If there was a thing Barbara could say for sure, that would be her pressing need for a vacation. Seriously, why couldn't she just throw away all those matters surrounding the elusive Trollhunter, her stupidly reckless brother, and Stricklander's conspiracies? They all could just deal with each other somehow (and maybe even cut down the number of problems in the process). And the daughter of Gunmar would simply take Jim and travel somewhere with picturesque scenery - they hadn't had anything like that for ages! Some quality family time had been long overdue by this point.
Not to mention that her son obviously needed some rest as well. Lately, the teen seemed so tired - only this morning, she caught him yawning at breakfast. Well, of course, Jim tried to shrug it off, giving some explanation about having to catch up with studies, but the mother could effortlessly tell that there was something more than just the school troubles.
Who she tried to fool? With her position, there couldn't be any way to escape from fate, even if temporarily. No, Barverra had to be part of her father's liberation plan - there was no other option in the end.
The woman frowned, remembering a quickly shrinking list of the possible suspects for being the current Trollhunter. Honestly, the most baffling thing right now was that she still hadn't stumbled upon that kid in her checks. Yes, perhaps, some part of her soul was happy because of the foolish boy escaping from her clutches as each second of delay meant one second more of Jim's peaceful life.
But…
Barbara knew better than anyone else that dragging it for too long would only bring more harm. The more time the young Trollhunter spent in his role, the deeper would the roots connecting him to the supernatural world grow. Wouldn't that child build some determination, as he got a better understanding of his responsibility? Wouldn't that mean him being way more reluctant to get rid of the amulet?
Wouldn't she need to use 'more convincing' methods then?
Centuries ago, Barverra would have simply started killing everyone close to her enemy until they had broken down, begging for mercy.
Sometimes she cursed her newfound empathy and consciousness. Old her would never have had such troubles.
Old her would have never become a mother too.
The woman sighed, forcing all the thoughts somewhere else. Right now, she had a proper shift at her human work, so it would be better to focus on that (even if it felt like an excuse to postpone the final decision).
Luckily, some commotion just happened to be the perfect distraction. Barbara had noticed Dr. Schmidt, an aloof middle-aged man, going away in irritation and stopped him:
"What's the matter?"
Schmidt gave her a glare but then sighed:
"A new intern. Just told the lad to pay more attention to work instead of chatting with everyone - and now, I'm a local tyrant, and Suarez just tries to be friendly. Friendly, my ass!"
Barbara somehow missed the end of the rant. The last name she had heard wasn't good news. Granted, Suarez wasn't the rarest last name, however…
One of the Janus Order's members, Rezz, just happened to use that one as his human alias.
It could be just a dumb coincidence, but the daughter of Gunmar knew better than neglecting even vague possibilities. Besides, it didn't take that long to find that new intern.
And, that was actually Rezz, standing surrounded by multiple nurses, joking and giving everyone a charming smile. Oh, of course, that impure would be happy to demonstrate his perfectly white and shining teeth as his troll ones looked like a dentist's nightmare. Barbara felt a sudden urge to break some of those.
Who was that bastard who dared to infiltrate a spy into her perfect paradise? Stricklander? Was that his payback for her recruiting his subordinates?
No, wait. Rezz had never been a part of Stricklander's faction in the Janus Order. If anything, Barbara could swear that the intern was loyal to one of the current head's rivals, meaning…
So far, every impure in Arcadia had been loyal to Stricklander. An appearance of someone from a rivaling party could mean drastic changes in positions. It didn't explain the changeling in the clinic, though.
Yes, it could be just an accidental infiltration, but what if her human cover had been compromised?
Barbara gritted her teeth. She had to get rid of Rezz as fast as possible without raising any suspicions. Maybe she could sic Bular on him. Or send the impure to encounter the Trollhunter…
Nomura had never been naive enough to miss the fact that Stricklander's downfall would mean her own doom. No matter how much she hated his guts, she would rather have him around as his rivals were even worse. So the news about the so-called 'back-up' was as disastrous to her as to her superior. Yes, Walter told her to keep calm and inform him of any changes, but the female knew that nothing would be easy for them.
If her knowledge about the Janus Order's methods could tell her anything, it would be that at least one of the helpers would end as a museum employee - close enough to Nomura to kick her out from her position as the Killahead Bridge's guardian.
And the hunch turned out to be one hundred percent true the second she saw the new security guard because that one was actually a changeling. On the other hand, Nomura couldn't help feeling slightly offended - apparently, the Janus Order didn't have a high opinion about her capabilities. Otherwise, why would they send someone who hated the very definition of the scheme?
"Well, hello there, Montgo," the female smirked the moment they stayed alone, putting the emphasis on the name. "Looking forward to working with you."
Her intention worked as planned - the security guard's eyes flashed, and he gritted his teeth, barely keeping himself from turning into his true form.
"Don't dare to call me that one! The name's Gomragg, impure!" he barked.
No, he obviously was just hilariously dumb. The changeling calling others impure? There could be only one like that, hated by everyone else.
"I'm pretty sure that your ID card says Henry Montgomery," Nomura drawled, keeping with mockery. Nevertheless, she also made sure that the distance between the two of them would allow her to prepare for the counterattack in the worst-case scenario.
Montgo may have been not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was possibly the strongest asset the Janus Order had.
"Not for long," the man muttered. "I'll be free of this disgrace once the Skullcrusher is free…"
No, in a way, that guy had been the most pathetic creature possible. A changeling, clinging to the denial and convenient delusion that his current nature could be reverted back to one of a pure troll. Perhaps, making fun of him would be no different from kicking a thrown-away puppy waiting patiently for his owner to return.
No, of course, Montgo was nowhere that cute or helpless, but his blind devotion was exactly the same. Besides, he was the only member of the Janus Order loyal to Gunmar and denying the Pale Lady. Well, it couldn't be otherwise as Gomragg was a Gumm-Gumm.
Nomura had heard his story several times. Apparently, right after his imprisonment, the Skullcrusher had been furious enough to punish one of his subordinates with the status of impure. The decision had been dubious - the troll had been a splendid fighter but clearly sucked as an assassin or spy.
On the other hand, Montgo was definitely something, managing to survive for all those decades without getting rid of his open disgust of fleshbags and barely managing to function in their society. Perhaps, the reason lay in the abundance of brains in the Order. There had been more than enough of those who would have utilized the brute's talents the right way.
But that guy being present meant only one thing - someone else had decided to use him as a battering ram in their intricate strategy. Montgo killing someone amid his rage fits wasn't new - so why not use it as a tactic to obliterate an opponent?
Nomura frowned - the rival party evidently planned to get rid of her in that manner. Probably, she should have stopped angering her new co-worker until there was an opportunity to destroy him. Someone with fewer brains may have attempted manipulation of their own, but that strategy would only result in a certain downfall.
'Our helpers have brought another bully,' the female texted Strickler the second she got an opportunity. She wondered who else could be in Arcadia and how everything had managed to turn into a makeshift battle royal for the amulet.
"You know, guys, I could never imagine visiting the museum at night," Toby whispered as their team considered possible entrance routes. "It's like a spy mission!"
Douxie smiled - personally, he had more than enough experience infiltrating all kinds of buildings during his decades of travels and monster hunting. Though, it was still exciting.
"Archie, check for people inside," that was their common strategy, so there shouldn't be any complaints. The familiar sneaked inside silently, effortlessly changing forms if needed.
"No, that a whole new level of awesomesauce," Toby whistled.
"Do you remember about our own course of action?" the young man asked. He had explained it to both boys already but needed to ensure they had gotten everything right.
"Yes, we are getting in, then check the closed area," Jim nodded. "If everything is ok there, we'll try to investigate the museum curator…"
"And?" Douxie prompted.
"No exposing supernatural to unsuspected civilians," the plump teen sighed. "But it's not like we've taken Blinky and Aaarrrgghh with us, and your cat knows the rules…"
"In the best-case scenario, no one will notice us, to start with," the wizard-in-training corrected him. "If it comes to complications, we all have identity-obstructing talismans. However, we shouldn't get caught, alright?"
"Two people inside," Archie appeared from the bushes with a report. "The museum curator and a security guard. And, congratulations - the place reeks of goblins."
"What?" all three boys stared at the cat in bewilderment. That was an unexpected development.
"Are you telling that there's the den here?" Douxie hummed. Actually, it could make some sense, even if the museum didn't have optimal conditions for goblins.
"Either that or they organize parties here," the familiar shrugged. "Why are you questioning the gift horse?"
Well, calling that one a gift horse was quite a stretch. No, they had the need to find the goblins' den and stop their activity altogether, but in a way, it had jeopardized the entire plan.
Douxie wondered if the monsters' presence was that thing both Claire and Jim had sensed. Could they make mistakes due to their inexperience? The Latina had claimed something was 'dangerous' which fitted goblins, yet pointed to the person instead. The Trollhunter had described his feelings as a call from the closed area.
No, somehow, the pieces of the puzzle refused to add. Besides, the plan was in dire need of revision with the inclusion of the goblin factor.
"Shouldn't we try to evacuate people?" Jim asked, some concern evident in his tone. "If one of them gets scared of goblins, which is inevitable…"
The lanky teen flinched, most likely imagining the gruesome ending.
"It can possibly cause some panic," Douxie shook his head. "Not an option with goblins around… We should act discreetly. Archie, keep an eye on the security guard and distract him if needed. Toby, the lady is your responsibility - take her out if commotion starts… Jim, we'll look for goblins together."
"A friendly reminder - no panic or fear," Archie added.
Was it even needed by this point? Both Jim and Toby had experienced first-hand that the first rule of trollhunting should be out of the question while dealing with supernatural pests.
"Let's go until goblins lay their eggs in the innocent people's ears," the plump teen whispered, clearly mustering some courage.
Everybody else stared at him in bewilderment.
"Um, Tobes, I don't think they do that," Jim broke the silence first.
"Someone needs to give these kids a proper lecture about magical creatures' biology," Archie muttered. "You cannot encounter a being without knowing a thing about them! I thought that the meddlesome troll gave you learning materials…"
"I'll read the Brief Recapitulation… Eventually," the Trollhunter smiled sheepishly. "It's just there was Spanish to deal with first… And Algebra."
"Arch, it's not the best time for scolding," Douxie sighed. "We have no time to waste right now."
Of course, going through the front door wasn't an option with their plan. Luckily, the familiar had discovered a conveniently opened window during his previous reconnaissance.
"Isn't that breaking and entering?" Toby drawled skeptically, watching Jim getting in. "How can you be so chill? I get Archie - not that he'll face any consequences. But all of us can get in trouble…"
"Tobes, it's a rescue mission," Jim whispered back.
"Just make sure we're not caught," Douxie shrugged and followed the Trollhunter. The plump teen sighed, pulling himself up with a grunt. Somehow, he had an extremely nasty feeling about all of that. Most likely, it wasn't that mysterious thing Merlin's apprentice had called magic intuition, just a good old sixth sense - Toby had noticed long ago that he could indicate suspicious stuff fast enough.
The museum simply felt sinister at night - and it had nothing to do with a lack of lights.
Jim and Douxie were staring at the ceiling for whatever reason, and it was impossible not to follow suit. Toby regretted his decision at once - the way goblins slept was nearly as disgusting as laying eggs in ears.
The plump teen covered his mouth in a sudden fit of nausea. Luckily, he had eaten no snacks recently.
"We've found them faster than expected," Jim whispered. "So what now?"
"I suggest a good roast," Archie smirked with some ruthless gleam in his eyes. "Will gladly assist with the task."
"First, we need to be sure that this nest is the only one," Douxie hummed. "Let's proceed with the initial plan."
"Fine," the familiar nodded, diving into the darkness - obviously in search of the security guard. Toby looked in the direction of the only light source. He could also hear some faint music playing.
"Wish me good luck," he muttered in defeat, sneaking towards the source of the sound and wondering what kind of excuse he could use if the museum curator caught him.
The wizard-in-training turned to the only remaining member of the party:
"Alright, Jim, let's start with that restricted area you mentioned."
Actually, they would need to comb the entire building just in case, but it wouldn't hurt to get a starting point. Nevertheless, the young man was genuinely baffled when his younger friend led him effortlessly towards their goal. It was as if the darkness and unfamiliar location meant nothing to him, so…
Yeah, Jim definitely could sense something - and Douxie had no idea what to think about that suddenly discovered talent. Sure thing, if the Trollhunter had at least some magic affinity, he could possibly teach him a few tricks for self-defense. On the other hand, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off with his own conclusion.
No, that one didn't matter that much at the moment. More importantly…
"You seem worried," Jim commented, stopping momentarily. "Is anything wrong?"
"Well," Merlin's apprentice started, deciding to share some thoughts with his friend. "Don't you think it's strange that goblins picked up the museum for the den?"
"No idea," the Trollhunter confessed with some embarrassment. "I've neglected my trollhunting education, so no idea what kind of places those guys prefer… For all I know, they can be art aficionados…"
"They favor dump, dark and secluded locations, and the museum isn't exactly that," Douxie responded while examining walls and ceiling for possible additional nests. "Besides, people come here regularly… Hypothetically speaking, a visitor or staff could notice a goblin…"
Jim looked at him in bewilderment, realizing what the young man implied at once:
"They would panic and get devoured…"
"Yet there were no reports of mysterious disappearances," the wizard-in-training finished. "Why so? Who keeps these chaotic pests in control?"
It was as if there were all the pieces already, yet he couldn't put them together, no matter how hard he tried.
"It's here," the lanky teen stopped, pointing at the fabric obstructing an entrance. It looked like an exhibit in construction, with multiple crates, scaffolding, and some massive object covered with a dusty cloth. Nothing felt out of the norm for the museum. Well, with a sole exception of some tiny gooey puddles, clearly left from goblins' activity, though, most likely those were everywhere in the building as Douxie had seen no other nests here.
Besides, he clearly felt no disturbances in the area. Was Jim's hunch just his imagination or…
Before Merlin's apprentice had managed to form the coherent thought, his friend approached the mysterious object in the middle as if in some kind of trance and pulled the cover down.
The thing there wasn't the new exhibit, that was for sure. Suddenly, the puzzle pieces flew into their appropriate positions, revealing the whole, rather disturbing picture.
Right before his eyes, the half-built Killahead Bridge stood, perfectly embodying everything their team fought against.
"Fuzzbuckets…"
It was terrible, no, it was a certain disaster! Apparently, right at the moment, their team was inside the enemies' lair. Goblins should have been the least of the worries right now.
He had made a mistake bringing two teens together with him for this investigation. If Douxie was alone or with Archie only, it would be way easier to escape in case of need. The worst had been them parting ways with Toby, leaving him in the most vulnerable position possible.
The best course of action would be gathering and retreating as fast as possible, hoping that neither of Gunmar's kin was around. As for the museum staff - those two had to be involved somehow. Douxie cursed himself for not considering the option earlier - hadn't his team realized that Bular and Barverra had some influential support to cover their activity?
Claire had felt something dangerous from the museum curator! That should have been the starting point.
And Jim… Had the amulet resonated with the bridge - it was the key to the gate, in the end? So, perhaps, that was that unexplained 'call'.
Speaking about the teen in question, wasn't his current behavior somehow off? Douxie could swear it looked like some kind of trance.
"Do you feel that?" Jim asked, reaching his hand and running it along the ornaments.
"Jim, I get it, you hunch was right, but now it's not the best…" the wizard-in-training started hurriedly, hoping that his friend would realize the emergency of the situation. They had to retreat before an enemy appeared. With that, they would get a tremendous advantage.
Well, if everything went smoothly.
"No, can you feel that?" the Trollhunter repeated louder and more forcefully as if demanding the reply.
Douxie gave up and touched the half-built bridge as well. Of course, there was a hum of magic below his fingertips. Its flow was extremely confusing, to be honest. The young man had heard that trolls had way better sensitivity and comprehension of stones' energy. Whatever human magic had gathered on that had been derived from the underground civilization.
At least, Jim seemed less agitated right now.
"It's so odd," he confessed. Merlin's apprentice wondered if his younger friend felt it stronger - after all, apparently, he had sensed the Killahead Bridge without touching it.
"G-g-guys… J-j-jimbo, D-d-d-douxie," Toby rushed inside the restricted area, stammering and panting heavily. His pale face alone worked better than any explanation.
The plump teen had seen something that had made him forget about the no panic rule.
At least, his best friend's timely entrance had broken Jim from his trance-like state.
"What's happened, Tobes?" he asked in confusion as Toby started to shake him:
"That lady! She's ugly… And I don't know - it's like she's both human and troll and…"
"We need to get out," Douxie interrupted the gingerhead, listening attentively to the noises. There were some barely noticeable steps, as well as goblins chatting. Another minute of delay could spell the doom for their team. The young man mentally apologized before Archie, hoping that his cat would escape alone. Right now, he had to lead out two less experienced individuals.
"I promise to explain everything later," he added hastily. "But we cannot be here or…"
Too late.
She appeared inside the restricted area with a triumphant smirk, intimidating and deadly. 'Both human and troll' according to Toby's panicked explanation - without any doubt, the museum curator was a changeling. The enemies wouldn't be that brainless to leave their lair maintained by humans. And this one had to be a guardian dog.
"My nose would never miss a magnificent reek of the teenage flesh," she drawled, her eyes flashing green.
Nomura couldn't believe her own luck - it was as if the universe itself was compensating her for all the recent disasters, be it Stricklander's overcomplicated plan or the Janus Order's undesirable help.
Some dumber changeling like Montgo might have assumed that the intruders were just some random kids, but no. Those three were clearly using that mysterious identity obstructing magic, meaning that the trio was the Trollhunter and his teammates. Perhaps, even that elusive wizard helper was one of them.
The female cast a quick glance around, noting goblins crawling on the walls and hopping to the crates and scaffolding. Maybe, the pests would be of some help just for a change. Nomura wasn't unhinged to call Montgo for the support - as if she would ever share credits with that delusional and arrogant bastard!
Of course, the perfect outcome was getting the amulet - oh, that one would be a splendid middle finger to everyone! Though, even catching one of the teammates as a hostage could work.
Douxie gritted his teeth as getting out continued to grow more impossible with each passing second. The changeling was blocking the exit, and goblins kept the circle tight enough. A flash spell wasn't an option as he could accidentally blind his allies. A timely blast? They certainly had to do something with a female troll blocking the pass.
Apparently, Jim had realized it a second earlier than the wizard-in-training.
"What about tasting some Daylight instead?" he asked, summoning the armor.
A simple action worked as a trigger as the changeling launched herself for the attack. Jim evaded easily and attempted to strike back.
Douxie had prepared to assist the Trollhunter with a spell when a cry from Toby attracted his attention. Oh yeah, he somehow had forgotten that the plump teen had lost his calm and become the most desired target for goblins. He had to deal with that one first as Jim held his ground more confidently and even managed to scratch the enemy.
Hopefully, that would be enough to stall the battle until… Urgh, Douxie certainly hated choosing between two lives to save! He would give everything for Zoe being present as well, as that alone would have granted more versatility in actions.
Beggars couldn't be choosers. The young man dashed towards Toby, knocking a persistent goblin from his back and helping his friend to his feet.
"Can you run? For some time?" the wizard-in-training asked, his mind formulating a risky plan on the spot.
"Are you joking?" the plump teen panted. "I'm out of breath already. Any other options?"
"No," Douxie yanked his arm, starting to run already.
They had to gather all the goblins at the same place first, and playing the fleeing prey would be the easiest way to attract their attention.
"Why are… you… using… only… small… flashes?" Toby inquired between hungry gasps for air. "Wouldn't… that… awesomesauce… flashbang… be better?"
"I need to enrage them, not scare," Merlin's apprentice retorted, casting another small flash to make green creatures stay away for a split second. He had to be very cautious, avoiding showing too much confidence or using more powerful spells - otherwise, they would go for easier prey, which would be the Trollhunter in that case.
The plan was to destroy every single goblin at once, then return to Jim and deal with the changeling.
Luckily, Toby had seemingly gotten the gist of it, not complaining or questioning Douxie's decisions anymore.
He could see more and more green monsters joining the chase, so everything had worked as planned. Now they only had to lead that horde into some contained space and…
A thunderous roar shook the museum, making both boys and even goblins stop in their tracks. The next second, Archie flew past them, chased by a hulking dark troll.
Another enemy! Why was there one more?
"Toby," Douxie turned to the plump teen.
"Oh no," the gingerhead reacted at once, clearly guessing what exactly his friend would request.
His hunch wasn't off.
"Keep goblins engaged - I'll be back soon!"
At the next turn, he slipped behind an exhibit, letting the swarm past him and run back towards the roars.
As expected, Archie flew around the brute, giving him an occasional blast. The troll growled and cursed, trying to catch the meddlesome dragon.
Initially, Merlin's apprentice had thought it had been Bular, but right now, he could see that there was another Gumm-Gumm in the enemies' ranks.
A sudden idea flashed across his mind.
"Arch, switch with me!" he yelled, sending a firebolt to distract the brute. The familiar nodded, never asking for anything else, and flew out of the room.
At least now, Douxie could be sure about Toby's survival rates. His own, on the other hand…
"A weensy fleshbag like you won't be enough to work even as a snack," the troll snarled, taking out a heavy club and starting to swing it madly. "I'll just splatter you and at least satisfy my urge to kill!"
Luckily, the enemy knew nothing about intricate strategies, meaning outwitting him would be a piece of cake. The female changeling had seemed to be more problematic.
The young man made a roll and took a cover behind a suit of armor the second the brute's club landed on his previous hiding spot.
Quick change of positions was definitely the best working strategy - Archie had proven it with his flying around. And perhaps, he could trap the troll under some debris and…
The next change of hiding spot brought him back to back with Jim.
"Whoa," the Trollhunter yelped, nearly swinging the sword at his friend. "Don't jump out like that!"
"Where's the troll lady?" Douxie whispered, listening to sounds. His own opponent was rampaging at some distance, not sure where the young man had gone…
"Lost her some time ago," Jim responded quietly. "Apparently, she likes playing around with her prey… And what's with the noise?"
"Another one of them," the wizard-in-training sighed.
"Bular?"
"Had no opportunity to ask his name, but obviously not Bular," Douxie chuckled bitterly.
"And Tobes?" the lanky teen inquired with evident worry.
"Distracts goblins…" the young man regretted his wording at once as the Trollhunter nearly jumped out from their hideout, dead-set on saving his best friend.
"Archie is with him," Douxie added hastily. "And I would trust Archie with my life. We should focus on our own enemies and…"
"Montgo, you brainless idiot!" an annoyed yell interrupted his explanation. "Stop ruining the museum at once!"
Both boys looked out carefully, finding their enemies engaged in an argument.
"Shut up, impure!" the brute flashed his teeth. "Who even allowed fleshbags inside?"
His club made a wide swing, aiming at the female. She avoided it with grace, pointing her own blades at the dark troll.
Jim and Douxie exchanged glances.
"Is it me, or they're not on the best term with each other?" the lanky teen asked slowly.
"Definitely not your imagination," the wizard-in-training nodded. "Are we thinking about the same thing?"
In a way, it had been an absolutely unhinged idea. What if they had misunderstood, and it had been just an odd friendly squabble instead of severe inner conflict? But if both trolls were actually on the verge of fighting each other, it was their best chance for escape.
In that case, they would need simply to give it a spark…
"Goblins," both boys whispered simultaneously as the same idea crossed their minds. They would be killing two birds with one stone.
Well, if everything worked the right way, but hey, did they have anything to lose? So…
After some quick discussions and adjustments later, the plan was finalized.
"I'll play the bait," Jim suggested. "They're more interested in getting the amulet."
"Then, I'll place a trap for them," Douxie nodded, marveling how quickly they had managed to learn teamwork when it had been their first time working together.
The wizard-in-training slipped away silently, heading towards the part of the museum where Toby and Archie apparently still dealt with goblins, judging from the loud yells and a lot of commotion. In a way, it was good as Jim would find the location without any trouble.
The Trollhunter gulped, mustering the courage, and left his hiding spot as well. Both enemies were still fighting, though the female clearly attempted to stop it and return to her more vital task.
"Dumbass!" she hissed, losing her patience to the point of forgetting her wish to recover the amulet without her ally involved. "While you waste our time, the Trollhunter has already run away!"
Nomura regretted her outburst the second the last word left her lips. Montgo was slow, but even he had gotten the situation at once as his eyes lit with anticipation of the possible glory.
And the brute also had no wish to share credit for the achievement. If anything, he had even more reason to kill Nomura right now.
"Hey, are you looking for me?" a cheeky young voice inquired as the boy clad in shining armor stepped out.
"Fleshbag Trollhunter," Montgo growled, losing any interest he previously had in Nomura and rushing for the attack.
The female could feel that something was off - why would that foolish teen provoke them when he could fare better while hiding?
Though…
Yeah, he was sickeningly noble, so perhaps, it was his foolish attempt to win some time for his friends. Besides, the kid's motivation aside, Nomura had no right to let the brute seize the amulet - that one was her guarantee for survival, not some random troll's.
She endured for too long, with being tossed around like a ragdoll for her entire life, always too close to the edge, never knowing which moment might have been her last one.
A burst of an odd mixture of rage and desperation clouded her mind entirely, and the female could only see the lanky figure escaping from her. Even Montgo trying to show her away all the time stopped to matter.
It was a grave mistake, apparently. Nomura had noticed a faintly gleaming magical chain stretched across the passage. Montgo, in his bullish rage, hadn't seen it at all, but it was too late for both of them to react to the trap as they tripped over it.
The female heard a disgusting splat, then several more. Goblins.
She had landed on one, and the dumbass brute squished at least half a dozen of those, meaning…
The green pest surrounded both of them, their eyes glowing with genuine ire and wish for vengeance.
Tonight, the Trollhunter and his friends had outsmarted them all…