Heroes & Thieves III: Clapia’s Rebirth

Wagons. Dozens of them. It was the Oridion caravan. Transporting high-priced goods from Gramlaw, King Terrance's palace. And I was going to take some. I inspected the armed guards. There were at least five guards for each wagon. Some had more.

I pulled up my mask and I began tailing the caravan. I was going to pick them off one by one. Thankfully, I had some advantages. First, we were in a dense woods. This was where I could be at my best. The path was so close to the brush and trees that I could almost pick a guard's pocket while still hiding. Secondly, the weather. The heavy rain made it harder to see and hear for the guards. Not to mention the enormous cracks of thunder that happened seconds after each lightning flash.

I came to the rear of the caravan. A lightning bolt streaked across the sky. My cue. I leapt out of the tree line, instantly tackling the guard at the furthermost rear of the caravan. The thunder completely covered the sounds of the struggle. As far as his buddies were concerned, he was still behind them.

I snuck out of the bushes, creeping behind my next target. I had to admit that I was feeling mighty overconfident today. I made some goofy faces at him as I strolled directly behind him. Waving my hands in ridiculous motions. Crossing my eyes at him. After I was done being silly, I nabbed him, too. Once again, the lightning giving me the signal for when to strike. The guards were just asking for it. They walked with their heads down. They were spread out enough that I had no worries about any of them seeing me when I attacked another one. Too easy. Three. Check. Four. Unconscious. Five. Taken down.

I was so carefree that I could have skipped up to the back of the last wagon. With a crash of thunder, I jumped onto the back of the wagon and unlatched the back doors with my pick. I snatched a dozen knives that were arrayed with jewels and covered in gold or silver. To top it off, I took four of the best swords and latched them to my belt. I closed the doors and hopped off off the wagon.

I couldn't stop from smiling. I started walking away, chuckling merrily to myself. But of course, pride comes before destruction. I never heard it. With the rain and the thunder, it was nigh impossible to hear something so quiet.

An arrow.