Blinky glanced at the pile of now black half burned books, books he wanted to erase from existence but Jim had insisted they should keep them. He had used the reasoning that no matter where the knowledge came from… knowledge is still knowledge, it has no bias it just is.
And then Jim had looked like he was about to bite his own tongue off before he admitted it was Strickler whom had told him that. Still… That didn't make it any less true, even Blinky could see that. Jim had nodded and then acknowledged… That even though Strickler had turned out to be an enemy, even if he had tried to kill Jim… that didn't make the lessons he had taught Jim any less valuable.
And it had to be the same for Dictatous and Blinky.
Blinky sighed deeply as he picked up a book, the cover was burned and thusly immediately covered his hands in sod. Then Blinky opened up the book to realize that the pages were remarkable intact… He immediately recognized the fine detailed hand writing that was his brothers… Beforehand seeing Dictatous's troll graphs consistent of rather harsh but yet incredible precise lines would have filled him with a warm comfort, a sort of happiness as if his brother was still there looking out for him, always.
Blinky's own handwriting was more swirly, but still rather neat especially for a troll. Still, it was easy to see which books had been written by Dictatous and which ones had been written by Blinky. Blinky had used to take pride in the books standing alongside each other… Now this source of comfort felt rather disgusting and Blinky slammed the book together and then dropped it back into the pile.
A rumbling sound sounded by the entrance, that of a big creature heading down the stairs. Blinky knew that sound as well as he knew his brothers hand writing. It was Argh coming to check on him.
Blinky didn't bother to turn around but kept looking at the pile of books letting Argh enter.
The big pacifist looked curiously at his friends back, then glanced at the book. "Still want to burn?" he asked.
"Yes. I would love to burn all of these." Blinky fully admitted. "But Master Jim is right." he sighed. "Knowledge is knowledge, and these books has been invaluable before. It is more than likely we'll indeed need them again. How-ever, I do not want them to be on display!" he fully admitted.
"Then what do with them?" Argh asked.
Blinky shrugged. "Find a large chest I suppose. Just as long as I don't have to look at them." he huffed finally turning to Argh then halted by the sight of Arghs large green and genuinely concerned eyes.
"What can Argh do?" Argh then finally asked, seemingly finally voicing his concern. He didn't quite understand all that was going on, he just wanted Blinky to be okay and Blinky sighed.
"I'm sorry old friend, I didn't mean to upset you." Blinky then said before turned back to the pile. "I just… What have I been doing?" he asked. "For all these years, everything i've done. I… I wanted to be just like him, I wanted to be the kind of person he would be proud of! I wanted to keep him alive, even if it was just through his books. Argh, everything i've done, all my failures, all my mistakes. I convinced myself it was all right, as long as I moved forward so he wouldn't be forgotten! But… WHAT IN GORGOS NAME WAS THE MEANING OF ALL OF THIS!" he shouted kicking at the book pile so it fell together in of itself.
Then Argh moved closer so he was right behind Blinky, Blinky could even feel the big trolls breath right on his back. "Blinky has done many things right." he stated. "You protected troll marked, saved many trolls with knowledge, build great things that helped all trolls. Gave me a chance. All of that, not Dictatous doing. That all you." he stated.
Stunned Blinky looked up then wide-eyed turned to Argh.
"No other troll would have accepted human troll hunter. But we needed human troll hunter, or troll marked would have fallen to Bular." Argh reminded Blinky. "Accepting human troll hunter, not Dictatous's decision, all you." he stated poking a finger at Blinky's chest.
Blinky looked down at the finger now poking him and he smiled amused, though as he looked up he also looked rather conflicted. "Argh… I used to always wonder. If Dictatous would have been proud of what I was doing." he admitted. "I hoped that he would be, I thought that…" he turned his head away then he exhaled deeply. "I don't know my brother at all do I?" he asked. "And quite frankly… I don't think I want to anymore."
"I'm proud." Argh stated. "To be called your friend, you are." he hestiated as if trying to find the prober words. "The greatest troll I know."
And Blinky smiled as he looked up at Argh. "Thank you old friend. Coming from you, that does indeed mean a lot." he fully admitted then he turned back to the book pile and sighed deeply. "I better start cleaning up this mess." he then admitted. "Urhm Argh. Would you mind… Giving me a hand?" he asked.
"Happy to." Argh smiled as he stepped forward and carefully picked up a book, and soon Blinky joined him as the two worked in comfortable silence to clean up and put all the books back into order.
Many moons ago. Centuries in fact, the world was a much different place.
Up on the surface, humans were still what is considered rather primitive. No one had ever thought of such things as electricity or even houses with isolation. Some places in Europe, asia and Africa humans had managed to build cities for themselves, even if these cities were rather primitive. Other places though, like in what would become America human kind were living in tribes roaming the surface land.
Deep down below though, troll kind was a far more developed species. Their science and understanding of the world being far superior to any humans… At that time that is.
They had build massive tunnels that went through the crust of the earth connecting troll caves and cities all over the world, they had machines and even magic to keep them comfortable. How-ever as it happened, all wasn't well.
There was a war going on, a war that had already gone on for centuries and wiped out most of the trolls living on the planet. The species that had ones been dominant was now few and yet the war for power didn't seem like it would seize any time soon.
At that time Troll marked was a rather new, it wasn't the big city yet that it would one day grow into becoming. Instead it was a rather modest little gathering of caves and houses, a refuge for the people searching safety doing the war. A gathering place for multiple peaceful trolls whom wanted none of the brutality going on outside.
Among these trolls were two rather peculiar ones. These two looked a lot a like as they were both rather stout, had six eyes each and four arms.
The Galadrigals.
As far as people knew they were the last two remaining of the Galadrigal tribe that had been wiped out by Gunmar in the early days of the war.
The Galadrigal tribe had been considered a rather unusual tribe even among trolls as it was a tribe of scholars and intellectuals whom would rather use big words than fists. They had been explores and inventors and had been behind most of the great advancements when it came to Troll technology and magic.
Gunmar had quickly realized that even though these trolls weren't good for fighting, their ability to create weapons and new technology could be the thing to decide the outcome of the war. And thusly he had asked them to join his side.
The Galadrigals had profoundly refused and as a respond they had been wiped out, Gunmar would not risk them creating new weapons for the other armies.
Only two had escaped and now they were here, at troll marked.
Dictatous and Blinkous Galadrigal, two brothers. Blinkous was the youngest one, and was in fact to young to remember his tribe being wiped out. Dictatous how-ever whom was a good one hundred and fifty years old older than his younger brother remembered it very well. He never really spoke of it though, and Blinkous never asked, assuming it was probably very traumatic for his older brother.
That though didn't stop him from always running behind his older brother, never being more than a few foot steps away and always ready to ask a ton of questions.
Most trolls found this very amusing, how this young troll whom was mostly considered a teenager among troll kind would always be running after his older brother with deep admiration in his eyes.
Dictatous how-ever didn't seem quite as taken with his brother as his brother seemed with him, he would often roll his eyes, push the younger troll away, and tell him to be quiet.
None of which seemed to offend young Blinkous in the slightest as he would stick to Dictatous like a little kitten always searching the attention of his mother.
"Urgh." Dictatous groaned as he was sitting in his library bend over a book, holding a pen as he tried to write.
"Brother?" Blinky asked from where he was sitting in the corner with his own book. "What's wrong?"
"These working conditions are abysmal." Dictatous muttered dismayed. "And Vendel is being a stiff, if he would just let me travel to the keep of Altra, I could find more altrasium for sure. I wouldn't have to be so careful with this piece."
Blinky looked up at his green skinned brother then looked at the stone laying next to Dictatous on the table, a shining purple stone which supposedly held a great deal of power. How-ever right now neither of them knew what kind of power it was or how they could even begin to use it.
And since they only had one. If they screwed up an experiment and destroyed it that would be it, which was exactly why Dictatous wanted to get more of it. Then they could do all sorts of experiments.
"I'm sure Vendel is just worried, it's dangerous out there." Blinky pointed out.
"He's a coward, that's the only reason." Dictatous muttered annoyed as he picked up a vial with blue liquid and poured it over the stone.
There was deep silence as Dictatous and Blinky looked at the stone… Then, it began to smoke. Purple smoke escaped the stone and then… nothing.
"Another dud." Dictatous rolled his eyes. "Concentrated night bane, no effect." he muttered as he wrote down in the book.
"Well, it did smoke a bit." Blinkous pointed out as he poked at the purple glowing stone.
"Don't touch that Blinky." Dictatous muttered not even looking at him as he wrote in the book.
Blinky though didn't respond as he looked at the stone then he frowned. "Erhm… Brother." he spoke quietly.
"Not now, i'm working." Dictatous muttered.
"But… Brother… I think that." Blinky hesitated.
"I said be quiet." Dictatous demanded.
Then all of Blinkys six eyes widened and he shouted. "BROTHER!" as he grabbed Dictatous and pulled them both down just as the stone exploded, shattering into a thousand pieces and blew all the books away into the wall while the two trolls shocked sat under the heavy desk.
Then slowly, ever so slowly the two trolls glanced over the desk, and saw a big black whole where the stone had previously been. They turned around and the entire library was a mess, Blinky was quite horrified. What if something had happened to the books?! Then he looked at Dictatous expecting a similar face of horror.
Dictatous how-ever didn't look horrified at all, he looked absolute ecstatic! "I KNEW IT!" he yelled happily. "Altrasium holds massive power! Just imagine this power being refined, think of all the possibilities!"
"It seems… A little bit unstable to me." Blinky had to point out.
"Bah! Who's afraid of a little unstable energy?" Dictatous asked as he picked the book up from the floor he had previously been writing in and turned it around so he could neatly cross out his previous sentence.
Blinky looked at his older brother which a slightly stunned face expression, then he smiled! Dictatous really was brave, he wouldn't let a little set back like that scare him off.
In fact Dictatous was right! This wasn't a set back at all, it was a break through! Of course! How stupid Blinky was to think anyone else, then he glanced out at the room. "We are all out of altrasium now though." he pointed out.
That made Dictatous's face fall and he hissed annoyed. "GORGONMIT!"
"I'm sure we'll come across some more another time though." Blinky assured. "It's just as you always say! We just have to be persistent, knowledge wont be hold back so easily!"
Dictatous glared at Blinky then groaned as he rubbed his forehead. "That Vendel, if he would just let me! I swear one of these days I'll… I'll."
Confused Blinky looked at Dictatous. "You'll what brother?" he asked.
"Never mind! It doesn't matter." Dictatous muttered. "Help me clean up." he asked…. Though it sounded more like a demand than a request.
Blinky though didn't seem to mind at all as he lighted up. "Yes brother!" and bowed down to pick up the precious books that had been knocked off their shelfs.