In which our friends descend into the sewers and investigate what lies beneath the Windhund Haulage Company.
The night before Thursday, August 30th
The ghost and the werewolf
Emmelinde recognised the ghostly form of Johann Niederwald. “He’s the one who captured Klaus! What have you done to him?”
The ghost, confused as usual, barely remembered his own name, much less Klaus’. With some coaxing from Marike, Emmelinde filled him in – she softened a little as she realised the unhappy lot of the ghost – and Johann’s memory was somewhat jogged: he had been tracking a murderer from Altdorf to Middenheim (Wernhart suspected this might be Aenlinn’s old “friend” Hans Jinkerst). Emmelinde agreed to help Johann find peace, if he would agree to help free Klaus. Johann promised to do his best, but had little power over his ability to manifest – and by way of illustration, he soon helplessly faded away again.
Nightly excursions
After a few hours of sleep (Emmelinde got to sleep in their room as well), a cold breakfast around 3 AM and some final planning and packing, the party set out, fully armed and armoured and without lit lanterns.
Sneaking through the dark city and avoiding the watch patrols – visible from far away by their lanterns – they finally reached the Wünd, found a manhole in an alley near the Windhund Haulage Company and managed to prise it open.
Through the sewers
As they waded through the filthy sewers by the light of their lanterns, Johann’s hand started rattling in Marike’s sling bag again. As they followed its direction, beyond a bend they heard a splashing sound and then a door closing. No more sounds.
Rounding the bend, they eventually found a hidden door; it was locked, but Courage eventually managed to pick the lock. Inside a dark, dry and much less slimy corridor – though with some faint wet footprints on the floor – led ahead at a right angle from the tunnel outside.
The welcome committee
The corridor ended at a closed, but unlocked door – no sounds from the other side – and beyond that a dark room with an archway leading to a corridor further ahead and several alcoves along the sides. The footprints continued ahead, and the room was deathly quiet.
As Aenlinn, taking point, stepped into the room, the stone slab she stepped on sank down an inch with a very audible click, and a weighted net crashed down on her from the ceiling, knocking her down and entangling her. Shambling out of the dark alcoves were half a dozen ghastly figures, looking like walking corpses. Five of them slowly moved to surround Aenlinn as the sixth shuffled off toward the far exit.
The others came to her aid as best they could through the narrow doorway; with some help from Marike, Aenlinn managed to get on her feet before the undead were upon her.
The fight was drawn-out; the walking dead were slow and clumsy, but they didn’t appear to feel any pain and were barely slowed by cuts that would cripple or kill the living. Marike managed to set fire to one of them using her alchemical Molotov cocktails; it burst into bluish-green flames but obliviously went on fighting until it literally burned down, setting one of its mates on fire in the process. Eventually the adventurers had put down all the undead without serious injuries to themselves… but one of them got away. Did it raise an alarm? Still no sounds.
In the cellars
Advancing carefully, now feeling for traps with a long stick, they went on beyond the archway. Beyond another door, they entered what seemed like a cellar: a further long corridor with several doors.
The first door led to a broad hallway decorated by several paintings and a mural. The art, though unsigned, looked like the work of Gustav Klöcker; the mural, showing a skull-faced Morrslieb hanging very close over a city, with the starry night sky as a backdrop, couldn’t help but remind the adventurers of Bogenhafen.
Lio
In another room, apparently a dormitory with several bunk beds, they found and cornered a sleeping man. He had strangely animal features: fangs, pointy ears, long mane-like hair and whisker-like moustasches. The mutant, Lio, was terrified of the adventurers and surrendered right away, nervously answering their question. They were in the Laboratory of the Ordo Terribilis, and he was a servant of its Director, Professor Alkazan (one of those alchemists who had mysteriously disappeared). There were some “patients” here as well, in the cells or in the lab itself already.
Putting Aenlinn’s manacles on him, the adventurers let Lio guide them around the cellar. He pointed out doors to the “cold storage” room, the Professor’s bedroom (“Absolutely forbidden to enter”), the kitchen (large and surprisingly cozy), the lab itself and, finally, the guest rooms and cells. One of the guest rooms was recently occupied by a “fine lady”, but she wasn’t around any more. Etelka Herzen? The room was empty now, but there was still a faint smell of lavender perfumes.
The cells – barred on the outside – were all empty. Lio thought they might be “down in the lab” instead. Wait, down in the lab? Is there another level? Realising he’d already said to much, Lio clenched his mouth shut.
Kethe thought she heard something behind them. Was someone sneaking after them in the darkness? She doubled back a bit, but found no one.
The Upper Lab…
The laboratory on this floor was rather cramped; workbenches brimming with alchemical equipment, huge glass jars with preserved body parts, and in one corner, a strange machine with a console and tubes leading to some kind of air-pumping device. Lio told them the machine was “so the Professor can talk to his friend”. That didn’t make much sense to them, but Lio showed them how it worked; you could mount something on the console and pump air into or through it.
But how about that other lab? After some failed attempts at evading the issue, Lio led the adventurers into the kitchen and pulled a log of wood out of the tall firewood bin. The bin swung open, revealing a secret passage behind the fireplace. A staircase led down into the dark… and someone with a light was coming up! They quickly retreated and waited.
Hobbling upstairs, with a candle in his hand, was the mutant Bruno, his left arm and parts of his head covered in seashell-like hardened growths. He also stopped, shocked, at the sight of the armed intruders. They shushed and waved him into the kitchen. Bruno, too, made no attempt to resist, only saying “You are expected”. After locking him and Lio into separate cells, the adventurers returned to the passage, steeled themselves and crept down the stairs.
…and the Lower
The stairs led down to a great vaulted chamber, supported by four heavy pillars and lit by two chandeliers. This also was clearly a laboratory, but larger and much less cramped than the upper. Before the adventurers had time to look around properly, they stopped at the sight of what was just in front of the stairs.
Strapped to a table, bare-chested and apparently unconscious, was none other than Dmitri! Standing behind the table was a distinguished-looking gentleman with a nearly-black moustasche but a nearly-white beard, wearing black robes and some sort of turban, ready to start cutting him up with a long knife – literally with the knife at his throat. As the adventurers appeared, he looked up, and without moving his knife off Dmitri’s throat he raised his other hand and gestured as if to welcome them. The adventurers stopped in their tracks.
As Marike came into the light, the man smiled enigmatically and said, “Ah, the charming Ms. Lieberung! It has been long indeed. Welcome to my humble abode and workshop.” He made a slight bow, still not moving his knife hand. “Buzid Alkazan, at your service. Please do not worry; your friends are all but unharmed.”
* * *
The adventurers looked around the room. In one corner was a strange machinery not unlike what they had seen in Margrethe von Wittgenstein’s laboratory; a coffin-like chest connected to the machines by tubes and hoses, and two metal rods ending in balls rising from the chest. A maze of glass tubes filled with coloured vapours and liquids was interlinked by a series of brass roads, and there was a pumping device similar to that in the upper laboratory. Standing in front of the machines was a thin, pale mutant, his hands and feet reminiscent of a bird’s claws, and a birdlike mask on his face.
Further into the long vault were several shelves and benches with tools, papers and elixir bottles. There were also three large iron cages. One was empty and open; standing in one was a worn-looking Zima; and sitting chained in another was a young man. Emmelinde gasped upon seeing him. “Klaus!”
The hospitality of Professor Alkazan
Playing along, Marike politely but firmly asked Professor Alkazan to stop the operation and release Dmitri.
“As you wish,” he nodded, unexpectedly accommodating. “But Ms. Lieberung, you do realise that these two” – he gestured at Zima – “were captured while attacking us in alliance with the apostates, the Seeing Circle?”
“That was a stratagem,” Marike bluffed, “that unfortunately went a little too far. You know how that can happen when relying on the uninitiated.”
She started loosing the straps tying Dmitri to the table herself. Alkazan didn’t prevent her – and neither Wernhart from going to let Zima out – instead turning to the bird-like man.
“Arnold, would you please go make some tea for our guests?” Marike declined the offer and Kethe blocked his way. Alcazan shrugged, still smiling, and continued the conversation where he stood. Marike, still playing along, tried to get Dmitri to wake up; he was apparently in some sort of trance but seemed to be slowly coming around. The others spread out around the room, unsure of the next move but ready for a rumble.
“It is a pity you could not join us sooner, Ms. Lieberung,” the Professor went on. “You missed the inauguration of the Work – we finally completed it only days ago. The Magister Magistri even came to inspect the results personally.”
“It couldn’t be helped,” Marike replied, as easily as she could. “I hope the process has been properly documented?”
“Of course,” smiled Alkazan, his dark eyes twinkling. “It is all documented. In time it shall be my pleasure to show all of it to you. On that note, even though many of us were skeptical at first, I must congratulate you on the move to bring the lovely Ms. Herzen in on the project. In fact, to be perfectly honest, it was only when she joined us this summer that our progress really picked up. Your absence had been keenly felt, and the new discoveries she brought were invaluable.”
“Ah yes, Etelka Herzen,” said Marike. “I would have liked to have a word with her. But I understand she’s not here anymore?”
“Indeed not. She and young Klöcker, who was also our guest for a couple of nights, have been sent off on another mission. Supervised, needless to say.”
Meanwhile, Wernhart had let Zima out of her cage. She was tired and bruised, but able to stand and walk. Emmelinde was moving towards Klaus’ cage.
“Well, Professor,” said Marike, noting that Dmitri was able to stand now, “first of all, we need to get these henchmen of mine out of here. And I would like to bring the young man in the cage with me as well. Where is the best way out of here?”
“Out?” said the Professor, as if he’d never heard the word before. As his smile grew broader, suddenly there was a hoarse growl from a dark corner…
The Enemy Within: Remixed 
Brilliant as always
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