[Orant's Peaks] Foothill Fiend

Bloody hell... this essence infusion was some potent stuff. Even in his prime, Emmanuel could only manage what... fifteen, sixteen miles over a full day, with breaks? He'd been pushing twenty without breaking a sweat since first stepping outside Lantern's walls for the first time in his life, a memorable experience for any hunter. The hike to Orant's Peaks had been a few days of steady travel, much of it through the desolate wasteland that surrounded Lantern, at least until he reached the foothills noted in his bounty dossier. The local vermin didn't put up that much of a fight, Hordethinner never left it's place, slung across his shoulder, he made do perfectly well with his bare hands... and even got a little practice in with his new etching to pass the time. He marveled at how easily undead skulls shattered in his iron grip, and the few feral beasts that blocked his past made perfect knife targets... still couldn't get that bullet trick to work though.

It was a shame his bounty was a time sensitive one. His research on the region had detailed notes on the local survivor enclave, a fortress monastery high in the mountains, it would have been nice to be able to stop by; maybe barter for a little information with the disciples. Not like he would need it though, his wandering search through Orant's foothills quickly allowed him to zero in on his quarry, the errant crashing of foliage and thunderous bellowing of a mighty beast was sign aplenty that he was on the right trail. This troll... it would prove an interesting first trophy. the archives described it as a monolith of strength and bestial ferocity, with a regenerative ability not unlike his own... only significantly dulled. Whatever, a dumb brute like that was no match for the keen, tactical wit of a veteran soldier.

"Alright you big ape... let's see what you're made of." Against a beast that excelled in direct combat, Emmanuel knew his best chance of victory was to outwit it. He lacked the resources to exploit the troll's vital weakness to the frigid cold, an ice etching would've been a boon here. The troll's limited intellect was his next best option. Traps, and maybe an ambush were his next best option. He had limited ammo, enough shells from his free loadout for ten shots of Hordethinner, full auto was off the table. Immobilizing the beast would make a clean kill shot much easier, his trek had given him ample time to think up some creative uses of his metal etching to achieve this.

Like (ironically speaking) a stalking hunter, Emmanuel kept low and placed his steps carefully; tracing the feral roars of the troll to their source, while also monitoring the breeze, ensuring he stayed downwind of his prey. The last thing he wanted was for the troll to pick up his scent, and blow his cover. The element of surprise was one of his greatest advantages on this hunt.