A grim, dark, austere city with looming skyscrapers. That was the first thing Elaine thought of when she first saw the nest. The storm clouds above it certainly didn't make it more inviting, or a place people would willingly live. Apart from the small light sounds of thunder, it was mostly quiet though, which made it entirely unsettling. Perhaps they were expected? That must have been the case. Surely Targent's grunts would have certainly been outside with weapons directed towards them if they were a hundred percent unwelcomed.
If they weren't going to be stopped where they had landed, it led to one of two possibilities. There would be an ambush at some point later on in this dreary place, or Bronev actually wanted to talk to them. Elaine personally believed in the former, but nothing could be ruled out right now. The important thing was to try and find that stolen egg, and chances were that Bronev actually wanted to talk to them and would be holding the Azran egg just to get them to him.
Johanna of course stayed behind as expected, and planned by Desmond. Elaine could only hope for the little girl's sake that her dreams for the next few hours after she fell asleep would be pleasant ones.
Going through the city though, feeling some fear that at any moment someone may pop out to grab you or hold a weapon of some sort. It certainly felt as though they were in the snakes' pit, trying to move around carefully without risking any unwanted attention from a snake and receiving a poisoned bite from its fangs.
They had to break away from their main quest briefly to give assistance to a seriously injured archaeologist named Mackintosh, who was making an attempt to flee. Well, considering they were able to bring him back to the Bostonius so Raymond could patch him up, he was mostly free in a sense. He just had to get out of the Nest.
When they returned on their way to try and find the building that Bronev would possibly be in.
"Aha! It's hat man! Stop there!"
Elaine may have been right about the ambush, but considering it was just Bishop and Rook, it wasn't exactly intimidating.
"Kindly let us pass," Professor Layton asked calmly. "We are here to see your leader, Bronev."
"Hah! You think you can fool me with your mild look and fancy words? You lot are gonna get what you deserve. Right, Rook?" Bishop looked confident. Rook on the other hand seemed a bit indifferent on the other hand though.
"… Go," he said to the group simply before pointing down one street behind him. "The headquarters are in that tall building right ahead. You'll find the boss's office on the top floor."
"P-pardon?" Elaine wasn't too sure how to react. This could have been a trap, but Rook actually seemed sincere and when they were helping Mackintosh he hadn't stopped them.
"Yeah! You can't miss it. Just go all the way up until," Bishop cut himself off once he realised what Rook had just done and looked at him in shock. "Wha?!"
"Don't lose it, Bishop," Rook told him. "Listen. We've been all around the world in the last few months and I've finally had it. This isn't what I signed up for. I'm happy to go around errands for the boss, but when it comes to killing people, I'm out." Rook turned around and gave a single wave to the skyscrapers and tall buildings behind him. "Farewell, Targent. I quit." He turned back to the still surprised and mildly shocked group, and said to Professor Layton, "So I have no objection to letting you past, sir."
"Er… Thank you." Not even the Professor could hide his own surprise at this change of path.
"Hang on a sec! You're quitting? Leaving Targent?" Bishop was still trying to take it in.
"You heard me, Bishop. I'm out. I'm sick of being treated like a pawn. We've had some good times together, though, eh?"
"What are you talking about, you nitwit?! You can't leave. We're partners!" You think I'm going to just stand here and wave you off? Fat chance! If you're leaving, then I'm leaving too!" Bishop paused his light rant and grinned wickedly. "Hey, does this mean we can steal the Zeppelin? I've always wanted to fly that thing!"
As usual, Bishop didn't give Rook a chance to respond and just ran ahead without him.
"Wait! We've not finished discussing this! Bishop!" Rook called after him. With Bishop already out of hearing distance, Rook actually gave a small, low chuckle. "He never changes. Good luck, then."
"Before you go, the archaeologist that we were trying to help earlier, Mackintosh, is in our airship. He has received some treatment for his wound, but he will still need to be seen by a doctor," Professor Layton quickly explained to the newly ex-Targent member. "If you are planning to escape, could you please take him with you?"
"It's the least I can do, sir. Perhaps we'll see you again when it's all over!"
Elaine hadn't expected that they would actually leave. They might have been a bit incompetent, but she wouldn't have thought they would quit. At most, she figured they would have been fired. But, if they were going to bring Mackintosh with them to get medical aid, then it wasn't an unwelcomed change of heart.
The main headquarters was perhaps the tallest building in the entire area, and the most intimidating yet impressive. It was clearly designed to inspire awe and fear of this organizations strength.
"How come there aren't any guards or anything?" Luke questioned as he glanced around.
"Because Bronev isn't trying to stop us from finding him." Desmond narrowed his eyes as he looked to the very top. For a moment, Elaine thought he was already in his Descole persona. The look in his eyes almost made it certain for her. "Well, let's not keep him waiting. It's time to get the last egg back."
Inside the tower, the main colours were the gold walls and a dark blue-ish colour that matched the column in the centre of the room that reached up high in the building and had glowing markings on it.
"I feel… Azran power emanating from that column," Aurora said as she looked upon it.
"Did Bronev intend us to see this? Why?" Professor Layton wondered.
"Who knows how that man's mind works," Desmond muttered. "Hmm, I wonder if he built the tower around the column just to conceal its presence."
"The engravings on the column are the Azran people's records," Aurora said "Left for those who would come later."
"They carved their history into this stone?"
"I believe so. I will try to read it."
'Our secrets and our power have been locked away, sealed with five aura stones.
'Only with these five will the path open, the sanctuary beckon and our power be set free.'
"It mentions the five aura stones, does it?" Desmond glanced again to the column. "Given Target's recent actions, I think we can assume that they can read this script and are well aware of its contents."
"Indeed," Professor Layton agreed. "And they may also know what to do with the five eggs once they've been gathered."
"The text explains it all. The aura stones guide their holder to the sanctuary." Aurora looked to be considering something. "Perhaps if I had all five stones in front of me, I could remember something more… It is there, just beyond my reach… I can almost recall, but… no…"
"Don't worry, Aurora," Elaine assured her. "You 'ave 'elped us, and we know everything we need for now."
"Something still bothers me…" Professor Layton brought up. "If Targent knew they needed all five aura stones, why didn't they steal all of them, instead of just one? Why lure us here?"
"Well, I suppose we'll find out when we see Bronev in person," said Desmond.
They took an elevator a little more than halfway to the top. The top of the column could be seen, with turning arches on its top, and when the engravings were translated, the possible blessing the Azran's Legacy could be seemed a little darker. Elaine wanted to believe that this only depended on the actions of the people who gathered that knowledge, though seeing how vile Targent were and their actions. It made knowledge of the civilization seem more like a curse.
Another elevator had to be taken. Though unlike the first one this one had a control panel that needed a code to open it. It was certainly built to stress any unwanted visitors since every few buttons pushed, the golden eagle figure above it would become more and more prepared to shoot from a gun in its throat, before backing down.
Once they reached the top, they were outside, on the roof of the building. Winding blowing hard as they stood before the tall building on the roof that was no doubt Bronev's office. In front of the doors was a man with wearing black glasses with hair sticking at sharp angles and a scar going horizontally across his face, over his nose.
"Professor Hershel Layton," he spoke in an all but business-like manner to the Professor. "You're here to see the boss.
"And who are you?" Luke demanded.
"My name is no concern of yours. I am here to determine whether you are truly worthy of the boss's time."
"Should you not be out there searching for your escaped prisoner?" Professor Layton asked wryly.
"That pitiful archaeologist? He's just a pawn. No use expending energy on him."
Elaine found herself thanking God that fortune was on her side when Bronev had made that offer to her back in Monte d'Or, and she declined. Desmond had put up with her stubborn nature to a certain degree. He had hurt her but he certainly never made her bleed and when he tried starving her he had given in around the same time she did (something Elaine would like to have considered a draw at the very least).
Targent certainly wasn't a choice she would have enjoyed. From what she had seen already, it was the equivalent of signing your soul away, with little chance of escape through anything but death.
But they were allowed to continue on. Though Elaine only felt dread clinging onto her.