The Fall of the Trollhunters

No sooner had they flown through the time portal than the ship was tossed about by a blast from the Arcane Order's Ship. The Heart of Avelon was failing and Camelot was beginning to crumble under the assault. Duxie grunted as he maneuvered the small skiff over to parapits of the castle.

"Need a lift?" He called to the Trollhunters still inside.

"Hisiredoux!" Merlin shouted.

The old wizard waved the rest of the warriors over and lifted Nari into the ship. Bular and Draal helped Barbra and Nomra up as Angor and Morgana jumped for safety. Arrrgh tucked Blinky under his arm and made a mad dash for the skiff. The castle was tossed once more as Walter ran for the ship. He was thrown forward and his stasis charm shattered. He roared in agony.

Bular snarled and launched himself forward. He snatched the Trollhunter and dived back into the air ship.

"Everyone hold on tight!" Dixie ordered, "We are WAY over the weight limit."

"Eli! Come on. We'll fly!" Jim jumped over the edge of the ship.

Eli nodded and leapt after his cousin. Even without their weight, the skiff tumbled and spiraled towards the ground. They slammed into the earth with enough force to throw the lightest and the tallest from the ship. The remains of Camelot were not far behind them. It demolished the school and no doubt other parts of the town.

"VVell, vve're out of jobs now," Otto groaned, forcing himself back to his feet.

"You're school home...it is destroyed…" Nari looked around in horror.

"Who's the little plant lady?" Eli asked, shaking out his wings.

"Where's Galahad?" Claire sat up and looked around for the old knight.

They didn't get a chance to reply before Walt screamed in pain again.

"Walt!"

Morgana and Barbara dropped to his sides as Bular lay him on the ground by the downed ship.

"The shard is corrupting him," Morgana began setting up another crystal stasis charm, "It's like it's killing him with magic poisoning."

Jim whipped around and snarled as the Arcane Order touched down behind them. The Green Knight leapt from the mouth of the ship.

"We gotta get out of here!" Steve shouted.

"There's no time!" Mary replied.

The teens circled the downed trollhunter and forest spirit. The rest of the Trollhunters stepped in front of them, ready to take the Green Knight head on. Merlin cast a forcefield around himself, Nari, Morgana, and Walter. Bular charged forward, swords drawn. The Green Knight stopped him with the edge of his blade and a brilliant green glow surrounded the former Gumm-Gumm.

"Bular!" Otto shouted, hackles raised.

When the glow faded, Bular dropped to his knees. Then he stood. He turned and faced his family, eyes glowing green.

"O-Onkel Bular?" Mary whispered.

He snarled and dropped to all fours. With a thunderous roar, he charged the Trollhunters.

"Everyone out of the way!" Barbara ordered.

She didn't need to say it twice. They all leapt out of the way. Arrrgh shoved Blinky and Seamus behind him and began to grapple with his brother. Barbara, Douxie, and Claire fired volleys of powerful magic energy at the Green Knight. It didn't even slow him. Angor hung back, casting additional shields around Morgana and the others. They could still hear Walter's groans and cries of agony. Otto took to throwing large chunks of the castle at him, not willing to risk getting closer. Nomura, on the other hand, surged forward and leapt off Bular's horns to try and take on the Knight from behind.

He turned and caught her khopeshes just as he had with Bular's swords. Her eyes shot wide for only a split second before his green magic encased her as well. Then she crumbled to the ground. When she turned, her eyes glowed with the same unnatural green light as Bular's.

"Nomura!"

The shout was drowned out as Walter let out a horrendous roar of pain. He was pushing the Onix shard into his chest.

"Walt! No!"

Morgana leapt away from her son, dragging Nari with her. A green light surrounded him, as if he were shifting back into his human form. Instead of getting smaller, however, he was growing. He shattered Merlin's shield. As the glow faded, his wings were wrapped around his hulking form. Then he stood, back arching, and bellowed into the night.

Barbara let out a scream of horror. Otto fell back, tripping on his own feet. The Young Trollhunters stood rooted to the spot. Walter took a gliding leap over his family, bowling over Bular and Nomura in the process. He tackled the Green Knight, tearing at him with the claws on his hands and wings.

"RUN!" He snarled.

"Walt!" Barbra shouted.

Angor grabbed Morgana and Claire, ushering Steve along the way. Douxie picked up Nari and ran behind Merlin. Otto scrambled to his feet and nearly dragged his children as he ran. Barbra lunged forward. Jim grabbed her arm and dragged her back.

"Mum. We have to go," he begged, "Da's buying us some time. Right now we have to go!"

Draal stared at his mate, wrestling with the nightmare that was her brother, before diving for his nephew and sister-in-law and carrying them away. Arrrgh threw Bular off once more and, scooping up Blinky and Seamus, raced after the rest of the team. The small army ran for cover in the town, not daring to look back.

LLB

The Arcane Order's magic searched for the Trollhnters like a searchlight. The Trollhunters tucked themselves into the darkest corners of Arcadia's allies. Hiding behind dumpsters and inside porta potties. Jim tucked his mother under his wing and backed up against Draal. Otto huddled over his children, eyes trained on the sky and shoulders trembling. Once the beam of light passed over them Douxie crept from his hiding place and waved the others out. They crept out after him.

"What do we do now?" Jim hissed, "They have Da! And Aunt Nono and Uncle Bular!"

"There was nothing we could do," Douxie insisted, "We will go back for him. I swear."

"But, right now, we need to hide," Merlin insisted, "The Trollhunter-"

"Don't you say a word about my son!" Morgana snarled.

"With the Arcane Order out like this, we need to keep Nari safe and hidden or else we won't have to worry about saving him," Merlin snapped back, "They will destroy everything. But they know all of my places of power."

"We can't go to Trollmarket," Seamus said, "There are too many civilians there. Including Cordi!"

Douxie looked around frantically and grinned, "I know a place of power. Someplace the Order's magic can't find us."

He nodded over to one of the only buildings still open at this hour and led them all over. Douxie didn't even look at the others in the shop as he bee lined to the pink haired young woman behind the counter.

"Hisiredoux Casperan," She drawled, "You have a lot of nerve coming in here."

"Like cutting in line," Aja shouted.

"What are you three doing out of the keep?" Morgana rubbed her eyes.

"The young onesss needed sssomthing for their latessst project."

"You promised we would go hunting and get burgers, remember?"

"We have bigger problems right now!" Jim snarled, "This group of demons shot my family out of the sky, nearly killed us all, and kidnapped my dad, Aunt, and Uncle! How am I supposed to explain that to my aunts and cousin? Huh?"

Zoe sighed and rolled her eyes, "Forget it. I won't ask. Let's just go to the back."

She pushed a button behind the counter and a door opened in the wall. She waved everyone in, watching as the three extraterrestrials joined them all.

"Hisiredoux, what on earth are we doing here? They can not keep us safe."

Zoe wrinkled her nose, "Seriously? You brought your dad? Hey! We're closed to Arthurian toolbags!"

Merlin ignored her. In the secret passage, Claire dashed over to the viewing windows.

"Wanda?"

The blond's eyes shot wide and she ended her call, "Have a magical day. Mary? Seamus? Claire? What are you guys doing here?"

But Zoe pushed them along and commanded her employee to get back to work. Claire rushed back and latched onto Angor's arm.

"How are they doing that? You said that wasn't possible! Magic and tech don't mix! Can we learn that?"

"We'll ask all about it when the crisis is over, Youngling."

"Yeah. Chill out kid. You can still short out our stuff. I'll show you around after my shift."

Claire nodded but continued to look around. Stardust poked her head out of the bag and gaped at the hedgwitches. Once they reached the back room Zoe headed back to her shift with a threat to 'not touch anything. Under pain of death!' As soon as she was gone Otto rounded on Merlin.

"Now vvhat? Ze Arcane Order have VValt, Nomura, und Bular und zay are combing ze town for ze rest of us! Und I get ze feeling zey don't give a damn about casualties."

"He's right. What is Nari hiding from them for, anyway? Why are they after her?" Morgana asked, crossing her arms.

Merlin sighed and held a hand out for the forest spirit, "They are after her because she has abandoned the Arcane Order. Nari? I believe it would be best for you to tell your story personally."

The green woman nodded lightly and stepped in front of the wizard, "Since the beginning, the Order has sought to protect the balance of magik and mortal beings." Images began to appear, floating before them all alone with her story. "But all we caused was pain."

"For millennia, I have sought to keep their horrors at bay. But it wasn't enough, as you all learned the hard way nine hundred years ago."

"Belrock and Skrel believe humanity is beyond help. That the only way to protect the magik is to destroy all the rest. They search for the Genesis Seals."

"The what?" Seamus looked around.

"The Genesis Seals." Claire furrowed her brows, "They were mentioned in some of the books Angor had me reading. But...They've been missing for thousands of years."

"If the Arcane Order were to find the seals, if they were to open them, they would unleash such powerful magik upon the world, wiping it clean of everything."

"Again?" Aja rubbed her hands over her face.

"Don't any of these super villains have a more original plan?"

"Morando and Gunmar wanted to take over the world. The Order wants to destroy it," Eli hung his head.

"All members of the Arcane Order must be present to open the seals," Nari continued, "That is why I flead."

"I hid the seals away. The order must not get them OR Nari. But we certainly do not want them to have both of them."

"Hold on?" Angor took a step forward and pushed his apprentice and foster children behind him, "YOU hid the seals? You know where they are?"

"Angor?"

"Bigger problems to deal with here," Barbara growled, "If they need Nari and the Genesis Seals why do they need Walt? And why did they take Nomura and Bular?"

"A-Angor? B-Barbara?"

"While I have no way to know what they could want with the Trollhunter. The other two, however, were simply in the way."

"Angor!"

The tall troll turned around, "Morgana?"

She stood, frozen in place. Her green, prosthetic hand clutched to her chest and a glowing gold ring surrounded her feet.

"I can't move…"

"Oma?" Toby squeaked.

Her grandchildren watched in horror. The ring at her feet suddenly dropped away and she dropped in.

"NO!"

Several people dived to try and grab her but they were too slow. Angor leapt to his feet and rounded on Merlin.

"What just happened?! Where did she go?"

"The-The Arcane Order has summoned her," Nari whimpered, tucking herself behind the wizard, "But I know not how."

Douxie scanned his eyes over the floor in thought, "The amulet! We melted down Morgana's hand when we made the Amulet. That's why they needed Stricklander. They needed the part of her that was in the Amulet to summon her."

Merlin's eyes grew wide and he stared at his apprentice. The room began to tremble with magic energy.

"You mean to tell me that the Arcane Order now have my husband, my brother and sister-in-law, AND my mother-in-law? What do they need Mum for?"

"It's going to be ok," Otto put a hand on his sister-in-law's shoulder, "VVe'll get zem back."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible."

That was the wrong thing for him to say.

"What?" Claire rounded on him, "Are you saying we should just ABANDON them all? We can't do that! They all have children!"

"Our top priority is to keep Nari safe!" Merlin insisted, "The fate of the world is at stake here!"

Angor slammed Merlin into the wall and snarled, "Are you saying that the only way to keep her safe is to abandon our family members? To leave Morgana, Walter, Nomura, and Bular to die? YOUR apprentice and her children, one of them is YOUR Trollhunter and you could just abandon them without a second thought?"

The computers and screens around the room flickered and sparked. Then they blinked out. The room was plunged into darkness.

"Waltolomeu Stricklander has been corrupted. In essence, he is no more. It is likely that the others have been corrupted too far to save as well."

"SHUT UP!" Jim shouted, hands against his temples. "DON'T SAY THAT! WE WILL GET THEM BACK! THEY'RE NOT GONE!"

"Please," Douxie begged, "Everyone had valid points. If we're going to try a rescue mission, we have to be sure Nari will be safe."

"M-My presence causes such discord…" Nari sank to her knees, "I have put your whole family in danger…"

The quarreling magicians and trolls quieted.

Merlin sighed, "I cannot risk the entire mortal plane for four beings."

"But we can't just leave them either," Stardust insisted, "Archie? Do you have any ideas? Don't you have any say in any of this?"

"Don't look at me," The dragon shifted forms and landed beside her, "Cats don't have the right to vote. Neither do dragons…"

Douxie gasped and grinned, "I have an idea! A way we can save the others AND keep Nari safe?"

LLB

"Arcane Order!" Douxie shouted from his ship, "We're here to barter! One of ours, for one of yours!"

The maw of the giant castle opened and Douxie swallowed thickly. They flew into the opening and quietly made their way through quietly.

"Hello, Skrel," Merlin drawled to the ice spirit.

"You surrendered much quicker than I anticipated," HIs voice was like a whisper of winter wind.

Just out of sight, Angor, Jim, Mary, and Barbara slipped deeper into the castle. They darent use too much magic in their pursuit of their family.

"Where are they?" Barbara hissed.

"I don't know," Angor replied, "You look that way, I'll look this way."

The words had barely passed his lips when a growl emanated from an alcove behind them.

"W-Walt?" Barbara shook as she looked up at her husband.

The corrupt troll blinked daisily at her for a moment and growled. Two more growls reached their ears and the four turned. Nomura and Bular crept forward.

"Aunt Nono?" Jim whispered.

"Onkel Bular?" Mary squeaked.

The three trolls growled once more and, in monotone unison, spoke.

"They are gone. We are all that remain."

The words sent a chill down Mary's spine. These puppets of her family were more terrifying than anything she had faced in the past. Without warning, they lunged forward and attacked their loved ones.

"You can't help them," Morgana's voice echoed through the cavern, "Not right now."

For a terrifying moment, they thought she was a puppet too. But her eyes did not glow like the trolls did.

"Gran!" Jim grinned up at her and flew to her side, "We thought we had lost you, too."

Morgana drifted back from her grandson, tears welling in her eyes, "I'm sorry, Sweetheart. But there's no way out. Not for me, not for anyone."

"What are you talking about, Morgana?" Angor called, throwing Bular across the cavern with a strong blow.

"You all need to leave. Now!"

"Mum? What's going on? We came here specifically to rescue you all?"

"I can't leave! Not right now. Not while they still have him."

"What part of ALL didn't you get?" Mary shouted.

"I doubt it included my brother."

The castle gave another jolt before they could say anything else.

"Atlas!" Morgana demanded, "Take Mary and get out of here! Angor! Barbara! Get the rest of your rescue party out. I'll stay here with these three and try to find a way for us to escape. I'll figure out how to break the corruption and get us all out. But, right now, I need you all safe."

Jim hesitated for only a moment longer before he dived, scooped up his cousin, and dashed through the castle. In the main hall, Otto was trapped in a rink of Skrel's magic ice. His claws were no help and he slid around like a puppy on a waxed floor. They passed by just in time to see the Green knight, a terrible zombified version of King Arthur, run his sword through Merlin's chest. Mary screamed but Jim didn't stop. There was a blast of blue magic that nearly knocked the teens out of the sky as the old wizard was tossed out the window of the flying castle. Douxie was quick to follow his mentor and father. A violet flash on the ground alerted Jim to where his mother and Angor had deposited the rest of the team. By the time they arrived, Barbara and Angor were both trying to heal Merlin's wounds. Douxie held the man's head in his lap, tears rolling down his face.

"Hisiredoux, you need to take these." Merlin motioned to his staff and a thick leather book appeared beside it.

"I don't need to take them," Douxie insisted, "You're going to be fine. Dr. Strickler and Angor are going to fix you."

Merlin chuckled painfully, "Even if they can, you'll need those. I'm in no state to help you and you'll need them to stop the Order."

Claire ran up, Otto and Archie beside her, "Is there anything I can do?"

Angor nodded and turned to his apprentice, "Yes. He's just about healed but he's right. He's in no fit state to do much of anything at this time. Can you use the staff to send him to Vendal's keep in Trollmarket?"

Claire nodded and did as she was asked. Douxie shook and reached for the staff and book.

"Douxie?" Barbara placed a hand on his shoulder, "Are you ok, Hun? He's ok. I promise."

The wizard nodded and flipped open the book.

"What is that?" Mary asked, sitting beside him.

"I-I'm not quite sure. Merlin said we would need it to help defeat the Order. But I can't even read this. What does it look like to all of you? Elvish? Is it fairy? Some weird dialect of Trollish?"

"It looks like Ancient Draconic," Archie winced.

"Draconic? As in Dragons?" Jim knelt beside them, "Why am I even surprised by that?"

"Ancient Draconic as in...Charlemagne the Devourer…" Douxie looked up at his familiar.

Otto groaned and dug the heels of his palms into his eyes, shaking his head.

"So...We have to find him to get this translated?" Douxie forced himself to his feet.

"No!" Archie insisted.

"Archie! These are clearly about the Genesis Seals! We have to make sure the Order doesn't find those either!"

The small dragon groaned and hung his head, "Fine. Alright. I guess we'll have to pay Charlemagne a visit."

"Wait, take some of us with you." Barbara begged, "Claire, do me a favor and get the other young Trollhunters and the Creeplayerz."

Claire nodded and opened a portal. It was mere seconds before the rest of the teens arrived.

"Papa?" Toby asked, "What's going on?"

"VVe vvant you all to go with Douxie to face Charlemagne the Devourer."

"All of us!?" Seamus gasped, "But that will seriously lower the amount of people you'll have to defend Nari!"

"Why not just send Krel, Atlas, and I?" Mary reasoned, "We three are the best suited to face a dragon and everyone else is better suited to fight the Arcane Order."

"Weil es nicht sicher ist!" Otto snarled, grabbing his daughter by the shoulders.

Mary stared up at her father with wide eyes. Otto shook and pulled her against his chest, still shaking.

"I'm sorry, Princessin. I just...I can't lose you."

Archie glided over and landed beside them, "It would be safest for you all to go with Douxie and I."

"Yes," Angor pulled Claire, Aja, and Krel close, "You all are going to find the Genesis Seals while we stay here and defend Nari."

"But, if you're sending us away to keep us safe, what about everyone else in town? What about Trollmarket?" Jim looked up at his mother.

"If it comes to it, we'll send as many as we can through a portal to all of you. Right now, we can make sure you all are safe. And, if Charlemagne is as dangerous as the legends say, Douxie's going to need all the help he can get, too."

Reluctantly, the children complied. Douxie nodded and led them to the airship, miraculously intact. Angor lifted each of his charges up into the ship and rubbed Stardust's ears.

"Look after them for me, alright Stardust. And, if anything does happen, the four of you stay together. Promise?"

Stardust nodded, "Yes, Ba."

He chuckled, "I'm going to want to know how exactly that happened."

Barbara kissed Jim's forehead and gave Seamus a quick look over before allowing her son to fly the Werewolf onto the ship. Steve punched a quick text to his parents before scrambling up over the railing. Otto shook and his children did not miss the haunted look in his eyes as he gently lifted them each onto the ship.

"W-We'll be back soon, Papa," Eli insisted.

Otto forced a watery smile and pressed his forehead to his eldest son's, "You take care of you brozer und sister. Mama und I vvill...vvill be here v-vhen you get b-back."

Eli nodded and stepped back from the railing. Douxie looked over the assembled teens. This time, he had no intention of letting anything happen to a single one of them.

"We'll be back as soon as we get what we need from Charlemagne. I will bring them all back safe and sound."

The parents nodded and waved them off before they made their way back to Hextech.

LLB

German translation:

Weil es nicht sicher ist!- Because it's not safe!