They spent the night resting in Rivendell.
The next day, Kaen decided to depart at noon. After breakfast, he made his way alone to the smithy.
Just as he arrived at the entrance, he spotted the master smith, Adante.
At the moment, the craftsman bore dark circles under his eyes and was carrying a bundle of weapons and other forged items while stepping out the door.
He blinked in surprise when he saw Kaen and then said:
"Didn't expect you to arrive this early."
"I said I'd come in the morning to collect the sword—and here I am. But you don't look like you got much rest."
"I was forging all night," Adante replied in a calm, matter-of-fact tone, as if an entire night of labor was nothing out of the ordinary.
He set down his things, turned back inside, and returned with a newly forged sword.
"This is your reforged blade," he said. "I've added a small amount of black iron and fine steel—high-strength metals—and reforged the sword through high-heat casting and repeated hammering. The edge has excellent resilience, and the blade's hardness is enough to shear through common steel with ease."
Kaen took the sword and drew it from the scabbard. The blade shone with a sharp, silvery gleam under the sunlight. Near the guard were five runes etched into the metal: Courage and Glory.
The craftsmanship was exceptional—clear proof that Adante had not been careless in his work.
The blade was noticeably heavier than before, but to Kaen, the weight was just right. It wouldn't hinder him in battle—in fact, it suited him perfectly.
Kaen was clearly pleased with the reforged sword. "Seems Sigilis didn't lie to me after all. You really are a master of your craft."
He reached into his pack and took out five gold coins, handing them over as previously agreed.
To his surprise, Adante simply shook his head and declined, saying, "Keep it. It's free."
"…Why?"
Kaen frowned slightly, not understanding.
Adante spoke, his tone still calm:
"Sigilis told me about you. The monster hunter from the Eastern lands—Kaen Eowenríel—who wants to cleanse the Troll-woods and found a kingdom of his own.
I'm not doing this to flatter you or win favor. I simply have my own reasons.
The creatures of the Troll-woods… I hold a deep hatred for them. My aged father was slain in that forest.
So I reforged your sword for free. Even if you fail to cleanse that cursed place, please—use this blade to slay one or two of those trolls for me."
Hearing this, Kaen didn't argue. He sheathed the sword and gave a solemn nod.
"I swear to you—this blade will sever the heads of countless trolls. It will stand with me against the darkness… until it must be reforged again."
…..
The Troll-woods lay in western Middle-earth, in the eastern part of the Eriador plains, between the River Mitheithel and the Bruinen.
This forest had existed since the Second Age—once a peaceful and beautiful woodland.
In the mid-Third Age, the northern kingdom of Arnor, founded by the Dúnedain, fractured into three successor states.
One of them—Rhudaur—fell under the control of the Witch-king of Angmar.
Under his rule, a clan of Stone-trolls took up residence in the forest.
It was from that time that the woods gained their name—Troll-woods.
After departing Rivendell, Kaen and his companions journeyed westward.
Three days later, they finally arrived.
On the forest's edge, they found a derelict village.
Ruined houses stood half-toppled; some had collapsed walls and roofs that had long since caved in.
Weeds and vines covered the remnants of the structures—it was clear the place had been abandoned for more than a decade.
It looked as though some monstrous force had torn through the village.
"Oh heavens… What happened here? It looks like everyone left in a hurry."
"Must've been trolls," someone muttered.
"Filthy beasts. Just wait till I get my hands on them…" another grumbled.
Kaen recalled a scene from the original tales—when Thorin's company encountered three trolls: William, Tom, and Bert.
The hobbits had once overheard them talking. Those trolls had devoured half the villagers in one place, forcing survivors to flee from the region entirely.
Stone-trolls were known to fear sunlight, so they were usually only active at night and rarely strayed far from their lairs.
Judging from that, the cave where those three trolls resided should be located near the forest's edge—likely not far from this abandoned village.
With that in mind, Kaen said,
"Find a few houses that are still intact. Clean them up.
This will be our base for the year to come."
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone quickly got to work. Meanwhile, Kaen took Zakri with him and headed toward the forest's perimeter to begin scouting.
Stone-trolls were the slowest and clumsiest of all troll species.
Wherever they went, they left behind massive footprints.
Zakri, once the most skilled tracker among the hillfolk, found the task of following such signs almost laughably easy.
The two of them moved through the woods.
Since it was daytime, they weren't too worried about monsters lurking about.
Truth be told, the Troll-woods were strikingly beautiful.
In late autumn, the trees blazed with gold and crimson hues, creating a dreamlike, enchanted forest.
But beneath the beauty, danger lurked.
The forest was riddled with cliffs and ravines, often obscured by thick foliage. One wrong step and a person could plunge to their death.
The terrain was dense and ever-shifting, easy to get lost in.
"My lord, look—over there."
Zakri, who had been leading, suddenly raised his hand and pointed ahead.
Kaen looked in the direction and saw that several large trees had been torn out by the roots.
In the center of the clearing were signs of a campfire, long extinguished.
They moved in quickly.
The ground was littered with enormous footprints and the gnawed bones of goats.
These were troll tracks.
Those beasts rarely ventured far from their caves.
Which meant… their lair had to be nearby.
Kaen and Zakri began to search the area.
Before long, following the trail of footprints, they discovered a massive cave.
A foul stench wafted from the darkness within.
If one listened closely, they could hear deep, guttural snores echoing from inside.
"Keep quiet," Kaen whispered. "Let's go take a look."