I was simply sitting here at work, minding my own business. I had come in early today to do some training only to find out I did not have training until the next day. I was working on a project when…
SUDDENLY TROLLS!
Trolls came out of nowhere! Before I could even save the progress on my project they pulled from me my computer and started attacking me. The first thing I did was cut open a wormhole with Dawnblade and sucked the trolls and myself through to keep them from causing havoc to my work place. Trolls are notorious for causing havoc.
The wormhole dumped us in the middle of the Himalayan mountains. Thankfully, I had grabbed a change of clothes while we were passing through Limbo and was dressed warmly for the occasion. The trolls, who prefer the warmer temperatures near the equator, were quite upset at being so cold and attacked me in rage and fury. The trolls strength rivaled that of the legendary frost giants but they were slow and witless creatures. What they lacked in intelligence they made up for in numbers. Thousands of trolls riddle the mountainsides. Those who were further away started to pick up large boulders and hurl them at me while those who were closer swung their massive car-sized clubs at me, both trying to squish me flat.
The battle raged on as the legendary Dawnblade cut through stone and club, flesh and bone. The trolls were simple to slay, being so slow and clumsy, but I knew that one mistake or one lucky troll could mean the instant end of me. Still, I fought forever on. The cold mountain air bit at any exposed flesh and a snowstorm that had brewed rather suddenly limited my vision. I was still able to see any trolls close enough so swing at me with their clubs but I had hardly any time to dodge the flying rocks being thrown at me. The snowstorm thickened and intensified until a flying boulder was only in my view for a few seconds before it would threaten to impact me. The deepening snow made it more difficult to move and I began to curse choosing the location we were in.
Soon the storm itself became more of a threat than the trolls. Snow and wind was more dangerous than club or stone. The unnatural blizzard threatened to swallow me whole and my options for survival narrowed to almost nothing. I racked my brain trying to come up with a solution when suddenly it hit me.
The trolls had a wizard.
Which could only mean that I was facing off against the legendary Frik’lo’jup tribe. I had heard whispers and rumors of the Frik’lo’jup tribe; a tribe of trolls who were most commonly thought of as a myth rather than an actually tribe that existed. The Frik’lo’jup were supposed to have trolls so smart that they had built an entire civilization based on conquering other trolls and using them as slaves. They also were rumored to have trolls so smart they could use… magic.
I immediately knew what had to be done. From my extra dimensional armory I pulled the mighty Thunderbringer (whom had been given to me by the legendary Atlantean rebel Thklark upon his death in episode two) and prepared myself. With Dawnblade in my right hand and Thunderbringer in my left I clashed them together with all the might I possessed. The resulting BOOM echoed across the mountains shaking the very core of the Himalayas. The shockwave was so powerful that it sent troll, boulder, wind and snow flying backwards. The snow cleared briefly and I quickly scanned the area. The break lasted only moments before the wind and snow engulfed me again. I gathered my strength and collided the two legendary swords together with even more force than the time before. The very earth I stood upon shook with the force and avalanches started all across the mountain range. Again, the shockwave cleared the storm for a moment and again I did not see what I was looking for. So for the third time I mustered every ounce of power I could pull from every inch of my body and clashed Dawnblade and Thunderbringer together with an unrivaled force.
The resulting wave of sound and power carved a small crater into the mountainside. Any unfortunate troll close enough was instantly killed and even those further away were thrown backwards a great distance. The air cleared long enough this time for me to find my target; the wizard. I spotted the troll, larger than those I had fought, who was adorned in a deep blue robe and was murmuring a spell and weaving his arms in the air. Once again the storm crashed back upon me but by then I already knew exactly what I needed.
With a mighty throw I hurled the sword, Thunderbringer, like a spear at the spot I had marked in my mind. Even through the blizzard I heard the sickening crunch of the sword destroying flash and bone. Almost instantly the storm subsided. The trolls all around seemed stunned to silence. Obviously they had planned on using the storm for cover to end me. I knew that those I had fought must’ve been slaves enthralled by the Frik’lo’jup. I also knew that the troll wizard I had slain was not the only smarter troll among them. I used the brief moment of stillness to call out to my attackers.
“I know you are there Frik’lo’jup! Come out and face me direct! Or are you so scared of me you send your mindless slaves to wear me down?” I shouted across the mountainside, knowing full well they were listening.
“In a game of strategy the pawns are always sent first.” I looked towards the voice and saw the biggest troll I had ever seen stand up above the lesser trolls around him. As soon as the large troll stood dozens, perhaps hundreds, of the larger trolls stood up tall, towering above the enslaved trolls around. I knew instantly I had got myself into more than I bargained for.
“Now that have you shown yourself what if your plan? You saw how I defeated thousands of your slaves, their corpses littering the mountains. You saw how I killed your powerful wizard in the middle of a blizzard. Leave now and I shall spare you and the rest of your people.” I bluffed boldly. My strength was all but gone but I stood as straight and tall as I could trying to intimidate them.
“I am honestly impressed by the prowess you have displayed here. If these were normal circumstances I might let you live out of pure respect, but not fear. Be honest with us and yourself. You are having a hard time standing. Though impressive, the power you wasted banging your sticks together has drained you considerably. Besides, the one who sent me would not tolerate failure.” His voice boomed with authority proving my theory that he was the leader of the Frik’lo’jup. I was shocked to hear him speak of the one who sent him. None of the attackers before had spoken of this mysterious figure. Knowing that there was someone, somewhere who had sent ninjas, werewolves and trolls to kill me filled me with an undying fury
“What are you talking about? Who sent you to kill me? Tell me! TELL ME!” Though still physically exhausted I slight renewal washed over me as the need to discover who was after me burned my soul with anger.
“I am sorry, Cory Goyer, but you will carry that question to your grave. There is no way for this to end other than your death. You cannot defeat us alone.” His voice was filled was pride and mockery. My anger burned so bright that I wouldn’t have been surprised if the troll leader died from my hatred alone.
“No. Not alone.” The trolls and myself turned to see a group of monks standing high upon nearby peak. I had heard of the legendary monks of the Himalayas but never had I seen one before. A wave a security and unity enveloped me and I knew at once the monks were my ally, as did the trolls.
“Kill the Goyer! Kill him now!” The troll leader order his troops to attack and attack they did. Within moments I was fighting again. I had decided to leave Thunderbringer impaled in the wizard as I was tired and the Dawnblade was much lighter and easier to wield. The monks had joined me in the fray and the efficiency and tenacity they possessed in slaying the trolls was awe-inspiring. They had a multitude of weapons. Between them they wielded a staff, hook swords, three section staff, crescent moon spear, rope dart, and a long axe. They were so well versed in the art of killing that I was able to pace myself to keep from over-tiring. The battle raged on and the larger Frik’lo’jup warriors had joined the fray. They were, smarter, larger, faster and more powerful than the lesser trolls. Even with their superior fighting skill the unity and tactics of the monks were too great. The troll forces were dwindling quickly. Or so it seemed. Without warning another portal opened up and more and more trolls poured out. I knew there was not much hope for the monks and myself.
I scanned the battle field and I noticed the troll leader was standing a ways back from the front lines. Knowing that he was my only hope in discovering who was behind the attempts on my life I charged through the lines of trolls with all the strength I had left. I had slain dozens of trolls in my charge and had almost reached the leader when exhaustion overcame me. I wish I could say I was blindsided by an honorless troll or fell heroically in battle with the troll leader, but I can’t. I collapsed from sheer exhaustion and darkness overcame me.
I awoke in a blurry haze. I had obviously been out for sometime as, even though I was tired, my physical exhaustion had left me and my body felt restored. I slowly got up and looked around at my surroundings. I was in a small room and there was no one with me. A single lantern hung from the ceiling with a candle that lit the area. I had being laying on a quite comfortable mat on the ground and the impression in the mat and how far the candle had burned led me to believe I had been in there at least a day. Before I was able to get to my feet a sliding door opened on the wall and two monks walked in. Happiness, excitement and some concern were on their faces.
“Our good friend Cory, it is so nice to see you again.” One of the monks said. He offered me a hand and helped pull me to my feet.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know who you are. How do you know me?” I was curious but also cautious. The troll leader had known my name as well and he was my enemy. Could these monks be my enemy too?
“Ah, I see you have not met us yet. How interesting is the concept of time? Wu Shi and myself have known you since we were boys. We have shared many adventures together.” They were referencing the journey involving the pig-men in episode nine as well as other adventures.
“How can that be? I have never met you before. That doesn’t make sense.” They led me out of the room and into a large common area where they sat me down at a table. There was several other monks in the room.
“You have not met us before, but we have met you. Let me introduce ourselves. I am Zhi Lo and this Is Wu Shi.” He motioned over to the other monk who waved. “Wu Shi is mute. So I do the talking for us.” Wu rolled his eyes. “Also, we are brothers.” They put some soup down in front of me and I ate it heartily.
“Still, it doesn’t make sense how I could know you and not know you at the same time.” I said in between bites of my delicious soup.
“You have a time-traveling sword and were just attacked by thousands of trolls. Does anything you do make sense?” Zhi raised an eyebrow and I nodded in agreement that nothing I do makes much sense. I quickly finished my soup and asked for another bowl. After devouring six or so bows my apatite was filled and leaned back contently.
“So what happened after I blacked out? How am I not dead?” I wanted to ask about Dawnblade and Thunderbringer but since these monks had shown no ill will towards me I decided my weapons can wait.
“Wu and I had followed you through when you had punched a hole in the troll lines. We were impressed at how far you got in your condition but you eventually fell into your exhaustion. We pulled you back and escaped with the rest of our groups. Even with our superior skill and talent there were far too many trolls and at the very least we would have eventually fallen to exhaustion. We escaped through a hidden passage and brought you here.”
“And where is here exactly?” As soon as I asked the question Zhi smiled. He led me over to the door that led outside.
“I forgot, you have not been here yet. Welcome to the beauty of Shangri La.” He opened the door and I was stunned. The beauty of the valley that laid before me was unlike any beauty I had ever seen. Even though they were magnificent in different ways Shangri La’s beauty and splendor far surpassed that of even Atlantis. At the request of the monks I will not write of its exact location, but as everyone knows, it is tucked away, hiding in the middle of the Himalayas. Lush trees and grass so deeply green were a stark contrast compared to the white mountain peaks that surrounded the valley. Birds and animals of all kinds live peacefully on the valley floor. African lions, Indian tigers, North American black bears, South American jaguars and Australian dingoes were a few of the noticeable predators that littered the valley. What was even more amazing than the fact that those predators lived together seemingly in peace was the fact that many prey-type animals lived amongst them. White-tailed deer, elephants, panda bears, buffalo, wart hogs, wild boars, elk and many, many more lived amongst each other. All in peace. Among them were animals that only lived here in the valley that no one on the outside had ever seen or heard of. There were too many and they were too wonderful for me to even describe.
I will now continue with my story as I could write volumes on the glory of Shangri La alone. After a few good hours of touring Shangri La and witnessing the wonder and beauty Zhi and Wu took me to the armory where they had kept both Dawnblade and Thunderbringer. As always I strapped Dawnblade to my side but with not needing Thunderbringer at the moment I willed it away to its alternate dimensional home.
“Both of the blades you posses are of amazing on wonderful craftsmanship but we have something else to give you.” They handed me something wrapped in a bright scarlet cloth. I unwrapped to discover a beautiful staff of the most pure white. Carved images of men and monsters and events covered the staff.
“This is beautiful. What do all these carvings mean?” I ran my fingers across one of the carvings that showed a man much like myself holding a staff much like this one facing off against a giant dragon.
“Those carvings are the stories of your adventures that you have told us. Remember, Wu and I first met you when we were just boys. You were older then and told us many stories of your journeys. You showed us this staff and told us that one day we were the ones who would give the staff to you. We took the stories you told us and carved them onto the staff for you.” Zhi and Wu were obviously proud of the staff, and rightfully so. It was incredible. As I ran my fingers over the staff I marveled at the images of adventures I have yet to do, yet already done. A giant sea serpent was about to swallow me whole in one, I held what looked like a pistol in each hand. A seductress held me enchanted by a spell, or was it the other way around? I chuckled a little as I noticed an army of ninjas attacking a group of pirates while General Washington and I sat by and watched.
“I notice there is no carving about the trolls here. Did I tell you about what happens with them?”
“No. In all the stories you never mentioned the trolls. In fact you never said anything about today, when we first met.” It seemed like Zhi didn’t put much thought into it after that but I knew. I knew that if I had not told them of this journey it was because there was something I didn’t want them to know. I shuddered at the thought of could be so important I would not tell these two.
“Thank you for the staff. Oh, does it have name?”
“Yes. It is called Willpower. For like our own will it is unbreakable.”
“Unbreakable?” I asked.
“It was made from a branch of the Undying Tree. A tree that only grows here in Shangri La. It is entirely unbreakable. No how much force or weight is pressed upon it Willpower will not break. No matter how sharp an enemies blade Willpower will not be cut. Even your Dawnblade cannot cut through it.”
“Dawnblade is so sharp that it cuts through space and time. You’re telling me it cannot cut this staff?” Zhi suggested I try it and sure enough, Dawnblade could not ever scratch Willpower. I started to thank them again when another monk came running in.
“The trolls have appeared! And with them were suddenly ninjas!” I sighed heavily, I hate ninjas. Zhi, Wu and I ran out of the armory to witness a horrific sight. Cresting over the mountain peaks were an army of trolls. Many times the number that I previously fought their numbers were unfathomable. Looking around I noticed that already in the village were the ninjas. They were fighting the monks and even without the trolls reaching us yet it was a close battle. I knew that if the trolls were able to reach the valley and village all of Shangri La would be destroyed.
“Quick! Take me to the Undying Tree!” I shouted to Zhi. He started to question me but stopped himself. The adventures we went through earlier in his life must’ve taught him to trust me. Zhi and Wu led me through the battle of monks and ninjas. While Zhi was the talker of the two Wu was most definitely the fighter. Faster and more powerful than any of other monks I had seen he quickly cut a swath through the enemy ninjas. They led me down to the lowest point of the valley where the Undying Tree was. As we got close to it I felt a power emanate from the tree.
“Just as I thought. The tree is the source of Shangri La’s power. It was what has hidden it from everyone, until now.” I reached out and touch the massive trunk and felt a jolt of power rush through my veins. “Stand back.” I said. Not knowing why I said it because it wouldn’t matter where they were in an moment.
“What are you going to do?” Zhi asked as he backed off a few steps.
“I’m leaving. And I am taking all of you with me.” With my left hand on the tree I drew it’s power into myself and used Dawnblade to cut the biggest hole in space-time to date. It was much bigger than any other portal I had created, but it was not big enough. I drew more power into myself and swung again, making the hole bigger. Again I slashed, again the portal increased. Fourth, fifth and sixth times I slashed at the now-gaping hole in reality.
“What are you doing?!” Zhi shouted. The hole now was so large that it began so suck it every around it. “You are going to pull us all through!”
“That is the point!” I shouted back. The deafening sound of the wormhole pulling in everything all but drowned out my words. Drawing as much power as I possibly could I slashed once more to expand the portal to an unparalleled size. Knowing how the gravity well of my own portal worked I was able to keep myself from being pulled in to ensure my plan would work. And work it did. All the monks and ninjas in Shangri La were being pulled by the power of the vortex and sucked into the portal I created. I was sadden that I didn’t have time to tell Zhi and Wu my plan before they were pulled in as well. The portal was so large and so powerful that even the trolls, who had not yet reached the valley floor, were being pulled into the tear in space-time from the mountainsides. I kept the portal open for as long as I could making sure that each and every troll was taken in by its maw. Unfortunately the hole was so great that even some of the village itself was and its structures were pulled into blackness. As soon as the very last troll had been pulled in I leapt into the vortex myself and closed it off trying to minimize the damage to the beautiful valley.
I knew there would be absolute chaos if I allowed the monks, troll and ninjas to fight each in Limbo as we traveled to our destination so I pushed us forward as hard and as fast as I could. The annals of time flew by at a breathtaking speed and the strain of traveling through multiple universes threatened to tear our very bodies apart. I willed the entire group through to our destination. We tumbled out of the portal in heaps and piles. Thousands upon thousands of trolls piled on top of each other but fortunately I was able to pull the monks entry a little further away so they were not crushed by the trollish horde. Some of the ninjas were not as fortunate however.
The monks were obviously confused about what had transpired but they regained themselves quickly and gathered near me. All-in-all there was close to four hundred monks. I saw that, while the trolls were clumsy and were recovering much slower, all the ninjas had also composed themselves and stood ready. There was at least five hundred ninjas. The trolls still continued to pour through the portal and their number was incredible. There was no way to get an accurate guess but I assumed there was at least eighty to ninety thousand trolls if not more. Even in the face of overwhelming and indefinable odds the monks stayed poised and ready. They knew they would die today and were ready for that fact. I had different plans however.
We stood in a large plain. It extended to the horizon in three directions. To our back stood a tall and massive mountain. It peaks reached so high that they were lost in the clouds and its base was so wide that it would take days to walk around it. I smiled because I knew this was exactly the place where we could take victory.
“I have always trusted your judgment no matter how many times I’ve wanted to question it.” Zhi and his brother had approached me. “But would you like to explain why you’ve brought us here? Against these numbers we would have fared far better fighting the trolls in the mountains and in the glorious valley. Here in the plain lands that advantage is lost.”
“I chose this place very specifically.” I told Zhi and Wu as I looked around the plains, looking for something specific. “I brought us to the land of the troll’s natural predator.” I scanned the base of the mountain then glanced over at the enemy. The ninjas were helping the trolls get organized so we still had a brief moment to prepare.
“What could that possibly be?” I did not answer his question as I continued to look around until I found what I was looking for. A form was walking towards me from the mountain. A short form. A dwarvish form. I turned to Zhi and smiled.
“Why, dwarves of course.” The dwarf that approached was a sight to behold. Standing at no more than four and a half feet he was one hundred percent muscle. He wore a light leather jerkin and upon his head was a simple-looking gold crown. Simple at first glance at least. Closer inspection of the crown would show the most impressive craftsmanship of any metal work ever made. Similar to Willpower the crown had carved on it images that told stories. In fact not just stories, the history of the entire dwarf people. The images carved into the crown were so small that some were difficult to even see with the naked eye.
“What brings you here, time-walker?” The dwarf, like all dwarfs, was blunt and to the point.
“It is good to see you too Drendar, Lord of Dwarves.” I smiled as the dwarf king frowned. He hated pleasantries.
“I’ll ask ye again, what do you want?” Drendar was stubborn, even for a dwarf so I decided not to test his patience.
“It is simple Dwarf King. I know you like killing trolls, so I brought you trolls to kill.” The words no sooner escaped my mouth than a small smile appeared on the face of Drendar.
“Well’ I appreciate your consideration.” Drendar turned to face the troll army who had just finished organizing. The sheer number of the trolls didn’t seem to faze the dwarf king at all.
“Is one dwarf going to fight the whole army?” Zhi whispered to me.
“Hardly.” I stated with a smile. The troll army started their charge and the very ground shook with their steps. Drendar took one step towards them a made a rude gesture in their direction.
“DWARVES!” He shouted in a booming voice that seemed to shake the ground more than the charging horde. “GLORY IS UPON US!” Within moments everything changed. Trap doors all across the plains opened up and thousands of dwarves poured out from their underground tunnels. Each dwarf was dressed in armor made of a unique alloy made from smelting mithril with gold. The armor had a dark gold tone unique to the alloy that was stunning to behold. The quickly formed into battle lines to stop the oncoming trolls. Larger and even more impressive trap doors opened up and the dwarven machines rolled out. There were several different types of war machines the dwarves had built.
One was the dwarven stone thrower, it was a massive catapult had the ability to hurl large rock as big as the trolls themselves. Each rock was cut into a perfectly smooth sphere so that once they were launched they would roll through the enemy lines causing maximum damage. It was pulled by two large rhinoceros, whom the dwarves raised as domestic animals.
Another war machine was the bone grinder. It was powered by four giant boars, which the dwarves also domesticated, and had a large spiked rolling pin on its front. The boars sat inside the machine so they could not be harmed. The point of the bone crusher was to run over enemies and grind them into a bloody pulp. The bone crushed had been specifically designed with trolls in mind so the rolling pin was about twice the size of even the Frik’lo’jup trolls. The bone crusher was powered by the boars because they were much faster, if slightly less powerful, than the rhinoceros. The boars were also able to kept better footing while running on top of the massacred corpses of the bone crusher’s victims.
The next few machine to appear was the dwarven battle tank. Similar to the bone crusher the tank was built on top of four powerful rhinoceros. Unlike the bone crusher the tank was built was power, not speed. It had spike protruding from each and every conceivable spot. Its purpose was to slowly, yet unstoppably, move through the entire enemy lines and impale any unfortunate troll or enemy in its path. The spikes were hardly the only purpose of the tank however. Dozens of hatches covered the tank and dwarven bombardiers would open the hatches and hurl grenades at any enemy nearby. The grenades were a mix of dwarven science and magic, exploding in a inferno of fire and shrapnel causing instant death to any enemy close and major injuries to those even a ways off.
The last, and perhaps most imposing, of the machines walked out from beneath the earth. It was the dwarven war mech. Unlike the other machines that were pulled or pushed by beasts the war mech was powered by science and magic. The magitech, as the dwarves called it, was a marvel of ingenuity. It walked up right on two powerful mechanical legs. A dwarven pilot stood in the very heart of the mech and controlled the powerful creation from there. If one were compare the mech to a human, or dwarf, body then the pilot was located in the chest cavity. Instead of a “head” the mechanical monster had an grenade launcher that hurled grenades with powerful force. Another distinction from a man was the fact that the mech had four arms. Each arm had a different purpose; one had a massive flamethrower, another had spinning saw blade, the end of one arm had been shaped into a hand so it could pick things up or crush an enemy and the last arm had a massive mallet head at the end for crushing and smashing. Unlike the other machines, which had dozens a piece, there was only seven dwarven war mechs. Though it was obvious that even just seven mechs could destroy a small army of their own. Unfortunately the army the dwarves faced was not small in the slightest.
The deep-gold armored dwarves had formed a full line stretching the width of the troll army. Imposing as they were, shining in the sunlight, the trolls outnumbered the foot soldiers over ten-to-one. Even with the hundred or so different machines at their backs the dwarves looked hopelessly outnumbered. Yet, with resolve like the stone they carved their mead halls out of, the dwarven line held fast.
The trolls had slowed their charge slightly when the dwarves first appeared but prodding from their Frik’lo’jup overlords pushed backed into a full blown battle charge.
The greatest battle between trolls and dwarves was about to begin.
