Bronze Tier

Zarin crouched low behind a thick tree, peering through the dense foliage at the massive troll ahead. The creature towered over the forest floor, hunched over a freshly killed deer, methodically skinning it with a crude knife. Beside the troll, a large sack filled with other animal skins lay, and the troll carefully folded the deer’s hide.

His heart pounded as he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. ‘This is it. Time to show what I’ve got,’ he thought, planning his next move. The villagers had described the troll as dangerous, but it had harmed no one yet. Still, Zarin knew better than to underestimate a troll. ‘I’ll strike first, catch it off guard.’

But instead of charging in, he had another plan. Although his Fate Dice skill had been hit or miss, it had delivered for him in the past. He only needed a 3 for a fire-based attack, which is effective against trolls, or a 6 for a powerful strike. Either would give him the edge before the troll could retaliate.

Activating his Skill, Zarin watched as the spectral die appeared, tumbling through the air. ‘Come on, give me something good,’ he prayed, hoping luck would be on his side.

As the die stopped rolling, it started releasing light particles.

Then, a small, fluffy orange cat materialized before him, meowing softly.

Zarin’s jaw dropped. “A cat?” he shouted, his frustration flaring up. “What am I supposed to do with this?” He shot a look at the feline, which was now sitting licking its fur, oblivious to the tension in the air.

The troll, hearing Zarin’s voice, turned its attention towards Zarin. Its massive head snapped up, yellowed eyes locking onto the cat. For a long moment, the forest seemed to hold its breath. Zarin’s pulse quickened as he gripped his sword tighter. ‘I need to wait for the cooldown to roll again. Damn it!’

The troll slowly stood up, towering over the trees, and Zarin braced himself for an attack. But, to his surprise, the troll didn’t charge at him. Instead, it lumbered forward—toward the cat.

“KITTY!” the troll boomed in a deep, gentle voice, reaching down with its enormous hands to scoop up the orange fluff ball. The cat purred contentedly as the troll cradled it to its chest. “Cute kitty!”

Zarin blinked. ‘Is this real?’ The troll, which he had expected to be a brutal beast, was now nuzzling the cat like a child with a new pet.

Slowly, Zarin lowered his sword, trying to make sense of the situation. “You’re… not going to attack me?”

The troll looked up at him, still beaming with joy. “Grosh no hurt hoo-mans. Grosh like kitty!”

Zarin stared in disbelief. “So you’re not here to attack the village? The people think you’re dangerous. They’ve seen you skinning animals and thought you were preparing to… you know, skin them.”

The troll frowned, looking genuinely confused. “Hoo-mans scared of Grosh? Grosh no hurt hoo-mans. Grosh make clothes!” It stood straighter, still holding the cat, speaking e as if explaining something obvious.

Zarin narrowed his eyes. “Clothes? You’re skinning animals… to make clothes?”

“Yes!” Grosh nodded eagerly, pointing at the deer hide. “Grosh make strong, soft clothes. Better than hoo-mans’ weak clothes.”

Zarin took a step closer, still cautious. “So you’re not planning to hurt anyone? You’re just… making clothes?”

Grosh shook its head vigorously. “No hurt! Grosh want job! Hoo-mans always run, scream. Grosh not understand why. Grosh only take skins—leave meat for animals. Grosh make clothes.”

Zarin let out a breath. ‘This is the strangest quest I’ve ever been on.’ He realized now that the entire situation was a misunderstanding. “Can you show me? Some of these clothes you’ve made? If I bring them back to the village, maybe it’ll help convince them you’re not a threat.”

Grosh’s face brightened. “Yes! Grosh show hoo-man clothes. Come, come!”

Still wary, Zarin followed the troll deeper into the woods. Despite its childlike demeanor, he couldn’t let his guard down completely. The troll could still be dangerous, but at least for now, it seemed more interested in making a good impression than causing harm.

After a few minutes, they arrived at a cave nestled between two hills. It was surprisingly neat, with animal hides piled up along the walls and several crude workstations arranged inside. Grosh proudly gestured around. “Grosh cave! This where Grosh make clothes.”

Zarin glanced around, still on edge, but couldn’t help being impressed. The troll had organized the space well and had arranged everything with surprising care. The hides were drying on racks, and in one corner was a stack of shirts, pants, and even a cloak.

Grosh grabbed a shirt and held it out for Zarin to inspect. “Grosh make strong clothes. Hoo-man like?”

Zarin took the shirt, feeling the fabric. At first glance, it seemed ordinary, but when he gave it a slight tug, he noticed it was far sturdier than it looked. More impressively, as soon as the fabric tore a little, it began mending itself right before his eyes.

“It… repairs itself?” Zarin muttered, examining the shirt closely.

Grosh nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Groshskin clothes fix selves. Last long time—better than hoo-man clothes.”

Zarin couldn’t deny that this was impressive. “Okay, this is actually really useful. But the villagers are scared of you. They think you’re a threat.”

Grosh’s face fell. “Grosh no want scare hoo-mans. Grosh just want make good clothes. Help hoo-mans.”

Zarin sighed. “I’ll take this back to the village. Maybe if they see the clothes, they’ll understand you’re not here to harm them. But you need to stay away from the village until I get back. No wandering close to the fields.”

Grosh nodded eagerly. “Hoo-man help Grosh? Grosh wait here. Be good.”

Zarin folded the shirt and gave the troll a small nod. “I’ll sort this out. Just stay put.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. ‘Of all the things I expected today, solving a troll’s business problems wasn’t one of them.’