This is my first story so please leave a review and tell me if you think I should continue it, thanks for reading!
I crept slowly through the woods. It was the dead of night, the time when all manner of creatures, critters, and people go luking about. I was one of the people that do so, you see, I'm an assassin of sorts for hire. I am not aligned with The Dark Brotherhood nor do I oppose what they do. I am just sort of the more, how would I say it, "lone wolf" type. I prefered to be alone in my field of work, and I had not had anybody match my skills in all my travels yet.
The air was cool on the back of my neck as I sat up in a bush near a road in the south near the city of Riften. I had been hired by one of my usual customers to kill a merchant from the northern city of Morthol who has been working dirty and trading supplies with The Thieves Guild. I had no quarrel with them personally, but it was just business and that is all I knew and all I needed to know.
Some time had passed but now I could hear the wagon appraoching and the then a guard spoke.
"This is bull shit, we always have to travel all the way down from our city to this back water land and trade with a bunch of thieves who just steal from us anyway despite what we give them!" One of the guards said. The others grunted their agreement with the loud mouthed guard.
The loudness of the other mens grunts made me think I had been misinformed of their numbers, but I kept listening.
Then another man spoke. "Are you not getting paid enough? How about when we get there you take that issue up with Mercer Frey!" The man waited in silence as nobody spoke. "That's what I thought. Now keep going, we are almost there and I don't like the feeling of tonight, it makes me feel uneasy."
I assumed the manner he spoke in and the talk of payment he must have been the merchant.
The merchant was correct as a matter of fact, he had every reason to feel that way. Yet there was no way he could understand that in the next few minutes he would be gone from this world. I quickly composed myself, said a prayer to Nocturnal, Daedric Prince of shadows, and observed the scenerio. I swore under my breath.
From the information I had been given, there were supposed to be only 3 guards at the most, but now I saw 7 men including the Merchant, whose name I had been told was Darius, making their way down the trail. There were 4 men near the front, 2 walking next to the horses leading the wagon, and 2 on horse back with torches in front of the horses leading the wagon. The last 2 men were in the back, behind the wagon.
The part I was curious about was the mixed species in the group. There were 2 Redguards, 2 Nords, 2 Khajiit, and Darius I was told was Breton. Since Khajiit are not usually hired into mercenary organizations because the general dislike of their race, this would seem to be a private party for hire and not part of a larger organization. That would be better for myself not having an organization of mercenaries trying to hunt me.
My plan was set and I began to act. The back of the wagon had just past and I sneaked out from the bush. I knocked an arrow in my bow and pulled it all the way back. I sighted the rear guard on the right, aimed for his head and then released. As soon as I did I started sprinting up behind the next one and pulled my dagger to make sure he did not warn the others yet.
The Khajiit was killed instantly by the arrow and blood spewed from the back of his head as he fell into a crumpled body on the ground. As the second Khajiit turned to look at the scene he had just seen of out the corner of his eye, he recvieved a hand over his mouth and a deep cut to the throat. He tried to yell but I cut deeper until I knew I had cut his wind pipe. I released the him and he fell down as he choked on his own blood not able to make a sound.
I then diverted my attention to the next set of guards. The men on foot at the front of the wagon seemed to be falling behind and were now at the sides of the wagon. They must have been tired from the days long trek through the southern woods. I stealthily climbed the back of the wagon and stood on top which weirdly felt uneven and hard to stand upon as I knocked another arrow. I aimed at the base of the Reguard on the lefts neck and released, I quickly turned to the other Redguard. I heard the man cry out in pain as the arrow I had sent his way must have hit him. I had knocked another arrow by the time the other guards looked that way. I released the arrow and it struck the other guard in the cheek and blood gushed from his face as he tried to pull the arrow out while falling to the ground.
I quickly turned my attention to the merchant. I pulled my dagger and then hit Darius in the head with the hilt of my dagger and he fell from the waggon. I placed the bow on my back as the two horsemen dismounted there horses and readied themselves. These 2 were the Nords and wore Iron Armor. While it was good armor it left the arms and the back of the legs exposed, same with the neck. I pulled my second dagger from its sheath as they pulled their swords. I stood steadfast ready for them to make a move, then it happened.
The Nord on the right charged and swung his sord in a downard strike. I side stepped out of the way and stabbed him in the back of the neck, he cried in agony as I pulled the dagger out. The other swung from the left trying to get my side but I ducked. I quickly came up and sliced his arm. He back stepped and held his arm where the gash was while the blood leaked between his fingers and down his arm. He was silent and retook his stance, I could tell though his spirits had left him after seeing how quickly I took out the rest of the men. He charged and tried to swing downward from the left and I stepped over and sliced that arm too. My right arm quickly came up from underneath and stabbed through his chin while he was recovering. I could see my dagger going in the bottom of his mouth and then going back into his head through the roof of his mouth. Blood came out of his nose and mouth. I pulled the dagger back out as he collapsed into a pool of blood. I noticed all the blood on my hand from when I had stabbed his chin, I look down and wiped it on a piece of his clothing, then turned back to the cart.
The merchant was still knocked out so I took the time to examine the cart. I walked over the bodies as I made my way to the rear of the cart and lifted the clothe covering it. I was in complete and utter shock of what I saw. I needed answers, I needed to know why The Thieves Guild needed what was being delivered in this cart. I noticed the still knocked out Darius and I decided I was going to get my answers.
By the time Darius had woken up I had him tied to a tree. He looked up in shock.
"You bastard! Do you have any idea who your messing with!" He yelled as if to threaten me, I was unimpressed to say the least.
"You are Darius are you not?" I asked, he nodded. "Then I do have the right man, I was hired to kill you and your men and torch the cart of what I was told was supposed to be food and other essential goods after I took it deep into the woods. Then I was told to tip off the guards before leaving these woods. But I decided to look at the cargo instead, and this is what I found!" I held up a steel sword. "You are supplying weapons to The Thieves Guild!"
The color left his face, then he heated up again. "Why does it matter anyway! You can't stop what's coming, even if they did not get this little shipment, there have been plenty of others that hav-" He suddenly stopped and realized his mistake.
I put my knife to his throat. "What are you talking about! WHAT OTHER SHIPMENTS!" I was screaming now and not realizing it, I had to quickly regain control or I will alert the guards this close to Riften.
He smiled now. "You mean you didn't know? You work for the same man I do! I might as well tell you since I am dead anyway..." He trailed off. That was not possible, there is no way I could have been played like this. He continued, "The shipments you have been told to stop and hide have been only making it work. You get told what to do and where to hide it while members of The Thieves Guild come to the hidden spot and take what is sent anyway. You think we would be getting this past the guards at the gate and just roll through the city with it? We get hired to leave them at the same spot you do. You are also told to tip off the guards of a wagon in the woods burning after you light it on fire, you see, the weapons wouldn't burn in a fire and that is why you were told that it was supplies so that you would believe it! The Theives Guild comes and takes whe weapons before the cart is consumes with fire. They know other ways into the city other then just the main gate! You have been a apar-"
I sliced his throat and let the blood spill out of him as much as the lies he had been telling. I needed to lay low and not return to my boss. If I did return he would have me continue doing the same work and if I had any objections he would have me killed because he then would know that I knew what was really going on. And there was no possible way I could just keep my mouth shut after knowing these things. But I knew what was coming, what this meant. Whoever the man who hires me works for wants to create chaos in Skyrim. He must plan on having Riften over thrown and that I can not allow to happen. I have to kill the man planning all of this, I must not let my home fall. I am the only one with the skills, and now the knowledge, to stop what is coming.
Once again don't forget to tell me if I should continue and tell me what you think!