First things first. I head down to the upstream waterfront, which is a lot more busy this time of the day. Fishermen and women are selling their catch. The ones doing the buying are mostly people running inns or food stalls as far as I can tell. They certainly buy more fish than anyone cooking just for a single family would, even if it is a big family.


    I watch for a little while. In the end I don''t want to risk running into the drunkards from yesterday and leave once more. I head further upstream, but not all that far. I just need a quiet spot where I can wet my whetstone and then sharpen the edge of my sword in peace after all.


    It doesn''t take me long either. It isn''t like I fought hours long pitched battles after all. Still, it is necessary. I have been neglecting my trusty weapon a little so far. That most certainly isn''t a habit I should develop any further.


    By the time I return to my temporary abode the city is already up and about for good. At least the lady sitting by the door doesn''t give me any lip today. I''m well aware though, that I don''t have much time left.


    Curses! Just thinking about it like that ensures that I won''t find any sleep. For a little while longer I twist and turn in my small room. Then I give up. This simply is no good. I have to take another approach. And besides, I''m pretty unlikely to find any sleep anywhere around the city during daytime anyway. The place is just too busy.


    I''ll … I''ll have to do it like Wiktor the other day. Damn, it pains me, but he does it right. I''ll look for a quiet spot a little outside the city and hope for the best. Not right away though. I still want to get in some training first.


    With one last sigh I gather up my sparse belongings. After doing a few stretches in the privacy of my little room for good measure, I look around one more to make sure I''m not forgetting anything, then I leave.


    Like the last time I drop off my key with the lady out front. And like the last time she immediately sends a youngster with a broom in to clean up. Not that the room will need a lot of cleaning, but I''m grateful anyway to know that they take care of their rooms.


    I don''t wait around of course. Instead I start strolling through the narrow alleys again. Doing so actually feels nice. I head in the general direction of the market I already scouted yesterday. I don''t get straight to business though. Not to the part of business where I try to palm a little something or other anyway. No, I repeat my exploration from the other day. I take great care to memorize what is the same while paying close attention to everything that has changed too. It''s a good workout for my [Streetwise] skill.


    Once again I make my rounds across the market. Around the nearby alleys too. Then I once I''m moderately certain that no one is paying undue attention to me I start moving ever more careful, to eventually disappear into a particularly narrow alley, with plenty of obstacles everywhere. My [Stealth] improves a little as a result.


    I don''t plan to rely on stealth alone this time around though. I have enough Mana to make use of my other trick too this time around. I stop in the shadow behind a stack of decrepit crates to make sure there really isn''t anyone observing me. I don''t just look down the alley either way. I check above me too, although there are no windows here. It''s better to be safe rather than sorry.


    Once I''m satisfied I begin to focus on my body and especially my appearance. I don''t change into the landlady this time though. Instead I decide to become Aila, the cleric from the Five Blades Adventuring Company.


    Wearing her face while committing petty theft is probably not nice, but I doubt a lot of people know her out here, especially on a market catering more to local businesses instead of adventurers. Besides I''m not wearing her outfit, so it should be fine.


    As I focus I can finally feel the change wash across me while a considerable amount of my Mana drains away at the same time. The mental fatigue coming along with the use of this skill is still pretty bad. The very next moment the expected divine whisper tickles my mind. It almost makes up for the headache.


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


    That is one thing taken care of. Sadly I don''t have a mirror at hand to check myself over. Instead I feel my face with my fingers for the subtle changes I expect. As far as I can tell, everything should be alright. The fact that my clothes are now ill fitting suggests that the change was a success in just about every other regard too.


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    There still is something bothering me. Or rather, there are two things. The first are in fact my clothes. It isn''t the fact that they now are an ill fit that bothers me. That is easily enough adjusted. No, what bothers me is that I don''t have any other clothes. My special power would serve me much better, if I were to have a proper disguise.


    The other thing is my status. I still have no way to disguise it. Anyone who uses an identification skill on me will still know me for who I am. Well, there isn''t much I can do about it now. It''s something I''ll have to keep in mind though. Maybe I can ask Jerzy about it later? Yes, that''s what I''ll do.


    There isn''t much I can do about my clothes either. Except for one thing. I take off my cloak and stuff it into my pack after rolling it up tightly. I make sure it peeks out on one side, ever so slightly. That way I should be able to pull it free for a quick change. I hope so anyway.


    As I do so, my fingers brush my now considerably longer hair. It growing out certainly felt weird once again. I run my fingers through it. Should I braid it? Or maybe tie it up? It is a little long now, although in theory not too long to wear it open either. On second thought, I''ll not do anything with it. I haven''t seen the real Aila wear it open like this after all.


    Very well. I''m done with my preparations for now. Time to get down to business! And after taking one more deep breath that is exactly what I do.


    I make another partial round of the market instead of heading straight for the target I have picked. Mostly to get used to my changed body a little better. Thankfully it isn''t too much of an issue, but my strides are a little longer as I am now.


    The target I have picked isn''t a particularly tricky one either. It''s a stand selling fruits that do not quite look like apples. Apparently you can eat them like apples. The price is a little too high for my liking though. A penny for a single fruit when a penny can get you a decent meal elsewhere? Isn''t that like daylight robbery?


    Sure people, usually the ones running businesses of their own, buying in bulk get hefty discounts, but everyone else who just wants a sweet treat to go has to pay the entirely too high price. That''s a good enough excuse for me to help myself to a free sample.


    And even as I draw close I don''t go for the stand with the curious fruits piled high in baskets directly. Instead I keep my eyes on the stand next to it. This one is quite possibly even more busy. The various mushrooms getting sold here don''t look quite as appetizing though, even if they are much more affordable. And besides, unlike with the fruit I don''t even want to think about eating mushrooms raw.


    The people coming and going all around the mushroom stand still suit me well. There is enough of a commotion going on that no one bothers to look while rubbing shoulders with others. Even the occasional bump is hardly worth a glance.


    In theory these people would be prime targets for some purse cutting. Except, most seem well aware of the fact, keeping their purses close at hand or, if that isn''t practicable, they at least keep a hand on their purses.


    I time my approach just right to bump into a man leaving after doing business with the mushroom merchant. He cradles a big cloth sack with his purchases as he turns to leave.


    He already is a little off balance. All it takes is a small bump, to push him into the fruit merchant, who in turn bumps into his stand, which sends some of the piled high fruit rolling.


    I apologize to the man I bumped into, even as I turn to catch one of the fruit sent tumbling down.


    “Oh! Sorry about that.”


    He doesn''t seem to mind and just nods as he rights himself.


    This serves as an additional distraction, as I put the one fruit back onto its pile demonstratively. The fruit merchant never even notices me palming another which I quickly make disappear into the pocket of my pants. He even nods in thanks as I put the one fruit back.


    This, it seems, is good enough to earn me another level up notification via divine whisper.


    [*Ding!* Your skill Sleight of Hand has leveled up to level 4!]


    Then, before anyone can be the wiser, I casually stroll off again. No one calls out. No one pursues. Considering the killing the fruit merchant makes off of others he certainly won''t really miss the one fruit I palmed. His time is spent better going for the next sale anyway.


    As far as I''m concerned, all is right with the world. Thus I head out of town again at a leisurely pace, taking care not to draw undue attention, which earns me another partial increase of my [Stealth] skill.


    This makes me wonder. Could [Hide in plain sight] be a possible upgrade for [Stealth] or would it be a skill of its own? Since I haven''t learned it as a separate skill yet, I lean towards the former rather than the latter. Oh yes, upgrading skills and classes is really something I''m looking forward to.


    One I leave the alleys of the town behind I give up on moving stealthily anyway. Instead I focus my attention on the environs of the dirt road I''m following. This is the one on which I came to Riverrun and not the one leading to Hangman''s Hill. I really don''t know the land around either well enough though.


    Eventually I decide to leave the road and follow a smaller path between two fields instead, which leads to a nice tree growing where three more fields meet up with these.


    I''m pretty sure farmers use this spot to rest and have their meals when they are working those fields. Right now there are none around, this I decide to hog the place to myself.


    I look around to make sure I''m alone. Then I focus again, and as even more of my precious Mana drains away I change back to my usual self. There is no notification this time around, but I''m sure, my [Change Shape] skill is coming along nicely anyway. After readjusting my clothes I look around again.


    There are some half buried logs surrounding the gnarly old tree. I sit down on one of those after pulling my cloak free from my pack, and lean back against the old tree. Bundled up in it and sitting in a spot that faces the rising sun, I close my eyes a little for another quick nap. The noises from the busy city are just about distant enough as to not trouble me as I doze off.