A/N:
Hi, folks! I'm back! Those of you, who are regular readers of this story, know that I have been rather consistent with updates, so I can imagine that my unexpected two-week hiatus was confusing for you. I apologize for my absence and silence because it was totally unplanned. It was just an unfortunate combination of some problems with my eyesight and my laptop going down.
I have no writer's block with this story, and I plan to return to my regular schedule soon, but for now, my updates may be more scarce. Hopefully, it will be resolved soon.
The world was full of smoke, fire, and destruction. She felt tired, so tired - exhausted to the point of nearly collapsing.
But it was the end - and then she would be able to get back home. Jim would scold her for missing a meal and cook something tasty for her. They would sit together, discussing some trivial stuff.
Yes, that meant to be at home.
Barbara dragged her feet, making an effort for each step. Her son should have been somewhere close, shouldn't he?
Hadn't they made a promise to fight for a happy future together? Hadn't they…
The world knew no mercy, apparently. Because…
Because it had no problem with ripping her son away from her…
Barbara gasped, waking up at once and struggling to get any air. The dream and reality mixed up, and it took a while before the woman managed to tell the difference between the two.
Why? Just why?
She hadn't had any nightmares for years, so why had she gotten the one in which…
In which Jim had died.
Even the memory of that made her heart stop. Her son shouldn't have been in danger - the mother made sure that all the possible risk factors remained as far from him as possible.
But…
What if she had missed something?
No matter how much Barbara had tried, she still hadn't figured out what kind of information Stricklander possessed when it came to her true identity. And that one had remained the ultimate danger to her son.
If it had been someone else, the daughter of Gunmar had unleashed her rage a long time ago, but the Head of the Janus Order was the whole another level of a schemer. He definitely had some peerless defense lines to guarantee his own safety.
It was the first time someone had beaten Barverra in the strategy department, and it drove her crazy.
The female sighed, deciding to make a coffee for herself. The sun was still high in the sky, so all troll stuff should have waited until the sunset.
Jim was in school and most likely safe. Strickler had no reason to assault him at the moment. Besides, it seemed as if the impure had changed his strategy. Barbara frowned, remembering the new intern at her work. A spy sent to keep track of her steps.
The Order suspected Barbara Lake, so getting rid of Suarez wasn't an option. Or, more correctly, disposing of him without any reason. Perhaps, she could find a way around. Yes, that was the answer the daughter of Gunmar needed - to go on offense right now. Most likely, all her opponents had decided that they could do whatever they wished.
If so, it was just the right time to remind everyone why the Herald of Doom had received her title. Besides, she had an excuse to demonstrate her rage right now.
Barbara mentally thanked Jim for bringing up the incident in the museum. Without that, she would have missed it for sure - Stricklander would have done his best to keep it under wraps. Though, even that schemer had made a mistake when he had somehow leaked a piece of important information to his student.
And that one was odd. Had the changeling actually believed that Jim would have avoided the topic? Yes, her son had sounded suspiciously unsure while talking about it, but he still had mentioned it to Barbara.
It could be an intricate trap.
The woman frowned. Just what was going in Stricklander's head? Apparently, defeating him wouldn't be that easy!
Between his night adventure at the museum and the bizarre nightmare, Jim had definitely struggled to have any proper rest. Was it that odd that the teen had trouble focusing at school? At least, he was rather lucky that none of his classes today involved any teacher who would have paid attention to him dozing.
Jim made a mental note for himself to ask Douxie about some way to stay awake for a long time without turning into a walking corpse. Shouldn't there have been some kind of supernatural coffee? With all these trollhunting responsibilities, he would need some.
Not to mention that there wouldn't be any normal sleep tonight as well. The teen would need to inform the Trollmarket about the discovery at the museum. Perhaps, they would have another fight incoming, this time in an attempt to recover the Killahead Bridge.
Most likely, stalling wasn't an option anymore. What if the enemies had found some other method to open the gate and free Gunmar? The struggle threatened to turn into the active phase sooner than anyone expected.
Not to mention…
Everyone could be a troll in disguise, and it wasn't good for Jim's mental health. He couldn't help seeing an enemy in everyone approaching him.
At least Toby was safe, and they shared most of their classes. But, if it continued for longer, the young Trollhunter could imagine himself snapping.
Jim wondered if there was a method to tell apart an actual human from a changeling. Archie had mentioned some runes, so maybe they could use those and…
A pat on his shoulder broke the teen's reverie at once.
"What, Tobes?" he turned around. Oh yeah, they had a discussion with his best friend during the recess before Jim had gotten distracted with his thoughts. Probably, Toby had gotten annoyed and decided to remind him about his own existence or something.
Or not - the first thing Jim realized after turning around was the fact that his best friend was engaged in a heated debate with Eli about Gun Robot. If anything, the plump teen seemed weirdly enthusiastic. Hadn't he given some thoughts about the trollhunting stuff only some minutes ago?
Then…
Yes, the one who had touched Jim was someone else altogether. And well, the Trollhunter genuinely had no idea what to say to that person for multiple reasons.
"Hey," Claire smiled at the teen. "Have a minute?"
"Sure," he nodded, mentally smacking himself before another 'buenos noches' left his lips. For a second, Jim wondered why the Latina had approached him, but soon a memory resurfaced, reminding him about another matter he had already forgotten. Though it was difficult to blame him - last night had been too eventful.
Nevertheless, it didn't change that Claire was well-aware of the magic's existence. And that she had somehow misunderstood everything taking Jim for another novice wizard. Most likely, that was the exact reason why the girl had approached him out of nowhere.
And the suspicion turned out to be one hundred percent true when she led the teen to the secluded spot.
"Let me get it straight," the Latina stated firmly. "I know your secret."
"About magic?" Jim asked, fully aware that she had no idea about his actual secret. What had Douxie advised him again? Oh yeah, not to try denying it and rather play along.
"So, Douxie has told you about me," Claire hummed. "You know, I've thought a lot, and something makes no sense… I mean, I can get that magic needs to be concealed from ordinary people, but why keeping young wizards from meeting each other? Wouldn't it be more efficient to study together and give each other small hints and advice?"
That made a lot of sense, and Jim could easily imagine that something like that could possibly happen between actual apprentices. The point was that he had nothing to do with all that stuff. Douxie had mentioned that he had complicated the Trollhunter's life, and the teen could see it already.
"Maybe Douxie planned to introduce us to each other later," Jim forced a chuckle. How he wished he could improvise on the spot. Tobes had always exceeded in that, but he wasn't available at the moment. "I believe he had no idea that we were already acquainted…"
"You're right," the girl nodded. For a second, the Trollhunter thought that she would drop the subject altogether, but apparently, the tricky conversation had only begun.
"Well, how about some assistance?" Claire smiled charmingly. Some days ago, Jim would kill for that smile, but right now, it spelled only trouble.
"Excuse me?" he tried to escape with some fake confusion - alas, the Latina had no plans to allow him that.
"Come on, Jim, you obviously started the magic studies earlier than me," she continued with firm determination to fish out the information she needed. "I can imagine that you know a lot of stuff already!"
Yep, the teen was definitely in huge trouble, and it might have possibly continued to spiral out of control. Of course, he promised Douxie to keep the trollhunting a secret, but Jim also knew nothing about anything magic-related. Even Claire, who had only minimal theoretical knowledge, was way above his level already.
The best course of action would have been to craft an intricate cover story together with his wizard friend, but they had missed an opportunity already.
"Um, actually, I'm not that good," Jim forced a smile. "I bet you've already learned everything yourself…"
"We won't know without comparing," Claire shrugged. "Besides, each magic user has their forte - there's no way we both have chosen the same things to focus on!"
Of course, the girl was way more well-versed on the topic - unlike Jim, she had actually read a legit magic book. The hapless Trollhunter, on the other hand, still hadn't gotten even to the Brief Recapitulation of the Troll Lore. He seriously doubted he would ever have time for anything wizardry-related.
Perhaps, it would be better simply to feed his crush some lie. Hadn't he seen Douxie performing some magic tricks? That would do.
"Well, I've learned a smoke screen magic and a flash one… I guess…" he muttered without any confidence. Toby's absence was nearly painful by this point - Jim had always sucked when it came to lying. His best friend would have fared way better.
"Are you on word formulas already?" Claire gasped, watching the boy with some mixture of awe and respect.
Apparently, he had miscalculated. Why had he even thought that anything Douxie had used could be elementary stuff? The dude had practiced magic for decades!
"I've tried some spells myself, but it seems those require a better understanding of an energy flow," the Latina continued with some frustration. Oh yeah, she was a quick learner so stumbling upon something challenging was probably extremely irritating. "Maybe you can demonstrate to me? It would be nice to see the difference between our performances…"
He had dug his own grave, that was for sure. How the heck Jim was supposed to show any spell when he had no talent for that altogether? Try to mutter something mysteriously-sounding and then say it didn't work because… Of his inexperience? Anxiety?
No, he should have thought out something else. Claire could possibly tell the difference between an actual spell and whatever sound combination Jim would invent.
"Wouldn't it be more efficient to ask Douxie instead?" the Trollhunter blurted in a hurry. "He's more experienced than me. Not to mention that I cannot demonstrate something like the smoke screen at the school grounds…"
Fortunately, his brain had started functioning, at last, producing not one but two logical excuses at once.
"You're right," the girl nodded, her excitement going down at once. "Sorry for bothering… Have I been too clingy?"
Great, now he had made her feel guilty for no reason. Jim wished he could kick himself for that. Somehow, when it came to the supernatural, there was also stuff involving ruining relationships.
It had been with his mom first.
Then he had begun to avoid Mr. Strickler.
Would he also destroy this budding friendship with his crush?
"It's ok," the teen smiled sadly. "I really wish I could help you somehow…"
He caught a glimpse of some hope in her eyes - and common sense kissed him goodbye. Jim simply had to do anything to impress Claire. So what if he didn't know a thing about magic? Couldn't there be at least something that may have looked like one?
A devil on his shoulder whispered him to summon his Daylight armor. Wasn't that one the very embodiment of cool?
The Trollhunter shook his head. No, he simply couldn't. Yes, his crush was confirmed as a human, but was there a guarantee that no one else wouldn't catch a glimpse of the armor? He wouldn't put in danger everything simply because it might have gotten him some points in the Latina's eyes.
Still, the temptation was too strong. Jim glanced at the amulet tucked between some textbooks in his bag and suddenly remembered about one rather annoying characteristic of it.
Hadn't Tobes called it convenient at some point?
"You know, I think I can show you a small trick," the teen stated, taking out the amulet. "Of course, it's not that impressive, but…"
"What's with this strange clock?" the girl inquired, eyeing the object with a mixture of curiosity and confusion.
Did she feel magic in it? Douxie had mentioned that Claire possessed some keen sixth sense.
"Just a trinket," Jim waved it off. "Anything would do for the trick…"
That one was the biggest lie possible. After all, the thing he wanted to try could work only with the amulet.
"Ok, let's go," the teen muttered, mustering the courage and throwing the magical object with all his mind. If that thing would return in any case, he could use it to his own merit.
Thankfully, the amulet decided against playing him dirty and flew back with a slow speed letting Jim catch it effortlessly.
"Was that basic telekinesis?" the Latina drawled in awe.
"Yeah," the Trollhunter nodded, though he had a vague idea about what could count as 'basic telekinesis'. "Kinda."
"That's impressive," she smiled. "I only tried to move small objects, and it was an inch at best… Can you demonstrate me once more?"
Well, it had worked before, so would there be any harm in repeating?
"Sure," Jim shrugged and threw the amulet with even more force…
In hindsight, it had been such a horrible idea. The teen wasn't even sure what exactly had happened. One second he watched his precious possession flying away, and the next, the world went black. Somehow, it felt as if someone had punched him right in the face. Besides, Jim could swear he had gotten a momentary vision of not-that-amused troll he had never met. That one scowled and disappeared in some blue whisps.
"Jim, oh my gosh! You ok?" Claire's voice sounded muffled, and he still saw the world in a blur, but senses started to come back. The Trollhunter found out that he was lying on the grass, with the Latina kneeling by his side. Some throbbing pain in his forehead confirmed his suspicion that the amulet had decided to stop cooperating in the most inconvenient moment. Most likely, that one had flown back with great acceleration, and even his training hadn't helped with reacting in time.
"I guess I need more practice as well," Jim chuckled, sitting up and rubbing the hurt spot. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any bumps because something like that would be the proof of his own stupidity!
Bular could never stand fleshbag settlements - those felt too stuffy, too constricting, too suffocating. Why should he, the proud dark prince, have been coped inside of one? Not to mention the reek. Fleshbags might have been a tasty treat, yet it never changed the fact that their smell was disgusting.
At times his patience reached its limit, and the brute went out without returning to the hideout for days. He enjoyed roaming in the forest, hunting campers, and slaying an occasional troll or beast. Not to mention that he was free in his actions during those moments. No Stricklander's annoying nagging. No Barverra's cryptic plans she never bothered explaining to him.
Those two were equally bad at times. Though, while Bular could somehow forgive his sister, the impure had no such privilege, so in the end, the son of Gunmar would rather pick his kin as a lesser evil.
The troll frowned. He simply didn't want to go back to that wretched hideout. They prohibited him hunt the Trollhunter, and well, Bular wasn't that excited about fighting that fleshbag whelp. The Gumm-Gumm generals, trapped in the Darklands, would only make fun of that battle.
Barverra would most likely find some way without tarnishing her reputation, but, honestly, her brother simply couldn't get rid of the idea that his nephew should have been one to defeat the current Champion. A whelp should have been enough to beat a fleshbag. Not to mention that Barverra's son was Gunmar's kin, and Gunmar's kin was powerful by default.
No, the female had grown weak in mentality through all those decades and probably hadn't raised her whelp properly. Bular believed he should have stepped in and corrected the situation until it was too late. For example, he could teach his nephew how to obliterate opponents.
If only his mother wasn't such a worrywart and didn't turn into the wrath incarnate any time the dark brute suggested that!
Whatever.
If Barverra couldn't trust her brother, it was her own fault. Bular had never done a thing to deserve that attitude. He had been loyal to the family. As for everyone else… Well, those could simply perish, and he wouldn't care less.
The hateful human settlement was already in sight. Bular wondered what exactly waited for him. Stricklander would be smug as usual, throwing his insults. Barverra… Most likely, wouldn't be present at all, busy with whatever she usually did. The guardian of the hideout probably would hide somewhere just in case.
Not the best welcome, that was for sure…
However, the son of Gunmar soon discovered that his guess had been entirely wrong. Stricklander wasn't the only impure at the museum, no, there were several more.
Bular barely concealed a roar. Having too many of those wretched things around was too much. Probably, he should have cut down the number a bit…
Though…
The brute stopped at the last second, noticing Stricklander's odd expression. The Gumm-Gumm prince had never been that good in reading body language, unlike his father or sister, however, even he could tell that the winged impure was frustrated. Or was it more like irritated?
Still, one thing had been definite - Bular had nothing to do with that mood. If anything, it felt that the source was that group of impures.
Strickler had always been good at playing chess. In a way, this skill fell into the category of useless human activities by the Janus Order standards. Walter imagined that one of the previous heads had made such a ridiculous miscalculation, and later successors didn't bother to exclude chess from the list.
Or maybe, someone had actually understood the usefulness of the ability to think several steps ahead and decided to conceal it so that the possible rivals couldn't get a dangerous weapon.
The thing was that life had always been more complicated than chess. If the man compared it to the game board, it wouldn't be just two opponents playing against each other. Well, luckily for him, the Trolhunter's team most likely thought of it as something that simple.
Alas, Strickler was well-aware that the number of parties involved was higher.
Barverra and Bular were as good as independent by this point, keeping the alliance in name only. Walter led the second party, and the backup would be the third one…
Or, like he had suspected before, more like third and fourth.
Perhaps, the helpers hoped to stay hidden for longer, however, the disturbance caused by Young Atlas and his friends put everything upside down, forcing everyone to come out.
Stricklander couldn't help smirking, looking at everyone gathering at the museum to discuss the strategy. Nomura kept a neutral expression, though he could swear his aide would prefer throwing some snide comments.
Of course, they had moved the Bridge a level down - a quick and the least suspicious decision in their situation. Transporting multiple boxes somewhere else would attract too much attention - and either Jim or his wizard ally could easily take a note of that.
And obviously, everyone (even Montgo, albeit reluctantly) maintained their human guise. So, if anyone walked in, they wouldn't see anything supernatural.
Well, there was always the matter of the Trollhunter's team attacking tonight, but Strickler seriously doubted that. The last night's party hadn't been able to deal with Nomura and Montgo. More opponents would have been even more complicated. They wouldn't risk that much.
Walter watched the backup, already considering ways to eliminate them. Montgo was clearly the easiest to get rid of - even doing nothing most likely would lead to his demise. Sethiz should have become the scapegoat for the last night's failure.
Two others, on the other hand, should have been more tricky. Stricklander scowled at Rezz - the youngster, who kept smiling even during the serious discussion. That one was obviously one of Sethiz's followers, probably more loyal ones. Walter wondered if that guy would be willing to change loyalties.
And of course, the last one was the one who had brought Montgo. Shen, the female changeling, watched everyone with a hardly-readable expression. A skilled manipulator, yet never in the list of Stricklander's possible successors. Well, she was more of eminence grise kind, not one striving for open leadership. A surprising number of changelings considered Shen their subordinate while it had been the other way around.
That one could create some complications, especially knowing that her human profession was a psychologist. Shen was unmatched in reading people around her and tricking them into dancing to her tune.
Not that Stricklander would ever fall into that trap. Most likely, Nomura would be cautious enough as well. And everyone else… Well, those never mattered that much to start with.
"Don't you think that keeping the valuable information from your subordinates is nasty, Leader?" Rezz asked with the sweetest smile.
So, they rehearsed the whole thing, assigning different roles to the best-fitting actors. Suarez would be the perfect one for asking questions, being that young and without apparent loyalties.
Strickler smirked inwardly - guilt-tripping was never a good strategy against any changeling. Though, perhaps, his current opponents decided to appeal to his care about his kind's survival chances. If so, they had miscalculated.
"Why should I risk it when leaks are possible?" he shrugged. "I suspect we have a mole in our ranks, so…"
The last one had been a lie, but well, Stricklander trusted no one in any case.
"Preposterous," Sethiz hissed. "The Janus Order is loyal to both Gunmar and Pale Lady. No one would ever…"
Walter didn't even bother listening - there was no need for that. No changeling could be genuinely loyal - those perished fast enough. Well, unless their name was Montgo.
"Then how would you explain our hideout being compromised?" Nomura smirked, joining the conversation.
It was Strickler's plan - to blame someone else for leaking the information to the enemy. He obviously knew that the Trollhunter's party had discovered their lair because of something else. However, his backup didn't realize that, and fishing any information out of Montgo would be nearly impossible.
"Where's the guarantee that you're not a mole?" Sethiz lost his cool - apparently, that wasn't the part of their scenario. "Because, right now, you're the most suspicious, Stricklander! You keep the Trollhunter's identity hidden as if you're protecting him!"
A strong move - and it could work. With someone else. Unfortunately for his rival, Walt had considered the possibility of accusations.
"If I were a mole," he started slowly. "All of you had been dead a long time ago… Or does any of you think that I have no ways to get rid of you lot?"
Some bluff was good for spicing things a bit. Strickler noted that he had enraged Sethiz, Rezz, and Montgo. Nomura gave him a barely noticeable approval glance. Shen remained silent and composed - but Walter expected her to understand his strategy.
"How dare you…" Montgo started but cut himself short, staring in the direction of the hidden passageway.
Walter followed his gaze.
Just in time.
Bular had returned from whatever trouble he had been causing, meaning that the last actor he had been waiting for had entered the stage.
"Stricklander!" the son of Gunmar yelled. "Haven't you promised to keep impures at minimum amount at the lair?"
The beginning had been perfect already. Angry Bular could take out a changeling or two just because. Now Strickler simply should have made sure that those casualties didn't include him or Nomura.
Of course, he had the advantage of dealing with the dark prince's tantrums for years. The newcomers, on the other hand, could easily step on a landmine.
"Haven't you complained about the slow progress?" Stricklander shrugged. "The Order sent us some manpower, and…"
He never managed to finish, as Montgo rushed past him, shifting into his real form and kneeling before the son of Gunmar.
"Commander, I'm at your service. Do you remember me? I'm Gomragg! Used to serve under you centuries ago…"
Well, of course, that was expected - the Gumm-Gumm changeling had never been a genuine part of the Janus Order, desperately clinging to his roots. Ironically, he was probably the only member with firm loyalties.
Walter could see that no one else present was surprised by the twist. An expected course of action, but what was the point of it? Why had they brought a pawn which would have changed sides at once?
A bribe, or more like a gift to Gunmar's kin. It had to be that one - an attempt to appease the fearsome trolls, providing them a loyal servant. A loyal yet harmless to the Janus Order.
Stricklander would call it a smart move, however… Yeah, no one from the backup knew Bular well enough.
Because…
"No impure would ever serve under me," the dark brute growled, looking at the changeling with utter disgust. "Perhaps, you used to be an amazing fighter, but I have nothing to do with a worm who abandoned his honor, tarnishing his being with dirty fleshbag essence!"
In the end, Bular's hatred for everything human-related exceeded any other possible feeling.
Even if it had been Gunmar himself who had forced Gomragg into his current state.
In a community with a strong sense of camaraderie, Montgo would have received some support or sympathy. However, the Janus Order knew no compassion, so his humiliation had gotten no pity.
The son of Gunmar forgot about his former subordinate at once, turning his full attention to Stricklander:
"Who allowed you to bring more impures here? Your excuses mean nothing to me!"
Of course, Bular stayed true to his unreasonable self. He always wanted both fast progress and no additional changelings, never considering how ridiculous and contradicting his demands were.
Any other time Walter would be annoyed by that childish approach, however, right now, he wanted to put his rivals into a dangerous position, so…
"Oh, I've brought no one," he shrugged. "We have some volunteers here."
It was simply perfect - the wording, the attitude, the tone. Through the decades of dealing with the son of Gunmar, Stricklander had learned him thoroughly. He knew well enough how to maneuver without encountering Bular's wrath while directing it at something else.
Nomura hid a chuckle behind cough and moved away from the group of their reinforcements. She also knew how to survive with the dark brute in the close vicinity.
Shen scowled, showing emotion for the first time since her arrival. Walter could swear she realized his plan, but it was too late.
"Volunteers?" Bular drawled, obviously trying to process everything.
"Yes, we come to assist…" Rezz started, totally failing in reading the atmosphere.
Walter couldn't wish for a better outcome - Bular was past the boiling point. Some more seconds - and they would kiss goodbye to the irritating back-up, and…
Rezz exploded before anyone managed to react - and the son of Gunmar had nothing to do with that. Walter watched a blade clanking against the floor - some seconds ago, that one took away the young changeling's head. A barbaric and totally chaotic way to use a sword meant for close battle as a missile - well, he had suspected that its owner was unpredictable enough.
Though, throwing one of her trusty blades before entering? That was new for Barverra. Stricklander made a mental note to stay as far as possible from the entrance next time and turned around to face the female troll in question.
Barverra headed to the base with determination to raise the hell. That could be a perfect opportunity to get rid of the annoying spy Suarez. Well, personally, she was tempted to obliterate Stricklander as well, but her common sense whispered to her not to hurry up with that one.
Alas, the winged bastard required a way more intricate and well-thought approach.
The daughter of Gunmar could hear the fragments of conversation long before she arrived at the spot.
There was some heated debate or something like that. She recognized Stricklander's and Suarez's voices. There was another male one, sounding greatly irritated and…
"Stricklander! Haven't you promised to keep impures at minimum amount at the lair?" Bular's yell was so loud that probably even some locals had heard it. Apparently, Barverra's brother was also in the mood to rip someone apart.
Perhaps, she would have no need to act herself - the dark brute was no different from a natural disaster in his rage, so some unfortunate casualties could be inevitable. Not to mention that he wasn't too happy to see any new faces around, so perhaps, getting rid of those would be his main priority.
Stricklander retorted calmly. Wasn't he too composed? Sure thing, Bular knew nothing about their base being compromised, but it was as if the changeling tried to provoke the infamous Butcher.
Something was off.
Barverra fastened her pace, approaching the entrance while still keeping hidden. She caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar crude-looking man running up to her brother and changing forms with a flash.
"Commander, I'm at your service. Do you remember me? I'm Gomragg! Used to serve under you centuries ago…"
What was that? Barverra watched the Gumm-Gumm kneeling before Bular with genuine surprise. Yes, she remembered mentioning that unique case in some of Stricklander's reports, but who had brought the troll in question here?
That made no sense from the strategy point of view. If anything, Gomragg's presence would complicate Stricklander's life. Besides, Bular would get one of his subordinates back, and…
She had forgotten about the ultimate difference between her and her brother.
"No impure would ever serve under me. Perhaps, you used to be an amazing fighter, but I have nothing to do with a worm who abandoned his honor, tarnishing his being with dirty fleshbag essence!"
Perhaps, once upon a time, the Gumm-Gumm warrior had used to be a valuable soldier. Barverra couldn't tell for sure - she had never been interested in those who had served under someone else. Yet, right now, she couldn't help feeling some sympathy for the changeling.
Would Bular throw away his own sister for living a 'fleshbag' life? And Jim would definitely count as an ultimate disgrace, being a half-human.
Gunmar might have possibly accepted his grandson, yet Bular would never be kind to his nephew.
Barverra felt an unstoppable rage igniting inside as she clutched one of her trustworthy blades. The conversation between her brother and Stricklander grew muffled - not that she cared about its contents anymore.
The female had to unleash all of that on someone - and it didn't even matter who would end as a target. Someone stepped forward, ending in her line of vision - and the next second, she threw her sword on their head.
An explosion brought Barverra back to her senses. Apparently, she had finished Suarez - not the worst possible option, even if it might have raised too many suspicions in the future.
Whatever.
She stepped out of the shadows, watching everyone present with a scowl and drawled:
"I'm waiting for a coherent explanation… And if I find something unsatisfying - one of you'll be next!"
If they wanted to see the Herald of Doom in rage, she would grant them their wish…