All in a Night's Work

"How could you not love this country? The king is a fat oaf, sitting on his gilded throne. The nobles are a pack of wolves devouring what wealth remains in this once-beautiful town. The peasants are mere ghosts of people. Most are on the brink of starvation, and some, thin and pale as they are, look as if they have already acquainted themselves with death himself. The merchants grow fat on their piles of gold, the knights bicker and joust for the hands of ladies with sizeable dowries. Where are the heroes, the dragonslayers? Where are the good, just lawmakers and the beautiful maidens in distress? Where is the mystery, the magic? Not in this country of mine. Not in this once beautiful town on the shores of the sea. Not in my lifetime. But what is left are the stories! Yes my good people, the stories of days gone, of mystery and adventure, of men stealing from the rich and giving to the poor! I have seen these heroes firsthand! I have walked with wizards, and slain dragons, and today my people, today I will tell you the story of Lord Casperia."

"Beggar, have you done yet?" asked a soldier, stopping to roll his eyes at the man sitting in the midst of a throng of attentative listeners.

"Believe this story or not, the choice is yours, but on my life I swear it's true," continued the man, completely disregarding the soldier's words.

"Spare us," sighed the soldier, walking back towards the tavern.

"As I was saying," said the old man, clearing his throat, "way back in the day, about 30 years ago last month if I'm correct, two local thieves convinced me to go on a small expedition with them one evening. I agreed, of course - who in their right mind would turn down the promise of such an adventure? Anyhow, the target of this raid's name was Lord Casperia.

"Casperia wasn't the populace's favorite man, to say the least. I'll say he executed more innocent men with his sword than the king's gallows did all year, and, suffice to say, Casperia had it coming. If he was any richer, he'd be sleeping on a bed of gold. I do recall that he had a few sacks of coins underneath his pillow so that's actually an accurate statement, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

"So in the dead of night, the three of us set out. In the lead was the stealthy Christoph, wanted dead or alive throughout three kingdoms for thievery and a hundred other charges that I can't remember as of the moment. He was brown haired, a lanky youth with quite a reputation! Inside his cloak he carried tools and gadgets of all sorts - glass cutters, lock picks, wrenches, nails, hammers, countless vials and potions, and all the trinkets he stole, ones which he would sell on the black market every chance he got.

"Behind Christoph was Alexander, a petite fellow with light hair and a fashionable moustache. It was he who always frightened off whatever guard was sent to apprehend us, for he wielded weaponry like no other. Be it a dagger, longsword, bow, knife, ax, rapier, or any random object he found lying in the alleyway, he could defend himself, Christoph, and I, against dozens of guards without sweat tainting his brow.

"I rounded out the trio. Why, in my prime I was an impressive figure - I stood taller than the largest one of you, broad shouldered and dark haired. Despite my size I moved like a cat after nightfall, and not once was I caught in the act of relieving some of the nobles of their numerous possetions. However, I can't say the same for my two companions, who almost got the three of us swinging from the gallows that night 30 years ago.

"Finding Casperia's house was, needless to say, not the most difficult task we would be presented with that night. It was by far the largest, centered in the very middle of town. We snuck up upon in through an alleyway, and spent nearly an hour timing the watch's rotation. Using a pocketwatch Christoph had purloined from a vendor in the market that day, we discovered that a guard passed by Casperia's residence once every half hour. The fact that we would be given a full half hour to break into and out of a noble's house was nearly a laughing matter. No theif needed that much time.

"After the watch turned the corner for the third time that night, we were off. Christoph pulled a coil of rope from its place inside his cloak. Alexander drew his sword, ready to apprehend any who would behold our actions. Christoph threw up the rope, easily coiling it about a flag pole extending from the top ledge of the building. With his assistance, I began scaling the wall, a glass cutter in one hand and the rope in the other. Upon reaching the top floor, I peered in to see a vacated study room. Grinning at my luck, I used the cutter to carefully trace around the edges of the window-frame. I carefully removed the pane, and stepped inside.

"Without taking much time to look around the room, I placed the pane back in its original place, and raced down the stairs to open the door for Alexander and Christoph. The three of us entered, shutting the door behind us and proceeded slowly through the house, placing numerous valuables into our sacks and cloak pockets. Quite a few bags of gold found their way into Christoph's cloak, I wager, but I don't think I'll ever know how many. Needless to say, it was Alexander who was intrigued by the imported vase up on the mantletop.

"'Don't even try for it Alexander,' Christoph said with a soft chuckle, noting that Alexander was one inch too short to reach the ornament.

"'Aid me then,' insisted Alexander, tyring to reach it from his tiptoes.

"'We haven't the time,' replied Christoph, moving on to another room.

"'You always get to take what trinkets you will, why may I not have this vase?'

"'Because "what trinkets I will" includes those which I can reach,' responded Christoph.

"'Rafael, help me,' appealed Alexander, turning to me. I shook my head with a smile, following Christoph into the next room.

"The next thing I heard was a grunt from Alexander, who was behind me, and a crash. Christoph and I froze in place, knowing immediately who and what the cause of the crash was. We doubled back on our steps, hoping to get out of the house before Lord Casperia or any other residents could find us there. Unfortunately, luck was not with us on that day, for as we began our charge down the stairs, we came face to face with Lord Casperia himself.

"'Who art thou, villain?' he cried, and it could be assumed that his eyes were not yet accustomed to the dark, as he did not see that there were three of us.

"We stayed silent, knowing not what to do. I was barely breathing, and I saw Christoph poised to attack. Alexander was leaning back on his heels, a cooly confident expression on his face as his hand strayed to the hilt of one of the numerous weapons he was carrying with him. With a smirk, he unsheathed his sword, the ringing sound of the metal causing Casperia to whirl around.

"'Shalt thou try and decieve me? Then have at thee, vile theif!' he cried, holding his hands high above his head.

"He said a few words in an ancient tongue no longer spoken in these parts. A stream of light flowed from his hands and into Alexander. Christoph and I turned away, momentarily blinded by its brightness. When we looked back, only Casperia was to be seen. Suddenly, I heard a croaking sound come from the floor in front of me. I looked down to see a toad sitting ontop of the heap that once was Alexander's clothing. Christoph and I looked at one another wide eyed. Casperia a wizard? Who would have thought it possible? It certainly would explain why he never lost a duel, but it certainly was unexpected.

"I bent over, picking up the toad which was once Alexander, and all of his clothing with it. Stuffing all of it into my pack, I left Christoph to distract Lord Casperia as I dashed through the doorway to the study, and pried the windowpane out again. I grabbed hold of the rope that I had looped around the flagpole, and slid down easily, hoping that Christoph would manage to get away without a confrontation with that half-blind wizard.

"I was relieved when I saw Christoph slide down after me. One look from him was all I needed - the both of us bolted down the street as fast as our legs could carry us, only slightly burdened by the pounds of gold and other precious materials we were carrying. Suddenly though, a great commotion arose from behind us. Christoph glanced over his shoulder and urged me to run on faster.

"'It's the watch, and he's brought at least a dozen guards with him. I wish that Alex were not a toad at this moment and instead stood ready with his longsword!'

"'I wish for that as well, but we shall have to make do," I replied, and produced an ornately carved bow from my sack, one which I had recently taken from Lord Casperia. I pulled an arrow from the quiver that I had strapped across my back, and shot at the nearest guard. I did not have to look to see the guard fall - my marksmanship was unparalelled in my time, you see.

"'I do like that bow,' commented Christoph as he produced a throwing dagger from his cloak.

"'Just as I like that dagger you have,' I responded, knowing that he had taken it from Casperia as well. With a well aimed throw, he had downed another one of the guards.

"'Shoot, quick, at least three more before they catch up with us, otherwise we are dead men for certain,' Christoph urged, and I loosed a succession of arrows, all of which hit their mark.

"'I count seven,' I said, peering into the darkness in front of me.

"'I hate to do this,' sighed Christopher, taking yet another valuable throwing dagger out of his cloak, 'but I must.'

"'Quit whining and throw it - we'll steal another one tomorrow night,' I said impatiently.

"'Alright,' he agreed, letting the dagger go. It hit its intended mark percicely, of course, just as every dagger he threw did.

"'Six now, thrice our number. Time to face them,' I said, stashing my bow back in my cloak, and hoping that we would be able to slay half of them and flee before the rest could realize what had happened.

"We both drew our blades and retreated into the shadows of the alleyway, waiting patiently for the six remaining guards to pass us on the street. Once they had trotted noisily along, Christoph and I crept up silently behind the two in the rear. Simultaneously and with practiced ease, we pulled their heads back and slit their throats before they had the chance to alert the others of our presence. Seeing that this was going easier than I had previously planned, I motioned to Christoph that we might slay two more, making their numbers even to ours so that we might enjoy a bit of combat before our escape. Knowing my intentions practically before I alerted him of them, Christoph flashed me a wolf-like grin as he snuck up on the next guard. I follwed his lead, and soon there were only two guards remaining, oblivous to the fate of their companions as they marched along noisily.

"Christoph and I sheathed our blades and flew into the alleyway, where we easily navigated the intricate maze of backstreets. When we happened upon the alley which met the street the guards were marching up, we saw that we emerged a good ten yards in front of them. Drawing our longswords, we charged at them, catching them off guard.

"It was a quick fight, but it still gave me the rush I always feel when dueling. The guard's feeble attacks I easily parried, and I soon grew bored waiting for his lunges. I began an attack of my own, one which I had practiced on numerous men of his type before. After showing off my graceful swordsmanship with arc after sweeping arc of my blade, I ran him through as if my blade were a spit and he a roast. Seeing that Christoph's opponent had fared the same, the two of us slipped back into the alleyway, moving across the town and to our dwelling in the attic of a business on the main street.

"Our loot for that one night was greater than all other times I had thieved put together. The fact that we had nearly been slain was countered by the sheer amount of wealth we accumulated from selling the goods we purloined from Lord Casper. The three of us, Christoph, Alexander, and I, were soon the best known thieves in the land. Those were good days, good days indeed. Days when people stole from the rich and gave to the poor. If you look closely though, lads and ladies, perhaps you might see a shadow move in the night. Perhaps, just perhaps, it is a fellow like myself or one of my companions, one of the few people left in this world with good in their hearts."

The old man reached for the hat that had been placed at his feet, which was now full to the brim with copper, silver, and even gold coins. He grinned at his audience, and bowed to them. As he turned to depart, he added a detail to his story that he had almost forgotten.

"And, good people, if you are wondering what happened to Alexander, Christoph and I knew of a mage who was able to perform such tricks as shapeshifting, and within a week of the incident, Alexander was back in his original form again. Goodbye!"

The beggar hobbled off, rounding the corner and heading straight for a dark alleyway. It was there that he tore off his long grey beard and wig, and pulled his ragged robe up over his head. Old man indeed! He was really a man around twenty, with raven colored hair and dark eyes. He was broad shouldered, and taller than the average man. He wore a longsword at his hip, and emptied the coins that had been in his hat into a sack he had been carrying over his shoulder.

Another man appeared out of the shadows in front of him, this one was tall and lean, with brown hair and a wolfish grin on his face.

"Great story, Rafael. They get better and better every day."

"Hmph," snorted a shorter man, appearing from behind Rafael. "Why must you include the part about how I was turned into a toad? I still loathe the fact that I was sitting in your knapsack for such an adventure, why must you spread the word to the public as well?"

"Because you're a short greedy man who almost got us killed, that's why," retorted the brown haired man.

"By the heavens Christoph, will you never let me forget that vase?"

"He took enough poetic license with the story as it is. He changed the lord's name from Sampson to Casperia, I don't think he could completely alter your participation, or lack thereof, in that night's events," replied Christoph.

"Besides Alexander, I describe you as a quick man, able to take down more than a dozen men singlehandedly. Isn't that enough for you?" asked Rafael with a sigh, unable to restrain his smile at the sight of the his cross companion.

"And that sure does discredit the truthfullness of the tale . . ." jested Christoph, and Rafael laughed at his remark.

"Alright, enough, I get the point."

"Anyhow," said Christoph after a moment of silence, "what do you say we give Rafael some new story material?"

"Here we go again," said Rafael with a laugh, follwing Christoph as he began to head in the direction of their attic on the main street, where they would, as they always did, plan out the night's activities.

So if you are a king, growing fat on your throne, a noble enjoying the luxuries of the high life a little too much, or a greedy merchant stealing from the innocent, do not close your eyes on this night. Locking your windows and your doors cannot stop them, magic cannot slow them, and guards are a laughable obstacle in their eyes. Listen to the legends, fearful whispers among nobles in the streets. No one knows their true identities but the poor whom they support, and if ever a noble askes them to describe these three fellows, the answer they recieve is thus: "They steal from the rich, give to the poor, and tell of their adventures in the town square. Greedy, do not sleep a wink this night; missing gold is the only sign they were there."