Chapter Text
“LEAVE! I never want to see you EVER again! You are the worst type of MONSTER!”
Those was the last words which Barbara told Strickler before he vanished from Arcadia. Though he had fought with Jim in the battle for Killahead bridge, even aided Jim in getting Claire’s little brother back from the Darklands with the help of the changeling which had replaced him.
But…
Jim knew that he could not keep lying to his mother.
She deserved to know the truth, and Jim did not trust Strickler. After all… he had used his mother against him before… who said he wouldn’t again?
So he had told her everything.
He ached for her when she realized that her closest friend and love interest had used her like that… cursing her even.
When he came over that night… she confronted him.
After forcing him to remove the curse… she wanted nothing from him anymore.
Strickler said nothing, simply looking down, before he walked out the door…
Since then no one had seen him, he had not shown up at school, Señor Uhl telling them that he had a family emergency and had to leave Arcadia for a while.
It seemed not even the faculty knew when or if he would return.
“What do you think happened to him?” Claire asked as the three was making their usual night patrol in the forests around Arcadia.
“Who?” Toby absentmindedly asked as he was taking a bite of his burrito.
“Strickler. NotEnrique has told me that the Janus order has a bounty out on Strickler’s head, I mean he was their leader and he did betray them. Trollmarket certainly will not take him in… where do you think he went?” Claire looked over at Jim, walking up a steep hill.
“I don’t know, not our problem,” Jim said dismissively.
“Are you not a little curious, I mean… what if he is…”
“It is none of our business. Where ever he is, dead or alive… it is not our pro…” Jim’s words stilled as they went over the hill.
What they could see were several piles of what looked like stone.
“Is that…? Please tell me that is just rocks…” Toby whimpered. Jim swallowed, but wandered closer, moving some of the rocks out of the way, one in the shape of a hand falling down in the grass before them.
“It is…” he said, his voice low and trembling.
“Who would… Bular is gone… so who…” Claire stuttered. In truth the patrols since the battle for Killahead bridge had been… quiet. The changelings… though still present and thought to be working on a new way to open the portal to the Darklands had not made themselves known. Most of their work was simply making certain trolls did not expose themselves to the humans.
This…
They did not expect this.
Looking across the rock piles Jim saw something, wandering over while clutching his amulet.
“Jim!” Toby insisted. “Jim, what are you doing?!”
Jim took no heed of his friend as he reached out, picking out a blade.
“It is a blade…” Jim showed them.
“Evidence! We should take it to Blinky!” Toby did not want to stay in this place a moment longer.
“I think you are right Tobes…” he then said, moving the blade between his fingers. There was something about this blade… something familiar…
Something within his blood…
Called by it…
Shaking his head he put it aside as they made their way towards Trollmarket.
Holding the blade up towards a light, Blinky studied what they had found.
“It is a changeling blade…” he then said, his voice showing how rattled he was from what the three had told him.
NotEnrique was lounging at the table looking at it before shaking his head.
“Wouldn’t say that,” he then retorted, the blue troll turning towards him with narrowed eyes.
“And what may I ask, do you believe it is?” pointing the tip of the blade directly at him.
“An illegal changeling blade,” NotEnrique grinned towards them.
“I thought you had no notion of legal and illegal, especially if it could serve your cause,” Blinky huffed.
“We do… but Bular was really harsh on banning those blades. Gunmar too. A single cut is enough to turn a troll to stone… I would be really careful waving that thing around if I was you,” the small changeling put his claw in the blade pointed at him.
Blinky was not late to drop it, backing away quickly.
“You know what it is?” Jim asked, picking it up, once again moving it between his fingers. Had he seen this before somewhere?
“Hmm… not by name, never was good with that, but for a sock or two I can tell you what I know,” NotEnrique hinted as he moved closer. Jim groaned mentioning to Toby who tossed him a pair that he carried in his bag… socks was more useful than he ever imagined them to be.
NotEnrique was visibly drooling at the sight, but Jim pointed the blade at him.
“Information first,” he demanded, knowing that the changeling would eat the socks and then demand more if they did not get what they wanted first.
“Well… the rumor goes that a long time ago the agents of Gunmar tried to replicate the Sword of Daylight… as I am sure you have experienced… it is pretty good at killing trolls. Of course… the results were unsatisfactory as trolls wielding them would after a short time turn to stone,” NotEnrique stopped his explanation to look at Blinky who was now silently freaking out, checking if he had started to turn to stone.
“Yes… nasty weapon. Bad idea touching it. They were set to be destroyed… but you know… when you deal with changelings…” NotEnrique shrugged his shoulder.
“Some was stolen,” Jim said.
“Of course,” NotEnrique said. “But still… it is quite impressive that some survived… I have only known one to have such a weapon. I could… take care of it for you…”
Jim smacked the changeling’s paw away.
“Who?” he demanded.
“Well… he always would deny it… but everyone knew that Bossman had one,” NotEnrique grinned up at them.
Jim felt a chill go down his back.
“Strickler…”