Chapter 19: Decapitation
Agrippa was fine, if you didn't notice that he was completely surrounded by the Shadow's residue. The whole lower section of the Nave had been overrun; almost every section of wood and stone covered in the red flesh. It took some major maneuvering to reach the bottom of the stairs.
"Oh, I thought I lost you!" Agrippa sighed with relief as we reached the last few steps, "I heard the Chancel collapse earlier and thought you three were caught in the disaster."
"Well, we're alright," Daniel said nervously, "Or I hope we are."
"Anyway," I started, "We completed the tonic you were asking for." I glanced at the jar Daniel was holding, wondering slightly what it was used for.
"You did? Thank goodness." Agrippa said, "Now, pay attention. First, feed me the tonic. Then, use the saw from the next room to remove my head."
"Wait, what?" Isabelle exclaimed, taking a slight step back.
"As the tonic begins to work, you'll be able to cut off my head without taking my life. Then take my head and bring it with you as you enter the gate Alexander is opening in the Inner Sanctum."
"You're… kidding, right?" I asked, letting out a taut laugh. Daniel cast a worried glance in my direction.
"Let's just get the saw." He said before turning to the left. That's when I noticed that the whole wall had been torn down, allowing access to a hidden room beyond.
We climbed through the tunnel with ease, slowing only to avoid a mound of the Shadow's fleshy residue. The new room proved to be nothing special. There were two shelves on the opposite sides of the area, a locked door to the front, and a few boxes scattered across the ground. I spotted the saw on the far shelf.
Daniel sauntered over and picked up the device before we made our way back to Agrippa. None of us were eager to feed the man the tonic, but finally, Isabelle gave it to him. He sipped at the green liquid for a few moments before pulling away.
"Now, off with the head!" He demanded. I looked away when Daniel reached for the saw and focused elsewhere. But my attempt to block out the gruesome event was destroyed when Agrippa started screaming. After a few moments of nothing but the man's screams, everything grew silent. I turned around, only to see Daniel picking up Agrippa's head.
"That's foul," I mused.
"He wanted us to do it." Daniel replied flatly.
"Well, um, let's just get going." Isabelle said quietly.
It didn't take long for us to re-enter the Chancel, but this time, we were more cautious in our ascent up the staircase. Isabelle peered around the corner where the three monsters first appeared from, making sure everything was safe this time.
"It's all clear." She whispered. I let out a vague sigh of relief before setting off toward the long walkway. I actually never got a good look at this place… I pondered, eyeing the strange architecture.
There were four long paths intersecting each other, greenish-blue torches attached to the stone rails. We seemed to be suspended in air, for when I looked over the railing, I couldn't see anything but mist. We better be careful, then. I thought before focusing my attention on the rest of the large area. One of the walkways had collapsed in the center, but everything else seemed relatively intact. I was about to speak when something moved.
On the right walkway, I could see the bladed monster heading into a room. The three of us froze, listening as its haunting wail echoed through the Chancel. When it vanished from view, Daniel spoke.
"I think we have to head in there," He whispered.
"Are you mad?" Isabelle snapped, "There's no way in hell I'd go in there with a demon." I stared at the door for another moment before turning my attention to my friends.
"Maybe we can lure it out of the room?" I suggested, "Or we can just go forward and see what's in there first."
"Let's go forward, first." Daniel agreed. Isabelle remained silent as we traveled across the walkway, avoiding the piles of Shadow residue with careful movements. We reached the door in little time.
"Okay, be careful." Daniel whispered, letting his hand rest on the doorknob. Isabelle and I nodded, and the man opened the door.
I didn't know whether to be surprised or relieved when the only interesting thing in the room was a barrier of electricity. To the left was some sort of pedestal with a spherical top. Candles lit the room, but the barrier provided most of the glow.
"It's all coming back to me…" Daniel whispered mostly to himself.
"So, do you know what to do?" I asked, throwing a questioning glance in his direction.
"Yes, actually." He replied, "We assemble the Orb in that pedestal, and it should weaken the barrier. But I think we need to stop the machinery to get through safely."
"And let me guess: the machinery is in the room where the monster went." Isabelle let out an exasperated sigh when Daniel nodded. Great, just great. I wonder how we'll lure it out, though. We stayed silent until we reached the last remaining door.
"Okay, we need a plan." Daniel stated, "Any ideas?"
"Maybe we can get it to fall off of the broken walkway?" Isabelle suggested with a shrug.
"But how?" I questioned.
"One of us can stand near the ledge where the ground breaks off. The other two knock on the door to catch its attention. When the monster comes to investigate, it'll see the person standing near the ledge and go running after. That's when you jump out of the way and it'll fall off into the abyss!" Isabelle said, obviously proud of her plan.
"But what if you don't jump quickly enough?" I inquired, "Or it sees through your trick?"
"Quit being a pessimist, Felix." Daniel scolded, "Her plan sounds as good as any. Let's give it a try."
"I'll stand near the ledge," Isabelle stated before sauntering away. She's going to get killed… I thought, watching the woman vanish from view. Daniel climbed onto a column near the door where he was out of reach.
"Get up here!" He snapped, and I crawled up next to the man. When we were all situated, Daniel reached down and tapped on the door. It didn't take long until a vicious blade began slashing through the door. I recoiled, desperately hoping that this "brilliant" plan of Isabelle's would work.
The monster finished demolishing the door and stood in the debris, glancing around in confusion. I held my breath, hoping that the beast wouldn't turn around and spot me and Daniel. I almost felt relief when it spotted Isabelle.
The metallic demon let out a grunt of satisfaction before charging off toward the woman. Please, please let her plan work… Don't die on us now!
Daniel and I exchanged worried glances as the monster left our view. We waited silently, listening for any sounds that would tell us what was going on. After a couple agonizing minutes, Isabelle came strolling down the walkway.
Daniel slid down from the column and bolted over to the woman. I followed more slowly, happy but not eager to re-group.
"I think we can travel more safely," Isabelle said triumphantly as I came into earshot. Daniel was smiling with respite.
"Come on," I interrupted, "We need to stop the machinery." The two seemed eager to progress as we entered the room. There was a desk with a note, a shelf with something interesting in it, a bunch of rusty cogwheels in the corner, and a staircase that lead down. I could hear the loud sound of working machinery coming from down the stairs, and I knew that's where we had to go.
The gate at the bottom of the steps had been completely destroyed. I guess that's where the monster came from. The sound of machinery was almost deafening as I entered the room. More pipes ran throughout the area, some leaking oil. In the back was the machine, but it didn't look old like the rest of the castle. Daniel said we have to stop this to weaken that electric barrier. Maybe we can jam it?
I looked around the floor, hoping to find some sort of stone or a large object to throw in the cogwheels. When nothing seemed useable, I went back upstairs with Daniel and Isabelle.
"Hey, Felix." Daniel greeted, "Did you stop the machine?"
"No, I need something to jam it with. There's nothing down there that's big enough." I replied quietly.
"There are some rocks over there that could do the trick." Isabelle piped in, "Also, Daniel and I found some tar that might help in assembling the Orb."
"That's good." I replied flatly, bending over to pick up a medium-sized stone. This should be big enough. I thought before returning to the machine. With a grunt, I tossed the stone into the turning gears, only to be thrown back when it practically exploded.
The cogwheels were damaged and unmoving. Okay then, we should go see if the barrier is gone. I was about to head back up, but Isabelle's sudden scream caught me off guard. The two came bolting down into the machine room, panic clear in their eyes.
"W-what's wrong?" I asked, following the two as they hid behind some pipes.
"There's another monster!" Isabelle stammered, fear lacing her tone.
"But I thought you lured it off the edge?" I questioned, lowering my voice.
"I did!" Isabelle snapped, "But suddenly, after you stopped the machine, another one came bursting through the door."
"Will you two be quiet?" Daniel hissed. I glared at the man for a moment before staying silent, listening carefully for the monster. I could hear the metallic scrapes and clicks that the beast made, but they were faint and off in the distance. After a few agonizing minutes, everything grew silent.
"I think it's gone," Isabelle breathed. I stood up, grateful to leave the cramped hiding place. We ascended up the staircase, slowing only when we neared the top. The room was empty, but there was no door to provide concealment.
"It's safe now," Daniel said, "We need to go back to the barrier." We nodded and followed the man across the long walkways. When we neared the door that led into the room with the electricity, I noticed that the sound of the barrier had waned. When I opened the door, the barrier was less threatening.
"Isabelle, give me the tar." Daniel demanded, walking over to the spherical pedestal. Isabelle handed him the small bucket, and I watched as he poured the black substance in the plinth. That's when he pulled out the shards we had collected earlier. I gave him mine and Isabelle gave him hers. The man went to work, assembling the pieces in the spherical top. It didn't take long for Daniel to finish, and when he did, a blue light shimmered from the weakened electricity. The light made its way over to the now completed Orb, and suddenly, the barrier vanished.
"You did it!" Isabelle exclaimed. Daniel smiled weakly before turning to the passage. I could see a door at the end of the new walkway, and knew instantly nothing good would come out of this. And, of course, I was right.
When we were about halfway down the path, the Shadow let out a reverberating roar, and we bolted for the door.
