Chapter 6 – Troll Toll

The party had been travelling for two days past long rolling fields of green plains. Every couple of hours Tel had to re create Fih's horse illusion as the spell kept on running out. The party had been travelling along a dirt road called Coast way. Despite the name the road lead them going north from such an easterly point that the sea to the west was nowhere to been seen. Eventually the party came to a point where the landscape change quite suddenly to steep hills that stretched up and down and caused the horses to get quite tired of the uphill treks.

"Trolls infest this place" warned Tel "Beware".

"Gyuap kill many trolls" he boasted lifting his axe in triumph.

They eventually reached a thin rope bridge extending across a wide river on which a tall ugly green troll guarded the other end. The party started crossing the bridge with their weapons out when suddenly they heard Fih cry out in panic. Turning back they saw that Fih had fallen straight through the bridge and fell more then 40 ft into a rushing river below.

"Damn I'm an idiot I should have known that would happen!" yelled Tel.

"Not many people have travelled with an illusion before" commented Thonnahar sarcastically.

"He should still be under the water it won't be able to push him in his state, we have to help him" Cried Tel.

"We've got company first" said Elmy as he began talking in his strange language causing the troll to become still and unable to move.

"This way too!" shouted Gyuap watching several trolls started crowding up to the other side of the bridge they had come from. More trolls were also lining up at the far end of the bridge.

"This isn't good" said Tel "This is the smartest tactic I've ever seen trolls use".

Gyuap charged into the trolls behind them smashing the first one with the side of his axe into the trolls behind it for a domino effect, he then began slashing them mercilessly, blood raining off the bridge and colouring the water below.

Tel looked down off the bridge for Fih but couldn't see him, he imagined Fih in his mind and then imagined him growing illusionary wings while casting the spell to do so.

Fih look around in the water and was fascinated by the marine life swimming around to greet him, before he could explore this new environment however a pair of large feathery wings resembling those of an angel appeared on his back and he started back up to the bridge to see if his friends were in trouble.

The trolls were flanking both sides of the party, Gyuap was fending them of with his axe quite effectively but more were running onto the bridge then he was killing. "Fire" shouted Tel "They are vulnerable to fire". Thonnahar started to cast a fireball but realized she would burn the whole bridge down with them. "Not a good idea" shouted Thonnahar. Elmy started naming the planks of wood beneath the trolls on his side and a snapped them causing more then a dozen of the trolls to fall into the water below. "What are you doing?" shouted Thonnahar "How are we going to cross?" "It's temporary they'll revert back to normal soon" Shouted Elmy. Thonnahar thought through the spells she had memorized and began waving her arms and her staff in a seemingly random way and then several of the trolls near Gyuap fell asleep. Gyuap used this opportunity to slash at the trolls exposed necks lopping the heads off and they rained down from the bridge. Fih flew up into the sky and observed their surroundings and was shocked when he saw that there at least fifty trolls approaching each side of the bridge. Thonnahar cast another spell and pointed her staff at Gyuap whose muscles seem to grow larger and additional veins popped out all over his arms.

"There are too many of them!" yelled Fih flying down to their level.

"How many!" shouted Tel

"A hundred" replied Fih.

"What, we are doomed" said Tel

Gyuap was getting frustrated at the endless trolls and made a huge battle cry that nearly burst the ears of Tel, who was standing behind him, then Gyuap started slashing harder but this left him open and a troll's claw plunged into his stomach. On Elmy's side the planks had now reappeared suddenly and the trolls ran back along it charging at Elmy. He tried to break the planks again but in panic mispronounced them. A troll smashed into Elmy knocking him off the bridge followed by the sound of a splash.

"I've never seen trolls this determined before" shouted Tel

"What is going on?" questioned Thonnahar

Thonnahar thought as hard as she could as the trolls surrounded her and Tel, only one thing could cause trolls to behave like this, magic, but what magic was causing it. Blood was gushing out of Gyuap's stomach as he toppled over the bridge from a claw smashing him across the face, another splash was heard. Thonnahar luckily blocked a Troll's claw with her staff but because of its magical property it wasn't damaged.

"It was nice travelling with you for this brief quest!" said Thonnahar

"Don't speak like that" Tel said as he pulled out his double crossbow. But before he could load it another troll swiped at Tel and knocked him of the bridge by making him fall through the gap in the railing. Now Thonnahar was alone, she had only brief moments to think as two lines of trolls flanked her on both sides 'fireball' her thoughts nagged but she knew she would probably kill herself if she used that spell 'fireball'. She raised her staff to block a claw that narrowly missed her face which knocked it her staff off the bridge into the river below. Then the trolls backed away, they walked off the bridge and began climbing down the cliffs. After some of them climbed down the cliffs they swim into the water and then started clawing at the staff and trying to destroy it. It finally occurred to her, the staff was cursed. She ran to the far end of the bridge relieved to finally be free of it. Elmy and Tel dragged a bleeding and unconscious Gyuap out of the water and onto a small ledge that flanked along the river. The trolls were still busy attacking the staff like it was their worst enemy which was now starting to get splintered and damaged. Elmy started muttering something at the wall. Parts of the wall slid out to form a long stair case that reached to the top of the cliff. Elmy and Tel quickly dragged Gyuap up the staircase to the top of the cliff.

Thonnahar quickly ran up to where they emerged and yelled "Next time I see that shopkeeper I'm going to kill him". Her face showing she was furious.

"No time for that Gyuap's dying" explained Tel. Tel played a small tune on his lute imbuing it with magic as he spoke the words of the only healing spell he'd learned, Cure Light Wounds. Fih flew down the meet them and his wings disappeared. Gyuap opened his eyes and coughed up a column of blood and started grunting in agony.

"Are you okay" asked Elmy.

"No he isn't we have to get him to a healer" said Tel "The Way Inn should be further up the road"

"The Way Inn is a least another 3 days away on horseback" Complained Thonnahar.

"Elmy can you do anything?" asked Tel

"I could try" he replied

"Well try!" yelled Tell.

Elmy spoke a jumble of strange words and Gyuap's wound closed with incredible speed "It will only be for a little while" said Elmy.

"Then we've no time to lose" stated Fih "This was way too high a toll to pay for crossing a bridge.

The party gathered their horses that Thonnahar had put into an extra dimensional space and continued on their way. They soon passed out of the hills and back into the green fields. Gyuap's wound had reopened and the party used a few pieces of their clothing to wrap around Gyuap's stomach and stop the blood flow. They continued along a barren landscape and cliff that stretched to their right and then the Misty Forest moved past showing they were nearly at the Inn. At this point they weren't sure If Gyuap was dead or alive and they had to travel for stretches of two days straight without sleeping until they finally reached the Inn.