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Grant had heard a rumor of stones, that had been found by gnome wizards. The gnomes had put magic into the stones, each for power. But before they could put the gems to anyuse the gnomes were killed in their sleep by rock trolls. The rock trolls took the gems because of your shininess and beauty.
After hearing this Grant got the idea to retrieve the stones and use them for himself. He found a young masterblacksmith that believed in his craft and worked for perfection never getting bored of his job. The young blacksmith was Sevious Helios. They made a deal quickly.
Grant headed down south to the small dock were a small boat he stashed was hidden there in the bushes. He tested to see if it still floated, which it did, then went back to town to gather supplies. He didn't know if anyone was coming with him he didn't mind, it would be a short trip.
He slept in the tavern that night, he would wake early to leave and head to the small island only 20 miles away.

Once his ship was ready to go Grant wasted no more time and was sailing off on his small boat. It paddled to get out past the waves, the swells were around 4 feet high today and it took Grant about 20 minutes to paddle his boat past the breakers. Then he set up his mast and was off heading east.
He stirred the boat well, the wind was strong this day and he was making good time. He reached his destination island at one in the afternoon. He reached the small dock and tied his boat up there. The village that housed the dock was in ruins...
The wooden houses there had been destroyed and burned. Gnomes and a few humans lay dead on the ground, bodies broken in have. Women and children lay among the men. Grant didn't find many weapons on the ground so he assumed that there wasn't much of a struggle and most of the people on the island were unarmed.
Grant checked the ground and found foot prints. Large footprints, twice the size of himself. He knew that they were Rock Troll prints, Grant counted seven different prints.
Grant walked slowly through the wreckage for anymore clues, but found none. He was crouching, looking at the ground for more prints when he heard a few foot steps, soft a few feet away. He was cautious and slowly slid a dagger out from his boot with almost no sound.
Then he moved quickly, turning around and staring at the thing that made the noise, it was a child, a human child, one who had avoided being killed.
"Greetings little one" Grant said softly putting the dagger back into his boot.
The child didn't move an inch, it was a boy, and he held a long knife in both hands.
"Calm down child, don't do anything reckless with that knife now... Put it away." Grant said with a stern commanding voice.
The child didn't move, but kept staring at Grant. Grant realized he couldn't convince the kid to put the knife away, so he instead sat down and open his bag of supplies. He decided he would have lunch before he set out to hunt the Rock Trolls. He invited the child to eat with him and slowly the kid walked closer...

The two ate together, the boy said his same was Brent Trawford. His family had been learning magic from the gnomes of the village, Brent knew a little magic, some fire spells and wind conjuring but nothing truely powerful.
Brent told Grant that the Rock Trolls had come down from their cave in the island mountain and attacked the Village, there had been near to 20 Rock Trolls at the time, but the gnome's powerful magic crushed the Rock Trolls on their first attack, but the Gnomes were overun by sheer brute force.
"Once the gnomes were killed..." Brent said. "The rest of the villagers were killed with relative ease..." Brent's voice began to quiver. "My father and mother tried to stop the Rock Trolls, but they didn't know strong enough spells..." He took a deep breath of air and slowly let it out. "They died and saved my life by giving me time to run away into the woods where the Rock Trolls never venture."
Grant nodded slowly not knowing what to say, then he spoke, "I know it must have been very hard for you to see that. But where I go is to the Rock Trolls, to take what they stole from this village. You must not join me here, I will depart in about 20 minutes, I will leave you with a supply of food lasting 5 days, if I am not back by 2 days I have been killed and you must leave the island. My boat is at the dock and can sail you to wherever you wish to go, but do not leave til after 2 days." Grant said and handed Brent a long wicked looking knife. "Take this with you, you might need it."
Grant rose and Brent stayed still, Brent didn't know what to say, he just said bye. And Grant made is way on the dirt road up the mountain...

Sweat glistened off his skin. He had been marching since midday and now it was midnight, he told himself he didn't have enough time to rest. He found the Rock Troll cave after a few hours of climbing up the mountain.
It was near the mid section of the mountain. It's entrance was large and Grant could only guess how deep it ran. He left everything he had that wasn't a weapon and slowly, cautiously walked into the cave. It was dark, and it took Grant's eyes a few minutes to adjust. It slowly decended deep into the mountain.
As Grant walked quietly, cautiously through the cave he saw bones and flesh through on the ground as if it were trash. Soon it was too dark for Grant to see and he had to risk a little magic. He used the rune Ra with a small peice of wood he had brought with him and made a small torch.
After what felt like days but was really only an hour or less Grant got to where the Rock Trolls lived.
It was a large cavern, circular, only way in or out was where Grant was coming in. The seven powerful Rock Trolls laid fast asleep all along the floor of the cavern, brandy bottles and whiskey bottles lay with them. Grant looked through the room carefully, he saw many sets of armor and much gold, but he wasn't there for that...
Then he saw them. The four stones enchanted by gnome magic. They laid against a chest that was full of gold. He had only snatch those stones... Then he would be on his way...
He took off his armor, because he knew it would clank and slow him down, besides, he wouldn't be needing his old armor anymore, as long as he got the stones... So he went into the cavern, wearing his Movement cloak and pants and a blue shirt with a small dagger from his boot. He went quietly to where the stones were, they were small the size of gems at best.
He quickly picked up all four, he froze after the third when he heard a grunt from one of the Rock Trolls, then grabbed the fourth and started running not caring if the Rock Trolls heard him or not. He had what he needed he just needed to get away now.

Grant ran past his armor only picking up his sword, then was off racing away. The Rock Trolls had heard him run and quickly saw their prized stones were gone. One of them went after Grant without a weapon or armor with the others put armor on and grabbed their weapons.
The leading unarmed Rock Troll was moving much faster then Grant could have ever imagined. The Rock Troll race were all strong, and were the best hand to hand warriors in the world.
Grant's legs burned from the excersise he was getting at the time. It was very dark, he didn't have the small torch he had earlier. He was just running the direction he knew he was ment to go, a few times he run directly into the tunnel's wall and fell back, each time swearing anew because he knew he lost time from them. He prayed to Nargun that the odds come in his favor and that the chances of the Rock Trolls getting lost in their own Tunnels increase for him, and the chances of him finding his way out also increase for him.
Then he saw the light of the exit. Blessed be Nargun! Grant thought and found new energy inside himself. He burst through the exit and raced down the mountain with the unarmed Rock Troll right behind him. Clumisly Grant fell over from a tree root in the ground he had noticed in his flight. Then the Rock Troll was upon him. He barely recovered from his fall when he was lifted up and thrown into a thorn bush. His clothes ripped as did his flesh.
He rolled out of the thorn bush with his small dagger in hand, rolled right to the feet of the Rock Troll. He stabbed the dagger deep into the rough skin of the Rock Troll's leg. Then he rolled away and continued to flight, the unarmed Rock Troll tired to keep up, but with an injured leg it was hard to keep up with the human and it feel behind.
After nearly 2 hours of jogging Grant got to the remains of the village, it was a little after dawn now and Grant couldn't find Brent. "Brent!" he yelled. But before he could yell again the six armed Rock Trolls burst into view. Their battle axes and long swords battle ready.
Quickly Grant hit one with an ice bolt directly in the face, the Rock Troll fell down, quickly he hit another one but then had to flee, he couldn't kill them all. He made a wall of ice fire to slow the Rock Trolls, but then came through it unflinchingly.
Grant was heading to the dock, if Brent was there they would leave... If he wasn't... If he wasn't Grant would circle the island then go back to the dock when the Rock Trolls went back to their mountain, he would come back and pick up Brent...
By some sixth sense Grant dived to the ground, just as a Battle axe came flying past where his head was. Then one of the Rock Trolls was on him. Grant quickly withdrew his sword and swung right to left and left to right, keeping the Rock Troll in the defensive position. Only 40 feet or so away was another Rock Troll charging at Grant, he knew he couldn't outrun them. Nevertheless he didn't have another plan, so he kept attacking the Rock Troll, hammering down on the Troll's sword.
There was a large crack sound and the troll's sword was broken, Grant didn't hesitate, he thrusted his sword deep into the throat of the troll, but, once that troll was taken care of the second troll was only feet away and it had already lifted it's might battle axe to cut Grant in two, but then something exploded on the Troll's face and it dropped its axe to protect it's eyes.
"Grant run!" the young boy yelled and Grant didn't need to be told twice, he bolted and saw the boy was only feet ahead of him, the two of them quickly made it to the dock. Brent untied the boat to the dock and Grant set up the mast and grabbed an oar, once Brent jumped in Grant was paddleing.
They cleared the dock right when the Rock Troll's reached it, they reached to its end and roared unintelligably and threw hatchets at the two human's in the boat, but they didn't get close.
"We made it." Grant said once they were past the breakers and were sailing.
"Ya... but where do I go now?" Brent asked.
"Well, I have been thinking, I will send you to my kingdom where you will be trained and treated like a prince."

Ending:
Grant and Brent sailed to the the port city of Brenford in the Herion Kingdom. Once there Grant took a couple horses and they rode to the capital city of the Herion Kingdom. There Grant made it official, Brent was adopted into the Herion family.
Grant spent another two days in resting in the palace, much had improved since he last saw it. All that had been broken was fixed. The buildings that had laid in ruins were built up looking better then before.
After the two days, he got fresh supplies and sailed back to Trolls Bane, and with the stones he would make the strongest armor the lands have ever seen!