Chapter 101

The mine had an air of neglect as they traveled deeper within. Abandoned carts and tools littered the ground, a layer of dust already covering them in the few weeks since the miners had fled. The earth was damp, and Wil could hear the steady dripping of water, echoing off the walls in the distance.

The mine was a mix of natural cave, carved by water flowing from the mountain, now long dry, and manmade excavations, connecting or widening passages to allow the ease of access to the veins of precious minerals.

From a cart, Wil could see piles of ore, waiting to be transported back to the surface. Thin seams of silver shone brightly in the light of his floating magic orb, and narrow lines of more silver reflected the light from the walls.

In only a few minutes of walking, they had already reached the point where the miners had fled, dropping their tools and equipment.

“This is the place.” Wil muttered, nudging a shattered lamp with his foot. In front of him was a blank wall, gouges and holes from pickaxes and hammers marred its surface. It seemed that the miners were interrupted just as they began excavation on a new silver seam.

To his left, he could see a large, smooth crack in the wall, a few pieces of board still blocking it. More pieces of wood lay shattered on the ground next to it, giving an indication that something had burst out of that passageway, assaulting the miners.

“Why did they block the passageway? Did they expect something was in there?” Astrid asked, pointing to the barricade.

“It’s more likely that they block it to prevent anyone from accidentally entering an uncleared passageway. They’ll mine a safe area until it’s spent, then move to the next. But this wasn’t where they were attacked.” Wil observed, walking slowly around the area.

“No blood?” Astrid noticed. If this was where the miners were attacked, there would still be traces, even a week later. The guard leader had lost an arm, and the others were all heavily injured. There would be evidence of an attack if it had occurred here.

“The trolls probably attacked suddenly, breaking the barricade, and caught a few of the miners in the confusion, then brought them back to their lair. The village guards would have seen the same thing as us, so they almost certainly followed the trail down there.” Wil pointed to the only remaining passage.

The hound, done sniffing around the area, stared at the dark passage, its tail out straight and teeth bared.

“We need to track the humans, not the trolls. I want to find the lair first before we seal the other cave entrances. Can you follow their scent?” Wil asked the hound, picking up a shredded piece of clothing and holding it out for the intelligent summon to sniff. With a soft ‘bark’, it ran forward, pausing at the passage entrance, waiting for them to follow.

Trailing it closely, Wil and Astrid entered the passage, ducking to avoid the few remaining boards hanging ineffectually from the wall. This new area was devoid of any human presence, although Wil could see some footprints and trails of scuff marks in the layer of dirt and dust on the floor.

Passing through the narrow cave opening, they entered a large, wide-open area, and it was here that they were immediately assaulted by the strong smell of blood. The floor and walls were splashed with it, the dried remains nearly black.

Gagging, Astrid resisted the urge to vomit as Wil led the way cautiously forward.

“Looks like they barely made it into the room before the guards were attacked.” Wil observed, looking towards the only remaining exit to the cavern. A wide-open passage that sloped sharply downwards, worn smooth by centuries of water.

Aside from the blood, nothing else remained from the battle, and the hound quickly moved towards the way out, sniffing cautiously, before padding down the slope. Following closely, Wil held a hand against the cave wall for balance, slowly making his way downwards.

Soon, a smell of rot and filth wafted up from below, a combination of stale sweat and unwashed bodies, combined with corpses left to rot in the sun. Even Wil gagged on the scent, his stomach roiling instinctively, threatening to make him sick. This was worse than anything he had experienced in Aachen, the closed in space amplifying the stench.

“Here.” Wil whispered, almost silently, while pulling out two handkerchiefs. With a small vial of rosewater, an item that he had used in Aachen for situations like this, he applied a liberal dose to each, before handing one to Astrid.

Tying it around his face, the smell was replaced by something considerably more pleasant, although traces would still make their way around the edges. He could nearly taste the stench on his tongue, the rosewater unable to completely remove it.

Nodding in thanks, Astrid did the same. With a wand in both hands, one of fire and one of acid, she prepared herself. Wil didn’t bother drawing his sword, since the blade would not be effective against this enemy. Instead, he drew on his mana, already preparing the spell matrix for the Tier 2 spell, ‘Flaming Sphere’, in his mind.

Reaching the bottom of the slope, the hound stared warily at the darkness ahead, its fangs bared and its back arched. Wil could faintly hear shouting and yelling in a language he couldn’t understand. The guttural voices were punctuated by loud stomping sounds and what could have been the cracking of dry bones.

Luckily, the cave twisted ahead, blocking the light of their orbs from the trolls, but allowing the sounds from their lair to travel and echo down the path. Knowing that they would be entering combat in a moment, Wil turned to Astrid and whispered quietly.

“Prioritize rescuing any survivors. I’ll try to block the trolls, separating them from their captives. Launch an attack but keep moving towards the villagers. The hound will guard you if the trolls turn their attention towards you.” Wil whispered, his voice barely carrying to Astrid’s ears.

“And if there are no survivors?” Astrid asked, equally quiet. She could feel a nervous energy filling her body, the adrenaline flowing in anticipation of the coming fight.

“We burn everything.” Wil said simply, already turning towards the lair entrance, drawing his power about him like a golden cloak. The time of hiding was over, and Wil dashed forward, the hound already ahead, growling furiously.

Their plan to rescue any survivors turned out to be pointless, a fact that Wil discovered as soon as he turned the corner and saw the large cavern the Trolls were using as their lair.

It was a charnel house, the cavern floor littered with white bones, human and animal. A pile of dead bodies lay rotting in the center, a pool of congealed blood spreading across the ground.

The trolls had dismembered several of the captured miners, the arguing heard earlier had been regarding their distribution. Two trolls were tugging on a severed leg, pulling it apart in their struggle.

Nothing living remained, save for nearly a dozen trolls, their greenish grey skin shining in the light of the orb hovering above Wil’s head.

The Trolls were shocked by the sudden appearance of a man amongst them, and their shock turned to terror as Wil unleashed his magic. A flaming sphere erupted in the center, consuming the remains of the villagers, as well as three of the trolls that were fighting over the remains.

The white-hot flames engulfed them, and Wil took a savage pleasure at watching the monsters burn, their screams echoing off the cave walls as they died.

Another troll, closer to the entrance, immediately leapt at him, only to have the large hound barrel into it, knocking it aside, its fangs already sinking into the troll’s neck. Shaking its head fiercely from side to side, flesh and red troll blood splashed on the ground as the hound’s teeth drove deeper.

The troll would regenerate its wounds, but the hound’s assault would keep it out of the fight, long enough for Wil and Astrid to finish the rest.

Not to be outdone, Astrid charged into the cavern, a jet of fire from ‘Scorching Ray’ already racing across the cave, cutting through another troll as it lumbered forward. The beam of flame swept across its body, and Astrid pumped every shred of mana the wand could contain into the attack.

The troll lurched forward, before its body split in half, collapsing onto the ground, its regeneration desperately trying to repair the damage. With a grim expression on her face, Astrid turned her wand against the next target, an acid arrow already forming from its tip.