Guardsmen. They were the Officers of the Law, Keepers of the Peace, to Protect and Serve, the bringers of justice to the wronged and punishers of the wicked. Vandryn was normally quite indifferent to them in any other case. In this instance, however, they were just in the way, a nuisance that made it their job to prevent him from doing his job. He may have been a criminal, but even people on the wrong side of the law still had to eat. Vandryn eyed the guardsmen that patrolled the city streets, their armor glinting in the afternoon light.
Vandryn frowned as he waited in the shade of the tavern balcony. It was a middle-class section of the city, more or less populated by people who had better things to do than worry about petty thieves. Not that Vandryn would ever stoop so low. There were few treasures actually worth his time. And yet...there were other things worth so much more.
He lips twitched with a faint smile, one of satisfaction, and his hand reached into the fold of his tunic and subtly pulled out a small parchment scroll with a wax seal as of yet unbroken. He might not have been a thief of valuables such as jewelry, gems, weapons, intoxicants, or the like, but he learned early on the stealing and trade of information could be just as lucrative, if not more so, than anything of tangible material wealth. He was told to steal one item, a scroll just like the one in his possession, by his employer. Vandryn did not know what kind of information the scroll contained, but it was enough to make his employer pay enough to receive it as soon as possible, on the condition that the seal remained unbroken. They must have been desperate to pay such a high price in order to get the scroll; almost made him want to open it up himself to see what it contained.
Vandryn's grin faded when he looked over the balcony again to the guard patrols. They were on the look-out for someone his size and stature, and with his clothing description. It wasn't exactly clear, but enough to possibly put him away for a long time if caught. And he knew that he didn't have much time when he could get out of the city before they blocked all possible exits. He pulled out the shining blade of a dagger he kept at his breast and stared at the reflection of his disguise. It was quickly made, and potentially horrifying at a quick glance, but Vandryn was accustomed to thinking on his feet and pasting rough patches of leather to various parts of his face, and painting over them in one even skin-tone might actually fool a passing guard into thinking he was nothing but a street leper. He threw his hood on and another cloth over his head and wrapped it around the lower half of his face. Another glance below and it looked like the guards were thickening.
This was the time, if any at all, and he slipped out from the side of the balcony that led down to an empty alleyway. He lowered himself with care and landed behind a series of crates with the light tap of his shoes on stone. When he saw the way was clear, he secured the cloth over his face and began walking briskly out of the alley and down the street. So far so good, he thought...almost too soon. He added in a cough and kept his face lowered to the ground. Another guard passed him by and didn't even look back. He glanced back and quickly turned forward again. But as he turned his face collided into the shoulder of another guard.
"Gah, nasty leper, get out of here!" she snapped, shoving him away.
"Oh...so sorry...I did not mean to..." Vandryn said with a heaving rasp and continued on his way. But something did feel strange on his face. The guard looked down at her shoulder and noticed paint on her pauldron and strips of rough leather stuck to it. He glanced back and his eyes locked with hers for an eternity of a second. The disguise was peeled away, revealing a good portion of his face underneath.... The second did not last long before she cried out for more guards to give chase.
And in that instant Vandryn flew on his feet. He dashed down the street and rubbed off the face paint with the cloth as he ran, no use in keeping it now. Every muscle in his body moved to power his escape. Sometimes there wasn't always a chance for a clean getaway, but he would do whatever it took to get the job done, even at the cost of a few incessant guards. He could have stopped to fight them, to take them on, one against all, but he was no fool and knew he'd be quickly outnumbered. Vandryn quickly made his way down a tight turn, pursued by a passel of guards more than he cared to count. The faster he made his getaway the better!
But the street was getting far too cluttered, and Vandryn snarled as he ran. As he rounded a corner, he nearly paused for a second at the increased number of people, vendors, carts, and stands in the way. Damn the gods! Yet the way back was cut off....the only way out, was the way through. He darted off again, not wanting to give his pursuers a second closer to him if he could help it. Interweaving between people, where he could Vandryn sought to use the clutter to his advantage, what slowed him down would slow them down, surely! Yet a quick glance backwards told him the people parted easily for the armored Lawkeepers. This was not happening! Vandryn grit his teeth and turned back ahead, quickly noticing a cart moving in front of him. In an instant, he bounded upward, onto the stock in the back. He stood there for only a moment, scouting out another place to jump.
The guards drew ever closer and sand was drifting dangerously out of the hour glass. The cart moved and he leapt for the corrugated roof of a nearby vendor's stand. A series of lean-tos hung over the many stands across from him and served as a suitable bridge over the riffraff in the street. Vandryn put distance between them then and kept his eyes in front, right where they belonged. The street was getting much narrower, enough for him to bound from one side right to the other and back again. As he kept his eyes focused forward, he soon noticed the path took an abrupt dead end. His heart was pounding in his chest, an engine telling him to think fast or give up any hope of escape! Suddenly his eye caught lines of ropes interconnected to hold up some scaffolding on the side of the street.
Flashing metal came out from the sheath at his chest as he cut the rope when he came close it. The line snapped and zipped through pinholes and pullys he watched with some satisfaction as the scaffolding came loose and began to waver from the side of the building. He dashed for it and jammed his foot against its side. The whole thing came crashing down, smashing or crushing whatever was in its way. The guards were caught up in the commotion, amid cries of panic and rising dust and flying splinters.
Vandryn concealed himself in the dust and vaulted up from the remaining portion of the scaffolding that remained, aiming for a balcony above him. He grabbed the bottom of it and lifted himself up carefully, and threw his legs over the railing. The double-doors were locked and he crashed his foot through a glass pane in it's side and put his hand through it, unlocking the door and gently pushing it open. He cast one more glance at the guardsmen that had been pursuing him, drawn up in the confusion, trying to help civilians caught in the broken wood and he grinned again in satisfaction.
As he turned back he found a weapon drawn at him, it's wielder as of yet unknown and caught in the shade of the room. "Hold it right there," it said. Vandryn just paused while the point was at his chest and he just stared at the weapon.
"Why is it every time I turn my back for a second, something bad happens?" Vandryn asked in irritation, keeping his eyes on the weapon.
