The troll had been perfectly fine with all the squishy bosses gone. She had woken up surrounded by meat and feathered critters. But then there had been yelling and some of the mean squishies were back. They were gathering over there, but they were leaving her alone. If they went away she could eat in peace. She glanced over and grabbed another piece of meat... there was another squishy. A sneaky squishy! 

Lonna kept a careful eye on the troll as she crossed the battlefield. It was busy watching the other people and chewing on the corpses. Then it looked over at her. The beast lumbered upright with a snarl. It leaned over, balancing with one hand and gave a long, angry roar, right at her.

Pain flared in Lonna's chest as she drew in a gasp of fear. The last thing she wanted to do was face a troll on her own but it seemed she had no choice. She quickly ran through her options. She had no weapon and even if she did she would be no match for a troll in hand to hand combat. She could try to run but with the extent of her injuries unknown there was a good chance she wouldn't get very far before the troll was upon her. That left a spell, but which one?

The only spell she was half way good at was sleep and she had no idea if it would work on the troll or not. It was her only chance though, no matter how much her mentor had pushed her she had not been able to bring herself to master the more destructive spells. Even if she had she didn't think she could bring herself to use it on the troll despite it wanting to make her desert.

Lonna held up a hand towards the troll as though holding it back and chanted the words of her spell. Her head throbbed and concentration was difficult. The words came slowly and with them a pale glow from her hand. The troll tilted its head and brief look of confusion passing over its face. Then it shook its head gave another roar and threw the corpse it was holding at her. The dead body landed with a crunch a few feet in front of her and the troll started to walk towards her, building up speed.

Deciding there was safety in numbers Lonna took off at a sprint toward the gathering of people on the other side of the field, praying to all the gods she would make it to them before the troll caught up with her.

*****

A woman was working her way across the battlefield. At this distance it was hard to tell much about her, but it was very obvious when the troll noticed her. The beast stood up and roared at her, ready to defend its territory. The woman reached out a hand towards the troll and even at a distance it was easy to see the glow surrounding it. She was a mage, but whatever she tried obviously didn't work as the troll roared again and threw a corpse at her. She started to run and the troll began to follow.

A roar from the troll drew Wather's attention away from the introductions.  It seemed that someone had stirred the beast's interest in a bad way.

"That woman..." he said to the gathering as he watched her start to sprint in their direction.  "Please tell me that she isn't leading the angry, hungry troll over here..."

Teion stood, a worried look passing over his face, “I think you may be right there captain,” He looked round at the rest of the group, “Normally I’d suggest running away as quickly as possible, but I get the feeling most of us won’t get far. I know I won’t.” He said with a sigh.

Harold watched the woman run their way, fighting panic.  He knew she needed help, but didn't know what he could do.  For just a second he looked at his staff, but he didn't know anything about fighting, and didn't want to hurt the troll anyway.  After a few moments thought, he asked in a soft voice, "Can we distract it somehow?"  The question was directed at Beetle, although Harold didn't look away from the chase.

Lord Walther said to Beetle, "Trainer, come with me."  To the others he added, "The rest of you stay here and be ready to run," before starting to take confident strides towards the rampaging troll's path. Beetle immediately fell into step behind Walther. 

"If it thinks you can hurt it, it might back down my lord," he whispered. The trainer brought his spear around and set it before him as he studied the situation. Running woman (bad). All his lads dead (even worse). Troll with her dander up on top of everything else, and him not able to shout (disaster). 

*****

The troll reached down as it came after the woman, scooping up another corpse and hurled it without stopping. The body landed several feet to Lonna's right and bounced a couple of times. The troll was starting to gain ground on her, not quickly, but it was still building up speed.

Seeing the troll was beginning to gain on her Lonna knew she would have to try another spell. Stopping her flight she faced the oncoming beast. Her hands flew in an intricate manner as she softly spoke the words of the spell. She knew some mages liked to be dramatic and shout the spell in order to intimidate their enemies but she had never felt the need for theatrics. At each word that fell from her lips another thread of energy appeared and weaved itself among the ones that had come before until Lonna appeared to be holding a fine net. As she spoke the final word she threw the net toward the troll praying she wouldn't miss.

*****

The figure running toward them was small and delicate and at first glance did not appear to belong on a battlefield. Her simple tunic and breeches, while torn and covered with dirt, twigs, and blood, was of a fine cloth. Her long, brown hair was matted to the left side of her head with what, even at a distance, appeared to be dried blood. Her apparent youth suggested she had been an innocent bystander caught in the wrong place when the battle began. The light, leather breastplate and purple sash told a different story. Those marked her as a mage in the Vatril army.

As the woman drew closer to the approaching pair, Walther's eyes, trained and shrewdly experienced from multiple years of conflict with the Vatril, identified her as the enemy.  That changed much.  What had started as a rescue was now simply the continuation of the conflict.

"She's a Vatril mage," Walther called to Beetle, raising his voice so the others would hear.  "Encourage the troll.  Let's help him put her down.  It should help us to bring the beast to heel if it sees we're on its side."

"No!", Beetle wheezed, shaking his head vehemently and waving at the others to get their attention. "No shouting. Let it take the mage. We can use this time to escape. She's riled up, Captain, and would only be drawn to the noise we make when she's done with the Vatril." 

Walther stopped moving and watched the troll, then the woman.  After only a moment's more pause he turned back to Beetle, nodded, and said, "Let's go, then."

Teion's head snapped up when he heard the captain and trainer's shouts. Another mage, here? Regardless of affiliation he would need another’s help to find out what had occurred to them here.

He had to stop that troll, regardless of what the captain wanted.

He began limping forward, leaving Harold behind him. Then he suddenly stopped for a moment, looking round and listening, his eyes unfocused again. It would be so easy; the troll would be destroyed utterly. However, he realised that in his condition there would be almost no control, and after the troll the rest of them would be next. Shacking of his reprieve, he waved his staff before him as he started forward again, his pain forgotten as he focused on the task at hand.

*****

The net flew straight and true, stretching and wrapping around the troll's then sinking into its skin and disappearing. The troll came to a sudden and lurching halt. Surprise filled the troll's eyes as it looked down. Its upper body could still move a little, but its legs were firmly rooted in place. It was struggling, the muscles in its legs bulged and strained, but it was stuck. The spell wouldn't last forever, but Lonna had time to get away. Looking back at the other people, two of them had started coming to help her. They were both armed and armored; they were soldiers. Anaheer soldiers.

*****

The woman turned and started chanting. A thin glowing net appeared in her hands and she threw it at the troll. The tiny thing was no where near big enough to cover the ten foot troll, but it stretched and grew, wrapping around the beast. The troll stopped, unable to move. 

Teion closed on the group, realising the Vatril mage had cast her own spell, something to inhibit the troll’s movement. Teion watched the weaves with a mages eye, impressed at her skill. However, it was a temporary measure, and in this case something more... permanent was needed.

Disregarding all his superiors’ warnings of cross-spell contamination he dug deep, tapping his last reserves of energy. With a grunt of exertion he extended his hand, casting his fireball spell.

The bolt of flame flew from Teion's fingertips. Walther and Beetle turned just in time to see the flames shoot over their heads. The ball of fire hit the troll squarely in the shoulder and exploded, briefly engulfing the beast in flames. It roared in pain, but the flames disappeared and it was still standing. The metal plate strapped to its chest for armor glowed a little red, its shoulder, arm and part of its neck and face were burnt and blistered. The troll bared its teeth, anger burning in her eyes. That had hurt. Now, she was MAD! 

The muscles in the troll's legs strained. It took a slow step forward. Lonna could practically feel her spell straining to contain the troll's strength. The spell was about to break and then the troll would be free again. She looked away from the troll to the ones she had been running toward. Another mage and, given the presence of the man in the red cloak, an Anaheer mage at that.

She had heard of the cruelty of the Anaheer mages. How they used Vatril prisoners as test subjects for their apprentices. It was said a Vatril citizen would be better off dead than to fall into the clutches of the Anaheer.

* * * * *

Walther rounded on the charred mage - he was obviously a mage, now - and got into his face.  "Damnable mages, smart as whips but never thinking!"

He pointed meaningfully at the fleeing woman.  "She's a Vatril The troll would have done our job for us and, while so distracted, might not have noticed our escape.  All you have done is enraged the beast twice more and drawn his focus."

The officer shook his head with a disappointment matched in his eyes and his tone.  "I've half a mind to leave your well-done carcass here as a snack to delay it."

"Captain," Beetle rasped, his quiet voice lost amidst the shouting. The trainer was regarding the troll with speculative interest.

Walther drew his sword, the steel gleaming amidst the broken gloom and residual smoke.  He swept it southwestward to indicate direction and spoke to all of them in a commanding tone that brooked no further digressions.

"Make haste that way, in the direction our army's advance.  You and you," he said as he pointed with his empty hand first to the healer and then the trainer.  "Help the burnt mage move, and find some haste.  I will cover your escape and follow after."

"Captain!" Beetle tried to shout. He rolled his eyes in frustration. He waved his spear to get attention, and finally succeeded.

"The fire has helped, Captain. With it being caught, and with the fire, I think I can get it under control." He looked over at the burned man. "If you can muster another of those things, have it ready." 

Teion nodded, although his burned features hid the drain the spell had been to him. Usually that spell would have incinerated the troll in an instant, but dying had drained him of his usual strength. He had enough left for one spell, . "Not here, not now." he murmured to himself, shaking his head as he leaned against the spear for support.

That being said, Beetle hustled as much as his broken arm allowed, over towards the troll. A few good spear jabs might just do the trick.

The nobleman watched the stocky troll wrangler advance towards the pain-maddened beast and admired his bravery.  He accepted the fact that this man knew far more than he regarding trolls, and so was willing to give him a chance.

"Very well, hold," he told the group, "and stand ready."

Harold ignored the orders he had been given.  He didn't belong to any army and didn't care who the woman was.  She needed help and he wanted to help her.  Sighing, ignoring the pain in his head, he moved closer to her, ready to throw his own sleep spell if necessary.  He wasn't sure he had enough magical strength left, but he would try, for her sake and his own.  But only if the troll trainer couldn't get the troll under control.

Lonna saw the Anaheer man approaching with a spear and backed away a few paces. When she saw he was not interested in her but in the troll she stopped and took a moment to assess the situation. She could probably escape while the man kept the troll's attention but that course of action was more what she would expect from the barbarian Anaheer. The battle was over, at least here, and these people were in as much need as she was herself. She would not stoop to their level by denying what help she could give.

The two spells she had already cast had taken their toll and her head was pounding from the blow she had received but Lonna thought she had it in her to muster another sleep spell. Even her mentor said she was better at it than most he had seen. Holding out her hand she began speaking the words that would hopefully end the conflict.

There was a burst of magical sparks as the troll pulled first one leg, then the other free. She snarled at the squishy rushing towards her with a spear. The sneaky squishy was talking funny again and its hand glowed. The troll shook her head. She felt funny. She was tired and wanted to go to sleep. But she couldn't sleep, not now. The squishies had hurt her. She would smash the squishies! Then she could take a nice long nap! The squishy with the spear was almost here. She'd smash that one first.

Once.
Twice.
Three times.

The spear lashed out, jabbing the lumbering female in the burned portion of her shoulder, her throat, her side. Beetle then made a slashing gesture with the weapon right before the trolls face, and said in a voice barely above a whisper, "Sit down!" He cursed whatever powers had brought him back in this incomplete state, and could only hope that the female would respond to the conditioning (if such a word could be applied to trolls) she'd been given. He'd worry about the mage in a moment. Provided he wasn't eaten by his errant charge, or blasted by mage fire by the enemy sorcerer.

The troll stopped under the attack and tried to grab the spear, but the move was slow and fumbling. Beetle knew better than to let her catch his spear. The troll was angry, but she was also tired and a little confused. She held her ground though. The troll snarled down at Beetle. She didn't sit down or back away, but she didn't attack either.

Taking a step back, Beetle repeated the pattern. She was slower than she normally would have been, no doubt due to whatever the Vatril was doing, and the flames from the charred magician. Which was good, because Beetle's arm was likewise hampering him and making his normally fluid attacks clumsy things. The troll swatted casually at the spear, much like a person shooing away a fly.

"Sit down!", he commanded her once more, slashing the air before her face with the spear. He hoped the cavalry officer wouldn't order the mage to attack, but couldn't take his focus away from the troll to communicate this. "Vatril," he rasped. "No more magic. Leave her to me." 

The troll recognized the command. This was one of the mean boss squishies and he wanted her to sit. She didn't want to sit. She didn't want do what the mean boss squishies said anymore. She wanted to sleep, eat, and be left alone. 

The troll glared down at Beetle, moving her head back away from the spear. She took a slow step back, focused on the spear and the man holding it.

"I can stop her without hurting her." Lonna replied. "At least I can if I have the strength left." Her eyes widened in fright as she realized she had just told the Anaheer the spells she had cast were taking their toll. "Are you deaf?" Wheezed Beetle, once more lashing out with his spear, repeating the sequence. Whether he was talking to the mage or the troll was anyone's guess. He was keenly aware that it was focused on him now, and hoped that he could end this without being eaten.

"SIT! DOWN!" he commanded; his words would have been completely lost on a normal battlefield.

Lonna glared at the man jabbing the troll but made no move to interfere. She was prepared to cast another sleep spell in case the troll went for him.

The troll snarled and batted away the spear, but also took a step back. The beast gave a throaty growl and spoke, "You not boss troll." The troll was completely ignoring the others now. Twice more the spear flashed out, almost before the troll had finished speaking, stabbing at her throat and eyes. "Sit! Sit or the spear you'll feal my girl!" The troll reared back, trying to escape the spear, yet Beetle manage to get two good jabs in, slashing the troll's cheek and digging deep into the side of its. The troll gave an angry roar and pulled an arm back about to attack.

Lonna raised her hand preparing her spell. If the troll didn't back down she would have to try again, even if she was tired. 

The troll swung a massive arm at Beetle. The trainer dived to the ground as a fist almost as big as his chest sailed threw where his head used to be. Lonna chanted, suppressing the pain in her head and the drain from the spell she had cast. Her hand glowed as the troll pulled its fist back. The glow pulsed and the troll stumbled. Its head rolled from side to side as it struggled to stay awake, until finally the beast fell backwards with a crash.

Cali let out a collective breath with the others and turned the full of her attention to the woman that had brought the troll to it's knees.  Her dark face was serene for a moment, and then her vivid green eyes winced in pain.  She felt the fringes of a vision coming on, and tried to push it away.  The gift of sight brought with it searing pain for those that lacked the mastery of it, like she herself.

As the troll finally fell asleep Teion let out a sigh, visibly slumping onto his support whilst releasing his hold on a last ditch spell. He hobbled forward in the dying light to stand close to both the troll and mage, observing the Vatril's work with tired eyes. "Impressive, I'm surprised any magic manipulating the mind would work on such a dim witted beast." He said, looking the newcomer up and down.

"All creatures need to sleep." It was all Lonna had a chance to get out before the man in the red cloak spoke.

"Well done," Walther said to the Vatril mage as he drew his sword and advanced upon her.  "I had hoped that the troll would have saved us the trouble of having to deal with you ourselves, but, things being what they are..."

And with that, he thrust forward to run her through.