Private Tales Contraband

[Vale]

Vale remained in the relaxed position with his eyes closed as the gentle breeze of the sea causing a few strands of hair to gently sway in the wind. Sibylla commented they were going to push out into the waterway and he just nodded in reply to that. When she then asked if they were supposed to get them now or swim onto the larger boat, he finally opened his eyes and glanced over the side and then back to the Knight. "We just wait." Vale shrugged his shoulders as if that was all there was to it.

The Dreadlord had every intention to see where the ship was heading and they both knew the cargo was on with them. He didn't plan on trying to sneak through such tight quarters with limited windows of escape. "We're following the cargo. If it rendezvous with the ship, we'll act accordingly. But right now, I plan on seeing exactly where it goes." Vale would just wait but he hoped they didn't meet with the ship, he had no intention to be stuck out here.

Their ship smoothly went down the water as it drew closer and closer to the bigger ship. When they were in proximity, thankfully their ship didn't stop, instead the captain waving his hat at the bigger ship as a form of recognition. The other ship just waved them through, some Vel-Anir soldiers on top of the boat. "Interesting." Vale muttered softly to himself but loud enough for Sibylla to hear.

Their ship passed without interruption and it went deeper and into the very heart of Vel-Anir. This is where the main body of citizens lived and at this time of night, it was quite dangerous. Vale glanced over to the Knight, "We're obviously going somewhere."

 

[Sibylla]

Vale

Oh, thank Lessat's rings!

To say that Sibylla was utterly relieved that she didn't have to worry about explaining that she couldn't swim. While the Knight had plenty of training, swimming hadn't been one of her strongest suits. The Kingdom of Vel Anir was large, and while there were coastal cities, there was no need for the Knight to learn how to swim as she had been assigned towards the deserts and jungles of the West.

"Well then, let's go," she indicated, wanting to get away from the docks and any possibility of having to swim. If these smugglers were going into the city, then there was bound to be some sort of rendevous. Perhaps an area where the goods would be unloaded and then carted out by wagon? Who knew if perhaps a minor House could be involved. While she wouldn't put it past the larger Houses, smuggling was, rather beneath their so called dignity.

"Follow me," now this was an area she could take charge of; moving ahead and searching the areas for any danger. As the smuggler's boat was heading deeper through the channels, Sibylla and the mage would need to try and stick to the shadows. Normal ones at least. While magic was seemingly limitless, from the way the man had staggered, perhaps it was getting to him.

Ducking back by the crates, the Anirian Knight would wave for the Dreadlord to follow suit. Off to the right lead back towards the main road, but there were bound to be a few alleyways they could take a short cut through. A thought percolated if those four men from earlier were still around? Hopefully, they could avoid them.

 

[Vale]

Vale glanced at Sibylla with one opened eye as she seemed unusually excited compared to when they first started this assignment. He thought to comment about how the Knight suddenly took control of the situation but surprisingly to himself, he kept his mouth shut and let her take the lead on this. The boat pulled into the city and to another dock as he followed her lead to get in position once they were stopped.

When it did finally and the smugglers and other sailers started to unload cargo, Vale hopped off with Sibylla as the two of them would watch safely from the street. A wagon as she predicted pulled up to the side, the more heavily armed crew handling the crates they were interested in as they loaded them up. The whole ordeal was a few short minutes before finally, the driver for the wagon flicked his reigns and was off.

The Dreadlord followed Sibylla's lead again, using the alleys throughout the city in order to keep up with the wagon but also remain out of sight. It seemed that transportation was only for the boat as there didn't seem to be any guards that rode along with the wagon. It was strange but it was just something he would have to accept as they kept tailing the driver.

When the wagon finally stopped, Vale did too with Sibylla right at the edge of the alley. They were covered by darkness and the shadows would subtly be pulled towards them so they couldn't be spotted. The driver for the wagon hopped off before opening two massive doors to what appeared to be a warehouse. There weren't any guards again but he brought the wagon inside and quickly shut the doors behind him. Vale didn't move yet as he waited a few minutes to see if another would approach the location.

But instead, the opposite happened, the wagon exited from the building but completely empty of cargo. The driver closed the doors before hopping back on and flicking the reigns to move forward as he fell in with the crowd and usual traffic. Vale glanced over to Sibylla and then back at the building, "We know that what we're looking for is in there at least."

 

[Sibylla]

Vale

So, the goods were dropped at the warehouse?

Sibylla took in this information with a slight frown over her face. Her stormy eyes would drift along the perimeter, trying to gather a count of the guards. There had to be some. It made no sense to not ensure that there were eyes watching. Yet, there were none.

That was strange. Too strange.

Either they were fools or they felt secure enough in this location by other means. As she was a non-mage, she couldn't tell if there was anything magical that could perhaps provide a measure of protection. That would be entirely up to the Dreadlord - that is if he had the ability to discern the use of magic.

"I will go in and investigate. Stay here, my lord," she told him, fully intending to have the pretty boy stay behind. Of course, never mind that spying or gathering information was not her strongest suit -- but she could deliver quite the right hook should she need it. The question was if Vale would let her conduct her plan or state otherwise.

 

[Vale]

Vale just stood there silently, his eyes as well being cast in different directions as he examined each inch of the building. Looks could be deceiving and the sight of no guards outside didn't bother him, at least too much. The Dreadlord was about to step forward but that's when Sibylla told him to stay where he was while she proceeded. He just stared at her with his silver eyes almost piercing through her but he didn't move. "I would hate to stand in your way."

If Sibylla left to go check the building, when she reached the other side of the street to get closer, Vale would simply step out from the shadows from the other side with a smirk on his face. "Fortunately, I am skilled enough to stay out of your way while accompanying you." While he may have let her go on her own, the small mistake at the docks still replayed in his mind and he didn't want another one.

The Dreadlord led the way to the warehouse, using the side alley to go around to the back of the building. When they reached the backend, there would be no guards as well, just more crates lined up for delivery, whether it was for a legit business or not. Vale glanced at Sibylla before simply stepping out into view and making his way toward the backdoor. Nothing popped out or told them to halt, the only sound being the usual bustle of the city around them.

When Vale approached the door, he stopped right in front of it, his eyes slowly glancing up and down as he examined it. After a few seconds, he placed a flat palm against the door and held it there for a moment. Whispers started to fluctuate around him, nipping at his ear as he honed in on the voices and tried to listen. Sibylla would see him hard in thought before he would suddenly drop his hand from the door and place it on the handle, "Careful, something is out of place." Without hesitation, Vale opened the door and stepped through with the cheery knight expected to follow.