Jim wished he could pay more attention to Mr. Strickler's lesson. His favorite teacher knew how to turn even the dullest history pages into a captivating lecture. Missing all of that was just unfair and, well, an outright ass move, knowing how much the man adored his students.
Alas, Jim simply couldn't focus on history now - not with Claire's usual desk vacant. He couldn't help casting worried glances at it - as if the girl in question could appear out of thin air!
"Relax, Jimbo," Toby whispered for probably the twentieth time. "She's fine. Probably still recovering. That encounter got a toll on her."
"As if it's that easy," Jim muttered, hoping that Mr. Strickler hadn't noticed their exchange. This time his head was so busy with trolls and supernatural that he wouldn't be able to come up with at least barely working response to a possible question like that time with 'winning tactics'.
"Still blaming yourself?"
"You bet."
"Gosh, Jim, Douxie has told you already that they most likely attacked Claire because she visited the bookstore," Toby nearly forgot to keep his voice low but caught himself just in time. "Seriously, to connect her to your job, they need to know your identity… And even if they knew, they couldn't know about your crush - it's too specific and… Oh, come on, it would make way more sense to attack your mom or me."
Jim nodded absentmindedly, never paying much attention to his best friend's rambling. Tobes had already told him that several times - and his words made so much sense, yet… Yes, it felt as if some details refused to click. They certainly missed too many pieces of this puzzle.
Mr. Strickler looked in their direction, and Toby bit his tongue at once, giving the teacher the most innocent smile possible. Jim half-expected a tricky question incoming, yet it never happened.
It was as if Mr. Strickler hadn't noticed two students whispering to each other.
"It's odd," Jim couldn't help voicing his confusion.
"You mean, Mr. S?" Toby got it at once. "Yeah, he's usually more aware of his surroundings."
"I wonder what's happened…"
Even if lately Jim hadn't had much time to talk to Mr. Strickler, he still remained his favorite teacher. Deep inside, he hoped that everything would become more stable eventually, and they could return to the relaxing conversations they had had before.
Mr. Strickler was yet another fragment of his normal life - and Jim would hate losing this bond only because of some supernatural circumstances. No, he would try to find some balance, to fit new aspects of his life into his old routine. Yes, that would be rather challenging - but wasn't it still better than just giving up on everything he had had before?
The lesson ended faster than Jim expected. He picked up his bag, casting the last glance at his favorite teacher, who apparently, was more invested in his own papers, and followed Toby. There should have been two more lessons, and then he could probably call Douxie, asking for an update. Oh, and visiting the Trollmarket could also be a good idea - perhaps, Blinky could give some advice too. And…
"Young Atlas, can I have a word with you?"
Wait, hadn't Mr. Strickler been standing near his table only some moments ago?
Toby's hushed 'holy champignon, just how does he do that?' expressed Jim's feelings the best. Had the teacher teleported outside the classroom or something? Otherwise, how could he stand just behind two boys right now?
No. Jim forced any dumb thoughts about possible supernatural explanation out of his mind. Most likely, Mr. Strickler just covered the distance shokingly fast for whatever reason. Or there could be some other trivial explanation.
His teacher had nothing to do with the magical side of the world. That was for sure. Full stop.
"Well," Jim turned around, smiling awkwardly. "I guess, yes…"
From the corner of his eye, he could see Toby frowning.
Why? Did his best friend have any problem with him talking to Mr. Strickler? That had never happened before.
"Jim, I've noticed you were distracted today," Mr. Strickler smiled cordially. Nothing too unusual - they had similar conversations countless times before. Just a typical situation between a troubled student and a concerned teacher.
Jim could already guess what would follow. Mr. Strickler would definitely suggest having a talk after the lessons.
Should he have agreed to that, though? Before Jim had become the Trollhunter, he would have gladly used the opportunity. So why was he so hesitant now?
"You know, I'm always happy to listen to your troubles, so…"
It was exactly like Jim imagined, and…
"Mr. Strickler, with all respect, you should allow other people to do their job."
Someone else butting in was totally unexpected.
And yeah, the short Asian woman definitely appeared out of nowhere. Jim had seen her around before, though hadn't learned her name so far. Apparently, she was a new teacher or something.
"Ms. Shen, I'm sure that when kids want to talk to the school counselor, they act accordingly," Mr. Strickler frowned but switched to a cordial smile at once.
It was the first time. Jim had never seen his favorite teacher being actually hostile to anyone, yet now… Mr. Strickler could try to mask his irritation as much as he wanted, but it still seeped through the cracks.
"Oh, they do," Ms. Shen's smile was wider - and less sincere too. "But only if their favorite teachers don't catch them on their way."
Her manicured hand landed on Jim's shoulder, preventing him from any attempt to escape. Toby watched the situation with his mouth agape. And he wasn't alone - other students started to gather as if smelling something that might have turned into a hot topic soon.
"Perhaps, we should let Mr. Lake decide for himself?" Mr. Strickler drawled slowly, somehow reminiscent of a predator ready to attack.
Jim gulped. Somehow, the hostility in the air had just skyrocketed, and, to be honest, he'd rather avoid both. At least for a while. Until they calmed down. Seriously, what was wrong with those two?
"Good idea!" Toby butted in, grabbing his best friend's arm and dragging him somewhere else. "And, right now, Jim doesn't want to miss the next lesson. He'll consider your kind proposals and tell you his decision later!"
"Nice save, Tobes," Jim whispered with gratitude when they turned the corner. "I didn't know Mr. Strickler could be that intense. For a second, I wished I could fight Bular instead of that!"
He winced, remembering two adults glaring daggers at each other. There had to be some kind of beef between them - not that he was curious about that.
Toby hummed meaningfully, searching for something inside his bag. Jim wondered if his friend had heard his comment to start with.
"What are you doing?" he inquired with a mixture of curiosity and slight annoyance.
"Some detective work," Tobes waved him off as he took out a notebook and scribbled something.
"Meaning?"
"Well, someone needs to investigate all that stuff with those shapeshifting trolls - and who can be better than someone who has been bingeing detective stories with Nana for years?"
"Oh no," Jim facepalmed. "Don't tell me you're…"
"...compiling the list of suspects?" Toby grinned. "Exactly!"
Jim didn't like that in the slightest. Yes, it would be rational and logical to investigate the possible shapeshifters, but… It also meant creating unneeded tension and probably potentially ruining some relationships.
"Look, Tobes, we've already discussed it several times. No one of the people close to me is a troll. It makes no sense! Otherwise, they would know my identity already!"
Couldn't his best friend just see some reason? Any evil shapeshifter getting too close would mean the Gumm-Gumm team getting the vital piece of information and hunting the Trollhunter using that knowledge, yet so far, it was more about poking around blindly.
"Jimbo, I know it's a bitter pill to swallow, but… Several inconsistencies would make more sense if we add a spy's presence factor. This night I thought a lot about it, and… Remember that time when we first met Bular?"
Jim groaned:
"It's not something you'll ever forget."
"Don't you find it weird that a guy like him, who doesn't seem that smart, found you so fast?"
"Haven't we concluded it was some luck?" Jim frowned. That had to be luck - Bular hadn't trailed the new Trollhunter, unlike Blinky. Something was bugging him, but he cast it aside.
"I used to think the same, but let's be realistic, Jimbo. We have a guy who finds all fleshbags the same face and simply couldn't learn that the next Trollhunter is a human. Yet someone like that encounters the said Trollhunter in a few days. Nothing odd here?"
Jim froze on the spot.
No, out of the question, it simply couldn't happen. Yet, it was also nearly impossible to deny that Toby's words made too much sense.
His best friend had been the one to voice it, but it was also the exact thing that kept bugging Jim for a while, no matter how many times he had tried to silence it. How Bular had found the new Trollhunter remained an unsolved mystery, but if someone told him, then…
"Look…" he started slowly, his brain trying to cling desperately to even the slightest possibility of something else.
"Jimbo, I know it sucks," Toby interrupted. "Do you think I like it? But if there are no changelings in your close circle, it will mean that there's a traitor among your allies."
He was right. It was impossible to go on without suspecting anyone. It had been either some spy in the school or doubting current allies.
And Jim hated it even more.
Suspecting Douxie? After everything that Merlin's apprentice had done to ensure his safety?
Blinky, perhaps? The one who helped Jim to discover some bravery in his heart and was his main ally at the mostly hostile Trollmarket?
Aaarrrgghh? That friendly giant?
Or even Toby?
No, just no. It was too low to question any of them.
It was just choosing between two evils, both being equally nasty.
"Ok, let's pretend you're right. But doesn't it create another inconsistency?"
Jim couldn't believe himself. At the last second, his mind gave him a chance to escape without suspecting anyone.
Toby frowned, visibly ready to protest, but Jim ignored him altogether as he continued:
"If the enemy knew my identity, they would attack my house a long time ago."
"Douxie put a barrier, remember?" Toby sighed.
"It's not that big - they could just wait outside. But the only place they attacked us was near the canals."
The more he talked about it, the more confident he grew. Yes, it had to be like that. Bular's first attack was just a coincidence. Because if it had been otherwise, the enemy would never have let him continue with his regular life, waiting for him to leave the protective barrier.
"And what if there's some factor we are unaware of?"
Toby mercilessly crushed even that bleak hope. They knew close to nothing about the enemies and their motivations, and…
During the first attack, Barverra interrupted and stopped her brother but later had no problem with attacking the Trollhunter herself.
And that was another mystery without any sound explanation.
Thinking about all that stuff drove Jim crazy - so that he was nearly grateful that the start of the next lesson worked as a perfect distraction from all of those suspicions. He even managed to focus on actual studies.
Unlike Toby, who persistently continued to scribble something in his detective notebook. And apparently, that resilience turned the scale in his favor.
"Can I see your list, Tobes?" Jim asked with a weak smile as they were leaving the classroom.
Yes, that was legit giving up, but… Toby was more just his best friend, he was no different from a family member by now. If Jim refused to listen to him, then who sould he even have listened to?
The list wasn't the neatest thing around, that was for sure. If Jim hadn't known his best friend's handwriting, he would have trouble deciphering the messy text full of notes and corrections. Toby had definitely put a lot of work into making that.
Still…
"Tobes!" Jim couldn't help rolling his eyes. At times his bro just left him speechless - and it was definitely one of those. The list turned out several times longer than he could imagine.
"What?"
"Do you actually need to suspect everyone we know?"
"Oh, come on, Jimbo! Now you're exaggerating. It's barely ten percent - I've counted!"
Jim didn't even want to clarify the last part. Apparently, Toby actually meant that. Besides, the length of the list didn't matter that much in the end. The people, who ended there, on the other hand…
"Steve Palchuk," Jim read the top name aloud with a deadpan expression. "Toby, it's not the right time to remember the old grudges. Besides, you put him there three times!"
That one had to be some kind of joke. Perhaps, Tobes attempted to lighten a mood a bit - not that it worked to start with.
"That's because I believe Psycho Steve is a troll, and I'll die on that hill!" Toby's response, however, was anything but funny.
"Yeah, sure," Jim shrugged sarcastically. His best friend either didn't hear or outright ignored the remark, though.
"Think about it, Jimbo. Steve is loud, violent, likes to decide everything with his fists, and not that bright. Send him to the Trollmarket - and he'll feel at home there!"
Jim frowned. Somehow, he didn't like that comparison at all. Why would he get offended because of Steve, his ultimate bully? Wait, no, there was a different part he didn't like.
The one where Toby implied that being 'loud, violent, likes to decide everything with his fists and not that bright' meant being a troll. And…
Trolls aren't like that.
Jim shook his head. The stress was definitely getting to him. There was no point in arguing because of Steve - personally, he had never thought of the bully as a potential shapeshifter. Even if having that one as a spy had been the easiest way out.
Some other candidates made way less sense.
"Why would you put your orthodontist here? I thought you liked the guy!"
"I do. But something is way too off with that place!"
"And who's Stuart?"
"Taco guy. Eli says he's fishy!"
Jim nearly snarked that Eli wasn't such a reliable source but bit his tongue at once.
Eli was probably way more reliable than anyone when it came to the unexplained occurrences in Arcadia. He had been screaming into the void for years, trying to prove that there was more to the world than everyone saw.
No one had ever listened.
"Do you think it'll make sense to talk to Eli?" Jim asked. "You know, carefully. I don't remember him mentioning any shapeshifters, but what if?"
And what if he's one of those changelings?
The treacherous thought flashed through his mind, but he discarded the idea at once. Eli would never have tried to prove the existence of the supernatural if he had been a part of that world.
Apparently, they had just discovered another safe person around. Perhaps, it wasn't that bad after all.
Jim smiled, returning to the list, and…
The next name had shattered the semblance of hopefulness he had managed to muster. It was the one he didn't want to see there.
Mr. Strickler.
Jim looked at Toby, and the way his best friend twitched uncomfortably had told him everything. They needed no words here, as body language alone was more than enough.
Tobes had expected the incoming outburst from the very beginning. They knew each other too well to make a mistake.
"You're still into Mr. Strickler," Jim stated flatly. "Even though he's nothing like a troll. Hell, even I have more in common with trolls!"
He paled as the realization of what exactly he blurted hit him.
Wait, wait, wait! He didn't mean the last one at all. He hadn't compared himself to trolls, because he definitely had nothing in common with them. It was just to prove the point, to make Tobes understand how ridiculous his accusations towards Mr. Strickler were.
"No offense, Jimbo, but you're biased," Toby looked at his best friend with some sympathy. "I like Mr. S too, but I can't ignore his suspicious actions. We're a team, remember? Shouldn't we cover for each other's blind spots?"
Jim sighed. Tobes was on his side, so why couldn't he just listen to his reasoning? Was it because suspecting Mr. Strickler hurt a lot?
Sure, it wasn't probably on the same level as suspecting his mom or Toby, but… Jim's favorite teacher had been there for him so many times, helping him with advice, and if he were actually a changeling, then…
Would it mean all the kindness was just a well-crafted lie?
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"My dear Anne, if you want to succeed with your job, you should be less intense," Walter tried his best not to demonstrate his true emotions.
The first real opportunity to talk to Young Atlas since a while - and that damned woman had to interfere!
He wished the surroundings were different - then he could demonstrate that cocky moron Shen why most of the Janus Order preferred not to enrage Stricklander.
He might have never been known for his fighting skill, yet it never meant he didn't know how to obliterate the enemy.
And honestly, killing Shen would resolve so many complications!
The only thing that kept Stricklander from doing that was the deal with Barverra. If he got rid of Shen, he could kiss goodbye to his chance to plant a spy in the Nunez household.
Sometimes Walter wondered if Shen was aware of her own immunity. Otherwise, why was she that smug?
"I truly appreciate your kind advice, Walter," she smiled politely. Her eyes still shoot daggers, though.
They had to play civility in public, at least. Jim and Toby might have left, but the crowd attracted by the scene stayed. It was slightly amusing how awkwardly some students tried to fake their reason for hanging around that long.
They still dispersed as the next lesson began, leaving some more space for conversation. Of course, it was still not that safe to discuss everything openly as someone might have overheard, but vague hints and dual meanings were still ok.
"It seems you put much effort into your work," Strickler smirked. "Rather impressive."
He wasn't impressed in the slightest. The more Shen poked around, the more chances to discover the Trollhunter's identity she had.
And Walter had somehow made a careless mistake, approaching Jim so openly today. He should have tried a more sophisticated approach instead.
Now it was too late. The damage was done, and Stricklander wondered how much he could salvage. Shen was seemingly deadset on talking with the boy. Yes, it wouldn't happen today thanks to Domzalski's unexpected diversion, but it was clearly a simple delay.
Of course, Young Atlas was smart enough not to blurt about his secret responsibility to a random stranger, but he was also just a kid without any practice in the sophisticated art of deception. Well, the boy might have a tiny spark of aptitude for that one, and with some experience and proper guidance, it might have bloomed into a genuine skill. The thing was he had no time for that.
And Jim's opponent would be Shen, someone with the decades-long practice of reading people. Even if she didn't crack the kid at once, she would still catch something being off.
His favorite student was in a dire need of another diversion to throw the cunning enemy off his tracks.
Apparently, today I'm your temporary ally, Young Atlas.
Strickler watched Shen intently, thinking out each of his steps carefully. He shouldn't have been the first one to bring Jim up. That was his opponent's role. She was an investigator, while Walter kept crafting several excuses to cover all the bases.
"A little bird told me you're playing favorites, Mr. Strickler. What's happened to the 'no preferential attitude' rule?"
The first step was made. So, Shen had been looking for Jim Lake before she approached him. It might have looked bad, but there were countless ways to escape.
"A stressed child looking for guidance. What kind of caring teacher would ignore the plea for help?" Strickler shrugged indifferently.
"Stressed, eh? Because of some recent major changes in his life, perhaps?" Shen smirked.
What, already celebrating? Do you think I'll make such a careless mistake in my wording?
Stricklander felt a tiny bit disappointed. The game had been too one-sided so far.
"Mr. Lake has a difficult situation at home. No father, mother working herself to the bone… If you paid more attention to your responsibilities, Ms. Shen, you'd learn it yourself. The boy has been visiting my office for a while. You can ask other teachers if you don't trust my word."
Walter could have never imagined that Young Atlas being the current Trollhunter would have been the best scenario for him. Some other student getting the amulet would mean forging new bonds. Everyone would have noticed that - and Shen would have gotten solid proof.
Yet, right now, from the onlooker's point of view, everything stayed the same, with no oddities or sudden interests.
"Perhaps, I've heard something about that," Shen bit her lip in irritation. "But I think you're too invested in it!"
It was bad. Her eyes told Strickler that she had seen him rushing after Jim not that long ago.
Though bad never equaled desperate. Wasn't Stricklander the one who bluffed his way out when Barverra threatened his life?
When it came to deception, he was peerless, so… Why not trying something that was both crazily unbelievable and misleading?
"Well, you've caught me," Walter smiled, raising hands in fake surrender.
The excitement of Shen's expression was hilarious in the context. She had fallen for it. Her disappointment should be even more satisfying.
"You see, Mr. Lake and I share a hobby."
"A hobby?"
Yes, that was the appropriate expression, totally fitting the loser in this encounter.
"Yes, we both play chess," Strickler nodded seriously. "It's so difficult to find a worthy opponent nowadays…"
A worthy opponent. Yes, in this game he played, there weren't that many of those. Barverra and Young Atlas's team? Those were rare exceptions.
Everyone else could be only a pathetic nuisance.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The last thing Douxie had expected to see upon returning to Zoe's apartment was Claire giggling at Archie's comment about something.
He still refused to believe his own eyes as he silently sat on a couch next room, casting careful glances in his student's direction. Luckily, she was too immersed in a conversation with the cat-dragon.
"Relax," Zoe nudged her boyfriend gently after passing him a cup of tea. "Shouldn't you be happy?"
"Why is Claire here?" the question escaped Douxie's lips unwittingly. He desperately needed to know that. Had something horrible happened again?
No, he shouldn't have overthought. Claire looked perfectly fine - well, slightly pale - but still better than the last time he had seen her. Besides, judging from her greeting, his student was at least open to talking.
"She was looking for you," Zoe shrugged. "And, Mr. Irresponsible Teacher, next time, don't forget to tell your sweet students not to visit exposed shelters. Poor girl doesn't need another changeling hunting her!"
Her manner might have sounded joking, but she was dead serious. Douxie frowned:
"Is the bookstore still under their surveillance?"
"Sucks, I know," Zoe nodded. "And it's odd because the entire war is delayed until further notice… I wish I knew what's going on in some heads! Apparently, someone is as insufferable as your deadbeat master…"
"Master is more orderly, though," Douxie protested. "And…"
"Whatever," his girlfriend interrupted. "We have a more important topic to discuss."
She suddenly paused, shifting her attention to Claire and Archie. Douxie unwittingly followed suit, slightly confused.
There wasn't anything out of the norm there, just his student and familiar enjoying an idly hushed chat.
"I wonder what Arch tells her," Douxie muttered after Claire chuckled once again.
"Well," Zoe suddenly grinned. "You won't like that."
Douxie groaned:
"Fuzzbuckets, does he?.."
"Feeding her some juicy info for a potential blackmail?" Zoe finished. "Yes. It's his petty revenge for not mentioning him, so your student already knows about your man bun and that time with Slorr… Oh, and, I guess, Arch hasn't forgotten to mention that time you got drunk for the first time… Not that sure about your epic fail performance, though…"
Douxie groaned. Neither of those was something he wished to reveal to anyone.
"Cheer up, Casperan!" Zoe flicked his forehead. "Don't you think it'll help to loosen the tension? She's willing to take the first step - and as someone older and more experienced, you need to act accordingly. You're her master now, that's a responsible position…"
Her face suddenly darkened as if she had remembered something.
"What's wrong?" Douxie hadn't missed the subtle change in mood.
"You'd better put down that cup," Zoe responded after some pause. "It's my favorite one, I don't want it broken."
She was going to say something unpleasant. Or shocking, perhaps. Douxie was nearly one hundred percent sure about that. If even someone as straightforward as Zoe seemed that reluctant, it wasn't anything trivial.
"On our way here, Claire asked me about something I'd never expected to hear from a total newbie in magic," she started slowly. "Hell, I bet some experts have never heard that term! I really wish I could give her a good explanation, but I'm not the best person for that… Geez, now that I think about it, you're not the best too, though more knowledgeable at least…"
Douxie wished he wasn't that good at guessing, but…
A subject, both unpleasant and shocking.
Something magic-related that no novice could stumble upon randomly.
Zoe not being competent enough to at least explain it.
And him having some, albeit minimal, knowledge on that.
"Was it about shadowmancy?"
Wasn't it just better to rip a bandage? Douxie had noticed a long time ago that both Zoe and Archie tended to get extra conscious when it came to talking about Morgana in his presence. He could understand their worry, but…
It simply couldn't last forever. He had to move forward as well.
"Close enough," Zoe sighed, noticing his determination. "It was about the Shadow Realm."
Now Douxie could see why his girlfriend seemed so conflicted. Shadowmancy was a relatively rare, rather dangerous, and corruptive branch of mystical arts. A certain percentage of magic users had some level of aptitude for it, though most of those either never developed it or kept it to a bare minimum.
The Shadow Realm, on the other hand… Getting access to it was disastrous news. It could easily capture the souls of novices or drive their minds crazy.
Even Morgana, someone acknowledged as a prodigy, hadn't risked entering it for a while.
"How did Claire even learn about that one?" Douxie couldn't help asking the obvious question. There could be only one possible answer, but he still hoped for a miracle.
It didn't happen.
"Apparently, it pulled her in. Several times," Zoe replied. "But you'd better ask her yourself - Claire mentioned several details I failed to comprehend. Maybe you'll get a better idea."
"You know that my knowledge is second-hand at best."
He only knew shadowmancy through Morgana's descriptions and only when their master hadn't heard. Merlin evidently had been against that type of magic and banned even the discussions. And Douxie himself simply didn't have even the minimal aptitude.
"Isn't it better than nothing?" Zoe shrugged. "We can try to find a better source later, but at least some initial input would be nice… So what do you think?"