Chapter 312: Bloom and Doom (Patreon)

I actually wanted on wednesday, but I pet a stray cat while walking to the store and the cat did not appreciate the gesture. Got several claw marks around my entire wrist and I'm actually surprised how sharp cat claws are, which kinda delayed writing

Tom passed through the gates and paid special attention to his expression and body language.

Only if he looked guilty would the guards notice something wrong, perhaps calling him back and doing another more in-depth inspection.

No matter how guilty he felt inside, as long as he radiated confidence and nonchalance, everything would go well.

Nevertheless, the leatherworker just could not shake the impression that a looming catastrophe was going to fall on his head, so he picked up the pace and quickly pulled his handcart along.

The roads behind the gate suddenly had a sinister air about them, as if a company of city guards was about to swarm out and surround him, ready to arrest him.

Tom knew that he was not some good guy, anyone knew that the [Thieves Guild] did some pretty horrible and questionable things, and he worked for them as a smuggler.

But at the same time, he did not see the harm in passing along a small package, it was not like he was doing those bad things personally, right?

He just looked out for his family and found a way to earn some coin for their living, anyone would do the same in his position.

As a result, Tom already had a plan prepared even if the city guards really ended up catching him in the act.

Having made some discreet inquiries, there were three possible scenarios for those captured by the guards and convicted of a heavy crime.

He did not need to think about whether he was going to get convicted or not if they caught him with the [Thieves Guild]’s secrets worth several gold on his person or if it was a minor affair.

Tom was not that naive and had already made his resolve when he accepted the job that he would have to pay a heavy price if things went sideways.

In the best possible scenario, Tom would get taken back to the guard’s headquarters and have a chance to confess first before being tortured and sentenced.

Since he was not a member of the [Thieves Guild], he faced fewer restrictions than those that were members and could improve his own situation.

Given that the arrest was not his own fault, it was most likely an accident from the side of the [Thieves Guild], either a member leaked information or was secretly followed by the guards during an investigation, making the leatherworker an unfortunate collateral damage in the silent conflict between the criminal underside of the city and the guards.

If Tom revealed the details of his job and who his contact was, valuable information like that, his sentence would most likely not be quite as harsh.

The guild would not trouble him either if they were the reason why the operation failed, it was hard to expect loyalty and silence from a non-member.

It would be tricky if Tom was at fault, but he prided himself on never having been arrested before or otherwise attracting the eyes of the guard.

He was pretty confident in that regard.

Naturally, it was not that the [Thieves Guild] was so generous that it would not mind being sold out without taking revenge.

Strictly speaking, it was a matter of face.

If Tom was silent anyway and took the blame on behalf of the guild, he was showing his respect for them and did them a favor.

In return, the guild would also give him face and arrange some protection for his family while he was in prison.

At least, the different branches of the [Thieves Guild] would not trouble one of their own.

On the other hand, if the leatherworker acted according to the rules and did not endanger other operations, it was not a problem for him to save himself first.

If the people in charge of smuggling had a problem with that and wanted to deal with him, they had to consider the consequences first.

As long as Tom managed to contact any other Seat and revealed the truth of the matter, it would give the rivals of the smugglers an advantage and leverage against them.

It would damage the overall interests of the entire guild if it was publicly known that they would throw their face away and go against their own words and take it out on their business partners.

Without credibility, no one would give them face in the future and work with them.

Given that he confessed and offered the city guards valuable intel, Tom would in the end not have to serve a very long sentence and could see his family from time to time in the city prison, which was not bad at all.

Naturally, the worst-case scenario was equally as bad as the best-case scenario was good.

As long as the contents of packages were sensitive enough or insulted the King’s dignity, then there was no need to wait for a sentence or harbor hope for the future.

Within a short period of time, Tom would be dragged into the dungeon under the palace, and from what he knew, those that entered the cold, dreary underground prison never saw the light of the day again.

To protect the honor of the King, the prisoners that earned the wrath of the monarch would either get tortured, starved, or maimed to establish a warning for others, a classic case of killing the chicken to warn the monkeys.

Even Tom was not spared from that effect, it was a recurring nightmare that often disturbed his sleep, jumping from his bed thinking that the king’s guard was here to arrest him.

Perhaps it was just the usual dread that unsettled him on this day, a meaningless worry borne from a sinister nightmare.

It was impossible for a simple leatherworker to obtain exact details about the happenings inside the royal prison, yet the rumors were enough to follow him into his dreams.

Apart from the two extremes, the middle ground was not as lethal as the palace dungeons nor as lenient as obtaining a reprieve by selling out the guild.

No matter how unappealing the prospect was, selling out the guild was a dangerous prospect in any case.

Perhaps they would be lenient and let him off, or perhaps his family would have to endure the revenge for his actions.

If he was really caught, the leatherworker could only take responsibility and hope that the contents of the package were not enough to warrant his death.

He might be sentenced as a crime slave and put to work in a mine, or perhaps a noble had a need for a skilled worker with a leatherworking talent.

He would just serve his sentence and hope that his wife remembered the instructions he left behind so that she would find the money buried in their yard as well as the letter in the same pouch.

If she used some of the gold inside, it was not impossible to make a gift to the judge in charge of his case and improve his stay in prison by a certain amount.

Tom only relaxed after he picked a road and walked in direction of his appointment, a villa belonging to a Baron of small renown.

It was actually a title under the control of the [Thieves Guild], making it the perfect cover for a secretive meeting.

Should the guards investigate the path of the leatherworker for some reason, then he would have done exactly as he told the guards at the gate.

He visited a noble, obtained some measurements, and then left the Noble’s District, giving no grounds for further suspicion.

By now, some of Tom’s concern had evaporated into thin air.

He was probably too tired and had caught a chill when walking through the damp alleys this morning, which was why he suddenly thought of such sordid matters.

As long as he performed well, there should be little to no risk for him to get caught out of the blue, and thus there was no need for his emergency measures.

His headache toned down a lot and he hummed a small tune while he followed the path to the estate in question.

Tom did not really know who his contact was, they barely exchanged names and he had a sneaking suspicion that the other party had given him a fake name.

But that only made him happy in hindsight, the less he knew, the less danger there was.

Whether it was a fake name or not, he only needed to hand over the package, even if the guards stormed the mansion right after he handed over his mission, it would no longer have anything to do with him.

As he reflected on the uneasy premonition and his sudden fear of the guards, the leatherworker suddenly decided that it was probably time to stop smuggling goods for the [Thieves Guild].

Those that walked along the river were eventually bound to get their feet wet.

Just because he did not get into trouble or arrested in the past, that did not mean he was special or immune to a sordid fate.

He had saved a nice sum of money over the turns, mostly because he was unable to explain the sudden windfall if he wanted to spend the coins, so he put most of his earnings away.

Given that Tom did not spend lavishly, it was enough to sustain his family’s expenses and a moderate amount of luxury.

He no longer wanted to toss around in the throes of a nightmare or feel his heart stop when a guard shot his cart a scrutinizing gaze.

Tom was ready to leave that life behind him.

While his thoughts were positive and beautiful, they still eventually returned to reality.

The leatherworker still had a package to deliver without getting caught, no matter how short the remaining distance was.

It would really be a joke if Tom was caught on his last job, a cruel twist of fate.

Perhaps the uneasiness was a subtle reminder from his subconsciousness that he had caught the attention of someone and was at risk, hence he felt uneasy.

Or perhaps the man simply ate something bad for breakfast and now mistook an uneasy stomach for a great threat.

Either way, as he neared the destination of his trip, the mansion of his contact, Tom switched his attention from the guards to the [Thieves Guild].

He began to wonder if the bad sign was not related to the guards, but his employer instead.

The thought alone made his stomach cramp up, and his hands suddenly developed tremors that made the cart shake on the cobblestone plaster behind him.

Tom knew that he had a chance to live if he was caught by the guards and had to face the laws of the kingdom, but the [Thieves Guild] had far fewer concerns if they decided to deal with him.

Commoners like him might not know the relevant laws and the situation inside the royal prison under the palace, but they were very aware of the fate that struck traitors of the guild.

Just a moon ago, a merchant two streets down from his own home had made the mistake to run afoul of the guild.

Tom did not know what exactly transpired between them or what the merchant had done, yet he knew what outcome he suffered.

A body without limbs was pulled out of the harbor waters, and that was not the worst thing that happened to that unfortunate individual.

Two butcher hooks were driven through a shoulder each, likely to hold up the poor soul while the executioner did whatever he did.

The pain alone made the merchant bite through his lips, trying to endure the pain, though it was a futile endeavor in the end.

It was a miracle that someone managed to identify the merchant after all of that, though rumors carried the tale of his fate far and wide after someone did.

Tom endured the urge to run away, it was not decided yet that he had somehow run afoul of the [Thieves Guild] and was going to be dealt with soon.

Even then, it would have been a fruitless attempt anyway, as long as it was inside the city walls of the capital, the guild had too much influence to allow him to run away.

And if he worked a miracle and ran away, the punishment would fall on his family instead, something that frightened Tom even more than being silenced by his contact.

As such, he braved his eventual fate and soon arrived at the yard of a mansion in a rather unpopular corner of the Noble District.

The lawn in front of the building had seen better days, it had been a while since someone maintained it, while the ornaments on the walls had chips and cracks.

Nevertheless, the overall appearance spoke of a certain affluence, or the owner would not have been capable enough to purchase the place and its decorations in the first place.

The crest on the gate and the main door needed a new coat of paint but held up fine to proclaim the identity of the lord that owned the estate.

Tom had asked his contact, Jenkins, about the possessor of the estate before, worried that the noble might return and discover them in the process, but the guild representative only laughed and explained the circumstances to him.

As a result of greed and gambling, a rather powerless viscount from a remote corner of the kingdom accrued a sizeable debt with the guild and found himself in hot waters.

To solve the matter of his indebtedness, which he would never manage to repay in his lifetime, the noble agreed to acquire the estate with funds that the [Thieves Guild] provided.

He handed over the mansion and agreed to not return to Leandar in his lifetime, making it a covert meeting spot for the guild to carry out their activities in the Noble District.

Waiting next to the gate, the true owner greeted Tom with an unassuming smile that belied his actual identity.

Jenkins, the butler of the mansion and contact of the leatherworker, invited him into the building with a gesture of his hand.