NEMO: Into The Depths

Chapter 2: Fulfilment

Alex watched the crescent moon rise as the Elf's footsteps echoed through the attic, growing more anxious with each passing second. He knew what she was feeling at that moment, being so close to her goal yet having to wait. But Alex had been working on this plan for a week, and nothing could throw a spanner in the works. Not even partnering up with an Elf that he met in the attic of his target's castle.

He probably should have been a bit more cautious around someone who had tried to stab him five minutes ago. Confronting a red-haired Elf with penetrating green eyes in the darkness had been unnerving, not to mention the fact that she towered over him by two inches. But something about the Elf convinced Alex not to immediately knock her out. Maybe because he saw potential in her, or that something about her reminded Alex about himself.

Do this afterwards.

"Why are we wasting time?" the Elf's impatient voice snapped Alex back to the present.

"Can't tell you." Alex replied. Her frustration was evident as she grabbed him by his collar

"I know that you're anxious, but there's no reason to get physical," Alex calmly responded, before slipping out of her grip.

"I don't fully trust you, either," He continued, brushing the dust off his clothes, "But you're right. It's been long enough, so let's go kill an Earl." The Elf's body exuded relief as she started to move towards the door that was at the back of the attic.

"Not that way," Alex exclaimed, knowing that he was grinning like a maniac as he motioned her to follow him. Alex made his way to the other side of the attic, through the stacks of painting, jewellery, chandeliers, and other antiques, noting anything that seemed stolen or out of place. Soon he reached his destination, with the Elf in tow. Alex could feel her doubts about his sanity as he pressed his back onto a blank wooden wall.

"What're you standing there for, come on," motioning her to do the same, which she reluctantly did. "When I say so, push your entire weight on the wall," Alex instructed, and with a tap on the wall, they did exactly that. The wall just stood there, unwilling to move in spite of their efforts, but Alex felt it cave.

"Move a bit to your right," Alex instructed once again, and the Elf did so hesitantly. And with another tap on the wall, they started to push once again. But this time, a faint mechanical click echoed from behind the wall, and it finally gave way. The faux wall fell, and the Elf stumbled, but Alex quickly grabbed the edge of the passage and her arm, preventing them from falling. He looked back to see the already small chamber that had revealed itself further narrowed into a tiny passage, presumably weaving through the walls of the castle.

Alex pulled the Elf to her feet, motioning her to follow behind as he squeezed himself into the passage. He considered himself a pretty lean guy, yet Alex had to hug the moss-covered stone walls to move through the escape route. They both shuffled through the passage, the stench of rotten wood wafting through the air, the passage gradually dipping downwards. He followed the passage as it made a left, then a right, and suddenly stopped. The Elf bumped into him, not realising he had stopped. Alex touched the wall in front of him, noticing the familiar feel of lacquered wood. A singular ray of light was illuminating his surroundings, coming from a hole in the wall.

Alex whispered back to the Elf, "We're here," signalling her to remain quiet as he checked his watch. It should have started by now. Alex peered through the hole. Just as he was told, the passage connected to the Earl's study room. His vision was met by a large portrait of the Earl as a young, blonde knight on a horse adorned one wall. But Alex needed only to look to its left to see the facade that the painting was depicting.

Time had not been good to Reginald Hastings, the Earl of Bakelv. He was sitting on an ornate chair, hunched over the table, furiously scribbling on a piece of paper till satisfaction, shabbily stuffing it into an envelope afterwards and tossing it onto the pile of others. Alex had met the man once before and was just as disgusted by him then as he was now. Suddenly, the door to the room violently swung open as a castle servant rushed in.