Jim wondered when and how exactly everything had gone downhill. Though, most likely, the problem was that he had relaxed once he had gotten the help from Douxie and learned that this time there was actually the reliable ally.
It had been the end of the unlucky streak, for sure. Granted, the danger hadn't disappeared entirely, but at least now there were ways for an escape.
"I suggest getting a better look at the world you'll be protecting," Blinky proposed with a smile. However, Jim could swear something was slightly off in the troll's behavior.
"Awesomesauce!" Toby exclaimed. "So, are we visiting your home?"
"Heartstone Trollmarket," Aaarrrgghh rumbled.
"Yes, Master Jim has to meet some important trolls. And the beginning of the training is long overdue," Blinky added hastily. Too hastily, to the lanky teen's mind.
No, it was the wrong time to get suspicious for no reason. Of course, the entire situation with Barverra would cause trust issues for everyone, but the young Trollhunter hated even the idea of becoming full paranoiac.
The visit to the Trollmarket was within reason. He would need training that if he wanted to survive until the legal age. Hadn't they said something about decades of battle experience required or something? It would make sense to start as soon as possible.
Per Blinky's suggestion, both boys decided to activate their talismans every time they would go out for the trollhunting-related stuff.
"Remember, you only deactivate those when you are sure that the location is safe," the six-eyed troll repeated for probably the tenth time. Jim couldn't even blame him for being overcautious.
So the plan was to visit the Heartstone Trollmarket. In a way, it had been a blessing that Barbara had a sudden night shift. With that, Jim was free to go wherever he wanted.
It was a rather disgusting kind of thought. In a few days, the teen had somehow become a profound liar with the whole secret life. It was so wrong to deceive his own mother. But wasn't it even wronger to endanger her life by telling the truth?
Their little company was walking towards the supposed entrance to the Trollmarket. Toby kept showering Blinky with all kinds of questions about trolls and the supernatural as a whole. Some of those were rather dumb, though the multi-eyed troll apparently, didn't mind answering even those. Aaarrrgghh gave his own short comments occasionally.
Jim realized that he had mostly kept silent through the entire conversation, engrossed in his own thoughts. That wasn't right. Why did Toby seem more interested in all this stuff? Shouldn't it have been the other way?
"So, where are we heading? Is there some hidden entrance to that Trollmarket you've mentioned?" he asked when the opportunity arrived. To be honest, it seemed that they were heading towards the canals.
No, it would be impossible for an entrance to be around there. Probably, the direction was simply the same. The hidden pathway leading to the underground settlement invoked an image of some cave. Was there anything like that nearby?
"Exactly, Master Jim," Blinky nodded. "It is under the bridge!"
"Bridge?" the teen couldn't believe his own ears.
Did it actually mean that he had been passing near it pretty regularly?
"I haven't seen any entrance there," unknowingly, Toby voiced his best friend's skepticism.
"Need horngazel to get in," Aaarrrgghh answered.
"Horn… What?" Jim asked in confusion. The word sounded foreign. Though, perhaps, he had no need to ask. They were close to their destination already, so the boy would see it soon enough in any case.
"Well, horngazel is…"
The end of Blinky's explanation had drowned in a deafening roar. Jim may have heard it only once before, yet it was impossible to mistake it for anything else. Not to mention that its owner had effectively blocked their path.
Bular. The ruthless killer, the slayer of the previous Trollhunter. Well, he had never seemed to be someone to give up on his prey easily. So was it that surprising to meet him here?
No, their team certainly had screwed a lot as they lowered their guard. No one said that the enemy wouldn't wait for them near the canal.
A barely audible rustling of leaves indicated that it would only get worse. Jim turned to the source of it, subconsciously knowing who he would see there.
Barverra. How could the teen possibly have taken anyone like that for an ally? Now, the Trollhunter clearly saw that there wasn't even a shadow of compassion in her eyes. No, she was definitely that sadistic killer from Blinky's book.
Last time it had been just a stroke of extreme luck. Now? Two evil trolls apparently had solved their internal conflict already.
So what was the point of villains not being able to recognize Jim when they could simply finish him on the spot? All Douxie's efforts had been for nothing.
At least, no one else will suffer because of my actions.
That was a weak thought, something fit for one who had already accepted the defeat, but how could it be otherwise with Bular blocking the way forth and Barverra preventing any chance for a retreat?
Jim thought that a raging troll pursuing him had been scary enough, but this calm standstill was even more terrifying. He could hear Toby chanting his favorite 'oh, my gosh' under his breath, and Blinky was outright panicking. Out of their party, only Aaarrrgghh remained collected - but did it even matter when he was a pacifist?
"You've been running for too long. The amulet shouldn't stay in the puny fleshbag's hands anymore!" Bular's grin was obviously the one belonging to a victor. The Trollhunter would genuinely prefer him to keep throwing gory threats instead, as this kind of confidence just pronounced doom for their side.
No, they should have thought out a better strategy before heading out. And now? Was there an opening to escape? Jim wondered if Aaarrrgghh also thought in that direction as the brute obviously attempted to shield everyone else. Even with his no-violence approach, apparently, he still cared about everyone's safety.
Yet, the giant troll wasn't the one meant to be the protector here. The one to save everyone would have been the Trollhunter.
But how?
Jim couldn't even win against the fear, let alone the cause of it.
No, he had to at least try. The lanky teen took out the amulet ignoring the frantic shaking in his hands. Wasn't that the ultimate magic against bad guys or something? Shouldn't it have given him a so-much-needed advantage?
It didn't help Kanjigar though. Wasn't he the best? And even the amulet didn't change a thing!
An ugly doubt raised its head, shaking even that bleak semblance of resolve the boy had.
You need decades of training before there's any chance to face Bular. And do you think his sister is weaker?
"For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command," Jim whispered, trying to block the hesitation. It didn't work again, no matter how many times he repeated those words. Each failure gladly fed the doubts the teen already had.
Just why?
It had worked as it should have back during that time when he had only discovered the amulet's magic abilities. It had had no problems manifesting when he wanted to show it to Tobes. Hell, the armor had summoned itself in school even though the boy hadn't asked for that!
Nevertheless, in time of actual need… First, during Bular's chase, and now…
"It seems you need to be a proper hunter for it to work, not a pathetic prey like your kind!" somehow, the enemy gave an answer to that unasked question as if he could read Jim's thoughts.
Was he right? Hadn't Blinky told that there weren't any human trollhunters before? Maybe the reason was that the artifact refused to work properly for not-trolls.
Or Jim simply wasn't worth it. The magic object could simply have come to that conclusion after staying with him for some days. Maybe, it would have preferred to switch owners or something.
Why was the teen even trying to take the burden, which was obviously above his capability?
There is no way out.
Now some despair joined doubts in tormenting Jim's mind.
Was it the place for him to die? Near the dried canal? Would anyone even learn the truth about the death? Maybe, Toby, if he managed to escape, but otherwise, it would just become one of the city legends. Well, Eli would most likely add it into his list of weird occurrences, and everyone else would simply forget in some years. Of course, Barbara would never give up on finding her missing son, never finding out about his gruesome end…
The image alone shook the boy to his core. Was it his imagination that even the amulet's light had grown dimmer?
Aaarrrgghh sudden ambush and Blinky's yell had broken Jim's panic state at once, making him return to reality. By some miracle, there was a way to escape now. Toby was the first one to slide down the canal, with the troll scholar following him closely.
The Trollhunter attempted to make a dash too, but it seemed that the enemies were more interested in him than his companions. Barverra landed right before him. A sudden stop ended in the teen losing his footing at the most unfortunate moment.
His enemy could finish him swiftly, yet she simply stood still, watching his pathetic escape attempt.
Without any doubt, she was a fearsome troll, despite being not as big as her brother. There was something eerie in the way she held herself. If anything, Barverra felt more terrifying, though Jim wondered if it was because he had some knowledge of her reputation. Besides, her entire demeanor had changed drastically since their last meeting. Back then, the lanky teen couldn't feel any danger from her at all, yet now she was emanating the menace.
Still, Jim couldn't shake off the odd feeling of familiarity he had while looking at her. No, it wasn't just a simple recognition of someone he had seen briefly, but more like he had known the female troll for a long time. There was something nostalgic in her expressions, eyes, and voice, and that was pretty uncanny.
And somehow, at least part of the boy's soul refused to think of her as an enemy.
A crazy thought of asking the female troll why she had helped him before had crossed Jim's mind momentarily.
No.
He had dismissed it at once. Most likely, his enemy would only jeer at his foolishness and naivety.
"We haven't finished talking, kid, so care to explain where you're going," Barverra started emotionlessly. Unlike her foe, she hadn't any hesitation about her own actions. One of her swords left its sheath swiftly.
She could and would use that one - nothing had suggested otherwise. It was pointless to listen to unreasonable gut feelings - that female troll was definitely an enemy. Probably, the last time had been her way to implant some doubts or something. Barverra had always fancied mind games, according to Blinky.
And of course, Jim just had to face someone like that with his own weapon malfunctioning! How many times had he chanted the words so far? The teen had lost the count a long time ago.
"For the glory of Merlin... Ugh, stupid amulet, why aren't you working? I knew I should have sold you on e-Bay!" it was nearly ridiculous that despite all the danger, the rant still escaped his lips.
The Trollhunter could see some barely hidden amusement at his enemy's face - but was it that surprising in the end? How should he have looked in her eyes, panicking and scared? Wasn't it clear as a day that she didn't take him seriously at all? How could it be otherwise when Barverra could kill him any second?
Jim felt fear overcoming his entire being once again, and it took a lot to get it under some control. Fortunately, Aaarrrgghh jumped between him and the female troll just in time. The teen realized his ally's intentions right away. The brute was winning some time for an escape, and it would be stupid to lose such an opening.
The big guy hadn't lied about his own pacifism - it would be so much easier to punch enemies, yet he had only taken hits so far.
They've told me they needed protection.
The boy remembered the conversation they had a day prior. Back then, he didn't pay much mind to that, maybe because it had been beyond his comprehension how stone monsters could have any need in hero... However, now, with an actual danger hanging over everyone's necks, Jim had grasped it fully.
The main question was if he could be the hero for them, with those terrifying and undefeatable enemies to deal with.
The teen may have gotten out of Barverra's reach, but the luck hadn't been on his side tonight. Now there was her brother right in front of him, ready for another attack. The whole situation was no different from two cats playing with a mouse, where the prey was doomed from the very start and just given some semblance of hope to escape.
Though...
Sometimes even the deadliest predators made mistakes allowing the victim to run away.
The thought was odd, if not entirely out of place, yet… Bular was still menacing and seemingly undefeatable.
And he definitely underestimated his foe.
Jim felt as if all the frantic thoughts possessing his mind evaporated at once, leaving him in some composed and focused state.
Now!
The amulet would work, the teen just knew it somehow. The time seemed to slow down as the boy chanted for another time:
"For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command."
Apparently, he had figured that object out. There was some mental state for it to work properly - was that determination? Resolve? Courage? The young Trollhunter didn't know, but he was seriously grateful that the magical armor had finally decided to appear.
Just in time to weaken Bular's merciless punch.
However, it was still not enough to nullify it entirely. The impact threw Jim up into the air, and it would hurt later when the adrenaline wore out, but at least he had his bones intact. It was scary even to consider what could happen otherwise.
For a second, as the teen landed in the canal, he got a crazy thought of trying to fight the dark troll, but a quick glance in the direction of that roaring monstrosity made him go full 'nope' mode at once.
At the moment, the only reasonable decision would be the escape while the foe was slightly distracted by the unexpected armor appearance. Jim could see Blinky and Toby under the bridge, and apparently, Aaarrrgghh was also dashing in that direction. The Trollhunter remembered the recent conversation about the entrance to the Trollmarket being somewhere around there. At least, now he had an idea about the possible escape route.
The only thing left was joining with his allies, and then the mission would be complete. The teen just wished his armor didn't weigh him down that much. Somehow he had already regretted slacking off during P.E. But who would have imagined that training could be so vital to survival?
What's worse, Bular had turned out to be surprisingly quick for someone his size as he easily overtook the boy and landed right before him with a vicious roar.
Jim jumped back at once. Oh, how he wished to be somewhere else right now. Even Senor Uhl's merciless lessons didn't seem that bad. Hell, even fighting with Steve would have been a better choice of activity! At least, with the local bully, the chances of survival were one hundred percent!
Blinky yelled something about using the sword. Was it his attempt of encouragement?
It was easier to say than do. The teen had no experience with swords at all. A kitchen knife was the only thing of a similar shape he had ever handled.
"I'll drink your blood out of a goblet made of your skull!" Bular roared another one of his gory threats. He could be horrible in negotiations, but intimidation was clearly his strong point. His words were undeniably terrifying, even more so simply because the evil troll would most likely make those the reality.
And not only that. Hadn't Jim forgotten something important?
The Trollhunter felt panic coming back as he had remembered that there was another murderous monster around, more than happy to join in butchering the human. Why hadn't Barverra appeared already? Would she jump out in the worst moment? Yet Jim didn't even have the luxury of taking his eyes off Bular.
He could only hope that his allies would warn him if the second enemy appeared.
"Pound him like a meatloaf, Jim!" Toby called to his best friend, giving him one of his crazy suggestions.
No, as the lanky teen thought about it, he suddenly realized that it wasn't that crazy. Wasn't the sword is just a bigger and heavier knife? Besides, didn't the attitude matter as well?
Of course, Bular looked nothing like a meatloaf - it was easier to picture him as a rock. But… It could work - and honestly, it wasn't like Jim had much choice. Instead of giving up and dying, wouldn't it be more reasonable at least to try to resist?
His swings weren't that good - the teen wasn't used to the weight of his weapon, not to mention that his foe wasn't standing still waiting for a perfect cut. But even that was enough to guarantee survival for now. And just maybe there would be an opening for an escape later…
Though, it couldn't last for that long. Stamina was also a decisive factor, and the Trollhunter was more than sure that his was ridiculous compared to the enemy's.
The boy could hear Blinky calling for him. From the corner of his eye, Jim could see his allies opening some kind of glowing portal or something, but he had no luxury to turn in that direction and check himself as Bular would pulverize him the second he would lose his focus.
"I'm a little busy here!" the teen called back. Wasn't that quite obvious for any onlooker? He may have got some hang on the situation with avoiding hits so far, but it wasn't like the dark troll would give him a chance to run away. If only there was some kind of distraction! Anything would do as long as it bought him some precious seconds.
No, perhaps, even distraction wouldn't be enough. After all, there was also the matter with Barverra. Yes, by some miracle, she was staying out of the fight for whatever reason, but for how long? Jim caught a glimpse of her watching intently from the sidelines.
Had both enemies decided that one of them was more than enough? Though probably anyone would come to the same conclusion.
"You are not fit to wield the amulet!" Bular taunted, only confirming that he didn't see the human boy as a worthy opponent. "I'll tear the armor off you, along with your skin!"
Somehow it felt infuriating. It made no sense at all - Jim was supposed to be scared to death, yet some part of him couldn't stand being underestimated like that. The same part apparently wanted the dark troll to eat his own words. Had he gone nuts amid everything or something?
Or perhaps the teen wasn't sane to start with. That weird part of him had always been there, lurking in the deepest corners of his mind and resurfacing occasionally only to bring more troubles into his life. That one enjoyed fighting too much and would prefer to solve any problem with violence. And right now, that fragment of Jim's soul was genuinely thrilled to fight the black monster.
No, that was not normal. There was no space for craziness at the moment, especially with Bular swinging his blades around. Jim was baffled that he had somehow managed to avoid those so far, be it because of luck or his enemy not trying hard enough.
If he simply got an opportunity to strike back... Wouldn't it be possible right now, with the foe clearly underestimating him? If the teen managed to inflict some damage, that could turn into the so-much-needed opening for the escape.
And the opportunity appeared soon enough as one of Bular's blades buried itself into the concrete. The Trollhunter went for the arm, and it connected...
Or not.
It looked so much better in Jim's imagination, where his swing left a grave wound. In reality, though… The sword had practically stuck in the evil troll's forearm. Why were those creatures so sturdy again?
In any case, now Jim was trapped as Bular lifted him together with the sword. It was the end.
The end? As if!
The survival instinct came to help once again the boy's hands released their grip. The sword got stuck, yet it never meant that the wielder was glued to it.
It turned out that he realized it faster than his enemy. Or maybe Bular had never expected the Trollhunter just to abandon his weapon and run away. What was the point of guessing? In any case, the standstill had ended. Jim dashed in the direction of the glowing arc under the bridge.
His allies were already in, waiting for the Trollhunter to join them. It was so close - some more seconds, and he would be away from the dark troll.
The arc was getting closer, so even the heavy breathing of the enemy didn't mean a thing…
Jim's hands hit the wall as the glowing portal disappeared the moment he had reached it.
Why? Just why? Wasn't the way out so close just a second ago?
The boy's mind was overwhelmed by momentary despair - and the amulet failed him once again as the armor disappeared against the owner's will. There was the raging enemy behind and the literal cold stone in front of the teen. If it happened earlier, he could still try to find some other escape route, but now?
Bular threw his sword, and it stuck in the wall, dangerously close to the young Trollhunter. The second one followed without any delay with the same result. Jim couldn't even tell if the troll had missed intentionally or his precision skills just sucked. That was simply some seconds delay to doom.
The magical door reappeared out of nowhere, and the teen was dragged inside before he had managed to realize a thing…
To be honest, deep inside, Blinky felt greatly concerned and anxious, even though he tried to appear optimistic. It would be so much easier just to panic, but did he have any right to react like that? It was painfully evident that the human child chosen as the next Trollhunter wasn't that confident. Most likely, the boy would prefer to run away if he faced something too much for him. Spewing doom and gloom was not an option when Jim needed some support and encouragement.
And how could anyone blame the kid for that? The mantle he had succeeded was heavy even for adult trolls. The scholar had known all of the previous Trollhunters, and most of them had faced some kind of dilemma as well. The thing was that it was impossible to refuse the sacred responsibility - the amulet was both a great honor and a horrible curse.
And Blinky… Well, he couldn't help feeling responsible for Jim. After all, at the moment, the troll scholar was the only one to vouch for the new champion at the Trollmarket. Of course, Aaarrrgghh would also stay by his side, but would it be enough?
The teen would need to face not only horrifying enemies but the inside opposition as well. Trolls were stubborn and spiteful and many of those still kept the old grudges against humanity even though their offenders had passed away centuries ago. The scholar hated to imagine some of the possible reactions.
Without any doubt, it would be tough for the young Trollhunter.
It surely brought back some memories - the ones of those days when King Arthur had come to propose the alliance to Vendel and inhabitants of Dwoza. There was an unsightly backlash then, especially when Merlin's amulet picked up a seemingly most unfitting wielder.
Deya might have gone down the history as the Deliverer and the greatest hero, but it didn't automatically erase all the wrongdoing against her before her fame days. Without any doubt, she had been the best of the trolls, if she had managed to rise above the grudges.
Blinky hated to admit that he used to be as distrustful as the majority of his kind, if not worse. Dictatious had been the open-minded one, and his younger brother… Even the scholar would most likely punch his past self upon a meeting. He definitely used to be insufferable.
It was so odd that the life itself had taught him to think broader, be it because of seemingly useless Deya turning out to be the hero they all needed or because of his own unexpected friendship with Aaarrrgghh. Alas, most of the other trolls stayed the same despite everything. Perhaps, they simply needed something more impressive. Though, maybe, some things simply stayed the same, no matter what happened.
Trust issues aside, the most troublesome would be the panic state ruling over the Trollmarket at the moment. It had been the fourth day already since the fall of Kanjigar, and no successor had appeared. While initially, it had been simply some anticipation and hushed discussions, it quickly had spiraled out of control. Now there had been more than enough crazy rumors coursing around. Like one of Gunmar's children getting a hold on the amulet. Or that one absolutely brainless theory of the artifact breaking. The only common thing to all those speculations was that something horrible had happened.
Vendel had made multiple attempts to stop rumors from spreading, but instead, it had been no different from fanning a fire. Most locals had become even more convinced that their leader had attempted to hide something bad.
The only way to stop everything altogether would be the Trollhunter's appearance.
Or not.
Blinky knew that to calm everyone the champion had to be the one with charisma and confidence. Preferably a seasoned warrior. And definitely not a human child.
The backlash against Deya would be nothing compared to what Jim would be forced to go through.
The scholar had an idea to discuss everything with Vendel. The grumpy geezer possessed tremendous wisdom, was relatively open-minded, and probably could have some suggestions on delivering the news to the masses.
Alas, the troll elder seemed to be too irritated and busy lately to the point that it was scary to approach him. Blinky had seen some trolls getting a hit with his stuff for something trivial.
No, of course, the irritation was somehow understandable as Vendel was the one in charge, and stopping the panic was his responsibility.
Blinky hoped that the geezer would be more or less accepting of the human as the Trollhunter. After all, he was the one who had represented the troll side when they had allied with King Arthur before the Killahead Bridge battle, so the scholar expected some wisdom and integrity from him. Having Vendel's approval would be vital - with it, no one else would question Jim's right. Well, at least, openly.
Though, no. Blinky knew some locals who would protest in any case. Especially Draal, who was a ticking bomb already.
The scholar shivered, remembering the ugly incident yesterday. Whoever had invited the son of Kanjigar to drink some glug to unwind had made a grave mistake. Blinkous hadn't been present himself, so he wasn't too sure what exactly had happened, but he could more or less imagine the events. Draal had drunk too much. Someone else had made a stupid joke about his sore spot or something, and it had been enough for the warrior to snap.
When Blinky had appeared at the scene to check out the source of the commotion, some trolls had been already beaten up, and drunk Draal had been raging like a wounded beast. That had been a scary sight, but no one had tried to stop the son of Kanjigar.
Their eyes met, and the scholar cursed his own curiosity. Draal's gaze was unfocused and furious.
"You!" he spat, pointing at Blinkous. "Have you come to make fun of me as well? To tell me that I'm unworthy? Not good enough to protect all of you? Not good enough to lead you against Gumm-Gumms? Not good enough to even get the right to avenge Father?"
"I haven't said any of that," the multi-eyed troll protested hastily, noting that other onlookers started their slow and careful retreat, probably happy that someone could play the distraction meanwhile.
"Don't lie to me!" Draal roared. "The entire Trollmarket jeers behind my back! Draal the Loser! Draal the Troublemaker! Unworthy of standing by his own father's side! The one fooled by impure!"
Apparently, it had been too much for him. So much that the warrior wasn't able to conceal his hidden frustrations anymore.
Surprisingly, no more violence followed. Draal punched some walls and left, obviously still infuriated.
It was a well-known fact that the son of Kanjigar dreamed about the Trollhunter's mantle from the very start. Ironically, it kept escaping him as if in some kind of a twisted mockery. However, as some locals had told Blinky, this time Draal was one hundred percent sure that the sacred obligation would be his. He would never take any other option.
Blinky's initial plan involved a bold approach. He wanted to introduce the new Trollhunter openly. It could work as trolls were straightforward enough.
However, after he had witnessed the commotion caused by Draal, the scholar had to reconsider. Right now, the best approach would be to sneak both boys inside so that there was no additional panic, avoid Draal at any cost and try to introduce the young Trollhunter to Vendel.
Yes, that would be the most reasonable plan for the sake of everyone's sanity (and safety!). Jim had already got a lot to handle, it would be better to give him at least some breather. And Draal... Well, he couldn't be furious forever, so at some point, he would calm down and accept that the amulet had chosen someone else... Again.
Blinky had known Draal since his birth - after all, he had been good friends with Kanjigar. Even during his early years, he had tended to be stubborn and hot-blooded, and unfortunately, those traits had never gone away. However, the warrior was an honorable troll, so the scholar secretly hoped that he would be able to accept Jim. There was no need for inner conflicts right now. If anything, Draal could be the loyal and reliable ally the boy needed so much right now.
The six-eyed troll cast a quick glance at the young Trollhunter - the boy still looked quite shaken, but was that so surprising after that ambush from enemies? They had clearly miscalculated here. Blinky had expected that both of Gunmar's children would refrain from any direct attack. He had concluded that after Jim and Toby had mentioned that Barverra had stopped Bular from attacking them. That devious female would never do anything like that without a good reason, that was for sure. However, the next day the Herald of Doom had no problems participating in the hunt. What could possibly change during that short period?
Blinky wished he was better at reading other trolls' motivation. Dictatous had always been excellent in that. If his brother was still around, wouldn't he be a better help to the current Trollhunter?
No, the scholar had no space to muse about possibilities. He had come to terms with Dictatous's demise a long time ago and decided to move forward no matter what. Even if his own skills were lacking, he should have put more effort into compensating for that.
Their entire party stood right before the glowing staircase leading to the Trollmarket. Blinky could see that both boys were in awe. Jim's friend, apparently, was eager to check out some minerals, and Trollhunter himself was close to exploring around a bit. Right now, it seemed the most appropriate time to bring up that they needed to be discreet. At least for today. At least before meeting Vendel and hearing his opinion. One more influential ally could be vital here - as Blinky wasn't sure if only him and Aaarrrgghh vouching for the human boy would be enough. In the end, despite being close to the Trollmarket's elder, the scholar wasn't respected by everyone. Many younger trolls would express their mockery openly, and even some older ones were quite skeptical. Everyone still remembered the entire fiasco surrounding Unkar. Too many locals would blame it partially on Blinky, who just had happened to be the poor fellow's trainer.
And Aaarrrgghh... Well, he might have got some love and respect at the Trollmarket, but it never fully silenced those who brought up his background as one of the most vicious generals in the Gunmar's army.
Jim needed someone more influential on his side - and Vendel would be perfect for that.
"Remind me, why do we need to stay hidden?" Tobias's displeased voice had broken his reverie.
Blinky shifted uncomfortably. How could he explain something like that without making the young Trollhunter and his friend distrustful of locals?
"Our kind is simply not that good in holding their ground before humans," the scholar forced a weak smile. "We also tend to overreact, and right now, everyone needs to keep their cool… We should explain everything first before your formal introduction…"
"Scared of humans," Aaarrrgghh added. That was a serious mistake to bring that up, especially with that wording. The former general had obviously meant that the locals were afraid of another period of hunts and executions by humans' hands, but his lack of vocabulary left it pretty misleading.
"Seriously? Big scary stony guys like you?" the plump teen couldn't hide the skepticism. "Man, you should be more confident!"
Blinky felt some tremendous relief - it seemed both boys didn't try to look past the surface level. Yes, one day, he would have to tell them everything about the long and complicated history of the human-troll relationship, including dark and unpleasant pages, but the scholar would prefer to leave that for later.
They kept moving slowly, sneaking behind constructions and avoiding other citizens. The six-eyed troll noticed that both teens were rather impressed after seeing the underground civilization. Toby kept exploring and pointing out different minerals he saw. Without any doubt, he was highly disappointed that he wasn't allowed to wander further.
"Your friend is surprisingly knowledgeable about rocks, Master Jim," Blinky commented, attempting to change a topic to a more lighthearted one.
"Sorry, what?" the young Trollhunter asked, scratching his head in slight embarrassment. It seemed the lanky teen was lost in his own thoughts as well, and the six-eyed troll couldn't blame him for that. It was obviously too overwhelming for him - well, it would be the same for the vast majority of humans and trolls as well.
"Oh, Tobes? He's been interested in minerals as long as I know him, maybe, even longer," Jim smiled after the scholar repeated his remark.
"A rare interest for a human," Blinky nodded. "Something like that might even win him some respect around here..."
"Yeah," the Trollhunter drawled blankly, his eyes fixed on something else. The six-eyed troll found it peculiar. At first, he thought that much like his friend, the boy was simply distracted by unusual surroundings. But now, as he paid more attention, the scholar could say for sure that the teen's gaze was fixed only on one thing for a while.
The Heartstone. Not that the troll could criticize Jim for being amazed by that one. Well, humans most likely couldn't feel its warm energy giving life to the underground civilization, but the size alone was pretty impressive. He pointed it out to the boy with a smile.
"So it was the one that gave the name to the Trollmarket?" the Trollhunter asked curiously, finally breaking from his trance-like state. Deep inside, he wondered why that giant crystal captured his attention that much. Despite Blinky's words, Jim could actually feel some warmth emanating from the Heartstone. Not only that, its light was slightly calming, chasing away all the fear and stress from the encounter with two dark trolls before.
Yes, it was nothing like sunlight, but it was nice, greeting even.
"So, where are we going now? To your house?" Toby inquired, getting more restless because of multiple covers and detours.
"To Vendel," Aaarrrgghh grumbled, catching the plump teen before he had accidentally jumped into someone's cave.
"It's the elder troll here," Blinky added the explanation. "The representative and leader of locals."
He mused if he should have brought up Vendel's grumpy nature. The old troll could appear quite antagonistic because of that, but in truth, he simply tried to do what was the best for the Trollmarket, even if not everyone liked his decisions.
They continued sneaking in silence, and it seemed that the mission was close to ending successfully. Yes, at some point, a drunk local had noticed them, but apparently, his mind hadn't been clear enough to register fleshbags and start a ruckus, so he just had given a short greeting and continued walking.
"This is the entrance to Vendel's abode," Blinky explained to boys. "Show him some respect, he likes that."
"Likes what?" an old voice inquired, and its owner appeared, scowling at uninvited guests. Both Jim and Toby stared at him with wonder. Was that one Vendel?
The Trollhunter couldn't help feeling amazed at how diverse the trollkind looked. They varied greatly, be it in size, build, even amount of limbs and eyes. All trolls he had met so far didn't look that similar to each other. Even Bular and Barverra only shared the color in common, though they were obviously related.
The elder looked at his visitors with some disdain and suspicion and then uttered:
"Blinkous Galadrigal, would you care to explain why there are fleshbags at the Trollmarket? I hope that your explanation will make enough sense. If it's another one of your conspiracy theories…"
Apparently, it didn't start well already. Blinky expected more integrity from the old geezer, though maybe it was because he hadn't any chance for an explanation, and now it looked like he simply had dragged two human children underground for some unhinged reason.
"Blinkous Galadrigal?" Jim whispered in bewilderment. "Is that your name?"
"Horrible, I know," the scholar replied quietly. He had always had some problems with his own name. When Dictatous was still around, he insisted his younger brother respected it and the meaning behind it. However, without his closest family member around Blinky somehow had switched to the shortened nickname. Only a handful of trolls used the full form nowadays.
"I'm still waiting for an explanation," Vendel grouched, even more irritated than when he first appeared - most likely, since the scholar was whispering with the human instead of giving the proper answer.
Jim gulped, looking cautiously at the crystal stone staff the elder carried - somehow, it was not that difficult to imagine him swinging it down the uninvited guests' heads.
The situation started to become too complicated, Blinky had realized it after looking at the old troll's expression. Vendel wasn't that tolerant to anything that could create troubles to the Trollmarket he managed. And unidentified humans waltzing in certainly counted as a catastrophe in his book.
As if it wasn't chaotic already, it only continued to spiral out of control as another troll appeared from behind Vendel's back - the one who was the worst possible encounter right now.
"Human feet have never sullied the ground of Trollmarket before. Who are these fleshbags?" Draal demanded with a scowl.
Blinky could imagine that both trolls had some kind of talk, though he couldn't say for sure who initiated it. It could be the elder trying to calm down the son of Kanjigar and keep him from causing any trouble. However, it wasn't that farfetched to imagine the warrior visiting for a piece of advice himself, as Vendel was one of those whom he actually respected.
Blinky shifted on his feet uncomfortably, knowing that he had to be the one to do some explanation.
"Well, um... It's hard to believe, but we have our new Trollhunter here, and..." he didn't sound too convincing, though.
"Bushigal! Only a troll can be a Trollhunter!" Draal nearly growled in irritation and would probably continue with more offense if Vendel hadn't given him a glare.
"How did that happen?" the elder asked sternly. "I'm not in the mood for tasteless jokes."
"Amulet chose," Aaarrrgghh stated firmly.
Jim felt rather uncomfortable, standing there surrounded by arguing trolls. Well, he had a feeling that something was quite off when Blinky had told him they should have entered without being noticed. Now he started to understand that some trolls were not that fond of humans - the word 'fleshbag' they used was clearly derogatory.
Toby elbowed his best friend and whispered:
"Is it me, or your troll friends have kept the important part from us?"
The lanky teen wanted to respond but kept silent as he noticed the troll elder coming closer to them.
Vendel looked between the two boys and fixed his eyes on Toby.
"I'm Vendel, son of Rundel, son of Kilfred."
The plump teen fidgeted, quite taken aback by an introduction and the looming geezer.
"Uh, Toby. Son of Ralph. I live with my Nana," he replied back, not sure why the elder came up to him instead of Jim. At least, he remembered to be polite.
"Puny fleshbag," Draal muttered from the sidelines.
Unlike everyone else, Blinky had realized Vendel's mistake in the judgment, picking the one with more meat as his guess. He pointed it out to the elder quietly, and Jim stepped forward, taking out the amulet.
"I think I'm the fleshbag that you're looking for," the boy said not too confidently, eyeing cautiously the troll warrior who still hadn't introduced himself. He had a strong feeling that one wasn't so friendly for a good reason.
"You?" Vendel turned to the boy with an expression that told a lot. "Ridiculous!"
"There has to be some mistake here," Draal growled, attempting to come closer. Aaarrrgghh blocked his way, repeating:
"Amulet chose!"
"As if that thing has always picked the best," the warrior spat but stopped his advancement.
"The amulet has been known to make ill-fated choices," the elder snorted in agreement and looked over to Blinky: "As you know better than most."
There was quite a clear emphasis on the 'you' part, and Jim was tempted to ask about it. However, Draal definitely didn't plan to stay silent and yelled:
"I bet the puny fleshbag can't even use the amulet - simply picking it doesn't make you the Trollhunter!"
He rushed past Aaarrrgghh and pounded the ground before the boys with his fists. Jim stumbled back several steps yet managed to keep standing. Toby was less lucky and landed on his butt.
"Jeez, what a bully," he muttered, trying to stand up. His best friend helped him to his feet.
"Draal is right," Vendel looked at Blinky strictly. "Since the day of the agreement, no fleshbag has ever gotten the responsibility to protect our kind. Where is the proof that this one can use the amulet?"
Somehow, Jim couldn't help feeling slightly annoyed, even irritated. It was clear as a day that those trolls didn't take him seriously. Yes, the common sense told him that it wasn't that illogical from their point of view, however, it didn't change his own feelings on the matter.
"Show them, Jimbo!" Toby encouraged him from the sidelines - he definitely didn't like the cold greeting himself and, without any doubt, would like the trolls to take their words back.
The lanky teen nodded - after all, he knew for sure that the amulet worked (well, it failed in some extreme situations, but still!), so it was the best way to stop the skepticism at once. Deep inside, the boy wondered why there was such a drastic difference between Blinky and Aaarrrgghh, who decided to believe in him though he was a human (a fleshbag?) and those two trolls. Would the rest of the Trollmarket share the same attitude as his new friends or more likely to follow their elder? He had a strong suspicion that the latter was more likely.
"For the power of Merl..." Jim started, realizing his own stupid mistake too late. How many times had he repeated the incantation so far? Then why had he used the wrong word during an important moment?
Draal snorted with disgust, and Vendel frowned - both clearly weren't that impressed.
"Glory!" Blinky corrected.
"Right, sorry," Jim fidgeted and said the right words this time. The only saving grace was that the amulet spared him from further embarrassment and summoned the armor without any delays this time. The teen didn't even want to imagine what could happen otherwise.
There was some awkward silence. Vendel's expression was quite unreadable, and Draal... Well, that one was both shocked and furious, that was for sure.
"Bushigal!" he yelled. "That proves nothing!"
It seemed that the warrior would be happy to say more, however, he was pretty conscious of the elder's presence.
"Let the Soothscryer decide," Vendel stated firmly after giving it some thought. Blinky protested at once:
"Please, Master Jim hasn't even got any proper training and..."
"No training would fix a faulty decision," Vendel glared at the scholar and turned away.
"Follow me," he told everyone curtly and started walking. Draal shoved aside both boys and followed the older troll.
"I'm going to watch too," he sneered when Aaarrrgghh looked at him disapprovingly. "Any problems?"
"Jeez, what's wrong with that guy?" Toby muttered, rubbing his hurt shoulder. "It's like Jim has offended his parents or something."
Blinky shifted on his feet uncomfortably - he could imagine that a human succeeding Kanjigar could possibly count as an offense to Draal but preferred not to make any assumptions.
"His father," Aaarrrgghh replied honestly, without giving any thought about possible consequences.
"What do you mean?" Jim raised his eyebrows in puzzlement because he clearly had never had an opportunity to communicate with that many trolls. He seriously doubted that one of those he had met so far was that angry warrior's dad.
Blinky sighed, finally deciding it would be stupid to keep silent about something like that when it would come to light in any case:
"Well, Draal is Kanjigar's - the previous Trollhunter's son..."
"Wait, WHAT?" the lanky teen couldn't believe his own ears. "He's his SON?"
"Exactly!" Draal turned back and bared his teeth. "Which makes me the rightful heir!"
Suddenly, the whole hostile attitude started to make way more sense. Jim wondered why the amulet had chosen him when there had been an actual successor already. What if he had stolen someone else's place?
"We shouldn't come to hasty conclusions," Blinky disagreed, though not that confidently. "Nothing suggests that a relative should be an heir..."
He looked at Vendel, hoping for some support, but apparently, the elder decided to ignore the conflict behind his back as he continued walking without turning.
"Nothing suggests that a puny fleshbag can be a Trollhunter!" Draal spat back. He gave everyone a dirty glare and hurried after Vendel.
"What a temper," Toby complained. "I bet he doesn't have many friends... Out of curiosity, was his father a jerk too?"
"No," Aaarrrgghh shook his head.
"Kanjigar was known as one of the noblest and most honorable souls," Blinky added.
"Apparently, something went wrong with his son's upbringing," the plump teen interrupted him. "Is he a sore loser or something?"
Actually, there was a long story about Draal, his expectations, and the amulet, but the troll scholar was unsure if it was the right thing to bring it up. Especially with the warrior in question being in close vicinity. The son of Kanjigar was already past the boiling point, so angering him more could be quite a suicide.
"Where are we going?" Jim asked in an attempt to change the topic. He had noticed some uncomfortable glances Blinky and Aaarrrgghh exchanged. It was odd, but probably they wouldn't tell him everything even if he asked.
"To the Heroes Forge," the six-eyed troll suddenly smiled. "I think you'll like it!"
A/N
Hi, folks! I have a small announcement for you. Don't worry, it's not this kind of scary note about going on hiatus or dropping the story altogether. Mirrored convictions remain on a weekly schedule.
This note is about a side project I want to try. After some brainstorming with my friends, I came to the conclusion that it would be fun to explore some 'what if' possibilities in the Mirrored convictions AU. So, if you wish to read a 'what if' take on some event in this fic, feel free to drop me a suggestion in the comments. I only ask you to keep to the events I have already written about (for example, an alternative take on chapter 25 if Douxie didn't give Jim the talisman). I don't promise full stories, just oneshots (though if some concept is particularly interesting it may become more than a oneshot).
Thank you for reading this story.