Fortunately for the group, Trinia's apartment wasn't too far away from Citadel Volshyenek. However, when they came closer to the address, it became clear why it took so long for the mobs around the city to find the accused assassin. Trinia lived in the Shingles, a densely built section of the city. Rather than expanding outward, the Shingles expanded upward toward the sky. There were multiple buildings that extended high up with homemade catwalks with multiple levels of gutters, overhanging roofs, and rope bridges that were lined with laundry.

Takota frowned at the lack of sunlight on the ground portion of the Shingles. He wasn't too pleased with the urbanization of the land and wasn't sure if the idea of the Shingles was even viable. Yet, a small part of him was impressed with what the architects were able to achieve. The archer couldn't think about living in such a place, but looking over the scene, he realized that there were no signs of rioters in the area. The Shingles were peaceful for now.

The group waited outside the address, a three-story building with dozens of flats, for a few minutes waiting for Griffin's arrival. There were a few neighbors that came and went into the building but Falenas had quickly told the group if any of them knew about Trinia, they would try to bring her in themselves. Takota crossed his arms, still not convinced of his role. He didn't buy the story of Trinia murdering King Eodred II, even if he never met her. The archer saw too many holes with the story but knew that his companions wanted to bring her in for questioning.

The idea of going in by himself to talk to Trinia was tempting but he wasn't sure what he could accomplish. There was very little Takota could do to avoid the rest of his group in trying to sneak the artist away, and even if he could, there was nowhere safe he knew to hide her. For now, he would have to go along with his companions, and if she truly was innocent, he hoped that they would be able to help her.

Griffin, wearing leather armor and a blue mask, ducked out of a nearby alleyway and joined the group. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's alright," Viera told Griffin. "This is the place. We shouldn't wait any longer."

"I'll lead the way," Alexander volunteered. "Let's go."

Alexander led the way inside with Takota naturally claiming a spot at the end of the line they walked in. It just felt natural for him even if the halls were too cramped for him to pull out his bow and use it effectively. He didn't want to draw attention to himself at all. The group made their way up three flights of stairs and eventually arrived at a door they deemed to be Trinia's. There was no lock on it but when Alexander turned the handle, the door didn't budge.

"There's something blocking the way," Alexander grunted.

"Of course she would barricade the door," Falenas shrugged. "Push harder!"

Viera stepped forward and the two pushed against the door. After several seconds of the two straining themselves against the door, the way into the flat flew open with several chairs thrown to the ground. The flat was one-roomed with a kitchen, bedroom, and a painter's studio combined together. In one corner was an easel with an incomplete painting of an imp and house drake fighting one another on the rooftop. Alexander made his way to the bed where a blonde woman was sleeping but when he grabbed her blanket, she disappeared.

"What?!" Alexander gasped.

"An illusion," Griffin quickly realized. "She couldn't have gotten too far!"

It only took a few seconds for Viera to point out the window over the bed. "There she is!"

Takota looked out the window in time to see a figure racing across the rooftops in a quick and unsafe manner. Even with the rope bridges, he figured that if it was Trinia, she wanted to get away in a quick and timely manner. Before the group could address what they wanted to do, Viera climbed out the window and navigated her away across a rooftop cluttered with loose stones and other debris.

"Is she insane?!" Falenas exclaimed.

"We have to give chase," Griffin said and slapped the elf across the back. "After you!"

Falenas gulped, and slowly, climbed out the window. While Trinia and Viera took a hasty approach, the elf tried his best to take his time to make it through the sloped rooftop. Unfortunately, his foot was caught on a loose tile and he slipped. He slid off the rooftop and screamed at the top of his lungs as he fell. Alexander gasped as he, Griffin, and Takota all looked to see where he fell. The archer saw Falenas on the street three stories below and sighed in relief to see the elf moving on the ground.

"He's alive," Takota told his friends.

"Then we'll leave him to tend to his wounds," Griffin told the two. "Try to keep up!"

Griffin climbed out the window next, and unlike Falenas, managed to make his way across the cluttered rooftop in pursuit of Trinia. Takota motioned for Alexander to go next and the warrior awkwardly climbed out the window. He nearly slipped and fell but Griffin was quick to catch him and stabilize his companion. With no one behind him, the archer climbed out the window and dashed across the rooftop, careful of where each footstep landed.

Years spent in Korvosa made Takota more adept when it came to urban environments and his own physical fitness was bound to benefit him in the chase. He darted past Griffin and Alexander and across a rope bridge that connected the roof to another one. While the next rooftop wasn't better than the previous one and was likely to collapse, Takota didn't slow down. He continued with the chase, a little more careful than before but able to make it through the rooftop all the same to catch up with Viera.

The two adventurers looked up at the wall that stood before them with Trinia on top of it. For the first time, Takota had a closer look at the artist, a young woman with short blonde hair. She wore street clothes over a metal coat that the archer was barely able to see past her sleeves with two golden bracelets on her right arm. He was surprised to see that she was relatively fit under the belief that the pursuit of art didn't leave a lot of time for physical exercise. There was a look of urgency and a hint of fear on her face and Takota couldn't tell if she was guilty or trying to run away from someone she thought was dangerous.

"You need to stop this, Trinia," Viera called out. "We're trying to help."

"You're strangers yet you found my home and are armed with weapons," Trinia argued. "I don't believe you at all."

Before Viera could say anything else, Trinia pulled a metal stick from her pockets and aimed it at the aasimar. The item fired a white orb at the priestess and she gasped in shock and stepped backward. Takota couldn't stand around and help his friend when Trinia jumped down from the other side of the wall. With a grunt, the archer ran toward the wall and climbed it up with relative ease.

At the top of the wall, Takota looked down to see a long way down toward an open street with laundry lines running through. In the brief time that she disappeared, Trinia had ended up on a building a story below Takota and across the street. The archer couldn't believe that she made such a jump and wasn't sure if he could make it. Before Takota could decide if he should attempt it, Trinia looked over her shoulder and fired another white orb at her pursuer.

Takota grimaced when his vision blurred and his ears rang loudly. Unable to rely on his senses, he decided the best thing he could do was stand still and wait. Whatever magic affected him would fade away in time. When his vision and ears cleared, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Takota turned to see Griffin's masked face as the disguised noble caught up. Viera was climbing up the wall behind Griffin with Trinia further along the roofs although she jumped when a wave of striges emerging from a chimney blocked her path.

"She's rather impressive," Griffin noted with a hint of admiration. "Did you see how she made the jump?"

"Trinia used some sort of magic to daze us," Takota informed Griffin. "Not naturally but through some sort of stick."

"A wand," Griffin nodded. "The three of us will have to be careful."

"Three of us?" Viera asked as she caught up.

"Alexander fell down at the last rooftop," Griffin sighed but Takota was quick to notice a glint in his eye. "Speaking of falling…"

Without warning, Griffin leaped from the wall and toward the building that Trinia stood on. Takota saw that he wasn't going to make it but the noble grabbed onto a laundry line that connected the two buildings together. The archer realized how Trinia was able to make it to the other side and jumped down as well, able to grab onto the rope with a firm grip. Viera followed after the two and the three climbed over to the next building, although they were able to see Trinia vanish through the stirges.

The three dashed through the stirges together. While the beasts did not bite any of them as they sought cover, they hid the true danger. There was a gap that fell down to the streets two feet in front of the group with the next jump requiring them to grab onto the wall across the gap. Trinia lived in the Shingles and knew what to expect as she was already running along the wall she was able to jump to.

With no time to stop and prepare, the three adventurers leaped across. Takota grabbed onto the wall's edge and held to ensure that his grip wouldn't break when he climbed up. Viera grabbed onto the spot next to him, but on her other side, Griffin slammed into the wall hard. The priestess tried to grab him but it was too late as the noble screamed during the fall down to the cobble streets below.

"Griffin!" Viera called out in worry.

"He'll live," Takota grunted. "Keep moving!"

Takota couldn't deny the rush of adrenaline that he felt chasing after Trinia. He was enjoying trying to catch up with the painter that was always one step ahead of him. The archer climbed up the wall and tried to assess the path Trinia took by looking where she was now. The artist was two buildings away, looking around for an escape route. The distance between Takota and the next building wasn't too great and he was able to make the jump with a running start. He kept his momentum as he ran across a laundry line as if it were a tightrope.

Before he could make it across, Trinia jumped down from the rooftop she stood at. Takota made it to the edge she fell from but wasn't able to catch sight of his target anywhere. He looked over his shoulder to see that Viera was two buildings back and taking her time. He couldn't rely on her to catch up and see where Trinia had gone. Takota turned back around, looking around his sights. The rooftops across the street were too high for anyone to jump over with a dark alleyway being the only escape, although there was nowhere to land near there. If she had landed on the ground at this height, she would be too injured to keep up the chase.

Looking down at the streets, Takota saw a loose rope hanging from the building. It fluttered in the breeze in front of the alley's entrance and the archer was able to catch a glimpse of a rooftop edge to the right. With a nod, he knew what path Trinia took and resolved himself to follow after her.

Takota took a deep breath in and jumped down. He caught onto the rope and used his momentum to have it swing him toward the alley. The archer let go and was flung towards the alley. The two walls were close together and his feet touched against the wall opposite of the roof edge he saw. Takota ran two steps before he felt gravity pull him down. Rather than fall to the ground, he kicked off the wall and towards the roof, sailing over it.

What he was unable to see was how steep of an incline the rooftop was. Takota gritted his teeth with his cloak only providing minor protection from the tiles as he slid down. His eyes were quick to spot Trinia on a rooftop that was a floor down, looking for another escape. The hunter had caught his prey and as the rooftop threatened to drop him, he pushed himself off at the last moment and jumped towards Trinia.

Trinia heard Takota forward and gasped. She was able to move away from the spot that he landed and out of his reach. However, her heel got caught in a roof tile and she lost her footing toward the edge. She screamed out as she fell with the archer trying to close the distance between him and her. Takota was able to catch onto her forearm and held her in place to stop her from falling. From a single story building, the fall was hardly dangerous, but both of them saw a nest of drain spiders where Trinia would have fell.

"Please don't let-"

Before Trinia could finish, Takota pulled her back onto the rooftop with all of his strength. Although she fell onto the surface, he made no attempt to try to apprehend her. The adrenaline he had during the chase faded away and he swept his forearm over his sweaty forehead. Trinia was also covered in a coat of sweat from trying to make her escape and slowly sat up, taking deep breaths. Given that she nearly fell into a spider next, Takota decided the best thing he could do was calm her down, even if he wasn't the best when it came to people.

Takota knelt down by Trinia. "Do you see what is holstered across my back?"

Trinia's blue eyes looked towards his bow and she nodded with wide eyes. "I do."

"Had I wanted you dead, I could have shot at you from afar," Takota told her bluntly. "But I didn't."

"Why didn't you?" Trinia asked.

"Because I don't think you killed the king," Takota answered. "Am I right?"

Trinia nodded without hesitation. "Yes you are. I swear to all of the gods that all I did was paint his portrait."

"I believe you," Takota said and extended his hand to her. "Will you let me help you?"

The two locked eyes and Takota could see Trinia's relief as her fear faded away. Only a few seconds passed before she took his hand firmly as a sign of her accepting his help.

Takota and Trinia stood on a street corner waiting for the former's companions. Although she was wanted, the archer had lent her his cloak to conceal her as best as he could. There were a few citizens that passed by but those who looked for a second too long were warned away by the Shoanti's quiet glare. They went about their business and for now, were undisturbed. There wasn't an angry mob around either so they felt safe for the moment.

However, it wasn't the citizens of Korvosa that Takota was worried about.

Coming from the sidewalk they stood on was Alexander, Griffin, and Viera. Takota didn't hear the priestess fall down, and given how well she handled herself on the rooftops, he assumed that she must have climbed down when she lost sight of both him and Trinia. Griffin and Alexander were in decent condition so the priestess must have healed them as well.

"There you are," Viera sighed in relief. "Takota, where is Trinia?"

"I think our answer lies in his cloak," Griffin said with a chuckle.

Alexander frowned. "Trinia Sabor, you're coming with us to Citadel Volshyenek."

"What?" Trinia gasped and quickly hid behind Takota. "I thought you said you were going to help me!"

"I am," Takota told her and stood his ground, not letting Alexander get past him. "She's innocent."

"Innocent citizens don't run," Alexander told Takota. "I was on the fence before but now I have reason to doubt she is more than a painter.

"I was scared!" Trinia argued and held onto Takota's arm tightly for his protection. "My neighbors warned me that an armed group was waiting outside my flat. When I heard you outside the door, I was afraid that you were going to kill me!"

"And in doing so, you displayed athletic prowess that exceeded most of our own," Viera said, standing alongside Alexander. "Nothing I would expect from a painter."

"I grew up in the Shingles," Trinia explained. "We used to run around the roofs all the time as children."

Griffin remained behind the two, not yet taking a side. "And the wand?"

"For protection if some ruffian tries to grab me off the street."

"Enough with the questioning," Takota told his companions. "Can't you see how scared she is? The truth is there."

"She could be acting," Alexander shrugged and reached for a pair of manacles on his belt. "At least let us chain her to someone so she doesn't run."

Trinia's grip grew tighter and Takota remained in place. Although he knew she needed to go to Citadel Volshyenek for her own protection, he wanted it to be her own choice. Alexander and Viera both frowned at their archer, unsure of how to talk their companion down. Griffin looked around, trying to think of a compromise, and sighed in relief when looking over his shoulder.

"Falenas!" Griffin waved over. "I was wondering where you were."

The elf walked in from behind Griffin, Alexander, and Viera and shook his head in disappointment. "The next time we have to chase someone across a rooftop, you're on your own."

"I take it you've healed yourself with one of your extracts already," Viera commented seeing as how Falenas walked normally. "Where did you go?"

"Although I knew I wouldn't be able to join in on the chase, I sought to find evidence in Trinia's flat," Falenas answered. "It was surprisingly empty."

"You went through my home?" Trinia gasped.

Trinia looked over to the artist and blinked. "Huh. Here I thought you were Takota's cloak. Yes, I did. Tell me, did you make any gold from your latest commission? I looked all over for gold and found none."

"I spent it all already," Trinia admitted.

"So you found nothing that reveals if she was an assassin?" Griffin asked Takota.

"I didn't," Falenas shook his head.

"Then it may be that she is innocent as she says," Griffin said.

"Or that she burnt any evidence a long time ago," Alexander firmly said.

Takota focused on Alexander. "So, rather than believe that Trinia is a victim of a rumor, you believe that she has been an assassin all along, one who has destroyed or hidden away any evidence that would show her for who she truly is. Which is more believable?"

"We have a guard's testimony," Alexander argued.

"We can settle this matter another time," Viera told the two. "Whether she is innocent or not will be determined through a fair trial."

"But I didn't do anything!" Trinia protested. "Queen Ileosa will have my head if given the chance."

Takota looked down where Trinia held onto him. "Field Marshal Cressida Kroft was the one that sent us. She is a friend who wants what's best for you. She has sent us, outsiders to the Korvosan Guard, to bring you in with as few people knowing, including the queen's agents."

"You're rather talkative, Takota," Falenas noted. "It's hard to get used to."

"I take it you're not much of a talker to begin with," Trinia said. "That must mean whenever you do speak, it's something serious. I trust you, Takota. Do I have your word that I'll be safe?"

"I do," Takota said without waiting a second.

"Then I'll come along," Trinia told the group and lessened her grip on Takota.

"Since she has agreed to come with us, we do not need any chains to bind her," Takota told his companions. "Is that clear?"

"For what it's worth, I do not believe she's going to run," Griffin said, his words directed mainly at Alexander and Viera.

"I agree," Viera said with a nod. "We'll make sure you make it back to the citadel safely. We shouldn't stay around any longer unless we draw attention."

They were fortunate enough that no one was around now. Alexander saw no further reason to argue and walked past Takota and ignored Trinia to make his way back to Citadel Volshyenek. Viera and Griffin followed after their companion with the latter patting the Shoanti on the back to congratulate him for his success. Falenas stepped forward, looked over Takota and Trinia, and smiled at the two. The elf followed after the others and beckoned his friend along with him.

Once again, Takota walked at the back of the group. This time, he wasn't alone. Although Trinia finally let go of his arm, she walked at a pace that had her stand at the archer's side. Although he had gone to great lengths to catch her, he had gone even further to keep her safe and was willing to go more. Takota could tell that she wasn't going to run and relaxed his guard. He believed that she was innocent before, and having finally met her, he remained committed to that idea.

A/N: So, this was what I was talking about in the previous author notes. The chase was the scene I thought would be really full of action and that I wanted to see through. Although I was working on other projects, a group of friends formed a writing group and we met today, so I thought that I would write this. I have to say that I have enjoyed writing this chapter, and although it's shorter than I expected, I think I pulled it off.

I meet with my group again tomorrow, and while nothing major is planned for the next chapter, I might continue this some more. We'll have to wait and see.

And I actually have a review from last chapter. That's always a bonus and I thank you for that.

Otonglord: Yes, the party is very martial heavy. Even with Falenas as an Alchemist and Viera as a War Priest, they're not going to get a lot of magic. There'll likely come a time that they'll need more magic, but for a group that just made it to level four, I'd like to think that the challenge level is just exciting enough for a story. And, as with some of my previous works, I'm not afraid to add more characters to the main cast and even have some ideas for the future for storytelling purposes.

Until next time.