The Ash Fields were too open to the prying eyes of Wretched Quarter gangs, so the Blade of the Craft Guild worked his way south and west. The Wall extended all the way around to the base of the mountain, and his plan was to walk in its shadow to the mysterious tower.

He had followed the wide road that ran along the smaller wall that blocked the Ash Fields from the Great River. It was well-built and well-maintained, which was another surprise for the Blade. But among the surprises that he had experienced already on the other side of the river, nothing prepared him what he saw when he finally reached the Wall.

The Wall ended as it intersected the road he had been walking. That wasn't surprising. With the sheer mountain in front of him, there was no need for the Wall here; the mountain was more than enough defense. What was surprising was that the road continued past the Wall and up to the mountain. In the distance, the road appeared to enter the mountain.

The Blade squinted into the shadows and could make out pillars and an arch framing the way into the mountain. It was clearly part of Ness' ancient history. Looking around, everything seemed abandoned. Perhaps it was an entry to a mine where all the veins had run out of ore. That seemed most likely, even though the entrance was decorated and the road appeared to be one used for commerce or travel, not mining operations.

There was so much that needed to be investigated in the Wretched Quarter, but the Blade knew that he had a specific mission. It was one thing to investigate a tower while sneaking in, but it was another to go off on a completely unrelated trip to examine an abandoned mine. Maybe someday.

Turning away from the road into the mountain, the Blade walked to the base of the Wall and stayed in the shadows. He couldn't see the top of the Wall, but like everything else on this accursed side of the river, he assumed it would be either abandoned or overrun by thugs.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

With each step, the Blade's wonder at the mysterious tower increased. It was truly massive, nearly twice as tall as the Merchant Tower. It was made of the same stone as the mountain, which rose sheer and mighty behind it. The result was that the tower was practically impossible to see unless you knew to look for it.

At the top was a balcony that seemed to provide a view over the entire walled city. This is the tower of the true leader of the city, the Blade thought. But that was the past, he knew. No one lived in the tower any longer. It was abandoned as the populace crossed the river. It was a monument to folly and history and nothing more.

Turning his attention on getting across the Old Fork so that he could get to the Wretched Quarter and the mighty tower to his left, the Blade snuck toward a bridge. Pausing to make sure that he was unseen, he finally looked back at the tower. To his shock, he noticed men dressed in black entering and leaving, and a group of guards walking around the tower toward the Wall.

Glancing at the Wall, the Blade could see men on top with bows. They were also dressed in Black. Thieves? The Blade couldn't quite believe it. There is no Thieves Guild. It is but a myth to keep focus the populace's hate focused on something outside of their control. There was no denying it, however. The area was busy with people acting in the same fashion as he would see outside the Merchant Guild tower.

That thought made the Blade look at the tower. Is that the Thieves Guild tower? As the thought entered his mind, he knew it to be true. The Old Quarter wasn't run by lawless gangs. It was run by the Thieves Guild.

At that point, he knew his mission had changed. He had to escape back across the river and report to Orion that there was an organized Thieves Guild, complete with armed guards and a tower that dominated the entire city.

There was a shout, and the Blade looked to his right. At the bridge in the distance a group of knights—all dressed in Black—were walking straight toward him. He turned, hugged the relative shelter of the Wall, and fled toward the road. With the knights in armor, he considered it likely that he could easily outrun them and escape. The trouble was that he had few options on what to do after that.

The Blade had just decided that he would flee into the mountain via the unused road and then regroup there when he heard the clattering of hooves.

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