It had taken only a few hours of making his way through the sludge and grime of the sewers, thankful for the short ledges on either side that allowed him to walk on mostly clean, mostly dry ground, though the smell was something else entirely. There was a reason that sewers tended to be avoided and his nostrils finally quit burning at that reason after about a half hour. And if one thought continued through his mind during the entire endeavor, it was simple: 'I have a bad feeling about this.'
And why not? Here he was beneath the lesser-regarded part of the city, more or less alone as only a couple other Corsec Agents were around the area and all of them were somewhat on their own. After all, it was a lot of @#%$ to cover, literally, and it was usually easier to do it split up. Once something was found, they would regroup and investigate it. Nothing more. But something told him that whoever found what they were looking for, likely wouldn't have much of a chance of regrouping. For that reason, he hoped that he was the one to find it since he had a bit more knowledge on the matter.
And now, here he was, standing in front of the same archway that Christoph had sketched out. An almost eerie feeling washed over his body, a brief flash of amethyst filling his dark blue eyes. One hand rested lightly on the grip of his standard issue blaster, though most likely his dagger would come into play first. Provided he had the chance. Last time, he didn't, after all.
But last time he didn't know much at all of what to expect. This time, he'd know to duck when the hairs on the back of his head stood up on end. As almost an afterthought, his hand reached across his waist to idly finger the grip of the blaster. And there he stood, staring at the exact image that he had seen earlier in the day. Nothing else had stood out in his way to the arch, so it was safe to assume that whatever else he might find would be further ahead.
A quick glance back over his shoulder before he passed beneath the archway, dark eyes narrowed slightly as he searched for anything at all that seemed out of place, perhaps. Nothing of obvious note to the untrained eye, though his only needed a second glance to see the faintest of scratches across the stones in front of him. Another glance behind him before inspecting the area a bit more, one gloved hand lowering to wipe away the area around the scratches, and effectively brushing away a thin layer of fresher dust. "Knocking likely wouldn't be prudent," he commented to himself.
The indentions came out and then over, making the doorway itself entirely flush with the wall and pretty much concealing it from plain view. Of course, finding the way in was another story entirely though it had to be something close.
The sound of soft footfalls brought his attention back the way he had come and he visibly relaxed at the arrival of Elanthis, another younger Corsec Officer that had agreed to come with him on the excursion. Blond hair was loose behind his back, a pair of thin braids keeping the hair from his eyes. Eyes of a light green were slanted upwards above sharply-chiseled cheekbones and his ears were tipped, making him decidedly elvish-like. Still something of a rarity within the ranks of CORSEC; though Elanthis has done nothing short of living up to his races heritage.
A brief pause as he sniffed at the air, eyes narrowing slightly to glance at the wall that Aratoa was inspecting. The flash of amethyst across the human's eyes seemed to agree with Elanthis and both glanced around slowly. "Someone approaches," Elanthis stated simply, one hand already drawing and nocking an arrow on his favored weapon; a crossbow.
Moments passed slowly though still, no sign of a third party and after those moments, the two relaxed and went back to searching the wall. Scrutiny finally paid off as a gloved hand reached forward to push on one block and the soft thunk that followed told them that the door would open...and it did.
What laid within the walls was not what was expected at all. A room filled mostly with candles and torches that still burned, though that was nothing compared to the rest of the room. Writings covered the walls in a deep crimson color, dried to a darker, almost blackened hue. Sketches lined the tables and the walls with names written beneath each. Neither of the men spoke as they searched, and neither of them were aware of the one that silently joined them...
And why not? Here he was beneath the lesser-regarded part of the city, more or less alone as only a couple other Corsec Agents were around the area and all of them were somewhat on their own. After all, it was a lot of @#%$ to cover, literally, and it was usually easier to do it split up. Once something was found, they would regroup and investigate it. Nothing more. But something told him that whoever found what they were looking for, likely wouldn't have much of a chance of regrouping. For that reason, he hoped that he was the one to find it since he had a bit more knowledge on the matter.
And now, here he was, standing in front of the same archway that Christoph had sketched out. An almost eerie feeling washed over his body, a brief flash of amethyst filling his dark blue eyes. One hand rested lightly on the grip of his standard issue blaster, though most likely his dagger would come into play first. Provided he had the chance. Last time, he didn't, after all.
But last time he didn't know much at all of what to expect. This time, he'd know to duck when the hairs on the back of his head stood up on end. As almost an afterthought, his hand reached across his waist to idly finger the grip of the blaster. And there he stood, staring at the exact image that he had seen earlier in the day. Nothing else had stood out in his way to the arch, so it was safe to assume that whatever else he might find would be further ahead.
A quick glance back over his shoulder before he passed beneath the archway, dark eyes narrowed slightly as he searched for anything at all that seemed out of place, perhaps. Nothing of obvious note to the untrained eye, though his only needed a second glance to see the faintest of scratches across the stones in front of him. Another glance behind him before inspecting the area a bit more, one gloved hand lowering to wipe away the area around the scratches, and effectively brushing away a thin layer of fresher dust. "Knocking likely wouldn't be prudent," he commented to himself.
The indentions came out and then over, making the doorway itself entirely flush with the wall and pretty much concealing it from plain view. Of course, finding the way in was another story entirely though it had to be something close.
The sound of soft footfalls brought his attention back the way he had come and he visibly relaxed at the arrival of Elanthis, another younger Corsec Officer that had agreed to come with him on the excursion. Blond hair was loose behind his back, a pair of thin braids keeping the hair from his eyes. Eyes of a light green were slanted upwards above sharply-chiseled cheekbones and his ears were tipped, making him decidedly elvish-like. Still something of a rarity within the ranks of CORSEC; though Elanthis has done nothing short of living up to his races heritage.
A brief pause as he sniffed at the air, eyes narrowing slightly to glance at the wall that Aratoa was inspecting. The flash of amethyst across the human's eyes seemed to agree with Elanthis and both glanced around slowly. "Someone approaches," Elanthis stated simply, one hand already drawing and nocking an arrow on his favored weapon; a crossbow.
Moments passed slowly though still, no sign of a third party and after those moments, the two relaxed and went back to searching the wall. Scrutiny finally paid off as a gloved hand reached forward to push on one block and the soft thunk that followed told them that the door would open...and it did.
What laid within the walls was not what was expected at all. A room filled mostly with candles and torches that still burned, though that was nothing compared to the rest of the room. Writings covered the walls in a deep crimson color, dried to a darker, almost blackened hue. Sketches lined the tables and the walls with names written beneath each. Neither of the men spoke as they searched, and neither of them were aware of the one that silently joined them...