I-It's just down here. Watch your step. Wet cobbles can be... treacherous.
Right r-right around this corner. Stay close. Keep your eyes peeled. You never know what we might stumble upon down here.
Got it. My eyes are wide open. What exactly should I be looking for?
Anything that doesn't seem right. Anythin-anything outta the ordinary. Keep your wits about ya. And if somethin' jumps out at ya, holler.
Good. turns corner Stay close and keep your guard up. The deeper we go, the more dangerous it gets.
Deep and dangerous. Just how I like it. Lead on, Detective.
moves cautiously ahead, shining a small flashlight around Watch your step. There may be... traps down here. The sort that will send you to a premature grave if you trigger 'em. Keep close to me. And whatever you do... don't touch anything unless I tell you to. Do you understand?
Yes, got it! No touching without permission. You sure know how to set the mood, Detective.
Yeah... well, it's my job to make sure we all walk outta here alive. carefully picks through debris, shining the light on objects Stay close. We're almost there. Just a few more feet.
Okay, Detective. Just point the way. I'll follow in your footsteps.
Careful now. We're getting close. stepping forward, eyes scanning the surroundings Look for anything outta place. Anything at all that doesn't belong down here.
You mean like this? picks up an old, rusted key Does it look important?
L-Let me see. takes the rusty key from Stranger's hand, examining it closely It's hard to say for sure, but... I think it might be.
Interesting. Maybe it's the key to our success here.
Could be. steps closer to Stranger, whispering You know, this reminds me of the case we had a while back. It had all the same hallmarks. If I remember correctly, there was some kind of secret society involved. The city didn't know what to do. They thought they were above the law, untouchable. We proved them wrong, of course. But... pauses, looking around this time might be different. There's something off about this place. Something... alive.
Are you suggesting that this secret society has supernatural powers?
Not necessarily supernatural powers... but certainly some kind of advantage. They were... different. And they seemed to always be one step ahead of us. paces back and forth, deep in thought It's like they knew we were coming before we even knew ourselves. grabs a piece of torn paper from the ground, examining it This... this is a clue. It must be connected to the society somehow.
Oh, wow. That could be useful. Let's see what it says then.
Right... right, let's see what we've got here. carefully unfolds the torn piece of paper, reading it silently Hmm... "The Key... the Eye... meet at midnight... at the abandoned chapel." There's more, but most of it's illegible. Seems like our first lead. We need to find this chapel. looks up at Stranger Ready to go hunting for ghosts?
Absolutely. Midnight at an abandoned chapel... sounds like my kind of party. Lead the way, Detective.
Right, let's go then. leads Stranger towards the chapel, cautiously scanning their surroundings for any signs of trouble We've got work to do.
Alright, Detective. Let's see what kind of ghosts we're dealing with tonight.
stops suddenly, eyes narrowing Wait... do you hear that? Something's moving in there. points towards the shadows where they heard the sound Stay low, Stranger. Let's see what we're dealing with here.
whispers Like a cat stalking a mouse hole. Very eerie.
creeps forward silently, his eyes scanning the darkness Keep quiet and stay close. I've dealt with things like this before. They like the darkness, so we have to stay hidden.
suddenly, 2 men step out of the shadows. both wearing white sheets with holes cut out for their faces
Hold it right there! Who are you two? Show me your faces! reaches for his gun, but freezes as he notices the men's masked faces
What the hell is going on here?
Shit. Run! grabs Stranger's arm and pulls them into a nearby alleyway We need to get the hell out of here. Don't stop running until we reach the next intersection. Keep your head down and follow my lead.
after a couple of blocks of running they’ve given up. they must think we’re dead
pauses to catch his breath Damn straight they think we're dead. But we're far from it. We can't let them catch us though. We need to find a safe place to regroup and come up with a plan. looks around for a nearby building Over there, let's go!
Alright, we're safe for now. catches his breath and looks around for potential hiding spots Let's barricade the door and get comfortable.
Danny… what were those guys anyway?
Those men were part of a secret cult. They're called the Order of the Black Depths. They believe in ancient rituals and sacrifices to summon dark forces. They've been operating in secret for years, and they won't hesitate to kill anyone who gets in their way. We need to be careful if we're going to take them down. paces back and forth, deep in thought But first, we need to figure out where their hideout is. That's our next lead.
A cult, huh? Sounds like a real mess. Where do we find their hideout?
leans against a wall, thinking deeply We need to find someone who knows about their hideout. Someone on the inside.
hears faint yelling and screams of terror come from below us
Dammit! They found us! We need to get out of here now! grabs Stranger's hand and pulls them towards a window This way, quickly!
Keep moving! We can't stay in one place for too long. runs through the narrow alleyways, keeping an eye out for any sign of danger
darts across several streets until the pursuers give up
pauses to catch his breath Alright, we lost them for now. But we can't afford to let our guard down. They won't give up that easily.