The Forest Troll glanced over at Tommy and the others, Cooper wasn't having it so he picked up a rock and threw it at the Forest Troll, earning him an angry roar. Cooper wasn't confident he could keep the Troll's attention for long, but he figured any extra time for the others to clean the goblins up would be helpful. Cooper stabbed the air in front of him with no intention of hitting the Troll, just aggravating it. The Troll took the bait and stepped towards him. Cooper took several steps back just to keep distance, but the Troll started taking steps faster and walking towards him, seeing nothing but easy, panicked prey. Cooper glanced at the others, hoping they'd be done with the goblins, seeing only 2 goblins left, Tommy fending off the level 21 Hunter and the elf-lizard duo in the process of finishing off the level 14 Hunter, the level 12 Fighter having been their first victim. These distractions gave the Troll a chance to swipe at Cooper, who barely saw it coming and managed to step back far enough to dodge the strike.
"Shit, the others can't get done fast enough." Cooper muttered to himself.
The Troll did not take kindly to Cooper talking to himself after the missed swipe, it angrily jogged at Cooper. Cooper wasn't fast enough to just plainly run away from it, so he ran to the side, hoping the lumbering beast wouldn't be able to turn fast. It couldn't and soon it stumbled past him, trying to slow down. The Troll didn't just let Cooper get past him, it also tried to swipe at him as they passed, managing to graze Cooper, causing him to topple over in a half spin. Cooper landed face first in the road. The Troll turned around, walked over to the prone form of Cooper, raised it's hands to crush this little ant of a foe, Cooper groaning in response, not even aware of his impending doom. Before the Troll can deliver the finishing blow, something runs up it's back and bites the base of it's neck. The Troll roared and tried to get a grip on the unwelcome neck menace, unable to reach it's own back due to it's clumsy form. Cooper rolled on his back, dazed, only to find the Troll spinning slowly in a circle, trying to get a grasp on Cooper's Stalker. Before Cooper was able to even think about getting up, a greatsword swung into his view, slicing the Troll's thigh. Then an axe flew into the Troll's hand that was attempting to swipe at whatever just cut it. Knives went for it's head, Cooper briefly worried for his Stalker but it seemed to no longer be attached to the Troll's neck. Cooper looked over to where the others had been fighting the goblins and saw that all three had been taken care of, just in time. Cooper pushed himself up and scanned the area for his spear, he seemed to have lost it when the Troll had caught him with a slap.
"Did you have a nice nap, princess?" Tommy quipped, blood pouring slowly from his forehead.
"You couldnt've taken care of those goblins any faster? I might not have been taking a nap if that were the case." Cooper replied, having found his spear and was getting ready to, well, do something other than sit on the sidelines.
"Less talking, more killing the Troll, please." The elf politely demanded.
Cooper nodded, to no one it seemed, as everyone was already focused on the Troll, slicing at it's legs or throwing knives or axes at it's head, all while dodging the giant beasts deadly swings. Cooper decided to play it safe and stab it's legs when it's back was turned and back away before it could respond. Cooper got to work, seeing as the Troll's back was turned, he stabbed, right where the knee bends. His stab didn't pierce too deep, but it made the Troll turn around, trying to retaliate but Cooper had already backed off. Tommy repeated Cooper's strategy on the other side, causing the Troll to turn around again, only to be met with an axe to the head from the lizard. It roared, and received a knife in the mouth as a response. It spit the knife out without too much fuss.
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"Damn, I don't think we're making much of a dent." The elf responded with as his knife clattered at his feet.
"We have to keep trying, we can't let this thing get to the wagons, as powerful as Reta and some of the others are, I don't think they could stop it before it smashed through to the tradies." The lizard replied, throwing another axe at the Troll's head, not penetrating quite deep enough.
"Stop your yapping and get to... slapping? Slapping this Troll." Tommy said, slicing the Troll's leg, same place as he had before.
Cooper did his part and stabbed it in the same spot, right behind the knee, sinking a bit deeper this time. "Hey, I think I'm making some progress with my spot, right there, I felt my spear sink a bit deeper this time, if we can topple it, could you actually kill it?" Cooper asked the others, stepping back again before he was flattened.
"Yeah, I think we could kill it, even with it's hide being so thick and skull making up most of where it's brain should be." Tommy answered. "So, behind the knee is it? I'll give it a whack too."
Tommy thrust into the spot Cooper had stabbed, the Troll moved before Tommy's thrust could fully connect, having learned their little game. Tommy's thrust did not miss entirely however, and cut through to the other side of the Troll's leg. It howled in actual pain for once, but moved fast and slapped Tommy with extreme force, throwing him over the ditch into the forest, hitting a tree. He lay there, limp, head hung over his chest. Cooper saw his opportunity, stabbed again at the spot, this time his spear coming out the other side. Before he could pull his spear free, the Troll turned around again, breaking his spear, leaving the tip of the spear embedded in the Troll. As the Troll was ready to strike Cooper, the lizard had gotten in melee range of it's other knee, and started hacking away, making a mess before it could react. It tried to turn around, only for it's leg to fail, falling to one knee. That was the moment the Stalker decided was a great time to reappear and jumped at it's neck again, biting, ripping. The elf, for his part, had gotten close as well, pulling the tip of Cooper's spear free, and slicing the spot with his knives before retreating, not realizing that he had no need to, the Troll could no longer turn around and it's arms could not reach him. The lizard joined the elf behind the Troll, slashing away at the Troll's back.
"If we can't kill it, the best we can do is immobilize it, right? Wait for the Captain and the others." Cooper said, grabbing the remnants of his spear.
"I could try what your Stalker is doing, maybe I can stab it in the ear, do more damage that way." The elf replied, stopping his stabbing spree on the mutilated Troll leg. "Call him off and I can try it?"
Cooper whistled, gaining his Stalker's attention and pointed down. The Stalker did as told and hopped down, positioning himself behind Cooper. The elf stabbed his knife in the Troll's back and used it as a way to throw himself further up, reaching the Troll's neck, the Troll trying to shake him off best it could but it's efforts were hindered by the wounds it had accumulated. The elf stabbed the Troll in the neck, dragging the blade upwards, hoping for purchase there, but finding none. Next, the elf tried the ear, stabbing right through the ear canal. The Troll stopped moving, hands still in the air. A few seconds later, the hands went limp and the Troll fell down on it's face.
"Guess I shouldnt've bothered with the neck." The elf simply stated as he hopped off the Troll's back.
"Shit, Tommy!" Cooper realized, running over to where Tommy laid, still unresponsive and still.