was to it.
"Greetings!" I cried out. My voice sounded weak.
A huge troll, monstrously large, a dozen feet tall, at least, stepped forward. He carried a crystal sword as tall as me, which glimmered ice blue. Heavy fur boots covered with crystal shards covered his feet. Crystal bracers made of hundreds of facets covered his forearms. He wore a giant fur cape.
Four trolls flanked him, each armed equally well.
I had little doubt that those five alone could kill us all. The other thirty or so would have a good time watching.
"Greetings!" I shouted again. I wondered if the trolls spoke Throalic.
The massive troll stopped and stood as solidly as any rock. The words from his mouth were Throalic, but broken and uncertain. "You. From stone ship?"
"No!" I replied, hoping against hope that it was the answer that would bring a quick end to the threat of violence.
The five trolls turned and looked at each other. After a short discussion, the leader asked,
"Where stone ship warriors?"
"Dead."
"Dead?"
"Dead."
"How?"
"We ... we killed them. And some elemental air creatures attacked the ship." The troll looked at me, curious. "Elemental air creatures?" I repeated. Still they looked confused.
One of the trolls, an old fellow with a few strands of white hair growing from his bald head, stepped forward to whisper into the leader's ear. I realized with a start that the troll wore the robes of a magician. The patterns on it showed jungle vines winding around one another.
The old troll and the leader exchanged words, and then the leader turned to me and with surprise asked, "Trecka?” He pointed to the sky and repeated the word.
As that was the best I thought I could do on the matter, I nodded my head and said
"Trecka."
The troll's eyes opened. "Where trecka?"
"Dead."
"Who killed Trecka?"
My companions, gathered around me in a semicircle, pointed to me.
This bit of news had a great impact on all the trolls. They stepped forward as if to get a better look. "You?"
Their disbelief bothered me, and I placed my hands on my hips. "Me!" Then I jabbed my thumb at my chest. "I killed trecka!" It was only then that I remembered that I hadn't actually killed the monsters, just driven them off. I decided it wasn't a subtlety worth trying to communicate at the moment.
They stared a while longer, deciding whether to believe me or not. Finally the leader said,
"Get off our mountain." With that he turned and started to leave.
"Wait!" I called. I had no idea how to climb off a mountain. I didn't know if anyone else in the group did either. And J'role was in no condition to travel in any case. We needed help.
He turned, his massive, fleshy face crinkling into deep cracks. He stared.
"We ..." I gestured to the others. "We need help."
This seemed to interest him.
"What you need?"
"We have someone who is injured. And the ship—it is ruined. We need help getting down."
"Ha!" he said pointing. "You no kill trecka!”
"I chased them away," I said, giving in, my voice barely loud enough for them to hear.
"That is still good. And better because true." The troll smiled, pointed to himself.
"Vrograth."
I did the same, speaking my name.
“Come," he said. "You all give—" he stopped and thought—"two months' labor. We get you off mountain." He turned and started to leave again.
"What?"
He turned back, now clearly annoyed. "Come and get help. Stay and get off mountain.
NOW!"
"One of our group is wounded ..."
"Dying?"
"Maybe. Yes."
"Leave him. He dies. Way of things." He headed off to join the other trolls, clearly leaving the decision to me.
"STOP!" I screamed, suddenly extremely frustrated with the choice before me. I climbed over the edge of the ship and dropped several yards down to the ground. Vrograth stood, half turned away from me. As I marched up to him, he turned completely toward me.
"He's hurt. He can be helped! Do you have a questor of Garlen?"
"Not for him. He is outsider. No
"Greetings!" I cried out. My voice sounded weak.
A huge troll, monstrously large, a dozen feet tall, at least, stepped forward. He carried a crystal sword as tall as me, which glimmered ice blue. Heavy fur boots covered with crystal shards covered his feet. Crystal bracers made of hundreds of facets covered his forearms. He wore a giant fur cape.
Four trolls flanked him, each armed equally well.
I had little doubt that those five alone could kill us all. The other thirty or so would have a good time watching.
"Greetings!" I shouted again. I wondered if the trolls spoke Throalic.
The massive troll stopped and stood as solidly as any rock. The words from his mouth were Throalic, but broken and uncertain. "You. From stone ship?"
"No!" I replied, hoping against hope that it was the answer that would bring a quick end to the threat of violence.
The five trolls turned and looked at each other. After a short discussion, the leader asked,
"Where stone ship warriors?"
"Dead."
"Dead?"
"Dead."
"How?"
"We ... we killed them. And some elemental air creatures attacked the ship." The troll looked at me, curious. "Elemental air creatures?" I repeated. Still they looked confused.
One of the trolls, an old fellow with a few strands of white hair growing from his bald head, stepped forward to whisper into the leader's ear. I realized with a start that the troll wore the robes of a magician. The patterns on it showed jungle vines winding around one another.
The old troll and the leader exchanged words, and then the leader turned to me and with surprise asked, "Trecka?” He pointed to the sky and repeated the word.
As that was the best I thought I could do on the matter, I nodded my head and said
"Trecka."
The troll's eyes opened. "Where trecka?"
"Dead."
"Who killed Trecka?"
My companions, gathered around me in a semicircle, pointed to me.
This bit of news had a great impact on all the trolls. They stepped forward as if to get a better look. "You?"
Their disbelief bothered me, and I placed my hands on my hips. "Me!" Then I jabbed my thumb at my chest. "I killed trecka!" It was only then that I remembered that I hadn't actually killed the monsters, just driven them off. I decided it wasn't a subtlety worth trying to communicate at the moment.
They stared a while longer, deciding whether to believe me or not. Finally the leader said,
"Get off our mountain." With that he turned and started to leave.
"Wait!" I called. I had no idea how to climb off a mountain. I didn't know if anyone else in the group did either. And J'role was in no condition to travel in any case. We needed help.
He turned, his massive, fleshy face crinkling into deep cracks. He stared.
"We ..." I gestured to the others. "We need help."
This seemed to interest him.
"What you need?"
"We have someone who is injured. And the ship—it is ruined. We need help getting down."
"Ha!" he said pointing. "You no kill trecka!”
"I chased them away," I said, giving in, my voice barely loud enough for them to hear.
"That is still good. And better because true." The troll smiled, pointed to himself.
"Vrograth."
I did the same, speaking my name.
“Come," he said. "You all give—" he stopped and thought—"two months' labor. We get you off mountain." He turned and started to leave again.
"What?"
He turned back, now clearly annoyed. "Come and get help. Stay and get off mountain.
NOW!"
"One of our group is wounded ..."
"Dying?"
"Maybe. Yes."
"Leave him. He dies. Way of things." He headed off to join the other trolls, clearly leaving the decision to me.
"STOP!" I screamed, suddenly extremely frustrated with the choice before me. I climbed over the edge of the ship and dropped several yards down to the ground. Vrograth stood, half turned away from me. As I marched up to him, he turned completely toward me.
"He's hurt. He can be helped! Do you have a questor of Garlen?"
"Not for him. He is outsider. No
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