As darkness descends and the moons rise, Cinder and Click silently make their way through the woods. The footprints Eila illuminated glow beneath them, guiding them closer and closer to the trolls. Moonlight softly breaks through the trees, crickets chirping around them.

  After a few minutes, a soft whistle. Cinder pauses and looks over to see what Click noticed. Through the trees, a yellow light can faintly be seen. Torchlight. Cinder’s ears stand up and he listens. Master Rao’s voice echoes in his head as he closes his eyes.

  Remember to take a beat and focus, truly listen. If you can’t even do that much, you’ve failed before you’ve even begun.

  After a moment of concentration, Cinder hears them. Grunting, guttural screeching, high pitched whining. A lot of it. Cinder snaps three times. One of the signals he created with Click. Danger, proceed with caution.

  The two stealth forward, finding a break in the woods. In the clearing, a massive camp has been constructed. Makeshift tents made out of branches and tarps from attacked caravans are set up haphazardly across the clearing, and several bonfires are roaring.

  Scanning the area, Cinder sees several trolls dancing around the fires all hooting and growling in unison. Their greasy black hair contrasts against their green leathery skin, and large tusks protrude from their bottom jaws. Many of them are clothed in random pieces of leather armor, picked off the bodies of unfortunate travelers.

  Moving around the perimeter, Click notices a tent larger than the others at the northern edge of the camp. Whereas most are about 10 feet tall, this one nears 20 feet. It is adorned with several skulls, and a large troll sits in front of the tent’s entrance. Holding a large thick club in each hand, it’s clear this troll is the leader of the pack.

  Click and Cinder finish their reconnaissance and head back to the others. After relaying their observations, Val nods.

  “Ok, slight change of plans. Click, I want you to stick with Rook. Whenever he blocks an attack, look for an opening, a weakness in the enemy’s stance. That’s your chance to attack. Sariel, I want you and Dayven to handle the riff raff. Trolls typically get spooked easily, so if you catch them by surprise they’re likely to be unprepared and freeze up. Eila will be our sharpshooter, hiding in the shadows of the trees. Cinder, you and I are going after the big one. If we can take him out, the other trolls will panic and scatter. That’s our best chance to pick them off.”

  Val looks up to see the group looking at her in silent shock. “What?” she says, slightly defensive.

  “Nothing, it’s just…that’s a really good plan,” Eila says, breaking the silence. “Do you have experience fighting monsters?”

  Val chews her lip, trying to figure out how to answer. Don’t give too much away. Another lesson from her parents. “Yeah, some. My parents taught me a lot growing up.” There, technically not a lie.

  Rook nods, clearly deep in thought. “It’s a good plan,” he says after a moment.

  Val smiles, her cheeks turning pink. The last time she received positive reinforcement like this was…probably before the rite.

  The party begins to quietly move towards the troll encampment. Nearing the break in the trees, they break off into their assigned groups. Cinder and Val hide to the north, behind the leader’s tent. Sariel and Dayven take point on the southern end. Click and Rook head to the east. Eila vanishes into the shadows, no longer visible save for a pair of silver dots in the dark.

  Once Val is certain everyone is in position, she nods to Cinder. He smirks.

  “Showtime.” He puts two fingers in his mouth and gives a sharp high pitched whistle. The trolls all look up, and the leader stands tall. He slams his clubs into the ground, letting out a loud roar as the party begins their attack.

  Charging forward, Sariel feels his heart pounding. This is his first real fight, and as he looks out at the enemies a thought appears in his head.

  I’m not cut out for this.

  But then Sariel remembers the day Invictus blessed him with power. The words the god spoke still ring loudly in his head.

  My power will give you the strength to overcome any obstacle. You, Sariel, will be the heart of the storm.

  As Sariel steels himself, Dayven’s hands glow. In a flash of light, an elegant scythe appears in his hands. The handle is a sleek black with a white blade that shimmers in the moonlight.

  He steps forward, spinning the weapon as if it was an extension of his arms. Two trolls charge at him, swinging makeshift clubs made from pieces of broken carriages. The scythe whirls and Sariel watches blue blood splatter the ground.

  Three more trolls begin to rush towards Dayven. He turns to intercept them, but trips over a loose tree root. Shit, he thinks as he falls to the ground. I’m still not used to this body. The trolls all raise their hands, ready to strike. I can’t die here, it’s too soon! I’m destined to be the First Hand, I-

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  Dayven’s ears pop as the air pressure shifts. He hears a low rumbling, and then feels a burst of concussive force explode above him. BOOM. The trolls go flying, and Dayven looks up to see Sariel. His hands are outstretched and shaking from the force of the blast.

  Sariel helps Dayven to his feet, the two looking equally shocked. “Are you ok?” Sariel shouts, slightly deafened from the blast. Dayven nods.

  “So you do know how to defend yourself,” he yells back. With a smirk, the sorcerer turns to face the trolls charging towards them.

  Sparks crackle between his fingers and pressure builds in his chest. Sariel lets out a draconic roar, ancient and powerful. Lightning explodes from his mouth, and the smell of burnt flesh fills his nostrils as the trolls in front of him burst into flames. So this is what being an adventurer is like.

  Click is distracted by a roar and flash of blue across the camp, turning his head to see what is going on. “LOOK OUT!” Rook yells, pushing him out of the way and blocking a wild sword strike. Click quickly rolls to his feet, his knife spinning in his hand. He turns and with two quick slashes, a troll’s body hits the ground.

  For some reason, this all feels familiar to Click. The heat of battle, the blood roaring in his ears, his life on the line. But he can’t understand why. From what he remembers, he’s never been in a fight like this before. Unless…he’s starting to remember things from before Cinder found him.

  Click gets lost in thought and doesn't see the troll coming. In a flash, a makeshift blade fashioned from a carriage’s axle slashes him down the length of his spine. He feels white hot pain, and an inhuman screech leaves his beak, high pitched and piercing.

  Rook looks over and sees Click fall. Memories flash through his mind, Nara’s words still fresh. Your past matters not to me. Use those blood soaked hands to help others, heal more than you hurt.

  Without hesitation, the stone in Rook’s shield begins to glow green and he raises a hand towards Click. The wound begins to knit itself closed, and Rook shoves trolls out of the way with the fury of 10 men. He rushes to the crow’s side and kneels down next to him.

  “Are you ok?” Concern colors Rook’s voice.

  Click looks up to him and chirps several times. Jumping to his feet, he vaults over Rook. In an instant, two more trolls fall. One has been diced to ribbons by Click, another has several arrows in his chest.

  Eila takes a deep breath, nocking her next arrow. Mother Moon, may my arrows continue to strike true, she prays. With her blessings from Lunara, Eila is able to see perfectly in the dark as long as there is moonlight to guide her path. She continues circling the camp, firing arrows to cover for her allies.

  How long has it been since I fought alongside like-minded people like this?

  The thought explodes in her mind. Sorrow fills Eila, leaving a pit in her stomach. She knows the answer to that question. Years. Since she escaped from the Sisters. Since she fled east across the continent.

  Eila pauses for a second, then slaps her cheeks. No, there’s no time for that. These people need you. She takes a deep breath, raises her bow, and fires.

  Cinder senses the arrow coming before he even sees it. He ducks as Eila’s arrow strikes a troll behind him. The creature falls, gurgling and choking on its own blood. The tabaxi grins and turns to face the large troll leader in front of him. “Ready to join your buddy over there?”

  The creature roars, swinging one of his clubs down at Cinder. He rolls out of the way, the ground exploding where it lands. Cinder sees an opening and rushes in. A kick, a punch, an elbow, swift blows rain. The troll stumbles backwards right as Val slashes his leg, bringing him to one knee

  The battle continues like this for what feels like an eternity. However, slowly but surely, the trolls begin to thin out, either being picked off or fleeing into the woods. Soon enough, the only one left standing is the leader. He is beaten and bloody, breathing heavily.

  “Come on…big guy. Give…it up,” Cinder says between heavy breaths. He’s winded; this troll is much tougher than the others. The leader roars, determined to keep fighting despite his injuries. He swings both clubs wildly, desperately trying to pin down the tabaxi.

  Val looks over and sees the others starting to head towards them. “Cinder, pull back! The others are almost here!”

  “Awww, but…I was…having fun.”

  “NOW, CINDER!”

  “Alright alright, sheesh.”

  The rest of the party closes in, and the troll leader turns and roars. Spells fly, blades slash, arrows pierce. And soon enough the creature moans and collapses, dead.

  Silence falls over the clearing as everyone regroups and collects themselves. They’re sweaty and bruised, but overall ok. Aside from Click’s injury, everyone else came out mostly unharmed.

  “Wow. That…that was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before!” Sariel’s adrenaline is still pumping, his hands shaking with excitement.

  Eila smiles warmly. “I’m just glad everyone made it out alright.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Rook says before looking over to Click. “Are you alright, little one?”

  Click chitters and ruffles his feathers before giving Rook a taloned thumbs up.

  Cinder takes a deep breath. “Alright, who else is tired?”

  “Gods yes, I smell of trolls and blood and shit and I would very much like to get some rest and clean myself up,” Dayven huffs. Val nods, looking around at the others. The sense of victory has begun to set in as smiles creep across everyone’s faces.

  “You guys are all definitely impressive, but let’s not get cocky or overstep,” Val warns. “We’re still technically criminals.” She looks over at Sariel with a small smile. “Well, almost all of us.” He blushes slightly and shuffles his feet.

  The party begins the journey back to Oasis, chatting about the battle. There is a growing sense of camaraderie and friendship amongst the group. Cinder and Click discuss their respective fights, Val, Eila, and Rook talk about the battle plan, while Sariel and Dayven chat about how bad everyone smells.

  The moons hang over them, glistening faintly. Almost as if they too are smiling, proud of what has been accomplished here tonight.