No response heard, or any indication of what to do, Norbert looked down at the heart in his hand. The blood flowing to and from it, Arzlan slowly regaining consciousness of his surroundings, to Norbert’s reply of stomping on the giant again, in the process trying not to get himself bloodier.

Turning the heart in his hand, Norbert squeezed down on the organ, and burst in his hands. Covered by the black blood, he noticed a slightly red tinge in parts. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he looked up again to the crowd, staring at the barrier to see if it would be taken down.

The barrier remained intact, a slight blur and sheen hiding the faces of the crowd. The heart reforming in his hand, its weight seemingly increasing out of thin air. Out of the corner of his eye, the blood started moving again. Turning the heart to pulp once more, Norbert shouted out to the announcer.

"Must this continue, for does someone still count as alive without a heart?" Norbert asked aloud, hoping for a decisive answer and his victory.

Quiet momentarily, Norbert almost heard the conversation between the officials and his statement. "Does someone still live after being beheaded?"

Norbert scrunched his left hand in annoyance, knowing the answer that as long as Arzlan was reforming, he couldn’t get an easy win out of immobilising the giant.

Shaking his head, Norbert stared into it and saw a faint golden line pointing to the rune on the heart. Following it with his finger digging inside of it and popping the muscle like a balloon.

Watching it reform in his hand again, Norbert fuming at his predicament. Squeezing his eyes shut to still his nerves before opening his eyes. Norbert looked down at the rune, stamping his foot into the chest cavity he had created, making it bigger once more and stopping Arzlan from moving.

Knowing this would no longer be an entertaining fight, the officials still wanting to press on with it for some reason that Norbert didn’t grasp. Closing his eyes, Norbert wondered what he would need to do. Playing around with thoughts as the energy in his body moved about, letting it move its natural course around his inner path.

Following one section, Norbert felt it go to his fingers, where it seemed to dance off and, with a burst of energy, disappear. Opening his eyes, stomping down once more on Arzlan, Norbert looked down at the rune, seeming to be smoking slightly. Moving his finger, a small piece of it had been wiped out.

Smiling, Norbert stomped down on Arzlan, not wanting to be disturbed by the sleeping giant. Feeling the energy in his body again, Norbert travelled it across, focusing on moving it out to his finger; in the same manner, he tried many times before to activate runes, this one having the same result as the past attempts.

The energy bounced off, feeding out into the rune underneath his finger. Opening his eyes, Norbert looked as it sizzled, the rune disappearing more and more. Squeezing the last of his energy into it, Norbert started to feel light-headed again from straining his body.

Norbert watched, sending the last bit of energy into it as the last of the rune faded from the heart. The blood that before was flowing steadily out of the muscle, only several red drops dripping out, before it stopped as well. Norbert watched, crushing it under his hand and counting in his head as he waited for it to reform.

After several long seconds and not feeling the weight in his hand, Norbert looked to the crowd. Seeing the barrier now gone, everyone was silent in the arena, and Norbert wondered what they were looking at.

Thrusting his hand in the air in victory, Norbert suddenly lost all control of his body, like he had just run a marathon and getting dizzy from standing up to fast, his body just wanted to sleep. Unable to keep his eyes open, the drawbridge to his mind closed as Norbert lost his bearing in the world.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

***

Opening his eyes, feeling like complete road kill, Norbert eyes gravitating above him, the familiar site of the ceiling in Vivienne’s mansion. Lifting his head up slightly, the wardrobe on the side, the chest by the foot of the bed, and the door to his right.

Unable to keep it up from the effort, Norbert flopped his head on the pillow, breathing slowly and feeling the energy within only a trickle. Closing his eyes, Norbert thought about the events of the last match he did. The fact that he was still alive meant that he had won if they could even be called a victory.

Turning his head to the side, Norbert saw a mana potion on the bedside table. The blue liquid with rainbow swirls planted in his mind. His mana pool was crying out from overuse; only a tiny drop had been restored to the pool he had created from his elixirs.

Reaching his shaky hand over, Norbert grasped it as firmly as he could, moving his other to pull the cork. The skeletal hand was there, somehow still intact and without missing any bones. Sitting up as much as he could, Norbert bit into the cork before pulling it out with his teeth. Dropping it onto his lap, Norbert lifted the potion to his lips, tipping it back as he felt the liquid quench his thirst.

His dry and cracked tongue was now liquid as Norbert guzzled it down. He felt it being transferred and changed into energy almost immediately. Slowly, Norbert felt it move inside him, surprised at how still it was.

Pushing slightly on it only made it budge a bit more. Norbert was already feeling the strain on his body from even that exertion. Flopping back on the bed, Norbert placed the cork back in and the empty bottle back on the bedside table.

Flopping his hand on top of the covers, not wanting to look at the slow process of his flesh regrowing, Norbert just stared at the ceiling. He felt the potion in his stomach as it was slowly absorbed, only slightly pushing the energy around his body to try and speed the process up as much as he could.

***

PECK

Shooting whatever was disturbing his sleep, Norbert turned himself over.

PECK

The annoyance is coming around again, now on the ear that was exposed. He covered it up and wriggled around a bit as he made himself comfortable again before going back to sleep.

“Eh hrmmm, the Lady is waiting for you.” A voice seemed to boom out from the doorway.

Jumping into the air, Norbert flipped around to see who had spoken to him, disturbing his sleep.

With a flutter of wings, Obsius landed on his head, pecking his forehead in annoyance at being shooed away. Norbert turned to the door and saw the butler standing there, an odd expression on his face as he stared at Norbert.

“The lady is waiting for you; the required garb is in the wardrobe.” The butler notified Norbert once again before walking out of the room, closing the door so gently that not even a whisper was made.

Turning to Obsius, the bird still on his head. Smiling, Norbert patted the bird, hoping to make up some brownie points with the bird. Heading towards the chest, popping the lid, Norbert took out one of the few biscuits he had left. Holding it up above his head for the bird, Norbert felt Obsius stamp around in his hair for a moment before giving in and taking the biscuit out of Norbert’s hand.

The bird placed it on his head and stomped down as he heard Obsius take bits and pieces, creating a mess in his head.

Wanting to shake his head but not wanting to annoy the bird any more, Norbert carefully walked over to the wardrobe, wondering what clothes Vivienne would want him to wear. Opening it up, Norbert stared at it for a moment, stumped as he tried to process what Vivienne had laid out for him.

“Is she pulling a fast one on me?” Norbert turned around and asked Obsius about it as he showed off the contents. Norbert saw a black jumper and pants, a black beanie covering Norbert's face, and holes in his eyes and mouth so he could breathe and usually see.

But the most egregious part was that there was a sack full of items. Stitched into one side in bright gold thread was the sign on the gold coin, the symbol of Morenas, for all to see.

He shook his hands as he opened it, peering inside at the contents and shaking his head as he dropped it. After seeing the bolt cutters and a rope with a grappling hook attached, Norbert suspected who orchestrated this getup.

Not wanting to let Vivienne wait any longer, Norbert quickly changed his outfit, thankful to be walking level again and in clean clothes. Giving himself a quick smell, Norbert asked aloud, “Luck, can you please give me a once-over?”

A single mote of light appeared as he smelt clean. The dirt and sweat that had been sticking to his body were now gone, and Norbert's lack of presence made him aware of how bad he truly had been.

Tipping his invisible hat to Luck, Norbert placed Obsius on the bedside table as he quickly dressed. The bird had finished as Norbert left his belt there, feeling weird without the weight on his hips.

Turning to the door, Obsius fluttered over to land on his shoulder, pecking at the beanie as Norbert walked past the mirror, making sure not to look at it as he made his way down the stairs and towards the main room, wondering what the inside would look like with the waiting Vivienne.