F'arrasha Skyrim Fic

Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own F'arrasha.

Chapter 6: The Invitation

Riften looked a dark and gloomy place, and, upon departing from my carriage ride, I took one whiff of the air. It felt honey sweet, and yet there was subtle taste of corruption here. I could not put my finger on it, but I had a distinct feeling I was in the right place for what I was searching for.

As I stood up and heard my joints pop for having stayed so long, a guard approached me and told me I had to pay a visitor's tax. I narrowed my eyes and tried to size up the guardsman. He wore a thick leather helmet, and hide armor. I then saw the shape of a female guard standing behind him. Even if it was only two of them, the noise could probably alert others inside, and I would have a whole city to fight. No, the Gray Fox would never be so obvious in such a way. I had to pay.

I reached into my coin purse and pulled out the appropriate tax, though I commented that it was an extortion racket. I hated extortion rackets. Granted, it is a lot like stealing, it also was not any fun. There was no subtly involved in the idea; only brute force. The subtly was in sneaking into a place, not raising the alarm, stealing what needed to be stolen, and getting out without anyone noticing anything was wrong. The guard opened the gate and, though his helmet hid his smug smirk, I could see it on his face as he allowed me passage into the city. I will find a way to get that money back.

As I wandered into the city of Riften, I discovered it was a major trading hub for Skyrim and the rest of the Empire. The weather was more humid here than in Whiterun, but that did not stop me one bit. As I walked into town, I overheard two people talking. One of them was a woman with a large axe and a painted face. She said she had fought off some more Thieves' Guild members the other day. The man that she was talking with seemed concerned and, as I ducked behind an alleyway, I tried listening further into the conversation. But, I did not get much more than that. She seemed to a paladin in training or something. Or a barbarian looking for a noble cause. She definitely looked like she could take on a dragon. Still, if I were to be a member of the Thieves' Guild, I had to be aware of who its enemies were. And, she might be a problem.

As I continued to look about the port city, I stopped into some shops and sold what loot I had acquired in my travels. Though it was a mere pittance of what they actually were worth, it was, at the very least, some coin in my pocket that I could use for later. I noticed a place where people congregating in a sort of open market and, as I approached, a scruffy looking man came up to me. He said he had a job offer for me that he could tell I was not the sort to do an honest-day's work. Was that ever the truth, but I was kind of wondering how long he had an eye on me.

His name was Brynjolf and he was thief. That much I could tell. He said he could size me up and he told me things about me, like the armor I was wearing, or the weapons, that I had stolen them or procured them through less than legal means. I was impressed with his reasoning and he wanted my help. What I had to do was break into a strongbox, steal a ring, and plant it on someone. This particular someone was a merchant that Brynjolf's client, as he put it, clearly want to be put out of business and behind bars. He had an unusual interest in me, and, at the same time, I almost felt him trying to seduce me. His words were sweeter than the honey-mead air around us, and I nodded I was interested. Brynjolf seemed to smile at that and explained to me that I would know my cue.

I casually watched and made my way through the crowd as he called over everyone to pay attention to him. He was attempting to sell a potion of something or other. I was not paying attention. However, in the crowd, I was able to duck away and found the stall he wanted me to break into. The lock was ridiculously simple to get through, but, at the same time, I had to be on alert for any passing guard that would come by. I did not want to get caught myself. A few short seconds later, I had the ring I was looking for and made my way to the merchant Brynjolf described to me. I snuck behind some crates and Brynjolf had the crowd still affixed onto him as he continued to make his case for selling whatever potion he was selling. For all I knew, it could have been cheap wine. I carefully removed the ring and allowed the shining object to fall into the cloth pocket of the merchant. I then slipped back behind the crates, and stood up casually. My heart was racing with excitement, but I had to keep a cool head as Brynjolf ended his sale and came to me. He complimented on my ability to remain undetected and gave me some coin. Then, he said, that if I were to truly worthy to join their organization, then I had to make my way to the Ragged Flagon in the Ratway. He then disappeared into the crowd.

I managed to catch a glimpse of him as he entered the Ratway and, as I followed him, I immediately felt a harsh scent of trash, sewage, and decay. I covered my mouth and almost gagged at the horrific stench. I leaned up against a corner and took a few breaths, allowing my body to grow accustomed to the scent of noxiousness before my mind could block it out long enough for me to focus. I then heard to people talking and they seemed to be killers. I peeked around the corner and watched as the two of them darted further and further into the tunnels, thinking they had heard an intruder. Little did they realize I was the one they were looking for.

I pulled out my twin steel daggers and slowly made my way to one of them. There was a drawbridge, but I could not get to the controls. I ducked down and saw the first one. I crept on the tops of my boots and stabbed him twice in the back. He did not even let out a scream or a gurgle as he fell over dead. I had fought enough bandits to know that these people were like bandits and other murderers. Still, as any thief knows, it is never good to have your back to a hallway or door unless you know no one is going to be behind it.

I found an iron gate inside the room and had a difficult time picking the lock. It was one of those locks that seemed hard to open than it actually was, but I had to be patient and, hopefully, I would not get caught. As I slowly slid the lock pick inside, I could feel my nerves tense up and my fingers starting to shake. I shook my head, telling myself that I was going to pick this lock and there was nothing that was going to stop me from doing it.

I heard it click at that moment and slowly opened it and closed it. I made my way up the stairs and saw another bandit in a brightly lit room. I pulled out my bow and arrow and fired one into his chest, laying him flat out on the floor. As I looted his body, I saw another door and, when I opened it, it was clear that I had reached my destination.

The Ragged Flagon…

Next Chapter:

Induction into the Thieves Guild…