Age of Lions
Chapter 9
Counseling
Talia leaped jumping from branch to branch at high speeds with the green little changeling riding on the back of her shoulders. When they've reached at the center of the forest Talia bounced of from the last branch and came down landing gracefully on her feet. She looked at her surroundings with nothing there but trees, dirt and rock. "Are you sure this is where our so-called help will arrive?" She asked him. "No. Must be the other side of the woods. Of course, it is! Geese try to have a little faith will yah." NotEnrique said.
"You don't have to be all grouchy about it, Mr. Cranky-pants." Talia rolled her eyes.
"Hah, ha," a voice of laughter was heard. "I think it's way past your bedtime young man." Talia recognized that English accent before. She had not seen him ever since that battle at the museum where she'd fell into Killahead. They turned to the shadowy part of the woods a silhouette walked slowly out into the moonlight revealing himself none other than her once former history teacher. "Strickler?"
"It's been a long time hasn't Miss Sturges?" he said taking a notice of her hair-cut." I see that you've taken a different look."
"Not by choice," She held a little strand of her short silver hair. She shook her head to retain focus. "Wow. Wait a minute what are you doing here? I thought you ran out of town from after the whole Angor-rot deal."
"Oh, come now little protégé," A raspy female voice came from the other side of the woods. Talia looked over from her shoulder seeing a familiar woman with dark green eyes, short black hair, and in a purple dress. "Nomura!" Talia surprised to see her as well. "You're here too? Why?"
"NotEnrique's 'Troll Gossip' page," Nomura held out her phone showing her the website's message board. "It's also a social media. Oh, and that video of Usurna's embarrassing secret. I did not see that coming." She smirked with a slight chuckle. Talia's eye's bulged out wide with an unbelievable expression. She turned to NotEnrique and said, "You brought Strickler and Nomura here with your media page?!" "Heh, it has its resources," He shrugged.
Nomura scrolled down on her phone looking at another interesting part on the page. "I have to say you and Marshall are quite the celebrities here. You two love birds are ranked number two on the couples list." She said showing the same picture that Mary took of her, and Marshall kissing covered with colorful canvas paint they were in they what was once the art room. On the day they were stuck on Saturday detention. Talia's face turned bright red in embarrassment. I thought that told Mary to delete that image! But she'd also wondered how exact that photo ended up on Troll Gossip. Until she'd realized, Talia slowly turned, glaring at the little green imp still sitting on her back, 'You. . . are in so. . . much trouble.'
"Now. Speaking of which, I've been previously informed that Young Atlas and your other fellow Trollhunter's have on MIA, and somehow Kilfred, Vendel's great-grandfather is here in the present and has taken control, and at risk exposing and putting troll-kinds lives at stake. Yes?"
"You might say that," Talia said knowing all too well that he'd read NotEnriques message on that from Troll Gossip. "With Jim and rest of my friends vanished into thin air. Kilfred just popped up out of nowhere all because of that stupid Kairosect. And now he's going to start a whole uprising invasion on the town if I don't stop him before anyone else gets hurt."
"Then why don't you stop him and take command of the trolls?" Strickler asked.
"Excuse me," Talia raised an eyebrow confused.
"In history, Kings, Queens, Sultans, and many emperors' alike challenge one another to claim territory. Take command, take control, lead it's people to earn their loyalty and respect. If you are to face Kilfred and prove your worth the trolls will follow you." Strickler clarified.
"B-but. . .I can't face and fight Kilfred," Talia said, before her face turned all sadden. "Even if I did, I be no better than my ancestors and the trolls would resent and fear me even more. Besides I'm no leader like Jim or. . .Vendel." The thought of her mentor's face haunt her and her wounds were beginning to open back up again. Strickler and Nomura could sense the girl's grief for they were aware of the tragic tale of Vendel's murder. NotEnrique looked at the girl's sad face reminding him of Claire of how upset she was about her baby brother taken to the Darklands. Before he was about to say something a sudden sound of tussling in the woods was close by.
Talia transformed into her anthropomorphic lion form and used her in heightened sense of smell. She slouched her shoulders and face turned completely annoyed knowing exactly who it was. "Oh, no." She face-palmed herself.
. . .
Steve saw the moonlit edge of the woods just ahead and said, "We're getting closer."
"Aw, I'm glad you feel that way too, Steve," said Eli with a happy smile. "The greatness weapon in the creep slaying arsenal is our friendship!"
"What?" said Steve.
"Who'd have thought?" Eli continued, unaware of the disgust on Steve's face. "One day you're shoving me in a locker the next you're – "
Steve pushed Eli into some shrubs.
Stepping at the treeline, they crouched low and peered between two oaks. They saw Arcadia oak's Main Street just beyond them and Kilfred's Troll parade walking right toward it. The lampposts lit up their bulky stone bodies as they passed the various shops and restaurants, studying their own curious reflections in the windows. Fortunately, the Trolls had arrived after hours, and everything was closed with no human residents in sight.
"For once, I'm glad this loser town doesn't have a night life scene," Steve muttered.
"You're right," said Eli. "Yes, most of our neighbors are asleep right now, but someone's bound to notice Kilfred's search and destroy party sooner or later unless. . ."
"Unless what?" Steve asked.
"Unless we can convince the Trolls that Arcadia is so dangerous, they'd be better off back in the warehouse," Eli mused "It's a classic smoke and mirrors campaign."
"Then it's a good thing I brought the smoke," Steve said with a grin as he held up the rounded crystals, he took from the troll crate.
"Smoke bombs?" said Eli in hushed awe recognizing the similarity they bore the one's his mom bought from the magic shop.
The Creepslayerz ninja-ed out of the woods and over to Main Street. They stopped every now and then to duck behind a statue or drop and roll onto the ground like commandos – even though the Trolls weren't even looking in their direction.
"Look at these crass, pointless edifices the flesh-bags have built," Steve and Eli heard Kilfred say from their current location behind a park bench. "Since when do mighty Trolls cower from a species that needs to purchase it's magic from a shop."
The Creepslayerz peeked long enough to see the other trolls mutter in a agreement with Kilfred's statements. Some started knocking over public trash cans, punching mailboxes, and rocking the parked cars, setting off their theft alarms.
"It's no or never," said Eli. "Let's go!"
"This is for the graduating class of Arcadia Oaks High!" Steve shouted. "Go Moles!"
With that Steve called upon his years of baseball practice and threw the smoke bombs at the Trolls.
A massive fireball mushroomed into the night air, setting off any remainin car alarms that the Trolls had not yet triggered. The force of the explosion knocked Steve of his feet and sent Eli tumbling after him. They landed in the park adjacent to Main Street, their airs ringing, and faces blackened with soot. Unharmed by the blast, the assembled Trolls retreated from the blazing remains of Alex's arcade and whipped into an even greater frenzy than before.
"Do you see?" hollered Kilfred, pointing at the inferno behind him. "The flesh-bags fear our superiority, so they now seek to attack us! Must we Trolls suffer again at their mad whims? It's time for us to retaliate int kind!"
The black and white Troll led his followers on a tear away from Main Street and into Arcadia Oaks at Large.
"I don't think that was a smoke bomb," reasoned Eli.
"Nah, it was a Dwarkstone grenade, yah dorks," sniped a familiar voice behind them.
Steve and Eli turned and discovered Talia with a disapproving position, her arms crossed, and her face serious. With NotEnrique on her back, and with Strickler and Nomura present.
"What on earth did you guys do?!" Talia said displeased.
"Uh. . .well. . .we-"Eli tried to explained.
"I told you that this is really serious stuff," she said. "You two were suppose to be back at your homes, not risk getting yourselves killed, and to make matters worst. Kilfred is now more determined than ever to invade Arcadia."
"