Renault looked at the Zul'Mashar Trolls standing in neat ranks, his mouth dry. The Zul'Mashar Trolls had never been this organized. They had always been a loose tribe. When they won, they charged forward in a mob; when they lost, they scattered and ran.
Bridget said, "This is bad! They're practically a small army. It looks like the Zul'Mashar Trolls have changed hands. They should be called Amani Trolls now, but there are clearly far too few of them.
"I heard the Amani Trolls' leader was a seasoned veteran named Zul'jin, a legendary warlord!"
Demitia said, "There's no warlord here! Just hold on. Hopefully the High Knight will remember you were childhood friends and recruit the knights of the Order of the Silver Hand soon."
The Trolls stood in neat formation, no longer fighting as individuals like before. The Troll warriors were at the front, with Hexers behind them and two Shamans behind those. Two Trolls stood at the very back. One was tall and wore fine armor, clearly different from the Zul'Mashar Trolls.
Zubrin Twistbranch stood beside him, with armored Trolls lined up behind them. The young, towering Troll said something to Twistbranch, who then shouted loudly! The entire Troll formation began to advance in order! Any Trolls who disobeyed were whipped by the Hexers!
They advanced slowly but resolutely toward the mouth of the valley.
Bridget frowned and said quietly, "They're using us for target practice. Once they get everything in order, we're done for."
As the sun climbed high in the sky, the White Lady and Blue Child reluctantly disappeared below the horizon. The Trolls finally got used to the commands and began a coordinated assault on the mountain pass. With Twistbranch's Healing Wave support, their casualties steadily decreased.
Most of their casualties, moreover, were caused by