The Alpine Forest was serene, especially with the introduction of the small and large game. Enhanced by the introduction of mystical beasts who assisted the Guardians keeping the harmony of the Alpine Forest, it was truly a pleasure to roam across its expanse. Escorting the convoy had been stressful in comparison, the slow speed, worrying about the safety of the two hundred dwarves and the constant danger had worn on Benzhi. The last couple of weeks in the Alpine Forest had rejuvenated the Vanguard and they were ready to take on the portal spawn again.
The Vanguard stopped to resupply, loading large packs, filled to the brim with hundreds of arrows and foodstuffs. Most of which was cached at the Alpine Forest's southwestern corner. It had taken them four days to run to the southwestern corner before they headed directly south. Two Guardians, Sakaala and Zaostria, camped in the southwestern region ready to assist and ensure the cache, specifically the food, wasn't raided by any zealous small furry animals.
The western border touched on an ocean, with rocky cliffs and sandy beaches spanning a few hundred kilometres from north to south. The was the first time they had seen such a vast expanse of water, for Benzhi, the first time in this world. For Gisael and Reyas, the first time ever. The ocean had choppy, dark blue waters with no signs of life, at least from the clifftop vantage. No ships, no whales nor dolphins, Benzhi could see nothing to indicate the presence of anything other than salt water. He wouldn't venture a swim though, who knows what lurked beneath the surface and it was sure to be freezing cold. The rip looked quite dangerous, Benzhi imagined being dashed on the rocks or dying a many number of ways in the rough waters.
The air had that salt mist smell this close to the ocean. Benzhi briefly thought that the fish could be another food source, however, the Alpine Forest had no one adept at fishing, and there was no shortage of food in any case. But still, he imagined a coastal port town here that could be a place for trading and fishing. Ships coming and leaving with a land connection to the Alpine Forest.
"The water goes to the horizon," Gisael said in awe.
"Yes, and I imagine much much further. It could easily be bigger than the plains between the Alpine Forest and the Southern Mountains," Benzhi supplied.
"Woa," Reyas intoned and then added, "it smells funny," wrinkling her nose.
"If you start smelling I will throw you in," Benzhi teased. "I like the smell," he said reminiscently.
"Pfft, as if ye could," Reyas retorted.
The Vanguard headed south tracking the coastline. They found a roving band of trollkin a few hours south of the border of the Alpine Forest. The trollkin were five in number and all five dissimilar in appearance. They were five to seven feet tall, much shorter than the Troll which Benzhi encountered in the Forest so long ago. Where they Troll was green the trollkin varied in colours and shades, from greens to blues. They had a spiky red, orange or yellow mohawk, a large mouth full of teeth and two tusks from their lower jaw. Their feet and hands were clawed and they had what looked like discoloured bones protruding through their skin on their arms, shoulders, back and thighs.
They made a low guttural and snorting noises, there was some basic communication as they growled at each other when changing direction to turn and head east. It seemed this group patrolled near the ocean, but did not go within a kilometre of the water.
Reyas and Gisael took cover behind a boulder a few hundred paces from the trollkin pack. Gisael drawing her bow, Reyas lying in wait. Their connection was open enabling the Vanguard to fight as a cohesive unit. Their understanding in combat kept improving, no words were usually needed unless it was a complex strategy. A simple look at the boulder was enough for Benzhi to convey his intentions.
Benzhi engaged qi body speed and shunpo. Drawing his sword he moved swiftly towards the trollkin, as he approached, within fifty paces, one turned and growled a warning. It must have picked up his scent or heard his footsteps, or just felt his presence.
By the time Benzhi had closed the fifty paces the other trollkin were turning, but Benzhi moved too swiftly for them to react, engaging qi blade he started to slice of one arm on a trollkin to his left, another to his right before he broke through the pack giving the trollkin no chance to strike back. Benzhi then circled back to the women with five angry trollkins on his tail.
Gisael started to draw and shoot, targeting the eyes of the two trollkin Benzhi had injured by severing their arms. Reyas lay in wait, behind the cover where the trolllkins could not see her. Benzhi returned to the boulder. He had put a hundred paces between himself and the trollkin. He moved so quickly, they could only run a quarter of his speed and these beasts were no slouches.
After five arrows, Gisael had missed on one occasion, two of the trollkin were blinded. One of these two sat, yawling and pulling the arrows from its eyes. The other just ran in circles in a blind rage, tripping over rocks and falling often. The remaining three closed on the Vanguard. Gisael began to aim for their brains and hearts, whichever provided the best target.
Benzhi and Reyas charged the remaining two sighted trollkin. Benzhi stabbing one with his sword, and Reyas penetrating the other's skull. The trollkin clawed and bit to no avail. Gisael threw her bow over her shoulder and drew her sword. Five trollkin provided no problem for Vanguard, they were too slow or too small and too few.
Benzhi engaged qi sight and began to watch the remaining trollkin carefully while Reyas and Gisael ensured they three trollkin were dead, severing their heads and throwing them.
Benzhi watched the one sitting, it had removed the arrows and it was healing slowly. Its core was tiny compared to a Troll and while it did qi heal, it would not grow or reattach an arm quickly. It probably lacked the amount of qi needed for the task.
Benzhi was quite happy, he just wanted to study the patterns and the slow process this trollkin was undertaking was ideal for study.
Gisael and Reyas dispatched the fourth trollkin, putting it out of its misery. Benzhi continued to study the last, as it healed its eyes.
The bubbles of qi were not all the same. This was a vital clue Benzhi had missed when studying the original Troll. One type of bubble was highly concentrated, it copied the flesh or organ, adding an extra mass where there was none before.
The other type of bubble repaired a damaged tissue or organs. Although Benzhi could not see cells, he could see the effects the repair was having on the larger area.
Benzhi approached the trollkin getting closer and closer. The bubbles needed to be copied identically in shape, structure, size and concentration. Even the outer surface of the bubble had a pattern, that pattern needed to be copied for it to be effective. There were different patterns for skin, blood and organs. The eyeballs themselves had a different bubble pattern to qi heal than any other part. Benzhi sighed. They would have to injure many trollkins in many different ways. It was a form of torture not to kill a wounded beast, even if it was a monster.
Fortunately, Benzhi had no qualms doing this to trollkin. If it was a sentient peaceful race, he would not be able to, but then they probably could be reasoned with to teach him.
The Vanguard cut down pack after pack of trollkin, dozens of groups, hundreds of trollkin, leaving the last one alive to study. Benzhi could not bring himself to take a captive and reinjure it after it had healed. It never crossed his mind, it was bad enough what they were doing. It was starting to get dark, the Vanguard travelled back to the border of the Alpine Forest to rest for the night.
The bonds of the Vanguard had continued to deepen. Since the battle with Vaugend, they had been inseparable. Eating, sleeping, fighting and travelling together. Benzhi had never been happier in his life. He could not ask for more capable or beautiful companions. The fact he could walk, fight and protect the lands, his home, was the foundation of his contentment. The Vanguard was the icing on the cake.
It wasn't lost on him that he was doing exactly what the white coat boss wanted. He was learning more about qi healing. Benzhi was optimistic that pleasing the white coat boss meant he could stay here indefinitely, as long as he did as they wanted. With those thoughts, he got some rest, the next day they would continue to slay and study trollkin, until he was satisfied or until Trolls started to spawn.
It wasn't long before Vanguard came across packs of ten and twenty trollkin. They must be getting close to forcing Trolls to come through the portal. They had found the portal at what felt like the centre of all the spawns. Logically, the trollkins had spawned and moved out from the portal.
Once all the wandering trollkin were killed the Vanguard started to camp the portal itself. And killing any trollkin that passed through the portal.
When facing the latest pack of twenty-five trollkin the Vanguard formed a triangle. This was their strategy to reduce or remove the chance of being flanked. Gisael would start with her bow and kill as many trollkin as possible as they charged down the group.
Benzhi conserved his qi, he would fight the trollkin toe to toe using shield and qi blade. Reyas merely devasted any which stood in front of her, she could not leave to assist Benzhi or Gisael as that would open a flank. And with twenty-five trollkin, it was a strong possibility they would be flanked.
Once the trollkin closed to melee, Gisael dropped her bow and drew her sword. As a troll swiped at Gisael she would lean back ever so slightly allow the claw to pass in front of her before taking a step forward at piercing its heart with her qi blade. Its skin parted like butter with the qi blade effect. She could see another trollkin to her right rending a claw at Benzhi who was facing two in front of him, before she could react Benzhi sliced its outstretched claw, severing it from its arm with his backswing.
He didn't even look.
He had sensed the trollkin through the connection and Gisael's sight. As the trollkin screamed in fury and howled in pain at its severed claw, Gisael stabbed it in its vulnerable neck, she then removed her sword with an outward slice, partially severing its head.
Reyas concentrated on piercing the trollkin's skulls, the trollkin were prone to sticking their heads out to bite, a pick through the skull ended their existence quickly, it was the most efficient mortal wound she could deliver, any other attack was merely an injury to the trollkin. As Reyas kicked the last kill away, she sensed a trollkin to her left, Benzhi had seen it, Reyas sidestepped without thinking. The swipe from the trollkins claw passed through the air where she had stood.
Benzhi's shield smashed into the back of the trollkin and it fell forward, how sweet, Reyas thought as she impaled a pick through its skull.
The fight against twenty-five trollkin lasted less than two minutes once they closed to melee. The trollkin didn't hold back and neither did Vanguard. Other than the five Gisael had downed with her bow, twenty corpses littered the area at their feet.
The Vanguard had killed almost a thousand trollkin over three days. So many, they asked the Guardians to start collecting the tiny core gems each trollkin corpse contained.
For the rest of the day, nothing came through the portal.
Chapter end
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