Bloodlines - Bathory and Thorne

Thadeus reaches the top of the narrow stairwell and steps onto a broad marble balcony outside Castle Proserpina. Peacebringer remains a glowing blue sword in his hand.

Behind him, the stone wall seals the stairwell with a heavy thud, blocking the route back to the purple cavern and its poisonous creek.

Blood-red moonlight covers the garden maze below, turning its hedges into dark geometric channels. Farther off, a lit structure rises beyond the castle grounds.

From this height, Thadeus can trace several maze paths toward the distant building. Its illuminated windows and chimney suggest the alchemical laboratory may lie there.

Elias and Marcus remain in the service wing above the chapel, searching for Sally and Elizabeth. Thadeus stands alone, with no clear route across the maze.

A small lantern flickers on the distant structure’s upper floor, then goes dark. A second light appears along a maze path, marking a possible entrance.

Thadeus searches the marble balcony and finds another ankh etched into the wall opposite the sealed stairwell. A small opening waits beneath its carved shape.

He presses his fist against the wall, fitting the ring’s face into the opening. A deep rumble rolls beneath the balcony, and the railing tears free from the stone.

One after another, heavy blocks thrust three feet from the castle wall, forming a narrow stone bridge toward a nearby balcony over the blood-red maze.

Thadeus steps carefully across the suspended blocks. Halfway over, the stones behind him begin sliding back into the castle, each grinding withdrawal shortening his route.

He breaks into a run, Peacebringer held close as the bridge retracts beneath him. Thadeus launches himself across the final gap and lands hard on the opposite balcony.

The last stone block vanishes into the castle wall behind him. Across this balcony, a dark doorway stands beneath an ornate lintel, leading farther toward the distant laboratory.

Thadeus steadies himself on the balcony and looks through the dark opening. Inside, pulleys, toothed wheels, and counterweights churn together in the vast machinery of a clock tower.

He walks through the doorway onto a narrow metal catwalk. Below, the mechanism descends into shadow, while enormous gears turn with measured, thunderous rhythm.

Fifty feet above, a giant clock face fills the tower wall. Its hands move silently behind dusty glass, casting long shadows across the machinery.

Two stairways divide the catwalk. One climbs in fixed intervals toward the clock face; the other descends toward the tower’s base.

At the bottom, Thadeus spots another doorway set into the tower wall. Its frame is intact, and a faint draft moves through the gap beneath it.

The clockwork continues its relentless rotation around him. The catwalk provides a clear view of both stairways and the doorway below, giving Thadeus a complete sense of the tower’s layout.

Heavy footsteps ring from above. Thadeus runs down the catwalk and slips behind a small stone guard post, keeping Peacebringer low as gears thunder around him.

From cover, he watches the upper staircase. Two blue-armored constructs descend in formation, each carrying a short-handled double axe. Their helmets turn nowhere toward him.

The animated armor marches past his hiding place and reaches the lower doorway. They turn together, planting themselves before the entrance as silent guards.

Their patrol reveals the upper staircase is clear, while the guarded doorway is now blocked. Beyond the clock face, a narrow maintenance landing offers another route around the tower.

The constructs remain fixed at the lower entrance, unaware of Thadeus behind the wall. Above them, the machinery’s steady rhythm conceals his movement and preserves his advantage.

Tower gears thunder overhead as Thadeus sheathes Peacebringer and draws his phone. He sends Elias a message describing the clock tower, the catwalk, and the guarded lower entrance.

Thadeus updates Elias on his position, the two blue-armored constructs, and the blocked doorway below. The message travels while the machinery masks every sound.

Thadeus lowers the phone and peers over the stone guard post. The two constructs remain before the lower entrance, axes ready, their blue armor motionless in the red-lit machinery.