Norbert just stared at the man, the question bouncing around in his mind as he tried to think of what to say.
The man beckoned to the chair before him, and the floral tea that Norbert could smell emanated from it. Stepping forward, Norbert took the seat as the group member walked forward, quickly whispering to the man sitting before walking out of the tent.
“What are you doing here in this forest of giants?” The man asked Norbert.
Not answering as Norbert leaned forward, quickly changing his vision to magic, confirming no brown and green aura mixed into the tea. Not seeing anything, Norbert slowly raised it to his lips, scanning the items, but nothing stood out as an alarm to him. What did was the man opposite Norbert had a brown hue almost coming off him, like a stench that permeated and stunk to him.
“Just out for a stroll. Clearing the head between bouts with a walk.” Judging by his treatment, Norbert provided that they wanted something from him, something that likely had to do with him activating that stone by accident.
“Surprised. Rumour was you were training before a big fight. But your lack of mask and your being here, I guess, says otherwise.” The man spoke, sipping his tea, giving Norbert a moment to collect himself.
“Oh shit, your right.” Norbert exclaimed with fake enthusiasm and care “It’ll be fine, and the mask needs to be repaired anyway.” Norbert shrugged at the end of the fight he would be having pushed back from his mind, more pressing matters at the forefront of his mind, like what these people wanted with him.
“But enough about that, onto more pressing matters.” The man said, placing his half-finished tea on the table and walking out of the tent.
Norbert was still sitting there, not moving as he continued sipping his tea, not caring about what the man was saying.
Feeling him come back in, a hand on his shoulder, still looking up, Norbert saw the man staring down at him.
“Have an issue?” Norbert asked, taking an extraordinarily long and loud sip of his tea, purposefully making it last a highly annoying amount of time.
“You're going to come with me.” The man said again.
“And why would I ever do that? You know who I am and what I can do after it was plastered everywhere. I’m alone while you’re trapped by whatever you caused to make the pink mist everywhere.” Norbert provided as he sipped another bit of the tea he was provided. “Good tea” Raising his cup in a salute.
The man bitting his hand into Norbert as he felt something sharp dig into him. Norbert continued to stay there, feeling it go to a point until it was a needle and dig into his skin. He was still sitting there, Norbert sending his energy around it, trying to stop the unknown object from entering his body.
With a slight nudge, the man removed it, a smile as he looked at the purple blood now covering his finger, Norbert seeing a spike having grown on it.
“Don’t let him leave the tent,” the man said as he walked out. Instantly, two guards appeared on either side, staring at Norbert. Both of these were of small stature to the group. The man Norbert was talking to now looked like a giant in comparison.
Watching him walk out, Norbert thought, "Can I have a bottle-o-woter!” Norbert shouted to the man, making a look like he was holding a rifle, looking down the sights at the man.
Norbert watched as he stopped momentarily. Recognition was playing in his eyes before the man walked off without saying another word.
Stepping away from the entrance, he saw the guards calm down, no longer entirely on edge about what he was doing. Sitting back down in the chair, Norbert took his cup and of it, staring about the contents of the room as he wondered how long it would be until the champion of some god made their way back to him.
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After finishing the tea, I didn't feel like another cup, so I was surprised the man still hadn’t come back. I hoped that this entire issue would just deal with itself, allowing the forest to come back to normal.
At least his fears were confirmed about why everything was in a panic. Whatever caused the pink fog to be everywhere was obviously causing the creatures of the forest to evacuate or else be hit with whatever horrors the mind could concoct.
Standing up, he instantly saw the men on either side start to panic. Norbert just shook his head as he looked about the room, going over the books there.
Remembering that he still had to read, Granny gave him Norbert, fingering each one as he carefully tried to read the book.
“I don’t understand a lick of this,” Norbert spoke aloud, cursing that they had their own language even between these half-men. Not even a single book was in English or the language used within Morenas, especially when he was still within its borders.
Moving off it, Norbert looked around the room, but his eyes could not be moved from the bed. Looking at the clean white sheets on top, Norbert wondered how they remained so clean.
Boots were still on, and Norbert stepped onto the bed, jumping on it twice and stopping when his head nearly hit the tent's roof. Landing on the bed, Norbert looked up, taking the knife that Cossan had given him. His hand went on a piece of wood under the pillow as he reached around.
Pulling it out, Norbert seeing a dagger looking back at him, Norbert whistled to himself, looking at the blade not seeing anything on it that Norbert could recognise, no marks or such just an ordinary blade in case the man was jumped in the night.
Wondering what life he grew up in to be sleeping with a knife in the middle of his camp, Norbert shrugged with difficulty. Not having anything to do with him now that he was a prisoner. Holding the dagger by the blade, Norbert looked at the wooden handle, a thought coming to mind.
“I wonder how much he would like a new design on it?” Norbert asked himself.
The guard from the door shouted, “Off the bed.”
Norbert is just turning, holding the knife in one hand, and points at the handle of the dagger, shouting back, “Then come in here and do it.”
The two stared at each other momentarily before the guard backed off. Shaking his head, Norbert continued with his work and worked at the dagger away, not knowing what he was doing but not caring. The wood chips landed on his chest, brushing them onto the bed when they came too high.
Halfway through the work, Norbert heard a commotion coming back to him. He gave a yawn as he looked outside, happy that there was still at least sunlight there. He remembered the promise he made to Nassan to make it back before dinner. This entire expedition was taking much longer than he thought it would.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!”
Norbert looked at the voice. As he looked at Norbert on the bed, any sense of calm and collected calmness from the previous visit was gone. The sheets trampled the books in a completely random order to what it was before, and the dagger handle whittled away into a phallus.
Norbert looked at the man, stopping his whistling as he showed him the new and improved handle. “Nothing much to do here, so I thought some creativity was in order.” He put the dagger back under the pillow, brushing himself off once more before standing up, walking over, and seeing the cold tea with a sad smile on his face. “It really was some good tea.”
The man just stared at Norbert standing by the table.
“Why?” The man asked Norbert. “Why did you do this when I tried to be nice?”
“Taking my blood, locking me up in this tent and not giving me a chance to go to the toilet. And you're saying that’s nice.”
“Do you want me to get ugly?” He growled back.
Norbert shrugged, “Can you afford to get ugly with me? Look, I’m trying to be nice here, but I really must get back. I was asked to see why the critters of this forest are making a mess, and look who I stumble on.” Norbert waved his arms in front of him, a presenter to the crowd.
“So, can you please get to the point of why you want me? Either properly stop me so I don’t feel bad about busting my way out there and letting the pink fog go in, or just show me to whatever you want open so I can leave and at least have a nice warm meal for dinner?” Norbert asked.
The man looked at Norbert, watching as he breathed in and out several times before walking away. “Follow me,” he said.
Norbert stood there, not moving at all, crossing his arms in front of him.
“Please”, The man added.
Norbert nodded his head, hoping he wouldn’t need to act this annoying for long. He was starting to feel bad for the man in front of him.
“So, what’s your name? It’s only fair since you know mine?”
“Charles.” The man told Norbert, nodding his head and looking up and down the man.
“Appropriate, now; what cave do you need me cracking open?” Norbert asked as he spun around on his heel, seeing the other side of the river a null in the land above, where the tree roots grew out, and something dug into the dirt underneath, making a nice place to sleep for the night for a single man.