Hopefully with summer on its way, I'll have more time for writing stories.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Trolling
A small village in Skylands was being attacked by horrible bandits. The bandits were all sorts of different species, from Drow to dragon. They pillaged the houses, looking for gold and all other kinds of treasure. It mattered not who they hurt in their quest.
Luckily the Skylanders were on the case. A brave team of Skylanders were teleported to the village, making quick work of the bandits. Boomer was among them, lobbing dynamite sticks at the ships that the bandits had stolen in order to get here. When bandits ran toward him, he kicked a bomb at their feet- they were blown sky high on impact. In no time at all, the Skylanders had cleared out the bandits.
"Oh thank you ever so much, Skylanders!" a Mabu villager cried in joy. "How can we ever repay you?"
The leader of the team, a Gillman named Gill Grunt, humbly bowed toward her. "It's our pleasure to help out kind-hearted people," he insisted. "No need to thank us."
A little Mabu child screamed in fear, pointing at Boomer. Boomer's heart sank- this always happened when he came on missions.
"Mommy! There's a troll right there!" the child cried, tears and snot running down his face.
The child's mother tried to calm him down, explaining, "No sweetie, that troll is a Skylander. He's one of the good guys."
"Trolls aren't good guys! Everyone knows that!"
The crying continued. Boomer looked away, unable to say anything. What could he say that would change their minds? That would prove that he was much more than his terrible species? Absolutely nothing would convince these people otherwise.
Gill Grunt walked by, placing a hand on Boomer's shoulder. "We should go now," he decided.
Boomer didn't object.
Boomer had been bad once. That's what he thought, no matter how much he hated thinking about it.
Trolls were justly disliked. They were always mucking about, fighting wars with whoever wanted it. They built factories that polluted nearby areas. They chopped down forest after forest, shoving the trees off the islands to make new bases. They didn't take hostages- often they didn't consider their value and just let them die. Yes, Boomer had been bad once. He was a troll, and he had been a part of this.
That was the part of himself he hated the most.
He'd been another member of the troll armies, not too long ago. Things were pretty boring around his island home. Boomer killed his boredom by detonating things, like sheep or barns- but was quickly bored when he ran out of stuff to blow up. Like most young men, bored by their homes, Boomer sought out excitement by leaving home and joining the army. And for a time, he was happy with this.
Of course, after a while, he discovered how seriously the troll armies took the war. The generals yelled out orders to Boomer, saying that every moment counted. If he somehow messed up, they would harass and punish him until he learned his lesson. The rules for the army were ground into their skulls, as if the world depended on their success. Maybe it did. Boomer started to dislike this kind of warmongering.
One day, he overheard the generals talking about destroying the dam that kept a nearby village safe. It was apparently in an effort to gain territory. They weren't going to move the people first? They were just going to let them all drown?
That was when Boomer left, deciding that war wasn't worth the countless lives of innocent civilians. He left without telling anyone, making sure nobody looked for him. It was him that saved the village, creating a barrier of sheep that absorbed the rush of water from the destroyed dam. He wandered for a while after that, until the Skylanders saw his brave heart.
He hadn't been a Skylander for too long. Maybe people just didn't recognize Boomer as a Skylander yet. Well, the screaming child's mother had recognized him as a Skylander- though probably because the immediate threat had been the bandits, with no other trolls in sight. Nevertheless, Boomer decided that now wasn't the time for worrying. One of these days, people would know not to hate Boomer for what he was, and instead recognize him for who he was.
While the screaming child was still on his mind the next day, Boomer decided not to dwell on it. He didn't ask anybody for answers, he didn't find anyone to talk about it with, and yet he surrounded himself with others to keep them from thinking that there was a problem. If he didn't think about it, then it wasn't an issue. But if people did want to talk to him about it, then that was their concern.
Someone did come up to him that day, though for an entirely unrelated issue. Boomer had come out to the training yard, blowing up the dummies and watching them catch fire. The person that had come up to him was Stump Smash, the tree man with limbs shaped like mallets. The tree man had run up to the troll, panting heavily, fear in his eyes. He looked up at Boomer, the fear being replaced by anger to see him.
Right, Stump Smash had been attacked by the trolls. Boomer knew of how the tree man had attacked a team of loggers before he'd defected from the army. While he'd initially been scared at first, that was when Boomer started thinking about how evil the trolls really were. No wonder Stump Smash didn't like him. But what was he doing here now?
"I never thought you'd want to talk to me," Boomer wondered.
"I don't want to talk to you, I want to talk to Eon," Stump Smash growled. "You saw him last. Where did he go?"
"Um, Summer Forest, I think. He said something about recruitment."
"Is he back yet?"
"I think we'd notice if he was. A gaggle gathers around him when he returns from his trips."
Stump Smash paced the grasses, mallet hands behind his back. "Not back yet," he muttered. "Out of all the inopportune times for him to leave,"
"Did something happen?" Boomer asked.
Stump Smash glared at him once more, this time with a deadly fire. "Why would I ask help from you?" he spat.
"You sound really worried. Maybe it can't wait for Eon to come back."
The tree man sighed. "It can't," he decided. "Slam Bam ran straight into the Citadel the moment we returned from our mission. Drobot was taking us on some training exercise- rudimentary Chompy-stomping. But there was an accident with Slam Bam and one of the farmers in the area we were in."
"Is he okay?"
"No."
It sounded like Stump Smash was done elaborating. Nobody wanted to talk too much with a troll, especially with the tree man's history with them, now did they? "That yeti has several hiding places in the Citadel when he's scared by something," Boomer thought. "But if he's scared enough to run away from you guys after the mission...I think he might be trying to find Eon."
Boomer ran inside, Stump Smash on his heels. They ran down the hallways, then up one flight of stairs that led to another hallway. At the end of this hallway was the old Portal Master's bedroom. The two of them hadn't even made it all the way down when they found Slam Bam pounding on the door, hoping to be let in. The yeti's sheer force was startling, reminding them that they had to be really patient with this uncultured person. Boomer motioned for Stump Smash to stay where he was, and the troll slowly walked toward Slam Bam.
"Slam Bam, just breathe for a moment," Boomer cooed. "Remember what we've talked about. Just breathe."
Slam Bam whipped around to face the troll. Tears streamed down his face. His shoulders heaved as he panted, the yeti already trying and failing to stay calm. "You want me to breathe? Then go get Eon! He's the only one who can help me!" he hollered.
"...Eon's still out."
"Still? Oh no oh no oh no, this can't be happening! This can't be happening!"
"Easy, man. Everything's fine."
"EVERYTHING'S NOT FINE! IT'S FAR FROM BEING FINE!"
With that kind of tone, one would expect the yeti to lash out and attack Boomer. But apparently Slam Bam had already been through that today- he'd started on it, forming a fist, but his pupils dilated far back in fear when he realized what he was planning on doing. It was at this point when Slam Bam sank into the corner, his top arms grabbing the back of his head, and his lower arms hugging his knees to his chest. He rocked back and forth like this, hyperventilating in sheer panic.
Now what were they supposed to do? Boomer knew that people who were hyperventilating often needed to blow into a paper bag, but they didn't have such a thing on them. Boomer felt himself panicking, too. It certainly looked like everything wasn't fine.
"That's it! I'm getting help!" Stump Smash yelled.
"Wait!" Boomer ordered him.
Wait? What else was there to do? Boomer turned his head toward Stump Smash, who was poised to run, despite what the troll had said. But the tree man wasn't moving, too frozen in fear to do so. Apparently they were all panicking. Boomer decided to move right up to Slam Bam, sitting right next to him. He set a hand on the yeti's shoulder, stroking it with his thumb. This action caused Slam Bam to stop rocking.
"You want Eon to tell you that everything's going to be okay," Boomer realized. "Slam Bam, you have a whole team of people living at the Citadel to tell you this. You're not alone. We can still talk to Eon if you want, but just know that he's not the only person you have who can talk to you."
Slam Bam's breathing slowed. Holy cow, this was working!
"You'll have to tell Eon what happened. Practice on me. Pretend I'm Eon for now."
Slam Bam gulped for a moment. "...Drobot said it would be a simple mission," he stammered out. "Just silly Chompies. Farmers could take them out. And they were, but they decided to let us handle it. Well...all but one. A man with a rake."
"He got in the way."
"He attacked the Chompies with the rake. He got in my path. I looked at the rake, and thought for a moment that the man was going to hurt me. I jumped to my first instinct...I don't even remember hitting him...but I hit him. I socked him hard."
"That rake scared you, huh?"
"I don't know if he's dead."
"Did you pound him more than once?"
He shook his head.
"Of course that man's not dead! You're not able to kill a man in one punch."
"I told Drobot I wasn't ready! I told him and he didn't listen!"
"Shh. It's okay. He didn't know this would happen. None of you did."
Slam Bam lowered his arms to the ground. He sat there, sobbing. Boomer took the yeti into a hug. "It was just an accident," he continued. "You've been in battle before, Slam Bam. You know not to hit us. That man probably threw you off. What happened out there was just a mistake. We all make mistakes."
"Nobody's going to trust me again!" Slam Bam blubbered.
"They're going to trust you. It was just a mistake. Stump Smash, come over here and tell Slam Bam that people aren't going to distrust him because of this mistake."
Stump Smash had been watching them with shock this entire time. The tree man complied with Boomer's order, walking over to them. "You injured that man pretty badly, Slam Bam," Stump Smash began, "but it's not as bad as you think. You didn't even knock him out. Heck, didn't you hear how Drobot scolded him, saying not to get in the way of our business."
Slam Bam had stopped sobbing. He laughed slightly at that last comment. "Yeah, I heard."
"And he should've thought to stay back and let us handle it. Nobody should get in our way unless they can hold their own in a fight. Anyone besides you could've been in that same situation, and it wouldn't have been because they were scared. And this happened in a small area, so word's not going to spread far. People will still trust you. You've still got a lot to learn, but you're getting there. We all are."
Slam Bam hugged Boomer tightly, nearly squeezing the living daylights out of him. "Thank you," he said. "Thank you both. I really needed this."
"Still think you need to talk to Eon?" Boomer asked, having difficulty breathing.
Slam Bam released him, standing up. "Maybe to just let him know what happened," he shrugged. "If he has anything to say, I'll take it. But I'm okay, for now."
Another figure came down this hallway- Drobot. The robotic dragon panted, having apparently searched the entire Citadel for the yeti. Slam Bam went over to talk to him, to explain that he was alright. Boomer remained where he was, watching them, when he was reminded of that bad feeling he'd gotten from the screaming child. All that the troll had done was try to help people, but none of them trusted him, purely because of what he was.
"How did you know what to say to him?" Stump Smash asked.
Boomer shrugged, speechless.
"I didn't expect you to be able to do that. It was...cool."
Stump Smash left with Drobot and Slam Bam. Boomer stayed behind, that bad feeling taking the forefront of his mind once again. Of course people would still trust Slam Bam. They knew he was young, and he was too much of a goofball for anyone to really hate. And because of what he was, even if Slam Bam lost the people's trust, he could always redeem himself. That was something that, no matter how hard he tried, Boomer could never do.
Boomer hid himself in the library the next day, reading through the Skylander Scrolls. The Skylanders had always had an assortment of strange creatures in their ranks, some that the world hadn't trusted until their initiation. Boomer looked through these, hoping to find hope for his situation. Fear had taken the entirety of his mind, no matter how hard he tried not to focus on it. What if nobody ever trusted him enough to help?
Gill Grunt found Boomer sitting near the bookshelves. "Hey, I completely missed you yesterday," he smiled. "You didn't get into any trouble, did you?"
"W-what's that supposed to mean?" Boomer stammered.
"You weren't on any missions yesterday, right? Well things can get boring around here without anything to do. They can get boring anywhere, actually. Did you know I became a Gillman Marine out of boredom?"
Boomer had read about that in the Gillman's scroll. And he knew all too well of the things you would do out of boredom. "I spent the day training," he explained. "I kept myself busy."
"Glad to hear. Say, I'm taking another group of Skylanders on a mission to Stonetown. Wanna come?"
He still wanted the troll around? No...it was still too soon for that. Still too soon after the incident with the screaming child. "I was feeling a bit queasy this morning, so...I don't think so," Boomer lied.
"That's too bad," Gill Grunt sighed. "You really did do a good job on your last mission. Practically had those bandits crying for their mommies."
No comment.
"I should get going. Hope you feel better soon, Boomer."
Gill Grunt turned away to leave. Boomer jumped up from his seat and caught the Gillman on his arm. "Gill, wait," he decided. "I have a question for you."
"Yeah?" Gill Grunt asked.
"Well, I was just wondering...has anyone ever hated you...for being a Gillman?"
This brought about chuckles in Gill Grunt. "Oh sure. There are the crustaceans that don't like me for what I am. The sphinxes would love to turn me into Gillman Goulash. And I think Hugo insults our species without trying to."
"Oh. Well, how did you get over it?"
"I showed them why they were wrong about me. I showed them my worth as a warrior and Skylander. I know why you asked about this. Listen Boomer, there's always going to be someone who doesn't like you because of what you are. You've just got to stay hard at work protecting the innocent. Keep at this, and you'll prove them wrong. Does that help?"
Boomer didn't quite feel better. "It does," he insisted. Even if it would take him forever, that message did help.
"I should go now," Gill Grunt concluded. "I hope you're feeling well enough to go on a mission later."
Boomer allowed Gill Grunt to leave. He watched him go, thinking about the message he'd been given. Suppose everyone here had been distrusted because of what they were, in one way or another. It was at least comforting to know that he wasn't alone in that area.
A few other Skylanders in the library looked through the windows, chatting among themselves. Boomer caught the words "purple dragon" in their conversation, and watched them run out of the library. Several other Skylanders noticed them, and followed their lead. Boomer walked toward the window, noticing the wave of Skylanders outside. He could just make out the horned helmet of a familiar figure.
"Eon's back," Boomer mused. With a purple dragon, nontheless.
"Are you heading out there?" a familiar voice asked.
Boomer turned his head, noticing that Stump Smash was here. He'd never seen the tree man in the library before. And on that note, Stump Smash looked at him with a friendlier expression than he had yesterday.
"I think I'll wait until the crowd thins out a bit," Boomer decided. "It's safer that way."
"Yeah, I can imagine a few of our friends got trampled on as they got out there."
This came with a chuckle. Stump Smash was even being friendly toward Boomer. This was too freaky. And yet, he knew exactly where this was coming from.
"Don't be nice to me because I did you a solid," Boomer insisted, looking back out the window. "If you want to hate me, then you can. I don't blame you."
Stump Smash walked to Boomer's side. "I was looking for you in here," he said. "I wanted to thank you for what you did yesterday. Eon was gone longer than we thought he'd be, meaning that it would've been a tough wait for poor Slam Bam if you hadn't come to help. You were kind and patient, and that was...different than what I thought I'd find in you."
"...I'm sorry for what my kind did to you. I'm fine if you don't like me."
"But you're not like them, are you?"
Boomer looked back at Stump Smash, flabbergasted. Was the tree man changing his mind about the troll? "I hate them. I don't want anything to do with them, and I don't want to be anything like them."
"Then I can't hate you, now can I?"
Shrug.
"So...thank you, for helping my friend."
Stump Smash turned away from the window, making his way out of the library. Boomer ran after him, blocking his path. He didn't want the tree man to leave just yet.
"Wait, maybe we could hang out for a bit," Boomer suggested. "To get to know one another...as budding aquaintances."
"I guess we could do that, but there's not much for me in here," Stump Smash shrugged, lifting up his mallet hands to explain.
Oh. "I could read to you. That sounds...really weird...right?"
"Nobody's ever read to me before."
"We can look through the Skylander Scrolls, you know, see what everyone else has been up to."
Boomer led Stump Smash to the pile where he had left the scrolls, and this was how they would spend the rest of the day. Somehow, Boomer had changed the tree man's mind about trolls- at least, about Boomer. He was still only one person, but it was a start. And that was all anyone really needed.
