Barbara paced the basement restlessly and eyed the hole in her wall debating whether it would be a good idea to try and go in after her two wayward trolls or continue to wait for them here. Walter's phone was clutched in her hands, Otto's warning heavy on her shoulders. It had only been about three minutes since the phone call but it felt for the world like much longer. Just as she was about to give in and head into the tunnel she heard the sound of two sets of footsteps coming her way.

"Well, I hope you're happy now Bar- what's wrong?" Walter's intent to tease fell away the instant he got a good look at her face. He shifted back into his human form and moved out of the way to allow Draal into the house as well. He was confused when she handed him his phone, he didn't even remember taking it out of his pocket.

"You got a call from someone called Otto. He said the Order has decided you're a liability and that they're sending something called rust trolls after you, that you had maybe twenty minutes," she wasted no time in bringing him up to speed. Much as she would have liked to discus with him what she had learned from Angor Rot, this matter came first.

Walter's eyes widened in shock and his eyebrows flew up to his hairline.

"What?"

"Well, good thing you are not home," Draal reasoned.

"With their sense of smell? They'll follow me straight to here! When did he call?" He was looking at the call logs himself even as he asked. "Hm, not that long ago. We've got time to prepare." His eyes met Barbara's once more, "You need to leave."

"And go where!?"

"Anywhere else! These things like to swarm. They are not a troll in the sense that you are used to dealing with. They're not really trolls at all but their actual names are so damn hard to pronounce the nickname is much preferred. They may not sound all that intimidating but believe me, they are fast and nasty buggers. I want you away and safe." He turned to Draal, "Will you help me?"

The other troll gave an irritated huff. "This homestead is mine to protect. If they will be drawn here then I shall fight them off." Under the changeling's leveled look and raised brow he sighed and relented, "And in the name of this so-called alliance I will attempt to make sure you don't die."

Stricklander cleared his throat pointedly and waved a hand at Barbara. Draal snorted and narrowed his eyes in irritation. "Fine, I will make sure that you don't die and remain uninjured. This soul bond of yours is nothing but trouble! Did you not think of such things before? Maybe you both should leave? I can hold them off."

"How about instead of arguing you get back to the part where we have a plan of action?"

"What are you still doing here? Please, you need to get out of the house. Even just across the street would do. Go and pay a visit to young Tobias' guardian until it's safe to return," Walt already had his hands on her shoulders and was shooing her towards the direction of the stairs. His concern was touching and he had a point so she allowed herself to be led away.

"You two be safe, and please, try not to destroy my house?" As she began ascending the stairs everything abruptly went dark. She yelped as she lost her footing in surprise but glowing eyes were behind her and strong hands caught her under the arms, righting her again.

"That was not twenty minutes," Draal growled from below them.

"Damn that little weasel. Thanks for the warning but thanks for nothing on his inability to judge time." Barbara gasped softly as he effortlessly lifted her up and handed her down to the other troll. "If leaving isn't an option, you need to hide." An ominous thump from above them followed his words. A crash came soon after, the sounds of a window shattering. A flash of green and Stricklander was back in his troll skin. "Ready or not, I suppose."

"Bushigal," Draal muttered with feeling as he set Barbara down behind a pile of boxes. "Stay here and out of sight. If it's the changeling they're after they shouldn't bother you."

There was another crash followed by a colorful swear as Stricklander made it out of the basement and assessed the initial damage. Without wasting another minute Draal charged up the stairs as well. An echoing clatter, another swear, and something that sounded like asthmatic laughter drifted down to her.

Barbara bit her lip and hated not being able to see anything. Having recently spent so much time down here she had a decent grasp of the layout and so she set about inching her way slowly out from behind the pile of cardboard. She stubbed her toe and hissed but continued on until she made it to the wall that held the garden tools and felt about until her fingers closed around the handle of the shovel. She was not going to sit around without a weapon of some sort.

A slithering noise from behind her made her hair stand on end and she turned towards the direction of the tunnel entrance. Her pulse spiked and she tightened her grip on the shovel while wishing desperately that it was something more sturdy. The noises grew louder but she didn't move. Something brushed by her foot and the same hoarse laughing she had heard earlier now echoed around her. Of course they wouldn't all come in from he same place.

She swung the shovel blindly and was rewarded with a heavy clang and something that sounded like a grunt of pain. However, the victory was short lived as either the same creature or a different one wrapped itself around her legs, causing her to lose balance. Beating it with her shovel she managed to shake free and make a run for the stairs. She stumbled several times but eventually made it to the top.

The sounds of fighting were louder now but at least she could see again. The moon and the streetlamps left her with plenty enough light to navigate by. Draal was wrestling with two of the rust trolls in the living room and from the thumps above her it sounded as if Walter had his hands full upstairs. She didn't have time for any other observation as she heard sounds of pursuit following her up from the cellar. She turned and faced the darkened door she'd just escaped from and saw three looming figures seep into view.

They were rail thin and covered in metallic looking scales of what did indeed look to be rust. Snake-like and grinning with gaunt, skeletal faces they looked like something out of a nightmare. Instead of lunging for her, one opened its mouth and out billowed a thick pungent fog.

Working in a hospital, Barbara liked to pride herself on not having a weak stomach. It took a lot, smells or otherwise, to make her nauseous but whatever this thing was releasing into the air made her gag instantly.

The first thought that came to mind was over-ripe fruit but then it smelled like soured milk. A cough, and it smelled like rotting flesh. She staggered back and pulled the front of her shirt up over her face, determined to continue on even as her eyes watered. She darted forward and brought the shovel up over her head to swing at the nearest target.

It dodged easily but the second one didn't have the same luck and crashed noisily into the wall. It quickly became clear that her shovel wasn't going to be enough as her attacks didn't seem to be doing anything but giving the things some amusement and a mild headache at best.

"How do we kill them!?"

Draal looked aghast when he noticed her. But instead of scolding he merely answered her question and gave a demonstration in the process, "Impaling works nicely." He brought his axe down and skewered one of the creatures to the floor. It writhed and gasped but by that point Draal wasn't even paying it attention as he shifted focus to begin trying to work his way over to Barbara. "Don't breathe their poison," he warned as two more of the rust trolls took the place of the fallen and barred his path.

Barbara threw the shovel at the nearest target and then made a mad dash for the knife block. Thanks to Jim, every one was sharper than the day it was bought. The first one missed but the second found its mark. Barbara wasted no time in grabbing another and attacking the wounded rust troll, following Draal's example and pinning it to the ground. It took throwing all of her weight into it but the blade held true.

She went to grab for another but the block was knocked across the room and out of her reach. Changing plans, Barbara ran for the stairs. She had left her purse on her bed and she had a pretty good idea that nothing would like a spray of mace to the face. She had to duck when she reached the second floor as Walter threw one of the things and it flew over her head and down the stairs.

"What are you doing!"

"Not my choice!" She shrugged off his look of offended disbelief and continued on with her mission. She did take a moment to admire the rust troll that was held in place by several of his quill like knives and suspended from the wall by the bathroom door. So much for not destroying the house.

Once in her room she scrambled over the bed and grabbed her purse in the process. She rolled over to the other side to land in a crouch with her back against the wall. She hadn't been followed in so she had time to catch her breath and dig for her canister of pepper-spray. In the process she found her pocket lighter and a new idea formed. She didn't smoke but a few of her nurses did and even though she always scolded them for the bad habit she had taken to carrying a lighter herself after being asked so many times to borrow one. Now, she snatched it up and ran to her dresser for hairspray.

The battle was over shortly afterwards.

Draal's jaw dropped in stunned admiration when Barbara joined him again in the living room with fire shooting from her hands. It took a double take for him to realize she had fashioned together some sort of weapon from a can but the destruction it caused gave him a new wave of adrenaline and he returned to his enemies with a fresh vigor. Stricklander joined them shortly after and in a matter of moments the fighting had stopped.

"I'll go and make sure the basement is clear but it doesn't sound like there are any more," Draal said as he surveyed the damage and the dead. He carelessly stepped on one of the rust trolls as he left the room.

Stricklander shifted back into his human skin, agreeing with the other troll that it appeared they had won the night. Suddenly, a movement from the kitchen door caught his eye. Barbara turned around just as one last rust troll lunged at her. Walter moved swiftly, snatching up Draal's axe from out of the body near his feet, he threw it with precision. The force of the impact knocked the creature back and it stuck to the door with a sickening but satisfying thunk. The door swung sadly in the aftermath, coming loose from one of its hinges.

He was admiring his aim and so was caught off guard when Barbara launched herself at him without warning. Blood pumping and high with the thrill of survival and success, she grabbed him by the collar and pulled his face down to meet hers.

It was a clumsy clash of teeth and a startled "ow" followed by laughter and a more controlled, sweeter kiss after he managed to catch his breath. He pulled back and looked at the bruised and beautiful woman before him with something like wonder in his gaze.

"Are you alright?" He managed to ask after he found his voice again.

She chuckled and lifted a shoulder. "You should know." Her smile turned rueful as she smacked him hard on the arm, barely even flinching when her own arm twinged. "Bastard," she added but it somehow still managed to be affectionate.

"I'll have you know, we have a lot to talk about later." He nodded, still a little in shock from their second kiss. "But right now I just feel ready for a nap." She looked around with a frown. "Not looking forward to clean up. And I had everything so nice earlier."

She flopped down gracelessly onto the couch and he joined her. All the little aches and pain from the fight was setting in and she gave a small groan. Draal came back a minute later and confirmed the all-clear. The larger troll sat down at the foot of the couch and leaned back against the arm. By this point he didn't care whether his spikes poked any holes in the fabric since it had already sustained some damage in the earlier fight.

Barbara reached forward and patted Draal between his horns. "We make a pretty good team, huh."

"Surprisingly," Walter agreed. He shifted against the other arm of the couch and kicked Draal lightly in the arm. When the other troll turned to look at him- sparing a glance at the offending foot- he nodded his head.

"Thank you."

Draal just huffed and rolled his eyes before turning back around to face forward. Barbara smiled at the exchange and moved to get more comfortable. She threw her legs across the cushions and into Walt's lap who seemed startled and then pleased to have them there. With a deep and exaggerated sigh she leaned back and said with feeling, "Let's not do anything like that again anytime soon."

Both Walter and Draal grunted their wholehearted agreement.

O-_-o-_-O

Jim laughed in triumph as he dodged yet another swing of Claire's weapon and successfully ducked under the follow up blow from Toby. The two had made an unspoken pact to team up on him rather than the free-for-all their sparring had been at the beginning of the night and so far neither had managed to land a single hit.

From the sidelines, Blinky watched with mild amusement and fondness. He could not fully enjoy the evening, however, as his mind kept wondering back to his notably absent friend. He wished he knew what it was that had Aaarrrgghh so distracted these last few days. If he could pinpoint a cause perhaps he would have some chance of rectifying it. Part of him wondered if his friend's mood was somehow connected with the human skin he currently wore but he had eventually dismissed the idea. The other troll never seemed hesitant around the three adolescent humans they had all but officially adopted; therefore, surely, if he wasn't bothered by their humanity and softness such traits wouldn't matter on himself. He felt this was especially true given that his was only a temporary transformation.

Blinky's attention was pulled fully back to the arena by the ringing echo of manic giggles, a sound likely never heard in such a place as the Forge. The sparring match had devolved into a pile of flailing limbs where Jim had been tackled by the other two who were now mercilessly tickling him. Blinky chuckled softly and shook his head, marveling for a moment at just how young his charges truly were. With the weight of responsibility that came with the title of Trollhunter it was a miraculous thing to witness such open mirth and playfulness.

The sudden appearance of swirling blue lights above them halted the teens antics and a confused hush settled over the arena. In a flash Jim had summoned his sword back to his hands and had taken up a defensive stance as they all stared up at the orbs in distrust. "What–?" His question was cut off when the lights themselves started talking in wispy detached echoes.

"Finally."

"We are free."

"At last we may join our brethren."

Claire was the first of them to find her voice, "What, I mean who, are they?"

"These are those who lost life and soul to Angor Rot. Something has happened to have set them free." A new voice answered as the transparent image of Kanjigar manifested in the whirling lights above them. The specter of the previous Trollhunter looked as confused as they did as he inspected the small group that stood below him. "An odd omen, indeed."

"He waits for you, Trollhunter."

"Finally we can rest."

"A trade has been made."

Jim looked to his friends, unsure what this meant and not knowing what to do next. "Um, Jimbo? Your face is doing the glow-y thing again." That brought him up short and he placed his free hand on his cheek where he had been marked. Suddenly his sword flew from his hand and vanished.

"This can't be good," he muttered to himself as he summoned the blades from the armor of his thighs and readied himself. "He can't get in here, can he?"

A distant thumping drew their attention as the glowing image of Kanjigar faded. "Trollhunter!" A young looking troll came scampering from the direction of the market. "Trollhunter! There's something banging at the surface entrance! We are being invaded!"

"Master Jim! Do be careful! This feels most suspiciously like a trap!" Blinky managed to call after him as he wasted no time in running out of the Forge, Claire and Toby close on his heels. Instead of following after them immediately he set out instead to find Aaarrrgghh. The other troll would be the best option for backup.

When the three made it to the surface they were baffled when the giant clay golem that had been pounding at the underside of the bridge crumbled away before they even made a move to strike it. "Uh?" Jim looked around quickly, both leery and confused. He placed himself in front of his friends when he finally noticed Angor Rot. The troll was leaning casually against his sword like an arm rest and looking at them with a bemused smirk.

"Put away your weapons, Trollhunter, I am not here to fight," he said as he straightened to his full height. The sword of Daylight was dismissed and the act of non-aggression only left the teens further confused. "There is a debt and I shall begin here in repaying it." He saw them tense as he reached for a pouch on his belt and he chuckled at their reflexes. Instead of a weapon he held up for them to see the Kill Stone that he had stolen from them days ago. "I believe this is something you need."

"What trickery is this!" Toby called from his place behind Jim.

"This is clearly a trap," Claire muttered in agreement as she shifted her stance and tightened her grip on the staff she had won from the very troll that now casually stood before them.

"I come because your mother has done me a great service and if she will not currently accept a gesture of gratuity I will turn to you in her stead. For the return of my soul, I give you this back." He tossed the stone at Jim who caught it out of reflex. The boy looked torn between anger and amazement.

"What did you do to my mom!" He looked down at the Kill Stone to confirm it was real before looking back at Angor Rot.

The troll sighed and gave an exasperated shake of his head. "I did nothing to you mother. Did you not hear what I said? Because of her intervention I now have back what I have been searching centuries for. In exchange, you may have the Triumbric Stone." He then turned his full attention to Claire, meeting the girl's eyes. "I don't suppose it would be too much to demand the return of my staff?"

The girl's brows furrowed with a look of disbelief. "Yeah, no. You're not getting this back."

Angor Rot grunted and crossed his arms. "I thought as much. To keep the peace I will allow you to keep it for now. I will be taking it back one day so do not break it."

"Um, yeah, okay, that's cool and all but what in the actual heck is going on?" Toby was the one to ask the question the other two had not yet been able to articulate.

Angor Rot rolled his eyes. Honestly, he felt he was being very clear and uncharacteristically generous. "I have more important things to attend to. Work it out for yourselves or go ask Stricklander. Farewell for now, we will meet again, I'm sure."

Blinky and Aaarrrgghh arrived to find the three teens standing in stunned silence alongside a pile of rubble.

"What was it?"

Jim held up the Kill Stone for his other friends to see.

"I honestly don't know what just happened."

Thank you guys so much for all the wonderful feedback. I love hearing from y'all.
I hope this chapter was worth the wait. I've never considered myself good at writing action/fighting scenes but hopefully it wasn't disappointing. I know there was some build up from the last chapter being a cliff hanger so I hope this one doesn't make it seem anticlimatic or anything.