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00:00:01
The Thieves Guild
00:00:04
by Jake Kerr
00:00:09
(dramatic music plays) . Episode 30:
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The Golden Apple.
00:00:24
Mailer liked the Harvest Guild members.
00:00:27
They weren't arrogant like the Merchant Guild members, jerks like the Knight Guild members, or
00:00:31
self-righteous like the Craft Guild members.
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Harvest Guild members got their hands dirty, and then treated everyone else
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like they had also put in an exhausting day of work, and that a smile would remove at
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least some of the weariness.
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Wearing the green tunic of the Harvest Guild, Mailer looked around the Golden Apple.
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It was a sea of green, even early in the evening.
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There was no more popular tavern for Harvest Guild members than the Apple, it
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being a stone's throw from Harvest House.
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She was on her mission to warn Polo of the plans for his assassination at the hands
00:01:09
of an outlander, as well as the larger risk of Larsen using a failed
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attempt to galvanize the city to his side,
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something the thieves considered likely.
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Of course, Mailer would not admit to being a thief.
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No matter what her message, admitting to being a thief would get her tossed in prison.
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What she needed to do, was to warn him as an alarmed citizen who had
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overheard credible rumors. Convincing him of the threat would be hard enough,
00:01:38
but to even get to that point, she had to actually meet him, and that was
00:01:43
proving to be difficult.
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After the Founder's Day Guildmaster banquet, Polo had retreated deep into
00:01:49
Harvest House and had not emerged. Tapping her mug on the bar, Mailer
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wondered if she had missed the house guard she was waiting on.
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Her plan depended on meeting him via a chance encounter.
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Of course, there was no chance involved.
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She had asked the right questions of the right people, and knew the guards who could get her into
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the inner rooms of Harvest House, which would allow her to finally talk to Polo.
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Those conversations had led her to this moment, but where was he?
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She had trailed him for days, and every night he ended up at the Golden Apple around this
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time.
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The bartender filled her mug with some more ale, and Mailer took a sip as she kept her
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eyes on the door. The guard was about 15 years older than her, rather
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plain looking, and more importantly, single.
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He was also one of the senior guards at Harvest House.
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All she had to do was convince him to give her a tour while Polo was around.
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Mailer caught a flash of green at the door, and there he was, tall with thinning
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brown hair. The man wasn't very handsome, but he had an air of confidence as he
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smiled and acknowledged someone at a table near the door.
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She hoped he liked her closely cropped hair.
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The popular style for those with darker skin was longer, fuller hair, while
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Mailer kept hers closely cropped.
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Mailer had a vague idea that she was pretty, and her hope was that it would be enough to
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elicit interest from the older and hopefully lonely man.
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He sat at the bar, which was good, but he took his seat further down at a spot with no empty
00:03:26
seats next to it, which wasn't so good.
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Grumbling to herself, Mailer stood up and relocated next to the man,
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squeezing past a patron to the guard's right, and waving her hand vaguely toward the
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bartender.
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She bumped the guard. "Oh, excuse me," she said, looking at him with a smile,
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and she then turned away. Her plan was to be interested and alluring, yet
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aloof. The goal was to snare him into being interested in her, but
00:03:55
be distant enough that when she asked him for a tour of Harvest House, he would
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jump at the opportunity to warm her up. "No problem," the guard replied.
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She had hoped that he would scan the bar and then sit right next to her, but she could work with the
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awkwardness of squeezing between two occupied stools as well.
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Mailer didn't get to be the captain of the flats at the age of 20 without being resourceful.
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She turned to the guard and raised a finger.
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"I'm sorry, I hate to be rude, but I have to ask you..." Mailer lowered her
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eyes. "This is going to sound so stupid,
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but do I know you?" The man looked at Mailer's face, stared at it for a few moments, and
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then looked her body up and down. "Perhaps."
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That was better than a no.
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Mailer held out her hand. "I'm Mailer. I'm sure I've seen you before.
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Do you work in the Silo District?" "I'm Tim."
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The man shook her hand. "You must be mistaken.
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I'm a captain in Harvest House."
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The bartender interrupted them, and Tim ordered a powerful drink.
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The bartender took Mailer's order, giving her an odd look as she already had a full drink
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further down the bar. "Good. I can use your drunkenness against you."
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Mailer thought of Tim's potent choice of spirits.
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"Wow, a guard at Harvest House? This is embarrassing to admit, Tim."
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Mailer looked left and right, and then moved closer to Tim. Their bodies touching.
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"I've never been in Harvest House," she whispered.
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"You must be kidding,"
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Tim exclaimed. "Not even for one of the celebrations?"
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Mailer's eyes went wide in embarrassed shock at Tim's loud voice in reply to
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her whispered confession, and he noticed.
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"Oh, I'm sorry," he added in a lowered voice.
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"I'm just surprised. It's open to members to visit.
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I mean, everyone visits." "Well, I work in the mines.
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I don't get to Harvest House very often."
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The Harvest Guild had a large number of guild members who worked outside the wall
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and in the mines. The mines were deep, and it was quite believable that
00:06:02
guild members who worked there would not have made it all the way to Harvest House,
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which was in the middle of the city and far from the mountain.
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"I have to admit that I don't see many miners."Maela took a sip of her
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drink and held it up to Tim.
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You should visit. The stone is beautiful in its own way.
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To miners.
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He said, taking a long drink.
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And guards.
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Maela added, which elicited a smile and another long drink from Tim, who emptied his
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glass. Placing her mug on the bar, Maela ran her finger around the
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rim.
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I was escorting a shipment to the east watch.
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Tim raised an eyebrow.
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You take iron ore to the knights? I thought we've processed the ore.
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He didn't sound suspicious so much as curious.
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Maela saw that as a good sign.
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Coal, not iron ore.
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Maela replied with a smile.
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Oh, of course, that makes sense. Sorry.
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With Tim off balance, Maela pushed onward.
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What is Harvest House like? Maybe I can visit tomorrow if I have the time.
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Tim tapped his glass as the bartender passed.
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Oh, you must.
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I haven't been to any of the guild towers, but I doubt that they're as beautiful as Harvest House.
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I'm told the towers are marble and stone. Uh, Harvest House is wood and full of flowers.
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There is even a living tree that is the centerpiece of their guild hall.
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Bingo.
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Oh, I would love to see that.
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Maela lightly touched Tim's hand.
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Tell me more.
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Tim cleared his throat.
00:07:36
Well, as you probably know, it's not really a tower.
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It has three levels, and the second is mostly offices,
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while the third floor is the Guildmaster residence.
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Unfortunately, some of the most beautiful rooms are on the second and third floors.
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Why, unfortunately?
00:07:56
Well, there are security measures in place.
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I'm afraid you'd only be allowed to visit the public rooms on the first floor.
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Maela pulled her hand away and focused her attention on the wall behind the bar.
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Oh, well, that doesn't sound very interesting. Maybe I should just head back to the mines instead.
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She turned back to Tim with a slight smile.
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Which is too bad. I had hoped to see you at work.
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She looked him up and down.
00:08:23
You have this kind of commanding presence, and I like that.
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He swallowed hard, and for a second, Maela wasn't sure if she had
00:08:31
made a mistake by adding the final bit of flirtatiousness,
00:08:37
but then he replied-
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Well,
00:08:40
they're not open to the public.
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So close, Maela thought.
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Well, I'm the public, Tim.
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Not if I escort you.
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I could take you to see the guild hall.
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Maela stared into Tim's eyes.
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You would do that for me?
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His smile sealed the deal.
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She was in.
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Well, I may ask you to join me for lunch as payment...
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The last word trailed off, and Maela felt confused with her feelings over how
00:09:10
awkward Tim had suddenly become. On the one hand, he had fallen perfectly into her
00:09:14
trap, and she now had a path to meeting Polo, but that bit of good news
00:09:19
was tempered by her feeling guilty over how sad and pathetic he had become,
00:09:24
especially when she was acting out a lie and had no intention of ever spending
00:09:29
any personal time with him.
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Then there was the fact that he was asking her out for a lunch date with the Harvest House tour
00:09:36
as a kind of bargaining chip. That was kind of unsavory and distasteful on his
00:09:41
part.
00:09:42
Lunch would be wonderful.
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Maela replied with a smile, playing the part.
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As the first Blade of the Guildmaster in 50 years, she felt an extra
00:09:52
responsibility in completing the mission.
00:09:55
Dealing with Tim was ultimately a minor thing.
00:09:58
There would be many more difficult, dangerous, and even unsavory
00:10:03
missions in her future.
00:10:05
There's a spot in the upper triangle.
00:10:08
You'll love it, Tim added.
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Maela's response must have emboldened Tim, as he put his hand on hers and
00:10:16
smiled with the confidence of a hunter who had ensnared his prey.
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Maela quickly downed her drink and backed away from the bar.
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If I'm spending tomorrow with you, I better finish my work tonight.
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Tim looked annoyed, but nodded and smiled after Maela put her hand
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on his arm, and added-
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I really can't wait to spend time with you, Tim, my host, the brave guild guard.
00:10:40
They arranged a time to meet and Maela left.
00:10:45
As she made her way back to the thief safe house near the north fork, she considered
00:10:50
her first mission as the Blade of the Guildmaster.
00:10:53
(dramatic music)
00:10:55
So far, so
00:10:56
good.