An hour later - Cave in the mountains. - Mount Hood.
"Come on, old man, it's taking you too long to get here."
"I've just turned thirty, I'm not an old man, I'm in the prime of my youth!!!"
"OK..."
William pressed his lips together to stop himself from laughing out loud. They walked for quite some time through the forest, following the old lizard's lead. The steep peaks and dense forests were no problem for William. He crossed by jumping from tree to tree or climbing over roots in his Boreal Lynx form. His last beast ring gave him access to the feline family, including the largest ones.
A Boreal Lynx is a feline similar to a small lion with white fur and grey highlights. Its mane with black tufts ended beyond the chin, leaving elegant spikes pointing towards the ground.
It was the same size as the small Troll Gruup, about 2.30 feet tall and weighing about 88 pounds.
The light cold rain wet William's golden hair, but he seemed to enjoy the atmosphere, unlike Benedict, who looked somewhat displeased. His shiny black shoes did not seem suitable for this type of terrain, and the mud on them looked difficult to remove.
"Here it is, my lord! Where the Great Damrock rests!"
Kiib crouched among the leaves and bushes, revealing only his yellow eyes, which glowed reptilianly in the moonlight.
His voice was soft and whispering; he seemed afraid of the great Caves Troll inside the cave.
"Good work, Ziirp, and as I promised, I won't hurt you."
William emerged from the grass and walked towards the cave after nodding to Benedict.
"I like your collar. What animal is it made from?"
"Gruur guriiii???"
"I forgot you can't understand me."
Kiirb the Kobold tilted his head and licked his large eyes. Kobolds, like iguanas, had no eyelids, so they relied on their tongues to clean their eyes.
"Wait, Will, I want to go see the great Damrock too!"
Benedict also emerged from the thick forest, but not before patting Ziirp on the shoulder. His last words were spoken in a mocking tone as he waved his hands in the air.
"Can I go? ... Aragggg!!!"
Ziirp's skin peeled away from his flesh and his entire body twisted clockwise, red blood splattering the grass. His body was smaller than that of a troll and easier for Benedict to twist. Ziirp's rope necklace with a human ear charm fused with his corpse.
Inside the cave.
William's boots crushed the remains of stone and dust. The large door with intricate and delicate patterns representing the head of a jellyfish was now just rubble.
The giant trolls destroyed everything in their path as they left the mountain, leaving only a few pillars intact, and the imposing silk banners with beautiful gold embroidery burned in the huge bonfire in the centre.
"It really is huge!!!"
"You're right, shall we toss the coin?"
Benedict took a step back when he saw the Troll King. The gigantic cave, several metres high, was completely lit up by fire.
"Heads or tails?"
"Heads."
William threw the coin into the air with force and it rose until it almost touched the ceiling. With a loud clap, he caught it again.
"Great, you take the big one and I'll take care of the Wargs."
Benedict smiled and took out his two black Kimber Warriors 1991 pistols. The holsters on his waist were hidden by his trench coat.
The direwolves Benedict was referring to were giant wolves seven feet tall with fangs protruding from their mouths, thick black fur, and eyes as bright as burning fire.
Two of them rose from the ground and left aside the corpses of bears they had been feasting on.
"What a stench! That's why I hate having to do this kind of work."
Benedict put his filter mask back on, having previously applied a little aromatic cream to his nostrils to mitigate the horrifying smell of rot and decay emanating from the Trolls.
"I thought the winner would face Damrock!!"
William commented as he observed the exquisite genuine silver necklaces worn by the Wargs around their necks.
Stellar Silver, a type of alloy used by the DaVincis in ancient times in their forges, extracted from deep within the mountains.
"Only a madman would risk facing that thing alone."
"Max and Andreus would."
"Exactly, there's something wrong with them..."
"Chicken ~"
William stretched out his words as he walked among the Direwolves straight towards Damrock.
"Fuck you!!, Will"
Benedict gave him the middle finger.
Damrock, a King-class creature, It was about 15 feet (4.50 metres) tall, muscular, and had black skin that could disappear in the dark.
"I knew you'd come sooner or later, hero!"
His powerful voice echoed through the cave, throwing aside the enormous elk he held in his hands, or at least what was left of it, its hind legs with its guts spilled out.
William took his Three-Jawed Amulet in the palm of his hand; one of the skulls had closed its mouth after his conversation with Ziirp.
"Tell me, Damrock, how did you know?"
William crossed his arms, the giant seemed willing to talk.
"The trick they used to contain my tribe was dirty, using the head of one of their own!!!."
"GERRRRAAHHH!!!!"
At the end of his sentence, Damrock roared, and his nauseating breath caused the flames of the multiple bonfires scattered around the place to flicker.
"You mean the head of a jellyfish? If that's really how it was, why didn't they tear you to pieces?"
William drew Titan from its sheath, the long Mithril spear returning to its natural size, pushing the dust flying through the air.
"Gaia, our mother, protected us. The earth is her domain. Her love surrounded us and protected us from the filthy humans and their tricks!"
Damrock waved his long, thick arms, which grazed the floor when he stood up and looked longer than his legs. The bones covering the floor were thrown in all directions along with the worms eating the remains stuck to them.
The black iron plate armour Damrock wore on his arms clanged together with metallic noises. William compared its appearance to the exoarmour of a pill bug.
"Will, is it my imagination, or are these bitches conspiring against me?"
Benedict pointed one of his weapons at each direwolf. The two wolves circled him slowly, letting out small howls and hyena-like laughter.
"It will be fun to tear you apart piece by piece!" (Direwolf language)
"I want his head!" (Direwolf language)
*!!!Owooooo!!!!*
The howl of the dire wolves is feared by anyone who hears it and can freeze the blood of their enemies. Benedict was an Outcast with a lot of combat experience, and William had heard the roar of a Silver Drake, but neither of them was affected.
"They're Direwolves, Benett. They're known for being cunning and intelligent."
The second metal skull on the amulet closed its mouth.
"Enough talk, hero. You came to finish the job your ancestors couldn't complete."
"Why do you call me a hero?"
"The same annoying golden hair that shines like sunlight, which my children cannot touch without turning to stone!"
*Crack!!!*
Damrock ripped a long, thick chain from the ceiling. With the crescent-shaped blade in his left hand, the Black Skin Troll seemed ready for battle. The little white hair that barely covered his eyes could not hide his hatred for William and Benedict.
"You think he can smell the blood of the other Trolls!"
Benedict's clothes had some of Brub's black blood on them.
"Definitely."