WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:22.320 Music. 00:00:22.193 --> 00:00:26.233 The battering ram boomed against the main doors of Craft Tower, 00:00:26.473 --> 00:00:29.073 the sound a dull, impotent thud. 00:00:29.633 --> 00:00:32.493 It had been booming for the better part of an hour. 00:00:33.093 --> 00:00:37.533 Smoke choked the air along Merchant Avenue, but it wasn't from victory fires. 00:00:37.713 --> 00:00:43.513 It was from the Craft Guild's own forges from deep inside the Craft Complex, 00:00:44.233 --> 00:00:50.993 where they'd hastily thrown together barricades of metal and superheated stone behind the thick wood. 00:00:51.833 --> 00:00:57.213 The attack had stalled. Jasper crouched behind a tipped-over mason's cart, 00:00:57.513 --> 00:00:59.933 the shouts of his men lost in the din. 00:01:00.673 --> 00:01:05.833 Karch had given him a simple order, bring him Orion, alive or dead. 00:01:06.133 --> 00:01:12.213 But Karch hadn't accounted for the sheer stubbornness of craftsmen defending their home. 00:01:12.493 --> 00:01:18.033 They couldn't win, but they could make the cost of victory impossibly high. 00:01:18.033 --> 00:01:24.353 One of the guards, his face slick with sweat and grime, slammed his sword onto 00:01:24.353 --> 00:01:26.333 his shield. This is hopeless. 00:01:26.673 --> 00:01:30.713 We need to pull back, regroup. They'll pick us apart from above out here. 00:01:30.973 --> 00:01:37.173 The man pointed to the tower, rising above, where archers were doing just that. 00:01:37.793 --> 00:01:41.333 Jasper ignored him. His eyes weren't on the main gate. 00:01:41.493 --> 00:01:45.653 They were tracing the line of the tower's broader first-floor complex, 00:01:45.893 --> 00:01:50.733 and eastern wall that framed it, down to where it met the sewer grates and the 00:01:50.733 --> 00:01:53.393 wide, stinking mouth of a refuse chute. 00:01:53.753 --> 00:01:59.733 It was a straight drop into the tower's underbelly, designed for dumping slag and waste. 00:01:59.973 --> 00:02:05.073 It was also, he wagered, designed with the assumption that no attacking force 00:02:05.073 --> 00:02:07.773 would be mad enough to use it as an entrance. 00:02:08.473 --> 00:02:15.793 The men respect me because when I lead them into danger, I'm the one in the lead, he had told Karch. 00:02:16.073 --> 00:02:20.973 He never imagined he'd be leading them through literal garbage. Follow me. 00:02:21.893 --> 00:02:26.393 Jasper's voice cut through the chaos. We're going in through the shit. 00:02:26.713 --> 00:02:32.533 The chute was a vortex of noise and filth, a near-vertical slide that ended 00:02:32.533 --> 00:02:38.073 in a bone-jarring drop onto a mountain of refuse in a cavernous basement chamber. 00:02:38.493 --> 00:02:42.913 Jasper landed first, his boots sinking into a slurry of ash, 00:02:43.233 --> 00:02:46.373 broken pottery, and something wet and foul. 00:02:46.693 --> 00:02:51.493 He rolled, came up with his sword in hand, and waved his men down. 00:02:51.813 --> 00:02:57.453 They poured from the chute behind him, a chaotic avalanche of blue-cloaked guards 00:02:57.453 --> 00:02:59.453 gasping in the stench-filled dark. 00:02:59.733 --> 00:03:01.833 This was the moment of truth. 00:03:02.193 --> 00:03:07.553 The chute led from the tower, but was there direct access to the lower complex? 00:03:07.893 --> 00:03:12.213 As Jasper's eyes got used to the dim light, they began to water. 00:03:12.653 --> 00:03:17.033 The stench was horrible, and the whole room made his eyes burn. 00:03:18.205 --> 00:03:21.685 As he peered around, however, he discovered two things. 00:03:21.825 --> 00:03:27.365 The garbage was shoveled and tossed into yet another deep and wide hole on the 00:03:27.365 --> 00:03:32.685 other side of the room where he fell, which appeared part of some natural cavern opening. 00:03:33.105 --> 00:03:36.145 From his vantage, it appeared bottomless. 00:03:36.645 --> 00:03:41.445 Where did that lead? He assumed it led to some natural sewer, 00:03:41.685 --> 00:03:45.425 which took it to the great river, and from there far from Ness. 00:03:45.425 --> 00:03:51.905 The second thing was that there was a large iron sliding door that led to the tower complex. 00:03:52.245 --> 00:03:54.185 It was as he had hoped. 00:03:54.525 --> 00:03:59.225 This was how the bulk of the tower's garbage was removed, through that door. 00:03:59.985 --> 00:04:05.685 He pointed, through the door. It wasn't even locked, which wasn't much of a surprise. 00:04:06.105 --> 00:04:12.545 It opened to a massive pile of still-hot slag, shit, piss, and rotting food. 00:04:13.225 --> 00:04:18.065 Why would you possibly need to guard a door that was already guarded by a pile 00:04:18.065 --> 00:04:20.845 that made you cough and your eyes water? 00:04:21.185 --> 00:04:26.685 The craft guild guards in the basement were old or green, expecting to fight 00:04:26.685 --> 00:04:30.025 off rats from the garbage pile, not a flood of soldiers. 00:04:30.465 --> 00:04:32.925 The clash was short and brutal. 00:04:33.465 --> 00:04:39.985 Steel rang against steel in the cramped space, the shouts of men echoing off the stone walls. 00:04:40.725 --> 00:04:44.685 Jasper fought with a cold efficiency, his sword a blur. 00:04:45.185 --> 00:04:51.885 He didn't waste movement. A parry, a thrust, a step to the side as a craftsman fell. 00:04:52.165 --> 00:04:56.345 He was not a brawler like Sax. He was a predator. 00:04:57.525 --> 00:05:02.805 They fought their way up a winding stone staircase, emerging into the workshops. 00:05:03.185 --> 00:05:08.525 Here, the battle became a maelstrom. Craftsmen, armed with smithing hammers 00:05:08.525 --> 00:05:14.345 and razor-sharp cutting shears, fought with the desperation of men defending their life's work. 00:05:14.745 --> 00:05:20.325 Sparks flew as swords glanced off anvils, the air filled with the coppery scent 00:05:20.325 --> 00:05:22.945 of blood mingling with the tang of hot metal. 00:05:23.585 --> 00:05:28.825 Jasper led the charge, his force a blue wedge driving through the yellow-clad 00:05:28.825 --> 00:05:32.625 defenders, leaving a trail of broken bodies in their wake. 00:05:33.485 --> 00:05:39.285 Behind him, he knew even more craftsmen were jumping into the pile of garbage to join him. 00:05:39.585 --> 00:05:44.165 By the time they reached the main hall, the battle was all but won. 00:05:44.625 --> 00:05:48.925 The remaining craft guards, seeing their tower breached from within, 00:05:49.445 --> 00:05:50.705 threw down their weapons. 00:05:51.325 --> 00:05:56.825 At the far end of the hall, standing before a simple wooden chair that Jasper 00:05:56.825 --> 00:06:00.645 assumed was what he considered his throne, was Orion. 00:06:01.822 --> 00:06:07.822 He wasn't cowering, he was sneering. Two of Jasper's guards grabbed the craft 00:06:07.822 --> 00:06:12.002 guildmaster, dragging him forward until he stood before their new captain. 00:06:12.562 --> 00:06:17.722 Orion didn't struggle. He looked at Jasper with a cold, analytical amusement. 00:06:18.562 --> 00:06:22.202 So, Karch's new dog has a bite. 00:06:22.802 --> 00:06:29.002 Kill the traitor, a merchant guard shouted from the back, his voice thick with rage. 00:06:29.762 --> 00:06:34.302 The merchants weren't fools. They knew that Larson had sacrificed their guild 00:06:34.302 --> 00:06:39.202 for his own ego, and that Orion, the man everyone thought of as simple-minded, 00:06:39.742 --> 00:06:43.502 had done the same in cold, calculated fashion. 00:06:44.322 --> 00:06:50.662 Another, a younger man with wide, kind eyes, countered, No, bring him to the guildmaster. 00:06:50.982 --> 00:06:53.062 Let him face justice, not murder. 00:06:53.622 --> 00:06:57.902 Jasper looked from the defiant Orion to the divided faces of his men. 00:06:58.902 --> 00:07:03.582 Bringing him to Karch was the order. It was the safe path, but he had left the 00:07:03.582 --> 00:07:06.262 door open, alive or dead. 00:07:07.042 --> 00:07:11.742 Karch would prefer Orion alive for his own devices and glory. 00:07:12.722 --> 00:07:20.422 Jasper killing him here, however, that was a statement. It was his victory, not Karch's. 00:07:21.102 --> 00:07:26.202 Orion must have seen the calculation in his eyes. he extended his hand, 00:07:26.522 --> 00:07:29.322 palm up, as if expecting to have it kissed. 00:07:29.602 --> 00:07:33.022 You are an intelligent young man. You see the board. 00:07:33.662 --> 00:07:38.162 Karch is a piece. He's always been a piece. Why do you think he was Larson's 00:07:38.162 --> 00:07:40.202 lackey? But me, young man, I am a player. 00:07:40.962 --> 00:07:47.762 Kill me, and you're just his tool. Let me go, and... Orion leaned forward. 00:07:48.242 --> 00:07:50.022 I will make you a player. 00:07:50.602 --> 00:07:54.222 He smiled, a thin, predatory line. 00:07:54.942 --> 00:07:58.162 Cut off a finger, a souvenir for Karch. 00:07:58.562 --> 00:08:04.282 Tell him you killed me and tossed me in the sewer. I will reward you tenfold when I return. 00:08:05.802 --> 00:08:10.302 Orion's hand hung in the air between them, a single finger now extended. 00:08:11.102 --> 00:08:14.722 Jasper stared at the outstretched hand, and then he laughed. 00:08:15.102 --> 00:08:19.962 It was a sharp, ugly sound that echoed in the suddenly quiet hall. 00:08:20.362 --> 00:08:23.442 The game was more amusing than he could have imagined. 00:08:24.042 --> 00:08:27.182 He leaned forward, echoing Orion's own movement. 00:08:27.522 --> 00:08:33.502 He looked at Orion's hand, then into his eyes. I will give you your freedom. 00:08:33.802 --> 00:08:37.182 A flicker of triumph sparked in Orion's gaze. 00:08:37.462 --> 00:08:39.262 But the trophy will be your hand, 00:08:39.942 --> 00:08:42.662 and your freedom will be yours to claim after I toss you in the river. 00:08:43.907 --> 00:08:50.027 Orion's defiant sneer finally broke, replaced by a flash of pure terror. 00:08:50.687 --> 00:08:55.987 Jasper nodded to his guards. They held him tight as the old man struggled and 00:08:55.987 --> 00:08:57.707 hurled curses and threats. 00:08:58.167 --> 00:09:02.187 Jasper waited patiently, his bloody sword in his hand. 00:09:02.847 --> 00:09:04.387 Place his arm on the floor. 00:09:05.067 --> 00:09:11.007 And with a single swing of his sword, he parted Orion's wrinkled hand from its arm. 00:09:11.247 --> 00:09:13.647 The old man screamed out in pain. 00:09:13.907 --> 00:09:15.927 Writhing in the guard's arms. 00:09:16.327 --> 00:09:18.247 Find his stump and wrap that for me. 00:09:18.727 --> 00:09:21.727 Jasper pointed to the hand lying on the floor. 00:09:22.087 --> 00:09:26.967 They dragged the guildmastercraft out of his tower, through the streets still 00:09:26.967 --> 00:09:31.167 thick with the smell of smoke, and to the banks of the North Fork. 00:09:31.287 --> 00:09:36.827 They passed the merchant tower, a parade of triumph, men cheering and smashing 00:09:36.827 --> 00:09:38.347 their swords against their shields. 00:09:38.747 --> 00:09:46.447 And the standard at their lead, An old, defiant man holding his handless arm against his chest. 00:09:46.927 --> 00:09:51.707 They reached the North Fork. The current was swift and deep. 00:09:52.487 --> 00:09:56.227 Without ceremony, Jasper grabbed Orion's arm. 00:09:56.527 --> 00:10:01.687 The old man struggled, his cold logic replaced by panicked pleading. 00:10:02.047 --> 00:10:05.647 Jasper ignored it all. I hope you can swim. 00:10:06.067 --> 00:10:10.167 He shoved the man toward a group of guards. Toss him in. 00:10:10.907 --> 00:10:15.907 Two guards grabbed him, and with a heave, threw Orion into the raging water. 00:10:16.287 --> 00:10:22.327 He surfaced once, his mouth open in a silent cry, before the current pulled him under. 00:10:23.027 --> 00:10:28.327 Jasper watched the spot where he had disappeared, the surface of the river already 00:10:28.327 --> 00:10:30.087 smooth and indifferent. 00:10:33.024 --> 00:10:37.244 Rogers stood on the imposing balcony of the Thieves' Tower once again. 00:10:37.604 --> 00:10:41.384 Everyone was gone, scattered by missions and circumstance. 00:10:42.324 --> 00:10:46.904 Raylan and his outlander girl were somewhere in the chaos of the upper quarter. 00:10:47.744 --> 00:10:51.104 Rafe was on a mad quest for books in the outlands. 00:10:51.784 --> 00:10:58.164 Allard. Allard was a ghost. A story whispered by those few who had seen him in the pit. 00:10:59.024 --> 00:11:03.984 Rogers felt the weight of his three captaincies, thieves, harvest, 00:11:04.164 --> 00:11:06.944 and now merchant, settle on him like a shroud. 00:11:07.224 --> 00:11:12.784 He was supposed to be picking up the pieces, but he wasn't even sure he could find them all. 00:11:13.364 --> 00:11:18.224 You told me to report to the Guildmaster thief, but there is no one to report to. 00:11:18.644 --> 00:11:22.464 He turned from the view and walked through Raylan's quarters. 00:11:22.784 --> 00:11:25.284 The place was tidy, organized. 00:11:25.904 --> 00:11:30.844 Someone was taking care of things. He made his way down the winding staircases, 00:11:31.264 --> 00:11:34.564 his footsteps the only sound in the cavernous tower. 00:11:35.344 --> 00:11:41.124 He had expected to find a skeleton crew, a holding pattern of a guild waiting 00:11:41.124 --> 00:11:42.744 for its leaders to return. 00:11:43.444 --> 00:11:46.484 What he found instead was life. 00:11:47.204 --> 00:11:53.524 He walked to the kitchens first. The smell of baking bread and roasting meat filled the air. 00:11:54.124 --> 00:11:58.864 Men and women in black bustled about, chopping vegetables, stoking fires. 00:11:59.244 --> 00:12:04.264 It was a smooth, efficient operation, feeding not just the tower's residents, 00:12:04.464 --> 00:12:08.464 but sending out wagons of food to the refugees in the old quarter. 00:12:08.944 --> 00:12:14.204 He continued to the stables. He half expected to see the young stablemaster, 00:12:14.504 --> 00:12:16.164 Bryn, looking overwhelmed. 00:12:16.624 --> 00:12:20.644 Instead, the stables were immaculate, the stalls were clean, 00:12:20.964 --> 00:12:22.844 the horses groomed and calm. 00:12:23.424 --> 00:12:28.224 Brynn was directing two new apprentices, her voice firm and confident. 00:12:29.244 --> 00:12:33.744 The stables, once a forgotten ruin, were now a model of guild efficiency. 00:12:35.275 --> 00:12:41.015 Wandering through the lower halls and the grand complex at the tower's base, he saw it everywhere. 00:12:41.475 --> 00:12:45.855 Harvest guild members were being integrated, not just housed. 00:12:46.215 --> 00:12:50.435 They were being put to work alongside thieves, mending clothes, 00:12:50.975 --> 00:12:54.335 repairing tools, tending to the sick. 00:12:54.775 --> 00:12:59.455 He had never expected to see another color than black in the thieves' tower, 00:12:59.455 --> 00:13:04.935 let alone Green diligently working and helping, as if they belonged. 00:13:06.175 --> 00:13:10.995 Guards ran drills in the courtyard, their movements sharp and disciplined. 00:13:11.475 --> 00:13:15.455 The abandoned tower was now a bustling, thriving community. 00:13:16.155 --> 00:13:21.675 Rogers had always seen Raylan as a reckless boy, an irresponsible miscreant 00:13:21.675 --> 00:13:23.175 who stumbled into power. 00:13:23.395 --> 00:13:29.435 He'd scoffed at Allard's faith in him. But this, this wasn't the work of a figurehead. 00:13:29.615 --> 00:13:33.175 An organization this functional didn't run on inertia. 00:13:33.595 --> 00:13:38.915 It required vision. It required a leader who knew how to put the right people 00:13:38.915 --> 00:13:42.395 in the right places and trust them to do their jobs. 00:13:43.455 --> 00:13:48.835 Maybe the boy had finally grown up. Maybe Allard had been right all along. 00:13:50.624 --> 00:13:53.624 His tour ended at the massive front gate. 00:13:53.884 --> 00:13:58.564 He watched as a group of harvest and thief children played a game with sticks 00:13:58.564 --> 00:14:02.804 and a leather ball, their laughter echoing off the ancient stone. 00:14:03.464 --> 00:14:06.844 For the first time in weeks, Rogers felt a sliver of hope. 00:14:07.244 --> 00:14:11.364 It was then he saw them approaching from across the ash fields, 00:14:11.824 --> 00:14:17.604 a man and a woman, walking with the exhausted gait of those who have traveled far. 00:14:18.484 --> 00:14:23.764 The woman was unfamiliar, but beautiful, with a warrior's bearing. 00:14:24.144 --> 00:14:28.284 The man was dressed in, was that, red. 00:14:28.784 --> 00:14:34.224 They picked up their pace as they saw the gate, the woman half supporting the magician. 00:14:34.644 --> 00:14:38.364 When they finally reached the entrance, the woman was breathless, 00:14:38.624 --> 00:14:44.844 her eyes wide with a look that was part fear, part awe. The road under the mountain is cleared. 00:14:45.524 --> 00:14:49.564 She said the words to Rogers, as if she had to tell someone this news, 00:14:49.784 --> 00:14:52.664 and he just happened to be the first person she met. 00:14:52.944 --> 00:14:55.604 He glanced at the mighty dragon's teeth. 00:14:56.004 --> 00:14:59.864 The road under the mountain was cleared. What did that mean? 00:15:00.484 --> 00:15:05.944 The man looked past her, his gaze fixed on the great black tower that loomed over them. 00:15:06.204 --> 00:15:12.444 His face was a blank mask, but his voice, when he spoke, was filled with a simplistic 00:15:12.444 --> 00:15:14.644 yet terrifying certainty. 00:15:15.684 --> 00:15:17.824 The wizard's worst fear is realized. 00:15:18.904 --> 00:15:22.784 He looked up at the tower, at the balcony where Rogers had just stood. 00:15:23.044 --> 00:15:27.324 They cannot hide from him anymore. We'll be back. 00:15:39.920 --> 00:15:47.920 Music. 00:15:47.024 --> 00:15:49.384 The Podcast Alchemy Production.