Skyrim Thief Fic
Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own F'arrasha.
Chapter 17: Returning Property
We had done it. Karliah, Brynjolf, and I all had done it as Nightengales. We had avenged the death of Gallus, cleansed the Thieves Guild of its traitor, and got the Skeleton Key back. As we conversed on what to do next, a feeling came from me. I could easily take this key for myself. The ability to unlock any door anywhere in Skyrim, no, Tamriel, would make me the greatest thief of all time. Nothing would stand in my way. It was an awesome power, one Mercer not only knew about, but exploited it as well.
Karliah seemed to sense my thoughts, as she said that, though it is a temptation, the key must be returned to the Twilight Sepulcher so that Nocturnal may resume her blessing over us. I knew she was right. I knew this was what had to be. In a way, when I went to find this hidden temple, it was a relief. Should I grow careless, such power in the hands of an amateur would be even more dangerous than in the hands of someone like Mercer. Then, it would be either destroyed, or seized. I sighed. Such as it was, I knew Karliah was right. I knew I could not keep it for myself.
Brynjolf said he could not accompany me on this part of my journey. He said he had to take care of some guild business and that he wished me luck on my journey through the Pilgrim's Path. He said I was going to need it. As if I did not know that already. Even Karliah did not know what to expect on the Pilgrim's Path. I just had to figure it out on my own.
As I journeyed through to this temple of Nocturnal, I could hear Mercer's voice still in my head, and the rant that he went on; how there was no honor amongst thieves, how everyone was out for themselves, and that the Skeleton Key was the greatest weapon ever to exist. I shut him out of my mind as best I could as I continued my journey, not wanting to be distracted from the job at hand. It did felt kind of odd, though, that I was working to return what was stolen. It honestly has to be the first time that I would have to do something like this. But it was the right thing to do; after all, it was neither mine nor Mercer's individually. It belonged to Nocturnal, and, contrary to what everything that was said about stealing, there are some people or beings one does not steal from.
I reached the Twilight Sepulcher around midday and walked inside the rocky façade. Instantly, I felt a chill and, as I trekked deeper into the place, I came to a large cave with a stone temple seemingly carved inside the rock. As I approached cautiously, a ghastly figure stood before me and inquired as to what I was doing in this place to Nocturnal. I explained that I was here to return the Skeleton Key to its rightful place. I almost could not believe I said it. It felt hollow to me. As the specter and I conversed, I came to discover that it was indeed Gallus, and he was prevented from entering the Ebonmere because Nocturnal was not done with him. He was sentenced to guard this place as long as the Skeleton Key was not here. He also pointed out that there were two thieves that tried to infiltrate this place, and one of them had a journal. I found the skeletal remains of this adventurer and, as I flipped through his book, he told of the numerous obstacles that lay ahead on the Pilgrim's Path, but it was all in riddles and mystery. My best bet would be to bring this thing along and go about, attempting to see this through to the end.
As I started on the Pilgrim's Path, I saw numerous specters of past Nightengales still littered this place, their spirits still bound to the Ebonmere. It was one of Nocturnal's tests. I did not like the idea of sneaking about in this instance, so I decided to fight them with both the Nightengale Blade and Chillrend. They fell quickly, me ducking and dodging their spectral arrows and swords. The magic was being exhausted in both these enchanted blades, but I had to press on. I had other magical weapons and I had Karliah's bow with me in case of any other mishap.
The path had seen better days, but there was a lot of treasure to be had. The whole place was cold and dark. One of the rooms contained searing light that burn me as I tried to pass through it. It was the answer to one of the riddles in the journal, and this place was trapped. I felt arrows fly past my head, narrowly avoiding poisons and other nasty surprises that came in this dungeon. It did feel like a dungeon more than a temple, but I guess it was designed that way; to test who the best thief was worthy of Nocturnal's blessing.
I finally found the man's partner that had managed to get so far. He was now a skeleton, but he managed to get this far. I jumped down this well and waited a moment. I began to remember my time back at Mercer's death. After the deed was done, water had begun to fill the place, and it all seemed hopeless for us to escape, and that was when the statue collapsed, revealing a dry way out of that chamber. At first, I thought it to be mere coincidence, but then, as I looked back on it, Karliah told me that the Skeleton Key greatly increases fortunes to whomever has it, and that it can unlock potential as well within somebody.
Suddenly, I disappeared in a flash of light and saw that I was in the inner sanctum of this place. The chill was still in the air, but, it did not seem to bother me here. Inside this chamber I was now standing on the door that the Skeleton Key fit into. I took a deep breath and prayed that this was going to work. I used the Skeleton Key and opened the door. Instantly, I was transported to the heart of Nocturnal's chambers, and the woman appeared. She was a hooded woman with ravens all around her, and her eyes were as black as midnight. I was in the Ebonmere and Nocturnal took the key from me, merely concluding our transaction.
Karliah was there too, and she explained that Nocturnal was extremely grateful of what I had accomplished. She did not sound that way to me, given her cold, near monotone demeanor, but Karliah assured me that she was proud of me. If not, then this conversation would not be taking place. She also pointed out that now I could unlock my true potential and pick a different shadow power, one to blend in, one to heal, and one to control the minds of my opponents. That was probably what Mercer used on Brynjolf. As I made my decision, Gallus' spirit appeared and he and Karliah conversed for a few moments. He reconciled with her and then disappeared into the Ebonmere, his true resting place.
But, as I left with the gift of Nocturnal, I knew more had to be done for the Thieves Guild to rebuild. This, however, was a good place to start…
Next Chapter:
Thieves Guild Lives!