Chapter 539 Sniffing
"Come on, Hellround. You're my last resort." Kaizen said, trying to cheer up his summon.
After some time of insistence, Hellround finally gave in and decided to help Kaizen just so it would stop bothering him. He stood up from the ground and looked at his owner, seeming to wait for an instruction.
Kaizen perked up and cracked a smile. "I don't have anything of Andrew's with me, but he was with me for the whole day, so you must remember, right?" he said.
Hellround turned his face away, looking snobbish and began sniffing the air, searching for the specific odor that would indicate Andrew's presence. After a few moments, Hellround's pointed ears perked up and he stared in one direction, looking interested.
"Find anything, boy?" Kaizen inquired.
The animal ignored its owner and continued to follow the trail down a corridor to the right, moving with confidence.
Kaizen followed closely, keeping an eye out for possible danger.
The familiar scent memorized by Andrew guided them through the long corridor to the back hall, where there were various kinds of objects on display, but what stood out were some vases that looked very expensive. The vases had intricate details and seemed to be very valuable, but there was something strange about them and Kaizen realized this when Hellround started barking at one of the vases.
Kaizen quickly realized that this was the right way and touched the vase that the summoner was barking at. Nothing happened. He was confused for a moment and then remembered Indiana Jones, so Kaizen tried moving the vase. The next second the sound of stone rubbing against stone echoed throughout the lobby, and behind Kaizen slowly the floor began to transform into a spiral staircase.
Hellround, focused on his goal, immediately started down the set of stairs. Kaizen followed his companion without hesitation, and so they made their way cautiously down the stairs.
Upon reaching the end of the stairs, Kaizen and Hellround found themselves in a dark, damp underground passage.
Andrew's familiar scent was more intense there, indicating that they were on the right track, so Hellround began to run.
The sound of dripping water echoed through the room, creating a dark and mysterious atmosphere, and Kaizen looked around as he ran as well, realizing how bizarre this place was.
As they made their way through the underground passage, Kaizen thought about how the hell he managed to find this place, because Kaizen was sure that if it wasn't for Hellround's help, he wouldn't be able to do the same.
At least the long walk gave Kaizen time to think about a few things. He still wondered why The Eye of Hermodr had not sent the Bishops on the first attack on the Capital, and now he finally had the answer. In essence, The Eye of Hermodr was just using joints and a few pieces to set up the board for Kaizen to play, but in truth while Kaizen thought he was playing one game, they were in another. This all meant that the mind behind this entire organization was far more ingenious than Kaizen ever imagined.
The gloomy and damp atmosphere aroused a sense of unease within him, as well as anxiety to know if Ravastine and Lydia were all right. Thinking about this only fueled Kaizen's determination to face such a Second Bishop.
As they advanced, Andrew's familiar scent grew stronger and stronger, indicating that they were getting closer. Hellround led the way, running with agility and skill through the narrow corridors. They passed a section where there was a pedestal and some speleothems, but Hellround guided Kaizen to a secret passage without difficulty. Then they entered the corridor with hundreds of identical doors. Still, that wasn't enough to slow them down.
In fact, the underground corridors seemed endless, with turns and detours that left Kaizen almost disoriented, only after some time, they finally arrived at the right place.
Hellround stopped in front of a particular door in the corridor crammed with other doors and barked. This door had aged wood and looked like some Kaizen had seen before in this same hallway. However, upon opening the door, he was faced with a chamber where there was another large door, but this one was made of metal and seemed armored.
In the center of the door was a lock, but not an ordinary lock, but a puzzle.
Kaizen took a deep breath. "I don't have time to waste playing games."
The Psyker's footsteps echoed as he approached the door. He then clenched his right fist and landed a powerful punch against the door. With a deafening bang, the metal door was shattered by the impact of Kaizen's punch. Cracks spread across the surface, demonstrating his strength. A second strike was enough to completely break the door's resistance, and it shattered into pieces. The metal fragments fell to the ground with a metallic clatter as Kaizen watched the passage open before him.
Damp air and the smell of antiquity emanated from inside the tomb, as well as an excruciating smell of blood.
Stepping through the wreckage of the door, Kaizen entered the Tomb of the Kings, shaking off the smoke, dust and soot with his left hand.
When the smoke finally cleared, Kaizen gazed upon a bloody, butchered scene. The lighting was dim, with only a few dim torches along the corridor, even Kaizen could easily see that several Kingsguard soldiers were lying on the ground, bloodied and badly wounded.
Arthas, the Captain of the Kingsguard, was on his knees in the midst of them all, his own sword through part of his belly. And a few meters ahead, near the back of the chamber, where there was a statue of the first king of Tretidian, stood the King, Lydia, and between them and the pale-skinned man in the purple suit, stood Ravastine, as the last bastion of the royal family's safety. She was holding her cocked sword with her eyes bugged out, frightened.
However, when Ravastine spotted Kaizen's mask among all the dust, her countenance immediately flashed relief.
𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐧𝐨𝐯𝗲𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝐦.