Post by Gilsworthy on Jan 23, 2006 17:53:17 GMT -5
It was night; a time for secrecy, a time for mischief, and overall a time for those less upright citizens of the land to have a piece out of the day to do whatever the hell they want. One such person was Gilsworthy, the dark coated thief who was currently walking calmly on the perilous brink between safety and a long fall to one's death. His booted feet moved with languid grace, one foot in front of the other high on the battlements of the City Wall, the vagrant gusts that abode in such altitudes whipping at his rough black hair. He remained unphased, and even had the audacity to stick his hands in his pockets as he walked.
'It's been a while,' thought Gil, 'since I've had a good dance with Death. I wonder if I've still got the touch.' mused the thief, stopping on one cemented stone block and surveying the land stretching away on one side and the city and castle looming on the other. This was as good a place as any. He saw, a distance away, stairs leading up to one of the more accessible portions of the wall, unlike the narrow bit of masonry on which Gil now balanced. That would be a good spot to shoot for. 'Now I know why no one ever gets rusty at this, if you're out of practice, you're dead.' A manic grin settling on his rugged features, Gil tensed his body like a runner preparing to begin a race.
In a blur of motion he was off, boots pounding the stone beneath as his coat billowed out behind him. The wind roared in his ears and bit angrily at his face, but he ignored them both in the rush of speed he was feeling. The wall ahead ended in a guard tower, but his quick eyes located an opening- something approaching a window- but it was too high for him to reach at this level. His steps slowed substantially so he wouldn't smack full force into the wall, and when he reached it bent low and vaulted nearly straight up, scraping one boot heel onto the wall and flailing an arm to catch the ledge. It worked, his fingerless gloves catching the brunt of the jagged stone edge and the rest of his body hanging down. For yet another time in his career he congratulated himself on thinking to wear them.
It was a simple matter of leveraging himself up and over to land him in the upper part of a viewing tower, where luckily nobody was apparent. There were no furnishings, not that he was in the mood to snatch anything, but the room was bare except for windows at the four compass points. Not stopping to admire the view, Gil moved to the opposite window and was pleased to see the wall pick up again where it left off directly below. The wide paved area where most people walked to see the view was not far ahead, and he felt like he'd hardly gone far at all.
The thief moved up onto the windowsill and hung slowly and quietly down by both hands to drop silently into a crouch on the wall. Perhaps now would be a good time to practice his stealth, considering it was far more difficult to move quietly on a narrow space than it was to fly full tilt, in some ways at least. So he started off moving slowly, bent nearly to the ground as he went. If perchance some soul began to observe, he would seem as a shadow gliding over the wall, which conveniently was exactly the effect he was going for. 'Sheesh, this kingdom is making a fine upstanding citizen of me. With the money I came on in the last town I've been pretty well off, but who's to say when that's going to run out.' he stopped and looked out over all the lights twinkling in the houses below, and the ones lighting the windows of the castle. 'I'll find my chance, I don't doubt that. Something is brewing up there, and I get the uneasy feeling I'll end up part of it.' The black cloaked man in the cave returned to his mind.
Of course! He had been off straightaway to tell the king, but now the King was stepping down from his throne and he wouldn't get the chance. Whoever his successor was would have to be warned, something bad was happening down there. Too many somethings. 'Perhaps I'll make some inquiries.'
Then he came to the end of his little excursion and hopped down onto the wide, safe section of the wall to lean casually up against the battlements. Many things were spinning through his head, but for the moment he was content to just relax. The stars covered the night sky like a sheet, up here with no lights to block them. He realized he was breathing heavily, and almost chuckled. Out of practice, one place that was deadly for a thief like him to remain, but the place where he found himself at. It was time to get back to training, but not right this second. He sighed and leaned his head back against the cool stone.
'It's been a while,' thought Gil, 'since I've had a good dance with Death. I wonder if I've still got the touch.' mused the thief, stopping on one cemented stone block and surveying the land stretching away on one side and the city and castle looming on the other. This was as good a place as any. He saw, a distance away, stairs leading up to one of the more accessible portions of the wall, unlike the narrow bit of masonry on which Gil now balanced. That would be a good spot to shoot for. 'Now I know why no one ever gets rusty at this, if you're out of practice, you're dead.' A manic grin settling on his rugged features, Gil tensed his body like a runner preparing to begin a race.
In a blur of motion he was off, boots pounding the stone beneath as his coat billowed out behind him. The wind roared in his ears and bit angrily at his face, but he ignored them both in the rush of speed he was feeling. The wall ahead ended in a guard tower, but his quick eyes located an opening- something approaching a window- but it was too high for him to reach at this level. His steps slowed substantially so he wouldn't smack full force into the wall, and when he reached it bent low and vaulted nearly straight up, scraping one boot heel onto the wall and flailing an arm to catch the ledge. It worked, his fingerless gloves catching the brunt of the jagged stone edge and the rest of his body hanging down. For yet another time in his career he congratulated himself on thinking to wear them.
It was a simple matter of leveraging himself up and over to land him in the upper part of a viewing tower, where luckily nobody was apparent. There were no furnishings, not that he was in the mood to snatch anything, but the room was bare except for windows at the four compass points. Not stopping to admire the view, Gil moved to the opposite window and was pleased to see the wall pick up again where it left off directly below. The wide paved area where most people walked to see the view was not far ahead, and he felt like he'd hardly gone far at all.
The thief moved up onto the windowsill and hung slowly and quietly down by both hands to drop silently into a crouch on the wall. Perhaps now would be a good time to practice his stealth, considering it was far more difficult to move quietly on a narrow space than it was to fly full tilt, in some ways at least. So he started off moving slowly, bent nearly to the ground as he went. If perchance some soul began to observe, he would seem as a shadow gliding over the wall, which conveniently was exactly the effect he was going for. 'Sheesh, this kingdom is making a fine upstanding citizen of me. With the money I came on in the last town I've been pretty well off, but who's to say when that's going to run out.' he stopped and looked out over all the lights twinkling in the houses below, and the ones lighting the windows of the castle. 'I'll find my chance, I don't doubt that. Something is brewing up there, and I get the uneasy feeling I'll end up part of it.' The black cloaked man in the cave returned to his mind.
Of course! He had been off straightaway to tell the king, but now the King was stepping down from his throne and he wouldn't get the chance. Whoever his successor was would have to be warned, something bad was happening down there. Too many somethings. 'Perhaps I'll make some inquiries.'
Then he came to the end of his little excursion and hopped down onto the wide, safe section of the wall to lean casually up against the battlements. Many things were spinning through his head, but for the moment he was content to just relax. The stars covered the night sky like a sheet, up here with no lights to block them. He realized he was breathing heavily, and almost chuckled. Out of practice, one place that was deadly for a thief like him to remain, but the place where he found himself at. It was time to get back to training, but not right this second. He sighed and leaned his head back against the cool stone.
