Stricklander had always been a schemer and strategist, preferring to think several steps ahead, yet, at times, even he could help pulling a prank or teasing someone without hidden meaning. Like, for example, that time he had interrupted Nomura's passionate speech about pottery simply because he knew it would annoy her tremendously.
That is appropriate behavior for an old friend.
That was a surprisingly rebellious thought. There had been no friends in the Janus Order. And even if, by some kind of miracle, it hadn't been a breach of the codex, the relationship between two changelings had never been warm to start with. Stricklander had recruited Nomura into his close circle because she had always been a convenient tool, and the assassin in question obviously tried to get closer to him in an attempt to win back her freedom.
Yet… At times it was so easy to see close friends in each other. Walter wondered what exactly influenced that. Trolls cherished bonds, often creating life-long friendships. Humans also craved company. And changelings, the unnatural existence stuck in-between was banned from receiving all of that.
No, all of that was just ridiculous. No, more like ridiculously dangerous. He had been definitely walking along the edge with all those thoughts recently. As if his whole survival wasn't in the hanging state already without them!
Instead of pondering about meaningless things, shouldn't he have had a discussion with Nomura? Lately, it had been nearly impossible to do at night with Bular being around. The dark prince had listened to every single word - and it had been painfully obvious. No, that brute was a horrible spy. Still, even that was enough to complicate Stricklander's life.
But right now, in the daytime, he had a perfect chance to communicate with his aide during the school trip to the museum while his oblivious students were roaming around.
Their plan hadn't progressed much. Days kept passing with the amulet still in Jim Lake's possession. Walter couldn't help admiring the kind of luck Young Atlas apparently was blessed with. Surviving with two Gumm-Gumms out for his blood was a genuine miracle.
Though… The boy had protection from the unknown wizard party. Besides, Stricklander himself had done more than enough to give the teen some breather.
"So, how's your observation's progress?" he asked, careful not to say any names or suspicious phrases so that if someone walked in, it could be interpreted as a normal conversation.
"If someone's forgotten, I also have my main job to do," Nomura hissed. Figures, she was still annoyed because of his recent behavior. Nevertheless, as angry as she were, the woman kept her speech calculated too.
Walter could easily guess the exact thing she had implied with her 'main job'. That one was both about her position as a museum curator and her responsibilities as a goblins' supervisor and protector of the hideout. The female changeling simply had no additional time to track the Trollhunter non-stop.
"You could possibly notice something unusual," Strickler frowned. Yes, he knew it was a vague hope, but Jim might have visited some odd place or met anyone suspicious.
"Wouldn't you be way better when it comes to noticing oddities?" Nomura spat back.
You know the boy better.
That was the part left unsaid. Not to mention that as a school teacher, Walter could observe the target daily. The problem was that nothing extraordinary had happened at school. The fight with Palchuk? Just a regular childish conflict.
Stricklander felt the need to pinpoint the mysterious wizard or witch. Taking out that one would have been a decisive blow to the Trollhunter's party as they would lose a good chunk of their defense lines. The problem was that, unlike with Jim, the man had not even the slightest idea of that one's identity. That's why Nomura's observation was vital.
Though… What if the magic user was the teen's old friend? If so, finding any oddities would be pointless as that person wasn't one.
In the end, Stricklander had hit the wall. There wasn't enough information. Should he have involved another one of his subordinates to track Young Atlas?
"By the way," Nomura drawled as if reading his thoughts, "there's no one dependable enough nowadays…"
It's a horrible idea to trust others.
That one was a sincere warning - a rare gesture of the goodwill coming from his aide. Did she know something?
"You surely are exaggerating," Strickler gave a fake chuckle. "Why so pessimistic?"
Just spill the beans already.
"The Superintendent's daughter considers replacing you," Nomura shrugged, feigning indifference.
'The Superintendent' was their code term for Gunmar, so it was about Barverra. Again.
"Old news," Walter waved it off. "I'd be more surprised if she didn't…"
Apparently, it had been just a reminder or…
"You don't get it," Nomura glared at him with unconcealed irritation. "She suggested to others that she looks for a replacement."
His aide was right - that was a disaster. No, of course, by this point of time, the entire Janus Order had been informed about Barverra's dislike towards its head. However, so far, she had never even hinted about seeing anyone else in Strickler's position.
Now, the daughter of Gunmar had openly thrown him to hungry hyenas.
"How do you know when I've heard nothing?" the man hissed, nearly dropping his mask of calmness. Granted, his subordinates had never been that loyal, but at least one of them should have informed…
Oh, yeah, Nomura had done the exact thing, but she was basically in the same boat. There had to be at least someone else.
"One of my colleagues was foolish enough to blabber around thoughtlessly," the female shrugged.
Walter had no need to ask any additional questions. Most likely, that subordinate had suggested a truce or something like that to Nomura but had failed in convincing her. Luckily, there had never been any good schemer in Arcadia - Stricklander wasn't that naive to nurture a rival for himself in the close vicinity.
Yes, there were several more devious bastards, but as long as those remained stationed elsewhere, he shouldn't have worried about backstabbing.
A beep from his phone, indicating an incoming message, broke up his reverie. Strickler took it out in annoyance and stared at the screen in disbelief. His biggest worry had turned into reality faster than anyone would expect.
Got info about the shortage of human resources. Sending help.
Nomura looked at the message over his shoulder with no regard of privacy and whistled:
"We're in deep shit."
That comment didn't fit her cover at all, but who even cared about that one at the moment? The message might have seemed confusing and cryptic, but Walter got the meaning behind it at once.
The Janus Order's various factions started moving, smelling their leader's current weakness. Only some moments ago, Stricklander had been thinking about changelings with enough ambitions and brains to attempt a revolt. Apparently, at least one of them decided to move to Arcadia.
The worst implication was that Walter couldn't do a thing to prevent that. Without any doubt, the message was just a trivial notification about something already decided. He wouldn't be that surprised to learn that some of the so-called backup had already arrived days ago and just laid low in waiting.
Archie watched a nasty green splatter, still retaining its initial shape with apparent disgust. Douxie could swear his familiar was tempted to burn it to ashes. Well, he had always hated goblins. Though the wizard-in-training still had to meet anyone liking those gooey chaotic pests.
Not that long ago, a timely (or more likely, untimely) call from Jim had interrupted his lesson to Claire, so the young man had to cut it short without any chance to clear up the dumb misunderstanding. If anything, he was sure that the girl would be extremely suspicious about the Trollhunter. Well, at least Douxie had managed to talk the Latina out of confronting the lanky teen directly. Though… Would that last for long?
Yes, the wizard-in-training should have told Jim about the situation. Of course, the Trollhunter would most likely refrain from involving another person in his business. That was just being responsible and reasonable.
Douxie had been half-listening to the discussion about the goblin's remains. Blinky had given some trivia about the creature, with Archie nodding in approval. Jim didn't seem that enthusiastic - and Merlin's apprentice could easily guess why.
Of course, anyone would prefer training for the incoming challenging fight.
However, the troll scholar definitely had some other idea.
"Oh, no, Master Jim. If there is one, there is many. And, as for the unfortunate soul who ran over this small fellow, may Skaargen's swift blade have mercy!" and he spat on his hands in some kind of the rite.
"Only if there was an eyewitness," Archie butted in lazily. The cat had always been proud of his status of walking trivia, so someone beating him to an explanation was a low blow.
"Goblins tend to go in groups," Blinky looked at familiar in disapproval. "Anyway, their payback is tenfold."
Jim turned to Douxie as if asking for confirmation. The older teen nodded:
"Yeah, that one is the most problematic trait of theirs."
His team had more than enough experience dealing with goblins, so he had a good idea of what could possibly happen to the hapless driver.
Speaking about experience…
"Guys, I have an idea," the wizard-in-training stated firmly. "Jim should go training. Arch and I will deal with goblins."
That should have made the most sense. His younger friend still lacked the battle experience and had no luxury of skipping his training. That would be the most reasonable split of resources and…
"No," Blinky disagreed at once, much to everyone's surprise. "I can understand your concerns and goodwill, Hisirdoux, but this is one of the challenges Master Jim has to face. We cannot shield him from every single trouble out of pity."
Douxie flinched at hearing his full name - it brought back those memories of Merlin's scoldings and lectures. Well, the multi-eyed troll didn't sound that strict, yet the young man had realized his own mistake at once.
Blinky was right - no matter how young or inexperienced Jim was, he remained the champion for both kinds and would face all types of dangers sooner or later. Depending on the easy way out was not a correct answer.
Both trolls decided to believe in the lanky teen's potential. And, of course, the wizard-in-training had to show some trust too.
"I think we should work together," Jim stated with some hesitation, but Douxie could see a shadow of resolve in his expression.
Maybe the young man had been unfair - the Trollhunter wasn't a small child, after all, so he didn't deserve being treated like one.
Tracking goblins had always been one of the most pointless and impossible tasks one could face. Only the creatures with an ultimate sense of smell could hope to get any result. Unfortunately, neither Archie nor both trolls were on that list.
On the other hand, Toby had discovered a note from a delivery driver. If tracking predators was impossible, wouldn't it make the most sense to find the object for their vengeance?
So, at the moment, their united team had a stakeout. Douxie stayed with Toby and Aaarrrgghh, while Archie chose Jim's party. The dragon still didn't trust the brute (and by extension Toby, for whatever reason), so it was the only possible division.
The young wizard wondered if his familiar could possibly start an argument with Blinky over some facts. Both evidently seemed likely to engage in a debate out of boredom. But with a walkie-talkie as the only means of communication, it had been nearly impossible to tell for sure.
His own party was… Well, restless. Not Aaarrrgghh, of course - as a troll, he had no problems standing still for hours. Douxie wasn't new to stakeouts as well. Nevertheless, Toby seemingly compensated for both of them, trying to do some exercises (in an attempt to win some prize, as he had explained). Moreover, the plump teen was also brainstorming for 'code names'.
"So, you have been monster hunting for decades with no code name?" he inquired for the probably tenth time.
"No," Douxie sighed. Actually, he had never considered that one.
"A huuuge miscalculation on your part, man," Toby drawled, patting his back. "And with us all keeping incognito, we cannot go around yelling each other's names."
He was right - even if their main goal was preventing goblins from ripping apart some innocent soul, there had been no guarantee that no Gumm-Gumm would appear tonight. They shouldn't have lowered their guard - the enemy wouldn't play fair. Besides, could goblins be connected to Bular and Barverra? No matter how chaotic green pests were, they also served Gunmar to a certain extent.
Douxie felt that everything had to be linked in some manner - he just couldn't see the entire picture with some fragments being missing.
"So, Jim's obviously Trollhunter," Toby finished his winded spiel about the importance of code names, not aware that Aaarrrgghh had been his only audience, "and I'm considering War Hammer."
"War Hammer?" the young man raised his eyebrows. That one seemed slightly random.
"Yeah… You know, everyone says that swords are all the rage, but only selected few know that a warhammer is the true king of weapons," the plump teen confided in a whisper. "Don't tell Jimbo, though… By the way, are there any magical warhammers in Merlin's vault or something?"
There was so much expectation in his green eyes that Douxie wasn't sure he could give him a negative answer.
"Probably no…" Toby continued his musings without bothering to wait for a response. "Maybe I should ask Blinky if they had some spares at Heroes' Forge."
So, most likely, it wasn't exactly about the type of weapon. No, the wizard-in-training had suddenly realized that Jim's best friend felt insecure about his own position in all of that. Was he afraid to be just a burden to everyone, with no role to fulfill?
Douxie opened his mouth to ensure Toby that no one would try to chase him away when he had noticed a delivery truck approaching.
"War Hammer to Trollhunter, the package has arrived," the plump teen informed Jim immediately.
So that was the moment of truth and another challenge for the young Trollhunter. Personally, Douxie wasn't that worried - yes, goblins could be dangerous with their numbers, but their party had more than enough to successfully oppose them, be it magic, Archie's flames, or Jim's Daylight. As long as everyone followed the rules, everything should have been alright.
Douxie looked at Aaarrrgghh, noting the brute's calm demeanor. That one wouldn't be a problem. And Jim was together with Blinky and Archie, meaning that nothing reckless would come from that side.
Goblins were putting off the street lights - not for keeping the secrecy like someone might have assumed, but because of actual hatred to those.
"Their weakness is bright light and heat," the young man explained after noticing Toby's puzzled expression.
Speaking about that, probably, the best strategy would be waiting until all of the goblins gather together. Though, did they have any time for that?
Douxie could see Jim arguing with both Blinky and Archie, obviously concerned for the delivery driver. Oh, yeah, most likely, they would expose the entire magical world to a civilian.
"Oh, Eli's come out," Toby whispered, pointing to the house.
The wizard-in-training wondered if there would be any need for memory alteration. That one had always been a rather intricate craft.
Oh, wait, he could try the smokescreen!
The situation resolved itself before the young man had decided on anything. The first goblin launched an attack, with the entire pack following its suit and…
They evidently didn't want anything from the oblivious driver. No, the object of their revenge had always been the delivery truck. The image of green creatures disassembling the car was still terrifying - but at least it was way better than them ripping apart a living being.
"Unexpected," Blinky's voice commented from the walkie-talkie. "Their dispute isn't with the driver at all, but rather the transportation that had flattened their kinsman."
"Don't tell me anyone present is delusional enough to think that those pests have enough brains for logical conclusions," Archie butted in. Douxie could easily imagine his familiar's displeased yet slightly smug expression. He couldn't help chuckling at that antics.
Well, the truck had been a casualty, but it had been an acceptable level of losses. The goblins had their payback, so they should have lost the interest and scattered soon enough.
The wizard-in-training was so relieved that he had nearly missed the following phrase from the walkie-talkie:
"Ooh, you must not be afraid, Master Jim."
Fuzzbuckets.
Douxie cursed mentally and snatched the walkie-talkie from Toby:
"Blinky, is Jim actually afraid over there?"
The gravest mistake one could make with goblins in the area would be a demonstration of fear. Those creatures were cowardly themselves, so the confidence from their opponents would keep them away. However, even slight hesitation, cautiousness, or panic could work as a trigger. The young man switched his attention to Toby. Even if Jim wasn't scared, anyone else in their party showing fear would be a disaster.
Unfortunately, the entire situation of when and where one should have been afraid wasn't good for keeping a calm state of mind. Especially not after goblins had taken apart the truck in some seconds. Toby had already started to check out if he smelled of fear (whatever it meant), and it wasn't that difficult to imagine Jim not faring much better. And once panic started, it would spiral out of control soon enough.
A prediction became a reality in some brief seconds as goblins had sniffed a source of fear. And any chances for an easy mission had flown through the window, leaving everyone running for their life. Douxie made himself a mental note to talk to Blinky later about causing panic - because the scholar somehow exceeded in that tremendously. At least, Archie had the swiftest escape - having wings had always been a tremendous advantage.
For some mysterious reason, goblins picked up Jim and Blinky as their target, leaving everyone else alone. Was it because the multi-eyed troll had been panicking the most despite all his words?
Though, no.
Douxie eyed Aaarrrgghh and realized that the brute was simply intimidating enough for any goblin rather go in the other direction.
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh," the plump teen stared at the swarm chasing after his best friend, his eyes full of fear and panic. "What to do?"
Yeah, they surely had to act. Preferably, fast.
"Aaarrrgghh, can you overtake goblins?" Douxie inquired. His plan would depend on that response.
The brute nodded and put both boys on his back before getting any prompt.
"Do you have a plan?" Toby tugged the young man's sleeve.
"Yes. Aaarrrgghh, you grab Jim and Blinky. Toby, you make sure that no one looks back."
"Why so?" the plump teen looked at him in confusion. Yeah, it would be better to give at least some explanation as otherwise, someone might have looked out of curiosity.
"Do you know what flashbang grenade is?"
"Do you have a flashbang grenade?" Toby couldn't believe his own ears.
"Well, kinda."
It wasn't an actual one, just a spell with a similar effect, but it was simply easier to use that one as a description without going into intricate details. Some wizards would be greatly offended by such comparison, but Douxie had always been above such pointless snobbism. As long as his friend had the right idea of what would happen, everything should have been good enough.
A slight blue flash ahead of them indicated that Jim had summoned his armor. Or maybe it had happened without his conscious decision, as the lanky teen had complained before. The wizard-in-training would bet on the second one - the Trollhunter wasn't that silly to create a handicap for himself out of nowhere.
Perhaps, Merlin's apprentice would actually need to check the amulet later, his insufficient knowledge be damned.
Right now, though… Yeah, it would be better to prevent goblins from ripping apart his friend. Archie had come to the same conclusion as he made a dive, keeping away creatures who got too close to the hapless Trollhunter.
The decades of monster-hunting experience weren't for nothing. Douxie mentally thanked his familiar for taking a needed action without prompt. Now he had to do his part as well.
"Aaarrrgghh, make a dash now. Toby, remember what I've told you," the young man prepared to jump off from the troll's shoulders.
"Wait, are you going to leap in the midst of those?" Toby looked at the angry swarm in horror.
"Yep, more effective that way," Douxie nodded. "And please, stop showing your fear so openly! So, at the count of three. One. Two…"
"Three!" the plump teen yelled instead, closing his eyes and clutching desperately at the Aaarrrgghh's scruff as the troll sped up through the goblins.
The wizard-in-training landed amid the raging creatures, attracting their attention at once. Yes, he didn't demonstrate any fear, but his build was convenient enough to make him look like an easy target.
As long as the majority of green creatures focused on him, everything should have worked according to plan.
"Lux splendida!" Douxie yelled, closing his eyes as well and praying that both trolls had managed to get far enough. Granted, the spell was just an imitation of the daylight, but he wasn't that sure of its effects. For all he knew, it could possibly at least burn trolls or even worse.
Some panicked shrieks indicated that goblins fled, not that eager to deal with mysterious flares. The young man sighed in relief and opened his eyes. The street was empty - as if there weren't any green monsters to start with.
"That was so much awesomesauce!" Toby's excited cry broke the deafening silence. Douxie turned in that direction, noting that everyone was safe and sound. The plump teen was still on the Aaarrrgghh's back, while Blinky had somehow ended clutched under the brute's arm. Jim was down on the ground already, examining the amulet with some annoyance.
"Well, the mission's complete, let's go home," Archie landed on Douxie's shoulder, transforming back into his cat form. "Not sure about you lot, but I'd rather deal with something else!"
"Good idea," Toby beamed. "My house is not that far - let's go there. I have snacks!"
"Not that fast, Tobias," Blinky frowned, dusting his pants after Aaarrrgghh put him down. "The town is infested with goblins!"
"Tell us something we don't know," the cat-dragon huffed. "If you went to the surface more often, you'd know that those pests have been marauding here for years!"
"Blinky's right, Archie," Douxie stopped his familiar's angry rant. "Their numbers are abnormal. Something is off. And it will be better for everyone if we deal with those fast…"
"Goblins seek revenge," Aaarrrgghh commented from the sidelines.
"But shouldn't they fail to recognize us because of magic?" Jim asked, showing his amulet inside the pocket.
"Yes, and it makes everything even worse," Douxie admitted. "They want revenge, but they don't know the target for that. So… They will just attack every human in hope to find the right one."
"That's illogical," Toby hummed.
"Goblins and logic have never gone along," Archie drawled. "Those pests are chaos incarnate!"
Douxie could see Jim frowning at that comment. Was it so surprising, though? He had already too much to deal with, taking into account evil trolls. Adding goblins to that pile of troubles was never good news.
Yes, a single goblin was a ridiculously weak opponent, but their strength lay in numbers, and if there was a horde around… The wizard-in-training hated to think in that direction. Not to mention that those creatures tended to multiply fast, being no different from rats in that regard.
"How does one even deal with goblins?" Jim exclaimed with some frustration. "And don't even let me start that the trollhunting rules, apparently, work for trolls only! First, always be afraid, then don't be afraid… What's next?"
Douxie could get the reason for those feelings. His young friend simply lacked knowledge and experience when it came to encounters with various magical beings. Merlin's apprentice himself still confused some supernatural creatures and methods to deal with them, much to Archie's chagrin. But that was the exact point - each kind possessed unique qualities and weaknesses.
"Well, to deal with goblins, you need…" the young man started but had no opportunity to finish as someone else beat him to that.
"Find the den," Blinky and Archie responded simultaneously and glared at each other. So those two had already begun to have some rivalry over the most knowledgeable member position.
Yes, that one was the most reasonable course of action - destroy all the goblins, so no one would return to enact the revenge. Not to mention that there were more than enough methods for eradication and…
"So, how we find that den?" Jim inquired, unwittingly pointing out the main problem. "Where can it be?"
"Well, anywhere," Blinky muttered, losing his enthusiasm at once.
"Goblins are unpredictable," Archie agreed begrudgingly. Somehow, both had made peace when hitting the wall.
"Can't we, just, I dunno, track them?" Toby suddenly suggested, breaking the silence. Right before that, he had been staring at his chubby tracker as if considering some idea. "If there's a magical flashbang grenade, there could be a magical tracker or something…"
Everyone looked at each other.
"Surprisingly thoughtful," the cat-dragon commented.
"We'll need a goblin for that, though," Blinky added. "And, unfortunately for us, I don't think they'll appear tonight after that huge flash…"
That was definitely an odd night, and Jim could only say for sure that he hated goblins already. And of course, those just had to be one of his responsibilities! Why couldn't there be a Goblinhunter or someone like that?
Well, Blinky and Aaarrrgghh had gone to the Trollmarket already, and he definitely should have been at home sleeping at this ungodly late hour. Toby seemed more concerned about mid-night snacks (to forget about the recent stress) and Douxie…
"Jim, do you have some time to talk?"
The question had definitely caught the young Trollhunter by surprise - he was sure that his wizard friend had been preparing to bid his farewells.
"Sure, why not?" Jim shrugged. Coming home half an hour later wouldn't make any difference at this point. Besides, somehow it seemed that it wouldn't be just an idle talk.
Was it about the amulet?
Or perhaps, the wizard-in-training had discovered something important regarding the enemies?
"Do you know Claire Nunez?"
Ok, that was the last thing the lanky teen had expected.
"Are you joking?" Toby butted in. "She's the mistress of Jimbo's thoughts!"
"Come on, Tobes, it's not that bad," Jim groaned, slightly embarrassed by that description. And Douxie's knowing smile didn't make things easier as well.
"Really? And who unleashed his Espanol to impress that chiquita?" the plump teen winked.
"Don't remind me about that," Jim facepalmed. It was definitely in the top ten dumbest things he had ever done. "Anyway, why have you asked about Claire?"
"Well," Douxie started, shifting on his feet uncomfortably, "I think I somehow added another complication to your life…"
"How so?" Toby inquired, forgetting even about his wish to eat something tasty asap.
"Claire knows about the hidden part of the world," the wizard-in-training confessed. "And I'm the one who dragged her into all of that."
His friends' confused expressions told him that he should have elaborated on that. So, the young man proceeded with an explanation about how the girl had come to the magical bookstore, his own decision to give her a special book, and her success with some elementary magic tricks. And of course, it would be unfair to avoid mentioning the misunderstanding he had unwittingly caused.
"Wait, so Claire is a… witch?" Toby asked, not sure if he had used the correct term.
"Technically, she can't even count as an apprentice, but, I guess, she is," Douxie shrugged. "The biggest problem is that Claire believes that Jim is like her…"
"No wonder that she was so nice today at the museum," Jim sighed. He remembered his crush mentioning the world becoming way bigger and something about true calling. "Claire really likes magic, doesn't she?"
Perhaps, the Latina simply looked for someone to share her amazement with. On the one hand, Jim was happy that she had chosen him for that role over her friends or family. On the other… Was he just a ticket to the supernatural world to her?
"Jim, do you know what all of that mean?" Douxie asked seriously. "There's a high chance that Claire will get involved more and possibly end in some kind of danger. Right now, she knows about magic only and…"
"I won't tell her about trolls, Doux," the Trollhunter sighed. "I won't needlessly put another person in danger. But what should I do if Claire asks me about magic? Pretend to be oblivious?"
"I'd play along if I were you," Merlin's apprentice answered after some consideration. "You'll look less suspicious that way."
"Yeah, and Claire won't be as upset because of you skipping rehearsals," Toby added.
Apparently, Jim just kept adding to his list of lies. First, crafting that elaborate lie about the chess club to give to Mr. Strickler and his mom. Now, pretending to be an apprentice wizard to deceive Claire. But… Had he any right to tell his crush about trolls? The lanky teen didn't even know the girl well enough to be sure about her reaction. It would be different from telling Tobes, who he had known for years.
Archie, who was investigating the surroundings after goblins had scattered, came back and jumped on Douxie's shoulder.
"Hey, Douxie, not that I want to break your chat time or something, but don't we have another task for tonight?" the familiar inquired.
"A task?" Jim raised eyebrows. Somehow, he tended to forget that his older friend had been dealing with the supernatural for decades.
"Well, I don't think that it's something vital," the wizard-in-training chuckled. "I just wanted to check something Claire had mentioned. Most likely, it's not even troll-related…"
There's no need for you to help.
The lanky teen could guess the unsaid part effortlessly. No, of course, he understood the exact reason why Douxie decided to exclude him and Toby but didn't that also mean that Merlin's apprentice would do that at the expense of his own time? Didn't he have two jobs to think about already?
"I'll help," Jim volunteered before it became a coherent thought. "Haven't you told me it's better to have a good team?"
"We'll help," Toby smiled, giving Douxie a pat. "We owe you for saving our asses tonight…"
For a second, the wizard-in-training looked at both of his friends in disbelief, but then smiled and accepted his defeat:
"Ok, I give up. Let's not waste any more time. I'll explain everything while we go there…"
He could feel Archie eyeing him with a weird expression, but that one was definitely not disapproval.
"So, Claire mentioned that something felt off about the museum curator," the young man started as they walked towards the museum.
"Her obsession with pottery?" Toby guessed. "That one was creepy. Though, not enough for an investigation. Just a weird hobby - we all have those…"
"I don't think it was about that," Douxie shook his head. "Claire specifically mentioned 'dark' and 'dangerous'. I won't ignore that hunch…"
"Well, she seemed like a regular lady to me," the plump teen shrugged. "Jimbo?"
"Dunno," Jim hummed. "Nothing seemed wrong with her. Museum itself, on the other hand…"
Both of his friends stopped midstep.
"Jim, did you feel something too?" Douxie couldn't believe his own ears. He had no idea that the Trollhunter had a sharp sixth sense or like.
"Yes, there was something… odd," the lanky teen was obviously struggling with picking a correct term. "But that didn't come from the museum curator, but from a closed area. And definitely not 'dangerous'. More like 'calling'?"
That was the most confusing thing about that feeling - it had been as if something urged him to check the area in question.
Perhaps, Douxie was right, and they had to check the museum and its curator.