"This your fan club or something?" Hyeon asked him as he stepped through the portal, having met his latest guest.

I looked around the room, seeing that everyone else was still there, and I was surprised to see Sally still there.

"What are you still doing here, Sally?" Norbert asked her. The commander turned to the side of her seat, papers strewn about the dining table. "Looks like you've made this place your home." Norbert continued in afterthought, from looking at the mess on the table she created.

Norbert sat at the table as Sally looked up, staring at the newcomer. "She's here because …" She asked Norbert.

Norbert turned around, seeing Count von Count and the Librarian standing beside the portal. The Librarian's mouth was agape as she stared at the congregation within the room. Breathing in, the Librarian took the form of herself before she continued walking into the room, standing beside Norbert.

Norbert took the seat he was there before, and Count von Count also returned to their seat. As Norbert looked around the table, seeing the two people now standing, one over two sides.

"Looks like we'll need more chairs if people keep coming here?" Norbert asked around the room.

Count von Count just shrugging in response, Obsius not even caring about what Norbert was saying, off on the balcony, looking towards the snow still falling outside. The sky lit up from the sun; Norbert notes to look down at the valley again.

"We're only going to need more chairs if you keep inviting people," Lily said.

Norbert turned to her, patting the daggers. "Oh, thanks for these. Believe they will be instrumental."

Lily nodded in response, a slight smile tugging on her lips as she swished her hand in the air. Norbert watched as she flicked her hand in the air, using it as a come hither motion to some of the bites on the table.

The food now caught his attention, so he reached out with a single hand, crawled forward on the table, and grabbed a pastry before flicking it into his mouth and swallowing it in a single bite.

"Did that even touch the sides?" Count von Count asked him.

"Nope!" Norbert exclaimed back as he licked his lips, confirming that everything that possibly could have been eaten.

"Ehem hello?" The Librarian asked from behind Norbert.

"Oh, that's right, we were going to talk about the subjects," Norbert said, moving the chair out from under the table. Going to the staircase, Norbert turned back, seeing the Librarian still following him, all other eyes from the table tracking him.

Waving back to them that it would be fine, Norbert went up the stairs, taking two at a time before opening the door and entering the bedroom area.

Seeing his backpack in the same spot as he had left it before. Norbert walked towards it, ruffling through before taking out the pendant, buffing it on his leg before passing it through the air toward the Librarian.

"Ever seen something like that?" Norbert asked her.

The Librarian took the pendant out of the air before she spun it around, examining both sides. Spinning it around, she stopped it at the logo. As it finished turning around, she made it forward, seeing the pattern as she traced it with her finger.

"I haven't seen this exact thing, but things similar are out there." She responded, walking forward and sitting on the bed next to him.

"And are these things earlier or later than these halls we now reside in?" Norbert asked her.

"Oh, these are ancient. There are no written books for this. Only on stone and the ancient buildings you have most likely received this from." She explained before flourishing her arms to the room around her, "These halls, though, are fairly new in comparison. The fact we know of the Mountain King who made them is a testament to that." She said.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Norbert nodded along. "And what about The Great Witch?" Norbert asked her, wondering where this would form in the story.

"Nobody knows. One day, she just popped up, a reference to her." The Librarian said.

"But wouldn't that mean that's when she appeared, whenever that was?" Norbert asked.

"If only it were that simple. References first started appearing a hundred cyclicals ago. Then people started discovering them earlier and earlier." She said.

Norbert interrupted her, "But that just means you didn't look properly the first time?" Norbert responded.

She shook her head as she continued speaking; she said, "That's what we thought at first. That we missed it; when texts we know, that the author knows they never put in, they appear overnight, all trace of when she first came is lost." The Librarian said.

"So what, books just appeared there? What was the first recorded time of this happening?" Norbert asked.

"A children's book of things that bump in the night. I meant to spook them. When they turned the page, it just appeared there one night. Of course, at first, people thought it was. They didn't realise it until it kept happening. And now it's just a fact of the Great Witch, Babba Yagga herself, and we have all moved on." The Librarian said.

Norbert nodded, saying aloud, "Mental note, don't annoy Granny." Norbert said.

"Granny?" The Librarian asked, head tilting to the side.

Norbert just dismissed the question with a wave as he looked at her. "Don't mind me. With all this discussion, there is one thing we haven't done yet. That is, introduce ourselves." Norbert said as he stood up, taking a bow. “I am Norbert, and you are?” Norbert asked, still having his head down.

"Oh, I know who you are, and you may call me the Librarian, something which I'm sure you've already called me." The Librarian said in a tone that she already knew about it.

Norbert looked at her. "And how do you know about me?" Norbert asked, hand fluttering down to his hip.

The Librarian followed his hand with her eyes for a moment before shooting them back up to Norbert's own. "Someone doesn't take chances." She said, grinning slightly, her left canine showing through her pursed lips. "Well, you have this nasty habit of only raising your guard when it's too late, which forces you to force your way out like the brute you are." The Librarian said, starting to stand up and walk off to the side of the bed.

Norbert looked around the room, wondering if a trap surrounded him. I didn't hear anything from downstairs, hoping she didn't do something to stop the sound. Norbert didn't give her any more time and brought his hand down to the daggers on his belt. The blade flew forward, and Norbert went backward; grabbing his backpack, Norbert headed towards the balcony.

Watching the dagger, heading towards her body, stop just before hitting her, the blue runes dissipating in the air, cracking with energy as it fell apart, another taking its place to hold the dagger in the air. Turning around, Norbert jumped onto the balcony, thinking at least his plan to use the daggers would be effective. Out on the balcony, the sun creates shadows on the rails.

Leaping into the setting sun, Norbert grabbed onto the railing, stopping himself from being catapulted down the cliff. Moving his body back in, Norbert landed on the central balcony below him. Looking around, I saw four people at the table. Stepping forward, Norbert stopped as one turned around, the black figure staring back at Norbert.

Looking towards the door, Norbert turned around, not knowing where that could take him now or even if it still worked with the place compromised. The black figures start to shuffle out of their chairs. Norbert ran for the balcony again. Placing his foot on the balcony, Norbert launched himself against the cliff. Flexing his fingers, Norbert slammed them into the mountainside. He was pumping his energy into his hands; he felt it slide through the earth. Flexing down, Norbert halted, feeling his body lurch forward before stopping.

Looking up, having fallen several meters, one of the black figures just pointed at Norbert, wondering what was happening; Norbert saw their finger elongate slowly towards him. Relaxing his fingers, Norbert continued his drop downwards. Looking around, seeing nothing that could be of note, Norbert continued to drop, finding something to land on.

Turning around, looking off at the winding road Norbert made his way across. As he looked there, another of the creatures came falling past him. Letting his fingers go, Norbert dropped with the creature a second later.

I watched as the two fell, ensuring that it wouldn't try to do something to catch up to him or attack him in any way.

His coat now flapping in the wind, Norbert needing to slow down, not wanting to impact with the ground or any outcroppings at this speed. Angling his feet to the side, directing him to the left and away from the creature as it continued to fall underneath him.

It was spotting far below a ledge to sit on, running further to the left before it crested around; Norbert lost sight of where it continued across the mountain.

Slowing down, Norbert landed on the ledge, thankful it was wide enough to stand comfortably. Looking both ways on his path, Norbert continued on the left around the mountain, the direction he was heading when falling. Looking up at the balcony he dropped off from moments before, Norbert was shocked to see the wave of black figures coming his way.

He first thought that he couldn't find the balcony due to the inky blackness they created as a single rolling mass. Norbert pushed forward, not wanting to be found there, going down the path and hoping for some way into the mountain or safely onto the ground far below.