“How many aurochs do you want to buy?” The farmer asked with plenty of confusion in his voice.

  “Two and they don’t have to be healthy or young.” Payton had the party’s combined funds in her purse.

  “These aurochs are not really tame. If I put them on leads, they might follow you but not far. Just until they find something they want to eat. What’re you looking to do with them?” The farmer asked. He leaned against the stone-fenced corral and considered which auroch he might actually sell.

  “There’s a cave…” Payton started, but Steve cut in.

  “We found some ruins with some aggressive vines. We hope the aurochs will eat them and get us access to a potential treasure trove.” Steve lied easily.

  “Oh, you’re that sort. I mean, they’ll do it. But you could just borrow them.” The farmer scratched his side.

  “No, we’re concerned we won’t be able to bring them back.” Payton shrugged.

  “So it’s that kind of vine. Well,” The farmer pointed into the corral. “I have two young bulls, they’re more docile because they’ve been exposed to people. I don’t need more bulls though, so I could let them go for five silver each.”

  “We only have nine silver and a few bronze.” Payton counted out the coins.

  “Sure, that’s not much of a hit, I’ll take it. But if you find something good, it’d be neighborly of you to remember me.” The farmer scooted onto the stone fence and kicked his feet over into the corral. A few of the aurochs did not seem to like him in their space and greeted him with snorts. He kept his distance and held out one hand. The hand blurred and the aurochs seemed to calm down.

  The farmer returned with two young aurochs who were as big as fully grown bulls on earth. They had large rings through their noses and the farmer fed pieces of rope through them for leads.

  “Once you get ‘em going, you should keep ‘em going. If they stop to eat, you won’t get them moving again for hours. And I would avoid sneaking up behind them if you can, they won’t like that at all.” The farmer passed over the leads. The young aurochs were surprisingly cooperative all the way to the camp.

  Payton’s auroch nuzzled her leg and she scratched it behind the ear. By the time they had passed through the gates she was calling it Marshmellow.

  Steve’s auroch rubbed his leg with the nub of its growing horn. It kept trying to wander off the road and before long Steve was calling it Butthead.

  “Do you think this is going to work? These trolls seem tough.” Payton was almost sitting on her auroch as it walked close to her.

  “If this doesn’t work, something else will work. Sage seems pretty smart, she’ll think of something.” Steve pulled Butthead out a flowerbed and back onto the road.

  “Ryan is smart too.” Payton frowned.

  “Yeah, but he’s scared. That’s going to get in the way of tactical thinking. I had a lieutenant that was the smartest man on earth if you listened to him. It didn’t help when the first shot went by us and he lost his head. Nearly got my squad killed and we weren’t on the front lines.”

  “You were in the military? Which one?” Payton asked.

  “Ours, yeah. Our military. Until I defected and joined the Exile.” Steve gulped his regret. He hadn’t told anyone that he had been in the military in years.

  “If you were in the Citizen Militia, weren’t you already part of the Exile?” Payton asked. She was getting that tone of voice people got when they connected the dots of his time in the military.

  “I wasn’t in the Militia, I was in Earth Co. Security until about two months into the India Riots.” Steve admitted. “Look, people don’t understand when I say that. I’m not a monster, I wasn’t at the massacres. I defected before the Nepalese Crossing stuff.”

  “Yeah, sure. Following orders and all that.” Payton sounded sarcastic, but that was not the worst response Steve got when people found out.

  “That’s not it. No matter what you think happened in India it isn’t a half of what happened. And it isn’t a third of what they did in Earth Co city-states. My parents were organ farmers. They cloned a whole person to get an ear. Hundreds of clones sold for primary organs and anything leftover went to the auctions. They are alive when they are harvested and that is not the worst of it.” Steve felt defensive. Five years he had worked to get himself and Max away from this and in five minutes he’d ruined it by running his mouth to Payton. He hated Butthead too.

  “Wait, you grew up in that? You were fine with it all growing up and then you just left. Why?” Payton asked with more than a little judgement in her voice. She walked a little further from Steve too.

  “I think I’ve said enough for one afternoon of self-loathing.” Steve picked up his pace and pulled Butthead along. Payton and Marshmellow didn’t seem to mind the lack of company.

  “What took you two so long?” Sage looked up at the sound of approaching hooves.

  “The cows don’t exactly speed things up.” Steve said bitterly.

  “Well, we had lots of time to gather the thistles. But I’m beginning to think we should have worn gloves.” Sage held up her splotchy, swollen hands.

  “You need those for the violin, you’re practically defenseless right now.” Payton admonished her sister.

  “I have four fighters around me, I’m far from defenseless. As long as I drink a lot of water, this should be gone by tomorrow. Right Ryan?” Sage cocked an eyebrow at the monk.

  “Unless you’re eaten by the trolls, then it’ll be sooner.” Ryan said without enthusiasm.

  “See, I’m fine. Have you seen Scout?” Sage attempted to snap her fingers, but couldn’t seem to make it work.

  “No, I thought she was here just now. She was gathering with us…” Sage trailed off and looked around for Scout.

  “She left fifteen minutes ago, at least. She didn’t take her pack, but she definitely has her bow.” Ryan used a stick to pull the large pile of thistles away from the curious Marshmellow’s snout.

  “I heard my name, did you guys miss me?” Scout sauntered into camp with three rabbits dangling from a cord in her hand.

  “Where did you find these guys?” Payton stepped out of Scout’s way and moved Marshmellow to a grassy spot and let him eat.

  “There’s rabbits everywhere if you walk quietly enough. They’ll make a good meal so we can get full experience tomorrow.” Scout skinned and began to cook her catch with practiced ease.

  “So we’ll use the experience boost and then take on the trolls?” Ryan sat down next to the fire and helped to cook the rabbits.

  “That’s the plan. There’s a place off the road with a lot of troll tracks. If we kill the cows there, we’ll definitely get the attention of the trolls.” Scout nodded.

  “Oh.” Payton said.

  “Ugh.” Steve muttered.

  “Are we really going to kill Marshmellow?” Payton asked with a hopeful bias in her voice.

  “Yes, that’s why we bought them. If this gets us all to level nine, we might stand a chance against a few gnolls. If we can surprise them.” Scout’s answer stomped on Payton’s hopefulness.

  “Well, ok.” Payton frowned.

  “I know Ryan has tried fire, but that’s the strongest spell I’ve used.” Sage admitted reluctantly.

  “We’ll figure something out, I’m sure.” Steve said and hoped it wasn’t just a hope.

  ****

  “Put a lot of thistle in the gut piles and stick a bunch in the hide.” Steve instructed Ryan the next day on the rocky spread by the road.

  “In the hide?” Ryan asked.

  Steve stabbed his knife into the meat, pulled apart the wound, and jammed a stem of thistle into it. The gore piles already had thistles mixed in with the slimy bits. Sage was not helping with this part. Her hands weren’t swollen anymore, but they still didn’t look quite right. She was currently soaking them in a bowl of river water away from the bait piles.

  “I did not expect this to smell as much. The trolls might catch wind of this before we’re ready.” Ryan tried to cover his mouth and nose, but then realized his gloves were disgusting as well.

  “We just have to take the boost before we start fighting. Even if they get here, we need to let them eat everything to make sure they get a big dose of thistles. Then we have to drag them away one at a time.” Steve shoved the last of his thistles in Butthead’s mouth.

  “We as in the whole group?” Ryan sounded worried.

  “No. We as in you and me. We are the fastest in this group and we have to find a way to make that work.” Steve peeled off his gloves and tossed them onto the auroch carcases.

  “That sounds like a plan we should have made last night.” Ryan threw his gloves angrily on the ground.

  “It sounds like the kind of discussion that might make you run off. But now we both smell like freshly killed cows and running away isn’t going to help.”

  “You rat.” Ryan spat and started to walk away before reconsidering.

  “I’m not terribly proud of it, but there it is. What weapon do you have? I hope you’re not planning on punching trolls.” Steve followed Ryan’s hesitant steps and they started walking to where the women waited.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “I have a rope dart and a long knife. I might be able to trip a troll, if we’re lucky. Very lucky. Have you been eaten before? It’s not nice.” Ryan reluctantly unwound a rope from his waist and tied it to the ring of a small knife.

  “I have been eaten, I have been ripped apart, and I have been poisoned. None of them were good ways to go, but it was worse watching others get eaten.” Steve admitted.

  “The last time we fought trolls, the others ran away once I was grabbed.” Ryan said with contempt.

  “That is a failure of leadership. Which we are not going to have today. I am not going to leave you to get eaten alone.” Steve promised and he meant it.

  “When we tried using fire, like everyone thought would work, we didn’t do a very good job of it. We thought they would be afraid of fire and one guy hit them with a burning branch. We ran off when it didn’t work.”

  “That’s good to know. We might be able to do a little better than a burning stick. Sage, with that violin, is a bit of a genius.” Steve filed that at the back of his mind and quietly hoped to see what his sword would do with a troll.

  “I know, I worked with her before this crazy school took me to another oddly named village. She played the violin professionally in real life, you know.” Ryan sounded steadier and didn’t seem to be shaking anymore.

  “I did not know that. I’m not great at getting to know people. We’re here and I forget to ask them what their life was like before all this happened.”

  “So it’s all set? The bait is ready?” Scout asked when the pair came to the fire. Sage was drying her hands and water was warming next to the flames.

  “Fingers crossed that the thistles do good work.” Steve nodded and took a cup from Payton.

  “Ok, once we drink this we’ll have three days to get as powerful as possible. Everyone grind it up and then we’ll add the boiling water.” Payton put one of the shells in everyone’s cup and then began to smash up her own seashell. Everyone found a way to crush the shell, the hilt of a knife or a stick, and then they huddled around the pot of boiling water.

  “That is so bad.” Scout’s face involuntarily reacted to the drink. Her body cringed at that first sip and she struggled to keep her cup upright.

  Ryan didn’t manage to get words out. He had taken a large gulp and his hand crushed the clay cup in his spasm.

  Sage spit the liquid out reflexively, dowsing Steve in a fine spray before she turned away to make herself try drinking again.

  Payton choked on the grainy liquid, but forced herself to make a second effort to swallow it.

  “Guys, it can’t be this bad!” Steve had not gotten the hint that they were going to all drink together, but even the spray from Sage gave him an eye twitch.

  Sage took a second drink, but spilled the rest as she forced herself to swallow the bitter drink.

  A loud snort and roar came from the direction of the bait and then the sound of branches breaking.

  “Oh crap, they found it!” Steve said.

  Scout tried a second time to make herself finish the drink, but ended up spitting it out and dropping the remains.

  Payton made eye contact with Steve, clenched her fist, and drank everything out of her cup with a massive grimace. After watching everyone else react to the liquid, Steve frowned just to watch her do it.

  Steve stared into his cup, swirled it like that would help, and then chugged the whole cup. He had struggled through drinking fermented mare’s milk and what one division had called liquor even if they didn’t have a name for their homemade swill. This was worse than either of them. After he was done, he was still stuck in an involuntary expression.

  “I see a timer, I have eighteen hours of experience boost.” Ryan announced when he could think clearly again.

  “I’ve got twenty-four hours.” Sage shook to recover from the flavor.

  “Thirty-two hours, not bad.” Scout pumped her fist in the air.

  “Seventy-two?” Payton looked at Steve who nodded.

  “Look, once I can open both eyes, we’ll go see about those trolls.” Steve loosened his sword in the sheath. His left eye just didn’t want to open and he felt like he had a permanent frown.

  “We’re going to get Sage up in a tree.” Payton shivered again and stuck her tongue out.

  “Totally worth it.” Steve muttered to himself as he and Ryan left their camp and chosen battle ground.

  “Are you ok? Can you walk straight?” Ryan asked. He wiped his wet hand on his pants and gave his rope dart a swing to test the knot.

  “I’m cool. That Payton girl is going to get me in trouble.” Steve glanced back at the girls lifting Sage into one of the trees.

  “You and me both bro.”

  The trolls were big. Two of them had picked up an auroch and one was busy eating a shoulder while the other chewed on a haunch. A third had picked up the gore pile and was using its hands like a trough. There didn’t seem to be much in common between the three of them. One of them had five ears and two noses. Another had three hands on one arm and two elbows on the other. The last had extra eyes and an extra leg that dragged along without much use.

  “They’re scavengers mostly, not hunters. We should be safe as long as we don’t get too close.” Ryan put a cautionary hand on Steve’s chest. They watched the trolls snort and chew up their meal without any care for the prickly flowers in it.

  “I don’t think you’re going to be tripping those guys.” Steve looked from the trolls to the ten foot rope in Ryan’s hand. The trolls were mostly limbs and very little by way of a torso. Their stomachs swelled with each bite of meat swallowed, but that was not the limit to the swelling.

  Lips and cheeks began to swell with blisters and the pale green skin discolored to dark blue. Suddenly, the trolls dropped the auroch and sat down heavily. The other troll sat down as well, but continued to lick his now swelling, many fingered hands.

  “It wore off of Sage pretty quickly, let’s get one while we can.” Steve picked up a rock and carefully stepped closer. The troll with the gore pile noticed him and interrupted his eating to watch him. The other trolls were more concerned with breathing and the eyes which were beginning to swell shut.

  “Come on, let’s find some place a little more private.” Steve whispered and threw his rock at his target. The rock hit the troll’s face and one of the fresh blisters burst. It apparently hurt quite bad because the troll dropped what was left of the gore pile and forced itself onto its feet.

  With a sudden grunt, it leaped at Steve with surprising results. It had used all four limbs and crashed through branches without a care. Without his boots, Steve’s sprint to get out of the way wouldn’t have been enough.

  More blisters popped and the puss smelled like the experience boost had tasted.

  The troll turned to pursue Steve, but Ryan’s rope dart stabbed its shoulder before it could leap again. Ryan somersaulted to get out of the way, retrieved his dart, and slipped behind a tree when the troll swung around to get sight of him.

  “Over here!” Steve shouted and threw another stone.

  The troll was happy for any target to chase and leaped at Steve. It’s nose was beginning to run and its breathing was coming in labored gasps. It gave up leaping again and began to chase Steve on its knuckles.

  It passed into the clearing and a glowing arrow planted itself in its chest with a hiss. The hot arrow burned the troll and caused it to flinch back from the new threat. Scout took a second arrow out of the fire and shot it again.

  Steve circled back on the troll with his sword out. He cleaved through an outstretched arm. The rune sword flashed with heat and light, leaving a burnt wound behind and a sour smell.

  The troll snatched at Steve with its other hands and gouged deep lines across his shield. Steve collapsed to the ground under the force and hurried to get out of reach.

  Payton brought her ax down on the troll’s shoulder blade, cutting a canyon into the discolored flesh and bone. That arm dropped limply across its lap and then the wound began struggling to close itself again. Payton struck again at the other shoulder and the healing slowed with each new wound.

  Ryan slashed at the seated troll a dozen times in the blink of an eye and leaped away with his large knife before the healing arm could retaliate.

  The notes of a violin preceded a gout of fire from one of the trees and the troll was bathed in fire across its front. The charred skin refused to heal and Ryan’s knife wounds stopped sealing.

  Scout shot another heated arrow and this one found one of the troll’s hearts. The troll sagged forward and it began to bleed through the arrow wound.

  “See, that wasn’t so bad.” Steve gave Ryan a good natured shove when it seemed like the troll really wasn’t getting up.

  Branches snapped and a spray of orange leaves as two more trolls leaped into the campsite. One kicked the fire incidentally and scattered the burning logs and last two arrows Scout had left to heat. Steve fell under a troll and a clawed foot stomped down on him. Steve immediately went to respawn.

  Sage struck up her tune again, but the nearest troll threw a fistfull of dirt at her and spoiled her aim. The fire swept the troll’s knobbly arm, but nothing else.

  Ryan hit the other troll and began literally pulling it away from Sage even as they both caught sight of her.

  Scout shot the last arrow she had pulled from the fire and blinded Ryan’s troll before running out of reach again.

  Steve began running as soon as his feet touched the bell plaza’s pavement. He pushed through ignorant townsfolk and ignored the guards’ call at the gates.

  Payton chopped through the burnt arm and then buried her ax in the troll’s stomach. The troll ignored this second wound and grabbed Sage out of the tree branches. The violin hit the ground with a discordant note.

  The snorting trolls struggled to breathe and blew foamy spit with the effort. Ryan hit the nearest troll in the eye with his rope dart and left it embedded there. Then he ran to the other troll and slashed at the hand holding Sage.

  Scout shot the nearly blinded troll and shouted to lead it away further.

  Payton pulled her ax out of the troll’s gut and the gaping wound began to seal itself together.

  Ryan and Sage slashed at the hand with their knives, removing clawed fingers and severing tendons until the troll released its grip. The fingers began to regrow as Sage fell to the ground. Payton chopped at the troll like she was chopping carrots. Chopping carrots with an ax.

  The troll stumbled with the many cuts she put in its legs in such short order. The muscles bulged and knit back together in uneven lumps, but the trolls didn’t seem to notice. It moved with experience, moving faster as the muscles were ready to go fast.

  Scout shot the troll near her in the leg and snatched up one of the burning pieces of firewood. With both hands on the firewood and her bow uncomfortably looped over her neck, Scout charged the troll everyone else was fighting. She jammed the ashen log down on the healing cuts Payton had made and their healing slowed or stopped.

  The troll punched Scout in the torso with its reforming fist and sent her to respawn right away. The other troll pounced on Ryan, sending him to respawn with an extra stomp.

  Sage dropped her knife and scrambled for her violin. The trolls seemed confused by their attackers disappearing and were slow to chase after her. She got the violin and the bow in her hands and considered a spell she could only cast once.

  She hadn’t used it yet because the music it required was something she hadn’t played since the senior year of high school. The chord progression was fast and it was really difficult for a teenager. Becky Piper had played it marginally faster than Sage and taken first chair their last quarter in orchestra. Becky had gone on to be a nurse and Sage played for the London Symphony. She still frowned when she thought about this piece and Becky Piper.

  Her fingers danced over the string and some of the hair on the bow popped loose as the notes flicked through the air. The trolls followed the high notes with a shuffle gait that used all four limbs to find Sage.

  “Better than playing for Becky.” Sage muttered as she felt the spell go off from her playing. Three lighting strikes went off in quick succession. Both trolls were knocked to their backs and their smug grins disappeared.

  “Yeah, that’s what you get!” Sage cheered, thinking both trolls had died. Her heart was still beating fast and she immediately leaned over to catch her breath.

  A troll groaned and reached out with a clawed foot. It slammed Sage into the ground, embedding those claws into the back of her neck.

  “Dang it! I thought I got them!” Sage shouted as she respawned next to her sister and Scout.

  “Were they close? Did you manage to get a good spell off?” Scout asked right away.

  “Yeah, they were really close to checking out. Where’s Steve and Ryan?” Sage asked.

  “Steve was gone when we showed up and Ryan had a great idea or something. He ran off, but I don’t think he’s going back to the trolls.” Payton answered.

  “Then Steve is going to finish the trolls with that sword of his. They barely got me.” Sage felt the back of her head. There was no mark, but touching the area still sent shivers down her back.

  “So I had an idea for the next set of trolls.” Ryan ran back onto bell plaza and excitedly blurted his words out.

  “Does it involve not dying?” Scout asked sarcastically.

  “What did you buy?” Payton saw he had several large packages clutched to his chest.

  “Lamp oil. We boil down the fat from the wild aurochs to make it. So there’s lots of it.” Ryan said with a big smile.

  “Let’s talk about it back at camp. I’m sure Steve will be back soon to tell us how the trolls killed him again.” Scout interrupted what looked like a long explanation from Ryan.

  Two hours later, Steve staggered into camp and began to berate everyone for letting him finish off the trolls by himself.