Fight. Level. Survive.

Chapter 33 - Stab Stab, Stab Stab Stab

Time seemed to slow as he watched his friend’s limp body hit the floor. She didn’t move. She wasn’t dead. She couldn’t be dead.

Up until now, he had been living in this world as if it was just a game. He threw himself into danger, not really caring about his own well-being because there was a small part of him that still thought of this world as fake.

He had only known her a short time, but Mayry was just as real to him as anyone he knew from Earth.

Watching the Troll’s fist make contact with her face, something inside him snapped.

It felt similar to when he had been inflicted with the Crack Hen’s rage ability. His vision went red, and he felt himself stepping toward the Troll.

The thing roared in his face as he stepped in between it and Mayry’s limp form. Mason, in turn, opened his mouth and let out an ungodly scream filled with fury.

A sudden, anger-filled blow to the face cut off the troll’s next move. The hottest surge of fury Mason had ever felt propelled his punch. He felt his Emotional Wreck skill activated, but unlike the other times, there was something extra there, something primal.

His punch hit Gler’s face with such speed and force that he felt the bones in his hand break as they made contact. His fist was wrist-deep in the Troll’s face before the laws of physics took effect, and the troll shot off into the distance.

Before the Troll could regenerate and return to the fight, Mason went over to Mayry and, with his unbroken hand, put a finger to her neck. Relief flooded him as he felt a faint pulse. He tipped her head back and poured his last healing potion down her throat, hoping it would be enough.

He went over to the Trunk he had discarded next to the tent, opened the lid and carried Mayry in. The hostages watched him wide-eyed as he lay the half-dead woman on the sofa.

Mason ignored their stares as he left, closed the Trunk’s lid and picked it up. Using his good hand, he began to carry it away from danger. He could hear the Troll’s roar in the distance and knew he had to move quickly. As he walked, he felt his rage dissipate, replaced by a sense of urgency and determination. His punch had thrown the Troll a fair distance, but it moved fast and would most likely be fully healed while his hand would still be broken.

His HP bar was three-quarters full and filling more every minute. His hand was feeling better, becoming less painful, but it was taking its time.

He couldn’t let Mayry die. The potion might of been enough, but he couldn’t risk it. He needed to get her to whatever this world’s version of a Doctor was.

He ran in what he hoped was the direction of Sparksford. He sprinted as fast as he could with the Trunk on his back, but he heard the Trolls roars get louder and louder until he could see it moving towards him at what seemed an impossible speed for such a large being.

He stopped and set down the Trunk. Pulling out his bow, he hoped that either the necrosis would be able to harm it or the depression would make it want to kill him less. His hand was still in terrible pain, but he powered through it.

He aimed as Gler got closer and closer. His first shot missed as it swerved out of the way. His second shot landed but failed to pierce the Troll’s thick skin. His third shot also landed, but this time managed to pierce through its eye, causing the troll to stumble and roll just as it approached him.

Undeterred, the Troll pulled the arrow out, taking an eye with it. The Troll’s regeneration seemed to be struggling against the necrosis; they seemed to cancel each other out. The necrosis wasn’t spreading passed a certain point, but it wasn’t being completely healed, either.

It came down to him with a broken hand, Vs a half-blinded Gler.

The rage in the Trolls remaining eye was intense, but Mason’s own rage was rapidly returning. Now that he saw the Monster standing before him, he couldn’t help but hear the thud Mayry’s body made when it hit the ground, repeatedly replaying in his head.

He was glad the Troll regenerated because he was going to enjoy ripping it apart over and over again.

“WHERE IS GLA? WHERE IS DAUGHTER?” It roared. Keeping further from Mason than in their last confrontation.

“She’s dead,” Mason said, looking up to meet the Trolls single eye.

“AAARGHH,” was all the reply Mason got as Gler charged at him swinging its fists.

Mason dodged and quickly rolled to the side. Gler's fist hit the ground, sending rocks and dirt flying everywhere. Taking advantage of the troll's momentary distraction, Mason drew his dagger and ran towards it, jumping onto its back and stabbing at its neck. He stabbed and stabbed, the creature was double his level, but at that moment, it didn’t matter. His mind went blank. The only thing that mattered was ending this Troll.

He was Mason Hughes. STAB. He was a Hunter. STAB. He was Chaos. STAB. Wait… what.

The Troll finally managed to shake him off. Mason was back on his feet in moments. The Troll, while regenerating fast, looked like a demonic dalmatian with gaping holes all over its body Instead of spots. It was struggling to keep itself standing.

Mason took out his bow and started shooting as many arrows as he could into the wounds. Out of the ten he shot, seven landed in open wounds. Three seemed to do nothing, but four started spreading its rotting effect. It made it an inch away from the arrow before it stopped spreading. As before, the Trolls regeneration wasn’t powerful enough to heal the active effect but could fight it to a standstill. The Troll staggered toward him in obvious agony. The rage was gone from its eyes, replaced by tears?

Dagger in one hand and a Magic Missile ready to go in the other, he approached to see if he could figure out how to kill the Troll without fire or acid. He was starting to calm himself and see things more clearly. He knew he had been angry, but that insane, he hadn’t felt like himself at all. He was moving his body, but it was like the thoughts were being put in his head disguised as his own.

The Troll was hardly a threat now. It was standing but barely. As he approached, it swung a slow, poorly aimed punch, which Mason let hit him. The blow glanced off his shoulder, which triggered a notification. Not particularly worried about the Troll anymore. He read it.

Your Armours skill - Rebound - has been activated, and two points of damage have been rebounded onto your attacker.

Mason just rolled his eyes. That would have been a great help earlier, but now it only showed just how weak the Troll was.

Gler - Level 32 Troll Bandit Leader. (Depressed, Decomposing, Limbo)

Ah, his bow had afflicted depression; he hadn’t been entirely sure. He assumed the Decomposing affliction was from the necrosis, but he wasn’t sure what the Limbo was.

Help - Limbo status effect.

Limbo, Is a stats effect gained when a being’s regeneration is fighting against damage-causing afflictions, achieving a perfect balance between the damage being done and damage being healed. Enough additional damage done to a being with the Limbo effect is exceedingly likely to kill them.

“Ah, that explains that. No more regeneration for you.”

He briefly considered letting the Troll go, perhaps living the remainder of its days half-blind, unable to regenerate new wounds and covered in agonisingly painful dead flesh, would be an appropriate form of punishment.

Then, he remembered again the noise Mayry’s body had made hitting the floor. He remembered the horrifying sight of those dead people. Those dead children, all missing arms and legs that he assumed the Trolls had eaten.

Mason took a few steps back and shot a powerful Magic Missile into Gler’s head, causing it to explode. He wanted to be sure the Troll wouldn’t be coming back, so he shot an additional Magic Missile at the torso, causing it to also explode.

The world was a better place with one less Troll.

*DING*

You have slain Gler - Level 32 Troll Bandit Leader

You have received 320 + 30%

You have received 416 experience

Quickly walking over and looting Gler,

Loot received

Fine Troll skin

Troll snot

Troll tears

50 Iron coins

He opened his Trunk and saw a weak Mayry in a standoff with the Troll’s ex-hostages. The hostages were in front of the Trunks entrance trying to prevent her from leaving. Mayry was holding a fireball in her hand threateningly until she saw Mason.

The hostages all moved aside and let Mayry limp over to Mason.

“Are you okay?! I tried to come and help as soon as I woke up, but they refused to get out of the way.” She shot a dirty look at the gathered people as she spoke.

Mason pulled her into a hug, “it’s okay. The last Troll is dead. I was really worried about you. I thought you’d died.”

“I feel like I got pretty close there. Everything hurts. Wait, how did you kill the Troll leader without fire.”

Mason grinned at her, “I just hit it really hard.”

“Oh shut up, come on, tell me!” She insisted.

“I swear! All I did was hit it really hard! Then necrotised its eye socket, stabbed it a lot, gave it depression, necrotised its wounds and finally blew its head off.”

The hostages, who had been murmuring amongst themselves, all went quiet. He looked over and saw they were all staring at him.

Mason lowered his voice to a whisper, “They’re staring at me again. What do we do with them?” The room was small enough that everyone still heard his whisper.

An old man, followed by a little boy who couldn’t have been more than five, approached him. With a weak voice, the old man lowered his head and said, “My apologies for staring, milord. We’ve been captives of the Trolls for months. Some of us were eaten, and others were just killed. Thank you for rescuing us.”

“I’m not a Lord, but you are welcome. I took this off the Trolls body. You should probably take it.” He handed him the 50 Iron coins. ”we’ll take you to Sparksfords and get you settled. You’re all safe now.”

His eyes went wide at the coins, and he bowed his head deeper, accepting the money from Mason.

Mason knelt and asked the little boy, ” What’s your name?”

The boy hid behind the old man’s leg but answered, “Ollie.”

Well, Ollie, everything is going to be ok. This coin is for you. It’s very special and will keep you safe, okay? Even if you lose it or spend it, it’s linked to you now and will protect you.”

Mason handed him the first copper coin he had received in this world in the hope it would bring the boy luck.

The boy’s eyes widened in amazement, and he eagerly grabbed the coin.

“Thank you! I won’t lose it, I promise!”