We were back on the rooftops. The streets were quiet now. There was hardly anyone out, aside from the occasional guard. Just like Eidechse said, they had lanterns on them. Most were Human, so it made sense. There were a few Dwarfs and Elves we could see as headed to our objective, but I didn’t know those races enough to know if they could see at night like us. In pop culture, Dwarf usually lived inside mountains, so I figured they could. But, these ones didn’t. Maybe I’m just overthinking. They’re holding lanterns, so they won’t see us in the shadows, just like the humans. Simple as that.

We quietly snuck around, keeping an eye on the patrolling guards. There were a lot of them. Eidechse was right about. They are looking for us. Most of them seem uninterested, luckily. Guess two Kobolds aren’t seen as a threat. Still, we did burn down a building. Aren’t they being a bit too confident?

We easily avoided the first two we came across. They were just talking to each other, not even paying attention where they were walking. The others weren’t as bad, but still easy to manoeuvre around. We just had to wait on the rooftops, in alleys and behind any small structures like barrels, until they passed. As we got close to the wall, Vyth spotted something.

“That might be it, right?”, he asked.

He pointed to a house that looked more like a shed. You could see the disrepair it was in from a mile away. The buildings around it weren’t great too, but still far better built. These buildings were entirely or mostly built of wood, unlike the other buildings who were largely stone with wooden structures. This might be this city's slums. It felt weird, as I looked around. It felt as if the buildings emitted despair. The scent of garbage and shit was inescapable and the wood all buildings were made of were covered for a large part in moss and mould. Our cave was more habitable than this. It felt weird, bad even, seeing these slums after having lived in luxury in my previous life. I shook the feeling off as much as I could. The sooner we got this done, the sooner we would be back at the smithy.

We jumped from rooftop to rooftop, moving towards the shed. There were a couple of guards here, but far fewer than elsewhere. The ones who were here seemed to hate it. They’d kick loose rocks or the side of buildings, drink from flasks and shout. It made it easier to avoid them, but wasn’t pleasant to look at. I could see the occasional window with a person behind it, looking at the guards with worry or terror. Perhaps, this isn’t the worst these guards do.

We got on top of the shed’s roof. It was to the right of a larger building, but nothing was to it’s right. The alleyway in between the two buildings was filled with liquid garbage, slowly seeping into the ground. We definitely weren’t going in that way. We looked to the back. Nothing. No window or door. Just a wall. The other side had a window, but that area was out in the open. It’s risky. Vyth tapped me on my shoulder and brought me to the alley’s side.

“Hold my tail”, he said.

Odd, but I went along with it. He went over the side and started climbing downwards to the window. He was heavy, but I could just about manage. As I started slipping towards the edge, he wiggled his tail. I let go of it and looked over the edge. He was in the window, gesturing me over. With his help, I got in as well.

The inside of the building was just as horrible, if not worse, than the outside. There were items strewn across the dirt covered floor. The table was knocked over and the single chair next to it had cracks and splinters across its entirety. The entire house was lit by a single candle. By the window looking out into the open area was a pale and malnourished man. Human, with dark red hair and freckles. He wore tattered pants and a green jacket that had large tears in it. He sat by the window, shaking and hugging a small crate. Every now and then, he’d look out the window. He seemed terrified. Not the same passive terror the other humans here had. It seemed as if he thought his life, or something more precious was about to be taken away from him.

A faint light shone through the window. The man quickly ducked his head below and held his breath. There were two guards strolling past the shed. They were grumbling and shouting like all the others. Soon enough, they passed. The man mumbled something, as he hugged the box tighter and even caressed it. What could possibly be in it.

I thought for a moment. We had to capture him, but how are we going to do that? The guy seems ready to bolt away the moment something presents itself. I looked to Vyth. Perhaps he had any ideas. He didn’t. He was stunned and intrigued by the guy's state. Can’t blame him. Even I’ve never seen something like this, except for in movies. The only thing that we could do is knock him out. I got Vyth’s attention and gestured that he had to hit him on the back of his head. Vyth nodded and faced his palm to the man, gesturing that I had to cast freezing ray. I nodded back. I had no idea if it was going to work, but there was only one way to find out.

I quietly whispered the incantation and shot out the ray. It hit him in his side. The ice covered a large part of his body and even a bit of the crate. Vyth rushed him with his spear. The man tried to stand up, but it was no use. Vyth smacked his knee to keep him down, jumped in the air and slammed the wooden end of his spear on the back of his head with his full weight behind it. The guy’s face smashed into the crate and onto the floor. He was out cold.

We grabbed the crate from him. We were curious. Vyth opened it with his spear. Inside it was a sky blue powder. Vyth seemed confused, but to me it was obvious what it was. I got a sinking feeling. Who exactly did we just do a job for?