#shes literally a jailer and an executioner

[bittybattybunny]

She'd make a wonderful puppet

She has the strings pre installed!

Had this idea at work and drew it up and colored with sharpie

[thevividgreenmoss]

How Laugier knows what these victims go through is anyone’s guess. Still, what sets his depiction of a split-personality, revanchist killing machine apart from his forebears is that he almost immediately reveals to the viewer that Lucie is the one still hurting herself. Lucie’s manifested guilt is not entirely the driving mechanism behind the film: what eventually takes precedence is uncovering who the monsters are that created it and why they did it.

The fact that Laugier has a perfectly normal family act as the perpetrators of the film’s gruesome activities serves firstly as a dig at Craven’s Last House. The wily and utterly audacious Frenchman effectively shames the fittingly named American for stopping as short as he did in pointing the finger of blame at a small suburban couple who, having just lost their daughter to a gang of thugs, decide to creatively slaughter her executioners. Laugier upends that film’s self-satisfied, pseudo-ambiguous conclusion by suggesting that perhaps these milquetoast, child-rearing folk had a reason for hurting other people that goes beyond their family tree, a reason that is infinitely more sinister because it serves a curiosity that has no ties to the domestic or even the mundane. These people torture others because they want to vicariously experience their “other”ness, to see what it’s like to have a person cross over to “the other side” and come back to tell them how green the grass is. This is where I really start to go out on a limb, so bear with me.

...Though it may look obvious or intentional, during this process of bloodletting, the skin color of the only martyr left alive gets a little darker after a couple of beatings (there’s no logical explanation for this as the martyr in question is never shown to be hurt with anything except her captors’ fists and boots). The martyrs are beaten without a word from their jailers, as if to show that the act of beating another person cannot possibly be called an “advanced interrogation tactic.” These girls must first be completely alienated and once they’ve been physically and emotionally broken down, they have their “other”ness and all other traces of their identity forcibly ripped away from them. This means literally losing their skin, the flesh ripped away to reveal glistening tendons and muscles. Any possible sign of their race or gender is thus completely removed, turning them into so much unidentifiable flesh. First the martyr becomes an “other,” then they become nothing. There is no possibility of “getting off” here, just a hyper-real representation of the horror of physical suffering. This is the kind of movie that justifies its daunting provocation with scant but revealing dialogue like,“People no longer envisage suffering, young lady.” Martyrs has an intelligence and a dogged determination to do and to say what its predecessors could or would not.

https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/martyrs-2008/

In one pivotal scene Anna discovers a victim, chained in a cellar dungeon beneath a family home. She’s a terrifying sight: her eyes covered with a metal visor which has been nailed into her skull and her emaciated body covered in scars and scratches.

Our first instinct is to shy away – to shun this horrific, yelping creature, who has been brutalised into something less-than human, and is all the more frightening for it. And yet, just as we’re poised for a nasty shock or attack, Anna reaches for the woman’s hand, presumably offering her the first kind, truly human contact she has received for years.

In a film filled with savagery and horror, it’s a moment that shocks to the core: a reminder that unexpected tenderness can be as viscerally, skin-shiveringly affecting as torture.

...Like the worst real-world monsters (Josef Mengele is the obvious example), the movie’s torturers, whose true motivation is revealed in the final act, are also convinced that they’re doing the right thing. They see themselves as experimenters, explorers, brave pioneers – and, disturbingly, Martyrs manages to temporarily put its audience into their blood-stained shoes. Even as we wince for the film’s victims, we find ourselves simultaneously desperate to know what their abusers will uncover.

Ultimately, horror movies can frighten us in lots of different ways, combining their inherent darkness with sly humour, adrenalin-fuelled scares, or with painterly splashes of gore. But Martyrs is a rare creation: a 21st-century film that subtly elicits all the sorrow of the preceding century, imbues its scenes of torture with a sense of vivid, heart-breaking pity, and forces us to really feel.  Is it painful to watch? Very much so. But worth the suffering? Absolutely.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/what-to-watch/martyrs-2008-pascal-laugier/

Most of the conversation people have about Martyrs concerns its final 30 minutes or so, and for good reason: That’s when the film shifts gears and heads into the torture sequences that have given it such notoriety. (And definitively trumped the most harrowing moments in other French extreme horror movies like High Tension, Frontier(s), and Inside.) What they forget is that the first hour is completely gripping and suspenseful in an entirely different and infinitely more palatable way. Yes, it’s bloody and disturbing in its own right, but it’s also genuinely charged and full of arresting ambiguity, far from the clinical sickness that follows in the third act. Torture isn’t in the foreground yet, but informs the action, as a once-abused child grows up to exact a revenge that may be just or may be the product of a haunted and irretrievably damaged mind.

...In the final act, which is as bloodless and clinical as the first two-thirds were propulsive and emotional, Laugier seeks not just to reveal humankind’s capacity for cruelty and exploitation, but its capacity for suffering as well. The explicitness of Anna’s torture and “martyrdom”—a demonstration of female strength and resilience that’s meant as a (suspect) type of feminism—isn’t quite like that in so-called “torture porn” movie. It’s not mediated by gimmicky machines like those in Saw franchise or carried out in the spirit of psychosis or vengeance, as in Wolf Creekor The Devil’s Rejects. It has more in common with real, institutional forms of torture and human experimentation, and is conducted with an emotional distance that’s infinitely more disturbing and terrible. We simply watch Anna get broken down—systematically, inexplicably:

...And so on, until she’s so completely pliant that she doesn’t wince or fight or feel fear any more. Then it’s on to “Stage Four,” which is so horrific it isn’t worth describing. All of these sessions are handled in brief, methodical chunk, followed by a cut to black. They have the effect of breaking down the audience, too, because we eventually come to the realization that Anna—though strong and resilient in the classic “Final Girl” way—has about as much chance of extricating herself from this situation as detainees not named Harold and Kumar have of escaping Guantanamo Bay. Being robbed of that narrative expectation is incredibly deflating, even soul-crushing, and I think Laugier means it to be. On some level, Martyrs feels like a comment on other films of its kind, because it shuts down any notion that pleasure could be derived from watching it. It feels like the death of extreme horror—or at least takes the subgenre as far as it can conceivably go.

https://film.avclub.com/martyrs-1798223075

@lobotomybarbie

[drawingsdrawingseverywhere]

Trollhunters Dadswap AU Part 20

So what happens when Bhaltair has the amulet of daylight, Claire knows about the troll living in Jim’s basement, and Heimdrel is sharpening his sword as we speak? This one runs away from canon again from time to time so just enjoy the ride my dudes

We begin our scene on Bhaltair and Heimdrel preparing the bridge once more. Bhaltair activates the gate as Heimdrel scales the side to reach the top of the bridge. Heimdrel raises the amulet for the changelings to see, and his mouth curves into a cruel grin.

“The time is upon us,” He growls, “the time for our beloved Queen to return to this realm.”

Bhaltair, giving a salute to The Witch as she stands ready on the other side of the gate, folds his wings over his body and takes a few respectful steps back.

“and to reclaim the world that is rightfully hers,” he muses in agreement.

Heimdrel places The Amulet into its spot on the bridge, and takes his place beside Bhaltair. His eye glances over to the changelings in attendance and he lets out an irritated snort.

“One is not here for the ceremony.”

Bhaltair’s eyes narrow in thought and he lets out a quiet hum. He turns his head towards the goblin horde waiting their commands.

“You.” one goblin makes a confused face and points to himself. “yes you. Bring Enriqus to me. One so loyal to our cause should be in attendance.”

Just as the goblin scurries out, the bridge completely activates and it would seem for a moment that the gateway is fully open. Both Champions bow their heads in respect when suddenly something goes wrong. The floor heaves and shakes as the museum is shook to its core by the bridge beginning to collapse. Bhaltair and Heimdrel both look up in shock, and while Bhaltair quickly takes flight and scales the bridge Heimdrel pounces forward towards the failing gate.

“My queen!”

Heimdrel dares to try to reach through while Bhaltair tries to pry the amulet out of the bridge. The Witch tries to reach through as well but cannot make it past the barrier when The Jailer is finally able to force it from it’s place in the stone.  By removing the amulet, even the gateway they had opened collapsed. The Witch lets out a furious shriek as the gate shatters. Bhaltair is thrown off the edge by the Amulet magically forcing itself away from the bridge, and he is sent rolling away as Heimdrel continues to stand before the closed gate, hand still outstretched as if he could suddenly reach in and pull The Witch out.

Bhaltair runs a hand over his lip to check and see if he was bleeding before sitting up and looking over the Amulet. The words across the silver metal begin to shift and change, before finally settling and making the message loud and clear.

“For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is His to command?!”

Heimdrel looks over his shoulder, broken from his trance. He says not a word as Bhaltair rises, the hand holding the amulet trembling with anger. 

As this goes on, NotEnrique is sleeping happily in bed when he hears a noise. He opens his eyes and sits up to look around as a baby would before shifting the second he knows he’s alone. He is about to rise and grab something to use as a weapon when he looks up to see the Goblin on the ceiling.

“oh!” He nervously takes a step back and gulps when the Goblin lands in the crib. “wh-what brings you ‘ere this time of night? Don’t you know it’s past me bedtime?”

The goblin speaks as a goblin would.

“... you know I got no idea what you just said.”

The Goblin comes closer, angrier now, and speaks again.

“OH! Oh you mean to tell me that Bhaltair wants ta see me? Well why didn’t you say so?” As he’s talking, NotEnrique is also subtly reaching for the spare rattle in the crib. “oh yeah sure sure. Let me just pack a few of my things and I’ll be right on-”

NotEnrique swings, hitting the beast square in the jaw before leaping on to the wall and trying to scurry away. Goblin close behind, he takes a risk and climbs out the window and into Claire’s room. He hides up on a shelf and holds his breath. As the Goblin climbs in, NotEnrique uses all his strength to push the random knick-knacks off of the shelf. The Goblin dodges, but it is a distraction big enough for the changeling to pounce off of the shelf and tackle him. The pair scramble around the room for a time before the Goblin is suddenly crushed beneath a heavy book.

NotEnrique is frozen for a moment, knowing what happens when you kill a goblin, but quickly makes his escape out of the window when he hears more approaching. The goblins scurry into the room and look around when they spot the remains of their own squished beneath the book. Furious they begin to search the room, spotting a picture of Claire on her dresser.

It does not take long for the goblins to return to the museum in a swarm. Heimdrel is quietly placing the loose stones of the bridge back into place when they enter. Bhaltair scoffs in disgust.

“he’s gone Rogue.”

There is a cold hiss as Heimdrel runs his sword prosthetic across his arm. Bhaltair ignores it and turns to Mr. Takato.

“It would seem our little party is missing a few guests. Bring them to me. All of them.”

Mr. Takato nervously looks at Heimdrel before nodding and bowing to Bhaltair. He is about to turn to leave when Heimdrel turns and is quickly at the curator’s side. Bhaltair seems unaffected by the outburst.

Heimdrel lightly grazes Mr. Takato’s neck with his sword- freezing him in his tracks and giving The Executioner his full attention.

“No. You will find the rogue. The boy is mine.”

Jim and Toby are pacing quietly outside of the Heartstone anxiously. Everything they had training AAARRRGGHH!!! for was suddenly hanging on a thread. It made sense to not have them in the room while Vendel spoke to the troll, so he couldn’t cheat even accidentally, but it was still very nerve wracking to think Vendel may still not think their friend could be trusted.

“They’ve been in there for some time”

“yeah... You think he’s doing ok?”

“I’m sure he is, Tobes, I mean.... Angor Rot is there too so I’m sure everything is fine.”

“can’t help but be worried... what if Vendel kicks him out and this Jailer guy he’s so afraid of shows up???”

Toby is obviously getting more and more stressed and nervous. Jim stops his pacing and puts his hand on Toby’s shoulder to comfort him.

“Hey! You know if that happened you know you and I would be there to help him! If Bhaltair wants to get his hands on AAARRRGGHH!!! he’s going to have to go through us!”

“That wont be necessary.”

Jim and Toby both spin towards the voice of Vendel to see him, AAARRRGGHH!!! and Angor Rot standing at the entrance of the Heartstone.

“It will take some time to get him settled into society, but your friend here has shown every sign of free will required. I have removed his mark, and he is now free to live within Trollmarket.”

Jim starts to thank him when Vendel raises his hand.

“However,” he begins forcefully, “It has been brought to my attention that your little changeling ‘friend’... NotEnrique was it? Nearly cost the lives of not one, but three trolls. I would suggest keeping closer watch of your so called ‘friends,’ Trollhunter.”

“y-yeah... I’ll be sure to do that. Thanks again, Vendel."

“do not mention it.”

Jim almost continues when Vendel returns back into the Heartstone.

“Ever.”

Jim sighs in defeat. How many times would Vendel brush him off like that? Jim wasn’t able to think of it long however as Toby was more than prepared to celebrate- pulling Jim back into his good mood. As Angor Rot and AAARRRGGHH!!! descend the steps, Jim and Toby run up to meet them. Both humans wrap their arms around the larger troll in a hug.

“You did it, buddy! I’m so proud of you!”

“we knew you could do it!”

celebrations are short lived, however, when Jim is dragged back into reality upon spotting a familiar figure cautiously scurrying about. Jim breaks out of the hug and runs after the tiny troll.

“Jim? Hey Jim, wait up!”

Jim dashes across the market and scoops up the little troll before he’s spotted, and goes into a back alley- holding NotEnrique by his scruff.

“OI WATCH THE-” NotEnrique realizes who it is and literally grabs Jim’s face, “oh thank heavens it’s you! You wouldn’t believe the hole I had to crawl through ta make it in ‘ere! Ya gotta help me, pretty boy!”

“What on earth are you doing here?”

It’s then that the others catch up.

“NO time to explain! I’m up to my teeth in Goblins and I need ya to help clear em out!”

“Wait a sec did he say Goblins?”

“Yes, I said Goblins! There was a whole stew of em after me when I left the house!”

Jim almost drops the changeling.

“You meant to tell me you have Goblins crawling all over Claire’s house?!”

NotEnrique realizes what he just said and nervously laughs. “ehm.... more or less?”

Jim hands NotEnrique over to Toby.

“Toby, get the Rugrat out of here before someone notices him.”

“Wait a sec where are you going?” Toby sits NotEnrique in Angor Rot’s hands- who proceeds to hold him by an ankle.

“It’s bad enough that I keep missing rehearsals, I don’t think Claire’s ever gonna forgive me if I let her be Goblin chow!”

At Claire’s home, we see her curled up on her bed in fear. What was that thing in Jim’s basement? and just how did she get home?!?!?!?! Are there more of those monsters waiting just outside her window???? Claire notices the books knocked about, and.... what was that green stuff under that book?

Claire nearly screams when she suddenly hears a noise outside. She looks to the window to see a pebble hit it. Claire gets up and Jim is standing outside. Claire opens up her window and before she can even ask what’s going on Jim climbs up the house and into her room.

“Jim?! What are you-”

“No time to explain, you have to come with me-”

Jim takes her hand and tries to lead her outside, but she quickly takes her hand back.

“Now you hold on a second, mister! I want some answers and I want them now! Just what was that thing I saw in your basement? And how did I get home? and-”

Jim, upon seeing the goblin goo under the book and realizing they’ve likely targeted her, puts his hands on her shoulders.

“Claire please! You’re in danger! I gotta get you out of here!”

“why?! And I can’t just leave! My parents are downstairs, and you know if my dad sees you up here he’s going to kill you!”

Jim gets a bit frustrated and just blurts out, “they have your brother, Claire! And if I don’t get you out of here your whole family is going to be in danger!”

Claire, upon hearing about her brother, runs from her room across to Enrique’s, and begins to panic when his crib is indeed empty.

“what?” Claire spins back around when Jim catches up to her. “Ok you start talking! Where’s my brother?!”

the house begins to shake slightly. They’re here. Claire takes a step back and Jim takes her hand again.

“I promise to tell you everything if you’ll just come with me!”

Claire is hesitant, but takes his hand. The pair climb back down the house and start to run into the woods when Claire begins to see the Goblins swarm her house. She stalls.

“But what about my parents?!”

“I promise they’ll be fine! It’s not them they’re after!”

Jim and Claire make it deep into the forest until Claire makes him stop.

“Jim stop! I don’t understand anything you’ve been saying!”

Jim tries to get her to run again when, once again, she refuses.

“no! I want answers!”

Jim takes a deep breath.

“OK look, do you really want the truth?”

She nods.

“ok. fine. There is....” he lets out a frustrated huff. “It’s going to sound crazy. But you’ve already seen too much for me to hide it anymore. We’re not the only things out there, Claire. Right now, under our feet, is a whole different world. Trolls, Claire! And those things that are after us? Goblins! They’ve taken your brother and swapped him out with a troll called a changeling, and-”

Jim freezes when he hears a twig snap. He looks around. They found them. Jim pulls the fake amulet out of his pocket, still unaware it was fake.

“Jim?” Claire backs up into him, the teens now back to back.

“Don’t worry, Claire. I’ll get us out of this. For the Glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!”

nothing. 

“Jim?” Claire picks up a branch and holds it like a bat.

“it’s not working! For the Glory of Merlin, Daylight is Mine to command!”

“Jim?”

“what’s wrong with this thing?!”

Claire swings, knocking a Goblin back. Jim quickly looks up and grabs a branch of his own. Looks like they were on their own for now. Jim and Claire face off against the coming horde. In a moment of frustration Jim swings at a Goblin hard after it tries to grab the Amulet, the goblin hits a tree- turning it to goo and breaking the Amulet. Jim picks up the pieces.

“A fake?”

Jim and Claire resort to throwing rocks as well to keep the goblins at a distance. Their chances grow slimmer until Jim in further frustration raises his hand in the air.

“FOR THE GLORY OF MERLIN, WHERE ARE YOU?”

Bhaltair is finishing the repairs on the bridge when out of the corner of his eyes he notices the Amulet begin to glow. He picks it up and stares curiously when the Amulet suddenly lunges in his grasp. He is thrown across the room when it suddenly slips. 

“NO!”

Bhaltair leaps after it and swings with his whip only for it to escape. It crashes out through the glass ceiling and flies across the night sky until it rests in Jim’s hand. Jim, Amulet in hand, raises it to the sky.

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

fully in armor, Jim is more able to fight off the Goblin Horde. As the beasts begin to flee, Claire looks over his armor. Both are exhausted by the fight.

“OK... one last question”

“Go ahead”

“what is that”

“Magic armor.”

“I see.” Clearly Claire has already been overloaded by all this information, and is willing to accept anything.

However, it’s then that Jim realizes the real reason the Goblins decided to run. A deep growl echoes through the air. One Jim already learned to know by heart.

“Claire, when I give the word, you need to run.” 

“what?”

"run!”

Claire prepares to object again when out from the shadows is Heimdrel himself. He is mid charge as Jim yells.

“Run! Now!”

Claire begins to flee when another troll leaps from the shadows over her. Before Heimdrel can strike Jim down, Angor Rot’s dagger catches onto Heimdrel’s sword, and the trolls lock eyes.

“you” Heimdrel’s voice is venomous and bitter. “I’m going to enjoy this.”

as the two clash, Jim gets a hold of Claire and the pair run.

“Who was that?!”

“Heimdrel!”

“doesn’t your friend need our help?!”

“If Heimdrel is here that means everyone is after us! It’s us he wants! We have to get as far away from here as possible while we can!”

Once he feels they’re safe Jim slows down and looks Claire in the eyes.

“now listen, we have to split up. I have to help Angor Rot, and you have to get as far away from here as you can. Find somewhere to hide until morning. I promise you I’ll come find you!”

“Ok.” Claire tries to calm her nerves.

“on the count of three, we’re going to run in opposite ways, ok?”

“ok.”

“alright. One. Two. Three!”

They scatter. Jim running deeper into the forest and Claire running a way she hopes would lead her to somewhere she could hide, like Jim said.

As Jim ran, he only sees the dash of a figure before he is kicked in the jaw by Mr. Takato. Jim rolls a ways before looking up to the already advancing changeling. He draws his sword and only just catches his katana.

“you’re not going anywhere, boy.”

Claire doesn’t stop running until she must to catch her breath. However upon doing so and taking in her surroundings does she realize she’s circled back. Claire doesn’t dare move when she looks into the distance and can see the fight unfolding. 

Heimdrel gets an advantage, and knees Angor Rot in the chest- causing him to drop his dagger. He tries to retaliate but is grabbed by the neck with Heimdrel’s hook shot hand. Heimdrel laughs and pins him to a tree, making the “talons” dig into the wood after he raises the smaller troll off of the ground.

Claire creeps closer.

“How must it feel,” Heimdrel growls, his talons tightening around the troll’s neck. “to know everything you’ve done will be for nothing?”

Heimdrel’s eye notices a familiar glow and his smile grows even more sinister.

“You know... I thought I was going to just slay you on sight and leave your miserable statue to crumble with time....”

Angor Rot is fading. He begins to go limp as Heimdrel uses his free hand to grab onto Angor Rot’s wrist. He holds the troll’s hand out to where he can see the Inferna Copula on his finger.

“But I’m starting to think it’d be far more delicious to drag you back to her.”

Claire doesn’t quite understand what’s happening, but she can tell if she didn’t step in- she notices the dagger on the ground.

Heimdrel carefully removes the ring from Angor Rot’s finger. You could almost see the transformation as he continues to go limp and numb- soon to lose consciousness. Heimdrel laughs darkly.

“welcome back, Assassin.”

Heimdrel suddenly roars with pain- dropping the ring. Claire doesn’t dare let go of the dagger as she stabs him in the leg once again. Heimdrel turns his attention fully to her. His wound begins to crystallize and Claire removes the dagger in worry she’d get it stuck in the crystals.

“You little brat!”

Heimdrel lets go of Angor Rot and shoots his hook shot at Claire. She dodges and backs away fearfully, Angor Rot’s dagger in her trembling hands. Heimdrel advances like a predator. 

“Let me show you what happens when you attack Heimdrel the Executioner!”

He almost strikes when there is a flash of what looked like pure dark magic, and Claire feels stony arms wrap around her. The feeling of weightlessness follows as she closes her eyes in pure terror. Moments later gravity returns and she opens her eyes to see her in the arms of the troll she saved. She assumes his name is Angor Rot.

Angor Rot quickly scoops up the ring as Heimdrel spins towards them. His staff turns pitch black and the troll leaps inside, the world once more growing weightless and Claire trying not to scream. She opens her eyes to see herself in familiar territory.

“they are not after you, now. Run home!” Angor Rot carefully puts her back on her feet before disappearing through another shadow portal. Claire runs inside.

“dad! I need your help!”

Jim is losing his battle against the changeling, if only because exhaustion has been taking its toll on his body. When he slows down he gets a swift hit from the hilt of Takato’s katana and his world is spinning out of control. He hits the ground hard and everything begins to go black.

He sees things only in flashes from then on.

Heimdrel.

Mr. Takato.

Being dragged across the forest floor.

noise. Flashlights.

The changeling vanishing into the night. Heimdrel’s roar before he too fled.

Strickler. Claire. Her father.

an ambulance.

Mom.

[drawingsdrawingseverywhere]

Trollhunters Dadswap AU part 15

Jim’s birthday brings new allies… and new threats.

starting off with Heimdrel again. He currently has his hook hand in place. His eyes are on the sky with a strange totem in his other hand. Heimdrel sits the totem down and gets to work. He digs his hook into the ground around the totem, making an array of markings and runes. He rises back up to his feet and backs away, uttering an incantation under his breath.

The runes begin to glow and the Totem starts to shift and grow. Heimdrel smiles.

“Not even daylight cannot protect you now, trollhunter. Soon there will be nowhere to run.”

Jim’s birthday morning goes similarly to how it does in the show, up until they go to trollmarket. Angor Rot is causing mayhem in the forge with his golems when Jim and Toby arrive, and it isn’t long before Jim is caught and the surprise party is revealed. Jim is happy to see everyone excited and happy to celebrate, but like in canon isn’t very interested in his birthday.

Strickler isn’t as bothered about it as Blinky was in canon, as some humans just aren’t too big about Birthdays, but still asks Toby if he’s alright. Toby explains and Strickler nods.

“I see.... well I suppose we’ll just have to make it up for him.”

“yeah. Speaking of, I’ve got a joyride I owe Jim. We’ll be back later!”

We once again follow most of the episode’s plot up until the Stalkling attack. Once Jim is safe, albeit a bit scratched up, he returns the bike and both he and Toby race back to Trollmarket. During the attack, the beast loses a scale and it gets stuck in Jim’s coat. With this clue, it’s straight to Blinky and Dictatious, however they can only lead them so far down the Rabbit Hole.

“perhaps Vendel will be of more use to you. While we can tell this came from a Stalkling, our records are unfortunately lacking.”

With Scale in hand our heroes enter the Heartstone to discuss things with Vendel, and he is able to more fully explain the creature and what it pertains.

“From what you have described, and from the off texture of this scale, I’m certain this was a Summoned Stalkling, and not your everyday trained breeds.”

“so what’s the difference?”

“Trained Stalklings are more merciful, for starters. It has been some time since I have seen a Summoned Stalkling, but that was because the art of doing so was lost many eons ago at the fall of the Tyreta trolls and their other mountainous cousins.”

“When Heimdrel killed them all,” Angor Rot mumbled under his breath.

“So if this giant death bird is after Jim, he can never be alone?”

“Not unless he’d like to be lifted thousands of feet into the air and then dropped onto rocky terrain. I would suggest staying indoors as well, Trollhunter. Stalklings can fly for days without rest, especially the summoned breeds. I doubt it has stopped to rest even once since it tracked you.”

“great.” 

Jim goes to school the next day, already planning what he could do to make sure he’s with someone at all times, when Claire mentions that he has to really step up his game in rehearsals, especially since Steve got in that crash and Jim was the main for Romeo again.

Jim thinks it’ll be ok since he can get his mom to pick him up afterwards.

And like in canon, he is proven wrong when not only is his mom running late, but Toby is nowhere nearby. Jim starts to ride home on his bike, Amulet close at hand. Toby answers his phone after about 3 calls, the first two being unheard over the movie Toby tried introducing Angor Rot to since video games only went kinda well last time.

Cue Jim getting caught by the Stalkling. Jim is starting to be carried higher and higher until he is far above the canal bridge. By that point he is starting to lose his breath, and struggling to get the amulet out of his pocket. Jim swears he can see movement down below, but he’s fading fast.

Jim finally summons his armor and sword, and zaps the Stalkling with lightning like in canon. As he’s plummeting to his doom, Toby and Angor Rot see him falling. Angor Rot quickens his pace, trying to reach him in time, when something leaps from the trees. Something catches Jim mid-air, and lands a few feet past Angor Rot. Angor Rot turns to see Aargamount with Jim hanging out of his mouth by his coat. Angor Rot draws his dagger just in case, but then Aargamount backs up, the remains of the Stalkling crashing to the ground on the bridge.

Aargamount gently sits the weak Trollhunter down into his hands and locks eyes with Angor Rot.

“Angor Rot.... free troll?”

Angor Rot slowly nods, lowering his blade.

“Human trollhunter.... friend to you...?”

Toby slowly approaches once he’s close enough to see Aarghamount. Angor Rot silently nods again as Aarghamount sits. He rubs his hand across the scar around his neck- caused by the collar.

“You free me. I save boy. I am... free troll too?”

Aarghamount watches quietly as Angor Rot puts away his dagger and walks towards him. He winces as Angor Rot raises his hand. It’s clear he’s terrified of being somehow punished or attacked. His eyes slowly open when he feels Angor Rot’s hand gently rest on his shoulder. He looks down at the Assassin.

“If you wish to be.”

“Heimdrel has prison. Still in danger. Fear The Jailer may come for me.”

Angor Rot lets that sink in and nods- giving his shoulder a calm and reassuring pat.

“I will get you your freedom. Even if I have to pry it from both their stone felled hands.”

 Aarghamount weakly smiles. Now that he knows it’s safe, Toby joins the group and smiles as well.

“he can stay at my place! You already know how blind my Nana is, I’m sure she wont notice he’s a troll if I tell her I brought home a really big cat.”

“I think that will work, at least until I can convince Vendel to remove the mark of the Witch from Aarghamount.”

“AAARRRGGHH!!!”

Angor Rot and Toby look over at Aarghamount.

“You can call me AAARRRGGHH!!! That was name humans and Angor Gave me.”

Toby put his hands on his hips and thinks it over.

“I like it! AAARRRGGHH!!! it is, then!”

“I will inform Strickler once we are all home safe that AAARRRGGHH!!! will be staying with you.”

“Great! Oh just you wait, new roomie. I have all sorts of games we can play, and movies you can eat, oh! And I can borrow the power washer in the garage and get some of that dirt off of you and-”

as the group walks home, new ally among them, Heimdrel watches silently from the shadows. Once they are gone, the troll leaves his hiding place and picks up one of the stones left of the Stalkling’s body. He lets out an enraged growl, crushing the stone in his hand.

“I am through playing games with you, boy.”

“My lord,” Mr. Takato bows to Heimdrel as the furious troll returns to the building site. “I just received word from our German supplier. He’s arrived with-"

Heimdrel grabs Mr. Takato by the throat.

“It all will be for naught if the Trollhunter interferes! I am done hiding! I want the boy’s head, and I want it now!”

Mr. Takato struggles for breath as he continues, “B-but sir! He.... He says he’s brought someone with him! Another.... another changeling on our side! He says.... that he has the... the keystone!”

Heimdrel’s grip loosens enough for Mr. Takato to breathe and leans forward.

“what did you say?”

At the airport, Otto casually approaches the changeling working there as he does in canon.

“Have you brought the Keystone?” she asks quietly.

“even better” he replies with a grin.

A man approaches from behind Otto with a box under his arm. He is every meaning of the word big- even going so far as to literally tower over the German changeling- with fiery red hair.. A well polished metal cane gently taps and then rests on Otto’s shoulder before the man uses it to make him take a sidestep. The man smiles at the woman and removes his hat as he walks forward for her to more properly see him.

“Bhaltair?” She looks towards Otto before the man uses his cane handle to move her head back towards him.

“that it is, missy.”

His accent was thick and Scottish. The woman nervously bows her head a moment as he takes the box out from under his arm.

“I need you to send a message to my champion brother, The Executioner.”

“wh-what shall I tell him?”

Bhaltair smiles and opens the box for her to look inside. Her eyes widen as she gazes upon the Keystone. She looks back up at the man as he leans forward.

“The Jailer is bringin’ him a gift.”