Chapter 20: Daylight Dawning
[This chapter contains scenes from Episode 13: The Battle of Two Bridges from Trollhunters]
Jim made his way to the alley near the museum, alone, same as the first time. They had a plan and he had already gotten things sorted with Claire about the play. All he needed to do now was fill in Strickler and go in and deal with the bloodthirsty troll who had kidnapped his best friend and mentor.
A shadow passed in front of the alley and Jim immediately noticed Strickler making his way towards him, tan suit as crisp and clean as ever. The sky was overcast, rain trickling down off his umbrella as he approached.
"So, you came alone?" The Changeling asked.
"Yeah." Jim nodded, glancing over his shoulder, but there was no goblin to sneak up on him this time.
"Things have taken a turn for the worse, Jim." Strickler pinched the bridge of his nose. "How on earth did Mr. Domzalski manage to get himself captured?"
"It was my fault." Jim clicked his tongue. "Bular came after me and I wasn't expecting him. He's changed. He's not as reckless as he was last time."
"So I've noticed." Strickler nodded. "We've already set into motion events we are no longer privy to. I hope you have a plan to deal with this though?"
"I do." Jim nodded, handing over Merlin's amulet as the two of them started walking through the rain towards the museum. "But you'll need to show your hand."
"Jim, if I turn on Bular now, we lose the element of surprise against the Janus Order." Strickler warned. "Otto and other Changelings are bound to continue seeking Gunmar's return. We need to keep things hidden as long as possible to retain our advantage."
"I know that, but I also remembered something else." Jim replied, stopping and looking up at Strickler. "Something I learned but kept forgetting. We're stronger together. It's because of my friends that I was able to beat Bular. It's because of my friends I was able to best you and Angor Rot. Same thing with Gunmar and the Arcane Order. I only won because I trusted the people around me and didn't keep secrets from them."
Jim took a deep breath as he looked around as the rainy town of Arcadia. He hadn't known much else besides the quiet little town. His entire life had been simple and uneventful until the day he went to the canal, late for school. Now, he'd lived through it thrice. Once originally, once when Unkar the Unfortunate showed him what his life would have been like without accepting the amulet, and now.
"Once we rescue Tobes and Blinky, and once we defeat Bular, I'm going to tell everyone everything." Jim stated firmly, much to Strickler's surprise.
He could tell the Changeling was conflicted, but Strickler silenced his opposition, clutching Merlin's amulet tightly as he simply nodded. "Perhaps that is the only way Atlas would have been able to bear the weight of the world."
"Maybe." Jim smiled. "Let's go. I'm ready."
Brushing the heavy tarp away, Jim made his way into the massive room in the museum right behind Strickler. Killahead Bridge stood menacingly in the center while both Toby and Blinky hung from the ceiling, bound by ropes. Atop the bridge, Bular stood triumphantly, both blades in hand as he mockingly prodded his two captives.
"Oh, Master Jim, why did you not heed my warning?" Blinky lamented watching as the young Trollhunter approached the scaffolding leading up to the headstone of the ancient bridge.
"Jimbo, come on man, don't." Toby protested. "Toll-pocalypse, remember?"
"Silence!" Bular growled, leaning over the edge of the bridge as he looked down at Jim. "Open the bridge, Trollhunter. Or I gut your friends."
Jim bit his lip as he saw Toby and Blinky hanging there. Things were entirely different this time but, hopefully, his plan would still work. Glancing around the room, Jim noticed Nomura standing off to the side, already in her gangly troll form. There were plenty of goblins present as well, and NotEnrique was there too.
Climbing up the scaffolding, Jim reached the top, standing mere feet away from the headstone with Bular looming over him. The massive troll's breath smelled like a swamp and his yellow eyes flared with violence.
"Open it. I will not ask again." The low, cruel growl reminded Jim of Gunmar and, now more than ever, he saw just how the Gumm-Gumms were related.
"No, Master Jim, don't do this! If you release Gunmar and his Gumm-Gumm army, you will be releasing darkness! The world will not survive Gunmar's reign!" Blinky screamed his protest.
Bit by bit, Jim raised Merlin's amulet, the clockwork device whirring to life with smoky blue magic as he brought it nearer and nearer to the slot within the headstone. The entirety of Killahead Bridge seemed to react to the key which held it closed, almost vibrating in anticipation.
"Jim! Don't!" Toby joined, his expression a mixture of fear and remorse. "Look, I know I'm a wuss! I know you're always looking out for me. But you don't have to! I was happy just to be with you. To go on all our adventures together. But don't do this. Don't let the world end for me."
Jim looked up at Toby, the chubby, braces-wearing boy staring at him intently. He couldn't help but remember his dying words, and all the sacrifices he'd made. Jim had reset the world, all for his best friend. He wasn't about to let it end, and he wasn't going to lose anything this time.
Stopping just short of placing the amulet, Jim looked up at Bular, the black troll snarling down at him.
"What are you waiting for? Do it!" He snarled. "Or do you not care if your friends die?"
"I'm the Trollhunter." Jim declared. "It's my destiny to protect this world from Gunmar, and from you."
"So, that's it then? Fine, perhaps the head of your fleshbag friend will change your mind." Bular snarled as he turned, raising his sword to cut down Toby.
However, before he could, magical blue light flashed to light in Jim's hand and he stood there, wielding Daylight and intercepting the Gumm-Gumm's blade. He wasn't wearing the fullness of his armor, his blue jacket still there, yet he held just the broad-bladed sword forged from silvery light to block Bular's own rough cleaver.
"I'm going to protect this world, but I'm not doing it alone." Jim stared down the black troll, swinging his sword and driving him back a step with a surge of strength. "I'm the Trollhunter, but we are Troll hunters!"
On his signal, the massive tarp was torn away revealing AAARRRGGHH standing there, his mossy green hair nearly standing on end with rage. Draal and his spiny blue hide was also present, bearing his teeth and ready for battle. And between the two massive trolls was the most terrifying of them all.
"I am Draal the Deadly! Son of Kanjigar! This is Aarghaumont, Wingman of the fleshbag Toby!" The blue skinned troll announced, snarling as Nomura and the goblins leapt to attention. "And this is Bar-bu-rah! Bringer of Troll's Bane!"
Giving a smirk, Jim's mom stood there confidently between the two trolls, a baseball bat in her hands and a variety of makeshift chemical bombs strapped to her.
"I'm a doctor, but nobody messes with my kid." Barbara declared, much to the surprise of everyone.
"Dude, you brought your mom?!" Toby looked at Jim incredulously.
"Barbara?" Strickler blinked several times, not believing his own eyes.
"Hi, Walter. You and I need to have a long talk after this." Jim's mom adjusted her glasses before turning back to the problem at hand.
"Trickery!" Nomura snarled, leaping into action only to suddenly be smacked in the face with the foulest-smelling package known to human and trollkind.
"Oops! Sorry, me hand slipped." NotEnrique shrugged innocently as Nomura screamed and the fight erupted into chaos.
Bular roared, turning to try and strike Blinky down, but both the six-eyed troll and Toby were suddenly cut free from their bindings as feather-like blades whirred through the air. Both of them thudded to the ground, shouting as they slid down opposite sides of the bridge, but Strickler didn't pay them any more attention after freeing them. The normally polite, refined gentleman had transformed in a flash of green light, his moss-colored stone skin and black, feather-like cape curled and lean as he leapt forward. Long horns curled behind his head and jagged teeth curled into a snarl as he leapt up, taking Jim's side and flanking Bular.
"Stricklander! You traitor!" Bular roared. "Being among the humans has turned you soft! I'll make sure to make an example to the other Impure by pulverizing your corpse!"
"I wish I could say it's been a pleasure, Bular, but it's been anything but that." Strickler quipped back, dodging out of the way as the black troll swung at him.
Jim didn't leave him alone though, quickly swinging at the Gumm-Gumm from behind, distracting him for a moment.
"Trollhunter! I'll rip the amulet from your bloody corpse and use your entrails as a welcome mat for my father's return!"
"Not gonna happen. We're stopping you, right here, right now." Jim clashed blades with the horned troll before leaping back, holding Daylight in one hand before raising Merlin's amulet high above his head. " For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!"