Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia

24: Angor Management

"Sure, sure. I can hold down the fort."

"You're a lifesaver."

"I'll add it to my resume. Okay, bye, mom. Yeah, I love you too."

He hung up. "She'll be out of the house all weekend?" Strickler asked.

"Yeah," he said. "The house will be empty."

"Fine," Draal said. "I have rocks for brains. Would someone tell me what's so obvious?"

Jim set his bag down on the counter. "We are gonna hold down the fort."

"We survived one night," Strickler said. "He's not going to survive the next."

"Right," Draal said. "We fight here. Take back the tactical advantage. An ambush! Yes, I like it."

"But we're going to need supplies," Jim said.

***

Aaarrrgghh opened a vault and he, Blinky, Toby, and Claire walked inside. "If we're looking to research the last stone," Toby said. "Shouldn't we be at the library?"

"Yes," Claire said. "Why did you bring us to look at Killahead bridge?"

"Before her departure," Blinky told them. "Queen Usurna suspected the depiction of the last stone might very well be inscribed on the bridge itself."

He dug through the debris of the bridge. "The missing eye of Gunmar."

"His eye is the third stone?" Toby asked.

"Indeed. The first stone we procured was affiliated with his birth. The second, his first kill. This stone..."

Aaarrrgghh grabbed a large piece of the bridge with carving on it. "Why, this stone commemorates..." Blinky said. "He's vulnerable."

"How do you mean?" Claire asked.

"Before Gunmar took power, GumGums were mostly disorganized tribes of savages, taking orders from Orlagk, the GumGum Warlord. Gunmar betrayed him in hopes of taking his army as his own. The battle lasted weeks. Gunmar lost his eye. Orlagk lost his head. I fear this may be the most difficult Triumbric stone to find, for his dark servants worked so hard to steal it from the Krubera. They would not hand it over so easily."

The fetch that was near them started glowing. "The fetch," Toby said.

"Something's escaping from the Darklands," Blinky said. "Look out!"

A small gnome made its way out of the fetch. "Gnome Chompsky!" Toby said. "You're back!"

"By Deya's grace," Blinky said. "He survived!"

Chompsky fell to the ground and Toby picked him up. "Hey, bud!"

"Tough little guy," Aaarrrgghh said. Toby hugged Chompsky. "I thought you were lost forever."

He set him down on a nearby rock. "Chompsky?" Claire asked. "The one who was looking for Enrique?"

Chompsky nodded and pulled a pacifier out of his pocket. "Enrique!" Claire said, taking the pacifier. "You found him. Is he okay?" He gave her a thumbs up and she smiled. "Thank you for giving me that."

"What did you see, my tiny fellow?" Blinky asked. "Did you see....Gunmar?"

Chompsky jumped at the sound of Gunmar's name. He removed his hat, showing his unicorn-hair got broken in half. "Gunmar did that?" Blinky asked. "How did you escape?"

Chompsky started chattering in his gnome language and tip-toed across the rock he stood on. He made an angry face and started making angry noises. "What is he saying?" Claire asked.