Blinky wisely froze in place when he saw the gun, both expected as James Sr would have been an idiot to not be armed and unexpected for the timing.

"Sorry for not bothering with any repartee," the man apologized, expression harsh now, "but you see I don't barter with monsters!" Under the hood Blinky's six eyes widened. "Yes, I know what you are! From the moment you set foot in this compound I've had eyes on you, including one of my people with a thermal camera!" Under his breath Blinky swore softly, though his opponent elaborated anyways. "It not only revealed that your body temperature is not even remotely like a human's, but she could see your shape, and she told me!" He tapped one ear where he had an earpiece in. "The ruse is up, 'Scholar;' drop that disguise!"

Blinky took a deep breath but unzipped the coat, pushed back the hood, and took it off, discarding it to the side. James Sr recoiled slightly, eyes widening as he took in the four-armed and six-eyed creature before him - though if anyone more familiar with Blinky had been around they would've noticed a few things that were different from normal. On Blinky's lower wrists were a set of bronze cuffs etched with Trollish runes. On his left upper hand were three rings each of a different material and with different gemstones set in them, and on his right upper hand was a band wrapping around his palm and looking frosted over. And hanging from the waist of his suspenders were three glowing crystals much akin to the ones Vendel often carried with him.

James Sr of course would've known nothing of these changes, and probably wouldn't have cared, as he scowled, clearly disturbed by the other's appearance.

"You really are inhuman." Blinky frowned.

"That would be because I am a Troll, not a human." James Sr scowled at the snark.

"Whatever you call yourself really doesn't matter. I have some questions that you're going to answer. If you don't, or I think you're lying, I will shoot you where you stand. And don't think the bullets will just bounce off your hide; these are specially made with killing monsters like you in mind." Blinky tried to keep himself calm. Maybe he could still swing this in his favor.

"I believe we were planning on having a discussion, were we not?" James Sr sneered, seeming far angrier than Blinky could really account for. Did he hate Trollkind that much?

"Alright. First, are you the Trollhunter?" Blinky's heart jumped.

"The Trollhunter?"

"That's all those two would say, that the Trollhunter would come to save them. Are you he?"

Ah, they didn't say the Trollhunter was human! He doesn't know!

"I have to admit I would be surprised to hear you say you were," James Sr said in the brief pause, tone condescending. "But I figure it's always a possibility. That's why I agreed to this trade: surrender two pawns to take a king, or at least a rook." Blinky huffed, but figured it might make the man a bit more wary if he knew reinforcements might be in wait.

"No, I am not the Trollhunter. I could not hope to aspire to hold the office."

"I see. Why did he send you instead of coming himself if he's this great warrior and leader like they made him sound?" Time for a little wordplay, and let James Sr make his own conclusions about what was unsaid.

"It was hoped that this could be resolved without the need for violence. Thus I am acting in his stead." The Trollhunter just wasn't the one hoping!

"That's not likely to happen!" The sudden heat in his voice took Blinky a bit but surprise. Briefly he was quiet then he put a finger to his ear, perhaps hearing something from one of his subordinates, then snapped a sharp, "Shut up!" He refocused on Blinky, and the Troll noticed a faint tremble in the man's hands - rage. "I have just one more question for you: what were you doing in my family's house?!"

"What?" Of all the questions he could've asked that one came out of left field.

"You heard me! I know you were in their house. How do I know? You practically told me yourself when you called. All of my people contact me on my cell, but you called the hotel to reach me. Okay, I can admit you might have known about your friends' capture if you saw us at the scrap yard, you might have even followed me to the hotel itself. But all the rooms are internal; you couldn't have known which room I was in!"

"Oh no..."

"And the only person I told the room number to was on a message on my family's answering machine! So tell me! Why were you in their house!?"

BANG!

It was likely that James Sr hasn't intended to fire the gun. Between the shaking of his hand and the tension in his entire body there was a high chance of it being an accidental discharge. But the moment Blinky saw his arm tightening he was acting in response, left upper hands quickly raising and one of the rings sparking as a barrier of pure magical energy deflected the bullet. It buried into the drywall.

For a moment both opponents were still, James Sr seeming stunned at the gun rapport and Blinky shaking a bit from the near-miss. Then Blinky saw the human's eyes widen slightly and he started to of all things laugh!

What - did his mind suddenly snap?

"Oh, I see you didn't listen to our agreement concerning weapons, but then again neither did I!"

"I think either of us would've been a fool to listen," was the Troll's retort.

"True! True! But suddenly - I finally understand!" His laughter stopped abruptly, making Blinky jump and think that James Sr had indeed lost his mind. "It's you! You're what he was hiding from me!"

"Pardon?"

"I knew from the moment my son left me in the park - left and vanished utterly, it seems, as none of my people can track him down anywhere - I knew he was hiding something from me."

Master Jim! Blinky's heart just about stopped.

"It was you! He was hiding that he already knew about you freaks! And you've somehow tricked him to protect you!" James Sr advanced slowly, gun up, and Blinky stepped back with his defensive ring upraised. "You - you've brainwashed him! You've turned him against his own kind, made him a traitor!"

"I've done nothing of the sort!" Another shot, another deflection, then Blinky was forced to tumble to the side and away front the ramp as another shot fired from the side missed his heels by inches.

"Leave him to me!" James Sr bellowed before tearing out the earpiece and hurling it away from him. Then he took aim again. "I'll end you, then take my son and reverse what you've done to him. And who knows? Maybe seeing your corpse will break whatever hold you have on him!" Abruptly the man had to make a sharp evasion of his own as Blinky flung his upper right hand his way and an icicle flew through the air, missing by inches.

"I didn't come prepped just to defend myself," the scholarly Troll said, another icicle forming in his palm as the arcane band responded to his will and his rising ire. "And you shall not lay a hand on Master Jim!"

James Sr smiled eagerly and the gun sounded again.

0000

"He did what?!"

Jim's voice almost cracked in alarm. The Galgolex lay none too far away, not even three minutes after the battle that ended it. When Claire and Draal had arrived they found their friends already locked in combat with the two-headed beast, accidentally trapped by knocked over trees when it grabbed one of the Quagawumps being protected by Aaarrrggghh and Toby. There had been no time for conversing, even briefly, as one head had its mouth wedged around Jim's shield and the other was keeping the Krubera at bay with its ice breath as it tried to constrict Toby to death. Jim only had a split second to ask 'Where's Blinky?' and for the warrior Troll to reply 'I'll explain later - finish this thing quick!'

Now Draal had quickly told the story about the message and the captured Trolls, and his suspicions, with Claire confirming that she'd tried to call Blinky first when Jim's attempts had failed and he'd told her to get Draal but not him.

"Come to think of it," she mused worriedly, "when he spoke his voice did kinda echo, and it was really quiet around him."

"Why would he do that?" asked Toby anxiously.

"Want keep Jim out," Aaarrrggghh theorized. "Not have fight father."

"And given the timing, he may have spoken with your father," Draal spoke up. "I do not believe Blinkous would've been foolish enough to challenge him on his own - "

" - Unless there wasn't another option," finished Jim. In his heart he knew his mentor would try to keep him out of any confrontation with his father if there was any way to.

"Look, went are we still here talking?" Toby tugged Jim's arm to make him focus. "Let's just portal to him, and get him away from your dad!"

"Right! Claire, you up for it?"

"No problem!" Jim looked to the Quagawumps that had ventured close, apologetic words on his lips for the abrupt departure.

"No worries!" one reassured before he even spoke. "Go save your friend. We gather your things for you to get later." Jim smiled.

"Thanks."

"Blinky!" Claire instructed, swinging the staff before her. The little more of shadow shot from the tip and stick in the air - then vanished!

"What? Claire, try again!"

"Blinky!" Again, nothing. Claire growled in frustration and tried with all the focus she could muster, even using the Troll's full name. "Blinkous Galadrigal!"

Nothing.

"What's going on?" Draal asked.

"I don't know!" Claire insisted, baffled. "It's like it's being blocked or something!"

"Humans block magic?"

"Not last I checked, Wingman."

"Try Trollmarket," Jim suggested, running a hand through his hair as he tried to think. "Maybe Blinky's there and something around him is just interfering." Claire nodded and took a breath to refocus, thenswung her staff.

"Trollmarket!"

The portal formed - and stuck! Without a backwards glance Jim jumped through.

((Ok, I know, I know! Another cliffhanger! I'm sorry - my muse tells me to cut off chapters when she will lol!))