William sighed in relief as he stopped slowing his sense of time down to converse with the other races. Blasting ahead, he evaluated the area as he raced around the corridor, side kitchen, pantry and then back into the corridor and M’Craft’s office which he circled 3 times, reading all the wall plaques and desk paperwork before M’Craft had even reached his desk and sat down.
Four standard traps with hidden disabling buttons, one magical trap in his desk and I see the secretary is using a spell to listen in. Probably standard procedure in case he gets jumped. He likes jelly donuts, Havarian coffee and I smell some cheese pastries stashed away somewhere. He’s got four cases his agency is currently working on, one of which he is involved with. Ah, here’s a sketch of him with Nurrim. Oh, and I see he knows the Stormsons too. Interesting. Now let’s take a look at him. Hmm, half-orc, about 6’6”, weight about 250 pounds, middle aged, black hair, dusky skin and a dragon mark of finding tattooed into him. Very handy for his work. Ok, time to slow down my time sense so I can talk with him and not be bored out of my mind waiting for him to respond. William took a position on M’Craft’s desk facing him and unfolded the letter of recommendation until it was normal size for an orc and readable.
“You just read everything didn’t you?” M’Craft asked as he sat down and started reading the letter.
“Of course. After all I am a certified detective among other things. And yes, I’ve inherited Nurrim’s curiosity which is both a blessing and a curse depending on the situation.”
M’Craft raised an eyebrow bigger than William’s hand as he read and gestured for William to continue.
“Fortunately for the world I do not take after my uncle in terms of explosions and other forms of mass destruction.”
“Yes!” M’Craft exclaimed as he thrust a fist skyward and then settled back with a sigh of relief. “And why is that sir?”
“I am a Blur of distinction, first in my class, and a gentleman adventurer. While I love finding out things and solving mysteries as much as my uncle, I prefer to avoid violence if possible. A true noble, as opposed to the usual stuck-up fops one often meets, cares for those around him and strives to raise the standard of living for everyone. Something that’s sort of hard to do if you are busy destroying things.”
“Thank you!” M’Craft exclaimed looking up again. “Finally, a Blur I can do business with without having to worry about the fallout!” Then looking at William he commented, “No insult to your uncle son, but he is a wee bit destructive.”
“No insult taken. After the dragon incident, I think everyone has decided to stay far away from him if possible.”
“Speaking of which,” M’Craft asked as he went to a side cabinet and pulled out a bottle, offering it to William before pouring himself a glass. “I don’t suppose you could enlighten me as to what brought that on. It was quite a surprise for most of us and somewhat terrifying to be honest. I heard at least 4 warlocks, who were enemies of Nurrim, literally had to change their pants when they heard and quickly left the area.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Tell me what you know, and I’ll see if I can fill in the details.”
“The way I heard it, Nurrim had recently gotten married to, the name escapes me.”
“My Aunt Joan. Nurrim truly loves her as do most people who have met her, especially as she acts as a sort of brake on his wilder impulses.”
“Bless the woman! Anyone who can keep Nurrim in check is someone I respect.”
“Exactly, in fact Aunt Joan is probably one of the most protected people in the world.”
“You don’t say. Now why is that? I mean, obviously as the wife of one of the most powerful wizards in the world, I’m sure he’s cast the usual spells of protection and given her a magic item or two, but that’s standard.”
“Of course, there’s that, but it’s not the real reason. Now consider this, how many people would feel threatened by my uncle if he got mad at them?”
“Probably most of the people in this world and half the nearby planes of existence I’d imagine.”
William smiled. “Bingo! Aunt Joan is not only a kind person, but she helps channel Nurrim’s energies in a more productive direction as well as acting sort of like the safety on one of those guns some people around here like to carry. As long as she’s fine, life can go on as normal. But if a minion of some power hurt her, what do you think would happen?”
M’Craft paled. “Nurrim would destroy them with extreme prejudice and the fallout would likely wipe out a lot of people as well.”
“Exactly. In fact, there is a standard assassination contract out to terminate with prejudice anyone who tries to go after her. Which is why she is likely the most protected person around. Weaker people would never get through her standard items of protection and someone strong enough to do so, would also be aware of the consequences and even if they weren’t, their bosses certainly would be and would step in if needed.”
“Whew. So how does this tie into the dragon… Oh, I bet he threatened her right?”
“Yup. Big bad red dragon thought a young wife would be just the hostage to hold over Nurrim’s head. So, he decided to go after her. Not that he got the chance of course. Nurrim got word from at least two extraplanar sources and decided to make an example of said dragon.”
“It’s said he used light to cut off the dragon’s wings from 10 miles away.”
William grinned. “Oh, Nurrim certainly did that. Lined up his latest battle staff of wizardry and sliced him like he was cutting up chicken. But what most don’t know is this…”
M’Craft eagerly leaned forward. “Oh?”
“After Nurrim sliced off his wings, he teleported to right between the dragon’s eyes, told him off while they were plummeting towards the ground and then turned the big bad dragon into a little goldfish and put him in a glass jar on his mantle. And he’s still there. A warning to anyone who would think of attacking Aunt Joan. He can’t be transformed back until he dies of old age at which point, he gets to be reincarnated as a goblin and hopefully make better choices.”
The big half orc shuddered. “You’re right. No one is going to attack Nurrim’s wife and for all our sakes I hope she lives a long and happy life!”
“Here! Here!”
Clinking glasses, M’Craft and William settled back to talk and by the end of the day William was the latest employee of the M’Craft Investigative Agency with the call sign “What’s That?”.