Chapter 16; The Stone of Mountain's Peak

The following day as Coach Lawrance was teaching a health class. And while they were somewhat listening, their attention was on the fact that Strickler was back and was the new principal. "So the reason you were late, and covered in dirt was because you were fighting a "mud monster"?" Claire whispered to Jim. Then Toby whispered to Jim. "While there was some gnarly troll watching you? Talk about creepy."

"I know. It was like he was studying me." Jim whispered to them and Noah whispered to Jim. "If he was studying you, then that troll might be smarter than Bular and that makes him more dangerous than Bular."

"Who did Strickler bring back?" Seth whispered and then Claire whispered to Jim. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I haven't figured that out yet." Jim whispered and then after Coach Lawrance talked about the backdoor of the human body, Steve raised his hand and said. "Coach? Yeah, thank you. Don't mean to "butt" in, but I'd like to "gas" a question?" Then some of the students laughed at Steve's joke. "Hey, poo's laughing?" Steve said, adding another joke. Coach Lawrance then said to Steve. "Watch it, Palchuk!"

"This is serious!" Steve said, not listening to Coach Lawrance. Jim then said to Steve. "Hey, why don't you shut your hole, Steve."

"Jim, don't but in." Noah said and the class was laughing. They thought Jim and Noah were also making butt jokes. They both realized what they just said and Coach Lawrance sent all three of them to the principal office. After waiting for Strickler in his office, and ignoring Steve. The moment Strickler entered his office, he said to Jim and Noah. "Young Atlas, Young Kratos, getting into trouble again, I see."

"What can I say, we always find trouble." Noah said as Strickler took a seat behind his deck. Steve tried to talk to Strickler, but Strickler was forced on Noah and Jim, who said to Strickler. "You have a lot of nerve showing your face around here, Strickler."

"Yeah, like you have a death wish." Noah said before Strickler said. "I've decided I'm not done with you two. Your education has just begun."

"Oh, good. Maybe I'm a slow learner. Because I can't figure out why you'd come back after I dropped a bomb all over your big parade." Jim said, and Steve was starting to get scared. Strickler then said to them. "I'm in a position to make your lives truly miserable."

"I could take you out right now." Jim said before Noah said. "And so could I."

"And I could do far worse. Are you two ready for that?" Strickler said and everyone was getting ready to transform and fight. But they didn't, because when Steve cried and said sorry about the poop jokes. They all cooled down a little and Strickler said. "Detention. All of you. Now get out of my office before I change my mind."

"Very well." Noah said before Steve ran out of the room crying. Jim and Noah walked out of the room, but didn't turn their backs or looked away from Strickler.

After school, they reached the bridge for Trollmarket. And just before they entered, Jim said to everyone. "I should have pulled Daylight on him right then and there."

"And I should have gone Efreet Blade." Noah said before Seth said. "Ok, two things. One, try Sylph Blade, the sword is a lot sharper in that form. And two, you guys can't transform and kill Strickler in broad daylight."

"Yeah. Steve would've gone bananas." Claire said before Toby said. "It's probably good you waited. I imagine murdering your principal looks pretty bad on your college application."

"I'll just have to wait and get him alone." Jim said and pulled out the horngazel from his bag. Claire then gasped and Jim said to her. "What's wrong?" After a moment of silence, Claire said to them. "I just got a weird feeling."

"I have those all the time, it's usually after the school lunch." Toby said before Jim opened the doorway. Unknown to them, Claire's feeling was right. Angor Rot was watching them from afar, and the moment Jim started opening the doorway to Trollmarker, he removed his right eye and let it fall close to Jim and the others without them knowing. Angor Rot had the power to remove his eye so that he could hear and see what people were doing at a distance, and it was totally under his control. So Angor Rot saw Jim opening the doorway. Angor Rot then made his eye go into Jim's bag, which was on the ground and opened. After the doorway was opened, Jim picked up his backpack and said. "Come on. Blinky said he had something urgent he wanted to tell us."

"Let's hope it's about the stones." Noah said as they all entered Trollmarket. Claire was the last one, because she still felt like something was wrong. Claire was right, but choice to ignore it. In Blinky's study, he cleared away all of the stuff on a table and said to them pulling out a book. "I've spent nights poring over the legend of the stones, decoding its hidden meanings. Endless, sleepless nights."

"The Triumbric Stones. You found something?" Jim said, placing his backpack on the table, which opened because of Jim being a little aggressive with it. As Angor Rot's eye left Jim's backpack and entered an eye socket of an ancient human skull that Blinky was studying, Blinky said to them. "At first, I combed every library for insights, but there is nothing written. Rumors say they are tied to Gunmar's life force. So I searched for stones that would have a significance to his past…"

"Birthstone." Aaarrrgghh said placing more books on the table. Blinky then said to them. "Indeed. Such as Gunmar's Birthstone."

"Why is it so powerful?" Jim said and then Blinky said. "Long ago, trolls lived underground blissfully unaware of humankind above."

"I'm guessing that stopped when our worlds collided?" Noah said and then Blinky said opening a book. "Yeah, it was inevitable. Trolls and humans each wanted the world as their own and fought for it. Blood was shed, and our First Heartstone rotted from within. And from it, Gunmar was born." Blinky showed them the image of a Heartstone that looked like the Heartstone in Trollmarket, but it slowly started to turn black. And once it was totally black, Gunamr's appeared out of it, destroying the stone. Jim then said to Blinky. "Birthstone, okay. Where would we find that?"

"Birthstone gone." Aaarrrgghh said and then Seth said to Blinky. "What Aaarrrgghh talking about?"

"The Birthstone was plundered before any good could come from it. But then I remembered this passage. "Three forces Elemental thou must seek in marshland, caverns deep, and mountain's peak." Ah. Which is elusive, but the clue…"

"Is that they are hidden in those locations." Noah said before Seth said. "Ok, but what are these locations?"

"The "marshland" means a stone hidden in a swamp, the "cavern deep" means a stone hidden in a place like this, but much deeper, and "mountain's peak" means a stone hidden in a mountain." Claire said and everyone looked at her. Claire then laughed and said. "Sorry. I'm a riddle dork."

"It's fine, but how do you know where the Birthstone is?" Noah said to Blinky. Blinky showed them a mountain and said. "Gatto's Keep! Deep in the realm of the Volcanic Trolls is a vault of the greatest treasures untold. Treasures too powerful for the underworld to possess. Treasures kept locked up by Gatto himself. Treasures like…"

"The Birthstone." Jim said before Claire said. "So this Gatto has the stone that will help us get Enrique back?"

"If I could just finish a thought…" Blinky said before Claire said. "When do we leave?"

"Wait, this sounds like a quest." Toby said and then Seth said. "This is kind of like a quest."

"Guys, we're going on our first official Trollhunters quest!" Toby said and then Noah said. "And we are leaving tomorrow."

"Why tomorrow, bro?" Seth said and Noah said. "Tomorrow is Saturday, so we won't miss school and the sooner we find these stones the better." Everyone agreed with Noah and then Blinky "Pack your bags. There's more to see in this world than you know." Unknown to them, Angor Rot's eye returned to Jim's backpack.

After that everyone returned to their homes and got ready for their tip. As Jim emptied his backpack to fill it with items for the trip tomorrow. Angor Rot's eye then left unknown to Jim. The following morning, Noah and Seth had already left the house, and Barbara said to Jim, who was the last one to leave. "Going somewhere?"

"Um… uh, yes, yeah! A camping trip, with Noah, Seth, Tobes, Claire, and a few others."

"And when were you gonna ask me? What if I said no?"

"Sorry, it just kind of sprung up. I was gonna leave a note, but…"

"Well, you can't go."

"I have to."

"Then you are grounded."

"Okay, well, you can ground me when I get back." Jim said before Barbara let go of Jim. This didn't help heal their fractured relationship, but made it worse. "I'm sorry, Mom." Jim said once he was out the door and left for Trollmarket.

At Trollmarket, Blinky took everyone to a deep corner of Trollmarket. "Whoa. You've never taken us this far before." Toby said to Blinky and Blinky said. "Because out here, Tobias, there is no protection. Beyond the barriers of Trollmarket lie unforgiving realms, ripe with lawlessness." Then they reached a door and Blinky said. "Aha! We're here. Did everyone come prepared?"

"We're ready." Noah said holding his Driver and Soul Jewels, and Seth was holding his Soul Jewels and a new scarlet red Soul Gadget in the shaped backpack, code name S.B. Jim then said what was in his bag. "I've got my flashlight, horngazel, amulet…"

"I've got a first-aid kit, matches…" Claure said what was in her bag. And then Toby said. "And I got tacos! Extra spicy!"

"Really?" Noah said before Toby said. "What? I get hungry on a quest." Toby then ate one of his tacos and they all heard Aaarrrgghh groan. "What's wrong, wingman?" Toby said to Aaarrrgghh and Aaarrrgghh said. "Hate gyre."

"What's a "gyre"?" Toby said to Aaarrrgghh and Blinky said. "Come with me and prepare to be amazed." Once they reached the wall, Jim used the horngazel to open the doorway. Once they walked inside a metal ball appeared in the center of the room. As the others looked at the metal ball, Noah said to Blinky. "Is this a gyre?"

"Yes. Our kind's quickest form of transportation." Blinky said as everyone entered the gyre. "For the last 200 years, trolls have used the vast network of subterranean sewers to get to any part of the world in record time!" Blinky said as he was working the controls. As the gyre was getting ready to leave, Jim said to Blinky. "Wait, Gatto isn't in Arcadia?"

"Of course not." Blinky said before he started the gyre. Noah then said to Blinky. "Then where is Gatto?"

"He lives under what you humans called Argentina." Blinky said and then Claire said. "Argentina! That's a whole other continent, Blinky! How long is it going to take to get there?"

"Less time than you think. Let's burn some tunnel!" Blinky said before releasing the gyre. The gyre took off at supersonic speed. Everyone, but Blinky, who was laughing, screamed as the gyre twisted and turned. It only stopped when they reached Gatto Keep. As they were getting off, Blinky said to everyone. "A new record! You see? Was that so bad?"

"Yes. Yes, it was." Jim said as everyone felt sick. After they recovered, they started to walk into Gatto Keep and Jim said to Blinky and Aaarrrgghh. "Out of curiosity, have either of you ever met this Gatto?"

"Uh, no, Master Jim. In fact, I've done everything in my power to avoid him." Blinky said and Seth said. "Why?"

"Very few ever returned from his keep. So…" Blinky said before Aaarrrgghh said. "Stay close."

"Agh! It's so hot. Why is it so hot?" Toby said as they entered Gatto Keep and saw that they were in a volcano with red trolls, some holding carts, others holding spears with ax tips and all of them were wearing masks that had glowing red eyes working around a small mountain. Blinky then said to everyone. "Welcome to Ojos del Salado, the home of Gatto." They then found two guards and Blinky said to them. "Uh, you there, we would most graciously request an audience with Gatto." One of them pointed to the top of the mountain. "Thank you, kind friend." Blinky said before they started to climb the mountain.

Back at Arcadia, Strickler had just finished a trip to the dentist and the moment he entered his car, he saw Angor Rot's eye. Strickler then picked up the eye and said. "You bring news?"

"They're going to Gatto Keep." Angor Rot, who was in the back seats blocking the sunlight with his magic, said before taking back his eye. Strickler then said to Angor Rot. "For what purpose?"

"The Birthstone of Gunmar."

"That's not good."

"It's fine. I know of Gatto. If the hunter and rider are foolish enough to deal with him, I doubt they will return."

"Very well. Did you bring the charm I require?" Stickler said before Angor Rot pulled out two very small totems. Angor Rot then said to Stickler as he took the totems. "Do you know what to do with it?"

"Don't patronize me. Of course I do. How does it work?"

"Once you both drink its essence, then the woman's fate will be tied to yours." Angor Rot said and that made Strickler very happy. A short time later, Strickler, who still had the totems, was having coffee with Barbara. Barbara sighed and said to Strickler. "They just keep disappearing on me for hours at a time."

"And you think Jim is the problem?"

"Yes. Just today, I told him he was grounded. And then he walked right past me. As if I had no say in the matter. I just… I don't know what to do."

"You're doing the best you can."

"I just feel like I'm losing control."

"Barbara, something, you have to focus on what you can control over what you can't."

"I know, Walter. You're right. Thank you. I really like spending time with you." Barbara said, taking Strickler's hands. Then Barbara's phone rang and she said. "Oh, I'm sorry. Hold on. It's the hospital."

"Of course." Strickler said and Barbara's attention was drawn away from the table. Stickler didn't want to use the totem on Barbara, but it was the only way to make sure that Jim or Noah would kill him. So while Barbara wasn't looking, Strickler put both totems in their drinks. Both totems dissolved before Barbara ended her call with the hospital. She then picked up her drink and said to Strickler. "Well, I do have to get back to work, but I've got a few more minutes." Barbara then took a drink and then said. "Mmm. This tea is really nice."

"Yes. I'd say it has a certain enchanting quality to it." Strickler said after he took a drink from his cub. The totems then activated and now their faiths were bound together.

Back at Gatto's Keep, everyone reached the top and only Toby was out of breath. "Finally!" Toby said after the others helped Toby up. Then they all looked around and didn't see a troll. Toby then said to everyone. "Are you serious?"

"Okay, where's Gatto? They said he'd be here." Jim said before the mountain started to shake. Then an echoing male voice said to them. "Who has awakened Gatto?" Everyone was worried and Jim pulled out his amulet and Noah put on his Driver. The voice then laughed and said behind them. "A human Trollhunter? How interesting. How unique." They all turned around and saw a face. Gatto was the small mountain and after he laughed at them, he said to Jim. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"We've… sorry, we've come for…" Jim said, but stopped when a troll with a crat walked up to Gatto's mouth. Jim stepped away and Gatto used his tongue to pull the cart and troll into his mouth. Everyone gasped as Gatto started to chew. "Agh! Did he just eat a troll?" Toby said before Seth said pulling out a scarlet red Soul Jewel and placed it in the backpack. "Yeah, that's not good."

"You must excuse me. I never talk business without something to eat. Go on." Gatto said and then Jim said. "We need… we need the Birthstone." Gatto laughed and then said to Jim. "The Birthstone of Gunmar. Very powerful. Why should I give it to you?"

"Because we are going to destroy him."

"Why do I care? Why should I give it to you?" Gatto said before releasing steam from his mouth. Blinky then said to Jim. "He's negotiating, Master Jim."

"What do you want for it?" Jim said to Gatto and Gatto said. "Ooh. An answer to a little riddle."

"That's all? Whew. I thought Claire was a goner." Toby said and everyone looked at Toby. Gatto then said to them. "Answer it correctly, the Birthstone is yours. Answer it incorrectly, I will eat you all." Gatto then laughed with extreme confidence. Claire then said. "Eat? Did he say "eat"?"

"Yes he did." Noah said before Gatto said with a slurp. "Humans. I hear they have a gamey taste." Toby then fainted and as Noah received him, Blinky said to Jim. "Master Jim, we must not enter into this binding agreement. I'm beginning to catch on why so few trolls ever leave this domicile."

"We'll play." Jim said to Gatto. Seth then said to Jim. "Jim, are you crazy?"

"We need it to save Claire's brother and, besides, she's good at riddles." Jim said before helping Toby up. Claire then said to Jim. "Not "bet-our-lives" good!"

"You're a straight-A student!"

"When do we go to "riddles" class?" Claire said before Blinky said to them. "Ah, I am savvy with words." Blinky then said to Gatto. "Gatto, do your worst. Riddle away."

"What begins and has no end, and ends all that which begins?" Gatto said his riddle. Blinky had no idea and they started to think, but no one had figured out the answer. And then they started to panic when Gatto said that they had 10 seconds left. "Nice job Jim, we are going to die now." Seth said to Jim and that gave Claire the answer. Claire then said to Gatto, just as time was up. "Death! Death is the answer. It begins and has no end. And ends all things that begin. "Death."

"What? No one has ever answered that before. And lived to tell about it." Gatto said as trolls with spears appeared around them. Blinky got the idea and said to Gatto. "You were never going to give it to us! You horde treasures only to lure those into your literal trap!"

"Oh, come now. A mountain has to eat, you know." Gatto said before opening his mouth. "For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!" Jim said before equipped his armor. Then Noah said as Seth and he placed their Soul Jewels in the Driver. "Henshin!"

"Efreet Fighter!" The Driver said as they became Soul. As for Seth's body, his backpack became a scarlet spider that carried him and kept him safe from enemies. Then as they started to fight back, Claire said to Jim. "What do we do now?"

"I don't wanna be food!" Toby said as he and Blinky were getting pushed into Gatto's mouth. "Gnome Guardian!" Soul's Driver said as they switched from their Efreet Fighter mode to their Gnome Guardian mode. They switched modes because Toby and Blinky were thrown into Gatto's mouth. So Soul used his shield to keep the mouth open and jumped after them. But before Jim could follow, Soul's shield broke into pieces and Gatto's mouth was closed. Aaarrrgghh then tried to pry open Gatto's mouth, but it wasn't working. Claire then said as she grabbed a spear to kind of fight back, the spider was dodging the trolls attacks, and Jim was fighting off the trolls. "They still could be alive."

"He ate them!"

"Jim, Coach Lawrence told us how long it takes to digest something, or someone."

"That doesn't make it better!"

"Must leave!" Aaarrrgghh said as the troll was surrounding them. Gatto then tried to use his tongue to grab them, but Claire hit Gatto's tongue with her spear. It hurt Gatto and they used that chance to escape.

Inside Gatto, Soul, Blinky, and Toby reached the stomach. They didn't fall into the stomach acid, which for Gatto was lava. But the troll from earlier wasn't so lucky. Toby screamed as seeing the troll melting in the lava. Toby screamed and as for the others. They didn't see that, and Blinky said to everyone. "We appear surprisingly unscathed by that ordeal."

"Unscathed? We're in a stomach right now! I feel very "scathed"!" Toby said as they were getting up. Noah then said to Toby. "Hey, at least we were swallowed whole, and not chewed into pieces."

"I don't think that helps." Seth said before everyone noticed the great number of treasure that was everywhere. Blinky then said. "Great Gronka Morka! Gatto Keep… it's his belly!"

"And that means the Birthstone is here!" Seth said before Toby said. "Yeah, along with a bunch of lava acid, that's rising!"

"Then let's find the Birthstone and get out of here!" Noah said and then Blinky said. "But remain cautious."

"Why, just look at all of this gold. Plus we're already in a stomach. What's the worst that can happen?" Toby said before picking a few pieces. Blinky then said to them. "Boils and disembowelment, for starters. Magically cursed objects are often disguised as the most ordinary items to lure unsuspecting victims…"

"Good to know." Seth said before pulling out Noah's bat phone and Toby dropped the coins. Soul then let Jim and the others know that they were fine and going for the Birthstone. Outside Jim, Claire and Aaarrrgghh were still fighting and when Jim got Soul's text he said. "They're okay!"

"Wingman, Blinky, Soul, okay?" Aaarrrgghh said and Jim said reading the text. "Yeah, they say they're going for the Birthstone, and they're gonna try to find a way out!"

"Tell them to meet at the gyre!" Claire said as they started to make their way to the gyre.

Inside Gatto's Keep, everyone was looking hard for the Birthstone, but wasn't having any luck. Seth then said to everyone after checking his bat phone. "They say to meet them at the gyre!"

"Good." Noah said before Soul opened a box and inside was an idea that was like a three sided pyramid with triangle buttons, a round bass with spikes and a pointy tip. "This is useless." Noah said before closing the box and throwing it away. Then Gatto started to shake, and Blinky said to everyone. "Forget about the Birthstone! We must leave now!"

"Don't work, I have a plan." Noah said before switching the Guardian with Blade. "Gnome Blade!" Soul's Driver said and Soul got his blade. Soul then tried to stab through Gatto's stomach and free themselves that way. But the moment Soul tried, the sword didn't even scratch the inside of Gatto. Soul tried to push his blade through the stone, but the stone was much stronger and Soul's blade snapped in two. Noah then said as he switched from Gnome Blade to Gnome Fighter. "Well, that's all I got."

"Any other ideas?" Seth said and then Blinky said looking at the way they just came from. "We can't possibly climb out of here. I'm afraid we are without an exit." Then as the lava started to rise and took a bottle. Once the bottle was in the lava, it made a popping sound and that gave Toby an idea. Toby then said to them. "Guy, there may be another way, but you're not gonna like it. If this is his stomach, then there must be a "back door" too."

"You're right, Toby. Its and way out, and I hate it." Seth said as Soul and Toby started grabbing things. Blinky then said to them. "Back door"? What are…?" Blinky then realized what the back door was and wasn't happy with that idea. As Soul and Toby pick the biggest object to throw into the lava, Toby said. "If we upset the stomach, we may have a chance to be passed through."

"I'd rather die in a stomach than go out through a… an alternate route." Blinky said before Noah said as Soul pushed the large chest into the lava. "Just help us!" Then Blinky started to help, and he grabbed bottles from a shelf. Blinky didn't know what they had, but threw them into the lava. The lava then turned blue and the gas knocked Blinky down. Then Soul and Toby stopped and then ran to Blinky, with Toby saying. "Blinky? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, I'm okay." Blinky said with a squeaky voice. Seth then said to Blinky. "You don't sound ok?"

"That's just the helium." Blinky said before he returned to normal. "Oh, dear. Good thing that wasn't permanent." Blinky said with his normal voice. Then a shing from a pull of gold got Seth attention. "What's that?" Seth said as he made Soul dig and pick up a glowing purple stone no bigger than an American football. "Blinky, is this the Birthstone?" Seth said before Blinky said. "Well done Master Seth, you found the Birthstone." Then Noah's bat phone took a picture of them with the Birthstone. Jim was happy, but their troubles weren't over. The lava had risen to the point that they were standing in front of the tunnel they came from. Luckily for them, a rock that was floating over the lava and was big enough for all of them appeared. They all jumped onto the rock and Toby said. "It's not working! We need something more, something that will really upset his stomach."

"But, what? All we have is my Driver, Soul Jewels, the Birthstone, and your tacos." Noah said and then Blinky said. "That's it! Tobias tacos!" Blinky then took Toby's backpack and Toby said. "My tacos? Are you crazy? What are my tacos gonna do?"

"Tobias, I've had you tacos. I know what they do to the insides of a troll." Blinky said before pulling out the bag of tacos and throwing them into the lava. Toby then said to everyone. "No! Those were Diablo Maximus!"

"Why didn't we use those sooner!" Seth said as Gatto's lava started to make a lot of popping sounds and back door opened. As the rock was moving to the back door, Blinky said. "I hate to repeat myself, but it might be apropos. Let's burn some tunnel!" Then Toby said to Jim over his bat phone. "Jim, get to the gyre! We're coming out the back door!"

Outside the troll hunting them stopped and Claire said. "Where did the rest of the trolls go that were here?"

"I think they knew this place was gonna blow." Jim said as lava started to come out of the cracks. Then Jim got Toby's text and said. "Okay, Toby says they're gonna go out the back door. What's the back door? Oh…" Jim then realized what they were talking about. Then Claire saw them running away from lava and said. "There they are!"

"Quit standing and MOVE!" Noah yelled before Blinky yelled. "Start it up!" Jim and Claire reached it first with Aaarrrgghh's help, but they didn't know what to do. Once the others arrived, Blinky pushed Jim and Claire out of the way and said. "Leave it to me!" Nothing happened and then Blinky said, hitting the controls. "You infernal piece of… agh-hh!"

"Aaarrrgghh, we need a jump start!" Seth said to Aaarrrgghh and Aaarrrgghh got the gyre moving. Once Aaarrrgghh was in the gyre, Blinky hit the gas and in a flash, they left Gatto Keep.

Back at Trollmarket, in Blinky's study, everyone looked at the Birthstone and Blinky said. "Never in my wildest dreams did I dare think I would ever see such a sight."

"I'm never gonna look at food the same way again." Toby said and then Seth said. "And I hope we never ever have to go back to Gatto Keep."

"But we made it, we have the Birthstone, and after we get the last two, Gunmar is history." Noah said and Claire said. "Yeah, but I don't think they will be as easy as this one was."

"Easy? We were eaten! I'm pretty sure I was technically digested and then…" Toby said, but stopped when Blinky said. "Tobias! The less said about our escape, the better. Gorgeous forbid we are remembered for that in the history." Then Blinky sneezed and farted. Jim then said to Blinky. "You okay, Blinky?"

"I'll be fine. Seems I may have been allergic to something in Gatto's belly. But nothing a good night's rest won't fix." Blinky said before sneezing again. "Then let us give you that rest." Noah said before everyone left Blinky alone in his study. Seth took the Birthstone for safekeeping and once Jim, Noah, and Seth arrived at their home, they saw Strickler talking with Barbara standing next to the door. Then Strickler left for his car, but unknown to him, Jim, who was wearing his armor, and Soul, who was in his Sylph Blade form, had sneaked into the back seats. Strickler wasn't worried and said to them. "Young Atlas, Young Kratos, is that…?"

"If I ever see you near her again…" Jim said as they both drew their blades at Strickler. That worried Strickler, but he said calmly. "I expected this time would come."

"Then why are you so calm?" Seth said before Strickler said. "Did any of you happen to spot my companion watching you the other day?"

"The troll from the field." Noah said before Strickler said. "Yes. He's my assassin with… how should I put this? Enchanting abilities."

"What do you mean "enchanting"?" Jim said before Strickler said putting his finger to his sword. "He entwined Barbara's fate with mine. Any harm you do to me will be done to your mother." Strickler then cut his finger on Jim's sword and Barbara got the same cut. They all noticed Barbara in pain when she dropped a bowl and she was holding her finger. Strickler then said to them. "What strange magic. What happens to me happens to her. You all have hurt Barbara enough. So, what will it be?" They had no choice, but to un-transform and leave the car. Strickler drove away and while they had the Birthstone, Strickler had tainted their victory with his evil.

As for Blinky, a good night's sleep didn't help him. When he woke up, he found himself in a cloud of blue mist. Blinky had to clear the mist and then he saw what had happened to him through a mirror, he was totally shocked to see what had happened to him.