Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/10576062.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      F/F, M/M
  Fandom:
      Trollhunters_(Cartoon)
  Relationship:
      Draal/Jim_Lake_Jr._(Trollhunters), Barbara_Lake/Walt_Strickler,
      Aaarrrgghh/Toby_Domzalski, Eli_Leslie_Pepperjack/Steve_Palchuk
  Character:
      Draal, Jim_Lake_Jr._(Trollhunters), Tobias_"Toby"_Domzalski, Walt
      Strickler, Blinky, Aaarrrgghh_(Trollhunters), Gnome_Chompsky_
      (Trollhunters), Barbara_Lake, Claire_Nuñez, Steve_Palchuk, Eli_Leslie
      Pepperjack
  Additional Tags:
      Alpha/Beta/Omega_Dynamics, Alternate_Universe_-_Soulmates, Beta_Barbara
      Lake, Beta_Toby, Alpha_Blinky, Alpha_Draal, Omega_Jim_Lake_Jr., Omega
      Aaarrrggh, Alpha_Steve_Palchuk, Omega_Claire_Nunez, Scents_&_Smells,
      trolls_smell_their_mate, but_blockers_tend_to_get_in_the_way_of_that,
      humans_are_born_with_a_seed_inside_their_heart, when_they've_met_their
      soulmate_and_spend_time_with_them_their_plant_grows, when_they_confess
      their_feelings_it_blossoms, and_when_they_share_their_first_kiss_a_tattoo
      of_the_flower_forms_over_their_heart, Jim's_soulmate_seed_is_a_bit
      different, secret_heritage, which_will_come_to_light_later
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-04-09 Updated: 2018-01-29 Chapters: 5/? Words: 20658
****** Whiff of Amber ******
by littleberd
Summary
     I'm Jim "James" Lake Jr. and I have a lot on my plate to deal with.
     First there's high school, which is a normal problem for any normal
     teenager. Then there's my long time crush on the unattainable omega
     Claire. The reason why she's unattainable is a problem that I'll get
     to in a second. Problem numero tres is the freaky one. Apparently a
     magical amulet I heard whispering my name like a creeper in a pile of
     rubble chose me to become the Troll Hunter... so Trolls exist... some
     of them are friendly and like to eat VHS Tapes and others are mucho
     grande mal. One such evil troll is after me. Lastly I'm 15 years old
     and I'm still unpresented. Which, no biggy, my Mom is a busy Doctor
     that gets a discount on blockers. Although she doesn't approve of me
     spraying myself down with alpha pheromones she lets me do it anyway
     because she tends to Omega and Beta teens wound's everyday. But
     that's not even the worst of it. Apparently I can't get rid of the
     stupid amulet unless I die and the son of the last Troll Hunter has
     it out for me for "stealing" what is rightfully his. Don't really
     blame the guy, really. Dude's dad just died and I come out of nowhere
     and I'm a weak human that can barely stand a punch from a pacifist
     troll.
Notes
     I will keep this brief but WHY ISN'T THERE MORE DRAAL/JIM
     HERE?!?!?!!? THEIR INTERACTIONS ARE AWESOME!!! and boy am I having
     fun writing this~
     on a sad note... I'm sorry for the loss of Anton Yelchin. I'm going
     to miss him a lot. I'm worried about who will replace him for season
     two but my hopes are still high for it. I just hope that they can
     take up the mantle of Jim Lake Jr. and continue on in Anton's memory.
***** Fathers *****
Chapter Notes
     I will be following the main story line throughout this fic, some
     episodes will be skipped but will still be referenced as they
     happened... However, there will be some major changes to the story
     later on.
My alarm clock's beeps jolt me awake at 6 o'clock A.M. I pull the scooter
magazine off of my face with a sigh and rub my eyes into focus.
Ok today's to-do list...
1. Take my blockers and spray on some alpha pheromones.
2. Dust the living room.
3. Change the light bulb in the kitchen that went out last night.
4. Make my own breakfast, toast will do.
5. Print out a new french toast recipe to cook Mom.
6. Whip up my signature meatloaf with a little dash of something new for the
three mouths I feed at lunch time.
7. Make Mom breakfast, that new recipe sounds too good to pass up.
8. Clean up the Kitchen.
9. Take her her breakfast.
I get this done in two hours flat, flipping my chef knife with a flourish and
throwing it at the knife block. It goes into it's designated hole with the ease
of experience from having practiced doing that for three months straight.
Grabbing the tray of breakfast I walk up stairs and walk to her room. There's a
note that's basically taken up permanent residence on her door "Late night at
work, sleeping in - Mom"
A sad smile that's just as permanent as the little note spreads across my face
like the butter I had eaten on my toast. I open the door and spot my mom
slumbering in her nest of blankets. Her caramel slightly red hair is still in a
bun for work, but it's a mess and has more than a dozen strands in disarray.
Her face is pale excepting the dark bags under her closed eyes barely ever
being touched by the sun with her long night shifts and the clinic's poor
scheduling, the only light she ever sees constantly are the fluorescent lights
in the clinic. Her glasses are skewed on her face, smooshing into her shallow
cheek along with the pillow. The skin on her fingers is dry and cracked in
places, having to wash and germ-x her hands constantly if she isn't wearing
latex gloves. Her limbs are thin, as is the rest of her, a tall and lithe Beta,
her physique is something I've inherited from her, no matter how much I feed
her she's still skin and bones. She's so fragile and nobody else seems to see
it but they never saw the aftermath of that man.
My father came to me on my 5th birthday with parts for a father son project, a
scooter I could eventually ride on. But not even five minutes after he gives
this promise of future contact, of future bonding moments, of him BEING in my
future... he tells my mother that he's getting a divorce because he found his
soulmate. Apparently they had been seeing each other for months, they had been
trying to decide when the best time would be to confess and skedaddle. "Quick
and Painless. Like pulling off a band-aid."
What a load of bullshit.
He and his new girlfriend basically did the emotional equivalent of a hit and
run in a semi-truck and my mom was the innocent bystander taking an unfortunate
evening stroll. They didn't slow down, didn't stop when they hit her, and after
they sent her tired body flying they drove off into the sunset with a bloody
bumper and a trashed windshield. Metaphorically of course. She had given her
all in this family of three. She didn't care that they hadn't been soulmates,
she thought he hadn't cared either, he said so repeatedly. But apparently he
was lying about that for at least half a year.
He never came back. And even if he had come back there wouldn't be any father
son bonding. I threw everything he had gotten me that day into the dumpster
right in front of his face as they got into his new Mercedes to drive into
their new future together. A future that left mom with an even lower self-
esteem and me gingerly picking up the pieces of my mother and taping her back
together with my kindergarten fingers. There were some pieces I missed, some
pieces out of place. But she was still beautiful, she's still my mom, and she's
still trying to get better.
I softly put the tray down. I crouch to her level and gently take off her
glasses, I spotted a smudge and quietly clean them off, setting them on the
night stand beside the tray of food. She tosses in her sleep, grumbling about
an I.V. or some random medical term and pink elephants. I tug her blanket up,
my mom was a restless sleeper and moved around resting as much as she did at
night at work. I look down at her tired beautiful face and tenderly kiss her
forehead in goodbye and rub her head under my chin to rub her scent on me.
"Love you Mom."
*********
"It's me or the sun. Either way you're doomed." Bular laughs with his gravelly
voice.
Kanjigar the courageous is cornered under the bridge by bular. He knows he
won't make it out of this fight. He lost his key, the sun is out, and the enemy
can easily follow him wherever he may go. This was the end of his time as Troll
Hunter. I must not let him gain what he desires.
Mind made up he stands on his own, shoving off of the pillar he had once used
for support and stood tall, "No. The amulet will find a champion. We will stop
you and your master. I may end, but the fight will not." With one last grin of
triumph he backs into the sunlight breathing in one final breath as his skin
turns to stone.
Farewell my son. May you find your mate and never be chosen by this accursed
amulet.
His stone body hits the concrete, shattering upon impact. His body will not be
presented in the training hall of the Troll Hunters.
The amulet glows subtly from under the dead stone of it's latest champion.
Bular remains unaware that Draal, Kanjigar the couragous's son had seen his
father's sacrifice from a door he had opened against his father's wishes. He
closed it right after bular left and sat and weeped over the loss of his father
for a good many hours.
When sunset reached his father's remains he ran and reverently sifted through
his father's crumbled stone. But the amulet was gone and the smell of a stinky
adult human alpha had desecrated his father's fallen form. All was lost.
Two other trolls had also secretly watched the battle. But they had remained
after to watch over the amulet and had seen a mysterious child was called to
it. A mysterious HUMAN child who's scent smelled heavily of clinical ADULT
alpha pheromones. The first question that came to mind between the two trolls
was why the amulet chose a HUMAN. But another question also went unsaid between
them. They knew he was masking his scent, no teenager would exude that much
alpha pheromone. So why was he hiding behind so much of the stinky stuff?
***** Effects *****
Chapter Notes
     X'D YOU GUYS R AWAY SOME!!! I love comments BTW they help me update
     faster and keep my motivation for a fic up.
I grab my back pack and my helmet. I pick up the scooter magazine in longing,
and look at the only ride I currently have. My old blue bike rests against the
side of the garage mocking me in the dusty light a window lets in. Sighing I
open the garage and step outside with my sweet ride in tow.
My day instantly turns bad, the trashcan outside had been raided, it's contents
strewn out all over the driveway, I groan in vexation, "Raccoons!"
I pick up the trash as much as I can, a chunky beta with red hair and the
stomach to eat a lot more than the lunches I give him puts on his helmet with a
click. This is Tobias Domzalski, otherwise known as Toby and holder of the
title "Best Friend".
"We're late for school Jimbo" he remarks, still waiting for me to clean up
after the vermin. Toby had presented as a Beta at the beginning of freshman
year, he was a bit upset not to be an alpha but that disappointed was quickly
remedied when I revealed that I hadn't actually presented yet. I've always been
more nervous than most about secondary genders. I've always felt I wanted to be
an alpha but most times I lean toward Beta characteristics. Toby likes to half
joke that with all my mothering I'll eventually present as an omega. Which, ew,
gross no. Who the hell would WANT to present as an omega? Female omegas are
hard to come by as it is, male omegas are a genetic rarity. Both don't tend to
be treated right when they get into a relationship, half the time they're
treated little above property. And if they aren't mated to their soulmate...
Their soulflower will wilt and they'll actually die.
"Sorry Tobes, I was busy with lunches." I remark, slamming the metal lid down a
little more harshly than I should. Toby's mouth visibly waters at the very
mention of food. I reach into my backpack, "One for me. One for Mom. And ..." I
pull out a nondescript brown paper bag.
Toby snatches it before I can finish my sentence, "Aaaah..." He opens the bag
and inhales the fresh scent of meatloaf, "balsamic mushrooms, meatloaf, chunky,
sun-dried tomatoes..."
I pass by with a smirk, "And cardamom."
"OOh! Taking a chance there, Chef Jim." Toby remarks happily.
"What's life without a little adventure?" I retort, sitting down on my bike.
Toby inhales one last time before shoving it at my chest, "I can't eat this.
I'm on a diet."
"You've been on a diet for the last 14 years, Tobes." I shoot back, pushing it
back at him, pedaling on my bike and putting some distance between us so he
can't shove it back at my face this time.
"I know." He replies, turning his nose up at the bag like it's personally
insulted him.
"You're 15." I deadpan.
"Long term goals." Toby defends, getting on his bike and reluctantly putting
the lunch in his backpack, "My body's still changing."
I swerve down the hill, Toby pedaling fiercely to keep from falling behind. I
can hear the squeaking from his bike as we race down.
"I'm right...I'm right... I'm right behind!" Toby exclaims in little huffs.
I risk a glance at my wrist watch, knowing what it'll say even before I see it,
"It's 8:00!"
Toby huffs in despair, "We're going to get suspended, on account of meatloaf!"
I know one way that won't happen but Toby isn't gonna like it, "Take the canal,
Tobes! It'll save us five minutes!" I shout last minute, turning hard onto the
dirt road that leads to the shortcut.
In shock he turns and groans in distress, the bumps make him stutter, "N-nnn-o-
ot ...t-the... ca-annn-nna-AAAAAal!"
"Oh live a little!" I shout over my shoulder.
My bike is air-born on the next hill, I skid but keep pedaling and manage to
stay upright.
"It's living that I'm worried about!" He yells frantically, I just know the
Beta in him is whining at the thought of danger.
"Come on, Tobes! Don't you ever want a little more excitement?" I laugh, trying
to keep that newly presented side of him out of the way of having fun.
He laughs with no humor, "NO!"
I see the edge of the ravine and pick up speed, gunning it and feeling the air
race by me, I let go of the handlebars and for just a moment I fool myself into
believing I'm flying. But I grasp the handlebars and brake once my tires hit
cement. I turn to face where Toby should be appearing any minute. I'm ready to
rush after him if he manages to get hurt going down the steep incline of the
canal.
"Come on Tobes!" I yell encouragement.
James...Lake
I whip around. Did someone just say my name?
I look where I think the voice came from and see a pile of stones under the
bridge. Toby pants at the top of the incline and hesitantly rides down. He
doesn't even touch the pedals and the bike goes 3/4th's the way up the other
side before he comes back down backwards. Toby screams but there's a tug in my
chest towards the pile of rubble. It's like how an iron shaving is drawn to a
magnet. I drop my bike, Toby over compensates, doing a wheelie, and falls on
his face, he isn't hurt but he lets out a small out of breath "Hah" from the
ground, "How awesome are we? AWESOOOOOOOME!"
I don't know why but I don't go to help Toby up like I would have normally,
instead I'm walking toward the rocks, I drop my bike helmet and manage to fight
the insistant itch in my throat demanding I stay quiet, I manage out a hoarse
whisper, "Hey! Hey, Tobes."
He rushes over, seeing the absence of fawning and searches for injuries from
the mother hen of mother hens, "Did you hear that voice?"
Toby raises an eyebrow and looks as weirded out as I feel right now, "What
voice?"
James...Lake
We both jumps back, it even startles a yelp out of Toby as we fall on our
asses.
"That!" I yell, getting up and scrambling towards the rocks that magically have
the ability to talk, "That pile of rocks knows my name!"
Toby shakes his head in bewilderment, "That's a pile of K-spar. Minerals don't
talk."
He crawls forward in denial, "There's got to be a walkie-talkie in here or
something."
I sift through the rocks and spot a light blue glow from under a chunk of it, I
lift it up and see something altogether strange. I don't know it now, but this
thing is going to start me one the biggest adventure of my life.
"Huh," I lift up the ancient silver glowing blue amulet, it looks like a cross
between a pocket watch, a compass, and a star map, I hesitantly test out the
noun I've chosen for the weird object, "It looks like an amulet."
Toby still hasn't given up on his conspiracy theory, "Who's doing this? Come
out now!"
I look at the amulet. Maybe it's a super expensive communicator or something?,
"Hello. I'm listening."
Toby catches on pretty quickly, we both put our ears closer and closer to it-
RING!
We both scream and I clutch the amulet even tighter in fright, realization hits
me in the gut while my heart beat never slows, "Final Bell!"
We book it for our bikes, Toby groans, "We're so late, our kids are going to
have detention!"
"Come one Come on Tobes! We can still make it!" I yell, pumping my legs as hard
as I can up the incline, making my calves and thighs burn from exertion.
"I'm right behind!" Toby responds as always, quickly becoming out of breath.
Eight pairs of eyes watch my ascent up the incline from a sewer grate, I didn't
see them then but I do meet their owners tonight.
************
"The Peloponnesian War was actually three wars, " Mr. Strickler orates,
circling the map with his favorite pen as he addresses his class, "fought
between Athens and Sparta. The First war is known as the Archimidian War. Type
that into your search engines. A-R-C-H-I-M-I-D-I-A-N."
He could've said asshole war and I wouldn't have noticed, all I had eyes for in
this class was Claire Nunez. Her pretty dark hair with the rainbow of hair
clips, her deep chocolate eyes, her happy face... I can't even smell her omega
hormones yet but I can still smell her soft sweet perfume from here. I don't
even glare at Toby when he waves his hand in front of my face repeatedly.
"Really?" Toby sighs, my only reply is a lazy blink of one eye after another,
reluctant to even do that and stop myself from feasting my eyes on the angel
that's fallen from heaven and sitting elegantly in her classroom seat.
"Close your mouth~ you're drooling." Toby mimes the action.
I grit my teeth and whisper back, "No. No I'm not." This time it's a little bit
more in spite that I don't look away. Until I hear Toby typing furiously on his
keyboard. Curiosity always could win out over anything and everything else,
"What are you doing?"
"Researching." He snips back, now it's my turn to receive the cold-shoulder
apparently.
"Hey, look up "Talking Amulet"." I mumble, my chin still resting heavily on my
hand.
"I already did that. All I got was toys. One of them was a plushie." Toby
grumbles in agitation, pointing out the said plushie on his screen, complete
with sound effects.
"Jim." my shoulders scrunch up painfully at the sudden call of my name, I
almost release a sigh of relief until I realize who really has called my name,
"would you agree?"
I whirl around and cringe, "Sir?"
"With Herodotus' opinion, on his tactics of war, as I've described." Mr.
Strickler explains, disappoint evident in his eyes.
"Absolutely." I stutter, Toby turns away, clicking his extra, not school
assignment, tabs closed and whistles his innocence.
"Excellent. Which tactics? Specifically." Strickler pushes, eyeing his pupil in
a questioning manner.
"The uuh.... winning ones?" I try looking him full in the face. He knows I
don't know but my clever saves are one of the reasons why he likes me. Witt is
something he thinks my generation is severely lacking, and considering Steve
Palchuk is a part of that... I sadly can't blame him. The bell rings, saving me
from some embarrassment.
"All right, all right don't forget Michealson, chapters 4 and 5." He yells at
the class as we're dismissed, I start to pack up, "Jim, may I have a word?"
I try and put in my last book while looking at him but I only manage to drop my
book and knock over my backpack, spilling everything in it onto the floor.
We both bend down and he helps me pick some notebooks up, "Jim, you're
distracted. You fell asleep between the Invasion of Attica and the Peace of
Nicias, and your attention wandered for the rest of class."
"Sorry. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night." the well used excuse falling
from my lips before I can even think of a better one, one that doesn't involve
my mother's work schedule.
"I know it's just you and your mother and you want to help her." He replies. I
know where this is going and I really don't want to go down this road.
"She's just really tired, Mr. Strickler. She's been working double shifts at
the clinic again." I mumble, the taste of these words is sour. I hate admitting
that her late hours worry me and I can't even rest my head on my pillow until I
hear the door open and close when she gets home.
"I believe I'm overdue for a conversation with her." He answers, already
writing his number on a piece of paper, he hands it to me with the expectations
only something like this could have. "Have her call me please."
"uhh-"
"And feel free to drop by my office if you ever need to talk." He soothes,
looking down at me with warm eyes. I know Mr. Strickland is an alpha, and I
really don't want any guys near my mom. But if I had to pick an alpha that had
to it would be Mr. Strickland, the guy's got the charms to go with his accent
and language. I couldn't imagine him being anything but a complete gentleman
around her... but something always feels slightly off when I'm around him. Like
he's constantly sniffing and eyeing me, which I know he wouldn't be so impolite
to do. For pete's sake the guy drinks his tea with his pinky up.
"Yeah, I'll, I'll do that." I stammer, I pick up my backpack and heft it over
my shoulder.
"Oh, and Jim?" He calls me back, "If you fancy Miss Nunez... I submit that
talking to will be much more effective than staring at." He playfully bops me
on the head with the last textbook I needed. I turn and walk away, giving him
one last nod in thanks.
************
P.E. sucks, and we're doing the rope climb today. Roby is straining to pul
himself up on the rope as he does every time. "Hang on. Almost there. So close.
So close!" He pants.
"Come on, Tobes. You've got this." I yell encouragement, he still manages to
grunt out another, "So close!"
Our hanz and franz impersonator coach walks over and sees that Toby hasn't
gotten a foot off the ground, and screeches,"What is that on my rope?"
Toby groans, now not only is he downing himself but he's got a full grown alpha
berating him for his baby fat that he has been trying to lose for years.
"Every student here should be able to climb this rope and ring that bell." He
yells, pointing at the said metal object far above their heads, he shows off
his muscular arm to give an example, "I want all of you to be made of iron.
Iron!"
Toby tries, he really does, his face is turning red from the effort but it's
not doing squat to make him rise up that stupid rope. The coach yells at him
but even he has some sincerity, "You have got to be kidding me. I don't know
what I feel more sorry for. You or the rope."
A collective of girly laughter draws my eyes to the bleachers, and there is
Claire sitting in the very center of the group of beta females. She's
practically glowing. You can do this Jim. Come on, you wanted adventure right?
Well here's your ticket, she could be your soulmate dummy. You won't know until
you confess so stop being a sissy. I breath in deeply, close my eyes and take a
step of faith.
They're still giggling at Toby, his arms are wiggling like jello from exertion,
and his face is almost as red as his hair.
"Buenas noches." Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! She can speak fluent Spanish but you
can't idiot. What did I even say? I think I said good evening right? Wait! It's
not past noon! I'm such an idiot! I internally scream in horror.
"You speak Spanish?" The goddess speaks, she sounds like she knows I don't,
like I've made a mistake. She KNOWS!!!! GAAAAAH! Why is it so Hard to TALK to
HER!? Mr. Strickler! You lied to me!!! This is effective alright. EFFECTIVE AT
EMBARRASSING MYSELF!!< "*cough* Um... uh, I..." STOP STUTTERING YOU FOOL!!!
YOU'RE JUST MAKING IT WORSE!!
"Come on, Claire." Darci Scott, a girl I have algebra with third period, says,
taking pity on my poor communication skills with females... period.
The bell rings and the entourage gets up to leave. Now or Never sissy-boy! Come
on, you can do this! I open my mouth to try and stall her from leaving but she
beats me to it.
"Do you like Shakespeare?" She asks, head tilted adorably, her bun and hair-
clipped bangs sifting to the side and outlining her heart shaped face.
Which draws forth the most sophisticated answer to that question I can come up
with "What?"... While my brain is overloading. She asked me a question? She's
talking to me after that epic clumsy fail of small talk?
"Do you like Shakespeare?" She repeats, my brain doesn't even register her
words, still short circuiting over the fact Claire Mi Amor Nunez just spoke to
me.
"Shakespeare?" I repeat numbly, I'm pretty sure everything wasn't pink before
with hearts and sparkles and jazz music.
"The school play." She still tries, I blink rapidly trying to dis-spell the
cupid shades I'm apparently wearing that coat everything around me in a rose-
tinted haze. She continues explaining the reason behind bringing it up probably
hoping I'll get out of my brain-dead stupor and get a legitimate response out
of me other than droo-nope I never drool, I was not drooling,"We're having
trouble getting boys to audition."
"Uh..." And then it clicks, "Oh!" So she was trying to recruit me for the
play... The bell rings again and my angel disappears like a dreak, I murmur a
farewell that I think means until next time, "Hasta huevo." Or eggs...
Coach Lawrence is poking at Toby's fat, my poor Beta friend is hanging upside
down on the rope and being held up by one leg still tangled with the rope,
"It's like a flabby Pinata, and I'm pretty sure you're filled with candy!"
Toby makes one final attempt with a grunt, "So close!" But falls back down on
the mat with his chest heaving.
***************
"You talked to her?" Toby gasps, stopping his attempt to put his sock on his
foot. His pudge keeps getting in the way from success as he grudgingly says it
does.
"Yep." I grin back, my heart is still fluttering and I know it's not manly but
still. Claire Nunez is my dream girl, has been since preschool when she
forfeited her beads during arts and crafts so I could make my mom a big
necklace. I ended up putting so many on their the necklace hung to my mother's
knees. Toby hasn't given up on that sock yet, still grunting and trying with
all his might.
"Like, actually spoke to her? Not just, you know, in your head?" Toby tries to
confirm, he finally manages to catch his big toe with the sock but his tugging
has him tipping over the bench, slamming his head into the row of lockers
behind him, and sends the sock onto his face like a slingshot.
"I unleashed my Español on her." I reply, both cringing and patting myself on
the back for my, probably not, smooth moves. I open my backpack and see the
mysterious amulet again. With little to no hesitation I take it out. My hands
moving before my mind catches up with my own limbs.
"Oh, no. You should totally do it." He exclaims from the ground, startling me
out of my examination of the stupid contraption resting in my palm.
"What?" I ask. Why do I keep feeling dazed? I mean, sure around Claire that's
completely natural but this thing is sneakily controlling my body.
"The play?" I catch on, I stand up and close my stinky locker. I've sprayed
febreeze, air freshener, lysol, you name it but it still retains the odor of
gross sweat from past Alpha's who've used it.
"I'm not an actor." I state, putting my foot down on the small part of me that
says I should. What? So I can embarrass myself in front of an audience of my
peers as I stutter and trip over myself every time I see Claire? HAH! I can't
even be in the same room with her without turning on my goo-goo puppy love
vision. Constantly being exposed would be heaven and hell wrapped in a clumsy
bundle of teenage hormones, I'd rather not expose myself anymore to that than I
already do thank you.
"Come on. You're always saying how you want your life to be more exciting.
Right?" Toby counters, slipping from the bench once again and getting a second
lumb on the back of his head from the metal lockers. I regret lamenting to
Toby. He's practically my personal mind-reader and knows just what to say to
make my claims null and void or just be a general irritant when it comes to
things I don't want to do.
"I don't think Romeo and Juliet is exactly the answer, Tobes. I don't mean
just, you know, exciting." I try and back up my claim. I know I'm a mess but I
am NOT doing the play. "I mean...more. I just need to know that there's
something more to life than high school." I look at the amulet, little did I
know the old saying "Be careful what you wish for" had very real, and very
life-threatening, legitimate connotations for me.
Toby groans, that poor sock has been stretched so far it looks more like
pantyhose than a sock.
BANG I look to where the clatter from the lockers had come from, only seeing a
swift shadow move away from out of the light and my line of sight. I squitn in
suspicion. What was that?
"Something more?" Toby yells out of breath and beat red as I start to walk
towards the shower room, the only place it could have gone with this being the
last aisle of lockers.
The area is steamy and water is still running but it doesn't sound disturbed.
It smells a little like fresh cut grass and sewage in the shower room, no
surprise since the janitors rarely tread in here to clean anyway but it's not
the usual alpha pheromones, it's something... stronger, more edgy I don't know,
maybe Coach Lawrence used the showers again.Somebody must have left it on...
but why run away like that? My body always seems to be doing things my brains
yells at it not to do. Curiosity killed the cat after all but I've got to be
that dumb-ass alley cat that goes into the yard with the dog in it. "Hello?
Anybody in there? Hello?" Nobody answers and all I can see is the faintly blue
steam in the bad lighting.
"Got one!"
I gasp in surprise. Damnit Toby! My Mom's a doctor but she can't save me from
having a heart attack when she's not here. One stressful situation per day is
my limit! AND IT'S GONE OVER THE SAFETY LEVEL MARK!
I walk out, not noticing the same eight pair of eyes watching me from within
the mist, up higher than any human's head would naturally be.
******************
"Whoo-hoo! Finally! Success, success. So, good news, dude. My orthodontist says
I'm almost done with my braces.Only four more years." Toby remarks happily as
we walk our bikes away from the bike rack.
Obnoxious laughter interrupts our small talk, I look towards it with a scowl.
It deepens when I see Eli being shoved in a locker by Steve Upchuck and his
alpha jock cronies.
"Okay. Nothing to see here." Toby whines, trying to get out of the bullies line
of sight. I know he's a Beta and he naturally can't go against an Alpha if
ordered, Steve and his bundle of jerks have done that before to us. It's the
main reason why I put on the Alpha Pheromones, it's "OFF!" for Alpha bastards
that get a high off of being dominant.
"We can't just let him do that." I whisper, my stomach is curdling just at the
thought of poor Eli. The kid is like me. He's unpresented but he doesn't hide
it, he can't afford to hide it. My Mom gave his Dad a job as a janitor at the
clinic and last I heard his mom works as a Dominos Pizza delivery driver. I got
lucky with my connections, Eli didn't. He's a lot braver than I'll ever be from
just walking out the door every weekday morning with a naked scent and a smile.
He doesn't deserve this treatment.
"Oh, yes, we can. If Psycho Steve's terrorizing him, he's not terrorizing us.
Jim? Jim! Oh, no."
My feet are moving without my consent, this day just keeps getting weirder and
weirder.
"Tell me again, Bloomless. Tell me about the creatures and maybe I'll let you
out!" Steve jeers. My lips curl at the slur. Back in the day when Omega's had
no rights and were basically sex-slaves those who hadn't presented were said to
have a dud seed. It's been proven that everyone has a heart seed that will grow
indefinitely on the inside. It was proven by a scientist we had just gone over
in science class not three days ago. It's growth is just more obvious in
someone who has presented because their pheromones change minutely. But since
unpresented don't have pheromones the difference between a dormant seed and a
growing one can't be sensed.
"Or you can let him out right now. I mean, you know, it would be nice." I
interject through gritted teeth.
"Nice would be you minding your own business." Steve growls, a pungent burst of
pheromones pouring out of him in waves. It makes my nose sting from the
acidity.
I almost walk away to puke but a quiet, calm, innocent voice comes from the
locker, "Oh, hi, Jim." I bite my lip in guilt. How can he be use to this? Buck
up and stop him Jim, your Mom would be bending you over her knee and spanking
you right now for not standing up for someone like you. He would be you without
your mother. You would want someone to rescue you too.
"So, where were we? Um Oh, yeah, okay. You were telling me about the monsters
you saw this morning, with fangs and," Steve snaps his fingers like he's trying
to call a dog's attention to him... there isn't much of a difference between a
dog's I.Q. and his own, "What was it, again?"
"Stone for skin! In the canal!" Eli chirps happily from his metal cage. Does he
mean the same canal I found this talking amulet in? Did I just sift my hands
through a corpse? No, no no. Eli probably mistook whatever creature he thought
he saw for a statue. The kid is always out looking for aliens and The Moth man.
Maybe he even accidentally knocked it over and that's what that pile of rocks
was. But how could that scrawny kid knock over that much rock? Was the amulet
with it? Is this Eli's? Or was it Insidethe statue?
"Stone for skin? Man, Eli, you've got some imagination." Steve chuckles rudely,
obviously not believing a word Eli said and having a good laugh at the scrawny
teen's expense.
The guy might have answers, hell, he might even know who this thing belongs to,
it might even be his. Man up and talk up Jimbo. I rest my bike against a
pillar, "Look, Steve, seriously, just let him out."
Steve practically rolls his eyes, staring me down like I'm a Beta stepping on
his toes. The one plus to being an unpresented is that I won't fold under
someone with a stronger scent, an Alpha can overpower another Alpha just by
having a stronger pair of scent glands turning them into a submitting
blubbering fool on the floor, but to me it might smell raunchy but the most
it'll do is make me retch on the stench. Otherwise? The intimidation B.S.
doesn't work on me. Which is the real reason behind the whole hate on
unpresenteds "Or you'll do what?"
He notices the flood of pheromones isn't working on me so what does an Alpha
Brute do when slamming someone with their godawful scent doesn't make them fall
to their knees and worship the ground they walk on? Use force, it's one of the
only real advantages they have over the other classes. Alphas dominate, that's
their schtik. So mother nature being the mean green jerk face it always has
been, gifted them with the more muscular physique to beat someone up that
disagrees with them. He's lifted me up by the strap of my backpack and has me
on my tippy-toes trying to stay in contact with the ground.
My mom has a formula for shutting Alphas who've gotten too uppity down. Mention
their brute strength being worthless in the future and point out that those who
they mistreat now tend to be their bosses later on in life. I almost grin but I
hold it back, "Okay, do it. Punch me."
High Schoolers all around gasp at me, Steve's laughter chokes him for a moment,
"You-you're asking for a beating?" He questions, confusion written all over his
stupid face.
"Yeah. Just go crazy." I say, a smirk edging it's way onto my face before I ca
restrain it again, "But in 20 years, you're gonna be fat and bald and you'll be
working in a muffler shop, and Eli will have a career in software and he'll be
a billionaire."
"I do like computers." Eli chimes in.
Toby finally shakes off the shadow Beta instincts typically sway loyalty with
and starts chanting, "Let him out. Let him out! Let him out! Let him out!" Soon
enough all the kids around us are saying it too. Steve looks around in
confusion, when the classes pyramid is flipped it tends to scramble Alpha
brains, giving them a similar kind of side-effect Claire gives me. When his two
goons mysteriously vanish into the crowd it finally hits him that he's out
numbered in this battle.
"Palchuk, what's going on here?" Couch Lawrence yells from the gymnasium door.
"Uh, nothing, sir." Steve yells nervously back, pushing me away like I'm a
scalding iron.
The couch scents the air, smelling the telltale pheromones of a challenging
Alpha, his eyes also make note of the circle of students around us, "Why aren't
you at practice?"
I'll give him some credit, the bully's good at hiding his tracks. He opens the
cramped locker Eli's been trapped in all this time, "I was helping Eli, here."
"Hey, guys!" Eli waves from his seat on some smooshed english textbooks
"He was stuck." Steve explains, glaring at me with the promise of a future
beating.
Lawrence doesn't buy it, not by a long shot but everyone knows that the
football team is hopeless without the punk Alpha. And with the upcoming game if
they lose then budget cuts will be made to the athletic department. Lawrence
growls under his breath but just yells out a gruff, "On the double! Now!"
Steve stares daggers at me, slams the locker shut just as Eli was going to
climb out, and makes the universal I'll be watching you hand gesture. "Friday,
at noon. You and me. Tick-tock. Tick." He sneers, making a wag of his finger
into a sort of weird pendulum. This guy is just weird.
Eli knocks on locker door hesitantly and I gently open it only to have the poor
guy fall on the floor in a tangle of limbs as he screams. "Thank you." He
groans from the cement, a pencil rolls out from his prison cell and cruelly
falls onto his head.
******************
The whole way home Toby was pumped about the latest jarring fiasco today has
brought, "That was awesome, man. Did you see how I did that chant? 'Let him
out. Let him out.' " He laughs at his own ingenuity and the an almost joking
but solemn atmosphere seems to take over my usually cheerful buddy, "I mean,
you probably won't live past Friday, but it was awesome." Thanks for the vote
of confidence Toby.
HONK!!
"Good thing your mom's a doctor." Toby soothes, my Mom pulls up in her car
headed off for her shift.
"Hey, boys." She greets, rolling down the window and peering at us from the
driver seat.
"Hey, Mom." I reply back, her eye luggage is looking lighter in color and size,
she'll always be pale but she's not as sallow as she was when I left this
morning, her hair is properly up in a bun and she's dawned her makeup. Still as
pretty as I've always known.
"Looking sharp, Dr. Lake." Toby compliments, he may be a Beta but he never
passes up hitting on females even when it's his best friend's Mother. It's all
in jest at this stage though, he had a long-time crush on her til around the
year he turned nine and finally realized if he ever DID get with my mother,
which Won't, Would, and Will NEVER happen, he would be my step-father. Yuck.
"Thank you, Toby. So are you." My mom compliments back, a wink ensuring she
meant it as such.
Toby's green eyes practically shimmer in excitement. "Oh! Does it show?" He
asks, raising up an arm to try and find nonexistent muscle beneath the flab of
his arm.
"You're going to be out all night?" I guess when I see the blanket and pillow
in the backseat. Mom has mandatory breaks for two hours every time she pulls a
double-shift at the clinic so she makes the most of it and tries to catch some
shut eye in the car or the lounge since her break would be over by the time she
got home, our house is too far away for her to properly take an actual break.
She sighs heavily, her broken schedule showing in her slender shoulders.
"Dr.Gilberg is out with bursitis, and Dr. Lenz has a wedding out of town this
weekend." She states, there's always an excuse from somebody in the clinic and
mom picks up the slack where nobody else does. They take advantage of her, one
of these days I'm going to lock her door and watch the clinic burn down around
those lazy asses who took Barbara Lake for granted and don't give her her due.
My stomach growls and then I'm reminded of something that tends to slip her
mind when I don't remind her "Okay, well, don't forget to bring your -"
"Dinner." She says, grinning proudly at the fact she didn't have to turn the
car around like last time to go and grab it, "Thank you."
"Right." I whisper, "And try to find an oven to reheat it in instead of nuking.
It takes all of the flavor and nutrients away." I chastise. I adjust my bike
and hear the crackle of paper in my pocket. Mr. Strickler's number...
My mom chuckles, a far away wistful expression crosses her face, "Jim, there
must be a million things you'd rather be doing than looking after me."
Mr. Strickler can wait, he'll understand. Mom's busy right now and she really
doesn't need to be bothered with my stupid love-struck gazing. "Can't think of
one."
Mom grins, leans out of the car and kisses me on the cheek, "Love you, honey."
"Bye, Mom." But she doesn't hear me, having already rolled up her window and
driving down the street to her hellish workplace.
"You mother your mother a lot." Toby teases, sidling next to me on his bike and
bumping against my shoulder.
"Ha!" sarcasm dripping, with a yawn I pedal to my house yelling at him when he
makes to his driveway three houses down, "See you tomorrow, Tobes."
He takes off his helmet and yells back, "Hey, and by the way, don't use mayo on
the sandwich. It's the wrong note." Wagging a finger at me like I've committed
culinary blasphemy.
*********************
I walk into the house, turn on the T.V., toss my bag onto the couch and sit on
the arm facing away from the screen. Steve Palchuk is going to turn me into a
red smear on the football field. Mom is going to cry and sue and then break
into the millions of pieces I managed to fit back together. And I won't be able
to pick them back up again if that jerk manages to murder me.
The Amulet softly glows in my backpack, I reach in and grab it. Ever since I
picked this thing up my life has been turned upside down damn it. What? Nothing
to say once you've caused your havoc?
A commercial for an expensive kitchen swiss army knife comes on I barely hear
the droned out voice as I study the amulet, tapping it along it's sides and
trying to read the garble of symbols along it's edge. "Do you ever wish you
could find something that would make your life easier? The ability to do the
amazing? Well, look no further because Food Magic is here. That's right, Food
Magic."
I am Gun Robot.Pick up your phone. I shake my head at Toby's ringtone and pick
up the phone,"Hey, Tobes."
"Did it talk again? Did it do anything interesting?" Toby never beats around
the bush with these kinds of things.
"Nope." I admonish, tossing it into the air and catching it a few times before
gazing at it's back
"Toby Pie! Dinner!" I cringe at his Grandmother's high pitched yelling over the
phone, I think my ears are bleeding.
"In a minute, Nana! I've got to go. Text me if it does anything cool." and he
hangs up without even a hasta huevos.
The advertisement bleeds back into my attention as I scrutinize the gadget
that's got us both puzzled, "setting the table, setting the china-"
With reluctance I start talking to it, "Um Hi. How you doing? I'm Jim. But
then, you knew that because you spoke my name, which is weird. Hello? Anybody
in there?" I hit my forehead with a nice loud thwap, face-palming hard enough
to leave an angry throbbing red mark there, "And now, I'm talking to an
inanimate object."
I stare it down before I give into the urge. "Come on! Talk again, or you are
going up on eBay." I threaten.
There's a sudden loud crash from downstairs making me jump in a pantomime of a
scared cat, and then I groan, "Raccoons!"
I go into the kitchen and of course they have to be nesting in the basement.
Mom never goes down there and I don't go down because the place gives me the
creeps. Why down there? Why'd they have to choose the only creepy spot in the
house to set up camp?
I see something scuttled away from the furnace leaving a mess of hot coals on
the ground, yet another mess I've got to clean up from these menaces.
I turn on the light and grab the broom I've been looking for for a while. I
look around and scream. " Great." I murmur, looking at the mirror me with a
scowl, I've officially managed to scare myself, "What next? My own shadow?"
The light bulb behind me goes out and there's that skittering again. I do NOT
squeal like a girl. It's a very manly scream I assure you. I brandish the end
of my broom towards the darkness but nothing appears to move, I sigh in relief,
happy I didn't get mauled in the face by a raccoon. Later on I'll wish it had
just been a rowdy family of raccoons skipping rent on their little home in the
basement.
"Master Jim!" My scream starts out manly but I will admit my voice breaks when
I see just what had called me. There in front of me is a tall blue, four armed,
six-eyed, horned creature with it's arms wide open. WHAT THE F*#$ IS THAT!?! I
fall to the ground and back away in fright and knock my head against the giant
metal support beam.
The creature is right in my face again, "MASTER JIM!!!"
"Master Jim!" The smaller one exclaims again, I scream again in terror and I
jolt away only to hit my head against the stupid metal spicket. WHAT THE HELL
ARE THESE THINGS!?! "We have found you!"
The one with an extra set of arms moves forward like he's going to grab me and
I skitter to my left bumping into a wall, I look up in confusion... It's not a
wall. "I am known as Blinky." I tilt my head up only to see a giant maw, green
shaggy hair, and two large green eyes. I scream again, voice cracking even
more. Hey I can get away with that, I'm still going through puberty after all.
"Hi." It waves down at me with a pair of mitts the size of powerwheels. I
scream again, getting up and almost run into the other one, they've got me
cornered from both sides. "It's Aaarrrgghh. Three Rs." The bigger one grumbles.
Turns out I'm between two creatures and a hot place, I realize this as my hand
touches the furnace. I scream and groan at the pain bubbling up on my palm that
is definitely going to blister.
They both come in closer, and I practically do the salsa not to touch either of
them, letting out squeaks as I come near to touching both of them. I give up,
going into the tornado drill position and just shake. Can't breath, What ARE
THOSE THINGS!!?? Wait? Can't breath?!?
The both huddle around me, and peer at me from above, "Hmm. He says 'AAAAAAAH!'
a lot."
"It's more of a yelp, I believe. A greeting, perhaps." I look up only to have
the one that has overalls on open his putrid fang filled mouth and scream in my
face making ME scream again and my throat is hurting and I can't breath. CAN'T
BREATH! I try and bolt when I see an opening but the big one with the gruff
voice nabs me, holding me upside down by my feet. I instantly cover my face,
not daring to look at them.
"Master Jim, you have been chosen." FOR DINNER!?!? WHY COULDN'T IT JUST BE
RACCOONS!?! WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE MAN-EATING MONSTERS!?!
"Hmm. Blinky, he looks scared." The almost gentle brute swings me just a bit
and makes me yelp as my ankle twinges in pain.
"Uh, Aaarrrgghh, my good fellow, would you mind?" 'Blinky' asks, waving his
hands around as he addresses me with a flick of his wrist. "This is a moment of
some solemnity."
"Hmm? Solembily?" The-Aaarrrggh mumurs, trying out the word, holding me close
and sniffing me.
Blinky sighs stating the definition for the guy, "It means serious and
dignified."
"Hmm. 'Dig-oo-nified.' " Aaarrrggh mutters, drawing out the vowels as a toddler
might do with a big word sounding it out.
As they seem to have forgotten me I stammer out a request without thinking, "P-
P-Put me down, please?" I uncover my eyes to see Blinky point to the ground how
you would a dog with a small stuffed animal, or human in this case, when
they're not suppose to have it.
"Oh." Aaarrrggh finally catches on, spins me upright, sets me on my feet, and
gives a rough "pat, pat" to my head as if I'm the pet, me squealing and
squaking from being man-handled, creature?-handeled?.
"Thank you. Now, where was I? " Blinky tries to remember, holding his upper
hands in a steeple position, ruminating in his thoughts.
"Uh, "Master Jim... found you..." Aaarrrggh supplies.
"Yes. Thank you." Blinky smiles, practically all shiny menacing teeth.
I back up into Aaarrrggh and try getting away by going left but the gigantic
boulder of a creature blocks me with his trash can size hands, of course me
being a spastic scaredy cat right now I bump into that hand, "AAAAAH!" and then
the other one as I try to go right, "AAAAAAAAAH!" At this point my voice is
wrecked.
"Master Jim, you have been chosen. The Amulet of Daylight challenges you to
ascend to the most sacred of offices." Blinky exclaims, throwing his arms wide
in a grande gesture. They're going to eat me... how will they cook me? on a
spit over the furnace? Barbecue style? Are they going to smush me into a paste
and make me into meatloaf? Or are they just going to eat me raw... alive?
"Orifices? What orifices?" Aaarrrggh asks, Can't breath can't breath. But the
big guy does know some big words after all.
"Offices. It means responsibility." Blinky answers calmly, with the patience of
a kindergarten teacher correcting a child with a lisp. He turns back to me and
I gulp for air, "Unbeknownst to your kind, there is a secret world, a vast
civilization of trolls lurking beneath your very feet, hidden from view."
"Tro-Tr-Trolls?" I stammer, trying to breath again but failing miserably, my
body going tingly and numb.
"Trolls. Yes, trolls. And it is now your charge to protect them." He demands,
pointing at me, damning me to a position I'll only realize later maybe the
worst thing that's ever happened to me, "For you, Master Jim, are the
Trollhunter."
I yelp at the title, still utterly confused in my hyperventilating, oxygen
deprived head.
"Trollhunter. This honor is yours to accept." Blinky comes closer and his
rancid breath washes over me as I finally manage to take a breath in, "So, what
say you?"
I moan as my vision goes black from lack of air filling my lungs.
"Is that a yes?" I hear Aaarrrggh asking as my consciousness fades.
*********************
When Blinkous and Aaarrrggh came into Troll Market they weren't talking loudly
or laughing as they usually did. Draal remembers his Father's extreme distrust
of the larger gumgum turned good troll Omega.
It was one of the many things he and his father disagreed on. But his father
hadn't been there the day Aaarrrggh accidentally stepped on a gnome. He wept
over the smudge on the ground for hours.
There were other such incidences around troll market with the gnomes and
Aaarrrggh. But his father only came home when he was called to help or in the
training hall doing what the place was made for.
After his Father was slain it became his duty to inform everyone of his demise,
strangely Blinkous and Aaarrrggh were no where to be found. He had actually
went out of his way to find the multi-limbed troll, hoping for some words of
wisdom having shared in a loss because of Bular. Draal examines their faces
once more, determination courses through his veins as he goes to stand and
broach the subject.
But as he stands he catches a whiff of something on Aaarrrggh, an alpha odor
against Aaarrrggh's omega scent doesn't smell right. It's not an alpha troll...
Is that- Draal knows better than to question his own nose. That's the same
fleshbag alpha that took the amulet of daylight! He stops in his steps for a
moment, a jarring realization seizes him. If they met the fleshbag then they
should've gotten the amulet from them... Even if Aaarrrggh has sworn off
violence and Blinkous is more of a scholar than a warrior, they could've easily
scared the human and taken it from them.
"He is scared Blinky... He's so small and squishy, " Aaarrrggh whispers,
cradling his mug of mead as if it it the person he is speaking of.
"I don't understand why the amulet chose him Aaarrrggh. It has never chosen...
One of their kind before." Blinky whispers fervently, his hand grips the handle
a bit harder than would be advised.
Draal wonders at that. So the amulet has chosen someone, that's why they didn't
get it. But it chose someone else... Not me... What kind of troll hasn't been
chosen before? Even a gumgum turned good has had the honor of becoming the
Trollhunter." Not a very good choice as his death, not even two weeks into
training, by Bular's sinister claws would suggest.
So who has it chosen? Curiosity flushes out his more depressing emotions as he
tastes failure and rejection more fierce than any blow his father could have
given him when he was alive.
"Blinky..." Aaarrrggh looks at his friend across the table, the gentle giant
bites his lip as if he has a confession to make, "He had a Beta friend that
smelled like he was my-"
Blinky shushes him before he can finish his sentence, " Aaarrrggh, I'm not
going to cat fur coat this. Master Jim will probably die within the next three
or four days. At most, a week. You know we cannot show ourselves to them
without reason. And if he were to find out about the amulet he would blame us
for his friend's death. You do not deserve heartbreak Aaarrrggh. Not again."
What does he mean by that? The only thing we're not allowed to speak with... Is
small... And Blinkous would be puzzled about. MERLIN DON'T TELL ME THE CHAMPION
IS A CHANGELING!
"Blinky... " Aaarrrggh looks at Blinkous with the biggest sappiest green eyes
he can muster, looking like a whelp that wants more food.
Blinkous stops gripping his mug but stares down at it's content sloshing around
in it, "I hate losing people Aaarrrggh. First family, then friends. All
Trollhunters have a gruesome end Aaarrrggh. There's no stopping that. But the
boy isn't even a troll!"
Draal's eyes are as wide as dinner plates, fiery golden orbs wide in shock,
mouth hanging open. A gnome tries to make itself at home but Draal spits it out
and it runs away cackling at the look of disgust now presented on Draal's face.
" Train him. Please?" Aaarrrggh insists, pushing a big curled fist at Blinkous'
arm.
Blinkous sighs, but grips his friends hand hard, as if he too will crumble into
stone if he were to let go, "One last time. Once this one dies I will have no
more dealings with training TrollHunters."
Draal stumbles away in search of a place he may find that others will not
interrupt his thoughts with a sympathetic pat on the shoulder for his loss.
***** A small chat *****
Chapter Summary
     I know it's been a while but I assure you guys I am still working on
     this and will continue to do so! I'm super pumped after seeing season
     2 and I can't wait ro finally drag my ass out of writersblock!
Sunlight from the one small window in here blinds me as I scream awake
clutching my shirt in a gnarled grip. I look around for the monst-trolls that
had apparently not eaten me, I check though. Two arms and two legs, all my toes
and fingers, no missing facial features...
A memory from when Toby had a nightmare once, after he had had surgery to
remove his appendix, where aliens took his- I raise an eyebrow at my crotch,
aliens, trolls... Same thing at this point. Hesitantly I undo my pants button
and zipper and peek into my underwear. Ok all my equipment is still mine...
Phew. Better safe than sorry.
My late-wakeup alarm goes off on my phone, I hurriedly take it out and shut the
annoying buzzer off. But then I glance by the furnace and see a perfectly
preserved footprint made from coal dust. I immediately dial the first phone
number that registers in my head. I mutter under my breath " Pick up, pick up"
while it beeps.
CLICK "Hey, Jim-"
"Tobes, it's me! You're never going to believe what happened last night." I
exclaim throwing my hand up in the air and starting to pace off my terror, "I
am freaking out here! Seriously freaking. I need to talk to somebody-"
"Chillax." Toby tries to calm me down, I can practically hear the beta in him
whimpering from my distress, "What's going on?"
I take a deep breath and try to start at the beginning, "Okay, last night, I
heard something in my basement. I thought it was raccoons, but then-"
"Yeah, hang on a second," I hear Toby scream and a weird whirring sound from
the other end. I stare worriedly at the phone What the heck is going on!?!,
"Sorry, Jim. I'll have to call you back. AAAAAAH! No, not that one!"CLICK
"He just- DAMNIT Toby!" And then it hits me, Toby had mentioned he had a
dentist appointment scheduled soon like three weeks ago, I sigh tiredly into my
hand and deposit my phone in my right pocket.
Something crinkles in there and I pull out Mr. Strickler's phone number. OK...
The guy's an alpha, and may have a thing for my mom buuuut... He did say if I
ever needed to talk...
*************************
Orchestral battle music floats through the air as I knock my knuckles against
Mr. Strickler's open office door.
The very Alpha looks up from his desk, hard eyes softening when they see who
has entered, "Ah, hello, Jim. What can I do for you?"
"Um, do you have a minute?" I ask, clutching my backpack strap in nervousness,
having been jittery all day waiting to talk to him. I barely drool-*cough*
watched over the omega angel that sat just a few seats away from me during
class. My mind was troubled with other... things the most normal of them being
my best pal having surgery in his mouth... Again.
"Are you all right? You look peaked" He caps his pen and casually picks the
needle from his antique record player. The kind Alpha gestures to the chair by
the window and sits down in the seat typically meant for a student. "-Here,
sit."
I exhale, You can do this Jim. Just breath. Mr. Strickler is like the most
understanding teacher and alpha I've ever known. He'll understand... Right?
"Okay. I don't really know how to say this, but last night, something
incredible happened. Actually," I raise my hand and sit down onto the seat,
gently placing my backpack on the ground, "unbelievable. Completely
unbelievable."
Then it hits me. I'm going to sound completely nuts if I just... Come out and
say monsters were in my house. Crap! "As in, you won't believe me, but I'm
telling you it's true. I promise you it's true." Which is something only a
complete basket case would start with!
Mr. Strickler raises an eyebrow, clearly questioning my frantic gesturing and
reassurance, "All right. Just calm down. I'll believe you."
With dawning horror I come to the very real outcome. He won't believe me. But I
stammer out anyway, "Uh, okay. Last night, two, um, things showed up at my
house."
"Things?" The eyebrow travels farther north from the question.
"uuu-You know, things. Guys! But uh really weird." I choke out, "One had these
eyes, and the other one was huge and hairy. And they said that they were tro-
" Shit
"Tro?" I didn't think that eyebrow could go any higher but apparently it wasn't
content with so low a perch.
"Tr- ...trainers! Trainers, who want to train me in ch-uh" my eyes search for
something to latch onto, some saving grace idea, when they stop on the knight
piece on a checkerboard." chess." I chuckle sheepishly, picking the little
miracle up in my hand, mentally patting myself on the back for the quick save.
The Alpha's eyebrow scrunches back down, joining it's more down to Earth twin
in mild confusion, steepling his fingers in thought, "And why would that have
you so perturbed?"
"They really weird-ed me out." I chuckle nervously as I struggle to keep a
small, fake smile on my face, glancing out the window in avoidance.
Outside some alpha jocks are slaughtering the other kids in soccer, and of
course the one leading the cruel assault on the pathetic bodies of nonathletic
Beta's and frail Omegas is none other than Steve "Upchuck" himself. Being his
usual bully-self he spots me in the window with his genetically superior
eyesight and makes that stupid "Tick-tock. Tick-tock." motion with his finger
at me. Like my stomach wasn't knotted up enough why not add his heavy-handed,
meaty, monkey's paw.
"Now, I think I know what has you so distraught, Jim." Mr. Strickler gets up
from his seat and gently rests his hand on my shoulder.
"You do?" I ask incredulously, eyeing him from the tilt of my head. This is it.
He's going to report this to my mother and I'm officially going to be put in
the insane asylum.
His smile widens as he looks down at me. The alpha held nothing but comfort and
understanding in his gaze,"It's like I told you yesterday, you have a lot on
your shoulders. Too much, in my opinion, for someone your age. And I think this
opportunity-" he deftly plucks the white knight from my hand.
"Chess?" I raise an eyebrow.
He nods in affirmation, placing it down on the chessboard and tumbling the king
from it's corner stronghold, "I think it's causing you anxiety. I know you want
to be there for your mother, but it's as a great poet once wrote, 'Do what's
good for you, or you're not good for anybody.' "
The bell for next period interrupts my next thought but I express it anyway,
"Hey, thanks for the advice. I like talking to you." And if I'm completely
honest, you're practically the only male role model I have. Pretty sad right?
"Always." He chuckles, fond smile sending me off with a paternal twinkle in his
green eyes and a soft pat on my shoulder.
I'm not sure if it was just my imagination or not, but as I sling my backpack
over my shoulder and slip out of his door I swear I smelled something that made
my tongue curl, like it had touched a rather tart lemon.
***************************
As I methodically slice tomatoes, placing the toppings on the three sandwiches
I'm preparing for Mom, Tobes, and me for tomorrow, somebody's dog is going
crazy. It's owner comes out a few seconds later and "Parker" stops barking like
a maniac. I clean the knife and throw it with practiced easy, it slides into
it's empty slot with a dull thunk just as it had the day before and the day
before that and so on. Just a normal night preparing for tomorrow as I always
have, a simple and enjoyable domestic task.
The faint blue glow from my backpack on the couch lures me in. I warily pick
the amulet up and walk out the backdoor. The wind is picking up a dark clouds
soon loom ominously near the edges of the woods a distance away. I take out the
amulet and the hands and cogs start moving, runes around the rim are glowing
and shifting, stopping only when it spells out a phrase in English.
I squint at the creepy weird gadget, half-tempted to toss it and go back inside
for a movie marathon. But instead I mumble out the phrase in question as if I
myself were not murmuring. "For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to
command."
The amulet glows an ethereal blue, a small ghostly whisp of light leaves the
amulet and floats to my chest. My heart feels warm, like my skin on a sunny day
in July, comfortable, tender... Precious and fragile. And suddenly my feet are
no longer touching the ground. I look at the distant ground and feel a sharp
crack as the amulet rams against my chest above my heart.
The amulet is spinning like mad and small pieces are unfolding into giant blue
glinting silver armor, enveloping me in a warm over sized cocoon. Once all the
pieces have emerged I'm lowered gracefully to the ground... A tiny sardine of
an unpresented boy inside a giant tin can of armor holding the handle of a
blade big enough to be used for one of the Titanic's propellers.
I huff in relief when the amulet is apparently done with it's crazy magical
transformation... All too soon. The armor starts shrinking and I'm nearly
hyperventilating at the idea that I'm about to be squeezed into paste when it
stops at a comfortably snug fit. The sword shortens and lightens.
I bite my lip at the sheer shine of the blade in my hands. It won't hurt if I
test it out with a few swings right? I swing wide right, the air slicing with
an audible shing from such a slow arc in the air. I raise it high, marveling as
the sunset gleams INTO the metal of the blade and the light blends into a
vibrant cool blue rather than the warm colors of dusk.
Caught in the captivating light show it slips my mind that this is a SWORD. A
very SHARP and relatively unusual weight. I underbalance and soon its dragging
me down as it descends to the ground behind me. Thankfully it doesn't do more
than scratch against the iridescent armor, before solidly slicing into one of
the many boulders scattered in my backyard.
I tug at it but it doesn't seem to want to budge an inch. The armor floats off
of me and quickly folds back into the amulet with a fantastical swirling
swoosh. The sword gone, an empty perfectly shaped slot is residing in the
boulder. My eyes are bulging from such an awesome transformation, at the sheer
possibilities of this magical amulet. "This is. SO! FREAKING! COOL!"
**********Under_the_Bridge**********
Strickler gets out of his car and approaches the pile of remains under the
bridge. The headlights of his still running car casting his shadow into a long
and spindly silhouette. Two plans of action see fit to have a game of tug-a-war
in his mind at the realization that the amulet is gone.
A hulking figure rises behind the alpha, the dark imprint engulfs Strickler's
tall form in darkness, utterly dwarfing the alpha in size, an inhuman snarl
matching the wrath of it's glowing red eyes. Strickler doesn't even turn
around, instead he turns his nose up at the broken stone corpse of the latest
felled trollhunter, "It's been taken. You failed. You let it go. Your father
will be displeased."
A roar echoes through the open air, bouncing off of the bridge's supports and
causing the very metal to vibrate. The sound is something that would have the
hairs on the back of any normal human's neck standing on end. But Strickler
merely scoffs in a disdainful and disgusted manner. The malevolent giant growls
out at the 6ft. 6" man, spittle flying and catching in fox grey hair. "Whoever
holds the Amulet of Merlin, I shall destroy him, just as I have done with every
single one of them."
"Worry not, you brute. I know where to find it.", Strickler soothes, hands
reaching into the pocket of his suit and pulling out a handkerchief to dab at
the liquid drops on the back of his head. "I believe the amulet has found its
champion."
Ordinary green eyes glow yellow as the moon overhead, with far more
intelligence and knowledge than any human in his 40's has any right of
wielding.
***** Friends *****
I snap my phone shut in aggravation. After I get home from school.
He's there AGAIN? Screw it! I put on my helmet and bike to a certain building
that's become the bane of a certain Beta's existence.
Trudging past the help desk. I look for the name of his dentist on the door
plaques that I pass, once I find it the dentist assistant's warning goes
through one ear and right out the other, "Don't go in there, he's with a
patient!"
I swing the door open and see him laid back on the dentist chair that's
practically been molded for him from his constant visits, "Tobes!"
"Hey, Jim." He greets as nonchalantly as he can with a thick finger hooking his
mouth open.
*********Eight hours later~*******
"Eight hours! I can't believe it takes eight hours." I grouse, still shaking my
head at the sheer amount of time I had spent sitting there just so I could talk
to him without some tool or finger or cotton swab gargling his words.
Tobes holds up fingers as he lists what kind of construction he's had done to
his motormouth city, "Two molars, plus insertions, and some cleanup."
I wave his explanation off and shake the amulet at him instead, "Okay, Tobes.
You are never going to believe this."
Instead of paying attention to the magical awesome armor giving artifact...
Tobes is raiding the freezer, "My mouth still feels a little sore."
"Check this out." I try again, the box he had gotten out and pressed to his
slightly red cheeks turns out to be pizza... Tobes ends up tossing it into the
microwave and nuking it. Patience Jim, you've waited two days, a few minutes
isn't going to kill you. Just let him stuff his face with an unhealthy, grease
drenched slice and then his attention will be solely on you.
I tap my foot impatiently as I watch him being entranced by the siren call of
party pizza. The microwave dings and he plays hot potato with a slice for a
second. I open my mouth"-Do you have any aspirin?" My eye twitches in anger.
"Tobes, pay attention!" I growl through my gritted teeth.
He finally takes a bite and cheese drips onto the linoleum tiles beneath the
slice, "Mmm." I fight the urge to roll my eyes at my best friend.
I hold the amulet out in expectation as I recite, "For the glory of Merlin,
Daylight is mine to-"
He swallows and interrupts me mid incantation, "Go on." I love Toby to death,
but his gold fish level attention span is making me want to actually murder him
right now.
"It worked last night." I grunt, my eyes narrowing at the amulet in confusion.
"Are you punking me right now?" He raises an eyebrow, humor filling his green
eyes with mischief.
"I don't get it! It worked fine yesterday..." I grumble. Let's try it one more
time to prove you're not crazy. And if it doesn't work... I'll walk myself to
the nearest therapist.
I breathe in, and breath out. That familiar warmth spreads through my chest.
"For the Glory of Merlin, Daylight is Mine to Command.
And just as before I'm floating, but the armor and sword's sizes seem to have
remained the same size as myself. When I look back at Tobes I can't hide my
smug grin. His bottom jaw has hit the floor... and so has his pizza,
unfortunately. It's just a small mess I'll clean-up in a second.
With a growing smirk I swing the sword around like I've seen so many movie
characters have. "You Okay Tobes?" My words break his silent spell rather
abruptly, the floodgates open.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Holy champignon! Oh-ho-ho-ho! How cool is that? What?
Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! So cool, so cool, so cool!
Dude, you know what this means, right? You have a sacred responsibility here."
He leers, I've got a funny feeling about that last sentence but I ignore it in
favor of relinquishing some more information.
"That's what they said!" I exclaim, excitement and relief at finally being able
to tell another human being who would actually BELIEVE me and not think that he
was having a hallucination.
"Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my-You
have to use these new powers for the benefit of all mankind." I nod in
agreement, but the devious grin on Tobes face doesn't match with what he's just
said, "You have to use this to kick Steve's butt."
There it is. I balk at him, "Really? I show you a glowing sword and a suit of
armor that can only be magic, and that's how you respond?"
"Seriously! It's butt-kicking time." He stops and stretches his own legs,
completely random sidetracked mind kicking in,"These pants are so elastic."
But despite that horrible habit, I'm proud to say Tobes never misses a single
detail of information when he's intrigued, "Wait. Also, who's 'they'?"
Finally, we reach the not so super part. "Well, that's the part that I've been
freaking out over!"
Speak of the devil. "-What, what, what the heck is that?" Tobes shrieks, I know
exactly who those fast and freaky shadows scuttling in my backyard are. The
flare of distressed Beta fills my nostrils with the very sour scent of
lemonheads, I take a step towards the door to try and explain but Tobes'
hysterics only further snowball, "Don't open the door!"
The door slams open with enough force that the door frame cracks and the sound
resembles a gun going off, followed by a greeting that will become a coined
term from the troll in question in the future, "Master Jim!"
Meanwhile Tobes is curled in a ball hiding behind the counter armed with a
ladle and currently dialing numbers, "-I'm calling 911! No, Animal Control! Oh,
gosh. Oh, gosh. Oh, gosh- They talk?"
"I knew it was but a matter of time before the amulet called to us." Blinky
begins, ignoring the spastic human shakily pointing the curved, aluminum,
business end of my kitchen utensil at the six-armed menace.
"'Called' to you?" I question. So this thing is a friggin Troll pager? What the
hell else should I know about!? Are more of these lumbering house intruders
going to be coming here and making themselves at home and causing cracks in the
walls?
"-Actually, no. We've been spying on you." Blinky supplies, like it wasn't
anything out of the ordinary.
"Spy on you." Aaarrrggh parrots, making the universal "watching you" gesture
with his two giant fingers.
"Well," Blinky tries to underplay, "keeping a close watch." Ok, I think this is
kind of worse. So instead of it being completely random trolls it's just two
freaky troll stalker fanboys... fan-fucking-tastic.
"Door small." Aaarrrgghh grumbles, creaking the foundation of the house by
wiggling in through the creaking door frame with some minor grunts fpr effort
that pays off. A loud Thump echoes in my house.
"-Animal Control! Monsters, at my best friend's house! I need you to send a
squad!" Tobes yells into the phone, peering over the counter at Aaarrrgghh
who's looking at him with a small smile.
"Is this a joke, kid?" I hear the responder say, apparently Tobes had
accidentally put it on speaker in his haste.
Tobes gulps as Aaarrrgghh backs away, clambering onto the counter and swinging
the flimsy piece of metal between the two "threats" in my house, knocking food
and bowls of batter on the ground. Great add that onto cleanup duty. "-Make
that the National Guard!"
BEEP!
"Animal Control hung up on me." Tobes gawks at the phone.
"You told your stout little Beta friend about us?" Blinky yells, outrage and
disappointment contort his large... stinky mouth.
"Um, I was in the process of explaining that trolls exist to my very sensitive
stout little Best friend, when you guys decided to barge in here like you owned
the place and put him into a panic attack!" I yell, glaring at the multi-eyed
troll before me. Aaarrrgghh at least has the decency to look sheepish while
Blinky seems to have no idea that he's part of the cause of this mess.
"Master Jim, we trolls have gone to great lengths to keep our existence secret
from your kind, lest there be panic." He throws his hands towards Tobes for
emphasis.
"Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh-" Tobes repeats like a wheezy, hyperventilating,
broken record.
"Well obviously not, because you exposed yourself! If you saw unfamiliar
creatures whose sheer size and eyeball count have been associated with monsters
you thought were in your closet until you were 10 years old breaking into your
best friend's house... don't you think this reaction would be APPROPRIATE?!" I
shout, drawing in breath in preparation to further my rant but the sound of a
car pulling into my driveway makes me choke on my next words.
And my voice did NOT crack from puberty when I murmured a quiet "Cra-
*crack*ap!"
*********************************************
After hastily shoving two stinky large trolls into the bathroom with myself and
Toby to have a mini heart attack what with my Mom down-stairs calling for me
and being told my apparent near future involves my demise by a evil troll that
finished the last guy without breaking a sweat, who Blinky was saying was the
poster-boy of trollhunter saviors and didn't exactly come out of his fight
against him whole and alive. Thankfully I got my Mom out of the door with the
keys she had forgotten, and by that time Toby was more in fanboying at the
trolls that invaded my house than freaking out that trolls existed in the first
place. When my mom's car lights disappeared over the hill they all came down
and made themselves comfortable in my living room.
"So, Master Jim, are you ready? We should begin your training immediately,"
Blinky exclaims, four hands in varying states of excitement, the chipperness
grates on my beyond fraying nerves.
"Uh, it's a school night." I reject, Please take the hint. Please take the
hint.
"I assure you, the relevance escapes me." Blinky... well, blinks in confusion.
"I'm 15," I try, looking over at Toby and trying to silently ask him to get me
out of this. "I have to stay home and, uh, study and stuff. Do homework? I
can't be out, you know, trollhunting."
"-Because?" Blinky persists, a pair of arms folded, a single hand on his hips,
and the last remaining hand contemplatively holding his chin.
"Well, the whole "getting killed by a vicious troll named Bular" might be a
deal-breaker." I can't help but snap, and then I hear a crunch.
"Dude! He eats VHS's!" Toby exclaims, I look around Blinky just in time to see
Mortal Weapons 2 and 3 crunch in Aaarrrgghh's mouth, sharp strong stone teeth
making short work of the movies.
"Deal-breaker?" Blinky questions, the confusion in his eyes hasn't seemed to
leave.
My patience and nerves that have been praised as saintly and made of steel rust
and rot away, "I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"
Surprise widens Blinky's eyes rather comically, I would have laughed had I not
been rightfully upset over everything that's come to light, "Goodness gracious!
Who does?"
"Maybe you should take this back." I whisper, pressing the amulet into Blinky's
smooth, warm, stony hands.
He shakes his hand in terror, not for himself, but for me, "The amulet called
to you, Master Jim. It chose you. It is your-"
"Please, don't say 'destiny.' " I mumble into my hand.
"-sacred obligation." He says instead, a small quirk at the corner of his lips
give him a toothy smirk.
"Or that." I deadpan.
"You cannot refuse it. You cannot give it back. It is yours until you die."
Blinky recites with solemn damnation, facade of blessing cracking. This wasn't
a gift, this was a death sentence, a curse.
Forget this. I push it into his hands and walk into the kitchen and away from
the troll that's hiding something. "And I would like to get a little further
past puberty before that happens." And you know, actually present as an Alpha
and at least get my first kiss before I kick the bucket.
"Master Jim, you are now responsible for the protection of two worlds, human
and troll alike." He follows, voice weighing heavy with burden, "If you do not
keep the balance, evil trolls like Bular will come into yours and wreak havoc."
He doesn't mean- "You're saying this Bular could hurt people?" I question. The
inclination of what he means by havoc in my world is causing my skin to shiver.
"Like you." Aaarrrgghh interjects, Toby eyeing the Troll with curiosity even
now.
"Not helping!" Blinky yells, silencing his more informative and straightforward
companion.
"What's he talking about?" I demand, hand behind me and feeling the handle of
my favorite knife in it's place.
"With the amulet now in your possession," Blinky begins with a tired and
tentative sigh, "Bular will seek you out, and you will face him, one way or
another." The another he's implying has my skin further breaking out in a cold,
odorless sweat.
"Maybe what Jim needs is a little time to process all of this." Toby advises,
maneuvering Aaarrrgghh around the ceiling lights and into the kitchen, "You
know, you laid a lot of heavy stuff on him tonight."
Blinky huffs. "Master Jim doesn't smell the slightest bit scared-", but gives
in, waving his four arms in a lackadaisical way, when Aaarrrgghh sends him a
look ,"Fine, fine. We shall return tomorrow then, to begin your training."
"Awesome sauce~!" Tobes fist pumps the air and gathers the remaining VHS tapes
from my living room bookshelf, granted the VHS's became useless when Mom bought
a DVD player after our VHS player bushed up daisies, so it wasn't any skin off
my nose but still it was the principle of it.
"For the road, big guy." He honest to god giggles.
"VHS." Aaarrrgghh parrots, deep voice benevolent and child-like however much of
an oxymoron that is.
"Mortal Weapons Five and Six." Toby hand feeds his new, gentle friend. Helping
the soft-spoken giant through the small-ish backdoor.
"Oh! Master Jim, if I may," Blinky hesitates, pausing softly before beginning
with a soft storyteller's voice, filled to the brim with determination and
understanding and fear,"Destiny is a gift. Some go their entire lives living
existences of quiet desperation, never learning the truth that what feels as
though a burden pushing down upon our shoulders is actually a sense of purpose
that lifts us to greater heights. Never forget that fear is but the precursor
to valor, that to strive and triumph in the face of fear is what it means to be
a hero. Don't think, Master Jim. Become. Would you at least consider?" His
voice is so... human.
Aaarrrgghh steps over the fence as Blinky waves goodbye. When Aaarrrgghh
believes his leader of sorts is taking too long he snatches him up and hauls
him over like a child heaving a lego. "Whoa! They're pretty stealthy." I turn
to my best friend with a scowl, "How's that? I bought you a night."
"A night?" I squeak indignantly. I should have way more than one measly night
to cope with all this information and definitely more than a couple of decades
to train for this fight since I can't get rid of this stupid glowing parasite
that I won't be rid of unless I lay down and croak.
"Dude you're acting like an Omega, what happened to all that Alpha pride that's
always talking about wanting adventure and something more. Well, wish granted."
Toby points out, the locker room conversation coming to mind first and
foremost. Why is my life a freaking cliche all of a sudden? Isn't wanting
something more after High School every teenager's reaction to life, Omega or
Beta or Alpha notwithstanding? Why out of all the 15 year old teens in the
world did this come back to bite MEspecificallyin the ass?!
"Hmm. So, trolls are a thing. Who knew?" Toby chuckles nonchalantly. That's not
the attitude you had when you were clutching a ladle in my kitchen and trying
to call the government to my house.
*********Draal P.O.V.*********
I lay on my side, observing the support beams my father had fallen to his death
from, staring at the crude metal creations the meatbags had made that both
served their needs and betrayed the very surface they were cradled by. Only the
brightest of stars peeked from the polluted clouds above, reminding me of the
ceiling of the deep dark caverns Aaarrrgghh originally hailed from. Even the
celestial dome could not escape the human's clumsy and childishly selfish
hands. To desecrate such a thing of importance, it was despicable.
"Humans are such stupid creatures Father. Why did you die protecting them? They
live and breath in both the light and the dark of the world. Their Alpha's
don't even compare to the Beta's of troll-kind, their Beta's are worth less
than the dirt they walk on, and out of all the intelligent creatures of the
Earth their kind has the advantage of omegas, born from purity and without the
aid of putrid blood magic. Why... Why are you gone father?"
"Because he stood against fate Draal. Humans are cattle, only good as a food
source and nothing else, and so they will be soon. Bullar will free Gunmar, it
is inevitable, it is destiny." A familiar feminine voice grates. I sit up and
side-eye the changeling leaning casually against twisted and man-manipulated
beams, cleaning her glowing weapons with the bottom of her long dress.
"Begone Nomura, I wish to mourn alone. Not desecrate the place of my father's
last sacrifice by sharing the company of an impure." I growl, sneering at her,
i had grown wise to her games. I knew she was fishing for anything valuable
from me, as I knew she always was, but had hoped she, just as I, to gain
loyalty to the opposite cause. But the mists had been lifted upon the sight of
my father being felled-no sacrificing himself beneath this very bridge. "Trying
to manipulate me, blatantly belittling and disrespecting my father within my
vicinity upon our first meeting in months. And of all meeting places and times
you pick the night after my father's death, at the very spot of his demise no
less, for a reunion. I will tell you begone one more time Nomura, I will give
you one chance to leave with no injuries but after this no more. I will hear no
more of your warped talk of destiny and fate."
She stops, and blinks her acidic green eyes at me, narrow face twisting into a
sharp-toothed smile. She stands straight and sheaths her dual-Khopesh, stalking
towards me exuding vigor and sensuality, wielding them far more agilely than
her metal weapons. "Will you see no more of my beautiful dance of sharp
diamonds?" She spins slowly into a perfect lotus stance, dark hair swirling
with a likeness of a dark cloak hiding her lithe but strong arms.
She questions with a toying voice, teasing and full of confidence, "Or feel my
soft stomach like polished talc?" She trails a delicately clawed hand up her
torso, stopping at the hidden zipper between her breasts. The growl that crawls
out of my throat halts her progress.
She huffs, but stops her attempt at seduction. "Are you really going to make me
leave Draal? Are you going to willingly gaze at the sky before you alone,
secret yourself from Trollmarket to escape the confined space below and rest
your lonely fist over your heart. Feel the aching cold bareness of your sliver
of a heart gem with no respite, no relief, just your own betraying thoughts of
the absent scent of your mate? Will I find you crying at the injustice of that
emptiness under this same bridge once more? Are you so blinded by the pain of
something that I could not control that you are going to burn down this bridge
we have built between us?"
It had been amusing before now, when I believed I held the knowledge of the
cursed changeling being a venom-less snake, rattle far worse than it's bite,
utterly harmless but entertaining. So I had let it wrap around me with slim
arms and pleasure me as it wished. If only I had known this impure was not of
the biting kind, but of the squeeze you dead and swallow you whole variety. And
bound me she had, leading me around by the nose and the hope of an actual
relationship, the promise of skin ship between touch-starved ilk. The
unlikelihood of ever finding the scentless troll who would touch the pure piece
of flesh within myself was a tool she used against me.
After she had already dredged up the pain my father's absence in the line of
his sacred duty had dealt me. The small crack I had suffered, that I still
feel, to my heart gem from the inattentiveness of Kanjigar the Courageous. The
months of lying in my bed as a young whelp waiting for death to be merciful and
take me away. Instead my skin had grown harder, sharpness that could not be
tamed nor ground down rose from my back. My horns multiplied and became
thicker, curved and arched in such a way that no other troll's had. They had to
carve my flesh before my sixteenth year cycle because there was the possibility
my hide would break the chisels if set to the task too late. My father had
visited me once and then he had all but left me in the care of Vendel, the high
elder of Trollmarket, to be raised.
I had pushed through it with a grain of salt. I loved my father then, now he
had my sorrow and the bitter taste of missed opportunities. My childhood was a
casualty among the many in the long line of trollhunters. Like most of the
wise, my father had put distance between us to protect me, rather than have the
chance of something far worse being lost than a few decades of childhood. I had
guidance during my first rutt, I was taught how to read, I played with other
whelps. I was only missing my parents. My mother died by a still unknown
illness when I was barely past my first decade. The son of Bular had stolen the
only parent I had left. He would not fell me so easily through the treachery of
a changeling.
"Nomura" I seethe through gritted fangs, eyes gleaming in hatred. My scent
fills the air with the cloying smell of enraged Alpha. She takes the hint and
swings up onto the top of the bridge, the soft whispers of her steps fading,
but not before I hear a discontented sigh. Already I feel the prickle of cold
invading my chest. as the stars continue to gaze down at the surface, the moon
waning in a cruel, cold, crescent smile, mocking me as everything about this
place seems to be doing.
The pain had been more frequent since my father's death, flaring up
sporadically in the afternoon and just now. My mind soon wanders to the newest
trollhunter, whatever they were. What could it be? Certainly not a gnome...
granted I'd pay good money to see Bular getting his tail handed to him by one
of those little menaces. I truly hope it's not an impure. They would destroy
the troll world whether they had seen the light and truly were traitors to
Bular's cause or not. But Blinky had mentioned them being a boy, and he had
smelled of alpha... human alpha. This 'boy' could only be a changeling with
that scent.
It was the type of scent Nomura faintly smelled of when she had been waltzing
before sundown in town. It wasn't a natural scent, man-created, used to mask
non-existent scents. Changelings possessed tampered heart gems, most were
quartz or other such near-odorless crystals, they were the typical heart gem of
a true full-blooded troll Beta. But Changeling's had their gem's marred at
birth, the Darkland's corruption infected them in the womb, encasing their
heart gems in metal to erase all scent, or hope of finding a true mate. Loyalty
to Bular comes above all in a changeling's world.
And a normal human would have no reason to hide their scent, they barely have
snouts to smell their own kind's class to begin with, granted they had blockers
to hide their scent. He had once heard Nomura say most Omegas did such a thing
to alleviate some of the oppression they faced from human Alphas.
Contrary to human belief, human Betas did have a scent, it was just too subtle
for the nose of a meatbag to detect. But to practically bath oneself in
manufactured Alpha hormones speaks for itself. If the implications he'd both
heard and smelled from Aaarrrgghh and Blinky during their conversation were to
be believed, then the next trollhunter is indeed a changeling. The probability
of the impure being bedfellows with Bular himself are both staggering and
terrifying.
***** First Confrontation *****
The next morning had started off rough, the armor activated without my consent.
I hadn't even said the incantation! And Mr. Strickler had to pick then of all
times to be concerned about me and go out of his way to talk to me. Thankfully
I made up a lie about trying out for the school play.
Which ended up being a blessing in disguise. Granted I was forced to tryout
since Mr. Srickler would have found it suspicious if I didn't go. But I ended
up impressing everyone rather than making a complete fool of myself when I
repeated Blinky's speech to me to the crowd.
But most of all I impressed CLAIRE! She remembered my NAME! And if I manage to
actally GET this part then I might even get a chance to KISS her! Because let's
face it, she's the perfect candidate for Juliet, every Alpha and Beta has a
crush on her, there were even rumors Mary Wang had a crush on her at one point
and she's an Omega herself!
"Dude! That was amazing! You were amazing! I'm amazed at how amazing you were!
I can't believe that that just happened. And did you see how the Chiquita was
looking at you?" Toby gushes, bumping my shoulder and wiggling his eyebrows at
me, "Your armor totally did you a favor!"
I softly float down from cloud 9, reality settling cold on my shoulders. I
might get a kiss before I get killed by an evil troll. Huh. A guy can hope.
"I'm still getting the hang of it."
"The multi-eye guy said it reacts to your emotional state. The armor turns on
when you're in distress." Toby contemplates, bringing up the bizarre instance
this morning.
"But I wasn't in distress back at school." I rebuke, biting my lip in thought,
bike tires smooth on asphalt. And then a hulking black mass is staring with red
glowing eyes and the most blood-curdling alpha scent in existence sends any
remaining happy feelings to their death via gravity. "But I am now." I'm
unpresented and I can smell the fumes from this troll. Please tell me this
isn't Bular. Please tell me I didn't jinx myself!
"Trollhunter. Merlin's Creation, Gunmar's Bane." It growls from the shadow of
the construction barber shop under construction. It's pawing at the ground
along the edge like a bull ready to charge. Heh if this is Bular, Bull-
Bular... At least I know I'm going to die with a sense of humor... Wait a
second!
"I think he's talking to you." Tobes whimpers, the reoccurring scent of pungent
lemon-heads still doesn't hold a candle to that raunchy scent filling the air.
"Look!" I snap at Tobes, trying to get his Beta instincts under control, the
epiphany from a second ago be exclaimed loud and clear, "He's afraid of the
sun!"
Tobes almost sighs but he notices the dimming of the light holding the beast at
bay, "Not for long!" Chubby finger pointing towards the sunset. And that sets
Toby peddling faster than the threat of detention ever did.
"The amulet! Surrender it and I will give you a speedy death." The malevolent
troll roars as the last rays of today's sun disappear.
"Doesn't know how to negotiate, this guy." Tobes quips fearfully. He looks back
and avoids the flash of claws by the wires of his braces, "Go, go, go! Armor
up, armor up, armor up! Please, now! Faster!" .
I wheeze out, "For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command." And
nothing happens. "It's not working!" I panic. Maybe I have to say it louder!? I
pause a moment to scream the incantation at the amulet, Tobes pulls me behind
the moving truck just as big, dark and deadly skids around the corner. I
whisper feverishly at it, clutching the damn thing and praying that we will
make it out of this alive, "For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to
command! Seriously, it's mine to command! I'm commanding here!"
The monester may be giant but I can barely hear the crunch of his footsteps.
The boastful gravel to it's voice is another matter entirely, "Centuries of
Troll Hunters, and I will have killed two in almost as many days." My eyes must
have stretched open to the size of dinner plates.
This is Bular BLINKY!?!? SERIOUSLY? He'll use me as a toothpick and eat Tobesin
one bite!
The truck is suddenly lifted up and I am only three feet from the same troll
that killed my predecessor, lorded as the apparent best of the best by Blinky's
praise. Toby yanks me out of my frozen stance, "He's good at math! Go, go, go!"
And we're off again, Tobes has made a habit of looking behind us now. However
risky the endeavor is when you've got a thick neck and little foot to eye
coordination it's paid off, "Flying truck! Incoming!" twice tonight. We both
swerve as the poor truck we had been cowering behind smashes into the asphalt.
The pounding of my heart and the thunderous stomps of the troll tearing after
us like a bat-bull out of hell, "I'll flay the flesh from your bones!
"I like my bones the way they are. Thanks!" Tobes screams, peddling so fast
he's doing an unintentional wheelie, almost losing control and becoming troll
kibble in the process.
His near death has spooked him, I can see it in his eyes he's about to give up.
Ok Jim think. You've lived in this town your whole life. Where can we loose
this mammoth alpha asshole of a troll? Oh- "Head down Delancey! - Behind Stuart
Electronics!" I yell at Tobes, turning sharply right, Tobes following me like a
shadow. This place and Tobes had some unhappy history but it should do the
trick. Tobes has been on a diet since he was young, granted when I met him he
was more of an awkward puffball then than he is now if you can believe that.
"You know I can't fit there!" Tobes squeals, because he unfortunately hadn't
fit last time he was there.
"You can fit!" I yell. It's your fear that's holding you back Tobes, and this
isn't a 5th grade Steve Palchuck running at you, Upchuck is a chihuahua
compared to that cumbersome behemoth.
"-I can't!" He denies, tears and panic painting his face, scent curdling my
insides from the sour taste.
I zoom into the alleyway, if you can call it that. I stop half-way through and
look back, goading him. "You've been on a diet, remember?" However self-
conscious he's been his whole life I know when to press and right now is the
only time I ever will.
Tobes shoots a look over his shoulder as Bular grips the corner of the building
and crumbles it in his fist, flying at him like a speeding car. Tobes sped into
the space before I could blink. His sides were scraping the edge, "I can't fit.
I can't fit." But then he does a little wiggle and-"I can fit. I can fit! I can
fit! I'm fitting! Yay, diet!"
We only slow down when we're within the neighborhood, both gasping for air,
"Catch my breath-Look at me, look at me. We're not dead, right?" I grin back at
Tobes and nod with about as much relief as I can put the effort into showing.
When I see Blinky again I'm gonna-
"Master Jim! Ha-ha!" an unusual bush yells as the very troll appears. Speak of
the six-eyed devil. I spot Aaarrrgghh right next to him holding two small
branches in front of his face as if that would actually hide him.
"Bular's trying to kill us!" I yell, walking my bike up the hill to them, and
ready to actually punch someone out of rage for the first time in my life, six
times, one for each of those eyes on his deceiving, troll face.
"He chased us all over town!" Tobes blurts, pointing back towards the square,
until he can't hold his arm up anymore and ends up resting them on a shaking
knee.
"And you're still alive." Blinky cheers, patting his arms harshly down on my
shoulder, "I knew you had potential, Master Jim."
Tobes looks up, if humans had the ability to kill with just a look Blinky would
be pushing up a flower shop of daisies right now. "You know, you may have a
sweet voice, but you bring death with you!"
I am officially done."You guys can fight him, right? Because I am NOT facing
that angry hell-bull!"
Blinky laughs that warm laugh that makes me just want him to choke on it, "I
could not hope to possess the skill to defeat Bular." Figures.
"What about him? He's big." Tobes points at the larger of the two benevolent
trolls.
Aaarrrgghh holds up a hand and bashfully shakes his head crossing over his
chest, a slight sweet smell tinging the air, "-Pacifist."
Tobes' eyes widen for some reason, a slight sweet smell permeates the air. Is
Aaarrrgghh a- well that explains somethings. "Seriously? Man, such a waste of a
hulking brute." Tobes says, grinning slightly at the troll who I had thought
was a Beta this entire time.
Aaarrrgghh grins back good-naturedly, "Thank you."
Blinky raises a finger and puts on the airs of a patronizing scholar, "This is
why there is a Trollhunter, Master Jim. Aaarrrgghh renounced the violent path
ages ago." Aaarrrgghh nods his head gently, eyes sparkling with mirth. A roar
brings reality back with a mix of survival instincts and adrenaline.
"Follow me!" Blinky shouts, running towards the school short cut, "We'll be
safe in Heartstone Trollmarket!"
One particular house still has a light on in a room and I see Eli Pepperjack
with his jaw hitting the floor. Well that explains that. I hear a giddy and
pitchy, "Yes! I knew it!" from the house. The cheers quickly dying down as
Bular stampedes past. Tobes' foot slips on a peddle and Aaarrrgghh's meaty hand
snatches him from death's jaws, the bike even stops Bular for a moment as he
tries to get the mangled piece of metal off of his foot.
But once he sends it soaring the bike seems to have only pissed him off more
than hindered him. When Bular takes a swipe too close Aaarrrgghh grabs me and
deposits me on his back next to a shaking Tobes on a blanket of moss-like mane.
Now it seems like Bular was merely toying with me and Tobes earlier, we're
going at least 40 miles an hour and this jerk is nipping at our ankles! Once we
hit the trees though we lose him rather quickly.
Once we reach the canal Aaarrrgghh sets me and Tobes down to slide down the
edge, Blinky looks back at me and furiously hollers, "Oh, no! Master Jim! Don
your armor!" SERIOUSLY?!
"I've been trying! The amulet won't listen to me!" I snap, nose wrinkling up in
disgust.
Blinky's frenzied arm movements speak for themselves, "Did you speak the
incantation?"
I try not to scoff but my voice breaks in dilemma, "I've been in-canting the
c*crack*rap out of it, and it's not working!"
"Just focus and in-cant, dude!" Tobes barks at me, slowly sliding his way down
the lip of the canal.
The harsh stamping of feet that crunch skulls for a living pound towards me.
Warmth brushes my body but it's not the same. I can feel the heat but it's like
a slippery piece of ribbon."Uh, 'For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to
command.' "
I repeat, I can feel the vibrations from his speedy gait, he's almost upon me.
The warmth slithers along my spine and my hand but it's hard to wrangle, to
concentrate. If I can just- " 'For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to
command.' "
Time slows down, the warmth caresses my chest and I welcome it with open arms,
the rush of safety and relief nearly wind me. " 'For the glory of Merlin,
Daylight is mine to command.' " A literal rock-hard super punch from the evil
man-eater sends me into the air, the armor takes the blow and assembles itself
mid-flight.
I skid to a stop in the canal, feet nearly buckling but the stone under my
heels crumbles like wet clay. I've left an impressive scratch in it. Bular
grins at the flash of blue and silver, the blood-lust is palpable and the Alpha
scent has ME shaking. "Uh... nope." Time to get the hell out of Dodge.
I avoid a kick "WhoA!" but get my ribs a good solid thwack from Bular's tail,
riddled with spikes with both the thickness and weight of a log.
"Use your sword, Master Jim!" Blinky advises, cupping all four hands to
microphone his implausible answer to this mountainous problem
The behemoth speak, voice cocky and gravely from exertion,"I'll drink your
blood out of a goblet made of your skull!" And boy does that sound like date
plans for whatever poor unfortunate soul he's attracted to. My inner Doctor
Lake is cringing, because that's not sanitary.
"Cut him like a meatloaf, Jim!" Tobes encourages, I bite my lip and swivel the
sword. Maybe Tobes is onto something.
Bular and I circle each other, my back to them as he prowls clockwise. I hear
exclamations and a weird shifting noise like a waterfall of rocks from under
the bridge.
"Master Jim! Master Jim, come on!" Blinky bellows, I grit my teeth in
aggravation.
"I'm a little busy here." I yell back, Bular of course picks this moment to try
and strike, I evade and actually manage to take a swing. It goes without saying
I'm completely out-classed here. He blocks the sword with his arm, the brace on
it creaking in agony but holding. The giant grabs me by the shoulder and
presses me against the wall with enough force to knock the breath out of my
lungs.
Bular leers in close, the taste of his nasty breath making my bowels want to
spew. He sniffs at me in curiosity, "You-Ha. You are still a whelp! I was
wondering why you smelled like an aging Alpha. For a moment I almost mistook
you for a Rogue Changeling. But you've yet to present... The Amulet has chosen
a human, and not even a full grown Omega but a babe..." His boisterous laughter
leaves my face sprayed with spittle. He looks down on me again and growls,
hatred glowing from his eyes, enough to turn my insides to stone," You are not
fit to wield the Amulet. Not Like Kanjigar was. Not like my MATE was. By
Merlin's beard you don't even compare to the pitiful Beta before Him and he
died screaming for his sire! I have never had a taste for babe flesh, never
tried it what with Changelings being as they are. But...I can make you an
exception. You're practically skin and bone in the first place, I could squeeze
you between two fingers and see you break like a twig."
I feel a stirring in my spine and my stomach. The Amulet releases me and falls
to the ground. A harsh heat flashes through me, but then I feel the coolness
along the stone behind me flare to frostbite level, and suddenly I am free and
Bular is skidding along the ground 20 feet away. A large blue fist wraps around
my waist and hauls me into the icy wall. I fall to the floor gasping for
breath, keeping my eyes closed as I tried to calm my breathing back down to
not-hyperventilating Toby level.
I manage to wheeze out my thoughts on this whole fiasco with a chorus of angry
complaints singing from my badly bruised ribs, "He nearly-We nearly-He almost-"
"Almost what? Speak, Master Jim." Blinky attempts, fearful and unused to the
weak and sickly sounding voice coming from the small human. Worry seeming to be
affecting him with a late response to the pummeling I received before now.
"He almost killed us!" I spit, declaring what is a blatantly obvious side-
effect of this humbling mantle.
" 'Almost'!" He cackles in what adjective I choose to label as madly, "A very
important word. A life of "almost" is a life of never."
I hesitantly try to sit up, large and warm hands help me do just that from
behind me and I look at Blinky, still chuckling beside Aaarrrgghh next to the
wall. Something is still troubling me,"Why'd the armor suddenly shut off?"
"Master Jim, you are the first human to possess the amulet, which was crafted
for trolls might I remind you. It's to be expected its behavior will be... er
un-expected."
"No, that's anything but the right word to describe this mess Blinkous." A
feral growl reaches my ears, I readjust my back and I resolutely look at the
owner of the hands supporting me. Angry, disgusted red tinged orange Alpha eyes
sneer at me, no bloodlust there but there's some definite dislike. They belong
to the newest addition to the ever increasing number of looming Trolls,
directly behind me.
Large spiraling horns, like those on the decorative lion-dogs at the Chinese
buffet, jut out of his head. His skin is blue but holds a sheen of green, with
a plethora of giant, clustered crystals blossoming on his back like a reverse
geode, they appear clear but there's so many that there is no possibility of
really looking through them except maybe at their sharp pointed tips. It's
bottom pointed teeth almost peek out from it's lip-less mouth, looking like
juvenile tusks. This one's breath doesn't stink as much as the other trolls
I've come across, but it is still in need of some mouthwash. It's scent is
unusual though, smoky and murky at the same time, like the damp ground in my
backyard on the nights when Mom and I would roast marshmallows and gaze at the
stars. Just that subtle hint of sweetness with the smell of heat and rain.
"Something is wrong with the Amulet and it's probably the result of these
impur-" it sniffs towards Tobes and alters it's statement, "impure and human
tampered with something, holding something only a troll's hand ever should have
touched."
"I'd like to point out that this thing" I shake the damned thing in front of
the alpha troll's face, "called MY NAME from under a pile of rock. I didn't ask
for this, and honestly I didn't want this "sacred obligation" in the first
place. I just got chased around town by a demonic bull-dude that apparently has
some weird beef with troll hunters as a whole. I'm just an average HUMAN
teenager. I'm not equipped to pass my Spanish exam, and you guys want me to
fight WHATEVER THAT WAS BACK THERE?! I'll be honest, the glowing armor, the
floating transformations, and the giant flaming sword are pretty sweet but it
isn't worth my life! So take the stupid thing back and find somebody else to do
it's dirty work!"
My hyperventilating speeds up as I attempt to gulp air, my mind snapping. My
patience and my ability to cope with everything that's gone down in the last 48
hours finally catching up to me as my body goes slack. I'm out like a light in
a matter of seconds.
But before I was dragged into the dark oblivion behind my eyelids I swear I
felt that same warm hand that saved me from certain doom catching me before I
dealt more harm to myself via head cracking on the ground. The searing heat
returned but for a moment before it receded, and I was left in with the
comforting warmth I have come to associate with the power of the Amulet.
*************Draal P.O.V.************
The boy collapses unexpectedly. His scent confuses me as I unintentionally
receive a big whiff, gaping at the boy I've just caught. There's the definite
chemical smell but the age is all wrong and there's no spikes from adrenaline,
nor from the tang of exertion as sweat would usually leave in it's stead. But
there's no underlying scent either, there's nothing. So the meat-bag isn't an
omega, but a changeling would have chosen the correct age of pheromone to fool
a troll's more sensitive nose. This child couldn't be- Don't humans present
early in life? How old is this human? Is it a whelp? Why is this one
unpresented? A defective maybe?... has it no soulmate?"
I glare at Blinkous and Aaarrrgghh, "Why did you not take the whelp to
Trollmarket sooner Blinkous? Aaarrrgghh I can understand not detecting his
status because of his past. You however have no excuse for such a thing!"
Blinkous's eyes squint in confusion, arms thrown up in exasperation, "Draal I
have no idea what you are speaking of. Master Jim's status is an alpha, a
rather strong one... his scent never wavered even while facing Bular not but a
few moments ago."
I gently deposit the boy in Aaarrrgghh's capable hands, turning to Blinky with
a sneer.
"Hey, Jim's been an Alpha since like the beginning of high school. What are you
guys getting so angry about? Shouldn't you- you know, be getting him to a
doctor or something? He's literally just passed out in front of us." The small
human Beta pipes in, hands on his hips and pointedly eyeing the trolls.
Aaarrrgghh silently reassures the small Beta with a soft pat on his head and
reveals the mysterious one's form sleeping softly, quiet little breaths
matching a ticking clock in slumber.
This Beta is a loyal one I'll give him that.
"That boy is just that. A boy, Beta... human boy-"
"It's Toby... you trolls really are terrible at names. His name is Jim by the
way."
I nod at the small pudgy meat-bag and continue with my explanation, "Toby, your
friend, Jim I presume?" The human nods, hands folded in front of him as a
modicum of seriousness, "The alpha scent on him is not his own. It has the
hints of an elderly alpha, too old to be his own and smells of medicine. There
are only two cases of such a pheromone being used. The first is an omega in
hiding."
Toby's eyes widen comically, "I KNEW HE LIKED MOTHERING HIS MOTHER TOO
MUCH!!!!"
I hold up a hand to tone the small excited Beta bouncing ball down, "He however
does not have the scent of an omega under him... he has no scent which leaves
me to believe-"
"Master Jim could not POSSIBLY BE A CHANGELING DRAAL! How DARE YOU ACCUs-
" Blinkous starts but I grab his face in one second and have him pressed
against the wall with his many eyes digging into the granite.
"I was not accusing him of being a Changeling Blinkous. Now cease with your
interruptions and let me explain what I DO know." I let him go and do not look
back as I walk back to the now shaking human hiding behind Aaarrrgghh. I sit
and nod at Aaarrrgghh, Aaarrrgghh in turn scoops up the hiding human and places
him front and center.
"A changeling was once a troll. But they are stolen before they present and are
ghosted away into the Darklands. There, their heartgems are manipulated and
corrupted. Once they have been thoroughly trained and proven themselves to be
loyal to Gunmar. They are switched with a human baby and take on their life,
becoming spies and agents in both human society and troll society. During the
corruption their heartgems are masked and give off no scent, becoming odor-less
Betas. The problem there lies in that untainted troll Betas have scents, as do
human Betas. A trolls nose can sniff out the difference if they get close
enough. But their scents match their age and it's more difficult to detect
otherwise it would be rather suspicious." I assure, pointing at the sleeping
human being cradled in Aaarrrgghh's strong hands, "No changeling would make
such a mistake. Especially in such a situation as this. How old is Jim, Toby?"
The Beta boy shivers, hesitating in divulging in his answer, "Jim's 15... but
hu-humans normally present a little before puberty or a little after... but I'm
TELLING you he's-he's human! I swear he's human. Jim hasn't ever been in a
fight before. He doesn't like violence, and these Changeling dudes sound like
they fisticuffs with you guys a lot."
"Your friend is not a Changeling, of that I assure. But he doesn't have the
scent of a presented human. So, the real question is why has he covered
himself? And why has the Amulet chosen a human whelp, who has not even
presented, to hold my father's mantle?" I rub my temple in thought.
"Wait-You're Jim's replacement's Son? uhm- I mean, sorry for your loss." Toby
tries to sooth. As I thought Humans truly are rude creatures. Then again this
human is still a child in our culture and theirs... he can't be more than a
decade and a half.
"My Father sacrificed himself to keep the Amulet from Bular's grasp. My father
even chose to ignore his heartgem's call to fight for the good of troll kind."
I answer, turning the other cheek at the whelp, "He was one of the best. But
now I am highly doubting the Amulet's ability to choose who wields it. The
mantle should have fallen to me but it has fallen to your extremely under-
qualified friend. However I am afraid there is no way of denying the
responsibility of being a Trollhunter. It is Jim's until he dies, and with him
being but a human whelp... I believe his wish shall be granted fairly soon, he
shall not be the Trollhunter for very long."
"Draal! How dare yo-" I stop him with but a glare.
"I speak the truth Blinkous. I will not cat-fur coat this as you seem to have
done thus far. The boy will most likely die before he presents, the Amulet will
have sacrificed a babe Blinkous. Taking him to TrollMarket will simply extend
his life. Eventually he will leave, and there Bular will be waiting. Bular will
take the Amulet and do Merlin knows what to it. His death is inevitable. He
will end as your last protege ended Blinkous."
Blinkous' eyes begin to water, but his fists clench in determination as he
looks into my eyes with fire burning in his own. His scent flaring to extremes
in wrath, "How DARE you."
My instincts rise and I have to restrain myself from the prompting bloodlust
aimed at me, the results of such would not be pleasant.
"Master Jim shall not end as my soulmate did Draal! I will not let it happen. I
don't care if I have to face Daylight itself to keep that boy alive, but Master
Jim shall live. Bringing up the past- Bringing up Him has done nothing to deter
me from training Master Jim. It has opened my eyes to a very real problem in
this world. If anything you've just added fuel to the fire. There has never
been a human Trollhunter, and yet! AND YET! Trollhunters have been pledging
themselves to protect both Trolls from Gummgumms and humans. I believe it has
long been overdue that the humans be involved in the threat against their
survival. And a human Trollhunter is possibly the most brilliant way to breach
the wool we trolls have been pulling over the humans eyes for so long. Their
ignorance may have been bliss but it has also weakened-no, handicapped the side
of good. Who we have blocked off the potential allies we could have sought in
the humans by hiding our very existences. Gunmar and his minions has had how
many centuries to plot an escape Draal? The absence of movement until fairly
recently bodes for a dark future for Trolls and Humans alike. I will not simply
hand Gunmar the future, to GIVE him the Amulet and our only weapon and defense
we have against that monster, I will make Master Jim into the greatest
Trollhunter to have ever lived! By the stone statue of my mate I swear it!"
Seeing the sheer resolution in Blinkous' eyes...
I truly wish I could believe him.
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!