His eyes opened, he took in his surroundings. The sky was clear now, the snow had stopped and the moon was full. A frosty breeze blew in from the north causing the overhead branches to sway lazily and a bit of the powdered snow atop them to fall in a delicate ballet of reflected moonlight. He glimpsed a few stars between the bare branches and they tempted him to become lost among them. The campfire still burned simmering last nights stew, and making the nearly perfect circle of melted snow in which he was laying. The stew still smelled good. The rope keeping the pot just far enough from the flame to keep it simmering was still in place. The sleeping blanket was warm and well tucked in. Yes all was well and as it should be. Everything that is except for the rather large man, in armor that glittered in the moon light, holding a well oiled and sharpened sword to his throat. "Not a move Riely, not a move" Riely smiled "Markus, it seems you have finally caught me." Riely let a small smile cross his lips before he made his face calm and unreadable. He did not want to give away the surprise. "Don't appear so amused Riely, the king will be happy if I bring him your corpse." Hiding his amusement Riely put on his best hurt-face. "Markus you would kill me now? To think I once called you friend!"

Markus was growing angrier by the moment. "I would rightfully kill a cretin such as yourself, what you did was beyond criminal" Riely almost laughed "Beyond criminal? Do you really think she didn't want me there? Your Code has deluded your thinking knight!" Markus's voice sounded through the trees as he shouted, "You will not insult her highness or The Code any further! Rise at once to be bound and gagged or be cut through like the swine you are!" Riely realized that Marcus must have been very angry. The knight did not even take time to gloat about disarming the alarm system Riely had set up around the camp. Riely mused over the skill Markus possessed. He had the make up of an excellent bounty hunter and solider, however he still fell short in some places and Riely was going to enjoy pointing that out. Riley was snapped out of his thoughts by an impatient prick on his neck, "Move pig this is your last warning." In one smooth motion Riely started rising and then fell back away from the blade at his throat. At the same time he kicked out with his foot. His leather boot landed squarely on one of the three logs holding his stew above the flames. The surprise was sprung. The pot's weight pulled the rope taunt, which untied a slipknot at the end of a sack hidden in the branches above. 6 rather large rocks fell out of the open sack and came crashing towards the earth. The rocks fell in a haphazard circle around Riely's sleeping blanket. Markus, in the few seconds this process took, could have probably attacked Riely or at least moved. Instead his eyes followed the events as they happened including looking up at the crashing noise just in time to catch one of the larger rocks on the forehead. Markus fell down under his weight and went unconscious. Riely threw his head back and let out a resounding laugh. This was far better than what he had hoped for. He thought his trap would only offer a distraction so he might escape from the larger man. Perhaps this was the start of a change of luck. He hummed to himself as he bound and gagged Markus in the rope and cloth that had been reserved for himself. Riely then looked down at the knight and abruptly stopped humming as a pang of regret went through his heart. He knew Markus would never be his friend again. Only a few short months ago Riley never would have thought it would go this far. He shook off the depressing thoughts as he realized what he needed was a new plan, not more regrets. Riley tried to think of the best thing to do with his captive as he shuffled through a small pouch attached to Markus's belt. He found a few useful supplies and a poster of himself drawn rather well but with the fiercest scowl Riely had ever seen. Riely tried to mimic his angry twin but couldn't manage to look quite as menacing. He laughed lightly to himself and continued examining the poster. It read, 10,000 crowns alive 5,000 dead. It seems his letter consisting of the message "healers can help with impotence" had found its way to the king. The effect obviously demanded another message. He rolled up the poster and put it in his own backpack to go with the previous two he had acquired 1,000 crowns alive 500 dead as well as 3,500 alive 2,000 dead. He wondered: what is the record for highest bounty anyhow? I'll have to look into that. Assuming of course that I make it to Wyrm's Hold. He grinned as he realized that his odds of reaching the city had just greatly increased. Markus was the most dedicated knight in Dragons Gate, with him out of the way he had little to fear.