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The Thieves Guild

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by Jake Kerr

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(dramatic music plays) . Episode 89:

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The Assassin.

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Pattis had killed a lot of people in his life, but
his favorite was guild

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master Pietro. He had found a poison that stopped
a person's heart,

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but it needed to be administered in such large
quantities that it was almost

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impossible to deliver effectively.

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Every day for two weeks, Pattis manned a stall
near Founders Park

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and asked to share an apple with the old guild
master.

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The old man smiled and happily did so every day,
commenting on the day he

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died that he quite enjoyed his new ritual of
stealing an apple

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from the stall near Founders Park. He said the
words with a

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hearty laugh, which made Pattis laugh himself.

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He was killing the most beloved man in Ness in
front of everyone, and no

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one was the wiser. When Pietro died, Pattis felt a
little sad

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that he wouldn't have the opportunity to meet him
near Founders Park and

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continue to poison him.

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Pattis wasn't sure if Orion would become his
favorite assassination, but he was

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certain it had a chance. Orion was just as dumb
and trusting

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as Pietro, so the challenge wasn't in succeeding.

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The challenge was in doing it as creatively as
possible.

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The plan was audacious. Pattis was going to stab
Orion to

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death in his own tower, leaving behind a knife
that could be traced back to Polo,

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getting in unseen, completing the assassination in
Orion's sanctuary,

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getting out unseen, and then blaming another
guild.

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Pattis would smile about this mission for a long
time.

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Orion was quite public, and getting an audience
with him was generally not

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hard for higher-ranked guild members.

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Pattis was a highly ranked merchant guild member,
and with the relations between

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the two guilds, arranging a meeting wasn't
difficult.

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The hard part was creating a trail that looked
false and connected the name to

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Polo, not Larssen. By the time he walked into the
craft tower,

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those pieces were in place. "Name and business
with

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the guild master."

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The guard at the gate sounded almost bored as she
asked the questions.

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"Corium with the Merchant Guild. I need to discuss
accounts with the guild master."

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Discussing accounts was so vague that Pattis had
practiced a series

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of more detailed explanations, depending on how
difficult the guard was.

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To his shock, the guard let him through.

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"The guild master's assistant is on the second
floor.

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He will take you to him."

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And with that, Pattis was inside the craft tower.

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On the second level, the assistant appeared just
as bored as the guard.

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"The guild master sees many people. Please stick
to the facts of your

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discussion. If the guild master dismisses you, you
are to leave

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immediately. There is no discussion and no
objection to his decisions."

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"Of course." "The guild master will see you now."
"Now?"

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Pattis looked to see if anyone had exited or if
someone within the room

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behind the secretary had indicated that the guild
master was free,

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but there was no one. Apparently, Pattis was one
of the few visitors that

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day. Without even replying to Pattis' question,
the assistant

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waved a hand over his shoulder, indicating that
Pattis should continue

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onward. To his shock, the room was empty.

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Orion was so lax about his security that he
trusted the entire city

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to honor him. It was a moderately sized room, and
Orion didn't

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sit on a throne or even a dais.

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There was a desk at the end with two
comfortable-looking chairs facing it.

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Between the door and the desk were rows of seats.

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The room looked like a combination of Larssen's
office and a theater.

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Pattis approached the desk. He didn't plan on
killing Orion immediately.

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He wanted to arrange Orion's death in a way that
the guild master had no

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opportunity to scream. "Sit. I always welcome
friends from the Merchant

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Guild,"

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Orion smiled. "You sell our goods." Pattis closed
the distance

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and sat in one of the chairs. "It is an honor,
Guild Master."

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"We honor each other with every meeting."

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Pattis hated such empty sayings and was tempted to
stab Orion then

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and there. "But we cannot talk without a toast.

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It is required of everyone I meet for the first
time." Orion

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lifted a cup already filled with wine and handed
it to Pattis.

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"Thank you,"

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Pattis replied as he sniffed the wine. It smelled
fabulous.

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"To friendships between guilds. May they become
even stronger." They

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clinked glasses and Orion drank his entire glass.

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Pattis took a sip, but as he prepared to put his
glass down, Orion

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frowned. "We cannot talk until you drink your full
glass.

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It is the tradition."

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Pattis smiled and drank his wine, holding the
glass in his left hand as he

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tapped the hilt of his knife with his right.

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Needing to get next to Orion, Pattis said-

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"Before we talk, may I offer you a gift?"

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Orion stared at Patis intently, but didn't say
anything.

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The stare made Patis uncomfortable. Or maybe it
was the wine.

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Patis felt his stomach tighten. "Am I nervous?"
No, he

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wasn't nervous. He never got nervous. He just
suddenly wasn't feeling well.

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"It's okay." Orion smiled. "It takes time.

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Right about now, you will be wondering

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why you feel odd. It's because you are slowly
losing the ability to move.

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It starts with your stomach for some reason, and
one can't quite understand the

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feeling, so you consider it a sickness.

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But you'll understand it soon enough." Orion
laughed.

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"Look, your hands have already fallen to your
side.

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You can't move them." Patis couldn't understand
what was happening to him, but

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Orion was right. He couldn't move his hands or
arms. Poison.

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It was the only thing that made sense.

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"Patis, Blade of the Merchant Guild, how foolish
you are."

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"How?

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Huh?"

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Patis tried to speak, but his jaw was no longer
working.

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"How did I know you were Larsen's blade?

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My goodness, he is a dear friend of mine. Didn't
you know?

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He let it slip back when you assassinated Pietro.

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He was very proud of you."

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Orion stood up just as Patis fell forward, his
head slamming against the

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desk before he slid to the side and landed on the
floor.

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Paties worked through every possible scenario of
escape, but there were none.

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His entire body was limp, and his breathing was
suddenly becoming more difficult.

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He could still see, however, and he watched as
Orion's black leather shoes

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with a bright yellow decorative strip stopped in
front of his face.

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"Your arrogance and stupidity is nearly as great
as Larsen's."

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For the first time, Paties could hear an edge to
the old man's voice.

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It was calm, but with a tinge of anger that made
it even more frightening.

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"You fool, you thought you could assassinate me in
my office?

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You couldn't even assassinate me in Founders
Park."

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The tip of Orion's shoe slid forward and under
Paties' cheek.

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Orion raised his foot and Paties could see Orion's
face.

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"Don't feel bad.

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You aren't the first to underestimate me."

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Patis' chest started to tighten and he had to
labor to breathe.

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He knew he was going to die, and his promise to
himself that when his death

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arrived, he would take whoever killed him with him
turned out to be

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empty. "I could show mercy, of course, but I
prefer to watch you suffocate to

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death. It is such a horrible and embarrassing way
to die, is it

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not? To stop it, all you need to do is take a
breath.

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So simple to do, and yet

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here you are."

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Patis' breathing ceased, and he knew his life was
about to end.

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The gods would ignore him, of course.

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His life had been too violent, too evil.

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Perhaps Larsen would avenge him. "Ah, your eyes
close.

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You will be joining Larsen soon. Yes.

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Your mission was not only your downfall, it was
for a guild master who wouldn't even be

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alive to see its success."

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Things started to fade and Paties found the
certainty of death calming.

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He had very few regrets as his life ended, but one
was that he had

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chosen the wrong side.

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(dramatic music)