“The tour is almost done.” Oscar says to Markus, then stops walking in the open area of the estate entry. He's spotted someone coming from the east wing. The grand chandelier above and the bifurcated stairs surround the men with luxury.
From the entry area, Markus can see a small boy skipping down the hallway in their direction. Smiling and happy, the child is waving around a tiny wooden sword. Dressed in blue overalls that contrast against his stringy blonde hair. No more than six or seven years old.
Further down the hall, a maid follows a few paces behind the child. She's older, compared to Hannah and Sarah. In her thirties, with a heavier frame and wider hips. Blonde hair styled in a bun, dressed in the estate's traditional french maid outfit. As she moves closer, Markus can see the face of a tired and stressed woman. The face of a worried mother.
The little boy stops a few yards away from Markus and Oscar. Out of caution, he waits for his mother to catch up. As the maid walks next to the child, he immediately hides behind the long skirt of her dress. His eyes continually stare at Markus.
The maid bows to the men as she says “Hello Oscar.” When she straightens herself, she turns to Markus to say “You must be the outsider. I've heard much about you already.”
“I'm sure you have.” Markus replies with a smile.
“Markus, meet Julia and her son Gregory.” Oscar says with a sweeping arm. “She's the head maid here. Personal maid to the Countess when she was younger.”
“A long time ago.” Julia says back. She turns to Oscar to ask “Are you sure you don't want me keeping an eye out again? There are so few of us.”
“No. I think we're safe for the time being.” Oscar says with a sigh. “And you're right about us being so few. Not enough eyes to keep a good watch. Besides, it'll be obvious when they finally make a move.”
A depressing look forms on Julia's face as her son continues clinging to her skirt. After a moment, she turns to Markus with sad eyes saying “Please help us. I've heard you've fought them already. I'll help in any way. I don't care what happens to me, but don't let them hurt my boy.”
Markus looks deep into Julia's eyes. Her pain and agonizing are clear to him. In a moment of weakness, he replies “I'll do what I can.” He has no idea if that's true.
A small smile appears on Julia's face. She bows to the men and continues walking past them with Gregory still gripping her skirt. The boy stares at Markus as he's pulled past him. When he reaches a few yards away, he bounces away from his mother. Once again the tiny sword swings around in a playful manner. The pair eventually disappear out of view down the Countess' hallway.
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“Poor kid. Before all this mess, he was friendly to everyone.” Oscar says to Markus. “Scared of strangers now. Alright, let's finish up the tour.”
The old butler starts moving again with Markus following close behind. They continue to a side hallway similar to the Countess'. As they near one of the doors, Oscar starts pulling out a key ring. He quickly looks for a certain key. Once found, he unlocks the door and swings it open.
The door leads to stairs going down to the basement. The air is stale, but the old butler doesn't hesitate walking down the stairs. Markus watches him move down for a moment before deciding to follow out of curiosity.
Once at the bottom, Markus can see stone lights illuminating large areas. There is a concrete floor and countless wood beams running in every direction. Some of the walls have built-in wine racks and shelves for various bottles.
Oscar keeps moving deeper into the basement. Markus lingers behind, looking at wines and dust covered antiques. Eventually, he reaches the old butler waiting for him. Markus soon gazes on an incredible sight. Deep within the basement, there's a room with a laboratory present.
Tables full of vials, books, and containers. Liquids of various colors can be seen as Markus walks around with intrigue. A cabinet full of countless ingredients. A desk with books stacked high.
“This is Versa's playground.” Oscar says while watching Markus. “She's Olivia's physician, but she also serves as a scientist of sorts. Has been working on a project for the Countess.”
Before questions about the laboratory can be asked, Oscar takes off further down a hallway. Markus calls out “Hey, wait up. Why are you showing me this?”
“That's not what I'm trying to show you!” Oscar yells back.
Following the voice, Markus reaches Oscar waiting beside an empty stone wall. The old butler smirks, then pulls a nearby lever. Grinding noises can be heard from beyond the stone. Suddenly, a square portion of the wall breaks free. It turns by itself slowly, revealing a narrow underground passage.
Markus looks at Oscar with confusion, but then realizes what he's seeing. He yells out “That's a way out! That can lead us out of here, right!?”
“Aye, safety passage. It leads to an empty field west of here, just outside of Montillo.” Oscar says with a smile. “It's an option for you.”
“This is great! We can all get out of here.” Markus says with big smile. “We don't have to fight. We can just sneak away.”
“Life ain't that easy Markus. I'll be staying here, Julia too probably. We need to watch the Countess because she can't make the trip.” Oscar says with a gloomy voice, which causes Markus' smile to instantly vanish. “You can help the young maids. Gregory too. You can keep them safe.”
Markus runs a hand over his hair in frustration. He starts pacing back and forth with his face in his hands. After a few minutes, he turns to Oscar to say “Close it. Close the damn passage.”
The old butler is surprised, but complies with the request. He pulls the lever again, causing the wall to reverse back into its original position. The men watch it slam shut. Oscar turns to Markus to ask “Why say no?”
“What you said earlier today. I know it's true. If I runaway, I'll be chased. A little kid and young women, there's no way I could protect them.” Markus replies. He slinks backwards and slides down a wall. Once again he thinks about the choices he must make.