Trollhunters: welcome to the darklands

Chapter 12: THE CRYSTAL SPIRE

"Hours later, Skarlagk's hollowness still hung over Jim like an extra suit of cold and heavy armor. He had left Skarlagk and her generals to plan their attack on Gunmar's Crucible Pit, and he had explored more of the fortress. Ascending to the highest spire, Jim found a small room containing what appeared to be a crystal collection. Numerous gems lined the tower's shelves, with chalk markings written around them.
"Looks like Skarlagk's been digging for Triumbric Stones of her own," Jim said.
Scanning the shelves, Jim's eyes landed on a hunk of emerald-like crystal. It shone with the same eerie green glow that permeated everything else in the Darklands. The glow called to the Trollhunter, bringing him closer.
Finding some beat-up gem-cutting tools nearby, he took the emerald from the shelf and set it carefully on a worktable. Following"

"the methods that Vendel had taught him only weeks ago, Jim used the tools to carve the green stone. He concentrated, chiseling along the ridges, cleaving off the dull parts, and losing himself in the task. When he was done, Jim held up a brilliant emerald shard in the palm of his hand.
"I wonder if . . . ," Jim began, looking down at the space where his Amulet used to be.
As if in response, a compartment in the empty circle opened to accept the gem, just as the Amulet had done with the Triumbric Stones. Jim inserted the shard and watched the engravings on his Eclipse Armor suddenly shift to neon green. The effect only lasted for a second before the red returned. Yet Jim still felt somehow . . . different with this new stone loaded into his armor. Before he could even guess as to why, a flaming foot kicked open the metal door behind him.
"HANDS!" shouted Rob as he barged into the tower, ready to throw flames. "Show me your hands, creep, unless you want me to drop you like the rest of Doctor Despot's goons!"

"Jim instinctively raised his hands like he'd been caught doing something illegal, then remembered who he was dealing with.
"Rob, for the last time, there is no Doctor Despot, and you are not Gun Robot!" Jim griped.
"Your answer scans as true on Gun Robot's lie detector," said Rob in his robot voice.
The Heetling then did a somersault and sprang back up by the spire's open window, as if searching for intruders. He looked down at the Nyarlagroth queen carrying them—and the rest of Skarlagk's mobile base—over a dune of gray gravel.
"What happened to you back at the labyrinth?" Jim asked.
"Well, after we got separated, I went back through the maze, trying to retrace your steps," Rob explained. "But I must've taken a left when I should've gone right. Anyway, long story short, I found the shish-kebabed Nyarlagroth, followed the Gumm-Gumm footsteps leading away from it, and tracked the slime trails left behind by their rides. Ta-da!"
Rob then leaned closer to Jim and whispered, "By the way, I'd watch out with Skar "Skarlagk. She's got more loose screws that Gun Robot after his cage match with—"
"Yeah, yeah, I get the picture," Jim said, waving away Rob. "Although my first clue was probably the way she carries her father's severed head in her purse."
"I see you've found my Crystal Spire," came a female Gumm-Gumm voice from behind them.
Jim froze in place, while a wide grin danced across Rob's flaming face.
"Jim, you know that part in Gun Robot 3?" Rob asked. "When Gun Robot's partner bad-mouths their lieutenant—only to turn around and find out that the lieutenant's been right behind him the whole time, listening to everything he said? This is just like that!"
Jim winced in embarrassment. Sure enough, Skarlagk loomed humorlessly behind him.
"I, uh . . . I'm sorry, Skarlagk," Jim said with a dry cough.
"Worse has been said about me, I assure you," Skarlagk replied before tossing what looked like a leather pouch into Jim's hands. "Drink."

"Jim felt liquid swirling around inside of it, like a canteen, and looked up at Skarlagk with gratitude in his eyes.
"Is this water?" Jim asked.
"More or less," Skarlagk answered.
That was good enough for Jim. He removed the cap at the end and drank deeply. It tasted slightly salty and sour, but at least it was wet. With each chug, Jim's throat soothed and his headache faded. He drained the pouch of its contents, his long thirst now quenched.
"Thank you," Jim said as he tried to return the canteen to Skarlagk.
"That bladder is yours to keep," said Skarlagk.
"I'm sorry, did you say bladder?!" Jim asked, now holding the pouch at arm's length from his disgusted face. "You cleaned this thing out before giving it to me . . . right?"
"More or less," Skarlagk answered again. "But we have more pressing matters ahead of us. Even now, the Nyarlagroth queen moves my compound ever closer to Gunmar's. Soon, you and I shall unite behind the power of your Eclipse Armor and eradicate the Skullcrusher from this and every other world."

"world."
"And just before you finish him off, I'll deliver an awesome closing line," added Rob. "Like 'Pop goes the Gunmar!' Or 'You've just been Trollhunted!' "
Skarlagk and Jim just stared at Rob before resuming their conversation. Not that Rob seemed to mind. He turned back into a fireball and began bouncing around the tower.
"Okay, Skarlagk," Jim resumed. "I swear. And once Gunmar's out of the way, we will locate the Changeling nursery and free Enrique."
Skarlagk regarded Jim as if he was crazy and asked, "Why would we ever do that?"
"To, um, save all the babies that are trapped in there?" said Jim not quite understanding the question.
"Ah, you misunderstand, Trollhunter," Skarlagk answered. "You cannot free anyone from the Changeling nursery, for it—and everything inside it—will be burned to the ground."
"WHAT?!" Jim roared, the engraved lines in his Eclipse Armor also flaring in outrage. "I can't believe what I'm hearing! You actually expect me to . . . to . . ."

"The Trollhunter took a deep breath, centering himself. Even his armor seemed to cool as he calmed down and tried speaking again.
"Skarlagk," Jim resumed. "I think it's you who misunderstood me. I could never, ever agree to hurting anything as innocent as a child. There has to be another way."
"There is no other way," Skarlagk said without hesitation. "I will not rest until every last trace of Gunmar—including the Changeling nursery—has been obliterated from existence."
"Then you'll have to do it over my dead body," Jim vowed as the Sword of Eclipse manifested in his hand.
He twirled the blade once to loosen his wrist, readying to battle, if need be. Skarlagk calmly removed two spears from her quiver and said, "I am prepared to make that sacrifice—and many more—in pursuit of my revenge."
She sharpened her spearheads against each other, grinding out sparks with each scrape. The embers caught Rob's attention as he ping-ponged across the tower. He finally came to a stop in his humanoid form between Jim and Skarlagk."

"Whoa, you can cut the tension in here with a bone saw, amiright?" Rob joked. "But seriously, folks, this's just like the time Gun Robot and Sally-Go-Back fought in—"
"Not. Now," Jim warned, far from laughing.
"Know that you will not have died in vain, Trollhunter," Skarlagk said. "For once I rip the Sword of Eclipse from your lifeless hand, I will use it to finish Gunmar in the way that you clearly could not."
Jim tightened his fingers around his sword. Skarlagk did the same with her spears. With their brief pact dissolved, the Trollhunter and Gumm-Gumm charged at each other. But before their weapons could clash, a thunderous explosion rocked the entire fortress.
"Fire in the hole!" yelled Rob as the shockwave sent him and Jim to the quaking floor.
Another blast hit the spire, punching a large smoking hole through the wall. Skarlagk rushed over to it and gaped outside. The spears slipped out of her hands and dropped onto the cinders at her feet.
"Not yet," were the only words Skarlagk could muster.

"Jim ran over to the smoldering crater and looked out. The color drained from his face.
"Oh no," said Jim.
Peering through the hole, down the tower, and across the Darklands' unforgiving terrain, Jim saw an immense Gumm-Gumm army overtake Skarlagk's fortress. Thousands of soldiers swarmed the recoiling Nyarlagroth queen and began climbing the walls built on her back with axes and grappling hooks. At the same time, Gumm-Gumm archers shot flaming arrows, while the biggest catapults Jim had ever seen launched blazing green boulders.
"It's Gunmar," Skarlagk finally admitted. "He's ambushed us."
Moving with impressive speed for a Troll of her size, Skarlagk grabbed Rob by his sizzling neck and clamped down. If his flames hurt her calloused hands, Skarlagk didn't show it.
"You!" she hissed. "You told them where to find us! That's what you were up to before your convenient arrival just now!"
"You—GAK!—got it all wrong!" said Rob as he gasped for air. "Gun Robot ain't—URK!—no punk informer!""Jim vanished his Sword of Eclipse and tried to get between Skarlagk and Rob, whose fire was dimming without oxygen.
"Skarlagk, stop!" Jim shouted. "This won't solve anything! The only way we'll have even a chance of surviving this is if we stick togeth—"
He never got to finish the thought. Another molten boulder smashed through the wall, sending the Trollhunter plummeting out of the spire and to his doom."