𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 [𝐣𝐢𝐦 𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐱 𝐨𝐜]

Chapter 11 | Training the Trollhunter

Liz Walker POV

Honoring her word, Liz returns back to Trollmarket to speak with Draal that same night. Knowing him so well, she knew he would be training in the Hero's Forge, releasing his pent-up anger and frustration over recent news. Should have expected that it would come to this.

Ignoring the whispers and glances of trolls around her, Liz swiftly teleports herself until she materializes at the Hero's Forge. She hears growls and shouts of anger echoing throughout the underground arena. As expected, Draal was training alone, fiercely swinging an ax and releasing it onto a makeshift target that looked like it was about to collapse at any moment with the weight of multiple weapons sticking out of it.

With his spiky back facing towards Liz, Draal doesn't notice her presence. He walks over to the laying pile of weapons, grabbing a sword this time. Gazing at the blade, he growls over the thought of a fleshbag being the Trollhunter. Then the thought of Liz defending this fleshbag made him snap, swinging his sword until suddenly it crashed with another blade. To his shock, standing before him was Liz.

"Mind if I cut in?" Liz asks with a smirk on her face. Draal's eyes narrowed, pulling back his sword and turning his back on her. "Go away. I don't fight with little girls."

He proceeds to walk away but then senses an oncoming blade from above him. He blocks it before it could slice through his horns atop his head, his narrowed red-eyes meeting twinkling turquoise ones. "Has anyone ever told you not to turn your back on your opponent? I thought you of all trolls knows that."

Growling, Draal shoves his blade forward, pushing Liz back, who backflips in the air and lands a few meters in front of him. Not wasting a second, she charges at him, sparks flying as their blades meet once more. "Enough of this childish play. As I said again, I don't fight with little girls."

"Well, that's where you're wrong, Draal." Liz countered, dodging and parrying every swing of Draal's blade with precise ease. "You're not fighting a little girl."

Using Draal's strength as an advantage, Liz blocks off a downward cut and twists her blade, guiding the opposing blade to the side of her until it pierces into the ground, making it stuck. With that, Liz lifts up her sword and swings an uppercut until she pauses, hovering her blade against Draal's neck.

They stood in that position for a moment, catching their breaths a little before Liz withdrew her blade, stepping back. She glances at the grounded sword, wrapping her hand around the handle and swiftly pulling it out, then holding the pommel out towards Draal. "You're fighting an equal."

"...I suppose I am," Draal says, taking back his sword. Gazing down on it for a few seconds, he confronts Liz. "The last time you came to see me, you already knew the Amulet chose a human."

"Yes," Liz admits, waving her sword away and explaining. "But it wasn't the right time to share the news with you. If I did, you would have gone after him and risk exposing yourself...or worse. I couldn't let that happen. Not after losing Kanji."

Draal sighs. "I understand. But this flesh--"

Liz narrowed her eyes at him, making Draal correct himself. "Human won't survive. Fighting with Bular would be his death sentence."

"Jim was able to manage a bit on his own with Bular before we arrived at Trollmarket. I believe with proper training, he just might have a chance." Liz says with hands on her hips, confident in her charge.

"Training? With who? Blinky?" Draal scoffs. "From what I could tell, he is weak. Training him would be pointless and would lead him towards the same fate as Unkar."

Liz crosses her arms over her chest. "Only fools think that a weak person can't get stronger. And Blinky won't be training him alone. I'll be training him as well."