I dreamed I was soaring the sky, flying over oceans and isles. It felt good until I ran out of mana and started falling down towards the deep blue waters. Really, really fast. The impact jolted me awake.

I made up my mind.

I need excitement. I'll upgrade my equipment.

I put my precious 5 gold coins in my purse and set off to the shop district.

No, wait.

I stopped myself and turned around. I'd better ask my friends for counsel, so I don't make shitty purchases.

I praised my boundless wisdom.

I found them and they agreed to go shopping.

Grastel patted my shoulder, showing off his usual smirk.

「Grastel: It's good you asked us, we have deals with certain shopkeepers, so we can get a discount for you.」

In the end, this is what I bought:

3 golds for a light plate armor set

1 gold for a healing potion.

1 gold for a mace (suits my predisposition for crushing skulls)

Spending a whole gold coin for just one potion made me queasy, but I'm a noob. I need life insurance.

ON a good note, I can return the empty vial to get some silvers back. These vials are enchanted with durability and other spells so they don't break easily.

Well, that's good and all, but why not just making them as solid food instead of liquid? I asked Ellin about it.

「Ellin: That's a common question. The reason is simple. Liquid potions are quickly absorbed, so they have an immediate and stronger effect. They also don't spoil when properly stored in enchanted vials. I never tried, but enchanted food would take longer to be digested, giving a much weaker effect, over an undetermined span of time.」

「Allen: Ah, I see.」

I scratched my chin.

That makes sense. But how does it work if I wanted a slower prolonged effect? I guess I'll find out once I learn alchemy.

I would have paid Vargas a visit, but he mostly trades raw materials or high paying items. Besides, I heard he had left yesterday. Next time, maybe.

We visited a few more shops, then we headed to the guild and took a look at the billboard.

「Grastel: Hmm, look at this one... hunting a troll hiding in a cave in the Greenpeak mountain, 60 golds... aaand...」

Grastel pointed to another one.

「Grastel: Agrest mushrooms collection, 1 gold and 50 silver coins each, if my memory serves right, they also grow in the same area!」

「Namrick: Hmmm, trolls. They're quite strong and have that nasty regeneration. Perhaps we should ask another party to join us?」

「Grastel: I think we are strong enough to take it down. I can stun the troll by shooting arrows at his head. Namrick can cut at its legs to make it fall and then we all hack at it and set it on fire.」

Cut at its legs? How tall are these trolls exactly?

「Namrick: It could work... Ellin?」

「Ellin: If you think we can do it, I'm in!」

「Allen: Uh... exactly how big are these trolls?」

I ventured my question.

「Namrick: About ten feet tall, give or take.」

That's pretty big.

Everyone looked at me, waiting for my reply.

Can we do it? The others seemed confident... fine then.

「Allen: Okay, I'm in.」

I said with a shrug. I just hope I'm not getting myself killed.

We got more information from the clerk, who quickly copied a map of the location for us. We readied ourselves and set off. I didn't have a horse, so Namrick let me ride along on his stallion. I had never ridden a horse before, I almost capsized trying to climb. Thankfully the dependable young Namrick was there to help me up. And so, we went.

After an hour or so we reached the place, we left the horses some distance behind so they wouldn't get scared by the troll. We got close to the cave silently, Grastel approached from the left side, Namrick from the right, I and Ellin where right behind him, ready to give support. This time I did not step on a dry branch.

I just wanted to point that out.

Grastel nodded to us, and moved in front of the entrance, making a lot of noise.

「Grastel: Oi! You big fat troll!」

A roar came from inside the cave. Grastel kept taunting and begun stepping back, drawing an arrow.

A big shape emerged from the cave's depths. It was big. I took slow breaths to calm my heartbeats while I waiting for my moment.

As soon as the troll stepped outside, Grastel released the arrow, hitting the monster right in the right eye. The troll let out a pained groan. Namrick moved in with extraordinary speed and performed an arched slash on the troll leg behind the knee.

The troll knelt down, its leg unable to stand due to the severed ligament. Namrick rolled to avoid being swept away by the troll big arm.

So nimble despite the armor. How does he do it? I wondered while taking in the scene.

Grastel brought another arrow to the troll's head, making it roar with pain.

Namrick took the opportunity to slice the other leg, making the troll crash hard on the ground.

The monster screamed with pain. Now!

At that moment I moved in, I swung my mace at the leg to crush the bones, then I moved to its arm and shoulder. Meanwhile, Namrick had climbed on top of the troll and was hacking his sword at its head.

「Grastel: Fire arrow ready! Move out!」

We jumped away as Grastel released the arrow, setting the creature on fire face first. Then he took a dried branch from the ground and lit it up to spread the flames on all the troll to prevent him from regenerating.

「Namrick: Damn if it stinks.」

Grastel grinned patting the shoulders of his friend. They were standing at the burnt feet of the troll, at the cave entrance side.

「Allen: That was easier than expected, you guys sure are something.」

I looked left and right

「Allen: So we gotta find those mushrooms no-」

I saw a shadow moving from the cave entrance, a very tall shadow. SHIT!

「Allen: GUYS! BEHIND YOU!」

I cried pointing my finger.

Namrick turned in time to see another troll swing a massive club against him and Grastel. All Namrick could do was try to shield his friend from the blow. The impact made a terrible sound.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion, Namrick and Grastel were blown away and hit hard against a rock. They weren't moving.

No!

「Ellin: Wha-」

Ellin, who was halfway between them and me, just made in time to turn toward the monster and cross her arm for a protective spell, before receiving a massive swing right on her side. *CRUNCH*. She was sent flying away. The sound of crunching bones made me feel nauseous.

No.

I moved without thinking, my mind strangely silent. I jumped on top of the massive club using it to propel myself against the troll. With mana infused strength I crushed my mace on the troll's face, but it wasn't enough.

I screamed without restraint.

「Allen: Die! DIE! DIEEE!!」

I grabbed at its throat with my left hand to avoid being pushed away and swung my mace again, and again, and again.

Ellin! I took a look behind. A half of her left body was bleeding and bruised, she was spasming in pain, probably losing consciousness or dying. I must help her!

I took another strike at the ruined troll's head and left the mace lodged inside his fucking brain. I let myself fall to run toward her. I spared a glance toward Namrick and Grastel. Namrick looked pretty bad too, his arm was twisted at the wrong angle and he was losing blood. Faster.

I knelt at Ellin's side. Her ribcage seemed crushed in...

I was sweating cold.

「Allen: Ellin! Can you hear me?」

I shook her shoulder, unsure what to do. I saw her eyes roll up and her spasms slowly dying. Oh shit! Oh shit!

The healing potion! I fumbled with my panicked hands at the vial. God, I hope this works. I bit the cork away and raised her head as I pushed the red liquid down her throat.

The effect was immediate.

Her ruined side and chest began retaking form. Please make it work. My hands were shaking badly. She suddenly opened her eyes and took a deep, desperate breath.

Only then I realized I had been holding my breath. I sighed with relief.

「Allen: Thank god. You're alive!」

Ellin was shaking and moaning. She was under shock.

「Allen: Ellin! Listen to me!」

She wasn't listening. I shook her shoulders.

「Allen: Ellin! You have to heal Namrick and Grastel!」

I heard rustling sounds behind me. Fuck! The fucker was still regenerating!

「Allen: GO!」

She started crawling, sobbing, her eyes lined with tears. Moans of pain escaping her bruised throat.

I need to buy her time. I balled up my fists in anger.

I ran back toward the monster, my mace had been almost completely incorporated inside its head. Damn. I swept up Namrick's sword from the ground and attacked.

「Allen: Take this... you fucking... BASTARD!」

I stabbed its groin, twisting. I slid the blade away as the troll fell back down.

「Allen: Fucking cunt piece of shit!」

You hurt my friends!

Next, I jumped on his chest and stabbed where I thought the heart would be. I twisted again in mad fury. I took out the blade again and moved to the head, I swung down with all my strength splitting it enough to take back my mace. Yes.

「Allen: You wanted to kill my friends?!」

I swung and swung and swung and swung until I entered some kind of trance. Breathing mana, striking down, breathing mana, striking down. I had but a vague sensation of blood splatting on me but I wasn't even aware of the ruined mess before me. I just kept swinging...

Until I felt a hand touching my shoulder. I hesitated and slowly turned my head.

「Ellin: I-It's done...」

Her face was streaked with grime and tears.

Ellin.

I looked back and only now realized that the troll had stopped regenerating some time ago. I let the mace slip from my hand and roll on the ground. Broken from my trance, the magic started leaving my limbs, and I found myself tired and shaking. I was completely covered in gore.

What was once the troll head was now only a poultice of gore and broken bones. I looked away. I... did this ?

「Allen: T-The guys?」

I couldn't shake the feeling of dread.

Ellin helped me stand up and pointed toward Grastel and Namrick, who were lying on the grass next to each other. Namrick's armor had been unfastened and removed, it was a broken mess.

「Ellin: They're... alive... I n-need your help with Namrick. Please...」

She pleaded with a broken voice.

「Allen: Y-yes.」

I helped her by setting Namrick's broken arm correctly so she could heal it.

Once done and her last speck of mana exhausted, she broke down crying. Sitting next to each other, I offered her my shoulder.

「Ellin: W-We're all a-alive.」

She said with eyes wet with tears and a screwed face. I couldn't say anything. Until now it hadn't hit me, that I could have lost my precious friends. It had been a very long time since I had someone I could truly call a friend.

We waited until Namrick and Grastel regained consciousness.

We didn't speak, just squeezed each other shoulders. There was nothing to say. We limped back to the horses and started riding to town.

Fuck the mushrooms. That was enough.

I only filled the empty vial with troll blood, hoping it would come handy in the future.

We were alive but my heart felt... heavy. That was close. Way too close.