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The Thieves Guild

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by Jake Kerr.

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Episode 103:

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A Fork in the Road.

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The trip along the forest road couldn't compare to
the awfulness of the trip through the

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mountain, but it seemed to be taking just as long.

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Still, Maela and Darla were in good spirits.

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There were plenty of wild fruits and vegetables to
eat, and wild deer wandered

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nearby often enough for them to have a robust meal
every few days.

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They had settled on a plan. It was clear that
Travel would imprison them if they

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announced their presence and requested access to
the tunnel, so they would

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need to sneak their way to the road to Ness, their
Ness.

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Maela smiled.

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She was unsure how well-defended the entrance
would be, but she was

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unconcerned. She was good at sneaking.

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The only question was how to bring food, water,
and light for the

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grueling journey. Darla shrugged and said that
they would work on a plan when

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they got closer, mentioning using a deerskin and
some kind of wooden

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cart without wheels that they would drag behind
them.

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Maela had doubts, especially as they had to sneak
into the tunnel.

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Doing so with a cart dragging behind them full of
food seemed unlikely.

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"Look," Darla said, pointing ahead.

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Maela's mind had been focused on the challenge
ahead, and she hadn't paid much

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attention to the trail.

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When she followed Darla's gaze, she saw it: a fork
in the road.

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Maela squinted, but couldn't see more than the
split in the road.

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"When we get closer, we can look for clues as to
which direction to go."

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She looked up. "Both choices seem to lead toward
the mountain."

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Darla nodded. "Everything seems to lead to the
mountain." "All

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roads lead to Ness," Maela muttered.

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"What's that?" "It's an old saying from the Old
Quarter.

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I never really knew what it meant, but I liked how
it made the Thieves Guild seem more important,
like

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we were going to restore Ness to the center of the
world.

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Maybe it's not too far from the truth.

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The Great Road not only leads through the Great
Gate, it goes right through the mountain."

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By then, they had arrived at the parting in the
road.

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The road itself was more like a wide, grassy trail
than a dirt road, which

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made it hard to assess which path led to the magic
city.

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Maela got on her hands and knees and ran her
fingers along the ground.

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She stood up, paused, and scratched her head.

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"What is it?"

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Darla asked, looking at the ground and then up at
Maela. "It's too overgrown.

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There's no evidence of any traffic on here at
all."

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Darla glanced back from where they came.

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"The wagon that brought us past here was a long
time ago."

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Maela walked over to the other split in the road
from their cabin.

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Getting down on her hands and knees, she repeated
the process of running her

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hands along the ground. She stood up again. "The
same.

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This direction has what feels like ruts in the
road, but it could simply be the terrain."

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"Maybe there's no wrong choice.

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If both paths lead to the mountain, we can simply
work our way to the road from along the base of
the

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mountain. We should be able to see the Towers of
Ness when we get there and head in that
direction."

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"That's true. In fact, if we go the wrong way, it
may actually be better,

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because then we wouldn't have to skirt the city."
"Yes, both paths will work, and

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even the wrong one might be better."

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Darla took a step toward the left fork.

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"It still feels strange calling that city Ness."

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Maela walked toward Darla. "I agree.

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It just feels wrong."

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She nodded down the left fork. "So go this way?"
"Sure.

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If it starts to turn away from the mountain, we
can then decide whether to walk through the forest
or

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backtrack."

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Maela adjusted the makeshift backpack that they
had made out of cloth from the

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cabin. "I don't like the idea of walking through
the forest, but let's not worry about that

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unless we have to."

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Darla walked over, quickly leaned up on her
tiptoes, and kissed Maela

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on the cheek. "The next stage of our adventure..."
And without waiting for

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Maela, she started down the trail.

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They spent the first day and night in a jovial
mood.

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The mountain didn't appear any closer, but it felt
closer.

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As the days passed, however, their mood soured.

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Rather than chatting about their lives, a future
together, and various

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dreams, both achievable and unrealistic, they fell

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into silence.

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Finally, Darla blurted out, "I feel like we're
running parallel to the mountain,

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not toward it. We need to cut through the forest."

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She stopped to reinforce her point.

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Maela stopped and walked over. "I don't know if
that's wise.

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Neither of us has experience in navigating a
forest.

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What if the trees block the view of the mountain
and we head in the wrong direction?" "We could

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climb a tree then."

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The tone of Darla's voice made it clear she had
already made up her mind.

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Maela considered pushing back, as she truly was
worried about navigating

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the forest. But the truth was that she was
similarly pessimistic

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about following the trail,

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and backtracking for days just seemed too much to
bear

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after all the work they had done to move forward.

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"Okay,"

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Maela finally replied. "Maybe we'll find a stream,
and we can have more to drink than drops

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of rain and dew.... or we could swim." "I don't
know how to swim,"

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Maila replied. That wasn't quite true. She could
avoid drowning at least.

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"Well, it's easy. We take off our clothes, we get
in the water, and then I put my arms around

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you."

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Dala paused and then winked. "You know, so that
you don't drown." She

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then plunged into the forest.

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They never did find anything more than a bubbling
brook, but that allowed them to fill

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their jugs with water and come up with a new plan.

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Dala sat on a rock as Maila explained their next
steps.

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"The brook looks like it is coming from the
mountain, so we'll follow that and it will lead us
to the

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mountain while also providing us with water."
"That's brilliant,"

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Dala replied, and she gave a little hop that Maila
found entirely

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entrancing. Maila stared at Dala as they continued
on their way.

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Somehow the violent, sarcastic young woman she was
was connecting and

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healing thanks to the warrior walking next to her.

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The initial kisses, which were always unexpected
and often awkward,

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became wonderful surprises, and the wonderful
surprises became

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passionate moments, and the passionate moments
became something even deeper,

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a connection that anchored a love that she knew
she

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now felt.

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Somewhere and somewhen, it wasn't under the
mountain, but it wasn't

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long after, Maila realized that she loved Dala,
and it was

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scary, thrilling, and when she thought about it,
deeply

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unsettling. And that's how Dala was healing her.

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Loving someone and being loved wasn't unsettling.

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It was wonderful. Maila jogged ahead and tugged on

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Dala's arm. Dala stopped and turned only to be met
by Maila

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mashing her lips against hers and their noses
bending against each other.

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She laughed and pulled Maila in closer.

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It was the most awkward kiss ever, only it wasn't.

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It was perfect.

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They both missed the smoke on the horizon until
they practically walked into the clearing

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with the cabin.

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Maila grabbed Dala's arm and pulled her back.

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"Shh."

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Through a gap in the trees, they could see smoke
flickering across the sun.

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They took a few steps and peering around a tree
could see a large clearing with a

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cabin, the smoke coming from its chimney.

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Dala tugged on Maila's arm and pointed.

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A young woman was washing clothes in a wooden
barrel.

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"Should we go around?" "I don't think so.

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We can maybe get some information from her.

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Maybe there's a road or a path to the mountain, or
maybe we can find out if there's another opening
that leads

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to the great road."

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Dala dropped her hand to her waist where her
knives stood at the ready.

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"Okay, but you do the talking."

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They walked into the clearing and Maila spoke up
in a firm but friendly voice.

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"Hello. We don't mean to alarm you. We are
friends."

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The woman nearly fell out of her chair.

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She looked left and right and then back at Dala
and Maila.

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She slowly stood up and backed toward the cabin.
"Who are you?

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You don't wear the red. Are you banished?" "No, we
aren't banished.

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Don't be afraid.

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Uh, you don't wear red either."

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Maila thought the observation would set the woman
at ease, but she only

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became more agitated. "Who are you then?

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Only the banished and outcasts live in these
woods."

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Maila didn't want to ask which the woman was,
although she felt that neither

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choice seemed very good for her. "We..."

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Maila paused and looked at Dala, who nodded
slightly.

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"We come from the otherness through the mountain,

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and that's why-"

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Maila never had a chance to finish her sentence.

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The woman screamed and scrambled backwards so fast
that she tripped and fell.

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After dragging herself to her feet, she ran into
the cabin and slammed the

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door.

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(dramatic music)