Frank’s head snapped toward the arriving monsters – the troll nearest to them was unarmed, while the second one held a wooden club that looked like a small tree trunk. The safe choice would be to run, or they could try taking the monsters on. He paused for a moment, weighing his options.

“Benton, stall the one with the club. Gabriel, take this one down, then you and Clay will hold down its arms, and I’ll hold onto its legs, while Kim stabs it in the eyes. Amy, help Benton,” Frank gave out orders.

Gabriel ducked under a punch and grabbed the monster’s leg, a short struggle later the troll was deposited on the ground. Not giving any opening, Gabriel moved to hold down the monster’s left hand, while Clay Dashed forward and grabbed onto its right, using his body weight to pin it to the ground. Frank lifted the monster’s legs off the ground, trapping the ankles between his body and his arms.

“Hurry,” Frank shouted, as he struggled to keep both legs under control.

Kim jumped on the troll’s chest, she pushed its head down with one hand then brought down her dagger, stabbing the monster through the eye. The monster let out a deep growl filled with pain and redoubled its effort to free itself. Frank’s body jerked forward then pushed back, as the troll bent and straightened its legs in rapid succession – he lost his balance, then he lost the hold on one of the legs. The troll used its freed leg to shove Frank away.

“Damn it,” Kim cursed. The troll turned its head side to side, causing her following strikes to miss.

“Stay calm, just take your time to…,” Gabriel began when a loud crash filled the cavern, causing him to turn his head only to see Benton doubled over and wincing in pain. “Come on, Kim,” he urged.

“I’m tryingaaagh.” Kim’s words turned into a cry as a foot slammed into her back, pushing her off of the troll.

With Kim gone, the troll tried to pull both men toward itself, before it twisted its body and kicked at Clay.

The man groaned. “What do we do?” He asked, looking at Gabriel.

Gabriel’s decision was made for him when Benton shouted that he couldn’t stall the other troll any longer. “I’ll help Benton,” he barked and let go of the troll’s arm.

Clay jumped back as well, avoiding another kick. He stepped forward with a powerful swing as the troll sat up, the club smashed into the back of the monster’s head but did little visible damage. Clay stifled a curse and prepared to deliver another blow.

Frank had gotten up but didn’t rush back into the action. It was clear that the previous plan failed, and he needed to come up with a new one. Damn it, Arcane Missiles take too long, and I don’t have the mana to spam Arcane or Shadow Bolt. Should we run? No, let’s try it first, Frank thought.

“Clay and Kim, stall it for a bit, I want to try something,” he shouted and began casting Acid Bolt.

The spell, which propelled a tennis ball sized globe of acid at a target, was a hybrid spell. It dealt some of its damage directly to HP, while the acid would also eat through whatever it landed upon, dealing additional physical damage. He was going to test its effectiveness against the fallen troll when the new monsters arrived.

The spell completed and a globe of acid flew forward, striking the troll on the side. A sizzling sound came from the monster’s skin as the acid ate into it. However, Frank couldn’t tell how much of an effect it had. Clay and Kim darted around the monster, giving Frank time to fire off another shot. That one landed squarely on the back, the monster groaned in annoyance and turned around, its one good eye trained on Frank.

Frank felt annoyance rise inside of him, as he flung the third Acid Bolt, which impacted the troll’s chest. God damn spinning top! He cursed mentally. Can’t this bastard stand still so I can hit the same spot? Oh, of course. Frank sighed mentally, as he watched the troll charge at him. He started on another spell, unsure if he had enough time to finish the two-second cast. Luckily, Clay saw what was happening and Dashed forward with a strike to the monster’s leg. Its footing compromised, the monster took a few moments to regain its balance. A globe of acid splashed against its chest before it began to charge forward again.

Out of time, Frank leveled his saber, holding it parallel to the ground, like a lance, and used Dash and Power Attack to amplify his strike. Eight yards shrunk in an instant, the tip of his blade pierced through the tough skin and entered the troll’s body. The monster roared in pain, lifting both arms into the air, and prepared to retaliate. But It was too late, Frank had already jumped back. Or that’s what was supposed to happen. As he sought to retreat, Frank yanked on the weapon to pull it out, however, the saber was stuck, and the action pulled him toward the troll instead. This unexpected stumble gave the monster enough time to bend down and scoop Frank into a bear hug.

It straightened, lifting the surprised man off the ground, and began to tighten its embrace. Frank found himself being squeezed to death by the troll. Worse yet, his arms were pinned against his body, a few jerks making it clear he couldn’t free them. He tried to call for help, but only produced a wheezing sound. The pressure on his chest and midsection increased, causing him to gasp for air, unable to expand his chest to draw a breath. He was distracted by the weird sensation of choking to death while maintaining clear consciousness, courtesy of his Struggler ability combined with plenty of HP. But the mounting pain coming from his back brought him to the present.

Clay’s club smashed into the back of the troll’s knee, causing it to careen to that side. It managed to regain its footing and spun around to face Clay. Kim circled behind it and stabbed at its back, her strikes failing to puncture through the skin. The troll kept moving to keep Clay in front of it while ignoring Kim entirely, meanwhile, Frank’s mind whirled looking for a way to free himself.

He cast Mana Shield, the bubble would push away foreign objects as it expanded. It bought Frank a moment of respite, as it loosened the troll’s grip before being crushed. Next, he cast Floating Metal Spear, it was the only spell that didn’t require hands to aim. A two-feet-long metal rod appeared above Frank’s right shoulder, however, the troll sensed danger and began moving its head side to side. Frank pushed aside the pain and discomfort and concentrated on the troll’s face. The rod shot forward and struck the monster on the bridge of its nose.

Frank summoned another projectile when a crunching sound came from his back, followed by a jolt of pain. Blood trickled down Frank’s chin, and he realized that he couldn’t feel his legs. Even worse, he felt like a balloon that was about to pop. Kim and Clay were shouting something, but he wasn’t listening. Teeth ground, he focused on the troll once more.

Think! I can’t hit it like this, I have to make it halt its movements. Taunt! An idea sprung into Frank’s mind. He activated the skill, then opened his mouth to trigger the effect, but failed to produce any sound beside pained wheezing. Son of a, he cursed mentally.

Taunt worked similar to Power Attack, in that it added an effect to an action. For Taunt, the range of actions that would trigger it was quite broad – from banging a weapon on a shield to shouting, even pointing a weapon at the target. However, Frank found himself unable to perform any such acts, and the skill fizzled out without triggering.

Well, that’s out, now what? Frank thought as he felt his insides pushing up his throat. He cast Healing Touch to counteract his HP which had begun to drop rapidly. Something burst inside of him and his body went into a seizure. More out of desperation than anything, he cast Lightning Bolt with his right hand. He felt the electricity run up his arm and the spell went off, however, instead of shooting forward, the electricity flowed into his weapon. The monster stopped for a moment as the electricity coursed through its insides, and Frank used this chance to slam the metal rod into the troll’s remaining eye.

The troll threw its head back and roared in pain, but only tightened its embrace. More shouts came from his group mates, then something large crushed into Frank’s back, causing him to spew a mouthful of blood as his vision turned hazy. He felt the troll fall on its back, but the fight wasn’t over. Laying on the troll’s chest, Frank did the only thing he could to contribute – cast Lightning Bolt over and over. Soon, the crushing hold around his body loosened, but he kept on casting.

“Frank, stop!” Kim shouted as she lifted him by the shoulders. “Can you move?”

“N-No, my spine…” Frank let out, his voice accompanied by a wheezing sound.

“Someone needs to carry Frank!” Kim shouted.

She placed Frank down and darted away. Turning his head, Frank could somewhat see the other side of the cave. Clay was circling the club-wielding troll, keeping it distracted. Gabriel was lying unmoving nearby, while Benton was on the other side, an axe in one hand, the other hanging limply. Frank twisted his neck to get a better view at the rest of the cavern and found Kim trying to sling Amy’s unconscious body over her shoulder.

“Taunt up in fifteen seconds,” Benton shouted.

“OK, let’s just stall it,” Clay replied.

“I got Amy,” Kim yelled while moving toward the exit tunnel.

Checking everyone’s status, Frank noted that no one was in danger, Stuart had done a good job keeping their HP high but was starting to get low on mana. He used Healing Touch on himself while observing the fight. Suddenly, someone grabbed Frank and pulled him up.

“Let’s get you out of here,” Stuart ground as he struggled to heave Frank.

“Wait, my saber is stuck,” Frank said.

“Hmm, let me see,” Stuart said. He sat Frank down then grabbed the saber’s handle and pulled with both hands. “Fuck!” He cursed as he repeatedly jerked the handle upward. “Clay, Frank’s saber got stuck and I can’t pull it out! I’ll get Frank, but you need to get his weapon!” He shouted after a while.

He grabbed Frank and put him over his shoulder, then began to walk unsteadily toward the exit. Stuart heard an alarmed shout from Benton and turned to look at what caused it.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he let out at the sight of another troll emerging from the left tunnel.

“Just run!” Clay shouted. He turned away from his foe and rushed toward Gabriel, grabbing him unceremoniously before running toward the downed troll. He pulled the saber out with little effort, then used Dash to get to the exit.

Benton did the same and the whole group rushed out. A dozen heart-pounding seconds later, they ran out of the cave and continued down the mountain without stopping. The trolls tried to give chase, but gave up after a hundred yards, unable to catch up to the faster-moving humans.

“We can stop now,” Stuart huffed.

He placed Frank on the ground and sat down to regain his breath. Frank winced in pain as his back hit the rocks, but didn’t say anything. The others came to a stop and returned to where Stuart rested, depositing Gabriel and Amy on the ground as well.

“That was a close call,” Benton commented, as he examined his left arm.

“Good thing the noise didn’t attract any monsters from the outside. If a monster came in from the outside while we were fleeing the trolls, it wouldn’t end well,” Stuart agreed.

“Not to mention we got nothing from it,” Clay said dejectedly. “Here,” he added, handing Frank his saber.

“Sucks we didn’t get to mine that stone node,” Kim said. “But no one died, so we’re good,” Kim said.

“True that. Although, I was rather worried when Amy tanked a clean hit instead of running away,” Stuart said.

“Frank’s craziness must be contagious,” Kim said with a laugh.

“Ahem,” Frank cleared his throat loudly, “Let’s rest, once everyone recovers, we can decide what to do.”

“Just in time,” Clay mumbled and retrieved some food from his ring.

Frank did the same, though he didn’t share Clay’s enthusiasm when it came to the food. Not only did he eat the same stuff, but the number of fruits found in the forest was dwindling, causing them to consume more wolf meat.

“I’d kill for a burger,” Frank muttered as he bit into the plain-tasting meat.

“Maybe you can, we have cows now,” Clay said.

“No, they are just milking them, then turning milk into SP,” Amy chimed in, having spent a good amount of time with Carol and her group of gardeners, she was more familiar with that side of things.

“So you could say they are,” Frank held a dramatic pause before continuing, “cash cows.”

“Aren’t you too old to be making dad jokes?” Kim asked as the others chuckled.

“Hey, I feel like I am fifty,” Frank responded and shrugged.

“Let’s hope you don’t start acting like a horny teenager when your Vitality gets high enough,” Kim said, causing others to laugh at the thought.

“Anyway, you could get the spices set from the Shop. Even salt would make the meat so much better,” Benton said.

“The Shop refreshed today though,” Gabriel said. “Which reminds me, Frank, what Grid did you get today?”

“Oh, right. Let me take a look,” Frank said. He paused eating and opened the corresponding panel to see what Reading Ahead would tempt him with today.

There was little to do outside of training skills, causing people to feel bored during rest. Frank’s Reading Ahead ability provided his group with some entertainment, especially watching him agonize as to whether to take a new Grid or not. He had quite a struggle yesterday, as the Control Fighter I grid that he got rewarded a skill called Stomp – a physical skill that caused a three-second stun within a ten-yard radius. And just for 250 GP!

“Hmm, interesting,” Frank muttered as he read through the descriptions. He cleared his throat and read the description to the others, choosing not to omit any parts of it.

Spirit Magic I: A high-level school of magic (all skills cost 500 GP) that focuses on high damage and control. Many of the spells have a peculiar nature.

Third Arm: Sometimes you just need a helping hand. It’s no Ghostly Arms, but then it’s not a Pinnacle Skill. This skill will cause a ghostly copy of your dominant arm to appear when fighting in melee range, striking nearby foes. These attacks ignore physical defenses and deal spirit damage. The arm will also block enemy attacks of similar nature. This skill can be turned on or off. Cost: 30 D mana per action.

As expected, focusing on Ghostly Arms didn’t do anything, but to Frank’s surprise the Pinnacle Skill brought up a new panel.

Pinnacle Skills: By completing twenty Grids in the same magic school, the twenty-first Grid will award a Pinnacle Skill – an extremely powerful spell, which cannot be obtainable by other means.

“First time I’m hearing about Pinnacle Skills, but it's good to know the System rewards specialization,” Amy shared her thoughts.

“What’s up with that description? I never had one reference other skills, not to mention it seems to disparage the skill you’re getting,” Clay said.

Frank rubbed his chin in contemplation, then decided to tell the truth. “Actually, all of my descriptions are like that. They either point out a skill’s weakness or claim it won’t be enough to save me from dying.”

“Seriously?” Clay asked, turning to face him.

“Why haven’t you said anything before?” Amy asked with palpable concern.

“People already think I am crazy. What would they say if they learned that the System is mocking me via skill descriptions?”

“Interesting, I haven’t heard of anyone else having such experience, though perhaps they are hiding it as well,” Stuart said. “Can you give us some more examples?”

Frank obliged, sharing the descriptions for Lightning Bolt and Dash. The first one pointed out the skill’s weakness, while the second one mocked the skill’s effectiveness and name-dropped a superior alternative. It seemed like a good mix to illustrate his point, without being as overly dramatic as, say, Woodworking skill’s description.

“The snarky tone aside, it seems pretty useful. Weird that it’s only happening to you though,” Gabriel said.

“I’m wondering if it’s due to me being the first to learn a skill in this zone. The chain of Grids I got from that had given me very good abilities,” Frank supplied.

“An old man, given a second chance to live, chosen by the System to be the hero we need,” Stuart declared in his best movie announcer voice, causing everyone to smile.

“Yeah. Unfortunately, according to the descriptions, the only thing I’ll accomplish is a death on a battlefield,” Frank said and spread his arms.

“Come on, don’t just trigger a red flag like that,” Stuart muttered.

“Trigger a red flag?” Kim asked curiously.

“You know, like inviting bad luck? Saying things like “With this armor, I’m invincible,” only to immediately run into someone that can penetrate,” Stuart explained.

“Are you going to take the grid?” Gabriel asked Frank, ignoring the discussion about red flags that Kim and Stuart began.

“I’m not sure, the timing is quite suspicious. We run into monsters with near-invulnerability to physical attacks, and the System gives me the perfect solution against them,” Frank said as he resumed eating.

“Isn’t that a good thing though? Maybe the System is trying to help you?”

“I doubt that. Plus, the description for Reading Ahead warned of the danger of taking too many Grids and getting locked into them. I’ve resisted the urge so far, but the rewards are getting increasingly tempting,” Frank explained.

“I suppose. Skirmisher’s Draw is better in that sense, though a seven-day cooldown sucks,” Gabriel said.

“Yes, if I could just get the Grids without getting locked in, it’d be amazing,” Frank said wistfully.

“The System isn’t that generous,” Gabriel replied with a laugh.

Frank could only agree. Skirmisher’s Draw was the reward for completing the Skirmisher IV grid, the ability would present three grids: Damage Fighter, Control Fight, and Utility Fighter. The rewards for the grids would be disclosed, allowing one to choose the most suitable option. Best of all, the user didn’t get locked into the grid.

After everyone recovered, they decided to go back to the cave and try to mine the stone node. They got it down to fifty percent before several trolls showed up, forcing them to run away. Returning to the cave once more, they found two trolls guarding the room, and had to give up on the node.

“This sucks, we’ve spent most of the day and only have a bit of stone to show for it,” Clay complained, shaking his head dejectedly.

“Don’t forget the bear. Got a bunch of meat and the pelt,” Gabriel said and patted him on the shoulder.

“We’ll come back here, but we need to get more people first,” Frank said. “Need to get you better gear as well,” he added after a pause. Benton’s shield got cracked like a nut, and Clay’s club wasn’t looking much better.

Hm, what do we need? Another mage, for sure. A healer too. The way HP works, healers don’t necessarily help during combat, but rather ensure that no one dies. Who else? Maybe a scout? Some sort of archer could be useful, Frank mused as the group made their way back to the base. I also need to test casting Lightning Bolt through the saber.