merendinoemiliano-Thank you! I hope you're ready for what's next!

T3ddyBearL0ve-Haha thank you! I really wanted to see Jim in the show react to Bular, so I decided to put it here. I guess that's how life works sometimes-your enemies are your buddies! But thank you so much, I'm really glad you like my AU so far!


"I am such an idiot sometimes," Douxie groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Why didn't I hide myself better? Now Merlin is going to watch us like a hawk, and my man-bun self is running around like a fool," he scowled.

"Come now, things aren't as bad as they seem," Archie consoled, padding down the stone corridor with Douxie. "Yes, your master is infuriated with you, we've changed history for the worse, and the knights are going on a hunt after the trolls…" his familiar paused. "Actually, it is rather bad, isn't it?"

"Thank you, Arch," Douxie grumbled, coming to a stop just before the stables. The knights were getting prepared for the hunt, saddling the horses and sharpening their weaponry. He slumped. How was he ever going to fix this?

"Douxie!" Claire cried, disrupting him from his thoughts. "Morgana and I were just called to the throne room, and Arthur is furious. He wanted to know how the 'beast,'" her lip curled, "survived the sun when it fell from the castle. He's already angry that the trolls escaped from the dungeon, but the fact that Jim was seen there, alive and helping them…" she shuddered. "Douxie, you should've seen him. Even worse, he knew there was shadow magic involved, and he blames Morgana! Now she's going to have to come on this stupid hunt too!"

Claire grabbed his wrist. "If they catch Jim, he'll have no choice but to fight back! And I don't think he knows how easily he can hurt someone with his strength. If he kills any of them, he won't be able to live with himself." She stared at him pleadingly. "Or if he doesn't fight back, he'll be killed!"

"I know, and he's not the only one." Douxie's gaze dropped. "Because of us, Arthur's going to eat the big one too."

"Eat the what?" Steve asked, walking through the swinging gate. "Oh no, was I supposed to bring food?"

"He'll be eating a death sandwich, Steve," he explained impatiently.

"Who would eat that? Gross."

Douxie rolled his eyes. "Look." He took out the time map and opened it. Arthur's corpse revolved slowly in the blue holographic circle. "If Arthur dies, we lose the Battle of Killahead and the war."

"Which will probably mess up time so much, you'll never be able to go home," Archie added from an alcove.

Douxie skimmed through the timeline, causing it to flash between an angry red and cool blue. Toby popped up, fully dressed in his orange battle armor. They watched in dismay as his body faded away.

"Toby!" Claire moaned. "What's happening to him?"

His eyes widened in realization and horror. "The future-our future is vanishing!" Douxie continued to skip through the timeline, hoping to find some kind of positive outcome-

"What's that?" Claire asked, pausing Douxie's searching.

It was Morgana and Arthur, linking arms and waving. Wide grins split their faces, any tension between them gone.

Douxie blinked. "Well, that-that certainly wasn't there before." He gasped and skimmed forward more. An image of Jim and Arthur shaking hands appeared. "It's a new timeline, one where Arthur and Jim live."

"And Morgana's the hero?" Claire said as a triumphant Morgana waved at an unseen crowd. "I thought she was destined to become Mistress Doom."

"It looks like there's a possibility, if we get Arthur and Morgana to reconcile, then somehow, nobody dies!" he cheered. "So all we need to do is-" Suddenly, the timeline started spinning faster and faster, switching from blue to red and back again. It trembled violently in Douxie's hands.

"Uh, I think your magic toy is broken!" Steve squealed, watching the map anxiously.

"N-no, it's not broken," Douxie stammered. "I don't know what's going on-" The timeline stilled, the colors a mix of red and blue. Then an image of a huge troll glowered at him, causing him to shriek and drop the map. "What-what is that?" he yelped.

Steve had jumped into Claire's arms. He laughed nervously before she rolled her eyes and proceeded to drop him.

She stooped down to the time map and picked it up. "Do you have any idea who this is, Douxie?" she wondered as she straightened.

Douxie took a deep breath to calm his nerves and studied the dark blue troll. It was massive; he'd even say it was almost as bulky as Gunmar himself. Two pairs of wickedly sharp horns curved from its head, and crystal protrusions poked from its back and forearms. Strange, blood-red lines glowed all across its body, with bits of armor protecting one shoulder and its wrists. Its flaring red eyes only added to its haunting look.

But, despite its unique and frightening appearance, he couldn't for the life of him remember seeing it anywhere. Yes, he hadn't exactly delved into troll lore as much as he should've, but he definitely would've heard about something like this.

"I-I don't," he admitted, taking the map from Claire. He placed a hand on the circle, caught in its weird swirl of red and blue. "But you see how the map is sort of half red and half blue?" When the others nodded, he continued, "The map…it's never done this before. This is just a theory, mind you, but I think this means that whatever timeline ends up happening-good or bad-this troll will still appear. He's inevitable."

Silence befell the group.

"What's, um, inevitable?" Steve piped up.

"Mordrax's miracles, Steve, I-"

"Squire Steve!" Galahad called. "We are all thirsty!"

"Okay, we'll worry about that weird troll guy later," Claire said, rubbing her temples. "I'll keep an eye on Morgana. Douxie, you work on Arthur. And Steve, make sure they don't kill my boyfriend." Steve saluted.

As Douxie jogged to an unoccupied horse, he couldn't shake the feeling that, yes, the troll had seemed familiar. But he was confident he hadn't seen it in some musty book. No…for some reason, this troll reminded him of-of Jim.

He snorted as he clambered onto the horse. He was being ridiculous. There was no way Jim could ever become that, right? It just wasn't possible.

Right?

.

.

.

The trolls jogged at a steady pace through the forest, jumping over logs and dodging sunbeams. Callista led the group while Jim stayed at the back. He could've easily outrun them all, sure, but he wasn't about to let anyone fall behind. Not to mention, he had absolutely no clue where he was. If he got separated from them, he was done for.

They slowed to a stop. Curious, Jim trotted to the front of the group. "Yes!" Callista exclaimed, hands on her hips. "We made it to the border."

Jim followed her gaze and gasped. "Whoa."

He couldn't believe it. It was the bridge. The bridge. Where he had fought so, so many battles. It was so weird and off-putting to see it as a normal bridge now. Just another part of the landscape, with moss crawling over the ancient stone.

"That's Killahead," he said breathlessly as they walked across it.

"Yeah, yeah. Big, scary name for a puny little bridge," Callista snorted.

"Oh, trust me, it's going to earn that name eventually," Jim murmured as he traced his hand across the stone. He chuckled to himself, reminiscing about the time he fought Strickler here. Simpler times.

"Sure," Callista said slowly, giving him a weird look. "Anyway, the river's been dry for years. At this point, it's a bridge over nothing." She started trudging away, leaving Jim at the back again.

"W-wait! My friends were supposed to find us by now," he pleaded, remembering Claire's promise. "Something must've happened. You guys get to safety; I'll wait for them."

Callista sighed and turned back to face him. "Look, I appreciate the offer, but I don't think you can take on a whole order of knights. Can't have you die on me and haunt me in my night dreams, right?" She gave him a crooked smile.

He couldn't help but grin back. "Thanks for the concern, Callista, but you should trust me on this one. I'm stronger than I look."

"With your skinny legs?" she laughed. "I doubt it. Now, come on," she said, placing a hand on his back and pushing him along. "I don't get why you trust those humans anyway."

"We're really not that bad," he insisted, letting her drag him along. "You just gotta give us a chance-" A trumpet blared, far too close for Jim's liking, and he smacked his forehead. Great timing, he thought sourly.

"Ugh, a chance to what?" Callista demanded as shouts and whinnies filled the air. "Those humans are coming to turn your head into a wall decoration."

Jim grimaced at the idea. "Okay, maybe those humans are, but we really-okay, that's not important right now. Everybody, hide!" he shouted, turning to the trolls paralyzed with fear.

They grunted in alarm and quickly hid behind whatever shelter they could find. Jim followed Callista to a broad tree and waited with bated breath.

The horses slowed to a stop, and one of the knights disembarked. Hesitantly, he peeked his head around the trunk and gasped. Steve's angel-man was creeping towards a boulder that a gnome was cowering behind. If the gnome was absolutely silent, then they should be fine-

Then the gnome farted, and Jim bonked his head against the tree. There goes that.

"We can't let them find the others," he told Callista.

"They'll lead them straight to our village," she nodded. "No-good fleshbags."

"We gotta distract them."

"Hm, you're right," she grinned mischievously and shoved him into the open. Jim stumbled over his new cloak and looked up at the surprised knights sheepishly.

"Uh, h-hello!" he spluttered, offering a tiny wave.

Arthur's attention swiveled to him, and he shrunk back. Oh, wow. He looked more murderous than before, if that was possible. "Get them!" he roared, spurring his horse forward.

Jim turned on his heels and sprinted in the opposite direction, the other trolls following suit. Callista ran beside Jim, her sides shaking with laughter.

"I can't believe you pushed me!" he cried, playfully shoving her back.

Or, well, it was supposed to be a playful push. Jim had underestimated his troll strength and accidentally sent Callista flying into another troll. They knocked into each other and tumbled to the ground, tripping yet another troll and squashing a goblin as they went.

They groaned, trying to untangle themselves, but they wouldn't be up and running in time. Arthur and the knights would catch up, kill them, and it would all be his fault.

No. Jim shook his head. He wasn't going to let that happen. There had to be some way to buy time without fighting them, something he could do-

His eyes flicked to the rapidly approaching knights, then to a large tree off to his right. Hmmm…

.

.

.

Douxie clenched his reigns tightly as his horse galloped closer and closer to the trolls. At this rate, they weren't going to escape. The horses were too fast, and the trolls too slow. The worst part? He couldn't even do anything to help, lest Arthur sever his head from his body.

Suddenly, the trolls stumbled and fell. Douxie's heart jumped to his throat. No, no, no! he screamed mentally. This is it. They were done for.

He furrowed his brow in concentration and flexed his wrist, his bracelet whirring to life. No. He didn't care what Merlin or Arthur would do to him. He was going to save these trolls, whether they liked it or not-

A shadow passed overhead, and Douxie craned his neck to look at the source. His eyes widened.

"T-t-TREE!" he yelped, and veered his horse away from the falling tree. The others looked up as well before shouting in alarm and directing their horses away. With a mighty boom, the tree crashed onto the ground, sending up a spray of dirt. The horses nickered and reared in protest.

Douxie coughed, vainly trying to wave away the dust. Knights groaned, many having fallen off their horses or crushed under the tree. Douxie's eyes fell on Merlin, who had also been knocked from his horse. To his horror, he wasn't moving.

"Master!" he cried, sliding down from his horse and rushing to his side. "Master, please, are you alright? Can you hear me? I-"

"Cease your worrying, Hisirdoux," Merlin grunted, cracking an eye open. "I am perfectly fine. Just a bit bruised and sore, is all. Now," he said, sitting up with great difficulty, "where is my staff? I need it to move this blasted tree out of our way."

Douxie looked up and couldn't stop himself from grinning. The tree had successfully blocked the path. It was much too tall to jump or climb over, and it was so long that it stretched into the thickly forested part of the woods. It was practically impossible to navigate a horse through there.

A glint of green glimmered from the corner of his eyes, and Douxie's gaze flicked to it. Merlin's staff lay on the ground, just beyond the edge of the path. Thinking fast, he tapped a rune on his bracelet and thrust his hand forward. Blue magic surrounded the staff, and it flew far into the depths of the woods.

"Not too shabby," Archie murmured from his shoulder. Douxie smiled proudly.

"Merlin!" Arthur boomed, stomping his way over to them. "Why isn't this tree out of my sight yet?"

"Apologies, my king," Merlin said, wincing as he stood up, "I shall be right on it. As soon as I have my staff, it'll be a problem no more."

"And, pray tell, where is this staff of yours?"

Merlin looked to his right, and then to his left. He opened and closed his mouth, at an utter loss for words. "I-I don't know," he said, gaze roving over the treetops. "It must've been-displaced when I fell off my steed."

"Perfect," Arthur huffed. "Morgana!" he bellowed, turning to the sorceress. "Care to make good use of your shadow magic for once and remove this obstacle?"

"Oh, I surely would, sire," Morgana practically purred. "But I cannot summon a portal large enough to get rid of the tree. It is beyond my power."

"Of course, as soon as we actually need magic, it is useless," Arthur growled. "The trolls have probably taken refuge in the Wild Wood at this point. No matter. Any men who are in good shape, help me lift the tree so we can retrieve the wounded. As for you, Morgana," he spat, "you can search the woods for the wizard's staff with your new handmaiden." With that, the king stalked off.

As Merlin walked away, muttering under his breath, Douxie rushed over to Claire. "Now's our chance," he said. "I'll take Arthur."

"I'll cover Morgana," she nodded.

"And let's just focus on getting these royal siblings to hug and make up," Archie added.

"And not die."

"Ah, yes. That too."

"Wish me luck," Douxie remarked as he jogged over to Arthur, who was helping a knight to his feet. He cleared his throat.

"Enjoying the hunt, milord?"

.

.

.

"Callista, I'm so sorry, I-"

"Jim, I swear," Callista growled, "if I hear you apologize one more time, I'm going to break your jaw so you can't talk anymore."

"But it's my fault we were almost captured!" Jim protested as he jumped over a boulder.

"That's true," she admitted, continuing to run through the stony canyon. "But I did push you in front of Arthur, so I guess we're even. Besides," she said, turning to look back at him, "you were right. You are stronger than you look. Not many trolls can toss a huge tree like that. Consider me mildly impressed."

"Gee, thanks," Jim said, cracking a grin. His smile faltered as Callista held up a hand. He peeked over her shoulder. Noting seemed out of the ordinary, besides some trollish carvings in the rocky walls. He stepped forward. "What are those?"

An arrow whizzed out of a carving's mouth. Before it could stab him in the face, Callista pulled him out of the way. The arrow thunked into the opposite wall. He swallowed hard. "Th-thanks."

"Don't mention it," she commented. "You know trolls. We like to protect our homes." She strode forward, carefully stepping on certain stones, and Jim followed her example. "Those fleshbags would have to be stupid to follow us now."

"You don't know Steve."

As they climbed over a sloping cliff, they could hear the sound of several knights shouting in the distance. Jim groaned inwardly. He really couldn't catch a break, could he?

"Lousy smoothskins just keep coming," Callista huffed.

"So, how'd you know about the traps?" Jim asked, eager to change the topic. Anything to get her mind off humans.

Callista's pace slowed. "'Cause…I used to live here," she responded quietly.

Jim's eyes widened at his surroundings. They were in a small, demolished village. Plants were starting to wrap their leafy fingers around the desolate ruins. Several trolls, turned to stone, were scattered throughout the place. Terror was permanently etched onto their faces.

"This is Tombro, my home," Callista explained. "Or what's left of it."

Jim followed her, wincing at a troll who looked particularly terrified. "It's uh…nice!" he offered, trying the lighten the mood.

"It was," Callista agreed. "You know, 'great' King Arthur, always expanding his borders. I was just a youngling when the knights sacked the village, caught me, gave me my human name: Callista." She stooped down and rummaged around the dirt, before standing back up again. In her hand was a small, troll statue. "Never knew my troll name. My real one. You know. Usual story." Bitterness and sorrow filled her voice.

"Callista, I-I'm so sorry," Jim said. He wish he could've said something more meaningful, but it was the best he could offer. "Hey, my name is pretty unusual too. Jim…it's no troll name. It's human." He felt a sudden pang of sadness for the loss of his human life, and he swallowed the unexpected lump in his throat. "I get it."

Callista gave him a grateful smile before clearing her throat. "Come on. There'll be time to lick our wounds when those pinkbellies aren't hunting us."

"You know were I'm from, humans and trolls get along," Jim said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Ha! And where's that again?"

"Prepare to have your mind blown," he grinned, taking his phone from his pocket. "Look!" he said eagerly, flipping through pictures of him and his friends' interactions with trolls. Claire helping Bagdwella, Toby dancing with the Quagawumps. "People and trolls working together. We don't have to fight!"

He settled on a picture of him, Toby, and Claire with Aargh and the other trolls. Hot tears prickled his eyes, and he furiously blinked them back. He was not about to cry in front of this troll he just met a few hours ago. But still…this photo reminded him of better times. When his biggest worry was kidnapping rogue gnomes and studying for his Spanish tests. Now look where he was now.

"Oh, who's the one with the baby hands?" Callista crooned, pointing at Jim pre-transformation. "Must be the runt of the litter."

"He was tall for his age!" he protested, sadness momentarily forgotten. "But you see? They're not all bad."

"This one is sort of sweet," she murmured, tapping Toby's face. "Looks like I could squish him."

"Hahaha, please don't do that."

Suddenly, an arrow sliced through the air and into Callista's upper thigh. "AUGH!" she screamed, falling to the ground.

"Callista!" Jim shouted, crouching down next to her. "Are you-"

"I'm fine," she grunted, hissing in pain as she yanked out the arrow. "This won't kill me."

Jim helped her to her feet and gently shoved her away. "You need to get out of here. Now."

"Not without you-"

"RUN!" he roared, showing his teeth.

Callista stared at him for a long moment before giving a sharp nod. "Come find me!" she called over her shoulder as she limped away.

Another arrow swished towards Jim, but he caught it with barely a second glance. He glared up at the blonde-haired knight that had fired it, a threatening growl rising in his throat. He easily snapped the arrow in two, the pieces falling to the ground.

With a snarl, he leapt to where the blonde knight hid. The knight fired several more arrows, but Jim smacked them away like flies. A squeal sounded from his right, and Jim glanced to the source of the noise, which turned out to be Steve.

"H-hi, creeper Jim," he trembled.

He sighed. "Hey, Steve. Why am I not surprised you're in this mess?"

The sound of a sword being unsheathed filled the air, and Jim narrowly dodged the blade that swiped at his head. "Don't ignore your opponent, troll!" the knight declared. "For you are facing the most fierce knight in the land, Sir Lancelot!"

"Whatever you say," Jim remarked as he swept Lancelot's legs from under him. As the knight fell, he scooped the sword from his grasp. He leaned it on it casually, smirking as the knight groaned from the ground. "I've faced worse."

"Quite cocky for a cornered beast," a voice thundered. Jim tensed and slowly turned to face Arthur, Excalibur gleaming in his hands. A hungry glint shone in his cold blue eyes.

More footsteps pounded through the small clearing, and Jim swallowed hard. At least half a dozen knights, along with Galahad, surrounded him. They brandished their spears and swords at him menacingly.

"You're not going to get away this time, troll," Arthur rumbled. "I'm going to do the job right and kill you myself."

"Yeah, no," Jim retorted. He looked back to Steve, an idea forming in his head. "Sorry about this, Steve."

"Sorry for wha-OH MY GOD!" he screamed as Jim picked him up and chucked him at the other knights. Steve smashed into them, causing them to fall on top of Lancelot, who let out an oof.

While the knights were distracted, Jim turned on his heels and sprinted away. "Shoot him!" Arthur bellowed.

Arrows started flying by him, whistling through the air. Jim winced as one ripped through his cloak, grazing his arm. Okay, since he had no desire to be a shish kabob today, he needed another route of escape. His gaze flicked to the trees around him, and he grinned as he remembered his first night as a troll.

Jim vaulted himself into the trees, laughing at the infuriated knights' shouts below. He leapt from branch to branch, easily dodging the arrows zipping by. As one arrow flitted by his face, he grabbed it and hurtled it back at Arthur. It harmlessly glanced off his armor, but it annoyed the king immensely, and he scowled at Jim. He couldn't help but stick his tongue out at him, reveling in his escape.

…Which turned out to be a mistake. Not paying attention to where he was going, Jim jumped from a limb, eyes widening when he realized he had nothing to land on. Only a deserted clearing greeted him below.

"Oh, shoot," he groaned.

He grunted as he tumbled down a rocky embankment, his horns slamming painfully onto the surrounding rocks. Finally, he fell onto the forest floor, face-first. The shard in his pocket punctured his leg, and he roared in pain.

He shivered as a strange, hot substance curled from the wound and traveled up his torso. It wrapped around his heart, and he gasped. Rage so fiery and intense filled him, turning his vision a hazy red. Then the pain disappeared, and a magnificent surge of power replaced it instead. He blinked, eyes flashing a brilliant red. He grinned ferociously. This felt even better than when he had first discovered the true extent of his troll strength when sparring with Aargh.

Suddenly, just as quickly as it came, the anger and power disappeared, and Jim was left wondering if he had imagined the whole thing.

"There you are," a voice said, and Jim turned to face it, snarling. Surprise and fear overcame him, and he gaped at the woman before him.

"Morgana?" he said hoarsely, heart pumping wildly in his chest.

She approached him, her face unreadable. Jim backed away, baring his teeth at her, only for his glare to slide off his face when she held her hand out to him.

"Don't be afraid," she said softly. "I won't hurt you." Hesitantly, he took her hand, and she helped him to his feet. "I'm sorry you were ever in a cage."

Then, miraculously, Claire was in his arms. He squeezed her tightly as she burrowed her face into his chest. He didn't know how she got out here, but he didn't care. He was just glad she was here with him, even if it was not under ideal circumstances.

"A human and a troll," Morgana murmured, studying them. "I never dreamed such a thing could happen…" At the top of the ridge, someone yelled, "Down in the clearing!" The clanking of armor soon followed.

Morgana's face hardened. "Go. I will draw away the others. Go!"

It pained Jim to leave Claire so soon, but Morgana was right. (Didn't think he'd ever hear himself thinking that.) "I'll find you," he whispered, giving Claire a quick peck.

Jim trotted away, trying to ignore the shouts of the knights growing closer and closer. Finally, he couldn't help himself. He glanced back to see if Claire was alright-

A massive hand collided with Jim's face. He flew into the air before skidding onto the ground, the shard burrowing deeper into his leg. The shard pulsed, and another surge of the hot substance flowed through his body. It traveled deep into his body-no, his soul -and planted itself inside. He panted as something savage and monstrous awakened inside him, red flickering across his vision.

He reached for the sword that had fallen from his grasp and whirled to face the king, snarling. "You asked for it, old man. You want me to be a beast? Fine, I'll be a beast!" he roared, bringing the blade down on Arthur's head.

The king blocked the blow, and with a grunt, pushed Jim back. He bared his teeth before sliding forward and jabbing at Arthur's sword arm. He parried him yet again and thrust Excalibur at Jim's side. He leapt back, slapping the blade away, before slashing at Arthur's thigh. Excalibur clanged against Lancelot's sword, the sound ringing through the forest.

The fight continued to rage on, neither one able to get the upper hand on the other. Finally, Jim jumped back and rested his sword on his shoulder.

"Not bad, fleshbag," he sneered. "But I'm done playing with you."

Arthur's face slackened. "Wha-"

Jim unleashed a primal cry as he descended on Arthur. He parried Jim's blade away and tried to counter, but he squeezed the king's wrist before he could get the chance, grinning in satisfaction when the king yelled in pain and dropped the sword. Jim made a fist and rammed it into Arthur's stomach. He cried out as he flew back, his body slamming into a tree trunk. The king slumped to the ground.

"Morgana," he croaked out, struggling to rise from the ground, "if you wish to prove your loyalty, assist me."

"No," she hissed, and a golden whip flickered to life in her hands. "It's only because of you this youngling has had to resort to violent means. And now I must do the same!" She cracked the whip through the air. The weapon smacked into the knights, toppling them over.

"What are you doing, sister?!" Arthur demanded, finally getting to his feet.

"What I should've done years ago," she snapped, the whip fizzing from existence. She extended the shadow staff to its full length, the silvery staff darkening with shadow magic.

"It was you!" Arthur yelled, retrieving Excalibur from the ground. "You defied me, freed those monsters, and now you pick another species over your own? What possesses you?!"

"Clarity of mind, brother!"

"Defend the king at all costs!" Merlin shouted, and he shot a beam of green magic at the sorcerers. Morgana quickly raised a golden shield, and the magic harmlessly bounced off it.

"You too, old man?" she said, scowling.

"I do what I must for the greater good!"

"Traitors!" she cried, whishing the staff through the air. "You throw us in chains, fearing what you cannot control, but we of magic are not lesser creatures. We are more!" She fired a golden ray at Merlin, but the wizard redirected away from them, and it exploded into a nearby tree.

"Stop!" Claire pleaded. "We found another way!"

"We can do this peacefully!" Douxie called. Jim's hackles raised at the apprentice's voice. Of course he wanted peace. Did these humans not understand that the only true way to resolve problems was through battle? They deserved to be killed. It was a small price to pay for all the suffering they caused his kind.

"Morgana is right," he boomed, and was it just his imagination, or was his voice deeper and more guttural? "The time for peace is long gone."

"The youngling speaks truth!" Morgana declared, grinning. She rose into the air, and the knights gasped in shock. "You're all against me, but I am more powerful than you know." She started chanting an ancient spell, her body started glowing a blinding gold.

Jim smiled eagerly. He couldn't wait to see what bloodshed would ensue-

A hand grabbed his arm, and he whirled towards it, snarling. But it was only Claire, and she looked scared and angry all at the same time.

"Jim, what is wrong with you?" she hissed. "Do you want to start a war?"

"Maybe I do," he retorted, ripping his arm from her grasp. "The fleshbags deserve this and more."

"Fleshbags?" Claire said incredulously. "When did you-" Her anger disappeared, and worry replaced it instead. "Jim, your eyes…" she reached to touch his face, but he jerked his face away, growling. She lowered her hand, trembling. "What's wrong, Jim? This isn't you."

"Nothing's wrong, I-" Then he saw, he really saw, how distressed and frightened she was, and just like that, his fury subsided. He stumbled back, pressing a hand to his head. "What's happening to me?" he whimpered.

Claire took his hands in her own and squeezed them. "I don't know, but we'll figure it out. We always do." She released him and looked up at him, nothing but love and worry in her eyes. "But right now, you need to go."

"I'm sorry, Claire, I-"

"Go!" she insisted, pushing him away. She then turned from him and joined the ongoing battle between Morgana's shadow creations and the knights. Jim thought about staying for a split second before deciding he had caused enough trouble for one day. He darted from the clearing and deeper into the Wild Woods.

As he ran, he yanked the shard from his leg, and he cried in agony. He stumbled and nearly fell, but he was able to regain his balance and keep on running, albeit with a limp. A little thing like that shouldn't cause so much pain, but somehow, it did. And with its extraction, all the power and wrath that had coursed through his body melted away. Now he was left feeling completely drained and exhausted, and he nearly collapsed. Warm blood trickled from the wound, but he ignored it, examining the onyx shard in his hand.

What exactly was this thing? He knew something was off about it before, but its unwelcome invite into his leg had proved it was much more sinister than it appeared. It had made him feel so, so angry and violent…but also immensely strong. Like he could do anything, win any fight. It was like it had brought out the true power of his troll side-

"There's another one!" a knight shouted from the distance, distracting Jim from his thoughts.

There's a troll in danger! Stuffing the shard back in his pocket, he dashed to the noise, following the human scent.

"Trying to get away, beastie?" the knight taunted, approaching-

Callista! With a yell, he jumped over a bush and rammed into the knight. As he stumbled back, dazed, Jim kicked him in the chest, sending him flying. He turned to Callista, panting. "You okay?"

"I've been better," she huffed. "But why aren't you running, you idiot? Now we're both going to die."

"I told you before," he grunted, helping her up and looping her arm over his shoulder, "no one gets left behind."

She let her weight fall on him, clearly exhausted. She smiled at him before chuckling. "Oh, hey, feelings."

The pair hobbled through the forest together, too sore and weary to run. Jim hadn't felt this awful since the aftermath of the Eternal Night. He shuddered. If only a little puncture wound made him feel this sick, how bad would he feel if the whole shard went into his body? Good thing he would never let that happen.

After what seemed like hours (and probably was, since the sun had set long ago), Jim broke the silence. "Are we almost there?" he groaned. "I feel horrible."

Callista peered ahead. "Yep," she replied. "About time too." She fell silent and looked down at her feet. "Thanks, by the way" she said softly. "You didn't leave me to die, Jim. Most trolls would've, an outcast like me."

"Hey, don't make it weird-Callista!" he cried as she stumbled and collapsed. She didn't move, but at least she was still breathing.

"You're in bad shape," he mumbled. He coughed, his wound throbbing painfully, and he fell to his knees. "And so am I, actually." He started crawling, desperate to find help of any kind. "Help!" he called pitifully. "Can somebody help us please? Anyone?"

Then Jim blinked in surprise. He surely must be hallucinating, because there was no way the troll standing before him was-

"Blinky?" he croaked.

"Pardon me?!" the six-armed troll crossed his arms and glared at him. "That's Blinkous Galadrigal to you, youngling!"

Then Jim blacked out.


A/N: Hey, sorry this came super late! Didn't realize it's been so long. I've actually had this written for a while, I just had to upload it lol.

Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter! We're finally getting a hint of beast!Jim aren't we hehe. Our boy may be getting a little corrupted!

Steve should be fine. He may have been yeeted by a half-troll, but hey, it's Steve, he can survive anything.

Also, some lines are taken from the show and don't belong to me, they belong to Dreamworks.