Damon's breath hitched as his gaze locked onto the war troll standing across the quicksand. Its grotesque, mud-covered body radiated raw power, its thick muscles rippling with every movement. Even at a glance, this was a Rank One monster. A creature of overwhelming brute force, built for destruction. The last surviving goblin barely hesitated. Its red eyes darted between the troll and the chaos behind it—then, with a frantic yelp, it turned and fled into the forest, disappearing past the towering beasts as if seeking their mercy. The war troll grinned. The expression twisted its already hideous features into something even more monstrous. Damon gritted his teeth. The only thing keeping them from being torn apart was the quicksand. Evangeline's voice came from his side, tense and uncertain. "What do we do?" Damon's gaze flicked to the tree branch she perched on, her usual grace replaced by sharp-eyed wariness. They didn't have many options. The situation was dire. The quicksand churned below, a slow, shifting trap. Damon clenched his fists. Think. "Lure them into the quicksand." Before he could even finish processing his plan, the troll moved. With effortless strength, it reached to the side, grasping a tree as thick as a boulder. Its massive hands clenched— CRACK. The entire tree snapped in half like a twig. Then it threw it. Straight at them. "TAKE COVER—!" They barely had time to register the warning before the world spun. A deafening explosion of wood and leaves filled the air. The massive trunk obliterated everything in its path. Branches snapped like bones, the trees buckled under the impact, and Damon felt his body whipped violently through the air. Pain lanced through his limbs as he crashed through branches, scraping against the bark. He heard the screams of his friends as they too were sent flying— Then the world blurred, and he hit the ground hard. Damon groaned, his head throbbing as warm blood trickled down his face. He pushed himself up, his vision spinning. Matlock, relatively unscathed, was already pulling Xander to safety behind a tree where Evangeline and Sylvia huddled for cover. Damon turned sharply, spotting Leona gasping for breath, struggling to rise. He didn't need to see the war troll. His shadow perception told him everything. It was moving. Damon felt the creature raise its arm, preparing to hurl another attack—at Leona. Shit. Without hesitation, Damon dived forward, tackling her. The boom of impact roared behind them, shockwaves blasting through the air. His combat uniform flapped violently in the wind, debris slicing past him. He grabbed Leona by the waist, yanking her down the slope with him. Mud clung to their bodies as they slid, the thick, damp earth absorbing some of the force—just as the troll hurled another tree. CRASH! The trunk slammed into the slope above them, shattering on impact. Splinters and chunks of wood rained down, narrowly missing them. Damon remained dead still. His face was pressed uncomfortably close against Leona's chest, her rapid heartbeat thrumming in his ears. He swallowed. Now was not the time to think about that. His mind raced. Trolls were horrible creatures—explosive power, near-immortal regeneration. A single hit and they were dead. Damon gritted his teeth, cursing their lack of armor. A single direct blow could shatter bones. Their flexible combat uniforms wouldn't hold up against this kind of force. From the trees, where the others hid, another tree trunk came flying. Damon exhaled in relief. At least there weren't any boulders nearby. The other two war trolls watched from the edges, their cruel smiles filled with amusement. They weren't attacking. They were waiting. "What do we do?" Matlock's voice cut through the chaos. Damon bit his lip. He didn't know. He didn't have all the answers. He was just like them—a teenager thrown into hell. He had planned so much, but the trolls were just too strong. If they tried to run, they'd be cut down before reaching safety. Think. Damon forced himself to focus. What did he know about trolls? They had to have a weakness—something they could exploit. His fingers twitched. A bloody encyclopedia… That's right—he had one. His gaze snapped to Sylvia Moonveil. "Sylvia, I need every troll weakness you know—NOW!" Sylvia, still tending to Xander's injuries, flinched as another log crashed nearby. She bit her lip, ducking lower beneath the canopy. Damon shifted slightly, his perception scanning the battlefield. The first troll stood knee-deep in quicksand, its kin watching intently. Watching for something. Damon's eyes narrowed. Sand crawlers. The trolls were afraid of the creatures lurking beneath the surface. Sylvia finally spoke, her voice tight. "Fire and acid. Lightning. Holy water. Whitewood ash. Deception. Decapitation. Destroying their hearts. Magic—if they don't have resistance." Damon exhaled slowly. That was it. He was going to kill the lumbering brute. He just needed to make sure he didn't get hit. Damon's dark eyes locked onto Leona. She still looked furious—humiliated. The beastkin girl despised being hunted. He leaned in close, whispering his plan. Her face paled. Her golden irises widened as she gritted her teeth, shaking her head. He pressed his forehead against hers, his voice firm. "Do it." Leona's eyes glimmered, her lips trembling. From the canopy above, she let out a small, broken whisper. "I don't want you to die…" Damon clenched his fists. "I won't." He tore a piece of paper from his supply bag, scrawling something on it, then tossed it toward the others. Sylvia caught it, eyes flickering across the contents. Her expression darkened. She passed it to Evangeline. Then to Xander. Matlock's delicate hands shook as he read it. Damon ignored them. His fingers raised— Counting down. Three. Two. One. He shot out from cover. The war troll laughed. One of its kin reached over, snapping a branch from a nearby tree, tossing it across the quicksand. Damon was right in the middle. The troll hurled it. [5x Agility.] Damon dodged. His Parkour skill kicked in—he twisted midair, rolling at an impossible angle. His feet barely brushed the ground before he lunged into the creature's line of sight. The war troll's eyes snapped onto him. And that was its last mistake. From behind him— Sylvia and Evangeline emerged— And unleashed a blinding flash of light. The world exploded into brilliance. The troll's eyes dilated—completely blinded. And in that moment—Leona struck. Every ounce of mana pooled into one attack. A massive bolt of lightning cracked into the wetlands. The charge shredded the air, grounding itself through the waterlogged terrain. The troll shuddered violently. It dropped its club, muscles spasming—but it wasn't enough to kill a creature with regeneration. But it didn't need to be. Because it wasn't alone. The sand crawlers below sensed its weakness. And they struck. From beneath the quicksand, monstrous jaws erupted, latching onto the helpless, stunned troll. It roared in terror, thrashing. One of its arms ripped a crawler off— But there were too many. It was being dragged down. The other war trolls, still blind, could only hear its anguished screams. It struggled. It fought. But it was too late. Slowly, it was consumed—pulled to its death. Damon didn't wait. He turned, racing back toward his team. "RUN—NOW!" They didn't hesitate. As they vanished into the woods, the surviving war trolls let out mournful, enraged howls. They had lost a kin.