The Iron Teeth

Written in Blood 5

"Could be worse, it could have been a drake," Saeter told Red Dog. "Trolls are smaller and will rarely attack a group of armed men this big, especially if they've just eaten. As long as we don't trip over the damned thing we should be fine. This one must have followed the same blood trail as Blacknail and picked the bleeder off."

Looks of terror appeared on some of the bandits' faces, and several of them threw nervous glances at the surrounding woods. The thick tree trunks and uneven ground of the forest could easily have been concealing an approaching threat.

"What's a troll? I mean, I've heard of them but I never actually expected to see one, or have one see me," one of the new recruits asked nervously.

Saeter gave the man a disdainful look, but answered him.

"Trolls have twin fangs the size of long knives and thick skin that doesn't bleed unless you pretty much decapitate them. Except for that, they're basically what you would get if you took a goblin and made it twice the size of a man and a hundred times as angry," he explained.

"Bloody lovely..." one of the other bandits muttered sarcastically.

Saeter then got up and examined the ground all around the corpse. He called Blacknail over and showed the hobgoblin various signs within the disturbed area. The hobgoblin found this much more interesting than his earlier tracking lessons. His sense of smell didn't help him nearly as much.

"It looks like there were three men here. The troll came down on them fast. It killed the wounded one and his friends made a run for it. It doesn't look like the troll followed them, instead it ate its fill and then headed off back into the woods," Saeter told Red Dog.

The man looked thoughtful as he considered their options. He didn't seem concerned about the troll and in fact seemed quite calm.

"We should be good to just follow them back to their camp then. Will they still be on alert?" Red Dog asked the old scout.

"Hard to say. I'm guessing the troll attack happened last night, which is enough time that I would feel safe. I doubt these guys are used to the forest though, so I'd bet they didn't get much sleep last night," Saeter answered.

"And we did?" Blacknail heard someone mutter doubtfully behind him.

"We'll go carefully then, and when we find the camp we'll circle around. They'll undoubtedly be watching the direct way, for trolls if nothing else," Red Dog said as Saeter nodded in agreement.

"I'll take Blacknail and scout the path ahead then. We'll take out or mark any sentries so then you and the others can approach unseen," Saeter suggested.

"Sounds good," Red Dog replied.

"Come Blacknail. It's time for me to teach you the more violent parts of the ranger's trade. I have a feeling you'll pick it up quick," Saeter told the hobgoblin as he shrugged off his backpack and handed it to another bandit.

Blacknail chuckled and licked his lips. This sounded like it would be so much fun! He could think of nothing he would rather do than stalk unsuspecting prey through the woods with the scent of blood in the air. His heart pounded in excitement just thinking about it.

"Thank you-ss so much, master," he replied eagerly as a wicked grin stretched across his face.

A few seconds later, the hunt was on. Saeter slipped through the trees so quietly that even Blacknail had difficulty hearing him. The hobgoblin followed in his master's wake and tried to be just as silent. To his own ears he wasn't quite successful, but with his boots removed he moved quietly enough that Saeter didn't complain.