*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!*
It began to move, holding the tree trunk on its shoulder like a wooden bat. The ground shook and trembled as its speed increased to a full-on sprint. Its bloodlust-filled roars filled the valley, echoing to create a ghoulish sound. It was the sound of approaching, imminent death.
"Stop…don't come closer…"
Fear grasped every corner of Indu's heart, so much so she could barely utter words out loud. Her heart beat so loud she could hear it even under the onslaught of roars. The chilly mountain wind cut through her cold sweat, chilling Indu. She trembled, but was it from the cold or from fear? Maybe both? She couldn't tell. All she wanted to do was escape as fast as possible, but her body disobeyed her will.
The troll reached the edge. Using its bulging arm, it grasped the valley's rocky edge, breaking into its foundation. With only one arm, it pulled itself up and gripped back onto the valley edge, all while carrying the tree trunk-turned-bat.
Its gaze didn't stray from Indu's as it ascended. Its laser-focused eyes glowed as if looking at a scrumptious helping of prey. Its lips were twisted into a horrific grin. It was mocking her, telling her to run as fast as she could. But no matter how hard she ran, the troll would find her and tear her into delicious chunks, using her bones as toothpicks and skin as a delicacy. She shuddered at the dreadful image in her mind, which only seemed to aggravate the troll even more. The venomous drool pouring from its fangs intensified, and so did its ascent.
"Move…move…I have to move!" Indu screamed out loud with all her might. She had to live. She had to be there for her sister and father, caring for them in place of her dead mother. She couldn't leave them here in this world alone. They had already suffered the loss of their mother. Her family wouldn't be able to bear it if Indu perished as well. Living was her only choice!
Her legs violently twitched as she scooted back. Dirt collected at her boot's heel while it stained the back of her shirt and pant, but Indu couldn't care less. Her body refused to get up, but she continued to move backward, fighting to overcome her body's fear.
"Ahhhhh!" Using her sharp nails, Indu tightly clenched her hand until the sharp sting of penetrated flesh flooded her hand. Warm blood flowed and stained the ground red. Its irony odor wafted through the air, a sickening addition to the worsening smell of old blood and decaying flesh.
Because of how far she scooted back, Indu could no longer see the troll but could clearly hear its roars and the breaking of valley rocks as it ascended its edge. With the smell of her fresh blood wafting through the air, the troll reacted aggressively. Its already violent ascent became even more volatile. The ground's quaking grew so bad it was as if the mountain were being split. The frantic roars grew into a frenzy, the only sound entering her ears the quaking of the ground and roars of the beast, to the point her ears were becoming numb.
Indu turned and crawled. Her fingers dug through the dirt, her arms bulging from the stress of pulling her full weight forward. The path before her seemed endless, twisting and curving across the mountain range like a snake.
All that stood behind her were a few trees and the mountain's wall 30 meters away. Above it was what seemed to be the mountain's peak, nearly 100 meters higher than her current position. However, a thin layer of haze and fog obscured her vision beyond the gradual shapes of what lingered above.
All Indu could do was crawl along the path, no matter how futile the action seemed. The fear gripping her heart tightened, telling her to give up. Her body wanted to obey, but her surging willpower forced her to move.
"Live!" Her incisor teeth sliced into her tongue. A flurry of blood flew out, and pain ignited her mouth. But the mental chains restraining her body lifted. She was free. She could finally move!
"I made it! I made it!" Pure joy coursed through her veins, so much so that she stopped moving.
*Rooooooaaaaaaar!*
The troll's pudgy, dark-red fingers clutched the edge like a hook. Cracks formed as the sound of splitting earth and rocks filled the air. Before they broke away, the troll shot up. It agilely flew into the air like a bird despite weighing more than five horses.
*Boom!*
Two foot-shaped craters appeared where the troll landed. The tree it held was splintered at the top, creating multiple spear-like tips that would gore Indu into paste.
Its lips were curled in a demonic grin. Indu didn't have to be a mind-reader to know it was gloating. It knew she was trying to escape. It was indulging in her mind-numbing fear.
She had to run. She had to run! But the fear she had worked so hard to overcome rushed over her like a tidal wave. Her feet were firmly planted on the ground, her eyes locked onto the eyes of the horrific monster approaching her.
This was the end. Indu had no more chances. Even if her body were to miraculously move, she could never outrun a troll whose speed exceeded a horse's.
Indu saw her sister's smiling face, telling her how much she enjoyed the half-moons. She saw her father, who had protected her at her most vulnerable times. And finally, she saw her mother, her body obscured by moonlight as she explored the mountain path with Indu.
"I'm sorry." Tears streamed down her cheeks. She had to live for her family to prevent the heart-wrenching grief from when her mother died from striking them again. But now, there was nothing left.
"I finally found you, damn troll!" Blood-chilling cackling came from above. A falling shadow grew until it collided with the troll-like a meteor. The troll instantly burst into a mess of blood, flesh, and bone, its body reduced to meat paste.
It was so sudden Indu didn't realize she was covered head to toe in disgusting troll blood. Its nauseating scent overcame her. The gruesome image seared itself in her mind. Combined with the stress of escaping for her life and exhaustion from hiking for so long, Indu promptly fainted. As her body collapsed on its back, she heard a smooth yet husky man's voice.
"Oh no, she's fainting."
…
A soothing heat, warm like a midsummer evening post a misty rain, enveloped Indu. Her hands clutched a soft, smooth article that easily rolled between her fingers. It almost felt like…fur? She had always wanted a fur blanket and had recently made the request to her father. It would arrive in a few days, and she couldn't wait to wrap herself in its comforting embrace while the autumn chill permeated the air once she got home from her monster search…
"The monster!" Indu abruptly shot straight up and yelled, which she instantly regretted. A wave of vertigo caused her to sink back down. Her eyes frantically inspected her surroundings, which seemed to be a cave.
Its ceiling reached ten meters in height. Bits of mosses and ferns lined the walls like little arrows pointing up. A dim light shone somewhere in front of Indu, but she couldn't see it while lying down. It shone in a way that emphasized the dreariness of the cave walls. Thankfully, the cave's end rested right behind her, putting a partial rest on her anxiety.
Indu sat up very carefully this time, letting her back lean against the wall. Her eyes remained closed while doing so, and now that she was sure no dizziness would ensue, she opened her eyes.
Indu first noticed the dazzling silver wool blanket covering her neck to toe with plenty of space to spare. She blushed. She had thought it was a fur coat, only for it to be something completely different. It was stupid of her. She couldn't even identify the material she slept in. How worthless was she that she couldn't identify something as simple as that?
A fire blazed a few meters before her, enough to warm her but far enough to prevent excessive heat. It seemed so natural too. Was her savior an experienced adventurer?
The hazy cave entrance lay so far ahead that, combined with the fire, she felt no chill despite the autumn night.
"This place is cozy…" Indu pulled herself up using the wall as an aid, and the blanket fell. Promptly, she became aware of something when a chill caused goosebumps across her skin.
{Where are my clothes!}
"Oh, you're awake?"
Only then did she notice the giant mass a little ways ahead of the fire. It yawned with a hand to its mouth as it rose.
"Kyaa!"
Indu screamed and tried covering herself in the blanket, but her legs promptly failed her. Her knees buckled, and she fell forward, her blanketing falling to the ground.
Something blurred in her side vision. A rough hand grabbed her waist with its meaty, veiny forearm – a sturdy pillar she grasped with a deathly grip.
"For a woman with such a small frame, your grip is deadly." His smooth, husky voice tickled her ear, and a wave of heat rose in her face. She released her grip, only to see deep, bleeding nail marks on his forearm. The tips of her nails were also stained with blood, and she gasped.
"I'm so sorry; are you okay!" She immediately grabbed the forearm, but the man chuckled.
"This wound is nothing. Watch." He squeezed his forearm muscle, and the nail marks healed at a rate visible to the naked eye.
"Amazing…" Indu was in awe. She had never seen such dramatically fast healing speed before. Only in books and stories did she hear of legendary mages healing themselves at a preposterous rate – never had she imagined she would get the chance to witness something so spectacular.
"Wait, no!" Indu hurriedly pushed herself away from him, but she couldn't escape his grasp because there was only a wall behind her.
Shame overwhelmed her like a tidal wave. She was naked, in an unknown man's embrace, at god knows where. Moreover, she threw herself at him. Was there anything more shameful?
"You know, it's not like I had a choice." The man suddenly said. Indu looked up, about to ask what could possibly force him to change her, but her eyes widened at the face lit up by the crackling fire. The words at the tip of her tongue dissolved like salt in water.
Black hair curled over his broad shoulders, accentuating his light brown skin. His lips, pursed in a smile, betrayed the amusement in his dark-brown eyes.
He was a masterpiece. He had a pretty face and luscious hair, and as Indu's gaze traveled further down, his bulging, veiny muscles greeted her. His broad shoulders utterly obscured her vision, plainly showing the difference between their frames. Combined with his bulging chest, which, embarrassingly, was bigger than her own, it made for delicious eye candy. Indu couldn't stop looking at him.
"It's quite rude to stare at a person, you know?" His smile grew bigger as her face grew hot.
"I-I-I was just…your face and body are too big, so that's the only thing I could look at!" Indu squeezed her eyes shut and yelled. How could she rudely stare at him like a hillbilly country girl? Oh wait, she was a hillbilly country girl. Even then, it didn't excuse her behavior!
Booming laughter filled the cave from the man's cackling. Indu slowly opened her eyes, even more embarrassed by his laughter. What was so funny about what she said? He was practically a giant! What else was she supposed to see with his body squished against hers?
"Aren't you too small?" The man's eyes gazed over her like a predator looking at its prey.
"D-Don't stare at me!" Indu immediately dropped down and picked up the blanket while covering what she could with her arms.
"Tsk."
"You didn't answer my question! Why did you take my clothes off!" Indu realized that if he had changed her, he most likely saw her scar.
Despair overwhelmed her senses. The man was probably disgusted but hiding it behind a kind façade. Nobody stared at a scarred person, much less a woman, without disgust. But what truly terrified her was him being unable to stand her ugly face and leaving. If he left now, she would surely die here. Her expression was terrified, but the man seemed unfazed.
"Your clothes were soaked in blood, and not just any blood, but troll blood. Extended contact with it can vaporize your skin and melt your muscles into goop. Did you think I'd leave you to die like that?" He pushed her against the wall, bringing his face close to hers and staring straight into her eyes.
A surge of heat rushed to her face, making it redder than she had thought it could be. The words "leave you to die" resonated in her head, triggering a faint memory from long ago.
"It's not like me to leave you to die." A hazy memory said, but Indu was snapped back into reality by the man pulling away from her. She subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
"T-Thanks for that, then…." Indu awkwardly chuckled, embarrassed by her yelling. The matter had been quite serious, and if it weren't for him, she would be dead now.
"Also…thanks for saving me from the troll." Indu flashed the cutest smile she could muster.
"With pleasure, my lady." The man gracefully pulled her fingers and kissed the back of her hand.
Indu shivered. This was the first time a man other than her father kissed her. Not only that, but he had also changed her and brazenly pushed her against the wall. Never had she felt such rough manhandling of her body, and thinking about it made her blush furiously.
"But...what can I wear now?" She looked away from his immaculate figure and thought about something else in an effort to cool her heat. There was nothing in the cave besides rocks and the fire. She couldn't even see the remains of her clothes, which she hoped to salvage something out of.
"My clothes, of course." He picked up a black bundle lying on the side of the fire opposite Indu. It unfurled into a giant black robe. He slapped it roughly, shaking the dust off it. "I know it's dirty, but please bear with it for now."
"Oh no, I can't possibly take it!" Indu hurriedly shook her hands.
"Then what will you wear? You can't possibly be thinking of walking down the mountain wrapped in that blanket?"
"I..." He was right. Her only options were wrapping herself in the blanket or leaves. Either way, both options were terrible.
"B-But what will you wear?" He wore baggy black pants and boots while his upper body remained bare.
"My pants."
"But your upper body..."
"Ah, that's your concern. Don't worry; the outside chill is like a warm breeze to me. I only wear clothes because society forces me to." He curled his arm and flexed his bicep, giving it a kiss. "Why would I want to hide this stunning figure of mine?"
Indu's mouth hung open. How was she supposed to respond to that? She highly valued clothing and modesty. To think such a shameless and crude man existed on the planet! Even her father wasn't as bad as him!
"T-Thank you then, mister..."
Wait. What was his name? Indu's eyes widened as she realized. The man had risked his life to save her, and she didn't even know his name. Well, it wasn't like I was given the chance to know his name.
As if realizing her dilemma, the man threw his head back and laughed, his laughter booming across the cave. Once he finished laughing, he spoke.
"Axer. My name is Axer."