After a moment of silence, the aftermath of our fight with the troll settled over us. Our collective adrenaline rush wore off, leaving behind the dull ache of exhaustion and the sharp sting of our injuries.
Oliver was the first to break the silence. "This is fucking insane." She grunted, her usual sardonic edge dulled by fatigue and the weight of what had just transpired. "Absolutely fucking insane."
"Yeah, that was..." Jeremy trailed off, her voice lacking its customary flippancy. "That was something else."
Theo, looking pale but remarkably composed, nodded slowly. "We… we really did that." Her voice was a small, awed whisper. She then glanced at me, her brow furrowed with concern. "Seb, your shoulder… and you got thrown around like a ragdoll."
"I'm… surprisingly okay." I admitted, wincing as I experimentally flexed my injured arm. The pain was there, a dull, insistent throb, but it felt… distant. Muted.
"Good. Because I am not carrying your ass." Oliver stated, though her eyes lingered on my bandage for a second too long. She then gestured to the carnage. "So, are we just going to stand here admiring our handiwork, or are we going to get the shit we nearly died for?"
"Loot! Loot! Loot!" Jeremy chanted, already scrambling back towards our new toys.
The orb, thankfully, lay nearby where she'd dropped it, glowing innocuously in the dirt.
She snatched it up, cradling it like a precious gem. "Behold! Our ticket to… something awesome!"
"Or our ticket to something really fucked up." Oliver retorted, but there was no real venom in her tone.
I chuckled softly, the absurdity of it all catching up to me. "Let's hope it's more awesome than fucked up. We've had enough of that last one for a lifetime."
Theo nodded, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
Jeremy waved away the skepticism. "Nah, this baby's gotta be magical. Or cursed. Either way, it's ours."
Theo's eyes widened, a flicker of curiosity sparking in her gaze. "Cursed? Like, actually cursed?"
Oliver scoffed, though her voice held a note of hesitation. "There's no such thing. That's just fantasy bullshit."
"Says the person who just fought a troll with her best friends." Jeremy retorted with a snicker. "Fantasy bullshit is kind of our new reality."
Oliver rolled her eyes, but didn't argue.
Jeremy held up the orb, letting the sunlight dance off its translucent surface.
We all gathered around Jeremy to admire our newfound treasure.
There, in the dappled forest light, the orb seemed to hum with some subtle, unseen energy. Its translucent surface was smooth and cool to the touch, like river-worn stone, and within its depths, we could see faint, swirling patterns of light.
"Ohhhh... shiny." Jeremy whispered.
"Shiny..." Theo echoed, eyes wide.
"Shiny." I said, because it felt right.
Oliver hesitated. "This is dumb."
A beat passed.
We all turned to look at Oliver. "..."
"Shiny..." She muttered, begrudgingly. "Damn it. Stupid peer pressure."
Jeremy laughed. "That's the spirit!"
As the initial excitement of the orb wore off, we noticed the pile of coins and other valuables we'd grabbed in our hasty escape. I briefly looked back, in case the female troll had decided to come after us. Fortunately, no sign of the other beast, and the male was still very much dead. Still, I didn't want to take any chances.
"Let's take everything and go back to the lake." I suggested. "We don't know if the other troll is going to come back."
"Right." Jeremy agreed. "I'm all for not getting stomped to death by a grieving troll widow. Or, uh, widower?"
We collected the loot. There was a fair amount of coins, though their worth was yet to be determined. I also picked up a couple of weapons; none in mint condition, some even had bloodstains. They were clearly second-hand, but that didn't matter.
"Are you okay carrying those?" Oliver questioned, eyeing the bundle of weapons strapped to my back. "You just got tossed by a fucking giant."
I shrugged. "It's not as bad as it looks. And these things aren't too heavy anyway." I felt a bit like a pack mule, but I wasn't about to admit that.
"Sure." Oliver's voice dripped with skepticism, but she let it go. "At least you're good for something."
"Gee, thanks." I muttered, readjusting the bundle.
"Hey, I meant that in a good way." She briefly nudged my side as we began to make our way back to the lake. "If we had to count on Theo's muscles, we'd be in real trouble. She's not exactly the brawniest."
Theo huffed indignantly. "I can hold my own!"
"Sure you can." Jeremy grinned, throwing an arm over Theo's shoulder. "But let's face it, you're more brains than brawn. And that's a good thing, 'cause lord knows we need someone to keep us from doing stupid shit. Like, say, pissing off trolls."
Theo rolled her eyes, but her lips quirked into a small smile. "You're insufferable."
"I'm a delight." Jeremy shot back, her grin widening.
Oliver snorted. "You're something, alright."
"Guys... focus." I reminded them. "We need to stay sharp. Who knows what else is lurking in these woods. Let's just get back to the lake and reassess our situation."
"Right, right." Jeremy saluted me playfully. "Captain Seb, leading us to victory!"
I shook my head, a smile tugging at my lips. "Just keep your eyes open and your mouth closed."
"No promises on the mouth part." Jeremy retorted.
Theo and Oliver shared a look.
We continued on, our steps lighter now that the imminent danger had passed. Jeremy was skipping behind us, swinging the orb in her hand. She was singing some random tune under her breath. Oliver walked beside me, a slight spring in her step, while Theo trailed next to Jeremy.
xXx
We reached the lake, the water shimmering under gentle sunrays.
Jeremy was already stripping off her tattered, mud-and-blood-soaked shirt, revealing a surprisingly creamy, well-toned back and… well, the new additions she was still getting used to.
"Woo! Freedom!" She hollered, before hesitating at the water's edge. "Okay, this is gonna be weird. Anyone got tips for washing… all of this… as a chick?"
Oliver, who had stopped a little way off, looked like she was contemplating drowning herself to avoid the situation. "Just… get in and wash, you idiot. And try not to flash everyone."
Jeremy stuck out her tongue. "You're not fun." She then proceeded to gingerly dip a toe into the water, shivering visibly. "Cold, cold, cold."
Oliver and Theo proceeded to undress as well. All those years spent together, we were used to seeing each other in varying states of undress. Still, I couldn't help but avert my eyes out of respect, focusing instead on a distant tree.
Then, there was a loud splash, a shrill yelp, and a flurry of water. "Holy fuck, that's freezing!" Jeremy exclaimed.
Oliver, ever the practical one, sighed. "You could've eased into it, you know."
"And waste time? Nah." Jeremy replied, teeth chattering. "Besides, gotta embrace the pain."
Now that they were submerged, I looked at them. With how unfairly beautiful they had become, they could've passed off for water nymphs. They were, in a way. Water nymphs that would've drowned someone instead of saving them. This dissonant sense of familiarity and unfamiliarity was difficult to grasp.
My eyes met Jeremy's. She had a playful glint in her eyes and, before I could react, she splashed water at me. It was cold. "Get in, you big baby!"
I sighed. "Alright, alright. No need to soak me before I get in." I schooled my expression as I began to take my clothes off—nothing to be awkward about, we had already seen each other naked before. However, the silence that greeted me when the last piece of clothing was removed made me hesitate.
They were all staring at me.
I expected some sort of quip from them, but they were quiet.
Whatever.
I cannonballed into the water.
The chill sent a jolt down my spine, but I quickly adjusted, resurfacing with a gasp. And when I finally did, it seemed that whatever spell had been cast over them had broken.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Jeremy exclaimed, her laughter echoing across the lake.
"Warn us next time you decide to make a tsunami." Oliver muttered, pushing her wet hair away from her face.
"Nah, you kind of deserved it, you bitch." I retorted with a smirk.
Oliver's eyes narrowed. "Asshole."
"Dickhead."
"Fuckface."
"Shit-eating—" I was about to say something else when Jeremy suddenly splashed water on our faces.
"Stop flirting, you two." Jeremy grinned, clearly enjoying herself. "It's making Theo uncomfortable."
"I am not—! I'm not uncomfortable!" Theo protested, her face flushed.
We all chuckled at her reaction, but I decided to drop it and just enjoy the moment. It was nice, this brief respite from the insanity of our situation. I floated on my back, staring up at the sky, the water lapping gently against my body.
After a few minutes, I heard a sigh. "As much as I'd love to turn into a prune." Oliver said. "We should probably get a move on. No telling what else might be lurking around here."
"Way to kill the mood, Captain Buzzkill." Jeremy quipped, but she started wading back to shore nonetheless. "But yeah, I guess you're right."
We got out, dried ourselves off as best we could, and started putting our clothes back on.
As night wore on, we rekindled the campfire, its crackling flames casting a warm glow over our little campsite.
xXx
Meanwhile, the female troll, who had been passed out from too much mating, finally awoke from its sex stupor, groggy and disoriented. Her mate was missing. She held her belly with a satisfied face, knowing that the deed had been done, and she'd soon splat out a strong, wriggly little beastie. Maybe two, if luck held.
But something… stank.
She sniffed the air. Snort. Huff. Sniff again. Her snout wrinkled.
Not the usual stench of old bark, wet fur, or half-rotted squirrel.
No. This was wrong-stink.
Blood.
And her mate's scent—his big, stupid, sweaty scent—was fading.
With a grunt and a heavy heave, she rose from the mossy hollow, her joints cracking like dry wood. She waddled forward, one massive palm braced under her belly.
"Ughhhhnn… oof. Baby grow fast." She muttered. "Feel like watermelon stuffed in goat bladder." She followed the scent trail, nose twitching, tongue lolling. The path led through crushed ferns, snapped branches, and… bits. Little bits.
She stopped.
Her mate.
Flattened. Twisted.
She stared.
Then roared.
A sound deep and terrible, like thunder caught in a cave. Birds fled the trees. A rabbit straight up had a heart attack.
She pounded the ground once, twice, leaving deep fist-holes in the dirt.
Then she hugged her belly, chest heaving.
"…Hurt later." She growled. "Baby come first. Then… squish puny killers. Squish hard."
With one last glance at her fallen mate, she sniffled, wiped her nose on a tree—which nearly snapped in half—and turned back into the forest.
Revenge could wait.
For now, she needed pickles. And mud. Lots of mud.