Bellroc leveled their staff and unleashed a stream of fire. In a flash Jim's serrator was a shield. The hard light protected him from the heat but the sheer force of the blast proved to be too much. The handle was wrenched out of Jim's sweaty hands.
"No!"
He desperately reached for it but all he could do was watch with horror as his only weapon fell to the ground and was crushed by a passing car.
He clenched his fists; despair trying to crawl up and crush his spirit. He forced his weary body to stand. There was no time to feel sorry for himself: Bellroc was coming. If he could keep them distracted perhaps Claire and Douxie would be able to finish Skrael off.
He grit his teeth and lashed out at Bellroc with his bare fists.
They laughed and swatted his blows aside like a flies, not even bothering to use their fire.
"And now." Their staff connected hard with his head and sent him flying. He got back up. A Trollhunter never gave up. "It's time for the once." They struck him again. "Mighty." Another blow. His ears were ringing. "Trollhunter to die."
Bellroc lunged forward and brought their knee into Jim's ribs. The force of the blow doubled him over, forcing the air out of his lungs. Pain lanced through his body like lightning.
Bellroc caught him by the throat and held him dangling in the air. They were talking but he couldn't make out their words. Jim clawed at their hand with animal desperation. His vision was darkening. His lungs were burning.
He was going to die.
He had… to get free… Now.
Jim let go with one hand and called for his sword with all his might.
It answered.
His hand closed around a leather handle.
The moment he registered it, he swung it in a hard arc into his enemy's side. They released him and Jim hit the ground on all fours. Air flooded painfully back into his lungs. Everything was agony but Jim didn't have the luxury to wait for his body to recover. He forced himself up to his feet once again.
He squinted his eyes and saw movement through the murky shadows and starbursts that had taken up his vision. He lashed out at it. His sword connected with something and he was pushed back. There was a blur of motion and he ducked to avoid it. The movement made his stomach churn and his ribs scream. Acid burned in his throat.
His opponent… Bellroc… That's right he was fighting Bellroc.
Bellroc was saying something but he couldn't make out what. They seemed angry.
Orange filled his vision.
Instead of dodging Jim ran forward to meet it.
At the last second he ducked down and rolled under it. Searing pain lanced across his scalp and back but he ignored it. He ignored stabbing feeling in his chest and urge to cough the fluid out of his lungs.
He focused everything he had left on moving.
He came up from his roll with his sword already in motion. His timing was true and Bellroc went down hard as the blade caught the back of their legs. As they started to try to stand Jim droved the pommel mercilessly into their skull.
He staggered to his feet and stood over them; he had to finish this quickly.
He raised his sword and…
Something whispered through the static in his mind. He needed to… to…
He lowered the sword to where it was pointed at Bellroc's head. The weapon looked different… It looked familiar… It… He grabbed at his head with a hiss. He couldn't think past the pain and the static.
Pull…
That was right. He needed to pull.
He reached out with some unfamiliar part of himself and watched as blue energy bled out of his blade toward Bellroc. It wrapped around the demigod's head and he could feel their groggy unfurling thoughts. They were afraid.
Pull.
Jim pulled. He felt Bellroc struggle but they had come to too late. The blue light pulled back into the sword and they went slack. The orange fire of their eyes was snuffed out.
It was done.
Jim stood and breathed. His body starting to shake with exhaustion now that the fight was over. He coughed weakly and tasted copper. He let go of Daylight with one hand to wipe his mouth...
Wait…
Daylight had been destroyed.
Jim looked at the weapon in his hands. His heart lurched in his chest. It wasn't Daylight, but he still knew it.
The jagged lines and cruel razer edge of Decimaar where not easily forgotten.
Jim stared at it blankly.
What? How?
Slowly, fearfully, his gaze turned to where Bellroc had fallen. They were still there. Blank blue eyes stared up at the sky. In Jim's mind he could feel the fiery orb of what he instinctively knew was their will.
His free hand came up to cover his mouth.
It wasn't possible.
"Stand," He desperately commanded. He didn't want this to be true.
Bellroc stood.
No.
He was breathing much too fast. Decimaar slipped out of his nerveless grasp and disappeared. It wasn't truly gone. Now that he knew how it felt he could sense it in the back of his mind: waiting to be called on.
Just like the motionless demigod before him.
A hysterical laugh bubbled up out of Jim's throat. He choked on it, coughing until he spat blood.
This couldn't be happening.
It was then that the train went off the rails… literally.
Author Notes:
I've read a few of the Trollhunters books and I take from them as I see fit. If I recall correctly if one of the books we learn that the Decimaar Blade passed to Gunmar when he killed its previous wielder Orglak. Well... I figure if Jim killed Gunmar that would mean that he would have it next.
As always let me know what you think!