance between us. Her orichalcum pendant practically touched my face. “I take it you noticed our little visitors too?”

I leaned away from her, disturbed by the continual sniffing of my person, and whispered back, “Yeah, they’re still prodding my wards --- oop, now they’re hitting them.”

“And that explains why they weren’t coming closer,” she concluded, rubbing her nose with a thumb.

“Wake the rest of your party then come out. We’ve already started with everyone else.”

The wood elf tensely nodded and disappeared behind the cloth flap.

I turned back towards the center of camp, regrouping with my new party. All of them, except Theo, were quietly speaking with Veylin. Amazingly, they were also completely armored and armed. I didn’t know if they slept with it or if they were just that fast. Regardless, I was impressed.

“Vandlind,” Dramur called as I approached them, “What’s the state of your wards?”

“They’ve started hammering on them as of a few moments ago. I estimate we have less than five minutes before they break through. They’re currently on the North and East sides. I don’t know what’s hitting them though,” I answered.

Dramur nodded. “Theo’s currently finding out what, exactly, is doing the banging.”

As if on cue, the boy came jogging over, his hair disheveled and messy from sleep. “It’s goblins. A lot of them.”

“Shit,” Sam swore. “I hate goblins.”

“I’m not done,” Theo tensed. “There were also three ogres and…” He let the sentence drop.

“And?” I asked.

“A troll,” Theo breathed.

“Fuck,” Shayna swore. “I hate trolls.”

“I was gonna’ say that,” Sam complained.

“Now’s not the time to be joking, Sam.” Dramur scolded the human who was at least two feet taller, and if it wasn’t for the seriousness of the situation, I might’ve laughed about the absurdity. “Vandlind, you probably know this. Trolls are notoriously tough to kill. They regenerate any wounds not made by fire or acid in minutes, if not seconds, depending on how much mana they have. Is your magic strong enough to kill one? If not, we’ll have to rely on Blake." He grunted. "Though I cannot speak for his combat ability.”

Like humanoids on Iris, many animals and beasts had access to mana. Trolls were one of them; they used their innate powers to heal wounds supernaturally fast, probably without even thinking. Oh, and trolls used aura and Enhancement magic naturally too, making them more than just regenerative slabs of meat. They were incredibly strong and durable regenerative slabs of meat.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’ve never killed a troll before.”

“It’s strong enough, trust me,” Veylin said. “We just need to give him a window.”

The wood elf I spoke to earlier jogged up wearing a stunning set of green scale-mail and a longsword. A collection of six grizzled warriors were behind her. “What’s the plan?”

“Theo,” Dramur asked. “What side is the troll on?”

“The East side,” Theo replied, nervously twiddling an arrow in his hand.

“You’re kidding me,” the elf scoffed. “A fucking troll? I did not get paid enough for this.”

“Unfortunately,” Dramur confirmed. “Our team will take the East. Your team can take the North.”

The tallest man I’d ever seen, carrying a giant shield and spear, stepped forward, “Should we not take the East? We have more Enhancers than you. With the support of Blake, we should be able to take it down.”

“They have a mage of their own, Asher,” the elf dismissed. “We’re wasting time arguing.”

“I was not aware. I apologize, lady Freya.” Asher backed away.

‘I don’t like the way he smells,’ Veylin whispered through our bond; she failed to elaborate.

Blake stormed towards us, robe flapping behind him, “I assume you’ve come up with a plan? That’s what my master is paying you for, after all.”

Master? I filed that tidbit of information away for later.

“You’re with us, pyromancer,” Freya said. “Don’t kill my men with your spells.” She strode towards the North side of camp, and her band of warriors followed.

Blake stayed back a moment, “I’ve instructed my guards to stay inside the circle of wagons and pick off any that get through the lines. The majority of them can’t use Enhancement, so they’ll just get in the way.” He swiftly joined Freya.

True to his word, Blake’s men were already assembling alongside the outskirts of the camp, nervously gripping their spears and shields.

What a pity, I thought as I passed by, To be born in a world of magic but not be able to use it.

The guards parted and allowed us to squeeze outside the safety of the camp. Theo scampered on top of one of the wagon’s seats to give him a bit of high ground.

Will and Dramur took side by side positions as the front as they hefted their shields to take the brunt of any attacks. Samuel and Shayna stood slightly to the side and behind them, obviously planning on using the superior range of their weapons to kill those that got stuck on the shields. Lastly, Clara took her place behind Sam and Shayna, staying in a position capable of observing her companions, so she could use her healing power to the fullest.

I almost felt like an intruder as I came to my place on Clara’s left flank. After seeing them perform together, it was obvious that their cohesion was formed through many battles. Veylin conveyed a similar feeling as she left her emotions slip through the bond.

“Vandlind,” Dramur spoke calmly, “It’s a bit dark, and this tall grass is getting in my way. Think you could help with that?”

I smirked, “With pleasure.”

“Ohen.” Purple flame spiraled from my arms and wrapped my fingers, and I directed the spells outwards; the fire shifted to red as it lit the grass in front of us. It spread quickly, and the long grass in front of us soon crumbled to ash. I wasn’t keen on destroying vegetation wantonly, so I stilled the spread with thought after the flames had created a wide clearing, letting the fire feed on my mana instead.

The illumination of the flames revealed the horde of monsters waiting for us. Their shadows flickered twenty-five yards away (25m).

“Shit,” Sam cursed. “Theo wasn’t kidding when he said there was a lot. What is that? Ninety? One-hundred goblins?”

“One hundred seven plus the troll,” I answered. I was close enough to senses them effectively now.

“And how many do you think can use mana?” Sam tightened his grip on his spear.

Dramur answered this time, “Though goblins are smarter than the average monster, their bodies are week. Only a few should be capable of Enhancement. You should know this.”

“Sorry,” Sam swallowed, “I’m just a little nervous. I’ve never gone against a horde this big before.”

The monsters furiously pounded on my barrier with their assortment of weapons -- a collection of crude-looking clubs, swords, and axes. Faint pulses of purple would shimmer up the ward as each strike connected.

I didn’t know what I was expecting as I examined the goblins, but these monsters stood barely four feet tall (1.2m), with sickly green skin unlike the soothing tone of Shayna’s. Ears, longer than even an elf’s, stuck out of their warty faces, and their yellow eyes glowed hungrily in the reflection of the fire. All this paled in comparison to what I saw next.

A troll, over seven feet tall, loomed in the distance (2.2m). And though its hunch brought it much lower, the sheer musculature of the monster dwarfed any two-legged being I had ever seen. Gorilla-like arms hung from its side, and brown fur covered all but its chest and inner thighs. Four beady, black eyes crawled up its oblong face, and a horrifying set of top and bottom canines – more akin to tusks – jutted out of its skull. The beast carried no weapon, relying purely on physical strength as it pounded my ward. The force behind each blow was enormous, and I was surprised it hadn't shattered already. I mentally applauded myself for not being stingy with the mana I used in creating it.

“The barrier will break in a few moments. I’ll try to blast as many as I can before focusing the troll when they break through,” I said, trying to at least maintain a false sense of calm. I had been in a few fights when I was a human, but those were professionally monitored. No ambulance would be waiting for me if I got hurt here.

"Sounds like a plan, boss." Sam twirled his spear with a flourish. "Though leaves some for us, eh? It's been boring these past few days."

"Won't be a problem."

I willed the dormant mana in my focus to form an aura and enhance my strength. I left my hands empty; I wanted both free to help my brain concentrate on the amount of magic I was about to use.

The barrier didn’t break with a shatter or a crack. No, it simply lost effectiveness. First, one goblin squeezed through, dying from an arrow embedding itself through its eye and into its brain; Theo had quickly dispatched it. Next, two more goblins squeezed through. Those two also died from an arrow. making it no more than ten feet.

Theo couldn’t keep up with how many came next. Four, six, nine goblins broke through, rushing towards us.

“Vzduch,” I whispered, speaking the Primordial word for air.

I shaped the spell into a scythe-like structure and launched it towards the goblins. The wind was dense enough to be sharper than most blades as it raced towards the monsters in a vaguely visible, white streak. It cut through them at their chest level, bisecting them into two pieces. Blood and organs spurted out from their bodies as their halves collapsed to the ground. And had it not been for the next development, I probably would’ve been horrified.

The ward had completely failed, letting the rest of the horde in at once. The troll barreled over the goblins directly in front of it, crushing a few of its allies. I heard my new friends utter curses and offer prayers as they braced for the wave.

I blasted the horde with a fireball, aiming primarily for the troll. Though, the spell was effective in killing at least a dozen goblins. Unfortunately, the troll only roared as it continued to plow forward; its body was covered in sickly burns, and its brown hair faintly smoldered.

I let loose a second fireball, this time aiming for the center of the goblins that had grouped up after breaking the ward. I hoped to eliminate as many as possible before they reached my companions.

The purple flames exploded outward as the spell landed. More than three dozen goblins died in one strike, even more fell to arrows from Theo that never seemed to stop. Now, less than half of their number remained.

“Vandlind! Troll! Now!” Will roared in bursts, slashing the few goblins that had made it close enough, undoubtedly the ones that had learned to use mana, judging by their slightly more muscular appearances. Sam assisted by using his spear to pierce the goblins that were smart enough to not run carelessly in range of his brother.

The troll may have been terrifying, but its awkward proportions made it slow (Well, relatively slow considering we were all using mana to enhance our attributes. In reality, it was probably moving pretty fast). I readied a third fireball, packing as much mana as I could in a short period to make it more powerful. I blasted the projectile forward, aiming for the troll’s center-mass.

The spell hit, though slightly off from my intended target. The fireball tore into the troll’s shoulder before it exploded. A chunk of charred flesh tore from the monster, but it didn’t stop. Instead, it seemed to get even faster.

Damn, I’m not skilled enough with fire magic to kill the troll with a contained spell. I had enough mana to blow the thing to smithereens; I was sure of it. The problem was I couldn’t do that without putting my teammates in the line of fire.

Fuck. What spell can I use that’s powerful enough to tear the troll in half, yet contained enough not to kill my friends? Wait – tear in half? I remembered a certain drake I killed long ago.

The troll had taken my brief contemplation to barrel through the miniature shield wall Dramur and Will had put up.

Dramur went flying back, smashing into one of the wagons behind us. The wood frame cracked under the impact, and the dwarf struggled to get up; blood leaked from his mouth and wet his beard. Clara rushed over and a golden light began radiating from her hands as she chanted something indecipherable under her breath.

Will fared a little better: he was flung sideways into the grass. The red-head warrior recovered quickly, but at least a half-dozen goblins were converging on him by the time he had gotten up.

Veylin rushed forward with her curved sword to support Sam, who had taken the brunt of the goblins that had arrived last, their bodies incapable of using mana effectively. The two tore through the poor monsters as if they were butter.

And Shayna was smacking the troll with her halberd, removing chunks of flesh and bone, just for it to be regenerated a few moments later.

The troll rushed forward, smashing its right arm towards her side. She held strong, stopping the blow with the haft of her weapon. The two grappled with the massive hammer, each exerting strength that couldn’t be naturally possible when accounting for muscle mass. Unfortunately, it was evident the troll had the upper hand after a few seconds.

I sprinted forward, unwilling to use a lightning bolt during their intense grapple in fear that I’d miss. I was probably going over 200 miles per hour (320kph), but the world moved so slowly that I could distinguish the individual drops of sweat that glided down Shayna’s face. Her teeth were clenched together in determination.

I focused on strengthening my aura to help with the impact I was about to take.

I crashed into the troll; its body flipped end over end from the hit. Shayna gave a yelp of surprise as I ran by, a confused look on her face.

The troll utilized its incredible arm strength to stop its movement, gouging deep marks into the charred grass with strong fingers. It roared at me, spewing saliva from its mouth.

I came to a stop ten feet (~3m) from the monster as I uttered my incantation, “Blesk.”

The lighting shot out, hitting the side of the troll’s oblong head. Skull fragments and brain matter were clearly visible, yet the troll only staggered before charging again. How tough is this fucker?

I shot a second lightning bolt, but my surprise at its survival threw the accuracy off. The bolt tore through the troll’s left leg, severing it clean off and causing it to flop to the ground. If I had been unlucky enough to hit anywhere else, the monster would’ve caved my skull in. It had almost managed to close the distance between us.

The beast continued to crawl on the ground, viscously refusing to give up. This whole scenario kept reminding me of the drake: monsters never knew when to die.

In response to its tenacity, I lowered the tip of my finger at the troll’s head, firing off another lightning bolt.

The spell cracked against the monster’s skull, causing it to fragment into pieces. Its lifeless body flopped to the ground without the brain to give orders; the muscles spasmed pointlessly from the shock of death. Blood and some unknown liquid drained from the stump where its head used to be.

There was something about that troll’s body. Something about being so close.

I sank to my knees and felt the bile rise in my throat. I’d never had a problem with gore. Sometimes, I'd even go out of my way to watch surgery videos -- those ones where they'd remove layers of the skin, or reset broken bones. It never bothered me before.

But now, I felt like I was on the verge of being sick. It wasn’t the look of it per se. It was more like the experience. The smell, the feeling of hot blood on my face and hands; it all served to make this… real. I realized that there was more to dealing with death than just learning to not mind the visuals of it.

The drake’s corpse was arguably worse than this, but there was something different about this troll. It felt less like a game now and more like a new reality, even though I knew it was reality from the very beginning.

I tried to contain a heave. I failed. Through sheer force of will, I managed to swallow my bile before it fell from my mouth.

“Are you okay?” Shayna put a hand on my shoulder; she breathed in deep bursts.

“Mana exhaustion,” I lied. I still had a little less than half my mana remaining. A combination of my pride and keeping up the façade I’d crafted prevented me from speaking the truth. This was probably the only time I’d be thankful for the side-effects.

I could still hear the faint sounds of death as Veylin and Sam slaughtered the few remaining goblins that had somehow survived this long.

The North side seemed like they were cleaning up too, judging by the lack of sound followed by a goblin’s high-pitched shrieking.

“Here.” Shayna held out her hand and I obliged. She swung my arm over her shoulder and let me lean on her as we approached Will and Dramur.

Those two had suffered the brunt of the damage that had come from this battle. Various cuts and bruises were still visible along their bodies. And judging by Clara’s exhausted face and slumped position on the ground, she had channeled too much of Lyros’s favor healing them.

I removed my arm from Shayna’s shoulder and unsteadily walked over, “Do you two have any life-threatening wounds?”

Dramur shook his head.

“Well… not life-threatening, but.” Will gave a pointed look at his leg; his femur bone stuck out of his thigh.

“Off all the bones you could break,” I chastised, “you break the toughest one?” I shook my head as I began healing his leg, not a good idea considering my current state; nausea caused my head to spin mercilessly.

Will winced, “That troll hit pretty damn hard.”

Dramur grunted, “Tell me about it.”

“Are you sure you should be healing his leg?” Shayna bit her lip, causing her small tusks to stick out. “The last thing we need is you going comatose because you overdid it.”

“Too late. I’m already done.” I plopped on the grass and stared into the night. I had released my initial fire spell sometime between killing the troll and almost throwing up, so only the moon and a few glowing coals lit the darkness.

“That fast?” Will raised his brow, looking at me incredulously. “You sure you healed this right?”

“Clean breaks are easy,” I replied. “When the bone shatters and tears through the muscle, that’s hard.”

“I’ll make sure to get you the opportunity here soon,” Will joked as he laid back. “I wouldn’t want you slacking off while I get bludgeoned constantly.”

Veylin and Sam came back, both drenched in blood but otherwise fine. Veylin prodded me for a water skin from my pouch before sitting on the wheel of a wagon and downing the whole thing.

Theo jumped down from his perch and sat with us, his quiver much emptier than it used to be, “I checked with Freya’s group. No deaths, but some of her guys got pretty badly injured. They’ll need you, Clara.”

Clara groaned and flopped to her side, “I’ll need to make a few prayers and offerings. I had my hands full just healing you guys.”

Theo continued, “Blake’s guards…” he paused, “weren’t so fortunate. A few stronger goblins that they weren’t prepared for slipped through the cracks. We’ll need to bury or cremate them before we leave.”

“Blake shouldn’t have a problem with that the way he talks himself up,” Sam scoffed, leaning on his bloody spear.

“Samuel, have respect for the dead.” Will frowned at his brother in disappointment.

I stood up and dusted my pants; the blood on them stubbornly refused to come off. I looked behind at the caravan guards who were piling their comrade’s bodies inside the circle of wagons. The worst parts of the battle were still yet to come.