بخش چهارم

For centuries, the troll and human worlds stood separate and at peace, divided by bridges that acted as doorways between our two realms.

But the Gumm-Gumms wanted to devour all of mankind.

They were led by Gunmar “the Black.

The rest of trollkind fought against him, culminating in the great Battle of Killahead Bridge, the portal to Gunmar’s Darklands.

After many moons, good triumphed over evil, and our great Trollhunter, Deya “the Deliverer,” locked Gunmar away, exiling him to the Darklands, and sealed the Killahead Bridge with the sacred amulet.

After, we tore it apart, stone by stone.

We left the old world in search for peace.

We stowed away on a ship called the Mayflower, just a handful of us and some gnomes we’d brought along for companionship and nourishment.

Finally, we arrived in a strange and exotic realm.

New Jersey.

We kept walking.

Eventually, we came across a new Heartstone, and we realized we had found a new home.

under Arcadia.

Lo siento, Senor Draal!

No me mates!

The training of troll history might seem like a minor duty, Master Jim, but.

Sorry, I pulled an all-nighter studying for my Spanish Comprehension exam and my brain is muy gooey.

I don’t know.

I guess I thought if I’m facing Draal in a week, my training would be a little more.

active.

Yeah, like, when is he going to learn Troll-kwondo?

Or Rock-itsu?

Before one fights, Toby Done must understand why one fights.

For these precious early steps will decide whether a young Trollhunter will become a Deya “the Deliverer”.

Or Unkar “the Unfortunate.

Well, tomorrow, my Spanish exam is with Senor Uhl “the Unforgiving.

My main concern is for my immediate future.

A-ha!

But, to learn what will happen in the future, one must only look to the past.

I recommend A Brief Recapitulation of Troll Lore by the venerable Bedehilde.

Volume one of 47.

Okay, but if I don’t pass the exam, I’m grounded and I can’t be the Trollhunter.

Sorry, Blinky, but the amulet chose me, and now I have two lives to keep up.

Oh, no.

Is it the Heartstone?

No!

No!

Stalkling?

Is Bular in Trollmarket?

No!

Gnome!

Rogue gnome!

Get your toasters here!

First, I couldn’t find my monocle, then my collection of bed coils.

Now, something disappears every minute!

Ah, yes.

Gnome.

Oh, dirty little pests.

Up to last week, the glue traps were working fine.

Fix it, Trollhunter!

Uh, yeah, I’m really sorry about that.

See, you need a gnome-catcher, and I’m, well, the Trollhunter, so.

Oh, no, Master Jim.

The Trollhunter cannot refuse the call.

And what better a call for you to train with than a pint-sized quarry?

He’s trying to distract us!

Hold tight to your valuables.

Why?

He can’t be that bad.

Oh, no!

My belt!

At least he didn’t take my Nougat Nummy.

We need to catch that gnome.

Over there!

Oh!

Over there!

No!

Over here!

Right here.

Oh, my beautiful saw!

Catch him!

Pacifist.

Oh, no.

Where’s the amulet?

Oh, no!

Hole.

Yes, it appears the plot quite literally deepens.

Come back, come back.

Shouldn’t the amulet be coming back to me right about now?

Dolefully, that rule only applies if you’ve rejected it.

When thieved, it’s another story.

If you had read A Brief Recapitulation, you would have known that.

Some Trollhunter you are.

Jim “the Baby-Handed.

Master Jim, press on.

This is not the moniker you want.

What else can I do?

I can’t fit in that hole.

Hmm, currently.

Bad idea.

No Trollhunter has ever lost his amulet.

We’ll need time to procure the Furgolator.

Uh, the Furgolator?

Uh, don’t you worry about anything, Master Jim.

Tend to your studies.

We’ll watch over the hole.

Tomorrow, you’ll return refreshed to deal with this, uh.

little problem.

“Little did anyone know, Maria was juggling two hombres.

Manolo was muy guapo, but Joaquin had muchos musculos.”

You broke my tooth.

I’m going to break your life.

When I’m through with you, you’re going to wish you were dead.

“And poor Maria had a pedoso heart.

What kind of heart did Maria have, Miss Wang?

Uh, a heavy heart.

“Pe-do-so.

” Or is it.

I would hope Maria wouldn’t have a pedoso heart, because that would mean “gassy.

Did Maria have a gassy heart, Miss Wang?

Of course not, Senor Uhl!

Uh-buh-bum!

You were trying to say “pesado.

A heavy heart.

And it is with a heavy heart, Miss Wang, to tell you you have not shown the slightest comprehension of the basic Spanish.

If you can’t even finish the exam, I have no choice but to fail you.

Mr. Lake, I look forward to your presentation tomorrow.

Yeah.

I’m.

ready.

Hey, Claire!

Hey!

You know, I got this Spanish exam coming up, Muy importante.

And I was.

I was looking for someone to help me out.

And I was looking for my scene partner at last night’s rehearsal.

Oh, man, the play!

I wasn’t.

I don’t know what you’ve got going on, but this play is pretty important to me.

My family’s coming, and if you make me look like an idiot up there.

Claire, I’m sorry.

I promise I won’t.

Just be there tomorrow.

And, by the way, I know Steve is a jerk,but there are better ways to finish a fight than punching someone in the face.

Huh?

We build it here?

Right under their noses?

Are you a fool?

Haven’t you ever heard that the best hiding place is in plain sight.

Don’t patronize me, Impure.

We want the same thing, Bular.

I know you don’t like waiting, but it’s taken time for the changelings to acquire the remaining pieces.

My father has waited centuries.

The Age of Gunmar is at hand.

Remember when I told you all Trollhunters must start small?

Full disclosure, I’m a little worried how I let you talk me into this.

Still bad idea.

Wait a minute.

So, how does me going into this thing help me get a gnome out of a hole?

If a gnome won’t come out, the Trollhunter must go in.

Wait, what?

Don’t worry.

We often use the Furgolator to compress minerals.

And now for the anthracite!

Hey!

But you’ve done this a few times on flesh and bone, right?

Right?

Not exactly.

But I’m not concerned.

Well, that’s because you are not the one trapped in this thing.

Nothing to worry about, Master Jim.

We work best under pressure.

I can’t see anything!

Why is there so much smoke?

Come on, you guys gotta get him out of there!

Don’t just stand there, Aaarrrgghh!

Looks like it didn’t work.

Hope you have a plan B.

On the contrary.

He’s like an action figure.

The Furgolator functioned perfectly!

Real subtle.

“We’ve got to start small.

Deal with the little problem.

This is a huge problem!

I can’t be shrunk!

I have exams to take!

I have sinks to reach!

You have a gnome to catch.

Now, onward, Master Jim, and fetch your destiny!

Mmm.

Your sword, my liege.

Oh, one last thing to know when dealing with a gnome, Master Jim, and this is of dire importance:

Do not touch its hat.

Of course.

It’s right there in A Brief Recapitulation.

You remember!

Of course not!

Nothing in this world makes sense!

Uh, this is one creepy little dude.

Whoa.

Aren’t you a big fellow now?

Hmm.

I’ve got to get that amulet back.

Ya-hoo!

Uh-oh!

It’s okay, it’s okay.

I like Nougat Nummies, too.

That doesn’t sound favorable.

Oh, my God.

I touched his hat.

Oh, I touched his hat.

I touched his hat!

For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!

Why hasn’t he come out?

You summoned the armor and caught the gnome!

Well played, Master Jim!

Thank you, thank you.

I don’t want to forget the little people.

Expedient and good-humored.

Oh, my hero!

And what about this shrinking stuff?

When does it wear off?

Don’t worry.

Sleep it off.

By morning, you’ll be as good as new.

And how you have earned it!

Jim “the Gnome Slayer”!

He was so young.

There was so much music left in him.

All that is left is for you to take care of it.

Wait, what?

Take care of it?

Rule number two.

“Always finish the fight.

And by “finish”.

Deaden.

End.

Le coup de grace.

Who are we kidding?

I can’t kill this thing.

I nearly had dinner with it.

Neither of us are killers.

I am.

You are?

Detective Snuggles.

Nana warned me not to leave my chocolate lying around.

But it was just after Easter, and I had pulled in a big haul.

I never thought that cat would find my stash.

But he did.

And by the time I found him, it was too late.

Death by chocolate.

There are worse ways to go.

That wasn’t the worst of it.

I never had the heart to tell Nana, so, to cover up the murder, I used to eat his cat food just to make it look like he was still around.

And I liked it.

Don’t beat yourself up, Tobes.

We both had a big day,and now’s not the time to deal with this.

We’ll figure this out tomorrow, when things are back to normal.

But, no, you can’t, Jim.

You have your exam to worry about.

Good night, Tobes.

There’s no way I’m going to make you.

Go to bed, Tiny Jim.

By morning rise, the dark deed will be done and my soul will be damned.

What’s wrong, Tiny Jim?

Did you not sleep well in Nana’s dollhouse?

Why am I still small, Toby?

I don’t know.

Maybe stuff works differently on trolls than it does on humans.

Oh, my gosh.

The gnome!

You did it?

I told you I was supposed to.

Oh, no!

School!

We have to call you in sick.

Tell them you ate too much chocolate.

That always works.

No, Senor Uhl can sniff out a lie a mile away.

That’s it!

Toby, I need you to do me a huge favor.

Well, maybe a small one.

But huge.

Hey, Jello Mold!

Why aren’t you in your gym clothes?

Sorry, Coach!

No gym today!

Got the shingles!

Jim Lake?

Jim Lake?

Is Jim Lake here?

How disappointing.

but not entirely unexpected.

Moving on.

No problemo!

Jim’s here, virtually.

Hola!

Sorry I couldn’t be en escuela, Senor Uhl, but I’m sick en casa.

Which is fitting, since I’m doing mi comprehension presentacion on Ponce de Leon, who muerto-ed from a great illness.

Hey!

“Muerto-ed” is not a word!

Nope.

I’m curious to see where this is going.

Continue, Mr. Lake.

Ponce de Leon, one of the most famoso Spanish conquistadoresis best associated with.

the fuente de la juventud, the Fountain of Youth.

What is that horrible noise?

Uh, construccion.

Uh, remodeling.

A minor intrusion.

Un minuto, Senor Uhl.

What are you doing in here, Mr. Meow Meow?

Mr. Lake, are you there?

We don’t have all time.

No, no.

no need to fight at home.

Ponce de Leon joined Columbus in the New.

New.

What in the world?

Did Toby lock you up?

Do you need some fresh air?

Don’t get into too much trouble.

I wouldn’t want you to interrupt Nana’s true crime show.

Hello?

You seem distracted.

Are you okay?

I’m fine, I’m fine!

Uh, he sailed las carreras across the oceano.

Mr. Lake?

I don’t follow.

Arriba!

Oh, what joy this new world was!

Que bueno!

You’re out of frame, Mr. Lake.

I am confused.

Just some technical difficulty!

No problemo.

Tiny Jim, are you all right?

Do I look all right?

And that’ll be all for my presentacion.

Actually, by my count, you are three words short, Mr. Lake.

If you can’t finish the exam, I’ll have to fail you.

Uh, in that case, there were muchos problemas in the Nuevo Mundo, the New World!

Um.

Like vermin who you can’t seem to get rid of.

Ratas.

I’ve got you now, gnome!

But, in the end, they were taken care of.

And that is it for my presentacion.

I hope this wasn’t too much trouble, Senor Uhl.

Hasta luego.

Spectacular!

Very, very informative, Mr. Lake.

C-plus.

Fine.

B-minus.

Jim!

Jim, what’s wrong?

It’s happening!

What’s happening?

It’s happen.

High five!

Internet connections, am I right?

Gotta go.

Bye!

Jim!

You’re okay!

And big!

I think my spleen switched sides, but everything’s better now.

I’m sorry I failed you, Jim.

I should have done it when I had the chance.

I thought he was attacking me, but all he wanted was a home.

Look!

He’s even found a friend.

He has the mind of a vermin but the soul of an artist.

Blinky said we needed to “take care of him,” but what if we, like, take care of him?

I know it’s not exactly the second rule to Trollhunting, but, for this one, maybe we do it in our own way, without the murdering.

We can keep him?

Jim, I already have a name.

Gnome Chompsky.

Chompsky.

I like it.

Pretty good for a first mission.

Two crises averted.

It’s not like you get to rehearse these things.

Oh, no!

Rehearsal!

“Oh, Romeo, Romeo!

Wherefore art thou, Romeo?

“Shall I hear.

“Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?

Oh, Mr. Lake!

Your repeated tardiness has forced me to take precautions.

Mr. Palchuk will now serve as your understudy.

Hmm.

You’re late.

And you’re impatient.

I was waiting for another package to arrive.

Killahead Bridge will soon be complete.

Our man from Germany will be arriving with more pieces soon.

And my father will know freedom and glory.

Hey!

What are you doing in here?

You were followed?

Of course not.

I brought you a midnight snack.