The Nature of the T**t (Part 1)

"WHO DARES INVADE MY TERRITORY?!"

Screams penetrated the clearing, and children started to run away from the monster. Looking around me, Joren seemed ashen yet still managed to smile like a child facing a new adventure, and Albert still looked as calm as ever.

"Do you boys know what that creature is?" I quickly asked while I checked the fastenings of my already secured bag. I thought, 'If we head out towards the general direction of the academy castle, we might just actually make it in time of dinner.'

"I haven't gotten the chance to see all the animalia mentioned in my books," Albert replied monotonously. "But, I believe, with the few seconds of observation given; its appearance dominated by its incredibly large, and upwardly protruding fangs, its heavy built upper torso and arms, and graying skin... Well, I wouldn't be a hundred percent sure but-"

"Just say it, Al!" Joren finally screamed out in frustration.

The prince only looked the tiniest bit affronted. "... A troll. I have a good amount of reason to believe that it might be a troll."

"Troll..." I murmured. It's not like I didn't know they existed. It's just that I hardly ever had the chance to see the legendary beasts and monsters that only  a handful of adventurers could ever get a good glimpse of. And now, I, nothing but a young girl, was face to face with one of the very creatures I could have only imagined in the past.

"Exactly." Albert nodded. "To be specific, I reckon it is quite possibly an earth troll."

This said earth troll was starting to move now. It inched forward, growling all the way. Some of the students had started to back away enough to reach the forest line, but no one seemed idiotic enough to actually start outwardly fleeing. Who knows how the monster would react upon seeing its prey in flight?

However, seeing them getting nearer towards the edge of the forest, I was hit with a weird feeling that crawled up my gut... as though it was telling me to make a run for it.

"I think it'd be best for us t'hide ourselves inside the forest," Joren muttered, already backing away with the taller prince. His green eyes were staring at the inactively growling troll.

However, while the troll was definitely threatening, I  actually felt more fear coming from the forest itself...

"Stop," I forcibly ordered.

"... Why?" Joren asked, but I couldn't really give out an appropriate answer. It was, however, nice to see how he had actually ceased his movements simply because he trusted me.

"I-I'm actually still unsure, but..." I started, and then surveyed the surroundings again. "The forest seems ominous."

"Yeah, sure, but we've been travelling through it for hours now," Joren reasoned. "We hardly ever saw anything any more dangerous than that flying squirrel... Sorry."

"Point taken," I grumbled. "But have you seen any earth trolls lately?"

Joren made a face.

"But, if I may interrupt, I would like to say that I agree with... ummm with... I apologize," Albert said as he looked at me with an embarrassed face. "What was your name again?"

"Elle... Eleftherion," I stuttered, inwardly chiding myself for the clumsy slip just because of past memories. "And that's Joren. But we don't have time for these introductions."

Both boys nodded, and I swiftly continued. "I just don't think we should just wander off aimlessly into the forest."

"Then...?" The black-haired boy murmured as he stared up at the large troll. "Do you suppose we should defeat... that?"

I observed the earth troll. It was currently momentarily confused by the sight of the twenty or so students. It was probably stuck wondering which child it should attack first. But, I also knew its confusion wouldn't last long. Although it seemed slow, I wouldn't put it past it to suddenly come charging at us.

My brows crumpled up into a frown. I wasn't sure if I could defeat it without using dark magic, or that I could do the deed without there being casualties. Seeing how unreliable the noble children were in the short time I had observed them, I knew they wouldn't offer much help. In fact, I wouldn't be too surprised if they would jump straight into danger...

I cursed out. The troll had set its eyes on us. I could see how its gaze seemed transfixed on a certain boy's fiery hair.

I immediately came forward and pushed Joren behind me. I mumbled through the gaps of my teeth, "I guess we don't have a choice anymore. Back away... slowly... into the forest."

For a while, our group and the troll was at a little stand-off, with us gradually making it closer and closer towards the safety of the trees, but suddenly...

A boy with hair the color of vibrant leaves broke out of the forest just behind the troll, right where it had just come from. The boy shouted at the top of his lungs and jumped up onto the troll's back. Crawling his way up onto its head like a feral animal, he suddenly hugged the troll's burly neck with his legs. And then, he brandished out his arms like they were weapons, and poked his bare fingers into the troll's eye sockets, promptly causing a wild scream to come out of the creature's wide mouth.

"Don't go into the forest!" the green-haired boy bellowed towards us, barely keeping his hold as he rode on the monster like it was a raging bull. "It's filled with traps!"

And, seeing an opening whilst the others were still caught in a shock, I quickly gathered a good amount of notes and aimed at the troll.

"Fire!" Albert shouted behind me. "They're weak to fire!"

'Then, fire it is," I thought, and conjured up a fire ball. Keeping it steadily hovering until it had turned into a pure white color, I shouted out a warning, "Move out of the way, boy!"

The feral child saw what I was trying to do and quickly hopped off the troll. I saw him land gracefully on a nearby branch. Seeing him safe, I concentrated a bit more, guiding more notes into my ball until it quivered with sheer power, and then...

"Ahh!" I thrusted the magic out.

I knew I had miscalculated when I was thrown off by the recoil. My back slammed harshly onto a tree trunk, and the impact made a few pink leaves fall gently on top of me. I groaned out as I heard footsteps run towards me, "Did I... kill it?"

"Y-Yeah," I heard Joren say. It was supposed to be good news but my head was still throbbing, so I could only stay silent.

'It seems like my magic has grown way stronger than I had thought...'

While my body was gradually recovering, I accepted the red-haired boy's hand and stood back up. The other students have started to gather around together again at the middle of the clearing, although they did give a wide berth to the troll's smoldering corpse.

Still slightly swaying on my feet, I observed the carcass of my kill. Its head was completely melted off, and the hard skin were blackened with burns around its torso... I found it surprising that there were no crying or sick children around us yet.

"Quite some magic power you have there," Albert praised me quietly as he, too, stared at what's left of the creature.

"I... didn't really know it would come out so strong," I muttered honestly.

Then, feeling a gaze directed towards me, I turned to look at the culprit from across the large clearing. The feral boy. It seems like he had gotten off from his tree.

His nobleman's son outfit looked out of place when it came to him. With his weird hair color, I could instead picture him perfectly as a faerie, barefoot and draped with soft and glinting moss. If he would smile, he would surely be quite the sight.

But he wasn't smiling.

It was already too late when I had registered what his expression had meant; why his body was perched and ready for a sprint... towards me. Root-like limbs had already encircled my arms and legs, catching me completely off guard while my head still spun around from my last impact.

I could only give a final exchange of looks with Joren before I was pulled away. 'Stay safe!' I willed my eyes to say.

But then, before even Joren could react, and way before the green-haired boy could reach me, a pair of hands had grabbed onto mine. I was staring wide agape at the young prince as we were both dragged further inside the forest.