Secrets
Chapter 22
Armed and Dangerous
Draal's metal hand tighthened its grip on his ax. The sharpened blade glinted with moonlight as he patrolled the backyard. Casting a look over his shoulder, Draal confirmed the Trollhunter's mother was safe inside her kitchen, still scraping that pan. He then went back to walking the perimeter, keeping watch foor anything suspicous. Earlier he saw a pair of yellow eyes that had been stalking her and tried to face whomever or whatever possible threat that would want to harm her, but the eyes disappeared without a trace.
Then Draal's ears detected a muted whoosh behind him. He spun around a
nd found the lights flickering through the basement window - right below Ba-Bru-Ah. Withot hesistation, Draal rolled into a ball and launched back into the house via Jim's open window.
Inside the basement, a building shadow portal made the hanging light bulb flicker on and off. Once the vortex grew wide enough, Arrrgh poked his head through - only to get punched quare in the jaw by Draal's mechanical arm. Jim, Toby, Blinky, Claire, NotEnrique, Jinx, Chompsky Marshall, and Talia all exited the portal in time to see their large friend slam into the floor.
"Draal! What in Gizmodius's name did you do that for?" Blinky demanded.
"He's finally cracked," NotEnrique said. "Was bound to happen, really. Always trainin', livin' alone in a basement, referrin' to himself in the third person-"
"Draal the Deadly has not cracked!"
Talia looked at Arrrgh and noticed an unusual shade of purple glowing on his runes including his eyes. "Hey guys?" Talia said grabbing everyone's attention. "What's with the new glowy look on Arrrgh?"
Blinky gasped in alarm recognizing this familiar state from before, he rushed over to his best friend and said, "Arrrgh, you must calm yourself! The last time you looked this way, you went berserk-"
"Wait. Berserk?! What is he talking about? When did he went berserk?!" Talia turned toward Marshall.
Marshall pointed up his index finger and awkwardly explain, "Well the potion we got from the Janus Order had some. . .little unusual side effects."
"TRAITOR!" roared Arrrgh before he decked Draal.
The blow sent Draal flying across the air and smashing into a shelf full of old paint cans. He - and the cans all the way to the first floor. Jim heard his mom yelp in surprise and drop the frying pan with a clang.
"Did those dang raccoons get back into the basement?" Barbara asked aloud.
Draal tackled the violet Arrrgh. Everyone else gave them a wide berth, not wanting to be steamrolled by ther considerabl bulk. But Talia, transformed into her beast form and said, "For the Pride of the Lion's Evil shall fall before my Might!", and then jumped in with the wrestling trolls.
Jim rushed up stairs removing his armor, and shutting the door behind him to distract his mom while everyone avoids dodging the rampaging trolls and struggling lion. Talia was caught between the two oversized brutes massive bodies pushing reaching up towards their faces trying to make them stop, "Guys! Will you two just calm down for just one whole second!" But Arrrgh was still blinded by his rage, Draal persistantly continued their struggle. The three rolled and crashed into the wall making another startling noise.
Toby turned around and saw Arrrgh's back coming down upon him as he screaming. Marshall pushed him out of the way in time before he was flatten to a pancake. Jim came back in the basement slamming the door shut behind him, and looked down stairs. Jim's eyes bulged in horro. Draal and the purple Arrrgh still tussled, with Talia, Marshall, Blinky, Toby, Claire, NotEnrique, and even tiny Chompsky trying to pull them apart.
"Jim, hurry!" grunted Claire. "Arrrgh can't control his temper, and Draal's fighting for his life!"
"Neep, neep!" seconded Chompsky.
"Let go! I've got an idea! said Jim, leaping off the staircase.
The others distanced themselves as Jim landed on top of Arrrgh and Draal. He wedged himself as far between their gnashing bodies as he could and said, "For the Glory of Merlin Daylight is Mine to Command!"
AS before, a bubble of energy enveloped Jim like a force field. But as it expanded, the bubble pushed apart Draal and Arrrgh, separating them. Now sporting the Daylight Armor, Jim landed between his two stunned friends and said to Marshall, "Marshall immobilized them!" Marshall's hand's glowed with amber aura shooting out muti chains restraining the two trolls. Then Jim said to Claire, "Quick- the woods!"
She channeled another black hole through her Shadow Staff and swept it across every member of Team Trollhunters, herself included. The portal collapsed, the light bulb stopped swinging, and Barbara walked downstairs with a tray of food, saying, "Okay, you buff body-builders, Dr. Lake is here with some healthy snacks to boost-"
Barbara dropped the tray on the floor. Not only were Jim and Toby gone, but they had left the basement a shambles, with debris scattered everywhere.
"I'm not cleaning this up!" yelled as she stomped back up the stairs.
"
The amber chains Marshall had conjured from his magics disipitated releasing Draal and Arrrgh from their bonds. The two trolls shook off their dizziness before they charged right at each other again. Jim stood fast between them, held out his armored hands, and shouted, "STOP!"
The two titans skidded to a halt mere inches from the Trollhunter's body. Draal's chest still heaved from exertion, and Arrrghs violet eyes narrowed in disgust.
"This has got to be a misunderstanding," Jim said. "I've know both of you for months, and you've known each other for centuries before that! Everyone just take a deep breath and-"
"Be cool, baby!" Blinky interjected.
"Did you just seriously say that out loud?" Talia looked at him weird as they, Toby, Claire, Marshall, NotEnrique, Chompsky, and Jinx emerged from the woods.
Arrrgh huffed, but then saw the pleading loon in Blinky's six eyes. The purlple glow on his runes gradually shifted to green before fading altogther and he reverted to a gentl giant once again. Draal similarly stood down. He lowered his head and said, "Draal the Deadly . . . apologizes."
"Me too," grumbled Arrrgh.
"Aw, see? That wasn't so hard, was it?" Toby said cheerfully. "Now, how do you guys bury the hatchet in the Troll world?"
"Why, in cases of a dispute, the two involved parties tpyically resolve the conflict by bshing their skulls together, until one of them finally passes out," Blinky said matter-of-factly
"Hmm, why don't we just stick with a fist bump?" asked Toby.
Arrrgh and Draal shrugged, then tapped their stone and metal fists. NotEnrique stared at Draal's prosthetic limb and said, "Oi! Isn't that replacement arm the whole reason this baesment brawl started?"
"What're you going on about imp?" growled Draal, his temper flaring again.
"Easy! Easy!" said Jim. "Draal, there's a lot to catch you up on, but we found a dawing that looks just like your mechanical arm in The Book of Ga-Huel. Do you have any idea why it would be in there? Blinky's life could be on the line."
"No, I do not, Trollhunter. I swear it," Draal said, his regret apparent.
"I suppose it is possible I could've fleetingly seen that image during my first reading of the book months ago in Strickler's office," admitted Blinky. "Perhaps it subconciously influenced me to build a similar prothesis when Draal was in need of a new arm."
"I wouldn't know anything about that," Draal muttered. "But it stinks of trickery, as does whoever's been spying on the Trollhunter's mother."
"Wait, my mom?" Jim asked.
"You saw something?" Talia asked.
"Yes. I have reason to believe that someone has been following Ba-Bru-Hu," Draal said. "I had been tracking him - or her, or it -when your sudden arrival caught me unawares. I thought I had found the culprit and lashed out blindly and . . .well, you know the rest."
Claire covered her mouth and looked at Jim, who seemed stricken by the news. She held his hand and said, "But why would anyone be after Dr. Lake? Any of our enemies who kknew she's Jim's mom are either dead or banned form Arcadia."
"I have to get back to her," declared Jim. "Right now. She's all alone."
"I'll go," said Draal, hoisting his ax over his shoulder. "I am duty-bound to protect her."
He gave a curt nod, tucked into a spiked ball, and rolled out of the woods toward Jim's house. Claire gave Jim's hand a squeeze and said, "Don't worry. She'll be safe with Draal."
"I . . . I know," replied Jim. "But now I feel like we're back to square one with The Book of Ga-Huel. And if we don't hurry, Blinky could-
"Could get very sick of seeing a ll these sad faces!" interrupted Blinky. "With all due respect, Master Jim, I don't know if this day will be my last. But if it is, I certainly don't want to spend it mopin around some moonlit forest like. . .like. . ."
"Like a Stalkling, a Goblin, and a Helheeti at a beauty pageant?" offered NotEnrique.
Chompsky and Jinx squeaked so hard with laughter, they cried. The Gnome removed his hat and used it to dab away his tears.
"I suppose that'll have to do," Blinky murmured in annoyance.
"It doesn't have to," said Toby.
"I'm not saying it is your last day on Earth, Blinky. But if it was, where would you want to spend it?"
Blinky tapped a finger against his pursed lips, deep in thought, before a smile spread across his face. He beamed at his friends and said, "You know, I have just the place. . . ."