The Vanisher heard the footsteps thundering in the hallway of the inn outside the door as the golden-eyed traveler shook his head, sending a chill down his spine. He had not anticipated the speed at which the bloody fast Rilders found the building the two were within. As he vaulted out the window of the inn, he briefly extended his arms and legs to correct his position in the air, then landed in a practiced roll. He rose almost immediately after, shook a bit of dirt and grime off of his cloak, and pulled the hood of his cloak over his head.
Under the protection of his hood, he felt the gaze of many people as he walked by, and even managed to see the leather armor of a passing group of Rilders as he walked through the street. A scream sounded out behind him as he walked South-east, away from the Inn. The scream was his own, but from a ways away in an alley. He looked over to see if people paused in their business to acknowledge the sound, and found satisfaction in the soft clamor which arose over the next few seconds. Nonetheless, he continued to look down, hiding among the people of the crowd as he continued to make his way towards the gate.
Stoneham was soon quite lively with activity as guards were bombarded with terrified knocks from aristocrats in the upper-ranking residential area. All across the town, men in leather armor were sprinting after individuals wearing lamellar armor, often yelling and making an immense ruckus. It may have been late at night, but most of the city was wide awake by the time the mercenaries started sprinting after Nestor’s straw men.
Everywhere one turned, the mercenaries were jumping over the empty stands of wealthy merchants and plowing through the material property of the citizens of Stoneham. Many of the city guards forced small groups of the Rilders to stop for questioning, thoroughly confused about the situation. The city was by no means wrecked, in fact, the Rilders were quite careful about avoiding property and winding around obstacles to reach Nestor. All the same, their efforts were in vain.
Thick beads of sweat rolled across Nestor’s head as he passed by another group of rushing guards, barely avoiding the embrace of their stocky, armored shoulders. He only needed five straw men at a time, but his own concentration was impaired by his effort to work flawlessly. None of the Rilders managed to catch the Straw men due to the Vanisher’s masterful observation and timing. All the same, focusing on six perspectives at the same time was a monumental challenge, even for a master illusionist such as him.
By the time he reached the South gate, the guards were already inspecting the out-going travelers. As he looked around, Nestor also managed to notice a few Rilders waiting around just outside the gate. The situation had many simple solutions, however the Vanisher did not want to combat the guards of the city, as he did not want to further increase his bounty. After walking closer to the gate, he decided on a particular plan of action and went with it.
The other straw men continued to run about the city as the Vanisher approached the gate. The gate was by no means crowded, however the guards managed to stop a few people long enough to form a line. Each person had a horse, a mule, or a carriage and was required to tell the guards the business of their travels along with any cargo or people they were with so that the guards could tax them appropriately. Nestor turned around and started walking away as the guards let one person go through, each guard stepping aside to allow the person’s carriage the room necessary to roll by.
Nestor only managed to observe the guards stepping aside, for he knew precisely what he wished to do immediately afterwards. He walked back towards a group of people who were conversing and bumped into one gently. Immediately afterwards, he turned to face the person and asked, “just what do you think you’re doing?” as he reached for his side under his cloak.
The person he bumped into, an aged man with a rapier at his belt, responded in kind by reaching for his money-pouch and muttering, “mindin’ my own business, a kindness you’d do well to honor yourself!” He then turned back to the man he was conversing with, commenting on the situation briefly before returning to the topic he was previously consumed with.
Nestor was satisfied with the result of his interaction, as he managed to gain three pieces of the aged man’s gold out of the encounter. He managed to block the sound of the coins with his own footsteps, and hid his hand’s movement with his cloak. Nestor did not resort to pickpocketing often, however he required money to succeed in his plan.
The Vanisher approached the gate once more, however the line was only two persons long this time. The person before him sat on his wagon comfortably, calmly awaiting his opportunity to leave the overly-excited town. Nestor made his way around the wagon and, once he reached the side the driver was closest to, tapped his side with two coins and asked, “may I join you for a few minutes?”
The driver looked down at the Vanisher with a bemused frown, but quickly found solace in seeing the two pieces of gold. He quickly swiped the gold from Nestor’s hand and, after validating their quality, accepted the offer with a curt, “fine.”
The cloaked figure then made his way around the back of the wagon and climbed onto the seat next to the driver, hanging his head low. He needed to wait for a few minutes before the horse-rider in front of him was inspected thoroughly, giving him time to focus on one additional Straw man near the Northern gate to observe the progress of his companion. He was glad to see the gold-eyed man passing through the individual-entrant door, and so he quickly destroyed that straw man to avoid suspicion, continuing to focus on the other five.
As the wagon rolled up to the inspection area, two guards stepped before the horses pulling the wagon and crossed their spears, indicating for the driver to stop. The driver did so and, as he began to speak to a guard who walked to his side, indicated Nestor by saying, “my companion here is a poor man who wants to see his son in Klemings once more before he dies.” The guard nodded and after a minute of inspection, he passed over to the other side and asked the poor man for a passing fee. “Ten silver pieces, or one gold piece. Choke it up or you’re staying in Stoneham.”
Nestor played his part by straining his voice and looking over at the guard under the shadow of his hood, begging, “I only have one gold! Please don’t rob me of my last salary!” As he did so, he reluctantly pulled out his piece of gold with a dirt-covered hand and displayed it to the guard. It was partially covered with the dirt which he kept in his pocket, so it looked slightly more authentic.
The guard paused for a moment, then sighed and commented, “Fine, I’ll leave you one silver piece, you groveller.” The guard then pried the gold piece out of the poor man’s hand as he sniffled and blessed the guard profusely, taking the silver piece hurriedly as the guard offered it.
The guards then stepped out of the way and allowed the driver through the checkpoint. As the two reached the Rilders, the leather-armored men observed both the driver and the poor man as the wagon passed by, searching for matching clues. Because Nestor’s straw men did not have cloaks on, the Rilders outside the gate were not looking for men with cloaks, thus they paid no heed to the poor man who was excitedly clutching his single silver piece.
The wagon continued to roll away down the mountain for a few more minutes, then Nestor placed the silver piece in the driver’s lap and said, “be blessed,” as he hopped off the wagon. The Vanisher rolled in the same fashion as he had done when he landed off the balcony, this time checking to see if any of his belongings fell out. He was happy to see that his backpack was not leaking tools, and thus he started to run around the mountain, still focusing on his straw men, but lowering the number to four, then to three, and to two, and finally to just one.
With the final straw man, he made the straw man hop onto a dry part of the fountain in the middle of the main courtyard of the city, where many adventurers were flooding over to the South-West gate, the main center of traffic in the town. Rilders gathered around the fountain, jeering at him and laughing among themselves for their achievement as he stood atop it. After a moment, Nestor called down to them by saying, “mercenaries of Rildraz, none have ever failed more greatly than you.” With this said, he laughed at the mercenaries, one of which threw a rock at him. As the last straw man disappeared, Nestor was finally able to focus on himself.
After a good half an hour, Nestor made it to the path heading North-West towards the Rockwood Forest and continued to run along it. The path was a winding road, but Nestor ignored the path and slid down the un-worn sections straight down the face of the mountain, only occasionally running along the path to avoid particularly steep sections. In the distance, he managed to see a three figures winding down the path, and so he made his way towards them quickly.
Meanwhile, he made a straw man behind himself, up near the northern gate, and observed what was happening around the gate. He heard quite a commotion within the town as the guards tried to calm down angry people, but could not see anyone following himself. As a result, he destroyed the straw man and slid down one last slope, then slowing down to approach his companion.
After reaching the golden-eyed archer, Nestor took a deep breath, looked at the mules and commented, “You did well, now where’s my gold?”
Under the protection of his hood, he felt the gaze of many people as he walked by, and even managed to see the leather armor of a passing group of Rilders as he walked through the street. A scream sounded out behind him as he walked South-east, away from the Inn. The scream was his own, but from a ways away in an alley. He looked over to see if people paused in their business to acknowledge the sound, and found satisfaction in the soft clamor which arose over the next few seconds. Nonetheless, he continued to look down, hiding among the people of the crowd as he continued to make his way towards the gate.
Stoneham was soon quite lively with activity as guards were bombarded with terrified knocks from aristocrats in the upper-ranking residential area. All across the town, men in leather armor were sprinting after individuals wearing lamellar armor, often yelling and making an immense ruckus. It may have been late at night, but most of the city was wide awake by the time the mercenaries started sprinting after Nestor’s straw men.
Everywhere one turned, the mercenaries were jumping over the empty stands of wealthy merchants and plowing through the material property of the citizens of Stoneham. Many of the city guards forced small groups of the Rilders to stop for questioning, thoroughly confused about the situation. The city was by no means wrecked, in fact, the Rilders were quite careful about avoiding property and winding around obstacles to reach Nestor. All the same, their efforts were in vain.
Thick beads of sweat rolled across Nestor’s head as he passed by another group of rushing guards, barely avoiding the embrace of their stocky, armored shoulders. He only needed five straw men at a time, but his own concentration was impaired by his effort to work flawlessly. None of the Rilders managed to catch the Straw men due to the Vanisher’s masterful observation and timing. All the same, focusing on six perspectives at the same time was a monumental challenge, even for a master illusionist such as him.
By the time he reached the South gate, the guards were already inspecting the out-going travelers. As he looked around, Nestor also managed to notice a few Rilders waiting around just outside the gate. The situation had many simple solutions, however the Vanisher did not want to combat the guards of the city, as he did not want to further increase his bounty. After walking closer to the gate, he decided on a particular plan of action and went with it.
The other straw men continued to run about the city as the Vanisher approached the gate. The gate was by no means crowded, however the guards managed to stop a few people long enough to form a line. Each person had a horse, a mule, or a carriage and was required to tell the guards the business of their travels along with any cargo or people they were with so that the guards could tax them appropriately. Nestor turned around and started walking away as the guards let one person go through, each guard stepping aside to allow the person’s carriage the room necessary to roll by.
Nestor only managed to observe the guards stepping aside, for he knew precisely what he wished to do immediately afterwards. He walked back towards a group of people who were conversing and bumped into one gently. Immediately afterwards, he turned to face the person and asked, “just what do you think you’re doing?” as he reached for his side under his cloak.
The person he bumped into, an aged man with a rapier at his belt, responded in kind by reaching for his money-pouch and muttering, “mindin’ my own business, a kindness you’d do well to honor yourself!” He then turned back to the man he was conversing with, commenting on the situation briefly before returning to the topic he was previously consumed with.
Nestor was satisfied with the result of his interaction, as he managed to gain three pieces of the aged man’s gold out of the encounter. He managed to block the sound of the coins with his own footsteps, and hid his hand’s movement with his cloak. Nestor did not resort to pickpocketing often, however he required money to succeed in his plan.
The Vanisher approached the gate once more, however the line was only two persons long this time. The person before him sat on his wagon comfortably, calmly awaiting his opportunity to leave the overly-excited town. Nestor made his way around the wagon and, once he reached the side the driver was closest to, tapped his side with two coins and asked, “may I join you for a few minutes?”
The driver looked down at the Vanisher with a bemused frown, but quickly found solace in seeing the two pieces of gold. He quickly swiped the gold from Nestor’s hand and, after validating their quality, accepted the offer with a curt, “fine.”
The cloaked figure then made his way around the back of the wagon and climbed onto the seat next to the driver, hanging his head low. He needed to wait for a few minutes before the horse-rider in front of him was inspected thoroughly, giving him time to focus on one additional Straw man near the Northern gate to observe the progress of his companion. He was glad to see the gold-eyed man passing through the individual-entrant door, and so he quickly destroyed that straw man to avoid suspicion, continuing to focus on the other five.
As the wagon rolled up to the inspection area, two guards stepped before the horses pulling the wagon and crossed their spears, indicating for the driver to stop. The driver did so and, as he began to speak to a guard who walked to his side, indicated Nestor by saying, “my companion here is a poor man who wants to see his son in Klemings once more before he dies.” The guard nodded and after a minute of inspection, he passed over to the other side and asked the poor man for a passing fee. “Ten silver pieces, or one gold piece. Choke it up or you’re staying in Stoneham.”
Nestor played his part by straining his voice and looking over at the guard under the shadow of his hood, begging, “I only have one gold! Please don’t rob me of my last salary!” As he did so, he reluctantly pulled out his piece of gold with a dirt-covered hand and displayed it to the guard. It was partially covered with the dirt which he kept in his pocket, so it looked slightly more authentic.
The guard paused for a moment, then sighed and commented, “Fine, I’ll leave you one silver piece, you groveller.” The guard then pried the gold piece out of the poor man’s hand as he sniffled and blessed the guard profusely, taking the silver piece hurriedly as the guard offered it.
The guards then stepped out of the way and allowed the driver through the checkpoint. As the two reached the Rilders, the leather-armored men observed both the driver and the poor man as the wagon passed by, searching for matching clues. Because Nestor’s straw men did not have cloaks on, the Rilders outside the gate were not looking for men with cloaks, thus they paid no heed to the poor man who was excitedly clutching his single silver piece.
The wagon continued to roll away down the mountain for a few more minutes, then Nestor placed the silver piece in the driver’s lap and said, “be blessed,” as he hopped off the wagon. The Vanisher rolled in the same fashion as he had done when he landed off the balcony, this time checking to see if any of his belongings fell out. He was happy to see that his backpack was not leaking tools, and thus he started to run around the mountain, still focusing on his straw men, but lowering the number to four, then to three, and to two, and finally to just one.
With the final straw man, he made the straw man hop onto a dry part of the fountain in the middle of the main courtyard of the city, where many adventurers were flooding over to the South-West gate, the main center of traffic in the town. Rilders gathered around the fountain, jeering at him and laughing among themselves for their achievement as he stood atop it. After a moment, Nestor called down to them by saying, “mercenaries of Rildraz, none have ever failed more greatly than you.” With this said, he laughed at the mercenaries, one of which threw a rock at him. As the last straw man disappeared, Nestor was finally able to focus on himself.
After a good half an hour, Nestor made it to the path heading North-West towards the Rockwood Forest and continued to run along it. The path was a winding road, but Nestor ignored the path and slid down the un-worn sections straight down the face of the mountain, only occasionally running along the path to avoid particularly steep sections. In the distance, he managed to see a three figures winding down the path, and so he made his way towards them quickly.
Meanwhile, he made a straw man behind himself, up near the northern gate, and observed what was happening around the gate. He heard quite a commotion within the town as the guards tried to calm down angry people, but could not see anyone following himself. As a result, he destroyed the straw man and slid down one last slope, then slowing down to approach his companion.
After reaching the golden-eyed archer, Nestor took a deep breath, looked at the mules and commented, “You did well, now where’s my gold?”