The trail left no doubt of where the beast had gone, upturned trees and a dragging skid in the topsoil betrayed its path. When Prism passed through the town, she noticed their fearful looks and the makeshift trench made to stave off the beast. Asking around town managed to figure out the culprit, a Bull-Troll. It had been raiding the town’s crops and terrorizing their livestock. The ponies of the village were absolutely distraught, and Prism couldn’t leave them without trying to help.
Up ahead, Prism could finally see an old structure carved into the rocks that the troll had been using as a lair, where the trail ended. Remembering her study of civil design, she figured the place to be an old storage facility, probably long abandoned before the troll had moved in to hide away from the light of day and keep its filthy lucre.
Prism made her way into the warehouse, as the smell of the troll’s filth rose to greet her. Gagging, she cast a light from her horn to illuminate the place. Looking around, she found pillars of old stone set periodically through the large room, with unlit sconces for light. In the corners of the room, she found a few old barrels from when the place was abandoned, as well as remains from the troll’s kills.
One of these corpses starts to shift, revealing the monster itself. The beast towers over twice the knight’s height, a sickly green leathery hide topped with matted greasy hair between vicious horns. Its mouth is filled with massive sharp teeth as it growls menacingly. Lunging over its carrion dinner, the troll moves to attack the new threat in a thunderous charge as it gives a horrible yell.
With barely enough time to brace herself, Prism takes the blow on the side of her shield. The troll continues past her and turns around for another pass. Taking a breath, she draws her Earthbreaker, and turns to face her opponent while reeling back for a shot at the charging beast. Sure enough the troll does come for another charge, this time running straight into Prism’s readied hammer. Unabated by this assault the momentum of the charge continues, knocking Prism back into one of the pillars. A rain of stones fall on the two fighters as pieces of the masonry crumble apart under the impact.
Trying to get some space, Prism moves defensively away from the troll and the pillar it had nearly pinned her against. Near the barrels now, Prism notices a distinct smell overpowering that of the troll’s stink, lamp oil. Likely for the sconces, the oil could still be viable. Roaring again, the troll charges at her once more, this time landing square on her shield. Taking the momentum of the wild charge and turning it to her side, Prism’s horn flares to light as an aura surrounds the troll. Turning to the side, she throws the troll’s mass into the barrels smashing them into splinters as she soaking it in oil.
The beast gives off another great roar at the oil now covering it, and stands slipping and sputtering to continue the fight. Attempting to sink its fangs into its foe, it is rewarded only with a painful mouth as its incisors bounced harmlessly off the steel armor. Prism spins her hammer around her body with a flourish as it ignites with a brilliant fire. Smashing the flaming weapon into the troll, it catches with furious flames as the oil lights. Blinded by the light and burning from the fire, the troll attacks in a mad fury. While its fangs are harmless once again, the horns of the beast knock Prism back flying through the air.
Breathing heavily now, Prism can feel the pain from the savage attacks. Already, there is a slowly growing pool of heat where the beast struck her, blood. Realizing that she can’t bring this foe down so easily, Prism looks for another way. Looking desperately, she sees the weakened pillar from earlier. With a thunderous smash from her hammer, the pillar collapses and the old warehouse starts to cave in. Running as fast as she can to the door, Prism barely manages to make it out alive. Meanwhile the troll gives off a final cry of agony and rage, trapped between the petrifying light of day or the collapsing den, it tries to charge out, but is ultimately crushed by the falling rocks.
Prism waits for a full minute to ensure that the troll is slain, ending her readiness only to drink a potion to stop the bleeding on her side. Satisfied that the burning stopped the troll’s healing long enough for the rocks to finish the job, Prism dissipates her weapon and puts the shield on her back. Walking toward the town, she considers staying the night at least, to assure that they’ll be safe.