A disturbing return to the city

After reaching the city with Bog, we make our way through the crowded streets.

Bog

It doesn't seem as bad as you made it sound.
All of these people seen fine.
Nobody seems to care that I'm not from here.
Most of them just ignore me.
I feel pretty safe.

I

Yeah, I never looked at it from this perspective.
I always was annoyed that people don't care about me.
But at least they don't want to harm me.

Bog

Is it okay if I go around on my own?

I

Sure.
Most things are free anyway, so it shouldn't be a huge problem to get around on your own I guess.
But just in case, you can have some of the money I got from the palace.
Since the city doesn't mint its own money, we just use castle coins here when we need to.

I give him some money.
It should be enough to buy ten of these meat buns.
I don't know how much you can buy from that in the city.
I almost never actually used money in the city.

As soon as Bog left me, I walk toward the place where Oron and Sina live.
I knock at the door, already a little scared to see how Oron reacts.
He probably didn't expect me to come here so soon.

So soon Oron opens.

Oron

What are you doing here?
You can't have finished your mission in such a short time.

He looks past me into the street, like he wants to make sure nobody else is with me.

I

I did. With a little help of the inhabitants.

Oron

Oh, really? Good job!
But why are you back?
You should have gone to the castle.

I

I did!

Oron

Oh, okay. They must have rewarded you generously.
Why didn't you just stay there for a while?

I show him the amulet.

I

I felt the urge to come back.
My next mission must be somewhere in this city.

But more importantly I want to see Sina again.
Now that I'm here, I start to miss her even more.

Oron

Oh, okay...

I

So can I go in and see Sina?

Oron

Uhm...
I...
I think you can go in.
But Sina isn't there.

I

Where is she?

Oron

Uhm...
She must be visiting a friend right now.

He suddenly seems really nervous.
Is he hiding something from me?

I

Can you tell me where she went?
It might be important to find the amulet.

If my feelings lead me to the amulet, this might even be the truth.

Oron

Sorry, I don't know exactly.
They...
I think they didn't meet at his place.
I guess they must be somewhere in the city.

He's still dodging. He must know more.
I already fear the worst...
Is she...

I

Now tell me what happened to her!

Oron just points below.

Oron

I can't tell you more. I'm sorry.

What the fuck!
He wouldn't just imply that she's buried?
But what is he sorry about? He actually looks a little sad.

Or maybe he did something he isn't proud of?
Maybe he allowed her to go to some place, probably underground, which might be dangerous to her?

Oron just closes the door before my eyes.
I immediately knock loud against his door.

I keep doing this for minutes, but he doesn't let me in anymore.
So I give up and leave.
I guess I just have to trust my feelings now.

If Sina is actually underground somewhere, maybe the second amulet is also underground.
This would make sense, since I don't see a monster like that weird forest monster in the city.
But if it's underground, it would fit in, even if it's larger than the forest monster.
The caves could be as large as the city, maybe even larger.

I still have a fear that Sina is actually dead, but I try to ignore it. The other explanations feel more likely.
Or maybe I just want to think this way...

But how can I get down?
Maybe somebody just has a deep and huge basement.
But how would I find him? It could be everybody.

Maybe it's Oron himself? But if it was actually him, I would feel the urge to visit him again. And I don't want to go back.

I close my eyes and try to focus.
I don't really feel anything besides my urge to see Sina again.

Maybe she is at home?
No, Oron wouldn't lie to me. Would he?
I think I trust him at least that much.

So if the amulet wanted to guide me toward Oron, and he only told me to go down, I need to find a way to go down on my own.

Suddenly I have to think of the sewers.
I never thought about them.
But they must lead somewhere below us.
I was always under the impression there are just a bunch of pipes for transporting water around down there.
But maybe there's actually something else?

Just entering the sewers through the drains everywhere in the city definitely won't work. They are just way too small.
So I have to find a different entry.

There must be a library somewhere in this city. I've been there before when I was younger.
Maybe I can find old maps there.

I walk through the city, trying to remember the way.
Maybe in this street? Or in that one?
Oh, over there it is!

I go through a bunch of old books about the city.
And I actually find something. An old map showing a hidden tunnel network below the city, with marked entrances.
I sketch the closest entrance on a piece of paper and set out to find it.

It doesn't take long. Hidden next to some building, there's a rusty iron grate.
It looks like nobody has touched it in years.

I try to lift it, but it's too heavy for me alone.
I wait until some guy walks by. He doesn't ask why. He just helps me pull the grate off and walks on.
Maybe Bog is right about the city people. Maybe they aren't that bad after all?

Below is a narrow shaft with a ladder running along one wall.
The air coming up is cold and dry. It smells wrong, not like sewer water but like something older.

This is where Oron pointed. Somewhere down there is Sina.

I grip the ladder and start down.

Telo is finally back in the city.
Even if he didn't like his home, he's glad to be back.
But soon, things start to feel disturbing.