Chapter 10
After collecting a few spooked mounts Alric and Bilbo returned in time to hear excited murmurs. The dwarves had found the Trolls cave. Alric knew this random cave held artifact of immense value. Not only would the dwarves find a small chest of gold, but blades made by ancient elves. Alric considered what he remembered. He knew he couldn't use any of the elven blades effectively as they were too small. Alric tried not to show any resignation on his face. It'd seem strange to the merry group as they enjoyed the spoils.
"Do you mind if we make use of these?" Gandalf called to him. The wizard held aloft Glamdring foe hammer in his hand. The blade would one day slay the Balrog of Moria.
"I have no use of such sized weapons."
…
Eventually the delayed party headed out. The journey with the Dwarves was exciting at first. The thrill of interacting with the company face to face put Alric in a good mood. Many of the company were just as curious to get to know him. He was the shiny new kid. Several had struck up conversations with him as they traveled.
The first day of travel the dwarf's curiosity was tempered with caution. The hearty ponies they rode whinnying and shying away from the lumbering form of Alric. Alric kept up with the group with ease. His gait was long and his stamina unflinching.
Alric wasn't entirely sure if he should be insulted or amused by the extent of their wonder at his intellect when conversing. They seemed to have no ill will.
Most of them are honest and straightforward. Unlike Mr. Suspicion.
Alric had caught more than one wary gaze from the dwarven royal. To be fair the man had calmed considerably and was being primarily stoic and resigned. Alric knew he was a rather large risk. Any other troll would be more interested in eating them than helping them. As such he didn't mind the leaders caution nearly as much now that he had dialed back the intensity. He was a leader and the lives of his people were his top priority…for now.
The group traveled for hours. The dwarves and even bilbo sang occasionally as they traveled. The scenery was breathtaking. The woods had grown slightly less dense as they began to set camp. The sun still gave a good amount of light.
"Troll!" Alric turned with a slight frown as Thorin called.
"We don't have the supplies to feed a being of your size. You will need to continue hunting for your food. We will still be here. Go, hunt. We will have camp set when you return. I have no doubt you'll manage."
"You're not wrong. I'm used to hunting for my meals. I'll return in time to talk."
Thorin seemed ready to turn away when he heard Alric's last comment.
"What do you want."
Alric couldn't help but grin slightly.
"We have yet to set terms or sign any accord on what I will do and what I will receive."
Bilbo had already mentioned the contract the rest had signed. He however had little wish for wealth. As such Alric planned on asking for a slightly revised version for himself. He would still take a small portion of gold. Having currency could still be useful if all went well however…hi eye was on Smaug.
Thorin grunted affirmation. Alric turned to the woods ready for a hunt.
"I'm off!"
Alric quickly began searching for prey. He followed the sent of what was likely a deer for a way but seemed to lose it before trying a few other scents. Eventually He started to see something he recognized. Webs. Not small ones either.
He doubted this forest sported the sheer infestation of giant arachnids the party would encounter in Mirkwood. This seemed to be a much smaller nest.
Alric tried to circle around any webbing. Staying as low and quiet as he could manage. He was reasonably sure he hadn't been detected yet. He crept closer to a hole where he presumed the main entrance was. He could see a large spiders leg barely visible just inside of the yawning pit lined in webbing.
Alric coiled to spring forward. He knew that spiders weren't built to fight. They hunted. They were designed as ambush predators. Quick brutal finishes much like an assassin build, this made Alric relatively confident that a punch or two would smash through any defense their exoskeleton could provide.
Before he could spring forward, he heard a faint thump on his back. Before Alric could react, He felt two fangs plunge into his back. The wounds weren't a massive issue but the searing heat flooding into Alric was not a good sign.
I thought I couldn't be poisoned! Nothing has managed to before!
Even as Alric's confusion on why the venom was able to hurt so incredibly much played through his mind his body moved. He Turned his back to a nearby tree and introduced his unwelcomed rider into it's new forever home. The horrifying spider was a ghastly grey brown and was made no better looking as a half-mangled corpse in a bed of splintered wood.
Alric couldn't relish his revenge at the moment as he had bigger problems. Lots, and lots of skittering was sounding at the nearby entrance. The original spider Alric had meant to attack wasn't there anymore but the sounds he was hearing suggested more enemies were quickly approaching. The venom spread a strange numbing fire on a swath of his back.
Alric was lucky it hadn't gotten a limb or his chances of fighting off the spiders would have dropped. Even with all limbs working Alric knew he couldn't let himself be swarmed from all sides. So instead of running away he did the last thing his more rational half wanted.
Alric leapt into the tunnel downward. He could see at least ten large spiders barreling down the straight tunnel. Alric charged them with as much speed as he could build up. Instead of an open environment where they could utilize their speed and numbers to land bites Alric planned to barrel straight through them.
The one spider he had killed earlier had proven he was right about their defenses being weak. This proved true once more as he plowed through the first two spiders like they hadn't been made of anything but gross red and green chunks waiting to fly already.
They were definitely like that when I got here.
The rest of the spiders received fists and kicks with expedited delivery due to Alric's generous nature and slight panic. Luckily the spider's momentum had the very squishy targets nice and densely packed for him. One right hook through the face bits of a jumping nightmare gave a lovely crunch before Alric swung down into another. His fists swung and slammed over and over with a fast but steady tempo.
Alric felt the grin spread on his face this time. His blood was pumping and He felt like a character in a first-person shooter game clearing waves of weak mobs built to look scary and pop satisfyingly. Of course, he didn't need a gun that never seemed to run out of ammo he could smash and bash his way. It was fun and terrifying.
Alric slammed the last two spiders together with one final crunch. His battle focus, and it was a battle focus not adrenaline-fueled rampage if you asked Alric, ended. He had accumulated two more bites that he hadn't even felt. One was on an arm and one his hip. Luckily the spiders hadn't been able to pump as large a dose into him as his first ambusher as they were far too close to live that long.
Still the bites throbbed and pulsed with fiery pain now that Alric could feel them.
Why is this working on me!? I've eaten poison mushrooms without any effect. Was I wrong about…
The realization hit Alric as he began to gather his rather unappetizing dinner. His system protects him from whatever he eats. It would break down anything eaten and use it for the tithe. The system would also sit aside and do absolutely nothing as he died to venom! Venom would do nothing to him if he ate it! In any other circumstances such as being bit by something Alric had no defense beyond tanking it with his vitality.
Alric dropped the carcass he was carrying into a big murder pile.
"Shit, I'm a lucky idiot!"
After declaring his own ineptitude to the massive pile of giant lethal predators he had just curb stomped he began his last insult and ate them.
As he ate, he planned. He knew exactly what he would use the poison tithe he had been saving for now. He had left the growing tithe for when he decided to incorporate a way to use it offensively, but now he needed to patch this weakness.
Alric finished crunching his last spider leg with little ceremony. He headed back to the camp. He and Thorin had a conversation to get through before he could put anything into motion in his dreams.