Grimm Games

Chapter 24: Taunting the Troll

The heavy-lidded eyes of the oversized infant focused on us. No matter how much we stood still or allowed the mound of straw to conceal us. The beast's glare never left us, only becoming more prominent.

The rustling straw beneath him sounded through the space as he shifted the weight of his body to stand. And when he finally stood, his true height and stature caused me to gasp.

"The Troll."

Getting a better look at his jaundice skin and large two front teeth made me compare him to the massive picture of him on the wall of Arcanum's lobby. Seeing him up on screens, next to images of the Witch and the Big Bad Wolf, diminished his threat in my mind at the time. But that changed quickly when I found myself face to face with him.

I couldn't take my eyes from the mounds of flesh that draped from his chest and gut, and he refused to tear his glare from us. The creases in his forehead deepened with his irritated scowl.

As he towered over us by a few feet even at a comfortable distance, his mouth opened, showing the gap in his top two front teeth. "Play!" he mumbled, even sounding like a toddler with bass in his tone.

"We gotta get to the safe zone." I refused to look at Jade or Millie when I spoke, choosing to keep radar on the giant troll who stood only feet before us.

"Someone's in there already," Jade pointed out. "I can see their shadows under the door."

"The brothers?" I suggested.

"What if it's Sonya?" Millie went on. "You ready for that?"

I nodded. "I'll confront anything other than this giant."

Upon mention of the giant, the Troll stomped and the ground shook. "Play. Now." His voice came out in a deep growl.

"I'll distract him," I said. "Take Jade and get to the safe zone. On my cue."

With that, I took the blade from my cuff and stepped fully from behind the towering haystack. "You wanna play?"

The Troll didn't answer, he only marched toward me as I backed up.

Millie waved her hand to Jade, gesturing for her to follow as she rounded the haystack the opposite way, being sure to stay out of the Troll's sight. Jade reluctantly followed and together they disappeared around the stack leaving me face to face with the giant.

As I continued to retreat far from the safe zone, stepping backwards faster than he stepped forwards, I kept the hut in my vision. Ensuring Jade and Millie made it inside without being detected by the towering beast.

"Play!" The voice of the Troll came out as a deep roar, startling me.

I lifted my blade, unafraid to use it, but opting not to. If I could get through this without hurting or killing anyone or anything unnecessarily then that was a win. Most of the people and creatures in the Games were here due to unwarranted circumstances anyway.

However, if my life was ever in immediate danger, I wouldn't hesitate to make one with my blade and the threat.

The stomps of his hefty footsteps caused my heart to race and adrenaline to rush through my veins. The sweat dampened my forehead, but I ignored the discomfort to lead him further away from his hay nest near the safe zone.

I watched Millie attempt to open the door to the shack, but she couldn't get in. Whoever was inside had locked it and wasn't moving to open it fast enough for my tastes.

"Come on," I groaned, frustrated with Millie and Jade's exposure to the open and the danger.

Finally, the door opened, yet they still hadn't entered. Instead, they waited at the entrance with their hands up in defense, scared looks in their eyes.