158 Sly Entry Gait

Jojin and his master Darmerse walkthrough Tristania, the former looking around with rapt attention that the strange city he'd found himself. It was strange, tense. People were ready to fight or run at any indication of trouble, and many looked like they wanted to flee the city the first chance they got. The only reason he could see that was stopping them was their belief that things would get better, that they wouldn't have to leave their homes, friends, and maybe even their families behind to escape.

Jojin couldn't really understand these people, as he himself had already fled his home, the now destroyed Antomiers where he'd been homeless until his master had taken him in after that hero, Batuman had saved him.

He'd been training under the man this whole time to become a 'ninja', but Jojin felt more like a spy than anything else. The limited combat training was nothing compared to the extensive information collection, networking, and infiltration skills Damerse was hammering into his head.

Still, he persisted, wishing to get strong enough to finally prove useful to Batuman, his saviour and idol, even if he never saw the man again in his lifetime. Even if that proved true, he'd make Batuman hear his name, Jojin, master Ninja and Spymaster.

For now though, he needed to stick close with his master, and concentrate on gaining contact with their spies in the city that'd gone missing after the Gramont coupe.

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The rest of the journey is uneventful, aside from Charlotte splitting off from them as they approach the capital, one might actually call it peaceful... This doesn't last for long however, as the group soon notices the state that the Tristania was actually in.

Hundreds of guards and small artillery machines are placed around the walls of the city, with many Griffin and Dragon knights flying around as if performing an air show for those below.

Ralf makes the wise decision to land his dragon far from the capital so that they aren't immediately noticed by the hundreds of alert eyes waiting for an invasion of some sort. They land in a nearby forest that was covered in a light coating of frost from the cold weather, though, it was nowhere near as cold as Albion had been.

The trio hops off of the dragon and Ralf sends it away as they start making their way towards the capital. Tiffania keeps her hood up, but Michael turns invisible as he walks beside them, as Tristain would no doubt still be looking for him.

Tiffania and Ralf may be fugitives in Albion, but he doubted that such information had reached Tristain yet... Or even if Prince Wales wanted Tristain to know, the more people aware of Tiffania made the likelihood of them discovering her relation to the Prince far greater... Still, it was better to be safe than sorry, so the group was prepared to flee at the first sign of trouble.

If things got really bad, Michael could just sneak into the capital and do the search all by himself. Even if it would take far longer.

The duo + invsi-bro walk towards the city gate, the group immediately notices the lack of any line to get in or out of the city. They approach the platoon of guards who immediately become alert and ready to defend themselves should the situation call on it. "Halt, you approach Tristania, capital of Tristain under the rule of King Gramont. What do you want?"

Ralf bows slightly as he goes to address them, "We are traders seeking refuge in the city... Our carriage was attacked by bandits, and we have nowhere else to go... Please, my daughter and I will not survive another night on the road."

The guard crooks a brow and looks at Tiffania's hooded face, noticing her shimmering golden hair, a marked difference between Ralf's own brown colour. "Daughter, you say? You don't look alike." he remarks, sounding suspicious.

Ralf smiles and nods, "Yes, she takes after her mother in that regard. We... We lost her in the attack." he solemnly says, Tiffania also lowering her head to 'grieve'.

The guards frowns, "Bandits, huh? Are you sure they were what you say? Not foreign troops cutting off supplies?" he asks, beginning to believe their story apparently.

Ralf shakes his head, "I wouldn't know if they were, this is the first time I've ever run into bandits... And I hope the last."

The guard nods, "Alright, just let your daughter here lower her hood and you can enter. I can't be seen letting hooded figures enter for obvious reasons." he says, causing Ralf to pause slightly.

"I-is that so?" Ralf says, glancing at Tiffania and gesturing for her to continue.

She lifts her hands to her hood and... Lowers it. Revealing... Bloodied bandages were tightly wrapped around her head, covering her ears and a good portion of her hair. She raises her head and gives the man a sheepish look, "I'm sorry for the unpleasant sight... I was wounded by a bandit..."

The guard's features soften as he nods, "No, I'm sorry for forcing you to show me. Please, enter and go seek medical attention, that amount of blood cannot be a good sign." he says, calling for his colleagues to open the gates.

With that, the duo + invisi-Michael enters the city completely unmolested. They walk off and enter a nearby alleyway, Michael reappearing with a grin on his face, "See? Worked like a charm."

Ralf lets out a long sigh and wipes off some of the cold sweat that'd been gathering on his forehead, "Honestly, I thought I'd slip up and get us all killed... When did you think of bandaging up Miss Tiffania's head? It worked like a charm."

Michael shrugs, "I asked a friend for some ideas. Turns out he's well versed in disguises. Still, we should probably get this off and have your hair washed, I doubt rabbit blood is good for it." he says, turning to Tiffania who's already taken off all of the bloodied bandages, grimaces as she tried to strain some of the leaked fluid from her golden locks. "Can we never do this again? This smell makes me want to be sick..." she mutters.