(A/N just a heads up, long chapter)
Toby didn't understand how Blinky could run so fast with his stubby legs, but that wasn't the problem currently. a horde of goblins was hot on their tail and Toby was slowly losing speed. in his panicked state, the amulet reacted to his stress and encased the already slow boy in heavy armor.
"this is not the time for armor, Master Tobias." Blinky yelled looking back at the teen. said boy was now having a hard time breathing as he got slower and slower.
"I'm not ... doing it.. on purpose." he said between pants "gahh!" Toby was dragged down by a goblin that had grabbed his leg. as more piled on top of him. Blinky let out a distressed gasp and turned around fully to stop, but didn't do anything as he didn't know what he could do. Jim saw the scene in front of him and had to fight the urge to get on all fours to run to his friend. however, the world around him faded as he took off with inhuman speed. he delivered a swift and powerful kick to three of the goblins on top of Toby and punched two more. one goblin tackled Jim causing him to fall back, but Jim was quick to react. rolling back he planted his feet on the goblin and sent it flying over his head and landed back on his feet.
ARRRGGH! grabbed the two of them and placed them on his back, still running. shaking his head, the world came back to Jim as he gripped onto the moss like fur of the troll.
" thanks for the save, ARRRGGH!. you too Jimbo." Toby thanked as he recovered from the situation. grabbing at the same green scruff, the trollhunter calmed a bit and the armor deactivated. the amulet fell off Toby's chest as he frantically tried to grab it before it fell. once he got a hold of it, Toby was now upside down, only being held onto ARRRGGH!'s back by Jim. Jim pulled him up, in doing so, the shorter teen's phone fell out of his pocket and smacked a goblin in the face right as it was about to jump on ARRRGGH!. the goblin recovered fairly quickly and looked very interested in Toby's phone. it grabbed the phone and took off with it. "no, my phone!" Toby whined.
"your phone? our lives, Tobes!!" Jim said in disbelief. still trying to get over how his friend thought tech was more important that staying alive. this could work though. Toby's phone had a tracking system in it because he lost it so much. Jim just hoped the goblin would actually keep the phone with him. Blinky's voice rang into his ears, bringing him back.
"We need to find refuge! trollmarket's too far." the blue troll looked for answers in his team.
"Cut through these backyards. We'll get to my house. Come on, come on, come on!" Toby said, providing said answer. they got to Toby's house and chased off the goblins that had followed. once upstairs in the stout boys room, Blinky was pacing trying to formulate a plan. Toby had his bowl of snacks and ARRRGGH! and Jim were just watching the blue troll walk back and forth.
"I'm sorry to say, Master Tobias, but your town is infested with goblins!" Blinky said as he stopped in his tracks to turn and face the boys. Toby began eating more of his bowl, Jim knew it was more than usual. Toby must be really freaked out.
"this is bad, really bad. i mean trolls I can deal with because, at least, trolls stay underground. But goblins? what if they start laying eggs in peoples ears!?!" yup Toby was freaking out. at least this time Blinky was there to correct that statement.
"oh, goblins are not capable of such things, but i do agree this is not the best situation." the scholar said, looking down at the ground with a hand on his chin.
"Must find den." ARRRGGH! said contributing to the conversation.
"agreed, old friend, but how. Arcadia, albeit a small city, is still quite large to search." Blinky said not looking up from the ground. everything went silent for a moment. Jim knew what his plan was but had he just blurted it out right away, he thought his friends would grow suspicious. so pretending to be in thought for a second, then lighting up as if he just figured it out.
"Tobes, don't you still have that tracking app for your phone?" Toby nodded a little confused as to where his friend was going with this. "that goblin ran off with it. you could use the tracker to find the goblin~" Jim explained waiting for Toby to catch on. when the younger teens face lit up.
"and the goblin will take us to the den. Jimbo, you're a genius!" Toby finished the thought. dropping the now empty bowl and shaking his friends shoulders in excitement. Jim laughed a little.Toby jumped off the bed where him and Jim were sitting and ran over to his desk. going through all the drawers, looking for the phone tracker.
"excellent idea, young Jim." Blinky praised. Jim smiled but internally cringed at the title Blinky gave him, wishing it was 'Master Jim'. but Jim knew he wouldn't hear that again any time soon. Jim looked at the blue troll to see him watching Toby scavenge through his stuff. out of the corner of his eye, he saw the krubera side eyeing him but adverted his gaze when Jim looked at him head on. Toby yelped in success as he found the tracker. clicking a few buttons before he spoke.
"i charged my phone before the steak-out and i don't think the goblin is smart enough to figure out my password so the battery shouldn't run out." Toby said looking at the device to make sure it worked. "we can go scope it out tomorrow. Me and Jimbo should get some sleep, even though tomorrow is Saturday. we'll need all the rest we can get, right?" he theorized, looking up at the group in front of him. Jim couldn't help but smile. Toby still had a long way to go, but he was progressing at such a faster rate than Jim did. unlike Jim, Toby hadn't tried to deny the amulet in self doubt, nor had he challenged Drall to a rematch. killing Drall's honor was something Jim could live without the second time. Blinky clasped all four hands together, wearing an ear to ear grin.
"wonderful plan, you two. i don't believe i could have come up with a better one myself. yes, you boys get your sleep. we will handle this problem at sunset tomorrow." Blinky exclaimed a bit loud.
"Toby-pie, i don't recognize that voice. who's up there?" a shrill voice sounded from downstairs. catching the group off guard. Tobys nana hadn't been home when they arrived. the two trolls looked from the door to the teen with concerned faces.
"don't worry, my nana's legally blind." Toby whispered to the trolls to ease their nerves. "i just have some friends over, nana. i do have more than one." yelling now for his grandmother to hear him. he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes saying the last part.
"no you don't." nana called back, in more of a playful manner. Jim had to hold back a laugh as he looked to his friend. Blinky and ARRRGGH! looked more or so confused at the comeback. and Toby's mouth now in a pout, his eyebrows smushed together to seem angry, looked like he had just been roasted.
soon after, the trolls took their leave and headed back to trollmarket. Jim hung out with Toby for a little bit but also left not too long after Blinky and ARRRGGH!. once Jim got home, he headed for the bathroom. it was the only room in the house with a decent sized mirror. he took a look at his bottom canines and blinked. they were no longer pointy, they were back to normal. a little perplexed, he took off his gloves and realized the stone skin on his fingers were now back to just the tips. his finger nails lightened as well. maybe staying calm helped keep the transformation at bay and even reverse it to an extent. happy with this new discovery, Jim slipped into some pajamas and went to bed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~the next night at the museum
the sun had just set and the town was empty. Blinky and ARRRGGH! had met the teens at the entrance to trollmarket. they followed the phone tracker to the museum. they were all in disbelief, except Jim but he did good to play it off.
"the museum? we were just here yesterday. how could we have missed a goblin nest?" Toby hissed trying to not be too loud.
"same as we trolls, goblins keep to the shadows. even their den hidden from the naked eye. although i will say I'm just as surprised." Blinky said putting a hand to his chin. "goblins are not known for their intelligence, so why build their den in a place of knowledge?"
"found den" ARRRGGH! said as he shrugged his shoulders. Blinky sighed and patted the kruberas arm.
"you are right, my friend. i shouldn't over think things. now let us be rid of this nest." Blinky said as he put the base of his fist into his other open palm. they were about to walk out of the tree line they were hiding in when a woman came towards the museum door. Toby put out his arms in an attempt to stop them. even though his arms only physically stopped Jim, the two trolls stopped once they caught sight of her.
"crap, it's the museum lady. she doesn't know shes in trouble." Toby said dragging his friend to the door. "Blinky, ARRRGGH!, stay here. once we get her out we'll take care of the goblins." already running to the building. the blue troll reached out to say something but opted out and went back into the bushes. getting to the door, Toby tried to open them but they were locked as Jim thought they would be. "shoot, locked. how are we supposed to get in?" Toby asked. it was more rhetorical but Jim had an answer. he looked around trying to find the window they snuck into last time. finding it he waved for Toby to follow and look.
"after you." Jim said as he crouched down, ready to help his friend up. Toby struggled, but got through without any help. trollhunting was paying off, better than his 14 year diet had. Jim followed, jumping in the window with ease. he had to hold back throwing up as the smell of goblin socked him in the face. ok, so my senses stay the same. he thought. his eyes adjusted to the dark too well as he could almost see in the dark. so his sight was close to being a troll now too.
"ugh, this place gives me the creeps in the dark." Toby whispered. the two boys could hear the faint sound of classical music coming from a room up ahead. a melody that Jim grew to know all too well. they came up to the room and ducked behind a pillar. Toby started to ramble off the same ideas Jim had the first time around. the dark haired teen peeked a look at Nomura. as she opened a box and took out the fetch, she walked out of Jim's sight but her shadow was still visible. he watched as her shadow shifted from her human form to her troll form and she walked back into his line of vision.
Jim felt so heart broken, she wasn't a pile of ruble anymore but this wasn't his Nomura. this changeling would have his head if she deemed him fit. Jim put on his acting face, he was going to have to make this believable. he turned back to Toby only to see a goblin coming up to them. they both freaked, and scrambled behind another column so the goblin couldn't see them. in doing so they were now in a certain magenta trolls line of sight. before the duo could say anything, Nomura walked up to them with a smile that could fuel nightmares on a normal person.
"I knew I detected the stink of teenage flesh." she said bending down into their faces. Toby was the first to run, screaming at the top of his lungs. Jim followed after him a little less loud.
running into a room covered by a curtain, one still under real construction. under a little stress, Jim could feel the stone on his fingers spreading again under his gloves, he flicked his tongue over his teeth and they were back to being pointy. Nomura walked into the room and could have bore holes into Jim with her glare.
"I've never tasted a human trollhunter before." she said, unsheathing one of her scimitars. Jim had no intention on hurting her nor could he. he wasn't the trollhunter currently.
"I'm not the trollhunter. he is." Jim said pointing to his friend who had now gotten a hold of his composure. Toby spoke the incantation and was engulfed by the armor. the changelings eyes widened as she watched. Jim took that chance to slip out of the room and to the one with Killahead. he could hear the battle commence as left. he needed to get better proof than one grainy photo like last time. snapping a few clear pictures, Jim ran back to the fight to provide any backup that he could.
rounding the corner, his heart stopped. Nomura wasn't someone to screw with, he knew that but all the training that Toby's been through should have given him some fighting chance. Nomura had Toby pinned, blade centimeters away from the boy's neck, ready to slit his throat. At that moment, the world around Jim faded. his pupils dilated, as an inhuman growl emitted from his throat. Jim didn't see Nomura anymore, he didn't care who it was, no one would ever take his best friend from him again.
baring his now elongated tusks and constricting his hands as if he were ready to claw someone to death, he bolted at Nomura, tackling her to the floor. they rolled once then Jim kicked her a few yards away. Jim stayed crouched down on his hands. Nomura recovered quickly as she looked up. she was shocked to see a human whelp act so feral until she saw the fangs and claws that had shredded through the boys gloves.
Toby, now free, sat up in a panic and looked at his savior. needless to say he didn't recognize his friend. the trollhunter heard the chime of his phone behind him, turning his head to look. the green vermin had strapped it to his back and Toby was determined to get it back. taking off, the goblin ran from Toby, trying his best to keep the device and the two ended up wrestling for it.
high on adrenaline, Jim's amulet reacted and started to pulsate and glow once more. the power surge, however, didn't hurt the teen, it only fueled him to do more. Nomura, getting over the shock, lunged at Jim, who was quick to dodge. Jim kicked at her again only to meet her blades, but the force did knock her back.
" I'm not here for you, brat. but once I'm done with that pathetic excuse of a trollhunter, you'll be next." Nomura hissed, as she took a mad dash for Toby, who had now gotten his phone back from the goblin. Jim grabbed one of the broad swards that was on display and ran after her.
tackling her right before she got to his best friend, pushing her to the floor again, but this time he pinned her down. Jim pushed down on her scimitars with the sword he picked up. the struggle went on for a few seconds as Toby watched the whole thing.
the glow from Jim's chest bounced off the broad sword and reflected on his face, illuminating it in a terrifying way. Jim's eyes were glowing in the dark and they weren't their normal ocean blue. they were a cold, ice blue. he didn't care for the changeling's life, not right now. Jim could feel the stone skin reaching up to his bicep at this point as well as a new patch growing on his back. he could feel his horns start to grow from his scalp. it hurt but he didn't care right now.
"what are you, whelp?" Nomura hissed as she struggled. Jim only growled in return, pushing down harder on the blades. you could hear metal cracking, whether it was Nomura's scimitars or the old sword Jim had.
"Jimbo?" a soft whisper broke Jim from his trance a little. Jim could hear it even over the struggling. he tried to look over at Toby but Nomura took the chance to fling the teen off of her and over to a wall. Jim's back hit the wall, knocking down the tapestry. in the panic of trying to get the fabric off of himself, Jim lost track of the sword. Nomura stalked over to him, her scimitars scraping the ground as she stepped onto fabric. Jim growled at her once more.
"this has been fun, brat. you actually gave me a challenge. for that, i'll give you a swift death." she said in between breaths, raising her blades above her head. the goblin tried to attack Toby again but he kicked it away, right behind the magenta troll. Jim saw this and took the opportunity. he smiled a devilish smirk.
"arrogance, gets you killed." he whispered under his breath as he yanked the tapestry from under her feet sending her back and crushing the goblin.needless to say the other goblins were furious and started to attack the poor changeling. Toby took the opening and ran. Jim saw this and took off after him. the pain in his chest caught up with him and Jim collapsed before he could get out of the window. however, Toby wasn't out of the building either and stopped to turn around at the screams of his best friend.
Jim clawed at his chest and actually broke skin with his nails being so sharp. his scalp around where his horns were growing and his gums from his teeth were also bleeding. it wasn't a pretty sight. Toby acted on instinct and rushed over to his friend and picked him up bridle style. Jim cried out in more pain as he was lifted off the ground and passed out in Toby's arms.
Toby ran up to the window and called Blinky and ARRRGGH! over. he handed Jim off to Blinky so he could get through the window. Blinky was in utter terror, what had happened to this child. ARRRGGH! was scared too. he helped Toby out of the window faster and threw the boy on his back. Blinky's parental instincts kicked in as he held the slim teens back and legs with two of his arms and held the child's head with a third. reaching over the boys limp form with his last as a sort of last resort so he wouldn't drop the kid. the two trolls took off at high speeds once they heard police sirens. sticking to the tree lines and shadows while they headed for trollmarket
Blinky looked down at the bloody form in his arms and could only wonder one thing.
"what happened to you, poor child?"
(A/N hey guys another chapter, yay. hope you guys aren't squeamish because we getting a little graphic here. i was originally going to have Jim pull out Excalibur in this chapter but I felt it was too soon for that. next chapter will have more Jim angst and dad Blinky and uncle ARRRGGH! along with Toby giving Jim some TLC. as always i hope you guys enjoyed it and thanks for reading.) word count - 3259 not including A/N's