35 Zi'da 721
"Ready?" Balthazar asked the Element's behind him. They didn't know what they'd find inside but they'd come prepared for anything. The land troops that were there with them equated to muscle incase a fight broke out- even though Balthazar was confident he was the only fighter needed to resolve anything they found beneath the grave. Number had a unique effect on intimidation. If you could convince the subject that there was no point in whatever path they were taking because you had the superior numbers, you could stop a fight altogether.
The other Elements nodded and Balthazar took a deep breath. He knelt down and placed both his hands on the already freshly disturbed earth at the base of the headstone and let his breath out before inhaling again through his nose. He reached out with his oldest spark to the earth beneath his palms and he asked it politely to part so he could see what hid beneath. He stood slowly and the earth did not rise but when his open hands balled into fists, the earth began to roil and soften. He drew his arms upwards like a yogi taking a breath and the soil began to peel backwards around the wooden five by five surface that Balthazar had felt beneath the ground.
In a matter of a single bit, the soil had peeled itself back far enough for the whole of the group to see what it was hiding. No coffin, no true grave, and no metaphorical doorway to the Beneath- instead they'd found a literal doorway. Two doors to be exact. It seemed that they opened outward into the graveyard. It was slowly beginning to make sense to Balthazar why the earth had felt empty, it was. A tunnel, a cave, a trench of some sort, he recognized an underground hiding spot when he saw one.
"Trooper Black, take point." Osmond said, prompting Balthazar to kneel down and place his hands around the handle. He jostled it but it did not come open. "Problem?" Osmond asked when he realized that the door wasn't budging. Balthazar gave it another tug and heard the definitive sounds of chains on the other side.
"It's locked." Balthazar said, "Anyone opposed to me opening it with magic?" He turned to look at the other Elements and saw no complaints from them so he placed his hand on the wood near the handle and reached inward to his youngest spark- transmutation. He'd discovered that while Defiance had a wide range of destructive capabilities, Transmutation had effective and precise capabilities at even the earliest stages. In this case, corrosion. The wood beneath his hand began to rot and melt as small etheric explosions destabilized the material. Eventually Balthazar's hand slipped through and he reached around for the chain, taking hold of it and melting it just the same as he'd melted the wood of the door for his hand to get through.
With the chain broken Balthazar pulled the doors open to reveal a dirt path, not even trimmed into steps- just a ramp, leading down into a small circular opening. It was not a large place but it was large enough for four of the Elements, including Balthazar, to stand inside it. Scattered on the floor sat nearly two dozen different lanterns and candles, the very loot that the detectives had been looking for- however no criminals to go with it. There were shovels and pickaxes leaned against the wall in a few places and Balthazar could guess why. The thieves were building a tunnel system beneath Scalvoris- or connecting it to one that existed.
"All clear!" Balthazar called out to the Elements who were lingering out at the entrance. "Apart from the stolen candles and lanterns, it's empty. We'll have to stake it out and wait for the criminals to return."
"We should investigate this... hole a little more. We might be able to find some other clues." Osmond suggested prompting a nod from Balthazar.
"I agree but not in these numbers. If the thieves see us lingering they'll run and then if we don't find something here, we're out of leads. The land troops can return to the garrison, there are only two cots. That means two thieves and Pylos, you, and I can manage that." Balthazar suggested. Osmond scratched his jaw for a moment and then nodded.
"You search, I'll organize the others and try to clear out before the thieves get back."
