Steelforged Legacy 2 - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

“Look, it’s not a complaint about you, Magnus. I just wish that we could make better time and get the hell away from these tools,” Casey grumbled as he ducked under another tree branch and continued his jog through the forest.

Ahead of him, Magnus grunted irritably, his tail flicking in annoyance while the elk trotted along. The brambles from the sticker bushes he’d hidden in the previous day still decorated the elk’s antlers. Casey was surprised to see them twining around the horns like they were a trellis and still a bright and healthy green, rather than the dried canes he’d been expecting.

It is unfortunate, Maude said to both of them. While Magnus could likely carry you for a short distance, the chance of your weight actually harming him is too much of a risk to take.

“How much bigger is he going to get, anyway?” Casey asked, sliding into a long-dried stream bed after Magnus. “No, I’m not calling you fat,” he added when the elk turned to glare at him.

Big. Our Magnus will be a rather magnificent specimen when he fills out more. Gladewalkers can grow immense with time and the proper amounts of power, provided they can evade those who prey upon them.

Magnus grunted in annoyance again and raised his tail to express his opinion on the thought of being prey, but Casey reacted before he could give ‘voice’ to that foul opinion.

“All of us have predators. It’s not an insult to have them. Just realism, Magnus. You know that there are people who are jealous of your power and would do anything they could to take it from you.”

Thankfully, Casey’s quick talking calmed the irritable elk down and Magnus snorted, relaxing instead of venting his foul wind.

They continued on in silence for another several minutes before coming to a small meadow of tall grass with a rocky hill slightly off center of the open space. Magnus held back under cover of the thick trees and peered at the sky warily, his head tilting in a remarkably canine expression.

Coming up next to the animal, Casey joined the elk in peering at the sky, scanning for any signs of their pursuers.

Crossing the river had been simple enough. The water at the ford had spread out such that it only came up to mid-thigh. He hadn’t been happy with the necessity of wading across the expanse of chill liquid, but Casey did what he had to.

They had been able to get to the river without running into the remaining two hunters at the hill, but their luck had run out partway across the river. The shouts of their pursuers were joined by the crack of canvas and flash of another flare racing into the sky behind them.

They’d been lucky enough to get across the river before the flying longship had caught up to them, though Casey had heard the shouts of the drengr aboard even through the tree cover. While the two remaining hunters fell back to look for their fellows, the airship had stopped long enough to allow another half-dozen drengr to rope down from it before cruising after Casey.

The rest of the night had been a frantic game of cat and mouse through the forest, with the trees being close enough that it was hard to get distance on the drengr in pursuit, but Casey still did his best to keep ahead of them. The flying longship had actually worked to blockade him, keeping Casey away from the river while herding him deeper into the lands of the Bronze Fist.

A flicker of movement overhead made Casey duck down into the low growth of brush, and a moment later a thick shadow was cast over the clearing. A distant crack of canvas from off to his right, between him and the river, told him that the flying ship was still patrolling back and forth out that way.

“Keep to the edge of the meadow. I’d like to stay out of sight of the ship,” Casey urged, and Magnus snorted in agreement, tossing his antlered head in a nod.

I wonder how much he really understands. Magnus acts far more intelligent than any other animal like him that I’ve met thus far. Casey thought, hopping up to grab hold of a branch and used it to swing himself over a barrier of brush, breaking his tracks from the game trail that they’d been following thus far.

Maude didn’t respond as, for once, Casey wasn’t holding onto her hilt while he thought. Though he could still sense the weapon-spirit hard at work in her center through their connection, processing the ore she’d consumed from the meteorite.

While the connection had been tenuous at first when he’d taken in his fragment of the Legacy that Maude had given him, it had grown with time. Each time he meditated and traveled to his center, welcoming Maude in to join him, or visited hers when she opened her own inner gates to Casey, the connection grew stronger and stronger. Now he barely needed to concentrate to look in on the raven-haired goddess while she focused.

She really is a goddess. Descended of two gods, that would make her a full-blood goddess, Casey thought with a small grin. Though she’d deny it if I said it aloud, since she’s not strong enough to hold a seat on the pantheon yet. Emphasis on the yet part of that.

Casey allowed his focus to drift to the internal while Magnus led him around the edge of the meadow clearing, keeping mostly under the trees to block them from sight.

His partner kneeled by the edge of her pool of qi, the hollow both deeper and wider than his. The tumbling sphere of solidified qi bobbed at the center of her spinning whirlpool of silver light. Maude had an orb of dull gray metal in her lap, balanced there like a bundle of wool as she carefully drew off a strand of the metal and cast it into her pool where it was drawn in and bathed in the light of her qi.

I wonder what she’s doing with it, Casey wondered as the metallic thread vanished beneath the shimmering light and didn’t emerge. I was able to run qi through my Soulforge to use a technique, but does Maude even have one? Does she use something different since she has a core already?

The distant sound of voices interrupted his musings, making him growl deep in his throat.

Despite Magnus’ best efforts to break their pursuit, the hunters from the Bronze Fist were persistent and refused to give them up. Casey was fairly certain that at least one of them was far stronger than he was to be this attentive to their faint trail, which worried him.

Magnus grumbled deep in his throat and paused to look over his shoulder at Casey for a moment before turning to look forward once more. The animal huffed once and tossed its head, stamping a foreleg in frustration.

Magnus, no, Maude said quickly, making Casey jump. He knew that his partner could communicate more directly with the Gladewalker Elk, heck even he had started picking up some of the elk’s attitude. But Maude could understand him far more directly, so Casey waited to see what was said.

The elk huffed again before turning and stepping into the deep growth at the base of one ancient oak tree. The animal melded with the greenery almost immediately, vanishing from sight in the course of half a second.

Gods all blast it, Maude cursed.

“What?” Casey asked in a low tone, hurrying to where the elk had vanished to look for a trail. He half expected the elk to have found another hiding spot for him.

Magnus is going to try to lead them away. We need to get more space in order for you to escape and he’s decided this is the best option, Maude grumbled and Casey had to fight the urge to curse loudly.

Gripping the hilt of Maude’s seax form with his left hand, he continued to hurry through the trees and was nearly halfway around the meadow when he heard shouts break out behind him, both excited and fearful.

“What the hell is that?”

“Where did this beast come from?”

“It gored Harrick, get it!”

“Did that thing have a saddle on it?”

Casey, get down into the brush, Maude urged, and he complied, ducking behind a stand of aspen and crouching down to peer between the branches to see what happened next.

Magnus burst from the trees near where they had paused, bounding out over the meadow with a level of grace that startled Casey. Given how crude and rude the animal normally was, seeing him weave so effortlessly over the terrain was startling.

“That was a Gladewalker! Get it!” barked a deeper female voice and a moment later, the crashing of movement through the undergrowth heralded the approach of his pursuers.

There were four men and two women in the group, all dressed in the russet tunics of the Bronze Fist, though only the two women wore metallic armor, while the other four wore only broad, boiled leather belts set with metal plates to guard their stomachs and kidneys. All six wore rounded metal helmets with a fall of chain behind the head to protect their necks. All six had shields strapped to their backs and weapons in hand, while one man in the back moved with a pronounced limp and had blood staining his pants from an injury in his thigh.

Casey watched as one of the women, noticeable from how the chainmail hung off the curve of her breast, launched a throwing axe through the air after Magnus, but the bounding elk jinked to one side without even looking and the weapon vanished into the grass.

The group of six continued to pursue the elk out into the open meadow, and Casey wondered if the airship was close enough to assist them. He had no idea how Magnus had managed to circle around back to them so quickly, but he’d also seen the elk do some rather fantastical things already.

Magnus… be safe… Casey heard Maude muttering in his mind and he received a vision of the weapon-spirit gnawing on her thumbnail in anxiety, her perfect brow knitted in concern.

Sending her the mental equivalent of a hug, Casey watched what unfolded carefully, shifting to get his feet settled to spring out should he need to.

The elk pranced across the clearing without an issue, drawing his pursuers into following him up the rocky hill and down the other side.

He’s doing this on purpose, Casey reminded himself when he saw Magnus pause at the top of the hill only to bound into motion when another thrown weapon, this time a javelin, whizzed through the air near him.

Magnus had no sooner vanished out of sight on the far side of the hill than a deep bellow of anger shook the clearing and he started in surprise, actually falling over as he tried to both jump to his feet and scramble away from the earth-shaking sound at once.

By Odin’s lost eye, Maude swore. That’s a troll… Shit!

“A troll?” Casey growled to Maude, about to demand more information when the entire hill shifted and began to rise up.

Clods of earth fell away from the rocky skin as the creature that Magnus had just pranced over top of rolled upright to it’s knees, bellowing in irritation. Even at its knees, the creature easily towered twice Casey’s height or more. What he’d thought was rocks poking out of a hill were actually one lumpy shoulder and the craggy head.

More dirt fell away from it as it moved and shook itself, an arm as thick around as Casey’s torso lashing out with surprising speed at the fleeing Gladewalker Elk. Given the angry bellow that followed, Casey felt safe in feeling relieved that the beast had missed Magnus even though he coudn’t see to confirm it.

“Did he know it was there? Hell, did you know it was there?” Casey demanded in a harsh whisper, shifting to crab-walk back away from the edge of the clearing and deeper into the trees. He couldn’t help but think about how, if they had just walked through the clearing, they’d have strode right past that ‘hill’ and likely been snatched up and eaten.

Hard to say if he knew it was there. I sure as hell didn’t notice it, Maude snapped quickly to him. Trolls are surprisingly adept at hiding in plain sight. It might not have noticed us as long as we didn’t step on it though, they tend to hibernate during the day.

The beast stumbled and tried to get to its feet, but the six drengr that had been chasing after Magnus only moments before had apparently decided that the troll was a more imminent threat.

Which, to be fair, Casey had to agree.

Shields were brought around and the six split up into two groups of three, moving to either side of the creature. The troll didn’t even notice them until the first blows cut into its rocky skin.

From what Casey could see at this distance, the iron swords slashed only barely into its hide and spilled dark blood before the creature flinched and bellowed in anger, slapping back at its attacker with a right hand the size of one of the shields. The creature’s left arm was not as thick as it’s right, but it was just as long and tipped in wickedly sharp claws.

The drengr it had targeted wasn’t quick enough to fall back, but managed to catch the massive backhand on his shield, though the wooden disc shattered with a crash and he went flying through the air.

Casey watched as the two groups feinted at the enormous monster. He had to fight the urge to race out there to help them as well, since they’d been hunting him only moments before.

The man who’d been backhanded crawled back to his feet favoring his clearly injured left arm, but limped back to his group and set to helping his fellows bait the creature.

Foolish, Maude said in his mind, her voice thick with derision.

For what? Fighting it? Casey couldn’t look away as one of the female drengr ducked another slapping blow and stabbed upwards with her longsword into the creature’s wrist, sending a spray of blood through the air.

No, fighting a troll is worthy, Maude answered. They are dangerous predators and there is a road somewhere nearby. But they are naturally charged with qi and heal at a prodigious rate. This wolf-pack tactic they are using actually plays into the creature’s strengths. It would work just fine against a bear or a giant, but not a troll.

So they should run then? Casey fought the urge to flinch away when he saw another of the fighters go flying when the troll lashed out from its kneeling position with a side-kick that caught the woman in the chest. She flew a good twenty feet before tumbling into a roll.

No, it’s pointless now. They’ll need to kill the troll or evade it long enough for it to lose interest. But the more they bleed it, the harder it is going to be to evade it later if they have to run. They need to use techniques or even mundane fire to slow its healing down if they are going to make this work.

The other group of three drew the troll’s attention away from the injured woman with shouts and the clashing of weapons on their shields, one of them using a spear to thrust up at the creature’s face. The thrust made it flinch away from the weapon, even though the spear’s haft wasn’t long enough to actually reach its face.

Trolls are remarkably stupid, but stubborn. They’ve all got its blood on them, so it’ll easily be able to track them if they try to run away. Oh no, that’s not good. 

Casey didn’t have to ask what Maude meant, as the troll had slapped at the spear defensively. The blow hadn’t been enough to rip the weapon free of the man’s hands, but it had been enough to throw him off balance and stumbling within arm’s reach.

The troll acted immediately, snatching at the drengr with one large hand, the big four-fingered mitt wrapping around the drengr’s chest and pinning his arms to his sides. A moment later there came a thunderous cracking of breaking bones as the troll clenched its hand tightly and lifted the man off the ground.

Screaming in pain at what Casey guessed was at least one broken arm, the drengr kicked his feet furiously but before any of his companions could help him; the troll lifted its prey up to its misshapen face.

The troll had bellowed and roared several times during the brief fight so far, its boulder-shaped head rocking back and forth when it made noise. But now that it had someone in hand, the thick-lipped mouth of the creature spread wide and its head split open nearly in half.

Lined with serrated yellow teeth shaped like broken bottles, the troll’s maw was disturbing in its size as the creature yawned wide. The trapped drengr only had time for one last scream before he was stuffed headfirst into the troll’s mouth, vanishing up to his elbows before the creature bit down with a gruesome crunch. The muffled screaming stopped abruptly and the man in its mouth went limp.

“Bastard!” screamed another of the drengr still on the ground, lunging forward to drive his sword into the troll’s gut in fury.

The troll released its grip on the treat in its mouth and slammed down with that hand in a hammer-fist. The blow drove the furious warrior into the ground with a crunch and spray of blood, silencing his screams of anger in one explosive, furious moment.

“Son of a bitch…” Casey murmured as he stared in surprise. In a matter of seconds, the troll had slaughtered two of the six drengr fighting, and Casey watched as several of the injuries to its thighs and back were already sealing over.

Yes. It’s part of the reason they are so dangerous. They should have fled it if they didn’t have the equipment to handle this kind of creature, Maude said dryly. I’m glad they were the ones that got its attention and not us.

“Fall back!” shouted the remaining woman in the group, waving her sword back towards the tree line, apparently only now noticing it healing. “This is a troll! We need to fall back, otherwise it’s going to slaughter all of us. Someone, send up a flare for the airship!”

The three upright drengr began to fall back, the woman and one man from her set of three and the sole remaining drengr that had been on the other flank. Back in the grass, the woman who’d been batted away stirred and was clearly trying to crawl off as well.

As Casey watched, the lone drengr quickly sheathed his sword and fumbled at his belt for something. When he produced a thick wooden baton, Casey realized that it had to be one of the flares like he’d seen the others using. The man began to fumble with it while backing away from the troll, but made the mistake of taking his eyes off the monster.

Quick as a pouncing lion, the troll snatched at the man who Casey realized had been the one that Magnus had apparently gored as he spotted the bloodstain on the man’s thigh.

Either because of his distraction or the injury, the drengr couldn’t get away in time and the troll’s big mitt closed over his arms just as he went to activate the flare.

The drengr screamed in pain for a moment before it was drowned out by the troll’s own infuriated bellow when the burst of yellow light shot out of the creature’s crushing grip and slammed into the troll’s bony chest. The pained roar of the monster had the added effect of the half-chewed man falling out of its maw to land on the ground with a squelch.

“Harrick!” the woman in the lead shouted, clearly intent on trying to help her companion, but was too late.

The troll, batting at its burning chest with its left arm, smashed the chemical flame into its skin and yowled in pain. In its fury, the troll yanked hard on the captured limbs and, with a wet ripping noise and a spray of blood, tore the man’s arm off.

“Leave him! We have to get away while we can!” shouted the other man. “You can’t save him now, but we can help Brun. Come on!” He finished his statement by hooking an arm around the woman’s waist and trying to drag her away.

The female drengr snarled for a moment before whirling to hurry towards the limping form of their remaining companion even as the troll snatched its latest victim off the ground and used the dying man to try and snuff out the still-burning flare attached to its chest.

Is that going to be enough to kill the troll? Casey asked Maude as the distracted monster batted at its flesh.

Not a chance. It’s just pissing it off, really. Hopefully, it will distract the beast long enough to give them a chance to escape. Get ready, Casey.

Fair, I should have run rather than wait and watch, Casey thought as he shifted again to get his feet under him.

No.

“No?” Casey questioned, so surprised by Maude’s flat denial that he spoke aloud.

No, you aren’t going to run. If the troll goes after those three, you need to raid its nest. Maude’s voice was full of excitement now and Casey blinked in surprise.

“Explain?” Casey demanded even as the troll finally managed to scrape the burning flare off its chest using the now-dead drengr before tossing the corpse aside with a huff.

The creature finally managed to get to its feet, and it towered over the clearing at what had to be nearly fifteen feet of height. Turning, it stomped after the fleeing trio, who had made it to the tree line. The troll paused long enough to scoop up its half-chewed victim and stuff the dead man back into its mouth—armor, weapons, and all—before it continued in pursuit of its erstwhile foes.

Trolls are predators, Casey. They hunt men as well as beasts, but they also have a habit of collecting pretty things. At the very least, you should check where it was sleeping before we break contact.

“Are you sure it’s worth the risk? What about the flying longship? What about if it saw the fight? I know they probably heard it,” Casey demanded, but he was already creeping for the edge of the clearing.

Keep watch for it, but this is worth the risk. Trust me on this, Casey.

“I do trust you, Maude,” Casey mumbled as he crept closer to the edge of the meadow. The troll had vanished into the trees, just the top of its bald head showing between branches as it shoved between the canopy.

Casey scanned the sky quickly, spotting the distant shape of the airship far to the north-east but turning in their direction. He guessed that he had a minute or two before he’d have to worry about them seeing him, so he scampered out into the tattered meadow towards the bloody and stomped ground that the troll had been lying on.

Moving quickly, Casey pointedly did not look at the shattered remains of the drengr who’d been smashed flat, or the burning corpse of the one who’d had his arms torn off. Instead, he focused on the irregular pile that sat at the lowest part of the little dugout hollow the troll had laid in.

That’s it! Grab any cores you see first, weapons second, and coins third. Move quickly, Casey. We can’t take long but we also can’t miss this opportunity, Maude urged, so he went to work.

The pile was easily almost six feet long and three tall, a mixture of bones, metallic objects, and other assorted bits and pieces. At first glance, Casey would have mistaken it for a trash heap, but he caught sight of a crystalline glimmer on the edge of the pile underneath a cracked shield that had the faded image of the Bronze Fist painted on the front of it.

“This wasn’t the monster’s first time killing drengr,” Casey muttered, flipping the shield over and revealing a stack of irregular blue crystals about half the size of his palm and vibrating with qi.

This close to the river, the troll must hunt in it, Maude said happily, and Casey scooped the crystals into the pouch on his belt before continuing.

He found a collection of coins, mostly copper and silver, inside a dented helmet that he shoveled into his hip-bag, a set of silver arm torcs that joined the coins a moment later, and multiple rusted weapons. Maude told him to ignore them, and he tossed them aside.

Casey had only been able to dig through about a third of the pile before Maude hissed at him to get moving. He turned and something caught his boot, bounding free of the pile to land in the grass and he looked down to spot a leather-sheathed knife with a curved blade and a bone handle.

Grab that, Maude urged, and he bent to scoop it up before sprinting for the tree line.

It only took a quick glance to spot the oncoming shape of the flying longship, almost the size of a football on the horizon. So Casey didn’t slow down as he ducked into the trees and just continued deeper into the undergrowth.

“If we are lucky,” he muttered while trying to slip the bone-handled knife into his hip-bag, “then we can use this opportunity to get back to the other side of the river.”

If we are lucky. Oh, there you are Magnus!

Maude’s greeting was the only warning Casey got before a loud snort sounded from just behind his head and he tripped, nearly sprawling out across the uneven forest floor. Glancing back, he spotted the elk trotting along just behind him, an amused look dancing in the animal’s large, brown eyes at having snuck up on him.