Chapter Text
“Well that sure doesn’t sound like anything good…”
Blinky mumbled as he took in the information you had relayed to him; such a congregation of goblins all in such a rush, running through Arcadia in a manner that almost gave you the idea that they had been frightened of something. You stood with Jim, Draal, and Arrrgh as the smartest among you rifled through his plethora of shelves in search of a book, though it seemed he couldn’t find it as he eventually sighed and turned to the lot of you,
“I had no idea I owned so few books regarding goblins… I'll have to remedy that when I have the chance to do so…” He mumbled in passing before returning to the situation at hand, “ Nevermind that! There is only one plausible reason which could explain such highly unusual behavior; they must have been running to – or on the other hand, possibly from – something. My best guess is the latter, but what on earth would cause such panic among them?” Blinky crossed both sets of arms as he voiced his internal dialogue, one hand resting on his chin as he dug through his thoughts to find an answer to this strangeness. Wow, this issue must be big if the smartest troll in Trollmarket couldn't give you a ready answer.
“Maybe they realized goblins not welcome?” Arrrgh suggested, ever the pacifist he is. Blinky didn’t even look up to his friend as he began to pace, the issue of not having a book to look to seeming to get to him, “No no no, that couldn't be. Goblins are simple and violent creatures; they have absolutely no sense of whether they are welcome or unwelcome in any given place, taking whatever they please without a care as to whether they are wanted or not…” Arrrgh let out a quiet, disappointed grumble as his idea was struck down, and your heart ached for the big softie. You gently pat his furry shoulder in a comforting gesture, to which he grinned slightly in return.
“Blinky,” Jim spoke up as he took a step forward, “if you think something big is gonna happen soon, then we should prepare, whether it’s a false alarm or not. Right? That way we'll be ready whether something comes up or not.” At his young master's logic, Blinky's demeanor seemed to brighten in an instant, “Ah, yes, young Master Jim! A splendid thought! You truly are becoming a competent Trollhunter. I am so proud!” He said, happily slinging one arm over the hunter’s shoulders as he led the way out of his library, “We must ensure your skills are as sharp as ever in order to take on whatever challenges may be lurking in the shadows of the near future! And in the meantime, it will provide me ample time to find a reason for these goblin's strange escapades."
“I shall be your sparring partner, Trollhunter.” Draal commented gruffly, straightening up as he loudly cracked his stony knuckles. You could tell by the tone of his voice alone that he was ready for a brawl. The smirk that played on his face as he passed you only confirmed what you already knew; clearly he was more than eager to get into the arena and have a good duel. As much as training with Jim at your home has helped to keep his skills sharp, fighting in a large, open, challenging, and unpredictable area such as the Forge with obstacles and challenges out the wazoo would definitely be better at allowing the troll to fight with his full, unbridled force. Oh, this was definitely something you had to see. You began to follow the group out of the library when Blinky suddenly stopped,
“And dear (y/n)!" Blinky’s voice cut through your thoughts as he paused ahead of you, turning back and rushing to your side as fast as his short legs could carry him, “I would quite like to see what your studies have culminated in! If you don’t mind, I would love to have you demonstrate the fruits of your labor.”
Oh boy…
You hugged your staff closer to yourself, suddenly feeling very unsure about your abilities, "Are you sure? I mean- I guess I don't mind giving a demonstration, but do you think I'm really ready to start training like that? I'm not really sure…" You mumbled slightly, eyes avoiding Blinky's as all the things that could go wrong ran through your head. You could be crushed, have bones broken, be flung off the edge of the arena and into the pits below, never to be seen again…!
"Nonsense, miss (y/n)." Blinky said matter-of-factly with a wave of his hand, resting another comfortingly on your shoulder, "You must begin your combat training somewhere! Theory and studies can only take one so far, you know." The troll encouraged gently, "I am confident you are much more capable thank you may believe. You've read book after book of magical studies - my books, no less - and I've seen your dedication. Please believe an old troll when I say you have great potential! You simply have to allow it to come to the surface."
Ah, crap, why did he have to be so wise and so right? If you ever stood any chance of helping Jim and the others save the whole damn world, you'd have to patriciate in training of some kind sooner or later. And with this new, mysterious threat looming over you, it would probably be wise to start sooner, even if your nerves jittered and your heart thudded against your ribcage at the thought.
"I guess you're right, Blinky… Just- can you ask them to take it easy on me please?" You asked of him, grinning nervously in an attempt to hide your fear.
“Yes, of course, miss (y/n)! You have my word, no real harm will come to you. Training in combat is a gradual process, especially for your much more fragile and delicate human form. We will take the upmost caution to ensure you remain safe." He clasped his hands together happily, the smile on his face ever growing, "Now! Come along - the lot of you - we must begin at once!” With that, you all followed Blinky as he made his way through Trollmarket and to the Forge, a newfound pep in the multi-eyed troll's step, and to a lesser extent, in yours as well.
Oh boy, here we go… You were sure you'd wake up completely bruised and battered in the morning. That is, if you survived…
You stood beside Jim, with none other Draal the Deadly facing you clear on the other side of the arena. Jim had manifested the amulet's armor, ready as ever to fight, as if- well, actually, this was pretty much how his every day went. You, on the other hand, were quietly panicking on the inside, frozen where you stood with your staff clutched tightly in your hands. All the spells you had been studying so diligently suddenly vanished from your memory, as if you had never learned them in the first place. Poof! Gone! Vanished in an instant! You were pretty sure your knuckles turned white beneath your armor-clad gloves as the grip you had on your staff tightened in a fruitless attempt to calm your nerves.
Jim glanced over to you as he stretched in preparation for what was to come, smile fading into confusion with a hint of concern as he saw the state of you. As your little brother, he knew exactly what you were feeling at almost any time by just looking at you, not that it was very difficult to tell how you were feeling in that specific moment.
“You alright, (y/n)?” He asked, brow quirked in a questioning manner. Your heart jumped at the sound of his voice, already on edge as adrenaline preemptively began to seep into your veins. If you were any more nervous, you were sure your armor would be clanking against itself in a pitiful display of cowardice. You vigorously shook of your head in response to your brother's question,
“I don't think I am, Jim… I’m really second guessing this- I mean, I’m just getting the hang of hitting still targets most of the time. How am I supposed to fight a seasoned warrior like Draal the Deadly??”
“Well… Who said you had to fight?” The sentence struck you; it was so simple, yet it could be the answer you needed to calm your raging panic. You raised a brow, "Well, it's a fight. Isn't the point to fight back?" “I mean," Jim paused for a moment, as if finding the right way to put his thoughts into words, "a fight’s not all about offence. Defense and support are important too, and what better person to do that than someone who uses magic? You always see magic being used like that in video games and stuff after all. Shields, levitation; a lot of what you’ve been studying so hard isn’t just useless in combat, y’know."
Ahhh. The realization hit you like a truck, changing your way of thinking in seconds. He was right. What's that saying? 'The best offence is a good defense?' Maybe that was more true than you thought.
You took a deep breath, standing up straight as you tried to have some semblance of confidence, “Yeah… You’re right Jim. Thanks, I think I really needed to hear that. You're the best little brother I could have asked for." At your praise, Jim laughed a bit and quietly looked away, waving his hand dismissively, "You're just saying that because you're my sister… Now, are we gonna beat Draal into the dirt or what? I bet he's getting impatient." Jim jested, looking forward to see Draal readying himself; his fists struck his horns, with a hefty 'thunk!', after which he let out a deep, almost monstrous sounding bellow. Wow. That was certainly a noise you hadn't heard from him before, but damn, was it intimidating. Though it should have given you a sinking, twisting feeling in your stomach, you felt butterflies once again.
"Well…" You mumbled, but put on as brave a smile as you could manage, "I'll do whatever I can, but I make no promises… Don't get hit, okay?"
"Ohh, trust me, I try my best. Draal is a lot faster than he looks, though."
With a nod from Jim up to Blinky, the six-eyed troll officially began the battle.
With the start of combat, Draal was eager to make the first move. The troll took off from his position with more speed than you'd expect from a troll his size and stature, running full speed towards the two of you, the sheer force of every thundering footstep he took throwing dirt up into the air behind him. He looked like a charging bull, large, intimidating horns at the ready to make contact with his target.
Your first move was to use a spell to teleport yourself a decent distance away. Draal could easily still change course to aim for you, but he didn’t, seemingly focused solely on the Trollhunter for the time being. With the sheer amount of energy he was exuding, you could tell he was simply looking for a hard hitting fight that would let him go all out, which was something you couldn't yet give. He was cutting straight to the point; Jim. Regardless, you decided to make the second move and use your only offensive spell; a bolt of energy shot towards Draal, traveling fast, but not fast enough. Though you had been aiming for him, the shot landed just behind him. Damn, you didn't account quite enough for a moving target.
You aimed and shot again, resulting in the same thing. Your grumbled frustratedly. However, just before you went in for another shot, you noticed the dust and debris that your missed shots had kicked up, and with quick thinking adjusted your aim and fired. A large, thick cloud of dust was thrown up between Draal and Jim, just where you had intended it to. Alright! You couldn't help but celebrate a little at your first ever successful spell cast in battle, smiling widely as you watched Draal charge through the cloud. Jim was able to take advantage of the low visibility his opponent had and dodged, readying himself once more aways away.
He let out a heavy chuff, swaying his bull ring and blowing the dust that hung in the air away. As he stared Jim down, he shook himself off, dust that had accumulated on his skin and horns falling back to the ground. Despite his failed attack, Draal's smile grew ever the more wild as he readied and charged again, this time starting too close to Jim for you to think of what to do next. The warrior slashed at your brother, who deflected each blow with the blunt side of his sword, both exchanging blows which didn’t land or were parried by the other as they exchanged ground with their movements. Neither could seem to get the upper hand.
Eventually, Draal managed to gain some ground by swiping Jim’s legs out from under him, causing the hunter to fall backwards with a heavy 'thud!' The troll took the moment of weakness to raise his fists together in preparation for a powerful strike, to which Jim raised his sword to act as a shield. However, both were surprised when Draal's attack landed halfway on something other than Jim or his sword. Jim opened his eyes, seeing that Draal's devastating blow had been completely stopped by a translucent barrier. Though it had stopped the blow, large cracks in its for radiated from where Draal's fists lay, still bearing down with much force. Jim and Draal looked over to you, albeit only for a moment, as this was still an active fight. You thought you had seen something new in Draal's expression… Maybe you had him on the ropes already?
Draal reeled back once more and completely shattered the conjured barrier upon impact a second time, his fist exploding through before landing heavily on Jim’s sword. It was a battle of strength and endurance now, of whether Draal could crush Jim beneath his own sword before Jim could somehow get himself out of the situation. Or rather, that’s how it would have been if they were sparring as they normally did. This time, you were present as Jim’s backup, and as such, you had to think quickly to find a way to get him out of the situation he found himself in. Geez, you wished you could catch a break.
After a moment’s thought, you cast a spell to levitate Jim’s sword in an attempt to give him the upper hand against Draal’s overwhelming strength bearing down upon it. You instantly felt the resistance against your staff, as if it had gained a significant amount of weight in seconds, and you struggled to catch yourself and the staff, bracing your arms and legs as you began to pull upwards. Your limbs strained with every ounce of strength you could muster, and slowly but surely, you were able to begin gaining some way, slowly pulling your staff and Jim's sword up against Draal's unmatched brawn. Even when the troll warrior bore down with even more strength and all of his weight, you and Jim managed to continue fighting against it. You watched as Daylight pushed further back against Draal's powerful fists with your help, finding yourself rather surprised the spell had actually worked in the way you intended, as you had never used it in this context before. To hell with it though! If it works, it works!
Though Draal tried to push back, yours and Jim’s combined strength allowed Jim to push his opponent back enough to duck and roll out of the way, retreating a ways back with his sword held at the ready once more. You finally released the spell, arms and back aching from the physical strength it had taken to perform the task. You honestly weren't sure you'd be able to win against the sheer power Draal had been bearing down on Daylight with. As much as you would have loved a second or two to catch your breath after such a feat, you were granted no such luxury as Draal charged yet again. This seemed to be his go-to move to get closer to his opponent, as you had already observed each time he began an attack. You wondered if you could somehow interrupt his dash. The attacks that came from your staff were still too weak to do much to throw the seasoned troll of course, but maybe you didn’t need to outright attack. After all, like your brother had said, offence isn’t the only way to fight.
You cast the levitation spell again, this time directly on the ground within Draal’s path. Just as you had done before, you used all the force you could muster to lift your staff. You felt resistance momentarily before the tension snapped, almost sending you flying back and simultaneously causing a sizable chunk of stone to suddenly jut up from the previously flat ground. As the troll was so solely focused on Jim, the unseen rock caused him to trip up mid-run, allowing an opening for Jim to charge and catch the warrior troll off guard. The Trollhunter took control of the battle then and there, releasing a relentless onslaught of slashes and jabs on his opponent. Draal was surprisingly made to retreat slightly, slowly being pushed back as his ability to keep up with the sheer speed and agility of the attacks waned. He couldn't seem to find an opening to dodge and get far enough away to use his charge again. Seems like fast, close-quarters combat wasn't his strong suit.
With another well placed rock jutting out from the ground, you caused the troll to trip once more, this time backwards. Finally, Jim was able to thrust his blade towards Draal in a winning move which ended the battle. One touch from Daylight would cause the troll to turn to stone, easily giving Jim the checkmate.
All was quiet in the arena for a solid moment as the two warriors silently stood off. However, the sound you hadn't at all expected to break the silence was Draal's loud, mighty belly laugh. Huh. You had more so expected him to either be upset in some way about losing or to brush it off as a fluke. Yet here you were, listening to his laughter echo through the Forge as he laid pinned beneath certain death. This was certainly a type of laugh you hadn't heard from him yet. Sure, he had snickered or chuckled around you before, even laughed at a decent volume once or twice, but this one was filled with passion. He had clearly enjoyed getting to brawl with few no limitations again. It was nice, getting to see him so fulfilled, engaging with his passion after so long of holding back and being confined to the basement and backyard.
“Ahh, good fight, Trollhunter!" He praised in the same unbridled tone, able to stand back up as Daylight disappeared, "You’re lucky I was going easy on you for her sake.” The troll chortled slightly, jutting his head in your direction as he slapped Jim on the back a few times, the sound of his stony skin against the armor echoing. Oh right- you had been part of this fight too. You had nearly forgotten in the adrenaline-filled state of near panic you had been in the entire time. You walked towards the two once you came to, as did Blinky and Arrrgh.
Accolades were thoroughly given by Blinky, while Arrrgh merely said ‘thumbs up’ while giving you both a thumbs up along with his signature sweet smile. Draal kind of shook the praise he was given off, shrugging as he made it seem like it was all in a day's work. Guess he didn’t find satisfaction in being praised for a fight he basically threw, how humble. Then when you weren't expecting it, the attention was suddenly on you once again,
“Oh, dear (y/n)! Wonderful, talented dear (y/n)!!” Blinky began as he shuffled his way in front of you, arms exaggerating his words as they waved this way and that with excitable energy, “Your magical studies have truly paid off, as you have demonstrated today! Although it may not be flashy or grand, all it takes is a few well timed and thought through spells to turn the tides of any clash. Congratulations on winning your very first battle…! Ah…” The six eyed troll suddenly began to choke up, smiling and wiping a tear away from one of his many eyes, “Goodness me, it seems I am tearing up…! My apologies miss (y/n), I am simply so proud...”
You couldn’t help but let yourself laugh quietly to yourself at his antics. Was he really so impressed and proud of you for using a few of the simplest spells in the book? Well, guess you’ll take that over nothing.
“Blinky, don’t be silly. Jim did all the heavy lifting, and Draal was going easy on us. I appreciate that you think I’m good at the spells I’ve learned so far, though. I wouldn't want your teachings to go to waste.”
“Oh, nonsense!!” All four of his hands shot out to grasp your singular hand, “You have come further in the time you have had than many could dream of! You should be very, very proud of yourself! You will be able to hold your own in a true battle in no time at all at the pace you have set.” With a gentle pat to the back of your hand, Blinky released you, clearing his throat and straightening himself up, “Now then. Why don’t you take a break on the sidelines while I coach these two more in depth? We can have a one-on-one lesson later if you would like, hm?” Although he tried to hide it, you could see the eagerness to teach you and help you hone your skills seeping through, barely contained. You grinned at his excitement, glad you could make him proud,
“Sure! That sounds great, Blinky- ough-!” You suddenly had the breath knocked out of you by a harsh hand coming down onto your back a few times, having to use your staff as support so you wouldn’t topple over. You knew that motion well and easily recognized it. Glancing over your shoulder, you caught sight of Draal looking down at you with a wide, toothy grin,
“You did good out there for a first timer, fleshbag, even if I was going easy on you. Keep at it, soldier.” He ended his praises with one last, slightly stronger blow to your back, which made you stumble forward a step even with the support from your staff. Though you knew this was him being friendly in a trollish way, the aches and bruising that always inevitably came with it was less than desirable. Alas, you never corrected him or asked him to stop. How could you when it was his way of showing praise? When it was his way of being friendly and supportive? You had just become amicable with one another, like hell were you gonna say the wrong thing and take you both back to the days of scolding and spitting venom.
“Ah- Thanks, Draal! That means a lot coming from the greatest warrior in Trollmarket.” You thanked him, giving a smile which attempted to hide the lingering pain you now felt in your back. The big, spiky troll’s expression flashed something too subtle and quick for you to recognize before he swiftly turned the other way, saying something about readying himself for round two. Huh. You hadn’t seen him act that way before. Maybe you complimenting his title had taken him off guard, since trolls weren't very open creatures. Or maybe you had flustered him slightly? Guess compliments on the battle prowess he was so well known for were a weak point of sorts.
Regardless, you took your leave with a wave to everyone and retreated to the arena’s stands. You found a prime spot to watch the action and leaned forward against the railing in anticipation. As it was built for a troll's much taller stature, you had to stand on your toes slightly to see over it properly. Though you tried to study both Jim and Draal equally as combat commenced, your gaze always seemed to be drawn to Draal and his unique ways of fighting. Rolling, running on all fours, headbutting with his massive horns, using his proportionally larger arms to deliver devastating blows. It was all much more animalistic than a human would – or physically ever could – fight, all thanks to his stony troll body. Having skin that can’t be pierced by much other than a weapon like Daylight must be a great asset to have in battle, even if it didn’t necessarily make him completely impervious. And having those crystalline spike growths on his back gave him a very unique advantage that you didn’t see many other trolls having. In fact, he may be the only troll you've yet to see with that trait. His roll attack, if not countered, could induce massive damage if landed correctly. It was honestly such a sight to take in as you watched intently.
After each victory, you would cheer for whoever happened to win. You didn't take notice when your voice subconsciously became louder and more energetic when Draal was the one who came out on top, always eliciting a small bout of showing off; flexing, posing, banging his fists against his chest, and the like. Each time, his over-the-top theatrics were directed towards you. And each time, you happily played into his ego. You even managed to make a firework from magic during one of his victories! Of course, you then had to do it for every victory regardless of who won from there on out in order to be fair, but that's beside the point.
As you watched the fights go on, you noticed a little something; about every other time Draal landed a blow on Jim, he’d look up to you in the stands, assumedly to make sure you were watching. And every time he landed a particularly massive blow, he'd grin up at you. Huh. Back at home, Draal was usually so engrossed in the spar at hand that he never took his eyes off of his enemy. Maybe he was just in the mood to show off today? Maybe your compliments about his prowess and experience had given him a cocky sort of confidence boost? Who knows. All you knew was that it made your stomach do flips whenever his eyes met yours… Gosh, you hated to admit how much you were staring-
As time went on, the arena began to come to life, bringing with it threats and challenges such as uneven and moving terrain, projectiles, weapons swinging from the ceiling, and so on. Typical Forge things. Each time there was a victor, the Forge grew more dangerous and more difficult to navigate. However, Jim and Draal seemed to have no issues fighting under the ever changing conditions.
At one point, when Draal was retreating from an attack, he curled up into a tight ball and began to rev up a spin attack. However, as he darted forward and collided with Jim’s sword, a loud, sharp sound could be heard reverberating throughout the empty arena. It was a mix between the twang of Daylight and the collision of Draal’s spikes against the object, ringing through the Forge and bouncing off of its stone walls.
The fight immediately halted; the Forge stopped all at once, returning slowly to its usual static state. Draal came out from his rolled form and took a staggering step back, shaking his head as if he had been dazed for a moment. Jim checked the length of his sword, seeing no damage that could have caused that loud of a sound. Once the ringing subsided, Jim, Blinky, and Arrrgh were all quick to run into the arena towards Draal as he steadied himself. Just as you were about to go running as well, you found yourself… in the air? It was a brief feeling, as you soon began to succumb to gravity, bracing to hit the stony floor… But it didn’t come, thank god, or else you may have a bruised tailbone to go along with all your other bruises. Instead, you were caught by an equally firm surface that gave way, a type of stone you’d happily take over the unforgiving ground.
Looking up, you were met with yellow and red looking down at you, just as shell shocked as you seemed to be. Your mind was quick to put the pieces together; you must have unintentionally teleported yourself to Draal, but as you hadn’t meant to cast the spell, you weren’t focusing. Thus, you must have spawned in the air above him, putting you here in this situation.
Your little staring contest was cut short by the others arriving by Draal’s side. He quickly set you on your own two feet before standing up straight once more, trying to turn his head to see his own back. Unfortunately for him, his large muscles and overall wide, stocky frame prevented him from seeing much, not to mention the way such actions made him wince ever so slightly.
“Draal! What on earth happened??” Blinky’s worried shouting cut through the air, his little legs quickly rushing him to Draal’s side in order to begin checking him over, “That sound was certainly not normal. Do you hurt anywhere? Where were you hit? Did Daylight graze you?!”
“No, no- I'm fine, Blinkous. I just feel a bit strange..." He continued trying to crane his neck to see behind him, but he just couldn't. After a moment, the warrior gave up with an aggravated huff, turning his back to the group, "Would someone find the bloody problem? Something feels… loose, almost."
Blinky was quick to step forward to examine the troll’s back, eyes searching among the plentiful spikes which jutted in every which way before seeming to find the source of Draal’s discomfort, "Aha! What have we here, hmm?" The troll leaned forward to get a closer look at one spike in particular. You, Jim, and Arrrgh - the curious things you were, or maybe nosy would be more appropriate, mixed with concern of course - all did the same, seeing that the tip of this particular spike had a stress fracture permeating horizontally a small ways down from the tip. It went clear through from one side to the other, and looked as if it could fall off at any moment. Blinky looked for a moment more, then grasped the tip of the spike between two fingers and swiftly broke it off at the fracture line. You flinched, wondering if Draal was hurt at all by the action, though he seemed to at least be able to hide any reaction he may have had.
"There you are, Draal! You should feel much better now." Blinky held out the broken fragment to Draal as he turned back around to face the group, taking it in his much larger hand. "Although this was only a small fracture - thank goodness - we should still take you to see the repair smith. We wouldn't want that fracture to be exaggerated by anything now, would we? That could lead to disastrous consequences, possibly the loss of the entire spine in the worst case." Before anyone could object or agree, Blinkous was already briskly making his way towards the Forge's exit and into Trollmarket, Draal's arm grasped in all four of his as he led the warrior along beside him. Without question, everyone followed.
It took no time at all for the lot of you reached the repair smith, as Blinky had called them. It was a singular troll working in a hot, kiln-like environment from a spot dug deep into a cave wall. Funnily enough, the sign above the business read in Trollish, 'The Kiln,' Blinky had informed you. Fire and molten metals were being worked with from the very back of the hollow as smoke from the work spilled out along the ceiling and out into the market, sparks flying from deep within. The surrounding trolls didn't seem to be very affected by the emissions, while you and Jim had a coughing fit as the group approached the mouth of the hollow. A rasp of Arrrgh’s huge knuckles against the wall by the entrance caught the working troll’s attention. They removed their mask – a mask which was akin to a welding mask that humans would use – and grinned,
“Evening, fellas! What can I do ya for?” They asked kindly. "Well, you see, our friend Draal here has had the unfortunate luck of breaking the tip of one of his crystal spines off." Said troll opened his fist to show the small piece of crystal as Blinkous spoke, "We were wondering if you could inform us on how to go about this."
The repair smith took one look at the fractured piece of crystal and visibly winced, “Oh! Yeowch big guy, how did ya manage to do that to yourself?”
“Oh, y'know, just beating the Trollhunter into the dirt during a spar is all~.” Draal jested with a cocky smirk, receiving a harsh yet joking push to the side from Jim, both smiling at the friendly banter.
"Well..." The repair smith mumbled, walking around to Draal's back in order to examine the damage, "Hm... Welp, I'd say ya came outta this pretty lucky!" You could feel the whole group collectively relax at the news, "You've got a nice, clean break that's easily fixable. Ya just need a cap on that there spike so it's protected from bein' damaged any worse and you'll be good as new." You could practically feel everyone's worry wash away, your overthinking mind put slightly at ease by the good news. Not knowing all the ins and outs of troll anatomy, you had been worrying that something like this could lead to more serious complications. Your overthinking mind could rest easy. The repair smith chuckled at the group's reactions to such a small injury,
"Y'all were real worried, huh? No need; crystal fractures are pretty common, even in high quality, near unbreakable crystal like your buddy's. They sure can feel weird when they break, though." They turned back to Draal, "You should probably take a soak in the mineral springs too, just t' be safe. But let's get that cap on first so ya don't get any more fractures, yeah?" Draal nodded along as the troll led him into their workshop, but turned to look over their shoulder for a moment as they walked, "You fellas should take a lap around Trollmarket, I should be done by the time ya get back, yeah?"
As the forge troll worked, you trailed along beside Blinky, who you had asked about the whole 'bits breaking off of their bodies' thing. Apparently it was pretty common to get chips and dents as a troll grew older, especially those of a softer variety of stone. Sometimes reattachments were possible, other times not, as is the case for Draal. Seeing as Draal was battle-worn and scarred, you figured his spikes had just endured so much over the years that one had finally given out. Nothing to be worried about, so long as it wasn't too large of a gouge or in too sensitive of a place, Blinky explained. The new information left you able to calm your worries even more, even if it still freaked you out a little to be able to be so casual about losing a part of your body forever. It made you see the chunks and divots in Draal's stony, battle-worn skin a slightly different way.
Whenever the group stopped at a stall to buy or look at wares, you took a seat wherever you could. Conveniently enough, one of the shops had been owned by a troll who collected and sold nothing but chairs, so you had no problem finding a place to sit there. However, you had no such luck as you sat on a rocky protrusion situated next to yet another troll's stall. Deciding not to give your mind time to conjure useless questions and concerns that would inevitably take over your thoughts, you retrieved a small notebook from your pocket. You had been keeping this travel-size book in order to keep a sort of cheat sheet in regards to spells and the like. It only explained the very bare bones of things, but it worked for you.
"What're you up to, sis?" Jim's voice echoed slightly off the barren walls you sat in front of. He took a seat next to you on the rock which jutted out from its surroundings. You looked up at him for a moment before your gaze returned to your notebook, tilting it slightly so Jim could see what was on the page,
"Oh, y'know, nothing much. Just studying more magic while we've got some downtime." You replied rather blandly. A small wave of your staff conjured a small ball of light, which fizzled out soon after its creation, "I need to perfect my spells if I'm ever gonna stand a chance sparring against Draal. And with whatever was up with those goblins... If it's something big, I need to learn as quickly as possible."
"Geez (y/n), I don't think I've seen you doing anything other than studying for weeks. Maybe you should take a break?" Jim suggested, concern clear in the tone of his voice. You couldn't deny that it was true, but you had to be invested. You had to protect your loved ones and friends, because Jim could eventually be unable to handle every little thing on his own. He was still just a teenager, after all, and had a life outside of this world saving troll business. You wanted so badly to be able to take some of that huge burden away.
You let out a breath you hadn't realized you were holding, closing your notebook and grinning at your sweet little brother, "I appreciate you looking out for me, Jim, I really do, but doing this is the only way I can look after you. You need support, friends, people- or, trolls-" You stumbled over your words briefly, "- allies that can cover your blind spots and take some of the load off of your shoulders. You're so young- you should be out there with your friends, watching movies and sneaking out at night to go do normal teenager stuff, not saving the world." You explained as your arm came to rest across Jim's shoulders, pulling him in for a side-hug, "... There's gonna be a day when you aren't able to be everywhere all at once to protect everyone. You need all the help you can get, little bro. And as your big sister, I have a job to keep you safe and help you out. You come first." You grinned, glancing out of the corner of your eye to see Jim's overthinking face. You squeezed him tighter in an attempt to pull him from his thoughts,
"I promise I'll always be there for you, Jimbo. Always. And even when the world's at stake, you'll always come first in my book... You don't have to be the Trollhunter all alone..."
You felt Jim relax, his head leaning into your shoulder as he took a deep breath, "I know... Thanks for reminding me though, (y/n). You're a pretty great sister."
You gawked, "Only 'pretty great?' Man, I go out of my way to learn magic for you and I'm not even super? Not spectacular, or wonderful, or awesome even? I'm wounded, young Master Jim...!" You feigned, holding your free hand to your heart in a dramatic display of false hurt, wiggling your brother as you did so to emphasize your point. You heard him start to laugh as he tried to push you away and escape your hold on him,
"Alright, you've made your point! You're the very best sister ever, happy?"
"Yep, that'll do~." You grinned, dropping your act in seconds and letting go of Jim. He sat up and straightened out his hair before elbowing you lightly, playfully. You were glad you could still have these little moments of reprieve with him, regardless of his serious big-boy job.
"Master Jim! Miss (y/n)! Come, Draal's cap should be finished by now, let us retrieve him!" Came Blinky's voice from a couple of stalls away. You and Jim were quick to catch up to him and Arrrgh, walking alongside them with much higher spirits.
As the repair smith's hole in the wall came into sight, you were a little disappointed to not see Draal anywhere. Did something go wrong? Had it just taken longer than expected to install the cap? No matter, the repair smith stood outside, seeing a troll - assumedly a customer - off before spotting your group approaching. They raised an arm to wave, "Welcome back! All went well, your buddy should be back t' fightin' and brawlin' after a few days o' rest."
"Ah, marvelous! Thank you very much for everything you have done for our dear fried." Said Blinky, smiling widely at the good news, as were the rest of you. "Where might he be, if I may ask?"
"Right here, Blinky."
The familiar gruff voice had you all turning your heads towards another hole in the wall a small ways away, from which Draal emerged. The grin he usually wore now back, he seemed to be back to his normal self, if not a little more relaxed, likely from the mineral soak. You assumed it acted like a sort of spa day for trolls, especially seeing as his stony skin appeared to be slightly brighter and even a little glossy, if you looked close enough. He rolled his shoulders in a relaxed motion as he exited, making his way to the group.
"Draal!" Jim exclaimed, meeting the troll halfway, "You look great! How do you feel?" "Ah, I feel like new, Trollhunter. Nothing like a good mineral spring soak to loosen the ol' joints." He laughed heartily as he nudged Jim only slightly less harshly than usual. "Indeed," Said Blinky as he approached with yourself and Arrrgh right behind him, "Your stone looks good as new! Now, let us see that cap, hmm?" He asked, to which Draal turned his back to the lot of you. A silver plate of metal adorned his damaged spike, covering the top and extending down a couple of inches, held in place with a few carefully drilled screws. "Another beauty of a battle scar, isn't it?" Draal stood proud, as if it was an accomplishment to have received such an injury.
"I'd say I did some pretty good work on that there piece myself!" The forge troll piped up from behind you, "Yep. It wasn't too simple to affix a cap t' a strong, rugged crystal like that, but I'd call that there some o' my best work." Well that was reassuring, at least. You'd expect crystal like Draal's to be somewhat frail, since they're relatively see through, but considering he had the tips of the rest of his spikes, you guess it had to be a pretty durable material. Especially considering the amount of force his roll attacks could generate. Whatever concerns you may have had were put to rest at the troll's confidence. "Thank you." You smiled up at them, getting a smile in return.
"No problem lil' lady! It was my pleasure." They brought their hand down on your head to gently ruffle your hair before returning to their forge.
You turned back to the group to see Draal bantering with Arrrgh, Blinky, and Jim. It was good to see him back to his normal self. In fact, he kind of seemed better than normal; his posture was straightened, chest puffed out, head held high, and you noticed he was telling a story about another battle scar he had gotten some time ago. You were glad that he was able to bounce back so quickly, and that the loss of a small piece of himself didn't bother him seemingly in the slightest.
As you stood there, content standing behind the others as they spoke with Draal, you noticed the blue troll's eyes shift past the others to land on you for a moment. Not expecting the sudden eye contact, you simply mustered up a quick wave and smile. His grin widened a bit before his attention turned back to the others, "Y'know what? I think I'll take the rest of the day off from sparring. The repair smith did say I should let the thing settle in before going back to anything too rough."
The chatter went silent, broken by Jim speaking up, "Draal the Deadly, not wanting to go back to battle straight away? Do I even know you anymore?" "Indeed. Draal, are you sure you haven't hit your head as well?" Blinky asked with complete seriousness. Draal chuckled at his words, finding it humorous,
"I'm fine, really, it must be the mineral springs if anything. Trollhunter," Draal looked down at Jim, "I believe you still have some training to get to, yes? We all need to be prepared, should something end up happening with those goblins and all." "Yes, Master Jim, we should continue your training! No moment should go to waste." The six eyed troll agreed eagerly, leading the way back to the Forge with Jim and Arrrgh in tow. Jim turned back to shout over his shoulder, "Glad you're feeling better, Draal!" "Yes, do take care of yourself!" Blinky added, then they were chattering between themselves about training and whatnot.
Just as you had taken the first couple of steps to follow them, Draal held you back with a large hand to your shoulder. His stony skin felt unusually warm, likely due to the mineral springs. Knowing how hardy trolls could be, they were probably boiling hot. You turned to face him, confused, but curious too, "Hm? Need something, Draal?" "Not exactly, but I did want a moment to speak, if that's alright."
He wanted to talk? To you, no less. Was it about the training you had joined in on earlier maybe? "Oh, sure, I've got plenty of time. What is it?" You asked with a smile, happy to listen to whatever he had to say to you. However, the first thing he did wasn't speak; rather, it was to reach into his pocket and present you with...
"The... broken piece of crystal from your spike?" "Sure is." You took a moment to look at the chunk of crystal while it sat in his hand. It was now a pyramid with a jagged bottom, with a handful of chips and scratches across its surface from his rough-n-tough, battle-ridden lifestyle. The transparency of it made it so whatever you saw on the other side was slightly warped and tinted the same blue as the rest of his crystalline spikes. His hand made a motion towards you, urging you to take it, which you did. It was heftier than it looked, and rather smooth all things considered. You ran your thumb across the surface, feeling the difference of the smooth sides compared to the chipped divots. You had never in your life thought you'd be holding a piece of a troll in your hands.
"It's... kinda weird to be holding a bit of you, honestly." You commented, making Draal laugh for a brief moment. "Yeah, I guess it would be pretty strange for a soft creature like you to hold part of someone else. But regardless, if you want it, you can have it." "What?" Your head immediately shot up to look at the troll. "I mean- sorry, is there any specific... reason? Or just..." You questioned, turning the chunk over in your hand as you fidgeted with it.
Draal shrugged, eyes occasionally looking away as he explained, "Well, I thought you might be able to use it in some sort of spell, or something like that, y'know? Might be useful for something, and I don't have any use for the thing." You thought for a moment. Could you actually use a part of a troll for some sort of spell? The Heartstone was just a crystal too, so maybe...
"Huh, I never thought of that. I'll definitely look into it, thanks Draal." You grinned up at Draal, who grinned back, seemingly slightly softer than usual, though maybe that was because he was so relaxed from the mineral springs. "Don't mention it, fleshbag. Now, I'm actually gonna keep my word and have that day off. This'll be... what, the first in a century?" Your eyes widened at the number he gave.
"Well, guess I really am due for a day off. I'll be back at your dwelling before sunrise, don't miss me too much." He joked with another hearty laugh as he turned and made his way into Trollmarket. "Ah- Alright! I'll let Jim know, see you later Draal!" You spoke slightly louder above the noise of the market, standing there for a good moment.
"Did Draal the Deadly just give you th' bit that broke offa his spike?" The forge troll was suddenly behind you, making you jump and nearly make a very embarrassing surprised noise. You turned to face them, calming your heart as you smiled, "Uh- yeah, he did. He said maybe I could use it for a spell, or something." "Well I'll be! Don't go losin' that there now, you've got yerself a keeper!" A keeper? Well, you guess you could refer to it as that. You could only imagine what kind of a spell could need pieces from a living troll. You'd have to find some sort of book on such things later.
"In fact," The troll snapped you out of your thoughts briefly, "lemme make a nice chain for ya, yeah? On the house! That way ya won't go losin' it unless yer tryin'." They laughed a bit to themself, holding out their large hand to take the piece from you. "Oh- if you're sure, I'd be really grateful, thank you!" "Great! Thank ya much, miss, I'll be done in a jiffy!"
And so you handed over the crystal chunk, taking a seat to the side of the mouth of the cave to avoid the smoke that billowed out of it. As they promised, it didn't take much time at all for them to come back out with the finished product; the crystal was now more like a wire wrap pendant, made to securely hold the crystal in its place. The jagged base of it that had previously connected to the rest of the spike had been decorated in wire patterns, connecting it to the bail, which had a sleek chain looped through it, held closed with a simple adjustable clasp. You marveled at the finished product.
"Ta-da! I hope ya like it, I took some creative liberties with a few things." The forge troll mentioned, dropping the pendant into your waiting hands. Your fingers ran over the still warm metal, realizing now that the wire was actually thin strands of steel, much stronger and more durable, not to mention much more impressive. This thing was sure to never come apart, unless you put it through a nuclear blast maybe. "This is gorgeous, thank you so much!"
"Ah, don't mention it, it's my craft! I'm glad ya like it. Good luck!" With that, they returned to the depths of their cave. Good luck? Did this troll know something about what spells this crystal could be used in that you didn't? Regardless, you happily attached the pendant to your staff just below the Heartstone before heading to Blinky's library. Oh boy, more study time, just what you wanted.
And as you searched through books for the information you were looking for, you found your hand on the pendant, fidgeting yet again.