The troll stood up, trying to orient itself.
Panic spread through the guards. Some bolted toward the cave, others fled back toward town. A handful held their ground, weapons raised with trembling hands.
The captain was shouting orders to all his men, to come back, to get ready to fight.
Of course the ones that fled wouldn't come back.
As they're trying to get ready, the troll spots the tiny humans behind him, not the culprits, but good enough to relief his anger.
Takes a couple steps to the front, lifts up a log from the ground, turns back, and smashes the ground with his makeshift club so hard that some guards had trouble to keep on their feet.
"Hold position!" The captain commands, weapon prepared to fight this beast.
Eren is on his side, assessing the best chance to hit the troll.
Shion feels the small tremble, instinctively takes out her sword, and prepares to fight.
As the troll rises his club again, the captain runs around him, looking for a weak spot to hit. When the club hits the ground again, the captain jumps and swings downwards against the troll's leg, but the injury is just superficial.
"Attack!" Is the only command the captain shouts.
The few guards standing run towards this monster, and start piercing, poking, slashing, anything that could deal some damage and bring it down. Arms, legs, chest, face, it didn't matter where the hit landed, as long as it made it bleed.
The damage is shallow — not enough to slow him, only enough to enrage him.
The troll yells again, making the guards flinch in fear and doubt. His arm swings from side to side in a single motion, catching a couple guards that collide with one another, lying in the ground unconscious.
The captain tries his best again, piercing the chest of the troll, near the heart.
But the damage again is superficial. The sword is barely halfway through the muscle.
The beast doesn't miss the chance, his club swings quickly against the captain. It connects.
The crack of bone splitting beneath steel rang across the clearing.
Those close enough to hear it went pale.
Those close enough to see it were horrified.
The helmet was crushed inward, bent beyond recognition. Blood seeped through the steel. Their leader lay motionless at their feet.
Eren stood still, sound dulls around her, she couldn't see the second in command, she was looking for him with the eyes, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"Don't move! Keep your guard up!" Shion shouted to the men, she knew lowering their weapons out of fear could be a death sentence.
"Attack right after his swings, avoid any attack he sends!" She tries to command scared men, that just lost their captain in such way, that probably had no fighting spirit left in them, but she couldn't let them just give up.
Shion seizes the opening. She grips the hilt with both hands and drives the blade deeper than the captain managed..
It worked, somewhat. The wound is deeper but not enough to bring it down. Even worse, the sword is stuck in the muscle, and as it tenses, prevents the sword from being retrieved.
Shion jumps back, dodging a swing from the troll's arm.
The guards are mostly non responsive, few of them launch an attack, but is less than half of the original number.
Fear still freezes those men that are debating whether to stay and possibly die, or run and save their lives and losing their honor.
Then the ground trembled again.
Eren moved. With a desperate thrust, she gets a lucky strike, piercing one of his eyes.
The creature shrieked in agony. Its club slipped from its grip and thudded against the ground. One massive hand flew to its face as it howled.
Shion rushes to her sword.
The runes flare crimson. Heat surges up her blade. Fire erupts inside the troll's wound.
Wounded and in pain, now he's burning from the inside.
Blinded and burning, it flailed wildly, swinging its massive arms in every direction as though swatting flies.
But he has no luck.
As he starts swinging, all the guards step back, retreating to avoid being hit.
Shion intensifies the flames, she can feel the fire's heat on her face, but she held her ground.
Finally, the troll starts to go slower, quieter, falling on his knees, then to the ground face first.
Fire did enough damage to make him pass out from pain.
Once down, Shion makes sure it doesn't stand up again, cutting his throat.
Only then do the guards allow themselves to grieve.