Or started too before I was practically deafened. [HEY YOU JERK! DON'T YOU DARE DIE AND LEAVE MY SWORD TO RUST IN THE RIVER! PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!]
I snapped my eyes open and panicked, kicking hard and flailing my arms. I started to run out of energy and inhaled a good amount of the water quickly drowning. I was terrified but kept moving until my arm hit the wall and I managed to pull my head out of the water. I gasped for air and immediately started puking the water back out. I clung on to the wall shaking and trying to regain control.
[Well look who's back.] Dereloth floated down and hovered in front of me. [Good rule of fighting is don't turn your back on an enemy. You okay?] His small eyes glittered with concern.
"Yeah just give me a minute." I took a few deep breaths and steadied my breathing. I looked down and noticed I was still gripping the sword tightly. "How?...whatever, magic sword " I looked up and saw I had about ten foot climb ahead of me. I could hear the girls fighting. Looking around I didn't see a way to pull myself up. "Derel, I'm stuck down here. Any ideas? How are the girls?" I heard a roar followed by a wet smack.
[Wow your orc lady just gave him a good one.] I heard someone swear followed by a loud crunch. [Oooh until he threw the dwarf at her. You should really come up here and watch this.] He looked down at me and spun in a circle while I stared daggers at him. [What?]
"Can you be useful here?! Find me a way up!" he flew down muttering something about useless without me and together we managed to find some this iron bars hammered into the wall for a ladder. [You better hurry, they aren't doing so well.] I heard more roaring and yelling from above followed by a high pitched scream from Mellie. I hauled myself up from the river and stood shaking on me feet to see Rula knocked out bleeding from her mouth. Braga trapped underneath the remains of a building with a beam pinning her down and Mellie being held by the neck in the creature's grimy claws, struggling and kicking.
He licked his lips and grinned, "Been a while since I had Halfling flesh. This one looks young and healthy" He chuckles low and runs a slimy purple tongue on the side of her face. I heard her whimper and kick weakly at him as she struggled to breathe. I saw Braga try to push herself up to help but she was still trapped.
[Well? What are you waiting for?] I looked left to see Derel watching me with anticipation. [Your friends are in trouble and you're just gonna stand and watch? Take him down! ]
I looked over at him and took a deep breath as I drew my sword. "Hey, Ugly!" It stopped sampling a squirming Mellie and looked over to I was standing. "Leave her alone, or you're gonna deal with me." I stood confidently in my combat stance and tried to look intimidating. That confidence evaporated when he laughed at me.
"You?! What are you going to do?" he tossed Mel aside as he approached me chuckling. "I already bitch-slapped you across the street. Wanna go for round two?" I winced as he cracked his knuckles.
[You can take him, just focus. Follow your instincts, he may be bigger but you're smarter.] Dereloth appeared on my right crouching in mid-air hissing at the monster." [I'll help you out all I can.]
I turned to him and nodded quickly. "Thanks man, I appreciate it."
The troll scratched his head with a dirty fingernail. "Who're you talking to? We gonna do this small fry?" he raised his arms and prepared to smash me into the ground. "I'll smash you good this time!"
His fists came down and I jumped forward swinging overhand and high as I passed. The concrete cracked under his fists but a large spray of blood erupted from his arm where I had cut it. I turned and slashed quickly at his exposed back, cutting deeply again before he turned swinging his good arm at me. "Hah, for all that big talk a while ago you're looking pretty fucked up my friend."
He grinned and lifted his arm and I watched shocked as the wound slowly closed and his skin returned to normal. "You gonna hafta do better than that small fry." He surged forward and threw a fist that knocked me back a few feet and I landed on my ass. I tried to quickly get to my feet but he jumped on me and started hammering into my chest. Thankfully the armor did its job and I managed to shove my sword deep into his side.
"RAAGHHH! Son of a bitch!" I tried to shove him off me but he just snarled and pushed forward more wrapping his hands around my throat and squeezing hard. I tried taking a deep breath and felt a crack in my neck and I couldn't get any air in. "Now I'm gonna kill you and all your little friends." I struggled and pushed against him, clawing at his face and hands trying to get free. "Starting with that tasty little one."
"You mean me?" I heard a thunk and he reared back clutching his eye where a small steel shaft was lodged. I gasped for air as I turned over and saw a bruised Mellie reloading her crossbow. "No-one hurts my friends and gets away with it!" she wedged it against her hip and fired again shooting him in the chest. I felt strong hands grab my shoulders and haul me to safety.
"Easy lad, I've got ya." a gloved hand touched my throat and I started breathing a bit easier. I looked over at Rula smiling and touching the small silver anvil symbol on her axe. "Good job keepin him busy. We'll take it from here." She clapped me on the shoulder and pointed to a bloody Braga charging in sword drawn taking a massive chop into his shoulder.
She winked at me and ran forward swinging her axe at him, but he managed to block it with his arms. "Keep hittin him, girls! These bastards don't go down easy!" She jumped back from a swipe of his claws and punched at him with the rim of her shield. Mellie cocked her crossbow and fired again and again, each time sinking a small bolt into him throwing off his balance. Braga managed to sneak behind him and yanked my sword free. "Hey hero, you forgot something!" she tossed it towards me and i ducked as it flew over my head and lodged itself in one of the bodies.
"Oh, thanks a lot!" I ran over and grabbed it but turned as I heard him roar. Quicker than I would have imagined for someone his size he managed to slash his claws across Braga's face ripping it open, and throw something at Mel to knock her off balance. Rula hissed in frustration and ran to Braga and began healing her. The troll backed away his multiple wounds already healing.
"You think you can stop me? I can take whatever you can hit me with!" he stretched his shoulders as the last of his wounds closed. "Prepare to die." He flexed his claws and charged towards Rula and Braga.
"Shit man, think! What kills trolls?!" I tried to remember what I had read in the various monster manuals back home. "They regenerate, live in swamps, stupid and tribal. Fire." I looked around desperately for some way to start a quick fire but didn't see any torches or braziers.
[Why don't you use your spells? You've got a few good ones in there you know.] He was wrapped around the hilt of the sword I was pulling on. [If you need a focus just use the sword.]
"I know magic?" I Looked into my own head and was surprised I had a few spells stored away. "Holy shit I know magic!" I ripped my sword out and focused the energy I felt within myself and felt it flow into the sword waiting to be released. Grinning I yelled at the troll. "Hey ugly! You couldn't even finish me off and I'm just a puny human." He turned to glare at me. "Come on shit for brains, come get some."
Apparently the fecal matter that was his brain didn't like that so he turned and started running on all fours, closing the distance between us quickly. "as he approached I held up the sword and pointed it at him oh please let this work" he got within a foot of me before I dropped down and rolled my body into his knees. I took a knee to the head but he went flying into the damaged building piling more debris on top of him.
I stood up at the same time he did and he laughed as he spat blood at me. "Hah! That the best you got?!" I grinned as I pointed my sword directly at the wooden debris surrounding and covering him. "No" I said smirking as my sword began to glow golden. "But this is. Ignis Pila!" a torrent of flame flowed down my sword and focused into a small ball. For a second I thought it wouldn't work but then it shot off like a rocket and landed at his feet. His eyes widened for a split second before it grew into a miniature sun igniting everything surrounding him. I heard him scream for a few seconds before the silence set in, interrupted by the sound of crackling wood and corpses.
[Jeez when you cast a spell you don't hold back huh?] Dereloth landed on my shoulder. [Nice job, partner.]
I grinned manically amazed at what I had done. I turned as I felt a hand clasp my shoulder and saw Braga and the others staring at the fire. She looked at me and I raised my eyebrow still smiling like a nutjob. "So…have you ever thought of joining a adventuring group?" She matched my grin and I saw it reflected on Mellie and Rula as well. "As long as I get to blow more shit up, I'm in."
Rula laughed and came forward to take my hand. "Welcome to the murder Bitches."