Charles turned to look at Norbert, “You’ve been there before?”
Norbert shrugged his shoulders, “I’ve been to many places before. But I might have been where you're trying to get into.” Norbert remembers his time with the other place where he was ambushed while surrounded by greenery.
Following through the camp, Norbert headed down the river slightly until stopping at the cavern he was expecting to find. Stepping through, torches on the side provided light as Norbert looked up, seeing the roots above his head breaking through the ground but not further into this little nook.
Following along the path as the two went further underground, Norbert brushed his hand on the stone next to him, feeling it underneath his fingers, trying to find the pattern he knew should be there.
Taking the ruined glove off of his left hand, Norbert could now properly feel it without the leather getting in the way. Finding the pattern, Norbert let it trail across, wanting to see it light up again. Norbert took the knife out, cut his finger and smeared a bit of blood on the stone wall over one of the lines.
Instantly, the wall shone much brighter than the leaves he used; looking up, I saw they were still connected to the roots above his head. I wondered why they had never thought of using it.
Removing his hand to the wall, Norbert felt a dagger under his neck. Looking at Charles, the man had turned around and was right before him. “What did you do?” The man uttered.
“I placed my finger on the wall with a cut. You never knew about the markings or the leaves?” Norbert asked, the engravings still showing purple light, much longer than when he used the leaves for the same effect.
The two stared off. Norbert stood still as he heard metal hitting on metal, the shape of something small running up to them, clattering about as they rushed through the tunnel.
“Oh good sir your here, the door finally opened.” The small man said, looking between Norbert and Charles, the blade still at Norbert’s throat.
Standing there, unsure what to do, Norbert smiled as he easily pushed the dagger away from his throat. The shock of what Charles was hearing stopped him from giving any resistance.
Norbert looked to Charles. “Anything else you want with me so I can…” Leaving the question hanging, he pointed behind himself with two thumbs.
The question pulled Charles back to reality, and he realized he was dealing with someone purposefully getting under his skin. “Not so fast.” The leader said, “Let's make sure there isn’t another surprise that needs you.”
Shrugging as Norbert continued deeper down, sure that they wouldn’t find whatever they were looking for down here, a sneaking suspicion that it was wherever the elevator shaft further on left the place.
Going further down, Norbert looks at the mural and its depictions, which are now only slightly purple this far from when he introduced his blood to them.
Where Norbert saw the entrance, people were standing around the narrow chamber of the earth, the two rock walls connecting to each other, causing Norbert to walk on the side and easily shuffle his way through.
The hallway opened up, his feet changing from stone to marble, like what? Here, Norbert could see others had already rushed forward, properly lighting the place up, unlike Norbert could have done the last time he was down here.
Looking around, Norbert halted, something tickling up his neck once more. Looking behind him, he saw it was the same as before as Norbert walked on through, looking at each of the side rooms and continuing to walk on through. The wooden beds were nice and neatly done one after the other, the sheets almost looking well done and new, not anything like …
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Norbert shivered instinctually as something seemed to brush against his mind. His body responded without him realizing, pumping energy through his body and whipping his body around to try and find the thing that had brushed against him.
Heart hammering in his chest, Charles no longer behind him, leaving Norbert to explore as much as he desired, the only exit they knew of being that way.
Changing his vision, Norbert confirmed that there wasn’t any magic in the air. Closing his eyes, Norbert slowly counted to ten, letting his breathing slow down as much as he could at the moment and trying to empty his thoughts.
Having calmed down, Norbert opened them again and saw the beds still arranged in lines. Remembering the weird feeling he had when he looked about the place, the fact that it looked clean and still in use, utterly different to the first time he entered here.
Wondering if it was possible to be in the same place, Norbert rushed out of the side room, headed to the main hallway, and walked down it quickly, the double doors that he had seen before once more there.
A faint trail of purple following down the hallway and towards the door, Norbert seeing the doorway they were talking about having opened. Watching as it was only a slither, one of them had their eye on the crack and tried to look in as they pushed further, but the door wasn’t budging anymore.
At least somewhat less alarmed, they must have been here before Norbert turned to one of them. “Have you made it this far?”
They looked up at him, surprised he could talk, before turning to Charles, the man striding towards Norbert. “No, when it narrowed, there was something blocking the way. The first unlock is what we called you down for, but this.” The leader stopped next to Norbert as he looked up at the pattern. “This is what we have been looking for.”
Standing forward, he pressed his hand against it, feeling the ground slightly rumble. Then, nothing else happened. Charles turned to Norbert, indicating with his head.
Breathing out, annoyed that he wouldn’t get the easy escape he wanted, he looked around. “Just something I might like to add. The last time I was in one of these, nothing was left, the beds and pots destroyed to time.” Norbert spoke as he stared at Charles, hoping to understand this.
He was getting the same indicator as before. Norbert was doing as instructed, but a part of him was also curious about what would be found here.
I took a step back to look at the floral pattern filling the room. A tree was depicted there, now being cut as the door was slightly open. The roots interlocked one after the other as they came together, rooting themselves into the floor. Norbert’s eyes followed, and they saw the same roots on the floor. The two were still connected, stopping the door from moving any more.
He followed his eyes up the trunk to the canopy above, flowing out over the tops of the doors, a single leaf falling down on each door. He looked at it almost like he could touch it if he reached his hand out.
Cutting his finger, Norbert pushed it against the door, running up the tree as he watched it the tree come to life. A groaning came from the door as the roots connecting it to the floor were finally released.
The trunk of the tree had the purple lines that he was used to, running up and down the bark. The leaves had a slight purple tinge, and the remainder of the light coalesced on each leaf. Mid-fall on the door.
The doors pushed away as Norbert stood, looking out to the next room and the alter he expected to see. Charles and the rest rushed forward, looking desperately for something Norbert knew wouldn’t be there.
Stepping forward, Norbert looked towards the alter, walking up the perfectly preserved steps, thinking someone must have taken it as he stood next to Charles.
“Where is it?”
Norbert looked at where he was pointing. There was only a hole in the alter leading somewhere underneath. Looking around, he saw no single pipe connecting it to the liquid.
Norbert looked about, smiling as he looked down the pipe. “What are you looking for? I might be able to help you.”
“You took it, didn’t you, whenever you were here last,” Charles growled out, stepping next to Norbert.
“This isn’t the same place as where I went. I don’t know where you found it, but the altar was different. If I had to guess, it's probably down there.” Norbert gave his advice, pointing down the hole in the alter.
“Now, can I leave? I really must be going to that meal,” Norbert asked, taking a step back as he looked about. He did not find the elevator he was looking for, and he was slightly annoyed that his quick escape would be thwarted. He knew he would need to go back the way he had come.
“Not until we get what you got here,” Charles said, his hand going to the dagger on his waist, his other hand by his side. Norbert knew the moment he did something, the rocks around him would be moving unnaturally.
“Truly, I had the last of it, nothing left, and it was so long ago. Do you think I would remember a random place like this after I don’t even know how long?” Norbert asked, taking a step backwards and looking over his shoulder. The commotion had already alerted the half-men behind him as they looked at Norbert, weapons already out.
“This place isn’t random; you just need your memory refreshed.” Charles leapt towards Norbert.