The Hex lets out a scream, a horrible, horrible sound. High and keening, and even worse, infused with her magic. My nose starts to gush blood and my already horrible headache becomes worse.

Just when I think my situation couldn't get any grimmer…. It does. Both Its influence and the influence of the other thing start to assault me at the same time, combined with my headache it is the worse thing that I have felt. Ever. The pain starts to carry me away, and I scream, I scream and blood bursts from my eyes, my ears, my nose, my mouth, it is just blood, blood, blood.

[Charisma +1]

[Mental Resistance level up x5]

It doesn’t let up, not at all, my head burns and then starts to feel horrifically cold, my skin takes on a red tinge, and bloody tears roll down my cheeks, and as they roll I feel as if needles are stabbing into me. I try to wipe one-off but that just makes it worse. I look at my hand see that it has swollen to over twice its normal size. Everything hurts, everything. I go in and out of blackness, my vision tinged with red.

[Trait Evolved: Pain? => No Such Thing As Pain: {Pain? Ha! Mental, Physical, there is no such thing!}]

[Constitution +10]

[Unlocked Meridians have Evolved]

It gets to the point where I stop struggling, curl up, and just whimper, the only thing stronger then my agony are my feelings of shame.

I’m whimpering like a whelp, trembling like a goblin, and even worse… Crying.

[Hidden Trait Gained: Self Hatred: You hate yourself, it’s a small thing right now, but if left unchecked will become something much, much worse.]

My entire body goes numb, and I just lay there breathing heavily.

In and out, my chest heaves and blood bubbles from my mouth.

In and out, blackness starts to overtake me.

In and out, I feel my body start to change.

Blood starts to spurt, my eyes start to weep bloodred tears, the… pain. So…much….pain.

My back arches, my body feels like it’s burning.

I start to scream, releasing my torment, disgust, and hate to the world.

…

It goes on for hours, the torture, the nonstop pain, and I am conscious for all of it. All of it. I am a Troll, a Troll does not go unconscious from pain, and so I stay awake through it all.

[Constitution +10]

That part of me is still here. I am still a Troll, that will never change. No matter what happens. I may not like my race but that doesn’t mean that I’m not proud of it. I will persist.

I will rule.

[Vice Unlocked: Pride. Self-Hatred has changed this Vice.]

Finally, after what seems like an eternity the agony subsides. Leaving my entire body throbbing, I gasp and throw up whatever is left in my stomach.

After that I slowly get up and look around, I’m still in the glade. Trees are around but without the Hex’s interference, the density is just normal. I breathe in. The pain lessens, I breathe out, it lessens again.

I continue this, it calms me, and the pain eventually fades away to nothing.

I look up at the sun and relax, letting the warm rays engulf me. A moment of peace. I find that I might actually like the sun, it brings newer memories, ones without the Pit. I bask for a while before I get assaulted by squiggles, ripping me out of my reverie and recovery into the real world.

[Host has been deemed stable. Notifications commencing.]

[Battle Prompts start

[Defeated Hex, experience x2 gained for defeating a natural enemy.

[Stat point gains calculating….

[Total stat points gained within last 24 hours=> Constitution +23, Intellect +9, Charisma +5, statistics opening after combat prompts close,

[Race Change: {Enslaved Hex-Touched Sentient Troll} Body changes have already commenced,

[Meridians Evolved,

[Vice Unlocked: Pride,

[Perk Selection for Skill: {Mental Resistance} Available, may be chosen at convenience,

[Level Up x3,

[Battle Prompts End]

I squint at the squiggles, surely they must be coming for a reason? I feel like there is something just on the edge of my mind… Something close to a breakthrough, but it keeps on getting rebutted, I feel it! I feel it! I just… can’t… pin it down. I sigh, I’m close but whatever it is I’m close too is elusive and will not be pinned down. I’ll come back to it later, right now I have more present problems to deal with.

Namely, The Hex.

I start to walk toward where it was when squiggles once again populate my vision.

Statistics: ORDER OF INCREASE: LEVEL UP=>ENCOUNTER=>RACE CHANGE

[Hidden]

Strength: 90 => 94 => 94=> [90]

Constitution: 90 => 96 => 119 => [120]

Agility: 13 => 15 => 15 => [18]

Intellect*: 5 => 3 => 14 => [16]

Charisma*: -3 => -3 => 2 => [5]

Points Available: 3

*Affected by Evolved Meridians [Hidden]

*Charisma when with humans equals -10

[Hidden]

[Statistics Close]

[New Race Template Opening]

Traits Added:

Hex Touched: Gains ability to learn Hex only abilities.

Hex Presence: People sense your aura and feel dread.

Soul Hunger: You hunger for souls. You feed off of them. You cannot go without them. In return they empower you.

Traits Altered:

Earth Blooded=>Soul Blooded: No matter how injured Hex Touched Trolls will always heal… So long as they have souls. Should they have souls they can heal in a matter of seconds, be the wounds minor or major.

Claws and Teeth=>Claws, Teeth, Hex Touch: Trolls have savage claws meant to rend, and jaws meant to tear, Hex touched Trolls have the ability to channel their savagery and rip the soul from a person.

[Hidden]

[New Race Template Close]

I growl and wave away the squiggles, and continue looking for the Hex, I need to find It and kill It before it can do anything to attack me again.

I move over to where I last saw it and find it still there but writhing in pain, little moans of pain escaping her as she rolls around on the ground, I prepare to eliminate it, flexing my claws and moving to rip out her throat, I swipe down preparing to end the miserable things life when a sword comes out of nowhere and blocks my attack. I look up and growl seeing an Orc Ur staring back at me. The elites of the Orc race, all of them having red-tinged skin, a gift from their god, granting them enhanced power and intellect.

The most distinctive feature about this one though is that it is crying… blood tears. Tears that remind of the Hexes, I don’t like it, but then again.

I never liked Orcs anyway.

I growl and take a slash at his face, a warning slash. He blocks and tries to gut me, I smirk as the sword skitters and bounces off, then grin when I see his look of surprise.

He hasn’t faced a Troll before.

I charge and try to tackle him, spreading my arms out wide and keeping my head low. Don’t wanna get an eye removed after all. The Ur swipes down at my head with all the force that he can muster, and he can muster quite a lot.

Enough, in fact, to get his sword wedged in my hide, I smash into him, arms wrapping around his body, and this time he grins.

I crush him snapping some of his bones, but still he grins and puts a single finger on my forehead, then… Nothing happens. Well that’s not entirely true I did feel a presence enter my mind but I quickly pushed it away. It is nothing compared to the Hex.

I crush him, and he dies.

I’m disappointed, I expected more of a fight. After all, he was an Ur.

I shrug pull the sword from the head and proceed to consume him. No squiggly lines appear, which causes my brow to furrow, the squiggly lines appeared after I ate the other race. This renders a lot of what I thought about the squiggles void.

[Killed Hex Touched Orc Ur, Experience Gained.]

Hmmm, it seems that I was wrong. Maybe it has something to do with combat situations? Or other stressful situations?

[System Order: Serve the Hex possibly breached. Calculating…. Within acceptable parameters, Host is advised to stop. Individual punishment to be administered.]

[Calculating… Individual punishment found]

[Teleporting Hex Guards]

I look at the Hex and grin, now we can have some alone time. I can already hear the screams. I kneel beside It and hold out my pointer finger, preparing to dig Its eyes out, it is a bit unnerving that the Hex looks exactly like me at the moment but that isn’t gonna stop me from showing her what I thought about her little wolf stunt.

Just as I’m about to get my sweet, sweet revenge, I feel hands grab me from behind and shove me violently away.

The hell?

I easily break free and jump away, trying to get a read on the situation.

Five heavily armoured Orc Urs, an Ogre with a huge mace, two other things in robes, and another two of a race that I don’t recognise.

What they all do have in common though are the heavy collars that rest on their necks.

They are all also crying blood tears.

Just like the Hex.

I growl and prepare for battle.