"Hold there, before I let you into Riften, you need to pay the visitor's tax."
...
Silence of the night was broken. "Thump-blup", it was the dull sound of a lifeless body sinking to the bottom of the waterbed. Sewn a sack of gravel into his abdomen so he was less likely to bloat up until anyone go looking. No chit, nor contract, didn't even quite get his name, a pointless kill. He probably didn't quite deserve to die for merely trying to ask for a bribe, just caught me in a foul mood.
'N'wah' I washed my dagger in the water where I dumped the body. the water in the rift has a sour smell to it, like a combination of still water and piss from the sewage. It won't make my blade new, but it will suffice to clean the dead guard's brains off. As I wiped my blade on my shrouded light armor, I wondered if anyone will come looking for him. Probably had a family or someone he was sweet on. Part of me feels pity about it, what a senseless murder. I hesitated while staring into the faintly glistening water, and saw my own reflection, what a rugged excuse of a man, staring back at me. Is this who I have always destined to become? My stomach felt sick.
Almost as nauseous when I heard the voices from the 'Nightmother' when I was hiding in that coffin. Not only she was spot on with my identity and my past, she also revealed a truth that would shatter any of those who are still back at the Morag Tong: that she is both Mephala and the Nightmother. The irony of the century, two guilds of assassins who saw one another as blasphemous and sworn enemy, yet we are worshipping the same Daedra. Oh, our old mistress, the webspinner, Daedric prince of plot and murder. The lady of whispers has whispered me her will. S'wit, why does it have to be me, damn it.
I ran, I hid and I slaughtered my way out of the Morag Tong to get away from all of that. I took on a new identity and found a new guild. But it seems that even the tong's archrival, the brotherhood is sadly, under the rule of the same dark mistress. This all but feels like a cruel joke. Is this but all who we are? The playthings in the game designed and by the Aedras and Daedras?
Maybe Astrid had it right all along, maybe we should renounce all worshiping of the cruel masters of Oblivion. We live our lives our way, by ourselves in our little 'family'.
I was frustrated, furious too, that my perceived path of freedom has led me back into the web of lies and death. To hell with all of this, I need to find my way out. But I need to buy time, enough time for me to think it all through. The 'Night Mother' has given me a mission, one that befit my new title 'Listener'. What a joke, a formal Morag Tong top Assassin 'Blood hand' Azarimal, is now the Listener of Dark Brotherhood. Had this been a long con, even I would be impressed of how unlikely this turn of events can be.
With the newfound purpose, comes the contract of the millennium. To assassinate the emperor of Tamrie, Politics and plot, this whole thing smells like our mistress, who is confined in a sarcophagus. I grinned cruelly. Assassination of an emperor, oh trust me there are ways to get this job done, but most of which don't involve the assassin making it out of there alive.
Despite how enthusiastic my new friend, the jester was, he didn't seem to have half a mind to perceive the complexity of the situation. The emperors are usually heavily guarded by Penitus Oculatus for starters, and more importantly, the imperial city in Cyrodil is not exactly known to be easy to infiltrate. And not just the mission, the fact that I have been proclaimed as a Listener? A Listener and the Night Mother moving on in Astrid's established little family? I haven't met many leaders that would like that.
I remember when I told Astrid of all of this, I don't have to look at her face – and it would be a stone face as well since we are all very skilled in hiding our emotions. I can think with my toe to know that Astrid is going to have a big problem with all of this.
Maybe there's a way to talk to Astrid, away from the sanctum and the many ears on the way. But first I will have to do as they asked of me: to have someone identify and verify the value of this amulet that our prestigious 'client' has given us.
"Woof" the mutt which I have never bothered to name tucked his tail between his legs followed me quietly. It seems that he didn't really care about that I just murdered someone I didn't know, nor did I have a solid reason to. The dog is simple that way, they don't see that kind of right, wrong nor the subtlety and politics of it all. What else would it have need to know beyond the basics? I feed him and I find shelter for him on the road. A simple relationship, the only kind one that a sinner like me can ever hope for.
A few guards of the Rift patrolled by me, naturally they walked a little closer to the person wandering down the street when everyone else is either at home or asleep. One of the guards was bold, she held a torch close to my face and had wanted to question me. Another guard stopped her almost immediately though, I heard they whisper to one another, and their eyes was lingering on my light armor adorned by a simple theme of red and black.
They swiftly changed their path and started heading for the opposite direction than me. I didn't bother to pay them another moment of my time and kept on at my original direction: Honorhall Orphanage. The place where Grelod the Kind met her very deserving fate, and the start of my very messy entanglement with the Dark Brotherhood.
First thing I noticed is that the orphanage seemed to have gone through some decent cleaning and renovation. The sign has been newly polished and colored with a new shine. Looks like Constance Michel, the young woman I left alive to run the orphanage has put my coins to good use. I have been steadily sending her money from filling my contracts for a while now, it's nothing lavishing, but at least it can help her put food on their tables and fix this place up a bit more. The skittish woman insisted on sending me letters about the state of Aventus and the other children and whenever one is getting adopted. I can see that she must have been mortified about the possibility of me checking in one day and notice a few of the children are no longer there.
I could not care less about the gold though. What is a drifter like me going to need gold for? Might as well do some good in this wretched life of mine. If there is one thing, I can do is to make sure these children don't end up in a place like where I was. The names of those other children in that Camp still haunts me to this day, some days I wake up, drentched in cold sweat because I could feel Rernnor, Reldelius, Nethlin and Indasa's dead eyes scanning me as I slept, they were my family. No child has to go through with something like that.
I walked through the door while slowly closing it behind me, making sure it didn't made much more noise than I had intended. The door hinges had been well oiled, a glaze of bronze was maintained to a proper level. I think my supply of gold may have been one factor but Constance does seem to care for this place. They are in good hands.
As I got around the corner, I could see that Aventus was busy playing a sort of card games with the other children. All of them were so absorbed in the game where they had their eyes fixed on the ground near them and none had seen me come in. I retreated to the shadows and didn't dare to intrude on the peace. Children should be children, play as much as they please and enjoy these little bits of time where the cruelty of life hasn't gotten to them. I was glad to see that the youngins no longer look malnourished or bruised. Their clothes were a lot cleaner, newer and well ironed. A few took a short break to grab some treats from the tables, a nighttime snack, undoubtedly prepared by Constance.
I had the reassurance I was here for and so I was turned around to leave, not a moment's time to waste. That's when I noticed that all this time Constance was also here, quiet as a mouse, with her hands clutched to the front of her apron. Not knowing where to direct her gaze, she just looked at her own feet.
"it's… it's you! Have you come to visit us - Aventus?" Constance fumbled through her words and her little face got red, not sure if she was afraid or something, it didn't quite look like it. I wouldn't blame her if she was though. I did murder that old hag in front of her.
"You've done well." I nodded in approval and then I tossed her a sack of Septims from my latest contracts. I was ready to leave after that, and I moved pass her to open the door for myself.
At first she tensed up as I was walked by her, but she stopped me before I move my second heel outside of the doorframe, "Wait!" This time she sounded much less intimidated and nervous than last time.
"Hmm?"
"You really needn't leave so much money, we still have leftovers from the times you sent before, quite a lot in fact. We are very grateful for you already. We really don't know how we could have managed without you."
I wasn't used to a conversation like this, my job is usually thankless. I scratched the back of my head, "I don't need it…get something nice for the kids", followed by a small pause of hesitation "and for yourself". I quickly glanced over her robes which are clearly patched and has gone through a few repairs by her own hands.
The next moment, her face gotten red instantaneously and she backed up in embarrassment. "Well… thank you, maybe I will, before you visit next time." Her face lit up like a fully grown peach after she said that.
I smirked at her, "Well good, I shall leave you to it, got a few more things to take care of in town."
"Aren't you going to talk to Aventus?"
"No need, the boy will have a much better life if he isn't associated with someone like me." This time I paused before I stepped out, "Well, can I ask you a favor actually" I had almost forgot.
"Of course, ask anything."
"There's a smelly dog outside, would you mind watching him for a bit and maybe toss him a bone while I am gone, I'd rather not drag the dog with me to where I am going."
...
I sniffed the pungent air subtly and felt the assault on my nostrils by Riften's sewer, entirely not surprising for a place called the Ratway. I should've known the thief's guild, slimy little rats as they are, would pick the quarters of their operations here. There are probably a ton of secret entrances and connections down here, providing them the convenience for their trade. I have to remember these passages if I ever were to do a job around here, perfect escape way to the open waters outside.
However, if it was entirely up to me, I wouldn't want to come down here to deal with the residents here. I still remember my last run-in with their guild member. That Bosmer with a strong personality tried to steal from my contact, and almost got away with it too. Someone about her spells trouble.
And let's not forget that I had slipped in that one night to threaten Maven Black-Briar, the Matron supporter behind the thief's guild. Even the ones with the most forgiving personalities won't react well to this kind of run-in, and the Black-Briars are not known to be the forgiving kind. Let's just say I am not expecting a warm welcome of mead and a feast down there.
Had to dispose of three individuals on my way down here, they were almost immediately hostile the second they saw me, guess there are no innocents amongst those who linger around a den of thieves.
"The Ragged Flagon" The wooden sign was clean, depicted a flagon of ale and two daggers crossed behind it. Whose bright idea was it to host a tavern in the middle of the sewers? And what kind of patron of this establishment would still retain their appetite?
But who am I to judge? An assassin who resides in the sanctum and hearing the orders from a mummified corpse that is displayed in a sarcophagus, the sacred will of the Night Mother only I can hear? And let's not forget cicero the jester. For me to judge them would be like a Netch calling a Slit Strider tall.
I immediately noticed that the place is quite busy. A few of them wearing black leather armors and they were having a grand old time with the barkeep here. Drinking in a game of jest and a few are loudly boasting about their missions. On the side there was a woman shrouded in a long mages robe off by the side in her lonesome, it almost looked as if she was sleeping.
The band of thieves noticed me approaching and the place got uncomfortably quiet, I could feel all of their eyes focused on me. I hate being I the centre of the attention, if I was here to collect a contract 'on' them, I would never walk in like this and they would never see me coming. But alas, I am here to talk.
I rested my arm and my dagger on the wooden counter and I stared at the bar keep, he is slim, for a nord, he has a dagger to his side probably for 'insurance', but it wouldn't take me more than one second to drop him if things were to go down, "here to talk to Delvin Mallory"
"I don't know a Delvin Mallory?" the barkeep smirked with some rotten teeth and he had a few cheeky looks around the customers at the tables here "Does any of you useless rot know a Delvin Mallory?"
"Nope, never heard of the man, Vekel"
"If you are here looking for a good time, I could spare a few moments, or if you are more into a type like Dirge" a white haired woman winked and then cackled while spilling some of her drinks.
"HAHA! Why not let's all have some fun together Vex?"
"In your dreams, Dirge."
I stood there quietly, and let my thoughts drifted out while the sound of meaningless flies marking their presence was finally coming to an end. And then I slammed a handful of Septims on the table in front of the barkeep. "Where is Delvin Mallory?"
The barkeep Vekel swiped the coins into a satchel he has on his waist, and he shrugged, "Depends on who's asking?"
"Vekel, Vekel the man, you serve us drinks for all of these times yet you still haven't got your eyes set straight, look at what he's wearing," the white haired woman got up from her table and stumbled towards me while finishing one last swig of her drink. She reeks of sewer water and alcohol. "He, is one of Astrid's many playthings, the 'clean-up' crew that we sometimes work with!"
The drunk woman is now trying to hand one of her arms around my neck, disoriented and very intoxicated. That is, right up until the moment I caught her hands reaching for my pocket.
I held her hand up by the pressure point and watched this woman, now eyes beaming with anger and not an ounce of drunkenness is left. "You…" She wanted to say something but I applied more pressure so that all she could do was to wince in pain.
"Nice try."
"Let Vex go, you oaf, don't you know it's rude to grab a lady's hand when you are not her betrothed? Where is your spirit of chivalry" That's when a familiar figure walked up to us and she laid her hand on the white haired woman's shoulder and guided her away. I released the white-haired woman's hand when I heard her voice, and it gives me a faint migraine to hear that sarcastic tone.
"Is he the one?" "Shhhhh" As Vex was going back to her original seat, I heard she whispered to the Bosmer girl who was coming to her rescue. But the latter was acting a bit suspicious.
"Hi, how are you?" She batted her eyelashes twice and smiled with all her teeth, "why are you here in our humble establishment, and looking for Delvin?"
"Astrid wanted him to have a look at something."
"I see, a purely 'business' trip then."
"…"
"You know, last time I could barely see you in the dark. Hmmmm, you look a bit younger than I had originally thought"
"…"
"well, you are out of luck my murderous friend, Delvin is not currently in the guild, he is out on some personal errands"
"Do you know when he will come back?"
"OH HE SPEAKS EVERYONE!" The Bosmer girl raised her glass and incited a round of laughter so loud that I am now entirely lost on their sense of humor.
"Do you know when he will be back?" I repeated my question, this time I enunciated a bit louder to pull her attention back.
"Oh, not a clue, but he left a while ago, so stay a while, he might not be long. Here, Vekel the man, bring us two drinks!"
"One" I held up one finger to the barkeep "just water for me"
"Come on! You are no fun, everyone's drinking here tonight!" She didn't push further though when she saw the unwavering look in my eyes. "Fine, suit yourself, I will have both and you are paying."
"I just don't drink, what are you all celebrating?" I put a few coins down on the counter for Vekel as he brought the two distilled shots close.
"Well, ladies and gentlemen of our glorious guild, WE ARE NOT CURSED" as she shouted out the last part, the rest of the guild also cheered in tandem, and once again, I am not sure I am totally following where this conversation is going truly.
"Cursed?"
"Well, it's a long story… you see we thought we were cursed for the longest time, but based on the information I have gathered in a few recent jobs, me and Mercer both thinks that there is simply a vindictive competitor who is causing us all of these troubles in the business, and now that we found them out, our luck is about to change!"
"Well I guess that is something." I shrugged, casually scoping out the others, they might look intoxicated now, but you never know if they are pretending.
The Bosmer girl quickly downed the two shots that were brought up. "Hm, you know what's strange, I just realize you never told me your name last time, how should I call you?"
"Azarimal, but Ace will suffice."
"Okay Ace, my name is Nox, and the one earlier is Vex, Vex and Sapphire are two of my best friends and we are like this" She hold up two crossed fingers. "And there's Dirge, Brynjolf, Herluin, Syndus, Tonilia, Vanryth and Arnskar, you know Vekel the barkeep already."
I just nodded at everyone here, not likely I will cross path much with them so I just followed absent-mindedly, I do hope Delvin shows up soon so I can get this over with.
Nox, who also smells of alcohol at this point, crossed her arms and rested her tilted head there dramatically, "So let's be honest, completely, no judgement and shame, are you here for me? It is, isn't it? You can't forget about me so you tracked me down all just a ruse to get closer to me."
Then she very animatedly propped her head up with her palms "A little too eager and creepy but gotta say, a girl appreciates efforts from her admirer."
Ah there it is the migraine again, "…I am here for Delvin Mallory."
Her eyes were rolled so far back, "Gosh! You have no sense of humor whatsoever… Dirge, Vex, Brynjolf, this man is the one I told you about, the one who blackmailed Maven Black-Briar, remember it?"
"Hm, I thought it has to be quite a character to break into the defense of the Black-briars and to blackmail our old matron. But you don't look like you are much to be feared though? The way I see it, you just pick on those who are asleep or vulnerable" The tall one she called Dirge walked over, flexing his muscular arms and looked down at me. "You think by joining the Dark Brotherhood will protect you from the wrath of our guild and the Black-Briar's, then you thought wrong, you might just end up in a ditch somewhere in the Rift tomorrow."
I smirked a little bit and sized him up, "two seconds"
"what?" Dirge leaned forward and his fist out and was ready to punch, but then he realized.
"That's how long you'd last." My dagger is pressed against his body, he wore a small chest plate cover but here are still areas where it is not protected. I could feel the heaves from his bare chest as my dagger had cut through the layers of fur and leather.
"Easy there Sabercat, we are just joking around her, you men are so boring, all you do is huff and puff and everything has to be a pissing contest!" It seems Nox has entered into a certain point of clarity after I don't know how many drinks, 'you see, you, Ace, I have dealt with your type before, you think the world done you wrong and the world owes you and you'd rather be swallowed in a sea of self pity all day and put on your heartless act whereever you go, Live a little! Smileee more!"
"I am just used to it."
"Wow, how insightful, would you care to write a book of your own thoughts? I bet it will become the most popular leisure read of all Tamriel!"
When she wasn't looking, I felt my mouth curve upwards, this time it wasn't a smirk, but a smile, a genuine smile, I am shocked about it too, it had been a while and I had forgot how to, so no one would recognize it even if they saw it.
"well, what sort of contracts have you been up to? I personally have done a few odd jobs all over, woo did I ever tell you the time I snuck into a the Goldenglow Estate and set fire to some beehives? Couldn't control the fire so all the bee hives went up in smokes, Maven did not like that, oh no she did not." She chugged another tankard that Vekel brought forth, I could tell that this time it was filled with just water.
"Mostly just murders, rather distasteful topic on an eve of celebrations. But why the bee hives?"
"Oh, extortion, threats and blackmailing purposes, snuck into some brewery near Whiterun as well as the East Empire Company Warehouse by the docks. It's tough you know, being in my line of work, you always have to on the road. Ah the longest trek was a detour near Hjaalmarch too from a private contract, met someone interesting, have you ever heard them talking about the dragonborn? Nice lady, a little too thick in the brains department"
I am finding it very hard to keep up with her flight of ideas and constant switching her topics, maybe cutting her off from more drinks is a good idea. It does seem like she is the kind of person who would keep talking until someone were to put a stop to it. "And now you uncovered someone is conspiring against your guild for the longest time, how will you guys handle it?"
"Oh yeah, its the traitor of the guild Karliah, I don't really know her but Mercer does. Me and Mercer are going to track her down and put a stop to it. And then there will be nothing standing in the way of the thieves guild!"
"Sounds, like a good plan." I wonder if she picked up the tone I had when I said that.
"What? You don't approve?"
"No, it's not that, murder just didn't seem like something you'd be up for."
"Excuse you! I can, I can kill someone if I want to" She studdered and gushed for a small moment "I just didn't need to… Ah, Delvin, you sly devil, you are finally back, you have a visitor!"
I also noticed the man, bald, medium height, a Breton, who just sat down beside us and ordering a drink, he wasn't there before, didn't quite notice him come in until just now, strange, why didn't I pay attention to that? This is dangerous.
"A guest? Oh, you are from the Brotherhood right? How is your mistress Astrid? Business still good? Ah what I am saying, of course business is good, war and conflict is always good for business in our two guilds." Delvin laughed, "What can I do for you, or I guess, for Astrid?"
"Something for you to have a look at."
Delvin rubbed his hands together and his eyes gleamed for a second, "Ah, my favorite part of this job, well what are you waiting for, go on, show me this thing."
I pulled out a jeweled amulet from the pocket close to my chest and laid it on the table. "What can you tell me about this?" A red gem was shining right at the center of the eight pointed star. It did not look like just an ordinary amulet.
He froze for a second, then he grabbed it to hold it closer to examine it against the light, "Let's see... where oh where did you get this? Don't answer - I don't want to know. This is an amulet of the Emperor's Elder Council. Specially crafted for each member. Worth a small fortune. Ain't somethin' you'd give up lightly. Look, it ain't my business ta tell the Dark Brotherhood its business, but if you killed a member of the Elder Council, you'd better belie- ".
"Will you buy it?" Are all thieves this chatty? I certainly was not expecting this when I first set foot here.
"This? An Elder Council amulet? Oh yes. Oh yes, indeed. Wait just one moment... here. It's a letter of credit. Usable, by Astrid only, for any service or item I can provide. As per our standard arrangement. You bring that back to your lovely mistress. With my regards." He quickly took out a piece of paper and obtained a quill from Vekel and jotted down some notes. After the ink was dry he carefully sealed the letter.
"Is this the payment for the job, damn who was the unfortunate soul you have to kill?" Nox chimed in from the side as Delvin was preparing the letter of credit.
"It's who I have to kill in the future, an advance on the payment." I didn't want to divulge more than that.
"Damnn, this has to be a big job then, gotta tell me all about it when its done." I think even at her current state, Nox knows when not to press on certain sensitive information, especially so much are at stakes. "let me know if you want an extra hand, cuz whoever your target is, they sound rich."
...
As I finally breathed in the fresh air after leaving the Ratway, I stretched my arms and trying to gather my thoughts clearer. Now that this is done, our plan will be officially set in motion.
To kill the emperor of Tamriel, something I had never dreamt of doing even in my days at the Morag Tong. Just think about the level of security in the White-Gold tower. I am just glad that our plot don't involve me physically scale the White-Gold tower for the kill. But even with the most intelligent plan, this not a job you can finish and then live to collect the bounty.
There was a sealed letter from Amaund Motierre, our client to Astrid. I sneaked a peak regardless and restored the wax seal so Astrid wasn't suspecting. Now the first step is that we will need to lure the emperor here. Well, we need a bait, someone important enough that he cared about, his own cousin, Vittoria Vici. The contract specifies a demonstrative execution in front of the guest when she is giving her speech at her upcoming wedding. Using her murder to get the emperor to come to our turf, without the protection in Cyrodil.
This is why I sometimes dislike doing this job, killing is straightforward, don't make a spectacle of it and if you are going to do it, make it clean. Less for them to suffer. And to kill someone on the happiest day of their life? Special place in oblivion for ppl like that. Matters little to me though, I am already damned hundred times over.
Regardless, you don't take special requests from clients. Its always seem to complicate things even on the easiest of the jobs. We want results, and we are not doing this for show.