"Ya damned dumb brainless nim-nut!"

I've already drawn my gun as the monster lunges forward with an outstretched clawed hand. Too close! My breath catches in my throat as I prepare for the vicious, hand-sized talons to tear into my flesh.

Thankfully they miss my chest but the frying pan sized hand grips around the fishing rod that I'm still holding. The beast yanks forward, snatching the pole out of my hands with such force that I stumble and collide into its large, smelly stomach.

Still, I manage to squeeze the trigger and it lets out a howl of pain as the bullet hits dead center in its barrel chest.

"What the hells!? Now ya shooting at me too!?" The seven-foot leathery skinned man-thing rears up. I try to dodge but the pimp-slap backhand crashes across my face and neck and I'm sent sprawling to the ground.

Stun exceeded Vitality: Condition: Stunned

Brian Status: HP: 6 / 12      Stun: 3 / 22      Mana: 10 / 10

"Frigging melonhead!" It roars. "Look what ya did!"

I struggle to orient myself, expecting to find the beast crouching over me, eager to deliver a slash and open up my stomach like a zip-lock bag. But it is just standing in place. Twisting the fishing rod about in its clawed hands. Inspecting it with beady bloodshot eyes.

I watch with a mix of horror and amazement as the nasty open wound on the things chest stops bleeding. Strings of muscle twist and knit before my eyes, the skin sealing over. Though it looks way different than I would have imagined the recognition of what is standing a few feet away hits me harder than the slap it had just delivered.

A troll!

Although this world is unlike what I'm used to via my tabletop experience I very much doubt that the Trolls here would be pushovers. They were almost always a mid to high-level challenge rated monster, no matter the game system. Acid and fire were the usual counter effects to cancel their regenerative capabilities. I had neither. And as any half seasoned role player would tell you, unless you were prepared to fight one, it was best to steer well away from a Troll.

I try to think. To pull on my instinctive in-game character knowledge and how these might differ from the ones I have battled in my imagination at the gaming table.

Survival: Fail!

Nothing!? Crrrrrap!

"Got the line all tangled." It sucks drool through its tusk-like teeth. "Think you even busted the spring. I'm gonna have to fix it and reset the spool."

The troll absently wipes his hand over where the gunshot had hit, smearing red-black blood in a half-hearted attempt at cleanliness. "And ya gone and lost me my dinner, too?" Its ugly head swivels around and he stomps toward me, a curved claw pointed at my head. "Oh, yer gonna pay for this. You hear me?!"

"Brian!" Cinnamon is running toward us from the end of the bridge and I stumble crawl to interpose myself between her and the monster; quick drawing my short sword in a flash of silver and steel.

"Don't!" She yells, "That's Icky!"

"Yeah, I know. Super gross!" The stench of it was definitely something to be feared but now was not the time to be fretting about of getting a little bit dirty. "You go around and see if you can hit it from behind. I'll keep its attention. Use acid if you have it and... Yes!" I remember the magical fire arrow that Cinni and I found in the Naga cave, "That fire arrow that you got! Maybe if we keep it at range we can take it down."

"NO!" Cinnamon grabs my shoulder and spins around to stand between me and the thing, waving her arms to either side to block me from it. "That's Icky!"

"Cinnamon?" The monster turns its attention away from me and its mouth splits into a hideous grin, long broken fangs stretching out from its drooling lower jaw to cover half its face.

"What?!" I scrunch up my face and risk a quick glance at her before returning them to the creature.

"I don't believe it. Is that my little Butter bunny buddy?" He places his fists onto its wide fat hips and performs an overacted lean forward.

"Uh huh." Cinnamon turns about to regard the creature and gives a little nod and a wave.

"Girl, last time I saw you," He holds his hand to indicate a height of about three feet. "You was just a gangly little thing no bigger than a barrel of apples." He makes an awful loud huffing noise that sounds like his throat is full of phlegm and I realize that he is laughing."Now, look at you. Gone and shot up and with more curves than a corkscrew."

Hold up? Cinni knows this thing!? Cinnamon lets out a giggle coo and I can't help but stare stupidly between the two of them. And is this monster mackin on my woman?

"How have you been, Icky? Gosh, you're the bridge troll now?" She gives her closed-eyed smile.

"Yup." The troll nods with obvious pride, "Council appointed. Twinwater bridge caretaker and toll collector." He lifts a slab of the bulging beer belly hanging over the waist of his tattered brown stained, knee length pants. There on a knotted rope belt is a metal shield the size of a policeman's badge with a bridge, tree, and coin painted in red.

"What happened to Slygo?" Cinnamon asks.

"He took his Deadwalk going on three summers now." The troll grins with a mouth like a derelict graveyard. "Rumor is he completed it down near the Shattered Isles, slaying a Kraken."

"Awww, Well good for him."

"Yep. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to go out like that one day." Icky says with an awful grin.

"Not for a long time I hope." Cinnamon replies.

"Ain't none of us getting any younger, Butter bunny." He says with a wet chuckle.

"Your gramps is here in town too, you know? Been here almost a month now." He glances over to me and then back to Cinnamon.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Wait." His eyes narrow and a strange smirk pulls at the side of his cheek. "Is this fella here your buck?" He points at my chest, "Are you bringing him by to introduce him to Midnight?"

"Oh umm, well I..." Her ears dip and Cinnamons cheeks turn an interesting shade of red as she starts to stutter, her voice going tiny and meek. She shoots a nervous look back at me and bites her lip.

The glance pushes an uneasy thought to the forefront of my mind. I just met Cinnamon, was she planning to have me meet her family? Is that why she was acting so secretive before? I suddenly feel walled in. Caught. Like a snare has tightened around my foot and in an ironic twist that I'm the one caught in the rabbit trap.

"I uhh well, I know that Pop-pop is here... and yeah I need to go to see him but..." The noose tightens. "But I just met Brian on my way here. So umm... no, he isn't my... buck." Cinnamon shakes her head and I feel both a wash of relief and also a strange little twang of rejection.

A long pause draws out and the trolls eyes dart between us.

"Alright, sure. I get ya." The smirk still on the edge of his bulging lips, coupled with the knowing 'guy nod' he shoots at me, says volumes.

"Oh, my goodness. I didn't actually introduce you." Cinnamon says and indicates me and then the troll. "Brian this is Icky."

"Crodrick, actually. Most people around here just call me Crod though." He says and walks forward to tower over me. I push down the fear and look up at him.

The troll stands a good two heads taller than I do, with a tree trunk build to his torso and long ape-like arms. The legs are similar to a horse in shape, though the feet splay out in large three clawed feet where the hoof would be.

"Only this little Butter bunny here gets to call me Icky." A cow-like tail, long enough to smack at the thick mane of hair sprouting around his shoulders and upper back, swishes about to swat away at the flies hanging about his smelly body.

He extends a huge four clawed hand expectantly and I choke down my hesitation and shake an oversized bearlike claw.

"Brian." Not sure what else to say I add, "Nice to meet you, sir."

"Sir!" Crod lets out his disgusting laugh, "I like that." His hand closes around my own, all the way up to the wrist and his pus yellow eyes narrow. "Still that doesn't make up for busting my fishing pole, letting my dinner get away or shooting me, now does it?"

"Now, Icky. There is no reason for you to do anything unpleasant."

"It's the principle of the thing. Besides, I'm a township agent. I got the guards approval to met out justice here on my bridge as I see fit." The trolls grip tightens and the bones in my hand scrape together painfully. "To make sure he doesn't act up like that in Redtree, perhaps I should just pull an arm off."

I gulp. Judging by the strength in those steel coiled forearms, there's no doubt in my mind that he could make good on the threat.

"Icky." Cinnamon tisks with a frown.

"Alright, alright." He grins and a cold shiver runs down my spine. "Maybe just a break or two, then."

"Icky!" Cinnamon stamps her foot.

"Wait!" I grunt and glance at the reel still held in his other hand and an idea pops into my head. "I'm sorry about your fishing pole but maybe I can fix it. I'm pretty good with tech and stuff." I think, or more like pray, I am anyway. "And I know it isn't fish but I have some Naga and Drayger meat, too." He follows my nod toward the bags still sitting at the start of the bridge.

Unlocked: General Skill: Persuasion vs Crodrick: Success!

"Drayger, 'eh?" He scratches the bush of hair at his chin then follows up with a scratch of his backside. "I haven't eaten Drayger in a long while." He releases my hand and I shake the sting from it as the blood flow is restored.

"Alright, then. If you replace my dinner and fix my gear I won't cause you any bodily harm." He slaps my shoulder and I wince. "But that's just cause I'm giving you the friends and family discount. On account of my little Butter bunny buddy." Crod smiles in what I assume is supposed to be a friendly gesture, but watching his wood chipper of a mouth twist about it looks more like the stuff of nightmares.

***********

It takes me a few minutes to separate the meat from the rest while Cinnamon and Crodrick chat away where I had left them near the middle of the bridge. Catching up on whatever history they shared. I wish I knew what they were talking about but I'm still not entirely comfortable around that thing. Cinnamon doesn't seem to be wary of it at all and although I'd like to think that he was just kidding about the ripping off or breaking of my arm, part of me definitely thinks that he wasn't.

Insight vs Crodrick: Success!

I look over the pile;

Snake Meat: Servings: x4

Dirty Snake Meat: Servings: x2

Drayger Meat: Servings: x28

The meat still seems good. I'm not too sure about the Naga but I doubt he has all that concerning of a pallet. If what I remember about trolls still holds true here, due to their regeneration, they can devour almost anything. I slice off eight serving worth of Drayger and place it and all of the remaining Naga meat into a sack for the Troll. Even with nearly a third of it gone I was still left with a huge amount that I might be able to trade with.

Picking up the last of the various bags I reach over and grab Cinnamons as well, stumbling a little under the combined weight.

"Hey? Take it easy out there." Cinnamons bag shuffles around and Kryst pokes her head out then climbs out with a stretch, followed by a lip-smacking yawn. "So, what's the word? Are we there yet?"

"No. We are at the bridge." I heft the bags to my shoulder, forcing Kryst to flutter up into the air.

"The bridge?"

I point around at the bridge as I begin to walk across it Kryst following behind. Cinnamon is standing near the center but I don't see where Crod has disappeared off to. That makes me a little nervous.

"Hi Kryst, glad to see that you are awake. Did you have a pleasant nap?" Cinnamon smiles.

"Eh. Not too bad. Except for this guy waking me up by shoving me around like a bag of potatoes." Kryst replies with a thumb in my direction. "Could use a little bit more though." She adds with a yawn.

"Well then, I have some great news." Cinnamon says. "Icky is packing up for the day and he said that he will give us a ride to town."

"What the hell's an Icky?" Kryst asks with a tongue out sneer.

"Oh, yes, he is an old friend of mine who lives here in Redtree." Cinnamon replies before I can.

"A ride?" I ask as Cinnamon takes her backpack, the meat sack and a couple smaller bags of Drayger parts.

"Yeah. He has a wagon." She says and turns, starting toward the other end of the bridge with her relaxed cheery attitude and motioning for us to follow.

"Sweet. I can catch a bit more shut-eye then." Kryst pipes in.

Slowing my pace I let Cinnamon get a little ways ahead, then motion to Kryst with a finger and a tap on my shoulder. She gives me a strange look but lands and takes a seat next to my ear.

"What's up?" Kryst asks.

"You know what." I lower my voice to a barely audible whisper praying that those sensitive ears of Cinnamons can't hear us. "Maybe it is not such a hot idea for you to go back to sleep right now. I don't know if I completely trust this 'friend' of Cinnis."

The fairy raises an eye and gives me a bit of a smirk. "What's the matter, lover boy? You feeling threatened by this guy?"

"Definitely." I scoff.

"Ha! Alright. I'll keep him occupied so he doesn't get too friendly with your girl." She grins, "But you owe me a drink once we get to town."

"No, you don't understand. That's not what I mean. He's a real troll and I just get a super bad feeling from him. I think he might become like physically violent or something. "

I wince as Kryst lets out a loud laugh straight into my ear hole.

"I don't think that the two of us have much to worry about when it comes to some belligerent jerk." She elbows me in the earlobe and the strange twist of irony that Kryst is accusing another of being a confrontational loud mouth isn't lost on me. "You are actually pretty good in a tussle and I'm, well..." She dusts off her shoulder, "a total badass."

"No Kryst, You're still not getting it."

Cinnamon has reached the other side of the bridge now and I watch as a large rickshaw styled wagon is pushed out from behind a clump of trees and onto the road.

"I wasn't using a colorful metaphor." I say as Crodrick the troll takes his place between the guide poles while Cinnamon hops into the back and waves for us.

Kryst stiffens and she shoots me a narrowed eyed glance.

"What the fuc--"