Jul

Lucius

Delphine ran her blade across the brown, furred armor of the assassin she had just killed then sheathed the weapon. We had been about a half hour from Riften when we had been assaulted from every side by the six criminals, each clad head to toe in different armor and no two carrying the same weaponry. The fight had, in total, taken nearly three-quarter hours. Given that it had been the two of us against six Dark Brotherhood assassins, I thought that our swiftness in dispatching them – Oblivion, that the two of us even survived – was incredibly impressive.

"Check their packs," I told Delphine. She turned to me and raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "They're Dark Brotherhood. It was clear in how they moved. This was probably a side hire – one of which their leader did not approve."

Delphine shrugged and began to rifle through the packs of the nearby assassins. After a moment's hesitation, I began to do the same. The Dark Brotherhood held that killing their own was a... heinous crime. Assassins they may have been, but a code of honor was common amongst them. Under my breath, I whispered, "Talos guide you." I stopped at a warrior clad entirely in steel plate armor; I knew he was the leader as soon as I reached into his satchel. I pulled the death warrant – my death warrant – out and unfolded it.

A human traveling towards Riften, possibly with an accomplice. Very large Breton-Imperial male. Terminate with extreme prejudice. You will receive fifteen times the normal rate upon confirmation of death.

E

I snarled and set the flame ablaze. "The Thalmor," I growled. Elenwen had sent the Dark Brotherhood after me in her haste to destroy me, even with the knowledge she held about my former trainers. I turned to Delphine. "They already got word here to look out for me."

"That means Esbern's in trouble," Delphine said. "Daedra spit. We need to hurry." I nodded, and the two of us ran up towards the city.

Unfortunately, we were greeted by the incredibly corrupt Riften guardsmen at the gate. "Whoa, stranger! Not so fast," one of the two guards stationed at the door said as I made to enter the city. "You have to pay a toll to enter our fair city. Thirty septims."

Delphine shook her head as I shrugged and began to pull the coin from my pack. "Don't, Luc," she said. Her hand was on my shoulder, preventing me from paying the guardsmen.

"What's the meaning of this?" the other guard snapped at Delphine, his hand on his blade.

She smiled and shook her head. "Tell Bryn I'm not dumb enough to pay a fake tax," she said before pushing past the frozen guard and towards the gate. "Coming?"

"I – yeah," I said, pocketing the gold. I rushed into the city after her. "Um, who is Bryn?"

Delphine sighed and led me through the city's streets that passed over the watery canal ways winding through the Hold's capital and into the lake the city was built upon. The smell wafting up from the canal confirmed my suspicion that it was the... product of mortals. "Who is Bryn?"

Delphine stopped halfway across a bridge that crossed the canal – not the best place, but she didn't even seem to notice the smell. "Brynjolf is..." Delphine began, then shrugged. "He's complicated. Just know that he knows everything going on in this town, Thalmor and Esbern included. It's a safe bet he knows exactly where both of them are."

"So he's going to tell us?" I asked.

Delphine laughed. "He's a thief. Riften is where the Thieves Guild lives. We're going to have to do something for him if we expect anything in return," she explained. She turned around and kept walking, obviously expecting I would follow. I did.

"So we're going to have to steal something for him?" I asked. I exhaled nervously. "I'm... not sure if I'm okay with that."

Delphine turned back to me. "Excuse me?"

"I..." I half froze from the stare she was giving me. I furrowed my brow. "We threaten him – tell us, or we'll turn him in."

Delphine laughed dryly. "The Guild owns half the guards in the Hold – it's the only place that they're still strong. No. They would either not arrest Bryn, or he'd be out in a few hours and be much more inclined to help the Thalmor against us. We have to do this."

I narrowed my eyes. "No. We don't. You obviously know this place pretty well," I said. Delphine stared at me and nodded slowly. "You're also a paranoid freak – no offense meant. Where would you hide?"

Delphine glared at me for a moment, then her brow softened and she looked at me with a cross between annoyance and admiration. "Okay. I think I have an idea. You have problems with going in sewers?"

Fahiil

Thera

As I peeled the scale armor from an assassin killed by Lucius, I began to question whether Elenwen truly deserved any loyalty from me. In truth, I had been her underling for decades, since the end of the Great War. In all that time she had risen only on the back of my accomplishments. And this failure with Dark Brotherhood rejects..? I was giving serious thought toward reporting her constant failures to the Aldmeri Council. Of course, my recent defeat at the human's hands would be removed from any report. I am not fool enough to think that my failure would not hinder my journey to power.

Yet, Lucius and the Blades would indeed be a problem, still. I lightly scrubbed the blood off of the armor with water from the lake and replaced my elven armor with it. I would need to kill them before I did anything else, before they could threaten me, so following them to Riften was the clear decision. Finding them in the city would be an issue, most likely. If they were hunting for a Blade hiding in Riften, I doubted they would be anywhere I could easily find. As soon as the armor was clean, I pulled the material across my body and dumped my previous, melted armor onto the ground. For good measure, I grabbed an ebony saber and orcish war axe from the pile of dead bodies and slid them into my belt.

I roamed up the pathway to the capital of the Hold and began to overhear the guards posted outside the gate. " – amn woman. I can't believe she knew Brynjolf," one said sullenly to his partner. I crouched as I approached the gate and slid outside the two men's lines of sight to hide behind the nearby stable.

"How does a half-elf bitch like her even know Brynjolf?" the other guard asked. Half elf..? Delphine, the Breton. "If it weren't for her, that fool would have paid us the gold we asked for."

"Shhh!" the first one hissed. "We can't let our Captain hear about this – or any other fools on the road." And that was my cue to embarrass the two sub-Mer Nords.

I walked out from behind my hiding place, taking care to not be seen by the two until I had made my way back onto the road. Then, I revealed myself. I walked as loudly as possible to herald my arrival, and the two guards snapped back into attention. "You'll need to pay a toll to enter the city," one of the two said. "Thirty septims."

I smiled. "Of course," I said with a disarming smile. I pulled the gold from my pack and handed it over to the guard, who quickly placed it into a gold pouch on his hip. I noted that his partner had a similar one on his belt. The two guards walked towards the gate to unlock it, and I softly took the two gold-filled pouches from each.

"Don't cause no trouble," the guard demanded as he let me through the gate. It slammed shut behind me.

"Well, well, it's nice to see someone new with some talent. I don't know you, though. You in Riften lookin' for trouble?" a gravelly voice laughed. I looked up to be face to face with a huge, black haired Nord. He grinned evilly. "What are you doing here in Riften?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Looking for someone, Mister..."

"I'm Maul. And you're that elf that Ulfric somehow let into his army," the gravelly voiced Nord said. My eyes widened slightly in surprise. "What? The Thieves' Guild knows everything, and I know the Thieves' Guild. For one of those guard's pockets, you can know a bit of what I know, too."

I growled exasperatedly, but handed one of the gold purses – the lighter one – over to Maul. He smiled. "Nice doin' business with you," he drawled. He suddenly became serious. "What do you need to know?"

"I'm looking for someone – someone hiding here, in Riften. He likely is not known by anyone and keeps to himself. An old man, about -"

"Look, if it's someone hiding, you'd better talk to Brynjolf," Maul interjected. He crossed his arms. "Check the Bee and the Barb, he's usually there this time of day. You can't miss him."

"What does he look like?" I asked. "No offense, but all you Nords look the same to me."

Maul shook his head. "Believe me, you'll either know him, or he'll know you. Go, we're done here." Maul turned on his heel and stalked away through the city.

"Helpful people, eh?" I grumbled to myself. I thought about hunting Maul down and torturing him for more information, but if this 'Thieves' Guild' was as powerful as he suggested, I had to play it safe with their allies. I turned and began my search for the 'Bee and the Barb,' whatever that was. Turns out, it was an inn.

I walked into the rinky dink inn, owned by two beastfolk Argonians. Sure enough, I did recognize Brynjolf right away. He stood slightly away from the door and was staring at me with an amused smile. He was of average height for a Nord, with reddish-brown hair that hung around his head in a mop simultaneously controlled and messy. He had pronounced cheekbones, and a collection of light scars. For a human, he was quite... ahem... handsome. Ugh, if the Council could read this, they'd kill me.

"Never done an honest day of work in your life for all that coin you're carryin', eh lass?" Brynjolf asked.

I smiled. "I have quick hands," I replied. "Brynjolf."

He grinned back. "Aye, that's me. I heard you tricked my men at the gate – that shows some promise. How would you like to do a job for me? Good coin in it, if you succeed."

I smiled. "Only if you help me with something else. I'm told you know where to look for people. I'm looking."

"Hm?" Brynjolf grunted. "I'm betting I know just who. Tell you what, you do the job I need, I'll help you out."

"That's a deal," I replied with a sinister smile.

Jul

Lucius

"Now, when you said sewer, I didn't quite believe you," I said as we exited the home of the Thieves' Guild – a bar adjacent to a lake of excrement and filth – and wandered deeper into the Ratway. The cobblestone sewer looked to be the remains of a long abandoned prison, or perhaps a city that had sunk into the ground and been built over by the current residents of Riften living far above. "You showed me."

Delphine shook her head, but ignored me. After a few moments, she began to talk to me. "Okay, Dragonborn. Esbern's down here somewhere, and I'm willing to bet he is as far down as this place goes," she began. Her foot splashed in a puddle of something I was very sure was not water. "I'm also willing to bet that the Thalmor are already -"

"Leave me alone!" the voice of an old man came, shouting, through the darkness. "Leave! Now!"

"You are coming with us!" the nasally, condescending voice of a Thalmor Wizard responded. Magickal lightning lit up the room, and the old man's voice echoed with pain. "You two – grab him. And be careful: we need him alive, for now." Metal boots clanked on the ground.

Delphine turned to me. "That must be Esbern," she hissed. Her blade sang quietly as she pulled it from her hip. "We need to save him."

I nodded and drew my saber. "I am always ready to kill Thalmor," I responded simply. I watched from above as the Thalmor began to drag Esbern – an old, skinny, balding Nord – across the excrement bathed ground of the Ratway. I walked to the edge closest to the Wizard, who was observing his cronies. I glanced over at Delphine, who was staring at me like I was insane. "Feim!"

I jumped from the ledge as the whispered shout escaped my lips, the force of the ancient Magick still causing the foundations of the Ratway to shudder. My newly impervious and ghostly form fell through the dank air and landed behind the surprised, turning Wizard. The power of the shout disappeared as I raised my blade and quickly dispatched the Wizard. His head rolled slowly, menacingly towards the two Thalmor carrying Esbern. They dropped the man, whose head hit the ground with a dull – but otherwise non-deadly – thud.

The two Thalmor rushed towards me, summoning bound blades to their hands. I ducked under the first ethereal blade and delivered a sharp punch to the gut of its wielder. He doubled over, giving me time to launch a kick to the midsection of his partner. The second elf flew off of the stairs we were fighting on and crashed to the stone ground with a groan and the clatter of metal. I raised my blade above my head and the bound blade of the first Thalmor collided with a clang. I brought my elbow backwards into the elf's sternum. The metal on my arm collided with his chest and there was a sick crunch as his ribcage shattered from the blow. His breathing became labored wheezing until I finally brought my blade down and ended his misery. A quick bolt of Magickal lightning towards his friend still groaning a flight of stairs down finished the fight with the Thalmor.

"Damn," Delphine whispered as she reached me. "Wish we had you during the war..."

I shrugged and moved over to the old man. I pulled his head up slightly before using a healing spell on him. He groaned softly as the flesh in his skull knitted itself back to its preferred form. "Wh-what?" the old man said as his eyes drifted open. "Who are you?"

"Esbern!" Delphine half-breathed, half-shouted. She rushed forward to hug the man laying on the sewer floor.

"Wha? Why, Delphine, you're alive?" Esbern asked, joy beginning to creep into his voice. "It is you! Oh, Divines, I'm happy to see you."

"Me too, Old Man," she replied, hugging her mentor closer. "The dragons -"

At that, Esbern seemed to fall apart. "The dragons! The dragons' return... we're doomed, Delphine. Doomed."

"No, Esbern, you don't under -"

"The gods have forsaken us to our doom. Just as ancient prophecy foretold, the dragons spell the end for Nirn and its peoples," Esbern wailed.

"Esbern, we -"

"Without the favor of the Nine, there is no Dragonborn to save us, no great warrior driven by fate to defeat the dragons and lead the Blades," Esbern lamented. "We are truly doomed..."

"Well, I suppose it's a good thing I am Dragonborn, then," I said, causing the older man to become completely silent.

"Y-you are what?" he asked, turning to look at me for the first time. His eyes studied me intensely, painfully looking for any detail that would confirm my, admittedly insane, claim. His thin, bony hand grasped my armored wrist. "You are..." He pulled himself up using my shoulders and looked into my eyes. "Perhaps the Divines still hold mercy in their hearts for us mortals."

Esbern turned, then, to Delphine. "Delphine, I need you to collect some things from my home. A few books – you will know them when you see them. I must talk with the Dragonborn."

"Of course," Delphine said, her voice a much softer tone than she used when dealing with anyone else. She walked away, leaving me alone with Esbern.

"Do you know the legends of the dragons?" Esbern asked after a few moments.

"I know a little. The End of the World, mortal enslavement, and... not much else," I responded sheepishly.

"More than most know," Esbern assured me. His face grew grim. "Alduin has returned. Alduin, the World Eater and Lord of Dragons and Devourer of Sovngarde, has returned to lay waste to the works of mortals once again."

"Um, okay?" I said, unsure of what Esbern was talking of.

"My boy, do you not understand?" he asked upon seeing my expression. He sighed and shook his head. "Dragonborn – you are the only one who can defeat Alduin and save the world from its doom."

I laughed dryly. "So no pressure, aye?"

Fahiil

Thera

I wandered into the Cistern of the Ragged Flagon, looking for Brynjolf and his information regarding this "Esbern" Blade that I had been sent to hunt down. He had sent me, earlier in Riften's Market Square, to steal a simple ring from an Argonian who worked in the region and then plant that ring on the person of a nearby Dunmer who – the disgrace – was raised by Nords. "Yeah, yeah, Bryn. If I had a Septim for every failed recruit you brought in, I'd be richer than the Empire," the barkeep of the disgusting room said. His shaggy brown hair draped down to his dirty shoulders and he scrubbed a blackened glass with a rag nearly as dirty.

"I'm telling you, somethin's different about this lass," Brynjolf insisted. He was wearing a dark brown, almost black, armor with pockets sewn into almost every inch. The design was meant for thievery, but the leather still seemed thick enough to defend against most any attack. The design seemed somewhat... Daedric in design. "It was the first job that's worked out in months, Vekel."

"Aye, I believe you Bryn, but it's just a woman," the barkeep responded. "She's no lucky charm, aye?"

"Eh, perhaps, perhaps not," Brynjolf acquiesced. "But – Ah, there's the lass herself!"

I strode confidently into the Ragged Flagon. "Hello Brynjolf," I said, exchanging pleasantries.

"Hello, Lass. I knew you'd make it here." Brynjolf grinned deviously. He turned to Vekel. "You see? I told you she was somethin' different."

"Okay, Bryn, okay," the barkeep said, lifting his hands in mock defensiveness. "Sorry. It's good to meet you. Brynjolf seems convinced you're the savior of his little guild."

"Is that right?" I asked. I smiled. "I'd be happy to help, but I do have some things I need to attend to before stealing from the entirety of Skyrim."

"Ah, yes, the lass here is lookin' for someone," Brynjolf explained. He turned to me. "The old man, eh? It seems that everyone coming into Riften this month is lookin' for him. You held up your end of the bargain, lass, so I'll hold up mine. The old man, Ezzer, or somethin' like that, is -"

"Bryn! It's good to see you again," a familiar voice called. Delphine, Lucius, and an old man – likely the target – walked into the room. Delphine smiled and 'Bryn' laughed happily in response. "How long has it been?"

"Only a short decade or two," Brynjolf replied. He walked up to the trio I was hunting and hugged Delphine. "It's good to see you again, Phina."

"Please, Bryn, you know I hated that nickname," the Breton replied good-naturedly. She turned around. "You two go ahead – Bryn and I have some catching up to do."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Lucius hissed before leading Esbern off. I leered at him and the escaping Blade, but remained where I was. Delphine most likely knew I had the strength to murder her and all the Thieves present if she revealed me, but I also could not turn old friends against one another, not on such short notice.

"Hm... Sorry, Lass," Brynjolf said to me as Esbern and Lucius walked away. "Seems the Old Man's out of hiding. Here's the gold, though." He dropped a coin purse into my hand.

"What have you been up to, Phina?" Brynjolf began, and I knew that I was no longer of import. I narrowed my eyes to glare at the Blade, who smirked back.

"Oh, going legit. I own an inn in Riverwood," she replied.

"I'll have some men mark it as off limits," Brynjolf offered, earning a smile of gratitude from the Blade. "It's no trouble, Phina."

"Thank you. I need to go, though. Return to my inn," she said, hugging her friend tightly once again. "Good luck with your would be thief, Bryn." She smirked at me again, and turned on her heel to leave me stewing in impotent rage.