The Horrific Playthrough: The Final Pieces

The Transcept was to be the penultimate destination in my journey. I still had no idea how I was going to open the lab in order to concoct the potion Agrippa requested – but I’d figure out something. Regardless, the last ingredient of the elixir – vitae, wouldn’t be hard to acquire. If there was one thing these torture rooms provided plenty of, it was blood; blood, and a guilty conscience.

Returning to the Nave and quickly visiting with Agrippa, I moved forward to the last of the torture chambers. The Transcept itself was a beautifully designed area – cathedral like, with gothic architecture. Stained glass windows let soft blue light flood the area (though how much of the light was real and how much supernatural I couldn’t guess). The openness worried me at first as any creature that came in would be able to gaze upon my unobstructed.

Regardless I pressed on to each of the cells.

With each one I found yet another piece of the orb and more of Daniel’s memories returned. The screams of the tormented flooded the ears of their tormentor and Daniel’s sanity wavered. Yet despite this I moved on and soon was done. The pieces were collected and I’d filled a pot up with fresh blood collected from a gutter beneath one of the contraptions. It was ghoulish, but the only way I could obtain the vitae necessary. After, all that remained in the Transcept was a circular staircase leading up. Curious I ascended, discovering a small study belonging to Alexander with supplies and information.

Our enemy had been alive a very long time indeed, having a presence in Illuminati-type groups and connections to various ancient governments. Or at least, he did. His time in our world was drawing to a close and incidents involving Napoleon’s defeat had forced him to retreat to his castle. I knew that the Baron must be preparing the portal in the Inner Sanctum right now, back to wherever he originated. Time was running short, and I still had no idea how to get into the lab. My only choice was to breach the Inner Sanctum, and hope the answer lie within.

There was also the matter of Alexander’s threat, that he couldn’t let me progress any farther. Despite these words I had obtained the rest of the orb without issue. It seemed I would have to wait until we met in person to learn what he had planned.

Moving out of the Transcept I was set upon by a vision, a memory. It startled me and sent me away – away from the castle, to a small farm on the outskirts. I’ve mentioned before that the local countryside could only have had so many prisoners for Alexander to use. It wasn’t enough – all the bodies offered to The Orb had run out. Daniel was going to be killed before Alexander was done with him, so they came up with an alternative. They begin kidnapping innocent villagers.

It was the final piece of the puzzle, the last memory needed to truly understand why Daniel had drank the amnesia potion. He’d become so corrupted by darkness that in his attempt to escape The Shadow and preserve himself, he’d become something even worse. He’d become his own monster, slaughtering the innocent for his own gain. He’d become Alexander. But once the Baron denied Daniel, locked him out of the Inner Sanctum, Daniel thirsted for revenge. He realized he’d been used; he’d been twisted and perverted into something terrible. Alexander had dangled the carrot of freedom in front of him, and our friend marched along blind to his own changes.

I left the Transcept ready to face the Baron and end the darkness. I was filled up with supplies – good health, lots of tinder and plenty of oil. I had the pieces of the orb ready to reassemble on the pedestal. I also had the ingredients for the magician, Agrippa, my fellow only ally. I returned to the bridge leading towards the Inner Sanctum, ready and able to stop the Baron.

The Baron though, had other designs for me.