>>5601742Hypatia shakes her head. “Nothing. You’ve reached the end. The next room is where we perform our ‘surgeries’. Beyond that is our sanctum, where Diogenes most likely is residing. There are other tunnels and passages, where we’ve kept various experiments and tools that we’ve used, but they should be empty now. We’ve depleted all our resources trying to stop you before you could reach the sanctum.”
>“That’s it? No more traps?”“No. This place predates even us. It’s a remnant of our ancient civilization. A temple to our old gods, as well as our place of work. To layer it with traps would be counterproductive.”
>“One last question. Diogenes mentioned that our men outside were in danger. Is that true?”Hypatia nods. “Yes. As we speak, those mercenaries are in battle with a slew of Demonic Beasts that we’d hidden within the city. They’re being led by Phaedo, our associate. If you don’t hurry back, it’s likely they’ll be wiped out. But only Diogenes holds the key to dispelling the magic he’s placed over the castle. If you were to try and trace your steps back now, you’d find yourself back where you started. The only way through is forward.”
You maintain your composure, suppressing the urge to kill this woman. There were 200 Blackwings currently camped outside the city, with very few captains to lead them. It would be up to Roxanne, Boleslav, and an injured Nero to hold the line somehow. This woman would pay for her part in all this. You’d see to that for sure.
“There…I’m all done.” Hypatia breathes heavily as she finishes applying healing to the last Blackwing, Sebastian.
You’re on a strict time limit, where every second wasted could mean the death of your comrades outside. With everyone back at full-health and ready to fight once more, you save the additional questions you have and remove the barricade you’d set up, proceeding into the “surgery” room that Hypatia had mentioned. As you walk inside, you’re immediately greeted by the horrific stench of blood and decay. The room itself is square, with various tools and instruments lining the walls. The occasional blood stain serves as some of the only decorations you see. In each corner of the room, there are four objects that look almost like pillars. You feel as though you’ve seen them somewhere before but can’t quite place from where. In the middle of the room is what looks like a bed, surrounded by various unknown contraptions. And sitting there next to it, is Diogenes, still in the guise of Wally the Cook.
“Blair! You made it! And I see you even brought along Hypatia with you.” He stands from where he was sitting, greeting you as though you were good friends. “Tell me, are you up for one more trial?”
>A): Rush in and attack Diogenes>B): Something seems off. Standby and observe the situation.>C): Write-in 