Havi glared at the ceiling, waiting impatiently for the auction to continue. He had been interviewed by the police all night, and had to finish up some last minute grading before he could go to bed. He passed back the assignments and said farewell to his classes, not regretting that he probably wouldn't see many of them much more. Immediately after his last class he left campus and came to the auction house, having been let in despite his tardiness due to being a regular participant.
"And number 98 is a beautifully carved staff that was discovered among the ruins of an ancient castle," the auctioneer called loudly. "It was so well preserved that archeologists are astounded as to why. The beginning price will be two hundred." Havi and a few others raised their hands, rapidly increasing the sale price.
"Why would someone want a stupid stick?" someone near Havi whispered.
Havi ignored them, repeatedly claiming the staff until it was him and another man who were fighting. They were up to four thousand dollars, but Havi saw the man hesitate to raise the bid up to that much. Havi smirked and raised it up five thousand. The man hesitated and glanced at his opponent. Havi fixed him with a determined stare, and the man stopped, allowing Havi to claim the staff.
After the auction, Havi went straight home to look at the staff and all of the details on it. It was a finely carved staff, clearly meant for more than hiking. The length of it was perfectly smooth and had been treated in a way for it to not decay after a long time, though Havi could not tell what it was treated with. At the top it had a few root-like appendages that were obviously meant for something instead of absorbing water. The way they were arranged made a perfectly round gap that looked like it once held something important.
He wrote down all of its measurements and felt it in his hands. It even felt like it was made for more than ordinary uses, or even just for display. It felt hard and strong, and so natural in his hands. Havi swung it around a few times, noticing that even though it was smooth it never slipped from his grip at all.
Setting it down on his chair, Havi moved to examine a few books he had on quarterstaffs and other weapons. It would make sense if this was a weapon, but it didn't look useful for bashing, and instead looked more ceremonial. Grabbing another book on religious ceremonies, Havi flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for.
Neither book, nor the other ones he grabbed for insurance, had anything like this staff listed for use. It was too delicate and smooth for war, but too bland and undecorated for religious ceremonies. Havi's curiosity was peaked and he began examining the staff more closely.
The phone rang loudly, but Havi ignored it until the answering machine picked it up. "Halvir!" Clarissa's clear but annoying voice called out of the machine. "I know you're there! …Fine! Don't pick up. I just wanted to tell you about classes ending early because of the murder on campus. Summer classes still are going to start on schedule, but we've been told to be ready for any sudden changes. There was another murder today, but off campus thank God. … Well I'll talk to you first day of summer classes then… Bye."
Havi sighed as he glanced at the recording machine. Deciding to ignore the message like usual, he decided to take a break from the staff and find that annoying thief on the online game. The game, Crimson Spell, started up as Havi glanced at the mysterious staff. He couldn't shake the feeling that he knew it from somewhere, and that it belonged to him even before he bought it earlier.
Sorry for the dumb obvious references to the actual story, but I promise they're for a reason. :)