Solo Stop, Thief!

[Archailist]

72nd of Summer, 514.

The streets parted silently for the two riders. Moreso for one, than the other. Ser Iros stood head, shoulders and most of his stomach over the rest of the crowds given the huge horse expanding on his already massive stature. Compared to the squirrel Pycon atop his Sykanis mount, he was nothing but a mole to a mountain. In more ways than one, since the squirrel was often burying himself underneath the war-horse whenever someone came a little too close and nearly stepped on him. Most of the pedestrians barely bothered to glance down when they saw such an imposing body riding their way - which just ended up as more bad news for the squirrel, unfortunately. It meant that instead of them having to make room for him, as they did for Ser Iros.. he had to make room for them by weaving between their legs. Xarex was at least mostly helpful here, by occasionally taking the initiative and weaving through the legs before Xarex had a chance to see them. However, Xarex didn't always see the clearest path.. and Arch still ended up somehow guiding him through the mass of legs.

By the time they stopped for a short break, he wasn't sure that he remembered which knee and which tug of the reins gave what order.. his mind was far too exhausted anyway. Just trying to survive in such a city, was so taxing.. he wondered, once again, how he'd managed to stay for so long in such a city. At least in Sunberth and Nyka,one could jump from one head to the next with little fuss. It was only Syliras, where he was forced to sit on the back of a dog and ride his way through the streets like a thread through multiple needles. A jittery, excited thread that didn't always move in the righ direction.. through constantly moving needles that never moved in the direction he wanted.. and so he had to pretty much anticipate where they were moving next. Of course he'd failed quite a bit, much to the displeasure of the passers-by as they tripped and wobbled over the small dog and its mount. If they knew he was a squire of the Order, perhaps they'd treat him with a little more respect. Especially when he became a Knight.

"How're you doing there, Squishy." If he didn't know any better, he'd think that his patron was acting smug. Then again, he couldn't see the Akalak's face under the helmet of his armour. Just in case, he decided to remain completely silent while tending to Xarex - giving him a few sips of water from his waterskin. He wasn't the only one utterly exhausted - the dog was too, with heavy pants falling free from his muzzle as the Pycon dismounted. "You know that this is just as important as all of your training, Arch. As a squire, as a knight, sergeant knight.. doesn't matter what rank you are within the Order. Your job will always be to protect those of Syliras." He knew that. It'd been hammered into his head more times than he could count.. but then again, he'd be alarmed if it wasn't.

He was about ready to saddle up and hop back onto Xarex with a grunt, when a commotion broke out a few steps away. He couldn't see much of it, but Ser Iros' expression hardened as he stared at the source of the noises. Something was happening. "Get on your mount." His voice was calm but demanding, and the squirrel immediately hopped over Xarex's back to settle in the saddle and hook his feet into the stirrups. Meanwhile, the patron knight had already turned his mount and begun a steady walk towards the source of commotion. Arch followed.. but because he couldn't really grab the crowds attention in the same way that the Akalak could, he was resigned to wind between their legs and over their feet to get to the center of the circle that pedestrians and civilians had formed.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

The crowds didn't part and make way for the squirrel in the same way as they did for Ser Iros. On the contrary, they pretty much ignored Archailist as he wound his way between their legs - brushing and occasionally bumping into them. Through the thin gaps offered between the pedestrians, he could see other knights gathering on the edges of the walls - apparently hearing the commotion and coming to see for themselves. Seemed something really serious was going on in that case. They were about to find out anyway, though. Arch reached the middle of the circle first, because Ser Iros had to wait for people to make way before he could pass through. As for Arch, well.. he just had to send Xarex between their legs, and that was it. "Alright, what's going on here?" Everyone turned to Ser Iros, despite the fact that it'd been the squirrel speaking. Surprisingly, in turn, Ser Iros only stared down at the squirrel.. and soon, other eyes followed. Since he was still pretty much half-in the crowd, most of them backed off when they realized a squirrel was mere inches away from their ankles.

Two humans, arguing. Loudly. One a female, the other a male.. he couldn't guess accurately but they didn't look very old, or like children. There was obviously some kind of heated argument going on.. with plenty of shouting, screaming, and very vivid hand gestures. He glanced over to his patron, but the man only gestured back - apparently he was expected to go and deal with them. Although he had no clue how he should be expected to go about that. They were so engrossed in their personal conflict that they didn't even notice the huge crimson Akalak on the back of an even larger war-horse casually trotting towards them. How was he expected to deal with these two in an orderly manner?

Nevertheless, he'd try. "Hey, break it up!" Nothing. Their voices were far too loud to be drowned out by the diminutive squirrel. "HEY!" Still nothing. Even with his dog barking, their voices only seemed to rise farther and farther.

"You owe me money, you petching liar!"

"You said that money was a gift! Stop talking shyke!"

"Hey, if you're not going to give me back what you owe me, I'll just take it!" There was a collective gasp - even though Arch tried to stop it with his own shouts, they were lost as the woman suddenly back-handed the man and while he was stuck in recoil, she grabbed his back-pack and suddenly launched herself through the crowds - elbowing and shouldering her way through the startled on-lookers as the man crumpled to his knees, holding.. a bloodied nose? Really?

"Arch." His attention turned back to the mammoth of a knight, that had easily pushed his way through the crowds on the back of his horse. "Go and see to him. I'll catch up after I've talked to this gentleman here." Of course, it would make more sense for the squirrel to stay behind.. since the dog and him running after the woman would never be able to catch up, surely. They just didn't have the speed. But he wouldn't question the Akalak's judgement, especially in this state. A firm nudge to the dog's side and a tug of the reins, and Xarex turned and galloped off in a way only a dog could. The crowds hadn't moved since the woman had pushed through the circle, so he had a clear path to follow for that. However, outside the circle.. the crowds were soon closing up and moving along with their business. And that meant that he once again had to traverse countless legs that couldn't even see where they were walking. Thank you SO much, Ser Iros.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

The biggest problem wouldn't be keeping up with the thief. It'd be actually finding where she was. Given that she had quite a head-start, the best he could do was sprint straight down the street he'd last seen her moving. Easier said than done; the streets were packed at these times, with numerous civilians dispersing through the court-yards and between districts. It was like all those cultists, again. Chasing them through the streets of Nyka. He just had to remember.. where it was that they were likely to go. Definitely not hide, no.. they'd just end up waiting to be caught, after all. Syliras wouldn't just let a thief escape. So, that meant the gates. If he could find a way to get to the gates before she could, he could block off the thief and get the gates closed before she escaped. If only he had a better way to get through the city without taking the streets; he couldn't abandon his dog, though.

Haste left little option but to let the dog take most of the control, once again. His feet pushed farther into the stirrups for better support; his stomach and chest pressed against the soft fur of the dogs neck and back. It was the only way to let the dog get to full speed, without risking falling off like all of those other times. "Alright, Xarex.. time for a bit of a sprint." A firm squeeze to the dogs sides, and they began to pick up the pace. Flowing against traffic was never easy, because he had to keep guiding the dog to the left and right with squeezes here and there of either knee; essentially leaning his entire body in the direction he needed to go, in order to pull him in the right direction. Xarex took some of the weight by turning himself to avoid crashing into people.. but in a way, they were both in near-equal control. The dog could turn himself but he couldn't pick out the best path to go alone. That was where Arch came into the equation. They were a team, together.. although they were still learning how to be an effective team.

More than one occasion involved accidentally bumping into a shin or an ankle, resulting in quite loud yelling as the person in question stumbled straight into another person.. and so on. Luckily the crowds were thick enough that he could make an escape between other legs and he likely wouldn't be chased either. The last thing that he needed was people chasing him, while he was trying to chase someone else. That'd likely just make the whole situation much more confusing than it was already.. and right then, it was pretty confusing anyway.

Suddenly.. down the middle of his path came a running body. The woman. It was her. He could catch a glimpse of her face as she passed and immediately, he sharply jabbed a knee into the dogs side while at the same time tugging the side of his reins to pull him around in a sharp turn. It made a few others stumble, but that didn't matter. The path the woman created with her running - needlessly pushing others aside - created just enough room to be able to slip between the groups. No more jumping between legs for the dog, it looked like. "STOP, IN THE NAME OF THE SYLIRAN KNIGHTS!" Heads turned and people immediately pushed to the far edges of the streets to make room for the member of the Order - but the girl refused to stop. If anything, she just pushed herself to run even faster than before. She couldn't keep running forever, how ever. "I SAID STOP, THIEF!"

She kept trying to lose him. Pushing around corners suddenly, down narrow alleys and back into crowded streets. However, he knew that he could catch her now. Xarex knew it as well - every nudge to his sides just made him push even faster. All he needed to do, was follow the stream of startled faces that she kept leaving in her wake. One thing he could say about her though - she was definitely acrobatic. Pretty much leaping through the crowds, occasionally sliding through narrow groups with minimal effort. If it had been a regular human chasing her, she would have easily outran it.. but no. He was a squirrel, on the back of a dog.. and even when confronted with an entire group of people standing still, he could pass through their legs with only some effort. "Come on, Xarex.. we've got her. Just a little more."

Realistically, he wouldn't catch up with her. She was far too fast and her unpredictable movements meant he'd never really be able to get a grip on her. Even if he could.. she had the advantage in terms of her run. But he had a whole different advantage altogether. "What's going all down there?" Even through the burning rush in his ears, and his entire body, he could hear the knights from the paths up above watching and conversing. Needless to say, there'd be reinforcements soon enough. The city was pretty much surrounded and filled with knights.. this one thief had absolutely no chance.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

The thief rounded a corner suddenly, and Arch moved to follow.. and was met by a massive pair of horses that reared to avoid simply stepping right on the squirrel and his miniature dog-mount. Above, on the back of a full cart, the driver shouted and pulled hard on the reins while the dog and squirrel quickly slipped directly underneath the cart and ducked to avoid the axle slamming into their heads while they passed. One definite perk of being small - otherwise, they'd be spending chimes trying to get around the cart that took up most of the smaller passage. However, it didn't matter anyway.. by the time he'd slipped out the other side of the cart, the crowds had closed back in around the path and his advantage had been lost. Looked like he'd be going back to square one at any rate - and there'd be no time like the present to try and catch up again.

Together they wound through yet more legs - albeit much faster than before. Arch was really becoming frustrated by the fact that nobody ever seemed to move away and let him pass through. If anything, they walked closer to the middle of the street, and it meant he had to weave carefully between their legs - rarely with an actual success. There were always nudges, pushes, the occasional foot stepping on the dogs foot and causing him to whimper. Arch could only soothe the dog with caresses around his head and over his ears as they pushed on - although he soon began shouting. "Make way, please!" "Make way, Syliran Squire coming through, move to the sides please!" "MOVE please!" Nothing. He couldn't tell where they were ignoring him on purpose, or whether they were simply uninterested in making way for a mere squire they couldn't even see.

After a long walk, though, he managed to push out into a wider street - one with fewer people in, meaning that he could actually orient himself and try to figure out where the thief was likely to have gone. Jordon District. He could see the Miza Mint, even over many of the heads of passers-by. He couldn't even remember where it was that he'd started, but he knew they must have passed through at least one or two districts - and caught the attention of a fair few guards on the way. He'd need to turn and make it down for the Nettle District as quickly as possible. If they could close off the gates before the thief managed to escape, then they'd still have a chance of finding it.

Suddenly, he heard hooves - and when he turned, there stood Ser Iros and other knights following quickly behind. One held a longsword and a kite-shield; another held just a dagger. Well, it was certainly diverse. Even Ser Iros seemed to have found a rather large round shield and a spear from somewhere, because he held both in one hand and rode his mount with the free hand. "Arch, there you are. Which direction did the thief go?" Ahh, petch. Of course he'd want to know, just when he'd lost her. Well, he might as well give him the educated guess and hope for the best. After all, where else would the thief be going other than outside of Syliras.. doubtful that she'd find any comfort in Syliras, with the Knights trailing quickly behind her every step.

"She's gone towards the Nettle District - trying to escape through the doors before the message can get there. I think." The Akalak nodded in return, and only shared brief glances with the other knights before turning back to the Pycon. They both looked concerned, as they looked down towards the squirrel - although they'd held that look since they'd first seen the squirrel, and that always meant one thing. Great. Another two knights who aren't exactly pleased with a squirrel squire. Well, thankfully, given the situation, they couldn't speak out about it. Especially in the presence of the patron knight.

"In that case, you'd better join us. We're going to need all the help we can find in getting to her before she reaches the gates - otherwise we can kiss that thief goodbye." As much as the other two knights didn't look like they seemed pleased with this arrangement, entirely, they nodded and waited for the squirrel to get moving before following swiftly behind, at the back of the single file line of knights and squires.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

He wasn't joking when he said 'keep up'. There was no slowing down the three knights as they powered their way down the streets - quickly causing those unfortunate enough to be on the streets to jump to the side and make way. He wished that he had the power to do that. But then again, being a Pycon wasn't that bad. It meant that he got to ride directly behind his patron, with the other two unfamiliar knights in tow behind - sparing as little distance as possible between themselves and the crimson Akalak. As if keeping up wasn't hard enough for the squirrel and his mount - not just keeping the speed, but also shifting direction and making sure to avoid the massive hooves kicking mere inches away from his face - the Akalak soon began shouting over his shoulder as he went, giving out details and trying to work out a strategy.

"Alright. We split up and search through the streets. One of us needs to send a message across the upper levels so that we can get the gates closed before the thief eventually gets to them." Immediately, Arch could see a problem with that plan though. He kept pushing his mount to keep up with the rest of them as they paraded themselves through the streets in search of the thief, but every time he lifted his voice to try and speak out against what Ser Iros was concocting, he seemed to either not hear, or not pay attention to it. "When one of us finds the thief, we shout; the others arrive and surround them, and it's done. We go through the different Districts, taking over Dyres, Maiden, Roshin and Illythian at once. Cover the most area at once so that we can find the thief easier."

Eventually they came to a crossroads, near the crossing into the Jordon District. They were about to split up, but the squirrel called them back at the last moment - finally able to make himself heard. "Hold on!" Ser Iros stopped, with a curious and somewhat frustrated crease on his brow. He knew - they were losing time when they should be capturing the thief. However. "I don't think that's a good idea. We could just be pushing the thief right towards the exit of the city, and if we haven't got the doors closed in time, then we'll end up chasing them all the way through the Bronze Woods." He could see one of the other two knights begin to speak up, while gesturing to the roads - however, Ser Iros stopped him with one hand, before looking down to the squirrel. Arch continued. "We need to make a straight run down for the gates. Get them closed. If the thief turns up, it's a straight run. If not.. then we can spread out. It'll make sure that the thief stays inside the city, trapped, and then we find her."

When he looked between the knights, he couldn't see anything - neither approval nor disapproval. But then, suddenly, Ser Iros spoke up. "Let's get to the gates. Quickly." With that, they all nodded and set out at a brisque pace. He wasn't sure what had just happened.. but he might have earned a bit of respect for his quick thinking. He wasn't completely sure because the other two knights... he wasn't completely sure what the feeling was, but it felt like their eyes were now constantly centered on his back. It felt disturbing, but he put it at the back of his mind for that moment and instead nudged his dog into a quicker walk.

Above, he was sure that he could see more of the knights - running the battalions. Apparently news had gotten out by then - even though it'd realistically been barely a few chimes since the word first broke out. He didn't know what was going on between the times of seeing the thief.. he suddenly realized he didn't even know how many knights there were in this run. Although surely it couldn't be that many, in pursuit of only one fairly fast thief. It was, admittedly, a very busy day for all.. with pedestrians swamping the streets and making it very difficult to see exactly where this thief was and where they were going. Getting warnings between the districts seemed to be the most paramount decision. Although even that was running slowly.. because they needed to see the girl in order to send messages to the right knights. It all reeked of a bit too little organization.. too little tactics and preparation. Perhaps he'd eventually be the one on the battalions, making the choices.. although somehow he doubted that. In another way, he eagerly anticipated it.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

With their concentration focused only in one direction, the speed they could amass was staggering, truly. In single file once again, they sped through most of the city as if it was nothing - with many civilians pushing out of the way like the sea itself was parting for them and them alone. Their journey took them straight through the middle of the Maiden District. Most of the people inside were simply going about their business, if they were doing anything at all - a lot of them just seemed to be sitting on the edges of the streets, some of them selling small things like the occasional set of skinned rabbits for meat, probably done by a poor hunter. Instead of splitting up and taking multiple, winding routes, they all took one - the quickest one towards the destination. It was pretty much perfect.

Soon, even the Maiden District cleared and made way for the all-too-familiar Nettle District. The White Swan Inn, and the Rearing Stallion were the first things to come into view. The next were the astonishing amount of people currently gathered around the District in general. However, that no longer mattered. They were so close to the main gates.. and they could already see the knights conversing and more of them lining up around the bottom of the gates to make sure they kept a close eye on whoever passed through. They were already waiting for the thief to make her move. And that meant she wouldn't be escaping the city any time soon. Now it's just like shooting fish in a barrel. He was about ready to slow down, along with the rest of them.. until he saw the best and the worst thing, all at one.

The thief, suddenly clearing the edges of the District, and pushing straight through the crowds.. straight for the gates. The crowds were too thick. There'd never be a chance they'd catch up, and if they didn't catch her at the gates, they could well spend a very, very long time going through every district in Syliras in order to find her again. "There she is!" He shouted to the other three knights at the top of his voice, but they saw the same situation as he did. That wouldn't stop the stubborn knights from at least giving it a go, and pushing their way through the crowds, only occasionally dotted by a few horses and their riders - or even carts - pushing through the throng.

"Come on, move aside! Knights trying to get through, here!"

"Out of the way, out of the way!" It was no good - the crowds either didn't move out of the way, or they just didn't do so fast enough. Arch could do it though. He didn't need to wait for room to be made - all he needed to do was slip between the feet and the ankles, and he'd be able to make it to the human before anyone else. In fact, he wondered if he would be the only one able to make it to the thief before she disappeared again. Well, there was no point hanging about to see if it was true. Immediately, he gave a good squeeze around Xarex's thighs and lurched forwards as the dog pretty much bounded into the open gaps between the legs. Although, it was immediately going to be harder than he first imagined - he knew it the moment he jumped in.

These crowds were grouped tighter together than the others. He pretty much had to constantly wind, between one leg and another - there was never time to stop and plan the next move, there was never time to even orient himself to any of his surroundings except the legs.. and the one pair of legs that seemed to be moving much, much faster than the others. He could see them through all of the others.. and he knew there must only be one person that they belonged to. He couldn't even move directly towards it, though.. he had to continue winding between the legs. Always. He felt more like a snake, than a squirrel on the back of a dog. His knees were becoming sore from the constant nudges and squeezes that he had to apply to the dogs sides, to guide him in the general direction he needed to go. Of course, Xarex did the rest.. and the squirrel had no clue how. He could barely keep up with it all.

Eventually, the legs stopped.. as he came to the gate. And there she stood, directly above him.. and she was staring, in turn, at a group of about four knights guarding the entrance to the city. The entrance, and the exit. "SHE'S THE THIEF! STOP HER!"

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

He swore, he could hear all of the swords of the knights draw at once as they took their places, blocking the exit effectively. And with the squirrel taking the opposite direction, she was literally trapped between a rock and a hard place. He wasn't about to let her make a run for it, though. With the other knights still on horse-back, along with his patron, spreading out behind him, he unhooked his feet from his stirrups and attempted a very risky jump off the back of his mount and straight for the woman's leg. He knew the point that he needed to push, on the back of the leg, in order to temporarily incapacitate her and force her to lose her balance and topple. If he got her down on the ground then it'd be all over - all without even a bit of fuss, once they had the girl surrounded. He was quite surprised she'd not given up yet.

His attack went wonky, though. Not because of the squirrel, surprisingly - because, mid-jump, the girl turned on the spot. Instead of hitting the back of the knee, where he'd hoped, he ended up impacting with full force on the side of her knee. Funnily enough, he didn't feel a lot of resistance.. at all. It was nothing like the cultist, who's skull could be felt first jolting, and then fracturing afterwards. It was almost as if the squirrel soared through the leg itself, and left the remains to shatter afterwards. It didn't make the experience anywhere less sickening though.. even for the knights that surrounded the girl and the squirrel, while she crumpled into a useless heap on the ground and moaned while clutching her shattered knee and shin... which now pushed at a strangely awkward and unnatural angle.

He didn't know why.. but immediately, he rose and held both paws up in the air when faced with his patron knight and the other knights. "I didn't mean to do it, honest..." He couldn't really tell what they were thinking, but surely.. surely he couldn't have been that bad, could he? The girl had turned to obviously make a run for it.. and he'd stopped her, the best way he knew how. In fact the only way he could. It wasn't his fault that she'd turned at the last moment.. he'd not been aiming to break her leg, which he could now guess quite accurately he'd done.

However, he still couldn't be entirely sure what he saw in those faces.. most of all, his patron knight, staring down at him for a few long and rather awkward moments. Then he glanced to the other knights now holding the girl, who still tried to reach down and grab her shattered leg. They held her arms though - since it was the only part of her they could now grip for purchase. Not likely she'd be walking her way out of her sentence, if at all. It looked quite serious. "Take her to the Tank, and have someone come down to inspect that damage." Then, Ser Iros grabbed the backpack off the ground, where it'd fallen.. and immediately grunted with surprise as he glanced down inside the open top. Even Arch got to get a look inside.. and his eyes widened as well.

Miza's. Hundreds upon hundreds of golden-rimmed Miza's. Looking like they'd come straight out of a merchants house.. heck, like they'd come straight out of the Miza Mint itself. And the owner of them all.. the man from much earlier on, who was later brought forwards by another pair of knights.. he was dressed in little more than rags. Looked like he had some explaining to do, as well. Surely they didn't belong to him. Just the knights staring at him, seemed to make him sweat.. and as they all glanced from one to another, they knew something was definitely wrong. "Well.. I found them in the street! I didn't bring them in because.. well, I was going to. I mean, I have no idea.. no idea where they came from.." Ser Iros gestured for the pack, and it was passed down swiftly.

Strangely, he picked up one single coin and rubbed it between his crimson fingers. Arch shared as many looks between the knights as they did between themselves as they waited patiently to see where the man was going. That stopped when he took the thing between his teeth and bit down. "What are you doing--" And then, it all made sense. The Akalak held the coin up to the light, and.. low and behold, the scratches at the edges of the coin revealed something all too astonishing for some to hold back. Arch especially. The stuff wasn't real.. just painted. Counterfeit Miza's trying to be circulated.

"Take them both to the Tank, to await their sentence." Just another day, he guessed. Certainly not what qualified as a normal day.. but it was another day, in Syliras. A city filled with knights, civilization and order.. and some of the dumbest criminals this side of Mizahar itself.

[Estrellir Konrath]

Archailist

Skills
Riding: Dog +5
Observation +2
Tactics +1
Unarmed Combat +1

Lores
Dog-Riding: Dodging legs and feet
Dog-Riding: Maneuvering around a cart
Tactics: Trapping the victim before catching them
Syliras: Houses dumbest criminals
Catching two miza counterfeiters

Other
Shield Points +6

Comments

I enjoyed reading this thread a lot! The way you manage to mix everyday Pycon problems with squire adventures is exceptional. I also love how you gave it a happy ending that isn't all happy. As always, PM me with any questions or concerns!

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