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When I was really young, I hated early mornings. I was never really good with them. I was a very restless child, especially around the age of four. My mom told me countless of stories of how I would run off a lot to go "adventure the world". She always knew that I would be unfulfilled with a normal schedule and life. She always said that she hopes for me to stay near when I get to the point of leaving, even though she knows Arcadia would always seem so small to me. Especially with high school.Yet, a lot of things change when people change. Or leave.That's sounds a little sour of me, my apologies. But that's just it, when my Dad left I had to change a couple things. Just like how my mom had too as well.She's not at home as much as she used to and I'm more of a scheduled person due to trying to take care of her. She's barely able to take care of herself.I chuckled to myself as I'm making her dinner for later as well as pack for school. Another part of my everyday schedule."Jim! Hurry up! We're going to be late!"Oh shoot!I rush to put the rest of of the dishes away and to put my mom's dinner in the fridge. I grabbed the two spare bags of food I made and grabbed my bag. I opened the door that leads to the garage after I put my bag on my shoulder. I pressed the button to open the garage as I grabbed my helmet.Now, I have many dreams for my life. One of them being the fact that I've been wanting to trade in my bike for a Vespa. Yet! That is just a dream. My mom would never let me have one due to her being worried that I would be hurt.She worries so much, but she needs to worry about herself a little too. Even though the same could said about me. As my best friend told me once, "You mother your mother a lot, Jimbo."And speaking of best friends. There he was.Toby and I have been friends since he moved in across the street. He moved in shortly after my fifth birthday and we've been friends ever since. He's a unique personality, but he's all good friend should be. He's had my back through thick and thin and I would do the same for him. I give him a small and throw the spare paper bag at him before I put mine in my actual bag."Sorry Tobes, was trying something new." I grabbed my bike and started walking it out of the garage and then pulled the door down shut. He's going on at this point about all the ingredients I put within the meal. I get on my bike and start pedaling away from him."But I'll have to give this back to you, I can't have it! I'm on a diet." I roll my eyes at that statement as we keep riding toward the school. "Dude, you've been on a diet for the last fourteen years." He's struggling to keep up as he breathlessly gave me a "So what". I turned my head over my should toward him with a hearty laugh."You're fifteen!" Our humor is cut short when he has an alarm go off his phone."Dude! We are so late!" I look toward the forest like path behind his house. "Follow me if you don't want detention!"We're racing toward the school when we get to the bridge. I do what I always do and jump off the side stretch and land in the gap under the bridge. I stopped and turned my head behind me."Common Tobes! We need to go!" I look beside me a see a bunch of stones. A pile of it, to be honest. "Wow." I speak to my self silently. I wonder what happened to cause it. Just after that, I hear the bell ring of the school as Tobes finally catches up with me."Oh man! We're gonna have so many hours of detention that our kids will have it!" I laugh as we continue our race to the school, the thought of the pile of ruble not leaving my mind.Detention slips in hand, we continued through out our day. We were in history when I brought up the ruble sigh to Toby. "Hey, what did you think could of caused that? It looked nothing like the rest of the bridge." Toby gave me a shrug. "I don't even know why you care anyway. It could of came from anything. Hey, isn't this your love sick time?" He teases as he nods his head toward a girl a little across the way. I looked towards her and I'm instantly affected.Claire Nuñez. Of course he's gonna continue with joking about my thing for her. I smile lightly though at the sight of her. She's everything a guy would want, at least to me that is. She's intelligent and creative as well as somewhat popular and attractive. She's very unique as well, all the way down to her music taste.She's the other dream that I was speaking off earlier."Mr Lake!"I shake out of my small trance rather quickly and look up to Mr Strickler.
His name fits him so well.
I think to myself as I feel the normal societal anxiety as he stares me down."Now, since you seem to be in another world, I will ask you a decent question. Since we are talking about Athens, do you remember who helped name Athens? From a mythology stand point."I sweat a little by the way he pronounces his words. Always so distant and futile. As if he rather be talking to a wall, but he is always like that when it comes to students that don't pay attention. Yet I know this answer, I'm not that out of touch."Well, it was a huge thing between Athena and Poseidon. They were to both give something to the city to figure out who would name the land. Whoever gave the more valuable gift, was the one to the have the honor." I was stuttering at some points and kinda awkward, but at least I knew what I was talking about. But wait, Mythology Study was last week. We weren't on this topic."Good, now tell me what we were talking about before you decided to day dream." Oh God, I knew he would ask me this."Um,"
God damn it Jim! Think!
I look to the white board and see pictures of soldier figures on the screen. "War?" I say it very sheepishly, getting a laugh from some of the other students."Well, at least you know your mythology. Pay more attention!" I nod silently to myself as he goes back to his presentation. I steal a glance at Claire once again to see she had a small smile at my direction before she went back to taking notes.
God high school will be the end of me.
While in the locker room, I was changing into my gym clothes while talking to Toby. "Okay, so it's official. You have it real bad for you know who." He said jokingly while drawing out the "el" part of real for as long as he possibly could. I smacked him lightly with my jacket that I just took off. "Shut it." He started laughing lightly as he was struggling to put on his gym socks. "You're not denying it! I'm surprised that she doesn't even know!"I was already done changing by the time that he got his last sock on, even if I showed up later than he did to change. "Common, you got a rope to climb." I looked behind me for a quick second to see the horror that was on his face and I started to chuckle. "Oh, it won't be that bad."I had to eat my words far soon after."Nevermind, it really is that bad." My friend wasn't even really three inches off the ground as he started to really struggle. "ALMOS-" He then gave up and fell onto his back. I looked around to make sure that no one was witnessing my friend's athletic failure. Instead of finding anyone else but coach staring at us, I saw Claire sitting on the bleachers with her friends. I looked back at Toby sympathetically and then back to Claire.I decided to walk away from him as coach came over to start yelling about his physical unfitness. I started walking toward Claire and her friends with nothing to really say. I figured since I've been taking Spanish for over a year now, I should at least try to impress her with a little of what I know."¡Buenas tardes! ¿Como estan damas?" I cringed at myself a little but it earned a small giggle. Claire tilted her head a little. "You know Spanish?" I started to stutter a little bit, not knowing how to reply. But I saved by Coach Lawrence saying to go get cleaned up. Her friends already started leaving as everyone else started to head out.I was just about to leave for the guy's wing when Claire stopped me. "Hey, are you interested in auditioning for the school play?"
We have school plays?
"Um yeah, sure. What play is it?" I asked really awkwardly but she didn't seem to notice. "It's Romeo and Juliet! You know, Shakespeare.""Oh! Shakespeare! Totally love him! Favorite play write." She laughed a little at me, but I'm having a conversation with her so to me it didn't really matter. "Well that's great. We need more guys. Consider it?" I nodded in which seemed to be in a very idiotic fashion as I watched her walk away. After she left completely, I shook my head to get out of the trance I was in and started to leave the gym.
Meanwhile
Four glowing eyes appeared from the sewer, looking if there was enough coverage to grab the amulet of his fallen student. He opened the sewer gate slowly, and stepped out into the small bit of shadow covering. His stone skin shaking, knowing that his last trained warrior has fallen but in the most heroic yet painful way. He walked over to the pile of stone of which was left of him and begun to move some of the ruble away. He found the Trollhunter's amulet rather quickly, yet something was off. It was changing colors and the inscription was changing as well."Great Scot! I have never seen this happen before!" He ran to his large friend that was still within the sewer. "AAARRRGGHH! Come look at this!" He pushes the glowing object closer into the darkness for the giant to see."Broken?" His friend shook his head."I believe not. I think we're about to witness a occasion that is very seldom!" His friend tilted his head and look at him with a puzzled look. "Seldom means infrequently. Occasion is a huge event." His friend nods at this point."This could be a dawn of a new age AAARRRGGHH! This means something new is going to happen. Something tremendous! We might not have a new Trollhunter! We might have something much greater! A calling to someone that has never yet happened since the dawn of the troll age!" The amulet as he was speaking was shifting colors and shape, manipulating itself from it's original clock like form to that of a crystal like entity. The metal mended and became a loose chain that was long and tedious. The color had great magnificence. It's shine was glorious, it seemed like that of the Heartstone within the Trollmarket."Blinky. What mean?" His four armed friend put his spare hands on his hips. "I do not know, my companion. I have never seen this in all of my time around Trollhunters. Never once in all of my time have I witness such a transformation-" Blinky stopped in his tracks as he heard the former amulet begin to speak.
"James... Lake..."
Blinky's eyes widened with shock. "In all of my 600 years, I never heard of such a thing." AAARRRGGHH! tilted his head once more at his friend, not understanding what he meant."AAARRRGGHH! We don't have a troll for a new hero, we have a human!" He started to put the newly formed crystal like entity beneath the ruble for it's wielder to find. He then hurried back into the sewer and closed the gate. "Now to wait, whoever this J-am-es," The name felt weird to pronounce and stuck weirdly on his tongue. "Will definitely be back.""Wait, here?" Blinky shrugged with all of his arms. "Might as well, my good fellow."I basically ran out of the school once I could and grabbed my bike. Toby was trying really hard to catch up. "Alri-ght. Slow-Slow down there dude." I looked at him with a giant smile. "Sorry, Tobes. I just, I have a feeling that those piles of ruble meant something. I have to go back."Toby rolled his eyes at me. "Dude, we talked about this. It's nothing really special. Maybe you should worry about something else? Like your mom? Claire? Playing video games with your best bud?" He elbowed me slightly in my arm and I rolled my eyes, mimicking what he did to me."Common Tobes. It's just a feeling. It's only going to take like ten minutes. Tops." He scuffed and agreed. We rode our bikes easily down the street and not too long after, arrived at the bridge. I jumped down and went under the bridge like I did before. The pile of stone was still there but there was this voice. It was infectious.
"James... Lake... Jr"
"TOBY! Is that you?" I looked behind me to see he did not even catch up with me completely. His voice wouldn't even carry that fluidly unless he was closer. I walked closer to the pile of boulders hesitantly.
"James... Lake..."
Something was saying my name! I started moving pieces of stone from the stack and come across a bright pink shining crystal.
Was this what was calling my name?I reached out to touch it. My hand very slowly reached toward it and then I grasped it and I felt this, burning feeling. It astonished me. There was only one thing that I question though.
How did it know my name?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I picked up the crystal with upmost care and cradled it within my hands. It's long chain seemed to go on forever as I stood back up. Toby ran up behind me at this point and looked over my shoulder."Dude, that looks like a Spirit Stone!""A what?"He rolled his eyes. He was borderline obsessed with stones, crystals, and minerals. "It's a type of crystals, you uncultured swine. It's one of the many crystals that has been tied to emotions. I can't remember what this one specifically supposedly does though."As he was talking, I was turning the necklace in the light. It shined in such a way that it reminded me of a fallen star. It's bright pink pigment reminded me of the one crystal I truthfully knew; Rose Quarts. But it looked more, to say the least, enchanting. It had probably six parts with white tips that then connected together into one flat piece. The chain connected looked like those with dog tags but felt as strong as leather.It was the strangest of combinations, yet it just compelled me to look at the beauty of it even more."Hey wait, can I have it?" I chuckled at him and shook my head. "You told me coming here wasn't going to be worth it! No way are you going to have the thing that proves you wrong." I was wrapping the chain around my hand as I spoke. The length was easily about five feet maybe a little less. I placed it gently in the front pocket of my jeans with the chain wrapped up in circles.
Should I tell him that it spoke to me?
I looked back at my best friend as he was struggling to up the channel of the bridge.
It could wait. It might of been all in my head anyway.
I jumped on my bike and started pedaling home.While walking our bikes to our respected houses, we encountered my mom on her way to the hospital for a night shift. I had sure she had the dinner I made her that morning and that she would go to sleep once home from the long shift."Jim, you seriously mother your mother a lot." I rolled my eyes jokingly at his statement.
How did I know he would say that again.
"I worry a lot about her, Tobes. It's just how it is." He shrugged and smiled at me. "ANYWAY! I'm gonna head home to Nana. I'll look up more stuff about that crystal you found! Maybe I'll find something special about it." I smiled back at him as he started to walk toward his side of the street."Alright! See ya!" I gave him a short wave as I walk up to the garage and open the door. I set my bike on it's stand and took off my helmet. I walked into my house and flung my stuff onto the couch. I pulled the crystal back out of my pocket and stared at it's luminescence.It was like one of those crystal lamps you see on Ebay or something. Just shining and full of light. There was only one thing wrong with the beautiful sight.
I never turned on a light.
"Alright, you weird rock. You said my name earlier, say it again. Prove that it's not all within my head." I held it up with two fingers and raised it up higher. I squinted at the object and shook it lightly. "Oh come on! Work!" I stuck my tongue out slightly in concentration."I swear, I will give you to some rock collector if you don't start talking!" After that, it started shaking violently.
Oh no.
I held it tighter in my grasp as it started to hum at a low volume."Alright! Alright! I'm sorry! I won't give you to some stupid rock sniffer! I promise! Just stop!" I forced the crystal into my right hand and pulled it into my chest.
It stopped.
The humming went quick and the vibrations come to a halt. I opened my fist to see that it was now flashing. It was as if it was a bright pink police siren."You." I started with hesitance. "Stopped."I then turned it's brightness up a couple notches and flashed twice. I looked at it in awe. "Wow." My enchantment with the object grew until my attention was pulled away by a loud crash in my basement."Ugh, it must be those pesty raccoons again." I pocketed the crystal and got onto my feet. I didn't even noticed that I fell backwards onto the couch until then. I grabbed a small bat that was again the living room wall and put it over my shoulder. I stepped slowly toward the basement door and opened it as softly as possible. I walked down the steps gently for two reasons.One being that loud noises would make the raccoons aware of my presence. The second one being that I didn't want to fall on my ass.I reached the bottom of the stairs with ease and reached up to turn on the light. I pulled the chain lightly and then instantly put the bat up in swinging position. I looked around the floor with quick shifting eyes."Uh?" There was no trace of any raccoons. Nothing at all!"Whoever is down here! Show yourself!" I slowly step toward the other side of the room and then everything went dark."What the!" I looked around full of fright.
What happened to the light?
I got up against the furnace fire to use it as a source of light. "Who's there!" I then felt some type of presence behind me. I turned slowly around to see four glowing eyes looking at me."MASTER JAMES!" I screamed and fell over myself. Last thing I remember was a giant wack to the back of my head.I wake up rubbing the back of head due to a splitting headache. When I opened my screwed shut eyes, I see two sets of feet and a pair of fist on the group before me. They didn't seem human at all.
Is that, stone?
I scream once again and stood up instantly. "WHAT ARE YOU!?" I thought I had my bat still in hand so I started pointing it towards them.
But I don't.
I started putting my hands up toward them instead as the one with more eyes stepped closer. "I'm very sorry master James! We didn't mean to scare you!""How do you know my name!?" He raised two of his four arms up in defense as he advance one step closer. "I heard the amulet say it." I looked at him with a confused look."Amulet?" He started rubbing the back of his neck with one of his many hands. "Well, it was an amulet to me. Somewhat of a stone to you." I started to pull out the long chained crystal from my pocket."You mean, this?" I held it by it's bundle up chain. It's shine still being bright and full within the dark room. The stoned man creature opened up another set of eyes and started nodding. "Yes that is the one!" I looked at him with a little more shock due to the sudden addition on his face."OH! My apologies, master James. I heard humans have a fear of things in multiples of sixes, so I tried my best to keep my third pair shut while in conversation. Yet, I couldn't compel myself when you pulled out the Trollhunter's amulet."I tilted my head slightly, no longer in horror but now swimming in confusion. "Trollhunter?" He raised his arms up in the air with a giant smile on his face, two bottom teeth slipping above and onto his lip. "Yes! The Trollhunter! The protector of the trollish and human kind! Yet you, master James, are something so much more!"I backed up into the wall a little more as I took in his friend's appearance for the first time. He was a tall and brutish kind of figure. Just his build alone gave me fear. "What are you then?" The one with many eyes started to laugh lightly. "Well, we're trolls! Aren't we AAARRRGGHH!?" His friend nodded. "Yes. Trolls."
His friend isn't as fluid in language as he is, huh?
I looked in between the two and then at the crystal."What does that mean for me then? What am I to you?" The smaller one came closer to me and grabbed my shoulders with two of his four hands. The other two grabbing at my arms."You my dear boy, are the Gulumabag azclipsuth! Or the Human Eclipse!" I looked at him with wide eyes. I was trying to speak but my throat instantly became dry. My tongue felt heavy within my own mouth.
This feels worst than that time Toby shoved me into Claire direction to try to get me to ask her out.
I started to stutter my words out my mouth slowly. "What-Wh-What if, I, decline?" I looked at me with a sorrowful look. "Why decline such a high honor? You get to be a hero for your kind!"I looked him deep in the eye, or I should say, eyes. "Because I'm only fifteen." He let go of my arms yet still had his stone hands on my shoulders. "Such a young one. But, the amulet knows it chose and you are said chosen. Master James, I understand the fear the must over come you right now. But I must also say that fear is our one true motivator for our kinds. That and love. Yet, you cannot have one without the other. The amulet cannot re-choose it's wielder, not until it's chosen one perishes. But I can state that there has been those picked who never wanted to be a hero. They were ones of few that could not get the courage or the will to try to master the power that it gives."He reaches for my hand that held the crystal and put the rock into my hand. He closes it softly, or as softly as he could with his rocky hands."But it is yours now. I am just here to guide you if you so wish it. Same with my companion here. I must say that as the Human Eclipse, you would be the knight of light and darkness. You will be able to command light and grow with the use of emotions and training. Once called upon, you will save those closest to you from the GumGums. Or evil trolls that will come to attack your kind as well as my own kin. You would be our knight in light since we cannot fight unless in the dark."He let go of my shoulders and backed away slowly. "But it is still your choice. Young James. None of the Trollhunters have ever been truthfully forced to go with the role that they were destined my the amulet to hold. But it was in the name of love and valor that they decided to grab hold of their source of power and defend themselves and the world they reside. You may not seem needed now, but you will be soon. Especially since once the GumGums will soon find out that the amulet has changed shape and still has a body attached to it."He bowed lowly toward me and then smiled as he rose. "So I shall give you a couple of nights. To think and to ponder. To give you the chance to weigh out what ifs and possibilities. But I still warn you, human. There are people willing to destroy and conquer for that weapon within your hands. Yet, everything within life if a choice. So you shall have yours. We will be back within three days. Three sleeps shall fall upon you before you can make your final decision. But I must ask you one small favor, master James."He took a step forward once more and placed a comforting hand on my left shoulder. "Please, do not speak of us to anyone. Humans mind would malfunction at the mere thought of their world being possessed by what they believe as fork tales. If you must, speak to those that you know you upmost trust and behold. Someone that you know would advise you best and comfort you in the most educating ways. May that be a friend or family. But not one that you barely know and acknowledge. That is when heroes have fallen."Him and his friend start to leave up my staircase, noting that no else was within the area. His large friend going first and struggling to escape the small door way. The one with many eyes looked at me once more and smiled."Also, before I forget. My name is Blinky. One of the trainers of the Trollhunters. Again, please, consider all that I have stated. I have a person bias on which path you will travel, yet I will understand which ever you chose. Farewell, young warrior and may the heart of spirit guide you." He then went the rest of the staircase to help shove his friend through the basement doorway.I was staring at them as they left. Not knowing what to say or what to think. My body felt like I had ran multiple miles and then decided to do an Iron-man race. So, as if on auto pilot, I went up the stairs several minutes later and stumbled up the staircase to my room. I hoped the door and sat on my bed. I looked up at my desk and stared intensely at the walkie talkie which Tobes was the owner of the other.
So I can be a hero. A short life lived man, fighting for the innocence of two races. Two kinds. Fighting darkness and keep those from harm. Would that mean that I would be protecting people like Toby? My mom?
Claire?
I looked down at the crystal within my palm and watched it glow.
Or I can be a normal teenager. Not knowing what this can do or what I would miss. Live a normal life. End a normal life.
I looked back toward the black walkie talkie and grabbed it with a slight movement of my hand."Jim coming in to Tobes. I have something to talk to you about."I looked back toward my hand where the chain was like a small pool within my hand.Tobes picked up on the other end rather quickly. "Yeah bud?""I'm struggling with a huge decision and I need your help. Come to my house tomorrow. Mom has another night shift." I clutched the pink stone within my hand and it's glow intensified in color tremendously."And it might change our lives. Forever."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I awake with the necklace still within my hand and the walkie talkie forgotten on the floor of my room. I pull myself up from the bed sheets and stared at all the surrounds.
Detention slip for Saturday? ? Probably still down still in contact? sanity?
I sat up on the edge of my bed and looked out the window for a a single second of mental silence.
Nope.
I stretched out my limps and fully placed my feet onto the floor. The cold wood causing me to shiver slightly at contact. I changed into a fresh set of clothes and walked out the room. I headed toward the bathroom with the necklace in hand. I let it dangle by it's chain and watched it hang by my knees as I was holding it near my neck.
Yup, the full length of the chain out stretched must be around five feet or something.
This hesitantly came with a second thought.
I wonder what it would look like if I had it on?
I opened a gap between the chain with my fingers as diligent as possible. There was utter silence set for the raging pace of my heart. I slowly dipped my head down and placed the long chain over my head and softly placed it onto my neck. I put my head up and stared into the mirror. As I stared at myself, I felt the chain shrink on me. I looked down at my chest as the crystal raised up into the little gap between my heart and the other side of my chest.
How the hell?
I pulled on the chain and held it straight out. It was considerably shorter. Now being about two to three feet. Possibly.
I should of payed attention more in science.
And math.
Or just in general.
Doesn't help when you have a pretty girl in almost all of them that you can't seem to keep your eyes off of.
I sighed and told myself I was right. I've had a thing for Claire ever since I saw her at a party my mom hosted. Right after she freshly moved into the city. Her mom was running for her first election for city council. She was the only one in the whole room dancing to Papa Skull when it came on my mom's stereo.Ever since that moment, she's been a huge "distraction" for me. At least that's what Toby likes to say. But could he blame me if she was? There was once where I told him to find another girl that had as much creativity as well as brains, looks, and humor then we could talk about her being a "distraction". He patted me on the shoulder after that moment and all he could say was "You have it bad, my brother."I didn't notice, but the small pink crystal was now glowing red. I panicked quickly also noting that I had five minutes to leave the house before I was late, again. I pulled my sweatshirt forward and placed the necklace under it. The glow was still visible, but only if I stared deep into my chest and knew what to look for. I rushed down the stairs after brushing my teeth quickly and making sure I didn't reek.I grabbed my helmet and went to the fridge, thanking God that I had made spare food just in case I woke up late again. I grabbed the two lunch bags and placed one in my satchel. I put on my helmet and rushed into the garage. After opening the door and making sure it shut behind me, I turned to see Toby adjusting his helmet. I chucked the extra bag of lunch at him and jumped on my bike."Come on man! Unless you want next week's Saturday taken from you too!"We were lucky today to show up a little early. Three minutes before the final bell but it was just enough time for us to make it to our respectful classes. It was after our last hour that Tobes caught up with me to speak about last night."Hey man, what were you talking about last night? You seemed, kinda freaked." I sighed with my hand on my locker. I looked at him as I was holding it with my left hand."I can't really say here. You'll probably think I'm insane. But what I tell you once we get home, I swear is the truth and nothing but the truth. Alright?" He gave me a somewhat frightened look."Hey Jimbo, you're kinda scaring me there. Especially with the whole glowy glowy coming from your chest." I looked down and noticed that there was a bright circle on my chest appearing, pure as white.
What's with the multiple colors today?
My chest started to tighten before the color changed once again to a light blue. "We need to go somewhere no one can see this. And fast!" We rushed our way to PE men's locker room."Dude! What is happening?" Toby was really freaking out, even more than me and I was the one with the color changing piece of rock around his neck. "I don't know! This is what I was going to talk about! This and something else." I lifted the crystal out of my shirt to see it flashing a color of warm blue. I held the crystal in my hand and clutched it close to me like I did the other night.
Say these words, young Eclipse. For all that the day light protects, with all of Merlin's magic within me, I will protect and defeat as the sun will let me.
My eyes shot wide.
That voice is not my own. That voice is not my own!"For all that the day light protects, with all of Merlin's magic within me, I will protect and defeat as the sun will let me." As I repeated what was told to me through the crystal, a bright light of pink wrapped around me. It started warping with red, blue, purple, and white to create these small sprites. There was nothing else you could really call them. They flew around me in circles til I noticed pieces of armor being placed upon my skin. When my feet touched the ground, I looked at Toby to see his face with a mixture of multiple emotions."When, could, it do that!?" He looked at me with star lit eyes as if I was a super hero from a comic book. "What do you mean?" I looked down at my arms to see black chainmail topped with silver and blinking blue armor. I looked down at my hip to see a sword and scaffold. Both also a silver base with a bright blue glow. I looked at Tobes with pure horror in my eyes. "What am I suppose to do? I didn't know it could do this?!" I grabbed m head and started locking my fingers in my hair.
This cannot be happening! Especially on school grounds!
I looked down at my chest, noting that the crystal was now right above my heart within it's own little crevice.
It came from the necklace! How did it come from the damn necklace?
I started to slow down my breathing as the brightness of the color started to dim. "Dude! I think it's tied to your emotions!" I placed my heart over my heart, touching the gaps lightly with my fingers.
My, emotions? No wonder why it changed colors this morning! Or just a few minutes ago! The colors of the stone come from my emotional state.
I lifted my hand from the chest plate to see the vibrant shades of armor cooled to a halting blue. "Wow." I smiled in disbelief of the magnificence of the situation. I have around my neck a magical stone crystal thing that can tell my emotions and can make me dawn armor within a few seconds. I looked up at Tobes and smiled fully. This felt amazing!
But how do I get it off?
The sudden realization fell on me like a ton a bricks. I started trying to take the crystal out of it's position on my chest but it wouldn't budge. "Tobes?! I don't know how to take it off!" Suddenly, someone entered the locker room."Hello? Anyone in there?"
Stickler!
"Oh shoot!" With a low whisper I was tugging even harder at the stone in my chest. "Come on! Come on!" As I was trying desperately to pull the gem out of me, Tobes looked around to find something to make everything seem normal. He ended up grabbing a towel from his gym locker and started rubbing at the armor."Just stay calm and follow my lead. We don't need you turning into a giant flashlight." I nodded and slowed my breaths. I put my one foot up onto the bench as we both heard Stickler getting closer. He rounded the corner and had a understandable look of shock on his face."My my, what a wonderful suit of armor, Mr Lake. But may I ask, what is it for?"
Oh shoot. I don't think Toby thought this far.
I got a glimpse of the Romeo and Juliet poster from behind Mr Stickler and smiled brightly."It's for my play audition! They say if you really want a role, you have to show that you'll live by it. Right?" I was nervous but the color of the armor seemed to say calm. Mr Stickler nodded with his hand on his chin. He then smiled and looked at his watch."Well you must hurry then, because the auditions end in around ten minutes." I gave him a blank yet obviously shocked look.
For the mother of-
Tobes and I were behind stage as we heard Claire in the middle of her audition. I looked to her to see that she was truthfully immersed with the character she was playing."Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die,Take him and cut him out in little stars,"She walked slowly across the stage with a hand toward the sky as her over was cradled in her chest."And he will make the face of heaven so fineThat all the world will be in love with nightAnd pay no worship to the garish sun." She pulled her hand down slowly and put her hands together in front of her chest."O, I have bought the mansion of a love." She put her hands on top of her heart and ended her lines there. She smiled and did a small bow as everyone clapped for her. She started walking toward us to get off the stage and she held a huge smiled when she saw me."Hey! You actually showed up! Great costume by the way. John? Right?" I rubbed the back of my neck with my armor covered hand, it's cold touch actually cooling my raging nerves."Jim actually, but close enough. You did great!" Tobes then tried and kinda failed to fling his arm around my shoulder. "It all comes from this necklace thingy." Claire laughed at this, putting her hand before her lips."You're a real comedian aren't you?" I gave him a blank yet obviously upset look. "Yeah Tobes, a real comedian." Claire gave a small laugh to that as well. "Either way." She placed a affirming hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure you'll do great." She let go and started walking away with one last sentence thrown over her shoulder."Break a leg!"
Would totally do that right now than this.
Tobes patted me on the shoulder. "You've got this man! Remember, it is to keep- whatever this thing is, a secret. You can handle this." I nodded as I heard Miss Janeth call out for last tries."You've got this!" He whispered yelled and he shoved me forward. I started to walk hesitantly toward the center of the stage. I didn't have to say anything for people to give me their full attention.
Well, that's what I get for wearing a thing of color shifting armor on a freaking stage.
"Full name?" I rubbed the back of neck out of comfort and smiled. "James Lake Jr." She wrote my name down on her clipboard and then flung her arm out in a circular motion. "When ever you want to start, Mr Lake." I took a deep breath, not knowing really what to say at all. Then it started to pour from me."All of life is but a choice. A choice between living or to never truthfully live. A choice between calling and destiny, or normalcy and delight. A choice to be forced or the choice to become."I grabbed the handle of my sword with my left hand as I walked forward, keeping the scaffold from swinging when I stepped."But for a hero, it is a choice between using love and valor or being consumed by assumed failure. For a mere mortal without the shoes to fill, would easily choose."I looked down at the handle of the sword and placed a hand over my heart."Human minds would malfunction at the thought of their world not being the way they have been told."I had my left hand loose it's hold on the sword but in stead on the scaffold. I grabbed the handle with my right hand and pulled it out with and swift movement. I looked at it with a feeling of pride and honor."Some would day to become a hero, you must not think of what could happen. That you should just fulfill the role that you have been told that you are destined to do. To shine like stars upon their loved ones like a beacon of hope, without a second thought."I pointed the long blue and silver sword forward with a smile dancing across my face."But it is all but a choice."I was deafened by the applause that replaced the silence of my voice. I look off into the wing to see Tobes standing there with a mixed look of shock and astonishment. I nodded toward him as I put the sword back in it's rightful spot. I did a small bow and started my way towards Toby. All I could hear was the muffled sounds of Miss Janeth saying when the list would be posted and sounds of unfulfilled voices. I felt Toby's hand on my shoulder as we walked slowly. I could just feel the questions that he had for me, yet he could tell I was drained within the moment and that he'll just ask once we're on our own.I did see one thing that did get me out of this state. A flash of purple and black came around the entry for the stage."That was remarkable!" Claire gave me a bright smile with her hands on my shoulders. Forcing Tobes to quickly retreat his hand before it was between flesh and a hard place."Where did that come from? It sounded familiar." I shrugged at her question and gave her a sheepish smile. "I don't know. I didn't even know what I was going to say until I walked out there." She gave me a small sweet smile and dropped one of her hands. Her other one slid down the armor with ease until it landed on the bicep of my arm."Either way, it way beautiful." She let go and slipped away in what seemed like the most elegant fashion possible. I sighed in content with the interaction until Toby pulled me out of it. "Uh dude, your bicep is glowing."I looked down onto my arm to see it glowing the most beautiful shade I've seen it produce.A beautiful, rich, purple.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
After auditions, I magically got out of the crystal's armor and we went straight to our bikes to go to my house. Toby was freaking out a long the way."Dude, she changed the color of you armor with a touch of the hand! How freaking cool is that!?" I shook my head as I gained a small lead on him.
That's the thing he wanted to point out? The purple from her touch? Totally not the fact that I can magical conjure armor our of the
fucking stone
and it comes with a sword that is about the save length as my legs. Or hell, not the fact that Stickler saw me in said armor and now with all the stuff that seems to be combining on my plate, it feels like the world is against me.
Totally not any of that.
I couldn't blame him. I wasn't able to tell him yet about the trolls that appeared last night so he doesn't know about this "sacred duty" that comes with the armor. He doesn't know about the fact that this used to be amulet that was passed down from dead guy to soon to be dead guy. Which means obviously, even if I use it or not, I'm a dead man walking.
That is, once these "Gum-Gums" figure out that the amulet changed.
I looked at Toby, my chest filling with plain calm anxiety. "Tobes." I said it as if I dropped a feather and I didn't want to move it's path with my breath. I stopped as we reached the end of the street and basically forced him to look at me."There is a lot of things we need to talk about. Some I learned about this thing that fears me to speak, but they need to be spoken. There is danger to having this thing. No matter if I actually use it or not. We'll talk about the rest of it once we're at my house, but we have to be somewhat serious about this. Only you will know what's going on, besides myself that is and as my best friend, I need you more than ever." I placed a hand on his shoulder as he was looking me dead in the eyes. I could tell the small speech made him somewhat scared. Which is normal, it scares me as well. But I needed him to know that this is a serious situation. To know that what I'll say once behind closed doors, isn't just me being crazy or delusional. That all that I say is true.His eyes shift from mine and down to my chest. I could tell that the color changed yet again with how he looked back up and gave me a small smile and a confident nod."Whatever you say to me Jim, will never leave the two of us." He started to ride across the street and I followed him soon after. "Also, to note that the necklace turns white when you're serious. Seems legit though. I remember Miss Janeth going on a huge tangent about colors in the middle of math once. She said something about how white was the color of innocence and purity. She also stated that some thought it was the color of truth. At least I now will forever know when you're lying or not."He grew a giant smug smile as we turned down the street to our little block. "So now if I accuse you of liking Claire, you can't deny it." I chuckled at his antics. "I'm not saying a single thing." I sped up and passed him with a smile. I heard him struggling to keep up with me as I raced home. I skid to a stop in front of my garage and turned around. Tobes was still a good five feet behind me. I look off my helmet and placed my kick stand down on my bike."Oh, come on." Tobes stated out of breath. "You," He struggled off his bike and fumbled to his feet. "Have a lie detector basically dangling around your neck." He pushed the bike up to where I was opening my garage with placed a hand on his knee. "And you won't even let me try it?" He gave me a small pout as I grabbed my bike and walked it inside."Not for a million dollars." I said with a laugh. "But maybe we can see what other emotions causes this thing to react. What we've haven't saw yet, you know?" Tobes dropped his bike and put his hand together before his chest. His eyes seemed to fill with childish wonder and stars as it was obvious he grew excited."Really?! Come on! It would be like decoding a mood ring or something!" I placed my bike on it's kick stand once more and closed the garage door by it's button."It's nothing like a mood ring, Tobes." I walked through the opening toward the living room and put my bag on the stairs post. It was a little habit I had when it came to school. I jokingly blame my mother for said habit due to how it was her that used to put my bag on the same post when I was younger so I wouldn't forget to grab it on my way to school. I smiled at the distant memory. I walked toward the couch and flopped a little on it's arm."Okay, so you said you have serious stuff to say." He stood in front of me "So lets get to it! Where do you want to start?"After explaining last night's encounter and the choice that I have to make, I looked him in the eyes. I was searching for any sign of him having anything wise to say or anything to really say at all. Wise things are not something anyone else would tie to Toby, but I knew better than that. Toby is a ball full of energy and optimism but he can have some of the wisest things come to mind. Especially when it came to my dad leaving.That was my first real deep conversation with Toby. I dug a real deep hole for my feelings when my dad first left. I acted like it never affected me and I carried on with a bright smile. When I turned ten, five years after him leaving, my feelings raised from the grave I made for them. I was angry, frustrated, and started lashing out. It stemmed from how I finally got the guts to ask my mom what had happened to my father and when she explained, my anger rose. It evaporated when she said that "We just need to worry about each other now.".But I was still upset which is normal for a kid. Being told that your dad just up and left is hard. Especially when that young. You start believing that it must of been something that you did or something they noticed you cannot become. I started throwing small temper fits a lot in result. There was one time I was angry when Toby came over and he asked me "what's wrong with you today?". I explained to him all my mom told me. That day was the first time Toby had ever made me stop and rethink all I have ever done. I will remember what he said till the day I lay in my grave.
"You still have Dr. L though right? Why be angry on who left when you could be grateful for who stayed?"
I smiled at the faint memory as he was still dancing around his choice of words. Tobes is an amazing friend. He's fun and energetic with this "young forever" type of personality. We've shared so many interest over the years it's unreal. Yet it is moments like this that we share that make me realize how lucky I am to have him as a best friend.I gave him time to think as I stared at the wooden floor boards. It felt like an eternity before either of us spoke."So, my best friend could be the new King Arthur like Batman?" I laughed at his question.
And I was expecting a token of wisdom from the almighty monk Tobias Domzalski.
"I could, I guess. That's one way of stating it." I pulled the crystal necklace out from under my shirt and held in my hands. I watched as it illuminated it's normal pink aura. "But people could get hurt, Tobes. Me, you, mom, and many others. I know I should answer this call. I know I should do to how many people it will save and how it could be the adventure I kind of hoped for. Something bigger than myself, you know?" I rubbed my hand against my neck for comfort. It was one of my many anxious tendencies."But, I'm only a teenager. I thought my life was going to be filled with high school drama and then off to college close by so my mom won't have a heart attack about me leaving. Possibly a family. Be a better dad than my own was. But this, this is something I thought was only in comics. A call to adventure. To save the world. To help the innocent. But this all also means that I could die."I dropped my hand from the back of my neck as I could feel Toby's eyes on me as I stared off to a picture of my mom and I when she graduated medical school."I don't know if I could do that to my mom."I felt Toby place a hand on my shoulder. I turned my head to look at him and noticed the child amazement from earlier melted into soft concern. "I understand your fears here dude." He patted my shoulder and gave me a reassuring smile. "But like you said, there are people that rely on someone to be able to use this." He tapped his finger on the crystal that was still residing in my hand. He pressed my fingers down so they collapsed around the stone. "I don't know what to really tell you other than you still have a choice. That's what that Blinky guy said right?" He let go of my fingers and placed both of his hands of my shoulders. "Like you said at auditions, I would say go with it! This could save lives and two worlds, dude. But I'm also not the one truly taking the risk. He said you could always just keep it right? Like don't use it at all?"I nodded slowly to his words as I kept my eyes on my closed hand."Then I would say do the training, understand how to use it a little better. Then, if you ever feel like you can't withstand everything or if you're in too far over your head, quit. At least then you know how to use it." I picked up my head to give him a smile.
He's right. I should take this opportunity to be able to get to know the power. I did feel, complete in a way, when I had the armor on earlier. It felt as if it was a second skin that I lost and found.
This was the token of wisdom that I was looking for.
"Thanks Tobes. I think I know what I'm going to do in two days then. I'm going to take up their offer. I've made my choice."The next morning was less eventful as yesterday's. I woke up at the right time, changed my clothes, made sure I had good hygiene, checked the necklace, and even made breakfast for mom so when she wake's up she wouldn't have to make anything.I walked out the garage with twenty minutes before school started and a happy and eager Toby outside. We rode to school without any conflict or worry. It was beginning to seem like nothing was really going to happen.We barked our bikes in the school's bike racks and headed to our lockers. We had around ten or so minutes before class started so we took our time. We were walking around a corner when I heard a terrified yelp come from our right. I looked over to see our wonderful school bully Steve Palchuk and his little gang of testosterone junkies pushing a poor kid named Eli up against the lockers."Come one nerd! We know you can do it! Just finish the assignment one more time, but for each of us." They all started laughing. With each push, Eli's pleads were ignored. Kids just kept passing by and carrying on with their days. I felt this sudden wave of anger crash against me and I started drowning in this pool of emotion."Note to self, stone goes black when mad." I looked over at Tobes and gave him a confused look. He pointed down at my chest and I realized that the necklace was still over my shirt. I glanced down to see the crystal looked as if it was dropped in tar. It's normal beams of light went dark and seemed instead to have a glossy finish. I looked back over at Eli's torment.
If no one else is going to do something, then I will.
"Hey!" I walked over slowly toward Steve and Eli with determination in each step. I stopped when Steve noticed it was someone talking to him instead of a kid upset about being knocked in the shoulder. "Leave the poor guy alone." Steve had Eli by his collar when he gave me his attention. He smirked and held the smaller teen off the ground. Forcing Eli to struggle and kick his legs to try to get out of the hold."What are you gonna do, Lake? Gonna use that hippy crystal on me or something?" He started bellowing out a hefty laugh as he dropped Eli with a smile. The poor kid landed on his ass and pushed himself up against the lockers. Anyone could tell that he just wanted to be as small and unnoticeable as possible within this moment. Steve certainly noticed though and let out another laugh. He looked me straight in the eyes right afterwards with a crooked smile. "I said, what are you gonna do? Go home and cry to daddy? Or are you gonna ask your mommy to help you after I bumble you so hard that no one would recognize you?"
That was a real low blow. Almost everyone knew about the story of my father.
I narrowed my eyes and took a step closer. "Isn't Eli's fault that you're gonna be stuck in a garage, wishing you could go back to your peaking days of high school as he's a owner of a huge computer company." I heard the poor guy muffle out that he actually loved computers.I felt a hand shove me backwards but I was pretty good at standing my ground. "What did you say? Oh, you are lucky your mom's a doctor! Cause she's going to have to keep an open bed!" He went to go punch me but I was able to dodge it just in time. I had the urge to punch him in the face. To give him a taste of his own medicine that he poured down other people's throa-
If you are ever going to throw a punch, even if it's in the name of protecting others, you are no longer any better than the one who started it.
My eyes shot wide as I came back to my reality. Steve was obviously pissed now at my antics. He went to throw another punch and I almost dodged, yet he landed it in my stomach. I winced and my knees buckled. I put my forearm linear against my stomach as he advanced a little closer to me. "Big words but no bite? Huh Lake?" He shoved me my shoulders back again but I still kept on my feet.
"But Mommy! He called Tobes a fat orphan and pushed him into the jungle gym! I couldn't just watch!"
"I won't lay a hand on you. You can punch me all you want, but I won't hurt you. That ruins what I aimed for."
"I know honey. You did it out of love for your friend."
Palchuk raised his fist once again, but I was standing firm. My arms now at my side.
"But you become the bully once you do the same thing. No matter the reasoning."
"Palchuk!" We both turned our heads toward the gym door to see Coach Lawrence calling his name. "Are you going to join for morning conditioning or are you going to stand there? Don't forget, penalties happen for principal office visits." Coach walked back into the gym as Steve called back that he would be there. Steve kept his eyes on me though throughout the interruption. Once he could tell that Coach left, he raised his pointer finger in my face."You and me, Friday. After school. No matter if you're going to fight back or not, you're getting destroyed." He took his leave once he finished his last word, not even a care about if I rejected it or not. I rolled my eyes at his cocky attitude. I took in our surroundings once he left and noticed the crowd the little encounter caused.I ignored the crowd and walked back over toward Eli and lent out a hand toward him since he was still cowarding against the lockers. "You okay?" I gave him a reassuring smile as it took him a minute to accept the open hand. Once helped up, he adjusted his glasses and flattened his wrinkled up shirt."I should be asking you that. You were the one that took the punch. All I got was a couple of shoves." I shrugged as I felt Toby's presence behind me. "It's nothing I can't deal with. Just a small punch. Nothing huge." Eli rubbed his arm with his hand as he stared off into the ground."Thanks anyway though. You're a true hero, Jim."
A hero Master Jim!
I placed my crystal in my hand and clutched it tight. "I'm not a hero, Eli. I'm just a guy that can't stand bullies." I turned around with a smile on my face. "Come on-"
This is not even close to Toby.
I was face to face with a clearly concerned Claire. "Are you alright Jim?" I turned dead silent, rubbing the crystal in my hand as a form of support. "Yeah. I'm fine." I subconsciously let go of the crystal and rubbed the back of my neck. Claire had a small smile until she looked down at my chest."Wasn't that black a little bit a go?"
SHIT!"Oh, it's uh a mood crystal. My friend is a huge nut about stones and minerals. Knows most of their meanings. He found this the other day and I found it interesting so I asked if I could have it."
At least I'm not completely lying.
"Oh! That's really cool." She reacted out and touched the crystal as if it was glass. With that single light touch, it started to change to the purple hue from yesterday. "What a beautiful color. What does that one mean?""I'm not sure. It didn't come with a color manual or anything."
Again, at least I'm not completely lying.
"What a shame. Purple's my favorite color. Maybe you'll figure it out." With that the warning bell rang for first hour. "Well, I'll see at rehearsal this week." She gave a small wave and started heading toward her class."Bye Claire."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!It seems she hangs upon the cheek of nightLike a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear;Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows,As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows.The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand,And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand.Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."I smiled subconsciously knowing "Juliet" was really such a jewel. I sighed and placed a hand upon my heart, feeling the crystal under my shirt. Feeling the warmth radiating from it as it probably glowed like a sun in complete darkness. I gazed at her spot on stage as if she was a star falling from the sky in the dark night. I started my character's walk ever so slowly to her.She truly is my little Juliet. A beauty that is a family of high values."-Now seeming sweet convert to bitter gall."Oh yeah, play."If I profane with my unworthiest handThis holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready standTo smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."I watch as she raises a hand to her head to tuck a stray piece of hair and with a soft smile she placed her hands interlocked at the top of her clipboard before herself. I could feel the heat of the crystal burning lightly against my skin as if the color was intensifying at it's containment.If only I could be strong enough to say such a thing out of character."Alright everyone! That will be enough for today. Good work! Especially to our Romeo and Juliet!" Miss Janeth let out one of her signature laughs. "Your love sick glances toward each other during that scene were amazing! You two are coming a long so well!" I let out a shaking chuckle as I hear Claire let out a soft laugh."Thank you Miss Janeth." I nodded with Claire's words. The cast started to scatter off to their personal space away from the stage. I went back stage to put my script board in my bag. As I bent over to unzip my bag, the necklace slipped from under my shirt collar and danged in front of my face. It's bright purple hue was at an almost blinding radiance.No wonder why it was warm against my skin. It looked as if the sun was being hidden under my sweatshirt.I chuckled at myself with how it was more like a rave hidden by a single sheet of cloth. I zipped back up my bag and swung my bag over my shoulder. I straightened my back and raised my hands above my head and then brought them back down to my sides. It felt good, not having to arch my back backwards to "puff out my chest and prove I was braver than the other suitors". Miss Janeth truly had a thing for "authentic" performances, even if it meant I was a reverse hunch back. I was walking myself away from the auditorium when I felt a a couple of finger tips just barely touch my shoulder."Hey."I looked over my shoulder and gave a small smile toward the voice. "Hi Claire. What's up?" She had a smile of her own dancing across her face as she caught up with my steps. "I wanted to say you did really great today and that I'm happy that you actually took my offer on auditions. At this point, I couldn't imagine Romeo being anyone else."I opened the door and held it open for her, thanking that now we're in darkness no one could see the redness of my ears or the pink shade that grew on my cheeks.And thank God that no one has super hearing or my heart beating against my chest would deafen them."Thanks Claire. That means a lot. Especially coming from a rising actress." She did that motion again where she placed her hair further back behind her right ear.Seems I'm not the only one with a nervous tick or two.I smiled at the thought as we walked our way toward the entry of the school, meaning our departure was ahead of us. Her parents would be here to pick her up, more than likely, and I would have to stop at the bike rack to unchain my bike.We reached the bike racks and I expected her to start leaving, but she lingered. I bent over to unleash my bike and wrapped up the loose chain back around the metal of the rack. I got back up to see Claire was staring out into the empty parking lot.Her parents must me late.I left my bike where it was and walked a little closer toward her to hear her sigh softly.I'm guessing this happens now and then.I looked at her face to see her soft look of disappointment on her face.She just looks so, sad. But she acts like she's used to it."I'll see you tomorrow, Jim." She started walking toward the entry and I panicked a little. I grabbed her arm quickly while also trying my best to be gentle. "Wait." She turned around with a little bit a shock developing in her eyes.And I should of thought of this a little bit before I actually did it."Um, if your parents aren't here, I can stay a little longer. You know, make sure you're alright and all. Figured it would be very un-Romeo like of me to just leave you here or-" I let go of her arm and rubbed the back of my neck. "Something." I gave her a sheepish smile.Please don't think I'm a murderer or something. Or that I'm weird. Please please please.She seemed shy for only a second. The few spaced out lights of the school making it difficult to see if she was actually happy about my offer or not. Yet, it felt as if I asked her if she was the one to control the sky with her smile or something cheesy from those Romantic Comedies my mom was really into."Well Romeo, it wouldn't be a very good Juliet if I didn't accept." She took a step closer to me with a smile and her pointer finger almost colliding with my chest. "But no more than fifteen minutes. I would hate to keep you from getting rest." She then a smirk slid across her face, replacing the smile with ease. "Or more homework to ignore." I let out a laugh."Promised, but I'm not that bad with assignments. That's Toby's job. My job is to get bored and stare off into space during Mr Stickler's lessons." She rolled her eyes with a soft grin."You two and your attention spans."I was biking home after making sure Claire wasn't by herself in the twenty minutes it took her parents to show up. Neither of us noticed that we both broke the one thing that we promised on but I don't either of us cared either. It's great getting little bits of alone time with Claire when I can. It makes me feel like my little skinny self has a chance with Ms Spring Fling Queen. We ended up talking about a lot of different things while we sat there, my bike laying on the concrete and both of us sitting on the steps of the school. We went from our dreams, to our favorite movies, and then to how important this play seemed. It felt like we talked as the world stopped."I've always wanted to be an actress. Even though my dad has dreams of me going to Harvard."I did my normal routine of entering the house as the conversations danced around my mind."This is actually my first play." "This is your first?!" "Guilty as charged."I walked quietly through the house, noting that the car was home. Which meant that my mother was either asleep in bed or, well, asleep in bed."You're into those Gunrobot movies?" "Hey! They're great."I shook my head with a smile, hearing her laugh ring through my head. "Isn't my fault I'm a nerd." I whisper to the darkness of the house. I rummaged the fridge for something to eat as I let my mind drift once more.With this Human Eclipse stuff, I would cause possible harm to her. Especially if these Gum-Gums are as dangerous as that Blinky guy said.I felt a frown bury itself within my face as I hate the cold chicken leg from the fridge.But at the same time, I could protect her as well.I finished my food sooner than I thought I would and took care of the mess and garbage from my late meal.My time would be shortened due to things like training and possible fights, yet that would make moments like those from today even more valuable.My mind started to dance back to my conversation with Claire. I brought up to her that I had a decision to make that could change a lot of things for me. I was careful not to speak of what specifically but she did say something that drove my mind to think more about the Eclipse idea."Jim, there was once a line that Shakespeare wrote that I hope will help you with whatever you have to decide between. In Hamlet, he stated that the 'Conscience doth make cowards of us all'. Meaning that if you think too much about the actions to want, desire, or need to take, your mind will always try to talk you out of it. Your conscience can be your enemy, Jim. Don't let it cripple you.""She's right. She always seems to be." I looked other at the wall and saw the extent of how bright the purple grew from over my shirt. It painted the wall with it's rich pigments.The next day seemed long due to my attention being on a different idea all entirely.It's been three nights. That is, if I count the night I meet the trolls.I was empty headed as I kept a light sprint as Coach Lawrence yelled at us to run around the track. My mind felt as if I left it at home on my pillow, sleeping the day away as my body went on autopilot. Toby was struggling to keep up with the moderate sprint."Why-" He wheezed for breath. "Why- are you- running so fast? Some-thing. On. Your. Mind?" I nodded absently and it seemed to dawn on him right after. "OH! It's been technically three nights." I nodded again with my eyes still straight in front of me."But- it also- technically isn't. You're-count-ing. The. Day. You saw them. They- probably. Aren't." I heard Toby wheeze a little more and my concern brought me out of my distant state."You alright Tobes?" He gave me a barely audible laugh."If- you count. Oh god. I feel like, death." I looked over at him to see he had his hand on top of his heart and his orange headband didn't seem to help with all the sweat dripping down his face.Note to self, endurance running with Tobes is top priority since he knows about the trolls and stuff. They'll go after him too and he'll need the practice."Back to- the subject. They'll probably, be here, tomorrow." I nodded once again.He's right. I might as well enjoy my last full normal day of life as I can."Come on Lake! I know you can run faster than that!" And there goes me wanting to do endurance practice."See you on the flip side, Tobes." I picked up my pace to an actual run I passed by some of the other guys from the class and as I rounded the bend, I realized that there was three girls that were ahead of me. One that was easy to make out but the other two weren't as easy.The one in the middle and a little ahead was Claire. She seemed to be easily maintaining her fast pace as her friends seemed to slowly be dragging back from her.Isn't their names like Darci and Mary? I think I met them a couple of times. Maybe from a class or two. If I'm going to keep at this speed though, I'm going to have to pass them some how. Without trying to be a dick though.I got closer without realizing it and I noticed there was an opening as Claire started taking a small gap from her friends."Claire! You're leaving us! Act like you don't have the same running ability that you did last year, or else Coach is going to nag you about joining track again this year."Track? Huh, there's something that I never knew. Well, I never claimed to know everything about her life."I rather get constant reminders of track try-outs than get yelled out that I can do better!"Touché Nuñez. Ella me tiene ahi.I took the small gap that was beside her friends and passed them with decent ease. I was actually a little ahead of Claire when we came around the bend of the track."What do you think you're doing chico?" I looked over my shoulder to see a competitive smirk appear on Claire's face. I gave her a smile in return."Más bien, sé más rápido de lo que me dicen que puedo hacerlo mejor, señorita." I saw a pleasant smile appear on her face as she met up with my speed. "Hey, you've improved. It's nice to have someone other than family than can speak Spanish actually decently." I guess she decided to ignore the faint calls of her friends as she gained a little distance from them. "You do not know how irritating it is to hear basic white boys try to speak it and fail with the accent or easy pronunciation.""So I'm decent?""Better than decent."We ran in comfortable silence as we were going around the bend once more."Have you made up your mind on the decision we talked about last night?""Un poco, but I'm pretty sure I'm making the right choice. Thanks for the advice though. Even if it was just a line from another Shakespeare play. It helped a lot."I couldn't get myself to look over at her face due to the feeling of the crystal under my shirt. It felt as if my skin under it was on fire and I was pretty sure it wasn't due to the ridiculous amount of running we're having to do."I'm here for you. You've done a lot for me already, like joining the play, so it's only fair if I pay it back a little.So no matter what you need to talk about, I'm here for you Jim."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
He was right. The trolls did not appear last night. So tonight is the night that I'll gain a "higher meaning" and "destiny" of my life. I will begin my training and some of the chances of normalcy. Yet, a fulfilling life that comes with the thought of lost time, will also come.
Yet I should at least try to enjoy my last day as a normal teenager. Even if it's spending it in class.
I smiled to myself as I continued writing in my notebook as Mr Stickler kept lecturing. He was talking about something about Shakespeare. I personally do not understand why to be honest. We were just talking about war yesterday, but what can you expect from Stickler? He likes to go on about whatever subject he feels "passionate" about at the moment.
This moment being him talking about Shakespeare's life.
I looked out of the corner of my eye to see Claire with a giant smile across her face as she seemed happily drowning in his words.
At least someone was enjoying his lecture for once.
I looked beside me to see Toby dazing off slightly out of boredom.
Again, at least one person is enjoying the lesson.
I went back to jotting down in my notebook. It was just random thoughts of mine within the moment. It was a confusing mix of lines that I tried memorizing the night before as well as questions that wouldn't stop affecting me.
What makes a hero? Is it his actions? Is it that he answers a call a very few bother to listen to? Or is it simply that they go through that circle thing with the archetypes(what are these again?)?
Am I a hero? Am I going on my own journey? Why am I any more special than those I walk around these halls with?
Should someone else's name been called?
"Mr Lake!" I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up at Stickler to see he had a smile on his face. He looked pleased, but at the same time he seemed as if he knew I wasn't actually listening in the conversation."Won't you tell us your own favorite lines from Shakespeare? Since you are our school's Romeo after all."
Easy!
"But not from Romeo and Juliet. That would be too easy."
And I should of known.
"Um." I started fiddling with my pencil and looked around the class. I saw Claire looking at me with high interest and Toby looking at me with a lot of pity. My mind was filled with nothingness and I sighed slightly.
Do not ever dare say I never loved.
"I kinda figured. Now next ti-" "Doubt thou the stars are fire;" I looked in Sticklers eyes, without truthfully realizing that I cut him off. I closed my eyes and with a shaky breath, I continued."Doubt that the sun doth move;Doubt truth to be a liar;But never doubt I love.Thine evermore, most dear lady,whilst this machine is to him."I opened my eyes, realizing that I moved my head to be staring at my desk. I looked back up to see a impressed look in his eye as his eyebrows were raised higher up his forehead."Well color me impressed.
Hamlet. I might suggest that next to Miss Janeth." The bell rang and I about threw my things in my bag so I could run out the room. "Mr Lake! Let me speak to you for a minute."
Every. Time.
I sigh and grab my bag from under the desk a fling it over my shoulder. I felt Tobes give me a comforting pat on my shoulder as he left. I took hesitant steps toward Mr Stickler as he stood tall and proud in front of the class room. The room's emptiness made the room feel as if it was closing on me with every step I took."Now Jim."He turned to clean the chalkboard that was behind him."I've noticed that your mind seems to be plagued. I wanted to just speak to you for a moment to tell you that you can always speak to someone. Those that are your friends, family, and if need be even I will lead an ear."He turned back toward me and placed his eraser on it's black running rack. He took a step closer to me and placed a hand upon my right shoulder."I can tell you have a lot on your shoulders. Perhaps something that you must choose about? You seem somewhat torn."I placed my right hand on my left elbow in insecurities. "Something like that. But," I shrugged while trying to give myself time to come up with a lie. "Steve said something about wanting to prove something after school tomorrow. I'm 'torn' on rather I should actually show up or act like I forgot."
I'm really good at coming up with these half lies.
"Well Jim, I cannot say anything but that a real man finishes what he starts, but it must be in the same name. Like if you did something in the name of honor, do not dishonor that." I nodded along to his words.
So keep to my claim of morals. Got it.
"Thanks Mr Sti-" "Oh, and if you fancy Ms Nuñez, it will be more effective talking to the girl outside of rehearsal and classes more than staring at the girl." I saw a smirk deepen on his face as he toyed with his pen. Opening the cap and closing it as a fidget mechanism. "You will have a chance in two weeks though, due to the museum that we will be visiting soon. A perfect place to get to talk to the young lady. Just get the fellow history lover to talk about what she loves within the area and you'll do fine." He closed his pen and placed a free hand on my shoulder."So whatever you do, Lake, be who you are and never miss a chance. Destiny only calls once, you know." He lifted up a pad of sticky notes and opened his pen. He scribbled rather quickly then tore it off and handed it to me. "But please try to pay more attention to my class. It might seems like you have the world on your shoulders, young Atlas. But there is a lot that you can figure out by simple knowledge." I gave my usual promises and thanks to him then left the class room.
Am I that obvious?
I pulled my necklace from under by sweatshirt and saw that there was a dim showing of the calming hue of white.
So white is just that, calm.
I placed it back under my sweatshirt and started to walk to my next class. I decided to take my time due to me having the slip. I made my way toward the boy's locker room with no worries, at least that's how it probably seems. I bury my hands in my pockets, dipping my head a little and slouching slightly. There's so many things running through my mind. As if my thoughts were water and my conscious was a faulty dam.
All these people are telling me so many things and they all seem to push me into one specific direction.
Is it wrong to question my capabilities with all of this? I'm expected to choose a specific way, but what if I don't? I know that there are these "dangers" as Blinky put it. I know there are all these possibilities.
Yet is it selfish of me to want to just be a little more normal? Is it wrong to just want to have rehearsals and school without the idea put in my head of possible death?
"Hey Jim!" I looked up to see Claire running toward me. She was decked out in her gym uniform with a smile plastered on her face. I felt one that was comparable start to appear on my own face as well.
Oh yeah. Now I remember why I decided why I will give Blinky a "yes for now".
It's so that people like Claire would be save. That I would know how to protect her and the people most important to me safe when these dangers come for me.
"Hey. Let me guess, Coach wanted to make sure I wasn't skipping?" I heard her giggle a little from my response."You would be correct. Your prize is the possibility of an extra few laps more than the rest of us." I sighed a little and I pulled out the sticky note from my pocket. "Even with this?" Claire shrugged."It's Coach Lawrence, do you expect anything less?" I started to continue my walk toward the locker room with her by my side and a laugh growing from my chest.
Yes, it is these moments that make me remember why I'm going to go through with this "destiny" of mine. That way I can know how to protect those I care about.
None of them deserve possible danger. None of them deserve to get hurt.
So, I will fight for them. Fight for their safety and also for another kind.
I will fight through hell for them.
Just you wait.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The rest of my day seemed as if I had no control of my body. It was like a dream that I had no true part in. I was laying in my bed at the moment, with my phone on my chest. I've been checking it every hour on the hour since I was home. Counting down the minutes till they showed up.
Possibly only a few more moments till I give my answer. Till my life changes and I take on what I'm suppose to do.
Also only about ten more until Steve gets his hands on me.
I grabbed my pillow from behind my head and slammed it on my face with a giant groan.
How am I suppose to fight these, trolls, if he's going to kill me tomorrow?
I took my pillow of my face and could feel the annoyed look I was giving toward the ceiling.
Unless Blinky and
AAARRRGGHH! can train me fast enough, they would have to find a Trollhunter within the next twenty four hours, or Eclipse. Or whatever my title is!
I swing my legs off my back and stand to my feet. I walked over to my bathroom and gave myself a long stare in the mirror. I wasn't in my normal attire due to my usual blue jacket being no where to be seen. My white shirt not being a very huge concealer for the crystal that shined under it's protection.
Can't remember if I threw it on the couch when I first got home or if it's on the railing of the stairs. Either way, it's here.
I pressed my hand on my stomach with a little more force than I should of and winched a little at the pain that followed. The bruise from Steve's punch was still as big as a pain in the ass as it's creator.I gave myself a small chuckle for the remark.
CRASH
I jumped nearly out of my skin, hearing the familiar sounds that beckoned me not so long ago. I noticed the glow under my shirt shifting into a pure sea blue under my shirt.
Okay, nervousness. Blue is definitely nervousness.
"Hey Jim! Is everything okay? I heard a very alarming noise!" Her voice was a little rash and scratchy.
She seemed to of just woken up.
I ran to hallway to give my mom a clear answer."I'm fine mom! But I'll check the basement just in case!" I heard her give me a muffled okay as I quickly went toward the stairs. Taking two a step.
Whelp
I swung myself around the end post and into the living room.
At least I know that I was wrong about BOTH places with my jacket.
I walked myself toward the basement door and as if a clear wall of glass as been put in front of my face, I stopped. I was right before the door. A door that opens a new life, possibly. New abilities. There is so much that could be changed by the opening of one single door.
Yet I hesitate. Claire was right to compare my situation to Hamlet. I keep stopping myself and never stop thinking.
I reached slowly toward the door knob. I felt as if my heart was starting to be compressed within it's own cage. Anxiety seemed to creep around from the darkened corners of my vision as if it was a vulture stalking out it's prey.
Damn, I really need to calm down. I diagnose that I have been reading way too much Shakespeare.
I grabbed the door knob and started to turn it.
This will be for everyone. To fight for them. To fight for two different kinds.
My calling, is now.
And I answer.
"MASTER JAMES!" I gave Blinky the signal of quieting down. "Jim? What was that?" I heard my mom call from upstairs once more. "Nothing mom! Everything's fine! But I'm going down the basement to make sure it's not raccoons!"I closed the door before I could hear my mom's reply. I basically ran down the steps to meet up with the two trolls. "Alright! You said I got to make a choice today right?" Blinky seemed surprised with my eagerness."Yes, so what do you say?"I took a deep breathe and released it. "I answer to my calling. I will be the Eclipse."He smiled wide along with AAARRRGGHH! who did not seem to appreciate the ceiling (or the floor, technically) above him."Then we must start at once! Follow us!"After watching them fumble through my house, and surprisingly not waking my mother back up from her rest, we started our way through the trees and toward their "Heartstone". It was sunset so it wasn't too dark out but still dark enough for almost so true life was left about in Arcadia but the few of us."Hey, Blinky?" He turned to me with a questionable look. "Can to tell me more about this 'destiny' of mine?" I used air quotes since it was technically me choosing the path instead of it being forced."Well, Master James-" "Call me Jim." I placed a hand on his shoulder with a smile."Alright then! Master Jim!" "You could just call me Ji-""A long time ago, about five hundred years ago I believe, there was a book found within our lands. From the darkest of the caverns, it was found. Yes in the most arbitrary way indeed, it was found. Within it's contents it told of a prophecy for a human Trollhunter. One that will have different powers than those before them. One with much more power than the rest. All due to one simple thing. It's humanity."I gave him a confused look. "You mean, they were all trolls? A little ironic isn't it? A troll hunting trolls?""Not any trolls, Master Jim. Gum-Gums. Evil, diabolical, trolls. Ones that you will be trained to defeat."I could see the top of the bridge within the distance. "The bridge? Why are we going there?"Blinky gave out a laugh that seemed to swell from his belly as AAARRRGGHH! gave a laugh of his own. "Bridge means home. Under bridge, that is." Blinky nodded along to his friend."I believe you humans had stories of such things. That trolls lived under bridged and 'protected them." He used air quotes as I did earlier. "Did I use that movement correctly? I understand you humans have very different ways of body language as us trolls do." I nodded to his question. "But as I was saying!" He turned his head toward the bridge and kept on with his explanation."We were starting to believe that it was mere folklore as the years went on. It was written in an older fashion of trollish so it was hard to truly understand what it was meant to elaborate. Yet over the hundred of years, we agreed that the idea of called said prophet as 'Trollhunter' did not equate to the idea. So we went with calling it the 'Human Eclipse'. We have never thought the day would come when the amulet decided to call upon a fleshling. But, here you are. Ready and willing. If it is appropriate to ask and you do not mind, Master Jim, what made you chose?"I passed by a tree while dragging my hand slowly across it's bark."My choice was made when you said it could be dangerous and I thought of all the people I care about. If I didn't accept to help protect two worlds in general," I stopped and placed my hand on the side of a tree and looked down toward the ground. "Then I would be selfish enough to accept to save my friends and family."I felt a heavy hand be placed on my shoulder, but it was in the most gentle of ways. I looked up to see a soft smile on Blinky's face. All six eyes looking at me in what seemed like pride. "Master Jim, it is okay to want to protect those of you that are the closest. It is expected, not selfish. It is what makes you human. It is one of the many traits that tie our two species together, really. It is what makes anyone have a true character of valor and soul. You have a gift, Master Jim. The gift of destiny. To fear for what may happen, leads to valor and character. To be the one to face said fear is the one that is a true hero. No matter if they do it for personal reasons. As long as they fight for what is right in their hearts. There is only one question to ask, are you fighting for what your heart believes in?"I nodded with a smile on my face. I could feel the determination coursing through my veins. "Yes, I am." He placed his over hand on my shoulder and nodded his head in reply."Then you are ready to become a hero."We made our way down into the canal and under the bridge. Blinky pulled out a crystal attached to a handle that seemed to mimic my own. "This is the key to Troll Market. You do an arch, like so." He drew an arch on the under bending of the bridge and it grew a brilliant shade of blue. He then placed his hand on the wall and it just seemed to disappear into a tunnel. "And this will let you into our land at any time, Master Jim." He opened my hand and placed the torch like object in my grasp."Um, Blinky?" He turned to me as he started to walk into the open hole of he bridge. "I forgot to say, I did talk to someone about all of this. He is my best friend. Would it be okay if he was apart of all of this? He would need to train too if he is going to be around me as much as he already is." Blinky looked at me with a what seemed to be sympathy."Well I did tell you to talk it over with someone didn't I?" I nodded as I took a step with him into the tunnel. "I guess so. But be careful. Troll kind has never truly encountered humans within centuries. He must be on his best behavior." I clutched onto the key with a little more might."I'll be sure of it Blinky! Thank you, but did you say that they haven't encountered humans in a long time? Would that mean they would be hesitant about me as well? Should I show them?" I pulled the crystal necklace from under my shirt and stared at it intently.We came to an edge that began a pit that seemed like it gone on forever."Um, Blin-?" Before I could even finish, a crystal staircase appeared out of no where. "Wow!" I started going down the steps rather quickly, in awe of their beautiful blue light. Without a thought of time, I ended up at the bottom of the steps ans stopped in my tracks."Holy-"'Holy! Indeed! Master Jim!" I could hear he was out of breath behind me but I was too lost in wonder to truly acknowledge it. I was enchanted by the beautiful lights and the bustling of the other trolls. The most gorgeous sight of the underground cavern was the bright and giant crystal that seemed to be in the center of it all. "What is that?" I pointed toward the object in question."That my boy, is the Heartstone. That of which you protect, young Eclipse."
For all that the day light protects, with all of Merlin's magic within me, I will protect and defeat as the sun will let me.
A shine of light engulfed me once more.I looked down on myself to see that the crystal was above my heart and that I was was in pure red and silver armor. I felt my happiness shape my face with ease."You feel the passion of the Heart. Now, to train that passion and all that else will come with it. Welcome to destiny, young Eclipse."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Esto es hermoso. ¿Qué belleza me atrapa?" I held my sword in my scaffold as I carefully walked down more of the steps. The key still in my other hand. Blinky matched my pace rather well."I don't quiet understand that language you spoke but I know enough that you asked 'What beauty' and that is all I know. Could you teach me more of this fleshling dialect?" I laughed at Blinky's interest."It's call Spanish. I barely understand it myself. I have to take it up at school to be even allowed to graduate. That and I know someone that speaks it rather fluently and I figured it would help her feel comfortable with me." I went to rub the back of my neck with my right hand but I got a neck full of stone instead."O-Anyway! You said training?" As we stepped into the actual beginning of the area, I noticed I got a lot of glances. There were multiple whispers that came and I personally silenced from myself."Yes, but first you need to meet Vendel. He is the leader of this Heartstone Market. He has to approve you status to the people. That is the only way they will completely trust you in as little amount of time." I nodded to what he said. "So, I have to prove I am what I am to the big guy in charge?""To be put in layman's terms, yes."As we continue to grow closer to the center of the market and the stone that seems to be it's thriving source, the whispers grew louder and the glances grew longer."Um, you said that the other trolls wouldn't be very welcoming right?"This time AAARRRGGHH! answered. "Yes. Unwelcoming to human. Causes bad memories." I gave him a questionable look. "Last human here, causes bad things to happen. Wizard. Unknown. Shouldn't of trusted." Blinky nodded along."The woman claimed herself to be the eclipse that stories were highly told of around the time. It was when the ancient book was found. She came and caused devastation in her wake. She almost tainted our life source as well as your- well, not amulet." He poked a finger to my chest at where the armor held the crystal. "Almost causing an end to our entire species and chaos to yours."I felt myself instinctively gulp. "What saved everyone from it?""Well, the Trollhunter of course! A trained one that you will learn about much later as you start your own. I'm sure you will just as cunning and skilled in no time. With the right help, of course. " I smiled at his enthusiasm.
He really has pride in my potential.
"Blinkous! What is this that you bring to our home?" The voice was loud and full of power. It made all of the bustle come to a sudden halt."Blinkous?""My full name. Terrible, I know. Vendel! I bring our new champion! The Human Eclipse!" I took a subtle step in front of Blinky and bent down onto one knee toward the towering troll with a illuminating staff.
This Vendel truly does seem like the actual guy in charge. Everyone has their eyes on him as he takes his time to me. His horns seemed like those of the elder mountain goat within a family.
"Stand, young human. Present yourself. I am Vendel, son of Rundel, son of Kilfred."
Wow. He just presents himself with so much honor, and this is where I present myself with little to none.
I stood, placing my hand on my scaffold and the other still clutching the key. "Vendel, I'm James Lake Junior. Son of, well, Barbara. I was call to by, well, this." I let go of my scaffold and placed the key within my left hand, placing my right above my heart. Grazing the crystal's confinement."Well I be." He lifted his staff and placed it's end against the crystal. The two illuminated in glorious light that almost blinded me if I didn't have the time to squint. The colors dancing in delight with one another.Mine being the most prominent of reds as Vendel's was the most vibrate of rosy pinks."Child, you are the true Eclipse." I heard murmurs all around me as Vendel announced my true and honest title. "Have you been within a fight yet, fleshling?" I shook my head."Not with the powers, no. Not yet. But I cannot wait for my training to begin, sir." He placed both hands on his staff as he placed it back on the ground."You say so?""Yes."He began to stroke his beard. "Alright, young one. You shall begin." He began to walk back toward the Heartstone of which he seemed to appear out of nowhere from. "But Blinkous." Blinky looked right at him with his hands together before him, paired together."Don't screw up this one. This is the true one and only."I looked at Blinky with fear once I saw Vendel completely out of view. "What is that suppose to mean?""A long story." Blinky tried his best to hide the truth with an innocent smile as AAARRRGGHH! gave him away with no remorse."New guy. Lasted one night. Torn." He brought his hands up showing a demonstration."And definitely not just torn emotionally?" He shook his head.
And this is definitely not helpful.
"But no worries, Master Jim. With this friend of yours that you spoke of earlier and our help to guide you, you will be much more capable than him. I'm sure you will." He started his way toward a giant tunnel way after he patted my shoulder for comfort."Now, to the Hero's Forge. We need to build your abilities."
Vert Vert
I don't want to wake up.
Vert Vert
I opened my eyes and checked on my phone.
Five in the morning? Why is my phone going off at five in the morning?
I got off my bed and looked around my room. I could see the sweat damped shirt that was left neglected on the floor. My body ached and I walked toward my wardrobe while I looked at my phone again.
Oh, just a lot of check ins from Tobes.
Hey Jim! Did they come last night?
Answer meh!
Jim, if you don't answer, I'll leave you to be l8 on ur own.
That is if you're going to b home in the morning.
Expect me at your house within an hour! Don't b l8!
I shook my head at his antics. I gave him a quick reply, letting him know I was home even though I feel like I was hit by a train.My muscles were sore already. I left the house around seven and didn't get home until midnight. Which in total only allowed me to get five hours of sleep.
Why does he even want to meet up at six anyway? Class doesn't even start until seven thirty. Well, I'll give it to him that it's going to be a long story.
I lifted my hand toward the door of the wardrobe, dropping it with a winch of pain. My biceps were the most sore out of my whole body.
That's what I get when I told Blinky that my best physical aspect was my running ability. He wanted to make everything equal. My strength equal my speed. My mind to be clear. He wants to make me a true hero.
I forced myself to rip open my wardrobe door, ignoring the pain in my bicep as much as I could.
Even if it's going to tear me apart.
I grabbed out some clean clothes and headed toward the shower.
There is no way I'm leaving to go ANYWHERE smelling like I just had Coach Lawrence's gym class for eighteen hours.
While on our ride to school, Tobes realized that I was a little slower than usual."You okay man? You seem off." I turned my head toward him with a smile. "Well, it is pretty early for one. You have us riding to school as if we'll be late if we show up at six. Two, Blinky had me training last night and it killed my upper body. The running drills I could handle. But the sword practice and strengthen and conditioning with the armor on about killed me.""If you're that sore right now, how are you going to deal with Steve after school?" I about facepalmed.
Damn it! I forgot!
"Well, I guess rely on my legs. Move quickly. At least I was training on my dodging stuff as well." I gave him a smile hoping that he could see that I would be okay. "Oh, and before I forget, he said that I could bring you."I didn't have to be looking at Toby to know that he was awestruck at the idea."You mean, I can be your sidekick? Your brother in arms? Dude I'm so excited! Do I get cool armor too? Maybe a weapon?" I laughed as he went on a rant from then on.
I'm lucky to have a best friend like Toby. I was hesitant on the idea of bringing him into this. With the monsters that I'm going to have to fight as well as those that want to fight me, I'm worried that he'll get hurt because of me. Yet, I also know that if I try to keep him away from it all. If I try to treat him like he's some fragile object that needs a guard to protect him, he'll never be able to fight on his own. That's something he's going to have to learn, if I let him into the battles or if I don't.
I looked over at him as he was still rambling.
At least this way, I can reassure myself that he'll have ways to protect himself.
Even if I'm technically wanting him there for selfish reasons like support and someone else to deal with all the burdens that come with all of this.
I looked over toward him as we continued our ride. He was a little behind me as always but he was still rambling about how 'awesome' this will be.
I'm surprised that he's not questioning anything that could go wrong, but that fits Tobes completely.
I wouldn't have it any other way though.
The day was rather uneventful.
Slam
Other than these moments right here.
My shoulder shot up with pain as it slammed into the locker straight on. My history book fell out of my hands and tumble to the ground like a fallen and injured bird. I heard Steve's laugh as he walked away with his friends. I got myself off the lockers and held my pained shoulder with the opposite hand."I swear, I can't wait for Steve's feud with me to finish." I bent down and grabbed my history book and readjusted my shoulder bag. I felt a hand snake its hand on top of my shoulder as I saw another hand pick up the bookmark that fell from the history book's pages. It was held toward me and I took it back as gently as I could without making the whoever it was think I was upset or angered."Thanks.""No problem, Romeo." I looked over my shoulder and smiled at the familiar voice. I felt her hand gently squeeze before she let go and decided to face me. "I'm guessing Steve is trying to make you run?""I personally think he's trying to ruff me up as much as possible so I don't have the will or the strength to stand through everything as long as last time." I rubbed my shoulder with my free hand. "Pride is everything, you know?" I smiled with a shrugged.
Oh that was a bad idea.
The training and the infliction of pains by Steven caused my upper body to feel as if I did months worth of training regiments and routines within one day."Are you alright?" I felt the same hand sliver up to my shoulder."I'm fine, Claire. Just, Steve's plan just seems to be working." I saw behind Claire that Tobes was walking toward us until he noticed who I was talking to. He gave me a wink and retreated toward our history class. I could feel the crystal under my sweatshirt burn as I tried to keep the burning sensation out of my face. I brought my attention back to Claire to see that she was clearly worried. "But I'm fine. He wants to try to bring me down, that's fine. I have bigger things to worry about. Like memorizing that monologue." I gave her a smile to make sure she knew my words were true."Remembering things is nothing compared to an actual fight with a jerk." She turned a little and started walking toward our class, but she stopped and turned around. "But, what you said during the last time he went for you. Keep that idea. There are other ways to deal with something other than throwing a punch." She smiled and turned away. "Good luck Lake. Stay in one piece. The cast needs our Romeo and I would just like you to be safe." She then continued to walk away. I was stuck where I was for a minute.
There are other ways to deal with something other than throwing a punch.
I was snapped out of thought as the warning bell rung.
Shit! Stickler is going to ring me out for being late!
Again!
I started to run as fast as my legs could take me with only one thing on my mind.
I'm training and fighting for the right people.
I was walking toward the empty corridor outside, the same place Steve pushed Eli against the lockers. There seemed to already be a crowd of people, a small one, but a crowd none the less. Toby was right beside me. He was giving me small words of encouragement as we kept going forward."Just remember, it's easy to cause someone to back away if you hit them in the little indent thingy on their ne-""I'm not going to hurt him.""But!" He then made his voice a low whisper. "You started your training for fighting right? Why not use it? You could give everyone here the satisfaction they deserve. Bring him down a peg or two."I shook my head and dropped my messenger bag on the ground. "There is more ways to deal with things than punching. Something like that was told to me a long time ago and now once again today. I didn't follow it when I was younger. When that one kid messed with you, remember when I punched him and I knocked out the top of his tooth?" I gave him a smile as I walked myself down memory lane."How could I forget? It was the day we officially became friends. I remember you crying afterwards because you felt so sorry for what you did. Remember how the next day I ran across the street and gave you ice cream because I wanted to repay you?"I laughed at the memory and could feel the smile on my face deepen."Mom told me afterwards that she was proud of me for fighting for the right reason, but I fought in the wrong way. I agreed. I still would do it again if asked, since you are my best friend." I pushed his shoulder lightly with my fist. "But if I do the same thing that the one I want to protect others from, then how am I any better? Also," I lowered my voice and took a step closer to him. "He's human, I've been training to fight trolls."I took a step back and looked around the area. There was no sign of Steve. I looked back at Tobes with a smile. "And you'll join me. At least, if you want to get into the physical stuff.""Well, if you can get out of this without getting badly helped, then we can definitely start tonight." I chuckled as I was then stuck in place once again.
Remember, young one, always be alert and always be afraid.
"Get ready Lake!" I instantly ducked and swept myself to the left. I turned around to see that Steve really did try to get me from behind.
Only one thing to do. Get him tired of me. Get him off my case.
Time to finish this and let him have his peace.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
He swung again and I dodged with ease.
Make yourself light, Master Jim! Act as if your feet are feathers, dancing against the ground as they fall.
I stepped around Steve as if this wasn't a fight and that it was truly a dance. He turned around to me as if he was a bull in a ring.He ran at me again but I stepped to the right at last second, making him miss only by a sliver.
O'lay!
I chuckled at myself. Then I noticed that Steve could hear me laughing and my face went pale. He started throwing his fist at me at a tremendous speed. I was dodging rather well until one landed on my shoulder. The same one he slammed against the lockers. I stumbled back a little bit, letting the pulse of pain run through my shoulder and down my arm. The combination of sore muscles and impacts caused it to feel as if I have been hanging by that arm off a side of a building for hours.I held my shoulder and started rubbing out the pain. I looked up to see that Steve had a proud smile on his face."If you want this to be over, all you have to do is bow to me and it'll be done." He walked closer to me and was only about five feet away when I saw a familiar figure jump in front of me."Why not just call this done now? You've been beating him up all day! This is not right Steve!" I could tell that he rolled his eyes at the figure."Get out of my way, Nuñez." I saw him grab her by the arm and throw her aside. "Claire!" I got up from my position and about grabbed for her until I noticed that her friend, Dari? Or was it Darci? Marcy? Anyway, they caught her before she completely fell. I looked at her and gave her a nod and she gave me one back. Probably understanding how thankful I was that she was there for Claire.I turned toward Steve and felt the color red invade my body. I felt the crystal under my shirt glow and burn in a very hateful way. I could feel it through my skin, through my blood.
Always fight with emotion, Jim. It is your strongest power with being the Eclipse. You humans have a higher intensity of emotion than us trolls, so that will be easy for you. But be careful when you fight with hate. Hate if a fool's power. It will always lead you to your result, but at what cost?
"Puedes lastimarme, pero a nadie más. Vamos, quieres una pelea. Pelea conmigo. Pero no pongas una mano sobre ella, ni nadie más. Vamos, ¿es lo mejor que tienes?" I could hear someone mutter that they didn't understand what I just said and saw Steve have a heavily confused look."What? Do you not listen in Spanish?" He went to hit me again and I weaved out of the way. I dropped myself down onto my left shoulder and rolled away from his front and ended up by his side. I started stepping lightly once he noticed that I moved, bopping and dodging as much as I could.
Use your fear. Always be fearful. You'll stay alive that way.
I pushed out my ankle and pushed it under his feet, causing him to trip and tumble to the ground. I got back to my full height and backed away slightly."I said you can hurt me, but not anyone else. Come on, you want a fight. Fight me. But don't lay a hand on her, or anyone else. Come on, is that the best you got?" I'm getting cocky.
Never be arrogant, that will be your down fall. Arrogance gets you killed. Fear keeps you alive.
I saw Palchuk jump back up from the ground and instantly goes for a punch. I thought I could dodge it.But I didn't.His fist collided with the top right of my chest, flaring the already core muscles that resided there.
Oh that one hurt like a bitch.
I held onto the probably bruised shoulder and backed up two steps. "Ha! What's wrong Lake? Did I find your weak spot?""It wouldn't of been a weak spot if you weren't pushing him into lockers all day!""Shut up Nuñez!"I rolled my shoulder a little bit. It hurt. Before even Steve decided that he wanted to push me around a little bit before the fight, it was sore. The training from last night did take a tole on my body.
This is what I get for not listening to coach during class or taking PE seriously.
But in my defense, I never thought I would actually need to worry about weights or anything really but basic exercise.
I looked over at him while still grasping my shoulder. He had a proud smirk across his face, so full and proud of himself. I looked over toward the small crowd that gathered. Toby looked scared for me. He was devouring a those Nutty candy bars he likes from overwhelming stress.
I'll get him some more later. Replenish his supply due to it being my fault that he's about ate them all.
A couple of kids were impressed. I guess none of them thought I was decent at dodging.
I wouldn't either. I'm tall and kinda scrawny. A runner's build, if you may. By that alone, I believe most would think I would be running home by now. But I have to remember what Blinky said, well, this morning.
Humans think too much before they act. Always trapped by thought. For you, Master Jim, when in battle thoughts must be on strategy. Look for weaknesses, think of anticipation, but never wait on action.
I didn't notice that Steve was charging at me with full force. I tried to jump out of the way or step out of his aim but I was a little too late. He slammed his shoulder into my stomach which threw me onto my back and a few feet away from him. I placed a hand on the already bruised area and got on my side."You make this too easy, Lake." I could hear him circling around me. I got up onto my hands and was slowly starting to stand back up from the ground. My eyes were screwed shut."Come on! Stop it Steve! Leave Jim alone!"I didn't have to look up to know it was Tobes. I could hear in his voice that he was angry and scared. Angry at Steve's action and scared due to how he knew my body already felt like a train hit on it's own."How about I do something to you, fatty?" My eyes shot wide as he threatened him. I heard heavy foot steps almost pass me until I instinctively shot my foot out to trip him. I looked over my shoulder to see that I got him right before I was too late. I almost jumped to my feet as Steve was laying on the ground."You leave him out of this." I felt heat radiating from on top of my chest. As if I could feel the red from the crystal pouring into my heart. All of these blazing emotions are digging into my skin and I could just feel their intensity. I looked down at Steve as he pulled himself off the concrete. He turned to me with a little bit of blood on his lip, dripping almost to the beginning of his chin.He must of bit himself as he went down."You're dead Lake!" He came at me again. I closed my eyes shut. Thinking of this morning.
You will be able to stand with your fear once the time is right. You'l be able to use it and mold it into whatever power you need it to be. That is how you will win each battle.
But I've never been in a fight.
Well, all you need is to see what you can do, Master Jim. Then everything after that is easy. One hit, one small showing of physical courage, one little showing of blood or whatever that creature has inside them, will make you prove to yourself that you can take on any opponent.
I stood my ground as he swung at my face.
You just have to let that be apart of you from now on. You just have to become.
I opened my eyes to see that I grabbed his fist right before it collided with my skin. I twisted it lightly and pushed him back with it, making him land on his ass. "Like I said yesterday. I won't punch you, but don't you dare fuck with who I care about." He got up as started throwing his fist as I dodged his next set of punches. "Why won't you stop?" He just kept trying to punch me.
Light on the feet.
I jumped from foot to foot as he kept throwing punches.
Anticipate. Keep your focus.
Everything seemed slowed down to me at the moment.
They will try to break you, Master Jim. But always remember, your humanity is what makes you strong.
I swung my leg into the back of Steve's knees, forcing him to stop and brace himself.
Never let them.
"I'm done with- this." I was breathing somewhat heavily after all of it. Steve looked up to me after he spit on the ground. I saw a little bit of blood and a little white sliver.
I broke his fucking tooth.
I panicked. All the adrenaline leaving my system.
I broke his fucking tooth! Shit! I didn't mean to actually hurt him with that! Even with me tripping him the first time, I didn't mean to hurt him!
I began to feel weakness in my knees. A quivering began in my chest. My breath seemed to grow faster as my heart began to push against my chest.
I hurt him. I hurt him. I fucking hurt him.
I started to back away very slowly, feeling how utterly shocked my legs were. I felt as if I was baby deer trying to stand. The sound of people's voices were muffled. Things looked more dim. I turned my attention to the crowd. They were whispering. I looked at Claire to see she had her hand on her mouth.
Shock? Fear? I can't tell.
I looked at Toby to see just a flood of worry fill his face.I looked over the crowd as a whole and my panic sunk in once more.
I can't deal with everyone staring at me. I can't. I gotta- I gotta leave. Run. Something!
I looked over to where my bag was, still on the ground. I hurried over to it and grabbed it. Placing it over my shoulder. Toby grabbed my arm before I could adjust myself to run. "Jim, what's wrong? Are you okay?" I looked at him with wide eyes."I-I." I looked back at Steve who was trying to stand back up. "I need. I need to go." I looked back at him and gently pulled his hand from my arm. "I-I hurt him." I mumbled under my breath before I started running toward the bike racks, grabbing my bike and riding as fast as I could toward my house.
Toby's POV
I never saw Jim like that. His eyes. They were so, unlike him. They were darker than they normally were. The only time I actually saw him anywhere near this was when he told me about his dad leaving. Back when he told me that he thought it was his fault.
Oh man, he blames himself.
I put a hand through my hair. "Aw man Jimbo, don't be beating yourself up." I muttered to myself. Jim always has though. He would blame himself for a lot of different things. I pulled my hands down my face as I exhaled.I learned over the years that it's better to let him have his space when something like this happens. It makes him feel worse if he knows that you worried over you so much that you dropped everything. So whenever his emotions get too much to handle or he has this bad of a panic attack, I give him a couple of hours. Let him cool off. Then I barge into his house and support the hell out of him.It's what friends do."Hey, Tim, right?" I looked over to see on stemming of Jim's raging hormones.Claire Nuñez."Is Jim alright? He looked so scared."
No wonder why he likes you. Oh if only he would get the balls to ask you out. It'll be so good for him. Especially with the troll stuff and everything.
Yet that would be another person that he would worry over.
I bet he already is.
"Yeah, he's fine. Not completely, but he will be.""Why didn't you after him then?"
Again, you would be a perfect change of pace for him. Someone that worries about him as much as he worries about others? He needs more of that.
"Well when it comes to Jimbo, his emotions can be," My mind went back to how bright the colors are with the crystal around his neck."Intense."She gave me a confused look. "Look, you moved here a little over a year ago right?" She nodded her head. "Well in this place, everyone knows about everything about anyone. At least with those that have been here a long time. Jim was known as a kid as the one who's dad ran off. Some kids took pity on him. Some," I looked over at Steve who was checking his face out in his phone."Didn't. That mixed up with him being only five or so made him feel like it was all his fault. Due to that being his mind set for a little while, he tends to think a lot of things are his fault. Which then leads to moments like not long ago."I looked Claire dead in the eyes as I tried my best to be serious. "But over the years I learned it's better to give him a little time, and then go talk to him about what caused the outburst. You have to promise that you tell no one I told you any of that by the way. Especially Jim. I only told you because you seemed to actually worry about him."She nodded her head. "Promise. Could you promise something to me though?" Now it was my turn to be confused. "Can you have him text me when he's okay?"I smiled at the idea. "Sure thing." She smiled back. "Thanks Tim." She started to walk way. "Actually it's Toby." She turned back toward me, still walking away. "Well, thanks Toby." She turned and continues walking toward her group of friends.
At least I can say that he chose a good one.
Still In Toby's POV
I walked into Jim's house a couple hours later. Dr. Lake was in the kitchen.
Oh god I already feel bad for him.
"Hey Dr. L! How was the day at the hospital?" She looked up from whatever she was trying to make and flashed me a smile. "Oh the same old, same old. How are you Toby? Here to see Jim?""I'm doing well and yeah. Up in his room?" She gave me a nod. "Yup." I about went up the stairs. "Oh and Toby," I looked back at her. "Thank you for being there for him. I never get to say it enough."I smiled. "He's there for me, I'm there for him. No thanks need to be given." I continued my way up the stairs after she gave me a satisfied smile. I walked down the hallway til I met the first door on the left. I knocked on it lightly."Knocky Knocky."I heard nothing on the other side.
Mission: Get the door open.
"I am GunRobot! Open the door!" I smiled at myself as I heard a snuffled chuckle."I am GunRobot! Open the door! I am GunRobot! Get off your ass!" I heard a small laugh get closer and the door knob start to turn."Hey GunRobot, door's open."
Mission complete!
"How you doing man? You panicked really bad earlier today." I walked passed him and into his room. His sweatshirt on the floor. I noticed going up the stairs that his bag wasn't in it's normal place. His bag was actually flung into the corner by his wardrobe. Looks to me once he got home, he was really upset."I'm gonna guess you got your frustrations out." He seemed sheepish at the comment."A little bit.""Well you scared Claire enough with everything. She told me to have you text her when you're alright." He smiled slightly at the comment but he walked silently toward his bed and sat at the edge."But what if I'm not alright? For a while?" I closed the door that he left open and walked over toward him."Alright, what's rattling in your head Jimbo?" He sighed."I really did hurt him. My job is to protect humanity. Not hurt humanity. I'm suppose to not let anger control me, but I let all of my emotions control me. I did something today that I was taught never to do. Not since the last time I did that to someone." He looked down at his hands. His face illuminated from the crystal's glowing light."Am I a monster? Who calls me villain?""Alright there, Hamlet. Calm down." I saw him drop his shoulders down. "But seriously Tobes. If I can't control myself with Steve, how am I suppose to with an actual battle?" I placed a hand on his shoulder."Dude, you got angry because he threatened to hurt someone. That's natural. Also, restraining yourself isn't going to be in one day. It takes time. Which we as teenage boys, have a lot of. That and a shit tone of hormones. Also, you didn't mean to actually hurt him. He bit himself. Not your fault. The second time was because he decided to clench his teeth on the way down, causing a chip to happen. Nothing you meant to cause."He shrugged and I took my hand off his shoulder. "Yeah, I guess so. I'm suppose to have training in a little bit. I took a long nap when I got home to make up for lost sleep. Do you want to come with?"
And there he goes. Buried it. Come on Jim. Don't keep stuff from me.
"Sure. Might as well meet who trains my best friend." I saw him smile a little at the comment."You always and forever will be my best friend. Never forget that Tobes."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I woke up the next morning with my phone on my face and my one hand on my chest. I lifted my phone off my face and opened it to see that I sent a late night text to Claire saying I was alright and she had nothing to worry about. I probably sent it once I got home.
It does say around one was when it sent.
She hasn't read it yet, which is understandable. I pressed the shutter button as thoughts of last night filled my brain.I met this troll, Draal. Draal the Deadly. At least that is what he called himself. He was the sun of the last Trollhunter. Kanjigar.
Lets just say. He was not very happy once he realized that I was the owner of the "amulet".
He believes that it was his destiny to be the next Trollhunter. He was full of this rage that reminded me of my own.
The feeling of letting someone down or feeling like something should of been yours.
I sighed, many things flooding my mind at the thought.
I understand it to an amazing degree.
It also doesn't help that I haven't been in a true "Trollhunter" fight yet. I haven't fought a troll yet. I haven't fought a Gum-Gum. I haven't even seen Bular. From what I was told, he is the son of Gunmar. Who from what I know is the actual head of all the Gum-Gums. The slayer of many Trollhunters.
The possible slayer of me, too.
I could see the crystal glowing a soft blue, even if I wasn't looking directly at it.
Yep, definitely nervous. Definitely worried. Definitely don't need you telling me that, buddy.
I checked the time on my home screen to see it was nearing ten o'clock.
At least I got more sleep than I have in the last few days. At least it's a Saturday too. I would of died if it wasn't.
I got out of bed to noticed I got into a habit of discarding my training clothes on the floor of my room. I sighed and stood completely, stretching out my back with my arms above my head. My mind was still running through events of last night as I grabbed my clothes off the floor.
Dude! This place is amazing!
I smiled at the thought of Tobes and I shoving and racing each other around Troll Market. I truly thought Blinky was going to yell at our to act more professional. Especially since he warned me before about how trolls can be with humans. Yet, he stopped and allowed us to be "normal teenagers" as he called us before we walked into the Hero's Forge.
Um, is there suppose to be so many sharp things, I don't know, FLYING AT HIM LIKE THAT?
I chuckled as I placed my the clothes into the hamper. He was so surprised by the training I had to do. I was too when I first say it too. Even if it was technically only like two days ago, it felt as if I've been doing this for years already. As if I was getting into the groove of basic training and starting out.It's starting to feel like I can actually handle all of it.I smiled as I grabbed my script clipboard out of my bag. I skimmed over some of my lines as I paced around with a smile.
So how's things going Romeo? You de-stress your Juliet with the 'I'm good' text?
Oh shoot! Thanks Tobes.
I started to mumble my lines to myself with a smile. "Is love a tender thing? It is too rough. Too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn."
Sometimes Shakespeare is completely right. With ideas of love that is.
I smirk as I glimpse over Claire's lines.
Sometimes love is but a rose. That pricks our hearts but we still hold it and claim it to be just as beautiful.
So many things, yet so little time has actually passed.Before I knew it, I was training in the Hero's Forge."Remember Master Jim! Light on the feet! Always be afraid!""Being afraid is the only thing I'm good at!"I dodged the giant scythe going across the ground. I rolled onto my back and skid across the floor on my feet. I ran past another blade and jumped onto the rising platform with ease. I could feel myself get a little cocky with each landing I nailed."WOOOOHOOO!" I flipped off of one platform and landed onto one that was raising upward. Running off of that one and grabbing onto the side another. What I didn't know is that these platforms could rotate.
I've learned it the hard way.
The moving floor that I had just pulled myself onto was starting to turn and me being full of arrogance at this point, didn't seem to care until it was rather too late. My feet began to slip from under me and that was when I truthfully noticed. I tried grabbing for what I could, but when I realized I had no hope with sustaining myself, I looked around for what ever I could to push myself away from the giant pip that was under said platform.I noticed that there was a huge gear to my left that was shooting outward so I braced my foot against the now almost wall and propelled myself forward. I was able to give myself enough force that I could land on the gear, but due to it's rotation I have to instantly jump as soon as I landed. I started falling toward stable ground when I remembered that I didn't think of my landing."AAAAAAA!" I closed my eyes until, waiting for an impact.
But it never came.
I opened my eyes and turned my head to see who I realized was truly a giant stone teddy bear."Catch Trollhunter. My job." I smiled at him and gave him my thanks. "I owe my life to your big hands, man." He gently dropped me to my feet."Master Jim! Make this a lesson! Always expect the unexpected. You may seem in your element in your surroundings, but there will always be a different variable to each equation. Never underestimate your enemies, but also never underestimate the terrain. It will become your enemy if not recognized."I nodded at his advice.
Keep your eyes open for any changes in the area. Beware of the possible changes in the land beneath you. All noted.
"Don't get me started on variables. Miss Janeth is going to kill me with her math class. How am I suppose to find something wit numbers if it's a freaking letter?!" Toby laughed at me as he adjusted his sweat bans."What's with the sweat gear, man?" He started jogging in place. "Well if you gotta get into shape, why shouldn't I?" He started pressing random buttons on his Fit-Bit mimic. "It'll help me with my diet anyway!""Tobes, we've talked about this.""I've been on a diet for fourteen years blah blah blah I get it." He then blew a raspberry at me. I laughed at his actions.
Leave it up to Tobes to keep me feeling like I'm still fifteen.
"But dude, seriously. You're going to fail your next math test. Why don't you ask Miss Janeth for a tutor? She'll definitely make sure her Romeo is in good academic shape so no one is worrying if he's wasting his time."I shrugged at his question, instantly becoming sheepish."Because I'm a coward?"He shook his head. "Dude, you can't be a Trollhunter if you're wasting away at summer school or credit recovery." I nodded to his words."Yeah, I know." The armor disappeared with a glimpse of light back into my necklace. "It's kind of hard to think I'm this, Eclipse 'legend' anyway." I used air quotes around the words legend."I haven'y even really fought anyone. I don't count what I had with Steve a real fight. It wasn't as if I actually thrown a punch at him or anything. I hurt him sure but it was a cheap way of doing it."Blinky took a couple steps closer to Jim and placed two of his four hands on his shoulders. "Master Jim." He tightened his grip lightly. "You did what it takes to save those that are close to you. There is no cheap ways to fight. You may have morals for battle, but your enemies may not. Just like your environment may be unpredictable. Your foe will be too."He let go of my shoulders. "You have great character, Master Jim. Keep it with you always. Your morals and your ability to carry them, even after you have to ignore them. That is the true way of a hero and so far you have proven that you have the potential to be a great one."I smiled at him. "Thanks Blinky. I would be quitting at this point if it wasn't for your long philosophical quotes." I laughed at myself as I saw an amused smile show on it face.
Why does myths make trolls seem like they are all deadly and full of chaos?
I looked over at Blinky and AAARRGGHH as now the smaller one was giving Toby advice on how to get into shape as the giant teddy bear was messing around with one of Toby's sweat bans. Stretching it with what could be compared to a human's forefinger and his thumb.
When there is these two? Well like they say, history is just the memory of the evil and how to prevent it. Myths are based on fears. Morals are based on stories. Stories are based off what we desire.
That was very edgy and deep of me.
Lets never do that again.
As we biked home, Toby and I were laughing over the smallest of things."Dude, watch us get bored so bad at the museum trip next Friday! Also, watch all the guys filled with hormones flood the Neanderthal exhibit." We laughed like idiots at the thought."That is if we don't get stuck with a stupid guide. Those kill school field trips for me." We began to turn a corner as we heard a giant crash come from the forest. We skid to a stop as we watched a shadow like mass come through the darkness of the trees.The mass was giant with eyes similar to burning embers. His skin a more jagged form of AAARRRGGHH's and Blinky's more smooth skin. His pigment looked as black as tar but with coal's busty look. Seeming as if you touched him, you would have black coating your hands.
Why does he look like one of those colossus from Shadow of the Colossus, yet smaller like the the lion like one. But still bigger. The patterns on his skin reminds me of them.
Or like an edgy gargoyle.
"Mortal! I am Bular! Son of Gunmar! I come to take the crystal of the Eclipse from your fleshy skin!" I could feel the crystal's color intensify. Making my skin feel cold above my heart. Stopping every thought till all I could hear is the slamming of my heart against my chest.
Holy shit.
I'm dead.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Holy shit.
I'm dead.
"TOBY! Go! Go! Go!" I started to bike as fast as I could down the adjacent road. I could hear the thuds of powerful steps chasing after us. "This way!" I heard Toby going down toward our left and skid to a halt in front of a bunch of construction. "Shit! I forgot Delancey was being worked on!" We heard the thundering sounds of Bular come closer."I will tear that necklace off you and peal your skin for my dinner. You skull will be my trophy! I would of killed two different kinds of Trollhunters in less and that many weeks!" He then stopped in his tracks clutching his arm as the sun seemed to pierce his stone skin."He's weak to the sun!""Yeah, the one thing we have little left of! Come on! This way!" We started racing down an alley that was between Bella's and another store that I couldn't remember at the moment. I went through with ease.Tobes was a different story.When I got through to the other side I looked behind me to see that Toby was through enough that Bular's arms couldn't reach him, but not enough to be completely save. "Come on Tobes! You can do it!" He started trying to peddle faster and almost pushing himself up on his peddles. "I'm trying! This isn't fatty friendly here!" I looked over to the horizon to see that the sun was nearly gone. "Hurry up! We're losing day light!" "I did it!" I looked behind me to see that Tobes was riding through the alley with almost ease now. Once he got to my side we started racing once more down a couple extra streets to make sure we lost Bular.Thinking that we had, we started going home."Hey Toby." I got his attention as we started down one of the streets near our homes. When we came to a stop at a corner I handed him the key to Troll Market. "Take this. If I'm going to actually sleep after what just went down today, I don't need two glowing glorified night lights going off on me. Also, I think you earned to take it for now. Since you know, we're both completely in this."We started again slowly down the street after he put it in his little side bag."With now Bular knowing who I am and what I withhold. Make it a temporary token to remind both of us that we're both in this together. Not just me with the mood changing crystal and the glowing armor. But you too. As my best friend and the person that makes me feel as if I'm not insane about all of this.""A temporary gift to signify basically eternity?""My eternity, yeah. Hopefully both of ours."I looked over my shoulder to see Toby had a sad smile on his face. "We'll never let that happen. Especially since Blinky and AAARRRGGHH seem to have gotten pretty attached to you already." I smiled over at him.
I'm warming up to them too. Even though it feels weird still. Having heavy hands of pure rock pat you on the back is not the easiest to get used to. Especially since they
actually
greeted me to their world with open arms.
They already feel like friends. My friends on the other side.
I need to stop with the references.
With that, we heard the sound of shattering glass behind us. We came to a stop and I turned my head slowly to see all the streetlights were exploding down the street in out direction. We watched in silent horror as they repeatedly went out, one by one until the two above us with the last in the street."Whoever is fucking with us, come out! We're not afraid of you!" I yelled into the abyss. I was clutching the blue glowing crystal around my neck.
Again, don't need you telling me I'm nervous. I already know.
I was trying to calm myself mentally as I stared down the street with what I thought looked like a determined glare. Then I saw a glowing ember in the darkness.
Was that fire?
I squinted, trying to see further in the darkness.
Those aren't flames.
I felt the color drain from my face as the power I once felt weakened."Tobes we need to go.""What do you mean?"I could hear a an echoing chuckle vibrate the ground. Making the fear in my chest rattle with fear. "He's here. Again. We need to go!" I straightened my bike as Toby fiddled with side bag before adjusting his bike. I heard the thundering sounds of his foot steps rampage after us once more. "Come on Toby!" I started racing down the street. Turning our street corner."Dude! Why are we going down-""We're not! Take the canal trail!"I could tell he agreed with the idea.
He knows why I cut him off. If this 'Slayer Of Trollhunters' knows that I'm the Eclipse and knew where we lived, we would definitely would be dead by the morning.
"Master Jim! We were coming to check up on you!""Blinky! Bular!""What do you- OH my goblins!"Toby ended up falling off his bike and decided to ditch it as we nearly collided with our two friends. "How did you two get his attention?!""We didn't mean to! He just kind of figured me out! I don't know how, but he knows!"Blinky looked down the street, the Gum-Gum still no where to be seen but his presence could still be heard with every step."We must go to Troll Market. That will be where you two will be safest. Come now! AAARRRGGHH, give young Tobias a hand will you?" I watched as the bigger troll grabbed Toby by the back of his shirt and place him on his back."Hold tight. We run." I nodded to the two of them and started my way down the canal trail. "Lets go!"We weren't that far into the trail when we could hear Bular start to close the gap between us."Why run Trollhunter?! I will make it quick!" I glanced behind me to see that the giant mass was not far behind. We reached where the canal began."AAARRRGGHH, Blinky! Take Toby and start opening the way to Troll Market. I'll hold off Bular."
I hope."Master Jim, no offense. But by Deya's light are you out of your mind!? You are no where near ready!""Well, it's either that or we all die! Now go!"I watched them slide down the canal as I gripped the necklace around me neck. Turning my head back to Bular. To took a deep breath, feeling the colors shift and multiply under my hand and between my fingers. The flashes of red mixed with the light hues of blue, seeming to taunt the piercing white and nullify the the nearly black shade of purple."For all that the day light protects, with all of Merlin's magic within me, I will protect and defeat as the sun will let me." I closed my eyes and tightened my grip on the crystal. The colors still dancing behind my eye lids.I opened them to see that Bular was a lot closer then he was before.
SHIT! Come on!
For all that the day light protects, with all of Merlin's magic within me, I will protect and defeat as the sun will let me!
I screwed my eyes shut, clutching at the crystal necklace as if it was my life line.
Because it really is right now.
"This is the end for you. Eclipse."Next thing I knew, I was flying in through the air. I flinched, thinking that my chest should of shattered at the impact but when I opened my eyes I saw that I was dawning the silver florescent armor. The chest piece already glowing a vibrant pink in the crevasses of the silver metal.I skid across the bottom of the canal on my feet, pulling my sword out of its scaffold before I came to a complete stop. Holding it firmly as Bular's roar seemed to shake the ground around him.I watched as Bular turned into a frEAKING BALL and rolled down the side of the canal. His aim right at me. I held firm. Planting my feet into the ground until my armor gave away my true emotions. Shining a bright shade of blue."Nope." I put my sword in my right hand and held it tight as I started running up and across the side of the wall of the canal. Bular got out of his rolling form and started running normally, obviously faster which ever form he took. He ended up lunging at me with one of his blades. I ended up blocking it was my own to my own surprise.He sliced his sword at me with a strong under swing of his arm and it set me flying sideways. I landed on my side and slid even further. I got myself up onto one arm with my hearing hazy and my ribs feeling fuzzy.I could hear that there were voices but I couldn't understand what they said.I looked over to Bular smirking, at least from what I can tell, at the outcome of one swing."Jim! Come on! the way is open!"I looked over to them and saw the wall break away into the black abyss of the tunnel toward Troll Market. I got up as quickly as I can, grabbing my sword and running toward them.Bular instantly started going after me."Come one Master Jim! You must hurry! It won't stay open for long!" I pushed myself even further. My chest was starting to ache with how the intensity of the speed was much faster than I was used to doing. I could feel my legs want to give out already as I was only about a hundred feet away from them. I looked over my shoulder to see that Bular was a lot closer than he was when started this little race.
Come on Lake, push it!
I had about fifty feet left when I decided to push myself further. My legs already feeling like jello. With about thirty feet left, I skid my way into the closing tunnel opening.Once I heard the slamming of Bular against the closed wall and my heart beat pounding against my chest like a jackhammer into concrete, I fell onto my back.
I just fucking Indiana Jones-ed that shit.
I dropped my sword to my side.
Everything felt so fast.
So fucking fast.
I placed my hand over my heart, gasping like a fish out of water.
Holy-
I need to listen to Coach more.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I eyes shot open while water is flooding over me in a bittersweet embrace. It held me down as if it's unshakable invisible hands were made of stone. As if I had cement blocks or something equivalent bound to my feet.
It was suffocating, to say the least.
Yet it also felt free.
I looked above me, seeing the flashing lights that I knew way too well at this point.
Red.
Blue.
White.
Black.
Pink.
And finally purple.
Then there was a hand that punctured the surface of the water and held itself out to me.
Why leave the comforts of the water? It was hugging me. Keeping me warm.
Yet this hand felt like so much more than that.
I tried to head toward it. The weight of the world now seeming to replace whatever was attached to my feet.
The hand extended itself further, allowing me to see the off orange pigment on its nails. Another appeared beside it. Smaller and a little more calloused than the original.
So inviting.
The darkness of the water finally shown it's true self. Trying it's best to squeeze the life out of me with its might.
There was a third hand now. It being larger than the two before it. A plain silver band on its ring finger.
Wait.
I was able to get myself a tiny bit closer. Details in the hands becoming more clear.
Mom.
A flash of dark blue went across the surface of the water like a comet.
Toby.
There was a vibrating glow of orange that grew as the blue was finished with its lightning-like appearance.
Claire.
A rich purple itched it's way across the water as the orange continued to grow.
Two more hands appeared. Both being made of recognizable patterned stone. One fairly small compared to the larger one that came with it.
Blinky. AAARRRGGHH.
The colors danced together in such a way that I could just feel their vibrant emotions on my skin. Even though the liquid barriers. I reached my hand as far as I could. Almost touching the original hand that appeared. The rest of the hands going toward mine, trying to help.
But it wasn't enough.
The colors faded, leaving darkness to fill the once illuminated liquid skies above me.
An ink-like black filled in around me. Each hand retreated as the darkness came.
First those of stone.
Then the one of the silver ring.
Then the calloused one left one alone.
The one of color tried to cling-
cling onto it almost as it almost reached me.
But it too left the inky sea.
I flung myself up, breaking the surface of the water. I tried to calm my breath as my hands clutched the sides of the stone basin that I don't remember ever seeing.I looked at the water to see it was unlike any that I have ever seen. It looked like it was made of the essence of cherry blossoms of fresh roses."Ah, Master Jim. You've awakened from your essential bath." I looked over to my right to Blinky standing with a smile with two arms behind his back. "Before you freak out, it's a healing technique that we trolls have mastered over the years. One of the few. We were unsure how the other two would react on you since you are of the human race so we did the safest option. It's water but mixed with concentrated minerals including tiny pieces from the heartstone."He walked closer to me, pulling folded clothes from behind his back and placed them on the ground beside me."AAARRRGGHH and I helped Tobias take you home after we knew you were safe and since you fainted from the physical exhaustion you put your body through with your encounter with Bular. That way your mother wouldn't worry about you."I was silent but he seemed to know that I understood. He gave me a little bit of time before he continued."But we helped him at nightfall, knowing that your mother was out for work at the time, bring you here. So that we could help heal your pains." He came close and lifted my right arm.
Why the?
"And it seems to have worked! You're not flinching! That nasty yellow and blue color from your stomach is gone as well. You landed on your side rather painfully, bringing pain to your arm, and what we could tell, your ribs too. Thank Deya's Grace that this worked for you, Master Jim. You would be in a world of hurt right now if it hadn't."He walked back to where he appeared from rather slowly."You can exit the water now and go home if you wish young Eclipse. You have done enough for now. Get some rest. Get ready for your school studies you'll have to deal with tomorrow. But if anything happens, please don't think of yourself as a burden. Come here in my private study and AAARRRGGHH and I will help you personally."He reached the archway and placed his hand on the dirt littered stone wall and took his leave.
Did I blackout after what happened? Did I really push myself that bad?
I pulled myself out of the water and swung my legs over the side of the rock tub. I noticed I was in nothing but my boxers and the crystal necklace.
At least I still have what's left of my pride.
I looked around the room, noticing there was a makeshift mirror not far from where I stood. I walked over to it and took a good look at myself. My reflection wasn't the greatest but Blinky was right. That essential water stuff seemed to cure me of all my physical ailments. My bruises on my stomach from my first little encounter with Steve were gone. The little cuts and scrapes I had from our actual fight had no trace of their being on my skin.
Wait a second.
Last year, I had a huge accident with my bike and a guy on a Vespa. One of the reasons why my mom doesn't like the idea of them actually. A guy slammed right into me. Made me shoot across the street and skid to a stop on my elbow. I had to get stitches and it left a hefty scar where my elbow was basically shredded open.I lifted up my left arm. The one that had the scar.
How the hell? It's gone.
I looked at it in disbelief. There was nothing. No sensitive skin or difference of appearance.Absolutely nothing.
They told me that would never go away! That it was a permanent marking! What the hell?!
I ran over to the pile of clothes that Blinky left and searched for my phone. When I ended up finding it, I instantly called Toby."Tobes!""Whoa there tiger, shouldn't you be asleep? I told Blink to send you home right after you got out of that heartstone stuff.""He did, but Tobes! That bath! The heartstone water! I took away all my bruises and scars! Even that one from last year!""What?!""I know right?" I tucked my phone in between my ear and my shoulder as I started putting on my pants. "This stuff is as if the Holy Grail was a bathtub!"I could hear him chuckle on the other side of the line. "But what if those that
know
you have a scar see that it's no longer there? Almost everyone saw you with that weird ass bandage cast thing."
Shit. You right.
"Fuck! I didn't realize that!"
Don't freak out, Lake. Just hide it. No big deal. Not like you haven't been without a sweatshirt or a long sleeve shirt for a long time. No big deal at all.
"Like with PE, how are going to change without questions?"
Alright, freak out.
"Wrappings? Maybe? Oh, that would be stupid! Bandages? Say that it opened? But then someone would tell coach and then he would send me to the office and then my mom will get a call and if there's nothing then that would ruin the whole pla-""Hold up there bud. You're rambling. You only ever do that when you know who is around.""Not the time Tobes. This is serious!"I dragged my fingers through my hair and sat on the side of the makeshift tub."Dude, just use those weird brown bandage wrappings with the Velcro stuff. People will expect you to not be in the best shape after Friday anyway."I sighed knowing that he was completely right.
This is why Tobes and I are great friends. He knows how to pull me out of the clouds and hold me down as I know how to get him to actually try to live.
Just like when we first found the canal trail when we were younger.
He hated it whenever we used that thing.
Still does a little bit.
"Hello? Space Cadet Lake? You still on Earth?""Yeah, I'm here. Thanks, Tobes. You're right. I'll get going. I'll see you tomorrow?""Totally man. Let's leave early though. Make sure we have time just in case if there are side effects of the heartstone bath thingy."I chuckled at his antics.
Always knowing how to make a terrible idea seem less threatening.
"I'll see you tomorrow.""Get some sleep, Jimbo. You deserve it."I hung up and put my phone in my front pocket. I grabbed my plan t-shirt off the ground and slipped it over my head. My sweatshirt seemed to not be in the pile.
Huh, weird. At least I have a few others.
I started my way out of the book littered library of sorts, grabbing my shoes that seemed to have been thrown into the corner as I left. I was still rather wet. My hair is damp and my clothes clinging to my frame but it was cooling.As I exited the underground and went to the surface, the cool air mixing with the wetness of my skin made it seem as if it itself was a healing agent.Taking away all my stress and replacing it with utter bliss.I woke up the next morning feeling nothing but the rays of the sun on my back.I pulled myself up from the position of my stomach and put myself on my elbows. The sun shining through my window like a loving friend. It's rays like a warm hug on my bare back. I pushed myself into a sitting position with a smile dancing on my face.
Already going to be better than the last week.
I happily jumped to my feet and went through my usual morning routine. Yet once I found myself at the fridge, I noticed a little yellow sticky note on the door.
Had a very early morning shift, so I already made myself breakfast and lunch. Don't overwork yourself. I'll be home for dinner.
Love you dearly,
Mom
I smiled at the little note.
A normal dinner? With what has happened over the last few days? For sure!
I made myself my
lunch
and some toast to have on my way out to the garage and before I knew it I was with Tobes on my way to school.
Yep, already a great day.
Once at school, Tobes and I departed since he had to go talk to Coach Lawrence about his almost failing gym grade. So I put on some headphones and went to my locker like I normally do.The walkway was nearly bare of life so I didn't have to worry about another Steve conflict from the looks of it. I opened my locker with ease as a very relaxed guitar filled my ears and lulled my brain.
Hoy desperté con ganas de besarte
tengo una sed de acariciarte
Man, this song is so calming.
I closed my eyes as I shut my locker. I ended up leaning against it with my one leg crossed over the other. I put my right hand in my jeans and pressed the back of my head against the lockers.
Enredarme a ti y no soltarte
eres tan embriagante
How did I even find this? Oh yeah. During that stupid Spanish 1 valentines project when we had to write a love song or poem and I was looking for references.
I opened my eyes to see across the way Claire was at her friend Shannon's locker.
Eres tú
And now I remember why I kept it.
I watched with a smile as she laughed to whatever the shorter girl said. She held her books closer to her chest as she tucked a piece of her hair back with a beaming smile.
Okay, Lake. Kind of a stalker at the moment.
I laughed at myself as I removed myself from the lockers and started heading toward my first period. The song still playing low as I took my time. Once I got close, it was much further in the music now though with it neared the end.
We have different plans
But you're always on my mind
Since my veins so subtly
Enjoy loving you so much
It's you, it's you
It's you.I was humming to myself as I walked into history later in the day. What was minutes felt like seconds as the class basically flew past me.
Today has seemed to be rather quick. No conflicts or anything.
Weird.
That was, until Mr. S handed out the museum form slips."Bring this back to me no later than Wednesday! If not you are not allowed to go on this trip on Friday."
I thought he said on Thursday that the trip would be in two weeks? Did I have selective hearing? Did something happen for it to move up?
He was handing the small little pink papers out from the right of class to the left. Handing each one out personally to each student. "Don't forget that this will count as a grade so no skipping, even if you don't have permission. If no adult permission, you will stay here with Coach Lawrence going over a documentary of our next unit. The Greco-Persian War. So either be bored by yourselves,"He had finally reached to me and gave me my slip."Or be bored with the rest of us."There was a little sticky note attached to the slip.
I have noticed that your attention has been lacking in my class. If need be you can always talk to me. My office is always open to my students. I find true potential in you, Mr. Lake. If the world is seemingly on your shoulders, do not hesitate to share the weight young Atlas.
Stickler
Huh, I guess it's obvious how stressed I've been. Doesn't help that not long ago I was day dreaming in this hour.
I wouldn't blame him to think I'm going through something.
Well, technically I am. But that's beside the point.
I took the note off and pocketed it without a second thought as the bell rang.
Who knows? Maybe some teacher-student advice from someone of the same species might do me some help in the future.
Possibly.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The next day was rather uneventful.The only trolls I saw were Blinky and AAARRRGGHH during training. I got my mom to sign that stupid slip from Mr. Stickler.But everything was chill.
Until now that is.
Especially since I'm back within the watery depths once more.
There's this darkness that surrounds me, yet this time it's not suffocating me as it did originally.
But it makes me feel so,
lonely.
There's this feeling of just complete melancholy that has filled me that has been slowly been developing into just complete inner desperate darkness. Everything that I have ever thought of myself is filling my head.
Being a disappointment.
Not being able to do my job.
Letting people down.
Am I a decent person?
Do I regret what I've done so far?
Am I an asshole?
I could feel heat burn behind my screwed shut eyes. They felt scratchy after just a few seconds. I placed my hands on top of my eyes and fell slowly to my knees due to the water pulling me gently.
Am I made from a broken mold?
Am I too cold?
I've pushed people away already.
I'm a liar.
I'm weak for not telling the truth.
But I have my reasons, don't I?
Why won't they stop?! I don't want to listen to you anymore! I screamed into the darkness with the water silencing me with airy bubbles. Now I understand that stupid line, about the unpacking my heart like a harlot or whatever he said. I feel
terrible.
I DON'T WANNA BE HERE ANYMORE!
I opened my eyes to see a flash of blue within the water. I swam slowly toward it and squinted at it. There was a black figure dancing across the shimmering light. Out of nowhere, it pulled out a sword silhouette into it's the right hand. It crouched down slightly and held its sword high above itself.
Fuck. That's me.
He grew double in size as he seemed to get closer as my actual self stayed still.
Yet within an instant, he slashed toward my direction and my eyes shot wide at my own reflection.
I shot up like a rocket, breaking the surface of the water with my breath being wild. I tried to calm myself down slowly once realizing I wasn't in Troll Market but within my own bathroom. I leaned my head against the back side of my tub while placing my hand on my chest. I wanted to listen to anything that wasn't my jackhammer heart, so I listened closely to my surroundings.
Well, no wonder this healing sequence was so depressing. Who put this music on?
I pulled myself out of the tub after noticing that I was placed in the tub with my training sweat pants on but no shirt to be found. I sat on the rim, my pants clinging to my skin with the water from my whole being drip off me and onto the floor.
If teardrops could be bottled
There'd be swimming pools filled by models
I pulled my fingers through my hair as I try to remember why I was placed within the healing agent once more. I heard small hums come from the hallway as it came to reach where I have frozen within my thoughts. It was off key, but it was passionate at least.
There is only one person that will be listening to Billie Eilish with this must happiness behind closed doors.
"Tell the mirror what you know she's heard before! I don't wanna be you anym~ AAAHH!" The door to the bathroom basically burst open to see who I actually expected to appear.Toby was holding a set of fresh clothes and towel as he came in singing in his own terrible but emotion-filled way."Oh! You weren't supposed to be out yet. At least that's what Blinky said." He placed the stuff on the sink counter with a smile. "He said you should be in there for a few more hours. To be honest you're lucky your mom was asked to work overtime today.""Tobes, what happened?" He gave me a confused look and then instantly went to an "O" expression."Oh yeah! Blinky did say you took a small blow to the head and that the water might have fixed the damage but not the side effects." Now it was my turn to be confused. "We were in Troll Market and we had a gnome situation. Everything's okay though! For now, that is. Finding out they're noted for coming back really quick.""But, since you might have forgot since the whole frying pan to the head thing, you were challenged by Draal. You accepted. Your fight with him is next Friday. After your rehearsal.""I was challenged by Draal?! The son of the last beloved Trol- Wait. Frying pan? To the head?""Let's just say the gnomes got upset that the armor protected you. So they went for the one part, not under metal."I chuckled as the little scene of little creatures trying to steal from some of the trolls within the market. Then it went black as a couple of them tried to eat through the shins of my armor.I shook my head lightly with a slight smile. "Now I kinda remember. The gnome part that is." I heard a small laugh come from Toby."So you're not afraid of the whole Draal part?""No, I'm still fucking terrified."He busted out laughing at the tone of my reaction. It was obvious I was deadpan scared. "Dude, you'll do fine. Blinky wants you to train some more though. After a good nights rest. After your armor came off the gnomes scratched you up real bad. So you might be sore when you get up in the morning." He leaned on the door frame and gave me a sympathetic smile."But I gotta go home. I'll see you tomorrow, alright? Don't forget that slip for Mr. S." With that Toby was gone.I waited until I hear the click of the front door before I looked forward to the mirror hanging on the wall.I chuckled lightly at my subtle change of features in my upper body.
The training has been paying off.
But then my attitude changed instantly.
What was that, dream I guess, about?
Why was it so dark?
Why did both of them make me feel so empty afterward?
I listened to the lowly played music again as the singer got to the end of the song.
I don't wanna be you anymore~
But I wanna be me.
I looked back up at the mirror with a smile.
Even with this 'title'. I'm proud to have done what I have done so far.
I got up from the side of the tub and walked over to the sink. Giving myself a smile as I leaned forward.
Straight damn proud.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Good evening children. Today we are going through the museum to venture throughout the Renaissance era as a group through our new exhibit. The painting reservoir that we have acquired."
I can feel the intense boredom on my face.
My jaw saw elongated due to it being open and slanted. My shoulders are hunched and my eyes were fighting stayed open. I closed my mouth after I heard the rest of my class grown."How about we just let them go adventure on their own, Ms. Nomura." I could just feel the energy re-surge through the rest of my classmates.
Hell yeah, Mr. Stickler. Getting us actually excited about stuff like always.
I smiled as I saw some people seemed actually stoked about the idea of going through the museum ourselves. Some seemed basically just the same with the same amount of boredom."I can agree with that. Only if they don't damage the artifacts."Almost all of us ran into the museum almost instantly.I was strolling through the art part of the museum without a second thought with Tobes following me silently. I would stop here and there and stare at some of the pieces with a look of amazement.And Tobes a look of confusion."I don't understand some of these. Like why is a bunch of splattered colors so
marvelously mysterious
and so
cultured." He acted like he was holding a cane and was adjusting a tie that wasn't there. I chucked at his jokes."Because people enjoy what they don't understand," I said with a smile as we approached the end of the hall. "Probably." When we reached the end there was a giant curtain like separation. There was a sign that was taped on the part of the curtain that kept the two together."Like that?" He walked up to it and read it aloud. "New attraction coming soon? I wonder what." I shrugged as we turned a corner and headed up some stairs. "But what is it about you and those portrait paintings?" He chuckled and pushed my shoulder lightly."I like their idea of beauty.""Speaking of the idea of beauties." He pointed in a single direction. I looked over where he pointed and saw that Claire staring at a dress within a set of glass.Instantly I felt like my tongue was replaced with cotton and my mouth went dry.When we got closer I saw that Steve was leaning against the dress's glass confinement. He had a smug look on his face as he saw us approach. His smirk went in deeper as he began to speak."Oh, Claire. Miss Janeth was talking to me about possibly being an understudy for the play since our little
Romeo
has missed his last three practices. I just wanted to let you know that I might accept the offer and I believe this might help me find a different part of me. Also, I'm sorry for what happened with the whole of me pushing you thing when it came to between me and Lake."
I hope they never fix that whistle in is speech. That way he has a permanent reminder that he's an ass.
Wait. Possible understudy?
I missed THREE REHEARSALS?!
How long has it been since I actually went to practice?
Oh yeah. Last Thursday or so. T
oday is Friday.
WAIT TODAY IS FRIDAY!
My skin felt like it was burning under my jacket. The crystal feeling like it was creating its own little cavern in my chest with its fire like touch."I'll take that seriously when Miss Janeth tells me anything." She gave him a single glance and then went back to the dress.I looked over at Toby with a terrified took. "Dude today's Friday." I whispered over to him. "Don't I have to deal with Draal today?" He shook his head frantically."Next Friday man. Next Friday. Didn't I tell you that.""No!" I whisper yelled at him as I leaned over the railing. My heart felt like it was going to pop like a balloon in my chest. "I just had a minor anxiety attack over that.""And that?" He pointed back over to Claire and Steve with Steve trying hard to get her attention. "Why don't you just go talk to her? Use those words of yours and go woo her or something.""It's not that easy. Especially since I haven't even
realized
that I've been a jerk and skipping the one thing she's truly passionate about." I slumped forward and crossed my arms on top of the railing. I leaned a little bit more forward as I crossed my legs behind me. Before I could even think twice though, Toby was already walking his way toward Steven and Claire. "Tobes, what are you doing?!" I whisper yelled at him and he brushed me off with a smirk."Yo Steve." He walked closer to the taller blonde with a smile. "Have you seen the Neanderthal exhibit? I heard some are topless." He whispered lowly enough that it seemed Claire didn't notice but just enough for me to hear as well.Steve seemed to contemplate it for a moment and then walked in my direction. "Nice." He drawled out the 'i' as he walked by me. He about passed till he pulled me away from the railing and pushed me against the wall opposite to it with a loud thud. "Hey there Lake. You broke my tooth you know." His whistle was very prominent in as he spoke. "You ruined my charm, so I'm gonna ruin your life. First, with that stupid play. Then, with the girl of your dreams." I pushed myself off the wall just to shoved right back into it with a rough hand to my collarbone. I screwed my eyes shut as his laugh echoed lightly through the little hall. My chest started to severely ache as the crystal caused my skin to feel like it was melting with its touch.
Why go after me? He ruins the days of so many people but he has nothing to pay for it. So why make me pay for something that I never meant to cause?
I dropped to the floor and bent my knees so that my legs weren't a hazard to anyone passing by. I just wanted to disappear at this point. Just be part of the wall. Toby's try for me to make an advancement with Claire long forgotten now as I placed my elbows on the top of my knees.
Just sit here and forget everything else for a minute, Jim. You have a lot going on. Girls can wait for another day.
There was the sound of a light slide of clothes against the wall and a small thud beside me. Then there was a feeling of a hand on my elbow. "Tobes, I'm not in the mood right now man.""Well for starters if you opened your eyes, Romeo, you would understand that I'm nowhere near Toby."
Shit.
I could feel the intense change of color against my chest before I even opened my eyes which gave away who it was. But it was so much calmer than it was just moments before. I opened my eyes to see brightly colored nails that contrasted with the blue of my jacket easily. I turned my head to see that Claire was sitting beside with a smile. Her legs out before her and crossed respectively. "I'm so sorry usuall-" "Jim, it's fine. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I kinda figured you might have thought I was someone else anyway."She retracted her hand from my elbow and clasped her hands together in her lap. "I heard a thud come from over here and I saw that Steve had you up against the wall. I just wanted to make sure he didn't hurt you. I'm sorry though. I know I should of ste-""You have nothing to be sorry about. I rather have you check up on me instead of getting caught in the middle." She looked back at me and slowly had a smile etch into her face. "You don't deserve that Claire." She tucked a hair behind her ear as she almost always does as I felt a warmth spread within my chest. I looked back over to the dress that she was staring at earlier."I saw that you were entranced by that dress. If only we could get costumes like that for the showcase right?" She laughed lightly at my change of direction with the conversation. "Yeah. But with how the funding is going for the department, I'll be doing the balcony scene in a bathrobe." We both almost busted out with laughter at the idea."You could make that work though. You're really passionate about everything with this play.""Thanks. If only my parents thought the same. What's their first idea when it comes to one bad test grade? Drop the play.""What?! My mom would die for me to have something that I'm so invested in."I got a bit more relaxed as we spoke. My one leg sliding from its original position to laying parallel to the ground but my right on still rested on my right knee. Claire seemed to as well since she had her legs now bent beside her and was moving her hands more as we talked."Well, then Mr. Lake. What are you passionate about?" She giggled at herself after she tried to be as serious as possible. "Well Ms. Nuñez, I'm passionate about writing." She gave me a somewhat shocked look after I spoke."Really now?"I laughed at her reaction. "Really. My mom made it a huge thing when I was younger. She was huge on 'positive expression of emotions' and things like that." She gave me a confused look. "I heard some parents do that a lot, but why did your mom decide to specifically? It's just weird seeing how you are." I turned my head and looked toward the ground and started rubbing my hand on my knee nervously."Well. I was kinda put through the mill as a kid. My dad kind of just, left when I was really young.""I am so sorr-""Claire it's fine!" I flashed her a smile so she could tell it didn't really bother me. "It's been a long time since then. Almost eleven years." She placed a hand on my left forearm."Doesn't mean you deserved to go through it." She gave me such a serious look. Her eyes were full of concern and care in such a way that just felt so genuine that it made my mouth become a desert within seconds. Within seconds my tongue felt like it wrapped itself into knots as time inched by slowly."You don't deserve that, Jim."We stayed like that for a moment. Just looking at each over with her hand gently wrapped around my wrist with her thumb rubbing absentminded circles into the sleeve of my jacket. The crystal seemed to sooth the once aching skin and replaced all that hurt just minutes prior with such a calming sense. I knew that if I pulled it out right now that it would be the most majestic of purples that I could ever lay my eyes on. But I still leave me with one simple question.
How does she have this much of an effect on me?
"JIM!" We both turned our heads immediately toward the sound of my name being called. "Jim! Ther-" He stopped once he realized who was beside me. "Oh, hi Claire! Sorry for interrupting." Claire smiled and let go of my arm before getting up to her feet. "Oh, it's fine. I'll talk to you at rehearsal, Jim." She waved and left us be without another word."What's up Tobes? You seemed like you saw a ghost.""Well. Green is the right color.""What?"
The fuck is that suppose to mean?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Goblins?" I poked my sword at the green sticky substance that was comparable to slime. "Aren't those just petty thieves of the supernatural? Noted for being little shits like, always?"Blinky crossed his arms before him with a nod. "Indeed, Master Jim. But when there is one of them there is many of them.""Blame it on Dungeons and Dragons that we understand something for once. But if they're just thieves, then what do you think they were after?" Toby squatted down and looked at the substance closely as I lift my sword out of it."It could be many things. It could be something really small like that of just a personal belonging of a changeling or something along those lines, or it could be something very drastic. They are noted for working alongside the Janus Order so it could be something they are telling them to find.""Janus Order? What's that?" I cleaned the essence of the goblin off the tip of my blade before placing it back in its scaffold. My armor was shining pure white as can be as we spoke, showing my seriousness about the matter at hand."It seems you understand the severity that the name might bring, and it does." He had us follow him back to the forest so that no one could see me shining like a glowstick in the middle of the street. "The Janus Order is a group of changelings that believe that freeing Gunmar is the only way of restoring what they believe is 'balance' to this world. They are his spies within this world and will stop at nothing to free their 'master'." He used air quotes respectively."Okay, maybe I should have started with this question, what in the firey gates of hell is a changeling?""A changeling is a being that takes the form of a child and is raised within the human world but is actually that of troll decent. Most trolls call them 'impures' due to their ties to the human world but they are trollish all the same."I gave him a confused look. "So it's like one of those myths where they take children and replace them with something else?""Actually, that's exactly what they do. They take the children that are chosen to be familiars and take them to the Darklands. There they are kept and as long as the child is there, the changeling can switch between forms."I slumped against a tree and slid to the ground. "This some fairy shit.""No, 'fairy shit' is when actually fairies are involved, Master Jim." I facepalmed as he used air quotes again.
Why did I teach him that?
"Now, the sun shall be rising soon. I would just keep an eye out for any suspicious activity while in daylight. Goblins are one of the only few foolish creatures that think traveling about during the sun's hours is feasible. AAARRRGGHH and I will keep an eye and ear out for any information that could help us on their sudden appearance." I nodded to his remarks before the armor decided to take its leave and retract back to the necklace."Alright. Happy hunting. Bye guys."Within the next few hours, we were back at the school. My brain all on its own decided that the three hours of sleep I've managed to receive was no longer good enough for me to not stay awake in class. I was fighting my eyes to stay open within history as Mr. Strickler droned about our visit to the museum and the importance of it.
I swear to god this necklace will be the death of me.
I placed a hand over my eyes and rubbed there as I faked writing notes down in my notebook.
But at least I'm good at faking it until I make it. One of my few talents that matter in the school building.
That was when the bell had rung. "Alright students, don't forget that our chapter test will be approaching you soon so fresh up on some of the Greek Mythology Unit from a few weeks ago and the new unit that we have started recently on their war tactics." To me it didn't matter if there was a test or not, I just wanted out. Wanted to go to rehearsal and then a couple of hours at training all while praying that I will get home at a decent hour.We poured out of the class like a herd of sheep. I was in my own little head until I felt a nudge hit me in my elbow. "Dude, you good?" I groaned absent mindedly which caused Toby to laugh lightly. "Yeah me too. Have you seen anything out of the ordinary? You know, with the g-o-b-l-i-n-s." I rolled my eyes as we approached the outside part of the school."All because you're spelling it out doesn't mean no one will be stupid enough to not put it together." I chuckled as I opened the door for us."HEY! I'm trying here! To be honest, this will probably be the most interesting part of this adventure of ours! Way more than those pointed hat jerks." I laughed once more as his voice lowered when talking about the gnome incident."I still can't remember anything from that." "GOOD!"Before we knew it we reached my locker which I opened with ease.Just to have it shut on me.My face dropped as I turned my head to see Steve standing there with one of his little lackeys. Seamus? I think? I have no idea, to be honest. His face just seemed familiar."What do you want Palchuk?""Just wanted to state that you shouldn't even bother showing up to rehearsal after school today. Or at all for that matter." He laughed as he could see the annoyed look on my face."I'm not going to drop the play that easy. I'm still going to show up. You might be my possible understudy but you're still not the actual actor.""I might just be that if you keep putting down Miss. Janeth the way you are. Oh, did I only say Miss. Janeth? I meant Claire as well." I turned completely to face him."Leave her out of this."He grabbed me by the collar and slammed me against my own locker with ease. "Oh, she's already apart of this." His whistle was still very prominent every time he pronounced a single 'th'. "I told you Lake," He held me up against the locker so that I was eye to eye with him. "I'm going to ruin your life. Starting with your little dream girl." He dropped me and I luckily landed on my feet.He walked away with a smile and a laugh like a jackal as him and Seamus left the scene."Ass." Was all I heard Toby said I fixed my sweatshirt and adjusted the crystal's chain underneath. "I know." I reopened my locker and replaced my things and grabbed my bag. "If we can dash out of PE fast enough I could get to practice with ease.""Aw man! I forgot what week it was!"I arrived at rehearsal actually quiet early since it was just a few of us around the makeshift stage. The cast count right now consisted of me, Eli, Claire and a couple of other kids that I knew the faces of but couldn't place names with. Not even Miss. Janeth had arrived yet."Hey, you're actually here Jim!" Eli gave me a very energetic greeting as I walked up to the stage which covered a third of the gym. "Yup. Sorry about not being here the last few rehearsals. I had a few, things, going on.""It's alright! I think everyone here can understand.""Everyone here, possibly. Not the same for Miss. Janeth from what I heard." He gave me a sad look."Yeah. I overheard Steve talking to her about the understudy stuff. Hopefully, that won't be the case." He placed his hands in his pockets and had the tip of his foot twist back and forth as if it was playing with something under it."I'll try to make it so it won't. Don't need the guy giving you any more shit." I jumped up the side and landed on my feet. I walked up to him and gave him a pat on the shoulder. I looked over to where Claire was. She was sitting on the side of the stage with a script in hand and a feeling of shame fell over me.
She hasn't actually acknowledged me.
"Hey Eli, can you do me a favor?" He nodded. "Well yeah! You helped me with Steve, I'll help you!" I smiled at him."It was no big deal man. We're cool right?" I presented my fist to him as I gripped the strap of my bag. He looked at it with a slightly confused look until it dawned on him."Cool?""Yeah. Like, we're friends. Aren't we?" He gave me the biggest smile that I ever saw come from the kid and knocked his fist lightly with mine. "Yeah! Friends! What's the favor?" I looked back over to see Claire was flipping to the next page while muttering to herself.I began to whisper to him. "Can you take my bag backstage?" I grabbed out my script from it before I handed it over to him. "I wanted to check in with Claire. I was kinda fearful that she would be upset with me since I haven't been here very much." He nodded with an affirmative look."You've got it, Jim!" He grabbed my bag strap with a smile and then whispered. "Good luck. It would suck if there was bad tension between our Romeo and Juliet." I thanked him before he vanished backstage. I took a deep breath and started over my way to Claire with my script in a death grip in my hand.I felt the crystal under my shirt change in temperature once more. It was calm and cool moments prior but now it was warming slightly. I took it out from under my shirt as I got closer, seeing its subtle change from it's normal pink to light purple."Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day.It was the nightingale, and not the lark,That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear.Nightly she sings on yond pomegranate tree.Believe me, love, it was the nightingale."
Wait, I remember this one.
I cut her off before she just skipped my line."It was the lark, the herald of the morn,No nightingale. Look, love, what envious streaksDo lace the severing clouds in yonder east.Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund dayStands tiptoe on the misty mountain-tops.I must be gone and live, or stay and die."She whipped her head to look at me and noticed I didn't even have my script open. She looked me dead on as she gave me a mischievous look."My ears have yet not drunk a hundred wordsOf thy tongue's uttering, yet I know the sound.Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague?"Oh, a test I see?
I gave her a smile in return."Neither, fair maid, if either thee dislike." She smiled at me widely after that. "All because I haven't been here doesn't mean I don't care." I took a seat right beside her as she flipped to the ending act of the play."I suppose not. Doesn't it make it seem any less careless though." The smile she gave me kind of faded as she spoke until her attention was caught by my chest.
Oh yeah, the crystal.
I looked down and saw that it turned a misty grey."Have you been keeping track of the colors?" I nodded absentmindedly. She reached out and lifted it off my chest gently. "What's this one mean?" I shrugged to her as I looked away."I only saw it this once. But I'm pretty sure I know what it is due to how I'm feeling now." "And which is that?""Shame."She was quiet. I panicked and looked back to her to see that she gave me a sadden look that replaced that one of disappointment from earlier. "Jim, I-." Before she could finish her sentence the doors of the gym slammed open and a silhouette stood proudly in their wake. We both looked over at the figure as it approached. Once it reached under the lights I instantly frowned.
Fucking seriously.
Steve stood there proudly and I felt a small tug against my neck. I looked back to Claire to see that she was rubbing the crystal gently with her thumb without even looking at it.
As if she was trying to comfort me.
I glanced down to see that the crystal was now swirling with a royal shade of purple and then looked back at Steve."Evening!" He acted as if everyone should be shocked that he was even here but almost everyone had an idea. He started to head his way around backstage as I felt the crystal drop back against my chest. I looked back to Claire to see she had a small smile toward me."Have you figured out what purple means?" I chuckled lightly at her attempt to turn the conversation back.
I guess she understands that I never meant to disappoint her. She seems to feel bad for it too.
And Toby always questioned why I liked her.
"I haven't yet. It only shows up during certain situations though."
I'm not completely lying."Has there been some that you know for sure?" I went on to explain the few colors that I did understand. How white meant serious and red meant passionate. With how blue meant nervous and black meant hate but now I think there's a few other mixed with that. I tucked it back into my shirt as I continued through.
Don't need Steve making jokes about me talking about color meanings while wearing a crystal that shined like a glowstick in a rave.
He already has enough ammo on me already.
She gave me a smile and placed a hand on my shoulder. She can read me so easily that I don't doubt she could tell why I hid it away. "You have nothing to worry about. If he gives you any trouble, I'll give him hell." She pushed herself up from her position as Miss. Janeth walked in."Come on Romeo, you got a lot to prove to make it seem that Steve's not needed." She gave me a smile over her shoulder as she walked away.I smiled as she walked to go backstage.
Again, and Toby always questioned why I like her.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
My feet pounded against the grass as I dove under tree branches and leaped over logs. Almost losing my balance at the top of my foot slammed into the side of one and could have made me land on my face.I looked behind me and saw the mass of multiple little bodies chasing me through the forest. I looked back forward, trying to see if there was anything I could do to relieve myself of my little green issue. I frantically looked toward the tree branches. I then found that there was a branch low enough for me to jump and grab so I did just so. I swung my feet forward and was able to get onto the vantage point. I climbed up a little higher and watched my armor store away and the necklace fall against my neck.I looked down and watched the little gremlins look around for a few moments and decide that I was a waste of their time to try to find. I let out the breath that I didn't even know that I was holding and leaned against the bark of the tree."These goblins are going to give us a run for our money." I jumped down from the tree and started walking my way back from where I came.
A nice little walk through the forest will calm my nerves.
Or get me murdered.
Either way. But I'm the Trollhunter. A lot of people want to murder me from the sounds of it.
Well, technically I'm the Eclipse but that doesn't change the story much. But today is the day I have to fight Draal. Blinky was able to push it back a little further and further back due to how he explained that I had more important things as the Eclipse to deal with than a fight to prove superiority.
Draal did not take that well.
He wanted to slaughter me. He wanted to prove that I was merely a more fragile version of their version of mortality. That he should be the rightful wielder of the amulet.
To be honest, I can't blame him.
He's spent decades trying to prove that he was deserving of the honor and he felt like he was destined to be the next chosen one. He felt like it was his right but also at the same time that he worked hard enough that he deserved it. He wanted to honor it. Make his father proud. Everything every normal kid wants to do.
Besides the whole, giant troll thing, you know?
I entered my house by the open window I left like I normally do and instantly sat at my desk. I pulled out a couple of pieces of paper and some envelopes and started writing. I didn't really realize what I was doing until it was a little too late.
Dear, whoever I decide this one goes to later,
I've always felt as if I had these shadows that lurked around me in the middle of the night and recently they basically personified themselves into existence.
... Nope.
I crumpled up the paper with a groan and tossed it into the wastebasket under the desk. The word nope just repeating through my brain.I grabbed out another and started scribbling more words.
There have been these feelings that swell within my chest, yet I bury them thinking they're better in a casket than on display. I have never been one to be good with explaining myself, but I want to try. So much. I want to put my heart on my sleeve and relieve myself from all the monsters that I fight.
Both literary and figuratively.
I just wanted to say that a lot of those feelings stem from you. So many of them scare me so endlessly with just the mere thought of you being presented before what I fear.
You don't deserve to deal with a battle warn Romeo. Just like I don't deserve someone so passionate about how all that she does. I don't deserve you as a Juliet.
It's all more like a tattered Beauty and The Beast with me being a beast with none of the inhuman presentations
I continued to write until I felt my sleep time alarm vibrate in my pocket. I shut it off and put it on its charger as I looked over to the envelopes I filled. There weren't many but there was a few.One for Toby. One for Mom. One for Claire. One for Blinky and AAARRRGGHH. Basically one for every person I cared about or were involved with all that has been in my life. Just little notes. Little goodbyes if you will. Just in case.
Just in case.
I sighed and stripped myself from my sweaty clothes and prepared myself for bed. I looked over at the alarm clock before I drifted to nothingness and realized that it was already one in the morning.
Five hours of sleep.
Better than last week.
The school day was almost as exhausting as my night patrol was. Which makes it a whole new record.I yawned into my right hand as I sat against the backstage walls. My left leg was bent so that it met my left elbow with ease as the other was sprawled out before me. My script was in my left hand that was barely within my grasp.I closed my eyes and let the back of my head gently tap against the wall.
All of this is going to be the death of me. I still need to accept Draal challenge today. I have to fight a creature that could easily destroy me. All while I'm stupidly tired and barely awake as it is.
Just fucking magical.
"I guess you didn't get much shut-eye, huh?" I didn't even have to open my eyes to understand whose voice broke through my thoughts."Yeah. Juggling my preparation for my oral presentation for Spanish, Algebra that I don't even understand, and working on memorizing my lines caused me to go to bed a little later than I'm used to.""¿Qué
puede
ser tan difícil para el español? Pensé
que
eras el señor Bilingüe." I smiled and opened my eyes to be welcomed by as smiling Claire now sitting beside my right leg."Spanish can be difficult. Learning it by social interactions, sure. It's easy. But when you have Señor Uhl who thinks throwing you into a storytelling process in which he belittles and fails you for the tiniest of mistakes, yeah no." She gave me a small laugh in return. She moved that she was now sitting beside me. Mimicking the way we sat against the wall of the museum. She had her script in hand, recognizably her's due to its array of highlights and penciled in markings."Well if you need any help with all of it, I'll be more than willing to help. I took honors Algebra last year to that should be a
pedazo
de pastel.""I don't see how you think it's a piece of cake but I will take whatever help I can get. But also, why help me? Haven't I been a jerk with missing so many practices and everything?" She gave me a small shrug as she flipped through her script to act one scene three."Well, you're here not aren't you?" She tucked in a stray hair behind her ear as she brought her legs into her chest to set her script against her thighs. A small smile playing at her lips. "Also, I rather keep the Romeo that I got other than the one that wants his spot."I was going to say something else before Miss. Janeth came in with her clipboard in hand. She seemed to have been heading toward those on the other side but stopped when she saw Claire and me."Ah! My Romeo and Juliet rehearsing lines I see. I'm so glad I was able to cast you two! Such lovely of a pair. Keep it up, you two! And keep coming to rehearsals like you are Mr. Lake and we will have solid performances for this after all!" I felt a heat flood my face as she walked away. Both of us were silent until Claire ended up laughing incredibly at the interaction. Which caused me to follow suit."I can't take her seriously at times.""Hey, if I keep this up, do you think she wouldn't mind a late assignment or two?" I felt Claire shove my arm playfully before she got up. "Not a chance." She stretched her arms above her hand and let them down with a happy sigh. She flashed me a smile before she decided to speak. "Well, I'll see you on stage." She gave me a small wave and then left me to myself. Her script in hand.After she was completely out of view, I grabbed out the crystal from under my shirt to see it's vibrancy. It had the magnificent shade of purple that seemed to dance around its edges. Yet there was something unique to today's form of it. I looked closely at it to see little waves of red swirling it's way around the gaps between the seas of purple.
Both of the two only meant one thing.
"Fuck."Later that night, I walked through the arches that lead to the Hero's Forge. A nervous sweat consumed most of my skin as the armor tried to contradict my emotions. It shined in the darkness like a proud beacon even though the emotion of green was birthed in the cracks of the armor. As if it was like a stream of forest between silver oceans.
I really need to stop reading Shakespeare. All of this classical literature stuff it messing with my head.
I had a firm yet unsure grip on the handle of my sword. The other clenched tightly into a fist by my side. It ruined and crumpled the envelopes that I was holding but my mind didn't seem to care at the moment. I knew what this cavern held for me within this moment. Many possibilities. All that more than likely will end with my death.I gulped as Tobes placed a hand on my shoulder. "Okay, Jimbo. You got this. Just remember the rules right? Be aware of your surroundings. Look for his weaknesses. Always find a way to end the fight, as Blinks said. Also, if all else fails, hit him where it hurts." He did a little dance with his fingers where he had two fingers standing straight on their fingertips as his other hand hit the other in between the fingers. "You get what I mean."
I do. Painfully, I do. But do trolls even have parts?
I felt an even bigger hand place itself on my opposite shoulder. "Just remember, Master Jim, that everything can and will be used against you. Just be agile and do the same to him. Draal might have been training brutely his whole life for this, but you have the intellect of a Trollhunter.""Thanks, Blinky. Real encouraging." Sarcasm dripped off of every word I said.
But I have to give it to him, he's trying.
I looked down to my right had to see I still held the envelopes in a death grip. "Oh yeah." I put them in front of Toby's torso. "Here.""What are these?""Letters I wrote. They are just in case if I don't make it out of this. I might have dealt with goblins and gnomes but I wanted to have a reassurance that those that mattered most to me had some kind of closer if I couldn't handle what Draal throws at me." I held them in front of them firmly. I knew he didn't want to take them and I knew that he had words stuck on the tip of his tongue. More than likely was going to state how it would matter much more to them if I give them myself. Alive. But he seemed to hold back from his statement and took them from me with sorrowful eyes."Tobes, I can promise you right now that I'm going to try my hardest out there, but I want people like mom and Claire to have something that somewhat explained what happened to me. Also, there's one for each of you and AAARRRGGHH. I wasn't sure if you would be able to read it, Blinky, or AAARRRGGHH either, but I wanted you guys to have one too." This was when I was picked up by the back of my gorget part of my armor and was crushed into a huge hug. I could barely breathe as I was literarily placed within a rock and a hard place."No talk of no return. You return. You win." Then I was placed on the ground again. I looked back to AAARRRGGHH with a smile. "I'll try my best, big guy."I took a couple of steps toward the tunnel toward the actual entrance of the Hero's Forge.I looked behind me once more and gave them a determined look then gave them a nod.
If I might go down. Then I will go down with them knowing I'll give it my all.
Once I walked out into the light, I winched yet tried my best to not show it to my challenger. His turquoise like skin shining as he roared in pride as voices chanted his name.In contradiction, trash as thrown in my direction but I took out my sword and cut some of them out of my way like Blinky taught me to do with fruit not long before. It caused silence from some but caused more to make an uproar."Silence in the forge!" Vendel's voice rumbled like that of an echo through the Grand Canyon. It caused almost immediate silence from the tons of trolls that were in attendance."Today, we are here to witness the fight of these next ten centuries. We are witness to the great Eclipse! The warrior of the light and darkness! Our hero in training!" There was almost silence until I heard Blinky's voice from behind the bars of the main entry."Oh come on you bunch of mineral-based brutes! This is your champion chosen by Merlin himself!"I looked over to him with a smile. "It's quite alright Blinky. I will prove how Merlin chose right." I purposely had my voice ring wide through the hall. I stood there with pride as my sword's tip touched the ground.
If they don't like me now.
I will make them.
Today I will show them.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Within seconds, the fight began. Draal swung effortlessly at my small frame and he nearly landed a hit every time. If I didn't have as much training up to this point, I would have been smacked around like that of a pinball in one of those old fashion arcade games. But luckily I did and had at least a month to my recollection of pure training and a month of actual Trollhunter duties.Draal's hands swung at me like an approaching stone pendulum, each time getting closer and closer but not yet touching. I didn't bother drawing my sword but I kept my hand on its handle to keep it from dragging against the floor."Stupid fucking scaffold," I mumbled as I rolled away from one of the big brute's swing. "I'm gonna trip on this thing more than my own feet." Draal punched the ground a couple of inches in front of where I was about to stop from the roll but was a little too early, causing me to have the chance to stop just in time. I was able to push myself with my spare hand and got myself to a standing position."WOAH THERE!" I moved my right foot behind me so I could get into a more stable position. "Um, I didn't sign up to be a pancake." I looked at Draal's expression to see he was visibly irritated with my existence and before I knew it his fist was rushing its way to meet perpendicularly to the other. I jumped backward, about landing on my face instead of my feet, but I got out of being stuck between a rock and well- another rock."Fight me, Trollhunter! Prove you are not a coward!" He ran toward me dead on but instead of moving I planted my feet firmly against the ground and withdrew my sword from its scaffold.
He wants a fight. That's fine.
I stabbed my sword into the ground as he drew closer and jumped up to place a balanced foot on the tip of its handle like I have done in training multiple times by now and put all of my weight onto my right foot. As he drew closer, I bent my knee and pushed forward, causing me to fly clearly over Draal's head and slide to a stop on the other side. Once I landed, I conjured the sword to vanish and reappear within my hand as I continued to slide across the ground. But I wasn't too far from where Draal stopped from his run.
His back! I can get behind his back!
I ran over to get behind him as he was incoherent for a moment, knowing for well that he couldn't see me."Trollhunter!" He turned completely and I dove to follow him. "Where did that pebble go? Ushhaakum hakittluth iloward!"Noticing that I was actually completely in his blind spot, I put my sword back into my scaffold and jumped up onto his back and grabbed the top of his horns, pushing them forward. This caused Draal to lurch forward and also caused a lot of gasp in the arena.
I don't think they were expecting any of this.
I brought my head up with my eyes forward to see that we were heading toward a ledge.
OR they noticed where we were going.
I pulled on his horns to get him to stop and I jumped off his back to try to bring him down, but I was wasn't strong enough to pull a giant of rock to a complete stop and my hand let go without permission. They gave up. So when I landed on the almost edge of the platform, I moved the few steps instantly to look over the side and see that Draal was holding onto the side by what seemed to be a thread.As I got near I heard the chanting of the crowd."FINISH THE FIGHT! FINISH HIM! FINISH THE FIGHT!"
Remember Trollhunter. There are three rules we abide by, those three being that of how we always end the fight. If both of you are breathing, then the fight will never end. There will always be conflict. The fight has to end, Master Jim.
The other has to be dead.
I looked down to Draal as this rang in my head. He looks back at me with what at the first glance seems like no emotion, but when I looked closer I could see his eyes swimming these emotions that I could only describe myself as pain and some form self-hatred."Do it. End the fight. You have proven your strength. Now prove you can handle it."
Kill him? Even if it won't be technically by my hands, I would cause it. Even if he's not human, fuck that shit didn't even matter! He's a living breathing being that has a conscious and a life to live and people that loved him.
I looked behind me and saw the statue of who Blinky explained was Draal's father. The reason why he thought he deserved the "amulet". I looked back at him and placed a hand on my chest, tracing the lines of the crystal with my armored fingertips. A new color shined bright between my fingers and the gaps of the armor. It was a different shade of this misting grey. A lot different than the one of shame that I witnessed with Claire. This was brighter, more assured, but still like that of a traveling cloud.
I know what I have to do.
I took out my sword and stabbed it into the ground, rather close to the edge and held the handle in a death grip. I shimmied myself so that I could lend out a hand toward him."I don't care what they think. I have nothing to prove, really. Other than I can handle what the job implies. But do I have to murder a fellow fighter of the same cause? My definition of a hero, would never."He looked in my hand in disbelief and gave me a skeptical look. "And not follow the rules of basic troll existence? Are you a fool! It's better for you to off me!""I'm sure there are worst things I could do. Worst things both of us could do.""You don't know what this means, fleshling." He grasped my hand and used it as leverage to start pulling himself up the side. "You're seeling a fate for both of us that you don't understand.""Seems like you're willing to be apart of it though.""Good or evil, no one wants to die. Some are just comfortable with the idea that it's doomed it happen."Once he was able to stand beside me there was a gasp from the audience. I turned to them and pulled my sword out of the rock floor and raised it high to point to the audience, mimicking how I stood during my play auditions. "People of Troll Market! Do you understand what kind of damage this fight would have put each of us through if I had done as told? We would lose the bravest warriors you have never stopped praising! Just so that you can have a thrilling battle and bloodshed! Would that have been worth it?"Then, there was silence. I was met with my own ringing voice from the hall. Absolutely nothing in reply to myself other than my words right back to me. Until I heard a chuckle ring."Ironic coming from a human!" He laughed as if his belly would burst if it didn't finish. Then other laughs joined in till all I could hear was drowning me out. I saw my friends walk into the arena and I run up to them after I put my sword back into the scaffold."Blinky! What are they laughing about? What's going on here?" Blinky gave me a sad look as Toby stated asking the same thing. "Yeah, guys! What's all of this about?""Well, my friends, trolls have a bad history with your kind. There were multiple slaughters of our kind when your ancestors had first witnessed us. This forced us into the darkness, having us be where we are today. Your people are very violent to the unexplainable and that which is not within your realm of normalcy. Do you understand his statement?"I held my sword in a death grip to the point that I understood that if I could see my knuckles, they would be painfully white. "I can understand. But they are the same way.""We are what history makes us."I nodded absentmindedly and looked over to Draal to see he was having trash thrown at him as he exited the ring. "What's going on there, Blinky?""Well, he was spared which in our culture means he is now a disgrace. Doesn't matter how he could kill any of them if he desired, he is never to return here again."The next day, my muscles were sore and my whole body seemed to ache but I still went to school and the rehearsal right after. At this moment, I'm laying on my back with my legs stretched out as far as they go as I'm waiting for my next scene. I could hear Claire projecting her lines from hind the curtains as I lay there trying to get my muscles to loosen."My only love sprung from my only hate!Too early seen unknown, and known too late!Prodigious birth of love it is to meThat I must love a loathèd enemy."I smiled listening to her say her last line of the scene before the new act. I got up, even though my legs were highly against the movement and walked over to where she would come off and I was due to make my entrance from. I smile at her as she walks off stage."You're wonderful out there." I could barely see her through the darkness of the wings but I could tell that there was a smile on her face. "You're not bad yourself, Lake. When you show up that is." She came closer and I could see that I was right about her smile, until she decided to make it smirk after that statement."Hey, I already told you as of why I wasn't here yesterday.""I'm just messing with you. You have every right to spend a night with your mom. Especially how you described how difficult it is for her to get a night off. But I would really like it if that will stay being a once in a blue moon occasion. It's getting way too late in the production to have Steve replace you and-."
Yep, lied straight through my teeth with that one yesterday. Did mom even have yesterday off?
"That and I don't want to end up kissing someone that seems to treat their mouth like a garbage compactor."
Oh, shit the kiss scene.
Shit shit shit shit shit.
"Don't worry Claire. I'll make this my top priority. Promise." On stage, I could hear the last few lines of the act. "But passion lends them power, time means, to meet temp'ring extremities with extreme sweet."I about ran on stage as I heard the footsteps of the chorus actor leave, but I turned around once more and gave Claire a smile. "Oh, and Claire," she looked directly at me. "I keep my promises.""I hope you do, Jim."I gave her a quick smile and pushed past the curtain and started my line with ease. "Can I go forward when my heart is here? Turn back, dull earth, and find thy center out." I exited through the main curtains once more. My promise to Claire being the forefront of my mind. Especially with how I don't even know how I can even pull it off.
I'm going to get myself killed with anxiety. For a girl.
And I will do it over and over again.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I kept my eyes closed shut as I released my breath slowly while I kept my hands before me. I was on one foot on top of a seven-foot pole as the sound of silence was deafening around me.
Gotta stay focused, Jim. Keep yourself still. Focus.
"Wonderful work, Master Jim!" I almost had my eyes shoot wide open at the sound of Blinky's voice, but I was more worried about the idea of falling seven feet to probably my face instead from the instant imbalance that I was thrown off into. I shot my arms out to steady myself which ended rather gladfully with me staying evenly on the pole. I heard a small bit of laughter from Blinky as I heard him step closer. "Great! You were able to keep your balance with my interruption. Now, do you remember what this exercise is about?""It's about teaching me to have control and focus?""Yes, but to also understand your body's limits. Your one leg is getting rather tired, yes?" I swallowed hard as I just noticed the dull ache that was starting in the thigh of my right leg. The weight of my body was finally taking a toll. "Remember, keep yourself on that leg until the session is done. Physical exhaustion is one thing that will forever be constant as The Eclipse." I felt myself sigh as the dull ache was slowly becoming something much more."How much longer do I have to keep this up?""Just one more minute. You can handle it." I felt myself scream on the inside as he said that.
My leg feels like it's on fire! How in God's green Earth can I keep this up for another minute?
I took a shaky breath as I bent my knee slightly to try to relieve some of the pain within my right leg."Just thirty more seconds."I felt myself start to shake slightly as I brought myself back up to the normal stance. I released the breath I didn't know I had held as another voice joined the conversation."Come on Jimbo! You got this!" I smiled slightly at Toby's voice as I was shaking lightly while trying to keep my balance."Alright! Come on down!" I opened my eyes instantly and jumped down from the seven feet difference and landed on my feet on the ground below it. I went to stand straight up, but my right leg almost instantly gave out. I shifted my weight instantly so that my left leg was holding me up more than the rather tired muscles in my right."Holy shit my muscles are screaming at me as if I forced them to run a marathon." Blinky just chuckled at me as he placed a hand on my shoulder."You're doing well, Master Lake. For a human, you're developing rather quickly." I smiled up at the large stone troll as I placed a hand on top of his."Thank you, Blinky. To be honest, I wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not." Blinky's hearty laugh filled the room rather quickly."Sorry to ruin the moment, but Jim, we gotta roll before we're late for school." My eyes shot wide as I brought myself up instantly."Shit! You're right!" I ran over to Toby who had our bags before I screwed my eyes shut. "Damn it! My leg is gonna kill me.""You'll be fine! Now come on! We don't want another detention with Señor Uhl! Especially with you having a rehearsal." I nodded my head as a sense of determination filled my chest and the crystal on my chest burned lightly on my skin."You're right. Gotta brush it off. We'll see you later Blinky! You too AAARRRGGHH!" I waved to both of them as Toby and I started to rush our way out of the Hero's Forge."Break a leg, as your kind would say!" I felt a smile deepened on my face as I heard Blinky yell after us as AAARRRGGHH yelled his goodbye as well.I drifted throughout the day as if it was nothing. My right leg was rather numb from the events prior to the beginning of the day, but it started to die down as I walked slowly through the school."I'm guessing you're tired with that look on your face, man." I smiled at Toby as we walked together toward our last hour."Only a little." He chuckled at me as he slugged me lightly into my shoulder."Well. You got a little bit further to go. Just be thankful Mr. B let us do our training with him this morning."He's actually getting a grasp at the whole "Don't make shit obvious" idea."Yeah. Thankfully. I can actually get some sleep for once after rehearsal.""Or practice your Spanish Oral exam?" I sighed as I dropped my head. "Forgot about that, huh?" I nodded my head slowly as I ran my free hand through my hair."All of this is going to be the end of me, huh?" We walked into the PE locker room with Toby laughing at my misery. I changed into my gym clothes with ease before waiting for Tobes with a smile as he was trying rather hard to put on his shoes without help."But hey think of it this way, you're practicing the kiss scene today, right?" I felt myself blush slightly at the idea as I leaned up against the lockers. I looked back and forth to see if any of the other guys within the locker room were listening or caring about our conversation only to see that no one was near us."Yeah. I'm nervous as well." I whispered that over to Toby the best as I could. He only gave me a giant smirk as he pointed down to the crystal hanging around my neck."It's good that you've realized that you can't hide your emotions anymore. That crystal is a blessing in disguise." I grabbed the crystal and saw that it was a bright misty blue. I sighed heavily as I placed my hand on the glowing object. "But you'll be fine." He gave me a proud smile as he finally managed to place his last shoe on his left foot. "Just gotta be cool, ya know? Be calm about it all. If you get yourself too overwhelmed, you'll screw it up.""Easy for you to say.""Bro, seriously, you get yourself too worked up and think too much about it then you'll screw it up. Just be yourself. She seems to enjoy you based on how you two talk and everything. Also," He leaned over to me once he got up to his feet. "You've dealt with worse. You've fought Draal. Kissing Claire will be a breeze in comparison." I rolled my eyes and whispered in reply."Fighting trolls is nothing like kissing Claire.""Exactly!" He stood straight up with a smile."You're not helping.""I'm supposed to?" He gave me a cheeky smile that I replied with a small one of my own."I hate you sometimes.""Love you too, Jimbo."Once we made it out to the gym, a voice came up to my right side."Hey!" I looked over instantly and felt a smile place itself on my face."Hey there, Claire." She was smiling widely as she walked up to us. I felt the crystal burn lightly through my shirt as the color must have changed dramatically. I looked down at it to see it was a light pink with a bit of red starting to show. I smiled sheepishly towards her and I placed the crystal under my shirt quickly. She gave me a small laugh in return."You don't have to worry about me toying with you on it, remember?" She gave me a small smile as Coach Lawerance blew his whistle. "Well, I guess I gotta dash. See you at practice, alright? Or at least, you better be there. If I end up having to kiss Steve, I might actually die." I chuckled at her as she started backing away slowly."Don't worry. I'll be there.""You better be!" She shouted towards me before running off completely towards her friends. I smiled as she ran off while a hand placed itself on my shoulder."I told you, you have nothing to worry about." I smiled over to Toby as we started walking towards Coach Lawerance together."Yeah, you might be right.""Alright, everybody! We're practicing the major ending scene! So Romeo, Juliet, take a moment and make sure you know your lines. We don't have long till the showcase now so you better be off the script by next week!" I swallowed hard as I felt the crystal burn against my skin as if I placed lit charcoal there.
Sometimes I hate this fucking thing.
I rubbed my chest as if to try to move the crystal off of the delicate skin but I knew there was nowhere else the little object could go. I held my script in my hand as I sat with a heavy sigh against the wall.
A grave? O no, a lantern, slaught'red youth;
For here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes
This vault a feasting presence full of light.
Death, lie thou there, by a dead man interr'd
I felt my head roll back and felt it bump gently against the wall behind it. I closed my eyes and kept myself there for a moment as my head overran with thoughts.
How in the world am I going to remember this whole 47 line long ending monologue?
"Doing alright there?" I opened my eyes with a soft smile to see that Claire was standing before me with her hand on her hips while a small smirk danced on her lips."Just dying inside over this monologue. The usual." She gave me a small giggle, a smile playing on her lips.."Good luck for you, I just talked her into letting us use the scripts for monologues for a couple more days. Since you know, it's a five-act long play with multiple scenes. As long as we can carry out the small paragraphs, we'll be fine. Also, we're starting from where Friar Lawrence finds Romeo. So no need to worry about that part." I felt my shoulders place themselves lower as a breath seemed to release itself in a sign of relief."So I just have to play dead for a little bit. I'm okay with that, to be honest." She shook her head at me as she held out her hand to me."Yeah, you've got the easy job today." I reached out and grabbed her hand as I brought myself up beside her. The pain that was in my leg before during the beginning of the day had faded throughout the day, but I felt as if it returned, more specifically to my knees, as she smiled up to me. The small height difference between us wasn't major, but it was enough to have her tilt her head slightly to look me in the eyes dead-on. Her smile was small and easy but it was enough to cause my mouth to dry slightly with the small amount of distance between us. I was glad for the fact that I had the necklace not just covered by my thin white shirt, but also the blue sweatshirt above it, or my emotions would be clear on display at the moment."Alright! Is everybody ready? The scene is set thanks to our lovely crew so we can begin!" I felt myself smile towards Claire as I tilted my head towards the stage."Ready?""As ready as I can be." Her smile widened as she placed a hand on my shoulder before pulling it away to start her way on stage. She looked over to me randomly before I could start to follow her. "Also, Jim?""Yeah?""I'm happy you're here.""So you don't have to kiss Steve?" I felt a smirk place itself on my face as I watched her roll her eyes at me before a grin returned to her face."Not just that. I'm happy you're here. In general." I felt a blush creep up on my face as she turned back to that stage and faded from my view. I stood there for a second as I felt as if I was glued to the soles of my shoes until I shook my head lightly and jogged up to the stage."Wonderful!" Miss. Janeth smiled at all of us on the stage while looking over to see if everyone is here. "Every role had their actor or actress! Now, Mr. Lake, for the ending you will be laying on that altar with your hands over your chest. Alright?" I nodded my head as I gave a smile her way before heading over to it. "Beautiful! Now, all you have to do for the ending is lay there and don't move a muscle. Also, don't fall asleep. I know, it'll be difficult having your eyes closed for that long, but please, keep yourself alert." I brought myself up onto the wooden alter the tech crew made with a nod.
Oh, that won't be an issue. I'll be scared shitless enough for that not to be a problem.
"Lay down really quick to see if the tech crew got the dimensions right." I brought myself to lay down then placed my hands over my chest. "Perfect! Now stay there." I chuckled lightly at Miss. Janeth as she started to direct everyone else around the stage.Miss. Janeth is one hell of a director. She's passionate about it to the point of exhaustion. As well as to the point to make it obvious that "Hey, my play is important you fuck!" with ten pages of extra homework when I started skipping rehearsals due to Eclipse things.But hey, I had Claire to help me out and Toby to make sure I wasn't physically killing myself with everything. If it weren't for them, I would be a mess right now."Alright. Then Ms. Nuñez over to the front. Just lay there until you hear that our Friar had finished his line. After that, you bring yourself up slowly and dazed before the rest of the scene can commence. Everyone in their places? Perfect! Now, whenever you want to begin!"
Here we go, I guess.
"Romeo!" I heard rushed footsteps find their way toward me in the center of the stage. "Alack, alack, what blood is this, which stains the stony entrance of this sepulcher? What mean these masterless and gory swords to lie discolor'd by this place of peace?" There was a sudden silence afterward as a couple more steps led over to behind me. "Romeo, O, pale! Who else? What, Paris too? And steep'd in blood? Ah, what an unkind hour is guilty of this lamentable chance! The lady stirs." A small little bit of stirring noises led me to know that Claire was bringing herself up before me."O, comfortable friar! Where is my lord? I do remember well where I should be, and there I am. Where is my Romeo?" I swallowed hard as the rest of the lines were a blur to me.
Okay, Jim. Stay calm. Slow and steady breaths. It's just an acting kiss. With the girl you've had a crush on for over a year. And it's your first one. Nothing to be worried about.
The crystal burned against my skin like it has many times before as if mocking my internal monologue.
Shut up you stupid crystal. I don't need you mocking me right now.
Slow steps found their way around me as I felt a hand brush itself against my shoulder."Go get thee hence, for I will not away. What's here? A cup clos'd in my true love's hand?" She grazed my hands with her own on my chest. "Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end. O churl, drunk all, and left no friendly drop to help me after? I will kiss thy lips, haply some poison yet doth hang on them, to make me die with a restorative." She kept her hand on my bundled ones as I felt her lean down as I tried with all my might to keep my eyes shut. I felt her breath on my lips for a moment before hers quickly but delicately placed hers on mine. My eyes almost shot wide instantly if it wasn't for the fact that I suppressed the instant reaction. I almost melted into the touch as my mind went haywire. The crystal was as if it was trying to bury itself into my chest by how warm and inviting the feeling from it came. The kiss was quick by how she raised herself quickly after, but the feeling of it danced there as her hand placed itself on my right cheek as my mind was still fuzzy from the feeling."Thy lips are warm."I felt a small lopsided grin find its way to the left side of my face as her presence found itself away from me. Claire went on to do her poison speech but had to redo the scene multiple times because Miss. Janeth wasn't sure where she would collapse until she settled on her falling onto my chest for the end of it. In the end, she gathered our attention."Beautiful work everyone! Now, I want to run another scene a couple of times since you all seemed to gather an understanding of that so quickly! So this time-" Miss. Janeth's voice slowly faded from my hearing as I looked over to Claire who gave me a quick smile as she tucked a strand of hair that was battling to go in front of her ear to behind it with ease. I gave her a smile in return as I looked back over to Miss. Janeth so she wouldn't yell at the two of us. Yet, I felt as if at that moment nothing could go wrong. As a smile deepened on my face, I realized that everyone was setting up for another scene. I looked over to Claire with a confused look as she just giggled at me before giving me an answer."Act 3 Scene 1." She patted my cheek on the right side of my face as she walked by me. "Keep your head out of the clouds." I felt a blush rush to my face as she walked off with a giant grin across her face as she flicked her head over to me one last time. I gave a grin of my own though as I walked towards the opposite side."So everything went well?""Yep!" I swung my sword at the rock made decoys that AAARRRGGHH was throwing my way on Blinky's command. I slashed through it with ease before jumping to miss being hit by an opposite one. I slid to my left as another was flung towards my right."I told you everything will be fine!" I laughed wholeheartedly as I ducked under a giant boulder being hurled in my direction. AAARRRGGHH then decided to roll one towards me, but I was able to leap up just in time to miss it completely."Your head on instant reactions are working well! Now, we must work in other directions. AAARRRGGHH, my friend, you know what to do." Blinky used one of his many hands to pat AAARRRGGHH on the back while pushing Toby over to the side a little. "This might get a little cluttered. Might want to be out of possible harm's way." AAARRRGGHH looked at me with a smile before he bundled a couple of the rocks into his left arm."Jim, ready?" I put my sword before me with a smile."Come at me big guy." His smile widened as he started to circle around me in a quick dash. I kept myself steady as I heard multiple rocks being thrown in my direction. I was able to dodge quite a few with only a few close encounters. It wasn't until AAARRRGGHH started rolling them, as well as his normal throwing that I started to get tripped up. I was able to keep it up for a good few minutes until one of the rolling decoys got me by the ankles and flipped me over completely before landing on my back. I groaned loudly as Blinky walked up to me."You were doing well. Until you were unable to anticipate his movements." He lent out his upper left hand towards me which I took instantly before he helped me up. "Quickness is useful, that is for certain, but it falters when movements are unknown. You must never rely on anticipation alone. You must know and understand your surroundings. Know what you're up against. Only then will you get that much better within a battle." I nodded my head as Blinky placed both of his upper hands onto my shoulders. "Don't let any of this deter you though. You are doing well. Just keep at it. Once we continue with your physical strength, the mental strength will follow in time." I gave Blinky a smile as one seemed to chisel itself into his stone cheeks."Thank you, Blinky.""Of course. Now, it must be getting late. I understand that your kind is rather dependent on sleep so we will call this to an end." As he spoke, the armor disappeared back into the necklace after he pulled his hands off of my shoulders. "Tomorrow, we will do a training gauntlet. You'll experience the full course of which the Hero's Forge can withhold." I gave him a determined grin."I'm ready!" He gave me a hearty laugh as he slapped me on the shoulder."Atta boy! That's the spirit! Now go, both of you! Rest awaits you and so does The Forge!" AAARRRGGHH nodded beside him as both of them gave us large smiles as Toby and I made our way out of the Hero's Forge."Goodnight. Hunters.""See you tomorrow big guy!" Toby was the one waving off to AAARRRGGHH as we made our way out towards Troll Market. It wasn't long after getting into Troll Market that we had made our way to the surface."Dude! This stuff is getting cooler and cooler the more we're there!" I smiled towards Toby as we got on our respective bikes. We started our way towards home easily like we have multiple times by now. With the moon high above us, it was difficult to see the terrain before us, but with how many times we have gone down the beaten path of the canal and the forest not too far from our houses that led to it, we've gotten a blind knowledge of the area with time."I'm getting better. That's what I'm worried about.""Awe come on man! We haven't dealt with anything we can't handle yet!""Yet
is the important word there." He only laughed at me as we made our way through the forest. A delicate silence carrying over both of us. Out of nowhere though, I heard something snap to my left. I skidded my bike to a stop instantly and looked out into the forest. The light from the moon being my only helping hand in the situation."You alright, Jimbo?""I thought I heard something."Toby looked out where I was for a couple of moments before looking back towards me."I don't know man. I don't see anything." I stared out at it for a little longer before shaking my head a little."I guess I might just be seeing things." We continued on our way till we entered our little cul-de-sac that our two houses shared. Toby waved me goodbye as I reciprocated it as we went our separate ways for the night. I placed my bike where it was against the house like always before finding my way up the side of the house from one of the gutter lines and back into my room from my window that I left slightly open for my convenience. After I changed out of my clothes, I laid down in my bed where sleep took me almost instantly.
Both Toby and I were unaware of the shadow that had followed us there.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I felt myself yawn as I dropped my bag around the small knob at the end of the staircase railing. I took my sweatshirt off and threw it over my shoulder as I started to trug my way upstairs. I rubbed my eyes, feeling now the exhaustion that I put my body through the last couple of days as it finally started to catch up with me.But I about fell down the number of steps I had already gone up when I heard a loud slam within the kitchen. I dropped my sweatshirt on the stair as I pulled the necklace out over my shirt before jumping over the stair railing, landing on my feet with ease. I dashed over to the living room to be welcomed to a large dark blue-skinned troll that I remembered almost instantly who was now looking into a giant pot that was hanging above the island within the kitchen. I whispered yelled to the troll as I approached him."Draal! What are you doing here!?" He looked at me for a moment before leaving the pot alone to place a hand over his chest."You had spared my life, Trollhunter. To you, I have a debt. I owe you my life within my culture." I gave him a confused look before speaking again."Okay, two things then." I held up a finger showing that I was going to speak of the first on my mini list. "First, if you owed me a debt, why did it take you so long to find me?""Daylight is my enemy, Trollhunter. You must remember that.""Right." I ran a hand through my hair, instantly feeling stupid for the question. "Two, I'm not the Trollhunter.""Yes, but you are the chosen one all the same." I took a deep breath."Okay, I have another question.""Didn't you say there were only two? Isn't this a third?""Sorry, kind of hard to keep my thoughts straight when you're in my
house." Draal took his hand off his chest as he tried to stand at his full height, only hitting the roof when he tried to."Jim? What was that?" My eyes went wide as I realized that my mother was home. I turned my head to respond as I held up a single finger to Draal."Nothing mom!" I turned back to Draal instantly. "Okay, where are you hiding?""I have no such place." He shook his head as he gave me a saddened look. "Troll Market was the only home for those of my kind. At least safe from sunlight as well as fleshling acknowledgment." I scratched the back of my head as I heard movement upstairs."Shit shit shit. Okay, think Jim. Think!" I paced back and forth for a moment before I eyed the basement door. "Perfect!" I went over and opened the basement door and ushered for him to take the stairs down. "This will be the best place for you to hide." Draal gave me a small smile before placing his hand over where I guessed his heart was once more."I am in your debt, Trollhunter." He started his way into the basement, but his shoulders ended up getting caught in the doorway. "Who in the great Deya created this contraption?" I started to panic as I heard my mother's footsteps above us. I started to push on Draal's back to help him get through the rest of the way. Not really causing much of a budge."Come on Draal! You need to get down there!" I whispered out at him."I'm trying!" He mimicked the way I spoke as he tried to pull himself out of the doorway. I ran back a little before forcing my whole weight into Draal's back, helping him actually get through the rest of the way. Once he fell through he looked back to me as I was trying to close the door. "Trollhunter! You must give me a way to pay off the debt. A task to repay it. It's apart of the culture." I looked over to my left shoulder to see that my mom was still not able to be seen on the staircase."What do you mean?" I whispered out to him."A troll must pay their debts to those that saved their lives. If not, then I will only be a bigger disgrace within troll kind." I looked at him for a moment as I started to actually realize the effects of our fight against one another.
Forced from his home and now owes his life to a fifteen-year-old kid that doesn't have a single clue of what he's doing or what to even do next? What kind of hell have I placed this being through?
"You can do two things for me then." I cleared my head as I looked at Draal with a renewed sense of reason. "Protect this house and all those that occupy it. If there are is anyone that causes harm to someone that lives within this house, I give you the right to fight against it. Unless it's by accident or otherwise.""And the other?""I want you to train me." I took a deep breath as I looked over to him again. "You were one of the best fighters of Troll Market and you were a rather difficult person to fight against. I know you can teach me so much more than I already know. So if you're up for it, I want you to teach me." I watched a second as Draal seemed to be pleased with the idea.
Or at least was pleased with the compliments I gave him.
"I wouldn't have it any other way, Eclipse." I smiled at my actual title being given to me."Jim?" I turned my head towards my mother as I closed the basement door with a smile towards her."Hey, there mom! I was just checking where that noise came from. Was a little weird, wasn't it?" She gave me a curious look as she walked up to me."It was." She gave me a glance over, realizing I was still in my school clothes. "Why haven't you changed?""Oh! I fell asleep while doing homework and I didn't really bother. Kind of late now, isn't it?" I scratched the back of my neck as I lied through my teeth. I watched as she reached out and touched the crystal I had forgotten to cover during all the commotion."When did you get this?" I went wide-eyed for a second, realizing that I have now royally fucked up."Oh! It's just a mood necklace that a friend of mine gave me.""Which one? I know Toby wouldn't of." She chuckled a little at her statement. "That boy doesn't even like necklaces for himself.""Oh, it was Claire." Using now someone else to keep my lie consistent.
Who else am I going to pull into this shit to keep my neck clean from this shit? What kind of shitty person am I now? She doesn't even
know
the weight that this necklace brings and I'm using her to cover my ass.
"Well, I'll need to meet this girl then." My mom's chuckle was easy as it made me feel as if the interaction was a lot more, well,
normal
than it really was. I gave her an easy grin as she leaned back, leaving the necklace alone."Mom." I gave her a slightly annoyed look as my grin made it obvious that I wasn't actually feeling that way."Hey! I need to know who's catching my little man's attention." I rolled my eyes as she gave me a soft smile. "Okay, get changed and head to bed. I think we've had enough of an adventure today." I nodded my head in reply before giving my mom a quick goodnight as she started heading her way up the stairs as a small whisper came out of me while I glanced over to the basement door."Oh, you have no clue.""Draal is in your
basement?" Toby gave me a confused look as we were biking through the main street towards school the next morning. I looked at him like he was insane as his statement caused a few heads to turn towards us."You act like the stone you named is a person." I chuckled nervously as I checked behind us to see some of the people that were watching us just shrugged hearing that as we passed. "Don't say shit like that out loud again. You made it seem like I kidnapped someone!" I reached out and nudged Toby a little, causing his bike's movement to stagger a little before coming back into its normal path."Hey! You could have made me crash!""And you could have got us arrested or some shit. I guess we're even." Toby gave me the stink eye before suddenly tilting his head in confusion."What in the hell is that?" I looked over to where he was just to see a white cloth dancing across the power lines. I thought it was normal at first until I saw a green mark randomly appeared on the side of the cloth."I have no clue, but it doesn't look right." The figure took a left onto a different set of power lines. Instantly, I pulled the handlebars of my bike to follow it. I stood up a little to try to speed up through the nearly empty street. The small amount of huffing behind me told me enough that Toby was trying his best to keep up with me. After a little, while pushing my legs nearly to their limit, the figure jumped off a telephone pole and ran onto the side of the museum building we were nearing upon. Entering in an open window with ease.
As if he has done it a million times.
I skid to a stop and looked around the area for a moment. There was no one else around. Not even a car to indicate someone was near the museum.
Not a single soul. Odd for the early morning workday. As if it was planned.
I heard Toby's heavy breath behind me as I decided to speak my thoughts aloud. "Tobes, I have a bad feeling about this.""Bad as in we might be late to school or bad as in we're going to get detention?""Bad as in I just saw a goblin go into the museum with no consequences.""Oh. That's bad." I nodded my head as I started biking towards the school once more."Plan to check it out later tonight?""Wouldn't imagine any other way to spend my night."We planned a little bit of our museum sweep throughout the day. Agreeing to wear dark clothes and masks as we went to check around the area and then if we believe there is anything sketchy going on, slipping into the building from wherever we can find. We packed a duffle bag at Toby's house with everything we figured we would need for the small adventure as we planned on what to say to Blink and AAARRRGGHH."Flashlights?""Are those really necessary?""Oh wait. Your armor is basically like a glow stick anyway. OOO! How about this museum map from our trip there a little bit ago?""Now that, will be useful. I'm thinking of just telling them the truth. Saw a goblin go in there with a random bundle and we want to go sweep through it.""Probably be best. Also, gloves or no gloves.""Better to be safe than sorry.""Gloves it is." He dropped two sets of black gloves into the bag along with the map of the museum's layout. "Are we overreacting at all?" I shrugged at the question as I pull on the black mask he had tossed at me when we first started. It was like one of those skin-tight Spider-Man replicas but was completely black with white around where the eyes were."I will rather be overreacting than getting caught being stupid.""Man. Imagine if the cops find us thought. Your mom would be so pissed.""I rather not." Frowning under the mask at the idea. "Maybe we are overreacting? We are acting as if we're about to go in there to steal a precious jewel or some shit.""To be honest, I have no clue what kind of security system they have there so I rather go through unrecognizable instead of, you know, in street clothes or some shit." I nodded along before pulled the mask off my head and tossing it into the still open duffle bag."So, what do we have so far?" He rummaged through the bag a little as he started compiling a list."Two sets of black gloves, two identical masks, two black hoodies, two pairs of black sweatpants, two pairs of black shoes, and a museum map. Wait- should we bring our phones?""Probably best not to? If we get caught by whatever is in there, it would be the first thing they ask for." I pulled mine out of my front pocket. "It would probably be smart if we left them in the bag with our normal clothes in Troll Market. More specifically, in Blinky's library." Toby nodded along to the idea. "Ready for whatever it is that's going on in there?" Toby nodded once more, this time sporting a slanted but confident smile."Ready is my middle name." With that and a zip of the duffle bag, we were ready for our small little heist.I zipped up my black hoodie as Blinky was making sure he got the information right from the two of us."So you saw a goblin head into this human history contraption?" I pulled on my set of gloves as Toby was struggling to tie his black shoes on."Yup." I pulled the velcro strip tight before latching it to its opposite slip. I gave him a smile as I did the same to the other."Didn't we already speak of how these beings are tied to the Janus Order?" I nodded as I grabbed my mask out of the duffle bag, placing the clothes I had now laying on the rock floor into the bag in replacement. Putting my phone on top of the pile along with Toby's which he handed me as he started to place on his own sweatshirt. "Then why are you two doing this, for a lack of a better word, set up, you two have here?""Because there are security cameras everywhere." I started pilling Toby's clothes on top of our phones so there was a small cushion for them before zipping it shut. "If we get caught on camera, then we'll be known to everyone. Even the Order." I placed the mask into my sweatpants pocket with a smile. "It's only a quick glance around. If anything goes south, I know you've trained me well.""Master Jim, are you sure you two do not need our assistance?""I'm sure, Blinky. Toby and I got this handled." At this point, Toby joined into the small conversation."We're only going to take a peek anyway. Probably not even enter the building." I nodded along to Toby's statement."If you say so." Blinky gave us a wide smile as I placed the duffle bag onto the library's center counter."We'll be back before you know it." I gave him an easy smile as I pulled the mask out of my pocket again as I glanced over to Toby. "Ready?" With a simple nod, we both put on the masks on the top of our heads, having them nearly covering our foreheads."Let's do this."Before we arrived at the museum, we pulled down the masks we were wearing. We had no clue how far the cameras covered, so we decided it was best to cover our faces as soon as we saw it in the distance. Once we arrived there, we walked around the back of the building and placed our bikes against the bushes that covered it. For a few moments, we scouted out the back wall to see if there was any way to get up to the windows besides where the goblin had entered."Natural light came in through the roof a little, didn't it? When we came here last?""Yeah. Where's that question leading us?" I gave Toby a wicked smile, even though I knew he couldn't see it under my mask as I walked over to the lower part of the back wall. I walked back from it a little before starting to run towards the wall. Using my built up speed to my advantage, I climb the wall a little by running up it a little before grasping onto the side of the building.
Thank whatever is above for Blinky's strength training.
I pulled myself up with ease and dusted off my gloves as I stood. I turned back to Toby and leaned over the side of the building with my hand reached out. "Grab my hand.""Are you insane?!" He whispered yelled up to me."Do I look like I'm joking?""Well, you kind of look like a Spider-Man knock-off but-""Just grab my hand already!""Alright! Calm your ass." He swung his arm back and forth for a moment as he tried to get some bounce into his legs. With a huff, he jumped up and was at least three feet from my hand."Tobes, seriously?""I'm trying here!""Can you try a little harder?" When he jumped this time, he was a little more than a foot off. I leaned over the edge a little further so I could help with the gap. "Just a little more buddy." With one last huff, he jumped once more and grasped my hand. I instantly used my other hand to secure him before starting to pull him up. It took a little bit and I was thankful for the muscle I was gaining from training since it was a little less strenuous than I thought it would be, but we both got through it with relative ease. We looked over the building once more, seeing now that the actual ceiling was a bit higher than was we just accomplished."So, what now?""We could split up. You can stay over here and check through these windows and I can climb up top.""Alright. But what should we do if we spot anything? It's not like we brought walkie talkies or anything?" I stood there and pondered for a second before something actually came to mind."How about a call? You still know those weird bird calls from when we were kids?""They were not weird! They were educational." I rolled my eyes even though the action was only known by myself."Whatever. If you see anything, use one of those. If I see anything, I'll whistle. Alright?""Alright. Stay safe up there.""You too, Tobes." I walked over to the side of the building and used the windowsill cement blocks to climb my way to the roof. Once I got there, I realized that some of the roof was in fact glass, but only in separate sections. It was split into five sections. Four flat ones with one like that of a domed shaped skylight in the center. I turned around and leaned down to Toby to give him the news. "Hey, there's not much ground I can cover up here. You're going to have to find a way to search the back hallways. I don't think I can see them from where the glass is placed.""I can try." I gave him a nod as he started to look around a little to find a way around. As he did this, I stood straight and walked slowly over to the first set of glass in the ceiling that was near the front of the museum. I sat on the cement part of the roof before looking through the glass a little. From what I could tell, it showed the left side of the main entrance walkway towards the heart of the museum. All seemed normal from when we visited it not long prior. I did the same process to the one straight across it. Nothing much had changed in what that section shown. It was just the right side of the same view. I got up with a soft groan as I walked lightly towards the backset on the left side. When I leaned down to take a look, I saw a mass amount of crates on what seemed like rows of metal shelves. I pulled out the map that I snagged from the duffle bag before we changed to understand where I was based on the brochure.
This is where they are adding the new exhibit. If it's under construction still, then why have the crates in the area? Isn't that dangerous to the artifacts?
I felt my necklace burn lightly against my chest as I thought to myself. I stood before I placed a hand over the spot where the crystal was sitting on my chest while I walked towards the skylight since I saw that it should be right over where the construction area is on the map.
Me too buddy. I have a bad feeling about this.
I crouched down by the skylight before sitting down on my knees and sitting up straight to get a good glance down from the backside of the dome structure. From what I could tell, I was right about it being where the construction area was from how it showed me a little after the curtain that hid it from public view. So I got myself up slowly and tried my best to keep myself small against the structure as well as to not lean my weight against it. Once I was on the opposite side, I did the same as before to look into the building. I felt my jaw drop slightly as the mask restricted it from going further than a certain distance.
What in the hell?
There was a mass of people. Some looked familiar, some I knew by name, but a lot of them were unknown to me. But the two that stuck out the most were two I knew rather well from my day to day life."Ms. Nomura and Mr. Strickler?" I whispered to myself as I squinted my eyes to get a better look. They were all standing before an archway that looked as if it was missing a piece or two. It had carvings that I couldn't make out in the distance but looked strikingly familiar to what I saw within Troll Market. My skin burned more as the crystal was definitely showcasing the shock that I was feeling within my system. I watched in awe as a flash of light appeared before them as a figure appeared within a circle. Mr. Strickler walked before it with wide arms. I could tell by his gestures that he was speaking towards the mysterious figure. I had no clue what it was about, but the burning sensation on the back of my neck that was mimicked by the crystal on my chest told me that it was something that really
shouldn't
be happening. Suddenly, another flash of light danced before my vision as now a creature stood in Strickler's place. It was taller than the humans around it and had sickly green skin as I could make out what were horns on the back of his head.
That's enough evidence that I need to understand this shit isn't safe.
I scooted away slowly from the skylight and tried my best to keep my cool as I went over to the back of the museum. I lifted up my mask a little as I whistled out to Toby. I went over to where we separated to see he was leaning over a windowsill on the right side of the building. I pulled my mask back down as I jumped down to the second part of the roof."We're going now.""Really? Already? I just got over here.""Now. I've seen enough to need to talk to Blinky and AAARRRGGHH about a few things." He dropped down from the window into the bush below it as I jumped down to the ground myself. We got over to our bikes as soon as we could as we hopped on them rather quickly."What did it that you see? You seem a little shook up.""Enough to say this." I looked over to Toby as I tried to muster as much as a serious voice as I could. "We can't trust anyone else unless we're certain of who they are.""What do you mean?""I'll explain when we get back to Troll Market. I don't want to spend another moment here." He nodded his head. After that, we started our way back to our otherworldly hideout."Explain it once more, Master Jim." I nodded my head as I sat there before Blinky."I saw one of my teachers turn into this tall green creature while he was speaking to a figure within a circle of light. I couldn't make out what was within it. But behind what he was speaking to was a giant stone-like archway that seemed to be missing pieces of it. As if they're completing a giant 3D puzzle." I gave Blinky a confused look as I held my mask tight within my hands. "What could that all mean? What is he? What was he talking to? And what is with that arch?" Blinky glanced over to AAARRRGGHH for a moment before going over to his bookshelves to pull out a book before returning in front of me."Read this. I'll explain what you saw was, but this will give you a better understanding that my explanation could ever." I nodded as I took the book from his upper set of hands. "Now, what you have witnessed is a changeling.""Oh! I've heard of those before! There was this movie from the earlier 2000s that talked about that. Isn't it when a child is taken and replaced with a creature that takes their form?" I looked over to Toby with wide and shocked eyes as he spoke. "What? Grandma still thinks it's like 2009. She won't watch anything newer and I actually kind of enjoyed it." I looked over to Blinky with a skeptical look. As if I was asking if my friend was right."Well, you are correct, but there is a little bit of an error in your explanation. They don't steal children, but infants.""You said they used goblins to secure items they wanted. Would they use them to do this with children as well?""Yes." I looked over to Toby as I made a connection within my head."What if what the one we saw this morning was an infant? Maybe that was what they were doing?""I wouldn't doubt that, Master Jim." I turned my head back over to Blinky as he spoke. "But if they were speaking to a veil opening, I doubt it would only be for creating a changeling.""What do you mean?""Well, to understand, I must tell you a story of troll history." I nodded my head, giving my full attention to Blinky. "Back in the day of Deya's time of being the Trollhunter, there was a clash between regular troll kind and those that were called Gum-Gums.""Gum-Gums? What kind of species is that? They sound like something from one of those little girl fairy tales.""If 'little girl fairy tales' are fearsome human devouring troll creatures that came from a place called the Darklands, then yes, they are apart of what you call 'little girl fairy tales'." I gave Blinky wide eyes as he used air quotes with a serious voice. "These creatures were furious foes, but we were able to defeat them in the Battle of Killahead bridge. This was where Deya put the Gum-Gums and their leader, Gunmar, into the Darklands as a payment for the turmoil they had caused. Ever since his workers, that are in the form of the changelings within the Janus Order, have been desiring to free their leader and cause what is dubbed the Eternal Night.""And what would happen if that occurs?""Gum-Gums would run rampant. Countless of humans, trolls, and all in between will be slain as Gunmar will take the world for himself.""Unless we have a way to stop it." I found myself becoming darkly serious as I looked up to Blinky, not even aware that I looked away from him as he spoke. "What can we do to stop it?""Well, they need more than just the bridge itself to open the gate to the Darklands." He placed a hand on my shoulder as he looked me dead into my eyes with all six of his own. "They need to have the Amulet of Daylight to open it." I gave Blinky a wide smile before I spoke."Then let's stop them before they can even get to that point." I looked over to Toby with the same grin on my face. "What do you say, Tobes? Ready for an adventure?" He mimicked my smile as he replied."Let's take down a Janus Order."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"So. What's the plan?""To be honest? I have no clue." I chuckled at myself as I closed my locker with an anxious smile. "Doesn't help I still have lines to memorize for the play.""Oh yeah, that's the end of this month, right?" I nodded my head as I scratched the back of my neck."Yeah. I almost forgot with the adventure we had last night." I held my history book tight in my left hand as my right one laid back down to my side. "Wait, wasn't there something that Blink gave us to help with the situation?" Tobes nodded his head as he rummaged through his bag that he dropped it to the floor for a quick second. He pulled out what looked like a horseshoe out, but I knew better from what Blinky explained last night."This is a Gaggletack. This is used to force a changeling into their real form." Blinky placed it into my extended hands, making sure I had a grip on it before letting it go. "Now, be very careful with this totem. It's rather rare due to how they are usually destroyed once a changeling finds them." I eyed what was basically a stone horseshoe as I twisted it around in my hand."How does it work?""To be blunt, Master Jim, I have never used it personally. I believe if you touch the changeling with it, it'll force the changeling into their real form." I nodded my head as I handed it over to Toby to keep it safe."Oh! I also found this when we were out last night." He put the totem back into his bag as he pulled out a small stuffed bunny. "I have no clue what it's about or anything. Have any idea?" I took the bunny from his hand and weighed it within my own."I have no clue. Probably from whatever," I looked back and forth in the area before whispering towards Toby due to the small number of people around us. "Victim the goblin brought there." I looked at it once more as I realized it had some age to it. "Maybe we should figure out who it's supposed to be? It could lead us in the right direction." I handed it back to Toby so he could place it back into his bag. "Whose ever it is, we got to figure it out. Whoever else is behind this could be anyone. We need to be careful." Toby gave me a determined nod."You got it, Jimbo. Let's find some changelings."Most of the school day passed by with ease as we tried to compile a list of as many possible members of the Janus Order as we could. I tried my best to remember as many figures as I could that were there beside Strickler and Nomura, but it was rather hard when I couldn't see anyone's face when I was eavesdropping on the crowd.
Well, it's not really eavesdropping is it when you can't hear anything.
I pushed my locker shut with a sigh as Toby and I grouped up once more after having quite a stressful history class since we knew of our teacher's secret. With me trying to remember anyone else that seemed familiar in the crowd I saw, Toby took it upon himself to try to figure anything out about a missing child."Well, I can say without a doubt that trying to figure out who I saw based on their figure on clothing is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be." I rubbed the back of my neck as I looked at the small list I had compiled throughout classes. Still, only two names were for certain with stars next to them as the rest were questionable beyond belief."I still think Dr. Muelas is one, but whatever you say, Jimbo." I rolled my eyes at the idea as we walked to our next class."I don't remember seeing him. Or well, what I could guess was him." I shoved the paper into my jeans pocket as I spoke again. "What about you? Any updates on your end?""To be honest? I have nothing. Either no one is missing anything or I'm just not listening enough." I sighed as put a hand through my hair.
No leads. No ideas. Nothing. Just wonderful.
When I put my gaze forward once more, I was welcomed to the sight of a small group of girls together huddling around someone. It looked as if they were trying to console the person in the center. Without a second to reconsider, I found myself going over to the group to try to see what was going on. Seeming to read my mind on the idea, Toby joined along. With closer inspection, I knew some of the girls by name. Mary, Darci, and Shannon were the ones I knew well off the bat.But once I got close enough, I realized that the girl in the center of the group was not other than Claire."I'm sure he'll show up at some point. Just gotta have a bit of hope, C-Bomb." It was obvious by how Claire wrapped her arms around herself that she wanted to believe Darci's words, but wouldn't allow herself to."He's been missing since this morning and even though mamá insisted on me going to school today, I know she's just as worried as I am due to how she took the day off of work." I watched with a heavy heart as I saw her sigh as she closed her eyes. "I just wish she would let me help instead of having to act like everything is okay. He's my hermanito. I should be out there helping them. I feel terrible going through the day is if nothing happened." I looked over to Toby with an extended hand, as if knowing what I was thinking, he dug out the small stuffed rabbit he found outside the museum and gave it to me. I looked over to Claire once more, not really knowing what to say but knowing I had to say something with the knowledge I knew. So I placed the stuffed animal behind me as my mind decided to speak on its own accord."Sorry to interrupt," All of the small group looked over to me instantly as if I had shattered glass to gain their attention. "I heard what you were saying about your brother and I wanted to say I'm sorry for what you're going through." Claire gave me a soft smile as she lowered her arms a little from the small hug she was giving herself."Thanks, Jim. It means a lot." I smiled as I noticed I made a small improvement in her mood, deciding to continue with my half thought out idea."I also wanted to ask if this belonged to your brother possibly." I held out the small stuffed animal towards her as I rubbed the back of my neck with my free hand. "Toby and I found it on our way to school and we were going to drop it off at the police station later." Her eyes went wide as she almost shot up off the bench she was sitting on."Snoozy Snooze! That's the bunny I gave him when he was born." She took it out of my hand as if it was glass, delicately weighing it in her hands as I brought mine back down to my side. She looked up to me with a soft look as it was obvious in the corner of her eyes that she near her emotional limit for the day. "Thank you." I gave her an honest smile as I put my hands in my pockets."It's no big deal. Just happy I found who it belonged to before having to drop it off at the station. Would have hated if it had gotten lost in translation. Right Tobes?" I looked over to my friend as he gave a wide smile in response."Hey! Would have been a bummer." Claire looked between us with a happy smile as she took the plush in her arms."Well, thank you. To the both of you. Maybe they could use this is to figure out where he went. Where did you say you found it?" I looked over to Toby, trying my best to stay calm as my mind was freaking out trying to come up with a reasonable answer."Where did you first spot it, Tobes?" Instantly catching up with my loss for an answer, Toby perked up as he rattled off his own reasoning."Oh! It was over by the empty canal! It was rather weird, to be honest. Didn't think it was anything at first until I took a double-take." I looked over to Claire with a smile as it seemed that she took it as the truth.
Another lie to the list. Thank God she took it though.
"I'll text that to my mom. She should still be with the officers on the search.""Perfect idea." The bell rang, signaling for us to start scurrying off to class. I took the moment to give Claire a sincere look before speaking once more. "If it means anything, I'm sure everything will be alright." This pulled a wide smile from her as she pulled the plush close to her chest."With your help, it might just be.""Okay. So Claire's brother is the one that was kidnapped by the Janus Order." I sighed as I leaned against the island in Blinky's library. The training him and AAARRRGGHH put me through had nearly brought my body to the point of exhaustion. It didn't help that I was already tired as it was after play practice today.
Miss one rehearsal during the last few weeks of production and Miss Janeth loses her mind to the point you have to prove you know your lines by reciting them while running in place.
I sighed at the memory as I placed my hands on the counter behind me.
I won't say I didn't deserve it, but it didn't help with the fact I already had to deal with PE and Trollhunter training every day, to begin with. Add in running in place on stage under stage lights while reciting the "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night!" lines were pushing me near my body's limit.
"More than likely." I closed my eyes as I took in a deep breath before releasing it slowly.Dear whoever the fuck is in charge of my life story: Why bring her into this? It's bad enough I worry for Toby's well being, I don't want to worry for Claire's as well."Should we double-check in some way?" I looked over to Toby only to be welcomed with his 'Seriously? And I'm the stupid one?' look on his face."How? Breaking into her house when we don't even know if the changeling replacement is there?" I shrugged."You have a better idea?" Toby sighed as he walked up beside me, leaning up against the counter as well."To be honest, not a single one." He crossed his arms over his chest as it was obvious he was pondering on the idea. "I guess we could do that. Dress up in baggy clothing. Have you sneak in once we know the Not-Nuñez is there. Tap him with the Gaggletack, see if he changes, and then get the hell out of there." I took in a deep breath once more, letting it go slowly as I leaned my head back.
Dear whoever the fuck is in charge of my life story part two: Why do you do this to me?
"I guess we can do that. Unless a better opportunity arrives.""Well, if you could somehow babysit for the kid at some point, maybe. But even then, do we even know how a changeling would react if they knew someone was up to them? Could be a shit show if you ask me." I nodded at the idea.True. We have never dealt with an actual changeling yet. We have little to no clue how they react or even what else they do with their lives besides the whole 'Free Gunmar' thing. They could be territorial. They could be aggressive. We already know that older changelings are deadly, but a brand new one? It's like a Joker in a card deck. Anything could happen."So. Wait till we hear that her 'brother'," I used arm quotes respectively as I continued. "Is safe and sound. Then we sneak on through, find out if it's true, then we're in the clear.""Hopefully. This is a council woman's house who had just had her kid kidnapped. They could have security measures." I looked over to Tobes for a second before pulling myself away from the counter."Let's hope it's too soon for that. If not, I need to cover up as much as possible.""How are we supposed to know where to go?" I shrugged to Toby as we walked towards the gym after school the next day. My mind was rather perplexed as I was flipping through the massive math packet I had due on Monday."Never been there before." I knew exactly what he was talking about. We have both been aware of Claire's brother returning home without a scratch the night before.
"It was rather weird, to be honest." Claire gave me a wide smile as she held her history book close to her chest. She was on her way to class when we realized we were not too far ahead of her when she decided to let us know the update on her brother. "There was a knock on the door around seven and when we opened it, there he was. All wrapped up in a basket of some kind." She looked off into the distance for a moment, as if she was contemplating something before looking back towards me and Toby. "I keep thinking of why they would have just dropped him off like that, but as my mother said, nunca es bueno mirar a un caballo dotado en la boca." I nodded, knowing enough Spanish to understand the old saying she was referring to. She put a hand to my arm as a softer look danced across her face. Instantly, a burning feeling could be felt against my skin from the crystal that was desperately screaming out what I already knew I was feeling. "But thank you for bringing me what you found. It gave me a lot of hope that I definitely needed." She looked over to Toby with the same small grin that was on her face as she retracted her hand from me.
I felt a delicate half-smile place itself on my face at the memory from earlier within the day. The crystal once more warmed at the thought as I stopped right in front of the gym doors."To be honest, I have a little bit more worries about this algebra packet than anything." I waved the thick packet lightly. "I think Miss. Janeth is trying to teach me a lesson from missing that rehearsal the other day. Mix this in with the jogging she had me do and you might have to be at my funeral next week." I laughed a little as Toby tried his best to stifle a small snort that came out of him. I felt a small tap on my shoulder which caused me to turn my head to my left to be greeted by a Claire holding the straps of her backpack after retracting her hand once more."You know, I could help you with that so no one would need to write you an obituary. I did take honors algebra last year so I have already been through the torture." She gave me a playful smirk as kept her hands holding the straps of her backpack still. I felt the crystal warm once more as it was obvious it was changing colors in its hideaway under my shirt and jacket. I rubbed the back of my neck as I gave Claire what I was hoping was an easy smile."Oh, I don't want to be a bother or anything. Especially with what you went through recently.""It's not a problem at all. To be honest, it'll make everything feel a little bit more normal." She crossed her arms over her chest with a smile. "Also, I wouldn't take a no for an answer after how you and Toby helped me out.""Yeah, I think you're stuck with that one, Jimbo." I rolled my eyes jokingly to Toby as he gave me a knowing look.I know what he's saying in his head. "One: You want to. Two: You need to. Just accept it fam.""Well, I would appreciate the help." I turned to Claire, feeling a lopsided grin on my face. "When should we suffer?""I can after rehearsal today if you want?" My smile deepened at the idea."Sure thing. My mom has a late-night shift anyway so I can stay out a bit longer than normal. Might as well put it to good use." Claire smiled at my answer."Perfect! I came on my bike today so we can ride together there." She looked at her phone for a second before looking back up. "I need to go put some props together that Miss. Janeth wants me to section out. I'll see you in there." She gave me a wave with her right hand then she gave one to Toby. "Thanks for backing me up, Toby." With that, she slipped into the gym without a second word. I gave Toby a jokingly annoyed look as he had a cheeky grin on his face."What? It's two birds with one stone.""At what? The expense of my embarrassment?" He slugged me lightly in my arm before placing his hands in his pockets."You act like I didn't just help you get some one-on-one time with your dream girl." I rolled my eyes once more with a sincere smile hanging off my lips."Whatever you say, Tobes." I looked towards the gym doors that Claire had just gone through before looking back towards him. "Guess I should get ready. Talk to you later?""Oh you better, buddy! You gotta tell me how everything goes!" I laughed a little at his response as I opened the gym door and walked on over to the stage like I have multiple times before.
At least one thing can be said, Toby has never changed through all of this and I'm beyond grateful for it.
The rehearsal was done before I knew it and as we wrapped up everything, I found Claire by my side who was slipping her script she kept backstage into her backpack."Ready for our adventure?" I felt my lips turn up at her question as I placed my bag's strap over my shoulder."Definitely. Thanks again for the help, by the way." We started walking out of the gymnasium side by side as we headed towards the bike racks."It's no big deal, seriously." She gave me a side glance as we walked together. I could tell by the corner of her lip curving up that she had a smile on her face. "I want to help you out. No thanks needed.""Well, just so you know, I'm kind of a lower learner.""Perfect. Give me a challenge." She turned her head towards me to give me a playful smirk as she had before.Thank God for these shitty street lights and setting sun or I would be dying of embarrassment right now with how much my face is burning.As if to mock my thoughts, the crystal made its presence known as it felt as if it was trying to warm me in the middle of a winter snowfall.Not to self, if it ends up snowing as if hell had frozen over, since, you know, we're in California, the crystal can be a lifesaver.Once we arrived at the bike rack, Claire put on her blue bike helmet without a second thought as she unlatched her bike from its resting place. I followed suit, putting on my own helmet that was black and white before releasing my own bike from the rack. I flung my leg over the side of the bike, sitting on the bike seat as Claire gave me a wide smile, already set and ready to go."Ready?" I gave a quick nod in response."Lead the way."Even though where she lived wasn't more than ten minutes away by bike, it felt as if it was only a few minutes with how we found ourselves enjoying a little race we unspokenly had together. In the end, I let her gain a decent lead on me even though I knew I could catch up with her if I truly tried.
Reason number one: Chivalry isn't dead.
Reason number two: I have no clue where to stop.
Reason number three: If I go any faster, I might need to get swept to stop.
I found myself laughing a little at myself as we stopped in front of the Nuñez estate. Claire hopped off her ride and leaned it up against the staircase leading up to the front door before taking off her helmet. I took off my own helmet before jumping off my bike and leaning it up against the opposite side of the staircase. I hung my helmet off my handlebars like always as Claire started her way up to the door."My parents are home for a little bit, but they're getting ready to leave so something for the council so they won't be for long. They might annoy us a little bit before they leave but it shouldn't be anything beyond liveable." I laughed a little at her as I jogged up the steps as was unlocking the front door."I think I can handle it." I gave her a determined smile before she entered the house."¡Mamá! ¡Papá! ¡Estoy en casa! Traje a alguien." She took off her shoes before she placed her bag next to the couch that was almost instantly to my right. "You can take a seat over there on the couch if you want. My mom's a stickler for her 'Shoes at the door' policy so you might want to kick those off before she sees them." I nodded, taking them off and placed them neatly next to hers before walking over and taking a seat on the couch. I took my bag off my shoulder and placed it in between my feet as I noticed a small blonde haired infant set up in a bouncy seat next to the kitchen. Claire kneeled down to the little one, giving him a loving pat on the head before rising back to her feet. The little one reaching out to her as she walked away."So that's your little brother?" I gave her a grin as she sat down beside me, now noticing the two water bottles she had grabbed for us that she placed on the coffee table."Yep! His name is Enrique. Want to meet him real quick?" I shrugged with what I hoped was a joyful smile."Sure. I have a good track record with little ones anyway."Not a complete lie. Add that to the white lie list.We got up together without another word and Claire led the way slightly to her little brother. I knelt down almost instantly as I gave the baby a soft smile."Hey there little guy." Instantly, I seemed to amuse the child as he tilted his head at me before giving a toothless smile while he held out his hands towards me.Be careful, Jim. You understand what he could be. Don't let him think otherwise.I held out my open hands to him which he instantly grabbed my pointer fingers on each hand."You're a happy little one, aren't you?" I chuckled as this drew out a happy little coo from him. I looked up to Claire who had a soft look on her face as she watched the little scene unfold. The necklace that was still hidden away from view started to burn as if it was trying to brand me as I knew it was changing color. A little gabble from Enrique drew my attention back to him as he was now trying to grab for my chest. I looked down to see a slight tint of purple coming from where my sweatshirt was a little open. The thin t-shirt I wore underneath not giving enough coverage to completely snuff out the brightness. Without a second thought, I used my free hand to pull the necklace out from under my shirt, the heartstone glowing lightly now as Enrique looked entranced by it.Huh. If this kid is a part of the Janus Order changelings, it seems they have no clue of what this necklace means.That or this kid is an actual infant and I'm too far gone into Trollhunter mode at the moment.I felt a hand place itself on my shoulder, I looked over to see that Claire had joined beside me. She was trying to keep Enrique from reaching out for the necklace."I would put that away if I was you." She had a small laugh as she spoke. "He likes to teeth on anything dangling. I would hate it if he ruined it at all." I nodded my head, putting the necklace back under my shirt and zipped up the jacket a little to keep the color from being seen through it. Enrique's answer to this was a saddened whimper as I shot the infant a smile."I know buddy. The colors are enticing, aren't they?" I reached out and allowed him to grab my finger once more. "I promise I'll show you it again sometime, alright? Just, not when you can grab it." This gave me a small coo from the infant as footsteps could be heard behind me. Claire rose to her feet first as she gave a wide smile to those behind us. I got to my feet and tried my best to give an easy smile as I was met with the sight of both Mrs. and Mr. Nuñez. Mrs. Nuñez looked me over for a second before giving me a smile."When you said you brought someone I was expecting Darci or Mary, but this is a nice surprise. What's your name, young man?""I'm Jim Lake, ma'am." I gave her a nod as I addressed her, hoping I was coming off as polite as I could. "It's nice to meet you." The wide eyes she gave me for a moment before she settled down to an impressed gleam in her eyes told me enough that it worked."A boy with formalities? Here I thought those teachings have died." She laughed at her own joke for a moment before speaking once more. "You can call me Mrs. Nuñez or Ophelia if you wish.""I try my best." I gave her a toothy grin as I spoke. I looked over to her father who was looking me over as he stood beside his wife. "And you must be Mr. Nuñez? It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." His wife gave me a look I couldn't read as he held out his hand toward me."It's just Mr. Nuñez. No sir needed." I took his hand, trying my best to follow the few steps that I was taught as a kid as I tried to give him a firm handshake. He gripped my hand a little tight, but I could understand why. From the look in his eyes, it was obvious he didn't like the idea that his daughter brought a boy home. After he released my hand, it throbbed a little but I ignored as Claire joined in."Jim is in the play with me and I overheard him saying he was struggling with an algebra packet. I offered to give him some help since I'm babysitting tonight anyway." I smiled toward Claire, feeling a bit of nervousness enter my system while the necklace made it physically known as well."That's fine." It was Claire's mom who spoke first with a wide smile. "With how Enrique seemed to enjoy you, I think it'll be fine. Baby's have such a good judge of character at that age anyway." She looked over to her husband as her hand reached out to place itself on his shoulder. "What do you think, honey?" He looked over at me for a second before looking back to his wife."I agree, but not for too long. We can't have your parents worrying about you." He gave me a half-smile as I placed my hands in my pockets."I only have a few hours before my mom wants me home anyway so I won't be here for too long anyway.""What does your mother do?" I smiled at Mrs. Nuñez before I answered her question."She's a trauma doctor." This rewarded me with a large smile from the councilwoman.I guess the idea my mom's a doctor makes her trust me a little more. I have no clue how that works out though."What about your father?" I was stunned for a second, even though I had a feeling that the question was going to present itself."Um." I nervously pulled my right hand out of my pockets and scratched the back of my neck. "He's not really in the picture." This caused a pause in the conversation. I knew that the Nuñez family hadn't been in Arcadia Oaks long enough to have heard the gossip that fluttered around at the time that it happened so I figured they wouldn't have known as the rest of town had. I dropped my hand, placing it back into my jeans pocket as I tried to save us all from an awkward silence. "It's no big deal though.""Well, I'm sorry either way." I smiled at Claire's mother as she presented the apology. Probably feeling silly for asking the question."Really, it's nothing to be sorry for. Honestly." I gave her a sheepish smile as I shrugged it off. For a moment, she glanced over to her husband before looking at the watch on her wrist."Well, we should be off. It was wonderful meeting you, Jim." I nodded my head."You as well." Mr. Nuñez gave me a nod as he passed me by while Claire walked over to walk them out.I felt my face flush as they spoke their goodbyes to one another in Spanish as I understood enough to know what "No es un asunto gracioso" to mean. With a click of a lock and a sigh, I looked over to see Claire leaning up against the back of the door as if she was exhausted from the encounter. She straightened up and walked over to me before placing a hand on my shoulder."I'm really sorry for all of that. My dad is usually not that cold as my mother is not usually that chatty." I shrugged, giving her the best smile I could muster as the awkwardness from the previous situation still made the air feel uneasy to me."It's fine. I understand. Everybody's parents are different. Just happy that they didn't seem to despise me after first meeting me." Claire gave me a smirk as she retracted her hand, crossing her arms over her chest in what I could tell was a playful manner."Are you saying that having parents hate you is usual for you?" I gave her a toothy grin."I plead the fifth." This got a giggle out of the slightly shorter teen as she unfolded her arms from her chest."How about you get your stuff ready as I get us something to snack on? My family had a good guacamole recipe." I smiled at the idea."Sure thing.""Care to explain the absurd change of clothes? I have a sense of, what is it that you humans call it? Deja vu?" I stifled a laugh at Blinky as I was zipping up my black hoodie as we had done in his library not long before."Well, we have a different reason this time." I put my gloves in my pocket before straightening out my hood. "We know of a new possible changeling. We want to make sure though before we investigate any further." Blinky's eyes grew wide at my statement."Great Scott! How did you figure that out so quickly? It hasn't even been a few days, from my understanding.""Let's just say someone we know from school was missing a brother and now they had magically reappeared." Blinky rubbed his chin with one of his four hands as the lower set crossed over his chest. He hummed for a minute before speaking."Seems suspicious, yes." He kept his chin on his hand as he looked straight towards me. "What could this information provide you?""I have no clue as of yet. We could possibly use it as blackmail. If we make it obvious to the changeling that we know who they are, maybe they could be cooperative. Give us a spy within the Janus Order so they could keep their comfy life." I put the same Spider-Man like mask on my head, stopping at my forehead as I have before."And if that outcome does not come to light?" I shrugged at the idea."I have no clue." I kneeled down to put my clothes in the duffle bag, knowing from its emptiness that Toby was almost done as well. I placed my phone on top of my clothes, standing back up to leave the rest up to Toby. "All I know is that I'm not going to end up killing what is seemingly a baby. That won't go over well with anyone. Let alone myself. Or my psyche." I stood there for a second, shivering at the idea.
Gum-Gums? I could see myself not having a problem mentally slaying those things. It's apart of the job.
Changelings in the form of babies? I will scare myself for life. Even killing an adult one would probably make me feel as if I'm a bloodthirsty murderer. Hell! Even the gnomes I had a problem with I felt bad for!
I shook my head, bringing myself out of my thoughts."Either way, we're just going to sneak in and see if he reacts to the Gaggletack. We'll find a way to use the information effectively at some point after." I looked over to Toby who was now kneeling down to place his phone in the duffle, along with his clothes. He already had his glove sticking out of his pockets as his mask was set the same as mine around his forehead. I stared back up to Blinky with a smile as AAARRRGGHH joined the scene just over his shoulder. "It shouldn't take too long." I pulled my gloves out, putting them on before grabbing the Gaggletack that was lying beside the bag."Good luck, Trollhunter. We will be expecting you.""Jim given luck. Same with Toby." Blinky smiled at his companion as he looked over to Toby."Yes. Same to you as well, Tobias." I gave both of them a smile before waving goodbye to them as Toby and I made our way out of Troll Market once more. Once we made our way out, we grabbed our bikes without a word between us."Ready for this, Jim?" I gave him a smile as I sat on my bike with my foot already on the right pedal."As ready as I'll ever be."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Which room do you think it is?" I shrugged as both Toby and I crotched low near a bush not too far away from the left side of the Nuñez Estate. We were waiting a few minutes since the lights near the front in the castle-like tower addition to the average house had only just gone out as we arrived."All I know is that it's not that one." I pointed toward the tower area windows. "I doubt they had just put their infant to bed." Toby shrugged at me as he pointed his gloved thumb over to the house."I would double-check it anyway. You never know. Maybe they had to calm him down after a midnight nightmare or something?" I nodded along after taking a second to think it over."Yeah. I guess I can do that. How much longer do you think we should wait?""I think you should go ahead.""Okay, last-second run through if I get caught.""Beg Claire for forgiveness?" I about facepalmed at Toby's comment if it wasn't for the spike of anxiety that spread through my chest."Don't make me have a panic attack." He placed his hands on my shoulders. He shook me lightly before pointing right into my face with his gloved index finger."Don't." He chuckled for a second before getting back into his serious mode. "Step one: Watch for light changes. Step two: Whistle twice. Step Three: I run with bikes like an idiot.""That's your steps.""Exactly. But your job is to talk your way out of it or just running like a mad man." I felt myself smile lightly at him as I held my fist out towards him."Thanks, Tobes. Always the best in anxious moments." He knocked my fist lightly."No prob, Jimbo. You know you love me, so don't act like you don't." I stood up and made sure the gaggletack was hooked on my thigh by a makeshift strap we found to fasten it there. When I went up to the house, I used the porch lining on the left side to pull myself up onto the roof. I tried my best to walk slowly towards the room that had been the last one with activity prior. I crotched low before reaching the window so that I could blend into the darkness as much as the moonlight was willing to allow. With a small peek into the window, I could almost instantly tell it wasn't Enrique's nursery. It was rather dark to gather too many details, but the small bag hanging off the twin-sized bed that was up against the wall to my left was enough for me to understand that it was Claire's room instead of Enrique's. I pushed myself away from the window to make my way under the windowsill and made my way over to the left side of the front of the house. It was a little tricky due to how the roof turned to a slant under the left side's main window, but I somehow was able to pull myself up to see into the window.
Small wooden crip and a changing table? Bingo. Now to get this damn thing open.
I pushed up on the inner window panel, pushing it lightly as I tried to raise it slightly. It slid with a little bit of ease so that I could push it up with my hand once there was enough room to do so. I pushed myself up against the house as I reached up and locked the window in place.
With how they just got their child back, you would think they would double-check the fact their window would be locked.
I grabbed both sides of the inside of the window so I could pull myself in. I twisted, trying to get myself to sit on the windowsill to plant my feet onto the floor, but when had life ever decided to be kind to me?I groaned as I pushed myself up off the floor as I watched the door leading into the nursery, ready to jump out the window at the slightest indication of someone noticing the thud that my fall caused. I dusted myself off as I sighed with relief, looking over to the infant to see that he didn't even seem to notice the commotion. I unstrapped the gaggletack from the strap we created.
Alright, buddy. Let's see if our assumptions were correct.
I stepped slowly towards the crib and leaned over the side. When I was about to touch the infant with the totem, his eyes opened wide to reveal themselves as bright yellow ones instead of the brown ones I had met acquaintance with not long before. As if out of instinct, I tapped the child with the gaggletack, which caused the child to warp into a small green creature with dark hair and a sizeable sharp-toothed smile. Instantly, the changeling lunged into my face. I stumbled back, but I made sure the totem was still in my hand as I fought the creature back."How are you doing, fleshy? I knew there was something off about you." The changeling chuckled as he tried to claw off my mask. I grabbed him by his waist and held him out right before me, shaking my head slightly from the sudden attacks to my face."I'm not here to fight you." This caused the creature to look at me for a moment before he started laughing at me."That was a good one. What now? You're going to do some stand-up?""I'm serious. If I wanted to rid of you, I could have done it already.""And what? Hurt my sister?" He seemed to catch on to my sudden silence as he gave me a wide smile. "If only I could see your face!""Shush. Do you want people to see you?""I won't be the only one getting in trouble.""Yeah, but you would lose a rather cushy life." This caused the changeling to look at me as if I was stupid."Mate, you think I'm worried about that? Do you know what the Janus Order is going to do with me now that someone knows my identity? It's to the Darklands for my ass.""Then how about we make a deal?""What are you crafting, human?""I won't let anyone else know of your identity.""Go on.""If you be my inside to the Janus Order." He started laughing lightly, slapping his hand on mine and the gaggletack before wiping his left eye with his hand."You're a funny one, fleshling." I waited, letting my silence showcase my seriousness. "Oh. This is actually what you want out of me? Do you know what that means for me if they find out?""Would you rather it happen now or later?" The changeling contemplated for a moment as starred off in the opposite direction. He then looked up to me for a moment before speaking once more."And how do you think that will play out? How will we even have contact? Did you not think this through, human?""How do you go out to see the Janus Order? Just the same thing. I'll meet you at night in the bushes to the left of this window.""Fine. I can't seem to get out of this, and you have," He pointed down to the gaggletack once more. "That thing. So it's not like I can even change back at this moment." He crossed his arms over his chest. "How do I know you won't rat me out?""I won't. As long as you come to the bushes every other night, your secret is safe with me.""Alright. You going to put me down now?""Matters, are you going to start crying or anything?""Do I look like I have the upper hand in this situation?" I smiled at the changeling as I walked over and put him down in his crib."You know, I think we might be friends if this keeps going in the right direction.""I might just be a dead changeling if this goes in the wrong direction, so I rather have us go on the friend path. I can see you next nightfall." I hooked the gaggletack back onto the strap as I made my way back to the window. "Oh, human." I looked over to the changeling who was grabbing at the side of his crib. "You should learn how to sneak around more. That thud could have caused us some problems." I smiled towards the infant in disguise as I put my leg through the window, sitting on the windowsill for a second before speaking to him one last time."If I stay here any longer there-"Suddenly the door had flung open, and I instantly threw myself out the window, pushing myself up against the underside of the window as the light flipped on."What was that?" I froze at Claire's voice as I pushed myself up against the underside of the windowsill. I heard her footsteps creak against the wood as she neared the window.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I saw her hands appear on the windowsill before the sound of crying seemed to stop herself from looking out there. Instead, she shut the open window as I heard the lock was put in place. I sighed, laying flat against the roof as I placed a hand on my chest.
Thank you, Not-Enrique. Or whatever I should call you.
I laid there, tapping my fingers on my chest until I saw the light shut off within the room. Slowly, I pushed myself up to my feet and walked slowly over to where I came from, jumping down to the ground below me. I walked over to where Toby was hiding before bringing up my mask slightly to show him a wide smile."Oh shit, it worked?""From what I know so far, yes. He knew that it was me, though.""Even with the mask?" I shrugged as I brought my mask back down just in case."To be honest, I have not a single care on how he was able to at the moment. I'm grateful he just agreed. I told him we could meet every two days, but he said he'd speak with us tomorrow.""So, we're coming back tomorrow?" I nodded my head as I headed towards where we hid our bikes in the thick forestry beside the house."You got it, Tobes." I propped up my bike and swung my leg over it so I could sit on the bike seat. "Ready to head to Troll Market? If we get the check-in done fast enough, we might get some extra rest.""An early night? Really? Did Christmas come early?""Don't make me feel as if we need extra training." I pointed my finger at Toby as I pushed my bike to start our way towards Troll Market."Hey! Wait for me!""Hurry up, Tobes! You're the one that wants some extra rest."I heard him grumble behind me as I knew he was grabbing his bike, trying to catch up with me as I made a little distance away from him."So, you're stating that you're a duel spy?" I swallowed hard as Bular leaned in close to my face. His dark stoned skin being a stark contrast to my own. "How do we not know you're just working with him? What stops me from not swallowing you whole right this moment, impure?""Maybe the fact that I can use this to our advantage?""And how would that be?""I can find out this fleshlings weakness. What makes him tick, where he is, as well as where he's been hiding out at.""What is this all about?" I looked over to see that Bular's favorite changeling had joined along with us in the conversation."The new impure says that he's been asked by the Trollhunter to be his eyes on the inside," Bular growled out the statement in a low voice as he glanced over to Stricklander. "He has still yet to give me a good enough reason to not feed my hunger for some flesh." Stricklander placed a hand on the Gum-Gum, looking as if the gesture meant nothing as the massive troll turned his head at a neck-breaking speed."I assure you, Master Bular, we can use this to our liking." The human-looking creature gave me a sickenly wide smile as he looked over to me. "What are your plans with this unforeseen advantage?""I believed we could use this to understand where he's at. What his weaknesses are."
Also who.
I kept that thought to myself, a unique action to my usual antiques as I gave him a cheeky grin. "This could help us get that amulet so much faster than just sneaking around the kid.""I happily agree." Stricklander put his hands behind his back as he looked towards Bular. "This could be our ticket to bringing this new Trollhunter to his new end.""Then, you should both know that there is no amulet with this Trollhunter." Stricklander gave Bular a raised eyebrow as the Gum-Gum spoke."What do you mean by that, Master Bular?""Are all of you changelings deaf? Have you not listened when I spoke to all of you about the power this Trollhunter has? He is not just the Trollhunter. He is the Eclipse. Much more than any Trollhunter before him." Bular's voice raised slowly as he glared down at his right-hand man. "Do none of your impures understand the stories and legends of your kind? Do none of you care?""That is why I must have this interaction with the Trollhunter." This caused the giant troll to turn his attention to me. "We have never heard of this occurrence before. We have never had the possibility due to the lack of your kind, Master. Learning more about the reality of this Eclipse will work wonderfully in our favor." Bular's red eyes scanned me as if he was sizing me up for a meal before he gave me a small hum."I agree with this." He pointed one of his large blades towards me within a single second as the sound of it coming out of its scaffold rung within the room as it was pointing towards my neck. "But if you don't get much information from this human, I want to know when will be the perfect time to slay them myself." I nodded quickly towards the Gum-Gum as I placed a hand on my chest."You've got my loyal word, Master." I watched as the Gum-Gum placed his sword back into its confinements as Stricklander walked beside him as they exited the area together, but instead of the fear, I would typically feel when interacting with the two of them, two thoughts rang through my head.
What in the bloody hell did I just sign up for?
Why was I so hesitant to out the girl the Trollhunter seems to care so much about?
I swung towards the massive troll with my sword, which caused him to roll away from me with ease, but due to this, his area of where he was going to swing at me from was clear. I rolled over my shoulder, dodging his swing as I readied myself once I was back on my feet, tightening my grip on the handle of my sword."Nice recover, Eclipse." The turquoise troll gave me a slanted grin, which was oddly infectious as I found myself grinning back at the large troll. He brought down his fist as I brought my sword up to block his attack as I placed pressure on the part where he was putting the most pressure down towards the blade. It pushed me back some, but I was able to steady myself. As he tried to push forward, I dropped my sword from my defensive position, lunging towards my right as he dashed forward. But as if knowing which direction I was going, he swung his left fist backward as he went ahead, swiping me off my feet and causing me to skip across the grass like a stone on a pond. I groaned a little as I felt the troll's steps meet where I was lying. "You alright there, little one?" I pushed myself up, much like I had the night before as I put my sword in my scaffold."I'm alright. It's not the first time I have been knocked on my butt. I feel like I might as broke something, though." I shook through my limbs lightly."Are you sure, fleshling? When we battled, you were so much more agile and creative with your techniques. Is there something your mind is meddling on?" I sighed as I dusted off my armor lightly as I realized grass had gotten stuck in some of the crevices of the metal pieces."Well. A little."
The idea that I have to meet a changeling that is the fake brother to the girl I have to practice kiss in a few days has been dancing around my head the whole day. Would that be something I should say to a man that I forced out of his home? Would my troubles be comparable to his?
"If you need to speak of your troubles, I promise my ears are always willing to listen."
Well. I might as well be honest. At least in the slightest amounts.
"Um, I have this thing that has been rattling my brain for a little bit. There's this girl that I know I have to kiss for this play we're within, but I'm a little worried since I want to, hopefully, get more than just the one from her in the future." I rubbed the back of my neck with the metal cooling the light warmth that was growing on the skin there. Pink was shining from the armor as I spoke, letting my emotions be clear to anyone that understood the color's meaning."I have had my run with issues with romances. I had loved an impure when I was younger." He looked off for a moment as the pain I could just feel from his words echoed how the events had ended for him. "But what is this 'kiss' that you speak of?""Oh! Um," I felt my face flush at the idea of having to describe it in such a way that it would do the action justice. "Its went two people that love each other, put their lips to each other's to showcase how much they care for each other to each other. The more love that is put into it, the longer they can be. It could last seconds or even hours, mattering on the people in question.""Sounds barbaric and torturesome." He looked at me as if I was insane. "What kind of disgusting action could showcase how you care for someone?" I found myself laughing lightly to Draal's reaction.
Wow. That sounds like how I used to be when I was younger.
"But, it seems you lack confidence." I gave him a confused look as his voice turned serious. "You know, Gum-Gums used a totem that helped them with this. It's called a Grit-Shaka. It would give them the confidence they needed in battle. I have one actually if you desire it."
Another totem? I had enough trouble with the first one.
"Um, I'll keep it in mind, but no thank you at the moment. I've been told my emotions are what power me as the Eclipse. At least, that's what Blinky has described it as. If I mess with it, how would it affect the crystal? How would it affect me?" Draal gave me wide eyes as a smile started to spread across his face."You are rather wise for such a small creature.""I'll take that as a compliment.""You should. Are you ready to begin training once more? Has the talk cleared your mind?""Yes. Thank you, Draal.""You're welcome, Jim. Now, I will not hold back on you." I gave him a wide smile as I pulled my sword out from its hostler."I wouldn't imagine anything else."I sat under one of the trees over by the Nuñez Estate as the crescent moon was high above Toby and I. We agreed to stick with our dark clothes for these encounters with our new changeling acquaintance. It was probably our best idea since there was at least one light left to shut off within the house until midnight struck. After a few minutes, the small figure of the changelings made his way across the small roof gap and down the gutter's drain with ease before approaching us through the forestry line. I stood up instantly and nodded my head to him as he came near."It seems you kept your word.""Kind of hard to not to when that's my existence is made for." He crossed his arms as he looked up to me. "Us changelings are made as loyal servants to Gunmar the Black and Bular the Butcher. If we stray just the slightest, we're used as a nighttime snack to Bular.""Well, due to how we know a few trolls personally, we were told that in good faith that bringing a gift to you would start this little set up well." I smiled as I looked over to Toby. "You're up, my friend." Toby gave me a broad smile as he pulled out a sock from his pocket."We were told you guys like this kind of stuff." I felt a smile appear on my face as the changeling looked at the treat like it was comparable to the apple of Edin. Toby gave it to the smaller creature as said being licked his lips."Alrighty, I think I might like you two for the time being.""I hope so." I crossed my arms as I leaned against the tree I was sitting under earlier. "Anything you have for us as of today?""Other than the fact Bular is itching to pull that crystal from you as soon as possible? Nothing much." He took a bite out of the sock as if it was nothing. "Oh, and that the Janus Order now understand more about what you are and what they have to look for to find you." I narrowed my eyes to the creature as he continued talking with his mouth full. "Like, they were looking for a human with the amulet. Now since Bular found out they had no clue what they were looking for, he treated us like mindless drones before teaching us about what in Gunmar's name you are. They understand they're looking for a human with that necklace of yours." I placed a hand on my chest, feeling the crystal under my shirt as I kept my eyes on the changeling."What did you mean by what to look for? Is the crystal all they know of?""From what I know, yes." He guzzled the rest of the sock with a happy sigh as he stuck his tongue out before instantly going into a wide toothy smile that showcased his sharp teeth. He pointed towards me before he spoke again. "You gotta remember here, mate. I'm just a newbie in their ranks. They're not going to let me in on much unless it's known to the whole group or something I'm supposed to do specifically." I shared a look with Toby before he almost instantly looked back to the changeling."I have a question for you. It's a rather stupid one, but I don't care at this point.""Whatcha got, Tubby?""Don't call me that." Toby glared at him. "What do you want us to call you? Do you have a name at all?""It's Enrique Nuñez. Changelings are only called by who they replace. I know that might be uncomfortable for you fleshlings, but that's it.""Can we call you NotEnrique then? As you said, it's a little uncomfortable for us to call you by the actual Enrique's name." Not-Enrique gave him a cheeky smile as he sat on the grass in his diaper."Whatever you want, Tons-of-Fun.""Seriously, don't call me that. That or the sock you just had will be the last." This only caused the small green creature to chuckle at Toby's anger. I looked over to NotEnrique before the two of them could start a fight between each other."Is there anything else we need to know of?" He tapped on his chin, looking up to his left as he seemed to be in thought."Not that I'm aware of, at least." He looked back to us as his yellow eyes had a somehow happy glow to them. "Are there any more questions you flesh bags have for me?""Why are you willing to help us so easily? You could have stated that no one would believe us or anything instead of lending a hand. So why help us? Why meet with us?" The changeling shrugged for a moment before bringing himself up to his feet."I'm rather neutral with it all. If Gunmar gets let out, my cushy life, as you called it, will be over with. But if he doesn't, I get stuck in between this crap even more." He turned from us, facing towards the house once more. "There's nothing more than that. Other than I rather not get eaten or thrown back into the Darklands." He turned his head over his shoulder, the moonlight causing his red irises to look like blood as he smiled sickenly towards us. "Also, I might find some enjoyment from torturing you two." He waved his hand up as he turned back to the house, already stepping slowly toward the Nuñez Estate. "Night flesh bags, see you the night after tomorrow. Oh, bring another sock, will ya? The human food is doing nothing for my cravings, and if I have to go back to a plain milk diet once more, I might lose my marbles." He scurried his way with little to no effort climbing his way up the gutter's drainage pipe once more and finding his way to his nursery as if he has done it a million times already."That little bottle breathed gremlin is going to be the death of me." I looked over to Toby as I couldn't help the small fit of laughter that found it's way out of me."I was thinking the same thing. Not about calling him a 'bottle breathed gremlin,' but the 'death of me' part."I groaned as the sunlight led into my room and blinded me slightly as I put my hand up to block it slightly. I was quite amused since I had an actual pajama shirt on instead of just crashing into bed with my jeans and t-shirt as I have been as of recent. A knock on my door caused me to almost instantly shoot straight up as my mother came waltzing into the room with a tray in her hands."Good morning, birthday boy!" I smiled at my mom warmingly as a thought raced through my head.
Is it my sixteenth birthday? I know I never cared for my birthday much, but everything seems as if it's going by so fast. It feels as if only a week ago, I got the necklace.
"Thanks, mom." She placed the tray in my lap that had her smiley face pancakes that, even though I knew they were painfully tasteless, I knew I was going to finish to make her happy. I felt a hand place itself through my hair as she placed a kiss on top of my head."Finish up my special pancake breakfast, and I'll see you downstairs for your gift." She got up with a smile and started walking her way out of my room. She leaned back with the door frame in her hand as a smirk was on her face before speaking once more. "And don't eat too fast. We don't need you choking on your special day." As she leaves, I look back down to the pancakes, the smile now turning into a slight frown before I started digging into the meal.After I finished the breakfast, I did my usual routine before heading downstairs with the dishes I had used and placed them in the sink, so see my mom leaning against the door leaning against the garage."Ready for your surprise?"
Please be the Vespa I've been hinting at. Even though my bike is fine, my legs have been like jello since the addition of Trollhunting duties. Poor things need a break.
I flashed her a smile while giving her a simple nod as she headed into the garage. I followed her quickly after grabbing my school bag, which was hanging off its regular spot at the end of the stair rail."Ta-da!" She presented me with a red blender.Oh. The Food Magic thing I wanted. Not going to help me with the exhaustion, but it'll help me with cooking my dread down the drain.I smiled up at her and took it into my hands. "Thanks, mom." Were the only words I can get out. As if instantly realizing that I was hoping for something else, she placed a hand on my cheek."I know you wished for a Vespa, and I promise we'll get you one at some point, but you have to understand my hesitance with those things. I see kids in the ER from accidents on them all the time." I felt my face soften as I glanced up at her while placing a hand on top of hers."I understand. Truly. I wanted this as well, so everything's good on my end." This only caused her to smile widely at me as her other hand toyed with my hair like she did when I was a kid."When did I get such an understanding, son?""When you raised him that way." This caused a small laugh from my mother as Toby pulled up the driveway to the garage door I didn't notice open."Hiya, Dr.L! Happy birthday Jimbo!" He gave both of us wide smiles as approached, coming to a stop right before entering the garage. "Grab your bike, Jim. We've got something I wanna do before heading to school." I looked over to my mom before placing the blender on the tool bench."Mind putting that in the kitchen for me, mom?""I wouldn't mind at all." She pulled me into a hug, which I instantly reciprocated. "Have a good day." I pulled back with a smile as I went over to grab my bike."I'll try my best." I put my helmet before swinging my leg over my bike, ready to ride off with my overly enthusiastic friend. "Love you!" I called out to her as Toby, and I started our way towards wherever it was that he wanted to stop."Love you! Stay safe!"I looked around Blinky's library, seeing the small amounts of decorations before giving Toby a knowing look, which only gave me a giant smile in reply.He told them. Wonderful."What a wonderful day it is for you, Master Jim!" Blinky smiled as he placed each of his four hands on my arms, two on each side, as he shook me lightly. He pulled me into a hug and squeezed me gently. It was apparent he made an account for the fact that I was flesh against his rock skin. When he pulled back from me, AAARRRGGHH took the chance to pick me and do the same, but with my feet a few feet off the ground."Happy day for Jim." I smiled as I found myself laughing lightly at them."What is all of this?" I turned my head towards Vendel, who was poking at the decorations with his staff. "We don't need any distractions for the Eclipse. His training is the priority." AAARRRGGHH put me down with a small nod as Blinky took control of the situation."His morning training will begin in a second. You don't have to worry to threat about, Vendel." I looked over to Vendel and gave him a small bow."Yes. You have nothing to worry about, Master Vendel." The elder troll smiled at me as he patted my head, the stone causing my head to puck under its weight as he left the room."Old Goat. Always ruining the fun." I chuckled a little at Blinky."Well, might as well keep to our promise." I looked over to AAARRRGGHH, who was smiling down at me. "Ready, AAARRRGGHH." The troll only gave me a nod with a small grunt as he started pounding his way towards the Hero's Forge. I gave Blinky and Toby a small smile before dashing off after him, knowing my best friend would tell me when we should leave."Why did you tell them about my birthday?" I looked over to Toby with a sad look as I closed my locker door."Why not? They're apart of our daily life now. I think they deserve to know." I smiled at Tobes as he continued. "Also, I figured they needed to know, so if you're a little down or something, then they understand, you know?" I nodded my head as I now knew exactly why he had told them."That's understandable." I looked over to him as we continued walking through the hallway. "Just tell me you didn't tell anyone else.""Hey! Jimmy Jam!" My head snapped forward, seeing that Claire and two of her friends, Mary and Darci, were standing around Mary's locker. "Happy birthday!" I smiled as I waved to them."Thanks, girls." Claire moved from the locker she was leaning against slightly as she smiled at me."Why didn't you say your birthday was coming up? Sucks I had to learn from Toby the day of when we've been working together." I glared over to Toby, who just whistled lightly while staring off in the opposite direction. I brought my attention back to Claire, who I gave a sheepish smile to her."Sorry. I don't think it's anything huge." This caused her eyebrows to arch up in response."Really? That's a shame. I would have brought you something otherwise." I scratched the back of my neck nervously, feeling the necklace heat up against my skin as a burning sensation took over the tips of my ears."It's nothing to worry about, seriously." I gave her the best smile I could muster while the feeling of being embarrassed filled my veins. I looked over to Mary and Darci, who had matching smiles on their face that seemed to just scream that they knew more than they were leading on. Before anyone else could dig into me, though, the warning bell rang.
Saved by the bell.
I smiled as I dropped my hand down by my side. "Thanks, though. It means a lot. I'll talk to you later." Claire gave me a slanted grin as Darci joined her side."Definitely. See you." I turned to walk towards my Spanish class, looking at Toby as if I was going to murder him as I walked past him. The smaller teen who knew I wasn't going to harm him even if I desperately wanted to only smiled at me as he started walking towards his respective class.
This is going to be one hell of a day.
I heard a rummage from my right, causing my head to turn towards the sound only to see a grey scaled tail swipe around the corner with high speed. I swallowed hard as I heard Mary's voice called out after me."Hey! Do you want Señor Uhl to jump you about being late? Come on!" I kept my eyes on where the tale slithered off as I continued my walk towards my Spanish class, turning my focus before me as I jogged to catch up with Mary.
A hell of a day indeed.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Describe to me again what you saw, Master Jim.""It was a long grey tail with scales. Looking back at it now," I placed my hand on my chin as I thought back to when I first saw the oddity. "I think the end was in three parts. It had spikes too. I don't think I cared to consider that at first though. I was just rather on edge at the sight of it." I looked back to Blinky who was giving me wide eyes before we went towards one of his many bookshelves."I hope I am wrong about this, but I might have an idea as to what this being could be." I followed his with Toby in tow as he grabbed a large book and placed it on the island in the center of the room. After opening the book with his lower set of hands, he flipped to a specific section with the upper set before turning it towards me. "Was the tail you saw like this one?""That's exactly what I saw." I looked up to Blinky who took the book back from me."This can't be good.""What's that supposed to mean, Blinky? What is it that he saw?" Toby's voice had a dripping sense of worry as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Please tell me it's not a death sentence. We've had enough of those already.""It might just be another, Tobias. I'm sorry. What you saw, Master Jim," He looked towards me with soft eyes that seemed to give more worry than his voice was portraying. "Was a Basilisk.""A Basilisk? Is that the snake thing from Harry Potter? The thing with the stone glare like Medusa that spits venom and stuff?""I have no clue what this Harry of Potter thing is, but you are correct on the stone glare and the poison. It's a European creature known for its lethal gaze and deadly bite. Though I have never heard of them singling out a specific target, I wouldn't doubt that one would due to our lack of knowledge on them. All our kind knows is that they are somehow related to dragons, has a close relation to cockatrices, and can only be killed in two ways.""So what do I have to do to get rid of it?""Either you get it to listen to the crow of a rooster or you force it to see it's own reflection." I sighed as I placed my hands on the island, leaning slightly as I drummed my fingers against the stone beneath them.
I already despised my birthday but adding in the fact that I'm possibly being targeted by a creature like a real-life Medusa on top of it? Yeah. Worse. Day. Ever.
"Okay. Wonderful. What would have caused it to follow me to the school though?""To be horribly honest, Master Jim, I have not even the slightest of a clue. They are a rather curious beast. Only myths and tales have ever been told of their existence, but here we are with one placing it sights upon you. The only reasonable explanation is that the beast was called upon for one reason.""And what would that be?""To either cause mayhem as they have had for centuries or to kill Master Jim specifically.""You called upon a Basilisk to kill the Trollhunter?!" I felt myself squirm as I heard Stricklander's voice toward Bular."Your kind is taking too long to grasp the amulet and we are running out of time as well as my patience.""Basilisk are chaotic creatures, Bular. Do you know what this means if it decides to attack in broad daylight? Our kind will be outed with ease and it won't be as easy as faking a murder scene to clean up the mess." I heard Bular's growl as I flattened myself up against the stone wall as I tried to listen in on the conversation still as they continued."Do you think I care if humans realize one of their myths were true? They can never lead it towards trollish kind. And even if they did, it will be you and the other impures taking the hellish fires of it instead. It wouldn't even matter when right after I will be releasing my father from his captivity.""But a Basilisk? That creature might bring ruin to the world before even day breaks! Their eyes will turn any being to stone if desired and the venom is potent enough to even bring a Gum-Gum to their final moments.""Do I have to restate again, impure, how little I care for this plain, and the effects my action has on it? I do not live with the mortals and I do not care for the world they reside in. I care for my father's release. That is all.""So if there is nothing on the earth for you and your father to rule over, then you won't have a single care to give? Even when Lord Gunmar himself is angered by the end of his world?""If not for what I have done, there won't be a reign for him to begin. Now, leave me be. I must be ready to find the remains of the Trollhunter. That amulet will be mine and no impure is going to stop me." I could tell by the silence that held there for a moment that Stricklander was going to continue, but thought it would be best for him to leave it at that."As you wish, Master Bular."
This can't be good. Not good at all.
Wait. Why am I worried? If those fleshlings are out of my hair, then I don't have to worry about Tons-of-Fun and Mr. Too-Big-For-His-Britches ratting me out.
But that does mean I no longer have my sock supply and I'm not going back to straight baby food.
I've gotta tell the Trollhunter. And soon.
After our talk with Blinky at Troll Market, I had to rush my way back to school to make it for rehearsals. With the weeks dying down and everything for the play, I wasn't going to let a snake creature make it so Steve took my role as Romeo. I've come too far and panicked one too many times to let myself fail now. Also, I spent probably too many hours remembered lines that I'll probably die being able to recite for it to all go to waste so easily. But none of this went unnoticed by Claire as I dropped my bag off backstage."Are you alright? You look a little pale." I gave her the best smile I could as I shrugged slightly."As well as one can be, I guess. It's been a long day." She gave me a small laugh as she crossed her arms over her chest."I can tell with how you still have your helmet on your head." I gave her wide eyes as I reached up to touch my hair only to be stopped by the extra bit of protection. I felt my face heat up as the crystal under my shirt mocked the feeling while I took the helmet off with a sheepish smile. "Are you sure you're okay?""Yeah. I'll be fine." I tossed the helmet onto my bag before speaking again. "I just had to go make sure of something before I lost my mind about it." It was obvious Claire didn't want to take this as an answer, but she backed off on asking if I was okay as a soft look appeared in her eyes."If you say so. But if you need anything, let me know, alright? I don't need you fainting or anything." I gave her a small smirk as I decided to toy with her as I had before when we had a conversation like this."Is it because you don't want to kiss Steve?" She shook her head slightly as a small smile appeared on her face."It's more about how I care about you, Jim." She reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder as her voice had a joking tone to it as she went on. "Not having to kiss Steve is just a bonus." I felt myself smile easily at her as the crystal had a cooling feeling against my skin as my body seemed to ease itself from the tension I didn't know I was keeping on myself."Thanks, Claire.""Any time." Her face brightened up after that as she dropped her hand from my shoulder. "Oh! I almost forgot! Wait right here for a second." I gave her an amused look as she jogged off behind me for a moment to rummage around with something before coming back to me with a small box. "Ta-da! Mary, Darci, and I felt wrong about not getting you anything so right before practice we all decided to run over to the nearest place we knew to find you a little something." I felt myself bite the inner part of my lip as Claire held it out to me."You guys didn't need to get me anything.""We felt like it. Now, take the damn thing." I laughed a little at her as I took the box from her and took off the lid. Within it was a small little keychain of one of, if not, my favorite movies."How did you guys know I like Gun-Robot?" I chuckled a little as I took the keychain out and looked at it a bit more closely. It was the main robot from the film with his blaster held out in his right hand as the set of him seemed to be stuck in place while he was running with his other arm bent at the elbow and tucked in right beside him."Actually, we started asking Toby a few questions on things you liked after he told us it was your birthday.""Don't let her fool you! She asked him herself!" Claire glared off behind me as Mary's voice could be heard from the distance. I found myself glancing over my shoulder for a second with a grin before bring my attention back to the slightly angered Latina."Either way, I love it. Thank you." This caused the glare on her face to disappear as she placed her hands behind her back with a wide smile."Glad to know you like it." I closed the box after putting the keychain back in it as Miss. Janeth called out for all of us to set up for the very beginning of the play. With matching soft smiles, Claire and I gave each other a knowing nod as we went off to set up for ourselves as a thought danced around in my mind.
Maybe birthdays aren't so terrible after all.
"What's your plan for going home today?" I smiled wide as I walked out of the school with Claire beside me."I was gonna ride home today. How about you?" She shrugged as she held her backpack straps in her hands."My parents are picking me up today. Something about how they don't want me biking home by myself with the Enrique scare." I nodded as I bushed my hands off on my jeans. I didn't know what was getting me so nervous about speaking with her personally, but the crystal on my skin told me enough that the nervousness was true within my system."Completely understandable." I put my hands in my pockets so I would stop fiddling with them.
Is it the whole Basilisk thing? Or maybe what Mary said? Or the whole 'a pretty girl gave me a keychain of my favorite movie' like it was nothing?
I sat down at the spot we waited together a few months prior. She gave me a wide smile as she sat down next to me. "We're doing this again?" I smiled back at her as I leaned back onto my hands."Would you rather be left alone?" I smiled widely at her as she mimicked the way I sat."You act like I don't enjoy your company." She looked over to me which caused her hair to wave slightly behind her neck as she looked up to the sky. The street lights shined down on her skin.
I always thought she was pretty since I first saw her, but after getting to know her more, I realized there was much more to the Latina than meets the eye. She is beautiful but more than just on the outside.
She turned her face to me and gave me a kind smile as her deep hazel eyes seemed to sparkle in the street light's bright graces. I felt myself smile easily at her as I felt my breath hitch slightly at the sight."How has your day been?""It's been," I sighed a little as I pulled my eyes away from her for a moment before looking back at her with a sheepish grin on my face. "A day.""I don't want to push you into talking about it, but Toby said you hated your birthday." She brought her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she looked right at me. Her chin was placed on top of her knees as she watched me with a careful look in their eyes. I sighed a little bit as sat up to put my hands on my thighs. I took a moment to place my words in the right way before I started to answer her unspoken question."Do you remember when we were at the museum and I told you about my dad?" I glanced out of the corner of my eye to see her nod slightly as she kept her chin on her knees. "It was eleven years ago. Today." I swallowed hard as I looked down to where my hands were before speaking again. "I just turned five. Everything was so calm at first and I was excited due to this bike set box I was given that he had bought me so we could build it together. I couldn't wait as I ran down the stairs as any kid would." I chuckled lightly before I felt my hands curled into a fist. "But then I saw my mom crying by the front door and the U-Haul truck that was sitting out in the driveway. Ever since I hated my birthday. I hated seeing my mother cry like that and I felt like it was all my fault as a kid. I still do sometimes." I felt a hand place itself on my shoulder and it caused me to bring my eyes towards the hazel ones that gave such a sorrowful look before she pulled me in close to a loose hug. I felt wrap her arm around the back of my neck as she placed her chin on my shoulder. I hesitated at first, but I reciprocated the action with a small release of the breath I didn't know I was holding. It hitched a little as it had before. It wasn't for the same reason as it had before. I was rather happy within that moment even while my chest wavered as I was on the edge of crying.
I've never been ashamed of my emotions. My mom always said it was one of the things she always loved about me. The fact I put my heart on my sleeve was a saving grace to her because it made it a lot easier to understand how I was doing. She said I was an emotionally mature kid and it was a blessing in disguise that I should never change.
But there were always moments like this that made me feel weak. That I wasn't strong enough.
Even though I have been punched through the air by a Gum-Gum, it'll always be my emotions that make me feel as if I'm not strong enough to carry on.
"I'm sorry." I felt myself smile as Claire mumbled those two words to me before pulling back from me. "If I knew it was that, I wouldn't have-""Claire, it's fine." I gave her a wide smile, even though it was obvious she was slightly ashamed of herself. "To be honest, this has been the best birthday I had for a while." I put my hand in my jump's pocket and pulled out the keychain to swing it lightly around my index finger. "It's probably my favorite." This caused her to smile sweetly towards me as I decided to make sure I had the moment memorized in my mind.
Even though out of the corner of my eye, I saw the grey scaled multiple parted tail slither in the far distance behind her.
A car horn made itself heard as it pulled both Claire and I's attention from each other.
As well as from the Basilisk in the distance.
"I guess I should go before they lose their minds." I chuckled at her as she got up to her feet. She looked at me for a second before giving me a soft half-smile. "I'll talk to you later, alright?" I gave her a large smile even though in the corner of my eye I saw the grey scaled being once more. This time closer."Definitely." She swung her arms a little awkwardly which made me fight a small chuckle before she turned and ran off toward her parents' car. I watched the car turn off onto the next street before I nearly jumped to my feet. I pulled the crystal out from its confinements as I put the keychain back into my pocket. I dropped my bag onto the sidewalk as I pulled out a silver shield that Blinky had given me. It was in the form of a thin silver wrist addition but he showcases to me with a simple flick movement would cause it to complete its shape.
"This is a reflective mirror shield. This will be your friend if you come across the Basilisk once more."
"So this is some Percy Jackson kind of stuff? Like when that one dude in Mr. Strickler's mythology lesson did with Medusa?"
"Again, I do not understand your question but from what I can tell, yes." I strapped the shield to my wrist and gripped my hand in a fist tight as did a slight pump movement with my forearm. This caused the shield to extend itself and move into a circle before it came to complete 360. After it reached the end, a slight shifting could be heard as it made itself into a smooth surface.
"Percy Jackson shit it is."
I placed my bag over my shoulder as I made my way to the bike rack. I grabbed my bike while putting on my helmet and then started heading towards where I know was a vacant part of Arcadia. I glance over my shoulder as I started making my way towards a beaten path only to see a grey and dark black serpent-like figure following behind me in the slight distance. I tried my best to keep myself balanced on my bike with a single hand on the center of my handlebars as I pulled out my phone from my left jeans pocket. I somehow managed to start calling Toby as I kept biking my way down the dusty path.
"TP here. What do you need, Jimbo?"
"Basilisk. Over on the mountain trials."
"Oh shit! I'll bring AAARRRGGHH with me. He's at my house at the moment anyway."
"Why is there a troll in your house?"
"Why is there a troll in your house?"
"Touché. But meet me here as soon as you can. Remember, don't look it in the eyes."
"You got it! Be there as soon as we can."
I heard him drop the phone call before I put my phone back in my jeans pocket.Or at least I tried to as I lost control of the small bike.
How did I think that would work out well?
I groaned as I brought myself up to my feet as I did as I have done before in Troll Market to activate the shield."For all that daylight protects, with all of Merlin's magic within me, I will protect and defeat as the sun will let me." I kept my shield in front of me as I gripped my now armored fingers into a fist as I heard a small hiss coming from the creature that has now caught up to me. I felt myself glare into the shield as I stepped back lightly.
Alright, you stupid stone snake. Come at me.
With a quick hiss and what sounded like a spit, I saw that the creature hitting down right before my feet. I watched with wide-eyes as its venom caused the earth near my feet to bubble and corrode with ease.
Okay. Change of plans. Don't come at me.
I felt myself run as quickly as I could as I used the shield to peer behind me to see the bright orange eyes of the black and grey serpent slithered after me with its large fangs as it gave a loud hiss in annoyance at its prey scurrying away.
Sorry to annoy you buddy but I kinda don't want to die right now.
I jumped to my right as I saw it aim another venom spit to my feet. I started pounding my feet heavily against the dirt as I tried my best to gain a good distance between me and the snake being. I looked past the shield to see that the sunset sky was darkening with the looming of deep grey clouds while I also took note of how the path I was taking was cut off by a cliff.
Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Come on Tobes! I need a hand here!
I felt a quick whip at my feet, causing me to tumble onto my hands and feet as I turned to lay on my back with the shield kept up before my face. I could hear the snake slither before me as I kept my eyes closed tight as I ducked my head under my armor forearm of my right hand while the thunder roared in the distance as I heard rain started to pelt against my armor. I crawled backward slightly as I used my feet to push me away from the creature. I placed my right hand behind me and felt that I was at the edge of the road.
Come on. Come on. Why hasn't it turned to stone yet? Hasn't it looked at itself?
I felt a sudden weight tried to force itself against my shield. I groaned as I landed on the bottom of my back with my head and shoulders being off the cliffside. I kept my left arm strong as I used the shield to keep myself safe from the serpent's blows. I saw from slightly under the shield that it was using its spiked tail to strike at me. It strikes against the metal three times before reading itself to do it once more. I kept the shield up as best as I could as my other hand kept me from falling off the cliff.
Wait. It's in a rhythm. Maybe I can use that against it.
I waited for it to start striking again, this time I forced the shield back into the movement as I kept my eyes shut behind the action. This caused a small roar to come from the scaled snake which allowed me to swipe at the beast with the metal piece addition. I used the opportunity to roll out of the way from the snake and used the shield once more to see behind me as I started my way back down the path even though now the dirt was replaced with slippery mud. Its eyes glowed as it slithered after me with pure rage in its heart.
WAIT! The glowing eyes! Maybe it turns those that look at them to stone on command!
I turned as fast I could after I saw the eyes begin to glow once more. I held the shield against the top of my chest as I ducked my head under the protective layer. I heard what sounded like a scream come from the serpent as it suddenly cut off just as soon as it began. I stayed that way for a moment as the rain came down harder than it ever had before. I waited to feel another strike against me. I waited for another hiss or another spit towards my direction. But as I counted the thundering heartbeats that rang in my ears while actual thunder roared in the distance, I realized that it would never come. I dropped the shield with a sigh as I glanced slowly up towards the beast. The grey snake was now completely of stone as it was stuck in a petrified state. I felt myself drop to my knees as I retracted the shield Blinky gave me as I felt footsteps shaking the ground behind me."Jim!" I smiled as I heard the mud splatter lightly as Toby ran to my side. I gave a weak laugh as I put my hands on the ground before me."Worse. Birthday surprise. Ever." I fell onto my side as I heard Toby call out my name once more, but I couldn't get my body to reply to him as I felt my eyes suddenly become heavy. Sleep taking over my exhausted body easily as the rain wet my face and the mud dirtied the armor I still had summoned.I shot up as I felt myself come back to reality from what felt like a few minutes of darkness. I took sharp but even breaths as I tried to calm myself. I looked down at my hands seeing that my forearms were exposed instead of being covered by my normal blue sweatshirt. Instead, I was welcomed to my white t-shirt which was obvious either the rain or the sweat from my interactions with the basilisk caused it to stick like glue to my skin."Good. You've awakened." I turned my head over towards the voice to see a wide smile on the turquoise skinned troll that has easily become a dear mentor to me these last few months. "Can you stand, Master Jim?""I can try to." I brought myself off of the makeshift bed I was laying upon that was more like a sacrifice alter if anything. I brought myself to my feet where it was presented to me the idea that I could easily stand beside the fatigue I put my body through earlier. When I looked over to Blinky once more, I noticed that his smile only deepened at the action."Wonderful! Follow me then. I have something I desire to show you." I followed Blinky without another word as he went to a room that was off to the side of his library. He walked into first before gesturing to a large cardboard box that laid in the middle of it. "Ta-da!" I gave him a confused look as a smile found its way onto my face. "Go ahead! Take a closer gander." I walked over to the box as suddenly a rush of happiness filled my veins as I realized what was within the cardboard confinements."Is this-?" I looked over to Blinky once more as I knelt down to look at the pieces closely. "These are the pieces to a 1955 Vespa! How did you come across these?""Let's just say, I did a bit of barging with Bagdwella." The smile I had still on my face deepened as I felt a hand place itself on my shoulder. "Tobias had told me of what this day meant to you. That the last thing you were given from a fatherly figure was a bike kit you had never finished." I looked up to Blinky to see he had a saddened look in his eyes as he looked over to me. "So I figured I would gather something that Tobias said you would enjoy. With AAARRRGGHH's help of course. I figured we could build it together if you desire." I felt myself stand as I flung my arms around the troll. It was obvious that the stone skinned creature never really had the gesture thrown upon him but in the end, I felt two sets of arms find themselves around me."Thanks, Blinky. This is the best gift I was ever given.""You're welcome, Jim.""Mr. Lake. May I speak with you?" I looked over to my history teacher as my mind hazed between the human form before me and the green trollish one I have seen of the man."Yes, sir?" I held my bag's strap tightly within my left hand."I was asked to join you and your mother for dinner this evening." I felt a burning feeling start in my chest as the crystal against my skin mimicked the feeling within me.Really? Brining my mother into this? Can't you just rip the crystal off my chest and call it good?"Oh really? What for? I thought I was doing well at the moment." I gave the teacher an uneasy smile as I tried my best to make it seem as if I didn't understand what he was trying to do."Oh nothing of the sorts, Jim. You are doing quite well despite your recent, activities." He gave me a knowing look as a slightly sinister smile graced his face. I felt my eyes widened as he pointed to my chest.
During the auditions, he saw the armor. He's a changeling.
Fuck. He knows.
He
knows.
I felt my eyes narrow their attention at the changeling as I spoke without a single thought. "I swear if you cause harm to my mother, I'll end you myself.""Why would you say such a thing?" He gave me a large smile as he leaned against his desk. "We'll be just having a friendly little chat, Young Atlas.""A friendly little chat. Right." I heard the warning bell ring as I took a deep breath before releasing it. "I've got PE starting, Mr. Strickler. Do you mind if I cut this short?""Of course not, Jim. We can continue it this evening if you like?" I felt a growl reach the base of my throat as I found myself walking towards the door as I spoke."Sure.""So! When are you going to tell our little Jimmy Jam you like him?" I rolled my eyes as Mary teased me while we were walking towards the gym."Can you drop it?" I smiled at her as she just nudged my shoulder."When you actually admit you like the guy." We opened both sides of the gym doors with ease. "Like, seriously. You freaked out when you found out it was his birthday the other day. It was so obvious when you were willing to be late to theater practice when you wanted to get him something. You're never late. Especially to theater." I felt myself blush slightly as we made our way to our usual spot in the bleachers. It was a testing day for the guys to see how far they're advancing with the rope test, so we got away with sitting on the bleachers instead of participating in the action."What are you two talking about?" I smiled at Shannon as I sat down beside her."Nothing-""How she had a thing for Lake.""Oh. Did you just realize it, Mary? I kinda figured it was a thing for a little while." I felt the blush deepen on my face as I groaned lightly at the both of them."Can we please drop this?" Mary placed a hand on my right shoulder as she gave me a semi-serious look."Girl, you get guys asking you out like it's nothing. But when you get feelings for a guy you act like you don't have the means to ask him yourself.""That's because being asked out and asking someone out are two different playing fields.""She's not wrong, Mary." The little bickering faded into the background as I watched as Jim put his hands into his gym shorts as he had defeated look on his face. I knew it wasn't due to the rope test. I've witnessed him complete it multiple times before. He looked defeated as his shoulders slumped slightly and his chest raised slightly before lowering slowly. I knew instantly something was off with him.
Was it his chat with Mr. Strickler after class?
I felt myself frown as he suddenly looked over to where I was sitting. He gave me a slight smile and a wave that I reciprocated with ease. Even as I felt Mary nudge my shoulder once more, I knew I was more preoccupied with the fact that I knew the smile was forced on his features.
Okay, whatever it is, it had him upset.
I felt myself smile as my thought continued.
But kind of Juliet would I be if I wasn't willing to help him?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I bit the inner side of my cheek slightly as I felt my right leg bounce anxiously as I cut through my steak. With a simple glance up, I could see the sly smile that Strickler had as she conversed lightly with my mother. Their voices faded in and out as I looked back down to my plate. The man in front of me had only arrived a few minutes prior, yet I was already itching to force the broad-shouldered being out of my house as soon as he had stepped within it.
At least I have an ace up my sleeve if he tries anything.
I smiled to myself as I outstretched my anxious limb to lay my foot flat against the floor.
Just two stomps and a troll will be up here faster than you think, Mr. Strickler.
"This is absolutely wonderful, Barbara." Strickler gave my mother a sickenly sweet smile as he continued. "My compliments to the chief." My mom only shook her head as she pointed over to me with a small gesture of her fork."I don't do the cooking around here. That's all Jim." I gave my mom a sweet smile as I looked back at my plate."Well, it seems we all have our own little secrets, now don't we?" I forced myself not to glare up at the changeling as I could tell there was a knowing smirk upon the man's face."I guess so." The familiar tone of my moms rang before I heard my mom's chair squeak lightly on the floor as she stood. "Sorry, it's the hospital. Just give me a moment.""Oh don't worry. I'm sure Jim and I can keep each other company in your absence." I heard my mom walk behind me, placing a quick kiss to the top of my head before going upstairs to make sure her call was private. I looked up to Strickler after I knew my mom was out of earshot."Why are you here, Strickler?""That's no way to talk to your teacher, Jim. I believe from your mother's manners, you were taught better than that." He gave me a sly smile as he placed a piece of his steak into his mouth before placing his fork on the table and eyeing the knife in his right hand. "Children these days." He looked back up to me as he leaned back in his chair. "You know exactly what I am, don't you? Just as I know of you?""That you're a changeling with a fixation to bring this world into an apocalyptic state for just the chance of being seen as an equal?" I leaned back in my own chair as I placed my fork down on the table as well. But I kept my knife tight within my right hand. "Yes. Rather well, actually. Well enough to know you and your people sent that thing after me.""We just want something specific from you, Trollhunter.""The amulet." Strickler gave me a knowing smile as he flipped the knife around in his hands."Color me surprised. It seems we're on the same page.""We might be on the same page, but we're in different narratives." I narrowed my eyes at the taller man as I continued. "I'm not giving you the amulet. I'm not letting you open the bridge." Strickler gave me an amused grin as he chuckled lightly at my serious expression."Oh, Young Atlas, you believe you have a choice." His eyes glowed a bright yellow as he flung out his arm towards me, his knife in hand. I blocked his onslaught with my own knife as a satisfying cling filled the now silent air. We stayed there for a moment, pushing against each other's hold as the blades started to slip against the other's teeth. I pushed back, causing my chair to fall backward before I rolled away from the changeling's leap that followed me. I swung the knife around lightly as I tried my best to loosen the tension I had in my shoulder from the impact of the ground.
Didn't quite think that one through now did I?
He lunged at me once more as he swept the knife at my chest, but I was able to push myself just barely out of the knife's graze. I gave him a smirk as I held my own blade before me."A little stupid to be attacking a doctor's child in their own home, don't you think?""Only if we get caught. But I made sure that won't be a problem. Her call is going to last a little longer." He held out his empty hand out toward me as he loomed over me with ease. "Now, the amulet." I gave him a smirk as I pulled out what he wanted from my pocket."You want it? Come get it." I smiled as I held the amulet tight in my hand and dashed into the kitchen.
Seems Blinky was right. The changelings had no clue of the amulet's change. Even with him witnessing the armor during auditions, it seemed it slipped him that the piece within my chest was a crystal instead of an amulet.
I leaped over the counter as the changeling made chase after me. I ducked under the island as he swung after me once more. I was thankful that even though the man was much larger and had a longer reach than me, the counter gave me just enough space to get away from the knife's toothed blade. We ran after one another for a second with him chasing me around the island for a slip moment before we both stopped suddenly at the sound of footsteps upstairs. We gave each other an angered glance, but it was obvious that the other was done with this game of cat and mouse due to my mother's movements. We rushed back to our original spots with me putting my chair back into place as he adjusted his brown blazer."Sorry about that. I have no clue why they were insistent on me giving them clearance for a patient's file when I'm not their main doctor, but I guess all is well." She gave both of us a wide smile as she sat back down in her chair as she put her napkin in her lap. "What did I miss?""Nothing much." I gave Strickler a knowing smile as I brought my fork into my left hand once more. "Right, Mr. Strickler?" He matched mine as she turned his face towards my mother."Yes. Nothing at all. Just a small chat." He looked back at me with a twisted smile upon the left side of his lips as I knew that he thought he had won.
I know the fake amulet isn't in my hand. He thinks he has the upper hand now. He thinks he has won. But there was something you miscalculated, Strickler.
I put a piece of my steak in my mouth as I leaned back in my chair.
You messed with the wrong Trollhunter when you decided to bring his mother into it.
"So, they have the fake, huh?" Not Enrique chewed on his sock with a lopsided grin as he continued to speak. "I guess that means they're holding the opening ceremony soon then.""Opening ceremony?" The changeling sat on the grass as he pointed toward Toby."Yeah. Didn't I explain this to you before? Once they think they have the amulet, they'll open Killahead. I'm surprised though. Strickler seemed like the one to think he's the smartest one in the room but he got played by two fleshlings and their troll friends." I gave the changeling a large grin as I leaned my shoulder against the tree next to me."Thanks to you stating that they had to have the myth of the Eclipse explained to them by Bular, Blinky came up with the idea that they might not know that it changed form." I pulled out my necklace and patted the crystal with my right hand. "The real 'amulet'," I raised my hands up with air quotes as I continued with my statement. "Is safe from Strickler and the Janus Order.""Yeah, yeah, don't remind me that I'm risking my everything within this moment." The smaller being used his fists to stand back up as he continued. "I should get back into my crib. Don't need anyone getting suspicious.""Alright. Goodnight.""Night, Trollhunter. You too Tons-of-Fun.""What did I tell you about calling me that?" The changeling adjusted his diaper with a wide grin as he had an amused look on his face."To not. But have you noticed I don't quite care, mate?" This caused Toby to sigh heavily as I chuckled at the interaction."Come on Tobes, don't fight with the poopling." I gave Not Enrique a smirk as I patted on Toby's shoulder. "Thanks again, buddy.""Don't question it. Seriously. Don't question it. I'm still unsure why I'm doing all of this myself." I shook my head as I went with Toby to grab our bikes from the usual spot we had them hidden now. But before we got too far away, I turned around once more."Hey, NotEnrique." The changeling turned around to us once more. "Are you going to this ceremony?""They'll have to come get me." The little green troll crossed his arms over his chest as he stood proudly. "My job is to act like a normal infant. Including mid-night crying and the works. If not, these people will start thinking something's up with me." He pointed his thumb back to the house behind him before dropping his hands to his sides. "So if they want my company bad enough for it, they can pick my ass up themselves." I flashed the changeling a smile before putting my helmet on my head since I grabbed that before grabbing his attention."Well, let us know if anything happens. Alright?" The changeling gave a nod."You got it, Skinny Legs.""Night, Poopling."As the morning sun rose, I kept myself still within my crib. I felt myself groan as I started to get angsty to move.Just a few more hours. Let the fleshbags do their morning routine and then I can do as I please. Suck it up. You got this.The creaking sound of movement caused me to instinctively close my eyes for a moment as I waited to hear footsteps come across the floor.Yet they never came."Waka Chaka."
Oh, not these slime balls again! They can't keep their damn hands to themselves!
I changed back to my trollish form as I brought myself up to my feet to see Fragwa come through the window they slid open. The red-eyed and green-skinned moveable snot rag jumped over to my crib with a wide smile as their awkwardly lengthed limbs caused its knees to bend to their chest as they sat on the crib's siding. With an open hand being brought out toward me, I snarled at the goblin as I smacked his hand away from me."Do you know what time it is, you walking slime ball? If I'm not found in here, all hell is gonna break loose!""Waka. Chaka.""I freaking get it. I'm wanted. Tell them I can't. Unless they want me to not have as much freedom here." The goblin reached out and tried to grab my arm with a snarl but I jumped back instinctively. "Hey! Hands off the merchandise." The goblin leaped forward but I jumped up onto the side of my crib and used it to get up on top of the cabinet beside it. The longer limbed creature decided that instead of following me up the cabinet that it was going to cut me off by climbing up by the two bookshelves to my right. I leaped and landed on the top shelf and I thought I had made it with ease.But then the shelf gave away due to my weight.I came tumbling down as the first shelf went down and placed its weight on the one under it. This caused the one under me to slant and had a few of the books fall off a fit with a satisfying splat.
Oh, that can't be good.
I leaned over the side of the shelf. To see a shattered picture frame, a few books, and the iconic green essence of a goblin stuck under both the books as well as pieces of glass from the picture mixed in within the small murder scene.
Death by nursery rhymes. Never thought of that one before.
"Waka chaka." I froze for a second at the sound of the Fragwa's little posy coming near.
I can't let those snot wads see me! If they do, they'll think I killed him.
Well, they wouldn't be wrong, but I don't want to be a goblin snack!
I flung open the long cabinet's door and hid within it with ease as I kept it a creak open to watch for when the other goblins leave. The two of them investigated the scene like educated detectives as they searched for clues for who they believed caused the problem. Yet, like normal goblins, instead of looking through the room they only kept to the crime scene itself as they lifted the picture frame with a growl. One of them grabbed the marker the old Fragwa was carrying and marked a mustache to their lips."Waka chaka." The other goblin nodded to their new leader as they leaped out the window on the hunt for who I guess was their new prey. I sighed with relief as I opened the cabinet and walked over to the picture that they left.
At least it's not me. I wonder what sucker is stuck with their wrath though.
I felt my eyes widen as I stared at the picture within my hands. It was of my 'sister' and the Trollhunter's favorite interest.
This isn't gonna end well, isn't it?
"You're meaning to say that there are goblins going after Claire?" I snarled at the changeling as he seemed to coward slightly under my gaze."Hey! You're acting as if I was trying to make this happen! Do you think I knew there was a picture there, meat sack? I can't even get out of those damn high chairs without assistance in my infant form!""But you thought fighting back a goblin was a good idea?!" I ran a hand through my hair as I tried my best to calm myself within that moment.
I knew something off was going on. I saw a goblin throw itself into a trashcan thinking I didn't catch sight of it at school. Another was running around on the powerlines as if he was looking for something in particular. A shadow of one was dancing around the backside of theater practice. No one else saw them, so I didn't bother causing a scene. If I knew it was Claire they were going after though, I would have ended them right then and there. But I guess nothing goes to plan very easily.
"We need to get her out of there.""And how do we go about that?" I looked over to Toby as I reached out and began to drum my fingers against the island in Blinky's library. This was the first time we have ever brought NotEnrique with us to Troll Market, but he was insistent that he needed to tell us something before his family realized that he was missing. So we took him to the safest place we know of by hiding him in my bag on the way in."There are only two options I see. Take her here to Troll Market or to kill the goblins following her." I leaned forward to place my weight onto the counter as I spoke my thoughts out loud. "But there's so much that can go wrong with the second one. We could miss one that's already got to her or one in the pack we found which then gives us two hordes to deal with instead of the one.""But if we take her here then she'll be stuck in the rest of this.""Do we really have a choice, Tobes? What else can we do? If we don't try to get her to safety, she'll get harmed. If we do, there's a possibility of them finding us anyway so she'll witness them or the fact that we get her to Troll Market where she'll meet trolls instead. No matter what, it seems I have to come clean to her about everything." I looked over to NotEnrique as I took a deep breath to calm my shaking nerves. "Can I ask you to do something for me?" The changeling nodded his head once in reply. "I need you to find out if the Janus Order found out if the amulet I let them have is a fact yet.""You can count on me, Skinny Legs." I felt the corner of my mouth turn up just the slightest at his response. "Tobes?" I turned my attention to my friend completely before pulling out my phone to see the time. "If I'm not back in thirty minutes, come find me. Bring AAARRRGGHH with you just in case. I know her house isn't far from here but it'll take a little bit to convince her to come with me." I then turned my attention to Blinky. "And Blinky?""Yes, Master Jim?""Can you make sure everything goes smoothly with NotEnrique? With the goblins running around, we have no clue what else they have up their sleeve at this moment. You don't have to go in with him. Just stick to the shadows from a distance and let me know if anything goes down.""I can positively do that. Of course!" I felt a smile appear on my face as I pulled my necklace out from under my shirt."Then let's get started."I climbed up the side of Claire's house as I had once before.
You know, when I saw all of those old movies mom used to watch with those guys sneaking into a girl's house to talk her into leaving in the middle of the night, I never thought it would end up being my reality.
But I also used to think goblins were just beings used in fantasy games to be annoying assholes while trolls were just from folk stories as bridge guardians.
At least the stereotypes weren't too far off of the truth. Or at least from what I understand at this point.
I looked through Claire's window to see she was laying on her bed with the lights off as she was laughing at something on her phone. I swallowed hard as I released a shaky breath.
Sorry for this, Claire. But it's for your own good.
I tapped two of my fingers against the glass which almost instantly got her attention. She gave me a confused look as she walked towards the window."Jim? What are you doing here?" I rubbed the back of my neck nervously as I replied."Well. I have a lot to explain, but I need you to trust me alright?" The confusion in her eyes only deepened as she leaned forward, placing her hands on the windowsill."What are you talking about? You're acting frantic.""I kind of have a reason, but it's hard to explain." She stood back up straight as she lent out a hand to me."Then come on in and explain." She gave me a soft smile as she continued. "I'm not going to judge you, remember." I looked away from the soft look in her dark brown eyes.
Those eyes have trusted me. Those eyes that will witness soon the effects of even being near me. I could never say no to them before, but right now, I can't let them soften my guard. I need to keep her safe. Even if it means causing pain within them for this moment.
"Claire, I would love to. But I can't. Not right now at least." I took a deep breath as I tried to ease my mind for a moment. "I need you to trust me when I say this though, okay?" She nodded her head once in reply before I decided to continue. "You're in danger right now. I know a place where you can be safe but we have to hurry.""Danger? What do you mean?""Let's just say there's some," I hesitated for a second as I tried to find the right word but none seemed to fit right. "Things, I guess, that are after you. If you don't believe me, check on your brother. I promise you, something is amiss here but I think I know how to fix it." She looked as if she was torn for a second while also trying to understand what I was saying. She glanced down at the floor for a moment before looking back up to me."There was a mess in my brother's room this morning. This weird green stuff with one of the pictures in his room shattered." She placed a hand on her chin as she went seemingly further into her thoughts before looking back to me with her eyebrows knitting together in concern. "Does that have something to do with it?""Yes." I turned my head away from her as I heard a shuffling not too far in the distance.
Aw, man! They're already here? You gotta be kidding me!
"Claire, we don't have much time." I reached out my hand to her with a weak smile. "I know this is weird and I know how sketchy this looks, but I really need you to come with me." I looked her right in the eye as my mouth continued on without a single thought. "I don't want anything to happen to you and if I can do anything about it, I will." I watched as my last set of words seemed to strike home to her as she grabbed something suddenly from her left before taking my hand with her free hand."Lead the way." I smiled at her as I helped her out of the window and onto the roof. I led the way over to the siding we have been meeting NotEnrique over by and jumped onto the ground with ease. Claire followed as she landed on her feet but stumbled slightly. I reached out and placed a hand on her back to steady her which rewarded me with a soft smile before I then lent out the same hand so she could take it if she wished."Ready?" She placed her hand in mine almost instantly as she gave a nod."Let's go." I smiled widely as I started dashing off with her in tow towards the forestry. I was going to bring my bike to take her faster to Troll Market, but I wasn't sure if that was going to be necessary.
It seems I highly underestimated the speed of an angry horde of goblins looking for revenge.
Suddenly, she stopped and tugged on my hand just strong enough to stop me in my tracks as well. I looked back to her with a concerned look in my eyes as it was obvious she was stuck within her thoughts."Jim," She looked up to me with a tint of worry in her voice. "What in God's name is going on here? I know I said I wouldn't judge you, but I'm a little worried. It's almost midnight, you came to my house dressed in black," She gestured to my attire which is the same from my adventure with Toby to the museum but without the mask. "And you're saying something is after me." She looked like she was about to snap from the stress within that moment as she continued. "Also, not to add in the fact that this all revolved around my brother for some reason?" I reached out and placed my hand on her shoulders."I know it's a lot, but there's so much more I have left to explain." I chuckled nervously as I shook my head lightly. "Just, I really need you to trust me though.""I do trust you. I really do." She rubbed her left elbow with her right hand as she glanced at the ground as a small laugh came from her. "Like, I wouldn't just sneak out my window in the middle of the night with just anyone." I felt my face burn slightly as a blush painted my cheeks while the necklace decided to cement the feeling against my skin. "But can you understand why I'm hesitant? Can you at least tell me what is-?" Just as suddenly as we stopped, the shaking of the bushes behind Claire told me enough that the goblins were much closer than they were before. "What was-?""Get behind me." I pulled the necklace out from under my shirt as I took a step forward."What are you doing?" I gave her a smile as I placed a hand on my necklace."Trust me. I've got this." She looked at me for a second as if she was assessing the look in my eyes before she took a step behind me. I pulled my attention away from her as I put my focus forward to where the rustling came from. "For all that daylight protects, with all of Merlin's magic within me, I will protect and defeat as the sun will let me." A sudden flash of light told me enough that I had a change in attire. I pulled out my sword and readied myself as I felt a hand place itself on my shoulder. I fought myself from looking back to her as I got into a basic battle stance as I heard a goblin's iconic growl as one of them launched out from the bushes."Waka-!" I sliced through the goblin as if it was butter."Watch out!" I turned my head to see Claire picked up a stick she found randomly as she whacked at a goblin that tried to attack me from behind. I smiled as I steadied my sword once more while I felt her back soon press itself lightly against mine.
Maybe I was a little too worried cause it seems I forgot how independent she is.
My smile deepened as we took on the rest of the goblins together. Once I sliced through the last one, I put my sword away after flicking some of the goblin's slime-like essence off the blade."Goblins. Annoying little things, aren't they?" I gave her a weak smile as I laughed nervously to myself. I made it so I was facing her completely as I reached out and flicked some of the green slime off of her shoulder. "Are you doing alright?" I watched her take a deep breath with her eyes closed for a second. It was as if she was trying to calm what was more than likely a thundering heartbeat before she allowed herself to speak, so I stood there patiently."Do you want to know the only thing that is running through my mind right now?""Sure." She reached out and placed a hand over where the crystal had stored itself over my heart. The metal turned a majestic hue of purple as she did so with a slight tint of faded pink at the edges."This is not a costume." I found myself chuckling lightly at her reaction as I felt a relieved smile plaster itself across my face."To be honest, I thought your reaction to this would have been a lot worse.""Oh no, I'm absolutely terrified. You have no clue." She lifted up her left hand showing that it was shaking lightly before dropping it down to her side once more. "But I think the adrenaline and the shock are keeping my mind from showcasing it.""Trust me. I understand it more than you would think." We stood there for a moment as we shared a soft smile to one another, but the silence of the moment was shattered due to a distant whistle."Were the goblins the only things after us?" I gave a concerned look to Claire as I placed my hand on the handle of my sword."Last I knew." I stepped back from her and pulled my sword out. "But that is no goblin, I can tell you that." I listened closely to the sound as I felt a chill crawl down my spine.
Isn't that-? Who would whistle In the Hall of the Mountain King at this night? Unless-.
Unless they found out the amulet was a fake.
I turned to Claire instantly as I heard the whistle fasten it's pace just the slightest. "You need to get out of here.""And leave you with whatever that thing is? Fat chance.""Claire." I reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder as my sword weighed in my right hand. "Please. Goblins are one thing, but if my assumption is right on what this thing is, it's a completely different ball game.""Which only gives me more of a reason to stay.""Claire, please. Listen to me. I need you to run. Do you know where we are?" She nodded her head slightly."Not too far from Delancey. Why?""Good. Go get help then. Anyone. Knowing what this is, they won't risk being seen by anyone else. Now please, run. I don't want you getting hurt in all of this.""But what about you?" I gave her a large smile as I knocked my left knuckles against the armor on my chest."I got this handled. But please, get to safety, alright? I promise I'll be alright." She looked like she was about to argue against it, but I believe she saw how worried I was as I heard the song come closer."Alright. Just, be careful, right?""I promise. Now go. I got your back." She nodded her head once before running off towards her house as I readied my sword. I saw a flash of purple try to dive after her, but I kicked at the figure that tried to pass me. I landed it into the changeling's back leg as I watched her stumble to the ground before giving me a wide yet twisted smile. Her troll form was looming over me with her light purple skin and bright green eyes that mimicked those of a cat's. I swallowed hard as I noticed the two glowing blades she had within her hands.
If I was any later in my reaction time, Claire would have been done for.
"You rather die yourself first, huh?" The changeling's smile only spread further into her cheeks as I felt a twist in my stomach with how menacing she made a simple action seem. "Let's dance then, Trollhunter." She slashed with both swords at once in an 'x' formation but I luckily had just enough strength within my legs to push myself far enough out of her attack. I brought my blade up as she slammed her right blade down toward me. I pushed back against her action which caused her arm to fling back slightly as the left went in for a side attack. I ducked under the blade, being thankful that due to our height difference, it wasn't too difficult to accomplish.
Stay light on your feet, Lake. Keep her distracted.
I felt a sudden weight hit the back of my leg which caused me to fall down onto my right knee as the changeling tried to strike me with both her blades onto my right side, but I was able to bring my blade up fast enough to block the onslaught. Yet, I wasn't fast enough to block the swift kick she landed into my chest that threw me backward a good foot. I groaned as I got back up onto my feet.
Note to self. Don't give yourself mental commentary ever again. It might kill you next time.
I readied my sword before me as the changeling gave an oddly airy laugh from such a terrifying figure."You know, I'm having just the slightest amount of fun with you, fleshbag, but this is going to have to end soon. I need that crystal of yours," She pointed her right curved blade toward my chest as she took a single step closer. "And I'll rip it off your cold body after I'm done with you." I narrowed my eyes at her as I saw her ready herself for a lunge. She came straight forward as I dashed off to my left. She swung with her right arm and I tried my best to brace for the attack, but I didn't have my blade steady enough as her pure force against mine caused me to fly sideways away from her. I landed on my side with my sword nearly forgotten as I scrambled to grab it once more. I didn't have enough time to get to my feet when the changeling suddenly had it so her two red glowing curved swords pushed against mine in an 'x' formation. I tried my best to keep her up off my chest but it was obvious after a few seconds that pure strength wasn't going to get me out of this situation. The changeling had more mass to her advantage as well as strength, so me pushing as much as I could against her was only causing it so that her swords were a mere three or so inches from my face."Any last words, fleshling?" I groaned as she pushed ever so slightly against the hold she had while I tried my best to not let her gain too much of an advantage."Yeah. One thing." I felt myself smile widely as I looked the green-eyed creature in the eyes. "Rule number three.""What?" I used her confusion against her as I pushed my blade up completely which caused her to lose her stance and open her wide for an attack. I pushed myself onto the top of my back as I put my feet together to kick her right in the stomach. This caused her to go back a few feet as well as give me a moment to ready myself once more.
Not exactly what Blinky taught me. But close enough.
I smiled to myself even though I could feel my muscles burning from the extortion I put them through.
Come on. I need back-up right now. Anything would be great.
"You little brat!" I tightened my grip on my sword's handle as the changeling came dashing right toward me. I was getting too tired to dodge, but I had just enough strength to take the swipes of her blades. This ended with me getting kicked right into my side though and caused me to end up on the grass with a stinging feeling in my ribs. I tried myself to push myself up, but the sudden flash of light told me that even the crystal knew I didn't have enough energy to continue. I found myself trying to pick myself up anyway, but I felt myself fall right back onto the ground as I heard the soft whistle of the changeling once more as she took slow steps towards me. She gave me a swift kick to my side. I groaned at the motion that caused me to lay on my back as I watched through my fading vision the wicked grin of the purple-skinned troll."Good night, Eclipse."I felt my eyes become heavy as my mind screamed for me to fight back as the sword in the woman's right hand was raised high above her, but I felt my body reject my mind's wishes as I succumbed to the tiredness within my body.
At least I got one thing right. At least Claire is safe.
And with that, I drifted off to darkness.Slowly but surely, I felt my eyelids twitch as I tried to peel them open. I scrunched my face as I was welcomed to the bright white light that seemed to assault my sight with ease. I pushed through though as I blinked rapidly for a second as I tried to grow accustomed to the sheer brightness of the room. Two figures loomed over me. One in white, green, and red as the other was yellow, red, and orange. I felt cold. Like a piece of me was missing within that moment as Toby's voice broke the eerie silence."Hey! He's awake!""Toby, please calm down. Too much noise can cause him to be disoriented in his state." I heard Toby mumble as my eyes adjusted slowly. Toby was to my right with my mom close beside him. Both of them had a worried look on their face as my mom's hand seemed to grip at Toby's shoulder as if it was her lifeline within that moment. Makes sense. She has no clue what had really happened. Even if she did, I believe she would be even more worried due to how just purely insane the whole situation seemed. "I should go tell Dr. Troy of Jim's state. Keep an eye on him, will you?" Toby gave her a nod as I tried to push myself up into a sitting position while mom fled the room with an obviously calm facade. I felt a hand place itself on my shoulder as it tried to stop me from bringing myself up."Tobes, I'm fine.""Bro, you fought a changeling with weird freaking sickle blades! Don't forget slaughtering a horde of goblins right beforehand." I gave him a wide smile even though my cheek ached.
Huh, must have bruised it. When? I have no clue.
"Here, by the way." Toby extended his closed fist to me. "I took it before anyone else could." I gave him a weird look for a second before he took my hand and placed the crystal into my hand. As his hands retreated, I clutched my grip onto the crystal with a satisfied feeling running through my system. That void I felt had vanished as the crystal gave a loving warmth within my palm. I took the crystal's chain and placed it over my head as it then dangled right above my chest like it always had. It was as if I was suddenly whole again as I placed a hand over the crystal. I was pushing it lightly against my chest as I did so."Thanks, Tobes." I gave my best friend an easy smile even though a hardened one still graced his features."I got your back, Jimbo. But please, don't fight off changelings on your own again." He reached out and placed a hand on my right shoulder. "You had me worried when we found you like that." I nodded my head as I tried to give him a reassuring smile."I promise.""Toby," We looked over to the door to see my mother leaning against the hospital room's doorway with her hands in her white coat. "Can I have a word with Jim?""Totally." He patted my shoulder once as he got to his feet. "I'll check with you later, alright?" I gave him a simple nod before he made his way out of the room. Mom watched him leave for a second before she turned her attention to me. I could tell she was battling between her doctor persona as well as her motherly one as she stepped across the room to stop to my right almost exactly where Toby once was."Well. You have no broken bones or fractions. Just deep bruising and some scraps that were treated rather easily." I watched as a small smile graced her lips as she put her left hand on my head to toy with some of my hair as her motherly side was winning the internal battle she was having. "You're lucky, kiddo. Not just for the minimal injuries, but also because of the friends you have. One of them even refused to leave your side." I smiled as my fingers wrapped around the crystal around my neck."Yeah. I know. Toby's a blessing.""I was actually speaking of that Claire girl." I looked up to her with wide eyes."Claire was here?" She gave me a small laugh as she toyed with my hair a little more."Yes. Toby and I finally convinced her to go home and get some rest after we saw her dozing off in that chair over there." She pointed over to the chain I knew was over by my left but my mind was still trying to wrap around the situation as I looked down at the hospital gown I was in and the IV in my right hand.
So she really is safe. Thank God.
"She was the one that called me, actually."
And she saved me.
I felt myself smile slightly at the thought as I looked back up toward my mom. "Jim," I could tell by how her eyebrows bridged together in concern that she was about to ask me about what happened. "What truly happened? Claire said it was something she couldn't get herself to explain without you. I want to know why you're here. Why were you in the forest? Why were you so bloodied and bruised when we found you?""Um," I hesitated for a second as I took a deep breath to ease my shaky voice. "Claire said she heard something in the forest. She said it sounded like her brother." I put my hands down before me as I toyed with the hospital bed's blanket that was down by my waist. "So I offered to come over and check it out with her. Next thing you know, there were these coyote things. I didn't get a really good glimpse of them, but I told Claire to run off and get help if she could while I held them off.""Jim," She placed her hand now on my shoulder which caused me to look back up to her. "You can tell me the truth. I won't be angry with you or anything. I rather you told me you snuck out to see a girl than lie to me.""I promise, mom. If there is anything I need to tell you, I will." I smiled up to her but I had an internal battle raging within my mind.
But if only you knew what I feared. If only I could tell you.
But I'm not risking you too.
Not if I can help it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Hello, Arcadia! Tonight is the performance of Romeo and Juliet from Arcadia Oaks High! If you're looking for something to do and want to support your local Arcadian teens, come and see the showcase at seven tonight. Now, back to the music."
I rubbed the crystal around my neck as I paced back and forth in the dressing room Claire and I was in. My other hand was tapping nervously against the shield gauntlet Blinky gave me. My nerves were on edge as Claire was listening to a voice message I received on my phone as the radio played lightly in the background. I knew what the voice message said. I knew it all too well. I've probably listened to it over a million times since I received it. I closed my eyes with a heavy sigh as I remembered when I first heard the news. Way before the voice message was even sent to me.
"What do you mean Blinky was taken?!" I felt anger filling my chest as I yelled at the changeling standing on the island in Blinky's library.
"Exactly what I mean, Skinny-Legs! Bular found him lurking around like a fool and decided to snatch him up. We're lucky that he's being used as a bargaining token instead of an addition to his body count." I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair.
"I told him to make sure everything went smoothly for you." I shook my head as I grabbed the crystal over my chest. It was burning in my hand as I felt a hand place itself on my right shoulder. "It's all my fault."
"We'll get him back, Jimbo. Right, Wingman?" I looked over to Toby as the large troll loomed over him over his shoulder.
"Right." I smiled at the two of them as I looked back to Not Enrique.
"Actually. I think I got a plan."
After the memory played in my mind, I turned my head towards Claire to see her eyebrows were knitted together in worry as she leaned against the vanity she was using before I entered. She looked up to me with a pure feeling of worry dancing in her eyes."Please tell me you're not planning on going alone." I gave her a soft smile as I came close to have my phone handed back to me."We've got a plan. Don't worry." I checked my home screen to see I had about twenty minutes to get my way over to the theater as Strickler said I needed to save Blinky. "But we're going to need your help." I gave Claire my attention once more to see a determined look take over her face."Of course. What do I need to do?""I need you to distract Miss Janeth. I know we only have an hour or two before call, but I don't know how long I'll be. I promise I'll be here before curtain though." I saw a small smirk appear on the slightly shorter girl's face."You better. I can't play Juliet without my Romeo." I smiled at her reply as I held up the crystal that was still in my hand."You won't need to. Not if I have anything to do about it." I checked my phone once more before looking up to her. "I've gotta go." I started my way out of the dressing room."Hey." I turned my head towards Claire as I held the door in my hand. She had a soft smile on her face as the worried look came back into her eyes. "Stay safe, okay?" I smiled at her words before giving her a nod."You've got my word." With that, I shut the door behind me and snuck out of the school with relative ease. Once I reached the bike rack, I placed my helmet on my head. After that though, I slipped my hand in my jeans pocket as the rain pelted lightly against my jacket and headgear. I grasped the small GunRobot keychain I kept stored away before pulling it out to look at it.
Let's hope the plan helps me keep it.
I slipped the keychain back into my jeans before hopping on my bike with my destination already in mind.
Don't worry, Blinky. We got this.
"So it seems you listened for once, Trollhunter." I rolled my eyes at Strickler as he came closer to me."It's Eclipse and sorry to disappoint that I would rather listen when you have someone I care about on the line instead of just Napoleon's history to offer me." I noted the annoyed look on Strickler's face as he snapped his fingers. A goblin came from the shadows and jumped up to my shoulders. It took the crystal off my neck and jumped down to Strickler's side."Come along, Young Atlas. We don't have time to waste." I nodded as I followed the changeling with ease. The rain was still pouring as we made our way towards the museum. He opened the main door for us once we arrived and led us towards the construction area of the building where I heard Blinky's voice echoing off the walls."Jim would never fall for such a foolish plan! Even if it means-!" His voice died out slowly as I entered the room. He was tied up with his upper arms above his head, his other two out to his sides as his feet dangled in the air. "Master Jim! Why are you here? I told you it was a trap!" I gave Blinky a large smile as I walked over to him slightly since I couldn't move too far away from Strickler."We have that Vespa to build together, remember?" Blinky's features softened at my response. Mine hardened in comparison though as I looked over to Strickler. "Cut him down." A growl made Bular known from where he was hiding in the back of the room. He took slow calculated steps before taking out one of his blades from his back hustlers and pointing it towards Blinky."Open the bridge and then your friend will be free." I took a deep breath before turning my attention towards the bridge. I lent my hand out to the goblin that took the crystal from me. It gave me back the necklace without hesitation. I tightened my grip around the crystal as I approached the bridge. I made my way on top of it as Blinky called out to me."Master Jim! Don't do this! There's gotta be another-!" Suddenly he stopped as the sound of a large thud came from the opposite side of the building. Nomura growled at this while reading her blades."You were to come alone, Trollhunter." I gave her a smirk as I placed the crystal around my neck."It's Trollhunters." With that, AAARRRGGHH dashed into the room with Toby on his back and Draal in tow. I instantly activated the crystal as they started to make their way towards Blinky. I grabbed my sword out of my scaffold and turned my attention to the now troll-formed Strickler."Why do you have to make everything so difficult, Young Atlas?" I felt my smirk deepened as I tightened my grip on my sword."I have a promise to keep." He then threw one of his collar knives at me but I reflected it with ease. This left me open though as he jumped forward and pushed me back with another one of his small blades. I put my sword up with ease to block his blows but it left my lower half open to a quick kick to my stomach that caused me to fall on my ass. I blocked another swipe of his blades as I quickly jumped back up to slash at the changeling. This caused him to leap back for a second before jumping sideways to take advantage of the situation. He put his knives into an 'x' and pushed them towards me. I lifted up my sword sideways and placed an armored hand on the opposite end to force back his actions as my back hit the siding of the bridge."Jim!" I looked over to my right to see Toby screaming out towards me as he was having a difficult time cutting Blinky loose. He only had the side ones done out of the four of them. I turned my attention back to the snarling man pushing his blades closer to my chest. I pushed with all my might back against him and kicked him in the stomach to force him even further away. I threw my blade towards some of Blinky's confinements to cut clearly through the top two before calling the sword back to me.
"Your weapon is an extension to yourself. Your weapon is your spirit. A piece of your soul. Once you realize that it's yours and you are one with the blade, you'll be able to call it in your honor." Draal threw my sword behind him as if it was a frisbee. He waited with a satisfied smile for it to land in the forest far behind him. "Now," He turned his attention back to me. "Call for it." I closed my eyes as I held my hand up. After a few moments, I started to get frustrated for a moment.
Come on, buddy. Let's be friends here.
There was still nothing as I groaned in annoyance.
OH COME ON! I know I didn't use you against the Basilisk but if this was a real situation I would have been-!
Suddenly my hand had extra weight to it as it dropped. I opened my eyes to see my sword within my grasp as Draal smiled widely at my small accomplishment.
"With a bit more practice, you'll be able to do so with ease." He placed his large hand on my shoulder. "Good work, Eclipse."
I felt myself smile at the memory as a loud thud let me know that Blinky and Toby were back down to earth as I brought my attention back to Strickler who was already gearing up to attack once more.
I've worked too hard to let this end here.
I smirked as I held my sword before me with both of my hands on its handle. The changeling swiped at the sword sideways as he made a small advancement towards me. I bought it up once more as I thought he was going for my face, yet suddenly he reached out and grasped the crystal on my chest as he twisted the sword out of my hands with the other. Metal clinked to the floor as he brought his face close to mine. He gave a sinister smile while his yellow eyes glowed slightly."I promise you, Trollhunter," His smile only grew on his off green skin as his grip tightened on the crystal before pulling it out of its confinements and throwing me aside to land on my right side. "I'll take care of Barbara during Gunmar's rule." I brought myself up as he slammed the crystal into the bridge. A bright red light shining at first before it suddenly changed to a cool blue tone."NO!" I scurried to my feet. I flicked my right wrist lightly, bringing the shield to its full form as I used it to slam against Stricker with all my might. This caused the changeling to tumble backward as I tried to grab the crystal back out from its confinements, but it was quite difficult with how it was causing a vacuum effect to the room. I was about to retrieve it when a sudden kick to my stomach stopped me. I coughed as I wrapped my left arm around my stomach. Even though I felt as if I was going to vomit from the action, I still tried to reach out for the crystal before I was grabbed by my arm and thrown to the ground by Strickler."You can't stop the inevitable, Jim." His eyes glowed as a snarl appeared on his face. "You and this world lost. Take it with grace.""Don't worry, Eclipse! I've got it!" My eyes grew wide as I knew it was Draal's thundering footsteps that followed those words."Oh no, you don't-!" A loud scream could be heard as the bridge acted as if an earthquake had made it its victim. I took the opportunity to push Strickler off me with a wide smile."I might not have armor." I hopped back up as I brought the shield up to protect me as the bridge shook even more as it was obvious Draal was forcing the amulet out without its consent. "But I have a team." I smiled as I Strickler tried to lunge at me as I brought my leg up to kick him right where it would hurt the most. His eyes widened as he brought himself down to his knees. "Also, rule number three, asshole." With that, the shaking of the bridge stopped, but a loud crack made itself known as the stone under me gave away. I brought the shield over my head as we fell due to the bridge coming apart. It was so quick that it felt as if it only took seconds for it all to come tumbling down. But after I knew it was a solid minute or two, I was able to push the rubble off of me with ease with a large smile. I flicked my wrist to put the shield away as I dusted myself off with my hands. I looked over to the small carnage with pride before my eyes landed on Draal who was slumped up against the bridge's fallen pieces. Without a second thought, I ran over to the troll's side as I saw his arm was a sickly grey in comparison to his normal turquoise. When I reached his side, his arm fell to pieces as he gave a small smile to my obvious panic."Don't worry, Hunter. I'm fine." He reached into the rubble that was now his arm and pulled out the crystal. He held it out to me with a large smile. "There is still much to do. This battle isn't done yet." I took the necklace before activating the armor once more. Draal brought himself with relative ease despite the obvious missing limb. A large thud and a roar made me turn my attention toward the large black and grey Gum-Gum dashing toward us. Draal leaped forward as I dashed in the opposite direction. I grabbed my sword out of my scaffold to clash it against Bular's one blade he held backward behind him."Everyone!" I placed my sword back in its scaffold before I ducked and rolled out of Bular's grasp as he reached out toward me. "To the sewer opening!" Almost instantly, the thunder of several running footsteps made their way to the sewer hole we had used to our advantage to sneak Draal, AAARRRGGHH, and Toby into the museum. One after another, we all jumped in. I was the last as I glanced behind me to see a charging Bular after us. I took a deep breath as I jumped down and let the tide of the sewer take me along with the others. I broke the surface of the water before looking up to see Toby sitting on AAARRRGGHH's back as Blinky and Draal had a grasp on the large troll as well."Come on Jimbo! Join the Wingman Express!" I smiled at Toby's words as I tried to swim my way over to them. That was before a large hand wrapped itself around my leg as I slammed against the right side of the now separating sewer tunnel. "Jim!" I groaned before taking another deep breath and diving under the water. I swam as hard as I could. By the large splashes behind me, I could tell Bular was trying the same. Once I saw light at the end of the tunnel and I could place my feet on the ground once more, I dashed as fast as I could out and to the left of the tunnel. I pulled my sword out once more as Bular emerged from the same small tunnel. I ran towards the bridge I realized was the same as the one Bular and Kanjigar had fought on not so long ago. The same one I found the amulet on that day.
Huh. Ironic, isn't it?
I turned towards Bular with my sword ready as he slashed down at me with ease. I barely kept my blade up as Bular struck down at me once more. This caused me to drop my sword slightly so Bular reached out with his open hand and grabbed me around my chest."You've been a pain in my side for far too long, Trollhunter." He growled at me as I struggled against his grasp. He was reading his sword in his right hand as his grip tightened around me. "But in the end, humans are always the same." A large sickened smirk appeared on his face as he brought his blade back. "Always too easy to kill.""Jim!" Toby's voice called out to me once more and it caused Bular to look over his right shoulder with a snarl. I smirk as I deactivated my armor before dropping from the Gum-Gum's grip."But I'm no normal human!" I activated the armor once more I pulled my sword out, stabbing into Bular's chest swiftly as the Gum-Gum yelled in pain. "I'm the Eclipse." I pulled my blade out of the Gum-Gum and I kicked him into his side, causing him to stumble over the bridge's siding. He fell swiftly into the water as I put my sword back into its scaffold. I silently praised the armor covering my body at the time since if it wasn't for its coverage, my foot would be aching like hell within that moment. I felt the crystal flop against my chest once more as a small glow let me know the armor slipped itself away from my skin once more."Dude!" I felt Toby rush into me as he wrapped his arms around my middle. "You had me terrified!" I chuckled at the smaller teen's reaction as I reciprocated the action."I scared myself, to be honest." I pulled back from him as Draal, AAARRRGGHH, and Blinky joined us. "Everyone okay?""Thanks to you, Master Jim, yes." I smiled toward Blinky as AAARRRGGHH placed a hand on his shoulder with a small nod. I looked over to Draal who had a wide smile on his face."Nothing a little help from Vendel won't fix." I smiled back towards the troll. I was worried that when I saw his skin transform that it would be the end of my friend, but it seemed that he cared less for the lost limb than anything. It was as if it was a scar to add to a collection I had no doubt the warrior counted."Not to ruin the moment for everyone, but Jim," I turned my attention back to Toby who started to speak. "The show is supposed to start in thirty minutes." My eyes widened at the realization.
The play! Damn it!
"Shit!" Instantly I started dashing off toward the school without a second thought.
Feet, don't fail me now!
"Go get thee hence, for I will not away. What's here? A cup closed in my true love's hand? Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end. O churl, drunk all, and left no friendly drop to help me after? I will kiss thy lips, haply some poison yet doth hang on them, to make me die with a restorative." I knew I should feel nervous within this moment as Claire placed her hand on my bundle once as she had during rehearsal, but I think just the thought of being here alive at the moment overtook the anxiety I felt during the original practice of the final scene. I felt her breath on my lips for a second before her lips were on mine. Unlike the rehearsal, I allowed myself to melt into the feeling. Slightly kissing back as I felt Claire's hand tighten on mine.
With what I just went through, what's a little indulgence?
She brought herself up as I struggled to keep my eyes closed. I wanted so desperately to see her reaction to my sudden confidence as I couldn't help the half dopey smile that appeared on the left side of my face."Thy lips are warm." Soon after, Claire made the rest of her speech before fake stabbing herself and laid down on top of my chest. Her hand found its way on top of mine as the fake knife dropped beside us. I chuckled as I heard Toby whisper in shock in the deathly silent audience."Juliet dies in this?"I heard Eli's footsteps as he gathered the play together in a nicely wrapped bow before the sound of the curtains closing followed his last set of words. I opened my eyes as I felt Claire bring herself off of me slowly. I slipped off the altar and faced where the audience will be as I felt a hand slip itself into mine. I smiled over to Claire who was smiling softly back to me as the curtains opened once more. We brought our hands up together before bowing to the audience while a roaring applause filled the gym with ease.
To be honest, I could get used to this kind of roaring any day.
I chuckled softly to myself as the curtains closed once more. After that, I fell to my knees with an exhausted sigh even though a happy smile was on my face. I leaned my head back as I breathed slowly to myself while my hands slid to my knees.
Bular is dead. The play is done. Everyone is safe and I got to kiss Claire again. A pretty good end to a brutal day, I suppose.
"Tired?" I looked over to Claire with a small chuckled before bringing myself up to my feet once more."More than you can ever know." She shook her head at me for a moment as a soft smirk appeared on her lips."Well, we're in this together now, aren't we? I guess I'll understand soon enough." I gave her a toothy grin before speaking again."I guess so." I put my hands on her biceps as I looked deep into her hazel eyes. "Claire, with everything that happened today, I want you to know this is dangerous what we're adventuring into. I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe, I can promise that, but I can't promise that nothing bad will happen. So if you want out-.""If you're going to ask me if I want out of all of this and leave you alone with Toby in all of it, you're sadly mistaken. You must not know the girl you're talking to." I smiled at the smirk that deepened on her face. "You're stuck with me, Lake. For better or for worse. If you like it or not." I dropped my hands from her arms as I felt a small blush appear on my face. I could tell by the small hue change from the armor that the crystal caught on to it as well."I wouldn't have it any other way, actually." She gave me a wide smile. The right side of her lip pointed up slightly higher than the other."Good." She pulled me into a loose hug. Much like the one we shared in front of the school on my birthday. "I'm glad you're okay." I smiled at her words as I wrapped my arms around her back."Glad to be here.""Now a toast!" A bunch of wooden cups was brought up to the sky as Blinky spoke. "To our Trollhunter, Jim the Bular Slayer!" A loud cheer came from the trolls of Troll Market as Blinky placed his empty upper right hand on my left shoulder. "May he protect us for years to come!" I smiled up at Blinky as Vendel joined his side."Troll Market is safe again at last." My smile widened at Vendel's words as I nodded my head towards the elder. Blinky caught my attention once more as he turned before placing his mug in one of his lower set of hands. He reached out and laced both of his upper ones on my shoulders."This does not mean your training is finished though, Master Jim. There is still much more to learn." I gave him an eager nod which caused the troll to smile widely. "But for now, we celebrate!" He lifted all four of his hands in the air. "May the fruits of your labor be flavorful to you!" I smiled as he went off into the wave full of trolls before turning my attention to Toby."Enjoying yourself, Jimbo?" I looked out over the crowd to see the masses being familiar faces celebrating with one another. Draal, who was accepted back into Troll Market due to his ties to our victory, now had a cybernetic arm as he cheered alongside some of his old drinking friends from the small pub in Troll Market. I saw the mass of large smiles and happy faces as I continued to scan the area. Blinky and Vendel were talking to each other with ease as AAARRRGGHH was looking between them like a rather large lost puppy."Yeah, a little bit." My smile deepened from prior as I looked back at him. "I couldn't have done it without you though, Tobes. I hope you know I'm gonna need your help more now than ever." Toby reached out and placed his hand on my left shoulder."I'm not going anywhere, so you have nothing to worry about, my friend." I nodded my head as I whispered out to him."Good, because you want to know what our next mission is?""And what's that?" I smiled as I glanced out towards the mass of trolls once more before bringing my attention back to Toby."We're going to save Claire's brother from the Darklands."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Have you even told her what happened to her brother? Does she even know?" Toby questioned me as we made out way back to our little cul-de-sac."Haven't really been able to sit down with her and go 'HEY! Your little brother was kidnapped and that's why I brought him up the other night. But don't worry! We know kind of here he is!'" I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair. "I know, it's a terrible excuse.""Defiantly. Like worse than when you told Señor Uhl that the reason we were late was because of how your mom had a flat. When we bike to school. And he knew we bike to school. To be honest, what were you thinking at that moment?" I gave him a nervous smile as I slipped my hands into my jumper's pockets."How the fuck can I get out of this one? Probably that." I sighed once more as I looked up to the sky. "At least we can explain a bit more about what we're doing first before we tell her. I don't want her thinking that we could have prevented it or something.""But that look on your face says that even you believe that." I chuckled darkly as I glance over to my best friend."You know me way too well, Tobes.""It comes with the whole best friend title. Deal with it." I laughed lightly as I reached out to knock him lightly in the shoulder."I wouldn't have it any other way, my friend." I felt Toby's hand collapse over my left shoulder as I slipped my hand back into my jacket's pocket."But seriously, Jim. You need to tell her. When is something I'll leave up to you. No matter what though, you need to tell her." I nodded my head as we started to make our way through the forest before our homes."Tomorrow. I'll tell her tomorrow. After we show her Troll Market. After we explain just how little we knew of all of it.""Sounds perfect, Jimbo. I'll be right here beside you through it all.""Thanks, Tobes.""No prob, Jimbo. That way if she tries to murder you from keeping this from her, I'll be here as a witness." I shot a glare over to Toby as we continued our walk to our houses."Thanks, Tobes." This time sarcasm dripped off my voice as he laughed wholeheartedly at the torture he was putting me through. He smacked me shoulder with his hand before retracting it with a large smile on his face."You're welcome!""You're kidding." I smiled toward Claire as it was obvious to me she was excited by what I had to say with how she bounced on the balls of her feet."I'm not. Blinky said we can bring you. He's really excited to meet you actually."
"I get to meet the wonderful Fair Claire? The young maiden you always speak of?" I felt myself blush as Blinky and I worked on the Vespa together. Over the one and a half weeks since he had showcased the gift to me, we've actually got pretty far into building the vehicle.
"Um, yeah. Do you think it would be a good idea? With Vendel and everything?"
"She's the friend to our beloved Trollhunter who, if you have forgotten, have proven to the people of which he protects that he is worthy of the title." I smiled as Blinky looked over to me, dropping the wrench in his hand slightly as he gave me his full attention. "She will be welcomed with open arms." He went back to work almost instantly as he continued to speak. "If not though, AAARRRGGHH will make sure of it. Right, my old friend?!" Blinky yelled out toward his companion to be welcomed to a large roar. "Exactly." I laughed lightly at the two of them as I went back to getting my hands dirty with the Vespa.
"Thanks, Blinky."
"Really? So you talked to him about me, huh?" I felt a blush creep up onto my cheeks as a large smirk appeared on her face."Um-." My pause and deer in the headlight look seemed to pull a giggle from the girl beside me. The crystal around my neck mocked me as it warmed against my skin. She reached out and touched my bicep to seemingly calm down my nerves."I'm toying with you! It's fine. I can't wait to meet him and argh, right?" I could swear that if it wasn't for the wide smile on her face that I could see a blush mimicking my own on her cheeks, but I put that in the back of my mind as I replied to her almost instantly."Actually, his name is AAARRRGGHH. With three Rs. Trust me. Blinky will remind you as many times as he is allowed." This got another laugh out of Claire as we started to make our way toward our history class together."So is there anything I should know before going there? Anything major I shouldn't do or stuff like that."
Oh. Maybe the fact that your brother is a changeling and I feel as if I've purposely kept it from you and I could have done much more for him than I did but you know, nothing huge and I totally don't feel guilty for it or anything like that. Totally not.
"Um. I don't think so. Just don't touch anyone, I guess. Toby found that out the hard way.""Alrighty. Keep my hands to myself. Got it." She smiled toward me widely as she slipped her hands into her blazer pockets. "I can do that." I felt myself smile as I allowed the sight to be imprinted into my memory."I'm sure you can." With that, we slipped into the classroom with our shared smiles being the last remains to our conversation as we went to our respective seats."Ready for this?" I smiled as I held the horngazel in my right hand. When I thought Claire was excited about exploring Troll Market, I wasn't thinking about how excited Toby would be to the idea."Come on! I can't wait to see AAARRRGGHH's reaction to her!" I rolled my eyes with my smile still in place as I drew the archway on the wall of the bridge."Tobes. Calm yourself." He placed his hand on his chin for a moment as the arch pushed into the concrete to showcase the passageway to Troll Market. He hummed lightly as I turned back to Claire."How about no." I shook my head as I smiled toward Claire."Sorry about him.""It's alright. I know how he's feeling." I chuckled lightly as I held out the horngazel to her."Here. You can take it." She looked down at the object in my hands before looking back up to me with wide eyes."Are you sure?" My smile widened further as I pointed my thumb over to Toby with my free hand."I gave it Toby our first night after Trollmarket. I have enough of a reminder of my ties to all of this with the amulet so I let him take care of the horngazel so he had a reminder as well." I took a step closer as my smile kept its place on my face. "Since you're apart our little team now, it can be yours." I watched as Claire's hazel eyes looked at me skeptically before taking the object and weighed it within her hands with a soft smile."Thanks, Jim." I dropped my hand to my side as I slipped my right hand into my jeans pocket."Thanks for joining us." I turned back towards Toby before taking a step toward the entryway of Troll Market. "Everyone ready?" I didn't have to be told as I felt a hand slip into mine as if it was second nature to it. I looked down at it to see the familiar sleeve of a black blazer with a purple cloth peeking out from under it.
I'll take that as a yes.
I felt a lopsided grin take place over my face as all three of us started making our way down the steps. But as we did so, crystals started to illuminate the pathway and staircase in a beautiful mix of hues. I pulled out the crystal from under my shirt with my free hand as it joined in the shiny glow of cavern dwelling staircase. After a few seconds to allow Claire to enjoy the scenery, we started our journey down the staircase."Now, Troll Market is beautiful, but there are some trolls that still don't enjoy the fact that humans are down here. So be careful before interact-""Blinky said that if anyone gives her any problems that AAARRRGGHH will handle it. Don't worry, Tobes. It's not like I-we would allow anything to happen to her down here anyway." I smiled over my left shoulder to Toby that was almost right behind us as we continued down the staircase. After a certain point, you could see almost all of Troll Market so I placed my attention on Claire as I saw the childlike wonder in her eyes. I watched her tug my hand as she hurried her footsteps toward the sight. I chuckled as I tried my best to keep up with her."Hey! Short legs back here! Don't leave me hanging!" My chuckle grew into a full laugh as Claire and I reached the last few steps. Her hand slipped out of mine as she spun toward us."This place is amazing!" She raised her hands up into the air as she turned back toward the beauty that was Troll Market once more. I reached up to grab the crystal around my neck to feel the burning sensation it had against my jacket but I smiled as I watched her look around as if it was the most beautiful sight she had ever laid her eyes on. I felt a hand place itself on my shoulder as Toby used me to steady himself as he tried to catch his breath."I get the whole the girl you like getting to know your biggest secret thing, but don't forget your best friend has tiny legs, asshat." I smiled at Toby's words as I felt the crystal mimick the burning feeling in my face like it has many times before while my eyes stayed on the smiling Latina."Sorry.""Don't be. To be honest, I would be the same way if I was you." He patted my shoulder before he started to walk off toward Claire. "Now come on. We need to meet with Blinky, right?" I nodded my head as I followed him with ease."Yep. We need to get going."It didn't take us too much longer after that to make our way toward Blinky's library where said troll and his companion were waiting for us."Ah! Good evening, Master Jim. Tobias. Last but not least, welcome to our humble abode, Lady Claire! Glad to meet your acquaintance." Blinky gave us all a wide smile as AAARRRGGHH came up right beside him."Wing-man." He brought up his left fist so that Toby could bump it with his own."Nice to see you too, big guy." The larger troll brought his fist down as he gave a smile and a small nod to the new member to our small team."Wel-come.""Thank you. To both of you. This place is amazing. Mind if I take a look?" Blinky's eyes widened as he gestured out toward his loaded shelves with a larger smile than I have ever seen from the troll."Go right ahead! Be my guest." With this, Claire and Blinky seemed to already be fast friends due to their mutual love for knowledge.
Would I have expected anything less? Nope. Did I expect it to happen so quickly? Nope.
Are both of them going to be pissed off once they realize what my next plan is? Probably.
I walked past AAARRRGGHH and Toby who were talking amongst themselves as I slipped into the forge. I stretched my arms above my head with a content sigh.
For all that Daylight protect, with all of Merlin's magic within me, I will protect and defeat as the sun will let me.
I smiled at the flash of light that showcased to me that the armor set itself into place.
When the armor first placed itself upon my skin, I was in too much of a frantic state to understand how it felt. But in the moments that came after, it felt foreign to me. The weight of the armor was heavy and made me feel as if I was running around in someone else's calling. But now as I walk toward the center of the Hero's Forge while looking up to the Trollhunters before me, the armor felt as if it was a second skin to me now. It took almost two months of pure anxiety, sleep deprivation, and panic attacks, but I believe it was worth it to get to this point.
I looked down at my silver armored hands as the black little bits of leather-like cloth under it covered my flesh in the exposed areas. A light violet flowed through the cracks of the metal pieces that would normally either be blue or bright red and orange like that of the heartstone.
Violet means pride. Got it. I guess that should be something I'll need to be wary of in the future. What was it that Blinky said? A fool fights with anger and it's the blind that leads with pride? It sounds like something straight out of Shakespeare. Huh, no wonder he and Claire got along so quickly.
I smiled widely as I walked up to the Soothscryer."So I stick my arm in this thing?" I looked over to Vendel as I started hoping within my mind that he would tell me otherwise.
"Yes."
Whelp. There go those hopes.
"You're joking, right?" I looked over to Toby who was speaking the thoughts I had raging within my mind.
"What is there to joke about, fleshling? Many trolls before you have done this. You place your arm within the Soothscryer and then it decides if you are worthy to protect our people."
"But that's exactly it. I'm not a troll. I'm also not a normal Trollhunter." I put my attention back to Vendel as I stood before the much taller stone structure. It had a head carved into the top of it of a troll's head with multiple eyes, an open mouth, and large horns on the sides. The eyes shined bright red as I looked up to the top of it. The crystal around my neck shined lightly as I glanced down at it. A light grey color dancing around in the necklace as I looked back up to the stone structure.
I looked back up to the large relic one more.
Eclipse.
My eyes widened as I heard a deep voice within my mind. Much like the one I heard when I first dawned the armor of the amulet.
Place your arm in the Soothscryer, young warrior. We desire to speak to you.
I didn't think as I pulled myself up to the edge of the Soothscryer and instinctively placed my right arm into the mouth of the structure. There was a bright flash of blue light as I felt as if I was pulled into the relic both mentally and physically. It was as if both my soul and my body were being placed from one world to another as I screamed to myself mentally.Then suddenly, it ended.I opened my eyes that I didn't realize that I closed during the experience to be welcomed to a dark room with a small blue haze of a deep blue in what I believed were the corners of the rooms but the darkness within the room seemed as if it was much further into the void than what the subtle blue linings allowed you to perceive. The area's setting was so interesting that I didn't notice I was sitting on the floor until I felt myself stand up and look around the room further. It was built like that of the Hero's Forge in a way with the large pillars where the statues would be placed as well as the pathway to the center of the room. I took a few hesitant steps toward the middle of the area as a voice called out from behind me."Welcome, young Eclipse." I turned suddenly to be welcome to the silhouette of a large troll within the kind of style of armor I was in. The only major differences were the face of how he had an amulet over his heart much like me with the crystal, a helmet was placed upon his head, and his shoulder pieces were a lot more even than mine. My left shoulder plate was a bit larger than the right side, which I never quite understood why that was, but looking upon what I could assume was a fellow Trollhunter only made that thought even more confusing. After a few seconds, I realized I was welcomed and I didn't respond to the greeting."Um, hi." I nervously waved to the much larger being as the troll only placed his hands on what I assumed was his waist. It wasn't until then that I finally tied who he was to which one of the statues I was told was the most recently fallen Trollhunter. "You're Kanjigar the Courageous.""And you are Jim the Bular Slayer. The Human Eclipse. What is the difference between us if not of name and kind?"
I guess he isn't wrong.
I smiled at the idea as I kept my attention on Kanjigar. "If you don't mind me asking then, why was I brought here? And why did you say we?" The large troll opened his arms wide to gesture beside them as more figures joined on both sides of him. Some were familiar to me due to the statues I saw in the Hero's Forge, but some of them were unknown to me."We are the souls of Trollhunters past. Each of us is brought here in the Void Between Worlds after our passing. Here we guide and speak to those after us with the best of our ability once we are called upon." I glanced between both sides of Kanjigar with wide eyes as the figures disappeared just as suddenly as they had appeared.
This some Avatar kind of shit.
I stifled my laugh as I cleared my throat. "But I didn't call upon you. You said you desired to speak with me.""Yes. That I did." I tilted my head as he continued. "As the Eclipse, your thoughts and emotions are streamed to us. We know of your plans. We know of your desires." He glided toward me with ease before stopped a mere few feet away from me. "We know of your struggles. We know how you plan to head to the Darklands." I instinctively swallowed hard as I could tell that Kanjigar was narrowing his eyes at me. "We called you here to warn you. This justification you seek will lead you down a dangerous path. One filled with many hardships. If you follow through with this, the only way you will survive is to end Gunmar the Black. It is the only way." I took a deep breath as I tried to keep my composer in front of the spirit."I need to kill Gunmar to survive the Darklands.""Certainly. You are a prophetic figure and there is so much that you are destined to accomplish, but hear us clearly. Your emotions are your strength as the Eclipse but don't let them blind you. Your ties to others are your strength but don't let them lead you nor should you allow them to be all you are." I nodded my head along to what he said while I let the words sink in further but one word, in particular, caught my attention."Did you say prophetic?"
"Jim? Where are you?"
"Jim!"
"Seems you are being called upon once more, young Eclipse. We will speak of this further." I watched for a moment as Kanjigar started to fade from view."But wait! I have so many questions! What do you mean by prophetic? What do you mean by destined? What does it all mean? Kanjigar!" But the familiar feeling of being pulled from one word to another took over me as I fell to the ground with a thud. I groaned as I brought myself up to a sitting position before cradling my head with my right hand. My mind felt as there was a raging storm within as I tried to shake off the tired feeling within my limbs. I wanted to open my eyes but the sudden light caused me to screw them shut once more.
I guess that's just the physical effect of basically being sucked into a stone relic thing.
I felt a hand press down lightly against my left shoulder as my ears started to pick up on the conversation that was happening around me."He was called upon by the council of Trollhunters. He'll be disoriented for a moment at the very least. The first time is always the most difficult.""Council of Trollhunters? Like dead dudes talking together kind of stuff?" I groaned as my head pounded due to how loud their voices were even though they were in their normal tonalities."Can you guys just be quiet? I think you're making it worse." I knew the voice that was beside me well as I opened my eyes slowly to see Claire sitting there with her hand still upon my shoulder. I gave her a weak smile as I dropped my head from my head. "Are you okay?" I nodded my head slightly."The best I can be after what just happened." My voice was barely above a whisper but it got the point across. With Claire's help, I was able to get to my feet with relative ease and I was able to stand on my own even though there was still a slight weakness in my legs."What did they speak to you about, Master Jim? Nothing drastic, I hope." I looked over to Blinky as I replied without a second thought."He told me of a prophecy but never explained it. What was he talking about, Blinky?" Blinky's face fell as he looked over to AAARRRGGHH who only looked between us for a moment before nodding his head to his friend. With this, Blinky sighed before speaking himself."Long ago when our kinds were against one another was when the Amulet of Daylight was created. It was a gift by the wizard Merlin to protect trolls as well as keep our ties to humanity to a minimum. It was the human's way of letting our kind know we were no longer be prosecuted for being creatures of magic as for us to protect ourselves against the Gum-Gums." He looked back up to AAARRRGGHH for a moment as he rubbed each of his hands together with their opposite one. "But when it was given to us, Merlin made a promise that one day a human would wield the amulet and be the savior of both realms. A connection to the amulet then showcasing a tie to the heartstone that gives us trolls life to prove it." His eyes landed on me once more as he continued. "He called them the Human Eclipse. The one to bright daylight and darkness together in harmony. The barrier between worlds.""But Kanjigar said I was destined to do something." I took a deep breath as I kept my attention on Blinky. "What did he mean by that? What do you mean by savior?" The troll took a deep breath as he put his hands behind him as he released it slowly."What I mean by savior and what Kanjigar had stated link together. The Human Eclipse was said by Merlin to do many things. A lot of which he never explained to any of our kind, but he did speak on one that we know for certain.""And is that?" Claire's hand returned to my shoulder as she presented her question. Blinky looked at her for a moment before his eyes landed on me once more."You are destined to bring an end to our suffering. To bring peace to both of our kinds. He never spoke of how, but I don't doubt the council would know more than I. They are tied to the amulet more than ever once they pass.""And from I could tell Kanjigar won't explain it to me."I sighed as I looked over to Claire who had a worried look in her eyes.
I now understand what it feels to be left in the dark. She deserved to know now more than ever.
"Claire, I need to tell you something." I glanced over to Toby who almost instantly knew what I wanted."Oh! Blinky, AAARRRGGHH, I had some questions about something Jim and I found. Can we go talk about it in the library?""Couldn't we just-?""Nope! Let's go!" I had a small smile on my face as I watched Toby dragged Blinky with AAARRRGGHH following in tow. I brought my attention to Claire again to see we were both fighting off a small laugh about what we have just witnessed."Well that was smooth, wasn't it?" I let out the laugh I was fighting."Totally crispy." I was going to continue speaking but I stopped myself when a small smirk appeared on her face."Did you just say
crispy
as a synonym for cool?""Hey, I thought you said you wouldn't judge me.""I said that about the crystal. Not about saying
crispy." I groaned at her statement as I rolled my eyes jokingly. She just laughed lightly at my reaction before she reached out with both of her hands and placed them on my shoulders. "Alright, you said you wanted to speak to me. What's on your mind?" I took a deep breath and released it slowly."It's about your brother." She gave me tilted her head slightly as a curious look took over her face. "This might be a lot. We can sit down if you want?""Nope. I can handle it." I had to fight the small smile that fought at the edges of my lips.
Of course she'll say that. She's probably one of the most headstrong people I know.
"Your brother is a changeling."I watched as her face fell at my words. There was a swirl of emotions battling within her darkened chocolate eyes.
Maybe that wasn't the way to tell someone their little brother is a mythical creature. Way to go, Jackass.
"What does that mean?""It means your brother isn't the same one you know. He was replaced with a troll. He knows you know about me, but not about him." I swallowed dryly as I watched her look away from me for a moment. "Trust me, I've been wanting to tell you. But with Bular and the play and the goblins and everything else involved we haven't had enough time to explain it. That's not a good excuse but I promise I'll make this rig-." I was cut off and Claire wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me into a tight hug. It felt as if she was clutching onto me like a lifeline."Its all my fault." I felt my eyes widen in shock. I wasn't sure I heard her right but I felt her shake slightly as she tried to take a deep breath. She pulled away from me slightly before she started speaking again. "The night my brother went missing I snuck out to hang out with Darci and Mary. If I had just stayed, maybe I could have heard something or actually took care of him as a sister should I-.""Claire, no." I unwrapped my arms from her and placed my hands on her biceps. This motion caused her to look me in the eyes which I didn't know gave me more strength to speak or just made me even more nervous. "It's not your fault. If it's anyone's," I hesitated for a moment but I pushed through. "It would be me." She gave me a confused look so I took it as an opportunity to continue, but I had to tear my eyes away from her to have the strength to. "A few days before Toby and I saw what I found out it was Enrique, we saw a bundle being carried into the museum by a goblin. If I had stopped it or got the goblin's attention maybe he would still be here and it's something that's been eating at me since I realized it was your brother that we saw." I heard a small laugh come from her before I looked up to her to see she had a sad smile dancing on her lips."I guess guilt has been eating at the both of us, huh?" I chuckled a little at the idea as I watched the sadden features faded slowly as her hands placed themselves on my biceps as I have done with her."He must be full then. Hopefully." This caused a true laugh out of her as she shook her head at me with a small smile."Only you would say something like that." I smiled easily as I saw that the dark emotions that swirled in her eyes gave away to show a gentle feeling within it."I think only I would say this too." I gave Claire a serious look with the smile still placed on my lips. "I promise to get him back. At some point or some way, I promise he'll be okay. Even if it means I have to go to the Darklands myself to get him.""This is not your weight to bare on your own." My smile deepened as Claire patted my right arm once before dropping her arms to her side. "No matter what, we're in this together now. It doesn't matter to me where we're heading or what we come across, you're not doing this alone." I felt my smile deepen as the armor glowed a soft but deep purple as she spoke. She gave me a smirk as I dropped my hands from her arms and scratched the back of my neck with my right hand. "You never told me what purple stood for." I gave her a nervous smile as I chuckled lightly at her normal demeanor that I grew to enjoy more than anything. Especially in this past month and a half."Stick around and you might find out."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Dude. These assemblies get worse and worse every freaking year." I chuckled as Toby groaned at the end of his sentence. I looked over to a couple of bleacher seats away to see Claire sitting with her two of her friends. She was laughing at something one of them has said before glancing over to give me a wide smile as if she knew I looking after her. I gave her a nervous smile as she gave me an easy wave as if it was second nature."Totally." Toby smacked me in the shoulder as he laughed lightly."Bro, you are whipped and you haven't even asked her out yet!" I shot him a glare as Coach Lawrence's voice broke through the sound of student's voices and ramblings."Alright settle down, settle down! It's time for what you all are waiting for. SPRING FLING NOMINEES!" He was only answered by a chorus of moans in response to him. "Hey! Don't have me get all of you back into your classrooms." The gym was silent once more as he continued. "Alrighty! Ladies first, shall we?" Coach fiddled with an envelope that the mascot had just given him as Toby leaned over to whisper to me."How much you wanna bet Claire gets nominated again?""I'm not betting anything because I know I'll lose." I gave him a cheeky smile as he pointed at the mole still running around the coach as he fumbled with the envelope still."Then how much would you bet the mole's a girl?""You've been saying that since the first time you saw them.""Alright!" We snapped our attention toward Coach Lawrence once more as the man brought two papers out of the envelope. "For our Spring Fling Queen Nominees. First, Shannon Longhannon. Second, Mary Wang. Last, but not least, our reigning queen and two-time nominee-.""Told you I would have lost if I bet against you.""Claire Nuñez! Come on down here, all three of you!" I looked over to where Claire was to see her stand alongside Mary as they walked down the bleachers together. "As they make their way, we're ready to announce the kings!""Steve?" I chuckled to Toby as I brought my attention back to him."If not who else?""First, Eli Pepperjack. Second, Steve Palchuk.""Who do you think will be the third?" I shrugged as I looked toward Coach with a plank face."To be honest, I could care less.""Lastly, Jim Lake! Come on down, boys!" I felt a confused look take over my face as I felt Toby smack my shoulder."Bro! This is so awesome!" He started shoving me lightly toward the bleacher walkway. "Go go go!" I followed through with the action. Once I reached the wooden gym floor, I looked over to Claire give me a large lopsided grin as she stood beside Mary and Shannon. I shrugged as I made my way to take my spot beside Steve and Eli."Isn't this exciting?" I looked over to Eli with a soft smile before I felt a sharp pain through my ribs due to Steve's elbow. I glared at the slightly taller boy as I decided to take a breath and look over to where Claire was once more."Alrighty! Your nominees, everyone! Now for my favorite part of this all, the Ladies' Choice!" I let out the breath I was holding as the three boys and I fell into a line beside one another across from the girls.
The dreaded Ladies' Choice. Probably one of the most embarrassing or thrilling moments for a king nominee. When the girls get to choose who they take on the week's challenges with. Together they get points based on how they did in comparison to the other couples. Then the students would vote on who they wanted to win the day of the dance.
I watched as the girl whispered between one another for a moment as Coach went on to continue with his voice a lot softer than it was before as his words were directed to the six of us specifically. "Alrighty, ladies! From the order I announced to you, you will choose your kings. Remember boys, this is the Ladies' Choice, not yours. Don't be rude if the girl that chooses you isn't the one you hoped for." He looked between us as the girls went back into a small line together. "Ready?" I watched as each of them gave him a small nod. My eyes specifically watching a certain punk as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Let the choosing commence!" He yelled out as he left the six of us to"Claire and I will make a wonderful king and queen, right Lame?" I felt my face fall as Steve's voice whispered over to me. "Knowing Shannon she'll pick Eli and Mary despises me so guess who she'll pick without a second thought? I hope you enjoy talking gossip because that's all you'll be hearing." Steve chuckled as Shannon went across to Eli with a smile."We've been friends for years. There's no one else I would rather do these challenges with.""Of course! Your girlfriend isn't going to mad, right?" I smiled as Shannon just chuckled at her long term friend. It wasn't a secret to the school that Shannon was into girls and personally, I thought it was bullshit when she got shit for it. What was the difference between a girl liking a girl and a guy liking a girl? Absolutely nothing. At least, in my opinion. I never talked to her much, but I knew that if I saw her get messed with on the topic that I would be standing right there beside her."I think you would be the one she would want me to choose the most." My smile deepened as the two of them left the lines and went off to the side."Actually, Coach Lawrence, is it okay if Claire chooses before me?" I gave Mary a confused look as I looked over to Coach to see his reply."And why's that?""She always last when it comes to these. As her friend, I want to give her a choice." I watched as Mary gave Claire a look that seemed to be toying with her but it seemed Coach didn't care since he waved it on."I guess we could allow that. Carry on.""Okay, Shannon. Plan get Romeo and Juliet to stop fucking pinning is a go.""You're talking as if I'm not right here beside you.""Shush, this is for your own good." I rolled my eyes as Shannon giggled alongside me. "So you're going first so you can choose Eli if you want.""Oh definitely. Do you think I'll choose Steve over my elementary best friend? Hell no.""Then I'll take Steve. No matter how much it pains me.""Do I even get a chose within all of this." Mary gave me a large smirk as she slipped out of the small circle we created but kept her voice low for only us to hear."Please, if you had a true choice, we all know who you would pick." I felt my face flush lightly as I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. I looked out to Jim who didn't seem to enjoy whatever it was the Steve was whispering over to him, but he kept his cool.
Don't think of it as anything more than helping him out. It would be better for me to be with Jim instead of Shannon or Mary. They wouldn't understand why he'll need to dive out at certain situations. If not me, then who else?
I watched as Shannon chose Eli with ease soon after we got back into a small line together. I put my hands behind me as I figured Mary was going to go next, but before she even took a step forward, she looked over to Mr. Lawrence with a smile I knew all too well."Actually, Coach Lawrence, is it okay if Claire chooses before me?" My mind went silent as Mary gave me a knowing look and a devious smile.
Damn you, Mary Wang. Always wanting to prove yourself right.
"I guess we could allow that. Carry on." I looked over to the two boys before me as I already knew which one I was going to walk over toward. I watched Jim fidget nervously just the slightest as he put his hands into his jacket. His blue eyes looking down at the gym floor for a brief moment before looking back up at me.
When I first saw them I was new to Arcadia. The daughter of a wanna be councilwoman still trying to make her mark. We were invited to the hospital's charity event the following month after the election when I saw him there. I didn't know his name, but somehow I knew that he was going to make an impact on me.
Little did I know that impact included trolls and a magical amulet.
I felt myself move forward. It felt like time slowed down as I stopped before Jim with a small smile. His eyes widened for a moment before a soft gleam took over them.
Did he think I wouldn't choose him if I had the choice? Does he think he's nothing compared to the blonde beside him or something? Is that how he truly sees himself?
"We hang out a lot as it is. What're a few more hours?" I heard him chuckle lightly as if he was relieved that I didn't bring up something else as my reasoning."You won't get sick of me?" He gave me a joking half-smile which only caused me to shake my head slightly."I don't think I can even if you tried." My words seemed to settle whatever it was that was toying with him in his mind as he gave me a small nod."Of course, then. What're a few more hours?" We walked over to the side together as I felt a soft smile dance on my lips."We're in this together, remember?" I glanced out of the corner of my eye to watch his reaction to my words as we stood beside one another. A large smile took over his face as he left out a small sigh of relief."Yeah. In this together." I smiled as I looked forward once more.
I know how I feel about the boy beside me but I also understand all the stress he's under. Troll, goblins, and changelings alone must have complicated things enough. But now he's got even more responsibilities on top of it as well as helping me figure out how to save my brother?
"These are your nominees, everyone! Give them a round of applause!" As the applause came deafening, I hooked my arm with his without a second thought. I kept my eyes forward as I felt his eyes watching me. I knew that if I looked over to him I would probably blush like a fool and I would rather be able to keep my composer at the moment.
It doesn't matter what hell comes our way this week. No matter what I know we'll be side by side.
I glanced out of the corner of my eyes once more to see a small nervous smile on his face like always as he looked ahead of him toward the bleachers. For once it seemed that he didn't carry the world on his shoulders.
At least, if I have anything to do about it.
"Hello, young Eclipse." I groaned as I stood up within the dark void."Okay, I understand I'm brought here for serious reasons but can you give me a warning next time?" The features on Kanjigar's face didn't change as I chuckled nervously to myself. "Um, nevermind. Forget I said anything. What do you wish to speak to me about?""There is a part of your future that is soon to come hunt you. You must be ready." I gave him a confused look."Hunt me? What do you mean?""Exactly what I mean, Eclipse. Fear the warrior of the Pale Lady. " Just as suddenly as I was brought within the Void as before, I was back within the Hero's Forge. I sighed as I landed on my feet with an unnerving feeling swelled in my chest."Master Jim? What did they speak to you about this time?" I shook my head as I clutched it with my right armored hand."Kanjigar spoke something of a piece of my future is coming to hunt me. To, and I quote, 'Fear the warrior of the Pale Lady'.""The Pale Lady? That sounds like something from Arthurian literature." I looked over to Claire who sat there with her hand on her chin in thought. "It sounds oddly familiar though.""She's spoken of in one of the books I lent you, Lady Claire. Yet I have no how they know of this." Blinky mimicked the same action as Claire as he started to pace back and worth. "But the warrior of the Pale Lady? What does that have to do with the prophecy? Merlin never spoke of such to us trolls. Only ever spoke of the end, never the in-between.""You know who they are talking about, Blinks?" Toby jumped into the conversation this time as Blinky gave me a hazardous look before speaking."Sadly, yes. This warrior they speak of is one that has brought the end to many Trollhunters before you. A warrior of his people before he became a soldier to the Pale Lady." I nodded along numbly to the idea."And whose the Pale Lady?""A powerful witch. Our kind does not know much her, but all of this gives me the urge to search deeper into my library.""I think that's a wonderful idea! Maybe if we find anything more on them, we can figure out what Kanjigar means!" Claire's voice was background noise to me as my mind went deep into thought.
So someone is hunting me down, there's a prophecy that tells of my future that seemingly only the ghost of Trollhunters past, and there's some magical lady person that controls the one and is nearly unknown to the other. Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.
Also, all of this while still having to do Spring Fling challenges tomorrow? Great. Just great.
I felt a hand rub my back slightly as Toby's voice came from before me."Don't worry, Jimbo. AAARRRGGHH and I are going to go around Troll Market to search for any other books we can find. Claire and Blinky are going to start reading through what we already have in Blink's library. You can join either of us when you take a small break for a second. Alright?" I nodded my head as I looked between Claire and him with a soft look on my face."Thanks, guys." I gave them a sincere smile as Claire gave me a small pat on my back."We're all in this together. Doesn't matter what happens, right TP?""Hell yeah! Doesn't matter to me if we need to go through the Darklands ourselves!" I chuckled at his cheery look as I kept glancing between both of them.
At least I have these two. At least I have Blinky and AAARRRGGHH.
At least I'm not alone.
"Ready for the first challenge?!" I looked over to Claire as Coach Lawerence looked between each set of us. She shook her head lightly."Don't look at me like that. He gets too excited over this whole thing." She whispered over to me as we stood on the sidewalk together with the other 'couples'. The was barely above the horizon due to how it was during the beginning of first hour when we were asked to come outside for the first challenge.At least we were excused from the work assignments matter on how long we're here for."Do you know why we're out here for?" I whispered back to the girl beside me before she pointed her thumb over to the truck next to us."Today is our longest challenge of the week! Each one of you will place a hand on the vehicle. The couple with the last one standing wins. I'll give you all a few minutes to prepare yourself real quick.""Really? That's the challenge?" Claire giggled beside me."Yep. That's it. Simple, huh?" She stretched her arms approve her head as she gave me a wide smile. "I would loosen up if I were you. These usually last a little while. I think the first time we did this contest, it lasted about ten hours." I felt my eyes widened as she dropped her arms to her sides."You're kidding right?" Her face stayed neutral as I knew almost instantly that she was serious. I stretched my arms out myself as she gave me a small smirk and patted my shoulder."Hey, at least we won't be bored, right?" I looked over the other 'couples' for a moment as I saw Mary typing away on her phone as Steve seemed to be ready to stay the rest of his day here. I glanced over to Shannon and Eli to see them just chatting with one another without much of a care."Do we care enough about this stuff? With everything else we have going on?" Claire just shrugged as she adjusted her blazer to fit over her shoulders before rolling them slightly."I'm going to at least try, you know? Gotta keep up appearances." She gave me a wide smile. "I don't think I would mind winning anyway this year anyway.""And why's that?""I actually have someone I wouldn't mind winning with." I was going to ask her what she meant by that, but Coach Lawrence cut off my train of thought."Alright, everyone! Everybody ready?" I gave Claire a small smile as we both gave a determined nod to one another. Each one of us nominees walked over to the truck and placed a hand on the vehicle. "You cannot switch hands. You cannot leave without forfeiting. Be in good communication with your counterpart and you'll do well." Coach Lawerence gave us all a large smile as he held up an air horn that seemed to randomly appear within his hand."Where did he get that from?""Don't question it.""AND GO!" He pressed the air horn as he yelled out to us. Almost instantly, Eli and Shannon jumped back in shock as the rest of us just cringed at how loud it was. "Sad. You two are already out?" Coach gave the rest of us a large smile before leaving beside the two already eliminated competitors."That counted?" Claire just gave me a shrug once more with her left hand still placed on the truck."Welcome to Spring Fling court. Hope you enjoy your stay." I just shook my head with a smile. I looked across the hood that my right hand as on to see Steve giving me a cold glare that almost made me swallow dryly at the pure hate in his eyes.This is going to be one hell of a day."Favorite color." I looked down at my blue attire as I looked back at Claire with a playful smirk as we sat criss-cross from each other with our respective hands on the vehicle still."Oh. I wonder." She gave me a small laugh as she rolled her eyes jokingly at me. "That's like asking if you like Shakespeare.""Even though you're right, I hate how easily you were okay to toy with me.""You're the one saying you could stand a few more hours with me." I felt my smirk turn into a lopsided grin as she gave me a soft smile."I did say that, didn't I?" I couldn't help but look into her eyes as she looked back at me.
I always liked her eyes. Yeah they were brown and a lot of others wouldn't think much more of them, but I always found hers interesting. They were normally this delicate shade of brown that looked similar to that of milk chocolate, but whenever she smiled they seemed to become this light hazel. But then there was when the light danced in them just right, they looked as if they were molten gold with hazel specks that swirled around them with ease.
Exactly what was in my sight right now.
"You defiantly did." Her smiled deepened within that moment only brightening her eyes just a little more."Said the one who stated if I stayed I'll know some more." I pulled my attention away from her due to my phone vibrating in my pocket when I looked up after I pulled it out of my pocket to see that Claire had done the same."Message from Toby?""Yeah."
Blinky thinks he figured something out about our situation. I need y'all here whenever you can. ~ TP
"It really has been that long, hasn't it?" I looked up to Claire before continuing my train of thought. "Well. What should we do?" Claire sat up for a moment to look across the car through the passenger window."Palchuk is the only one left on the other side. Mary must have left a little while ago.""You can go then if you want. I can always stay here so it doesn't seem like we gave up or something." Claire raised an eyebrow as she looked back over to me."And leave you here with Steve? I'm not blind, Jim. I saw the way he glared at you." I gave her a wide smile as I tapped at my chin with my free index finger, tilting my head slightly as I did so."What was it that you always say? I can handle myself?" She shook her head at me with a soft smile on her lips before glancing over through the windows once more."Are you sure?" I gave her a small nod as I pocketed my phone."If I can handle Draal," I whispered out to her as I leaned slightly forward. "I can handle Palchuk." She looked at me for a moment as if to make sure I was certain."I'll check on you after I see whatever it is they found, alright?" I chuckled lightly at her response as she brought herself up to her feet."Whatever makes you feel better." She looked as if she was about to leave for a moment after she took her hand off the truck to pocket her phone into her skirt, but knelt down suddenly and placed a quick peck to my cheek before pulling back for a moment."Don't get pummeled." I felt my face flush as she stood back to her full height to start making her way toward Troll Market. She looked over her shoulder after a little bit as I stared helplessly after her. As she fixed her gaze back before her, I reached up and touched my cheek as I felt a buzzing sensation on my skin there. It felt unreal as she faded from view. The crystal under my shirt felt as if it was branding me as my body seemed too preoccupied with shock to feel the pain from the necklace.One hell of a day indeed."So what is it that you guys found?" I put my hands on my hips as I stood before Blinky, Toby, and AAARRRGGHH. Blinky gestured toward the island counter before him with all four of his hands."We have found Master Jim the keys to his safety. From not just Angor Rot, but from the inevitable as well." I gave Blinky a confused look as I joined beside all of them to see ashes spelling out a sentence in Trollish on the island."In the darkness, the Eclipse will rise with Shadow being on his side. Three forces will come together within the crystal's light. In the marshlands, the caverns of the deep, and the mountains highest peak. Only with each together will the Eclipse prevail and bring Daylight to its highest might." I could feel eyes on me as I glanced over to Toby who was giving me a confused look. "What? Do you think I didn't study their language? How do you think I read those books with Blinky yesterday?""No. Just thought how the hell you got the time to do it." I looked over to Blinky as I crossed my arms over my chest."What does this have to do with Jim?""Amulet. Stones." Blinky snapped his fingers as he pointed up to his dear friend."Exactly. The Amulet of Daylight can take stones to give the wielder special abilities. The book that these ashes came from is the only book around that spoke of anything to do with the prophecy with the Eclipse." He gestures out to the ashes once more. "But there was a secret hidden within its destruction.""So these can work with the crystal-""And help protect Jimbo!" I smiled as Toby finished my sentence. I knew when we first truly started talking that he didn't care for me. I knew there was a hidden hatred for me, but I believe that once he saw I had his friend's best interest in heart he started to warm up to me. I could tell that there was still some distaste for me within certain moments, but it was good to see some advancements from before. Especially after that fight Jim had with Steve.
Wait. Steve.
"Fuck.""What?""You know how if we find these it will help him with Angor Rot and everything, right?""Yes. I believe we went other that rather well, Lady Claire.""How will these help him with high school bullies?""Can't we be a little civil here, Steve?" I ducked as he flung his fist at me once more as I tried to desperately keep my hand on the vehicle."I'm not losing this to you, Lame Lake. Just give up now and we can be as civil as I want us to be!" I ran around the side of the car as I slid my hand around the bumper of the truck. I knew he was chasing after me from how his footsteps thumped heavily behind me so once I got to the front of the vehicle, I slid across the roof with my hand still attached to the smooth metal. Once I was on the other side, Steve and I started to fake each other out on which direction we were going. I saw that he took off his shoe with his free hand before he chucked it over at me. I almost dodged it but it hit my shoulder as I tried to lean out of the way."Really? A fucking shoe?""Just give up and we don't need to do this!" I rolled my eyes as I ducked under were the truck bed began as he flung his other shoe my way. At this point, I heard footsteps rushing our way so I kept myself down as I glanced over to where it was coming from. I saw Claire running toward us and looked between both of us with Steve's shoes not too far away from the sidewalk, me sitting in between the sidewalk and the truck, and both Steve and I obviously breathing a bit heavy due to what was obviously a spat between the two of us. I gave her an uneasy smile as she gave me a worried look before glaring over to Steve's direction. She walked closer to where I was and sat down beside me on the actual sidewalk."What in the hell happened here?" She whispered out to me where I gave her a small shrug with a nervous smile."Nothing you can't already tell.""He didn't actually hit you, right?""Well. A shoe knocked my shoulder when I tried to dodge it but not more than that." She stood up almost instantly after that and gave Steve a look that could kill."Seriously? A shoe? What are you, five?" I could tell from her demeanor that she was truthfully pissed with the taller boy even as she sat back down beside me. She let out a sigh as she looked back at me with her normal look on her face before whispering out to me once more. "We found a way to help you with the whole hunt thing.""Really? How?""From what I understand, there was a special book that was burned to give us a secret message." She pulled her phone out of her skirt pocket once more and showed me a picture that she took of it. "I'll explain it later." I nodded with a serious look taking over my face. She stood once more as she placed a hand on my shoulder. "You got this." I gave her a smile in gratitude as she walked over to where Steve's shoes were and grabbed them both."What do you think you're doing, Nuñez?" With a large smile on her face, she walked over to the nearest trash bin and placed them in it before waving a small goodbye to both of us. "Really?! What are you, five?" She continued to walk off as Steve called after her but I couldn't help but smile widely at her action.
Note to self. Never fuck with Claire Nuñez.
I yawned as I walked over to where I left my Vespa before school started. It took till near sundown for Steve to realize I wasn't going to give up very easily. So instead of trying to force me out of the small contest, he stalked off knowing that he had to explain why he was shoeless to Coach if he stayed any longer. I stretched my arms high above my head as the street lights started to light the street as I walked. At least I didn't need to explain why I was going to be late being home since I told mom about the whole Spring Fling thing.
"Seriously? You were nominated? That's wonderful! Are you excited?"
"Not really. I don't quite care for it all. But I'm paired with Claire so I guess I'll give it a shot if she wants to take it seriously." My mom gave me a knowing smile as she patted a hand on my shoulder.
"I still need to meet this girl." My mom spoke in a sing-song voice as she walked past me.
"You will. I promise." I gave her a toothy grin as I felt my cheeks burn lightly as the crystal mimicked the motion.
Once I reached my Vespa, I saw Claire leaning against it with her arms crossed over her chest. I felt a smile appear on my face as I took a few steps closer to her."What are you doing here? I thought you would be home by now.""Oh I went home so my parents didn't lose their minds," She stood straight up as she gave me a large smile. She dropped her arms from her chest as she slipped her hands into her blazer pockets. "But I figured we could go see whatever plan Blinky created for the next step to get these stones that will help us." She took a step forward to shorten the distance between us as her smile softened. "I also wanted to make sure you were alright after what I saw earlier." I felt my smile widen as I slipped my hands into my jean pockets."I'm fine, Claire. After Steve realized he had to explain why he was nearly barefoot to Coach Lawrence, he ditched almost instantly once he saw him approaching to check in on us." I saw a proud glint take over her eyes as a smirk appeared on her face."Good." I laughed lightly at her as I took a step toward the Vespa."You're really something else, Claire." She took a step closer as I handed her a helmet to put on before putting on my own."I rather be something else than like everyone else." She gave me a proud smile as she strapped her helmet on her head. I got onto the Vespa and held out a hand for her to help her on which she accepted with ease. After her arms wrapped themselves around my waist and I felt the crystal under my shirt burn lightly against my skin as I started the Vespa with a small smile, I had us start our way toward the canal hiding the world only so few of us knew.But I felt this eerie feeling going through my bones as I saw two yellow orbs to my left in the shadows near the school. For some reason, I felt as if they were watching us as Claire and I rode off toward Troll Market, and seemingly the crystal agreed as it suddenly chilled against my skin almost as if it was warning me.If only I listened.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A week prior to the Spring Fling Assembly
"Stricklander, do you actually believe this is the safest course of action to deal with the Eclipse?""How many more times do I have to tell you, Otto, that I don't care for your opinions on this matter? From what we know of the Eclipse from Bular's telling is that he is placed within two trials before the faithful bringing of Gunmar. One being against that of Angor Rot himself.""But it was never told that it was due to a changeling's command over him.""If not us," I gave Otto a serious look as I placed a ring on my finger. "Then who else?" I smiled as I walked forward in the dim tomb. "With the Inferna Copula on, I can make Angor Rot do my bidding. Including dealing with our favorite little nuisance.""You're acting as if you're not playing a dangerous game here, Stricklander. I would watch yourself." I felt irritation take over my system as I whipped my head so I could stare at the Polymorph. I watched my eyes glow in his irises as I felt myself growl slowly before speaking."And who is the one in charge now, huh? Do not question my authority, Scaarbach." I looked back to the small tomb with a twisted smile on my lips."Now let's make haste. We have an assassin to awaken."
Back into current times
"In the darkness, the Eclipse will rise with Shadow being on his side. Three forces will come together within the crystal's light. In the marshlands, the caverns of the deep, and the mountains highest peak. Only with each together will the Eclipse prevail and bring Daylight to its highest might." I rubbed my chin as I sat before the ashes of whatever book it was that Blinky said he burned. Even though I was only repeating the translation that Claire read out to me, I was still trying my best to understand its meaning for myself.
Shadow? What does shadows have to do with anything and why is it being spoken of as if its a person? Aren't shadows just the absence of light behind a surface? Unless it's speaking of something else.
"What does it all mean? You said something about three stones, but what does that have to do with 'three forces' coming together." I looked over to Blinky as I kept my hand on my chin as my left hand slipped into my jeans pocket."It speaks of how to defeat two major enemies of yours. There are pieces I'm still trying to figure out with some of the inscription, but I didn't find a few pieces.""And what are those?""The three stones I was talking about. Each one is tied to major events within Gunmar's life. The first is Gunmar's birthstone which is deep into the heart of a volcano.""When do we go after it?" I looked over to Claire as she spoke before joining my side as an eager Toby jumped into the conversation."We get to go to a volcano!? Let's go! Do you think lava surfing will be a thing?" I smiled toward my best friend's antics as Blinky gestured for us to follow him."This way, Trollhunters!" After following him for a little while, we came to a large cavern lining with crystals glowing to light the path."And I thought the staircase down was pretty." Toby was staring off at the walls as I followed to see a large seemingly stone and wood made circular object being held in what reminded me of a pinball launch pad from one of those old fashioned pinball games at Alex's Video Game Stop."What is this and why do I get a feeling I'm gonna hate it?" Blinky gave me a wide smile as he extended each of his four arms out while in front of the massive ball of wood and metal."This, is the Gyre!" He turned completely toward it as he continued. "Part rollercoaster, as you humans would call it, and part hammers wheel, the gyre is a massive transportation system that can circulate the entire globe within mere moments. It makes use of human sewer systems for roadmaps and basic highways.""Sounds like hell." I looked over to Toby who had now given Blinky his entire attention once more before giving an excited smile. "Let's do this!""Even though I love the idea of hoping into a death ball to find the Birthstone, do we even know exactly where we're going?" I looked over to Claire before pointing at her as I gave Blinky back my attention."She makes a point.""Of course we know where we're going! We're heading toward the realm of the Volcanic Troll Tribe in Argentina.""Ojos del Salado." I looked over to Claire with a confused look before she shrugged with a small smile. "It was one of the first things I could read and understand in those books before learning the Trollish language. It means eyes of Salado. It's the home of that Gatto guy. The mountain troll, right? Still don't understand why his name means cat if he's a mountain side, but I won't question it." I smiled at Claire's explanation while mentally noting just how lucky I was to have her on our side.
We needed someone else in the human world on our side with more than the one brain cell Tobes and I seem to share a lot of time.
I saw the toothy grin she gave Blinky as the troll praised her in her memory.
Just an added bonus that she's also the girl I thought was pretty since I first saw her.
"Hate Gyre." I heard AAARRRGGHH mumble as he made his way past us while Toby was almost right by his side. "Too fast.""Don't worry, Wingman. Everything will be alright! I'm sure of it.""With that, shall we commence?" I gave Claire a nervous glance as she placed a hand on my shoulder after watching Blinky make his way over to AAARRRGGHH who was placing Toby into what could possibly be a death trap."You're worried as well?" I shrugged slightly under her touch as a nervous smile took over my lips."Just a little. It seems sudden, you know? Finding ways to kill Gunmar not too long after finishing Bular." We started making our way toward the Gyre slowly as we talked quietly to one another. "It's a lot.""Trust me, I understand." She gave me a soft smile as she gestured out toward the tunnel way we were standing before speaking more. "To me, it feels as if it was just yesterday we auditioned for Romeo and Juliet. Now we're heading toward another continent with ease after all I did for the last mission was stall for a few hours." I gave her a genuine smile as we reached our means of transportation."You did more than just stall for me. You do more than just anything. That's like saying I keep Toby around because of his charm.""Hey! My charm is impeccable!" This small interaction caused Claire to giggle at the two of us as I turned my full body toward her before placing my hands onto her shoulders after her hand dropped from mine."Each of you are important within all of this. I wouldn't be able to even stand here if it weren't for you guys." My words caused a genuine but delicate look to appear on her face."Everybody ready? Let's make haste!" I nodded over to Blink as AAARRRGGHH then helped Claire and I into the possible death trap before getting in himself. My nerves about the whole thing were on edge. Especially since the warrior troll gone pacifist had an uneasy look to him. "LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD EVERYONE!" I wasn't sure what Blinky did to cause the vehicle to go into motion, but it launched into action like a bullet. It seemed from everyone else's either yelling or panicked faces that the only two that seemed to enjoy this experience were Toby and Blinky respectively. I felt Claire grab onto my right arm as if it was her last lifeline as I grabbed the bottom of my seat in what felt like a death grip as I was silently screaming within my mind. AAARRRGGHH just looked as if the poor troll was going to vomit whatever it was that he had eaten before the trip. But then as suddenly as it started, it seemed to stop. Logging itself into another holding place like the one from before. Slowly but surely, everyone made their way out of the Gyre and onto the solid lands of the underground world of Argentina. I looked around the place in awe for a moment.
When Blinky said it was home of the Volcanic Trolls, he was not joking.
The land seemed to be made of either complete stone or lava rivers as the trolls that seemed to work about it were seemingly made from lava themselves. Their skin dark as the ground under my feet but their veins and certain pieces of their body were glowing with lava that seemed to be like their version of blood. There was a wooden walkway that led to the top of the mountain they were working around.
If Claire said that the guy we're talking to is a mountain troll...
He must be the freaking mountain.
"So we just go up this path and talk to Gatto?" Blinky nodded as he placed his hands behind him."Yes indeed. But I would activate the crystal if I was you. Once these trolls understand truly who you are as well as what we are after, they will not hesitate to aid us." He turned and started walking on the path ahead of us before continuing. "Or at least that is the plan!" I sighed as I felt the armor add itself to me like a second layer of skin. The rest of us started following after him as my armor glowed a sort of yellow-ish green.
So they might or might not help us because I'm the Eclipse. Wonderful. Just great.
It took us a little bit to get to the top but most of the trolls on the way up stepped out of our way and gave a small bow as we passed before we reached where a face seemed as if it was carved into the mountain top. At least I thought it seemed like that until it started talking."So the prophecy lives!" The mountain troll belted, causing the ground to shake slightly under our feet. "What have I done to have the grace of the fated Eclipse upon my lands?""Gatto! I'm the Eclipse's trainer, Blinkous Galadrigal. We wish to have excess to the Birthstone of Gunmar. We have reasonings to believe it is kept here." The mountain troll seemed to laugh heartily at Blinky's seeming command from the lava eyed creature. This only caused the ground to shake even more than before until his laugh died out and he spoke once more."How about we do this instead? I'll ask of you a riddle that if you answer correctly, I will tell you where the stone truly is." I gave a confused look to the large mouthed troll before taking a step forward."And what would happen if we can't answer or we answer wrong?" What I could tell was a devious look flashed over the troll's features as he looked over me for a second."I always wondered what humans would taste like." I gave the troll wide eyes before turning around toward my friends with a hesitant smile."Um, is this really what we need? I thought the prophecy speaks of how only the human wielding the Eclipse Crystal could defeat Gunmar.""To think the crystal is enough is very normal, Trollhunter." I turned around toward the mountain creature as he spoke. "But to think that you can slay Gunmar with only it itself is foolish. Even a prophetic character as of yourself needs the gems of Gunmar to defeat him. It's the only way to unlock Daylight's fullest potential.""So why make this difficult for us? Aren't we both wishing for the same thing?""I never said where my loyalty lies, Trollhunter. I only said I know exactly where the gem is." I grumbled a little as I glanced between Claire and Toby were on my respective left and right side."What should we do?""I say he's the only one we know of that knows where the gem is. It might be our only shot." I looked over to Claire who was nodding along with Toby's comment."Though I would usually be hesitant to follow Toby's ideas, I have to agree with him on this." She gave me a small smirk as she glanced back to the mountain face before whispering softly. "Also, I'm a sucker for riddles. I doubt it won't be something I haven't heard before." I gave her a smile before turning my attention back toward the troll who was looking over us attentively."We accept this challenge. What is the riddle?" What seemed to be a smirk appeared on the troll's face before responding to me."You must tell me what it is that women desire most, above all else. Even King Arthur had failed at first to give this answer, but I only give you one chance. But I warn you, take too long and I'll have my fill of human flesh today." I swallowed hard and looked over to my friends."King Arthur had answered this riddle? What would our kind want with a riddle that that treacherous man had answered?" Blinky spoke as if he was speaking to himself as he rubbed his chin with one of his many hands."My mom used to read me stories of King Arthur when I was a kid from a book called Sword in the Stone, but I don't remember anything about a riddle." I scratched the back of my neck as Toby groaned beside me."You mean we're going to die because we didn't pay attention to some old dude that we were told may or may not have actually lived?! Great! Here I thought I would die from actual Trollhunting!" I looked over to Claire who was deep in thought."The story of Sir Gawain and the Lady Ragnell. The riddle came from Lady Ragnell's brother who cursed her to live without it over her physical form, but what was it?" She clutched her head as I placed a hand on her shoulder."You got this, Claire. Take the time you-.""Ten!" I snapped my head toward the troll. "Nine!""Hey! It hasn't even been over a minute yet!""Eight!" I looked back to Claire who seemed to lose her place due to her sudden panic. "Seven!""Hey, listen to me. You've got this. You said Lady Ragnell lived without it.""Six!""She was forced to live between forms. Hideous in the morning but beautiful at night. Only-""Five!" Claire started speaking faster after the troll called out once more."Only when she was granted it back by her husband Sir Gawain was she able to have control again. Control." She seemed to dwell on the word for a moment."Four!""No, choice! That's the right word, choice! But it was called something else as it's answer." I placed my hands on her shoulders, giving her a reassuring squeeze as I did so."Keep thinking, I know you'll get it.""Three!" Claire seemed to search the deepest crevasses of her mind as she tried hard to find the right answer. "Two!" Suddenly, her eyes widened as she seemingly realized what it was. She flung her right hand high into the air as the troll was about to yell once more."Sovereignty! They desire sovereignty! To rule their lives as they see fit." She took a few breaths to calm herself after she spoke. Seemingly the endeavor took a lot out of her even though to anyone else it was just remembering an answer to an old riddle. From the shocked look that appeared on the mountain troll's face, I could tell that he was hoping that she wouldn't have accomplished the trial before he was done counting."How could one know that." He growled lowly as he eyed Claire who only gave him a large smirk before pulling out of my touch to cross her arms over her chest."I think it's pretty obvious." I gave Claire a proud smile as I placed a hand on her shoulder."I knew you would get it." She gave me on in return before reaching up and placing a hand on top of mine."Would have if you didn't get me on track." My attention was pulled away from her as I heard crinkling come from my left side. I looked over to Toby to see he was about to unwrap one of his infamous burritos that he had for stress eating."What? That was probably the closest to death we have been since Bular." I felt a small chuckle escape me as I shook my head at my best friend's antics."Only you could eat after that." Almost instantly, the moment was ruined as I started feeling as if I was being pulled away to my side. Before anything could happen, I grabbed my sword off of my back and stabbed it into the ground before instinctively taking my hand that was on Claire's shoulder and wrapping it around her waist at the pull started to affect her as well. I looked up to see that it was all caused due to the inhaling mountain troll."I thought we won!" I yelled out to the troll as I placed a death grip onto my sword's handle."You have!" Somehow the troll still spoke as his mouth was unhinged to suck us all within it. "But the stone is within my stomach with no way to escape. Much like you will!" I felt Claire wrap her arms around my neck as I stabbed the sword deeper into the ground while I glanced over to see AAARRRGGHH having on hand on the side of the mountain with one of Blinky's many with his other. Toby on the other was trying his hardest to dig his fingers into the ground to cause him to have some sort of leverage, but this wasn't working well for him. I switched hands on my sword, knowing by Claire's arms being linked around my neck that she was safe, so I could reach out with my right toward my best friend."Tobes! Grab on!" I saw him one moment try to reach out to me, but the inhalation from the mountain troll was too strong for him when his one hand was the only thing keeping him in place."Jimbo!" He called out to us with his burrito following after him that he ironically caught on his way into the troll's mouth."TP!" Both Claire and I called out for him, but we knew it was too late. With a crack behind us, we both whipped our heads over to Blinky and AAARRRGGHH who's mountain piece he was holding was failing on taking both his and Blinky's weight from the sudden pull. Not long after, Blinky seemed to suddenly lose his grip as AAARRRGGHH tried to grab out for him once more. With a loud scream, Blinky also fell into the troll's mouth with AAARRRGGHH yelling out after him."Blinky!" Instinctively afterward I dropped Claire and I to the ground so I could pull my sword out of the ground to then chuck blade first into the mountain being's right eye. This caused the being to shut his mouth long enough for me to scramble up, call the blade back to me, grab Claire by the hand, and run off toward the right side of the mountain face with AAARRRGGHH in tow. After a moment, we were able to hide ourselves out of Gatto's sight as some of the volcanic trolls came running up to aid him."You must find the Trollhunter! No wrong way you imbeciles! If only I could do this myself, I swear to Gunmar!" I looked over Claire and AAARRRGGHH to see if they were hurt in any way as I placed my sword back onto my back."You two okay?" They shared saddened looks as AAARRRGGHH let out a small whimper."Blinky gone. Wingman too." I took a deep breath as I tried to keep my voice solid as I spoke."If I didn't give up on Claire, I'm not going to give up on them. This is a volcanic mountain right? There must have been some kind of spot to land on if even the Birthstone is kept safe within Gatto." Suddenly Claire pulled out her phone and started talking into it."Hello? TP? How are you-? You know what, never mind. Is Blinky alright too?" She looked up to me with a wide smile on her face before looking over to AAARRRGGHH. "They're okay! Here." She pulled the phone away from her as she pressed the speaker button on the phone.
"Man Grandma is gonna kill me for these roaming charges! Can you believe I'm getting service INSIDE a volcano? Freaking awesome, right?"
"Tobias, I don't believe that is much of their worries within this moment! We need a way out of here!"
"Man, you have no clue how happy I am to hear Blinky scolding someone. Let alone the fact that it isn't me." I chuckled a little bit before I placed myself in a more serious mood. "Have you guys seen anything in there?"
"There's a bookshelf full of liquid things and stuff- OH WAIT! I think I just found the gem! Is this it, Blinky?"
"I believe so, but may I suggest we find a way out? I'm losing ground coverage over here!"
"Wait, they're basically in the stomach of a volcano." Claire seemed to look off into the distance as she thought out a plan. "It might be a stretch, but I think it'll be okay."
"What're you thinking, Nuñez?"
"Throw whatever you can into whatever seems to be his stomach acid then try your best to find coverage. I don't know what might happen, but from what I've learned from Coach Lawrence's tangents in health class, it should be enough to get a reaction."
"You got it! Goodbye, random potions! Oops. Sorry Blink!"
"Just keep throwing! We need to get out before it's too late!"
"Got it! Goodbye sweet burrito, you're going toward a better cause though."
"That should definitely give a reaction.""What kind of reaction are we looking for?" Claire gave me a look as if she didn't want to speak about it any further.
Oh. OH!
"Right. Let's find a way down then.""Down? Why?" I looked over to AAARRRGGHH and placed a hand on his large forearm."Trust me buddy. I rather not talk about it." Without a second thought, the large troll picked me up with his right hand, placing me on his back before doing the same with Claire who then instantly wrapped her arms around my waist."AAARRRGGHH got. Hold tight." I smiled as I dug my hands into his moss like hair as I held tight onto the massive troll."Whenever you're ready, big guy!" With a deep roar, he started his rampage out from our hiding spot. I felt Claire tighten her arms around me as AAARRRGGHH leaped off the side of the mountain side and landed on one of the lower wooden walkways down the way."You know, even though I love the big guy, I feel a lot saver on your Vespa." I chuckled at her response to it all."Aw come on! It's not that terrifying!" With a single swipe of his arm, AAARRRGGHH took out a smaller troll and knocked him off the side of the walkway causing him to fumble down the side of the mountain as he carried on his journey downward. "Keep trucking AAARRRGGHH! You got this!" I heard the troll grunt with approval as he continued his way. Soon afterward we were met with the actual ground floor of the area as the ground started to shake violently under us. "Here's that reaction of yours!" I felt Claire unwrap one of her arms from around me as she smacked me lightly on my right shoulder as she muttered something inaudible into my shoulder or least it was inaudible in comparison to the large energetic yell that came out from Toby who flew over our heads with Blinky on a wooden bookshelf thing."Hey guys!" Toby gave us a wave as they skid to a stop."Remind me to never be placed with Tobias in dire situations ever again.""Oh come on! It wasn't too bad." We stopped as well as we came close to the Gyre. Claire and I hopped off AAARRRGGHH's back respectively before helping them off of their oddly not damaged bookshelf. "Let's get out of here! If they are willing to eat people to protect this gem, I rather not see what they'll do to those that stole it!" With AAARRRGGHH's help, he placed all of us back into the Gyre before hopping in himself. I turned back to look over the seat that Claire, Toby, and I sat within to see some of the volcanic trolls chasing after us."Yeah, I agree. Hit it Blink!""Hit it I shall!" I smiled as we lurched into action with ease. This time it wasn't as frightening as it was the first as I kept my smile the whole time.Well, more than likely due to the fact I was still on an adrenaline high from the whole situation but I rather not speak about that at the moment.Once we came to a halt, no one took a second longer to get out of the death trap. After a second of just standing there to make sure everyone was completely okay, Toby dug into his pants pocket to pull out a small turquoise gemstone."Well, with all things said and done, at least we were successful." I held out my hand were he placed it with a wide smile on his face. "Lets just hope that next time I don't need to be in a volcano's stomach to get stuff done." I gave him a soft smile in return as I clutched the gem into my hand. I deactivated the armor which allowed the crystal necklace to dangle around my neck.
Bring the gem to the crystal.
"You okay, bro?" The confused look I felt on my face furthered as I just followed what the voice within my head had said. I grabbed the crystal off my chest and brought the Birthstone close to it. Instantly the turquoise seemed attracted to the pick, red, and orange crystal. It went into the crystal's side and slowly but surely seemed to melt into the Heartstone piece as it seemed to add a small blue swirl within the crystal itself.
Activate it, my child.
I dropped the crystal to my chest as I recited the incantation under my breath to myself. A bright turquoise wrapped around me for a moment as I felt myself being lifted somewhat by the crystal itself before being dropped to the ground. Everything felt the same as it always did with the armor set for the added weight to my head."BRO! YOU HAVE A HELMET!" I looked over to Tobes once more as I brought my hands to my head. Instead of my armor fingers going across my flesh, I was just met with another layer of armor.
Holy shit.
"My vision is the same though. Like there's no blockage or anything like you would any other helmet." I looked over to Blinky who was looking at my additional armor with all six of his eyes widened at the sight of it."No wonder he brought up the idea of Arthur." Blinky took a step closer as he placed a finger to what I knew was my forehead. "I know that insignia from anywhere." Blinky took a step back as he shook his head slightly. "But that can't be! What does the Eclipse have anything to do with that warmonger?" Blinky clutched his head as he paced a little. "I need to speak to Vendel. There is much more information brought to me today than my books have ever allowed me to understand." I nodded my head to Blinky's idea as I saw a flash come from my right. I turned my head toward Toby who was holding up his phone with a wide smile before turning it so I could see it myself."Look how cool you look!" The image graced me with a silver plated helmet on my head that seemed to cross between both trollish and human features. The face plate itself looked as if it was a human skull that connected the side plates and the top piece together. On the top of the helmet were two horns stemming from my forehead backward as a crown wrapped itself in front of the horns. In the center of the crown as a cross carving with three crowns going down the center of the cross. From what I could tell from the photo as well that some pieces of my armor had changed as well. Instead of only the silver plates having carving details that I didn't quite understand, there were some that I recognized as human symbols and lettering. The most prominent one being on my shoulder plate was now the same insignia as there was on my forehead as a circle surrounded it with English lettering within it. It looked as if something was supposed to clamped into a small hook that was on the top of the shoulder plate. It was as if a cape of some king was supposed to sit there."I-." I couldn't seem to get any of my words to formulate an actual sentence as my mind seemed to only settle on one specific word. "Crispy." This only caused a snort from my best friend as Claire joined his side."We really need to teach you other words for cool." Claire crossed her arms across her chest as she gave me an endearing smile. I instinctively touched the collar of my armor which caused the helmet to give away into the back shoulder plates."So, we know what these gems do now.""Yeah! They give you like, power-ups! I wonder what the next one will do.""Only time will tell Tobes." I gave him a while smile before looking between him and Claire for a moment. "Are we ready for whatever happens next? After today, I wouldn't blame you guys for backing out. It was a rather close call.""Jim. My man. I love ya buddy, but you need to know already that you're stuck with me for the long haul.""Same here. You boys need someone to keep you on track anyway." My smile only widened as I placed a hand on Claire's left shoulder and my other went on Toby's right."Then get ready. We've got a long road ahead of us."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Okay, so plan for today is what now?" I rolled my eyes at my best friend as I glanced over to Claire who decided to simplify her plan into a small step by step set up instead."First, Jim and I have Spring Fling stuff going on during sixth hour so you have to look in a little more into who could possibly be coming after Jim. You'll have an hour to do so since you have free period due to Coach Lawrence still supervising us in the competition. Find out anything you can. I don't even care if it's just a myth that is passed down by crazed grand-troll. Got it?" Toby nodded his head as Claire went into step two. "Next, we head to Troll Market to travel to the Swamplands of the Quagawumps tribe. They have the Killstone that Jim needs to add to the crystal.""Lastly?""Lastly, we will set a plan to get Gunmar's eye. From what we could tell with the Birthstone, each one seems to unlock something within the crystal so once we get to that point, it'll unleash its true potential.""Claire, I mean this with as much platonic love as possible, but you sound like one of those old school Sensei people from those kungfu movies I hated as a kid." Toby put his hands flat together before him as he lowered his voice playfully before speaking. "Unleash your true potential, Jim-gaka-sei.""Don't let Mary hear you say that. She'll kick your ass into next week for butchering gakusei. Also, that is incredibly stereotypical." I smiled at the two of them as I adjusted my bag slightly onto my shoulder completely."So everybody understands that plan?""Yup.""Let's do this." I gave them each a small nod before leading the way toward our history class."Then let's hop to it."
"Okay, students!" I looked over to Claire as Coach Lawrence spoke to us once more. "I know each of you are just excited to start this next challenge, but I have to make an announcement beforehand." I gave the older man my attention once more as I noticed the familiar brown brazer on the man beside him. "But welcome back Mr. Strickler, everyone! You're the first ones to know of his return as not just your history teacher, but as our new principal. And before any of you ask why, family issues." He clapped his hands together before him. "Today, he'll be helping me with this new challenge for each of you!" I brought my attention back to Claire once more as his voice turned into background noise."Why is he here? I thought the order disbanded when Bular died." She was giving the changeling a death glare as she gave a small shrug."I have no clue but I don't have a good feeling about it. I'm gonna text Toby about it.""Smart idea. He might have a hand in what's going on.""Lake, Nuñez! Are you two even listening?" I opened my mouth to reply but Claire was the one to jump to the rescue for both of us."Sorry, I had a worrisome text and Jim was making sure everything was okay." This seemed to cause the normally overly zealous man to freeze slightly before trying his best to get back into his normal demeanor."Oh, um, sorry about that. You two heard the challenge, correct?" We nodded our heads numbly as he went on to continue. "Perfect. Take your places at your respective tables then and remember! Have your themes for the dance tomorrow with costumes and everything ready! You'll be able to have the rest of the day to put it together if need be." I looked back to Claire with a wide smile as we went over toward our table."Nice save." She gave me a smirk as she nudged me with her elbow gently."Any time." She looked down at her phone before giving me a confused look. "Seems something is going to ruin the plan for today.""Toby might have found something.""Alright! So I was looking through this History of Trollhunters past stuff we grabbed from Blinky after the whole Gatto incident and look at this!" He pointed to the bottom piece of the page after handing the book over to Claire and me over my living room coffee table. Mom was going to be out till sunrise today due to the graveyard shift she was given so we decided to talk about what Toby found together before heading down to Troll Market together at my house.Well, Claire and I had to work on theme stuff anyway so it was more like hitting two birds with one stone before giving the rest of our day to trollhunting.
"It says that these ones here all died from the same person. An assassin named Angor Rot. It says here that their souls were never saved due to Angor Rot's blade condemning them within it till he dies himself. Something about how his master caused it to be that way for him so he makes it that way for his enemies." My eyes scanned the page for a moment as I re-read what he had explained verbatim to both of us."Humble slave to that of the Pale Lady. Sounds quite fitting for what the other Trollhunters told me." I took a deep breath before releasing it slowly as if I was rolling out a ribbon. "Now what though?""I have no fucking clue!" I looked at my best friend for a moment until he realized that his voice was a bit too loud and too cheery for the situation. I shook my head afterward with a small chuckle escaped me."Only you, Tobes. Only you." I felt a nervous smile appear on my face as I looked over to Claire. "Do you have any ideas?" She placed her hands onto her hips for a moment as she looked at me with a nervous glance."One actually. But I rather use it as a last chance.""A rather have that instead of nothing, honestly.""We continue what we're doing and when he arrives," She turned her head toward me with a worried look before glancing away. "We take him out as soon as possible. We need to watch how he fights. What he uses. I don't know anything beyond that there." I gave her an exhausted smile as I felt her arm wrap itself around my shoulders. "We won't let anything happen to you. None of us. Right, Tobes.""Right! Doesn't matter what happens!" I gave them both a large smile even though I know my eyes were telling them something completely different by how Claire's hand gripped my shoulder."What would I do without you two?""I have no clue." She laughed a little about this idea before retracting her arm and getting up to stand. "I should start heading home before my parents start to question me. See you guys at the normal spot at the canal?" I nodded my head as she gave us a small wave in return before exiting the house without a second thought seemingly. A silence hung between us before Toby decided to speak."So. Are you going to ask her to the Spring Fling?" I gave him an annoyed look as I dropped my hands to knees."Seriously? We just found out an assassin older than dirt is after me, and that's what you're asking?""Why not?! Dude, the impending doom might get you off your ass and get to asking her out!" I rolled my eyes as I decided to jump up to my feet. "You can't tell me I'm wrong!""You're not! But seriously? Not even gonna give me five minutes to contemplate my existence?""Nope!" I shook my head slightly with a small smile."I hate you sometimes, Tobes.""Love you too, Jimbo." He gave me a smile in return before moving so he could stand beside me. "But seriously, you gotta tell her how you feel before its too late. It's obvious she feels the same, just tell her." I nodded my head as I looked up to the clock on the wall."I'll keep it in mind." I went to grab my keys as I grabbed my helmet for my Vespa that is sitting on the coffee table next to the long-forgotten book. "We've got bigger fish to fry at the moment.""Yeah! Let's go stone hunting!"We entered into Blinky's library only to be greeted with an odd silence. I gave both Toby and Claire an uneasy look as we continued on our way to the Hero's Forge to see AAARRRGGHH speaking to someone that we couldn't see from behind him."Need calm down.""How can I calm down, my friend, when I look like this!?""Blinky? AAARRRGGHH? What's going on here?" AAARRRGGHH turned his head toward us before moving away from Blinky slowly to showcase an oddly fleshy Blinky that was before him."Blinky fleshly.""I think they can see that, my friend." I looked between them for a moment as I tried to connect the pieces together. Seemingly, Claire was doing the same as she spoke for us."Was this from whatever Toby threw in Gatto's stomach?" Blinky placed his left hand on his hip as his right reached up to scratch the back of his neck."From what I can deduct, yes." I took a step forward as I tried my best to get used to the idea of seeing a human Blinky."How are you feeling?" He gave me a hesitant look as he looked down at himself before looking back up toward me."I feel as if I'm stuck between two worlds within my own body." He tugged at the blue button-down that was covering his chest before looking back up toward me once more. "My skin is human, but my mind and urges are still trollish. I tried eating earlier though and it ended with me cutting my cheeks on metal though." I chuckled a little as I brought my bag to my side before opening it and presented him with a small brown paper bag."Yeah, don't be eating anything metal. Or socks, by the way. They'll mess up your stomach for a while let alone mess up your insides." He took the bag hesitantly before looking into it as I zipping up my bag once more. "It's just some snacks I brought along due to Toby's eating habits. Have at it though. I doubt your body is enjoying the whole lack of food at the moment. Should be just some sandwiches or whatever was left from my lunch earlier that I didn't get to.""Well, I have starved or at least I believe so? I'm not yet accustomed to the whole transformation yet." I smiled at him as I adjusted my bag once more."Don't worry. I doubt I would take this as easily as you are. I think I would be in a haze at this point more than likely.""Dude! We can show Blinky around on the surface! Would you be down for that? Like, tomorrow after school would be an awesome time to show Blinky our world as he showed us his!" I smiled at the idea until I realized that what we were speaking about before."But we need to speak of Angor Rot.""Angor Rot? What does the slave of the Pale Lady have to do with us?" I looked over toward Blinky as I brought my bag back to my side to bring out the book Toby was looking into earlier that day."Toby believes he might be the one after me.""It would make sense. He brought down many Trollhunters before you." I gave him a nervous look as he just grabbed out one of the sandwiches and started eating it with relative ease. "He'll be difficult to defeat, no doubt.""That's all you have to say?" Blinky shrugged lightly as he took another bite of the sandwich."I'm sorry, Master Jim. There's not much more I can say. From what I witnessed, he's a ferocious foe. He has taken many Trollhunter down before him that have been in battle as a warrior for years." He took a step forward as he bundled up the bag after finishing the small amount of food. "But you are no ordinary, Trollhunter, Master Jim. You're the Eclipse. Your future is already set in stone and I know it is not your time for many moons to come. At least from what we know of the legends." I nodded my head.
At least that was helpful at least.
"So what do you say, Blink?" Toby spoke once more as I felt his hand clasp itself onto my shoulder. "Want to adventure the surface world with us tomorrow?""Of course! The more knowledge, the better!" The two of them started making a small plan together after Toby detached himself away from my side as AAARRRGGHH just watched with a pleased look on his face. I allowed their voices to become background noise to me as I sat there trying to place the pieces together in my mind about what Blinky had said.
So this isn't where the story ends for me. At least that's nice.
I glanced over to them as I felt a weight add itself onto my shoulders while I released a small breath that seemed to cause my chest to ache as I turned my eyes away from them once more.
But why does it still bother me?
I felt a hand placed itself onto my shoulder once more as I knew almost instantly that it was Claire who was still by my side."Are you alright?" I gave her an uneasy smile as I placed a hand over hers that was on my shoulder."Still trying to wrap my mind around it all. A human Blinky and the looming idea of an assassin coming after me combined is causing me to have a small," I stopped myself for a moment when I realized I had a lack of a word for all the emotions stirring within me. "Moment? I have no clue anymore." This caused her to give me a small laugh as her grip on my shoulder tightened slightly."I understand completely." She glanced over toward Blinky, Toby, and AAARRRGGHH still over by themselves on the other side of the forge. "Maybe we are thinking too much about this all. Fate does seem to have a plan for us and it's nothing we can do about it." She looked back toward me with a small smile as she then brought up her other hand to place itself on my other shoulder as she put herself before me. "Maybe we should just let destiny take the wheel? Ease our minds a little." I nodded slightly as I gave her a large smile in return."Maybe your right." I brought my eyes to hers. "Destiny hasn't been against me yet.""This a beautiful sight!" Blinky outstretched his arms as he smiled in the sun's warmth as it lowers in the horizon before us. I smiled at his reaction as I walked up beside him. "Now I understand why humans enjoy the sun so much. It's absolutely wonderful!" I chuckled at him as I slipped my hands into my jacket pockets."Well, when you're not afraid of it killing you, the sunlight is a beautiful thing. This spot that Claire found though definitely gives it justice." I pulled out a pair of sunglasses from my left pocket and handed them to him. "You might want to wear these though. Too much sunlight can damage your eyes." He took them and placed them on his face before looking out toward the horizon once more."This day has been wonderful, but I know that your worries are still eating at you, Master Jim." He kept his eyes toward the sun as he continued. "I know not having a plan to get yourself out of this kind of situation can be chilling, but know that fate always has a plan even when you do not." He turned his head toward me as a large smile appeared on his face. "As the Eclipse, fate is aiding you with the idea that you'll live through this. Don't let the possibilities that fate has already declined to worry you." I gave him a smile in return with a small nod to show my appreciation."Thanks, Blink. I think I've been a bit too much in my head recently, so that helps. Echos what Claire said yesterday, actually.""Speaking of Lady Claire," Blinky glanced out of the corner of his eyes toward me as a smirk appeared on his face. "Tobias had told me of your intentions to ask her to this dance of yours. Have you done it yet?" I sighed as I reached up to rub the back of my neck gently."Been a little too caught up with the whole assassin thing. Then the idea of the dirt monster attacking us during the assembly for the dance themes didn't help either." My mind faded into the memory from mere hours before to what had happened in the gymnasium after I brought down the dirt monster."Thank God for the miner theme, right?" I smiled toward Claire as we shared smiles toward the cheering audience. I adjusted the yellow miner helmet she placed on my head once I slid through the back doors of the gym with my white shirt and blue jeans dirtied from the mud the creature was throwing my direction during my battle with it."At least it looks like an over the top theatric idea instead of, well, what really happened." She giggled as she dusted off some of the mud from my left shoulder so she could place her hand upon it.
"Well, theater tricks or not, they enjoy it so it's a win-win, I guess." I smiled at her as I placed an arm around her shoulders before waving toward the audience.
"Thanks for keeping your cool though. Again, without you or Tobes, I have no clue how to keep my sanity with it all." I felt her hand pat my shoulder gently as she spoke once more."I'm in your corner, Jim. For better or worse."
I smiled at the memory as Blinky's voice brought me back into the present."Why not speak to her now then?" I looked over to where she was sitting on a bench about fifteen feet away from us. "I'll even keep Tobias busy if need be.""You'll do that for me?" I gave him a happy look as I placed my hand back into my jacket pockets."Of course! Young love is the most powerful of kinds. Us trolls might not have the same ways of affection, but we have our same kinds of relations as well." He placed a hand on my shoulder as he gave a small smile. "And if I learned anything from my day here on the surface, the depth to your relations is the human way of power within the darkness." He turned his body so he could look over to Claire before bringing his attention back to me once more. "It seems Claire and Tobias are your most powerful ones.""Thanks, Blinky. I needed to hear that, really." He gave me a nod as he then started to head over to where he knew Toby was."Oh, and Master Jim?" He turned toward me once more as I gave him my attention as well. "Don't think. Become." I smiled as I gave a small nod to him before heading over toward where Claire was. Once I reached the bench she was sitting at, I gave a small couch to allow my presence to be known. She turned her head toward me almost instantly with a stern look on her face but it faded to a softer one as she realized it was me who interrupted her silence."This spot is amazing, Claire. Where did you even hear of this place?" I took the spot beside her on the bench as I spoke. I kept my eyes on her though as she looked down at her hands for a moment before bringing her attention to the sunset before her."Logan brought me here not long ago to ask me to the dance." I gave her a shocked look but her eyes were still looking out before her as I stuttered out a response."O-Oh. Not that it's my business or anything, b-but did you-?" I was cut off by a giggle coming from her at my reaction before turning her head toward me with the sunset gracing her face beautifully. Her eyes seemed lighter as her smile shined from the additional light."I told him I was waiting for someone else to ask me." I kept my eyes on hers as I noticed what exactly what she was saying.
Oh. She was waiting for me to ask. Cool.
Wait.
SHE'S WAITING FOR ME TO ASK HER!
I swallowed dryly as I felt a nervous lopsided grin appear on my face as I reached up with my left hand to scratch the back of my neck. Her smile only widened at my nerves obviously getting the best of me.
God damn it Jim get your shit together man! Just, ask. HER.
"Um, would that mean you would be-?" I stopped speaking when I heard a heavy snap come from the woods behind us. "Did you hear that?" Claire nodded her head as a more serious look came over her face. I pulled my hands out of my jacket pockets so I could pull the amulet out of my right jeans pocket. "I'll be right back, okay?" She reached out and grabbed my wrist before I get up and leave which caused me to look over toward her once more."Are you sure that it's best to go on your own?" I gave her a small smile as I stood."I'm not alone. I just going to go scout it out. I'll yell out if anything is wrong." Claire seemed to scan my eyes for a moment to see if she could refute it in some way, but it seemed she knew I wasn't going to budge on the idea."Alright, just be safe.""I will be, don't worry." I slipped out of her grip as activated the amulet. "I have something to ask you when I get back anyway so I have a reason to stay this way." I pressed my index finger and middle finger together on the collar of my armor to activate my helmet that took over my head with ease. With this, I gave her a small nod before dashing out into the woods before grabbing out my sword from off my back. Once I was a few steps in, I started to scan my surroundings. I saw that there were oddly shaped footsteps leading toward an opening around some trees that caused my nerves to jump on edge.
Rule one being followed with ease. I would make Blinky proud at this moment.
I tightened my grip on my hands as I started to look over the area with a skilled eye to the details. A small cracked branch caused me to whip around as I was welcomed to the sight of a mummied like being that leaped out from the forest toward me. I brought up my sword as he brought a pale purple staff down against it. I gave a cheeky smile his direction even though I knew the mask kept it out of view."Angor Rot, I assume? Nice to meet you." I pushed back on his staff and straightened my stance as he readied himself for another attack. "The names Eclipse, by the way." The assassin just growled as he dashed forward and instead of bringing his staff up, he ducked and placed his shoulder into my stomach. Not anticipating that sudden change in tactic caused me to be a victim of his attack as I fell backward onto the ground. He raised his staff high above him to attack once more, but I bought my feet up and pushed with my hands which caused me to roll backward and back onto my feet. I brought my sword up to protect myself once more as he came closer."Clai-!" I started to yell out toward her, but I suddenly could speak anymore as a cage-like essence appeared and trapped me within it. I felt as if I was frozen in time as my mouth was stuck trying to call out to her while my arms were frozen in place going against my best wishes to bring them down to protect myself from the smirking mummy-like being that stepped closure to me as if I was a caged animal at a circus."I know who you are, Eclipse. Don't doubt that I and my master know exactly what you are and what you are meant to do. Fate might have a plan for you, but I was always one to ruin them." He reached into the yellow electric cage and placed two fingers onto the collar of my armor. Somehow, my armor reacted with his touch even though there were moments it wouldn't even react to me trying to bring the helmet down. He placed his palm onto the left side of my face as I suddenly felt a burning sensation there. I was able to screw my eyes shut in pain, but my voice didn't give a budge as I tried to scream at the sudden burning. My armor seemed to have a tantrum with it all as it suddenly became an array of colors. Everything from red to yellow seemed to appear within an instant until I opened my eyes slowly while the creature extracted his hand from my face with a proud smirk. "Know you'll know when I'm near so you can coward in fear as I ready my blade to end you, Eclipse. You will never see the Eternal Night if I have anything to do about it.""Jim! Where are you?" The assassin looked out toward where Claire's voice rang out before looking back toward me."This isn't over, Trollhunter." Then he disappeared in a puff of purple smoke as suddenly the cage gave away as I heard Claire's footsteps approaching me."Jim!" I fell to my knees as I reached up to grip the left side of my face. It still ached as I screwed my eyes shut once more. I heard Claire fall to her knees by my side as she instantly tried to comfort me through what had happened while trying to get the others to get over here. I tried my best to focus on her voice, but I couldn't get myself to as my face throbbed in pain. "Let me see. Maybe I could help." I dropped my hand from my face reluctantly as I brought myself up slightly into a sitting position. I opened my eyes slowly to see Claire's reaction to see that a shocked look had appeared on her face."It's not horrible, is it?""It's not a burn or anything. It's a marking." I gave her a confused look as all she did in reply was to pull out her phone from her skirt pocket and opened it so it showed the face viewing camera toward me. What I saw in return was a skull pattern outlining the left side of my face which was horrifyingly the same shape line as the facial plate of my helmet."Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."
It's permanent.
I don't think there is anything I can do to help you, young Eclipse. I wish there was more I could do, honestly.
A mark leading to an end worse than death.
You'll be okay, Jimbo. Fate is on our side.
But he said he's crossed fate before. That he's changed fates before. How am I any different?
You're a prophecy, not just a slave to fate, Master Jim.
I shook my head as I sat on Claire's bed.Calm down, Lake. No need to get all worked up right now. Not half past midnight at your crush's house that you just slipped in the window through. Not the best time to explain to her parents why you, a boy they have only met like twice, is in their daughter's room after dark. So get your shit together, buddy. You got this.I listened to the sound of Claire rummaging through her make-up bag as she tried to find whatever it was that she claimed could cover up the marking that had been given to me by the assassin. It had dulled to just a simple faded line tracing around the side of my face and down my jawline, but it was still relatively noticeable. It wasn't glowing like before, but Claire said she had something that could cover it with ease."I know I have it here somewhere." I almost smiled at her muttering to herself as she rummaged through her make-up bag. "Yes! Found it!" She whispered in triumph as she came over to her bed and sat beside me. "Now, sit still, okay?" I nodded my head once as she twisted the cap to a long tube and pulled out what I knew was an applicator to whatever it was that she was now placing on my face. "This is just concealer but if it can hide my darker freckles, it should be able to hide this." I swallowed dryly as I felt her trace along the lines on my face and placed a small little swipe of it on my chin. She then put the applicator back into its tube before grabbed a small circular sponge to blend it all together. "This will be a little bit more rough, okay?" I nodded once more as I decided to close my eyes at this point and allow her to do what she needed. But as she did so, my mind wandered back to the voices that echoed in my mind once more.
Permanent.
No help.
Marked for a fate worse than death.
Fate worse than death.
Worse than death.
Death.
I felt myself whimper slightly as I squeezed my eyes shut even further. As if knowing I was in distress by the simple sound, I felt arms wrap themselves around my neck almost instantly as hands rubbed themselves gently into my back."It's going to be okay, Jim."Is it Claire? Is it really?
"We'll find a way through this."Are we? Are we really?"Hey, look at me." I felt her pull away from me so she could place her hands on my face. I opened my eyes slowly to be welcomed to the sight of dark hazel eyes staring back at me. "We will get through this." The emotion in her eyes made me feel as if she truly believed in the words that she was speaking. That she already had a plan in motion by the way she spoke.
Maybe we will.
Yeah, we will.
"S-Sorry." I almost choked on the word as it came out slowly. "It's just that-.""You don't have to explain yourself to me, Jim." She brought her hands down to each of my arms and ran them up and down my biceps as if to comfort me as she gave me a small smile. "You don't owe me anything."
Oh if only that was true. I owe you the world right now, Claire. For dealing with all of this. For dealing with me. For everything really. If it weren't for you, I'd be lost in the wind by now.
Or dead. Probably dead to be honest.
"Hey," I felt her thumbs graze my cheeks as brought her face about an inch closer to me. "We'll find a way. I don't care what it takes. I don't care. We already said we won't let anything happen to each other. I won't go back on my word so soon. Not now, not ever." I gave her a weak smile as I seemingly choked on my words as they came out."What if there isn't anything we can do? What if this is my fate now?" I pulled my eyes away from her as I looked down at the small space between us. "I don't want anything to happen to you. To anyone.""Then I'll do anything I can to be by your side through this. You defeated Bular, Jim. What's an assassin of some witch in comparison to the son of Gunmar?" I felt a small smile break out on my face as I brought my eyes back to her. "You're different than any other Trollhunter before you. Everyone that has crossed your path knows that. Eclipse prophecy or not." My smile furthered as I saw the delicate look in her eyes as she pushes back my bangs off my forehead. "And there is nowhere else I would rather be than beside you.""Thanks, Claire." I wanted to press my forehead against hers or do something to showcase how much her words meant to me, but I couldn't get myself to move as her hands slipped off my face and went back to putting the concealer in place. But as my eyes watched her face as she went back to work on covering the marking, I could tell she knew by how soft my voice was when I spoke her name. My mind wondered as I kept watching her features as she shoved out the make-up on my face.
Maybe she's right. What's an assassin when I have her on my side?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I adjusted the miner helmet on my head as I stood beside Claire within the darkness of the gymnasium. We had agreed on a miner theme after a relatively small debate between us. I had a fake pickaxe in my hand as my normal blue jeans were coupled with yellow suspenders that matched the miner's helmet on my head. A simple white shirt tied it all together. My crystal bore itself on my chest due to how Claire insisted that on the fact that it only helped with the theme that honestly, she came up with. As I looked beside me, it was obvious to me now that I couldn't have been able to keep up with any of the Spring Fling challenges if it wasn't for the girl beside me. I felt a dopey smile appear on my face as I noticed just how big the miner hat she was able to snag from the theater department was on her. She had matching suspenders to mine as she wore the almost same outfit as I did set for the fact she had blue shorts instead and the short sleeves of her t-shirt were rolled up just the slightest. She adjusted the helmet on her head to keep it out of her eyes before looking over toward me."How are you feeling about all of this?" I shrugged lightly as I made it so that the fake pickaxe was sitting on my left shoulder. I knew she could have been asking about plenty of things. Especially the events of the night before.
Then I'll do anything I can to be by your side through this.
I don't care what it takes. I honestly don't care.
You've defeated Bular. What's an assassin of some witch in comparison to the son of Gunmar?
I flashed her a wide grin as her voice echoed within my mind. She had laid with me for a few hours after finishing the concealer on my face just continuing to tell me that we'd get through this together. That the new marking upon my face and the assassin that came along with it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. It all only proved to me how true she was to all of this that was going on."Honestly, a little nervous but I'll deal." I placed my free hand on her left shoulder as my smile only furthered itself up on the sides of my face. "How are you feeling?""Excited, actually. This is probably one of my favorite events for the week." She showed me a toothy grin as the helmet then tilted it forward and covered her eyes once more. I couldn't help but chuckle at her as fixed it with a small pout. "Damn this thing.""Oh come on. It's quite adorable, really." She gave me a small smirk as she crossed her arms over her chest."Adorable, huh?" I felt a small blush appear on my chest as I gave a nervous chuckle. She elbowed me slightly in my ribs with a small laugh. "You don't have to be so worried about what to say around me, Jim. Just speak your mind. I already told you before I won't make fun of you for anything and that was before the whole Trollhunter thing." I felt an easy smile appear on my face as I just enjoyed the small moment between us. It made me feel as if we were just two normal kids waiting to present their theme idea for the dance to their peers. Just Jim Lake and Claire Nuñez. Not the Trollhunters, but just two normal teenagers.That was when in the corner of my eye, I saw a familiar figure toying with the field outside of the large glass windows attached to the back doors of the gym."What is he doing here?" Claire looked out over toward the glass and saw exactly what I was looking at. We watched as the assassin put something into the ground before walking away with his eyes glowing in the distance. I felt my face ache slightly where he had placed the mark upon my skin. I reached up and touched the side to feel that it was as if it burned slightly against my fingertips. It oddly reminded me of how the crystal would feel against my chest whenever my emotions got the best of me. I looked over toward Claire who only gave me a simple nod. She knew exactly what I was planning on doing. "I'm sorry. I'll be right back, I swear.""Don't worry about it. Just don't get screwed up with whatever it is he put out there." She held out her hands toward me. "Here. Let me take the helmet and the pickaxe." I nodded and handed them toward her before giving her a small nod and making my way outside. I activated the crystal as soon as I got out and made my way toward the field in a simple jog. Once I got to where the assassin once was, I knelt down to see there was a small dirt mound in the middle of the ground. Just in case, I pressed a finger to my collar to activate the helmet and face shield. Suddenly, a single hand sprouted from the ground as I felt myself stumble backward slightly at the sight."GREAT MOTHER OF-!" I stopped myself short as I readied myself and grabbed my sword off my back. Another hand sprouted from the ground as it started to pull itself out of the ground. The arms and hands looked humanoid as they looked as if it was made of moss and mud with vines intertwining down the sides of them. I watched in shock as while the rest of the being started to form itself from the small mound it was sprouting from. It had a wooden face that looked as if it was a hollow engraving as the rest of his figure was a twisted mix of wood, moss, vines, and mud. When it looked toward me though, it reached out its right hand and suddenly the vines on its arm reached out toward me. I slashed at them with ease, cutting through them before they could even get close. I tried my best to figure out what kind of being it was as it started dashing in my direction.
"Treants are magical creatures that can be usually made from wood. They're humanoid in a way so you'll be able to understand where the head, arm, and et cetera." I looked down toward the image of a tree-like creature with hollow eyes and a simple dark circle carved into the wood for a face. "They're normally large creatures with usually chaotic tendencies. They usually are good and gentle creatures."
"So they're normally just chill? Then why is it important to study them?"
"Because they are magical creatures that only react based on that magic within them. If the magic is dark, they will act more on their chaotic tendencies and attack whoever it is that is near them."
"How do I get rid of them then?"
"Fire is usually the best option. It normally releases the spirit within them as well since there are normally just the incarnations of restless forest spirits, but if you don't have that on hand, aim for the head and cut it clean off. Cut anywhere else and it'll just continue trying to cause harm."
I smiled as I dodged out of the way of a swimming limb of the Treant before sliding to a stop.
Thank Deya for Blinky and his creature lessons. I should really thank him for all of that at some point.
I sliced through the mossy limb at brought itself down upon me and leaped forward so I could get behind the forest creature.
"But when you go to behead it, remember these words. In requiem musco viridi silva spiritus. Semper erit vobis Concordia."
"Sounds like Latin. What does that even mean? What will it do for the Treant?"
"It is Latin! Wonderful to see you know that dialect to the simplest degree, Tobias. It means 'Rest in the moss, forest spirit of green. Forever you will have harmony'. It'll bring the spirit to ease and allow it to pass. If not, the spirit will be restless and take over a different piece of the forestry."
I brought my sword up over my shoulder as I tried my best to recant the words from memory."In requiem musco viridi silva spiritus! Semper erit vobis concordia!" I sliced through the neck of the creature with ease as a bright green light came through the severed limb. A stream of green light danced around the rest of the figure as I watched with curious yet shocked eyes. It made its way around the forest figure before the body slumped down to the ground along with the wooden head that was already beside it. I stood there for a moment to make sure the body of the creature was limp before putting my sword away and a small flash let me know the armor was no longer covering my skin. I knelt down to beside it as I noticed what could be mistaken as a bliss look took over the wooden face of the severed head. Before it was just a simple hollowed set of eyes and circle mouth, but now it looked as if it was relieved.
So he has magic strong enough to call upon Treants to do his dirty work. Wonderful. From what Blinky said, they're such gentle creatures with chaotic tendencies, but this one acted as if its only goal from the very beginning was to fight. It was as if something else was controlling them.
I felt a sigh escape my mouth as I got back up to my full height.
Well. You can rest now, forest spirit. Sorry, you were brought into all of this.
Suddenly, the creature's corpse pulsed once before exploding glumps of mud everywhere. One hit me right in the face which only caused me to try wiping it off with a disgusted look on my face. Once I was able to see the body again though, I noticed that the small explosion of mud gave way to the spread of small flowers covering the ground as the vines and wooden pieces of the corpse made itself one with the ground below it. I smiled at the sight as I shook some of the mud off my hands.
It got a little messy and my costume might be stained a little, but at least it seemed the creature is at peace.
Wait. Costume.
WAIT! THE THEME ASSEMBLY!
I turned away from the creature and started dashing toward the gym but once I opened the doors, the mud from the creature was still on my sneakers which caused me to slide across the wooden floor as I ended up right beside Claire who was seemingly stalling until my arrival. She flashed me a large smile before placing the spare miner's helmet on my head before helping me up to stand beside her."With that grand, yet delayed entry, our theme is The Underground! To bring honor to our Mole mascot as well as Arcadia's history!" I flashed a nervous grin to the audience as I placed an arm over Claire's shoulders."Yeah! With a darkened out gym and glowing crystal lights, we're sure everyone will enjoy their time with this theme." I felt anxious as the audience was still silent after I presented them my rehearsed line. Well, what was my rehearsed line with now without the original theme idea we went with. I guess you have to roll with the punches quite often when your teammate in all of this just slid through without his mining pieces to his costume while covered with sporadic chunks of mud."You two," Coach Lawerence took a step closer to us as if he was upset with the commotion we had caused. "Have just," His voice got louder and I was rather frightened for a moment before a large smile appeared on his face. "PRESENTED THE BEST IDEA I HAVE HEARD OF IN YEARS! Isn't that right, students!" I smiled as I heard the rest of the gymnasium come to life in loud roars. I released the breath I didn't know I was holding as I felt a hand tried its best to dust off some of the mud that was on my shoulder."You really got yourself into a mess this time, didn't you?" I chuckled at Claire's joke."Just imagine, this isn't going to be the only thing going on for us today.""And I wouldn't want it any different."I felt Claire's hand slip into mine as we walked toward the Gyre together with Toby, AAARRRGGHH, and a still human Blinky ahead of us."Ready for this?" I gave her hand a small squeeze as I gave her a reassuring smile."As ready as I can be. Just gotta keep going with the plan, you know?" I brought my attention before us as my hand kept itself in hers. "Today's little battle wasn't that difficult, but now knowing this guy has magic just makes it even more crucial that I need to get this done. You saw what the last stone did. Maybe with the other two, I can be strong enough to defeat him and Gunmar.""What makes you think you're not strong enough now?" I turned my head toward her as I released a breath I was holding before looking down at our hands that were intertwined together.
With her on my side? I could move mountains.
I chuckled at myself as I gave her a large smile.
When did I become a big sap like this? I blame the whole idea of possible death by assassination.
"With you and Toby, I can do anything. By myself though, I don't think I could even harm him.""You don't give yourself enough credit.""Well, what would Romeo be without Juliet? It takes two for just about anything, Claire.""If you're going to start quoting Hairspray then I'm out, I hope you know that." I chuckled lightly at her as we reached the Gyre."Takes two to tango, Nuñez." I helped her up into the Gyre after slipping my hand out of hers before jumping up into the vehicle myself. I sat next to her with a wide smile before nodding my head toward Blinky to start us onto our objective. I was a bit more ready for the journey this time when it lurched into motion but I felt a hand slip into mine once more but once I looked over I saw an easy smile on her face as she was talking to Toby who was seemingly still having an issue with the whole thing. I squeezed her hand gently which caused her to look over to me but I gave her a toothy grin in reply. A soft one appeared on hers as she then turned her attention back toward the redhead who was still having a small conniption over the Gyre's speed. But the feeling of her thumb rubbing gently on the back of my hand told me enough that she was still there if need be. Suddenly, the Gyre stopped as Blinky gave a large smile to each of us."We have reached our destination in what it human words, Florida, but to us trollish beings, Quagawump Marshlands." He hopped off the Gyre with ease as AAARRRGGHH follow begrudgingly."Hate. Gyre!" Toby jumped out of the vehicle as he then walked over to the large troll to rub his arm gently."We only need to use it for a couple more objectives, buddy. You can handle that right?" The troll nodded his head before replying to him."Still hate though." I chuckled at that as I jumped down from the contraption as well before holding out a hand to help Claire out as well but she ended up jumping out of it herself before just taking my held out hand into her own before following after the rest of the group. The swamps were rather beautiful at first with the green lights of gem leading the way toward where Blinky said the tribe would be. It was a little dark, but it wasn't anything we couldn't adjust to accordingly."No matter what happens, don't cause a reaction. This tribe is well known for being warriors. Once they believe for you to be a threat, they will go after you without much hesitation." I nodded my head along with Claire who turned her head toward a small rustling in the distance. I squeezed her hand gently as I tried to calm my own nerves as well."Don't be worried. Just as you and Toby won't let anything happen to me," I gave her a small smile as I rubbed my thumb gently against the back of her hand. "I won't let anything happen to you either." She gave me an easy smile as seemingly letting out a breath she was holding. When the rustling continued, I released her hand and took a step before her and the others. I slipped my hand under my shirt to present the crystal as I readied myself for whatever it was that was hiding within the greenery. Then the sound of two claps came from our right as lights came to life within the greenery. Bright green, pink, and blue lights came from crystals that lined the area naturally as the small chants came from the bushes."The king! It's the king!" I gave a confused look as several voices chanted the same thing as multiple different smaller green creatures with spikey hair. I looked over toward Blinky who had a large smile on his face as he placed a hand on Toby's shoulder."Just roll with it Tobias, this will be wonderful for us." Toby whispered back with wide eyes as Claire jumped into the conversation."Just act natural. Follow what they say and keep your cool. Remember what Blinky said. If they think we're hostile or anything, we'll be kissing more than just the stone goodbye." I nodded my head as I realized exactly what was going."You have returned to us! The great incarnation! Welcome back, our liege." One of the smaller species of trolls came forward with a small bow as she spoke to Toby specifically. "We have been waiting for you!""Sorry to keep you guys waiting!" Toby chuckled nervously as he placed his hands on his hips."Are you here to take your throne back? Blungo has been terrible trying to live up to your name, my king.""Yeah! Totally." He gave a confident smile before deflating slightly. "Who's Blungo?" The troll only gave a wide smile as she grabbed him by his hands and pulled him toward the rest of the group of the Quagawumps."It does not matter anymore! The useless king will be replaced with our true one! We must celebrate!" A large wave of cheers came from the creatures as they started running about to ready for what I could tell was a celebration being made instantly. I gave a surprised look as I looked over to the rest of our small group as Toby seemed to start actually enjoying the king life."Huh, that didn't take much now did it?""Honestly, I thought it was going to take a bit more than that for them to believe it, but I guess it's for the best." I shrugged at that as I brought my attention back to Claire. She just gave a small smile as she looked around the scene. I followed her eyes to see that Toby was already brought to a higher piece of the area as he was given a small vine crown that was on his head while he was showing the trolls a small childish magic trick. I brought my eyes back toward Blinky as I started to speak once more."Well, what do we do now?""The Killstone is within the actual crown of the Quagawump King. Once Toby is given it as the king, we'll be able to get it and leave whenever we have the opportunity. For now, though, I saw we enjoy ourselves, shall we! Don't forget though, they're hostile creatures. Especially to humans. So be careful with what you're doing and how you're doing it." I nodded my head as I started hearing a small musical beat being carried out by the plenty of smaller trolls in the area. I looked over toward where Toby was once more to see that he was the reason that the musical beat was coming from. I shook my head as I watched him tap on his belly to create the beat while all the other smaller trolls followed in toll. I stood there with a dopey smile as I watched Blinky and AAARRRGGHH go off toward the lines of food and drinks that seemed to be served around by the spiky-haired creatures. Toby was smiling upon the large stage as he looked out over the small crowd and all seemed to alright in the world for just a moment. My attention was pulled away from the scene before me toward the Latina beside me as she spoke barely above the loud singing voices and thundering drum patterns."For a group of people that are hostile, they're ready to start a party whenever it's needed." I chuckled at her response as I glanced around the scenery."Yeah. Definitely." I brought my eyes back toward her as a smile danced on my face. I felt a small flutter in my stomach as my eyes met hers. She gave me a soft smile before I watched her give a small laugh at my lackluster of a response. She looked out over the crowd of dancing or eating trolls before she looked back to me with a renewed mischievous gleam within them."How about we take advantage of it then? It's not often we get a fun moment like this.""Sure. What do you have in mind then?" She stepped before me and grabbed both my hands in hers before pulling me toward the large crowd. She started moving to the music as I just felt awkward watching her for a moment as her rhythmic movements slowed down to a simple sway. "Are you alright?""Just, not a real good dancer." I reached up and scratched the back of my neck as she gave a simple giggle in return."You don't have to be good to have fun, Jim. Now come on! Move those feet." She grabbed my hands before I let her swing me around for a moment before I start stepping and jumping around awkwardly. She shined a joyful smile toward me as she seemed to just enjoy me being a complete dork jumping around her. She reached out and got a hold of my forearms to bring me before her. Her toothy grin and the carefree look in her eyes caused me to be even more breathless than the off-rhythm movements I was doing just moments prior. Her eyes were just as intoxicating as they have ever been as I felt my heart accelerate to an ungodly rate.
Great Deya they are even prettier in crystal lighting.
I swallowed dryly as I felt her hands place themselves on my chest as seemed to slowly bridge the space between us. I had no clue what to do with my hands so I just placed them gently on her sides before I could make a fool of myself. I was too nervous to say anything, but it seemed Claire took it as an opportunity to speak instead."Will you go to the Spring Fling with me?" I felt a delighted smile take over my face as a gave a simple nod before answering aloud."Definitely." My voice came out soft even though the spark in her eyes told me enough that she heard what I said. I felt her hand place itself on the side of my face that she's been helping me cover since the night before. Her thumb danced along my skin and it felt like my skin was on fire as it touched ever so delicately where the marking was placed. It wasn't until then that I noticed how truthfully close we were as I could feel just the slightest touch of her warm breath reaching my lips. I felt my hand distinctively place itself under her chin as I felt myself lean forward without a second thought. I was worried for a moment that I was going too far, but the fluttering shut of her eyelids and the gentle look on her face told me enough it was mutual. Just milliseconds away from feeling her lips on mine and to finally get to feel what it was like to kiss her without the need of her having to.But then a scream let itself out from the crowd and my attention snapped toward whatever it was that caused it. I saw that There was the familiar figure of the assassin as a stone creature wearing the actual crown of the Quagawumps as Toby was staring at it all in shock on top of the stage still. I called upon my armor with ease as I felt even the helmet place itself over my features. I turned over toward Claire who gave me a simple nod as we both ran toward the commotion. I made my way up toward the stage and grabbed my sword off my back as I leaped up to slash at the assassin."Leave these people alone, Angor Rot!""And why so? They carry what you're after, Trollhunter. Don't hide it. The Killstone is exactly what you're after." He held up his left hand to showcase the Killstone he had already taken from the crown of the Quagawump King. "It's not my fault you went about it the wrong way.""We were being civil. You just slaughtered their king!""And who is the one with the stone? And who will be the one to join him?" He lunged toward me and tried to slash at me with the glowing green blade within his hand. I was able to leap backward out of his reach as Blinky's voice called out to me."Be careful, Master Jim! That blade will turn you to stone if it grazes your skin!" I looked down at the blade as I glanced over toward his left that I knew carried the stone I knew I desperately needed.Using my needs to keep me close enough to get stabbed but not far enough for me to run off without reason. Cleaver. God damn it.I swallowed dryly as I brought my blade up and pushed back at his slash he came down against me with. As his arm was up, I decided to use it as my chance to attack. I brought up my right foot and kicked him firmly in the stomach which caused him to fall backward and hit the stoned figure of the former king. It caused him and the statue to fall backward and shattered the stone figure as it caused the stone to skip once it fell from the assassin's hand."Toby!" I turned toward him and pointed my right hand toward the stone. Without a second thought, he ran toward the stone to grab it as I then placed my eyes onto the assassin to make sure he didn't attack my dear friend."Got it!" That was all I needed to know as I heard him ran off toward the frantic crowd around us. Angor brought himself out of the rubble and jump toward me with a roar. I dodged several swipes of the blade with ease as I tried my best to come up with some way for him to drop the dangerous blade."Using others to do your bidding, Trollhunter? Rather selfish of you." I growl a little under my breath as I ducked under his arm and found myself behind him. I brought up my sword to try to get a clean attack but the assassin was faster as he rolled over his shoulder and out of my reach. He looked at me for a moment before looking out toward the frantic bodies below us with a menacing smile. "Since you seem to have no regrets bring people into this, I shouldn't with taking them out." He leaped off the stage and I didn't hesitate with following him. He started dashing around the small troll creatures with ease as I followed his same path. When I noticed he was gunning toward where Toby and Claire were grouping back up with AAARRRGGHH and Blinky, I placed my sword onto my back and leaped forward to grab the assassin by his ankles. This caused him to fall toward the ground as well. I rolled back onto my feet as I took the opportunity to stomp onto his left hand before he could ready his blade again, but my foot only stomped onto the ground as he rolled over his back and brought himself to his feet with relative easy. He stared at me with amusement dancing in his eyes as he tossed his blade over to his right hand instead. "You're a sneaky one, that's for sure." I kept my stance ready as I brought my hands up to defend myself."I'm a lot more than just sneaky, Angor Rot.""You could be a God, Trollhunter, and I'll see be the one to kill you." I felt my face ache as I knew he was intensifying the marking that was on my face. "Or did you forget the fate I have given you?""I don't know about you, buddy, but destiny is on my side here." I felt a smirk take over my face as I dodged out of the way of one of his slash attacks once more. We started a small dance of me dodging his quick slashes and stabs until the sound of heavy footsteps came directly toward us."LEAVE JIM ALONE!" With a solid smack of his forearm, AAARRRGGHH sent Angor Rot skipping across the ground like a pebble across a pond. I looked over toward the large troll to give a small nod in gratitude."Thanks, AAARRRGGHH." When I heard the sudden hiss of the assassin, I brought my attention back toward him to see that he leaped forward with now his staff within his right hand and his blade in the other. He slashed toward me with the knife, but I was able to jump back in time to be clear of its reach. He did end up smacking AAARRRGGHH with his staff though yet the large troll held firm against the attack. When he noticed that he wasn't going to win against both me and AAARRRGGHH, he pointed his staff behind him and caused a small purple warp circle to appear. When he jumped through it, it shut instantly behind him but the sudden scream behind me told me enough that he was still around. I turned my head to see he had Claire trapped under his left arm as the blade as dangerously close to her face as the other was pointed behind him with the staff extended to make what I now knew was a portal."Give me the Killstone," He placed his staff back onto his back as the portal stayed in place behind him. "Or the girl will learn what's it like to be stone." He now held Claire in a locked hold as the small blade danced slowly to her right cheek. My stomach dropped as I saw her struggle against the assassin's grip as I knew by the ragging colors of my armor that I was desperate to help her."Let her go!""You're not the one being able to make demands here, Trollhunter!" A large twisted smile appeared on his face as he brought the blade just a little bit closer toward Claire's face. "You have one option here and I can tell by your armor how much it's killing you slowly. The emotions of the Eclipse are on full display, mortal. Even to your enemies. Now make your choice!" I swallowed dryly as I heard Claire call out right after him."Don't do it! He'll do it anyway!""Shush, child!""Give him the stone." I looked over to Toby who I knew still had the Killstone with him."Are you sure? Claire might be right, Jim!""I don't care! I would rather know I took the chance instead of just letting it happen!" Toby dug into his pocket as I heard Claire yelling out toward us once more."Don't do it! You need the stone for the armor!"
But I need you more than anything.
I swallowed hard as I let the words stay within my head and Toby chucked the green stone at the assassin."Take it, you older than dirt asshole! Just let Claire go!" Angor Rot grabbed the stone mid-air with his right hand as his smile only furthered."Pleasure doing business with y-AAH!" He let out a scream as Claire pushed out his left arm and backward kicked him right where it hurts with her right foot. This caused him to drop his blade and stumble back toward the portal and just as soon as Claire had got herself out of reach of the blade, he had grabbed her while stumbling backward. Only causing both of them to fall into the portal."CLAIRE!" I yelled out toward her as I reached out to try to give her a hand, but I fell just a little short as my hand was a mere inch or two away from grabbing hers as the portal closed. As I fell onto my knees, silence took over the scenery in the coldest way possible. It was as if the world knew what it had just done to me and wanted to give its slightest respect to what had just happened. "Claire," I whispered out to myself before I felt a sudden ache hit my chest with full force. I screamed out as I slammed my fist into the ground as I let all my frustration and sudden mixture of sadness and anger out onto the mossy ground beneath me. "DAMN IT!" I slammed my armored fist onto the ground several times as it glowed a burning red to showcase my pure emotion within that moment. "DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT!"
You promised nothing would happen to her, Jackass! Now, look at what has happened! You couldn't listen for once, could you? Cause now both her and the Killstone are gone. Nice fucking move, Trollhunter. Nice fucking move.
Once I hit the ground one last time, my attention was pulled away from my outburst as I heard the whoosh of a portal come to life. Almost as soon as it opened, a familiar purple and black figure shot out of it and landed onto her side. Before I could even understand what had just happened, I rushed to her side as if my outburst hadn't even happened. "Claire!" She brought herself up slowly to a sitting position as I fell to my knees beside her. "You're okay." I spoke in disbelief as I looked over her features. I was looking for the slightest detail that was out of place. I scanned her face for anything that would mean anything was wrong about the girl before me. Hell, it got to the point that I was even counting the freckles on her cheeks to make sure that they were the right amount all before she even got to speak."As okay as one can be." She gave me a small smile that almost made my mind stop completely. She shoved me lightly in my right shoulder as a smirk appeared on her lips. "I told you not to give him the stone. I had it handled.""What else was I supposed to do? Just sit there and watch?" She brought herself to her feet as I noticed the familiar pale staff that Angor Rot carried was not in her right hand."I never said that either." I brought myself up to my feet as I looked over the staff she was now carrying within her hand."How did you-?""Honestly, I have no clue. I think it was how I got out of, well, whatever place it was that the portal sent us. Once I grabbed it, it took me here." A saddened look appeared on her face as she glanced down at the crystal resting in its spot in my armor right over my heart. "Couldn't get the Killstone back though.""Well, he doesn't have the stone in the first place, actually." We both turned our heads toward Toby who extended the glowing green stone before him. "You know, the Killstone looked awfully similar to my emerald I carry. You know, besides the whole glowing thing. Angor Rot didn't seem to notice though during the commotion." I felt a large smile appear on my face as I grabbed the small stone from him."Tobes, you're a genius!""I know right?! Whose got two thumbs and is the man of the hour? This guy!" I chuckled as I felt the armor detached itself from my skin and back into the crystal. Without much a thought, I presented the stone to the crystal dangling against my neck and it caused a bright green light to appear from the normal red, pink, and white necklace. After a moment, the stone had completely merged within the crystal with ease and pulsed lightly for a few seconds before coming back into its normal coloration. This time a light green was swirling around within it as it sat there. "Activate it, man! I'm dying to see what this one does!" I smiled toward him as I placed my hand over the crystal.
For all that daylight protects, with all of Merlin's magic within me, I will protect and defeat as the sun will let me.
A flash of light told me enough that the armor had summoned itself to my skin once more as the helmet clicked itself into place. I looked over myself for a moment to note the red cape that now had itself attached to my left shoulder that seemed to stop right above my hip. Two small blades were not attached to my thighs as now two cross engravings when into the front leg plates on my limbs. I pulled the two smaller weapons out of instinct and started to toy with them. I swung them around with ease as it felt as if I have been using the dagger-like blades my whole life. Once I had them sitting in my hands comfortably, I noticed they were short with a simple hook and handle to them. But the detail came from the engravings within the blade itself. Several swirls and letters seemed to come together across them but none of it was legible to me so I just put them back into their little slots on my legs."Bro. These stones are just making you cooler and cooler with each one we get." I chuckled at Toby's response as he continued. "I think we've had enough adventures for today, don't you think guys? Enough close calls for me, that's for sure.""I completely agree, Tobias. Lady Claire," I looked over toward Blinky as he was addressing Claire who was still right beside me. "I could take that artifact if you wish. I might be a little too dangerous for any of us to handle anyway so it might be best to leave it within the library." I watched Claire as she brought the staff beside her before swinging it a little within her right hand. She brought it to her side after a moment with a large smile appearing on her face."Actually, I'm going to keep it. Can't go empty-handed it seems anyway when it comes to Trollhunting.""OOO! Does this mean I get a weapon too? You know that fire hammer at the forge is really cool. Is it possible for me to get that?""How about we speak of this on the way to the Gyre? I believe everyone would much rather be getting home at this moment anyway." AAARRRGGHH nodded in agreeance to Blinky who started making their way to the Gyre before Toby could even get another word in."Aw come on! I'm gonna need a weapon too, you know!""I was just saying that we can continue this as we make our way toward the Gyre. I didn't say no just yet, Tobias.""Oh.""But I might now." I chuckled as I heard Toby gasp at Blinky's reaction, but I couldn't get myself to move from Claire's side as I watched them make their way toward the Gyre. I brought my eyes over toward her as a small flash of light told me that the armor took itself off my skin once more."I'm happy you're okay, Claire." She brought her eyes to me while giving me a large smile."Just happy everything turned out alright for everyone." I felt a half-smile took over my face as I felt her hand slip itself into mine like she had when we first started making our way to the Gyre earlier in the day."It almost wasn't. You should have seen me when the portal closed on you and Angor." Her hand squeezed mine just the slightest as we started making our way toward the Gyre together."I don't think I would want to.""I wouldn't have wanted you to, that's for sure." I heard her giggle at that as I felt as if the weight of the world was taken off my shoulders for that single moment."If it's anything like I know I would have done, yeah. No." I laughed at her response as I felt our fingers interlock completely. "I promise not to be held captive by another troll assassin though.""Don't make promises you can't keep, Nuñez.""Watch me, Lake." I smiled contently as I squeezed her hand gently with mine. My own promise ringing within my head as we continued our way toward the Gyre.
I can't lose you, Nuñez. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I did. So, I promise to never put you in danger like that again.
Not if I can help it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I watched as Claire was being coached by Draal on how to use her new staff. She was insistent on trying to learn how to use the weapon as soon as she possibly could. So as she held it out before her with both her hands keeping the staff steady, it was obvious she was getting annoyed with the fact that nothing was coming from the magical weapon."You need to focus, fleshling." Claire took a deep breath as she tried to calm what I knew was annoyance filling within her."Come on. Come on." She screwed her eyes shut as she tried to get the weapon to do something. Anything."Seems little Miss. Perfect is having troubles~!" I rolled my eyes at Toby's voice I looked over to see that he was toying with the weapons hanging or leaning on a wooden stand."I would have troubles with it too if I was her.""Dude. You ended up picking up a magical sword with armor and picked it up rather easily. You have no room to talk.""It took me a few weeks. With Blinky's and Draal's help, of course.""Still! You got used to it like-.""I'm tried to focus, boys. So I'm going to say this politely. Shut the fuck up before I kick you both in the gronk-nuks." I chuckled a little at Claire's response as I saw Toby's face fill with fear at the staff wielder's words. I got up from my spot that I was sitting at so I could walk over toward Claire."Want to know how I focus?" She gave me a curious look as I stepped behind her so I could place my hands onto her biceps behind her. "Keep your eyes forward and your arms firm." I felt her relax in my touch as she presented the staff before her like before. "Think of something specific. Something you know you're willing to fight for. You've got something on your mind?" She nodded her head as I felt a smile dance onto my face. "Now use that. Whatever you're fighting for, keep it in your mind and let that be the power within you." For a moment I could tell she was focusing specifically on the idea she had at hand. I used this opportunity to step beside her as I saw she had her eyes shut as she concentrated. But suddenly, she turned her head toward me and opened her eyes to look at me as a small swoosh came from before us."HOLY-! She actually did it!" I saw a smile appear on her face as she dropped the staff to her side as the portal closed just as suddenly as it had opened. I smiled toward her as well as my mind went on to repeat something that the council of Troll Market had told me the day before.
You will not be the death of your friends, but your friends will be the death of you.
I dropped my hands from her arms as I tried my best to keep the same smile on my face. I slipped my hands into my jean pockets as I turned my attention toward Toby who had a large thud by where he was at. What I was welcomed to was the sight of him on his back with a hammer's staff handle on his chest."What are you looking at? Help me out here!" I chuckled at him as I went over toward him and grabbed the hammer's handle so I could lift it up and swing it over my shoulder."If you want a weapon of your own, you might want to start with something a little smaller, Tobes." He got up to his feet with a little bit of effort but gave me a soft pout. "I could always help you out myself." This caused my best friend to give me a childish smile as he jumped a little up and down on the balls of his feet."I can use the hammer, right?""You're stuck on the hammer idea, huh?""Why not?!" I smiled as I heard the statement of the council once more.You will not be the death of your friends, but your friends will be the death of you."You alright, dude?" I gave him another smile as I dropped the hammer from off my should and placed it onto the floor of the forge."I'm fine." I reached into my right jeans pocket to pull out my phone and check the time. "We need to start heading out. We need to figure out more stuff about this Angor Rot guy and figure out who in the hell he's working for.""Did you also forget the whole Strickler wanting to talk to all of us on Spring Fling court?" I grumbled at the thought.
I bet all of this has to deal with him. He suddenly reappears as an assassin comes to Arcadia at the same time and doesn't act like he understands anything going on? Honestly. How stupid does he think I am? I might be an idiot at times, but I knew something was tying him to this.
Especially since he keeps bringing up his relationship with my mother as if I won't break him into a million pieces if my mother was involved.
"Can we just say that we did and just don't?" I gave Claire a sigh as all three of us started making our way out of Troll Market together."Still on the idea he has a part in all of this?""He has to Tobes!" I looked over toward my best friend as I put my hands into my jacket pockets. "It's just too much of a coincidence. He suddenly comes back as Angor Rot appears? He must have a hand at this. He just has to.""I agree with you, Jim." I felt Claire put a hand onto my shoulder as she spoke softly toward me. "But we don't have any reasons to think he does. Angor Rot seems to be working for someone, yes, but we have to have evidence or leads to think it's Strickler.""So what then?" I gave her a saddened look as my right hand gripped the amulet in my jacket pocket as if it was my lifeline. "Just wait until he jumps?" She gave me a smirk as she dropped her hand from my shoulder as the three of us made it into the heart of Troll Market."Nope." She looked ahead of us as the smirk kept itself firmly on her face. "We investigate.""OH! We're gonna Scooby-Doo this shit, huh? What are we doing then? Splitting up for clues?" Claire looked over toward Toby with the same smirk on her face as we started our way up the staircase leading to the surface of Arcadia Oaks."Actually, that wouldn't be a bad idea. Each of us should look into a specific idea surrounding Angor Rot and Strickler. I'm going to look into whatever the hell Strickler is hiding. Tobes, you're going to look into those books about Angor Rot more. Find anything that says how to control him." She looked back over toward me with a sweet smile as she continued. "And you just worry about your mom. Whatever plans he has, it surrounds you and her. At least, that's what I can understand." I nodded my head as I felt her pull my left hand gently out of my jacket pocket and slipped her right hand into mine. Her fingers intertwining with mine. "We'll handle everything else." I smiled toward her as I squeezed her hand gently with my own.
Seriously, how would Toby and I keep up with everything if it wasn't for her? The fact Toby and I oftentimes only had the single brain cells to share at a lot of times often leads us into some trouble or stupid situations, but thanks to Claire, I think we're able to think so many more things out.
Well, I think the most thought-out thing Toby and I did together was the museum idea. But that was basically it, I believe.
Yet in the end, it is both of them that will help me through all of this. And that is what matters to me. Not what the future holds or what will happen to me, but that they'll be by my side through it all.
There isn't just a Trollhunter, but Trollhunters.
"You're actually going to the dance with Jim? Like not as nominees but actually going together?" I rolled my eyes at my friends as they toyed with me. I glanced to my left where I had left Jim and Toby. Jim was flashing his best friend a lopsided grin that would only make me smile in return as the smile he had was coupled with a wholehearted laugh. "Girl, I'm talking to you God damn it!" I brought my eyes back toward Mary as I gave her a small smile."Yes. Yes, I am. What of it?" I went back to opening my locker as she continued to speak."I'm just shocked the guy had the guts to ask you.""Actually, I asked him." For a moment, Mary was silent and it caused me to actually be worried for a moment.
If there was one thing I knew about Mary Wang is the fact that if she's quiet, it's never a good thing.
I brought my attention back toward her as I saw she had her mouth hung open in shock. Darci laughed at her for a moment before using her right hand to push her jaw up."Close your mouth. You're going to catch flies." Mary glared at Darci until said girl dropped her hand from under the other girl's jaw."But Darc! She just broke the sacred rule! You're not supposed to ask out a guy! They're supposed to ask you." I rolled my eyes for what felt like the millionth time that day."So what? What's wrong with asking him myself?""Personally," Darci gave a small smirk as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I believe if she wasn't the one to ask the poor guy would be stressing himself out over it. Doesn't help that the dance is in two days." I felt a sudden panic strike through my system as I realized that the dance was creeping up onto us.
God. I haven't even picked out what to wear. Should I even dress up when an assassin may come after us? Might be better to skip with a skirt and leggings instead of a dress if that's the case.
Wait. Why am I worried about this? I'm acting as if I need to impress him. As if I need to somehow dress to impress a guy I already know has gone through hell for my ass.
I'm in deep. Aren't I?
"Earth to Claire." I snapped back into reality as I looked over toward Darci. "We were asking how do you feel about the Spring Fling court stuff at the moment? Personally, I think you and Jim got it in the bag. Especially after you guys won the theme contest together.""I'm feeling good about it. At least, at the moment." We walked toward our respective classes together as the talk of the Spring Fling court started to be the ruler of our conversation. But my mind had another idea on my mind.
I won't let an assassin ruin the dance for everyone. I've got to figure out why Strickler is tied up into all of this. Maybe then everyone will be okay and no one would be hurt. Then nothing will happen to Jim.
Find out the ties to Strickler, keep Arcadia Oaks safe, and then Jim won't need to be himself into danger anytime soon. Simple plan. Simple outcome.
Let's do this, Claire. You've got this.
"Okay, so mythical creatures are how this due attacks, right?" I nodded my head as I walked through the outside corridor as Toby spoke of what he had researched between classes. "And every single one seemed to be tied to like Harry Potter stuff for Dungeon and Dragons, right?""Where are you going with this, Tobes?""Just hear me out! Now," He grabbed out a small piece of paper from his pants pocket and unfolded it before handing it over to me. "I've made a small list of mythical beasts and small creatures that he might use in his next attack. Since he's able to control being born from magic, maybe that's his forte, you know? Like his signature why of attacking people is through being made from his own magic. So, these guys are all different types of magical things that I think he might be able to control." I scanned over the list as I saw that he had one specific one circled in red ink."Why do you have fairies circled?""Oh! Fairies are forest creatures, right? I figured since he used a tree guy last time that maybe nature-based things is what his magic can be used for. If that makes any sense. Kind of like how a necromancer in D&D can only use dark magic, I think this dude might only be able to use nature magic outside of his staff." My eyes widened as I started to follow along with what Toby had presented."That's actually really smart Tobes. You might be right about that. Did anything you research have an entry on fairies, by chance?""Actually, yeah. Something about how they cause you to see your worst nightmares to the point of hysteria or paralyzing shock. It didn't go into how but it had a warning about how you should plug your nose and ears when fighting them.""To be honest, when I saw the word fairies I was thinking of the ones from those Medieval stories mom would read to me as a kid. Where they would make you suffer if you were rude to them or how they kidnap children and see revenge on those that even dared look at them the wrong way. These must be a different kind than the ones depicted in those stories though. Maybe they entrance you as a siren does. Where hearing them sing can cause someone to go made then?""Doesn't make sense why it said to plug your nose then." I shrugged a little as I adjusted my bag slightly so it sat on my shoulder more."I have no clue, dude. Your guess is as good as mine. But we should be ready for anything that comes our way. I have a first aid kit in my locker that has a few earplugs and cotton balls in it. We should each carry a few of each so that if it does end up to be fairies, that we're ready." Toby laughed a little as he put his hand onto my left shoulder."Look at us, dude! Actually using our heads! Isn't it great?""I think it's because I gave you the brain cell for the last hour. I couldn't understand a single freaking thing in math.""You can have it back then. I don't need it where we're going." I laughed at him as we made our way toward our lockers together.
At least we have a plan. An off the wall plan, but a plan at the very least.
"There is a difference between what I have done in comparison to what you are deciding to release, Angor Rot." My servant snarled at me as we met in the darkness of the sewer pipe near the main bridge of Arcadia."You tried to torment me even more than I already am from you, Stricklander.""There is a difference between me using a plain forest fairy of my own servant and him releasing a clan of Gaelic fairies onto a school building. Do you even understand the effects this will have on the humans there? They do not know of our kinds being true outside of their myths. We do not need them to see the creatures you have gathered.""Which is why I chose them to begin with." The assassin growled at me as he continued to speak. "There is only one way to defeat them and I doubt that an English-speaking Trollhunter will have the means of doing so. Also, I doubt anyone will remember today. My little friends have ways to make humans think they were dreaming all along and I don't doubt that you can find a way to cover up the act." I groaned at his response before lifting up my right hand toward the assassin."Do you forget who is the one that is truly in control here?""Do you forget that I have killed more creatures than years you've been alive?" I grumbled at his response as I dropped my hand to my side."Nevermind. Just make sure that the other humans in the school don't understand what's happening. If they're going to kill the Trollhunter, we can't let anyone else understand what's going on.""Of course. I'm not a fool." Angor Rot gave a sinister smirk as he patted the handle to the blade that was attached to his hip. "And who said it will be the fairies to end the child? I want the thrill for myself. I'll kill any of those bastard faes if they get in my way.""I don't care who does it. Just make sure that it's done.""And you make sure you're nowhere near the school today." I nodded my head. I had already figured that the assassin had a plan for today so I made sure to stay clear from the building after I had finished the Spring Fling speech with the candidates. I wasn't planning on going anywhere near it again until I know the deed had been done. I watched as he left the area and made his way toward the area in question.But now I must wait for the foolish creature to do as he pleases. One hell of a servant, I must say. Always trying to defy me.I rubbed my thumb onto the ring that sat on my ring finger.
But as long as I have this ring, the bastard can't do anything to me and as long as that spell I had used on Barbara is kept, neither can the Trollhunter and he doesn't even know that is even in my playbook at the moment.
I smirked as I adjusted my blazer and made my way out into the light of the surface world once more.
And this time, I'll win for sure.
"Fairies, huh? How do we know when to put the plugs in then?" I shrugged at Claire's question as I handed her the small package of earplugs and two cotton balls that she took with ease."Honestly, I have clue. Tobes is still looking into it. We don't even know if this is going to be what he uses. We're running on assumptions at the moment." I gave her a soft smile as I decided to change the topic. "But how's everything been for you today? Besides the, you know, fairy stuff?" Claire giggled at me for a moment as I felt my smile spread just a little further on my face."Pretty good. Besides the fairy stuff and Mary being on my ass." I gave her a confused look in return which she smiled at before answering my unspoken question. "She keeps saying I broke 'A Sacred Rule'," She used air quotes respectively before continuing. "and she won't let me live it down.""What rule is that?""A stupid one. Something about how guys are always supposed to ask girls out to things." I felt a small blush appear on my face."S-Sorry about that." I reached up and scratched the back of my neck with my right hand as my embarrassment seemed to reach a whole new level. "It's just that-.""Jim, it's fine." She gave me a sweet smile as she reached out and placed a hand on my left shoulder. "You don't have to explain yourself to me and I didn't mind being the one to ask you to the dance. I never really cared for gender social rules like that anyway." She squeezed my shoulder slightly as a caring look filled her hazel eyes. "Even then, I know what you've been dealing with recently." A smirk appeared on her lips as I knew she was now going to toy with me. "The lack of concealer in my make-up bag proving that.""As I said before, I'll gladfully buy you more if you'd let me.""And as I said before, I don't mind it. I don't really wear make-up anyway. Only on special occasions.""Well, it's not like you really need it anyway." I smiled for a moment before I realized what I said. I chuckled nervously as I placed my hands into my jacket pockets. "I said that out loud, didn't I?" She laughed lightly as another soft smile met her lips."It was sweet, so don't worry about it." With that, the bell rang loudly to tell us to start heading toward our respective classes. I was about to say that I would see her later, but she leaned forward and pressed a small kiss to my cheek. "Text me if anything happens, alright? I'll keep the plugs on stand by just in case." I gave her a childish grin and a simple nod."Yeah. Totally. Definitely will." I chuckled a little as she gave a small smile before dropping her hand from my shoulder before walking off toward her class."See you around then. Stay safe.""You as well." I stood there for a moment before reaching up to touch my left cheek. The feeling of her lips caused the skin to feel as it was electrified and I couldn't help but stare after her for a moment before I realized that I had to start hurrying off toward my math class.
At least you're making some progress outside of Trollhunting. Now if you could get the guts to actually ask her out, everything will be perfect.
I shook my head lightly as I felt a determined look come over my face.
Alright, loverboy. Fairies first, asking out Claire later. You've gotta have your priorities straight, Bud.
But as I started making my way down the heart of the corridor toward Miss Janeth's class, I started hearing a faint singing that seemed as if it was calling out to me.
"A bhean úd thíos, Air bhruach an tsrutháin. Seothu leo, seothu leo."
I stopped for a moment as I grabbed out my earplugs from my jacket pocket just in case.
Why does it sound familiar?
"An dtuigeann tusa fáth mo ghearáin? Seothu leo, seothu leo. S'e bliain is lá inniu ó fuadaíodh mé om leannán. Seothu leo, seothu leo."
I instinctively plugged my ears with the earplugs as I noticed that the voice was becoming louder.
"Is go rugadh isteach mé I lios a cnocáin. Seothu leo, seothu leo." The voice was muffled now and didn't seem as inviting as it was before as I then plugged my nose with the cotton balls before pulling out my phone and speed texting both Claire and Toby.
Fairies. They're singing something in another language. Sounds familiar. Plug up and roll out. Stuff is about to get interesting.It didn't take long for the fairies' song to cause an effect with those around me. People started to wonder like mindless drones as their eyes glowed a soft green while they walked past. I walked past them with ease though as I started making my way towards where I knew Claire had gone to go to her class. We caught up with one another rather easily as the other students as well as the faculty were all swarming like a horde toward the opposite direction."They're like ants in a line. All toward something." I nodded my head at Claire's statement as I heard huffing to my right."Bro." Toby tried his best to calm his breath before he spoke. "We can't seem to catch a break. Even at school!" He scanned the scene around us as everyone with bright green eyes was all walking together. "That was quick though. You only sent that text like two minutes ago. Makes you wonder how many there is if it spread that quickly." He looked at me directly as he continued. "I did hear the song a little after you sent the text so that just makes it even eerier. There's gotta be more than one involved. It did sound familiar.""I know right? It's like I know it from somewhere.""I heard it a little too. It was a soft female voice singing in a language I don't recognize. So it's defiantly not Spanish or Italian." I looked over toward Claire who was in thought for a moment before she seemingly shook herself out of it. "Anyway, we can talk about music after we get rid of our little friends. Is there anything in you're fairy knowledge, Tobes, that can help us here?" She crossed her arms over her chest as she continued. "The only stuff I know about them is what I read from Midsummer's Night Dream and this is nothing like King Oberon and Queen Titania." I brought my attention to Toby who only shrugged for a moment."I have no clue. I've never heard of fairies doing mind control like this. They're like sirens. Hey," He turned his eyes toward me as he gave me a curious look. "Didn't you say something like that earlier today?""Well, yeah." Suddenly a memory appeared in my head as I realized why the song was so familiar.
"O lady down yonder. On the banks of the stream. Seothu leo, seothu leo." I watched my mom with curious eyes as I listened to her sing. "Do you understand my complaint? Seothu leo, seothu leo." She turned her head toward me and gave me a soft smile as she continued on with the song. "It's a year today since I was abducted from my horse. Seothu leo, seothu leo. It is I who was brought to the fort in the grassy hill. Seothu leo, seothu leo."
"What is it that you're singing, mommy?" I tilted my head slightly as I presented the question to her. She laughed a little as she made her away around the counter to kneel down beside me.
"It's a song my mother used to sing to me. Her father was an Irish immigrant who used to sing it to her as a child." I turned my body completely toward her as she continued. "What I was singing is the English version, but if you want, I can sing you the Gaelic one?"
"Gaelic? Don't you mean garlic?" My mom just chuckled at me as she suddenly picked me up before standing up. She placed me in her right arm as I sat on her hip.
"No, my boy, I mean Irish Gaelic. Here," She took a small breath before singing softly once more. "A bhean úd thíos, Air bhruach an tsrutháin. Seothu leo, seothu leo." I watched her in awe as she continued. "An dtuigeann tusa fáth mo ghearáin? Seothu leo, seothu leo." She stopped as she gave me a soft smile. "Do you like it?"
"It's very pretty, mommy. What's it called?"
"O Lady Down Yonder. It's the original fairy lullaby."
"Fairy lullaby?"
"Centuries ago, it was thought that fairies would cause turmoil with humanity. Especially within your great-grandfather's homeland. The lullaby was sung by the fairies to put humans under a spell. Singing how they could control a human mind if they were rude to their people." She toyed with my hair with a soft laugh. "So never be rude to a fairy, okay my child?"
"What if I don't know I was rude to one, mommy? What do I do then?"
"You sing for them, of course. A different song from the mother language to ease their anger. A song for a song, as one would say."
"A song for a song." I muttered to myself as I brought myself back to reality."You okay there, Jimbo? You sound like you're talking nonsense.""Gaelic. The song was in Irish Gaelic. It's called
O Lady Down Yonder. I knew it sounded familiar." I looked between them for a moment as I continued to explain. "My mom would sing it when I was a kid.""Hold up, you're mom knows
Gaelic?" I gave Claire a sheepish look as I scratch the back of my neck."My great-grandfather was Irish, I guess. When he came here from Ireland, he would sing songs from his homeland to his daughter who in turn sang them to my mom. Kind of like a small family tradition thing.""Oh! I remember now! Dr. L would sing it from time to time. I don't ever remember her singing in Gaelic though." I used my hand that was scratching the back of my neck so it could grab the crystal from under my shirt."She would only use Gaelic when it was just me listening. It was like, a sacred family thing, you know?""I think I would understand the most. My parents are that way with our Spanish." I gave Claire my attention as she continued. "But what do we do now? What's the plan?""To calm a fairy is to sing a song to them. From what I can tell, either they're working for someone or someone pissed them off. Either way, if what my mom told me is true, we have to sing a song to them in Gaelic to calm them down.""But we don't even know where these little fairy dudes are! How are we supposed to calm them down like that?" I looked around for a moment before my eyes landed on one of the loudspeakers hanging from the ceiling. A smirk appeared on my face before speaking."I think I have an idea." My armor summonsed itself before I started making my way toward the principal's office as I gestured for them to follow me. "We're going to have a loudspeaker concert." Without a second word, we all started making our way toward Strickler's office with great haste as the students and faculty beside us were still droning like slaves toward the opposite direction.Once we got to Strickler's office, I tried to open the door, but it didn't budge."Really? Wasn't he here today? Like, not even four hours ago he was lecturing us Spring Fling people about how we need to showcase our best behaviors so others would follow suit but he can't even stay in the building for the rest of his workday?" I gave a small huff as my annoyance grew slightly. I dropped my hand from the office door before Claire slipped past me and grabbed out one of her many hairclips from her hair."Don't worry, I got this." I gave her a curious look as I crossed my arms over her chest."Are you picking the lock? Do your parents know you know how to do that?" She flashed a smirk toward Toby who presented her with the two questions."First, yes. Second, why do you think I learned how to do it? Can't sneak back into the house without them knowing if they see that my keys are missing or something." She brought her attention back toward the door as she started to fiddle with the lock. "This might take a little bit. This one seems to want to be a pain in my ass.""Take all the time you nee- What in the literal fuck is that?" I looked toward where Toby was looking behind me to see a tall yet slim figure that seemed to be a rather horrific combination of a human, flowers, and grasshopper. Her skin was green as her face was the most human thing about her appearance. Her ears were pointed and her hair was long and red as it stopped seemingly where her bright white wings sprouted from her back. Her forearms looked like lily petals as slim hands with long and pointed fingers came out of them. The rest of her body was like that of a grasshopper, but her midsection was more human. I looked at the creature in horror as my mind decided to say what I couldn't speak about loud.Oh God, I might be sick."Mo oh mo, tá an Trollhunter in aice. Cé chomh daonna is atá sé le craiceann armúr airgid agus feola bog go leor le craiceann. Ó mar a bhreathnaíonn sé ormsa in uafás. Nach bhfuil a fhios agat gan féachaint ar bhean mar sin?" I tried my best to understand what the creature was saying.
"My oh my, the Trollhunter is near. How human is he with skin of silver armor and flesh soft enough to peel? Oh, how he looks at me in horror. Don't you know not to look at a woman like so?"? Man, my Irish Gaelic is lacking a little. Maybe after all of this, I should ask mom for some touch-up lessons. It would be nice to spend some more time with her anyway.
"Níl i gceist agam neamhshuim a dhéanamh díot, a bhean chóir. Ní fhaca mé do chineál roimhe SEO.""Cad a chiallaíonn mo chineál?"
Oh fuck.
"I-Ní raibh aon neamhshuim i gceist agam-." Suddenly the creature ran toward me as I grabbed out my sword from my back. I jumped back as she flung her right arm out to shoot some kind of vine at me. "Tobes! Make sure Claire is able to get into the office! I'll try to calm her down!""You got it, Jimbo!" I slashed my blade through the fairy's vine attack as I kept my eyes on the creature. She gave a snarl as she stepped forward."An bhfuil a fhios agat cad a dhéanann sióg do dhuine a bhfuil meas aige orthu? Déanaimid ifreann beo dóibh!" She lunged forward, this time attacking with her sharp fingers as I ducked out of her reach and rolled over my shoulder toward the other side."I didn't mean to disrespect you! Tá brón orm!" She swung at me once more, this time almost cutting my face as I pushed myself back and into the lockers behind me. "In ainm Dhia!" I tried to get back into the battle, but I felt the fairy push my chest so my back hit the lockers as she used her free hand to shoot vines onto my arms so I was captive within her greenery."Jim!""An bhfuil aon rud le rá agat féin, Trollhunter?" I swallowed hard as I looked over toward where Claire and Toby were, Claire was grabbing out her staff since she had just opened the office door as I suddenly remembered one of the old tunes my mother would sing.
"What's that one, mommy?"
"It's called An Cailín Álainn or The Beautiful Girl. It tells a story of a love so strong that the man says he will sing for his beloved even if she does not feel the same. That he will sing for her with the voice of the song-thrush in the dewy grass." I remembered her toying with my hair like she always did before her voice came back once more. "You'll be able to sing it one day with the same kind of feeling. I know you'll find someone to sing it to one day. You'll see."
"A chailin aluinn," My voice nearly cracked as I began, but I kept my eyes onto Claire as I continued. "dha'n tug mi'n gradh-sa." My voice became more solid in its tone as I continued to sing. "'S i fhein as aille na blaths' nan ros. Gun i bhith laimh rium 's ann tursach tha mi. A chailin aluinn 's tu fath mo bhroin." I felt the fairy stop adding pressure to my chest as I watched her take a step back. I turned my attention to her as I realized her eyes started to glow purple for a moment before purple cracks appeared throughout her body. Just as suddenly started to glow, she exploded into an array of lily petals and little yellow glowing orbs. In the center of it all was a small little human-looking figure with the same red hair and white bright wings stemming from it's back."You knew of the song for a song." I was shocked as the small creature fly up and close to my face. "You're quite the sleeve, aren't ya?""Holy-. IT LOOKS LIKE A LITTLE TINKERBELL!" I chuckled at Toby's voice as the little fairy seemed to take offense to that. She crossed her small arms over her chest as she glanced back toward me."He's a special one, ain't he? I have no clue what he means but I ain't no bloody Tinkerbell." She brought her attention completely toward me as she spoke once more. "There's one other fairy in the works here. Sing that tune for him and make sure he hears it.""Already have it planned.""Great! Now you are suckin' diesel! Good luck, mate." She was about to fly off, but I called out toward her once more."Wait! What had just happened? You were-.""Don't speak of that form. It was not my own." She came close once more. Flying slightly right before my nose. "That damned witch's slave turned me into what I was. Could only be broken from the same way a fairy could only be calmed. The other one is under the same spell. You just need to follow suit with what you were able to do with me." I gave her a small nod."Got it. You're not gonna let me down though?" I gave the fairy a cheeky smile as I was still confined against the lockers from the fairy's vines."Nope! I don't have that ability anymore. Have fun!" The fairy flew off as Claire and Toby made their way over toward me."Well, that was special." I chuckled at Toby's reply as I tried my best to give him my sword to cut me down."You can say that again.""The song was beautiful though," Claire grabbed one of the daggers from off my hip and started cutting through the vine works as she continued. "What was it about?" Toby grabbed my sword from my hand as I gave Claire a sheepish grin."How about I explain it after we get everything back to normal? I just want to get down from here at the moment and get this fairy business over with." After a few moments, I was free from the confinements and we continued with our plan. I slipped into the office and made my way behind Mr. Strickler's desk. But for a moment, I allowed myself to look around the scenery as I placed myself down into his chair."Even his office just screams otherworldly psycho." I looked over to Toby who poked at a bull's skull that was placed up onto a stand. I chuckled at his response to the weird décor. At this point though, my eyes caught the sight of Strickler's schedule on top of his desk. I scanned the month's plan for him as I realized that a common name started reappearing on the schedule yet it was not any normal name, but one I knew very well.My mother's name."No fucking way. He's been seeing my mother. Almost like fucking clockwork." Claire came over and looked over the schedule over my shoulder."Has your mom brought up anything about seeing him?""Not a fucking thing." I felt a small about of anger fill my chest which I instantly tried my best to calm as I took slow and even breaths.
You've got no right being angry at her for keeping a secret, Jim. You've been hiding something from her for what? Six-ish months? Yeah, you can fuck off if you think you have the right.
I felt slim arms wrap themselves around my neck from behind as a chin placed itself on top of my head."Everything is going to be alright. We'll keep her safe from all of this." I nodded my head as Claire's voice was gentle as she spoke to me. "But let's get everyone out of that weird trace, huh? Then we can figure out what the hell we want to be done with Strickler." I felt a determined look take over my face as I place a single hand on top of her forearm."Yeah. You're right." She unwrapped her arms from me as I reached out for the small microphone. "Let's get this over with.""You're quite lucky, Mr. Strickler. It seemed to just be a chemical leak and everyone's accounted for. No injuries for anything. A mess in one of the main hallways by your office, but I think that was due to the weird state everyone was in." I smiled at the officer even though I grimaced to myself about the information."Yes, we're all quite lucky indeed. Just happy everyone is well." The officer gave me a small nod before turning and making his way out of my sight while I mumbled to myself about the events. "How in the hell did he come out on top with Gaelic fairies? They're well known for being dangerous creatures. Captivating with a single complete verse of their song. How did he-?" I stopped as I suddenly came to a conclusion. "Ms. Nuñez and Mr. Domzalski. Of course. Those two are the ones helping him throughout all of this. They must have been able to find a way around this." I looked toward the school building as I felt a smirk appear on my face.
We've been so targeted on getting the little Trollhunter out himself. We never seemed to care for those that have been helping him along the way.
I rubbed my thumb against the ring on my right hand as I started making my way back toward my home.
In chess, to take out a king, you must take out his knight and queen.
It seems that to take out a Trollhunter, it is the same.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Keep your cool, Jim. Keep calm. You already broke into a museum before. Well, technically. You don't need to add murder to the list.
I looked up toward Strickler as he continued to teach the class. A twisted smile on his face that must have no looked as horrid to others as it did to me since no one else seemed to notice it as he continued to point toward his presentation.
But good God is it tempting.
I felt a hand rub itself gently onto my shoulder within the pitch-black room as I knew it was Claire who was trying her best to help calm my obvious nerves."His life is linked to my mother's. That god damn asshole made it so I can't fucking ring his neck even though I
desperately
want to." Claire and Toby both gave me soft looks after I had a run-in with the changeling outside of my
own home.
"You need to breathe, dude. We'll figure it out. Okay? There's gotta be something we can do."
"Well, I can't murder him so nothing would be as satisfying." Claire walked over to where I was standing to place her hands on my shoulders.
"We'll figure it out. Vendel should be able to break the spell. We just need to give him time to do the research. Also," She squeezed my shoulders gently as an amused look danced within her eyes. "We don't need you going to jail."
"Yeah, dude. We need to defeat Gunmar before you end up locked up or something."
"We don't need him locked up
at all,
Toby."
"Hey! I know more than anyone that once Jimbo sets his mind onto something, he's going to do it. Even if it's murder."
"You're not helping me here." Claire shot Toby and annoyed look as she slipped her hands off my shoulders before placing them onto her hips. The red-head only shot her a smile as he tilted his head to the side.
"Didn't know I was supposed to."
I smiled at the memory as I instinctively placed a hand onto Claire's that was still gently rubbing my left shoulder.
What would I do without these two? Probably be locked up in some looney bin, honestly.
Suddenly, the bell rang and I felt Claire's hand disappear while Strickler continued to speak."I hope each of you has a wonderful night tonight at the dance. But not too much fun, alright all of you? Have a great weekend!" I grumbled a little under my breath as I slid my stuff into my bag before zipping it shut and flinging it over my shoulder."Is it bad I nearly forgot the dance is tonight or is it because of how much has happened all within one week?""Honestly, if it wasn't for my dad counting it down, I think I would have forgotten." I flashed Claire an amused look as I felt a bit of my annoyance from Strickler relieve itself off my shoulders. She just laughed a little at my reaction before putting her backpack straps onto her shoulders. "My mom's always too busy to actually know when important things are going on so he counts them down for her. Kind of like a living calendar for her. He's always been one to keep track of the major stuff going on in my life anyway so it works for them. Well, he keeps track of what I tell him about, at least." She gave me a smirk as she crossed her arms over her chest before continuing. "Also, he can't wait to toy with you." I felt a small blush appear on my face as I scratched the back of my neck with my right hand. We had made plans that if everything with Strickler allowed it that I was going to pick her up on my Vespa to go to the dance. But that meant meeting her parents again and even though she said I made a good first impression when I went to her house to start my tutor sessions with her a little while back did not mean that I wasn't still a nervous wreck about meeting with them again. Especially with how her dad looked like he was going to kill me if I even looked at Claire."Yeah. Nearly forgot about that.""Kind of figured." I gave her an apologetic look as she just placed another hand on my shoulder as she seemingly always did to calm my nerves. "Hey, it's fine. You've got a lot on your plate. If it wasn't for the whole being nominees thing, I would ask if you wanted to ditch the dance and do something a little more calming. Personally, though, I want to see Steve's face when you get that crown put on your head." I chuckled at her as Toby joined in on the conversation."Come on you two. The faster we can get through today the faster we can figure out what we're doing about the whole life link thing." Claire and I both gave him a simple nod as the three of us started making our way out of the classroom together. As we made our way out into the hall though, I looked over my shoulder to see Strickler giving all three of us a smirk. My eyes narrowed at the changeling as I brought my attention to Claire who had to actually tug on my arm to make me leave the classroom the rest of the way with her and Toby."Are you sure murder isn't an option?""Jim.""I promise to do it in the most legal way possible.""Jim." I flashed Claire a simple smile as she just gave me a knowing look."Alright alright. I won't kill him." I felt a smirk take over my face as I brought my eyes before me. "Yet." This caused her to nudge me in my ribcage with her right elbow as Toby just laughed at the two of us."I wouldn't joke about it anymore, Jimbo. Nuñez might kill
you
if you keep it up.""Who said I was joking?" I chuckled for a second until I saw Claire's serious look on her face that made me stop in my tracks completely with what sounded like a soft whimper. "Alright. I'll stop." This caused a smile to appear on her face as she gave my left shoulder a soft pat."Good boy. I'll see you guys later. I should probably actually start heading to my class." With that, she slipped away as Toby just gave another small laugh at the interaction."You've gotta be careful with that one, Jimbo." I gave him a soft smile before looking over my shoulder for a second to look at Claire's retreating figure. A dopey smile taking over my face as only one simple word fell from my mouth."Yeah.""Any news, Vendel?" The elder turned his head toward me for a moment before bringing his eyes back toward the book he was looking over in his small chambers within the heartstone itself."Would you like to the good or the bad news, Trollhunter?""Well, might as well start with the good so I have hope for you to crush." The elder chuckled at that as he brought his attention toward me once more."I can break the bond that Angor Rot must have created between the changeling and your mother.""But?" I felt my eyebrows knit themselves together as I slipped my hand into the sweatshirt pockets. I heard Claire's and Toby's voices in the distance as they were talking between each other outside of the area of the small chamber since I asked them to wait there for me as I spoke to Vendel myself on the subject."I need them
both
present to break it." I let out a breath I knew I was holding as I let the information sink in.Great. Just wonderful. I need to
somehow
get Strickler down here to break the God damn spell. Getting mom would be a challenge too, but not as hard as getting the changeling to come down. Especially since one the trolls catch wind of what he is, they might kill him on sight. So now I have two things on my list. A.) Either tell my mom about the whole Trollhunting stuff or find a way to get her down here without her seeing anything and B.) Get Strickler to somehow comply with going to Troll Market.I swallowed dryly for a second before continuing with my thoughts.
Honestly, now that I'm thinking about it, I might be a bit more scared of the first than the second.
"Thank you, Master Vendel.""There is a slight upside though." I gave the elder a confused look as he closed the book he was looking at. "Your mother, since she was the one to be bond to the changeling, will forget everything from the day the bond is broken.""So she won't remember any of this if I tell her of it?""Of course." I took a deep breath as I started to contemplate the information.
So I could still keep mom out of the loop after all of this?
I shook my head slightly as I grimaced at my own thought.Are you a fucking idiot, Lake? Keeping her out of the loop is what got her
in
this mess! She had the right to know everything that has happened. Even after I get her out of that damned life link spell."I'll figure out a way to get them here. Thank you again, Master Vendel." I gave him a small bow. "I know there is a lot at risk doing this for me.""A lot more would be at risk if this was to go in any other direction. At least, from what I understand about human culture, that is." Vendel took a step toward me as he gave a small nod. "You've saved my people. I'm willing to help you save yours." I felt a smile dance across my face as I noted the soft tone in the elder's voice."Does this mean you're warming up to me, Master Vendel?""Don't get your hopes up, fleshling.""I'll take that as a yes." He just shook his head at me before gesturing toward the entry point of his chambers."Take it as you wish, Trollhunter. Now, if you may? I have to gather ingredients for the spell.""Of course." I gave him another small bow before turning my tail and leaving the small area to see Claire and Toby standing a little ways away from Vendel's room within the heartstone. Once I was close to them, Toby spoke with a hopeful look on his face."So? Can he help Dr. L?" I gave Toby a half-smile before answering him."He can break the spell. But, there's a catch and a little bit of a side effect." I looked over to Claire who gave me a confused look as she put her hands into her blazer's pockets."What kind of catch?""He needs them
both
here to break it. Afterward, mom will forget everything from that day.""Well fuck." I chuckled at Toby's response as I brought my attention back toward him for a second."I basically had the same reaction.""Well," Toby sighed as he placed his hand onto his sides. "Getting Dr. L down here shouldn't be too much of a hassle. Strickler will put up a fight though.""From what I read in the books you gathered, Toby, Angor is going to be by his side as much as he can. Especially since that ring thing holds his soul.""So we're going to have to fight Rotty Boy once more? Just as long as no one gets cut by that stone blade thingy, I think we'll be fine." With this, we started to make our way toward the surface once more as Toby continued to speak. "Right? Please say that you two agree with that because I need some reassurance right about now." I flashed my best friend with a soft smile before replying to him."We'll be fine, Tobes." We were about half-way up the staircase at this point as I glanced over toward Claire as well to make sure that she understood what I was promising to them as I continued. "I'll make sure of it.""And we've got your back as well. Right, TP?""You really just smoothly called me toilet paper and I don't know if I should fight you on it or just leave it since it's better than being called Colby." I gave Claire an amused look as she gave a small giggle at Toby's reply."You called him a kind of cheese?""I actually thought that was his name!" She held her hands up as she continued to laugh at the idea."You
really
thought my name was
Colby?!""I never talked to you before! Shit happens.""Personally, if I had to choose between naming my kid Toby or a kind of cheese, I would
totally
go with the non-edible name." She gave me a pout as she slapped my right shoulder with the back of her hand."Don't be an ass." I chuckled at her as we exited the canal wall that led to Troll Market to be introduced to the sight of a panicked looking Strickler standing before us. Almost instantly, I narrowed my eyes at him and called upon my armor as Claire grabbed out her staff and Toby just brought up his fist since he left his hammer down in Troll Market. The changeling put his hands up though as he started to speak in a panicked hurry."I'm not here to harm you or anything, I promise!""What am I suppose to believe you're here for?" I grabbed out my sword from my scaffold as I growled out my response to him. "First you put my mother's life on the line with yours and now you're lurking around the entryway of Troll Market like some kind of shitty assassin? You're not giving yourself any reasons to trust you.""If I was in the mood to toy with you, Trollhunter, I would point out the fact that if I purposely wanted myself to get harmed that it would harm your mother as well but I'm trying to have your help. Not to have you murder me whenever this is through." I gave him a confused look as Claire was the one to speak."What are you talking about, Strickler? Why do you want our help when you have an assassin after Jim?""Because that same assassin is going against me now."I sighed as Claire, Toby, and I stood around Strickler as he was sitting in the middle of Blinky's library with AAARRRGGHH, Blinky, and Vendel each glaring at the changeling as he sat in the center of the room."Explain." I glared at the changeling as I crossed my arms over my chest. "Why does Angor want you dead?""He wants his soul back and he realized rather recently a loophole with the Inferna Copula's existence. Since the Pale Lady herself was locked away when she created it for herself, there was no way for him to harm or go against her. He believed ever since that he was unable to harm whoever wears it. To an extent this is true, he cannot harm me himself." The older man grimaced for a moment before continuing. "But finding out, his creatures can and for him to have his soul back, he has to have the ring. Meaning-.""He's willing to kill you at any means now to get to it." Strickler looked up toward me and gave me a smirk as a coy reply fell from his lips."If only you paid this kind of attention in class, Young Atlas.""If only you didn't tie your life to my
mother's
and then we wouldn't be needing to have this conversation." I felt Claire's hand slip onto my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze as she whispered toward me at a volume only loud enough for us to hear."We should help him. Not for him of course, but for your mother's safety." I looked over to Claire who only gave me a soft look before continuing. "I know you want nothing to do with him, but maybe this way we can keep him here to break the spell." I sighed as I knew that she was right, but I truly didn't like the idea of even being near the changeling due to my self-control nearly going out the window as I glanced back over toward the man sitting before me. "I understand that it's not in the most ideal way possible, but we can make this work. Right?" I felt a small smile dance across my face as I brought my attention back toward the changeling."I'll keep you under my protection." Blinky whipped his head toward me as him he was shocked at my sudden announcement. It had been only a day or two since the troll came back to his normal form, but he had grown accustomed to human culture well enough to know how insane I sounded within that moment."You cannot be serious Master Jim.""But I have terms to this. For one, you'll be watched every moment you are here. I don't care what you do as long as someone trustworthy is watching your
every
move." Vendel gave me a satisfied look as he turned his attention toward AAARRRGGHH."And I know the perfect person for the job.""Two, I want to know everything you were planning on when it comes to the use of Angor Rot and everything you know about him. I need all the information I can get to defeat him." Strickler gave a simple nod as I continued. "Lastly, I want you to participate with the breaking the life link between you and my mom. Honestly, if any of those were one for you to not break at all, it would be that one because if not, I'll force you to comply myself.""Well, I'm at your mercy, Trollhunter." I took a deep breath as I felt Claire's hand squeeze my shoulder once more."Then I'm glad we're on the same terms then." With that, I knew I couldn't handle being within his presence anymore so I took my leave from the library as Vendel was speaking toward Strickler with an authoritative tone."Per the Trollhunter's request, you will be watched closely by-." I walked out into the Hero's Forge with a large sigh as I ran a hand through my hair. I could tell by the soft footsteps behind me that either Claire or Toby was following me as I reached the center of the room. Before I could think any further about it, I sat down in the center of the room before the soothscryer with a defeated sigh."I had my hopes up for a normal night." The soft giggle that came up behind me before I felt the familiar touch of two hands placing themselves onto my shoulders told me enough who it was exactly that followed me."It's all going to be alright. Okay? We'll find a way around it all." I turned my head toward Claire to gave her a saddened smile before bringing my attention back toward the artifact before me."You know, during the play, I was told by Vendel to stick my hand in that thing to figure out if I was worthy enough to be the Trollhunter or not. He said I was risking an arm doing so, but I went along with it anyway." I glanced out of the corner of my eyes to see her gave me a look that only screamed that she was thinking I was going insane for a moment before continuing. "Instead of saying if I was worthy or not, it stated that I was undecided.""You went along with that shit?" I laughed lightly at her response as I gestured toward the artifact and then around us."Everything else was kind of crazy at the time. Why not just dive into it completely?""But at the cost of an arm?" I gave her a shrug as she just sighed for a second before speaking again. "Alright. Whatever.""Is that your way of calling me an idiot?""Of course. But you're
my
idiot. So go on. You had that tone in your voice where you were explaining something you wanted me to know about." I smiled at her for a second before looking back toward the soothscryer again."When it said it was undecided on me, I wasn't sure how to take it. It made me feel,
unworthy,
in a way. That maybe the amulet chose wrong. You know?" She squeezed my shoulder as she always did as she tried her best to comfort me. "But maybe right now is
why
it was so undecided on me. I'm so easily blinded by the tiniest thing that I can't even think straight till you put me in place.""Anyone would be on edge when their family is on the line, Jim. I know I would be if I was you.""But I shouldn't be-.""But you are and that's okay. What was it that Blinky always says about you? Your emotions are what makes you strong? The whole point of being the Eclipse is the fact that you're human and having emotions is the most
human
thing you can have." I felt her wrap her arms around my neck as she placed her head onto where her hand was once resting on my shoulder. "You're going through a lot right now and that's fine. But you can't beat yourself up on being emotional about it all. It doesn't make you any less of a person.""It makes me less of a warrior.""Who said you had to be?" I felt a soft smile dance on my face as I leaned my head against hers as I allowed myself to lean into her touch."I'm sorry for all of this.""Don't be. It's not like you asked for all of this, right?" I smiled as she whispered toward me as if the world would hear her if she spoke any louder. "But you've gotta keep your head up. If not for yourself, then for your mom. Okay? We need to see this through. No matter what comes our way." I nodded my head slightly as I placed a hand onto one of her forearms as I gave her a soft reply."You're right." I felt a soft smile dance on my face as I pulled out of her grasp slightly to look over toward her. "Maybe if everything goes right you'll still have the chance to see Steve's face as we snag those crowns.""Honestly?" Claire gave me a soft smile of her own as I noted a slight tint to her already tanned cheeks. "I don't care if we win or not anymore. I never really did, to begin with. I was always worried about you and keeping all of this a secret that I never really cared about getting everything else right." I felt the crystal that was now dangling against my skin under my shirt and hoodie was burning lightly against my skin as I felt my face flush just as Claire's seemingly did. My mind went into a haze in a way, but my mouth still decided to continue speaking on its own."All I ever wanted for us tonight was to be able to go to the dance like any other kids. Where I would get the normal threats from a dad before listening to music all night that has a little too much bass than it should." Claire just smirked at this a little for a second as she seemingly nulled over her reply."We'll still have that. Even though personally, I always hated the music at the dances. Not enough guitar in my case." With this, she stood up and held out her hands toward me to take as her smirk turned into one of her gentle half-smiles. "We'll get everything squared away with your mom first, break that spell with Strickler, and deal with Angor Rot to the best of our abilities." I took her hands and stood up so I was before her. Almost instantly though, she brought me into a gentle hug that nearly took my breath away as she wrapped her arms around me. "But no matter what, you're not alone. Okay?
We're
in this together. You, me, and the rest of our weird little family we have going on down here." I chuckled at her as I reciprocated the hug a little awkwardly at first but I got the hang of it."Thanks, Claire.""You don't have to thank me for anything." She pulled back and gave me a wide smile that I couldn't help but reciprocate as I felt as if I could take on anything in that exact moment.
Especially what I knew I had to do next which was to tell mom about being the Eclipse.
I took a staggering breath as I stood before my house as the afternoon was starting to slip from our fingertips.
It's just telling your mom that you've been lying to her for months now and that the reason you were her patient not long ago was that you were trying to protect someone from magical creatures that your mom once told you stories of as a kid. She'll understand.
Hopefully.
Or she'll take you to the hospital by your ear to give a psych evaluation but that's only if she doesn't believe the three of you.
I glanced over toward Claire and Toby who were standing beside me as I weighed the effects of everything within my head.
Maybe hearing it from all three of you might be a little much but what if she doesn't believe everything?
Wait, why wouldn't mom believe me? Why am I thinking so much right now? She's my
mom.
She's always had my back and believed in me even when I didn't. Why wouldn't she believe me now?Oh yeah. Because I'll be telling her about
trolls,
how her somewhat of a boyfriend is a fucking
changeling,
oh and her only child was given a fate worse than
death
by the assassin her, whatever he is, has after him, and lastly her life is linked to the changeling and never thought about how
the assassin he has the
soul
of
wants to
kill him
for the damned thing.
Yeah, this might not go over very well.
"You're worried.""Yup.""Don't be." I turned toward my best friend with an annoyed look as I gestured toward the door with my right hand."Oh, totally. I shouldn't be worried about the fact that I'm going to tell my mom about the last few months that is basically like a weird-ass fever dream that revolves around an amulet, her son, and a prophecy. This is totally going to go over well and not lead to us looking like we're insane.""Dude, it's your mom and we evidence of it all. She'll have nothing to do
but
believe us. So calm down, huh? The quicker we can get this done, the quicker we can get her to Troll Market and break the life link." I nodded my head before I instinctively grabbed the doorknob only to hesitate for a second."What if it only puts her in worse danger than she already is?""The side effect of the spell break is basically amnesia, right?" I nodded my head once more as I looked down toward the welcome mat that sat before the front door on the front porch. "Then we act like none of this happened if she is. Right, Claire?""Yeah, but I can understand why he's not very comfortable with that either. He'll have relief from lying to her for so long and then goes right back to lying to her if he does that.""You're not helping, C-Bomb.""But I
am.
Not knowing all of this stuff is what led to this situation. Her not knowing about any of this led to her being used as a pawn in a way. That alone should be enough to tell her everything and
keeping
it that way. Even then, it might be good to have an adult involved with all of this to help cover our asses." I chuckled a little at her last remark as I gripped the doorknob with a new determination.
I won't let my mom being a pawn in this stupid game of chest again. She has the right and
I'll do anything to protect her from it all. Just as she has always protected me.
I felt the corner of my lips upturn just the slightest as I opened the door.
Just as I am with Toby and Claire.
With all things considered, she took it well but the painfully silent drive to the bridge was killing me as my mom's words were dancing through my head.
"All I ever wanted was for you to be honest with me, Jim. I told you I could handle it."
"But you're understanding why I was hesitant, right?"
"Yes. It's a bit to take in but I'm also kind of disappointed, Jim. It took my life on the line for you to tell me. I gave you enough opportunities to tell me what was going on, Jim." I remember how my face fell even though Claire's muttered response nearly caused the guilt within my system to disappear.
"Trust me, you're not the only one."
We parked the car above the canal and made our way down with my thoughts still ragging within my head with every step we took.
It shouldn't have taken me so long to tell her everything. It shouldn't have taken me till her life was on the line for her to know.
I whipped my head toward my mom as she suddenly dropped to her knees and held her left arm against her as she grimaced in pain.
Or maybe I should have dealt with Strickler sooner.
I rushed to her side instantly as I looked over toward Claire who seemed to instantly know what I needed of her as she hurried to used the horngazel onto the bridge wall. I turned my head back toward my mom as Toby was now on her opposite side."What kind of pain is it, mom?""Like my whole arm was pulled out of its socket and shattered." She muttered her words through clenched teeth as I gave Toby a gentle nod before both of us helped her up to her feet."Let's get her down there. Quickly. Whatever the fuck is happening to Strickler needs to
stop.""Gateway is opened! I'm going to run ahead and see what the hell is going on.""Be careful!" I looked over to Claire with a worried look. "Whatever is going on isn't normal. Especially since AAARRRGGHH was put in charge to keep an eye on him." All she did was flash me a simple smile before slipping the horngazel that was in her hands back into her backpack pocket."When aren't I?" With that, she turned and dashed down the staircase with ease. A soft laugh came from my mom as Toby and I started to slowly help her toward the staircase."I can see why you like her so much.""Can we not right now, mom?""What? Can't a mother poke fun at her warrior son's feelings for his girlfriend?""We're not dating." At this point, Toby joined in as he gave my mom a cheeky smile."They're totally not. Even if they were planning on going to the dance together and he was going to go meet her at her house and everything.""And you didn't tell me? I want
photos,
young man.""Saving you comes first. Now, let's make some process on these stairs, huh?""Doesn't matter. I want photos.""You'll get your photos, ma.""Yeah! I'll be sure of it!" I shot Toby an annoyed look as we tracked down the staircase with relative ease.
Nothing is more annoyingly normal than your Warhammer swinging best friend teams up with your mom on messing with you on your staff-wielding crush.
"What in God's name happened to Strickler?""He was refusing to stay to tell us where the capula's casting book is.""I told you I was waiting for the Trollhunter!" Strickler hissed at Vendel who only glared at him."And I told you that I need that last piece to perfect the spell and going against the wishes of our Eclipse would lead to issues for you. Even if we did not mean to harm him, he basically did that to himself.""How else am I supposed to react to a troll grabbing me by the arm and nearly dragging around like a sack of sand? Sit there and take it when I was taught to
slaughter
your kind originally?" I helped my mother sit down onto the small crystal table as she was now right across from Strickler."Knowing that I had them promise not to harm you, yes." I glared at him out of the corner of my eye as Vendel went into action to craft my mom a sling for what he knew was a damaged arm of her own. "But you were saying something of a book that Vendel needs?""Yes." Strickler sat himself up and started speaking with his teacher tone in his voice. "There's a book within my office at the school. It'll be quite difficult to get to with how staff should be roaming the halls for the dance that should be starting soon by now, but I don't doubt you three have a way to get into there.""Actually," Claire went into her bag and pulled out the small cylinder that held her staff before flicking it so that the rest of it presented itself within her hand. "We do.""You've claimed the Skathe-Hrün as your own. Quite dangerous for a human." Strickler had an amused tone to his voice as he spoke. "But I'm not surprised, to say the least, from what Bular told of the prophecy." I shot the changeling a confused look as I took a step toward him."What are you talking about?""Did you not decipher what the quote meant that lead you to the pieces for Gunmar's fall?
In the darkness, the Eclipse will rise with Shadow being on his side
means a lot more than what you think, Trollhunter." He pointed with his undamaged arm toward Claire's staff as he continued to speak. "Especially with Miss Nuñez wielding the staff of the Pale Lady herself." I sighed as I knew that was probably the most we would get out of him on the subject."Never mind about the Pale Lady. Where's this book?""In my office as I said." He grabbed out his pen from his blazer pocket and handed it toward me. "My pen is the key to a locked drawer on the right side of my desk." I took the pen from him with a small nod as I looked over toward Claire and Toby."Let's get this done with." With that, we unspokenly exited the small chamber, but once we got out of earshot from Vendel, my mother, and the changeling, Claire stopped us as she glanced toward Toby for a second before bringing her attention toward me."Jim, I think it would be best for you to stay with your mom." I gave her a confused look as she continued. "You've been through a lot today and this shouldn't take Toby and me more than ten minutes even if we're caught by one of the teachers and we know you," She gave me a soft smile as she placed her open hand onto my shoulder. "You'll be worried sick for your mom even with the idea of trolls on the stand by to protect her." I chuckled at her for a second before she continued. "Toby and I got this. Stay with your mom and we'll be back before you know it. Then we can follow through with our plans, okay?" I gave her a soft look before I nodded once at the idea."Yeah." I looked back toward where I left mom in Vendel's care. "You're right." I brought my eyes back toward Claire as a teasing smile took over my face. "As always.""Oh definitely." She reached out her arm with the staff within her hand out beside her to open a portal that Toby almost instantly jumped through without a second thought. But instead of following him instantly, she leaned forward and gave me a soft kiss to my cheek that caused the crystal hiding under my shirt to have a fucking
rave
seemingly with how badly it was burning against my skin. She leaned back to show me a gentle smile before reaching up to place a hand onto where she kissed."We'll be back before you know it.""Be safe." Her smile widened slightly before dropping her hand started her way toward the portal."I will be. We've got a date remember." She gave me a quick wink before jumping through the portal without another word. I felt my face flush as the portal closed with a simple whoosh after her.
God that girl will be the death of me.
I reached up to my cheek that she had kissed that was ironically the same side that Angor had placed his mark onto my skin as I turned to join my mother's side once more.
And I'm more than okay with it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It was silent for a little while. A little too silent for my liking.It was as if the nonexistent sounds echoed throughout Blinky's library and the Hero's Forge only to give me my own static noise concert that filled the worry within my chest even more with each second. I've probably checked my phone for the time about ten times within the past minute. No word from Claire. Not a cheeky remark from Toby. Nothing from either of them within the last seven minutes.
To say I was worried was an understatement.
To say I was an anxious mess with a nasty problem of impatience was probably more accurate.
I shook my head as I ran a hand through my hair."Calm down, Lake. Have faith in them. You're acting as if this is their first actual mission or something. They've accomplished more with less. Also, they both have weapons now that they were trained with. A little less than I would like, but it's not like they don't know how to defend themselves."
But it's not like a millennia year old Trollhunter hunter isn't, like, after them or anything. Totally not.
I facepalmed with a loud groan as my crystal burned against my chest. I hissed at the crystal a little as I dragged my hand slowly off my face."You're
not
helping.""Eclipse." I whipped around and tried my best to look natural to Master Vendel as he made his appearance known."Master Vendel," I gave him a small bow as he approached me. "Any news?""She took the first steps to the removal well. She is resting within this moment as we wait for Lady Claire and Tobias. I actually came to ask if you wish for her to stay here or for her to be taken back to a more human-friendly environment?""I rather her be here. At least I know there are those to keep her safe within Troll Market. With Claire and Toby out and about, I don't think I could handle anyone else not being within reach.""Understandable." Vendel placed both his hands onto the handle of his heartstone staff as he continued to speak. "Any word from the two of them?""Nothing." I let out a soft sigh as I slipped my hands into the pockets of my jacket. "Not a single thing.""Don't worry, Eclipse. If one thing is for certain when it comes to your two comrades, they are a determined lot. That is for sure." I chuckled at that as I gave the elder troll a soft smile."If one this for certain, it's Claire's bullheadedness. Knowing her, she might purposely avoid contacting me just to prove that she can handle herself.""She's a fearsome spirit. I hope you know, Eclipse, that you've got yourself a mate that will look death in the eyes and toy with him just for the joys of it." I blushed at the troll's words as he just chuckled at my reaction. "Ha! You humans get embarrassed so quickly!" He dropped one of his hands of his cane and lifted it with his right to poke the opposite end into my chest. "Flustered so easily.""Well," I let out an airy laugh as I spoke. "It's kind of embarrassing when we're nothing like that yet. We're not even dating." Vendel gave me a confused look as he brought his staff back to how he had it originally before him. "It's like a trial period. It's when you make sure that they are the person you want to spend the rest of your life with or not.""Why would you need a trial when your auras match so effortlessly?" I gave him a wide-eyed look as I felt my phone buzz within my pocket. I grabbed it out without a second thought as I saw Claire's name appear on the screen. I pressed the answer button and brought the phone to my ear."Claire?""Okay. So we got the book. But there was a little-."
She suddenly got cut off as Toby started yelling over her into the receiver.
"MUMMY DUDE AT SCHOOL! I REPEAT! MUMMY FUCKER AT THE DANCE! GET US OUTTA HERE, SHADOW DANCER!"
"You act like I haven't
tried
already, Domzalski! And if you ask one more time, I'll BEAT YOU MYSELF!""Okay. I need both of you to calm down. Angor is there? Do you need me to come? What do you mean you've tried getting out of there?"
"I guess there's a strain limit to me using the portal system this staff has. I tried portaling us back to Troll Market, but something's got me unable to. I last tried a few minutes ago when Angor chased us up to the roof."
"I'll be right there.""We're holding our own for now, but that'll be great! DUCK!"
I heard a whoosh of air on her end as she gave a small laugh.
"THAT ALL YOU GOT, YOU SACK OF DUST AND ASS WIPES!"
"DON'T BE TAUNTING HIM,
NUÑEZ!"
"I'm on my way." I clicked the end button as Claire gave me a simple hurry in reply. I looked over toward Vendel as I started jogged over toward the exit of Blinky's library. "You said it yourself, Vendel. Claire will laugh in the face of death itself and toy with him. Seems she's doing exactly that.""I wish you luck then, Eclipse.""THANKS!" I shouted out toward the troll as I started dashing my way toward the exit of Troll Market.
I'm going to need it.
"THIS WAY!""You know." Toby took a sharp breath as we skid around a corner together on the rooftop of the school. "This wouldn't be happening if you just LISTENED TO ME!""I ALREADY SAID I WAS SORRY, DAMN IT!" I looked over my shoulder as the assassin readied another throwing knife. "WATCH OUT!" Toby listened just in time as he ducked out of the way of the green glowing knife."JESUS CHRIST ON A BIKE that was close!" I growled as I have gotten sick of the running from Angor. I turned on my heel and used the staff in my hand to swipe at the assassin. It knocked him right into the chest but it didn't seem to phase him as he steadied himself on his feet once more. He reached out for my staff but I pulled it back, dropped low, and kicked my right leg under his. This caused the assassin to start falling backward, but he was able to push his weight off of his right foot and tucked into a small backflip before landing on his feet once more."Aw, come on!" I rose to my feet instantly. He dashed toward me but I brought the staff up to protect myself from him. He growled at me as he grabbed the staff in reply and started pushing against me with it."No man is supposed to wield the Skathe-Hrün!" I growled once more at the assassin as I pushed against his weight with all my might."I'm no-." I brought up my right foot and kicked him right where it hurts as his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Man!" I brought my staff out of his grasp and slammed the opposite end into his face as hard as I could. One of his eyes popped out of his head and rolled to Toby's feet that only looked at me with wide-eyes as he grabbed the eye without hesitation."Didn't Vendel say that his eye could be valuable to us?""Honestly? Don't care. We need to get out of here before he gets his second wind!" Toby pocketed the grey and yellow ball of an eye as we started dashing our way toward the staircase. Before we reached it though, the door to the staircase kicked itself wide open to reveal Jim standing there with his armor glowing a deep crimson. He had an angered expression on his face that nearly vanished as he saw that Toby and I were standing before him."Are you two alright?" I felt a soft smile bring itself onto my lips but I shook myself out of my suddenly gentle demeanor as I looked back over my shoulder toward where we left Angor Rot.Who was no getting himself back together as if nothing happened."We're better now!" I flashed Jim a smile before it vanished quickly into a panicked expression. "But we need to get the
hell
out of here!" He gave a simple nod as he started dashing down the staircase with us in tow. The assassin trailing after us as if we never had a head start to begin with."DUDE! You should have seen it! She knocked his damned
eye
out! You know, that thingy Vendel said we needed? Yeah. SHE LEGIT SMACKED THE BITCH OUT! Hella cool!""Nice story, Tobes. Can I see it? You know, before we DIE?" He handed me the grey and yellow-colored object that didn't seem like an eye at first until the pupil moved to seemingly glare at me. "Seems he's not happy about this development.""I wouldn't be either. Sounds painful." I recalled my armor and grabbed out the crystal from under my shirt and brought the eye to it. Like it did with the two crystals, it attached itself to Angor's eye and allowed the object to melt within it. The crystal glowed a few tones as we continued running along. But as this happened, I felt the mark on my face burn lightly, but it was only half of the portion that it normally covered."Your marking. It shrunk." I gave Claire a confused look as Toby seemed to answer the unasked question."THAT WAS IT! That was why Vendel said you needed it! To begin breaking your own spell from Angor Rot! Now to endgame the dude, and we'll all be in the clear." I turned my head toward Toby as I suddenly came to a stop. They skid to a halt as well as they gave me a confused look. "What in the hell do you think you're doing, Lake?" I turned my attention toward where I knew Angor Rot was coming as I called upon my armor once more. This time, the glow that came from the silver plates was a cool white as I heard my faceplate click into place."You two go help Vendel break the rest of the spell," I grabbed out my sword from my scaffold as Angor rounded the corner and stopped about ten feet before us. "I'm going to kill him.""You can't be serious. We're
not
leaving you here, Jim." I readied my blade as I narrowed my eyes toward Angor Rot. The assassin smirked as he seemed to lower his center of gravity slightly."Go.""Jimbo, there is no way-""Go!
I don't want anyone hurt due to all of this, and if I remember right," I took a deep breath as I kept my eyes on the being before me. "Only those with the power from Angor Rot's eye can kill him." They seemed hesitant for a moment until I heard Toby's heavier footsteps start leaving behind me."I'm
not
leaving you here. You're thinking of the wrong Latina if you think my ass is going to- Hey!""We need to go, Claire! Jim's got this handled! We've got a doctor to save!""But-!""Trust him on this!" Claire's silent struggled was heard all too well from me as I knew she was battling against her better judgment for a moment. I felt a hand place itself onto my shoulder suddenly as her voice came close to me once more."I better see you on the other side of this." I chuckled lightly at her response as I glanced over toward her. The soft smile I had on my face was out of view to her, but I shared it with her anyway."You will. I promise." With that, she gave me a single nod and started making her way toward Troll Market with Toby in tow. I gave my attention back toward Angor Rot who decided at this point I must have been too preoccupied to block his attack, but I jumped out of his reach with ease."Humans. Always bringing their relationships to the frontlines. Always dying for the wrong cost. Dying for nothing in the end!" He tried stabbing at me with his dagger but I jumped back once more out of reach from him. "Always worrying about themselves. Never about the outcomes of their actions." He swiped at me with rage in his single eye. A growl erupting from him as I dodged once more. "You will never be strong enough! Just another Trollhunter to fall to my blade." I ducked under the blade as I slashed at his abdomen. He went to stab downward at me, but I rolled to the side as my voice roared to life."I'M NOT ANOTHER TROLLHUNTER!" I knocked his hand out of the way as he tried to grab me and it caused him to stumble backward a little. I decided to keep up the momentum as I dodged his stumbling hand that tried to reach out toward me. Instead, I placed my sword back into my scaffold and twist his hand at the wrist so I could grab the magical dagger he was holding within his hands. Once I had it within my hands, I pulled him forward so that he himself landed into the blade of the cursed dagger. I felt my helmet come off my face as I looked into the pained look of the assassin as he slowly turned to stone within my hands."What do you call yourself then? Since you broke the path of destiny." I smirked at the mummy as now his torso was made of grey stone."I'm the Eclipse.""So the prophecy lives." The assassin gave a large smirk as his last words fell from his lips. "No wonder the girl can wield the Skathe-Hrün.""What do you mean by that?""You'll find out soon enough, Eclipse." I gave him a confused look as the rest of him turned to stone. I looked over his stone features for a moment as I suddenly felt a surge of anger fill my system. I pushed the blade deeper into the stone statue as Angor Rot fell to pieces before me. I stood back as I released an angered growl as I kicked at the ashes that was the assassin."Why does everything have to be so cryptic? If I'm some kind of prophet, then why not tell me the fucking prophecy?" I sighed as I suddenly felt the anger left me. "Sorry. Even though you were a pain to deal with, you only ever wanted your soul. You only wanted your freedom. Just as much as I do within this moment." I looked down at the blade to see that the green blade was now a dull grey as it seemed as if the magic within it had disappeared. I called off my armor as I was now was standing within the hallway on my own. I knelt down and decided to leave the blade within the assassin's remains. "This was yours. It should stay that way." I whispered to myself as I stood back up to my full height. I turned my attention way from him as I started making my way out of the building and out into the cool night air. I was shocked when I saw Claire leaning against my Vespa that I left at the front of the building when I was too worried to even think about parking it correctly."Are you alright?" I gave her a soft smile. I reached her with ease as the gentle breeze of the wind ruffled my jacket with ease."As alright as I can be. Being the first time I ever actually killed anything besides, well, goblins." She reached out and placed her hands onto my shoulders as she seemed to be trying her best to calm my nerves that I didn't even notice I was dealing with."Well, the dance hasn't called for king and queen yet and the night isn't over just yet. Even Toby was able to cool down for a little bit as he was chilling with Darci once he realized she was the mole mascot." I gave her a wide-eyed look as she continued. "What? Who did you think it was that captured poor TP's heart?""Honestly, anyone but Darci.""She's always told me that the mascot thing always made her feel like herself. It was her way of escaping the whole popularity thing." She crossed her arms over her chest as pushed herself off of the Vespa seat she was leaning on with a head tilt as she took a step closer to me. "Wait, you seriously said anyone, huh? Guy or girl?""What's the difference, honestly? Toby was always adamant it was a girl though under there, but it never really phased either of us when we brought up the idea that it could be a guy.""You two really do care for each other no matter what, huh? Any other guy would be bullying the hell out of the other." I gave a small shrug in reply."I thought we've been over the fact that we're nothing like other guys.""I know and I enjoy it. Truly." I smiled at her response before looking back toward the school building. After a second of contemplation, I looked back toward her with a lopsided grin. My mind making up its decision as I noticed the two helmets that hung off the Vespa's handles."How about we ditch this place? I don't think I want our first dance to be in a stuffed gym like everyone else anyway." I brought my eyes up to Claire after I grabbed her blue helmet off the handles and handed it to her. "What do you say?" I noted the soft tint of pink in her cheeks as she gave a small half-smile in return."Of course." She took the helmet from me with ease. "What place do you have in mind?" I flashed her a wide smile as I grabbed my helmet and placed it on my head."You'll see."The ride up to the cliffside that we came to when Blinky was human was a little longer than I remembered, but it was well worth it as Claire's arms were tightly wrapped around my center and her chin had itself placed gently onto my shoulder. It was thrilling having one of my old dreams as an average kid come true. The wind ruffling my jacket as we rode across the bridge. The feel of her arms around me and the content sigh she released as she placed her head onto my shoulder was all I could ever ask for within that moment.
But I did say I never wanted our first real dance to be normal.
I put on a song that has always made me think of Claire since the moment I found it. It was by complete accident when I stumbled onto the song when I was a freshman, but I couldn't get it out of my head after the first listen. It was soft and the melody was like a gentle but coxing sound that seemed to taunt me as I struggled to figure out what exactly the singer was saying.
But once I knew what she was stating. Once I knew what she felt, all I could think about afterward whenever I heard it was Claire.
I turned towards Claire as I left my phone to play the song off the seat of the Vespa. Once I gave her my full attention, I was welcomed to a soft half-smile that nearly took my breath away. The way her eyes shined under the stars and the single street lamp near the bench we sat together on not so long ago. The glow of her tan skin underneath the gracious lighting made her seem like a fallen angel in a way. Seemingly harmless as she seemed just as nervous as I was to be alone with her on such a beautiful night."Are you sure you didn't want to see who won king and queen? Steve is going to have a hay day even if he won by default." I gave her a smile as the soft guitar played gently over her soft voice. I held my hand out toward her as I stood a step closer to her."Well, even if he thinks he's the winner, I feel like I won in my own regards." Her smile widened slightly at the corners as she took my hand without a single sense of hesitation. I pulled her close which rewarded me with a giggle from the Latina as she placed a hand onto my left shoulder. Our other hands clasped together to me right as we swayed gently to the soft guitar rhythm streaming from my phone. After a second of us just looking at each other, I started to hear Claire hum softly to the song as if she had heard it a million times before. "You know this song?" I tilted my head as I spoke which only rewarded me with another soft laugh from her."Of course I heard it. It's Clara Morrison. Who speaks or listens to Spanish music and never heard of Clara Morrison?""Honestly, I didn't until like, halfway through freshman year. It was the first one I heard from her, actually.""Why did you pick this one then?" She tilted her head this time to her right a little as she spoke. It caused my smile to widen as I gave her a nervous laugh in reply."It was addicting to listen to at first. I didn't understand at the time what she was saying, but over time I started to understand what she meant. To a certain degree.""Do you know it's direct translation then?" She slipped her hand out of mine as she seemingly decided that she wanted to wrap her arms around my neck instead. I swallowed dryly as I didn't even know what to do with my hands for a moment until I decided to place them onto her waist."Not exactly. I know the botched versions from hours of trying to translate it myself. Google can only help you so much, you know?" She laughed lightly at this which only caused the nerves within me to swell. The crystal on my chest seemingly becoming a hot iron against my skin in the most mocking way possible."I can tell you then as the lines come up. If you want me to?" I swallowed dryly once more as I saw the pure emotion that danced within her hazel orbs. I could have sworn that if I was still the same guy that first started having a crush on her, I would have fallen to my knees due to how weak my legs were feeling within this moment. But somehow, I stood true as we continued to sway gently together."I have a thirst to caress you." She spoke softly so that her voice and the song were nearly at the same volume as she seemingly didn't just say the translations, but
meant
exactly what she was saying. "Tangle with you and not let go. You are so intoxicating.""It's you?" She laughed once more at me as she gave a simple nod in reply."It's you." I felt a few of her fingers toy with the skin at the nape of my neck as she went on to translate the song. "I want to contemplate you without counting the time." Her thumb gently danced back and forth on the back of my neck as she continued. "Draw you with my pure memories." It was at this point that I realized how close we really were. I could feel the slightest hint of her breath against my lips as she looked up toward me with soft and gentle eyes. She looked like she was looking for permission of some kind. I guess she saw what she was looking for though because soon afterward she tightened her arms around my neck and leaned forward. By the time I closed my eyes, I was welcomed by the familiar touch of her lips on mine. It was just as sensational as the first time I felt them during our play rehearsals together and it caused my mind to halt and everything else to stand still. I no longer heard the soft guitar or the wind as it gently pushed against us, but instead was welcomed to the sensation of what felt like every hair on my body standing on end. What felt like seconds probably became minutes as we pulled apart a little bit after. It felt too soon in my book, but by how we both seemed to be out of air due to the action, it was obviously a lot longer than I thought. She gave me a soft smile as she held me close to her. Speaking low as if she was afraid someone else could hear her from high above the city. "In my mind mark your lips, your kisses.""One hell of a way to translate lyrics, Nuñez." I blushed at my outburst, but it didn't seem to phase her as she just giggled at me once more."I wouldn't mind translating it again for you." I noted the redness on her cheeks as she looked up toward me with slightly dilated eyes."I wouldn't stop you." My voice came out low which only reward me with a soft smile from her as we both mutually leaned in this time.But before our lips could meet once more, the song came to a halt as the increasingly annoying sound of my phone buzzing came from the Vespa seat. I turned my head to shoot a glare at the device that caused Claire to laugh gently in return. She unraveled her arms from around me and took a small step back to allow me to move toward the vibrating annoyance."It might be important. Eclipse business and all." I flashed her an apologetic smile before going over toward the Vespa and picking up the phone to see that it was Toby's name on the screen. I answered it without question and brought it up to my ear without a second thought."Sup Tobes. Everything alright?""AAARRRGGHH is made of stone." My eyes shot wide as I did 180 so that Claire could see my reaction."What do you mean made of stone?""I mean he's fucking
dead
Jim. He's fucking
dead.""What can't be! We just left him in Troll Market with mom, Strickler, Draal, and Vendel! Hell! Even Blinky's there and he would
never
let anything happen to him willingly!""He was cut by Angor Rot's blade a little while back. I guess there's no return from the creeper shit. He never told us. He said he never wanted to worry anyone. I
watched
as he turned to stone, dude. I fucking
watched
and couldn't do anything.""Where are you right now?"
"Troll Market."
"Stay right there. Claire and I will be there soon. Just, stay strong for me, okay? We'll find a way to bring him back out of this. He's not shattered at all, right? So there's gotta be a way.""I hope you're right, Jim." With that, his end went dead. I dropped my hand to my side and slipped my phone into my pocket as the news finally seemed to set in."What's wrong? Did something happen? Is someone hurt?" I looked up toward Claire who seemed to be filled with worry and I knew with the words that fell from my mouth, that she would be soon full of dread instead."AAARRRGGHH was cut by Angor's special dagger. The Creeper's Sun.""You mean-.""He's turned to stone." She stood stone solid for a second as her heart seemed to break within her eyes. She might not have been tied up into all of this for very long, but she sure as hell made a relationship with each of the trolls just as Toby and I had. It was evident with how much she seemed to ache already from the loss of our favorite pacifist."We've gotta-." I grabbed her helmet and handed it toward her."Already ahead of you."It felt like a funeral as I exited Blinky's library. I seemingly couldn't breathe as the grief seemed to hit us all in waves. I couldn't stand being before AAARRRGGHH's statue of who he used to be. The soft giant now reduced to a simple large lifeless hunk of stone was something I would never see within my time as the Eclipse. I thought that no matter what, it would be me to be the first to go. Not Claire. Not Toby. Not Blinky. Sure as hell not Draal.
Most of all though, not AAARRRGGHH.
My grief led me to stand before the rebuilt Killahead Bridge that was hidden away from all of Troll Market and the rest of the world. A single idea running through my mind as I took the crystal necklace up over my head so I could clutch it within my right hand.
No one else was going to be harmed because of this. No one is going to die before I can fulfill my promises. I won't let it happen.
Never again.
I took a step closer to the structure as I heard a soft voice call out to me within what I thought was locked chambers."Are you really going to do that?" I turned toward the voice to see Claire standing there with a duffle bag in hand. "And without me? For shame, Lake. For shame.""Claire, what are you doing here?""I could be asking you the same thing." She put the duffle bag over her shoulder as she walked up toward me. "If you think going in there alone is the brightest thing to do within this moment as everyone is grieving, then you have another thing coming.""What else can I do?!" My voice came off as desperate and full of raging emotions. It nearly cracked as I looked deep within Claire's hazel eyes. If I push this off any further, then others are going to die. I
can't
take that, Claire." My voice cracked finally as I felt her hand slip itself into my empty one. "I just
can't.""And neither can we, Jim. If you go in there alone, right now, with no supplies or plan, you'll most certainly die." She swallowed hard as she slipped her right hand out of mine to pull at the strap of the duffle bag that was hanging off her right shoulder. "Which why I knew you were going to pull this on me. It's why I've had supplies hidden here for weeks now. Since we first gathered the bridge and brought it here.""Who did you-?""I
know
you, Jim. You've pulled this self-sacrifice card on me before. I wasn't going to let you pull it on me again. Not if I can help it.""I won't let you come with me.""I won't let you leave without me." I swallowed dryly as I saw the pure determination within her eyes. Vendel's words playing within my head as her grip tightened on my hand.
She's a fearsome spirit. Y
ou've got yourself a mate that will look death in the eyes and toy with him just for the joys of it.
I glanced toward the bridge as I tightened my grip on her hand in return.
I guess you're right about that, old man. More right than ever now.
"You're sure about this?""Deadly. As long as you're dead set on this, so am I." I lifted the crystal toward the bridge. It flew with ease toward the structure as a new set of armor seemed to place itself onto my skin. This time, the natural tone of the metal plates being a deep rich onyx. The cap that was on my shoulder was now a royal purple as the color-changing linings of each armor plate seemed to glow the same majestic hue. I turned my attention back toward her with a soft smile as I gestured my hand toward the now open bright blue portal under the bridge."Then to the Darklands we go."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Ever since Jim found the crystal, I swore to myself that I would stay by his side through thick and thin. I swore this before when we were kids, but it was a lot more needed now than ever before. I knew the moment I realized what the amulet actually meant for us that I would do anything for the cause. For us and the trolls we now protected.For my best friend.But when I realized that Claire and him went into the Darklands without me, I felt like all I gave to the cause was for nothing. That they couldn't trust me or something. Like I wasn't good enough to come with them. Like I was some kind of un-needed package of flesh and failures.Basically, to say it hurt was an understatement.After a week of getting no interactions between us and them and not even a sign of either of them surviving what we knew was hell in another realm, Claire came out from the other side with a small bundle within her hands. She was screaming that she didn't want to leave him back there. That it wasn't fair. But it seems Jim didn't give her a choice.
"JIM!" She nearly ran back toward the portal of the bridge. Her clothes were a little tattered and torn. Her staff was tied around her thigh with what seemed to be a piece of her sweater as her legging was nearly gone due to their tears and cuts. But before she could reach the blue portal, it shut before her as she fell to her knees. "JIM!" Her second scream caused the bundle within her arms started to whine. At least from what I could tell. "Damn it!" She hung her head low for a second as she clutched the blanket wrapped being with her arms close to her chest. She looked so broken there. Her arms, from what I could see, were bruised and scraped to hell. Her hair was a mess. Some of her hair clips being missing from the barrage she normally used being a major source to this.
Honestly, seeing how beaten she was the first time I was actually grateful I didn't come along with them.The other moment was when I realized how much whatever it was that they experienced affected her.
I found her on the floor in Jim's room with one of his old sweatshirts on. She was toying with the strings of it was I sat down across from her. She had her arms crossed and rested on top of her knees as her face was nearly covered by the hoodie sleeves. Her hazel eyes that Jim would gush about whenever given the chance were darker than normal as the scleras of her eyes were blood red. She looked as if she had been crying for hours if not days.
"I won't even ask if you're okay. It's obvious what the answer is." She gave me a defeated chuckle in return. Her arms tightened around her legs as she buried her face deeper into her forearms.
"I would have looked at you as if you were insane if you did." I gave her a soft smile.
"It's beating you up too then, huh?"
"I shouldn't have left him."
"From what I saw, you didn't leave him without reason." I reached out and placed a hand on one of her forearms. "What happened that night? The night you came back." She looked up toward me with a broken look swirling in her eyes. She seemed to be battling herself within that moment. Why? I had no clue. What? Not even a single idea.
Was it affecting her? Oh most definitely.
"Gunmar found us. Said something about wanting to catch us and make us his new toy-things so we ran as fast as we could to where we first entered the Darklands." She bundled the sleeves into her hands as she slipped her arms out of my grasp. "We knew that the bridge could only be open for so long so we were planning on jumping in together at the same time."
"But?" She looked down at her hands that now sat within her lap. Covered by Jim's old hoodie sleeves as a single tear escaped her left eye and cascaded down her cheek.
"But one of them caught up with us." She left out a defeated laugh. "I should have known that he was going to push me through the portal. I should have readied myself. I should have grabbed him and had us
both
land back in Troll Market, but I didn't. Now he's in that hell-hole. Alone. They probably took the duffle bag he insisted on carrying that held the small number of supplies we had and he's probably fighting for his fucking life as we speak."
She brought her hands up to her face to cover her eyes with the sleeves of the hoodie. "I should be in there with him. He shouldn't be
alone." Her voice broke at the end as she went into a full-on sob session. "H-He s-sh-shouldn't b-e..." I got up from where I was sitting and moved so I was sitting next to her. I rubbed my left hand into her back as I let her cry out all her frustrations. I knew being forced to stop crying, from past experiences with myself and Jim over the years, that it doesn't really help. Just having someone to soothe you as you just let it all out is the best. It seemed that it worked for Claire as well as her cries slowed down simple hiccups and evening breaths.
"We'll get him out of there, Claire." I pulled her into a side hug as she was still shaking a little beside me. "We'll get him back."
"I-I know." Claire brought her hands out of her hands as she then gave me a determined look. The redness in her eyes seeming gave more power to the words that fell from her lips. "We will. Or die trying." I gave her a simple nod in reply before her features softened. "I'm sorry for all of this."
"Trust me. I think I would be a mess too if I was in your shoes."
"The Darklands." She spoke as if she was going to continue speaking, but she stopped herself in the middle of her tracks. "The Darklands is like some kind of hell." She wrapped her arms around herself as she spoke. "The beings there were bloodthirsty. Birds like vultures. Monster lingering within the shadows. Each step was like stepping closer to your possible death. Even when we got tired enough to sleep, we took turns so that someone else was watching over the other." She left out a soft laugh as she continued on. "It got to the point where I had to force him to sleep because he was resilient on the idea of being the one to rest all the time." She leaned back, unraveling her arms from around her as she looked up to his ceiling. "We found solace in each other. Even more than normal. Made me realize just how much I truly cared for him. Much more than I'm willing to admit to anyone, really." I smiled at this softer side of her. It was the most Claire thing I saw from her since she came back.
"We'll get your Romeo back. Don't worry." I smiled at her as she looked over toward me. "I need my best friend in my life, anyway."
"We talked about you and everyone else a lot to distract ourselves. To get ourselves to feel safe before the other slept. We regretted not having you with us. But honestly, after what I saw, I'm kind of happy you didn't. I hope you know I haven't even been able to sleep more than an hour without having a nightmare from it all."
"Honestly, after hearing the hell you've been through, I'm happy too. I was a little heartbroken over you two leaving, but I understand." She let out a soft laugh as she brought her eyes back up toward the ceiling once more.
"I wouldn't wish anything I've seen upon anyone. Not even
Steve." I let out a hearty laugh at that which rewarded me with a soft smack onto my left arm. "Shush."
"It's nice to have you back,
Nuñez." I gave her a large smile as I stood up. I let out my hand toward her which she looked at for a second as I spoke once more. "But now, we need to work on getting him back." She gave me a soft smile in return as she reached up and took my hand.
"And we will."
We went through
hell
to get Jim back. When the Tribunal tried to get the bridge destroyed, we found a way around it. When they tried to stop us from rebuilding it, we decided to build it on top of the cliffside outside of Arcadia when it was late into the night. When his and Claire's disappearance started getting questioned, we made-up a whole thing saying they were kidnapped and Jim got it so she could escape. Hell, we even found an antidote for AAARRRGGHH along the way, and our favorite little Poopling, as Jim called him, nearly
drowned
with all that we went through to have the chance to get him back.But when we found him though, it was obvious he went through hell to
survive.When I saw him in the Darklands, it was obvious he had dried blood on his face and he was nearly beaten to near exhaustion. It was obvious he was put through the mill and when we ran from Gunmar himself after Jim somehow survived another battle to the almost death with Nomura who was now somehow on our side, it only sunk in deeper what kinds of hell he must have been through.When I saw him in the light though, it was even more obvious.He had a dried-up open cut on his cheek that looked as if it was going to scar, his skin was pale, and it was obvious he was tired. Not just physically tired, but mentally tired. The dark bags under his eyes were scary, to say the least. He looked like a walking ghost within his back to purple and black armor. Once his crystal was back into his armor though, he looked a bit more at peace. Even more at peace when Claire came up beside him though.The two of them clung to each other almost instantly after Jim to the crystal back. They acted as if they pulled back from each other that the other would disappear. He held himself together for the most part through the great escape, but when he was in Claire's arms, it seemed that he felt as if he could break down the walls he seemed to have built during his time in the Darklands. There were hushed whispers between them that seemed to only make the other cling to the other even more. When they pulled apart it was only a few inches apart to press their foreheads together."I've missed you." I whispered out toward her as I kept her in my hands. She smiled looking up toward me like a small piece of heaven before me. "God I missed you.""I heard you the first time." Her thumbs drummed themselves on my collarbone as I pressed my forehead against hers."I don't think I could say it enough." I chuckled a little as her smile grew slightly. I reached up to put my hands onto both sides of her face. "I don't think I could ever." How I got through the days. How I got through the battles, was by remembering her. Her eyes. Her smiles. Her features. All of her, made me get through everything. Especially after I forced her back into what we knew was our world.But the way that the sun danced across her skin with her eyes with their golden flakes and gentle gleam only made me remember all that I loved about her. It made me remember the dance we shared on this same cliffside.Which only made my next action understandable as I pulled her closer to me.The kiss was gentle. Her arms looping themselves around my neck as her right hand snaked itself to dig her fingers into my hair. It felt like bliss. We shared quick kisses in our time in the Darklands, but nothing like this. When I first ever kissed her, it was soft and heavenly. In comparison to anything in life, it was like the wings of a butterfly. Gentle. Rather quick.But this was slow yet desperate but not within the same breath. The only desperate thing about it was the fact that we wanted the other to know how much we truly missed the other. How much we truly cared for them. It felt as if we were pouring ourselves into each other.Until small disgusted noises came from beside us.We pulled apart of each other to see that Draal and Nomura were the ones specifically disgusted with our actions. AAARRRGGHH was covering Toby's eyes with one of his large hands as Blinky was just smiling toward us. I smiled at all of them. The pain I have endured within the last few weeks seemed to leave my mind completely as I felt Claire's arms wrapped themselves around my middle instead."If you're anything like I was, we should get you a shower." Her voice was soft as she laid her head onto my right shoulder. I chuckled in reply to her."Honestly, that sounds great." I readjusted my arms so they wrapped around her in a loose hug. "I rather stay here a little longer though." She tightened her hold around my middle as her giggle caused her breath to tickle against my neck."As long as you would like."
Don't tempt me.
I tilted my head to it laid itself on top of hers as we just hugged each other.
I could stay here for centuries.
When I went home, I felt as if everything was right at first. Hugging my mother, taking a warm shower, and having a fresh change of soft clothes instead of armor still hanging on my limbs was amazing.But when I laid my head upon my pillow and tried to sleep, everything seemed to come back to haunt me.Flashes of blood from the battles.The deep growls of Gunmar's voice.The cries of all his other prisoners.It haunted me with each moment I tried to close my eyes. Ever times sleep tried to take me, the demons that seemed to live within my mind wanted to take me instead.Seeming within my most desperate moments, as I was tossing and turning and battling against myself, the familiar sound of Claire's shadow portal entered the room.I must have obviously been a mess of dried tears upon my cheeks, thrashing limbs, and gentle wordless mutters.But she didn't care as she laid down on my bed beside me.She held me close as she toyed with my hair and whispered gently toward me."Everything is okay." She placed a quick kiss on the top of my head before bringing me close into her arms. "You're safe now." I dug my fingers into her nightshirt as I wept into her shoulder. I couldn't understand the hell she must have been through without me here. With her having to act like all was okay while I was still in the Darklands.But I was still sure that I did the right thing forcing her to come back. Knowing the hell that Gunmar wanted to put me through, I don't doubt that he would have thrown us into the ring against one another and I would never harm her. Even if it meant the death of me."It's okay." She whispered to me once more as I felt my cries softened themselves. My demons seemed to step away from me at this point as her words soothed the battle I was fighting against them. "You're home now."
You're home now.
Everything is okay.
You're safe.
Each word of hers eased me as I felt myself loosen my grip on her as my tears came to a subtle end. As this happened, she still whispered to me with gentle words to bring me close to a more stable state."I'm sorry." They were the first words I muttered to her in the darkness that was my room. I was only given an airy laugh in reply as she combed her fingers through my hair."Trust me. I was a mess as well when I returned." She leaned her head against mine as she continued. "Ask Toby. He found me stealing your old sweatshirts and moping around in here.""If you wanted a hoodie, you could have just asked." I chuckled a little at her as I could tell she was rolling her eyes at me."I was totally going to somehow find a fucking fetch, somehow find your ass, and ask if I could wear your old galaxy sweatshirt.""I would have let you.""I would have stolen it even if you didn't.""That's why I would have let you." She let out a small laugh at my response before placing another kiss on the top of my head."I've missed you.""I've missed you too." I whispered back toward her as I laid my head gently onto her shoulder even though a small smile appeared on my face. "I thought you understood that the first time around?""Well, I never said it back as I should have.""I enjoyed my welcoming home either way though.""I can't imagine what else you must have been through though. Seeing you in that prison. Hearing you fight for your life." Her voice nearly broke as she spoke. I felt her bury her face into my hair as she continued. "I'm sorry you had to go through it alone.""I'm happy that I went through it alone. That way you would never have to go through. That everyone is safe. That everything is going to be okay." I lifted my head up to plant a soft kiss on her cheek before bringing my head back down to her shoulder. "Just as you said. Everything is going to be okay.""And it will be. Especially since you're home.""Especially since
we're
home." I smiled as I finally felt sleep taking over me. Three words rang within my head and I wanted to say them aloud, but I couldn't bring myself to speak to them to her as much as I wanted to. They weren't just the same three we've muttered to each other since we were reunited, but were something even more cementing in this gentle relationship we shared.But as I closed my eyes and sleep crept to take over my being, they rang within my head as Claire's steady breathing soothed me more than any lullaby could.
I love you.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"KILL HIM, YOU FILTHY IMPURE!"
I dogged out of Nomura's swing as she grimaced at the pain in her obviously broken leg.
"I don't want to harm ya kid, but for this to be over, one of us has to go."
"I won't kill you," I growled out the words as I narrowed my eyes toward them through my helmet. "Not if I have a choice."
"The only choice you have kid is to die or kill. There is no in-between!"
"But there is! We can wait till Claire and Toby find their way to break a way through. You hear them yourself. They have a plan."
"The only plan I see kid is for me to die and you to get the hell out of this arena."
I felt myself toss and turn in my comforter as Nomura's voice echoed within my mind.
"Hold the human steady." I trashed against the Gum-Gum's arms as I tried my best to fight back the trollish prison guards. But they were able to grab my limbs with ease before the third Gum-Gum stepped forward to me. "Hold. Him. Still." Before I knew it, a quick fist made its way into my stomach as the taste of blood came into my mouth. I coughed which only caused the blood that was in my mouth to trickle down the corner of my mouth. "I SAID HOLD HIM STILL!"
"We are!" Another punch found its way into my stomach.
Damn.
I grimaced to myself as I lowered my head just slightly.
This armor can only do so much.
"HEY ASSHOLES!" The Gum-Gums dropped me as Nomura's voice came through the small hole between our connecting cells. "Pick on someone your own kind!"
"Keep quiet, Impure."
"Make me."
"Come on, men." The three of them piled out of my cell as I spat out the blood sitting in my mouth onto the floor. "We've got an Impure to silence."
"COME AT ME, YOU SPINELESS BASTARDS! I'll make you regret your goddamn existence."
I squeezed my eyes shut as Normua's scream that followed shortly haunted the rest of the memory."Jim?" I thrashed a little like the sound of the changeling's scream nearly deafened out Claire's voice. "Jim?" I felt her arms wrap themselves around me as she tried to still my thrashing.
"You won't leave here alive, human."
"Neither will you, Gunmar." I growled out toward the Gum-Gum as he held my chin up to look him in the eyes.
"You want to know what I regret you won't get to hear for yourself, Trollhunter?" I narrowed my eyes at him as a sickeningly twisted smirk took over his face. "You won't hear your friends scream for mercy when I escape this dreaded plan."
"I won't let you." I snarled out the words as the Gum-Gum just gave a dark chuckle in return.
"You have no choice in that matter, Eclipse."
"It's a dream, Jim. Please, you need to wake up." I felt Claire clutch onto me tightly within her arms. "I need you to wake up." I snapped my eyes open as the images of Gunmar's face faded from my view.
Dream. Just a dream.
But it didn't feel like a goddamn dream.
I wrapped my arms around Claire as I buried my face into her shoulder for what felt like the millionth time within the past ten or so hours.
But Claire is here. There's no Gunmar here. At least for now.
From what I could gather from what others said about the prophecy, I'm meant to fight him within my own realm anyway so he's destined to have crossed the threshold between the Darklands and Arcadia again.
I felt Claire entangle her fingers into my hair as she tried her best to soothe my obvious shaking.
But at least here, I have her. My favorite little Shadowdancer. At least, that's how Toby would say it.
What was it that the prophecy say? That daylight and shadow will come together to bring an end to him. Mixing with a third thing, right?
I sighed as my breaths became steady and Claire's soft whispered reassurances brought my physical anxiety slowly to a halt.
Honestly, I could care less at this moment.
I wrapped my arms tightly around Claire's waist as my voice let out a soft thank you to her."You don't have to thank me.""You're dealing with my bullshit more than anyone else would.""It's not
bullshit
what you're going through." She pulled back to place a soft kiss on my forehead as she whispered gently to me. "I would be here if it was anyway." I smiled at her as I kept my face hidden away in her shoulder."What did I do to deserve you?""What did
I
do to deserve
you?" She let out a soft laugh as played with my hair. "Not just anyone would run into a place like the Darklands just to save a girl's little brother.""They don't? Huh. I thought this was normal, honestly." She giggled at my reaction as we just laid there together for a moment. "What time is it?""Probably about thirty minutes or so before we should start getting our shit together for school." She placed another kiss on my forehead. "But if you don't feel up to it, I won't blame you.""If I go, it'll help me feel a lot more normal. It'll help get me back into the swing of things.""If you want to, I won't stop you. I'll help you as much as I can though." I brought my head up to smile toward her as I was welcomed to a sweet smile in return."I can think of something that would help me now though." I saw a smirk appear on Claire's face as she instantly caught onto what I was saying."Oh really?" I hummed in reply as she brought her hands onto each side of my face. "And what would that be?""How about I show you?""You can show me anything." I smiled at her as I leaned in capture her lips in a soft kiss. Instantly I felt as if I was in complete bliss.
After spending about a full week of being able to kiss her like this within the Darklands,
We separately slightly before recaptured each other's lips once more almost immediately.
I can this is probably one of the things I missed the most from her and I being separated.
I smiled against her lips as I felt her loop her arms around my neck. Her left hand finding its way into my hair to tug gently at the roots of it.
Seems she did too.
We pulled back from each other for a moment as both of us rather breathless from our actions."I missed you too, Claire." I smiled at her as she just giggled in return."Oh, you have no clue how much I missed you. I'm still going to be stealing your hoodies, by the way.""Take as many as you want." I brought myself up into a sitting position as I pulled her with me. "Speaking of hoodies, I guess we should get ourselves together, huh? Do you need to borrow anything or are you just going to pop over to your house for the morning? Wait." I looked over to her as a sudden worry took over my chest. "Do your parents know where you are?""Your mom's been helping me with them. With her knowing everything, she's been understanding with me almost always spending my free time here. Made me feel closer to you.""So your parents know you're over here?""Yup." She unwrapped her arms around me so she could stretch them out high above her head. "But I don't think they know you're back yet. That's going be one hell of a lecture." I chuckled in reply as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and rose to her feet. "I might need to borrow some stuff though. Can't remember if I left anything here last time I slept over.""Well," I swung my legs over the side of the bed as I smiled up toward her. "I might have some sweats that might fit you.""Oh, I know you do." She made her way over toward my dresser. "Third drawer, right?""You really have been just living here, huh?""Yup!" She flashed me a smile over her shoulder as she opened the third drawer. "Now get off your ass. We got school to ready for.""I'm moving I'm moving." I rose to my feet as I made my way over to her. "Since you have that drawer open anyway, I need some jeans.""Blue as always?""You know me well.""Yes. Yes, I do." She leaned over and pressed a small kiss to my cheek. "Let's get ready for our day, huh?" I nodded as I wrapped an arm around her."Yeah." I smiled at her as she handed me a pair of my favorite jeans. "Thanks, Claire.""No need to thank me." She took the sweats, t-shirt, and socks from my dresser before heading toward the bathroom as if she has done it a million times before. "Don't disappear on me.""Won't imagine it." I called out after her as she closed the door softly behind her.
Man. Seriously, what did I do to deserve a girl like her?
"How are you holding up dude?" I gave Toby a shrug as I slipped my hands into my jeans and tried to keep a brave face as I looked around my surroundings."Everything is so
loud
here. It's kind of mind-boggling." He gave me a soft laugh as he placed a hand onto my shoulder."Oh yeah. You'll get used to it. Claire was saying something along the lines of the same thing when she came back. She explained it as how you two were so keen on listening into your surroundings for enemies that when you come back, everything is just a bit overwhelming.""Exactly." I let out a sigh as I glanced over toward Toby. "Got any ibuprofen or something? My head is pounding." He held out a small blue travel tube of something without hesitation."Aleve. 24 hours instead of six or whatever it is. I got in the habit of carrying it since she came back.""Not to ding into something without her knowing, but how long did it take for her to get back into the swing of things?""She seemed to come back to normality rather quickly. About like six days or so, but I personally believe that she wasn't really herself emotionally. She was still on edge for a little while. It wasn't until you came back yesterday that she truly seemed like herself, actually." I smiled at the thought as I took the small bottle of pain relievers from him."Well, hopefully, I can physically get back into the swing of the day by day as soon as she did.""Don't rush yourself, bud.""I won't." I unscrewed the cap and took a single pill out of it and took it with ease. I closed the bottle and passed it back to him with a smile. "Thanks.""No problem." He gave me a smile in reply as he placed his right hand onto my shoulder as the left took the bottle back from me. "Just so you know, by the way, I missed you, dude." My smile grew lightly as pulled my friend into a side hug."I missed you too, buddy." He looked up to me with a teary look in his eye as he flung himself into my waist to wrap me up into a tight hug. I chuckled as I hugged him back gently. "Alright alright," I continued laughing as spoke. "We got a history class to get to, Tobes.""Nope. Bro hugs first. History class later.""You and Claire are the same level of clingy as of lately." I chuckled once more at the memory of Claire being basically attached to my hip earlier in the day when it came to walking to our first two hours."Can you blame us?" He pulled back as he gave a confused look up toward me."No. Not at all." I smiled down at him as we started making our way toward Strickler's classroom once more. "Not at all, my friend."I tried to keep my stance as Claire flung her arms around my neck. I wrapped my arms around her as a large smile took over my face."Claire," I whispered to her softly as Toby just laughed lightly at us. "It's only been an hour.""Don't care." She placed her chin onto my shoulder as she just continued to hold onto me tightly. "Long enough for me to miss you.""Long enough for you to feel like I was gone again?" I held her tighter within my hands as she just hummed in reply. "I'm not going anywhere.""Still didn't mean my mind didn't betray me.""Mr. Lake. Ms. Nuñez. No PDA." We pulled apart sheepishly as we both looked over toward Mr. Strickler who wasn't even looking at us anymore."What crawled up his ass?" I dropped my hands to my sides as Claire just gave me a smirk."After your mom dumped him into next Tuesday, he's been snarky with us. Mix that into the fact that the Janus Order wants nothing with him, I think the poor bastard's lonely.""What he gets." I grumbled as Claire just gave a small laugh in reply."Don't let him hear that.""Seems somethings have changes in our stead.""Oh wait until we actually spend more than thirty minutes in Troll Market. Things have changed a bit more than you think." I gave her an excited smile as the bell rang."And see Blinky and AAARRRGGHH again? I don't care if Vendel turned into an actual goat at this point as long as I get back into the Forge.""That's my Trollhunter." She reached out and patted my cheek once before making her way to her seat. A large smile dancing on my face as she walked over toward her old seat by Mary."Getting back into the swing of things?" Toby joked as I took my seat next to him. I flashed him the large smile that was still on my lips as everyone else started to settle in their seats."Honestly? I just might be.""MASTER JIM!" I chuckled as Blinky wrapped me up in a bone-crushing hug. All four of his arms engulfing me as well as trapping my arms against my sides. "I was starting to believe that last night was-. What was it that you dubbed, Lady Claire? A fever dream? Again, I still do not understand your kind's use of what is called metaphors.""Missed you too, Blinky." I choked out the words as he squeezed me within his four arms. "But you might actually kill me if you squeeze any tighter.""My apologies." He dropped me and I nearly fell onto my ass if it wasn't for me anticipating the action."No problem, Blinky." I glanced around to the library to see that it was in complete disarray. "What happened here?""Oh." Blinky looked over the carnage as well as he gave me a simple smile. "This is the reaction to my brother be a traitorous being that only used the knowledge of our people to join
Gunmar
of all beings." He gestured to the mess of lopsided books and fallen pages on the floor with a wide smile. "So I decided to go through it all in a rampage!" I gave him a 'are you serious' look as I tried my best not to laugh at him."Why go through it all?""Just trying to figure out why he decided to do
such a thing
but so far I'm as clueless as I began." I looked over toward Claire and Toby who just shrugged at the whole interaction."He's going through the five stages of grief. He's at step two, I believe." I brought my attention back to Blinky as AAARRRGGHH was now at his side."Stressed." AAARRRGGHH reached out with his right hand as he petted the top of Blinky's head. "Tribunal meeting.""Tribunal?""Ah, yes. I knew I was forgetting something within my desperation. Again, my apologies." Blinky had a serious look on his face as he put his arms behind his back. "The Tribunal is a council of troll leaders from different colonies of troll kinds who have been looking after the well-being of trollkind for centuries. The members consisting of our leader Vendel, Usurna, Gatto, Wumpa, and Bork.""What are they meeting over?""Did you two not tell him of his trial?""Trial?!" I looked over to Toby and Claire as shock filled my system. "What the hell is going on here?!""It's okay." Claire stepped forward and placed both her hands onto my shoulders. "Toby and I didn't see a point in telling you because we were told by Vendel that no matter what happened the Tribunal wouldn't do anything to you. What happened was prophecized. Not something that you can fight against but you were forced to endure. He said that what their meeting about today will be less of an actual trial and more of them contemplating their next action since this is more of like a milestone within a prophecy that they are the only ones that truly know it.""So." I let her words sink in as I took a deep breath. "Nothing to be worried about.""Nothing at all, young Eclipse." I turned my head toward Vendel as he entered Blinky's library. His staff's clicks against the stone pathway echoing off the walls as everyone became dead silent as the elder troll made his appearance. "We were waiting for this occurrence to arise, does not mean that the Tribunal, specifically Usurna, isn't displeased with your actions.""Kind of hard to keep something from happening when I've never been told my own prophecy." Vendel gave me an amused look as he approached Claire and me. A small smile appearing on his lips as he came to a stop."Which is actually why I am here before you." Toby jumped in at this point as he joined Claire's side."So we get to know the prophecy thingy that talked about the three powers merging together to fight the big bad Gunmar?! All of our questions are about to actually be fucking
answered?!""I wouldn't have stated it so rashly, but yes." He placed his hands together at the top of his staff's handle. "I suggest that the three of you sit. This is going to take a while." All three of us joined together like three children during reading time as we sat before Vendel. "Everyone ready?""Wait." AAARRRGGHH stated the single word as he made a spot behind us to sit before forcing Blinky to join him on the floor. "Ready.""Wonderful. Long ago, back in the time of King Arthur and the land of Camelot, the amulet was made by a wizard named Merlin." Vendel raised his staff into the air as a large circle of pink light appeared high before us. In the center of the large circle of magic was an image of an older man in a green suit of knight's armor with white hair, a white beard, and a silver skullcap on his head. "He worked for King Arthur himself and made the Amulet of Daylight to protect humanity from their fear against magical creatures." The image changed to showcase the original form of the crystal necklace that was dangling around my chest. "But when Gunmar and both Morgana threaten trollish as well as human kind, there was a change to the original plans for the amulet. Instead, it was given to our people as another way to protect ourselves as well as protect humanity who has gifted us with the ability to do so.""Sorry to rain on your parade, Granpa Vendel," I looked over to Toby who was cutting off the elder troll in a 'matter of fact' tone. "We kind of already know that stuff." The pale troll just glared at Toby for a moment as the human in question just swallowed dryly in response. "Nevermind. Forget I said anything. Carry on.""As I was saying." Vendel brought his attention back toward the magical endeavor high above us. "When it was given to us and it called upon its first Trollhunter, he said that there will be a time where I young human would be called upon by the amulet and given the power to hone their emotions and make them their strongest weapon." The image above us changed to showcase a shaded out was seen grabbing the amulet before it changed into the shape of the crystal that hung around my neck. "But the prophecy did not just tell of one warrior." Suddenly two other figures joined to the sides of the one wearing the crystal necklace. "It told of three." The image zoomed into the one of the left that was wearing a suit of armor as a staff was being held in one of their hands. "One was a woman dubbed the Shadowmancer. From Merlin's prophecy, she is destined to wield the weapon on Morgana herself. The only human to ever to able to wield dark magic without even being given the birthright to do so. She's destined to become one if not the most powerful witch in existence as well as one of the two beings that fight alongside the Eclipse that gives them their powers. Probably the most emotionally connected to the Eclipse for reasons that are already showcased to us." I looked over toward Claire that was looking up toward the image with wide eyes."Claire?" I reached out and took her left hand into mine as she stilled stared up toward the Shadowmancer depiction."Well. It makes sense in a way." She upturned her hand to intertwine our fingers together. Her eyes still not leaving from what we know now as her own prophecy within all of this. "Especially when Strickler even pointed out that the staff I wield is something that wasn't supposed to physically happen. Not when I didn't possess magical abilities beforehand.""The third warrior is that of a mortal named the Auspistice." The images above us morphed into one of another person within a suit of armor. This one wielding a giant hammer over his shoulder. "Spoken of within prophecy to be the Eclipse's dearest friend, he is the tie between his past and his inevitable future. His bridge between his life within humanity and his life as the Eclipse." Toby nearly squealed as he looked up at his depiction."I'm the Aus-. Auspi-. The A-thingy! What else is there about that?""Other than the fact that you are the other link to our Eclipse's powers, not much." Toby nearly deflated at this as he still looked up toward his destiny as well. "But together," The depiction changed to showcase all three of our destinies standing together before the silhouette of Gunmar as a red circle was high above all of our figures. "They are told to not just defeat Gunmar during what is called the Eternal Night, but to also the end of Morgana Le Fey herself.""We have to fight Morgana Le Fey? At the same time as battling against
Gunmar?""Yes." Vendel gave a simple reply as the magical looking-glass like spell faded above us. "I didn't bother with the little details that you may already know since I was rudely interrupted, but that's fine by me. Less valuable time I need to waste." His voice was rather dark as his final statement fell from his lips. It struck a chord within me hearing his voice go to such a deep and depressing expression."What do you mean, Master Vendel?" He looked over toward me with a sorrowful look as he brought his hands back together at the top of his staff."I wish I could tell you, young Eclipse," A small smile appeared on his face as he pulled his eyes away from me. "But it is inevitable. Something that you would fight to prevent but will still come. Throughout it all though, know that it will happen for a reason." I swallowed hard as I felt Claire give my hand a reassuring squeeze "I'll leave you with all of this to endure. I know it's quite a lot of information to understand at this time. Especially with it all at once." He started to take his leave from the library until he turned to us once more. "But if any of you have questions about the prophecy, I won't keep it from you. Not anymore, at least. Not since the Tribunal agreed for each of you to understand your destinies." I nodded before looking toward my two friends. Each of them showcasing different reactions to being told their futures.Toby was rather ecstatic. Already buzzing with endless energy as the thought of being a major player within the end of Gunmar's reign was giving him the reassurance that I knew has been searching for since we first became trollhunters together.Claire though was lost within her thoughts. It was hard to know what was exactly was running through her mind. Her thumb gently dragging itself across my knuckles as she placed her chin on top of her other hand that was clenched in a fist.I reached out and placed my other hand on top of our joint hands to pull her attention out of her and back to reality."Are you okay?" She gave me a soft smile as she just moved closer to me so she could lean her head onto my shoulder."Just letting it sink in." She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I now understood how you must have felt when we found that first prophecy line from burning that book about it.""The feeling of the whole world being placed upon your shoulders like you're some kind of new-age Atlas?""Oh definitely." I chuckled at her as Toby started talking with AAARRRGGHH and Blinky."Did you hear that wingman!? I'm an Auspicy!""Auspistice, Tobias. An Auspistice.""Whatever it is, I am and I'm okay with that." I shook my head slightly at his actions as I felt Claire let out a small gentle sigh in reply."Love his enthusiasm, but how the hell can he be that energetic about this?""It's Toby. It's just who he is." She took her hand out of mine so that she could wrap her arms around my middle."At least you understand me.""At least
you
understand
me." I chuckled at her as she just looked up toward me with a sweet smile. "If it weren't for you sometimes, I think I would have lost myself within all of this." Her smiled just widened at my words before she laid her head back down onto my shoulder."At least we have each other then.""Yeah. At least we do." I wrapped my right arm around her as Toby's, Blinky's, and AAARRRGGHH's distant voice became background noise to the two of us. A single idea running through my mind as I felt Claire's gentle breaths brush against the skin of my neck.
I didn't need a prophecy to know how impactful the girl is to my being.
I felt the crystal's warmth against my chest for the first time today.
Just as I didn't need to be the Eclipse to know how much she means to me.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The days after having the prophecy spoken to us, we came into normality as if it was a second skin. It was great to feel like everything was normal even though the looming doom of Gunmar was inevitable. As Vendel said, the prophecy stated that Gunmar escaped. There is no and, if, or but about it. It's just a matter of when he'll make his presence known.
But for now, as Blinky would say, we keep our eyes out for anything even more abnormal than normal. All while dealing with the formalities of keeping up appearances.
I smiled up toward my mom who just gave me a soft one in turn.
Which is a lot easier when you don't have to lie as much about it anymore.
"How are you feeling?" She reached out and brought me into a loose hug."I'm better than I was my first night." I chuckled to my chest as she just tightened her arms around me. I pulled back from her slightly to see a worried look take over her face.
"She lost her mind nearly when I told her what you and Claire did." I felt my heart drop to my stomach as Toby spoke to me in a soft whisper. I suddenly tried to bring myself out of the heartstone healing water as he placed both his hands onto my shoulders to push me back down into the water. "Hey~! You stay in there until you're all good, mister. Seriously, if I let you out now, Claire will kill me. Literally. Prophecy or not. " I chuckled at his response as I allowed him to push me back into the water.
"Probably best to keep you alive then." I gave him a sad smile as I looked up toward him from where I was laying. "How's mom been holding up since?"
"She refuses to speak to Strickler. Understandable, really. She's got a new hobby of painting and-."
"That's not really a new or a hobby of hers." I laid my head back onto the rim of the tub as I kept my eyes on him. "She only paints when she's coping with something. I don't doubt it was her way of dealing with me leaving let alone the Eclipse thing."
"Well, they were all of a dark-haired man in silver-plated multicolored armor with a red shoulder cape and a waist sword scaffold."
"And that just proves it." I lowered myself into the water so that my chin was under the healing essence of the heartstone water.
I gave my mom a soft smile as I pulled her back into a tight hug. Two simple words muttering out of me as I buried my face into her shirt."I'm sorry." I screwed my eyes shut as I felt the words me nothing to the ones ragging within my head.
I'm sorry mom. I should have told you sooner. I shouldn't have left without you knowing. I know that you must have been angry when I was gone. You must have been. Or at least disappointed in me for not reaching out to you, but I'm sorry. For everything. For not speaking to you, for lying, for not being the son you deserve, everything. I can say it a million times, but it'll never be enough.
I'm sorry, mom.
I'm so goddamn sorry.
I felt her toy with my hair like she used to when I was a kid. Her fingers combing through my locks in such a calming way that it halted all my thoughts as she whispered."I'm sorry, too." I nearly pulled back from her, but she kept a tight hold on me. "I'm sorry for making you believe you couldn't tell me anything. I'm sorry for the hell you must have been through. I'm sorry for the weight that is on your shoulders." She pulled back from me and gave me a small smile through teary eyes. "But you make me
so
proud. You're so strong and brilliant and resilient." She unwrapped her arms around me so she could place her hands on my shoulders. "And I'm
so
proud to call you my son. Trollhunter or not. You've always made me feel like the luckiest mom in the world. Now is no different." I gave her a broken smile in return before flinging myself into her arms once more."I love you, mom." My voice nearly broke as I spoke which only brought out a small laugh from her."I love you too, Jim." She placed a quick kiss on the top of my head before wrapping her arms around me once more. "But all because you're a prophet does
not
mean I don't worry about you. Next time, please give me a heads up before you do something like that again. I nearly had a heart attack when Toby had to tell me about what you and Claire did.""I promise." I pulled back from her and placed a hand over my heart. "Scouts honor." She gave a small laugh once more before ruffling my hair with both her hands."That's my boy." She smiled at me as she reached over and grabbed her keys. "Now let's have a good day, huh? Are you sure you don't want me to just drop you off at school?""Nah, I was going to pick up Claire anyway on the Vespa.""By the way, how did you actually get that? You told me some old guy just didn't want his anymore.""Blinky and I built it together. He got all the parts together for my birthday a little while back.""Remind me to thank him for the extra anxiety then." I chuckled as we both made our way to our respective vehicles in the garage.
Maybe things will look up from here.
I gave my mom a small wave before heading my way down the road toward Claire's house.
Gunmar or not.
I pulled up to Claire's house only to be greeted with her standing at the top of the stairs already. The only difference in her attire was my old black, blue, and purple galaxy hoodie that Toby told me that she had stolen. I couldn't help but smile at the sight as she made her way up to me with a smile of her own."Morning.""Good morning." She slipped on her normal blue helmet before slipping onto the Vespa as if she has done it a million times before. "How are you today?""Well, besides having a rather emotional moment with ma this morning, all is good with me." I felt her wrap her arms around my middle as she settled into place. "What about you?""Besides my parents being overprotective as hell, everything is rather normal.""They actually took the kidnapping story to heart, huh?""Yup. The police didn't even really bother questioning me if it was real or not with our track record so far." I noted the rather dark tone in her voice as I placed a hand on top of her arms that sat around my abdomen."But you're okay, right?" I looked over my shoulder to her only to be greeted by the sight of a sweet smile gracing her lips."Now, yeah." I smiled back toward her before turning my attention ahead of me. My hands taking over the handlebars once more as the smile kept itself on my lips."Then let's have a good day, huh?" I felt her nod her head as she placed her chin onto my shoulder."Let's.""Okay, everyone." I watched Coach Lawrence set a bag of flour between each pair of students. "Each of you will be getting one of these to take care of for twenty-four hours. This flour bag is your child. Dress them up the way you want, name it, and make sure they're in one piece by this time tomorrow." He at this point, he reached Claire and me who were sitting together already as he continued. "If you don't like who you're sitting next to, then ask for a switch with someone else. If you're alright with them, then get to work." I looked over toward Claire who just took the paper bag of flour into her hands and looked over toward me with an amused look in her eyes."Here I thought assignments like this just happened in those weird TV shows." I chuckled at her as she set down the 'kid' between us. "Got any idea on how to design her?" I smiled at her as grabbed out a small thing of markers from my bag."Her? Not even gonna give me a choice, huh?""Nope." She popped the 'p' in the word before taking the box of markers from me. I couldn't help but chuckle at that as we started working together.Something about this was just so, well,
wholesome.
It felt
normal
just working together to design a goddamn flour sack.I chuckled at myself as I watched Claire who had her tongue sticking out slightly as she drew on the face of our 'kid'.
Even if it's just for a few moments. Even if it's only until the inevitable comes. It doesn't matter.
"Okay," She turned the flour toward me as she handed the black marker she was using toward me. "You can decide on the nose. I have no clue what I want to do with it." I took the marker from her with ease before drawing a simple button nose onto the bag. One rather similar to Claire's, actually. A simple thought dancing within my mind as I did so.
Not when I have people to lean on. Not when I have her.
"Is that good?" She gave me a smile and a simple nod before looking down at the flour sack once more."Perfect." She brought the small thing up into a sitting position as she looked over our handy work. "What should we name her? Maybe something witty?" I shrugged a little as I looked over the flour bag's features. It had my hair color yet Claire's blue strip within it. Her eyes were a soft brown as she had a simple smile to match. But it was obvious Claire almost went with a blue shade for her irises but decided against it last moment with how there was a small speck of blue in the corner of her left eye."Why not a flower? Like Rose or something. You know, since she's made of flour?" She let out a soft laugh as she nudged me in the side."And you always said you weren't the smart one between the two of us.""That's because I'm not." I laughed a little as I continued. "You're the one with the brains here. Toby and I are lucky at times if we have a brain cell to share.""HEY!" I almost howled in laughter as Toby's yell came from behind us. Darci easily getting him to calm down as Claire just shook her head a little bit at the two of us."How about something like Petunia? It's not as stereotypical as Rose since normal has never been a thing for you and me." I looked between her and the flour bag for a moment before speaking mainly to myself."Petunia, huh?" I let the name weigh itself onto my tongue for a moment as I looked over the dressed up bag. "It's perfect, honestly.""Then Petunia it is." She reached out and took the bag into her arms before shooting me a large smile. The sight causing this warm fuzzy feeling to spread across my chest. "How'd we do?"It feels good to have some normalcy. It's in probably one of the weirdest forms, but it's nice. It feels a little
wrong
sitting here and enjoying it while knowing Gunmar is out there."Well, she's as pretty as her mother, so I think we did well." I watched as a bright pink tint took over Claire's face as her smile widened so it nearly went from ear to ear.
But what's wrong with a little indulgence?
"How do you think we would be as parents?" I gave Claire a curious look as she and I walked together. Toby beside me as he pulled a wagon with his and Darci's kid within it along with mine and Claire's. "Like, I know I wouldn't be like my mom with how overbearing and controlling she is, but sometimes I worry that I'll somehow end up being too loose with rules and stuff. You know? Like I'll let them get away with
too
much since my mom let me do so
little." I just shrugged a little as I took her hand loosely into mine."All I know is that I'm not going to do what my dad did." We intertwined our fingers together as I continued. "Like, I love my mom and I saw all the sacrifices she made for me, but she shouldn't have had to do any of it. Like, if you're there for everything else, then why not stay? If you cared enough to be there for so long or even just there to cause it to happen, then see it through. If you love someone, then prove it, you know?" I looked over to Claire who just gave me a soft smile in return. Her hand tightening its grip on mine as if to say she understood in some way. It made the anger that was swelling in my chest as I spoke to subside with ease as I gave her a small smile in return.
But there was someone else that knew that pain even more than both of us combined.
I looked over toward Toby who had a sorrowful look to his face as a frown took over mine in turn."Sorry, Tobes." I took in a deep breath as he turned his attention toward me. "Us complaining about this in front of you is wrong of us.""No, it's alright. Everyone's got their issues. All because my parent issues are a little darker than yours doesn't mean yours isn't something to be sad or angry about." I felt Claire squeeze my hand once more as she spoke softly toward our friend."If you don't mind me asking, what actually happened with your parents? What were they like?" I watched as Toby took a deep breath before bringing his attention ahead of us once more."My grandma says that they were your typical young parents. Full of love and everything. The picture-perfect duo, really. She said they loved me more than anything and rarely left my side since I was born." He gave a small laugh before his tone changed to a darker one. "But when I was two, they won this lottery thing and decided to have the honeymoon they were never able to have since I was born right after they got married. They asked my grandma to keep an eye on me for a week and everything was fine for a little while. They even called her every day to see if I was alright. But then there was a storm. The whole cruise ship they were on was lost to the sea. Never to be found again." He looked up toward the sky as a small smile appeared on his face. A more hopeful tone coming to his voice as he spoke. "Sometimes, I like to imagine that they like to keep an eye out for me. Like my own personal guardian angels, you know?""Yeah." I looked over toward Claire who spoke barely above a whisper as she looked up toward the sky as well. "I feel the same about mi abuela a lot of the times. It's comforting." I smiled between the two of them as I held Claire's hand tight within my own."Well, let's hope that they give us some luck for our futures, huh? We've got a lot ahead of us.""Oh definitely. If not the Gunmar stuff, then my mom's political picnic for sure." I gave her a curious look. "What? Oh shit, I didn't tell you? My mom's having this picnic this weekend for her campaign. She wanted me to invite you. Especially since the whole "kidnapping" stuff. I guess it just slipped out of my mind with everything going on. Sorry." I noted the embarrassed look on her face as I just gave her a sweet smile in return."Don't be. I'll be there. Just text me the details later so I don't forget. With everything I have to catch up on, I might forget my head at this point." We all shared a laugh at that as we came to a crossroad between the street that Claire was had to head to and toward where Toby and I lived."Man, I wish you didn't leave your Vespa at the restaurant all four of us went to. It would be a lot easier to get home from here." I chuckled at Toby as I looked over toward Claire."Speaking of my Vespa, I should go pick it up. I can walk you home on the way.""Sure." Claire and I started to split off from Toby who started making his way toward our little cul-de-sac. "Stay out of trouble, TP!""I'll be able to stay out of trouble when you stop calling me the nickname for toilet paper, Nuñez!" We all shared a laugh over that as we continued on our separate paths. Claire turning her attention toward me as we made our way down the street."Do you think we can trust him with Petunia?""Toby's got it handled. Darci trusts him with whatever they named their's.""You mean Sir Isaac Gluten?" I chuckled as I swung our jointed hands slightly as we walked."Yeah. That." I smiled as she let out a small giggle beside me. "This is nice though." I looked down at our intertwined fingers as she let me swing them back and forth just the slightest. "Just being normal for a little bit. You know, despite the looming doom over our heads.""You're not beating yourself up over that right?" I could tell she was looking at me to see how I would react, but I kept my eyes down looking at our hands."I still am a little." I squeezed our hands together slightly as I brought them to a stop beside us. "Like, I understand that all of this is out of our hands, but I still-." I stopped myself as I ran my free hand through my hair. "I don't even know how to explain it.""Dreadful?" I felt the crystal under my shirt burn slightly as it seemed to strive at the word."I guess so. It was great at first. Getting back into the swing of things and feeling like a normal teen again for a little while there. Hell, I was even happy doing my homework and you know from personal experience how I am with math." She laughed a little at that as I brought my eyes up to her. "But suddenly, everything just felt heavy. Like nothing was normal because it
won't be. When Gunmar rears his head, everything will change. Especially by how Vendel was speaking." I dropped my right hand to my side as my left kept itself within hers. "The way he was speaking yesterday wasn't helping either, honestly. He knows something is going to happen but he won't tell us. He won't even tell Blinky or AAARRRGGHH." I looked down to the concrete as I let out a small sigh. "I just wish I knew more about what is going to happen. I get that I'm supposed to end the Eternal Night, but no one is telling me anything more than that and the roles that you and Tobes play within it.""You're worried." I whipped my head toward Claire as she spoke softly to me. A gentle smile gracing her lips while her hazel eyes seemed to understand me more than anything within that moment. "I would be too if I were you. You have the world's weight on your shoulders, but it's not just yours to bear, you know." She brought our joint hands up as if it to prove the point further. "We're all in this together. Just like we were there for each other in the Darklands. We will be there for each other through the rest of this too." She brought our hands back down to our sides as brought us to a stop so we could face one another. "You wouldn't let you anyway. Prophecy or not." I smiled as she took my other hand in hers."I wouldn't want it any other way." A simple grin spread across her face before and leaned in and planted a soft kiss on my cheek."Good." She pulled back and stood before me with a joyful look on her face. "I wasn't going anywhere anyway." I felt the crystal burn against my skin under my shirt as I just gave her a dopey smile. I slipped my hands out of hers since I had the urge to pull her into a loose hug instead, but I halted my movements when I heard a sharp scream in the distance."Did you-?" An even louder scream cause both of us to just start sprinting in the direction of it anyway. Once we got closer, we were welcomed to the sight of Toby swinging around his hammer at a large pale faceless monster that could be compared to like a human slug as it stretched out its limbs toward Toby."FUCK OFF!" I activated my armor and ran up beside Toby as he slammed his hammer into the hand of the beast. The hand just splattering underneath his hammer with a sickening splash. "Oh, that's disturbing." I pulled my sword out from my scaffold as I went to slice off the beast's arm. But after I sliced through it, it just reconnected itself as it even put its hand back together again. "And that is going to haunt me in my dreams.""Boys! Whatever this is, physically fighting it won't help us!" I looked over toward Claire who pulled out her staff and made a small portal to her right. "We need to get the hell out of here!""You don't have to tell me twice, Shadowmancer!" Toby put away his hammer with a soft click to the side before grabbing the wagon handle and running through the portal without a second thought. I dodged an attack from the monster that was now behind us as I grabbed Claire by the hand before pulling her along with me through the portal. Before we knew it, we were in Blinky's library who turned toward us with wide shocked eyes."GREAT GRONKA MORKA! Where in the name of Deya's Grace did you three come from?" He rushed toward us with AAARRRGGHH in tow."Wingman?" Toby tried his best to catch his breath from running so fast as he looked up toward his trollish friend."Weird. Slime monster thing. Looked like dirt. No face. Sweet mother of-." Toby sucked in a deep voice as he looked over toward Claire and me. "You two wanna-. Oh boy, take this one.?""It was like a dirt humanoid version of a goblin." I looked over toward Blinky as I put my sword back into my scaffold."Faceless you say?" I nodded as he made his way to one of the many books on his shelves. "I might just know what's got the lot of you so frantic then." He pulled a book out from the shelf before placing it down onto the library's island counter like he has done many times before. "What you three have witnessed is a Gruesome.""What Grues-what now?" Blinky looked over to Toby as he went deeper into detail."A Gruesome. I guess it must have escaped from the Darklands as the prophecy said that Gunmar would.""So what you're saying is that there is
more
than just Gunmar that escaped.""Most definitely." Blinky flipped a few pages in the book with his two lower hands as his upper right hand went to his chin. "Makes sense since Bagwella said something about seeing a pale goblin the other day.""The one that Draal was sent out to look into?" Blinky nodded his head to answer my question. "Have we heard anything from him since yesterday, by the way?""Not that I'm aware of. I can speak with Vendel in a moment once we clear up a few things here. I know he's speaking with Usurna at the moment, but I know he wouldn't mind answering a few questions for us." I nodded along to the idea as Blinky stopped flipping the pages. "Ah-ha! Found it! What the beast unharmed by physical attacks?""Yes.""No face?""Yes.""Looks like this?" He turned the book toward us before dropping all of his arms to his sides."Yes." All three of us answered that time as we looked up toward him."Then a Gruesome it is.""How do we kill it then?" I placed a hand onto the handle of my sword as I gave him a cautious look. "I don't know about you, but slashing at things has been my best friend as of late. I haven't had to actually think something through when it came to slaying something since the fairy incident.""You need to dry it out. A form of powder will do it well.""Powder." I brought a hand to my chin as I muttered the word to myself. I looked around for a second as I rattled my brain. That was until my eyes landed on the two flour sacks within the small red wagon. "Flour is known for absorbing liquids.""Bro," I looked over toward Toby as he gave me a look that just screamed 'Are you serious?' at me. "You're not seriously thinking about using our project to kill a Gruesome, right?""If we have no choice, yes. At the moment, I'm thinking about stealing the bag I have at home and chucking the bitch at it." Toby gasped at me as he picked up both of the flour bags from the wagon and held them close to him."There are
children
here, James!""Tobes, you just yelled fuck off at the top of your lungs. What's wrong with me saying bitch?" He just held the flour sacks closer to him as he whispered to them."Don't listen to them, babies. Uncle slash daddy Jimbo just has a potty mouth, that's all.""Well, while the three of you decide whatever it is that you are going to do about this," Blinky removed himself from behind the island counter as he started making his way out of the library. "I'm going to check in with Master Vendel.""Alrighty. Thank you, Blink!" I called out after the troll as he made his way toward Vendel's dwelling."Any time!" Blinky called out over his shoulder with a smile before turning his attention back before him. As he left the area though, I brought my attention back toward Claire and Toby."So. What do you guys think?" Claire made her way past me as she took the book that Blinky left on the island."I say we trap it." She skimmed the pages of the book before pointing at a specific part of it. "It says here that they follow the scent of troll remains which is their main food source." She brought her gaze back up as she gave a curious look toward Toby. "Why would it attack you then?" Without a second thought, Toby set the flour bags down into the wagon and dropped his backpack to his feet."Probably because I have this." After rummaging within his bag for a second, he presented us with a hand size chunk of rock. "It's a piece of Bular.""Why in the hell-?""What?" Toby placed the rock into the wagon along with the flour bags before shouldering his bag once more. "I wanted a reminder that we actually
killed
the dude. That the next day it wasn't some kind of sick dream or something." I shrugged at that as I understood for the most part why he did such a thing. I turned my head back to Claire as I decided to change the subject back to the problem at hand."So what was your plan?""I was thinking we get troll remain, which we have covered apparently," She gestured toward the chunk of Bular as she closed the book with a single hand. "And then put it out in the forest clearing we found it in. Then when it goes to eat it, chuck that flour you were talking about at it.""And if that one bag isn't enough?" Claire shrugged at Toby as she put the book back onto the counter."I guess one of our project children will die for a good cause." I chuckled at Claire as she just looked up at me in reply. "Hey, all because I'm alright with it doesn't mean I actually
want
this to happen. I have grown quite attached to our little Petunia.""Well, Darci will kill me if anything would happen to Issac so~." He elongated the 'o' before continuing. "Petunia is the sacrificial lamb then.""Just so you two boys know, I won't have the heart to chuck her myself.""Jim?""You want
me
to chuck
her
at a Gruesome?" I gestured at myself and Petunia specifically. "I think I might cry first.""Then I have to be the heartless one?" Claire and I didn't have to look at each other to answer him in unison."Yes." He gave us a half-hearted glare as the sound of panicked footsteps came toward us."JIM! CLAIRE! TOBIAS!""Blink?" AAARRRGGHH turned toward his friend as Blinky came to a sudden stop before all of us. "What wrong?" The multiarmed troll tried his best to catch his breath as he looked up toward his companion."Great trouble." He took a few more breaths to try to calm himself as I made my way over toward him."Blinky? What's wrong?" He looked down at me with a sorrowful look. A sense of pain and dread filling his many eyes."Vendel. He's-." He pulled his gaze away from me as he stared down at the stone floor between us."Vendel's what, Blink? What's wrong?" He looked back up toward me before looking between all of us for a moment. His eyes returning toward me with the same sorrowful expression. A sudden feeling of dread filling my chest.
Why do I have a feeling what he's going to say?
I swallowed hard as Blinky spoke once more. This time saying the words that I dreaded more than anything."He's dead, Jim. Shattered."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"This can't be happening." I sat down on the steps leading to Troll Market before putting my head into my hands. "He can't be gone. He just
can't. There's so much more we don't know. There's so much he hasn't taught me yet." I dug my fingers into my hair as I felt an arm drape itself over my shoulders. "Vendel can't be dead. He fucking-." I felt my voice break as a simple sob escaped me."It's so unreal." Toby's voice could be heard from behind me. "He's been alive longer than I think even humanity made myths about trolls. To think he died especially
shattered
is just-." Toby stopped as he let out a loud sigh. "Feels like some kind of dream.""Yeah," Claire whispered out the single word as she just pulled me into her side. "Wait." I brought my head up to give Claire a confused look as she seemed to be struck with a realization. "Didn't he say something was going to happen that he couldn't tell us? That if we knew that we would try to fight it?""Oh shit." Toby came closer to Claire's other side as he gave her a wide-eyed look. "Do you think Vendel
knew
this was going to happen?""It makes sense. With how he was talking about not wanting to waste precious time or anything, it's a little too eerie for it to be a coincidence.""But if that's true," Claire turned her attention toward me as I spoke. "Who in the hell would do it? Would he have known exactly who caused it? Wouldn't he have left a clue?""I don't know." Claire took her arm back from around my shoulders before standing. "But if he did, we should search for it. Look through his chambers. Look for anything that could lead us to who did this." I nodded my head as a new sense of determination took over my system. I stood to join Claire as Toby let out an excited roar."Let's find ourselves an elder killer!" Without another word, we all started heading toward Vendel's old dwelling within the heartstone.
But with each step I took.
I looked over my shoulder cautiously as we made our way through Troll Market.
I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched.
I held the crystal out before me as it translated the trollish titles on the binding of the several books Vendel had within his dwelling as Toby and Claire were searching around the rest of his chambers."How many potions did Vendel even
have? Like, look at-!" I heard a light smack as Toby was cut short. "HEY! The hell, Nuñez?""Don't be toying with potions you don't know about. If Vendel taught me anything when it comes to the Shadowmancer thing is that magic is very delicate. One false move with the wrong spell or something will cause
hellish
effects.""Noted. But that does-." I tuned Toby out as I found a black leather book that had the simple word 'Eclipse' etched into its binding. I grabbed it out without a second thought before opening it up so I could start flipping through a few pages. Until my attention brought itself to some of the titles I was flipping past.
The Eclipse: The Human Between Worlds? The Shadowmancer's Tale? Auspistice and His Worth?
I felt my eyes widen as I continued turning the pages.
This is it. The prophecy.
I scanned the pages and realized that the ones that I was flipping through were the ones that Vendel had detailed to Claire, Toby, and me. Some of it was about ideas that Vendel speak to us about, but they were rather obvious. The Auspistice was the Eclipse's truest friend. The Shadowmancer had family ties to everything around us through a sibling.But I couldn't help but feel bashful as one of the entries spoke of how the Eclipse and Shadowmancer were meant to be. I shook my head slightly as I refocused myself.
Not the right time, Jackass.
I went to flip the next page, but I was welcomed to a gap within the pages.
The hell?
I looked between the entry before it and after to realize that it was about how the Tribunal is major to the prophecy, but the pages that mattered the most, seemingly, were missing. As if someone knew exactly what needed to be taken for no one to know what exactly was suppose to come about with them."Hey, guys?" I turned my head toward Toby and Claire who looked up toward me from their respective searching positions. "I think I found something." I turned my attention back toward the book as they joined each side of me."The Eclipse and the Tribunal? Wait, is this the prophecy?""I guess so. It doesn't detail everything, but there's a lot of pages missing here. I thought at first that it was just a thin ass book, but I guess someone got here before we could." Claire leaned close to the book as she read over the last entry within it."The Tribunal will never again be one. Making the Eclipse the only bridge between not just trolls and humans, but the different species of trolls themselves. All due to the action of one troll.""What in the hell?! What troll would kill Vendel?" I looked over toward Claire who seemed to be deep in thought as she nulled over Toby's question."Not just any troll," She looked up toward me as I realized exactly where she was going."One that was in the Tribunal themselves.""Okay," I turned my attention toward Toby that was looking between Claire and me as if we were insane. "What kind of shit are you two on because how in the
hell
did you two end up with that conclusion? Or am I just stupid over here?""Just think about it Tobes," I gestured to the book laying on the table before us as Claire closed it. "Vendel said it himself that only the Tribunal knew of the complete prophecy. Hell, we're the prophets in this and even
we
don't know anything about it. Who else would know that this existed? No one else would want to take those pages out because only the other members of the Tribunal would know it in the first place.""But that also means," I gave Claire my attention as she took the book and slipped it into her satchel purse. "Whoever did this is going to target the others. They are obviously trying to cover their tracks. We need to find the other members and make sure that they're okay or at least gather whatever the hell is missing in this book.""But what about the Gruesome?" I ran a hand through my hair as I let out a groan.How could you forget about the fucking
Gruesome, Lake?
You know? The thing that you were supposed to fucking
trap?"We're going to have to split up. Blinky and AAARRRGGHH should be able to help whoever goes to figure out where the rest of the Tribunal is, but two of us should go deal with the whole Gruesome thing before it gets out of hand.""Since I can read and speak a bit trollish, it might be best for me to go on the tribunal mission." I turned my attention toward Claire as she just gave me a soft smile. "I might lose my shit if you boys need to use Petunia to get rid of the gruesome anyway so, I should be as far away from the two of you as possible.""Are you sure?""Totally." I felt a worried ping strike across my chest as something just felt
wrong
with letting Claire out of my sight. I knew she could handle herself and she was going to be with Blinky and AAARRRGGHH on this mission, but something just felt off. Something didn't feel right.
And the burning of the crystal within my hand wasn't helping me any.
I watched as a smirk appeared on Claire's face before she reached out to place a hand on my shoulder."You're worried, aren't you?""A little." I gave her a sheepish smile as she just giggled in return."I'll be fine, Jim." She leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on my cheek. "I can handle myself.""Oh, I know that a little too well." I chuckled at Toby's words. "But I'm betting Loverboy is just worried because of the whole Tribunal Troll On A Kill Hunt isn't really a normal day-to-day occurrence, Nuñez." Claire just rolled her eyes at him before landing her sights back on me."If anything happens, I'll portal to you two." I smiled at her as I felt her hand squeeze itself onto my shoulder. "I don't want to miss out on introducing my boyfriend to my parents anyway." I looked at her with wide eyes as a lopsided smile took over my face.
Boyfriend?
"Break a leg out there, boys." I watched after Claire as she made her way out of Vendel's chambers. A warm feeling swelling within my chest as I muttered the word to myself."Boyfriend." I heard Toby gag beside me which caused me to shoot him a glare."What? That was too sweet. Even for
me
and I was giving Darci flowers and poems only twenty-four hours after I knew she had an
interest
in me." I rolled my eyes at him as I started making my way out of the heartstone dwelling myself."Let's just get this gruesome dealt with." I Toby rushed to join my side as we started heading toward the staircase leading to the surface."Bro, we are not leaving this conversation at that.""We are.""But we aren't." I rolled my eyes at Toby once more as a small chuckle rattled my chest. I put the crystal back around my neck as we made our way through Troll Market."Gruesome first and then you can mess with me. Okay?""Oh, fucking
bet.""So are we going to talk about you turning into a puddle on the ground when Claire called you her boyfriend?" I shot Toby a glare as I hid behind the tree I helped him up into."Shush.""What? The gruesome is going to be more interesting in that Bular piece instead of our little whispering session here.""Oh, I know. I just want you to be quiet.""And
I
want to mess with you on the whole boyfriend thing but I guess we both don't get what we want." I rolled my eyes as a smile fought to take over my face.
Moments like this between Toby and me make me feel as if nothing has changed over the past months. It was a gift really. Even if it's full of him teasing me and me being a blushing mess.
A small grumble pulled me out of my thoughts as I saw the gruesome emerge for the forestry and head toward chunk of Bular Toby had set out."Ready, Tobes?""Hell yeah, dude! Our normal flour and your little Petunia are ready as well.""Good." I kept my eyes on the gruesome as I called upon the crystal hanging around my neck. "Let's do this." I rushed out from my hiding spot as the gruesome got closer. Drawing my sword as I got closer. "HEY!" The creature turned its attention toward me as I shouted out toward it.God that's fucking creepy. You don't even have
eyes
and you turn your head toward me as if you do.I didn't allow my fear to surface as I just shot the creature a smirk instead."How ya doing Sandman?" I presented my blade before me as it turned its complete attention toward me. "That's it. Fight me, ya large heap of fucking quicksand!" I tapped my left index finger on my collar so that my helmet appeared and set itself in place. My hand retreated to my blade's handle as the gruesome crept closer. "Come on. Just a little closer." I stepped back slowly as the being lifted one of their arms toward me. "NOW TOBES!" I leaped to the side as the gruesome's arm shot out toward me."SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!" A cry could be heard from the creature as a cloud of white appeared in the air. I looked over toward Toby as he jumped down from where he was hiding. His attention on the bag of flour as it was obvious that the one dose was not enough for the being to die from it. "Sorry, little one. Seems we need a second hit of this stuff." Toby then threw the bag at the gruesome's chest with a loud battle cry coming from him. This one causing the gruesome to solidify completely before falling to pieces. I tapped the collar of my armor before shooting Toby a large smile."Well," I walked over toward the pile of dried clutters of sand and mud before picking up the forgotten lump of troll flesh. "Seems you get to keep your Bular keepsake.""Always a plus when you get to keep a piece of your first real enemy." Toby gave me a large smile in return as he took the troll piece from me. "That wasn't that difficult either. Seems we might just be getting a hang of this whole Eclipse stuff.""Don't jinx us just yet." We shared a small chuckle as I put my sword back in my scaffold. The crystal calling back the armor before I slipped my hands into my jeans pockets. "Might want to knock on wood, Tobes.""Good thing we're in a forest!" I chuckled at Toby as he rushed back toward the tree he jumped from and knocked his fist against the trunk of it. "See? We're all good. Now," Toby gave me a smirk as he walked back to where I was standing. "Back to the girlfriend topic.""Toby." I blushed as I tried to make my tone of voice as angry as I could. "No.""Toby yes." He snickered as the vibration of my phone pulled my attention away from him. I pulled out my phone from my right jeans pocket. The screen showcasing Claire's name to me before I pressed the answer button and brought it up to my ear without a second thought."Hey, is everything okay?""Relatively." I felt a confused look took over my face as she continued. "I've narrowed it down to two people. The last two members of the Tribunal that spoke to Vendel. Usurna and Bork. Finding out AAARRRGGHH is from Usurna's tribe and was trying to convince him to come back to the land of the
Kruberas but that was settled with rather easily. Did you know AAARRRGGHH was abducted by Gum-Gum was a youngling? Never knew that until today and it makes me a little frightened that such a big loveable mess of a troll could be tied to something so dangerous.""Huh. Never knew that actually. Makes sense why he's adamant about being a pacifist." I chuckled a little before speaking once more. "Not that I hate to hear from you, but was that all you wanted to say? Tobes and I got a mess of sand and muck to deal with at the moment.""You guys already took care of it? Seems we're getting pretty efficient, huh?""Tobes was saying something along the lines as well, but I told him to knock on wood before he jinxed us." I heard a giggle on the other end as a smile appeared on my face in reply."I'll be sure to do that whenever I'm near some then. I do have more for you though.""I'm all ears then.""There's been another blood goblin sighting. You know that old firework place? Somewhere around there." I stayed silent as I could tell there was something else she wanted to say. "And Draal was seen too." I felt a shocked look take over my face as I held the phone closer to my face."What?""I was the same way when Bagwella told me. Something about how a troll was out in the forest not too far from the bridge to find something that she wouldn't talk to me about.""Probably has to deal with the weird shit she always has in that shop of hers, but yeah?""And they saw him. They were unsure if it was truly him or not, but they called out his name and he ran in the opposite direction.""That-." I hesitated as I ran my free hand through my hair. "That sounds
nothing
like Draal.""Yeah." Her tone was a little darker as she spoke. "I'm a little worried about him. With Gunmar out and about and with that sword of his we witnessed in the Darklands-." Claire stopped as her voice trailed off a little. She didn't have to finish the sentence though for me to understand where she was going.
That blade of his that could make anyone his slave. Everything about them being thrown to the wind as they follow whatever command the bastard tells them. Even if it's leading them to their death.
But Draal couldn't have been touched by it. We haven't even seen any evidence of Gunmar himself. Yes, we've seen creatures from the Darklands and we know he's out there, but he would have to be close for him to capture Draal.
I shook my head as I pulled myself out of my thoughts."If that's true, I'll slaughter Gunmar before he could even make the Eternal Night fucking
happen." I growled out the last few words without a second thought."And I would be right beside you, Jim." My anger subsided a little as a smile fought to take over my lips. "Let's deal with the blood goblins first though, alright? One step at a time." I smiled as I repeated her last sentence back to her."One step at a time." I felt a nudge on my bicep as Toby seemed to want my attention. "I'll let you go for right now, alright? We can meet up at the old firework place that you were talking about.""You got it. See you soon.""See ya." With that, the line cut off as I pulled the phone away from my ear and pressed the shutter button before hiding it away into my jeans pocket again. "We've got another mission, Tobes.""As major as dealing with this thing," He kicked a little at a cluster of mud and sand as he kept his eyes on me. "Or a bit smaller?""A little bit smaller. Just some blood goblins at that old firework place in town.""Great." Toby let out a soft sigh as we started making our way out of the forestry. "Blood goblins and fireworks. Totally a perfect combination.""Oh come on, Tobes. It can't be that bad.""And you say I jinx us." I chuckled at him as we continued our way through the trees. My mind dancing back to the Draal sighting that Claire was telling me about.
If Draal really did get-.
I shook my head a little as I couldn't even
think
about the idea.
If he is, so be it. I won't give up on him.
I felt a new wave of determination fill my chest the promise appeared in my head.
He never did with me, so I won't with him. No matter what happens, I'll bring him back to Troll Market. This I promise.
A smile took over my lips as a familiar saying echoed within my mind.
And I like keeping my promises.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"I can't believe the three of you got yourselves caught." I let out a soft sigh as my mom parked in front of the school building on an early Saturday morning."At least Mr. Uhl didn't see the goblins." I gave my mom a nervous smile as she just gave me a small one in return."At least I was able to convince him into having you do detention instead of having you spend a night in jail. We don't need the Eclipse being locked up now, do we?""I'm sorry you're all roped into this though, mom. You don't deserve it." She reached out and combed her fingers through my hair as her smile just grew."What I don't deserve is a son willing to give up his life for the world." I smiled up toward her as she continued. "When did all the time go, huh? One minute you're crushing on that councilwoman's daughter at a fundraising party and the next minute you're off saving a world I didn't even know
existed
let alone
understand. Yet somehow you're able to stand in front of the bombardment of whatever it has thrown at you. You've grown up way too fast for me, Jim." I blushed at my mom's words as I shot a glare toward Toby."You told her." Toby instantly held up his hands in a defensive stance."HEY! You're mom's fucking
terrifying! Like
Christ,
she knows all the weaknesses in the human
body. You can't tell me
not
to tell her.""You broke the sacred pinky-promise, Tobes." I smiled as my mom just laughed at us as she just ruffled my hair gently."See. That's why I'm proud you're my son. You're still the same even after being forced into such a role." She smiled down at me before looking over toward the school once more. "You and Toby should go though. We don't need you two getting in trouble for being late for detention on
top
of having detention as well.""Yeah. At least we're not suffering through it alone though. Right Tobes?""Too bad Claire had to deal with the wrath of councilwoman Nuñez." I shivered at the idea before exiting the car and giving my mom a weak smile."I'll text you when we get out. Thanks for all of this, mom.""Thank you for being honest with me." Toby and I closed our respective car door before turning toward the school once more."I guess I'm not going to be allowed at that family picnic at Claire's today, huh?" I shot Toby a nervous smile before we started making our way up the staircase of the school building and toward our boring detention day."Oh more than likely not, buddy."I sketched idly in my notebook as Señor Uhl took the phone sitting on my desk as he went through the row of desks to take our devices."You will not speak to each other," I glanced over toward Claire who was sitting next to me only to see that she was looking over toward me at the same time. "There is no technology, and there will not be any form of joy within these next handful of hours." I looked around the classroom to see Steve, Eli, Mary, and Shannon were joining me, Claire, and Toby during our weekend torture session. I turned my attention toward my best friend in question as he grabbed something out of his school bag before it was taken by Señor Uhl just like his phone was. "Food is included with that, Mr. Domzalski." The teacher looked over the tinfoil covered object within his hands before giving Toby a skeptical look. "What even is this?""A burrito." The older man just rolled his eyes at Toby as I tried my best to hold back a snicker."I'll be the one to judge that." Before Toby could warn the older man of what I knew was his favorite beefy burrito from hell, the man unwrapped the top of it and took a bite without a second thought. "All of you will be working on school work.""What if we already have that done?" I glanced over toward Eli who asked the question as our teacher just leaned against his desk."Better get used to doing nothing then." I sigh as the teacher took another bite from the burrito in his hands as I glanced back over toward Claire who was now writing something within her notebook.
And dread the fact that you got your girlfriend in trouble with her parents before you could meet them as her boyfriend? Totally got it covered, Mr. Uhl.
I turned my attention back toward my school books and homework papers along with the notebook I was sketching within.
But at least I could get some late homework assignments done.
I flipped to a clean page within my notebook and decided to get some math work done.
Maybe I could sneak some help from Claire as well if I'm sneaky enough. Maybe then I could sneak in an apology as well.
I glanced out of the corner of my eye to see that she was glancing back at me. I smiled at her which she shared in reply that only caused my heart to flutter within my chest as she pulled her attention back toward her work.
Doesn't seem like she cares if I do or not though.
Twenty minutes or so passed before Uhl rushed up to his feet and dashing out of the classroom without a single word to the rest of us. I just smiled at the commotion before leaning back in my chair and turning my attention toward Toby who was sitting in front of me."You tried to warn him.""Warn him about what, Lake?" I looked over toward Steve that was sitting near the front of the classroom behind where Eli was."That burrito Tobes had with him tears your insides out if you're not used to it." I closed my math book as Toby took my attention once more. "How long do you think he'll be in there? An hour or two at the very most?""Honestly, yeah. Maybe three if it's not the only thing in his system." I saw out of the corner of my eye to see that Claire just shook her head at us."You boys know too much about that stuff." I just shrugged as I shot Claire a soft smile."I blame Tobes for eating those things so much.""Can you three be quiet?! He might hear us." Toby just chuckled at Eli's exclamation as he crossed his arms over his chest."When he's probably making the nearest boy's restroom a fucking radioactive zone? Doubtful. What are you even doing in detention if you're being such a goody-two-shoes, Eli?""Leave the Buttsnack alone, Domzalski." I shot a shocked look over toward Steve as he was glaring at my best friend."Did you just-? Sorry, I thought hell froze over for a second there." Steve turned his attention toward me before rolling his eyes at me."What? I can't be nice for once?""That's like saying you have more than two brain cells, Palchuk." Mary joined in on the conversation as she just smirked at Steve's angry look that he threw toward her."Oh yeah? I don't see you being in a better predicament than I am right now.""That's because of pure chance that Miss Janeth dropped her phone under the bleachers and found me kissing a rival student under there. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be sitting here. Unlike you. Didn't you get caught trying to spraypaint the boy's locker room with your own
name?""It's not as stupid as whatever the hell Lake is in here for!" The blonde turned his attention toward me before tilting his head to the side. "What are you here for anything?" I froze on the spot as I knew saying 'Hey, I stole
Señor Uhl's pickup truck and somehow didn't get detention from it due to my mom talking it over with him'
was probably more unbelievable than just saying I was the fucking Eclipse within that moment."We were planning on pulling a prank on Strickler since he's been giving us hell." I looked over toward Claire who had a smirk on her face. "Bastard would have deserved it though."
Thank you Claire for saving my ass part seventy-something.
"Really? Were you guys planning on doing?""Gluing everything down on his desk." Mary gave her friend a pleased look as she crossed her arms over her chest."Nice~." She elongated the word before unfolding her arms to pull something out of her bag."How do you have your phone? Didn't he take it?" Steve gave Mary a curious look as she just looked over at the blonde as if he was stupid."Ever heard of an emergency phone? Do you think I could live without one? You got the wrong bitch if you think that." I couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction as Toby got up to his feet."Then how about instead of wasting our two hours of free time here, how about we go on an adventure? We do have the whole high school to ourselves." I looked over toward Claire to see how she thought about the proposition."I don't see the hurt in it. What do you think, Jim?" I shrugged at the idea before raising to my feet myself."Why not? As if he's going to be out of that bathroom any time soon. We just need to steer clear of that area. If not for not getting caught, then for our own health, honestly." I heard Claire giggle at me before shaking her head at my comment."Again. Only you and Toby would make such jokes.""If you're calling us immature, then you're not wrong!" I laughed a little at Toby before making my way toward the front of the classroom."Then let's go on this adventure then, huh? I know that at least the gym is open still. We could find a basketball or something.""If we do, I challenge ya to a game, Lake." Steve rose to his feet as I just gave him a small smile."In a friendly way or you're going to kick my ass if you don't win?""Friendly. I'm not as much of an asshole as you make me out to be.""You're not seriously planning on leaving here, right?" Steve looked over toward Eli who was now tugging at the taller boy's wrist. The blonde just gave him a small shrug as he looked over toward Mary."Well everyone else is going." He then looked over toward Shannon who rose to her feet."Might as well get in trouble together if not." Mary rose to her feet and joined Shannon's side with a smile."As long as I can message Jeremy on my phone.""Jeremy? What happened with Tight Pants Hank?""We called it quits." She just shrugged as she answered. "So, adventure?" I smiled at the ragtag group before Eli rose to his along with us."I don't have a good feeling around this." Steve just flung an arm around the smaller boy before bringing him close to his side."Aw, come on, Buttsnack! It'll be fun.""Fun or troublesome." I smiled as Claire moved to joined my side."Oh more than likely troublesome, but we'll have fun along with it.""Great. Just great.""Unfair, Lake!" I dribbled the ball as I gave Steve a wide smirk."What? I didn't foul or anything. Right Claire?" I shot her a smile as she, Mary, Shannon, and Toby were watching the two of us."I didn't see anything sketchy.""That's even more unfair! You two are-. Well, whatever the two of you are." I felt a small blush take over my face as I heard Claire call out from the bleachers."All because he's my boyfriend doesn't mean I'll always side with him. Well," Claire gave Steve a small smirk as she crossed her right leg over her left. "Actually, it does.""You never told me you two were official!" Mary nudged Claire in the shoulder as I kept dribbling the ball in my right hand."You never asked." Mary gave her a hurt look as Shannon just laughed at the two of them."Oh quit being overdramatic. I know the two of you are theater kids, but Christ." I grabbed the basketball before making my way toward the bleachers as I figured that we were done with our game since the conversation took over. "But I do think you should have told Mary. It's good to be honest with those around you. Especially friends and family. You never know when you're going to need their help the most. Ya know?""Speaking of honestly." Toby popped into the conversation as he sat down next to Shannon with a curious look on his face. "Why are you here anyway, Shannon? I know you're quite the sickler for the school rules.""Oh, I was caught embezzling from the student council." I felt a shocked look take over my face as an unfiltered response fell from my lips."For someone that just spoke about honesty so easily, that's rather ironic, don't you think?" Shannon just smiled at me with ease as she just placed her hands into her lap."Never judge a book by its cover, as they say.""Well. If that's the most truthful thing I ever heard.""HEY GUYS!" We all snapped our attention toward Eli who had a few bikes laying down next to him. "Look what I found!" I snapped my attention toward Claire who just shared the spark of mischief in my eyes."Bike ride through the halls?""Oh hell yeah." I dropped the ball beside me as Claire and I raced over toward the bikes."HEY! Not even going to give the rest of us a chance?!""There is such a thing as pegs, dude. Stand on them." Claire giggled beside me as I took a bike off the floor near Eli. Once I got onto the bike, she did exactly as I said before placing her hands onto my shoulder. "Let's go! Race all you guys to the cafeteria!" Claire tightened her hold on my shoulders as I pushed off to start peddling down the hallway."WAIT FOR US!"I peddled as hard as I could as I felt the wind ruffling my hair with ease and Claire's arms wrapped around my neck. Her soft giggle filling the air as it whooshed past us."Are they even close?" I felt Claire adjust herself to look over my shoulder before settling herself back into place."I don't even
see
them." I smiled as I could hear the happiness in the girl's voice. "You know. It's nice having moments like this. Just us being normal for once." My smile widened as I nodded my head slightly."Yeah. Even if it is biking inside a school building during detention hours." I felt a sheepish look take over my face as I turned to go down a different hallway. "Sorry for having you deal with your mom's wrath though. I bet she doesn't want me at that party tomorrow as you wanted.""Actually, I convinced her that it was all my fault. That I convinced you to hijack the truck with me. She doesn't believe me completely, but she believes me enough to give you a second chance.""You mean you still want me to come to the party even though I bring chaos in my wake?" I smiled as I took a chance to glance up at the girl before bringing my eyes before me once more."Your chaos is my favorite type of chaos.""If only your parents had the same mentality.""I don't expect them to like my boyfriend." I felt her place a small kiss on my cheek before wrapped her arms around my neck once more. "Now, we've got a race to win!" I chuckled at her sudden switch in demeanor as a blush took over my cheeks.
I'll never get used to this, will I?
I snapped out of my dopey phase as I saw a familiar figure standing at the end of the hallway. I skid the bike to a halt as I narrowed my eyes at the figure."Draal?" Claire spoke my thoughts I felt her tighten her hold me to keep her upright. "What is he doing here? In broad daylight?""I don't know." I felt myself stiffen as I swallowed dryly. "Draal! What are you-?" His head snapped toward us as he started rushing down the hallway toward us. His normal bright yellow and red eyes now an eerie electric blue. I felt my stomach drop as a sudden realization hit me like a ton of bricks.This is not Draal. It looks like him, yes. But this isn't
him.I turned the bike toward the cafeteria and started pedaling as hard as I could away from the rushing troll."Why is he attacking us?!""I have no clue!" I heard Claire grab out her staff with a simple whoosh."He's gaining upon us. We need to get out of here.""Just don't portal to anyone else. We can't get found off-campus either. Keep that in mind.""Don't worry, I have a safe place in mind." A portal appeared before us and I pushed my legs to start pedaling even harder to get us through it as soon as possible. Once we came through on the other side, the bike was caught on something as both Claire and I tumbled to the floor beneath us. I picked myself up as soon as I could before moving to help the fallen witch back up to her full height."Are you alright?" Claire smiled up at me before taking my hand to help her up."Yeah. Respecting the circumstances." I glanced around where we were to see that we were on the old stage in the theater department."I would have guessed you would teleport us to the theater department." I chuckled a little as she just smiled sheepishly at me."Well, it's our stage. It was the first thing to come to mind where I knew both of us would be safe.""Our stage, huh?" I couldn't help but smile at the specific word in question as both her hands were now in mine."Well, I wouldn't have been a good Juliet without Romeo.""It takes two to tango, Nuñez.""Do you even know how to tango?""Nope. Two left feet, remember?" She just giggled softly at me as she squeezed my hands slightly."I would have to teach you someday. There's always some form of dancing at my mom's parties. Not so much at this fundraiser of her's, but when la familia comes around, you'll have to put those two left feet to good use.""So you're saying I'll embarrass myself? Perfect. I already do that on the daily in the first place.""Let's worry about the present first, huh? Even though I personally think it's adorable you're worried about that stuff already." I blushed a little at her statement as her hands took themselves out of mine so that she could pick up her staff that was still laying on the stage. "More specifically with what the hell has happened to Draal.""Did you notice his change in eye color? His whole demeanor? It's as if he's there-.""But he isn't in the same breath."
"FIGHT HIM!"
"B-But sir!" I watched as Gunmar swiped at the Gum-Gum with his sword. Once the blade touched his skin, a bright blue gleam started to take over the green cracks within the troll's skin. His emerald eyes turning to a sapphire blue as he turned rather limp for someone that was still standing before his general.
"I told you-." Gunmar narrowed his eyes toward the Gum-Gum before pointing a figure in my direction. "To
fight." The troll turned on its heels before looking toward me with an emotionless expression. It looked as if he was a zombie. As if his own spirit had left its body within that direct moment. His will was now a slave to the command of Gunmar. A simple pawn in his game of chest.
Just as Draal was within the hallway.
"Gunmar. That blade he had in the Darklands." I looked down toward the wooden floor of the stage as I clutched at Claire's hands. "It could control your mind if you were touched by it. Turned the Gum-Gum's I saw in the arena into mindless zombies. Their eyes turning from mossy shades of emeralds to-.""Sickeningly blues." I nodded numbly as Claire finished my thoughts. "Draal must have found him when he went out on that mission then. That explains his disappearance, at least. But if he was truly under Gunmar's control and he spotted us first, why didn't he rush at us sooner?""I don't know." I felt my voice crack as I felt a sudden dread spread across my chest. "But I don't want to end up losing him as well to all of this. It's bad even Vendel met his end with this God-forsaken prophecy. I can't lose-.""You
won't
lose anyone else." I snapped my head up to look at Claire who had a determined gleam in her eye. "I'll be
damn
sure of it.""You say it like we can change fate somehow." I chuckled weakly as I felt her hands slip out of mine before they found their way to my cheeks."We might not be able to change fate," I couldn't help but smile at her soft voice as her thumbs danced across my cheeks. "But we're going to sure as hell tempt it.""I knew I liked you for a reason." I watched a smile appear on her lips before she pulled me into a tight hug."We'll save him someway. I promise." I wrapped my arms around her tightly as I tried my best to put faith in her words. "We'll find a way."
God, I hope so, Claire.
I buried my head into her shoulder as I felt her hands rubbing idle circles into my back.
God, I fucking hope so.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I swallowed dryly as I idly rubbed small circles into my girlfriend's hand. Our friends unknowingly lying to our Spanish teacher about the dented in lockers while Claire and I knew all too well who the actual accomplice was.
Well, even if we were honest, I don't think anyone here would believe the two of us. Other than Toby, that is. Even then though, it would only be because he's witnessed trolls himself and not just because of him believing us.
All of us started filing our way out of the school building as I just kept my hand in Claire's. My thumb still anxiously rubbing small circles into hers even with every bumpy step we took down the staircase."Draal's being controlled by Gunmar? Shit's getting real, dude." I nodded my head solemnly as I felt Claire tighten her grip on my hand."I don't think that's the best way of describing it, but yeah. I guess so." I glanced over toward her as she suddenly slipped her hand out of mine to see she was staring over toward a familiar yellow car that belonged to her parents. She muttered a small sorry as she slipped her hands into her blazer pockets instead."It's alright, Claire." I gave her a small smile as she turned her head toward me. "I just gotta prove myself to them. At least get them to see I'm not only just a truck stealer." I watched as a bright smile took over Claire's face. A small flutter taking over my chest as we reached the bottom of the staircase."You do know you've got some big expectation set in front of you, right?""I'm already a prophet. What's the difference between my girlfriend's parent's expectations to the world's?""The fact that being prosecuted by a councilwoman might come sooner than the end of the world." I felt a nervous smile take over my face as Toby just patted my shoulder."Don't put any more anxiety in our boy here, Claire. He might not be able to function at this point.""Just stating the obvious." I watched Claire cringe a little as a car horn honked itself. "I'll text you later, I guess?""I'll be waiting." I gave her a small salute as she just giggled in reply."I hope I don't keep you waiting too long then. See you two around." She gave us a small wave before turning and heading off toward her mom's car."Enjoying your girlfriend anxiety? Is it any better than the Eclipse anxiety you're used to?""No," I watched from a distance as Claire gave me a quick glance and wave before getting into the passenger side of her mom's car. "But it's worth it.""You're such a freaking simp, Jimbo." I gave my best friend a small shrug as I saw my mom pull into the parking lot from the corner of my eye."At least it's working out for me though. Until the dread sets in. But I rather wait for that one as long as I can.""Understood buddy." We started walking toward my mom's car together as he just placed his hand on my shoulder once more. "Completely understood."I swallowed hard as I slipped my hands into the black jeans my mom was able to help me find as I stood on the porch anxiously. I had an open blue button-down over one of my normal white t-shirts. Claire told me that it wasn't something to overly dress up for, but it would be nice to make myself presentable at the very least. So I tried to go with this groomed but not trying idea, but I don't think that went well. My short-sleeve button-down made me look more like a beach bum more than anything, honestly. I think I'll make it work though. Hopefully."I got it!" I heard Claire's voice on the other side of the door before it opened to show her in a simple purple blouse and some blue jeans. The way she smiled toward me almost made me melt on the spot before "You look great." I felt my cheeks burn a little bit as I gave her a bashful smile in return."Thanks. You do too.""I wouldn't call this dressing up." She gestured to her outfit as I noticed she was somehow able to keep her normal boots on and still made herself seem like it was the most casual thing in the world. "But you definitely fit the bill for this. Ready to deal with stubborn adults that think they're better than everyone else here?""As ready as I could ever be." She gave me a nearly blinding smile as she moved away from the door to allow me access into her house. I made my way instantly as she closed the door behind me. I felt a sudden ping of anxiety spread across my chest.
What do I even do? How am I supposed to act? Are they all politicians here or just random people from around the town? Do I take off my shoes as she told me her mom wanted before?
Before I could fall further into my anxiety hole, I felt Claire take my hand into hers as her voice came closer to me."You're stressed about nothing." I felt her lips press themselves softly to my cheek before she squeezed my hand gently. "Just be yourself. Mamá liked you before. Just, try your best to not end up doing anything Eclipse related." I turned my head to give her a nervous grin as I adjusted my hand to interlock our fingers together."I'll try my best." I felt my crystal burn gently against my skin as Claire just giggled before placing her free hand on top of where the crystal was on my chest."You never did tell me what purple meant." I smiled toward her as I placed my right hand on top of hers that was on my chest."I'm surprised you never figured it out yet.""Oh, I know what it is." I felt my cheeks burn like hell as a soft gleam took over her hazel eyes. "I just think I'll like it better if I hear you say it." A dopey smile took over my face as my heart felt like it was going to bound out of my chest.
Lord have mercy.
I swallowed hard for a second as my brain panicked a little.
Can she feel my heartbeat? I don't doubt it, honestly.
I tighten my hold on her hands as I noticed her smile widen just the slightest.
When was the last time I had the nerve to kiss her? I think it was the day after I returned from the Darklands. The morning we woke up together before heading off to school.
I felt the urge to pull her closer to me as I realized how long it truly has been.
What could go wrong with me doing so now? I know she wouldn't be against it.
"Claire? ¿Hija?" I nearly jumped as I heard Councilwoman Nuñez call out from the back yard.
Parents. That's what.
I gave Claire a bashful look as she just giggled once more before calling back toward her mom."Be right there!" She leaned in quickly and placed a kiss on my cheek once more. "Let's go. The food should be ready soon." She slipped out of most of the hold I had on her except my left hand that was still entangled with hers. She pulled me gently toward the backyard and I allowed her to do so. But before we got to the screen door, she brought herself beside me. "Get my parents to like you again," Her voice was in a soft whisper as she brought herself closer to me. "And you'll get that kiss you wanted." My face must have been as red as a tomato while she just gave me a triumphant smile in reply.
Mission acquired, Eclipse.
I smiled as she opened the screen door and we made our way into the backyard festivities.
Now to accomplish it.
"I need you to find which person killed Vendel. If they have the ability to do
that
and get away with it, then we must have more than just one imposter among us. I need you to sniff them out and find out whatever you can on them. Also, do me a favor and try to keep the mayhem to a minimum? I don't need running away from a barbeque in a panic on a list of things Claire's parents can hold against me."I heard Jim's voice echoing in my mind as I was looking through the notes I made on Bork and Queen Usurna
Bork is from the
Gen'rik Guild Troll Market. A place that is renowned for both their hate and fear of Gunmar. The more I look into her place of origin, the more I doubt she would ever be in cahoots with Gunmar himself.
Usurna on the other hand has come to power over the Krubera tribe within the last hundreds of years. She and her tribe were once guardians of the Eye of Gunmar, one of his stones tied to his lifeblood. However, the Gumm-Gumms stole it from the Krubera centuries ago. Shortly after she became queen. Could it be a coincidence? Maybe? Could it be that the Gum-Gums were just able to get it due to how young and inexperienced she was? I think Jim's and I history could showcase enough what kind of bullshit you can get away with when you're opponent is green as fucking
grass.I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair."But coloration does
not
mean causation. We need more evidence than something that could be on the fence in any form."Claire's voice this time echoed through my mind as I continued to look over my notes.
A handful of young whelps were taken from the
Krubera around the same time that the Eye of Gunmar was taken. Each becoming major members of the Gum-Gum army over time. AAARRRGGHH being a major showcase of this. Somehow the Gum-Gums took some of the greatest future warriors the Krubera would ever have. Did Usurna know what potential these whelps have or were just taken by coincidence once again?
I grabbed my pen that was laying on the table as I noted the fact that this was the second coincidence I've thought of on Urusana.
One was fine. But two? Two was something that made me start feeling as if there is something more going on with this chick.
Who was even the ruler before her? Why was she still here if the Tribunal hasn't even
met
since Vendel died? Bork and the others were at least overheard talking about just making sure Troll Market is stable before they leave. Usurna though? No one has heard her speak outside of confidential meetings with her people. Why is she here then? I doubt with all these other coincidences that it's for the same reasoning.
But if she's working for Gunmar, then what is she doing here besides killing Vendel? What else could there-.
I dropped my pen as I suddenly remembered Usurna's reaction to knowing that Jim and Claire were in the Darklands together.
"Destroy the bridge!"
"But the Eclipse is in there! Same with the Shadowmancer! We
cannot
mess with the prophecy, Usurna. The effects would be worse than us letting out Gunmar being released right this moment."
"It would be better than running the risk of him actually escaping the Darklands, Bork."
"She wanted to disturb the prophecy," I spoke to myself softly as I scribbled quickly on my notes. "Even I knew the effects of what that would bring, but she is a
Tribunal
member. Someone that would know that we should let destiny run its course, but she refused to listen to anyone but herself." I finished scribbling out my notes as I wrote in large letters 'SPY' were under my entries on Usurna.She's
the spy. At least the main one.I rose to my feet frantically as I grabbed my notes up and ran toward where I knew Blinky and AAARRGGHH were in the forge.
And she's the one trying to toy with the prophecy so that the only person that can kill Gunmar may never be able to see the light of day again.
I tried my best to listen to Coach Lawerance as I held the can of whatever soda was handed to me tight within my right hand.
Honestly, I much rather be anywhere else at this moment. Hearing Coach Lawerance go on and on about the basketball season and how to take care of my body properly was making me lose more brain cells than I can count.
I glanced up toward the man across from me to see it was a smiling Javier Nuñez who, I could tell by the dead look in his eyes, was just as bored as I was in this moment.
But at least I wasn't the only one.
I took a sip out of my can as my eyes glanced over toward where Claire was. To anyone else, it wouldn't be obvious that Claire was just as bored as I was, but I got rather good at reading the actress's body language. Her shoulders were stiffer than normal and her smile was lacking as she just simply nodded along to whatever the woman before her was saying. Normally if she was invested in a conversation, you could see a curious twinkle in her eyes as she looked toward you like you were the most interesting thing in the world. But you couldn't even see a trace of this in the girl's face.
The difference is though,
I took another sip out of my drink as I brought my attention toward the men before me once more.
My girlfriend has had years of practice on these things.
"So what do you think, Mr. Lake?" I snapped my attention toward Coach Lawerance as he gave me a curious look. I felt an embarrassed smile take over my lips as I knew I was caught hiding away in my thoughts."Sorry, I didn't catch the question. I'm still trying to get used to everything here." My teacher gave me a pitied look as I knew my mom explained sensory issues were an effect from my "abduction" I experience a little over two weeks ago."My apologies. Still trying to get over everything, right? How's that going for you?""Well." I let out the white lie as if it was the easiest thing in the world to me before taking another sip of my drink. "It was hard at first. Bright lights were something I had to adjust to with so much time spent in the dark and loud noises are still overwhelming, but I guess I'm adapting.""If you don't mind me asking then, why did you come? Barbeques aren't really the smallest or quietest places to be when you're still adjusting to the norms." I gave a small shrug as I glanced out of the corner of my eyes to see Claire still standing where she was before. A small smile on her lips as she was listening to the woman beside her."Claire asked me to come." I pulled my attention away from her as brought my eyes back up toward the two men before me. A soft look took over Javier's face as it was probably the nicest gaze he was ever presented toward me. "She's been helping me through it all. I honestly think I would be still hiding out in my room if it wasn't for her.""Having people like that is a greater gift than anyone could ask for. Those are the kind of people you want to keep around as long as you can. Right, Javier?" I kept my eyes on Claire's dad as he gave Mr. Lawerance a simple nod."I agree." Her father kept his eyes on me as he continued. "Claire wasn't herself when she came back. It took a while for her to get back to herself. Probably weeks for her to even be out of her room for more than the few hours of school she was able to handle." He glanced away from me for a moment before shaking his head a little. "I hate to admit it, but once you were able to escape, she came back around. Even though you did get mi hija in some trouble as of late," I swallowed dryly as I noted the darker tone in his voice. "I can say that you also had a positive impact on her life as well. Especially after the hell you two must have endured. So I must thank you for that." I gave him a simple nod which made it obvious to the two men that I didn't really want to speak on the subject anymore.
You have no clue what we've seen, Mr.
Nuñez.
I took another sip from my drink as my thoughts continued.Not a single
fucking
clue.I was pulled out of my thoughts though as I felt my pocket vibrate gently. I put my can into my right hand as I used my left hand to fish out of my phone from my jeans pocket. Toby's name was appearing on the screen as Coach Lawerance's voice made itself known one more."Is it your mom? Dr. Lake must be worried sick about how'd you react to this all. Being a doctor and everything, she must know how this must be for you right now." I jumped at the idea of a clean lie as I gave Lawerance a simple nod."Yeah. She must be worried about me. If you don't mind, I'm going to take this before she ends up driving over here in a panic." The men both chuckled a little before giving me a nod in reply. I stepped away from them and walked toward the house as I brought my phone up to my ear after pressing the accept button. "Hello?""Jim. I know who killed Vendel. The same one that has been trying to mess with the prophecy since you and Claire were in the Darklands. The same one that's watching Troll Market like a fucking
hawk.""Whoa whoa whoa. Calm down there, Tobes." I whispered into the receiver as I glanced around where I was standing on the back porch to see if anyone was listening in on the conversation. "Just cut the bullshit, alright? You'll give yourself a panic attack otherwise. Who is it?""Usurna. Usurna is the fucking mole and she's hiding something. She's planning
something, Jim. Something is going to go sideways here. We need to figure this out and figure this out fast." I glanced toward Claire who was now giving me a curious look from where she was standing. The women around her seemingly not acknowledging her as she then started making her way toward me."I'll be there in a few. We'll figure this out, Tobes. We've figured out more with less.""I hope you're right, Jimbo. I'll keep an eye on things around here until then. See you soon.""See ya Tobes." I pulled the phone away from my face as Claire stepped up beside me."Toby called you? Did he figure it out?""It's Usurna and she's watching Troll Market like a hawk, I guess. That's what Toby said at least. She seems to be planning something and whatever it is, it can't be good.""I guess we need to get to Troll Market then.""It'll be easier for me to slip away than you.""I'm
not
letting you go down to Troll Market where a crazy troll lady is setting up hell to break loose.""Claire, we might not have a choice right now." She gave me a sad look as I pocketed my phone. "I promise that if anything goes wrong, I'll let you know as soon as possible.""Promise?""I swear." She let out a soft breath."Be safe alright?""When am I not?" I gave her a cheeky grin as she just nudged me in the shoulder."Don't make me prove you wrong, Lake. You still have a color to tell me about." I smiled as I slipped into the house."I'll tell you once we deal with Usurna.""Promise?""I double swear.""Good." My smile widened as I made my way through the house and out the front so I could start my way toward Troll Market. A simple thought echoing through my mind.
So much for wanting a simple day with trying to impress my girlfriend's parents.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I called upon the crystal's armor as I stepped out onto the main floor of Troll Market. Goosebumps covered my exposed skin as I placed my hand onto the hilt of my blade.
Today will be the end of an era for the trolls and the beginning of both an end and a beginning for them.
I tightened my grip on my sword as I tapped the collar of my armor. My helmet clicking into place as I walked swiftly toward Vendel's old dwelling.
And I, both their protector and chosen warrior will help them through it.
Even if it means going against all their society's normalities to do so.
"Jim! Thank Deya you're here!" I turned my head toward Blinky as he joined my side. "Usurna is trying to-.""Sorry, Blinks, but Toby already caught me up to speed. The bastard will pay for what she did to Vendel." I narrowed my eyes ahead of me as I kept my stride heading toward Vendel's old chambers."So you know about her trying to take over Vendel's old position as well?" I stopped suddenly as I gave Blinky my full attention."She's doing what now?""She's trying to position to the rest of the council that she should become the head of Troll Market.""Do they know of what they did? I thought they each knew of the prophecy. Wouldn't Vendel's death be apart of it if he knew of it himself?""Maybe not. There's a chance that a specific part was kept from them as to who would be the cause. No one else that we're aware of would know any different." I felt my chest squeeze with a whole new scene of anxiety as I looked over the whole of Troll Market.
Besides what Toby had found, or more accurately, assumes of her, what else do we have? Do we have any actual evidence besides that?
I tightened my grip on my sword as I brought my gaze back to Blinky."What can we do now, Blinky? What else do we have to go on?""Making a trial against her before she can come up with a reason against you though is what we need. That way she'll be watched as we try our best to find more evidence against her." I nodded along to the idea as I started making my way toward the Tribunal's meeting area that wasn't too far from the Forge."Then let's tell them of our suspicions. That should be enough to have her under lock and key." Blinky kept himself right by my side as we started making great strides toward the Tribunal."Let's hope that it is, Jim." I watched him as a worried look took over his face. "Let's pray to Deya that it is.""Everything will be alright, Blinky." I reached out with my left hand and placed it upon his upper right shoulder. "I'm sure of it. We have to have faith in destiny. Faith in the prophecy." I smiled toward him despite knowing that he couldn't see it behind my helmet. "You of all people should know that, teach." I watched as a smile took over his face before giving me a simple nod."Yes. Right. Of course. Thank you, Jim.""Anytime, Blinks." I squeezed his shoulder before dropping my hand to my side. "Anytime." We kept making our way toward the Tribunal, but I felt a sudden ping in my chest as my anxiety was starting to get the best of me within that moment. A single question ragging within my head as each step I took made it even worse.
Was I saying that to reassure Blinky, or to reassure myself?
I paced back and forth in my bedroom a few hours after everyone left from the barbeque. Several hours though since Jim first left from it. My mind has been ragging with worry since I watched him walk away from me and toward Troll Market.
Toward the new den of our newest enemy. Toward the person that we believe was the killer to the elder of Troll Market.
Toward someone that knew the prophecy so much more than we will ever and who is willing to and capable of using that knowledge against us.
I sighed as I tried my best to calm the anxiety spreading through my body.
Jim's got this handled, Claire. He promised to contact you if not. Jim's keen on keeping his promises. You know this.
I closed my eyes slowly as I felt a familiar tug on my skirt. I looked down to see that Not-Enrique was standing down by my feet with a curious tilt to his head. Even though he was no longer able to switch into my brother's form due to the lack of him being in the Darklands, he was very adamant about staying near. I didn't mind it at all, honestly. Even then we weren't on the same page originally and he would get on my nerves constantly, we became close. Like true siblings, in a weird but loving way."Are you alright, Big Eyes? You seem as if you're about to pass out or something." I smiled down at him as he let go of my skirt and climbed up onto the desk that was beside me. "Need to talk it out?"
To think we went from despising each other to actually giving a fuck about each other is beautiful, honestly.
I smiled as he gestured for me to sit in the chair that was sitting before him. I took it was ease as I let out a soft sigh.
And it's also been a saving grace in moments like this where I needed to vent out my emotions to someone that wasn't unknowingly the source of them or oblivious to the world they came from.
"Jim is going to confront the Tribunal about who we suspect killed Vendel.""Vendel was killed?" The whelp gave me a wide-eyed look before glancing away from me. "I heard rumors around the fellow outcast from the Janus Order that it happened, but I never believed them. Let me guess though," He brought a hand to his chin and rubbed it a little as he looked off into the distance. "That Usurna bitch?" I gave him a wide-eyed look as he brought his attention back to me. "Huh. I was right, eh?""How do you know her?""I heard her name be dropped a few times now and then ever since I first joined the order. Something about how she made a deal with Gunmar to gift him with some of her best soldier's whelps during his war against Arthur. To say that lady has lost a few pebbles within that stone head of her's is an understatement, honestly.""She gave away whelps to
Gunmar? Why?" The former changeling just gave me a small shrug as he sat down onto the top of the desk."Hell is I know. It was way before my existence, chica. Wish I had more info on it though. I guess it would be a lot more help if he's bringing all of whatever you gathered to the Tribunal. That means a court proceeding will commence sometime soon.""Is there a downside of accusing someone? Like is there a side effect in troll society for doing so?""Other than being seen as a liar and or exiled from your tribe? Not much. Most people just get titled as unworthy of believing unless it's dire. Ya know? But knowing how your little lover boy is the Eclipse, I doubt they'll banish him from Troll Market. He's too important. Let alone the only one really able to protect them within this moment if what I heard about Bular there is true.""About him being enslaved to Gunmar?" He gave me a nervous smile before shooting me a simple finger-gun."That one." I sighed as I ran a hand through the loose part of my bangs. "What are you worried about, mate? Everything's gonna be alright. Especially if you have sound reasoning. The Tribunal doesn't diddle dally. They cut straight through the bullshit and get to a fair judgment and trial no matter who you are. Unless you're a changeling like me. At least from what I heard." He gave a small shrug as he put his hands into his lap. "But my kind it's treated that kindly in the first place so I don't doubt they would be a little biased on that in the first place.""Great to see the ideas of racism don't just stick with humanity." My words dripped with sarcasm as Not-Enrique just gave me a small chuckle in reply."There's my big sis pulling through. See? Nothing to be all stuck up about. Fleshbag is gonna be alright. You just gotta have faith in the system." I gave him a small smile as I grew the urge to thank him at that moment. It was cut short though as my phone started buzzing in my skirt pocket. I pulled it out without a second thought and accepted the incoming call before bringing it up to my ear."Hello?""Claire. We have a problem.""Toby?" I felt my eyebrows knit in concern as I stood up from the chair without a second thought. "What's wrong? Why are you calling me? Where's Jim?""That's the problem, Claire. Usurna has the Tribunal around her finger. They didn't know the prophecy as Vendel did. They are made to believe that
he
killed Vendel and that all he said about Usurna was hearsay. We need to get some concrete evidence on her, Claire. We need to get Jim
out of there.""Out of where, Tobes?""They have him in this hanging cell. He's got his phone and his crystal still, but I doubt they're going to do much for him in there. They're putting him on trial tomorrow for Vendel's murder and going against trollish law.""What happens to him if he's convicted?""He gets put in this place called the Deep. A place where he will be forced to fight against his darkest fears. If he survives, he's paid for his crimes.""And if not?" Toby stayed silent for a moment as if he was gathering up the courage to speak once more."Then I guess we'll be making a Jim statue for the forge." I swallowed dryly as I felt my heart shatter within my chest. The thought of Jim being placed in a hanging cell, alone, probably frightened of what tomorrow will bring, and simply blaming himself for whatever is ragging within his head was heartwrenching to me."Are we able to see him?""Only one of us is allowed to see him. I don't know for how long though. Blinky and I kind of figured you would want to see him the most considering everything.
But we need to gather as much evidence as we can. Everything we can get will be great." I glanced over to Not-Enrique who was still sitting on my desk."Luckily for us, we might have a little more than what we thought we did. I'll meet you down in Troll Market, alright? I'm gonna gather some stuff I can hopefully slip to Jim to keep him together for the night.""Alright. See you soon, Claire.""And Tobes?""Yeah?""We
will
get him seen as innocent. We
won't
lose him. Not again." I heard him let out a soft breath before he spoke once more."I needed to hear that from someone besides myself, honestly. Thanks, Claire." I smiled a little as I reached out to grab my blazer that was sitting on the back of my chair."Always. I'll be there in a few.""Alrighty. Stay safe, Shadowdancer.""You too, Warhammer." I pulled the phone away from my ear before hitting the end button and slipping it back into my skirt. "Ready for an adventure, little bro?""To where?" Not-Enrique tilted his head a little as I put on my blazer with a confident look taking over my face."To Troll Market." I adjusted my jacket on my shoulders before grabbing my purse that was sitting next to him on the desk. "We've got an Eclipse to save." I gestured out my right arm toward him that he smiled up to with his bright and pointed teeth."Fuck yeah!" He jumped up and crawled up onto my shoulder before grabbing gently onto my blazer. "Let's do this, Big Eyes!" I smiled as I slipped my purse onto my left shoulder.
Don't worry, Jim.
I made my way to my bedroom door so I could slip into the kitchen and grab whatever I could for food for him.
We'll get you out of there.
We've got a few promises to keep as it is anyway and I'm going to keep you to them. Even if it means fighting against the fucking Tribunal myself to do so.
My head met the cold metal of my cage as I laid silently within the contraption suspended a good ten feet above the ground. My crystal was going through an array of emotions as the bright colors of the necklace was causing a small light show within the darkness that was my new prison.
I guess this is what I get for forgetting that I was going against a goddamn Tribunal member. I should have thought that she was already sneaking her way into their heads.
I sighed as suddenly a bright light cracked through the large door that kept me away from the rest of Troll Market."You've got your visitor, Eclipse." I got up to my feet and gripped onto the side of the cage as the unnamed troll turned the lever that kept me high above the ground to slowly lower me back down onto it. When he did so, I was graced with the sight of a smiling Claire looking up to me as I was being lowered. Her smile seemed as if it was trying to hide away whatever pain she must have been feeling within this moment. Once I reached the floor though, the troll's voice cut through. "I'll leave the two of you to it. If I hear anything I don't like, I'll cut this meeting as short as I feel as if it is needed." We both seemed to wait patiently for him to leave we both rushed toward the side of the cage closest to the other."Are you okay?" Her hands slipped through the cage to cup both sides of my face as I just placed my hands on top of hers."Are you?" She gave me a broken smile as she pulled me close to the rather big gap in between the large metal bars."Only you would be asking me that when sitting in a goddamn cell." I just smiled at her as we pushed our foreheads together."I'm sorry. I truly should have waited before accusing her.""You did what you thought was right. That's all that matters, Jim." I felt her slipped her hands out from under mine before she reached up to comb her fingers into my hair as her eyes looked at me softly."Doesn't mean I shouldn't have talked to you first.""Kinda hard to talk to your magic-wielding girlfriend while surrounded by a bunch of people that would look at us as if we were insane if we were caught talking about trolls and the murder of one." I chuckled as little at her before reaching out to cup the sides of her face."I'm still sorry." She smiled softly at me as she brought her self a little bit close despite the bars separating us."Knowing you, you won't stop being sorry until you die." My smile only widened as I gave her a small shrug."As of right now, definitely." I watched her smile widen just slightly before she pulled me closer so our lips could meet. It was a little difficult due to the confinements I was stuck within, but it was everything I needed within that moment. Her fingers calmly toying with my hair as her soft lips seemed to tell me that everything was going to be alright in the end. That no matter what she was there with me and that's all that mattered in the end.
Gods I love this girl.
I thought was horrifying whenever else I thought of it, but I ignored the fear for the moment as I just deepened the kiss between us.
Because if I was ever to know love, it would be this moment. I don't I was ever close to it before until now, honestly.
We pulled back from each other gently before giving each other dopey smiles as we just stood there together."How much battery do you have on your phone by the way?""Around like sixty percent. Why do you ask?" She pulled back from me before unzipping her purse and pulling out a few things from it."Well, I kind of packed away a few things for you to get you through the night." She passed me through the bars a water bottle, a portable charger with a cord wrapped around it, as well as a ziplock bag of goldfish. "Sorry, it's not a lot though. Had to rush out before my parents found me rummaging around the kitchen at nearly midnight." I chuckled a little bit as I took the small bundle of items from her."It's perfect. Thank you." I gave her a lopsided grin as I slipped the food and charging stuff into my jacket pockets. I reached out to her once I had my right hand free so I could cup it under her chin and bring her into another quick kiss. "You're too good for me, Nuñez.""And
you're
too good for
all
of us, Lake." She grabbed me by the collar and pulled me into another kiss before rewarding me with a soft smile. "Especially when you're willing to sit in a prison like this when you could break out if you really wanted to." I just gave her a soft smile as I just shrugged at the idea."Why should I try to hold Usurna to the law if I won't hold myself up to it?" She just shook her head a little as she pressed her forehead against mine once more."Only you." She slipped her hand onto my cheek before she pulled me into a kiss once more. "How long do you think they'll let me be here?""At this point, I hope it's forever." I smiled widely as she giggled a little. "How long are you planning on staying?""As long as I can get away with, honestly.""Even if it goes through the night?""I can't think of anywhere better to be." I smiled as she pushed her forehead against mine once more. "Even then. If I need to make a quick getaway, I have my staff on my side.""The perks of having a staff-wielding girlfriend, I suppose." She just smiled up toward me as we just stood there together.
The perks of having a loving girlfriend in the first place, honestly.
I reached up to cup both sides of her face as we just enjoyed having the silence that was the empty prison area.
If only I had the guts to say I love her within this moment. It would be the perfect moment, honestly.
I closed my eyes gently as I felt her fingers comb through my hair gently once more.
But I'm sure with such a determined team of ours, I'll have a better moment than this one to pour my heart out to her. For now though, I need to worry about being strong for them. Strong for her.
Especially when we have no clue just yet if tomorrow is going to be a gift or a horrible nightmare just yet.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I swallowed hard as the sound of a makeshift gabble could be heard within the Forge's stone walls.
I failed him.
I fucking
failed
him.
I presented everything I could and it brought two of the tribunal members on our side, but somehow, by the fate seemingly, Jim was condemned to spend at least thirty minutes in the deep.
That is, if he survives that long.
I wiped away my tears that were silently rolling down my face as both Claire and I waited silently in Blinky's library for Jim to be brought out from his cell to serve his sentence. She wasn't crying, but I could tell by the hollowed look in the Shadowdancer's eyes that she was just as devastated as I was to the sentencing. Her anger was clear as day as her hands gripped the island counter till the tanned skin of her knuckles were nearly pure white as she leaned her back against it."I'm-.""You did your best, Toby." She cut me off cleanly as her eyes never moved from where they were glaring down toward the stone floor before her. "We all did. It's not your fault.""But I-." I tried to speak but she cut me off once more."It's okay, TP." She closed her eyes for a moment as she tried her best to keep herself from emotionally snapping within that moment. "Fate is both with and against us, remember? We're destined to end this bullshit together. We're
going
to end this bullshit together. With or without this puta trying to change it." She opened her eyes slowly as a new sense of determination seemed to flow from the staff wielder. "Jim's going to make it. He's got to.""You said it yourself though, fate is against
and
for us. What if something
did
change, Claire? What if the prophecy didn't count a troll Tribunal member fucking around from the inside to change the future.""I don't give a shit about the prophecy, honestly." Claire let out a desperate, airy laugh as she leaned back heavily now against the counter behind her. "Now and then I start to think it's a crock of shit due to how much trouble it's given us." She dropped her hands from the counter as she turned her attention toward me completely. "But I do have faith in Jim. Prophet or not, he's determined. Hell, I think if he ended up not being called upon he would do
something
about everything that's going on. Crystal mood necklace bullshit or not." I smiled a little as I could tell just how much fate she had in him as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You believe in him too, right? I'm not just the only one, hopefully.""I have faith in Jim." I found myself hesitating a little bit as I leaned against the bookshelf that was behind me. "It's just that-." I let out a sigh as I wiped away the dried tear marks that were on my cheeks. "I'm scared for him. Scared for us. The prophecy made me feel original that we were destined to make it out of all of this alive. That
each
of us was going to be alright after all of this. That we'll save the world and be on our merry way." I let out another sigh as I dropped my hand to my side once more. "Now though, it feels rather evident that
nothing
is going to go back to normal for
any
of us. If anyone is going to be scarred from all of this, it's going to be Jim and at this point, I'm worried that he's been put through so much already that he might break on us if he keeps getting the shit end of the stick." I brought my gaze up toward Claire once more as I continued. "He's going to be fighting his
worst
fear
down there, Claire. His
worst. Who says he's going to be the same after that? I know I sure as hell wouldn't be."I watched as Claire took her gaze from me as she leaned back and started to look up toward the high rock ceiling of Blinky's library. She seemed to be soaking in everything I said as well as rummaging within all of her own thoughts at that moment."Here I thought you were just comic relief." I nearly jumped out of my skin as laughed a little at her own comment. "I'm scared for him too though." Her voice was a lot softer this time. "But we can't let those thoughts get in our heads, alright?" She turned her attention toward me once more as a determined gleam took over her eyes. "We need to be strong for him just as he is for us. If he can carry the weight to the world, then we can too." I smiled as a single thought rang within my head.
You two are perfect for one another. Prophecy or not.
I nodded my head as I pushed myself away from the bookshelf while the horn of the Tribunal rang to tell us Jim's sentence was about to commence."You're right." I started my way toward the Forge before stopping and looking over toward Claire once more. "Now let's go. We've got an Eclipse to save and a Tribunal to fuck with." The punk gave me a satisfied smile and a small nod before pushing herself away from the counter and joining my side."Let's.""You have a few minutes to state your peace before we plunge you down into the Deep." I nodded my head toward the Tribunal before making my way toward the end of my long cage where Claire and Toby were standing with Blinky and AAARRRGGHH right behind them."You four doing alright?" Blinky gave me a curious look as he tilted his head at me."You're about to be dropped into a place where many trolls before you have been dropped and never seen again and you're asking
us
if
we're
okay?" The troll let out a soft laugh before shaking his head a little. "The amulet really chose well when it came to you, didn't it?" I gave him a small smile in reply accompanied by a shrug."I may not have killed Vendel, but I did break a second rule despite it being prophesied." I glanced over toward Claire who reached out and took my left hand between the bars of the cage. "I did what I did." I intertwined our fingers before bringing my gaze back toward Blinky. "And I'll do it a million times over, honestly.""Spoken like a true Trollhunter.""Only because you taught me what it took to become one." Blinky gave me a wide smile as he shook his head in disagreement."No, my boy, you had it within you all along. You wouldn't have been the Eclipse otherwise. It just took a little bit of destiny for you to find it within you." I smiled toward him as I felt Claire squeeze my hand gently."You're going to alright." She spoke the words with pride even though it still sounded as if she was asking a question despite it being a statement."I'll be fine, Claire." I squeezed her head back as I brought my gaze to meet hers. "I'll always find my way back to you, remember?" I smiled as she seemed to remember when I had forced her through the bridge's portal when were being chased by Gunmar. The same memory ragging within my head as well."I'm
not
leaving without you, Jim." I glanced over my shoulder as I saw Gunmar and a few other Gum-Gums making their way closer to us with every second. I brought my gaze back to her to see her holding her baby brother close to her chest but her eyes pleading with me silently. I stepped forward and cupped her face with both of my hands as I glanced toward the portal behind her.
"We don't have a choice right now, Claire. I need to do this and we don't have much time."
"But we can jump through this portal right now, both of us, what's stopping you?"
"The fact that I saw people trapped here that need
someone
to help them." Her eyebrows knitted together with worry as she glanced down to baby brother."And what if I need
you, huh? What if this changes your destiny in some way?" I smiled as I brought my face closer to hers, being mindful of the child between us."I'll
always
find my way back to you, alright? Always. This won't change anything. This won't rewrite my future or anything because I
will
come back to you. Alright? I need to do this, Claire. I just need you to believe in me that I'll be back, okay?""But we can go together. You don't need to make me a promise or anything, we can leave
now, Jim." I tried to reassure her with a smile as I kept my eyes on hers.
"But a Trollhunter answers every call, Claire. This is just another I need to answer." I glanced back behind us to see that the Gum-Gums were nearing us. I brought my gaze back to Claire as I launched myself forward to capture her lips.
I didn't know then if I truly was going to escape from the Darklands. That me giving up this one opportunity I had to escape was going to sentence me to death or not. So the moment was filled with desperation. As if to let her know I loved her without having the strength within that moment to say the words themself. As if to let her know that if I didn't make it out alive, that she would be one of the many things on my mind till the end.As if to let her know that in another life, I would be hers no questions asked. That she would be my priority. My everything.But in this life, she may be my everything, but I have a job in this world. A job to save and aid people that need me and as much as I want to be taken away with her to whatever lands where we could just be, I would be forever haunted by the voices of the dead I could have saved.
I pulled back from her slowly as I walked us slowly toward the portal behind her.
"I'll come back to you." I held her out at arm's length at this point as the thunder sound of footsteps could be heard behind me. "I promise." I swallowed hard as I saw the hurt look in her eyes. "Please don't hate me for this."
"I never hated you for what you did, by the way." I smiled as her voice brought me back to reality. "I was angry that you pushed me through a portal backward as I was holding an
infant, but I never hated you for what you did.""That gives me a sense of relief though.""What? You thought I did?" I shrugged as I gave her a lopsided smile."Just a little." She shook her head at me before rewarding me with a soft smile."You're an idiot.""I'm your idiot though, right?""Absolutely." My smile widened as I brought my attention toward Toby now. I could see just by looking at him that he was beating himself up for this."Don't be looking like that, Tobes. You did your best. That's all that matters.""Yeah, but I-." He looked down toward the floor as I cut him off before he could belittle himself."But nothing, Tobes." I stepped forward toward the bars as I kept Claire's hand in mine. "That's all I can from you. You're my best friend and the fact that you're still dealing with my ass through all of this is amazing to me." I chuckled a little as I continued. "You've been my rock, dude. I couldn't ask anything more from you." He gave me a saddened smile as his gaze met mine."You're my best friend, Jimbo. I'll be here even if you told me to fuck off or if you said you hated my movie taste or some shit.." I laughed a little as I knew we argued about at least video game choices from time to time. "You're my favorite pain in the ass, dude.""Love you too, Tobes." I laughed a little as the cage suddenly moved a little. The chains holding me in place now moving back toward the Deep as each of my friends started chasing after me. My hand still clinging to Claires as I knelt down and tried to keep our hands together as much as I could. "All of you is acting as if I'm going to die in a few minutes." I smiled as Claire just shook her head at me."Don't make fun of this at the moment, Lake. Make fun of it when you come back. Okay?" I gave her a sincere smile as I brought my right hand to cup the back of hers."I'll come back to you, remember?""I know. Still doesn't mean I don't worry.""I know." I felt a ping of pain spread through my chest as I wanted desperately to say the three words that have been echoing in my head since we met against after our adventures in the Darklands. Her hand slipped out of mine as the cage now was hanging over the edge of the Forge and slowly diving into the darkness that was the Deep. My eyes never leaving Claire's as she stood on the edge watching me drop slowly into the darkness.
I love you.
I swallowed dryly as I exited the now open cage slowly. My armor now calling upon itself as it set itself in place. I grabbed my sword out of its scaffold as I stepped out of my cage slowly but surely. A dark brown now illuminating from the cracks of my armor as I glanced around my surroundings.
Well, they don't call this place the Deep for nothing.
I took a deep breath as my only guidance was the color illuminating from my armor.
"You failed us."
I snapped my head to my right as I heard a whisper gently calling out to me in the eeriest of ways.
"You
failed
us."
I tightened my grip on my sword as something dashed in the shadows toward the darkness before me. I followed it anxiously as something seemed to emerge slowly from the shadows.
"You failed us. You failed
me."
The voice of the being slowly taking shape before me sounded as if it had a chorus of voices. Like each one was a different person with a different tone mixing together to both raise my trembling sanity as well as be a beautiful symphony. I watched in horror as it slowly took the shape of a familiar figure. The faintest details of my mother's scrubs coming to fruition before me as her hair started to take shape. Her face though was nonexistent as it spoke out to me once more.
"You failed me, Jim. You failed your friends. You failed to keep us safe."
I swallowed hard as the figure started to shift once more. Now it grew taller as wider as it took the obvious shape of AAARRRGGHH.
"Failed."
It started shifting rapidly now as it now shifted into Blinky's silhouette.
"Failed!"
It became much smaller now in height as it rounded out into Toby's figure.
"Failed!"
I shook my head as it now was starting to sound a lot more familiar. Like it was actually mimicking Toby's voice. But that was before it shifted quickly into the silhouette of a specific punk.
"FAILED!"
I shook my head violently as I tried my best to not look at the shadow form that I knew now was Claire yelling back to me."Shut up." I glared up toward the shadowy figure as it started levitating slightly above the ground.
"YOU FAILED US, JIM!"
"SHUT UP!" I felt a sudden surge of anger fill my chest as I stepped back slowly. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" I screwed my eyes shut as I felt my feet meet the even ground of the cage once more."What's wrong, Trollhunter?"
I turned my head away from the voice as it neared me.
"Afraid of seeing what you've done to those you love? Afraid to see the hell you placed them through?""I did what I
needed
to." I growled out the words as I opened my eyes slowly to see the figure etching closely to me."Did you really?"
I stepped back as I started to retreat into the cage. The shadow's voice was now a lot less symphonic as it carried itself in a singular unfamiliar sense and tone.
"Did you did what you needed to or did what you desired? Did you truly save others or did you lead them to their demise?"
Suddenly two golden eyes looked at me in the now nearly shapeless figure before me.
"Are you really making a difference, Prophet of Merlin, or are you just a slave to destiny no matter what you do? Are you going to watch all those you love die no matter what you try? Seems rather evident, child."
"I don't know who the fuck you are," I narrowed my eyes at the figure as its gold eyes seemed to shimmer with entertainment. "But I won't let you get in my head. I won't let you win.""I'm sorry to say, child."
It came closer as the cage door closed right before it could reach me.
"But I already have."Suddenly, the cage surged into motion. Slowly pulling me out of the depths I just clutched my sword before me as if it would help my fleeting sanity within that moment.
What in the hell did I just witness?
I glanced down into the darkness as a shiver ran down my spine.
And why do I feel as if I'll meet that voice again?
The time it took to see Jim again felt like a long nightmare that I couldn't wait to end.
I felt my feet carry me quickly toward the cage that was now presenting itself from the Deep.
But I knew that it wasn't going to simply end when I saw him emerge from the darkness. Especially when I saw that haunted look on his face.
"JIM!"
But it didn't change the happiness I felt when I saw him again.
I dashed toward the now open cage that Jim was residing within as fast as I could. My arms flung around him as I crashed against him. Somehow, Jim stood true as he just wrapped his arms tightly around me as his head instantly buried itself into my shoulder."Jim?" I spoke softly to him as he just shook his head slightly against my shoulder. I frowned as I just pulled him closer against me as I gently rubbed circles on his back."No speaking." He spoke gently despite the crack that was evident in his voice. "Just-." I shushed him gently as I already knew exactly what he wanted."It's okay." I reached up to comb my fingers through his hair as we stood silently together."You don't hate me still, right?" I hummed in reply as he just tightened his arms around me. "We're still okay, right?" I nodded against his head as he let out a soft sigh against my shoulder. "Okay." I felt him take in a deep breath as his arms eased up a little from around my waist. "Okay." I frowned a little as I just kept combing through his hair subconsciously.
What did you see down there, Jim? What kind of hell did you witness?
I dropped my arm so it was wrapped around his neck as I buried my face into his opposite shoulder.
How can I help you, mi amor?
I felt him let out a content sigh as he pulled back from me slightly. I loosened my grip on him as he gave me a saddened smile."Sorry." He muttered out the word as he looked down into the small distance between us."You have nothing to be sorry about, Jim." I wrapped my fingers around the nape of his neck as I rubbed my thumb gently on his right side of his neck. "Nothing at all.""It's just-." I watched him visibly swallow hard before giving me a soft look. "I-.""You don't need to tell me anything if you don't want to, Jim.""I do I just-." I shushed him gently as I pressed my forehead against his."It's okay, Jim. You're okay. You're back now." He nodded a little against me as he closed his eyes gently."Yeah." He let out a soft sigh as he rubbed the tip of his nose against mine. "Yeah." I smiled as I saw the content smile that now surfaced on his lips. I rubbed gently on the back of his neck as we just stayed there for a moment within the open cage. "Are you sure you don't want to leave this place?" I laughed a little as I kept my forehead pressed against his."We can stay here a little longer. Other things can wait for a moment.""Hey, guys?!" We pulled apart suddenly as Toby's worried voice filled the Forge. "We have an issue.""Tobes, what's wrong?" We watched as the redhead took a deep breath before letting out a long wave of information to us."Usurna seemed to try to take over Troll Market while Jim was gone for those fucking long ass thirty minutes and found out the hard way that having a broken decision on if Jim actually did or not was enough to take over everything so she decided to try to get it by force but this time she's got back up.""What kind of back up?" He took a breath as he gave us a fearful look."Let's just say an old friend and our foe of the future." I swallowed dryly as Jim and I glanced between each other.
Only one person seemed to come to mind as both of us muttered the same name at the same time.
"Gunmar."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Gunmar."
I swallowed hard as I reached out and placed a hand on Claire's shoulder."I have an idea but you might want to slaughter me.""If this has anything to do with you just running out and facing the bastard, you can forget it.""You don't think I'm
that
stupid, do you?" Claire gave me a look that just screamed
"Are you serious?"
and I just felt my face fall a little bit. "You really do, don't you?""Jim, I care for you more than anything, but you're a blundering dumbass and I mean that in the sweetest way.""Even though I agree with all of this at the moment," I looked over toward Toby and gave him a defeated look as he glanced over his shoulder rather panicked. "Can we just hear what you got before Gunmar and his fuckers start taking over the place?!""Okay," I took a deep breath as a more mature demeanor took over me. "Claire and I are going to gather as many people as we can that we can help lead to safety." Toby looked back toward me as he gave me a curious look. "Tobes, you're gonna grab Blinks and get that gyre running. If we can get anyone out of here, it will be on that thing and Claire and I have ways of escaping harm if Gunmar finds us. Claire with the staff, me with the full set of armor. It will be best if you stick with AAARRRGGHH and help us with rescues." He seemed to fight against the idea for a moment before he decided that it was best at this moment just to go along with it all."Right. Yeah. Would be best." I gave him a small smile as I knew my best friend felt as if he wasn't being very helpful with his job at the moment. So with a sudden idea sparked within my mind. I turned my attention toward Claire instantly as I extended my hand toward her."You still have the horngazel, right? Cause I got an idea." She handed it toward me without question before I handed it over to Toby. "Give this to Bagwella and have her lead a small group of survivors toward the surface. Call up Eli and have them meet him there.""Eli?! Are you insane?""Trust me, Tobes.
Who else wouldn't freak out if they saw a troll? I bet you he already knows about everything going on in this place. He's the
only one
outside of us three that will be able to take care of this and
not
have people be suspicious of him just disappearing." Toby seemed to stew on it for a second before nodding along."Alright. Yeah. Let's do this." I smiled as I held out my hand palm between the three of us."It's a plan then?" Instantly Claire and Toby put their hands on mine without hesitation one after the other."Let's do this. We've got trolls to save." I smiled as I saw the determined gleam in Claire's eyes and Toby just nodded along."LET'S GO!" All together we raised our hands up with determined smiles."TROLLHUNTERS!" With that, we ran off in our separate directions. Each with the same ideal goal in mind. To save the trolls of Troll Market.No matter the cost."This way, come on! Come on!" I tapped the collar of my armor so my helmet hid away as I led the trolls I was able to find hiding around Bagwella's store. I looked over toward Toby who was directing the large crowd I was able to gather as I realized that someone specific wasn't there with him. "Tobes!" He glanced over toward me as he kept guiding the trolls. "Where's Claire?""I last saw her further in by the gyre. She's got Eli on the phone and giving him directions." I felt relieved as I gave him a single nod."Keep up the good work then. I'm gonna help Blinky get people on board.""I'll keep being the traffic guy then." I started dashing toward where Claire, Blinky, and AAARRRGGHH must be as I yelled out over my shoulder my reply to him."I'll yell out when to stop, alright?""You got it, Crystal Captain!" I chuckled a little bit as I fixed my attention to before me to see Claire aiding Blinky with putting people onto the gyre."One at a time, everybody! Just be patient! We can't over-run the gyre!""IF WE WAIT ANY LONGER WE'LL DIE HERE, BLINKOUS!" I came to a stop as I came up beside the frantic troll."Blinky's right everyone, we need to stay calm and follow procedures as much as we can." I jumped up to join Blinky on the gyre as I helped a small whelp up onto the nearly full contraption. "Just be patient with us and I
promise
as your Eclipse we'll get through this." I jumped down from the gyre before resting my hand on my sword's handle on my side before giving Blinky my attention. "Everything set for the first go?" He jumped down from where he was he smacked the rear end of the gyre."As ready as it can be!" He looked over toward AAARRRGGHH who was behind the contraption. "LET HER GO, MY FRIEND!""Huh, guys," I looked over toward Claire who was now looking down the path toward where the gyre would be heading down toward. "We might have a problem." I made my way quickly toward where she was standing to see that she was staring down toward inevitable blockage down the line.
The gyre's tracks are blocked.
I swallowed hard as I heard Toby call out this time."JIM! WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM!" I trapped the collar of my armor as I rushed over toward where Toby was. "DRAAL'S ON OUR TAILS!" I came to a sudden stop as I saw a ragging bright blue-eyed Draal coming toward us."CLOSE THE PATH! Pull that lever, Tobes!""You got it!" I ran toward the doors that were now closing slowly as I tried my best to hurry them."AAARRRGGH! I need a hand!" Instantly, I heard the large troll dash toward me without a second thought as he helped me close the door a bit faster. With a loud shutter of the doors, I looked over toward AAARRRGGHH as I leaned back from the door. "Keep this secure until I say otherwise, alright, buddy?" The troll simply gave me a soft nod before a small black and green glow started coming from the former Gum-Gum."Protect. Got it." I smiled at his reply before dashing back toward Blinky and Claire as Toby joined my side."The path for the gyre is blocked and Draal is at the door." Just as I finished that statement, a loud bang could be heard from where AAARRRGGHH was, but I could tell that the troll was holding his own still. "I don't doubt we left trolls behind either, but that's not the worry for the moment." I glanced between Blinky and Claire worryingly as I tried my best to stay calm. "But we have no way out now, so that's beautiful." I swallowed hard as I tapped the collar of my armor to make my helmet disappear once more. "What can we do? Is there anywhere else we can go, Blinks?""The only way in and out is the tunnel or the doorway in. It was made that was as a security measure for escaping trolls." Blinky gave a defeated look as he looked over the mass of now stranded trolls. "Never thought it would backfire on us, honestly." I let out a soft sigh as I looked down toward the stone floor below my feet.
What do we do? How do we fix this?
We're stranded. In a cave. With more than likely thousands of trolls now stuck between death and a hard place.
My mouth ran dry as I felt a hand place itself on my armored shoulder. I brought my gaze up to meet a determined Claire who now had her staff out and ready for whatever it was that she was planning at that moment."I have an idea, but I need you to trust me." I gave her a confused look as she glanced down at her staff. "I think I can make a portal. One large enough for all of us to go through at once. If I put enough feeling into it, I think I can pull it off." My eyes widened as I remembered what Vendel told me about the prophecy along with the staff that Claire is wielding.
"You said there were side-effects to her being the Shadowmancer, right? What side-effects were you talking about, Vendel?" The elder troll gave me a neutral look before grabbing a book off one of the shelves within his Heartstone chambers.
"I meant what I said, Eclipse. That is all I can say."
"But you said it yourself. That staff might cause an issue. You told me once to keep an eye on her because of it. What do you mean by that? I need to know, Vendel." I watched the troll sigh as it was evident to him now that I wasn't going to leave the chambers until he told me what I desired.
"What I meant, young Trollhunter is the fact that she is not
made
to wield magic." I gave him a curious look as he turned his complete attention toward me. "She's a
mortal
wielding a staff that is not hers to carry. She is not a witch by heart. Using too much magic when said magic isn't her own can cause a major effect on her both physically and mentally. She may be able to wield magic, but it's not something her body is creating on its own. This will cause major issues for her in the future."
"What do you mean by effects?"
I looked into Claire's eyes as she already started to pour her energy into the now black staff.
"It could lead to the end of her if you're not weary."
"Claire, you can't-.""I've got to at least try, Jim.""Claire, I mean it, you can't just-." She gave me a panicked look before glancing over toward those around us."What else are we supposed to do, Jim?! What else is there?" She took a step closer to me as she squeezed the armor plate on my left shoulder. "Let me do this." A determined gleam took over her eyes as she grew just a little bit closer. "I
need
to do this.""There's gotta be another way. There's gotta be some kind of-." Before I could continue, Claire leaned in and placed a quick kiss on my lips before whispering out a reply."You always do the saving." I was speechless as her hand dropped down so it could wrap around the handle of the staff along with her left. "Let me take over for once." I stared at her with wide eyes before she started getting up on top of the gyre with relative ease. At that moment, I knew I had to stop her. I had to do
something.
Vendel said it himself. If she uses too much, there's side effects. What ones? I have no clue.
I swallowed hard before jumping in action after her. Making my way up on top of the gyre as she started reaching up and aiming her staff to the sky.
But I know I can't stop her. If I help her though, will that change anything? If I lend her my strength, will that make it easier? Or will it make it worse?
I pulled myself on top of the gyre as I noticed her normally live filled hazel eyes started to turn ink black and her veins in her arms looking as if they were pumping purely black magic within her instead of the normal blood that ran through them.But what am I if I don't at least
try
to save her from it?I ran up to her just as she started levitating. My arms instinctively wrapping around her to rest my hands on top of hers that were trying frantically to steady the staff. It instantly reminded me of when she was being first taught how to use it. How it felt to help her create her first real portal. It was so innocent then.
But now it feels so desperate.
I shook my head a little as I started to feel the pure
emotion
Claire was using to make this portal possible. The pure desperation and pain she was pulling from that were trying to make the portal above her work. I even felt her pain. The pain her body was fighting as she grew more desperate with every second that passed.
But the one that hurt me the most was the amount of love that seemed to sway between each emotion with ease. Like she was frantically doing all of this for that single emotion. For that single essence that is creating it.
I shook my head as I tried my best to lend her my strength. My armor now growing a deep royal purple as I held her close to my chest. I felt her let out a cough as I realized my strength alone wasn't enough to help her through this."HELP!" I held out desperately as I held her closer to me. The pain she was feeling now coursing through my veins as I tried my best to blink away the tears welling in my eyes. "It's killing her!""ON IT!""AAARRRGGHH! We're going to need you!""Help! On it!" I tightened my hold on Claire's hands to help keep the staff steady as I felt it shift a little within our grasp."All for one, right?" I smiled as I opened my eyes the best I could to see Toby grabbing at the staff right under the handle."We fight these battles," I glanced over to see Blinky speaking before placing two of his many hands at the top of the staff. "Together.""To-get-there." AAARRRGGHH gave a small smile as he wrapped his left hand around the bottom of the staff. I blinked away the new tears welling up in my eyes as I felt a new sense of relief running over Claire. I glanced up toward the sky above us to see the portal now expanding into a small dome. It nearly covering everyone that was near the gyre trying to escape the hell that would be Gunmar's control."NO! GET THEM! NO MERCY!" I felt what was purely Claire's sense of confidence wash over me suddenly as I could tell what exactly the punk was thinking as she cried out in a loud scream.
Not on my watch.
I closed my eyes as a large pulse of purple took over the area.When I opened them again, I was expecting us to still be there in the tunnel. To be captured.But when I peeled my eyes open slowly and I felt Claire's full weight lean against me, I realized we were on the cliffside. The same one we had our first kiss at. The one we were at the night of the Spring Fling.
We got away. We were safe.
"SHE DID IT!" I looked over to Toby who gave us a wide toothy grin showing all of his braces as his hand dropped from the staff. "SHE FUCKING DID IT!" Blinky seemed less enthusiastic as he brought his hands back and looked over himself for any kind of damage."We lived?" He let out a small broken chuckle before looking over toward AAARRRGGHH. "We lived!" A small cheer came from all the trolls as I turned my attention toward the punk within my arms. I smiled to see she was okay. A small smile appearing on her lips, but an obviously tired look on her face."Did we-?" I panicked as I felt her go limp in my arms."CLAIRE!" I yelled out as I wrapped my arms around her waist and tried my best to help her as I brought her down onto the ground. I cradled her close against me as I checked over her frantically. "Claire?!" I swallowed hard as I noticed her normally blue strip in her hair started to fade. A new purely white strip now looking up toward me as she laid nearly lifeless in my arms.
"There are side effects to using magic that isn't yours."
I took my shaking left hand and cupped the side of her face as my mouth felt as if cotton balls had taken place of my tongue.
"Both mentally-."
I felt something roll down my cheek as I caressed Clarie's face as gently as I could with my armor covered fingers.
"-and physically."
"Claire?" I spoke softly as I felt a hand place itself on my shoulder as I just silently stared at the limp Latina resting in my arms. Her normally tan, caramel skin having a sickenly pale tone to it as I tried my best to hold her gently. "Claire?"
She can't be. She can't.
"Jim?" I heard Toby shush Blinky gently as I felt a hand squeeze my shoulder."Give the man a minute." I swallowed hard as I glanced over to Toby."S-She-." My voice broke as I tried my best to keep myself from crying. "She's n-not-.""It's okay, Jim. Everything will be-." I snapped my attention toward Claire as I heard a soft voice make itself known."J-Jim?" I felt a relieved smile take over my face as I saw Claire's eyes flutter open slowly. Her deep hazel orbs looking up toward me with a small smile gracing her lips. "Did we do it?""Yeah." I held her closer to me as I tried my best to blink away the tears that were threatening to fall from my face. "Yeah, you really did." I heard Claire gift me with a soft laugh as she reached up to cup the left side of my face."I said
we," Her smile widened a little bit as she rubbed her thumb gently on my cheekbone. "Not I." I chuckled gently in reply as I just smiled at her like a fool."Whatever you say, Nuñez." I helped her as she started trying to sit up. "Take it easy though, alright?""I'll try my best." Once she got into an upright sitting position she leaned her weight against me and laid her head on my free shoulder. "I'm just-.""Tired?" I gave her a soft smile as she just gave a sleeping laugh in reply."Yeah." I felt her nuzzle into my shoulder as Toby pulled his hand off the other. "Just a little." I smiled at the softness in her voice as I instinctively slipped my arm under her legs and picked her up bridal style."How about we get you home then, huh?" She wrapped her arms around my neck as her face hid away into my neck."Home sounds nice." Her voice sounded nearly angelic as she let out a small yawn soon after. I heard her summer something as I jumped down to the ground and started carrying her off toward town without a second thought. All while Vendel's voice echoed within my mind.
"There are side effects to using magic that isn't yours."
What side effects, Vendel?
I looked down toward Claire's now sleeping features as I carried on through the forestry.
What do I need to protect her from? Because whatever the hell it is, I do it.
I lifted my gaze so I was looking ahead of me now.
Even if it means fighting against Gunmar myself.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I swallowed hard as I watched Claire who was putting another sign into the ground with a soft cough.
It has been a few days since she had made the portal.
I felt my face fall as she just continued on like the cough wasn't persisting and that the tired look on her face wasn't concerning.
But it seemed to be eating at her since the moment started.
I closed my eyes as the images of her veins turning black and the ink-black look in her eyes.
And I couldn't help but worry about it every moment I was awake. It was starting to haunt me when I sleep.
I noted the warming on my chest as I opened my eyes and looked over toward the sickened sorcerous next to me.
But she was persistent on the idea that nothing was wrong.
I doubt it.
"Jim." I gave her a surprised look as she looked over toward me with a curious look. "You're staring again." I gave her a soft look as she turned her attention back before her. "I told you a million times that I'm okay. It's just a cold."Just a cold that miraculously appeared after I refused to leave your side when you fucking nearly
died
but you know nothing major."I know." I let out a soft sigh as I knew fighting against her would be as difficult as reasoning with myself in a way. "But I can't help but worry.""I know." I kept my eyes on her as she turned her attention toward me again. Her hand reached out and took my free one with ease as we continued walking down the street. The campaign signs tucked away under my right arm as I tried my best to keep my left hand in hers. "But you trust me, right?""More than anything." I squeezed her hand a little as I glanced down at the signs under my arms. "At least your mom's signs are working in our favor. The ruins we were able to put on them keeping the Gum-Gums at bay is a blessing with all that's going on.""You're changing the subject, Jim." I gave her a sheepish smile as she just smirked in reply."Wonderful weather, right?""Jim.""Sorry." I gave her a sheepish look as I just rubbed the back of her hand in reply. "I just-." I swallowed hard as I looked down at our joint hands. "I just don't need to be losing you or anything." I felt her squeeze my hand tightly as I had my attention pulled away from our hands and back up toward her once more. She gifted me with a soft smile as she brought us to a stop suddenly before moving in close to me and placing a small peck on my cheek."You won't lose me, Jim. I'm okay.""If you say so." I gave her a soft smile as we started turning back onto the path once more. "But I'm going to keep an eye out on you." Claire just giggled a little in reply before sniffling a little."I don't expect anything less from you, mi amor." I looked at her with wide eyes as she just looked out before her as if she hadn't said anything at all. But in reply to her silent declare, my face flushed and the crystal on my chest burned in reply. I felt my heart flutter in my chest as I tried my best to ignore the words as my brain seemed to completely ignore my worries for a moment.
Mi amor, huh?
I smiled as my blushing face made it hurt a little to do so.
I love you too, Claire. I love you too.
"How about this house?" We stopped suddenly as Claire's hand slipped out of mine to place another sign into the lawn. "Blinky said every six feet, right?""Yeah, I guess so. This should be far enou-.""HEY! Get that damned thing out of my lawn!" Claire and I whipped our heads toward the man that was now barging out of his house."Oh sorry, sir." I looked over to Claire who instantly jumped into character with ease. A smile plastering on her face nearly made her sickness unnoticeable to the naked eye. "We're just putting these signs up for my mother's re-election. If you want Arcadia to be safe, pick Nuñez, as she would say.""Well keep her trash
out
of my yard.""Excuse me, sir." I stepped up beside Claire as I place an arm protectively around her. "What exactly is the problem? It's just a sign. You could have just asked nicely and we would just carry on.""Well as in the idea that she's my
rival, I rather not be reminded of her as much as I can." He pulled the sign up from the lawn that Claire had already set in. He tossed it at our feet before turning around and making his way back into his house with a huff."Huh." I felt the word out with a sigh before dropping my arm from around Claire so I could pick up the sign. "That was special." Claire went back to her normal self with ease as she just shrugged in reply."I never met Mr. Hammes until now, but I can gladfully say I will never want to meet him again." I chuckled at Claire's reply before she sneezed. "Good God I hope this cold blows over." I just chuckled in reply as I grabbed out a workshop rag from my small collection I gathered and handed it over to her. I figured with her cold that it might be good to keep a few on hand for her."I hope so too." She took the rag with a smile before swiping it under her nose with her left hand. As she did so, I took her right and had us start heading back down the street. "How about we just skip this one? A little bit of a distance won't hurt anyone, right? The faster we get this done, anyway, the sooner you can get some rest.""Jim. I'm
fine.""I'm your boyfriend. Let me baby you, damn it." She just giggled in reply as she pocketed the rag I gave her."Don't jump me then when I end up doing it right back, sooner or later." I just chuckled in reply as I smiled toward her.
As long as there's a sooner or later, I'll take it.
I handed Claire a new rag for the day as she sneezed for probably the millionth time that morning."Claire, your cold is getting worse." She just went about cleaning herself up a little before pocketing the rag and pulling out a small thing of hand sanitizer from her bag. "Are you sure you don't want a break? A night off at least?""I told you," She started to rub her hands together to get the sanitizer where she needed it to be. "I'm fine, Jim.""You keep saying that, but I can tell it's getting to you." I sighed as I adjusted my school bag across my chest so I could lean next to the locker by hers. "You need to get some rest. I know you say that you can handle yourself, but you're
really
making me worried, Claire." She closed her locker with a soft click before turning her attention completely toward me and resting her right hand onto my shoulder."How about this, huh? I'll take the night off, get a good night's sleep, and go back into the swing of things tomorrow?" I gave her a soft smile as I felt a warm feeling spreading across my chest stemming from both the crystal as well as the gentle gleam in her hazel eyes. My mind still switching back and forth between the ink-black orbs that were still cemented in my memory with the ones before me."Yeah. Sounds good." I glanced over toward my left as I heard a small bit of chatter coming beside us. "What's all the fuss about? Got any clue?""Honestly? Not a single one." She dropped her hand from my should to instead take my hand in hers as she looked over the crowd with me. "Actually, I think Mary said that an academy kid was transferring here. Maybe everyone is fussing over them or something?" I shrugged at it as she started pulling me away from her locker and started heading over toward the direction of our first hours. But before we could get too far, Claire sneezed and went to cover it, yet ended up dropping her books in reply. I released my hand from hers and started picking up her few books that fell to the floor nearly instantly, but I stopped as I noticed another set of unfamiliar hands aiding me in the endeavor."Nice to see someone else has a heart here." I looked up toward the source of a soft chuckle to see a black and indigo-haired punk smiling at me. His full British accent making it rather known that he was a bit more different than anyone else I've encountered before. "Nice to meet ya, mate." I gave him a curious look as I just him a simple nod and got up to my feet to give Claire her books I grabbed. "Nice to meet you too, love." The punk gave Claire a wide smirk as he handed her the book and folder he gathered for her as well.
Oh fucking no you don't.
"Hi." I looked over toward Claire to see she was giving the fellow punk a sweet smile. One much unlike the one she gave her mom's rival the night before. It was genuine. I swallowed hard as the crystal against my chest seemingly screamed in reply to the situation.
At least I know that it's not just a me thing then if the crystal is feeling it too.
I swallowed hard as I adjusted my jacket to make sure the crystal's resting place was covered. If I knew anything about having it for as little as I have, the thing likes to cause a light show when it really wants to and right now is
not
the time for my jealousy to decide to make a rave party under my shirt."The name's Douxie." The dude was sly as he gave her a lopsided smile and presented his hand toward her. "But you must be a breath of fresh air since you blew me away."
I swear on all that is holy, I feel like beating this dude already.
I snapped my attention toward Claire as she gifted the taller boy with a giggle."Claire's just fine. Nice to meet you." I just watched like a fool as she took his hand with ease and the boy proceeded to take it and kiss the back of it like some kind of wanna-be knight from the Camelot era."No, the pleasure is all mine."
That's enough.
I instinctively wrapped my free arm around Claire's shoulders as I let out a soft cough to remind the bastard of my presence."Not to break the nice greetings, but huh," I cleared my thought as I slipped my left hand into my jeans pocket and tried my best to keep my cool. "What brings you to Arcadia Oaks High?""Got sick and tired of the scruffy uptight classmates of mine I had in the academy. That's all." He gave the both of us a lopsided smile as just put his hand into his hoodie pockets. "But you know my name, a little unfair that you're asking me questions and I don't even know yours in return.""Jim. Jim Lake Junior." A knowing look came over the man's face as he seemed to understand something more than I was."Well, Jim, nice to meet you." His smile just widened as he gave me and Claire a soft wave. "I'm sure I'll see the two of you around." I gave him a curious look as he turned and made his way off toward wherever he was heading. Only two thoughts ringing in my mind as I pulled Claire close to my side.
What in the hell is that dude's deal?
I glanced over toward Claire who was giving me a knowing look as well.
And I'm not jealous.
Right?
"You're jealous.""I'm
not
jealous.""A cool accent-wielding punk dude that's older, seemingly six foot something, and a little bit older? Don't forget the fact that he has almost every girl swooning over his ass?" Toby chuckled as we walked down the main street of Arcadia. "I would be jealous too." I gave him a pout as we stopped so I could check the sign Claire and I put at the next random house."I'm not jealous, Tobes.""It's okay to be jealous, dude. It's natural. Hell, I would be jealous too." Toby slugged me in the shoulder as I knelt down to check the ruins on the back of the sign. "Your powers come from your emotions anyway, so why fight it, dude?""Isn't it an ugly emotion though?" I stood back up as I dusted off my knees for what felt like the hundredth time that night so far. "Vendel used to tell me that the ugly ones are the ones that I would be vulnerable to as the Eclipse. Isn't this just telling me that I'm treading the line or something?""I think it means your still human even everything going on, ya know? That you're still a normal person underneath the magical armor and daddy issues." I gave him a half-hearted glare as I moved to join his side again."You know, when you speak like that it makes me think at the beginning that you're going to be sincere, and then you just
have
to balance it out with a statement to counteract that, huh?""Would I still be Toby if I wasn't a prink every once in a while?" My best friend gave me a toothy grin as I just rolled my eyes in reply."No, I guess not, huh?" For a moment Toby kept his toothy grin on his face, but all of a sudden, a more sincere look took over as he reached out and placed a hand on my left shoulder."It's okay to feel things, dude. Even if it's not the kindest or prettiest emotions. They're still emotions. It's what makes life worth living, ya know? If life was just walking around numbly to everything, then what's the point? Right?" I just stared at Toby for a moment as the short boy instantly went defensive. "Hey! Don't look at me like that! I can be actually sincere when I want to be!" I just smiled at the boy as I shook my head with a soft chuckle."It's not that.""Then what is it then?" I just smiled at him before turning my attention back toward the sidewalk as we both continued our way to check the neck sign."Just thinking how lucky I am to have you as a friend, is all." I didn't have to glance over toward the smaller boy as he joined my side once more to know a bright shining smile was gracing the red head's face. Until at one point, he seemed to just give me a curious look as we continued down the main path."Hey, since all of this stemmed from Claire and everything, do you think she's getting any better? Her cough has been getting worse, at least from what I noticed." I swallowed hard as I just slipped my hands into my jacket as I tried my best to stay calm despite the worry swirling within me."Honestly? I thought it was all in my head a little. She keeps saying that she's okay, but I don't know if I believe her.""Do you-." I turned my attention toward Toby as he gave me a soft look before turning his own attention toward the concrete sidewalk. "Do you think it's stemming from the portal? She was okay beforehand." I felt my mouth run dry as pulled my eyes away from him and looking down toward the sidewalk myself."I don't know, Tobes." It felt bitter, saying words that I couldn't really believe as I tried my best to not let my true fears show. As if I actually showcased my emotions and thoughts, that they would be true. "I hope not though. We have enough issues on the magic front.""That you're right on, dude." Toby gave a broken laugh as he spoke his last set of words for the night. "That you're right.""Are you sure?" I gave Dr. L a curious look as she just nodded at me once more."All your tests came back normal. Nothing looks out of sorts." I swallowed hard as she just simply put down the file she now had on me onto the coffee table between us. "You're physically just a normal healthy teenager. Your body did go through a lot of turmoil. Maybe it's a defense mechanism. Like your body is reacting as if there's something that needs to be removed, but there isn't any." I nodded along to her words as I tried my best to stay calm.
Makes sense. Especially after that dream.
I mentally shook myself out of my thoughts as I did my best to not make it obvious.
Not now,
Nuñez. Not. Fucking. Now.
"Besides that though," I snapped my attention back toward Barbara as a soft smile graced her lips. "How are you and Jim? How are things outside of everything?" I smiled at the thought as I just pushed my worries aside to answer her."We're good. Better than good, honestly." I gave her a genuine smile as I continued. "Set for I can tell he's getting jealous a little.""Jealous? By what means?""There was a new guy at school who introduced himself to us after I dropped a couple of things. He and Jim helped me gather everything back up again, but it was obvious Jim didn't care for how he was talking to me. It was sweet, really." Barbara just smiled at that and shook her head a little."That's my boy. Just, don't be hesitant to put him in place, alright? He's a good kid, but he gets in his own head a lot. He might need to be reassured at times.""Oh most definitely. I've seen it happen a few too many times already." We shared a soft laugh as she just gave me a curious look in reply."Kinda hard to not love him still, right?" I felt a small blush appear on my cheeks as I nodded in reply."Yeah." I smiled softly as I let the rest of my reply fall from my lips. "Love him.""Alright, I'm prescribing to you to get some rest. I'm coming to the conclusion that you just need a bit more sleep and some steadiness for a little bit. No trollhunting, no late-night study sessions, just some decent sleep and a good eating schedule for a few days, alright?" I nodded my head once more as I got up to my feet."Thank you again, Dr. L. Means a lot.""No problem, Claire." She gave me a sweet smile as she gathered up my file. "And please, call me Barbara.""Alright. Thank you." I hesitated for a moment as I stopped myself from saying 'Dr. L' again. "Barbara." Her smile seemed to brighten ten times more as I gave her a soft wave and made my way out of her house we were meeting in.
You're good and healthy.
I shot the front door to her house behind me as I just stood on the front porch for a moment.
But then why am I always having these nightmares? Why all of a sudden after making that portal?
My thoughts kept ragging within my head as I readied myself up to bike my way home.
And why do I feel as if they're a lot more important than I think?
I placed my right foot on the right pedal as I adjust my helmet for a second.
Because we all know that the Eternal Night is coming. That's for sure.
But having dreams of releasing a witch whose laugh is haunting me even when I'm awake?
I pushed off and set down the road as my last set of thoughts echoed within my head.
What if it means that I'm the source for the Eternal Night?
What if these are not just dreams?
What if this? This idea. This illness. These nightmares. These voices.
Is the source of my destiny.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I strummed my guitar a couple of times as I tried to tune the strings. Tightening and loosening the knobs as I should, my brain couldn't help but adventure off into how the last few days have been.
First, we ended up getting tied up with a crime ring going on in the sewers of Arcadia, then, I keep getting worse with my sickness, and now I have to find a way to get rid of these damned nightmares without Jim or Blinky or Toby realizing exactly what I'm doing.
I sighed a little to myself as I strummed the guitar once more. The slightly sour coming from the strings being my only true answer to my thoughts.
Right. Had the same feeling too, buddy.
I continued tuning the guitar for a moment as my brain went on thinking for itself.
At least I could prove to the boys that I can still handle my own still. But honestly? Can I really keep this going? Each day I feel worse and worse. Each day is a struggle to wake up to. I feel more drained now than I ever did before and it's not even after an event or a test or something along those lines. It's after waking up of all things.
I looked over toward Darci and Mary who were setting up their own instruments as I rose to my feet.
But I gotta keep moving. Gotta keep up appearances. Gotta keep my grades solid. I've got friends to keep and a world to save. If I stop now, who says I will be there to help them all?
Even then,
I strummed my guitar this time to hear a beautiful tune from the strings in reply.
I'm Claire Maria
Nuñez. The words "Give up" are not in my vocabulary.
"You ladies ready for our first group rehearsal?" I smiled toward Darci and Mary as they readied up with their respective instruments. Mary with her bass and Darci with her drums."Hell yeah! Let's do this!" Mary raised a fist to the air for a second before walking up to her respective mic. "Count us off when you're able, Darc!" I nodded my head toward Darci before taking my spot at the opposite mic."Alright! One! Two! One, two, three!" Instantly, all three of us started jamming along with our respective parts. We were a little out of sync but I respected as such from our first real band practice. Our tones were clashing and our rhythms were off, but at least we could actually play. It was rather fun though. Losing myself to the music. Not caring for a little bit for the first time in what felt like years."Claire?" I felt myself sway a little as I heard Mary call out to me from my left.
But it all just had to come crashing down.
"Claire?!" I felt my eye shut randomly as everything went black. My body going limp suddenly as I heard myself fall to the floor with a loud thud.
Just as it always seems to.
Darc: Claire passed out at band practice. She's even got this weird bloody nose, but it's all black. We're getting worried for her, but she's refusing to talk to us about it. Mind having a word with her?
I stared at the message as it glared back at me with just the same amount of intensity as I had anxiety within my system.
I knew she was getting worse. I should have known better than to let her just jump into the swing of things.
I typed back a quick sure and how is Claire right now before going to my contacts list and tapping on Claire's icon without a second thought.She needs to tell me the truth of what's going on. She needs to let me know how is she
actually
feeling. I can't help her if she won't let me and it's quite obvious she is not handling it well on her own.I heard the other line click for a second before Claire's weak voice come through to me like a broken melody."Listen, whatever Darci said, I'm fine." I sighed a little as I already knew she was trying to downplay the situation despite the fact she literally just fainted while playing guitar of all things."Claire." I tried my best to keep my voice calm despite the fact that I was more worried than anything."It wasn't even that bad of a nose bleed, really. Cleared up in a matter of minutes." I swallowed hard as I tried my best not to let my voice break."Claire.""I have a feeling it's all because of how dry my sinuses are at the moment. That and the lack of sleep due to the sinus issues.""Claire.
Please." I stressed the word 'Please' in particular as I tried my best to keep my emotions in line. "Don't try to cover this up. Alright? You fainted. You can't just ignore that, Claire." I heard her sigh a little bit on the other line before taking a moment for herself."It's-." She let out a heavy breath for a second before ruffling with something on the other end. "It's a bit complicated to explain." I felt a confused look take over my face as I leaned back in my computer chair."What do you mean? What's complicated about it?""I-." Claire seemed to hesitate for a moment before continuing once more. "I've been having dreams.""What kind of dreams?" I stood up from my chair as I instantly felt the urge to head over to her house instead. "Wait, how about this? I'll be at your house in ten. I'll climb up to your window and I'll knock three times, alright? Then we can talk this over in person.""Yeah." Claire sounded relieved in this idea as her voice sounded a bit more like normal than it has. "Probably best. Gives me a little bit of time to figure out a way to explain it, anyway." I chuckled a little at her response as I grabbed my keys off my desk and my jacket from my bed."Well, you have ten minutes. I bet you can come up with something within that time frame. You've always been the clever one out of the two of us anyway.""You say that now, Jim. After hearing this though, you might think differently." I stopped for a second as I reached out to grab my bedroom door's handle."What do you mean? I don't think anything could change what I think of your intelligence.""Claire,
remember when I said I didn't think anything could change what I thought earlier?""Yep. I know." Claire sighed as she leaned against the wall behind her as I sat before her on her bed. "I'm stupid and I'm sorry." I couldn't help but chuckle for a moment as I shook my head at her."Stupid is not the best way to put it, Claire.""Thanks, Jim." Sarcasm dripped from her voice as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Definitely feel the love here.""I mean that with all the love, Claire." I smiled toward her as I felt a blush creep up on my cheeks. "But if this is true, we need to compare what's going on with what we have from the prophecy. Maybe something in that can tell us what's going on.""I kind of, already did?" I gave Claire a confused look in reply. "Something about what's going on here is
meant
to happen. That I'm tied to whoever it was that originally wielded the staff. I've been trying to do more research and everything, but it's not helping very much." Claire sighed a little as she took my hands into hers so she could toy with them idly. "Everything I find about this Morgana La Fey lady is only the stories of Arthur and that's not quite helpful when you and I both know those have been twisted all to hell on the human perspective." I nodded my head as I understood exactly what she was going through at that moment.
Trying to google the words "shapeshifting amulet" led me to absolutely nothing when I first found the crystal.
"We could start poking around Blinky's books. Maybe they have something in there that might be useful. Always say it's about prepping for the next battle or something." Claire nodded her head in reply before giving a soft yawn before sniffling a little. I couldn't help but chuckle in reply as I intertwined our fingers. "Tired?""Just a little." Claire gave me a sheepish smile as she sniffled once more. "Kinda hard to sleep very well when all you feel is pressure in your damn face." I slipped my hands out of hers with a chuckle as I went to lay down on her bed."How about I help a little?" I opened my arms to her with a smile as she gave me a soft one in reply."What happens if I get you sick from all of this? I have no clue if it's contagious or not.""It's magical. I doubt I can catch it." She seemed to think over it for a second before throwing caution to the wind and laying putting herself into my arms. Her arms looping around me with ease as she snuggled up into my neck. I smiled like a fool as I felt her let out a soft sigh against my skin. "Comfy?" She just hummed in reply as I wrapped my arms around her."A little too much, actually." I smiled as I nuzzled the top of her head with my chin."Well get some sleep, alright? I'll be gone as soon as I wake up though so your parents don't flip." I heard Claire give a tired laugh as her arms tightened around me."Probably best," Claire spoke in a sleepy tone as she gave another yawn. "Good night, Jim.""Good night, Claire." I moved so I could kiss the top of her head for a second before laying back down and closing my eyes slowly.
Little did I know though, that as I fell asleep, it would be the one night Claire didn't have a dream.
But it was the beginning of something so much more for her.
"So Claire's sickness is related to the staff?" I nodded along to Toby's question as I continued flipping pages in the book Blinky had given me to read through. "How do we help her then? Does the prophecy say anything about us being able to aid her?""I have no
fucking clue." I sighed as I ran a free hand through my hair. "Every time I look, she keeps getting worse, and I was able to help her sleep last night, but even then, I don't think the sleep is even helping her. It's like she's being drained from the inside out. It's like it's eating at her. Literally
eating at her
and I can do
nothing
to stop it.""And there's nothing in the prophecy?""Besides the fact that it's saying stuff about an exorcism on the powers of darkness? Nope. Nothing. Not at
fucking all." I sighed as I closed the book I was read and leaned heavily against the counter of Blinky's library. "That's all it keeps talking about. An exorcism. The true beginning of the war to end all wars. The awakening of the two witches. One of mortality, the other of monsters. It doesn't say who, it doesn't say when just that someone gets possessed and that we need to fix it." Toby gave me a curious look as he seemed to have gears turning within his head."Do you think Claire being sick all of a sudden have anything to do with-." Toby stopped for a second as if he didn't want to say what he was thinking. As if he spoke his words aloud, that they might come true. "Do you think she might have to do with the exorcism?""Claire? Possessed? What would make her possessed?""Well in those older demon horror movies, it all starts with sickness, then dreams, and then they'll feel all good and dandy one day. But that's the moment before all hell breaks fucking loose. She might not have scratches and shit like a normal possession, but it's something to look into." Toby stopped for a moment as he rubbed at the bottom of his chin. "Wasn't there something that we read that changelings know a lot about possession? Like that was how they originally created changelings or something? Maybe we can talk to Nomura about it. Get some help from the one you saved. It'll be like a debt payment thing like Draal had with you.""I guess. It's worth a shot. Whatever helps Claire at this point." I put Blinky's book down on the counter before pushing away from it. "Let's just hope we're not too late to the party. Last I heard from Nomura, she was trying to keep a low profile. Something about knowing the Janus Order and Gunmar will be tying up loose ends. One of the said loose ends being her.""Then let's find ourselves a changeling, huh? If not, we can always blue ball Strickler." I glared at Toby as a bitter taste filled my mouth."After what he did to my mother? He's lucky I haven't killed him myself.""Exactly. We could always use that to our advantage if we can't find Nomura." I moved past the island counter to join Toby's side as we started making our way to the surface together. A single place in mind with every step we took."Nomura first. Strickler if fate decides to fool with us.""Deal, Jimbo." Toby gave me a wide smile before a determined look took over his face. "Now let's get down to business, huh? We got a friend to save." I nodded along as my mouth ran dry. An excerpt from the prophecy running through my head as we made our way into the heart of Troll Market.
The witch of mortality and the Mother of Monster will become one. In power and in life. Dark magic will become the mortal's chosen weapon, but this is where fate may longer gift the young Eclipse. Because in darkness, it is hard to strive, and if one does not act quickly, loved ones can be lost.
So with time against ye, may you act swift and just. One false move and the Eclipse may lose one of their strongest ties to their emotions. The one that truly dances between the dark and the light.
I swallowed hard as I reached up and grasped the crystal that was hanging around my neck. It was burning to the touch, but it was comforting with all the thoughts swelling in my mind. Yet as we finally reached the staircase leading to the surface, only one seemed to make itself clear.
Hopefully, we're not too late in general.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I pulled off my helmet and placed it on the seat of my Vespa before joining Toby on the short walk up to the museum front."Think she'll still be here?" I gave Toby a confused look as we reached the entry to the heart of the museum."Why wouldn't she? Remember when she said she was just going to have a low profile? I trust her. She's not even associating with anyone that she knew from the Order. Even Strickler she's been telling to fuck off. Where else would be she but here?""I don't know? Running away from what's left of the Order? Maybe even Gunmar?" Toby shrugged for a moment before gifting me a confused look. "Wait. Do you think the changelings even know that he's out? Or at least in the prophecies that he would be?""I have no clue." I stopped for a moment before reaching out and pushing open the main doors. "But no matter what, Nomura said she would be staying in Arcadia. With or without Gunmar's servents being around." I turned my attention back into the museum only to be greeted by a mess of a scene. I looked over toward Toby for a second in disbelief before looking back into the museum to see the scattered array of broken vase pieces and fallen statues and paintings. It looked as if a struggle had occurred in the area. That, or at least an accident."What the fuck?" I turned my attention back toward Toby before pulling him along with me as I made my way toward my Vespa once more."We need to find Strickler. If they found Nomura, there's no telling what they will do to the rest of the former Order members." I grabbed my helmet off of the Vespa seat once more as Toby started talking to himself a little."Just gotta stay calm. Everything is gonna be alright. We still got Strickler to go to. Just gotta be calm.""Strickler!" Toby and I knocked on the door of our former history teacher's door like madmen. "Mr. Strickler!""Hold your horses! I'll be there in a moment!" We heard the man yell from the other side, but my best friend and I continued pounding on the door nonetheless until the changeling appeared before us in his normal form. "Eclipse. Tobias. What gives me the unpleasure of seeing you this evening?" I opened my mouth to give a simple explanation of the situation, but Toby beat me to the punch as he rambled out everything at once."Nomura's missing and we think the Order might have something to do with it and we think Claire might be possessed because of the prophecy cause she's really sick outside of none of her physical test coming back with everything and the museum is a mess I should have said that earlier but Gunmar is out and we need all the help we can get so help us, Jesus." I raised an eyebrow at Toby's reaction as I slipped my hands into my jacket's pockets."Nice way of staying calm, Tobes." Strickler looked between us for a moment before stepping away from his door and gesturing into his house."Come in boys. If what you say is true, there is a lot we must speak about." We followed him wordlessly before he shut the door slowly behind us. "Can I get you two anything while you're here? Potions? Blades? Maybe even water?""With what you last did to Dr. L's drink? Can you blame me when I say 'Fuck no'?" I expected the changeling to gift us with a glare or some kind of negative response after Toby's words fell from his lips, but he instead gifted us with a sorrowful look instead as Toby and I took our places on his couch. "So what can you tell about what's going on here? Does Gunmar know what the hell is going on or are we in the clear somewhat at the moment?""Well, for starters Tobias, Gunmar and his army know more than what you believe." Strickler turned away from us for a moment as he grabbed a cup of tea from off the kitchen counter. His free hand fiddling with the teabag string as he continued speaking. "They know of the essence residing within Miss Nuñez. They know of the possibilities that can arise if something goes wrong with her." He sat down on the sofa across from us before crossing his right leg over his knee. "But they also know that they have no hand in this affair with her and Morgana." I raised an eyebrow at that last remark as I leaned forward."Morgana? As in Morgana La Fey? Claire was looking into the name when these nightmares of hers started to appear, but she said she couldn't find anything beyond Arthurian legends.""Precisely." I only grew more confused as Strickler uncrossed his legs and placed his tea on the coffee table before him. "You're a smart boy, Mr. Lake. I'm sure you started to put the dots together. I'm sure Claire must have by now to some degree. Merlin. Arthur. Morgana. They are all the original reasons the Amulet of Daylight and the Eclipse Crystal were ever made. King Arthur, the wizard Merlin, his runaway apprentice of darkness Morgana. Each very much real. Each very much far from mere legends." He folded his hands into his lap before crossing his right leg over his left once more. "This being that is possessing Miss. Nuñez as we speak is Morgana herself. The Pale Lady. The Mother of Monsters.""Whoa whoa whoa." I stopped Strickler from speaking as I remembered something from when Nomura and I were locked in the Darklands prison together. "The same Pale Lady that Nomura would curse at? Kinda like in the same way as humans say 'For the love of God' kinda thing?""Well of course. She is our creator after all. Much like how your kind believes this God is your creator." Toby jumped in at this point as he seemed to have enough of our dilly-dallying."Okay, enough of trying to get me to have a religious and or moral crisis. How is this Pale Lady bullshit tied to all of this? How is she possessing Claire?""Well," Strickler grabbed his cup as if he had all the time in the world before bringing it up to his lips and taking a sip. "She wields the staff of Morgana. A staff is tied to a witch's or wizard's soul and being. Destroying their staff is like destroying them. Using their staff, especially at its full potential of magic, can be dangerous and opens a link between the original user and the current one. That is if the original user is still living.""This some Oujia board shit." Toby stated that calmly as I shot him a glare."Seriously?""What?! I'm not
wrong.""Honestly, I thought I taught you two well enough for you to each understand the concepts of Arthurian legends and tie up the loose ends already, but I guess not." Strickler sipped his tea once more. This time with a smirk accompanying his movements. He lowered his cup from his lips once more as he gave us a curious look. "What symptoms does she have? Sickness? Fever? Nightmares, you already said.""Well, she's been sick for a little while since she made this big portal to help us all escape from Gunmar." I rubbed at my left bicep for a moment before continuing. "But she's been having nightmares for about a week now. At least from what she told me. She's been hearing voices when she's alone. Especially when she's surrounded by people, but not really with someone, ya know? She's passed out already too.""We might be just in time then, boys." Strickler raised to his feet before grabbing his cup and heading to the kitchen. "Give me a minute to grab some supplies and we can head out to aid our little sorcerous." I felt anxious as I saw Strickler throw out his teabag and place his cup in his kitchen sink."What kind of supplies do you need? It can't be that difficult to have an exorcism, right? At least not in a way that can hurt her?"I held the chains gently in my hands as we rode within Strickler's call to Claire's house."Maybe I should keep my mouth shut more often.""Ya got that now, dude?" I rolled my eyes at Toby as I anxiously glanced outside of the passenger side window."So what's the plan here? Tie Claire up and force her to be exorcised?""Well," Strickler spoke as he kept his hands tight on the steering wheel. "As long as she hasn't lost her willpower to Morgana yet, that is.""What happens then?" I looked over toward the changeling as he kept his eyes firmly on the road. "Is that what the prophecy meant by her possibly losing herself?""Of course." The changeling spoke with a very matter-of-fact tone as he continued. "Even if Claire can't feel it yet or understand it completely, she and Morgana are slowly, but surely becoming one. The more magic she uses, the more they become connected. Each day that passes, the better chance Morgana will completely possess her.""What needs to happen for that to occur? For Claire to get actually, ya know? Possessed?" Strickler glared out of his review mirror at Toby who interrupted his little speech before answering the smaller boy."I was getting to that part." The man sighed for a moment before returning his full attention to the road. "Morgana's will appear before her when she's at her weakest physically. That way she can't fight her back. Preferably when she's alone." Strickler took a turn near Claire's house before glancing over toward me. "Which reminds me, do you know if she's alone today or not?""Last I knew her mom was going to be out tonight with her dad for some fundraiser. They were gonna leave her alone while resting with Enrique since Not-Enrique hasn't been too troublesome since Claire's been sick." Strickler's eyebrows furrowed for a moment as his next statement fell from his lips."He's grown attached. How disgusting." I watched as his hand tightened around the wheel for a moment before taking the last turn. "I knew he was weak.""Says the one that fell in love with a human." Toby's voice perked up as Strickler let out a low growl. "What? Thought no one would notice how defeated you look with Dr. L said she wanted nothing to do with your ass when she woke back up? You really did like her, didn't you, Mr. S?""Keep talking Mr. Domzalski, and you'll be the one chained up.""Wait," I came to a sudden realization as Strickler came to a stop in front of Claire's vehicle-less house. "How did you know where Claire lives? Isn't that, I don't know, against school conduct without reasoning? Like, I understand why you knew where I lived, you came over as an evaluation kinda thing originally, but Claire? That's not adding up.""Her parents asked me to come over a little while ago while Claire was out. They wanted to speak to me about her grades falling slightly. They were noted that she wasn't as rested as she normally was a few months prior. They were worried about her." I gave Strickler a confused look for what felt like the hundredth time today as he switched off the engine and pocketed his keys."And you said?""I said that it was normal for someone of her age after a younger sibling is born since they might feel as if they are being replaced in a way. Even if the child is already a year or two old, it could occur.""But that's not-.""Exactly." Strickler excited the vehicle before I could question him further, so I stumbled out of the car with chains still in hand."So you protected her? Why? I thought we were thorns in your sides." Strickler stopped for a moment at the hood of the car before making his way over toward me with a rather emotionless look on his face."Did I ever tell you how much I enjoyed you as a student, Jim?" I tilted my head to the side as Strickler continued. "You were much like me with I was a young changeling. Ambitious. Strong-willed. Smart, even though you were not willing to express it at the time." I felt an annoyed look take over my face as I cut the changeling off in the middle of his explanation."Where are you going with this?" Strickler sighed for a moment before reaching out and placing his hands on my shoulders."I see myself in you. You had potential. Potential that could only be released when given just the right push. One I thought I could provide." I saw a small smile appear on his mouth as I felt his hands squeeze my shoulders. "Not to become a soldier or a part of the order, but to see the worth that you carried. Pale Lady knows I needed it at your age." I looked up at the changeling speechlessly as his hands dropped from my shoulders. "You're much more than you believe, Jim. Prophecy or not.""Stupid. Seatbelt!" Strickler and I glanced over toward Toby who has finally immerged from the vehicle. "Sorry. What I miss?" I looked back over toward Strickler who just chuckled a little at the interruption before taking the chains from my hands and swinging them over his left shoulder."Nothing, Tobias. Nothing at all." The taller being brought his attention back toward me before grabbing his keys out and handing them to me. "Grab the back from the trunk of my car, will you? It has everything else we need." I gave him a simple nod before making my way toward the truck of the car and doing as he told me so. All while Toby made a small comment."We're performing an exorcism in the middle of the spring. Couldn't Claire like, get possessed closer to the fall? It would make a lot more sense then." I rolled my eyes at Toby before grabbing the bag and closing the trunk once more."Not the time, Tobes. We've got a Claire to save." I looked over toward the now looming aura her house was gifting us from the front yard. The small amount of fog coming in slowly only added to the eerie nature that was already building as we stood there. I swallowed hard as I tightened my grip on the bag's handle as my free hand went up and grasped the crystal laying on my chest.
Let's just hope we're not too late.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When Strickler first showed me the chains he was going to use, I was hesitant at first with him using them on Claire.
I swallowed hard as I looked at Claire with wide eyes. Her eyes were a golden color. Her thrashing about was equivalent to that of a chained beast in a cage as her low voice, very much nothing like her own, growled and snipped at the now four of us as we watched her. Well, at least as I watched her.
How could this just slip past me? How could I have not known? She's been acting weird for weeks and I just let it be. Never questioned it or anything.
But here she is. The Juliet to my Romeo thrashing like a rabid animal and cursing the four of us out.
"Well you really got yourselves into a mess now didn't you?" I glanced over toward the boy that was somehow here before Strickler, Toby, and I who was leaning against the wall of Claire's opposite bedroom wall. "How did your friend here even get this way? Any clue?" I gave the boy a confused look as I glanced between him and Claire.
How in the hell did Douxie get here before us? How does he even understand what's going on here? Maybe it's just my brain being all out of whack from having to fight my own girlfriend a few minutes ago, but something was definitely not right here. Definitely not.
"Excuse me," Toby spoke up before I could though as he neared the punk. "Do you mind me asking you how in the
fuck
you know what's going on here?""Do you think Troll kind are the only ones that know about the prophecy?" Douxie gave Toby an amused look as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you think others do not know of it? Besides trolls that is?""Actually yeah. Especially since Captain Shapeshifter here didn't know jackshit about Jimbo here and his giant ass crystal." Toby pointed his thumb at me and Strickler as the changeling just simply shot a glare at the smaller boy as he cyphered through a book he had in hand."Well let's just say my kind knows exactly what's going on here. Maybe even a little more than you and your mates do." Douxie gave Toby a knowing smile before bringing his attention over toward Claire. "She's possessed by a witch named Morgana. I know how to break it, but it's gonna take some help from the lot of you.""And why should we trust you, Douxie?""Douxie." I snapped my head toward Claire who was now speaking in her dark tone once more. A bit of anger and aggression in the voice that was very much
not
my sorcerous girlfriend's. "Hisirdoux Casperan. Lapdog of the magical kind. How
dare
you try to stop me?""Oh hush your mouth, ya green-handed twit." The punk rolled his eyes as he pushed himself away from the wall and adjusted a gauntlet-like device he had upon his wrist. "Didn't Merlin teach you a lesson the last time you decided to cause a ruckus?""How
dare
you speak to me as such?!" The voice growled as Douxie just waved the voice off as he made his way over toward me."We don't get much time and the more Morgana tries to delay everything, the more likely she and Claire will become one. We need to get you into the Shadow Realm and grab Claire out of there by force." I gave Douxie a wide-eyed look as he just adjusted his gauntlet once more."Hold up," I shook myself out of shock before questioning the older boy. "What's this Shadow Realm? How do you expect me to just
grab her out of there?" I got sassier as the punk ran a hand through his black and indigo locks. "And also, the fact that this Morgana lady
knows you," I gestured toward where "Claire" was sitting as a frown graced my face. "Scares me more than makes me trust you.""Would it help more that I know exactly what to do to save her?" The punk seemed to get irritated with me as he placed a hand on my shoulder. His demeanor was rather calm despite the irritability in his voice. "That I could even help all of you more than you know?" He seemed to not think as much as he looked me deep in the eyes. He just seemed desperate to just get me to believe him. "Maybe the fact that I helped
write
your prophecy down? Does that make you trust me yet?""Wait." Toby jumped in at this point. "How old even
are
you?" Douxie looked as if he wanted to bite his tongue as Toby just continued. "And you know Merlin? The guy that made the amulet? The one to create the prophecy in the first place?!""Yes. Yes. Yes again, but enough about me." Douxie brought his attention toward me once more. "You don't want to lose her, right?""Of course not.""Then trust me
damn it." I swallowed hard as I looked back over toward where Claire was. Her golden eyes were still staring me down just how they did when they first attacked me. Her staff in her hand, a wicked grin upon her lips, and a laugh more sinister than anything I have ever heard from her.
I couldn't get myself to hurt her then.
I looked back over toward Douxie as I gave him a simple nod.
I'm only hurting Claire more just waiting around here.
"Whatever it is, I will do it.""Glorious!" Douxie gave me a bright smile as he rolled up his hoodie sleeves. "Now, I'm not a dark magic wielder so I'm going to make a light vortex into the Shadow Realm using some of the stuff here your changeling friend here brought along. It's not gonna be very strong so you'll have ten minutes tops until you need to get out of there. Alright?" I nodded my head as Toby butted in once more."And what happens if he doesn't?""Then we'll be down an Eclipse as well as a Shadowmancer."I pushed off another floating rock sphere allowing me to go forward in the void of darkness. I swallowed hard as I landed on a flat rock as I scanned out the area.
"So how do I find here?"
"The Shadow Realm is all about feeling. Just follow your heart and you'll find her. Reach out into the darkness and try to feel for where she is. That's the best I can give you."
I sighed a little as I stood there for a moment. My eyes closing gently as I tried to get a feel for the area.
Follow my heart. Feel for her own. Got it. Come on.
I placed a hand over my chest to feel the crystal hiding away under my jacket.
She's here somewhere. I can't lose her now.
I took a deep breath I tried my best to focus on a color in particular. One that I knew was related to Claire from the first time I saw it. A deep majestic purple she would appear whenever she touched me or smiled my way. The one I knew was for her and only for her.
The one that proved I loved her beyond anything else.
I could feel the burning touch of the crystal against my hand from under my jumper as I opened my eyes slowly. My being tugging slowly toward a distant rock structure that looked familiar and not in the same breath. Like an older more abandoned version of Claire's actually home in real life on the far horizon.
There. She's there. No doubt.
I launched off the rock with ease as I started floating my way over toward the building in question.
Don't worry, Claire. I'm here.
I grunted a little as I landed on another floating platform before leaping off once more. Gaining more speed this time as my determination rose.
I'm coming for you.
"Are you sure it's the smartest to just leave him alone in there?" I gave Toby a curious look as I leaned against the sorcerous' wall once more. My focus is specifically on the portal before us as my magical energy was pouring into the subject in question. "Why are you helping us out anyway? Besides the whole 'I know the prophecy and helped write it down' bullshit." I couldn't help but smile a little bit as I turned my attention toward the portal before us once more. Making sure that my mana was keeping it stable for the time being.
The Warhammer. The fabled best friend of the Eclipse who, in my young naive eyes at the time of Merlin telling me everything, was just the punchline of the three is already proving to fit his role so much more than he seems to understand.
He is meant to be Eclipse's safety net. His best companion. The one to protect and bring him up as the Eclipse is doing the same for the rest of the world. His sole link to being a normal human being.
My smile widened as I glanced down at my gauntlet. The blue magic pouring through the handmade device showcasing how much energy I was truly putting into the creation before me being a reminder within that moment of the old man himself.
Master always knew best as it was anyway. He's proved that time and time to me, that's for sure.
I cringed a little as several sudden memories flooded my mind. Some not as pleasant as some of the others I had of the old man.
Well. Not all of the time, that is.
"You're a good friend, Tobias." I shook myself out of my memories before smiling over toward the smaller boy. "Making sure they're alright. Protecting them as much as you can. You're a lot more than the prophecies claim of you. That's for sure.""You're not answering my question." The red-haired boy crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at me in reply. "And your compliments aren't gonna deter me like the girls at school either." I couldn't help but chuckled at the lad as I gifted him with a smile."Wasn't meaning to deter you, anyway." I glanced back over toward the portal to make sure of its state before looking back over toward the human once more. "I promised my master that I would make sure of the prophecy's completion. To make sure that it heads down the path that it should with as little interaction as I could." I put my full attention toward the portal once more as I mentally placed more of my mana into it. "When I realized what exactly was going on with our little sorcerous there, I couldn't help but aid the lot of ya.""Your master?" I simply nodded my head in reply as Toby continued questioning me. "Where is he now? How is he tied up in all of this? How do you know Merlin again? And Morgana?""That will all come to head soon enough, Toby." I kept my attention on the portal as I started to feel the shadows pushing back at me this time around. "All I can tell you for now though is that Morgana and I were trained under the same master. That at least can cure some of your curiosity for the time being. That is, until I can actively answer all your questions.""Why can't you answer me now?""Because it's not time yet." I gave him a sorry smile and a small shrug before swallowing hard. The demand of the portal starting to actually get to me a little as I stood there. "But I will answer them all in due time. If not myself, then another you will trust.""What should we do if you cannot keep the portal open long enough for them to escape?" I grunted a little in reply to the changeling as he held a long blade in hand. "Will we have to do this the old fashion way?""If you dare bring that knife anywhere
near
Claire, Jim will kill you." I couldn't help but snicker at Toby's reply before pouring the rest of my focus into the portal before us.
We won't need to do such a thing because I will not fail. Not at this.
I felt a determined look take over my face as I took in a deep breath.
I will not fail Merlin.
Not again.
I snapped out of my thoughts once more though as a loud yell could be heard from the portal before the appearance of the Eclipse came through it once more. He fell to the floor with a thud as he let out heavy shaky breaths."Claire?!" He frantically got up to his feet as he searched around where he landed. "She was right here." Instead of answering the worried boy, I just closed the portal behind him with a huff."Good mother of Merlin that was a lot more taxing than I lead on." I shook my head a little as I looked over toward the sorcerous in question. "Her spirit should be back with her now then if all went well." I couldn't help but smile through my new tired state as the boy instantly went over to the girl to check on her. His armor a bright royal purple as he did as such.
I count that as a win I guess.
I slump down to my knees as a soft sigh escaped my lips. My eyes glancing back over toward my gauntlet as I placed my hands into my lap.
You're welcome. You sleeping pile of dust.
"Claire?" I knelt down next to where the girl was sitting in her restrictive chair. "Claire? Are you okay?" I watched with attentive eyes as she squeezed her eyes tightly for a moment as I waited with bated breath for her to wake up completely.
Please. Please be you. I can't do all of this without you.
I reached out and placed my hands on her shoulders as I heard her murmur a little.
Please be you, Claire. Please come back to me.
"Jim?" I watched as her eyes fluttered slowly for a second before looking up toward me. Her eyes the beautiful hazel that I've always loved more than anything. "Wha-What happened?" I couldn't help but smile as she looked up toward me. I went forward and wrapped my arms around her without a second thought. My head buried into her shoulder instantly as she just breathlessly giggled in reply. "Are you okay?""I'm much better now." I smiled as she just laughed once more at me."Well I would be much better with this moment if I could hug you back, but" I pulled back from her as I heard the jingle of chains once more. "Kinda tied up here." I leaped into action instantly to start untieing the girl as quickly as I could."Sorry," I muttered the word a little bit to myself as I already got one bit of the chains undone. "Got a little too excited there." Claire just shook her head a little as she shimmied the rest of the way out of her restraints before the last chain could properly fall to the floor."I don't blame you honestly." She got up from her chair and wrapped her arms around me instantly. "Thank you." Her words came out as a murmur into her neck as I just wrapped my arms around her in reply."Any time, Juliet." I held her tight against me as I just relished in the idea of her being here. Not Morgana. Not possessed. Just Claire. Being here with me.
Everything is okay. Everything is alright.
I couldn't help but glance over toward where Douxie was. The magic caster kneeling down onto the floor with a tired expression on his face.
Maybe he can be trusted. I should give him a chance.
I tightened my hold on Claire as I brought my attention back toward the girl in question.
He did help us out here. Maybe it's worth a shot.
But if he continues hitting on my girlfriend, me and the bastard are gonna have a problem, that's for certain.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"I won't hurt her."
I squeezed my eyes shut as Jim's voice echoed within my head. My hand instinctively curling into my blanket as I felt myself get lost within the nightmare."It's for the greater good. We can't let Morgana have a vessel."
The voice was new and one I had never heard before. It was low and dark but had a light cackle in its tone. It was obvious it meant no good despite it not being real in any sense of the word.
"If you won't do it." An image of a silver blade dashed within my mind as the voice continued.
"Then I'll do it myself."
My eyes shot open as I launched myself into an upright position in my bed. My breathing was frantic as the voice rang within my mind.
Who was that? It wasn't Morgana's voice. Or Douxie's. Or Jim's. Hell, it wasn't even Blinky's or Vendel's.
I reached up with my hand that previously curled within my blanket as I placed it flat over where my heart was beating hard within my chest.
But it feels like I've heard it before. That somewhere within my life, I haven't known that voice. That I've known the owner of it. That I knew him well. But yet, I don't.
"Keep your cool, Claire. It's not the worst nightmare you've had since-." I shuttered as I remember the feeling of Morgana originally possessing me. It was as if a burning sensation was filling my chest and soul. It felt as if all of me was being burned away ever so slowly as Morgana took her place within my mind. As her thoughts began to jumble with mine as her feelings started to burden my own. I could feel everything that she was carrying. Her pain. Her suffering. Her anger. It was more intense than anything I have ever felt before. Much more deeply rooted as if they have been growing ever so slowly over centuries."Whoever pissed you off, lady." I swung my legs over the side of my bed as I decided it was best to just start my day instead of sitting there in misery. "I feel sorry for them already." I sighed as I looked myself over in the mirror. The most evident change of me being the white streak now in my hair. Everything else seeming to be unchanged from the events that took place."Checking yourself out there, sis?" I glanced over to my right to see that the small changeling had snuck into my room as he seemingly always did before jumping onto my bedside next to me. "If you asked me, you might need some beauty sleep there." The smaller creature chuckled at himself as he sat down on the sheets next to me."I don't think I look too bad after being possessed by a witch and all." I chuckled a little at myself as the changeling gave me a small smirk."Fair point there, fleshbag.""Keep calling me fleshbag and I won't give you the socks that are missing pairs anymore.""Aye! Come on! I called your little boyfriend worst things." I raised an eyebrow at him as I crossed my arms over my chest."And what such things are that?""You think I'm dumb enough to talk after that kind of threat? You got me all wrong there, sister." I couldn't help but laugh a little as I got up to my feet and started making my way around my room to gather my things."Speaking of Jim, I gotta get ready to see him and Toby before school at his mom's. They want to do a quick check over me before I start attending school and everything again." I looked over toward Not-Enrique as I grabbed my normal sweater out of my dresser. "Promise to stay out of trouble?""After all that you went through yesterday? I promise to be on my best behavior.""Good." I smiled as I placed the sweater on top of the dresser. "Cause I'll give you extra socks if you are.""You treat a changeling well there, big eyes." I rolled my eyes with a smile as I set out to grab a skirt to wear."I try my best to, mi pequeño tonto.""Hey! English there, mate!""You're in a bilingual household. Get used to it.""How are you feeling? Are you doing alright? Still being bothered by the nightmares?" I smiled at a frantic Jim as his worried eyes looked over my features. I'm sure it was evident how little sleep I was still getting due to the darkness under my eyes and it definitely didn't help the panicked boy any."Jim," I reached out and took both of his hands in mine before giving them a small squeeze. "I'm fine.""Her vitals are all good, actually." I looked over to Barbara as she checked over a few notes she had laid out on her coffee table. "She's perfectly healthy in the eyes of human medicine.""And in the eyes of magic." Douxie wasn't too far away from Barbara as he looked over a small scroll he had floating next to him. "At least, from the notes I still had laying around of the effects of exorcisms and what Zoe explained to me of what she could of side effects. Nonetheless, from what I can see and tell, you're perfectly healthy, Claire." The Englishman smiled as he snapped his fingers. The scroll rolling itself up as he extended his hand toward it so it could fall effortlessly into his hand. "I might check in a little more with Zoe for anything to look out for, but from what I can tell in my spectrum of magic and my understanding of Morgana's, there are no obvious effects of it on you.""See?" I looked over toward Jim who looked as he had just released a breath he was just holding. "I'm
fine.""Yeah." It was obvious to me that he swallowed hard as he looked down at our joint hands. "Good.""But-." My attention was brought over to the wizard as he spoke once more. "You are still having nightmares, aren't you?""Just a little, yeah. What about them? Aren't they normal after stuff like this?" I gave Douxie a questionable look as he took a seat on an empty place on the coffee table before me."Yes, but none of this is normal to the human body, my friend. One last examination before I completely clear you." I released my hands from Jim's as I gave Douxie my full attention. "I'm going to put you under a spell for five minutes. It's a simple spell. One that is very similar to anesthesia. You'll just simply be asleep for five minutes and that is all.""And what does that do for you? How will this help Claire any?" Jim spoke softly as I felt him take a seat right next to me on the couch. Our hands finding one another's as Douxie went on to explain."What this does is that it will allow me to do another spell of my own which will indicate how much magic is affecting Claire in her sleep. Since it's obvious you have a connection to magic in the first place, I need to know how. The staff, as well as your possession, have awakened these powers much more for you, and this way, I can also see if it's affecting more than what it should in the process.""So basically, you want to put me under a sleep spell so you can analyze the levels of magic going through my head." Douxie smiled widely as he gave me a simple nod."Right on. You catch on well, Claire." I could hear Jim grumble a little next to me as I just squeezed his fingers once more."Alright. Whatever you think is best." Douxie took this as a 'go ahead' as he jumped up to his feet and tapped on his bracelet he hand on his wrist."Alrighty, love. Make yourself comfortable however you wish." I decided to just lean my head against Jim's shoulder as I closed my eyes promptly. His hand was still in mine as I spoke softly."Ready whenever you are." I decided to focus on Jim's heartbeat that I could hear just the slightest from where I laid my head on his shoulder as I anticipated for Douxie to cast the spell."Wait, this might be a bit more comfortable." Jim adjusted a little bit under me as I felt him take his hand out of mine as he brought my head to his chest. The two of us now laying on the couch as I kept my attention on his steady heartbeat that I could hear so much clearer now. "That's better for ya. Right?" I smiled as I let out a soft hum in reply."Much better.""Awwwww, you two grow up so fast." I nearly opened my eyes to glare at Toby as he made his remark from the corner of the room that he was taking with Archie next to him. "Their first magical cuddle session.""Tobias, I swear to god I will-.""Lux fugit." Suddenly my ability to speak went out the window as I felt a heavy need for slumber take over me. My mind going off to sleep before I could even think twice about it.All of us sat silently as Douxie scanned over Claire with a simple blue mist-like spell that came from his palm. His eyes closed put easily noticeably focused as he continued his work."Just a minute or so left and we'll be all good," Douxie spoke calmly as he seemed to continue his work. "This is outstanding so far though.""What do you mean?" I gave the wizard a curious look as I wrapped an arm around Claire who was still soundlessly sleeping on my chest. "What exactly have you found?""Well, my hypothesis was correct. The magic she was using with the staff before was her own magic. It has a unique feel to it that has the same aura to it as Claire does herself. It feels nothing like Morgana's despite their field of magic being quite similar." I gave my attention now to the sleeping girl as I absent-mindedly rubbed circles into her back. "This means though that her magic isn't from Morgana and that it must have awoken within her once she got ahold and a feel for the staff. The truly remarkable thing though is just how much of it she has.""She has quite a bit, I guess?""Yes!" Douxie remarked excitedly as a smile broke out on his face. "She has a lot of mana despite it only being able to be tapped at in small chunks. With proper training though, that will be easy to overcome.""Is there any explanation yet for the nightmares?" I stopped rubbing circles in her back as I just simply let my arm drape around Claire's sleeping figure."Possibly. There is obviously a connection that her magic had with Morgana's. It's no longer there, of course, but the connection had its effects in the slightest." He opened his eyes slowly as the magic stopped flowing from his hands. "I'm betting due to the form of possession she had, it's messing with her memories. She must have some of Morgana's mixed in with her own." I continued to give him a confused look as Claire started to stir against my chest. A few murmurs coming from her as her eyes slowly fluttered open."Did it work?""Quite well, actually." Douxie gave his full attention to Claire now as he sat back down at the spot he once took at the coffee table. "You are indeed a wizard. Or witch, whatever one you prefer, honestly. You have your own unique aura of magic and everything.""So my magic is my own." Douxie nodded as Claire lifted herself a little from my chest."All your own. I bet honestly that you're from a long line of wizards but the practice of it must of fall off at one point or another. Would make sense with how much mana you have in comparison to normal spell-casters and all.""That makes no sense though." Claire looked up to me for a moment before looking back to Douxie. "I can barely open three portals without passing out or anything.""Your magic hasn't been groomed for use there, little one." Douxie explained softly as he scrolled on his bracelet. "Magic is something that takes practice to improve. I wasn't exactly proficient in magic for a long time there, myself. It takes years of training to use it and to use it in such a way that it won't wear you down. Even then, it takes having a teacher that is willing to lead you down the right path to actually have training that is effective for you and your magic type.""OH! Does this mean you'll be Claire's magic teacher?!" I smiled at Toby's outburst as he looked over toward Archie who was chilling over next to him. "That means you guys are a part of the crew right?""Douxie himself is not a master of magic, Tobias," Archie spoke softly as he jumped down from the chair he was chilling in and making his way over toward Douxie so he could stand by his familiar. "But I'm sure you can teach her the basics well. Despite the drastic difference in magic types. If not, I'm sure Zoe can lend a hand there.""You two talk a lot about this Zoe person." I looked over to Douxie as the magic wielder gave a large smile. "Who are they?""Zoe is a dear old friend of mine. My partner in crime outside of Archie, if you will." His smile just widened as he continued to speak. "She's a fellow wizard and I actually think she'll be quite helpful in this situation. Especially since her magic type is a lot more similar to yours than mine.""So~," Toby drew out the word as he got up from where he was sitting by the kitchen counter and making his way over to us. "She's joining the crew too?" Douxie just chuckled at this as he petted Archie on the head."If she wishes.""Wait, I have a question." All of us seemed to give Claire our attention as she looked toward Douxie specifically. "What's the difference between our magic types? Why is that such an importance?""Yours, my friend, is shadow magic. It's technically a form of dark magic in a way. Mine is light magic. The differences between the two are how we use them. Shadow magic is based on pure darkness as mine is quite understandably based on light. My magic is also based purely on that essence and that essence alone, meaning I don't have any practice in your field." Douxie nervously scratched at the back of his neck for a moment before continuing. "My friend Zoe though, her magic came from her own practices as she is a hedge witch. Meaning she has tried multiple different forms of magic and has knowledge on multiple different forms as she has taught herself her own magic since she was first able to awaken her magic." He let out a soft chuckle as he seemed to remember something in the depths of his mind. "Though that also means she has and never will follow the code of ethics that come with magic. Which means-," The wizard suddenly stopped himself as he let out another laugh. "Well, I'll let you figure that out yourself.""So when do we meet this Zoe then? When can I start training to control all of this?""I'll contact her while the lot of you are heading out toward the school. I already called myself in for the day so I can study more about all of this and check whatever notes my master left behind." Douxie rose to his feet as Archie instantly jumped up to join him on his shoulder. "In the meantime, make sure to be easy on yourself. No meaningless portal use or anything until you have proper training or understanding of your magic. Using magic, more so dark magic in particular, can cause effects on the human body. So I would use it at a minimum until you can start some proper technic training with me or Zoe." Claire nodded her head as I made a mental note over the wizard's words.
Effects on the human body.
I looked over toward Claire as my eyes instantly went to the white streak in her hair. The one that drained of its blue color during her use of the staff to escape from Troll Market.
Good thing it hasn't had any drastic ones just yet. Best to make sure she doesn't push herself or anything though.
Douxie said his goodbyes for now as he and Archie made their way out of the house. The two making promises to keep in contact with us as my eyes kept themselves stuck on the punk still laying with me.
At least, if she lets me have a say in it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
One thing that had started happening since the Salem years of Massachusetts was the secret meetings of witches and wizards from the human eye. Some would cast spells of invisibility and have their meetings in such a way. Some would find abandoned buildings and use such a setting to speak and talk freely amongst themselves and other spellcasters.
I whistled a little to myself as I kicked a pebble across the canal with my back leaning up against the concrete wall.
Me and my good friend Zoe? We use the under parts of bridges much like our fellow magic creatures.
"Well isn't it my favorite boy in blue," I smiled wide as I walked up to my fellow spell caster who welcomed me with open arms. "How ya doing, my friend?""Nice to see you, Zoe." We brought each other into a hug once we got close enough. "Not long it's been all too long since we saw each other." I chuckled a little as the pink-haired punk held me tight within her grasp."But it feels like it. Not like I get to see you every day like when we were little ones.""As if you two of much bigger than you used to be anyway." I felt a weight join my shoulder as I shot a small glare at the familiar while Zoe and I pulled back from one another. "What? I'm not wrong.""Aw, shut your trap there, Arch. We're on important business here.""Important business being that date you owe me or that fact that you found a young witch?" I looked back over toward Zoe as my face flushed in reply to her words. The pink-haired hedge witch had her arms crossed nonchalantly over her chest as a knowing smirk danced across her lips with ease.
One thing that will never get old with Zoe, her wit is unmatched.
I swallowed hard as my mouth felt like it filled with cotton balls and strings with how dry it got as well as how tongue-tied I felt.
Another thing that will never get old, her teasing me with said wit as if she knows both everything and nothing about what she's doing.
"You mean young Claire, Z.""Ah yes, Claire Nuñez. Did a little research on her while having some downtime at the music shop." Zoe smiled wickedly as she dropped her arms down so she could put her hands on her hips. "You can find a lot of things despite working at two stores in this deadbeat town.""You dug up on the girl?" I gave Zoe a slightly impressed work as she jumped right into her response."You think I would agree to teach someone without doing my research first? Do you think I have fewer brain cells Arthur had swords?" Zoe gave a cheerful laugh that caused my heart to skip a beat before she continued. "I had to make sure the girl was safe with her posts and things before agreeing. She has a clean record though. Even in the police and school databases.""You got into the
police database?""I work for one of the biggest tech companies in the nearest three towns, Doux. You think I can't get past a few firewalls and some idiot having their password as seriously wordpass?""Wordpass? As a password?""Trust me, I've honestly have seen much worse.""What's the funniest you've seen?" Zoe snickered for a second before giving me a calm expression."BillNyeTheWifiGuy for a router password." I couldn't help but laugh wholeheartedly as Archie seemed to be slightly annoyed with it all."Weren't we here for serious business? Not human being stupid with their technologies.""Aw~, still a little buzz kill, aye Arch?" I tried my best to calm my laughter as I spoke once more."No-," I took in a deep breath as I almost started laughing again. "He's right. We should get down to business here.""Well I can tell you one thing," Zoe gave me a wide smile as she crossed her arms over her chest once more. "I'm more than willing to train your little baby witch. I just need to meet her to see if I can stand her as a person.""Can I be blunt?""When aren't you, Casperan?" I gave Zoe a toothy grin before replying."You two could pass as best friends." Zoe gave me a wide smile in reply as she seemed to catch what I meant."A fellow black sheep of the herd. Always loved adding more of them to my own little clan I've got. Consider her my apprentice then.""Wonderful." I smiled wide as I slipped my hands into my hoodie's pockets. "I should get running though. I have to meet the lot of them and think of a good place and time the lot of you can meet and train.""No problem there, Doux. I should get going too. Work at the tech store is calling for me despite my hatred for this capitalism bullshit the humans got going on." I couldn't help but chuckle at the hedge witch as she gave me a smirk in reply. "Does remind me of one thing though." I gave her a curious look as she dropped her hands so she could slip them into the pockets of her skinny jeans."And what's that?""Still owe me that date, Casperan." I felt my face flush once more as Zoe turned on her heel and started walking the opposite way from underneath the main bride of Arcadia. "See you around, Hisrdoux." I watched as the pink-haired witch waved goodbye over her shoulder as she continued her way back into town."B-Bye!" I swallowed hard before cursing under my breath at the sudden stutter I let out."Cat got you tongue there, Douxie?" I rolled my eyes as Archie gave a small chuckle at his remark. "Oh, you gotta say that one was rather clever of me.""Yeah yeah yeah, enjoy my suffering.""Well this form of suffering, yes. I quite enjoy it. True suffering, no." I couldn't help but smile toward the familiar as I started walking us out from under the bridge and back toward town ourselves."Love you, little buddy.""Love you too, Hisirdoux.""So witch lady said yes?" I gave Toby a small laugh before nodding in reply.
I explained to them that Zoe was more than alright with teaching Claire in the way of dark magic. Leaving out the wonderful parts of the pink-haired witch teasing me about a date I promised nearly a hundred years ago in post-war France.
Damn the drunk and desperate young veteran I was then.
"How do the two of you know each other anyway?" Jim gave me a curious look as the four of us walked together toward Troll Market. Archie still resting on my shoulder as he always did around humans that knew him completely."We were friends as young ones. Grew up around one another. Though we went down separate baths when we both discovered our magical gifts. I went and studied under a master. Zoe went off on her own. Only ever having someone as a companion than someone to learn from." I smiled wide as I remembered the first time I saw the witch again.
"Well isn't it Hisirdoux Casperan?" I nearly dropped the broom that I was using to help clear out the dust that came from an executed troll in the throne room as the familiar voice spoke to me. My head turning slowly to be captivated by the sight that was my old childhood friend. Unlike any other woman of the era, she wore black britches and riding boots that contrasted with the white blouse she wore under a forest green corset. She had a bow over her shoulder and a quiver strapped by a leather belt around her waist. Her smile was lopsided but beautiful as her long brown hair was braided over her shoulder. Her light blue eyes were as stunning as ever despite the long time it has been since I saw them last.
"Zoe. Is that really you?"
"You act as if I died there, angel." I swallowed hard as I tightened my hands on the broom's handle.
I would say an angel is what she looked like but she's more like a huntress than an angel.
"Well, it has been how long?"
"Too long, honestly." She smiled softly as she placed her hands on her hips. The sincerity in her voice causing my heart to skip a beat as I tried my best to match it with my smile in return.
"When we saw each other again, it was as if no time had passed at all. Ever since we've been going through this long life of a wizard's existence together. Everything from witch hunts and falling hierarchies to the present day." I looked over toward the blue-eyed boy as I mentally noted how close in hue his was to witch in my mind. His shocked look was nearly glossed over by me before he spoke."How old are you truly, Doux?""I'm almost 920. Zoe is a little bit older than me. She's nearly 923.""Is there like a... immortal thing with being a wizard?" It was Toby now asking the questions as he continued. "What even causes that? Is Claire going to be ageless too?""Well, firstly, it's more like we don't die from natural causes outside of being killed. We even chose our physical appearance. Mainly based on how we feel in age more than anything. It's caused by the large amount of magic that flows within us. Claire wouldn't be like this, actually. Since she was born both mortal and has a cap on her mana usage." I glanced over toward the young woman in question as I gave her a small smile. "So you have nothing to worry about living for eternity. You'll have the same living expectation as all your family and friends.""That's honestly very comforting." The girl smiled softly as it was obvious she squeezed her boyfriend's hand.
Now Zoe and I were technically official, but we never actually... Said it. Yes, I asked her on a date nearly a hundred years ago, but I never actually asked her out. Was that the reason she was always insistent on us actually making that happen? Maybe. Am I a stressed mess and still refuse to actually go through it with cause
anxiety
and I somehow think I'll ruin everything with one date and a cup of coffee?
Yes. Yes, I am.
"Wait, does this mean you lived through all the wars? Like Vietnam and stuff?" I smiled toward Toby as he seemed very excited to hear about my adventures through the eras.
And for now, I'll distract myself with three humans and fending off the end of the world as we know it.
"Are you relieved?" I gave Claire a curious look as I toyed with the crystal draped over my chest. Its natural colors dancing around it as we walked toward her house together."Relieved about what?" The girl gave me a confused look before suddenly getting what I was asking about. "About the whole normal life expectancy thing?""Yeah." I swallowed dryly as I just simply rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb."It was something that I was slightly worried about. It was very obvious that Douxie was a lot older than he seemed but I was expecting nearly a century's worth of life within him." I nodded along as she squeezed my hand gently as we just continued walking together. "I was worried about how that would affect little things in the future, but now it's not something to worry about. You know?" I nodded once more as she looked over toward me."Yeah, I completely get you. I kinda figured it was something you were a little worried about. Beyond it just affecting your present and all, ya know?" Claire gave a small hum in reply as it was obvious she was tired with all that had occurred today. I didn't blame her any. It's not like she wasn't possessed, exorcised, and was found to be a witch all within four or so days."Tired there?" She just nodded numbly as a small yawn escaped her. I gave a dopey smile at the sight of it as I squeezed her hand. "Just a little longer there, Sleeping Beauty.""Oh shush." I just chuckled a little as she nudged her shoulder with the spot right under mine. "I know you're at least a little tired too.""I've gotten used to the four hours of sleep, thank you very much.""Mhm, and Señor Uhl didn't catch you sleeping in class four times now." I gave her a curious look as she just giggled in reply."How'd you hear about that?""Mary's one of my best friends, Jim. She tells me nearly everything." I stuck my bottom lip out in a small pout as we turned onto Claire's street."Rude.""Hey, if it wasn't for her and her wanting to tell me everything, I wouldn't have gotten all my evidence on you being something a lot more than just a boy from my history class." I smiled widely now as we stopped just a little way down from her house."This is true." We turned toward each other before I glanced over toward the Nuñez estate. "Seems we got you here at a decent time.""Seems we did." I looked back toward Claire right in time as she moved forward and placed a kiss on my cheek. "See you tomorrow, Jim." I felt a soft blush take over the tops of my cheeks as I smiled like an idiot toward my girlfriend."See you tomorrow, Claire." With that, Claire gave me a sleepy smile before departing from where I stood so she could go inside and collapse.
Normal life expectancy means she and I could have simple things, right? Like growing old together or as old as we can get while being trollhunters.
I smiled widely as I turned on my heels and started heading toward my own home.
But can't help a sap from dreaming of growing old with their girlfriend. With screen doors and matching rocking chairs.
But we can dream about those for now.
Gotta save the world so we can have that first.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
For as long as I could remember, Douxie always had faith in humans.
I watched the black and indigo-haired boy as he was teaching the young girl he had introduced me to not so long ago basic ideas of magic. A smile dancing on his lips as the girl seemed to answer a question he gave her correctly.
Despite his human parents abandoning him. Despite Arthur and his reaction to magic outside of his loyal circle. Despite the mobs of humans that would chase and hunt any witch or wizard they could find out of fear. One may never know how, but Douxe always had this way of believing that the mortals were redeemable. That maybe one day all creatures of magic and humanity would live in peace. Despite all of which he had seen that would turn any other wizard against the mortal creatures.
I didn't see how he could be so forgiving. For a long time, I thought humans were lost in their fears. That they could never live with magic once more.
I gave a curious look as he now looked over toward a boy who wasn't too far away from the young witch in training. The one I now know as the trollhunter was giving his full attention to the wizard as he seemed to explain something in heavy detail to the both of them.
That was until I met his new little thing of friends.
I smiled as I saw a familiar gleam of determination and awe that sparked in the young boy's blue eyes. One I saw before when a young Douxie and I were showing each other the different sides of our magic to one another.
They see our world as one full of adventures. That magic is not a thing to be fearful of, but to explore. A thing to understand and learn. Something of both beauty and darkness. Not just one or the other. They saw both sides of magic. The Trolls and the Gum-Gums. The light and the dark.
And yet, they look at it like that. With that curious and trusting spark in their eyes.
The same one my old teacher said I had when I was a youngin.
I shook my head a little before putting a hand through my hair. The short pink strands moving easily as I let out a soft sigh.
I wonder how the old hag is doing. Hopefully she made it through the millennia just fine. Doubt she still lives in that old shack off by the old ruins of that temple. The humans probably made it a historical landmark if it's still standing out there.
I felt a small smile appear on my face as I looked over toward the small group of people as my eyes landing on the wizard in particular. His wide and proud smile shining effortlessly despite the constant rays of lamp lighting in the store.
Maybe after all of this, I can convince Douxie to take a small break with me. See if the old lady is still kicking it. She said she always wanted to meet him anyway. She always had a feeling that he and I would cross paths again. But that's hedgewitches for ya. Especially those of the Fate variety. They're never wrong.
My eyes trailed onto the young human girl as she started reciting some words that Douxie was trying to teach her to memorize. Ones that are supposed to help her steady the ports she creates better as she's using the staff.
Oh to be a young witch again, honestly. Artisus was always evident in me practicing like that. Always cantations and physical practices before letting me try the real thing. Can't say I have as much patience as the young girl does. I was a rebellious little thing back then. More so than I am now. I would be impatient and want to try the spells right then and there.
And then I learned my lesson when I almost got a lightning arrow to the temple. Not so fun there, but it helped me be the spell caster I am today. Helping me someday teach the young witch before me myself once Douxie teaches her the ropes. I wasn't one to practice the basics anyway so that's most definitely for the best with such a new user of magic. Something Artisus wasn't too fond of when I was younger.
I couldn't help but snicker a little as a memory flowed in my head.
"There are precautions that come with using magic, Zoe." I huffed a little bit of my brown hair out of my face as I gave an upset look to the older woman. Her tall and powerful presence once frightening to me when I first wandered into her territory, but now I was trying to defy with every move I made as I reached my teen years. "You must be cautious."
"I know what I'm doing." I ran a hand through my hair as the long waves decided to cascade down my shoulders. I pushed myself up onto my feet as I now reached the shoulder of the woman who came up to me. I drew my bow and let my mana flow to the tip of the arrow as I pulled back once more. But before I could let go, a hand placed itself onto my shoulder. The feeling causing me to stop all of a sudden as I stopped manifesting my mana into the arrow.
"You say as such, but you're frustrated. Your style of magic, darling, is based purely on emotion. Your anger and desperation to learn and achieve will taint your mana. It won't let you succeed despite how desperately you want to." I swallowed hard and I loosened my grip on the bow. "You're not ready to achieve this now, Zoe. But do not let that burden you. You will one day." I swallowed hard as I glanced at the woman over my shoulders. Her careful green eyes looking upon me as if she knew me much better than myself.
"But what if that one day isn't soon enough?" A small smile appeared on her face. "What if I'm not ready when I need to be?"
"Nobody said you need to be ready to help those you care about. As the Goddess Artemis once degreed, make mistakes. Make great mistakes, make wonderful mistakes, make glorious mistakes. No one is perfect. No one will always be ready. It's what makes us mortal. It's the one thing that brings all beings together. From Gods to mortals, we are all the same with our imperfections."
"Our imperfections make us imperfectly perfect." I smiled as the words fell softly from my lips. "You always knew what to say Artisus. Always." I whispered to myself as I crossed my arms over my chest. "What I wouldn't give to have your nagging mouth now." I chuckled to myself as I mimicked what younger me would always say to the old woman. "Να εισαι καλα.""What are you whispering about?" I nearly jumped out of my skin as I looked over toward the short redhead boy right next to me. "Sorry. Did I scare you or something?""No. Just surprised me is all.""Seems legit. You seemed like you were out in space there." The human gave me a toothy grin with his braces showing themselves proudly as he did as such. "So what were you whispering about?" I took a breath as I saw the curious look in his eye. A look very similar to the ones the other two were giving Douxie as he was teaching them both. It caused my normal hardened exterior to soften as I smiled at him."It's Greek. One of the old sayings one of my teachers used to tell me a lot.""What's it mean?""May you rest well.""Why are you whispering that? Did someone die?""No, but I haven't seen her in years.""For how long there?" I leaned my head back as I looked up to the ceiling."Christ. How long has it really been? I was thirteen or so when I first met her. I must have been eighteen? Nineteen when I last saw her." I looked back toward the smaller being as I mentally did the math in my head. "About nine hundred years? Give or take a few?""Wow. How old was she when you met her?""She was a hedgewitch of Artemis' temple from before Ancient Greece fell. So maybe about two thousand years old? Or something along those lines?""Good Gods!
Wait, she was a hedgewitch of a temple? That's so cool!" I couldn't help but chuckle at the teen as I gave him another smile."She was. One of the temple's highest members and was a renowned healer. She taught me how to control my magic. She thought that learning magic itself was something the wielder must do for themselves so she never gave me actual lessons, but she taught me how to control them.""Is that the way you will be teaching Claire? Or what way are you going to go about it?" I looked over toward the girl once more as I shrugged a little."It all matters on the type of student she is. If she's the kind to want to do everything on her own like I was, then I'll do the same way I was taught. She seems to enjoy being taught and shown though so I'll probably go about it differently.""That's good then. Claire's a fast learner though. You shouldn't have any issues with her." The redhead gave a small shrug before giving me another grin. "Oh, I'm Toby by the way. Just in case if you forgot.""Nice to meet you one-on-one, Toby." I gave a small grin as I extended one of my hands toward him. My left hand was still crossed over my chest as I did as such. "I'm Zoe.""Nice to meet you too!" Toby gave a small chuckle before taking my hand and shaking it once. His hand slipping out of mine as he looked over toward his friends. "You'll notice rather quickly that I'm the normal one out of the three of us.""Normal? Does such a thing exist?" I gave the boy a curious look as he looked over toward me with a shrug."Well, I'm the one without powers or anything. I just have a hammer.""A trollish hammer." The boy nodded as he gave me a proud smile."Yes ma'am! Big and with
fire.""Doesn't sound very normal to me." I chuckled as the boy's proud smile softened."Still though." He shrugged as he glanced back over toward his friends. "Not as cool as they've got." I noticed after a moment the envious look in the boy's eyes. One I used to bear when I watched normal orphans get adopted rather easily when I was younger. Back when I was envious of normal children living their normal joyful lives."You know, I know that look well. A look green with envy.""I'm not-." The boy turned toward me as I held up a hand to stop him."You are though. You feel like you're lesser than your friends due to them living lives you wished you had or had powers you wished you shared. Like you're being left behind." My words seemed to strike the boy in the heart as he gave me a pained look. "But let me tell you something, Toby, there's something special about people like you.""And what's that?""You're more than what you think." I gave him a soft smile as I dropped my hands so I could fit them in the pockets of my skinny jeans. "Being unique comes with pain. Being special means that suffering is due to come. May it be small or major, it's bound to happen. I bet you've suffered a bit due to you being yourself. Just means you're special in your own way. In ways of which others will try their best to change." I gave the boy a confident smile. One that took me generations to accomplish getting for myself. "Even if suffering comes with being unique, then what's the point in being normal? To be free from pain? As if that will ever occur. Best to be yourself no matter what then suffer in silence." The boy looked up toward me with wide eyes for a moment before muttering words softly just enough for me to hear them."You said a lot there but I like your magic words, magic lady." I couldn't help but laugh wholeheartedly at the boy as I heard Douxie make a remark across the way."Wow. I haven't heard Zoe laugh like that since we were kids!" I threw a lopsided smile toward my fellow magic wielder as I made a half-hearted comment."Maybe work on your humor a little bit more and you'll get it more often." The boy had a fake pained look appear on his face as he placed a hand on his heart."Oh, how you wound me so, my friend." I smiled just a little more at his comment as I looked over toward Toby.
Maybe I could learn a few things myself from these kids. Maybe being a teacher is worth the risk to learn myself.
I clasped my hands together as I walked over toward Claire, Jim, and Douxie. A new plan in my head as a smile danced on my lips.
Now I understand why Artisus took me under her wing so easily. That idea of learning yourself in the end. Finding something new in yourself even after all these years.
As she used to say,
Η ζωή είναι μικρή, η τέχνη μεγάλη.
Life is short.
My smile couldn't help but widen as Douxie gave me a joyful look.
But the art of it is long.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"The kid's mom knows about all this?" I gave Douxie a curious look as the lot of us went up the small few steps that led to the young trollhunter's home."Trust me," I glanced over to Jim as he gave a small sigh. "I tried my best to keep her out of it but it's kinda hard when everyone and anyone wants to get to the few things that matter to you." I grimaced at the thought as I glanced in Douxie's direction.
Trust me, kid, I know.
I shook my head a little before I could let memories of centuries past fill my head.
Now is not the time for that shit.
"Oh, kids! You're home! Need any-" A red-haired woman opened the door as she gave me a wide-eyed look as she realized another "human" face had joined the small group her son was forming. "Aren't you the young woman that works in the tech store downtown?" She tilted her head a little as she questioned me."And the record store. Also used to work at the cafe but that wasn't quite my style. Don't know how this one can handle it." I nudged Douxie with my elbow as a toothy grin took over my face. "But the name's Zoe. As to why I'm hanging out with a bunch of teenagers, you can say Douxie and I here go a ways back." This caused a knowing look to appear on the woman's face as she seemed to easily connect the dots."Well come inside all of you. Make yourselves at home.""Such nice hospitality of you, ma'am." All of us slowly had our ways inside as I gave her a small nod with my compliment. This caused the woman to laugh a bit as she gave a wide smile."Well, I am a doctor. Hospitality comes with the work." That comment was followed by a few audible groans as a small redhead chuckled humorously."Hospitality. Hospital. I get it." After a few moments of chuckling, the small boy looked over toward his taller friend with a confused look. "I don't get it.""Well thank you nonetheless,-." I hesitated for a moment as I tried to remember what exactly was the trollhunter's last name again, but the kind woman cut me off because I could fuck up anyway."Barbara is just fine." The woman's face gave a caring smile as she looked over the lot of us. "Anything else and I would either feel old or be too polite at this point."
Trust me, sister. I get ya.
"Gotcha. Barbara, it is then.""But here, I can get out of you kids' hair before I get too wrapped up in it all." I gave her a small thankful nod as I looked over toward Douxie. He gave a small shrug as a dopey smile took over his face. As if to say 'hey, she's nice
as the woman took her leave and went upstairs."So who threatened that nice lady? Cause I will fight them." Jim gave out a soft laugh as he smiled at me soon after."You're gonna have a small list there then.""Seriously?""I wasn't joking when I said people were trying to hit me where it hurts.""Honestly," Toby jumped in at this point as he swung his arms over his two friends beside him. "I'm surprised that they didn't go after Claire sooner than they did. And even then it was by accident." I noted the bright red blush on the boy's face as he nearly turtled himself into his sweatshirt. The Latina beside the two boys grinned with a slight blush of her own. I shot Douxie a knowing smile before giving my attention to the teenagers again.
Oh, this is a dynamic I know all too well.
"GOOD GRACIOUS!" My attention snapped up toward a familiar voice as what seemed to be the basement door swung open. "THANK DAYA YOU ALL ARE HOME!""Blinky?" Jim turned toward the troll nearly instantly. Causing his shorter friend to nearly collapse due to the lack of support holding him up. "What's wrong?""Usurna and her goons are on the move.""The troll that took over troll market there?" I gave Douxie a curious look as the wizard gave the exact same one back to me. "I thought they were going to hunker down there since the lot of you escaped. That's why we've been meeting anywhere but there?""Yes, there has been no exits from the bridge and neither has the passages that were blocked in our escape, but they are on the move from what I have been told.""Who told you this, Blinks?" Jim took a step closer as it seemed he was starting to get protective within the seconds."Someone that I can't say I trust completely just yet." He stepped aside without a problem, revealing a face I hadn't seen in years. One in a very similar build and shape as Blinky."Dictatious," I growled out the name as the troll looked back at me in fear. His discolored eyes widened at the sound of my voice."GREAT MOTHER OF MERCY!" The troll nearly jumped back and hid behind who I can tell now was his brother as he seemed to remember me from all those centuries ago. "THE HUNTRESS!""So you remember me, you hex dabbling stone goblin.""Whatever I had done to cause you issues, young lady, I surely wish we can put those to rest!" I could tell the troll was trying his best not to speak about our last encounter, but I was more than willing to."So you rather I just forget the fact that you're one of Gunmar's most loyal followers? That your hexes caused pain within my home village?" I felt arms wrap themselves around my waist as I went to take a step closer. "You're no better than any other Gum-Gum I swore to slay back then." I growled out the words as Douxie was trying his damnest to keep me at bay."Hexes? In your village?" I looked over toward Claire who spoke the questions softly. "What are you talking about? How do you know Dictatious through that?" I snapped my attention toward the troll in question once more as my anger simply swelled in my chest."That
bastard
put hexes in my village to prove his worth to Gunmar. To prove he had no issue causing suffering to humankind. That he was willing to destroy the human race. Those curses killed children. Sickened the poor. Caused pain to any person that crossed them.""Zoe, breath, please." I snarled at the thought as I put my hands on his arms wrapped around my waist. "You need to relax." I tried my best to breathe slowly as he kept trying to calm me. "Just breathe for me.""He killed-.""I know, angel." His hold tightened on me as he continued. "Not now though. You'll get your chance." I closed my eyes for a moment as I let Doux hold me steady. "Better there, love?" I nodded slowly as I dropped my hands from his arms."You're a lucky sack of stones, fucker." I let out a breath I was holding as I just simply leaned into Douxie for support. "I would have expelled you from this dimension with ease.""Trust me, flesh bag, you're not the only one at the moment." I gave the troll a stern but curious look as his discolored eyes scanned over the rest of our small little party. "Which is why I'm here. I need your help.""For the fact that you're still obviously blind despite acknowledging Zoe there?""No," Dictatious gave a stern look in Jim's general direction as he took a deep breath. "Because Gunmar wants me dead.""The bastard wants you dead?" I tried my best to stifle a laugh as I put a hand up to my mouth. "Sorry as I find this humorous.""THIS IS NOT A LAUGHING MATTER, WITCH!" Dictatious screamed out in my general direction as he crossed his arms over his chest. "This is a
serious
matter. Especially since I'm the one that knows the story to get to Merlin's tomb.""My master's tomb?" I heard Douxie now speak with a humorous tone as glanced over my shoulder to him. His face had a slanted smile as he kept me close. "I think if we needed to get my master, I would be the one to find him easily.""You're not in search of the Staff of Avalon then?" Dictatious gave a shocked look before glancing down without a need to. "Then you're definitely not aware of what is at play here.""What are you talking about, Dictatious?" I snapped my attention toward Jim who stepped forward to the troll with ease. "And do not let out a single detail of importance. If we're going to help you at all, I want everything. What are they doing down there in Troll Market?" The troll swallowed hard as it was obvious he could tell that Jim meant every word of what he said. Suddenly though, the troll grew confident once more as he broadened his chest to the trollhunter."And how do I know you will keep your deal? I have dealt with Gum-Gums. I'm not one to trust so easily.""Cause if I wanted you dead, I would just let Zoe have her revenge already," Jim growled out his words for a moment as he grabbed the troll by the little strap across his chest. "Now, either talk or-." Jim glanced over toward me as if giving me a cue which I took lovingly. Bringing up a free hand to allow a ball of electricity in my hand. Making sure that it was as loud as possible for the blind troll to hear."Or you're gonna get it." This caused the troll to visibly swallow as he seemed to snap out of his confident composure."Alright alright. I get it. I'll tell you what you want.""Then you better start talking," Douxie spoke calmly as he lowered my hand to cancel my spell. "What do they want with my master? Why are they after his staff?""They're after his staff because then they can revive Morgana." I felt Douxie go into shock beside me. His arms stiffened around me as he held me closer."So they know. They know each piece to that prophecy." Jim turned and gave Douxie a curious look as he let the troll's clothing go."What's going on Douxie? What about each piece of the prophecy.""To cause the truest event of the Eclipse, they must raise Morgana from her ashes. Using one of the two last pieces of both of them to do so." I glanced over toward Douxie to see him swallow hard. "It's their only way of having a shot. Their only way of having a chance to beat us in the end.""So now it's a race to Merlin?" I gave Douxie a worried look as I spoke. Without even looking at me, he answered with a simple nod."More specifically, Zoe, a race to the Staff of Avalon.""Okay," I took a deep breath as I looked over toward Douxie and Zoe. "Isn't Morgana like... Trapped?" I gave the two spellcasters a curious look as I continued. "Why does it have to be one of the two things linked to her?""The Staff of Avalon is the only thing strong enough to free her." Douxie unwrapped his arms around Zoe as he took a step forward to me. "Not even the staff that Claire now bares is strong enough to break her from that prison. Only Merlin's staff and that alone can free her. It's one of the only things left linked to both her and Merlin.""What else links the both of them?" Claire joined my side as I could tell she was giving Douxie a similar curious look."The amulet. Or as you know it, the crystal." I gave Douxie a wide-eyed look as Toby jumped into the conversation."Hold on here," He held out the 'o' a little bit as he held up his hands as if to halt the whole conversation. "Possession lady is linked to the Eclipse bullshit in that way too? How in the fuck?""A piece of her was used to make the amulet." Douxie visibly swallowed as he grew nervous about the answer. "It was long ago and my memory is a bit fuzzy, but her hand was cut off during one of the early battles. Merlin used that piece of her, since it was still full of magic and mana, to fuel the amulet in a way.""WHAT?!" I gave Douxie a shocked look as Toby exclaimed the word that I couldn't quite muster. "POSSESSION LADY IS ONE HAND LESS FOR THE CRYSTAL THING!? You gotta be shitting me! No wonder why she will wanna kill us! And Merlin! I would be upset too if my hand was turned into a
crystal.""My master has his reasons." Douxie took a sigh as he then reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ones he will never explain to me unless it's too late, but he has his reasons." He dropped his hand once more as he looked over toward the trolls behind me. "I'm sure once we find him he'll give us more answers. For now, let's keep our end of this deal.""Yes. Please." Dictatious let out a small sigh of relief as I turned my attention toward him once more. "Because I'm sure Gunmar would send his best to come and slaughter me. I bet you.""Have you sent out the goblins to get rid of that useless little troll?" Gunmar growled out the end of his question as I gave a simple nod."Yes, sir. They're after him as we speak. Knowing Dictatious, he should be dead by sunrise." I gave Gunmar a wicked smile as I put my hands before me. "He's not much of a fighter, as we know.""Good." He seemed pleased with this answer as he relaxed his shoulders slightly. "But that is not the end of our mission, Usurna.""Of course not, Master Gunmar." I gave the Gum-Gum a small bow before continuing. "How shall we go about the staff? Do you believe that trollhunter will lead us there?""We must have faith in the prophecy." His tone was cold as he glared at me. "We follow it. If we follow that, then we will win.""Yes, Master Gunmar." I gave a small bow once more as I fought back a small grumble.
Faith in the prophecy? Where has faith gotten us as a kind before? Faith in a human construct. Faith is for the weak. We need action on our part. We need to find the tomb before them. Cut off the conflict and then take over the rest of the war in a glorious haste.
"You can leave, Usurna."
But if faith is what he wants, it's what he gets.
"Yes, Master Gunmar."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"You need to breathe, my child. Be calm." I took a deep breath as I closed my eyes and relaxed into the two hands adjusting my shoulders. "Keep your brain clear. Don't worry about the surroundings. Nothing else matters." I released my breath as the hands disappeared from my shoulders as the older woman stepped away from me. "You know the steps, my little one."
As the lot of us marched us the path that led to the infamous resting place of the one and only Merlin, my mind wandered off constantly to memories of my own master. Her words and teachings echoed within my mind as Douxie was close beside me.
"Emotions are strong. They are what makes us powerful. They are what makes us mortal. They are your secret weapon, Zoey."
"You are a huntress. A warrior of the people. Of your own, and of those you don't think would need you. We fight for the people, my darling. We fight for those who cannot fend for themselves."
"You are a powerful witch, my little one. One of great promise. One who will bloom and bud in ways you can only imagine at this point. But with time, and the right care, you will blossom. You will thrive."
She wasn't a practical teacher. Not in the slightest. She was just a single witch still protecting the fallen pieces of what once was a thriving hub for her people. For the original huntresses of Artemis. When those who had her faith died, and no one else started to believe in the great goddess, she stayed. Keeping the land protected and safe within her hands. Living her days in a near empty shack in the middle of the forest. Only ever leaving to hunt as she had grown just too old to keep up with those needing her assistance anymore.It was why she took me in as her student. She knew that even though she could live forever in that tiny shack, she knew that she needed the assistance. She needed to pass the torch of her people. Before her mana gave up on her. Before it was too late.
"You are the last living piece of my era now, Zoe. A beginning of a new era of the witches of Artemis. My one and only student."
I remember the soft look in her eyes as she placed her hands on my shoulders. Her proud smile burned into my mind the second she gave me it.
"And I couldn't be more proud."
I reached up and wiped a tear that threatened to roll over my cheeks as I remembered my old master. Her words still echoed in my mind as I continued to think about her.
She was the first person who ever said they were proud of me. The first person that even proved that they meant it. The old woman meant the world to me. She was like a mother I never knew I needed. Better than the one fate has given me originally.
I glanced over toward Douxie who was looking up toward where he knew the true entrance of Merlin's tomb resided. His face was blank but his blue eyes shone bright with anxiety and eagerness. Only turning brighter with every step he took.
And I knew Douxie felt the same about Merlin. The old dust bag was the father Douxie always needed. Despite how different Merlin treated him in comparison to how
Artisus had treated me.
Merlin was a lot more callused with Douxie. A lot more distant with him than how Artisus was with me. Artisus was open about affection. Soft touches and little gifts from her was how she told me she cared for me as a student as well as a daughter in a way. Merlin was the opposite. He wasn't much for affection, and if he did actually want to show how much you meant to him, it would be purely with words that would make you think the opposite. Or he would beat around the bush and say something along the lines of how he cares, but not say it outright.
I smiled a little as I saw a bit of what was the equivalent of a child's excitement appear in Douxie's eyes as he realized were close to reaching the entry of Merlin's tomb.
It was the opposite of how Douxie is too. He's a touch-starved little thing.
I reached out and grabbed his hand with ease. Our fingers interlocked as I could tell his excitement just bubbled a little bit more. Though despite how frantic his thoughts might be, he still rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb gently. Only showing how easy physical touch came to him
Always open and welcoming to affection at any moment.
"It's been centuries since I last saw him." Douxie finally spoke up as he turned his head toward me. His eyes were wide and full of happiness at the thought of seeing his master despite the circumstances. "He'll be quite happy to see you after such a long time, Zoe.""Are you sure you're thinking of the same Merlin I know?" I chuckled as the wizard pulled me into his side excitedly as a small laugh escaped him."He only thought you would get me in trouble. He never hated you.""Well he wasn't wrong about the trouble part," I smirked at the blue-eyed spell caster as he just smiled in return. "You're quite happy to see him despite what's making it happen.""I was told to not awake him unless he was needed. That he was going to take the small amount of mana he had left in his reserve and save it for when the Eclipse was found. I get to see him again. I get to see if he's okay and if he's well. I never got to-." He stopped suddenly as his excitement damped. The light in his eyes dimmed a few as he remembered something suddenly. "I never got to see him after his final battle with Morgana."
So it's more about seeing him alive than just seeing him.
I hummed to my thought a little as I wrapped an arm around Douxie's shoulders. My hand landed on his arm as I rubbed gently as we walked together still.
I don't blame him. He's waited years to see his master alive. To see him well.
To just see him again.
I would be the same if
Artisus was easy to be found.
"You'll be seeing him soon though. Alive, well, and possibly full of quips that will make you want to bury him for real this time." Douxie laughed wholeheartedly at that. Making the excitement spark within him once more."Only in your book.""Ah yes, you still see him as a father figure so I would be digging a grave on my lonesome." I chuckled as Douxie rolled his eyes at me."Don't be going off and killing Merlin, angel.""I give no promise, darling." I gave him a smirk as he just smiled in return. A happy gleam took over his eyes as he seemed to now just be joyful at the idea of all those he loved so long ago being together again.
Because neither of our masters were conventional, but they were our parental figures nonetheless.
"Let's not dilly dally, shall we?" Right after Douxie opened the path to Merlin's chambers, he nearly rushed into it. It was as if he was a child in a candy store as he nearly ran the path that was illuminated by bright green lights that seemed to just glow from the rocks near them."Well, he's excited." I smiled widely as I glanced over toward Zoe."Merlin is like his dad and he hasn't seen him in centuries." She shrugged as she looked over toward where the slightly younger wizard ran. "I would be the same way, honestly." Archie appeared randomly on her shoulder before sprouting his wings with a groan."I'll go get him before he accidentally triggers anything." He leaped and started flying toward where his familiar went. "Or at least see how far he gets before realizing the rest of us don't know where we're going.""Sounds good! Thanks, Arch!" Zoe yelled out after him with a smile as she looked back toward me. "He gets like this constantly.""Oh, we know." Claire joined my side as she nudged me. "This one gets the same way at times.""No wonder why they're friends then, huh?""Oh absolutely.""Good to know our girlfriends joke about us even when we're not here." I smirked as I glanced between the two."You're here aren't you?" Claire gave me a smirk as she knocked her fist gently into my shoulder. "Now, we have a Douxie to catch up with." With that, the rest of us started chasing after Douxie's trail."It's the same as it was when we first put it together! This was planned out as his resting spot for the longest time. Even for when he needs to actually be buried." Douxie rambled excitedly as he looked around the large entry to what Douxie was saying would be the main resting place in the whole chambers. "Did you know that Morgana actually added us in making this place? It was before her fall out with Arthur so there is only three people who know this place. Me, Merlin, and Morgana. Ha! Sounds like some kind of weird book.""Sounds oddly close to Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl." Zoe commented jokingly before stopping for a second. "Honestly rather close to it if you think of how Morgana lost her hand and things." I watched the witch smile widely though as she continued humoring us. "Can say, at least he didn't make a John Green book reference though. Fuck that guy.""I thought Hank Green was the book writer." Toby jumped in as he gave Zoe a curious look."Nah, that's the history guy. At least he's a better person despite me knowing more than anyone else that he's wrong on a lot of the stuff. But that's just history in general to Doux and me. We know history better than any of your books.""Well by living through it, yeah. That makes sense though." I nodded along with Toby as I agreed with the idea.
Living through it after all is much different than learning about it.
"Yes! We're here!" Douxie moved quickly to go to his master's side. He was laid out on what was like a stone altar. His hands over his chest as the old man laid seemingly stive before us. "It has been a long time, Merlin." The wizard knelt down beside him as he placed his hands on the edges of the stone altar."What is he-?" I gave Zoe a curious look as she just shrugged."Let my dork be a dork." I nodded as I just looked back toward Douxie instead."Exsurge sicut mane. Sta de requie tua." I had no clue what he said, but a blue glow came out from his hands and surrounded his master gently. Wrapping around the resting wizard like a ribbon as he spoke softly once more. "Come back to us, Merlin." Suddenly, the eyes of the old man snapped open as the magic ribbon started to dim out.
Merlin has awakened.
I swallowed hard as the crystal around my neck burned upon my skin under my shirt.
Now the true prophecy begins.