The Iron Teeth

Written in Blood 10

"Oh shit," someone mumbled in horror.

Before anyone could react the troll had already closed over half the distance between itself and the bandits. Any second now it would tear through them like a sharp knife through cloth, but with a lot more blood flying everywhere.

Then, the cavern was drowned in light as Mahedium unleashed his magic. It was so bright the edges of Blacknail's vision whitened until they seemed foggy.

The effect on the troll was impressive. It screamed horribly, as it brought its claws up to shield its face. It tried to continue its charge, but it tripped over a large rock and then smashed into one of the cavern walls. Rocks were sent flying through the air and the entire cave seemed to shudder from the impact.

Most of the bandits were still too terrified or stunned to move, but not Saeter.

"Attack now, and stick to the plan!" he yelled as he shot an arrow into one of the troll's legs.

At his master's command, Blacknail burst into a sprint and ran past the fallen troll and deeper into the cave. The arrow Saeter had shot was tied to a climbing hook in his hand. By this point it was clear to the hobgoblin that his survival depended on the plan working.

The troll didn't stay down long. Hissing and growling, it pulled itself to its feet. The green hairy behemoth seemed to fill the cave and tower over the humans as it rose.

Off to one side, Blacknail spotted a solid looking rock that protruded from the floor. He grabbed it and slid to a stop. Working quickly he pulled the rope tight, wrapped it around the rock a few times, and then attached the hook.

By this time, Saeter's men had sprung into action. The other archers had started to lose their arrows, and Saeter was lining up his second shot. Other bandits were busy finding places to hook lines. Several ropes already led from the troll to the floor or walls.

To keep the beast distracted, three bandits moved in with swords and threatened it, but they kept well out of reach of the troll's deadly claws. The blinded and enraged troll swiped at them as it stumbled forward, but they managed to avoid its distracted strikes.

As new arrows hit their marks, the troll slowed and began to thrash and pull on the lines that entrapped it. More arrows sunk into its hide every second, but it would take far more than a few hooks and ropes to hold its massive bulk.

Blacknail was the only individual who had managed to make it past the troll. The other bandits who were supposed to have joined him had all frozen in fear until it was too late. This meant most the lines only stopped the troll from moving backwards towards the hobgoblin. Blacknail was glad to see that this didn't seem to be a priority for the troll; it seemed determined to reach the humans in front of it.

To prevent that from happening, several of the bandits began tossing lines past the troll and over to the hobgoblin. Blacknail rushed around to find solid places to attach them.

Saeter and the others had to retreat several times in order to keep the troll from reaching them. Several lines broke or were ripped free by the beast as it pressed its furious assault forward.

Eventually though, the troll ground to a halt as the lines Blacknail was securing started to arrest its movement. Blinded and confused, it roared in pained frustration. The archers weren't taking any chances though, and they didn't let up their barrage until they has used up every arrow.

"I wish we had some proper spears. Swords are really not the tool for this," Saeter swore as he discarded his bow and drew his blade.

The other bandits did the same and began to encircle the troll. Blacknail unsheathed his own sword but decided to stay back and out of the way, lest he get in the way.