Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Back to Basics.
"Before we start on learning the technique of stealing, we need to first work on our stealth. So, what is it?"
"To be put basically, stealth is the process of moving undetected. If you get good at it, you can perform actions unobserved and unnoticed. The skill if you can master it will enable you to hunt in the wild and be able to allow you to pickpocket others undetected."
"If you're bad at it, you will never find the best spots to hide, and you will never be able to sneak around the person."
"If your decent, you will be able to creep and pickpocket an object from the owner without them knowing."
"If you are good at it, you will be able to open slightly creaky doors, and take objects from the owner when they are momentarily distracted."
"If you are great at it, you can open creaky doors, and pickpocket with ease."
"If you are exceptional at it, you can mimic the footsteps of the other person when you follow them and take objects from them even when they are focused on you."
"For today's class, we will be going to the best place to practice. In the woods."
We made our way down the stairs and out the building, hopping onto another white bus. Were any other candidates going to die today?
Was this another test?
Maybe no one was going to die. Xie Li didn't seem to like the idea of any of us dying. She felt that it was like we were being cheated on because Sophie had died. One less candidate for her. Maybe we were important to her at least as a chip.
We were back in the forest. It was a different part of the woods though, just how big was this place? The trees here gave off an autumn feel. The large Maple trees were covered in yellow, orange and brown, and their leaves covered the floor, giving off a vibrant colour.
The floor was flooded in leaves. Some areas looked as if the leaves had laid there for years, damp, and rustling with life. There were also new dry leaves that flowed to the floor.
Xie Li was the first to step out. She walked on top of the leaves while looking at us, step after step, she moved. Not a single noise came off the floor,
"Janice if you could please, could you please step out."
We all turned towards her as she stepped forward. Each time she moved, we could hear the sounds of leaves crunching as she stepped out.
"Wonderful, now could you please walk silently towards me."
"You kidding me?"
"No. Come."
Janice moved forward, her legs bent, her body lowered into a crouching position, she ran the tip of her toes touching the floor first, no sound, and just as the heels of her feet touched the floor.
Crunch.
"You can't possibly walk around the forest without making a noise."
Her face was red. She looked angry and embarrassed.
"But you can. Watch."
We watched as Xie Li moved around, not a single sound could be heard, she moved similar to Janice, but even when her heels came down, she still didn't make a single noise.
"So how do you move silently around the forest without any sound?"
"What Janice did earlier was correct, the way she lowered her body which reduces the gravity and the weight of her body, to the toe to heel technique they are all correct, but there was one thing she missed. It was deciding where she should step on."
"Look carefully at where I am stepping, I am moving around just like her, but at the same time, I am choosing where I am stepping. If you see the floor is covered with dry leaves, try not to step on those as they will crunch and break apart. Instead, look for the damp areas. The leaves that have been on the floor for a long time and have lost their moist."
"Janice, could you try again?"
Again she stepped forward. But she still crunched with her step.
"What did she do wrong this time?"
"It's how she is moving, instead of just relying on the toe to heel, she should try using the edge of her feet too. It can help with softening the landing."
"If you are so good, why don't you do it?"
"Fine, I will."
Tina moved like an expert, her body lowered, nearly touching the floor, it looked as if she had practised this before, and as she took a step forward, there was not a single sound. It looked as if she was hunting something. She moved with ease.
"Show off."
"Perfect Tina, how did you learn that skill?"
"My parents were hunters. They taught us that for us survive we had to walk with nature and blend with it."
"Alright everyone else, it's time for you to practice."
This was going to be so much fun. We were going to try walking around silently.
"There are other factors, if you are nimble or small, you should be able to hide easier, but for those that are heavier doing this will take a bit of work. But just because you are small doesn't mean you will be able to move silently, sometimes you may misstep and bump into something or branches might hit you."
"It is important that you acquire the following skills, the first thing and the most important thing is your observation skills, you need to quickly look around yourself and your surroundings for that may expose you. The floor, for example, you should look for damp leaves, instead of dry. You should also watch out for branches as sometimes when you are so concentrated on where you're moving that you might walk straight into a branch."
"You need to keep your arms close to you. This reduces the chances of you doing something stupid like hitting a branch, Stick to the floor, the lower your body is, the less exposed it is to the other person, it also means that you can move your weight closer to the floor."
"If you are following someone, it would be great if you could copy their steps, this will help hide your every move. "
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