Joshua sat at the edge of the road, wrapped in old soiled linens in a way that he became almost invisible to the passers by. Hunched over, his keen eye peered out from beneath his hood and watched, ever vigilant, for his contact. Periodically, he would mumble a thanks to figures that dropped a copper or two into the tin cup at his feet which was there purely to complete his disguise. He dared not lift his eyes or draw back his hood to reveal his well-kept visage and ruin the illusion which granted him incognito.

A pair of boots approached him with purpose and stopped at his feet. These were no beggars boots, but a pair of military greaves that caused him to look up slightly. “Get up,” came a gruff command from the officer who loomed over him, “you vagrants have to stay in the warehouse district or go to jail.” Joshua stood to follow the officer, walking briefly down a short deserted alleyway where three off his cloak and turned with a dagger, previously hidden. It flashed quickly at waist level and disembowled the man, then higher to cut his throat before he could scream in pain.

The body fell to the ground and Joshua quickly dragged it to a corner and sat it against the wall, covering it in rags as a poor attempt to disguise it as a homeless man. The subterfuge did not need to be convincing, merely enough to evade the passing glance.

Returning to his post, he resumed his humble posture and waited not long for his contact to approach. “It’s been a long night, do you know where I might find shelter?”

Joshua did not look up, but replied “I’m afraid there’s nothing available in this district.”

Darren offered a hand to Joshua and pulled him to his feet, then followed him down an alley, dragging their supposed belongings with them. “The man pulling all the strings is not the emperor, but a ranger from the north. I get the impression he was behind the attacks for the past few years.”

Joshua stared back aghast at the intelligence he had just received and could make no reply. That one of the rangers could be behind the violence of the war was unthinkable. A group of pedestrians passed within earshot and Joshua pulled Darren in close, whispering in his ear “Quiet, just one beggar telling another where to find a bit of bread.”

Darren got the idea and said audibly “Thank you, friend, I’ll try my luck.”

The group moved on and the pair of spies parted ways with a bump of their forearms. Joshua began his escape of the empire to report back the information he had learned.