The History of Tempt

By The Sacred Order

      "Forward!" the orcish commander shrieked.

      The orcish army swarmed down the slopes of the Firedrake Mountains, each soldier carrying his own arsenal of blood-stained steel. A large, green troll trampled among the orcs. The beast stood a good fourteen feet in height with blotches of brown and green. A thick stone club, the size of a man, dangled from his right hand. His left ankle bore a shackle, chained to a colossal machine with wheels.

      "Attack!" an orcish overseer whipped the monster. The machine rolled forward into the opposing army, and the troll followed and obeyed.

      At the foot of the Firedrake Mountains, a band of dwarven legionnaires met the the orcish stampede. Sparks flew as blades met, and blood soaked the barren soil. The troll fought with immeasurable strength, his mace tossing up the bodies of its dwarven victims.

      "What is this monstrosity!?" cried a dwarven soldier as he turned his back. The stone club landed with immense force onto the dwarf, leaving a lifeless puddle of blood and flesh.

      "Stand your ground!" ordered the dwarven commander, "We will not fall back!" The legionnaires charged at the beast. Some made attempts to climb up his giant legs. Others jumped for his arms. Still more leaped from trees onto his back. An arrow flew into the troll's left breast. A blade slashed at his neck by a dwarf who had climbed onto his back. The beast howled in pain and charged headlong into a nearby tree, knocking his attackers off. Another arrow pierced the monster's flesh. And another. And another. The towering green figure released a deafening howl as he collapsed.

      His arms twitched. Slowly, his eyes opened. All around him laid the corpses of orcs and dwarves. He sniffed - the scent of a human! The beast quickly turned around, facing a human ranger taking aim with his bow.

      "Run," the ranger commanded.

      "Where are my masters?" the troll growled, disregarding the ranger's demand.

      "Do not tempt me, beast," the ranger continued to threaten.

      "Where are my masters!?" the troll roared, charging at the puny human. The man leaped to one side, but to no avail. The beast was quicker and stronger. The troll bashed the human to the ground. "Tell me where my masters are!"

      "The orcs were repelled!" the ranger surrendered, "The dwarves won the battle, but their victory was in vain. Vampires came through here, and by morning the army of dwarves was but a pile of corpses."

      "My masters..." the troll mumbled, "... they ... gone?"

      "How can this possibly be a bad thing?" the ranger snorted, slowly getting back on his feet, "You're free now. You're no longer a slave for the orcs."

      "Me not know what to do," the troll replied, "You... master ... me ... protect?"

      The ranger chortled. "Protect me? The last thing I need is a stupid green giant following me around." The ranger unsheathed a shiny blade and hacked at the chain bounding the troll to the machine. "I'll tell you what, though. I'll set you free. Perhaps we'll meet again." With that, the ranger turned his back and walked away.

      "Tell me name!" the troll cried out.

      "I am Drefan," the ranger replied, continuing to walk away.

      The troll looked around at his surroundings, dumbfounded, "Me... Tempt."