As the Shinobi inched forward toward the sliver of a passageway he noted that Erik had a good head on his shoulders. While these mines were owned by the Assembly and its resources were principal in the restoration of the country, the men working this vast network all work privately for the Hedged Foundation. Those sneaky bastards have had their hand in the pockets of everyone who came to town for the last few years and he wouldn’t put it past them to have taken up petty theft as well. The boy soldier hugged as he crouched and shimmied through the narrow opening before signaling his newfound companion to follow suit.
The air was stagnant, thick with dust and soot, choking the pair of them as the two pressed forward in the darkness. Without a word Hayate tore two equal strips from his cloak, offering one to Erik and fastening the other around his mouth as a mask.

“You’ve come to town at a strange time you know,” he said, breaking the silence. “Since the explosion of Lorinus and the assault on the capital most folks have been leavening, not coming. I’m sure you’ve noticed the mass exodus from the country, there isn’t enough to go around right now.”

“That’s not a good reason to steal my-...” Hayate put his hand up hushing Erik before he could finish.

Ahead there was another small opening only barely visible by a faint glow coming from the other side. The two of them had walked for over half an hour by this point and Hayate figures they to be about a kilometer under the earth and about at the end of this particular corridor. Assuming it had been blocked off for the lack of mineral found in this direction, The Foundation wouldn’t have allocated anymore time or materials to continue without results. But why would there be light all the way down here if the tunnel was supposed to be abandoned.

Hesitantly the Shinobi as if the shadows himself skilled towards the mouth of the opening, peering over his left shoulder to try and catch a glimpse of what may be beyond. With only a very small fraction of his face showing he leaned in to see a number of torches hanging from either side of a large hollowed our room about fifteen meters in every direction. Throughout a number of barrels and crates littered the floor and among them sacks packed to the brim with assorted goods and other valuables. Hayate was shocked to see such a stockpile and ushered his friend to take a look for himself. While he was alert and ready for anything there wasn’t a sign of anyone slurring around in the room.

“What do you make of this?” The boy soldier asked the scholar.