Jim called Toby earlier and asked us to do research on where to find the third stone. The weird thing was that we were going to the room that held the bridge pieces.
"Um, if we're looking to research the last stone, shouldn't we be in the library?" Toby asked.
"Yes." Claire said, "Why did you bring us to look at Killahead Bridge?"
"Before her departure, Queen Ursurna suspected a depiction of the last stone may very well be inscribed on the bridge itself." Blinky said. He pushed through some stones and found one with the image he was looking for, "The missing eye of Gunmar."
"His eye is the third stone? What?"
"Indeed. The first stone we procured was affiliated with his birth. The second, his first kill. This stone--"
"I got it." Aaarrrggghhh!!! said, picking up the rest of the stone.
"Why, this stone commemorates... he's vulnerable."
"How do you mean?" Claire asked.
"Before Gunmar took power, Gumm-Gumms were mostly disorganized tribes of savages, taking orders from Orlagk, the Gumm-Gumm Warlord. Gunmar betrayed him in hopes of taking his army as his own. The battle lasted weeks. Gunmar lost an eye. Orlagk lost his head. I fear this may be the most difficult Triumbric stone to find. For if his dark servants worked so hard to steal it from the Krubera, they would not hand it over so easily."
"Don't know why anyone would want someone else's eye like that, but you know, here we are." Amber shrugged.
The fetch then activated.
"What the...?" I said.
"Wait, the fetch!" Claire said.
"Something's escaping from the Darklands! Look out!" Blinky warned.
Gnome Chompsky came out of the fetch.
"Gnome Chompsky!" Toby said, "You're back!"
"By Deya's grace, he survived!"
"Chompsky!"
Chompsky fell from the stone the fetch was raised on and began sobbing.
"Aw." I said, "Poor guy's probably traumatized."
"Hey, bud!" Toby said, picking him up.
"Tough little guy." Aaarrrggghhh!!! said.
"Oh, I thought you were lost forever. Hey, bud. Hey."
"Chompsky?" Claire asked, "The one who was looking for Enrique?"
Chompsky nodded and looked for something in his pockets. He then pulled out a pacifier.
"Is that his?" I asked.
"It is! Enrique!" She gently took it, "You found him! Is he... Is he ok?"
"Mm-hmm." Chompsky said.
"Thank you for giving me that."
Chompsky chittered in response.
"What did you see, my tiny fellow?" Blinky asked, "Did you see... Gunmar?"
Chompsky instantly got nervous and whimpered as he removed his hat, showing half of his horn broken off.
Everyone gasped in horror.
How could someone do that?
"Gunmar did that? How did you escape?"
He chittered as he began to act out what happened.
"What is he saying?" Claire asked.
"A game of pantomime!" Blinky said.
"Panda... mine?" Aaarrrggghhh!!! asked.
"Charades!" Toby said.
Chompsky started his little charades game, but it was super confusing.
"You-you-you escaped the Darklands by looking, uh... angry?"
"By... By being constipated! Ha!" Toby guessed.
"The demons from the fifth dimension." Amber said.
"I told you to stop watching conspiracy videos." I groaned.
"They're so fascinating, though."
"No. Gunmar." Aaarrrggghhh!!! said.
Chompsky nodded at Aaarrrggghhh's statement.
"Like panda-mine."
"Oh, oh, oh! I like this." Blinky said as Chompsky began punching him, "He's... He's tickling me!"
"You escaped Gunmar by tickling him? No, by massaging him!" Toby said.
"A message!" Claire said.
Chompsky nodded again.
"Uh... uh... To swipe?" Guessed Blinky, "To purloin!"
"Badminton!" Toby guessed, "Wait, why badminton?"
"Sword." Aaarrrggghhh!!! said.
Chompsky pointed to his horn stump.
"Gunmar wants to deliver a message to Jim." Claire said, "That's why he's alive. That's how he escaped!"
"Then I hope it's a short message because we don't have all day." Blinky said.
"I have a feeling it might not be." I said.
It wasn't.
We were in the library for what felt like hours trying to decode the long charades Gnome Chompsky was giving about Gunmar's message.
And let me tell you, gnome isn't an exact language.
"He wants to twist Jim." Blinky said.
"Juice Jim." Aaarrrggghhh!!! added.
"No, I got it!" Claire said, "Tie him into a pretzel!"
Chompsky was clearly frustrated with us.
"Juice, twist, flambe, the point is he wants Jim dead." Amber said.
"Good point." I shrugged.
Toby's phone rang. "Speaking of which... Yello, Jimbo!" Toby said when he answered the phone, "You'll never guess who's back. Hello? Oh, no. Horngazel! Horngazel!"
Toby then ran off.
"Did I... miss something?" Blinky asked.
"Something's wrong." I said.
I ran after Toby with the horngazel.
"Toby, what's going on?" I asked as I ran with him, "Is Jim ok?"
"I don't know." He panted, "All he said was to open the barrier!"
We got to a wall of the bridge and Toby did his best to draw a big enough opening, "Curse these short limbs of mine!"
"Give me that!" I said.
He handed me the horngazel and I finished drawing the opening. Just then, a car came bursting through. We ducked as it zipped by.
"What the heck was that?!" I said as we got up.
"Let's go!" Toby said.
We ran down the steps to see what was going on, "Jim!"
In the middle of Trollmarket, the car was wrecked. Inside was Strickler who seemed unconscious.
Jim carried out his mom who seemed hurt, "We need help! Please!"
I was horrified.
What happened??
YOU ARE READING
TOA Book 1: Rose Gold's Adventure
Fanfiction❤ I was the only human in Trollmarket. Magic and Trollmarket was all I've ever known. I was curious to see the surface, where I came from, but for what? There was nothing up there for me. But then, something happened. The amulet chose a human? Was t...
