Prosper

[00:00:01] The Thieves Guild, by Jake Kerr, Episode 111, Prosper.

[00:00:23] It was slow going, but in some ways it was easier than before.

[00:00:28] Katrina knew exactly where her husband's cabin stood, and the way was through heavy woods,

[00:00:35] which made it much easier to sense the approach of the Guardian.

[00:00:38] But they went slow, with the wagon often getting stuck in ruts and brambles.

[00:00:45] As they walked, the three of them were taught with fear and excitement.

[00:00:51] Dala held her knives at the ready, and Katrina held her bow.

[00:00:55] Mela felt a bit useless as she pulled a cart laden with supplies,

[00:00:59] but she knew that her skills were made for the shadows.

[00:01:03] She also had the important job of throwing the three loosely knit together bags of flour

[00:01:09] sitting at the front of the wagon when the Guardian inevitably attacked.

[00:01:14] Katrina whispered details about her husband.

[00:01:17] His name was Prosper, and she clearly loved him dearly.

[00:01:21] He was a talented magician.

[00:01:23] But rather than follow studies and scribe work at the library,

[00:01:27] he pursued practical magic, which for him meant joining the guards.

[00:01:33] As Katrina proudly discussed Prosper, it led to many questions for Mela.

[00:01:39] What was scribe work?

[00:01:41] The library was mentioned in awe by Katrina,

[00:01:44] and she described it as a massive building with catacombs.

[00:01:48] What was that about?

[00:01:50] She mentioned that Prosper was careful not to use his magic casually,

[00:01:54] as so many other magicians did without hesitation,

[00:01:58] as he loved his wife and their memories together too much to do so.

[00:02:02] What did that mean?

[00:02:04] But the questions had to wait,

[00:02:07] because all three of them focused on the woods around them,

[00:02:10] listening for the pad of a heavy foot, the crack of a branch,

[00:02:14] or some other sign that the Guardian was approaching.

[00:02:17] Mela was cursing as she roughly pulled the wagon over a tree root when she heard it,

[00:02:23] a distinct but muffled crack ahead of them.

[00:02:29] Katrina was whispering to Dala,

[00:02:31] so Mela immediately dropped the handle of the wagon

[00:02:34] and grabbed Dala and Katrina's arms.

[00:02:37] They turned to look at her,

[00:02:39] and she held an index finger over her lips with her left hand

[00:02:42] while she pointed ahead with her right.

[00:02:46] Dala immediately fell into a crouch,

[00:02:49] knives in both hands.

[00:02:51] Katrina readied her bow as her eyes scanned left and right.

[00:02:56] They were close to a wide gap between two trees,

[00:02:59] which was ahead and to their right.

[00:03:02] It wasn't a path, but it was more grass than brambles and roots.

[00:03:08] Mela was looking forward to the easier passage,

[00:03:10] but now she saw it as a problem.

[00:03:13] The Guardian could approach with little more than the movement of grass or leaves revealing it.

[00:03:19] Picking up a bag of flour,

[00:03:22] Mela decided to focus on that gap.

[00:03:24] She had no idea if the Guardians were intelligent enough to plan a stealth approach,

[00:03:30] but the chance that it would attack through a clearing even without a strategy seemed reasonable.

[00:03:36] In either case, the gap was a weakness, and she kept watch.

[00:03:41] It didn't take long for her to notice grass move.

[00:03:44] About 30 feet ahead and to the right, near the outer edge of the clearing.

[00:03:50] It would be a long throw for her with the heavy flour,

[00:03:54] but Mela assessed that, with two other bags,

[00:03:57] taking a risk early could prove to have huge returns.

[00:04:00] So with both hands and all her might,

[00:04:03] she tossed the bag of flour toward the swaying grass.

[00:04:07] The bag landed with a thud, flour billowing out.

[00:04:11] Dala and Katrina stared at the growing cloud,

[00:04:14] their weapons at the ready.

[00:04:16] Two things then happened in quick succession.

[00:04:19] Mela realized she missed.

[00:04:21] There was no Guardian outlined in the flour,

[00:04:24] which was filling the whole other side of the clearing

[00:04:27] with nothing more than white dust.

[00:04:29] And then, as Mela grabbed another bag of flour,

[00:04:34] a pounding to the right approached.

[00:04:36] A large branch on a tree to their immediate right snapped off like a twig.

[00:04:41] The tree shuddered, and then Katrina was hurled toward the clearing,

[00:04:46] her bow and arrows flying to the side.

[00:04:50] Dala swung both knives in the direction of where Katrina stood,

[00:04:54] which elicited another worldly howl of pain and the Guardian retreating.

[00:04:59] Mela scanned the direction of the thudding steps,

[00:05:02] and then she saw it.

[00:05:05] A smudge of white dust hanging in the air like a flat pane of glass.

[00:05:10] She smiled.

[00:05:11] Her first toss was in the direction of the Guardian after all.

[00:05:15] It was just too far back to be covered with the dust.

[00:05:18] Still smiling, Mela hurled the other bag.

[00:05:22] The accursed beast, however, pounded back to their right,

[00:05:25] and the flour once again filled the clearing with no Guardian beneath it.

[00:05:31] So you are smart, Mela thought as she grabbed the third and final bag of flour.

[00:05:36] She had little time to ponder this new information, as a glancing blow tossed her to the ground in front of the cart.

[00:05:44] She looked up at the bit of flour hanging in the air and prepared to receive a crushing blow when there was a thwack and then another howl of pain.

[00:05:54] An arrow protruded from the centre of the flour a few feet from her.

[00:05:59] It swung back toward the clearing, and the Guardian again moved toward Katrina.

[00:06:05] Dala quickly grabbed the flour from Mela's side and heaved it at the retreating arrow.

[00:06:10] The last bag exploded in mid-air, filling the clearing again, but this time with the distinct outline of the Guardian.

[00:06:18] The short pause the beast took to assess what was happening proved its undoing.

[00:06:25] Dala had time to quickly unsheathe her knives, and she tossed them with precision.

[00:06:30] Thunk! Thunk!

[00:06:32] And the beast once again howled in pain, turning and stumbling toward Dala.

[00:06:38] It took a step.

[00:06:40] Thwack!

[00:06:41] A Katrina arrow hit home.

[00:06:43] It stumbled forward.

[00:06:45] Thwack!

[00:06:46] Another arrow in the centre of its back, and finally a killing blow from Dala,

[00:06:51] as her final throw ended with a knife protruding from the centre of the Guardian.

[00:06:56] It stumbled to its left, collapsed to a knee, and then fell on its side.

[00:07:02] Mela and Dala ran to Katrina, who was sitting while leaning on her arm.

[00:07:08] Her bow and arrows were scattered to her side.

[00:07:11] She looked fine, and smiled as they approached.

[00:07:15] Th- Thank you.

[00:07:17] She said, a wheeze to her voice.

[00:07:20] She gasped a bit for breath after she said it.

[00:07:23] Are you okay?

[00:07:24] Mela asked, as she and Dala knelt next to her.

[00:07:28] I think I have a few broken ribs, and it's a bit difficult to breathe.

[00:07:33] She coughed and then smiled again.

[00:07:36] But I'll see Prosper soon.

[00:07:38] Mela helped her up, which elicited groans of pain.

[00:07:43] But Katrina was steady on her feet.

[00:07:45] I'll be fine.

[00:07:47] She repeated as Dala reached out to hold her arm.

[00:07:51] She looked at Mela.

[00:07:53] You were struck as well.

[00:07:55] Are you okay?

[00:07:56] I'm just bruised.

[00:07:58] Mela replied, which was true enough, although she too felt pain in her side.

[00:08:04] The guardian appeared to have large fists as hard as stone.

[00:08:09] They gathered everything up.

[00:08:12] Katrina couldn't carry her bow, so that was added to the cart.

[00:08:17] They continued forward, finding the journey much easier.

[00:08:21] The clearing they had stopped at turned out to be the beginning of a path

[00:08:25] that led to Prosper's Cabin Prison.

[00:08:27] As the cabin came into view, Katrina abandoned any pretense of caring for her injuries

[00:08:34] and half ran, half stumbled forward.

[00:08:38] As Mela and Dala arrived, the door to the cabin opened

[00:08:42] and Katrina fell into Prosper's arms, his face full of shock.

[00:08:47] He quickly let her go and steadied her, looking her up and down.

[00:08:51] She said something, and he looked over at Mela and Dala.

[00:08:55] He waved them forward as he helped Katrina into the cabin.

[00:09:00] Leaving the cart near a fire pit, Mela grabbed Dala's arm.

[00:09:05] We will be home soon.

[00:09:07] Maybe not soon.

[00:09:09] She replied, turning to Mela and pulling her into a hug, adding in a whisper in her ear.

[00:09:15] But soon enough.

[00:09:17] They introduced themselves and outlined their goal of returning to Ness.

[00:09:22] Prosper appeared excited about the prospect,

[00:09:25] but it quickly became clear that he really only cared about one thing, Katrina.

[00:09:31] Mela had a hard time figuring out if he was suspicious of her and Dala,

[00:09:36] or if he was simply completely focused on Katrina.

[00:09:40] As they sat down at his simple table, Mela started to understand it was possibly both.

[00:09:47] Prosper's supplies were minimal, and the four of them nibbled on carrots as they talked.

[00:09:53] Prosper's chair was pulled out, and he held his hands over Katrina's side.

[00:09:58] As a guard, we're taught mostly spells of violence.

[00:10:02] But we're also taught elementary healing spells, which we use in the field when someone is injured.

[00:10:09] He spoke as his hands were steady, and he looked like he was focusing on something else.

[00:10:15] I cannot bring someone back from near death, but I can heal broken bones and even deep gashes.

[00:10:21] He stopped talking and closed his eyes.

[00:10:24] Mela whispered, trying not to interrupt him but full of curiosity.

[00:10:29] Are you casting a healing spell now?

[00:10:32] Yes.

[00:10:33] At points Katrina would groan in pain, but otherwise nothing seemed to have changed until Prosper leaned back and sighed.

[00:10:42] I lost something important of our past, he said to Katrina.

[00:10:46] But you were healed.

[00:10:48] Katrina smiled and rolled her chest, left and right.

[00:10:53] Thank you, my love. I will remember it for both of us.

[00:10:56] What do you mean?

[00:10:58] Dala asked, although Mela was about to ask the same thing.

[00:11:02] Katrina looked at Prosper, who shook his head, and then replied,

[00:11:06] She is healed. That is all you need to know.

[00:11:10] Changing the subject, he slid his chair to face the table and stated,

[00:11:15] We will leave tomorrow for the Southern Gap.

[00:11:17] What is the Southern Gap?

[00:11:19] It is a small valley that leads to a cave.

[00:11:22] The cave leads to an opening to Dragon Road.

[00:11:25] Is it defended?

[00:11:27] It won't be after tomorrow, Prosper replied grimly,

[00:11:31] before turning and asking Katrina for updates about her life since they parted.

[00:11:36] Mela could not help but worry.

[00:11:39] Prosper not only didn't appear to hesitate to resort to violence,

[00:11:43] but he also appeared to think he was now running things.

[00:11:46] She had dealt with too many personalities to not trust her instincts,

[00:11:51] so she decided to challenge him.

[00:11:53] We will leave in two days.

[00:11:55] We should assess our supplies and perhaps see if we can gather more food.

[00:11:59] Prosper turned to Mela and replied,

[00:12:01] You can leave in two days.

[00:12:03] We leave tomorrow.

[00:12:06] And with a lack of regard that bordered on contemptuousness,

[00:12:10] he ignored Mela and Dala and returned his attention to Katrina.

[00:12:14] The