Norbert stared at the man, tanned skin, looking back at him. Creased and looking like stained leather under white mop like hair. Thin hairs twirled into a moustache sprouting underneath the man's nose stout nose. Wearing the exact equipment as the other guards: a sword on his waist, the decorated silver handle with its thin scabbard and decorative hand guard of a rapier, nearly the complete opposite of Norbert's sword.
Norbert clamped his mouth shut as he waited for the man to talk, knowing whoever it was had much more information about Norbert than Norbert did of this moustache man; he was already on the downside in the war on knowledge, not wanting to play any more cards than he already fumbled accidentally.
Slackening his hands, Norbert waited for the man to say anything else. Instead, the man just continued going through his papers. He did not want to spend any more time with the man, knowing that if he was someone who could order, many guards would already know what he was capable of.
Sending energy around his body, Norbert focused on his arms as he pulled on either side of them. The leather tied them together and dug into his wrists before finally snapping, sounding like an explosion behind him.
Pulling his hands to the front as he rubbed his wrist, freeing them from the rest of the cord. Feeling the blood circulate again as he sent energy into them, the veins slightly going purple as the skin levelled out, no longer indented where the cord was.
The man with the papers nodded at Norbert. Norbert sat in the chair for several moments, waiting for a conversation to start.
"Why am I here?" Norbert asked the plated man.
Tapping his finger on the paper, the gentleman thought momentarily as he twirled his moustache. "To find a person."
"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't know who you think I am, but I am not a detective," Norbert said as he started to make his way out of the chair.
The older man snapped his fingers; Norbert heard a commotion from outside as hundreds of people all took a step at once. After several moments, a knock came from the door before a head poked in. Norbert believed it to be the same guard that shot him.
The guard looked over the room and at the moustache man standing with the papers before dismissing himself with a shallow bow, careful not to send any of the arrows falling out of the quiver in his movement.
Norbert rested back in the chair, receiving déjà vu of the last time he was in a similar situation. Back with it in Commander Sally's office, with not as many guards outside, but not believing that those who roamed the halls back then wouldn't cause much pain for Norbert and possibly even now.
"Whose the person?" Norbert said, seeing only one way out of this mess: diving forward as quickly as possible and hopefully coming out unscathed on the other side.
"A witch, if you would believe me. After a specific item." He said to Norbert.
Norbert looked at him vaguely. "Is that all you have? A witch after an item. Can you at least tell me what the item is?" Norbert asked, hoping to get a better idea of what it could be.
"Sadly, no." The man said to Norbert.
"Then what can you tell me?" Norbert asked, trying to get any information out of him that could help.
"Not much is known, only that she is mighty, rivalling even the biggest big shots around here. She can change her appearance, so that's any information I have in that regard is irrelevant. The only constant description is stitches along her body." The man said to Norbert.
He filled in the information in the back of his head, not coming up with anybody who could meet the description that was given. As he sat there, another thought rattled around: "Why me, and why should I even help you?" Norbert asked.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"Commander Sally has ordered you to assist in the investigation," the man said, flicking over a piece of paper to Norbert. Snatching it out of the air, Norbert looked down at it, quickly skimming through the brief letter.
"Dear Norbert,
I know this request is strange, but listen to him; that is an order.
From your jack lover, Sally."
Norbert just looked down at the letter, the end bit causing his head to shake, knowing that the order did come from the commander.
Folding the piece of paper up, Norbert starts to give it back, but the man in front of him refuses with a simple shake of his head. Sighing in annoyance at needing to hold onto it, Norbert folds it twice over into a square before placing it in his pocket, not knowing what to do with it.
"The reason why you specifically despite your lack of experience in the field is due to the connections you have made. Strong enough to go on your own as demonstrated." The man said, with a flourish of his hand at Norbert's wrists. "Only a few people have talked with and possibly befriended one of the Grimm. Let alone a vampire at that." The man said.
Norbert just shook his head, seeing where it was going. With the declaration that Count von Count did and his response finally biting him on the arse. I was surprised it had taken this long for something to happen from that interaction, enough time for him to forget about it, thinking the issue had passed.
"And how would knowing a vampire help in this endeavour?" Norbert asked, hoping to get something from the man before him.
"The Grimm are defensive about outsiders. The fact that you haven't been kicked out or killed from your place of rest shows that they accept you, somewhat." the man said.
"And how does the Grimm welcoming me help anything at all?" Norbert asked aloud, shaking his head. He did not understand where this person was coming from.
"And that bit about you is also true," the man said, looking down his nose to look at Norbert. Because this witch is a Grimm, go and find her now that you've been released. Report back here every three days about what you have found," the man said, turning to the door as he exited the room.
Norbert looked around the empty room, not believing the conversation he had just had. Shaking his head, he changed his vision to magic, looking around the room idly, wondering if there were any listening devices or things of that nature.
Scanning around the room and seeing several magic circles and runes plastered within them, Norbert tried to file them to memory their shapes and intricate patterns, knowing he wouldn't have the time or resources to examine them. As well as he did not want these people to know everything about him by keeping his cards close to his chest.
Heading towards the door, Norbert opened it as he looked around the hallway, surprised to see a single guard there. The uncountable number that lined the walls beforehand departed without Norbert hearing a thing in that conversation.
Shaking his head, not wanting to figure out the Colosseum situation, Norbert heads out of the passageway where he had come.
Exiting through the doors, finally outside, Norbert saw the sun rising in the air once more and groaned in annoyance at having wasted the entire night, wondering if he should return to the inn. His mouth salivated as he remembered the candies, wanting at least one before returning to the Colosseum and dealing with whatever he needed behind him up at the Colosseum windows, waving a hand to the closest group of guards looking out at him. Pushing energy throughout his body, Norbert leapt onto the closest building, running along the rooftops, avoiding people's items as they peppered across them.
Leaping over the street to the other side, he received points and stared at him as he flew through the air. Making quick time, Norbert made it to the front of the Pudgy Patron. Opening the door, Norbert stepped through, seeing Obsius and the fox sitting at the table, already eating, his own sitting in a bowl. Walking around, Norbert sat down, spooning it into his mouth. Calming the energy he was sending around his body, trying to stop being so restless before what would happen later in the day.
Norbert tapped his fingers against the table; he used the spoon to shove the last of the porridge-like substance into his mouth and downed the mug of water, unsticking anything in his mouth, raising the empty glass to the bartender before standing up and walking away from the table.
Seeing everyone still staring at him, stopping in his tracks as he walked towards Brezan the bartender, looking around the bar to see if there were any extra pieces. Not seeing any Norbert leaning towards the man.
"What were the odds?" Norbert asked.
Brezan took a half-step away and looked at Norbert, pinning the man down with his bartender's eyes and figuring out if he needed to get further away.
Norbert raised his hands. "I'm not looking for a fight; I'm just curious, is all."
You see Brezan visibly relax at the words, a balloon filled with stress deflated from him. "There are three to one odds that you wouldn't return today. One person bet that you would come here in the morning as you have," the bartender said.
Norbert just nodded, believing he knew who scored the jackpot by picking exactly when he would come back to the inn. Climbing the ladder, he looked around the room. "I'll give you guys a tip. Don't bet your luck against mine." Norbert stated the declaration, looking above and seeing a golden mote of light appear.
Shaking his head, Norbert climbed up the rest of the ladder, letting the guests continue with their day, whatever they were doing just before he showed up.