The hall was not very well lit, but there were a few torches to see by as well as a light at the top of a lengthy staircase that had been behind Daniel. He was far from calm but Daniel was feeling much better now that he was on dry ground.

"OK, let's keep going here. That was...you know this music isn't expected from a game that's supposed to be horrific. It's like I'm walking into heaven now."

Daniel heard no music but he could not care less about music or games now. The heaven bit did grab his attention and made Daniel wonder if he even was still alive.

"Oh look! A beautiful fountain."

There was a fountain at the top of the stairs in front of many windows, but Daniel's attention was drawn to the left where a door opened via mysterious wind, meaning that he would have to go that way eventually.

"And more wind."

Daniel ignored the horrors that awaited him and returned to the fountain, running water would calm him.

"And a corpse, never mind, this music is completely out of place."

Or not.

"Oh, nope, never mind that's just part of the fountain. It's still out of place though."

The fountain was like a large bowl with ridges and lines carved on the inside. Legs of a woman made of stone-he presumed-were bent over the fountains edge at the front. That was odd, but the most peculiar part of the fountain was the tall black spine that held up a blue baby's head that the water flowed out of. Daniel could not help but question Alexander's taste. Daniel splashed his hand in the water a few times to see if perhaps a smaller monster stayed in it and would cause him more trouble, but luckily he was the disturbance in the water.

"Hehehehe, splash, splash. Ok, uhh...wind wants me to go this way."

Daniel headed towards the open door to his doom, trying to prepare himself.

"So wherever the wind wants me to go, I will abide I guess..."

Daniel walked down the hall the door led into and almost reached the open area at the end before he knew it was too soon for him to face anything more like those water monsters, turned around, and hurried back out.

"Or not, fuck 'em! You know what, I'm through playing this games rules."

Daniel closed the door so nothing could follow him-hopefully-and went up to the upper level of the fountain room.

"Yeah, that's what I think of you wind. I am going to start by going upstairs...stumbling over my own feet or something, he's slowing down."

Daniel was having trouble climbing the stairs, he was dreadfully nervous about going anywhere, wind or no wind.

"I'm gonna go into the study!"

Daniel went into the first room at the top, and rather than read Lani spoke what they both were feeling.

"You know what, I'm tired of being chased by monsters and stuff. Wherever that wind wants me to go it can't be good. So screw 'em."

Once again Daniel had entered a hallway. There were candles lit about the wall and Daniel's only thought was that it would flood.

"All right. And look, this hallway's lit! It's like...it's like completely different."

The room to Daniel's right was filled with piles of books, chairs, boxes, and practically everything he had seen in this castle; including chests.

"That's one of those ones I can't open. This is one of the ones I can-hey! More tinder. Any, uh, lantern oil around here?"

Daniel weaved his way amongst the piles of junk and found nothing until he was by the door again.

"More tinder. I love you tin-aww."

Daniel's lantern ran out of oil and went out, leaving him in the dark. He went back into the hall to be by a candle and be able to see what he was doing when he refilled the lantern.

"Get in the light here, and refill my oil a little. Keep one ready just in case I need to burn something."

Daniel took the notion seriously and used three of his four oil jars to fill his lantern before returning to the room of junk.

"Throw lantern oil on it, strike with tinder, win. Eh let's see...nope does not look like anything else is here."

Daniel put out his lantern and went to room across the hall, he could see two fogged windows but no effective light inside; he used his lantern to explore here as well.

"Check this room... It's creepy, that's promising."

Not wanting to use up too much oil Daniel lit a candle, hoping it would be more useful than a few other times he would light only one.

"So I have a safe spot to run to when I get scared. Huh, it's getting dark out now."

The sun was almost completely gone outside the window, no wonder there was not much light. Daniel lit his lantern to quickly look over the bookshelves before hearing the dog in the distance again.

"Ok seriously, something's gotta shut that dog up. Uhh, looks like this room was a waste of my time so far."

The dog continued one, it sounded as if it was in pain.

"Ok seriously! Shut that dog up."

Daniel had decided Lani really was heartless and made his way down the somewhat lit halls. The dog cried louder and louder and Daniel could not help but feel sorry for it.

"I am getting really damn tired of that damn dog. Seriously, where is it?"

Daniel looked out the first window in the third section of hallway and the house did its infamous shakes and groans as the window cracked all along the glass to a near shattered state. Daniel hurried back, panicked that it may break and glass shards would fly towards him. The castle settled and Daniel took loud, shallow breaths as he went o take a closer look. The weak wooden frame was now the only thing holding the window up, and for some reason there was a tinder box on the ledge outside. Daniel tried to push the window into breaking but it was no use.

"Oh yeah, well fuck you too-HEY TINDER! Ugh, it's right there! And lantern oil!"

Luckily the oil was inside so Daniel could collect it immediately.

"Hold on, I'm gonna find something to smash that window! Uhh, this way."

Daniel headed back to the room of junk, knowing it would be easy to find something to use.

"Come on there's gotta be something heavy in here. Chairs! Chairs can smash things! Come on chair, we're getting more tinder."

Daniel carried the chair he wished he could have had to beat the water monster with and threw it at the window. The glass and wood flew out and the chair was forced back into the hall.

"Yeah!"

Daniel leaned out of the window to grab the tinder box, seeing a rather large ledge outside every window, not that it mattered.

"Wait, who the fuck puts tinder on a window sill?"

Daniel went back into the castle in fear he would fall to his death and tried to smash one of the other windows with the chair, only to have no effect.

"Just for that, AGH! Oh I can't break that one. Daniel! Strong enough to break weakened glass, but still too weak to actually destroy any actual, you know, strengthened glass."

Daniel inwardly groaned and entered the room across from the windows. There was a large table in the middle of the room with a candle on top, blood stains, another note, various tools, and the head of a dog. Lani sighed at the scene that horrified Daniel.

"Charming. Well, maybe if I carry this around that other dog will shut up. Show him who's boss."

Daniel could not believe what he was hearing. He took the dog's head for an unknown reason, he simply felt compelled to, and seeing how his mind faded in and out it was not too horrible surprising. Daniel's mind did not stay gone too long though, and once it had returned he threw the head immediately; it landed just outside of the room.

"I'll just throw it in his face like that, and he'll be like 'Oh shit, I don't want to mess with that guy'."

Daniel could hardly believe half of the ideas Lani talked about, and his only form of solace were the scattered notes. Hoping it would be more calming to his mind, Daniel decided to read a note before having to come to terms with the dog head. As per usual, Lani read the first bit before fading into a small series of sounds, mostly from his trying to pronounce words.

Animal Experiment

Canis Lupus Familiaris - 1658, April 12

After a short study it is clear that the agitation found among humans can be found in the dog. Fear and pain induce stress which seems to trigger an endogenous response, causing the animal to burst with energy. I believe that the catalyst is produced in the brain. It is difficult to determine exactly where and what it is, but I can sense it, it reeks of cosmic genesis.

Apparently genesis and genius were very alike as Lani had misread the word as such, not that it was too horrible a mistake.

There is an inherent problem in harvesting this energy since the creature is bound to die from the exercise. I must refine this process of torture to enable any real work to be done.

"Daniel, is this the guy you're working for?"

More experiments must be performed, but it seems that only human beings are able to produce the amount necessary. It might be their ability to appreciate the severity of the process that ultimately augments their experience of terror.

"You know I'm seeing all this stuff...but honestly I'm just waiting for the huge reveal to happen that Daniel is the evil one all along, and that the dark forces that are out there are actually trying to kill me cause I did all this shit."

That was absurd. Daniel may not of remembered who he was before, but he was certain it was not that. He strolled along the room, observing the stuffed dog and various research papes and subjects as he had a few seconds to ponder Lani's words before rage at the very notion of this accusation absorbed him. Whatever that shadow was it was pure evil, not Daniel. In an attempt to vent his rage with a justifiable reason Daniel took a chair and smashed the glass over another table.

"Course that's just me hypothesising."

Daniel inwardly groaned, not only because of Lani, but also because the table held a dead bird rather than a consoling note. Daniel used almost all that remained of his mental abilities to stay calm and carry on.

"Can I have that canary...? No...?"

As it was though, he happened to carry on into another flashback, complete with the poor dog whining in the background as Alexander seemed to be calmly dissecting it-or something similar to disection.

"Hey a bunny!"

"Let's see what you have to offer."

Alexander's voice was no longer that of a respectable and collected baron, but that of a murderer who knew he faced no threat. He was calm, but threatening. The stuffed rabbit seemed to stare at Daniel, and he repeatedly banged it across the table in a poor attempt to drown out Alexander's voice as Lani seemed...amused. The dog whined and Alexander grunted with force as he assumedly sawed at the dog.

"Ignoring~."

Daniel held the rabbit, unable to bang it against the table while this continued. Alexander gave a sound between a sigh and a groan; he was upset, but not over the dog.

"What a mess. I should have sharpened the saw. But I can sense it. It's definately there."

"Clearly not me then. This guy was the guy that did that."

The flash returned to end the episode of torment Daniel had just faced as he turned back to the large table in the room's center.

"But hey, I have a bunny to play with!"

Daniel thumped the mounted rabbit along the table, thinking the loud pounding would help him escape. It did not, if anything it made it worse as Lani thought this motion was a game of making the rabbit hop cheerfully.

"Bunny, bunny, bunny, bouncing, bouncing, bouncing~!"

Daniel surrendered the idea and left for the room beyond, taking the rabbit without thought.

"Anything in here? I'm gonna leave bunny to get warm. Get warm bunny."

The rooms in this castle seemed so alike it was frightening all on its own. A large picture of an older gentleman-presumably Alexander-hung by a fireplace and his portrait's eyes bore their way into Daniel, giving him a chill and a collection of goosebumps. He soon remembered that he was holding a dead, stuffed rabbit and opted to get rid of it by placing it in the fire; his mind did not favor the idea. He would try to burn the thing so that he would not have to face the notion of torture or death anymore than he already had, but at the same time it seemed even more torturous to do so and the thought prevented him even though the rabbit was clearly dead. The rabbit simply fell to the ground and Daniel let it be before it became the thing to set him off again.

"It's ok."

No it is not ok!

"What've we got here? A book!"

Daniel stuffed the book that sat on the fireplace inside of it to burn, seeing as he could not burn Lani. The book flipped its way out of the fireplace a moment afterwards, and hit the ground sending dust flying about it. Daniel shook and became short of breath. Nothing in this castle followed the earth's laws.

"HA HA! Inflamable!"

Lani's booming voice gave Daniel a jolt that urged him to quickly finish his business here. He wished he had gone through the desk before his time with the fire but regardless, he had to sort through it now.

"Ah desk drawers, those are good...tinder!"

Lani was easily excited...

"No more tinder..."

Daniel went to the right and opened the large compartment each desk had. Once it was open a skull toppled out to his feet and other skulls and bones shifted inside. Daniel hurried backwards to distance himself and drew sharp breaths and at times he could not breathe. Why would those be here? Why did the fire harm nothing? And for the love of all that was holy why were there bloody monsters?

"...WHO THE FUCK-?"

Daniel lifted one of the skulls hoping to find something important, perhaps an explanation. Lani sighed as he took it towards the fire, before thinking better of it and placing it on the desk.

"Oh well, at least now I can reenact Hamlet."

Daniel lifted the skull once more, unsure of what Hamlet was, though it did seem faintly familiar. His only chance was to wait for Lani to explain, though he explained about as much as the castle did.

"Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio-that's enough of that."

Holding in a groan, Daniel threw the skull away, too far out of his mind to care anymore. He drew his lantern and looked about the room once more, staring at the large portrait of the older man once more.

"That the guy I'm going to kill?"

It made sense, this painting was hung in multiple rooms, there was a large A on the robe or coat he wore, and who else besides the head of the castle would have such large paintings, unless of course he had family. Daniel moved one of the books and collected another note to read. Another note for Lani's mumbling, which was a pity, he read very well for the most part.

"Paper...ohh."

Anatomy Frontiers

1658, January 9

Further disappointment. The antiquarian's latest findings yielded nothing. I'm still unable to grasp the inner workings of life and its relation to the power I sense within it. I shall pursue more books on the subject, but I suspect it will be in vain. Since no research has been made in my particular interest I must attempt to fill that void myself. Clearly humans emanate more of the energy I seek, but I hope animals will suffice as they would prove less of a hassle to acquire.

"I don't know you didn't seem to have much problems coming up with humans. Matter of fact I've seen fewer animal bodies."

It's far easier to dispose of deceased animals without question though, the humans would need to stay here...

Daniel returned to the room that held that delightful blood splattered table and took a small hammer to look it over along with the other instruments.

"You see-why can't I add a hammer to my inventory? I could do a lot of-or the saw?"

Daniel cast them aside as useless and took a pair of sheers.

"I don't know what I'd do with these, I mean I could huck them."

Daniel threw the sheers against the wall to see how well a weapon they could make; pitiful. As if trying to defy logic even more there was a loud metal clank when they hit the wall.

"...that wall's made of metal as well. Anyway."

Daniel lit his lantern and made his way further down the hall. The cries of the dog were sounding in the distance once more. To save his oil Daniel lit one of the candles to explore the latest mountain of boulders that blocked his path. Of course the candle was too far away from it and he had to use his oil anyway so he had wasted his tinder. As per usual there was nothing useful so Daniel began his way out of the hall.

"Guess I've done what I can here... Now you see, some would call hat a waste of time, I would call that exploring...and I got tinder! I got more tinder, I got more lantern oil, so...in my mind I've justified this as a success. That's all I need."

Daniel more or less agreed, though the only reasoning he needed was to stop following the wind. Exiting the back hall Daniel went to the second door the upper level offered.

"Ok, there's another...up here-oh this must be my room."

Hold on, your room or my own?

Either own would be very interesting, but Daniel assumed it was his own rather than Lani's.

"Unless I'm not a guest..."

If it was just a guest room it had to be Daniel's, he had heard nothing about Lani outside of his mind.

"Then again I haven't been the greatest guest in the world, I kind of smashed a lot of his stuff...I helped him unleash an ancient evil, but that was kind of his choice."

As soon as Daniel had set foot in the guest room a flashback had started. It was his voice, unaccompanied by Alexander's this time. Given this memory the room had to have been his during his time here. What place would better show who he was? None he thought, as he continued to explore even with his blurred vision.

"My journal is gone. What would they want with my journal?"

"I dunno."

The flash faded while Daniel was in the bedroom that held a large canopy bed with green sheets, another desk, a cupboard, and a few other decorations and objects.

"Well that was pointful. I guess I learned that they stole my journal..."

Books had fallen to the floor, or were more likely thrown during his past self's search, and strange stain were around them.

"Is that...I don't even want to know."

Daniel approached the bed from the front, it seemed so large and inviting. He would have given anything to simply sleep and awake to a normal life and all of his memories in tact.

"Can I take a nap or something?"

Daniel brushed his hand over the warm sheets and would have fallen asleep had another bright flash not forced him to stay awake.

"No, but I can activate a cinematic-sort of."

Alexander's voice was in the flashbacks once again.

"Daniel."

"What?"

His past-self seemed annoyed and frustrated.

"Still having nightmares, I see."

"Creepy!"

"Yes, I can't shake them. They come every night."

Now he sounded remorseful and worried.

"You're actually standing at my bedside?"

"We'll put a stop to them. You'll see."

The flash left after Alexander's last words as it normally did, and Lani mocked the discovery of Daniel's past as he normally did. This time there was a twist though; he used baby talk.

"We'll put those mean ol' nightmares away. Is that blood or wine?"

Hard to tell, there's a busted wine bottle, it's soaked into the desk top, and it's still red rather than a brown like color-OF COURSE IT'S BLOODY WINE! I HAVE AMNESIA AND EVEN I CAN TELL!

Daniel would not stand to be mocked by anyone, especially Lani. He had more than overstayed his welcome in Daniel's head.

"It's wine."

Daniel resisted the urge to scream in case any other beasts from hell decided to be close enough to hear him. He occupied himself with the empty drawers of the desk and the crowbar sitting next to the wine stain.

"Oh man I didn't even leave myself any tinder."

Lani gasped.

"A crowbar!"

OH REALLY?

"Yes! I'm going Half-Life on these motherfuckers!"

Daniel decided he did not want to understand whatever it was Lani was on about now. He collected the crowbar to 'go Half-Life on these motherfuckers', whatever that meant, before he began reading a new note.

2nd of July 1839

"Story time!"

I received a letter today from the Algerian governor's office disclosing the fate of Herbert's expedition. About a week after my departure, Abdullah, one of the men traveling with us, returned from the desert. He was badly injured, as if maimed by a lion. The man rambled deliriously about the expedition being attacked by something horrible.

The French quickly dispatched a search party to look for the expedition. After searching for days, they found the camp abandoned without any trace of Herbert or his men. Tomorrow I'll retrieve the things they recovered from Herbert's tent at the customs house. I don't know what to make of it, but I'm worried for him.

"I guess that's rightful... But they left me some wine! ...but judging from what happened to the people in the wine cellar..."

Daniel quickly threw the bottle in a panic, neglecting to consider the loud sound the bottle makes when smashed.

"Yeah I like breaking things."

Daniel checked a cupboard with two shirts hanging inside for a nice place to hide.

"So these are the clothes I brought huh? ...that's it?"

Having heard nothing coming for him Daniel went to leave what he assumed to be his room and search more desks. There are an awful lot of desks in this castle.

"Daniel you are not ready for any occasion, I will tell you that. There's more paper but first...let's look arou-yay laudanum! That's totally healthy!"

After the wonders it did for Daniel during his time with the water he was more than willing to believe it was.

"Load me up with that stuff! More news."

Daniel read the journal entry which was more than likely the sequel to the last one he had read.

3rd of July 1839

Today I picked up Herbet's things at the custom's house.

"Wow I read these in the right order."

I dug through the trove of documents he had carried and found a log detailing the expedition. The nature of this text ranged from quick notes to colourful accounts of transpired events. I skimmed the pages, trying to figure out what might have happened.

May 17th, the day I was trapped inside the orb chamber, Herbert dryly states:

"Recovered Daniel after one hour of entrapment."

"That motherfucker."

This confused me greatly. I was suffocating within minutes. How could I have lasted an hour?

I continued reading the peculiar text. Herbert states his facts without judgment or passion, but suddenly I could read frustration into his text. He pushed his men to investigate the underground tomb, an effort which seems to have strained the minds of his men. Madness spread through the ranks, and Herbert had to take some extreme measures to continue. He finally visits the chamber himself, where he retrieves the orb to the surface.

"Da na na na~"

His account confuses me greatly. If he has the orb, what are those pieces in my drawing room?

"I 'unno."

Lani's four syllable tune from a moment ago confused Daniel, but not nearly as much as this entry. Daniel's only hope it seemed was to find the remaining pages of information. He checked his surroundings but only found a jar of lantern oil.

"Yay, Lantern oil!"

Daniel continued searching, and once at the fireplace he lifted another stuffed rabbit like the one from before.

"Another bunny!"

Daniel spent a brief moment making the rabbit hop, to appease Lani and the odd yet cheerful sounds he made, before dropping it to the ground without care.

"You're my friend."

I hope you're speaking to the stuffed rabbit.

Daniel had no wish to be Lani's friend. He attempted to leave the room but the door was stuck. Upon inspection Daniel saw that the lock was broken and that he would need to find another method of opening the door.

"Stuck due to a broken lock. This sounds like a job for crowbar!"

Lani was acting ridiculous, such an annoying child, but he was correct. Daniel jammed one end of the crowbar into the crack between the door and the wall before pushing with all the force he had. A moment later the door had broken off and fell into the next room, Daniel was unaware of his own strength.

"Yeah!"

One step inside set another flashback off. Daniel could only hope that Lani would not comment on it.

"The key...please, let it be here..."

His past-self sounded worried yet calm. An odd description but it was true. With only that one line the white flash presented itself as a closing to the scene.

"Kay. Let's see..."

Daniel shut the door behind him to feel safer as he looked around. Only having taken a step a picture tilted itself so that it hung askew after swinging a few times. The wall behind it looked different, or at least the slivers of it Daniel saw did.

"Why did that just-I didn't even touch it."

Daniel removed the painting from the wall to confirm, or disprove, his suspicions. After putting the painting aside he saw a large section of wall cut out to hold a small jar, far more wall was removed than needed to hold a jar though, but his previous flashback resumed with the usual bright flash.

"Oh, thank God, there it is. I guess this is a good place to hide it, then."

The closing flash came and through its blinding light Daniel had smashed the jar open rather than simply pulling the cork out. Amongst the broken glass Daniel collected a key to something important. After all, if it was not important why would his past-self have been so worried?

"Yoink! Machine Room Key."

Machine Room? What the devil could be there?

The room was dark and devoid of anything useful. The bright white of parchment caught Daniel's eye though and he went amongst the clutter to read the entry he prayed held more answers.

"Another piece of paper."

4th of July 1839

"HAPPY INDEPENDANCE DAY!"

It's done! The orb is assembled. I was awakened by an exhausting nightmare. Shaking and sweating, I retired to the drawing room with a cup of tea. The relic pieces lay spread across the table as I'd left them. But somehow, I knew how it was supposed to be. I fetched the tar, which I had prepared to fix the pieces together, and without fault, I joined them, producing the orb I remembered so clearly. The tar proved unnecessary. It was pushed out from the joining pieces as they merged on their own with no adhesive.

"Cool."

The ancient stone relic now rests on my table. It's immaculate surface and perfect shape could have been molded by a factory. This is all too strange.

"Hm. Well ok."

This was all unbelievable. Daniel's former self had done so much, experienced things his current self could not even comprehend. Daniel lit his lantern as he searched

"Anything else in here?"

Daniel had just looked at the cupboard in the room when a strong chill of fear hit him. He quickly turned around and knew he heard something he coming, no doubt it was another monster.

"What the-?"

Daniel closed the door without a second's waste and climbed into the protective cupboard, the only place to hide in here.

"Ohh."

There was a loud roar nearby as Daniel fumbled to close the doors to shield himself. They finally stayed shut after his third or so time fighting with them. He heard the monster make strange sounds, and he could even hear it breathe and goose bumps crawled up his neck and he tried desperately to stay silent.

"...Hello?"

LANI SHUT UP OR I WILL SILENCE YOU MYSELF!

He was not sure how he would do so, but he would. Daniel thought he heard the monster sniffing like a dog; his body became ice as the notion of that beast being able to track him down sank in. The monster was silent with Daniel, but an instant later it was smashing at the room door.

"Oh God."

Another hit.

"Oh dear."

A third hit.

"Oh my."

Lani may have been calm but Daniel was a nervous wreck wishing his former self had been awake, he stood a better chance. There was a fourth hit and the monster made its sounds. It sounded an inch away as it gave an airy roar and heavy breaths. There was a shuffling sound that Daniel's last shred of sanity wished was the monster leaving.

"Kay...can you go away now? ...please."

There was the sound of a heavy door being opened, it had to be another human, no monster had figured out the mechanics of a door handle yet. What if it was Alexander? Or any other enemy smart enough to actually check the cupboard? Daniel shook in his anxiety but slowly calmed at the thought that it was a friend, or simply the monster pushing a heavy door that had been left ajar. Daniel creaked one door of his protective cupboard open before walking out of it, determined to be the victor of this situation. He waited for a sound and pressed himself against the wall near the doorway when none came. A bolt of surprise flew through him when Lani spoke in his loud and mocking voice.

"Well Daniel…. Bet you're wishing you had that hammer, huh?"

A hammer would not help against THAT you arse.

"Huh, OK...so that thing's gone now?"

Daniel entered the room just before the bedroom for a brief look before proceeding onwards.

"Yes."

There was a hiss near Daniel's feet and he almost leaped in fear, but instead searched for the source.

"Oh, cockroach. Loverly."

Vile creatures.

Daniel looked at all the furniture and the like sprawled about from the monster's rampage in the room.

"Wow, that thing...this wasn't like this before was it?"

Another urge to scream suppressed.

"I mean this room was completely trashed and thrown to hell before but ah whatever. I have the key to the Machine Room, that's all that matters."

Daniel went out to the Back Hall hoping that the monster had gone far enough away that he could safely press on. Once in the hall he felt unnerved but did not believe a monster was near, or at least too near. Daniel glanced around himself and then briefly at his feet. The room was exactly as it was before, but at his feet laid a slice of a man in a trail of blood. This may have been whoever opened the door, but this looked far too old for that, this was already a red, purple color.

"AH, EW! Gross. What is that? Is that torso meat?"

Lani sounded more sickened than frightened. Daniel was both horrified and disgusted, but after seeing that he was sure the monster had to be near. He had to make sure though. Against his mind and body's wishes Daniel lifted the waist slice of human and threw it from his upper level to the right of the fountain across the room. When nothing made a sound Daniel went down the stairs to hurry himself out of this place. He was beginning to regret not following the wind earlier.

"Ok. What's over here?"

Daniel turned to a door on the lower level at the end of the steps, it may have been the door the wind wanted him to follow but by now he did not know up from down. He opened the door the a long, dark hall with two torches at the bottom of the stairs. He walked down feeling an air of familiarity, but he could not be sure if the notion was from his past since he had lost his memory or before.

"Ah this looks ominous."

Daniel had just touched the door when Lani said all he needed to to convince Daniel to hurry back up the stairs to the Back Hall.

"You're not the Machine Room!"

Once up the stairs Daniel ran back to the odd fountain.

"Gonna jog this one."

A recollection reared its bright flash.

"Oh! What the hell?"

A new voice joined the collection of actors in Daniel's mind.

"Don't forget your bag, Daniel."

"I won't, Herbert."

At least Daniel's old voice told him who it was quickly.

"Thank you Herbert!"

"There is no shame in using a parasol in the desert. As it happens, it's imperative to your survival."

As the scene sounded on, Daniel hopped into the fountain and under the sprinkling water to try a to clear his head.

"But it looks ridiculous."

"The shame will hurt much less than dying, I assure you."

"Hahahahaha…irony."

Daniel left the fountain as the show came to an end, seeing it as useless to him now. He knew the door the wind had originally beckoned him to was the only place he had yet to search, and he was less than enthusiastic to explore there. Reluctantly, but quickly, he went to the door before he could decide against it and hurried into the next room.

"All right, so the machine room must be back down this ominous hallway."

Only a few steps in and what seemed to be the hundredth flashback commenced. Daniel was thankful for the clues to his past, but this was by far one of the worst ways to receive them.

"Son. of a. bitch."

At least they annoyed Lani too. Daniel's past-self began his conversation with Alexander.

"You have an ascending room. Will it take us to the inner sanctum?"

"Elevator, or as you guys call it: a lift."

"It will definitely take care of the vertical part of our journey. So, you have ridden an elevator before?"

Daniel was not sure why Lani cutting off the beginning of Alexander's voice upset him so much; it was probably because it may actually be important.

"Ah, this guy must be more American I guess."

He's Prussian, pay attention.

"Yes, the Colosseum at Regent's Park has one. It takes you to the gallery where you can view the panorama."

"Good. This ride might be a little longer-and in the other direction."

Gears cranked and the voices and sounds left with their signature light. Lani spoke over any thoughts of Daniel's so he made his way about the room, past the elevator and unlocking what was apparently the Machine Room door.

"Okay. You know I'm left with a few questions right here. I'm going a pretty long way to achieve this goal of killing this guy…now, how did I get all the way back there through all these hoards of monsters and shit? And at the same time, why did I come that far back when all I had to do was kill him, when obviously I must have been closer to him before hand?"

Daniel entered the Machine Room as Lani finished and was honestly perplexed by the notions he had raised. He could only hope his memory would return soon enough to answer this. The Machine Room hall was lit by two dim hanging lanterns that held plain candles and seemed to have an air of depression about it.

"Oh, well this is…."

Daniel drew his lantern as his vision pulsed with his lack of sanity.

"Am I goin' to get jumped by Freddy Krueger?"

Daniel had not the slightest idea who that was but if he would jump him he could only assume he was a dangerous man. Steam gave way from the pipes along the ceiling and wall as he nudged closer to an open door.

"I am aren't I?"

Through the open door was a spacious room with the odd machine here and there, as well as a board for various useless papers and a drawer-less desk with another diary entry atop it which Daniel read to himself, or himself and Lani, whichever was accurate.

5th July 1839

"Story time!"

Today I went to the university looking for answers. I was able to sneak into Herbert's office and pick up an address book along with some relevant text books.

Professor Taylor at the faculty of history was very helpful and I managed to approach the subject of the orbs. The most interesting aspect was the prevalent trace they had left in our culture. The mythic orbs may in fact have inspired the Globus Cruciger which so many royal regalia holds to this day. In ancient times the orbs were held by priests as a symbol of the sun and its power.

As I was leaving I overheard a disturbing conversation. Sir William Smith, the geologist,

"WILL SMITH!"

Good Lord, he knows him….

was killed last night. Less than a fortnight had passed since I'd asked for his expertise. I know it's silly, but I can't help feeling responsible somehow.

"I mean, why else would he have been a part of Hitch?"

Pardon? Oh nevermind, it won't matter.

Daniel took his lantern and inspected a row of six levers on the nearby wall with a sign above he knew to read 'Pressure', or at least something similar.

"Pressure."

To save his oil Daniel lit a mounted lantern nearby and collected the two tinderboxes it showed him.

"Tinder! My one true love in this game."

Game? Oh for the love of-I must learn to stop questioning Lani, he might drive me mad before the beasts do.

"Now, let's see…pressure."

Daniel relit his lantern, seeing as the one on the wall was of little help, pulled the lever on the far right as a test; nothing happened.

"I have fuck no clue what I'm doing so I'm just going to leave these alone for now. Probably doing some harm by touching them."

Daniel realized the possible truth in Lani's words and left the room in search of either a way out or something he could do. Maneuvering past the pipes in the hall gave no reward as nothing was past them, meaning that room was all there was that way, so he headed the other direction to a staircase downwards.

"The bass rumbling in my head is…kind of intense. This place is actually pretty well lit so…. You know what, that is pretty weird how the boiler room is the best lit place I have been so far."

Sad indeed, but it was less frightening with the light. The steam made the pipes groan as Daniel entered the next expansive room. There were a few lanterns like before, but the room was too large for them to be very helpful. Daniel lit his lantern and immediately saw an end table presenting a piece of paper to him.

"Hm, more paper."

14th July 1839

I've read every book I can find on the subject. While rich in legend and hearsay, my knowledge is lack for the insight I crave. I've sent letters to many in Herbert's address book, and received answers of varying importance.

Today I got one which differed greatly from the others- from a baron in Prussia. He said nothing about the quaint stories of priests in underground temples. He didn't even mention them. He simply wrote:

"I know. I can protect you. Come to Brennenburg castle." Signed Alexander.

What am I to make of this? Protect me from what? Is someone after me? I looked up Brennenburg and traced it to the Prussian woods near the Baltic Sea. While being the least informative letter I've received, it causes me greatest distress and interest.

As I write my thoughts are drawn to my nightmares in which a most disturbing sound calls to me. A sound defying description, a voice from the void. The last few weeks have been awful with so many sleepless nights dreading a repeat of those horrid dreams. Tomorrow I shall visit my physician, doctor Tate, in hope that he can provide me with sedatives to help me sleep.

"Sedatives are good."

Daniel enjoyed reading his past far more than being blinded by it; it tended to answer more as well. Daniel had just taken a few steps when he saw another sheet of paper sitting neatly on a box.

"More paper."

Lani read the short memo aloud.

Machine Equipment Memo

Note that there are only two spare rods left in the storage-

"Storage…I left that room."

-for the elevator machinery.

"…using my deductive reasoning, I am to believe that the elevator is broken."

Make sure to only discard the ones which are badly damaged and keep the others in the inner Study rooms in case all three would crack again.

Lani sounded questioning as the memo ended but Daniel knew what his next task had to be: find and collect the rods. He began by searching the room he was still in. Instead of rods though, he found an extremely peculiar slab with three circular slots, each with a shape above it: a circle, a triangle, and a square. Above it was a sign that read 'Flow', or, again, something similar.

"Flow."

Yes Lani, your German is amazing now please be quiet.

"Circle, triangle, square."

Daniel pressed on in search of rods and paper. He checked beneath another large cog that had been left alone for some reason, and inside a chest that held two tinderboxes for him.

"That's a cog. That's a chest. Tinder! I'd love to see some lantern oil about now though."

The room held neither rods nor more paper, and Daniel had been growing nervous about this place. He told himself all was fine and that no monsters were near as he stood in a small area of light one of the lanterns gave.

"In the light Daniel, in the light. You're safe in the light…even though this is where monsters can see you."

There are no monsters. There are no monsters. There are no monsters. THERE ARE NO MONSTERS!

"Yes, I'm freaking you out aren't I?"

YES!

"Sorry Daniel."

No you bloody aren't.

Daniel left the room at a considerable pace and returned to the much better lit hallway. There was one beat of calm silence before Lani's booming happy voice called to Daniel as he walked, lantern in hand, to the next stairway down.

"LET'S GO FURTHER IN SHALL WE!"

The stairs were stained with something Daniel could not identify and his very nerves shivered.

"Haha, dark splotches on the ground, how promising."

The room at the end was in complete darkness it seemed, even though the hallway was lit so well and only an archway separated the two. Daniel slowly entered with his lantern and searched for a candle to light. There was one hanging from above, and once lit it cast just enough light onto the large machine with all of its cogs that was on the nearby walls, wrapping around a corner. Taking a look at one empty side Daniel knew cogwheels were missing and that he would have to find them. Lani took a few moments.

"Oooooooh! The cogwheel up there was important."

Daniel lit more hanging candles and found one cogwheel tucked behind a box and a barrel.

"There's one."

He lifted it out with a clang of collision with a wall-bound pipe before taking it to be set in its rightful place. It would not fit the first one he tried though.

"Does it fit on this one?"

It did, and it slid right on as if it knew it belonged there.

"Fits on that one!"

Daniel noticed another archway across the room that seemed pitch black within. At least one cog had to be in there. As he entered and searched about he found-

"Tinder!"

-tinder. As well as a cask that held a few drops of oil.

"Oo! Oo! Lantern oil!"

Daniel filled his lantern with what was available before proceeding back out to the now well lit room.

"I always figure I should turn off the lantern before grabbing that because refilling something while it's burning just does not sound fun."

As Daniel advanced up towards the cog he had found earlier he found a sense of peace and calmness from having a nice, safe job to perform.

"I sure hope I don't run into a monster down here cause it doesn't look like there are many places to hide. Wouldn't be that fun."

Lani had a way about destroying that feeling.

"Where was that guy? There you are! Right on that table."

Daniel took the cog in one hand with ease and made his way back down trying to block out the idea of monsters As Lani half-heartedly sang.

"Gotta get to work. Work all night. Da da dadadada."

Are you just incapable of being serious?

"Ahh, this one?"

The cog slide onto the peg Daniel had tried putting the first one on earlier.

"Yup, ok! One more cogwheel, where are you? Let's see…."

Daniel jogged back upstairs, sure that the last cog was not down there. He checked behind the pipes and around every area he passed.

"Nope, not over there. Probably back in that first room, or the-nope! Right here. Wow, that was even easier"

Daniel grabbed the cogwheel from the hall and leisurely made his way to the machine. Lani was making sounds that sounded like they belonged in a circus of some sort, although Daniel was not quite sure what music went on at a circus, or even what a circus really was.

"Dodo dodododo do dootdo dododo. I have a terrible feeling about when I put this on here but, hey."

Daniel felt the same way, but only after Lani had mentioned it. He placed the final cog in its place, hoping they were both wrong. Daniel looked around and had a horrible feeling inside, but nothing happened. Of course, he had not actually started the machine. He pulled the lever to start the machine, whatever it controlled, but it barely turned the cogs before stopping; it needed more work before it would run.

"Damnit. What else needs fixing? …Probably those spare rod things whatever was talking about. What's in here? Ah, does it do anything? Oh, oh it opens that way."

Daniel opened a circular door on an attached piece of machinery that he seemed to vaguely recall the purpose of.

"Hey Daniel, put your hand in there! Hehehe. Let's try this."

You are a bloody arse and I hope beyond hope you will leave me soon.

Daniel pulled the lever for this section of the machine. The machine gave a clunk and groan but did nothing, and then Daniel remembered what it was: a burner.

YOU WANTED ME TO BURN MY BLOODY HAND OFF?

"Nothing in the burner for it to ignite."

NO THANKS TO YOU, YOU GIT!

Daniel made his way to the attached room in search of burning material.

"Ok, um…. God, fuck, I don't know, what's in here? Coal! Coal, perfect, coal. Uhh, let's grab some coal."

Yes, it's bloody coal, shut up!

"…How do I grab coal?"

You must be joking.

Daniel grabbed a decent sized lump of coal and went back to put it in the burner.

"There! Got some."

He attempted to pull the lever immediately after, but it was clear one lump was far from enough. Lani huffed in annoyance.

"Greedy ass burner! Fill you the fuck up."

Daniel retrieved and loaded another lump before going for more. He would be sure to load the burner well before trying to start it again.

"Need more? I'm 'a put more in you anyway, cause I can still see more rocks."

Once the third lump was in Daniel could see that the burner was full and that now was the time.

"Ok, let's see."

Daniel pulled the lever down and listened to the fire crackle to life before closing the circular door.

"Close that, and try you again."

With a creak from the metal, Daniel pulled the lever of the main machine another time. The machine moved briefly, then stopped; it still needed work.

"DAMNIT!"

Daniel had to fix the machine before the coal was burned up. There was plenty more, but only small pieces were left to load. He looked the machine over carefully and searched the room for more machinery, but he found nothing.

"Ok, what else? What else do I need to do? Ok, I got all that going…. You know what, I'm gonna go check that storage room, 'cause odds are, I need those damn pieces of whatever the fuck."

Daniel knew this to be true and was already making his way back towards storage. He was hopeful about storage; there would probably be an abundance of oil and tinder waiting for him, perhaps more paper as well. Storage sounded absolutely lovely.

"God, this is an inconvenient pipe."

More steam hissed as Daniel walked about.

"Now do all boiler rooms make these noises or just the demonic ones?"

Daniel found nothing on the upper level and left the hallway and all its rooms for the main hall and the door to storage.

"Going back to the Back Hall."

And then Lani gave his predictable mumbles.

"The strange letter frightened him. There…."

The mumbles were as useless as always, so Daniel paid no mind to them. What he did pay attention to was the lit candle set on the edge of a large stone slab that seated a statue of a lion. The fire was enchanting and he simply stared at it for a long time, thinking to himself as Lani was finally silent. He had no idea how long it had been before he finally left the beautiful light.

"Ok, just had to let Daniel regain his sanity there a minute, and I still have fuck no clue what's going on. All I need is-all I know is I need to go to the storage area."

The light had cleared Daniel's head; he felt completely normal. Unfortunately, now he could not remember the layout of the floor as well. He made his way back to the large area with the fountain and hurried across to the door on the other side. Past the door was the series of stairs with the lights on each side of the wall before the door at the end that led him to storage.

"And here we go. Just down this…incredibly ominous yet nicely lit corridor. At least they've been giving me torches along the way. Gotta say, that's a nice touch."

Lani seemed to have begun reading as Daniel entered storage, but it quickly became words of his own.

"Sir Will Smith, of West Philadelphia. And the nicely lit corridors end here."

Daniel lit his lantern to combat the long path of darkness and continued on without problem. At the end of the hall was an opening with a section of stone set in the middle with odd objects scattered about it. There was a lit candle that seemed melted to the ground and another atop the stones and wood. Boxes, sacks, and a barrel were all there and Daniel made a quick note about the powerful notion the darkness here had given him.

"What cha' got for me Daniel? What cha' got for me?"

Lani read Daniel's note aloud.

"The darkness in the storage feels strange and unnatural."

How did you read that after I closed my journal? Did you just memorize it and wait to repeat it? Why?

"Well, I wonder why that is."

While Lani's amused voice mocked Daniel, he collected a tinderbox that was next to the higher candle.

"Actually yeah, come to think of it this darkness is all-engulfing."

It was true, without his lantern lit the room was pure black save for not so much as an inch away from the fires of the candles.

"That and it's surrounded by base tones."

Daniel lit his lantern and walked to the left of the stones to open the first door he reached. He hesitated for a moment but entered a room filled with shelves of barrels and boxes. There was still nothing after him. Two tinderboxes sat on a shelf, a decent start before he reached the lantern oil Alexander must keep here. On another shelf was part of a drill; the screw of it.

"Drillbit!"

He tucked it away and turned around before a loud, low, and gruff roar of a monster infiltrated his ears. Daniel gasped and put out his lantern before crouching behind a box and a barrel. He had been growing so careless. He had not even shut the door and now the monster might just walk in and murder him.

"Hiding."

Staring out from between the objects that hid him, Daniel could barely make out the monster illuminated by the light of one of the candles outside before it moved into the darkness. It had possibly seen him, and it might be coming for him now. If it was and he stayed he would die, but if it had not seen him and he made noise while trying to move it would kill him then. Daniel was having difficulty breathing and decided to risk it; he shifted to his left, away from the doorway and behind more boxes. He could hear the beast's very breathe and he could never tell how close or far it was. His ears slightly rang and he heard crackling that would doubtlessly silence the already faint sounds of the monster's steps. He would have no warning of the monster besides his sight.

"Leave me alone."

Normally Daniel would yell in his thoughts like he normally did around a monster or even in normal circumstances, but he couldn't bring himself to focus on anything else. His vision was pulsing more than before, and he could not see anything besides the boxes in front of him. In desperation for the comfort the candle had given him earlier Daniel lit his lantern. He saw the doorway, but the light did not reach outside it. His vision stabilized but his heart rate did not. His ears were pounding and he was certain that the monster would enter any moment. Any moment it would see the light from his lantern and come for him, and no matter how hard he tried Daniel knew escape would be impossible. If the creature entered it would see Daniel plainly, he would have to move to a better spot for any hope. He stood and made sure he had not alerted anything before slowly moving step by step towards the center. He saw nothing outside and tried to tell himself it was gone by grabbing a tinderbox. He could not take it anymore; he had to see if it was gone. As he came to the door he realized that he was not able to handle the consequences that would come about if it were still there and opted to close the door to at least obstruct its view. The door gave a clank when it shut and Daniel hurried away from it in fear that the monster had heard it and would be coming for him soon. As he hid behind his barrier of shelves and boxes Daniel checked on his lantern's oil level to be sure that at least the comforting light would survive. The oil was running low, but he at least had three more jars of it.

"How's my, uh, lantern oil doing? Not so good huh?"

Daniel filled the lantern with two more jars, wishing they held more, and saved one for a later time that he wished to come in place of a monster.

"Okay, Daniel."

As no sounds had come, and staying here would only waste oil, Daniel mustered his courage, or what little he had by now, and put out his lantern before leaving the room. He reached the candle that was on the slab and luckily saw no monster in the immediate vicinity. As he stared at the light Daniel relaxed. His vision settled and the pounding of his head and heart dulled significantly.

"Get your sanity back…. A slight headache and I was having that vision?"

It was a quick recovery this time, but Daniel took no chances. If his lack of sanity depleted his health the monster would kill him for sure if it found him. It was safer to risk being seen with a light and be able to escape than to wander in darkness and find it before collapsing with a broken mind. With this analysis, Daniel lit his lantern.

"Jesus. God."

Of course oil was scarce, so he lit a wall torch for now. The area was reasonably lit now, but Daniel had a feeling that this entire level of the castle would be as black as it was just moments ago.

"I cannot see shit down here."

Daniel took a few steps about to examine his surroundings in the faint light. There was little to be said about them, very little of this castle was actually defining.

"I mean I guess that's kind of the point, but…."

Lani gave a short groan; Daniel probably would have too, but unlike Lani he could be heard. Having been in well enough health, Daniel lit his lantern and went onwards to complete this nightmare of a journey. Not so much as five steps later, a flashback hurriedly greeted his eyes in violent white.

"OW! Oh my poor retina"

Instead of Alexander, his former-self, or even this new fellow by the name of Herbert, Daniel heard the voice of a woman. It sounded familiar, but it took a moment for him to remember it as the voice of the woman he heard screaming before he went on his adventure to enter the wine cellar.

"Please, let me go. I won't tell anyone. I swear. Just let me go home."

The woman sobbed and thumps and clanks sounded as Daniel lit a second torch to prepare in case of a long flashback, although they were growing quite rare.

"No, get away from me! Leave me alone!"

As the woman cried for help and tore at Daniel's moral senses the episode ended with a white light that seemed to be slower than the others. Daniel inched his way along, crouched, and lit a candle for the added feeling of safety its dim light gave off.

"Always a good sign."

Daniel briefly lit his lantern until he found a torch on the wall to light instead; oil was much harder to find than tinder. Turning around, Daniel spotted a door that had been hidden by shadows. Bones were scattered at the foot of it.

"Oh ho ho gee, I wonder what's in there!"

Daniel's churning mind and stomach spurred him past the door, down the hall, and down the following stairs. There was more rubble at the bottom and Daniel made a quick note in the light of the candle on the ground.

"Tinder"

Of course Daniel collected the tinderbox that had been lying next to it. A sign mounted on a wall pointed off to the rubble with the title "Machine Parts" written in German.

"Of course. Oh, oh joy! Joy and a fucking half."

With no entry available Daniel went back up to search for useful areas. The door with the scattered bones unfortunately seemed the most likely.

"So I gotta get something to either go around that…"

Daniel gave a sigh of relief when the door refused to budge and he was able to move on without having to go inside.

"Or…I don't know, move rocks, blow them up, or something…."

Daniel found the open and somewhat well-lit area before traveling down one of its dark stairways with his lantern. The stairs creaked and his feet clunked along.

"And yet that monster's still probably lurking."

Horror returned to its now standard host, Daniel, and grew when he saw large barrels at the bottom of the stairs. They were taller than he was and resembled the ones from much earlier; back when the rooms were lit. The rest of the room was slightly altered to suit the rest of the level. A door was located across the room but before he could make use of it Daniel had to be sure to scout the area and collect what he could. To aid in his search Daniel used one of his tinderboxes on a small, mounted candle that gave almost no light.

"You know I'm lighting all these torches and shit…"

Seeing the previous failure, Daniel lit a second light that also bore little light for him.

"So if the monster wanted…"

The cries of the woman from Daniel's memory sounded from behind the door. Captivated by insanity, fear, and an unknown guilt, Daniel stared at the door before Lani gave a groan of annoyance. This voice had no morality or heart. While Daniel did pity the woman he was almost certain she was just a product of his mind, just as Lani most likely was, so he searched in relative peace. In one corner a medium-sized barrel with a spout at the bottom was propped up and labeled "Secondary" in German.

"Secondary."

Daniel lit a candle on the wall and continued his search only briefly before needing his lantern again. As he passed the door the cries sounded again from beyond. The unexplained guilt got to Daniel and he opened the door without exploring the rest of the previous room; inside were boxes and barrels a plenty, but no life other than an odd bug or two. Daniel was frightened that his mind could do such things, but relieved that the woman had not been in any real danger-if she was even real herself. What scared him the most though, was Lani's booming voice in what sounded like a dreadfully done mock German accent.

"QUIT CRYING BABY."

I loathe you.

While contemplating the joy having Lani himself trying to escape this hell house while he watched from safety, Daniel collected a drill part and tinderbox from the space between two boxes as well as continued to explore the room.

"Well good thing these glow. Items can be combined…. How about some lantern oil? That'd be nice. Tinder's good but um…lantern oil is like-if tinder is…is like, I don't know, if tinder is my uh…if tinder is my wife I guess lantern oil would be like the love of a child, you know?"

I suppose you have some form of a heart.

With a second tinderbox and no other spoils Daniel left the smaller room for a second one on the opposite side of the massive barrel. The woman cried in his ears even as he entered the room that held shelves, broken and stable, but little else. Once her crying stopped the room, or Daniel's vision, became bright red and monstrous echoes sounded loudly. Daniel froze in terror before the vision and sound simply stopped. The sound and lighting faded to the norm and Daniel was a nervous wreck.

"What?"

Daniel closed the door to seal himself away in the small, safe environment. The visions may have begun in here, but it was safer than retreating to where monsters have no doubt arrived. He lit a candle on the table that sat on the side of the room to prepare for an extended stay here. The candle lit its area fine, but the other end of the room was pure black.

"What was that for? Did I do something wrong?"

Without question you must have at some point.

"Am I insane? I'm sane…"

I hardly think you should judge your own sanity.

"What was the flash of red for?"

Daniel lit his lantern to collect what he could from the first shelf: a single tinderbox.

"I mean did I piss something off?"

You've more than infuriated me.

He lit the candle across the room and put his lantern away before rooting through the contents of the second shelf. Once more, there was only one tinderbox. Amongst the bits of lumber scattered about the back of the room was a chest that held tinder, laudanum, and even lantern oil; there was one of each.

"Obviously not because the gods of lantern oil have spoken."

Surely this had to be a positive sign. Daniel took a deep breath and continued out of the now fruitless room. An identical door and setting was just to the side so Daniel felt compelled to search it as well. Upon entering, his attention was caught by a table to his left in the corner, or to be more accurate, the paper that lay atop it. Daniel read it thoroughly as his mind fought against Lani's voice for concentration on the text.

Regarding Explosive Mixture

Alexander,

I have prepared the explosives you needed

"Explosives! Called it."

for clearing the flood drain.

"That's a hell of a drain clog you got there."

I can't stress enough how important it is that the mixture is handled with care. Please try to tell your featherbrained servants this before you go ahead with your plans. The liquids are not by themselves explosive and should be kept separated to avoid further mishaps. I have arranged two large vats in the next room for the ingredients. All you need to do is to mix the liquids and you are ready to go.

Agrippa

"Well looks like I'm going to be using that chemistry pot again."

Daniel tucked the letter into his journal with the rest and picked up the tinderbox from beneath the table. He lit a candle as the woman continued to sob.

"Oh stop your crying!"

I retract my statement about you having a heart. Clearly I was wrong.

Daniel refilled his lantern before carrying on towards the two mounds of soiled and possibly burned books and lighting the candle between them.

"I mean hell you don't see me crying and I'm in the middle of this shit."

Because you are NOT in the middle of it, you are commenting on my being in the middle of it without actually helping! All you have done is blabber whatever you please!

Before he could enter a fit, or have an aneurism, Daniel returned to the table and examined the parts he had collected for the drill.

"So does that mean I have the pieces I need? Nope, I need to find the other part."

With a task to distract him, as well as sobs in his ears, Daniel could somewhat ignore Lani. Hardly, but it was still better than before. That is, until Lani mocked the sound of her cries.

"Yeah, yeah, torture sucks."

Daniel was at a loss for words. He had never heard something so appalling and insensitive-that he could remember at least.

"Did it just get brighter?"

Do your words mean nothing to you? Do you not think? You are a mad man!

Fuming, Daniel collected the final piece of the drill and tinder from across the room.

"Hey, hand drill."

Upon collecting all that was nearby Daniel made his way back to the barrel labeled "Secondary." He tried to turn the valve but it had been rusted shut, rendering it useless to him.

"Yep, so that must be what you're for."

Daniel pieced together the three parts of the hand drill and made it a single tool. Lani decided to lilt his voice in response to the completion.

"Magic!"

TECHNOLOGY!

"All right, um, let's see…let's drill a hole in you."

Daniel did so. He briefly took out his lantern before finding that to be a horrible idea and putting it away.

"NO, LET'S NOT LIGHT IT ON FIRE."

Daniel carefully put the chemistry pot into place so as not to get any on himself. Once it was filled about half-way he took it away from the stream and towards the only other barrel with a nozzle.

"And collect it into my little spittoon. Primary. We are partially filled with the secondary shit, and…hello primary. Let's do it."

Daniel drilled a hole just like before and prepared his pot.

"Now this seems like a poor idea."

Without the slightest idea what he meant, Daniel placed the pot in the stream to collect the second half.

"LET'S MIX THE EXPLOSIVE THINGS! And stand two feet away from it!"

GOOD LORD WHAT WAS I THINKING!

With this in mind he was anxious and scared to move the pot away, if he did it too quickly it might set off. The mixture became a sort of fuchsia color and Daniel promptly, but cautiously, took it back.

"Oh god this seems like a bad idea…."

Making sure to keep it far from the explosives, Daniel lit his lantern before seeing and hearing everything groan and shake around him. It calmed quickly but Daniel was nearly beyond repair. He panted heavily and was too cold to feel thankful that the explosives had not reacted to the tremor, but was scared enough to rush up the stairs to make use of it quickly.

"Yeah I get it, I have an explosive now. So I'm walking around with high explosives…that's a great idea! Let's give the jittery bastard some high explosives."

Lani chuckled as Daniel shook.

"There's a joke on Daniel! Hey Daniel, here's some explosive, try not to SHAKE while you're getting chased by monsters!"

Daniel prayed that no monsters would appear. While it was true he now had a weapon, he was far more likely to hurt himself with it than a monster.

"At least I'm right here…. Does this mean I'm losing my chemistry pot?"

I'M MORE CONCERNED ABOUT LOSING MY LIMBS!

"Cause if so that's a damn shame, this thing was ever so useful."

Daniel slowly positioned the pot at the base of the rubble.

"Don't stand to close when the blast goes off. OKAY."

Daniel backed up the few stairs and hid behind a crate and barrel for protection. When he jumped he could see the glow from the explosives as they calmly sat in need of agitation.

"Do I click anything or…? I don't have a charge. Maybe I gotta throw something at it?"

Daniel lifted the barrel and threw it down only to miss. It was hard on spirit mostly because Daniel knew the only thing of no use he could throw was one of the bones from the door.

"Aw I missed hardcore. Uhh, gonna try a human bone. Aim Daniel."

Daniel aimed as best he could and hit it perfectly. He saw the color change and the mixture bubble as he ran for the crate.

"AH, THAT DID IT!"

There was an earth shattering bang as Daniel saw the dust rise around where the rubble had been and heard the remains rocks tumble.

"KABOOM!"

The woman whined.

"Yeah! Oh quit crying, I did something good.

YOU?

"Got no respect, no respect at all."

I certainly have none for you, you cruel voice.