Chapter 24:

Elin began his journey south-east wards towards the passage towards the Aleshire. Due to the Titan's mountain range which was more or less contained in Titan's canyon, the other side of the district got plentiful rain, and was much more prosperous than Titan's canyon due to its flatter land which was more fertile. Due to the titan's mountain range blocking the path from Burnham to Aleshire, many adventurers or tourists who wanted to quickly reach Aleshire needed to pass through titan's canyon first.

The mission stated that a troll was seen near the passage way towards Aleshire.

There hadn't been any news about any deaths or injuries within the state meaning that those who made the reports escaped unharmed or at most lightly injured.

Since, this troll mission was new, Elin suspected this to be one of the ploys by the faction against him. None the less, he needed to kill the troll before it caused any damage.

Troll were monsters accustomed to dark environments, usually 2 meters tall with warty grey skin, and a big face about a fifth the size of the entire body, big wide mouth with about 8 rows of sharp and small teeth the size of an adult size thumbs, ad a very flexible neck which would twist and turn almost completely around. They were very aggressive to anything living within their territory. Being monsters, they did not have much intelligence, less than that of goblin's which formed packs, and had a sort of hierarchy within their society, trolls lived in solitude. They had some sort of regenerative ability however; it was much less than that of a demons, or vampires. They were also very scared of fire, something that inhibited their abilities and sunlight, which brought them general weakness.

Elin did not walk down the passage towards Aleshire as the passage itself was quite open, there weren't many trees to shade the path, so the troll would generally going onto the path unless it was dark. Elin moved near the path, but off to the side along the forest full of tall trees.

 The silent silver armor although hid its own clanking sound, as it struck itself along the joints as Elin moved around, it did not mask the sound of his steps as he walked on dry dirt, filled with many small bushes adapted to survive the limited rain of the area.

Crunch! Crunch!

Elin moved through the path, trying to spot a damp cave near the path where the troll was likely to be. Elin raised his awareness to the best of his capabilities. Through the many days of training with a holy assassin in Sheryl who was very good at masking her appearance, and general being, and all the training he had gone through with his brother, his awareness was reaching a level which was incomparable to the last time he had become 'Elin'.

Through his awareness, he felt insects on the leaves, on the ground, on the trees. Many small animals which felt him coming near as they hid in their holes, or ran away. Then, he felt two people following him; the people who hadn't left his tail after he left the town. Their masking of being was so terrible Elin could feel them without even raising his awareness. Elin did not take action; he was waiting for the right moment.

Elin raised his awareness even higher, and then he felt something. He immediately stopped.

"You people disgust me.", he spoke in a low and cold voice.

His voice may have been low; however the people who were following him immediately felt killing-intent through their bodies, as they stopped dead in their tracks; goosebumps raised the hair on the back of their neck.

"You people wait, your turn is next.", Elin spoke again.

The people who were following Elin did not know what to do. They seemed to be looking at each other, discussing their next moves.

Elin through his raised awareness felt his way through the forest, towards the threat.

He had felt 3 trolls, which seemed to be one of a pack, which was very rare, and unlikely; even impossible unless they had been united by their volition, or forcefully. It was impossible for a demon to have united trolls, as the world currently wasn't being terrorized by demons; so it must have been united forcefully.

This wasn't uncommon, as many alchemist did research trolls and their abilities in Rebecca's world too; which would be the basis of many healing potions which were more efficient than their previous methods. During that research, alchemist found that trolls when kept in captivity near other trolls usually formed a unified pack which would hunt, and live together, even fight other packs for territory. The packs could become as large as 20 trolls, however, that size of pack was very rare, even a pack of 5 trolls were rare; as trolls required a lot of sustenance, and a size 20 pack eventually would destroy itself from the inside as the sustenance became harder to maintain.

However, it wasn't the trolls which angered Elin. Near the trolls was a young girl, of about Elin's fake age. She seemed to be tied up with ropes upside down, and gagged to prevent loud screams; about a meter above where the trolls could reach, through a pulley mechanism, likely able to let down the load, in this case, the young girl, up or down at will. The trolls curious, and seemingly ready an easy meal were surrounding the poor girl. Off to the side the dangling girl, who was crying her eyes out, was a person who was to be maintaining the rope.

As soon as Elin reached the scene, the one who was maintaining the rope spoke up. He seemed to be familiar.

Elin who was standing near the trolls looked at him. He was the same person who had been in his way in the morning. He even had the bandages on the bridge of his nose, which had been broken by Elin in the morning. Elin scrunched his face, trying to remember his name- Wallace? Gunner? Walter?

But, it didn't matter much; his fate was already set in stone now.

"Ah, 'demon slayer', have you been well?"

"Shut up…your time will be soon"

"HUUUH?~ Don't you see this?", the man said as he lightly lowered the girl, and the trolls tried to reach her, getting ever so close.

The young girl's muffled screams reached Elin, who was even more angered by the scene.

"Didn't I ask you to keep your mouth shut?"

"What-"

Immediately, Elin took action as a blue intangible flame covered his armor, and claymore. The trolls, who had been focused on the girl, finally noticed the young man in silver armor. The flames coming off him, although intangible and without heat, scared them. The aurum flames, although inferior to aura, had some properties of aura, which could inhibit regeneration. The trolls who noticed immediately backed off, trying to run away from the scary shining silver armor.

Elin immediately lunged forwards, and jumped slightly as he reached an altitude higher than the 2 meters; he brought his blade behind as he readied to strike.

[Sword slash: Type 9], cyclone slice

Elin seemed to fly in the air, as the speed of his blade propelled his upwards as it tore through one of the trolls who had reached the farthest while trying to run away intercepting the other two.

The other two trolls, who had been intercepted, saw their comrade being beheaded and die within seconds, quickly raised their hands trying to throw a punch at Elin, while the other raised his legs to try and squash at Elin.

 The legs came down quick, as Elin brought up his swords while it met the bottom of the troll's foot. Then instead of taking the force, Elin slipped aside, slashing the foot and then jumped on it. The punch came down next, which he dodged by lightly jumping off the leg.

[Veritas: Incomplete]

A small amount of will contained in Elin's sword which mixed with the aurum already present created a sort of inferior aura slash, which came down towards the troll who had punch him.

The hand was sliced immediately, and the thigh of the other troll under the punch was also slashed.

The grey skin stained with green blood, as they both turned to make a get away from an enemy they could never hope to kill.

Elin landed on the ground, and lowered his position. A large amount of will entered his sword. He reignited his aurum, as the sword began to be encased in a shining blue flame, reflected off the silver armor.

[Sword slash: Type 12], whirlwind cut

Both of the trolls' legs were cut off immediately as they fell to the ground.

THUD! THUD!

Their large bodies made a large dull sound as they both fell in unison.

Elin did not stop and lunged at them, immediately beheading them as they laid face down on the ground.

.

.

.

Stunned.

The man who had been holding on to the rope was stunned. His mouth would have reached the ground if it weren't for his jaw.

"I-I-", he wanted to speak up.

"Leave your excuses when you reach the town-"

Slice-Thud

Immediately, he felt pain on his left wrist. He had been using his right hand to predominantly hold the pulley rope.

"ARGH-", he screamed in pain, as a hand forced its way gagging him.

"Shush- you no longer have the right to beg for mercy.", Elin said as he quickly punched the man on his abdomen.

"Kugh!"

Thud!

The man fell on his side, unconscious holding his left wrist, which once was connected to a palm, which had fallen besides him.

Elin quickly ran under the girl, who had begun falling and caught her.

"Are you ok?", Elin's voice was soft.

"Y-Yes…", the girl did not look at him.

The girl seemed somewhat familiar. She had white hair, and a small physique. She was wearing a plain white shirt, and a brown apron. She looked like she had been kidnapped directly from a restaurant. But, that wasn't the reason why she seemed familiar to Elin. But, this was not the time.

"Are you hurt anywhere…?"

"N-No…, but…my ankle hurt a bit…and feel-", she seemed to raise her head.

"Walter! YOU-YOU-", one of the two people who were following him shouted, as he lunged forward.

Elin looked at the shouting man, while carrying the young girl.

"Ah, the other idiot", he murmured.

Elin rotated his body, and the man presumed to be Gunner missed the two of them.

As Gunner's body passed by, Elin raised his feet and kneed him on the abdomen. Gunner's body flew up like a ball being bounced.

KUGH!

He immediately fell unconscious, and fell beside his comrade named Walter, the bandage on his face falling off.

Elin looked at the young girl on his arms. The warm but dull blue eyes looking right back at him.

"Can you stand?"

"U-Um…yes…", she spoke in a very low voice.

"Alright"

Elin slowly let her down; somewhere off to the side, where she would not be in danger. Elin let her down near the body of the dead troll where she sat down on the ground, waiting for Elin.

Elin slowly looked at the other person who had been following him.

"Well, hurry up; I still need to take care of that Kinsen guy…", Elin slowly made his way towards the unconscious man named Gunner.

The other man looked horrified.

The young man in front of him had not only killed 3 orcs, efficiently, and not even half tired; but also taken care of two adults. He was horrified, but Elin was not the only reason for it. Although as he arrived at the scene; Elin seemed like the end of world. But he was scared of something else more.

The man fell on his behind; he raised his arms pointing at the place Elin had just been.

Suddenly, Elin felt it too.

The trolls' body suddenly began moving. The first dead troll stood up, as it moved towards his head and picked it up, and then towards his dead comrades.

The young girl who saw this, horrified, tried to stand up.

"This-"

Elin looked at the man, who had fallen on his behind, then towards the young girl who he had just saved. She had fallen on the ground, as she tried to run away from whatever that thing was.

"Chimera?", Elin looked at the thing forming in front of him.

As the troll stood in front of the troll nearest to him, farthest from the one where the young girl who had fallen was trying to stand back up. Then the troll put his head on his cut off neck, as if trying to connect a puzzle. Seeing that it was not working, he threw the head on the ground before digging into his neck with his hands and pulling them to the side with great force, tearing his body in half, spewing his cold green blood everywhere, even on the girl, as he put his and his comrades head on the torn off area of his body, the two heads seemed to stack relatively fine next to each other in the torn body.

Elin, who was looking at it, horrified, did not just stand there stunned, he lunged forwards and grabbed the girl, while the troll seemed to move towards the last head. Elin quickly retreated, and put the girl near the man who was too horrified to move, and clenching his head between his knees. He seemed to have trouble breathing. The same was the case for the girl, whose eyes were wide open from fear, sweat dripping down from her face. The two unconscious idiots also seemed to be turning around restlessly on the ground.

"Fear?", Elin thought to himself, as he secured the two unconscious idiots and a dis-membered hand.

As he did, he looked at the undead troll. The troll had been tearing its body, and fitting the dismembered parts of its comrades wherever it felt could fit.

The troll was larger now, the three bodies combined together, wherever the bodies tore, another seemed to fit in place relatively tight. The two heads were side by side, using the body as a container, while the other was under then, nearer to the chest. One of the feet was on the shoulder, while one hand which had been torn like cloth was being used as a foot. The body parts were kept wherever they fit, now a two legs were on his back, the right side of his body had 4 hands, while the other had 2 feet and 1 hand. Its lower body was made of a hand, 2 feet. The three heads were gaping wide, as if beckoning its prey to fall in his mouth. A few eyes had been crushed while being placed; ow he only had one eye on its upper left head.

The body slowly regenerated the torn parts, as they tried to fit in their new places.

"An abomination? Quite the unique one at that…with a fear skill it seems…", Elin commented, as the aurum flared again.

As the troll rotated its body to look at Elin with its one remaining eye, it brought out right side of its body,, trying to grab at Elin, at an incredible speed. Elin sun around, as he slashed at the hand, and then lunged forwards at the abomination.

[Veritas: Incomplete]

SLICE!

.

.

.

The sword drew one straight line on the air. But, the slice never hit the mark.

SPLAT!

The abomination's body was destroyed into a mush, as it was flung to its side with an incredible force, onto the ground through many trees which were immediately destroyed into a straight line. The ground cracked as the abomination's body cracked the ground as it bounced across the ground. Then, it landed on a bounder.

The green monster blood splattered all over the boulder.

"Oh, hey kid…", it was an unfamiliar voice. 

The man did not raise his voice, nor was there any surprise in them. He had been expecting Elin.

The man was huge. The large club on his hand, flung around and then landed softly on his shoulder. The fur cape seemed to be flutter in the wind, as he had charged to the location at high speeds.

"Well, I wish this rabbit hunt could continue longer, but…", he looked at the burning blue eyes and the blue flames across from him.

.

.

.

Elin lowered his body, into a defensive stance.

"...I suppose, I will have to cut it short."