It had been one of the strangest and wildest days of his life, and the town had promised a chance to rest, recover, and possibly make sense of what was going on. With the gates closed to them until dawn, he stood there before the rough timbers, reluctant to walk away, to give up on the safety of the town.
Anita stepped away from the gate. She turned and looked back along the road, out to the wilderness. The rain started to fall heavily. A gust of wind brought a burst of rain that soaked Max’s shirt. It clung to his skin, damp, bloody, and cold.
“We need a place to rest,” the Druid said. “We can find shelter under the branches of a tree back in the forest valley.”
Max stared into the darkness and then back to the locked town gate. There was no way he was going back to that forest. The howl of a wolf in the distance reaffirmed that position.
“We can’t go back,” Max said.
“I must rest so I can prepare my spells,” Anita said. “I have cast everything I previously prepared, and we need shelter from the rain, a good fire to hold off the wolves.”
A gust of wind brought another blast of cold rain.
“Fire?!” Max said. “In this rain?”
Anita stood and regarded the darkness, water rivulets running down her exposed skin in a manner that would have undoubtedly been alluring if Max hadn’t been so cold—and scared. Out across the vast meadows, up in the dark, rainy sky, the stars were flickering in and out of sight as black clouds rolled overhead. Rolling meadows vanished into the darkness, and he knew that the meadow eventually sloped down into the forest valley, their only hope for shelter, but there was danger there too.
“I fear we won’t last the night in the wilderness,” Anita said. “Dark creatures roam the night. We can rest and watch each other sleep, but should we be attacked by anything more dangerous than an angry hound, it would be our end.”
Max thoughtfully studied the palisade, the high timber beams. In the towers above the gate, the guards still eyed them suspiciously.
“Come with me, Anita,” Max said, leading Anita along the road and away from the gate. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. “I can get in,” he said quietly. “We must let the guards think we are leaving, and then I will find us a way in. I’m not giving up on the town of Burke yet.”
“How?” Anita wrapped an arm around Max, and they walked together, using each other for warmth against the cold rain. “The palisade around the town of Burke is solid,” Anita said. “It would take an army of Skarak to break down these heavy timber walls.”
Max wondered what a Skarak was, but as the wind and rain howled around him, he thought he had enough to deal with without worrying about Skarak, whatever they were. He hoped he would never encounter one, let alone an army of them.
“I can climb,” Max said quietly. “I will get us in.”
They walked along the road, away from the gate and into the darkness until the flickering torches of the guard towers were distant specks. He squatted on the ground and studied the town.
“Climbing the palisade isn’t the only problem,” Anita said. “The guards patrol the walkway on the top. They will see you, and if they think you are a threat to the town, they will attack you.”
On the cobblestones of the road that glistened in the rain, Max called up his stats. He looked at his ability. He didn’t have a lot, yet, but he had the ones he needed: Climb and Sneak.
“Climbing is the easy part,” Max said. “If I can work out how to use these special abilities, I think I can get past the guards unseen. I can Sneak past the guards, past the gatekeeper, and open the gate to let you in. Once we’re inside, we can find somewhere to hide; a barn or a stable or something. Anything will be better than sitting out here all night shivering to death.”
Anita’s hair was dripping wet, the dark bunches hanging down to her bare shoulders. She shivered slightly. Max felt the cold in his bones. The rain had soaked his light shirt and if the wolves didn’t get him tonight, surely the cold would.
“It is easy to activate an ability,” Anita said. “You never need to rest before they are available again, just a little cool-down time. Activating it is as easy as making a simple choice. Look.”
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> Anita activates Wilderness Lore ability.
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Anita practically vanished, hidden amongst the blades of wet grass.
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> Anita cancels Wilderness Lore.
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She reappeared behind Max, her hand resting gently on his shoulder.
“Now, you try.”
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> Max activates Sneak ability.
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Max looked around. Nothing had changed except Anita was smiling.
“That’s it,” she said. “You have completely vanished. The darkness and the rain all help you to move unseen. Seek out shadows and use natural cover to remain hidden. Try and move silently, and no one will find you. We should call you light foot. Max Lightfoot.”
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> Max cancels Sneak.
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Anita’s eyes widened as Max reappeared next to her. She wiped away the rain that was dripping from her lips. Max could just make out her features in the rain and darkness as she moved in close to him.
“We can’t stay out here all night,” she said. “You should hurry.”
A wolf howled in the darkness, emphasizing that point.
“Follow me.”
Anita nodded.
Max got to his feet but maintained a low, crouched stance. He moved away from the road, staying low and moving quickly through the tall grass. He led the Druid into the meadowlands along the side of the road. After half a mile, he turned and faced the walled town that was just a dark shadow, lit only by the flickering torches of the guards patrolling the wall.
The thief paused to make sure that Anita was still at his side. He was feeling brave and confident. This was the first familiar situation he’d been in all day. This was something he was used to doing. He’d been climbing and creeping into buildings as long as he could remember, even before he’d started working for the mob as a thief. Confidence could be a danger, though, and Max was smart enough to know that because he was so low on Health, any mistake could be his last. He was easily strong enough to climb the palisade, but should he slip and fall, he might be done for, given his reduced Health.
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Death lurked out here in the dark wilderness too. Their only hope was to get into the town. Anita had activated her Wilderness Lore special ability and was already hidden in the long grass. The nearest flickering torch was several yards to Max’s left, back toward the main gate. He checked the top of the palisade in front of him, watching closely for a minute to be sure it was clear of guards. Once he was sure, he spoke quietly.
“Make your way back to the gate. Stay hidden. I’ll open it up and let you in as soon as I can.”
Max moved to the foot of the wall and immediately began to climb. He gripped the rough timbers where they met each other. He found a knot here and a nick there where he could get a grip or foothold. The soft leather boots the farmer had given him let him feel the rough timbers, and he was able to dig his toes into the slightest of gaps and propel himself upward.
It only took a moment, and Max had his hand at the top of the wall where the tree trunks had been sharpened into points. He carefully eased between two of the points and lowered himself to the high walk inside the palisade.
Crouching in a dark corner at the top of the palisade, Max could see both directions along the high walk. Before him, on the inside of the wall, an inner fence circled the town. It was made of planks of wood rather than thick tree trunks and created a second smaller barrier, but Max suspected this fence was designed to keep the people of the town away from the defensive palisade more than anything else. Back toward the gate, he saw the nearest tower, the flickering torches, and the guard walking back and forth, occasionally sitting, bored of his duty.
Max looked out across the town for a place to hide once he had let his new companion in. The large town had more than a hundred buildings. A large stone building stood in the center of town on a low mound surrounded by a ditch. The single largest building in the town, it was also defended by a palisade about four feet tall with guards standing in small guard cabins on either side of the main entrance. A path led over the ditch and up to the entrance of this building.
Numerous smaller buildings and narrow winding streets surrounded the large building. Thatch roofs glistened in the rain. Stone chimneys rose out of the roofs, and all across the town, wisps of gray smoke drifted up into the dark, rain-filled sky.
Even though it was raining and it was the darkest night Max had ever known, there were still spots of light here and there in the town. Lanterns hung from posts, lighting the cobbled street along the main thoroughfare from the main gate to the central building. Away from the main street and all across the town, there were lamps and torches lighting up the night. Scattered through the town, many buildings had light leaking out from gaps in doorways and from small, covered windows. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear the sound of music, strings and pipes together with raucous shouts and laughter.
Max kept low and moved along the high walk toward the tower. Before he’d gone half the distance, he found a way down from the high walk. A square cut in the walkway had a ladder propped against it that led down. The thief poked his head through the hole and found himself looking down into a bare room with a torch flickering somewhere in the shadows. He heard voices, men talking low, and the chink and clatter of weapons on guards’ belts. Max saw shadows moving at the foot of the ladder. Then he heard footsteps coming behind him. A soldier strode along the high walk, spear in his right hand, flaming torch in his left hand, held high to throw light as far as possible. The guard was looking out at the meadowland that surrounded the town and back and forth between the town and the high walk. Max gave the planks of the fence inside the town a stare until the wood grain and the knots and loose fibers twisted and turned to form his table of stats.
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> Max activates Sneak ability.
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Max shot a nervous glance back to the approaching guard, hoping his Sneak ability would keep him hidden from sight. It was a nerve-wracking experience because he didn’t, in any way, feel like he was invisible. As quietly as possible, he crept down the ladder into the room below.
Sitting in the shadows at the foot of the ladder, Max saw he was in a guard house of sorts. It was narrow, barely wider than the high walk above. There were bunks, a hearth with a low fire, and a table with several guards sitting and playing a lively dice game. At the far end of the narrow guardhouse, an open doorway led to a dark corridor. Max held his ground until the guard on the high walk stepped on the ladder and started to climb down.
Crammed in the tight corner between the wall and the ground and keeping to the shadows, Max crept silently away from the foot of the ladder. At the table, the guards continued playing, focused entirely on their game.
The guard on the ladder stopped halfway down and called for his companions to take their turn on watch. Max held his ground as one of the guards pulled on a cloak before stomping over to the foot of the ladder, grumbling about bad dice and bad weather.
Max stayed perfectly still as the flickering torch light licked over the shadows near him. He managed to keep his Sneak ability active, and the guards moved close by without spotting him. The changing of the guard didn’t distract the players at the table, and they remained focused on the tumbling dice and the coins changing hands.
Max crept along inside the guard house, keeping tight to the wall and avoiding the dice table as best he could. When he reached the line of bunks, he climbed into the lower bunk and crawled from one bunk to the next, the straw-filled mattresses soaking up any sound and the shadows of the bunks above keeping him hidden. A guard suddenly stood up and took a few steps over to the bunks. The thief froze, not daring to breath, as the soldier rummaged through a bag on the top bunk. As soon as the guard had turned, Max moved again and made his way along the line of bunks. At the end of the line, he was right next to the open door and the way into the dark corridor.
With a quick glance over his shoulder, Max hurried through the door, leaving the gambling guards behind.
Now that he had cleared the guard room, he could breathe a little more easily. The corridor was narrow and empty, but he could still hear the footsteps of a guard walking on the high walk above him. The thief moved along the dark corridor quickly, hoping it would take him closer to the gate. After a dozen yards or so, the hallway opened up into a small room very much like the bunkhouse but occupied by racks of spears and swords. A single lantern hung from the timber walls, and a single guard sat at a small table, apparently sleeping in the flickering light.
The room was very narrow, and Max had to pass the racks of spears and swords without disturbing the sleeping guard. This forced him close to the guard, who was mercifully sitting with his back to the weapons rack, his arms folded across his chest, and his head hanging forward.
As Max crept around the back of the guard, he saw a pouch hanging from the guard’s belt. The man snored loudly, chortling enough to disturb his own sleep. He adjusted in his chair, Max holding his position and his breath inches away right behind him. As the guard moved, the pouch shifted on the guard’s belt. It was an inch from Max’s nose, and he could hear the telltale sounds of coins jangling within.
A moment later, the guard was sound asleep again. The pouch was too much temptation for the thief to resist, and he activated another special ability.
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> Max activates Pick Pocket ability.
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Max took the pouch in his hands and lifted it, breathing gently, watching the sleeping guard as he pulled the leather drawstring. He released it from the guard’s belt, and the purse dropped into his hand. He opened it and looked inside, revealing a pile of glistening gold.
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> Max gains 10 gold.
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Tucking the coin pouch into his pocket, he continued on toward the gatehouse. The corridor under the high walk opened at the gatehouse into a large open area with a roof overhead that extended away from the high walk and between the towers. The roof also covered a small hut with a light inside. Max could see the gnarled old gatekeeper through the window next to the closed door. The footsteps of guards sounded overhead on the high walk and from the towers, but there were no guards on the ground near the gate. Max snuck to the small door in the gate and unbolted the observation hatch very carefully and quietly. He looked out and saw Anita standing in the rain, her staff in one hand and Max’s staff and burlap sack in another. He closed the hatch and opened the gate.
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> Max cancels Sneak.
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The gate creaked, and a small bell attached to it jingled lightly. Anita quickly stepped through the door and handed Max his staff. A guard came running along the corridor that Max had just left, torchlight sputtering as he ran. Then the gatekeeper came bolting out of his little hut, a small club in his hand. And from the tower, Max heard the guards hurrying down the ladder. There was a guard on either side of them and an angry gatekeeper in front, armed with a club. They were surrounded.
“Halt! Who goes there? Stand and make yourself known. Who enters the town of Burke creeping in the night?”
Max could feel the dark, wet wilderness behind him. The inviting lights of the town just beyond the gatekeeper were so close. Should he barge past the gatekeeper and dash into the town? The thief knew he’d have to avoid a swinging blow from the gatekeeper’s club, a blow that could potentially kill him. Should he retreat with Anita back out into the wilderness? There was little hope that they would survive the night sheltering from the cold and rain with nothing but the comfort of each other’s arms.
Actually, Max thought, that wouldn’t be such a bad option if he was going to die anyway. Nestling in the bosom of the voluptuous Warrior Druid wouldn’t be such a bad way to go.
Or should he surrender and throw himself on the mercy of the old gatekeeper?
The guards at either side leveled their spears.
“They’re going to turn us into shish kebabs,” Max said, trying to play it cool in front of Anita.
“A what?” Anita said, standing her ground. “You say the strangest things, Max.”
The gatekeeper stepped in front of Max, tapping his club on his open palm.
“A pair of strangers creeping into our town. You picked the wrong town.”