This thought was most definitely in Aldj's head as he walked down the street. Merchants casually left their merchandise on open display, where swift fingers might snatch the odd apple. Jewelers had their treasure in laughably easy to open display cabinets, and those who were silly enough to be distracted by a staged brawl up the road deserved to have their jewels taken. It was a new year, and the latest batch update of Bosmer immigrants had just come of the boat from Valewood, and apparently there was no such thing as theft over there, based on how they locked their doors.
Yes, definitely a good time for thievery.
And there was no better thief than him. Aldj cut into a crowd full of people. Pressed up against them, he could feel the exact location of all of their purses, and which of them were suitable for taking…
Subtlety reaching down, he quickly slit off a particularly bulging purse from a fat man who apparently hadn't got the message that there were thieves about. Slipping the weighty purse into his pocket, Aldj disappeared back into the crowd.
He managed to get quite a few more coin bags before the day was up. His loot bag was bulging, and Aldj was anxious to examine his spoils in more detail. But not in the street, because a dark elf rifling through a bags of gold was pretty much a dead giveaway. So, with his bag full of swag he ducked into his customary alleyway to count up his coin. And not just any alleyway…
Due to the uniform construction a of all new Thalmor-Approved buildings, one thing you could always count on was a dark alley way on every street. And really, every thief worth his salt had his own alleyway to inspect and hide loot. Aldj was no exception. This particular alleyway had several old pipes running through it, remnants from an age where the building had been an alchemy lab. While providing an excellent hiding spot for his collection of ill gotten gains, in a pinch they also provided a quick route to the rooftops if he was ever caught (Not that he ever was, of course). And of course, being an old part of the city, the Thalmor had not interest in, say, checking an old rusted bronze pipe to see if it was loose, and also may have a lifetime supply of gems in it. Smiling from a good days work, Aldj opened his sack and began to count up his gold.
CLANG
The sound rang out from further down the alley, well into the dark shadows that covered the rear wall. What the hell was that?
CLANG
Once was an accident, twice was normally dangerous in his opinion. Drawing his orcish dagger (A lucky find from a Kaijat trade caravan), Aldj descended further into the gloom.
CLANG
A figure was now visible to him, hunched over a rusted control valve. Aldj watched, bemused, as the figure proceeded to slam his wrists against the valve. If this was a Thalmor trap, it was certainly the strangest he had seen.
CLANG
Creeling closer, it became apparent that the stranger was not., in fact, trying to break his wrists, but instead trying to break off some Thalmor cuffs attached to his arm. He was young, but not a child. More a young adult. He had dark brown hair, and definitively pointed ears. He was wearing common farming clothes, but for some reason had no shoes on.
Alarm bells began to go off in Aldj's head. Strange elf in his alley, oddly dressed and trying to play victim? Yeah, probably not legit. Aldj cleared his throat to get the elf's attention.
As the elf spun around, all concept that the man was a spy vanished. Dirty face, amber coloured eyes, small tribal war paint… wood elf all the way.
And the Thalmor, no matter how bad things got, never employed wood-elves. Which meant he was in this alley, acting odd and trying to break out of Thalmor cuffs for a good reason.
The thought did not reassure him.
The wood-elf simply stared at him, so Aldj decided to make first contact.
"Those cuffs won't come off by force, you know" he tried.
He was met with stony silence. Eyes continued to scrutinise his face. He tried again.
"Uh, hello? Look, those things are made of tempered steel. You'd need a blacksmith to get 'em off." he informed the elf.
Finally, the Bosmer decided to speak.
"Then how do I get out of these?" he asked Aldj grinned. Ah, to be young, innocent and not know how to lockpick. Pulling out his trusty pick, he knelt down to the Thalmor cuffs.
"All you need is a lockpick, some luck and a kitchen utensil to force the lock with, and…." Aldj clicked open on of the cuffs.
"And then you're free" he announced.
The elf kept a blank face on. Aldj sighed.
"Well? A thank you would be nice. Y' know, for getting you outta your cuff? "
The elf nodded slowly.
"Thank you… for helping" he mumbled.
The elf shifted his other hand around, still with the other half of handcuffs attached to it.
"May I have a go? At unlocking my cuff?" he asked.
Aldj smiled. So the elf wasn't exactly innocent….
"Sure. Try it" Aldj handed the picks over.
Aldj watched as the elf twiddled with the pick, trying to pry it open. He wouldn't. Thalmor locks were among the most secure out there, even he had difficulty cracking them. He'd let the kid have his fun, and then help hi-
Click.
Aldj stared in astonishment at the Bosmer. Lying in his palm, open, was one Thalmor cuff. The elf handed Aldj's lockpicks back to him. A random urchin of the street who could open Thalmor cuffs? It was insane. Impossible. The guild would want to see this…
"What did you say your name was, kid?"
The elf grinned.
"Tagorn. And I'm hardly a kid. " he replied.
Aldj shook his head in wonder.
"Yeah, well Tagorn, there are some people I know who would really like to meet you…"
Aldj led Tagorn through the back ally's, under the bridge and down to the old cistern. Opening the well concealed trapdoor, he motioned for Tagorn to jump down. After he did, Aldj followed him down into the Hideaway.
When the Thalmor remade the capital of Summerset, a lot of the city was left behind. Some of it was hidden basements, others the infamous alleyways. But by far the biggest hidden space was the sewer.
Abandoned by the Thalmor in favour of more modern plumbing, the sewers had entrances all over the city. Its tunnels were extensive and, once you cleared out a century worth of crap, were quite sanitary.
It was home to the unofficial Summerset Isles branch of the thieves guild.
Aldj led Tagorn along the tunnels, twisting and turning down enough side passages and junctions to lose anyone who didn't know exactly where they were going. Climbing a service ladder and opening a disguised door, the duo found themselves in the central antechamber.
A domed roof went up high above their heads, ending in a small circle of light where the sun shone through. The chamber was half submerged in water, which had multiple bits of junk floating in it. Some of the larger bits had been levelled off to form platforms, and the several of the largest had been lashed together to form a central platform. Guiding Tagorn carefully along the rickety platforms (you did not want to know what lived in the water) they eventually reached the main platform. Aldj stepped forward.
"Criven! Grace! T'tholn! Get the hell out here you lazy skeevers!" he shouted.
At first there was no reply, but then, as if by magic, a figure slunk out of the shadows. His face was heavily scarred, and one of his pointed ears was almost completely gone.
"Aldj. You return, and with more in tow" the Bosmer stated.
Aldj laughed.
"Relax, Criven. This kid here's got a good head on his shoulders, and a natural knack for lockpicking. He's staying, so there's no need to go all creepy on him"
Tagorn looked curiously at Aldj.
"Am I now?" he questioned.
Firm footsteps came up behind Aldj.
"Yes, is he now?" a voice mimicked.
Aldj turned around to see a tall, elegant Altmer dressed in simple mage robes.
"Grace! Good to see you again!" he grinned.
Grace was not smiling.
"Seriously Aldj? You bring in another kid off the street, after what happened last time?" she demanded.
Aldj held up his hands in mock surrender. Last time hadn't gone well, admittedly (How was he supposed to know the kid was a spy) but this time it would go better.
"Hey, this ones different. Kids a natural lockpick, and besides, the Thalmor never use Bosmer! He's not a spy."
Tagorn realised what he was being accused of.
"I'm not working for those… bloody bastards" he spat.
Grace remained unconvinced. She leered disdainfully at Tagorn, and walked off.
"He's on you Aldj! He's your problem." she called.
Tagorn spat as she stalked off to her little bundle of driftwood. Aldj noticed, frowning.
"Might wanna loose that racism, kid. Not all Altmer are Thalmor, you know" he chided.
Tagorn shuffled uncomfortably. Aldj shrugged. The kid would learn. Suddenly, Aldj noticed a small ripple behind Tagorn in the water. "Well, there is one exception to that. Argonians are nothing but mean, dastardly bastards, full stop." he joked.
The massive Argonian that had just slipped out of the water behind Tagorn sighed.
"Very funny, Aldj" T'tholn the Argonian thundered.
Tagorn spun around, shocked at the sudden appearance of the amphibious humanoid. T'tholn laughed at his surprise.
"Never mind him boy, private joke. Welcome to the thieves guild." he laughed, before vanishing back beneath the murky waters of the cistern.
Aldj grinned. By all accounts, it was a good reaction from all. He slapped Tagorn on the back.
"Just wait, kid. Stick with us, we'll go places…"
***
Over the next few days, the two of them certainly did. At first Tagorn was the distraction, luring nobles in with a fancy juggling act, while Aldj picked their pockets. The kid was a fast learner, however, and soon Aldj was the one having a fake fight with Criven while Tagorn swiftly lifted the purses of the rich. Despite Grace's hesitance, eventually even she couldn't deny the potential he had. It was time to take him on his first big heist. And what better location than the Thalmor Barracks…
Aldj peered over the roof of the building between him and the Barracks. From his perch in an old watchtower, he had full view of the target, as well as any sign of Thalmor troops. Speaking of….
He saw the Thalmor patrols leave he barracks for the night, out to ensure that no one was out past curfew. Leaving the Barracks undefended. Aldj flashed a small spark between his fingers, hoping that the others were watching for his signal.
Down in the sewers, a lone Argonian popped his head up and gave a brief flash of fire before dissipating back down. T'tholn was in position, and began the dark journey beneath the city.
The Argonian assassin was shadowy and unknown, but had been a solid friend of Aldj from day one. He would be their exit plan, once the target was robbed. Hopefully he would be prepared for when they would need him. Aldj heard the trapdoor open behind him, creaking on rusty hinges.
"Are they in position?" Grace asked, crouching down next to him.
Aldj leaned out of the tower, and was just able to see an arrow fly into the air. Tagorn and Criven were set.
"They're good. Lets move" he replied.
With a wave of her hands, Grace cast invisibility on both of them. Once his hands faded out of the visible spectrum, Aldj leapt off his tower. He arced gracefully through the air, before landing with a roll on the nearby inn. Moving quickly, he crouched on he edge of the guttering. Flicking the flames between his hands again, the next phase of the plan was signaled.
Aldj watched with satisfaction as two rope arrows hit with a resounding accuracy into an open window. As Grace finally caught up with him, he reached out and grabbed the rope, leaving her behind. Arm over arm, he hauled himself up the rope. He could feel Criven crawling up behind him, followed by Grace and Tagorn. If anyone were to look now they would see a rope held down by four apparently invisible bundles. It kind of defeated the point of being invisible, but if their plan was timed right no one would be watching now.
He reached out and grabbed the windowsill, pulling himself up into the most Thalmor controlled building in the city. And it was theirs to rob. Being the perfect gentleman he was, he turned and offered a hand to the struggling Grace, which she grudgingly accepted. Hauling the light elf up into the room, Aldj turned and examined his surroundings.
A sparsely decorated brick room. Small table, covered in various stationary. Small cupboard, likely filled with more random junk. Cheap rug on the floor. Unless they wanted to know what the Valenwood council signed over to the Thalmor this week, this room was useless. But it was also linked into more useful rooms, such as the one containing several thousand sovereigns worth in elven weaponry.
Silently stalking up to the door, Aldj gently poked it open a crack. Peering through it into the corridor, he caught the swish of a Thalmor cloak disappearing behind a corner. Which meant that the small patrol left in the building was check in downstairs now. Meaning they now had the upstairs to themselves. As Criven and Tagorn came in the window and pulled up the rope arrows behind them, Aldj carefully crouched down and crept out into the corridor. Calling up the floor plans he had memorised the night before, Aldj took a specific series of turns down the maze like corridors of the Thalmor barracks. But finally, as they turned a final corner, Aldj was faced with an imposing stone door, inlaid with a small lock.
"Right, Tagorn. Your turn." he instructed.
Tagorn took a few hesitant steps forward, before kneeling down and inserting a thin pick and driving rod. He began to twitch and test the lock, searching for it's sweet point. Aldj, Grace and Criven stood awkwardly around him, waiting impatiently. Unfortunately, with an audible crack, the pick snapped. Tagorn let off a series of rapid fire elvish curses. Grace sighed melodramatically.
"Well I hope T'tholn has our exit preped. We'll need it at this rate" she quipped sarcastically.
Tagorn spared a moment to shoot her a withering glance before returning to his concentrated task. With another crack, Tagorn had to replace the pick. Aldj tapped his foot nervously.
"Relax. T'tholn has his part ready, and Tagorn has his part set too. Right, Tagorn?"
In answer, Tagorn clicked the lock home and swung the heavy door open. Treasure, at long last…
Standing behind it, dragonbone sword in hand and a smile on his face, was a Thalmor Justicar, in his full coat. He also seemed to have an eye patch. Behind him stood a small squad of Thalmor grunts, all of which crackled with magic.
"Rhetson…" Tagorn snarled, his voice full of hate.
The Justicar merely grinned all the wider.
"Indeed. Bravo on the locks by the way, you weren't supposed to make it as far as you have."
He gestured to the squad behind him.
"Kill them, spare the boy" he ordered coolly.
A dozen fireballs charged up in the hands of a team of elite killers.
"Well shit." Aldj cursed.
A betrayer lurked in the group The odds were stacked against them.
It was a good day to be a thief…