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"Ah planning, yes I agree. I am sure whatever plan you have in store will be effective. After all, I've trusted you thus far, and it has worked out well." I take a moment to think about what we should do next. With so much that has happened lately it seemed a many forked road as to where to start. "It seems to me Beau that before we can begin to go anywhere we must first acquire some form of transportation. Desmond gave us a good sum, so what say we purchase something to move us along."
I take the compass from Desmond as he leaves for the door. I look at it's intriquate copper and brass design admiring the handiwork. "Beau my friend, this is an admirable piece." I pace about anxiously. I suppose the only thing left to do in the area is leave it. Shall we be off then? All of this waiting is making me nervous. I would hate to be here if another fissure were to open. Let us find the cause of these unholy events and put a stop to them." As the professor and I walk out of the shop I remember him playing with a larger of his flasks earlier. "That flask from earlier seemed special in some way, would you care to elaborate?"
Taking in the crisp morning air I walk the main stretch of road outside of the bagelry, keeping myself parallel to the giant fissure that now bisects the street. Again I wonder what could have possibly caused such a disaster. I shiver as a cool breeze moves across the way. I cross my arms and, seeing that the sun was already creeping over the buildings, I decide to return to the Bagelry to see if Beau had awoken. It was time to get this invertigation of biblical proportions started.
The Lord's Crown? Could I really be in possession of such a wonderful artifact? I hold the crown in my hand and trace the holy symbol with my finger. "My goodness. Thank you Ol'Malley, for identifying these for us. They will be of great use on the journey ahead."
As we walk silently in to town once again searching out Ol Malley at the Bagelry I am startled by the sudden speech by mynormally sociable companion. "Ignavus, actually. I don't blame you for hearing it wrong, it is a foreign name I am told, although I was never told exactly where he came to this country from..." I do not speak for a moment or two, as I am trying to find the right way to respond to the Professor's comments. "With all due respect for your intellect and sense Beau, if you would ever have met him I would dare to say that your intrigue very well may have given way to fascination; my grandfather was an... interesting man. His obsession with demons and their destruction made it all but impossible for me to grow up without forming my own interests as well. I never got a chance to ask him exactly why though before he passed away... but enough of that for now, look, there is the bagelry."
"I wouldn't say that I am entirely comfortable with it, but if Desmond speaks true then we must abide by his plan all the same." I continue walking swiftly alongside Beau, he clearly is still in a hurry to put the manor house far behind us. "As my grandfather Ignavis told me once when I was very young, if you have the chance to kill a demon, don't you dare run away." I glance at Beau, "It seems likely that within this Fog, I will have that chance. I shall accompany you in to town to make preparations, my friend."
"Father, are you prepared to depart in preparation? Or does your riveting devotion require more sustenance from our host?"
"Er, yes Beau, I am prepared to depart to go gather supplies." I say to my companion. He seems to want to get me away from our host and speak to me in private. I can not say that I am opposed to the idea either, eying Dorthy with an uncertain glance as the thought occurs. "I thank you for the hospitality this evening, Mr. Desmond, and for the information. I take my leave of you now to go prepare for the journey ahead." I signal a blessing in the air on our host and his home as Beau and I start for the door. I give my companion an inquisitive look, to which he gives me a sharp glance in return, as if to say wait until we are out of sight and earshot.
"I... apologize. I did not mean to preach at you as I do in my congregations, I am simply eager to get started." I sit back down in my chair as requested of me. As Dorthy returns I once again grow slightly uncomfortable with her in the room, but I try to not let it show as I reach for one of the basil salt crackers. I glance over the empty charts and maps as they are brought out. "Mr. Desmond, please proceed. Where must we go first and what must we bring?"
I clear my throat and stand up. The others look at me as I stare back at them. Many thoughts have been rolling around in my mind since we arrived, but hearing that this fog may be connected to the End of Days, I no longer feel the need to be patient with this man who I am not sure if I can completely trust anyways. "Mr. Desmond. If you say that we may act as free agents, then I must request that you allow us to be free at this time. If this fog is truly connected to the End then we can waste no time in preparing ourselves for it. What happened not long ago in the crypt and then shortly after with the fissure splitting the city street in two may already be harbinger signs that time is growing short. It seems that something has acted as a catalyst to stir whatever is in this fog, whether it be divine, technological, or both, but I do not feel comfortable idly sitting here speaking about doing something when we could be actually doing something. You gave your word as a gentleman that you would assist us, and I ask you now to make good on your word and provide us with the assistance that we require in order to get to the bottom of this mystery."
I listen intently to Mr. Desmond's description of the peril that is ominously named The Fog. 'How have I never heard of this before?' I wonder as he tells of miracles and calamities that come from this strange phenomenon. "... the key to this whole puzzle lies at the center of it..." I cannot believe what I am hearing, that this fog may have some connection to the end. As my companion goes on negotiating the terms of our involvement, working as free agents and such, I try to formulate my next questions carefully. "You mentioned this may be the key to the whole puzzle? Do you mean to tell me that you believe that this fog is somehow connected to the End of Days?" I wince as Dorthy addresses me, taking my barely touched teacup, as I am more of a coffee man myself. The presence of the half-mecha makes me noticeably uncomfortable, and I am relieved to see her leave; "It is known to those who devote their lives to the Gods that through metaphorical 'fire' the end is inevitable, are you trying to tell us that the beast that is said to bring forth the Apocalypse, or at the very least some secret concerning him, is contained within? If so then let it be known that I too offer my services to you under the condition that we act as free agents."
Having been recognized by our host and assured that no, he does not keep slaves, I begin to relax where I stand. Although I never believed that this proper gentleman before us would have been the type to own slaves, Beau's question planted the thought in my mind all the same. After all, common slaves would not have the knowledge on how to maintain such impressive machinery... or at least I would not believe that they would.
As Mr. Desmond begins speaking, I catch a glimpse of the woman Dorthy who poured our tea. Something strikes me as off about this woman, but I cannot place why. Turning my attention back to our host I begin to consider what he is saying. I nod as he addresses my knowledge on the beginning and end of time, and sit patiently as he addresses my peer. Upon the conclusion of his speech I am just about to respond, when Beau chimes in. "I had noticed that many of your servants appear to not be entirely sapient; in fact, many of their visage give away their mechanical grafts..." I let out an sharp cry at Beau's words and turn another look at Dorthy. It was true, the feelings of unease I had before were now clearly caused by the mechanical way she moved and, now that I am searching for it, the slight humming sound that I now notice every time she moved. "My God, forgive my over-sight..." I whisper as I stare at her. "...that you have many unique paintings of The Fog..." "The Fog?" I say, bringing myself back to the conversation, although with a more suspicious eye, "What is The Fog?"
I glance at Beux. The moments after I had made my comment about steam powered machines and children's stories he seems to have grown slightly detached. Does he find it offensive that I do not grasp the value of these machines? After we are greeted by Mr. Desmond I am motioned forward by Beux to enter first, while behind me he decides to comment on the upkeep of the estate. "...Or do you own an amount of slaves to keep all of these machines running so well?" "Now, Beux, I am sure a man as hospitable as Mr. Desmond would not partake in the ownership of slaves."
I glance up from the empty space that I had been staring into, first towards my companion, next to the building before us. My eyes widen as I wonder how I was so oblivious only moments before to what was situated in front of us. "...steamatech in harmony with a stunning melody of biome?" "No my friend, I cannot say that I have ever seen any structure quite like this." I say in responce, my mouth agape. "Where I am from tales of steam powered wonders of this scale hold the same amount of believability as children's stories." As I scratch my head trying to comprehend how something like this is made and operated something happened to confuse me even more. The gears around the entrance began to move in a rhythmic fashion, causing the wall in front to split apart, revealing it to be a vault-like doorway which, until now, had remained tightly shut. Out of the entryway stepped our employer, Mr. Desmond, who greeted us and beckoned us inside. "Mr. Desmond. I am a man of religion who puts much faith in creations of the divine. That being said, never in my life, before now, have I marveled so much at something created by the works of man. Your estate is outstanding." The feeling I felt was, I imagine, close to the what a child must feel when he notices a new toy that his father had placed in his room for him. I glance towards the Professor, to see if he shares in my amazement at this marvel of technology.
I raise an eyebrow at my companion as we walk along the forest's edge towards our employers home. "A severed trachea?"The social gap between Beau and I always seemed the largest when attempting to tell humorous stories. He didn't seem to mind my lack of understanding and instead continued to make conversation, saying something about being apprehensive about meeting Desmond.
Truth be told I was too uneasy to really pay much attention. I stared at the ground thinking of this Mr. Desmond as I walked, unable to shake this uneasy feeling about him. All of a sudden Skyraper stopped moving and said something about steam vehicles. Realizing then that I had drifted into my thoughts and had been rudely ignoring my companion, I looked up and glanced around.
Hm, my companion, who normally possessed the social graces of a politician, seemed to be stumbling over his words quite a lot. Perhaps he views this Mr. Desmond as celebrity and is in fact, embarrassed at the proposal. Though the Professor and I have gone through much together I wouldn't necessarily compare our teamwork to the efficiency of a machine. I give my companion a puzzled look as Dwayne continues to speak. The Professor's eyes meet mine. He motions his eyes quickly from me to Dwayne, as if he wants me to turn away. Confused to his behavior, I look back to the man right as he says his goodbyes. I give a small wave, not really knowing what to say since my companion was the one who did most of the speaking. As he walks away I turn back to Beau. "Why were you acting so strange there my friend? Were you taken aback by his celebrity? Do you think we can trust him? I must say I am quite lost."
I stand embarrassed as my companion reveals the man's importance as if everyone in attendance should know who he is. He turns to me and mutters that he meant no offense, to which I nod in acknowledgment, but I can't help but feel a little common amongst these two celebrities. Mr. Desmond reveals his intentions in approaching the two of us. It would seem that his own endeavors mirror our own, at least in part. I shift uncomfortably and try to catch the eye of the Professor as Dwayne reveals that he has done research on us, but he doesn't seem to notice. A man of Skyraper's repute must be used to people knowing his life; a small-town priest like myself, however, is not. "What might this service be, Mr. Desmond?" I ask, trying to hide my unease at the man's knowledge and demeanor.
As Beau and I stand staring and pondering over the origins of the cog in his hand we hear the volume of the crowd quiet a bit behind us. I turn around towards the commotion and am able to see that most of the common folk had stopped talking and were paying attention to a well-dressed man who had just walked on to the scene. Glancing at the professor I nodded my head in that direction, for whatever this man had to say I'm sure would be relevant to our own investigation. "Alright.. Now would someone describe the happenings of the past few moments. My sources, aside from the slight trembling inform me something was left behind? Anyone know anything about that?" I approach the newcomer with a finder raised in the air. "Hello!" I announce, loud enough for the surrounding people to hear. He turns toward me and I outstretch my hand towards him. Good day, sir. My name is Samuel, Samuel Hallowborne. My companion Professor Beau Skyraper and I were present for the bulk of the ordeal, for we ran outside at the first hints of disorder, and we would be glad to fill you in on all of what we know."
Panting, I lower my head and rest my hands on my knees. I take a few long, deep breaths before telling Beau everything that I know about what happened: The crevasse, saving the child, and overhearing something about a hand. I bring myself back into a standing position and turn to look at the scene as Beau walks off to investigate as well. The street is in a panic, whatever just happened was not a natural occurrence. People are crying, unsure of what to think. I notice the Professor walking back towards me examining something in his hand. As he approaches i take a look myself. "A cog Professor? I did not see any machinery in the area, where did you find it?"
As the young woman regains consciousness she almost instantaneously starts to panic and, against my protests saying that she should remain lying down inside where it is safe, fled from the room and down the street. I follow her out with intentions to plea further, but I hear something that makes me stop dead in my tracks. "A hand! I dare say Mortimer I saw a hand reach out of the pit!" "As did I Rupert! It reached up and then pulled itself back down! Did you see it, Link?" "Hyeah! Augh! Yeahh!" "Professor!! Did you hear that group speaking? A hand apparently reached up out of the crevasse! Did you see where?"
Glancing outside I behold a most terrible sight. Running down the street is a tear in the world, spreading as easily as a tailor sheers a piece of cloth. "Father... The straits appear to be quite dire. My hypothesis is that this may be very dangerous." I turn and face him, a quizzical look on my face as my mind races trying to figure out what to do. "After you, Samuel." "Professor I think you hypopothsesis... hypothosor... hyp..." Before I could wrap my tongue around the word to respond to my friend I hurriedly dash out of the room, heart pumping and terrified, toward the crack. I take a giant desperate lunge toward the edge of the chasm and, sliding the last few inches on my stomach, reach out beyond the ledge. My hand makes contact; my fingers respond to reflex and grab tight. With all the strength I have available to me I hoist myself up away from the ledge, pulling up with me the limp figure of a young girl, unconscious after tripping and hitting her head fleeing from the expanding crack. I pulled her free and picked her up and get both of us as quickly as I could to our hotel and away from the danger that almost swallowed her whole.
I think I leveled up everything correctly. If you guys notice anything done wrong let me know!
"...and then the bard said "I'm invisible!" as he started running around without *hick* any clothes on!" I explain to the man sitting next to me telling the story of a group of adventurers who once came to me fro clerical aid. I then proceeded to walk around the room offering blessings to everyone that I met, even once offering one to an ornate marble statue of a griffon. People are much more pushy in the big city and some of the other patrons pressured me in to consuming much more alcohol than I was used to at home. I barely even felt the Professor's hand on my shoulder as he led me up the stairs to our rooms. Entering the room I collapsed backwards on my bed, still fully clothed, fast asleep.
"Father...? Are you awake?" I hear through my dreams. I open my eyes to the dim room wondering why I had been awoken. I heard a sudden scream and clamor coming from elsewhere in the Inn and I quickly bolt upright only to collapse to the floor. "Oughh... The drinking from last night... Professor, what was that scream?" I slowly stand and straighten myself, careful now to avoid another hang-over headache. I stare worried at my friend as the noises continue.
Taste so impeccable? I hold off on telling the Professor that the reason for renting a room at this exquisite location was simply because I could not find anything cheaper; he is so pleased I would just rather him not know. The smile upon his face as he flirts with the young women and shows off his manners towards the men I am sure is exactly the type of attention I am sure he wishes after such a rough day, and who am I to diminish that for him? "Father, are you one to enjoy spirits?" he asks me as we near the bar. "As it turns out my friend I do enjoy my wine! Back in my home town I was praised for only using the best vintages to please the gods at mass, though my enjoyment of the dream by no means ends with church. The teachings say to enjoy your drink as long as you do not let your drink rule you; let us enjoy a glass together before bed shall we?"
There is an ancient text with diagrams in it to call upon some sort of ancient fiery evil bringing the end of the world... There is a tomb under this city which clearly had some biblical relevance in which we found the strangest painting and a book written in the language of the heavens... After obtaining a room for the night at the Inn of Syrin's Cove I decided to take a walk, breathing the fresh air and allowing myself to think back on the events that have transpired since visiting this city. In my exhausted and confused state none of what we learned makes any sense; we must find someone to translate this celestial novel soon so that it may shed some light upon this mystery. "Now where is the Professor?" I wonder aloud as I walk the streets. It is getting quite dark and unless I turn back to the inn soon I worry that I will not be able to find my way back. At that moment a door directly to my right opens and I feel a fast moving creature knock in to me. Startled but on edge I turn to confront my attacker, when I notice that it is in fact the Professor, who had been hastily retreating from whatever shop he had just been in. "H-hello Professor, I was searching for you, but I did not expect to literally bump in to you." Awkwardly pulling myself to my feet, I glanced around to see if anyone noticed this embarrassing moment. "Um I have a room for us, come, before it gets darker and more people burst out at us from indoors..."
"I agree my friend, let us leave this place far behind.." As the Professor and I make our way towards the exit I clutch tightly to the novel I held in my hands. From what I am able to gather based on the formatting, structure and the language of the book I am positive that written within contains the will of the gods. "Professor once we again reach the surface we must find someone who can read the celestial language to translate this book for us. But we must first rest, for it will do us no good to proceed tired. Once above I will find us a place to rest tonight, and you may go about your own business."
As my companion searches through the things of the dead I feel uneasy. I do not like the idea of robbing these deceased of their final possessions, but... considering the far more dire evil that looms over us I try to make myself come to terms with it if we can find anything that may be helpful to us. I pick up the book that the Professor lay by my feet and open it to a random page. My eyes light up as I notice it is penned in an ancient looking text.
Holding my tongue in respect for the dead whom we are taking these objects from, I feel that despite our disrespect deeds something important may have come from this.
"Father... Quite a stupendous show we put on, wouldn't you agree?" says the professor as he repositions his hat after severing the spinal chord of the last of the approaching undead. It is plain to see that the man is quite proud of himself, and though I agree our teamwork was excellent, I'd all the same have not been assaulted in the first place. "Yes we did well. I am just pleased that we were able to end the foul undeath that befell these poor men. No matter their sins in life, no one deserves such a fate." Hanging my crossbow loosely at my side I wander back to the previous room and pick up the mace that the stone guardian was holding. The undead got too close for comfort considering I had no melee weapon to defend myself with. Mace in hand I wander back to the scene of our recent battle. "Now Professor, what do you say our next move should be? What did we learn down here?"
With only a momentary glimpse of a flash reflecting off the Professor's daggers to hint to me of his intentions I see one of the undead convulse and drop to the ground, followed momentarily by another. As much hope that this double-kill fills me with the final undead is almost within arms reach of me, and seeing as I don't have any long range weapons I must make my last shot count.
My prayer worked! The undead monsters noticeably forgot about the Professor like they suddenly developed some sort of amnesia. I notice him quickly take advantage of the situation and scurry behind the slowest undead, drinking one of his liquidy scientific fantasticals as he went. What a sly man! Knowing that I must now resume my frontal assault I notch another bolt in to my weapon and fire at the front most of the three remaining monsters.
**Unrelated to Game side note: I bought Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but I'm afraid to play it. lol
As the bolt leaves the bridle of my crossbow I stand holding my weapon still in position, surprised at my own quick reaction time and concentration in the midst of such danger. This type of situation is why I first started practicing with the firearm in the first place; the paranoia that one day demons or undead of some rot would attack. I notice the bolt sink in to the creature's skin and, just when my heart begins to sink I hear my companion yell out "I say, that'll teach these ghastly corpses a thing or two!" and see the body slump to the ground. Followed immediately after I see a dagger flying aimlessly past the group of undead. Glancing at my friend I conclude that a man of science likely has had even less combat experience than I have, and with the approaching undead I feel that I must do something, anything I can to protect him, especially after he saved my life. "Professor! Your bravery is unmatched but your aim is anything but true. I will help hide you so that you may strike from a better position!" I close my eyes and say a silent prayer, pleading for the divine to help my friend Hide from Undead.
I am still examining the painting when I hear a noise. I turn around just as I see my friend pulling a knife out and throwing at what I am horrified to see are the walking dead. Without hesitation I raise my crossbow and fire a bolt in to the midst.
"I think we must Professor, as much as it makes me nervous that we are messing with dark things, we have come this far..."
"Professor, I do believe that this is the head of the whole tomb. It is where the most important nobles, such as the original family members, would be buried. If any answers are to be found down here, they will likely be in this room."
As the Professor and I enter the room I dust off a bit of the filth that had settled on my clothing and take a glance around. A vast number of containers are placed around the room, from ancient looking chests to coffins. "Goodness... Father this room, what do you suspect the purpose is?" "I have never seen the likes of this tomb, and I get an eerie feeling about it. Do give me a moment to think of what it's purpose may be..." Walking slowly around the room, being very careful now not to touch anything, I wander towards the painting that hung at the far end of the room. "Father, do you notice anything out of the ordinary with this room?" my companion asks me, and I can honestly say that I do. "This painting here... I do not like it. I can not say why, but it frightens me."
Thank you! I was Sailor Gerrick Krillhart, slayer of the Krakken and the Giant Air-Shark with my Strato-Harpoon! (Have to leave for work now. I get off early so the rest of my stats and such will be up by midafternoon.)
"Professor I do believe we should take these gems, for they seem mysteriously rare. I will also hold on to the circlet so we may find out what it is. I do not desire the mace, brutish weapon, so warthirsty."
"Friend, I can say with an honest heart I have very little idea how much these are worth and I would place my trust in your guess over mine." Rummaging through the pile of things and stuff I find a rusted key. Picking it up I glance around wondering where this would fit in to. I notice the lock on the large steel door. "Professor, I do believe that, when we are done here, that this key will fit that lock."
"Hm, yes I do believe that some of these things you have found may prove very useful!..." As I finish my sentence I feel a rumbling in the ground. I grow quite afraid that the floor may collapse again. It takes me a moment to notice that the source of the rumbling is coming directly from the statues themselves. They begin to break apart in to shards of glass, and I realize that this must be due to Beau's answer to the riddle! "In addition to what you have already found friend it seems that your answer has netted us even more spoils."
Groggily I open my eyes and for a moment I don't see anything. After a few seconds blurry shapes tend to take form which then melts in to the shape of the Professor leaning over me, a concerned expression on his face. I move my head a bit to see what became of the statue that knocked me over. I see it is once again stationary at it's post. Relieved that whatever magic caused it to attack is idle for the moment I move a shaky hand to my holy symbol work around my neck. I grab hold of it and allow my eyes to close, not in pain but in prayer. I pray in my mind for strength to go on once more.
My prayers have been answered! I feel some of my strength returning as the positive energy flows through me. I am strong enough now to stand, though I put a hand on my helpful companion's shoulder, just in case. "I owe my thanks and my life to your healing, my friend. Words can not describe how much I appreciate what you have done." I stare back at the statue that put me in my previous condition. "What happened while I was out?"
Upon walking up and inspecting the end of the hall I feel a sense of astonishment. The statues blocking our path are terrifying to behold, gazing menacingly and armed for battle. "Take a look at these statues Professor. They look so menacing don't they? And their equipment! It's almost as if they are ready to..." My voice trails off as a make a suspicious discovery. To test myself I run a hand along the surface of one and then look at my palms. "Beau... Despite these catacombs being ancient, there is no dust on these statues..."
Walking forward with my companion behind I attempt to look calm and collected. The truth however is that I am scared out of my wits. Yes I had been in graveyards and mausoleums before, but nothing like this, nothing that seemed so, unnatural. "I don't know how to place it Professor, but something about this place just seems strange to me..."
I nod to the Professor and then again down the hall. Slowly, crossbow in hand, I begin walking down the hall.
"Ah yes Professor, I do have a flint and steel along with me. Here, let me use it to create a spark within your lantern." I light my companions lantern and breath a sigh of relief being able to see better in this darkness. I look around me at the catacombs more clearly now to take in the sight. I decide that it is within both mine and Beaue's best interest if I take out the crossbow that I had stored within my pack.
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