Hunt for the Demon King's lair.

It could take some time, but you have all day. You might as well enjoy the fresh air. Not that you didn't have that up in the mountains, but the climate is different down here. The air is warmer, and the terrain is far grassier in all directions. In the distance, you make out hopping slimes, but they seem to be ignoring you for the time being. Birds fly across the sky, and a pack of coyotes howl yet would rather not mess with a party such as yours. It really puts it all into perspective, just how quickly you were promoted from adventurer to king. Or rather, a sort of king anyway.

You can still make out your flying allies in the three directions they went. It's been almost an hour of trekking across the area, though you'd need a much more difficult hike to tire you out. After fighting giant monsters and making it through the Trial of the Erotrain, you surely must have the stamina of a hundred men.

Just then, the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. You raise your hand and whisper to your party. "Something might be here."

"I don't see nothing," says Niki. "But if you're worried, check out this trick." She kneels down to pick a rock off the ground. After tossing it up and down in her hand a couple times, she reels back and hurls it over the nearby hills. You hear the stone smack against the ground and rattle along before stopping.

"What's the trick?" Eva asks.

"Well, if there's a monster ahead, they'll get pissed off and come out."

"That's not a trick! You realize that this far from civilization, some of the most dangerous monsters roam, right?"

"Of course I do. I haven't been down this way, but I've seen some pretty scary--"

There's a deep, grumbling groan. Any nearby animals take off, from the birds to mice scurrying between the blades of grass. Even nearby slimes start hopping away in fear. Suddenly, just over the next hillside, about where Niki's rock travelled, the terrain itself starts to rise. The soil crumbles and stones crack apart. A pungent scent of **** suddenly fills the area. You take a step back as you gaze up at a towering creature lifting itself up to its feet. It has foul green flesh still covered in patches of dirt, long spindly hair, and a lanky body with dagger-like claws extending from its toes and fingers. When it's finally up straight, it looks to be over thirty-feet tall. Its grumbling reverberates through your body. When it turns, red eyes flash behind darkened sockets.

Amara is the first to speak, though her voice trembles. "Oh no! It is a rot troll. To find such a terrifying creature buried here. It may have been here for decades, or longer!"

"Stay strong!" Niki slams her foot into the ground. "Just get behind me. I won't give it the chance to attack anyone else."

Though the rot troll isn't finished yet. With a loud roar that causes you to wince, the ground around its feet shifts and churns. The earth splits open in several places as dozens of tiny figures rise up and take flight. They're skulls with wings, and they fill the air above the beast's head like a swarm of locusts.

Niki sprints into action. "Shit. I can't fly!" With teeth clenched, she arms herself with her magic shield and masterfully crafted mace, and soon finds herself completely engulfed in the rot troll's shadow. "Take this, you ugly bastard!" she shouts before swinging her weapon hard into the creature's leg.

It begins toppling over, but with one lengthy arm, it catches itself first with claws scraping deep into the ground.