FINAL INVESTIGATION

[strangerpeople]

FINAL INVESTIGATION

[It is time.

The chill which had come from the now-open, unnumbered room has now begun to seep into the rest of the Depths. It seems to call to the Titled, beckoning them to come forward and to face whatever is now beyond that door.

Fie and Rubedo were right - that room was, indeed, the exit to the Depths. And at the end of the staircase is a door, which the Skeleton Key can very easily open. A few seconds later, the door at the top of the stairs opens.

And the city within the cave below is revealed to them, as they stand on a platform high above the ground.



The ruin still looks as new as it did the day it was built. The air here is cold mountain air, though the only light seems to come from one massive building carved into the very rock of the cave. There is nothing coming from the mouth of the cave save for snow.

On the door they just came through is a single parchment of paper which reads "LEINALZIND OUTER DISTRICT." Each building, they will find, is labelled similarly. Which means there is only one conclusion.

Welcome to the city of Leinalzind, Titled. And good luck, teams.

You will need it.]

Comments

[socialhacktivist]

You met them?

[Well that's convenient. That makes deciding what to do easy.]

...Killua, can you take us there?

[lightnen]

[ The sudden onslaught of questions from both this woman and Futaba just has him blinking a few times before just nodding to answer most of their questions. ]

Yeah. They're alright. I can take you guys there to see them.

[ He turns on his heel to head in the direction of how they got in there. Only stopping once to look toward Futaba. ]

You know The Intercessor? That's Alexis.

[strangerpeople]

I'm so glad they're all right...this...this whole situation has been just...awful...to say the least.

[socialhacktivist]

But... the Ruler of the Empire?

[That was the part that threw her off. But then again--]

I guess it would be crazy to think there are two people here with the name Alexis since there really aren't many-- so. Yeah. That makes sense. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you're alright.

[strangerpeople]

Yes, the...Empire centered in Cyrodiil?

...

I...wasn't asleep that long again, was I?

[lightnen]

Sounds crazy but I can believe it. There's no way it's just a coincidence.

[ Killua's just learnt to take everything here in stride. That's just how he was. He looked back over to the woman once more, a bit of a curious look showing on his face. ]

Again? So you were asleep sometime before this, then? Also... [ His demeanor shifts and becomes almost more serious; stern but also wary. ] I can believe it's the Empire you're speaking of that Alexis rules over, but it's you i'm not sure of. How do we know you're not just our captor trying to get close to Alexis to kill them?

[ A beat. He's always been horribly skeptical, and just looking at this from a logical standpoint. ]

...Sorry for being so suspicious, but I just don't want to risk Alexis's safety by bringing danger right to them.

[socialhacktivist]

Killua wait-- she was locked in there. I don't think she's lying to us. If we hadn't come, there would have been no way out. So she can't have put herself in there. And I could see the blood being drained, so...

[But then, she's also never been good at doubting others so that's brobanly not saying much. Still--]

But the signs here say this is Leinalzind.

[strangerpeople]

He's right to be suspicious. Wouldn't be the first time, either. Not the first time my blood became a wanted commodity either, but...I wouldn't hurt Alexis. Not willingly, at least.

[S I g h.]

Trust me, this is Snow-Throat. Leinalzind... just another name for it. I think.

[lightnen]

[ He levels the woman with a quiet, surveying look before nodding quietly. ]

Hm. Alright. I'll give you the benefit of a doubt this time, but just know that if something happens to Alexis? [ A flash. His expression seems to darken just a little; nothing like when someone he truly cares for is threatened, but somewhat close. ] Either me or my friend will take care of it.

[ A rather casual shrug follows that before continuing. ]

Why's your blood so sought after, though?