Into the Shadows of Arcadia

Becoming Apart 2

"Yeah, is that bad?"

"Master Jim us trolls have gone to great lengths to keep our existence hidden from your kind as not to cause mass panic such as..."

"Oh my gosh. Jim, there going to attack us."

"Quite on the contrary. Your friend here is the Trollhunter meant to protect."

"Protect like a superhero? Can I be his sidekick with a cool super name like Deathblade or Snippersnake? Also, Trollhunter?"

"Wait, wait, wait, who would I be protecting?"

"Well, us and humankind from bad trolls."

"So he's like a."

"He is the Trollhunter! It's a mantle passed down from troll to troll for centuries. Never once had it picked a human before this momentous occasion."

"Wait, so who was the troll hunter before me?"

"Kanjigar the courageous was his name."

"And, like did he retire."

"No, he was Felled"

"What is that?"

"Turned to stone and smashed. Kanjigar the Courageous was his name. Brutally slain by a ruthless troll named Bular."

"Don't worry, dude. This Bular guy probably just got lucky."

"The evidence does not suggest that. Bular is a formidable opponent."

"Then the other guy, he was just off his game or something, right?"

"Doubtful. Kanjigar was perhaps the most alert and able of all the Trollhunters."

"But not the best, I'm betting."

"Oh, the very best. Many songs and sagas have been written about him."

"Uh, I think what my friend here is a little worried about is, if this-"

"Bular."

"Yeah, I got it. If Bular could defeat Kanjigar..."

"Smash to pieces."

"Then what's going to happen to Jim?"

"A most appropriate, if troubling, query, Tom- Tobias! Of course, we would never expect Master Jim to engage in battle without the proper training."

"See! Nothing to worry about. Now how long does the training normally take?"

"Oh... Decades"

"And... how long do I have?"

"A day or two."

"So Master Jim, are you ready? We should begin your training, immediately!"

"Uh, it's a school night."

"I assure you the relevance escapes me."

"I'm fifteen. I have to stay home and study, and stuff- do homework? I can't be out y'know, Trollhunting?"

"... Because?"

Toby and Aaarrrgghhg start to explore the rest of the house.

"Well the whole getting killed by a vicious troll named Bular might be a deal breaker!"

"Dude, He eats VHS's!"

"Deal breaker?"

"I don't want to die!"

"Goodness gracious, who does!"

Jim gets out the amulet and turns it over in his hand.

"Maybe you should take this back."