Journey
Keeping his head down, his hood providing a shadow of concealment, he continues onwards, underneath the tower overpass.
To the casual observer, this man would appear to be either a simple merchant or traveler, very unequipped and inexperienced for what lay ahead. It was evident by the way he walked. Head low to the ground, as if hoping his gait would divert onlookers to his presence. He also wore a hooded cloak, no weapons upon his person visible, indicating at best, he may be equipped with small Daggers for close quarter combat, but nothing indicating that of a veteran of battle. This man entering Vallidal was easy pickings for those who dared take him.
As he crossed into Vallidal, such was the impression made upon the five men hiding in the tower, they decided to extort the poor traveler out of every coin he may carry. For all they knew, he could have been a wealthy merchant, or royal trying to pass through under disguise as a commoner. Or he may be a courier with some extra special goods.
*******
The man enters the province of Vallidal, keeping his head low to the ground, and headed for the nearest town, keeping his eye out for any sign indicating such a place was near. He was hungry and thirsty. He was running low on supplies and needed to restock his knapsack. He was also looking forward to a comfortable nights sleep on a proper bed. Three months of being on the road, roughing it in the wild, with many a night interrupted by wild beasts, or bandits looking for their next victim had wore him down. He needed a place where he could just recover if even for a day. Fifty paces from the border and he hears a noise other than the natural environment. Footsteps on solid ground. There were no crunching noises to indicate loose stone, leaves or branches underfoot which indicated a solid surface. THE TOWER!
The man slowed his walking pace down and listened to the footsteps presumably behind him. Sixty paces away; He counts three sets of feet. Three people in the tower. Was that all? The mans ever so suddenly darts off into the shrubbery and disappears from sight. There was little to no wind this night, so every noise he made would create problems for him.
'AFTER HIM!' Screamed a person from the tower. A womans voice.
'Where'd 'e go?' Shouted another. This time a mans voice.
'Anyone see'd where 'e went to?'
'He went into the bushes. DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY', bellowed the woman once more.
The man slowly made his way through the shrubbery as quietly as possible, but the branches and leaves underfoot were making this task near impossible. He would certainly be giving his location away. He needed to think fast. The man got onto his belly and started crawling through the bushes. This was the only idea left to him. Then he spotted it. A log, large enough to hide in. Off in the distance, he could also hear the trickling of water. A Waterfall? A River?
To the casual observer, this man would appear to be either a simple merchant or traveler, very unequipped and inexperienced for what lay ahead. It was evident by the way he walked. Head low to the ground, as if hoping his gait would divert onlookers to his presence. He also wore a hooded cloak, no weapons upon his person visible, indicating at best, he may be equipped with small Daggers for close quarter combat, but nothing indicating that of a veteran of battle. This man entering Vallidal was easy pickings for those who dared take him.
As he crossed into Vallidal, such was the impression made upon the five men hiding in the tower, they decided to extort the poor traveler out of every coin he may carry. For all they knew, he could have been a wealthy merchant, or royal trying to pass through under disguise as a commoner. Or he may be a courier with some extra special goods.
*******
The man enters the province of Vallidal, keeping his head low to the ground, and headed for the nearest town, keeping his eye out for any sign indicating such a place was near. He was hungry and thirsty. He was running low on supplies and needed to restock his knapsack. He was also looking forward to a comfortable nights sleep on a proper bed. Three months of being on the road, roughing it in the wild, with many a night interrupted by wild beasts, or bandits looking for their next victim had wore him down. He needed a place where he could just recover if even for a day. Fifty paces from the border and he hears a noise other than the natural environment. Footsteps on solid ground. There were no crunching noises to indicate loose stone, leaves or branches underfoot which indicated a solid surface. THE TOWER!
The man slowed his walking pace down and listened to the footsteps presumably behind him. Sixty paces away; He counts three sets of feet. Three people in the tower. Was that all? The mans ever so suddenly darts off into the shrubbery and disappears from sight. There was little to no wind this night, so every noise he made would create problems for him.
'AFTER HIM!' Screamed a person from the tower. A womans voice.
'Where'd 'e go?' Shouted another. This time a mans voice.
'Anyone see'd where 'e went to?'
'He went into the bushes. DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY', bellowed the woman once more.
The man slowly made his way through the shrubbery as quietly as possible, but the branches and leaves underfoot were making this task near impossible. He would certainly be giving his location away. He needed to think fast. The man got onto his belly and started crawling through the bushes. This was the only idea left to him. Then he spotted it. A log, large enough to hide in. Off in the distance, he could also hear the trickling of water. A Waterfall? A River?