merendinoemiliano-Why thank you!
christyqueen104-Hehe, he's my adorable baby boy! And thank you! 3
To say Jim was restless was an understatement. He felt like he had been waiting for Carbak to return for, like, forever. He wouldn't be surprised if he had caused a groove in the floor with all his pacing. Sure, he could've wandered out into Dwoza, but he didn't think he could stand all the stares. Besides, he had a feeling Carbak wanted him to stay in the cave.
As for the books, he really should've paid more attention to Blinky when he tried to teach him Trollish.
A high-pitched whine filled the room, but Jim didn't even bother to stop it. He just wanted his friend back.
Someone cleared their throat, making him yip in alarm. He scrambled back to his niche and cowered there, before he finally registered who it was.
"Oh, it's just you," Jim sighed, relaxing and leaving his niche. "Sorry, I…yeah. Sorry."
"Don't worry about it," Carbak rumbled, stepping further into the cave. "Didn't mean to startle you. Missing your friends, huh?" He held out a basket of dirty white socks.
"Yeah," he admitted, taking the basket. Then he remembered he was supposed to have amnesia, and hastily added, "I mean, I don't know exactly who I'm missing, but I feel like I have someone out there, you know?" He popped a sock into his mouth and started chewing, relishing the flavor.
"About that…" Carbak rubbed his neck before plopping down on a stack of books. "I-I think it's better if you stay here."
"Until I get better, right?"
"No, uh…" he grimaced. "Geez, I'm bad at this…no, for the rest of your life."
"WHAT?!" Jim demanded, getting to his feet. The basket rolled on the floor, forgotten. "What do you mean, 'the rest of my life?'"
"Hey, hey, calm down," Carbak urged, placing his hand on Jim's shoulder and gently pushing him to his seat. "You're still injured, remember?"
He glared at him and crossed his arms, refusing to admit that standing up that fast had made him dizzy. "Even if I have no memory, I know there are people-trolls-waiting for me. You expect me to never see them again?!"
"No, but-wait, yes, I-" Carbak groaned and put his head in his hands. "Kid, I know you're upset, but can you please calm down for a second and let me explain?"
Jim badly wanted to say no, but he bit his lip and nodded.
The other troll sighed in relief and straightened. "Jim…before I tell you why you shouldn't return, I need to tell you the story of berserker trolls. You asked why the trolls here look alike-it's because we're the same kind. We're all berserker trolls. That's why there are so few of us here."
Jim's eyes widened. That was new. He had never heard of a trollmarket with only one type of troll. Now he was intrigued to learn more.
"We used to live in England, with all the other trolls," he continued. "Not just berserkers. The trollmarket there was called Dwoza-which is we gifted this place with the same name. It reminds us of simpler times." Then he chuckled bitterly. "Ah, who am I kidding? Those weren't simpler times. They were full of violence and war-so much war."
There was a distant look in his eyes, no doubt remembering his haunted past. Well, Jim could relate to that.
With a snort, Carbak shook himself and hastily plunged on. "Kid, here's what makes berserker trolls so 'unique'-we get a crazy bloodlust in battle. Supernatural bloodlust, if you will. It's just part of our nature. Long ago, the best warrior trolls in each tribe mated with one another, and over several generations, the berserker troll race was born. Everyone wanted us on their side in war, we were so adept at fighting."
"But-but isn't that a good thing?" Jim asked, his voice very small.
A stony look entered Carbak's eyes. "It is, until you can't break free of your battle-crazed state and you end up killing the very side you were deemed to protect."
Jim's heart stopped. N-no, he couldn't be half of-half of that. Merlin wouldn't turn him into something so dangerous, right?
He laughed humorlessly. Oh, who was he kidding. Of course Merlin would do that. And the worst part? Jim could see how he was a berserker troll. All those times when he was fighting, he always wanted more of it, didn't he? Wanted to maim, to kill. It was like he was under some kind of sickening trance.
That thing in the Deep was right. Jim was a monster, like him.
Carbak wearily sat down on a stone slab. "When a war against Gunmar was inevitable, we left. We didn't want to be taken advantage of by the Gumm-Gumm king, and we didn't want to hurt any more of our friends. We sailed to the so-called New World to find a new Heartstone. There was an enormous one in New Jersey, but we suspected other trolls might migrate there, so we decided to keep looking. Then we found this small one here in Colorado, and it was perfect. We've been living here ever since." He absentmindedly traced a finger over his palm. "As for the handshake…well, we used to talk to humans quite a bit. Stupid idea, I know, but we wanted the company. When it was obvious they might start hunting us, we retreated underground and only go above surface if we have to. Now we are just legends and myths."
He sat back and fixated his gaze on Jim. "Do you get it now, youngling? Do you get why we isolate ourselves? We don't want to, believe me, but…it's for the best."
The horrible thing was, Jim agreed with him. Even if he had never consumed that gravesand, how long would it have been until he hurt his friends of his own volition? After all, it was part of his nature. He shuddered, remembering Claire's lifeless body in his nightmare. No. No, he wouldn't risk going back, only to cause her and his friends more pain. Or even worse, death.
Maybe…maybe Carbak was right. Maybe it was better if he stayed-
The amulet on Jim's chest whirred to life. He gasped, staring down on the frantically spinning gears.
Carbak yelled and stumbled back, knocking over piles of books. "Wha-what kind of sorcery is that?!" he demanded.
Before Jim could answer, the streaks of scarlet magic flowed from the flashing amulet. The streaks swirled through the air, before coming together and forming the figure of a very familiar wizard.
"James Lake Jr.," Merlin uttered, "we need your help."
A/N: Whoo boy, that was indeed a lot of exposition. But now that that's out of the way, the beginnings of a rescue mission are underway! Let's hope Jim won't beat himself too much over their kidnapping…(who am I kidding, it's Jim. He's gonna blame himself)
Btw, the berserker trolls left before the Battle of Killahead, which is why they aren't in Wizards. (according to this fic). But thank you guys for reading, and please leave a review :)