Gnome Your Enemy
Jim and Barbara sat on the living room couch, both not saying a word.
After her son had explained everything, Barbara was at an utter loss. Magic exists, trolls living beneath their feet, her son and his friend chosen to take part in a great destiny and had just watched him summon magic armor out of nowhere… it was so much for her to take in.
"So…" Jim said, wanting to break the silence between them.
"Huh?" Barbara said, snapping back to reality.
"You didn't say anything yet. So… what do you think?"
"I just…" Barbara shook her head. "It's a lot to process."
Jim chuckled. "Believe me, I know. But I promise you, you're not going crazy, Mom. Everything I said is true and everything you've seen was real."
"That… you're from the future, you have an amulet that makes a suit of armor, and… you have magic."
Jim looked down at his bracelet. "Time magic, yeah. I'm still trying to convince myself that, because I never had it before."
Barbara sighed and rubbed her head. "But… Why didn't you tell me any of this before?"
Jim looked down. "I thought I was trying to keep you safe by not telling you. All I did was put you in danger." He took his mother's hands and looked her straight into her eyes. "But I promised myself I wouldn't make that mistake again. So that's why I'm telling you now."
"But who's gonna protect you?"
Jim chuckled. "I'm fine, Mom. I can protect myself. This is what I was meant to do."
"Just… promise me you'll be okay."
Jim smiled and hugged his mother, who embraced him back. "I promise."
While Toby was in the Hero's Forge learning Troll History with Blinky and Aaarrrgghh, Jim was back in the Heartstone with Vendel to understand the basics of his powers. After learning that this boy possesses time magic, Vendel took it upon himself to train him. He didn't really like the idea of taking a human boy as his new apprentice, but recognizing his talent for time magic, he felt like he had no choice but to help him.
Jim sat on the stone table with his Magiktech Armor, sitting before a second table with a seemingly empty flower pot.
"As you seem aware by now, you possess a rare talent for time magic," Vendel began, standing before the original human Trollhunter. "After you were chosen by the amulet originally, it protected you from time alterations, retaining most of your memories and awareness in certain time loops."
Jim looked down to process what he was told. He still felt unnerved by the fact that he can control time itself now.
Vendel gestured to the empty flower pot. "Inside this pot is just a seedling."
"And, in other words, you want me to make it bigger?" Jim wondered, raising an eyebrow.
"Not bigger, older. Keep your focus just on the pot…" Jim maintained eye contact with it. "Change its fate by speeding its cycle; make it grow faster."
Jim took a deep breath and held out his hand towards the flower pot. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the seed. At that point, Draal came in and watched the boy carefully.
Vendel changed his position away from Jim's focus as he watched diligently. "Let the magic flow, don't be afraid."
Jim focused harder. A flash of Bellroc's fire titan appeared in his mind, causing his breath to hitch. The flower pot engulfed itself in a transparent green mirror-like state.
"Command time itself to enhance its natural growing process," Vendel continued.
Jim strained. A green seedling sprouted from the soil as time fast-forwarded on it.
"It is TIME!" Bellroc's voice echoed in Jim's mind, the moment she and her siblings broke the Seals and unleashed the titans.
Jim breathed heavily as the flower grew faster. Draal's eyes widened with concern.
"Vendel…" Jim complained.
"Don't lose focus!" Vendel urged. "Don't let your fears cloud you. Or your magic will–"
Bellroc's evil look in her glowing eyes appeared as she appeared to crackle mechanically at him.
Jim opened his eyes and screamed at the sight, his eyes glowing blue/green. Time magic on the flower pot exploded as he and Vendel flinched. Jim slowly looked back and saw the flower, withered and ancient.
Jim sighed in disappointment. "All I seem to do is age things to death."
"Not the case, but in the wrong hands, time magic can be disastrous, if not apocalyptic." Vendel explained. "If any of our enemies discover what you possess, they will stop at nothing to use your magic for their own gain. Time is not to be trifled with; any changes you make in this timeline will have consequences for your past, present, and future. That is why I must implore you: handle your gift with care. Time is in your hands, and it is your responsibility to steer us down our destined paths."
A ding rang from Jim's phone. He picked it up and saw a reminder. "Ah! I have to get to rehearsal. Thanks, Vendel." He said as he slid off the table, donned his armor off, and ran out with haste.
Soon after the boy left, Draal stormed in after witnessing the whole thing.
"Why waste time training this boy?" Draal demanded the elder. "He's dangerous enough as it is. And his big-headed friend is but a worm. I suggest we–"
"We are not killing the boys!" Vendel argued, sounding serious. "To take their lives would put scrutiny on the future of Trollmarket."
"And if Bular and Gunmar were to get their hands on the one with time magic?"
"Then pray he learns to control it before that ever happens. He clearly seems familiar with our world, and knows more than we first thought. If there's a reason our old human Trollhunter now possesses chronomancy…"
Vendel gazed down at the ancient, withered plant, aged too quick by Jim's time acceleration.
"Then only time will tell, for which of them is truly worthy of the mantle."
After rehearsal at school, Jim went to his least favorite subject: Spanish, with none other than Señor Uhl the Unforgiving.
Mary presented her exam to the class, looking pretty tense as Uhl himself wrote on the blackboard behind her. His screeching chalk seemed to intimidate her as she willed herself to continue. Jim couldn't blame her for feeling very pressured.
"Little did anyone know, Maria was juggling two hombres. Manolo was muy guapo, but Joaquin had muchos musculos…" Mary presented.
Jim glanced at Steve and Eli next to him, the future… Creepslayerz, they would call themselves in the future.
Steve doodled on his notebook paper, but didn't seem interested in taunting Jim, like before. He realized that when Steve shoved Eli into his locker, he never intervened. So, Steve never challenged Jim for a fight… and he didn't have to break his tooth again, as he held no petty grudge against him. Then again, Steve was still an arrogant jerk. However, Jim was surprised that the school's top bully was capable of seeing the error of his ways and making better friends. He definitely showed it when he and Eli helped him save the trolls of Trollmarket from Gunmar when he took over. Surely, it wouldn't be a crime to try and befriend the two and make them more involved with the supernatural. Yet, he didn't want to do so prematurely, as he didn't want to just make out with Claire since he technically doesn't know her a lot by this point. So, he'd have to let time fly by and find the right moments.
"...And poor Maria had a pedoso heart–" Mary paused in fright when she heard Señor Uhl's chalk screech and snap in half.
"What kind of heart did Maria have, Miss Wang?" Señor Uhl asked with his hands behind his back.
Mary looked over her notes. "Uh, a heavy heart. 'Pe-do-so'. Or is it–?"
"I would hope Maria wouldn't have a pedoso heart, because that would mean 'gassy'. Did Maria have a gassy heart, Miss Wang?"
Mary teared up. "Of course not, Señor Uhl!"
"Uh-buh-bum! You were trying to say pesado, 'A heavy heart'."
Jim stared at Mary with sympathy, he remembered how hard she took it when their teacher failed her for just one ridiculous error. He glanced down at the panjas bracelet on his hand, suppressing his time magic. He knew Vendel told him to use his power responsibly, but it wouldn't hurt if he could practice them. It would be cool to see what would happen if he changed just one fate.
The original Trollhunter glanced around to make sure no one was looking. He took off his bracelet, took a deep breath, clutched his hands into fists, and closed his eyes as he concentrated.
Señor Uhl reached for the box of tissues on his desk. "And it is – with a… heavy heaaa–" The Austrian man began, but gradually slowed down until he froze like a mannequin statue.
Jim opened his eyes, now glowing electric green, and looked around at everyone frozen in time, courtesy of his magic. "Whoa…" He said in awe as he waved his hand in front of Steve's face.
It felt similar to the time when he used the Kairosect to step outside of time for a limited effect. But now, instead of just stopping time, maybe he could even…
Jim held out his hand and concentrated on turning back time just a little to when Mary was about to present her mistake. Twisting his glowing blue/green hand, he watched the events reverse like he pressed a rewind button.
"traeh yvaeh a htiw si ti dnA," Uhl said in reverse, as well as his previous actions. ".'traeh yvaeh A' ,odasep yas ot gniyrt erew uoY !mub-hub-hU"
Jim smiled in amazement at what was going on. This was totally insane; it was like he was one big remote control. He looked around at everyone, all of their actions in reverse as well.
"!lhU roñeS ,ton esruoc fO" Mary said.
"?gnaW ssiM ,traeh yssag a evah airaM diD .'yssag' naem dluow taht esuaceb ,traeh osodep a evah t'ndluow airaM epoh dluow I"
"?–ti si rO .'os-od-eP' .traeh yvaeh a ,hU"
"?gnaW ssiM ,evah airaM did traeh fo dnik tahW"
"–traeh osodep a dah airaM roop–"
Once he felt his intended place to stop, he closed his hand into a fist and paused time again. He chuckled, wishing he could've been able to do this originally. He felt a migraine in his head, which he quickly shook off. With everyone frozen and Uhl facing the blackboard, Jim casually approached Mary with a pencil in his hand, erased her error, and corrected it himself.
"Just to practice and see what happens," He told himself as he walked back to his desk.
Once everything was set, Jim focused on unfreezing time. He opened his eyes, still focusing, and saw a fly in front of him slowly buzz above him — flying forwards — and time resumed normally.
"–Poor Maria had a pesado heart," Mary said to the class.
Thanks to Jim temporally fixing her mistake outside of time, Uhl did not overreact like he did and continued writing on his blackboard. Jim felt a migraine in his head, but thankfully didn't pass out like last time. He smiled in satisfaction at his first accomplishment. This seemed way easier than changing time on just one flower pot.
"Well done, Miss Wang," Uhl said as he turned from the blackboard, unemotional, but nonetheless pleased to not hear her mistake. "B plus."
"Yes!" Mary cheered in relief and ran out of the classroom, ecstatically screaming in joy.
Just then, the school bell rang and the students gathered their things and walked out of the classroom.
"Mr. Lake, I look forward to your presentation tomorrow." Uhl said with his arms crossed.
"Totally ready, Señor Uhl." Jim said confidently.
After cleaning up his face, Jim went outside and found Toby at his locker, pouting… as he predicted. Something happened in Toby's first call, and…
"Hey, Tobes," Jim greeted his friend casually, grinning. "So… how was your first trollhunting mission?"
"Oh boy, where to start," Toby grumbled. "I was enjoying some good ol' Troll History, when this troll what's-her-name…"
"Bagdwella?"
"Said that she was having a gnome problem."
"Really? I heard she won the Gnome-ble Peace Prize last I remember."
Toby gave him an unamused look. "Don't." Jim just chuckled. "Anyway, I was this close to catching it–"
Jim rolled his eyes, remembering what Toby did originally. "Okay, be honest with me. Did it… play guitar?"
Toby stared at him. "...yeah…?"
"Did it snatch your belt?"
Toby's eyes widened bigger.
"...And it took your Nougat Nummy?"
"Dude, would you please stop doing that?! It's creeping me out!" Jim just laughed heartily at his friend's little freak out. "And the little pest stole my amulet. According to Blinky, I only bring it back to me if I 'reject it', but not when stolen. So, he's fixing up the… Furgolator, which I have no idea what it does. So… maybe you could…?"
Jim got the idea of what he was asking. "Ah, ah, ah. Spoilers."
"Oh, come on!" Toby complained.
"Hey, you said so yourself, the less you knew, the better."
"Yeah, but maybe a little hints here and there?"
Jim rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'll give you a hint…" Toby smiled anticipatingly. "It'll help you deal with your small problem." Toby's smile disappeared as Jim walked away, leaving him sort of in the dark.
"But– okay, okay!" Toby chased after him. "But maybe I could borrow your amulet? Just until I get mine back?"
Jim stopped and turned to him. "That's not how it works, Tobes." He finally found Claire organizing her locker and greeted her. "Hola, Claire."
Unlike the original timeline, Claire actually beamed at the sight of Jim. "Jim! That was an amazing rehearsal this morning." She said proudly.
"All in good times. Hey, I have this Spanish comprehension exam, muy importante. So I was wondering if you'd like to give me a hand?" Jim gave her an awkward look to not look so mean.
Claire smiled warmly. "Of course. After everything you've done for the play, the least I could do is give you something in return."
Jim smiled gratefully. "Great! Sometime after school?"
Toby stared at Jim and Claire in disbelief. He's never seen Jim so confident around the girl of his dreams before. Then again, he figured he actually did manage to win her heart in the future.
Out of nowhere, Mary ran up, laughing with triumph. "Haha! B plus! I told ya! Bet's a bet, Claire-bear. You're tipping Tremiti's for two weeks." She cackled.
Claire groaned in defeat, just as Mary snatched it and ran off, gloating.
Jim stood there in shock.
So that was why Mary had been so dramatic after she failed her Spanish comprehension exam: she lost a bet with Claire. He assumed it was because she wouldn't pass Uhl's class because of his soulless nature. Now that he's corrected Mary's error enough to help her pass her exam…
"Uh… what's she talking about?" Jim asked his future girlfriend.
Claire turned to Jim, looking displeased. "Mare and I betted over her comprehension exam. If she could get above a C plus, I'd tip my friends for Tremiti's pizza for two weeks." She rolled her eyes. "And it's almost always busy there, I never even wanted to deal with it. I'll be honest, I… kinda changed just one word on Mary's paper."
Jim's jaw dropped.
"Just one word, to make it say 'gassy' instead of 'heavy'. I'd make it up somehow without her knowing. I'm surprised how she caught that, or unless someone corrected it for her enough to pass and make me tip the messengers at Tremiti's."
Toby glanced between the two and stopped at Jim, who looked down… and smiled amusingly.
Jim rubbed his head. "Yeah, that pizza shop can be pretty packed on the weekends. I'd say Mary's much more qualified to handle the waiting."
"Not to mention to get her off my back. Well, I hope you like pan triple meatza."
"Oof…" Jim grasped his stomach and grimaced, thinking about the supposed last time he tried pan pizza with meat. "Not with this stomach, and I actually hate meat on pizza. I order a hand-tossed peppaloza there."
Claire smiled sympathetically. "I'll keep that in mind. See ya at five?"
"You got it, and maybe I'll help you tip once the two weeks are up."
Claire grinned and walked away. Once she was gone, Jim facepalmed himself.
Toby smirked and crossed his arms. "Hmm… let me guess… You helped Mary pass her exam? Like say… by manipulating time and space itself." Jim glared down at his friend. "Maybe you can go back and stop yourself from doing it?"
Jim considered Toby's suggestion if it mattered so much. He wondered just how far he could travel back in time and if there was a limit. Jim concentrated again and barely held out his hands. Unlike last time, his power felt weaker and all he could manage was slowing down time just barely, but not enough to stop it completely. The migraine in his head grew stronger the more he focused harder, which made him strain. He couldn't take it anymore and stopped, allowing time to flow normally. Suddenly worn out, he sat on the ground and grasped his aching head.
Toby knelt down, worried. "Whoa, you okay?"
Jim took a deep breath. "Yeah… I'm still a little new to this time stuff, dude. Like I would know exactly what would happen."
Toby grinned. "And you had no idea you just made Claire lose a bet with Mary, didn't you?" Jim groaned and hugged his legs in disappointment. "Well, as they say, 'no good deed goes unpunished'."
Jim stared at his friend and shook his head with a 'Seriously?' expression.
In the evening, Jim rode his bike towards Claire's house, after promising to help Toby out in Trollmarket tonight. It's been a while since he actually visited there, pretty much since they moved into Camelot, the large flying medieval castle that became their headquarters for their friends. It seemed so long ago… then again, he is in the long ago point of time.
Shoving that thought aside, Jim leaned his bike against the house, walked up the front porch, and rang the doorbell.
"Come in!" Claire called from inside.
Jim entered the house, finding Claire spinning her baby brother, Enrique, in her hands. Enrique giggled, enjoying the fun as Jim watched in amusement.
"Aw, and this must be Enrique." Jim said.
The little bundle of joy giggled at Jim's presence as Claire buckled him in his bouncer. "Just hold on, I'll be right back." She said as she walked into her kitchen.
Jim smiled at Enrique and tickled him like before as he hopped nonstop. It was almost sad that he knew Claire's brother would be swapped with a changeling and kept in the Darklands. The problem was… he wasn't sure how or even when he'll be snatched. One thing's for sure, this was the real Enrique, not the changeling in his place, NotEnrique.
"Enrique, look at this," Jim said as he pulled out his amulet. "For the good of all, Daylight is mine to make babies ogle."
Enrique laughed as the amulet shined in his face. Jim chuckled before he stuffed it away and stood up, just as Claire came in with a bowl of her famous guacamole.
"I hope you like guacamole." Claire said. "I put a little milk in it; secret family recipe." She noticed her baby brother cooing at her guest. "Wow, he really likes you."
"I know." Jim sat on the couch next to Claire and took a bite out of a chip, enjoying the taste of the guac. "Hmm, mmm! Gosh, I miss this."
"Miss this?"
"Oh, uh… it's just been a while since I had guac, and… Oh, man, this is the best." It was half-true, Jim really missed having guac, especially Claire's, but she didn't know that yet. "You are definitely the avocado master." The two laughed as Enrique cooed and bounced some more. "I also promised Toby I'd help him out with something tonight, but I still have time."
"How much?"
"Uh…" Jim looked at the clock behind him, saying at least forty-five minutes until six. With Claire not looking, his eyes glowed green. He watched the hands reverse for about fifteen minutes until they stopped. "About an hour."
Claire smiled as they began to go over Jim's Spanish work.
Later that night in the museum of Arcadia Oaks, a security guard walked through the halls with his flashlight, keeping a sharp look out for any intruders. He suddenly heard a noise from behind. He looked and pointed his flashlight, revealing just a big relic, a statue. He shrugged it off and continued walking.
What he didn't realize was that there was something behind it. Bular stepped out and watched the fleshbag walking out of the door. He went into a closed exhibit covered in curtains and met up with Strickler.
"We build it here? Right under their noses? Are you a fool?" Bular asked with disapproval.
Strickler turned to face him. "Haven't you ever heard that the best hiding place is in plain sight–?" He was cut off when Bular grabbed him by the throat.
"Don't patronize me, Impure."
"We want the same thing, Bular. I know you don't waiting, but it's taking some time for the changelings to acquire the remaining pieces."
The evil Gumm-Gumm released him from his grip and went over to one of the big box crates. He removed the lid and picked up a piece of stone. "My father has waited for centuries. The Age of Gunmar is at hand."
Back in Trollmarket at night, Jim accompanied Toby in Blinky's studies after tutoring with Claire.
"Remember when I told you all Trollhunters must start small?" Blinky told Toby.
The six-eyed troll removed the cloth off a golden machine engraved with ancient carvings: the Furgolator. Toby glanced over at Jim, who looked almost as if he was reliving a bad memory. He once tried to ask Jim about it, but wouldn't say anything to not 'spoil' anything… Judging by the look on his face, he did not enjoy the experience. Blinky smiled as he pressed a button, making gears turn as smoke pushed through the tubes on top. The pipes whistled as the doors opened, causing more smoke to fog through.
"Still bad idea." Aaarrrgghh grumbled.
Toby entered the Furgolator as he looked around. "Uh, how does this get a gnome out, Blinky?" He asked as the doors slowly closed, trapping him inside.
"If the gnome won't come out, the Trollhunter must go in." Blnky explained.
"Wait, what?!"
Blinky chuckled. "Don't worry. We often use the Furgolator to compress minerals. And now for the anthracite!" With a pair of tweezers, he picked up a piece of stone.
Toby tried to look through the window that was too high. "Anthracite? Jim, that wasn't from my rock collection, was it?"
"No, I brought it off a troll with an Argyle sock." Jim said as Blinky placed the mineral in a little hole on the side of the machine.
"Quick question, Blink, have you used this on flesh before?"
"Not exactly." Blinky replied as he started up the machine. "But I'm not concerned!"
Smoke engulfed inside the machine, making Toby grow worried. "Uh, Jim…"
"Don't worry, Tobes, you'll be fine." Jim assured him.
"And there's nothing to worry about, Tobias," Blinky supported. "We work best under pressure." Jim smiled at his mentor amusingly.
Toby let out raspy coughs as the machine began to shake and creak. "It smells really funky in here!" He coughed as the Furgolator let out farting noises and shook more rapidly.
As the machine creaked, rumbled, and farted some more, a worried Jim jumped to the machine and tried to pry the doors open with nothing but his fingers. He strained, but released them and decided to use the alternative. He held his hands towards the doors, causing them to glow green. While Blinky and Aaarrrgghh watched in awe, Jim used his magic to pull the doors apart, letting out smoke as Toby tumbled out, coughing from the bad smell.
"Oh, that's rich," Toby groaned as he got up to his feet… and saw Jim's large sneaker in front of him. He slowly looked up towards his friend, now a giant to him.
Jim reached down and picked his tiny friend up as he sat on his palm. "You wanted a hint, man." Jim chuckled.
Toby looked down at his tiny hands and glanced back up at Jim with wide eyes. After equipping Toby with a pin as a shield, they took the tiny Trollhunter back to Bagdwella's, where Jim placed Toby in front of the hole where the gnome took refuge in, the last Jim remembered.
Toby turned around and frowned at his giant friend. "Real funny, Jimbo. 'It'll help you with a small problem'. Maybe you could've been more clear?" He complained.
"Hey, after this, I'll drop you off something. Promise." Jim said, right before he held out a nail, as a sort of warhammer. "Your sword, my liege." Toby took the nail and tried to poke Jim's hand with it… but as if he knew it was coming, he pulled his hand back before the sharp end could even touch him. "Whoo! Ha!"
Toby scoffed. "Smartalec."
Once he was ready, the Trollhunter turned to face the hole and slowly walked inside.
"Oh, one last thing to know when dealing with a gnome, Toby D." Blinky yelled after him. "And this is of dire importance: Do not touch its hat!"
"Of course I wouldn't!" Toby called back. "Why would I touch the guy's hat? It's all right there in the book!"
"You remember!"
"Of course I don't!" Toby yelped when he turned around and found a large doll head in his way.
"Should've warned you about that, too!" Toby heard Jim call out.
Creeped out, the new Trollhunter slowly walked around the head. Continuing down the tunnel, Toby heard the innocent laughter of the gnome echoing around the cave. He reached the chamber, finding the little guy chattering with a dead gnome across from him. There was the nougat nummy and the amulet with a few tankards on top, acting as a table.
"Oh, boy…" Toby said under his breath, seeing the size of the 'little' guy.
The gnome devours the entire nougat nummy and tossed a piece into the skeleton's mouth, which only bounced down its ribs and landed at the buttbone. He accidentally knocked the skeleton's head off and sent it rolling… right to Toby's feet.
Toby yelped as the gnome gasped and then growled, not happy with an intruder invading his home.
"Okay, okay," Toby said calmly. "Hey, buddy, I like nougat nummies! Maybe we could–"
The gnome lunged straight at the tiny boy, who yelped as he was tackled straight to the ground. Toby screamed as he swung the nail like a madman, trying to shoo the gnome away, until he ran for his life.
Meanwhile, Jim, Blinky, Aaarrrgghh, and Bagdwella couldn't see the pity fight happening in the hole, but could hear all of the ruckus inside, along with Toby's terrified screams and glass shattering.
"That doesn't sound favorable." Blinky said.
Back with the fight, Toby fell onto his stomach and crawled his way to the amulet, until the gnome leapt with his elbow held out to take out his opponent. Toby quickly rolled out of the way and jumped on the little guy's back. As the gnome swung him away a few feet. The Trollhunter shook his head, until he felt something in his grasp… and it was the gnome's pointy hat.
Toby stared at the red hat, petrified. "Uh… Jim…?" He said with fear as he slowly looked at the gnome. The gnome felt the horn above his head and gasped before he shouted, acting up. "Sorry, you can have it back!" The gnome chattered angrily before he scraped his feet and held his horn out like a bull. Toby held the hat out like a bullfighter as the gnome charged and he quickly moved out of the way. "Olé!"
The gnome crashed into a pile of discarded items. Toby heard a ding from his amulet and quickly leapt for it, grasping its edge.
"For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!" Toby quickly recited. The amulet glowed, shrunk itself to Toby's tiny size, and flew onto his chest. The Trollhunter Armor encased itself on Toby's body, oddly glowing with not just blue energy, but mixed with orange. The Trollhunter smirked confidently.
The gnome froze… and whimpered as he backed up.
Meanwhile, Jim waited impatiently for his friend after the ruckus had ceased. Still, he hadn't lost hope, even when he heard the gnome. Jim smiled proudly when he saw the defeated gnome being escorted out of his hole by Toby, who pointed his sword out and wore the gnome's hat on his head.
"You summoned the armor and caught the gnome!" Blinky said as he and the others applauded at Toby's first victory. "Well played, Toby D!"
"Thank you, thank you," Toby said, bowing down at his awesomeness. He tapped the gnome to keep moving as he hopped down with a frown.
"Resourceful and good-humored."
As Toby threw the pointy hat to the gnome, the latter jumped to it, until Jim trapped it in a bag. "Quick question, when does this shrink stuff wear off?" Toby suddenly yelped when Jim picked him up.
"I don't know, you look kinda cute." Jim joked. Toby just gave him an unamused frown.
"Don't worry, sleep it off." Blinky explained. "By morning, you'll be as good as new. And how you have earned it: Toby the Gnome Slayer!" Jim and Toby stared at the bag as the gnome struggled and whined, making the two somewhat remorseful. "Now, all that's left is for you to take care of it."
"Wait, now you want me to take care of that thing?" Toby asked, missing the point.
"Uh… he means rule number two, Tobes." Jim corrected uneasily.
"Always finish the fight." Blinky clarified.
Toby's eyes widened with realization. "Wait… you mean…?" He began to ask.
"Deaden. End. Le coup de grâce."
At that, Aaarrrgghh slid his finger across his throat.
Toby swallowed hard with a look of horror.
In Toby's bedroom, tiny Toby sat on his pillows, staring at the bag which currently held the gnome he was told to end. Jim sat at the end of the bed, examining his hand that had a green/blue glow. Time magic, the rawest and most dangerous forms of magic-
"I don't know, Jimbo," Toby finally spoke up, just before he sighed. "I don't think I'll have the guts to commit such a dark deed… even though I did."
"Uh… you did?" Jim asked, genuinely confused.
Toby nodded as the bag moved around the bed frantically. "Detective Snuggles. Nana warned me not to leave my chocolate lying around… but it was just after Easter and I pulled in a big haul. I never thought that cat would find my stash… but he did. And by the time I found him, it was too late."
Jim stared at him. "Death by chocolate… Uh, I think you already told me this, but I guess I didn't find that important."
"That wasn't the important part of it. I never had the heart to tell Nana, so the cover up the murder, I used to eat his cat food just to make it look like he was still around…" Toby began to sob. "And… I like it!"
Jim rolled his eyes as his tiny friend balled out again. "Okay, okay, I get it. Look, Tobes… I know Blinky said to you need to 'take care of it', but what if you just, you know… actually take care of him."
Toby wiped his eye. "That's what you did?"
Jim smiled. "Actually… what you did. You adopted him and gave him a new home here."
Toby immediately became giddy and excited. "Really?! I can keep him?"
"Sure. Just feed him some Nougat Nummies, let him stay in your Nana's dollhouse, and let him hang out with Sall-Go-Back. And one more thing, the shrinking stuff wears off much longer than Blinky told you. And on that note, I'm gonna hit the hay; got to worry about my Spanish exam and rehearsals."
As Jim got up to leave, Toby tried to reach out to stop him. "Hey, wait! Can you just accelerate the time limit here?"
"Not unless you wanna risk being turned into an old man." With that happy note, Jim leaves his tiny friend alone.
"Okay." Toby glanced at the bag containing the gnome, who had tired himself out. "Well, guess if I'm gonna take care of you, might as well give you a name, eh Gnome Chompsky?"
The next day, Jim managed to ace his Spanish exam with flying colors, without having to be shrunk like Toby. He convinced the teachers that Toby was home sick for the day. From a picture sent by Toby, he grew back into his original size, and made quick friends with Chompsky, who settled into his dollhouse with his favorite Sally-Go-Back doll.
After classes, Jim attended rehearsals he originally missed, due to his trollhunting duties. As such, Ms. Janeth had no need of Steve as an understudy.
Finally, after a literally long day, Jim entered his house, yawning from exhaustion. He walked into the kitchen, went through his fridge, and pulled out some leftover steak. As the original Trollhunter reheated his dinner… something was stalking him through the window before it went up to the window of the boy's bedroom.
After dinner, the Trollhunter went upstairs to his bedroom… and found a mysterious box sitting on his desk. It looked old, like it was medieval.
Jim looked around, finding it suspicious that something would just drop something off in his bedroom. He slowly walked up to his desk, also finding a note on top of the box. He unfolded the paper, written in very elegant handwriting:
In this adventure reborn, beware the Thresholds
Knowledge of future and what could be upholds
Cross a Threshold Event, choices before set in stone
Eternal reality shall break, if past event meddled alone
Ninth Configuration, hone your temporal might
This tool shall guide you to seek prevail in sight
"Thresholds? A tool?" Jim repeated in confusion.
The original Trollhunter glanced down at the box sitting on his desk, suspecting who would drop this off. Being wary, Jim places his hand on the top, takes a deep breath… and slowly opens it. Jim's eyes widen in wonder when he sees some sort of galaxy-like mist inside. He reached in and pulled out a more familiar small box made of ivory with switches sticking out, and Trollish written in the front. Pulling out his amulet, Jim shined its light on the letters, translating the words to English.
"'Time is eternal'." Jim read out loud. He popped-open the object, flipped one of the switches, and two glass circles popped out, revealing a blue orb with a line shaped like an infinity loop. One look, and Jim realized what it was…
"Merlin's Time Map!"
He remembered his old wizard friend, Douxie, utilizing this when they, along with Claire and Steve, were time-jumped into the distant past, during the Dark Ages. Douxie used this to correct the old timeline and protect the future from their meddling. Of course, it also offered possible futures, but according to Merlin, most had no real basis. And since Jim had restarted the timeline, maybe this was supposed to help him make sure everything goes accordingly.
Intrigued, Jim quickly sat on his bed and stared into the orb. He touched the line with his hand and moved it to his left, revealing a picture of himself and Toby in their armor.
"Whoa… what?" Jim said in wonder.
As he continued, he saw his mother and Strickler having wine together, himself acting with Claire for the play, a stalking, Toby and Jim talking with Eli Pepperjack and Steve Palchuk, Jim (in his Magiktech Armor) hugging Claire, who looked sad…
"Huh?" Jim said, taken aback by this possible future.
Curiously, the Trollhunter swiped the orb's line back to his right, then swiped downward… seeing more vague events based on possible choices. He saw himself explaining something to Claire, who now had a look like she wasn't believing anything… and herself laying dead. Jim gasped, realizing that speaking to Claire too early would result in her inevitable death: he had to wait until the time came she'd learn about the trolls.
Swiping again, he saw himself talking with… Eli?
Jim noticed that in every single potential event, it always ended with a picture of Killahead Bridge, perhaps the Battle of the Museum is always going to happen, whether it be sooner or later. Maybe this was a Threshold Event the letter warned him about; major events and choices that'll set up the new timeline up to the Titans. Once the museum battle comes to pass, Jim cannot use his time magic to go back and interfere with events set in stone directly; it could break reality as they know it.
"Well, this definitely just got interesting," Jim said to himself as he closed the map, shutting off the orb.
So, clearly, the map is capable of showing him potential events that'll lead up to the museum battle. Even if he could warn his friends too soon of the bridge's whereabouts, it could still affect the future afterwards. As Douxie once warned him, the new timeline could be worse if Jim uses too much of his knowledge.
"Okay, so I have to play along in my old adventures and use my memories and time magic to protect my friends and reality itself?" Jim asked himself. "And I can't screw up events after a Threshold or else I could start a Time-pocalypse and end the universe as we know it, just like the Arcane Order wants?" He rubbed his head. "Oh, boy… my brain hurts."
He remembered when he fixed Mary's own Spanish exam, which made her win a bet she had with Claire. If even the minor changes he made by just fixing someone's work problem could affect everyone's fate, who knows what'll happen if his friends' choices of freewill could do to the new future.
He reopened the Time Map and saw himself talking with Eli. "Looks like I'll have to recruit a new support friend for Toby."
A/N: I'm sorry it took so long, but you have to understand, coming up with something new can be harder than it sounds, and it's kind of what sets off my writer's block. Plus, I enjoy reading other fanfics like the rest of you.
To kick off, I wanted to give this chapter a little bit of a Life is Strange vibe, like a "this action will have consequences" sort of deal. Jim is a good person, and normally people with the ability to control time itself would use it for their own benefits. The instances Jim used his magic (pausing and rewinding to save time) was to experiment with it and understand his limits and consequences of meddling with time. (ex: Correcting Mary's error in her paper, which inadvertently prompts her to win a bet she secretly had with Claire; which Jim never knew about)
And yes, Jim now has Merlin's Time Map, which shows him vague pictures of possible futures, and major events that'll build up the future are called Threshold Events, like the second Battle of Killahead Bridge. Jim and his friends' choices would affect how the Threshold Event could play out, but the outcomes of the Thresholds are what shape most events that could happen no matter what. Like for example (and this is completely theoretical): if Toby dies while fighting Bular, it'll affect the next Threshold and events that'll connect to it. Jim cannot directly interfere with moments past the Threshold outcome that came to pass. If he did, it'll be like what the non-canon Morgana did in Defenders of Arcadia; he could start a Time-pocalypse and endanger reality. He could fix it or he can't, it'll be hard to explain, but it'll probably never happen; it's just Jim following VERY strict directions NOT to mess with time or something like that could happen.
Who gave Jim the Time Map will come up... in the future. Let me know what you guys think so far. I'm doing the best I can to appease your love for the Tales of Arcadia franchise.
Anyway, in the next chapter, as Toby trains himself harder, Jim recruits a certain Creepslayer into the new Team Trollhunters. All the while, Jim can't risk exposing the Killahead Bridge's whereabouts too soon at the risk of his friends' lives. Best chance he could have is to play along with Toby's story while being aware of his own.
Let me know what you think.