Chapter Seventeen:
Gambit grumbled unhappily as the mass of Trolls lifted him into the air and began hauling him toward their King.
When it had become obvious that his amis were not going to be able to help him, Gambit began to think of some appropriate last words he could spout to the ages before the Trolls cut his head off. He wanted something they would all remember to their dying day. Something poetic, with lots of profanity...
As he was pushed closer to the Troll King, Gambit also began wondering how he could kiss his own head goodbye. Sid's suggestion did not seem so implausible now that the Cajun was faced with his last few moments of life. Now, kissing his own ass goodbye... that he probably could have managed. However, that was not what the Trolls were after, unlike many of the women in his past, whom he was certain would pack the church at his funeral...
I hope they don't leave out the Trolls in my obituary, Gambit pondered as he was dropped to the ground, the crowd of snarling faces jeering at him.
Heavy footsteps signaled the approach of the Troll King. The mob parted as Relish stomped toward the prisoner, his lower fangs fully exposed as he grinned.
"Well, well, Highness," Relish bellowed, "What an interesting clan you lead. Their magics and strength are to be commended..."
The Troll King glanced around the club, noting with satisfaction that each of their enemies had been adequately subdued.
"Pity it was not enough to defeat the army of the Third Kingdom," Relish continued, his praise drawing a pleased grumble of agreement from his followers.
Gambit did not reply, just sighed, seemingly defeated. Relish was too taken by his own victory to notice that the man was slowly reaching into his coat. Gambit's resigned expression did not change as his fingers found the edge of a playing card in his pocket.
"Now..." the King announced, drawing a broad sword from his belt, "By the death of this maggoty wretch, the Tenth Kingdom will truly see what happens when one earns the wrath of the Trolls!"
A triumphant roar rose up through the club. Toad, still perched on the scaffolding above, clapped approvingly, a wicked grin on his face.
Relish could see the man's allies still struggling to get to his aid, pushing and fighting futilely against the mass of Trolls...
Meanwhile...
The bar was still on fire when the Trolls closed in on the quartet sitting behind it.
Rebecca was not really worried about that fire or the Trolls though. She was much too busy concentrating on not blowing up the rest of the nightclub. Sid had begun pelting the Trolls with discarded CD cases and nearby bottles. The attackers were closing in too fast for him to do much else. Nancy did not shift her focus from the soundboard, which did not seem to like her chosen musical selection.
Mary cringed back against a small refrigerator, unsure of how she could help the situation. She was not a fighter, and she did not have the Professor's demon history book to fall back on for advice. The excess heat radiating from Rebecca had not gone unnoticed. Mary's earlier visions of fire flashed forebodingly before her eyes. Yet, there was nothing menacing in the other girl's face. There was just something in her trying to defend them, trying to protect...
The world around her began to spin as Mary glanced over at the Trolls. Strange thoughts began to run through her head, almost like another voice speaking to her...
...They're really not so dangerous, you know...
...Not unless their riled up like this...
...I mean, just look at them!...
...Trolls... seriously... trip trapping on bridges and such...
...I bet... when their King is not around...
...They are much more civil...
...Seriously, what are you scared of?...
...They were after your shoes, for God's sake...
...I bet outside of battle, they do other things that really irritate their King...
...Nicey nice... and all that...
...Somebody really should do something soon though...
...This rudeness cannot be ignored...
...oh and they're about to cut off your friend's head...
Mary blinked and felt the world come back to her. She was still staring at the Trolls, but a large smile had spread over her face.
"Hey, will you guys relax?" she called out, and then scoffed, "Keep acting like that, and this will stop being a party!"
The Trolls all paused and exchanged confused glances as they noticed Mary for the first time. The young woman's casual but confident smirk was Waldo among the gaping terror of the others.
Sid and Rebecca also turned to look at Mary, with identical expression of surprise.
"What..." the twins began at once, and a Troll finished for them, "What did you just say?"
"I said...relax..." Mary repeated, hearing her voice as if it was not her own.
The faces of the Trolls all seemed to loose their vicious sneers, their lust for battle dissipating as quickly as the unnatural heat in the air. The triumphant cries of their King could still be heard, but the Trolls who had been ready to attack the Malloy twins seemed to have lost interest in the whole matter.
Mary sighed once with relief. She turned to look back at the soundboard, ignoring Nancy's curious frown, and spoke one word at the stubborn machine.
"Sing."
With a whine of protest, the CD player came to life.
Meanwhile...
Relish waved his sword through the air as he prepared to make the killing blow.
The Trolls reveled in delight at the oncoming bloodshed.
Toad continued to clap politely from above, and regarded the annoying Cajun X-Man unsympathetically as Relish's sentence was carried out.
Gambit sighed one more time, deciding since he was probably going to die anyway, he might as well make it a show. He drew the playing card from his pocket and felt the kinetic energy charging beneath his fingertips.
As the card began to glow, Relish glanced down at the man with boredom.
"One last trick, eh?" he asked, before raising the sword over his head, "It shall be your last!"
As the blade came down, Gambit flicked the card toward the Troll King. The heavy weapon sliced through the laughing face of a Joker, and split Gambit's weapon in two. The halves were deflected in opposite directions and the Trolls scrambled to avoid them as they struck the floor. Two small explosions rocked the nightclub, and the mob scattered to avoid showering debris.
And then...
Toad yelped in surprise as he was knocked from his perch. He reached out for the scaffolding, but the flash of the explosions left him momentarily blind and unable to find a way to prevent his fall. Toad felt himself tumbling backward, head over heels, with nothing but air (and Trolls) between him and the floor. With unnatural speed, Toad's tongue shot out of his mouth in the direction of the ceiling. His body had turned in a complete flip and he used the momentum with practiced skill to right himself.
Toad managed to cling to the closest wall and tried to see what had happened. He did not notice the small computer containing Magneto's list had fallen from his pocket.
And then...
Gambit did not waste any time, scrambling to his feet and trying to fight his way towards the bar. Relish roared and his followers echoed the furious sound. The Troll King was tiring of these games, but he would not depart without having his vengeance.
The fleeing Cajun managed to reach Oz, who stood comfortably among the chaotic Trolls. He was trying to see over the crowd as Gambit ran up to him.
"Happy hour is over, no?" Gambit asked, sounding out of breath.
"Yeah..." Oz replied, pushing himself up on his toes and frowning, "I hope the camera didn't get knocked over..."
"What!" Gambit replied.
"This'll be great footage for our music video..." Oz mused calmly.
Gambit gaped at him dumbly for a moment, before hearing the Troll King's booming voice organizing his troops again.
"FIND HIM! KILL HIM! REND THE SKIN FROM HIS BONES!"
"My bones...merde," Gambit said, as all Troll eyes turned on him.
Relax...
"What did you say?" Gambit asked Oz with a frown.
Oz shrugged, and shook his head. He had not heard anything except growling as the Trolls approached the Cajun again. But this time, all the creatures were wielding axes and daggers, ready to carry out their King's sentence.
Gambit raised his fists defensively preparing to fight one last time for his life against the horde of horrible, vicious and nasty Trolls...
But before there was a deathblow... there was a down beat...
