There is a little more to my disguise than just wearing a new face. Not much, but a little. On one hand I''m wearing the lighter and shorter knife at my belt right now instead of my sword. On the other hand I turn around the hooded cloak in a quiet alley. Thankfully it can be worn both ways. And thankfully it looks slightly different when worn inside out too. Not by much, but at least a little.


    I''ll still have to invest some coin into more clothes eventually. That way I''ll have more options available. I''ll need things of different sizes too, as my recent change demonstrated.


    It''s a good thing that most of the additional weight this shape comes with despite being even shorter than my other one is distributed across the upper body. My pants were already too damn tight before after all. And I can do without ill fitting boots. In a way, despite being a success, my most recent change in shape has primarily succeeded in adding more head aches to my pack. How very bothersome!


    Maybe I should just grab a change of clothes off a clothesline? That thought bears some consideration. There is one serious problem with it though. I haven''t seen any clotheslines. No, actually I have seen the lines! I just haven''t seen any clothes on them yet!


    That seems weird. Are people all cleaning their clothes with magic instead? It doesn''t sound entirely impossible, but at the same time it sounds a little improbable. And no that isn''t it for sure! I have seen plenty of dirty clothes worn! And that one trash collector mentioned that his sister in law takes her laundry very seriously. So laundry does get done! I just have no clue when and where.


    The issue goes on the list of little mysteries I need to solve, but there is no urgency to this. Not yet anyway. I pause to take a brief sniff at myself. Alright, maybe I should not wait too long either.


    Right now there are other things I need to contemplate. Like the patrol cycle of the guards on the wall. I settle down in a dark alley a little ways away from the wall that will afford me a clear enough view of the battlements anyway.


    It shouldn''t be too hard to spot and time the patrols since they carry lanterns. I shake my head in disbelief. How silly is that? How can they hope to spot anything in the dark beyond the lantern''s light if they blind themselves like that? Never mind that they give themselves away too.


    I probably shouldn''t complain, since this makes it easier for me. Easier, but no less time consuming. I have to waste quite a bit of time to figure out their patrol cycle. At least my [Spot] and [Stealth] skills improve a little while I hide in the shadows, watching the battlements as well as the nearest towers to either side.


    Another curious detail I notice is that there are no dedicated patrols for the whole of the wall. The guards from one tower always only ever move from their tower to the next one during one cycle and back the during the cycle right after. And in between these patrols, if you even want to call them that, I have an hour of near darkness to cross over.


    That is more than enough. Much, much more than enough. To be honest not being noticed by random passers by as I climb will be harder than avoiding notice by the guards.


    Well, no time like today! I move with purpose, but with hurry, up to the wall. I even saunter a few steps along it to make sure there is no one around. Or at least no one showing any interest in me.


    Then I tackle the third part of my nightly venture. The climb is a little more tricky than the one at the tower in the woods. Pretty much as expected. The stone blocks aren''t as old and weathered and there are no plants growing in the cracks either. At the same time the construction of the wall makes up for it, at least in part. It is more crude in general. Many of the cracks are wide enough to allow me to wiggle my fingers or toes in even without any weathering.


    In the end I get up to the ramparts without trouble. It even feels like my [Climbing] skill improved a little. It makes me wonder if this little trip might just earn me a few level up notices in the long run. Wouldn''t that be nice?


    I pull myself up the last bit and look around to make sure I haven''t missed any guards. Of course I haven''t. I have come to the conclusion that their purpose is more to be seen rather than anything else. Well, whatever, if that is how it is, it fits me just fine.


    The next stretch of my way through the city is probably the most troublesome. I know pretty much nothing about the city inside the walls after all. I don''t know the layout of the streets. I don''t know the rooftops either. This is all very troublesome.


    At least I can see my destination from here. It really isn''t hard to spot. The temple and the keep are easily the two grandest buildings in all of the city after all. None of the rest come even close.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Another thing becomes obvious quickly too. Space inside the walls is worth a lot. As a result the streets and alleys are narrow and the buildings are built pretty high. The free space above the streets narrows even further, as the buildings become a little wider with every story built upwards until they almost touch on the fourth floor.


    Over all I shouldn''t have any trouble getting up on the first rooftop, starting from the battlements of the wall. I just have to pick the right spot. And, although I''m not in a hurry I don''t want to stay out here in the open on the battlements for too long either, thus I make up my mind quickly.


    I settle for a half timbered house that looks a little worse than most others. Not like it will come crashing down any time soon. Not like it will give in under my weight either. But it certainly isn''t quite as well maintained as its neighbors.


    A single jump takes me from the battlements to the corner of the building, where I have an easier time holding onto the beams of the half timbered construction. It is just one jump and not a particularly tricky one, but it is rewarded with a divine whisper anyway.


    [*Ding!* Your skill Jumping has leveled up to level 4!]


    Very nice! I don''t have time to dwell on it though. If anything I''m even more exposed than on the battlements while clinging to the building''s wall after all. The wall isn''t whitewashed at least. Otherwise I would really stand out. I still can''t afford to linger, thus I quickly resume my climb.


    Climbing a half timbered house is an all new experience. The wooden beams of the construction, which protrude from the rest just a little provide regular handholds. There are plenty of spots where I can place my feet too. At the same time the way each floor protrudes a little further than the last one is bothersome.


    Yes, overhangs are bothersome. At the same time they might be the reason why I feel like I earned another partial skill increase for [Climbing] by the time I pull myself up onto the shingled roof.


    I grimace a little. The shingles are not wood but slate. Not nearly as easy to traverse. At least it isn''t raining. Otherwise they probably would be slippery as hell. I glance skyward to make sure that isn''t going to change anytime soon. Yes, the sky is mostly clear. Very little cloud cover. No need to worry in that regard at least.


    I''m very careful as I place my steps anyway, while moving across the rooftop to the first chimney where I make a little break. The chimney is a very solid stone construction. Much more solid than the rest of the house. I wouldn''t be surprised if it were a leftover from a previous structure. For now though I''m just glad that it will help obscure my silhouette up here while I take a moment to look around and figure out the rest of my way across the rooftops.


    This pays off twice. Firstly I have the feeling that it earns me another partial increase for [Stealth]. The second benefit is that I can actually pick a decent route across the remaining rooftops from this vantage point.


    The temple is probably little more than a hundred paces away from me, if I were to go in a straight line, but I can hardly go in a straight line. I''ll have to jump across several streets and the last jump to the temple''s roof will actually be a quite challenging one. And I want to avoid some of the rooftops in between me and my target too. Mostly the slate ones that look too well maintained, as they seem to be entirely too slippery.


    I nod to myself as I memorize my route to the best of my abilities. Curiously enough, this earns me another divine whisper.


    [*Ding!* Your skill Streetwise has leveled up to level 3!]


    I grin to myself. It is always best if you get to know the city with your feet. No matter if you go on ground level or across the rooftops. The sewers might be an option too, but I''m not sure Riverrun even has sewers. Besides, the rooftops are a lot less smelly.


    My nerves are fluttering a little. I have leveled up a few times by now. My health has increased considerably. At the same time I''m pretty sure that a fall from this far up will still be painful at the very least. Enough so that I don''t want to find out how much exactly.


    My route is picked accordingly. And I go about making my way to the city''s center without any reckless abandon too. The first rooftops and jumps should allow me to get a better feeling to this mode of travel.


    Slowly I pick up speed as I cross one roof after the other. My jumps across the streets in between become more confident too. It''s not enough to earn me a notification, but I''m sure that both [Balance] and [Jumping] improve a little. I feel confident about my [Running] skill too, as I pick up more speed.


    Then, as I''m already on the last rooftop before the temple something gives me pause though. I stop and squeeze myself into the nook behind one of the more numerous chimneys here.


    It is the tingly feeling as the hair at the back of my neck stand on end as my [Danger Sense] gets triggered. A divine whisper that is quick to follow just reaffirms the feeling.


    [*Ding!* Your skill Danger Sense has leveled up to level 5!]


    The streets below are in general pretty quiet here within the walls. Very much unlike in some places outside the walls. Right now though I can hear the measured steps of armored boots from below, as well as the words of a quiet conversation.


    “Did you hear that?”


    “What do you mean? I hear nothing.”


    “It sounded like someone running. Well, whatever, it''s stopped now. Keep your eyes open anyway.”


    The light of one, no two, lanterns illuminates the street below too. A patrol? Slowly I edge towards the edge of the roof to catch a glimpse. Not right away though, I wait for the owners of these two voices to resume their walk first.


    Indeed. A patrol. These are not guards though. They armor actually looks better. Their coat of arms is different too. A different department? Nightwatchmen? I''ll have to inquire with my mysterious benefactor tomorrow once I return from this little test they set me up with.


    I retreat back behind the chimney again and wait for the two to gain more distance. Whatever questions I have will have to wait. First I need to get done with this test.