The Thieves Guild, by Jake Kerr. Episode 133: To Kill the Killer. Vesper didn't have much to go on other than the executioner would have a large axe. He had seen executions in Executioner's Hollow, some of which made him smile as he watched the blade fall. An executioner's axe was large, unwieldy and ornate. It was useless for all but one thing, separating a head from its body. Such an axe would be easy to identify, but finding the person with that axe was another thing entirely.
Harvest Road was a chaotic mess of people not sure what to do. They led wagons for deliveries to the Warehouse District, but the fires and emptying of the quarter, led to unanswerable questions. Who is even there to receive the shipments? With the quarter emptied, were shipments even necessary? When the fires started, everything fell apart, but the Outer and Inner Fields and the mines never stopped.
All those materials and food stuff and ore had to go somewhere, and currently, as Vesper struggled with his horse in the midst of it, that appeared to be stalled in roads and alleys. Unlike the polite and diligent workers, Vesper knocked people over, yelled at wagon drivers, and wasn't afraid to unsheathe his dagger. With no concerns other than figuring out what was happening, most people were happy to get out of the way of the crazy or enraged guild member on the dappled horse.
Vesper was looking for a young guild member on a single horse heading toward the mines. He would have a large axe strapped to the horse or most likely his back. The executioner would clearly do his best to make diligent and urgent progress while not hurrying and drawing unnecessary attention. With that in mind, his head start seemed like something Vesper could overcome. Shortcuts were out of the question, as at any point, he may miss the executioner.
Harvest Bridge, the bridge over the South Fork that separated the Upper Quarter from the plateau that was home to the Inner Fields and the road to the mines, was as far south as Vesper had ever traveled. It wasn't as large as Trader's Bridge over the North Fork, but it was still a large bridge. The South Fork was a challenging river.
It was smaller than the North Fork, but was much more violent with the flow of water coming out from the mountain via a raging waterfall that fed the lush inner and outer fields. The bridge was essentially blocked with wagons askew, as their owners argued with those in front. All the while, more wagons pushed forward from the back. Moving across on foot would be challenging. Moving across on horseback would be impossible.
Vesper dismounted and slapped the horse he had stolen back near Harvest House on the flank. He had barely stepped on the bridge when he saw his quarry. He was young, and there was a huge and ornate axe strapped across his back. But what Vesper noticed most was how massive he was. The young man was as tall as a tree, and looked like he had spent his entire youth loading heavy bags of grain in the fields.
Vesper's plan was to find a hidden location and dispatch the young executioner there, taking his gear. That now seemed impossible in the midst of the crowds on the bridge, and not knowing the Silo District well, Vesper feared a larger presence of guards. The thought of guards gave Vesper a new idea, although it would require him to kill a few more people, which was a thought that didn't bother him at all.
He could see that he could navigate through the crowds faster than the executioner, so rather than confront him, he made his way past him. As he expected, there was a small guard post that stood between the bridge and the Silo District. Thankfully it was mostly for keeping order on the flow onto the bridge, as the bulk of security would be guarding the silos, warehouses, and docks. There were two guards watching the chaos in front of them, clearly having given up on
creating order out of the mess. "You there. I have a message from the Upper Quarter captain about what's happening on the other side of the bridge." Vesper motioned over his shoulder. The guards peered at Vesper. "Kahl? What does he want? He knows we can't get this under control, doesn't he?" "That's what he asked me to talk to you about." Vesper motioned toward the small stone building. "Can we talk privately?" The guard that mentioned Kahl shrugged.
"Sure, but I'm telling you, this is not our fault." As he followed the guard, Vesper had already adjusted his plan. He had hoped that both would go with him, but he could handle them separately. He glanced at the bridge. He only had a few minutes. Vesper followed the guard into the building. It was a single room with a desk and a sitting area. A few weapons were in storage cases. As Vesper expected, these were guards that were more used to dealing with drunkards than battle.
"So what is this message?" Vesper's answer was a hand over the guard's mouth and a quick stab between his ribs from the side into his heart.The man struggled, but Vesper held tight until the man slumped to the floor. After dragging him behind the desk, Vesper returned to the other guard. Your colleague is telling me he's not responsible for Cale's problems. I tried to get him to provide me some details on the traffic sources, but he told me that you would know better.
Vesper nodded his head toward the small building. The guard peered at Vesper. He knows more of that than I ever could. I just joined this rotation. The guard put his hand on his sword. Why would you lie? He glanced toward the guard building. Where is Gerald? Vesper didn't have time for subtlety, and in front of dozens of wagons and countless people milling about, shouting, and on edge, Vesper walked close and discreetly stabbed the guard in the heart.
The guard tried to yell out, but naught but bubbly blood came from his mouth. Vesper quickly grabbed the guard's arm and pulled it over his shoulder. Make way. Look out. The guard is ill. Vesper dragged him into the building. Moments later, he emerged with one of the guard's cloaks and weapons. Vesper had cut it close, as shortly afterward, the executioner rushed from the bridge. Vesper rushed out in front of him. Halt. What is your business?
Get out of my way, guard. I'm on urgent business for Guildmaster Polo. The executioner went to walk around Vesper, but Vesper drew his sword with one hand and pushed the executioner back with the other. One man with a mighty weapon moves in one direction while the entire guild moves in the other. Does that not sound suspicious to you? The question gave the executioner pause until he finally nodded. Indeed. I understand. You are simply doing your job. I have orders I can share with you, but...
The executioner looked around. I would prefer to do it in private. Come to the guard house. We can talk there. They entered the guard house with Vesper closing the door behind them. Shortly afterward, Vesper exited the building wearing a decorative cloak with a barely visible bloodstain at its hem and a mighty ax that was so long its end bounced on the ground behind him. He turned and looked up toward the dark entrance to the mines. He had handwritten orders from Guildmaster Polo.
He had the Cloak of the Executioner. He had the executioner's ax. His entrance to the mines and access to Alad were all but assured. He had a way in. All he had to do was figure a way out. (dramatic music plays) A Podcast Alchemy production.