Daylight is Mine to Protect

Strickler Part Two

"For the glory of the Trollhunters, Daylight is mine to protect," I mutter, and my armor appears on me. Barbara looks a little startled by it. "I'll scout inside. You two wait out here."

"Absolutely not," Strikler protests. "Namura is my ally, not yours. I'm going in with you."

"Then you'll leave Barbara alone," I retort. "I'm the one with invisibility, I should go!"

"I don't trust you. You've been glaring at me all day. How do I know you won't slit Namura's throat instead of helping her?"

I take a deep breath-- in and out-- and try to assess the situation. I can't lose my cool. Not when both Angor Rot might be around and Strickler is. Yet, no matter how hard I try, the usually control over a simple conversation is gone. My hands are shaking, my mind is going in endless loops, I can't think. 

Maybe that's why I am startled by the golem bursting through the sides of the building. "He's here," I growl, recognizing Angor Rot's handiwork. I transform my staff into a bow. Aiming, I pull back the arrow. Time to see how much damage I can do.

I focus on guiding the magic from my armor to the arrow in my bow. I pull back the string, aim for where I know the talisman inside is, and release.

BANG! The arrow shoots right through the metal golem and breaks through the totem where a human's heart would be. I smile. That wasn't too--

The other eleven golems appear through the opening the first had made. I groan seeing them all. They all loom ten feet tall and each of their steps causes the ground to shift and more rubble to fall from the decaying building. 

I pull back my bow again, drawing more power from my armor. Strickler morphs into his Changeling form. I loose concentration as a flashback to the Stalkling penetrates my mind, and my arrow misses. 

BOOM! It hits the building. The golems ignore it and continue to lumber towards us. I calm my breath. This changes nothing. I pull back the arrow. 

BANG BANG BANG! Three go down with my three arrows. Another two go down by Strickler's knives. Barbara looks like she wants to help, but all she has is a stick she picked off of the ground. 

The golems are too close now. I take ahold of Barbara's wrist and pull her away. "I know you want to fight, but right now, you don't have a proper weapon. Can't you, I don't know, hide or something?"

"I can help!" she protests. "I may not know much about fighting, but I can do something!"

I wince. "Not against these metal monsters. Just, keep out of the way?"

She finally concedes, and I focus back on the fight. Strickler has taken out another golem, but the others are surrounding him. I race forwards, bow pointed towards them, and fire another energy arrow. Another golem goes down. I pull back, drawing more energy from my armor. I count four left.

Wait.... I turn around just as the other golem swings towards me. I have no time to dodge. It backhands me across the chest, flinging me through the air. Because I had drawn so much power from my armor, the hit leaves me incapacitated. I struggle just to breathe, nevermind to defend myself. The other golem struts towards me, raising its fists for another blow. It stops as something hits it in the side.

Barbara has thrown a rock at it. "Leave her alone, you big piece of metal!" 

It's insignificant a threat, yet the golem turns towards her and away from me. "No," I croak as it lumbers to Barbara. My staff is discarded a few feet from me. Concentrating, I call it to me. It refuses to come. Desperate as the golem gets closer to Jim's mother, I try again, pouring all of my energy into the effort. It starts edging towards me. Not fast enough.