My plan required darkness for implementation, so I had a few hours preparation before I would swing into action, which gave me time enough to prepare.

First step was back to the All-Church, where this time I really would be robbing the place.

No plan is ever perfect, I’ve found, and improvisation is often required to deal with unexpected hiccups.  In this case, the hiccups took the form of six burley gentlemen of various species who surrounded me as soon as I left the ale-house.

I mentally kicked myself for not finding a window in order to check out the street, but in all likelihood, I probably wouldn’t have noticed them or thought them anything more than a few guys out for a drink with some friends.  Which is probably what they were before we crossed paths.

“Well, well” said the biggest of them “What do we have here, then, eh?”  He affected a swagger, probably more for the benefit of his friends than for me.  He clearly didn’t see me as any sort of threat.  A swift stabbing in the vitals would soon persuade him of the error of his ways.  For the second time today, I reached for my dagger only to find an empty belt.

I would have to do this the hard way.