Mikey and Lucy come across a part of the cave which branches off into different directions. There are three directions that they can take. They can either keep going straight, go left, or go right.
"RAHRRRRRRR!" A loud noise can be heard coming from a distance inside the cave, it is coming from the path ahead.
"What was that?" Goosebumps appear all over Lucy's body as she whispers. "That wasn't the Cave Dweller was it?"
"How would I know?" Mikey whispers back. "It didn't sound like him, let's investigate." He suggests.
"Hahahah, you're kidding right?" Lucy laughs, she then realizes that Mikey was serious. "No, nope, we are NOT going there. We will first search through these two paths."
"If we find anything that is." Mikey shrugs and the two of them go.
In the path to the left, they find Rubidium and a little more Steelium. They still need more but this is definitely a step forward.
On the path to the right however... they find something completely different...
"What the hell am I seeing?" Mikey finds a strange drawing on the wall. Both Lucy and Mikey start lighting up the path and soon make a picture out of the drawings.
The drawings are depictioning some kind of a sacrificial ritual. Mikey touches the drawing.
"This is... blood? WAIT! LUCY! THE BLOOD IS STILL FRESH!" Mikey realizes.
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" They hear a scream coming from the cave.
Both of them rush out of the path and go into the third path, the one where they heard the first scream and also the scream just now. Soon, the path starts getting filled with torches and the area starts transforming.
Soon enough, the cave starts looking more like some kind of an underground complex. There are doors, brick walls, actual lights. It looks like a research laboratory.
"This place feels... eery..." Lucy points out.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
"Yeah, this place doesn't feel normal." Mikey looks behind. Behind them, the cave is still normal as it was. "I don't think that this is a domain. Someone probably built this, right?" Mikey asks himself.
Lucy: "But who?"
Mikey: "Rody didn't mention anything about a structure in this cave did he?"
Lucy: "I am sure we would have remembered if he did."
Mikey: "Right? Which means that he didn't know? Or maybe, he didn't want to tell us."
Lucy: "Wouldn't he expect us to stumble upon it in this cave since we were searching for materials anyway?"
Lucy and Mikey once again, hear a scream. It sounds even more grueling than the last one.
"We should check it out." Mikey suggests.
"I know, I know." Lucy says with a worried expression. They both start heading in the direction of the scream.
"One of my spectral pirates just got killed." Mikey says. "The assasins, are onto us."
"I completely forgot about those, we have to keep an eye on them too huh." Lucy sighs.
Mikey: "What's up, something wrong?"
Lucy: "My attribute is picking up strange things from this place, I can't quite describe it. Maybe, this laboratory or whatever it is, is somehow connected to why Ignis wants to destroy Heaven?"
Mikey: "Like what? You think there are some kind of secret experiments happening down here?" He jokingly suggests. However, after he says it, both of them realize that it kind of adds up.
Lucy: "You remember that conversation between the king and Eula?"
(Eula: "Father, I still don't understand what do you see in this village called Heaven! Isn't it just a pretty village?"
The King: "Eula, you're still too foolish and young to understand. This village is essential for a lot of things. Once you become the Queen you will understand why.")
Mikey: "The Elven Kingdom has more kings who are struggling for power no?"
Lucy: "Yes, what if these experiments are to create some kind of a weapon."
Mikey: "That would also mean... that Ignis is a spy from another part of the kingdom..."
"We should hurry."
They start searching the complex, room by room. They find a lot of documents with reports on various people.
Mikey: "There's just one thing that bothers me."
Lucy: "What is it?"
Mikey: "The assasins, why didn't they try to stop us before we even got here? Perhaps this place isn't connected to the king afterall."
Lucy: "Either that, or maybe not even the assasins know, perhaps only the king and a select few people know about it."
"PLEASEEE HELPPPP MEEEE!"
Mikey and Eula hear someone screaming for help in the distance. The man keeps asking for help and the sound starts getting closer and closer.
Both Mikey and Lucy equip their weapons and get ready. They start walking forward cautiously and as they peek the corner, they see an Elven men in white robe being chased by three Elven scientists.
"JUST KILL HIM! THERE'S NO REASON TO EXPERIMENT ON THIS ONE ANY FURTHER!" One of them shouts at the other.
The running Elven man notices Mikey and sticks out his arm. "HE-"
BOOM!
The man explodes, his body splatters around the area. Mikey gets dizzy and almost pukes, Lucy almost passes out on the spot when she sees it. The scientist get disgusted at the scene, but one of them noticed Mikey.
"HEY! WHO IS THAT BEHIND THE CORNER?!" One of the scientists shout.
Mikey steps out and teleports behind the scientists. Lucy steps out aswell and creates an afterimage of herself with her dagger.
One of the scientists weaves his hands and sends a flying fireball at Lucy's afterimage. Mikey knocks him down from behind and punches the other scientist. The third scientist somehow enhances his fist and prepares to punch Mikey, but Lucy sneaks up behind him and puts her dagger next to his neck.
The scientist raises his hands as Lucy puts her dagger slightly further from his neck.
"Please spare me! I don't know who you people are but I will talk!" The scientist says and closes his eyes out of fear.
Mikey and Lucy carry him over to one of the offices alongside the two other scientists whom they tie up.
"What is this place? Who are you people? Who was that man you just killed mercilessly in the hall?!" Mikey slams his hand on the desk, and his black aura starts appearing around him. The scientist starts shaking out of fear.
"I- I- I WILL TELL YOU EVERYTHING! I SWEAR!"
Lucy: "Mikey give him a little bit of space."
Mikey calms down and his aura dissapears. The scientist takes a deep breath and starts talking about everything that Mikey needs to know.