Eriah, Karliah, and Brynjolf stood in the inner chamber of Nightingale Hall. The Dragonborn and the Thieves Guild's number two were informed of much by Karliah about everything that had been happening in the Guild for the past twenty-five years. She beseeched them both to become Nightingales, avenge Gallus, and return the Skeleton Key to Nocturnal, Daedric Prince of the night, darkness, and luck. Eriah had no real intention or desire to serve a Daedra and was going to see if she could alter her own terms. While she was pretty confident that being Dragonborn meant her soul belonged solely to Akatosh, Eriah was still only human and worried that her patron god wouldn't be able to trump a Daedra's claim since the Aedra were weaker than Daedra because they brought about Creation. It was all Brynjolf's fault anyway. What started as a simple errand to find Esbern turned into a nightmare of getting dragged into Guild affairs. Still, Eriah couldn't say the experience wasn't without merit.
"Lady Nocturnal, I ask you to reveal yourself," Karliah said from the central branch platform. "Ah, Karliah. I was wondering when I'd hear from you again," came the echoing feminine voice of Nocturnal. "I apologize. I've come before you to grant the two with me the powers of the Nightingales so that we can lay low the traitor Mercer Frey," the Dunmer said, taking a knee. "I am most displeased with your failure to protect the Key, Karliah. However, I am willing to grant you a second chance so you may redeem yourself. That said, I sense the one to your right wants a word," Nocturnal said. Karliah and Brynjolf looked over at Eriah, surprised. The Dragonborn knew the Night Mistress wasn't necessarily an evil Daedra and was willing to show respect despite her distaste for the Princes. "My Lady, I'm Eriah Quintence. I'm sure you're aware of my true nature," she said, taking a knee as well.
"I do indeed. The blood of Akatosh flows through you. I suspect you wish to avoid serving as a Nightingale while being granted my blessing to help the others take down Mercer Frey," Nocturnal said. "With respect, I wish to enter a different contract," Eriah said. The Prince was silent for a moment. "Most interesting. It's not often a mortal is brave enough to reject my contract while offering a differing one. Normally, I would've been offended. Akatosh has been surprisingly active in announcing his claim on your soul to we Daedric Princes and while a part of me would love to spite him, I have no desire to go against him all the same. Be that as it may, I will be the one to detail out our contract, mortal. You will either accept the terms I state or you leave my sight and the Guild will continue to suffer for the failures of the Nightingales to protect my shrine," the Daedra said.
Eriah kept her eyes on the glowing blue flames. "Here's my deal, Dragonborn. You find Mercer, take the Skeleton Key off his corpse, and return it to the Twilight Sepulcher. Once you've placed it back in the Ebonmere, I will consider your contract fulfilled. You may keep the powers of the Nightingale for the rest of your mortal life so long as you swear to never reveal the Sepulcher's location." Nocturnal said. "Simple enough. I'm not cut out for the thieving life and I have nothing to gain from revealing your shrine's existence." Eriah said, bowing her head. "You amuse me, Daughter of the Dragon. Even if you did, I would've considered your contract void and then you would be in a state with bad luck dogging your steps. Now swear this oath to me and then you three can get to work on clipping the wings on Mercer," Nocturnal said. Eriah got to her feet and took her Elven warhammer from her back.
"I, Eriah, enter this contract with you, Nocturnal. I swear to kill Mercer Frey, retrieve the Skeleton Key, and return the Key to the Ebonmere. On my honor as the Dragonborn and Nightingale, I shall not fail to uphold my end of the bargain." the Dragonborn swore. "Very good. The deal has been struck. The terms of our agreement should be mutually beneficial to us both. You retrieve and return my Key and I renounce my claim on your soul. Until then, my claim on it remains. That said, Akatosh would do well to remember that your choice of afterlife is up to you. As much as he jealously claims you for his own, there is nothing he can do should you choose to be a Nightingale in life and death. Do not fail me," Nocturnal said before her manifestation of blue flames winked out. Eriah felt a strange power fill her and it was like her inherent luck had increased a hundredfold.
Eriah, Brynjolf, and Karliah all met in the center platform and pulled the cowls down. "That was reckless," the Dunmer woman said, leveling her unusual violet eyes with Eriah. "I know better than to strike bargains with Princes who operate like Clavicus Vile. Nocturnal is one of the more reasonable ones. Just because I have a distaste for the Princes doesn't mean I'm ignorant of how they each operate. Nocturnal is right that I choose my own afterlife, given my standing as the Dragonborn but that doesn't mean I'm going to take chances on that," Eriah explained. "You really don't trust Akatosh, do you, lass? For all your talk of how you serve him, that deal you just struck spoke volumes about how afraid you are that your choice will be denied you in the end," Brynjolf said. Eriah looked down, her face reflecting her own worry. "You...really know how to strike the heart of the matter, Brynjolf. You're right. I am afraid. Ever since I was awoken to my destiny as the Dragonborn, I swore to serve as Akatosh's sword against Alduin. I've wanted to stay away from the Daedra as much as I could long before then, too. But things haven't worked out for me there. Molag Bal got to me in Markarth and I had to help Barbas reunite with Clavicus Vile. Good thing I heeded that dog's word and my own education on avoiding contracts with that one. Nocturnal was really the one Prince I've come into contact with so far where I knew I had a chance at controlling the encounter," she said.
"But you didn't, Eriah. Nocturnal dictated the terms. Even though they were to your liking, you were still denied that option," Karliah pointed out. "True but while I hold choice sacred, it doesn't mean I'm not able to compromise. Nocturnal gave terms that benefited us both. That's better than nothing," the Dragonborn said. She looked over at Brynjolf, who was still considering her. "It's not like I don't trust Akatosh to protect me in the end. I just have this fear he won't be able to," she said. The master thief closed the distance and embraced her. Eriah just let him do so, even slowly returning it. In all honesty, she needed one. Serving Nocturnal, even temporarily, went against everything she ever stood for. She wasn't as militantly anti-Daedra as the Vigilants of Stendarr but she had been taught to never give them any quarter to manipulate and use her. "It'll be alright, lass. What's been done is done. Nothing we can do about that. So, let's get out there and take down that bastard Mercer," he said, pulling back and keeping his hands on her shoulders. Eriah just nodded, her face hardening at the task ahead.
"I'm going to make for Irkngthand. If Gallus was right, the Eyes of the Falmer will be there and so will Mercer," Karliah said. "We'll join you as soon as we can," Brynjolf said. The Dunmer nodded and went on ahead to leave the Hall. Brynjolf then looked at Eriah who was burning holes in the stone. "Come on, lass. Let's take what we don't need on this venture back to the Guild for storage and get to Irkngthand," he said. He started walking and Eriah soon caught up. "Forgive me if I'm feeling a bit uneasy about that proposition. I do have some things of value," she said, elbowing him in the side. "Don't you worry, lass. The Guild won't make off with anything you own. You've more than earned your place with us since you helped us get to the bottom of things. Sure, you're walking away from the life of a thief after this venture but you'll always be welcomed among us. If it makes you feel better, I'll be sure to let the Guild know your things are off-limits. They respect me greatly and you've been with us long enough to know that we do have a code we follow," Brynjolf assured her.
Eriah sighed as she reached for the hood of her cowl. "Thanks," she said. The two exited the Hall and headed for Riften. Once back in the Cistern, Brynjolf explained to the Guild what the next step was and told them that the Dragonborn was going to offloading things of value there so she could better help him and Karliah with taking down Mercer. He charged the Guild with protecting her items as if she were a full member. While he was giving orders, Eriah was writing down an inventory of the things she was living behind for safekeeping. That way, she could keep track of it all and be able to check off the list to ensure every bit of it was returned. "You about ready to go, lass?" came Brynjolf's voice as she hovered over the chest he had given her to use. "Just about. There we go." Eriah replied, setting in a secondary pouch with all her gold in it. In the chest were her Blades armor, a number of potions, and her gold reserves among other items such as her journal. She kept her main money pouch on hand in case she found gold in Irkngthand and didn't want to be weighed down by the amount she already had. It would also aid in stealth, something Karliah had given her various tips on. This was one of those occasions where stealth would be of greater worth.
"Here you go," Eriah said, handing the list off to Brynjolf. "What's this?" he asked. "Call it insurance. Let's get moving. Time's wasting," the Dragonborn responded. Brynjolf looked at the list he had been given and chuckled. "Good on you, lass," he said. He let the Guild know he and the Dragonborn were heading off after leaving the list on Mercer's desk. It was plain that Eriah had written it as a warning to the Guild that she would know if something went missing. She even had the amount of gold written down so she would be counting it upon her return. By that point, the Guild knew how she thought and how her trust was fragile at best. A couple expressed disdain for the Dragonborn but wouldn't go against Brynjolf all the same. Etienne owed her since she had come across him as a prisoner in the Thalmor Embassy and Delvin, in his experience, found her refreshing in a manner of speaking. They would keep an eye on the rest of them.
Once they were done, Brynjolf and Eriah left through the secret entrance. The Dragonborn made a quick stop at the nearby statue of Talos and beseeched her three patron gods for protection. Snow Veil Sanctum had been a close call. Mercer had nearly sent her to Sovngarde himself but thanks to Karliah, Eriah had walked away with her life. Once she was done, she and the master thief put Riften behind them. She opted to go on foot to avoid drawing Brynjolf's attention to Keizaal, her piebald mare currently housed in the Riften stable. That way, her horse would stay safe and it would be easier for him to guide her to Irkngthand. She was heading into unknown territory and didn't want to risk her horse's safety unnecessarily out in the wilds. Looking at Brynjolf's back, Eriah steeled herself for when she'd be going through yet another Dwemer ruin.