Skyrim Thief Fic
Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own F'arrasha.
Chapter 14: The Nightengales Awaken
The Ratway Vaults were crawling with killers and murderers, but I managed to elude them and returned to the Flagon with Mercer's plans. Karliah had been cleared of the charges against the Guild, but, Karliah had a concern. Mercer knew we would be after him, and he had the Skeleton Key, a relic that could open any door, or benefit in unseen, seemingly believable occurrences. Such a powerful artifact would have benefitted the guild, but it rightfully belonged to Nocturnal, and we had to get it back. The Dark Elf woman said we needed an edge to fight Mercer, and that edge was to create a new trinity of Nightengales.
I asked how this was supposed to be done, and Karliah explained that it was a simple process; dealing with Nocturnal herself. In many ways, dealing with Nocturnal was like dealing with anything else, a contract. She rewarded those that fulfilled the obligations within the terms of the contract, of which those terms would be dictated at the time of the ceremony. She asked Byrnjolf and I to meet her near Nightengale Hall, a place just outside of town where the trinity would be restored.
The three of us exited the town and came across a peculiar looking stone that seemed to have some sort of mark on it. I shook my head, feeling chilly all of a sudden. I do not know why. Maybe it is the prospect of dealing with a Daedra that gave me such chills, but, at the same time, it could be anything else. We three moved in, maneuvering through the darkness in the cavern, until we came to a stone temple that seemed to be carved within. The place was obviously well kept for something so ancient, but I could see dust on many of the surfaces. Karliah pointed to an altar and, on it, were three identical stones. She touched one, and, in a flash, a new set of armor came forth from it. She said it was the Nightengale armor, that which we needed to use to contact Nocturnal.
As she left to change, I stepped forth, hesitantly putting my hand on the stone. Then, in a flash, the same armor appeared, but on me. Brynjolf did the same thing. This armor was different than the Thieves Guild armor. It felt lighter, yet more durable at the same time. I felt my muscles loosen a little, that I was quicker than in the old guild armor. I smiled, purring at the texture of the material.
Then, it was time for the ceremony. The three of us moved in, Karliah leading. She pointed to the three stones and that Brynjolf and I had to stand on one of them. I went left and Brynjolf went right. We took our positions and allowed Karliah to lead the ceremony, beseeching Nocturnal's aid in this quest of vengeance against Mercer.
The place then got cold, colder than any weather outside I had experienced. A blue mist and light emanated from the center, as dark clouds gathered in. A female voice, speaking in a commanding, yet flat, voice, seemed to echo from everywhere and nowhere at once. She was really frightening, and she and Karliah conversed a little bit, mostly Karliah striking a new deal with this Daedra lord. I could not understand most of it, but I kept silent, not knowing what to say.
Finally, the ceremony was over, and that we three were the new Nightengales. As we were about to leave, Brynjolf pulled me aside and asked about me leading the Thieves Guild when this was all over. Of course, I had to earn my keep still, but this would definitely be a commanding opportunity for me to do so. I was speechless at the proposal. I was still rather young, but Brynjolf said that I had shown more experience in these last few months than most thieves having been in the guild for years. I nodded, but only after Mercer was killed. Brynjolf seemed to chuckle at that, and he explained that Mercer was planning the ultimate heist, at a place called Irkngthand, an ancient dwarven ruin. But, very few people had ever gone there and returned. It was up to us now to find out what Mercer wants there, and take it from him…
Next Chapter:
Dwarven Ruins…