When the fight comes into sight I stop in confusion, I am not sure who to attack. There are a bunch of goblins surrounding and attacking what looks like a troll. It is nine feet tall and covered in blue fur, but what is interesting is it is wielding an axe and a shield.

Trolls, as far as I know, are stupid creatures, the most they will do is use a primitive club. So seeing one using an axe and shield triggers my curiosity, especially since the goblins are attacking it. I would have expected a troll to join the invasion army not fight against it.

"Don't attack the troll!"

After shouting my decision to Raindrop I charge into the goblins and start killing them. A few seconds later arrows start flying and more goblins die, between the three of us the goblins don't stand a chance. They die so fast that I don't even need to use lion's rage, they don't get a chance to run.

Troll says "Thank you."

Raindrop says "A troll that can speak?!"

Unicorn says "I can sense no evil in him."

Troll says "I wasn't always like this!"

"Are you saying you weren't always a troll?"

Troll says "Yes. I was human once!"

Raindrop says "What happened? How did you get turned into a troll?"

Troll says "I was cursed by my lover who coveted my position in the mage corps."

Raindrop says "Mage corps? Do you mean the imperial mage corps?"

Troll says "Yes!"

"You know of it?"

Raindrop says "Yes, they were famous back before the empire fell."

Troll says "The empire fell?"

Raindrop says "Yes, about five hundred years ago."

"Five hundred years? Just how long have you been a troll?"

Troll says "I can't be sure. The years have kind of blurred. What year is it now?"

Raindrop says "Hm, by the imperial calendar it would be about 2234 or so?"

Troll says "Then I was cursed more than one thousand years ago!"

"That is a long time! Wait, if you are a mage why are you using an axe and shield?"

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Troll says "Because trolls can't use magic!!"

"I take it you have tried to remove the curse?"

Troll says "Of course! But any time I tried to approach a mage for help I was attacked!"

"In some of the legends I have heard a unicorn has the power of purification. Do you think you can break his curse?"

Unicorn says "While I have some ability, a thousand year old curse isn't something easily broken!"

"Would you be willing to try?"

Unicorn says "Yes, I can try. But the results might be worse than the curse!"

Troll says "I don't care! Death would be a mercy at this point!"

So the unicorn slowly approaches and touches the troll with its horn causing a blinding flash of light. When the light fades the troll doesn't look any different causing the unicorn to look sad. While the troll doesn't look any different physically I can see cracks have formed in his aura.

Unicorn says "I'm sorry! The curse is simply too powerful for my abilities!"

Troll says "Thank you for trying."

"All may not be lost. Do you mind if I try something?"

Troll says "Only if you make me a promise."

"What promise?"

Troll says "During the fight I noticed you have a magical fire sword. If you can't break the curse I want your promise to end my suffering."

"Okay, I promise, but this will probably hurt."

Troll says "You can't imagine the pain I have lived through. Just do it."

So I step closer and reach up to grab the troll's shoulder and then I enter my meditation. Once I use my inner sight I can see the curse surrounding the troll. Just like I saw in his aura the curse has cracks in it now, although they are starting to heal.

Before they can heal fully I extract some of my sacred power and form it into a blade. Then I shove the blade of power into one of the cracks, in the window I can see and hear the troll roaring in pain. Once my sacred power is inside the troll's body it starts eating the curse like it is candy.

As it eats the curse the amount of sacred power starts increasing, not knowing what it might do to the troll I start pulling some back and feeding it into my core. Luckily, since he started as a human he doesn't have a core for my power to affect. However, even once the curse is completely removed I don't know what effect my power is going to have on him.

Through the window I watch as his body slowly shrinks down and starts shedding fur. The entire time he is roaring in pain as fast as he can take a breath. In the end after I have removed the last of the power from him he almost looks human.

He stops at a little over six feet tall and has a blue tinge to his skin, but he looks mostly human. He is still heavily muscled and his hair is cookie monster blue, he looks nothing like a mage. As I exit my meditation he drops to his hands and knees panting like he just ran a marathon.

"Well, you aren't entirely human but that is the best I can do."

Unicorn says "Just exactly how did you do that?"

"Your power created cracks in the curse, so I forced my sacred power into him through one of the cracks. Once inside my power ate away the curse."

Unicorn says "You can directly control your sacred power?!"

"Yeah, can't you?"

Unicorn says "No."

Troll says "Thank you!"

"You're welcome. By the way, what is your name? I can't just keep calling you troll."

Troll says "Um, my name is Nived. Can I ask yours?"

"I am Ash. Nice to meet you Nived."

Raindrop dismounts from the unicorn and starts pulling materials and tools out of her bag. Within a few minutes she is able to make a full set of clothes for Nived, he needs it since what he was wearing was sized for a troll. We end up making camp here, Nived needs time to get used to his new body and I don't feel right just abandoning him.

Nived says "Ash, I wish to follow and serve you!"

"That isn't necessary, and it won't be possible really."

Nived says "You ended my torment which had lasted over a thousand years! I will devote my life to you from now on!"

"While I appreciate the sentiment, I am not from this world and will be leaving in a week or so."

Nived says "Then I will follow you to your world!"