Age of Lions

Chapter 12

From Eli to Romeo?!

"Well, well, well," said Strickler with a disappointing tsk. "Why am I not surprised?"

Talia furrowed her eyebrows staring at the two numbskulls clutching each other on the park lawn. "Guys look what you did!" She pointed out towards Main Street now in flames caused by their recklessness. "I told you two to go home! I can't babysit you while dealing with Kilfred who might possibly be leading the trolls to their doom and start some sort of uprising on the whole town."

"We were just trying to help," Steve feeling a bit ashamed.

Talia sighed covering her face in frustration, "Look. Just hand over the stuff you found from the warehouse, before you get yourselves hurt or make matters worse than it already is now."

Then the oncoming sirens wailed, the Arcadia Oaks Police and Fire Department arrived in a hurry, parking their cars and engines haphazardly along Main Street. Strickler's eyes narrowed whey they spied Detective Scott emerge from one of the squad cars.

"You were right to contact us," Strickler said to NotEnrique. "You, Nomura, and Talia stay here with youmd Steven and Elijah while I handle Detective Scott. The last thing we need right now is someone tracing this fiasco back to the warehouse."

"You're going to talk to the cops?" groused Steve. "But you're . . . you're . . ."

"Still and upstanding, law-abiding citizen of Arcadia Oaks, as far as anyone else knows," Strickler finished, his eyes flashing yellow before reverting to a more human appearance.

Stunned by their former teacher's peepers, the Creepslayerz watched Strickler trot over to Detective Scott- until NotEnrique slapped both of them along the backs of their heads.

"You heard 'im," said the green imp. "Turn out yer pockets, cosplayers."

"That's Creepslayerz – with a z," Steve insisted.

He and Eli grudgingly handed over everything they had taken from Rot-Gut's crates. NotEnrique rummaged through the small mountain of "borrowed" Troll goods, taking inventory.

"Let's see here," said NotEnrique. "We got four old, dirty, rusted swords –"

"Greco-Roman spathas," Nomura corrected.

"One Horngazel key," NotEnrique continued. "One Glamour Mask-"

"What's that do?" Steve interrupted, pointing at the odd, Tikki-like Troll mask.

"Changes yer appearance," said NotEnrique. "If yer not lucky enough to be a natural-born shap-shifter like yours truly. And it's a good thing ya didn't break it. I went through a lot of trouble to find that thing!"

Steve looked back at the firefighters hosing down Alex's Arcade. Beside them, he saw Strickler have a friendly chat with Detective Scott. Steve thought he overheard mention of a "gas main leak" before they shook hands, and Strickler returned to the relative privacy of the park."

"Did they buy the 'gas main leak?" Talia asked.

"Hook, line, and Strickler," smirked Strickler. "That excuse is an oldie, but a goodie. Now we just have to find a way to return Kilfred and his gaglgle of irate Trolls back to the warehouse. But I fear nothing short of Gunmar himself will scare them back into hiding. They are fearless right now."

NotEnrique fixed a suspicious look at the Creepslayerz and asked, "You two got anything else tucked away in yer undies?"

"Just this cool necklace I found," said Eli, putting his head through the loop of twine.

Talia and the Changelings' eyes bulged in alarm before Talia shouted, "Eli, don't!"

But it was too late. Eli now wore the necklace.

"What's the big deal?" Steve asked NotEnrique.

Eli's eye twitched. Animal noises gurgled from his throat, and his body convulsed.

"That's no mere necklace," Strickler said. "The Grit-Shaka banishes all fear from the Trolls in times of war."

"Jim used it once before. And it not only got rid of the fear, but it also turned his persona into an arrogant weird-o before Jinx took it off him," Talia explained.

As if on cue, Eli stopped moving, his back to the group. They watched in apprehension as he calmly straightened his posture, removed his glasses, and swept back hair. In one smooth motion, Eli spun his heels, snapped his fingers, and flashed every one a wide, debonair smile.

"Eli?" asked Steve.

"Call me, 'Romeo,'" Eli said, winking at Miss Nomura.

NotEnrique cracked up again. As Eli strutted over to the pile of confiscated Troll gear and picked up the Horngazel, Steve, explained, "Pepperwhack was up for the lead role in Romeo and Juliet, until Lake scored it with that preppy armor of his."

"All right, Romeo," said Strickler. "Playtime's over. Put down the Horngazel and remove the Grit-Shaka at once."

"Nah, I don't think so, Walt," Eli retorted. "Someone's gotta stop those Trolls and that someone. . . is Romeo!"

Without warning, Eli gallantly dipped Ms. Nomura and planted a kill right on her lips.

"ELI!" Talia shouted at Eli's unpredictable stunted caused by the Gumm-Gumm totem's magic.

"Oi!" yelled NotErinque as Eli grabbed him by the scruff and ran off down Main Street.

"Eli – I mean, Romeo!" Steve called after him. "Where you goin?"

"I'm gonna fimd that Gunmar guy Walt just mentioned!" Eli shouted before disappearing around the corner with NotEnrique. "And then I'm gonna Pepperjack him up!"

"ELI, WAIT!" Talia shouted chasing after the brave idiot along with Steve, Strickler and Nomura. 'Ugh! How in the world did I end up babysitting with him and Steve in the first place?!'