When Samuel and I
arrive at Kaldwin's Bridge, he warns me that he won't be able to get
us very close to Sokolov's apartment thanks to all of the floodlights
the City Watch set up. If we try to get too close, they'll spot us
for sure. Luckily, the old boatman says that if I find a way to shut
off the floodlights, he can pick me up on the other side of the
bridge, so I won't have to walk all the way back. Kidnapping is new
territory for me. Then again, so is assassination. The tricky part
will be performing the abduction in a way the makes it seem like no
outside party was involved. Well, there's no time like the present,
which means I'd better get started.
When I exit the
boat, the Heart begins to beat, sensing the presence of 1 Rune and 1
Bone Charm. As I climb the steps onto the bridge proper, I see three
guards on patrol. Rather than move to their elevation, I decide to
teleport to the rafters on the other side of the archway supporting
the bridge, and then advance onto the ventilation shafts above. So
far, the rooftops have proven to be a time-tested tactic that always
gives results, so I see absolutely no reason to stop using them.
Unfortunately for me, the main tunnel leading onto the next section
of the bridge is sealed for maintenance, and the only other entrance
I can see comes in the form of a door passed all the guards. When
they've all turned their backs to the door, I seize the initiative
and Blink to it, closing it behind me as to remain unseen. Inside the
building, I swipe a bit of ore I can have Piero sell, a key labeled
“Warehouse” and a schematic that can be used to make my boots
quieter.
The only other
object that catches my interest is a mine cart. Studying the short
railway before me, it seems like I may be able to use the cart to
sneak passed all of guards. All it needs is a tank of whale oil,
which I take from the top floor and install in the panel next to the
cart. With everything ready, I hop into the cart, flip the switch,
and duck so that I'm not seen. Touching down, I hop out of the cart
and hide behind the boxes in front on me. Rather than advance into
the next area, I decide to take the time to get the Rune in this
area, abandoning the Bone Charm. Keeping that in mind, I opt to
teleport into the abandoned apartment on the other side of the
street. I no longer need the Heart to know that the Rune is here, as
I can hear it's whispers. I can feel it on the other side of the door
in this building, but it's blocked from the other side. Cursing under
my breath, I look for another way around. I look out the window and
see an alley leading to the other side of the building, conveniently
out of sight of the guards. Bingo! There's a chain here I can use to
climb onto a balcony leading into the room with the Rune, snatching
it up as I arrive.
Unblocking the
door, I head onto an awning overlooking the streets, and teleport to
a door leading to the drawbridge portion of Kaldwin's Bridge. As I
sneak onto an awning, I overhear a noble named Pratchett and a
guardsman talking. The noble talks about this plague as a way to make
money off of it. That bothers me, so I decide that before I go on
with my mission to abduct Sokolov, I'll stop by his home to get him
to unknowingly share his riches with me. Teleporting to his second
floor balcony, I sneak in. The Heart in my pocket beats like crazy,
pointing to a Rune in the safe that I just so happen to want to rob.
According to a nearby, and pointlessly cryptic note, the “way to
the truth” (read: safe combination) “starts in the crowded
streets”, continues to “an anchored whaling ship”, and ends at
“the slaughterhouse”. It's when I finish reading the note that I
see this guy's impressive art collection, including the painting of a
whaling ship in a harbor. The ship has a “7” emblazoned on it's
side. Putting everything together in my head, it's immediately
obvious that the note refers to specific paintings in the collection.
Since the ship was mentioned second, 7 must be the middle number of
the combination.
To get the rest of
the combination, I head downstairs to find more of his artwork.
Luckily, he has his back turned. One of the pieces depicts a
slaughterhouse, and in the corner is displayed the number 3, which
means that the combination is X-7-3, where X could be a number from 0
to 9. Since I know enough of the combination to brute force it, I
decide to retreat back to the safe upstairs. I place the second and
third numbers in place, then begin to rotate the first. Once the dial
hits 4, I hear a click and the safe opens. I liberate the Rune and 2
gold bars from the safe and close it back up, resetting the dial to
0-0-0. When this plague profiteer next opens this safe, he'll be in
for a surprise. Sneaking back out, the Heart beats once more,
signifying that another Rune is in the area. Leaning out to scout the
area ahead, I see an apartment that is glowing with an eerie light.
Combined with the quickening of the Heart's beat, I get the distinct
impression that a Rune is in that room.
Rather the risk
going into directly, I opt to teleport onto the ventilation shaft on
the side of the building. It's then that I see a man walk out and
back in, completely unaware of me. Hearing him rant and looking
around at the writings on the wall make it obvious that the Rune has
twisted his mind, so I summon a swarm of rats to put him out of his
misery. It's only when I enter that I small it: the scent of decaying
corpse. The notes scattered about indicate that many of his friends
and family were murdered out of paranoia that they would steal his
Rune. The irony of the situation is not lost on me as I take the Rune
from the makeshift Outsider shrine, inadvertently summoning Poncy.
Against my deepest wishes, he speaks. “Offering” a brief history
lesson, his rantings indicate that prior civilization existed well
before ours, and fell when his influence grew too high. Making a
sudden, and rather abrupt transition to something more relevant,
Poncy starts talking about Sokolov. Confirming rumors that have been
spreading around the royal court for years, Poncy depicts the many
ways that the royal physician has tried to conjure the Outsider. As
obsessed with power as he is, this comes as no surprise. Since
Sokolov lacks the Mark that I have, there's really nothing he can do.
Ending our little “conservation”, Poncy says that the least
Sokolov could do to summon him is to be more interesting. Ugh, why do
I have to interesting? If the poor fools wants to talk to
Prince Ponce, by all means let him. Hopefully it'll distract them
both from me.
Okay, enough
detours. It's time the I moved onto my real mission. Rather than use
the streets to travel, I move through this building and onto a
rooftop that's very high off the ground. From here, I have a great
vantage point of the area in front of me. It's from here that I see
it... the Arc Pylon. I've been briefed on these. According to the
reports, they are similar to Walls of Lights in that when someone
who's not a guard gets close enough to them, they will be
administered a lethal shock. Luckily, I also spot a route on the
right side that is far enough away from the pylon and out of sight of
the watchmen, yet keeps me on the the right path. To use this path, I
make my way down using the awnings and shafts to the side. It is then
that I spot Slackjaw's men. Rather than rush in, it would be smarter
to watch and wait to see what happens next.
As I sit on the
awning, I overhear the two thugs talk about busting their friend out
of jail. It's then that the guards spot them and begin shouting.
Though the encounter is decidedly in favor of the watch, Slackjaw's
men rush in and are immediately disintegrated by the Arc Pylon. They
never stood a chance. I won't make that same mistake. Since charging
the post is a very stupid thing to do for multiple reasons, I sneak
around using the cover to stay out of sight. Planning this out as I
go, I teleport onto the support beams of the bridge and then onto the
roof of the guard station, ducking out of sight before the Arc Pylon
on the drawbridge has a chance to power up. I'll never be able to
proceed as long as that pylon is in working order, so I decide to
sneak around to pull the oil tank fueling it out of its socket.
Sneaking up a staircase leading to the upper levels, I keep out of
sight of the guard patrolling around. If memory serves, the fuel for
the lighting system is either up here or on the other side of the
drawbridge. If I remove the tanks, than the floodlights will be shut
off and Samuel will be able to make the crossing. Rather the risk
further patrols, I use a chain to climb up and out of sight.
A quick inspection
shows that the tanks aren't on this side, so they need to be on the
other. Crossing to the other side of the bridge is only dangerous
because I have to expose myself for a short time. I only have a
single stack of boxes to use for cover, so timing is crucial. As the
guard on patrol turns away, I make my move, silently climbing to the
structure above, advancing towards the fuel tanks for the
floodlights. Extracting them from the panel does the trick, so I
breath a sigh of relief and use the support beams on this side on the
bridge as a way to maintain the high ground. Luckily, there are some
beams on the buildings in front of me that I can teleport to before
the guards look my way. The area beyond is devoid of any life besides
the rats, so I proceed onwards....
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