http://spherical.link/terrarp/threads/oh-great-theres-a-troll-heading-for-dormont.2546/
-In game communication channel for the thread, it is optional, you don't have to post in it if you don't want to, wait until Astor posts in it first before posting please.
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Although it had been a few months since the fateful battle with the Yladia assault on Dormont's castle, dividing the southern and northern lands, despite the passing of time and a new king crowned, a player no less taking the mantle, Dormont and it's castle still remained in shabbles after the battle. There was recently a fundraiser to raise funds to rebuild the lands and it was successful however it would take time to rebuild these lands and in the meantime, these lands were far from safe. It was during this time when one of the King's scouts who was scouting the Adecus forest for possible threats came across the stench of a mighty beast, a Troll. These monsterous human deformed like creatures while incredibly strong are also pure idiotic creatures who are only motivated by the hunger of their stomach's as well as pure violence due to their nature. A Troll's most potent abilities is they they can regenerate even the most deadly of wounds and there blood is that of ascid which can severly wound or result in one's death.

Seto himelf wasn't present on the assault on Castle Dormont during the first season ending due to the monster within watching the battle afar, taking in the pleasures of warefare, death and the spillage of blood made on the battlefield. He was however able to contribute signficantly to the reconstruction efforts for Dormont to the point he was the biggest investor which in the end granted him land a title of the lands, pratically making him a noble of the new player's kingdom. This was after all his entire objective since the beginning of his time on Terrasphere. Since Seto had gave a oath to serve the crown If he was made a noble of the new kingdom, the King had thought to test one of his vassals of their loyality and strength to the crown by giving him an important mission...to lead a small expedition force comprised of completely players into the force and destroy the Troll or any Trolls they came into contact with within the Adecus forest where the scouts reported the sighting's of a single Troll.

The King had spread word through out Dormont for a few days however few player's answered the call due to the risk with many calling it a suicide mission with little chance of victory while the many experienced players that were old as Seto or even older weren't in the area or were unable to assist due to their own messes they were in. Any players that decided to answer the Call would meet at one of Dormont's many guardtowers, this one in particular was on the edge of the Adecus forest, near the city and castle itself.

Seto sat in a chair on the uppermost deck of the guardtower, with his feet up on the deck's railing and his arms behind his head as a pillow of sorts against the beam that held up the guartower's roof, he felt quite comfortable where he was at. He would have much preferred a cushion chair of course but normal soldiers didn't get to enjoy the better things in life, he was used to sleeping on the ground and sitting in shit furniture but even still, he could never see himself as a normal soldier sitting or standing here all day doing nothing but staring into the heart of the forest with his eyes. It was a good thing he had only been here for a half a day otherwise he might had lost his sanity already, luckily for him they had equipment here where he could sharpen his Odachi for the future fight and they had a few wooden and straw dummies for practicing combat. he had used them earlier to entertain himself as well as to train a bit before this slug feast that was to come. Despite looking over his shoulder all around from the uppermost deck of the guardtower, he still didn't see anyone imbound for his position, would he have to deal with this himself? That idea didn't sit well with him, he was good but taking on a Trol on in hand to hand combat was suicidal at best even for his abilities.
@Gilgamesh Ougami @Sylpha Astarte @Brandon Moore @Cain Darlite @Solaria @Steven Burton

Seto Kurama

100% HP

MAX HP

100% EN

MAX EN

Condition Normal

 

Solaria had become fairly accustomed to following vague leads- but, because of her massive martyr complex and rather unusual fascination with a certain warrior, the girl had both overheard from someone nearer to her. She'd already been on her way to the guard tower, knowing it was a good place to spend time, especially at times she wanted to check on Seto.

Climbing up to the upper deck of the post wasn't the hard part. Actually, it was quite easy. The issue was that she'd found a fair amount of 'locals' fleeing, and a few had gotten hurt. So, why wouldn't she help them on her way?

"I hear we have a troll problem, Seto." She smiled, hand on the hilt of her sword, attached carefully to her hip. "There's not a ton of veterans around here from what I've noticed. I heard from someone that saw it that it looks pretty tough, so I figured I'd give you a hand. It just so happened I was on my way to see how you were doing anyway."

She took a better look over the tower's edge, peering as far into the distance as she could. The troll wasn't as easily spotted by her, but she at least could get a minor glimpse of it. "Even two of us won't be enough, I think...I hope others heard the request as well." It was far better if it wasn't just the two of them for many reasons, she told herself. "Do they frequent this area, usually? I can't say I've seen one anytime I was in the outskirts..."

 

Could you hear that horrible gnashing of teeth? Could you smell that terrible flatulence poisoning the air? Could you feel that dread that crawled up your spine, like a frozen spider, limbs breaking off as it climbed higher and higher?

Oh, then you could see it when you close your eyes. The promise of an adventure, the beginning of a legend, the very reason why anyone should play this game!

When some player-king’s quest resounded through the land, brought to the farthest reaches of his kingdom through messenger NPCs wearing pompous hats and waving cowbells, about, Cain had no reason at all not to answer the call. A Troll? A Troll this early on, when he hadn’t even gotten around to wiping out packs of wolves within Brisshal? When the reactions of the players around him indicated very clearly that there was a distinct lack of experienced warriors for this quest, and when others spurned this troll hunt as a suicide mission, Cain realized that this was nothing but the bestest of opportunities. Walking through the streets of the castle-city of Dormont, the Muse could envision it now. Beginning his heroic tale not with a botched up attempt to destroy a large pack of wolves but with the utter destruction of a child-eating Troll in a singular, world-shaking strike!

The man clenched his fists, cackling evilly to himself. Revered ancestors, now THAT would be a hell of a way to make his adventuring debut! A spring entered his step as he located the guard tower bordering the verdant abyss of the Adecus, and a peppy little marching tune flowed between his lips as Cain whistled cheerily, climbing the spiral staircase up and up and up until voila!

“I HAVE ARRIVED!” Leaping up at the final step, the energetic man stomped both feet out at his landing, arms swinging out as he jazz handed like a madman, a toothy grin on his face.

But far from the crowd of fellow greenhorns willing to risk it all to earn their stripes as bona fide beginner badasses, Cain only saw two individuals there. A raven-haired samurai knight dude that looked like he had seen his fair share of shit throughout his long in-game life and a sword girl with hair the color of unripe apples, apparently so disappointed in the lack of quest-takers around that she was just about to fling herself off the top of the guard tower.

Well. That was quite a party indeed. Just two others around. Two who were probably high-level players that had tested their mettle against the advent of the Primordial Lord of Chaos and Destruction, Azog the Volcano Creator. Mm. This was great. Awesome. He could make so many connections here!

And so, unbothered by the chilly reception, Cain winked at the two, did a little twirl, before flicking the rim of his hat with his index and middle finger. It somersaulted stylishly thrice before…not landing in his outstretched hands. Instead, it fell onto the ground, bottom-up.

Also intentional.

Rolling with the punches, the flamboyant man bowed low, before saying, “I am Cain Darlite. Your king has asked, and I have answered. With the sharpness of your spirit-steel and the words of power beating within my chest, let us scour the verdant shrine of Qora from the foul parasite that encroaches upon it.”

 

Sometime after that colossal boss fight with Azog and his visit to the Pelham Springs resort and after fully enjoying the services therein, Gilgamesh was once again on the road, wandering around, exploring the sights. He made sure to stick close to Brisshal since he was still fairly weak and in training with all his skills. Sadly, after a while, that got boring to him since there was only so much he could do without venturing further into the dangerous wilderness of the game. He was walking around grumbling about being bored

"Ugh...looks like I have exhausted the opportunities for amusing myself here...if only there were something interesting going on..."

Just then, as if in answer to his unspoken prayer, an alert popped up in his UI, so he opened it wondering what was so pressing that someone thought fit to summon a relative newbie like him. As he read, he learned of a troll hunt going on in the area around the castle-city of Dormont and learned that his services along with a few others were being called on to take on this monster and rid the world of it. Normally, since he was rather averse to the horrid scent of the trolls and their kin, he would refuse such quests, but since he had nothing else to occupy his interest at the moment, he decided to answer the call.

So with that, he set off to Dormont and after what seemed like several hours, he finally reached it and spotted a few figures on the rampart of the castle. So he headed towards it and then climbed up onto the rampart, using his Rogue skills in order to train them along the way. Once up, he approached the figures ahead of him, two of them being familiar to him, and one not so much. He did not make so much as a peep until he was right behind @Solaria. He spoke then, wondering how the endlessly amusing young woman would react

"Yo, it's been a while, Sola...didja miss me?"

 

The next person to arrive at Dormont was Sylpha. She decided to come not because of the actual need to defeat the troll, but gossip about this being cleaned up and declared a player's nation. Also, there was other talk about Yladians having fought here. With it being so difficult to meet others of her chosen race, Sylpha thought it shouldn't be harmful to trace a few things back and see what they had done. Without a mount, Sylpha would have to make the entire journey on foot - something that was bound to make her late to the party.

When she finally recovered from all the walking and climbing (the last flight of stairs feeling particularly torturous), she noticed a few others already peering out. With their assortment of attire and armors, it was obvious she had come to the right place.

In fact, she should have been so late that it would already be dead, yet somehow it wasn't. Either the travelling system had some forgiveness or she had completely lucked out. Somehow, she noticed that despite being out of breath her energy meter was not as far down as she thought it would be.

Rather than speak up, she decided to just stand where they were standing and take the time to control her breathing. Hopefully, she didn't require a rogue's skills to perform this kind of feat. If anyone asked, she would just bow politely and apologize.

 

He did hear the faint footsteps on the steps but he thought nothing of it, ignoring it almost completely, rather he wanted to focus on the serenity he had here. Ignoring those faint footseps that became louder and louder as they approached him. It proved to be his downfall when Sola's high pitched voice broke his peace and quiet as she made herself present, telling him they had a Troll problem. The palm of his left hand smacked his fore head, sighing while grumbling at the same time, of course it was his luck he would end up with Sola again for yet another mission! For a woman that apparently didn't love him, she sure was around him quite often or maybe she did have a thing for him and just didn't want to tell him? After the incident with Kaede and Sola, he really wouldn't be surprised either way he thought to himself. Right now though, the most important thing to think about was killing this damm troll that was in the forest near Dormont, anything esle like romance or love or any of that crap could come later, He swore If he saw anyone doing that shit, he would kill them instantly! There wasn't any time for things like that ! He hoped the people that would answer the King's request would bring their A game with them or they might all die a inglorious death.​

Standing up from his chair, he rested along the railing, looking back at Sola as she commented on the fact there wasn't many veterans in the area, she wasn't wrong in that sense, nor was she about the Troll but he doubt she knew the capabilities of a Troll, she would have probably died fighting one knowing her nature all too well. Crossing his arms agianst each other, he cleared his throat before speaking in a deep serious tone. "Yeah, you heard right, due to certain events that have transpired, there isn't many veteran players in the Dormont area which proves to be a problem. The king himself has given the order to kill this damm Troll. You should know this thing can regenerate almost any wound given enough time and it's blood is ascid meaning a single tear of it's blood can rip itself easily through clothes, armor and obivously skin. I have fought a Troll before and it nearly cost my life several times over so no playing the hero or flirting today, Thee's far too much riding on this for you to be an idiot today. If someone has to die so that the many people in the city of Dormont live, so be it."​

He was in serious mood today, more than usual anyway, he needed everyone focus today or else they be in a royal shit pan they wouldn't be able to get themselves out of. Following her arm with his eyes, they led him to her hand laying on the hilt of the Uchigatana Katana he had made for her quite some time ago. Being a former black smith, he noticed the most minor damage to one of his creations which in returned angered himself somewhat since she wasn't taking care of it as much as she should be.
"Sola.......What....the....hell.....have you been doing to my Katana? You know Katana's require lots of maintenance right? My masterpiece is not some crap straight sword or long sword. Take care of it and it will take care of you."​

Letting his anger out, he sighed slightly as Sola took a position near him, looking over the tower's edge, she saw the glimpse what looked like a Troll far away in the distance. Turning around to face the forest again, he could make out glimpse of the Troll out in the distance, it was obivously a few miles away from there position so they couldn't hear anything either but the loudest of actions. He rolled his eyes as Sola noted outloud the two wouldn't be enough to strike the beast down, wasn't that common sense? Why else did she think players were gathering to kill this beast? At least she asked him a viable question this time on how common they were.​

"Trolls in themselves are quite rare since there few in numbers and females are even rarer among there race. Trolls are stupid and will get themselves killed easily depending on the situation. Fighting single handily is foolhardy but If you had to, using the enviroment could save your very life. As for here, there not anymore common here than anywhere else, they are pretty adaptable to the point they can live in rivers."​

Their conversation was cut short however when Seto heard a man's voice yell out “I HAVE ARRIVED!” Looking up near the stairs, a rather energetic man appeared before him and Sola, stomping his feet as he landed on the last step of the stairs and swining his arm like one of those people who took things a tad too seriously. He wasn't quite sure how to react to the man, at least he was entertaining and orginal he thought to himself. He could tell from the man's facial expression he wasn't exactly thrilled that there was only Seto and Sola there but Seto wouldn't complain, he needed all the help he could get honestly on this one. watching the man wink at him and Sola coupled together with himself twirling around and flickering the edges of his hat up into the air before coming back down, it didn't land in the player's hand......instead it landed on the ground. It took a minute for Seto to process what just happened, laying agianst the railing completely frozen. When he finally snapped back to reality, he sighed as his head lowered. He couldn't take this man seriously, how could he when the man was doing things like this? He did feel bad though he kinda made a fool out of himelf though, pointing his index finger at the man, he looked over his shoulder to Sola. "Go....go give him a hug, I think he needs it Sola......Just no flirting now or else...." He tried his hardest to stop thinking how this man before him winked at him, he really didn't want to think of such things that could come out of that wink now. He shook his head a little in an attempt to get rid of those thoughts from his head.

Turning back to the other direction on the deck towards the forest, he saw a man beyind sola "JESUS CRISIS!" He yelled out, how the hell did this man get beyind him and Sola? Throwing his left hand on the hilt of his Odachi, he was ready to draw the Odachi out of it's saya on his back until he realized it was Gilgamesh, a player he recognized from the climatic battle with Azog some time ago. His left hand went from the hilt of his Odachi to his face.....hard. "I swear to god these players are gonna kill me and my sanity....I swear." He muttered to himself. Removing the palm of his hand from his forehead now showed a young five feet tall woman wearing somewhat different clothes than what he was used to at the top of the stairway near the man who had just gave him and Sola a show. Studying her carefully while trying not to come off as a prevert, It was hard to tell initially but she looked like a Yladian just like Sola if you took the height out of the equestion. Despite having nicely shaped breats which he didn't care for much, he took a mental note of her beautiful green eyes, they were perhaps the most beautiful eyes he had seen on here but If you asked why, he couldn't give you a reason, there was just something about them. It was strange she chose not to speak but than again, she was breathing quite heavily, with all that extra gear she had, no matter she was tired, he couldn't have her tired now! Pointing at the new girl that just showed up with his index, he hollared out towards her. "Miss....yes you near the stairway, come here and take a seat, I know your quite tired, I can't have one of my members tired during the briefing. What is your name Miss? To all though who do not know, I am Seto Kurama, Fiend Knight in service to King Astor of Dormont."​

Once the young woman took her seat If she decided to, Seto Raised his hand, he waved with his hand, signaling the presumed players to come in closer so he could brief them on the situation at hand.
"I don't know If you all know the situation but in case you don't let me inform you now. Near the city of Dormon or what reamins of it, there was steady reports of a massive forest troll in the Adecus Forest here, hell If you look out from the deck here, you can probably get glimpse of it from here, it's a few miles away from this position. King Astor the first has ordered me to gather here to lead a number of players into battle against the Forest Troll in hopes of killing it. If your not aware of it, you should know now that Trolls can regenerate severe wounds, even limbs if given enough time and their blood is ascid so constant touch will destroy your clothing and armor and as for your skin....well I think you can figure that one out for yourselve yes? Forest Trolls are also skilled in Naturamany so IF they used there brains long enough they can it to their advantage. A troll can only be truely killed off if it's heart is destroyed.....yes it can regenerate it's head.....Don't ask... Last thing this will be extremely dangerous, there will be a decent chance you will fall today in battle so you must make a choice now If you still wished to battle that beast in the forest. It sure as hell won't be easy but If that thing gets into Dormont, it will destroy a portion of the remaing city and IT will eat it's people, some of you may be asked to do the heroic thing no one wants to do. I am still going, King Astor has put his trust in me and I cannot fail him nor the people of Dormont. That is the briefing....any questions? No? Than it's time to hit the road than."​

 

It wasn't the warmest of receptions, but even Solaria had no intentions of being too playful at a time like this. It irked her more that he'd assume she would even see a reason to flirt in a situation like this- but, she had to admit, he did know her well otherwise. She did tend to rush into action fairly quickly.

Not willing to make any promises, she watched the Troll in the distance as he explained the dangers of the situation. "Acidic blood surely will be a problem. I'll have to stick to healing and holy magic then, since letting it corrode Uchi would be bad." She didn't bother to react to is mild scolding, her focus on the task at hand to her own surprise. She could bother him later to help heal her sword, though she'd already done her best to tend to it- it was probably a good thing he hadn't seen it a week before.

As the stranger joined them with dismay on his face from a notable lack of reaction, Seto seemed rather adamant about having her heal his wounded pride- though, in her own mind, she couldn't help thinking it was also just to get her to move further away from him. Smiling, she opted to take on his request, moving swiftly until her arms were tightly around @Cain Darlite's shoulders, a warm greeting if it could count as that.

"We're glad to have you here. We need all the help we can get. Don't mind Seto. He's just always a grump, especially with such a heavy order on him right now." her words were said well-meaning, a smile on her face as she let go of the stranger. It wasn't long before more people came, notably a familiar voice behind her, causing her to jump, almost going for the earlier noted uchigatana. "Ah, Gil! You scared the heavens out of me!"

She laughed, trying to hide the flood of anxiety that had filled her moments before with haste. "Here to help out?" As she was beginning to take count of however many there were in their group- so far four- Seto noted the other woman in the shadows, who seemed quite clearly trying to stay quiet. As she was noted to come closer, Solaria merely smiled in her direction, hoping to help her feel a little more at home- even if she wasn't likely feeling lost, either.

Seto soon moved to introduce himself, making her think it was probably a good idea to join in, once he was done explaining the situation in more detail. "I'm Solaria. I'm adept at healing magic, so if you begin to feel unwell, tell me, okay? I'd rather not see anyone die on the battlefield today."

Her reasoning, of course, was mostly her own and the rest of the group's sanity. No one should see Solaria after she's been near someone who's died...And probably they shouldn't see Seto dead or asleep in general, either. Neither was a good plan, so she'd have to find a way to keep either of those happening, if she could help it. "Well, as he said...Let's take that thing down!"

 

Oho, looked like someone else was trying to go for a flashy entrance as well. While Cain Darlite had both the exasperation of the katana knight and the attention of the green-haired lady knight, he could see from his own vantage point another weirdo silently stepping up behind her. Should he warn her?

…no. He wasn't the type of person to just go out of his way to spoil someone else's fun.

Accepting the woman’s hug with all the grace of a gentleman, squeezing lightly and keeping his hands on her back instead on more questionable locations, Cain retracted himself from her embrace with a smile, before picking up his hat once more. “It’s fine, truly,” the muse replied, “Though my countenance may be that of a carefree champion of justice, I am definitely aware of the danger we will soon be exposed to, and I swear upon grace and wisdom of Iedi and Idna that this humble muse shall not flee in the face of the beast.”

With the arrival of the fourth member of this motley crew, it was clear that Seto Kurama, Fiend Knight of the Far Eastern Lands, had no intention of waiting for more. Their mission was simple, but their adversary was great. Though Cain’s own experience with past games was that trolls were merely intermediate beasts, it was also fairly true that perhaps everyone was just...still not at that ‘intermediate’ level? Nevertheless, the combination of nature magic, high speed regeneration, and acidic blood definitely made the task before them sound fairly brutal, even without considering the massive physical capabilities of such a titanic terror. A singular strike to the heart then, in a dizzying ambush that locks down their foe within an instant. Eyeing the horse-slaying blade of Seto, Cain’s mind began to churn, considering various things. A battle this may be, but considering how more than half the group looked to be as destitute as himself, it was definitely better to consider this a puzzle.

Like shitty games that either required intense amounts of planning or intense amounts of money, this too would require that. And though tradition heroes could just muscle their way out of these problems…well, even Hercules had to use his brain for his Labors, right?


“Then let us advance, to eradicate the threat that lingers there! May the Elysids’ blessing be with us!”

Placing his hat on top of his head, Cain turned to Seto as they strode off, sidling up beside the knight before saying, “I must ask, Royal Fiend Knight, as one that appears to be experienced with fighting these sorts of creatures, do you understand much about their anatomy? Are their bones more or less in the same place as humans?”

 

Gilgamesh had expected a slightly warmer reception from @Solaria, but oh well, he did realize it was a combat situation, so he didn't fault her for being alarmed, remarking to her

"Oh, ehehe, my bad Solaria...I didn't mean to startle you, and I thank you for not using your katana on me as well. However, I didn't peg you as the type to want to get involved with a filthy beast like a Troll...oh well, good luck and don't go dying on me, okay..."

With that said, he stepped back with a sheepish smile to @Seto Kurama in apology. After that, he fell in line as Seto called a meeting of all the players signed up for hunting down and destroying the troll, listening intently and silently to all Seto had to say so he could glean as much information as he could without asking too many questions. He had to wonder though, could the Forest Troll be intelligent and its senses sharp enough to detect Rogue users who relied on stealth and high speed sneak attacks to bring down their target.

However, since Cain had already asked a question about Troll anatomy, Gilgamesh decided to wait for his turn to ask his doubts. As he waited, his Felis eyes now became slits and changing colors while his ears twitched atop his head and his black tiger tail swished about gently, signaling his excitement for the upcoming fight, which was quite unlike his usual laidback nature.

 

She attempted to blend in and the first thing that happened was being discovered. Embarrassed at her blunder, she bowed once to hide her blushing face and took a seat to listen to the briefing. As Sylpha didn't exactly understand the assignment she was up for nor know anyone else who came to take up this task, she learned a lot more compared to everyone else. In fact, just a few minutes ago, she didn't even know the forest in question was named "Adecus Forest".

As the man played up the Troll's aspects to be a nearly invincible creature, one had to ask why they did not lure one into a trap that could easily kill anyone here several times over, such as a pitfall with spears at the bottom.

No, chances were that they tried but did not pierce the heart.

Looking around, few seemed to carry weapons suited for the task. The person giving the briefing appeared to own an uchigatana, which was meant for cutting large targets. What was required here was someone who could pierce it instead.

When it was time for the question and answer, the man with the most luxurious hair in the crew asked about the Troll's anatomy. Specifically: bones. Sylpha had a better question regarding the same subject.

"So, do you know where a Troll's heart is placed exactly?"

Once her curiosity was answered (or not), she would keep her mouth shut and let the rest play out. She came to see what was going on around here, but the situation seemed to be dire enough that she would be very harshly reprimanded if she attempted to start taking screenshots instead of... say, doing the obvious and setting out to fight.

Sylpha just hoped that her magic had the capability of piercing it's skin and flesh.

 

OOC: Sorry it isn't longer, my eye vision was crap when I wrote this >>

That went better than expected? They listened well to his words or at least acted as If they did, hell they seemed to have some enthusiasm despite the fact they were going to do battle with a Troll that could very well kill them with ease than eat them as a snack. Since no one had any questions at that point, he figured they would head out since there wasn't anymore point in standing around here, he also somehow doubted anyone else would come, he had no evidence of course, more of a gut feeling but he didn't have much of a choice being on the King's time. "Since no one got any questions at the moment, introduce yourself as we move, If were all gonna die together, at least it be nice for everyone to know each other." With no more time to waste, he stepped off the deck and made his way to the stairway, looking over his shoulder towards the group, he signeled the others to follow him as he waved his left hand towards them before falling back int his direction, pointing towards the stairs. He stood in the training courtyard after he had walked down the flight of stairs that lead upto the deck of the guardtower, he waited until eventually everyone was out before taking point down the dirt road that lead deeper into the Adecus Forest where there lovely Troll was.

It was his luck that only now would they want to ask him about the quest they were on. He would have been annoyed If Cain didn't call him a Royal Fiend Knight. He had to hold in his chuckles in an effort to not come off rude or to make him out to be a non serious person. At the very least, Cain did ask him a question worth his time. The group was lucky they had him in a way, he wasn't an expert at a Troll's anatomy exactly but he learned the hard way by fighting one and nearly dying by it. It also wasn't bad he had also read up on the Troll in his spare time when studying so the same thing wouldn't happen again.

"Am no surgeon but I have dealth with Trolls enough to know, I've also studied them as well in my earlier studies. There bones are obivously much more thicker than a human's ,that much is given however there flesh can still ripped open with a well crafted blade or b magic. If I can gather enough energy, I'll try my luck at using Arcanamancy on it. If that doesn't work I suppose I can always live upto my name and curse it with one of my spells. Now I."

Before he could finish what he wanted to say, he was cut off by Slypha who had wanted to ask her own question. If she was more like Sola, It would have irritated him but he couldn't get mad at a girl that barley spoke. Now Slpha on the other hand had asked where a Troll's heart was and If he knew, a valid he question he weavered in his mind, far better than Sola would probably ask him. Shrugging his shoulders, he looked back towards Sylpha or where ever she was as the party walked deeper into the forest.

"The Location of a troll's heart is the same of a human Sylpha, now it was a Chaotic or Currupted Troll created by demons or by dark magic, those trolls could have multiple hearts and and could be anywhere, thankfully for us, this is just a normal Troll. It's the same as a human and If you forgot for one reason or another, well just rip it apart until can land the finishing blow."
​

 

When Seto mused a reason as to why knowing each other was a good idea, the swordsman sighed slightly. Should a knight- fiend or not- really be encouraging the concept of death being an option? And wouldn't it be helpful to know one another even without having to die? A team wasn't a team without cooperation...And just yelling 'hey you, do this' wouldn't solve anything.

The closer they got to the troll, the worst a strange smell seemed to catch her nose. Was this the smell of evil? "Seto, what kind of magic is most effective on Trolls? Any idea? I can use Fate Channeling on our weapons before we get face to face with it to prepare, if holy damage would help us out in getting to it's end sooner."

Her eyes looked among the rest of the team members. There were three men, two women. There were two men she knew at least somewhat, and a man and a woman she had never met. "So, what do you guys do anyway? Er, your skill sets I mean. You can probably guess already from what I've said, but I'm a slasher with holy and healing magic. I have been learning to make some poison to dip our swords and such in too, but I can't guarantee the effects yet. Anyway... Knowing each of our skills will help us complement each other's weaknesses and strengths so we won't die in the first place."

It was rare, she knew, that she put such heavy thought into a battle. Solaria had, in recent years, become a playful girl that wanted to just enjoy her life in games without bothering to take things seriously. But right now, with a martyr complex and the fact that there were lives at stake, she had to at least try to keep everyone from needing her healing skills...Right?

 

Thicker bones than humans, huh? Though it was a pity that the Royal Fiend Knight, Monster Exterminator Extraordinaire, had only recently began his studies on the anatomy of trolls, the fact that its flesh could be rent was good enough for Cain. A heart on the left side of the body. Bones that would be strong enough to stop steel. Flesh that was touch, but still vulnerable. With those things in mind, he followed the rest through the forest. The dead silence and the mounting trepidation was daunting, but that pressure was pushed aside easily with a simple reminder: this was but a game.

NPCs could die, players could die, and everything was graphically, horrifically ‘real’, but this was all still just a game. And every game had a solution, one more elegant than simply ‘ripping it apart while dealing with its regeneration and acidic blood before striking it in the heart’.

Indeed, with the foul stench of the troll growing stronger and stronger in the air, the green haired lightbending samurai was on her way to becoming a strategist as well, asking basic information such as possible elemental weaknesses and the capabilities of her fellow questers. Well, teamwork always began with learning about one’s team! “As expected of such a virtuous saint,” Cain spoke, “Though I know not of the weakness of these foul creatures myself, the radiance of divinity shall surely serve well in blinding these hell-bound flesh-seekers. My own talents serve to bolster your strengths and diminish your weaknesses. Though my repertoire is shamefully limited for a Muse as blessed as myself, the few songs I do have within my heart shall surely bolster your fighting spirit and quicken your blood.”

A pause. His power over the arcane wouldn’t be quite as useful here. There was no need to brag about that.

“Let me put forward a proposal as well. Against a Troll whose blood is liquid fire and whose flesh flows back in place like water from a stream, a prolonged fight will only be in our disadvantage. With the knowledge that only a strike to the heart can slay them, and with the knowledge of where that heart is, here’s the simplest method of killing this Troll: a decisive backstab from Sir Kurama brought forth by leading the beast towards an ambush point. If we had a pyromancer, we may seek to follow the path of the great demi-god Hercules by cauterizing each wound dealt, but with only two veterans and three newbies, this should be the least demanding path.”

A confident, no, wolf-like smile found itself on Cain’s expression, as he directed it to Solaria. “And hey, if all goes well, there’ll be no need for you to shed blood in place of another, Samurai of the Sunlit Saber.”

 

Gilgamesh had been listening to all the questions that were asked and the answers that were given to said questions, hoping that he would remember all of the information when push came to shove, the moment he would come face to face with the troll. He decided to go ahead and ask his question, but before he could, his new friend @Solaria had posed one of her own, asking all of them about their respective repertoires. So he answered while bringing out his twin katars

"well to answer your question, Solaria, I at least know the basics of stealth, close combat, and my weapon of choice is this pair of punching daggers which I use in conjunction with my punches and kicks...oh and I am beginning on the path to being an alchemist as well...so I could take over imbuing poison to our weapons should you require assistance at any time."

He put in his two cents this way and then fell silent, going back to listening to all that the others had to say on the matter. While he listened, the horrid stench began to affect his heightened sense of smell from being a Felis race member, so he pulled up the cloth half-mask around his neck onto his face in order to try to shield himself as much as possible from that repugnant odor that seemed to pervade the area.

 

Anything that involves Astorea concerns Stampede the most. Deep within the groves of the forests, nested within the trees was the green fox himself, who opened a plug in that allows him to browse through Terrasphere’s game Wikipedia in order to learn what kind of items are in demand nowadays. Fortunately the game has contributors posted up by the veterans, it was quite convenient to have this information open to the public like this, that way he’ll know what he’s looking for.

“A troll’s heart, the blood of an elder harpie, dragon mats not implemented yet… I guess while this game is no longer in the beta, I suppose they only released it so that devs can update the AI and improve source coding so there would be more interesting events as well as the chances of creatures respawning again. But isn’t the game operated by an AI? I could be wrong then again I’m no expert when it comes to virtual reality. Back during the day, consoles and computers were a thing but now they’re a thing of a past… the consoles that is.” He closed the information window and stood up, dusting off his clothes and preparing his equipment.

“Well enough about that, time to see if any of my traps caught anything, or killed anything” Equipping his wooden bow, he sets off and rappels down from the tree with a rope and sets off into the wilderness. From area to area he would find that some of his traps are broken, while some were not and yielded loot. Then he heard a grumbling sound that was coming from the opening ahead. Having decided to hid himself within the foliage, there he can see the giant troll killing 2 players in one go. The picture in the wikia served no justice compared to what he’s seeing, heck this thing might be bigger than an ogre.

However… although there’s no chance of him fighting that thing alone, Stampede is more interested to see what kind of loot those bodies had dropped. Maybe he can get something out of them? Perhaps but there’s no way he’s ever doing that while that massive behemoth was standing still, admiring its work. Blood was literally spilled everywhere and that kind of graphic was no stranger to this green fox.

He spent his days on GGO and he’s seen a lot worse than just simple human slaughter. Perhaps if he lured the creature to any of his traps it would help there was just one problem… its regenerative abilities. While poison has been one of the most reliable weapons he possess, his might only do little in the long run. Plus if he manages to defeat this thing by himself, he acquire the body parts, a vial of its acidic blood (which can be used in alchemy as a reagent) and its heart, both items that can fetch a high price in the market.

After all, it was also said that giant trolls like these are rare.

So apart from attacking this troll, what’s the agro priority of this monster besides attacking? Stampede might want it to lure the creature deep in the groves where he had set up a few acres of traps that can take away perhaps a fair portion of its health if it continues to fall victim to them. Then again it might not be enough and that his contraptions might exhaust before the creature is slain.

And with just the skills of a novice, he cannot beat it.

Maybe he can lure that thing to dormant and let the player and npc populace deal with the thing, course it may involve the sacrifice of so many lives, but the score for landing the final blow would be worth it.

He draw his bow and started to take aim, only for the creature to spot 3 more curious players and chase after them.

“Oh for fuck’s sake..”