Standing on the edge of the canal, he could see and hear the river bubbling below as the guards patrolling the middle stomped their way back and forth the bridge. Looking around the area for a way to cross without alerting the guards above, he noticed that the bridge's metal skeleton was sticking out on certain parts of it. The thick metal bars were only a short jump away from him, but he was concerned about their state. Covered in rust, they did not look very stable. In fact, it was a miracle they could still carry the full weight of the bridge in that state. Raul tried to find a different, hopefully safer way to get across, but he knew that he was only delaying the inevitable.
With no other options, Raul took a few steps back from the edge and a deep breath to calm himself as he prepared to jump. After doing a final check on his surroundings and the short path ahead, he ran straight towards the bridge, jumped off the stone canal wall and landed on the middle of one of the rust-covered metal bars with pinpoint accuracy. He expected it to crack into little rusty pieces as soon as he put his feet on it, but to his surprise, the metal bar was unusually sturdy. Showing no obvious signs of breakage, it gave Raul a short sense of relief before planning his next move.
Looking ahead, he could see several other jutting metal bars lined along the bridge. They all led towards the center, where they were replaced with a large metal arch hovering over the river and connecting the two opposite sides. While the line continued on the southern part of the bridge, getting there was impossible using conventional means. Luckily, the crossbow he carried in his bag was as unconventional as it gets.
Not willing to risk falling to his untimely death, Raul moved from one metal bar to another while making sure to never place his full weight on any of them. The Sun, with its fiery body now at the center of the clear sky above, lit his way towards the wide middle of the canal. Like a monkey leaping from one branch to another, he quickly reached his destination. The metal constructs that made the arch and held the bridge in one piece provided plenty of anchors for his crossbow's hook. As he reached for his leather bag, his eyes caught the beautiful cascade of colors that decorated the river's surface below his feet. Were this any other day, he'd stop and admire the sight for a while - perhaps even pull out a fishing rod and try his luck with the fish - but much to his regret, he had no time for idle pleasures.
He pulled out his crossbow and aimed for one of the large metal bars up high on the southern side of the bridge. After making sure he got the right angle, he squeezed the trigger and the hook went flying towards its target with near-lighting speed. Within a moment, it attached itself to the metal bar, but Raul did a quick check just to be safe. He pulled on the rope to make sure it was locked in place before going any further.
"Man, the things I do for money...", he said and let out a heavy sigh. After confirming that the hook is in place, he firmly grasped the crossbow with both hands and prepared to jump.
"'Veh'run Na'shar...'", he whispered as his gaze focused at the blue sky above. His eyes turned gray as the warm summer wind suddenly became enraged and slammed viciously into his back, effectively propelling him across the canal and into the air. By pressing a small button on the crossbow's left side, the hook detached itself from the metal bar and reeled itself and the rope back towards the mechanism on the hilt. Realizing he miscalculated the strength of the wind, Raul - still flying towards the sky - quickly aimed for one of the buildings below him and hoped that the hook would attach itself to the roof as he once again fired the device. The sound of the reel mechanism echoed through the air as the rope vanished in the distance and Raul's trajectory changed from flying up to falling down.
His face was being molded into ridiculous shapes as he began to pick up speed on his way down. Within moments, he would be facing certain death by slamming into the deserted building directly below.
"Uh...what's going on...Raul?", Noxy slowly came out of Raul's pocket, yawning and rubbing his eyes. Woken by the turbulence, it did not take him long to realize the situation he was in.
"Uwah, what is going on?! Why are you falling, Raul?! Humans can't fly, remember?!"
"You don't have to tell me that, you idiot! Do something or we'll both end up squashed like a pair of watermelons!"
"W-What are you expecting me to do?! Grow wings?! I'm a monkey, not a bird!"
"I don't know! Just think of something, fast!"
Panicking, Noxy's mind was void of any ideas that could help them. He didn't have much time to think, but he forced himself to calm down and find a way out of this mess.
"I-I think I got it! Raul, hold on tight!"
Noxy jumped out of the pocket and coiled his extended arms around Raul's waist. At the same time, he transformed his body into a makeshift canopy that slowed their descent.
"Yes! Noxy, you did it! Good job!"
"Hmph! No thanks to you, though. If it were up to you, we'd be a smear of red paste by now!"
Noxy's words stabbed through Raul like sharpened knives. He really was at fault here and he knew it, but he didn't appreciate Noxy's remark.
"Well, seeing how we're still alive, how about we keep it that way and avoid being seen by those drunken morons over there? They're bound to notice us if you don't get us down quickly!", he said while pointing towards the two guards enjoying themselves on the southern end of the bridge.
"Ugh, fine!", Noxy replied angrily and leaned his body forward, which sped up their descent towards the small alleyway snuggled between two abandoned shops. "I hope you realize I'm going to charge you extra for all this trouble."
"Sure, sure. As long as we survive the rest of the day, you can have as many as you want."
"Hehe, I'm looking forward to it, then!"
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