The Needlehole Mysteries

Thank you for the encouragement everyone. I hope the conclusion of the romance and the ending satisfies everyone. I'm sorry I haven't updated lately; my brother came home this weekend (he's usually at school all the time) so I've been hanging out with him for most of the past few days. I will make an effort to update soon: there's only one or two more parts left before the current story is over. It will lead directly into the third story, however, and that one will have more of a resolution.

Exciiiiiiiiting!! I'm glad there is still more to come!

Yes me too There is something very charming about the tale, I like its atmosphere and I always want to know what happens next.

more mysteryyyy!!

I agree Mrs. Figg! And I also love the distinctness of all the characters! (Eventhough there is some outside influence.... ) They're so specificly unique, no one is just a filler character, everybody is an integral part of the story. I expect a novel sometime soon Eldo! {{{{{{{{{[[[[ And a cameo ]]]]]]}}}}}}} Have a glass on me Elds It's presidentz day, sooooo I gueesss u kindo count as one, sooo HOORAY!!!

DI Eldo and sgt. Ringo Herring
Finally.. This is how I see the policehobbits

bro fist, man!

and... DI Eldo is a queer, abnormal hobbit.. no curls! D:

Damn, girl! You're GOOD!!!

(And I can't believe you used the word queer! I am DYING here! )

thanks ^_^
(well, Tolkien wrote queer )

Norc wrote:thanks ^_^
(well, Tolkien wrote queer )

He did, but I doubt he knew that queer and gay would be given a slightly different meaning later. Queer simply fits so beautifully into both "ships", Nora/Eldo and Ringo/Eldo. Probably unintended, but that just makes it all the more sweet. (And I did mean it in a 'that is bleeping brilliant' way, not in a point-and-laugh cruel kinda way.)

Hm, as I wrote Ringo/Eldo I once again wondered if Eldo had a first name. Hamish, perhaps?

OH. MY. HERRING. that is Briliant I love DI Eldo he is just like I imagined Agent Nora's dearest husband. yey!

Norc wrote:DI Eldo and sgt. Ringo Herring
Finally.. This is how I see the policehobbits

That is great! I love it so much. Thanks, Nora!

bro fist, man!

and... DI Eldo is a queer, abnormal hobbit.. no curls! D:

Brofist! And I don't make any pretensions to not being abnormal.

Amarië wrote:He did, but I doubt he knew that queer and gay would be given a slightly different meaning later. Queer simply fits so beautifully into both "ships", Nora/Eldo and Ringo/Eldo. Probably unintended, but that just makes it all the more sweet. (And I did mean it in a 'that is bleeping brilliant' way, not in a point-and-laugh cruel kinda way.)

That's a good way of looking at it. I'm trying my bestest to keep quiet about the eventual ships that will sail. In any event, today is going to be a writing day unless something unexpected happens in the next 30 minutes. I've been fighting the distractions of an original fiction idea that is niggling at me and of getting back into anime, but I am determined to finish The Needlehole Mysteries, however long it takes.

Hm, as I wrote Ringo/Eldo I once again wondered if Eldo had a first name. Hamish, perhaps?

I hadn't thought about that too much. Whenever I used the name Eldo for role-playing purposes it was always a first name. I've used a few different surnames with it but nothing that would fit into the context of this story. I'll have to pick one; there's a scene at the start of the next story that would definitely work better with a full name for the DI.

Eldorion wrote:(...)today is going to be a writing day (...)

Eldorion wrote:

Norc wrote:DI Eldo and sgt. Ringo Herring
Finally.. This is how I see the policehobbits

That is great! I love it so much. Thanks, Nora!

bro fist, man!

and... DI Eldo is a queer, abnormal hobbit.. no curls! D:

Brofist! And I don't make any pretensions to not being abnormal.

so happy you liked it ^_^ I tried to make them sort of in the crossing place between super-handsome and ugly, because that's what most people look like x) and that way (in many stories you know who's gonna end up with who just by looking at who's the good-looking ones) you wouldn't know who would end up with who. Cause that's all up to Eldo

writing day! I have something to look forward to tomorrow then !! right? am I right??

Norc wrote:writing day! I have something to look forward to tomorrow then !! right? am I right??

I'm wary of promising things after having a really low-writing week, but I've gotten a bunch done today and I feel confident in saying that The Mystery of Mister Figg will be finished tonight.

The Mystery of Mister Figg

Part 9


“After today a lot will change,” said Nora. “Maybe you can too.”

“That would be nice,” said Eldo. As they held each other with all Bree-land stretched out behind them Eldo seemed more relaxed than he had since Nora met him.

Eldo and Nora stood together for a few moments, enjoying the silence and each others' company. Nora leaned her head against Eldo's shoulder. Eldo sighed contentedly, but then he noticed a strange orange glow coming from Bree City.

“I don't think things are going entirely according to plan,” DI Eldo said concernedly.

Agent Nora looked towards the city and her eyes went wide. “We have to do something!” she said.

DI Eldo agreed and they hurried back into the cave to alert Sgt. Herring. “Bree City is on fire!” cried Agent Nora. “I'm going there to make sure my grandmother and everyone else are okay.”

Sgt. Herring stood up quickly. “How are you getting there?”

Agent Nora looked puzzled, but DI Eldo spoke in her stead. “Let's take a look at the train tunnel. Maybe there is a back-up engine that we can use.

The trio hurried down to the train tracks. Sgt. Herring grabbed a pair of lanterns to light the way, and looking around they could discern the dark outline of an engine.

“No cars,” said DI Eldo sadly. “Just the engine.”

“It's big enough for me to ride in,” said Agent Nora.

“We have to come to!” said Eldo.

“Do you remember our orders?” asked Sgt. Herring. “If we're seen in the city that could mean a war wit the Dark Planet. That wouldn't end well for anyone.”

DI Eldo scowled. “Elthir said he didn't want uniforms to be seen there. We just have to change.” He had already pulled off his jacket and was unbuttoning his shirt. Sgt. Herring moved to stop him, much to Agent Nora's disappointment.

“Don't be ridiculous,” said the Sergeant. “Regardless of what we're wearing, if anyone recognized us, it would have the same effect.”

“Suit yourself,” said DI Eldo. “I'm done with that pencil-pusher trying to dictate the situation on the ground.”

Sgt. Herring stared at his friend in disbelief. “You need to get it together. The Superintendent is only going to cut you so much slack before your insubordination comes back to bite you in the ass.”

“I suppose you would just let Nora go into who-knows-what on her own then?” demanded Eldo.

“I don't need a babysitter!” Agent Nora said fiercely. “Eldo, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I don't need you to get in more trouble on my account.”

“I'm not trying to coddle you, but I'm concerned in general with this situation,” Eldo said quickly. “I would feel better going as well. And I can handle Elthir when this is all over.”

Agent Nora bit her lip but didn't object further. Sgt. Herring rolled his eyes in frustration. “Why do I keep letting you drag me into stuff like this?”

“Because you don't like being bossed around by desk-staffers any more than I do?” smirked Eldo.

“No, it's because you are the one who needs a babysitter,” glowered Sgt. Herring. “For all your investigative work you do some pretty damn stupid things sometimes.”

Agent Nora wasn't sure whether or not to that was intended as an insult, but she was more concerned with the time. “If you two are done, we need to move!” she said loudly. “Eldo, you can change clothes as much as you want once we're underway.”


It was crowded in the cabin of the mechanical engine, but not unduly so. DI Eldo and Sgt. Herring removed all of the badges and other police markings on their clothes. They also substituted their police coats for a pair of engineers' smocks they found in the cabin. Agent Nora, as a native Bree-lander, was undisguised.

The engine was faster than it looked and they soon came to the end of the tunnel. The trio leaped out and dashed up the flight of stairs in front of the rails' terminus. They passed through several open doors that the resistance had apparently used not long before. Soon, they stood in the basement of a small house. They could hear muffled sounds of screaming from above.

“Everyone armed?” asked Sgt. Herring as he checked and loaded his pocket crossbow. DI Eldo and Agent Nora nodded and withdrew their own weapons. Taking the lead, Agent Nora crept up the basement stairs and then to the front door of the house. Nobody was home.

“Come on,” she hissed to the two policehobbits. Creeping to the front of the house, DI Eldo pulled aside the curtain on the front windows and peered out. A small crowd of Bree-landers was running down the street, closely followed by a larger line of Hobbits in brutal black unfiroms.

“Dark Planet soldiers!” he whispered loudly. “I recognize those uniforms from Dark Planet Day. They'll be in front of the door in five seconds … three …”

Sgt. Herring hoisted his pocket crossbow and kicked down the door just as the DI finished his countdown. It slammed into the ground with a crash, causing the minions to look up in surprise. Sgt. Herring quickly dispatched them from the doorway but had to reload.

“The coast is clear for the moment!” said the Sergeant. The trio left the house and ran down the street to the Bree-landers, who had paused and were eyeing them with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

“Stop. Who are you?” asked one of the Bree-landers when they were about 10 paces away.

“We are friends of the resistance,” Eldo said. “We're here to provide any help we can in the push towards the city center.”

“You're a bit late to the party,” said the Bree-lander suspiciously.

“We were held up.”

“Hurm.” The Bree-lander glanced them over but soon nodded. “Right ahead is one of the main arteries for Bree City. Turn left and you'll go straight past City Hall and Intelligence HQ. We're going that way ourselves.”

“Thank you. What exactly is the situation down there?” said Eldo.

“The rest of your resistance friends got here a few hours ago. They sounded the alarm and everyone who knew anything – and quite a few Hobbits who just wanted in on the action – ran out into the streets. Someone in Intelligence also dumped a ton of pamphlets into the streets saying that foreign powers are trying to corrupt Bree-land and everyone should join the popular uprising. The pamphlets even had the notarized seal of the Intelligence Service on them!”

“That must have been Stuart,” Agent Nora cut in. “I believe I know who did that. We're supposed to rendezvous with him.”

The trio and the Bree-landers hurried down the street and rounded the corner onto the main avenue. Some distance ahead there was a much larger crowd of yelling Hobbits, but their movement seemed to have been halted. “There must be a barricade,” Sgt. Herring yelled over the noise.

“What could have happened to Nana and the others, then?” asked Agent Nora.

“If they knew what they were doing, they would have moved into position before letting all Hell break loose,” mused Sgt. Herring. “They'll be on the other side of the barricade for sure, trying to track down all the high-ranking Dark Planeteers in Bree-land.”

“How are we going to get over there, then?” said Eldo.

Agent Nora scanned the skyline in front of them. “We can't make it on ground, so we'll have to go over the roofs. If we can climb one of the tall buildings we should be able to make a rope bridge at the very least.”

“Right,” said Sgt. Herring, as they started moving towards the mob again.

Agent Nora continued, “the Bank of Bree-land Building is one of the tallest outside the central downtown area. Let's go in there.”

As they neared the crowd they discern some of the yelling coming from the protesters. Calls of “Dark Lord – Out!” and “Bree for Bree-landers!” could be heard over the general racket. Before they got too close, however, Agent Nora pulled DI Eldo and Sgt. Herring into a side-street. Their Bree-lander companions continued forward to join the crowd.

“The main entrance to the bank building is just across the street,” Agent Nora muttered, pointing to an impressive-looking set of doors. Several Bree-land policehobbits stood in front of it. “I'll see if I can talk our way in, but be prepared for a fight.”

The trio crossed the road and approached the guards, who lifted their weapons. “Stop right there!” commanded the leader. “State your name and purpose.”

“I am Agent Nora Herring of the Bree-land Intelligence Service,” said Nora, flashing her badge. “I was sent here through the mobs to check on the safety of this building and its contents.”

“It's quite safe, as you can see,” snapped the leader. “What is Intelligence thinking sending Agents away from the city center like this?”

“I'm afraid that I need to check on the safety of a specific item within the building, which I can't speak freely of on the street,” said Agent Nora. “Incidentally, that is also the answer to your question.”

The lead guard glared at her. “And your friends are?”

“Undercover operatives of the Intelligence Service,” Agent Nora said brusquely. “Please do not make this more difficult than it has to be. I don't want to have to give a negative report to my superiors.”

“All right, all right,” grumbled the guard. “But I'm going to escort you to wherever you're going. I couldn't let my superiors know I just let someone walk in during a state of emergency.”

“I understand perfectly,” said Agent Nora, while DI Eldo and Sgt. Herring did their utmost to keep straight faces.

The lead guard led the trio through the doors, which were locked behind them by the other guards who waited outside. “Where is it we're headed specifically?” asked their escort.

“On the top floor,” replied Agent Nora.

“Great,” said the guard, rolling his eyes. “The stairs are right over here.”

Together, the four Hobbits trudged up the many flights of stairs to the tenth floor of the bank building. A they emerged they could see the city spread out below them through the floor-to-ceiling windows that stood between them and the balcony surrounding the top of the building.

All four of them were all panting slightly, but their escort stood up straight. “Where exactly is this item, now?” he demanded.

“I'm afraid I can't just let anyone see it,” said Agent Nora. “If you could wait in the stairwell for just a minute…”

“Don't think you're going to pull one over on me!” said the guard fiercely. “I don't trust you and if you don't show me exactly what you came here for in five seconds, I'm going to make you wish you'd never crossed paths with Commander Rotundo Stiffbottom!”

Despite the tension of the situation, Sgt. Herring snorted in laughter before composing himself.

“You think there's something funny about my name?!” demanded Commander Stiffbottom.

“Not at all, sir,” Sgt. Herring deadpanned. “It is clearly eminently suitable for you.”

Stiffbottom roared in anger and lunged for the Sergeant. He seized him bodily by the jacket and flung the Fjordlandian against the windows, which broke under Sgt. Herring's wait as he crashed onto the balcony.

“That's it!” yelled the Commander. “No true subject would behave in such a way to his superior. Where I come from, we show respect to authority!”

“Yes, where do you come from exactly?” cut in DI Eldo.

“From the Dark Pla-” the Commander broke off suddenly, his face reddening with rage. “You think you can trick me into revealing something do you?” he snarled. “I'll show you lot, starting with your little friend over here.”

The Commander stomped through the broken class and lifted a large, booted foot over Sgt. Herring head. The Sergeant was still dazed from his fall but his eyes widened in fear.

“Say goodbye,” said Commander Stiffbottom, just as a pocket crossbow bolt suddenly sprouted from his chest and blood began blossoming through his shirt. With barely a gurgle the massive guard Hobbit fell to the floor next to Sgt. Herring.

“What the hell did you hit him with?” demanded DI Eldo, staring at Agent Nora's outstretched pocket crossbow with amazement.

“A secret poison we use in the Intelligence Service here,” said Agent Nora briefly. “It probably comes from the Dark Planet, now that I think about it. That does seem their style.”

“It's not the only thing around here from the Dark Planet,” Eldo said darkly. He walked over and helped Sgt. Herring to his feet, giving the fallen Commander a strong kick as he approached.

“It would seem so…” Agent Nora said quietly. She stared at the fallen guard for a moment.

“I suppose the Dark Planet must have sent some of their own to infiltrate Bree-land's police,” said Sgt. Herring. “That bastard really did a number on me,” he said, shaking his head gently. After a few seconds he raised his head. “Thank you for saving my life,” he said to Agent Nora with genuine warmth.

Agent Nora blinked in surprise at the Sergeant's change in demeanor to her but smiled slightly. “You're welcome,” she said. “Now let's find a way to get downtown.”


DI Eldo and Agent Nora barricaded the door at the top of the stairwell and hunted around the top floor for equipment. Eldo found a long coil of rope and took it out to the balcony. Once Sgt. Herring was feeling considerably less woozy, he tied a small lasso on the end of the rope and expertly tossed it over the street and around a lantern post on the balcony of the building across from them.

“Where'd you learn to do that?” asked Agent Nora, impressed.

“All native Fjordlandians learn something about ships and ropes and other nautical stuff in honor of our Viking heriage,” Sgt. Herring said proudly.

Once the other end of the rope was securely tied to their balcony, the trio shimmied across it. Looking down and to his side, DI Eldo could see a makeshift barricade of vehicles and metal fencing across the main avenue they had run down earlier. The Bree-land police were, for the moment, holding the crowd at bay.

After all three Hobbits had clambered onto the safety of the opposing balcony, Sgt. Herring regretfully cut the rope so that no one could follow them. The trio then hurried to the bottom floor of the building they were in. Once they reached the lobby they could tell from the signs that it was an office building belonging to VanDelinder Industries.

The building was less heavily guarded since this building was behind the protest lines. Two Bree-land police idled in front of the desk, staring at the locked doors with bored expressions. Creeping through the lobby, Agent Nora took careful aim at them with her pocket crossbow.

“Wait,” breathed Sgt. Herring softly. “These two don't look like Dark Planeteers to me.”

Agent Nora cocked her head and looked closer and then nodded. “Right. How do we get past them?”

“Leave that to us,” Sgt. Herring said, beckoning to DI Eldo. Together, the two policehobbits snuck up behind the desk before seizing both guards in choke holds until they fell unconscious.

“That was a little bit brutal,” Agent Nora said gingerly as he walked into the open of the lobby. “I assumed when you pointed out that they were Bree-landers that you weren't going to hurt them.”

“At least they're not dead,” Sgt. Herring said dispassionately.

The trio slipped out through the doors and cut through several side-streets until they reached the Intelligence HQ. Agent Nora led them around to the back where she punched an access code into a keypad and the heavy door sprung open for them.

Nora pinned her Intelligence Service badge on and led the way through the maze-like building. Sgt. Herring and DI Eldo followed close behind, and Agent Nora's badge discouraged the few people they passed from asking questions.

“Stuart's office is just a little further ahead,” muttered Agent Nora. She rounded a corner and entered another code into a keypad, but this time the door in front of her refused to budge.

“He must have changed the access code in case anyone realized what he had done!” whispered Agent Nora.

“I have some experience in getting around locks,” said Sgt. Herring. He backed up slightly and then smashed the door with a flying kick. The reinforced hunk of metal did not budge, but the Sergeant lept backwards, biting his tongue to stop from crying out in pain.

“What do we do now?!” cried Agent Nora, trying to remain quiet.

As they pondered their next move, the door suddenly cracked open and a pocket crossbow was thrust out. “Who's there?” came a soft voice.

“Stuart!” said Agent Nora. “It's me, Nora. I need to talk to you.”

“Now is not a good time,” came the terse reply. “Who sent you?”

“No one. I was told what is happening by the resistance. I know what you did but I'm here to help!”

Stuart pulled the door open a bit further and beckoned at them with the pocket crossbow. “Get in quick,” he said. “The final stage of the operation is about to begin!”

I'm sorry for such a long break between updates, but at long last the tale is nearly over. The final part of The Mystery of Mister Figg will be posted shortly. Since I want to get through it quickly the preceding update (Part 9) hasn't been proof-read as thoroughly as previous installments, but I'll come back and do that later. I'll see you all soon on the other side of Part 10!

I felt quite sorry for poor old Stiffbottom, he's not deaded is he? and Bree land? its quite dangerous at the mo, I think I will bed down in the Shire for a bit, until its safe to go home.

exiting!!
I like how Agent Nora finally showes off her agent qualities badass!

The Mystery of Mister Figg

Part 10


Stuart pulled the door open a bit further and beckoned at them with the pocket crossbow. “Get in quick,” he said. “The final stage of the operation is about to begin!”

The trio of policehobbits hurried through the doorway and Stuart closed and locked it quickly behind him. He was a Hobbit of average height and was dressed in a formal dress uniform rather than the usual suit-and-tie outfit of Bree-land Intelligence.

“Who is the contact that sent you here?” asked Stuart. He appeared fretful and was still conspicuously gripping his pocket crossbow.

“Randi Herring, my grandmother,” said Agent Nora. “I just got back to Bree-land bringing help from Forumshire. My grandmother told me about what was going on.”

“You're Randi's granddaughter!?” Stuart exclaimed in surprise. “No shit.” He put his pocket crossbow down and took a long drink from a glass of clear liquid sitting on his desk. “Alright. We have only minutes before the next phase is scheduled to begin.”

Stuart and the trio stood by the window of the office and peered out. From their vantage point they could look down the main avenue. The barricade was directly in front of them and the sounds of rioting drifted upwards. They could also the glimmer and smoke of fires in the outskirts of the city.

“It's not gone perfectly but everything is still more or less on schedule,” Stuart said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Any second now the barrier is going to fall.”

“How do you expect to time it so precisely?” asked DI Eldo.

“When the clocktower rings, everyone on our side in the police force will know to switch sides,” said Stuart with a touch of pride.

Within seconds, the long, booming rings of massive bells began to echo over Bree-land. It was hard to see what was going on at the barricade from their vantage point, but it was evidently being pulled apart and the swarms of protesters and rioters poured through.

“I didn't know you had so many operatives in the police force,” said DI Eldo, impressed.

“It's just a matter of getting the truth out there,” replied Stuart. “No Bree-lander wants to live under the thumb of a foreign tyrant. The only problem is how secretive the Dark Lord and his minions have been. We're forcing them into the open and that increases our numbers further.”

DI Eldo nodded and looked at the approaching mass of Hobbitry. “Is the plan for them to storm the Headquarters and Fortress?”

“That will undoubtedly happen sooner or later, but we have another group already in place to do that,” said Stuart. “Some of your grandmothers' friends in the resistance,” he added to Agent Nora. “I'm supposed to join up with them – I suppose you lot should come along too.”

Sgt. Herring and DI Eldo covered the door while Stuart unlocked it and the group slipped out. The corridor was empty but sounds of running and yelling could be heard from the lower floors.

“Do you think the crowd has broken in already?” asked Agent Nora.

“Not likely,” said Stuart. “There are still guards at all the doors. What we hear is probably people running to cover various entrances or attack the infiltrators who were already in place.”

Stuart led the way through many back hallways and services stairwells so that they did not encounter any other people. They returned to the ground floor and kept descending until eventually, DI Eldo recognized where they were.

“This is the path to the conference room where we met with the Director!” he exclaimed.

“It's also the path to the most secure bunkers for the command staff,” said Stuart. “That's where the Director will be. If we're lucky the Dark Lord will be there too.”

“I wouldn't wish for that,” said DI Eldo darkly. “Throw off secret Dark Planet rule and you might survive unscathed. Kill or capture the Dark Lord and you're facing a massive and completely non-secret invasion.”

Stuart glared at the DI but didn't have anything to say. The group paused in the shadows behind a corner to catch their breath. Around the corner they heard the thud of footsteps and then, suddenly, a faint tune being whistled.

“That's the signal!” gasped Stuart. He peered around the corner and then darted out. “Randi! Did you all make it here without incident?”

“That we did,” said Randi. “We're leaving the mopping up outside to the others. We're after the bigger fish.” She paused as she saw Agent Nora emerge from the side-corridor. “Nora! What are you doing here?”

“We couldn't stay behind when we saw all the fires,” said Nora in a concerned tone of voice. “I talked to the boys and they agreed to come make sure you were okay.”

“Are you certain that was a wise decision?” Randi asked carefully, looking now towards DI Eldo and Sgt. Herring. “I thought Forumshire's involvement was supposed to stop before getting involved in physical fighting.”

“We couldn't let Nora come on her own,” said DI Eldo. “And we left our uniforms behind,” he added with a grin.

Randi did not seem amused. “Nothing for it now, but it won't be on my head when your bosses find out.”

“Of course not,” agreed DI Eldo.

The group of resistance fighters resumed their advance down the hallway. “Shouldn't there be more guards?” asked Agent Nora.

“They're all outside trying to stop the mob,” said Randi in a whisper. She gestured for the others to speak quietly as well. “They don't know that we're already inside, but I expect we'll run into some Dark Planet mooks soon.”

Just as Randi finished speaking, there was a clattering sound a small metal ball rolled around the corner in front of them. It immediately began spewing a noxious purple smoke and the resistance fighters dived to the walls on either side of the corridor.

“Ambush!” was all Randi was able to say before the crossbow bolts began flying.

DI Eldo crawled in front of Agent Nora and fired in the general direction from which the bolts had come. He blinked furiously, his eyes watering from the smoke and obscuring his vision. Behind him, Agent Nora cautiously leaned up and fired as well. Screams of pain indicated that people were hit, but Eldo couldn't tell who was injured or what side they were on.

Sgt. Herring had dived straight to the ground and was now stomach-crawling towards the bend in the corridor. He stuck to the middle of the hallway, away from most of the resistance fighters. His hand hit something hard and metallic: the smoke bomb.

Picking it up, Sgt. Herring lobbed it as hard as he could away from down the hallway towards their assailants. It clattered loudly and rolled past the lines of Dark Planet soldiers. The smoke began to clear and Sgt. Herring was able to get off a few shots before retreating around the corner.

The Dark Planet soldiers, who were also able to see better now, began marching towards the bend. The resistance fighters clustered around Sgt. Herring just behind the corner. “We have to go hand-to-hand,” he muttered. “That will make it impossible to use crossbows without hitting allies for both sides.”

Even as Sgt. Herring spoke the first Dark Planet soldier rounded the corner. With his mighty war cry of “JAEVLA STOR SIIIIIILD!” Sgt. Herring floored him with a mighty punch. The other resistance fighters surged forward into the enemy line. DI Eldo tried to stick close to Agent Nora, but she darted ahead past the brawlers.

“There he is! The Director!” she cried. DI Eldo body-slammed the Dark Planet soldier in front of him into a wall and looked up. At the end of the corridor, partially shrouded in purple from the displaced smoke bomb, he could see a figure running away.

“FORWARD!” bellowed Randi. The several dozen resistance fighters outnumbered the Dark Planet soldiers and managed to push on. A few stayed behind to incapacitate the still-standing mooks and guard the stricken Bree-landers, but the majority raced after the Director.

Once they passed through the smoke cloud, however, the tunnel forked into two separate paths. There were several doors visible in each corridor. “We need to be careful here,” said Randi loudly enough for everyone to hear. “We don't know how many more mooks there are who could ambush us again. We don't even know if the Dark Lord is here.”

“We should split up,” said Stuart, panting and bleeding profusely from his nose and one cheek. “Two groups, one for each corridor, and check every door.” The resistance fighters moved quickly down each corridor. DI Eldo followed who he thought was Agent Nora, but once he caught up he saw it was a resistance fighter with similar-colored hair.

“You lot, check the first door!” barked Randi, who was leading that group.

“Wait, I've got to go back,” said Eldo.

“No time,” Randi snapped. “In you go.”

One of the resistance fighters withdrew a heavy pair of pliers from his coat pocket and quickly cut through the lock on the door in front of them. Eldo and others burst through, and the DI looked around the darkened room in recognition. It was the conference room he had met the Director in on his first visit to Bree-land.

As he scanned the room, Eldo's look turned from one of recognition to surprise. There were numerous soldiers lining the walls of the room, and a figure sat at the head of the table, where the hooded Dark Lord Taz had sat when Eldo first visited this room. But the figure sitting there now was not the Dark Lord, nor was it the Director of Intelligence.


Sgt. Herring and Agent Nora searched through room after room with the members of the resistance, led by Stuart. More often than not Sgt. Herring simply flattened the doors, but sometimes they were too strong and someone had to cut through the lock. None of the rooms they checked had anyone in them, however.

After nearly 15 minutes of searching, Sgt. Herring sank to the wall while the lock-cutter worked on the latest door. “By now the Director is probably miles away, along with everyone else important in here,” he grumbled. “They must have an escape route and we won't find it until it's too late.”

“Even if that's the case, at least they'll be out of Bree,” said Agent Nora. “And after that they won't just be able to waltz back in here without everyone knowing. Their days of secretly controlling Bree-land are over one way or another.”

“I suppose that's something,” sighed Sgt. Herring. “Say, did you see which corridor Eldo went down?”

“No,” said Agent Nora quietly.

“I'm sure he's okay,” said Sgt. Herring. “He might not be the biggest or the strongest Hobbit out there, but he can take a beating, that one.”

Agent Nora did not look very reassured so Sgt. Herring fell quiet.

“I'm through!” cried the lock-cutter.

“Great! In, in we go,” said Stuart.

The room appeared empty but the resistance fighters rifled through it nonetheless, checking all the blind spots of the room. “There doesn't seem to be anyone here,” said Stuart, sounding crestfallen.

Agent Nora leaned against the wall and punched a piece of paneling next to her. To her surprise, it made a hollow-sounding thump.

“I think I found something here!” she called.

The others clustered around here and Stuart pounded the panel of the wall. It continued to thump more than its neighbors. “We need a hammer or something to break through,” mused Stuart.

“Allow me,” said Sgt. Herring, and without further ado he punched through the wall. Shards of plaster and drywall flew everywhere.

“We could have just looked for a hidden lever or something,” said Agent Nora petulantly. “They had to have some way of getting through.”

“My way is faster,” said Sgt. Herring, who was already inside the newly-opened tunnel. “Keep up.”

As the group ran along they passed several side-tunnels. Down one, they heard numerous heavy footsteps. “Take cover!” hissed Stuart. All the fighters double-checked their pocket crossbows to make sure they were loaded. However, the group that emerged was only Randi and her party.

“How did you get here?!” cried Stuart.

“Have you seen Eldo?” asked Agent Nora urgently.

“We found a secret passageway and followed it,” said Randi. “And Eldo was with us at first, but a few of our people fell behind and we didn't have time to go looking for them. I assume Eldo was one of those.”

Agent Nora looked stricken, but Sgt. Herring laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. “He'll be fine. He probably just found a more roundabout way to get down here.” Nora nodded weakly.

“Keep moving, people!” called Randi, and the combined group set off again. As they progressed the air felt cooler and damper, and soon the gentle sound of waves lapping against stone could be heard even over the tramp of footsteps.

“An underground river!” said Stuart. “This must be how the Dark Lord got in and out of Bree.” He glared at nobody in particular.

“Yes, but there's only one problem,” said Randi.

“What's that?” replied Stuart.

“There's no ship here. We're too late.”


Eldo looked around the darkened room in shock. There were numerous soldiers lining the walls of the room, and a figure sat at the head of the table, where the hooded Dark Lord Taz had sat when Eldo first visited this room. But the figure sitting there now was not the Dark Lord, nor was it the Director of Intelligence.

It was Elthir.

“What the hell?!” demanded Eldo.

Elthir's only response was a slight nod, at which the soldiers lining the room lunged forward and struck each of the Bree-landers accompanying Eldo. The resistance fighters collapsed, unconscious.

“Eru!” swore Eldo. “What the hell are you playing at?”

“I'm not playing,” Elthir said calmly. “This is not a game. It's a very delicate operation, so I must ask you, what are you doing here?”

“Sgt. Herring and I decided to accompany Agent Nora to the city when she changed her mind about accompanying the resistance,” DI Eldo said defensively.

“And why was Agent Nora even with you at that point?” Elthir said in a cold, dangerous voice. “Why was she not arrested by my captain? For that matter, why did you not sail with my captain in the first place?!”

DI Eldo blinked. “I–” he began, but could not find the words to continue.

“While on this mission you have disobeyed more orders than I care to count, not to mention consistently displaying a disturbingly unprofessional attitude that is not only inconsistent with the standards of the Forumshire Police but with your own previous record,” continued Elthir. “I must admit that I did not expect things to get this bad.”

“What did you expect, then?” snarled Eldo.

Elthir sighed and wiped his brow with a handkerchief. Eldo gritted his teeth at the theatrics but did not move. He uncomfortably eyed the soldiers surrounding him.

“I understand that you are going through a difficult time, Eldo,” the Superintendent said. “I also understand that it goes beyond this one case. “Now, before you interrupt me,” he said, holding up his hand to forestall the angry words already on Eldo's tongue. “I do not mean to patronize you, but it is my responsibility as Superintendent to keep tabs on the emotional state of all my subordinates. And you have worried me lately.”

Eldo hung his head, at a loss for words.

“I don't have time to play armchair psychologist right now, but it's clear to me that you're going through a painful personal transition,” said Elthir. “Unfortunately, the proper place to go through that is not a city that could very easily become a war zone. I will not allow you to continue to interfere with this operation.”

“What do you mean?” said Eldo, and his voice betrayed hurt and fear as well as anger.

“I'll explain later,” said Elthir. “Right now, I have a battle to end.” He swept from the room without another word, leaving Eldo alone with the soldiers and the dark.


The members of the resistance were at a loss for what to do. The tunnel in front of them plainly led towards the sea, but aside from the gently lapping water it was completely empty. A few fighters jumped into the water and swam around, looking for any secrets beneath the surface, but found nothing.

“What in Middle-earth do we do now?” asked Stuart despondently.

“We go back to surface,” said Randi with as much strength as she could muster. “We leave a few guards at the end of this tunnel to make sure no one comes out and then we help mop up everyone left topside. Then we figure out what to do from there. But this is not a defeat. We have driven the foreign overlords from Bree-land!”

A ragged cheer went up from the resistance fighters, but many of them, including Sgt. Herring and Agent Nora, looked as hopeless as Stuart sounded. The group made their way back up the tunnel quickly, but without the same energy that had driven them in pursuit of the Director.

As they reached the hallway where they had been ambushed, they were met by a hooded Hobbit walking towards them. Sgt. Herring lifted his pocket crossbow, but the Hobbit held up his hands and slowly removed his hands to reveal that it was none other than Elthir.

Sgt. Herring's eyes went wide and he quickly lowered his pocket crossbow. A heavy flush crept up his face, but Elthir did not seem upset. “No worries, Sergeant, we'll discuss this later. Just continue to do your duty.”

Confused but relieved, Sgt. Herring nodded. Agent Nora glared at the Superintendent. “Have you seen Eldo?” she called.

“We had a few words and I sent him back topside,” said Elthir. “I don't mean to separate friends but there's a lot that needs taken care of right now.”

“Oh.… Yes, of course, there's lots to be done,” said Agent Nora sadly.

“I'm sure you've realized by now that the DI is more than capable of looking after himself,” Elthir said reassuringly. “For now, we need to focus on rounding up all the Dark Planeteers left in Bree. I assume you didn't find the Director?”

“No, he got away through an underground waterway,” Randi said darkly. “We were only a little too late.”

“A pity,” said Elthir. “Nonetheless, I've had nothing but positive reports from outside. Your allies in the Bree-land Police appear to have secured most of this building. Shall you join them?”

“I'll take this group up and do that,” said Randi. “Are you going to stay out of sight down here?”

“Yes, I'm afraid so,” said Elthir. “I'm happy to be able to help take care of things but I'd rather not run the risk of being seen by someone who would recognize me as a Forumshiran.”

“We understand,” said Randi. “Thank you for all your assistance.”

“My pleasure,” replied Elthir. “One more thing! Might I borrow Sgt. Herring and Agent Nora from you for a moment?”

“Of course,” said Randi. “You two, go with Elthir. The rest of you, after me!” The resistance fighters marched up the corridor and out of earshot.

Elthir gave a wry smile to Sgt. Herring and Agent Nora. “If you two would be so kind as to follow me, I'd like to have a few words.” The two followed wordlessly, Sgt. Herring still flushed with embarassment. Elthir led them to the conference room that they had entered on their first visit to Bree-land. It was empty.

Herring and Nora stood next to the table while Elthir circled around and took a seat on the opposite side. “Please, have a seat,” he said. They did so.

“We have a lot of very intricate plans for this day, but you lot being in the city do not factor into them. Am I correct in assuming that our good friend Eldo is the cause of this?”

Sgt. Herring and Agent Nora said nothing.

“Don't feel that you're snitching,” said Elthir. “The DI and I go back a long way. I'm quite familiar with him and I know how he behaves when he's upset about something. Sergeant, I understand that he is your superior officer and I can't hold you responsible for his actions. I also understand that I do not have authority over you, Agent, since you are not a Forumshiran. But we need to be reasonable with one another.”

Sgt. Herring nodded and Elthir gave a quick smile. “I think it would be for the best if the two of you do not return to Forumshire for a while after this. Sergeant, your stay in Forumshire as an exchange officer is nearly up, so we can arrange transportation for you from here directly to Skattykatzenfjord and neither our Internal Affairs division nor yours will look into this.”

“That sounds good to me, sir,” Sgt. Herring said glumly.

“What about Eldo?” demanded Agent Nora.

“I'm afraid I can't cut DI Eldo similar slack,” said Elthir. “He has too many recent offenses. He will be escorted back to Forumshire by our Hobbits and we'll decide what charges, if any, to bring after that.”

“You can't do that!” cried Agent Nora. “He didn't do anything wrong, he was just following his conscience.”

“I'm afraid DI Eldo's conscience has interfered with his ability to carry out his job too much,” Elthir said calmly. “He is fortunate that he judged your character correctly based on the little he knew of you or this entire operation would have been for nothing.”

“I'm not a lackey of the Dark Planet!” said Agent Nora fiercely.

“I realize that,” said Elthir. “But I'm sure you understand the necessity of taking precautions when dealing with a delicate situation.” He held up his hand for silence before Agent Nora could protest further. “That is all.”


Two days later, Herring and Nora set sail for Skattykatzenfjord from Bree-land. Superintendent Elthir had made arrangements for Sgt. Herring's early return with Fjordlandian Police. Nora had decided that, in the aftermath of the uprising and her own personal upheaval, she did not want to continue as an Intelligence Agent at that time.

Nora had explained her desire for change to her grandmother at lengthy. Randi understood and she gave the addresses of several relatives in their family's old village in Fjordianlandia. She decided to leave quickly so she could travel with Sgt. Herring. Neither of them had been allowed to talk to Eldo.

“I can't believe how different my world is from before I met you guys,” sighed Nora. “My country just went through a revolution and I quit my job to travel halfway across the world.”

“Hopefully it's not all bad,” said Sgt. Herring.

“I suppose not. I just really wish we knew what's going to happen to Eldo,” Nora said sadly.

“We'll find out,” said Sgt. Herring. “They can't just lock him up and let him rot. They'll announce the charges and there will be a trial. And that's only if they don't just let Eldo go free because of the unusual circumstances.”

“Yeah, that's true,” said Nora. “Something to look forward to, I guess.”

“That's the spirit,” said Sgt. Herring warmly. “Hopefully you'll enjoy getting to visit Skattykatzenfjord in the meantime. It really is quite a beautiful country.”


After Elthir left, the soldiers quickly relieved Eldo of all his weapons and cuffed him securely. He was then frog-marched through a hidden door in the back of the room and locked in a small holding cell just off of a dank corridor. Twice a day someone shoved food through an opening at the bottom, and while he slept his chamber pot was replaced, but he did not see or speak to anyone.

After three days of this ordeal, several guards entered his room during what he thought might be the mid-morning. His attempts to tell time were stymied by a lack of sunlight and irregular sleep. He was blindfolded, gagged, and securely bound before being bodily carried from his cell. He thought he was put into a crate of some sort and he heard a door being closed and locked.

The crate was even smaller and more unpleasant than his cell, but after a few hours during which he seemed to drift in and out of consciousness he was removed and placed in a small metal cage. He could tell from the smell and the rocking of the floor that he was on a ship. Shortly thereafter the blindfold and gag were removed but he was warned to remain quiet.

He remained there, tucked away in some corner of a large vessel, for a further two days before being blindfolded and gagged again and forced back in the crate. After an intensely uncomfortable cart ride he was eventually pulled out and shackled to a chair in what appeared to be a dungeon with a high ceiling.

Eldo's eyes took a brief moment to adjust to the dim light of the dungeon. He looked around and saw two guards out of the corners of his eyes.

“Where the hell am I?” he asked. The guards did not respond.

After what felt like hours, but might have been only minutes, Eldo heard a door open behind him and footsteps move around him. Craning his neck, he saw Superintendent Elthir enter his field of vision and eventually pause to stand directly in front of him.

“What ever are we going to do with you, Eldo?” he asked sadly, with a touch of the dramatic.

“You could stop keeping me strung up like some common criminal, for one!” Eldo yelled angrily.

“Now, now, that just won't do,” said Elthir. “I had hoped you might have had time to reflect on your place in the world but I suppose you haven't.”

“What do you mean?” asked Eldo through gritted teeth, doing his best not to raise his voice again.

“You are to be formally charged with insubordination and treason,” said Elthir calmly. “I should think the reason for this is clear.”

“You need a judge and a public hearing for that!” cried Eldo. “You can't just charge people while they're wasting away in some godforsaken prison.”

“There will be a judge involved,” said Elthir. “I'm just giving you advance notice. Don't get your hopes up for the public hearing though. With matters of national security we can use a secret judge and have the records sealed for a century.”

Eldo felt like the air was sucked from his lungs and he began to gasp. He stared at Elthir, searching desperately for a way out. “I know I messed up, but you can't just leave me to rot like this. Please…”

Elthir stared at the former DI dispassionately. “I tried giving you fair warnings and second chances. I gave you a lot of leeway but I told you when you overstepped lines. And look what that got me. You became even worse and nearly started a war.

“I did not!” Eldo cried desperately. “Nora is trustworthy!”

“We know that now,” said Elthir firmly. “But at the time, you were simply thinking with the wrong part of your body.” Elthir began to walk away. “I suggest you calm yourself before you go in front a judge, secret or otherwise. They won't like your usual kind of behavior.”

Eldo winced, almost feeling physical pain at the words. “DON'T FUCK WITH ME!” he roared.

He heard the dungeon door open again and slam shut with a sound of finality.

To everyone who was hoping to have a happy ending or to see everything wrapped up neatly ... I'm sorry. I guess everything that DI Eldo has done just caught up to him. I want him to end up in a better place as much as anyone, but this is where I felt the story led. As I've said before, the stories of DI Eldo, Sgt. Herring, and Agent Nora will be concluded (for a time, at least), in their third outing. I won't say how happy that will be but it will resolve a lot more than this ending.

I have mixed feelings about my writing at the best of times, so I hope that you all enjoyed this story. I wanted to expand the world of DI Eldo and Sgt. Herring from what was glimpsed in the first adventure as well as try to flex my writing muscles with different topics and themes. I don't know if this story turned out better, but I do feel that it was successful in giving variety. The third story will probably be somewhere between the first two stories in terms of mystery vs. thriller content.

Check back in this thread for The Treason of Forumshire, starting soon. I'm sort of following the Star Wars model of trilogies, which involves ending the second installment at the lowest point, so there's nowhere to go but up for DI Eldo!

LOVED IT! great story! you are a genious! ^^

Spoiler:

can't wait for the next one

Oh No! DI Eldo and Agent Nora are separated, perhaps forever? NNooooooooooo! and is The Dark Lord Taz Mr. Figg? You cant leave Eldo in a horrible dungeon prison thingy. and Elthir, he is truly so bloodthirsty and orrible? I thought he was a gentle Loremaster, sheesh! you can never trust these quiet ones.

Got to applaud how you crashed both "ships" and sent the Herrings away on a different ship!

And I do love Ringo going after the rank as Hottest Male Lead by kicking down doors left and right in a very masculine and yet gentleman like manner. Oh my!
And then Eldo brings out the big guns by being chained up, poorly treated and stuffed in a crate, possibly getting a ripped shirt somewhere in the process, not sure it it was mentioned. And being put before a judge for following his hearth! If we assume that Nora is wearing a tight shirt too then I don't think there's anyone in the audience who's not gotten what they came for. It's a block buster!

And who will be the judge!? WRITE, BOY!! WRITE!!

{{Also, I think someone might be a bit jealous and wants their keys to the Lore Master Tower back. }}

That aside though, I really enjoy that the story feels genuine and real. A happy ending would have felt forced and strange I think.

Also I wonder how Orwell/Oscar managed to get banned from Dark Planet (or at least that's what he said) when he was suppose to be held prisoner there.