Chapter XII
~~Aw, man.. wot a weird dream.~~ Jon says as he wakes. ~~I dreamt that I was
in a strange land, and I was killing weird animals.~~
Jon gets up out of bed, and wanders down the stairs. He rubs his eyes, and walks
to the bar.
~~A coffee, please.~~ Jon asks the man behind the bar.
"Coffee? We ain't got no 'coffee'. Have some cider er somethin'." the barkeep
answers, and Jon snaps to.
~~Wot? I ain't `ome.....~~ Jon says, and then replies. ~~I'll `ave some cider
then.~~
Jon turns and surveys the room as the barkeep pours Jon's cider. The patronage
is varied, with humans, dwarves, elves, and a few Jon doesn't recognize. Few are
dressed in armor, with various types of sword and other weapons. Others carry
satchels or pack, and some seem to be glowing with a strange aura. Jon picks up his
cider and walks to the nearest aura-enveloped patron.
~~Pardon me, sir, but I couldn't `elp but notice something.~~
The man is startled.
"Ye speak in mindspeech! Can ye not speak normal??"
~~No, sir. I, I am mute. But I noticed something about ye... Do ye `ave some type
of power?~~
"Yes, young man, I am a sorcerer. Do ye need anything?"
~~No, sir, it is jus' that I am new `ere, and still finding things out. Are many as
endowed as yerself?~~
"Some. Some are good, and would help one in need. Others would kill ye if ye
look at them in a way they do not like. Ye must be cautious if ye are new."
~~Thank ye for that information, sir. I shall remember that.~~ Jon says, and
returns to his room. ~~I might jus' be better off gettin' outta this world.~~ Jon opens
his pack and pulls the remote and battery from it. Making sure the battery still has
power, he sets it on the bed. He then sets his armor into the pack, and then sets the
remote on top of that. He walks from his room, down to the street and the stables.
He walks down the stables to his horse. He unstraps the pack on the horse,
restrapping it to his own pack. He then straps the magical broadsword to both packs.
He mounts his horse and rides it out of the stables, heading east out of the city.
Coming to a relatively deserted clearing, he dismounts, sending his horse off into the
woods.
~~Time fer a trip.~~
Jon activates the remote, and again feels the dimensional barriers being torn
asunder. As a portal opens, several trolls burst from the woods.
"That puny thing kill Drak and Grag. Us kill puny little thing." one troll says, and
they advance on Jon. A few carry battle axes, some use clubs, and one, probably the
leader, carries a sword.
~~Not you guys.....~~ Jon says, ad draws his enchanted broadsword. He takes
a battle stance as the trolls circle him. One troll, carrying a club, runs toward Jon.
Jon spins, the broadsword held over his head. The broadsword glows an unearthly
color as it spins faster. Jon swings the sword down, and a shockwave of energy flies
out from the blade at the troll. The troll gains and expression of fear as the shockwave
hits it. The troll explodes in a hail of bloody body parts.
~~Anyone else?~~
Two troll run at Jon, battle axes held high. Jon leaps back, and swings the
sword in a circular sweep. The air crackles as another shockwave flies from the
sword, catching the trolls. It only slightly catches them, but it destroys their arms.
The trolls run away, holding the bloody stumps that were once their arms. The troll
holding the sword growls.
"Puny things. Grog kill that puny thing, then those puny things." It points at
the two off in the distance.
~~Let's dance, ugly.~~ Jon says as he drops into a fighting stance. The troll
advances on Jon, sword held high above its head. As the troll swings its sword down,
Jon blocks the blow with his sword, then kicks out at the trolls gut with his leg. The
kick connects, and the troll takes a step back, stunned momentarily. Jon uses this
advantage to slash at the troll, slicing its leg. The troll screams as blood starts to pour
from the wound. Jon slices up with his sword, catching the trolls chin. The trolls
head jerks back, and Jon slams the hilt of his broadsword into the trolls stomach. The
troll bends over, gagging. A troll bursts from the forest, startling Jon and giving the
leader-troll time to recover. It sweeps Jon's legs out from under him with its arm, and
as Jon lands on the ground, the leader-troll darts through the portal. Jon rolls onto his
side, turning in time to see the leader-troll darting into the portal. Jon stands, and
hearing another troll coming up behind him, spins, drawing his beretta from its
holster. He fires rapidly at the troll, and its chest explodes in a hail of bloody parts.
Jon holsters his beretta and sheaths his broadsword. He walks over to the portal,
gazing through it to gauge the dimension it opens to. It is an open field, but a city can
be seen far off in the distance.
~~Great. The first time I get it to open to `ome, a troll runs through. I jus' `ope
there's a car dealership nearby.~~ Jon remarks as he steps through the portal. It
closes, leaving a ripple effect behind.
Jon steps out through the portal, and it closes behind him, leaving a ripple
effect. Jon gauges his surroundings. It is an open field, with a forest off to the right
and a road off to the left.
~~I think that troll woulda went this way.~~ Jon says, and starts toward the
forest. As he approaches, he can see a distinct path that the troll took, as well as a
gash in the ground, probably from the sword dragging on the ground. Jon steps into
the forest, cautiously. He draws his beretta, and advances slowly. He hears crashing
far ahead, so he starts to jog along.
~'I gotta get to that troll before it makes it to the city!'~ Jon thinks as he hurries
along.
Jon comes to the edge of the forest, out into another field. Ahead, he can see
the troll, heading towards a farmhouse.
~~Oh, sh*t!~~ Jon yells, and breaks into a full run. As he comes to the top of
the last hill before the farmhouse, screams can be heard. He runs, hoping he can stop
the troll. He kicks open the door to the kitchen, and fights back retching. The
residence of the farmhouse are mutilated. Body parts are strewn across the kitchen,
and the bodies are torn to shreds. Some body parts even seem to be half eaten. Jon
stumbles outside, just as a sheriff pulls up. The sheriff asks Jon to wait, and then
walks inside. The sheriff walks back out, rather quickly and rather pale.
"Son, I'm afraid yer gonna have to come with me. We need to get some
questions answered down at the station."
~~I can't do that, sir. I need to catch a troll.~~
"You can catch the troll later, sonny. We need to get some questions answered.
Jus' get in the car, son, and we'll get this over with right quick."
~~But I need..~~
"You _need_ to answer some of my questions."
~~But, but...~~
"But, nuthing. You _will_ get in that car now, and we _will_ go down to the
station. Now GET into that car!"
~~Yes, sir.~~ Jon says, and slowly gets into the sheriff's car. ~~But there'll be
more murders. I'm tellin' ya.~~
"Sure, I bet." The sheriff says, and starts up the car. He drives away from the
city. They drive for about an hour, and then as they turn a corner, they see a strange
shape in the middle of the road.
~~That's the troll!~~ Jon says
"I don't care! It's in the middle of the road!" The sheriff says, and stomps on the
gas. The car speeds towards the troll, and at the last second, the troll jumps up. The
car speeds underneath the troll. The sheriff slams on the brakes.
~~Where'd `e go?~~
"Dinged danged if I knew." The sheriff replies, just as the troll lands on the roof
of the car. A large fist crashes through the roof, grabbing the sheriff. The sheriff
screams as the troll lifts him up out of the car.
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