Expecting a large, damp, and dark hive room with several dark, grimy cocoons stretched in the air, with their dark, slimy tendrils covering all available space, he was shocked to see something completely different.
Gentle candlelight lit up and could be seen providing a cozy light in the small room. Instead of the dampness and grime, dark orange wallpaper covered the smooth, stone walls.
There were no hives, no cocoons hanging from the ceiling, there were no signs of the disgusting beasts at all. Instead, the back of a dark brown leather armchair could be seen reflecting in the small side-view mirror.
"What the f*ck?" Jonathan mumbled, unable to believe his eyes. Prepped and ready to jump into whatever was waiting for him at the other side, he breathed in a large gasp of air and stepped out from behind the cover, revealing himself to whatever lay behind what he believed to be only an illusion.
How else could he explain the cozy living room atmosphere in the midst of the grimy sewer system? It made absolutely no sense!
As his aged eyes looked at the sight that unfolded in front of him once again, a look of confusion spread over his face, dominating his usually stern, cold look.
He was about to curse out with wonder again, and step forward when suddenly a crisp, clear, melodious voice reached his ears.
"Ah, I have been waiting for you… Jonathan, please step closer."
—
While that was going on, at another side of the expansive underground tunnel system the sound of tapping could be heard, echoing in the empty tunnels. The figure of a dark-haired woman made her way deeper and deeper underground, seemingly unafraid of the dangers lurking in the darkness.
Her focus was plastered on the tabloid screen in her hands that showed the digitalized schematics of the entire sewers. What was however strange, is that she wasn't attacked or ambushed even once as she steadily paced further and further.
Either by uncanny luck, or maybe she knew which paths to take, where to turn, but she never met any of the beasts even once.
Still, she remained aloof, seemingly oblivious to all the horrors that lurked below.
Eventually, she stopped in front of what seemed to be a dead-end to her right. Unlike the rest of the sewers, this short tunnel was clear of any dirt and grime, the sewage miraculously never made its way into this dead end, it wasn't contaminated with its penetrating stench.
Looking at the sturdy gray wall, Dr. Frida snorted as her gaze finally left the digital screen in her embrace.
"This should be it…" She muttered, with an expectant glint shining in her bespectacled gaze.
As a smirk appeared on her face, she turned and walked into the small tunnel, stepping in front of what seemed to be a dead end.
She looked at her tablet once again and began to push a couple of buttons on the screen. As her slender fingers swiftly executed code after code, soon something unexpected started to happen in the tunnel.
The seemingly sturdy wall began to tremble, A man-made crack appeared between the bricks, as the wall began to separate from its center. With a loud rumble, the two halves began to move, pulling themselves apart and revealing a faintly lit set of stairs that seemed to go back to the surface. At its end, in the far distance, only darkness awaited the unaware traveler.
Still, despite the eerie look and ominous air that converged around this newly emerged stone staircase, Dr. Frida didn't show any change of expression. She wasn't afraid, nor wary. Instead, her grin just stretched higher than before. Her eyes sparkled with delight as everything happened just like how she expected.
"Wonderful… Just as I expected…" She muttered as she stepped on the stairs without any hesitation.
She ascended steadily, her eyes returning to the screen, she looked at the countless green-colored dots that now appeared in what seemed to be a spacious warehouse-like building.
"The system scanned 37 life signatures in the base… This might be slightly troublesome to deal with…" She muttered to herself, reaching for the left side pocket of her white robe.
As she pulled out the small, strange cylindrical-shaped metallic object her grin turned especially cruel.
"Well… at least I can test the newest version… Hopefully, this won't just straight up kill the subjects…" She chuckled lightly, quickly regaining her composure as she arrived in front of the black painted metal door.
Without having the need to knock, a rough voice came from the other side.
"Who are you, what do you want?" As he spoke, a small slit opened showing a pair of tawny brown eyes.
Dr. Frida didn't respond to the man's question. Instead, the grin curved higher once again, as she suddenly pushed the top of the small cylindrical object in his hand, crushing it in the process, and then swiftly shoved it through the small slit and took a step back, descending to the last step of the stairs once again.
Instantly the slit on the door closed up, but sadly too late. A faint cracking sound could be heard, Dr. Frida's strange object cracked open, followed by a whistling sound as the gaseous contents escaped into the air, rapidly expanding.
In mere moments, the warehouse was filled with Dr. Frida's contagious cocktail, shrieks, desperate cries, and coughs could be heard from the other side. In the span of a few minutes, the sounds gradually died down, soon to be replaced by an eerie silence.
Meanwhile, Dr. Frida waited patiently, her eyes once again plastered on the digital screen, watching as the green dots vanished one after another.
Her grin still stretched her face, she happily muttered as she continued to monitor the situation.
"Phase 1 seems to be successful… Phase 2 should start in… Hmm… 60… 59… 58…"
As she counted down, soon, a new set of green dots began to pop back up, at the same time, low guttural growls and hoarse sounds seeped through the cracks…
—
"Are you one of them? Shouldn't you be wary of someone like me?" Jonathan asked with a frown. As he walked into the strange, mystical room the figure in the armchair turned around, showing his youthful, pale expression. Vermillion, bright red irises gave a romantic contrast to the milky white sclera surrounding it. The figure looked human, albeit giving off a slightly sickly visage with that pale white, listless skin tone of his.
He had slick, long white hair drooping behind his back, reaching far below his knee-line. He had a lithe body, that was draped in a set of elegant and expensive-looking suit, that had this faint silky feel to it.
"Jonathan, Jonathan… Why would I be afraid of someone such as you? In fact, I am fairly certain you will do nothing to me." A faint smile curved his thin lips as he added another thought with a slightly lower volume, but still audible enough for the old man to hear it. "Not that you could, even if you tried…"
In response, Jonathan snorted with a disdainful look on his face. He didn't respond but stood with a posture that was ready for anything.
Seeing the old man's wary poise, the youthful-looking mysterious figure sighed.
"Jonathan, Jonathan… You make me sad! Why the hostility? We should be on friendlier terms! After all, we want the same thing!" He exclaimed, standing up from his comfy chair and looking deep into the old man's eyes. The smile never leaving his face, he continued.
"You know, I am here specifically to ask for your… expertise…"
Jonathan frowned at the man's words, snorting a question.
"What do you mean? Speak…"
The smile instantly fading from his face, replaced by a stern, heavy look, the white-haired figure looked at the old man as he answered with a matching tone.
"Jonathan Kane, the Dreadblade, the Alchazard Family requests your assistance in dealing with a new type of monster. These... Beings that call themselves the 'Untainted' are the ones that took your daughter and are currently keeping her hostage. If you are willing to put past issues behind you and join hands with us, we will show you where she is being kept and even offer our assistance…"