Author's Note ~
Who's ready for Book 2?
We for sure are, nothing bad, but mostly because Wizards and 3 Below only have one or two seasons!
Thank goodness!
Side Notes ~
Please enjoy! We are working on this book differently so we can get going on Wizards! Like always, we will let you know the date when we will publish Wizards!
Also, we did skip over this show, so these reactions our purely ours as we watch. We will watch the episode, write down our thoughts and questions and then write the script. After we will edit our reactions and turn them into lines for the characters.
Isn't that crazy?
Terra Incognita - Part 1
The stage was dark, the spotlight shining on the lone microphone. A head appeared from the left, the light shrieking as it landed on the young girl who winced, shielding her face. She nervously stepped up, pulled the microphone up to her height, and said one word, a thick accent being heard from such a simple word.
Mary turned to face her friends with a confused look, wondering what the foreign exchange student had been doing. Granted, they were different and a little crazy, and knowing that Jim had been the center of focus on the last one, it was sure to be about them, but what could they possibly possess that made them different?
"Hi," she started before wincing once more, the screech of the speaking device making it all the more awkward for her. She smiled nervously before clearing her throat and wearing a straight face. "Hi! My name is Aja Tarron of House Tarron and I want to tell you a story. It's a good story, it is very lively with lots of humor and excitement. It begins in some place, very, very, very far from here." She looks up at the sky, the crowd silent as she speaks. That is when her eyes turned a mystical blue.
Aja shrunk in her seat, listening to the murmurs of the crowd. She was new to the experience and hearing people judging herself on a massive screen was embarrassing, especially since these people didn't know who she truly was.
Beside her, Steve and Toby perked up, Eli had already been freaking out once she reached the stage but the other two knew what was happening. Of course, the blue troll and the small girl perched beside them shared confusion, wondering what was happening, and that made sense but she couldn't have Toby, Eli, or Steve shouting out.
"-an entirely different planet called Akiridion-5." From Aja speaking on the stage, the scene had changed, morphing into an alien-like creature. It roared, resembling a very large bug in the center of a ring. Not many colors compared to Earth, the planet was filled with blue and pink hues, and rarely any other colors were seen.
"I'm sorry, did she say different planet, meaning Aliens?" Darci gasped out.
"I don't know if I can handle this, first Trolls, now Aliens! What next?"
"No one, not a single person here is questioning that the two weirdos are Aliens and they are sitting in human form! The fact that they blend in so easily like Changelings. You, you must be one!" A student cried, tackling another as Aja and Krel gave one another a nervous look. However, Krel was more confused about one word.
"Changelings?"
"That would be me," Strickler spoke. "I can change from Human to Troll, perhaps you should have had a better filling in." Strickler glared at Merlin.
"There is time for that after, it is better to get this out of the way otherwise none of you will stop asking questions." Merlin shot back.
It appeared to be fighting another large alien bug, the two sliding and clawing at the ground as they butted heads, the camera spun as the wrestled each other to the floor, but it was revealed that the creatures were in fact small, three alien teens cheered and betted on the bugs, that was until they were unfortunately crushed by an alien pet rampaging through the road, a girl chasing deteremingly.
"Come back right now!" The alien in a cloak yelled at the pet, and the three aliens cried at them as they ran, upset at their game being ruined. The animal continued to flee, running through the busy roads, its owner struggling to pass. Her hood fell as she jerked back, and gasped as she lost sight of the animal but was glad to see it barking as it weaved through the bystanders. She slid her hood back on, leaping at the honking cars.
Jim glanced at Toby, the two made eye contact before grinning. "I know, they're cool looking. We were running from a Bounty Hunter before we came. I saw what they looked like."
"Bounty Hunter?" Jim questioned as Claire grew intrigued.
"They're on the run from bad guys, it's crazy town banana pants!"
"Whoa, whoa!" Mary cried out, "Slow down. We can't even get over the fact of aliens that somehow lived amongst us."
"It is quite perplexing, however, Vendel knew of your kind. I am rather pleased by your number of appendages." Blinky said as Krel grinned.
"This troll has taste."
"They're not so bad, maybe we should see their story, give them a chance. We gave Jim and the Trolls a chance." Steve added as the crowd stared at him in shock.
"You've been growing soft, Palchuck. It's awesome but freaky."
"I'm just saying, we shouldn't act all crazy unless we have to." Aja glanced at Steve in wonder, watching as he leaned back, silence now filling the air and giving the Princess time to process her thoughts. Especially the raging ones of the blonde human next to her.
Her longing look went noticed by the people in the front row, Jim, Claire, and Toby looked quite shocked while Krel sat with a gag.
"Sorry! Lost pet!" She cried, laughing nervously. "Luug, you are ruining a perfectly lively day!" She yelled, her voice easily recognized as Aja while her dog-like pet continued to run, something trapped in his mouth.
While she was busy chasing after her playful pet, a crowd gathered around a large blue platform, cheering as the subtitles read 'coronation day'. The king and queen of the planet sat in the middle, hands up as they waved to the crowd.
"Smile and wave, smile and wave." The queen reminded the king following but asking with impatience.
"Where is she? It's her ceremony too."
"You know your daughter, Aja's spirited."
"You're majesties," a much smaller alien had greeted.
"Have you found our daughter?"
"In a manner of speaking."
"So, speak!" The king cried out.
"It would appear she's run away." The king and queen were shocked at what they heard, before speaking in unison, pointing out that this was not the first time.
"Again?" From the parents hearing the news, a young alien boy was fascinating himself with gadgets, tapping in midair and answering a call while pestering with his items.
"Again?" Steve asked.
"I tend to despise staying home during… stressful events. Being Queen, most of all."
"It is continuous, annoying," Krel stated.
"You're late." The boy spoke, Aja's head moving on the screen, appearing that she was still running.
"Sorry, Luug totally-" The boy cut her off, laughing lightly.
"Don't Luug me if you don't get here in five mekrons, mama and Papa will stomp you." Aja laughed.
"I think we both know I won't be there at all," she gasped as someone yelled, Aja quickly moving out of the way. "And, we both know I don't want to be queen in waiting." At that, her brother groaned.
"You're running away, again? Hey, why are you actually running?"
"Luug decided to run away from me," she simply replied while her brother continued to tinker with whatever he had.
"You're going to miss the ceremony."
"Say hi to Mama and Papa!" She laughed, clearly not bothered before hanging up, her brother watching with a small glare.
"Krel," a man said, the king and queen stepping in as he continued to work. "My son. I have some bad news."
"Aja ran away again and won't be attending the ceremony. I might have spoken to her."
"I'm sorry, my boy."
"Why is he apologizing, she ran away?" Darci asked, turning to Krel.
"The show must go on, one does not show for the coronation, then it gets passed down," Krel replied, feeling his forehead despite being in human form. "I get we are not ready, but I wasn't ready at all, yet, I had to be."
"So, you guys are the royalty of an entire planet?" Claire asked.
"Percisly. It is not as glamorous as it looks."
"Neither is being a Trollhunter," Barbara spoke up. "We may have just met, but you guys are kids with a lot of tension on your shoulders. Too much for you to carry, sometimes, you need someone there to push through."
Aja blinked, "you sound like my Mama."
Barbara smiled in return, "I feel like a mother to all."
"It's fine, she's a free spirit," Krel answered, his gadget floating from view.
"One day, you will be king. You're mother and I will be gone and you and Aja will be all the other has," the King spoke, watching as his son looked down, eyes shut.
"What if I'm not ready to be a king?"
"Of course, you're not ready to be king, no one is ever ready."
"What I mean is, what if I'm not good enough?"
The king gently cupped his son's face, "If I know anything, my son, it is that life is a series of choices. It's what we choose in the small moments that makes our lives better or worse. You will not face these choices alone because you will always have your family. Including your sister, no matter how much she wishes to deny that she's a royal."
Krel turned from him, hands waving as parts filled the small sphere he crafted, easily fitting and sealing in success.
"I did it!" Krel cried happily as his father placed his hand on his shoulder.
"Impressive."
A woman's voice echoed toward them, catching their attention, "My liege, we must begin the ceremony."
"We are ready, Lieutenant Zadra," the king responded.
"Speak for yourself," Krel muttered as his father stepped off, calling for his son to follow.
"Come along, Krel, King-in-Waiting."
"Fine, I'm ready," the said boy spoke, following his father out into the open, his figure projected through the dark sky as the crowd cheered. "I guess." As Krel headed toward his future, Aja growled as she noticed her fleeing animal.
Aja sighed as she watched her brother take a mantle she refused to accept. She couldn't help but feel a slight pang of guilt. Her father was right, she would be all he had when the time came and she was not there.
Even watching her parents fade once again was something she didn't want to relive and having everyone else see it, well, it was not comforting.
"I see you, you little slime-bucket," she flipped from platform to platform, giving chase as she landed in the street, bystanders jumping in surprise as she broke through the gaps. "Get back here, or I'll have you turned into Flexel!
She leaped from moving vehicles, apologizing as she had jumped above pedestrians. She ducked and rolled, arms reaching out to grab her pet, and finally getting a grip on the alien pet.
However her back collided with a bar, but it never phased her, only the people nearby as she focused on yanking a strange device from the pet's mouth.
"Luug, that is not a toy!" The pet let out a massive sneeze, the force pushing the duo back and onto the counter, and while Aja threatened her pet, she had a friendly smile on her face. "Maybe even Flexel is too good for you," she grunted as Luug leaped onto her, licking her profusely.
The scene changed, people surrounding the clearing of an arena, a figure of Coranda stepping to the family, as Coranda spoke, "For hundreds of keltons, Akiridion-5 stood divided between two houses, the House Akraohm of my ancestors, and House Ventis of my husband's."
The husband took the artifact from the older member, holding it high as his wife continued to speak, "Today, we celebrate the joining of these two great houses into House Tarron and declare the heir to the throne to be ready and good."
Krel stared down the artifact as it lowered to his face, two circles lighting up in the center before merging together. A soft light reached Krel's face, the boy wincing and closing his eyes as an arch curved into his forehead.
"Whoa! Does that hurt?" Eli asked as he soaked in everything about the Alien culture and tech.
"It felt like a slight pinch."
"This ridge is the mark of our ancestors," Fialkov stated as Krel's body lifted from the floor, a circle of light surrounded him as blue lines surrounded the orb, "and proclaims you worthy of the crown of Akiridion that has stood for righteousness since ages past.
Smoke poured from beneath Krel as light ripped through the sky, creating of beacon of light and blinding the crowd. Krel had lowered to the floor, the smoke and light clearing rapidly.
"It is done," Coranda said with firmness, pride swelling in her as the crowd cheered. Krel felt the symbol carved on his forehead as his arms reached for him.
"The King-in-waiting will now honor the tradition of a demonstration of combat," Fialkov mentioned.
"Commander Varvatos Vex, step forward." A large blue figure suddenly appeared as Coranda called, four eyes staring down Krel as he circled the boy.
"Varvatos Ves is prepared to crush." In nervousness, Krel gulped as the crowd chanted the vast warrior's name.
Krel's father slung his arm around his shoulder, smiling kindly down at him, "Relax. You'll be fine."
"And if I don't?"
"You'll smile and wave, like so." The father stated as he waved his hand. Hoping to comfort his distressed son. It was only a moment before the father moved away.
"That is great advice, getting beat up, smiling, and waving while they continuously pound you in the ground!"
"Just go easy on me would you?" Krel asked the vast guard.
"Varvatos will give you the honor of a glorious death." The two circled one another as the parents watched from the side, not disturbed by the strange threat, only slightly annoyed.
"Vex, always with the death." The said guard had circled Krel who tried to keep his nervousness at bay.
"He's rolling his eyes at the death threat? Man, this seems as tough-skinned as the Troll life." Toby mumbled.
"You do understand this whole thing is just for show, right?" Krel asked but Varvatos didn't stop his threatening show.
"Varvatos will show you glorious death!" He circled his weapon, spears jutting out of the opposite sides of the circular device, Krel not pulling off an epic move as he simply opened his own.
"Ay," the father groaned as Krel let out a gasp at the wicked grin his opponent delivered him.
"Begin!" The mother yelled and Varvatos didn't hesitate, leaping into the air with his weapon raised as he shot down at the King-to-be. Thankfully, Krel had raised his shield, a blue case covering Krel as he backed away from the vast guard. However, his luck wasn't fully intact as the force threw him back, and he tumbled to the floor.
"Varvatos will make this a memorable pummeling." He stalked closer to his prey but Krel didn't give up, his hand tucked beneath him as he yanked out a strange device, tossing the metal ball towards the feet of Varvatos.
It beeped rapidly before a blue ball expanded out, surrounding Varvatos in a strange forcefield. "What, what, what, what?" The guard cried out.
Steve glanced at Eli who was gaping at every sight, almost inspecting every detail and he couldn't help but smile. His sidekick was enjoying a whole new sight and learning everything he could, all while Steve was focusing on the story of Aja.
Speaking of Aja, she grew tense at the sight of a normal event, knowing what would play next and the thought of looking away was growing much more pleasing.
Krel chuckled as the crowd cheered at his victory, unaware of the lurking danger behind him that had broken free from the trap. "Oh, yeah!" He cheered before his hand brushed against the armor of Varvatos. "Oh, no."
He turned to face Varvatos with a nervous chuckle as the guard's massive hand reached for Krel, the screen growing dark. The screen lit up once again as Krel's head was shoved through the floor of the arena, body halfway through it as if it was water.
"You always leave your sword-hand side exposed!" Krel didn't respond, kicking himself off the floor and letting his feet collide with Varvatos. It had given him a moment to fly back, putting distance between both him and Varvatos. "You struck Varvatos Glorious! Varvatos will reward you with the most remarkable slaying!"
"Vex!" The King called, joining them on the battlefield. "Would you permit me the honor of sparring with my son, old friend? Your serrator, Varvatos."
Varvatos didn't hesitate to give his weapon to the king, "My liege." Varvatos stepped out of the way as the king pulled off an epic move with the weapon.
"I sparred with my father at my coronation, as he sparred with his father before him. This is a sacred honor, Krel."
"What a family," Krel simply replied, his own weapon in hand.
"One day, you'll be able to best me in a duel. You might as well begin trying." Behind the king, lasers zipped through the sky, colliding with the base of the shell that wrapped protectively around the crowd. With fear, the king watched as ships circled the border landing continuous blows against the dome.
"Those are General Morando's Strykers," the queen mentioned. Above the city, a massive jagged ship appeared from the darkness, fear-filled residents watched on while others took off in a run.
"Uh, I'm sorry, why is your own General attacking your home?"
"We prefer not to bring it up ourselves. The destruction he caused was core shattering." Aja replied as the crowd grew in confusion, watching the scene play out.
This was how they must arrive at Earth, something must have happened to push them out and cause Bounty Hunters to roam the streets of Arcadia, and the way Aja was so bitter made Steve tense lightly in his seat.
"Seklos and Gaylen, what's happening?"
"Seek refuge, get to the shelter, now!" The king cried out as pieces of the dome rained down. Everyone took off in fear, screaming as they left the area.
"My lieges, we must return you to the palace at once!" The familiar guard, Zadra spoke as another guard, resembling a much smaller version of a Hammerhead Shark stood nearby.
"We need to find Aja!" The worried queen cried.
Aja broke inside, not wanting to show much emotion in front of people she barely knew. Her mother was worried for her safety, very much proving to Aja that she should blame herself for the state of her parents.
"If the city's defenses do not hold, we cannot guarantee your safety, my royals." The dome shook and rattled, massive holes ripping through it as explosives rained down.
"How did he disable the shield?" The father asked.
"There is a traitor in our midst," Zadra said with anger as the king and queen walked away, Krel following in a panic.
"Mama, papa! I'm not leaving you."
"You're not leaving us, you're following orders." The king said. "Now get Vex and Zadra and go find your sister." He pulled his son in a small hug before pulling away. "She needs you now."
While the crowd hadn't been so used to Aja and Krel, after all, they were strange which was now answered to why they didn't seem as intelligent on Earth. However, they felt remorse as they watched the city crumble and fall, and families separated.
"We went through something like this, watching as enemies tore through our town and threatened us. Sometimes, we might not be on the right foot, and we can tell you aren't comfortable with us. But, we understand, and seeing your home become unsavable, must be hard." Darci started.
"It was," Krel answered.
"What do you mean? Enemies?" Aja asked.
"I shall give these enemies a glorious death!" Vex cried as he came to a stand.
"No! No, they are gone, Jim stopped them. They were bad trolls, dangerous ones, that whole Apocolypse thing after Battle of the Bands." Toby replied.
"Jim? You mean that boy that wore a metal suit to catch lighting?" Krel asked, turning to face Jim. "You are different."
"Yeah, I changed, but I like it now. Mostly because my friends made me feel safe and welcome," Jim said, kissing Claire's hand as she smiled.
"I don't believe we were there to see such strange things happen to your town," Aja added.
Speaking of Aja, she clutched her pet closely as she stared down the attack. "Oh, Luug, we've got to hurry!" She took off in a run, a small crowd forming around her as a ship exploded against a building.
"Ah! Mama, Mama, where are you?" A wandering kid cried out, unaware of the collapsing ship that fell towards her.
"Look out!" Aja cried and ran toward the child, pushing her as far as she could from the rapidly piling debris. The smoke cleared, and nothing but fallen pieces of the building were in sight. That was until Luug barked as he climbed the rubble, searching for his owner.
From the thick pile, a blue shield busted from the center, clearing an opening for Aja and the child to appear safely from below.
"Are you okay?" Aja asked gently after a moment, the shield from her weapon disappearing, but before the child could answer, the parent that had been missing appeared from behind, frantic but thankful.
"Davaros!" The mother cried and wrapped the child in a hug. "Thank you, thank you." Red rocketed through the clearing, instantly alerting Aja to the mass army behind her.
"No thanking, just running!" She opened her shield, giving a clearing for the reunited family as she grabbed Luug, making a break for it as well. However, she didn't get very far when a burst of red pushed her to the ground.
She didn't hesitate to get up, guarding herself as a circular ship appeared through the dense crowd of enemies, rolling around Aja as it continued to circle the vast group, Varvatos being the driver.
"Glorious death!" He lowered the craft, Aja running toward it as he cried out for her. "Get on!"
"Wow, he really likes the word glorious."
"Wait, wait. This reminds me of the time when Jim ran around with a bunch of clones.."
"Please, don't bring that up," Jim mumbled into his armored hand.
"GLORY!"
"Glorious!" Vex yelled at the student.
"Glory!"
"Glorious!"
"Glory!"
"It is glorious!"
"Mm, Glory!"
"Luug!" Aja cried out, waving the pet on board and the two managed to climb on safely. The only unfortunate thing was that Luug had perched on Varvatos' shoulder and lifted his leg.
"Don't even think about it, you filthy animal." The ship scraped against the ground and darted away from the enemy who worked to shoot it down but failed miserably. Within the ship, Aja had already been in contact with her brother.
"What is happening?" She asked his figure on the screen.
"It's a coup. General Morando is trying to usurp the throne."
"Krel, are Mama and Papa–" She couldn't finish the desired question as Krel winced, the ship taking a massive shot. The alarms flared as Zadra frantically tried to stabilize what she could.
"We've been hit! We lost firepower!"
"Cover me!" Krel stated before lifting the hatch and ducking out from the ship.
"What? Why? Oh! Because you're trying to kill yourself!" Krel pulled himself beneath the ship as fighter ships flanked behind him.
"She is totally done with your crap."
"Who isn't?" Aja snorted.
"Okay, not so bad," Krel mumbled to himself but caught sight of the damage. "Oh, no, no. It's bad."
"Just fix it!" Zadra cried out as she maneuvered through the shots that dared to knock them from the sky. "Vex, a little help here?"
Varvatos struggled as he twisted and turned from every blow, Aja tense behind him. "Does Varvatos look busy right now?"
"Nah, you look great to me."
"Krel, status?" Zadra asked as Krel had still been hanging upside down, different symbols surrounding him as he frantically moved to correct each one.
"We have to reroute power from the secondary sub-manifold to the ampule array." They raced through the city, the enemy close behind and locking the target on the ship.
"Target locked," the enemy spoke.
"Krel!" Zadra cried out in panic.
"Almost, almost, almost! Got it, locked and loaded!" The weapons from the ship twisted to face the enemies but the ship quickly went out of view as it dived into a fog bank. The ships of the enemies had paused, searching frantically for the missing target that had spun out behind them, flipping out of the fog bank, now giving chase to the enemy.
"Gotcha!" Zadra hissed as she fired at the enemy ships, turning them into nothing but dust. As the enemies had vanished into thin air, the two Akiridion ships had met up, sharing a victorious smile as Vavartos laughed.
"Glorious death to everyone!"
"Glory!"
"Glorious!"
"Glory!"
"Glorious." As the student and Vex had screamed back and forward to one another, Jim facepalmed, looking at his friends while Aja and Krel rolled their eyes. Steve had to note on their posture, they seemed more relaxed as the minutes went on.
Through the streets, a vast army of red raised their shields, stepping towards the Arkaridon army that waited. The King and Queen wore a deep glare as they stared at the ocean of guards.
"Loyal soldiers," the Queen said, stepping forward. "Val Morando is a traitor to Akiridion-5. Your standing with him today is an act of high treason."
"It is?" A much taller male said, stepping through the guards. "From their perspective, it is treason not to stand with me." He chuckled evilly as he removed his helmet, his face jagged and horns misshaped. "I've returned from exile to claim back what is rightfully mine! The time for empty talk is over. Now arrives the Horvath of action."
"Hm, I don't know much, but I wonder why his creepy butt was sent to exile!"
At the raise of his arms, the guards behind them had lifted their shields. The King glanced at his army, staff jutted outwards.
"Stand fast," the King stated.
"Surrender, and I will spare your lives." Val Morndo grinned.
"We can't trust him," the Queen mumbled.
"I wasn't planning to," the King added before both he and his wife had drawn their weapons, speaking in unison.
"For Akiridion!" They charged at the soldiers, their remaining army following close behind with their weapons raised.
"For Akiridion," the guards that stood behind the king and queen ripped through the red wave, running through them as if no fear stood in the way.
Within the darkened castle, Luug whimpered as lasers shook the building as the royal siblings ran toward a strange device, sitting behind it.
"Are you scared?" Aja asked.
"I am now the king-in-waiting. I am terrified." A loud crash ripped through the room, dark smoke pouring into the hiding spot of the royal siblings.
"Retreat!" Coranda yelled. The door shut as the smoke cleared, and both Aja and Krel were excited to see their parents alive and well.
"Mama! Papa!" The two parents turned at the sound of their children and never hesitated as they ran toward them, arms pulling their children in a tight hug.
Aja held her mom close, mumbling into her. "Mama, I'm sorry I ran away again."
"There is no time for apologies. You're safe, that's all that matters."
Aja and Krel glanced at one another, their faces breaking into a saddened expressions. They knew it was coming, the moment they would lose their parents and think they were foolish enough to believe they would be okay in the end.
"I wish this never happened," Krel mumbled.
"Me too," Aja responded as the crowd was quiet, each and everyone had been staring at the others around them.
"Mama!" Krel cried, joining her side. She pulled him into a gentle hug, smiling fondly.
"The Taylon have betrayed us," the father stomped through. "We are forced to retreat, don't worry. As long as we're together, as long as we remain a family, all will be well."
"And you'll always have us and each other," Coranda spoke as the family wrapped each other into a tight hug. Behind them, Varvatos watched them share a tender moment before looking away with a frown.
"My lieges," Zadra spoke up. "Without the protection of the Taylon, there is nowhere on Akiridion we can guarantee your safety."
"Lieutenant Zadra is correct, the planet is unsafe. We must leave here at once, please." The dog's sudden barking cry echoed in the massive room, beyond the vast window, a black and red ship rose into view.
"You guys got chased from your homes? Man, this Morando guy sucks!"
"Tell us about it," Aja growled out.
"You might have lost a home, but the people of Arcadia, those you see in this room will always stand beside you," Barbara spoke up.
"But we are scary to you, aren't we? Someone screamed?" Krel replied.
"We are used to things that shock us. If you need a home, you can come to us." The crowd nodded in agreement, knowing they were good and they needed someone to lean on. After all, they had taken care of the trolls, they could take care of Aliens that needed them the most.
"Earth doesn't seem too bad at times," Aja smiled.
Luug snarled at the sight as Morando's voice called to them. "You cannot win, royals. Surrender to me." Blasts of red flooded the window as Coranda desperately ordered her kids.
"Get to the mother ship!" The glass shattered as the family ran from the ship, dodging the red blows delivered to them. From the ship, a red digital bridge poured beneath Morando's feet, turning into a solid glass bridge as his army followed.
"Fialkov!" Morando's voice cried as he raised his fist. The family froze as the mother extended her arm, keeping her family safe behind her. The couple glanced at one another, worry filling them as Morando watched with curiosity. "Fire!"
The parents stepped in front of their kids, shields raised as the red beams bounced off the surfaces.
"No!" Varvatos cried out as the shields broke, pushing the parents down. "No, Morando, no!" Varvatos dove down to the fallen King and Queen, casting a vast blue shield, stretching it across the ship, and keeping the enemies at bay. "Please, General, no!"
The kids cried out, stretching out to reach them but Zadra kept them at bay. "No! Papa, Mama!"
"My King, my Queen!" Vex cried out as Fialkov was the first to respond, weakly.
The crowd stared at the screen in surprise as Steve glanced at Aja and Krel in shock. They had begun to lose their home, and their people, and now their parents faced critical conditions. His heart throbbed in sadness as he watched the siblings stare at the ground.
Reacting without a second thought, Steve pulled Aja close while Eli watched, instantly reacting to comfort Krel. The group never spoke, only taking a comforting moment.
"Varvatos, will you stand by my side one last time, my friend?" He reached his hand out, both his and his wife's body breaking into small blue crystals.
"I will, my King."
"Protect my children with your life, if necessary." Once the two faded from sight, nothing but their weapons in Varvatos' hands, the guard's posture dropped.
"No, no!"
"Vex, lower the shield," Morando commanded, pounding his fists against it. Vex didn't answer, gathering himself and taking off in a run, following the remaining royal family out just as the shield began to lower.
"I have a question, this scary Morando man is speaking so weirdly with Vex. The way Vex talks, is he in a situation that may be Aaarrrgghh was put through?" Darci questioned.
"Varvatos isn't gentle like Aaarrrgghh," Eli mentioned, recalling his first encounter and shuttering. Behind him, Aaarrrgghh smiled.
"He like me?"
"No, Varvatos is smart, not gentle. It is a little strange with the tone General Morando has, he doesn't usually take the smooth-talking tactic."
"More like shoot first, ask later." Aja finished.
"He's taken the royal cores!" Morando screamed.
"We should hurry!"
"I'll hold them back," Zanda spoke, turning to face the guards, her weapon spinning epically. The burst of red never touched her, evaporating as they piled against the shield.
The distance closed between Zadra and Morando, his guards close behind and continuously firing as he eyed the barely visible fleeing form of his targets. Another door lifted open, more guards pouring from it and cornering the escaping group, Luug barking in a warning.
"You know, next thing is this Zadra chick is the traitor, sacrificing herself to give an easier way to stand beside Morando."
Aja and Krel glanced at one another before turning to face the student. "That is a strange thought."
"What, she assumed there was a traitor and we've seen a nasty traitor. I have trust issues!"
"Oh?"
Zadra had dropped her shield, the smoke from the blasts filling the room as Morando cut through it. Aja and Jrel had done their best to defend themselves while Varvatos had pulled out a strange device, pressing a button and a vast blue shield had begun to build itself as Zadra sprinted toward the rapidly closing wall.
"Zadra, hurry!" The guard threw herself into a roll, diving into the safety net just as it closed. From all around, the guards surrounded the dome as Morando slammed his fists against the surface.
"Vex! You Fool!" The platform lifted as Varvatos kept his arms out wide, palms facing each side of the shield. Zadra's eyes caught the fleet of guards making their way up a narrow platform, an idea forming quickly in her head.
Jim raised an eyebrow as he and Claire glanced at one another. Maybe Morando and Varvatos had some strange history as Morando seemed to single him out and act as if Varvatos would go to his side.
"Take them to the mother ship. Keep them safe." Zadra let her double-sided weapon form in front of her as she dove off the platform.
"No!" Varvatos cried as she fell towards the sea of red. "Zadra!"
Within the mother ship, Varvatos ran through the narrow pathway. "Varvatos mourns, too, but grief must wait for survival." Controls formed around his hands as two seats gently scooped Aja and Krel.
"Engines starting," an automated voice spoke, while outside, Zadra had run to guard the mother ship, her blade bouncing off guards and impaling the next. Beams of light ran down the ship as guards ran to it, firing their weapons at a close distance as the ship lifted from the platform.
Varvatos worked quickly as the guards brought out a much bigger weapon, readying to fire the cannon. At Morando's command, a massive red ball collided with the ship, completely knocking it from its rising position and crashing it into the ground.
Morando stared through the thick smoke the poured from it, but inside, it hadn't stopped Varvatos. He regained his footing and his hands were instantly placed on the controls. The ship spun and moved against the ground, creating sparks as it began to lift, shooting right over Morando and plowing through the side of the castle.
"V-Stryker squadron, engage the mother ship! Destroy them all." Morando spoke into a strange red device.
The mother ship sped through the deserted city, doing its best to avoid the nasty blows from the enemy ships. It dove and weaved, scraping against the top of buildings as its passengers struggled inside.
"We have achieved maximum velocity."
"Wait here," Aja spoke, leaping onto a hoverboard.
"I had every intention," Krel responded.
The crowd laughed as they listened to Krel's nicely timed sass. "You guys seem a lot different from when we were first introduced to you."
"Yeah, being in a new strange place tends to do that to you."
"I'll be right back."
"Unless we explode!" Vex cried out as she zoomed past.
"Yes, yes, unless we explode," Aja stated, circling the room, and exiting the room.
"Hang on, King-in-waiting," Varvatos yelled as the ship ducked and spun from the rapid blows, the mother ship shook as blasts smacked against it, causing Aja to stumbled as she reached her destination.
Her hand reached for a screen, turning the circular controls into a location-like symbol as the mother ship spoke to her.
"Indicate operation."
"Mother, save Mama and Papa! Take their cores! Here!" She pulled out the two cores.
"Initiating reintegration stasis. Rewriting the King and Queen's molecular code." The ship's screen lit up in an orange wave as the cores floated beyond the table, glowing a soft red color.
"So, they aren't fully dead? That's great!"
"Why do all mythical creatures die the same? Trolls turn to stone and can be shattered, Aliens disappear in pixels."
"And here we are, just flopping to the ground like a dead fish in its final leap."
"Well, way to make us seem boring!"
"We are boring! Tell me, Strickler. Die turning to stone or as a human. You have the choice to die a different way."
"Ah, I would prefer not to answer," Strickler mumbled, growing uncomfortable.
"I bet it's dying as a human."
"No, troll."
"But it could be more painful."
"If I could go out by turning into my own statue, then I get the chance to pose. Die lame!"
"You guys are strange."
"Fix them, mother ship. Please fix them." From Aja's desperate look, the mother ship came into view as it broke free from the planet, the enemies still giving chase, shooting frantically in hopes to shoot at the circular ship but with the blink of an eye, the mother ship burst forward, disappearing in the blanket of darkness, the fleet of ships stopping as they lost sight.
"Time to completion, unknown," the mother ship spoke, surrounding Aja in its orange wave of light. The cores floated within the warm light, stuck within the capsules as Coranda's faint echoing voice spoke.
"Aja?" The said girl wrapped her arms around the capsule with a broken expression.
The screen faded into darkness until Aja reappeared, hoverboard tucked between her arm as she snuck away, hood covering her hair.
"Aja." Coranda's much clearer-sounding voice spoke, startling Aja. She turned to face her mother who stepped closer to her. "Royals don't need to skulk under the covers of the darkness.
"They do when they don't want to be caught staying up past curfew. I can't be what you want me to be. I can't be a royal."
"No one gets to choose their station in life, Aja."
"Eh, I guess that's true. What do you think Jimmy-Jam? Or should I call you Buff-jam?" Mary said, turning to face the shocked troll.
"Does it look like I had an option?"
"Yes." Jim went silent for a moment before sighing.
"Crap. Also, Jim is better."
"Not happening, Buff-Jam."
"Maybe I'll be the first."
"There are those who would trade their life cores for royalty." Her mother slowly closed the distance.
"And I would trade my royalty for a life." Aja let out a sigh. "A normal life."
"You're remarkable, Aja," her mother turns her gently to face her.
"You say that because you're my mother."
Coranda cupped her daughter's cheek gently. "Royal or not, you are extraordinary, Aja. That is what you are constantly running away from. You could leave this palace, fly far away from our world and your destiny would follow you."
As Coranda pulled Aja into a hug, the memory faded, Aja sitting on the floor, knees tucked against her as Krel entered the room, Luug whining as he hopped towards the saddened girl.
"Aja, it's going to be alright," Krel spoke as he stood next to his sister, staring at the colors flying past the window at lightning speed. "I'm not entirely sure how, but…"
"They're gone," Aja simply replied, pulling her hand away from Luug. "Our parents and it's all my fault."
"Don't be ridiculous."
"I ran away. If I had been on time at the ceremony, it would have started sooner, which means it would have ended sooner, which means Mama and Papa would have been safe in the palace."
"Hey, and it would have ended sooner if I had done better in the duel. If anything, we're both to blame."
"If you think about it, Morando still could have attacked, no matter what, you guys aren't at fault for something you cannot control," Barbara replied.
"But if we could have done something different!"
"It could have ended the same, or worse. You guys are important to your parents, they are glad they did what they could to keep you guys safe. A parent's job is to protect their children, make them happy. Nothing you would have done to change it."
"So, how do we feel less…guilty?" Aja asked.
"You learn, you use that mistake and turn it into something where you never make that mistake again. Just like Jim had, my son made mistakes but he learned from them, he tried to keep me from discovering trolls for my safety but I still found out about them, but he learned, I wasn't hurt like the first time because he took what he did before and morphed into something where it couldn't hurt me."
Aja and Krel smiled lightly as they looked at Jim who stared at his mother with a gracious smile.
"I… I miss them already."
"So do I," Krel said sadly. "You look as if you need a hug. I'll get Varvatos."
"Varvatos?" Aja chuckled. "Varvatos, little brother, he never hugs."
"That is correct, hugging leads to a glorious bone crush."
"GLORY!"
"Stop!"
"That's true," Aja let out a laugh as they set next to one another.
"I am Varvatos, Varvatos destroys!" Aja imitated before grunting and swinging her fists into mid-air.
Speaking of Varvatos, he continued to work on the controls as the mother ship spoke to him.
"The V-Strykers are not equipped for space travel. We are clear."
"Mother, that won't last long. We need to head somewhere they won't think to look for us." A map expanded outwards as the teens joined his side. "The worse the planet, the better for us."
"I can only locate two planets which fit your description." Krel stared at one planet curiously. "One is about to be devoured by a black hole."
Krel's eyes grew wide as the planet he stared at, had been sucked in the hole in a matter of seconds. "Mm. Maybe not that one."
"The other is a floating ball of mud and water. Its inhabitants named it after dirt, they call it "Earth"."
"Whoa, whoa! Why does Earth come up when he says the worse planets."
"I mean, look at us. We are disgusting. Especially for Aliens."
"Yeah, agreed. I'm sorry but if Aliens pass our planet, they're probably already disturbed by what we're doing and act like we don't exist because they can't stand to see that again."
"Wow. Just wow."
"Earth!" Aja expanded Earth on the map, a better view of it nearly swallowing the group. "It sounds beautiful. This is going to be quite the adventure. I wonder what we will find there!"
Speaking of Earth, simple, happy music played as Eli rode through the neighborhood on his bike, newspaper filling the basket as he tossed some to doorsteps happily. Through the early morning sky, something caught his eye, a vast circular object falling from the sky and leaving a smoke trail behind it.
He gaped at the object right before flipping over a fire hydrant and cradling his sore body. As he crashed to the ground, the object continued, breaking through the tree line and crashing into the woods.
"Nice job, Eli." The crowd snorted as the boy groaned.
It landed on a pitted area and the occupants inside had been hanging on, Aja laughing proudly.
"We didn't explode!"
Varvatos sat with a chuckle, "of course not. Varvatos was at the helm." The ship had been laying on its side, the group hanging off the small platform.
"And yet, we're still alive."
"We did it!" Aja said before the ship spoke, beginning to turn upright.
"Systems damaged."
"Engage protective forcefield," Vex spoke.
"Force shield inoperable."
"Reroute all power to the camouflage matrix."
"Complying," Mother spoke as the outside changed into a much older version of houses. "I have chosen a model based on the planet's primitive transmissions. They broadcast at sub-light speed, so they're bound to be rather old."
As the ship finished camouflaging itself, Eli had rolled up, impressed. "Wow, they really put this one up fast." Eli took off his helmet and grabbed a roll of newspaper heading to the doorstep. A scope closed in on Eli, speculating him as he stepped up.
"One of the indigenous life forms is approaching, it may be hostile." The group ran to inspect the boy behind the closed house.
Eli blushed madly as everyone laughed at the comment, "Why is that funny?" Krel asked.
"Please, the fact that your house called Eli hostile! We watched him try to evacuate a museum and that dude was hilarious!" Mary laughed.
"Ah, I understand."
"No, I am a part of the CreepSlayerz, I am getting stronger!"
"He wears massive shields over his eyes," Vex stated as Eli's face came extremely close to the lens that looked massive within the ship. "He must be a dreaded warrior. Varvatos will slay him!"
The crowd jumped back in surprise, "why is his face so close and so big?"
"You cannot kill everyone, we are in hiding," Aja said.
"But for Varvatos, death is a way of life." Eli rang the doorbell, the sound booming and shaking the entire ship making Luug snarl.
"Hello?" Eli called out.
"What is that awful noise?" Krel asked.
"Make it stop!" Aja begged.
"Anyone home?" Eli asked, standing outside the normal door, unaware as he tried to look through the windows. "Can I interest you in a subscription to the Arcadia Oaks Ledger?"
Back in the ship, Eli was seen looking through the window that looked massive as Vex spoke, noting the newspaper.
"Eli, listen, buddy… Back the heck up!"
"The cylindrical object in his hand, is it a weapon?" Varvatos chuckled as Mother spoke.
"The life form seems quite persistent."
"We cannot let it see us," Vex replied.
If Eli could blush anymore, he would be blowing smoke from his ears as the crowd laughed.
"You called him, it?"
"Oh, this is awesome, this is only the first one!"
"We tease you because we love you."
"Oh, yeah. Sure." Eli mumbled, crossing his arms.
"What does that mean? We are trapped in here forever?"
"Of course not," Vex answered, facing Krel as Eli continued to bug the house. "Eventually we'll be found by Morando's forces and massacred ever so slowly."
"He's right," Aka spoke up. "We have to at least buy time for the ship to repair Mama and Papa."
"Mothership, what is the state of the transduction chambers?" Krel asked.
"I like how no one answered and Eli is aware that they might not be home and what does he do? Still continues to peep in their window, more desperate than NotEnrique with socks!"
"Nominal, what is your question?"
"You can reconfigure our energies into a form that resembles this planet's life forms."
"They call themselves "humans"."
"Mother, you have to design forms for us that no one will ever pay attention to," Varvatos added. "You need to make us invisible." They started toward the circular entrance as Mother responded.
"I have chosen three forms that people on the mud planet tend to ignore. The first of such invisible forms is a girl."
The crowd gaped and nearly choked as they listen to the Mothership slander everyone. "No fricken' way, they literally asked to be not paid attention to and it says a woman. I don't know whether to throw hands with that ship or cry."
"I am not going to lie, it is true."
"That is upsetting, how is a girl ignored?" Aja asked.
"This is why Earth is ugly to Aliens! This is why they turn and hit the gas when they take one look at us!"
"I can't believe it, the first thing we ignore is women and the ship isn't wrong! I hate this place."
"Girls here are invisible?" Aja asked in surprise.
"The next is called a Latino."
"This mothership is throwing hands!"
"Gosh damn! Realistic shots are being fired."
"I don't understand, what is La-tino?" Krel said.
"That sounds fantastic, it sounds rather regal," Aja responded.
"You, Commander Vex, will be reconfigured as a senior citizen." The said guard cheered, unaware.
"WOW!"
"Damn, it is not hesitating to slander us!"
"We are disappointing, I can't even be mad!"
"Glorious! Varvatos should be senior to all. All three forms sound like winners!" The light swallowed them as Eli had finally given up.
"Apparently not to the Mothership."
"I am still flabbergasted. So much disrespect."
"Alright, maybe you're not home." Eli set the newspaper on the concrete slab, a welcome mat forming magically below it as he walked away. "I'll just leave a complimentary copy here.
The door peeled open as Eli gasped, turning to face the three newly designed aliens. There was a short old man with a cane and two younger kids in the back, looking curiously at him.
"Prepared to be destroyed, who-man!" Vex pointed the walker at Eli who screamed in terror right before the screen froze on Eli's fear-stricken face. Aja's voice spoke up, narrating the entire thing.
"So, you see, things did not go exactly according to plan for us." The screen changed to Aja standing back behind the microphone, eyes still glowing in her human form. "But they weren't going according to plan for General Morando, either."
Eli groaned out as the kids once again laughed at his unfortunate events. "That's why you don't go peeping Tom!"
"Yeah, or an old grandpa is going to beat you with their cane."
Speaking of Morando, he was angrily holding his guard close, speaking in a deadly tone. "Say that again."
"We couldn't track the mother ship. It must've been some kind of cloaking device."
"That's what I thought you said." The guard's body was lifted before it turned into nothing but floating matter, the life core clinking to the floor. "There's no place in the galaxy the royals can hide that is beyond my reach. Assemble the bounty hunters. No one can survive them."
Morando chuckled as he picked up the core and crushed it between his hands.
"Oh, you're joking."
"Alright, before we continue, is there anything we should discuss since this is rather new," Merlin asked.
"So, we have already met them, this just explains how they got here and what they did during their adventures while Jim was doing his?"
"For the majority of it, yes," Douxie replied. "We can tell you when the future arrives since most of you were not there to pinpoint when you were pulled here."
"About these Trolls, can you explain to us what was happening before all of this? It seems like a lot went on and we missed a lot of experiences and…bonding." Krel stated as Merlin nodded.
"Let me explain the history of my amulet and where Jim, Claire, Toby, Eli, and Steve play along in this."
"Oh, great. Here we go again. Can we have the short story please?" Toby groaned out as Merlin glared at him. Beside them, Aja and Krel perked up, ready to catch up before their story was told.
"Fine, it started with me, a powerful wizard–"
"Really!"