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00:00:01
The Thieves Guild
00:00:04
by Jake Care.
00:00:09
Season 3,
00:00:13
episode 40.
00:00:18
The Battle of Six Armies.
00:00:24
Crown Vilhelm was no stranger to violence.
00:00:27
When he was younger, he had led many raids on the outer fields of Ness.
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It was his daring and skillful attacks during the great famine that led to him being
00:00:37
named Crown.
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That was many years earlier, but there are some lessons you don't forget, and
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surviving while facing a force with swords and armor is at the top of the
00:00:49
list.
00:00:50
To the gate. Spread the word, we retreat to the gate.
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Vilhelm stood high on his horse, a vision of courage and
00:00:58
splendor, despite his cowardly message.
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He may have been a coward, but he was also wise.
00:01:05
The force in front of him was enormous, and the force to his left appeared
00:01:10
small, but very well-armed.
00:01:13
Finally, the force in black behind him was significant and powerfully armed, but
00:01:18
there were two things that worked in his favor with a retreat to the gate.
00:01:23
They were smaller than his force, and behind them was Dragon Road's long
00:01:28
slithering path to Gautland.
00:01:31
Facing death, wouldn't they let him retreat?
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He felt it was at least a possibility.
00:01:37
Another benefit of a force with a history of stealth and extended operations
00:01:42
was that they knew how to communicate well.
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His entire army turned within minutes of his shout from atop his horse.
00:01:51
And with a nod, Vilhelm turned his mighty steed and rushed toward the Black
00:01:56
Rats, which he hoped would scurry back into their sewer.
00:02:01
Rogers had barely emerged from a hedge, his new sword in his hand, when
00:02:06
the army in front of him disengaged and rushed back down the Great Road.
00:02:11
The rest of the merchant guards charged forward, blood in their eyes.
00:02:16
Rogers, however, assessed things. From the left, far in the
00:02:20
distance, howls and screams and green cloaks and shirts
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were rushing forward. The force from Gautland held them off as they retreated.
00:02:31
Still, they couldn't help but take losses.
00:02:34
The merchant force was being pushed back furiously.
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Rogers couldn't quite believe the size of the Outlanders' army.
00:02:42
It stretched up and down the Great Road and seemed well-organized.
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He wondered why they didn't attack earlier.
00:02:49
With their force, they could have overrun the city if they had even a token
00:02:54
understanding of the city's breadth and thin defenses.
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As it was, they had picked the absolute worst time to attack
00:03:03
with a massive force of citizens emerging from the Old Quarter,
00:03:07
and a merchant force that clearly was trying to send a message.
00:03:11
The merchants were taking real losses, and Rogers rushed forward and started
00:03:16
yelling for the force to pull back and wait and see what the Outlanders would do.
00:03:21
He felt pretty strongly that they were going to retreat back to their city across the
00:03:26
plains. Losses at this point would be senseless.
00:03:29
Spread the word,
00:03:31
we should pull back.
00:03:33
Let the Outlanders flee.
00:03:34
Most everyone ignored him, but a few of the younger guards seemed to embrace the
00:03:39
"Don't put yourself in death's way" message.
00:03:43
It was odd. The Outlanders were mere yards from him, but they were so focused
00:03:48
on retreating that they ignored everyone but those immediately engaged with them in
00:03:52
battle. So he felt like a ghost watching the battle proceed without
00:03:57
him.
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He quickly made his way down the line, and one of his shouts caught Dervish's
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attention. He disengaged with an Outlander who seemed interested
00:04:08
solely in protecting the retreat and let him go without chasing him down.
00:04:13
Rogers, what in the name of the gods are you doing?
00:04:17
They are retreating. Our losses are pointless.
00:04:20
We should pull back and simply make sure they leave the city.
00:04:22
Dervish looked terrible, with blood from gushing wounds
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he caused splashed across his armor and dripping down his face.
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His sword was more red than gray.
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There was a moment that Rogers wondered if Dervish would swing his sword at him,
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but as quickly as he thought it, Dervish scowled and pointed his sword at him.
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Close your mouth and leave. I will deal with you later.
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Without another word, Dervish turned and launched back into battle.
00:04:55
Rogers was no fool, and he knew there was naught else he could do.
00:04:59
As the battle continued, he melted into the charred remains of the
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flats.
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Sax launched himself forward with a bellow that shook the walls.
00:05:10
There was a time he could take a half dozen well-armed men by himself, and
00:05:15
although that was years earlier, much of his might remained.
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His men followed closely behind.
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An arrow embedded itself in his chest armor, penetrating enough just to
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make him angrier. Before another could fly, he had knocked two rangers to the
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ground with his powerful bulk, and removed an arm from another with a mighty swing of his
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broadsword. "This is what it is all about," Sax
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felt, joy filling him as he swung his sword in an arc, forcing
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two rangers to fall back, while a third was nearly cut in twain at the
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waist. His men were similarly rabid.
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Sax had personally picked them, mighty fighters who had waited years for their swords
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to dance like this.
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Another ranger fell and Sax laughed."You are nothing but squirrels.
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You are more timid than rabbits.
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You can't hide in the plains now, you pathetic excuses for warriors.
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I should have kicked you out of the guild years ago.
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You don't deserve the title of knight,"
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Sax spoke as he dodged, leapt to the side, and then stabbed
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forward. A cry of pain was the fitting exclamation on Sax's
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battleground speech.
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The Rangers fell back, but Sax was relentless and marched forward.
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The tight space gave him every advantage.
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Pure might was all that mattered in a corridor of deadly steel.
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How many had Sax killed? A half dozen?
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A dozen?
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He took two steps forward. It would be more, oh, so much
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more.
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But as he stepped forward, three rangers found a small gap and sprung
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around the guard to his right and turned Sax's attention from the front.
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He was suddenly not fighting two or three.
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It was six, with more pushing forward.
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He pounded one of the rangers with the hilt of his sword while kicking one in front of
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him.
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It was at this point that the mighty and formidable warrior glanced ahead.
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He had not done so being lost in joy of battle, and the sight made him
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grit his teeth. As far as he could see down the wall, there were
00:07:31
rangers,
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dozens of them, perhaps hundreds. He could cut down a score and they would be
00:07:37
replaced by three times that.
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His men dispatched the rangers that had slipped through, but not before Sax had taken a
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glancing blow to his shoulder. It meant little, but the fact that a blow got
00:07:50
through made Sax think while he fought.
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He had a decision to make: fight to the death or retreat and
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rally a more organized force.
00:08:01
Philos stayed well behind the thief forces, acting as a shield for Raylan,
00:08:06
who was ill-prepared for such a battle.
00:08:09
Philos refused to let Raylan head to the tower, being worried that the Outlanders would
00:08:14
have another force approaching from the south.
00:08:17
For a similar reason, he didn't want Raylan left lightly guarded in the sewer.
00:08:22
He had patiently explained this to Raylan, and despite Rebecca's and his own
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protests, he was little more than an observer.
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It was a sudden change in the battle that made Philos rush to Raylan and reverse his
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previous plan. "Guildmaster, you must head to the sewer.
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Cross the river and head to the tower.
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The Outlanders are retreating, and they will soon overwhelm us.
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We will hold them to give you more time and then we will follow, but you must leave now."
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"I refuse to leave my guild members. I will do my part.
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Do you have a dagger or sword?"
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Philos didn't even reply, but turned to Rebecca.
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"Can you force him to go?"
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She laughed.
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"I can't even force him to flee an unguarded prison."
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She patted Philos on the shoulder.
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"But I can convince him.
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My dear Raylan, you are the guild master, and you promised me a visit to
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an inn. Please don't foolishly die on me
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and your guild members."
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Raylan knew it was wise, so he didn't hesitate.
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He grasped Philos' forearm. "Your mission is to save as many of your
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guild mates as possible, nothing more." "Aye, Guildmaster." He
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waited until Raylan turned and jogged toward the distant entrance to the
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sewer. Rebecca glided lightly behind him, her swaying black dress
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making it look like she was floating across the ground.
00:09:52
Simpson was too old to fight, but he fought anyway.
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After all, hadn't he succeeded in his mission to travel to Harvest House and
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returned to the Thief Tower without assistance?
00:10:04
Still, he was old and slow, and one of the final people in the wave of Green
00:10:09
to make it across the great bridge.
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There were shouts ahead, and Simpson had to strain to hear what was being said.
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A young man ran past him.
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"They are retreating. They are retreating!"
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Simpson continued forward. The battle may have been over, but he still
00:10:27
wanted to be a part of it.
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The bodies began not far from the bridge, and he realized he didn't want to be part of it at
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all. For every one dead Outlander were three or even four bodies
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in Green. Women, men, not much younger than himself, youngsters
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barely out of apprenticeship. They all lay in pools of blood,
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body parts severed and laying nearby.
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The streets ran red with blood. He continued onward for no reason
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other than to honor the courage of his guild mates.
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The dead lay everywhere. There were many dead Outlanders, and at a
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certain point he realized that even a mighty force can't defeat
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masses of people with something to live for.
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The dead Outlanders never outnumbered the dead in Green, but the number of dead
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Outlanders became so great he couldn't count.
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"So many dead."
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Simpson didn't recognize any of the dead, and he considered that a small
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blessing. He passed a young woman, nearly a girl, lying on the ground and
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holding a stick.
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Not even a club, a stick.
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She looked unwounded, and Simpson knelt down to lift her and see if he could help
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her.
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Perhaps she was simply unconscious.
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He lifted her head and it rolled back in a sudden lurch, her neck clearly
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broken.
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The cruelty stunned Simpson. She was no threat.
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She was probably just standing there, too stunned to do anything, and
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someone walked up and broke her neck.
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Simpson slid to the ground and started sobbing....
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a pair of simple leather shoes approached from the edge of his vision.
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"Come, my friend. Let us go.
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There is a reason that battles aren't for the old.
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It's not that it's too hard for us to fight.
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It's that it's too hard for us to survive."
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It was perhaps fitting that the mighty Sax did not die in an epic battle against a
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fellow warrior. It was also perhaps fortune smiling upon him that Sax did
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not die drowned in drink.
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In the end, however, his death was how he had wanted it.
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There were bodies next to him that he had slain through force and skill, and it was
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not a single sword thrust, but many from many hands that ended his life.
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But perhaps the most glorious of all was that he died not due to
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someone besting him on the battlefield, but due to his arm tiring from
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unleashing death upon others. As the rangers rushed forward, routing the
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remainder of Sax's personal guard, a few stayed behind, looking
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upon the former Guildmaster knight.
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He had an odd smile on his face, with blood dripping upon it from a gash above
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his eye.
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Look at that smile. I wonder what he was thinking.
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He was probably thinking about a large flagon of ale.
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There were laughs, and then Sax's body was covered with a brown cloak, the
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new color of the Knight Guild, as declared by its new Guildmaster,
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Quinto.
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Vilhelm had to pause his retreat to get word to the forces that had
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penetrated deep into Ness. He had hoped that a retreat would pause
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the attacks, it had from those in green in the rear, but the force in blue
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seemed intent on sacrificing itself to make his retreat as difficult as
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possible.
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It was such needless death. Vilhelm leaned down to the messenger.
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"Tell Kanton to sweep away the knights in blue.
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I
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don't know what their intent, but they are killing our men as we retreat."
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The messenger rushed off and Vilhelm turned his attention to the thieves,
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but as he did, they were gone. He had planned on a deadly assault through
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the thick line of thieves to clear his path through the gate, but when he turned back
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to them, they had disappeared like roaches under firelight.
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"The path is clear. Retreat as quickly as we can.
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I doubt we will be attacked." Vilhelm thought of Raylan, imprisoned in
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Gautland. Unlike the forces in blue, his had discipline and
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wisdom. "They will live to fight another day," Vilhelm
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thought, "and that day will come."
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With a kick, Vilhelm's horse vaulted forward, eventually passing under the great
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gate and rushing down the long and winding Dragon Road and back to
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Gautland, where he hoped his wounds upon Ness would achieve something.
00:15:08
Rodgers worried over the merchant forces.
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They were well-armed but badly outnumbered.
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His earlier warnings were common sense, he thought.
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The moment the retreating army focused even slight attention on the guards in
00:15:23
blue, they would be overwhelmed.
00:15:26
So while Dervish led his forces into feint and attack against an army
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uninterested in battle, Rodgers kept an eye for any hint of a
00:15:35
counterattack.
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It came so suddenly that Rodgers had little time to do anything but rush forward,
00:15:42
yell, and point at the mounted knights rushing their way.
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Dervish was far up the line toward the gate, so Rodgers focused on
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getting word out among the guards, hoping yelled warnings would be faster than
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feet.
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"Look, cavalry approaches. Maneuver into the flats.
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We can regroup."
00:16:02
Rodgers made sure not to use the word "retreat," but he didn't need to
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worry too much about how his message was going to be received, as when the
00:16:11
guards looked up the Great Road, the cavalry were hard to miss.
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To Rodgers' relief, the guards fled into the houses and alleys of the flats.
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Rodgers ran as fast as he could, yelling out to escape the attacking cavalry,
00:16:26
and his warning took hold quickly. At the last possible moment,
00:16:31
Rodgers himself fled toward the houses, a swing of a sword from
00:16:36
horseback barely missing him as he dove into a charred house.
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As he expected, the knights didn't follow.
00:16:43
They were simply cutting down anyone who dared to attack the retreating Outlander
00:16:48
force. He hoped that his warning had made its way to Dervish and that the
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proud old man would choose wisdom over foolishness, but such
00:16:57
concerns were out of his control now.
00:17:00
He exited the house through the back door and began gathering the scattered
00:17:04
merchant guards to get them into an organized force again.
00:17:08
But what he'd do after that, he had no idea.
00:17:13
Raylan slipped upon a stone step and fell into a pool of piss and shit.
00:17:18
He would have been mad, but it reminded him of his escape with Maylor.
00:17:23
As he pulled himself up, his wet hand slipped on a different stone and he fell back
00:17:28
into the putrid water again.
00:17:30
You do realize that's not a bath, Guildmaster?
00:17:33
Can you just give me a hand?
00:17:35
I most assuredly cannot.
00:17:37
Raylan scowled as he looked at Rebecca.
00:17:40
She somehow still looked elegant, despite what he was certain was a dress
00:17:45
covered at the bottom with filth.
00:17:47
I'd be angry, but I don't blame you.
00:17:50
Raylan pulled himself out of the water and wiped his hands on his tunic.
00:17:55
Did you know that my first official duty as Guildmaster was to be pummeled with
00:18:00
garbage and piss?
00:18:01
I did not. You must tell me the story.
00:18:05
And as he and Rebecca wandered through the sewer and made their way out and then over the
00:18:10
southern foothills, Raylan told Rebecca about his first few weeks in the
00:18:14
Guild, the Founder's Day Parade, the banquet, his escape from
00:18:19
the basement of the merchant tower, and his first trip to Gautland.
00:18:25
Rebecca was mostly quiet as he told the story, only interrupting at
00:18:29
moments to applaud his courage or his wise decisions.
00:18:34
By the time they arrived at the south gate, Raylan realized that he had
00:18:38
unintentionally impressed Rebecca. He didn't know quite what to make of that.
00:18:43
He always seemed to stumble around girls. Maylor mocked him.
00:18:48
All his previous girlfriends thought of him as just a mischievous boy.
00:18:53
But Rebecca seemed impressed with his achievements as Guildmaster.
00:18:57
As they waited for Felos to organize the entrance through the gate, Raylan
00:19:02
decided to make idle chat to go over some practical things.
00:19:06
The tower is massive, and there are plenty of unused rooms.
00:19:11
I'm sure we'll be able to find you a place to refresh yourself and then sleep.
00:19:15
My dear Raylan,
00:19:18
you are such a gentleman,
00:19:21
but I have my own quarters on the second floor.
00:19:23
(dramatic music)
00:19:45
A Podcast Alchemy production.