The Thieves Guild
by Jake Kerr.
Episode 111:
Prosper.
It was slow going, but in some ways it was easier than before.
Katrina knew exactly where her husband's cabin stood and the way
was through heavy woods, which made it much easier to sense the approach of the
guardian. But they went slow with the wagon often getting
stuck in ruts and brambles.
As they walked, the three of them were taut with fear and excitement.
Darla held her knives at the ready and Katrina held her bow.
Maila felt a bit useless as she pulled the cart laden with supplies, but she
knew that her skills were made for the shadows.
She also had the important job of throwing the three loosely knit together
bags of flour sitting at the front of the wagon when the guardian inevitably
attacked. Katrina whispered details about her husband.
His name was Prosper, and she clearly loved him dearly.
He was a talented magician, but rather than follow studies and scribe
work at the library, he pursued practical magic, which for him
meant joining the guards.
As Katrina proudly discussed Prosper, it led to many questions for
Maila. What was scribe work? The library was mentioned in awe
by Katrina, and she described it as a massive building with catacombs.
What was that about?
She mentioned that Prosper was careful not to use his magic casually as so many
other magicians did without hesitation, as he loved his wife and their memories
together too much to do so. What did that mean?
But the questions had to wait because all three of them focused on the woods around them,
listening for the pad of a heavy foot, the crack of a branch, or some other
sign that the guardian was approaching.
Maila was cursing as she roughly pulled the wagon over a tree root when she heard
it, a distinct but muffled crack ahead of them.
Katrina was whispering to Darla, so Maila immediately dropped the handle of the
wagon and grabbed Darla and Katrina's arms.
They turned to look at her, and she held an index finger over her lips with her left
hand while she pointed ahead with her right.
Darla immediately fell into a crouch, knives in both hands.
Katrina readied her bow as her eyes scanned left and right.
They were close to a wide gap between two trees, which was ahead and
to their right. It wasn't a path, but it was more grass than
brambles and roots. Maila was looking forward to the easier passage,
but now she saw it as a problem. The guardian could approach with little more than
the movement of grass or leaves revealing it.
Picking up a bag of flour, Maila decided to focus on that gap.
She had no idea if the guardians were intelligent enough to plan a stealth approach,
but the chance that it would attack through a clearing even without a strategy seemed
reasonable. In either case, the gap was a weakness, and she kept
watch.
It didn't take long for her to notice grass move about 30 feet ahead
and to the right near the outer edge of the clearing.
It would be a long throw for her with the heavy flour, but Maila
assessed that with two other bags, taking a risk early could prove to have
huge returns. So with both hands and all her might, she tossed the
bag of flour toward the swaying grass.
The bag landed with a thud, flour billowing out.
Darla and Katrina stared at the growing cloud, their weapons at the ready.
Two things then happened in quick succession. Maila realized she missed.
There was no guardian outlined in the flour, which was filling the whole other side
of the clearing with nothing more than white dust.
And then, as Maila grabbed another bag of flour, a pounding to the right
approached.
A large branch on a tree to their immediate right snapped off like a twig.
The tree shuddered, and then Katrina was hurled toward the clearing, her
bow and arrows flying to the side. Darla swung both knives in
the direction of where Katrina stood,
which elicited an otherworldly howl of pain and the guardian
retreating.
Maila scanned the direction of the thudding steps, and then she saw it,
a smudge of white dust hanging in the air like a flat pane of glass.
She smiled. Her first toss was in the direction of the guardian after all.
It was just too far back to be covered with the dust.
Still smiling, Maila hurled the other bag.
The accursed beast, however, pounded back to their right, and the flour once again
filled the clearing with no guardian beneath it.
"So you are smart," Maila thought as she grabbed the third and final bag
of flour.
She had little time to ponder this new information as a glancing blow tossed
her to the ground in front of the cart.
She looked up at the bit of flour hanging in the air and prepared to receive a
crushing blow when there was a thwack and then another howl of pain.
An arrow protruded from the center of the flour a few feet from her.
It swung back toward the clearing, and the guardian again moved toward
Katrina.Dala quickly grabbed the flower from Maela's side and heaved
it at the retreating arrow. The last bag exploded in midair, filling the
clearing again, but this time with the distinct outline of the guardian.
The short pause the beast took to assess what was happening proved its
undoing. Dala had time to quickly unsheathe her knives, and she
tossed them with precision. Thunk, thunk, and the beast
once again howled in pain. Turning and stumbling toward Dala,
it took a step.
Whack, a Catrina arrow hit home. It stumbled forward.
Whack, another arrow in the center of its back, and finally a killing
blow from Dala as her final throw ended with a knife protruding from the
center of the guardian. It stumbled to its left, collapsed to a
knee, and then fell on its side. Maela and Dala ran to
Catrina, who was sitting while leaning on her arm.
Her bow and arrows were scattered to her side.
She looked fine, and smiled as they approached.
Tha- thank you,
she said, a wheeze to her voice. She gasped a bit for breath after she
said it.
Are you okay?
Maela asked as she and Dala knelt next to her.
I think I have a few broken ribs, and it's a bit difficult to breathe.
She coughed and then smiled again.
But I'll see Prosper soon.
Maela helped her up, which elicited groans of pain, but Catrina was
steady on her feet.
I'll be fine,
she repeated as Dala reached out to hold her arm.
She looked at Maela.
You were struck as well.
Are you okay?
I'm just bruised,
Maela replied, which was true enough, although she too felt pain in her
side. The guardian appeared to have large fists as hard as stone.
They gathered everything up. Catrina couldn't carry her bow, so that
was added to the cart. They continued forward, finding the journey much
easier. The clearing they had stopped at turned out to be the beginning of a path
that led to Prosper's cabin prison.
As the cabin came into view, Catrina abandoned any pretense of caring
for her injuries and half ran, half stumbled forward.
As Maela and Dala arrived, the door to the cabin opened and Catrina
fell into Prosper's arms, his face full of shock.
He quickly let her go and steadied her, looking her up and down.
She said something, and he looked over at Maela and Dala.
He waved them forward as he helped Catrina into the cabin.
Leaving the cart near a fire pit, Maela grabbed Dala's arm.
We will be home soon.
Maybe not soon,
she replied, turning to Maela and pulling her into a hug, adding in
a whisper in her ear.
But soon enough.
They introduced themselves and outlined their goal of returning to Ness.
Prosper appeared excited about the prospect, but it quickly became clear that he really
only cared about one thing: Catrina.
Maela had a hard time figuring out if he was suspicious of her and Dala,
or if he was simply completely focused on Catrina.
As they sat down at his simple table, Maela started to understand it was
possibly both.
Prosper's supplies were minimal, and the four of them nibbled on carrots as they
talked. Prosper's chair was pulled out and he held his hands over
Catrina's side.
As a guard, we're taught mostly spells of violence,
but we're also taught elementary healing spells,
which we use in the field when someone is injured.
He spoke as his hands were steady, and he looked like he was focusing on something
else.
I cannot bring someone back from near death,
but I can heal broken bones and even deep gashes.
He stopped talking and closed his eyes.
Maela whispered, trying not to interrupt him but full of curiosity.
Are you casting a healing spell now?
Yes.
At points, Catrina would groan in pain, but otherwise nothing seemed to have
changed, until Prosper leaned back and sighed.
I lost something important of our past,
he said to Catrina.
but you are healed.
Catrina smiled and rolled her chest left and right.
Thank you, my love. I will remember it for both of us.
What do you mean?
Dala asked, although Maela was about to ask the same thing.
Catrina looked at Prosper, who shook his head, and then replied.
She is healed.
That is all you need to know.
Changing the subject, he slid his chair to face the table and stated.
We will leave tomorrow for the Southern Gap.
What is the Southern Gap?
It's a small valley that leads to a cave.
The cave leads to an opening to Dragon Road.
Is it defended?
It won't be after tomorrow,
Prosper replied grimly, before turning and asking Catrina for
updates about her life since they parted.
Maela could not help but worry. Prosper not only didn't appear to
hesitate to resort to violence, but he also appeared to think he was now running
things. She had dealt with too many personalities to not trust her
instincts, so she decided to challenge him.
We will leave in two days. We should assess our supplies and perhaps see if we can gather more food.
Prosper turned to Maela and replied.
You can leave in two days.
We leave tomorrow.
And with a lack of regard that bordered on contemptuousness, he
ignored Maela and Dala and returned his attention to Catrina.
(instrumental music plays)