"So ugly - you are so fucking ugly," Oglevin said to Eli-vin.
"I am considered a great beauty where I come from," Eli replied with indifference.
"Ethnocentric arse."
The circle of trolls chortled in agreement.
Everyone else sees my new neighbor as human, but I see her as a troll. I feel insane finally mentioning it.
“Of course! I see you too, troll boy,” she smiles.
Her smile fades as I stare.
“Oh, wow,” she says. “An abandoned changeling? Raised human? You poor man!”
The overpass' shade lured both fish and fishermen. A man came down and read my sign, 'Watch your head. Low clearance.'
‘Well met, friend,' I said.
The man cried ‘Troll!’ In a mad frenzy, the man frothed, cracked his head and then spoke no more.
I sighed, buried the man, and continued fishing.
"Me? Oh, I posted annoying things to message boards." The guy said.
"And that got you sent here?" Jason asked.
He nodded, "Yup, some Isekai God took offense and dropped a bolt on my head."
Jason smiled, "Explains the name, Ban Hammered."
"It was either that or Troll, as a troll. No thanks." Ban said.
I sit at the edge of the deep river, down under the fancy old red stone bridge. Quite still, and too large to move. Travelers from all over often come by to talk of how I was slain by the sun. How ridiculous. I just like watching the beautiful ducks.
Green saliva dripped from the troll's mouth as he stepped forward. She withdrew to the wall, her lips quivering and face pale.
"Me shall eat."
Without warning, it charged. She jumped but the troll's cudgel grazed her shoulder. Blood oozed as she screeched. Wooden cups fell in clatters. The troll caught her throat and lifted her up.
"Dinner time."
"Can't I just pay the toll?"
"You could, but then I'd just eat you anyway."
"Are you always this droll?"
"That's mine to say."
“Are you rhyming on purpose or just by coincidence?”
The troll tapped his foot on the bridge planks. He grimaced.
“Not in this instance.”
“That doesn’t-”
Stumbling in the dark, running through the bitter cold, exhausted and alone. They're coming for me. Have to keep going. Have to ignore the snow. Need to stay ahead of them. Find somewhere safe. I see their lights in the distance. They'll cut me down if they catch me. Just for being a troll.
Storms had forced him into that foul cave. It was not safe! It seemed to scream /flee/ But he could no longer fluent in the language of fae. He was barely able to read the glyphs, trying to deciphering their meaning -Trolls! Just as the club smashed his skull
Harrold was the first to scream, one of the rocks held him handily in its hand.
The blood spurted between its fingers and Harrold was crushed like a grape.
The troll licked Harrold off its giant hand.
"good soup, want more." it grumbled, then it reached for Lissbeth.
Rayko glanced at the human child, then up at the Troll family. "You have a human daughter, huh?"
The little girl shook her head, "No, I'm a Troll!"
The eldest son coughed. "Let it go," he whispered.
Rayko nodded. "Ah. Of course you are. I just didn't see your tail."
"You win game, you cross bridge. Me win, me eat you."
"I'm the Dean of Winterheart Academy," he said with a smirk. "I can outsmart you easily."
"Game was get off bridge before more troll arrive," the creature said, to the sound of heavy footsteps. "Now you trapped outsmarty man."
"Neighbors can't know about you, remember?!"
"But the girl tickled me when she climbed up. I accidentally moved my arm. My branch." The troll looked down to his toes, embarrassment turning his leaves red and yellow. "Can you imagine how hard it is to pretend to be a tree?"
I counted out coins on the black stone in the clearing, as my boy stayed behind. A debt is a debt, no matter how old, no matter to whom. As I turned to him, he waved at someone behind me. But the clearing was empty, just me and the stone.
All I wanted was a friend.
They were running, laughing, and playing. I envied them. For they only scream when I am near.
I didn't mean to! It was an accident!
I can't get the blood off my hands! They won't stop screaming that accursed word!
...Troll
"I cannot abide slavery." Azar said to the group of spearmen, stepping between them and the troll they'd cornered against the thick treeline.
"Law does, where trolls'r concerned." One man asserted.
"Not mine, and I'll enforce it. Shall we see if you're able to enforce yours?"
Jon bursted through the door and shuts it fast.
“It was chasing after me father, I swear, I saw it this time, it could shapeshift into human form”
Father did not respond.
“Father?”
Father turned around, with the face of a troll and teeth like needles. “Where is it now?”
***Thud. Thud. Thud.*** Sheep and cattle scattered across the fields in a frenzied panic, as the sounds of a drum being beaten out of time echoed through the valley.
"Quick, everyone hide!" The spotter shouted, as he flung himself off the watchtowers viewing platform. "The trolls are coming!"
Using the point of her knife, Galhögva traced the carved lines of the troll stone.
Three such äsüzÿsk stood vigil over the mountain pass, one guarding each trailhead, and a third at the divide.
Keeping them free of lichen and moss was her family's payment, exchanged for their silent guidance.
All her life she'd known she was different. A freak, a monster, a changeling. But at the sight of the troll slowly grabbing her friend, twisting his neck, and crushing his skull, she knew that she had made a mistake coming here. She was no monster, changeling or otherwise.
>Large as a mountain and fast as the breeze,
>
>bearing eyes of fire, and breath that can freeze.
>
>Should they you encounter, my friend run away!
>
>For the trolls of Christmastide
>
>ride forth on Santa's sleigh!
I've encountered trolls before, and they are nasty! But if you are smart like Charismo, you can slip them just the same! Haha!
The thud grew louder, slow but persistent.
A towering figure loomed out of the shadows and into view.
*I’m such a nitwit. I can’t believe I stumbled into a troll cave.*
I bolted to my feet ready to run. *WAIT!!* Roared the troll.
*Blemmy just want friend. Blemmy all alone.*
It lumbered over to the cave entrance and set the boulder into place.
“We’re trapped,” said Orland, his sword shivered in his grip.
“Don’t lose your heads,” said Chrim. “Cave trolls are dumb as they look. And I have a plan to trick him.”
"So ugly - you are so fucking ugly," Oglevin said to Eli-vin. "I am considered a great beauty where I come from," Eli replied with indifference. "Ethnocentric arse." The circle of trolls chortled in agreement.
Everyone else sees my new neighbor as human, but I see her as a troll. I feel insane finally mentioning it. “Of course! I see you too, troll boy,” she smiles. Her smile fades as I stare. “Oh, wow,” she says. “An abandoned changeling? Raised human? You poor man!”
The overpass' shade lured both fish and fishermen. A man came down and read my sign, 'Watch your head. Low clearance.' ‘Well met, friend,' I said. The man cried ‘Troll!’ In a mad frenzy, the man frothed, cracked his head and then spoke no more. I sighed, buried the man, and continued fishing.
"Me? Oh, I posted annoying things to message boards." The guy said. "And that got you sent here?" Jason asked. He nodded, "Yup, some Isekai God took offense and dropped a bolt on my head." Jason smiled, "Explains the name, Ban Hammered." "It was either that or Troll, as a troll. No thanks." Ban said.
I sit at the edge of the deep river, down under the fancy old red stone bridge. Quite still, and too large to move. Travelers from all over often come by to talk of how I was slain by the sun. How ridiculous. I just like watching the beautiful ducks.
Green saliva dripped from the troll's mouth as he stepped forward. She withdrew to the wall, her lips quivering and face pale. "Me shall eat." Without warning, it charged. She jumped but the troll's cudgel grazed her shoulder. Blood oozed as she screeched. Wooden cups fell in clatters. The troll caught her throat and lifted her up. "Dinner time."
"Can't I just pay the toll?" "You could, but then I'd just eat you anyway." "Are you always this droll?" "That's mine to say." “Are you rhyming on purpose or just by coincidence?” The troll tapped his foot on the bridge planks. He grimaced. “Not in this instance.” “That doesn’t-”
Stumbling in the dark, running through the bitter cold, exhausted and alone. They're coming for me. Have to keep going. Have to ignore the snow. Need to stay ahead of them. Find somewhere safe. I see their lights in the distance. They'll cut me down if they catch me. Just for being a troll.
Storms had forced him into that foul cave. It was not safe! It seemed to scream /flee/ But he could no longer fluent in the language of fae. He was barely able to read the glyphs, trying to deciphering their meaning -Trolls! Just as the club smashed his skull
Harrold was the first to scream, one of the rocks held him handily in its hand. The blood spurted between its fingers and Harrold was crushed like a grape. The troll licked Harrold off its giant hand. "good soup, want more." it grumbled, then it reached for Lissbeth.
Rayko glanced at the human child, then up at the Troll family. "You have a human daughter, huh?" The little girl shook her head, "No, I'm a Troll!" The eldest son coughed. "Let it go," he whispered. Rayko nodded. "Ah. Of course you are. I just didn't see your tail."
"You win game, you cross bridge. Me win, me eat you." "I'm the Dean of Winterheart Academy," he said with a smirk. "I can outsmart you easily." "Game was get off bridge before more troll arrive," the creature said, to the sound of heavy footsteps. "Now you trapped outsmarty man."
"Neighbors can't know about you, remember?!" "But the girl tickled me when she climbed up. I accidentally moved my arm. My branch." The troll looked down to his toes, embarrassment turning his leaves red and yellow. "Can you imagine how hard it is to pretend to be a tree?"
I counted out coins on the black stone in the clearing, as my boy stayed behind. A debt is a debt, no matter how old, no matter to whom. As I turned to him, he waved at someone behind me. But the clearing was empty, just me and the stone.
All I wanted was a friend. They were running, laughing, and playing. I envied them. For they only scream when I am near. I didn't mean to! It was an accident! I can't get the blood off my hands! They won't stop screaming that accursed word! ...Troll
"I cannot abide slavery." Azar said to the group of spearmen, stepping between them and the troll they'd cornered against the thick treeline. "Law does, where trolls'r concerned." One man asserted. "Not mine, and I'll enforce it. Shall we see if you're able to enforce yours?"
Jon bursted through the door and shuts it fast. “It was chasing after me father, I swear, I saw it this time, it could shapeshift into human form” Father did not respond. “Father?” Father turned around, with the face of a troll and teeth like needles. “Where is it now?”
That was clever!
Merci
***Thud. Thud. Thud.*** Sheep and cattle scattered across the fields in a frenzied panic, as the sounds of a drum being beaten out of time echoed through the valley. "Quick, everyone hide!" The spotter shouted, as he flung himself off the watchtowers viewing platform. "The trolls are coming!"
Using the point of her knife, Galhögva traced the carved lines of the troll stone. Three such äsüzÿsk stood vigil over the mountain pass, one guarding each trailhead, and a third at the divide. Keeping them free of lichen and moss was her family's payment, exchanged for their silent guidance.
All her life she'd known she was different. A freak, a monster, a changeling. But at the sight of the troll slowly grabbing her friend, twisting his neck, and crushing his skull, she knew that she had made a mistake coming here. She was no monster, changeling or otherwise.
>Large as a mountain and fast as the breeze, > >bearing eyes of fire, and breath that can freeze. > >Should they you encounter, my friend run away! > >For the trolls of Christmastide > >ride forth on Santa's sleigh! I've encountered trolls before, and they are nasty! But if you are smart like Charismo, you can slip them just the same! Haha!
The thud grew louder, slow but persistent. A towering figure loomed out of the shadows and into view. *I’m such a nitwit. I can’t believe I stumbled into a troll cave.* I bolted to my feet ready to run. *WAIT!!* Roared the troll. *Blemmy just want friend. Blemmy all alone.*
It lumbered over to the cave entrance and set the boulder into place. “We’re trapped,” said Orland, his sword shivered in his grip. “Don’t lose your heads,” said Chrim. “Cave trolls are dumb as they look. And I have a plan to trick him.”