Elwis trotted up to Freystein from the far side of the battlefield. As the dog did so, his red ears drooped and his tail wasn't wagging. If Halthor was correct, the elf-stock dog was afraid of something. Freystein leaned down low. Elwis gave a pained sounding yip. Freystein said nothing but looked at the dog in confusion. Elwis did so again, looking back towards their track through the forest. "THEY ARE THREE DAYS BEHIND US," Freystein said firmly, "IT IS NOT POSSIBLE THAT THEIR OUTRIDERS ARE AT OUR HEELS." Elwis made the same sound again, turning around in a circle. "I TELL YOU, DOG," the mountain troll said in an irritated tone "THE SEARCHERS ARE NOT THERE."
Halthor looked back at the wide path that they had left through the forest. Despite Freystein's efforts, they were still a mountain troll and moving through the lowland forest was difficult to do with out breaking some branches along the way. Up on the hill behind them, Halthor could see a gap in the treeline. Something was moving along that gap. Something large and fast was moving along their trail. Halthor felt the hair at the back of his neck go up as the wind shifted and a foetid scent blew faintly down to them.
"Freystein," Halthor said, reaching over and slapping the mountain troll's arm, "There is something coming. And it's moving quickly." Freystein huffed with annoyance and turned to look. Their craggy features first fashioned themselves into a squint and then into a look of shocked dismay.
"OH, THIS IS NOT GOOD. THIS IS NOT GOOD AT ALL," Freystein said, "HOW DID THEY FIND US?" Halthor bit back the droll comment that came to mind and looked at the mountain troll. "YOU MUST LEAD YOUNG HALTHOR TO OLERAND, ELWIS," Freystein said, "I SHALL DEAL WITH THESE TRAITORS. I TOLD MY CLAN TO KEEP TO THE MOUNTAIN BUT THESE GREEDY FOOLS SEEK MAN-FLESH UPON THE PROMISE IT WILL GIVE THEM POWERS. I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT THEY LEFT THE BLUE LADY ALONE."
"I thought mountain trolls were solitary," Halthor said. Freystein turned to him. Their expression was solemn.
"I AM NOT LORD STONE ONLY IN NAME. THESE YOUNG TROLLS ARE SEEKING BEYOND THEIR REACH. SOME ONE TOLD THEM HUNTING YOU WOULD BRING THEM GREAT POWER. GO BEFORE THEY ARRIVE, HURRY. YOU ARE SMALL, THEY WILL OVER LOOK YOUR PASSING." Halthor readied his hammer and brought the shield up to gaurd himself as he faced the coming mountain trolls. Freystein bellowed, "RUN, YOU FOOL. THEY'RE COMING TO KILL US BOTH."
Elwis nudged Halthor in the back of his left knee just hard enough to make it buckle unexpectedly. Halthor dropped to the ground as the first mountain troll burst through the trees. They were not as big as Freystein. Nor, decided Halthor, as human in apperance. Laying at Freystein's feet, Halthor was hidden by the jumble of skeletons that had been destroyed during the battle. Elwis hunkered down beside Halthor and Freystein stepped forward, putting themself bodily between their coming opponent.
Hidden behind the mountain troll, the builder from Starhaven had little choice but hope that he wouldn't be stepped on in the conflict. Olerand's shield covered much of his body. As he listened, Halthor wondered what Elwis was thinking. As he was questioning this, he slipped his hammer from the loop and quietly prayed to the Storm Lord for their safety. "HU-MAN LOVER," the young mountain troll called out, "WE COME FOR YOUR MAN." Freystein glared ferociously at the mountain troll the color of old granite and flint. They barely had a sapling's sprig to them. And that sprig of a tree was broken before it had met its prime. This was a sign to Freystein that the younger mountain troll was careless. Trees were a sign of prestige and maturity among moutain trolls. Only the youthful were reckless enough to fail to care for their trees.
"RETURN TO YOUR BROOD, SEEDLING," Freystein roared, deafening Halthor for a moment with his fury, "RETURN AND NEVER COME AMONG MEN AGAIN. THE LIES OF THE SHADOWS ARE LIES. NONE OF US HAVE GAINED POWER FROM KILLING MEN." The other mountain troll bristled at being called little more than a newborn by the elder troll. "WHAT OF YOUR SIBLING, DO THEY COME TO JOIN YOU IN YOUR FOLLY, AGAIN, SEEDLING?" Halthor wondered at the mention of the word 'again'. No sooner than mentioned, the other mountain troll youth came forward.
"WE WOULD HAVE THE MAN YOU GAURD AS YOUR OWN. YOU WILL NOT KEEP THE POWER FROM US," the second mountain troll called. Halthor looked at them and realized that they were twins. As the twins came forward, Elwis nudged Halthor hard in the back. Halthor knelt and sheltered himself and the dog behind the shield behind Freystein. The mountain trolls roared and ran at each other. As they clashed, the very earth beneath their feet shook. Halthor watched the fight with horror. Freystein threw one of the younger mountain trolls off of himself. The creature landed not far from Halthor. As they sat up, they looked around for something to use as a weapon.
They grasped at the shield only to have Halthor's hammer shatter their hand. Halthor couldn't tell what sound was worse, the deafening thunder or the sound of stone exploding all around him. The shield kept the brunt of the debris off of him and Elwis but a few shards cut his upper arm. The wounded mountain troll screamed in an awful sound. They brought their arm down to crush Halthor. The shield held against the blow though Halthor was driven off of his feet. Laying on his back, Halthor stared up at the young moutain troll reaching to grasp him with their good hand. Halthor simply threw his hammer in desperation. He wasn't sure if he'd strike anything or if he'd be crushed to death by the falling mountain troll.
The hammer whistled through the air and struck the troll in the face. They staggered back from the blow as lightning struck. For a moment, the world went white and Halthor was rendered deaf. Only the pain of his injuries told him he was still alive. The hammer landed in his hand and Halthor forced himself up to his feet. As he did so, he looked at his opponent. Where there had once been a mountain troll there was now a hillock of granite and flint with only the vaguest suggestions of possible humaniod features in the debris.
Halthor turned and saw Freystein locked in desperate battle with the remaining twin. "Oi!" Halthor shouted at the moutain trolls, "Looking for me?!" Freystein looked over their shoulder. As they did so, the younger mountain troll took advantage of it and struck a hard blow across Freystein's face. Freystein dropped to the ground unconscious. The younger mountain troll roared and began to run for him. Halthor gauged the rapidly closing distance and aimed. He threw his hammer with all of his strength.
The hammer struck the young mountain troll in the face. Their head whipped back and then came the thunderbolt. As the lightning slammed into them, every small crack that had been created with the blow of the magical hammer lit with light. And then they collapsed to the ground in a heap of pieces. The hammer flew back to Halthor's hand as Freystein stared in horror. Halthor caught the hammer and put it into the carrying loop at his side. He shifted the shield from his left arm to his right and walked up to the dazed mountain troll. Halthor knelt beside Freystein.
"Now they can't hurt anyone," Halthor said.
"THEY WERE CHILDREN," Freystein answered.
"They were monsters wearing the guise of children," Halthor answered, "I knew boys like that who burned the tails of cats for fun and grew into men who beat their wives and children."
"AND I?"
"You are my friend. I'd help you up, if I were strong enough," Halthor replied, "But I think our paths part here. You must check on the Blue Lady and then go to your people before some other older upstart tries to challenge you again." Freystein slowly sat up and looked at the remains of the two moutain trolls on the field.
"THIS IS A CURSED PLACE," Freystein said sadly, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT HOPE THERE IS FOR YOU, YOUNG HALTHOR. MAY IT BE THAT THE GOOD GODS FAVOR YOU."
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