Chapter4
Alric kneeled on the river rocks of the bank panting and gripping the wound on his shoulder. A large amount of blood dripped between his fingers. Now out of the water the bloody wound slowly slowed as the blood got tackier and clotted in the wounds. Alric grimaced at the burning pain in his shoulder. The bite traced from his shoulder to the top of his pectoral and wrapped around onto his back. That's gonna leave a sick scar.
"Ha…HA Ha Ha!"
Alric couldn't help but laugh out loud. The first bark of surprised relief rolling into a loud exclamation of joy. He was alive. He had already fought once, but fighting the bear hadn't just been intense but terrifying. The fear of death had clawed at him, ripping away everything but the desperation to live, to win. As he trailed off Alric couldn't help but smile despite the pain. He was going to live. He hadn't felt so content and motivated by such a simple desire in a long time. Alric glanced back at where the bear remained in the water. It was too large to be taken by the river.
You were a damn good fight. Thank you. I'll cherish this wakeup call…and I'll start by eating you.
The bleeding had mostly stopped by now. He stood and moved over to the bear. He could probably drag the carcass back to his cave, but it would be ungainly. Alric decided to eat as much of it as he could here before taking the leftovers.
Sometime later Alric lugged the uneaten half of the bear back toward his cave. He was very full but looked forward to the benefits from such a strong meal. After stashing it deep in the cave where it would be coolest, he ran back to the water to rinse. This is the second time I've been attacked here by the river. It must be highly contested territory. That makes sense. Everything needs to drink, and predators can use that to their advantage.
Splashing water to rid himself of the blood, some was his own and some was from the bear. He began gathering reeds from the shore. He swept up as many as he could in his arms. He stuffed them in his mouth and ate them quickly. He wasn't picky, eating much of the brush and even a small tree. The sapling had been almost sweet and very fresh, almost like celery.
When he could eat no more, he began to try to get some exercise. He started by running. He figured he could scout for anything nearby. As he ran, he appreciated his slightly more proportional legs. His movement was swift and effortless, loping in a strong stride. His massive size moved with unstoppable momentum. He followed the river using it to stay oriented. After running for nearly an hour he came to the stop at the top of a waterfall.
The river plunged off the side of a cliff and fell for a long way. Aric estimated it to be well over 300 feet. The river had been joined by several smaller veins along the way swelling larger and faster. The thick pillar of water hammered into the rock below before splashing into the small lake. Alric waded across the river careful to not be dragged over the side. On the far side the cliff grew gradually less steep until he could traverse it easily. Down below he decided the many large flat rocks were a good place to attempt his calisthenics. There were lots of boulders around to try lifting and plenty of room to do pushups and sit-ups.
A 10 kilometer run, 100 pushups, 100 sit-ups, and 100 squats.
"As long as my hair doesn't fall out. I just got it back."
He started doing exercises. He started by testing how large a rock he could lift. He tried larger rocks progressively. Surprisingly he could lift a boulder with a diameter of up to nearly five feet. If he remembers the general guideline from landscaping that would put its weight at a bit over three and a half tons. That was impressive. Of course, this was done using his legs and arms together. But it was still far higher than he had expected.
I must look comical. A Troll doing exercises in the woods. At least I actually look like I work out thanks to my free customization. Even if I'm probably only slightly stronger than my pudgy kin.
While he had no doubt both his exercise and Tithe system would one day bring his strength far beyond his fellow Trolls. He had a lot of grinding to do before he stood as a titan among giants.
After going until he eventually reached the end of his extreme stamina he rinsed and started heading back to his cave. He still had plenty of time before sunrise but wanted to be extra careful with his natural bane. He reflected on how long it had taken to reach the ends of his endurance.
It seems a hidden strength of my new race is how long I can keep fighting. It's rather funny considering how lazy most trolls are. But it makes sense, no Dark Lord wants troops that can't maintain a march or for their monsters to run out of energy mid-evil-plan.
After returning home to his cave he ate some more plants and bear meat. He sat inside his cave safe as he waited for the sun to come over the horizon. He stared at his green finger feeling less sure of his plan as the time to test it drew near. He might find a way to fix it if his finger turned to stone… It might even revert if he draws away from the light. It could also mean losing his finger.
Once the sun had risen, he crept to the edge of his safe shadowed cave. The line of bright sunlight sat there. After a quick moment to prepare himself, he poked his newly green finger into the light.
He could feel the warmth of the sunlight soak into his skin. There was no pain. In fact it felt rather nice as his newly acquired chloroplasts drank in the light. He withdrew deeper into the cave. He might have the answer to his little light problem but for now only one finger was ready to try sunbathing. He needed more, much more. He was eager to fall asleep and assign his new tithes. His excitement worked against him making it much harder to fall asleep.
After returning to the familiar avatar space, he found his Tithes waiting. Once more he had two swirling orbs of light. This time, however, the sizes were larger. The smaller calmer sphere of green energy was slightly smaller than the wolf sphere from last time around. The bear's tithe was twice the size of the other.
Alric started with the bear, with a thought the sphere shrunk drastically. The message appeared as he consumed much of the tithe "You have consumed one Bear. Your strength has moderately increased. Your vitality has slightly increased. Your speed has very slightly increased. It seemed he could manually choose how much of the tithe goes into taking attributes and how much is used to obtain the modifications I want.
The remaining energy Alric split between his teeth and his fingernails. His teeth strengthened and his tusks grew slightly larger now poking out of his mouth slightly. His fingernails grew thicker and darker. They drew to points but hadn't quite made it into claws by the time it was spent.
Next Alric quickly allocated his plant tithe to his skin once more. The new pigment spread like a blotch of verdant paint. The essence wasn't enough to cover him reaching only up to his elbow before running out of energy.
Tch. Not enough. How long am I going to have to eat grass! I'm a Troll not a cow!
With little else he could do but finalize and wait for the changes he would wake to Alric drifted into true sleep.