Norbert looked down at the floor, Obsius near him again when he slowly came to his feet. Seeing the hall the same as before, the air swirling with dust , the torch rolling around in its own ring of ash. Leaning down, Norbert picked up the torch, investigating the orange wisps that trailed after it, dancing together before disappearing. Turning around, watching the white room and its white light bathed onto the floor, illuminating it.
Staring off into the dark hall, something looked and felt different as he stared. Continuing to stare harder, Norbert wondered what it could be, unable to tell precisely what it was.
Seeing chirp at him before flying forward, Norbert turned around as he watched the bird, a smile painted on his face as he wondered what the feeling irking him was. Dismissing it, Norbert followed after Norbert, tapping the daggers once more so that they were all in their spots, no damage or nothing happening to him.
He was leaving the safety of the white hall and its light shining down on the floor. Norbert walked away from its safety, wondering what the hall had in stall for him this time and what the figure would do now.
Walking down the hallway, taking his time so as not to rush in case he missed anything, going at the same pace as the figure previously would walk down it. Looking up, Norbert saw Obsius flying far above him, wondering what the bird was doing there. Waving to her, Norbert started to see her descent, heading below her to catch her before she fell on the floor.
Norbert reached out, about to grasp the bird as she flew away, up into the air again. Norbert stared at her, amazed at seeing her fly off. Following her with his eyes, the bird landed on his shoulder before chirping at him.
"Nothing's wrong, just surprised." Norbert said to the bird.
Obvious tweeted at Norbert, who shook his head, "Nah, don't want to tell you, too long of a story, and it's still jumbled around inside my head." Norbert said to her as he longingly looked around for the figure, not believing his eyes “I’ll tell you later.” He continued.
She was receiving a confirmation chirp and a nod of her head before she pecked him on the neck. Norbert smiled at her, rubbing her head with his palm as he continued walking down the hall.
Looking around it with a fresh pair of eyes, knowing that this time something was different about it compared to the other times he crossed it, Obsius on his shoulder tweeting away was proof of it.
Taking up the time, Norbert began to whistle, forming the same tune. Joining in without hesitation, Obsius added her spin to it, morphing it into some discombobulated mess. Happy that the rhythm was still the same, Norbert continued to whistle as he walked further down the hall, keeping his magical vision on to see when or possibly if the pink appendages would return.
Travelling down the hallway, Norbert looked around, confirming it was the same. The brownie tone on the walls with no other magical sigils anywhere. Knowing that these halls had duped him in the past, Norbert kept his attention around him, not wanting to miss anything.
A tweet from Obsius took Norbert out of his world as he looked around, seeing why Obsius had called his attention. Rather than the constant walls on either side with the blackness of nothingness in front of him, Norbert could see the brown hue of a solid rock wall, only slightly shrouded in the darkness.
Looking at the torch, still easily alighted, Norbert walked forward, meeting the wall as he touched it, confirming it was there. Turning around, Norbert looked behind himself, seeing the light from the white room on the other side of the hall, easily able to see it.
Looking back at the wall, he stumped on how it was possible, remembering the times he walked much longer than before. Losing sight of everything, the only way he knew he didn't get turned around and walked in circles was the two walls on either side that made up the hall. But now, looking around again, Norbert couldn't believe anything he had seen.
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He followed along the back of the wall, trailing his hand on it, confirming that it was solid all the way through, his fingers tapping a rhythm as he walked, his whistling starting up again.
Walking the entire hall length, Norbert saw the other side of the wall ahead of him, not believing it, all the others being much larger than this one. Looking internally, confirming the energy was still running inside himself, now just doing it on autopilot. With no proper exertion on his body or a force stopping him, it wasn't being used up.
Walking back to the centre, Norbert turned to Obsius, "You should get away; this could get messy." Norbert said to the bird.
Obsius flew off towards the other hall; Norbert saw that she was far enough away. He was tapping his knuckles on the wall, confirming that it was solid everywhere in his section. Saying a quick prayer to Luck that he wouldn't topple the entire network of halls and tunnels, Norbert waited.
Not hearing any protest from the goddess, Norbert continued with his plan. Pulling back his hand, forming it into a fist, Norbert swung it forward, pushing as much energy into the movement as possible.
Making it propelled faster and strengthening his hand to stop it from being obliterated into a bloody paste, the energy bolsters the skin and bones, allowing the elixirs he drank to work even more effectively.
Norbert's fist went even faster than he thought possible, feeling his body twist around as it impacted the wall.
CRACK
The sound of the stone wall in front of him cracking under the force he gave to it. Norbert looked at his fist as the dust settled once more. Norbert saw his fist sunken into the stone wall in front of him and trying to budge it; Norbert was unable to and tried again; Norbert pulled on the energy, only to lose balance as he plummeted to the floor, tiredness overtaking him.
Feeling around his body, the energy usually so fast and thick was now only a trickle. Gasping for air, being held up by his arms still stuck in the wall, Norbert was no longer thinking about it, now about the energy that was only trickling around his body.
Remembering before, when he first drank the liquid, and the energy was moving around himself, he was not used to it; even this tiny amount would have been more than what he used. Gulping in the air, not wanting to black out, Norbert felt Obsius land on his arm, still attached to the wall.
Chirping at him with concern, Norbert could not answer the bird as he felt Obsius land on his arm. Looking up at the bird, a pained smile on his face as he held in the barf, knowing that letting it out would be more of a hassle and distract him, not wanting to go into a spiral of pain and discomfort, likely resulting in him passing out.
He was breathing deep breaths, thinking about the energy travelling through him, following it along his body, titi path the path and becoming reminiscent of when he first used this power to take on the wolves. Now, he was sure he could easily crush them, and even if injured, he could heal himself quickly.
Slowly, Norbert's queasiness and tiredness came to pass, the energy within his body still weak compared to before, but not to the point where it could just stop if he tried walking, having been exerted too much.
Standing up, leaning on the wall, feeling his head spin slightly, waiting for it to come out. Obsius still stared at him, now feeling he could respond appropriately, saying, "Just exerted myself a bit more than I thought I would." Internally adding "Thought I ever could." I am still amazed at the amount of energy he exerted, not even getting this weak when he was up against Arzlan.
Standing upright now, no longer needing to lean against the wall, Norbert looked at his hand, still embedded in the stone wall. The dust was all around it as he wriggled it around, confirming that it was still there, the same as it was before, stuck.
He wiggled his fingers around, confirming he could but would not extend them enough to un-ball them from the fist they were, his thumb-stopping them from uncurling properly.
Looking at the energy in his body, hoping it would be enough to heal himself after what he would do, Norbert wrenched his hand out, feeling and hearing the bones break within it.
Screaming out in pain, Norbert looked around, thrashing about as his hand hung limply on the side. Hearing the pitter patter on the ground, looking down, seeing his purple-tinged blood splattering on the floor.
He was closing his eyes; Norbert looked to the ceiling in frustration and opened them up as he looked up. Their eyes opened in shock as his mouth was left agape, his eyes travelling down the wall, on the crack that had split it, coming from the impact of origination, his fist.