Galen exploded into motion, a sudden burst of speed propelling him forward. With a slight crouch, he unleashed the warrior's Great Leap, soaring through the air in a powerful arc, covering over fifty meters before landing with a ground-shaking thud.
Precisely at that moment, a troll, alerted by the earlier commotion and reacting with surprising speed, rushed towards the camp entrance to assess the unfolding chaos. As Galen landed his Great Leap, he immediately followed with a furious Charge, slamming into the unsuspecting troll.
Simultaneously, Omar and Varokal, spurred by Galen's decisive action, grabbed their weapons and sprinted forward. The five guards, their faces grim with determination, followed close behind, surging towards the heart of the troll encampment.
Galen's Charge was swift and brutal, closing the distance to the bare-chested troll wielding only a crude axe in the blink of an eye. Just as the axe-thrower reacted, belatedly raising his weapon to parry the incoming attack, Galen's two-handed greatsword swept through the air in a deadly horizontal arc. The troll's large head was severed cleanly from its body, a geyser of dark blood erupting from the gaping wound.
As Galen prepared to engage another bewildered troll, the massive form of the great troll warrior Drek'maz suddenly barreled out of the central tent, his giant axe raised high, poised to deliver a devastating blow.
Being in the center of the camp and momentarily turning to secure his weapon had cost Drek'maz precious seconds, leaving him a step behind the peripheral trolls. He had been forced to witness Galen's swift decapitation of one of his subordinates. Now, seeing the human prince's focus shift to another target, he seized the opportunity to ambush this deadly intruder.
"Your Highness, be careful!" Varokal, half a step behind Galen, his keen eyes spotting the hulking troll with the giant axe about to strike, shouted a frantic warning. Instinctively mirroring Galen's earlier maneuver, he executed a heroic leap, locking his gaze on the ambushing troll and following through with a swift Intercept.
Trusting Varokal's sharp instincts, Galen immediately whirled around and retreated. A deafening "clang" echoed through the camp as Varokal's greatsword collided with Drek'maz's massive axe, the force of the impact momentarily halting both warriors.
The clash of steel and crude iron resulted in a stalemate, the two weapons locked in a brief, violent embrace.
Drek'maz had poured his full strength into the ambush, intending to crush Galen with a single, decisive blow. Varokal, driven by fierce loyalty and the need to protect his prince, had met the troll's attack with equal ferocity. Yet, even in the heat of the moment, Varokal recognized that this troll possessed a slight edge in raw power.
After the initial head-on collision, both warriors understood they faced a formidable opponent. Varokal's gaze remained fixed on Drek'maz, his mind racing. Ideally, he would slay this powerful troll. But if that proved impossible, he had to hold him at bay long enough for Omar to deal with the witch doctor, or for his prince to dispatch the remaining troll rabble and return to offer support.
On the other side of the chaotic camp, Drek'maz felt a surge of anxiety. Galen's initial charge and swift kill demonstrated considerable strength and martial skill. However, the human's obliviousness to his ambush suggested a lack of battlefield awareness and experience in true life-or-death combat. Still, Galen was clearly a threat to his less-skilled warriors, and Drek'maz saw another human charging directly towards the witch doctor Hex'jin's position.
Drek'maz knew he had to quickly neutralize the human blocking his path and aid Hex'jin as soon as possible. Every wasted moment would likely result in further casualties among his tribe.
A palpable aura of murderous intent radiated from Drek'maz. Gripping his massive battle axe in one hand, he launched the first attack, a brutal downward chop aimed at Varokal. Varokal, wielding the standard broadsword of the Stromgarde army, knew his weapon was no match for the troll's heavy axe in a direct confrontation. Instead of meeting force with force, he nimbly dodged the blow and began to circle Drek'maz, his movements fluid and evasive, intent on delaying the powerful troll.
Meanwhile, as Omar reached the center of the ravaged camp, he saw the troll witch doctor Hex'jin standing defiantly before the largest tent, flanked by two axe-wielding troll guards. Hex'jin spotted Omar's relentless advance and shrieked, "Damn humans! Kill them all!"
The scattered trolls, hearing their leader's command, seemed to rally, charging towards the encroaching humans with their crude battle axes and spears.
Omar, a veteran of numerous skirmishes against trolls during his time in the militia, faced the chaotic onslaught with a cold, unwavering gaze. He swung his blood-red battle axe in wide arcs, deflecting several poorly aimed spears. With a swift horizontal sweep, he knocked the axe from the grasp of a charging troll, followed up with a brutal kick that sent the troll sprawling, and then spun, his axe rising in a deadly upward thrust, disemboweling another unfortunate attacker.
Just as he was about to break through the last remaining troll guard and reach the witch doctor, Omar saw Hex'jin raise his staff, chanting arcane words. A small, grotesque totem materialized beside the disemboweled troll, who lay on the ground writhing in agony. To Omar's horror, the troll's gaping wound began to knit itself back together at an unnatural, visible speed.
Seeing this gruesome display of troll magic, Omar roared and charged forward, intent on eliminating the immediate threat. However, the troll guard directly in his path suddenly emitted a baleful red glow, its eyes widening with a primal fury. Consciously knowing it was no match for the human warrior, the troll willingly entered a berserk state.
The berserk state of a troll warrior could nearly double their combat prowess, albeit followed by a period of debilitating weakness. While this particular troll's base strength was far below Omar's, even in its enraged state, it posed little direct threat. However, coupled with the unsettling presence of the witch doctor and his dark magic, the outcome of this close-quarters engagement was far from certain.
On Galen's side of the fray, the battle was progressing with more relative ease. Varokal was effectively engaging Drek'maz, Omar was holding his own against the witch doctor and his two axe-wielding guards, and after accounting for the two sentries and the troll Galen had swiftly beheaded, there remained four troll headhunters and eight less-skilled troll laborers scattered throughout the camp.
Having narrowly avoided Drek'maz's initial ambush, a chilling wave of fear washed over Galen. He had come perilously close to death, his grand plans potentially ending before they had even truly begun. Although only four troll headhunters remained, the troll civilians still possessed a degree of savage strength, and a careless mistake could easily prove fatal. Consequently, he abandoned any further reckless advances, adopting a more cautious stance. He deftly blocked two spears hurled in his direction and then, as the five guards finally entered the camp, he selected the closest troll headhunter as his immediate target.
The troll, its face contorted in a savage snarl, drew a long spear from the bag slung across its back, hefted it in its hands, and hurled it at Galen once more. Galen sidestepped the projectile and closed the distance. The headhunter frantically drew another spear, gripping it tightly with both hands, and lunged at the approaching human.
Galen parried the incoming spear with his greatsword, his momentum carrying him forward. In a swift, decisive movement, he plunged his blade deep into the troll's heart. Trolls possessed remarkable regenerative abilities, capable of regrowing limbs with relative ease. Only a strike to the heart or decapitation ensured a swift and permanent end.
After his second kill, Galen quickly assessed the situation. He saw the three remaining troll headhunters engaged in fierce combat with his five guards. Moving with practiced efficiency, he moved to assist, dispatching the headhunters one by one, leaving the remaining troll civilians to the capable hands of his guards.
Silently congratulating himself on his improved combat awareness, Galen swiftly moved towards Omar's increasingly precarious battle circle. The troll witch doctor, witnessing the tide of battle turning against his forces, looked increasingly frantic. He raised his staff once more and summoned another grotesque totem. As the totem solidified, it unleashed a large, crackling fireball directly at Omar.
Omar, while focused on breaking through the berserk troll's desperate attacks, had maintained a fraction of his awareness on the witch doctor's movements. He reacted instantly, throwing himself to the side just as the fiery projectile streaked past.
However, Omar's renewed attempt to close the distance to the witch doctor was once again thwarted by the berserk troll, its mindless fury and desperate fighting style proving a surprisingly effective obstacle.