A/N: Prompt by yetanotherpromptsblog: "I am your darkest reflection."
The Sword of Daylight screeched across Jim's thigh blades. The blow was strong, but Jim was able to deflect it. Still, the force sent him twisting and nearly falling onto the hard rock of the sewer floor. Jim had come down here to look for goblins that were causing havoc, and now he'd been cornered by Strickler's assassin. Surely this was a trap.
"We don't have to do this, Angor Rot," Jim called from across the tunnel of the sewer, breathing heavily.
Angor rot swung Jim's sword menacingly, taking a step forward.
"I kill Trollhunters, boy. We do have to do this."
"Strickler's controlling you!"
"Do you think I want him to?"
Angor Rot lunged, and Jim wanted to leap away, but he met him head on. The force of Angor Rot's blow was too strong this time, and Jim lost one of his blades. It clanked down in the tunnel somewhere. Jim was shoved up against the wall, the Sword of Daylight under his throat.
"I can" — Jim struggled as he spoke — "help you. Strickler's done us both wrong."
"You really think I'd make a deal with a squealing fleshbag whelp? Pathetic."
"Then what will you do?" Jim pushed against the sword with his hands now, and if not for his armor, he would've sliced them open. Glowing mist surrounded the sword in brilliant blue, and his armor began to shine. But a yellow light took over, and Angor Rot's grip tightened. The blade was used to pin his hands up, and it was at his throat once more. Jim grappled, kicking. Angor Rot just moved the sword, grabbed his throat, and pulled him farther up the wall. Jim's eyes rolled back in his head from his crushing grip. Still, he could breathe. Angor Rot wasn't trying to kill him. He would've been dead already. "Why haven't… you… killed me?"
His adversary growled and then turned, throwing him across the tunnel. Jim hit the ground hard, rolled, and then crashed into the wall. Dazed, and in pain, he lay there, groaning.
"The hunt is all that matters! You know of what I speak, Trollhunter."
Angor Rot threw down the Sword of Daylight before Jim, who was trying to rise to his feet, but the exhaustion and aches were too much. He collapsed back down. The sword faded since it was no longer in an owner's hand. The light went out. All Jim could see was Angor Rot's glowing eyes.
"You are a hunter. Just like me. You are controlled by forces that are far greater than yourself."
"Yeah, it's called being a good person!" Jim responded, finally getting to his feet.
The yellow eyes came closer, and Jim soon found a knife dipped in creeper's sun poison just underneath his chin, lifting it up. He didn't shudder before those yellow eyes, but all of him was fighting to go slack, to give in to fear.
Rule number one: always be afraid.
Well, he was. He really was.
But fear was just a precursor to valor.
Still, Jim doubted that as Angor Rot growled, the air from his breath wafting over him and blowing his hair back.
"No. You hunt because you were called. You hunt because you are forced to. Face it, Hunter, I am nothing more than your darkest reflection. You'll change, you'll crack, and then you won't be James Lake Junior anymore. You'll just… be… me."
"I'll never be like you," Jim argued.
He held his right hand out, fingers ready to grasp something, and the sword appeared. In a quick move, getting in a proper stance, he put the tip of the sword against Angor Rot's chest.
Jim didn't know why he didn't kill him.
"We'll see… Hunter."
A dark, growling laugh left the troll assassin, and then the yellow eyes disappeared in the darkness.