Trollhunters: welcome to the darklands

Chapter 6: LABYRINTHINE AND SERPENTINE

"This situation is totally out of control!" said Jim.
"Whattaya mean, amigo?" said Rob as he darted along the labyrinth, lighting their way with his body, like a torch.
Every time he landed at a new spot in the maze, Rob left behind a small patch of fire, which Jim had to stomp out with his armored feet.
"It's Doctor Despot, isn't it?" Rob went on. "Don't worry. We're gonna blow his entire crime syndicate sky-high, rescue the mayor, and still get you home in time for your daughter's piano recital. So swears Gun—"
"You're not Gun Robot!" yelled Jim. "I'm not Gun Robot's partner! And there is no Doctor Despot! We're in the Darklands—not the plot of Gun Robot 2!"

"Gun Robot 3, you mean," Rob corrected. "But you're right. I should just learn to be myself around friends."
"We're not friends!" Jim scowled as he stamped out another blaze.
"Oh, okay," said Rob, his fiery lips pouting. "I get it. I mean, who'd want to be friends with a burning freak like me?"
Jim sighed despite himself. Seeing Rob standing there with his head stooped and his lit arms hanging at his sides, Jim couldn't help but feel sympathy for him.
"I . . . I'm sorry, Rob," said Jim. "It's got nothing to do with you. I . . . I'm just keeping a strict 'no friends' policy while I'm down here. I need my mind clear of all emotional attachments so I can do whatever it takes to rescue Enrique and stop Gunmar."
"Aw, I could never stay mad at you!" Rob said, instantly happy again. "Now, let's high-five, freeze-frame, and roll credits!"
Jim let out an irritated groan and marched past Rob's outstretched hand. The Trollhunter continued along their chosen path until he reached yet another fork in the road."

"Wait," said Jim as he studied his surroundings. "Weren't we at this exact same spot hours ago?"
"Huh, I dunno. All these passageways start looking the same after a while," Rob said as he rubbed his chin in thought.
"Didn't you say you could lead me through this maze?" Jim asked, his anger rising.
"Sure," Rob said. "Eventually."
"Eventually?!" Jim hollered.
His loud voice echoed throughout the labyrinth, until another dreadful shriek answered it.
"That . . . sounded close," Jim said in a voice that had grown hoarse with thirst.
"Lock and load," Rob replied as he made finger guns with his fire hands.
Jim concentrated once again, and the Sword of Eclipse and Shield returned in a black-and-red flash. The Trollhunter held a shh finger to his chapped lips as he crept past Rob and up to the fork in the road. Taking a deep breath, Jim slowly craned his head down the left tunnel. Empty. Jim's body unclenched. Steadying his nerves, he then approached the right tunnel and peeked into it."

"A gargantuan, glowing eel sprang out of the darkness and snapped at the Trollhunter with rows upon rows of spiny teeth.
"Whoa!" shouted Jim before he stumbled backward, narrowly avoiding the bite.
The bioluminescent serpent screeched again in hunger and slithered out of the tunnel, blocking both sides of the fork with its long, coiled body.
"Nyarlagroth!" cried Rob as the eel circled them. "Run for it!"
Rob shot flames at the Nyarlagroth, all while making sound effects with his mouth. But the flames didn't affect the eel in the slightest. Its radiant, leathery skin didn't even have a singe mark on it.
"Oh right," Rob remembered. "These guys are fireproof."
The Nyarlagroth released its most deafening shriek yet. Jim covered his ears and ran, with Rob hot on his heels. They retraced their steps, turning left, right, right again, then left—no, right—no, left!—until Jim's armored body slammed into a dead end.
His head still ringing from the impact and the Nyarlagroth's screech, Jim pushed himself"

"off the cold stone floor and looked around. The Trollhunter discovered he was all alone.
"Rob?" Jim called out. "Where are you?"
A faint glow appeared just beyond the dead end, and Jim chuckled in relief.
"Whew!" Jim said as the glow grew closer and brighter. "I thought we got separated back there, Rob. You gave me quite a—"
Jim's next word caught in his throat as the source of the glow reached the dead end.
"—scare."
Jim swallowed hard as the Nyarlagroth, not Rob, cornered him. Its lips peeled back, exposing teeth as tall as Jim, if not taller. The eel's jaws parted, and a long tongue lanced out. It wrapped around the Trollhunter like a tentacle. Jim heard the plates of his armor crunch and scrape as the tongue started to squeeze.
"Gah!" Jim wheezed, the air being forced from his lungs.
He tried to summon the Glaives to appear in his hands, but Jim found it harder and harder to concentrate. He began to black out. With his vision growing murky, Jim could only watch helplessly as the Nyarlagroth pulled"

"him closer to its open, dripping mouth. The Trollhunter shut his eyes, bracing for the worst, until another shrill cry filled the dead end.
Jim felt the tongue suddenly loosen around his body before it dropped him to the cold ground again. Gasping for air, Jim struggled to his feet and looked up with blurry eyes.
The Nyarlagroth lay motionless before him, its tongue lolling on the floor and a huge rusted spear jutting from its side. A female Gumm-Gumm with powerfully muscular arms emerged from the darkness and retrieved her spear from the Nyarlagroth.
"I am Skarlagk the Scorned, daughter of Orlagk," she said. "And I have an offer for you, Trollhunter: join me so that we might take up arms against Gunmar together."
Jim's eyes went wide with surprise before they rolled back in his head. The Sword of Eclipse vanished, the armor's red lines faded, and the Trollhunter—still reeling from a lack of oxygen—fainted fast at Skarlagk's feet."