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The Thief's Guild

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by Jake Kerr

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(instrumental music plays) . Episode 64.

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A Good Omen

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(instrumental music plays) .

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Rolling to her left, Mailer wrapped herself in the
blanket to avoid the

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bright sun shining into her eyes. She didn't want
to wake up.

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It was the most comfortable bed she'd ever slept
on, and the bedding was

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luxurious. Soft and thin and shiny. It was like
being

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embraced by water. "This has to be a dream," she
thought.

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Although the idea of dreaming about sleeping
seemed absurd.

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She let out a small laugh, still not quite
believing what was happening.

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Ah, you have woken.

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A kind voice from somewhere behind her said.

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Her thief instincts taking over, Mailer tossed the
bedding aside to

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land on her feet on the opposite side of the
voice.

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But the bedding was too slippery, and she did
little more than roll away in a

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tangle.

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You do not have to fear me. You and your friend
were weak from lack of water.

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I'm a healer, and my charge is to heal you.

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Mailer opened her eyes to see an older woman
wearing a white robe sitting in a chair

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next to the bed. Her hands were folded in her lap,
and she was

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smiling.

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My name is Lyn.

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Mailer looked around. She was in a single room
with a wooden door opposite the

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bed, which was closed. A large window without
glass or wooden

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shutters stood open behind her. It took up almost
the entire wall

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and looked out on a piercing blue sky with a
mountain in the distance.

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It looked a lot like the view from near the top of
the Thief Tower.

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Where am I?

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Mailer turned back to the woman.

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You are in Ness.

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We found you in the mines.

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You collapsed after exiting the Forbidden Tunnel.

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Sitting up straight, Mailer tried to peer out the
window,

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but could see nothing more than sky.

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Ness? What guild tower is this?

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Healers were part of the protector guild of the
knights, and the

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woman wore white. Perhaps this was some remote
knight outpost connected

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with the Ranger's Guild. That made sense to her.

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She and Dollar had traveled far past the walls of
Ness, and exited

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near a distant knight outpost that she had never
heard of.

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Guilds?

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There are no guilds here.

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This is Ness. We are the trading center between
Drak and Miran.

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Her eyes went wide.

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Wait,

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I remember.

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The wizards once had a guild, but we haven't
called it the Magic Guild for centuries.

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You jest at my expense?

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Mailer said, frowning. She looked for her dagger,
but her clothes were

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nowhere to be found in the room. She had a soft,
white tunic and nothing

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else.

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I do not.

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The woman exclaimed.

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Why would you think it's so?

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Perhaps you are so far from the city that you no
longer even understand,

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Mailer said as she scratched her head.

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Turning to the woman, she added...

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Ness is the city state where your guild is based,
although you clearly have lost contact with it.

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It is further along the mountains, perhaps many
miles away.

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It is run by guilds, the Merchant, Harvest, Craft,
and Knight Guilds.

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Frowning once again, Mailer continued...

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But you didn't need to tease me by mentioning
wizards.

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The woman nodded her head.

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I see.

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Standing up, she added...

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You will need to speak with Travel. We assumed you
were lost in the Forbidden Tunnel, but now I see
it is

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something we had never expected to happen.

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You came from the other side.

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She said the words "other side" with an almost

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breathless awe.

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She walked to the door, turning and pausing before
she exited.

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There is water on the table. Drink much. You're
still weak.

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She exited, and a sharp click came from the lock.

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Mailer stood up and had to steady herself. How
long had she been in the room?

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Hours? Days? After a quick drink of water, Mailer

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made her way to the door. As she expected, it was
locked.

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The window in her room was a window to a whole new
world.

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A large city, nearly as large as Ness, surrounded
the tower she was

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in. And what a tower it was. It looked to be as
tall as the

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Thief Tower, providing Mailer with a view of the
mountains in the distance

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and the whole city, which appeared very like Ness
in terms of building

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style. There were wood and stone buildings, roads,
and

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towers of various sizes. The most amazing part,
however,

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was the green in the distance.

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Mailer had to lean far out the window to see, but
there appeared to be a massive

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forest of trees that filled the entire horizon,
running from the mountain to the

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edge of her vision, where the end of her window
blocked her view.

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After an hour of marveling over the city where she
was captive, there was a

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click, and a man in dark brown woven pants and a
red shirt stood at

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the door. His dress appeared formal, but he
entered with a calm

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assurance and a warm smile. Red?

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Mailer didn't know if she should flee.

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It was common knowledge that red dye was
poisonous, even dry, and that

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touching it, let alone wearing it, was certain
death.

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May I come in?

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Asking to enter? He's not acting like a captor.

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Yes.

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Maela stood, the bed between her and the man.

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"You appear frightened. I'm not a threat, I assure
you."

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The man stood near the door.

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"It is the red dye. It is poison."

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The man looked down at his shirt, a confused look
on his

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face. "You are mistaken. Red dye is as safe as any
other, I assure you."

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Maela didn't move. "Please have a seat.

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I will sit in that chair."

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He pointed to a chair on the other side of her
nightstand. She nodded.

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The man sat down, and with a refined movement
crossed his legs and placed

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his hands in his lap. "I am Trevil." He stared at
Maela,

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saying nothing else.

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"I am Maela,"

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she replied as she slowly walked around the bed to
sit on the edge, facing

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Trevil, yet still far from him.

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He nodded and continued. "You are from Ness."
Maela wasn't quite

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sure what the man was getting at.

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Of course she was from Ness.

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"Yes, I am from Ness, but certainly you know
that."

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She glanced toward the door.

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"Where is Dala? I'm not answering any more
questions until I know she is safe."

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"She is safe, but you will answer one more
question before I can let you

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confirm that for yourself."

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"Fine, but first you must answer a question for
me."

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"As you wish."

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"Where are we? The healer said I was in Ness, but
this isn't Ness.

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Am I in some foreign land? Is this an outlander
city? And why do you wear red?

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I see that it is not poisoning you, yet red is
still an odd color to wear.

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Is this a knight tower in some city related to
Ness that I don't know about?"

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Trevil smiled. "That is more than one question,
and I dare say that by

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asking your questions, you have answered mine, but
I will ask it nonetheless.

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But first, let me answer yours.

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Your final question is close to the truth.

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You are in Ness, but not the city of that name
across the Dragon's Teeth.

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We are its sister city, if you will.

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This is not a knight tower.

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This is the Tower of the Wizards,

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and while we have long ago shed the name guild,

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you would know us better as the Magic Guild."

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"But wizards and magic don't exist. Are you
entertainers?"

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There were entertainers in Ness, although not many
of them.

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They were mostly storytellers, but there were some
who would do fanciful

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tricks.

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Maela assumed that this city had a guild of
tricksters.

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It was the only thing that made sense.

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The wizard stared at Maela for a long time,
finally answering.

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"Our shattered past has unfortunately buried our
history, it seems."

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Sighing, he continued. "So my question, has Dragon
Pass been reopened?"

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"I don't know what Dragon Pass is."

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"You came via a road. How did you come upon it?"

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"We climbed down a treacherous path through a
natural opening, if that's what you're asking.

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We were lost and followed the road."

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Maela had a sudden idea as to what happened, and
it was so overwhelming

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she had to pause to take a deep breath. "I see."
Trevil stood up.

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"It appears, young Maela, that you have stumbled
upon a road long hidden and a history

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long buried.

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Kora will want to see you, and she will take you
to your friend.

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There is too much to discuss, and perhaps even
danger for us if we let you leave right

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away, so you will unfortunately have to be without
your freedom for a bit."

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It didn't surprise Maela at all, so she didn't
even bother to

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object. Trevil was about to close the door behind
him when he

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paused and reentered the room, stopping just
inside.

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"You said there is no such thing as magic."

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Shaking his head, he continued. "What a loss it
has been for our friends who

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rejected us."

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And with a wave of his hand, a red rose appeared
between his fingers.

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"The flower of our city. There was one in your
belongings, dried up and

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crumbling. I considered it a good omen that you
carried it."

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He lowered his hand and the rose remained
suspended in the air.

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With a nod of Trevil's head, the flower floated
through the air and set itself

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down on the table next to Maela's bed.

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"A good omen indeed."

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(instrumental music plays)