He took a deep breath and relaxed. Finally, he opened his eyes and reached down into his pouch and pulled a round, lead ball. The wind strengthened, pushing his long, black hair from his face. He tightened his jaw and reached into another pouch and brought out a small vile filled with a red, sparkling liquid. He uncorked it and poured one drop onto the shot.
He rammed the round into the barrel, pushed his back against the tree once more, and breathed deep. Not many men nor peacekeepers had faced a wood troll and lived to tell the tale.
Valeryn set his elbow against the tree and shoved away from it, breaking at a run down the slope. Trees blew by him in a blur and snow flew from his boots. His wet hair whipped about his face and water dripped down his cheeks with flaming intensity.
He could see now the men below him in a rough circle well away from the large creature in their center. The bark-like skin, the branches and leaves that formed the massive head, the knobby fingers bore fear into Valeryn. One question came to his mind: how?
He glanced at the battle scene and noticed that a ledge about ten feet tall separated him from them.
His feet skidded in the thick snow as he stopped and dropped to one knee. Squinting one eye, he sighted down the length of his barrel. The troll’s head swept swung to the right then the creature stood still. It lifted its arms, raised its face to the sky, and roared. Valeryn took his chance.
He fired. Flames and smoke erupted from the rifle and the boom echoed through the trees. The troll roared again as the shot slammed into the base of its head, igniting immediately. Valeryn dropped the rifle and began to run again, heading straight for the creature.
Valeryn reached his hand behind his back and unsheathed his cutlass. He yelled as he leapt from the ledge. Time slowed.
As he plummeted to the earth, he swung the sword with all of his might.
The blade slashed through the woody skin and ripped from its left shoulder down to its waist trailing a stream of black blood. The creature roared once more and spun.
Valeryn landed in the deep snow and rolled out of the way as a massive fist thudded into the earth.
He stood and ran to a safe distance away from the creature. Beneath his feet, he could feel the tremors as it rumbled after him.
“Aim for the eyes!” He shouted desperately to the men around him.
A volley of shots erupted from the men spread around the battle scene.
Valeryn nearly tripped over a man sprawled out on the ground, blood seeping from a wound. The peacekeeper glanced behind him and saw the troll angered by his wounds and still aflame. It had changed course and now ran after two other men on the far side of the small valley. He checked the man. Still alive.
He glanced around again, taking in his surroundings. Two men on the ridge to his left and three men behind a large boulder on his right. All armed. Valeryn was certain that there were more.
Another set of shots rang out.
Valeryn moved.
Two more men hid behind trees near the edge of the clearing on the left. Their rifles blasted smoke into the air as they loosed their shot into the lumbering giant.
The troll stopped and picked up a large boulder. Valeryn felt his eyes widen as the creature threw the stone at the men in the trees. Chunks of wood exploded from the trees as the boulder tore its way towards the two men. They screamed and hurled themselves out of the way of certain death.
The troll growled and then turned as the men near Valeryn fired again.
The peacekeeper and creature stared at one another. Valeryn could feel the hatred in the beast’s eyes. Another growl rose from its throat and it sprinted forward.
Valeryn leapt over a log and rolled as the wood shattered from the huge fist that crashed into it. Splinters flew by him and he gasped as a large portion of wood tore through his left cheek.
He fell to his knees. Blood poured from the wound onto his hands. White filled the corners of his vision and his ears began to ring.
From far away, he could feel thunderous quakes beneath him. He looked, his eyes squinted, and made out the silhouetted form of the troll running towards him.
Like being pulled from water, the real world rushed back to him. He pushed from his kneeling position and flung himself into a thorny bush.
Needles pricked at him and pierced his flesh. He rolled and then found himself on his feet. Miraculously, he still held his sword. He stumbled back and found a tree, hardly feeling the jab of pain in his shoulder as he fell against the trunk.
“He’s coming through!”
“Reload that gun, Larus!”
“GET DOWN!”
A thunderous crash shook the ground. Valeryn stumbled.
He spun, anger pouring through his veins. He needed to kill this beast and fast.
“Stay away from the ledge!”
Valeryn burst into a run. Three men had made it onto the ledge out of the small valley and rained shots down onto the troll as it attacked their three friends, who had found a crevice between two huge boulders.
Flames still licked the back of the creature’s head and blood still poured from the wound on its back.
Valeryn pulled a pistol from his belt and fired it into the trolls back. The round sunk into the flesh but did little to gain the troll’s attention.
Valeryn dropped the pistol, sheathed his sword, and drew two daggers.
He came within four feet of the broad back and leapt.
His blades sunk deep into the bark. The troll roared again and tried to swat him away. Valeryn held tight and with grim determination, was not thrown. The troll stopped once and began staggering backwards towards a tree trunk. Valeryn knew he had to act fast. He ripped his right blade free and thrust it into a higher place on the back. He repeated the action with the left hand and pulled himself to its wide neck before the beast slammed into the tree.
Valeryn felt his grip falter and he swung backwards, hitting the tree with his legs. The troll stepped forward and then slammed back into the trunk. Valeryn pulled himself onto the troll’s shoulder just before his legs snapped under the force of the impact.
He thrust the daggers down into the troll’s neck and held tightly as the creature thrashed and bellowed in pain. Blood streamed from the blade as he ripped it free and slashed at the huge hand that came to swipe him from its shoulder.
The troll howled and clutched at his wound. Valeryn thrust the blade deep into the beast’s spine at the back of the neck. Blood spurted from the wound. He turned his head away from the stream and tried to hold on but to no avail.
He fell to the ground, exhausted. The troll groped and roared, trying to remove the dagger from its neck but the blade was embedded to deeply into the flesh. Valeryn watched from the ground, the strength slowly draining from his body, as the troll’s movements slowed steadily until it fell to its knees.
Valeryn pushed himself to his feet and stood there unsteadily for a moment, regaining his composure and some of his strength. He could hear the men and see some of them emerging from their cover. They held their weapons at the ready, wary of the giant, wounded creature.
Valeryn reached to his back and drew his cutlass. He shuffled forward, breath heaving from his body, blood drenching his clothes. He wondered how much of it was his.
Great mushrooms of steam arose from the troll’s mouth as it heaved in breaths and tried again to rise. Valeryn stepped close to it, wary of a trap, his sword raised.
“Forgive me. I cannot let you suffer this way.” He pulled the hilt of his sword to his right shoulder and then thrust upwards into the creature’s heart.
