5

The day unfolds in the same manner. We arrived in the small village swiftly. I made my way to the store and sold my clothes. I changed my clothes, purchased a dagger, but kept it hidden. I had to prepare a strategy to delay my journey long enough to find someone who could help me. I came to a halt in front of a medicine store on my way back to the wagon. I smiled wickedly as I stared towards the store. I entered the store wearing a hood to conceal my identity. I pretended to be desperate, looking for medicine that could help for a severe cold. I also inquired with the clerk about sleep medicine to help an ill person sleep. The oblivious clerk answered my questions as I purchased the necessary items. I exited the store in a hurry to keep the facade of a desperate person.

'Good, this should do,' I thought as I looked at the extra item grabbed without the clerk's knowledge.

I promptly returned to the wagon, and without anyone witnessing, I gave the horse a small dosage of the extra medicine I grabbed. The medicine would cause the horse to go insane. I knew it would have this effect because I had read about its potent and unpredictable side effects in a veterinary journal.

'Being locked away in that library finally found its use,' I reminisce for a moment.

The dosage I administered was carefully calculated to ensure the desired outcome without causing any harm to the horse's health. I also took the opportunity to shorten the harnesses slightly.

As the driver returned with the knight, I waited in the wagon, waiting for the effect of the medicine to commence operation. It took action just as we were about to leave. The horse neighed and jumped, nearly kicking the driver in the face. It was causing quite a commotion. We three fell from the wagon. The driver was kicked in the stomach while attempting to calm the horse. He collapsed to the ground, yelling at the hunter for assistance. The harness I shortened has grown in size without their knowledge. The hunter clicked his tongue, and as he approached the horse, it separated itself from the harness and bolted.

The horse sprinted away, its hooves pounding against the ground as it disappeared into the distance. The driver, clutching his stomach in pain, struggled to catch his breath while the hunter turned to the driver's aid. It was clear that our plans had taken an unexpected turn, and we would need to come up with a new strategy to continue our journey. I appeared to care while masking my feelings of modest satisfaction. We were stranded because we needed another horse and a new harness. We accompanied the driver back to the inn, where he was cared for.

As time passed, I offered to go grab dinner while the driver and hunter remained in a room. I realized he was a mediocre assassin because he had excessively misjudged me based on the profile he had of me. I took their meals, making certain that all of our meals were identical. My eyes scanned around before adding the sleep drug to their meals. While serving their meals and enjoying my own, I pretended to be a saint.

'I can't believe I was killed by a moron,' I thought as I ate.

I told them both that I was going to my room to sleep. The hunter followed me out of the corridor as I walked to return the bowls. I make certain that he notices me entering my room and turning off the light. I sat in the dark for some time, with simply the moonlight rays shining through the window. The drug gradually took action as time passed.

I peered out the corridor after a while to see the 'hunter' slumped over, sleeping, and overhear the driver snoring loudly in his room. I hurriedly remove myself, collect my dagger, and slip out the front door, thankfully unnoticed.

'Oh! My God! I'm out,' I giggled as I raised my hands in the air.

My plan fell apart when it became apparent I didn't have transportation.

"Well, shit," I muttered.

I'm sure they'll be looking for me as soon as the effects wear off. I scanned around, but there were no other horses or wagons I could use. I decided to just run against the clock. As I sprinted down the empty street, my heart pounding in my chest, I couldn't help but curse my lack of foresight. The adrenaline-fueled my legs as I darted through alleyways and side streets, desperately trying to put as much distance between myself and my killers as possible.

With the moon still high in the sky, I hoped to be out of town soon. My lack of stamina is causing me difficulties. My sides are cramping, my legs are aching, and my lungs are about to collapse. I come to a halt slowly, my hands on my knees, gasping for air. I rest my palm on my chest and try to inhale and exhale steadily to regulate my breathing.

I spotted some guards as I got closer to the town gate. I sighed deeply, wondering how I was going to divert them. I grinned as an idea occurred to me. I moved as close to the open gate as I could without drawing attention to myself. While hiding, I picked some pebbles from the ground and hurled one into the bush beyond the gate. I hurled another one when the guard became aware. I threw another rock to draw the soldiers' attention to the bush when both of them became aware of it. They had become suspicious.

I took my chance and gradually crept toward the entryway. I hurried discreetly to cover up behind a bush opposite them as they checked the bush. I tossed a couple of more stones while being hidden, but this time they were tossed into the town, hitting an object. When they heard that the sound came from inside the city, they fled. I vanished into the distance without being seen as they investigated.

Breathing heavily, I sprinted towards the nearest forest, my heart pounding in my chest. With each step, I prayed that my escape would go unnoticed and that I could finally find safety. As I disappeared into the dense foliage, a sense of relief washed over me, knowing that I had successfully evaded being killed for now.