I told the Stonecoats that I needed to get my horse and I left there as quickly as possible. I wasn’t lying.
As I struggled through the snow I realized that the thing behind me was not only white but it also had horns — the White Ghost!
I ducked behind a tree and hid, waiting for it to get close, but it moves like a ghost and I couldn’t hear anything until it was standing right behind me. I jumped, and it might have seemed like I sort of did a little bit of a girly scream; kind of — but it was right next to me!
I jumped back (and girly screamed) and I think I scared it more than it scared me. It was the Wumboo. I don’t know how something that big could move that quietly.
As you know a troll’s defense mechanism is to go stiff and soft, so the poor thing instantly went stuffed animal on me and plopped into the snow. I spent five minutes trying to get it to move again and guess who showed up just then?
The Stonecoats.
Eight of them.
All hungry.
Hungry that is until they saw the Wumboo, and then they ran in every direction.
So yes, I now have an 8 foot tall stuffed animal protecting me. I don’t know why it’s following me but after the run-in with the Stonecoats I guess I owe the Wumboo.
I got a lot of stares the rest of the way back. I got stares from the villagers that held Nestor for me, and I even got stares from Nestor. You’d be surprised how quickly you can get used to a harmless giant troll that follows you everywhere you go.
Now I am back at Tagalong Keep but I have another challenge. I lost a lot of time dealing with the White Ghost (and the ice giants, and the Stonecoats) and the only way to get done with my investigation in time is to take the shorter but more dangerous road back to Nexus.
I will need to cross 8 troll bridges, but here is where my problem is. I want to bring the Mazors a souvenir from the ice giants to make up for the one that Heath told me had melted. Ice giant cakes would be perfect and despite the name they don’t melt. However, each troll bridge that I cross will require a toll.
Half of the bridge trolls will demand half of my cakes, but with Wumboo at my side I know I can get them to give me back one of him. For the other half of the bridge trolls, I will have to give them half of my cakes plus one more, and then they will give us back two instead. I don’t know the order in which I will encounter the two types of trolls.
What are the fewest number of ice giant cakes that I have to buy so I can reach Nexus with just the 2 cakes that I need?