That's No Bear!

When Aggie mentioned building stamina, I did not expect it to be so…hard. He had me running up and down paths, even carrying heavy rocks and logs while exercising. I never wished more to be back in high school PE doing tennis. I was never the physical or exerting type.

Working on my stamina only fueled my fury. I found myself being short with Aggie time and time again. He would cut me off and let me take a break. He even started to procure actual edible food for me, like small birds and fish. I…had basically become his unruly pet.

The flames within me grew. I lashed out and burnt some poor innocent tree. Yeah, I had some anger management issues.

Aggie finally found a more agreeable method of training for me. A narrow river round around the path beside us. Removing my boots and the extra layers of clothing, I pushed through the water to keep pace with him. The river was shallow enough for me to stand upright, and even when it sloped downward, my shoulders and head were above water.

I was much more at ease in the water than on land. The water pushed against me, but it put less strain on my muscles as I moved along. Aggie kept an easy pace along the path. I lost sight of him a few times as the river cut away from the manmade trail, but I’d spot his head a short distance ahead as the river wound back towards it.

It was nearing nightfall on the third night since town when I called my first day of water training quits. I took a step out of the river and instantly felt the pain. The muscles in my calves and legs were on fire. I stumbled to my knees along the shore.

“What the hell?” I gritted my teeth as I brought my legs beneath me. I worked on massaging them, trying to find some relief.

Aggie chuckled. “Water works ya more than land, ya know? Yer gonna be feeling it all night!”

I glowered at him. “You sadistic pervert! Why did you make me do it for long then!?”

“Hey, ya need to work on yer stamina. It won’t take for ya to adapt. But in the meantime, need me to help ya massage your thighs?”

“Like hell!”

We bickered for a bit longer before Aggie bribed me with food to settle down. I let him deal with catching and preparing the fish while I stretched out my sore legs. He rejoined me with the catch in tow and set up a small pile of branches. I lit it up and let him also do the cooking. I scarfed down my share.

I didn’t really want to move anymore, but we had to find a better place to set up camp for the night. We moved a bit further away from the river and into the cover of trees.

“Let’s get some rest. Earlier we get up, earlier we can get back on the road. I promise to go easier on ya tomorrow.” He gave me a wink.

I just glared at him. “Uh huh, sure. Just be glad I’m too tired to argue.”

I used my cape as a makeshift pillow and blanket, curling up amongst the roots of a nearby tree. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but it was better than just laying on the dirty ground. Aggie took a spot on the other side of the tree, leaning against it with his arms across his chest. I didn’t know how he slept like that; his neck was going to be awful in the morning.

Sleep overtook me quickly. The fatigue of the day knocked me out into a deep sleep. There were fragmented dreams I couldn’t remember, bits and pieces of my world floating past like specters. Some of the dreams may have been nightmares. I felt uneasiness settle over me. Even asleep I sunk into the darkness.

I felt a chill in the air and suddenly there was fire in my belly. As the warmth settled over me, it snapped me awake. A familiar cold twinge found me right away.

“Get down!” Aggie was screaming from the other side of the tree. I instantly ducked and the tree cracked above me. I rolled out of the way as it crashed into the ground. I scrambled onto my back, staring at the jagged stump that remained.

“Wha-” My voice squeaked as my eyes caught the monstrosity standing before Aggie.

The stars were blocked out by a giant blob of darkness. I saw the familiar flicker of blue as it wove around the massive body. It was hard to make out the details, but I could feel the thing. It was massive, its body as much as the cursed magic coursing through it. Its breath was heavy and stinky, the stench overwhelming me so much I had to hold my breath. It shifted on its feet and the ground beneath my feet trembled.

I finally managed to get to my feet. I took a couple steps back before straightening up. I glanced over at Aggie and coarsely whispered. “Aggie, what is that thing!?”

Aggie tried to force a smile. “Well, I told ya it wouldn’t be a bear. What, never seen a troll before?”

I felt the color drain from my face. “A troll!? They’re real?”

“Obviously! There’s one standing in front of us!”

I glanced back at the troll and grimaced. A troll possessed by Aggie’s magic…I could just imagine what that meant. The creature was massive and it definitely held in the magic better than the deer. While some still oozed out of its body, the area around us wasn’t completely soaked in darkness.

“This isn’t good, is it?” I regretted asking the question as soon as it left my mouth.

Aggie’s kept his forced smile. “Ah, nope, not at all. This guy, unlike the deer, can actually handle my power a tad better.”

As if demonstrating this control, the troll swung a large fist and brought it crashing down right on top of the Demon Lord. Aggie was barely faster, dodging out of the way with a burst of his own magic to his feet. He skidded to a stop before falling and rolling right into a tree.

“Ow.” Aggie winced.

“Uh.” I was at a loss for words. What did I know about trolls from fantasy books? Actually…there wasn’t any one single trope they stuck to. Trolls were always interpreted differently. Some were magical, some were magic resistant. The only thing that tended to be the same was that they were always big and ugly- and definitely hard to fight.

Aggie limped over to my side. He wiggled his leg until he was standing on it stably. “Okay, so, yeah, trolls are kinda tricky. They have some natural resistance to magic, and of course, this fella has my magic added to it. Not to mention they are freakishly strong.”

Oh, I never would have guessed. Not like the uprooted trees gave that away.

I rolled my eyes. “So, what can we do then? Have you fought trolls before?”

“It’s been a while. We just gotta aim at its weak points.”

I took another look at the possessed troll. Its body was massive: thick sinewy muscles turned black with demonic magic. The magic patterns rippled over his body, twisting and curling with the shapes. I watched for any sign of weakness, but I saw no spots without the magic, nothing that made this monstrosity vulnerable. Rather, the longer I stared, the more I started to notice the unnatural way the strings of magic moved.

I felt my breath stick in my throat. “Um, Aggie…”

Aggie was already crouched back down, readying himself for another attack. “What?”

“Is it possible for two of your tattoos to be on the same creature at the same time..?”

“Huh?” The question caught Aggie off guard. The timing could have been better. The possessed troll brought down its fist and nearly crushed the Demon Lord. He rolled out of the way with little grace, the end of his coat getting caught beneath the giant hand. He let out a garbled gasp as he was pulled back.

Aggie slipped free of his coat in one fluid movement and rolled himself onto his feet. He jumped up and spun away, deftly dodging the spittle that came flying from the troll’s mouth. The stench saturated the air. I instantly gagged.

Once Aggie cleared some distance between himself the troll, he glared at me. “What? There’s no way! A troll might be able to handle one part of my magic, but not two!”

I frowned. “You say that, but the way those blue tendrils are moving…it has to be two different strands. I think this guy has two of the pieces.”

Aggie wanted to continue arguing, but a tree sailing past our heads stopped any more conversation. Aggie jumped upwards, high into the air. I lost sight of him for a moment before finding him again as he landed on the troll’s shoulders. The troll tried to reach him, but its arms were too small to reach the agile demon.

Aggie pulled his elbow back, bringing his magic up with it. He punched deep into the troll’s spine. The magic coupled with his physical attack tore into the dark layer of magic. For a moment, I thought I saw a flash of pale, grey skin. Something more flew free, but against the night sky, all I could see was dark splatters.

The troll let out a wild shriek and stomped into the ground. Aggie lost his footing and started sliding off. He jumped back, landing somewhere behind the troll in the forest where I couldn’t see. Even standing as far away as I was, the tremors from the monster’s tantrum wobbled the ground beneath me. I stumbled but managed to keep myself upright.

The troll charged forward, this time knocking me straight to the ground. Every step it took shook the whole forest, bringing large branches and a rain of leaves down. I covered my head and tried to get my feet beneath me. I crouched on shaking legs, risking a glance up. The troll was almost on me. Even with the distance I started with, the thing could close it easily with its wide footsteps. It towered over me, its shadow blocking out the pale light above me and its stench taking away my air.

“Mage!” Aggie shouted from somewhere in the distance. I could feel his magic coming to life, but I couldn’t pinpoint his location. My eyes darted everywhere, but all I could see was darkness. The demonic magic was taking over my senses, from that possessing the troll to the Demon Lord’s own returned power. It made me cold inside. I tried to calm myself, but I could feel the panic rising.

The troll was above me, lumbering the last steps before it reached me. I felt something building above me, a mass of disgusting energy growing above my head. I squeezed my fingers into my hair. I hated this, hated this monster and whatever it was trying to do to me. I hated the biting cold feeling that loomed over me. There was no way I could escape, even if I was as fast as Aggie.

No, it couldn’t end like this. I didn’t want to die like this. Dammit!

I felt the heat within me rising. I caught onto it, gripping it as if it were a lifeline. It slipped upward, my magic flaring to life. The cold settled over me, trying to sink lower into my body. I fought back against it, my own heat pushing it back. It wasn’t over until I said it was over.

The troll unleashed its attack with a wild roar. It came crashing down on top of me, but it bounced off harmlessly. The flames flickered over my body. The shield grew as its attack bore down on me. I gritted my teeth and focused on my magic. The flames licked at the cursed magic above me. My shield grew, pushing the demonic back towards the troll. The fire engulfed me, hiding me entirely from the darkness above. I felt the energy dissipating. I took my chance.

I let my energy go. The shield exploded into a blaze. Not only did it push the troll back, it tore through the layers of darkness. The troll was exposed where my flames burned, a pale grey face with protruding teeth and dark eyes. It sneered at me, squinting against the scorching light.

“Woo hoo, Mage! That was brilliant!” Aggie flew through the air, the flames illuminating him in an angry red. With a menacing grin across his face and wild eyes, he looked like an actual demon.

Aggie dove right into my flames. His own magic flared to life within mine, the two magics twirling around each other, dark blue mixing with orange. He was a swirling ball within the fiery storm. He bounded off the ground and flung himself right at the troll.

He shot through the troll as if he was a bullet. He pierced through its right eye, tearing through the other side of its head. His magic wove around the troll, grasping at the tendrils of his magic and pulling them free. They whipped around him, trails of light dancing behind him like wings.

His figure was shadowed against the rising sun, the darkness fading as if our battle had defeated the night, too. Like this, he looked regal, magical. Rather than a demon, he looked like a faerie.

He landed a second later. The splash of blood and guts that followed him was absolutely disgusting. He was drenched. I barely avoided it.

Covered in dark red, Aggie flashed me another grin. He held up his fingers, making a “v” sign. “See, easy?”

And with that, he collapsed.