This abandoned city was undeniably well-defended, though not with the sa level of intense security as the previous one.
The reason was quite straightforward: the bandits often had their attention divided, occupied with navigating the sewers and managing other affairs besides solely guarding their camp.
Therefore, William felt confident they would eventually find an entry point. And indeed, it didn't take long.
They soon discovered a section of the city wall that was unguarded and even had a small opening, likely used by the bandits themselves. The hole was narrow, too tight for anyone of significant size to pass through, but it posed no problem for William and Rena's builds.
Squeezing through was difficult but certainly not impossible.
"What if they're waiting for us on the other side?" Rena asked hesitantly before attempting to enter.
Her fear was understandable, but William offered a reassuring smile. "I can't sense anyone nearby, so relax," he said calmly.
After all they had endured together, Rena trusted him implicitly with her life. Hearing his words eased her apprehension, and she wasn't afraid to proceed.
Still, William went first, just to be absolutely certain no imdiate danger awaited them. It was the safer approach.
He carefully maneuvered through the narrow opening, trying his best to avoid making any sound. The eerie quiet of the abandoned city would amplify even the slightest noise, so stealth was paramount.
Rena followed closely behind. Once they were both inside, a collective sigh of relief escaped their lips. "It worked, thank goodness. But where do we go first? We need to find Burt, and that portal too."
Rescuing Burt was their primary objective, but now that they knew about the portal, a strong desire to locate and explore it tugged at them both. It very well could be the gateway to the next level of the dungeon.
However, while gaining entry had been surprisingly simple, remaining undetected within the city was proving to be a different challenge altogether. Most of the bandits were inside, moving about and attending to their daily activities.
This was their ho, after all. They had makeshift restaurants, sleeping quarters, and even a communal park where they gathered to socialize. It resembled a functioning, albeit lawless, city.
Consequently, movents throughout the night were commonplace and expected. William couldn't envision a scenario where they could simply stroll through the city unnoticed.
"I think we might have to subdue a couple of bandits and take their clothes," William whispered to Rena. "There's no way they know everyone's face here."
William believed this was their best course of action, the most logical step at that mont. They would need to acquire two sets of clothing—one for him and one for Rena.
Obtaining the clothes themselves wasn't the primary concern. William's real worry was the possibility of other bandits recognizing them as outsiders.
Still, he reasoned it was a far better risk to take than blindly navigating the city. William decided to move alone for the initial part. Rena remained concealed while he scouted for two unsuspecting targets.
The first one he spotted was a man relieving himself in a dark alley. The alley was secluded, with no one else around.
William moved with the sa swiftness as before, but this ti there was no conversation. He simply grabbed the man from behind, his hand clamping firmly around his neck, and squeezed until he lost consciousness. Everything happened so quickly that the bandit didn't even catch a glimpse of William's face.
Having struck the man and left him unconscious, William quickly stripped off his own outer garnts and put on the bandit's.
He then concealed the unconscious body in a shadowy corner of the alley. It wasn't the most secure hiding place, but he was confident no one would find the man, at least not during the night.
Now in new clothes, William felt much safer moving through the city. But before he could fully blend in as one of the bandits, he still needed to find suitable attire for Rena.
And this was proving to be one of the most challenging parts. The majority of the bandits were n, so finding appropriate clothing for her ant William would need to locate a woman.
But of course, this didn't discourage him. He knew it was only a matter of ti before he found suitable clothing for her, and all he needed was patience.
After searching for about twenty minutes, he finally spotted a lone woman. He had encountered other won during that ti, but most were accompanied by other n or won.
aning, it would have been impossible for William to attack and obtain the clothes in those scenarios. He was extrely grateful when he finally found a woman by herself.
"It feels very strange to attack a lone woman like this at night," he thought, "well, I'll just grab the top and get out of here..."
William tried to convince himself that what he was doing wasn't anything weird. It was still strange, in fact, but his intentions were different.
Just as he had knocked out the man, he did the sa to the woman, though it turned out to be even easier due to her smaller physical strength. William had to be careful not to use too much force and end up causing permanent harm.
After taking her upper garnt, he returned and found Rena, who was growing worried about having to wait so long. When she saw soone dressed like a bandit approaching, she gripped her staff tightly and prepared to fight.
Only when William got closer did she realize it was him.
"Relax, it's ," he said, and then tossed the clothing to her, "here you go."
Rena took the offered clothes and quickly changed right there in front of William.
He politely turned his gaze away, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable with his stare. A small smile played on her lips as she finished dressing.
"Thank you," she murmured softly.
"No problem," William replied.
He waited patiently until she was fully dressed. Then, the mont of truth had arrived. It was ti to see if their risky plan would actually work!
Would the bandits see through their disguise? Would they realize they were impostors who didn't belong in this rough, abandoned city?
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