11 Session 10

Three months had already passed since the day Gohn woke up in that damp cave and met Priestess. A lot had happened since then, and after the first few weeks, he finally came to terms with living in an anime world.

Wizard, him, Goblin Slayer, and Priestess officially became a party and went on multiple quests together, ranging from normal goblin extermination to the dreaded escort missions. All he could say was that seeing Wizard die a little on the inside whenever she had to cover herself with goblin blood had become his second favorite part of adventuring, right after payday.

He had been promoted not once, but twice, making him a Steel Rank adventurer. This opened him up to a lot more quests, which led to him reaching level 4 a few weeks back. He had to thank the griffin they met a while back for the level-up, though.

Less than a month after Priestess reported the griffin sighting, he somehow defied the odds and got Goblin Slayer to agree to a quest that wasn't goblins. Priestess and Wizard were easier to convince; Priestess said yes before he could even ask, and Wizard was quick to accept after seeing the large bounty on the griffin.

The moment he reached level 4, he chose the Meta Magic Initiate feat because he felt a feat was much more valuable than just increasing his stats. He was generally scared of how changing his stats would affect him. Stats like Wisdom and Charisma could completely warp his personality if increased, and he would rather not lose who he was for a small boost in power.

But ever since unlocking them from leveling up, he had been putting both his new feat, Meta Magic Initiate, and his new spells, Blindness/Deafness and Vortex Warp, to great use.

Silent Spell and Twin Spell make for an incredible combination, and Gohn can't fathom how he managed without them for so long. Silent Spell proves even more effective in real life than in the game. The ability to cast Shatter or Blindness/Deafness almost instantly and without warning is devastating. Plus, blinding not just one, but two monsters with Twin Spell sometimes turns goblin slaying with Goblin Slayer into a cakewalk.

Being blinded for an entire minute—or even just six seconds—is crippling in a fight. Despite what Priestess claims, a minute feels like an eternity in combat. With precise timing, you can even cause monsters to swing wildly and harm their allies.

Teleporting multiple people within a 90-foot range is always invaluable. If your backline is under attack? No problem; she's now on the opposite side of the battlefield. And there's the satisfaction of teleporting foes into the air and watching them plummet to their demise—it never loses its appeal.

Gohn has also taken up a new hobby. His tool proficiencies from Artificer Initiate were going to waste, so he started putting them to good use. Whether on a mission or just with some free time, he meticulously crafts detailed maps for future use. While he considered taking up smithing, he quickly dismissed the idea. It's costly to start, and why forge your equipment when the town has the best smith around? Plus, the expenses add up quickly.

Though quests bring in decent pay, most earnings go toward repairing or upgrading equipment to boost survival odds. Having spare coins for smithing lessons is a luxury. Mastering smithing would likely take years, leaving him broke and struggling.

Despite leveling up, advancing in his adventurer rank, expanding his spell repertoire, and honing his teamwork and swordsmanship, Gohn feels stuck. His mind seems muddled, and he wonders if another level could offer the clarity and power boost he craves.

Fireball and Counterspell will now be his go-to spells when he gets them.

Fire ball is live Fire ball is love!

The allure of leveling up had led Gohn deep into the jungle, days away from Frontier Town, armed with limited supplies, on a troll-hunting mission for a noble. This quest could either mark the best decision of his short life or be justified by the substantial pay alone. Five hundred gold, all to himself, was an offer too good to pass up. Killing a troll and keeping it a secret should've been straightforward. After all, trolls were supposed to be ten feet tall and green. However, the trolls he sought were proving to be as elusive as they were cunning.

Perched on a high branch, Gohn sighed, taking a momentary break from what felt like a futile chase. He scanned the horizon for any telltale movement in the treelines but found none, prompting another sigh of frustration. He briefly considered employing a Wizard-like tactic of causing a cliff to collapse to stir up some monsters but dismissed the idea.

Three days later, signs of troll activity finally revealed themselves. The forest floor was imprinted with large footprints, branches, and shrubs that bore unusual carvings, and bushes appeared misshapen. His lack of hunting experience, especially with trolls, had caused the delay. Yet, seeing these tracks was a relief; otherwise, he'd return home empty-handed as his dwindling three-week supply of provisions was nearing its end.

With a quick prayer to the Earth Mother for guidance, Gohn began to silently track the troll, all while evading other beasts and monsters. Hours later, he finally spotted his quarry.

In a forest clearing, the troll crouched over a brown bear carcass, tearing into it with gusto and snapping bones effortlessly with its powerful jaws. Gohn shuddered at the thought of what such jaws could do to him.

Carefully observing from a safe distance, Gohn kept himself far enough away to avoid detection by the troll's keen sense of smell yet close enough to keep track of its movements.

After finishing its meal, the troll stood up. Towering over most trolls, which typically stood between 10 to 12 feet tall, this one was different. Its hide was a murky shade, brimming with muscle and adorned with battle scars. One blow from its massive arms would likely incapacitate Gohn. The plan was clear: don't get hit.

The remainder of the day was spent shadowing the troll as it roamed, feasting on its kills. As dusk approached, the troll retreated to a shallow cave, falling silent for the night.

Gohn's plan was to use the time the troll spent sleeping to set up traps and prepare himself. Once ready, he would unleash a full-powered Shatter to initiate the fight. After waiting 30 minutes since the troll had entered the cave, Gohn began putting his plan into action. If this didn't level him up, he was prepared to have a serious talk with the DM and a knife might be involved.

Quietly, he chopped down trees until they were nearly timber, set up tripwires, and created a nest of caltrops coated with paralysis poison. It took him a solid four hours to set everything up. By the time he was finished, he was winded and took another hour-long break before initiating the fight.

Fully prepared, Gohn entered the cave with a short sword at his waist and a long sword in hand. Knowing his short swords wouldn't inflict lasting wounds that the troll couldn't heal instantly, he opted for the larger sword. Although it prevented him from using blade song, the extra speed and defense it offered were crucial for this fight.

Approaching within the required 90 feet for Shatter, the troll began to stir, sensing his presence. However, Gohn remained composed and cast the spell. Thunder resonated throughout the cave as the explosion ripped one of the troll's arms from its collarbone, sending it crashing into the wall and splattering blood on the cavern walls.

The troll roared in pain, its head snapping towards Gohn, its severed arm visibly regrowing. Gohn retreated, his blade ready to face the beast. Trying to outrun a troll was futile, akin to trying to outrun a racecar in a wheelchair.

Gohn's best strategy was to disable its legs and lead it into his traps.

The troll lunged at him, its remaining arm extended, ready to end Gohn's life. Seeing the claw slash towards him, Gohn waited until the last possible second before rolling out of the way, letting the troll's claw carve deep imprints into the stone wall. Had he been hit, he might have been cut in half.

Seizing the opportunity presented by the troll's wide attack, Gohn slashed at its ankles. His blade cut deep, splattering blood onto his cloak. As the troll began to keel over from its failing ankles, Gohn attempted another slash at its remaining ankle. However, the troll delivered a devastating punch to his side, which he barely blocked with the flat of his longsword.

Gohn was sent flying into the air. He corrected his posture and cast Misty Step, reappearing right in front of the troll. He thrust his sword forward into its skull, the blade sinking deep.

Gohn hoped that was the end of it, but things are rarely simple for an adventurer. The troll twisted its neck, snapping the blade in Gohn's hand in two.

Looking at the remnants of his sword, Gohn sighed and discarded it onto the cavern floor, unsheathing both of his short swords. He could tell this fight was going to be challenging. The troll's severed arm was already regenerating, and its ankle seemed to be next.

Seizing the troll's momentary lack of mobility, Gohn sprinted out of the cave, sending firebolts down range. Once outside, he began chanting an upcast Burning Hands as a surprise for the troll when it left the cave.

The violent shaking of the ground announced the troll's arrival. It was almost fully healed, save for a few burn marks from his firebolts on its chest.

Keeping its distance, the troll stared intently at the flame forming in Gohn's hand. Seeing the troll had no intention of coming within Burning Hands' 15-foot range, Gohn stopped his cast and shot a firebolt at the troll instead, much to its annoyance.

The troll blocked the blow with its arm and roared in anger as it charged at Gohn, slashing at him. Gohn sidestepped the blow and slashed his short sword into its extended arm, leaving a small wound that healed almost instantly.

Gohn and the troll exchanged blows. Gohn dodged the ones he could and blocked the ones he couldn't. Every blocked blow left his arms numb and his hands weak. Slowly losing ground, they drew closer to the nest of traps he had set up.

Most of the hits he landed were flesh wounds that quickly healed. However, whenever he managed to land a good blow, he smashed a vial of nitric acid he had brought along to hinder the troll's healing factor. It had cost him a pretty penny to get it from the alchemist, but the troll's howls of pain made it worth it.

Finally, they were within range of his first trap: the caltrops and the weakened trees. The troll either avoided the caltrops or they had no effect due to its thick hide. But they were just within range of his makeshift claymore.

As the troll raised its hands to strike, Gohn slid beneath it and jumped onto its back, using his short swords as makeshift picks to hold on. Playing cat and mouse with its large hands trying to peel him off, he cast Shatter further into the tree line near the trees he had thinned out. The Shatter pulverized the thinner trees, creating a sphere of wood shrapnel that dug into the troll, leaving Gohn relatively safe.

The troll stalled, becoming a makeshift pincushion. It wasn't dead, but it might have been stunned. One thing Gohn had learned the hard way was that shrapnel from an explosion could be more dangerous than the explosion itself, especially in a wooded area where trees themselves became a type of claymore, with wood fragments flying at deadly speeds.

Gohn pulled out a small vial of acid to pour onto the troll but was interrupted as it sprang back into action, blindly running through the forest. It seemed that the caltrops had an effect that just took a little while to take effect and only stunned the troll for a brief moment.

"Stop, stop!" Gohn shouted, thrusting his short sword repeatedly into the troll's skull, trying to finish it off. But the thick bone resisted his efforts, and the troll charged headfirst into a large tree.

Trees toppled like dominoes in its wake, and Gohn cursed his decision to thin them out as logs tumbled onto both the troll and himself.

Finally, the troll tripped over a tripwire Gohn had set, bringing its rampage to an end. Catching his breath, Gohn stood up shakily and unleashed a full-powered Burning Hands spell onto the troll's back, finishing with a splash of acid when his magical energy ran low.

A pungent odor of burnt flesh filled the air as the troll's healing factor struggled in vain to repair the damage. Gohn felt a sense of satisfaction with each pained roar, each flicker of flame, and each sizzle of acid.

"Now, all I need is its head," Gohn thought, eyeing the troll's regenerating wounds. The creature's stubborn resilience amazed him. He briefly wondered why anyone would want a troll's head but quickly dismissed the thought. His curiosity didn't extend beyond the size of his payment. What mattered now was leaving this jungle behind; six years of battling its relentless foliage and beasts had left him yearning for open spaces.

He loathed jungles so intensely that he vowed never to set foot in one again if he could help it.

With a swift stroke, Gohn severed the troll's head and stowed it in a bag. The troll's remarkable healing ability meant there was no rush to preserve its body; its cells would take weeks to recognize death, provided they weren't damaged by fire or acid.

All that remained was to concoct a plausible excuse for his shattered longsword to tell the blacksmith, and he'd be in the clear.

A week or so later...

The masked figure, cloaked in shadows, approached Gohn with a sense of urgency. "So, do you have what I requested?" The figure's voice was deep and masked, echoing slightly in the dimly lit space where they met.

Gohn stood firm, the weight of the troll's head in the bag at his side. "I do," he replied, extending the bag towards the masked man. "One troll head, nearly flawless."

The masked man's eyes darted suspiciously, "You won't breathe a word of this transaction to anyone, will you?" His tone was tinged with caution, the threat implied rather than spoken.

"My lips are sealed," Gohn affirmed, his gaze unwavering. 

The masked man looked for a second before answering "But they better remain that way, unless you want to discover what a vengeful noble is capable of." With a practiced motion, the man inspected the troll's head, nodding in approval before sealing the bag.

Gohn's patience waned, "What about my payment?"

The masked man sighed theatrically, a hint of amusement in his voice. "You peasants are always so eager for your reward." He tossed a heavy pouch towards Gohn, the clink of gold and platinum coins signaling its contents.

"Always a pleasure doing business," Gohn said with a smirk, his fingers subtly weaving the incantation for Vortex Warp. In an instant, he vanished, leaving his mysterious partner standing alone, mouth agape in surprise.

As Gohn disappeared, frustration bubbled within him. Weeks spent in the jungle battling creatures, and still, he hadn't leveled up. "What does it take to gain a single level these days?" he muttered, almost pleadingly. "Come on, Mr. DM, just one level. I promise I won't rely solely on Fireball and Counterspell; I'll use different spells."

Being permently level 4 is something he wouldn't wish on his worse enemy.

And that's where we'll end this session