Chapter 2 — Through the Rift
I was dreaming of lazying about on a warm, sunny day, when a loud scream woke me from my sleep. I sit up, cocking my ears, my sword appearing in my hand from my inventory.
The night is silent as I sneak from my tent. Everything looks peaceful. Even I cannot see that far into the night, but I can't see anything moving. And considering where we are, I would be able to if anyone'd snuck up on us.
Then I hear another scream.
From Saffron's tent?
I sneak closer and lift a tent flap. The tension leaves my shoulders as I see her struggling against her bedroll. What is she whispering…
"No, no, no, no, please no, no no nonono don't…"
I disappear my sword back to my inventory and enter her tent. I need to duck a bit, but the tent held six bandits once upon a time, and is easily big enough for me to sit with her without crowding her.
Probably try to wake her without touching her?
"Saffron?" I ask. Then louder, "Saffron? SAFFRON."
She gasps for air as she wakes, suddenly surprised by my company as she sits up.
I smile sheepishly. "You had a nightmare."
She nods. Now that it is calmer, I notice the intense stench of fear-tinged sweat. The nightmare must have been going for a while before she woke me up.
I let the silence linger for a bit, not sure how to continue. But she looks to be doing fine.
"Well, if you're okay, I'll get back to my own tent." I make to stand up, but she interrupts me.
"Wait… is it okay to sit by the fire a bit more? I don't want to sleep now…"
I nod. "Ok. Bring your blankets, it's colder out than it was in the evening."
She nods. "See you there."
I leave the tent to let her collect her things without me breathing down her neck, gathering a few blankets for myself. I toss some more of the bandit's wood on the fire and sit down. Not even a minute later, Saffron comes out of her tent, and sits down next to me, much closer than she was in the evening.
The silence is comfortable, broken only by the crackling of the fire. It's almost ten minutes before she speaks.
"Thank you, for waking me up."
"You're welcome."
Some fifteen minutes after, I notice that her head drops on my shoulder. I lean slightly forward to look at her face without disturbing her, but I see she's fallen asleep.
Well, let's hope that she won't have nightmares this time, but I suppose it'll be better.
I fill the rest of the night with fire- and stargazing, but Saffron doesn't wake up again.
— A Dragon's Game —
I seriously do not understand why, but even when dawn breaks, I'm not tired from having been awake for what I estimate is most of the night.
Well, let's not complain about the good things in life.
Saffron wakes up when the sun comes up right in front of us and shines in her face. I already have my eyes closed to not have to look into it, but from the way she hurriedly moves when she wakes, I think she might be embarrassed. Best not to mention it.
I open my eyes slightly and also get up. We pack up our stuff; I put it in my inventory, and we head east.
We eat while walking, and Saffron points the way, knowing the surroundings better than I do.
"Did… did I fall asleep on your shoulder tonight?"
Uhm, perhaps do mention it? Anyway… "Yeah, you did. But don't worry about it." I give her a slight smile. "I don't think you had any other nightmares, so it was worth it."
She nods. "Yeah, at least… that."
Why does she go slightly red in her face? It's an odd thing I've seen humans and elves do before, but still.
"So what was the direction you were thinking about getting to Riften?"
"Yes. So, we go east for Shor's Stone. It's about a days' walk. It's a mining village, but we can stop there and tell them what happened. There's a few more guards there, so they should know about their fellow. Then we can go past Fort Greymoor, and then straight on to Riften the next day. We should make it without issues, and we'll never have to sleep in the wild. If we'd head for Riften in a straight line, we could be there in one day and a half, but we'd need to camp in the wilds, and there're more bandits there. I think."
"Sounds good to me, then."
A comfortable silence falls again. We speak a little during lunch, but we reach Shor's Stone without incident.
— A Dragon's Game —
Shor's Stone is a tiny village. There's not even a wall against bandits, but there is a single guard tower. There's a smithy near the mine, and about a dozen barracks, probably for the miners. There's also an Inn.
According to Saffron, the Innkeeper is also the general goods merchant of the village. Whenever they need something specific, she imports it from Riften if she doesn't have it in stock. Saffron's mother also used to go there.
When we arrive, however, the miners, who should still be working at this time of day, are sitting around a campfire in the village square. Odd.
"That women's the Innkeeper here, Annekke. She used to be an adventurer, but settled down eighteen years ago. According to mom, she was already pregnant with her daughter, Syglia, at the time."
The woman Saffron pointed at is a tall Nord woman, with long blond hair. Judging by her arms, she hasn't weakened a bit since settling down. "Ok. You think we should ask her what's up?"
Saffron paused. "Ask her what's up?"
"The miners. They should still be working at this time of day."
"Now that you mention it, yeah, it is odd."
We approach the group, and Annekke clearly recognizes Saffron. I keep a step back, but I can still hear them talk.
"Saffie! Hey girl, how are you doing?"
Even I notice the awkward pause Saffron has. "I'm good. Say…"
"Hey, where's your mother? Didn't you always travel together here?"
I wince as the woman walks straight into the Rune trap in the conversation. Saffron is silent for a moment, but it must have shown on her face, as Annekke rushes forward and grabs the younger Nord in a tight hug as Saffron finally bursts into tears.
For a few minutes, she cries, and the only reason I don't feel awkward is because both of them seem to have forgotten me. Even the others around seem to give them their space.
When Saffron pulls back, she starts softly telling her tale. Annekke doesn't let her go, holding her and comforting her. When she reaches a certain point, she pulls back and gestures at me. I see Annekke grace me with a full, grateful smile as she raises her voice a bit.
"Thank you very much, Ra'samma."
I turn my head in embarrassment. I haven't earned that. "J'samma, please. And I was just a slave trying to escape myself. It was pure luck that I was in a position to aid Saffron."
She tilts her head slightly. "But you could have run instead of going inside, risking your life again. Know that I'll consider you a friend, and it'd be my honor if you'd accept a room in my Inn tonight. It's the very least I can do."
"You are to kind, but I accept."
"Please, go sit by the fire, I'll have my daughter get you some dinner while I take Saffie inside for a bit."
The nickname makes Saffron go red again, but she doesn't protest.
"Syglja!"
A young woman stands up from near the fire, with pretty dark hair clothed in a cheap but sturdy set of clothes covering every inch of her.
Smart, if she's in a mine as much as that pickaxe on her hip indicates.
"Yes, mom?"
"Please get J'samma here something to eat. Consider him a friend. I'll update you later."
The girl nods and then turns to me. "Hello J'samma, I'm Syglja. Welcome to Shor's Stone. Come!" She smiles, and I follow her to the campfire. Since there're already far too few chairs, I sit on the ground somewhere with room to spare, and the girl hands me a bowl of what looks like stew.
"Some of the men went hunting, so we have stew today. I hope you like it?" She asks.
"Stew is perfectly fine, thank you." I smile. It's hard not to with this girl's optimism. "Say, if I may ask a question?"
"Sure."
"Is there something with the mine? You're all outside early…"
She scowled, but not at me. "Yeah, there's something alright. Thing is full of spiders. The guards don't go in because they can't see anything, and the only one here who can fight aside from them is mom. But well, going alone against a group of Frostbite Spiders is suicide."
"Yeah, that sounds like a problem."
"You a miner, that you ask?"
I grimace. "Not by choice… I used to be part of a merchant caravan, but I got enslaved into it by a group of bandits."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"It's okay." I am surprised to realize it really is okay. Why am I not torn up in grief?
Luckily, Syglja doesn't continue this line of questioning. "I've been a miner for a long while now. It's really been all I know, but I like the work, and I can crack rocks with the best of the others."
I smile. "It's good to be able to be proud of your work."
She smiles back. "Aye, that it is."
We fall into an easy silence, listening to the banter around the fire as night falls. It's still optimistic, but the worry about the mine is clear.
And I got magic now… might as well use it, I guess? Wait, didn't I have poison resistance? Oh, only 14. Still a good reason not to get bitten by Frostbite Spiders, though, since their venom is rumored to be nasty.
I'd need someone to keep them off my back while I throw fireballs…
"So your mother is a good warrior?"
"Yeah, used to be an adventurer, until she got me. Then she settled down here with dad, who works in the mine here."
"I'm a bit of a mage. I think I could do well in there, if I had someone to keep the Spiders off my back…"
"Really?" Syglja turned fast as lighting towards me. "That'd be great!"
— A Dragon's Game —
After I finished my stew, Annekke came out of the Inn, alone, and walked over to us.
"Saffron's asleep." She sat down next to me, opposite of Syglja. "Poor girl was exhausted."
I nod. "I can imagine. She's been through a lot." And so have I.
"So you also fought for your own freedom… have you yet considered what to do with it?"
I shake my head. "Not really. But I heard that you had some spiders in the mine. I'm a bit of a Mage, so if someone can keep them off my back while I do so…" I shrugged. "You think we could take them on together?"
Let me recap my offensive options, this time not just the spells…
Slicing: Claw Swipe
Slice someone with claws for 23 damage.
Cost: Stamina: 5
Blunt: Punch
Punch someone for 23 damage.
Cost: Stamina: 5
Slicing: Slash (from: Iron Sword)
Deals 26 slashing damage.
Cost: Stamina: 25
Piercing: Stab (from: Iron Sword)
Deals 33 piercing damage.
Cost: Stamina: 30
Blunt: Bash (from: Iron Shield)
Bashes your enemy for 19 damage.
Cost: Stamina: 50
Fire: Firebolt
Shoots a small bolt of fire dealing 40 damage.
Cost: Mana: 15
Fire: Fireball
Launches a ball of Fire, dealing 91 damage to all targets in a 6.25 m radius where it hits.
Cost: Mana: 70
Frost: Ice Spike
Shoots a shard of ice dealing 38 damage, chilling it, which reduces it's movement speed by 20% for 2 seconds.
Cost: Mana: 15
Frost: Ice Storm
Launches a slow-moving, 2.50 m wide storm of Ice that lasts for 18 seconds, dealing 91 damage.
Cost: Mana: 70
Spells are good. For larger amount of damage, the best, but they'll probably also draw all the attention of every spider ever. I can do almost as much damage with my claws as I can with a sword, but it tires me out a lot less, which makes sense. And wow, but Bashing takes a lot of Stamina.
Annekke looks me over. "I got to say you don't look like much. But we can try it. Just stay very close behind me and do everything I say, agreed?"
"Agreed."
"Willing to go now? I'm always best in the evenings, but you have to be tired after a day's march…"
I blink as I realize I feel perfectly fine, even after having been awake for half the night and having walked the entire day. "Nope, I'm actually fine with right now."
"Ok, then please give me a moment while I get my armor and weapon. You found nothing on those bandits?"
"No, not really. All they had were some furs, and most of them dirty. No armor."
"Always a shame when they don't even carry good loot. It's just bad manners." She winks at me, and I chuckle. "All right, give me two minutes."
I nod as she walks off towards the Inn.
I suddenly realize I forgot to practice my magic during the day while walking with Saffron. Stupid.
"You sure you'll be fine?" Syglja asks.
"Of course." I nod. "I got your mother with me." I grin at her, and she returns it.
"Yeah, mom'll be fine. Why, when I was seven, a pack of wolves once attacked the village…"
— A Dragon's Game —
Annekke returns just as Syglja finishes up her tale, wearing a chain mail over what looks like thick leather. She has a shield on her left arm, and a good steel sword in her right hand.
I stand up. "Ready."
"Okay, follow me. Stay close, and keep an eye out behind us. Frostbite Spiders like to try to flank you."
"I'll keep an eye out. Don't worry as much about the darkness, as I can see very well."
She nods. "I know. I've met a few Khajiit bandits in my time. But let's go."
I follow her close, two steps behind her, as we enter the mine.
"The red mist you probably see comes from the mine itself, something in the stone. It's not harmful, but it may hinder your sight. I'll be using a Candlelight spell, if you don't mind."
"I don't. If you'll be keeping the spiders off my back while I torch them from afar, I think I'd like you to see what you're doing." I replied dryly.
She chuckles. "Great. Keep to fire. Frostbite Spiders are resistant to the cold."
"That's good to know."
We enter the mine, first finding a short downward slope. The red mist she referenced is already around us, as she conjures her Candlelight spell. The glowing orb rises above her head and remains there, following above her with a slight delay when she moves.
I keep a good eye ahead. I see a wooden bridge over what appears to be the main shaft, with some probing tunnels around. On the far side, I can see a spider that probably hasn't noticed us yet. I shoot two firebolts, and aside from a shriek of pain, I hear nothing as its burning corpse collapses.
"I'll be standing just in front of the opening we come out of. Before we can progress, you'll need to ensure there's none of them on the walls above or behind us."
"Sounds good." I scan the ceiling, and see nothing, but there is one on the side, already poised to jump and strike. Annekke is clearly looking around, but doesn't seem to see it. I launch two more Firebolts, and it drops off the wall, shrieking out of side.
"It was an ambush like that that kept me from going further by myself. If you don't mind, we'll try to get them all at a distance." I can hear the grin in her voice as she continues, even as she remains focussed on the path before us. "So if it goes right, you'll be doing all the work."
"As you command, ma'am. You're in charge, after all."
We advance slowly, but we clear the top section before long. Then we take the sole path downwards and hit our first snag. I can't kill these two spiders fast enough, but Annekke takes their jump on her shield, without even getting knocked back. She expertly manages them both, keeping them at a distance with lightning-fast thrusts of her sword, so I can keep using my spells.
We do take them down, and Annekke is good enough that we don't even take a hit. It's still slow going, and we stop every ten meters so I can scan the walls and the path behind us. A few times, I even find some, even if there's nothing most of the time. Still, I fully agree with her caution.
I'm halfway through my mana when we reach the bottom, despite having regenerated some for ten minutes — I've been throwing that much Firebolts. Then five spiders charge us at once.
I throw a Fireball into the group, throwing them apart from each other, but it only kills two. I slay another with Firebolts, but the last two are far apart, so Annekke could not shield me against both. The one on the right is bigger, and she dashes towards it.
"Take left!" she shouts. I obey, and shoot at it, but it requires four more Firebolts to go down, which is more than I expected, and I tried not to waste Mana by sending more, so it is almost on me as I kill it. I turn around, just in time to see Annekke's sword disappear almost completely into the spider's head.
When she pulls it back, the animal drops to the ground, unmoving.
I carefully scan our surroundings.
"Clear."
"Good, I'll check every nook and cranny, you guard my back."
"Okay."
— A Dragon's Game —
We don't find any other spiders, though. There is, however, a nest, and Annekke shows me how to harvest spider eggs from it, which she says are valued by Alchemists for their properties.
Added 5 Spider Egg to your inventory.
Teaching from an expert has increased Harvesting (Survivor) by 2 levels!
That was… nice. So teaching from an expert increases my skills? That's very useful.
We arrived at the surface forty-five minutes after we go in. As we walk back, it seems odd that a mine you can cross in five minutes took us half an hour to clear out. It feels smaller now.
As we approach the group of nervous miners, Annekke gives them a thumbs-up, and we hear cheers all around.
Reputation with the village of Shor's Stone increased by 20.
Reputation with Annekke increased by 10 for being as useful as you claimed to be.
Affection with Syglja increased by 10 for getting along well with her, and helping her friend.
Reputation? Affection? What is this?
Reputation and Affection
Reputation and Affection indicates how people think about you. The higher it is, up to 100, the more they like and trust you. Generally, it is increased by doing things people like or need. Affection is all that, and has the potential to grow into intimate relationships, if high enough. If you have 100 Reputation or Affection with someone, you get a special perk depending on who.
Groups may also have a Reputation value. This will be the base value of your Reputation with any individual within that group, and mutations to this value will apply to all group members.
Ok, that's… nice.
Wait, why didn't I get any of this with Saffron? I'd think I'd earn something for how much I helped her.
Reputation and Affection: Timing
Reputation and Affection is only increased when people have the peace of mind to actually consider what they think of you. People in continuous high-stress situations can delay this for a theoretically infinite duration.
Ah, that makes sense.
I think.
At least, it'll mean I get my boost with Saffron later. I hope I didn't mess up with her. She's a smart girl, and I like her sense of sarcasm. I'd hate to have her hate me.
When we rejoin the fire, it seems that I've also been granted free mead for the evening, as the miners celebrate the fact they don't have to leave Shor's Stone to find a job elsewhere. I should do nice things for people more often, I guess.
It's quite late in the evening when Annekke ensures I stumble into the right room in her Inn.
Affection with Saffron increased by 40 for saving her from the bandits.
Ah, someone had time to think about things, it seems. And I didn't mess up.
I fall asleep with a smile on my face.
— A Dragon's Game —
In the morning, I meet Saffron in the Inn's common room, and Annekke gets us both our breakfast. She still looks sleepy, though she seems to have had a good night, and I got quite the headache, so we don't talk much.
It's probably later than it should have been when we take off. Saffron had a little talk with Annekke before coming with, and reassured her that yes, she wanted to go to Riften and her uncle instead of staying in Shor's Stone and becoming a miner, or even restarting the farm close.
"J'samma?"
"Yes?"
"I'm going to want to go by a different name in Riften. When we were young, Syglja called me Sapphire, because of the color of my eyes, she said."
I look at her, and indeed, the color of her eyes is dark blue, which forms a contrast with her dark brown hair. She's actually quite pretty. "I think it fits you."
She smiles, creating small dimples in her cheeks. "Thanks. Then I'll be using that name. I have to tell Uncle Delvin my actual name, of course, but if he's anything like mom told me dad was, then he should be fine using my new name."
I nod in acknowledgement.
— A Dragon's Game —
It's a long day's march before we actually reach Riften about an hour before sunset.
And it stinks. The entire city stinks of salt and sweat, with a faint tinge of blood.
The main gate is wide open, with a guard on either side. Their shields bear the emblem of Riften, two crossed daggers. There's a small but constant stream of people, mostly going inside at this hour. When we approach, a guard steps forward.
"Halt. Before we can let you enter the city, you must pay the visitor's tax."
I raise my eyebrow. In my days in the caravan, I've never heard of such a thing. True, we weren't allowed into every city every time, but there was never a tax or something for it.
"Oh, really? What's the tax for?"
"For the privilege of entering the city, what does it matter?"
Yeah, that sounds legitimate. Not. "This is obviously a shakedown. Does the Jarl know her guards are shaking down random peaceful visitors to her city, here to work and trade?" I raise my voice slightly at the end, trying to draw more attention from both the common folk and the other guard.
"All right, all right, I'll let you in. It's just a joke man, no need to kick up a fuss."
New Skill: Speech!
Speech has increased to 1!
No, it wasn't, you lying liar who lies, but we don't have a time to make it come back to you.
I look to my companion. "Come, Sapphire, lets go find your uncle."
Unlike me, she's been in Riften in the past, so she leads us to the marketplace.
Despite the late hour, the marketplace was still full of merchants. From farmers selling their produce, to a jeweler, someone selling armor, and a merchant selling something called 'Falmerblood Elixir', which somehow sounded a lot better than it had any right to.
If it could actually do what that red-headed merchant promised…
I shake the thought out of my head. Sapphire leads me to the far side of the market, reaching the canal that cuts through the city again. We take some wooden stairs that don't seem to handle the moist surroundings too well, but make it safely to the bottom. There's a wooden walkway, some twenty centimeters above the water.
"The place we have to go is called the Ragged Flagon, down in what's locally referred to ask the Ratway."
She opens what looks suspiciously like a sewer grate, and we walk down a cramped corridor. On the far side are two men, who look at Sapphire in a way that puts me on guard, but she keeps her spine straight, and her gaze dismisses them. However, they let us pass unmolested. Then we reach the edge of our path, though it looks like a raised drawbridge on the other side.
Some two meters below us, there's another floor, to which we take the stairs down.
"When mom brought me here a few years ago, the bridge was down…"
I look at the edge and notice the drawbridge doesn't close off the doorway.
"I think we can climb up there. I give you a boost, then you reach down and pull me up."
"Sounds good."
I move to the side of the drawbridge, and fold my hands together in a step for her to use. She puts her foot in, puts her second foot on my shoulder, and climbs up.
It's remarkable to me how light she felt. She doesn't look light.
She kneels down on the stone above and reaches out with her hand. I jump, she grabs my hand, and she helps me up. She stands up and brushes the dust off her knees.
"Well, that drawbridge is pretty useless. Even a single determined person could probably climb up here."
I shrug. "Best not to dwell on it."
The next room contains a table with a crazed-looking woman cursing incomprehensibly under her breath, but she doesn't even acknowledge our existence.
We shrug and Sapphire leads us to a bigger cistern.
"The ragged flagon is the far side of this thing. It's not… high end."
"Yeah, didn't have that impression. So lets go find your uncle."
The bouncer standing watch eyes us cautiously, but doesn't stop us. Sapphire walks in, and looks around, before fixating on a broad, bald Breton man arguing with a slight white-haired Nord girl.
The man looks in his late forties, but the girl could have been fifteen or forty herself. She's one of those people you just can't tell.
Sapphire moves over, and I follow, half a step behind.
— A Dragon's Game —
"Uncle Delvin!" Sapphire interrupts the loudly whispered conversation.
The girl, who was standing with her hands on the table, backs off, a calculating look being sent our way.
The man, Delvin apparently, first looks confused, but then he nods.
"Ah, little Saffron. What're you doing here, and with a Khajiit by your side?"
Sapphire looks around. "Nothing I want to share in the open. But call me Sapphire. And we're both… well, moving into town and looking for work."
If the man's eyebrows rose any higher, they'd have to leave his face behind. "Ahhh. I see. Um, are you sure you're aware of what kind of work I deal with?"
As Sapphire wilts slightly, I take over.
"At least, I'm not. I escaped from enslavement by a group of bandits, and my old life… isn't really available anymore. Could you please tell me what kind of work I'd be doing?"
Gained 1 Affection with Sapphire for saving her from having to admit she didn't know and went off basically with no proper planning at all.
Delvin grins at my save, but doesn't remark on it. "Very well, I am in the acquisition of goods. A client has something they want, and we get it for them."
Ah, he's a thief. And he doesn't want to admit it because he doesn't know if I'll take it to the guards or not. Well, most important thing to figure out is how good he and his group are, and how good that is can usually be measured by longevity. Bad thieves get caught. And even if a good thief gets caught, he gets out.
"If I might ask, how long have you been in that business?"
Delvin seems happy that I understand him. "For a long time, lad. I've been in this for basically my entire life. Though, of course, I moved up in the company over time. You know, more complicated jobs, more responsibility. That sort of thing."
I glance at Sapphire, but she looks a bit uncertain.
"Would you mind if we talk between ourselves for a minute?"
"Oh no, perfectly fine. This ain't a business to be in when you don't want to be."
I stand up, and Sapphire follows me into a corner.
"Did you know he was a thief?"
"No, I swear I didn't!"
"Calm down, I don't mind. As long as they don't kill people, I don't really care. Or well, you know." I look around. "Though by the amount of females here, I don't think they do that."
"So you won't tell on Uncle?"
"No, I won't. In fact, I might even join up." I don't have that Thief class for nothing. I can learn a lot and get some money that I really need. After I have the luxury of choice, I can just quit and go do something else. "How about you?"
She still looks doubtful. "Well, I need to live somehow. But yeah, terms and conditions."
We return to Delvin, and sit down, which seems to make him happy.
"So, the two of you got questions?"
"Yeah, about the rules of the place. There're some things I won't be party to."
"That's understandable. Do note that you can refuse a job from higher up if you don't want to do it, for any reason. Things are in a bit of chaos now, but the only people getting problems are the people betraying the guild. Not those walking away while keeping their mouth's shut."
Oh, even the vaunted Thieves' Guild? I always wondered if we ever did things for them, but nobody ever gave me a straight answer on that question.
"And while I don't know about Sapphire, I myself aren't that skilled in the arts of the trade. You guys would probably have to teach me to get me up to speed."
"Ah, that's no problem. I can arrange that for you, because Sapphire here's family."
"I'm in." I turn around to Sapphire. "How about you?"
She straightens her spine and puts her hands on the table. "I'm also in. Let's get rich."
Delvin grins. "Welcome to the Thieves' Guild. I'll bring you to the guild leader to introduce ya."
— A Dragon's Game —
A short walk through a small tunnel, a fake cupboard, another tunnel and a heavy metal door brings us to a large cistern. A few people hang around, but not many.
"This here is thief central. The heart of the thieves' guild. We got some training rooms over there and there're beds over there." He waves around a bit. "The Guild Master's Office, though, is right in front of our treasury, and that's where we're going."
The "Guild Master's Office" turns out to be a desk with some stacks of paperwork and an exhausted female dunmer. She glances up.
"What is it now, Delvin? Found more things Mercer screwed up for us?"
"Nope, good news this time around, lass. I've got recruits." That makes her look for real.
And I suddenly see something I've never seen before — a dark elf with purple eyes instead of the red literally every other dark elf has.
"That is better news. Why do I only hear about it now, though, and not when you scouted them?" The elf straightens her spine. It's nowhere near enough to hide her exhaustion, but she does suddenly look a lot more intimidating. I won't mess with this lady.
"That's cause they came to me, lass. This is Sapphire, my niece. She came to me looking for work, and she's fine with our line of work. And this is J'samma, who she met a while ago. He's also looking to join up, and my niece vouched for him."
Her violet eyes hold my gaze for a few moments, and I almost want to confess everything I ever did wrong. Then she looks the same at Sapphire, who keeps her posture, but clenches her hands.
"Ok, they're in. They're your responsibility, though."
"Aye Aye, ma'am."
He turns around, and is about to lead us away, when she speaks again.
"Oh, and Delvin?"
"Ma'am?"
"If they fuck up, I'm taking it out of your hide."
"Understood ma'am."
He leads us to one of the side corridors, as Sapphire asks a question.
"She's… intense."
"Aye. There's just been some big upheaval in the Guild. Previous Guild master turned out to have killed his own predecessor and then started stealing from the guild. He framed Karliah there for the murder. What he didn't see coming, is Karliah being smart as a whip and to stubborn to ever give up. So she showed us the real story. Now, normally, murder is just absolutely not done. We don't slay our marks as it's bad for business, and murder in the ranks? Not good. But this guy'd gone too far, so we brought in the Dark Brotherhood, told them all about him, and they took him down for us."
Wow, that's intense. "And she's blaming you if we make a mistake. You sure about this?"
"Aye. You seem like the good sort, even Karliah thought so. And Sapphire's family."
I raise my eyebrow. "She thinks I'm a good sort?"
"You're in, aren't you?"
"True."
"So, here's some better clothing than the rags of plain clothes you're wearing. Most of us prevent some thick leather because it's sturdy, it doesn't hang on things easily, and it makes no noise when you're trying to be silent. If you ever get your own set elsewhere, ensure that the leather isn't too thick, cause it'll creak. Essentially, if you think it might protect you from a blade, it's too thick to be stealthy. Now, get dressed, and I'll be showing you how not to be seen if you don't want to."
— A Dragon's Game —
New Skill! Sneak.
New Skill! Pickpocketing.
New Skill! Lockpicking.
Sneak has increased to 15!
Pickpocketing has increased to 10!
Lockpicking has increased to 5!
Sneak
Sneaking is the art of remaining undetected.
Class: Thief
Attributes per level:
- Stealth: Visual: 2.0
- Stealth: Auditory: 1.5
- Stealth: Olfactory: 0.5
- Stealth: Tactile: 0.5
Abilities Granted:
- 0 Sneak
Pickpocketing
Pickpocketing is the art of taking what you want be it from a table, your own pockets, someone else's pockets or a chest, without anyone noticing.
Class: Thief
Attributes per level:
- Stealth: Tactile: 1
Perks Granted:
- 80 Misdirection
- 100 Perfect Touch
Abilities Granted:
- 0 Hide Movement
- 10 Pickpocket
- 30 Poisoner
- 40 Secretly Access Container
- 50 Unseen Weapon
Lockpicking
Lockpicking lets you attempt to open locked door and containers.
Class: Thief
Abilities Granted:
- 0 Lockpick
The training is grueling, in a good way. We've been doing nothing but practice for three days. The entire guild actually practices non-stop while they're in the cistern. Every thief carried tokens around, and they were always trying to pickpocket them off each other, so I carry some around in my pockets myself, outside of my inventory.
Sapphire is giving me the stink eye when I win, but her Affection doesn't drop, so I don't think she's holding a grudge over it. It comes across more playful than angry.
To be fair to her, I have this ability to see it all in numbers and learn so much faster than I have any right to. I wonder if I'd still be learning faster than she if I hadn't had it.
So on the third day, Delvin approaches me.
"Hey, you interested in a starting level job?"
"What kinda job?" A quick gaze around shows there's other people he could approach, so he has to consider it fitting for me.
"Brynjolf needs a hand with a quick and dirty job. Someone's paying to have a merchant taken from the market for a couple of weeks. The idea is to frame him for a minor theft."
"That sounds like a long punishment for such a minor offense."
"Nah, we're also bribing the judge to add a bit to the sentence. It's just another trader wanting to build up a bigger customer base in his competitor's absence."
"Ok, so what would my part be? If I'm not confident that I can do it…"
"Hah, smart lad. Bryn will cause a distraction. You will use the few minutes he gets you to steal Madesi's Ring, and plant it on Brand-Shei's stall. When the distraction ends, some guards will come in to arrest him. Easy as pie."
To be honest, that sounds like the type of job I can do. "I can do that."
— A Dragon's Game —
Brynjolf turns out to be a tall, red-headed Nord, looking somewhat familiar. To be fair, that sounds more like the type of nord to yell loudly and swing an axe as tall as themselves. In contrast, Brynjolf is soft-spoken.
"Ah, I'd heard a black cat had joined up. Good to meet you lad, I'm Brynjolf."
"J'samma" I greet him.
"Heard good things about you. You sniffed out that little scheme we have running at the gate, didn't you?"
I frown. "That was the guild? It felt a bit… obvious to me. A Jarl wouldn't want to interrupt trade that much."
The man lets out a friendly laugh. "Hah, that you figure that out so fast just means you've got good instincts. Over half the people pay. And the guards keep some, and the guild gets a cut. But Delvin said you were up for it?"
I nod.
"It's not glamorous work, but it keeps the gold coming in. Most of our jobs are like this. For every daring heist, we commit a thousand petty thefts of this scale."
"Oh, wait… that Falmerblood Elixir scam, that was you? A few days ago?"
He chuckles. "Ai, a very good money maker. I cook some chicken blood, add more water and a bit of flour, and they drink it up. It's harmless, though."
We walk a short way, and use a secret exit, surfacing in a small alcove in the graveyard behind the Temple of Mara. He quickly instructs me on the details, and we take our places.
I wander around and get behind Medesi's stall without anyone noticing when Medesi goes to listen to Brynjolf.
Sneaking costs 4 Stamina per second, and I can't regenerate it that fast, even if I've leveled my Dexterity along with my Thief class. But having over 420 Stamina and 38 Regeneration, I can still Sneak for quite a while. I take out the set of lockpicks, and I start on the sliding door that Medesi trusts to keep his things safe.
I'm very happy that this thing that tells me how good I am, also gives me a sense if someone is detecting me or not.
A minute later, I have it open, and I can start on his strongbox. I start getting serious nerves. It feels like I've been behind this stand for hours, and I'm really glad there's no good sightlines towards here.
I get the box open and find a ring. I take it out, putting it into my inventory along with the gold and a garnet I find there.
I leave from behind the stall and casually stroll over to Brand-Shei's. He's leaning on its edge, watching Brynjolf. The sliding door is slightly loose, if still locked. And with a little sleight of hand, the ring is inside.
I mingle with the crowd, listening to Brynjolf.
He's good. He's really good at this. I know what the stuff is, and I still almost want to buy it.
He sells a few, and I clearly notice that he's seen me. Some five minutes later, a few guards approach Brand-Shei's stand.
When that starts getting everyone's attention, Brynjolf puts an arm over my shoulder, and walks a bit with me, as if he's still trying to sell me his Chickenblood Elixir.
"Full success, lad?"
"Yeah." We see the guards taking Brand-Shei away, and I can't help but feel a tinge of guilt.
"You don't sound happy."
"Stealing some money, ok. But is it really ok to screw people over this bad?"
"Eh." Brynjolf shrugs. "He'll be out in four weeks, tops. If we didn't do it, someone else would. Or if the competitor would have an easier time getting the Dark Brotherhood doing the work, it could end a lot more permanent. We scout our marks and make sure we don't put them out of business. After all, if they can't do business, then we can't either. It's in the Guild's best interests to only take what they can miss, and we think Brand-Shei can miss this."
Then he hands me a small purse. "This is your share, four hundred gold. The client paid a thousand. The guild gets a fifth, and the workers divide the rest. Those are the rules."
"Thanks. And… lets say I found some gold unattended halfway on the job?"
"Keep it, and I'll keep the revenue of the Falmerblood Elixir. The rule is that you can keep any side benefits, if it's at least somewhat fair."
"Understood."
"You've been training for the past few days, right?"
I nod.
"Feel free to scout around town a bit. It's a good thing to become well-acquainted with it. And practice some of your skills, if you really want. I'd just pickpocket though, you draw too much attention for a good cutpurse."
I snort. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I wanted to stock up on some supplies, anyway."
— A Dragon's Game —
I wander through Riften, learning the streets by heart. It feels almost like I have a map in my head I add them on.
And now that I think about it, I can also remember basically everything I traveled past in the bandit's custody.
After asking directions from a guard, I find Elgrim's Elixirs down in the canal. It's close to the North gate, or at least as close as the canal comes.
I buy some Health and Mana potions. I feel that if I ever get into a close fight with bandits again, I could use the additional security. I got about a thousand gold from the bandits, after splitting it evenly with Sapphire. She insisted that she didn't do anywhere near as much as I did, but I didn't give her a choice.
I bought 5 of either type, costing me a total of 250 Gold.
I enter the docks area. Since it's afternoon, everyone's still at work, and there's few people around.
I notice some movement in a corner. It's a dark alley, damp because this is another pier.
"Hello?"
I hear a groan, and I see an argonian female.
The look in her eyes tells me she's on skooma.
I turn around. skooma is very addictive, but I won't give anything to a skooma addicted beggar, since it'll just feed their addiction, anyway.
"Please…"
Her voice sounds even more raspy than that of most argonians. I can't help but stop and look at her.
"Could you please spare me a healing potion? If I can just get this poison out of my system… I could lose my job at the Fishery if I don't…"
If I make her drink it right away, she can't sell it form more skooma…
I sigh, and take out a Healing Potion. "Only if you drink it here and now."
"Thank you so much."
I take the cork out of the potion, making it impossible to be sold, and hand her the open potion. She drinks, and I can see the addiction fading from her eyes.
She closes her eyes for a moment, before looking me straight in the eyes. "Thank you, stranger. I am Wujeeta, and I'm in your debt."
"Happy to help, Wujeeta. If you don't mind me asking, where did you buy your skooma?"
She nervously checks our surroundings. "If I talk, I could get hurt…"
I smile comfortingly. "Be calm, Wujeeta. I help you. And if I get rid of the dealers, I can also help a lot of others. I promise I won't tell anyone."
Speech increased to 3!
Nice. It went to 2 yesterday when I convinced Sapphire to look somewhere else, allowing me to pickpocket her.
"Ok, you're right. I used to get mine from Sarthis Iden. He used to sell in a warehouse in the docs."
