| Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Epilogue | |
| A Sudden Commission | Investigation Notes | ||||||
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Laws of the Undergroud[]
3-1 The Missing Safe[]
| Even though Mr. Nether Pact offered to lead the way, we lingered in the Market a bit longer, hoping to spot any of the robbers rumored to be mingling with the crowd to make a deal. Unfortunately, even after the time the robbers were supposed to show up had passed, we didn't see who looked like they were fencing stolen goods. | |
| (Looks like we'll have to track the robbers some other way. Hopefully, they haven't had the chance to sell off the gem yet.) | |
| You're still up and about with those injuries? I'm about to call it a day myself. | |
| Except for Miss Antimony, who stopped to say goodbye, nobody ese bothered to talk to us the whole time. With nothing to show for our efforts, we ask Mr. Nether Pact to lead us to the address Mr. Gold Foil had given us. | |
| So, this is where that thief, Shadowbind, lives? | |
| Yeah, but it looks like he's not home. This is going to be tricky... | |
| You're looking for Shadowbind? | |
| A woman's voice suddenly cut into our conversation. I was spooked a little and looked over—standing in the shadows just out of the light was a woman bundled up from head to toe. | |
| Yes, and you are? | |
| File:ObserveStinger.png | |
| Head A hood pulled low, completely hiding her face. Upper Body A good-quality coat, with a few insects calmly perched on it. Lower Body The hem of her coat was a little worn, stained with some kind of dark liquid. | |
| I'm Stinger, Shadowbind's neighbor. What's he gotten himself into this time? So many people coming around looking for him. | |
| So, people come looking for Shadowbind a lot? Did someone call him away again? | |
| That, I'm not sure. He didn't have many visitors before, but these past few weeks, he's barely been home for some reason. Normally, he'd be here tinkering with gunpowder—sometimes the explosions are so loud, it's impossible to get any peace! It's been quiet lately, though. Honestly, I hope it stays that way. Did you make an appointment with him? I remember he said, if anyone came looking, they could just open that box. | |
| That box on the table? Isn't it kind of rude to mess with someone's stuff when they're not home? | |
| You folks are from the surface, right? Shadowbind must've really stirred things up if you've come all the way here for him. There aren't that many rules down here. If the owner isn't around, it's fair game. Even if there is an owner, well, why not? He said anyone looking for him would know what to do with the box—so, I guess that message wasn't meant for you? Didn't expect his business to be this busy. | |
| (Listening to Miss Stinger, I glanced around.) (This wasn't a typical room—the warehouse's bare bones still showed through the battered metal shelves and pipes.) (Clothes, tools, even unopened bottles of chemicals were all left out in the open.) (Out of respect, I tried not to stare too closely at anything too personal.) (But as my eyes landed on the small box right in the middle of the table, I found myself unable to look away.) | |
| File:SecretTunnelInvestigateShadowbindsHome.png | |
| Medicine Bottle Bottles with powders and liquids. Safe Deposit Box A locked safe, with that looked like a clever mechanism—something about it felt familiar. Opened Safe A safe that had been pried open, now empty. Again, strangely familiar. | |
| This safe... It's exactly like the ones in the Wightlow Bank vault! Aren't these custom safes not supposed to be sold to the public? | |
| That's right, and every bank safe has a special stamp in the lower left corner. | |
| This one's corner has been scraped off. You can still see the marks. (That's just screaming "nothing to see here," isn't it?) | |
| S-So, does that mean this box is actually... | |
| Looks like you really are the ones Shadowbind was expecting. Well, I'll leave you to it. The rest is your problem. | |
| Miss Stinger didn't seem interested in our conversation. Seeing us gathered around the safe, she quietly slipped over to the rusty iron door, ready to leave. | |
| That's how most folks are around here—keep your distance, don't get too curious. Sometimes, knowing too much just gets you in trouble. | |
| (My mind was bubbling with questions: If this is the safe Shadowbind stole, why would he just leave it out in the open?) (Is Shadowbind one of the robbers? If he could open the safe, why leave it behind?) (And what's with that inviting message?) (But right now, if I want answers, I guess I'll have to do as Shadowbind suggested and open the safe myself.) | |
| The safe is surrounded by gears that need to be dragged into place. The center slot is where the gears should be placed. After placing all gears, the number of colored indicator lights will help you determine the status of each gear. Both position and color are correct = Blue Only the color is correct = Orange Both the position and color are incorrect = No color Adjust until each gear matches the correct color and position to open the safe. | |
| File:SecretTunnelOpenSafe.png | |
| Finally got it open... Wait, what!? | |
| The lid cracked open just a sliver, and wisps of smoke started drifting out. Before I could even pact, the smoke thickened rapidly, billowing out of the safe like there was no way to end it. | |
| (Is this a trap? Or—) | |
| I immediately covered my mouth and nose, yanking Mr. Iridescence and Mr. Nether Pact back to get us out of the smoke. Even though I didn't feel anything strange after breathing it in, I still wasn't about to let my guard down. | |
| Heh, didn't think you'd crack it that fast. | |
| The smoke spread in seconds, filling up most of the room. Through the swirling haze, someone spoke up with a cheerful, unfamiliar voice. | |
| You... cough cough... Are you Mr. Shadowbind? | |
| Not bad... cough, pfft! Nope, this smoke's way too thick. We can't talk in here. | |
| The figure grabbed something and started fanning wildly. I doubted it would help much, but luckily, the smoke mechanism inside the safe seemed to have stopped. With no more smoke pouring out, the air started to clear, and soon I could make out a stranger standing there. | |
| File:ObserveShadowbind.png | |
| Arm Bandages wrapped around an arm—looked like a recent injury. Pockets A bunch of odd-looking tools, probably for picking locks. Clothing Wearing tough, ordinary clothes. | |
| Cough, cough... Man, that was rough. I can finally breathe again! My throat's killing me. | |
| Didn't you set this trap yourself? And—wait, were you just watching us open the safe? | |
| Hey, don't blame me! I just got back and happened to catch you solving the puzzle I left. How could I interrupt such a moment? Brilliant technique! You're full of surprises, new friend! That lockpicking style... doesn't look like the police, and definitely not a thief's usual tricks. Who are you people? I knew leaving the safe here would bring about something interesting! | |
| Wait, we actually came here for a reason! | |
| Oh? So you're here on purpose. Well, since you put on such a show, what do you want from me? | |
| Sorry to be blunt, but where did you get these safes? (As the smoke cleared, I peeked into the safe—just as I'd guessed, nothing inside but the mechanism.) | |
| Where did I get them? I made these myself! How do you like them? The lock's got both style and skill, right? | |
| (Even though we just met, I could tell he was lying without a care in the world.) (He really wasn't taking us seriously at all.) | |
| Shadowbind... this lady has something important to discuss. If you know where these safes came from, could you please tell her? | |
| Nether Pact! You're so quiet, I almost didn't notice you. But even if you ask, I have no idea. These two don't get it, and you don't either? I just found it lying around. How should I know where it came from? I just couldn't resist the challenge, so I brought it back. These little boxers are trophies from my technical adventures. | |
| (There was something a little too smug in Shadowbind's voice—no way he just "found" these things.) (I could tell he was lying—maybe I could call his bluff...) | |
3-2 Secrets and Honesty[]
| Emotional Guidance Influence the target's emotional state to encourage them to reveal the truth | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Thorns symbolize the barriers in another's heart, longing to be cleared away. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| File:ShadowbindEmotionalGuidance1.png | |||||||||||||||||||||
| (From our chat so far, it's clear that Shadowbind is a pretty laid-back guy.) (If I can get him worked up, maybe he'll spill something, or at least slip up.) (He's in a good mood, but not quite there yet.) (I need to figure out what he really cares about, what would get him talking.) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Flowers on the vine reflect the emotions blossoming within another's heart. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Guide their emotions to the target value through conversation | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Target: 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| You seem pretty—well, let's just say you've got a healthy dose of curiosity too, right? So you get how I feel. When a "secret" is right there, and you know you can unlock it... that feeling is just unbeatable. Every lock carries the designer's unique touch and thought process—it's like each one is its little riddle. The moment the lock clicks open, that's when I found the answer! | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Shadowbind lights up as he talks about the subtle differences between all the lock mechanisms. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| (If I can break down his guard a bit more, maybe he'll spill something important.) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| (The topic's shifting to relationships. Maybe I can use this to figure out if Mr. Shadowbind was really part of the bank heist.) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| Forget it, I've already said too much. At this point, They're not even my crew anymore. No reason to cover for them. If you've got questions just ask! | |||||||||||||||||||||
| (Shadowbind's guard is down—now's the chance to ask!) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| You're here about that bank case, right? Seems like it's the hot topic these days. Just so we're clear—whatever I tell you, you can't go spreading it around, and you definitely can't use it to arrest me. I didn't steal anything from there, if you're wondering, just took a couple of these safes as souvenirs. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Shadowbind pats the open safe on the table for emphasis. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Just the safes, nothing else. I got invited about a month ago. I'm guessing it's a group, but only one guy ever contacted me. A big guy who called himself Flint—he blocked my way and asked if I wanted to take on a supposedly unbreakable lock. I said yes right away—you get it, don't you? If I don't take the challenge, what makes me any different from those loudmouths who are all talk? But I didn't ask for payment. I told him, if I succeed, all I want is the lock I open. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Flint... Mr. Nether Pact, do you know this guy? | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Nope, never heard of that alias. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| That knucklehead must be new. I've seen him around a few times when I was figuring out how to blow the vault. Honestly, he didn't mess up too badly, but he's got some sloppy habits and misses the details. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| So, how'd you get that injury on your arm? | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Haha, accidents happen. Nothing ever goes perfectly. That day, the vault floor was tougher than I expected, so I added a bit too much explosive. The blast ended up way stronger than planned. Everyone there got hurt, not just me. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| ("Everyone"... Shadowbind probably saw all the robbers at the time.) (But looks like this is as far as he'll go.) (He's avoiding mentioning the others, and I'm not pushing—at least I've got a new lead.) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Shadowbind says he managed to sneak a peek at Flint's face once, but was kind of let down. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| I thought he'd be some big shot, but I didn't recognize him at all! | |||||||||||||||||||||
| ("Dark skin, well-built"... sounds a lot like that Frank Dawson guy.) (The mysterious buyer who purchased the shop—Frank Dawson, Flint... could they be the same person?) Do you know where he is now? | |||||||||||||||||||||
| All I know is one of their old meeting spots—not sure if he's still there, but I can take you to it. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| That'd be awesome—thanks! | |||||||||||||||||||||
3-3 Missing Mark[]
| Shadowbind leads us to another "room." It's clearly another converted warehouse or storage unit, but it's totally empty. | |
| File:SecretTunnelInvestigateEmptyWarehouse.png | |
| Table There's almost nothing left behind, super clean. | |
| Maybe it's the atmosphere as we walk together, but Shadowbind actually seems a bit fired up, like he's on our side. | |
| Weird, he cleaned up so well this time? He's getting better? No way, I'm sure I can track him down. Oh! I also snuck a look at their radio channel. You've got a radio too, right? Wanna listen in? | |
| (Maybe it's just a weird space sense of competition.) | |
| You're pretty good at covering your own tracks. | |
| Thanks! You have to stay sharp to get by around here. See? Comes in handy. Let's see... they used frequency 6.6, I think... | |
| Shadowbind quickly turns the dial, and the static fades until we hear broken voices on the radio. | |
| Unknown Male: (Static) Whew... ahem, is this better now? Unknown Female: Don't get impatient, I'm trying to help you. Someone's after you. If you don't hide better, all your hard work these past months will be for naught. Is that what you want? Unknown Male: No, definitely not! Unknown Female: Then keep your stuff close. Aren't you good at running? Just leave those pursuers in the dust. Next, head south—I stashed some supplies near the station, grab them and keep moving. | |
| The station... could that be where we first came down from the bank? | |
| Yeah, there are tons of tunnels branching out from there. It's a busy location; when they say "the station," it most likely means that spot. | |
| So that means at least one of the robbers is probably nearby! If we hurry, we might be able to catch them! | |
| Are you sure that voice was Flint? | |
| Hard to say... The signal's pretty bad underground. Sounds a lot like him, though. You guys starting a chase? I'll sit this one out—cardio is not really my thing. Good luck! And hey, if you catch Flint, don't mention my name, okay? | |
