Reading M-Ahh, thank you! Don't worry, you'll get your Excalibur Steve/Queen Aja in this chapter!
merendinoemiliano-Why thank you!
Nightspyder-Haha, thank you! Yes, no time traveling here! I hated that!
Steve wrung his hands nervously. Deep breaths, he told himself. Deep breaths. You're the Palchuk. The Palchuk. You got this.
Like you did on the train? a nasty voice in the back of his head sneered.
"Shut up, me," he mumbled under his breath.
Aja flicked her gaze from the ship's controls to look at Steve. "Did you say something?"
He started. "Ah-I was, um, just thinking how much further it is. I just can't wait to kick that titan's butt!" he let out a strained laugh.
"At the current pace it's going, we another five minutes," Krel said. "I'd enjoy the peace and quiet if I were you. Battles are so messy."
"And remember, we are only to disable Nari," Strickler reminded them. "Douxie's orders. We are to avoid severely maiming her or killing her."
"Fine," Aja grumbled.
"Look at us," Eli remarked, bumping Steve's shoulder. (He still couldn't believe his Pepperjack was tall enough to do that now.) "On a real spaceship! Off to fight an otherworldly monster! The Creepslayerz have come so far."
Eli's attitude lifted Steve's spirits. "You got that right!" he said, shooting him a grin. "It's time for some creepslaying!"
They did their signature C before turning back to the front of the ship. Everyone gasped at the sight before them.
"Seklos and Gaylen…" Krel whispered.
The forest titan was the most massive thing Steve had ever seen. It was just as tall and broad as Camelot itself. It walked on all fours, trampling everything in its path. A holographic green orb hovered before a cascading waterfall. Vines and trees swayed with the rocky titan's footsteps. He had to admit, it was a beautiful creep. Terrifying, but beautiful.
With a jolt, Steve realized everyone was staring at him. "W-what?"
Nomura rolled her eyes. "Little Gynt assigned you the leader, for whatever reason. What's our plan of attack?"
"Oh, r-right! Um…" He tried to think, but his mind was drawing a blank. He turned to Aja in desperation.
She smiled reassuringly at him. I believe in you, my blonde oaf, she mouthed.
Steve straightened. If his angel believed in him, he really could do this!
He cleared his throat. "Okay. Krel, you pilot the ship. You and Strickler are going to be our air support. Eli, Nomura, Aja-you're with me. We're going to tackle Nari head on, and see if we can snap her out of whatever trance she's under."
Aja stood up and took out her serrator. "Sounds like a plan."
Strickler unfurled his wings and opened the door of the ship. "Best of luck, everyone!" he shouted over the roaring wind. He stepped out of the ship, going into a temporary freefall before flapping back up.
Krel sat in the pilot's seat and steered the ship until it was directly over the titan. "Go!"
Steve inhaled deeply. Jump out of a ship hundreds of feet in the air, no problem. He started as he felt fingers intertwine around his. He looked up to see Aja smiling down at him.
"We do this together," she said.
Steve smiled back and tightened his grip. "Together."
They leapt out of the ship.
.
.
.
"I hate this."
Douxie rolled his eyes. "Zoe, you hate everything."
"Well, yeah, but especially the cold." She shivered and pulled her spiked leather jacket tighter around her. "You know that."
He chuckled. "I do." He leaned against the railing on the balcony. "I'm just teasing."
She couldn't help but smile. "I knew that too."
Her smile faded as the ice titan appeared on the horizon. It was absolutely ginormous, even from a distance. Deadly sharp blades of ice protruded from its shoulders and fingertips. Fog poured from its body. Even with an enormous castle armed with cannons on their side, she knew they were outnumbered. Hell, even if they had the whole team here she wouldn't feel like it was enough.
"Something wrong?" Douxie asked, sensing her shift in attitude.
"Yeah, that," she said, gesturing to the far-off titan. "Look at that thing, Douxie! It's huge! How are we supposed to stand a chance against it when there are only three of us?!"
"Technically, we also have Barbara and Stuart to man the cannons."
"Mordrax's miracles Douxie, you know what I mean," she snapped. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Looks like she still needed to work on her temper. "Sorry, I'm just stressed. This is all…a lot."
"That's definitely an understatement," Douxie said. He placed his hand over her own.
She gasped at the sudden rush of warmth that flooded through her body. She stared at him, eyes wide. "How did you-"
He tapped his arms with a grin. "I have heating and cooling spells-amongst others-tattooed on." He smirked. "What, you didn't recognize the sigils?"
"Why, you-" But she couldn't find it within herself to get angry, and she laughed. "Okay, that is pretty cool."
Zoe gazed once again at the ever-approaching titan. "In all seriousness, Douxie…just how are we supposed to beat this thing? You're the only master wizard here."
"I don't think that's true."
She raised an eyebrow. "Last I remember, you're the only one with a staff," she nodded down at his bracelet.
He shrugged. "So what? The staff adds a few extra perks, yes, but it was the centuries' worth of experience that promoted me to that rank. The same experience you've had, too. And Claire's pretty adept as well, now that I think about it."
Zoe shook her head, utterly confused. "What are you saying?"
"The only reason why I'm a 'master wizard' is because of my staff. You guys have more than earned that rank yourselves." He stared at her, dead serious. "When this is all over, I'm going to give you and Claire your staffs."
Zoe's jaw dropped open. She didn't know how to respond to that. For centuries, she had waited for someone to say those words to her. For centuries, she had done everything her master told her to do. But, when she died…well, Zoe had given up any dreams of becoming a master wizard herself.
Now, though…now it was actually a reality. All she had to do was survive one last battle. It seemed too good to be true.
"Y-you really mean that?" She hated how hopeful she sounded.
Douxie nodded solemnly. "I do. As Merlin's heir, it's my right to decide. And I say it's high time you got your own staff.
"So, Zoe Ashildr," he said, stepping back. "Shall us three master wizards finish this bloody ice demigod once and for all?" He held out his hand, grinning from ear to ear.
She couldn't stop the infectious smile from growing across her own face. "We shall."
Zoe took his hand and allowed him to lead her back indoors. Claire, who was in the main hall, looked up at the sound of their footsteps.
"Oh, good, I was just going to leave to find you two," she said as she finished donning her purple armor. Zoe noticed that Claire had kept one thing from her temporary transformation to a wicked sorceress besides the longer hair-she now wore the violet crown instead of her helmet. She had to admit she pulled it off better than Zoe ever could.
"Where's Archie?" Douxie asked, scanning the room for his familiar.
"He's loading the cannons," she replied. "Shapeshifted into something bigger to help carry the cannonballs, which are a little too heavy for Dr. Lake."
"Alright then," he said with a nod. "Let's go and see if we can't get a better view of the show."
The three of them started walking back to the deck. Zoe could feel the magic inside her buzzing with excitement, as if it could sense the impending fight. She clenched and unclenched her fists, forcing herself to relax. She had a nasty habit of shocking people when she got too excited.
By the time they got back up on the balcony, Skrael's titan was less than a few hundred feet ahead of them. She gulped as she looked up at the monster. Scratch that, the titans was even taller than the castle. Fantastic.
Douxie tapped a rune on his bracelet, and a holographic image of Archie appeared. He had taken on the form of a spectacled bear, a massive cannonball in his paws.
"Archie!" Douxie said. "Arch, can you hear me?"
Archie jumped and nearly dropped the cannonball. He cursed. "Yes, Douxie, I can hear you!" he said irritably. He placed the cannonball in its assigned cannon. "We're ready."
Douxie nodded. "Excellent. Fire on my command."
He peered at the titan, judging its distance from them. Skrael was either unaware of their presence of simply didn't care. Fine by her. That would just make him that much easier of a target.
"Hold," Douxie murmured, holding up his hand. "Hold-"
Now it was Zoe's turn to roll her eyes. "What exactly are we holding for? He's right there."
He blushed. "I dunno, that's just how they do it in the movies! But fine." He dropped his hand. "Fire!"
The boom from the cannons was deafening. The whole castle shook as the cannonballs exploded towards the titan. She had to hold onto Claire to stop herself from falling.
The cannonballs struck the titan's back and shoulder. Shards of ice sprayed from the wounds. The behemoth stumbled but didn't fall. Slowly, it turned towards them.
Zoe paled. Uh-oh.
The titan clenched its fist. There was a loud crack as the ice beneath them broke open. Enormous glaciers burst from the ground, stretching high into the sky. More grew on both sides, forming a frozen impenetrable wall.
"The ice is too thick to blast through!" Stuart moaned. "By the time we fly around this wall, Skrael will be long gone!"
"I won't accept that," Douxie said with determination. "We're going to end this fight, right here and right now."
He swiped his hand across his bracelet. In a flash of blue, a fire-engine red electric guitar appeared in his hands. He smiled coyly at Zoe and Claire. "Need a ride, lovelies?"
Zoe grinned. "Let's go get this son of a bitch."
.
.
.
Steve landed on the forest titan and promptly almost fell off. He yelped as Aja seized his armor and pulled him back to safety.
"T-thanks," he said with a gulp, trying hard not to look down at the very, very far forest floor down below.
"Of course," she replied. She stepped out of the way as Nomura and Eli jumped down from the ship and joined them on the titan. She glanced at Nari, who hadn't noticed their presence, before turning back to them. "Let's wait for Strickler and Krel to attack before making our move. That way, she will be distracted and won't see us coming."
Steve nodded. "Sounds good to me."
Nomura grunted as the titan rocked forward. She dug her scimitars into the rocky body of the titan to regain her balance. "I'd find something to hold onto if I were you. This ride is only going to get bumpier."
Eli and Aja used their serrators while Steve unsheathed Excalibur and thrust it into the side of the titan.
"And now," Aja said, "we wait."
Steve watched as the Akiridion ship flew in front of the titan and started blasting away. The titan stumbled, nearly throwing everyone off. Nari flung her arms away from her. The vines from the titan copied her movement and lashed towards the ship. The ship dove below the vines just in the nick of time. It zoomed underneath the titan before flying back around for another attack.
Nari raised her arms to defend herself before crying out in pain. She yanked a knife out of her shoulder and whirled towards her new attacker with a snarl.
Strickler shrugged innocently. "I'm sorry, was that me?"
"Really, Stricklander?" Nomura muttered under her breath.
Nari glared at him before clenching her fists. Massive, deadly sharp thorns emerged from the titan and flung themselves at both the changeling and the ship. Strickler twirled in the air to avoid them while Krel directed the ship upwards. Strickler grabbed more knives from his collar and aimed them at Nari. She summoned a wall of vines seconds before they hit her. She flicked her hand, and the vines started chasing after the ship and Strickler.
"Now's our chance," Aja declared. "Attack!"
They raced towards Nari. Steve yelled as he thrust Excalibur at her side. Nari shrieked as the blade pierced her. Forest green blood gushed from the wound. Despite knowing she was under Bellroc's control, he couldn't stop the twinge of guilt at the sight.
Suddenly, Nari grabbed Excalibur. Steve's eyes widened as she glared at him, glowing eyes burning with hatred.
Uh-oh.
She hurled Steve away from her. He flew through the air and down towards the welcoming rocks below. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the impact.
But the pain never came. He gasped as someone's arms enveloped him, breaking his fall. "A-Aja?"
"Nope," Eli cheerfully answered, his glasses twinkling in the sunlight. "Just me! Nice hit on Nari, by the way."
Steve blushed, horribly embarrassed. First he was as tall as him, and now this?! "Th-thanks, Pepperjack. You can set me down now!"
"Okay!" Eli set him down and twirled his serrator. "Let's do this. I've wanted to show you what I've learned in the past year!"
Steve readied Excalibur and shot his friend a grin. "You're on!"
They charged into battle with a yell. Nari slapped Aja and Nomura away with a vine and turned to face Steve and Eli. There was flurry of green sparks, and a long blade made from a wickedly sharp thorn appeared in her hands. Flowered vines clustered near the hilt.
Undeterred, Steve swung Excalibur. She raised her own sword, blocking his blow. He pushed as hard as she could, but despite her size, she was surprisingly strong. While they struggled to move one another, Eli morphed his serrator blade into a laser gun and started firing. Nari stamped her foot, and a large pink flower grew from the ground. It absorbed the lasers and shot them back at Eli. He yelped and ducked to avoid the blasts.
Steve grit his teeth. "Don't you dare hurt my Pepperjack!" he shouted.
He released Excalibur from the lock and dropped low. He swiped Nari's legs out from under her. She fell with a grunt. He stabbed down at her arm, but she flipped back to avoid his blade. Aja was waiting for her though, serrator at the ready. She slashed at her, but Nari just managed to parry her away.
Steve tightened his grip on Excalibur. He rushed to join Aja in her fight against Nari, and together, they became a blur of interlocking blades. He slashed, rolled, and ducked, until the fight almost became a dance. All those hours of training had finally paid off. He was able to dodge all of Nari's blows with ease, see where she would strike next. With each swing, he was inching closer and closer to incapacitating her. It was only a matter of time-
Nari abruptly thrust her thorn blade into the ground. Thick, leafy vines burst from the rock and wrapped around Steve and Aja's limbs. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't move. Judging from Aja's growl of frustration, she was trapped too. They were stuck.
"Don't worry, I got this!" Eli shouted, his serrator shifting back into sword form.
Steve felt his heart jump into his throat. "Wait, don't-"
But Eli didn't listen and fought Nari head-on. She leaped over his swinging blade and cut at his arm. His serrator turned into a shield, blocking her blow. He pushed her back, right into Nomura's waiting scimitars. The changeling smirked before launching into an offensive of her own. Her scimitars sparked against Nari's thorn blade as she whirled and slashed. She was just as quick and agile as Nari, making her fighting style one that Steve awed at.
The vines restraining Steve suddenly disappeared, and he landed on the ground with a grunt. He gazed up at Eli, who finished cutting the vines around his foot. He turned to Steve and extended his hand, a ridiculously large grin on his face.
Steve laughed and accepted the hand. "Looks like someone's been training," he remarked as Eli pulled him to his feet.
"I could say the same thing," Eli said. "No more baseball bats for us two-"
An agonized shriek pierced the air. Eli and Steve jumped and whirled around. They gasped in horror.
Nomura had a hand pressed against her side, bright purple blood seeping through her fingers. She staggered before falling to her knees, her scimitars clattering to the ground.
"Nomura!" Steve yelled.
Before he could rush over to help, Nari flicked her arms. More vines sprung from below and coiled around both Steve and Eli. They squeezed them tighter than before, ensuring there was no chance of escape. Nari stalked towards Nari, her face eerily expressionless.
Nomura gazed up at Nari in fear. Then her expression hardened in resignation. She made eye contact with Steve. "Get out of here," she ordered.
"Don't-"
She picked up her scimitars and flung them away from her. They sliced through the vines restraining them. Steve stumbled but started towards Nomura. There wasn't much time maybe he could still stop Nari from-
Then someone grabbed his arm. "We have to go!" Aja shouted.
Steve struggled against her, but her grip was too strong. "Let me go! We don't have time to argue-"
"I'm sorry Steve," Aja whispered, her voice cracking. "But we can't win this fight."
Ignoring his protests, she picked him up and started running to Krel's waiting ship, Eli right on their heels. Steve had no choice but to watch as Nari raised the thorn blade high above her head. Nomura glared at her, even as tears poured down her face.
As Nari's blade swung down, the changeling raised two defiant middle-fingers up to the sky.
Then Nomura vanished in a cloud of dust.
"NO!" Steve screamed.
Aja and Eli jumped from the titan and onto the ship. Krel shut the doors and immediately sped away. Before long, the titan was nothing more than a speck in the distance.
Steve's heart pounded so loudly it drowned everything else out. Nomura was dead. Nomura was dead.
He squeezed his eyes shut, ignoring the tears trickling down his face. Even though he hadn't been particularly close to her, she was still a part of the team. And Jim. Oh God, Jim. What was he going to say when he found out? When someone he entrusted Steve with had died?
He gripped his head in his hands, Nomura's screams playing over and over in his head. It was his fault she was gone. It was his idea to divide the group. If he hadn't suggested that stupid plan, none of this would've happened.
He had failed.
A/N: Yep. I told you there would be death in this fic, didn't I? I bet you didn't expect it would be the same death, though. Or maybe you did, idk. Having a death in the first four chapters may seem rushed, but for me, I actually liked the fact that a minor character died in the movie. Was it horribly done? Yes, but it does show these titans are nothing to be messed with. That they're an enemy to be taken seriously. Nomura's death was the best way to convey that, and the best way to show that not even the Trollhunter's friends are safe.
And not gonna lie, I wanted to kill someone off. Death adds more stakes to a story. For crying out loud, Strickler's death was so unnecessary and I still bawled my eyes out when I rewatched it. It just makes losing that much more impactful. I wished I could've given Nomura more time in my fic before killing her off, but she will be remembered more than she was in the movie. Her death is going to impact the characters a whole lot more too. (Especially Jim oh boy.)
Let me know in the comments if this death made you cry at all, or if you just thought it was unnecessary/poorly done like in the movie. On an unrelated note, I really am excited for the next chapter-it is going to be an epic battle between Skrael and our wizard squad. I cannot WAIT for you guys to read it!
RIP Nomura: ?-2021