Solo Time for revenge I: Prying eyes reveal the target

The hunt for the swindler of a blacksmith's apprentice commences

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The Diamond of Kalea is located on Kalea's extreme west coast and called as such because its completely made of a crystalline substance called Skyglass. Home of the Alvina of the Stars, cultural mecca of knowledge seekers, and rife with Ethaefal, this remote city shimmers with its own unique light.

Time for revenge I: Prying eyes reveal the target

Postby Brandon Blackwing on April 16th, 2014, 4:21 pm

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The 52nd of Spring 514AV

Three days had passed since the bat had realized some of the coins he had believed spent wisely were in fact stolen. The anger he had felt at the time had not faded away, though it was not as strong as it had been at the time. A dull ached, a throbbing demanding revenge was all that remained, and a change in mood whenever he thought about it. A smile had not decorated his lips for the same while, the last one consumed by anger three days ago. But he paid it no mind, the only thing he did pay attention to were the people entering and -even more so- the ones that left the smith’s shop.

Dimitri, that seemed to be the guy, that had robbed the thief, his name, a name that the thief despised and hated, a name that could too change the bat’s mood. And so could the sight of blond hair styled in a bowl-like fashion, the man’s face etched into his mind, one he would never forget, even if he succeeded in getting back at him. Failure was not an option, for he would never be able to let it go, the idea of someone getting away with stealing his money would haunt him forever. One could say Brandon was a little bit obsessed with his self-righteous quest for vengeance.

That was also the reason why he had hardly left his observation spot for three days, only going home to get the minimum amount of sleep needed to function, drink something and gobble up some food. Actually, that was not quite right, he only went home sleep and get new provisions, refill his waterskin and take a hump of bread with him. But all three were consecutive actions, requiring a relatively small amount of time. In essence, it was correct to state that the bat had practically lived on the roof for three days, always watching the blacksmith’s shop with wary eyes.

However, he had not even caught a glimpse of the man called Dimitri, for one reason or another the man had not come to his place of employment for too long. Maybe he had taken a break? That would mean the bat was wasting time up here. Or the stealing blacksmith’s apprentice had caught word of someone inquiring about him and had ran or gone into hiding. It was possible, Neslir had maybe told Dimitri that someone had asked about a guy that possessed a similar attitude, who worked in the ’Touch of fire’ too. Reason enough to become suspicious.

Either way, it appeared that there was no use in staying here any longer, the chance that he would see Dimitri was almost nonexistent. A different approach was in order to catch the bastard, and there was one that was simple but pretty efficient. Not unlike any other city, Lhavit too possessed a population which enjoyed gossip and rumors, verbal transfer of information was still the most popular way of spreading it, making it easy to pick up and use it. The downside was that not all information was accurate, changed by misunderstandings or by someone puffing things up to make a story better. Yet, it was a start, currently he had still nothing –except for a name.

Crawling onto his feet, the thief walked to the backside of the roof, where a small alley ran past and not many people were watching. With a sigh he let his body lower itself due to gravity doing its work until his feet felt a stone bar supporting them. Carefully reaching down for another means of holding on with one arm, the bat found a crack in the wall, big enough to place his fingertips in. Well, that had to suffice, his other hand detached itself from the edge of the roof and while steadying himself with his fingertips, the thief crouched on the narrow ledge. Then he grabbed the windowsill he was crouching on and lowered his body once more. A look down confirmed that no one was around, and the distance between his feet and the ground was small enough to let go of the stone structure, which he did. With a muffled sound he came down, only the ball of his feet touched the street, his knees bending to absorb and nullify the impact force and one hand steadied his balance.

With a slight moan as he felt his ankle protesting, the bat got to his feet and turned to the end of the alley he believed would lead to the Surya Plaza, the best place to start his investigation. Many people were present there, no matter the time of day, so he would learn something there, he was convinced of it. Determination steeling his features Brandon moved onwards, his goal clear before his eyes.

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Last edited by Brandon Blackwing on April 24th, 2014, 5:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Time for revenge I: Locating and Investigating

Postby Brandon Blackwing on April 18th, 2014, 6:43 pm

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As expected and probably per usual, the plaza known as the center of Zintia peak fizzed with life, citizens wandering about, window shopping or staring at the menu of one or other pub or restaurant. The center of Lhavit probably, unless the Azure held that title, which the bat doubted. It was just crowded and not even a square, so calling the Azure the center of the crystal city might be a mistake. But such musings were not why he had come here, he needed information on a certain man and he would get information, no matter what it would take.

The best informants? Chatting housewives were great for hearing rumors and the latest news, although most of the times it only concerned family or friends, news that had no value to anyone else. More often than not, said information was not accurate or just entirely wrong, gossip of which none was true. But one had to use what they could, and this was the only option for this kind of information. But with Dimitri in hiding, he doubted that there would be many, and if there were they would be ones along the lines of “I heard Dimitri has not come out of his house for three days now.” Or “I haven’t seen Dimitri around lately, did something happen?” Useless bullshyke not worth his time.

So housewives and rumors were out of the question, but there were other ways of getting information, plenty. The one the bat was about to use was usually pretty trustworthy, and those persons were the ideal informants. Beggars. They saw everything, they were everywhere and they were wandering about the city all day and all night, there wasn’t much that they didn’t know of, be it locations or people. Not all of them were reliable of course, there were the occasional crazy ones that rambled about anything and the liars that told you anything to get their hand on your money, even if they didn’t had the answer to your questions.

There was one that the bat trusted though, an old fellow named Raoul, who usually told honest words, and he always positioned himself at popular spots, which made him an excellent contact for any investigation. The Azure was one of his spots, crowded place with lots of people, high chances of a kina slipping between someone’s fingers when they wanted to pay a merchant and more chance of getting a bit of money out of pity. The man was crippled and had lost two fingers of his right hand, his index and pinky, dirty strands of grey hair sprouted from his chin, something that had to pass for a beard but was in fact just a pathetic excuse. The top of his head was bald, only the backside and sides of his head still had hair, long dirty grey ones that spiked in all directions, the beggar’s nose was crooked and his teeth were black, most of them were missing though.

According to himself, Raoul had lost his fingers when he was attacked by yukmen, had been crippled by a ghost who had crushed his leg –explaining why it was disfigured and limp- and had been beaten up by a horde of bandits, who were responsible for breaking his nose and making him spit out his teeth. Most people thought he was crazy, Brandon found him amusing, telling stories like a kind grandfather, index finger (of his left hand) pointing upwards and a serious look on his face.

Today he was seated in a corner of the plaza, back against a wall and his crutch leaning on his functioning knee. A smile shaping his almost toothless mouth, the wrinkles on his face matching the emotion, he sat there waiting for someone to show pity and more importantly Kina. Even though his life was one of misery and poor living conditions, he looked peaceful and … happy, content with his situation. Maybe he was indeed insane. The bat spoke in greeting before going straight to business: “Good day, Raoul, I have a question for you.” His hand dug into his coin pouch and returned with one Kina stuck between his fingers. A Kina was not much for most people, but beggars who usually only received a few jade kina a day deemed it a fortune, and so did this one, his crooked smile grew wider and his teeth were put on display.

“You see, I am looking for a man, large build, muscular, listens to the name Dimitri. Has blond hair and it’s cut as if he has put a bowl on his head and chopped off the ends that peek from underneath it. He works in a smithy, so he might have black stains on him. Have you seen him by any chance?”

x

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Brandon Blackwing
The master thief Incognito
 
Posts: 1305
Words: 1496963
Joined roleplay: September 8th, 2013, 3:24 pm
Location: Lhavit
Race: Kelvic
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Medals: 5
Featured Character (1) Overlored (1)
One Thousand Posts! (1) One Million Words! (1)
2013 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

Time for revenge I: Locating and Investigating

Postby Brandon Blackwing on April 19th, 2014, 7:34 pm

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The old beggar stared up at the bat, his eyes shining with a greedy light and fixed on the shimmering coin the thief held in his hand. Said thief knew exactly what effect the kina had on the old man and grinned mischievously, his teeth showing. The beggar and thief were acquainted, having met in fall when the bat had been going around town inquiring for information about a man called Arthur, a man he had found dead in his bedroom. At the time the beggar had confessed he had heard about a murder case the Shinya had discovered days ago, but other than that nothing. A good impression, and when he’d seen the old beggar again days later, Raoul had told him about his own adventures, which the bat had enjoyed listening to and had rewarded with a couple of spare jade kina.

Later when having picked a target, the man proved quite handy when wanting to know places they frequented and the usual times they did. Unknowingly or maybe with full knowledge about it, the old man had become the bat’s informant, and accomplice. A job that paid rather well, comparing to a beggar’s standards anyway. However, the man knew that he shouldn’t try anything funny with his acquired position of influence, be it taking advantage of it or transferring false information. Their partnership would end that way, Brandon did not give him money out of the kindness of his heart.

Raoul stroked the strands of hair sprouting from his chin and thought deeply, digging up the recollection of the man he had to give Brandon information about. Fortunately, his memory was in perfect state, having survived the tooth of time and defied old age, it was safe to say his memory capabilities were above the human average. The seekers would have been more than happy to welcome the man within their ranks, yet they probably did not know about him, or found beggars unworthy. It was a shame that his abilities were wasted, yet the bat could profit from it. Not entirely wasted perhaps.

“Names mean nothing to me, you know that, but appearances are something else. Yes, that hairstyle brings back memories, so does the colour of it. The crowd prevented me from seeing him clearly, so his full image was concealed, thus whether it was him or someone else I do not know.” While this should be news of disappointment, the bat did not say anything, nor did he move, smiling instead. “But that was yesterday.” the beggar stated cheerfully, crinkles deepening around his eyes. “I have seen a man who meets the description many times.” He spoke conspiratorially, sounding quite pleased with himself, and confident too.

“I have seen him enter the Touch of Fire many times, but that you have said yourself already. He also frequents the Shooting Star Inn, around lunchtime usually. Finding him there should be easy around that time.” A grin brushed one corner of his mouth upwards, and the Kina slipped through his fingers and landed in the hat the beggar had placed in front of him. With a fluttering cape the thief turned around, a small word of thanks leaving his lips. The Shooting Star Inn huh? Easy enough to find, and spotting the guy there should prove not difficult indeed, just like Raoul had said. Well, assuming Dimitri still went there even though he found himself in need of hiding. Well, he’d see when he got there. What time was it? A bit later than the twelfth bell? His belly growled in confirmation, hungry and wanting food. Hm, convenient, a trip to the Inn he would make –it wasn’t far from here- but he wouldn’t order anything, his stomach would have to be satisfied with a hump of bread, there was still some left.

x

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Brandon Blackwing
The master thief Incognito
 
Posts: 1305
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Joined roleplay: September 8th, 2013, 3:24 pm
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Time for revenge I: Locating and Investigating

Postby Brandon Blackwing on April 23rd, 2014, 3:44 pm

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When one was hungry, it was funny to notice the organ begging for food calm down as soon as the person it belonged to was able and about to eat. However, the two bites of bread that were left soon vanished and would only manage to stop his stomach from growling for a bell or so, enough to make the empty feeling go away, but not enough to make him feel like he had eaten anything at all. That did not matter much really, soon he would be on the move again, and there would be no time to feel hunger. That was the plan anyways.

As soon as he more or less arrived at the Shooting Star and saw a bowl made of blond hair through the window, he also started to take in the environment the man found himself in. His state of mind too, for one of Mizahar’s beastkin it was fairly easy to read body language of their own species –it was their primary means of communication after all, though that of other animals they could not understand and that of humans was hard too. Still, there were tell tale signs of emotions that were universal among all animals, and humans were animals too. He grinned widely, this shouldn’t be that hard.

The only problem was of course finding a place where he could keep an eye on Dimitri while staying hidden, which wasn’t so simple in the open space that made up Surya plaza, but, there was a crowd and crowds were actually quite the hiding place; too many faces, too many bodies to remember, one in the masses could just disappear, become one with them as it were. The difficult part was that since it was lunchtime people were slowly entering various taverns or restaurants or just went home. The masses thinned and dispersed, leaving gaping holes in his shelter and forming groups that did not invite strangers inside. He sighed, so much for that plan, he could even spot Raoul from here, the old beggar noticed too and waved with his left hand while smiling like a friendly grandfather and pointing to the Inn with the middle finger of his right hand. Apparently the man thought the bat couldn’t find the establishment, could be because he had looked quite lost…

That actually gave the bat an idea, beggars were often ignored and overlooked, so he could imitate one and keep an eye on the swindler. Great plan, people wouldn’t notice, the bat already had the looks for one, his long hair wild and unkempt, and with his hood pulled over his head so shadow covered his face, he wouldn’t be recognized. His clothes were quite fit for his imitation too, the lower part of his cape torn in rags and his shirt and pants dirty, perfect. Now he only needed a spot to sit, one where he could stare through the window easily. Far was not where he had to look, in fact he had been standing underneath one of the lines of trees that brought a little green to the plaza, suitable enough he deemed it to be. Hadn’t he seen Raoul sit there once when it had been too hot in the sunlight?

Brandon decided to make himself comfortable, it would take a while before Dimitri was done eating, and it seemed that he hadn’t even received his order yet. It was highly possible that the man hadn’t been in the Inn for long, having just ordered most likely. The service there was swift, so the bat doubted that he would have to wait too long, however ‘too long’ apparently was what Dimitri thought when he asked himself how long he had been sitting there. His fingers could be seen rattling down on the table, repeating it over and over again, a sign of boredom and annoyance. That combined with the glances he shot towards the counter, through the window and over his shoulder was enough for the bat to conclude that he was nervous and in a hurry, he had hoped to spend less time inside possibly, that could explain the annoyance part.

Another look was taken, Dimitri’s gaze scanning the area outside again. There was no doubt that he was not feeling safe, having occupied the seat and table by the window to observe the environment for anything suspicious. Paranoid behaviour, not good sign. It seemed that the man had indeed found out about someone wanting to know about him, having suspicions. Oh well, it mattered not. While paranoia could make a person view his entire environment as hostile and out for his head, making him more focused on it, nervousness made them sloppy, overlooking important things in their haste. There was little chance the bat would be discovered.

A woman placed a plate in front of the swindler’s nose, which he paid for immediately, planning to leave as soon as he was finished eating no doubt. The waitress left when having counted the money and Dimitri dug in, shovelling his food inside as quick as possible, taking gulps of his drink to help swallow it down. Moron, if he wanted to have a fast meal he should have bought a bread or so, this food was meant to be savoured on the tongue! Brandon could vividly remember being in there with Julius, the taste of the delicious food returning with the memory. His stomach grumbled.

x

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User avatar
Brandon Blackwing
The master thief Incognito
 
Posts: 1305
Words: 1496963
Joined roleplay: September 8th, 2013, 3:24 pm
Location: Lhavit
Race: Kelvic
Character sheet
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Medals: 5
Featured Character (1) Overlored (1)
One Thousand Posts! (1) One Million Words! (1)
2013 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

Time for revenge I: Prying eyes locate the target

Postby Brandon Blackwing on April 23rd, 2014, 5:58 pm

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Watching the man eat or rather gobble his food up was one of the saddest moments of the day; his own stomach had awakened, he could see the food but he could not reach it. More than frustrating it was, he could tell you that, well, at least the swindler’s manner of consuming his meal wasn’t very tasteful to watch, so it was not that bad but still. If the man would leave the building and have his clothes and face stained with sauce, the bat wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest. Dimitri’s way of eating could be described in one word: savage.

Before long the blacksmith’s apprentice stood back on the streets, watching left and right briefly before heading straight onwards, passing the bat disguised as beggar without giving him as much as a look. Hm, not worth of your time, huh? That’s fine, your knowledge of trickery is but small for being a conman I see. A satisfied smirk perched itself on his lips, with skills lacking that much, there was no way he would be discovered easily. This was going to be a piece of cake! Right, time to get going. His eyes had left the man’s back temporarily in order not to attract suspicion, but now that was of no importance anymore. Dimitri had been given a head start of a dozen of meters, enough space to get up without him noticing and set in the chase. Brandon would get closer soon enough, but not yet; there were still not enough people out on the streets to get close enough without attracting the target’s attention. There was no need to get close either, his line of sight was pretty much free, and as long as he was careful not to let his gaze be distracted he should be able to follow.

That he did, as Dimitri made his way to the other side of the plaza, one that branched out into many alleyways which all led somewhere else, though some joined together for a while, forming larger streets. The Azure was located in that direction as well, albeit a bit further away. If they were headed there, the bat would have to close in since the market in the alleys was always way too crowded, no matter the time of day. That didn’t seem to be the case though, Dimitri passed the alley that provided the Azure with an entrance and entered an other one, disappearing behind the corner. Tsk, in that alley there was a maze of small streets, the thief knew, so he had to quicken his pace before his target would shake him in there. The bat’s legs started jogging, not to fast so he could keep his footsteps silent, but fast enough to get to the corner swiftly.

Now the problem was what was waiting for him in the alley. Was it a trap or not? It was very well possible that the conman was a great actor, he had to be for his secondary profession, so it was not unlikely that he had noticed the bat already, pretending he hadn’t to take him out. Annoying, his own mind was plotting against him, making him lose precious time in which the swindler could get away, however if it was indeed a trap and the apprentice was waiting around the corner, he couldn’t just walk in there…. Anyhow, he had to take the risk, this too was part of his job. No pain no gain, like they said, but pain was not something he liked to feel.

As his heart started beating, the thief made a decision and turned the corner, only to find on one there. A sigh bubbled out of his mouth, he had gotten away. Godsdamnit! The labyrinth of alleyways was lying in front of him, and no signs of where Dimitri had gone. There were more than five alleys branching out of the one he was standing in now, and those were only the ones he could see, a bit further there were more. Rubbing his head, the bat let his gaze wander through the street, trying to guess which one the man had taken. This one? Or this one? Or another one? All were possible, Brandon felt his spirit go down and the anger start to burn behind his pupils. Was he going to let the bowl hair get away so easily? The guy had stolen his money, his Kina, the result of his hard work! He wouldn’t let him escape his grasp, even if he couldn’t see him, he would find him through other means.

A glance upwards revealed the blue sky above the houses, a thin line between walls of stone. That’s right, he still had an ace in the hole, he could scale the walls and take the rooftop road, he would have a better view on the city too, and a running man was easy to spot from above. When in doubt, always take the roofs. You’ll see, he’d find him in no time. Besides, the bat had an idea where Diomitri would go first. There was a strategy behind this that Brandon could see clearly before his eyes, how come? Because he would do it too, it was a basic tactic, one he would use too when being tailed. First you head towards a place where you can confuse the enemy, a place where you can disappear fast, then you go to a place crowded enough to lose the opponents in the masses and hide for a while or just run. If after both have been used you still haven’t lost your shadow, run for it, enter random streets and alleys, be unpredictable. That usually worked.

Following that reasoning, Brandon deducted the man was headed towards the closest and busiest place of them all, the Azure. This was the confusing part, so the market should be next. Of course this was just a guess, a gamble he was willing to take and one he would win. Now only getting there was what he had to do, but that was easy enough, only the walls of this alley separated him from his prey, but not for long anymore.

x

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User avatar
Brandon Blackwing
The master thief Incognito
 
Posts: 1305
Words: 1496963
Joined roleplay: September 8th, 2013, 3:24 pm
Location: Lhavit
Race: Kelvic
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
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Medals: 5
Featured Character (1) Overlored (1)
One Thousand Posts! (1) One Million Words! (1)
2013 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

Time for revenge I: Prying eyes reveal the target

Postby Brandon Blackwing on April 24th, 2014, 9:11 pm

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Scaling walls was not one of the most complicated things he’d ever tried, he’d done it before and instead of having failed, he had succeeded. The method of conquering heights was far more efficient than climbing them, the bat preferred this way of getting on top of rooftops. It was way swifter than climbing, it was more elegant –or maybe not, but it looked way cooler and it came the closest to soaring to the sky when being in his earthbound form. The drawbacks were of course that one tiny mistake could draw you back to the surface of the land, what was not necessarily true for climbing. Also, it could not be used when there was no wall opposing the other close enough by. The latter was no problem now though, for the alleyway was thin, barely two persons could walk through, side by side.

With a contraction followed by a stretching of his leg muscles, the thief launched his body upwards and towards the wall, the tips of his toes and the palms of his hand hitting the stones that constructed it. Timing and the usage of plenty of force was now all it would take to get him higher. While his toes propelled him up, the arms pushed him away from the obstacle –one applying more force than the other to make himself spin, in order to face the opposing wall- making himself sail in the air without anything supporting him. Then, once again his hands slammed into a wall, and so did his toes, within the small timeframe of floating and smashing into the tall object the Kelvic got ready to repeat the process again. That would not be the final time he’d have to do that, no, it would take a couple more jumps to get to the roof, and each held a chance of something going wrong.

Eventually though, his hands grabbed the edge of the rooftop while his boots prevented his body slamming into the wall, something he’d do every time, he did not want to experience a wall colliding with his body ever again. And, in this position he could use his feet to help his arms haul him up, which shortened the time needed for crawling on to the canopy a bit. A smile full of smugness was painted on his face as he realised he was slowly getting better, his failures bringing him hints of how to improve, bit by bit. It was quite satisfying, really.

Now, the immediate problem of the wall was solved, and another, more important one presented itself: finding the swindler, or rather the direction he had run off to. In essence his gut feeling of the Azure being the place to find him was not yet confirmed, so he had indeed to find the place he had escaped to, however it wouldn’t be too hard from up here. In fact he could hear some displeased noises coming from his right, the place Dimitri should be right now. However, whether he was truly there or it was just a salesman asking unreasonably high prices he didn’t know, yet. But he would know soon, though.

The legs started moving and the body attached to them was carried away, the direction headed was the one with the noises erupting from. Over small alleys they jumped with ease, touching the roof on the other side while they continued running, sometimes the motion was ceased for taking a roll, but not that many times. Before long he had reached the place he wanted to be, the city was indeed a whole lot smaller when one could dross the rooftops, the meandering streets being one huge detour. Dark orbs fixed on the moving masses, how they slowly crept forwards in streams, one stream not necessarily flowing in the same direction of the other, yet most of them did. And there he was, like a salmon ploughing forwards, going against the flow of the river, the swindling apprentice. Seen from above, the man stood out against the crowd as a white snowman in front of a black wall.

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User avatar
Brandon Blackwing
The master thief Incognito
 
Posts: 1305
Words: 1496963
Joined roleplay: September 8th, 2013, 3:24 pm
Location: Lhavit
Race: Kelvic
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
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Medals: 5
Featured Character (1) Overlored (1)
One Thousand Posts! (1) One Million Words! (1)
2013 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

Time for revenge I: Prying eyes reveal the target

Postby Brandon Blackwing on April 25th, 2014, 7:38 pm

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Dimitri himself did not seem to notice how visible he was, pushing people out of his way roughly, using his elbows on persons who did not quite stand in his trajectory, but not entirely out of it either. The only thing he was probably worried about were the noises his escape route made: angry yells and screams of pain being emitted by displeased citizens. Though he did not stop making his way through the masses as violent as he had been doing all along, it was safe to assume that the man was thinking that his pursuers had trouble getting through the crowd too and the rougher he attempted to slip through it himself, he would get away faster.

Tsk, tsk… He forgot about the rooftops, people always forgot about the rooftops. For them there was but one way and one way only, that one being located on the ground level. Fools, all of them. However, it played into his hands, and a complaint was not what anyone would hear from the bat, although he had thought it would be … more of a challenge. Oh well, can’t be helped, tailing someone was all about stealth anyways. Slowly walking across the roof, not too fast so he wouldn’t overtake his target –the crowd was indeed a though substance to walk in, but not too slow so he would fall behind and would be detected by the glances the man threw over his shoulder. They weren’t direct up, but it was better to stay in the safe zone.

Challenging was certainly not the word for this ‘chase’ but amusing it was, no doubt. The thief stopped his forward motion and smiled, his arms crossed over his chest, cape fluttering in the wind as he silently watched the scene unfold before his very eyes. It appeared Dimitri had run into trouble, and the trouble came in the form of a man who seemed like he was more than discontent about what had happened with his person. Elbow to the ribs? He was not going to let it pass without a word, it seemed. The word turned out to be a fist that sought a place to land, namely Dimitri’s face. The swindler, having been pulled back at the shoulder before the punch, snapped and his eyes spit fire, he too let his fist do the talking.

A blow was aimed for the assaulter’s stomach, hitting home with enough force to made the man bend over in pain and cut off breath. With his face looking at the street’s stones, his nose welcomed a knee, the brave fellow now swung back up, a trail of blood marking the path the busted nose had followed. Dimitri then grabbed the stumbling man’s clothes and swung him around, throwing him onto a stall of clothing, which couldn’t handle the body weight of a human male and broke in half, the wares spilling on the ground.

The merchant selling them, a tall baldhead with a big, hawk-like nose, shouted insults ruder than any the bat had ever heard before and grabbed a Zweihander he had hidden underneath a sailcloth next to him. A spark of recognition hit the thief, the sour expression was one he’d seen before. Ah? So he [b]díd have a huge sword nearby![/i] A grin spread over his face as the merchant jumped over the remains of his stall, his face red with anger, looking for the culprit, however, Dimitri had made his escape already. It seemed Greatswords were not something to fight against bare handed. Unfortunately for the swindler though, his –still- rough ways of moving in a crowd were detected easily, even the merchant noticed and charged at the wall of people –they had formed a circle when the fighting had started- and as if he were one or other religious figure, the sea of people dried up before him, a path being made. At the end of the path was no one else than Dimitri, who’s expression was one of someone who was about to piss their pants out of fear. No surprise if a bull of a man was closing in with a greatsword in his hands, clearly intending to take the swindler’s head away from his body.

The appearance of the merchant was what spared him from such fate however, as the crowd Dimitri was trying to disappear in noticed him too, they cleared the way, panicking. With fright quickening his pace, and no heavy weapon held in his hands, he fled into an alley swiftly, vanishing before the merchant could catch up. And Brandon laughed, a sinister small laugh that wasn’t audible to anyone but himself, the thief found pleasure in watching the swindler experience trouble, though he had made it out there without taking much hits. Useful information he had recorded, a combination of moves he would try out next time- but that wasn’t the important part. The skill in combat had not gone unnoticed, the ease of which he had disposed of his attacker meant he was quite skilled, probably more than the bat. If things went south and both were thrown into a combat situation, the bat would be done for, however, not always did things turn out as expected. Not that he should trust in coincidences and bad luck, now that was something that would get him killed.

Running footsteps and cluttering of plate armour reached the bat, a glance to the right and Shinya guards were attracted to the commotion, the merchant had hidden his sword and pushed the groggy man off of his ruined stand with the tip of his boot. Hm, things would be alright down there, he’d better get going, wouldn’t want to be noticed by the guards now, would he? In a flurry of grey and black, cloak and scarf, the thief spun around on his heels, starting to run again, crossing the roofs towards the alley Dimitri had escaped to. He wasn’t there anymore, what was to be expected when one was fleeing to save their skin, but there were not many paths he could have taken, since the alley split in two at the end, no other ways out.

With the launching of his body came whizzing friction of the air, pulling and playing with his clothes as they sailed after him, a lithe landing followed, one that ended in a crouch. There was a look to the left, and a glare to the right, a dark silhouette shrinking and footsteps on stone could be detected in the latter direction. Right, running, again. It was starting to take its toll, his breathing heavy and skin slightly wet. A sigh and the bat got up, his legs already carrying him towards the figure on the horizon. The feet he possessed drummed in a steady rhythm, stopping when the shade did, slowing down and slightly crouching, sneaking closer, his eyes fixed on the man. He too seemed to be tired, his breaths were ragged and pearls of salty liquid rolled down his face, yet he didn’t appear to be resting, no, in fact he his head glanced in either direction at his sides quicker than necessary a couple of times and a key was fished out of his pocket. It was then used to open the door of the house he was standing in front of, and with another couple of glances left and right he stepped inside and blindly closed the door behind him.

Hidden on top of the roof of the opposite house, the bat grinned mischievously, his goal had been captured, his trailing had paid off. So that house there was where the conman lived, huh? Heh, he’d remember that, he’d make sure he wouldn’t forget. With a small hop Brandon abandoned the rooftops and reached out for the ground, landing on all fours. A pebble was grabbed and used to put an ‘x’ mark on the façade of the house, they all looked the same in this alley, it wouldn’t be pleasant if he mistook one house for another. Throwing the small stone over his shoulder, the thieving Kelvic strode away, heading for the other end of the alleyway, it would take him home. The thief’s mood had improved all of a sudden, his revenge nearing the point of being extracted, now all he needed was a plan of attack. He grinned.

x

credit goes to Euthisa
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Fighting Style and Techniques

Credit for this awesome sig goes to Estrellir Konrath
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Brandon Blackwing
The master thief Incognito
 
Posts: 1305
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Joined roleplay: September 8th, 2013, 3:24 pm
Location: Lhavit
Race: Kelvic
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Time for revenge I: Prying eyes reveal the target

Postby Catastrophe on May 4th, 2014, 4:16 am

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Brandon Blackwing :
Skills

  • Observation: 4 XP
  • Acrobatics: 2 XP
  • Socialization: 1 XP
  • Deduction: 1 XP
  • Running: 2 XP
  • Climbing: 1 XP
  • Rhetoric: 1 XP
  • Disguise: 1 XP
  • Tracking: 1 XP

Lores

  • Attaining the Notion for a Stakeout
  • Beggars: A Somewhat Trustful Source of Information
  • Roaul: A Cripple Beggar with Amusing Stories
  • Disguise: Looking like a Homeless Beggar
  • Tracking Down a Swindler
  • Acrobatics: Obtaining a Graceful Fall

Loot

  • -1 kina



Notes :
This is just what I wanted to see happen. Brandon getting his game on as he tries to hunt down the man who stole from him. There were some nice twists here and there and I liked your transitions. The ending was a real turn of events as well. You did a nice job explaining this thread!

If you have any questions or concerns about your grade, just PM me!

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Catastrophe
I'm Your Biggest Nightmare!
 
Posts: 319
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Joined roleplay: March 25th, 2014, 10:42 pm
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