Post by Tokoz on Jun 1, 2022 12:09:04 GMT -5
There was a faint creak as the trapdoor opened. With a slight rustle, Lassa let the line of cloth in his hand lower him to the floor, then looked up as he waited for his partner to join him.
The music hall that hid whatever the Jade Mandate was trying to conceal was about 30 minutes away from the warehouse at a brisk walk, or about 10 minutes for a Cipher Pol agent moving along the rooftops. Moonlight shone in from the front windows, muddled by the dust and boards, and the wind caused a faint melody in the failing roof beams.
Rubbing his hands together, he considered the tunnel ahead. It was rough, clearly having been dug out and not finished, but ahead of it was the flicker of torchlight and the finished floors of a proper room. It looked to be marble tile, actually. Surprisingly fancy, given the fact it was buried under a music hall.
"I wonder..." Lassa hummed to himself for a moment. "It looks like they might have added a new entrance to an existing building, something sealed off. Perhaps this is an old hideaway from the Jade Empire, repurposed to keep out of sight of the new government."
If so, it'd explain the resources and unification of the Mandate's forces. Having a centralized infrastructure to fall back on in some manner would do wonders for their success.
When Lukas joined him, Lassa crept forwards to the edge of the light and peered out into the room. It appeared to be a foyer of sorts, with flowing water coming from holes in the ceiling and filling long pools. There were small bridges over the water features, leading to either side and hallways which branched off, and a central hallway which continued further in.
As expected of a group named after a semiprecious stone, Jade featured heavily in the decorations. Green and white, with numerous moons in crescent shape. There was faint noise of activity further down, but not much. Tapping his foot for a moment, he looked back at Lukas.
"I don't see a lot of indication of movement or people here. It seems like there's minimal guard at the moment. We know where the heavy hitters are, so hopefully that's just a mistake on their part. We can try and split up, or we can move together and potentially risk more discovery and questions. Thoughts?"
The music hall that hid whatever the Jade Mandate was trying to conceal was about 30 minutes away from the warehouse at a brisk walk, or about 10 minutes for a Cipher Pol agent moving along the rooftops. Moonlight shone in from the front windows, muddled by the dust and boards, and the wind caused a faint melody in the failing roof beams.
Rubbing his hands together, he considered the tunnel ahead. It was rough, clearly having been dug out and not finished, but ahead of it was the flicker of torchlight and the finished floors of a proper room. It looked to be marble tile, actually. Surprisingly fancy, given the fact it was buried under a music hall.
"I wonder..." Lassa hummed to himself for a moment. "It looks like they might have added a new entrance to an existing building, something sealed off. Perhaps this is an old hideaway from the Jade Empire, repurposed to keep out of sight of the new government."
If so, it'd explain the resources and unification of the Mandate's forces. Having a centralized infrastructure to fall back on in some manner would do wonders for their success.
When Lukas joined him, Lassa crept forwards to the edge of the light and peered out into the room. It appeared to be a foyer of sorts, with flowing water coming from holes in the ceiling and filling long pools. There were small bridges over the water features, leading to either side and hallways which branched off, and a central hallway which continued further in.
As expected of a group named after a semiprecious stone, Jade featured heavily in the decorations. Green and white, with numerous moons in crescent shape. There was faint noise of activity further down, but not much. Tapping his foot for a moment, he looked back at Lukas.
"I don't see a lot of indication of movement or people here. It seems like there's minimal guard at the moment. We know where the heavy hitters are, so hopefully that's just a mistake on their part. We can try and split up, or we can move together and potentially risk more discovery and questions. Thoughts?"