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Post by Mo on Oct 1, 2018 11:59:11 GMT
Mo's face was flat against a table in Sereitei's extensive library. All around him were countless books, scrolls and loose papers. The ambient light was dim and a thin striking column of light shone across the top of his large black afro. He grunted lightly before stirring and then slowly rising from his slumber. An old parchment remained stuck to his face as he loosened his jaw and looked around. His deep brown eyes made contact with one of the caretakers who gave him a stern disapproving look. He brushed the paper off his face nonchalantly, his mind still a foggy mess from the extended nap he had taken.
Slowly his memory began to return. He had been doing research on a particular district in Rukongai where a group of thugs and mercenaries had risen from the ashes of another that had been put down long ago. The group itself was attracting the attention of the powers in Soul Society and he had been given the task of investigating the situation.
According to the records he had painstakingly read through, their leader was known only as Shiro. They had been a sharp increase in the number of unscrupulous activities such as illegal gambling, prostitution and racketeering. But this was common in all parts of the impoverished areas around Rukongai. What had drawn attention was their blatant expansion. They had been putting all the outlying villages under their control through the use of money or force, more often the latter.
So now it was left to him to confirm these reports and take action. The official order he had received was to capture Shiro and bring him to justice. As a member of the second squad he was more than ready to go in alone but the obvious advantages of allies in such a case outweighed the negatives.
Mo packed up his notes and piled the documents and books he'd used neatly together on the table before leaving the library. As he exited the room the sun stung his eyes. It was past its peak and heading down. He was still a little groggy so decided to move at dusk when the cover of night would conceal his movement. In the meantime he decided to lurk around the gates to the southern exit of Seireitei, perching himself high on the walls as an extra sentry. A moment to enjoy the quiet before the storm.
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Post by Mo on Oct 1, 2018 12:04:14 GMT
Mo watched as the sun dipped beyond the tree tipped horizon. He loved this twilight, it was an in-between world, neither day nor night. He looked down the wall and allowed himself to fall down towards the ground where he landed silently in a crouching position before disappearing onto the rooftops.
He leapt excitedly over gaps, alleys and streets until he reached the outer limits of the district surrounding Sereitei. Soon the structured buildings gave way to a thick dense forest. Mo used the high branches as footholds to continue travelling at speed without breaking step.
As the night darkened he passed through the quiet affluent districts that lay closest to Seireitei. These places were a far cry from where he grew up and their idealistic lifestyle made him a bit sore but he brushed the feeling aside and continued forward silently cruising through the air.
With each passing district the silence disappeared as the quality of life decreased. By the time he had arrived in the 50th district the streets were still full of barefoot revelers, ladies of the night and petty pick pockets prowling for a target. He paused on a rooftop for a moment and watched one small child circle around a group of men distracted by a young lady on his way home. The child was smart enough to make his actions quick, swift and unnoticeable before scampering into the darkness. It seemed like so long ago that it was his doing the exact same thing to get by. He frowned beneath his ninja mask before taking off and continuing on his journey.
It wasn’t long before he saw the dim and dirty lights of Inuzuri, the 78th district. He was slightly worn out but he knew there was a secret base of operations hidden within the forest that only those who knew where to look could find.
He dropped down to the forest floor and paused for a moment, observing the energies around him. When he felt attuned to his environment he walked several dozen feet before coming to an old dilapidated house. The wooden boarding looked to be falling apart at the support but somehow it continued to stand. Its roof had been bludgeoned by the weather over the years and was no adequate shelter for anyone. He entered the run down place and looked along the floor, kicking pieces of wood away as his brown eyes scanned the floor.
Despite its defeated appearance the floor beneath the mossy surface was surprisingly sturdy. He put a foot down on it to test it and it held well. This was it, he thought to himself. He just had to find out how to get in.
He walked around the house, examining every corner carefully and as close as he could in the low light. All around it there was vegetation that had encroached the space around it, creating natural camouflage. So much so that if anyone passing they would have missed it altogether. Around the old plot were a number of boulders. He took some time to sit on one of them to take his mind off things and adjust his approach. As soon as he sat down, the rock depressed itself into the ground, slowly but purposefully. Initially he was shocked but then took a moment to think. It was obviously some kind of mechanism. He sat up and the rock came back up to its original position. Down and up, down and up. He repeated the process several times before looking around. There were at least six other boulders like it around the house. Slowly he went to each one and attempted to initiate the mechanism. It became obvious that not all of them had it and some showed signs of the mechanism but hardly budged.
Out of the six, only two seemed to have a similar depth at which they went into the ground. They were completely opposite each other and as far from the other as possible. He pondered for a moment before stepping up onto the boulder and feeling it go down. It seemed to require two people to operate which obviously would not do in his current circumstances. He hopped off the boulder and realised that this specific one remained in position for a fraction of a second longer than the other. He grinned at the genius of it and leapt back onto the boulder as soon as it reset. He felt it go down and then faced the first one he had triggered. So this is it huh? It was delightfully simple and he took a quick breath before stepping from one stone to the other in rapid succession. As soon as the second went down the mossy boarding inside the house parted and revealed a dark staircase. Without wasting much time, Mo leapt down it before the mechanism could reset. He smiled widely as he descended the steps and entered a dark underground basement. Now to find a light.
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Post by Mo on Oct 1, 2018 12:06:06 GMT
The two large doors behind gradually creaked shut behind him and he honestly had no idea how to get out but such a hideout would definitely have an emergency escape route or two. Dust. Dust. Dust, was all that Mo could see once he found a candle to light. He held the candle holder up to get a better sense of the room. It was a small room with little more than a desk, an old bed and a large trunk. The desk looked empty as he approached but he soon realised that there was a thin layer of dust covering it. He gave it a quick swipe and revealed a map beneath the thick layer. It was an old hand drawn map of the surrounding area in fine detailed handwriting as well as topography. This was a priceless discovery and would leave him in good stead for the rest of his mission. Also on the desk was an old pen and several empty books. Their pages gave off a stale musky smell as he flipped them.
He turned with the candle and looked over to the trunk which had a rusty lock keeping it sealed. He didn't anticipate it taking any real effort to break into as he pulled out his zanpakuto. With a quick and rather forceful swipe, he managed to send the rusty artifact screeching across the floor and into a shadowy corner underneath the bed.
He went down on one knee, holding the candle with one hand and lifting the lid to the large trunk with the other. It squealed loudly as he pulled it up and revealed its contents like a mummified corpse splitting open its old chest to reveal unlimited treasure. Inside were old clothes and props which he instantly recognized as part of a wardrobe of camouflage. There was all manner of clothes from really raggedy and torn clothes to those that were well kept and reserved for those who were better off in these areas, although that still wasn't much. He noted though that the clothes were a little big for his slender toned frame but that was the least of his worries as several of the clothes had attracted the attention of insects, which were happy to make the place their home. He wasn't fazed though, when he was younger this was common but it still didn't sit right with him. A cold chill ran down his spine and he winced at the sudden breeze that also caressed the flame of the candle. He looked up and around at the low hanging ceiling, only now recognizing dark crevices which ushered in fresh air.
Once again he smiled at the genius of it. Not only was it impressive that this base had been hidden but that it had been hidden for so long and constructed with every contingency in mind. The only remaining mystery was the exit. Which he had completely forgotten about in his excitement and discovery. He looked around blank faced, hardly worried that it would be difficult to find.
He ran his fingers across the nearby wall and circled the room. He eventually found the crack, the little disturbance and draft that told him that there was a pathway to the outside. He dug his fingers into the crack and used all his strength to make it budge and it did so ever so slightly. After a few more guttural tugs it opened and a harsh breeze let itself in. The opening was tiny and only allowed him to crawl on all fours just barely. He squeezed his long body into the opening and fought with roots that had entered the hollowed out exit like an underground spider's Web. He pushed them aside and moved forward inch by inch until he came to a thick wad of bush that obscured the exit. He managed to unseat his zanpakuto after a short struggle and carefully cut away the natural obstruction before pushing it forward and out of his way. He emerged from the hole, pulling himself out with a slow and deliberate motion. He must have been at least twenty meters east of the dilapidated house. He looked up at the moon and smiled. Challenge overcome.
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Post by Mo on Oct 1, 2018 12:07:41 GMT
Mo spent most of the night resting. He slept alarmingly well and awoke with a quick situp after realizing the level of comfort he had allowed to sneak into him due to his surroundings. He needed to be more vigilant in the future and made a mental note to not doze off into too much of a deep sleep. He threw his feet off the edges of the bed and quickly wiped away the remaining dregs of sleep from his eyes. From inside here, it was difficult to tell the real outside time but he had left the secret passage opened slightly and it allowed faint embers of light to tumble down the corridors and let his know that morning had come.
He decided to take this time to rummage through the contents of the trunk. He threw open the top and stood over it like a pirate gazing at an unsatisfactory amount of loot. With a breath he lifted the clothes out in bundles and placed them on the floor. It became obvious from the get go that he was not going to fit in with these clothes as they were either oversized and those that fit his were meant for women. He scowled at the discovery but decided to make due nonetheless. He outfitted himself with a loose faded brown shirt and patched a pair of trousers from two larger ones. It needed to be tied together in several places. It would hopefully lend to his out of town look and make it easier to wander around town and take a look around without being too obvious.
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