That night Jim had trouble sleeping as he was lying on his bed staring at the mysterious amulet. Who could even imagine that the glowing thing came with a huge responsibility attached? Only not that long ago, it had been just a peculiar object he had found among the pile of stones. Wait, weren't those remains of his predecessor? The only thought of it was too disturbing, so the teen tried to banish it as fast as possible.
Before all this odd stuff started, the boy had always dreamed about having something big in his life. Now? Well, he wasn't even sure anymore. It somehow spiraled out of control, and it turned out that Jim's chances to survive until the legal age made a dive. How could it be otherwise with a murder-happy troll going for his neck? Jim still shivered, remembering what his new acquaintances had told him about Bular.
There had been too many revelations for the one evening. First, the boy had learned that fighting all kinds of evil creatures and protecting both humankind and trolls was his sacred obligation. While humans needing protection made sense, the only thought that someone of Aaarrrgghh's size and build couldn't deal with a threat themselves seemed simply preposterous. Jim was more than sure that his new gigantic acquaintance could swat him like a fly if he ever wished that.
According to Blinky, he was the first human Trollhunter - and the teen wouldn't be too surprised if he remained the only one. Every other of his predecessors was a troll, like that guy Kanjigar they had mentioned. It wasn't that difficult to imagine all of them being capable warriors, sturdy and strong enough to fulfill that 'sacred obligation'. Meanwhile Jim... Whom he tried to fool? The lanky teen had avoided fights like the plague for years, he had no chances in beating even Steve who, despite his horrible behavior, was still far from a bloodthirsty troll!
If it was a videogame, it would be no different from jumping straight into the final boss clutches at the start of the game.
The accidental shortcut certainly had brought more harm than good.
Jim sighed and dragged his finger along the letters encircling the amulet. He could easily feel its magic even now - calm, warm, kind, and protective. The teen wondered if Toby could sense that one as well. Probably not, he wasn't this thing's chosen champion in the end.
Right now, Jim seriously envied his best friend, who could throw a nonchalant 'So, trolls are a thing. Who knew?' and go home without worrying about consequences or survival chances.
The lanky teen wished he could do the same, yet it was simply impossible. Not with the murderous evil troll who had slain the previous Trollhunter and most likely was capable of harming so many innocent people. Not with his two new acquaintances who were expecting some extraordinary feats from Jim for whatever reason. Not with that sacred obligation to protect two worlds (two! even one would be too much!).
Jim's mind trailed to Blinky's inspirational speech. He never knew his memory was that good to memorize after hearing it only once. Perhaps, those words were simply too meaningful to discard. They hit the cord, that was for sure.
'Destiny is a gift'.
Well, not every gift was a good one - some were unneeded, some could be picked without care, some were useless, some brought too many worries or troubles, not to mention outright harmful ones. The boy wondered if his 'gift' could be one of those.
'Some go their entire lives living existences of quiet desperation,'
Ironically, that sounded a lot like Jim's previous life - hadn't he been desperate for discovering something special all the time?
'Never learning the truth that what feels as though a burden pushing down upon our shoulders is actually a sense of purpose that lifts us to greater heights.'
Maybe the six-eyed troll was actually right there, maybe the teen's own fear and worry didn't let him see a bigger picture. Or perhaps, the burden of his new responsibility was his chance to escape the suffocating confines of everyday life. Well, only if he survived for long enough.
'Never forget that fear is but the precursor to valor, that to strive and triumph in the face of fear is what it means to be a hero.'
It was weird that Blinky had brought up the exact term. A hero. Wasn't there a time when Jim dreamed about becoming one? No, he had never fully forgotten about that wish. No matter how many times the boy attempted to bury it, it simply kept coming back.
'Don't think, Master Jim. Become'.
Perhaps, the teen was actually overthinking. He hadn't even tried - maybe it wasn't that bad in the end. Besides, Jim somehow felt that the six-eyed troll had a tendency to be too dramatic and exaggerate.
Some quiet steps interrupted his thinking. The teen would recognize those any time - apparently, Barbara had already returned. Was it past midnight already? Wow, time flew fast for sure.
Jim threw the blanket over himself and hid the amulet under the pillow just in time as his mother opened the door and came inside the room. The teen wondered if his pretending of being fast asleep would work, but apparently, the woman hadn't noticed.
Jim's eyes might have been closed, but he could imagine her actions from the sounds alone. She approached him slowly, tucked the blanket, and sighed heavily.
His mother was worried, that was for sure. The teen remembered how he had lied about an upset stomach recently only to cover the fact that there had been two trolls hidden in the bathroom. The amulet appearance in his life somehow had created the rift inside their little family, and Jim hated that.
There had been no secrets between him and his mom before.
Really?
The worm of doubt made itself evident once again. In the end, Barbara hadn't shared most of her troubles with her son. Jim had seen so many times that she had been hiding worries, annoyance, and even anger behind a smile. He wasn't that blind or oblivious.
But wasn't that a part of being an adult?
The teen felt Barbara's slightly cool hand touching his forehead. It took some seconds before the realization hit the boy - she was checking his temperature, probably still anxious for his health. A part of Jim was eager to stop faking the sleep, to hug his mom and tell her everything.
Before it's too late.
He stayed as he was in the end. In the end, he had to learn to solve his troubles himself. He couldn't continue clinging to his mom. Especially when something as otherworldly as trolls was involved.
"Everything will be okay, I protect you, honey," Barbara's sudden whisper nearly made her son jump. Did she know?
No, something like that was simply impossible. Most likely, it was just a weird coincidence...
In truth, despite giving the inspirational speech to the young Trollhunter, Blinkous Galadrigal wasn't that sure where the entire situation would lead. There was a long way before the young protector, the one with many hardships and dangers. Not to mention that none of those would wait until Jim was ready for those. Would he ever be though? A human child was in the worst position possible right now.
Perhaps, it would have been better for everyone involved just to tell the boy to lay down and continue living in fear…
No. There was no right for such a cowardly choice.
That wasn't the Trollhunter's way. The scholar remembered Deya encouraging Dwoza's residents to take arms and oppose Gunmar's tyranny. Before that, they all had preferred to hide while hoping that the problem would have resolved itself.
The truth was that nothing would change without taking action.
Blinky felt sorry for the boy - his expression had been so confused, so uncertain when his troll visitors had been leaving. Was it so surprising, with the burden too overwhelming for anyone? The scholar could relate to that feeling - centuries ago, after Dictatious's untimely demise, the heavy responsibility of being the main keeper of the troll wisdom had fallen on his younger brother's shoulders. Blinky also had believed that he couldn't have been good enough for that position back then. If there had been no support from Aaarrrgghh, Vendel, Kanjigar, and some other trolls, he would never have ended where he was right now.
The scholar wondered if destiny was giving him yet another trial. He had been a mentor to a Trollhunter before, even though it ended in disaster for everyone. The whole Unkar-related fiasco had become a kind of local legend, and his successors had gotten quite suspicious every time Blinky had made an attempt to help them.
Yet now, as if in some kind of mockery, the six-eyed troll had become the only one who had witnessed the succession. Moreover, he had a vague nasty feeling that he and Aaarrrgghh might have been the only residents of the entire Trollmarket who were willing to give the human Trollhunter a chance. The scholar could already imagine all possible reactions - and not even a single one of those would be 'great news!'. No, there would be a lot of skepticism at best. It was easy to imagine outright hostility from some members of his kind as well.
The worst thing was that Blinkous still hadn't told anyone, except Aaarrrgghh, about their new protector. Kanjigar's demise had already become known, causing much panic around. Draal hadn't reacted nicely, much as expected. Currently, he was more than willing to go out for revenge. The Heartstone Trollmarket was lucky to have Vendel as a leader because he managed to deal with most complications swiftly, calming locals and stopping the son of Kanjigar from doing anything stupid.
For now, the situation down there was more or less peaceful. The only source of some unrest would be speculations about the new Trollhunter possible candidates and when the amulet would return. Most placed their bets on Draal. As for the warrior in question, he might have gotten a hold on his emotions, yet his grief and anger were still immense. Blinky just hoped that the son of Kanjigar wouldn't unleash all of that upon some unfortunate soul - he was much like a ticking bomb right now.
Eventually though, the human as the Trollhunter would become common knowledge. The scholar knew that it would be unfair to keep Jim away from the Trollmarket for too long. Yet, he was scared of the possible reaction. There were still many of his kind with some grudges against humanity. It didn't even matter for them that no one involved in the conflict from the human side was alive anymore. And some others totally despised fleshbags and found them weak and pathetic.
"Jim scared," Aaarrrgghh's comment broke Blinky's reverie. The six-eyed troll sighed:
"Everyone would be in his position. Master Jim is a fine young fellow, but he lacks appropriate life experience. In addition, Bular is an intimidating foe."
The giant nodded and added with unconcealed guilt:
"Didn't tell him."
"About?" Blinky raised his stony eyebrows in confusion. To be honest, they hadn't told the boy more than enough as their time had been rather limited.
"Barverra," Aaarrrgghh grumbled. He was right - during the entire conversation, neither of them had brought up the daughter of Gunmar. Blinky could blame only himself for that as he had taken over the explanation part. But, to his defense, he simply didn't want to think about the fearsome Herald of Doom.
"Aarghaumont, my dear friend, you said yourself that we scared Master Jim," the scholar shrugged defensibly. "Do you believe that mentioning another vicious troll would do any good?"
The excuse was weak. The young Trollhunter would learn about his other opponent sooner or later. Wouldn't sooner be better to prepare for such an encounter?
"Barverra dangerous," the giant disagreed. "Bular fights, Barverra hunts. Gunmar decided on that."
Blinky gave up. Deep inside, he also believed that they should have given the boy all the information he would need. Besides, even though the six-eyed troll knew about the infamous Herald of Doom only from the tales, it was enough not to ignore the fact of her existence. No, neglecting her involvement would be the first and only mistake anyone could make. Barverra was too intelligent to miss some sloppy decisions from the enemy's side.
Moreover, Aaarrrgghh had fought on the same side as her many centuries ago, so his judgment was way more valuable.
Blinky knew that his best friend hated remembering his days as one of the most vicious Gumm-Gumm generals, yet he also refused to forget those. Aaarrrgghh's crimes took a good chunk of pages in the Brief Recapitulation of Troll Lore. The scholar had suggested removing those so many times, yet the giant had never agreed. Most likely, the former Gumm-Gumm commander would like to get some kind of redemption, even if he had no idea how to achieve something like that.
Perhaps, that kind of unpleasant knowledge could be the most useful right now. Both trolls understood it perfectly, even without voicing it.
"I'll inform Master Jim when he's ready," Blinky promised quietly. "We should approach the matter carefully for the sake of his sanity."
Even if it seemed like everything was going to hell in a small cart, Barbara wasn't going to stay put doing nothing. Centuries ago, the daughter of Gunmar had known how to control any situation, no matter how hopeless some of those had been. So why couldn't she simply return to that mindset?
Thinking methodically.
Creating a plan.
Executing it step by step.
So what if there had been so many unknown factors? Since when the fearsome Herald of Doom had become afraid of difficulties?
The main priority would be finding the current Trollhunter and getting the amulet from him. Barbara was sure that she could achieve that peacefully one way or other. In the end, no human would be crazy enough to put some mysterious object above everything else, unlike most trolls. Her mind trailed back to Kanjigar's death - yes, there was no way that any fleshbag could have that kind of mindset.
Securing the amulet would mean taking out a danger factor from Jim's life, as there wouldn't be any possible fights in his close vicinity. Basically, it would be killing two birds with a stone.
After that, Barverra planned to deal with Stricklander for good. The winged bastard had gotten on her nerves too much, overstepping his boundaries too many times. Sometimes, the daughter of Gunmar wondered what exactly had stopped her from doing it earlier.
Was that impure with his sickly mind games amusing or something?
And last but not least was the whole situation surrounding Jim. Barbara couldn't deny that something was quite off with her son lately. She could swear that the teen wanted to talk with her about something yet stopped for whatever reason. The woman had no idea what that mysterious something could be.
It might have been something trivial, like problems with studies. However, there was also a possibility of it being something way more problematic.
What if some troll tendencies had resurfaced at some point, and now Jim felt ashamed, confused, and scared?
What if it was something beyond tendencies this time?
Or maybe her son could remember some things from his childhood his memory had been blocking all this time?
There was also a chance of Stricklander telling Jim something horrible about his mother or heritage. The last guess was quite far-fetched, but Barbara couldn't eliminate that theory entirely. She still had no idea if the Head of Janus Order knew about her cover or not.
No, apparently, the daughter of Gunmar kept overthinking. Right now, she had to focus on the one goal - and that one was checking the lead Jim had given her not that long ago.
Eli Pepperjack.
The more Barbara thought about it, the surer she became. The kid had definitely quite a dangerous interest, and it was a miracle that he had survived so far with his nightly investigations. Something like that would have landed him in serious trouble sooner or later. If getting involved with the underground civilization didn't count as one, then the woman didn't know.
At first, the daughter of Gunmar had planned to talk to the teen in question but quickly discarded the idea as she had thought a bit. Jim had mentioned that Eli had seen battling stone monsters, meaning that the kid had also witnessed Kanjigar's suicide. If so, he had definitely taken the amulet from the remains, fully aware that those were not just a random pile of stones.
That was bad. Eli wasn't dumb, he would be most likely able to put two and two together and connect whoever approached him about the amulet to the stone monsters.
So, the only sound option would be a round-away method. Barbara had decided to talk to Mrs. Pepperjack instead. She could know something, after all.
The cover story was about the lost family relic, a memento of the late grandpa. The daughter of Gunmar even made a quick sketch of it to show it to Eli's mother.
Alas, Barbara hit the dead end. Mrs. Pepperjack was overall friendly but obviously had no idea about the amulet.
"So, you say, you dropped that fancy clock around the canals? I can ask Elijah if he found anything like that."
"Thanks, but I feel your son would tell you in that case," the redhead forced a smile. "I'll look somewhere else…"
The lead obviously led nowhere. The theory of Eli being the new Trollhunter had already started to fall apart. The magic amulet was just a perfect opportunity to demonstrate to everyone that the supernatural was real. Hadn't that been the bespectacled teen goal or something? The entire neighborhood knew about that one.
No, if Eli had been Merlin's champion, a lot of people would be talking about armor appearing from thin air.
Unfortunately, the daughter of Gunmar had to look for the fleshbag Trollhunter somewhere else…
Telling that Bular was simply royally pissed would be an understatement of the decade. It was as if every single second kept adding fuel to the fire of his rage. The accursed amulet had escaped him once again, Stricklander didn't hide his glee because of that, Barverra was furious to the point that she hadn't come to the hideout the night before… Though, most likely, there was some other reason for that. It was difficult to tell for sure, with his sister being impossible to predict. And on top of that, there was the fact that the current Trollhunter was a fleshbag, and apparently one of the whelps that the winged impure took care of.
Somehow, all of that didn't sit well with the son of Gunmar. He could appreciate a death battle with a worthy rival. Fights like those were honorable and exciting. Even an encounter with someone who knew how to handle a weapon would do. There used to be at least some entertaining warriors among fleshbags during the Skullcrusher's rule, but nowadays? Those had grown more pathetic, devolving into the prey only. Bular had stopped seeing fleshbags as rivals a long time ago. The current Trollhunter couldn't be different from others, not to mention that he was just a whelp? That was simply too cringeworthy for the son of Gunmar.
Nevertheless, it wasn't like he had any right to be that picky about his enemy. Yes, it was easy, unworthy prey, but it was his own fault for losing the amulet… Well, his sister had been partially responsible as well - not that Bular was ever going to remind her that. Barverra had never taken critics nicely, especially if it came from her brother.
Despite the common opinion, the son of Gunmar wasn't that dimwitted or unable to plan. He was simply too reckless and hot-blooded, which often ended in silly mistakes, but he still could think about possibilities when he actually had time. Of course, he had never been on the same level as acclaimed schemers, but even simple reasoning was more than enough.
Bular recalled the conversation between Barverra and Stricklander, which he had overheard. It had been too odd, with many parts making no sense. However, the son of Gunmar had understood that the impure had been trying to take over the entire mission. Of course, the winged bastard would have made an attempt to turn the tables - the dark prince could tell for sure that the Head of Janus Order always tried to size the best position for himself. It would have been weirder if he hadn't done a thing.
Luckily, Barverra had seen through all the schemes. Bular couldn't help feeling proud of his sister - with her around, no one would ever succeed in their manipulations.
The next part, however, had confused the Gumm-Gumm prince greatly. It had sounded as if the female had implied having some connections with fleshbags. The only thought of such a possibility made her brother want to puke.
Her? The Herald of Doom? Mingling with fleshbags? Barverra would never have lowered herself to such a disgraceful level. Most likely, Bular had misheard or misunderstood.
However, there was still an unexplained part. His sister had demanded the Trollhunter's name from Stricklander. Why would she ever need something like that? Wouldn't it make more sense to just force that impure scum to show her the puny fleshbag? Did that name mean anything to her? The son of Gunmar could only say that it had been one of those ridiculous combinations of sounds that made no sense at all.
Yet…
Something had happened after Barverra had heard the name. Her brother regretted that he had been in the next room depending on his hearing only.
He wished his sister hadn't gone away that abruptly and stayed to discuss the plans with him. But no, she had left him in the dark again, still preferring to do whatever she wanted. Weren't they supposed to team up in their quest of liberating their father? It was as if the female simply kept underestimating her brother. She simply couldn't offend him more.
Well, if Barverra didn't care about any cooperation, Bular would do the same and act as he wanted. Apparently, she only knew how to speak big - in the end, he was the one to keep destroying Merlin's champions, starting with Deya herself. Besides, he had faced the complications only because all the enemies he had killed so far had been actual trolls, dead set on keeping the amulet out of the Gumm-Gumm's reach in their last moments. A fleshbag would definitely be more concerned about saving their own hide. Not that it would be even possible - Bular was going to kill and devour that stupid creature for even daring to try the role meant for the superior kind.
Finding the so-called 'new Trollhunter' shouldn't have been that difficult. The whelp was in that place where Stricklander spent his days all the time. Even though it was undoubtfully problematic for any troll to move with the sun high in the sky, and the son of Gunmar had never been the stealthiest guy around, he somehow managed to reach his goal, using sewers and shadows.
It turned out that Bular's initial guess about the difficulty of his quest was seriously off the mark. That place was swarming with young fleshbags, and the black troll soon realized that he had troubles discerning those. Seriously, how was anyone able to tell apart those meaty creatures? Those were nearly as bad as goblins when it came to having any unique traits! Yes, they had different scents, but in a crowd, it was nearly impossible to pick up only one as they kept mixing together.
Well, the son of Gunmar would be able to find the Trollhunter for sure if that one donned his armor. Bular scanned the surroundings in the hope of finding the distinct silver glimmer. Nothing.
The dark troll growled in irritation - the stupid Trollhunter had no idea how honored he was. Shouldn't he have been at least slightly interested in demonstrating it to other whelps? Well, apparently, fleshbags lacked the need to enforce their dominance or something, proving to be pathetic inferior creatures once again.
Bular was on the verge of trying to catch whelps one by one until he got the one he needed, when Stricklander approached his hiding spot, looking extremely annoyed.
"What are you doing here?" he hissed, glaring at the sudden visitor. The dark prince had appeared way earlier than Walt could even anticipate. The changeling had imagined that there would have been at least some days.
"I've told you already, I'll destroy the one who is the Merlin's Champion," Bular growled, not caring if anyone could hear him. Why should he, the infamous Butcher, have hidden instead of instilling the fear?
"I assume, you have no idea who you need," the changeling smirked. The black troll could rage as much as he wanted, but as long as he knew nothing about his target, the Head of Janus Order possessed all the trump cards.
Besides, Bular wasn't his sister, so Strickler didn't even bother with picking his words carefully. Besides, now that the changeling thought about it, having the son of Gunmar around wasn't that bad. Especially if the brute was in a properly enraged state.
Right now, the Head of Janus Order had to secure the amulet before Barverra, and it was the only thing that had mattered. His initial plan would be to have a talk with Young Atlas while fanning his anxieties and fears. The man had assumed that the boy would have had more than enough time to think about his situation. Of course, all the worries because of trolls should have skyrocketed by then. Jim simply couldn't have any other course of action than running around desperate for help.
Nevertheless…
Walt had miscalculated. Had he underestimated the teen? First, the Young Atlas had lied about the armor, and to his credit, that was a good explanation, way better than the ridiculous story about 'chess trainers' he had used before. Moreover, it seemed that Tobias Domzalski was also in it, which complicated things tremendously at once. There was always a drastic difference between the mental state of someone facing horrifying circumstances alone and someone with friendly support.
Jim wasn't panicking or lost or scared. The fact that mentioning 'chess club' to him had brought quite a nonchalant reaction was a good indication of that. And that speech of his during the school play auditions, the one about destiny and finding the courage to grasp the calling, had only confirmed the worst. The teen had most likely decided to embrace his current position instead of escaping. Someone definitely had found the best words to reach the kid.
Still, Young Atlas most likely had no idea how cruel the world he had decided to enter was. Maybe, it was just the best time for a wake-up call from reality. Bular was in close vicinity and with an appropriately foul mood. That made him perfect for the plan. Perhaps, it wasn't that late to bring the foolish boy to the brink of desperation. Besides, shouldn't the kid be grateful that the changeling had gotten to him first? If Jim had to deal with Barverra's methods, it would be way worse for everyone involved.
"I can show you the Trollhunter, you know," Stricklander started slowly, picking up the dark troll's attention. There was no risk - the only one dangerous to his schemes would be the Herald of Doom. Of course, there was no way that she worked together with her brother at the moment. The daughter of Gunmar would never permit such sloppy infiltration into the school grounds, so Bular clearly acted independently. Besides, him seeing Jim would change nothing. The Gumm-Gumm prince viewed fleshbags as food only, so he never bothered with learning how to tell them apart. With that in mind, there was no way that he would recognize the current Trollhunter after seeing him next time, let alone be able to describe him to his sister.
The only trouble remaining would be Young Atlas's escape. Stricklander didn't want the boy's death as it would mean Bular securing the amulet. The Head of Janus Order simply couldn't afford that one. Instilling a genuine terror in Jim's mind would be more than enough.
Though…
Bular wouldn't be able to have the proper chase amid the city. Human activity conveniently left too many obstacles for someone enormous to be able to move freely. Jim should have been smart enough to figure a good escape route even in a panic state. Moreover, the changeling wouldn't be surprised if someone from the Trollmarket was watching over their new champion.
Yes, Strickler could sic Bular on the boy without worrying about any consequences. Everything should have been perfectly safe.
"Show me," Bular demanded, totally unaware that he had fallen right into the trap. Stricklander barely managed to hide a smug smirk and then pointed at Jim, who was taking his bike ready to leave the school:
"He's right there."
"A skinny one?" there was quite a disappointment in Bular's voice. "He won't even make a good snack."
"You can always celebrate with a proper hunt afterward," the changeling shrugged, faking the nonchalance. The initial part of the plan was finished - and now the man could proceed to the second one with getting closer to Young Atlas. The talk with his mother was long overdue, after all, so he should have paid a visit to the Lakes' household. It would be silly not to use Jim's closest person to get to him.
It was the first time in decades when Barverra returned to her true form before the sunset, and it definitely felt odd. Probably, she had used to having a fleshbag life too much. But there was no other choice - she had to find Bular and prevent him from doing anything stupid around Jim's school or any places where her boy could possibly hang around. It was her own mistake for not considering it earlier. Her brother was impulsive, and who knew what kind of stunt he could possibly do.
Not being used to the troll form during the day turned out to have some unpleasant downsides as the daughter of Gunmar soon discovered that she had grown pretty dismissive about the sunlight. Apparently, being immune to it because of her guise had dulled her sense of danger tremendously. She even got some nasty sunburns, as she hadn't paid enough attention to her surroundings. Something that embarrassingly stupid had never happened when Barverra had led the life of a commander by her father's side.
Yet, despite all the troubles, the female finally got to the regular hideout in the museum's storage room. Bular was absent - she could swear, it started to turn into an unpleasant habit by now. Why couldn't her brother simply stay put for some days? But no, of course, he needed to roam somewhere, causing chaos!
Nomura was obviously busy with her cover work, so asking her was out of the question, and Barverra wasn't going mental to try asking goblins lurking in shadows. Unfortunately, it seemed that she had to comb the entire city to find her brother. Well, thinking logically, his movements should have also been significantly restricted because of the daylight, so it might have made the search easier.
She started with checking Bular's regular hanging spots, but the suspicion that he could possibly try to catch the current Trollhunter was gnawing at her mind. The son of Gunmar could cause ruckus out of spite. He wasn't the one to cover his own mess, in the end, and troubling the Janus Order wasn't a thing he would try to avoid. If anything, the brute would enjoy doing that. The female just prayed that she was wrong there.
The time flew too fast, and it would become dark quite soon, leaving more space for action. It was already way easier to move with shadows growing longer. Barverra was trailing the road to the school, keeping to side alleys mostly - luckily, the road was blocked because of some repairs, and there weren't any passers-by around - when she heard some commotion. No, that word would be too weak to describe it to the full extent. It sounded more like someone was throwing trucks. As her ears had also caught some roars and shrill screams, the female could bet, that her brother was having another hunt of his.
What an impatient fool! Couldn't you wait until sunset?
Still, even if she might have disapproved of that, it was way better than him rampaging on the school grounds. The screams sounded familiar though. Eerily familiar.
"I'll flay the flesh from your bones!" Bular's loud threat had reached his sister's ears. Barverra wondered if he always were that talkative while pursuing his prey, but all the thoughts came to halt as soon as she heard the response to that:
"I like my bones the way they are. Thanks!"
Was that Toby? How the hell had that kid managed to end on her brother's radar? Well, he was a likely candidate as Bular would find him appetizing, but still! Besides, if he was there, shouldn't it mean that Jim was also nearby?
She looked out, searching for the source of chaos, noticing the enraged dark brute, panicking Toby, escaping on his bike and... There was no way that the female would never recognize her own son's lanky frame. She saw red - how did her bastard brother even dare to think about attacking her boy? Her body moved before any other thought came to her mind, and Barverra jumped at Bular snarling, sending him flying with a powerful kick.
She heard a slight gasp behind her back and turned around.
Jim was standing there frozen on the spot, his blue eyes wide open. His mother could imagine how terrifying she had to look from his point of view - a black growling creature with a murderous glare of glowing eyes. She prayed he hadn't recognized her - the only idea of her son learning the truth like that terrified her to the core.
A part of the woman urged her to run up to her boy, hug him tightly, and check if he was injured. The cold reason commanded her to stop before she made everything worse. The daughter of Gunmar had no right to scare her son more.
"What are you standing for here, ki..." Barverra nearly slipped calling him 'kiddo', but managed to stop right in time. "Run!"
The teen hadn't moved despite that. Fortunately, Toby, - she had totally forgotten about him being present - dragged his friend away.
That was for the best - Jim shouldn't have seen any more of the secret side of the world. Bular alone would be too much to digest.
Speaking about the troll in question, he recovered surprisingly fast and attacked his sister at once, though without his swords.
"What are you doing?" he roared, swinging his fist at her. Barverra avoided it easily and buried her claws in her brother's forearm.
"No, what are you doing?" she snarled with a murderous look. The son of Gunmar had survived by now only because he was a family - everyone else would be a pile of rocks by now.
Bular wanted to add something but decided against it after getting a good look at his sister's expression. It was the first time when he saw Barverra that mad. It was even worse than their father's rage fits, and that meant a lot. He could feel the female's claws burying deeper in his arm as if she wasn't going to let him go without taking a part of him as compensation.
"Look, Sister, I..." the dark troll tried to explain - it was ironic that he somehow ended as a more composed of two when it usually was another way around.
"SILENCE!" she roared and then added in the ice-cold tone: "There's not even a single one excuse in this world that will make me forgive your stunt."
Now it stopped making any sense at all. Was she so mad because he was chasing the fleshbag Trollhunter? Wait, she probably had no idea that his prey was that one. Then, was Barverra enraged because of his hunts? Nope, it couldn't be that one, she never minded those, it had always been Stricklander who chewed him afterward. Then, what was the reason? Him causing too much chaos? Somehow he didn't want to ask.
"Whatever," the daughter of Gunmar had finally released Bular's arm, even though she didn't look any calmer. "Now you will go back to the hideout - and don't even think about doing anything without discussing it with me first!"
Barverra didn't bother with proper explanations or even check if her dumbass brother would even obey her words. It didn't matter right now - right now the mother had to get home as soon as possible, to be there before Jim. Her son would need someone to comfort him after such a traumatic experience.
The female ran across the city, not that bothered about any stealth or keeping things secret from the fleshbags - the Janus Order would cover everything in any case. She didn't even think about some spies trailing her. It didn't matter right now.
Who could even imagine that trolls would enter her son's life that abruptly? It was entirely the mother's fault. The proper explanation was long overdue - she simply kept inventing excuses to justify her silence.
And now Jim had obviously faced the literal nightmare. Barverra knew her brother well enough, and there were no doubts that Bular had given the perfect demonstration of his own monstrosity - after all, even some adult troll warriors were afraid of him.
Jim was a brave kid, and he had the right to know. And not just some partial truth, no, he needed to know about every single thing. Including his grandfather being the ancient troll king and that the dark monster throwing trucks was his uncle. The last one was extremely cringeworthy - Bular certainly couldn't make the family reunion with his nephew a bigger disaster than it was already. How was she going to fix that one? With telling Jim that his relative had a horrible sense of humor? That there was a misunderstanding?
Barverra slowed a bit before her house as she finally realized that she might possibly have exposed her own lair to any of her enemies - be it trolls from the Trollmarket or Stricklander's goons. After a brief check of the surroundings, the female sneaked inside, quickly used the potion, and threw on some clothes - she had managed to come back before her son, so half of the job was done.
A quick glance at the mirror revealed that the woman still had a terrifying expression on her face. Barbara took a deep breath - she had to calm down. If Jim would ever see that kind of face... What if he would be scared of her after that?
She had to be serene and composed - when her son came back home, she would need to be his reliable pillar of support. Comforting the teen should have been the first action. And after that, the mother had to proceed to reveal the truth, slowly and carefully.
They had passed the point of no return already.
As for the matters with Bular, the fleshbag Trollhunter, and Stricklander, she would most likely postpone those for later. Or maybe just even let those unravel without any involvement from her side. The impure could have the privilege of getting the artifact and releasing Gunmar - her father wasn't that dimwitted to trust that bastard in any case.
Barbara heard some movement near the front door and rushed there, opening it at once. She expected to see her son yet came face to face with someone she would never wish to see at her doorstep...
A/N
Someone is soooo dead)))
*Turning on Beethoven's Fate Motif*
Everyone has screwed so much in this chapter