As Jim walked through the debris of the wrecked cave he could see the items of the troll destroyed, but no sign of any troll or any remains thereof. He saw a half-mangled broken sword plunged into the ground, and it looked somewhat familiar. Jim approached to examine it and was hit with pure fear... It belonged to Bular, it was definitely one of his twin blades. Jim quickly pulled it out and took a more defense-ready position and scanned his surroundings for any attacks. He proceeded more cautiously now as he tried to piece together what had happened.

"It looks like the arcane order bet you to it, my king"

"Yes. I don't feel anything weird so they must have left when they were done with whatever they were doing"

"It looks like they were fighting"

"Yes but what happened to the troll that lived here..."

Just as Jim finished his sentence he looked at one of the cave walls that was about the rubble... The area was blazing with fire but simultaneously freezing from the amount of ice spears that were around the wreckage, but just about that wreckage was a horrible sight that shocked Jim to his core... An unknown troll missing all his limbs was posted against the wall of the cave with a giant ice spear, but what made it so horrible was the fact that it was still alive...

The troll looked unconscious but was still breathing. Jim stared at this scene until the troll came to and locked eyes with the masked knight that was in front of it wielding a broken-bladed sword.

"Just, *cough*... Just end it already *cough* please!" The troll was in the worst shape possible

Jim came to his senses, "I'm Ji.. I'm guardian, and I'm here to help. Just hold on, I'll let you down now," Jim tried to figure out a way to get to the height of the wall where the troll was posted.

"Here... To help" the troll looked at Jim with one open eye and the other half lid

"Yes, and I'll get you down as soon as I find a boost"

"Thanks, human"

Jim froze for a second but continued as he found a large enough drum to stand on. He got on top and was straight-aligned with the troll. "This will hurt a bit." Jim jammed the blade between the troll's back and the wall and started to push him forward a bit. The troll screamed in agony and he slid a few centimeters away from the wall but just enough for Jim to have a clear sight of the ice away from the troll's body. He steadied himself and took a deep breath. The troll noticed this, "Wait, what are you... No!" The troll shut his eyes and Jim took a quick swing...

The ice was cut clean through and the troll started to fall to the ground, but Jim reacted just in time to catch him.

The troll opened his eyes and looked at the knight who was cradling him over his knees.

"Thank you human"

"How can you tell that I'm a human?"

"Your size and willingness *cough*... Willingness to help"

"I'm sorry I didn't get here quicker"

"It's fine" the troll took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, "I don't have a lot of time. I assume you are the boy the trollhunter asked me to help?"

"Yes..." Jim removed his mask, "I'm called Jim"

"You came here to ask me to find something for you? But I'm too weak now to give you more than one item, so choose wisely. Tell me what you wise to require?"

"Don't talk, we can make that lat..." Jim looked at the ice spear in the trolls chest... The wound around the spear was starting to turn to stone and it was spreading

Jim grit his teeth, "I'm sorry"

"It's ok dear boy. Just ask. This way at least I can repay you before I die"

"I require..." Jim's voice quivered as he spoke, "I require the location of the dimension prisms"

"I can only locate one. It is in the lost sanctuary of the shadow assassin known as Angor Rot... He protects the prism"

Jim started to tear up as he saw the spreading of the petrification

"The other wizards that were here before you... They also wanted the same information *cough*..."

Jim's eyes went into shock

"But I refused to give them the locations of the prisms... And they did... This to me"

"Can I ask you one more question?"

"Go for it, young boy"

"What is your name?"

"I was named Golldef the locator"

"I swear to you Golldef..." Jim looked at the troll with eyes of fury and determination as the petrification started to creep on the last centimeters of Golldef's face, "I will avenge you"

As the petrification ran over his face, Golldef gave one last smile at the young knight before he turned to complete stone, "Thank you...Jim..." He said as his last piece hardened to solid stone.

Jim gently placed the now-stone statue on the ground as he started to walk out of the cave.

As Jim walked through the forest, he sensed something behind him and quickly ducked down and rolled out of the way as a few shards of metal flew past his head.

"Still the quick one as always..." A voice said as a metal foot stepped out of the shadow of a tree

Jim quickly put on his mask and gripped the broken-bladed sword in anger

"I see you picked up my blade. I had no use for it anymore after I was done chomping up my prey..." Bular smiled as he came from behind Jim and drew his remaining blade.

"I'll kill both of you"

"You'll die trying, boy," Arthur said as he took a fighting position

"Last time you couldn't even beat me when it was two against one with me holding a baby," Jim said as he also went into a serious fighting position, but just then, a shard of ice hit him from the side,e, causing him to crash through a tree onto the ground. Jim grunted in pain for a second before he got up before they could take advantage of his state.

"This time he has us..." Another voice came from someone else. The ground started to freeze as a small child-like humanoid wizard floated over it.

On the other side, the trees started to set ablaze as another being came from the opposite side of the freezing one.

"This is the knight you warned us about, Arthur?" The fiery one said as he pointed his staff at Jim

"He is more formidable than you think"

"We will crush him and make this forest his grave. Then he can join that useless troll we had 'fun' with back there" the icy one laughed as he pointed to the cave

Jim grit his teeth in anger

"What's wrong boy? Do you want to kill us for that thing?" The icy one taunted

"I'll kill you Skreal!" Jim shouted

This shocked the two wizards, "how do you know my name human?" Skreal asked with a lot of hate in his voice

"I told you, this one is unique," Arthur said as he took the left flank of Jim and Bular to the right side.

"I know a lot about you and I will end you before you can even use the seals"

"You know about the seals?! Do you know where they are?!" The fiery one asked

"I'll never tell you even if I knew"

'my king, I believe we are heavily outmatched. I suggest we find an escape route and run for your life'

'I know that Alx but I'm a little trapped from all sides here's

"No matter we'll just rip the information out of your mind as we remove your head from your shoulders!" A fire ball erupted towards Jim and he managed to duck it by another ice spear flew at him but he managed to roll away from it.

Just then a large tree flew at him hitting him into another tree

Jim grunted from the force, but he had no time to recover because just then, a giant fist came from the side and hit him in the face down into the ground. Jim tried to push himself up, and he was grabbed by the neck and tossed through some trees, and skidded along the ground. He used his momentum to roll himself up, and it was a wise move because just then, a giant ice spear popped out of the ground, and he jumped out of the way.

But as he jumped out of the way he went straight into the fiery wizard who was waiting for him.

The wizard hit Jim with a powerful fire spell point blank and Jim flew a few meters before he hit a tree and stopped.

Jim fell unconscious for a second, but just as he came to, he quickly had to dodge a dozen shards of metal. The metals hit the tree behind him and they started to decay. Jim rolled out of the way, but just as he got up, he fell back to the ground in pain. He grunted and held his leg but his left arm was also not lifting up. Jim looked at his arm and leg and saw the armour that was on his body was destroyed and blood was leaking through the creaks.

"What's wrong boy, realizing you're finally going to meet your end in this forest?" Arthur taunted as the two wizards landed next to him, and Bular also came crashing down on the opposite side of Jim. Jim tried to crawl away but his body was battered and bruised.

'my king! Your body can not take much more of this'

Jim glared through his cracked mask, and the whole arcane order could feel his emotions; it was not fear, but pure unadulterated hate.

Jim took a few more slides before he got to a tree and pushed himself up from it.

Jim started to chuckle, then laugh, then it changed into an uncontrollable, unhinged laugh that sent fear down Bular's spine. Till he stopped and looked at them.

"You needed a giant troll, a corrupted shadow knight, and two ancient wizards to kill a sixteen-year-old boy. You really are pathetic "

The entire group started to feel rage build up in their bodies. The fire wizard walked towards Jim and pointed his staff in Jim's face, "We'll see who's pathetic when we kill your loved ones and burn this world to the ground Infront of your very eyes" Then he lowered his staff, "and you will watch it all happen, wishing for death and knowing you can not stop us"

Jim stared him in the face "Try me"

The wizard turned around, "we will leave here and destroy everything you hold dear"

"We are what?" Bular and Arthur both erupted into confusion

"Do not underestimate this boy" Arthur tried to convince the wizard

"Enough! I have decided. We will return to the fortress, and that is it"

"But what of the seals?" Skreal asked

"We shall have it one way or another. That is not our main mission now. Now we must locate the prisms as per our master's order"

The fiery wizard and ice wizard started to envelop into their elements until only a small flame and ice crystal were left

Bular wanted to charge Jim but Arthur pinned him against a tree

"The wizard spoke and you will obey"

"We will regret this"

"I know but we must obey. For now"

"This is not over, boy," Bular said as he leaped away into the darkness of the forest.

Jim fell to the ground and leaned against the tree. Arthur approached him and knelt Infront of him

"I could feel Excalibur wanting to aid you but you never called for it. Why?"

"I was calling but you held it back"

"Ah yes, that just means I still have more claim to it than you." Arthur got up and walked towards a tree, "I just wanted you to remember that fact. You will die by my hands and I will use Excalibur and drive it through your heart" Arthur stepped through a shadow portal on the tree and vanished

Jim grunted in pain as he bled over the ground.

'my king, your healing will take some time but unfortunately, it will not be enough'

Jim started to lose consciousness

Just then a voice shouted through the trees, "Guardian! Guardian! Over here I think I see him!" The voice sounded female. Jim could not make out a clear image of the person but he could find her familiar...

Jim shot out of his unconscious state, and as he looked around, he tried to adjust his eyes to his surroundings.

"Oh your awake" a male voice called but there was no human in the room

Jim looked around and only saw a cat, then it clicked, it was Archie

Jim quickly felt his face to see if his mask was still on.

"Don't worry, the bloody thing didn't want to budge one inch when we tried to remove it. Your identity is safe"

Jim realized he was on a table in the music shop of Douxie, "where's Douxie?"

"He'll be with us in a moment"

"What happened?"

"Well, you see, we followed the GPS location you sent Douxie before going to the cave, and when we got there, we only found the cave in a complete mess. We then looked for you and well... We found you. Well you were beaten near to death but at least your magical healing kept you from dying"

"Magical healing?"

"Yeah, your body was..." Just then Douxie came in

"Oh mate you're awake I see"

"Can you explain this magical healing thing Archie was talking about?"

"Oh, that. Well I don't understand it too, but your body was somehow healing from the damage but it looked like it could only heal you halfway" Douxie pointed to Jim's arm which was bandaged

"And the leg?" Jim looked at his leg which was surprisingly healed

"Yeah the legs are fine but the arm could heal all the way through and I tried to heal you with my magic but it didn't work"

"It didn't work?"

"Yeah. But luckily your armor disappeared, except for the mask, and we were able to at least wrap your arm the old conventional way"

"Thanks for the help" Jim got off the table

"Woah there buddy. You were out for 2 hours but that's nearly not enough energy to recover your broken body"

"I need to go home, my mother..."

Jim stopped when he realized he said too much

"Look, kid, I won't pry. I know you are young and probably still in school and your mom will be worried if you are not home, but you need to rest"

"I can rest at home. We can discuss what I found at the cave another time " Jim transformed into his armour and walked towards the door

"Look kid, I have been alive for a long time, and I can tell you, you need to slow down and rest"

Jim stopped at the handle of the door and paused for a few seconds

"I know, and will rest for a few days. And thank you, Douxie " Jim walked out of the door and leaped away towards his house's direction.

"No problem kid" Douxie whispered

Jim landed in his backyard and immediately fell to his knees and detransformed holding his arm

'alx'

'yes my king'

'what can you do to help with this pain'

'I can advise you to put on the armor around your arm. It will act as a cast and also aid in the healing process '

Jim focused on his arm and his armour appeared around his arm. The pain was minimized a little but was still present

Jim also focused on minimizing the thickness of the metal cast so he could slip his sleeve over it.

Jim went into his house and went to see if his mother was home. She was sleeping on her bed. Jim removed the stethoscope and kissed her on her head

"Goodnight, Mom. I love you"

Jim went to the bathroom and stared into the mirror. As he looked he could see the blue bruises all over his body.

'why is this not healed?'

'your body prioritized your leg for fixing when you were injured and spent almost all its energy on it, therefore only your leg and a few of your other bruises could be healed'

'what about magic? Can it not heal me?'

'your body rejects magic treatment '

'why?'

'I do not know, my king '

'what about conventional medicine?'

'it also does not work'

'then how long will it take to heal?'

'a few months'

'i don't have months!'

Jim looked at his bruised body again and decided to take a cold shower

After the shower, he went to bed, but just as he tried to doze off, he saw a weird shadow in his room.

"Come out," Jim said as he jumped from bed

The shadow figure walked forward and Jim felt his body go limp as he recognized the figure as... Toby... The Toby from his timeline covered in blood

"Hey, Jimbo," the figure greeted as he smiled at Jim...