Zoe couldn't help thinking that everything was proceeding too smoothly. Her personal experience told her it could easily mean a true disaster incoming somewhere further the line. No reasonable magic user in this world would ignore that kind of hunch.
The hex witch expected some difficulties while trying to get some information she needed. After all, that one meant encountering the so-called Damage Control department at Hex Tech. Those guys were prudish asses most of the time, with some rare exceptions.
So what were the chances to stumble upon one of those rare exceptions? Zoe wasn't even sure what to think about that. Granted, she had never been huge friends with Lumiere, as their personalities clashed greatly. They both were too independent and stubborn for that. Not to mention that Lumiere wasn't the friendliest witch around.
So, it was genuinely surprising that after listening to Zoe's request, the member of the Damage Control department volunteered to look for the information and even stayed overnight. Treating her to breakfast after that seemed too cheap as a payback, so the pink-haired girl couldn't help suspecting something fishy.
Currently, both witches were drinking coffee at Benoit's. Zoe could see Douxie from the corner of her eye - even if most people would assume him simply doing his waiter's job, she knew him too well. Most likely, Merlin's apprentice was rather curious about the entire situation yet had enough understanding not to approach them.
The hex witch wondered how they looked from the onlooker's point of view. They definitely didn't fit together, with Zoe seeming a more rebellious kind and Lumiere invoking an image of librarian or teacher. The funniest thing was that the pink-haired girl was the older one of two when it was the opposite.
"I take my words back, forget about breakfast, you owe me a yearly provision of coffee, Pinky," the member of the Damage Control department yawned, breaking the silence. "I've wasted the precious sleep on nothing!"
Her tone and manner of speech weren't something one would expect from the appearance, but Lumiere was a well-known weirdo at Hex Tech, starting from the fact that she used her last name and no one had an idea what her given one was.
"How about stopping giving dumb nicknames?" Zoe frowned. "Besides, when have you even started to do that?"
"No offense," Lumiere shrugged. "Just remembered an old friend with an annoying habit. You'd certainly end as Pinky after talking to her… She called me Freckles, after all."
The pink-haired girl chuckled unwittingly - her acquaintance had a lot of those, in the end.
"Whatever, here's your information," Lumiere tossed her a thick folder. "I have no idea what you have against that family, but they are so normal that it's boring…"
Zoe responded with some unintelligible hum, looking through the papers. Speed-reading had always been a blessing. Of course, she never bothered explaining her acquaintance about the situation surrounding the first human Trollhunter, mostly because she believed it would be better to keep it as confidential as possible. Douxie suspected some witches having links to changelings or probably even Bular, so it would be better to avoid any kind of leak. Zoe even hadn't mentioned who exactly to investigate, so she couldn't blame Lumiere for bringing data even for some distant relatives.
The teen in question.
His father.
Grandfather. Grandmother.
Some uncles and aunts.
Cousins.
The freckled witch was right - all of them were just regular folks, with no links to magic or supernatural altogether.
Yet something also seemed seriously off, buzzing Zoe's mind like an annoying mosquito. It even didn't take that long to realize what exactly - among the pile of papers, there wasn't any single one concerning the boy's mother or her side of the family.
"Never knew you can slack," the pink-haired girl drawled.
"Have I missed someone?" Lumiere inquired. She was horrible in faking surprise - no, not only that, there were some notes of hostility in her tone.
"There should have been at least mother of the family," Zoe ignored all of that, glowering at her acquaintance. "Don't tell me you remembered to check some estranged third cousin, yet missed the most obvious pick somehow!"
"Look, Zoe, I don't care whatever you'll think about me," Lumiere's voice dropped to whisper. "Moreover, I don't care what you want from that family. Just leave Barbara out of it. Believe me - it'll be better for everyone."
"Not sure what you've expected," the pink-haired witch snorted, "but the way you word it makes me even more suspicious."
She could see the member of the Damage Control department playing with a fork while frowning.
"Fine, I give up!" the freckled woman spat at last. "We used to be friends with Barbara, ok? Though she probably doesn't even remember me anymore. Not that I blame her - the time of our friendship wasn't the nicest experience for her…"
"I can understand covering for a friend, but…" Zoe started with some confusion, quite taken aback by the tirade.
"I cover nothing," Lumiere gave her a dirty look. "You asked me to look if there were any magic users in that family. There are no. Check the papers for the father's side. As for mother's - you can only trust my words. And I can tell you for sure that there weren't any witches or wizards!"
She stood up abruptly, throwing some money at the table and leaving without giving any farewells.
"What a temper," Douxie whistled, approaching the hex witch.
"Nothing new," Zoe shrugged. "She has those fits on a regular basis… Though I've had no idea that she'd cause a scene if some of her friends were involved…"
To be honest, all that demeanor was highly suspicious, yet somehow it also didn't feel as if the freckled woman was lying, even if she refused to tell the whole truth for whatever reason.
"Well, we can cross out magic heritage theory then," the hex witch continued. "Now we need to check if the kid is a changeling or not…"
Douxie sighed:
"I thought we decided to cross that one out as well - Archie has followed the Trollhunter for two days in a row. He'd have noticed anything fishy."
"Sorry, Casperan, but someone had to be skeptical here," Zoe chuckled. "I say, we'd better observe the kid for some more time…"
No matter how unbelievable it seemed right now, the sunrise had marked the beginning of the third day of odd occurrences. It wasn't that long, yet Jim couldn't help thinking that it felt as if a whole century had passed since he had found the amulet.
The old life was safer and definitely less problematic. There was no supernatural there. No talking amulets. No trolls. No sacred obligations or whatever.
No adventure.
Hadn't he always wished for that one? So what was the point of complaining when the teen had apparently gotten his dream granted, even if the form of it was slightly dubious?
Jim's mind kept drifting away as he was cooking breakfast. Luckily, the teen had decided against anything too complicated - his mind was still too preoccupied with comprehending everything that had happened so far. Somehow taking the regular shortcut through the canal ended as starting something huge. First, there was a talking object, then actual trolls waltzed into the basement to give a complicated speech about some kind of - how had they put it again? - offices. Yeah, the first day of adventure had been anything but boring, though it could use some improvements.
The second one, on the other hand… Its lack of supernatural had been so blatant that the teen nearly started to wonder if his encounter with trolls was real, to start with. Yes, he had woken up in the basement, but there always could be some logical explanation. Sleepwalking, for example, even if he had never had that kind of problem.
If trolls were actually a thing, why hadn't they come to their protector once again? There should have been more than enough opportunities for that. Jim even tried to check if any supernatural being was following him, but it turned out that the rustling was caused by some black cat.
He had been really close to giving up, yet… Yes, apparently, everything had been the calm before the storm. Who could imagine that the amulet was more than just a talking and glowing object? Jim himself used to think it was something simple, like a badge. But no, it could summon magical armor and a sword. Even if the teen was still slightly wary of whatever sacred obligation he had at the moment, that stuff was undoubtfully cool.
The boy's mind trailed back to the previous evening when the mysterious runes on the amulet had suddenly shifted into the letters he could read.
For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command.
Was that the same Merlin as the one from the stories he had heard and read? A wizard advisor to the legendary King Arthur?
No way.
Besides, there were no trolls in those tales, at least, as far as Jim knew. So probably it was someone else with the same name.
In any case, the words on the amulet weren't just a fancy decoration choice, no, those could invoke some mysterious magic. The teen still remembered the feeling he had gotten after some wispy blue orbs of light had entered his chest. It was warm, serene, and reassuring and just seemed so right, so fitting. It was as if the amulet had greeted him, creating an unbreakable bond after checking his worth.
And then, before Jim had managed to get a full grasp of the situation, he was floating slightly above the ground, with pieces of armor forming out of thin air around him. It was massive and bulky, clearly meant for someone with a way different build.
Somehow, the teen knew that one belonged to his predecessor. It was as if someone had whispered that to him. Yet the armor hadn't stayed that way for long, clearly understanding that the new owner would need something more fitting - it started changing, adjusting itself to fit Jim's lanky frame.
A sword had come the next - big and heavy to the point that the teen wouldn't be able to budge it, it had shrunk down to the more adequate size as well.
No, it was certainly cool. Or awesomesauce like Tobes would most likely say.
Who would resist striking some poses and starting to swing it around? Perhaps, it wasn't the kind of sword Jim had dreamed to have when he had been smaller - the one he had envisioned back then was more common elegant looking longsword, while this one was a cruder cleaver. But who even cared about such unimportant nuances? A magic sword was still the magic sword.
Alas, despite shrinking, the sword wasn't that light, and Jim had discovered soon enough that mindlessly swinging it around hadn't been the best idea. Somehow, he had managed to get it stuck in a boulder. Twice. Good thing that no one had witnessed that. Well, some cat had seen, but as far as the teen knew, felines wouldn't make fun of him.
The teen still couldn't believe that he had finally gotten his wish fulfilled. That definitely counted as 'more than just school'. And even those trolls that had scared him so much at first didn't seem to be that horrible anymore. Quite the opposite, Jim didn't mind them appearing once again. He had too many questions without answers right now.
The excitement was too overwhelming, and the boy seriously needed to share everything with anybody. Even if a talk to Mr. Strickler yesterday had helped a bit, it still would be better to tell someone the whole truth.
Jim couldn't believe that Toby had managed to miss everything because of the visit to his dentist. How many hours could that kind of stuff possibly take? He needed his best friend's input as soon as possible. After all, there was no doubt that Tobes would believe all of his words without calling him crazy.
"Hey, kiddo," the warm greeting had broken Jim's reverie.
"Hey, Mom," he beamed. "I thought you were sleeping after the shift."
"It wasn't that hectic this time," Barbara kissed her son's forehead and sat down at the table. It took much effort to hide her actual mood, as she was annoyed to the boiling point.
In the end, the mother had lied - the last night had been the whole definition of hectic with all that stuff surrounding the fleshbag Trollhunter and that bastard Stricklander, who apparently was playing his own game. Jim had no need to know all that stuff - especially now when he looked so excited. Her boy deserved only good things in his life. Not troll-related problems.
"Has something good happened?" the woman asked. "Haven't seen you in such a good mood for a while."
"Just some... stuff... Too long to explain," the teen chuckled nervously, not sure if he could say anything. Was it that surprising that his mom read his mood like an open book?
Jim put the breakfast before Barbara and joined her in complete silence. All the previous excitement evaporated, giving more than enough space for worry.
Yes, his mother always emphasized that she would be on his side, no matter what happened. Even if he started spewing some nonsense about magic, trolls, and armors materializing from amulets, she would believe him. The teen could imagine her trying to find some way out or something too.
But...
Could he be that selfish? To bring more concerns to his mom? To burden her with something so tremendous?
On the other hand, hadn't Mr. Strickler told the teen to think about what was good to him, at least sometimes? To be slightly more selfish? And right now the boy just wanted to rely on someone - wouldn't his mother be the most obvious option?
"Jim?" Barbara's voice sounded worried. "You ok? You've turned pale all of a sudden. I've told you not to overextend yourself so many times!"
She couldn't get him sometimes. Jim tended to wear his heart on his sleeve. Yet, there were also times when the woman failed to read any of his emotions. It was like he put out all the shields. Like right now, for example - that was quite a drastic change in the atmosphere out of the blue. She hadn't asked anything over-the-top, had she?
Or maybe her guess about her son feeling exhausted wasn't that far from the truth. Lately, Barbara had been absent too much - of course, her boy was concerned. Mental burn-out was also a thing.
The woman cursed Bular, Stricklander, and the fleshbag Trollhunter once again. Why couldn't things just go smoothly?
Jim forced a smile:
"It's nothing like that. I was simply thinking…"
"About?" Barbara raised her eyebrows. Any stuff that would bring her son worries wasn't acceptable in her book. A darker thought of obliterating the source causing that anxiety had momentarily crossed her mind, but she discarded it at once.
"Some stuff Eli brought up not that long ago," the reply had surprised even Jim himself - it was definitely not a thing he wanted to tell.
The teen should have shared everything with his mom from the very start. However, it was so difficult to start. Even talking to Mr. Strickler, who was basically an outsider, had been less problematic. His History teacher would have thought that his student had lost his mind, yet it hadn't prevented Jim from nearly blurting some world-changing level information.
With his mother though? In the end, she had been the closest person, his dear family. And family shouldn't have hidden things from each other. Yes, he simply had to begin with something. Bringing up Eli and his talks about supernatural beings was probably the longest way around, but...
With that, he could simply stop midway without raising any suspicions. Jim couldn't help feeling guilty for that kind of thinking. When and how had he learned to be that dishonest?
Barbara was quite surprised to hear Eli's name - not that Jim had never mentioned that kid's antics, but it was beyond her understanding how anything the bespectacled teen could tell might have made her son worried.
Unless…
Unless Elijah Pepperjack had stumbled upon some undeniable proof of supernatural existence and shared it with his friends.
No, that couldn't be true.
"And what was that?" she asked, hoping that her voice didn't sound too interested or anxious.
Jim relaxed slightly - it went good enough so far. Perhaps, his mom wouldn't be that shocked to learn about trolls.
"Well, apparently, not that long ago, Eli saw some monsters battling in the canal. With stone for skin and horns," the teen replied as nonchalantly as possible and instantly regretted that - he rushed instead of going slowly. Though, what else could he say?
"I've thought you didn't believe in monsters?" Barbara raised her eyebrows in surprise. It was quite a miracle to manage such a neutral reaction despite emotions raging inside her head.
Why now?
Apparently, her previous wild theory was eerily close to the truth. And if the bespectacled kid had filmed those 'monsters', they could say farewell to keeping the supernatural secret. All because some guys hadn't cared about being discreet!
But the most important, after all those years of doubts, all those clumsy attempts to tell her son about trolls, Jim was the one to start talking about those?
"I don't. Besides, 'stone for skin'? How anything like that would even work?" Jim couldn't believe himself - at the last second, he chickened and backed down. It was the same as when he changed 'trolls' to 'trainers' during his conversation with Mr. Strickler.
Was the reason that he had noticed something weird in his mother's eyes? Something like a shadow of fear? Or maybe it was simply impossible for him to tell that kind of stuff to anyone. Not to his teacher. And definitely not to his mother.
Jim started to hate himself for that deception. He could feel some cracks forming in his relationship with Barbara. Would it be possible to mend those in the future?
"I see," Barbara nodded, feeling as if a huge burden was taken off her shoulders. She simply had jumped to the conclusion - there wasn't anything extraordinary, just her son casually talking about weird stuff his classmate brought up. The woman had to stop overthinking. She blamed Stricklander for that - with that schemer around, she couldn't relax even for a second.
Yet, things refused to add up. Something was bugging her, something that Jim had mentioned.
"But why does it even concern you? It's not anything new, that boy always snoops around in search of supernatural," she continued in a more relaxed manner.
Suddenly it struck her like lightning - the stone monsters fighting in the canal. Weren't those Bular and Kanjigar? And that Pepperjack kid - wasn't he the most likely person to investigate the aftermath of such activity? Wouldn't that allow him to find the amulet? Not to mention that the bespectacled teen was in the same school as Jim. Could Eli be the mysterious current Trollhunter?
Had her son just helped Barbara in her investigation even if he didn't know a thing?
If Jim knew, he could assist way more efficiently.
No, trolls were her problem, not his. Even the current information was more than enough. The daughter of Gunmar now had a lead - it wouldn't hurt checking that one.
"Right," Jim laughed nervously. "I simply thought that his delusions grew more elaborated and got worried. Eli is a nice guy, despite all those bizarre beliefs."
It left a horrible aftertaste. Both outright lying to his mother and speaking about Eli as if he was some kind of madman when at least stone monsters were real (and who knew what else!).
In the end, Jim had decided to keep his mother in the dark. It might have been quite normal to be selfish sometimes, but not with his only family's peace of mind at the stake. Barbara had always managed to deal with her troubles at work without burdening her son, obviously making plenty of sacrifices.
Shouldn't he have been a responsible adult as well?
How long did he plan to stay a spoiled child?
Shouldn't he have learned to resolve all the problems himself at this point?
And trolls...
His mother had nothing to do with the current mess. Be it because of the teen's bad luck or his own horrible decision to take and keep an object of dubious origin, the woman had no need to be involved in that as well.
Trolls were his problem, not hers.
No, if Jim actually needed to involve anyone, that could be only his best friend. So after burying the gnawing sense of guilt deep inside - that wasn't a lie, just keeping silent after all - Jim pedaled his bike to the dentist's office.
When Nana informed the lanky teen that Toby was at that place again, he couldn't believe his own ears. Even trolls were less shocking than his bro wasting a good chunk of his life because of teeth problems.
Two days in a row! And honestly, that level of patience should have been legendary. Jim could swear that he'd definitely have gone crazy if he ever got stuck with a dentist for only God knows how many hours. What was the deal with that comparison to a city engineering project?
It turned out that it wasn't an exaggeration - after all, the lanky teen waited for Tobes for eight hours today! That was simply insane, especially when he was dying to discuss all that bizarre stuff that had happened so far. It was too tiresome even to wait, so Jim tried out all possible activities from messing with his phone to talking with the hygienist. Even his sense of guilt from this morning had totally evaporated at some point.
Yet Toby stayed surprisingly chill about everything as if he was used to that stuff with his teeth. Though... Why as if? He was definitely used to all that stuff.
Jim barely managed to get a hold of his own multiple emotions, and not to tell Toby everything right on the spot. No, he couldn't risk like that. Talking on the way home was also out of the question. Perhaps, Tobes still recovering from anesthesia helped a lot with that.
Well, at least they both were finally in the Lake's residence with no one around. Wasn't that the best opportunity to tell his best friend everything?
"Okay, Tobes. You're never going to believe this," Jim started with a lot of excitement and ran to take the amulet. It was somehow ironic that this was actually the third attempt to tell someone about all the weird stuff.
He wasn't able to tell Mr. Strickler - that wasn't the one he trusted entirely, no matter how amazing he was.
He reconsidered sharing everything with his mother - she had too much on her shoulders already.
But Toby? Toby should have been fine, there weren't any secrets between the two of them. He was a trusted ally, besides, they both had found the amulet together.
If anything, Tobes had also been a part of the adventure. It reminded Jim of those games they played when they were smaller - they imagined themselves to be fellow heroes fighting against evil forces. Now all of that could possibly become a reality.
Though, honestly, the lanky teen was quite disappointed by the lack of interest from his best friend's side at the moment. Yes, he knew that the problem laid in anesthetics because to survive multiple hours of that torture would be impossible otherwise, but a part of him still expected more enthusiasm.
"My mouth still feels a bit sore," Tobes rubbed his cheeks, wondering if something was wrong with anesthesia this time. Probably, there could be some wrong dosage. He also couldn't get why Jim was running around like a hyperactive kid on sugar - sure, some kind of thing had definitely happened judging from his reaction, but was it worth all of the ado? Had the amulet talked once again or something? Well, probably more than just that, because Jimbo had never gotten excited because of something trivial.
Besides, the plump teen was hungry - spending nearly an entire day without any meal didn't do anything good to his spirits. Luckily, he was at Jimbo's - there could be something good in his fridge. Toby thought about rummaging there a bit. Even if there was no food, he could also use a pack of ice - the mouth was killing him. Alas, there was only some frozen pizza in the freezer.
"Check this out," he heard Jim's voice behind his back and turned to him while pressing the cold package to his cheek. It wasn't the perfect solution, but beggars couldn't be choosers.
Toby noticed the odd amulet from two days ago - so it was actually that thing again. Whatever. Even if it could fly or project some images, it didn't matter.
"Do you have any aspirin?" the plump teen asked tiredly. There was a good chance for that one - this was a doctor's house after all.
"Tobes, pay attention," there were some clear undertones of annoyance in Jim's voice, but his best friend seemed to be more interested in the frozen pizza after he realized that it had better use as a snack.
'It will be just great if I don't manage to tell about trolls and magical armor even to Tobes. Because of pizza!'
That was quite an unsettling thought. There might have been some things Jim had managed to keep to himself before, but this one was kind of stuff he would prefer to share with someone. It was too much for him to deal with, especially without any advice. In the end, he was scared to stay alone, facing the unknown. It could be a fun adventure only in the case when his best friend stayed by his side.
The lanky teen inhaled and focused on the amulet - wasn't it better to show once instead of talking?
It should have been less problematic that way too.
"For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to..." there wasn't much confidence in his voice though. Some skeptical part of Jim whispered that it could not work this time.
Was that magic armor real to start with? What if he had just dreamed about everything, and the amulet was simply a peculiar souvenir?
Miracles had never happened to him before, why should they have started now?
And Toby, dead-set on getting his pizza, didn't make anything easier. Couldn't he wait at least some minutes before trying to heat it in the microwave?
"Go on," the plump teen smiled, but his interest obviously laid elsewhere. That alone crushed all the remains of Jim's confidence.
"It worked last night," he muttered hesitantly, scratching his head. All the doubts multiplied several times at once. It really worked, didn't it? It couldn't be just a dream - those flying wispy orbs, an armor, a sword? Or all those feelings Jim had experienced - they had to be real…
As if someone like you has ever deserved an exciting adventure. So full of yourself to believe that you can be special, a 'chosen one'.
There was a lot of venom in that mental jeer. He hated that one, but maybe it had been right this time.
"Are you punking me right now?" Toby asked, still busy with the microwave.
Everything was falling into pieces. It would be so much easier just to give up. Why couldn't he simply throw away that mysterious finding and forget about everything?
Yet as Jim was examining the mysterious amulet, he couldn't get rid of a feeling that he had no right to do that.
"Okay. Wait, wait, wait, wait," if he couldn't prove that one to Tobes, who was basically his brother in everything but blood, how could he be sure of his own worth?
No.
He just needed to relax and focus more, to believe in that seemingly impossible magic. And as Jim closed his eyes, he suddenly noticed it - the intricate bond, powerful yet gentle, it connected him to the mysterious artifact in a way so difficult to explain but easy to feel.
Daylight was his shield and his sword, his loyal partner in fulfilling the destiny. The teen had no idea where that kind of realization had come from. Those trolls from before never told anything like that, yet it felt like indisputable truth.
Jim felt his body rising above the floor once again as familiar gentle warmth entered his body.
"Holy champignon!" Toby's shocked gasp felt so distant as if they weren't in the same room anymore.
The armor got his sizes right this time. It definitely had recognized the new owner, and that alone made Jim's heart sing.
I'm worthy.
That was clearly the moment of triumph. All those previous worries, doubts, and unpleasant thoughts meant nothing.
"Oh-ho-ho-ho! How cool is that?" he wasn't generally the one to brag, but... All of that was too cool, so the lanky teen couldn't help showing off a bit. Besides, as long as it wasn't Steve level bad, he could afford that.
Tobes's jaw dropped. Hell, he even forgot both about pizza and toothache - and that told a lot. For a second, it seemed like his brain got all circuits fried as he drawled breathlessly:
"What?"
And then the dam was broken as Toby started fussing around in an attempt to get a better look:
"Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! So cool, so cool, so cool!"
Most likely, he failed to find better words to describe what he felt - but Jim couldn't blame him. Wasn't he as excited yesterday as well?
"Dude, you know what this means, right? You have a sacred responsibility here," the plump teen finally got a hold on his raging emotions and managed to produce something thoughtful.
"That's what they said!" his best friend couldn't hide his surprise - he didn't remember mentioning to Tobes before that the amulet came with responsibilities attached. How had he even learned that?
Toby started some weird dance, returning to his 'my gosh' chanting. It began to look like some kind of shaman ritual at this point. For a second, it felt like it could continue for a while, but then the redhead boy took a bite from his forgotten piece of pizza and continued calmly:
"You have to use these new powers for the benefit of all mankind."
That was kinda impossible, even bigger than the troll visitors from before had implied. Jim was going to protest already, but the following phrase had cleared everything before he managed to open his mouth.
"You have to use this to kick Steve's butt."
Figures.
"Really? I show you a glowing sword and a suit of armor that can only be magic, and that's how you respond?"
It was quite baffling that out of all the possible variants, Tobes picked up that one. He could easily suggest becoming a vigilante hero or something. Though, his best friend had always been surprisingly practical in his approach.
However…
To be honest, with all the bizarre stuff going around, with all worries and guilt because of lying to his mother, Steve ended at the very end of Jim's list of priorities. Or more like he had simply forgotten about the local bully.
Though some part of him would be more than eager to beat all the crap out of the ultimate local bully, it wasn't important at the moment.
Perhaps, he shouldn't have blamed his best friend for that kind of reaction. Toby still hadn't learned everything, missing the most essential part about two trolls and their complicated speech about - what was that again? - 'sacred offices'. There were some responsibilities attached, there was no doubt about that, but the lanky teen was one hundred percent sure that dealing with some narcissistic pricks wasn't among those.
"Seriously! It's butt-kicking time," Tobes clearly wasn't going to give up on the idea that easily. He even tried some martial arts moves, probably imagining Steve being on the receiving end.
They both had dreamed about stopping the self-proclaimed school king's tyranny for so long that even a vague possibility was too tempting.
A darker part of Jim's mind raised its ugly head again, whispering how wonderful it would be to break the local bully's ego. Well, it wasn't like he was going to listen to those devious temptations - he had learned to silence those long time ago.
Otherwise, it would be impossible to function the right way in human society.
Such thinking had been abnormal, no, inhuman.
Toby's casual comment about his pants broke the lanky teen out of his reverie. There was no point in thinking about all of that. As if it hadn't been more than enough to handle even without any violent urges involved.
"Wait," the redhead boy suddenly turned serious as he finally paid attention to the detail mentioned a while ago. "Also, who's 'they'?"
"Well, that's the part I've been freaking out over!" Jim replied eagerly. After all, if there was only magical armor and sword, he would be most likely scheming together with Tobes about kicking Steve's butt. But no, there was also the whole deal with the underground civilization.
There was some pounding on the door before he managed to tell more. Last time unexplained noises ended in the encounter with trolls. Would it be the same now? At least, if those visitors were Blinky and Aaarrrgghh, it seemed that they had finally learned to use the door instead of attempting another infiltration through the basement. The guess got confirmed quite fast as the six-eyed troll peered inside through the glass.
Toby gasped, obviously scared because of the development:
"What, what, what the heck is that? Don't open the door!"
Jim realized too late that he needed to tell his friend about trolls before showing the armor. There was still some time back then, so he could at least spare his best friend from the scare of his life. Well, there was no point to cry over spilled milk, so Tobes was going to live through some not that exciting moments.
Blinky entered himself, apparently not bothered about meager trivialities like asking for permission. Jim started to suspect that either troll etiquette was way different from human one or they simply didn't have any to start with.
"Master Jim!" the six-eyed troll greeted the boy with a burst of joyful laughter. Toby hid behind his friend with a scream, not convinced about the creature's friendly intentions.
"I'm calling 911," he informed in a shaky tone and yelped once again putting Jim before himself as another troll tried to enter. On the other hand, the lanky teen couldn't deny that his best friend reacted way more composed compared to his own panic during the first meeting with his supernatural guests.
"No, Animal Control," the redhead boy changed his mind immediately after getting a good look at Aaarrrgghh's bulky frame and took a cover behind the countertop.
That was unexpectedly logical.
To Jim's surprise, his own reaction was rather chill. It was as if he didn't view those trolls as monsters anymore. It was more in line of odd strangers or something.
"I knew that it was but a matter of time before the amulet called to us," Blinky stated with some pathos. At first, the lanky teen thought that was an attempt at formal speech, but now it looked like it was just some kind of speaking quirk.
"'Called' to you?" Jim inquired carefully. Did the amulet have such function or something? That could be convenient.
"Actually, no," the six-eyed troll admitted. "We've been spying on you."
"Spy on you," Aaarrrgghh confirmed, still struggling with the doorway.
Jim wasn't too sure if he liked the idea of some troll stalkers following him. It was like a double disturbing image. Not to mention that it left one crucial question unanswered. If they were stalking the teen, why hadn't they made their presence known the day before?
"Well, keeping a close watch," Blinky picked up different wording, probably not liking how spying sounded too.
Jim wanted to ask why they hadn't appeared earlier but forgot about everything as the bigger troll continued to struggle with his entrance.
"Door small," the brute complained after finally managing to get in, causing a lot of ruckus in the end. The lanky teen was seriously surprised that none of the neighbors had started the fuss because of the noise. Though, apparently, no one in Arcadia had ever noticed supernatural. Except for poor Eli, of course.
Meanwhile, Toby had somehow gotten through to the Animal Control hotline as he wanted. Alas, the result of it was pretty useless and pathetic as no one believed in monsters there.
"You told your stout little friend about us?" the six-eyed troll asked disapprovingly.
"Um, is that a problem?"
Technically, Jim hadn't told Toby about trolls yet, but he had been doing that before his supernatural visitors appeared. Not to mention that he nearly blurted about trolls to Mr. Strickler and considered discussing the matter with his mother. Hell, if he was less reserved, he could possibly run around screaming about stone monsters living underground. Though, in that case, there were more chances that people would take him for a madman than believe him. Eli was living proof of that.
If that was problematic, why hadn't Blinky warned him earlier?
Oh yeah, he had passed out during the last encounter.
"Master Jim, we trolls have gone to great lengths to keep our existence secret from your kind, lest there be panic," Blinky explained calmly as if talking to a small child. Attempting to prove the point, Aaarrrgghh scooped Toby from behind the countertop and put the boy on top of it. The plump teen hadn't taken that nicely, to say the least.
The six-eyed troll was right. Right now, despite his initial fear, Jim could see both supernatural creatures being well-meaning. Blinky seemed a relatively reasonable guy if you didn't take into account his overdramatic antics. And Aaarrrgghh, despite his humongous build, was obviously a gentle giant. Yet Toby was only able to see a dangerous monster. But was it fair to blame him, when the lanky teen himself hadn't fared much better during his own first encounter? If anything, he had been even worse - Tobes was at least still capable of coherent speech.
Why would it be different for other people? No, they all would start panicking, screaming, running away, or...
Attempting to destroy a monster.
Jim felt paralyzing and unreasonable fear rising from the depth of his soul as the image of the faceless man from his nightmares flashed across his mind.
He seriously hated that one, no matter who or what it was.
Humans are weak, easily scared.
And because they are cowards, they'd rather destroy anything they might find menacing instead of trying to understand it.
Well, it is not like they can destroy anything actually dangerous, so in the end, only those who are not a threat at all will suffer.
Those were quite cynical, disturbing thoughts, and the teen couldn't get why he was even thinking in that direction. Not to mention that those sounded as if he didn't consider himself one of the humans.
A sudden wave of warmth washed over his body, chasing away both the fear and dark ideas. Jim blinked in surprise and looked at the amulet, embedded above his heart - had that thing just attempted to calm him down with its mysterious magic?
In any case, it had returned him to reality, where Toby was trying to defend himself with a soup ladle while muttering his favorite 'oh, my gosh'. Apparently, not that much time had passed. Still, it would be better to stop all of that.
For some reason, seeing his best friend reacting to trolls like that hurt a bit.
Why couldn't he understand and accept those?
"It's all right, Tobes," Jim approached the countertop, hoping that the plump teen would realize that there was no danger. It didn't work at all.
"They're like nine feet tall," Toby mumbled, refusing to put down his weapon of choice. Though, to be honest, it didn't look much like panic anymore, simply being on caution specter. Perhaps, he simply needed some time to digest all the overwhelming information.
"This is my best friend, Toby D," it wouldn't hurt to do some introductions meanwhile.
"He has like 800 eyes," Tobes whispered. "We're going to die."
Jim wondered if his friend was even serious by this point, but Blinky obviously took the phrase literally as he protested:
"Hardly. Your friend is the Trollhunter. His noble obligation is protective."
"Like 'protecting'?" Toby inquired. Jim wondered about that one himself - during the first meeting, he hadn't been in the right mind state to ask any questions and even fainted before getting a detailed explanation. He only vaguely remembered something about the responsibility to protect the underground civilization.
"You mean like a superhero?" the plump teen continued, lowering the ladle. He had finally calmed down and even started to think in a different direction as he sat down on the countertop. "Oh, can I be his sidekick? With a cool superhero name like Deathblade or Snipersnake?"
Tobes was seriously a unique kind of person - he bounced back so fast that no one would be able to tell that only some moments ago he was screaming and trying to contact Animal Control.
And Jim was grateful for that, no matter for what reason.
In any case, the teen hoped to get his own answers before the conversation derailed too much.
"Just wait. Who would I be protecting?" he asked seriously. It bothered him that the ones who were supposed to inform him about his role looked so... well, extravagant. Weren't there any humans in the Trollhunter's team? If so, why hadn't they sent someone more regular-looking to avoid misunderstandings?
What if it means to be on the other side? Against humanity?
The only idea was too disturbing and scared Jim more than anything he had encountered prior.
"Us," Aaarrrgghh gave a short response.
"And mankind. From bad trolls," Blinky added at once. Jim wondered if his expression betrayed him or something because it was the exact answer he needed. "As well as goblins, gruesomes, and the occasional rogue gnome."
The lanky teen had no idea how goblins or gnomes were supposed to look. Probably terrifying - otherwise, why put those together with bad trolls? Gruesomes, whatever those were, didn't sound like peaceful beings too.
Meanwhile, Toby used the soup ladle to check if trolls were actually stony or only looked like that. The cooking utensil was making a clanking sound as it hit Blinky's skin.
"Do you mind?" the six-eyed troll finally lost the patience and turned to the plump boy who dropped the ladle guiltily.
"The mantle of Trollhunter is a sacred responsibility," Blinky continued seriously, "one which has never been passed to a human before. This is a momentous occasion."
He probably wanted to continue, but unfortunately, a sudden sound of a car horn signaled that there was some more immediate matter to take care of...
Barbara felt seriously irritated lately - to the point that she was nearly growling when in human guise. Apparently, the troll anger was slipping through the cracks or something. It had never happened before. Through the decades among humans, the daughter of Gunmar had learned to build some stable state of mind. Now it seemed to be crumbling, no matter how much she tried to keep it intact.
She wondered about the reason for that peculiar emotion. Probably, her going back and forth between her true form and disguise too much during the last few days hadn't done anything good. Apparently, some emotions lingered despite shifts.
Human feelings tended to be more complex, more nuanced. Troll ones were stronger yet more straightforward.
This recent irritation combined both, much to the woman's chagrin. As if she hadn't her hands full before that!
There had been too much going on recently.
Bular's stupid failure because of his recklessness.
Stricklander playing his own game.
The new Trollhunter being a fleshbag.
And on top of that, Jim seemingly had started to suspect that there was more to the world. Something beyond the stuff official sources claimed. The timing simply couldn't be worst than that.
Not to mention that today Barbara was supposed to have an actual shift at work, and despite all the efforts, she didn't manage to skip it.
The reputation of someone who tended to never say 'no' bit her back. Hard.
The last time when the daughter of Gunmar had stayed at work overnight, it ended in Bular ruining the entire plan. Who knew what else could possibly happen?
With all of that, the woman somehow had forgotten her phone at home. As if she needed petty troubles right now! But was there any other choice instead of hurrying to get it back? She composed herself before entering her house - no matter how much she wished to rip to the shreds some unfortunate soul, her son should have never seen that kind of murderous expression on her face.
Barbara half-expected to see Jim in the kitchen, probably even with Toby savoring some tasty aroma, but there wasn't anyone there. Instead, she had heard some loud noise upstairs. What was her son doing there to cause that one?
"Jim?" the mother called. "It's me!"
There was no response.
Even though the teen tended to greet her right away if he was at home and not sleeping. Some uneasy feeling started to creep up her spine.
What if something happened? What if Stricklander bringing up Jim's name wasn't that random, and he had sent some goons to harm her child?
He'd never dare.
But what if?
The daughter of Gunmar would never forgive herself if her identity or past caused any harm to her son. It was her biggest fear, something that kept haunting her for years.
Barbara relaxed a bit after hearing some noise from the bathroom. She seriously should have stopped to jump at every shadow. Many things simply had a trivial explanation.
"I forgot my phone. Are you okay in there?" she asked with some concern. Was it her imagination, or was there actually some muffled conversation behind that closed door?
No way.
Thinking that someone was hiding in the bathroom was a whole new level of paranoia.
"Um, fine. I mean, my stomach's a little, uh..." Jim's voice sounded quite panicking for some reason. And those horrible sounds... There was no way that he was fine.
"Uh, you know, I might have a food poisoning situation," he continued with some hesitation.
Food poisoning? In this house? It was only possible after tasting some of Barbara's cooking, and lately, Jim had done everything to keep her away from the kitchen. There should have been something else. When it came to her son's health, the woman would never allow herself to take any chances. He was a unique existence and who knew what kind of diseases he could get. Or even worse, Jim could possibly feel sick because of his heritage surfacing or something.
"Honey, I'll get you some medicine, okay?" the mother made a suggestion and went downstairs. It might have been a simple food poisoning, but she would still check all the possibilities later. There was no space for being careless or dismissive with something like that.
She returned fast with some medicine and ginger ale and knocked, asking her son to come out. Barbara expected him to appear at once, but instead, she had heard another protest:
"I'm fine. Really".
Of course, the woman had noticed before that Jim tended to cause her as little trouble as possible. Nevertheless, that refusal to get any help was just ridiculous. She wasn't going to leave it as it was.
"I'm a doctor," Barbara stated firmly. Her boy could be stubborn, but so was she. "I'm going to treat my own son."
"I just need a little privacy," he certainly didn't plan to give up that easily, and it made her worry more. Jim would never go to such length in keeping her away if it was just food poisoning. There was definitely something more serious.
"You're worrying me," the mother tried to reach him again. There was no response. "I'm coming in."
If needed, Barbara could effortlessly force her way in. No, that one would be the last-ditch measure. There were other ways before it would come to revealing her secret.
However, before she managed to get to the doorknob, Jim opened himself.
"See? All good," the teen chuckled and ran downstairs.
It wasn't good. Barbara knew her son well enough and could read his body language effortlessly. He was jittery and nervous for some reason right now. Oh, how she wished that he simply had told her about whatever his problem was.
Maybe it would be better to push for truth, but... Jim's trust meant a lot for the mother, and she would rather have him opening without any forceful measures.
Besides...
Wasn't that a true hypocrisy to demand the truth from her boy when she kept so many secrets to herself?