Champion of Xyheia?
Dreu pondered on the title and how unfitting it was. He only briefly encountered the goddess and, except for the blessing, he received nothing else from her. Even with the blessing, he had yet to feel very blessed by it. He had not gotten stronger or smarter. He didn’t possess any new incredible magic abilities. In truth, he felt that Bayard had played a larger role in his growth than the blessing ever did. He assumed the blessing would have been activated when Azorius was pursuing him during his dash to the portal or when Rowan was beheading him. Yet, Eglallin saved his life the first time while Axichis was the hero for the second instance. The young man couldn’t help but wonder if he actually received a blessing or if he just imagined the prompt. With the prompt unavailable, he could no longer check.
“What is on your mind, human?” asked the troll.
“My name is Dreu. What is your name?”
“Oh my, I must be getting old.” The troll let out a growl that could be mistaken for a chuckle. “My name is Jojin, the chieftain of the fire trolls.”
“Fire trolls?”
Dreu struggled to wrap his mind around the concept of trolls that were capable of using fire spells, an element they were weak against. These trolls were playing with fire, both literally and figuratively.
“I know what you are thinking, Dreu.” Jojin casted a fireball and slammed it into his shoulder. “We fire trolls are immune to fire due to our mastery of the element.”
Dreu was speechless after seeing the fireball doing nothing to the troll. He heard of the incredible regeneration boasted by the trolls. Fire not only inflicted a lot of damage but the element slowed down the regeneration. If what Jojin said was true, then the fire trolls were indeed unkillable.
“So you are only weak against acid then?” chimed in Axichis.
Dreu turned his head wondering what the duck was talking about. His confusion must have been evident on his face because Axichis began explaining that normal trolls had weaknesses to fire and acid element. By eliminating fire from the equation, the fire trolls only had acid to worry about.
“Due to the rarity of acid spells,” continued Axichis, “we can almost say that trolls are invincible in most cases.”
“I wouldn’t say we are invincible,” said Jojin who stopped to face Dreu and Axichis. “Despite our best efforts, we still cannot best Rowan while he terrorizes the inhabitants of the land. Otherwise, we wouldn't be roaming underground like rats.”
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“Does he know any acid spells? That seems rather unconventional for a demi-god.”
The troll leader shook his head and gestured to the duo to keep moving. He then explained the Right Arm of Xemir possessed an ability that lowered elemental resistances by a significant amount. Not only was Rowan capable of making fire trolls only slightly resistant to fire but he could also make them lose their immunity to other elements. At that point, any elemental attack could inflict harm faster than a fire troll could regenerate.
“Can he make you more vulnerable to acid?” asked the duck excitedly.
Jojin stopped to ponder on the matter. After a lengthy pause, he muttered a yes before resuming the trek through the underground tunnel. It was only when no one spoke did Dreu notice the tunnel interior was dimly lit. He couldn’t tell what was providing the illumination but it was enough for him to see where he was going. He wouldn’t have been fond of navigating through a dark cave with him stumbling and tripping every few steps. When the young man turned his attention to the back of the fire troll, a question came out of his mouth.
“Why don’t all trolls become fire trolls? Isn’t there a big benefit to having fire immunity?”
“You got the order wrong, young one.” A massive flame erupted from the troll’s right hand that extinguished as quickly as it was lit. “All trolls originated from the fire trolls. Those who choose to be tainted with orc blood lose the immunity and gain more savagery.”
Dreu recalled the troll leader saying the same thing when they first met.
“Why-”
“Why would they do so?” Jojin interrupted Dreu. “It’s far easier to give in to savagery and violence. This is made simpler when negative emotions like anger take over. A fire troll spends a lifetime mastering fire but it only takes a few minutes to embrace savagery. I won’t deny they possess far more physical strength than me. However, I will beat them every time in combat.”
When the troll leader’s words resembled those he heard from Bayard, Dreu stopped to draw his blade. He studied at the weapon that fed on his anger with an unquenchable thirst. He knew that, once the blade took over, he embraced only savagery and casted aside the rest of his humanity. With Bayard gone, the young man was unsure who would help him fight the anger.
“A red mist blade? You continue to surprise me, human.”
When Dreu asked what the fire troll knew about the blade or its maker, Jojin’s tone changed. He didn’t show the same disdain as when he spoke of the orcs who tainted the trolls. The fire troll described mist orcs as incredible blacksmiths, capable of making weapons unrivaled even to this day.
“The red mist blade is one of their most powerful weapons. For those unworthy, the blade becomes their executioner. For those who have trained their minds endlessly and mastered control over their emotions, the blade’s true potential can be unlocked. I even heard that no two red mist blades are the same.”
Dreu then asked Jojin what happened to the mist orcs. The troll leader admitted that he didn’t know the details. The mist orcs’ ability to craft incredible weapons drew the wrong kind of attention. There were those who gained much from their extinction. Since their extinction, mist weapons became nearly impossible to find and, for the few that remained, their values were extremely high.
“I personally believe that these mist weapons search out their own masters. Fate must have brought you in contact with that red mist blade.”