He moved his hand from the sword, not wanting to use it and slowing down his escape any more than needed. He sent the energy around his body, feeling it sluggish compared to normal as he felt it move about his body.
He was focusing it on his legs. Norbert was looking to see if any side streets were useable, but he did not find any as the Kreevss started to come closer to him, all in a line. The time for action is coming to Norbert, who does not want to get entrapped by the Kreevss.
Leaning forward, Norbert got down as he pushed a runner off the starting block after the gun had been shot. Several steps took him straight to Kaa, moving his body to the side and avoiding the Kreevss entirely.
Bursting past the first line, the Kreevss did not even react in time as Norbert started running down the street in front of him. He tried to remember the map on how to get underground, hoping they didn't have forces waiting there either.
Arrows above him are being launched out, peppering the street around him and feeling them pierce his back, Norbert grabs them and rips them out, being mindful of healing them up straight away, not wanting to lose the blood or allow it to be a trail for him to follow.
Seeing people up ahead, Norbert quickly turned around, and the sea of Kreevss follows him, causing the sand to kick up into the air, a sandstorm chasing after him. Seeing no archers around here, he wondered how they would have contained him around the Colosseum. Norbert dived into a side street.
Continuing to go across to the right, Norbert tries to remember where Vivienne had shown him the wall that gave way, opening up to the underground city below and where he might be able to escape from his pursuers. He does not want to go into the clothing store with this many people following him.
Norbert diverts towards the clothing store, remembering when nobody could escape from purchasing something, hoping that the Kreevss would also be forced to get something.
Barging into the store, Norbert screeching on his heels to slow down before knocking on something. Everyone looked at him in the busy store as Norbert quickly hailed someone down.
"I'm here to pick up some clothes," Norbert told no one in particular.
A clerk popping up in front of him, moving him to the back of the room, Norbert seeing a cubby hole system with pieces of fabric wrapped up everywhere. Hearing a commotion at the front, the Kreevss likely having arrived just arrived, hoping the store clerks would slow them down.
The clerk showed Norbert his clothes, seeing the wrapping like usual, and he nodded, giving the rest of the coinage as he started to walk out. Stopping on his heels, Norbert asked the man, "Can I walk out in this, and do you have a sack as well?"
The clerk looked between Norbert and the Kreevss who started walking into the store, eyeing the two of them. "Five silver for a sack."
***
Norbert was garbed in his new attire, the colourful fabric wrapped around his body. He was leaning over with a hunched back, using his sword as a cane, with part of the sack wrapped around the handle, hiding it.
Walking past the Kreevss and out of the store, all of them being bombarded by the salespeople, Norbert wondered how much money they would make out of this. Looking on the street outside, archers once more lined the building. Norbert froze for a moment as they stared at him, holding his breath as he began to straighten up, wanting to sprint out of the situation.
Holding onto his nerves in an iron fist, Norbert calmed his breathing, slowing it down to normal. Looking down towards the ground, he quickly shuffled off. Others in the street were also moving about, and Norbert blended into the crowd around him.
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Checking that the coast was clear and nobody was after him, Norbert wanted to start whistling. Remembering that was what got him caught previously. Lucky that it was just some kids, but if it had been the Kreevss. Norbert shook his head as he imagined another run around the city, this time not having an easy way to hide himself.
The first thing on his agenda was a way to fix his helmet. Norbert started following his nose, going this way and that on the upper levels, keeping an eye out for any Kreevss that may come about his path on his journey to find a blacksmith.
Keeping his ears out as Norbert continued to walk around, not asking for directions as he went around the city, not going into the lower levels, knowing he would be much more easily singled out, his current clothes not blending in with the designs of below.
Near the centre, the Colosseum was just a block over. Norbert walked around, each street having its own rough type. As he walked across one, hearing the sounds of banging and metal on metal, he stopped for a moment.
Walking down it, Norbert followed the sounds as he heard more and more. The buildings opened up, and parts of their roofs were exposed to the elements as smoke came up into the air. Walking forward, Norbert went to the first place, walking past the curtain and looking about the establishment.
Looking about the place, he saw two long tables, weapons and several pieces of armour sitting there. At the other end of the store, beside the person hammering down, Norbert saw a counter with just an empty stool.
Walking forward to the counter, pulling out the two pieces of the helmet from the sack onto the counter, the two pieces of metal clanging together, the sound cutting the rhythm the blacksmith was creating.
Norbert smiled as he waited there. The hammering continued undisturbed. Looking forward for a minute, the hammering continued as Norbert turned to the side, wondering what they were doing to entice their attention for so long with a customer waiting.
He saw the furnace glowing red hot and the bricks glowing a white light from inside. Norbert could see half of a rune on the outside, a crystal on top. Norbert watched the blacksmith as they hammed away at the piece of metal from the furnace, slowly losing its red glow.
After some time, the blacksmith placed the metal back in the furnace, placing their hand on the crystal on top as the metal turned a cherry red instantly, the runes producing the heat blinding Norbert as he looked away from it, seeing spots in his eyes.
He blinked as he turned away from the light and leaned on the counter, his eyes watering as he regained his vision. Hearing the hammering go no more, Norbert blinked away the remainder of the tears as he looked at the blacksmith.
The person disappeared behind the counter, climbing up the stool to sit on, and they leaned over, looking at what Norbert had placed on the counter. Now that he was looking to see a landing, Norbert turned to the anvil, propping it up and allowing someone of a small stature to walk around easily.
Norbert turned back to the counter, seeing their small stature completely there, even smaller than Stumpy. He wondered how they would operate, not wanting to be any ruder as he remembered the item at hand.
Pointing towards the mask with the dented sides, "Can you repair this?"
The blacksmith picked it up, raising an eyebrow to Norbert. Norbert whistled to the blacksmith as he stayed hobbled down, both of them knowing where it came from. Reaching into his coin pouch, Norbert felt around, placing the silver coin on the table.
The blacksmith looked back at the pieces of metal, turning them around as he looked towards the centre, nodding his head before placing them back down again. Norbert looked at their face, which had discomfort painted on it.
"You can't repair it?" Norbert asked, hoping he wasn't right.
"Well, I can, just none of the runes will work."
Norbert just raised his eyebrow, waiting to hear more. The blacksmith spun it around as they pointed to a rune "It's this little bugger right here. A marker of sorts. Stops this entire array if the mana injected to re-craft it isn't the same as what created it."
Norbert leaning forward, "And you don't have the skills to make it?" Norbert asked.
"Not in this city. Either go where you came from or possibly up to the northern continent," the blacksmith told Norbert.
Their eyes widened as he heard mention of a northern continent, filing that later to talk about Norbert just nodding, placing both.
"Why so short?" Norbert asked as the blacksmith began hammering again. Hearing no reply, Norbert looked to take the silver coin, seeing it had somehow disappeared in the conversation when he wasn't looking.
Turning to the door, Norbert opened the curtain "Rude bugger, never ask a half here about their height." The blacksmith muttered out.
Looking outside, Norbert walked to the following smoke pillar coming off, wondering how there would even be smoke with nothing burning and if they would have the same response to Norbert