Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-thieves-guild--6141933/support.
Some secrets are worth dying for. Some are worth killing for.
Want to binge The Thieves Guild with fewer ads? Every Friday night we release a bonus episode of the week's previous five chapters, with fewer ads in between chapters and a seamless listening experience!
Perfect for a weekend binge!
---
If you would like to view a map of Ness, you can find it here.
---
Check out our other audiobook podcasts!
Artifacts of the Arcane
A historical urban fantasy set at the beginning of World War Two.
The world has abandoned magic, but magic hasn’t abandoned the world.
Thursday
A cyberpunk VR thriller.
No one can be trusted when nothing is real.
---
Find out more about writer/show runner Jake Kerr: https://www.jakekerr.com
Follow Jake on Bluesky @jakekerr.com
00:00:01
The Thieves Guild
00:00:04
by Jake Kerr
00:00:10
(dramatic music plays) . Episode 97:
00:00:16
A New Mission.
00:00:23
Vespa had filled Allard in on everything he knew, excluding a few
00:00:28
select facts,
00:00:30
such as his being assigned the job of assassinating Allard.
00:00:34
Thankfully, Allard appeared to trust Vespa and revealed what was going
00:00:39
on with the Thieves Guild.
00:00:41
"We are secure. The Harvest Guild members are well taken care of, and Captain Dirk
00:00:46
is exceptional, so I am confident that the guild is safe from any kind of immediate attack,
00:00:50
especially from Sax."
00:00:52
Allard's strides were so long that Vespa had to almost jog to keep up.
00:00:57
"Yet there are so many unknowns."
00:00:59
"Indeed. I sense that Orion will kill Larsen, but I don't know who would do that
00:01:04
with me unavailable to do the deed. A botched assassination of Larsen by Orion
00:01:09
would be a bigger disaster for him than anything."
00:01:12
"Too many unknowns,"
00:01:14
Allard repeated, his deep voice soft and thoughtful, yet
00:01:19
still somehow sounding loud.
00:01:21
"Well, we can't make decisions just waiting for things to become clearer."
00:01:26
"You aren't making any decisions,"
00:01:28
Allard growled.
00:01:30
"But your sentiment is correct. Our immediate plan of escape is sound, but escape
00:01:34
is not helpful at this point."
00:01:36
They walked in silence. Vespa was going to recommend any number of
00:01:41
things, but all of them failed, because Allard was an enemy of practically
00:01:46
every guild in Ness. That led Vespa to a thought of at least
00:01:50
lightening the moment.
00:01:51
"So, are there any guilds that don't hate you?"
00:01:55
Allard glanced at Vespa, a frown visible under his brown hood.
00:01:59
"No."
00:02:00
"How did you achieve that? It must take a special talent to make everyone hate
00:02:05
you."
00:02:06
Vesper held up a finger.
00:02:08
"And don't tell me it's because you were a thief.
00:02:11
Everyone loved Pietro, and he was your guildmaster for many years."
00:02:15
Allard nodded.
00:02:16
"It is true. I did not deserve Guildmaster Pietro's kindness."
00:02:21
There was another moment of silence, and then to Vespa's shock, Allard
00:02:26
answered him.
00:02:27
"The knights and Rangers hate me because I saved an outlander family from being massacred.
00:02:32
Orion hates me because I am a thief, and he does not consider me harmless like
00:02:37
Pietro.
00:02:38
Of course, he didn't realize that Pietro ended up being much more formidable than I ever
00:02:43
could be. Polo hates me for similar reasons as Orion, although Polo knows of the
00:02:48
outlander story and hates me for that as well.
00:02:51
Larsen hates me because I protect and serve his younger brother."
00:02:54
"Well, that about sums it up."
00:02:58
Allard nodded.
00:02:59
"How many people know the outlander story?
00:03:02
I had only heard that you betrayed the knights."
00:03:04
"They twist the story to defend their integrity, but I know the truth.
00:03:08
There was a family of outlanders. They lived in the plains and were starving, so they moved their camp
00:03:13
close to Ness. I'm sure they planned on raiding the outer fields at some point, but at the time they
00:03:18
were just camping not far from Executioner's Hollow."
00:03:22
Allard rubbed his head through his hood, and then continued.
00:03:26
"I was a captain and sent to investigate a sighting from one of the White Guard.
00:03:30
I was with five other knights, and we found a weakened man and his wife,
00:03:35
along with three children. I told my men to spare them, but the law of the
00:03:40
knights is to kill all outlanders. I fought my men and hurt two of them, although not seriously.
00:03:45
Sax banished me from the guild and sentenced me to die for betrayal, but Pietro stepped in and saved
00:03:50
me. To this day, I do not know what he said to Sax, but I was free and wearing the
00:03:55
Black Minutes after Pietro's visit."
00:03:57
"How many know this story?"
00:04:01
Vesper asked, amazed to hear it directly from Allard's own mouth.
00:04:06
Allard shrugged. "Very few know the real story.
00:04:09
Many know the story of my betraying the Knight Guild for the benefit of outlander brigands."
00:04:13
"So, why did you tell me the story?"
00:04:16
Vesper felt like Allard had trusted him with something extremely special.
00:04:22
Allard peered at Vesper and then replied.
00:04:25
"Because you wield information like you wield a dagger, only when needed and with great
00:04:29
precision. When you need to wield this information, you will, but I know that when you
00:04:34
do, it will be for a reason that I would approve."
00:04:39
Without thinking, Vespa replied incredulously.
00:04:42
"Why would you think that?"
00:04:44
"Because I know how you think. You will align yourself with the winning side."
00:04:49
Smiling, Allard added.
00:04:50
"Would you like to hear an additional secret?"
00:04:53
Vesper leaned toward Allard, whose voice dropped to a whisper with the previous
00:04:58
question.
00:04:58
"Yes, what is it?"
00:05:00
"We will be the winning side."
00:05:05
The two reached the warehouse district without any problems, although they were
00:05:09
accosted a few times by guild guards.
00:05:12
Vespa's first big decision came when they turned down the massive road that ran
00:05:17
among the collection of huge warehouses that hugged the eastern part of the Great
00:05:22
Wall.
00:05:23
Craft Tower was close enough that Vespa could see Orion's office window on the
00:05:28
top floor.
00:05:29
The presence of armed craft guild guards was heavy, and Vespa could easily have
00:05:34
Allard captured. He was a mighty warrior and would kill several guards,
00:05:39
but they would eventually overwhelm him.
00:05:42
With Orion close, Vespa could do even better than assassinate Allard,
00:05:47
he could have him captured. Yet he was still uncertain.
00:05:51
The organization and secretive nature of the thieves made him think that they may
00:05:56
prevail.
00:05:57
Allard interrupted Vespers thoughts by saying-
00:06:01
"There is a large sewage entrance near here.
00:06:03
It is used by our guild to move stolen goods under the lower quarter to safe houses,
00:06:08
where they are distributed and eventually moved to the old quarter."
00:06:11
"So, we will use that passage to return to the tower."
00:06:15
At the thought of the tower, Vesper lost all interest in turning Alard in.
00:06:21
He didn't understand its power and draw over him, but he recognized
00:06:26
it.
00:06:26
Perhaps it was that he finally had found a guild that was the closest to his life,
00:06:32
one of intrigue and secrecy.
00:06:36
And the tower, in plain view yet hidden, represented that
00:06:40
to him.
00:06:41
"No."
00:06:43
Alard's voice was low and deep, and he was continually scanning the
00:06:48
people they passed,
00:06:49
people in large wagons pulled by draft horses, and men and women that
00:06:54
smelled like leather soap, burnt wood, and iron.
00:06:58
"We will pause there. We have guild members there guarding the entrance.
00:07:01
We will stop, gather information, and then decide on our future steps."
00:07:06
They turned past one of the largest warehouses.
00:07:09
It contained rough-spun clothes used by the majority of the
00:07:14
citizens of Ness. The clothes were produced in a work building on the other side of the
00:07:19
large street, and then dyed guild colors in a building next to the
00:07:23
warehouse.
00:07:24
The smell of the dye filled the street, just like the smell of cured leather
00:07:29
filled the street further up, and the smell of fire and iron filled the part of
00:07:34
the street they had just passed.
00:07:37
They walked along a small road that had little use beyond acting as a way to
00:07:42
get from the front of the warehouse to the back, or to access the wall from the
00:07:47
major road in the front.
00:07:48
"No guards."
00:07:50
"They fear to patrol here."
00:07:52
Alard didn't elaborate, so Vesper pushed the point.
00:07:56
"Why?"
00:07:57
"There is a rumor that the fumes from the dye are poisonous.
00:08:00
No one walks near the dye house. If you were to enter the warehouse, you would see that
00:08:05
most of the goods are stacked on the wall farthest from the dye.
00:08:09
No one wants to smell it.
00:08:12
It is considered one of the lowliest jobs in the craft guild to work the dye,
00:08:17
a death sentence, in fact."
00:08:20
The smell of the dye was overwhelming as they walked between the dye house and the
00:08:25
warehouse. Vesper covered his mouth with his hand, which elicited a smile
00:08:30
from Alard.
00:08:30
"Is it poisonous?"
00:08:32
"No. The Thieves Guild runs the dye house.
00:08:35
We move people in and out regularly, with messages left that the former workers had died.
00:08:40
Then we move them into our service in the old quarter.
00:08:43
This is our single most important location for handling the things we steal."
00:08:47
"I had not heard of deaths in the warehouses."
00:08:51
"Of course not. The Harvest Captains know, but are afraid Orion will move the dye house
00:08:56
outside the wall if he finds out, causing many problems.
00:08:59
So, they keep it from him, and the guild members who work there fear reprisal if they
00:09:04
speak up."
00:09:05
"But what of the guards? They
00:09:10
know."
00:09:11
Alard shrugged.
00:09:12
"Everyone looks out for themselves."
00:09:14
"Except the thieves."
00:09:16
"We take so we can give."
00:09:17
They reached the back of the dye house, and there was a wooden shed that was surrounded by
00:09:22
what looked like old and rancid dye. It was in open containers
00:09:27
and stunk so badly of sharp-smelling dye that Vesper's eyes
00:09:32
started to water.
00:09:33
"With what you just told me, this may be the most well-defended entrance to a
00:09:38
secret passage in Ness."
00:09:40
Vesper chuckled. They walked through a wooden door that looked like it was going to
00:09:45
fall off its hinges, yet moved as smoothly as a door in one of the pubs
00:09:50
in the upper quarter.
00:09:52
Inside were barrels, although the smell of dye was considerably less.
00:09:57
Alard walked deliberately around them, as if he had walked the path many
00:10:01
times, and as Vesper followed, they came upon a staircase leading down.
00:10:07
It was wide and solid, enough for four men to walk
00:10:11
side-by-side while descending. It was much longer than Vesper had
00:10:16
anticipated, and at the bottom there were double iron doors.
00:10:21
They opened as Alard approached. A man wearing black and the common sign of
00:10:26
a captain, a single accent strip around his right sleeve, strode
00:10:30
forward. He was massive. Not massive like Alard, who was tall
00:10:35
and strong, but massive in that he was broad and thick at every part of his
00:10:40
body. He wasn't necessarily tall, but he looked like the kind of man that you
00:10:45
knew would end up bloodied but still standing in a bar fight.
00:10:50
"Kalos, my friend," Alard said, uncharacteristic warmth in
00:10:55
his voice. "I had no idea you'd be managing the thoroughfare.
00:10:58
Is there an important shipment happening?"
00:11:01
Alard peered toward the room behind the door.
00:11:04
"Deputy Alard."
00:11:06
The man named Kalos strode forward, and rather than shake Alard's hands,
00:11:11
threw his mighty arms around him in a hug.
00:11:15
Parting, Kalos shook his head.
00:11:16
"More like multiple shipments. That idiot, Orion, has all his guards keeping an eye on the
00:11:21
chaos in the lower quarter, so with the cats away..."
00:11:26
Kalos spread his arms and smiled as if he was doing something naughty, but no one
00:11:31
could blame him. Vesper finally caught Kalos' eye.
00:11:34
"Who's this?"
00:11:35
"Orion's blade."
00:11:38
Kalos tensed, and his smile turned to a face that was intimidating
00:11:43
in its intensity of restrained violence, but that quickly returned to a
00:11:48
smile.
00:11:49
"I had low expectations of that rascal, Raylan,
00:11:53
but if he turned a blade to our guild,
00:11:55
I have to hand it to him."
00:11:56
"Guild master Raylan,"
00:11:59
Alard said, his voice serious.
00:12:01
"I apologize, deputy. Of course."
00:12:05
Turning to Vesper, Kalos said, "So, Blade, what's your name?"
00:12:09
"Vesper."
00:12:11
He rather liked this character Kalos, but there was no need to let him know
00:12:16
that, so he kept his answer short and his voice sharp.
00:12:20
"Anything I can help you with?"
00:12:23
The question surprised Vesper. He had expected to be ignored in the presence
00:12:28
of the deputy guild master. The Thieves Guild continued to appear very different
00:12:33
than what he was used to.
00:12:35
Nodding to Allard, Vesper replied, "I await orders."
00:12:40
Allard spoke up.
00:12:41
"We have both been indisposed and need updated news.
00:12:45
My mission was to find out from Vesper what he knew, and I have done that.
00:12:49
I was planning on both of us returning to the tower, but I will not make that decision until we are
00:12:54
current on what is happening."
00:12:56
"So it shall be.
00:12:58
There is a meeting room down the hall.
00:13:00
Follow me."
00:13:02
Kalos led the two of them through the door, which opened onto a massive room,
00:13:07
larger than the dye house above it. Stacked nearly floor to ceiling in the room were
00:13:12
clothes, weapons, household items, and a variety of
00:13:17
things that were necessary for living in Ness, and yet unavailable to
00:13:21
its poor and those in the old quarter.
00:13:25
They entered a small spare room with a desk pushed against a wall and a few
00:13:30
chairs facing it. Allard walked in and leaned back against the desk,
00:13:35
while Kalos pulled up a chair and motioned Vesper to sit.
00:13:39
He proceeded to outline what Vesper considered the worst possible
00:13:44
outcome. Larson was dead, Karch was missing, and
00:13:48
Orion's nephew, Carris, was now running the merchant guild.
00:13:53
If that weren't bad enough, Carris had spread the news that he was
00:13:57
apologizing for Larson's misdeeds and welcoming back the
00:14:02
Harvest Guild. He had offered to rebuild the houses that had burned and
00:14:06
provide for those who were displaced.
00:14:09
"Orion looks to isolate the thieves," Vesper said, which
00:14:13
elicited a solemn nod from Allard.
00:14:16
"Wait, Orion knows of the existence of our guild?"
00:14:20
Kalos looked dumbfounded.
00:14:22
"It is the information Vesper has provided us.
00:14:25
It would have been impossible with so many streaming into the old quarter, but Orion found out
00:14:30
sooner than we had hoped."
00:14:31
"Of course, of course," Kalos replied, rubbing his
00:14:35
chin. "Will the Harvest Guild members return to their homes and embrace Carris?"
00:14:41
Vesper looked at Allard, but he remained silent.
00:14:44
"I don't know,"
00:14:46
Vesper finally replied.
00:14:48
"We need to know, and Guild Master Polo needs to know.
00:14:51
You have your new mission, Vesper," Allard suddenly said, his deep voice
00:14:56
filling the room like the pounding of a drum. Kalos and Vesper looked at him.
00:15:00
"I cannot approach Polo, he knows me. His guild knows me.
00:15:04
They will imprison me on sight. You,"
00:15:07
Allard pointed at Vesper, "however, they do not know."
00:15:10
"It is a lost cause. I attempted to reach Polo to assassinate him."
00:15:16
Vesper said it casually, which he knew would shock Kalos, and was a
00:15:20
response that he liked to elicit, keeping others, friend and enemy,
00:15:25
off guard. "It is impossible. Harvest House is small but insurmountable.
00:15:30
The walls move under your feet. The vines work to toss you off while you climb them.
00:15:35
There is only one path to Polo, and it is guarded by too many, with no secret
00:15:40
passages or shadows to reach him."
00:15:43
"I did not say you were to assassinate him.
00:15:46
You are to reach him and inform him of what is happening.
00:15:49
We have tried with our own blade, and she is currently missing.
00:15:52
We don't know how well-informed Polo is.
00:15:56
We can assume he knows much, but this information is coming from the ground in the lower quarter.
00:16:01
Polo may be missing the larger political machinations of Orion."
00:16:04
"I can get you to the Harvest district.
00:16:08
We rarely go there, as there is no reason to, but there is a path, not a pleasant
00:16:13
path, but a path under the north fork."
00:16:18
Vesper didn't like the mission, because he considered it well outside his
00:16:23
expertise. He could kill, he could spy, he could even torture and
00:16:28
destroy, but having a diplomatic conversation with a guild master was
00:16:33
not something he had ever done before.
00:16:36
He once again considered the lay of the land.
00:16:39
Orion had made a bold move, one that in one stroke had
00:16:43
significantly threatened the thieves.
00:16:46
They were potentially isolated with all of the guilds not only against
00:16:51
them, but knowing of their existence and their base of operations.
00:16:56
The wild card was Polo. If Polo joined with Orion
00:17:01
and his nephew and Saxe, there was no hope for the thieves.
00:17:06
But would Polo do that? Did he see the endgame?
00:17:10
If he helped his guild members in the lower quarter in the short run, would that destroy
00:17:15
the guild in the long run?
00:17:17
He knew precious little about the old Harvest guild master, who mostly kept
00:17:22
to himself and was only the target of Orion's attention after Raylan
00:17:27
ruined his and Larson's plans.
00:17:31
In the end, Vesper realized he didn't have to make an immediate decision.
00:17:36
He could abandon the thieves at any time.
00:17:39
If he did reach Polo, he could even make the decision then, delivering
00:17:44
Polo to Orion or Raylan at his will.
00:17:48
That final thought was very appealing, and Vesper finally replied.
00:17:52
"I will contact Polo, but I need guidance on this mission."
00:17:56
"What kind of guidance do you need?"
00:17:58
"The mission is unclear. Inform Polo of the wider danger to his guild from
00:18:03
Orion and Carris is not specific enough.
00:18:06
What is the goal of the mission?"
00:18:09
Allard stared at Vesper for a long time, until he shook his head and
00:18:13
replied.
00:18:14
"You're a formidable man, Vesper. The goal is to have Polo reject any offering from
00:18:19
Orion or Carris. We need Polo to remain isolated so that our guild can find a plan
00:18:24
forward without facing eradication.
00:18:26
I do not expect Polo to embrace the thieves.
00:18:32
I do not expect you to convince him of the good of our mission."
00:18:37
Allard crossed his arms. "I expect you to fan the flames of hatred that
00:18:42
Polo has toward Orion. I don't care how you do it." Vesper stood up.
00:18:46
"That,
00:18:47
I can do."
00:18:53
(dramatic music)