Chapter 22: Chapter 21

You have leveled up

You have leveled up

You have leveled up

You gained 10,500 gold

You gained Troll Meat

The inner circle really was worth the effort, it seemed. The Troll she had fhought was surprisingly less trouble than she had expected, but then it was just your ordinary Troll. If the boss room was anything like the beastman Boss-room, he would have a Stone Troll or River Troll or possibly even a Chaos Troll - though she doubted that last one. Big Guy that nearly killed her was a young Doombull, after all. Far from an ordinary Minotaur as a Knight was from a peasant. Though not matured and at the bottom rung of his power, he was still a force to be reckoned with. And so too would be a Stone Troll. Creatures that were strong enough to take cannon fire without splitting apart as normal things did. Would her sword break such a thing’s hide? Though she had no desire for it to be a River Troll and get vomited on either. Instead of thinking about that, she went to go find her friend Borrago. She had seen his unmistakable appearance and decided he had come along with her on this expedition. Probably for the same reason as well. 

“Hey big guy! Do you have any recipes for Troll?” She asked, grinning to herself.

“Captain! I didn’t see you around! But, yes, I do indeed! Come over to the cook-pot” he waved her over, and she brought out her Troll, which went into the pot along with several other things that Estaria mentally marked down. She wanted to be able to replicate this, if Troll was going to be a constant enemy.

“They say Troll Meat is good for you, because you can absorb their regenerative capabilities if you eat a lot of it. Trouble is, nobody has killed and eaten enough Troll to find out!” Borrago then broke into laughter, which was infectious and pervasive. He was a jolly guy, and probably would remain jolly in the jaws of a Dragon he no doubt intended to eat.

“I’ll settle for tasting nice. Marching rations leave a lot to be desired, and Elaine is but one woman in a sea of tents” she replied, the pot getting a lot of people gathering around it.

"Ahh, little Elaine. I do so enjoy her and you. You need more friends, Captain! Though, hopefully none others who are in Elaine's very loud position" Boraggo gave a meaty grin at that last bit and Es squirmed under the gaze, kicking his heavy boots.

"Just make the food" she grumbled, trying to shrink back into her shell. Elaine certainly didn't hold back at nights, but did everyone have to know about it?

The pot was gathering a lot of people, and there was no reason to refuse them, so Estaria had Troll Stew in the company of many, while Borrago told another tale of his exploits. This, was about the time he broke into a camp with his men to rescue a lost patrol, and after the fighting they found female Beastmen. Surprisingly gentle creatures, they were shy and fled as soon as they had an opening, not a single attempt or even the hint of an attempt at attacking was made. And despite many more treks, he had never seen them again, leading him to wonder if they had been some sort of strange Ungor. Certainly, if the Beastmen had their own women, they wouldn’t have to kidnap so many humans.

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After Borrago finished, people continued to swap stories, and Estaria, just listened, hearing the whole session go from past exploits to boasting to competitive boasting. Elaine came to join them at this point, and it was a nice snuggle while bonding with the people here. 

The competition grew in vigor and passion as more joined. Who could wrap the biggest lie in the skein of the truth so that others would believe him? It passed the time excellently, and night fell with no delay. The Dwarves were full of stories, of tales and exploits. Of Kadrin Redmane and his glorious last stand, of the great Rune Hammer that sits in the depths of the Blackwater, and of the beasts that also lurk there. The talks grew, and Dwarves began a debate of Dwarven culture that the humans were left in the dark about, but followed for the nature of something to do. 

Eventually, however, sleep demanded it's daily tribute, and people returned to their tents. Elaine was less needy tonight, and they just slept in each other's arms. A brilliant end, to a brilliant day... 

Morning came, and the camp was abuzz with activity. The march to the Lake proper was without incident, and the arrival was met with hallowed silence. Prospectors immediately lined the shores and panned for anything that had been washed up, Warriors gathered with the Quarellers to protect them, and the Mercenaries were split into groups and sent off to different parts of the mountain. While the Dwarves would handle setting up a defensive fort with which to range out from and slowly remove the threat of the enemy from Karak Varn, the Mercenaries were being sent to ensure that any reinforcements from other parts of the mountain or the Underway were stalled so that construction could go unmolested.

The Dawi had little faith in the steel of the Mercenaries, both mentally and physically, but they decided to let the humans take the brunt of any incoming attacks. They split into the Fort group, to cover the construction, the Mountian Group that would range into the nearby tunnels and caves to clear them out, and the reserve group, that would watch the Umgi and shore up the inevitable cracks. Estaria and her group got the largest gap, a venerable pathway into the Underway. Staring down into that yawning abyss wasn’t the best, and so Estaria decided to see what new trait she could get to ease the tension. While looking there, she saw a new ability for 50 Constitution.

50 Constitution: Sturdy Skin - gain 10% Armour that stacks with worn armour.

Would, probably explain why she did so well against the Orcs, health-wise. And to further improve the day, a collection of traits were shown. Each one called “Captain’s Retinue”, it seemed to summon a dozen men with specific weaponry. Swords, spears, Crossbows, Handguns, Axes. Right now, the one most required was the Handgunners, so she picked that one.

Captain’s Retinue (Handgunners) - Spawn a dozen units for 5 minutes, with 30 minute cooldown

Added to the list of traits, Estaria felt better about what they were doing, which was good because a new pop-up came.

Defence Mission - Hold The Line against waves of attackers with limited reinforcements. Rewards increase with every three waves repelled. (This mission allows for three sets of Dwarf reinforcements, but each set reduces rewards by 15%)

So that was how it was. Stay here, kill the enemy, try not to call the dwarves. They were rules she could live by. For other people…..well, the great WAARRGHHH!!! That came from the Underway set a kernel of fear in other’s hearts, so she summoned her handgunners and rose her own sword in preparation.

“For The Empire!”

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