Fading Dragon [FanT/IC/Private]

[Monfrox]

Occupied Territory of Yeuzuishan
Operation Vertigo
Joint Task Force for Special Acquisitions "Devil's Due"
Onyx Team
0530 Hours

The air was as bitter and chilly in the cities as it was out in the rural areas, if not worse. It was a perfect match to the conditions that were observed for the local populace's situation. It was a wonder why the citizens were still living here. Actually, no it wasn't. That could be attributed to the chokehold the Nachfolgians and Exilvanians had on the region. Mandatory conscription of locals to keep the war machines going. Arike almost compared it to how her country did things, but she knew better. Their conscription wasn't forced as much as it was necessary. There were things they fought that defied logic and scientific explanation, and they all had to be destroyed. The constant state of affairs meant that a fresh supply of soldiers was always needed, and young children were taught this to help them understand why their country needed them to fight when they grew up. But here...here it was different.

Arike put her cigarette out in the ashtray next to the window and looked behind her. On the table was her AK-9 with an assortment of magazines around it and a covert style SCALE vest Type 1. There were other types of equipment stacked all around in hardcases that were dropped into the country from high-altitude stealth craft. Undetectable on radar, and able to deliver supplies within 50m of any given drop point. It was how they got most of their weapons and gear in after inserting from one of the Monfrox Naval Force's newly purchased submarines, the MNS Revenant. It was currently sitting off the coast of the country with a compliment of Rapid Mobilization Division squads to ensure a speedy extraction of her team. That's right, her team...

Off in the corner was Sofka Karetnikova, currently checking over her 9A-91. She was wearing a gray turtleneck sweater with black pants and matching sport coat. She was due out for the first leg of the operation along with Vlada Dragomirova who was tending to her PPK-20 Vityaz. She had a softshell jacket on with a black knit cap and jeans. Her gentle, vanilla blonde hair was a stark contrast to Sofka's dark chocolate brown. Currently on watch were Vasilisa Tikhvinskaya, Aleytina Syanova, and Roza Starovolkova. They had their full kit on and had put their civilian clothes up. They each carried a SR-3MP, a McMillain CS5, and a PM-06 respectively. Arike herself was wearing a high-neck mock turtleneck and an overcoat with her black cargo pants. Her LAR Grizzly Mk.1 was tucked away under her armpit in a leather shoulder rig holster. She checked her watch.

"Alright, it's time ladies."

They knew the drill. Sofka and Vlada each stood and set their guns on the table. A flameless space heater kept them all warm during their time here, as opposed to the bitter chill outside. All of them had winterized compression shirts and leggings on underneath their clothes to keep them warm while avoiding large, bulky jackets that kept them from performing at their best in a tactical scenario. The pair of operators, dubbed "Advocates" by their commander, left and started to make their way into town. The rest would stay behind to watch the fort and to keep numbers low, ensuring that it was harder to trace the team back to the small, vacant cottage they were quartered in. The previous occupants hadn't been around to protest their appropriation of the dwelling, and the bloodstains on the floors and walls that had gone to a murky black had suggested that they wouldn't show back up either.

It was still dark out as Sofka put on a neck gaiter and ear muffs. Vlada merely fully zipped her jacket and ducked her chin below the cuff. The two of them had worked together before in the Advanced Combat Unit, and were hand-picked for the new top secret unit that had been formed at the order of the Grand General herself. They were told their mission was to acquire artifacts and the like that did not belong in the hands of those who did not understand it. Their first mission was to retrieve an important set of old musket rounds that were called "The Seven Bullets of the Freischütz". To their understanding, these bullets could pierce through anything and strike any target the shooter wishes. Due to intense intelligence gathering, reconnaissance ops, and many nights with clairvoyants of the Advanced Combat Unit, a generalized area of where the set was located was narrowed down further and further until it was time to deploy the team. Efforts were still underway back home to further bring the search down to a town or a small region, but for now all they had to go on was that it was in Yeuzuishan. Maybe with any luck, Aleytina would get something on her SAT phone through encrypted burst transmissions bouncing off their satellites.

For now, Sofka and Vlada headed to Higurasaki to do some field work. The bullets, being old musket rounds with intricate engravings, would likely be in either an antique shop or a museum. The worst case was that it was either property of some private collector, or perhaps the true nature of the magic bullets had been discovered by the occupying forces and had already been retrieved. That could not happen; the Grand General had been very clear on that matter. The team was to retrieve the complete set, no matter who had it or how long it took. They were in this for the long haul, and their first stop was the port city of Shan Jiniang.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Yeuzuishan
Shan Jiniang
Deserted Districts

The Deserted Districts held their name for a reason, which was all too apparent as Sofka and Vlada headed through the streets of what had likely been once a bustling semi commercial/semi residential district. The buildings, despite being in relatively good shape, looked dready and deserted, open windows like gaping maws into a dark abyss beyond. There was no light here but the morning light that slowly creeped in with the rising sun, casting long shadows between the houses, the electricity for these parts of the city having long been cut.

Not a living soul seemed to be here and other than entire swarms of rats and the occasional crow, none crossed Sofka and Vlada's path though occasionally there seemed to be some bigger things scurrying away in the buildings or alleys. Given the stench about the whole place, it was not a difficult task to guess what these animals were doing around these parts in such large numbers. Heck, didn't even need the stench. Occasionally there were corpses, strung up on streetlights, their faces picked clean by the crows at this point, softly shaking in the wind. At one part they had even been arrayed like a strange windchime, the morbid sense of humour of the invaders showing in this rotting piece of art.

Further to the west was the likely reason for why these districts were deserted in the first place. The veins of this city, atleast as far as the Exilvanians were concerned. The railway lines, the north-south connection that was the Darkhit-Shan Jiniang railway line as well as the newly constructed Exilvanian Eastern railway line. The latter had been built by the invader and driven straight through the now deserted districts without a care for the housing, tearing down whatever stood in the way and demolishing the wall next to the East Gate to allow the trains through. Connected directly to the port, they allowed the Exilvanians to quickly transfer wares or troops from the seas into the country and vice versa. Now empty container waggons rolled over these rails towards the north and east, their cargo having left the harbour just last night. It was to protect these railway lines from insurgent activities that the Exilvanians likely forced all residents out or murdered them, keeping their precious trains safe.

Curiously there was not only a lack of native, civilian activity in these parts but also of foreign military activity. No patrols were walking the streets at all, only the railway lines having set up fences and understaffed checkpoints into the populated residential districts. One could chalk it up to the Exilvanians simply thinking themselves very safe in those districts after having removed all possible threats from there, one could assume that they were fleeing the morning sun like the foul villainous creatures of the religious or fantasy books that happier nations published. Or one could know that two entire regiments had left the city for the east merely a day or two ago, leaving the local garrison relatively depleted and incapable of allocating resources to provide proper security in every sector.

[Monfrox]

Occupied Territory of Yeuzuishan
Deserted Districts, Shan Jiniang

The walk was rather silent for the most part. Sofka didn't like it. Vlada, however, was more calm. The former suspected something afoot while the latter knew that it meant they were safer for now. But neither of them addressed it. It was something you didn't talk about, for talking invited things to break the silence. They had made their way in through a chainlink fence. One of the best tools was a small aerosol can of a liquid nitrogen chemical mixture. They had sprayed it on the area where the fencepost was to be able to hide the hole better. Vlada peeled it back after she went through and held it for Sofka, wherein they both gingerly let it back and quickly lined up the breaks to make it look like it was still together. It wouldn't hold up under scrutiny, but to the average soldier just out on his patrol and counting the hours until it was over, it'd be enough to avoid a second glance.

The first stop was the merchant district. If the bullets were anywhere in this town, it'd have to be either the merchant district, the residential district, or the high-class district if they were really unlucky. The trick was to be able to get around without alerting suspicion and without drawing attention of the local Exilvanian garrison. For that reason, they had to avoid a lot of open areas and the checkpoints. In case of emergencies, Sofka and Vlada both carried compact .45 pistols with suppressors stored in their coat pockets. Their cover was that Sofka was an off-duty diplomat from Lauzanne here to make the most of her vacation week, but hadn't gotten the memo that the country was under new management. She could definitely play a character well, and Vlada was playing the role of her lover. This was way easier for Vlada than Sofka felt comfortable with, but it was the mission. They walked along the streets, holding hands as their breath shown in the morning air. Sofka couldn't help a small bright red tinge from creeping across her cheeks, even though they were wearing soft, woven gloves.

The pair walked on, trying to keep on the alert while also not simultaneously appearing that they were doing such. The first place to start would be any antique shops or fancy import sellers. Places that would carry such odds and ends of a bygone era that would hopefully not be seen for what they were. However, they couldn't discount the possibility that someone could know or would find out eventually. For that reason, they had to work fast. If they couldn't find a lead there, then a better option would be to look for any museums of sorts. Sofka hated to think how long they'd have to be out in the open should they come up flat on any leads.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Yeuzuishan
Shan Jiniang
Deserted Districts

Going from the deserted districts into the Merchant District was like a change from night to day. Where the deserted districts had been like lepra infested, dead parts of a body, the merchant distrinct seemed to be still very much alive. Albeit not as alive as it likely once was. The harbour had been closed for civilian use, being used essentially only by the invaders, which in turn made many of the merchants unable to continue their businesses as usual. In general it seemed to function as a sort of middle class disctrict at this point. Many of the buildings were tall, well built and in good shape, partially showing modern, western influences. But at the same time many of the shops or buildings seemed to be closed or deserted, people having lost their work, their goods or their customers with the onset of the invasion. Partially there was also damage from the war albeit not much, the Exilvanian forces having taken the harbour by treachery and surprise more than direct military confrontation.

Again there were no checkpoints or guards, albeit a square the two would pass would feature an impaled man, still breathing and slowly sliding down along the stake he was on. Most Yeuzuishans took care to pass him as quickly as possible, none trying to remain for too long. There were darkly coloured splotches on the ground near the impaled man, too far away to be his own. The Exilvanians may not be here currently but there were certainly signs that they came to this area. It was in both Sofka and Vlada's interest that that would not be the case.

The main reason for that was that they stuck out like sore thumbs. They weren't locals, that much was clear to anyone who so much as looked at them. But somehow their presence led to the locals actively trying to avoid them, secretly stealing glances at them whenever they thought Sofka and Vlada weren't looking their way. Whispers were occasionally carried to their ears by the wind, too silent to make out properly but clear enough to know that there was whispering going on.

Finding an antique shop proved to be fairly simple as they stumbled right into one not long after entering the Merchant district. Great, bold letters above its doors identified it as "Jiang's Antiquities" and, failing proper knowledge of Yeuzuishan language and script, the display windows displayed what was clearly old or pricey interior decoration. From cupboards to mirrors to swords to lamps and even some books.

[Monfrox]

Yeuzuishan
Shan Jiniang
Merchant District

Sofka rubbed her glvoed hands together as she walked through the streets. She hated this. It was so open they might as well paint bullseyes on their backs. She noticed that the locals were giving them glances like they were walking around without heads. She went with a meek appearance with Vlada being her rock. It was all part of their cover, as neither wanted to give off the impression that they were highly-trained professional soldiers. It was there in their eyes, though. The eyes were the window to the soul, though Vlada's soul was a bit in question, and their was a hardness in their eyes that came from seeing so much combat.

The two entered the merchant district, and were officially on the clock now. They didn't want to spend more time here than they needed, but they also had to keep up appearances. A small stop for breakfast before heading back was necessary to placate the civilian suspicions, but it might leave them open to investigation by local military forces. But they had planned for that among other contingencies. It didn't take them long to locate their first store, but hopefully the antique shops wouldn't be so prevalent. Neither were looking forward to walking all over town. They wanted to minimize exposure and keep the mission going as quick as possible.

"Let's stop in here." Sofka said, pointing to the shop like a giddy date would, dragging Vlada in.

The two set off with Sofka playing her part of wonder and amazement while Vlada appeared to casually browse the wares. She had a small notebook that the Grand General had given her with an artist's drawing of what the bullets would look like. She bit the finger of her glove in thought with her sharp, narrow cuspid teeth.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Yeuzuishan
Shan Jiniang
Deserted Districts

Crossing the treshold into the antique shop, Sofka and Vlada were met with stuffy, dusty air, the a telltale sign of antique stories. Rays of light were shining in through the windows and between the merchandise, lighting up the dust drifting through the air and giving the antiques a certain shine. The shop was packed to the brim with said antiques, making getting an overview over them quite difficult. Lots of large furniture, especcially seemingly imported, western, antique style furniture blocked lines of sight throughout the entire shop. Cupboards, wardrobes, tables, armchairs, canopy beds. A plethora of lamps had been set up or attached to the walls, all of them turned off however, likely due to a lack of electricity. The pricetags on the merchandise was covered in dust, seemingly not having disturbed in a while.

There were also a few display cases featuring ancient swords or jewelry, some crowns and diadems, necklaces and rings, some statuettes and so on. Another display featured pearls within clamshells alongside small marble balls. However, a silver bullet was nowhere to be seen.

Sofka's rummaging brought someone else out fairly soon, a hoarse voice calling out in english of all languages:

"Hello, is someone there?"

An aged Yeuzuishan man had appeared further in the back of the store from behind a curtain wall and was calling out, trying to see if there was someone here. He was clearly afraid of going to check for himself and was not capable of actually seeing Sofka and Vlada, thanks to what was likely his merchandise blocking his view of much of the store.

[Monfrox]

Yeuzuishan
Shan Jiniang
Merchant District

"We're not gonna find it here..." Sofka bemoaned as she perused the shelves.

"Might find out where it went, or where to keep looking. We'll have to chase this as far as we can go. They're here, though. We know that for sure."

"Yeah I know bu-"

Sofka stopped her talk short and exchanged looks with Vlada. They nodded to each other. Vlada kept looking through the store while Sofka put on her best "touristy" impression. That wasn't too hard, as she had seen her fair share of tourists trying to enter Monfrox illegally to explore the restricted areas. She felt the familiar lump around her back of her pistol, mentally rehearsing her drawing it in the time of need. She didn't expect to have to, but one had to be ready for anything. She came around the corner and saw the old shopkeeper standing where there was an empty space before.

"Hello, sorry, are we bothering? My uh...friend and I, we're making a vacation to some places and were looking for some souvenirs to take home." She over-exaggerated looking left and right and leaned in, putting on a bit of a silly sort of attitude in the hopes that it would mask how serious her next question was. "You wouldn't happen to have any sort of...occult or magical items, would you? My friend eats that stuff up like discount candy. Seriously, she has all these books about it and won't shut up about getting some silver bullets in case we get attacked by werewolves in the night. Honestly, I just want to shut her up about it, you know what I mean?"

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Yeuzuishan
Shan Jiniang
Merchant District

When Sofka turned up before the aged shopkeeper, the obviously Yeuzuishan man twitched back in shock for a moment before calming back down again, gripping his chest with one hand to calm his rapidly beating heart. He visibly deflated, exhaling and inhaling in...relief(?) before looking back up at the Froxian and saying:

"Oh spirits, do not sneak up on me like that young one."

With his eyes now on her and the both of them standing so close to each other, Sofka would be able to see that there was a light milkiness to the aged Yeuzuishan's eyes. He was probably barely able to make out her features as he hummed about youthful innocence and pulled out a pair of glasses that looked just as antique as his wares, polished them with his sleeve and set them on the bridge of his nose, blinking once before taking another look at Sofka.

His demeanor changed immediately.

Almost instantly the old man assumed a more crouched position, his head quickly swiveling to the left and right, his tone becoming hushed as he put a hand on Sofka's shoulder and attempted to drag her down with him:

"Are you out of your mind?!? How did you even get here?!? Were you in the countryside when the invasion started?!? You should've reported to the Greeneyes weeks ago!"

He snorted at the mention of silver bullets, stating simply:

"Hah! Are you trying to get yourself and me killed!?! The Greeneyes came by already two weeks ago, confiscating all of my silver under threat of torture!"

The way he pronounced that it was all of his silver however did imply that the Yeuzuishan was still hiding something.

[Monfrox]

"Listen, buddy, you see that?" Sofka pointed down the isle at Vlada, who was perusing the shelves with almost genuine interest. "You ever see what happens when that doesn't get what it wants? I have. And let me tell you, it ain't pretty. That's a demon, right there. And that's why we've come to this place in this god-forsaken country, for some fucking silver bullets. It's not for werewolves, it's for her." Sofka's tone had shifted from a hushed, harsh whisper to almost pleading. "Come on, man. You think I wanna be here any longer than I have to. I'm in over my head and I'm really looking for a-"

"Hi, honey! What are you doing?"

"Nothing! Nothing." Sofka stood ramrod straight with a fake smile plastered across her face.

"Talking with the nice man at the counter?"

"Yes! We were just uhhh discussing the procurement of uh...the defensive measures and-"

"Good!" Vlada patted Sofka on the shoulder, who managed to force herself to jolt at the touch for her credit. "Because if we don't find what I want, you know what that means." She had a sing-song voice, and for a brief moment, her eyes turned into a glare. "I'm going to look around some more and then we'll go, ok?"

"Y-yes dear!" Sofka watched until Vlada disappeared into an uninvestigated area of the shop before looking back to the shopkeeper. "You see? You think I wanna go home with that? Help me out here, man. My life is at stake here!"

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Yeuzuishan
Shan Jiniang
Merchant District

The aged Yeuzuishan's jaw would've hit the floor if they were in a cartoon. The entire situation was just simply unbelieveable to him. First there was a pair of young foreigners here, in his shop, in these trying times and after foreigners had supposedly been 'safely removed' from the country. Second they seemed like...like they came right from another time, considering how unconcerned they were. He knew for a fact that a man was slowly dying publically not far from here. Most tourists would have puked on his floors and begged him for water or something instead of this. Thirdly they were asking for goods. That in and of itself was no problem, everyone was desperately trying to get the necessary goods to get by and survive...but they were asking for useless antiques! Fourthly...silver antiques! Those had been banned by the occupiers with unspecified punishments dished out for it so them asking for silver was like, like they were asking for a death sentence.

This didn't add up. At all. And as such caused suspicion to flood his mind as soon as he got his witts back.

With a suspicious glance a Sofka, the shopkeeper asked:

"Who are you really?"

, while putting his arms into his oversized sleeves, loosening a dagger that he wore with him at all times inside the sleeve. If she was what he thought her to be, some Exilvanian Secret Police looking to squeeze things out of him trying to act all innocent, then he'd make sure to try and take atleast one of them with him.

[Monfrox]

There was no going back now. She made her play, now she had to sell it. Perhaps she came on too strong in the beginning, but it wouldn't make sense to ease up now. Sofka had to play her part to the fullest. Those acting classes were gonna pay off, one way or another.

"I have traveled to the farthest reaches of this fucking Earth, searching for some silver bullets to put and end to...to that. You think I want to be here right now? You think I really would come to this backwater, military-occupied, ass-end of the continent? You really think that I have any other choice here? But no, I have it on good record that what I'm looking for is somewhere in here, and I'm not leaving until I find it. I can't leave. I've managed to dupe her for a few weeks now. She doesn't know that I know she's a monster, but that's not going to fly for very long. I need to solve this problem, yesterday." Sofka leaned in and narrowed her eyes in scrutiny. "So if you can't help me, then who can? Someone here's gotta have what I'm looking for!"

Sofka hoped that by giving him an out he'd be able to quickly think of something instead of making a lie up. It was important to keep his mind frazzled or at least going a mile a minute with emotional whiplash to keep him from focusing. Keep him talking. And, with any luck, her acting might just make it all that more believable. Last thing they wanted to do was make a missing person out of the poor guy. That would only draw attention from the locals.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Yeuzuishan
Shan Jiniang
Merchant District

She was continuing to act irrationally. If he was honest, he thought her to be raving mad, a lunatic of some sort. She was putting pressure on him but he was not going to play this game, he'd have them thrown out of the shop! Though if they were in fact Exilvanian secret police, that could have deadly ramifications. Alas, so too would have the revelation that he had in fact been hoarding silver for the resistance. Luckily for him, something happened that interrupted their little chat.

The doorbell rung. Someone had just opened the door and entered and by the sound of the multiple heavy boots on the floor, it was not just another customer. Due to the chaotic arrangement of the merchandise, Sofka and the old merchant could not actually see who had just entered but they didn't need to either. A muffled voice called out:

"Citizen Jiang! Citizen Jiang, report to the entrance of this shop or we will be forced to conduct a search!"

While Sofka and the old man namd Jiang couldn't see the entrance of the shop, perhaps Vlada could. 4 Exilvanian soldiers in their usual blue garb and with assault rifles had entered. A patrol team no doubt. The real question was why they had come here? A regular randomized search? A simple act of brutality against the local populace? Or had Sofka and Vlada's presence led them here? It was not as though they hadn't been sticking out like sore thumbs back on the street.

Either way, the old man Jiang threw a panicked look at Sofka before making a split section decision, grabbing her and whispering:

"Get in the back!"

If she was an Exilvanian Agent then he was likely fucked. But with an Exilvanian patrol in his shop he was likely fucked anyway. With a sigh and smoothening his clothes one last time, the shopkeeper straightened himself and then left the counter to head to the entrance. The back he had pointed out to Sofka was without a doubt the private part of the shop from behind the curtain he had come from.

[Monfrox]

Sofka wasted no time hopping the counter, and Vlada was quickly in pursuit. The two of them ducked into the back and waited.

"What's the plan?" Vlada whispered.

Sofka shushed her, wondering about hidden bugs. Luckily, she had psychic powers. The ESP program in Monfrox's R&D department was quickly gaining favor, traction, and honing the abilities of its operators with increased efficiency. With that, PSYOPS could have more than just one power and the energy to utilize it. Sokfa was a new generation in the program, and so she had a few abilities to pick from. Telepathy, psychometry, and clairvoyance. She motioned for Vlada to be quiet as she went over the gameplan in her head while grabbing her arm and dragging her into the cramped corner of the backroom.

We improvise. Sofka thought to her. Take your pistol out and if the old man comes back with the patrol, we waste the soldiers. If not, we come out.
But what if they leave and it's only the old man? You wanna drop the charade?
Not at the minute. He still thinks we're just some crazy couple. Let's not give him any reason to see us as more of a threat than the occupying troops.
And what if they take the old man?
We disappear before they come for us.

The pair huddled close, which made Vlada blush on her pale cheeks. Despite the obviously playing at a date, Vlada still felt her heart in a bit of a tizzy. But the two of them had their suppressed pistols out now and were ready to act.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Yeuzuishan
Shan Jiniang
Merchant District

"Ah, there he is. Our favourite shopkeeper. Say, did you gain some weight?"

, one of the Exilvanians said jovially, the words coming out muffled through his mask. Laughter from his comrades accompanied his words before the old man spoke up shortly after, carefully stating:

"Citizen Jiang reporting. I must disappoint you Sergeant, I have in fact lost weight."

"What? No way?!? That couldn't possibly be, right?"

, the same Exilvanian said again. The sounds almost immediately following were of something hard hitting something soft, the old man giving off an 'oomph' and something dropping to the floor, rattling.

["Well he sure folded quickly. Get him and haul him to the truck. You, take his register, the admin guys will probs love to have that."]

, the Exilvanian continued in his mother tongue. Two pairs of boots left the shop, dragging something with them. Another pair of boots meandered through the shop towards Vlada and Sofka's position. Luckily a curtain separated them from each other, not allowing them to see each other as the boots stopped at the counter. There was some rummaging and muffled grunting before the Exilvanian said:

["Ha, got it!"]

And then he turned and left, having a short chat at the entrance with his Sergeant and then heading out, the door falling shut behind them. Now Sofka and Vlada were all alone again...well...perhaps not fully alone as there were some sounds upstairs but for the moment they were out of danger or detection range from anyone.

[Monfrox]

"Well...the local occupation forces sure seem friendly." Vlada whispered.

Let's look around for something and then make our exit out the back door. If there is one. Sofka told her.

Vlada pulled out a small flashlight and shined it all around the shelves, looking for any sort of clue as to the bullets. They had a basic idea of what they looked like, but they had no idea where it was exactly. But the shopkeeper had mentioned that the silver had all been confiscated. Well that could be true. But it all had to go somewhere, and he probably could've held onto some. Vlada occupied her time by looking for little cubby holes or crawl spaces while Sokfa kept a lookout.

We should go soon. No doubt they'll send a patrol in to secure the place. Sofka warned her.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Yeuzuishan
Shan Jiniang
Merchant District

The backroom in this case turned out to be somewhat of a dark, dusty corridor. There was a door right opposite of the curtain they had come through, looking to be let into a set of stairs that started somewhere further down the corridor. Likely a small chamber or a staircase down into a basement. Investigation would reveal it to be the latter, creaking wooden stairs leading into a dark, damp basement. No electrical lights though a petroleum lamp hung on a rack near the door.

The corridor they were in otherwise appeared to lead to a backdoor while on the other end, essentially right next to them, appeared to be the entrance to another room, also blocked off by a curtain. Investigating the curtain, the pair would find a rustic kitchen filled with all manner of all manner of porcellain wares...likely more than the old vendor had ever used so it was probably a back-up storage for porcellain wares he sold.

The backdoor led into what appeared to be a small vegetable garden, walled off from other gardens by an approximately 2 meter high brick wall.

The stairs upwards led to a barred door. And not just locked with a simple lock but clearly more on the other side of it.

During their investigations, the sounds from above would grow very quiet until eventually stopping.

[Monfrox]

"Check around," Vlada said in a hushed but urgent tone. "I'll go keep watch. Link back up when you're done."

The pair split, with Vlada creeping out into the shop, low behind the counter, and getting into a position where she could peek outside without having to get up to the window. She figured that the local occupying military would be monitoring the front, so any new enemies would come in from there. But they had to get out fast. The longer they waited, the more likely they were to cut off their escape. Vlada slid her PPK-20 submachine gun out from under her covert assault pack and unfolded the stock before threading the suppressor onto it. Her vest had enough magazines on it for a full engagement, but she didn't want to spend ammunition if she could help it. For now, she waited.

Sokfa took her search high and low and found very little of note. She shined her flashlight all over the shelves, upstairs, around the kitchen, and then found the stairs to the basement.

I'm heading down. Soon as I'm back up, we'll move out the back exit and head out.

Sofka didn't bother with listening for a response because it wouldn't matter. She pulled out her pistol and threaded the suppressor onto it before heading downstairs, slowly checking everything at each step.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Yeuzuishan
Shan Jiniang
Merchant District

Contrary to Vlada's expectations, the enemy did not appear to be monitoring the front. From her position she could see a truck parked outside, a pair of Exilvanians standing on the truckbed pulling the shopkeeper on board and probably seating him somewhere out of sight. A latch was pulled close behind them and one of the Exilvanians standing outside banged against the truck, signalling that they had finished up. Since the engine was already running, the truck wasted little time in accelerating and driving out of sight, leaving but a few Exilvanians who quickly got into some sort of Armoured Recon Vehicle and followed after them, leaving the street utterly empty and the shop closed, a large red X having been spraypainted across the door and windows.

A while after the Exilvanians had left, movements became notable in the houses on the opposite side as well as in small alleys. Like scared animals, people were starting to come out again, nervously checking the street...but just as often checking the store. The looks in their eyes were predatory, the only thing greater than that being the fear they exhibited. There was likely not much time left.

The steps were...creaky to say the least, even the most careful step or removal of weight eliciting moans from the old wood. However, other than that there appeared to be no traps attached to the steps or the staircase in general. Sofka's flashlight would also find that the basement was quite small and held a multitude of barrels and boxes stocked in two shelves lining two walls and leaving some space just a little wider than the staircase to walk between them.

There was a general lack of dust on the stairs as well as many of the containers placed here, though some were dustier than others, the reason painfully obvious. Some of the barrels had been smashed open and the same appeared to have happened to the boxes. Those which hadn't been smashed had had their lids removed, unveiling emptiness and spiderwebs within as well as the occasional rat scurrying off through a hole.+

Otherwise the basement appeared to be empty.

[Monfrox]

Vlada checked red dot on the top rail of the sub-machine gun to ensure it was still functional. Luckily, these things were built to last with the most minimal amount of battery usage, ensuring that she could easily leave the sight on for years at a time without having to change it out. But as she sighted in on the other side of the street, she noticed movement. People were coming out and heading right towards the shop. Looters. Shit. Vlada gritted her teeth as as she quickly stowed the rifle back into her pack and snuck into the back room. She found the stairs and hissed.

"Sofka! We gotta go, now!"

Her partner headed her way and didn't ask why. They were professionals. If Vlada said time to go, she knew it was bad. The priority was stealth and concealment. Sofka scaled the stairs and the two made for the back exit.

"Civvies are gonna start looting this place. Did you find anything?"

"Negative."

"Alright, let's get out of here.

Vlada cracked the door, her hand in her jacket on the grip of her pistol under her armpit. No movement. No sounds. Good or bad? She looked to Sofka, who nodded at her and was mimicking her movement. Vlada pushed the door quickly and stepped out, Sokfa following her as they looked all over the immediate area, and at overlooking windows. They didn't stop as they kept moving to get back out onto the street. They would have to try another shop.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Yeuzuishan
Shan Jiniang
Merchant District

The backdoor led the pair out to a small vegetable garden, surrounded by 2 meter high brick wall. It appeared to be an overall well tended garden, the vegetables all seemingly ripe and practically ready for consumption. It was likely used as an alternative source from food, Sofka and Vlada having no doubt seen the signs of poverty and famine that had spread throughout much of the city under the rule of the Exilvanians. A box next to the exit housed various rusted gardening tools that showed clear signs of use. No doubt all of these things in particular would see the vast majority of the looters' attention, probably laying the garden to waste forever.

The walls were old and despite having been built well long ago, they showed clear signs of wear and tear, with several bricks broken or missing in the wall and the shingles that had once topped it being half gone for the most part. Looking through the holes in the wall or scaling it and looking over it would reveal a small, empty alley behind that cut through the gardens of this block of buildings and led out onto the streets proper through small tunnels build in the surrounding houses.

Before either Sofka or Vlada could do much more than step out of the door, a shot would ring out, high caliber, long distance and somewhere to their right, the direction the Exilvanians had left in. It was followed immediately after by wailing on the street on the other side of the building and a great commotion there.

[Monfrox]

Sofka and Vlada both tensed up at the sound of the shot. It was a natural reaction. Neither of them had to say anything. The two walked out the backdoor and shut it behind them. Vlada led while Sofka trailed to make sure they weren't being followed. With that, Vlada was assessing their forward area as well as considering possible sniper locations. They would need to stick to areas with less line of sight now, lest they too get tagged. It was evident that the local military was foreign and perhaps didn't really care about who they shot or what that did. That had the makings of a powder keg insurgency, and right now they weren't tasked to assist in a local rebellion. That being said, that would be a last resort in order to facilitate the completion of the objective.

After a good fifteen minutes of taking alleys and staying off the main road, Vlada and Sofka took a moment to get their bearings behind a dumpster.

"Where to next?" Sofka whispered into her head.

"We'll work our way up the rest of this district to make note of anything else that looks like it would be a likely place, but we may need to cut up through to the high-class areas. If anyone is going to have the silver, it'll be the aristocratic types."

Sokfa nodded and the two headed out again.