Chapter 53 [Bonus Chapter] Forest Encounter (2)

"ROOAAAR!!!" Although the trolls had been temporarily overwhelmed, they were not to be outdone. With a deafening boom, the bodies of millipedes soared up high into the air. Angrily, the blue pale green skinned creature lumbered to its feet, its round, beady eyes swiveling until it found another human.

Buzz!

Just as it took a step forward, multiple bolts of lightning struck its head, stunning it and scrambling its brain. Its skin turned dark as it was burnt by the lightning. In the next moment, several bolts of of condensed fire struck its limbs, embedding the malignant flames through its limbs, before they exploded.

Boom!

Green blood splattered over the burnt grass around the troll, and it opened its giant mouth to utter a pained scream, but another bolt of flames struck into its open mouth drilling through its thick skull through the open weak point, before striking its brain, and exploding, all in one smooth motion.

Thud.

The four meter tall body of the troll dropped to the ground, devoid of life.

"Raar?" The four other trolls were stunned when they saw the deformed and incomplete head of their companion. Fear overcame their beings and they stopped fighting against the millipedes, instead, turning around to run into the forest, their large feet leaving visible footprints in the soft earth as they hurried off.

Leon watched them, unconcerned as he looked at the notification that had popped up before him.

[Level 15 Mountain Troll killed. You have leveled up.]

He raised his brow, a bit surprised, 'It seems it was quite a bit high leveled, huh?' With a smirk, Leon turned to face the humans that were only just picking themselves up after the battle. They all bore injuries of varying degrees, but none of them were too badly hurt.

"Young Master!" The coachman snapped out of his stupor, jumping down from the carriage and rushing forward. He carefully avoided the parts of the ground that had been soaked by smelly troll blood, and approached the group of people.

"We are fine, Benny." A young man that Leon would guess to be around his late teens smiled at the older man as the man, Benny, fretted over him.

"Of course, of course. Ahem, I was just confirming it myself." Benny took a step back and watched as the young man gulped a vial of red liquid. His injuries and bruises began to heal, with the few bruises on his face healing at a visible pace, just not as quick as that of the trolls.

Seeing that they seemed to be okay, Leon took that as his cue to walk closer, while also recalling the summons on the field. All except one. He turned to look at the petite, white haired girl that smiled up at him endearingly before shaking his head and looking ahead. He would speak to Nedra later.

"Who's this?" The young master looked up at Leon when he approached. He had a head of blond hair, and soft features that made one want to pamper him. It looked as though he had not suffered one bit in his entire life. His eyes, though, spoke of something else. As if he had already seen the horrors of this world, and had overcome his fair share of trials while growing up. All these details flew over Leon's head, though.

"Hello." He waved. "I'm Leon."

"Ah, yes, yes! This is a helper I found along the path when I went to find some help. He is the one who killed that Mountain Troll." Benny hopped up and quickly explained the situation. The eyes of the young man and his helpers grew bright after they heard that.

"Thank you for helping us. My name is Curtis, and I appreciate the favor." The young man, Curtis, extended a hand with a smile.

Returning the smile, Leon shook his hand and replied, "No worries, I only really helped because I was told I would be compensated." He was no saint, and would not skimp on payment. Especially since he had no money at all!

"Ah, of course! We will not be stingy to someone who saved our lives." Curtis flicked his wrist and a small pouch appeared in his palm. Opening it, he picked out ten silver coins and handed them to Leon. "Ten silver, a token of our appreciation. Also, do you need a ride?" The young man smiled widely.

"Haha, I do, actually. Where are you heading?" Leon chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. He had no idea where he was or where to go, but he was easily able to act natural and blend in.

"We were heading to Fort Bender before we got attacked by this group of nasties. We can take you there, if you want. It is only an hour away by carriage." Curtis replied, turning to the carriage. The young man was very friendly, and seemed easy to speak to.

Leon was not blind to what was going on, though. This was obviously the 'young master' sucking up to someone who was stronger than the others in their group so that he could form a positive relationship with Leon.

The group returned to the carriage, and Benny hopped onto the coachman's seat while the others entered into the cabin. The carriage was fairly large, and the inside was wide and spacious. Taking a seat at one side, Curtis urged Leon to seat beside him.

"Everyone, please introduce yourselves to our guest." He politely told his companions. There were two guys and one lady, with all of them looking young, as if they were in their early twenties at most. One of the men spoke first. He had a large build, but was not imposing, instead, looking like a friendly giant with the soft smile on his face. His head was covered by a mat of shiny, black hair.

"Hello, my name is Corey." He waved his large hand as he spoke.

"My name is Damon." The second man followed immediately, leaning back in his seat and letting out a sigh. He had a head of red hair and pitch black eyes. Unlike Corey, his build was lean, and seemed to be built for speed.

"Hi, I'm Maple. Nice to meet you." The woman smiled lovingly and leaned forward, her eyes trained not on Leon, but on Nedra. "And who is this cute little one?" She asked warmly.