[img]http://i.imgur.com/PgliDJM.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/QRij9MW.jpg[/img] [center]-------------------------[b]Church of Saint Somabra, Yards[/b]----------------------[/center] The trapdoor banged open, releasing a cloud of dust as two figures emerged from the dark passageway that had brought them here. In a city like Santa Somabra, there was always more to the streets than meets the eye. A web of underground tunnels could be found all across the city. Some lay untouched for decades, forgotten with time, while others were frequently used by individuals who were… uncomfortable in plain sight. This particular passage had brought them to a seemingly nondescript shed. It was an old wooden shack which appeared to contain nothing more than a few crates, assorted tools, and un ungodly amount of dust. Max and Vigil moved to the door, stepping silently onto the overgrown grass that covered the church grounds. It was late. The moon above cast an eerie light on the scene. With rising tensions among gangs and the delicate matter of investigating strange murders, the two had made sure their arrival would be unseen. In this city, it was impossible to tell who might be watching, and who one wouldn’t want watching too closely. It was this reason that had led the pair to treading through a damp tunnel in the dead of night. [i][color=7bcdc8][b]“Welcome to Our Lady Somabra,”[/b][/color][/i] Max said, her voice breaking the heavy silence of the place. [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/2k9VgVll.jpg[/img][/center] The church was large, a traditional gothic construction, with tall spires reaching up into the night sky. The building was old, in places the elaborate stone work had begun to crumble. Thick bunches of ivy climbed the walls, the same kind that covered the curling wrought iron of the tall, rusted fence that encircled the church grounds. The high arched windows of the building were completely dark. There was no movement in the area, save the two who had just arrived. [color=7bcdc8][b]“There’s an old groundskeeper that lives in a little cottage on the other side of the grounds,”[/b][/color] Max said to Vigil, her eyes on the intimidating structure before them. [color=7bcdc8][b]“He’ll be asleep by now, and he’s deaf as a post, which is good, considering that he’s a bit trigger-happy with his shotgun,”[/b][/color] she informed him. [color=7bcdc8][b]“There shouldn’t be anyone else here. And the lock on the back door over there is easy to pick,”[/b][/color] the woman added, pointing in the direction of her suggested entrance. Quietly listening as she explained everything like it was the back of her hand, a bit all too farmiliar, when she was done, a low voice chimed in [color=9e0b0f][b]"...you,"[/b][/color] Vigil furrowed his brow suspiciously at Max. [color=9e0b0f][b]"...aren't just any bartender, are you?"[/b][/color] Max rolled her eyes, smirking slightly. [color=7bcdc8][b]"Whatever do you mean,"[/b][/color] she asked dryly. [color=7bcdc8][b]"This kind of information is all very pertinent to owning a bar and mixing drinks."[/b][/color] [color=9e0b0f][b]"Right."[/b][/color] Vigil cranked out a wry expression. [color=9e0b0f][b]"Here, take this."[/b][/color] From a satchel that hung on his belt, something he did not usually wear, he retrieved a small crystalline flask - a tiny wooden cross hung suspended by the stopper in a clear, gassy liquid. Vigil pushed it towards her. [color=9e0b0f][b]"For your protection."[/b][/color] [color=7bcdc8][b]"...Thanks,"[/b][/color] Max replied, holding the flask gingerly between two fingers. She put the small bottle in an inner pocket of her jacket, frowning ever so slightly. [color=7bcdc8][b]"So,"[/b][/color] she said, brushing off a bit of dust before heading towards the building. [color=7bcdc8][b]"What is it exactly that you expect to find in here?"[/b][/color] [color=9e0b0f][b]"Clues," [/b][/color] He looked around the corner for a moment then started making haste towards the side of the church, stopping when they heard a rustle before continuing. When they reached the door, he put one knee to the ground and started working on the lock with two thin metal prongs. [color=9e0b0f][b]"Bodies ...Bloodstains. Maybe a damsel in distress?"[/b][/color] He apparently joked. Perhaps he seemed in a lightter mood than yesterday despite, by the looks of his dull eyes and unshaven jaw, clearly not having slept at all. He paused halfway, glancing up to the moon behind her then at her, [color=9e0b0f][b]"...I don't know."[/b][/color] He muttered then shrugged. [b][color=9e0b0f]"But our informant had no reason to lie."[/color][/b] Letting out a bit of a grunt, he clenched his hand tightly around the handle for a moment ...but nothing happened, so the man stood up and courteously gestured at the doorknob which still had the picks awkwardly sticking out of them. Max moved to the door with a sigh, crouching down to try and open the door. The lock was old and unused, covered with rust. She was at it for only a minute before the pick snapped in half. Muttering a curse, she stepped back. [b][color=7bcdc8]"You, sir,"[/color][/b] she said without turning her head, [b][color=7bcdc8]"need some better picks."[/color][/b] He looked at the door somewhat disgruntledly, [color=9e0b0f][b]"...I don't really do this often."[/b][/color] Vigil lied through his teeth. He looked around once more, making sure they were alone. [color=9e0b0f][b]"Excuse me."[/b][/color] He said, before wrapping his hand on the doorknob once more. WIth a grimace, he forcefully twisted it and the lock started buckling, in a few moments - it was twisted right out of it's socket. Carefully, he caught the brass bits that almost fell to the floor with his other hand, and not a moment too soon later, the door creaked open. [color=9e0b0f][b]"...after you."[/b][/color] Max raised an eyebrow at the twisted remains of the doorknob. [color=7bcdc8][b]"Subtle,"[/b][/color] she said, before stepping through the entrance and into the dark interior of the church. -------------------------------------------------------- They had come into one of the back rooms. It was mostly bare, with a few pieces of dusty furniture and an old lamp with a torn shade. [color=7bcdc8][b]"The chancel is right through that door, I assume that's where you'd want to start?"[/b][/color] Vigil somewhat nodded. Max crossed the room ahead of him, opening the small door that lead out into the main area of the church. She took a moment to take in the building's interior. The long room was filled with row upon row of empty wooden pews, spaced periodically by stone columns that reached the tall ceiling in swooping arches. To their right lay the chancel, containing a large altar covered with a fine dark cloth. It was something behind the altar that captured Max's attention, however, and she moved toward it. Spanning a large portion of the wall was an elaborate window, done in stained glass. In the darkness of the space, it was just barely illuminated by the light of the moon. The window portrayed a woman with striking blue eyes, her arms outstretched as if to welcome an embrace. [color=7bcdc8][b]"Saint Somabra herself,"[/b][/color] Max said quietly, unnerved by the somewhat eerie figure. [color=9e0b0f][b]"Hmm."[/b][/color] He acknowledged her words though when she turned to look around at the rest of the room, there Vigil was, already lifting the cloth that covered the altar and rummaging through it, an act that was slightly sacrilegious what with the Saint's image bearing down on them. It seemed like a solid marble table, not unlike many other altars, his curious hands pried every nook and cranny almost knowingly and soon found a set of rings embedded in the back of the stonework. Giving the topmost rung tug, a heavy drawer slid out. Inside it were documents haphazardly strewn about. He fished out a few and leaned back on the windowsill - where moonlight shone through. They mostly mostly comprised of hymns and schedules of the church's days at first glance. Nothing about ritual murders or kidnaps yet. Quite disappointing. [color=9e0b0f][b]"...maybe there's a riddle in these too..."[/b][/color] He muttered to himself, not one to forgo possibilities. When he reached back in to take out more, his hand touched something cold and hard, quite unlike paper. His fingers managed to clamour around it before it could slide deeper back into the recess where his hand would not fit, [i][color=9e0b0f]"Something."[/color][/i] He muttered before pulling out the object. Max glanced over at him upon hearing this quiet exclamation. A corner of her mouth turned up in a crooked grin as she saw what he had pulled out of the seemingly hidden drawer. [i]A Revolver.[/i] Highly polished and well maintained, it was an old chambered device reminiscent of simpler times long past. [b][color=9e0b0f]"What is this doi--[/color][color=9e0b0f]tsk[/color][color=9e0b0f]"[/color][/b] He winced, perhaps accidently nicking himself on one of it's sharper edges. Immediately, he put the gun down on the counter and pressed his fingers together to numb the pain. [b][color=9e0b0f]"--doing here?"[/color][/b] [color=7bcdc8][b]“A gun?”[/b][/color] she asked, before shaking her head.[color=7bcdc8][b] “Only in this damn city would you find a gun hidden in a church altar.”[/b][/color] She moved closer, picking the weapon up. [color=7bcdc8][b]“Ooh,”[/b][/color] she said. [color=7bcdc8][b]“This is actually pretty decent.”[/b][/color] She pushed the weapon is his direction. [color=7bcdc8][b]“You should keep it, unless you have something better on you already,”[/b][/color] she remarked. [color=9e0b0f][b]"I-I'll manage."[/b][/color] He looked at the revolver. [b][color=9e0b0f]"You want it?"[/color][/b] He asked her without qualms or hesitation, packing the papers back into the drawer. Max looked at him, slightly bemused, before quickly giving it a closer look. [color=7bcdc8][b]“No thanks,”[/b][/color] she said, setting it back in the drawer. “It’s only got a couple of bullets in it, and while that does beg the question of who’s using up bullets in a church, mine’s nicer anyways.” She stepped around the altar, heading further into the nave to look around. [b][color=9e0b0f]"So you have a gun."[/color][/b] [i]Why was he even surprised?[/i] [color=7bcdc8][b]"Of course I have a gun,"[/b][/color] she retorted over her shoulder. [color=7bcdc8][b][i]"I run a bar in Santa Somabra."[/i][/b][/color] [b][color=9e0b0f]"Right."[/color][/b] He put the cloth back over the altar and smoothed it out like it had never been disturbed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Over the course of the next half an hour they searched the hallways and rooms, occasionally finding some odd features and a few slightly artistic yet disturbing statuettes - hinting at Somabra's peculiar taste in architecture but otherwise was uneventful. Eventually, running out of places to look, Vigil found himself standing back over the altar, browsing through the papers they found once more. This time aided by the fiery glow of an open lighter held high, in case he missed out on something important within the darkness earlier. Meanwhile, Max wandered through the church pews, running her fingers absentmindedly along the polished edges. She came to the side of the room, and walked over to one of the many stained glass windows that lined the building. She could just barely make out what lay on the other side of the colored glass. [b][color=7bcdc8]“Vigil,”[/color][/b] she called out. “[b][color=7bcdc8]How would you like to take a nice moonlit stroll through the graveyard? Perhaps the dead have some answers.”[/color][/b] His ears perked, stopping what he was doing and looking up to nowhere with a sense of slight bewilderment. [i]A stroll?[/i] [b][color=9e0b0f]"Very."[/color][/b] [i]In a graveyard?[/i] [color=9e0b0f][b]"Romantic."[/b][/color] He amused absent-minded sacarsm, though wondering if she had meant speaking to the dead in hindsight. But after a moment’s thought, he decided he should see what she truly meant, packing things back in their place, he made his way to her. "..." [color=9e0b0f][b]"...Well I'll be."[/b][/color] He remarked quietly when he got there. Through the fog, she was looking at numerous mossy headstones tightly cloistered between the the tall outer walls and the thick foliage surrounding the cathedral itself. Nestled in the corner and only seen through a lone bare tree, had they not stood at this angle, such a place would have easily gone unnoticed by prying eyes. [color=7bcdc8][b]"Let's go explore a bit, shall we?"[/b][/color] Max said with a smile before heading toward the small door that would most likely lead them into the promising new area.