Suspicion at the Dam (V)

"Alright."

Jackson agreed.

"You're the expert on this. You call it."

Still, he called out to the people outside.

"Assemble several heavy weapons teams."

He ordered.

"Be ready to rush in when we call for support, but do not enter the shrine before then."

Then he glanced at the witch, who seemed unnatural and somewhat depressed.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded, which made Jackson breathe a sigh of relief.

"I'm fine. This place was probably desecrated far more severely than anything the Orks could have done."

Jackson thought that was true enough, though it was not pleasant to hear.

"Alright."

He tried to determine which way they should proceed.

"Which way do we go?"

"The control room should be over there."

She pointed toward an elevator at the far end of the corridor. Its platform was moving upward, and everyone quickly ran toward it, the Nightblades remaining alert for any strange movement around them.

"Sir!"

The Nightblade ahead came to an abrupt stop, but a metal apparatus blocked Jackson's view, preventing him from seeing what had caught the man's attention.

When he stepped around the metal object and saw what lay on the polished marble floor at his feet, he immediately turned around, not wanting Elena to see the horrific sight. But he was too late.

She was standing behind him, staring wide-eyed at the dead Kaimon priest on the floor.

"Did you know him?"

Jackson asked. She slowly shook her head, struggling to accept the cruel reality.

"I've never been here before."

She reminded him.

"I only studied the dam's blueprints."

"He died two weeks ago."

The Nightblade, who knew a great deal about the dead, crouched down and carefully examined the corpse, which had already begun to rot.

"But he wasn't killed during an invasion. It looks like