Enjoy
We start in the mansion, Jiang comes down the stairs.
Antoine (muffled): Jiang, over here.
She walks to the across the room to the doors on the right. Upon opening the doors, she sees the dining room: A round marble table (set with plates, silverware, and glass cups) with 5 wooden chairs in the middle, a silver chandelier above it (decorated with 5 jewels: emerald, sapphire, ruby, topaz, and diamond), a large window in the front and a door in the back. She also sees Antoine, sitting at the table (under the emerald) and reading a paper.
Marinette (echo): Wow, this place looks amazing.
Adrien (echo): I know, especially that chandelier.
Antoine: Good morning.
Jiang: Good morning
Antoine sits down as Jiang takes her seat (under the ruby).
Dorothy: (muffeled) Okay, breakfast is ready.
Dorothy comes through the door, pushing a cart (carrying a plate of cooked sausage, a cutting board with a loaf of bread and a knife, a butter dish, and a bottle of milk) to towards the table.
Jiang: Good morning, Dorothy.
Dorothy: Good morning, Ms. Cheng.
She stops the cart and places everthing on the table. She then sits down (underneath the sapphire). They begin to fill their plates and cups and start eating. A few minutes later...
Antoine: Oh, i almost forgot. Jiang, you might want to read this.
Antoine hands over the paper to Jiang as she reads it.
Jiang:...Are these our orders?
Antoine: Mmmm...(gulping) Yes, we'rr supposed to start at their last location.
Jiang: So, should we go now?
Antoine: Sounds go.
They both get up as they make their way to the front door.
Dorothy: Father!
They stop and turn around as Dorothy walks towards them, carrying Antoine's Cane.
Dorothy: You almost forgot your cane.
Antoine: Ah yes, thank you Dorothy.
He takes his cane.
Antoine: Now, we'll be gone for a few hours. If you need to go out, be careful and don't stray too far from your usual routes.
Dorothy: Okay, father.
Antoine: Do you have your whistle?
Dorothy: I do...(reaching into her collar, pulling out a small chain necklace, connecting to a dark blue whistle)...right here.
Antoine: Okay then, Au revoir.
Jiang and Antoine go out the door
Dorothy: Adieu.
Antoine closes the door and the two walk to the street.
Antoine: We'll be meeting up with a friend of mine while we investigate.
Antoine whistles as a carriage pulls up in front of them.
Carriage Driver: Ah, Mr. Agreste, Where to?
Antoine: The 16éme, and take your time.
Carriage Driver: Yes sir.
Antoine and Jiang get into the carriage and the driver takes off.
Jiang: So, where are we going?
Antoine: A manor that the "Cult" was using as a stronghold.
Jiang: What more can you tell me about this stronghold
Antoine: It was one of their strongest base of operations. Heavily fortified armed guard and reinforced with tall, iron fences. It was a challenge, but we managed to drive them out in a coordinated assault.
Jiang: So why are they sending us there? Is it to look for clues?
Antoine: Maybe, during our assault, they didn't have enough time to destroy all valuable information.
Jiang: With any luck, we can find something to give us a lead on the "apple" and Li Wren.
Antoine: I hope so, the sooner we find the "apple", the sooner we can end the "Cult's" plans and drive them out of Paris.
The carriage then stops.
Antoine: We must be near, we'll have to walk the rest of the way.
Antoine opens the door and gets out. He then helps Jiang down and turns to the driver. He reaches into the pocket.
Antoine: That'll be all.
Antoine then pays the driver.
Carriage Driver: Thank you, sir.
The Driver pulls away as Antoine and Jiang gets off the sidewalk and into the back alley. They make their way through till Antoine stops Jiang at a corner.
Jiang: Something wrong?
Antoine: Shhh...
???: How long do we have to stand guard here?
???: Till the inspector says he's done.
Antoine and Jiang peered over the corner, seeing two police officer standing under an arch.
1st Officer: But how long will it take, the boys at the station are having fresh sausage.
2nd Officer: That's what you get for skipping breakfast.
??? (far away): Hey, i can hear you two.
Both of them: (shouting) Sorry, Inspector.
Jiang: They must have the entire area cut off. What now?
Antoine: Now...we climb.
Antoine and Jiang start climbing the building and reaching the rooftop. The two then free run across the rooftops, just before jumping across the gap. They land on the arch, then continue to free run.
Adrien (echo): Man, look at them go.
Marinette: Yeah, they run just like...
Antoine: We'rr here
They both jump down to street level. Landing in front of a mansion with it's windows shatter, part of the second floor scorched and a large hole where the front door is. Jiang looks around the perimteter, seeing a tall, iron fence around the mansion, except for two large holes in the fence (two where the front and back gate were).
Marinette (echo): Woah...
Adrien (echo): What the....
Jiang: What happend here? It looks like this place was a war zone.
Antoine: It was, i'll tell you what happened.
The two walk through the front hole, towards the mansion
Antoine: Everything was planned out. Our men had just cut the power. We were to plant explosives on the front and back gates. Marksman on the roof to pick off anyone trying to flee or get in. We breached the gates, then moved explosives to the front and back doors.
They walk through the front, into the mansion.
Antoine: They tried to stop us from planting explosives, but were stopped by our Marksman. We then blew the doors back and stormed the mansion.
They then walk up the stairs, passing the two broken doors, onto the second floor. They then walk down a hallway.
Antoine: I was leading a squad down this hallway, when we came across a library. It was there we discovered that they were burning crucial evidence and documents. When my men assaulted the room, it was lit on fire. We falled back to the front, but the police we'rr arriving. Our men escaped in one piece, while the survivors were apprehended.
They stop as they walk into a scorched library, with ashes on the floor and shelves, burnt papers and books scattered everywhere, and a large hole in the wall with scorch marks all over it.
Jiang: How did this happen?
Antoine: One of them knocked over a lantern and set fire to the library. (kneelingnand picking up a burnt paper) That fire destroyed every piece of crucial information they had here (the paper then turns to ash and disperses in the wind).
Jiang: So where do we start?
???: How about with turning around and putting your hands up.
Antoine stands back up and they turn around seeing a black haired man (wearing a dark blue coat, light blue pants, and white gloves) pointing a pistol at them. Antoine walls towards him.
???: Don't even think about it.
Antoine: About what, Inspector?
He quickly grabs the emerald on his cane and pulls it, revealing a sword. He then points it at the Inspector's heart.
Antoine: This?
Jiang observes as those two are in a stalemate.
Adrien (echo): Okay, this is intense.
Marinette (echo): I don't think i can handle what happens next.
Inspector: Go ahead.
Antoine: After you.
Just as everthing is tense, they lower their weapons and laugh.
Antoine: Ahahaha...oh, never gets old.
Inspector: You could have just walked right through. I told them to you would be coming.
Antoine: Sorry, i just thought you set there because of me.
Jiang: Sorry to interupt, but what is this?
Inspector: Sorry, Ms. Cheng, i am Aujeàn Dubock.
Antoine: Aujeàn is a agent of the "Order" that works with for the Gendarmerie nationale, a police force. He make sure that the "Order's" business in France are not distured or intervened. Aujeàn was also the original leaders of the "Knights", before he gave that position to me when he got his dream job.
Aujeàn: Now, shall we begin?
Antoine: Why else would we be here?
Jiang: Have you found anything before we arrived?
Aujeàn: Nothing much, but i did find evidence that points to the cellar. They must have had something hidden down there.
Antoine: Then what are we waiting for?
The three of them go out of the room and towards the stairs.
Aujeàn: How is Dorothy by the way? Is she doing well?
Antoine: Excellent, i just hope she'll be safe.
Jiang: You worry about her like a father.
Antoine: I think we already went over that.
Aujeàn: As long as she has the "Knight's" whistle, Dorothy will be fine.
The three then go down stairs and outside. They then go around the back, stopping at a basement door.
Aujeàn: This is it.
He then opens the door as Antoine and Jiang go in, with Aujeàn following them in.
Jiang: It's too dark. I can't see a thing.
Aujeàn: The power was cut, but i did have a lantern around here.
Antoine: Give me a moment.
Antoine lights a match. He sees the lantern, grabs and light'a it. They see shelves of barrels, each one marked with a type of wine.
Antoine: Would you mind if i take some of these barrels.
Aujeàn: That would be stealing evidence, but why let good wine go to waste.
Jiang: Boys, i need some light over here.
Antoine shines the light over Jiang, who was examining a piece of paper.
Antoine: What do you have there?
Jiang: A manifest, but something is wrong. (showing the manifest) According to this, there's a circle around a barrel that says it's empty.
Aujeàn: Sounds strange alright. Did they leave a number or marking on it?
Jiang: It says that it's "F-8".
*CLUNK*
Antoine: Found more lanterns. Take one spread out. It must be here somewhere.
Aujeàn and Jiang picks up a lantern and lights it. The three of them then spread out, examining the barrels, one-by-one.
Jiang: Anything Aujeàn?
Aujeàn: Not yet.
Jiang: What about you, Antoine?
Antoine: (examining a barrel).....
Jiang: (turns around, looking at him) Antoine?
Antoine: (still examining) You might want to look at this.
The two of them walk up behind Antoine, looking at a barrel marked "F-3".
Aujeàn: What about it?
Jiang: (feeling it's marking) It's a trick.
Antoine: A classic one too. Paint the number to look like a 3. Classic Misdirection.
Aujeàn: Open it already.
Antoine: Stand back.
Jiang and Aujeàn steps back as Antoine punches the lid. It breaks as papers fly out onto the floor.
Antoine: Jackpot!
Jiang: (shining her light on the barrel) Look at all this. It wilk take time to go through all this
Aujeàn: Your job here is done.
Antoine: What do you mean?
Aujeàn: My men can look at the documents. I'll inform you whenever we find anything interesting.
Antoine: I see, well this is your jurisdiction and we wouldn't want to get involve in police matters. Come Jiang, let's leave the Inspector to his work.
Jiang: Goodbye, it was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Dubock.
Aujeàn: The pleasure is mine, and please, call me Aujeàn.
Antoine and Jiang go up the stairs back on the ground.
Jiang: What now?
Antoine: Since we have some time, i need to run an errand. Do you mind?
Jiang: Not at all, but what is this "errand".
Antoine: I'll explain later.
The two then walk out the back gate (or at least the space where it was), towards the busy street.
Adrien (echo): Huh, that was interesting.
Marinette (echo): Your telling me, i thought Aujeàn and Antoine were gonna fight. So what happens now?
Adrien (echo): I don't know, but i have a feeling it won't slow down
I hoped you liked. Things are heating up as Jiang and Antoine are on the "Cults" Trail. Find out how what happens next in Chapter 18: The Hunt Is On.