Thieves Guild

Thieves Guild - Chapter 5

Note from the author:

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Vita, Lux, and Ryker walked casually down the bustling main street of Talibut. Minutes previously, in the confines of the bakers shop, they had unbuckled their cloaks and reversed them, in order to be as inconspicuous as possible. Vita had also picked up a long, canvas bag from beside the doorway, which the two younger members of the group had been told was a recurve bow. 

'Managed to get it out as I escaped' Vita had said. 'All of the others got burnt up'

Now they walked together, with Vita moving steadily behind Ryker and Lux so they formed a triangle, not three abreast so as to avoid bumping into and drawing attention from people moving in the opposite direction. The sun was still visible in the sky,  but being winter, they knew it wouldn't stay that way for long. 

Vita spoke up. The crowd around them was a noisy rabble, and the sounds of bartering drifted from the edges of the cobbled walkway, where various stalls had been set up earlier in the day. It was always a rush for the street sellers to claim the best selling positions for themselves, and those that did were rewarded with copious amounts of trade through the day. Most of the streets leading to the center of the city were like this, with a large designated market area where they reached each other. Setting up a stall in the marketplace required a reservation which only the better off merchants could afford.

'I know all this is very sudden' she began. 'As it is, I barely got out out alive. There were archers on the rooftops all the way around the central guild complex. They set off some kind of explosive nearby and when some of us went out to check what it was... It was a slaughter.'

'Same story here' Lux replied. They killed Jack. And Reno.' 

Vita looked shocked 'Reno? He was one of our most experienced. We'll feel his loss in the weeks to come'

Ryker cast his eyes downward as he remembered his fallen teacher. Reno had always been there to give guidance and friendship. Jack too, was a loss that could be felt harshly throughout the group the night before.

'Anyway' Vita continued. 'Elspeth went back to help the stragglers who had fallen behind. You know how she is, never leave a man behind, after what happened with Lorcan all those years ago.' Vita's eyes went misty. 'When she didn't re-appear, we went back to find her, but the keepers men were swarming all over the place and we couldn't get to her.' An edge of anger crept into her voice. 'We should've harder. Now this is going to be ten times more difficult, and who knows what they're going to do to her.'

'Where are we heading' asked Ryker

'North' was the one word reply, and Ryker turned around to glance at her.

'North?' he asked. 'Anything more specific? The North is a big place.'

Vita shook her head and replied

'We don't have any way to gather intelligence anymore. We'd usually send out scouts to follow the party that captured her, but most of them have either been killed or scattered around the city. It will be a while until the others can sort things out. For now we're all there is, and we're only going to find out where she is by getting North as quickly as possible and looking for her.'

Lux piped up; 'Why take her North in the first place?'

'The majority of the attacking force, when they do attack, is going to be coming from outside Misteria's borders, from the North.' said Vita 'So it makes sense that they take her directly there. That way they can get all the information they need for a successful assault, and not have information lost through written communication. You'd be surprised at how much get's changed when you write it down' she added