Another quick update to make up for the time spent waiting. I didn't want to dwell on the sneaking part for too long - as it is an exceptionally long quest for sneaking, so let's just get on with the interesting parts eh? Tenebraeus is a hothead here but just go with it.

Reviews...

xXicecreamIVIlad - Haha, you mean Anna? Well, that's not for another two years... I can promise you it's coming soon - patience is a virtue!

Chapter Nine

I walked into the inn, looking at the patrons - no Argonians.

Save for one.

I moved over to the lizard-like creature, who sat at a table with a plat of cheese, bread and wine. He didn't notice me until I was sat down opposite him, taking the bread and pulling some away to eat myself.

"So, what do we have here?" I heard the arrogant smile in his voice. "Let me guess." He sniffed for a few moments, and ran his eyes over my clothes. "By your scent, I'd say you were from the Guild. But that can't be true because I told Mercer I wouldn't deal with them anymore." He took the bread back and resumed eating.

"I'm here about Goldenglow Estate." I said lowly. He immediately paused in his eating.

"I'm sorry, I don't deal in land or property." He said after a time, stammering slightly. "Now, if you're looking for goods, you've come to the right person." He laughed anxiously. I checked that the other patrons couldn't see - no. None of them were around this area of the inn. Perfect.

"Drop the act Gajul-Lei." I held up a hand, a small ball of fire flickering in front of my fingers. The Argonian immediately gulped.

"Oh, wait... did you say Goldenglow Estate? My apologies." He said, a sincerely apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry to say I know very little about that... bee farm was it?"

"You acted as a broker for it's new owner." I stated, confident I was right. He grinned anxiously once more.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. I can't be expected to remember every deal I handle." He said, arrogantly proclaiming himself. This started to make me angry - his arrogance mainly.

"Tell me about Goldenglow, and we'll forget all about this." I asked, breathing to try and maintain my anger - if only to keep my magic in check.

"Are you threatening me boy?" He chuckled. "You'll have to do more than that. Now, there is an object I've been meaning to acquire, it's in the Blue Palace-" I swept a hand across the table, colliding with everything on the table and knocking the food onto the floor. I grabbed the Argonian by his neck and held him against the wall, fire crackling in my free hand, which was in front of his face.

"I'm done asking." I moved the fire closer to his face. "Tell me about Goldenglow and I won't flay you alive right here."

"Okay, okay!" He cried out in a strangled low voice. "I'll tell you what I know!" I dropped him from my grip and sat back down, waiting for him to do the same - which he did, albeit shakily. "I was approached by a woman who wanted me to act as the broker for something big." He explained in gasps. "She flashed a bag of gold in my face and said all I had to do was pay Aringoth for the estate." I remembered the cowering elf who had been my first victim. I immediately tried to perish the thought, and not show my weakness to the lizard. "I brought him the coin and walked away with her copy of the deed."

"Did she say why?"

"No, no not at all!"

"You didn't ask?"

"I tend not to ask too many questions when I'm on the job." He snapped, still rubbing his neck. "I'm sure you understand."

"You've got to know something." I said, raising my hand that held the flames.

"I don't - I swear!" He said, his eyes fixated on the flame. "I-I noticed she was quite angry and it was being directed at Mercer Frey-"

"Give me a name." I cut him off - I wasn't asking.

"In this business, we rarely deal in names; our identity comes from how much gold we carry. Maybe you should even start thinking about an alias for yourself-"

"You're lying." I stated - I could see it in his flickering eyes and anxious licking of the mouth. Being a thief, I spent enough time amongst liars and could spot one a mile off. A few women walked by, and I quickly closed my palm, extinguishing the flames. The Argonian smiled - feeling more emboldened now and sitting up straight.

"Look, that's all I know. I never promised I'd have all the answers." I sit there, seething out anger at this man, and at the women who were still here. "Now, since our transaction is done, I'll be on my way." He said, practically dashing out of the inn. I looked at the women, who were now moving up to the rooms to stay for the night. I leant back in the chair, cursing. He knew more than he was letting on, and he had got away.

Or at least he thought he did.

I grinned to myself, and walked to the pair of women. "Hello ladies." I smiled, and placed an arm around each of them. "Would you mind if I accompany you to your rooms?" The drunken duo giggled and proceeded to wrap their arms around me and laugh, leading me down to the walkway to their rooms. As soon as they were inside, they fell about with laughter, and lay on the beds. I grinned as the instantly fell asleep, and moved to take their jewelry and purses, then opened the window and moved out of the room, onto the top of the building. My eyes scouted over the dense population, until I found the Argonian looking over his shoulder continually, then exiting through the city gates. I grinned to myself.

"Got you."

I stood on a wooden platform above the immense loads of cargo inside the East Empire Company warehouse. There were staggering forty-foot drops inside the overgrown cavern that held the cargo, as well as trading ships in the water beside the wooden walkways. Gulum-Ei continued to walk on the walkway, past the series of guards that patrolled beneath me. I grinned to myself - of all of the dragon attacks I had heard about, Nords still couldn't seem to grasp the concept of looking up. Although, I was hidden in shadows, therefore it would take an exceptionally observant person to spot me.

I noticed the Argonian suddenly slip behind a series of crates and cargo, and had it not been for his emerald scales or the fact that I had been intently watching him in particular, I would not have realised that he disappeared into a slit between the rock formations, hidden by the cargo. I grinned to myself once more - he had dealt with thieves before, but had never thought to make sure he wasn't followed? Even after talking with one?

I silently dropped from the cargo and and made my way towards the rock passage, where I noticed that more cargo was hid here - things like dragon bones and scales, long nine-foot gold chains. This must've been black market type valuables.

I noticed Gulum-Ei walking across a series of wooden planks over a deep, dark river which my instincts screamed at me not to go into. I began to creep along the planks, trying to keep my balance. As I got closer, I heard thick Nordic accents.

"...picking pockets, now that's art...no rough stuff, just take it and go."

"...not much fun though..."

I let out a silent curse - really? More of those bandit/warden/guard types? I came to the resolve of sneaking past them - Brynjolf had never condoned killing, unless it was in self-defense. Much like my father had, an age ago.

I hadn't thought about my father in a long time - I tried not to, given how I became melancholy instantaneously, but now I did, I began to draw similarities between him and Brynjolf - both had a code of honour to live by, and neither encouraged killing. It was proof of how Brynjolf was an honourable man. The most honourable I think I had ever met.

I fell back a few steps in surprise; I had been so absorbed in my thoughts I hadn't realised that Gulum-Ei was a few meters in front of me with two other men - bandits for certain. They wore a series of assorted furs, and sat around drinking mead. At the centre of the clearing that they occupied, there was the source of light - the fire. I licked my lips and stretched out a hand slowly, trying to calm the fire. I closed my eyes to concentrate and tried to harness the heat, tried to surpress it. The sound of alert made me smile to myself - that was only the third time I had done that in my life. I was improving - I was gaining control! Finally!

I stood up and walked over to the first Nord bandit, and clapped my arm around him, strangling him. He let out a few panicked breaths, but as I choked him tighter and clapped a hand on his mouth, his arms stopped flailing and he fell limp onto me, nearly falling on me like an anchor. I checked his pulse - which was still steady - and lowered him to the ground.

I moved in the darkness past the smoking wood, where the other bandit was knelt trying to make a fire desperately. I kicked the back of his legs, bringing him down even lower, and wrapped an arm around him, choking him as well. He grabbed my forearm, however, and leant forwards, toppling me onto the smoking firewood. I caught a glimpse of the steel axe that came flying down towards me, and I rolled out of the way, grabbing a log of the wood and sending it straight into his unprotected head, which now spouted blood. I panted, watching the pool of scarlet drown the dirt beneath my feet. I turned to Gulum-Shei, who had grabbed a torch, lit it and was now standing there, watching me in horror. I started to walk towards him, wiping some of the blood off of my face.

"Now, there's no need to do anything rash." He said, stumbling backwards. "This isn't as bad as it seems. I was going to tell Mercer everything, honestly!" He shouted, exasperated. Of course, that wasn't why he was shouting.

"The guards are miles back Gulum-Shei. They can't hear us." He desperately flitted his eyes around, as if an escape route would pop up, or the dead guard or his friend would.

"Please... he'll have me killed!" Gulum-Shei cowered. I threw a hand towards him, in an attempt to hit him, although my fist never reached him - he flew back across the room and smacked into the rocks of the cavern. I couldn't help smiling to myself - I was gaining control over my magic! Granted, I hadn't intended to do that, but I knew I could now! I was sure I could monitor it...

"Tell me now, and I'll decide whether or not Mercer needs to know."

"There's no need to tell him!" He cried. "I'll tell you everything." He relaxed slightly, allowing him to speak at his own pace. "It's Karliah... her name is Karliah." I waited for him to continue, which he didn't.

"You say that name like I should know it."

"Mercer never told you about her?"

"Why would he?"

"Karliah is the thief responsible for murdering the previous Guild Master, Gallus. Now she's after Mercer."

"And you're helping her?"

"Help...? No, no! I didn't even know it was her until after she contacted me! Please! You have to believe me!" I sighed, pacing back past the bodies. This was big - bigger than we had previously thought.

"Where is she now?"

"I don't know! When I asked her, she just muttered 'where the end began'." I stood there, the torch flickering on the ground behind him, showing the dim silhouettes of the bodies behind me. "Here, take the Goldenglow Estate Deed as proof. And when you speak to Mercer, tell him I'm worth more to him alive." I just stared at him, and turned back to leave. His lies had made me angry enough to kill him - which I would have done, were it not for my promise to Brynjolf, and for the fact that it would hurt him.

Besides, we had bigger things to worry about - there was a vendetta with a thief that knew our ways - a traitorous thief with inside information.