Chosen

bridge or boat

"Good, Blinky left the window open. I hope he took care of the cameras," Jim said as he climbed inside the museum, Toby following behind. "A little help?" Toby groaned as he tried squeezing himself in through the slim window. "How many times are we gonna sneak in here?" you grunted as you tried pushing Tobias in. Finally, Tobias plopped in through the window and fell to the ground below him. You followed swiftly after, closing the window behind you.

"Oh, jeez. It's true. You always return to the scene of the crime," Tobias said. "They try to rehabilitate us, but the big house only made us better criminals," he breathed as he got up from the floor. "What?" you whispered, confused. The museum was only lit up by the vauge moonlight shining through the windows, as usual. You begun wondering if this was going to become a habit of yours. Maybe it already had.

"The goblins are all gone," Jim whispered as he begun to walk, you and Toby following.

The three of you met Vendel, AAARRRGGHH and Blinky at the end of a hall. Your father was poking a mannequin displaying some victorian blue dress. "Ridiculous garment," he mumbled. "You're late," Blinky frowned as he turned to see you. "Sorry. Draal was training Jim," Toby innocently said before recieving an elbow in his side form Jim. "Draal?" AAARRRGGHH uttered. "Training?" Blinky asked, shocked.

"Yeah, he sorta made a home in my basement to look out for the place," Jim explained. "Of course. When a troll is defeated in combat, it's completely natural for them to take refuge in the victor's domicile," Blinky coldly said. "So you understand?" Jim hopefully asked. "I understand such an arrangement could end in disaster. Utter distater!" Blinky shunned. "Come on, you know deep down, Draal is fragile," you tried, but Blinky had no time to answer.

"Are we simply waiting here to be discovered?" Vendel broke through, making everyone turn to him and his glowing staff of heartstone. "Or were you planning on showing me this thing you belive to be the Killahead Bridge?" "The Trollhunter was just about to show us the way," Blinky laughed, patting Jim's shoulder.

Jim led the way down some halls and around some corners until he reached the big, wooden door that had now grown unlikably familiar. "And as we were chasing away the goblin pack, we ran past this closed exhibit," Jim told as he opened the door, leading to a roomy hallway, and made way for the large room Killahead had been in, "and there it was: the Killahead Brigde." He pushed the white drapes away, revealing the large frame of the bridge, covered in the same white cloth.

Blinky gasped in excitement, his six eyes as big as six dinnerplates. AAARRRGGHH, and even Vendel, had their eyes wide open in shock. Vendel's eyes were foggy and looked kind of grey, so you'd never known if he was blind or not, but he obviously saw this.

The three humans made their way to one side of the bridge and begun tugging on the heavy cloth. You grunted as you struggled to pull it off. "Me," AAARRRGGHH said as he gently pushed you away to make way for himself. In one swift tug, he pulled the cloth of with ease and revealed.. an old ship? The smiles on your faces quickly faded. "Oh no," Jim said.

"That is not a bridge," Vendel said. "But it was right here! You saw it guys! Tobes, you took a picture of it!" Jim said in despaired panic. "It was, eh.. It was out of focus, and I did forget to turn on the flash," Tobias whispered. "And we were running so fast. We were being chased, you know? Maybe we only thought we saw it." "No, it was here! It's a bridge, it couldn't have just walked away!" you retorted. "Someone must have moved it!"

Vendel didn't belive one word. "Blinkus Galadrigal, I've not left the Heartstone in a century. I only did so tonight because of the grave peril the Killahead represents," he shunned Blinky. "For you to invoke such a danger without just cause-" Blinky broke him off. "If master Jim says it's so-" he tried, but Vendel cut him off in return. "You will be only too quick to belive him. You've never met a conspiracy theory you didn't like," he scowled. "I hate conspiracies. That is why I am dedicated to rooting them out," Blinky replied. "like you rooted out the plot to rid Trollmarket of all its cat meat?" Vendel asked. "That was a misunderstanding," Blinky defended himself. "Or the time you were convinced we were infested with flea trolls?" Jim looked to AAARRRGGHH for support and AAARRRGGHH nodded in confirmation. "Precaution is the soul of virtue," Blinky retorted. "Everyone in Trollmarket thinks you're paranoid," Vendel snarled. "If it's everyone, it must be a conspiracy!" Blinky snapped, making Vendel sigh.

"It would seem your pupil is desperate to play the hero," Vendel said as he slightly turned to Jim, "while you are desperate to see danger where none exists." Blinky didn't answer, and it seemed Vendel was finished with the conversation as well. "AAARRRGGHH, take me home," he said as he walked past Blinky, giving him a lethal stare. AAARRRGGHH groaned softly before doing as he was told. Toby laughed nervously, but followed after them, leaving you, Blinky and Jim alone in the room.

"It was right here," Jim said softly, gesturing at the ship. "You saw it, right?" he turned to you, a desperate look in his eyes. "Jim, I saw ancient marks carved into even more ancient stone. It was definitly here," you confirmed, laying a soft hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps Vendel's right," Blinky said, approaching the two of you. "Perhaps I have flooded your imagination with flights of fancy." He groaned, looking down into the floor. "I blame myself." "Not you, Blinky. You have to belive me. I know what I saw," Jim pleaded. Blinky turned to him and sighed. "If the proof isn't here, it has to be somewhere," Blinky comforted softly, placing a hand on Jim's shoulder. "You worry about your studies. I'll worry about this," he smiled softly. Almost.. fatherly. 

He walked off, leaving the two of you in the room. "I'm sorry about my father. He's a bit stubborn and close-minded sometimes," you chuckled softly, trying to lift the mood caused by embarrassment. You walked closer to the old boat, grazing your hand over the splintered wooden planks. "Nomura must have done this," you muttered to yourself. "You heard Blinky, we need to focus on school. He'll take care of this," Jim said as he placed a hand on your shoulder, signaling that it was time to go. "I guess so," you smiled softly.