Kilimor, Chapter 3—Mouse

Written by Dronin Gammerson

I woke up with a start to Juggernaut right above me with a hand on my side to shake me. This did not make much since because Juggernaut did not take fourth watch. Mouse should have woken me up.
“Troops leaving fortress,” Juggernaut said in a lowered voice.
“Good have you woken the others?” I asked.
“Yes,” He replied.
“Good, we should infiltrate the castle today,” I said.
We silently got up and crept over to where the others were waiting.
“Okay first thing we need to know is who commands this thing,” I said, “Than we can make plans on how to get our stuff back and if necessary take the leader down. So first Mouse should go in and find out whatever he can than we can decide what to do next.”
Mouse nodded, “I agree, knowledge is necessary at this stage.”
So Mouse went out to the right side of the castle. Making his way from rock to rock without so much hast that it was completely obvious but with just the right amount of speed so that it did not look too abnormal to anyone that just glances at him. Most people think that moving as fast as possible is the best rout to take when trying to stay out of sight, but that is not the case. If you match your movements to the movements of the things around you such as the shadows of the guards with their torches. Than you are much harder to notice.
That is exactly what Mouse did. Waiting until a guard was about to pass the area he was in so that he could move along with the shadow the guard was casting. Mouse did this with so much obvious ease that it looked like he was just walking forward from the right angle, but if you moved so that you were looking from where the shadow was being cast you had a hard time seeing Mouse even if you knew where and what to look for.
Mouse was able to get to the castle wall in a relatively short amount of time without being seen by any of the guards. From then climbing the wall was a piece of cake. Mouse had been climbing rocks since he was a little boy. He swarmed up the wall like it was made to be climbed. Before Mouse leaped over onto the battlements he peered over the edge checking for guards. Good thing he did that too because there was a guard just about to cross where Mouse was. Once the guard passed, Mouse hauled himself over and onto the battlements without a sound. He quickly covered the distance between him and the guard and pulled his sword out. He hit the guard with the pommel of his sword which was made specifically for knocking people out. The guard made a muted “Humph” and fell to the ground.
Mouse dragged the guard to the nearest tower and propped him up by the wall. Usually in towers like these there was usually a small compartment where the guards could store ail to drink on their break. Mouse was rewarded when he found this compartment. He grabbed a jug of ail pored some in the guards mouth. Held his mouth shut and turned his head up so that even unconscious he would swallow. After he did Mouse splashed some on his mouth letting it run down his mouth and onto his shirt. Mouse then put the bottle in his hand. This would arouse no suspicion that someone knocked a guard out.
Now that the guard was taken care of, Mouse could enter into the castle without problems. So because an all black outfit would stand out, Mouse took that off and put it in his bag on his back with normal clothes under it.
Mouse casually walked into the castle without anyone taking a second glance. Pushing against the crowd Mouse made his way toward the town keep where the governor usually stayed. There were surprisingly few people in this castle. Which made it easier to move around. When Mouse got to the keep, the only people who took notice of him were shopkeepers and merchants.
Getting in the keep was a different deal. There were guards on the front door which was the only way in except for the windows which would be obvious to anyone who even glances at the keep. So Mouse disguised himself as a food vendor and bought a roast chicken and walked passed the guards at the gate.
Mouse kept his disguise as he walked up the stairs fighting the urge to run. The anticipation was killing him. Finally up the stairs and into the living quarters.
“Now which one is the leaders?” Mouse said softly to himself. Usually the  leader would have the largest grandest door of any of them. Going along the hallway Mouse looked at every door looking for better wood or some decoration on a door to indicate the leader's presence. At the end of the hall was a door made of petrified wood.
“There it is,” Mouse smiled to himself.
Carefully Mouse opened the door making sure that no sound was made when he did so. Inside he saw a man hunched over a desk wearing rich fabric shirt with bright colors shimmering throughout. Mouse crept over to the side, making sure that no candles or objects that produced light were behind him to make a shadow. Once he got to the side of the man Mouse could see who it was.
It was Devrick. A lying thief who only cared about himself. He was well known in Draldon because of his selfish desires and deceitful trickery. Mouse quickly left the room without making any noise and left the way he came. Leaving the roast chicken in the kitchen so that he did not look suspicious.
Once at camp Mouse explained everything to the group and they decided on a plan.