A fine night for a mugging or two (solo)

[Robert Cithon]

58th Day of Winter 510 AV

Robert was leaning against a wall at the edge of an alleyway. The dampness from the wall was slowly seeping into his cloak. He could ignore the cold dampness for now, he had felt a lot worse in his time. From his vantage point he could see most of the street before him. Nearly everyone who walked these streets had a nervous eye, and kept looking over there shoulders for a cutthroat that was sure to be lurking in the darkness.

He was in this worthless place of a city for one thing, mizas. His funds were running low and no work had come about lately. A man needed to keep his funds up, you never knew when you would have to replace an important item in your personal inventory. So here he was, lurking in the shadows looking for a target. He would try to avoid killing anyone tonight, if it was possible. But you could be surprised by which person will give up and who will stand their ground and die before a sword rather than look a coward.

Robert noticed a group of young men exiting a tavern. Groups like those were usually the best targets in his own opinion. It was chancy still, they could warriors or just drunken idiots. But they were sure to have coin on them. That made them the best of targets to him. So he slipped from where he was standing and fell in step a few hundred paces back. There were three of them, one was massive in size, at least 5’8” and lugging around well over 300lbs. The other two were of Roberts own size, which was not exactly frail and thin. The leader was more than likely the young man in the middle, take him down and the others loose confidence faster than a Kriital will take a three day corpse to it’s cave.

He trailed them to an alleyway that was mostly abandoned, gaining on them every second. Once everyone was in the alleyway and oblivious to his presence, he decided it was time. He picked up a small rock, tossed it in his hand twice, then launched it at the leaders head. “Ahh! What the…” The young man trailed off as he turned and seen Robert standing there with another rock in hand. The group simultaneously took a step forward, Robert responded by throwing the other rock at the big guy, a trail of blood followed where it hit. “GET HIM!” The leader of the pack bellowed. The alleyway cleared of stragglers, no one wanted to be around when anything violent happened here.

Robert waited until they were only twenty or so feet from him. And with very smooth and fluid movement, he unsheathed his sword. The men paused, debating if he was a real isk or not. Robert spoke very calmly, “Just give me your coin, and no one will get hurt.” His voice was ice cold and calm. No sense of worry that he was outnumbered three to one. He would leave their lives in their own hands.

[Robert Cithon]

The three men all exchanged looks with one another. Robert could tell that they have been friends for a long time, because the could read others faces without much effort. This may have been the wrong group to choose...he thought to himself. If they were close they could be skilled partners in crime or who knows what. And sure enough, they each pulled out a sword about a foot and a half in length, and about five inches wide. He had never seen that kind of weapon before, and couldn’t tell where they concealed it. He was beginning to regret his foolish confidence tonight.

The strangers turned their heads toward him and all smiled, a terrible sight if unarmed and ready to fight. Robert knew this was going to end with bloodshed, hopefully more there own blood than his. He unbuttoned his coat. In the midst of a fight, a flapping cloak cold easily give your opponents a false target, also he could now easily reach his throwing daggers lining his coat and belt.

He would stand here all night if he must. If he made the first move it could open him up for attack from more than one direction. But just when he thought it was going to end as a stand still, the left average sized man on the left rushed at him. Robert brought his sword up to meet the attackers blade, the clash of steel echoed down the alleyway. Robert through his weight forward and drug his own blade down the length of his opponents sword. Hilt met hilt and he pushed the other man backwards. With a quick movement he drew a dagger, the man took another step forward and Robert threw the dagger at his leg. It hit it’s mark. A scream of pain sounded from his mouth, he wasn’t out of the fight, but he was wounded and the odds were evened just a little more now.

The leader of the pack nodded to the big man on his right, he sheathed his odd weapon and pulled out a big menacing hammer from underneath his coat. Robert looked his sword over, not the best made weapon. It was old and needed repair work done. He to sheathed his sword. Instead decided this fight he would be better off using his battle axe. It was better made, and not nearly as battle worn a his sword was. But it ha a downfall to, he was not very skilled with it yet.

The enormous man rushed in, his inured partner back out of his way and trying to stop blood from oozing out of his injury. Robert took a few steps backwards, remaining in a basic defensive stance. He raised his axe handle as the big man swung the hammer down toward his face. The head of the hammer missed his hilt, so hilt met hilt. The man pulled his hammer down more and Robert was forced down a bit as well, the man was ridiculously strong. Once the weapons were below face height the man leaned extremely close, stil holding a smile on his face. “You will die here tonight Robert.” The man breath was rancid, he made a quick jump to the side and released one end of his hammer, letting the big man own weight carry him downward. Robert spun and got momentum, bringing his axe back around full swing and aiming for the mans back. An audible sound of metal breaking bone and puncturing skin let him know he hit home. The man continued to fall and clash to the floor without a sound. He was dead or paralyzed on impact. Robert let the axe fall with him, it would have opened him up for attack if he tried to pry it out right now. Never the less, odds were evened a little more now that the big man was out of the picture.

How did these random drunks know who he was? It couldn’t have been a mere coincidence. This seemed to organized for a random event, and the men to skilled in a variety of weapons. This was a planned hit. From who though? He would have to leave one of them mostly alive to find out.

There were two left. One who had yet to reveal his talents. And one who was injured, not severe enough to quit. But enough to make any fancy tricks he tried obvious and foolish. So Robert took the initiative now, he drew another dagger and smiled at the two. “So you were obviously sent by someone, and watched me for days and planned this whole thing perfectly. But now one of your men is dead, and the other surely won’t escape with his life either. Do you want to continue? Or leave this alley and try another day?” He was calm and his voice was icy. The leader took a step forward and spoke “Very well, you may escape this day. But the reward for your head is to much to resist forever. We will be back!” He sounded sure of him self, though his voice was a little crackly. Easy to remember when one has a voice that unique.

The two turned to exit the alleyway. Robert let them get about halfway down the alley and he took aim on the injured an. He took a step forward and launched his dagger an impossible distance for sure. But to his very own surprise he heard a loud cry of pain. And the man dropped to the ground. The leader turned and raised his weapon in defense. Robert jogged til he was only about ten feet away from the two. He was the instigator again, and he loved it. The leader was angry now, he looked flustered. “I thought we were done here!” He bellowed in anger. Robert was still ice and calm, “We were” He pointed at himself and the leader, now the only man left standing. “But he has some of my property sticking out of his leg. And I needed it back” He gave the man a sly smile. He knew he was making an enemy now. But he could care less, it was just one more thing to keep him on his toes. “Very well…You will die by my sword one day though” The man said as he backed up around the man laying in a pool of blood. “He’s yours then” Were his final words as he backed out of the alley entirely.

Robert walked over to the man lying on the ground slowly dying. “Should have just given me the coin man.” He said not sounding one bit remorseful for a man he just ruined. He searched the body over and found a small sack of coins cutting the cord he took the little bit and added them to his own collection of funds. Robert pulled his daggers out of the man, who was just barely breathing now. He stood up sword in hand standing over the man he held the sword point down and pointed at the mans heart. A little thrust and the man quit breathing, he was now just a corpse. Robert sheathed his weapons and jogged over to the body of the ig man. It was an effort to retrieve his axe, it was really lodged in the body. But after a few minutes of pulling and struggling it came free with a splash of blood. He found no coin on this man, just more weapons than he could imagine. He left those, he needed no more weapons. He was comfortable with the ones he held now. Buttoning his cloak back up and wiping some of the blood of his face, he left the alleyway. No one paid him any mind. Even if they saw what just happened no one would speak a word of it. That is just how it was in this city.

[Robert Cithon]

Robert walked down a crowded street for roughly an hour or so. He was killing time, letting the crowds thin out a bit more. The later it got, the more the citizens who he might feel bad for mugging disappeared into their homes for safety. Soon all that would be left were the lost souls. Men and woman who would smile and act as friendly as can be, while their partner walks up behind you and places a blade in your back. Those are the kind of people Robert preferred to target.

He caught site of a group of men cutting through a dark alleyway. A straggler was a good distance behind the majority of the crowd. Robert ducked behind into a doorway, letting the crowd leave the straggler further behind. He took a dagger out, sliding it up into his coat to avoid it gleaming in the night. Robert slipped out of the opening, quickly gaining on the drunken man.

A few quick strides and Robert was upon him. He slammed a fist into the back of the average sized man. The man stumbled into a brick wall. Robert moved quickly, covering the mans angered screams with a clothed sleeve of his coat. Robert stared into the man eyes, a cold and piercing stare. The man seemed to tremble in his grasp. “Give me your coin, and you will leave unharmed.” The man shook his scruffy head. Robert produced the dagger and gently placed it at the hard headed mans neck. “This is your last chance..” The victim began to search around in his coat, searching for his bag of coin . It dropped with a hollow clank to the wet stone beneath them. “Wise choice friend” He pushed of the man. Letting him run down the alley in an attempt to catch his friends. Robert snatched up the coins and darted back into the slightly busy street. Darkness hiding his features, making him unidentifiable as the next of thewondering souls.

[Robert Cithon]

An hour or so had passed since his last mugging. That was his second tonight. He usually avoided more than one a night, it drew to much attention. Making his pockets look full and worth an attempt at. He was about to call it a night when he noticed a man asleep in the middle of an abandoned street. Robert couldn’t resist the urge, it was as if the mans snores were whispering into his ear, take me…take me. So Robert advanced on his victim. With a few more quick glances around the street he determined it was safe, no one was around. Except him, and his newest victim.

Robert strode over to the snoring man. He was going to make this quick and then head to the tavern for some relaxing. He pulled his sword out and leaned down over the man. His was only a few inches from the man neck, Robert himself was kneeling beside him. “Wake up, your being robbed” Robert said gruffly. He didn’t want the man to wake up and panic, he might accidentally end up with a sword in his gut. To Roberts surprise, the man snickered an opened his eyes wide. He was faking the entire time! “No my friend, you are being robbed” As soon as the words were spoken Robert heard the footsteps behind him and instinctively ducked, a sword sliced the air above where his head was just at.

Robert took the hilt of his sword and thumped the man lying down on the head, he fell with a thud. He then leaped backwards, avoiding yet another thrusting sword. Another came from his left an he narrowly deflected that with a sloppy swing of is weapon. A few more steps and he was in rhythm. Defending against two would be killers, steel on steel clashing sounds filled the night air. Robert was using everything he had to keep from ending up lying in a pool of his own blood.

But after what seemed an eternity of barely deflecting blow after blow Robert spotted a routine forming between the two. After the man on the right would swing, the left attacker would always thrust in Roberts direction. The way he went about this left him and his partner exposed, only problem Robert thought of, was that in order to take advantage of the exposure he had to take a hit. But he could see no way out of it…he learned a long time ago sometimes you had to “Sheath the Sword” as his army of uncles called it. It meant you had to take a wound in order to come out victorious in the end.

The next time the routine played out, Robert made his move. He spun in a wide circle, bringing his blade smashing down into the thrusting mans head. It gave way to his blow and his sword kept momentum, smashing into the other attackers throat. They both fell to the ground in a bloody heap. He would not steal from them, he had enough from the two to remember. A sword was from man on the right was still lodged into Roberts shoulder. He leaned into the closest wall around, pushing backward onto it, forcing the sword out of his body. Once the sword was far enough out the weight of it drug it to the ground. Not a sound of pain escaped Roberts lips, he knew by now others were watching. He could not afford to appear an easy target now of all times. Robert would dress his own wound later, he needed to leave the scene now. He sheathed his sword and darted into the night, leaving yet another corpse and a new scar to be on his body. A new lesson learned as he looked at it.

[Seth]

Robert: +2 Longsword XP +1 Throwing Knives XP +1 Axe XP +2 Intimidation XP +1 Larceny Lores: Being Set Up, Being Hunted, Being Stabbed, Making a Steal, Holding Someone Hostage, Being Scary, Being Outnumbered, Ravok Just Doesn't Care. Spoils: In all, you managed to snag 15 Gold Mizas from all of your robberies tonight. Not very much, but that will get you a few good nights with some concubines, or maybe even some really decent meals! The Method behind my Madness : You were awarded all of the XP in the various weapons because you obviously used them. You were quick and to the point when writing about them, and you switched between each of them pretty often, leading to the low XP counts in a few. You get the Intimidation XP for using Intimidation a couple of times, and the single Larceny XP for stealing. I didn't award it from looting from the dead bodies. I think you could put a little more detail into your fighting, really. You have decent skills in each of the weapons you used, yet you seemed to just hack n' slash! I also found it a bit strange that at first, your opponents only came at you one at a time... And then when they did gang up on you, at the end, they just did the same moves over and over again. 3 on 1 is a pretty big handicap, and I am surprised you came through it unscathed, in the beginning. Be sure to take the realism into account! Also, if the beginning fight was a planned hit, why didn't they attack you first? Why did you have to stalk them into the alleyway? Had they planned it out that well, knowing you would try to steal from them, and them alone? Does that make any sense? Otherwise, it was well written. I enjoyed it. Be sure to be a little more careful about leaving such a major trail of bodies in your wake. Good job, and I hope you have fun in Ravok. Be sure to check the OOC thread, as we will be making an announcement soon that pertains to your PC.