11-09-2016, 07:29 PM
A few hours in, and Shay's hand already ached like hell. A pile of papers on his right and left, Shay could feel himself growing stiff all over, bored out of his mind as well. Looking down, Shay could already tell the sun was setting. Deciding he'd have enough of this pen and paper thing for the day, Shay got himself up, pushing the chair out from under him. The man could hear a few bones crackling when he got up. Not painful, but slightly worrying.
"Damn," Shay groaned silently, barely pushing the door open enough for him to leave. He made his way back to the palace's front gates, the guardsman all around him noticing the man's seeming exhaustion. Unfortunately for Shay, the first thing he'd want to do right now is sleep, yet he felt no need to. It was already growing chill, looking up now at the darkened night sky of the Dunes.
Shay began to wander the streets of Nippur, almost looking lost. The Templar never noticed before, but... Nippur at night was eerily quiet in comparison to it's day. Back in the British colonies, city life was at the very least active until a few hours into the night, but this was strange.
Well, it would be strange, had Shay not remembered what Victor told him in that email sent to him only an hour or so ago.
Shay doubted this was coincidence. Well, perhaps it was coincidence, and Victor is simply getting paranoid, but Shay didn't want to count on that. Taking a sharp right, Shay walked up to a building next to the street, feeling the cold brick with his gloved hands.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Shay mouthed to himself, a slight smirk on his face as he grasped at the nearest ledge he could put his hands onto, which happened to be a windowsill nearby. In only a few good seconds, Shay had already scaled the decently small building. Turning back over the ledge, he felt the cold night's winds blow in his face, watching as a few more guardsman switch their posts.
His fingers still ached a bit, but... Adjusting his gloves a bit, Shay thought of how refreshing it was to be on his feet again. Unfortunately, climbing this rickety old building was a bit harder than it used to be. Shaking his head, the captain assured himself he's only remembering how it was like to be physically active again. Looking up, Shay walked over to the other side of the roof, looking over the walls bordering Nippur. Nothing yet.
Turning back around, Shay stopped for a moment. Tiny, blurry specks had moved at the corner of Shay's eye. He felt something again. In his stomach, this time. His muscles tensed, and he quickly turned back around. Something was there, alright. On the walls. Moving. From this distance, he couldn't quite make it out, so far away from the palace, and he could barely see in between the buildings, but Shay assumed the worst.
He felt at the ledge of the building, leaning in and squinting to focus his vision. A few seconds passed, and the blurry figures kept rising up the walls, no shiny metal-clad guardsman in the vicinity to see anything but him.
At that moment, the realization of what was happening hit him. Victor was onto something, or someone, in fact. He had to have been. Those were people going up those walls, trying to leave discreetly, right as the guards were switching posts when it was the easiest to do so.
Shay's fists clenched. This definitely was not anything good.
Stepping up, Shay leaped off of the ledge he was previously leaning on only a single second ago, not even having to grab at the next building closest. The provinces in Nippur were so close, Shay might as well have jogged to the walls on foot and it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Or, at least, it wouldn't have if he needed to question those strange figures trying to sneak past the city walls.
The Templar got into his mood as he jumped and sprinted across Nippur, lost in his own thought as he almost instinctively ran his heart out towards the city borders. Were they thieves, perhaps? Spies would have been more likely, and worse. Maybe it was L.A.W. again, or worse yet, the Empire trying to take back what they claim was "theirs?"
In the heat of the moment, Shay was almost shocked to see the defensive walls of Nippur so close already. Only a few buildings away, and by the time he'd have finished asking himself who those possible threats were, Shay was already there. Unfortunately, looking up, the only glimpse of the people trying to escape Nippur was a very short and blurry one, despite how close he was. They were definitely wearing some sort of cloak, however. Shay grumbled to himself, before a hefty grunt escaped his lips as he bounded for the only tiny crevice he could put his hands on within the towering stacks of bricks before him.
Gritting his teeth, the captain felt himself pulling way too many muscles than he felt comfortable with leaping up towards any tiny slips within the architecture of the defenses. These would definitely need to be fixed later on, but... Shay had more important things to deal with at the moment, surely. Rising up the edge of the wall itself, Shay pulled himself up, before running to the other side, and looking down... Now he could see clearly. A smug smile widened across his face.
Whoever was running down there, they certainly were wearing cloaks. Shay could see two of them wearing the same old rags as clothes. The hooded types, the ones you might see cultists from a fantasy book wearing, Shay thought. A grey-blue color, to be exact. They'd more than likely rip those bags off of their bodies as soon as they were out of sight however, so... The Templar hesitated not to immediately vault over the slight cover on the ends of the wall, climbing down, and dropping himself to the dusty sands below as soon as it was safe.
God, did it hurt though. Shay didn't have much time to think about the possible sprained ankle he just got, or to never underestimate his falling distance onto sand ever again, he simply ran. The hooded figures, already trying to stride up a steep dune, kept trudging on, thinking they were safe. Shay sprinted full-speed to not lose sight of them and perhaps get a jump on them. Keep it civil, if possible, but...
One of them turned around. Shay could barely see it, his heart rate increasing, but there was definitely a face under there. One that he could barely see, but a face nonetheless. Either way, they quickly nudged at their buddy beside them, and started running just as, if not faster than Shay himself. The Templar's fists clenched harder, himself running up the dune right after they got over it. He was closing in, but Shay was definitely afraid he'd lose them.
As soon as he got up said dune, however, Shay's heart stopped for a single moment realizing where they were going due to what he saw before him. The train tracks, the lone bandit city way off on the horizon, the short and tiny dead brushes and shrubs...
The gates.
Breathing heavily, Shay couldn't help but curse to himself as he continued to chase down the mysterious figures in the distance.
"Shite."
"Damn," Shay groaned silently, barely pushing the door open enough for him to leave. He made his way back to the palace's front gates, the guardsman all around him noticing the man's seeming exhaustion. Unfortunately for Shay, the first thing he'd want to do right now is sleep, yet he felt no need to. It was already growing chill, looking up now at the darkened night sky of the Dunes.
Shay began to wander the streets of Nippur, almost looking lost. The Templar never noticed before, but... Nippur at night was eerily quiet in comparison to it's day. Back in the British colonies, city life was at the very least active until a few hours into the night, but this was strange.
Well, it would be strange, had Shay not remembered what Victor told him in that email sent to him only an hour or so ago.
Shay doubted this was coincidence. Well, perhaps it was coincidence, and Victor is simply getting paranoid, but Shay didn't want to count on that. Taking a sharp right, Shay walked up to a building next to the street, feeling the cold brick with his gloved hands.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Shay mouthed to himself, a slight smirk on his face as he grasped at the nearest ledge he could put his hands onto, which happened to be a windowsill nearby. In only a few good seconds, Shay had already scaled the decently small building. Turning back over the ledge, he felt the cold night's winds blow in his face, watching as a few more guardsman switch their posts.
His fingers still ached a bit, but... Adjusting his gloves a bit, Shay thought of how refreshing it was to be on his feet again. Unfortunately, climbing this rickety old building was a bit harder than it used to be. Shaking his head, the captain assured himself he's only remembering how it was like to be physically active again. Looking up, Shay walked over to the other side of the roof, looking over the walls bordering Nippur. Nothing yet.
Turning back around, Shay stopped for a moment. Tiny, blurry specks had moved at the corner of Shay's eye. He felt something again. In his stomach, this time. His muscles tensed, and he quickly turned back around. Something was there, alright. On the walls. Moving. From this distance, he couldn't quite make it out, so far away from the palace, and he could barely see in between the buildings, but Shay assumed the worst.
He felt at the ledge of the building, leaning in and squinting to focus his vision. A few seconds passed, and the blurry figures kept rising up the walls, no shiny metal-clad guardsman in the vicinity to see anything but him.
At that moment, the realization of what was happening hit him. Victor was onto something, or someone, in fact. He had to have been. Those were people going up those walls, trying to leave discreetly, right as the guards were switching posts when it was the easiest to do so.
Shay's fists clenched. This definitely was not anything good.
Stepping up, Shay leaped off of the ledge he was previously leaning on only a single second ago, not even having to grab at the next building closest. The provinces in Nippur were so close, Shay might as well have jogged to the walls on foot and it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Or, at least, it wouldn't have if he needed to question those strange figures trying to sneak past the city walls.
The Templar got into his mood as he jumped and sprinted across Nippur, lost in his own thought as he almost instinctively ran his heart out towards the city borders. Were they thieves, perhaps? Spies would have been more likely, and worse. Maybe it was L.A.W. again, or worse yet, the Empire trying to take back what they claim was "theirs?"
In the heat of the moment, Shay was almost shocked to see the defensive walls of Nippur so close already. Only a few buildings away, and by the time he'd have finished asking himself who those possible threats were, Shay was already there. Unfortunately, looking up, the only glimpse of the people trying to escape Nippur was a very short and blurry one, despite how close he was. They were definitely wearing some sort of cloak, however. Shay grumbled to himself, before a hefty grunt escaped his lips as he bounded for the only tiny crevice he could put his hands on within the towering stacks of bricks before him.
Gritting his teeth, the captain felt himself pulling way too many muscles than he felt comfortable with leaping up towards any tiny slips within the architecture of the defenses. These would definitely need to be fixed later on, but... Shay had more important things to deal with at the moment, surely. Rising up the edge of the wall itself, Shay pulled himself up, before running to the other side, and looking down... Now he could see clearly. A smug smile widened across his face.
Whoever was running down there, they certainly were wearing cloaks. Shay could see two of them wearing the same old rags as clothes. The hooded types, the ones you might see cultists from a fantasy book wearing, Shay thought. A grey-blue color, to be exact. They'd more than likely rip those bags off of their bodies as soon as they were out of sight however, so... The Templar hesitated not to immediately vault over the slight cover on the ends of the wall, climbing down, and dropping himself to the dusty sands below as soon as it was safe.
God, did it hurt though. Shay didn't have much time to think about the possible sprained ankle he just got, or to never underestimate his falling distance onto sand ever again, he simply ran. The hooded figures, already trying to stride up a steep dune, kept trudging on, thinking they were safe. Shay sprinted full-speed to not lose sight of them and perhaps get a jump on them. Keep it civil, if possible, but...
One of them turned around. Shay could barely see it, his heart rate increasing, but there was definitely a face under there. One that he could barely see, but a face nonetheless. Either way, they quickly nudged at their buddy beside them, and started running just as, if not faster than Shay himself. The Templar's fists clenched harder, himself running up the dune right after they got over it. He was closing in, but Shay was definitely afraid he'd lose them.
As soon as he got up said dune, however, Shay's heart stopped for a single moment realizing where they were going due to what he saw before him. The train tracks, the lone bandit city way off on the horizon, the short and tiny dead brushes and shrubs...
The gates.
Breathing heavily, Shay couldn't help but curse to himself as he continued to chase down the mysterious figures in the distance.
"Shite."
![[Image: tumblr_nabdyeE81m1qcy62fo1_500.gif]](http://38.media.tumblr.com/62a0123e863be665cb97c8e9e9831315/tumblr_nabdyeE81m1qcy62fo1_500.gif)
"The air is still, and I am a hunter."