Claire started to feel nervous as they got to the wheat mill. She had flashes of that other troll every couple of steps. She kept her breath steady and did her best to fight against the intrusive thoughts. It helped that Ursa and Hannah were right beside her. Having them close by made Claire feel safer.
True to her word, Hannah also didn't glance back once. She kept marching alongside Claire and resisting the urge. Ahead of them was Ursa, who was really excited. She was bouncing on her feet and glancing back every couple of steps. She continued to remind Claire of her family's shepherd dog. She just needed a wagging tail and ears.
Before Claire even realized, she wasn't thinking about that troll anymore.
She only realized it when they finally passed over the bridge. She had a faint memory of some tale about a troll and a bridge, but couldn't quite remember it. She shook her head and refocused on the task ahead. Getting distracted would only cause issues.
"Hold," Ursa held her hand up. She sniffed around and listened. "They're getting up."
Claire went for her sword. She unsheathed it and readied her shield. "Think they heard us?"
"With how loud you two walk?" Ursa smiled at her. It was a maniacal and bloodthirsty smile. "There's a chance."
"Well, I think we assume they heard us," Claire nodded. She glanced at the sunset. "Let's hurry."
"Or we could send Jasmine in," Hannah finally glanced back. However, it was to look for the assassin.
"She's already gone," Ursa did her best to take a deep breath. It was getting harder and harder to control her trance. "I think I hear her there."
Claire followed Ursa's finger. She caught a glimpse of movement on the rooftop. "I see her"
"Well?" Hannah turned to Claire. "Should we start?"
Claire nodded. She threw a thumbs-up back towards the twins and Toni. It was the signal that they were going to charge forward. They'd be set up at the bridge, while the three of them were going to get the trolls' attention. Hopefully, take out one or two before they're in sight of the backline.
They quickly crossed the field and headed towards the wheat mill. Ursa was faster and made it around the mill to the troll's sleeping spot. They definitely didn't hear them coming, since the trolls let out a loud shriek. Ursa was able to strike one before they could even react. She cleaved an arm off one of the trolls.
Their response was quick, but hasty. They tried to swat Ursa away, but she was able to jump away. Claire was quick to step in and make sure Ursa wasn't harmed, taking the brunt of a blow. She easily deflected it, something that shocked her. She pushed back against the armless troll and was able to push it back.
She didn't dwell on that fact, though. She fell back and pulled the attention of the armless troll with her. Hannah was there to stab at it with her spear. It reeled back, taking the spear with it. Hannah abandoned it for her handaxe, then backed up with Claire. All three moved back while the injured Troll cried out.
Hannah's spear slipped out and clattered to the ground while the other three finally got their bearings. Two charged at them, while the third helped the injured troll. Ursa went on the offensive, taking the attention of one troll. Claire and Hannah took on the other one. They stood side by side with their shields raised.
Hannah let her Warcry catch its attention. She jumped back to dodge the downward swat, letting Claire slip in and stab its side. She ducked in time to dodge the troll's counterattack, then rolled away from it. Its attention was still on Hannah, with the other two joining in. Ursa kept the fourth one's attention, while Hannah and Claire backed up.
They led the trolls around the corner, where their backline could see them. Hannah felt a surge of power flow through her. She resisted the urge to look back and kept her attention forward. Three trolls stared her down; she could not afford to look away.
Behind her, Toni was dancing. It felt strange at first, but his body started to move on its own. During training, he had to communicate with Hannah, but now it flowed through him. He felt his adrenaline surge as he danced, his sword's weight barely noticeable now. Then, the urge to sing started.
Elsie and Ana were stunned for a moment. His dancing was almost hypnotic, especially his lithe curves. They shook off the distraction and focused on the fight. Elsie cast her firebolt and aimed for the wounded one. She'd pick off the weakest one and take pressure off the frontline.
On the other side of the mill, Jasmine hopped down from the roof. She backstabbed the troll that Ursa was fighting, causing it to falter. That was all Ursa needed to strike. She had a clean shot at its neck, and she took it. With a mighty roar, she brought her axe down.
Jasmine rolled off of it and immediately headed towards the other trolls. She felt a creeping feeling of dread start to come over her. Part of her was expecting to find Claire like she did last time. She was relieved to find Claire on her feet and almost completely unharmed. She had a minor gash on her upper left arm. Jasmine let a sigh of relief and finished off the other felled troll. Elsie's magic was enough to down it, but it was writhing on the floor.
Jasmine put it out of its misery, then disappeared again.
Hannah's taunt wore off, letting the trolls think for a moment. They turned towards the weaker fighters for a split second, but Claire immediately stepped in. Instead of rushing in like last time, she used her own Warcry skill. Immediately, they turned back towards them.
Now, it was Hannah's turn to go on the offensive. She felt much more powerful with Toni's dancing behind her. While it really only gave her a resistance boost, she felt like she could take on the world. She slashed at the right troll with reckless abandon, tearing rotten flesh from the monster. She was even able to dodge the counterattack on instinct. She didn't exactly know why she felt this way, but she did. Hannah was almost on the verge of bursting out laughing.
It was an odd feeling.
Claire did her best to make up for Hannah's offense. She stepped in and clashed with the trolls to defend Hannah. Then, she made sure to cover when Hannah had to fall back or roll. She surprised herself by not only keeping up with the monsters but taking their strikes in full. She felt like a completely different person from her last troll fight.
It helped that her shield was far sturdier this time around. And it even damaged them back. She doubted they'd find anything similar in this troll's nest since it was so new, but there was always the possibility.
"Stay focused," Jasmine growled behind her.
Claire flinched. She didn't know how Jasmine could tell, but she could. She re-focused on the trolls just in time to see a lightning strike one. Ursa charged the other from behind, with Hannah taking its attention.
Claire charged forward against the staggered troll. Elsie's magic was keeping it stunned. Claire jumped and aimed straight for its exposed chest. Her sword dug in deep, so deep she couldn't pull it out right away. She slid off the staggering monster and abandoned her sword.
She fell back and let Elsie hit with another blast of magic. This time, it was her firewall. It ignited the troll and burned its skin to a crisp. It let out gargled howls as it lashed out around it. Claire glanced at the other one. It was still occupied.
Then she switched her shield to her right hand.
Claire launched the shield straight towards the troll's head. It smashed into the troll, doing both physical damage and its magic recoil. The troll staggered back before falling on its ass. Claire caught her shield and slowly walked towards the monster.
Standing over the creature truly was a testament to just how much she had grown in the past months. She was able to block and counter a monster that nearly killed her before. She truly felt the power her Goddess bestowed upon her. She reached for her sword and pulled it from its chest. Then in quick succession, she slashed at the monster's throat.
Blood splattered over her, but she wasn't done. She stabbed at its chest repeatedly until it stopped moving entirely. She got off the monster and turned towards the rest of her party. Hannah and Ursa had taken care of the other, while Jasmine watched on.
"Besides getting distracted," Jasmine slowly smiled at her. "It was perfect."
Claire wiped the troll blood from her helmet and pulled it off. She let her hair flow out. "Thank you! I, uh, thought about the treasure we may find…"
Jasmine shook her head, but kept her warm smile. "Bad Claire! You shouldn't be doing that."
Ursa straightened up after hearing "Bad" and stopped cold. Hannah nearly burst out laughing, earning her a punch to the shoulder. Claire sheepishly smiled at them.
"Sorry," Claire giggled. "It was going a bit too well. I let my guard down."
Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Thankfully, you're a lot sturdier this time around."
Claire relaxed her shoulders and glanced towards the other three. They were racing towards them, with Toni in the lead.
"Aww," Toni pouted at the dead trolls. "I didn't even get to try my taunting dance!"