Lith finally arrived at the edge of the village, his heart still pounding in his chest. He had to be careful not to be seen, especially since he had something to retrieve from a specific spot he had hidden his loot over the years of stealing inside Ravensworth. The surroundings were eerily quiet, and the air was thick with a fog that made it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead.
Lith scanned the area carefully, making sure that there was no one around. He had marked the spot with some scratches on a big flat stone to the side, and he quickly found it. The stone was covered in moss, and Lith had to clear it away before he could read the markings. He pushed the stone to the side with a grunt, revealing a hole with an old dirty potato sack inside it.
Lith reached inside the hole and grabbed the sack, feeling its weight. He opened it to double-check all of his spoils. Inside, there were 12 copper coins, some salted dry meat strips tightly wrapped inside a piece of cloth, and an old cloak with a hood that should provide him some protection from the environment on his travels.
Lith's mind was racing as he assessed his meager supplies. The salted dry meat strips tightly wrapped inside a piece of cloth would barely last him a day or two, and he needed to reach Stonewall as soon as possible. He knew that he needed to find a way to get more rations if he hoped to survive the journey.
After some thought, he realized that he had only 12 copper coins, not enough to buy a decent amount of food. He needed to be wise with his limited funds. He decided it would be wiser to buy a knife instead, at least he would get some form of protection on his travels, and he could use it to make some rabbit traps on his way through the forest. This way, with a bit of luck, he could at least get some free rations.
Lith's mind then turned to the old cloak with the hood. It was old, but the material was thick and resilient, and he knew that it could provide him with some protection from the elements on his journey. A few tears to the side wouldn't have any effect on its warmth.
He reached down to the potato sack and carefully examined the contents once more. The copper coins glinted in the light, seeming to taunt him with their limited purchasing power. He knew that he needed to make every copper count if he hoped to survive.
Lith carefully wrapped the old cloak around his shoulders, feeling the rough material settle against his skin. He then placed stone back over the hole, hiding now empty hole from the prying eyes of anyone who might stumble upon it.
As he stood up, he glanced around at the eerie surroundings. The forest loomed in the distance, shrouded in mist and darkness. The sound of wolves howling in the distance only added to the eerie atmosphere. The wind was picking up, blowing fiercely, and the daylight was rapidly fading away behind the dark clouds of the approaching storm. Lith knew he had to hurry back.
He decided to take a different street back to the shopping district, hoping to avoid the eerie feeling that had been creeping up on him ever since he had arrived at this spot. As he walked, he tried to keep his senses alert, scanning his surroundings for any signs of danger. He had survived this long by being cautious and aware, and he had no intention of letting his guard down now.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of running boots in the distance, coming from the direction of the shopping district. His heart rate quickened as he realized that he might have been spotted. He looked around frantically, searching for a place to hide.
He saw a side alley up ahead and darted towards it, slipping into the shadows and pressing his back against the wall. He held his breath and listened as the sound of boots grew louder and louder, until finally, a group of five guards ran past him, heading towards the street with the strange statue.
"Come on, hurry up!" one guard shouted to the others as they ran down the street. "We need to get to that statue before it's too late!"
"What's going on?" another guard asked, gasping for breath.
"We received a report that there are multiple blood trails leading from the buildings near the statue," the first guard explained. "We need to find out what happened and make sure whoever did it doesn't get away."
"Blood trails?" a third guard chimed in. "That doesn't sound good. Do you think someone was attacked?"
"It's possible," the first guard replied. "But we won't know until we get there. Now let's move, the storm is picking up and we don't have much time before it starts raining and destroys all the evidence."