Nothing happened. Well, nothing major, at least.
"Pay attention, fleshbag!" Draal yelled angrily. "Your stance is off! Again!"
Though, no, Draal becoming his swordsmanship trainer was both a new and major development.
"Sorry." Jim smiled sheepishly, trying to correct his stance, so that it matched the one Draal had shown him not that long ago.
He was definitely too distracted - but could it even be otherwise?
Jim's mind trailed back to the events nearly a week ago when Toby had managed to find an actual changeling.
Luckily, he had called to request help, and Jim together with Douxie and Claire had arrived just in time before anyone had ended up hurt.
He still shuddered at the thought of another close person suffering because of the trollhunting stuff.
And well, part of Jim's soul felt horrible at the moment.
They should have captured the changeling for the interrogation. Douxie had actually prepared an appropriate spell for that.
It should have worked - if only Jim hadn't screwed it!
He still wasn't sure if it had been an accident - everything had been so chaotic back then, with Gladis lashing furiously at everyone, fighting with everything she had. Somehow, being the only one with the lethal weapon had turned out to be disastrous for the plan.
Jim simply couldn't remember how his sword had ended up impaling the enemy. Had she rushed too quickly, not being able to stop?
Or had it been his own deliberate decision?
When Jim had asked his allies afterward, no one had given a good answer.
Blinky had claimed that his field of vision had been obstructed. Tobes had closed his eyes. Claire had missed it somehow, and Douxie had been too focused on his own spell. Never mind stuck Aaarrrgghh or Archie, who had decided to stay outside during the commotion.
Perhaps, all of them had told the truth. Otherwise, it would have meant that at least one of the team had lied to protect his feelings. And that was even worse.
Jim hoped that an exhausting training with Draal could be a good enough distraction from those heavy thoughts. Alas, it was the other way around - he kept recollecting those unpleasant events, which had already resulted in some rather painful hits. Draal never planned to take it easy, for better or worse.
"I wonder how no one has noticed us so far despite the commotion," Jim muttered, massaging a hit spot. That was another thing he was slightly anxious about - with the training going right in his backyard, some neighbor could have discovered the truth about trolls and magic any second, adding to the already endless list of problems.
Not that Jim expected any response, but Draal replied anyway:
"No one is close."
Well, probably with his superior hearing and sense of smell, Draal had a better awareness of his surroundings. Most likely, he also would be able to hide just in time if anyone arrived.
Though...
Jim suddenly remembered how much Blinky and Aaarrrgghh sucked when it came to stealth. What if it was the same for other trolls too? Draal, for example, didn't look like someone who ever needed or wanted to hide his presence.
Somehow, a vivid image of Barbara stumbling upon Draal trying to take cover behind a lampost, flashed through Jim's mind.
Yep, that definitely could happen, even if he preferred it to remain just his imagination.
"This eerie calmness drives me nuts!" Toby confessed with a groan as both he and Jim were pedaling their bikes to school. "Like, I expect someone jumping out of the bushes right now!"
"Trolls are weak against sunlight," Jim said, even though he shared the anxiety. Not to mention that there were also changelings to think about.
No action from the enemies' side grew more suspicious with each passing day.
It was as if they were plotting something - and well, with some recent developments, it wasn't that far-fetched. Of course, Bular was straightforward and blunt, yet he wasn't the only enemy.
On the other hand, the temporary peace gave the Trollhunter's team some space to breathe. Jim had finally a chance to recover from everything and even got some quality training from Draal. Claire steadily progressed in her magic studies, learning some neat magic tricks.
Blinky was amid of convincing the Trollmarket's residence that some changelings used Arcadia as a base. Well, at least, according to his own words, as Jim somehow doubted his attempts were successful.
Another recent development was Aaarrrgghh moving into Toby's house to act as his protector. Jim also suspected it was also partially to keep an eye on him, and silently thanked his troll friends for the consideration. No, he didn't think that Tobes would try to pull another crazy and reckless plan after that encounter with Gladis, but he might have ended up in a dangerous situation unwillingly.
Jim would rather know that his best friend was safe from bloodthirsty trolls and any other potential danger. Aaarrrgghh might have been a pacifist, but he found him reliable enough.
Actually, the situation with Gladis made the team reconsider their strategy a lot. Forcing a changeling to reveal their true nature while surrounded by people? That should have been a big no from the very beginning.
They simply couldn't put their schoolmates in risky situations. Not to mention that running around with a gaggletack openly must have warned all the changelings in the close vicinity. Now, all of them would be at least ten times more cautious, and cornering anyone somehow became even more tricky.
The current procedure was finding a suspicious person, isolating them, and then checking with a gaggletack. Obviously, no one was doing that without backup hiding somewhere close.
It was foolproof.
It was also painfully slow. The progress by this point was nearly non-existent, with the long list of suspects not getting any shorter.
"So, who are we checking today?" Toby inquired as if reading Jim's thoughts. "I'll say, we need to finish with everyone who saw your first fight with psycho Steve."
"OK." Jim nodded absent-mindedly. Somehow, Toby kept better track of all the stuff, so he trusted him with that.
Besides, it was dumb to deny that Tobes was the only one so far, who had actually located a changeling (even if it had been the 'right place, wrong person' kind of situation).
"Aaaaaaaand, I'd say, Mr. Strickler too," Toby added. This one made Jim pay attention at once, discarding all the other thoughts.
"Tobes, look..."
"Oh, come on, Jimbo!" Toby interrupted his best friend, giving him no chance to argue. "You keep delaying this one for a while! Even Claire has noticed already!"
"Mr. Strickler isn't a changeling," Jim said with a sigh. "Haven't we discussed it already?"
The truth was he was simply terrified and felt awful. Mr. Strickler had always been one of the people he genuinely liked and trusted.
Someone like that as a murderous shapeshifter? An enemy? The only thought of that hurt.
"Well, just check him, see that nothing happens, and get some peace of mind then." Toby shrugged. "You had no problem with checking Eli. So why here? Besides, you'll be able to feel comfortable talking to Mr. Strickler once again!"
Was it so surprising that his best friend had noticed his inner turmoil? Even if Jim kept defending Mr. Strickler's innocence, there was also that small disgusting worm of doubt. It was enough to create a wall between the student and the teacher who used to have been so close before.
Toby was right. One check would put an end to this absolutely bizarre situation where Jim both suspected and refused to suspect Mr. Strickler.
It shouldn't be that long or complicated. Just a formality. A quick check to put Jim's mind at ease.
And the worst outcome should have been Mr. Strickler being slightly confused because of the horseshoe.
Well, even if Mr. Strickler's opinion about him sank, Jim would gladly take that outcome over the other possibility.
They arrived at the school gates in total silence. It was as if Toby was giving his best friend some space for consideration, but honestly, Jim genuinely wished there was some idle chat instead.
"Hey, guys!" Claire approached them with a smile. "So what's the plan for today?"
Jim envied her enthusiasm, but well, apparently, she had already checked her own close circle with a gaggletack, and there were no changeling spies there. He wished he was in the same position.
Toby briefly explained the plan to Claire, getting some corrections and additional suggestions in exchange - Jim didn't listen attentively to that one, even though it was his task first and foremost. Perhaps, the actual break from the trollhunting was long overdue like Douxie had hinted some time ago.
Strickler wondered what was the exact point when everything had just fallen apart. So much intricate planning, countless intrigues, and nearly artful balancing of Bular's dumb mood swings - and nothing mattered in the end!
No, of course, he was happy there weren't any more meddlesome pests from the headquarters around anymore. However, the fact that Barverra (not even Bular!) had finished two of those was worrisome, to put it mildly.
Who would have imagined that the daughter of Gunmar had been the one with the least patience?
Unless there had been a peerless explanation for that kind of attitude. Somehow, Strickler seriously doubted that anyone would rip off someone's head for no reason.
He shuddered at the memory of entering the hideout that night and hearing the details from Nomura, who had been an unwitting (and luckily, unnoticed) witness to that. From her words, Barverra had just lost it while listening to Shen's bragging.
And that was the part that confused Strickler the most. No, sure thing, he found Shen insufferable, but she had been smart enough to communicate with her superiors properly.
That hadn't been a changeling even Bular would have killed after any kind of report, let alone the successful one!
So why would Barverra have reacted like that? Had it been Shen's choice of words? Her tone? Her attitude?
No. Strickler could proudly claim he understood Barverra's mindset (well, mostly). If he had survived so far after walking so close to the edge countless times, Shen simply couldn't have overstepped the boundaries.
It had to be something else. But what?
Could it be because of Shen's actual actions at school?
Walter nearly laughed at the unhinged idea. Why would Barverra, the ruthless daughter of Gunmar, have been furious because of Shen hurting her mortal enemy?
She was never the one caring for Jim Lake's well-being.
Oh, wait, apparently, Barverra might have still had no idea about the Trollhunter's true identity.
That had to be it. The daughter of Gunmar must have been losing her patience for a while, so learning that Shen had been seemingly wasting her time and resources on the fake lead had been that literal last straw.
Young Atlas definitely possessed some nearly divine level of luck.
No, it was Stricklander who was actually lucky, still having a chance to execute his plan despite all those complications!
Besides, now that Strickler thought about it, hadn't all of his rivals actually contributed to the possible obliteration of any kind of confidence Jim could have possibly had?
Some close encounters with death in the close succession plus experiencing the horrifying effects of that filtered gravesand should have been a deadly combo.
Young Atlas had turned out to be an extremely brave and determined kid, but everything had its limits.
He had to be on the verge of breaking. Even a gentle nudge in the right direction should have been enough at the moment.
Strickler had to try and have another heart-to-heart talk with his favorite student.
The timing was simply too good.
All the rivals? Dead. Probably no other fools from the headquarters for a while too - no one would risk their life without need.
Bular? Seemingly behaving.
Barverra? Apparently, not around after storming out the night she obliterated Shen.
Strickler could finally stop worrying about some backstabbing from within - his position was back to the one he had the day Jim had picked the amulet, meaning more space to maneuver at last.
So what if Young Atlas had stopped coming to his office? Walter could always be a slightly bit forceful and invite him himself.
Hopefully, Shen hadn't made the boy suspicious towards the entire school body.
Hopefully, for sure. Strickler fought the urge to curse as he watched not only Jim but Domzalski and even Nunez going around with gaggletacks and checking different people.
Why would he have expected anything else? Even if Jim hadn't suspected everyone, he had enough teammates who could possibly be way more cautious.
Strickler had relaxed too early. He still had no time - and the report that Gladis had perished only proved it.
He nearly expected Young Atlas to come to him with a gaggletack and had already fully embraced the thought of the unavoidable fight.
But days kept passing - and nothing happened.
Was he off the hook?
Strickler wasn't that naive to believe in dumb luck. Jim and his team still suspected him - the queue simply hadn't reached that point. Nothing more, nothing less.
Walter caught himself checking his hidden knife too many times.
Always be ready for a sudden attack - that was a simple rule beaten into his head since the beginning of his Janus Order's days. It saved his life too many times. Still, he found it ironic that Young Atlas was the one to trigger that level of cautiousness - that seemingly innocent kid who was afraid to talk to his crush not that long ago!
The wait was maddening. Perhaps, Strickler had to be more proactive - if Jim planned to attack in any case, wouldn't it be better to choose the time and place instead of him?
That could be possibly the last opportunity to size that damned amulet.
Walter played several possible scenarios inside his head, making sure he had predicted everything. So far, it felt good.
The die was cast, and he had already reached the point of no return.
Strickler had no trouble finding Jim during recess - he was discussing something with his friends in the corner. It didn't seem like a peaceful conversation, looking more like a heated debate.
Walter clicked his tongue - he'd rather have preferred a solo encounter, but there was a backup plan for a similar situation. On the other hand, Jim's agitated state might have been the best for now.
"Jim, can I have a second of your time?" Strickler approached the teens with a cordial smile. He took a note of Domzalski tensing and Nunez giving him a dirty look, but Young Atlas himself seemed to be more lost than wary.
"Sure, why not?" Jim answered with an awkward shrug, casting a glance at his friends.
Strickler didn't miss Domzalski stealthily passing some kind of object to his best friend. Jim seemingly tried to refuse, but Toby whispered something to him.
A disagreement?
Walter hid his surprise though, feigning ignorance as Jim followed him to his office.
The fight would never start with so many people around, but it could be different once they stay alone.
Strickler closed the door, watching if Jim's attitude changed. It would take only a second to pull the hidden knife in the case of the real threat.
Yet his student stood still, exploring the floor with a hard-to-read expression.
"Young Atlas, you can sit down," Walter said calmly. The following action would be a decisive one. Attacking from a sitting position would be challenging even for a well-trained warrior. Even a novice like Jim should have realized that.
Yet, he still sat down.
So, no fight?
Yet, Jim's hand was inside his bag too. What was he gripping so tightly? The amulet? A gaggletack?
Did it matter?
Any of those meant the boy didn't trust Strickler.
Perhaps, he should have attacked now, with the opponent in the vulnerable position.
"I wonder how we have landed here," Walter said instead.
There was no response.
"You used to come here so often, Young Atlas," Strickler continued, extremely attentive to the boy's body language. "Yet it stopped for some reason. Have I unknowingly offended you?"
Jim took his hand out of the bag - a slow, seemingly dragged motion. Strickler prepared to take out the knife.
That had to be the end.
Yet...
Jim's hand was empty. He finally raised his head, smiling awkwardly.
"It's nothing like that. I... I still like talking to you. It's just, well, too many things have changed, and..."
He was hesitant, and each word came out after some thought.
Not fully trusting, but also not suspecting a thing. The pieces of the puzzle clicked all of a sudden, and Strickler barely refrained from a triumphant grin.
The Trollhunter's allies could suspect him as much as they wanted - Young Atlas himself still considered Walter his close person. He hid things because of his wish to protect, not because of some suspicions.
And that brought some hope.
"Just remember - I'm always here to listen to you. No matter how outlandish it might sound to someone else."
Those were carefully picked words, and Walter saw those reached their target.
He mentally praised himself for forging such a tight bond. Even Shen's foolish plan hadn't damaged that one.
At last, after so many complications, luck was back on Walter's side - and he wouldn't miss the opportunity this time.
Jim left after some unrelated conversation about his studies. Strickler made sure not to touch any sensitive topics - giving the boy some space should have been the key to success.
He ran and ran, and ran, trying to get away from something, yet never able to escape. There was a building ahead and Jim dashed toward it, hoping to find a shelter there.
It seemed so painfully familiar, but he failed to identify it for some reason. Only after the door closed behind him, the answer flashed through his mind.
The dental clinic. The one Toby frequented. And...
"Trollhunter!" an inhuman voice yelled, and a troll ambushed him from the shadows.
There was a sword in his hand (since when?), and he made an attempt to block an attack...
To block? Really? Why would his sword have ended up impaling the troll then?
No, not the troll. She stood right before Jim, her hands bloodied and shaking, her eyes full of shock - the kind lady he had talked to several times while waiting for Toby.
Blood, there was so much blood. It streamed right under his feet, painting the floor sickening red.
"Why?" she asked nearly inaudibly.
"I..." Jim tried to find an excuse, yet the words kept escaping him.
"You've killed Gladis," a cold voice stated grimly as a cold hand gripped Jim's shoulder.
The pursuer. He stood right behind, fully enjoying Jim's anguish and continuing with nearly sadistic glee:
"I told everyone about your true nature. Was anyone listening? And now you've just proven my point. You're a monster!"
Jim woke up in a cold sweat. This nightmare had been haunting him for several days already, starting right after Gladis's death.
Wrong.
Not her death, her murder. Self-defense or not, Jim had crossed the line he should have never crossed.
He gulped. His throat felt so dry, and Jim could swear he tasted ash. The last one was just a fruit of his imagination, though - when Gladis had exploded, he had accidentally inhaled some of her remains.
The taste was something he would never forget as his mind connected it to his first kill.
No, sure thing, there were goblins before, but it was so easy to view those as just creatures.
Trolls, however... No matter how scary-looking, they were still not that different from humans when it came to sentience and personality.
And Gladis... Jim had talked to her occasionally. She had been friendly and cordial, sharing some funny stories at times, or just giving him advice about mouth hygiene. Had she had any friends? Some family, perhaps?
How had those reacted to her 'disappearance'? How many people would ever learn the truth? Would anyone even grieve her?
All those thoughts made Jim feel even guiltier. The taste of ash intensified, and he went downstairs in the bleak hope to wash it off with some water.
The common sense told him that wouldn't help - there was no ash to start with, but well, it could be a good distraction.
He sneaked down as stealthily as possible, highly conscious of each faint sound he made. It would be a true disaster if Barbara woke up - all those days, Jim was actively avoiding her. Not that it was difficult because of her working schedule, and it might have even looked not that suspicious, but he just sensed that his mother most likely wished to talk.
And the only thought of it chilled him to the bone.
Jim wasn't ready for that encounter. The wound he had inflicted seemed as much of a sin as the recent kill.
A part of him expected Barbara to barge into his room, demanding an explanation, yet it hadn't happened so far.
Jim had no idea if he should have felt relieved or terrified. Perhaps, his mom was now hating him or being afraid of his unexplained violent urges.
No, obviously, Jim himself knew the reason for those, and luckily, the anger spikes had calmed down surprisingly fast, so the gravesand hadn't caused any lasting damage. The main issue was explaining all of that to Barbara - and it was impossible without revealing everything about trolls, trollhunting, and all the secret side of Arcadia.
Jim finally reached the kitchen, gulping as much water as he could. As he suspected, the lingering ash taste remained. Most likely, eating something wouldn't help too.
He had to wait for it to go away, and...
"Can't sleep too, kiddo?" His mom's gentle question startled him.
Since when?
Wait, no. Was his mother that good in stealthy movement? Jim hadn't noticed her at all!
"I just came for some water," he said with a chuckle, trying to escape. "I'm going back already."
"Jim, I know you're avoiding me. Again." Barbara sighed. "Can we talk?"
There was a sense of deja vu. Oh, yeah, they had been in a similar situation before. It felt as if the whole eternity had passed since that time, even though it had been just some weeks. Back then, Jim decided to keep the truth from her - and honestly, all the recent developments only made him more determined to keep the secret.
Barbara walked to the sofa, sat down, and patted a spot by her side. Jim winced, noticing she was still limping a bit. How long would it take for that wound to heal entirely? And a mental one? That would stay forever.
He sat down, subconsciously keeping some distance. Ironically, it perfectly reflected their current position - it was his dear mom, his precious family, yet somehow they continued to drift apart.
"Remember you told me everything on your mind?" Barbara whispered. "You still can. I'm here for you."
"Even if it's complicated?"
"It's difficult to surprise me, kiddo. I've seen and heard a lot." She chuckled and tried to pull him into a side hug.
Jim didn't budge. His eyes were glued to another bandage, this time on her arm.
Had he injured her twice during that gravesand-induced rampage?
Barbara followed his gaze and frowned.
"Look, Jim, I know what you think, but you have nothing to do with this one. I got a burn trying to make some omelet."
Those words made Jim feel even worse. He might not have inflicted it directly, but the responsibility was still his. If there had been no awkwardness between the two of them, Barbara wouldn't have tried to cook something.
He opened his mouth to voice his concern before remembering who actually had been more active in this avoidance stuff.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" Barbara raised her eyebrows.
"For...everything," Jim said, examining the floor.
"It's normal for a family to have disagreements at times." This time, his mom actually succeeded in hugging him.
"It's not normal to stab your family though."
Jim froze, realizing he voiced that thought.
"Jim, I've told you not to blame yourself for that," Barbara stated firmly. "Let it go. It's not worth it."
At times, he wondered if he was still sane. How could his mother claim it wasn't anything major? Especially without knowing the backstory?
"How can you say that?"
"You're my son, and I know you." Barbara smiled and ruffled his hair. "You'll never do anything horrible for no reason."
That kind of blind faith - did he even deserve it?
"And what if I killed someone?"
'Would you still consider a monster your son?'
Jim never had the guts to ask the second one too.
"Jim, what kind of foolish question is that?" Barbara laughed. Was it his imagination, or did it actually sound so forced?
Besides...
She hadn't answered the question.