Sentenced to Troll 3 Read online

  Sentenced to Troll 3

  S. L. Rowland

  Other Books by S.L. Rowland

  Sentenced to Troll

  Sentenced to Troll 2

  Pangea Online Book One: Death and Axes

  Pangea Online Book Two: Magic and Mayhem

  Vestiges: Portal to the Apocalypse

  Sentenced to Troll 3 Copyright © 2020 by S.L. Rowland

  SLRowland.com

  All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Art by EbookLaunch (ebooklaunch.com)

  Editing by LKJ Books (lkjbooks.com)

  You can sign up for S.L. Rowland's mailing list at subscribepage.com/PangeaOnline for updates on new releases, short stories and all thing Pangea Online related!

  Support S. L. Rowland on Patreon at patreon.com/slrowland

  Dedication

  For everyone in S.L. Rowland’s Secret Society, you guys are the best.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Current Stats

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chatper Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Prologue

  “Boss, you need to come see this.” Thompson stared at the monitor above Chad Johnson’s pod.

  Valery cursed under her breath, wondering what could be happening this time. It had been weeks, but they’d made no progress in determining the connection between Chad and the AI going haywire. Tomorrow, they would be pulling him out again.

  “What is it?” Valery hovered over Thompson like a hawk.

  He pointed at the screen monitoring Chad’s vitals. Everything looked normal.

  Valery wasn’t in the mood for games. She would be giving a presentation to the board in only a few short days, and while there was progress to report on the subjects’ brain functions, the fact that one of the subjects was unable to log out without the system crashing would not be well-received.

  Valery narrowed her eyes. “Are you going to tell me what I’m looking at, or should I find someone else who can?”

  Thompson swallowed hard. “Look at this number.” He pointed to the display for Chad’s body mass. “And then look at this.” He handed her a tablet with Chad’s initial vital statistics.

  The numbers were different, which should have been impossible. The nanites were designed to keep the body in perfect stasis. They prevented muscle loss and fed the subjects with the precise amount of nutrients so that they didn’t lose or gain weight.

  “What does this mean? Are the nanites feeding him too much?” She compared the stats once again. It wasn’t a major difference, but it was noticeable.

  “I don’t think so. The weight he’s gained isn’t fat. Look at this.” He pointed to a second reading. “His muscle mass has increased.”

  Valery froze in place. If this were true, if the nanites were actually improving Chad’s body based on what he did in the game, then this changed everything. The ability to rewire a mind was one thing—meditation had been shown to accomplish a similar feat for years—but going into a pod and coming out with a stronger body? That could change the world.

  But was this an artifact of the strange connection between Chad and the game, or was it happening to everyone? Valery darted over to the next pod. Her hands shook as she called up the stats on the occupant.

  Current Stats

  Chod, Level 21 Barbarian/Summoner Forest Troll

  HP: 4485/4485

  Mana: 5000/5000

  Rage: 0/100

  XP: 403,625/415,000

  Strength: 38

  Dexterity: 24

  Constitution: 39

  Intelligence: 10

  Wisdom: 15

  Charisma: 6

  +1 Strength and Constitution racial bonus per level.

  2 stat points available.

  0 ability points available.

  Abilities:

  Bite. Using your massive tusks and powerful jaw, you take a bite out of an opponent, dealing immense damage. Cost: 10 rage Level 2.

  Claw. You attack with sharp claws, swiping at an opponent and dealing extra damage. Cost: 5 rage. Level 2.

  Intimidation. You stare down your opponent, confusing them so that they are unable to attack for two seconds. Cost 10 rage.

  Berserker Rage. (Ultimate) Attacks and physical damage build your rage meter. 5 rage per attack. Rage meter deteriorates over time when out of combat at a rate of 5 rage per second. Activating Berserker Rage fills rage meter. For 30 seconds, rage meter does not decrease, deal increased damage, health regenerates at 5x the normal rate, cannot be stunned, slowed or otherwise affected. Cooldown: 10 minutes.

  I’m Always Angry (Passive. Available at level 10). Once rage meter is at 50%, it will not deteriorate below 50% when out of combat.

  Increased Regeneration. (Passive) Regenerate health at a faster rate. Level 2. Rapid Regeneration. (Passive) When below 10% health, regeneration is doubled.

  Nightvision. (Passive) Increased vision in darkness and low light.

  Thick Skin. (Passive) Take 10% less damage from physical attacks.

  Camouflage. (Passive) When out of combat and not moving for 20 seconds, trolls blend in with their surroundings.

  Sweeping Slash. Form a sweeping arc in front of you, dealing damage and knocking your opponent off balance. Cost: 5 rage.

  Conceal (Passive). Hides level from anyone who is not a guard on city grounds.

  Summon horror (Passive). Ability to summon a horror. Each horror grants a unique ability. For every horror active, gain 1% increased damage and health points. Horrors decay 10% for every minute outside of combat.

  Horror of Power. Summon a horror with 20% of your strength. Cost: 100 mana. Cooldown: 30 seconds. Bonus: Your next attack deals double damage.

  Horror of Vitality. Summon a horror with 20% of your health points. Cost: 100 mana. Cooldown: 30 seconds. Bonus: Opponents near Horror of Vitality are slowed by 20%.

  Horror of Finesse. Summon a horror with 20% of your attack speed. Cost: 100 mana. Cooldown: 30 seconds. Bonus: Your next attack heals you for damage dealt.

  Sacrifice. Sacrifice X amount of horrors to receive a temporary buff. Horror of Power: +1 Strength. Horror of Vitality: +1 Constitution. Horror of Finesse: +1 Dexterity

  Kamikaze. Sacrifice a horror to deal a burst of damage.

  Champion. Summon a copy of the most recent enemy you have defeated. Decays 10% every minute out of combat. Cost: 50% of mana pool. Cooldown: 6 hours.

  Available Abilities (1 ability point to unlock):

  Massive Bite.
Deals double damage. Cost: 20 rage

  Claws. Swipe at opponent with both hands, dealing extra damage. Cost: 10 rage

  Multi Attack. Bite and Claw at the same time. Cost: 20 rage

  Iron Will. Immune to slows and stuns for 30 seconds. Cost: 50 rage 180 second cooldown.

  Perception. For 10 minutes, gain increased awareness of your surroundings. Spot hidden objects, as well as unusual sounds, odors, and tastes. Cooldown: 6 hours.

  Cleave. Your next attack causes bleed damage, dealing 1% of opponent’s health per second for 5 seconds. Cost: 10 rage.

  Battle Cry. You let out a ferocious roar, increasing rage by 20. No Cost. 60 second cooldown.

  Current Items:

  Item. Phoenix Feather. 10% resistance to fire-based attacks. A very rare item, phoenix feathers can only be gathered if they are willingly given by the host. Feathers plucked from unwilling birds turn to ash.

  Item. Tiger’s Eye Pendant. Removes one debuff. Cooldown: 10 minutes. A rare stone believed to ward off evil and bring balance to life.

  Item. Petrified Staff. An enchanted staff capable of taking on the properties of up to 3 attached stones. +3 Intelligence. +3 Wisdom. Bonus: While holding Petrified Staff, the user can cast ranged physical attacks once every 10 seconds.

  Item. Forlorn Scepter. +5 Intelligence. Increases the range of summoned creatures by 50%.

  Item. Glouwseeker Venom. When injected into the bloodstream, glouwseeker venom immobilizes target. Length of stun dependent on size of target, resistances, and amount injected.

  Item. Sea Scorpion. +3 Strength. An enchanted trident capable of taking on the property of 1 enchanted stone. Bonus: deals splash damage.

  Legendary Item. Angel of Death Brandy. When drinker falls below 1HP, a metaphysical event will occur, rewinding time for the user to two seconds prior to death.

  1. Goldspire

  I roll my shoulders, trying to relieve some of the tension. I’m not the only one on edge, though. Dozens of guards surround the fast-travel portal located in the city square of Seascape.

  They stand like statues, rigid and immovable.

  Waiting.

  King Orso Brightgaze looks down upon us from above the long set of stairs between the square and the castle. His kingsguard stands at the ready, their resplendent silver platemail shimmering in the midday sun.

  Fast-travel has returned to Isle of Mythos. This should be a time for celebration, but the blood of fallen dwarves still lines the cobblestone streets.

  The dwarven king towers over the dwarves surrounding him, at least a foot taller. His dull, red skin is the color of cooling magma, announcing to the world that he is one of the few blood dwarves that still exist. Bushy black hair falls to his shoulders. His black beard is intricately braided and adorned with silver clasps. He wears a black tunic and black cloak, each embroidered with silver thread. A red breastplate engraved with a silver warhammer protects his chest, and a glowing red crown rests on his head. The tines of the crown have alternating battleaxes and warhammers, emblems of his people’s lineage. His face is set in stone as he watches us.

  Four hours have passed since Jude and Glenn started a battle in the square that led to the deaths of many innocent dwarves. Even though both men were slain in combat, they had set their respawn points near enough that they were able to slip through the portal amid the chaos. Through a portal that had not been opened in centuries.

  I worry about the havoc they may cause on the other side, wherever that may be. No one saw which rune flashed as they jumped through the portal, so the king has organized scouting parties to travel to each one, to warn the locals and search for answers and allies for what is yet to come. With a four-hour head start, even if we manage to find the correct portal, they’ve had plenty of time to disappear.

  I still don’t know if it was dumb luck or something else that caused me to open the portal. Jude tossed me against the archway, and it swallowed me in a vortex of dark energy. Somehow, the blessing that the forest trolls had bestowed upon me broke whatever dark magic had kept the portal sealed for so long.

  Truthfully, I think Jude tried to kill me. Had I died, I have no doubt that he and Glenn would have killed their entire army of mind-controlled dwarf minions to try and break the seal. There was no way for him to know that I had been blessed. That portal had claimed the lives of countless men and dwarves alike who’d attempted to pass through. Only the blood dwarves were immune to the deadly effects of the dark energy, but even they received a horrible backlash from its sinister power.

  I take a deep breath, trying to mentally prepare myself for what’s on the other side. The king gave us notes combed from Seascape’s libraries, but so much time has passed since they were written that they may no longer be accurate. A betting man would say they aren’t.

  Even though dozens of us surround the portal, nobody moves. I’m sure they are all just as nervous as I am. The guards may be stoic, but the rest of us are not. An ebony dwarf constantly shuffles the butt of his spear, repositioning it with each breath. The blood dwarf paladin beside him rubs his stubby fingers against the back of his neck. None of us know what lies in wait, and if I had to guess, no one on the other side knows our portal is open either. Four hours and no one has come through. I don’t know if that’s good or bad.

  White energy swirls inside the rune-covered archway. Hints of silver flash within the ethereal whirlpool. Half of the runes that run along the arch have a faint red glow, indicating the portal has access to a counterpart on the other side. The rest are empty engravings, their portals still blocked by dark magic, including the lands where the dark wizard vanished to centuries before.

  Vanaria’s portal is also among the inactive.

  For now.

  Isle of Mythos is about to change. For the better, I hope. Both ends of the island could use a little diversity.

  While we all prepare to venture into unknown lands, Limery speeds south. First, to the forest trolls, and then to the human capital with news of how to open the portal.

  King Orso was prepared to send ravens south, but I thought it would be smarter to send Limery. The imp can fly far faster than even the speediest raven, and both Chief Rizza and King Favian will trust his word.

  Every second we waste is more time for Glenn and Jude to gather forces on the other side.

  “Ready?” I ask Taryn.

  “Not one bit.” He looks at the polished marble courtyard, his dreadlocks covering his eyes. Caked blood fills in the cracks. He taps the butt of his gnarled staff against the marble tile a few times before making eye contact. His pet bear nuzzles against the druid’s leg.

  Taryn is still shaken up from the battle. I don’t blame him. This was his first battle where he wasn’t just killing monsters. When he cast Lightning Bolt, the smell of burning dwarven flesh filled the air. This may be a game, but it sure doesn’t feel like it. When those dwarves died, they screamed and bled like real people. Some cried out the names of those they wished to see in their final moments. Others shit and pissed themselves with their last breaths. No, I don’t blame him one bit.

  White energy swirls inside the stone archway as the first group moves forward. Two blood dwarf paladins, an ivory dwarf warrior, and an ebony dwarf dressed in fine linens step up to the platform surrounding the archway.

  As they approach, the active runes along the arch burst to life, glowing a fiery red that matches the skin of the blood dwarves. They look to their king for approval.

  He nods before speaking. “Focus on the rune you wish to travel to.” His deep voice carries like a megaphone, somehow magically amplified. “When it is the only one left glowing, step through. You will emerge in new lands. Make contact with the locals, hand them the parchment with my message, and then return home at once. If trouble arises, return to safety. Our guards will be waiting on the other side.” The king raises his warhammer into the air, and the four dwarves slam a fist against their chests. The runes all fade except for one that looks like a triangle with a V pa
ssing through its center.

  One by one, the dwarves step through the portal, vanishing from sight. As soon as they are through, the next scouting party takes their place. The crowd surrounding the portal grows smaller and smaller until our group is all that remains within the circle of soldiers surrounding the perimeter.

  I pull up the quest King Orso gave us.

  Quest Alert. You have been offered the quest ‘First Contact: Goldspire.’ Travel into the lands of Goldspire and deliver King Orso Brightgaze’s message to its leaders.

  Bonus: If Jude or Glenn have traveled to Goldspire, apprehend them and return to Seascape so that they may face justice.

  Reward: Increased favor with Seascape, potential allies in Goldspire.

  Taryn and I approach the portal, his two pets following close at our heels. Berry, the umber bear with a beautiful golden coat, keeps close to Taryn. The bear guards him like a loyal dog, always obedient. Stompy brings up the rear. The mighty moulhaug with a broad, moss-covered backside and a single horn that protrudes from the center of its snout behaves more like a common housecat, if that housecat was capable of wrecking an entire building. The horn on its snout can swing with such force that it acts as a battering ram. Stompy snorts, voicing his displeasure. Despite his moodiness, Stompy has saved our asses on more than one occasion.

  Further back, my small army of horrors begin to puff out of existence as their cooldowns expire. The demonic creatures won’t be joining our journey through the portal for fear of what those on the other side might think. The last thing I want is to show up with a small army and start a war unintentionally. But at least they will give me an added stat boost for a few minutes before they fade away.

  I hope I don’t need it.

  When we step on the platform surrounding the arch, I focus on the rune for Goldspire, two vertical lines with a caret symbol over the top. The rune resembles a house, or an arrow with two shafts instead of one.