HOLY FUCK THIS IS OVER 5,000 VIEWS AND I FEEL AS IF I DID Y'ALL DIRTY! Like God, you all loved this fic and I just left it high dry. I'm hella sorry. But hey, here I am, writing like a bitch for your pleasure.
I hope you guys enjoy this update and feel free to tell me how y'all think it's going.
Also: I'm fucking READY for Wizards to drop. At the time of my writing this, we're a few days away and I'm living for this moment.
Again, thank you to my Beta Reader PrimaryIan210 for dealing with my shitty writing and grammar mistakes. Thank you for making this much better than my coffee-addicted brain can.
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."