Chapter Text
You hear a drop of water...
The ticking of a clock that's counting down...
The clashing of metal....
You're fighting...
Tick Tick Tick
Flashes of blue....
Anger...
Warmth...
Love?
Tick Tick Tick
You failed.
They're gone.
It hurts, it hurts!
Make it stop!
Tick Tick Tick
It's cold...
It's dark...
You don't want to say goodbye...
You want to go back...
You want another chance...
Tick Tick Tick
"Be calm, my warrior...You have another chance..."
This voice...
You don't recognize it, but it sounds familiar...
Who is she...?
Tick Tick Tick
"We haven't met, but yet we also have... Time is a funny thing, my champion..."
You floating...?
You feel like you're drowning in a lake, but you're okay...
You're calm...
"Stay true to yourself, and things will be better. Until we meet again, my warrior..."
Tick Tick Tick
You woke up with a gasp. You took a few deep breaths, to calm yourself. Were you having a nightmare? A weird dream...? You don't remember much from whatever happened in the dream, except... You remember floating in a lake? A strange voice, a woman, that somehow seemed familiar? And the Tick Tick Tick of a clock that was counting down, like you were running out of time...
You shook your head to rid yourself of these thoughts. If didn't matter, it was just a dumb dream... You got up, and left the comfort of your bed. Your blurry vision struggled to see the time on the clock.
3:30 A.M.
Well it was a good call to go to bed early last night, cause you're definitely not gonna be able to fall back asleep. You walked across the hard cold wooden floor to your dresser, and opened it to pull out some sweats. You quickly changed into your jogging outfit, and out your hair into a ponytail.
You looked at yourself in your mirror. You took after your mother's blue eyes, and your father's dark hair. So did your little brother Jim. The two of you actually looked so similar, that you were both often confused as twins. But you weren't. He was 15 and you were 17. Only for the next few months as both your birthday's were coming up. He had his in the fall that was coming up shortly, and you had yours in the winter.
Normally you would head down to the basement to take out your frustrations on your punching bag, but you really needed some fresh air to clear your head. You quietly left your room, cringing a bit at how the floor in the hallway creaked beneath your feet.
You checked on Jim, by opening his door a crack. He was fast asleep. You closed the door and went over to your mother's. Her door was wide open, she wasn't home yet. Right, she was working another double shift tonight. You sighed. You really hated the lengths she had to provide for you and Jim. Both of you did your best to help her out.
Jim took over cooking all the meals. You weren't allowed to cook anymore, since every time you even touched the stove it somehow got set on fire. You definitely got your bad cooking skills from your mother, though you'd never tell her that to her face.
The both of you took turns doing chores, and you both did the best you could in school so she wouldn't worry. The role you took upon yourself was as the protector of your little family. Jim was definitely not a fighter, had never even been in a fight. And your mom had enough on her shoulders. This role could really only be filled by you.
To be the best protector you could, you trained your body every day. You Hardened your heart.
You made your way down the stairs, which thankfully didn't creak as much as the hall did. You made your way to the front door, and put in your sneakers. You left the house, making sure to shut the door properly behind you.
You made your way into the dark of the night, only the street lights and the moon to light your way. The cool wind gently blew against you. You didn't really have a preference for night or day, but you did enjoy the peace that night brought.
You walked through your neighborhood for a while, eventually picking up the pace into a jog. You decided to go further than your neighborhood today. You eventually came across an abandoned factory. You felt a disturbing presence in the air, and decided to investigate.
Tick Tick Tick
You carefully walked over the broken Glass and wads of trash that were spread across the ground. Your foot hit a fallen sigh, and you looked down to read it.
VESPA MOTORS ASSEMBLY PLANT
Jim would be saddened to see this sight.
When you entered the factory, you suddenly got the feeling of being watched. You stop in your tracks, and peered into the darkness around you. The only light came from scattered moon beams through broken windows.
You heard a low growl that sent chills down your spine. A large showdown appeared in a corner of the factory. It moved with slowly Heavy footsteps that sounded like stone scraping against stone.
Tick Tick Tick
"Who's there?" You called out confidentiality.
Even if you were a bit nervous, you wouldn't let whoever this was see that. You steeled yourself for a fight. A deep chuckle emitted from the shadow.
"How funny... The little flesh bag thinks it's so brave. I wonder how long that will last?"
The owner of the gravelly voice stepped into the moonlight. Your eyes widened in shock, and you had to Carine your head back to fully see this creature. It was a large brutish creature, with black stone for skin. It had two large horns adorning it's head, and two red eyes that flowed in the dark. He wore a sinister smile as he looked down at you, like a hungry lion looking at its prey.
Tick Tick Tick
You gulped, and took a step back. You got into a fighting stance, ready to defend yourself against whatever this thing was. He chuckled again.
"You think a worm like you can defeat me in battle? You make me laugh!" He growled.
"Oh yeah, Devil Eyes? Bring it!"
"With pleasure..."
He growled, hitting his Fist on the ground. He tried to swipe at you with his claws, but you fucked under them. You took your chance, and delivered a hard punch to his face. The creature was stunned momentarily, and you held your hand to your chest. Man that hurt! This guy really was made out of stone!
You took advantage of the creature being stunned to run further into the factory. You hit behind some crates, as you heard the creature roar in frustration. You heard it start smashing crates around the factory as it tries to find you. You covered your mouth as to not tell, when a crate was sent flying across the room and smashed at the wall next to you.
"You can't hide for long, puny fleshbag! I can smell your fear!"
The fuck?
You hear the creature making its way toward you on the left side of the room. You moved from crate to crate quietly along the right side of the room, in order to reach the door you came in from and escape. You had just made it to the door, when you heard a roar behind you. You turned around to see the creature burst through a wall of crates, and come charging straight at you.
Looking around for a weapon, you noticed a long broken metal pole on the ground. You picked it up, and held it in front of you. When the creature was just within reach, you deliver a hard wack with the pole to the side of its face. It stopped it's charge, and groaned as it was dazed by the hit. You tried to hit it again while it was dazed, but it quickly recovered and stopped your attack by grabbing the pole.
The creature quickly disarms you, and flug the pole actions of the factory. The creature then used it's other hand to quickly grab you by the throat, and smash the front of your skull into the wall.
Pain erupted from your head, and you felt the warmth of blood leaking from your forehead and dripping onto the floor. Your vision was blurred, and your hearing muffled as the damage to your head left you completely disoriented. The creature let your incapacitated body fall to the floor.
You numbly felt your limp body being dragged against the floor, leaving a trail of blood behind you from your open wound. The creature dragged you somewhere further into the factory.
Tick Tick Tick
The creature took a seat upon a throne made of bent metal and discarded engine blocks. He raised you up to the air, and licked his maw.
"It's been a while since I've had to work for my snack."
He opened his maw wide, just about to devour you.
Tick Tick Tick
The sound of footsteps approaching, made the Beast pause his actions. His red eyed glare turned to three figures that were now kneeling before him. He growled.
"How many times do I have to tell you impures not to interrupt me during a meal?" He roared in anger.
"We have news from your father, my lord." Said a gruff female voice.
You couldn't make out the voices or the conversation happening before you. You struggled to fight the daze that had claimed your mind, and tried to focus on the new figures. One was tall and Ganguly, one was short and chubby, and one was small and feminine like. Unknown to you, the gangly one carried a look of worry when he noticed you, but quickly buried that feeling.rge blade
What must have been a while later, the daze was finally starting to lift from your mind. You began to tune in to the conversation.
"You have heard my father's orders, Impures... Hasten your search. The time of Gumar's return draws near." Snarled the beast.
"As you wish, O Great Bular..." Said the gangly one in a rough voice sarcastically.
"But may I point out that we're not alone?" Finished the gangly one.
Even though your hearing was clearing up, your vision was still a cluster of blurry figures.
"Merlin's Creation." Sneered the Beast.
Tick Tick Tick
a large blue beastly figure stepped out from behind a pile of crates. It was strange, but the moonlight seemed to reflect off him, making a sort of Silver halo around the new creature.
"You've grown sloppy in your arrogance, Bular. Even a blind Nyarlagroth could have followed that blood trail."
A metal on metal screech assaulted your ears as the beast stood up. The other 3 figures disappeared into the shadows, fleeing into the night. The beast raised you up so that the new creature could see you.
"A troll has to eat, and there are so many delicious flesh bags to choose from on the surface."
The beast gave a sinister smile, as the blue beast looked at your weak form dangling in the air with worry.
"Let the youngling human go, Gum-Gum Prince!"
"If you insist." Said the beast with a smirk.
The black Beast threw you to the side like a rag doll, and you crashed Into a pile of Vespa parts. You groaned in pain, and being thrown into a pile of metal left your whole body aching. You are positive that you were gonna have bruises from this.
The black Beast unsheathed two large blades from his back, and made a powerful leap from his room across the factory. The blue beast held out his hand, and summoned a broadsword in a flash of blue light. The blue beast used the flat of the blade to knock the black Beast out of the air, and sent him flying through the crumbling walls of the factory.
The blue beast resisted the urge to pursue the black beat, and instead rushed to your side. He quickly scooped you up in one of his large arms, and made a hasty escape.
He ran along alleyways, and leapt from roof to roof, making sure to cover his tracks so the black Beast wouldn't pursue. He finally found a safe place to lay low in an empty garage several blocks from your neighborhood. He placed you down gently into a sitting position.
Tick Tick Tick
You were finally fully coming out of your daze, and your eyes laid upon a large blue beast made of stone like the black Beast. You did the responsible reaction someone would make in this situation, and kicked the thing as hard you could. Your kick landed in the groin area, and the blue beast bent over as it groaned in pain. You took the opportunity to scoot over to the far end of the shed.
"Ugh...Not the gronk nuts..."
"Stay away from me, freak! I'm not gonna be anyone's meal tonight!" You yelled defensively.
You held your arms up, hand balled into fists. The beast took a few moments to recover from his pain, before turning to look at you.
"Fear not, young human. I am of no harm to you."
"And why the hell on earth should I believe you?"
He stood up fully, easily towering over you.
"I am Kanjigar The Courageous, Troll Hunter of troll kind. And it is this earth that I am duty sworn to protect."
"Wait, Troll Hunter? So you hunt your own kind?"
You were starting to calm down a bit. He seemed friendly enough so far, but you still kept your guard up.
"I hunt bad trolls, Gum-Gums, and other evil creatures. Like the Gum-Gum Prince, Bular, who tried to make you his meal."
"Wait, you mean Devil Eyes? He's the prince of these evil Trolls?"
"Indeed. And that's quite the fitting moniker for the brute."
"Okay, so shouldn't you go fight him? You know, before he finds us?"
"We are safe here for the moment. Fear not, young human, it is my duty to protect the worlds of humans and magic alike."
Tick Tick Tick
You sighed, and lowered your hands, adjusting yourself into a more comfortable sitting position. You looked up at the troll, and studied him. Aside from the blue stone skin, he had two horns on his head, a bull's ring nose piercing, and was adorning full body silver armour that reflected any light that touched it.
"Fine, I'll trust you, for now."
"Good then. Now that's settled, we should tend to your injuries."
He approached you, but you scooted back more.
"Woah dude, back off! I'm fine." You said defensively.
He huffed at your resistance.
"I don't know many humans, but I know that bleeding isn't fine. This will be easier if you just relax."
You stubbornly stared him down.
Tick Tick Tick
A pang of pain pulsed in your head, and you groaned. Rolling your eyes in annoyance, you stopped your glaring.
"Fine. Whatever. Just make it quick."
Kanjigar nodded and looked around the shed for something he could use. He found a washcloth laying Ina bucket of water, and some cloth wrappings on one of the shelves. You made his way to you, and knelt down next to you
He grabbed the wash cloth and used it to clean the blood from your head, and where it had dripped down your face. Once the wound was cleaned, he used the wrappings to bandage up your head. As he did this, he spoke.
"I noticed signs of a fight when I entered the factory. Did you try to fight Bular off?"
"Key word, tried. I lasted a few minutes, but as you could tell, I failed miserably."
"Then you are a fellow warrior then? It's an honor to meet you. You may have lost the fight, but it is an impressive feat for a human to even last that long against him. You should be proud."
He finished treating you and went to place the cloth aside. You just blinked in surprise. You didn't expect praise from a troll warrior. When was the last time someone told you they were proud of you? It filled you with a warm feeling, and any hostility you had for the troll melted away.
Tick Tick Tick
"You know what? You're alright Captain Courageous. for a troll anyway."
He chuckled.
"What high praise. You're alright as well, for a human."
You chuckled as well. He came to sit down next to you, and landed on the ground with a heavy thump.
"So should I just keep calling you human, or would you do the honor of giving me your name?"
"It's (y/n). Nothing compared to Kanjigar. Just don't go asking for my life story."
"Actually I would like to ask that. It's been hundreds of years since I last spoke to a human on friendly terms. I would like to get to know you, if you are willing."
"Wait, hundred of years?!"
Your eyes were wide in shock. He chuckled at your reaction.
"Indeed. We trolls, and other magical creatures have much longer life spans compared to you humans."
"You know what? I'm just gonna roll with it. Just add it to the pile of weird things tonight. Okay so life story? I have a younger brother Jim. He's not really a fighter, too nice for that stuff, so I do my best to look out for him. My mom's a doctor, and she works a lot to provide for us. I'm the protector of the family, and train everyday to keep my body in shape. As for friends, the only one would be Toby, but he's more like a little brother. Okay your turn, Captain Courageous. I'm sure a troll hundreds of years old has a few stories."
"Well let's see. My work as Trollhunter keeps me busy, especially as of late, so I've become distant from my Loved ones. I have a son, Draal. I'm proud of him. We're not as close as we used to be, and that saddens me greatly."
"We'll what's stopping you from fixing that? You live a long life, so why waste it being distant from him?"
"As a Trollhunter, one fights alone. You must distance yourselves from those you love to keep them safe. It's a sacrifice every Trollhunter must make."
"We'll that sounds like a crappy job."
He laughed at this.
Tick Tick Tick
"It can be at times, yes. But it is an honor to have this duty."
"Okay enough with the morbid stuff. So being a lone wolf must not leave you with many friends."
"On the contrary, I have two best friends. Blinky is a studious fellow, always in his library. I often visit him to borrow books, like one of my favorites, Gringold's Grimoire. We didn't always get along, but he eventually became my mentor as Trollhunter. The other is Aaarrrgghh!!!, A foe turned friend. He's a gentle giant now, always Caring. He used to be a Gum-Gum, but has taken a vow of pacifism since he reformed. There's also Vendel, leader of our community, and a good friend."
"Sounds like an interesting bunch. I bet you guys used to get up to trouble in your younger years."
He smiled warmly.
"That we did. There was on time, I believe the year was 1942. Blinky, Aaarrrgghh, and I tracked some Goblins to a human air field on the surface. They tore those 'Air-o-planes', I believe you call it, to shreds. And the poor pilots! When they saw the goblins, they were screaming and calling them something you humans calm Gremlins! And when Blinky tried to help, they took off into the air taking him with them! He's hated the thought of your Human air travel ever since!"
Kanjigar was laughing hard and at this point you had joined in, laughing just as hard at the ridiculous story.
"Omg, poor Blinky! He must have been terrified! And did they really think they were Gremlins? That must have been a total horror show for those pilots!"
You both continued to laugh for a while until you were out of breath.
Tick Tick Tick
The two of you finally calmed down, and the both of you must have been in this shed for well over half an hour now, and the sky was starting to lighten with the rising sun.
"How are you feeling now?"
"Better. My head still hurts, but not as much. I probably have a concussion, and a few bruised ribs. And there's this annoying ticking that I've been hearing all night."
Kanjigar froze, looking at you shocked with a surprised look. Okay you know you didn't say something that absurd. You raised an eyebrow at him, confused.
"What's wrong? What, do you think I'm the crazy one after all, Captain Courageous? You know what, this might actually just be a weird dream."
He shook his head.
"No, no. It's not that. It's just... Does it sound like a clock that's ticking down? Like your running out of time...?"
He looked genuinely worried, which made a worried look cross your face as he was dead on.
"Uh, yeah... Exactly that... Is that something bad?"
A haunted look crossed his face.
"Does it sound like this?"
He tapped a part of his armour, what looked like an amulet just above where the heart would be. It was glowing dimly, like a dying battery. Curious and worried by his reaction, you leaned in closer to put your ear next to it.
Tick Tick Tick
Your head shot up in surprise.
"Yeah! That's it! What does it mean...?"
He avoided eye contact.
"It could be just a coincidence..."
"Or...?"
"I don't know what it would mean for you, but for me... It means that tonight's hunt shall be my last..."
"Wait, you're going to die? How can you even be sure?"
He looked back up at you to meet your concerned gaze.
"I just do. The amulet is magic, and has many abilities that are both known and unknown."
"But you're just gonna accept that? You're not gonna try and change it?"
"I have accepted my fate, and for whatever reason, it was also our fate to meet tonight. Can you promise me something, my friend?"
He looked and you hopefully.
Friend...You felt warm inside...
"Yeah...of course. I'm not that cold-hearted that I'd deny a friend His dying wish..."
He smiled warmly at you.
"If I shall indeed fall tonight, would you protect the amulet for me? Protect it until it chooses another to take my place?"
You nodded.
"Yeah, I can do that. No problem at all, Captain Courageous."
"Thank you, my friend."
Tick Tick Tick
A loud roar rang out nearby, putting the both of you on alert. Both of You stood up, ready for action.
"Hey, let me help you. You don't have to fight alone."
"Why not? If tonight shall be my last, I would be honored to spend it fighting by your side."
You smirked, and held out your fist.
"Okay let's do this!"
He looked at your fist awkwardly, before giving you an unsure fist bump.
"Hey there you go. You got it. Now let's go kick some ass!"
"Yes, let us show him the strength of our warrior spirits!"
You both let out battle cries of your own, and beaded off to face Devil Eyes. You both were making your way through the Streets, suddenly a clawed hand launched from the shows and grabbed Kanjigar by his helmet. Bular then tossed Kanjigar far into the air, sending him crashing in the next neighbourhood a block away.
He turned his sights on to you, and you made a run for it. He chased after you, and you turned a corner and quickly ducked under a metal parking meter. Bular didn't see it in time with his quick oases run on all fours, and his head crashed right into it.
He shook his head in frustration and roared. You went back to running, heading towards where Kanjigar was. You found him, and noticed he now has a bruised eye. It was becoming brighter now that morning was on its way.
Tick Tick Tick
"Ok, so I tricked him into smashing into something, but that won't distract him for long!"
"Understood."
Holding out his hand, in a flash of blue light, his broad sword was summoned.
"Cool trick."
"Yes, but it will take more than our tricks to beat Bular."
Bular came charging around the corner, and Kanjigar went to slice him with his blade. Bular ducked and the blade cut through a tree instead. The tree fell down with a loud crash. Bular kicked Kanjigar a ways away, who was quick to get back into his feet.
The two tussled through the streets setting off car alarms, smashing into mail boxes, and cutting down more trees. You followed the two, doing everything you could to aid in the fight. You threw debris, rocks, trash cans and anything else you could find at Bular to daze him, to give Kanjigar the opportunity to get a hit in. You would also take chances here and there to get a kick or a punch in of your own, you and Kanjigar using your team work to slowly wear Bular down.
The fight eventually made its way into your neighborhood, I'm right in front of your house actually. Bular managed to get a hold of Kanjigar, and sent him flying into the side of your house, knocking down your house's trash cans in the process.
"Really?" You groaned.
Bular was approaching Kanjigar, and it seemed both trolls were being worn out, you included. Kanjigar's sword disappeared when he was thrown, and Bular took advantage of that. He picked Kanjigar up by the throat, and pulled out one of his blades with the intention of finishing off the troll Hunter. You had to do something quick!
Tick Tick Tick
Looking around quickly, your eyes fell upon the manhole cover. You ran to it, and pried it out of the ground. It was quite heavy, but you used that to your advantage. You spun around with it before letting it go. It's weight carried it through that air, and it collided with the back of Bular's head with a heavy smash.
Bular growled out in pain, and he dropped Kanjigar in order to press his free hand to his wounded head. He turned to you with a demonic hatred and let out a furious battle cry.
He furiously charged at you faster than ever, completely forgetting about Kanjigar in his anger. You ran like your life depended on It, which it did. You ran down hill on the dirt road that went through the forest, that you often biked through in order to reach the canal. You reached the edge of the canal, and turned around just in time to see Bular swipe at you with one of his blades. You sidestepped his attack enough that his blade only managed to leave a gash on your cheek.
Bular's momentum carried him over the ledge, tumbling into the dry canal below. Unfortunately when you had sidestepped the attack, your foot had slipped off the edges and you too were sent tumbling into the canal.
It was hard to see, as a bank of fog covered the canal. You got up, looking around for Bular. You took a step and ended up tripping on a coffee cup, and fell on your back. You heard a car driving over the bridge above you, and it had it's radio playing loudly.
"Good morning, Arcadia Oaks. It's 4:30 a.m. If you're still in bed, you are missing the most beautiful sunrise, clear skies, and a beautiful morning ahead. Big news..."
Tick Tick Tick
The sound of the radio faded away as the car drove further away. You then heard the cup get smashed from somewhere in the fog, and Bular jumped high Into the air, fists raised intending to smash you. Right before he could, Kanjigar appeared out if the fog and smashed him aside with the flat of his blade. You sighed in relief.
"Thanks for the save."
"Just returning the favor."
Kanjigar's focus then shifted back to the battle at hand. The two battled it out under the bridge, but both were quickly out of breath from all the fighting they'd already done that night.
"Yield, Trollhunter." Said Bular as his huffed and puffed for air.
"A Trollhunter never yields. I'd rather die." Said Kanjigar with heavy breaths, as he leaned in his sword for support.
"Terms accepted."
Bular launched himself into the air and smashed down on Kanjigar. Kanjigar blocked his attack with his blade. The two went back and forth, Kanjigar using his blade to block a series of punches from Bular. Kanjigar eventually managed to send Bular flying through the air a good distance away, the Brute landing on his back with a groan. Kanjigar went over to Bular and pointed his sword down at him.
"You're turn, Bular. Yield."
The sun was rising higher now, and a beam of sunlight struck Kanjigar's shoulder through the fog. To your great surprise and confusion the sunlight started burning his shoulder. He groaned in pain, and Bular took the opportunity to double kick Kanjigar through the air. He ended up crashing into the ground next to you, his sword sliding actions the ground I to the sunlight.
You quickly retrieved his sword, as you didn't want him to burn in an attempt to get it himself. As he stood up, you gave him back his sword which he took thankfully.
"Why didn't you tell me you burn in the sun?!" You scolded.
"It didn't come up. And I think we have more pressing concerns to deal with at the moment."
You both looked back at Bularz who had risen to his feet, and was approaching you both at a casual pace.
"There is nowhere left for you to run, Trollhunter. And your fleshbag pet won't be able to save you this time."
"We'll see about that. And I'm nobody's pet!" You growled, Ready to fight.
Tick Tick Tick
Amulet' light flickered and dimmed.
"Give me the amulet!" He roared.
Suddenly Kanjigar grabbed your hand with his free one, and ran with you up the side of the canal in a full on Sprint. He jumped at the beams under the bridge and through you up at them in mid air. The both of you grabbed onto the beams, and used your arm strength to pull yourselves up. You landed on a beam in front of Kanjigar. He held his sword at the ready, looking for Bular who had disappeared among the fog.
"He's behind you!"
You called out, a spot second before Bular kicked him in the back, sending him crashing into the middle beam. Kanjigar got up, and quickly dodge Bular's next attack, by swinging under the beam. He moved further down the bridge, swinging from beam to beam below it. Bular was quick to follow him under the bridge, but flipped back to the top of the beam while Kanjigar still moved beneath them. You charged at him from behind, and jumped, grabbing onto his horns. You need to distract him to buy time for Kanjigar.
He growled in frustration, and ripped you off his head, which was difficult due to your strong grip. He threw you into the middle beam with a loud thud, as pain shot through your body. Your vision became hazy, as you tried to recover from another bout of disorientation.
Bular jumped to a higher beam, just before Kanjigar flipped himself back onto the beam. He was quickly ambushed from above by Bular, who managed to pin him down right at the edge of the outer beam. Kanjigar's blade fell and hit the ground below, beige disappearing.
Tick Tick Tick
"This is the end." Growled Bular.
You struggled to get up onto your feet, and managed to with a heavy breath. You had to help.
Bular shoved Kanjigar's face into the sun, causing half of it to burn and turn to stone. Through your haze, you managed to charge towards them. You grabbed Bular's hand right when he tried to Rip the amulet from out if Kanjigar's armour, and held it up into the sunlight. Bular screamed in pain, as his hand and forearm burned in the sunlight and turned to stone. He quickly ripped his hand from your grasp, and backhanded you hard , sending you flying off the beams, and crashing hard into the canal below. You cried out in pain, as the wound on your head reopened. A small pool of blood formed around your head, causing your hair to become warm, wet, and matty.
Tick Tick Tick
You couldn't see the two from your position, but you could hear them clearly.
"It's me, or the sun. Either way, you're doomed."
"No. The amulet will find a champion. We will stop you and your master. I may end, but the fight will not."
You then saw Kanjigar stepping back over the ledge.
"Kanjigar, no!" You cried out.
Your pleas did nothing, as Kanjigar fell from the beams. The sunlight burned him and turned him to stone. You heard him breath his last words, before he hit the ground and smashed into a thousand pieces. Bular roared in frustration, and punched the beam making it crack.
You later there frozen, unable to look away from the remains of your friend. You flinched back into a sitting position, when Bular came out of nowhere and tried to reach for the amulet. He tried several times to reach for it, but eventually gave up. He retreated into the shadows of the woods, determined to return for the amulet at nightfall.
You sat there in silence wishing that this was just some weird horrible nightmare. But you knew it wasn't. It was far too real to be. A tear fell down your face as you struggled to push down the sadness. Instead you let it turn to anger like you did with all your negative emotions.
You got up and ran to the bridge. You punched the bottom of it repeatedly, screaming out curses and death threats. Stupid amulet! Stupid trolls! Stupid sacrifice! I'm gonna kill Devil Eyes!
Your hands began to hurt, and you could tell your knuckles were starting to bleed. You were too mad to care.
TICK TICK TICK
The ticking had gotten so loud now it was painful. A voice cuts through the pain into your mind.
"(Y/n)..."
You froze at the familiar voice.
"(Y/n) Lake..."
"Kanjigar...?"
You were so confused. You couldn't be hearing his voice, right?
You moved forward feeling compelled by an unseen force to move towards his remains. The amulet glowed brighter the closer you approached, and the pain from the ticking lessened.
"(Y/N) LAKE!"
The voice was getting louder and it hurt your head.
"This better not be some joke! It's not funny, Captain Courageous!"
Tick Tick Tick
"(Y/N) LAKE!"
Your arms moved on their own accord, and your hands reached out to grab the amulet. Its glow turned blinding.
"(Y/N) LAKE!"
It shouted out loud this time making you drop the amulet in surprise. You took a breath to calm yourself down from the startle.
Tick Tick Tick
You reached out and gently picked up the amulet from the ground. You examined the Strange writing around it's edges and it didn't look like any language you recognized. Must be troll... You thought back to Kanjigar's last words.
"Please, Merlin, let your amulet choose anyone other than my son."
"Hey Kanjigar...? If you're in there somehow, I'll keep my promise. I'll protect the amulet, until it chooses someone. And I hope that, whoever this Merlin is, he answers your prayer..."
The amulet glowed softly, and you held it to your chest for a moment. You were satisfied with a normal, safe life. it was always Jim that wanted something more, some kind of adventure... So what kind of twist of fate is it that leads to you being thrown into that adventure instead?
Tick Tick Tick
___________________________________________________
"Curse this infernal sunlight!" Shouted Blinky as rattled the grate of the sewer in which they hid behind.
Aaarrrgghh flinched and the noise, and looked away tears welling in his eyes.
The two had witnessed the last of the fight between you, Bular, and Kanjigar. Blinky had screamed to try and distract Bular, but the bridge was too far away for anyone to hear. They had to watch as Bular killed their best friend. Had to watch as he turned to stone, and smash into a thousand pieces. Aaarrrgghh couldn't watch anymore, but Blinky got a sense of grim satisfaction watching Bular try and fail to retrieve the amulet.
The two trolls didn't speak for a while, just sitting in that dark, damp, musty tunnel, wordlessly heartbroken.
"Why?" Blinky said in a horse whisper.
"Why Would Kanjigar not accept our assistance when we offered it earlier? Perhaps, if I had been more forceful in my-"
"No." Interrupted Aaarrrgghh with a grumble.
"Kanjigar wanted it this way."
"But...why...?"
The question vexed Blinky. He was totally, and utterly confused.
The two trolls flinched, and left the gate to hide in the shadows, once they heard your loud curses and threats as you beat on the bridge. He could see how your knuckles were starting to bleed from the effort. Did you even notice? The commotion drew Aaarrrgghh's attention from the ground.
"She's angry..."
"Angry Indeed. Quite so."
You were another question that vexed Blinky. The human that fought by their dear Kanjigar's side in his final hours. The human who mourned him when he died. The human who was so filled fury for his murder.
Who were you? How did you know Kanjigar? He certainly would have told us if he had a human friend, wouldn't he? And why had he refused their help, and yet taken this human into his last battle with him?
He just... Didn't understand.
Both of their eyes widened in disbelief as you approached the remains of their friend. The amulet was reacting to your presence.
"Great Gronka Morka." Blinky uttered in a hushed voice.
"You said it..." Aaarrrgghh whispered back.
The amulet called out for you. Blinky was too shocked to pay attention to the name it called you. When you left, the two once again approached the grate opening. His 6 eyes glowed in the dark, wide with disbelief.
"It chose...a human!"