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He almost stopped as he hit the hard dirt, but he rolled away, just in time. One of the dottari guard tried to leap after him and crashed with the boxes into the ground. The boy ducked away at the other end of the alley, just as two more guards were arriving to pick up their friend.

His skin was dark, and that was helpful. But he was covered in paint. He had a gained some distance. The chase is now a hunt, the young tiefling thought to himself. It was dark, and he was small and quick, but he was struggling to catch his breath. He peeked out into a cross street before exiting the alley. Another dottari was positioned on an intersection to the north, looking up and down each street in turn, holding high a torch.

He heard the shouts from behind, but the guard at the intersection held his position. As the crashing of the armored men behind grew closer and closer, the vigilant watchman finally seemed to spot something up the street in the other direction. He took a few steps away from the boy's hiding spot, and the little tiefling sprinted across the wide cobblestone way and into another alley.

Ahead, he spotted some boxes stacked up against a building like a giant staircase. He lifted himself up onto the first, and then the second, like a giant staircase. When he reached the top, he rolled flat on his stomach. He tried desperately to keep his heavy breathing quiet as held out his fingers. They were stained red with paint. 'Go home Thrune'? That's not clever! Was THAT really worth all this trouble?

As the footsteps got closer, the young tiefling leapt down from the boxes and took off into back of the alley. He was guessing as he went: to and fro, winding through the foreign byways of Yolubilis Harbor and away from the city guards. Finally, river rushed in the distance ahead. He was getting close. He was a good distance from the gate to the Greens, at least he hoped. If he could make it to the river, he could find his way along the Yolubilis to The Villegre. He knew a place could lay low there until morning when the curfew was lifted.

He pushed forward cautiously, until he finally saw the warehouses ahead. Nervously, he stuck his head out. No one to the down the road to the east. No one to the west. I made it through their perimeter He could take off straight ahead west, and he was home free.

He took one step out....then another. As he took a last look over his shoulder, he heard a *cla-clank* in front. A dottari, the one who had first spotted him painting his greeting for the new Lord Mayor, jumped out in front. He crashed right into the ugly meathead and fell back onto his rump.

"You're out past curfew," the guard growled with a quiet, menacing delight. His wide eyes were hungry. Red paint dripped like anger from his dottari uniform. The boy backed away like a crab as the guard's grip tightened on his sword. "You ough'ta show more respect to your betters," he spat.

The guard lifted his sword. The boy closed his eyes in fear.

There was a *CRACK* of a whip and a *crash* of the sword smashing into wood. The tiefling opened his eyes. The blade had missed him, though not by much. The guard was looking away.

He tumbled back as the guard straightened. Something had his attention. There was someone was behind him.

"Who’re you," the dotarri demanded. The boy shuffled a bit more before scrambling to his feet. Backing away. An armored figure in blue dressed in blue, an elf by the look of her. She was looking over a crook in an interestingly shaped wooden shield. Behind her, she held another crack of her whip at the ready. The bottom of her face was wrapped sloppily by a leather smock, but her eyes were fierce. The excess of the smock hung down and looked silly.

"He's just a boy," she answered, her voice muffled under the makeshift leather mask.

"I don't care," the dottari answered wryly. He advanced on the woman, who lifted her shield to block.

The tiefling boy stood agape as the two traded blows on the riverside. He almost didn't hear the other guards coming to check on the commotion.

"Run away, you idiot," the woman shouted as the boy turned to find the other guards. He spun back to face the fight; the dottari and the woman were locked up. She gave the guard another gut punch before looking the young tiefling in the eyes. She nodded, and he turned to run.

The boy ran east with all he could, back the way he’d came. Halfway to the bridge, he saw more guards. A general cry had gone out about the fight. The mysterious woman had taken the heat off of him, apparently He heard a splash from behind. Someone, hopefully, the dottari had gone into the river. He ducked behind a stack of barrels while the reinforcements hustled past. They’d probably heard someone hit the water, and didn’t bother to look for little tieflings behind stacks of fish barrels.

When the boy finally arrived at the Bleakbridge to find a single guard at his post. Even with all others called away, this green young dottari was too busy trying to catch a glimpse of the comotion downriver than to notice a street artist slip across the bridge after curfew. He snuck past without effort. I can make it to Redroof, no problem, he thought.

He grinned as he thought of the masked woman who saved his live.