THE HUNTER II

           After lunch, Virgil and Raymond went about the village to get the materials they needed for they plan to terminate the trolls. They needed only simple things; lamp oil, a pick and a bundle of hay. This proved more difficult than they had expected.

            Every where they went they found the same situation: women and children living in crushing poverty. The snow covered fields were devoid of life, not a single sheep or goat roamed them. Barns and huts that should have been sheltering many cows and ox contained only a few chickens, or nothing. Homes were in disrepair, some had huge gaps in the walls were trolls had smashed away doors or windows, and taken the bricks around the doorways at the same time. There was a shortage of food and fire wood.

            Every face they saw was filled with terror and sadness.

            Molly, the bar wench, had told them what had happened. The first that the village had know about the trolls was went a goat herd and his flock had not returned from the forest one evening. Two days latter, two young men had been gathering fire wood at night, and been set upon by a troll. One of them had made it back to warn the village. The next night sheep started disappearing. The next day, Molly’s father had gathered all the men in the village and led them out into the forest. They had expected to fight one or two trolls. Instead they were ambushed by six. After slaughtering the men, the trolls- in a rage- fell upon the village. The trolls broke into the houses and farms. They killed and male that was left, took any objects of gold or silver, and then carried off all the cattle they could lift. The following day, the village had sent a message for help, which had reached Raymond. That had been a week ago. Since they the trolls had come every night to take the last of the cattle, then the horses and goats, then the last of the sheep, then the chickens and dogs.

            The villagers knew that when the troll had eaten all the animals, they would start eating babies.

            Most people were too afraid to leave their houses, and talked to them through the holes in their walls, from the darkness of their homes. The people were unwilling to part with the few things they had, but Virgil was happy to pay twice the normal price, so eventually they got what they needed.

            Raymond tried to put some courage back into the people. He told them that trolls were burnt by light, so they were safe in the day time. He advised them to go to the forest and collect fire wood, so they could build bonfires at night to keep away the trolls. A few of the old women listened to him.

           

            As the sun began to set, they walked into the forest. The snow covering was light under the trees and it shone with the moon light that passed through the bare branches of the trees. Despite this, the forests was dark, and the setting sun cast vast shadows.

            Virgil walked ahead, with the straw and oil in a sack across his back. He had cut a long staff from a tree which he held, and kept his left hand on his sword. Raymond followed, pick in hand, walking stealthily 30 paces behind.

            Less than an hour latter, Virgil saw a huge form lumbering towards him but ignored it until it jumped out right in front of him.

            The troll reached for him with a huge, taloned, grasping hand. In one fluid motion, Virgil drew his sword and slashed the trolls paw. It had not expected that, and staggered back in shock. Virgil poked it in the eye with his staff.

            ‘You Die Old Man!’ the troll howled in pain.

            ’Yes, but not today,’ Virgil replied.

            The enraged troll clenched two massive fists and was about to charge.

            Virgil stepped aside as he heard Raymond rush forward.

            Raymond swung the pick and planted it in the troll’s shoulder, then withdrew it and smiled at the troll.

            Faced with overwhelming force, the troll turned and ran. They pursued it, always at least ten paces behind, but always keeping it in sight.

            The troll ran up the mountain, until it reached its nest, a deep whole like a giant foxes den. It ran inside and began howling at its kin. Virgil rushed forward, put a match to his sack- which was all oil soaked straw and threw it down the next. The sudden light prevented the trolls from leaving.

            Raymond was already on top of the mouth of the pit, working at the earth and rocks like a madman. His pick hammered up and down so fast that it could hardly be seen. In moments a huge rock fell into the whole, hollowed by tons of earth. Raymond worked on, smashing the sides of the pit until it collapsed. The trolls were all trapped, or crushed/

            They heard the clapping of enormous hands coming from the darkness of the forest.         

            Raymond had seen many ogres in his life, but the one which strode out of the trees that night was the biggest. Raymond looked up at it, without fear, but with as certain awe- as other men like look at a gigantic meal or a particularly large diamond.

            ‘I am impressed,’ the ogre said, as it stopped clapping and came in sight. ‘But you missed one; it is attacking the village as we speak’.

            Raymond instantly dismissed the ogre, he turned his back on it and ran down to the village. Virgil and the ogre followed.

            As he ran, he could smell smoke ahead, when he reached the edge of the forest Raymond saw the light of a fire, and was concerned that the village was ablaze. He increased his pace, keen to save the village if he could, and if not, to avenge it.

            To his surprise, he saw that the villagers had built a huge bonfire in the middle of the village and were stood around it. The women held their babies in the arm, but in their free hands they held kitchen knifes. Ever child old enough to stand held a knife or some sharp tool.

            The troll stood on the edge of the fire light in shocked disbelief.

            ‘Monster!’ Raymond shouted, ‘time to fight’.

            The troll charged him in a frenzy of frustrated rage.

            Raymond counter charged.

            They meet in a collision that knocked them both to the ground. The troll was up first, and gave Raymond a mighty kick that sent him skidding across the snow.

            Raymond recovered fast, getting to his feet- bloody, but ready to fight. The troll swung a crushing punch, but Raymond caught its fist in both hands and twisted its arm brutally.

            Then he began to turn, keeping hold of the troll. He swung the troll around, and with the pain of its broken arm, and Raymond\s strength, it could not resist. Soon it was off its feet, and Raymond swung in circles of ever increasing speed- like a hammer throw.

            Then he threw it. It flew through the air for 15 paces then hit a stout tree and fell like so many sacks of flour.

            As soon as the women saw it fall, they rushed upon it and hacked it to pieces. They avenged their fathers, husbands and brother.

            ‘Good work!’ the ogre roar at Raymond. ‘Now listen, I have a job for you.’

            Raymond strode towards the ogre. He was in the mood to kill monsters, and the ogre was in his way.

            ‘What do you want, ogre?” Raymond demanded.

            “I have a job for you… This was a test, and you passed. It involves a wager I made last year…”

            ‘I don’t need a bed time story, get to the point.’

            ‘I will pay give you as much gold as you can carry, if you can kill the last Dragon in the World.’

            Virgil started to take an intestest in the conversation.

            ‘There are no Dragans left,’ Raymond stated. ‘Thorfast of Garstang killed the last of them centuries ago. ‘

            ‘There is one,’ the ogre said.

            ‘Impossible!’

            ‘Don’t be so fast to dismiss it,’ Virgil said. ‘I too have heard rumours of a last dragon.’