بخش چهاردهم

Holy moly!

What the heck was.

Huh?

Oh, what are you doing, Tobes?

Only an idiot races a creature with four legs.

I can do this!

Whoa!

Hop on!

Go, go, go!

Go, go, go!

Adios, fire cat.

Hey, maybe save the jokes for when we aren’t gonna die.

Come on!

Go, go, go, go, go!

I can’t believe you took that stupid rock to your science class!

First, it’s not a rock.

It’s volcanic slag.

And how was I supposed to know there was a flaming monster hiding in it?

You bought a magic rock off a troll named “Mervin the Monster Dealer.”

What did you think would happen, Tobes?

Blinky, please tell me you got it!

Of course, Master Jim.

You’ve lured the luminaire right into our stratagem.

Stra-ta-gem?

It means “brilliant trap.”

What are you waiting for?

Throw it!

Um, Master Jim, you said this was a luminaire, when that is obviously an infernal hellheeti.

Should I punch it?

Yeah, let him unleash the fury!

Not yet, Aaarrrgghh.

It came from a rock!

How many four-legged flaming creatures come out of rocks?

As a matter of fact, 11.

Thirteen, if you consider.

Can I punch it?

Yes!

No!

I was going to add, “Make sure you do not feed the fire by attacking it!”

Oops.

Oh, my gosh.

Oh, my gosh.

Oh, my gosh.

Oh, my gosh.

Oh, my gosh.

If we don’t want to feed the fire, how do we put it out?

You have sour sap, dew dredge, lumpkin oil.

What about water?

That’s the obvious one.

Where would we get enough of that?

A hellheeti hydrant!

Aaarrrgghh?

On it.

Boom, boom.

Adios, fire cats.

Well done, Master Jim.

Another victory for our Trollhunter.

“Trollhunters.”

Come on, guys, it’s a team effort.

Uh, guys, the fire hydrant.

Close enough.

It’s getting close to dawn.

You guys better get back to Trollmarket.

Morning, Mom.

Hi.

Made your favorite breakfast.

Sorry, kiddo.

In a rush.

She passed up your famous egg white manchego omelet?

Yep.

I mean, it’s been like a month, and she’s still not talking to you about the whole hospital thing?

Not a word.

Brutal.

You know a woman is beyond angry when she starts dishing out the silent treatment.

I don’t know how to fix this unless I tell her the truth.

But if I do, they’ll send me to the crazy house.

Then you had to go and make things worse by promising Claire you were gonna save her brother.

He’s trapped in the Darklands.

I can’t just leave him there, Tobes.

You know who else is in the Darklands?

Gunmar.

Don’t remind me.

Oh, no.

Dillweed, five o’clock.

Lake, Jumbo.

They fixed your tooth.

Now, all they gotta do is fix your face.

What did you just say?

When I get you alone, payback’s coming.

Pooh!

Ugh.

I heard he was run out of town by the mob.

I heard he got a mail-order bride and moved to North Korea.

As if.

Where do you think Mr. Strickler went, Jimmy-Jam?

You should know.

You were his fave.

Who, me?

Oh, uh.

I don’t know.

He probably just needed a vacation.

You really think Strickler might come back?

After what went down, he’d be a fool to ever show his face again.

So when are we saving my brother?

Claire, we can’t just waltz into the Darklands.

We just saved the trolls by keeping Killahead Bridge closed.

Imagine what they’ll do to us if they find out we want to open it.

Guys, this is my brother and Notenrique’s driving me nuts.

You know how many times I have to change him?

He knows how to use the toilet.

He chooses the diaper.

I get it.

We’ll get him back.

We just can’t risk releasing Gunmar.

Admit it, you’re going back on your word.

I’m not.

You are.

I am not.

Are.

Okay, if it makes you feel any better, Blinky said we can bring you.

To Trollmarket?

Seriously?

When?

Are we going now?

After school.

But try not to let the whole world know.

All right, butts in seats.

You too, Nunez.

Since Strickler’s a no-show,

I’m subbin’ in.

We got some book-learnin’ to do.

You spend so much time with Lake, you’re practically swimming in him.

We’re just friends.

End of story.

Okay, people, who can tell me what happened in the year 1989?

No, seriously, I don’t remember.

It was a crazy year.

Really, Palchuk?

You ready?

If this helps me get my brother back, yeah, I’m ready.

Just remember, saving Enrique is our little secret.

If any of them were to find out.

Don’t worry, lips are sealed.

Now, you’re gonna want to start drawing a semi-circle.

Oh!

You have it.

Okay, never mind.

Wow!

The crystal staircase.

This is more than I.

I-I never would have.

Oh.

Hold up a sec!

We need a few ground rules here, okay?

The locals are not friendly to outsiders.

The first time we came here, Jim almost got killed.

You think she heard any of that?

Not a word.

It’s.

It’s beautiful.

Welcome to Heartstone Trollmarket.

This place is beyond.

It’s beyond beyond!

I want to live down here.

Can I live down here?

Mm, yeah, no, I don’t think so.

I don’t think that’s a good id.

Is that a fleshbag?

You’re.

You’re.

Aaarrrgghh.

Well, if it isn’t the fair Claire.

We’ve been expecting you.

Blinkous Galadrigal.

Jim told me you helped him face Draal and slay Bular.

And that Vespa!

Best birthday ever.

Your wisdom must rival that of the Venerable Bedehilde.

You’ve read A Brief Recapitulation of Troll Lore?

Volumes 1 through 47.

It took me a while to decipher the symbols.

But once I got past the Fifth Declension, I started to get the hang of it.

She read the book.

She read the book!

She’s a flower.

Bagdwella’s Fine Gifts!

Is that where Toby adopted the gnome?

What’s a Rotgut’s?

Is it food?

Oh, is that the Troll Pub?

There goes the market.

You’re Vendel, aren’t you?

Claire Nunez.

I am so humbled you’ve accepted me, the first human female in Trollmarket?

No!

I accepted a human Trollhunter and allowed the pudgy one to stay for moral support.

But this?

A third?

It’s an infestation!

Vendel, I, um.

I can ex.

She speaks Troll.

And Trollmarket is honored to have you as well.

Oh, Blinkous!

If only the amulet had chosen such a learned and delightful fleshbag.

Hey!

You speak Troll?

Yes.

Notenrique’s been tutoring me.

That was awesome, Claire.

Vendel loves you and he hates everyone!

Mr. Blinky, Trollmarket is amazing and there’s so many cool things.

But if it’s okay, there’s one thing I have to see.

The bridge.

More specific what used to be Killahead Bridge.

Every piece accounted for, even the Eye Stone.

Hopefully, this will give the girl some closure.

She does understand why we cannot allow the bridge to open?

Well, you said it yourself, we’d be fools to open the bridge and risk letting Gunmar out.

Right, Jim?

Oh, of course.

We’d be crazy to do that.

Hey, buddy, it’s your sis.

Don’t you start thinking I’ve forgotten about you.

We’re gonna get you back.

I promise.

See you soon, little chicharron.

Thank you for giving me that.

Young Tobias, would you be so kind as to give Miss Claire the rest of the tour?

I need to share a word with our Trollhunter.

Prepare yourself for the Sacred Grounds, where Trollhunters are broken and remade into warriors.

The Hero’s Forge!

All this for one Trollhunter?

I mean, I train here, too, when we need to up our game, get ripped, maximize our squat cores.

You know, hero stuff.

Whoa!

Is that Draal?

Kanjigar’s son?

In the flesh stone.

Stone flesh.

What’s that statue he’s making?

I do not make statues.

This is my father.

Took a while to track down all his remains.

Hate to be there when we have to rebuild Jim, right?

What a mess.

Well, I just grossed myself out.

You fight in an arena surrounded by the remains of dead Trollhunters?

That is the most heroic thing I’ve ever seen.

Can we turn it on?

Maybe now’s not the best time.

The drive belt’s slipping.

Pass me the wrench.

Hey, you’re right.

So, you brought Claire to Trollmarket.

You really like this girl.

No secrets between you two.

Screwdriver?

I thought you liked her too, Blink.

Everyone else did.

Ah!

She’s lovely.

I can see why you’d go to the ends of the Earth for her.

Or say, the Darklands?

Sometimes, the heart leads you down paths you should not cross.

How did you.

Figure it out?

Your devotion to this girl is as obvious as a glow worm to a huldre fish.

Blinky, it’s her brother.

I made her a promise.

I.

But you know the danger.

If you went in alone, you’d be killed.

Which is why we will answer every call.

You said I have to answer every call.

Now.

Wait, did you just say “we”?

Aaarrrgghh and I discussed it.

We knew you were going in, with or without our approval.

But if Claire’s brother is important to you, then he’s important to us.

For folly or for fraught, we are a team.

Spit it out, Bagdwella.

Your friends are about to be turned into pate!

Claire!

I’m fine for now.

Help him!

I swear, I didn’t touch anything!

The controls!

This blasted arm!

There’s a manual kill switch inside the Soothscryer!

Go, Master Jim!

Oh, my gosh!

Oh, my gosh!

Oh.

Oh, my gosh!

Oh, my gosh!

Oh, my gosh!

Thanks, Jimbo.

You make it look so easy.

Okay, I can use your help now.

Aaarrrgghh!

Hey!

Gotcha.

I’m coming!

Just hold on!

Turn it off!

Is this normal?

Nothing’s normal around here.

Get used to it, sister.

Uh.

It’s calling to him, at last.

Jim?

Jim?

Jim?

No Jim.

What do you mean, “No Jim”?

There was definitely a Jim.

He has been summoned.

Hello?

Toby?

Blinky?

He’s useless.

Unwelcome.

A mistake has been made.

Leave this place.

Who are you?

Where am I?

He is but a child.

A human, no less!

Are you worthy?

But only a Trollhunter can wield Daylight.

We are Trollhunters!

You’re Kanjigar.

The voice from my amulet, that was you!

Your amulet?

Our amulet.

We are the Council of Elder

Trollhunters>

Oh, man!

Now, I’m dead!

That stupid Soothscryer killed me in the Forge.

You are not dead.

You are still in the Forge, in a way.

This is the Void.

A place between worlds for the Trollhunter to receive counsel from those who came before.

We’ve been waiting and watching.

Growing restless until you’ve proven yourself.

The arena going haywire, that was you?

Wait, you’ve been watching me?

There are no secrets here.

We’ve seen all.

Your triumphs and your deceptions I get it.

We’ll get him back.

We just can’t risk releasing Gunmar.

We know what you plan to do, young Trollhunter.

You court danger and death.

We have to go.

“We”?

A Trollhunter works alone.

If you bring those you care for into the Darklands, you all will be swallowed by it.

To be a Trollhunter is to make sacrifices.

I had to distance myself from my son to keep him safe.

Something you have failed to do!

Look, I’m not perfect.

I know.

But maybe my friends are the reason I’m the only one here still breathing?

Blasphemy!

He mocks us!

Leave this place!

A mistake has been made.

What do you mean, he’s in the Void?

The Void sounds like a very empty word.

A bad word.

Yeah.

And are these happy ghosts we’re talking about here, or soul-sucking poltergeists?

They will not suck his soul.

They will merely peer into it.

He is now under the spiritual guidance of Master Trollhunters.

Ghost guidance counselors?

Jim gets all the cool stuff.

Hey!

You’re back from the other side, dude!

Wow!

So trolls and ghosts exist.

What’s next?

A Midsummer Night’s Dream?

Fairies?

Fairies?

Preposterous!

Fairies lost the war to the pixies centuries ago.

What did they say?

They said they won’t stop us.

What would my father stop you from?

From going into the Darklands.

But if we’re going in, they said the only way we’re getting out alive is if we kill Gunmar.

And with Strickler gone, maybe we have a chance.

How much further, Otto?

Should be just up ahead, mein Freund.

The old tomes were cryptic on his whereabouts.

Here.

The Inferna Copula.

Is, uh.

Is he alive?

Don’t look at me.

Huh?

Who has awakened me?

I have, Angor Rot.

You know my name.

A shame I will never know yours.

Oh.

My ring.

My flesh.

Yield to me!

For I wear the Inferna Copula.

You have killed thousands.

You are chaos incarnate.

And you are mine.