Oddly enough, the thing Jim was most thankful for was the fact that his phone doubled as a flashlight. He figured he didn't need to worry about saving the battery to make calls, seeing as he seriously doubted his service covered the Darklands. That in itself was a favor to him. He could only imagine how many missed calls and messages he would have when -if- he made it home. Claire and Toby must have been worried sick, not to mention angry at him for coming here without them.

The Darklands, as the name implied, were indeed dark. Like in Trollmarket, there were stones that produced some light, but not nearly as much as what he was familiar with. So he had his phone in one hand and his sword in the other as he crept along the paths snaking through this unknown realm, the light aimed at his feet to avoid tripping but also keeping unwanted eyes from spotting the beam. He had heard some scrabbling here and there, but hadn't seen any trolls, goblins, or anything else of the sort. For the moment, his goal was finding the Changling Nursery in order to rescue Enrique. Now that NotEnrique had basically joined them and betrayed Gunmar, Jim doubted that that the Gumm-Gumm leader would have any qualms of ridding himself of Enrique if provoked. If Jim was going to bring doom to Gunmar, he needed to make sure Enrique was safe first.

"Shame I can't just ask for directions," he muttered to himself. He snapped his mouth shut and stopped, crouching down a bit as he spotted a few moving lights ahead, likely torches or something similar. They were some ways away, but he didn't want to risk being spotted any more than he already was just by being there. It occurred to him he may very well be the first human to ever set foot in this realm, and he was certainly at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, not to mention he didn't know the terrain like they did- or at all.

He turned his phone off and slipped it into his armor, then replaced his sword over his shoulder and instead took up his daggers in order to make himself more mobile. With one clenched in each hand, he knelt low to the ground and crept forward, barely even breathing as he scanned his surroundings for enemies. Straining his ears, he picked up the sound of troll voices, though they were much raspier and harsher than the trolls he knew back home. His heart ached with loneliness as he thought about his friends. He shook his head and buried the feelings, reminding himself that he was here on a mission and couldn't afford any distractions. Gunmar wanted him dead, and probably had a very slow and painful method in mind if the Trollhunter was captured.

He took a slow, soft breath to steel himself as he came to a slope, ducking behind a few boulders and peering around them toward the source of the activity below. It appeared to be an outpost of some kind, not quite a full camp but still teeming with Gumm-Gumm Warriors and scouts, including a few waka-chakaing goblins and a handful of stalklings flying above as sentries. They had a rock wall of defenses built on their western flank, but beyond that, they didn't appear all that concerned with fortifying the area. Several Gumm-Gumms were sharpening weapons, others were sparring, and still others were eating and drinking. Manners were apparently not all that important, seeing how they shoveled food and gulped down their drinks. The goblins appeared to be in charge of clean up, and they devoured whatever fell to the ground.

Jim had trekked quite a while before reaching this outpost, so he doubted this was a place they were using to prepare for an invasion via Killahead Bridge. That left him wondering what the point of this place was. The number of Gumm-Gumms present told him that they were defending rather than attacking, save maybe a scouting party. What was their purpose?

Luck was not only not on Jim's side but apparently actively working against him, for when he took a slight step, he managed to knock a pebble that went tumbling down the slope to the outpost. A stalkling above immediately caught wind of it and screeched, alerting the present Gumm-Gumms. Jim ducked back behind the boulders, praying no one had spotted him, but he knew better than that. The stalkling that had nearly ended his life alone had proven otherwise. He heard voices shouting in a troll language, what he assumed were demands to know who he was and what he was doing there. The amulet in his armor glowed slightly, and he was both intrigued and horrified as it provided him with translations somewhere in his mind.

"Show yourself!"

"You're either brave or foolish, sneaking around like that!"

"Prepare to die, intruder!"

He cupped his hand over the amulet, blocking its light, but it was too little, too late. A stalkling screeched as it came swooping toward his hiding place, and he heard pounding troll feet stampeding up the slope. Deciding it was best to get a head start rather than be cornered, Jim rolled out from behind the boulders and took off running across the top of the incline as fast as his feet would take him.

"What the?!" he heard flabbergasted calls. "A human?! How did a human get here?"

"The Trollhunter!" Another realized.

"Don't let him escape! Lord Gunmar wants him captured alive!"

"Of course he does," Jim huffed as he ducked under a stalkling's talons. He spun around and threw one of his daggers at it, cutting its wing and sending it spiraling for a brief moment.

That brief moment was all he needed, and he extended one hand to call the dagger back to him as he slipped into a bunch of underbrush and rocks. The Gumm-Gumms were hot on his heels and closing in fast, and he hoped his smaller size would allow him greater maneuverability in these narrow stone passages. However, he didn't account for the goblins that were chasing him as well, and he looked up at the sound of growls and more waka-chakas above him. Claws struck for him, and he dove forward and rolled out of the way as he emerged into a slightly larger chasm that opened to a plateau. In the distance, he could barely make out a cave, and he figured it was better than being out in the open. His lungs were burning and his muscles threatened to cramp up at any moment, but adrenaline overpowered them and kept him going.

"What is he...?" he heard a Gumm-Gumm puzzle as he sprinted toward the cavern, dodging angry goblins. He grunted and stumbled as a stalkling swooped in and managed to cut his arm, and he rolled back to his feet and kept going. As he drew close to his destination, he noticed that his attackers were falling behind. He didn't stop until he had entered the cavern, and he turned a corner and slumped down as he panted and gasped, trying to fill his aching lungs. He could hear his pursuers just outside, but didn't dare peer out to see them for himself.

"...Now what?" one asked, and he heard frustrated growls and stomping feet.

"He's as good as gone," another said. "Lord Gunmar wants him dead one way or another."

"But if he finds out we let him go-"

"Are you volunteering to go in after him?!" another snarling voice interrupted. "With any luck, we'll get his remains later. Not even the Trollhunter can stand up to the Black Death."

No doubt these Gumm-Gumms knew that Jim had been responsible for slaying Bular, and yet they had pursued him relentlessly. So whatever this "Black Death" was, it was apparently much more terrifying to them than he was. He didn't doubt Gunmar would be furious if he learned that the Trollhunter had escaped, and figured the punishments here were rather fierce. So the fact that they would rather face that than this other thing... Jim was both curious and terrified of what it might be.

"Maybe... the enemy of my enemy is my friend?" he muttered as he caught his breath. He decided he would rather take his chances with whatever the Black Death was than go back out and try to fight off a small army. And even if it turned out the other option wasn't friendly, he hoped his death would be a lot faster than it would be at Gunmar's hands.

After a bit of time to rest, Jim heaved himself to his feet and drew his sword from his back. He retrieved his phone and turned on the flashlight, though it barely cut through the blackness of the cavern. Slowly, carefully, he started further in, his steps echoing off the stone.

He hadn't gone far, though it had taken a while at his pace to find the cavern's occupant. Deep in the darkness, he heard a low growling, and the light from his phone reflected off of reptilian green eyes with black slits for pupils that watched him. This certainly wasn't a troll, as far as he could tell. He stopped and took a defensive stance squinting a bit as he tried to discern just what it was looking at him.

"Uh..." he grunted, and the growling stopped. The green eyes' pupils widened as they stared at him, and he heard some sort of shuffling as the eyes moved- or rather, the creature moved. Jim nearly froze as it slowly came closer to him, and as it approached, his phone's light revealed more of what he was facing. It was a creature with black scaly skin, barely visible in the darkness, and around its head were flaps like fins that laid back against the head itself. As it stepped forward, Jim was fairly certain he could hear claws scraping against the stone floor of the cavern. As it came closer still, he about stopped breathing as he got a better look at it. It had large, leathery wings folded around its back, and a tail swung back and forth behind it.

"No way," he breathed. "Are you... a dragon?" The creature's interest piqued at the sound of his voice, and it skittered even closer until it was barely a pace away from him. He backed up on instinct, and the creature let out a soft, rumbling sound almost like a purr. Jim blinked and stared at it, still backing up slowly, and it continued to draw closer until he'd been backed against the wall.

The dragon lowered its head and seemed very interested in Jim's leg. It sniffed at him for a while before looking up at his face, almost as if it were confused. Jim could say the same. This dragon didn't seem hostile toward him, at least not anymore. More, it was curious. He relaxed a bit as he decided it wasn't going to kill him right this moment, and he slung his sword back over his shoulder. This must have appeased it, as it opened its mouth slightly and its tongue lolled out of one side. If he didn't know any better, he would say it was smiling a bit. But as he took a closer look, he noticed something rather odd.

"Huh," he tilted his head curiously. "Toothless? Why would they be so scared when- GAH!" He didn't have time to finish the thought. The dragon lunged at him and knocked him to his back, and he was fairly certain he saw his life flash before his eyes. That is, until he realized it wasn't attacking him or trying to eat him. Rather, it was licking him like an ecstatic dog, just with more slobber. Jim protested vocally once he realized he wasn't dead, and he managed to free himself from the dragon's eager assault.

"What was that about?!" He demanded as he rolled back and got to his feet. "Do I taste-" he jerked as an onslaught of hiccups cut him off, probably brought on from the sudden terror. "Great," he huffed. "Just what I- hic- need." He crossed his arms and eyed his company, and if he didn't know any better, he would say the dragon was laughing at him. "What, you think it's funny- hic- I have the hiccups?" The dragon sat up at full attention, and Jim frowned. "What? Hiccup?" The dragon's scaly flaps twitched and it crept toward him. "You recognize some words, huh?" Jim realized. "Which means... You've known humans before, haven't you?" He paused. "...Toothless?" The dragon rumbled a bit in response. "You definitely know that word. Can I- hic- call you that? Toothless?" He lifted his hand toward the dragon's nose, and the dragon's green gaze fell on him. It was much softer now, almost warm. "Toothless," Jim repeated, and the dragon, Toothless, gently pressed its head into his hand and closed its eyes. Jim smiled and scratched its nose a bit, and Toothless gave him a content rumble. "I wonder why they're so scared of you. You're not a Black Death or anything like that." Toothless opened his eyes again and pushed past Jim's hand, nuzzling him, and the Trollhunter laughed. "All right, big guy. I think we can be friends. Maybe you can even help me." As he scratched Toothless under the chin, he looked over the rest of the dragon. Now that he was in clearer view, Jim saw that he had what appeared to be the remains of a saddle and some sort of mechanism that connected from a pedal of some kind down to his tail, where it looked like he was missing half of it and had a metal skeleton and a few shreds of fabric stuck to it.

"Wow," he marveled as he looked into the dragon's eyes. "You used to have a rider, didn't you? I wonder how long ago that was... or how you even got here." He looked down in thought. "Boy, if I could fly with you... That would make things so much easier. But it looks like you'd need a new tail for that." He pondered it for a moment, and an idea sparked in his head. The base was there, from the looks of it. He just needed a big piece of fabric to stretch over it. He took out one of his daggers and smiled at his new companion.

"You know, you're the first friendly face I've seen in quite a while," he said as he dismissed his armor. Toothless watched curiously as he pulled off his jacket and shuffled over to lay it out over the metal framework attached to his tail. "It's not the best, but hopefully it'll do for now," he went on as he used the other part of the dragon's tail for reference. Toothless was fascinated as he began cutting his jacket up, and he laid the resulting piece over the metal rods and pulled it tight. "I think that would work," he thought aloud. "But... shoot. I need something to keep it attached." He looked up as Toothless circled around, tongue lolling out again. He looked from Jim to his tail and back again, then gave the fabric a very enthusiastic lick that Jim wasn't quite able to avoid.

"Uugh, I don't think that'll ever wash out," he muttered. But as he tried to wipe the slobber off, he realized it wasn't quite what he expected. It was thicker than what he usually took for spit and sticky, almost like glue, and he smiled. "Oh, I get it. So..." he knelt down and began pressing the saturated fabric together around the metal rods, keeping it taught, and he held it for a moment as it dried. Once it had, he stepped back and Toothless lifted his tail to inspect the addition. Jim looked over the rest of the mechanism.

"So... Looks like this pedal is attached and helps control the angle of the fin," he noticed. "Guess we can give it a try. What do you think, Toothless?" Toothless grinned at him and opened his wings as much as the cavern allowed. "I thought so." He scratched the dragon's chin again. "Let's get out of here and find Enrique." He took up the remaining piece of his amulet. "For the doom of Gunmar, Eclipse is mine to command." The incantation summoned his armor and he replaced the dagger at his thigh, and Toothless crept along behind him as he started back toward the passage he had come through.

Jim came to a stop near the cavern's mouth and he strained his ears for any sound of his enemies, but it was quiet outside. He drew his sword and slowly stepped out, and Toothless followed and looked around curiously. No trolls or goblins were anywhere to be seen, and Jim allowed himself to relax now that he had company. Toothless looked at him eagerly and lifted his tail, and Jim chuckled and shook his head.

"Okay, okay. Let's see..." He came to the dragon's side and carefully hoisted himself up into what was left of the saddle, and he could feel Toothless shaking with anticipation. "Please go easy on me," the Trollhunter laughed. "I've never flown a dragon before." He placed his foot on the pedal and gave it a couple of adjustments, watching the fin on Toothless's tail react. "Okay, so that does that..." Toothless spread his wings, and Jim took a deep breath. "So, now, I should...? What do I-"

The rest of his statement was lost in a terrified scream as Toothless took off with a leap into the air and a flap of his wings. As he found himself shooting up into the air, he held onto Toothless's back for dear life and decided it would be best to stop screaming.

"O-Okay, okay," he panted as he relaxed his death grip and Toothless leveled out several hundred feet in the air. The dragon let out another rumbling sound, and Jim was now certain that he was being laughed at. "What? I've never done anything like this!" Toothless looked back at him with his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth, and Jim smiled. "Fine. Looks like as long as I keep your tail steady, you can fly okay. So I'll let you take the lead." Toothless grinned at him. "I'm looking for the Changling Nursery," Jim went on. "There's a bunch of goblins there taking care of some babies. My friend's brother is there. Think you can help me get him back?" Toothless gave him an affirmative noise, as far as he could tell, and Jim scratched the back of his head. "Thanks. This'll be a lot easier with your help."

He looked down with a mix of awe and terror at the Darklands below. So far, they had managed to avoid curious Gumm-Gumm eyes, but as he watched the landscape zip by and felt the wind blast against his face, he wondered if they were going too fast to be noticed. Toothless was also solidly black in color, and no glow from Jim's armor would be visible from below, so they were likely difficult to spot anyway.

Even at their speed and vantage point in the air, it took quite some time before Jim spotted a curious valley that was relatively well lit compared to the rest of the Darklands. There appeared to be some kind of baskets hanging all around the valley, and on closer inspection, he saw goblins skittering about.

"That's gotta be it," he said softly. "Okay, Toothless. Enrique has got to be down there somewhere." He let out a yelp as Toothless suddenly dove down, leaving him flailing a bit as he tried to regain his balance, and he huffed as the dragon suddenly flared his wings and slowed down to hover just above the valley. Unfortunately, his involuntary distress call didn't go unnoticed by the goblins below, and he heard a swell of alarmed waka-chakas followed by shouts from troll guards below.

"Okay, Toothless, steady," Jim mumbled as he laid as flat as possible on his partner's back. Toothless growled and bared his teeth.

"What is the Black Death doing all the way out here?!" a voice demanded. "Get down and force it back! Lord Gunmar will have the heads of anyone who lets it get near the human spawn!"

"That's our cue, buddy," Jim said as he pulled his sword from his back. "Enrique is down there somewhere! Let's get him out of here!"

Toothless screeched and, to Jim's shock, opened his mouth and shot forth a blast of fire that sent a duo of Gumm-Gumms armed with slings and bows flying. Very quickly, the cries of infants joined the shouts from the trolls and goblins, and Jim adjusted his foot to keep Toothless's tail steady while he jumped to the dragon's side and scanned the baskets. He felt bad leaving the other kidnapped children here, but he knew Enrique was in the most danger. After all, the others were serving as familiars to the Changlings in the human world, and he doubted Gunmar would want their cover blown that quickly.

"What in...? Something's on that demon's back!" He heard someone call furiously.

"A human?!" Another demanded. "The Trollhunter! How is that possible?!"

"Okay, Toothless," Jim said quickly as his partner shot a fire blast at a group of goblins hurrying toward them, scattering green goo on impact. "Let's not stay any longer than we have to." Toothless flapped his wings to send them higher and Jim squinted his eyes as he peered through the baskets, and finally, he found a familiar face among them.

"Enrique!" A relieved grin spread across his face. "Toothless, down there!" He pointed at the basket. "That's him!" Toothless gave him an understanding screech and dove down, dodging a rock that flew just above Jim's head. The dragon steadied himself next to the basket and Jim smiled at the baby staring at him with wide eyes.

"It's okay, Enrique," he cooed as he scooped him up. "I'm gonna get you back to Claire. She's worried sick about you, you know." He adjusted a blubbering Enrique in front of him and patted Toothless's back. "Okay, buddy. Let's get out of here!" Toothless gave his wings a great flap and frustrated troll growls and screeches followed them into the air. Jim found himself thanking his lucky stars that they didn't have Stalklings keeping watch, and he figured it was best to get as far away as possible before they could call for reinforcements.

Toothless didn't slow down until they were far away from the Nursery, and Jim cradled Enrique in one arm while he held on with the other.

"Wow... we actually did it." Jim let out a relieved laugh. "Oh, that probably isn't very comfortable," he noticed as Enrique pulled away from his armor. He gave a cautious glance around, then dismissed it, and Enrique looked at him curiously before snuggling in against his chest.

"Wow..." he said softly. "I actually did it. Thanks, Toothless." Toothless gave him a rumbling purr. "Let's get to Killahead Bridge!"