You looked down at the book in front of you as you flipped through the pages following Blinky's voice.
“For Centuries, the troll and human worlds stood separate and at peace,” Blinky explains, “divided by bridges that acted as doorways between our two realms. But the Gumm-Gumms wanted to devour all of mankind.”
You looked down at the picture of a dark looming troll with no completely detailed looks other than having only one eye, “They were led by Gunmar “the Black”, The rest of trollkins fought against him, culmination in the great Battle of Killahead Bridge, the portal to Gunmar’s Darklands.”
A picture of white and black fill in trolls seemed to fight over a detailed darkstoned bridge, “After many moons, good triumphed over evil , and our great Trollhunter, Deya “the Deliverer,” locked Gunmar away, exiling him to the Darklands, and sealed the Killahead Bridge with the sacred amulet.”
“After, we tore it apart, stone by stone. We left the old world in search for peace, we stowed away on a ship called the Mayflower, Just a handful of us and some gnomes we’d brought for companionship…and nourishment. Finally we arrived in a strange and exotic realm.”
Aaarrrgghh interrupts with the name, “New Jersey”
Blinky just softly chuckles before continuing as you listened intently, “We kept walking, Eventually, we came across a new Hearthstone, and we realized we had found a new home…Under Arcadia.
Blinky pulls the book down and looks at the four of you, while both Aaarrrgghh and Toby were smiling with their hands supporting their heads like a child would when entertained with a child's book. Jim was leaning against Aaarrrgghh with his eyes closed sleeping with you next to him with your arms crossed as you listened intently.
Blinky groans as he walks up to Jim with his four hands on the open book, then puts the book up to his face and slammed the book shut. Startling Jim awake as he cries out…
“¡Lo siento, Señor Draal!¡No me mates!” Jim blinks as he tenses up into himself and looks up at Blinky finally realizing what was going on, as you snickered to yourself finding the situation kinda funny.
Blinky goes down onto his knees and furrows his six eyes at Jim and spoke in a firm voice, he training of troll history might seem like a minor duty, Master Jim, but-”
Jim interrupts as he opens the book that was laying in his lap, “Sorry, I pulled an all-nighter studying for my Spanish Comprehension exam, and my mind is all ooey gooey.”
You shook your head at Jim, “and I told you not to, when you could study some not to do it all in one night and spread it out. It’s no good if you are all tired and everything for it.”
Jim sighs, “I don’t know. I guess I thought if I’m facing Draal in a whole week, my training would be a little more…active…” Jim says softly as he stretches and then stands up with a yawn.
Toby jogged slightly next to Jim nodding his head, “Yeah, like, when is he going to learn Troll-kwondo? Or Rock-itsu?” He throws some playful punches and then wraps his short arms around Jim’s shoulder’s bring him down in height.
“Before one fights, Toby D, one must understand why one fights,” Blinky grabs the book with his hands and looks down at it, “For these precious early steps will decide, whether a young Trollhunter will become a Deya ''The Deliverer''...” Blinky points to the Statue of Deya with her holding her sword up towards the sky.
Aaarrrgghh huffs as he looks towards another statue with the Troll cowering in fear, “Or Unkar “the Unfortunate.”
Toby and Jim look at each other like they were crazy while you elbowed Jim in the side for being rude. Jim rubs his side as he then shows his book to Blinky, “Well, tomorrow, my Spanish exam is with Señor Uhl “the Unforgiving.” Jim holds the book to the side.
You hummed in agreement, “Our main concern is for our immediate future.” You say, as you looked Blinky in the eye.
Blinky lit up at that comment as if an idea popped on like a light bulb in his head, “A-ha! But, to learn what will happen in the future, one must only look to the past.” Blinky then drops the book into Jim’s hands which immediately sags and the sheer weight of it, which Jim grunts.
Blinky beams, “I recommend a Brief Recapitulation of Troll Lore by the venerable Bedehilde. Volume one of forty seven.” You dead pan at the sound of that many volumes in one series.
Jim nods, “Okay, but if I or N/n don’t pass the exam. Whoever doesn’t pass is grounded, and I can’t be the Trollhunter.”
You nodded your head as you began to walk with Jim as you did agree with his intentions, as Jim continued “Sorry, Blinky, but the amulet chose me, and now I have two lives to keep up.”
Suddenly a Troll comes thumping down and breathes heavily towards Blinky with panting heaves, and Blinky immediately becomes worried. “Oh, no. Is it the Heartstone?”
She shook her head, “No! No!”
“Stalkling?” Aaarrrgghh asks.
Jim leans forward with a worried expression, “Is Bular in Trollmarket?” You sighed at the three of them.
“You guys come up with the worst case scenario…” You grumbled.
“No! Gnome! Rogue gnome!” She yelled as her voice echoed throughout the hall.
You deadpanned, why so much worry for a small gnome that ran wild?
____________________
A male voice cried out throughout the market promoting his product, “Get your toasters here!”
You sat on one of the stools in her shop as you watched the female troll grumble as both of her hands were on the table, as she explained to you what was happening. “First, I couldn’t find my monocle, then my collection of bed coils.” She walked away from the table and walked backwards slightly as she threw her hands up into the air, “Now, something disappears every minute!”
Suddenly on cue a red blur sprinted and pulled on something of her belt and pulled her to the ground as the little guy giggled mischievously.
Blinky puts out of his hands to the troll to help her up, “Ah, yes. Gnome.”
She just slaps his hands away and gets up herself, “Oh, dirty little pests.” She reached into a box and pulled out a trap with a dead gnome that was just a skeleton. “Up until last week, the glue traps were working fine.”
The gnome came back and snatched the trap with the dead gnome out of her hands and flew across the air, giggling again, as everyone looked around in worry (Mostly the trolls). While you just closed your eyes thinking.
The troll turned to Jim and batted her eyes with her hands together in the most girlish pathetic way possible, “Fix it, Trollhunter!”
Jim smiles nervously and backs away with his arms raised, “Uh, yeah, I’m really sorry about that.” You and Toby raise an eyebrow at Jim, as you knew he was trying to get out of this so he could study some more. “See, you need a gnome-catcher and I’m, well, the Trollhunter, so-”
You sighed knowingly as Blinky came up to the boy with a finger raised, “Oh, no, Master Jim. The Trollhunter cannot refuse the call.” Jim stares at Blinky with a not so happy look on his face white Blinky looked ecstatic. “And what better a call for you to train with than a pint-sized quarry?”
You huffed as you got up from your seat, “Well, then let’s catch some gnome then, shall we?”
Everyone stops talking and moving as they start hearing rapid footsteps while a guitar starts to play, and the gnome comes out from behind the socks clearing his throat. Then expertly starts playing the guitar with notes on tune, and vocalizes while smirking.
You were impressed yourself, but knew the hidden meaning behind this which Blinky states himself clearing with furrowed eyebrows as he faces the little gnome.
“He’s trying to distract us! Hold tight to your valuables,” The troll turned to Toby who ignored his warning as he clapped slightly to the playing of the gnome with a smile on his face.
“Why?” Toby chuckles, “He can’t be that bad.” The gnome then suddenly sprints off towards the waist of Toby somehow turning him while stealing his belt. Toby looks down in shock, “Oh, no! My belt!”
You shook your head, “And then you go ahead and jinx it…”
Toby then reflexes and reaches into his pocket pulling out a little bit of food, “At least he didn’t take my Nougat Nummy’s.” In turn the gnome snatches that to get out of spit while giggling, Toby gasps and a determined look takes form on his face.
“We need to catch that gnome,”
You knew you wouldn’t be able to catch it so you stood to the side in the shadows and watched as Blinky, Toby, and Jim made a circle with each other hitting almost every corner of the room. Effective, yes, but for this speedy little guy? Was a piece of cake, easier than taking candy from a baby.
You could only chuckle in amusement as you watched the little guy speeding around dodging their attempts at catching him.
Toby pointed that way as he saw a blur of red, “Over there!”
Jim pointed in another direction, “Oh! Over there!”
“No! Over here!” Aaarrrgghh just sat there with a blank look on his face, like he was done with life at the moment as he pointed up to the top of his head as you tried so hard not to burst out laughing.
“No, up there…” As the Gnome just leans against one of his horns and waves at the trio, mocking them. The little guy then leaps off of his head and onto the floor, sprinting off escaping Jim as he leaps forward attempting to catch the guy. Although it didn't turn out very well as he faced plants onto the floor.
The gnome rises up and chatterters words that none could understand other than its own kind out of a basket, as Blinky also rises up slowly behind staring down at it like predator to prey with his six eyes. Then quickly covers the top, and looks to see if he caught it with a hopeful expression. But instead finds the gnome outside and sees it through a hole in the basket, Blinky growls angrily while the gnome laughs and speeds up onto the top of Brunhilde's head snatching another item from her.
She gasps and cries out angrily, “Oh, my beautiful saw! Catch him!” You watched as Blinky’s face turns into a grim one as Jim runs after the guy.
Jim finally leaps forward gasping the guy in both of his hands as the gnome struggles, you starred as Jim starts to lose his grip and Blinky doesn't notice as he beams but it was quickly wiped off as the gnome flew out of his hands like a rocket.
The gnome stared at Jim with an accomplished look on his face before sprinting off again weaving through Aaarrrgghh’s legs, preventing Jim from grabbing him once again.
Aaarrgghh lifts up his foot letting the guy go through easily, as Jim looks at the large troll with a real look on his face. “Pacifist,” Aaarrrgghh shrugs.
Jim get’s up, and the gnome leaps and snatches something out of the back of Jim’s pants, who immediately checks out what he took and dread appears on his face. “Oh, no. Where’s the amulet?”
You dead pan at the gnome as it wizzes by you, and stand there with the glowing amulet as it flashes in alarm. The gnome who smirks and chatter his teeth laughing, the other four look down at it in panic as Blinky cries, “Oh, no!”
The gnome sprints off behind a cabinet as Jim checks it, then Aaarrrgghh pushes it to the side revealing a median size hole, enough room to let the gnome through but not enough to let Jim or another other size being through. As laughter rang out from the hole everyone peared through it.
“Hole,” Aaarrrgghh states bluntly.
You hummed as you looked through it, “Indeed, it appears our little guy built himself a home for himself on the wall. Enough room to let itself in but not enough to where we can get in.”
“Excellent observation, N/n…” Jim states sarcastically as he dead pans at you. You just grinned at him, as you replied.
“What? Don’t give me that look, if any of you couldn’t catch the little guy. How would I be able to?”
Blinky hums to himself, “Yes, it appears the plot quite literally deepens.”
Jim gets closer to the hole and reaches his two arms in and tries to reach in far enough in a desperate tone, “Come back, come back...” Jim stops as he pulls out his arms and looks at Blinky, “Shouldn’t the amulet be coming back to me right about now?”
You sighed as you concluded, “Seemingly and sadly, only applies if you try to rid yourself of it. If it came back to you no matter what, that would be extremely helpful.”
Blinky nods agreeing with you, “Dolefully, that rule only applies as Miss Y/n has said if you reject it. When thieves, as you can see…it’s another story.” Blinky looked at Jim, as he frowned and mini lectured him, “If you had read a Brief Recapitulation you would have known that as it seems your friend here has already done.”
Brunhilde scoffs, as Toby munches on some potatoes from one of her bags she had in her store, “Some Troll Hunter you are, Jim “the Baby-Handed.” You snapped your head towards her and you scowled, as she snatched the bag from Toby before he could eat anymore.
“Look lady, I know you are angry but that does not give you the right to be idle him like that. He is extremely new at this, and not only that he never knew any of this existed. He is trying his best to adjust and do his job, and at the very least give him credit for trying.” You snapped angrily as the air buzzed around you, seemingly getting hot and cold at the same time.
That shut her up real quietly, as everyone froze at your voice. Authority seeping out of it, as your eyes flashed dangerously and the air tensed suffocating anyone who was close proziety of you. Her eyes widened in recognition, and she gave a quiet nod of her head.
Blinky just stared, and quietly turned to Jim averting the attention of the group. “Master Jim, press on. This is not the moniker you want.”
Jim throws his hands in the air as his attention is taken from you to Blinky, “What else can I do? I can’t fit in that hole there.” He gestures towards it.
Blinky smirks as he puts a hand to his chin, “Hmmm, currently.”
You and Toby snapped your head towards the blue troll at his wording, and Aaarrrgghh shook his head at him, “Bad idea…”
Blinky retorts with a firm voice, “No Trollhunter has ever lost his amulet. We’kk need time to procure the Furgolator.”
You raise an eyebrow as Jim starts sweating nervously, “The Fergulator?”
Blinky turns to you and Jim, “Uh, don’t you worry about anything, you two. Tend to your studies, we’ll watch over the hole.” Blinky grasps Jim’s shoulder firmly but assuringly, “Tomorrow, you’ll return refreshed to deal with this, uh…” Blinky looks over at the hole nervously, “little problem.”
________________
You sat at your desk with your notebook open as you watched Mary say her Spanish exam thing up front, as Senor Uhl wrote on the chalkboard as he listened intently to her as the chalk screeched on the chalkboard.
“Little did anyone know, Maria was juggling two hombres,” You glanced over at Jim, who had his notebook over the one Blinky gave him, taking it off every now and then reading it when Uhl was looking.
Steve tapped his pen on his desk, as he looked next to him at Jim who to him looked like he was studying (He was just not spanish).
“Manolo was muy guapo but Joaquín had muchos músculos.” Mary continued oblivious to what was going on in front of her. As Steve smirked and started drawing something on the blank paper that was in front of him.
Jim looked to the side and his eyes widened, at the drawing Steve was holding up. Which was him drawing very badly crying tears, with a broken leg, and X out eyes. As Steve shook the photo in front of his face, smirking as he stared at Jim.
“You broke my tooth. I’m going to break your life.” Steve sets down the photo, as he leans slightly towards Jim, “When I’m through with you, you’re going to wish you were dead.” Laughing softly he crumples the paper, as Jim looks down at his desk in tiredness as Steve then throws the paper at him hitting his face and bouncing off onto the floor.
You listened to what he was saying as you muttered to yourself, “If he doesn’t actually die by Draals hand’s, and I swear they two of them are like mimics. Only thing is, Steve is a human and Draal is a Troll.”
“And poor Maria has a pedoso heart,” Your eyes shot up as you immediately heard her mistake.
Senor Uhl's eyes widened as the chalk snapped in half, as he turned around immediately and spoke with a Germanish accent. “What kind of heart did Maria have, Miss Wang?”
Mary froze in fear as she stumbled upon her words trying to correct herself, “Uh, a heavy heat… “Pe-do-do.” Or is it…” Uhl walked from around his desk, and stood next to Mary with his hands behind his back.
“I would hope Maria wouldn’t have a pedoso heart,” Uhl leaned down to her with a scary face. “Because that would mean “gassy”. Maria started to close in on herself as she continued to grow more nervous as Uhl continued, “Did Maria have a gassy heart, Miss Wang?”
“Of course not, Senor Uhl!” She squeaked.
Uhl stood straight back up as he looked down on the girl, “Uh-buh-bum! You were trying to say, “pesado.” “A heavy heart.” He turned around and grabbed the tissue box from his desk, and turned back around holding it to where she could grab one. “And it is with a heavy heart, Miss Wang, to tell you. You have NOT shown slightest comprehension of the basic Spanish.” Uhl said to the girl who was slightly tearing up, “If you can’t even finish the exam, I have no choice but to fail you.”
He holds the tissue box in front of her, which Maria immediately grabs one by whipping her eyes before rushing out of the door sobbing. And as if on cue the school bell rings dismissing the class from the period.
Everyone starts packing up and heading out the door, as Senor Uhl crosses his arms and looks at Jim. “Mr.Lake, I look forward to your presentation tomorrow.” Jim chuckles nervously as he looks at his Spanish teacher.
“Yeah, I’m…ready.”
You hummed as you soon went to follow the two boys with your books in your bag, as Uhl looked towards you.
“Miss L/n, I will be exempting you from the exam due to your recent…incident. So you will be passing the test due to this. Though if you need any help catching up again if you find yourself missing something, let me know so I can sign you out for AA or after school study sessions with other kids.” Uhl said to you as he crossed his arms in front of him.
You nodded your head at the tall standing teacher, “Thanks again…”
____________________________
You walked besides Toby as the two of you watched Jim walk up to Claire who was grabbing books out of her locker and putting some in.
“Hey, Claire! Hey! You know, I got this Spanish exam coming up. Muy importante.” Claire pauses at the sound of the boy before continuing to put books in her locker, and frowns slightly, as Jim chuckles, “And I was…I was looking for someone to help me out–”
“And I was looking for my scene partner at last night’s rehearsal,” Claire snapps back as she slammed her locker shut once she finished. Jim's face droops in realization, as he puts his hands to his head in realization.
“Oh, man, the play! I wasn’t-” Jim quickly walks next to the girl, as his face is extremely apologetic, and you knew from afar even just looking at the interaction it was not going well.
Claire adjusted her bag strap on her shoulder as she spoke to the boy, “I don’t know what you’ve got going on, but this play is pretty important to me. My family’s coming, and if you make me look like an idiot up there–” Jim walks in front of the girl with an extremely apologetic face.
“Claire, I’m sorry. I promise I won’t–”
Claire pushes past him as she bluntly states, “Just be there tomorrow, Y/n is a free pass as she did an early rehearsal that day you missed it…”
Claire turns around towards the boy as Jim looks at her, “And, by the way, I know Steve is a jerk, but there are better ways to finish a fight than punching someone in the face.”
Jim sighs as you and Toby walk up next to him, as you looked at the boy and apologized, “Sorry for forgetting to tell you about it, I did the rehearsal of the music with the teacher during AA.”
Jim shook his head, “It’s fine, we all forget things, saying from experience.” You chuckle softly at his joke, as the two of you then continued on walking…
__________________________
It was now night on a full moon, and all three of you were asleep in your beds. While other activities were going on at the Museum of Arcadia….
Key jingled around as the security guard walked through the halls with his flashlight checking constantly for potential intruders, he paused and froze at a sound. “Huh?” He turners around beaming his flashlight at the stature that was behind him finding nothing.
The security guy mutters, before continuing on whistling. When he left, the black troll Bular appeared from behind the statue glaring down the human with his yellow and red eyes growling. As he watched the human open one of the wooden double doors, leaving the room.
Snarling he leaves the hiding spot, and opens the curtain closing off an area from the public and looks around precariously hunched over a dark aura peeling off of his tall broad structure.
Bular spoke growling at the figure in front of him, “We build it here? Right under their noses? Are you a fool?” He asked Stricker as he checked off boxes on the list that he had in his hands.
Strickler just smirks as he turns to the Gumm-Gumm, “Haven’t you ever heard that the best hiding place is in plain sight–” Before he could finish speaking Bular grabs Strickler's neck and raising him off the floor, wiping the look off of Strickler's face.
“Don’t patronize me, Impure.”
Strickler holds onto the hand gripping his neck, “We want the same thing, Bular. I know you don’t like waiting, but it’s taken time for the changelings to acquire the remaining pieces.” Bular growls and slightly roars at the response and throws Stricklerlander from his grasp causing Strickler to stumble backwards catching his balance while Bular walks forward angrily.
Strickler adjusts his tie on his clothing as his eyes also glow the same yellow and red color, as Bular rips open a crate. “My father has waited centuries. The Age of Gunmar is at hand…” Bular pulls out a chunk of rock that was oddly shaped rock.
Bular looks at the Changeling with narrowed eyes, while he grips the rock tightly. “That girl…Who is she really?”