Varhaven Mercs: Trouble with Trolls

TROUBLE WITH TROLLS.

A Mercenaries of Varhaven Adventure
By Leon Jones.

“The trouble with Trolls is that they smell,” said Indigo, toying with her steel dagger. “Its not that their big or strong…”
         “Like me!” boomed Oxxar. The warrior's massive frame cut an intimidating figure in the flickering firelight of the mercenaries camp.
The huntress ignored him and continued with her analysis.
         “…Or that they have excellent vision in the dark and can smell human flesh at a hundred feet…”
         “Like me!” Oxxar interrupted again.
Indigo's voice grew sharper and it was clear that she becoming annoyed by her inebriated companion's constant heckling.
         “…Its that they smell really, really bad.”
         “Like him,” their leader Torgue said, calmly pointing at the drunken mercenary. Indigo laughed loudly at the swordsman’s witty comment.
Angry at the slight, the powerfully built warrior rose from his seat with a roar but the vast quantities of ale he had consumed got the better of him and he fell forward landing face first into the dirt, inches from the bonfire.
         “Serves you right you dumb oaf,“ Indigo chuckled sending her boot swiftly into his ribs as he drunkenly tried to lift himself back up. “You always drink too much.” Oxxar's snoring was her only reply. “I don’t believe it. How does he do that?” she asked, amazed at the speed with which the scarred warrior could fall asleep.
         “Is he alright?” Kayden stared nervously at the muscle-bound warrior. He was the newest addition to their band of mercenaries and in the past few days of adventuring he had received a greater education than he had in the past eighteen years of life.
Indigo smiled back at him, her dark beauty accentuated by the dull light of the fire.
         “Don't worry about this dumb oaf, he’s fine. He always does this. In fact he finds it hard to get to sleep without knocking someone’s teeth out so really this is good.”
Kayden was consistently amazed at the casual brutality with which his new companions seemed to regard life and each other. As a boy growing up in the farmlands of Fairholme, reading old stories of legendary heroes and adventurers, he had always dreamed of leading a life of high adventure. But now, as he sat clutching his grandfather’s shield and staring into the flickering light of the campfire, he could not fight the feeling that he had made the biggest mistake of his life.

Leaving the comfort of his family's farm on the eve of his eighteenth birthday Kayden had left behind an idyllic life of peaceful responsibility far removed from the dangers of war and monsters to fulfil a childish dream of fortune and glory.
Somehow in the days following his midnight departure from the farm, he had become the newest member of a mercenary group whose members both terrified and amazed him. All bared the scars of war somewhere on their body and all were ruthless in their own way.

First there was Oxxar. The drunken warrior was by far the largest man he had ever seen. At almost double Kayden’s height, the heavily scarred berserker carried a monstrous warhammer equally as tall as the colossal mercanary and twice as heavy, or so it seemed. Though Kayden had yet to experience a true fight with his new family he had no doubt that the warrior and his warhammer were true weapons of destruction on the battlefield.

Then there was Torgue. The dark haired, enigmatic leader of the group was a serious and unsettling figure. Wearing a neatly trimmed beard and black leather armour he hardly ever seemed to smile and even the others could never tell exactly what he was thinking. His twin swords seemed deadly enough when sheathed at his side and Kayden could only speculate about the skill and precision the reserved swordsman seemed to possess.

Finally there was Indigo. She was the reason he had stayed with the group so long and the reason he could not bring himself to leave.
As the group’s huntress, her skill with a bow was truly astounding. He had already witnessed her impressive abilities in hunting wild boar but it was not her martial prowess that fascinated him so. It was that Indigo was easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her sultry appearance and tightly honed body were a far-cry from the robust and homely farm girls of Fairholme. Kayden was fascinated by the scantily armoured vixen and often found himself unable to turn his gaze away from her alluring form.
         “How are you finding your new life with us, Kayden?” she asked, breaking his train of thought as though she could tell what he was thinking.
He hesitated to answer, caught off guard by her dark and piercing eyes “Umm… yeah. It’s not quite what I was expecting…”
She smiled and laughed softly, “Let me guess, you were expecting more dragons and damsels in distress?”
         “Something like that.” He yawned. The day’s travelling had caught up with him; he could feel his eyes grow heavy in the dim light of the camp.
Torgue’s voice cut in from across the fire, “Kid, you should get some sleep.” He could see the boy was exhausted, unnacustomed as he was to a life on the road.
         “Yes sir.” Kayden replied anxiously. The swordsman intimidated him and he was still unsure as to how to speak to their leader. Though Oxxar was a terrifying sight to behold, Torgue was a complete mystery. Not knowing what to make of the man scared Kayden in a different way.
         “I told you, you don’t have to call me that.”
         “Sorry sir… I mean…um… Torgue.” Kayden said as he lay back down against the earth.
Indigo's voice seemed to speak softly in his ear, “He’s right, you have a big day tomorrow. It’ll be your first real fight!”
Staring into the night sky and admiring the beauty of the stars above, Kayden tried to put the dangers ahead out of his mind. After a moment he closed his eyes and fell asleep.


       

*          *          *          *          *

         “Indigo, stop throwing rocks at me!” bellowed Oxxar as he exhaustedly made his way up the scree slope towards his companions.
         “Well hurry up then! We've been here for half an hour waiting for you!” her voice echoed back from atop the slope.
The previous night had left its mark on the warrior and he was slowing the whole group up as a result.
To Kayden it seemed like madness to throw rocks at such a bellicose individual. Wasn’t the huntress frightened of what he’d do when he finally caught up?
Torgue interrupted her assault  “It’s already past noon. We were supposed to be at the Troll cave by now. At this rate we’ll never get there.” Then he turned his gaze back to the spectacular view of snow capped mountains in the distance. Years of leading the others had taught him the value of patience but in the mercenary game, time was always money.
         “Hear that oaf? We're late because you can't hold your drink,” Indigo screamed down the rocky slope before hurling another rock at Oxxar, missing him by inches but making him flinch nonetheless.
         “How come your such a good shot with a bow but you can’t throw a rock very well?” Kayden asked as another stone bounced harmlessly past Oxxar’s foot.
Indigo turned to face him with a mixture of surprise and mischief on her face “Think you could do any better?” she chided while tossing him a stone.
Kayden could not say why he rose to the challenge of antagonising a berserker, perhaps it was his willingness to impress the girl of his dreams but as he rose and accepted the stone from her hand he honestly forgot the sheer recklessness of what he was about to do.
Exhaling deeply he recalled how he would throw stones as a child and the techniques he used to achieve maximum accuracy.
Arching his arm backwards and squinting his eyes, he took a second of concentration before flinging the stone as hard as he could through the air.
To the shock and amazement of all, the stone landed with an audible ‘crack’ right between the warrior's eyes. Oxxar stood dazed for a split second before slipping on the loose ground and rolling head over heel backwards to the bottom of the slope far below.
In a terrifying flash of realisation, Kayden felt the sudden need to run for his life. Surely the warrior would be out for his blood after that? Indigo however, had already collapsed in fits of laughter and even Torgue was smiling as the muscled heap came to stop at the foot of the hill, dust smouldering in the midday sun as he stood dizzily, shaking his head in an effort to ease the pain.
         “That’ll set us back another hour,” the swordsman said finally.



The rest of the journey was not an enjoyable experience for Kayden who spent the time as far away from the warrior as he could get. That wasn’t difficult to achieve however, as Oxxar was still lagging behind severely hung over and sporting a headache now twice as bad as the one he had woken up with. With his new position at the front of the group it made Kayden seem like the most zealous and enthusiastic of the mercenaries when, in fact, it was the fear of Oxxar’s reprisal that drove him onwards.

Dusk was falling as the first sight of the Bleak Wood came into view in the valley below, its dark leafless trees like tortured spines in the encroaching gloom. From where they stood the final rays of evening light fell upon the Hollow Swamps that bordered the ancient and foreboding forest.
Torgue pointed towards the murky waters that sat in the distance. Its reek was palpable even at this distance. “That’s our destination, kid.” The slimy surface glistened brightly in the dusk sun, putrid waters reflecting the day’s dying light. Concern was etched on the swordsman's face, “We’re later than I expected. Battling Trolls at night is never a good thing.”
         “Why’s that?” Kayden asked, his voice trembling with the growing sense of danger inside him.
It was Indigo who answered, “Better night-vision, better sense of smell plus their naturally weaker in the sunlight and much stronger at night.”
                “We’ll see how strong they are when I cave in their heads with my hammer!” Oxxar boasted, his voice loud enough to wake even a dragon.
Torgue turned to face his companions, understandably worried at having to fight a troll in its element and at night. “Maybe we should leave this until tomorrow. It is the kid’s first time after all.” 
Indigo was the first to object. “We can’t do that, the deal was double the going rate if we acquired the troll teeth before the week was out! If we wait until tomorrow that puts us over our time frame.”
As mercenaries, coin was important to them all but the huntress had always possessed a special love of gold that on occaisson made her seem callous even by most mercenary standards.
Worried about the waning supply of ale, Oxxar added,  “Also we don’t have enough food and drink with us to last another night. We’ll end up going hungry for a day.”
         “Well we can’t eat and spend gold if we’re all troll-dung,” replied Torgue. “I say we wait.”
Oxxar pointed towards Kayden, their newest member. “What about the boy?”
For a second Kayden thought he meant what about eating the boy.
         “Oxxar’s right. We should vote on it,” suggested Indigo.
Torgue went quiet as he considered their suggestion. "I don’t remember this being a democracy… but fine! What do you think kid?” he said at last. The three mercenaries turned to face the awestruck boy who was still questioning the wisdom of being a part of their group and completely unprepared for the sudden responsibility of having to choose. It was the first time he’d had to make a decision within the group and the combined force of all their waiting stares was frightening at best.
Finally, not wanting to seem like a coward before his first real taste of action he answered “I say we go for it tonight!”
         “Ha!” boomed Oxxar “Spoken like a true warrior. There’s hope for you yet boy!” He slapped Kayden hard on the back, nearly knocking him over with his tremendous strength.
Kayden was relieved to know that it was possible for the warrior to speak to him without ripping his head off but as they started down the hill towards the Hollow Swamps, he could not help but hear his own voice screaming back at him to run away as fast as he could.


       

  *          *          *          *          *

The Hollow Swamp was a truly wretched place. Never in all his life had Kayden smelled, or even imagined that anything could smell so utterly putrid. The rank stench of filth and decay stung his nostrils so badly that it caused tears to stream down his face. He was glad the others felt the same way for had they not he would have felt like a weakling in comparison.
Wearily the four trudged through the thick mud, their boots caked in the accumulated filth of the swamp. Flies buzzed relentlessly around them and sinister crows squawked at their intruding presence. Darkness had fallen and they were getting closer to their destination, the full moon an ominous blessing as its pale light lit the path before them.
         “We’re getting close now,” whispered Torgue from the front, he led the way with Indigo beside him. Her hunters eyes were excellent when it came to seeing in the dark.
         “How much further?” Kayden asked furtively. He was getting anxious now and as time went on he became ever more convinced that his death was imminent. Why didn't he stay home in the comfort of his family's farm?
Suddenly Torgue’s hand shot into the air, a signal that demanded silence.
For what seemed like an eternity they stood in the swirling detritus whilst Torgue and Indigo peered into the gloomy distance.
Finally the huntress broke the silence, "There,” her finger pointed towards a distant cave obscured by thick plants and hidden in shadows. Kayden had to admit her eyesight was impressive. Even in broad daylight it seemed that it would have been nearly invisible to the naked eye.
Oxxar swore loudly, his voice startling the others. “By the Twin Gods! Did it have to be a cave? I hate caves.”
Indigo flashed him a dirty glare at the noise he was making.

Slowly, cautiously, they crept towards the lair. It soon became clear that the rank odour assaulting their nostrils was not caused by the swamp alone.
         “Smells like Trolls to me, boy,” Oxxar growled, leaning close to Kayden’s ear. Even through the odour of the swamp, the warrior’s stale breath cut a mighty smell.
Within moments they were at the entrance to the cave. Looking down amidst the rotting grass and sharp briars Kayden could see the shattered bones and empty skulls of recent adventurers who had dared come this far. He swallowed hard, fighting back the fear and the urge to flee.
Torgue leaned against the wall and peered inside, unsheathing his sword and twirling it in readiness for what lay ahead. “If anyone has any second thoughts, its not too late to fall back until morning.”
Everyone knew the comment was meant for the boy and in his mind Kayden screamed  ‘Yes! Twin Gods yes! Let's come back tomorrow!’ but in reality he said nothing. Instead he just watched as the others nodded in silent agreement to proceed.
One by one they ducked inside and Kayden realised with chilling clarity that he was about to die.



The inside of the troll's lair was not what Kayden had expected. Instead of the mound of gore-ridden skulls and dismembered, half eaten bodies all he could really see was darkness. Pitch black darkness. For that at least, he was greatful for if his vivid imagination was correct he did not have to see the carnage that no doubt littered the cave.
The hot air inside was heavy with the stench of rotting meat and Kayden knew his imagination was most likely accurate to the reality of what lay at his feet.
Unable to see anything he was too scared to move and whenever he tried to, he could feel the ground squish under foot. Though being blind in the lair of a troll was in itself a terrifying situation, Kayden also feared the revelation of what his surroundings truly were. For all he knew he could be standing right next to the troll but there was a strange comfort in not seeing the ugly sight of its gaping maw about to bite his head off.

The walls of the cave suddenly became alight with an orange glow as Torgue's torch took flame. Light was entirely necessary if they wanted to find their way around in the dark but it also meant that Kayden could now see exactly what it was he was standing on. It wasn't pretty. Amidst the bones and flesh that lay scattered throughout the cave, a decaying hand gripped Kayden's boot.
Retching at the sight of such reckless slaughter he shook his foot violently in an effort to kick off the unwanted accessory. This was the first time he had seen anything so hideous and it chilled him to the bone.
                  "First time in a troll-cave?" Indigo asked rhetorically.

Cautiously they proceeded further into the utter blackness of the lair, the smell intensifying with every step.
Oxxar moved furtively, disturbed by the lack of room within the cave. He had always hated small spaces, most likely as a result of being such a large individual.
Torgue motioned back at Kayden to approach and he did so with great trepidation. When he was close, the swordsman whispered to him, “Listen kid, don’t go being a hero in there. You don’t have to prove anything to us. It’s more important to live to fight another day than to die a hero.”
Kayden nodded anxiously. If their leader's words were meant to reassure him they didn’t.
Torgue continued, “That shield you’ve got there, it’s a good shield so here’s what I want you to do, focus on using the shield more than your sword. It’s more important to protect yourself than to hurt the enemy so keep it close and if things get out of hand don’t be afraid to hide behind it. Understand?”
Again, Kayden nodded. He really wasn’t sure about this.
Suddenly Indigo hissed a warning from a few feet ahead of their position, “I see it."
Their gazes followed her finger to a cavernous expanse of rock no more that fifty-feet ahead. Squinting into the darkness they could just make out the hunched, lanky form of their quarry.
For a second it looked to Kayden as though it were another person but as his eyes adjusted it became clear that it was definately no human. Though the height of a large man, its head and hands were twice the size of a mans and its skin seemed to be covered in a mixture of scale and ragged hair. At this distance it was hard to make out any real details but he already had a good idea of just how hideous it was.
         “Torgue, look!” Thee huntress breathed again, pointing to a thin passageway in the rock not more than a few feet away from them. “I'll bet that passage leads around to the other side.”
Oxxar pointed at the gap incredulously “There’s no way I’m going in there. It’s bad enough I’m in this tiny space, besides I‘ll never squeeze through that!”
         “No one’s asking you to oaf!” Indigo shot back.
Torgue flashed his torch over the tiny crack, examining it carefully. “He’s right, but I see where your going with this.” He turned to look at Kayden with a plan in mind. “You ready to get some action kid?”



         Stupid, stupid, stupid boy. Kayden could hear his mother's words over and over as he shimmied through the narrow crevice in the cave wall. He would often hear those words in his youth after doing something she disapproved of and now it seemed she was right beside him all over again. This time he had to admit she had a point. What was he doing? He was the bait in a dangerous trap to distract a man-eating troll while his companions could attack from behind. For all he knew they would just run away and leave him and this was all some elaborate and cruel prank. That was not a welcome notion.
If the huntress was right this passage would lead around the cavern where the troll was and allow him to emerge on the opposite side of his colleagues.
Again he heard it. Stupid, stupid, stupid boy. He tried to reason with himself as he got closer to the exit crack. All he had to do was make a noise so the troll would look in his direction, hide behind his shield and watch as the mercenaries dispatched the foul beast. That was safe right? He didn’t have to fight and so everything would be fine.



         “Shit!” Swore Indigo as she peered into the cavern.
         “What is it?” Torgue asked.
         “I can’t see the damned thing. It’s moved.”
         “Moved where.”
         “I don’t know. I can’t see it. I just said that didn‘t I?”
Oxxar poked his head into the conversation “We should go in, the boy may be in trouble.”
Indigo shook her head “I don’t hear anything. We should wait.”
         “I agree. Let’s give him a chance.” Torgue added.
Oxxar sighed, eager for combat.



The end was in sight and it was a good job too. Kayden was beginning to find it hard to breathe in the constricting space and as he reached the opening crack on the opposite side of the cavern the wall became tighter still. Inhaling as deeply as he could he gripped the edges of the wall and with an almighty pull he hurled himself through, landing hard on his stomach on the floor of the cave.
It was the smell that hit him first. In this space it was worse than it had been before. The overpowering stench causing him to almost vomit his dinner all over the cave. He realised that this must be the source of the odour and before he could even lift his head, he knew exactly where he was.
Terrified, he slowly moved his eyes upwards away from the rock floor only to see that he was mere inches away from the hideously clawed, scab-ridden, fecal-covered, fungal feet of a troll.
Cold, slimy drool slithered down Kayden’s face as his eyes rose upwards gradually taking in every grotesque detail of the beasts appearance until finally he stared into the beasts repugnant maw.
Its drooping, wrinkled face and jet-black eyes stared lifelessly back, silently regarding the worm that had just crawled into its nest. The creature possessed no nose and it was out of that loathsome cavity that the sickly drool poured onto Kayden. It’s mouth hung open, slack jawed and toothless as it watched him in a mixture of curiosity and rage.
Then without warning it growled, lunging at him with great ferocity, it’s thick claws scraping the rock as the boy barely rolled himself out of the way.
The beast hissed at Kayden’s evasion and stomped torward him as he frantically crawled towards his shield. Adrenaline pumped ferociously through Kayden's veins as he fought for his life.
His hands reached out, grabbing the circular bronze disk his Grandfather had once carried into battle and turning it towards the creature in the instant before it was upon him.
Silence followed.
Kayden lay on the floor his shield held high waiting for the force of impact but nothing happened.
Peering nervously over the edge of his shield he could see the troll staring quizzically back at him. It took a second for Kayden to realise the troll was confused by its reflection in the mirror-like bronze.
He wasn’t going to waste this time to strike. He reached for the hilt of his sword belt but it was stuck in the sheath.
Panic flooded his brain as he wondered what to do then realised the strap was still holding the guard in. Gracelessly unbuttoning it with his one free hand the blade came free and before the creature could realise what was happening Kayden threw his shield aside and thrust the blade upwards and deep into the trolls mouth.
The creatures cries of agony echoed around its cavernous lair.
Thick, black blood gushed from the wound, soaking Kayden in a viscous gore.
The troll flailed wildly, wrenching the sword out of Kayden’s hand as it fell backwards. It’s deathly cries growing quieter with each ragged breath.
Kayden couldn’t believe it. He’d killed the thing! Single handedly too! This was by far the most amazing thing he had ever done in his life. It was just like the stories he’d read as a child! He was just like the heroes he’d read about as a child! In that moment of victory he’d made up his mind that joining the mercenaries had been the best thing he’d ever done.
         “Kayden?” his companions yelled rushing into the grotto, the concern on their faces turning to relief when they saw the bloodied form of their newest member smiling like a child with a new toy.
         “Don’t worry guys. I took care of it,” Kayden said breathlessly, still amazed at what he had just accomplished.
Oxxar stared curiously at the corpse, “Small for a troll.”
Indigo noticed the gummy mouth, “It’s got no teeth. We needed the teeth.”
Torgue approached the motionless body and prodded it with his sword. “It’s a troll-ling.” He said after a few seconds. “No more than a few months old.”
         “What does that mean?” Kayden asked, confused.
Oxxar grinned widley “It means that it’s mother is around here somewhere.”
         “…And that’s the one we need,” Indigo added.
Kayden’s euphoria vanished as quickly as it had come as he realised how close he had been to death and how scared he had been battling a mere baby troll. His sudden burst of confidence vanished.
         “Wh… Why do we need to kill the other one?” he asked.
Indigo glared at him like he was stupid, “Because we’ve been paid to collect troll teeth. Five of them to be exact-”
A deafening roar cut her off and resounded around the chamber shaking the very foundations of the lair.
Torgue rose quickly, blade in hand. “I think we’ve found the mother.”
Within seconds the ground began to shake as the footsteps of their prey approached.
Indigo wasn‘t going to wait to be eaten, she moved first. “We should leave. We stand a better chance of winning outside.”
They all knew she was right and in silent agreement they all ran towards the exit.


     

    *          *          *          *          *

Outside in the moonlit swamp there was no need for the torch. Torgue extinguished it in the putrid waters and drew his second blade ready for the coming onslaught.
Oxxar readied his hammer and stood front and centre, preparing to meet the creature’s charge head on as Indigo took up position with her bow further back. She was to harass the beast, distracting it while the others did the grunt work.
Kayden readied his shield and reached for his sword. He wasn't entirely sure what to do. “My blade?” He screamed, realising he’d left it in the troll-lings mouth.
         “What’s wrong?” Indigo called.
         “I don’t have a weapon!”
Her face was a picture of disbelief, “Stick close to me, I’ll protect you!”
Kayden ran to her side and readied his shield.

The booming footsteps grew ever louder, signalling the imminent arrival of the creature.
The troll's head was the first they could see as it crouched low to leave the cave. The monstrosity's skull was easily the size of a boulder and its slimy scales glinted in the moonlight as patchy, filth encrusted hair swayed softly in the breeze.
It turned to look at the four mercenaries, the singular black orb that was its eye viewing them with a mixture of hatred and rage. It’s other eye was a scabby, pus-filled hole, that had been lost sometime before. Like it’s offspring, its face was wrinkled and drooped, it’s nose a void of drizzly mucous. This time Kayden could see a row of pointed and gore encrusted teeth as it snarled. Each tooth was jet black, as long as a dagger and equally as sharp and to the mercenaries, worth a fortune.
With a cacophonous screech the creature stretched itslef to its full height. It was easily the height of four men, maybe five. Its claws were like swords and its skin like damp leather.
Kayden took a quick glance at his colleagues and was alarmed to see even Oxxar take a step back in apprehension. He was even more surprised when the berserker charged forward, screaming at the top of his lungs with his hammer held high. Torgue followed close behind him brandishing his twin swords ready for the kill.

From a lifetime of reading adventure books Kayden knew that although trolls were incredibly strong, they were also slow and dim-witted. In theory he knew that taking the initiative was the best thing to do but as he watched the crazed warrior hurtle towards the beast, he couldn't help but question such a reckless move.
The troll's cries of agony filled the night as Oxxar’s great hammer crashed into its knee, breaking the bone with an audible and sickening crack and bringing the beast falling forward as its leg was knocked aside.
Torgue seized the opportunity as it fell to go for the head, his twin swords dancing wildly in the moonlight but the beast brought its own claws up just in time to deflect his blows.
Indigo’s arrows flew fast and true hitting the creature’s face and mouth and distracting it from the swordsman.
Reacting with fury at the barrage, the troll spat on Oxxar just as he was readying his second attack. The volatile liquid hiss and burned, eating through his armour and clothes. The berserker cried out in pain before diving under the swamp waters in an attempt to wash it away.

With Oxxar momentarily dealt with, the beast began to focus its attacks on Torgue, stabbing at him with its long claws.
The swordsman barely deflected them with practiced skill, narrowly avoiding being impaled by the ferocious attack. In a ferociously swift motion the troll quickly slashed at the swordsman with its other hand. The deadly claws cut deeply into Torgue's leg, knocking him clean off his feet.

Free of both the mercenaries, the creature turned its attention to the huntress It fixed its soulless black eye on her and charged toward her on all fours.
         “Run!” she cried as the monstrosity approached, but it was too fast even for her and the beast seized Indigo in its hand, pulling her up and opening its mouth to eat her.
Kayden turned to see the girl of his dreams caught in the grip of the hungry beast. “No!” he screamed  suddenly charging back towards the monster, galvanised at the prospect of losing her.
With his shield held forward he rushed with all his might into the troll, barrelling into the gaping wound Oxxar’s hammer had created in its leg.
Agony engulfed the troll as the shield crashed into nerve and bone causing the troll to drop Indigo into the water.
Howling with fury, the creature stared directly at Kayden, it rage now fixed entirely on the boy.
Blind terror rushed through the boy as the full extent of the creature’s anger focused entirely in his direction.
He barely managed to lift his shield as the monstrosity lashed out at him. The force of the blow lifting him clean off his feet and sending him flying through the air.

Indigo crawled quickly out of the water trying to put some distance between her and the troll.
She glanced back only to see it had returned its attention to her but as it reached towards her again, intent on its meal, she saw the mighty form of Oxxar emerge from the swamp behind it, his powerful hammer held high above him.
With a terrible roar he brought the weapon down on the trolls other knee. The sound of the terrible impact echoing in the putrid arena of the swamp.
Crippled and in pain the beast screeched with madness.
Indigo aimed her bow and fired whilst it was distracted, sending an arrow straight into its eye.
Blinded, the creature thrashed about wildly, its claws raking the air in a desperate attempt to slay its attackers.
Oxxar circled the creature and advanced, ducking its swipes until he was close enough to attack its head. With a bellowing roar he swung his weapon with as much force as he could muster.
Bone shattered and teeth flew as the hammer collided with the trolls face.
Stunned by the blow the beast recoiled and its cries subsided as it tried to comprehend the pain.
With a last concentrated effort, the warrior placed all his strength into his final blow, caving in its skull and silencing the creature once and for all.

It was an eerie silence that followed the trolls demise. Oxxar’s heavy breathing was all that could be heard, exhausted as he was from the battle.
Indigo looked about the swamp, it seemed as though all other life had fled the scene. No buzzing insects or squawking crows sounded in the gloom and the filthy waters subsided, becoming calm once more.
The sounds of Torgue struggling to his feet alerted them to his presence and the duo rushed to his side.
         “Torgue?” she called as she helped him rise. “Are you alright?”
The swordsman bore a large gash in his left leg and was bleeding heavily.
                  “I’m fine,” he answered grimly. “Just need to get this bandaged before I bleed to death. Where‘s the kid?”
It was then that Ingdio remembered the sight of Kayden flying through the air after the beast had hit him.
         “Hold the boss.” she said to Oxxar before turning to run in the direction Kayden flew.



         “Kayden?” She cried frantically as she neared the spot where she thought he would have landed.
A dull shimmer alerted her to the presence of his shield, alone on the floor.
Thoughts of the poor boy’s broken body ran through her mind and she found herself afraid that she would find his savaged form dead in the swamp.
         “Kayden?” She called again, growing ever more anxious with each passing second.
         “I’m up here!” a voice shouted back.
Staring upwards at the rotting form of a dead tree she could see the boy stuck in the branches.
Indigo exhaled, letting out a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding, “Are you alright?”
         “I’m a bit stuck.”
The huntress smiled and giggled. Her laughter growing quickly into hysterics at the image of their newest member stuck in a tree.
Kayden laughed too, the relief at being alive filling him with a sense of victorious euphoria.
Oxxar approached from behind. In his hand he held a bundle of blade like teeth pulled from the mouth of the dead creature, “Got the teeth,” His other arm was around the wounded swordsman, helping him walk.
Torgue's leg leg had been crudely bandaged in rags by the warrior. The worst of the bleeding had stopped. He looked up at the boy, amazed at his luck.
“Well if Kayden’s done climbing trees, we should probably make our way back.” he said, struggling with the pain of his wounded leg and looking the worse for wear.

          *          *          *          *          *

The Woodman’s Rest was one of the groups favourite Inns. Its voluptuous barmaids, freshly brewed ale, talented bards and spacious bar meant that it was generally considered one of the best drinking establishments within the Six Realms.
As the mercenaries relaxed, ale in hand waiting for their employer to show, they reviewed their recent adventure comparing notes and opinions on how well it went.
Oxxar examined the boy’s shield, turning it in his hands and carefully tracing his fingers over the bronze, “Amazing! There’s not so much as a dent on it!”
He was right, that was something. The troll had hit that shield with such force that it could have broken stone and yet the shield showed no signs of damage.
“I’d hang on to that if I were you boy. There’s something lucky about it, you mark my words.” the warrior added.
Kayden took the shield off Oxxar as he handed it back. He was warming to the warrior. Though still nervous around him he could gradually see that the man had a good heart and was of no real threat to him.
Indigo looked at Kayden, she was impressed by his actions in the Hollow Swamp and that, most of all, made him happy.
         “You saved my life back there Kayden. I’d be troll dung now if it wasn’t for you.” She smiled softly and sippied her ale.
Kayden blushed at the sudden attention. He was pleased that he’d done so well on his first real adventure.
         “Did you get them?” A quiet voice cut in from behind.
Kayden turned to see a heavily robed man, his face obscured by a voluminous hood.
Their employer for this job had arrived unnoticed at their table. He gave Kayden the creeps, there was something not right about him. Something shadowy.
It was Torgue who answered. “We did. Did you bring our gold?” As their leader, Torgue was usually the one who dealt with anyone wanting to do business. His leadership had netted the mercenaries a nice profit in the past and all followed him under the knowledge that it would do so again.
From beneath the confines of his dark robe the stranger removed a large leather purse and threw it on their table.
Gold coins spilled from the velvet bag, rolling across the wood and shimmering in the candlelight.
“Oxxar, give the man his goods.” The warrior grunted and handed the stranger the wrapped bundle of troll teeth.
         “Thank you.” The robed figure hissed before quickly turning and walking out.
Kayden turned his attention back to his drink, “He didn’t say much.”
         “They never do.” replied Indigo. “If someone comes to us to do something its because it can’t be done by anyone else or because they want it kept secret.”
Kayden nodded, not sure what to make of her comments or of the strange man that had hired them. Then, deciding he could do nothing either way he turned to his drink and relaxed into conversation with his new family.



Kayden had never drunk so much ale in all his life. Neither had he ever seen anyone drink so much as Oxxar could.
There was no doubt about it that it had been the most eventful week of his life. He had learned a lot and could honestly say now without a shadow of a doubt that joining the band of mercenaries had been the best decision of his life.
He thought about this as he lay on his back in his room at the inn, staring at the ceiling through drunken, swimming eyes. The alcoholic fugue was receding and his thoughts were beginning to clarify in his head.
Despite the excitement his week had yielded, he thought of his family and how they were. He missed them now more than he ever had before.
He thought of his mother and her wretched potato pie and of his little sister and her annoying singing. He thought also of his father, the traditionalist who wanted nothing more for his son than a life of farm work. His fathers insistence on him becoming a farmer had always angered Kayden and it was that which had pushed the two further apart.
His grandfather had been an adventurer long before he was born and after finally retiring to become a farmer it had seemed that farming had emerged as the family business. Something Kayden was expected to continue whether he wanted to or not. As a boy he would always dream of following in his grandfather's footsteps. Maybe he would run away and join the King's army or the crew of a Pirate ship. What choice did he have but to pursue the life of adventure he had always wanted?

A knock at the door distracted him from his thoughts just as his eyes were closing with sleep. He opened the door to see Torgue standing in the hallway.
         “Kayden, sorry did I wake you?”
         “Um.. no, I was awake. What’s wrong?”
         “Nothing. Everything’s fine but I wanted to give you something,” he pulled something long and thin and wrapped in cloth from behind his back. “I had to wait until after we were paid to get this.”
Torgue carefully handed him the bundle and Kayden unwrapped the package slowly. It was a sword. The blade shone softly in the dim light of the hall, the smell of its newly wrapped leather handle wafting in his nostrils. It was a brand new blade.
“Straight from the town’s blacksmith.” Torgue said.
Kayden was speechless, amazed at the gift. “I don’t know what to say…”
         “You don’t have to say anything. Indigo was right, you did save her life, maybe even mine as well. Besides you needed a new sword and after your actions against that troll you certainly deserve this.”
         “Thank you. Thank you very much!” Kayden answered back, still dumbfounded at the generosity of the master swordsman.
         “Welcome to the team.” Torgue said as he walked away.