Book 11: Chapter 45: Escape to Freedom

Even though Iristin was a high rank Druid, her combat experience could not compare to Mastashia. The Highland Elf had traveled extensively since adulthood, and the title of Harper Master was not given for nothing.

However, this battle might be the only exception. Iristin had seen the Troll’s combat power earlier and knew the giant creature that captured her well, while Mastashia’s knowledge of Trolls was limited to rumors. There was still error in her judgement.

This difference in understanding led to Mastashia’s failure!

When Iristin unhesitatingly turned into a giant bear and snapped her target’s neck, causing it to lose control of its body completely, the Highland Elf’s scimitar got stuck in another Troll’s cervical joint.

That Troll, which had been drowsing with its head hanging, had blood spurting up to two meters high from its neck, almost like a bloody fountain. However, this kind of injury, which would be fatal to ordinary humanoid races, could not kill the tenacious Trolls instantly.

Unbearable pain woke the Troll from its slumber. Unlike the targets of Qin Lun and Iristin, it was still capable of fighting back. The pain also made the Troll realize immediately that it was under enemy attack.

It swung its hand back forcefully and struck Mastashia right in the chest. Caught off guard, the Highland Elf was sent flying through the air as if hit by a large truck, spitting a cloud of blood and rolling down the mountaintop platform.

But Mastashia’s nature was fierce. Despite being badly injured, she did not forget her duty. She gripped the already stuck scimitar tightly, twisted, and pulled. With a “squelch,” she actually pried out a section of the Troll’s broken spine.

The pale white bone spikes bursting from the Troll’s neck looked extremely brutal amidst the spray of blood from both parties.

“Roar…” The Troll’s ugly face twisted into a contorted mess as it raised its head and let out a roar.

“Venus!” As the Troll sent Mastashia flying, Qin Lun’s face changed slightly, and he called out softly.

In the night, a darker shadow flashed by. A sleek black panther appeared in front of the Troll, its sharp fangs sinking deep into the Troll’s throat, abruptly cutting off the roar that had just begun.

“Bang!” The Troll’s crimson eyes showed a hint of despair as it slapped the Shadow Gale Panther hard in the abdomen.

Venus was almost knocked so hard that its guts flew out of its mouth. Its massive body flew up like a piece of straw and turned into a black mist before even hitting the ground, darting into the Apostle mark in Qin Lun’s palm.

Fortunately, Qin Lun and Iristin, now in bear form, were free to move. They pounced on the staggering Troll from front and back.

The tenacious Troll finally died, without even having a chance to send out another alarm. There were huge wounds on both the front and back of its neck, and Qin Lun and Iristin gave it no further opportunity.

“Are you okay?” Qin Lun slightly covered the bloody smell on the mountaintop platform with soil when he saw Mastashia climbing back up. The Highland Elf was clearly badly injured, her face as pale as snow, with a deep palm print imprinted on the leather armor over her chest.

“I’ve long heard that Trolls are incredibly strong, but I never expected them to be on this level. It’s almost comparable to the Cambra land dragon I once encountered. It feels like I’ve broken a few ribs!” Mastashia rubbed her chest, forcing a bitter smile.

“Glad the cushion is thick enough!” Qin Lun glanced at the Highland Elf’s prominent chest, his expression a bit odd.

“Where are you looking?!” A sudden murderous aura came from behind Qin Lun, making him shudder. He quickly turned around and grinned sheepishly at the expressionless Elven Druid before scurrying away.

“Qin Lun, how is it on your end?” While Iristin was bandaging Mastashia’s wounds, Rand’s voice came through the Team Channel. “These Trolls are really tough to deal with. The Toril World is indeed as dangerous as you said, full of perilous creatures. It truly lives up to being a peak mid-magic world.”

There was a hint of excitement in Rand’s words. Though he was different from the other four Serial Killers, he shared their great enthusiasm for adventure and combat. Perhaps that was the only place where Firecracker could feel the value of existence.

“We’ve handled things on our end. How about your side? Is everything going smoothly?” Qin Lun asked with a smile.

“It’s alright. After all, we have plenty of manpower, so even if something goes wrong, it’s not too worrying.”

Hearing Rand say this, Qin Lun knew that they must have encountered trouble as well. But with six people, it probably wasn’t as dangerous as on their side.

A short while later, the two groups finally reunited. Qin Lun saw Lago with one arm bandaged and hanging in front of his chest, as if it was fractured. Apart from him, no one else seemed injured.

“Let’s hurry and leave this place as soon as possible. After bypassing the Troll town, we need to leave some time before dawn to make two more rafts, or it’ll be bad,” Mastashia said weakly, leaning on Iristin’s shoulder.

Everyone nodded. The ambush had truly shown them the combat power of Trolls, and they all felt incredibly lucky. Thankfully, they hadn’t been trapped earlier by the Troll village that captured Iristin. Otherwise, with the Trolls’ fighting ability, everyone might have ended up as sacrifices.

The desire to survive made everyone unleash potential they never had before. Even Sif and Old Butler Mason, who were ordinary people, surprisingly did not slow down the group’s pace. They finally bypassed the Troll town just before daybreak and returned to the riverbank.

“Quick, let’s make the raft. This time, just make one large one to save time,” Mastashia ordered, panting.

This part of the river was already close to the main course of the Winding River. The water was relatively wide, able to accommodate a large raft holding over ten people.

“The Trolls are coming, hurry!” About an hour or so later, the Rogue shot out of the bushes like a startled rabbit, waving anxiously at everyone.

“Push the raft into the river!” Everyone’s faces changed slightly. The speed of the Trolls’ pursuit surprised them all. It seemed these Trolls must have changed guards once during the night, discovering the disturbances at the two outposts.

The raft wasn’t actually fully tied together yet; even some dry branches on the trees were still attached. But there was no time to worry about that now. Everyone had to push the half-finished raft into the water.

By the time the raft drifted downstream several hundred meters, figures of Trolls finally appeared in the bushes on the riverbank. The giant beasts angrily waved their weapons and roared loudly toward the raft in the middle of the river.

“Haha, eat this, you big green beasts!” Lago stood up on the raft, turned around, bent over, and wiggled his buttocks, making everyone burst into laughter. Of course, it also made the Trolls on the bank even more frenzied. Some of them even madly threw their stone axes and clubs toward the raft.

Though most missed their mark, each of these heavy weapons raised waves over ten meters high like cannonballs, making everyone on the raft secretly nervous. The Rogue wiped cold sweat from his head and resentfully stopped his meaningless provocation.

Three days later, a large raft appeared on the wide river north of the Troll Claw. After so many days of fleeing, Qin Lun and the others finally approached the river’s exit at the northern edge of the Troll Claw.

The people on the raft could clean themselves a little with the river water each day, so they weren’t dirty and disheveled, but their mental exhaustion had reached its peak—even the three Serial Killer Apostles felt the same.

If they hadn’t been together, any one of them alone would probably have been left with indelible psychological scars.

Hill, who had been resting with his eyes closed on the raft, suddenly opened his eyes. “The Gargoyle sent a message. They saw some scattered Crested Eagles. We should be close to the river waterfall. Should we go ashore around here?”

Though Crested Eagles lived in the Troll Claw mountains, since there were Troll tribes inside the mountains, most nested on the outskirts to avoid being hunted by Trolls. The Gargoyle spotting Crested Eagles meant they were not far from the mountain exit.

Everyone exchanged glances, relaxed smiles appearing on their faces. They were finally about to escape to freedom.

“Thank Mystra!” Winnie clasped her hands together, praying to the Goddess of Magic. Though she wasn’t a follower, her prayer at this moment was sincere.

“Firal!” Iristin suddenly threw herself into Qin Lun’s arms, showing a smile uglier than crying. Glittering tears welled up in her eyes.

“Alright, alright!” Qin Lun sighed and gently patted the Elven Druid’s soft shoulder.

“Haha!” Everyone on the raft laughed good-naturedly, though it carried a hint of inexplicable emotion.

Though only Iristin and two others had been captured by Trolls, everyone had experienced a thrilling adventure from the moment they entered the Death Lands. No one but themselves could understand the hardship and inner struggles they went through.

A little over two hours later, they finally reached the river waterfall north of the Troll Claw. The sound of rushing water roared in their ears like a herd of galloping horses. The mist rising below the waterfall made it impossible to see the bottom clearly. A brilliant rainbow stretched across the waterfall, dreamlike and illusory.

Standing on the bank at the edge of the waterfall, they saw the Winding River extending into the distance like a brocade ribbon, embedded in the green earth. The dense forests on both sides of the river rustled in the wind, the green treetops rolling like waves.

“So beautiful!” Rick took off his helmet, took a deep breath, and gazed into the distance with deep eyes. After a moment, the Knight suddenly turned to his two mercenary companions and said, “Winnie, Lago, I’m going back!”

“Back?” Lago and Winnie exchanged glances and suddenly remembered something, their eyes lighting up.

“Leader, you mean back to Shaar?” Lago asked in surprise. “But not long ago, you said you wanted to wait a little longer?”

“Yes, I originally wanted to train myself further, but now I see that was just an excuse,” Rick said, a bitter smile appearing on his resolute face. “This adventure made me see myself clearly. What I lack isn’t strength, but the courage to face things head-on!”