Chapter 14: Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
We collapsed onto the ground, listening silently as the bladed demon roared in frustration from the Sewers. I was thankful to leave that place behind in one piece, but unfortunately, Daniel had been injured.
The wound on his leg was bleeding less now, but it looked deep and agonizing and would definitely slow us down in the future. While Isabelle was fretting over the man, I turned to examine our new environment.
The room we were in consisted of four doors and a well that lead into the Sewers. Walking over, I realized that one of the doors was locked.
"Felix, don't go off by yourself." Isabelle called, "Why don't we rest for a moment? Daniel could use it."
"You two can rest. I want to explore," I said bluntly. Isabelle narrowed her eyes in aggravation but didn't say a word. I opened another door, but it proved useless for I was greeted with a rock fall. Sighing in irritation, I turned to the third door, but this time, it opened up into a dark hallway. I entered, ignoring Daniel's warning, and slowly made my way into the shadows. The hall veered to the right and led into a medium-sized room. Intrigued, I walked in, narrowing my eyes when I caught sight of the two levers.
Not another puzzle. I thought with irritation, pulling one of the levers forcefully. But nothing happened. Maybe it's broken? I guess I'll find out later. I should head back before Isabelle throws a tantrum. I re-entered the main room, ignoring Isabelle's questioning gaze.
"Did you find anything?" She inquired.
"Just some levers, but the machine they are attached to seems broken." I replied, sitting down by my friends.
"This place seems relatively safe," Isabelle whispered, "You can keep exploring, if you like. Daniel and I will be with you shortly." At that, I immediately rushed to the last door, eager to make progress.
The corridor beyond was dimly lit, making it strenuous to see. I could barely make out the wooden pillars supporting the stone ceiling, but I continued on without doubt. Reaching the door at the end of the passage, I threw it open, wincing as it slammed into the wall. Instantly, everything turned black, except a lone torch lighting a patch of ground. Cautiously, I made my way over to the torch, only to see a massive staircase spiraling into the depths of darkness a few feet away. Maybe I should wait for Daniel and Isabelle… Who knows what could be waiting down there..? But then again, it's tempting. It wouldn't hurt anyone if I take a peak. Taking a deep breath, I began to go down, my fear growing with each step.
It seemed like an eternity before I reached the bottom, the gloom completely swallowing my surroundings. It was nearly impossible to see the door to my front, but the dim light seeping through the bottom caught my attention. Gingerly, I opened the entrance, praying that nothing was waiting on the other side. When all remained silent, my uncertainty evaporated and I continued down the lit corridor. When I reached a gate, I could see a staircase veering to the left and leading into some sort of room on the other side. All doubt that had been erased suddenly came flooding back. I can see something in that room, in the far corner! Something is in there… Should I go back? Or should I continue?
With extreme hesitation, I opened the gate and slowly made my way down the old wooden staircase. Thankfully, the room wasn't dark and gloomy, erasing some of my fear. There were boxes strewn under the staircase, and to the far right, another gate leading into a much larger room. I could see a table, but what was next to it disturbed me greatly. As I reached the foot of the stairs, I could make out what looked like a corpse. The body was hanging by its wrists in some sort of alcove, rusty metal spikes preventing entrance. My curiosity took control as I hesitantly walked over.
I almost fainted when the "corpse" moved.
"Help me," The man whispered, voice hoarse and weak, "Pull the switch…" I didn't know what the thing was talking about, but taking a closer look, there was some sort of device to my right. I flipped the switch and watched as a green haze seeped out of the metal.
"Thank you, you have my gratitude." The man sighed with relief. Narrowing my eyes, I examined the poor being. Every bone was visible in his body, as if he hadn't eaten in months. All that he was wearing was a small loincloth, and I noticed that his bottom jaw was missing. I was slightly appalled, but this was the first being that hadn't shown any hostility.
"Who are you?" I asked, standing mere inches from the spikes.
"My name is Agrippa. Who might you be?" The man answered.
"I'm F-Felix. Felix Harrington." I replied, growing uncertain. Why was he here? Was Agrippa somehow connected with Alexander? I was about to ask when, suddenly, I heard my friends enter the room.
"There you are!" It was Isabelle, "We've been looking for-," Her voice trailed off, and I guessed that she must've seen Agrippa. I turned around, only to see the two at the foot of the stairs, staring at me like I had grown a second head.
"What are you…? Who is that?" Isabelle stammered. Her eyes were pools of confusion, shining brightly. A few short moments later, I was done explaining to them that the man was actually a friend. They both still seemed skeptical, but I couldn't really blame them. We sat down on the cold stone and waited patiently for the man to continue.
"So, what brings you three to Brennenburg?" He asked.
"I need to stop Alexander," Daniel replied, wincing as if his wound had begun to ache. "He's gone too far."
"Don't worry; Alexander is helpless without an orb." Agrippa laughed.
Daniel groaned, "He has one." I listened quietly as the two conversed, wondering what in the world they were talking about. I know what an orb is and everything, but I didn't know Alexander had one.
"He has one? That's… that's not very promising at all. The Inner Sanctum is practically impenetrable while guested by an orb. It could be breached by another, but the only other orb I know of was broken a long time ago. You need to find the pieces and mend them together if you wish to access the Sanctum. I believe they are scattered in the Transept and the Choir." Agrippa finished.
"So, I say we should go to the Transept first." Isabelle stated, climbing to her feet and glancing around the room. "Where is it?"
"Let's take a look around, shall we?" Daniel asked, struggling to get to his feet. Isabelle helped the poor man and we made our way to the gate that leads into an unfamiliar zone.
"Wait!" I practically shouted, "What about that broken machine I found earlier? It has to be of some use."
"That's not important right now. We have to get to the Transept." Daniel replied flatly before opening the gate.
"Then I'm staying behind, I want to fix it." I snapped before stalking back towards Agrippa, ignoring Daniel's protests. To be honest, I just don't want to leave this place. It feels… safe. They can get the orb pieces. I've done enough already. I knew I was being selfish, but who wouldn't want to stay here? I watched as my two friends vanished into the unknown area, muttering quietly. With a sigh, I turned back to Agrippa, wondering how to fix the machine. That's when I noticed the trapdoor above the table.
"How did I miss that?" I scolded, climbing on top of the table and throwing the trapdoor open. I was surprised to see four cogwheels. Three were spinning, like they should, but one in the middle was out of place. Carefully, I slid the metal piece of machinery back into its proper position, feeling relieved as it began working. Maybe the levers upstairs work now? I'll go take a look. It's not like Isabelle and Daniel are going to be back soon.
I was right, the levers were fixed. I pulled the devices upward, hoping it was the right position, and quickly made my way back down the spiral staircase. When I re-entered the room with Agrippa, I was surprised to see two new corridors leading off into darkness. The levers had opened up more rooms! Should I wait for Daniel and Isabelle? Who knows when they'll be back…? But, going off by myself into some unknown place isn't the wisest idea. I'll just go see if Agrippa has anything else to say.
I sat on the table below the working gears, patiently waiting for my friends to return. The silence was beginning to get the better of me, and I started pacing around the room in anticipation.
"Felix," Agrippa said, startling me, "If you really are going after Alexander, would you consider taking me with you?"
"What, do you expect me to carry you?" I sneered.
"I know it sounds ridiculous, but please, if you find anything concerning a man named Johann Weyer, would you bring it to me?" He was almost begging.
"Fine, I'll see what I can do." I replied, just as a loud crash sounded to my right. Alarmed, my gaze flickered over to the location, dreading the sight of something horrendous. When my eyes landed on Daniel and Isabelle, I almost let out a sigh of relief. That was, until, I caught the infuriated gleam in their eyes.
"What-,"
"Next time, you selfish bastard, you're coming with us!" Daniel snapped, limping over until he stood a few feet away. Isabelle and the man were panting heavily, as if they were chased.
"While you were in here, getting all cozy, we were being chased by another monster! It ambushed us in the Chancel." Isabelle yelled, gasping for air.
"How was I supposed to know?" I retorted.
"Just, shut up will you?" Daniel jeered. I was taken aback by their sudden flow of anger, in fact, it almost made me livid. How was I supposed to know that there was a monster in the Chancel? It's not my fault! They could've forced me to come along…
"Why don't we just get to the Transept," Isabelle muttered, "I want to get out of this castle as soon as possible."
And that was something we could all agree on.
