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The Thieves Guild,

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by Jake Kerr.

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Episode 70:

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A Walk Through the City.

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The traffic on the Great Bridge was much greater
than Vesper had expected, with

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groups of Harvest Guild members stumbling toward
the Wretched Quarter with the

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glazed eyes of the desperate. Night Guild guards
didn't appear until he was over

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halfway across. The thieves had done such a great
job creating the

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illusion that the other side of the river was a
lawless, dangerous

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wasteland that the nights didn't even bother with
it.

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The downside to that illusion was that anyone
approaching Ness from the Wretched

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Quarter was treated as potential trouble.

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Such was what was happening to Vesper, as he was
stopped by no less than three

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guards and harassed about his reason for crossing
the bridge.

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With the masses of people moving in the other
direction, Vesper guessed that it

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was easy to pick him out as a target.

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It didn't help that he had nothing more than a
dirty yellow tunic and breaches with

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holes. Vesper never did see Allard or Raylan again
after his

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meeting, and his parting gift from the guild
consisted of nothing more than the

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ratty clothing he was now wearing. "You there,
what's your business?"

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"I repair the sewer pipes,"

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he replied to the large man in white wearing chain
mail that approached him.

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It was a story he adapted from his prison
interrogation with Allard and Raylan.

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"I'm currently working on the cesspool under the
west bathhouse in the flats."

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Vesper picked the location at random, but it
seemed like a good choice.

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"Uh,

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I wondered if the fires would cause more problems
than just destroying people's homes.

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Carry on." The guard turned away, but Vesper
raised his voice.

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"Fires?"

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Turning back, the guard nodded his head.

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"Aye,

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you'll find out soon enough. There are fires in
the flats.

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I don't know the details, but a lot of people are
losing their homes."

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He waved his arms. "All these Harvest Guild
members are seeking shelter in the Wretched

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Quarter.

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It's sad." "Thank you, sir."

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Fires in the flats?

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The night moved on and Vesper continued across the
bridge, only

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keeping a closer eye on the people moving in the
opposite direction.

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It suddenly struck him that the glazed eyes
weren't from being poor, they were from

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being displaced and dumped in the Wretched
Quarter.

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How will the thieves deal with this? He wondered.

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They would take care of the people, certainly, but
it would almost certainly

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reveal their presence to Ness at large.

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As he approached the end of the bridge, the scale
of the Harvest Guild members

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flowing onto and across the bridge suddenly hit
him.

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The fires must have been catastrophic. These are
hundreds of people.

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It wasn't until he reached the end of the bridge
and the long narrow park that ran along

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the great river that Vesper discovered that
something else was happening.

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The flickering of fires was visible far to the
northwest and in the flats,

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and the smell of smoke was ever-present.

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People were everywhere, all marked by the green of
the Harvest Guild.

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It was shocking, but unsurprising based on what
the guard had told him.

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Yet as Vesper walked along the great river and
retreated to the edge of the park

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near the river, he saw something else: Night
Protector wagons

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pulling up and letting out people who appeared to
be prisoners, but were actually

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Harvest Guild members.

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They were grabbed and shoved toward the bridge
where all they could do was follow the stream of

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people across.

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A few people fought back, but they were quickly
subdued and either dragged to the

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bridge or dragged back to the wagons and
presumably taken off to prison.

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Groups of people would emerge from the streets
with armed Merchant Guild and

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Night Guild guards pushing them onward with drawn
weapons.

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Despite the smell of smoke and fires visible in
the distance, Vesper knew

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immediately that this was much bigger than just
the flow of refugees.

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This isn't bringing people to safety; this is
clearing people from their homes.

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He didn't understand what was happening, but it
was clear that it was well-organized.

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Vesper had no doubt that Orion would know what was
going on, and he had

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a lot to reveal to him, but getting to him would
not be easy.

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The streets were in absolute chaos. Not only that,
he had

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no money to procure a wagon.

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Glancing back to the river, Vesper could see
nothing but Night Protectors on

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sleek boats aimed at shutting down river traffic.

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There would be no river passage either.

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Sighing, he set forth on foot, heading east and up
the North Fork,

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which was the road that ran along the river
tributary of the same name.

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He would avoid the flats and the bulk of the Lower
Triangle, but it would be a long

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walk.

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Expecting to be stopped based on his dirty
appearance, Vesper was shocked to

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see the entire road empty of Night Protectors or
guards of any

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guild. In the distance, he could hear the clanging
of alarm klaxons, the clash

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of steel, and the occasional scream.

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And as day turned to night, he could see the glow
of a burning city

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hover over what in ancient times they called the
Lower Quarter, that part

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of Ness that gently sloped down to the plains and
the Great

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Wall.It was matched by the Old Quarter and Ash
Quarter across

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the river, and the Upper Quarter on the other side
of the North Fork.

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The Lower Quarter was comprised mostly of the
Flats and the lower Triangle,

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and it burned a dull orange in the twilight.

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Vesper continued past the tall merchant guild
tower, but after

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experiencing the Thieves' Tower, it seemed
impotent and second-rate.

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The thought of the Thieves' Tower made Vesper stop
and turn to look in the distance.

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He should have been able to see it from anywhere
in the city, but it was lost in the

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background of the mountain, hidden from everyone
in plain sight.

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Not being able to see the tower felt like a blow,
and Vesper tried to

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understand why it was so.

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Why did the tower have such a pull on him?

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Before he could think much deeper, however, a
gauntleted hand grabbed his arm

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and whirled him around.

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What are you doing here? There's a curfew.

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It was a merchant guild guard wearing a sneer on
her face.

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I- I'm to clean Guildmaster Orion's private
toilet,

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Vesper stammered, trying to sound as inoffensive
as he could.

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The guard looked him up and down.

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You are late for your duties. There is a curfew.

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I should take you to a cell.

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The guard paused, but then smirked.

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But cleaning up after Orion's shit is probably
worse than anything I can do to you.

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She kicked Vesper in the back of his legs.

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Now get going before you get into real trouble.

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Thank you, ma'am,

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Vesper replied as he picked up his pace and walked
down Merchant Avenue.

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As he closed the distance to his own guild tower
and Orion, Vesper thought

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over the past few days.

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The thieves were well organized and defended.

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They had a force of their knights and guards, and
they clearly had spies and members

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in every guild.

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Their mission was to do good for those overlooked
by the guild politics and

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economics of Ness. On the other side were Lassen
and Orion, who

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were presumably starting a civil war with the
largest guild in the city, the

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one that controlled the food supply.

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They were burning down their own city to make that
happen.

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It seemed absurd.

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Vesper, sir.

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The guard at the gate to the craft tower bowed his
head.

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You look like you could use some help. May I get
you anything?

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Vesper saluted the man with a wave of his hand,
projecting a strength he no

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longer had. His mission to the Wretched Quarter
and the march back had been

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difficult.

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No. I've come a long way, however. Please notify
the kitchen to have some food and

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wine sent to my quarters. I will need to see
Guildmaster Orion immediately,

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but must eat first.

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Of course.

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As Vesper made his way to his quarters, he
considered his loyalties.

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Reland thought he was working for the Thieves'
Guild.

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Orion thought he was working for the Craft Guild.

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"I'm working only for myself," Vesper thought.

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But with the state of the city, he didn't know
exactly what that meant.

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(instrumental music plays)