Chapter 6
After endless days and nights riding on carriages and horseback, Karianna found herself at where "the end began." Snow Veil Sanctum. After fighting through endless waves of Ice Wraiths outside, Mercer was able to open the door to the Sanctum using a strange looking key. Before she could get a good look at it, though, Mercer slipped it back into his armor and opened the door. Like all other Nordic crypts, Snow Veil Sanctum was bursting with Draugr, undead Nord bodies brought back to life and compelled to kill anyone or anything that disturbed their home and the treasures within.
"I keep hearing about Karliah…," Karianna commented after they had cleared a room of yet another wave of Draugr. "Who is she exactly?"
Mercer Frey sighed and sheathed his swords once again. "She was my best friend in the Guild. Her and Gallus, our old leader. On one of our jobs together, though, Karliah snapped and killed Gallus. It was here, right here in Snow Veil Sanctum where it happened. That's what Gulum-Ei meant by 'where the end began.' It was here that the Thieves Guild began to lose its… luck if you will. After Karliah killed Gallus, jobs began to go sour. After the jobs began going sour, clients started leaving us. Our only regular client left is Maven. But that's only because she relies on the Guild as much as we rely on her."
Karianna nodded in understanding and they moved forward through the crypt. Through more Draugr and traps. Finally, they found themselves at a dead end. A Nordic puzzle door. Karianna had run into more than one in her travels and knew that the only way to open them was to align the right set of symbols and use a claw shaped like a dragon's made of the right material into the slots. Just as she was able to suggest they turn back and try to find another path, Mercer pulled out the strange key once more. This time, she was able to get a good look at it. Most of it seemed to be made of gold or bronze with the prongs of the key sticking out in odd angles and a glowing, blue orb topping the opposite end.
"Ahhh, an Ancient Nordic Puzzle Door, eh?" he observed. "They say these things are impossible to break into, but if you really just know how to treat them."
Karianna watched as he inserted the key into one of the slots where the dragon claw would go and with a few twists and turns, the doors slid away to reveal a darkened room.
"How in the-?" Karianna began to ask before an arrow sunk into her shoulder right where it was exposed through her armor.
The world turned a hazy sort of green before her knees gave out from under her and she collapsed to the ground. Her vision faded in and out but she was able to watch Mercer step over her body and into the room which was now flooded with light.
"Show yourself Karliah! I expect that arrow was meant for me?" Mercer shouted.
"Yes… and you have no idea how much it pains me to waste it," a cold Elven voice replied from nowhere. A moment later the voice was accompanied by the woman.
"So… have returned, eh? Well just so you know, you're too late. I'm ready to go for the big prize… once I've finished up here," Mercer said with a new tone of malice in his voice.
"Not if I can help it," Karliah promised before disappearing into thin air once more.
Mercer drew his swords and looked around the room. "Karliah!? Don't you dare run away from me!" When she didn't comply, Mercer turned and gazed down at Karianna's paralyzed form. "Hmph… I guess this is where your journey ends, friend."
Karianna had no time to wonder what he meant before he stabbed the sword in his right hand which glowed with an evil, red light and drained the life from her until she felt as if she were breathing through a pillow.
'Fight!' she told herself. 'You're the Dragonborn! You've been wounded far worse than this and lived to tell the tale, now FIGHT!'
And it was true. She had fought dragons and undead, both of the vampiric and Draugr variety as well as a host of Forsworn Briarhearts who utilized the power given to them by Hagravens to use extremely powerful magic. But it seemed like Mercer was right. Her journey had come to an end. The final thing on her mind before she blacked out was Brynjolf.