A/N: Hey everyone! First of all, I'm sorry that this was a little late. I've been out of town for a few days, and I didn't have the time to finish this chapter before I left. Of course, I'm back in business now lol! Here's chapter 18, hope you guys enjoy! Thanks to all who have read/reviewed/fav/followed thus far - you guys rock! Have a good week folks!
Chapter 18: Exhilarated
Astrid stood behind a large tree, gazing at the farmhouse in the distance. The rains had subsided and the clouds had begun to part ways, allowing the twin moons to paint the landscape in a haunting glow. Long ago, the faint candle lights in the house had been snuffed out, and her uncle now lay sprawled across his bed in an alcohol-fueled daze of slumber.
How long she had been waiting, she could not recall - the anticipation of seeing that monster suffer had somehow blurred the passing of time. Though it had yet to happen, Astrid could already hear Reiner's pleas and smell the coppery scent of his blood in the air. If things were to happen as she'd planned, he would be without a coin or valuable to his name, his body damaged, and his ego severely battered. And, of course, if she wasn't satisfied by that point, there were always other methods to sate her appetite for his pain. What Delvin didn't know, certainly wouldn't hurt him.
Suddenly, faint forms in the distance alerted Astrid to the guild's presence. Like a swarm, around a dozen silent silhouettes began to emerge from the shadowy depths, enveloping the house like a plague. Unconsciously, Astrid took a step out from her place of hiding, closer to the anarchy that was about to ensue.
She suddenly halted, catching herself pacing toward the farmouse. Did she really want to take the risk of being seen by Delvin, the guild, or even Reiner himself? One wrong move, and things could go terribly, horribly awry. Astrid sighed, stepping back to her hiding spot. At least if she stayed put, she could ensure that Reiner would be beaten senseless, and that he'd remain completely unaware of her involvement in his current misery.
Crossing her arms irritably over her chest, Astrid sighed, despising the fact that she could do nothing - see nothing of Reiner's pain. Out of the corner of her eye, Astrid noted that a single, dark figure was searching about the property. Delvin. He probably wanted to make sure she was staying put - trying one of his attempts at keeping her out of harm's way.
Her eyes narrowed, watching him wander about aimlessly in search of her. Every hair on her body began to stand on end, and every nerve suddenly became raw and frayed. Why did she have to listen to him, anyway? What purpose did it truly serve her to stay out of the guild's sight? She wasn't about to join the likes of them - of that, she was more than certain. Who did she have to fear? Reiner would remain in an oblivious stupor. She wouldn't let him lay eyes on her. Other than that, she was free - free from rules and restrictions. A malicious grin formed on her lips, as she happily reminded herself that she could very well do as she pleased.
Noticing that Delvin had wandered out of her sight, she began to sneak toward the farmhouse. A beautiful symphony of loud bangs and muffled screaming began to fill the heavy night air. The closer she crept, the more her heart began to pound with excitement. The front door of the house was carelessly flung open, and she simply glided in, unnoticed.
The kitchen table had been flipped over, and every cabinet or dresser had been purged of their contents. Astrid's smile only grew, as she carefully slinked up the stairs, following the enticing trail of his screams and the violent efforts of the guild members. She hunkered down on the staircase, hiding in the shadows and watching as members of the guild pillaged the upper floor.
Her eyes widened, hearing the sound of Reiner's punishment. What was she doing still hiding in the shadows? This was her home, and this was her mission. She didn't fear the guild. She wanted to see - she had every right to see. There were no consequences, only rewards - particularly the reward of seeing that monster's anguish.
Astrid slowly stood, emerging from the darkness, as a few members turned, falling still when they laid eyes on her. They must have remembered her from the Ratway, for they didn't react - they simply stood. Watching. Waiting.
Feeling quite satisfied with herself, Astrid followed her uncle's wails and snarls, and the brilliant melody of flesh striking upon flesh. Adrenaline began to surge through her veins when Reiner suddenly fell silent. Now was her chance. Now was the moment to see, and feel, and drink in his torment. He was certainly dead to Nirn at this point, and he would never know. It would be her perfect secret - a beautiful, magnificent gift to herself.
Astrid inhaled deeply, stepping into the faint light of Reiner's room that had been spilling through the open doorway. His door had nearly been torn from its hinges. She stepped in, her heart nearly pounding out of her chest, when her eyes fell on his defeated body. Two hooded figures held him, while another two stepped away from him. Suddenly, the two members holding him allowed his limp form to fall to the floor. None of the members reacted to Astrid - they knew who she was. They simply remained silent.
She scanned about his room - all of which had been destroyed and robbed of anything he held dear.
"...Astrid?" A form undetected in the corner removed his hood. Brynjolf stared at her, his face seeming blank and emotionless. "Why are you here, lass?"
Astrid simply met his gaze, sensing that he had felt quite surprised by her unexpected arrival. "Why am I here, you ask? I live here..." she purred, her eyes moving back to the sight of her uncle. She inhaled once more, taking in the faint traces of blood and sweat in the air, her heart now throbbing with the rush of it all. She turned back to Brynjolf, who seemed to appear as if he'd found her moment of elation a bit unsettling. "You do good work. The only way this could get any better is if you decided to kill him." she stated calmly, stepping out of Reiner's room and making her way out of the silent farmhouse and out into the night.
"Astrid?! Where in Nirn is that girl...?" Delvin muttered to himself in a panic. He'd searched the whole property, and hadn't found one trace of her. He began to feel ill as he realized that perhaps him not finding her may not have been a mistake.
He stopped, scratching his head and sighing in defeat, before turning to head to the front of the farmhouse. Haunting silence filled the air for what seemed like miles, as Delvin stood, eyes wide, staring into the gaping doorway. She couldn't be in there, could she? A large part of him dreaded the answer.
Delvin cautiously headed to the upper floor, noting where a door had nearly been torn off. Dim firelight spilled onto the hallway from the room inside, and he swallowed hard, deciding to follow it.
There, he met with Reiner's unconscious body, surrounded by his fellow members, and among them was none other than Brynjolf.
"I see you've done a number on 'em, Bryn. I can't thank ya enough for such good work-"
"Stop it, lad." Brynjolf demanded, his tone calm, yet stern.
"What do ya mean, 'stop it'?" Delvin gave him a leary look, feeling something unnerving travel through his mind and body.
"Enough with the lies, lad. I know she's here. She just dropped in to see our work, Delvin." Brynjolf continued, stepping out from the shadows.
"Who..." Delvin began, before being cut off once more.
"Astrid, damnit! You know who, lad! Now, stop with the lies!" Brynjolf spat, storming up to him, his face mere inches from Delvin's.
"Look, Bryn, I can explain-"
"No, Delvin! You lied to me. You told me this had nothing to do with that girl! I nearly let her into our guild, for Nocturnal's sake! Do you know what that would have cost me, if Mercer had found out that I'd been so careless?! What it would have cost you?!" Brynjolf yelled, poking a finger into Delvin's chest.
"Fine, then! Bloody fine, Bryn! I know I lied, damnit! That son of a bitch right there was beatin' the blue blazes outta' her! I couldn't just sit back and let him kill her, too!" Delvin countered, pointing a finger at Reiner's body. "What in Oblivion do ya expect me to do?!"
"Look, if you wanted to help her, even call in a blasted favor, that's your business, Delvin! But you should have never tried getting her in! Mercer would have both our heads if he knew about this! She's a liability - her uncle is bad blood to us! You don't just let your enemies walk right into your territory!" Brynjolf fumed, still in Delvin's face, causing him to grow more livid by the second.
"Astrid ain't no enemy! You'd better watch that mouth before you go makin' assumptions..." Delvin growled, refusing to back down.
"...Astrid...did...this...?" a weak, raspy voice bounced off the walls of the dark room, causing Delvin to grow as silent as death. His stomach began to churn, and his heart began to palpitate. No. Not this. Everything was unraveling - falling apart before his very eyes. He slowly turned to see Reiner slumped over, eyes barely open, and still completely aware.
"Brynjolf - damnit, order them to finish him! He's not out! Take him off somewhere! Get him away from here, at least until I find her!" Delvin yelled, his anger turning into sheer panic.
"You expect us to waste more time and resources messing with this, Delvin? We'll knock him out, but I ain't taking him anywhere. Besides, she's gone. She left before you even stepped foot inside this house! If you wanted to see her so badly, then you should have found her when we arrived!" Brynjolf fumed, nodding to another guild member, who smashed a bottle upside Reiner's head, finishing the deal.
"I did search for her, Brynjolf! I couldn't find the blasted girl anywhere!" Delvin remarked, exasperated.
Brynjolf sighed, crossing his arms. "Then doesn't that speak enough volume in itself? She clearly knew your plans, and the girl avoided you and barged right in here. She didn't care if she was found out, lad. If you ask me, it's for the better..."
"Why would ya say a thing like that?" Delvin snarled.
"Look, Delvin. I know you care about her, but the girl isn't right. She came in here, took one look at Reiner, and the look on her face...She's unhinged, Delvin...Let it go..." Brynjolf warned.
Suddenly, white hot anger shot up inside of Delvin, as he shoved Brynjolf so hard he stumbled back, hitting the wall. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK, YOU BASTARD! SHE AIN'T NO DEVIANT!"
A swift punch to the face, and Delvin found himself staggering to the ground, being constrained by his fellow members. Brynjolf stood over him, with a pitied look on his face.
"This is not like you, lad. Just look at yourself! Look at what she's done to you! You're already raving around here like a crazed lunatic, looking for a way to save someone who doesn't want you to save them! Leave her alone!" Brynjolf demanded, causing Delvin to cringe, in realizing that at least some part of what he was saying rang true.
Brynjolf ordered the others to bind Delvin's hands, while he continued to try and talk sense into him - presenting Delvin with truths that he did not want to face. "Look, if you were anybody else, I'd already have told Mercer I thought that woman was bad news. I didn't though - for your sake. My gut told me you were lying to me all along. If anything, I could let our Guild Master know the truth and have you thrown out on your ass! But I ain't going to do that, lad. We've known each other a long time, Delvin..." Brynjolf continued, his tone softening to an emotion more akin to hurt than anger. "You're like a brother to not only me, but to the rest of us. You've been with us for so long, and you're one of our best thieves. Just...let this one go, lad. What you do concerning that girl is your own business, but know this - we can't let her in, understand?"
Delvin knew the man was speaking sense - and good sense at that. He didn't want to betray his family for the pure spite of it. He simply wanted to help a woman that was far too untrusting to be helped. If anything, Brynjolf should have made him stop with Astrid long ago, but he gave Delvin the benefit of the doubt. Delvin sighed, nodding in defeat. "Yeah...I know, Bryn...I know..." he whispered, letting the ache of losing her sink into his bones, where he knew it would fester and leave its own trail of scars in his memory. He couldn't leave his only family for her, when they were all he truly had. Astrid, however much he wanted to help her, comfort her, and protect her, was simply out of his grasp. He still loved her, and he'd still check on her if she'd let him, but his days of rescuing her were truly over. "You can untie me now, Bryn. I'm ready to go home..."
