Chapter 52
I’m into the Troll lines now, ducking a fast moving club to remove the offending limb from its body. My energy claws are no longer the red of Lycan energy, but a deep black. They’re also no longer restricted to a field near my actual claws, extending half my arm length in addition, giving my bare hands almost the range my sword used to command. I’d use it now, but I’m not sure it would survive an encounter with these giant clubs, even coated in energy.
Hui Jin has set up a flame shield over us like an umbrella. It’s not as strong as Karl’s arcane barriers, but it deflects glancing blows, letting the rest pass through. More importantly to her, it scorches almost all the blood flying towards us into ash, leaving us warm and dry.
A crushing blow smashes down through the shield and I catch a club twice my height to rip it out of the Troll’s hand with a twist, letting the awkward weapon fall to the ground before tearing the monster’s heart from its chest. The blood floods through the weakened flame shield, leaving us drenched and I shoot the gagging dragon kin a sympathetic look.
"Goddess it smells so bad. How can you stand this filth?" she shouts.
"You get used to it. We hunted wild animals in Lycan form when I was a kid, so the sight and smell of blood meant food to me from a young age."
"They didn’t let us out of the orphanage much, for fear we’d be abducted with nobody to miss us." Hui Jin fires a barrage of fiery missiles at a Troll approaching from our flank "And then I was taken in by the clergy for training, and I didn’t see sunlight for almost 2 years. Just study, study and more study. The first time I was out was for the mission I failed for fear of blood."
Oh, I didn’t know she was an orphan.
"Be a dear and pass me the shotgun would you? They’re starting to run back toward the portal." This conversation feels a bit surreal. However, it’s clear that we’ve won.
I fire off round after round, chasing the fleeing Trolls, making sure none escape into the surrounding area. Wouldn’t want to botch the job and inflict these monsters on the surrounding farmers.