Becoming

They still had some time until the arranged meeting with Blinky and Aaarrrgghh. But Jim couldn't really enjoy his time with Toby for the day hadn't been easy on him. Of all that happened, history had been the worst despite mentally and emotionally preparing himself as best as he could before he faced Strickler. But seeing him in front of the class in his troll form with wounds that were clearly from an explosion had been nothing compared to what he had experienced after briefly speaking with Claire!

Sure, he remembered all of Dream-Jim's near-death experiences. Something like that was hard to forget. But for him to really experience it… He wouldn't be able to forget that exact moment of panic and the subsequent adrenaline rush for a long time.

"Try to relax, Jimbo," Toby's voice broke through his thoughts.

Looking at him questioningly, he followed Toby's gaze, which wasn't directed at him, but at his right hand, which wasn't gripping the handlebar of his bike. Instead, he had clenched it into a fist. Only at that moment did Jim realize how much it already hurt and consciously relaxed his hand.

"Thanks," he said quietly and saw Toby nod approvingly out of the corner of his eye.

"You're really lucky you literally fell on Douxie's doorstep. But really," his friend then said before laughing shortly, "what you did to Archie wasn't so nice. But when you tell Blinky that you tricked a wizard's familiar, I'm sure he'll be very proud of you."

"Yeah." Jim chuckled. "But I'm not sure I should mention it."

"Why not?" Toby asked, and together they dodged oncoming pedestrians who were staring at their cell phones instead of looking ahead as they walked.

"I dunno… Despite my headache I spent today's lunch break pondering whether there is such a thing as fixed points in the course of time. You know, some things already went differently from the timeline in my dream. Yes, I got the Amulet and Blinky and Aaarrrgghh found me. And..."

"And?"

Slowly, Jim's hand slid into his pocket and pulled out the slip of paper with Strickler's phone number.

"What's that?" Stretching his neck, Toby looked at the piece of paper and with wide eyes asked in disbelief, "Is this Strickler's number?"

Mutely, Jim nodded. But it wasn't until the two left the foothills of downtown Arcadia and entered the forest that he found the words to express what was going through his mind.

"I know so many things, Tobes. But it's so hard to sort it all out in my head or think about what's important right now. What I should be doing. Dream-I didn't have Douxie for the fights with Bular, the changelings and Gunmar. Let alone Angor Rot. But now, as you say, I've just fallen into his door. Is this a sign of fate? Pure coincidence? What will happen if I let him in on everything? Would I change everything that is to come? And what about Stickler and my mom? I would love to tell her this early on what's happening. It would make so many things easier. But I fear that I can't because if I want to bring Strickler and her together, they first have to get to know each other on neutral, human, terrain. But if I'm careful and he doesn't even find out that I'm the new Trollhunter, then he won't come to us. But then he will also not feign feelings for her that will eventually turn into real ones! Or will it just happen for whatever reason anyway, because it's such a fixed point? What if everything changes and in the end I don't know anymore what will happen because everything has changed!"

Frustrated, Jim kicked a large rock and watched as it hit a tree and a piece of bark came loose.

"You know, Jim, it was good that you let me in on it. Brainstorming alone can't be healthy when you have so much information to sort out. But for today you should try not to think about all that. You meant the first time we visited Trollmarket you were in the Hero's Forge?"

"Yes."

"Then stop worrying about how you're going to get the best possible future out of it for all of us and focus on not getting skewered today, my friend. Because that's what's going to happen when your head is somewhere other than your body."

"Since when did you become the voice of reason?" Jim couldn't help but ask with a smile curving his lips.

"Since you told me I could be a hammer-wielding duke who could date Darci Scott. And since my best friend's head almost burst because of that dream. I can imagine that this is totally mentally exhausting. That's why you need my voice of reason by your side. Because I may not be good at sports, but this mind here," he tapped his temple with his index finger, "hasn't just seen all the Gun Robot movies. Without bragging, I'm probably the second biggest nerd at our school after Eli, and I've got knowledge stored away that will serve us very well in the future. So, young Padawan, patience you must have and trust in me."

How right Toby was. Just the fact that Jim could share his thoughts with him already helped him to not lose his mind. And the longer his friend spoke, the more the warm feeling of their friendship spreading in his chest banished that cold panic of fear and loss that he had felt at the sight of Toby since he had woken from that memory-dream.

When they arrived under the bridge a little later and Jim glanced at his watch to make sure they were on time, Toby frowned.

"How do we make ourselves known now? I don't think you have a magic door knocker we can use to show them that we're here?"

"Don't worry, Tobes, I'm prepared for that," Jim reassured him. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and extended his arm.

"Ooooh I know what you're doing. You're calling your Amulet again, am I right? This is exciting!" Jim could literally feel him bouncing up and down. But then he became serious again. "But don't you think it's noticeable and suspicious when a blue glowing object flies through the forest from where we live?"

"It's a magical object, Tobes," Jim whispered intently, feeling his skin warming up where the Amulet would be attached to his chest. "And in this reality, I intend to use the magic."

In his mind's eye, he imagined how the gemstone in it started to glow and the gears began to turn faster and faster. "For the glory of Merlin, be with me."

And with those words, Jim willed the Amulet to be in his hand.

And, admittedly, it was a strange sensation to feel the magical tingling condensing over his skin. But seconds later, when he felt the familiar pulsing metal in his hand, Jim opened his eyes again and smiled. Ignoring Toby's excited squeak so as not to lose the connection to the magic, he stepped up to the wall and carefully held the Amulet against it.

Again, he closed his eyes and focused on the memory of how Merlin had used the Amulet to create a burst of energy. But Jim didn't want one of those. Somehow, if possible, he had to make it so it didn't tear a hole in the sewer wall. He didn't want to be responsible for the bridge becoming unstable - or collapsing in the worst case. And this risk was quite real because he wasn't yet familiar with the power that he held in his hands.

"You can do it, Jimbo," Toby interrupted his brooding thoughts, and when Jim looked at him, his heart warmed once more. His loyal friend, who had always built him up with his optimistic moral support, had actually already shown him how it has to be done. It was purely a question of will. It had been Toby's will to believe Jim's story and to get excited about this new situation. And it had been his will to stand by his side and walk this path with him.

With a grateful nod, Jim, while closing his eyes again, reached within and felt for the Amulet's power. It had been his will to take the Amulet and use its power after all. And therefore, at that very moment, there was no room for self-doubt that his 15-year-old self wasn't strong enough for this task. He just had to do it, like seconds before, when he called his Amulet.

'I'm the Trollhunter,' he thought to Merlin's creation to give himself confidence. 'And you are mine to command. Tell them we're here…'

And when a low hum appeared within him, spreading slowly and deliberately before him like a shield, Jim knew it was working. He first opened one eye, only to immediately turn both eyes with a relieved "Ha" to the blue light that shone like a heat lamp on the stone without causing any damage.

"Whatever you did, Jim, it's working," Toby also cheered, and only moments later the two of them saw cracks forming in the wall, quickly growing larger, and the dislodging slabs of stone sliding around in a diffuse swirl of mist so that a passageway appeared in the center.

Quickly, the two took their bikes and entered the realm of the trolls.

There, with one ear he heard Blinky's explanations, Toby's enthusiastic exclamations, and felt the familiar presence of Aaarrrgghh behind him. But his heart, like his gaze, had turned to the destination at the bottom of the stairs. The more steps he descended, the more the feeling welled up in him of coming home.

And at that very moment, he knew he had done right to go this way, come what might.

Standing there with his best friend, Jim couldn't help but admire the magnificent sight of Heartstone Trollmarket - how the wide staircase connected the different levels with the living caves and stores, how the bridges overcame the dark abyss, that the many trolls went about their day's work unperturbed, and how above everything the gentle and majestic light of the Heartstone gave life to them all.

It was almost as if Jim could feel the warm pulsation within him again that had once given him strength as well.

But when Blinky gestured for them to move on, he knew it was getting serious. And while Toby impressed the two trolls with his knowledge of minerals and rocks and their group went on a sightseeing tour through Trollmarket to show him the local features, paths and shortcuts, Jim caught up with his mentor.

"Um, Blinky, since I'm the first human trollhunter, I'm sure the other trolls won't be thrilled about it. Who do you think I'll have to convince the most?"

"A very good observation, Master Jim. But don't worry too much, the Amulet has chosen you and even though we trolls are very stubborn creatures, eventually everyone will accept it if you prove yourself worthy of the task through your actions," his mentor said in a firm voice, as if he had no doubt that Jim would prove himself worthy. Where he got this confidence from, Jim didn't know. But it felt good. Really good.

"Draal," Aaarrrgghh interjected, and Blinky nodded.

"Ah yes, there is, of course, someone who will be in direct communication with you. There is Vendel, our tribal elder and thus head of Trollmarket. We don't need to worry about him, though. Draal, on the other hand..."

"What about this Draal?" Toby wanted to know, and the two of them gave each other a knowing look.

"Well, how should I put this..."

"Kanjigar's son," Aaarrrgghh helped him out and Jim nodded gratefully. With this information, he could address Draal accordingly without his two troll friends suspecting that he already knew more than would have been normal.

And as if they had summoned him by talking about him, they already heard his shouting voice.

"What is this?" the blue bulky troll with the impressive horns demanded to know while invading Jim's personal space.

"I can explain, Draal," Blinky stammered, tapping his sixteen fingertips against each other in quick succession.

But the other was having none of it. "Human feet have never sullied the ground of Trollmarket before. Who are these fleshbags?"

Jim remembered all too well the first time he had cowered before Draal in his memory-dream. But this time he remained upright, even though he saw how much the troll would have liked to stare him literally into the ground. And before his mentor had the opportunity, Jim spoke up.

"I know it might be hard to believe, but I'm the new Trollhunter."

And while the crowd that had gathered around them all gasped in shock, Draal's gaze darkened.

"You can't be the Trollhunter. You're not a troll!"

And Jim was just able to jump to safety when the son of his predecessor lashed out with both arms, ramming his fists into the ground with full force. He almost lost his balance from the motion, but feeling Aaarrrgghh's supporting presence behind and above him, he was able to quickly compose himself again.

"Amulet chose," his big friend gave his thoughts on the matter before Draal roared and Blinky spoke up again.

"Try to remain calm. You-" Only to be interrupted by Jim, who had stepped away from Aaarrrgghh again.

"Let me show you then. For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command."

And while the armor formed around him, Jim didn't take his eyes off the troll in front of him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bagdwella gesturing wildly with one arm and complaining, "A human? Protecting us?" while another femme fainted behind her. All the while Draal clenched his fists and bristled with anger.

"Bushigal! I am Draal, son of Kanjigar and the Amulet's rightful heir! When my father fell, the honor should have passed to me."

Ah yes, Jim had forgotten that Draal would introduce himself as such. But he remembered the movement half a breath before the troll really reached for the Amulet. He quickly extended his arm in the universal stop gesture and took a step back, interrupting Draal's attempt to take what was now his. Taking a deep breath, he seriously looked at his hopefully soon to be friend.

"My sincere condolences for your loss, Draal, son of Kanjigar. For the loss of all of you," Jim also addressed the rest of the trolls listening to him. "I don't know why Merlin's Amulet chose me, but since it has a magical life of its own, it will have had its reasons. Know that I will do everything in my power to fulfill this duty as the Trollhunter."

"We'll see what Vendel has to say about this," Draal growled.

"Feel free to fetch him. In the meanwhile, lots of Trollhunter business to be done. Draal, wonderful to see you as always," Blinky said and then slipped past him.

Quickly, to avoid another confrontation in front of everyone for the moment, Jim followed Blinky and the others. And it wasn't long before they turned into a narrow passageway over which hung, emblematically, the Trollhunter's sword.

"Whoa! Wh- Whoa!" Toby admired his reflection in the insanely smooth surface of the stone in the passage that led them to the Hero's Forge.

"Just wait until you see those killer training tools Blinky is so proud of," Jim whispered to him.

And after they had looked around the Hero's Forge extensively, it really didn't take long for his mentor to get down to business.

"Master Jim, I'm afraid now that Draal has already taken notice of you before I've had a chance to instruct you first, it's even more important to start your training immediately.

"Aaaand it begins," Jim muttered.

"Step back, please," Blinky turned to Toby and Aaarrrgghh.

And while the two did so, Jim chose a wider stance while shifting his weight to his front feet to quickly dodge what would want to make him a head shorter in just a few moments.

Blinky, meanwhile, wasn't pleased. "A little further, Tobias!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Jim saw Toby take just one more step back, and a warning feeling shot through his chest. But before he could turn and shout to him that that wouldn't do, he heard Blinky say, "Oh, very well," just before all hell broke loose in the form of razor-sharp giant sickles and blades hacking at them from all sides.

How they managed not to be pierced or slashed by the blades was a mystery to Jim in retrospect. He couldn't recall any conscious movement. But what felt like an eternity later, he found himself leaning against the stone wall that surrounded the Heroes' Forge, breathing heavily. It didn't help him at that moment that Blinky called out to him that he had excellent reflexes.

"Great, but maybe we could start off easy? Like, you know, with less grindy things?" Jim asked with a pleading undertone. For yeah, he might have fought so much against old powers and won in his dream-memory. Here, at that moment, he simply had skinny arms and legs that had held merely a baseball bat a few years back. There wasn't much of well-distributed muscle mass and endurance yet. In any case, he was glad that he had kept his armor on this time.

"Blinkous Galadrigal," a familiar voice then sounded. Jim saw his mentor, startled, press the button that stopped the mechanism of the exercise equipment. And as the long holders of the blades disappeared back into their columns and the sickles into the ground, Jim saw Vendel approaching their small group.

"Blinkous Galadrigal," he shouted again in a stern tone and Jim could see that he was anything but in a good mood.

And while he couldn't take his eyes off the old troll, who had grown fond of him and taught him many things despite his always seemingly discontented manner, he still caught Toby turning indignantly to Blinky.

"That's your name?" he asked, his breathing no longer sounding like a wheezing bear while stepping up to Jim.

"Horrible, I know," Blinky admitted.

"Are you kidding me? That name is super cool. Especially because it reminds me of a badass Elf from Lord of the Rings..." he muttered the last sentence in Jim's direction.

And, well, if Jim was honest, Toby wasn't wrong about that. Only Vendel's next words prevented him from grinning at the thought.

"I wish to meet the fleshbag chosen by the Amulet. I am Vendel, son of Rundle, son of Kilfred. And who are you?" he asked, eyeing him suspiciously with his milky clouded eyes.

"It's an honor to meet you, Vendel, Elder of Heartstone Trollmarket." With a measured stride, Jim stepped in front of him and paid his respects with a short bow. "My name is James Lake Jr, Jim for short, son of Barbara-"

"Boy," Vendel interrupted him, looking at him sternly. "I asked who you are. Names trickle through the hand like pebbles when you haven't made a name for yourself yet. I can see you wear the armor of the trollhunters. But what I can't see is what rock you're formed of."

"Dude! That sounds like a lesson in ethical philosophy or something!" Jim heard Toby say incredulously. But the intent behind Vendel's words resonated strangely deep within him. And so he looked at the troll with a determined expression.

"My apologies. I am Jim and - in my capacity as the current Trollhunter - protector of the human and troll worlds. As you see, Vendel, I am the first human trollhunter and therefore request assistance in training so that I may carry out my duty as quickly and as best as I can."

What followed was what felt like minutes of a staring contest, which made Jim more than uncomfortable. But he knew he couldn't lose this one if he wanted to win Vendel's respect. But his counterpart also seemed unwilling to break their eye contact first.

"Ahem..." Blinky then came to his rescue. And while Jim remained adamant, Vendel finally straightened up slowly and turned around.

"Mmmm. Well, Trollhunter, if the Amulet chose true, the Soothscryer will reveal it."

Instantly, Jim's heart began to beat faster at the thought of seeing his predecessors again. Had they already listened to him from the void? If so, they would know that he knew more!

"Please! Master Jim hasn't had even an hour's training," Blinky asked with an imploring tone.

But that didn't soften Vendel. With a more-than-clear gesture, he pointed to the recesses of footprints in the middle of the stone floor.

"But-" Blinky began again, only for Jim to interrupt him with a shake of his head.

"It's okay, Blinky," he assured his mentor, taking a deep breath and stepping into the much larger prints. Almost immediately his Amulet dinged on his chest and began to glow faintly. Then the large marks embedded all over the ground of the Hero's Forge began to glow red from the center, spreading out like a wave around Jim. Barely a breath later, the stone likeness of a six-eyed troll rose rotating up on a pedestal with frightening red eyes and markings. Despite his armor, Jim had to swallow at that sight. He hadn't remembered this device as so imposing! Especially when the image tore open its stony mouth, showing the sharp teeth, Jim was reminded of the feeling when his arm was stuck in there and he had feared that from then on he would only have to prepare meals for his mother with one hand!

"Behold the Soothscryer!" Vendel exclaimed loudly. "It will judge your true spirit. Insert your right hand, Trollhunter."

"What?"

"Master Jim-"

"Of course, Vendel."

"Um, he's going to get it back, right?" Toby asked anxiously, and Jim realized that in his recap of the dream events, he had forgotten to tell his friend that the Soothscryer posed no threat to him.

"That is part of the test," the old troll replied with a smug expression.

And while Toby paled at this answer, Jim shook his head with a frown. "Don't tease him, Vendel. It'll be all right, Tobes."

But as he turned to the Soothscryer, Jim was faced with a problem. And sure enough, he could have asked Toby for help again. But his friend looked like he could use a short break. And so he turned to another friend who could help him make the height difference to the waiting mouth with dignity.

"Hey, Aaarrrgghh, want to help me out with a little lift here?"

"Mmmh," he grumbled with a small smile and joined him. Extending a palm, Jim gratefully stepped on it and was promptly lifted up so that he was now eye to eye with the round fanged opening, which immediately began to rotate as he remembered.

Would he see Kanjigar this time? In his dream-memory this examination didn't run so optimally. This time, however... Would his predecessor and all those who had been trollhunters before him accept him in their midst and stand by him with advice? And if so, should he tell them about his knowledge? After all, they could help him plan his further course of action.

"Why do you hesitate, boy? I thought you were sure of what you were doing?"

"I am..." muttered Jim.

But before Vendel could say anything else, everyone suddenly flinched as a loud ringing sound threw echo waves against the meter-high walls. Judging by the ringtone, it could only be Jim's mother calling him. Toby had apparently grasped that immediately, too, because with quick steps he was at Jim's bag, fishing out his cell phone.

"I got it, Jimbo." After a quick glance at the display, he held the phone against his ear. "Hey, Dr. L. Jim can't answer right now. Do you want me to take a message?" For a brief moment he listened, but then he frowned, only to lose his complexion again. "No, no, we're not downtown. Uh, we're at my place, totally safe. There's no commotion here in the street..."

Hearing those words, a bad feeling crept over Jim. Immediately, he turned to Aaarrrgghh. "Put me back down, please."

With quick steps he was with Toby. But his friend was just saying goodbye with the promise that neither of them would leave the house for the rest of the day.

"What happened?" Jim asked when Toby hung up and lowered the phone.

"Your mom's in the ER, and for a good ten minutes people have been coming in with bad bite wounds, reporting rabid gremlins downtown."

"Gremlins?" Jim heard Blinky ask as his stomach slid to the back of his knee.

"Shit!" he groaned. "How many injured?"

"Lots, as far as I could tell. There was quite a bit of yelling in the background."

"Damn goblins!"

"Master Jim? I don't understand. Tobias said something about gremlins, didn't he?"

"If I get through this night, I'll show you what gremlins are. Then you'll understand why people mistake goblins for gremlins," he threw back over his shoulder as he walked with quick steps toward the stone bridge.

"Jim! Wait! It's a trap!"

"Of course it's a trap, Tobes. From the looks of it, Bular has unleashed the nasty creatures on the city to lure out the new Trollhunter!"

"But Master Jim, it's unwise to seek out the battlefield without combat experience and training. You should stay here and-"

Angrily, Jim turned back around facing them all. "That's not who I am. Out there they need the Trollhunter! Because that's not a battlefield at all, Blinky. We're a long way from the inhabitants of Arcadia knowing anything about trolls, wizards, and other supernatural beings. They won't be able to defend themselves, and you know as well as I do that the goblins are always around in large numbers. This is going to be a pure massacre when Bular realizes that his plan isn't going to succeed. I have to face that threat, training or not."

"Jim?" asked Toby weakly, and Jim saw that his hands were shaking.

"I need you here, Tobes. Where you're safe. Like you said, I can't be distracted. Aaarrrgghh," he then turned to his Krubera friend, "I know you don't like to fight. But I still need you out there with me. You can herd the goblins in my direction so the humans can get to safety if there are any still out there. And together we can get into downtown faster."

Jim didn't know if it was his expressed confidence or if some of the authority he'd gained when he'd pulled Excalibur from the stone resonated in his voice, but Aaarrrgghh's eyes hardened and immediately he sprinted toward him on all fours.

"Got you," he called out to him, ducking as he ran. With a grin, Jim swung onto his back and summoned the Amulet's magic around his head.