Back at it with a new chapter, hope you guys like it. Two chapters in one because, like Jim, I too didn't want to deal with the gnome!

Let The Chaos Ensue...

Chapter 4 & 5: Gnome Your Enemy/Wakachaka!

The gnome… Troll Jim didn't even want to start on that. Though he did try and convince himself that the trolls history was very important for him to learn. It didn't do much though. He claimed that he was only saying that because he was a troll… And like hell he wanted to strangle himself.

He really just avoided the whole thing with Gnome Chompsky, it was a pain when he handled it the first time. And he was sure it would be a pain now. So he explored the forest, and the city. Getting to know Arcadia better.

Sure he knew it really well from all the trollhunting, but that was as a human. As a troll, he could know it on a whole different level. Knowing the sounds and smells of specific locations would be a great help to his human self later on.

By the end of the gnome fiasco, it had been one week since he'd been sent back to this time. He managed not to tell anyone his secret, not to show familial affection, not to reveal himself to his mother or mate. Now he just had to go for another year, or until he figured out how to get back to his own time.

But at least for now everything was working out, he was kinda excited when Jim and Toby came running outside the museum to find the troll basking in the sun on the roof.

"Jimbo, how did you know he was here?" Toby asked.

"He told me that if I needed anything to just look up, and I'm not sure how no one has noticed, but he's been following us wherever we go. He's just always on the rooftops," Jim whispered.

"Okay, that's not weird at all. But how do we get his attention? Actually, how did he get up there?"

Of course, Jim heard the humans talking and after making sure no one was near, he jumped from the roof, in broad daylight. Landing silently in front of them. "I climbed, and I have really good hearing. What do you need?"

Internally, he rolled his eyes, sighed, facepalmed… he knew what was going to happen, and it bothered him to death. He wanted some action, something more unpredictable, a challenge… Ok, he had a challenge, and he got sent back in time.

He was still bored though.

"One of our classmates, Eli. He found something outside his house, it looked like… I don't know. Something that would be troll business?"

"He had a picture on his phone, but I made sure it got deleted."

"Describe it."

"Well, it actually got run over, but it was like, green goo. With arms and legs."

"I know what it is, but let's talk with Blinkey as soon as you're done with your field trip. We'll ditch the bus and head for the Canals."

Human Jim thought about it and began slowly nodding. Toby threw up finger guns and yelled happily.

"Awesome sasue! Hey Jim, let's see if I can pry Steve off of Claire long enough for you to have a decent conversation." The boy said as they began walking away. Only to stop when they heard small, quiet wimpers from the mysterious, nameless blue troll.

Jim walked back and looked at him with concern. "Hey, are you alright?"

He gave a heavy huff and lowered his head. "Yeah," He said quickly. "Go on, Claire's waiting."

"Oh, uh, okay." His human counterpart seemed unsure, but Toby didn't mind it.

He took a deep breath and jumped back onto the museum roof slipping in to one of the windows. Following two familiar scents he made his way to the original room holding the bridge. Finding two members of his future pack, and staying hidden around the large crates containing pieces of Kilahead.

"How is it coming?" Strickler asks.

"Every piece that has been shipped is accounted for. The rest are on their way or are still needing to be retrieved," Noumora replied.

"Good, this needs to be done smoothly if either of us are to still be alive when the bridge is opened."

"And that lankey boy with the amulet? Why is he not dead?"

Strickler sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You are as impulsive as Bular. You know as well as I an investigation would not help us. We're too close, do you want to risk it?"

"I suppose not, but I see no reason I couldn't just take it from him right now."

"Hmmm, if you can. Without being noticed!"

This is not how the conversation played out the first time, Jim was sure of it. Being unaware of changelings at this point, he would have most definitely lost the amulet to them.

Noumora began towards the door, but thinking quickly. Jim spoke.

"I see a reason you can't just take it from him right now," his voice was cool and calm, but eerie, like wind crossing a foggy lake.

Both changelings immediately took on a defencive posture. "Who's there? Show yourself." Noumora yelled.

"Hmmm, alright." Not foolishly, he stepped out from behind the crates.

They took in his height, taller than both of their other forms, and absolutely towering over how they were now. Strickler scanned him, and his clothing didn't go unnoticed. He kept his hands in his hoodie pockets, but stood straight with a strong presence.

"And what is that reason?" Strickler asked.

"Me."

"I don't see why you would be a reason to not take the amulet from the boy, you're just another one of us. After all." Nourmora huffed with a laugh.

"Don't be so sure about that." He grinned maliciously.

"What do you mean?" Strickler asked cautiously.

At this point, Jim was analysing them.

He noticed strickler not giving anything away, speaking in smaller sentences in the face of a new potential threat. And Nomora, thinking she can handle him, even if she knows nothing about him.

Cautious vs. impulsive.

"Well, you see. I'm not a changeling."

"Or a troll?" he asked.

"Nope,"

"Then what could you possibly be?" Noumora spat.

"For tacticall reasons, I won't tell you. But I can tell you this. The trollhunter, he's off limits. If you try anything. You will be dealing with me." His face straight, but his eyes burned.

He turned and walked toward the door, as his face left their view he smirked. Knowing full well what Noumora would do.

In his peripheral vision, he could see the flash of her transformation. Then the charging of her hooves…

Why did she have hooves?

As if he could see, he stepped to the side right as she tried to slice his head off, the empty momentum had her skidding forward. And he faced her with the look of an innocent child.

She growled and ran at him again. Swinging her blades with skill, and hitting nothing as he casually ducked and doged.

"Hold still!" She yelled.

"Nah," Jim smiled. Watching Strickler out of the corner of his eyes, he still had his hands in his pockets and did his little dance with the pink changeling with practiced ease.

"Then fight back!" Noumora demanded.

"You sure about that, you'd lose pretty quickly." He smirked.

This only made her more mad. "Why you little…"

She swung both blades in an 'x' motion at his neck, but when he pulled his hands out of his pockets, two obsidian knives with intricate red markings and hooked blades came with them. Stopping her dual-khopesh with his glaives.

Both changelings' faces were priceless, and he barked out his laugh. "Most days I really hate wizards. But sometimes, I'm glad I know the pain in the ass."

Not long after leaving Arcadia, Merlin gave him the ability to summon his shield or glaives without the armor. He could do the sword as well, but that would currently be a dead giveaway. Eclipse or not.

Without missing a step, he shoved Noumora back, did some impressive kicks which efficiently disarmed her. And had her pinned by the throat against a large crate.

Stricker rushed forward, and Jim threw a glaive, without looking, and it clipped his cheek.

"Stop right there Stricklander, and don't move, or she dies." Good thing Strickler was a good listener. Because he wasn't going to kill her, and he couldn't lose his credibility this early on.

"What do you want?" He asked, holding a bloody hand to his cheek.

"If I was being honest, you'd think me crazy. But for now, just leave Jim alone. And I really do mean just right now."

Slowly he let his grip off of Noumora, her face shocked.

"Right now?"

He gave a single nod. "I mean, unless time is breaking. And things start going awry. Just go about your business, follow whatever demented plan you had and such…" He walked to the door and stopped at the voice.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand," Strickler stated.

He turned his head slightly looking at them and gave a smirk. "Don't worry, you will." Before he once again faced forward and made his way back outside.

What the hell is going on?!

First Bular grabs Toby, now I had to stop Noumora from stealing the amulet early on.

What else is going to happen?

"Hey ummm, guy?" Toby yells from the side yard of the museum.

I laugh to myself and jump down.

"You ready to go to Trollmarket?" I ask.

"Yeah," Jim says. "But seriously. No name?"

"Oh I have a name."

"What is it?" Toby asks.

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?" They ask together.

"Well, first off, you'd never believe me. Second, I don't want to break something." Namely the time stream. "And third, it would get really confusing."

"What?"

"Nothing, let's get going."

"Goblin." Arg grumbled.

"Ruthless tricksters" Blinkey added. "Petty street vandals who leave a wake of destruction. This is not good."

"Well, justice was served. We should get back and train for Draal."

"Nope," troll Jim said. "They're pack animals, Jim. And vengeful ones, too. Luckily, they'll probably just attack the vehicle. Seeing as it was the thing that smushed this guy."

"So where are the rest of them?" Toby asked.

"I haven't the foggiest," Blinkey said.

"If we wait here, they'll probably show up again. We'll have a little steak out, wait for them to destroy the truck, then follow them back to wherever they're hiding," he suggested.

"That, actually doesn't sound like a terrible plan," human Jim said.

"And you doubted me?" the older replied with a smirk.

"Arrogance, does not become you," Blinkey growled.

"Not arrogance, expericane." Arg pointed out simply.

"Thanks big guy."

Toby was running in place next to Arg, and Blinkey told Jim about goblins. The delivery man pulled up, handling the package poorly, dropping it several times. Once inside, several hordes began attacking the truck. Meanwhile, troll Jim was perched on the crest of Eli's roof.

Silently waiting, and also thinking, what was it again, that got the Goblins to notice us?

Oh, right, the overwhelming scent of fear flowing off of the humans. And then Blinkey yelling about it… which he just did.

The goblin's poked their heads up, and turned their attentions' to the humans.

"Perhaps I made my point too loudly."

He growled and jumped off the roof, taking off running with the rest of them. Jim's armor, of its own accord activated, and he began to get dragged down by the goblins, Blinkey yelling at him.

Arg scooped him up, though several goblins attached themselves to his scruff, something else that shouldn't have happened. Troll Jim jumped onto his back, carefully balancing as the other troll ran. Kicking and throwing the goblins off of him before jumping back to the ground and running himself.

"Toby," the half troll yelled. "Give me your watch!"

"What? No, my points!"

"Just do what he tells you Tobes," Jim said, holding tightly to Arg's scruff.

Reluctantly, he handed over the chubby tracker, and the troll smiled. "Go on and hide at Toby's house, I'll meet you there."

A growl steadies out in his voice and he skids to a stop, then bolts in the other direction.

"What's he doing?" Blinkey yells.

"I don't know, holding them off?" human Jim suggests.

"No, he's commiting suicide," he said in a cinical tone. "We shall remember him fondly, now, to Tobias' house!" Blinkey said.

Troll Jim headed straight at the goblins, with no one else around, he summoned his armor and killed several goblins, just because he needed to get the stress out. After a few, he grabbed a goblin, and shoved the watch around its neck. He let the goblin's follow him all around the forest for a while until his scent overlapped enough they couldn't track him.

He quickly made his way to Toby's house, jumping and latching onto the window seal. Quietly rapping on the glass. Jim opened it and he slid in. Toby's indignant glare on his every movement.

"By Daya's grace! You survived!" Blinkey exclaimed.

"Uh, yeah. I've fought goblins before. And way more than that too." He said, somewhat hurt at his mentors lack of faith.

Though it wasn't exactly his mentor. But still.

Toby was grumbling about his watch.

"Relax, Toby, you'll get it back."

"How? We don't know where the goblins are!"

"Sure we do, that thing has a tracker."

Realization dawned on young Jim and Toby's faces. "Oh… dude, you're smart!" Toby said as he logged into his 'chubby' account online to see where his watch was.

"How did you have time to come up with that?" Blinkey asked.

"Stranger quiet, stranger think. Thinks a lot." Arg stated.

"You have no idea bud," troll Jim said, patting Arg's shoulder. Once again resisting the urge to nuzzle or head butt him. His ears flicked wildly in annoyance.

Distancing himself, he moved to the corner of the room, falling into a relaxed crouch.

"Woah, this is crazy town banana pants, the goblins are in the museum!" Toby yelled.

"Wait, does that mean they were there while we were there?" Human Jim asked.

"It is very likely, Master Jim."

"Sooo, should we head out tonight?" toby asked.

Blinkey shook his head. "No, you are human, as I have been reminded. You must get your sleep, and attend to your studies. Tomorrow, you will go. Arg and I have other business to attend to, though I suppose our friend here will be joining you?"

"Uh, yeah. Plus, with how much Jim's been training I think it'll be fun to watch him in P.E. tomorrow. I'm betting five bucks that it's dodgeball."

"What? No way, we played dodgeball last week," Toby said. "You're so on!"

…

"Dang It. Now I owe the weird troll dude five bucks." Toby looked at the ball in his hands. As Jim dodged skillfully, and threw balls at record speeds. The sounds of the red balls etching in the minds of all the slow, uncoordinated kids for the rest of their lives.

Steve started taunting Jim again, as they were the only ones still in. And Jim aimed the ball, readying to leave a red mark on his high school nemesis' face. Only for his future self to snarl just as he was throwing it, making it vear to the left slightly. And it ended up hitting Steve square in the face, giving him a big ass, fat lip.

Even if he couldn't have his Claire, or this one. He wasn't about to see her in pain. And if he could cause Steve a bit of non lethal pain, he'd do it. He barked from the rafters, and the two humans looked up to see him smiling down on them.

Human Jim gave him a grateful smile, then went to the locker room to change.

"Dude, do you think he did that on purpose?" Toby asked.

"Uh, yeah. Didn't you hear him laughing… or barking? Plus, he knew Steve was going to dodge that. And he probably saw Claire coming in too. He saved her from a fat lip. Man that would've sucked. I'm gaining ground with her, I don't want to lose it."

"Yeah dude, you're doing real good. Just tell her beforehand that you're going to miss rehearsal for when you fight Draal. Why did he have it during the day? Aren't trolls nocturnal?"

"Hmm, most are. But it's more like a late night wrestling match, in human comparison at least. But no one usually dies in human wrestling matches," his voice rang down from the rafters before he dropped down in front of the boys. "But then again, no one will die during your match either," he wore a sideways look, contemplative, but also knowing.

"Ookay," Toby said slowly.

"Alright, let's get going. We need to scope out the Goblin den... Wait, why do we need to scope it out?" his younger self asked.

He reached up and pulled on one of his horns, growling silently.

Because you need to go in there to see unfinished Kilahead, and Noumora shift. That way you can find out about the bridge, and changelings.

He may be messing with the timeline a bit too much.

"Because, you need to get experience without Blinkey and Arg. And if you happen to engage in a fight, you'll learn from it, and if you get in too deep, I'll be there to help you out."

"So, we're going into the field. With creatures that could eat Toby and I. For practice?"

He gave a single, over dramatic, heavy nod. "Ye'up, that's exactly why. Let's go."

He ran on the road alongside the boys as they made their way to the museum. Watching as several goblins climbed in the dome windows.

"Well, guess the Chubby Tracker was right," Toby said.

"Oh my gosh, it's the museum curator," human Jim said, stepping forward. "She doesn't know about the goblins… we have to go in and save her." His words were panicked, but the older couldn't bring himself to care.

He shrugged and walked toward a side window. "Alright, whatever. Good for you to take the initiative." He slid the window open, helping Toby inside with minimal struggle. "K, you guys do your stuff. Scream if you need me." Then he smiled, and completely vanished into the shadows.

"Great, he left. Now if the goblins attack we're going to die." Toby complained.

Skip ahead…

"I knew I detected the stink of human flesh," Nomoura said, getting in their faces. They scrambled into the room where the bridge was being kept, and where future Jim had his small skirmish erilier. He hid in the rafters waiting to see if time would continue to shift.

"But a human trollhunter, that I've never tasted."

"Well then how about the taste of Daylight," Jim said smirking.

Toby commented on the remark, and the fight commenced. Somehow, he didn't need to intervene. And something funny now, that wasn't then, because he didn't notice it. The goblin Nomoura fell on, mimicking her. Using the marker as a sword and actually, copying her.

(No joke, it's cannon.)

The boys raced out of there as fast as they could, though the troll in hiding uncovered the bridge slightly more, so the photo would be just a bit better. He then followed them out, watching from a distance as he got arrested.

He barked, just loud enough for himself to hear. And man, he didn't know he could glare like that, he could give his mom a run for her money.

Oh shit, mom, she's going to be pissed at me… him.

Internally, he was dying. Of laughter, that is.

Sure, he's stranded in his own timeline, and can't do a damn thing! But he can watch himself suffer.

He rubbed his face and snarled, why was his life like this?

What was interesting though, was watching Strickler interact with his mom, at the time. He was angry, upset, and a lot of other things. But with his heightened senses, he could tell that he genuinely liked his mom from the start. And she wasn't just used to get closer to Jim.

And that only made him love his step dad more.

Review or hand over your kneecaps!