Chapter 647: Taking Initiative
The group climbed onto the footpath and carried on their journey in secret. Under the guidance of the snake, they took a left turn and traveled away from the two groups of men who were escorting the women earlier.
Liriel cast one final glance at the group far away, promising herself that she would do her best to free them soon. Then, with unwillingness flashing in her eyes, she followed behind Kael.
After traversing the stench-filled tunnel for another half an hour, the group of Agents from the Brotherhood came across another group of thugs escorting the women in chains. Naturally, the latter group was unable to sense them at all.
Finally, after taking a couple of more turns, they arrived at a part of the tunnel network where no torches were hanging from the wall. To be precise, there were a few torches but none of them were lit.
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"This place really seems to be abandoned," Daneli whispered as he cast a minor spell that allowed him to see in the dark.
"How far are we?" Adam asked the snake.
"We're here, human." The snake slithered down the youth's hand and silently landed on the ground. It then crept toward the wall a few meters away. There was a small hole at the bottom of the wall, just enough size for the snake to enter.
"This is the place!" The snake hissed. "I will open it from the inside. Wait a moment." With that said, it entered through the small hole.
Huh, look at this guy. Adam was a little impressed. He didn't expect the snake to take the initiative.
He must really be looking forward to the human sacrifices.
"Is this it?" Liriel asked as she pressed her palm against the wall, scrutinizing it for any point of entry.
"Looks like it," Adam softly muttered. He stepped forward and stood right in front of the wall, making sure that his spell covered it in its entirety. It would be a problem if this secret entrance suddenly started making sounds, possibly alerting anyone nearby.
A few moments later, the wall started to rumble. Dust started to fall from the ceiling, silently landing on the ground. Thanks to Adam's spell, no sound could escape from the opening of the entrance. Furthermore, to an outsider, it would appear that the wall hadn't moved at all.
The wall separated into two, sliding sideways. It revealed a room inside that appeared to be some kind of storage area.
Several crates were haphazardly sprawled on the ground. There were shelves placed against the wall, holding all sorts of items. A lone table occupied the center, atop which various objects and belongings were carelessly kept.
"Looks like someone was in a hurry," Liriel stated as she entered the room. Kael and Daneli followed behind her.
Adam sensed the surrounding area in his Sphere of Resonance, ensuring that no one was nearby, before entering the room. He looked at the black snake that had made its way around his neck once again and nodded in approval, "Good job."
As the group of Magi started going through the storage room, they found all sorts of items ranging from food supplies to clothes and even weapons. Most of the weapons were daggers, knives, and short swords.
There were even several jars containing herbs and magical ingredients. Moreover, there were also vials full of poison. Naturally, all of these had expired due to the neglect.
After going through all the items inside the store room, the four Agents walked to the center of the room and stood around the table. They had already figured out who this secret base belonged to.
"Who's going to say it?" Liriel looked at her partners with an obvious expression. "Fucking Umbra Thieves!" Daneli cursed out loud. He involuntarily glanced at Adam who was standing beside him. His friend, after all, had the most enmity with this thieves' guild.
"So this more or less confirms our guess," Liriel solemnly stated. "The Umbra Thieves, the Red Fists, and the Cult of Bones really are working together. Although, we haven't found any incriminating evidence on the Cult."
"Not yet," Kael added.
"I have a wild theory," Adam suddenly spoke up, stroking his shaved chin in thought. "Would you like to hear it?"
Without waiting for their response, he continued anyway. "Whatever it is that the Cult is planning in Ravenfell, they knew that they would need a powerful local ally. So the most obvious option for them was the Umbra Thieves."
Adam spoke what had been in his mind for a while now, slowly trying to connect the dots to this wide conspiracy taking shape in the undercurrents of Ravenfell.
"I have a feeling that the Cult also might have something to do with the assassination attempt on the Flynn Patriarch all those years ago, uhh..."
He suddenly recalled that one of the leaders of the Umbra Thieves had enmity with Brigham Flynn, so he corrected himself, "Or maybe not."
"Anyways, my point is, the Umbra Thieves didn't expect that their assassination attempt on the Flynn Family would fail," he continued. "After I cured the Patriarch, he slowly recovered his strength and went on the offense, completely eradicating their criminal organization from the city."
"Yes, your sudden appearance in this whole scenario became an unexpected obstacle not just for the Umbra Thieves, but also for the Cult of Bones who they had allied." Daneli chimed in, his brows slowly creasing together.
"Indeed." Adam nodded with a solemn tone. "And what do you think the Cult did after the Umbra Thieves had been eliminated from the city?"
"They supported another local gang," Liriel answered. "But this time they made sure to back a weak organization so that they would fully be in control of them."
"The Red Fists," Kael added in a grim tone.
"It's all beginning to make sense now." Daneli started pacing back and forth inside the range of the spell. "They're using these secret tunnels which were most likely being used by the Umbra Thieves whilst they were still in the city."
"This seems like the most probable situation, but we still need solid evidence on the Cult of Bones. Those cultists sure have hidden their tracks properly," Liriel muttered in frustration.
Just when Adam was about to speak, his eyes suddenly narrowed. Just then, he had sensed someone in the periphery of his Sphere of Resonance. Worst yet, this person was approaching them at great speed.
"Someone's coming!"