"No paperwork?" The question rang in the air.
The teller looked at the people behind Norbert; his glasses pushed down his nose as he looked at the sea of children behind him. "Would you like paperwork?" he asked Norbert.
Quickly gulping, Norbert shook his head, seeing how further questioning could easily blow up in his face. The clerk smiled at Norbert as he dismissed him with a wave, and Norbert quickly walked past.
"This way, come on now, quickly to clear the space!" Norbert shouted out, going into the next room with portal frames all around them. Only a few were activated, and even fewer people were coming in and out. I am thankful for the lack of people, not wanting to lose any of the kids where they could pop up anywhere.
"Do you know which frame?" Norbert asked Obsius, the bird chirping in response in his ear. Turning his head slightly to the right, Norbert saw the Traveller he was looking for now standing tall in front of a non-lit portal frame.
Smiling in relief, Norbert turned around, ready to forward everyone to the correct destination. Upon turning around, Norbert realized he was all alone. The kids who had entered the room were now far behind him, gawking up at the high ceiling above them. The strange people were walking about, and the portal frames were all lining up one after the other. Each activated one was able to take them far, far away from here and their troubles.
"This way, come on NOW!" Norbert bellowed out, his voice echoing upon the room's high ceilings and disturbing the quiet shuffling and foot scraping that filled the hall previously. He gave an awkward smile to those around home from the sound he had created, which had finally stopped echoing around the place.
With that, the kids moved once more. Norbert walks up to the Traveller and the portal frame behind him. Watching Norbert, he saw the Traveller open his eyes in surprise, shaking his head slightly before turning to the portal frame. The blue portal was growing out again, its smoky surface constantly undulating.
Touching it with the staff tip, confirming it went through before sticking their head inside. Norbert stood there as they disappeared, walking through. A moment later, Norbert saw the staff appear again, gesturing to the portal as Norbert stayed there, trying to remember how much of a shock it was.
Shrugging his shoulders, hoping it wasn't that bad for the kids, Norbert looked back along the crowd, giving half a wave to Martitia before stepping through. Feeling his body elongate once again, he was happy that it wasn't jittery like before as he continued through, happy to feel his body pop out the other end.
Looking around, seeing that it was dark, Norbert stepped out of the portal area, leaving space for the kids to start moving through. Looking about the town while moving the kids out of the way, he smiled as he looked about. The sound of people in the tavern was already echoing up to where he was now.
Turning them around, Norbert pointed them off to the field where his last meal in Flare-dew was made. Looking over it, Norbert confirmed with his night vision that nothing was set up there or that he was using it. Sadly, it would be a rough night for the kids, but one last night wouldn't damage them much—a lot less than whatever sickness was spreading through the slums of Libitina.
Norbert looked at the others there, seeing they were as he expected. Nodding his head, the first kids were on the correct path as more emerged. A mix of colours being seen as some still had their cloaks, others didn't. A cool breeze ruffled all the clothing in the square, causing some kids to shiver. Huddling up wouldn't be needed, thankful it wasn't snowing in the area, or that would have been a significant spanner to his plans.
Obsius flutters from his shoulder, heading towards the Traveller standing by the side. The bird tweets to the Traveller, the conversation Norbert drowns out in his mind so as not to be rude to them.
He continued to herd the kids and point them in the right direction, picking them up when they seemed to get their senses again. Reaching for the next hand, he missed it, as it was too high up for what he was used to.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Staring up at the woman, Norbert smiled at Martitia as she went to stand beside him. He was happy that roughly half the people would have made it through by now. The scout leader, after finishing her assessment, said, “Quite normal where you grew up.”
Norbert, shaking his head, said, “I didn’t grow up in this town. I came up over the plateau somewhere over there.” He pointed in a random direction, unable to remember clearly where it was. Obsius chirped to him from the Traveller, causing Norbert to change his direction to the point where the bird said the Highland’s Plateau sat in correspondence to the town.
“Going to travel over there now that you're back?” Martitia asked.
Norbert knew it wasn’t possible to walk back home, at least not conventionally. "It's too far, and it will take longer than the day I have here to spare before getting picked back up again.” Norbert gave the information out, hoping that it would be enough to appease the woman.
The glint in Martia’s eyes, realizing there was something to uncover from the scouts life that could use no magic, ready for the questions he would need to lie about coming through.
Finally, the last one came, Count von Count coming up, already wrapped up and prepared for the sun to come—a yellow sun hat over his head and a cloak underneath it. Norbert could not stop the smile from cracking his face as the vampire was covered in rainbow colours that were trying to hide underneath the black.
With nobody else coming through, the Traveller walked forward. “Pick up tomorrow, same time?”
Norbert nodded in response as he walked through, Obsius still on his shoulder as the bird stayed there. The owner of the shoulder she was on pushed the bird off as they stepped through the portal, snapping shut as the mist stopped coming from it.
Breathing out, Norbert looked towards Martitia. “What are you planning on doing here for a day?” he asked her.
The woman walked off, heading towards the tavern with the light and sounds coming out of it. “Oh, you know. Have a bit of fun and relax,” the scout leader told Norbert before spinning around and continuing the walk to her destination, the door opening up as the sounds of merry flooded out onto the street, only to be closed again with the door, the street filling with the sounds of children shuffling about unsure of what to do or where to go next.
Count von Count moseyed up to him, the last of the kids making their way to the field as Norbert and his little motley crew followed behind. “Do you plan on convincing the village to add another two hundred people to the population?” his friend asked Norbert.
Norbert patting his coin pouch in reply, Count von Count shook his head, “A couple of silvers aren’t going to persuade them.”
Norbert reaches in, takes out a gold coin and shows it to the vampire. “How about some of these?”
The glint of the coin reflected off the vampire's dark eyes, the white skin now bathed in golden light slightly, the vampire's jaw open so Norbert could see all of their pristine white teeth. Flicking the coin up, Count von Count's eyes followed the coin as Norbert caught it, placing it in the coin pouch before revealing which side was on.
“Tease.”
Norbert shrugged to the vampire's comment, knowing he was doing so but not caring. The two are now following the kids over to the field, and some people are looking at the sound-making before returning inside. he had either told them beforehand, not that Norbert would know who, or they would deal with it tomorrow.
Coming to the field, Norbert feeling the grass, happy it wasn’t to damp as he looked about, the kids hopefully would have a restful night here.
Looking about, not seeing anywhere to sit and still having a vantage point, Norbert leaned against the fence, changing his vision and pumping energy into it. The world turned into grey as the outlines popped out to him.
Turning to Count von Count, “Mind if you also watch over the kids with me?” The pattern of the cloth, now without the colour, seemed able to blend in together, making his body shape blur slightly as it was now broken up.
“Of course, buddy, there's not much to do out here anyway.”
“Then why did you come out here?” Norbert asked, intrigued by Count von Count's answer and waiting to hear more.
“Oh, you know, the usual. I annoyed some people and pissed off some more. Let them cool down for a day or two before heading back over.” The vampire told Norbert, a sweet smile on his face, remembering whatever antics he did to get him in the current position.
“Anything to affect me?”
“Who do you think I am?” the vampire asked Norbert, his crooked smile giving away his identity.
“Ok, guess that's one more thing to look out for then.”
“Hey, I never said it involved you.”
“Just like how you waving to me and yelling my name at the start of the tournament didn’t involve me?” Norbert interjected, hoping that it wouldn’t blow up in his face when he needed to get to Grimm.
Remembering the Traveller's note and possibly being able to get some details out of someone who had been to Grimm, Norbert who opened his mouth.
“Touché,” Count von Count said, giving Norbert that one. Seeing as how he was now just digging a hole, the vampire started whistling. Norbert shook his head. The topic changed. His question would have to wait for another day as he joined in. The two were doing a soft beat but still sporadic so as not to wake the kids up.