Written in Blood 9


    It only took Saeter a few minutes to round up his pick of the men. None of them looked thrilled at being selected, although one or two agreed that it was necessary.


    All the men Saeter picked were among the most experienced of the bandits and were familiar with the forest, except for Mahedium. The mage made his objections to joining the hunt clear, but in the end he had no choice. Mage or not he was still not even a proper member.


    Before Red Dogs''s group had gotten moving again Saeter led his party after the troll. It was not difficult to spot the beginning of its trail. The troll had simply torn through the forest at full speed while carrying a human body. Branches had been snapped, the earth was torn up, and blood littered the ground.


    Saeter led the way. He didn''t even have to stop and look for signs. He just had to follow the trail of destruction the troll had zed. It was obvious to everyone which way to go.


    cknail followed his master and scanned the surroundings for danger. Saeter seemed sure that the troll was long gone, but that didnt mean the forest was safe.


    cknail thought chasing a troll through the woods was an incredibly stupid idea, even without considering what would happen when you actually caught it.


    The easy to follow path soon ended when the party came across a wide creek that meandered through the woods. Cold water raced and bubbled over a stone filled streambed that was wider than a man was tall.


    Its banks were rocky and mostly clear of nts, except for the asional scraggly sapling or patch of grass. The beast''s trail stopped abruptly at the water''s edge.


    cknail walked across the creek and sniffed the ground. He felt a nervous shiver work its way up his spine when he failed to pick up the troll''s trail again on the other side. The idea that the troll was both smart enough to lose him and could be anywhere now made him nervous. He looked up and scanned the forest for any signs of it.


    The trees here were mostly tall evergreens with long needles instead of leaves. Close to the ground their straight smooth white trunks were mostly bereft of anything but the remains of broken dead branches. Higher up the tops of the trees were green and healthy looking though.


    The ground was rocky enough that in some areas the trees were forced to grow fairly far apart. These spaces were filled by sparse stretches of grass, and the earth was littered with fallen brown pine needles. There was no sign of the troll, and not a lot of ces for something so big to hide.


    Saeter''s boots got wet as he sshed across the creek after cknail. He examined the forest for a few seconds before saying anything.


    Let me guess, you''ve lost the trail? he asked cknail.


    Yes-ss, it''s gone, cknail answered with a frown. Saeter didn''t seem surprised.


    It used the water to hide its scent, and it will be moving more carefully now. It''s probably more worried about another predator stealing its meal than us catching up with it, but the result''s the same, the old scout exined.


    What do we do now? cknail asked his master. He hoped this meant they would turn around and go home now, but deep down he knew better.


    We split into two groups. One goes upstream and the other down. It can''t have gone too far. A whistle should do as signal, Saeter replied.


    He then turned and cast a skeptical gaze over the other bandits who were loitering at the streams far bank.


    I''ll take upstream. Georgius, you will lead the group that goes downstream and you''ll take cknail with you, Saeter told everyone after a brief pause to think.


    Georgius gave Saeter a mildly annoyed look. He was an average sized bandit with short blonde hair, and a jagged scar that stretched back from one corner of his mouth. It looked as if someone had shoved a knife in his mouth and tried to slice his cheek in half. The long scar made it seem like one side of his face was always frowning.


    Alright, whatever Saeter, he replied. It was clear he was insulted by Saeter''s obviousck of faith in his tracking ability.


    Saeter split the group, and cknail followed Georgius as they headed downstream in the opposite direction as Saeter. Mahedium stuck with Saeter. The mage was clearly nervous to be out in the forest, and kept throwing nervous nces at the forest around him.


    Most the bandits walked on one side of the creek or the other. However, cknail had taken off his boots and kept walking through the water barefoot so that he could sniff both sides.


    The cool water felt refreshing on the hobgoblin''s feet as it flowed over his skin. The stones and pebbles at the bottom of the creek were smooth enough that they didnt poke his soles when he stepped on them.


    Even though the water was very shallow except for the asional eddy dug pool, cknail kept an eye out for snapping turtles. He hadnt forgotten that lesson.


    As long as he kept an eye out for the snappers cknail thought the creek was probably a safer ce to be than walking along the bank. If someone was going to stumble into a mimic or spider it wasn''t going to be him.


    Of course it was always possible that Saeter had simply forgotten to tell him about some sort of terrifying beast that lived in streams. That would be just like him.


    Georgius seemed to be doing a good job searching for signs of the troll to cknail. He didn''t know why Saeter had doubted the man''s ability to track. Then again, cknail knew he was far from an expert on tracking by sight.


    The hobgoblin himself hadn''t caught the scent of the troll or human blood yet. He had howevere across quite a few other interesting scents. He had smelled deer, rabbits, harpies, and some other things he couldn''t identify. They must have alle to the creek to get a drink.


    cknail was just about to cross the stream again when he heard a whistle. He looked up but none of the humans seemed to have heard anything. They continued to follow the creek downstream while checking the bush for signs of the troll.


    Georgius, I heard-ss the whistle, cknail yelled to the man, who was on the other side of the creek.


    Georgius turned to look at cknail and then back up the stream. He frowned and seemed to think things over for a second.


    Right, you have those long pointy goblin ears. Let''s get back then. It seems like we''ve gone the wrong way, he replied.


    He then called the other men over and they headed back. After a brief trek upstream they found Saeter standing in the forest a few feet from the water. The rest of the bandits were resting around him.


    Took you long enough. While you were off taking a stroll I found the troll''s trail, Saeter remarked.


    I figured that, Georgius replied dryly.


    Come on let''s get going. I don''t want to be hunting this thing in the dark, Saeter told them.


    I dont want to hunt-ss it at all, cknail muttered to himself.


    He then walked up to where his master was standing and sniffed the ground. Sure enough he could smell the troll. This was definitely where it had left the water. The hobgoblin didn''t see a single visual sign though. He had no idea how Saeter had found it, and before he could ask the gray haired man was forging ahead.


    The troll had headed through the trees and uphill. Pines and a scattering of other scraggly trees grew from a rocky upward slope. Large stones jutted out from the sides of the nearby hills, like cold grey bones from torn flesh.


    The way was steep and difficult because the rocky ground made for treacherous footing. It came loose and crumbled out from under the bandits feet as they tried to make their way up.


    Soon the climb began to take a toll on everyone and they started to grow tired. cknail was the best off. His lightnky build made the journey easier for him. Saeter called for a stop when everyone started to show signs of exhaustion. As they had made their way up the hills the trees had grown thinner and thinner, until mostly only bushes remained.


    From where he had stopped to rest and sit on a rock cknail suddenly heard movement from up above. He hissed in rm and leaped to his feet. A frightening image of the troll jumping down on them from above and massacring them shed through his mind.


    A small shower of rocks rained down on him from the ledge above as he moved. They banged loudly against each other and threw up dust as they fell. As cknail jumped aside to avoid them he got a better look at the ledge they had fallen from.


    He felt a stab of fear in his chest when he noticed a creature staring down at him from there. Tworge dangerous looking curled horns rose from its head and curled back behind its ears. Its body was covered in gray hair and it gazed at the bandits below with narrowed malevolent eyes. It even had a beardlike tuft of hair growing from its chin.


    Baaaah, it growled angrily at the hobgoblin as it reared up onto its back legs in challenge. Clearly it was hungry for human, and goblin flesh.


    It had four hooves like a horse but didnt look quite as stupid, evil, and twisted as one. cknail slowly reached for his de and began to slide it free from its sheath. He intended to strike first and kill it before it could attack them, but Saeter walked up and ced a hand on his shoulder.


    It''s a wild goat, cknail. Rx, if you leave it alone it will leave you alone, Saeter said with a hint of amusement in his voice.


    cknail let his sword slide back into his sheath, but kept his eyes on the beast. It stared back and their eyes met. cknail hissed and the goat let out another growl of its own.


    Then, with what cknail would swear was a condescending look the goat turned and bounded higher up the hill. Its hooves kicked up more rocks and sent them raining down over the bandits as it jumped. Two smaller goats then burst from the bushes nearby and joined therger one, before they all disappeared up the hill together.


    That''s good luck, one of the banditsmented. Rock goats and trolls are supposed to be enemies. Seeing them on a troll hunt is a sign of a god''s blessing."


    There were nods of agreement from most the other men. Personally, cknail doubted any god or spirit would bless someone by sending them an angry goat.


    Alright, enoughzing about. Time to get back to it, Saeter called out a few minutester.


    There were quite a few grunts and sighs as the bandits got back to their feet and continued on up the hill.


    The ground began to level out, and a few more ever green trees appeared. Saeter held up a hand to signal a stop. Up ahead past a grove of trees arge pile of boulders and rocks rose from the ground. cknail noticed arge dark crevice on one side of it. Behind the rocks the forest continued.


    I''m willing to bet good gold that''s where our troll''sir is. The question is whether its in there right now, Saeter whispered.


    Theres only one real way to find out, but before we go in there Id like to at least have a n with a half decent chance of working, Georgius remarked.


    Fair enough, Saeter answered.


    He put his knapsack down on a log and removed several long lengths of cord from it. Then he reached back into the bag and pulled out a bunch of wicked looking barbed steel arrows.


    Well go in all together. Mage boy here will be in the back. Hell be lighting our way and when we see the troll hell turn the light up as high as possible and blind it. With our backs to him and with our eyes more used to the light we should be able to see fine. While the beasts blinded our best archers will shoot it with these arrows, Saeter told them.


    Georgius have him a skeptical look.


    Trolls have hides tougher than good leather and their wounds dont bleed properly, so theyre hard to put down. Arrows, even barbed ones, wont do much, he remarked.


    True, but they dont have to. The arrows will be tied by long ropes to climbing hooks. While the trolls still distracted another few men will find ces in the cave to attach them. Thatll lock it down and prevent it from attacking us. Then when its all tied up well go in for the kill, Saeter exined.


    That soundsplicated and dangerous to me. What if the troll doesnt do what you think it will? someone replied uncertainly.


    Do you have a better n? Saeter asked harshly. No? Then lets get going.


    Saeter handed out the equipment and once they had it all prepared they headed over to the cave.


    Remind me to train you with a bow sometime, Saeter told cknail as they moved.


    All the bandits, except for Saeter, looked nervous. Their skin had gone pale and cknail could tell they had started to sweat more by their scent. Every one of them had drawn their weapons.


    As they approached the dark mouth of the cave cknails sense of smell was overwhelmed by the foul stench of rotten meat and troll body odor. It seeped from the cave so thickly cknail almost thought he could taste it with his skin.


    He gagged, and was quickly joined by several humans. One of them even vomited as he approached the cave mouth, and that did nothing to improve the smell.


    Suddenly the area grew brighter and the first few steps of the cave were stripped of shadows. Mahedium had activated his staff and it zed with pure white light.


    No one entered the cave. cknail threw a questioning look at the man next to him.


    You first, the man whispered.


    No, you, cknail hissed back.


    One of hispanions pushed the man forward. He took a stumbling step but then turned and red at the other man without going further. Georgius sighed and stepped forward.


    Lets get going, he told the reluctant man in front as he poked him with his de.


    Together the two of them took the first few steps into the cave mouth. A few secondster, when neither of them was ripped apart, the other bandits and cknail followed them in.


    A long rough gray rock corridor extended before them and curved out of sight a few dozen feet away. Rows of short stgmites hung from the ceiling. The dirt floor was littered with bones and jagged rocks, but none of the rocks were nearly big enough for a troll to hide behind. It wasnt there. Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.


    It must be deeper in. Lets go, Saeter whispered.


    The bandits began to slowly and reluctantly move forward. Maybe it was just the heat and vile stench but the cave felt humid and wet to cknail. He began to grow itchy, but he didnt dare scratch himself. That would require use of one of his hands, and for him to lower his guard.


    As they moved deeper underground the air grew warmer and the trolls kills fresher. Blood and gobs of flesh started to appear on the remains scattered all over the floor. cknail and the others had to go out of their way not to step on them. It was an unpleasant distraction from the hobgoblins focus on not getting killed and eaten.


    Up ahead on a small ledge against one wall arge mound of dark wet earth was piled. A small forest of mushrooms grew atop of it. Crawling between the stems and colorful mushroom cups were the shiny forms of harvesters. They were apparently moremon out here in the wild than in the sewers, where men trained goblins to remove them.


    The mages radiant staff almost caused them to glow as their carapaces split the light and reflected it back in a rainbow of colors. The mouse sized bugs were busy carrying dirt and other less pleasant things around. Every once awhile one would appear from, or disappear into, small holes in the wall.


    As they advanced through the twisted rock tunnel the hobgoblin saw several other harvester farms where the bugs were growing their mushrooms. They seemed to be thriving in the trollsir where there was abundant food, and the beast scared other animals away.


    cknails thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud sinister growl that echoed through the cave. The walls of the cavern almost seemed to vibrate as the sound washed over them. The man beside cknail stiffened in fear. The hobgoblin himself jumped as he felt a hand against his back.


    He risked a quick look back to see that it was Saeters. His master was giving him a disapproving look, and cknail realized he had been unconsciously backing up. The hobgoblin gave his master a nervous smile then sighed and took a few, very small, steps forward.


    The previous growl from deeper in the cave was joined by a deep thundering roar. It was loud enough that it stung cknails ears. Then an explosion of footsteps was heard from around the corner as the troll charged into view, and right at the bandits.


    The charging massive beasts eyes zed with hate and mindless hunger, as it regarded the small weak creatures that had dared intrude upon its home. It opened its mouth to reveal jagged yellow teeth and the full length of its humongous fangs. Its dripping jaws seemed to grow everrger and fill cknails vision as the green juggernaut descended upon them.