Mors' shout, and the accompanying pressure caused by his aura exploding forth, even though it did not affect the trolls as much as other species, still caused them to falter. However, they still managed to surround him within a matter of seconds, the two archer's arrows forcing Mors to continue blocking the projectiles with his wing, covering their advance.

When they were less than ten steps away from Mors, the two trolls armed with spears, leapt into the air and thrust their weapons towards his sides, intending to kill, if not immobilise him as the rest prepared to counter-attack if their rush failed.

Their teamwork was impressive and although the strategy employed was basic, for the six trolls to utilise it without any conversation or preparation was a testament to their skill and combat prowess, as even seasoned mid-level adventurers would struggle to pull off the manoeuvre.

Using his wing that had been embedded into the floor, Mors exploded into action. His right wing, the one held behind his back, surged forward, almost splitting the air with a terrifying hiss and with enough momentum to completely spin Mors as he purposefully lost his balance, extending his reach by a couple of feet.

The razor sharp bone protruding from Mors' outstretched wing sliced through the two spears and accompanying trolls as if they were made of out warm butter, sending their separated body parts spiralling in the air as their entrails sprayed gruesomely outwards.

"One, nothing wrong with me."

The surviving trolls, including their leader, brandishing his heavy sword, watched with wide, shocked, amber eyes as the world seemed to slow down however Mors did not notice.

Lost in his own world and tempo, Mors kicked off the ground, ending his rotation, and slammed heavily into the other swordsman, disarming the troll and grabbing his arms before retracting his wings and rolling forward.

As his roll ended, Mors' feet found the troll's chest and violently straightened, ripping the long arms from their sockets and moments later, tearing the flesh as they were removed from the troll's torso, causing green blood to spray outwards as a pain filled scream echoed into the night.

"Two, nothing wrong with me."

Mors' kick contained so much force that, as the troll flew into a tree, he reversed his momentum and while falling backwards, the large troll appeared next to him, the red mist around him ominously glowing as he held his sword above his head, intending to slice Mors in half. "DI-"

Before he could even start to bring down his heavy sword, blood sprayed from the troll's mouth as Mors' tail punctured his chest, its spikes shredding the surrounding flesh and organs, sending them spraying outwards behind the troll.

"Three, nothing wrong with me."

Retracting his tail and using the troll's body as a pivot, Mors flipped in the air and the moment his feet touched the floor, turned into a black blur as he hurtled towards the five remaining trolls.

Anticipating his actions, the old troll threw himself into Mayka, sending her shooting off to the right just before Mors black, clawed hands clasped the two archer's heads and his knee mercilessly smashed into the old troll's temple.

As he increased his grip, the oversized claws, in relation to his body, crushed the archer's heads as the old troll's face collapsed on one side, killing him instantly, Mors let out a small, triumphant growl.

Crashing into the the ground, Mors was already facing the last two remaining trolls as he skidded to a stop.

"Four, nothings wrong with me."

Mayka and Kia stared at Mors in mute horror. Even though the protection party assigned to Kia was weak, ensuring that it would not hinder her growth, it was still made up of fairly strong individuals and they had been obliterated in around four breaths, seemingly tracked by the unknown sentences of the bo... no monster standing before them.

Mayka knew they had no chance against the monster; he was simply too fast and merciless. There was not even the hint of restraint or hesitation, as if the youngling was the Harvester himself, come to deliver his final judgement but she still had a mission to complete, even if it cost her, her life.

Without waiting another moment, Mayka threw Kia, who had been forced from her grip when she was tackled by the old troll, behind her and raised her arms to the side, as if they would protect her from Mors. "RUN!"

Trolls were not afraid of death; however, they were scared of destroying their honour. Against a foe like Mors, Mayka knew she could face her ancestors with pride if only she could ensure Kia's safety first. The rewards from dying in a fight against a mighty foe paled in comparison to the dishonour of failing her life's calling.

The joyful smile on Mors immediately vanished as he watched the troll's actions, quickly turning into a snarl, sending a shiver down both Mayka and Kia's spines.

"Well, that's killed the mood," hissed Mors as he straightened up. "Bah, and it was just getting to the good part of the song."

Mayka blinked in disbelief as Mors' body adopted a casual, none combat stance as he stared at the pair, deep in thought.

Falling to her knees, Mayka shakily released a breath, one she did she did not realise she had been holding, as she sensed the killing of Mors diminish. Kia, having sensed the reduced threat as well, moved to Mayka's back and rested her head on the woman's shoulder, her amber eyes locked onto Mors.

They are weak and pathetic; it would be demeaning to kill them. It would gain nothing.

Do not leave loose ends. They will grow and come looking for revenge. If they can't take me on, they will target those close to me.

Feast on their flesh. Eat their cores. Grow. Mercy is for the weak.

They were protected for a reason; there could be problems in the future if they are killed.

There are no witnesses. There CAN be no witnesses. Eliminate the threat, no matter the cost.

You're nothing but a monster. What will sparing two insignificant troll's do?

You're only hesitating because they are female and you find the older one somewhat attractive. If it were a male, they would be dead already. Stop being so pathetic; you're not human anymore. You're a monster, a demon for fuck sake. Kill or be killed.

Mors was silent as thoughts bombarded him, the muscles in his face twitching as he slowly raised his hand and watched it shaking. Discarding the voices whispering in his mind, the scene before him was, in principle, the same as what he had suffered from with Ethemeusa, although at that time, he had been the one that was defended. Now he was the fox-kin, staring down on two that he could kill on a whim and, similar to the feeling he felt in the ice demon's thrown room, he was disgusted with the thought of killing them.

Mors let out a deep growl and pulled a golden amulet, tied with a strap of cloth, from around his neck and stared at it. The gold, reflected the firelight, in the shape of the serpent eating its own tail; its sides had become visibly worn from Mors' constant attention when he was resting and was the only real possession, even if it was stolen, he had in this world.

I came here to become a monster capable of fulfilling my revenge, yet, by witnessing the act of one trying to protect another, I am already hesitating. I should kill them. What good will it do to let them live? They are only potential threats.

Taking a deep breath, Mors' eyes locked on Kia and he spoke to no one in particular and sighed in annoyance. "Ethemeusa, this is the only time your memory will interfere. From now on, apart from my vow to protect your kids. You are well and truly dead to me."

Looking at the golden ring one last time, Mors flicked it with his thumb towards Kia, who instinctively caught it as it span. "You're lucky kid. You just got saved by the memory of a dead person."

Turning around, Mors' body flickered, and he was gone, leaving the two in silence.

The two troll's remained silent for a few minutes before Kia held out the amulet in front of her, revealing a vicious smile that did not fit her young face. "Mayka, we need to return to the den and announce to father that I have gained favour with the monster that has terrorised the eastern sector. He even offered me gold, a sign of friendship and," The girls face started to blush a little. ", his interest in me as a woman."

Mayka shakily stood up. "We better focus on getting stronger. Gold is only offered to partners that are more powerful and seeing as he left. I think he was telling you to become stronger than him. Earning a true hunters interested is good for a woman, but it often ends in death if the partners are not roughly equal in strength."

Kia laughed, ignoring the bodies around her as if they were nothing but plants. "Of course that's what he meant. How could someone who understands the joy of the hunt not want a strong partner. I will become strong enough to match him and then, if we are paired, I will become queen. Even my brothers wouldn't dare go against such a fearsome opponent."