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The Thief's Guild,

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by Jake Kerr.

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Episode 46:

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Ambushed on the Great Road.

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Bode and Gray returned to the foothills, and a
single ranger escorted

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Raylan along the path that led to the river
crossing.

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His name was Jango, and he was nervous and quiet,
which suited Raylan

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fine. Jango would wander ahead, his head darting
left and right as

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he looked for unknown danger.

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While Jango rather easily trotted ahead keeping an
eye out, Raylan had a tough time

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concentrating on keeping his seat while navigating
the path.

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Like the foothills, where the ranger saw a path,
Raylan saw ruts and rocks.

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Jango kept stopping and waiting on Raylan until he
finally barked out, "Have you ever

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ridden a horse before?"

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"I don't want my horse to twist an ankle.

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This ground is treacherous," Raylan replied, a
hint of

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exasperation in his voice.

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Shaking his head, Jango walked his horse back to
Raylan.

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"So you aren't familiar with horses then?"

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Raylan was going to object, but he didn't feel
like the time was right.

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"Do you see these things?"

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Jango pointed to the front of the horse's head.

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"His eyes?"

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"Exactly.

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Your horse can see. Trust him to pick the right
path.

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Your eyes," Jango pointed at Raylan's eyes,
"should focus there." He then

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pointed off to the horizon. Without saying
anything else, Jango turned his horse and

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continued onward.

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Raylan decided to at least give the advice a try,
although it made him nervous not to

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guide the horse away from ruts and rocks that
could make it stumble.

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He focused on watching Jango, and after a bit of
time, two things happened.

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His horse made good time without stumbling, and
Raylan realized that Jango's

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random nervousness was actually a deliberate
pattern.

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The ranger would look left, then right, then
straight ahead, and then he would

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pause to look toward the river, which was getting
closer with each step.

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Finally, he would scan the horizon in a long arc
from left to right,

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pausing only if he saw something that alarmed him.

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It was this last part that made his process look
random.

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There presumably was something that alarmed him
during every stop, and he

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would restart the scanning process each time he
dismissed what he had seen before.

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The two of them finally reached the river, and the
crossing was at a spot where the river

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split around a sandy island.

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The widening of the river made it more shallow,
and the island acted as a land

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bridge over what would have been the deepest part.

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As they stood on the bank, Jango held up a fist.

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"This is more dangerous than it looks."

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Raylan looked around. He had no idea what
dangerous or safe terrain looked like.

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"We can see far in every direction, so there is no
near-term risk.

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However, once we reach the island, we cannot
escape quickly.

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We will need to struggle through the water.

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That means that even enemies far away can still
ambush us here." Raylan nodded,

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which elicited further clarification from Jango.

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"That means that you will watch as your enemies
approach to kill you slowly and irrevocably."

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Well, let's hope we don't have any enemies.

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"We all have enemies," Jango replied as he spurred
his horse into the river.

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Raylan followed, and while the crossing took his
full attention and a long time, it was

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not difficult. At the deepest point, the water
came to the top of the horse's legs,

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but while it struggled against the current, it
never appeared to be in danger.

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The sun was going down as they reached the other
side of the river.

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Raylan waited for Jango to lead further, but he
sat on his horse and did nothing more

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than occasionally scan the horizon.

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"Are you not going to lead me to the road?" Raylan
finally asked.

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Jango shook his head. "My duty is the south bank.

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The road is not far. Just head straight away from
the river and keep the Teeth to your

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right.

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You'll get there in time to camp for the night."

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"Teeth?"

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"The mountains, keep them to your right." Jango
looked at Raylan's horse.

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"You don't have a bedroll."

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Raylan shrugged.

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"I had to leave in a hurry."

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"Food?"

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"Enough to get by."

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Jango reached behind and began to untie what
Raylan assumed was bedding.

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As he did, he spoke. "I used to patrol the Great
Road.

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I escorted Guildmaster Pietro on his last trip to
Gautland."

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As he mentioned Pietro's name, Jango shot a glance
at Raylan.

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Raylan thought, "He knows I'm a thief." "Of
course, I

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remained hidden.

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My job was simply to make sure he came to no harm.

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But the funny thing was that everyone knew it was
the safest mission you could be assigned.

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The Outlanders cleared the road as Pietro
approached."

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Jango threw his bedroll to Raylan.

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"Jessa told me that the attacks lessened after
Pietro's visits."

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"Yes.

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We would always discuss what Pietro did.

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Some thought him a traitor, but others thought
that the Outlanders feared him.

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All I know is that they not only left him alone,

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they steered clear of him."

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"You saw him often?"

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"No.

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He traveled very rarely.

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When I escorted him, he hadn't traveled to
Gautland in many years."

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"When was this?"

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"Last year." Raylan couldn't believe it. Pietro
was ancient.

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How could he handle a trip to the Outlanders at
his age?

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"He took a wagon with an escort?"

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"Alone, on a horse."

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Raylan shook his head.

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"There will never be another Pietro."

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"Never."

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Without another word, Jango tugged on his reins to
turn to the river, but paused

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as if reconsidering something. Finally, he turned
to Raylan and added, "I

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believe the Outlanders feared him. I know not
why."

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"Be careful, young thief.

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Captain Jesser told me your mission.

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The money counter will be stalked by outlanders.

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He is not Pietro, and my belief is that he will be
dead by the time you reach him.

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But if not, be aware that you will not be the only
one shadowing him."

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Raylan bowed his head.

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"Thank you, Django. I will take care and do my
best to carry in Guildmaster

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Pietro's footsteps."

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Raylan doubted that the ranger would understand
the meaning behind Raylan's words.

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With a nod of his head, Django raised his hand,
turned, and rode into the river.

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Raylan decided to camp immediately, rather than
risk being helpless near the

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road.

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Django's bedroll was little more than a thick wool
blanket, but Raylan was

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thankful for it as the night had a chill and the
ground was hard.

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Resting his head on his own cloak, Raylan fell
asleep wondering if he would reach Karch the next

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day.

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Two days and nights later, Raylan was sore and
thirsty, and wondering just

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how big the world was as he looked out on a
stretch of road that reached far to the

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horizon and had no one on it. It hadn't taken long
to reach the road and,

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foolishly, Raylan had considered he would be able
to see Karch in the distance.

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While the terrain was flat and the road straight,
Raylan couldn't see anything.

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Running a hand through his hair, Raylan considered
his immediate future.

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His plan was to sprint to Karch, getting close
enough to trail him until the

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next sundown. Then he was going to sneak into
Karch's camp and

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sabotage things somehow to force him to turn
around.

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Of course, there were major challenges. The ground
was flat.

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How would he be able to trail Karch without being
seen?

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Also, he had no idea how far it was to the
outlanders.

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Did he even have time to catch Karch unawares?

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Not having any other option, Raylan spurred his
horse and galloped ahead.

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He glanced back, wondering if one of the rangers
patrolling the Great Road was

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shadowing him.

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He couldn't see anyone, but assumed someone was
there.

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He continued to make great time.

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The road was well-maintained and made of large,
irregularly shaped stone.

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Raylan couldn't quite believe the road would be
paved in stone the entire way to the

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outlanders, but he was grateful that it appeared
to be just that.

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Despite the smooth road, the grueling length of
the trip

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started to take its toll. He hurt all over and he
found his mind

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wandering as the steady beat of the hooves lulled
his attention away from

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the horizon.

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As he looked off to the left, Raylan realized that
the mountains, which

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Django called the Teeth, had turned away and were
stretched

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as far as he could see to the south. As he glanced
to the right, he could

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see the same thing. They stood as an impenetrable
barrier behind him,

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Ness nestled among the foothills.

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Turning his attention back to the road, Raylan
yanked on his reins.

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In the far distance, he could clearly see a group
on horseback.

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Concerned they might see him, Raylan moved off the
road so that he would at least not

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be quite so easy to see.

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It was still a few hours to sunset, so Raylan
paced far behind,

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waiting for an opportunity to sabotage Karch and
his escort.

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Unfortunately, being off the road meant that
Raylan had to struggle with the

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uneven ground under his horse. He trusted the
horse to find the right

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step, but he didn't quite know how to balance
guiding the horse in the right

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direction with letting it choose its path.

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The result was an erratic back and forth that made
progress achingly

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slow. As the sun fell, Raylan was further back
than he had

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hoped, but at least it was unlikely that Karch or
his escort had seen him.

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To make things even better, Karch had set up a
full camp with a few tents and a

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large fire. While the firelight would complicate
things, the open nature of the

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camp made sneaking in much easier.

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After securing his horse to a rock, Raylan closed
in on the camp.

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As he approached, the perfect plan revealed
itself.

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Off to the right, the horses were tied to a pole
that had been planted into the

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ground. All that Raylan had to do was grab the
horses, and Karch would be stranded.

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The group would have to march back on foot, which
would take a very long time.

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Raylan was certain that it would effectively end
the mission.

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To Raylan's shock, uh, the horses were unguarded.

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There was one guard, and he seemed intent on
focusing his attention on the

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direction of the outlanders and guarding the
tents.

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Raylan was within 50 yards of the camp when a
shadow rose in front of him.

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"One more step and you die,"

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a cold, flat voice stated.

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Squinting, Raylan could barely make out the
outline of a man. He was holding a sword.

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"Did I miss a guard?" Raylan cursed his own
carelessness.

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His only hope was to explain to Karch's guards
that he wasn't a threat.

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A reasonable story came to him. "I'm a ranger.

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I am watching over your camp." Raylan held up his
hands, hoping that the dim

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light would make his black cloak look close enough
to brown.

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"Another lie and you die,"

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the voice replied. "I am a ranger, overseeing the
safety of those that travel

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the road.

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What is your name and business?

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You are no outlander."

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A ranger. He would help Raylan.

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Breathing a sigh of relief, Raylan stated, "Uh,

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I apologize, ranger. I assumed you were a guard
for the camp." They are money counters and on a
mission to

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betray Ness. I am to stop them." "Your name." The
ranger didn't move.

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"Raylan.""Reylen, it is against the law to accost
travelers on the

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road.

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My duty is to protect them.

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I could kill you now, but as you haven't done
anything yet, you will stay with me until they
break

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camp." Before Reylen could reply, the ranger
added, "You should feel lucky I will let you

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go."

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"I don't think you understand, friend ranger.

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I was escorted across the river by Jango for this
mission.

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He used to escort travelers on the road.

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The captain of the Foothills, Jesser, helped me as
well.

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Your own guild sees the importance of my mission."

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"Fair enough, Reylen. You have two options then.

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You can wait until daybreak with me, or we can
travel to the Foothills,

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and I can confirm your story with Captain Jesser
myself.

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Your choice." Reylen didn't know if he would have
time to ride all the way back to

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the Foothills and get back to Karch before he
reached the Outlanders.

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"How far is Gautland from here?"

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"If that is their destination, they will arrive
there late tomorrow."

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Reylen cursed under his breath. He wouldn't have
another opportunity to slow them down.

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"Does it not concern you that their destination is
the Outlanders?"

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The ranger shrugged.

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"They'll die before they get across the
drawbridge."

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Bode and Jango had said the same thing, which made
Reylen wonder if Karch

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had some secret way to get past the Outlander
guards.

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"The Outlanders would not welcome a group
representing a guildmaster of Ness?"

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"Only if it were Guildmaster Pietro." Pietro
again.

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Reylen could not believe the influence and hidden
power that his predecessor had.

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All the other guildmasters in Ness considered
Pietro a buffoon, but he was

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clearly the smartest and most likely powerful
guildmaster, not just in Ness but

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in the whole lands around Ness. "Sit, young man.

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We shall welcome dawn together, and then you can
follow the money counters and pick over their

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corpses after the Outlanders get done with them."

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"If the Outlanders don't kill me too," Reylen
muttered.

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"They won't," the ranger replied. "You wear the
black."

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(Intense music)