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The Thieves Guild

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by Jake Kerr

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(dramatic music plays) . Episode 62:

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Fires in the Flats.

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It was a dark night, and all Raylan could see from
his balcony were a few glittering

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lights from those up late across the city.

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"It's calm and beautiful, isn't it?"

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Raylan said to Rafe, who stood next to him.

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"Yes, I love this view. It's like we're on the
mountain looking down on the city.

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Can you imagine watching the Founder's Day
festivities from here?"

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Raylan nodded. He had enjoyed watching the
festivities from his brother's

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office when he was younger, but this vantage was
better.

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"Do you think this is our future?

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Looking down on a joyous city that doesn't know we
are watching her?"

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"Why would it not? Larson's plans have been
stopped, so the guilds can return to normal

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business. Our guild is still hidden and can
provide for the old quarter.

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Nothing has changed, has it?"

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"Perhaps not. We still have much work to do, but
at least we have the time to do

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it."

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Rafe nudged Raylan's arm and pointed out toward
the Flats.

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"Look, a bonfire. Someone's having a good time."

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In the distance, the light of the flame grew
larger and larger.

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Flames and smoke.

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As if things couldn't get more complicated for
Rogers in his new position as the

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captain of the Flats, another klaxon rang out in
the distance.

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Good gods, that's coming from the Lower Triangle.

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Rogers turned to Moss, his deputy captain.

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How many fires in the Flats now?

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Four major ones. Grell House is destroyed, two
blocks near

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the Great River are burning but under control,
and...

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He nodded to the flames burning a short distance
away.

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It doesn't look good for Ironside Estate.

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How many minor ones?

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I don't know. A lot.

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Rogers wiped his face with his sleeve.

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He was covered in soot, sweat, and burns after
doing whatever he could to help

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battle the fires. He could see the tendrils of the
flames from the Ironside

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Estate reaching far into the sky in the distance,
lighting the city in a

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devilish orange glow. Four fires in one night was

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unprecedented, but more fires than that, and now
fires in

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the Lower Triangle. Rogers knew it wasn't random.

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Moss, this is important. Tell me what you know
about the blocks burning near the river.

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Moss shrugged. He, too, was covered in soot.

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The thieves did what they could to fight the
flames in their role as secret protectors

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of the downtrodden of Ness.

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Well, the one near the gate destroyed one of our
safe houses.

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He shrugged.

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They both were Green, if that matters.

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They were both green. That meant that the blocks
were dominated by

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Harvest Guild members. "This is not good," Rogers
muttered.

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He turned to Moss. "The fire in the Lower
Triangle.

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Have your fastest thief run there and find out
where it burns.

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Then have him meet me at Ironsides with his
report."

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Starting toward the Ironside Estate, Rogers yelled
back,

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"Moss, have as many of our men meet me at
Ironsides as you can."

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As he strode through the midst of a burning city,
Rogers tried to understand

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what was going on. The fires were all in Harvest
Guild homes.

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The Grell family lived in a mishmash of wooden
townhomes that had

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expanded over the decades as the Grell family
grew.

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They eventually took over nearly an entire block.

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But, more importantly, the Grell family was one of
the most

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influential Harvest Guild families in Ness, and
their Crooked Estate

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in the Flats was a landmark. The fire had
destroyed everything.

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The only family more important in the Flats than
the Grells in the Harvest Guild

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was the Ironside family.

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They were synonymous with the mines far in the
mountains.

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They had a home inside the mines, where they were
known for their brilliance at finding iron

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ore veins. But their family seat was a large
building that looked like it

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would have been more at home in the Upper Triangle
than the Flats.

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The Ironsides were wealthy, important, and
dominated the

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Flats. Even the Merchant and Knight Guild members
who lived in the Flats

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understood the special role the Ironsides played.

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And now, their estate was burning to the ground.

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He didn't know what he was looking for, but he
knew something was amiss.

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The fires were set on purpose, and he was certain
that the Harvest

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Guild was a target. There was no other possibility
that made sense.

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But why? He walked up to the Ironside mansion just
as a

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section of wall crashed, throwing sparks into the
air.

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The smell of smoke was overwhelming.

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The Ironside family was large, and a number of
them were crowded together,

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watching the flames consume their home.

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Neighbors and friends came up, hugged them, patted
them on the back, and did

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whatever they could to express sympathy.

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The crowds were thick, but the road was empty as
fire protectors and wagons

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were coming and going, fighting a fire that Rogers
saw was a lost

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cause. Several Thief Guild members arrived and
stealthily stood

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by, waiting for the word from their captain.

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Rogers just watched. "Something isn't right," he
thought.

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"But what?"

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A few merchant wagons arrived-... and Rogers
watched as some merchant guild

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guards wrapped Ironside family members in blankets
and

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escorted them to the wagons, presumably to take
them to shelter for the night.

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As they started to pull away, Rogers turned to one
of his men and

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barked-

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"You follow that wagon. Let me know where they
take them."

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A young man sprinted three steps and then melted
into the crowd.

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The tendrils of flames from the buildings rose
high into the air, giving the

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entire area an unholy glow. The fire protectors
did a

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good job containing the fire, but it was too
strong for them to do more than

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watch its hunger consume the mansion.

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"Did anyone see the fires in the early stages?"

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Rogers asked.

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"I did, sir."

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It was a young apprentice.

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He looked about Raylan's age, and Rogers had to
force himself from frowning.

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He still could not believe that a child delinquent
was his new guild master.

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"Which fire, and how did it spread so fast?

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Weren't the fire protectors effective?"

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The fire protectors were part of the knight guild,
and their job was to fight and

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control fires. They seemed to be doing a good job
of the latter, but not so

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much of the former.

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"The fire protectors arrived too late to stop the
flames, sir."

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"Which fire?"

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Rogers snapped.

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"The one near the Four Triangles."

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"More oddness," Rogers whispered to himself.

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Any fire near the Four Triangles would have been
near both the river, River

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Road, and the knight guild.

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The fire protectors should have been there
quickly, if not immediately.

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There was a scuffle in the distance, and Rogers
watched as two Ironside

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family members were struggling with two merchant
guardsmen.

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"Stay here and keep an eye out. Let me know if you
see anything strange," Rogers

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said as he moved toward the disturbance.

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A crowd was forming, and Rogers could hear a young
woman, her voice a mixture of

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distraught pain and fearful anger. "Unhand me.

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I will not leave my home."

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Luckily, Rogers' disguise this night was the blue
of the merchant guild, so he

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approached the two guards and said-

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"What is going on?"

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... with a tone of camaraderie, as if he could
perhaps help the guards.

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One of them looked up from his hold on the woman's
arm.

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"Nothing, guild mate.

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We are to take the poor family to a safe location
while the fire is raging."

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The man's tone made it clear that no more
questions were welcome.

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"Where are their Harvest guild mates?"

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Rogers looked up and down the street, and that's
when he realized that the access to the

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area was blocked by knight protectors.

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In fact, as he looked around he realized that the
entire area was

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swarming with knights. Not fire protectors,
knights.

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"Yes, I am waiting for my guild mates,"

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the woman screamed, which led to the merchant
guard giving Rogers a withering

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stare. A second guard covered her mouth with his
hand and

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roughly dragged her to the wagon.

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"She is distraught."

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The guard who had been speaking said.

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"Now, go."

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He said the command to Rogers, but it was clearly
meant for everyone.

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The crowd dispersed as the last of the Ironside
family was led away in a

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merchant guild wagon.

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Making his way back to the other thieves, Rogers
took stock of the night.

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Harvest guild members were being targeted with
fires.

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The fire protectors were slow to help.

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In fact, they didn't help at all, other than make
sure nothing else burned.

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The merchant guild was forcibly taking the top
Harvest guild family

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somewhere, presumably to safety, but possibly
something more

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nefarious.

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"Okay, everyone."

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Rogers looked over his fellow thieves, all dressed
in the white, green, and

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yellow of the other guilds that they used for
cover.

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"You three, go to the fire near the Four
Triangles.

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Ask around about merchant wagons and citizens who
were displaced.

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If they are still there, ask them what happened.

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If they are gone, find out where they went."

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He turned to another group.

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"Same for you three, only go to the other fire.
And you two, go to Grell House.

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See if any of the family is there.

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Ask them about the fire protector response.

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We would expect it to be aggressive for a landmark
like Grell House."

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They all stared at Rogers.

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"Something is happening, and we need to find out
what."

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As the guild members ran to fulfill their
missions, Rogers focused on the

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alarms coming from the Lower Triangle.

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He had been captain of the Lower Triangle for a
long time, and that was his

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home. He wondered what was happening there.

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The Flats was his new assignment, with Mayla off
on her mission

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as the Blade of the Guildmaster. He hoped that
none of his friends were hurt

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or lost homes.

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An hour later, a young man, breathing heavily,
nearly stumbled into

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Rogers as he approached. Gasping for breath, the
young man leaned over,

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his palms on his knees.

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"Captain."

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Rogers waited patiently.

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"The Greenbelt burns."

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Rogers closed his eyes. The Greenbelt was a
three-block stretch in the Lower

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Triangle where Harvest guild families lived.

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It didn't house all the Harvest guild members, but
the most important families

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lived on one of the blocks, their homes a
centerpiece of the Harvest

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guild outside of the Harvest district itself.

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Rogers looked around at the slowly fading orange
glow diffused across the night

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sky.

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"Mott."

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"Yes, sir."

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"I don't care how you do it, but I want you to
find out who set these fires.

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These were not an accident. I also want a report
on where all the displaced families are."

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"Yes, sir. We already have people in the field."

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"Good."

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Rogers sighed. Someone was targeting the Harvest
guild, and with

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the appearance of blue wagons, he had a good idea
who.

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The more important question was why.

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(instrumental music plays)