Jim wondered if he should have laughed at the irony. Some higher power definitely hated the teen with passion. Otherwise, how could he explain the current predicament?
Not that long ago, the teen had wished to get rid of the amulet, with all his attempts resulting in no success and a bump. Now? He actually was left without the magical object! And how? A pesky gnome had stolen it!
That was somehow unimaginably humiliating. Why had it happened right after Jim had found the resolve to walk the path of the Trollhunter?
Who had said that dealing with gnomes should have been easy? The teen could already see why trolls thought of the smaller creatures as pests. He was surprisingly close to starting to share the sentiment.
Jim just wanted to show everyone that he could deal with his responsibilities, yet somehow had failed even with the simplest one of those. At least, Blinky still kept optimistic, unlike that female troll Bagdwella who had requested his help to start with.
"Sooo…" Toby drawled, looking at his best friend without enthusiasm. "What should we do now?"
"No idea," Jim groaned. If that stupid gnome had run away with something else, he could easily give up on the task of catching it. But no, that pest had to steal something vital!
"Didn't Archie mention something about the amulet being like a part of you or something?" the plump teen mused.
"Come on, Tobes, now it isn't the best time for remembering uncanny stuff," Jim interrupted him impatiently. Honestly, he had nearly managed to banish that fact somewhere to the back of his mind until his best friend had brought it up.
"Oh, come on, Jimbo! I've just thought that maybe you can summon it or something. Remember how it flew back when you threw it away?"
Jim rubbed his slowly healing bump unwittingly:
"That would be challenging to forget."
"Then try to call it back," Toby jumped in excitement, clearly expecting some cool stuff. Bagdwella looked at him with some annoyance.
"Tobias's suggestion holds lots of the rationale," Blinky muttered, rubbing his chin.
Great, now it was two of them! Or rather three - Jim had no doubt that Aaarrrgghh approved the idea as well despite staying silent.
"Will you bother to do something already?" Bagdwella marched towards the hapless Trollhunter and gave him a glare. "Or even a gnome is too much?"
As if Jim's reputation at the Trollhunter wasn't at its lowest point already! There was no place for any more disappointments or failures.
The lanky teen took a deep breath, trying to reach for the amulet mentally. That thing had talked to him before, so maybe it was sentient enough?
If there had been any link, Jim had felt nothing.
"Not working," he confessed, trying to stay as far as possible from the annoyed female troll. "Blinky, could my predecessors call for the amulet?"
Maybe, Tobes's idea was pointless to start with, and they should have tried some other approach instead. The reply crushed the teen's hopes entirely.
"Not every single one, but the better Trollhunters could summon the amulet at will," Blinky nodded.
Just great. Perhaps, it was another one of things refusing to work properly because the wielder was a human!
Jim wished to get a word with Merlin about everything. Couldn't the legendary wizard have polished his creation more? It would have prevented some loopholes for sure!
"Hm, maybe you need some special words," Toby threw in another suggestion. "Daylight, I call for you, or something…"
That sounded so cringeworthy, but was there any other option? Bagdwella was already muttering something incomprehensible in trollspeak, and some other curious onlookers started to gather despite Blinky's effort to keep everyone away.
"Daylight," Jim started loudly, glanced over whispering locals, and added way quieter and without any confidence: "I call… for you. Would you mind coming back? Pretty please? Buenos noches?"
The lanky teen had no idea why he had added the last one. Maybe his prioritizing the Spanish test was one to blame. Maybe he was simply anxious because of too many skeptical trolls staring and discussing his actions. Maybe some crazy part of him hoped that randomness would work.
Alas, everything had been in vain. The amulet refused to return, probably enjoying the gnome's company or something.
"Hey, Jimbo, unleashing Espanol has never worked for you," Toby frowned. "I think you don't take it seriously. Maybe you need a pose…"
"A… pose…" Jim refused to believe his own ears. Could it become even more ridiculous?
"Exactly!" the plump teen chopped the air with some vigor and tried to shift into something he considered an appropriate 'summoning pose'. Aaarrrgghh joined him clumsily.
"I don't think it'll work," Jim drawled flatly, watching Toby performing some shaman-like dance. "I seriously doubt any other Trollhunter did something like that if they needed the amulet. Are there any other ideas?"
Hopefully, there would be at least some common sense…
They had hit the wall. Officially.
Douxie groaned, massaging his temples. Not that long ago, when he had suggested guerilla tactics to Zoe, everything had seemed flawless. Unfortunately, the reality had proved to be way more complicated.
So far, their party had succeeded only in building the defense, and while it was effective and surely had won Jim more than enough precious time, it still wasn't enough. What was the point in everything if they hadn't located the enemies' base?
Without any doubt, Merlin would have covered both tasks efficiently. Douxie couldn't help feeling useless because of this failure.
No, of course, they would have attempted tracking Gunmar's children, but the main problem was that both trolls decided to keep low profile lately. While it made a lot of sense for Barverra, her brother not causing any ruckus was uncannily eerie. It could mean an intricate strategy was in the making or another true catastrophe was incoming. Was it the calm before the storm? The wizard-in-training wished his intuition was off this time.
It was a lazy day at the GDT Arcane Books, so he was scanning through Arcadia Oaks map in an attempt to find out at least some possible place for the lair. Archie was sitting by his side, giving his input - in the end, the familiar knew Arcadia's streets both from his strolls and flights.
"Arch, if you were a huge murderous troll, where would you hide?" Douxie asked after crossing out some locations they had checked already.
"If I were a huge murderous troll, I would have no need to hide," the cat snorted.
Yes, they were running in circles. Bular had never been the one to hide. No wonder that Zoe had decided to try her connections at the Hex Tech and find out about the changelings hiding in Arcadia. That would be at least some lead.
Douxie opened his mouth to ask about another location when he noticed Archie's ears perking. He only needed an exchange of glances to get the idea - a customer was on their way in. The familiar jumped down while the young man hid the map.
Just in time, as the door opened, letting in a Latina girl with a blue streak in her hair. Douxie knew that one - well, not on the name basis - as she was a frequent patron at the Benoit's. They had even talked several times and discovered similar music preferences.
Her interest in the occult, however, was rather unexpected. Or was it an interest, to start with? The girl seemed hesitant for some reason, even if Douxie knew her as a confident person.
Maybe the Latina had come in by accident. Or was it curiosity?
Claire had already regretted her spontaneous decision to enter the mysterious bookstore. Yes, of course, she knew that Jim had visited this place, but maybe it was just a random action.
Why had she entered again? Oh, yes, the girl had been simply roaming around pointlessly, musing about all of the latest events, when…
When what?
It had been as if her intuition had commanded her to stop and look to her right.
GDT Arcane Books.
As if possessed, Claire had headed towards the entrance of the bookstore. The trance-like state had faded the second she had crossed the threshold, leaving her confused and lost.
No, of course, the Latina couldn't help looking around with genuine interest - this place was definitely emitting a mysterious aura. She wouldn't be surprised to see an ancient-looking wizard here - that kind of person would fit perfectly.
"Hello, how can I help you?" someone asked politely.
Well, the storekeeper was clearly far from a mysterious wizard or witch - if anything, Claire would expect to see someone like that at the Papa Skull concert.
On the other hand, she knew the guy. Claire didn't remember his name, only that it was rather unusual.
"Dixie, isn't it?" she guessed. Yes, that one was mostly feminine, but maybe his parents had a different idea. Or it could be a nickname.
"Douxie, actually," the young man corrected with a chuckle.
"I'm Claire," she introduced herself as well, even if no one asked her name. It just felt… Fitting? Right?
"I've thought you worked at the Benoit's," the remark left her lips unwittingly, and Claire cursed inwardly.
"Well, this one is another part-time job of mine," the young man shrugged.
"Another one?" the girl could swear her jaw dropped at that response. "But haven't you mentioned playing in a band?"
It was impossible not to be impressed. Douxie didn't look that much older than her, yet somehow managed to juggle two part-time jobs and a band. That was amazing.
"Just a good time management skill," he smiled. "It's not even the top number of odd jobs I've had simultaneously…"
"Are you using some magic or something?" Claire joked, looking around. "Is your secret in one of those books? I wouldn't mind learning that one!"
"Who knows," Douxie responded vaguely. To be honest, at times, the wizard-in-training actually needed some energizing potions when coffee wasn't enough to keep him up for another monster hunt, but he preferred not to abuse those.
"Speaking about the books, were you interested in buying one?" the young man asked, remembering that the girl didn't come for idle talk. "Something about fate-reading? Magical properties of gems? Palmistry is all the rage lately… Or perhaps, love magic?"
All of those were just books they kept for staying true to the cover. Young girls gladly latched into those. Not that Douxie found Claire that naive, but some of his suggestions were simply an interesting read even for someone who didn't believe in that kind of stuff.
Claire got flustered at the mention of love magic but managed to shake it off immediately. She blamed Mary and her silly hints. The Latina hadn't come for something like that.
Well, to be honest, she hadn't come for anything to start with, and…
"Do you have something on the actual magic?" the weird hunch that had led her inside the bookstore came to the girl's assistance once again.
Claire could swear there was some odd gleam in Douxie's hazel eyes.
Or it was just her imagination - heck, in a place with such a mysterious atmosphere, everything would feel possible!
"Wait for a second," the young man muttered, running to the farthest bookcase and checking some books. Whatever he was looking for, he found it relatively fast.
Claire's heart skipped a bit in anticipation of some… Miracle? Her sixth sense today was definitely working weirdly.
"I think this one will do," Douxie stated thoughtfully, giving her the book.
All the anticipation evaporated at once the second the girl looked at it properly. In her imagination, a genuine magical tome should have been ancient-looking, with a cover made of some mythical material (like dragon scales - because why not?), preferably with enigmatic runes or symbols.
This one was anything but that.
No, seriously, it looked like a book Claire would have never picked herself. The one who designed it evidently knew nothing about attracting possible buyers. The cover looked cheap and tasteless with its atrociously garish choice of colors - it made the Latina's eyes hurt. And its name!
"The Introduction to Arcane Arts… for Dummies?" she genuinely hoped that hardly readable font was the one to blame, and it was something else.
Claire double-checked. Nope. It was actually 'for Dummies'.
Did Douxie happen to have a specific sense of humor? He didn't seem to be a mean guy.
"Don't judge a book by its cover," the young man smiled, noticing the girl's disappointment. "Its contents are way better than you can imagine."
"Why do I feel that you try to sell me some trash?" Claire groaned, flipping through the tome without any enthusiasm. At least, the font inside seemed to be way better.
"Then…" Douxie rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "How about this? You take it for free. Consider it a gift from me. But promise to give it a try. If it's actually trash, feel free to throw it away…"
There was some unexplained confidence in his words, the one that made the girl reconsider her initial judgement. Perhaps, the young man was right and a genuinely good book had fallen a victim to horrible designing choices?
"At some point, she looked like she considered punching you. Or kicking," Archie commented after he was sure that only he and Douxie were present.
The young man sighed, running his hand through his hair:
"Well, couldn't blame Claire. That book actually seems to be a mean joke…"
"I'm surprised that you've given the girl that one," the familiar mused.
They both knew that despite the silly looks, the book was a real thing, covering the basics of witchcraft and sorcery. Its author was simply overcautious, so he wrote it so that only people with magic aptitude could see actual contents, while everyone else would only read pseudo-wizardry stuff.
In a way, it was a genius decision for preserving magical lineages and simultaneously gatekeeping.
"Just an intuition," Douxie smiled. "For a second, I could swear that Claire felt magical aura here… It won't hurt checking that hunch…"
"I see," Archie nodded in agreement.
In the end, every single witch or wizard was interested in preserving magic. Too many sorcerer lines had perished with time, either obliterated or simply dying out. And pupils from the outside various covens or alliances were rather rare nowadays as searching for those became a challenging task.
In a world where people rarely believed in the supernatural, magic was doomed to wither and disappear. Douxie just hoped that it wouldn't happen during his lifetime.
"So, if the girl has a gift, will you teach her?" the familiar inquired, looking at the wizard-in-training curiously.
"Who, me?" the young man chuckled. "Come on, Arch, I'm a half-baked wizard myself, so how can I mentor anyone? No, I'll just try to find Claire an appropriate master in that case, and…"
"Zoe was right - you keep underestimating yourself," the cat interrupted him with a sigh. "You know, I believe that you're the great wizard already. And who cares if you have a staff?"
Perhaps, Archie was right. But was the point in having a staff? Douxie knew some magic users who outright had ignored a tradition and crafted one for themselves. In the end, the wizard-in-training could probably do the same, but…
No, for him, staff was just a symbol, proof that his master had acknowledged his growth and achievements.
He wondered if both Archie and Zoe knew about that. Perhaps, he should have been clear with his explanations.
A ringtone from his smartphone broke his thoughts at once. Douxie looked at it with some confusion - his acquaintances rarely called him at this time of the day. The caller's id, however, explained everything.
It was Jim.
"I wonder what's happened?" Archie muttered, peering at the smartphone with a genuine interest.
To be honest, taking into account Jim's recent position in the troll society, everything was possible. Douxie just hoped it wasn't anything disastrous. Though… If his younger friend still could call him, it shouldn't have been that bad.
Or not, as the voice on the other side belonged to someone else.
"Hello, Douxie? It's Toby! We have a true catastrophe here. A huge problem… Well, a tiny one… Ouch, Jimbo, what was that for? I know, it's not funny, but have some patience!"
Toby talked too fast, so the wizard-in-training had no idea what exactly had happened. Or could interrupt that machine-gun speech.
"Where are you right now?" Douxie asked the second when the plump teen stopped (most likely to take a breath). "At the Trollmarket? I'll be there soon!"
"No, we're at my home… Do you know where it is?"
The whole situation seemed surprisingly absurd. Douxie wondered how it could possibly have happened to start with. Jim had left the initial impression of someone grounded and mature beyond his age. However, he still was just a teen - so were some questionable decisions so unexpected.
"I think I'll never see the age where kids will stop trying out some dubious stuff," Archie drawled, genuinely amazed by the things he had just heard.
Douxie couldn't help agreeing with those words. While not that knowledgeable about trollkind's inventions, he still could easily tell that using that mysterious Furgolator without being sure how it worked was totally bonkers. Even the name itself sounded fishy.
And now the hapless Trollhunter got struck in the less-than-desirable size.
Yes, that easily fit into the description of being both a tiny and huge problem. Douxie could probably have lectured Jim on the dangers of trying unknown magic, but his own memories about his early apprenticeship days made him reconsider. The wizard-in-training had been extremely curious back then, and nothing could have stopped him from some dubious experiments. Not Archie's cautious warnings. Not Merlin's scolding. Not even his own not-that-pleasant previous experience.
Besides, Jim was already upset enough. What was the point of making it worse?
The Trollhunter groaned:
"I understand that it was reckless and stupid, and you can chew me for that as much as you want afterward, but can someone make me normal size once again? I have a Spanish comprehension exam to worry about!"
Well, now Douxie understood why Toby had called him. Anyone would think about contacting a magic expert when there was a problem like that.
"I don't think it is possible," Archie leaped on the bed near Jim and started to examine the shrunk teen. "Cancelation usually requires the same method. In your case, that would be some machinery for enlargement… Don't trolls have anything like that?"
"Doubtfully," Toby mused. "Blinky told us to wait until it wears off… The thing is that no one knows when it happens. Or if it will work that way for a human being…"
No wonder that both boys hoped to get some assistance from their other allies.
"Maybe there is some enlargement spell or potion," Jim guessed, looking at Douxie hopefully.
"There are some," the wizard-in-training nodded. Changing size was one of the less complicating magical manipulations - many sorcerers used those on a daily basis. However, there was also a certain catch.
"You shouldn't use those," the young man said firmly.
"But why?" the lanky teen's disappointment was clear as a day.
"As Archie said, to cancel magic, you need the same method. Yes, changing size will be of the same nature, but troll and human magic rarely mesh well together - the end result may be even more disastrous. You can be stuck as fifteen-feet-tall or something…"
"Not so cool," Toby whistled, getting a mental image. "I mean, probably will be convenient for battling evil trolls, but you won't be able to deal with Spanish that way, Jimbo!"
"Seriously, Jim, it'll be wiser to wait until it wears off," Douxie suggested. "Maybe you freak out over nothing…"
"I wouldn't freak out if there wasn't doom hanging over my head," Jim folded his arms in annoyance. "But I have Senor Uhl to worry about. The report is tomorrow! And I would have troubles with that even without all of this!"
"Wait, so as long as James Lake Jr. attends the exam, everything should be fine?" Douxie looked at his younger friend as he had realized something. Of course, Jim was freaking out because his regular life took a hit. As long as the lanky teen could still maintain some balance with two parts of his daily routine, it was alright. He simply wasn't willing to sacrifice his studies for something that meager.
"Yes, exactly!" Toby nodded. "And for that, Jim has to be his normal size!"
"Or someone else can go there instead of him," the wizard-in-training drawled. Yes, that kind of plan could work.
"Yeah, sure," Jim chuckled bitterly. "Unless you have my doppelganger somewhere, that's impossible!"
"Not a doppelganger, but a skilled shapeshifter," Douxie smiled, glancing at his familiar. "Archie, how good is your Espanol?"
Alas, the cat-dragon didn't share his enthusiasm:
"Find someone else, Douxie! Even if I can take any form, human one is too tiresome to maintain. And I'm a horrible actor!"
The plan had met the first obstacle already. Archie was a great friend, but he could be rather stubborn at times. And his common dislike for decisions made instead of him only complicated things more.
"I guess we need a bribe," Toby whispered. "I wonder if Nana has any cat treats…"
The last one was the last straw for Archie. The proud dragon always hated to be treated as an inferior creature, and any hints that his favor could be bought with food were taboo topics. Not that the plump teen could know about that, but it clearly had brought a lot of trouble…
"Let me get it straight - you're distressed. And the reason for that is neither your Spanish report nor even your current predicament," Douxie started seriously as he sat on Toby's bed beside small Jim.
Toby was downstairs, trying to whip up some snacks. Archie had flown out the window, ignoring all the apologies. So it left only the hapless Trollhunter and his wizard friend present.
"I'm actually worried about those as well, you know," Jim sighed. "But you are right, there is also something else…"
Well, at least, he wasn't dead-set on bottling all of the negative emotions.
"Wanna talk about it?" Douxie suggested. Many years ago, he would have never imagined trying to guide anyone. Now somehow, it had become possible. The wizard-in-training wondered if Merlin had felt the same way about King Arthur - those two had been good friends, yet the legendary sorcerer had been obviously way older and more experienced of the duo. Did Douxie subconsciously try to follow in his master's footsteps?
No, of course not. Jim wasn't Arthur, and he wasn't Merlin. They all had different personalities and approaches to dealing with things. Besides, Douxie genuinely liked the young Trollhunter - he could see kind of a younger brother in the lanky teen. So shouldn't he have been a good elder sibling and helped with advice?
"I've discussed it with Toby already, but honestly, it led nowhere," Jim confessed after some silence. "It's about the second rule of the trollhunting…"
"Was it always finish the fight?" Douxie inquired.
"Yeah, that one…" Jim nodded, looking down. With his current size, the floor seemed so far away, that it resembled a pit. Killing anyone hadn't sat well with him since the time he had heard about it. Yes, Blinky had told him countless times that sparing an enemy could be a downfall, but…
It was too cruel, too ruthless.
Too inhumane.
Agreeing that possible multiple kills were a part of his responsibilities was a bitter pill to swallow.
"So you cannot kill that gnome?" Douxie asked, even though it felt more a statement than a question. "Even if it caused your current predicament?"
"You know, initially I've thought it was just a pest…" Jim smiled sadly. "But this gnome is definitely 'he', not 'it'. And he has personality, no matter how crazy it seems. Right now, it is not about getting rid of a pest, it'll be finishing the life of a person! I cannot do it!"
That was a shocking statement. No, Douxie knew that his younger friend was a kind and compassionate teen, but to hear it with his own ears… The wizard-in-training already regretted comparing Jim to King Arthur. If the legendary king had possessed at least something resembling that mindset, there had never been that disgusting purge of everything supernatural.
Yes, protecting the peace required being merciless at times, but was it actually that needed to destroy even the most trivial threat?
Douxie wished he had a wise response to that. Letting the gnome go would leave Jim's task of solving Bagdwella's problem hanging. Killing the tiny guy would traumatize the teen - it would be a legit breach of his own principles, and something like that was never a good thing.
Was there any correct answer here to start with?
And the Trollhunter understood it himself perfectly.
"Toby said he'd deal with the gnome… Because he apparently has killed already. Even if it was Nana's cat and a total accident," Jim continued. "But do I have any moral right to delegate all the dirty stuff to my best friend? What kind of protector do that?"
Friends were supposed to cover for each other, but the lanky teen was right - no real friend would ever depend on someone else to deal with unpleasant stuff all the time.
"But you don't want to kill, even if it's inevitable," Douxie summed it up for Jim.
"I wish I were a pacifist like Aaarrrgghh," he sighed. "Yet I know that monsters are lurking around. Someone needs to slay those to protect Arcadia…"
"Never take lives lightly," the young man looked at his younger friend. "Even if you kill, never do it for fun."
Unlike Jim, Douxie had decades-long experience with monster-hunting. A good chunk of the supernatural beings was intelligent enough to see them as persons, so he could see the reason for the Trollhunter's doubts.
Unfortunately, being a protector often meant stepping outside some boundaries. Too many heroes had more than enough blood on their hands. It wasn't always about saving lives. Sometimes it meant the necessity to take away those as well.
In the end, the world was too complicated to view it as black and white only. Everything was too subjective, heavily depending on a perspective. Douxie was sure that some trolls view Gunmar as a hero too. Though, probably, he shouldn't have told Jim that at the moment.
The Trollhunter didn't respond to that, seemingly lost in his own thought. After all, this kind of answer was one of those everyone had to decide for themselves.
Douxie didn't expect anything else, so Jim breaking the silence after some minutes, took him by surprise.
"There's another thing I wanted to ask you… Actually, I tried to call you before all that fiasco with Furgolator, but your phone was out of reach…"
So, apparently, Douxie was partially to blame for the current situation. On the other hand, he had an excuse as he had been doing some monster hunting.
"Sorry for that," some apology was due, that was for sure.
However, Jim waved it off:
"No, you've gotten it wrong - I don't try to shift the blame on you, Douxie… I let Blinky rope me into using that Furgolator, even though we could possibly find some other way… I just wanted to ask you more about the amulet."
Yes, Blinky had told his protege some facts he knew as well, as recommended him to read certain chapters in the Brief Recapitulation of the Troll Lore (which Jim hadn't touched at all). Nevertheless, some kind of sixth sense told the lanky teen that it would be better to talk to someone who knew about the initial design of the amulet.
"Archie said that it was like a part of me or something," Jim continued with some hesitation. "And it was not that impossible to believe seeing how the amulet kept flying back to me, no matter what I did to get rid of it… Yet when it was stolen, that mechanism didn't work. At all."
The lanky teen recalled all his embarrassing attempts to call back the Daylight. It had been as if the accursed object had been making fun of him. Besides, what kind of creator would have left a loophole allowing something of great importance to be stolen?
"Jim, as far as I'm aware, Merlin used the same design wizards apply to their staffs," Douxie responded with a sigh. "It allows the better performance and ensures that no one could use those without the owner's consent. In a way, such magical objects have a certain level of sentience, and it's not that different for the Daylight. However, staffs remain partners only for their sole owners. Your amulet has changed the champions many times. I think you need some time for a proper bond to be created…"
Jim couldn't help taking out the miniature version of his amulet. Hadn't it also shrunk to fit his new size? And way back at the very start, hadn't it changed the form of the armor?
Perhaps, Douxie was right.
"Wait, does it make the amulet…"
"Think of it more as of your horse than your weapon," the young man nodded. "Some of those can be unruly and stubborn, especially with an inexperienced rider."
"Uh, ok," Jim agreed, even if he had no experience with horses whatsoever. On the other hand, treating the amulet with some kind of trust… That was the exact thing he lacked.
Doubting, blaming, even cursing it - the teen had done those too often. Seeing the Daylight as his partner? That was a definite no.
"Guys, do you want some pizza?" Toby appeared in the doorway, interrupting the conversation. "I've just realized that I'm nowhere close to Jimbo's level and decided to order some!"