They made their way across the drawbridge of the capital, making their way down the large central road. There were plenty of businesses and grand townhouses that lay in the fortress interior. A few of the buildings were still under repair. People nursed the damage caused by the raining stones. They made their way to the main hall where inquisitor Utrecht dressed in more casual attire. He was in the middle of a heated discussion with a guard.

"Only authorized persons are allowed in this area." the guard said.

"I am inquisitor general Utrecht," Utrecht replied. "Arbiter of the will of the Sepulchre."

"Yeh, right. You expect me to believe you're the inquisitor general. He's probably all the way back in Hesse, lounging about in the Mesburg capital burning some sorry sod that looked at him wrong," the guard said.

Utrecht opened up his coat to the guard. "As you can see, I do have proof."

The guard back away imminently and bowed. "I'm so sorry sir. Please forgive me."

Utrecht glanced back towards them and shook his head. He waved his hand at the guard, who quickly made himself scarce. Utrecht approached them.

"It seems this is where we part ways," he said. "You performed your duties admirably."

"Thank you," Lina said.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to make my way to the dungeon. If you ever need me, I'll be stationed here for the foreseeable future."

"Do you need someone to accompany you, lord?" Montag asked.

Utrecht stroked his face. "I suppose so." He pointed at Derik. "You shall accompany me."

"Are you pointing at me?" Derik asked while pointing at himself.

"Yes you, are you just going to stand there, or are we going to get moving?"

"Why am I getting stuck with the extra work," Derik thought.

The pair left the ground and took the stairs down to the lower levels of the keep. Derik was a little intimidated, but his curiosity got the better of him. Plus, it was kinda getting a bit boring walking through the barely lit halls.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"So, what's the deal with the woman? You know, what's she in for, is she a serial killer or something?" he asked.

"She is a god," he replied.

"...What?" Derik asked and took a double-take looking at the woman. "Is she the god of small puddles or something? How are you just dragging around a god like it's no big deal? Is this just the standard Tuesday in the life of Utrecht?"

"It's the god of magic," he responded in a deadpan manner. "I captured her on a mission for the torch. There is no need to worry yourself. These chains come from the era of antiquity. They prevent the use of her powers."

"Yes, it's very reassuring to know that the person we are confining could instantly kill us all if she escaped her bonds. I still don't understand why you would drag someone like that around."

"Gods are always meddling in our affairs. It's about time someone put them in their place. We can't live in fear of these deceiving, childish idiots," he responded. "We might find a use for her yet, but if she ever tries anything." He brandished his gun for a moment. "I don't know how many of them are left, but this is the first one I've captured in a long time."

"Where did you get your gun?" Derik asked. "I wouldn't mind one of those."

"I mean if he can apparently apprehend gods," Derik thought. "I want what he's having."

"From Corsia," he replied. "I had it crafted on the isles. Though I figured you would be more of an expert on these exotic weapons, considering you are from there."

"I'm not. I guess you could say I'm from Mesburg."

"Oh, my mistake." Utrecht stopped. "Here we are."

They had made their way to the very end of the dungeon, where a single solitary room lay. It was differentiated from its brethren by its large metal door and size triple that of a normal cell.

"I guess I'll see you again, maybe," Derik said.

"If you ever find anything suspicious, don't hesitate to send me a missive. I will handle it, personally." Utrecht commented as Derik walked back out of the damp dungeon to the main hall.

As he exited the staircase, he met back up with the group.

Alaric had approached Lina. "I have to go. I have to report to the Lord Theurge." He took off his top hat and held it to his chest. "I wish you luck in your exploration of the vault."

Alaric disappeared again, and the group left to gather up supplies for the journey.

"Is everyone ready?" Lina asked.

"Is grass green," Montag said.

"I guess I'm as ready as I ever am going to be," Derik responded.

"This is getting pretty intense," Iris replied. "But I'm with you.

"Finally," Gonzalez said. "Time to have some fun."

They went down to form a caravan, hiring some of the locals to help with taking them near the vault. They mounted some camels and loaded their equipment on the backs.

"I hope these artifacts are worth it," Deri thought. "This could end up with me getting a bunch of cool gear, or we could be smitten raiders of the lost ark style. I guess the best course of action is to let everyone else figure it out."

They left the castle gates, stopping by the Palatine camp outside to collect Titus. The group of soldiers they had previously been traveling with were nowhere to be seen.

"Where did those pleasant sods go?" Iris asked Titus.

"I heard Magnus and Cassius have left and returned home," Titus said. "Marcus joined the emperor's guard, and Titus got promoted. Being next to that dragon did wonders for their careers."

With that, they headed back out across the sandy dunes. The caravan headed northeast to the location of the artifacts.