"This'll be your bed, lass."
Brynjolf has led me to one of the corners of the Cistern room, near the lockpicking practice room. It's dark, musty and secluded - perfect. He's also permitted me to have a personal belongings chest, given me a set of Guild armor, and provided another ebony dagger, which I have in the sheath on my belt.
"So what's the scoop on Goldenglow?" I ask him, moving to light the torch by my bed. The fire gives his face a sexy, shadowed look and I have to look away before I start to drool.
He sits on my bed and sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I wouldn't send you in there if I had the choice, Kya."
Kya? I like the way it rolls off his tongue. I sit on the bed opposite him, listening intently. Apparently, Goldenglow is one of the suppliers to one of the Guild's largest clients but the owner, Aringoth, has ceased communication. The job is simple enough - break into Goldenglow, set three bee-hives on fire and steal everything in Aringoth's safe to send the Altmer a message. I don't see what Brynjolf is worried about.
"What's the big deal, Bryn? It seems like any fledgling thief could get in there and do this easily."
He turns to me, his mouth in a thin, hard line. "You seen Vex yet? Heard anythin' about her?"
I tilt my head at him. "I only just got here. How could I have met her yet?"
He shrugs. "She's one of our senior thieves. Gives out the missions, collects the pay and distributes it...the important stuff. She's also one of the best damn infiltrators we have here."
"So what?"
"She almost got herself killed tryin' to break into Goldenglow."
That stops me in my tracks. Wait, what? And they want me to go in there? What are they trying to do, kill me off? I cross my arms over my chest and glare at Brynjolf.
"What's the idea, sending me in there then?"
He shakes his head. "I haven't any idea as to why Mercer would want you to go in there, lass. Like I said, if it was my choice, you wouldn't be. But the Guild Master has the final say. I can't do anythin' about it."
I sigh and run my hand through my hair. "Any advice before I go?"
He nods, standing. "Yea, go and find Vex. She's seen first hand the kind of security that Aringoth's got for the place. See if she has any secrets she'd be willin' to divulge to you. And Kya?" He reaches over and grasps my arm tightly. "Don't get yourself killed."
Whoa. His voice just got deadly serious and his eyes are wide with worry. Why in Dibella's name would he care if I got hurt? He doesn't know me. I've only just arrived here and we have no sort of friendship other than casual flirtation. The idea of anything more than that is too much for my head to handle, so I nod stiffly and take a step out of his reach, adjusting my belt.
He clears his throat, standing as well. "She's over in the Flagon, if you wanna talk to her. When you're done with the job, come see me and give me the details."
"Before we begin I want to make two things perfectly clear."
I stop in my tracks, holding back Neshoba from lunging at Vex. Bitch, I haven't even said a word to you yet. Back off, or I'll sick my dog on you.
"One, I'm the best damn infiltrator this rathold of a Guild's got." She leans forward and glares at me. "So if you think you're here to replace me, you're dead wrong."
Gods, give me patience. I already want to stab this woman in the throat.
"And two, you follow my lead and do exactly as I say. No questions, no excuses."
I open my mouth to speak, but she cuts me off.
"Then we understand eachother. Good."
I smirk. "I have a question."
She glares at me, and I cheer inwardly. It has now become my personal mission to make this woman's life a living Oblivion. She nods for me to speak, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Who shoved a dagger up your ass this morning?"
She starts towards me, reaching for a dagger just as Mercer passes through the room, shooting a glare at the both of us. She sighs, annoyed, and leans back against the ale barrels.
"I don't want to waste a lot of time talking anything but business, elf. So shut your mouth and open those pointy ears of yours." She flips her hair out of her face. "You're here to ask me about Goldenglow, right?"
"Didn't you just tell me to shut my mouth?" I quip, sneering at her.
She balls up a fist. "Is that why you're here, or not?"
I nod at her.
"The guard's been tripled in the last two weeks. Nearly ten guards outside, at least eight inside. The hive yard is trapped to Oblivion and Aringoth's got locks on all the doors that were nearly impossible for me to pick. So you don't have much of a chance."
As much as I want to throw some snappy comment back at her, she's right. I'm not much of a lockpick. Pickpocketing, stealing and sweet-talking I can do. But hand me a lockpick and I'm useless.
"What do you suggest then?"
"Well..." she starts, then takes a swallow of her mead. "There's an old sewer tunnel that dumps into the lake on the northwest side of the island. That's how I slipped in. Hopefully, it's still unguarded."
"Is that it?" I ask her. "That's not much to go on."
She glares at me and shrugs a shoulder. "It's what we've got. That's why we need to get your ass in there - we need more information."
I roll my eyes at her and turn, making my way towards the hidden exit in the graveyard. She wants a fight? I'll give her a fight. I'll prove to Brynjolf, Mercer...all of them that I'm good enough to put Vex out of business and get this guild back on its feet.
Damn, Vex wasn't kidding. I've counted at least nine guards around the hive yard, patrolling the area better than the Riften watch. This isn't going to be easy. I've left Neshoba behind, hoping that with less feet on the ground, less noise will be made. I'm assuming that the Guild won't want me killing any of them, but I can't make any promises. With luck, I won't even be attacked in the first place.
I spot the hives around the lawn, and only one guard with a torch. I'm no magic user, so I have to find a way to get that torch off of him. An idea hits me and I draw the bow from my back, reaching for an arrow and nocking it, taking aim at the guard's hand. I close one eye and hold my breath, letting the arrow go...it knocks the torch from the guard's hand, but also puts everyone on alert. I have to move fast.
I duck behind the outer wall to the hive yard and sneak around to the side by the water, picking up a heavy log as I do. When the majority of the guards are on this side, I hurl the log into the water and cause the biggest splash I can manage, then dive out of sight and make my way back around the outer wall. To my delight, the guards have taken the bait and are wading into the water to find where the noise came from. I have one chance.
I slither into the yard and find the torch that I shot from the guard's hand, picking it up quickly and sneaking around to three behives, lighting them at the base and then putting the torch out in the dirt. Brynjolf was very specific - three hives only. I watch from the waterside as the smoke billows from the hives, and the guards begin to yell. Inwardly, I cheer. Part one, accomplished. Take that, Vex.
It takes another twenty minutes, but I manage to find the sewer entrance that she told me about. As soon as I open the door, I have to hold back a gag. It smells utterly foul, but I don't have much of a choice. I slide through the narrow entrance and wade through the filth, finding my way into Aringoth's estate.
The level that I am on has at least four patrole guards. I am sure there is an upper level, and the basement level below me. Brynjolf suggested that I try and get the key to the safe from Aringoth, but Vex's comment compels me to try and pick the lock. If I can't manage it, I'll go for the key.
The guards have a regular patrole pattern that is easy to maneuver around. I make my way through an iron gate without being seen and inch down the stairs. In the basement, there is a room with a bar and three more patrolemen seated, but they look drunk. Shouldn't be too hard to get past them. In fact, perhaps I can empty their pockets. I keep to the shadows of the wall and make my way around the room, behind the three of them. Luckily, they are seated at the bar and are all facing the same direction. I snake my hand into their pockets and remove three amethysts, at least 70 septims in coin purses, four lockpicks and a silver-garnet ring. These will fetch a handsome price. One of the men stirs with my hand still in his pocket and I freeze, withdrawing my fingers slowly.
"R'you tryin' to get in my pockets, Greigor?" he asks, turning to his left.
The second man looks completely outraged. "Me? How could'ya even say that?"
The first man stands and draws his sword, pointing it at Greigor. "I felt'cher fingers in my pocket, ya good fer nothin' scoundrel!"
A fight breaks out and I manage to make my way out of the room while the men are distracted. I grin to myself, marvelling in the luck I've had so far. Vex will be so pissed and the thought brings a chuckle to my throat.
A few more hallways and another room of drunken guards, and I'm in front of Aringoth's safe. I have six lockpicks on me. Six chances to rub my skill in Vex's face. I try one lockpick, and it breaks almost immediately. The second and third also break before I find the right position in the lock. The fourth almost opens the safe, but breaks at the last second. The fifth is the same story, and my hands begin to sweat as I pull out my last pick. I put it in the right spot, push my knife into the keyhole and turn slowly, holding my breath. I pass the spot where the fourth and fifth picks broke and the lock clicks. Yes! I swing the door open victoriously but stop, frowning.
What is this, a joke? There's hardly anything in the safe! Sure, there's a hefty looking coin purse but...where are the jewels and the weapons? Surely they can't be serious. There is a small slip of paper beside the coin purse and I pull it out, opening it and reading it. Aringoth sold Goldenglow? Mercer won't be happy about that. And what's that strange symbol at the bottom of the paper. Is it a mark of the Guild? Brynjolf will know, surely.
I sigh, picking myself up and making my way towards the exit. Gods, I hate being the bringer of bad news. Everyone wants to stab the messenger.
Kyari's luck seems to have granted her success in Goldenglow, but she must bring the grim news of the estate's sale to Brynjolf and the rest of the guild. Who is the client that wanted the heist in the first place? What will Mercer and Brynjolf do with the information? And what is the strange symbol on the paper that Kyari found? Come back soon for more!
Thank you all for reading so far! This story is so fun to write and I'm glad that you're enjoying it. Follows, favorites and reviews are always welcommed!