Chapter Fifteen

“We need to leave Rockmarsh.” Shuka told Xorvos. “Now that Validus is back all of the guards in the city will be looking for us. Even if we had Ralisdor helping us it would be very hard to achieve anything here. This was only supposed to be a pit stop anyway.”

“I agree that we need to leave but how?” Xorvos asked. “There will be guards manning the gates who will be looking for us. If we’re unlucky they might even have ways to see past illusions.”

He brought up a good point and it caused Shuka to pause for a moment, but she soon found her answer.

“I know you don’t trust her, but I might be able to get Anirak and her friends to help us get out of Rockmarsh.”

“You want to get help from the Thieves Guild?!” Xorvos nearly shouted the words. “They’re criminals, and the moment we let our guards down they will stab us in the back.”

“Not all of them are evil. And besides, they have rules against murder, they won’t kill us as long as we aren’t their enemies.”

“Breaking rules is what they do.” Xorvos spat out with contempt. “The moment they think they can get away with it they will betray us.”

Shuka was starting to get a headache trying to convince him.

Was he always this stubborn? He won’t even listen to me.

“Alright fine, then what’s your idea?”

“I say we go back to the inn we were staying at and find Ralisdor. He will help us escape and we can retrieve our stuff while we are there.”

“The inn? They have got to be searching there already or will be soon. Ralisdor will be fine, but I don’t think he will just stick around while the place is covered in guards.”

Xorvos didn’t seem to like his plan being taken apart, but he wasn’t done just yet.

“The guards will only go to the inn if they know we have been staying there. And we don’t have to find Ralisdor, he just needs to find us. Since neither of us have much money, we need to retrieve what we left at the inn, because it won’t be easy to replace.”

I can’t deny it would be hard to get another pair of horses with our current funds, and I would rather not leave without our camping supplies. But… It just feels like too big of a risk for not enough gain. Maybe if we knew Ralisdor would be there, but that’s not a guarantee. Wait a second, we do have money. I completed Korro’s job, so now he owes me two hundred gold. That’s more than enough to pay for everything being left behind in the inn.

“If we go to the Thieves Guild then I can get enough gold to pay for everything we would lose. We might even get them to send a message to Ralisdor if they see him. If we go to the inn, there is a chance of finding Ralisdor, but also a good chance that we will just get caught.”

“Don’t tell me you’re thinking of stealing from the Guild? They will kill you if you try that!”

“No, no it’s not that. I… did a job for them and I think I can get paid for it if I head back there.”

“You were working with them WILLINGLY!?”

This time Xorvos did shout, not as loudly as he could, but loud enough to put Shuka on edge.

“Quiet down Xorvos, we’re hiding remember. And it’s not completely willingly, they did have a… incentive for me to do the job. But they don’t have that anymore, and I won’t stay there any longer than I have to.”

“I don’t know what this ‘incentive’ is but if they don’t have it anymore then they will just find another one. And the best time for them to do that is the moment you walk through their door. I cannot let you go back there.”

Xorvos wasn’t yelling anymore, but he still radiated disapproval and anger.

I expected him to disapprove, but I didn’t think he would this stubborn about it. Why can’t he just be practical about this.

“What do you think they are going to do, kidnap me? They might try to get me to join, but it was made pretty obvious the last time I was there that I could always say no. It might be a bit risky, but it is a whole lot less dangerous than your plan.”

“Oh, come on, the worst the guards will do is throw you in a cell for a few years. One wrong move with the Thieves Guild and you will end up dead.”

“They might have only wanted to arrest me when the worst crime I was accused of is stealing a book, but now there’s a hole in the bank with my name on it. Not to mention the two dead guards that the real thief killed.”

“Well, what did you think was going to happen when you work with the Thieves Guild. When they commit crimes, you get blamed for them too.”

Wait, does he think the Thieves Guild are the ones that robbed the bank? But Anirak seemed just as surprised as me when it happened. And killing the two guards at the end seemed unnecessary, which would go against their no killing policy. I’m gonna need more than that to convince Xorvos though.

“I don’t think it was a Thieves Guild job. The guy who climbed out of the hole was the same guy who stole all of the books in Rainsburg. When I was talking with the Guild leader, he thought I was the one who did that. I think that if he was working for the Guild then they would know who really stole the books at Rainsburg right?”

“Only if he decided to tell them about it.”

“I don’t think they would keep an uncooperative murder like that for very long though.”

“You say that like they have standards.”

I’ve never seen Xorvos like this before. I know Quanso don’t really like people who break the law, but I didn’t think it would be this bad. No wonder Korro wanted one working for him, it’s the last thing people would suspect.

“The Guild is still our best option for getting out of here, and the two hundred gold from the job can help us later in our journey too.”

“Did you just say two hundred gold?” Xorvos restrained himself from yelling this time but his surprise was still obvious. “What could they have possibly hired you to do that would warrant that amount of gold?”

What was initially surprise quickly turned to suspicion. After all, with a reward like that, it couldn’t have been a small crime that was committed.

“Someone was buying lead and they wanted to find out who and why.”

“Lead? Why would they care about that?”

“It cancels out divination magic so it’s really good at hiding stuff. I guess they thought it might have been some new gang moving in on their turf or something.”

Xorvos almost immediately got a worried look on his face when Shuka mentioned the rival gang.

“You’re not getting involved in a gang war, are you? We already have enough to worry about with Validus.”

“I know, but don’t worry, it wasn’t a rival gang buying the lead. It was Archmage Fredrick.”

Xorvos may not have known as much about Archmages as Shuka, but even he knew they were a big deal.

“That’s even worse! We can’t hide from an Archmage, what happens if he seeks retribution?”

“Oh, uh… I kinda doubt that’s going to happen. Fredrick isn’t really the revenge type and I don’t think the Thieves Guild is going to try and stop him or anything. I technically didn’t even commit any crimes getting this information.”

I probably shouldn’t mention the church is involved too. Xorvos is worried enough as it is.

“I still don’t like it. The more you work with the Thieves Guild the more enemies you will make. I can’t protect you from everyone Shuka.”

“That’s nonsense. You just took on Validus like it was nothing, without you there is no way I would have gotten away.”

Xorvos didn’t look too encouraged by that. Instead, he almost looked even more troubled.

“We were lucky this time. I was using my gauntlets to shock him the entire time I had him grappled, and it barely even affected him. I think the only reason he showed a reaction the first time was due to the surprise.”

He was using his gauntlets to shock him? I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t try to help grappling, I would have probably just gotten shocked myself.

“But you still managed to hold him down for a while, that’s impressive right? I mean he is one of the strongest fighters in the Celestial Empire, isn’t he?”

“But I specialise in grapples.” Xorvos retorted. “I had him in the perfect position with you supporting me and still couldn’t do anything against him. Even after you disarmed him, all I could think about was how even without his sword I couldn’t win against him.”

His voice became shakier as he went on and he looked like he was close to having a breakdown.

Shit, I had no idea he was taking this so hard. I’ve just been glad we’ve been getting away at all.

“Look, just because you couldn’t beat the best doesn’t mean you aren’t still good. Give yourself a few years to train and I’m sure you could give him a run for his money. But until then you’ve got me helping you out. Even if neither of us can take him on alone, together we can win.”

The Quanso was only half convinced, but he still gave a faint smile. His eyes remained filled with doubt though.

I wish Ralisdor was here, he would know what to say. I don’t even believe what I’m saying myself, how can I expect him to.

After a moment of silence between the, Xorvos spoke up.

“If you really believe the Thieves Guild won’t betray you then… I guess I will have to trust you on this one. I won’t let you go alone though; we are in this one together.”

“Thanks. And don’t worry, this will work out just fine, you’ll see.”

“I truly hope it does.”

*

It was a long walk to the Thieves Guild. More because of the darkness then anything else really. They could have gone down the well-lit streets and gotten there much faster, but the darker parts were patrolled less. Xorvos figured that if time was the price of safety then it was a price he was willing to pay. That didn’t stop him from feeling a rush of relief when he finally saw the entrance to the Thieves Guild though. But then he remembered what that building represented, and he felt slightly less relieved.

At least I won’t be getting lost and stubbing my toes anymore. Still, I do not look forward to working with such vile people, I don’t know why Shuka seems to trust them so much.

Shuka knocked on a door to a building called Ashrock Bellows. After a few moments the door was opened from the inside and Anirak was there standing in the doorway.

“Well would ya look at that, you did come. Here to ask for help or do you just want to get paid?”

“A bit of both actually.” Shuka replied. “Could you bring us to Korro please? Oh, and I hope it isn’t a problem if Xorvos comes with me.”

“Don’t worry about it, from what I saw I don’t think bringing him along would pose too much of a risk.”

Xorvos grimaced at the comment but kept his mouth shut. It was far too early to be picking fights.

“Come on then, let’s go.”

Anirak led them through the Guild drawing a lot of attention in the process. Quanso already stood out enough with their large stature and grey skin and being in the middle of the Thieves Guild just made it worse. A Quanso joining them was almost unheard of, and for one of them to walk in without an explanation certainly earned him a few looks. Only Anirak’s presence escorting him was keeping him from being questioned.

It feels like everyone in the room is looking at me. Maybe they are. I can’t believe I just walked in here thinking we would be fine; we are clearly not welcome. And if this is how the underlings are acting how will their boss react?

Despite his worries he was too far in the building to turn back. He eventually reached the door to Korro’s office and watched as Anirak knocked on it twice.

“Hey, boss. Shuka’s back and she brought her Quanso friend, can we come in?”

“Of course, bring them inside.”

Anirak opened the door and brought the two friends into the room before entering herself and closing the door behind her.

“Now.” Korro started. “You came to me for a reason Shuka, what do you have to say?”

“Well… I completed your job, and uh… I think I would like to get paid now.” Shuka’s voice was shaking slightly as she spoke.

Crap, when did she get so nervous? I guess I wasn’t the only one who felt everyone staring at me.

“If you completed my job, then give your report. If I find it satisfactory then I will supply your payment.”

“Well, um. We found out that it was Archmage Fredrick who was buying the lead with help from the Celestial Church.”

“I see. And did you find out why he wished to obtain the lead?”

This time Shuka hesitated for a moment at the question but gave her answer after a short pause.

“This is just my theory… but I believe the church is helping him get the lead to help him hide all of the material components that will soon be illegal. Since the Church could easily prevent the law from passing, they are helping Fredrick circumvent it to keep up their good relationship with him while preserving their public image.”

Wait, the Church is involved in this too? She didn’t mention that. And they wouldn’t help someone break the law just to earn their favour, would they?

“How well did she perform on the job Anirak? I hope she didn’t just leave all of the work to you.”

“Oh, not at all. There were a few bumps in the road, and I had to do a few things myself, but I think she pulled her own weight.”

“Excellent. In that case I believe you have earned your pay. Two hundred coins for the name, employer, and purpose of the buyer.”

As he said so, Korro pulled out a small pouch and placed it on his desk.

Why is it so small? There is no way that pouch is big enough to hold two hundred coins. Maybe it’s a trap and something bad will happen when it’s opened.

Shuka went to grab the pouch but Xorvos stopped her before she could.

“Let me check it out first Shuka, it could be dangerous.”

“Dangerous? Do you think they trapped it? Well go ahead I guess, but I don’t think they would need to bother with traps.”

That was all Xorvos needed to hear for him to carefully approach the pouch and slowly pick it up. Anirak seemed a bit exasperated at the whole ordeal but said nothing. Korro just waited patently, seemingly used to this sort of behaviour. Xorvos inspected the pouch closely, looking for any sort of sign that it might be trapped. When he found none, he then tried to determine the contents of the bag without opening it. First he shook the bag lightly and heard the jingling of metal on metal. Then he felt around for the shape of it’s contents and found them to be numerous small discs.

It really feels like this is just a bag full of coins. Am I missing something or is he just trying to scam us? Either way, the only way I am going to find out more is by opening the bag.

As he pulled open the pouch, Xorvos tensed in anticipation of danger. But all he encountered was the glimmer of a handful of silvery coins.

“This isn’t gold, it’s silver!” Xorvos exclaimed, outraged. “You’re trying to scam us.”

“They’re not silver.” Korro sighed. “They’re platinum. Hold one up to the light and you will see.”

Xorvos did so and found the coins in the small pouch to be a different shade than the standard silver coins he was used to. He also discovered that platinum coins had a different engraving on it than its less valuable counterpart. The fact that it had the word PLAT stamped on one side of it also helped. A quick count revealed that the pouch contained a total of twenty platinum coins.

One platinum coin equals ten gold. That means if these coins are real, then I really am holding two hundred gold in my hands right now. I never though I would ever have this much money in one place and yet it is being handed over for a single day’s work. Just how much money does the Thieves Guild have to be paying it’s people like this?

“now, if everything is in order, is your business with me concluded?” Korro asked.

“Not quite.” Shuka replied. “First, I would like to purchase your services.”