My arms buckled but held, and the force of the blow almost knocked both of us backward. Dungan looked down at me in complete disbelief as I stood there and held my ground, sweat pouring down my face. He pushed down on his hammer with both hands, and I felt my knees shaking. But I pushed back, fighting to keep his hammer at bay.
The crimson rubies grew even brighter, casting everything in a red glare.
I couldn’t keep this up though. I had to go on the offensive if I was going to win.
I suddenly shifted my weight, pushing his hammer to the side and launching an attack of my own. I swung the Iron Hammer at his waist, and Dungan just barely blocked it, the metal ringing. I swung again and again, trying to take out his tree trunk–sized legs. The massive troll stepped back, his smile faltering just a little as I attacked wildly, fighting to get to Tom. But again and again Dungan blocked me, and I felt my arms starting to tire.
Dungan obviously sensed it, and he began to launch his own attacks again. He started pushing me backward now, his hammer crashing toward me. I blocked it, but my arms ached and strained with every blow. He was too big. Too strong. Finally, just after I blocked another powerful attack, he lashed out with his left hand, striking me across the stomach. It was like being hit by a car.
I went flying backward, the hammer slipping from my hands, then slammed into the grass, rolling over a few times before coming to a stop. I heard the monsters cheer and Tom cry out from the far side of the ring. I looked up and saw Eldon’s face, a spear point jammed up against his back. His eyes were sombre.
He knew what was coming.
I tried to crawl to my hammer, but Dungan was faster. He kicked me in the ribs, and I flew backward again, my entire body flooding with pain. Tears poured out of my eyes—it felt like I was being stabbed on all sides. He must have broken my ribs. A lot of them. I clutched my side in agony as Dungan appeared over me, grabbing the front of my T-shirt with his huge, clawed green hand. He hoisted me up like I was a toddler, turning me to look directly into his pale-yellow eyes, those snake-like pupils scanning my face.
“You fought well, little girl,” he said, his foul breath washing over my face with the smell of rotted meat. “But you aren’t facing goblins now. You are facing Dungan, King of the Dead Mountains. Soon to be King of the Under Earth, and one day, the destroyer of the surface world.”
He smiled, revealing those yellow fangs.
“Did you really think I would be beaten by a fat little girl?”
He tossed me away, and once again I was crashing hard into the ground. My broken ribs flared with pain. I just managed to roll over, and I saw Dungan walking toward me, smiling again. This time he was slowly lifting the hammer over his head with two hands. He was done playing with me. He was about to end this fight.
My body hurt so much that it was hard to think. But there was something nagging at me as Dungan stopped beside me, smiling and preparing to crush me into the dirt.
“Any last words?”
It was something I’d read in the guide. Something about trolls.
It hit me just as he lifted the hammer. Grimacing through the pain, I slipped the silver knife out of its sheath on my ankle and gripped it with two trembling hands.
“I prefer husky,” I said, and then I plunged the blade into Dungan’s disgusting green foot.
It pierced right through to the handle, and Dungan let out a horrendous roar, dropping the hammer. I knew I didn’t have much time. I had to move.
I scampered around his legs as he reached down and tried to pull out the knife with his massive, clumsy fingers. The crowd of monsters was in an uproar. They were all shouting and cursing and waving their swords and spears at me.
Ignoring everything, I scooped the Iron Hammer up off the dirt and turned back to Dungan. He was still hunched over, roaring in pain and trying to pull the small knife out of his foot. Hunched over like that, he was just short enough that I could reach his head.
I charged, pulling the hammer behind me with both hands. I had one shot.
Dungan looked up just as I swung it with every ounce of strength left in my body. The hammer connected squarely with his broad forehead, and a massive wave of invisible energy leapt outward from the impact, knocking the watching goblins to the ground and sending the Swords tumbling after them. It passed around me, but Dungan went flying, the incredible force sending him soaring through the air. He slammed into the ground, motionless. There was no doubt the second I saw him land. Dungan was dead.
All around me, monsters slowly got back up, wide-eyed and disbelieving. I slowly turned in a circle, gripping the hammer with two hands. It had worked once before—I figured I might as well try it again.
“Who’s next?” I shouted.
The monsters all looked at each other, and then without another word, they all turned and started running for the tunnel. The shouts and cries and warnings fled through the army, and like a retreating tide they pushed over each other in a desperate rush to flood back into the Under Earth. I let them go. My body was throbbing with pain, and all I wanted to do was collapse.
