Kadiz's massive body flew like a projectile until it made a devastating impact with the hard, rocky ground. He bounced a couple of times before slamming into a massive rock. His troll regeneration kicked in, and he recovered almost instantly, rising to his feet. His head felt dizzy for a moment, and he couldn't believe what had just happened. Was this a dream, or had someone like him just been tossed around like a weakling?
"Your regeneration ability is impressive. That should mean you still have a lot of energy to continue. Alright, bring it on."
Kadiz unconsciously took a step back at the young man's casual tone. There was no way a war troll like himself could continuously fail to notice the strength of his opponent after trading blows. His previous attacks were among his most powerful, and yet, the man had shattered them as easily as blowing out a candle flame.
That wasn't even the scariest part. The fact that this man looked at him without a shred of hostility made Kadiz uncomfortable. He didn't even seem to be considered an opponent, much less a worthy one. The man looked at him with as much interest as one might give a pet—or perhaps a test subject. Kadiz's mouth was dry, yet he swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
"What nonsense!" Kadiz bellowed. "Me, a pet? Me! The great Kadiz Ral Ke Lizor, the left hand of Lord Zerahut, the Undead King of the West!" Kadiz let go of the handle of his hamaxe and clutched his head, roaring in both pain and fury. "I cannot lose! I will never lose!"
Kadiz tightened his grip on the chain of his hamaxe as the gray mist exuding from his body turned into pure black smoke. Silvery glowing runes and glyphs of various shapes and sizes began appearing all over his body.
Tyler had no idea what the mad troll was screaming about, but he had a bad feeling about this. He noticed the runes and glyphs appearing on the troll's gray body and no longer took the situation lightly. Although he had studied basic magic runes, he couldn't read or decipher these symbols, leaving their meaning a mystery.
The Gray-War Troll tugged on the chain and pulled his weapon close. Gripping the hamaxe tightly, some of the runes on his right arm squirmed as if alive, moving through the handle and onto the blade. The weapon vibrated softly as the troll planted his right foot firmly on the ground. With a mighty bang, the massive troll kicked off the earth and lunged at Tyler with incredible speed.
The practically flying troll swung the axe down at Tyler in a swift motion. Tyler quickly brought his greatsword forward to block the attack. Though he considered the attack slow, the resounding clang of metal against metal sent him sliding back a few feet, his weapon trembling in his hand.
A frown spread across Tyler's face. "That wasn't just brute strength, was it? Interesting. Those markings must have something to do with this." He didn't get a chance to analyze further as the mad troll charged again, closing the gap instantly. The troll swung the hamaxe diagonally, and Tyler hurriedly stepped back, just out of reach.
However, the Gray-War Troll immediately released the hilt of the hamaxe, extending its reach with the chain. Tyler had no choice but to meet the attack with his sword. Swinging the greatsword would be too slow, so he brought the weapon to his side, using his left arm for support.
The hammer side of the hamaxe collided with the greatsword, and another resounding clang echoed through the air. Tyler was pushed several meters to the side, his weapon vibrating violently. Kadiz continued his relentless assault, chasing after Tyler to close the gap, his movements swift and precise. Tyler realized he wouldn't learn anything from just defending, so he swung the greatsword with his right arm at the approaching troll.
The sound of clashing metal rang out again, but this time, the greatsword was deflected—not by the hamaxe, but by the bare skin of the Gray-War Troll's left arm, still adorned with glowing silver runes. Tyler's eyes narrowed.
While that had only been a probing attack, the Gray-War Troll had deflected it with nothing but its skin. It seemed the runes did more than enhance speed and strength; they made the troll's skin harder than most metals.
Tyler pushed aside these distracting thoughts, which had no place in a high-speed battle. The troll continued its assault, swinging the hamaxe at him from above. Tyler forced his body into motion from the awkward position of his deflected attack and jumped back a few feet.
|Blindness|
One of the runes on Kadiz's chest flashed red, and a wave of black smoke-like aura swept toward Tyler in an instant. Unable to block it, a veil of darkness covered his vision, and everything went black. Kadiz had cast a spell to induce temporary blindness. Seizing the opportunity, the troll dashed forward and swung his hamaxe with all his might.
The veil shattered almost instantly as Tyler resisted the spell with little effort, but that brief moment was enough for the Gray-War Troll to close the gap. Tyler saw the massive weapon coming down at him and twisted his body to the side, narrowly avoiding the horizontal strike. He was about to launch a counterattack when another rune on the troll's chest glowed, and it activated a skill.
|Flow Control|
Tyler recognized this skill—it was something every experienced warrior had in their repertoire. He immediately regretted his decision to attack. The hamaxe stopped short of hitting the ground and changed direction, a red arc of light trailing behind it as it sliced through the air toward Tyler.
With few options left, Tyler twisted the greatsword into a reverse grip, holding it like a shield to meet the attack head-on. The hamaxe slammed into the greatsword, and the weapon vibrated violently as Tyler was pushed back three paces.
Tyler felt his arm trembling as a crack appeared in the middle of the greatsword. He turned to look at the enraged troll, who was already upon him, and allowed himself a faint smile. Taunting the troll had been a good idea; this level of intensity was something he couldn't achieve even if he had asked Albert to spar with him.
He was learning a lot from this battle. Although Tyler was certain he could win easily by using his overwhelming speed and strength, he wouldn't gain anything from that. This was the perfect stage for melee training. The troll's unexpected changes in attack patterns and intensity, as well as the unknown abilities it was using to make its attacks affect Tyler despite its inferior strength, were things Tyler hadn't anticipated.
These were all factors that would have been dangerous if he were facing someone even slightly stronger. With his lack of skill and technique, no matter how fast or strong he was, he would undoubtedly lose to someone like Albert or Liz without the use of magic—and even that had its drawbacks.
The massive hamaxe appeared in Tyler's face, snapping him out of his thoughts. The troll had thrown its weapon again, and Tyler could only tilt his head to avoid the attack. The troll immediately tugged on the chain, causing the hamaxe to stop mid-flight and return to him. With a deafening roar filled with wrath and fury, the troll lunged at Tyler once more.
Tyler no longer avoided the attacks. He lunged forward as well, meeting the troll head-on. He swung his greatsword, only for it to be deflected by the troll's left arm. The troll countered with a diagonal strike, which Tyler swiftly dodged. Tyler continued swinging the greatsword, and the Gray-War Troll adeptly deflected his blows while attempting to strike back. Their fierce battle raged on until suddenly, another glyph on Kadiz's body lit up, and he cast another spell.
•••••••
In the western part of the Darknar Forest, an underground cave lay beneath a steep hill surrounded by dense vegetation. The tall trees and large leaves blocked almost all sunlight, casting the area in eternal darkness. The cool, damp wind rolling down the hill gave the place an eerie atmosphere.
Two hulking creatures stood guard at the cave's entrance. They wore full sets of bone armor reinforced with metal and carried long bone spears and shields. Their skin was almost as dark as the forest itself.
Inside the unnaturally expansive cave, several similar creatures lounged about while others dug glistening red rocks from the walls and piled them up. These massive creatures performing manual labor were Gray-War Trolls. They worked in shifts, resting when not on duty. Suddenly, they all stopped and gathered to one side, standing as straight as their massive frames allowed, as the sound of footsteps echoed from one of the tunnels.
Three figures emerged from the unlit tunnel, revealing themselves in the dim torchlight. An undead creature clad in a slightly tattered yet luxurious robe adorned with purple threadwork held a wooden staff embedded with small red crystals and a large one at its tip. It wore a bone crown with red crystals adorning its spikes.
The undead creature moved leisurely, followed by two knights. These knights were also undead, their dried, blood-red skin visible beneath imposing red full-plate armor. They carried longswords and massive red shields, marching in unison behind their master.
The Gray-War Trolls lowered their heads as the undead creatures approached, dropping to one knee with trembling hands. The undead creatures passed by, heading for another tunnel within the cave. They stopped near the entrance and turned to look at one of the closest trolls, startling it.
The undead creature's face was a grotesque mix of rotting flesh and exposed bone beneath its robe. Its hollow eye sockets glowed with an evil, intelligent light. This was a Lich, shrouded in an aura of negative energy that clung to its body like a thin fog, exuding a menacing presence that sent chills down the spines of the Gray-War Trolls.
"Where is Kadiz?" it asked in a ghastly, otherworldly voice.
The addressed troll reflexively lowered its body further. "He... er... He left. He went to subdue the kobold village to the east, as per your command," the troll stammered with great respect and apprehension.
"I see. How many went with him?"
"About ten regular trolls and ten elite trolls."
"Hm... For just a few kobolds? Kadiz may be growing too weak for his position. Perhaps I need to make some changes around here." With that, the Lich turned and walked leisurely into the tunnel, its two Doom Knights following closely behind as they disappeared into the darkness.