It was a child.


    The boy flailed and kicked and bit at the dwarf, fighting to get loose from his iron grip, but it was futile. Eventually, the boy relented, sagging as the dwarf dragged him, tears flowing freely down his face. "Don''t eat me!"


    "I''m not gonna eat you, boy!" Firtz said as he shoved the boy back against the wagon, practically throwing his tiny body against the hard wood. "But I gotta be sure you''re a boy and not some damn monster about to pounce!" Firtz reached for his holy symbol and placed it against the boy''s skin. Nothing happened.


    "It''s safe. The boy is what he appears." Abad reassured Firtz as he approached. He didn''t sense any darkness within the boy. He didn''t sense much of anything really. The child barely had any essence at all. He was weak. Nothing.


    His holy symbol having no effect, Firtz loosened his grip on his axe, and the dwarf''s thick muscles untensed. He let his holy symbol fall away from the child. "What are you doing here?" The dwarf''s voice was filled with compassion now. He began searching the boy''s body, looking for injuries. Despite the carnage around him, he was relatively unscathed. Firtz reached into his belt pouch and pulled out a bit of dried meat. "Here. Eat."


    The boy looked nervously at the morsel, hesitated a moment, then snatched and hungrily devoured it. "Mommy... Daddy... they''re..."


    "It''s okay child. We''re here now." The dwarf''s voice was compassion itself.


    Abad had no reason to care about the boy. In the grand scheme of things, he didn''t matter. He was an insignificant thread in the tapestry of the ages, a background color woven into the scenes depicting greater men''s deeds.


    But still... despite that knowledge, something stirred in the warlock. Again, with the feelings. He felt pity. The boy had likely lost everything here. His life would forever be changed. A fleeting memory taunted Abad then, but it slipped away before he could grab hold of it.


    "What happened here?" Abad snapped, frustrated at his inability to remember. Firtz looked over his shoulder and glared at him.


    "What my friend here is saying is, when you''re ready, we''d like it if you''d help us learn what happened to you. Take you''re time though, lad. I promise you''re safe." Firtz moved his body so he shielded the boy''s view of the death around them.


    The boy ate a while, then cried, ate some more, and finally was able to speak. "the men told us to go to the big wall. Mommy said the shaking made holes, so we had to go look."


    "Holes?" That caught Abad''s attention. The walls were thought to be indestructible in his time. No one had ever breached them or even made a dent into the Wilds beyond. The only way in or out were through the gates under the eight towers. "Why were they inspecting the walls?"


    "There were tremors a few weeks ago." Shani entered the conversation, holstering her shield on her back. "We heard some rumors that several cracks opened during one of the bigger earthquakes. There was still a commotion in town about it when we got there, but the local governor promised that everything would be okay, especially since scouts hadn''t seen anything coming into the kingdom from the Wilds. They placed some barricades and sent some of the Legion to patrol the area. Still, there must''ve been some serious damage if the Legion needed to be sent out."


    "Anything about that make sense to you, Abad?" A-Nis had pulled her hood up to keep the stench of the corpses at bay, but by the wrinkling of her nose, it did little to block out the smell. Like rotten watermelons.


    "Not really. At least in our time, the theory was the wall''s dual purpose was to keep the forces of the Dark One confined to Elysium while they kept the Wilds outside out. The Goddess made it a prison and a sanctuary, at least according to the theories." A prison for his "father" and people like him. "The walls couldn''t be breached or damaged in my time. They were indestructible."


    "Well, not anymore. The outer towers have been failing for a long time, and it''s been more and more common to hear of things from outside getting in. That might explain what happened to our cat. Lucky we found you when we did, otherwise you might be food for something bad." She walked a few steps and pried a sword from one of the corpse''s hands. It was a young adult by the looks of him. The blade was wet with black ichor. She looked it over a moment before tossing it back down.


    "Do you have any other family nearby?" The dwarf gently pulled the boy away from the wagon, ushering him towards the girls while still keeping his body between the child and the bodies the best he could.


    "I don''t know." He shook his head. Tears started to run down his face again. "Daddy..."


    "It''s okay. We''ve got you. You''re safe." Firtz picked up the boy in his thick arms. "We''re going to Farnfoss. You''ll come with us, okay lad? The boy nodded in his arms, burying his face into Firtz'' shoulder.


    "How far away are we?" Abad asked.


    "A little less than a week by foot," Shani replied. "There''s a large trade road a day or two ahead though. If we''re lucky, we can find some merchant or farmer to carry us the rest of the way before whatever is out here gets brave. Let''s get going. We''re too close to this thing for my liking. And it''s getting closer. Even I can feel it now."


    Her words pulled him away from his thoughts and back to the present. Whatever that thing was, it was just outside of sight, watching them as they talked.


    ***


    Firtz marched down the road at the front of their little group, humming as he rocked the child in his arms. The others followed, A-Nis kept watch behind while Abad and Shani looked to the sides. The creature had been following them for hours. For the first time since he had met the three, there were few words exchanged as they walked. Everyone stayed on high alert.


    Knowing there was a trade road ahead, they moved at double speed to create distance and gain ground from the wreckage and the creature, but it followed tirelessly. It was always just out of sight, but it''s essence was dim. Only the occasional crack of a branch or the rustling of some bushes told them that it was still close. They had hoped it would break off if they made enough distance, preferring the guaranteed meal behind to the fight it would face ahead. However, night fell, and still it followed.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    They didn''t set up camp. Instead, they decided to march on through the night. However, their pace slowed as the night wore on as all but Firtz grew tired. The moon was high in the sky when they finally decided to take a break, lest they be too tired to fight if they were ambushed. The dwarf never stopped rocking the boy, who had fallen asleep in his arms. He still was in the lead, guiding the group by the faint glow of the moon.


    As they stopped to breathe, a loud crack of another branch sounded on the right side of the road ahead of them. Abad''s senses began screaming at him. Whatever it was, it had gotten close. Very close. Firtz'' hands gripped the child tightly. His blue eyes gazed around until he seemed to decide something. He gently woke the boy, who began crying as he awoke.


    "It''s okay, boy. I''m still here." Firtz rocked him. "I need you to wake up for me now. We may have to fight the big old monster. Can you be brave for me?"


    The boy wiped his nose and sniffled. He nodded. "Y-yes...." His words were so timid.


    "Good boy. If we''re attacked, I want you to run away. Run down the road that way." Firtz pointed west. "Don''t stop running until you can''t anymore, and then run even more. Can you do that for me?"


    "I''ll try." The boy replied.


    "You will." Firtz ruffled the boy''s hair as he set him down. "You''re a strong one. I know it. We''ll find you tomorrow, okay?"


    "Okay." The boy''s eyes were wide as saucers.


    There was movement behind the group then. Turning, Abad saw it. Its glowing green eyes were visible for a moment, reflecting the moonlight above, and a large, gangly arm wrapped around the tree it was hiding behind. Their eyes met. When it saw it was spotted, it slinked back into the shadows.


    It was large. Very large. Not quite ogre sized, but still nearly twice his own height.


    The four of them closed ranks, putting their backs together, the boy in between them. The creature stalked around them just out of sight, likely trying to find some opening it could exploit. It was at the edge of the forest line now, dashing from shadow to shadow in the trees. Whatever it was, it was clever. It never stayed still long enough for an arrow to hit it. It seemed like it was getting bolder too. Each step was faster than the one before, more calculated. Abad could tell that the stalemate would come to an end soon.


    [Burn the Weak]


    A ball of flame appeared in his hand, illuminating a dozen yards around them in deep red light. The creature squealed and backed away, crashing through the forest to get away from Abad''s flames. That gave him information. He had a sneaking suspicion what the creature was now. If he was right, they might not survive the night, especially if there was a hive of them. "I think it''s a troll." He whispered to the group. "If it is, we''ll need fire, and plenty of it. I''ll take care of that part." He grinned. He hadn''t killed anything in far too long.


    "Bah." Firtz muttered. "Those creatures give my people nightmares." He rose his axe high, readying himself. "My hold is near the western border of Elysium. They sneak into our mountains from time to time. Nasty things." He frowned deeply. "Boy. Wait until we can see the monster before you run. Once you see us attack, run as fast as you can. We''ll keep you safe." The boy nodded, his eyes nearly falling out of his skull. His cries were whimpers now.


    "Wait, hold on. Trolls?" A-Nis asked. "In Nolei? That''s unheard of."


    "I''m almost certain that''s what it is. I can only think of two other things that size, and neither of them could track us this well and be so stealthy. If it''s a single troll, we''ll probably walk out of here. If there are more, we''ll likely die." Abad felt that twinge again as the boy shrieked. "If we''re not careful that is. We can do this." He hoped his lie would help.


    The second the words left his lips, he felt something to his side. A loud footstep shook the ground. The girls sprung to action, the boy screamed, and the dwarf roared and charged.


    ***


    It was all Abad could do to dodge the arrow that whizzed past his face. It cut directly through the flame in his hand, catching on fire as it did. Ducking, he turned toward the source of the sound. A wall of green flesh was all he could see, a small burning arrow buried in its warty skin. The skin was flaking away, the fat underneath bubbling around the arrow. It jumped back and snarled.


    A troll. It was a troll. Trolls were some of the most reviled creatures known to inhabit the surface and the Upper Depths. The beast stood taller than a full-grown bear, and its thick skin was more like scale mail than flesh. It roared, opening its gaping maw to reveal dozens of jagged yellow teeth. Green spittle dripped from its cracked black lips as it watched Abad with a hungry look.


    [Mighty Rush]


    Before he could act, the dwarf barreled past him, slamming into the giant''s chest. The giant''s body wrapped around the dwarf''s as they tumbled several feet back.


    [Volley]


    "Get back!" A-Nis screamed, letting loose several more arrows, each of them finding a vulnerable spot in the creature''s body. It yelped as each landed, still trying to untangle itself from the ball of muscle and steel that had knocked it over.


    [Holy Nova]


    The troll scrambled to stand, but a wave of light exploded from the dwarf''s holy symbol. The flesh of the creature''s front half was burned away in the holy light. It squealed and threw the dwarf off, but Firtz was back up in an instant. He charged, swung his axe, and connected with the creature''s kneecap. The axe cut clean through.


    "Did you feel that?!" the dwarf laughed madly. "You''re not leaving alive, creature!" As the troll fell down onto its stump, he slashed again and again.


    Abad could see the flesh mending from the damage inflected by the holy energy, but it wasn''t fast enough. It roared in pain, swatted at the dwarf, and clipped his leg, sending him flying. Before it could recover, three more arrows buried into its chest, and Shani charged.


    [Heroic Strike]


    Her blade flashed, and the creature''s arm fell away at the shoulder. The creature cried a pitiful cry, wheeled around, and slashed with all its might.


    [Perfect Block]


    A ghostly shield appeared around her metal one, reflecting the troll''s attack back onto itself. A loud crack sounded from its elbow. The creature yelped as it tried to drag itself away. Firtz leapt on it again, carving at its neck with all his strength, nearly severing the creature''s head in one strike. The troll''s head tangled by a thread, its teeth gnashing and biting at the air.


    Seeing his opening, Abad threw his fire at the creature''s gaping neck. Like paper thrown into a bonfire, it''s skin erupted. A retched gurgling scream sounded from its gaping neck hole. Its remaining arm flailed at its burning neck as the skin flaked away, revealing layers of muscle and fat beneath. The smell of foul-smelling meat wafted over the battlefield, making Abad''s stomach turn. Its fat began to bubble and ooze as its skin burned away completely, Abad''s flames unrelenting as they consumed it. Within moments, the creature lay in a puddle dead on the ground, its remaining leg spasming.


    "Damn trolls... I''ll need new armor after this." The dwarf murmured as he stood again, reaching down to tear off his ruined greave. "Where''s the boy?"


    Shani responded. "Gone. Ran off. We''ll find him later." She began pounding her sword into her shield and shouting, baiting the creatures to come to them instead of the boy.


    A moment later, several growls and whoops sounded from the trees. Abad reached out with his senses. There were more of them. At least four.


    "More are coming! Get ready!" Abad said has he conjured another ball of flame with [Burn the Weak], illuminating multiple sets of green eyes in the forest.