New Part Below by Kamau
======================
On 6/13/2023 3:44 PM, Rimme the Weasel wrote:
The six guards dispersed then, each heading to their assigned duties.
Gallus returned to Gawyn's side throughout town. Rodrick and Nathan
returned to the inn to guard their master's room and cargo, although
Rodrick would break away and join Jerrod in ongoing games of cards and
coins to win some extra bread and ale. Aldwin, minus Jerrod, went off
to check the other taverns for other merchant caravans, seeking news
on the road south and the usual market gossip. Which left the last
guard to roam the streets for further intel and other buyers Gawyn
might've missed.
Only Gawyn knew this guard's true name, but he became known as Reed
among the guards for three reasons: his rail-thin stature, his silent
movement, and the sharp low whistle he gave on spotting a trap. He was
not particularly skilled at the sword or staff or bow, but his stealth
and observation were invaluable for avoiding ambushes. If the rumors
were to be believed, he had gotten his skills not as a scout, but as a
thief against the city watch of Salinon. It was also rumored that he
had no qualms against killing friends who knew his secrets, that Reed
was loyal only to himself, and might even backstab them once they left
the watchful eye of Metamor.
And Reed didn't trust them either. He had indeed once been a thief,
though nowhere as cruel as the rumors made him out to be. It was in
fact for those same skills that Gawyn had tasked him with a secret
mission for today. He was to find the mysterious Thieves' Guild
rumored to exist in Metamor, as such guilds always did beneath the
public squares and open markets. If the carpets couldn't find a
reputable buyer, then an underground buyer would do, so long as the
coin was good.
Reed had already warned Gawyn that he had little chance of succeeding.
It was no easy task to contact the Thieves' Guild, doubly so as a
foreigner, triply so in Metamor where secret passages came and went
like smoke. And the prices wouldn't be great, especially since trade
among thieves tended to be cut-throat in more ways than one. Still,
Reed enjoyed the urban wilderness even more than the uncivilized one,
and he set about investigating the many marks etched into the city
walls. Very few of them were likely to have been made by anyone but
street kids, common thugs, bored warriors, and accidental wagon
crashes, but it was as useful an exercise as searching for master thieves.
A flash of movement caught his eye. He saw a rat dart into a small
mousehole along the castle walls. Normally Reed would have ignored the
rat, but here in Metamor, any animal could be a spy, and his old
suspicions of the city watch flared up. He began scanning the walls
for other exits the rat could appear from.
--[Next part below]--
NEW 17JUN23 by Kamau
Rorlyn glided lazily down the valley, his eyes sweeping the land for any
signs of trouble. The warmth of the day gave him plenty of thermals to
use, saving him from having to flap his wings only occasionally to move
to another updraft. As the Keep itself came into view he could see the
people of Euper enjoying the warmth and sun. Maintaining his altitude,
he began to circle the Keep itself. Those who did not need to work were
in many of the sunny places and even those on watch seemed to be soaking
up the sun’s gift that day. He noticed on one of the upper towers his
friend Sal who was being pure cat and just laying on the warmed stone
floor. A playful thought came to the gryphon’s mind, and he banked to
his left angling his wings and tail feathers for descent. Passing over
the west end of the wall he now drew in his wings, leaving them out just
enough to guide what was now a full speed dive at the tower where the
smilodon lay. Just before reaching the tower, he used his eagle voice,
letting out a screech. Sal’s eyes popped open just in time to see and
feel the huge, feathered body pass within inches of him, causing him to
instinctively roll for cover.
“Damn you Rorlyn,” the big cat screamed, jumping to his feet, “you
scared the living daylights out of me.”
The gryphon’s dark wing feathers flashed in golden hues as he swung
around, coming close to his friend.
“That was the general idea,” he replied, a chuckle in his voice,
“Can’t have someone found sleeping while standing the watch.”
“I’m not on watch you feathered and furred nit wit. These towers are
manned only when we expect trouble.”
“Gee, I guess I forgot,” Rorlyn replied coming into a hover with the
aid of his magic, an avian smile on his face. “I, however, need to move
on up the valley as I am on duty.”
With a few strokes of his massive wings, he was once again at his
usual height and gliding to the north. A short time later he noticed a
single red skinned figure in the distance. He stared intently for a
moment for he had never seen anyone who looked like this in the valley.
He altered his course to bring him over to that location on the road to
investigate who or what this might be.
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