In the Hero's forge, an animatronic stone troll quickly turned, releasing fire from the sides towards the Trollhunter. With ease, Jim rolled from the fire but in the path of sharp objects. He twisted his sword, blocking every piece of the flying sharp objects, and ran around Blinky, who tutored him from the side. Jim still manages to stop the weapons from hitting him.
"Always be afraid. Fear heightens your senses. Fear keeps you alive," Blinky stated.
Feeling accomplished, Jim stood proudly with his sword until a silver ball knocked him off his feet.
"Arrogance gets you killed," Blinky added.
"Yeah, I'll have to remember that," Jim groaned.
"Draal, however, does not fear you," Blinky lifted Jim from the ground, placing him back on his feet and shoving his master gently forward, "That will be his weakness, but not you. You'll be wetting your armor. That will be your strength."
"Yeah," Raelle agreed, "One of the basic rules of fighting is never to underestimate your opponent. And Draal has been underestimating you since day one. You can use that to your advantage."
Jim raises his sword, moving forward with each swing, once again blocking each blow. Raelle was also training alongside her brother with her scourge after convincing Blinky to allow her to. She was training by learning how to use her weapon in a fight. Raelle slashed the troll-shaped training dummies coming toward her.
Toby and Aaarrrgghh watched from the sidelines. Toby wore an exercise suit, squatting with a bit of pressure.
"Oh, yeah. Looking good, Jimbo. You too, Rae-Rae. Feel the burn! - If they're getting fit, I'm getting fit," Toby holds up the tracker for Aaarrrgghh to see, the little machine beeping on his wrist, "Don't want to be too big."
Aaarrrgghh moans sadly, thinking he wasn't in good shape, but Toby quickly corrected himself after hearing his troll friend's distress.
"Not that there's anything wrong with being big. But if I'm gonna have Jim and Rae's back, I gotta be nimble."
Toby gives the air a few punches before he begins to run in place, Aaarrrgghh copying him while Jim and Rae train in front of them. The tracker beeped, stopping Aaarrrgghh and Toby from their running.
"Yeah, baby! Hit a benchmark. I've run a total of a hundred feet. Five calories burned. Nice!" Toby celebrated.
Jim slashed through each stone figure, slicing them into many pieces. Another mechanical figure popped up with a surprise, sharp metal spears shot from the holes in the machine as Jim stopped them on their warpath.
"You know, I think being afraid is the one rule that I- Oh!" Jim said before Raell'es scourge wrapped around his waist and pulled him back just as more metal spears flew over his head. The spears stab another training machine, fire lighting it instantly.
"You're welcome," Raelle said.
Jim stands as he removes the scourge with a chuckle and points at the machine with his sword, "I excel at. Thanks, Rae."
"No, Master Jim. You must excel at all three. If trolls are ever going to embrace you as Trollhunter, you must ignore your humanly instincts," Blinky explained, "And as for you, Mistress Raelle. While you seem to excel at all three, you must embrace your instincts to transform."
Jim listened closely to his mentor, but his attention was suddenly focused on another machine that had stood and prepared its weapons. Before it could take down its target, Jim threw his sword, the metal slicing easily through the rock.
"Do that, and I have no doubt you will defeat Draal," Blinky hugged Jim and Rae each tightly with one arm.
Smoke from the defeated machines weaved into the air as a laugh echoed in the vast room. Two trolls entered, joining the three humans, Aaarrrgghh, and Blinky. They look to see it was Draal and another troll. Draal eyed Jim as he passed, laughing at the young boy.
"Look, it's training. Cute," Draal said in a mocking tone before growling at Jim.
The two trolls continue through the room, sharing a laugh before Draal speaks in Trollish to the other. For a brief second, Raelle could have sworn that she understood what Draal was saying.
"Let your fear keep you alive. Let his arrogance lead him astray. Defeat him, and you'll make history," Blinky said before he led Jim and Raelle out of the arena with Aaarrrgghh and Toby close behind.
The next day, a group of students, including Jim, Raelle, and Toby, stand on the museum steps. Ms. Nomuroa, a curator, stands in front of them with Mr. Strickler beside her. Nomura is a tall woman of Japanese descent. She has green eyes and shoulder-length black hair. She wears a purple jacket, ankle-length skirt, and black high-heel boots.
"I know contemporary media might lead you to believe European history is full of swords, sorcery, and scandal," She said, "I assure you, the truth is far more interesting, and there's no better place to start than Renaissance Era pottery."
Everyone sighed with boredom while Eli gasped in wonder. Strickler hadn't missed the faces of his students, so he decided to speak up.
"Since we have limited time, Ms. Nomura," Strickler said, "Perhaps it's best if they explore the museum on their own. Don't you think?"
With no hesitation, the class runs off in different directions. Everyone leaves the two adults, invading the museum. The group walked through the halls, Jim, Raelle, and Toby following behind.
"So, check this out, guys," Toby said, showing his phone to Jim and Raelle, "So, If I walk fifty thousand steps, I get the t-shirt. A hundred thousand nets me the water bottle. But if I get five hundred thousand, oh, man, you guys, that's when things get interesting!"
Jim's eyes peeled from the detail that the museum had large white curtains and a "do not enter" sign posted on the outside. Raelle could not help but feel there was something strange in the room but tried her best to ignore the feeling. Toby was giving the two an ear full while they explored the second floor of the museum.
Suddenly, Jim's focus wasn't on his best friend or the building. Instead, his focus was on Claire, who took an interest in the dress, while Steve stood beside her, more bored. Toby and Raelle stop beside him. While it took Toby a moment to connect the dots on why they suddenly paused, Raelle knew why.
"Look at that embroidery," Claire commented.
"Hey," Steve said, getting Clarie's attention, "Sorry if you got caught up in that little tiff between Lake and I, but I want you to know since joining the play, I feel like there's another side of me that wants to come out."
"Apology accepted. You were a jerk," Claire said, keeping her eyes on the dress.
With a pleasant feeling, Steve raised his eyebrow, stepping behind Claire as he kept eye contact with Jim. Steve faces Claire as she doesn't notice, his arms wrapped around himself, moaning and kissing with mockery. With defeat, Jim sighs and bends over the railing.
"Aw, come on, man," Toby said, "Don't let Steve get to you."
"Toby's right, Jim. Besides, Claire's a smart girl. She'll realize he's a jerk," Raelle told her brother.
"How?" Jim said, "She's too busy thinking I'm a jerk for skipping play rehearsal."
"Well, then, this is the perfect moment, dude. Take her hand and use those lips of yours and talk to her," Toby walked away toward Claire and Steve.
"Toby, no, no! Wait, wait!" Jim called to his friend, trying to stop him, but failed. Jim looked at his sister, "Why didn't you stop him?"
"Because he seems to be the only one other than me trying to help increase your chances of getting together with Clarie," Raelle told him.
Toby slid towards Steve and held his hand beside his mouth, "Hey, Steve! Did you hear about the Neanderthal exhibit? - Topless."
Now interested, Steve stands up straight, leaving Claire and Toby.
"Nice! Cave ladies," Steve said.
"Come here, come here," Toby mumbled as he waved Jim over, backing away from Claire to give them some room.
Raelle nudges her brother to give him the push he needed. With nervousness, Jim shyly steps over to the one he desires and starts a conversation with a nervous chuckle.
"I wish our play had these costumes," Jim started the conversation with a nervous chuckle.
"I know, right? With our school budget, I'll end up doing the balcony scene in my bathrobe," Claire responded.
"Hey, if anyone could pull it off, it'd be you. You're the only one on stage who looks like they know what they're doing," Jim said with a smile.
"Tell that to my parents. The one time I get a B, what's their advice? Drop the play," She stated as the two were lost amid their conversation, they stepped to the railing of the balcony.
"Are they crazy? You were born for this. It's like-" Jim began before he was interrupted by Toby, who had nudged him.
"Get closer," He whispered.
Jim does what Toby says and scoots a little closer, yet a gap still stands between them.
"Your calling," Jim continued, "My mom would be stoked if I ever found something to be so passionate about."
"Wow!" Claire said, "You're pretty passionate yourself, Mr. Guru. What about you? What's calling you, Jim Lake Junior?"
Toby and Raelle smile at Jim and Claire, but their attention shifts when they overhear Eli talking to a couple of students that crowded him about one of his conspiracies.
"At first, I thought it was an alien. Definitely not human. - It's some sort of monster!" Eli said.
Toby and Raelle walk over to Eli as he shows a girl something on his phone. The picture on the screen was a squashed green corpse with Eli's shocked face in the bottom corner.
"Come on, give it up, Eli," She said.
"No, no! This time, I have photographic evidence," He claimed.
"Hey," Toby gasped, "Eli, can I see your phone real quick?"
Without letting Eli answer, Toby pulled the phone from Eli's hands and pretended to zoom in on the squashed corpse of a creature but went to delete it.
"Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. Oh, darn!"
Eli grabbed his phone back and found that Toby had deleted the picture. The two students walk away from Eli, Toby, and Raelle.
"What the heck? You deleted it?" Eli exclaimed in anger.
"Darn these stubby little fingers," Toby chuckled, "If it's any consolation, I believed you."
"Me too," Raelle said.
The tracker beeps, alerting Toby as Eli shakes his head and walks away.
"Believing, one calorie," Toby said.
Toby and Raelle look back at Jim, knowing they would have to break up the conversation they had just "forced" him and Claire in.
"Hey, so I've gotta ask If you weren't going to show up for rehearsals, why even try out?" Claire asked.
"Honestly, I kind of auditioned by accident, but I'm glad I did. I really liked the company," Jim answered after his awkwardness towards her had passed.
"Aw!" She chuckled, "Thanks."
"Um, I was talking about Eli."
Claire laughs while she places her hand on his shoulder. Toby sneaks beside them, clearing his throat, which stops her in her laughing fit to find Toby and Raelle with a worried smiles.
"This better be good," Jim said to Toby and Raelle.
"It's actually kind of bad. We have a problem," Toby whispered to his friend. Jim had been doing his best to keep his smile in front of Claire.
"What kind of problem?" Jim asked.
"The kind that involves our after-school activities," Raelle replied.
That night the three teens and two trolls were on the street where Eli had taken the picture, the green flattened body still lying there. Jim grabbed a stick and poked at the goo-like flesh of the flattened creature.
"Voila!" Toby said as Aaarrrgghh and Blinky crowded the three.
Aaarrrgghh looks at Toby, "Not voila. Goblin."
"Goblin?" Jim asked.
"Ruthless tricksters. Petty street vandals who leave a wake of destruction. This is not good," Blinky answered.
Jim stood and chucked the stick after Blinky had described what a goblin was and said, "Well, justice was served. We should get back and train for Draal."
"Oh, no, Master Jim. Where there is one, there is many. And, as for the unfortunate soul who ran over this small fellow, may Skaargen's swift blade have mercy!"
Blinky spit on two of his palms, rubbing them together before sticking them far apart as Toby walked away from the group.
"Why?" Raelle asked.
"Naturally, goblin payback is ten-fold."
"Are you saying whoever ran this guy over is in serious trouble?" Jim questioned.
"I definitely do not want to be that guy," Raelle said.
Toby returned to the group with a tiny slip of paper in his hand.
"A delivery driver left a sticky note on Eli's house. Wait for it," Toby said, "The goblin might have gotten squashed by the delivery truck!"
Toby held up the small parchment as Jim gently pulled it from his best friend's fingertips.
"Hey, let me see that. If the driver's returning at eight, we need to be here, too. I'm not gonna let some poor guy become goblin chow on my watch," Jim said with determination.
"Yeah, if there's a chance of us saving the driver then we need to take it," Raelle said with the same determination as her brother.
"Master Jim, Mistress Raelle, answering the call!" Blinky smiled.
"So cool. Stakeout!" Toby chuckled before throwing his arms up happily, "Past my curfew!"
Jim, Raelle, and Blinky hide behind a bush, while Toby and Aaarrrgghh had taken cover behind a wooden fence across the street, waiting for the driver to return. The lonely street was empty except for a car that had sped through. Jim held a pair of binoculars over his eyes, watching. Blinky grumbled beside Jim in annoyance, his stone arms crossed over his body.
"It's already nine o'clock," Blinky growled, "Ugh. It appears the only thing being delivered is failed expectations."
"At least, no sign of goblins," Jim said, looking on the bright side.
Jim pulled out a walkie-talkie as he handed Blinky the binoculars. The troll inspected the foreign object that had only fit two eyes.
"Hey, Tobes, all clear. How's it going over there?" Jim asked.
Aaarrrgghh and Toby are still hiding in their position. Instead of staying still, Toby ran in place as he spoke into the small intercom that fits in his hands.
"All good in the hood, Trollhunter, except I can't stop moving. My love of stakeouts is being ruined by my overwhelming need to obtain swag. - Other than that, nothing unusual," Toby replied.
"You are unusual," Aaarrrgghh said.
"War Hammer out."
Headlights dragged onto the pavement, lighting the way as a truck conveyed down the quiet street. Aaarrrggh's eyes grew double in size as Toby spoke to his friend across the yard.
"War Hammer to Trollhunter and Witcher, the package has arrived," Toby alerted them through the Walkie-Talkie.
Jim, Raelle, and Blinky watched as the truck stopped before its intended house. The delivery man opened his door, still lost in the little world of rock music. His headphones continue to play loud, deafening music. Distracted and too busy humming along to the tune, his buttery fingers dropped the fragile package after grabbing from it the trailer of the truck.
"Let's get him out of here before it's too late," Jim said.
Suddenly, Raelle got chills running down her spine and goosebumps. She looks around for any threat because Blinky told her it is a warning of coming danger.
"Guys, keep a lookout," Raelle told Blinky and Jim, "I have a feeling something bad is about to happen."
Blinky watched through the glass of the binoculars, finding each street light dying one by one, darkening the road.
"Right, you are, Mistress Raelle! His fate may already be sealed. They're here," Blinky said, "Look!"
Blinky hands Jim the binoculars. Jim looks to see the Goblin Leader quickly run to the center of the street. With a straight posture, the goblin snapped his fingers, and many groups of glowing eyes appeared from the thick blanket of fog. Jim then hands the binoculars, and Raelle sees the swarm of goblins. The one leading them had a mustache in Sharpie on its face.
"No, we're not gonna let an innocent person-" Jim said before standing with Raelle and pushing through the bushes.
Blinky stopped them from walking to their doom by gently shoving them to the ground.
"Great trouble! There appears to be far more than I had anticipated," Blinky said through the walkie-talkie as he ducked and gently pushed Jim and Raelle further down, "Stay down and don't make a sound. In their frenzied state, they'll attack any in their path."
The glowing eyes advanced as the mailman headed to the doorstep, his finger pushing the doorbell button down. He drops the package again, pieces shattering inside as he still shows no care for the box, nor realizes the gang of goblins behind him.
He bent down to pick up the package as Eli answered the door, happy to see the crate in the man's hands, not realizing the goblins either or that his package had been broken.
"Yes! My spy gear has arrived!" Eli cheered. He shakes the box, listening to each piece as they jumbled inside the small container, "Unassembled!"
"Hey, mind if I use your can?" The Delivery Driver asked. Eli didn't answer as the man entered his house, "Rad. Thanks."
Eli watched with his mouth agape and shaped into an 'O' as his eyebrow was raised. Jim looked above him as a goblin had taken out the light before standing with worry.
"But that's Eli!" Raelle said with urgency.
"He's in our class," Jim added.
"He was in your class," Blinky corrected.
When the last of the lights were been taken out, the goblins screeched from their hiding spots, appearing on the lone streak and heading for their target. The large pile hoarded the truck, nibbling away at the metal.
"Waka Chaka Waka-Chaka-wa!" The Goblin Leader cried out.
"Oh, my goblins!" Toby exclaimed with shock.
"Unexpected," Blinky commented, "Their dispute isn't with the driver at all, but rather the transportation that had flattened their kinsman. Ooh, you must not be afraid, Master Jim."
Jim looked confusedly at Blinky, "I thought the first rule of trollhunting was to always be afraid."
"Trolls, not goblins," Aaarrrgghh stated.
"Goblins crave the pheromone of terror, an odor you appear to be releasing quite generously," Blinky informed.
"Wait! This is too much. You mean, they can smell fear?" Toby sniffs himself, seeing if he can smell it as well, "Oh, no! I can smell it, too."
"Then stop, or they will eat you!" Blinky warned before he heard Toby's scream in the walkie-talkie.
Quickly covering the speaker with his hands, Blinky, Raelle, and Jim watch with fear as three goblins pick their heads out from the crowd that now was flat and lower than before. Catching a scent, the goblins turn with a growl before snarling that there were more watchers in the area.
"Perhaps I made my point too loud. Run!"
Jim, Raelle, and Blinky run from the bush as goblins follow. Toby and Aaarrrggh follow after being forced from their hiding spot. Jim heard the familiar click of his amulet and pulled it from his pocket to see why it had clicked. Soon, the three glowing orbs sank into his heart, the armor appearing over his clothes.
"Now is not the time for armor! It'll only slow you down!" Blinky yelled.
"You think I'm trying to do this?" Jim questioned, the armor already on him.
"Your armor is responding to your emotional state! Control your fear, or you'll be dinner!" He warned as he continued to run.
"It's so, so heavy!" Jim starts to slow down, making him an easier target.
Goblins began to hang on the Trollhunter's legs and arms, putting more weight on Jim's already heavy massed armor.
"Master Jim!" Blinky yelled.
"Jim!" Raelle yelled before turning around to help her brother. But she was stopped as Blinky grabbed her arm to prevent her from being taken by the goblins.
Jim was dragged further from Blinky and Raelle, sparks appearing from his metal fingertips grazing the concrete. A large hand suddenly grabbed Jim's stretched-out hands, throwing him on Aaarrrgghh's hairy back, keeping him from the creatures' reach.
Aaarrrgghh punched each goblin from his path and caught up to Blinky, who smiled. The armor disintegrated into nothing as they continued to flee. Aaarrgghh then grabbed Raelle and threw her atop his back. Toby's tracker beeped, and he looked down at his wrist to see.
"Oh, my gosh!" Toby said, "I just got a free T-shirt! - This is so much cardio!"
A goblin caught Toby's outstretched hand, hanging onto the boy. Jim and Raelle hold onto his best friend's foot, trying to keep Toby with him, but he is close to making contact with the pavement.
"Get it off, get it off, get it off!" Toby screamed.
Raelle knew she had to do something and acted quickly to save her friend. She takes a deep breath before quickly exhaling with a hiss. A propulsive burst of air struck the goblin, causing it to release Toby, taking the Chubby tracker with him.
"No! My points!" Toby cried.
"Your points? Our lives, Tobes!" Jim said as he and Raelle pulled Toby back onto Aaarrrgghh.
"And you're welcome," Raelle said.
The tracker beeps as it clung to the neck of the leader. The goblin angrily stood and began his chase once again.
"We need to find refuge!" Blinky exclaimed, "Trollmarket's too far."
"Cut through these backyards. We'll get to my house," Toby said, "Come on, come on, come on!"
They follow Toby's direction and cut through each yard as the goblins follow quickly behind and let out their raspy calls of Waka Chaka.
"Up and over," Aaarrrgghh said.
The giant troll gently sets his three human friends over the fence, letting them run to Toby's house as he lifts Blinky before Aaarrrgghh jumps over himself.
Toby runs to his back door, twisting the handle to find it locked. His hands feel around in his pockets, desperately finding his keys. The goblins snarl as they found the fence, jumping over as Toby fiddles with his keys.
"Come on, come on! Hurry, Tobes!" Jim said with urgency.
"Don't rush me!"
Finally getting the key inside the lock, Toby twists it while the goblins surround them.
"This is so not good," Raelle mumbled.
Everyone presses against the wall, with Toby preoccupied with the lock, which he finally manages to unlock.
"Ah! I did it! Yes! I rule. I rule!" Toby cheered.
Toby, Jim, Raelle, and Blinky run into the safe hold of the house, but being too big, Aaarrrgghh is stuck between the door frame while the goblins emerge.
"Uh-oh," Aaarrrgghh said.
Quickly thinking, Toby flicks on the light, blinding each goblin before running off and over the fence, Aaarrrgghh still stuck in the door. Toby climbs on the shoulder of his friends to see that the goblins retreated.
"Thank gosh for Nana's anti-burglar mania," Toby said breathlessly.
The leader goblin stops on the peak of the fence as he grins wickedly, the tracker beeping as well.
"Wa-Cha-ka!" He growled before leaving.
Inside the house, the gang catches their breath inside the kitchen until a human voice calls out, startling them.
"Toby-pie! Is that you?" Nana asked.
Toby waves his friends to the stairs, Jim leading the way to the boy's room while he pulls out some food.
"Don't mind us, Nana. We'll just be in my room. Binge-watch another show and keep the cats inside," Toby told his grandmother.
In Toby's room, Toby sat on his bed, staring at nothing as his hands fed his mouth quickly. Aaarrrgghh finds a pile of VHS tapes and happily pops one into his mouth.
"An-- Anyone else want a snack?" Toby asked, "I find stress eating calms me down."
Jim and Blinky stop pacing before the six-eyed troll shakes his Trollhunter.
"I'm sorry to say, Master Jim, but your town is infested with goblins!" Blinky exclaimed.
"Okay, trolls, I can deal with because, at least, trolls stay underground," Jim said, "But goblins? I don't even have the bandwidth to-"
"Jim, we gotta get my Chubby Tracker back. As long as they've got it, they're just gonna get stronger and faster," Toby said with panic.
"Toby, I think getting your tracker back is the least of our problems," Raelle told him, "We have goblins in Arcadia. You saw what they did to that truck,"
Aaarrrgghh steals the bowl of food from Toby and chews the bowl and the food held inside in one bite, "Must find den."
"Yes, and eradicate them at once before they seek their revenge!" Blinky said with a glint of seriousness running across his features.
"Revenge?" Jim heads to the bedside, dropping down on the mattress.
"On you three. And they now know where Tobias lives."
"Ok. So, we find the den. Do you have any idea where it could be?" Raelle asked.
"Haven't the foggiest. It could be anywhere," Blinky replied.
A familiar tiny chatter noise from the dollhouse caught Blinky's full attention. Blinky bent down and looked into the window, finding the gnome with a light candle, some rock, and a girl doll on the couch.
"Great Gronka Morka!" Blinky exclaimed, "What is the gnome doing in this dollhouse?"
"Toby-pie? I don't recognize that voice. Who is that?" Nana asked.
"It's a friend, Nana!" Toby responded, "I do have more than two!"
"No, you don't," She called out from downstairs.
"You told me to take care of the gnome, so we're taking care of it," Jim told his trainer.
"This is in direct violation of rule number two! Whatever happened to finishing the fight?" Blinky questioned.
"And rule number one is to always be afraid, except if you're around goblins 'cause they smell fear. Your rules make less sense than algebra, which, oh, yeah, I have in a few hours unless I get eaten by goblins tonight," Jim said as he slowly walked over to the dollhouse. The gnome watched through the top window, hiding with another chatter, "I'm sorry. I'm not good at understanding your rules. I'm not ready for Draal, Bular, or finding a stupid den of goblins."
Blinky steps to Jim, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, and leads him to the bed to sit back down, "As your trainer, I can only advise, not make your decisions. I understand. You're human. You're learning the rules in your own way. Aaarrrgghh and I will seek out this den, wherever it may be. You just focus on your studies. It seems life has thrown enough at you for one day. But a gnome in a dollhouse?!"
The three teens smile nervously at Blinky.
The next day at school, Jim, Toby, and Raelle played dodgeball in the gym. The three teens and Eli were all that remained on their team. They were playing against Steve and some of his goons.
"Dodge this, Lake!" Steve said with a grin while aiming. He then throws the red ball at Jim.
Jim rolls, easily dodging the ball and ducking from another one as Toby stands behind him, doing nothing but staring at the floor.
"Hey, come on! You gonna get your head in the game, Tobes," Jim told his friend.
"Or do Jim and I have to do this all ourselves?" Raelle questioned before ducking from the ball coming at her head.
"Why bother taking another step?" Toby asked, "My Chubby Tracker's gone," He threw the dodgeball to the ground, "Life's so empty when you're not racking up points."
During the conversation, balls continued being thrown, and none had yet to hit Jim, Raelle, or Toby. But one eventually hit Toby's stomach before bouncing off it as Toby did not move.
"Well, maybe you should be more concerned about the goblins coming to kill us," Raelle reminded him.
"Oh, yeah, you're right," Toby said, suddenly afraid.
Jim jumped before his best friend, catching the ball meant for Toby. He chucked the ball back at the other side, and Steve easily avoided it. Steve tossed the two in his hands at Jim, who jumped and slid from each ball while Steve continued to throw.
Jim and Raelle twisted and flipped, the coach raising an eyebrow in shock as they continued to dodge the balls. Steve groaned as his targets couldn't be hit and threw more in his raging fit.
"At least your training's paying off," Toby said to his friends before a couple of balls collided with his stomach and jaw. He groans, "Man down."
Suddenly, one last ball had taken Toby to the floor, hitting his "nards". Toby squealed in a high-pitched voice, holding his sensitive area, "My Gronk-nuks!"
"In your face! You're out, Domzalski!" Steve celebrated as he threw one more ball at Toby.
"Not cool, Pal-jerk," Raelle said before throwing a ball at Steve.
Steve caught the flying ball and chucked it at Jim, the boy ducking. Instead of the ball taking down Jim, it hit the two balls that Eli was holding, sending him to the floor also, the balls leaving his grip, and his glasses lying beside him. Jim rolls to the two balls, grabbing them and flipping forward as he tosses them, the two red balls striking Steve's other teammates. Eli, Raelle, and Jim share a high-five while Jim chuckles happily.
"Pretty good, Romeo, but kiss your Juliet goodbye," Steve mocked Jim with a slow clap as he walked over to the three. He holds himself again, kissing nothing but air.
"Leave Claire out of this," Jim threatened.
"Don't let him get to you-" Toby began before another ball struck him, "Ow! Seriously?"
"Pucker up, Steve, and kiss this!" Jim said before throwing the ball.
Steve ducks from the ball, letting the ball continue to fly, finding a new prey, revealing it to be Claire.
"No!" Jim yelled in panic.
"Oh, snap!" Toby exclaimed as he and Coach watched with their eyes wide.
The ball finally makes contact with Claire's face as she screams. Claire is knocked down by the ball and lies on the ground groaning from the pain. Coach blows his whistle before he, Steve, Raelle, and Toby surround her with shocked faces as Jim pops in, afraid to touch her as he wears a guilty look.
"Ooh, headshot! Shake it off, Nuñez!" Coach yelled.
While Toby and Jim were in the boys' locker room changing, Raelle stood outside by the door. She talked to the two on her phone, discussing what had happened in the gym. Raelle and Toby were trying to get Jim to not feel bad about what happened.
In the locker room, Toby pops up from his locker and looks at Jim, who has his hand resting on the side of his face, sitting in embarrassment. Jim's phone was on the bench, and the speaker was on for Raelle.
"So, she has a fat lip. People pay good money for that sort of look," Toby said, "She should thank you."
"Plus, it didn't look too bad," Raelle added.
"And just when I was making up ground. Why do I have to get so worked up over her?" Jim wondered.
Jim lifts his backpack and slams his locker shut, and the two friends walk out of the locker aisle.
"Hey, we're red-blooded teenagers. We're powerless to that sort of thing. Except for me, though. I got it all figured out," Toby said before feeling his phone vibrate. The two teenage boys stop walking as Toby pulls out his phone, the screen lighting up his face as he smiles.
"Hmm? Whoa! I earned a windbreaker!" Toby shows it to Jim, who gently pulls the phone from his hands.
"Toby, do you know what this means?" Jim asked.
"Yeah. If it's not too warm and not too cold, I have the perfect cover-up!" Toby said excitedly. He shows it to Jim, who gently pulls the phone from his hands.
"No, Toby. One of the goblins must have your Chubby Tracker on him! We know where they're going. This could lead us straight to their den," Raelle told him.
The two boys look at the map of Acadia on the phone with Toby's animated picture on it, showing where it was in the small town.
"And I'm getting a lot of points," Toby smiled.
Late in the evening, the three teens race their bikes down the dark street to the museum.
"Shouldn't we be telling Blinky and Aaarrrgghh?" Toby asked as he followed Jim and Raelle.
"By the time we get down to Trollmarket, the Chubby Tracker battery could be dead, and then we'll never find the goblin den. Besides, we're just gonna scope it out and then report back. Easy," Jim answered.
The three stop in a small grass field, dropping their bikes as they stare down the building the Chubby Tracker led to.
"Hey, look! Look over there," Toby nudges Jim and Raelle before pointing to the circular roof of the museum, goblins climbing into the small entryway of the decorated roof, "The museum. We should have known."
"Great. Let's go tell Blinky and Aaarrrgghh," Raelle said.
"Get down!" Toby gasped as he pushed Jim and Raelle behind a bush in its safe cover, and he followed.
They pop their heads over the bushes to find Nomura entering the building they are spying on.
"It's the museum lady," Jim mumbled.
They dropped back down to hide behind the large weed.
"She has no idea it's infested. At any moment, they could strike! Or worse, lay eggs in her ears," Toby said, panicking.
"I don't think goblins do that," Jim said.
"Now, come on. We need to get Miss Nomura out of there before the goblins do to her what they did to the delivery driver's truck," Raelle told her brother and friend.
"Good idea, but cover your ears," Toby said.
Toby does what he says and covers his ears, while Jim and Raelle do not. The three head to the doors, but they are locked.
"Come on, open up," Jim said as he tried pulling on the doors to get them to open, but he was unsuccessful, "Hello? Hello? Where'd she go? Why isn't she answering?"
"Cause she's already dead, Jim. Or she can't hear because she already has eggs in her ears!"
"Toby, I think if goblins laid eggs, Blinky would have told us about it and a way to prevent them from doing it to us," Raelle told Toby.
After many attempts to open the doors, Jim gives up and runs to find a new way in.
"We gotta get in there," Jim said.
"What?" Toby asked, still covering his ears, "You have to speak louder."
Jim stopped at a window and pushed against the glass, the clear plate squealing in protest as it moved.
"This is breaking and entering," Toby said.
"No, it's-it's breaking and rescuing," Jim told him.
"And, technically, we just opened an unlocked window. We did not break anything," Raelle added.
Jim pulls Toby's hands from his ears and says, "Relax. We're just gonna get her out of there, and then let Blinky and Aaarrrgghh handle the rest."
Jim jumps onto the windowsill and goes into the museum. Raelle follows her brother by jumping onto the windowsill and into the museum. Toby follows his friends and jumps onto the windowsill. But Toby was struggling as he couldn't fit through the window.
Jim and Raelle held out a hand, aiding Toby in the situation. Finally pulling Toby from the tight fit, the three fell to the floor with a thud, quickly standing as Jim and Raelle dusted themselves up.
"Jeez, this place gives me the creeps with the lights out," Jim said.
"Yeah," Raelle agreed, "This is reminding me of a horror movie."
"It was better when you could see the Neanderthals," Toby commented.
The three head off, and drops of green drool drop behind them without notice, the nest of sleeping goblins had laid above their heads the whole time.
Jim, Raelle, and Toby push open another door in search of Nomura. With fear and complete cringe at a dark museum, Toby did not like the situation.
"Ugh!" Toby groaned.
The three stopped at another door after crossing a large hallway, the classical music playing, making the whole thing more frightening. The teens walk through a dark hallway toward a room with a light on. Raelle and Jim gasped when they spotted Miss Nomura standing in the room. Jim grabs Toby by his ear and pulls him to the side, causing Toby to yelp. The three teens stand off to the side and in the dark to hide.
"Okay, what do we say?" Jim asked, "If we scare her, the goblins might find us."
"How about we're art lovers, and we just couldn't wait to see the new exhibits?" Toby suggested.
"We're from the gas company. The door was open, and we smelled a leak. No, no, that won't work. We don't have the uniforms for that," Jim realized.
"Those are terrible suggestions, guys," Raelle said, "Why don't we say Toby left his house key here, and now he has to get it back because he can't get into his house?"
Toby looked past the barrier, finding Nomura, holding a circular dark object, spikes of green on every outer inch. She hums a tune as she disappears from view, yet, her shadow still reveals everything.
Toby gasped as her shadow deformed into a creature as she finally stepped out from behind the wall, her purple, rocky skin accompanied by her large green eyes and sharp teeth. She walks on stifle-jointed legs and has long black hair that reaches down to her legs and an extremely pointed chin. Her new form had been less appealing than before. Toby lets out a soft wail as the creature sniffs the air, catching something. Panicked, Toby presses against the stone stand.
"T-t-the f-f-f-face," Toby stammered, catching Jim and Raelle's attention.
"Hey, what's with you?" Jim asked.
"T-t-the f-f-f-face."
"Face? What are you talking about, Toby?" Raelle questioned.
"Chill out, Tobes. You're gonna wake the goblins," Jim massaged his friend's shoulder, hoping it would ease Toby's fear...
"Her fa- the face... It's so ugly!" Toby stammered.
"Okay, okay. So, she's not your type. You don't have to be rude about it," Jim said.
Raelle got chills down her spine and goosebumps, alerting her that danger was nearby. She caught a moving figure in the corner of her eye, finding an awoken goblin, sniffing. Confirming the smell was close, the creature stood, speaking his language.
Raelle nudges Jim and points over to the goblin. Jim raises an eyebrow before rolling to a safer cover with Raelle from the goblin as Toby crawls with them. The worst part was Toby letting out shaky whimpers, clearly afraid.
"You're gonna draw them to us," Jim told his best friend.
"She's a monster, Jim! I saw her face! It wasn't natural!" Toby cried, "She's, like, some sort of troll-"
"What?" Jim questioned.
"...but one of us. Like a weird half-breed thing, man."
"What? Do you mean like me? Like a Witcher?" Raelle asked.
"N-n-n-no."
"Maybe it was just the lighting," Jim tried to reason with his friend.
"The lighting?" Toby angrily said because Jim thought the lighting was to blame.
The goblin sniffed around the floor, cutting closer and closer to the three humans. He sniffs the post as Jim, Raelle, and Toby pressed against the wall. Toby covered his ears. Jim covered Toby's mouth, hiding the heavy breathing as the goblin took a few deep breaths before running in another direction. Jim lets out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, a vibration tickles Toby. He pulled his phone out to find he had won another award, but the noise caught the goblin's attention.
"Turn it off, turn it off, turn it off!" Jim told Toby.
"Faster or we're dead meat!" Raelle said with urgency.
"I'm trying, I'm trying! - But I won the cooler," Toby smiled.
Jim sighed with a look of "Seriously" and Raelle palmed her face as Nomura appeared behind them, her head hanging over Jim's shoulder.
"I knew I detected the stink of teenage flesh," Nomura cackled.
The three scream as they run into the forbidden area, as Nomura smoothly walks in.
"But a Witcher and human Trollhunter, I've never tasted."
Nomura's claws cut closer to the siblings' flesh, but with no warning, Jim held out the amulet.
"Then let's see how you like the taste of Daylight," Jim shot back.
"That was a good one, Jimbo!" Toby cheered.
"Now would be a great time to transform," Raelle muttered.
Transforming into his armor, Jim stood with courage. Nomura's eyes grew as she watched. With a couple of swings of his sword, Jim swung at her, yet her quick hands caught the weapon.
"What are you?" Raelle asked.
"I'm what kills you," She replied.
With an easy flick of her wrist, she threw the Trollhunter to the floor. Toby gasps and runs at the new enemy, but she stops the teen with a simple kick.
Jim lifted his head to find Nomura advancing on him. With a stand, Jim let out a battle cry, tossing the sword every which way as Nomura easily avoided each blow. With a slice of her hand to his cheek, Jim's body twisted at her force as he lifted his hand to his burning cheek.
Raelle summoned her scourge and got into a fighting stance. Her left hand was on the weapon's handle, her right a few inches above her left. Raelle swings her scourge in a circle on her right before letting it go to strike Nomura in a swinging motion. The creature leaned back, and her eyes followed the stone end of the scourge as it flew by, mere inches from one side of her face to the other.
Jim screamed and tried to at least hit Nomura with his sword. Similar to what he had done in dodgeball. Nomura moved the same, jumping and flipping from the weapon. Raelle joined in and tried to strike Nomura with her scrouge, but the creature avoided it.
Where Toby was still lying after the impact of the kick, his body resting by two crates before he stood with a cry of anger to head back to his friends, but a goblin stopped him in his tracks, the tracker beeping, causing Toby's attention to focus on the tracker rather than Jim and Raelle.
"You... Give it back!" Toby demanded.
Toby tackles the goblin, and the two roll around the floor as they fight for dominance. Jim swings, resulting in blue smoke trailing behind his sword while red smoke trails behind the stone of Raelle's scourge.
"Give it. These points are mine," Toby said to the goblin.
Easily Nomura had knocked Jim off his feet, but that didn't stop him as he stood again and took a slash of his sword. Nomura laughs, thinking that he had missed and had been receiving more blows than giving, yet her finger burned as a deep cut had formed on his finger.
"Ah! You'll die for that," Nomura threatened.
Raelle quickly jumped onto Nomura's back and pulled tightly on her ears, causing the creature to stumble backward. Nomura reaches behind her and tries to get Raelle off her back, but she is unsuccessful. She then resorts to ramming her back against the wall. Nomura kept doing it a few times before Raelle let go of her grip and slid down the wall, rubbing the back of her head.
With a quick move, Nomura pulled out two orange curved blades, doing a few swift movements as she did so. With the anger of having a wound from the boy, her and his sword mixed, the colors blending as sparks and blue smoke filled the screen. Managing to have the upper hand, Nomura shoved Jim across the room, his body tumbling until his back hit a wall.
"Yah! Hi-yah!" Nomura grunted as she flipped off a crate and onto a little ledge.
Jim stood, watching her before jumping back down, her body twisting, the swords creating a tornado of metal, pushing the Trollhunter back again. She fiercely took each blow, not even thinking about her tactics as Jim blocked each one. Raelle soon recovered and quickly stood beside her brother. Nomura groans and stops swinging, looking down to find Toby yanking at her hair as the Goblin Leader tries to pull him off. Using her hair like a whip, Nomura swung Toby into a pillar, putting her attention back on Jim and Raelle.
"Waka Chaka! Da!" The Goblin Leader cried out.
Toby found the closest object to him, a Viking helmet, and without thinking, nor correct aim, threw it at the goblin, the little monster barely sliding from the path. Toby quickly found more objects and threw another displayed item, knocking the goblin down, and they began rolling again.
Jim tried his hardest not to be defeated as the swords of Nomura pressed tighter against his. She let out another cackle before Jim pulled her aside, letting her fall to the floor as he escaped, yet she still let no distance come between them. Raelle jumped in and swung the stone end of her scourge at Nomura, giving Jim time to recover.
Raelle's scourge wrapped around the blades of her opponent, and she thought she had the upper hand. But her optimism was crushed when Nomura swung Raelle against the wall, rendering her semi-conscious, and the scourge disappeared.
Toby and the goblin had rolled into another room, Toby kicking off the ugly creature with ease as he got his Chubby Tracker back and rushed over to help Raelle up while Nomura stood over Jim, the goblin watching behind her. Nomura pulls off the cloth to reveal Jim holding the sword up as a shield.
Jim gave one more swing with his sword but was kicked across the room, his body slamming into the wall, falling limply with the large banner. She lets out one more cackle as Jim lifts the large blanket, not revealing himself to her.
"This was fun," Nomura said, "Now, you're history."
Nomura kicked Jim's sword from his hands as she walked closer to Jim, causing Toby and Raelle to watch with fear far behind her.
"All that fancy armor and you're just a scared little boy," She mocked and readied her swords, about to take the kill as Jim spotted the Goblin Leader between her legs. He remembered Blinky's words.
"Fear heightens your senses. Fear keeps you alive..."
Jim stood up in a crouch before he grabbed the banner's edge. He finishes Blinky's advice, "Arrogance gets you killed!"
He pulls the large banner underneath Nomura's feet, tripping her. As Nomura had no control over herself as she flipped through the air, her eyes caught the leader of the goblins standing beneath her, frozen in fear and shock.
"No!" Nomura screamed. Her back was covered with colors of green, and the puddle of slime was a clear fact that she had killed the Goblin Leader.
A marker rolled to another goblin, his eyes wide in realization before he gathered himself up and glared at Nomura.
"No, no!" She said as she stood straight.
The goblin drew the mustache lines and raised his fist, calling out once more, which caused his two followers to do the same. The goblins began to chant before they jumped to Nomura, taking her down.
"Waka Chaka! Waka Chaka!" The new Goblin Leader chanted.
"Waka Chaka!" The other goblins chanted with their new leader.
"No, it wasn't me! No! No!" Nomura tried to tell them.
She was forced back against the crate, and all goblins were finally present as they continued to raid her. Toby took a photo in shock as Jim pulled his friend from the mess.
"Let's get out of here!" Jim said.
Toby screamed as the goblins tried their best to tackle Nomura down. The three teens run out of the museum as Toby screams. They run to the bikes, quickly pick them up, slip on their helmets, and leave the area.
"Holy, What the? Her face! Did you?" Toby asked.
"And that bridge! There were troll markings on it," Jim stated, breathless.
They skidded to a stop in the middle of the street. Toby fell off his bike, face-planting on the cement as he had no breath or energy to hold him upwards.
"Bridge? Who cares? There's a shapeshifting troll witch!" Toby exclaimed.
"They're walking among us, Tobes! They can be anyone!" Jim told him.
"She has to be a spy or something for Bular. We need to tell Blinky and Aaarrrgghh about this," Raelle said with urgency, "This is huge!"
Before they could even head towardTrollmarket, red and blue suddenly lit Jim, Raelle, and Toy's faces. The wails of sirens greeted their ears as fear bubbled up inside them. The three teens watched a police car pull up, and two policemen stepped out.
"Hands up!" The first Policeman ordered while walking toward the teens.
The three teens drop their bikes and quickly throw their hands up.
"What's happening?" Jim asked.
"On the ground, now!" The second Policeman ordered
The three teens obeyed and lay on the ground before putting their hands on their heads.
"What did we do?" Toby wondered.
"Dispatch, we have the teens that match the description of the museum break-in," The first Policeman spoke into his walkie-talkie, earning shocked looks from the teens before saying to them, "You're coming with us."