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As exciting as the previous night was, Nomura was hoping for a little bit of normalcy during the day, and aside from the class field trip that had come, and Strickler being ever bored, which considering he taught history in school, it was ironic that a history museum would bore him. Things were uneventful, though one teenager was trying to find nude neanderthals or something for some reason. She never really liked teenagers, they were rather obnoxious.
Later that evening however was when things got interesting.
She sat in the employee lunchroom of the museum, enjoying a nice cup of oolong tea. Though Blinky had given her some tea last night in Trollmarket, she much preferred her own blend. She read over some shopping invoices for incoming packages to the museum. Some were for new exhibits, and some were coded. Those were pieces of the bridge to be added when other fragments arrived.
"So, did you hear about the new trollhunter?" A voice asked, entering the room.
Nomura turned her head to the door to see a tall lanky middle-aged man. Strickler, or Stricklander as his real name was, was another shapeshift. He always wore a hideous olive green jacket over turtleneck sweaters. Even in the summer.
"What about it?" She asked, looking back to her paperwork she was sorting.
"According to Bular, the trollhunter is human. Or appears to be."
Nomura let out a chuckle. "What do you mean 'appears to be'?"
"I'm not sure, but according to Bular, the human seemed to have unusual abilities." He poured himself a cup of tea, then promptly spit it out. She smiled. Her tea was of an unusual blend, and can be rather strong if you weren't used to it like she was.
"How so?" She asked, leaning back in her chair, taking a sip of the tea.
"I'm not too sure." Strickler sat down at the table. "I wasn't there, but according to Bular, she seemed to managed to jump over his head. And as far as I'm aware, no human should be able to jump almost ten feet in the air."
"Really?" She asked, pretending to be impressed. "Where is the brute anyways?"
"Hunting." Strickler answered, rolled his eyes.
"What?"
"Yes, I know." Strickler continued, noting the look of apall on her face. "But he barely listens to reason. I managed to convince him to go elsewhere lest we be found out by authorities."
She nodded, pondering. She looked at the papers in front. Though many were for bridge pieces, one in particular was something she'd been waiting for. She wondered when she would bring it to Bular's attention.
"If I didn't know any better, I would think this human trollhunter was actually a changeling." Strickler's voice brought her from her thoughts.
She gave a rather smug smile. "If the trollhunter were a changeling, you would think they'd value their life enough to come forward immediatly with the amulet, wouldn't they?"
Strickler seemed to be trying to read her reactions. He may be older than she was, but she'd had better practice at subterfuge. He usually allowed his humanity to get the best of him. She hated her humanity.
"You would think that. Regardless, a human or a changeling trollhunter is not the norm. If it is a changeling, they probably wouldn't last as long as most of the previous trollhunters."
Nomura looked over. "Indeed. Bular would certainly make quick work of them, human or changeling."
Nearby a clock started chiming. It was midnight.
"Well, if Bular isn't coming tonight, I need to go and sort the incoming packages. Don't you have a history class to bore tomorrow?"
Strickler scowled at her remark, but left either way. Once she was certain he was gone, she went to the safe in her office to retrieve her purse. Checking to see that the amulet and horngozzle were still there, she headed off to Trollmarket.
....
Over the next few weeks she got into a bit of routine of her trollhunter duties. While she couldn't really "answer the call" while she was running the museum, she managed to slip those between lunch and dinner and dodging Bular. A lot of the things she was asked to do were rather inane, such as clearing out a couple gnome infestations. She knew not to touch their hats, but even so all she wanted to do was punt the whole lot and their constant bickering.
though one request she got was really curious, from a troll named Bagdwella. She asked Nomura if she could deliver an ornate box to her sister who lived in a sewer on the other side of town, and to be very careful that only her sister open it. Nomura looked over the box. She still had difficulty reading trollish. But she could make out some of the characters. She looked at the robust troll.
"This doesn't contain a curse, does it?" She asked wryly.
Bagdwella looked offended at the accusation. She demanded for Nomura to return it. Nomura shook her head. She didn't know the extent of the curse, but judging from the carvings it may have had to do with gravity.
"I'm sorry, but as the trollhunter, I can't on good conscience let you have this back. Whatever issue you have with your sister I'm sure it could be resolved more civil than a silly curse."
Bagdwella huffed and stormed off back to her stall. Nomura looked over the box knowing exactly what to do with it. A sensible trollhunter would lock it away in the vault. She had a better idea. She would send it to a changeling named Gladysgoro. She worked as a dental assistant and loved to torture children for fun behind the orthodontist back. She may not have liked children too much, but some things can go too far.
...
After dealing with the box she went towards the forge where she could train. Though she felt she could hardly call it training. She wondered if Blinky was taking things slow and easy because she was a "human woman." Because lately the only thing that excited her from training was when Blinky taught her the lore. As a historian she loved learning new things.
"Blinky is there anything else that this place has to offer, I feel as if there's more to this trollhunter training." She asked, hooking her sword to her hip.
"Well Master Nomura, I don't want to overtax you."
She rolled her eyes. "Come now, I may be human, but I believe I can take much more than what your having this place dish out."
A voice laughed from the stands. Ever since their little duel, Draal has made it a point to sit in on every one of her training sessions. You'd think he didn't trust her! She got an idea.
"You think you could train me better, tough guy?" She called up to him.
"Master Nomura, perhaps it would be best that you don't antagonize him?" Blinky said, nervousness tinging his voice.
She gave the four armed troll a warm smile. "I'm sure Draal is more bark than bite."
At her remark Draal jumped from the high stand, landing a few feet from them. He walked over to them, leaning on a fist to look over her.
"If I were to train you, I would work you within an inch of your life." He growled.
Nomura smiled at him. "Well, I'm always up for more excitement. I figure you can do my physical training here, and Blinky, I'll still come by your library for the literary learning"
Blinky looked between Draal and Nomira unsure what to say, but smiled at her request he still teach her in ways he knew. He nodded.
"Very well then. As you wish, Master Nomura . I will leave you to Draal." He walked out, ARRRGGGH following.
Once they were out of earshot, Draal stomped close to her.
"What game are you playing now, Trollhunter?" He nearly spat the last word. He put as much contempt in that title than he normally would in using the word 'impure.'
"I'm not playing any games here. I want a more effective training." She smiled at him innocently.
"I don't buy that. I don't know how long you plan on stretching this scheme of yours, whatever it is. But know this: I will not let history repeat itself."
"What do you mean by that?" She asked, genuinely confused.
"Merlin's made mistakes in the past. One mistake nearly led to the destruction of trollmarket. If it came to it, I WILL kill you. Even if it meant forfeiting any chance of obtaining The Amulet. I will NOT let Blinky go through that again."
She shook her head. "Draal your not making any sense."
He sneered at her ignorance.
"Why don't you just look up Tellad-Urr the Terrible." He stormed out After that, leaving her ever clueless.
She looked around the hero's Forge, trying to pick out this terrible troll that Draal was talking about. The name seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't think of why. Until she saw him. she recognized the form of the supposed evil troll, but she didn't know enough of the story. She was going to need to do some research.