CHAPTER EIGHT:
Durion and Teela ducked on the right moment to save their heads. The troll's club smashed the tree's trunk in half. The huge tree shook as the vibration resonated throughout its body. Durion pushed Teela away from the harm's way and jumped in front of the troll with his sword drawn.
The troll took a moment to realize that its victim has escaped. Durion slashed his sword on the troll's huge leg. The blade did nothing more than a scratch. The troll pushed him away with its left hand.
The force was too big; it threw Durion thirty yards away from the troll. Teela stood up, with her dagger and ducked as another blow passed over her head. This time the club hit the foot of the tree, whichbroke anduprooted the roots. A huge hollow space opened on the ground, below the broken base.
Teelacalled Durion and pointed the hole. Durion jumped up and ran towards her and saw the Stone shine like a lit diamond. The troll took a moment to see the stone with his stupid eyes and turned towards the couple.
"What do we do now?" asked Durion urgently
"I will take the stone from the tree, when you distract the beast," replied Teela
"Sure," smirked Durion and ran into the Troll's legs. The club hit the floor, which missed its target by a hair. The ground shook as the heavy club landed on it. Durion ran behind the beast through its legs and cut the creatures back. Once again his cut did nothing but formed a small scratch on the beast's back.
"What is he made out of, Rock?" he wondered to himself.
The troll was disoriented when Durion ran through his feet. He turned around and saw Durion throwing rocks at him. He pushed the flying rocks away and roared.
Teela used this distraction to her advantage. She picked Gil Gond from the tree's base and pocketed it safely into her inner tunic.
"I got it!" she shouted back to Durion
"Good, now run," he replied. He threw rocks and ran backwards, to make the troll follow him into the forest. But unfortunately he slipped and fell down, bottom first, when his leg hit a stray stone. The troll stopped and raised its club in order to smash him with the ground. Durion had no way out.
Teela cried and ran towards him. However, the creature shot was intermitted when an arrow hit on its face. The creature yelled and fell side way. He howled and tried to get up on his feet.
Durion and Teela looked around to see their rescuers. It was their fellow students, Calanon and Alya. Alya fitted another arrow into her crossbow and aimed at the creature. Calanonjumped down from the branch and ran to the troll with his raised machete.
Durion got to his feet and stepped aside as Alya's arrow shot on the fallen creature's belly and Calanon's machete gashed its throat.
Black blood poured out of the creature as it stopped moving. Calanon removed his weapon away from the creature's throat and nodded towards Durion. And he nodded back.
Alya came down and joined with Calanon, Durion and Teela on the foot of the broken tree's base.
"I believe you have found the stone," she asked to Teela. She took the stone out and nodded.
Everyone watched the stone with awe, which lay like a jewel on the palm of Teela. It emitted an unnatural white light. Greedy lines passed through Calanon's face. He eyed Teela with frustration.
Before Teela could retrieve the stone back into her pocket, Calanon snatched the stone from her grip. Teela and Durion looked surprised by this sudden act.
Calanon watched the stone with a satisfying look and turned to Alya, "We have got the stone!" Alya stood there dumbstruck by his action and did not reply.
Anger flashed on Durion's face. He jumped and grabbed Calanon's hand. Both fell down and rolled. The girls stood and watched each other as if not believing what they were seeing because a student should not trick, cheat or hurt his fellow student. It was a basic rule.
Calanon pushed Durion away and reached for his machete. Durion took his sword and pushed the machete away from Calanon's fist.
Fury and rage woke up as Calanon punched Durion on his face. Durion got to his feet with a bleeding lip and looked at Calanon with antagonism.
Calanon slowly got up with his eyes fixed on Durion and his sword. When he bend down to pick his machete, Durion rushed in and hit Calanon's head with the Sword's hilt.
Pain boomed throughout Calanon's body. His eyes went black and dark. Alya rushed in and pushed Durion off his ground. However, Teela caught him before he hit the ground.
"STOP IT!" a voice roared behind them.
All four turned around and saw the remaining fifteen students standing on the bay and looking at them with an unhappy face.
One boy stepped forward and came near the four. He was tall and muscular. He was the oldest among all of them, he was twenty years old. He looked down at the four with a disgust look and said, "What is going on in here?"
Durion pointed his finger on Calanon, who was standing under the support of Alya, and said "He stole the stone from us,"
The older boy, Aaron, looked at Calanon and asked, "Who came here first?"
Durion opened his mouth to answer, but he was silenced by Aaron.
"I asked you Calanon," he barked
"Them," replied Calanon slowly
"Who saw and took the stone first?" this time he asked generally
Teela stepped forward and answered, "I saw it and I took it,"
Aaron looked at her and noddedthen helooked back at Alya and asked, "Did Calanon take the stone away from Teela?"
Alya looked down and nodded. Calanon looked at her in disbelief and hung his head in shame.
"It is clear then. They have rightfully earned this. So the stone belongs to Durion and Teela. Hand the stone back to them Calanon," Aaron ordered and Calanon obeyed without looking up.
Durion took the stone away from hisgrip and gave it to Teela. By the time, all the other students crossed the lake and congratulated Durion and Teela for their success. Both replied back with proud and happiness.
The darkness started to fade, as dawn slowly peeked out. Few birds flew on the dark sky, as breeze started to become lighter.
"We have to be moving back to the camp," announced Aaron
Everyone nodded in agreement and started to move out. Every student discussed about their adventures and their encounters in this forest excitedly. Some listened when others talked. Aaron lead the way, as the rest of the gang followed him.
"Please keep your voices down. We are still inside the forest," said Aaron, but no one seemed to bother about that. Aaron sighed and resumed his lead.
Teela stepped forward to Aaron and asked softly, "So what will happen to the rest of the students, since they have not found the stone?"
Aaron took a moment to think and answered back, "You and your partner will become Ithil Warriors, that's the high post. The rest will become the "Ranc" (Arm) Warriors. It's a step lower than an Ithil. Each Ranc warriors will be lead by an Ithil warrior. So you and Durion will be the leaders and we will be your commodores."
Teela nodded and thanked him for his answer.
The sun slowly rose from the horizon and lit the whole forest with a pale orange light. The leaves were wet with the morning dues. Birds were chirping above their heads. Girls got excited when they saw a Robin, who flew around their heads for a minute and changed its course.
The trees started the thin, as the gang came out of the forest. The wind was slow and cool. After few seconds Aaron stepped out of the forest and entered their camp, but there was nothing.
Aaron stood there as a stone and looked around. The remaining students did the same as everyone came out of the forest. Terror and surprise filled them.
The Tents were crushed and burned. Things were messed all around the place. The whole area looked like a battle ground.
"What happened here?" exclaimed one of the students.
"Master," murmured Aaron, "Go and check the Master's tent," he barked.
Three students ran to their former master's tent, but all they found was collapsed, burned and ravaged pieces.
All the students searched through the rumbles and found none. The only things that remained was burned tents and woods.
"Some one has attacked our camp," said one of the students and others agreed to him.
"Here," shouted Durion. Everyone ran towards him.
"Look," he pointed the ground, which had heavy foot prints; none belonged to men because they were unusually big and broad.
"Orcs," suggested one of them.
"No, its worse," replied Aaron and fell silent. Everyone looked at him with a questioning eye.
He took a full minute to answer, "These are Uruk-Hais."
"You mean the one we studied in "Myths and Legends"?" asked Alya and Aaron nodded.
Everyone fell silent for a second. Some shifted their legs uneasily when others looked around nervously.
"They have taken our Master and we have to find him. We can't allow him to die in their hands. Even if he is dead…" he thought and said "If he is, then we should find his body and give an honorable burial," finished Aaron.
Everyone waggled their heads in agreement.
"Durion and Teela, lead the way, we will follow you," Calanon said and Aaron agreed.
Taken by surprise, Durion and Teela agreed and lead the way.
Durion was good at tracking, so he walked first, flowed by Teela and the rest. All the nineteen students followed the Uruk-Hais track, which lead them towards north east.