No! Olivier was done being so frustratingly passive! He couldn't let the murderer get away again. All of this, this entire situation was incredibly frustrating. With no help, no information, no preparation. Olivier didn't want to get himself into danger, but it seemed like he didn't have much of a choice.
Olivier came to a decision, his face turning resolute. The moment the murderer stepped outside, Olivier sprang into action. He rushed down the stairs. Passing Sam's door he gave it a heavy kick, creating a long crack. This was all he could do now to warn the man. He had to hurry up. Olivier ignored the noise coming from the neighboring rooms and left the house in a sprint.
Left, right. Left! Olivier spotted the murderer hurrying down the street. The murderer seemed not to have noticed Olivier. He had his head lowered walking at a brisk pace. Olivier started his pursuit while keeping a safe distance.
At this time of the day the street was not exactly crowded. Olivier had to be careful not to draw suspicion. But he quickly noticed that the murderer didn't observe his surroundings, simplemindedly focusing on the way. Olivier couldn't help but feel strange. The man's behavior didn't suit a cold-blooded killer. Rather, it was like that of a guilty person knowing they had done something wrong.
The murderer wasn't exactly difficult to pursue. Olivier followed him through the town, again reaching the riverside. But this time they didn't walk down the river in the direction of the gendarmery but rather upstream. After a while they reached a more luxurious part of the town with quaint villas and spacious gardens. The murderer scurried towards a heavy black gate, fished a key out of his pockets, and disappeared into the garden.
Olivier waited a few seconds before he dared to step closer. He leaned his back against the wall and peeked through the gate. There was no trace of the murderer. Had he already entered the villa? Olivier was unsure of what to do. Eventually he decided to take the risk. Without help from others he would be forced to confront the murderer at some point. Furthermore, the villa was so big. Perhaps he could entirely avoid the murderer, find the anchor, and finally go back to his comfortable café. He really didn't expect to miss the café after only a few days in another world…
Olivier shook his head and adjusted his mind. He glanced around. There were no people on the street right now. It was the perfect chance. He ran towards a corner of the wall and with a valiant jump gabbed its top. Making use of the momentum he dragged his body up and dropped down on the other side.
The vast garden was planted with big bushes and lush trees. It provided enough cover for Olivier to sneak around the villa. His luck was good as he discovered an open window at the back of the house. After listening carefully and peeking inside he didn't notice anyone.
Olivier jumped through the window and found himself in a big kitchen. His nerves were taut, and it was difficult to regulate his breathing. Studying his surroundings Olivier was impressed by the luxurious and comfortable interior. Was this really the home of someone? Wait, how was this important right now? Quickly Olivier shelved these thoughts and focused back on his reason for being here. He sneaked carefully to one of the doors and put his ear against it. Not a single sound could be heard…
Olivier felt a chill. Not hearing any noise was good, right? Then why did it feel so eerie? Olivier would love to just complete his mission and be done with it, but he knew that what followed next would be a lengthy task. He had to find the anchor. All he knew about it was that it was an immovable object with a strong connection to the hunter. Olivier didn't know if the anchor could be identified with the naked eye. He placed his trust in the eyes of truth. If even this mysterious ability failed, he might as well give up.
Not knowing what a strong connection entailed or how deep the anchor was hidden, Olivier could only laboriously scan everything in his sight. Focusing on any object he would quickly provide some superficial information.
[Pot
A small pot made of crude iron.]
The text blurred in front of Olivier's eyes as he went from object to object. He didn't even read most of it. If there was nothing out of the ordinary, he would directly move on, saving time. But suddenly his eyes stopped.
[Rolling pin
A heavy rolling pin used to prepare dough. One end is stained with blood.]
Olivier stared at the inconspicuous rolling pin half buried under two pans. Were the bloodstains from the hunter? Was this the so-called strong connection? Was his luck this good? Perhaps this was… the anchor?
Approaching the rolling pin Olivier prayed in his heart. He reached out with his hand and lightly touched it. But the rolling pin moved. Olivier let out a sigh and continued his search. As time went on his vigilance decreased and his speed increased. Soon he had searched the entire kitchen. He listened for any signs of other people before passing through a door into a hallway. The same pattern continued. With his emotions swaying between wanting to be done with it and trying to avoid the murderer he investigated the rest of the villa.
The hallway led towards a spacious living room. Olivier sighed inwardly as he saw the large shelf filled with all kinds of memorabilia. He decided not to scan all the small objects for now, focusing only on the bigger pieces. As those didn't bring any result he turned towards an open door not far away which led to a study. Just as he was about to continue his search there, Olivier froze. An excited smile formed on his face.
Past the door Olivier's eyes fell on the rear wall of the study. There, above a sturdy desk, a strange object hung on the wall. It appeared to be some kind of headdress made from fur and bones. Even regular people would feel something off about the headdress, but in Olivier's vision it was even more so. Before his eyes of truth even displayed any information, he observed a faint green fog rising from the headdress, wafting around it.
[Ineeh
Traditional headdress of local aboriginals. Worn by shamans, said to be able to communicate with gods. Has a certain connection with other realms. Serves as anchor for the hunter Inerxtal.]
He really found it! Olivier was overjoyed. He jogged towards the anchor ready to destroy it. But just as he took a step past the door, an immense sense of danger overcame him. An image formed in his mind of a knife aiming for his right waist. Reacting purely on instinct Olivier threw his body to the left. But he was still too slow as he felt something tear through his clothes and cut into his skin.
"Ah!"
Olivier let out a pained groan and a low 'huh' came from his assailant. Olivier looked towards the door and without surprise it was the murderer resembling Sam standing there with a kitchen knife in his hand.
After missing his sneak attack, the murderer showed a moment of hesitation. Olivier knew this was his chance. He immediately darted towards the anchor.
"No!"
The hunter was shocked. He didn't understand how Olivier could discover this weakness. But he knew that he mustn't let the strange intruder reach the anchor! Luckily the hunter was closer to the wall. Breaking through his previous hesitation he instantly rushed to block Olivier's path, aiming his knife to the front.
Olivier realized that he wouldn't make it. He stopped, his thoughts running wildly. One meter in front of him was the hunter, standing between the desk and a bookshelf to the left. There was no way to get passed the hunter. The room was only so big. Suddenly Olivier noticed the glint flashing in the hunter's eyes. He could tell that the man was about to pounce. Olivier's hart chilled. He mindlessly grabbed a book from the bookshelf and threw it at the hunter.
Caught off guard, the hunter was stopped for a moment. Olivier walked backwards while continuing to throw everything he could get his hands on.
"Have you gone crazy?!"
The hunter was annoyed but some books couldn't seriously hurt him. Just as Olivier was about to reach the door the hunter saw his chance. With knife ready to strike he rushed forward.
Boom!
"Move! Move! Move!"
"You there! Stop! On the floor! On the floor!"
Suddenly the situation turned chaotic. With a bang the villa's main door was kicked open and multiple gendarmes rushed in with batons and even revolvers. Both Olivier and the hunter were shocked and froze in place. However, Olivier recovered a second earlier. He made use of the perfect opportunity. With a swift push he passed the hunter and reached the rare wall.
"Noo!"
Olivier didn't know how thoroughly he needed to destroy the anchor. He just punched it and hoped for the best. Under his fist one of the bones making up the headdress broke. Instantly the green fog surrounding the anchor stopped. It slowly dissipated, almost appearing reluctant. And with it the hunter's body turned transparent, illusionary, and suddenly popped like a bubble. The man completely disappeared is if everything had just been a dream.