Alistair practically flew into the woods when he heard the deep grating sound that accompanied the rise of the castle gate. He was no fool; he knew the knights would use their cavalry to chase him down. He just hoped they didn’t have dogs, too. I they set their wretched hounds on him, his head start would be worthless and they would catch up to him in no time at all. Out of all of the mercenary’s previous attacks, this one was definitely the closest he had come to getting captured. There were too many knights on too many horses with too many weapons and too much skill. All he had was a few short daggers and a dashing smile. The odds just weren’t fair.

As if things couldn’t get any worse, Alistair could now hear the baying of dogs in the distance. He spat a curse and made a sharp turn to his left, pointlessly hoping that they might lose his trail. His eyes swept over the trees as he searched for a way to throw off his pursuers. Just as he was beginning to get worried, he spotted something up ahead: a river. He hastened his pace, managing to nick his cheek on a stray tree branch as he hurried towards it. When he reached the bank, he flung himself into the rushing water, floundering for a moment before he was able to right himself and swim with the current.

Now that he was safe in the river—the water washed away his scent so the dogs couldn’t track him—Alistair was finally able to relax again. He laughed with a mixture of triumph and relief as he let the water carry him away from the knights. It had been a close call, but he made it. He was still alive and he could finish the rest of his mission. He could practically feel the sack of one-hundred and fifty Fals in his pocket. This was the most expensive job he had ever taken on, and all he had to do was assassinate a young girl. Easy money.

After spending a bit of time in the water, Alistair climbed back onto the bank. He couldn’t stay in this area for much longer. The knights would surely follow the river’s path to find him downstream. He didn’t want to stick around and let that happen, so he turned and headed for the nearest town, wringing water out of his clothes as he walked.

When he reached the edge of the town, Alistair began searching for a marketplace where he could buy some dry clothes. He had left all of his belongings—of which there were few—in a town further south of this part of the kingdom, so he had nothing except for what he carried on his body. His feral appearance already drew enough attention as it was. If he wanted to keep his head down and avoid the knights, he would have to get out of his obviously sopping clothes.

Alistair walked into the market, ignoring the curious stares he received from onlookers, and approached a vendor who was selling the items he needed. The man gave him the same bemused expression and crossed his arms, “I haven’t seen a single dark cloud in the sky for days. How did you come to get like that, young fellow?”

“Fishing accident,” Alistair lied with a casual shrug. “My boat was overturned and I fell into the water.”

“And now you’re lookin’ to buy some dry clothes, I assume?” the vendor chortled. “Well, you’ve come to the right place. My linens are some of the finest in the kingdom. My wife makes them, herself.”

“Is that so?” Alistair mused, absently fingering the cloth of one of the shirts on the cart. “Alright then. I’ll buy this from you.” He collected a plain shirt and a pair of trousers. “How does three Gros sound for all of it?”

“I won’t be takin’ anything less than four, sir,” the vendor shook his head.

“Fine,” Alistair rolled his eyes. He reached into his pocket and held out a few small coins, “Three Gros and I’ll throw in five Ecus.”

The vendor thought for a moment before cracking a toothy grin and snatching the money from the mercenary’s hand, “A pleasure doing business with you.”

Alistair nodded and turned away from the man, muttering bitterly to himself about overpriced markets. He looked around for a place to change clothes until he found a secluded alley that was away from the bustling crowds of people. As there were no places that were completely private in this area, he supposed it would have to do. He just had to be careful to watch for knights so he wouldn’t get caught in the middle of throwing a shirt over his head.