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Some secrets are worth dying for. Some are worth killing for.
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Artifacts of the Arcane
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The world has abandoned magic, but magic hasn’t abandoned the world.
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No one can be trusted when nothing is real.
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Follow Jake on Bluesky @jakekerr.com
00:00:01
The Thieves Guild,
00:00:04
by Jake Kerr.
00:00:12
Episode 138.
00:00:18
The Cursed Office.
00:00:24
It was after killing Cerris that Karch settled on a plan.
00:00:29
As he approached the guild master's office, Karch had to stop to catch his
00:00:33
breath.
00:00:35
Breathing heavily hurt.
00:00:37
He was still badly bruised and most likely had several broken ribs from the
00:00:42
sadistic blade vesper, but he was not so bruised that he couldn't take care
00:00:47
of Orion's pathetic nephew.
00:00:49
Still, feeling stabs of pain while he breathed was not a
00:00:54
distraction he wanted.
00:00:56
He flashed the guild master seal at the guard, a young man he had known since he had
00:01:01
first been put on tower duty the previous year.
00:01:04
"Do not disturb us."
00:01:06
The guard turned away.
00:01:08
Karch knocked on Cerris' door and entered without an invitation.
00:01:13
Cerris was on the sofa holding a half-naked woman with her head buried in his
00:01:18
neck. "By the gods, Karch, get out! I'll have your head for this."
00:01:23
Karch walked over to the woman, grabbed her roughly by the arm, and pulled her to
00:01:28
her feet. "Get out. I have urgent business to discuss with the guild master." The
00:01:33
woman stumbled and then stood up, arranging her blouse to cover herself.
00:01:38
"Now." "Guard, come in here this instant!" Before
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Karch could literally kick her out with his boot, the woman rushed to the door and
00:01:48
out of the room.
00:01:49
Cerris stood up and made a fist. "Unless you are here to tell me that my
00:01:54
uncle urgently needs me, you may not survive my beating, Karch." "Your
00:01:59
uncle is dead."
00:02:01
The news stunned the young man, who dropped his arms to his side.
00:02:05
"What? How?" Karch walked toward Cerris and put his
00:02:10
left arm around Cerris' shoulder in a sympathetic manner, as if to comfort him.
00:02:15
Cerris had taken one step when Karch moved his other arm up and slid
00:02:20
his jeweled dagger between Cerris' ribs and into his heart, pulling him
00:02:25
close with the arm he had around his shoulder as the blade slipped in deeper.
00:02:30
"Oh, I'm sorry, my mistake. It isn't your uncle who is dead,
00:02:35
it is you."
00:02:37
Cerris' body slumped to the floor and Karch threw the knife on top of it.
00:02:42
After one last glance at Orion's nephew, Karch walked out.
00:02:47
The guard watched as Karch approached, wiping his bloody hand on his cloak.
00:02:51
"When I informed the guild master that the Outlanders were attacking, he cried out in
00:02:56
despair and killed himself. Please tell Dervish to take care of the body.
00:03:01
We can have an official funeral when things have calmed down." "That office appears
00:03:06
cursed."
00:03:07
The guard gave away the hint of a smile.
00:03:10
Karch patted the guard on the shoulder. "Yes.
00:03:14
In fact, block the door and leave the body inside.
00:03:16
I believe one of the reasons Cerris killed himself is that he was haunted by the ghost of Larsen.
00:03:21
It is better not to disturb such spirits."
00:03:24
The guard nodded. "Consider it done, guild master." "Guild
00:03:28
master."
00:03:30
It was the first time in his life Karch had been called that.
00:03:34
He planned on it happening many, many more times into the future.
00:03:39
He started toward his office. There were many reasons that Karch got rid of
00:03:44
Orion's nephew, but the main one was that he was Orion's
00:03:49
nephew.
00:03:50
Karch had no doubt that with Larsen dead, Polo's rage would be aimed at
00:03:55
Sax and Orion, and having Orion's nephew as guild master
00:03:59
pulled the Merchant Guild into the circle of Polo's rage.
00:04:04
The future was clear to Karch. The Rangers and Harvest Guild would defeat
00:04:09
the Knight and Craft Guilds. It was a foregone conclusion in his mind.
00:04:14
And with Trader's Bridge destroyed, a slash and burn assault on the upper quarter
00:04:19
like Larsen did in the lower quarter was now impossible.
00:04:24
The only question was, how could he join the Harvest Guild while they still
00:04:29
had little trust of him and his guild?
00:04:32
And to make matters worse, he was surrounded by Knight and Craft Guild
00:04:37
members who would immediately punish him for betrayal.
00:04:41
That may all have been moot, as the city was under attack by the
00:04:45
Outlanders. "The Outlanders! Of course."
00:04:50
They were the solution to everything.
00:04:53
Karch almost laughed out loud. His original plan was to have them
00:04:58
assassinate or be blamed for assassinating Polo.
00:05:02
That would have rallied the city to the Merchant Guild as the city protectors.
00:05:07
Now, he could do the same thing. It was almost comically appropriate.
00:05:12
The vile and dirty Outlanders who massacred his men outside their small
00:05:17
city in the plains and almost killed him were going to be the ones that
00:05:22
restored the city's faith in the Merchant Guild, and save his
00:05:26
life.
00:05:28
Karch turned from the staircase to his office and headed toward the garrison on the first
00:05:33
level and Dervish's office. Before they attacked the Outlanders, they
00:05:38
had to betray the Knight and Craft Guild, and Karch had just the idea for
00:05:42
how to do that and do it without risk.
00:05:47
It wasn't until they had climbed to the third floor that Mela met someone she
00:05:52
knew. It was a guard she had trained with when she was younger.
00:05:55
"James, where is everyone?" The guard's eyes went wide when he
00:06:00
took in Mela. "Mela, by the gods, we thought you were dead." He ran over and the
00:06:05
two hugged tightly.As they parted, Maela waved her arm toward
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Dala.
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I would be dead if it wasn't for this mighty Harvest Guild guard who saved me.
00:06:15
'Tis an honor."
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James bowed his head.
00:06:18
The honor is mine, noble guard.
00:06:21
James looked over and noticed Prosper, who stood cold and dour in his
00:06:26
red.
00:06:27
"Someone who wears red? Who is this, and of what guild?"
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I am Prosper. I was a senior wizard of the Magic Guild.
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My home is Ness."
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Prosper shrugged.
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"Not this ness, of course."
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"Magic Guild?"
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Maela grabbed James' arm.
00:06:44
Never mind that. We can explain it later. Where is Allard? Raylen?
00:06:49
How come Felos isn't prowling about the lower floors?
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I was expecting him to skewer me before I could get out. It was me.
00:06:55
"We don't know where Raylen is.
00:06:57
He left for a mission with the Outlanders, but then they invaded, so we're worried about his fate.
00:07:02
Felos is leading the guild in an attack against the Outlanders across the foothills."
00:07:07
James paused and lowered his head.
00:07:10
"Allard went on a mission to the lower quarter, and is missing."
00:07:15
By the gods, James, who is in charge?
00:07:18
"Assistant Guildmaster Raif is leading us."
00:07:21
Raif? Raylen's idiot friend?
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James looked shocked.
00:07:26
"You should hold your tongue. Even Felos says that Raif has a brilliance we haven't seen in many
00:07:30
years."
00:07:32
Are we talking about the same Raif, the one whose expertise is taking the blame for Raylen's mischief?
00:07:37
With Maela still holding his arm, he started toward the wide
00:07:41
staircase up the tower.
00:07:43
"There is much you have missed. Raif can fill you in.
00:07:46
I am not privy to the conversations, but I heard Deputy Allard whispering to Felos about some of
00:07:51
Raif's mysteries. The deputy seemed impressed, so you should do well to pay attention."
00:07:57
Maela didn't like being lectured by James, but she admitted that there was much she
00:08:02
had missed out on.
00:08:03
If nothing else, watching Raif's shock when confronted with a member of a magic
00:08:08
guild he had never heard of would be worth a smile.
00:08:11
Then take us to him.
00:08:13
She would humor Raif while she awaited Allard's
00:08:17
return.
00:08:25
(dramatic music)
00:08:40
A Podcast Alchemy production.