Today was the day. Douxie had steeled himself, mentally running through the plan. After his shift at Mr. Benoit ended, he would meet with Zoe and Archie, and they would approach James Lake together. Preferably, they would need to meet the boy somewhere on his way from the school not to involve his mother.
According to the cat-dragon, the Trollhunter had told about his role only to his best friend. Archie wasn't too excited about this fact, but Douxie thought that it may have been for better.
The young man had checked the time, noting that his shift had come to an end, and prepared to head out.
"Doux! Man! Some safe?" a desperate call had stopped him on his tracks, and the next second, one of his co-workers ran up to him.
"Terry? What's wrong?" Hisirdoux actually liked that slightly disheveled lad - he was an earnest worker with several part-time jobs.
"Can you stay for a bit longer?" Terry nearly begged his colleague. "We don't have enough hands as Seline's being late… She'll compensate you."
Douxie groaned - not that he was against helping or had anything against Seline, but the timing was wrong.
"Can't you work a bit with one waiter less?" he asked, not hoping for anything.
"Doux, you know that Lee flirts with everything that moves instead of serving tables, and the new girl is still learning… I cannot cover everything myself!" Terry was clearly quite annoyed himself. He most likely had gotten no from everyone else already.
"Only for an hour," Douxie gave up and texted Zoe about the change of plans. One hour wouldn't change a lot, would it?
Oh, how wrong he was!
The young man had just finished serving three giggling girls (perhaps, Zoe was right, and he had to stop with his mannerism not to cause misunderstandings), when he heard Lee breaking into a squeal out of the blue:
"Isn't it Archie! Who is my favorite kitty cat? Wait for a second, I have a yummy nummy for you!"
The common consensus among Mr. Benoit's employees had always been that only a cat could stop Lee from flirting. And Archie was definitely his favorite target for gushing. Surprisingly enough, the dragon was uncharacteristically tolerant of that cringe-inducing behavior, even allowing the guy in question to pet him at times.
However, this time the familiar ignored Lee's existence altogether, heading to Douxie in a hurry. The wizard-in-training remembered too late that while he had contacted Zoe about the change of plans, he couldn't do the same with Archie. Most likely, the cat was pissed beyond the boiling point, and only the presence of multiple people stopped him from starting the lecture on the spot.
"He's quite unfriendly today, isn't he?" Lee asked with a pout.
Douxie forced a chuckle:
"I guess…"
He wanted to joke but changed his mind as soon as Archie bit into his pants and even attempted to drag him away. There was so much of 'take a hint, it's emergency' in his eyes that the wizard-in-training realized that there was something more than just an annoyance behind the familiar's odd behavior.
Douxie scooped his cat and ran as far from people as possible, totally ignoring any confused calls.
The thing he had heard from the dragon was anything but the good news.
"Bular isn't the only Gumm-Gumm around. Barverra is also in Arcadia, and she has seen our Trollhunter already…"
All the complicated planning had flown out of the window apparently…
"Man, what a chase!" Toby complained, still looking behind his shoulder to check if there were any bloodthirsty trolls there. "The multi-eyed guy wasn't joking about that Bular!"
Jim stayed silent, still trying to comprehend all the recent events. The armor had failed him during the chase, and it felt a lot like betrayal. What was the point of that thing if it only had nearly busted him in school and had refused to work in the face of actual danger?
Besides, the teen had seen the perfect demonstration of his supposed enemy's strength - and it didn't help with getting any confidence. That guy was throwing trucks as if it was the most trivial thing for him. Fighting that? There was no way, armor or not.
They were so lucky that some female troll had decided to intervene and save their asses. Had Blinky sent her to watch over? Something like that would make a lot of sense.
And, of course, there was another small detail bugging his mind. Jim could swear that their mysterious savior looked familiar. No, not only that - something deep inside was telling the boy that he knew and could trust her. But how could that make any sense? It wasn't like the teen could have met a troll and forgotten about such an encounter altogether.
As he tried to find an answer to why the troll lady seemed to be so nostalgically familiar, his mind finally gave him a vague memory. She looked a lot like the monster Jim had seen at night some years ago. But what had that female troll been doing near his house? Scaring those other weird creatures, whatever those had been? Perhaps, the Trollhunter wasn't the only protector of the two worlds. The teen felt some relief thinking about the matter in more detail. Maybe he would be able to get some loyal allies in the future.
"I seriously hope that we'll be able to go home normally next time!" Toby exclaimed with some frustration. Of course, he wasn't too happy to run away from Bular instead of having a leisure ride. "At least, this time we've managed to get a clean escape... Wait, aren't those your new troll friends?"
He was right - Jim could see Blinky pacing near the trees and Aaarrrgghh making a futile attempt to look as inconspicuous as possible with some branches used as his means of disguise. Somehow, it was nearly unbelievable that no neighbor had noticed any of them so far.
"Master Jim!" the six-eyed troll greeted the teen loudly the second he had detected him. It didn't look as if he was that worried about the young Trollhunter's well-being. On the other hand, why should he have been panicking? After all, Blinky most likely had sent that back-up, so he knew that everything would be fine.
Somehow, it calmed Jim significantly, though the horrible memory of the first encounter with Bular still remained fresh. Taking out someone like that wouldn't be easy - not that he hadn't believed his new acquaintances' testimony before. Still, seeing it helped to create a better mental image.
"Bular's attacked us a while ago," the teen informed the trolls with some displeasure - it had been even sooner than anyone could guess.
"Yeah, was throwing trucks together with empty threats!" Toby added, imitating a truck throw. "And man, someone tell the guy that his negotiation skills suck!"
"And you're still alive," Blinky said with approval, ignoring complaints altogether. "I knew you had potential, Master Jim!"
The lanky teen wasn't sure if survival could even count as potential, not to mention that they most likely had only managed to escape because of their female troll helper. But if Blinky said so, it was probably true - maybe, he just meant 'managed to survive until reinforcement' by that.
"We can use more bodyguards, you know!" Toby complained. "Preferably, ones who wouldn't wait till the big bad guy started to throw trucks!"
Apparently, the part with flying trucks had left quite an impression on the plump teen. Jim himself was more concerned about the amulet malfunctioning or something. What if that one had stopped working altogether? Wouldn't that be quite a catastrophe?
On the other hand, the young Trollhunter couldn't help agreeing with his best friend about the reinforcements. Jim also thought it would be better to have more back-up, no matter how grateful he had been to the troll lady. Not to mention that the lanky teen had been quite worried right now. Their savior wasn't that big or bulky. Would she be able to stand her ground in a deadly fight against such a terrifying enemy? Yes, she certainly had sent Bular flying, but hadn't that only happened because of the surprise attack factor?
"You guys can fight him, right?" the Trollhunter asked. Maybe, he could request Aaarrrgghh to go and help the mysterious female - shouldn't that one have caught up with them by now and gotten a proper introduction? It wasn't that nice to leave another ally alone. What if she was injured? Or even dead? Was it nice to pay such a horrible price for the young protector's survival?
Both trolls chuckled nervously.
"I could not hope to possess the skill to defeat Bular," Blinky stated firmly. Well, that wasn't such a shocking revelation - Jim suspected that much at least.
"What about him?" he pointed at the other troll. "He's big."
And strong - the lanky teen could easily imagine that one being able to throw some trucks effortlessly too.
"Pacifist," Aaarrrgghh answered honestly.
"Seriously?" Jim couldn't believe his own ears. Did trolls have some shortage of warriors or something? Why had they sent those two out of all guys?
No, they were clearly lucky that Bular wasn't chasing them anymore if their battle resources were so limited.
"Man, such a waste of a hulking brute," at least, Toby also found the entire predicament so wrong.
"This is why there is a Trollhunter, Master Jim," Blinky tried to explain calmly. "Aaarrrgghh renounced the violent path ages ago."
No, it wasn't like the teen was going to condemn anyone for sticking to pacifism. That one wasn't a wrong approach. It was somehow reasonable, and Jim could understand that some people - well, apparently trolls as well - would prefer to stay away from any fighting, without regards to their size or build. But... They certainly expected protection from someone not fit for that - a skinny teenager who couldn't even summon the armor during the encounter with his enemy. And even if there was the armor, what could he do against that monstrosity? Act as his toothpick?
The Trollhunter should have been an actual troll, someone with enough strength and skill to back up his principles. Someone who could make a difference.
"I don't want to be that guy, but have anyone considered that some of us stand out too much?" Toby's comment had broken the unpleasant silence. He was watching the surroundings rather keenly, probably in the hope of detecting anyone approaching fast enough.
"Tobias is right, we should change our location," Blinky nodded. "Perhaps, we can move to Master Jim's humble abode..."
"No!" the Trollhunter protested at once. "Mom's at home today - I cannot let her see you."
Tobes hummed knowingly, looking at the Lake's residence.
"What about my house, then?" he suggested, after some consideration. "We can sit and talk in my room".
"But what about Nana?" Jim looked at his best friend in bewilderment. He would imagine that the plump teen would be more cautious too.
"Oh, come on, you know Nana well enough. We can sneak an entire battalion of trolls - and she won't even notice," Toby waved it off. "Especially when she's watching her detective dramas. I believe it's around that time."
"Okay," the lanky teen drawled, not too sure about the final decision. Of course, Nancy's hearing and eyesight had deteriorated heavily with years, but those couldn't be that bad.
Nevertheless, it turned out that Tobes was one hundred percent right - his grandmother hadn't noticed a thing fully engrossed in her TV drama, even though Aaarrrgghh was quite clumsy during his entrance and nearly torn off the railing. Blinky could also be less noisy as he kept muttering all the time.
"So," Toby inquired once everyone positioned themselves in his room, "what's the plan? Are you going to teach Jimbo some cool troll-fu or something? We will need it! Or is it trollkido?"
He chopped the air as if trying to show an example.
"We plan to begin the training regimen once we reach the proper grounds," Blinky replied.
"Heroes Forge," Aaarrrgghh rumbled in agreement.
"Awesomesauce," Toby's eyes lit at the name.
"Tonight, I'm going to take Master Jim to the Trollmarket - we need to make some proper introductions to locals. They had the right to know the face of their protector," the six-eyed troll continued. "Not to mention that some may become valuable allies in the future…"
"Friends," the brute added with a smile.
"Allies sound good," Jim contemplated for a second. Of course, his new position was still scary, and Bular was out for his blood, but at least, he wasn't alone. Toby decided to stick with him, despite having no obligation to risk his own neck. Blinky and Aaarrrgghh obviously wanted to help despite no battle prowess whatsoever. And there also was that female troll, who came to save them in the time of need.
"Hopefully, there're fewer pacifists there," the plump teen muttered, cast a quick glance at the brute, and added: "No offense, dude. But seriously, if that troll lady hadn't appeared, we would end as Bular's dinner!"
"Troll lady?" Blinky raised his stony eyebrows in confusion.
"Yes, the one you sent to watch over," Jim replied with slight hesitation. Why did it look like neither of his new acquaintances had any idea what he was talking about?
"Master Jim, we haven't done anything like that," the six-eyed troll suddenly turned gravely serious. The lanky teen didn't like that expression at all.
"I guess it means that someone from the Trollmarket took the initiative. Whatever," Toby shrugged, not seeing any problem. "I'm still going to thank her next time."
Blinky muttered something barely comprehensible. Jim only recognized 'no one' and 'kept secret' from it.
He definitely didn't like the direction the conversation had taken out of the blue.
"How did that troll lady look?" the next question sounded too forceful, but the six-eyed troll definitely wasn't calm enough to be polite. His companion also frowned.
"You know, trollish - stony, with horns," the plump teen responded, slightly annoyed. "Not that big by your standards, I guess, quite dark, with long red hair and glowing eyes... I'd say, rather scary looking, but to be honest, you two are far from pink ponies as well…"
Jim seriously didn't like the looks two trolls exchanged. The whole atmosphere had already turned too grim, too suffocating. There wasn't even a shred of previous optimism. Blinky reached the bag strapped to his heap and took out a book. Was it just Jim's imagination, or had the troll's hands shaken a bit? For a while, some rustling of pages remained the only sound in the complete silence. Toby nudged his best friend, obviously confused, but the lanky teen hadn't even noticed that - his mind was wandering elsewhere, captured by an uneasy feeling.
Finally, the six-eyed troll had found whatever he was looking for and opened the book before both boys, demonstrating some kind of illustration:
"Was it this one?"
"Yes, it's that troll lady for sure," Tobes answered eagerly. "Is she famous or something?"
Jim's eyes were glued to the picture as he felt the genuine fear creeping inside his soul. The lanky teen couldn't get how his best friend had managed to miss the simple fact that the illustration depicted someone obviously evil. Be it a sadistic smirk, mad look in the eyes, or pile of skulls beneath her - everything pointed out that the troll lady was far from being friendly and kind.
"Great Gronka Morka!" Blinky exclaimed in devastation. "I hoped it wasn't her."
"Barverra," Aaarrrgghh let a low growl. "Vile female."
"Wait, what?" Toby looked heavily confused. "Are you telling me that she's one of the bad guys?"
Jim wasn't listening to exchange - his mind barely registered bits and pieces of conversation as he still couldn't take his eyes off the picture. His emotions were truly confusing - there was some disbelief, a lot of disappointment, some rapidly growing fear, and... Anger? The last one was buried beneath other feelings, but it was stupid to deny that some part of the boy was quite enraged, even though he had no idea why.
"Exactly," Blinky nodded. "She's known as the Herald of Doom and Bular, who you both encountered recently, is her younger half-brother."
"But she helped us?" Toby tried to protest weakly, though it was apparent that he didn't believe his own words.
"I seriously doubt that, Tobias," the six-eyed troll looked at the teen with barely hidden pity. "She could stop her brother's rampage, but only for her own advantage. Barverra is one of the vilest creatures around, way worse than her brother... Had she followed you?"
"Why are you asking?" Jim suddenly opened his mouth and inquired flatly. He was unhealthy pale as some gnawing suspicion crawled inside his heart.
"Master Jim," Blinky avoided the lanky teen's eyes, obviously uncomfortable with the stuff he was going to tell. "The Herald of Doom knows no mercy in her methods, she's the bane for her father's foes. She'll never be satisfied with challenging you alone, no, she'll eradicate every single soul dear to you..."
The Trollhunter wasn't even listening attentively, but morbid words still reached his consciousness. He shouldn't have been here, in Tobes's house. If that vile female troll was targeting his close people, the first one would be...
"Mom," Jim's throat got dry as he managed a weak whisper, and before anyone could react, the teen rushed down the stairs, out of Domzalski's residence, and right to his home's front door. Some voices were calling for him, but it didn't matter. Not with his mother in immediate danger.
Obviously, the boy wouldn't be able to put anything against that Barverra. The one capable of sending flying someone Bular's size would have no problems with obliterating a human teen. But maybe, he would be able to become a shield for Barbara or at least a distraction for that monster.
He couldn't lose his mom, especially not to something like that...
Apparently, every single higher force had ganged on Barbara today or something. As if her dumbass brother attacking her son hadn't been more than enough already! But no, now there was also Stricklander standing on her house's threshold.
Why now? Couldn't he find some other time?
Jim was supposed to come home soon, and he had already gotten too many trolls for the week. There was no need for one more, especially a cunning schemer one!
Wait, she wasn't thinking straight. Wasn't there a more important question right now? Why the hell had that impure even come to start with? Had he learned about her true identity as the Herald of Doom? Was that an attempt of blackmail?
Strickler, meanwhile, was quite bewildered - the door had flung open before he managed to knock. It was as if someone had expected him to visit.
A woman appeared, some shock evident on her face. And perhaps, even something else too, but the Head of Janus Order couldn't tell what exactly.
Was that Barbara Lake? The teacher couldn't deny that he had imagined her differently. After all of Young Atlas's worried talks about his mother overworking herself to the bone, he expected a pale and tired woman, barely holding together under constant stress. Instead, the one standing before him was an exquisite beauty, enticing and slightly mysterious. Walt could imagine her having heaps of admirers, though she most likely had no time for those. Even the changeling himself couldn't deny her charm. She was interesting, to say the least.
What a pity…
If they had met under different circumstances, Strickler would have attempted to date this woman just to have pleasant company. However, right now, she could be only his key to success, a tool to get closer to her son and snatch the amulet.
"Good evening, Mrs. Lake," he greeted her with a cordial smile and was rather taken aback by a momentary shadow of hostility in her eyes. Not only that, for a brief second, he could swear there was an actual bloodlust in the air - the one of level not fitting any human being. Nevertheless, Strickler brushed it off to imagination. Why should the Trollhunter's mother have behaved like that? He did nothing to deserve that kind of attitude from her. Besides, it wasn't like she had an opportunity to learn about his secret life.
Barbara did her best to take hold of her rage.
Good evening! What kind of games was Stricklander playing? Was he actually that confident in his own safety to provoke the daughter of Gunmar like that? No, he had to be either extremely brave or totally unhinged!
She could kill the bastard on the spot or lure him inside the house and finish him there, yet her common sense screamed that she couldn't. Jim was supposed to come home soon, and the mother didn't want him to see her murdering his favorite teacher. Something like that would be impossible to explain easily!
Besides...
There was a huge chance that she was simply overreacting. Wasn't Stricklander still a part of the school staff? Maybe, he came because of more regular work. Yes, Jim had never been a problematic child, but what if there was a reason for a visit from some teacher?
That one was more logical, and Barbara wished she could simply chalk everything to more trivial stuff, yet…
The timing was too off.
First, there had been some spies from the Janus Order, trying to find her lair. If the Herald of Doom had missed even one of those, she could kiss goodbye to keeping her secret from Stricklander.
Second, the winged impure had brought her son's name when she had demanded revealing the Trollhunter's identity. No matter how much Barbara had thought about that, she couldn't tell for sure if it had been just a coincidence or an intricate plan to screw with her.
And now, the Head of Janus Order was standing at her doorstep with his fake cordial smile. This fact alone drove the woman nuts.
No, even if he suspected something, the impure had no proof, otherwise, his greeting would sound way different. Smugger, perhaps. Or, maybe, he would have given some hints. Apparently, he could visit her in the hope of checking his theory. If so, the daughter of Gunmar was willing to play a cordial host to throw him off her trail.
"And... Who are you supposed to be?" the woman forced a polite smile. Yes, exactly like that - she was supposedly greeting a total stranger. Even if he was her son's teacher, according to her cover story, they had never met. So some cautiousness wouldn't seem to be out of place - and hopefully, her initial hostility wasn't that evident.
"Hasn't your son informed you that I wanted to talk?" Mr. Strickler raised his eyebrows in fake disbelief. Actually, he suspected that his young student hadn't given his mother the slip with the phone number. There had been too many reasons not to do so - be it because of his personal reluctance to cause her more worries or because he had simply forgotten with all that crazy stuff entering his life.
But that turn of events was preferable for the changeling. Even if Mrs. Lake had called him, he would have tried to organize a real-life meeting. He desperately needed more influence on Young Atlas, and his mother could be a vital fragment of that plan.
"He hasn't," Barbara responded flatly. Was Stricklander lying to use it as an excuse for the visit? Or had her son started to hide things from her without any reason? Especially something so trivial?
"I see," the teacher sighed with some concern. "I guess his worrisome tendencies are way worse than I assumed at first…"
That was the plan - to make Mrs. Lake anxious for her son's well-being. Jim loved his mother greatly and would most likely try to get rid of the amulet if that one added to her list of worries. As if a human teen could comprehend how important the artifact in his possession was! There was no doubt that he had simply viewed it as a cool magical object.
"What tendencies?" the woman tensed inwardly - she hadn't noticed anything suspicious. Sure thing, her boy had brought up monsters not that long ago, but wasn't that just about Pepperjack kid and his regular stories?
No, she was missing an important detail there. Her son looked pale and uneasy before starting that talk. What if he had discovered something supernatural himself? What if he shared those findings with the most inappropriate person for that, namely Walter Strickler? What if the impure using her son as a scapegoat was the way of getting rid of the kid, who poked his nose into forbidden stuff?
Barbara felt some rage starting to boil inside once again and took a deep breath in the hope of calming down.
"Oh, sorry, I'm keeping you outside. Please, come in," worries aside, she should have continued playing her role and preferably figuring out how much Stricklander knew and what kind of plan he had. The daughter of Gunmar couldn't allow him to seize control.
The Head of Janus Order was rather impressed so far - he liked to brag his human-reading skills, but somehow Mrs. Lake was a tough nut to crack. At the moment, she seemed friendly enough, but he still couldn't forget that weird, out-of-place hostility at the very beginning. He also had caught some occasional glimpses of anger, though those were buried under more concern and worry. The man didn't like all of that. It was too random, too unpredictable.
On the other hand, he couldn't help noticing how similar her character was to Jim's. The teen's mother was also strong-willed, determined, and willing to sacrifice things for the sake of her family. Besides, wasn't her overworking the same as Jim's attempts to take all the burdens himself?
It runs in the family, I guess.
The thought caused the changeling to smirk as he followed the redhead inside. Why was he so surprised? The years in teaching had taught Walt that kids often subconsciously followed their parents' example.
Wasn't such a turn of events the best for him? If the woman would do everything for the sake of her son, Strickler could easily find proper heartstrings to pull.
"Do you fancy some tea?" Barbara asked with a bright smile. If she were free to decide, one of the kitchen knives would be already buried right between the bastard's eyes. The daughter of Gunmar could easily picture that. One swift motion - and she could kiss goodbye to the major headache. Alas, her options were limited. The worst she could do was to treat him to her horrible tea. What a pity that Jim had thrown away her last attempt in baking - that one was a borderline poison, apparently. That one would have made the perfect treat for the uninvited guest.
"Yes, please," Strickler nodded absentmindedly. At the moment, he was considering how events had unraveled for Young Atlas. Knowing Bular, the Gumm-Gumm prince had to be pursuing his unfortunate prey right now. Or maybe the boy had found some hiding spot, and the dark brute was roaming around, causing a lot of destruction out of frustration. Or some trolls from the Trollmarket had intervened. It didn't matter that much as long as the kid got some good taste of his new reality. That was outright war with brutal methods, not some play with shiny armor and a cool sword. Young Atlas had to live through terror to experience some despair.
Earlier today, the changeling had noticed that Jim had gotten a tremendous boost of confidence out of nowhere. That speech about destiny and overcoming fears during auditions was suspicious, no, outright alarming. It was clearly not from Shakespeare - anyone who read at least occasionally would be able to tell that. Neither those words belonged to the teen himself - those were too deep and held too much meaning to be something a kid would invent on the spot.
No, someone told him that - someone whose opinion definitely mattered to the young Trollhunter to the point that he decided to embrace his supposed 'destiny'. But who?
Apparently, there was some mysterious figure in Jim's life, and that certain someone had thwarted Strickler's planning. The History teacher already hated that one - in a way, that was a rival, an enemy to fight in the mental battle.
Could that one be the boy's mother? What if Young Atlas had found some courage to discuss that matter with his closest person? If so, that would have been Walt's own fault - in the end, he had been the one who had told his student to think about his own good at least sometimes.
No, that twist of events would be quite a disaster as, in that case, the woman would be her son's willing ally rather than Stricklander's unwitting helper. He needed to check it as soon as possible.
"Mrs. Lake," the man started slowly, carefully picking each word and watching Barbara's expressions, "lately, I feel that Jim takes more than he can handle... There is no way that it's healthy for him."
There had to be something in her expression, a glimpse or shadow - anything would be good to tell for sure. A regular human couldn't be a skilled liar - that would require years or even decades of constant lying. Not even every changeling was good in that.
Yet…
The woman's expression hadn't revealed anything suspicious.
The daughter of Gunmar would have never imagined that it could be that difficult to keep with her role, but somehow, at the moment, everything was flowing surprisingly smoothly. For some seconds, she stopped looking for any kind of hidden meanings or concealed undertones in Stricklander's phrases. All of a sudden, the strong sense of illusion overwrote the entire atmosphere. The Head of Janus Order stopped being a scheming bastard, turning into a responsible teacher, genuinely worried for his student. And the fearsome Herald of Doom was simply a concerned mother, grasping at straws in her desperate wish to make her son's life easier.
Was she overthinking, letting the paranoia rule her thoughts? Wasn't everything just regular stuff any teacher would bring up? She had noticed herself that her boy was sacrificing too much for her sake. It had to be evident to everyone else too.
"I agree," Barbara nodded with a heavy sigh - and that one wasn't fake, she was truly concerned and anxious. "I've tried to make Jim stop so many times, but he stubbornly continues to claim that it's not stressful for him... I can imagine he's sacrificing the time he could use for something he likes."
Stricklander hummed. He had obviously referenced the Trollhunter's role, yet the mother talked about his general tendencies. Not to mention that there wasn't even a shadow of a lie in those worries. The teacher could vouch for that.
Barbara Lake knew nothing, there was nearly one hundred percent guarantee for that. If she were aware but tried to conceal the information, it would be reflected in her body language or expression.
Nevertheless, was it wise to let her off-hook so easy? The Head of Janus Order decided to check once again just in case.
"Oh, no, I didn't mean that one. It's worrisome, but I was talking about the role he got recently," he clarified, still searching for the barely visible signs.
"The role?"
No, that kind of confusion was impossible to fake, that was for sure. In the end, Young Atlas had remained true to his convictions and left his mother out of any troll-related stuff.
An admirable love, yet such a foolish decision.
Protection or not, the kid had left an opening for the manipulation. Jim was definitely too young and gullible to avoid making such a mistake. Most likely, he genuinely believed that the enemy's side would only use physical methods.
No, the boy was unimaginably lucky that Strickler had learned his identity first. The man's mind trailed back to everything he had heard about Barverra. Yes, the daughter of Gunmar would have been way more ruthless in her approach.
"Yes, Jim has got a role of Romeo in our school play," Stricklander smiled, changing the direction of the conversation effortlessly and showing aside gruesome thoughts. "I can imagine, the boy prepared a lot for the auditions. His monologue was simply marvelous and breathtaking. To capture the audience like that, he had to recite it a lot. And that costume - admirable attention to details, I must say. It's difficult to imagine how many nights were put into finishing that one. Well, unless there's a magic to materialize things out of thin air."
The last phrase had been a true gamble. If the woman knew about the amulet, the changeling would have exposed himself, losing his superior current position. However, he had attempted something that risky only because he was sure that Barbara had remained in the dark.
Alas, Strickler got no exact conclusion. For better or worse, the last sentence fell on deaf ears as Barbara got totally distracted by the door flung open. Her son rushed inside, his face distorted by terror.
Well, despite all his flaws, Bular definitely knew how to scare his enemies. Stricklander barely refrained from a smirk. Everything just had gone according to the plan.
"Mom!" Jim called in a panic, scanning his surroundings frantically. A terrible image flashed through the teen's mind, the one of the ruined house and his mother being injured or… No, that couldn't have happened!
Barbara had forgotten about her unpleasant guest the second she had seen her boy. Nothing else had mattered anymore. Nothing, but running up to her son and folding him in a comforting embrace. Her dear child had gone through too much for the one day. She could feel him slightly trembling in her arms.
No, apparently, she hadn't punished Bular for his stupid stunt enough!
"You're safe," Jim suddenly exhaled hardly audibly, burying his face in her clothes in great relief.
Safe? What could that possibly mean?
Barbara raised her eyebrows in slight confusion. She had been sure that her son was shaken because of Bular, but was he worried about her safety instead? That didn't make any sense, why would her boy have even thought that she had been in danger? Unless her brother had learned the threats beyond simple body mutilation, of course.
Just great, couldn't that dumbass wait a bit before adding to his terrifying image? But nope, he simply had to try his new approach with his only nephew! Had Bular made screwing up his hobby or something?
"Shhh, kiddo, everything's ok," the woman ruffled Jim's hair and kissed the top of his head. "I'll never let anything bad happen."
There was a cough behind her back, and a voice drawled:
"I think this touching scene wasn't meant for my eyes."
Stricklander!
Barbara couldn't believe that she had totally forgotten about that impure being in her house. How could she have been that careless? She could feel Jim slipping from her arms, most likely, extremely embarrassed or something.
"Mr. Strickler?" the teen wasn't expecting his teacher to be present. "Why are you here?"
A vague memory had resurfaced too late, the one about his teacher wanting to talk to his mother. But could anyone blame Jim for forgetting? There had been so many events lately that anything involving his peaceful and slightly boring school life felt like it had happened centuries ago, even if it had been only some days. Of course, more trivial stuff kept slipping the teen's mind.
Strickler could barely hide his glee. How could it be otherwise with everything going according to the plan? There was already too much on the boy's plate. The stress would keep snowballing until reaching the critical amount. No one would be able to stand their everyday life falling apart. Especially not a kid.
"Isn't it a normal thing for teachers to talk to parents about their children?" the man shrugged while giving a fake kind smile. "We should be on the same side when it comes to helping you in finding your way."
Barbara clenched her teeth, barely controlling her anger. She needed some distraction, preferably as fast as possible.
Oh yeah, tea.
Hadn't she promised the winged bastard some?
At the moment, the daughter of Gunmar was on the verge of going for Stricklander's throat, forsaking all the secrecy altogether.
With Jim seeing everything?
In the end, she couldn't. The mother in her was way more powerful than any other aspect of her personality.
But seriously, had the impure always been talking to her boy in such disgustingly fake benevolent manner?
Finding your way... What a joke!
The woman could swear that the bastard was only caring for his own benefits, and no matter why he had come to visit the Lake's household, it had never been for Jim's sake. How her son had failed to see through all that hypocrisy was quite a mystery.
It was the mother's fault. She had to teach him to pinpoint liars and manipulators. It was just common sense!
"And now I can see that we cannot delay this conversation anymore," Strickler continued with some firm confidence, never noticing that Barbara kept too silent for whatever reason.
The moment was just perfect - it seemed that Bular had played his role of the frightful undefeatable foe splendidly, scaring the kid and shaking any resolve he had. If anything, the son of Gunmar probably had overdone it a lot, but the changeling wasn't going to complain. His student's current mental state wasn't the one of someone ready to fight monsters daily. It just required some more push in the right direction - and the amulet would definitely end in Stricklander's hands. With that guarantee for survival, the Head of Janus Order would be able to ignore Gunmar's children altogether. He would be truly in charge then.
"You're shaken, Jim, confused, and definitely have no idea what to do next," the History teacher went on with planting seeds of doubt into the boy's mind. "We've talked with your mother, and she's also concerned about you trying to shoulder everything. You know, at first, I wanted to congratulate you on receiving that great honor, but now I'm not sure you can handle it without stressing yourself too much..."
The wording was the key here. Walt had deliberately picked up the words with loose interpretation, so those would have invoked a needed mental image. His phrases would stick in any case, and the teen would definitely recall them in the moment of desperation.
"Great honor?" Jim asked, having no idea what that was about. Yes, the thought of being the current Trollhunter passed his mind momentary, but it was impossible. His teacher knew nothing about that one and simply couldn't learn that. It was the secret between Jim and Toby. Well, and trolls, apparently.
"Mr. Strickler has told me you got the lead role in your school play. I would never imagine you were into theatre," Barbara intervened while putting the cup with tea before her guest. Whatever was the impure's goal, she wasn't going to let him continue his way. If anything, the woman wanted him out of her house immediately. Or better dead - there would be fewer troubles that way.
Jim felt slightly relieved after hearing that one. So, the secret was still safe. But the lead role?
"Wait, I won the part?" the school play may have ended surprisingly low in the list of priorities, yet it was probably the only positive news lately.
"Why are you so surprised after that breathtaking audition?" the teacher smiled. "But you definitely are spread so thin - not so long ago, you talked to me about your possible commitment to the chess club."
The last one was meant for the boy's mother, fanning the flames of her anxiety. The man knew good enough that 'the chess club' was Jim's code phrase for the trollhunting.
Walt made a sip from his cup and nearly spat everything back. What kind of stuff did Mrs. Lake put there? Was that intentional? But no, she looked pretty innocent when he cast a quick glance at her.
"Chess club?" the mother sounded a bit shocked. "Jim, I haven't known you learned how to play chess. Chess, acting... It's like you have this entire secret life I know nothing about."
Actually, Barbara didn't mind that one. Out of all possible interests, that one was tame enough. Not to mention that chess was a strategic game that required predicting and calculating an enemy's moves. Anyone with at least some brain cells would be able to see the usefulness of that one. Nevertheless, the knowledge of her son keeping something so small and trivial from her hurt a lot. Especially in the light of Stricklander being well aware of all of that. Actually, the more the conversation lasted, the more she felt that the impure was showing off that he had known more about the teen than his own mother.
Though, to be honest, did she have any right to criticize her son, when she was the one with the entire secret life here?
Jim kept silent. Barbara could imagine he wanted to discuss something else instead of listening to his teacher's pointless lecture. Like a giant black monster chasing him with some obviously violent intentions. At least, he didn't trust the impure that much to bring it up in his presence.
"Atlas, too, carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, and I'm concerned, like him, you're overextending yourself," Mr. Strickler commented. "As far as I remember, a few days ago, you were falling asleep in class."
Those words were not only for the teen, no, he was also hoping it would have a better impact on the worried mother. And the calculation didn't fail.
"Wait, what?" Barbara didn't like what she had heard, that was for sure. "Jim, you've promised..."
"I'll deal with everything... Somehow..." the teen muttered without much confidence. To be honest, he didn't know what to do at all. For some reason, he felt trapped, especially with evil trolls going for his blood. It was possible to come to terms with one of those, but two? Moreover, unlike Bular, that Barverra was interested in hurting his closest people.
The young Trollhunter wished he had an answer, some wise advice or at least some words, which would hint what to do. Instead, he got an extremely anxious mother and skeptical Mr. Strickler, who implied not-that-subtly, that it would be better to drop some things before those crush him underneath.
Maybe, the History teacher had been right about that one.
"Well, I'm not going to overstay my welcome," the man suddenly stood up as if remembering something. "I still need to visit another student's house…"
There was no plan like that, but he needed to keep it as inconspicuous as possible. In any case, Stricklander had reached his goal of stirring worries in the mother and feeding the inner turmoil of the son. He could easily see it in their expressions. There was no doubt that the conversation would continue when he headed out. He knew Young Atlas well enough - the boy would do everything for his mother. Even the best heroes had the weak spot, and the changeling had certainly discovered one of the current Trollhunter.
Mr. Strickler scribbled down his phone number and gave the slip of paper to Mrs. Lake. In the end, there could be a need for an additional push for the teen. The Head of Janus Order had enough patience for that, though he would prefer to finish with that faster. After all, Barverra was conducting her separate investigation. Even though he had managed to send her down the wrong trail, Stricklander's time was still limited.
"It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Lake," he gave the woman a charming smile. A part of him was regretting using her like that. Jim's mother was quite an outstanding lady, and the teacher could easily imagine himself enjoying a casual conversation with her. Intelligent, strong-willed, and determined - that was quite an enticing combination. Yes, it was quite a waste that she was related to the enemy.
Barbara seriously hoped her face wasn't betraying her true feelings. What was the damned impure planning with giving his phone number? And that smile... She was on the verge of punching him and kept reminding herself that she couldn't do that in Jim's presence.
Though...
A sudden idea had crossed the woman's mind. Two could play that game. If Stricklander was trying to get closer to her for whatever reason, the daughter of Gunmar would try to get closer to him as well and beat him with his own weapon.
"Please, call me Barbara," she gave him the brightest of her own smiles. The impure had nothing to put against her own experience with charming men for decades.
Though, the woman definitely never expected him to kiss her hand before leaving her house. Who could imagine that Stricklander was into that kind of stuff?
Nevertheless, it didn't matter anymore. The moment the door had closed behind the unwanted visitor, Barbara's attention went to her son. She was sure that he was eager to share a lot with her, so it was pretty baffling to see Jim trying to escape upstairs.
It simply made no sense.
"Jim?" she called with a surprise. "I think we need to talk."
Yes, there were so many things to discuss, and most likely, nothing would stay the same after that. There was no other choice. Not after her boy had learned about the existence of trolls in the most ridiculous way possible.
The teen flinched - he genuinely hoped to avoid any talks. Yes, it was stupid to think his mom would easily dismiss his panicked entrance, but there was at least some bleak hope to find some ridiculous excuse for that. Jim regretted he wasn't as imaginative as Tobes - his best friend would have invented some crazy explanation on the spot.
Trolls aside, Mr. Strickler's visit had been quite an unpleasant surprise. It felt as if the History teacher had somehow betrayed his trust. Why had the man come and mentioned nearly everything Jim would prefer to keep from his mother? Right now, only the troll-related stuff had remained a secret, but even without that, Barbara was worried sick.
And here goes my wish to protect her.
It still was too difficult for him to be her pillar of support.
"Mom, everything's fine," the teen protested weakly. It hadn't worked, as his mother frowned.
"It's not," she sighed, approaching him. "You have been troubled for days, yet I failed to notice. Your teacher is right, you try to shoulder everything at once."
The daughter of Gunmar hated to agree with Stricklander, but it was stupid to deny the obvious truth out of spite. She put her arms around her son, hugging him tightly, and continued:
"I feel as if I keep failing you... I turn away for a second - and suddenly, there is so much stuff in your life I have missed. Chess, theatre... I won't be surprised if there's something else... What's going on, Jim? Why don't you trust me anymore?"
And have you done a thing to deserve his trust?
The inner voice was as pitiless as always, but Barbara preferred to ignore it this time.
"Mom," the boy sighed heavily, "you're just overthinking... It's just... You know, so much stuff had happened during the last few days that I'm lost..."
The last phrase escaped his lips unwittingly. Jim desperately needed to talk about that - about the world that suddenly turned to be way more magical than he could ever imagine. About his unexpected role as some kind of mystical protector, who was supposed to face enemies too strong to handle. Or how that put everyone he loved in danger.
"You know, you can tell me everything, kiddo," his mother whispered as if reading his thoughts. "You may assume that I won't understand or that I'm not able to help in any case, but it's not like that."
There had been no trouble in this world she couldn't solve. Hell, if her son ever asked, she would destroy the world itself!
And his current worry was just Bular!
Barbara suspected that her son simply had trouble telling her about the dark monster chasing him earlier today. After all, it was something right out of a horror story. But how could she ensure him that telling about that was alright before revealing herself too fast?
It was the weird kind of discussion that could easily both strengthen their bond or ruin it entirely.
"I'm simply tired," Jim slipped out of her embrace and shook his head. "I think I need to reflect more about my schedule, probably reorganize some things... And I feel it'll be a good idea to drop some stuff..."
Starting with one, which I won't be able to handle properly in any case.
The teen felt his stomach knotting. Yes, it was so fun to think about the possibility of becoming a hero, with all 'the magical armor, big sword and supernatural creatures to protect' package. Yes, Blinky's words made him believe in himself for some time. Yet...
Today only proved that the reality was too harsh, too ruthless. It wouldn't give the young Trollhunter the time he needed for adjusting. Bular had appeared out of the blue, more terrifying than the description. How could he possibly learn about his new enemy so fast? The amulet had no problem nearly busting Jim in school yet refused to work the right way in the time of actual need. His troll allies were not capable of fighting. And the one who saved the teen, the one who he briefly considered a trustworthy friendly figure, turned out to be just another villain with her own agenda.
Jim felt like everything was against him at the moment. He wanted an adventure, but if the price for it were endangering his mother and probably many other people as well, he would refuse the deal at once. He had no right to be that selfish!
"If you need to drop something, start with taking care of me," Barbara's calm voice broke his reverie at once. "And no 'buts', mister. It has always been my job to take care of you. Seriously, Jim, I'm a big girl, and I'll survive somehow..."
After all, the daughter of Gunmar had gone through numerous battles victorious, it shouldn't have been that impossible to live without her son's playing mama role.
"And what about our promise? To take care of each other? To be a team even if the entire world is against us?" Jim argued, and his mother felt even guiltier. Wasn't it Barbara's fault that her boy came to spreading himself too thin? Yet, somehow she couldn't help admiring his unyielding resolve...
He kept impressing her with each passing day...
A/N:
Strickler *tries to get closer to Jim to get the amulet, has no idea how much he risks*
Barbara *nearly has convinced herself that Strickler schemes something against her, has no idea that her son is the Trollhunter*
Jim *entirely oblivious*
And yes, Blinky meant well, but basically, Jim now believes that his mom wants to hurt his mom.