Cassian’s hand slowly reached for his sword as his eyes flicked toward the direction of the troll. He didn’t say anything—just raised a hand slightly to signal the others to stop talking.
Lumine noticed first. Her eyes widened. "Wait..." she whispered, turning her head toward the bushes.
The troll was no longer lying where it had been. The ground was disturbed, the shape gone, and the only thing left was the faint scent of earth and something foul lingering in the air.
"...Where the hell did it go?" Wanni whispered, already gripping her staff tighter and scanning the trees.
"I knew this would happen," Robert muttered, voice a mix of fear and regret.
Everyone stayed still, the air suddenly heavier, every creak of the forest now sounding just a little too loud. A soft thud echoed from the left—heavy, deliberate. Then another. Something large was moving.
Cassian slowly moved into a crouch, eyes locked in the direction of the sound. "It’s awake. And it’s not far."
Theon muttered under his breath, "Perfect. Troll hide and seek."
Althea was already drawing her weapon fully, voice calm but tense. "Alright. No sudden moves. No noise. We back away slowly and—"
A twig snapped under someone’s boot.
And from the trees, came a low, wet growl.
And then came a loud whoosh—followed by an explosion of rock and dust as the boulder they’d been hiding behind shattered into pieces. Everyone cried out in pain as they were thrown in different directions, the shockwave slamming them into the ground. The troll had hurled its massive club straight at them.
Cassian hit a tree hard, his breath knocked out of him. But through the ringing in his ears, he finally got a clear look at the monstrous creature.
It hadn’t even fully stood up yet, and it was already half as tall as the trees around them. Its skin looked like stone, and every movement it made let out a harsh crunching sound. A walking mountain.
Cassian shook off the pain and pushed himself up quickly, but the others weren’t as fast to recover.
Luckily, the troll was slow to rise—taking its time to stretch and snort like it wasn’t in any rush. Cassian hurried to the nearest teammate and forced a healing potion into their hands. "Theon—get everyone patched up and run. I’ll hold this thing off."
As Theon’s wounds started to knit back together, Cassian was already moving toward the troll.
"Cassian—cough—" Lumine tried to stop him, but only managed a weak call before coughing up blood.
Theon rushed to her side, helping her drink the potion as he muttered, "Come on, breathe slow... you’re alright."
Lumine’s hand clutched his sleeve, her eyes flicking toward Cassian who was already moving to intercept the troll. Panic flickered in her gaze, and Theon could see it—she didn’t want to leave him behind.
But he shook his head firmly and said, "Don’t. We’ll just get in the way. At least alone, he has a chance—he can dodge, move freely. If we stay, he’ll have to protect us too."
Lumine looked torn, but Theon gripped her arm tighter. "Let’s hurry back and bring help. That’s the only way we make this count."
She swallowed hard, then nodded.
Behind them, the troll had finally stood to full height—its massive frame towering above the trees. It let out a deep, guttural roar that shook the branches and sent a few birds fleeing from the canopy.
But just as the troll fully stood, it let out a painful growl, lifting one of its massive feet. Blood dripped from a long gash—about the size of a human arm. Small for the troll, but clearly enough to hurt. It clenched its fists, confused and angry, eyes locking onto the tiny thing that managed to wound it—Cassian, who looked like little more than an insect to the giant.
"Hey, you big shit!" Cassian shouted, flashing forward again. "Come at me!"
He darted under the creature and slashed at its other leg. The troll roared, stumbling as it tried to hop away from the sudden pain, its huge frame crashing into a cluster of trees and snapping them like twigs.
Meanwhile, Theon had finished healing the others, and the group was already on the move—escaping through the forest.
Lumine glanced back, her voice cracking as she shouted, "We’ll be back soon—just don’t die!"
Her words pulled the troll’s attention toward them for a brief moment.
Cassian didn’t waste it.
He lunged in and drove his sword straight down into the troll’s thick toe. The creature howled in agony, losing its balance entirely.
With a thunderous crash, the troll finally fell—its giant body flattening several trees and carving a crater into the forest floor where it landed.
Cassian’s hand trembled, blood dripping from his knuckles as he tightened his grip on the sword. The impact had sent a brutal vibration up his arm—his blade had struck true, but the troll’s skin was harder than stone. Even using Still Wind Blade, the recoil was brutal.
Damn thing’s built like a mountain... he thought, biting down a grunt of pain as he backed off, keeping his eyes on the downed troll.
It groaned, one arm twitching as it tried to push itself up. It wasn’t down for good—just stunned. Its body shifted slightly, and one of its bloodshot eyes rolled toward Cassian, full of rage.
Cassian flashed forward again, this time leaping up and landing on the troll’s knee. He drove his sword down hard, forcing another roar of pain from the beast. The troll’s massive fist came crashing down toward its own leg, aiming to squash him, but Cassian was already gone—springing upward and landing on its arm.
He sprinted up its forearm, slashing as he moved. His blade carved a long, deep gash—nothing fatal, but enough to leave a noticeable mark running nearly the length of the troll’s arm. For a moment, it seemed like he might actually gain the upper hand.
Then came the real danger.
As he launched himself toward the troll’s face, aiming for a similar strike—
A sudden burst of wind slammed into him like a wall, sending his body flying backward. He hadn’t even been touched—the air alone from the troll’s swing had launched him.
Cassian hit a tree hard, the impact cracking the trunk and snapping branches. Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth as he slid down, stunned.
"Fuck..." he muttered as he saw the cracked tree groan and split above him. With his limbs still healing, he couldn’t move in time. The trunk crashed down, not enough to crush him into pulp—but more than enough to pin him hard against the ground.
Pain flared through his side as he struggled beneath the weight. The moment his arm finished healing, he grit his teeth and shoved the broken trunk off with a strained breath.
Just as he caught his breath, he looked up—only to be greeted by the sight of the troll’s feet which he saw every little detail to his unforunate as he couldn’t help it this might be his end, and by what cassian could only be consider the most disgusting thing, it’s mottled grey-green, thick and calloused like dried-out tree bark, with deep cracks filled with dark grime and old, caked blood. Fungal growths and patches of moss clung to the sides like rot on a forest log, damp and pulsing with a sickly green hue.
"...Fuck," he muttered again—right before the troll’s massive foot came crashing down, slamming into the ground with a sickening, wet crunch, like an overripe orange being crushed under a boot.