Chapter 3
Alric was grinning like a devil that had just gotten some poor schmuk to sell him their soul. Or he would have if he currently had a mouth or any form in his current dream. Still his perception fixed on the small wisp of verdant energy in his mind. The orb almost seemed to flicker in reaction to the sheer intensity of his intent on it. Shh! It's ok little one I won't hurt you.
Alric crooned at the little bit of essence as if it could understand. If it were alive, it would already have fled as far from the gaze and "comforting words" on sheer instinct if nothing else.
Setting aside his amusement Alric tested his theory, pushing the orb into his avatar, focusing as hard as he could on what he wanted. He put every bit of the tiny essence into making his skin photosynthesize. His biggest weakness as a troll was sunlight. He had considered trying to build up a tolerance or finding whatever magical or mundane solution the Dark Lord had used to make the Olog-hai. Those solutions would take time or be extremely dangerous, especially if Sauron had yet to be defeated. Alric had no idea when in time he was, or even if this was in fact Middle-earth at all.
Luckily, he had something no other Troll had, something not even Sauron or Morgoth could dream of: a Cheat. Many plants had amazing and enviable abilities, however the most universal among them was the ability to eat light. It allows plants to gain energy from the sun itself like miniature Superman's. In this case Alric was hoping it would keep him from turning into stone like some one time use gargoyle, or some hero trying to rizz up medusa with prolonged eye contact.
Alric's implied grin grew even wider as he felt the energy easily merge and incorporate as he wished. His theory worked! He could give the plants ability to absorb and utilize sunlight to his own skin. There was just one tiny problem…Not enough energy. The handful of plants he had eaten while a considerable number of plants, considering the size of his three fingered hands, was rather limited. The fact that his system only took a tenth, meant he couldn't even see the shift in the grey color of his hide he knew had just occurred.
After a moment of thought, Alric consolidated the effect into the pointer finger on his right hand. The digit quickly betrayed the drab color scheme of its two companion digits for a dark green. Alric didn't know if the ability to chemically metabolize the light would shield him from whatever magical interaction dictated, he should become an oversized lawn ornament for daring to see the light of day. He did however have a pretty strong hunch that this would work.
As if sensing Alric was done, or perhaps merely out of options needing his input, the system quickly faded as Alric was returned to normal sleep before he could register the graceless dismissal. His attention drifted back to the fuzzy world of normal dreams. The sound of his snoring continued unabated and uninterrupted out in the real world as the day slowly passed.
Coming to consciousness slowly, Alric grinned as he confirmed the reality of his transmigrated self as easily as counting his fingers. His thumb tapping against two massive fingers before he had even opened his eyes. Hell yeah The Troll Hero is officially online and ready to rumble.
As he got to his feet his recently acquired body felt different once more. He felt more balanced and his legs were slightly more proportional. The ceiling looked just a bit too close from his better posture and longer legs. The memory of the cheat that had finally made itself known to him last night in his dreams made him flash his newly straightened teeth in a smile that turned his recently transfigured face from stoic and rugged right back to terrifying.
Alric didn't rush outside into the beginnings of the night just yet. He sat there to think and plan. What good was his abnormal intelligence if he didn't leverage it? I need to test how my changes last night have affected me. Unfortunately, I didn't take any real baseline from yesterday, but I should be able to feel the difference somewhat. I can lift boulders or something to test myself…While I'm at it I should do a quick work out. With a body like this I need to cherish it. Even if I can get stronger with my cheat putting on even more muscle would be formidable. Trolls seem to have a natural talent for building muscle without training. With a constant and focused routine, I am sure to see easy gains. Secondly, hunting, I need to eat. I need to make sure I'm maximizing the returns I get from my Tithe system for it. Wait, that means I'm actually in need of more plants than meat! Damn it! They did always say eating your veggies was good for you. Never thought I'd end up agreeing. Ok fine, Gym and diet, sorted. I'm going to need to wait for sunrise to test my green skin plan. Still, I also need to return here much earlier than last time. That was far too close.
His game plan firmly established he headed out into the night. His first stop was the river. He quickly drank his fill and was on his way towards the pool that had become his new bathtub when he heard a roar. It was a distinctive below that he had heard through speakers a hundred times. A bear! A large, angry bear. The sheer scale of this particular bear seemed to have left behind anything his knowledge from his previous life said should be possible. It was like a delivery truck had grown shaggy fur and the rage of five thousand men. The massive creature gave Alric no time to process its presence or the fact that this predator was even larger than himself. The bear seemed even bigger and angrier up close. How did Alric know this? Simple, the bear was now hugging him. He was not enjoying said hug, even a little. He wasn't a huge hugger in his last life. The degree of unpleasantness of this hug made him think he owed everyone who had hugged him before an apology and a medal. The musk of a wet bear was smashed down his nose as the bear did a decent job of trying to crush all life out of him. A thought managed to surface as Alric was held. Wait, could this massive bear actually be the skin changer Beorn? It would make sense why its so huge.
"Wait, Beorn I'm not an…"
The rest was literally drowned out. Before Alric could finish wheezing the sentence the bear decided he was not dying fast enough. It bodily slammed him down into the very pool he was bathing in. Alric had no idea how long he could hold his breath now but was no longer interested in diplomacy regardless. He prepared to push the claws that were digging into his chest off. The bear surprisingly put no effort in keeping its hold on him. Before Alric could question why its massive head had plunged down and latched onto his shoulder.
Alric cried out in a mix between a roar and a scream as the bear hauled him to his feet as it stood up and tried unsuccessfully to shake him. The bear may have been bigger, but Alric was heavy. The bear's teeth had done more damage to him in seconds than all the wolves combined. The teeth had punctured but hadn't made it far enough to tear the hunk of his shoulder off or tear it enough to be truly life-threatening. Completely focused on the flight or fight response Alric didn't take the time to assess the level of his injury. The pain blasting into his head had already told him all he needed to know for the moment. He needed it to stop.
Alric had a stunningly clear thought as his hands flew up to the bear's jaw. It was a memory of someone mentioning how incredibly useful having thumbs was in nearly everything. He may have lost fingers in the transmigration, but not his thumbs. His hands clamped down on the bears upper and lower jaws. He pulled with everything he had as he yanked the bear's mouth open and off him.
The bear scrambled forward trying to push him and its maw back onto him as it batted him with its front claws. The pain from the shallow cuts the claws managed didn't register as they fought. Alric let the bear's mouth snap shut as soon as he got himself clear. Moving as fast as he could he wrapped one meaty hand around its muzzle. Most animals have much more power to close their mouths than open them. His hand barely managed to fit but it was enough, he grabbed at the loose fur at the bear's side and pulled violently. The bear wasn't well balanced on its back legs and pushing forward. The bear slid off him and into the water on its back. "Thumbs, bitch!" Alric yelled at the thrashing bear.
Deciding turn-around was fair play Alric decided to try and drown the bear as he wrestled the upside-down head under the surface. While he focused on the head and arms he was completely unprepared for the two legs that curled up between them and kicked him off. Alric was forced to let go as he stumbled back.
The bear had just managed to pull its bedraggled head right way round when Alric's fist decided to drop by and greet its face. The massive fist hit like a boulder. The great beast stumbled as one wild haymaker after the next rained down on its head and nose. A new strategy formed Alric jammed its head back into the drink. The bear took longer to begin fighting back this time. When its blurry mind cleared enough to demand air, Alric didn't fight it.
As the bear surged up Alric's fist was already swinging down with as much as he could put into it. The hit broke something in its nose, and more crucially knocked the predator out. Alric panted like a forge bellows as he held the bear under once more. He remained alert and ready for it to awaken and resume the fight. The great beast had already given everything it had in the fight, it didn't come up again.