In her house, Y/N tapped her fingers on her laptop as she researched magic. She doesn't expect much but at. At least there should be something that could come up. Her phone suddenly vibrated, that was on her bed. She picked it up and opened it to see a message from Jim.
ꜱᴛʀɪᴄᴋʟᴇʀ'ꜱ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇ'ꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀɪɴᴄɪᴘᴀʟ! - ꜱᴇᴇɴ
The principal? How did he become the principal? Y/N texted back quickly. Asking how he became the principal. Jim replied that the previous principal took an immediate leave of absence. Y/N thought about this.
'If I were the principal, I wouldn't let some teacher who just up and left school and promoted to principal. Something's not right.' Y/N asked what was his previous principal's name.
ᴘʀɪɴᴄɪᴘᴀʟ ʟᴇᴡɪꜱ - ꜱᴇᴇɴ
Lewis... She remembered how much he helped her when she was still in Arcadia High. He was pretty strict but generous too. Why'd he even leave in the first place? Y/N's brows furrowed and shut her laptop off. She dug through her phone notes for addresses. She kept her old principal one because he sometimes helped her study. He almost treated her like his own daughter.
She left the house, making sure to leave a note and message to Douxie in case he missed it, and walked to his place.
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
Y/N stood in front of his door, knocked, and called out his name. "Mr. Lewis?" She knocked several times. She sighed and turned his doorknob and it opened up. She slowly but cautiously opened the door and entered his house, slowly. "Mr. Lewis...?" She slowly called his name once more. She walked around the house and he was nowhere to be seen.
Y/N took out her phone, when she felt messages signaling her to see new messages from Jim, Toby, or Claire. There was a new message from Jim.
ɪ ꜰᴏʀɢᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʜɪꜱ. ʏᴇꜱᴛᴇʀᴅᴀʏ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴀ ᴍᴜᴅ ᴍᴏɴꜱᴛᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ɢɴᴀʀʟʏ ᴛʀᴏʟʟ ᴡᴀꜱ ꜱᴛᴜᴅʏɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ - ꜱᴇᴇɴ
Gnarly troll? Great a new enemy. Jim had to deal with Gunmar soon after killing Bular now, there's some new dangerous troll out to get Jim. She texted him with a 'see you later in Trollmarket'.
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
Within the library of Trollmarket, Y/N watched Blinky swipe items off the stone table and slam a book down. "I've spent nights poring over the legend of the stones, decoding its hidden meanings. Endless, sleepless nights." With excitement, Jim threw his backpack down, the flap opening. "The Triumbric Stones. You found something?" Y/N waved to Toby and Claire.
"At first, I combed every library for insights, but there is nothing written. Rumors say they are tied to Gunmar's life force. So I searched for stones that would have a significance to his past..." Aaarrrgghh!!! came around with some books, "Birthstone."
"Indeed. Such as Gunmar's Birthstone." Jim leaned in for more information. "Why is it so powerful?" Blinky picked up the book and started telling the tale. "Long ago, trolls lived underground, blissfully unaware of humankind above." Blinky opened the book, flipping through the pages and showing a bunch of images of the rotting heartstone and Gunmar. "Inevitably, our worlds collided. Trolls and humans each wanted the world as their own and fought for it. Blood was shed, and our First Heartstone rotted from within. And from it, Gunmar was born." Y/N grimaced at the sight.
" Birthstone, okay. Where would we find that?" Jim wondered. "Birthstone gone." Aaarrgghh!!! continued to rummage through the shelves. "It was plundered before any good could come from it. But then I remembered this passage. 'Three forces Elemental thou must seek in marshland, caverns deep, and mountain's peak.' Ah. Which is elusive, but the clue--"
"Is hidden in the final stanza 'mountain's peak.' It's so obvious! The stone is hidden in a mountain." Everyone looked at her, shocked but Jim was smiling and Y/N was clapping. "Sorry. I'm a riddle dork." Y/N patted her shoulder. "Well done, Claire." Claire smiled at the girl a bit happy she received compliments from the enchantress for some odd reason.
"Yeah, I'm not getting it," Toby said, regaining himself after Claire's happy outburst. "Gatto's Keep!" A page, filled with dull colors illuminated a picture of a mountain and a golden crescent moon. "Deep in the realm of the Volcanic Trolls is a vault of the greatest treasures untold. Treasures too powerful for the underworld to possess. Treasures kept locked up by Gatto himself. Treasures like--"
"The Birthstone," Jim said suddenly. Claire couldn't contain her joy. "So this Gatto has the stone that will help us get Enrique back?" Blinky slapped the book closed, "If I could just finish a thought--" he said dramatically. "When do we leave?" Claire asked frantically. Of course, the three were excited to go. Y/N crossed her arms as she walked over to Blinky with a smile on her face.
"Wait, this sounds like a quest. This is a quest!" Toby said, grabbing his two friends by the shoulders, excited. "Guys, we're going on our first official Trollhunters quest!" Claire and Jim laugh. Toby looked at Y/N, "Y/N, get over and join the hug! We going on our first quest ever!" Y/N chuckled as Claire outstretched her arm out for a hug. She joined in the hug as they all cheered for the first-ever quest.
"Pack your bags. There's more to see in this world than you know." Blinky said happily. Toby was still excited, no one seeing a certain eye roll back into Jim's backpack. "Oh, my! Oh, my! Oh, my! Trollhunter quest!"
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
Y/N arrived back home and started packing the necessary items. Medics, horngazel, maps (just in case) flashlights and etc. Douxie knocked on her door, grabbing her attention. " Going somewhere?" Y/N smiled a bit and walked towards him, patting his shoulder. "My friends and I are going on a mini camping trip. We'll be back soon."
"Ha. Alright, love. Just be careful." Y/N nodded, grabbed her bag, and swiftly left home. Archie perched on the window seat, watching the girl walk away. "She's definitely going somewhere dangerous." Douxie scratched his head, "Don't worry, Arch. I've seen her magic. She's doing great." Archie raised a brow at him, "You exposed yourself to her, you know."
Douxie shrugged and walked away as Archie rolled his eyes.
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
In Trollmarket, the team once again together, headed down a stray pathway, only random Gnomes were found. Y/N sighed knowing where they were going, she's been there only once and went on it once. She looked at Aaarrgghh!!! and patted his arm making him look at her with a grumpy look. "Whoa. You've never taken us this far before."
"Because out here, Tobias, there is no protection. Beyond the barriers of Trollmarket lie unforgiving realms, ripe with lawlessness. Aha! We're here. Did everyone come prepared?" Blinky asked, standing in front of a staircase, leading to a closed door. "Yeah, I've got my flashlight, horngazel, amulet..."
"I've got a first-aid kit, matches--" Claire began before Toby startled Claire with a taco. "And I got tacos! Extra spicy!" Everyone looks at him with a slight smile. "What? I get hungry on a quest." He pops the taco in his mouth, Jim's facepalming making Y/N laugh. Aaarrrgghh!!! groaned one thing on his mind.
"What's wrong, wingman?" Toby looked at his friend wondering what was wrong. "Hate gyre." he simply stated. "What's a 'gyre'?" Y/N shook her head, a horrible memory came up. "A horrible roller coaster ride." The kids looked at the college girl. "Wait you've been on one." Y/N nodded and raised a finger, "Once." Blinky began to walk forward, the team following close behind. "Come with me and prepare to be amazed."
"Seriously? You brought tacos?" Jim said in disbelief as he unlocked the door hiding the Gyre. "I brought enough for everyone!" The wall cracks, a blue light emitting from it and opening a passageway. An empty circular platform was in the center of the room and as soon as the tip of Jim's shoe was near, the platform twisted, the three humans gasping in surprise as a large circular object appeared, the rings around it shifting. Aaarrgghh!!! and Y/N made an unpleasant look.
"That's the coolest troll-y trolley I've ever seen!" Toby said, gently touching it with his hand. "Gyre," Aaarrrgghh stated, looking worried. "Yes. A gyre. Our kind's quickest form of transportation. For the last 200 years, trolls have used the vast network of subterranean sewers to get to any part of the world in record time!" Blinky informs as they all climb on. The Gyre twists to face a certain direction. "Wait, Gatto isn't in Arcadia?" Jim asked.
Y/N looked at the kids as she sat next to Jim holding tight on the seat. "You can't expect everything to be in Arcadia, Jim."
"Of course not." Blinky states as he presses buttons and pulls a bunch of levers, the machine whirring to life. "He lives under what you humans call Argentina," Blinky pronounced Argentina with a bit of accent. "Argentina! That's a whole other continent, Blinky! How long is it going to take to get there?" Claire yelled over the roar of the machine and the largest ring spins rapidly.
"Less time than you'd think. Let's burn some tunnel!" Y/N looked at the kids with a blank look, "Hold onto your butts." Blinky slams his fist on a button, the gyre whining before it blasts through the tunnels. Everyone is being pushed back due to the crazy amounts of gravity.
Jim and Claire screamed as they pressed against Aaarrrgghh!!!'s supporting arm. Toby was screaming as well. Y/N held a blank stare but bit her lip as the wind blew against her face. Blinky, however, was the only one enjoying it as he laughed. Soon, their screams became disoriented, everything seemed to move in slow motion as the four passengers, Jim, Claire, Toby, and Aaarrgghh!!!, who hadn't held on, flew up but Y/N held onto the seat. They dropped even quicker, the motion once again going at a normal pace, their screams never ceasing until the gyre came to a sudden halt, connecting itself to magnets.
"Ha-ha! A new record!" Blinky said as he exited the Gyre. "You see? Was that so bad?" Toby runs off and retches, leaving a heap on the station. "Yes. Yes, it was." Jim stated, Claire, following him off, holding onto Y/N for support before Aaarrrgghh!!! hopped down and startled Blinky. "Hate gyre!"
"Gross, Toby." Claire's voice was heard as the team headed up the steps. "Out of curiosity, have either of you ever met this Gatto?" Blinky hesitantly spoke, "Uh, no, Master Jim. In fact, I've done everything in my power to avoid him. Very few ever return from his keep. So--"
"Stay close." Aaarrrgghh!!! added. Y/N walked next to the kids, as they climbed the steps, Toby let out a groan. "Agh! It's so hot. Why is it so hot?" The answer was revealed, many wooden platforms, a red light pouring from the ground, and a few torches lighting the dark landscape. "Because we're in a volcano, aren't we?" Claire asked.
"Welcome to Ojos del Salado, the home of Gatto," Blinky said, the group slowly climbing each stair. "'Ojos del Salado'?" Toby repeated. "Well, that's not gonna be good for my mobile plan." The six stopped, and two guards with their backs towards them were the cause. As Claire stood close to Jim, perhaps feeling safer beside him, Toby hid behind Y/N, Blinky had stepped forward, catching their attention.
"Uh, you there, we would most graciously request an audience with Gatto." The guard turns with a deep, muffled grunt. Their faces were nothing more than metal masks with empty red eyes, Blinky gasping as he got a good look at them, everyone startled as well. The guard, without saying one thing, just points at the top of the mountain. "Thank you, kind friend."
They begin walking again, everyone staring at the top with worry as they carried on. The guards watch carefully, letting out another grunt while the Trollhunters climbed the mountains' supports.
Climbing within the volcano was alright, Y/N and Jim helped lift Toby to the last platform as the chubby boy gasped for air. "Finally!" Toby whimpered in exhaustion after looking around and finding no one. "Are you serious?"
"Okay, where's Gatto? They said he'd be here." Jim asked, getting shoved lightly.'"s a real butt-snack." Toby said angrily as the large stone moved behind them, everything rumbling. Toby let out a panicked gasp as they all turned, not seeing the large mouth opening behind them. The mysterious voice echoed as it spoke, to everyone. "Who has awakened Gatto?" Y/N looked behind her as the rest faced the other direction, gaping at the large rock moving.
"Oh, no!" Toby cried. "Holy sheesh-kebob!" Claire said with panic. "I am so sorry I called you a butt-snack," Toby said. Jim pulled out his amulet, in case of any sudden danger. Gatto couldn't help but laugh. "Haha. A human Trollhunter? How interesting. How unique. Hehehe." Jim turned, the color draining from his face as he figured out where Gatto was. Everyone else turned around, the same expression on their faces. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"We've.. ah, sorry," Jim's voice broke, causing him to clear his throat. "We've come for..." A troll wheels a large basket of rocks to Gatto, the large troll using one swipe of his tongue to swallow his food, and the troll screamed on the way down. Jim yelped, backing up. "Agh! Did he just eat a troll?" Toby freaked out. "Oh, that poor troll." Y/N pitied.
"You must excuse me. I never talk business without something to eat. Go on." Jim regained his posture with much more confidence. "We need...uh ... we need the Birthstone." Gatto let out a deep laugh, the volcano seeming to rumble with him. "The Birthstone of Gunmar. Very powerful. Why should I give it to you?"
"Because we are going to destroy him," Jim said with a stern glare, looking up at Gatto. The large troll couldn't help but let out a laugh once again. "Why do I care? Why should I give it to you?" As he spoke, he let out a large pool of steam, causing Jim to cover his face and look away. "He's negotiating, Master Jim," Blinky said from behind him. Y/N and the other back away in disgust, "Ugh! When was the last time this mountain brushed his teeth?"
"What do you want for it?" Jim asked, keeping his gaze on the large head. "Ooh. An answer to a little riddle." Y/N groaned, of course. No wonder in the book was a riddle to find this mother-f--. "That's all? Whew. I thought Claire was a goner." Toby said, causing Claire to look at him, angered that he'd sacrifice her first. Y/N flicked his head. "Answer it correctly, the Birthstone is yours. Answer it incorrectly, I eat you all." He laughed, the view of his vast mouth was clear. "Oh hell no." Y/N immediately backed away.
"Eat? Did he say 'eat'?" Claire said in light fear. "Yes, humans." He licked his rocky lips, "I hear they have a gamey taste." That did not help Toby. "He said 'eat'." Toby could only get out before he dropped to the floor. Y/N kneeled down and patted his cheeks.
"Master Jim, we must not enter into this binding agreement. I'm beginning to catch on why so few trolls ever leave this domicile." Blinky said, nervously looking at his Trollhunter but the boy was too focused on his thoughts then to heed Blinky's warning. "We'll play," Jim said quickly, earning a gasp from his friend Toby. He stepped over to the group, helping Toby stand again.
"We need it to save Claire's brother and, besides, she's good at riddles." Claire looked at Jim with panic in her voice. "Not 'bet-our-lives' good!" She said back, Toby watching the two from between them. Y/N patted her shoulder, calming her. "You're a straight-A student!"
"When do we go to 'riddles' class?" Y/N stood between them, calming them. "Okay, calm down. You two are arguing like old married couples." The two reeled back and Blinky stepped over, the two looking at him. "Ah, I am savvy with words. Gatto, do your worst. Riddle away." Blinky said, facing the mountain.
"What begins and has no end, and ends all that which begins?" Gatto said simply, confusing Blinky. "I have absolutely no idea. Those words mean nothing. Indecipherable!"
"Everyone, start thinking. We can do this!" Jim said, glancing at Claire who was mumbling the riddle. "What begins, has no end."
"Begin, end. Begin, end. Oh, head hurts!" Aaarrrgghh!!! said, trying to count it out on his fingers but failing and holding his head.
"School bus? Meatloaf? Hair!" Toby blurted out in his state of panic.
"Ten more seconds."
"You didn't tell us we're on the clock!" Blinky yelled furiously but was still scared.
"Kangaroo! Golf! Socks! Magic! Warhammer! Baby deer! School buses with hobos driving full of macaroni and cheese! I don't know!" Toby once again yelled out.
"A loop begins and has no end, but it doesn't end when it begins. Shoot, it's not that." Claire added, looking at nothing in particular. "What is it?"
Jim quickly spoke up. "Wait, wait, wait! I got it! The answer is a riddle! No, that's stupid." He scolded himself. "Could you repeat the question?"
"Tick-tock, tick-tock. Five seconds. Prepare the chimichurri!" He reminded.
"There is no answer. The answer is nothing. What if there is no answer?" Toby cried, everyone around them trying their hardest to think.
"There's always an answer." Jim reminded Toby.
Blinky threw his hands down. "Then what is it?"
"What has a beginning...?" Claire continued thinking. "You know this," Jim said stepping to Claire.
"Three, two..."
"You have to know this!" Jim said stepping to Claire.
"One."
"We're gonna die!" Jim cried.
"Time is up," Gatto said right as Claire raised her hand confidently. "Death! Death is the answer. It begins and has no end. And ends all things that begin. Death."
"What?" Gatto said in disbelief. "No one has ever answered that before."
"Oh, my gosh!"
"Yeah!"
Jim exclaimed as Claire and he shared a winning hug, Aaarrrgghh!!? lifting them. "And lived to tell about it. Hahaha." Gatto finished. Aaarrrgghh!!! dropped his friends gently as guards surrounded the team, pointing their axes at them.
"No!" Jim gasped. "You were never going to give it to us! You horde treasures only to lure those into your literal trap!" Blinky said with bitterness, pointing an accusing finger before being shoved forward by a guard. "Oh, come now. A mountain has to eat, you know." As his vast mouth opened, the team was shoved forward. Acting quickly, Jim spoke the incantation, donning his armor.
"For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!" With no hesitation, Jim slams his sword into the wooden planks, a large wave of blue threw the guards to the side, giving his friends some time. Affected by the move, Gatto groaned, closing his eyes as he was impacted.
"What do we do now?"
Claire asks as Jim shoves a guard to the side before ducking quickly. While Jim fought not even realizing what was happening, Y/N, Blinky, and Toby were being shoved toward Gatto's mouth, getting uncomfortably close. Y/N blasted a couple of them away but the heat was making her body burn a bit, hardly focusing on her magic.
"I don't wanna be food!" Toby cried before they were shoved in, Gatto's mouth instantly closing. "Hold on!" Jim said but had gotten there late, his face carrying a broken expression. "No!" Before he couldn't even process what had happened, he let out a grunt as he was shoved to the side. "Aaarrrgghh!!!"
Realizing three of his friends were missing, Aaarrrgghh!!!'s eyes became the black abyss once again, his carvings lighting up as his anger spiked. "Wingman! Y/N! Blinky!" He lets out a growl, punching the hell out of Gatto but barely making a dent. Jim and Claire still tried to hold their own in the battle, Jim doing his best to block attacks while Claire dodged her oncoming attacks. "He ate them!"
"They still could be alive." As she spoke, she tried to rip the ax out of the guard's hand and succeeding. It whacked the troll in the face, letting her get a hold on it and hitting him in the face again, knocking the guard back. "Coach Lawrence told us how long it takes to digest something or someone."
Jim trying to keep the weapon as far away from him as possible. "That doesn't make it better!"
"Must leave!" Aaarrrgghh!!! commanded as the two backed up to him, cornered in front of Gatto. As the guards backed them further up, Gatto opened his mouth, sticking out his tongue, ready to swipe the three up. At the sight of his tongue, Claire let out a yelp before stabbing it with the axe. The large troll howled in pain. "Come on! Let's get out of here!" Jim said as Aaarrrgghh!!! grabbed the two and ran off. Gatto groaned. "Get them!"
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
Within Gatto, Y/N, Blinky, and Toby yelled as they fell through a narrow tunnel before bouncing harshly onto the rocky ground. Toby lifted his head, coming face to face with the bones of a gnome, the troll that had been eaten at the beginning was sinking in the lava, no longer alive. Toby yelped, throwing himself back as Blinky did his best to sit up, collecting himself. Y/N dusted her pants.
"We appear surprisingly unscathed by that ordeal." Y/N helped Blinky up and looked around the new area. "Unscathed? We're in a stomach right now! I feel very 'scathed'!" Toby yelled, Blinky not even listening to him as he looked around. "Great Gronka Morka! Gatto's Keep it's his belly! That means the Birthstone must be here somewhere."
"Yeah, along with a bunch of lava acid, that's rising!" Y/N looked at the pool of lava, slowly rising unless they find the Birthstone and an exit. "Then we should make haste! Contact Jim! Tell him we have found Gatto's Keep."
"What?" Blinky looked at Roby, a clear look of 'unbelievable' on his face. "I don't have an international plan. The rates will be crazy!"
"I'll cover the charges!" Blinky screamed startling Toby and nearly dropping his phone. Y/N groaned and took out her phone. "I'll do it. Jesus."
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
Outside of Gatto's stomach, the ding of the phone alerted Jim as they made haste to escape. Claire and Aaarrrgghh!!! waiting as Jim climbed down the ladder, reading the message. "They're okay!"
"Wingman, Y/N, Blinky, okay?" Aaarrgghh!!! asked Jim with hope. "They're okay!" Jim answered, staring at his device. "Yeah, They say they're going for the Birthstone, and they're gonna try to find a way out!" Aaarrrgghh!!! grabbed the ladder, throwing a guard and the latter off the edge.
"Good! You're alive! Happy face!" Jim turned his head to find one climbing up at them and kicking it down, taking the troll down. "Tell them to meet at the gyre!"
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
Inside the stomach of Gatto, Y/N, Blinky, and Toby had been snooping around, Toby dumbfounded but what he saw. "Look at all this gold!"
"Careful, Tobias. I encourage you to keep your hands to yourself." Y/N rolled her eyes and continued to look elsewhere. "We're already in a stomach. What's the worst that can happen?" Toby said as it showed what the stomach looked like. A large pool of lava surrounded them, only giving them little space to walk. "Boils and disembowelment, for starters. Magically cursed objects are often disguised as the most ordinary items to lure unsuspecting victims--"
Toby immediately dropped the coins and Blinky's six eyes caught something, causing him to bend down and pick something up. "Oh, glorious me, a Roman penny! I haven't seen one of these in ages." He looked at Toby who glared at him.
"Uh..." The coin clicks as he threw it on the ground. "Gunmar's Birthstone must be here." He bent down to pick it back up and stashed it on him.
Y/N was on another side looking through, and she then saw something glow, she thought it was the birthstone. Moving some artifacts and coins away instead of a birthstone she found a small glowing creature. The creature looked up at her and backed away. It was a small little lizard with six legs, glowing purple eyes, and a glowing stomach.
Noticing the creature's awareness she raised her hands up, "No, no, no I'm not here to hurt you. It looks like we're all trapped at the moment." The creature didn't calm down. "Hang on." Y/N fumbled through her bag to find a Nougat Nummy and opened it. She leaned down and gave it to the creature. As it slowly walked up towards it and sniffed it, it reeled back before biting into it.
Y/N smiled and placed her other hand down for it to sit on her hand. It hesitantly crawled on it, it felt a little hot, who knows how long this little fella was stuck here for. She let it eat the rest of the Nummy. "You're so adorable." She put the Nummy away for now and took out some water. She let it climb onto her shoulder and poured some water into her cap.
"Here. This should cool you down." It happily drank the water, licked his lips, and turned to the girl, kissing her cheek with its tongue. "Hehe. You're very welcome. Now, we'll find an exit soon and you can be free." The creature jumped in excitement making Y/N chuckle and continued looking.
Toby and Blinky on the other side kept digging. "Okay. Let's see, if I was a Birthstone, where would I be?" Toby said, searching. The mountain rumbled again, this time letting things crack and crumble. Blinky panicked at the noise, running to his plump friend. "Forget about the Birthstone! We must leave now! Make haste! Y/N!"
He called to the girl and she rushed over to them. The lava popped, more rumbling to occur as they tried to climb up the hole they came in. "We can't possibly climb out of here. I'm afraid we are without an exit."
The three looked back at the lava which quickly consumed things as it rose. A glass bottle sink into the lava and it made a fart noise, making Y/N groan and Toby had an idea. "Blinky, Y/N, there may be another way, but you guys not gonna like it. If this is his stomach, then there must be a 'back door' too."
"Back door? What is?" Y/N held back a barf and Blinky finally understood what Toby meant. "Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no, no." Toby held a large barrel, getting close to the edge. "If we upset the stomach, we may have a chance to be passed through." As he tossed the barrel in, a large burst of lava exploded up, a fart noise coming from the burst. "I'd rather die in a stomach than go out through a... an alternate route." He looked at Toby and Y/N, who was using all their weight to push a large chest in. "We have no other choice, Blink!"
"Come on, help us out!" Blinky helped push it in, and large splashes of lava appeared causing a smile of victory from Toby. "Throw in every gut-buster you can find!" As Toby pushed in another chest, coughing, Blinky grabbed a vase and tossing it in. Y/N threw some coins in. Blinky reached a makeshift shelf, grabbing tons of bottles and inspecting them before throwing them.
This time, blue flames covered the area. Blinky fell on the floor, coughing as Toby and Y/N ran over. "Blinky? Are you okay?" They helped their troll friend up. Blinky responded, his voice way higher pitch than usual. Y/N removed her hands from his arms and jumped in surprise. "I'm okay, I'm okay. Sounds like it's just helium-based." He cleared his throat, his normal voice returning.
"Oh, dear. Good thing that wasn't permanent." Toby's attention caught something. "Is that...?" He found himself beside a pile of coins, a purple glow coming out through the cracks. Toby dropped to his knees, the coins jingling as he dug through it. "Guys?" The stone hummed.
"Have you found it?" Blinky asked, he and Y/N running over. Toby lifted it, revealing the ombre-colored stone. "Strange." Y/N wiped out her phone, "I'll send the message to Jim."
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
Outside, Jim received another notification, grunting as Aaarrrgghh!!! grabbed him and Claire and hopped off the platform to platform, taking out guards. They found the Birthstone! "Meet you at the gyre.' Send!" As he was running and texting, Claire called out to him. "Jim! Watch out!"
Compared to his monstrous hand, Claire, Aaarrrgghh!!!, and Jim were nothing but small bugs. The large hand lifted again, Gatto groaning in pain as he did so but it gave them time to get through. "Oh, no!"
Jim cried as the hand got too close for comfort but luckily, the guard who had been chasing them had gotten crushed instead. As they finally climbed the rock, another hand nearly came down on them, fortunately, they missed it again. "Hurry!"
"Get them!" Gatto ordered again and his trolls chased them.
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
Back inside the stomach, the lava acid rose uncomfortably high, corning them near the tunnel. Toby yelled as it nearly burnt off his shoes. "It's not working! We need something more, something that will really upset his stomach."
"We must move!" Blinky said, Y/N, catching sight of a smooth rock that had floated over to them. "We can use this! Hop on!" Y/N helped Toby and Blinky hopped on the rock. "We're not gonna get out of here, are we?" Toby asked with panic. As they floated around, rising with the lava, Y/N used her left-over strength enough to make a shield around them to protect them from burning lava. Blinky spoke. "I fear we are doomed, Tobias, Master Y/N! And that this will be our final--"
He was cut off by some munching. Looking over, Y/N and Blinky saw Toby pull a few tacos from his bag, barely even tasting them. "What? I'm stress-eating. Don't judge." Toby took out another one. "Tobias, your tacos!"
Y/N immediately knew what Blinky thought. "My tacos?" Toby tried to protect his taco from Blinky but the ancient troll ripped the backpack from him and pulled out the bag. "Are you crazy? What are my tacos gonna do?"
"Tobias, I've had your tacos. I know what they do to the insides of a troll." He threw the bag of Mexican food into it and made a splash. "No! Those were Diablo Maximus!" Y/N gasped and looked at Blinky. Blinky listened, hearing the grumbling and watching as the stomach acid boiled and exploded, a clear sign it upset the stomach.
"Oh, dear. And that's the one."
It spurts, the lava rising rapidly and nearly crushing the shield that protected the four of them, (yes, including the baby lizard) against the ceiling. Blinky and Toby supported Y/N as she almost fell to the floor almost passing out from the heat and the use of her magic. Outside, Gatto's eyes grew in size.
"Uh-oh. Not tacos."
In the stomach, Toby couldn't help but gasp as he heard the 'back door' open, the stomach acid sinking back down as it was emptied. "Guys! The back door, it's open!" Y/N gave him a thumbs up as she stood, weakly, at least she was being supported by Blinky. "I hate to repeat myself, but it might be apropos. Let's burn some tunnel!"
As they dropped down, they let out a scream, this time, Blinky not enjoying the speed. Y/N removed herself from Blinky and sat on her knees, Blinky holding her shoulders, she texted Jim, "Jim, get to the gyre! We're coming out the back door! Watch out!"
A burst of lava startled Toby, nearly coming close to losing the birthstone. "Whoa! Stop! Got it!" After catching it, and nearly giving Blinky a heart attack, Toby wanted to send a message.
"Smiley face, smiley face, and send!" The tunnel began to spill faster. "Hold on!" Blinky shouted.
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The three who were fortunate enough not to get swallowed had stopped, noticing the chase had ended. "Where did the rest of the trolls go that were here?" Claire asked, looking at Jim as the lava began to burst out. "I think they knew this place was gonna blow," Jim responded before his phone chimed, alerting him.
"Okay, Y/N says they're gonna go out the back door. What's the back door?" Seeing where the lava pooled out and connecting the dots, Jim's face was a clear indication of how gross that must be. "Oh."
"There they are!" Claire pointed out as they were shot out from the hole. Quickly ditching the rock, Y/N, Blinky and Toby run at them, Blinky frantically screaming. Toby grabbed Y/N's hand, Y/N held her strength and ran. "Start it up! Start it up!"
Claire and Jim ran, the two holding hands as Aaarrrgghh!!! followed behind them. "Start it up!" Aaarrrgghh!!! threw Claire and Jim up, the two landings perfectly inside but Jim looked at the device, clueless on how to start it. They turned to Toby's cries, not even getting a chance to move as Blinky shoved them aside, pressing buttons. "Leave it to me!"
Claire skipped over to grab Y/N's hand and led her to sit down, grabbing some water from her bag and giving it to her. Toby sat next to her, taking deep breaths in and out. "You infernal piece of agh-hh! Aaarrrgghh!!!" The said troll twisted the thick ring, barely avoiding the lava as he jumped on. "Hate gyre!"
Blinky screams, slamming his fist on the button, the gyre shooting off as the lava followed.
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
The chaos quickly ended, instead, being replaced with Toby setting down the birthstone, the team safe and calm within Trollmarket. All of them look down at it. "Never in my wildest dreams did I dare think I would ever see such a sight."
"I'm never gonna look at food the same way again," Toby said as they all sat down. Y/N laughed and drank some cold drink, that Blinky brought over."
"Indeed. We were all quite the intrepid heroes today but a special accolade to you, fair Claire, master of riddles." Blinky complicated Claire, making everyone smile. "It was a team effort. Besides, we still have two more stones to find. The next ones might not be so easy."
Her eyes moved to Jim before the two were startled by Toby's shout. "Easy?" Toby stepped over to Blinky and Y/N. "We were eaten! Y/N almost died from heatstroke! I'm pretty sure I was technically digested and then--"
"Tobias! The less said about our escape, the better. Gorgus forbid we are remembered for that in the history." Blinky sneezes and breaks the wind at the same time, growing nervous as Toby laughs. "That was almost grosser than--" Toby said but was cut off by Blinky's sudden scream. "Don't say it!"
Jim and Claire watched with frightened expressions. Y/N shook her head and continued drinking her cold drink. Feeling a bit of cold feeling on her neck she glanced down at her new friend. "You okay, Blinky?" Jim asked Blinky calm once again. "I'll be fine. Seems I may have been allergic to something in Gatto's belly. But nothing a good night's rest won't fix. Ah-hh-choo!" He does it once again, a troll waiter muttering as they walked by. Toby's eyes catch the tray, finding food.
"Ooh! Are these salty niblets?" He runs after the waiter, grabbing some food. "What happened to never eating again?" Jim asked. "This is troll food, not human food. There's a difference. Mmm." He ate, the cat screeching in the background. Why was there even a cat? "Not horrible. Mmm!" He runs off, Jim and Claire laughing at his antics.
Y/N put down her cup, clearing her throat, and catching everyone's attention. "I also have a new friend I'd like everyone to meet." Everyone looked at each other and Toby came over, licking his fingers as he ate the food. "Well, who is it?" Jim asked.
Y/N smiled and reached her hand out behind her neck and revealing the small glowing lizard. Everyone gasped at it as it reeled back a little and immediately went it hide back in her hair. "Great Gronka Morka." Blinky gasped.
"Aw! It's adorable!" Claire commented. "What is that thing?" Toby came around and tried to look at the creature better but it stayed hidden behind her neck. "I don't know. I found him in Gatto's stomach."
"Y/N, do you have any idea what you have?" Y/N looked at Blinky and shook her head. "You have found a Ti'kwahanx!" The kids and the teen looked at Blinky with confusion. "A what now?" Toby raised a brow at him.
"A Ti'kwahanx are mythical creatures. They have glowing bodies and use themselves as camouflage. They even cast a bit of magic themselves and blast fire mostly. Colorful fire, might I add, and even can be your familiar. But it seems that the creature itself became attached to you it thinks you are its owner." Y/N smiled and looked at the creature that peaked its head out.
"Well, I'm sure, we'll have a lot of fun together." Y/N rubbed his cheek. The creature hopped off her shoulder on the table, wagging its little tail. "What are you going to name him?" Jim asked. Y/N hummed, making a thinking face. "Uuh... How about F/N" (Familiar name). F/N jumped at its new name. The group smiled, another new member had joined the group.
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