The Pink Haired Pirate: An Old Norse Saying

Rated: M for language, future mature themes, violence, gore

Warnings: Spoiler alert for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

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When Sakura climbed down the ladder, she was surprised to see all the Thieves hunched over a desk. She could briefly recognize Gallus' journal spread open and Brynjolf was analyzing every single detail possible. Next to it was a sketch, a floor plan of a house in Riften.

Brynjolf has heard her almost immediately, so he pulled away from the desk and straightened his back. He sighed.

"Flower, you're awake. Good. Come here, there's something you must see and know."

He motioned her to walk closer and she did so. Vipir scooted over, freeing her some space to take a look at the spread out sheets on the desk.

"Good morning. Did you guys have a breakthrough in Mercer's whereabouts?" She asked as she looked over the floor plan. It was an outline of a manor in Riften, she has sure she saw it before, somewhere.

Brynjolf simply nodded.

"Sort of. Mercer has not only stolen the gold and jewelry from the vault; he has also stolen the heist plans he and Gallus were planning to go on. Heists which would have brought in enough gold to make him a goner for good. Something is telling me that his house might have the answers." He scribbled down something on the paper.

"Mercer has a house in Riften?"

"Aye. It was a gift from Maven... after she forcefully evicted the previous owners. But he doesn't actually live there. He just pays for the upkeep and for a lout named Vald to protect the place."

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed.

"Huh. I see. So, how do you actually break inside? I could knock the door down, you know, but that would attract way too much attention."

Brynjolf motioned her to lean closer. He was circling over the place which might be the backyard. The house had two stories, and she could bet it also held a super-secret basement for all the treachery and villainous activities she could imagine he was doing. But he also had a spacious backyard, close to the temple.

"If you manage to get past his watchdog, your best bet might be the ramp on the balcony. I have only been there a few times, in the company of Mercer, but he has a ramp; some sort of crazy contraption Mercer commissioned for quick escapes. I'd wager a well-placed shot at the ramp's mechanism would lower it in a hurry."

"Huh." Sakura leaned her head, thinking. "Okay, so get past Vald, break in the house, find out whatever's he up to and get out. I'll take care of it."

"Oh, and Sakura," Vex called her out. "Help yourself with anything you find in Frey's manor. I would if I were you."

Brynjolf sighed and looked down at Sakura. "This is the last place on Skyrim I'd want to send you, Sakura." If he used her real name it meant he was serious, right? "Just break in, get whatever you need, and get out, don't listen to Vex. You have permission to cut down everyone that stands in your path."

"I will be back in no time, guys. Don't worry about me." She couldn't help but grin. Yes, her stomach churned with uncertainty... but she couldn't hide the defying smile she had a habit of showing. Her hands brought the leather hood back on her head, tucking the pink locks inside before she skipped all the way back to the ladder.

"Hopefully she'll find something useful and won't be chasing ghosts. Would be a shame to lose the kid, she's got potential. And drive." Delvin commented as he took a look over the floor plan as well, then over his shoulder, towards the shelves occupied by Sakura's findings. They were targets he's been looking for a while, but you can't really be picky when your Guild is barely holding up, to go look for them yourself.

But the kid found a good bunch... and he was, daresay proud.

"Yeah, the kid started to grow on me."

"Well, the 'kid' has robbed blind the EETC Warehouse and came back in one piece. I wouldn't worry too much." Vex snorted, sharpening her dagger.

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Riftweald Manor was located right between the Snow-Shod Manor and the Temple of Mara. And when no Guard has been passing through... she has tried the gates, the doors, and nothing could budge them. Not even the locks were able to be picked, and judging by the sounds the doors made when forced open... they seemed to be barreled from the inside.

Of course, Sakura immediately jumped and stuck herself in the shadows, because it was morning, and seeing a thief trying to break and fail to enter a house would call for drastic measures to keep her identity covered.

Which meant that Sakura had to settle for the balcony. And the balcony was wherever Vald was currently patrolling.

Sakura has heard a few things about this individual before. The 'watchdog', has first of all done something really bad to piss Maven off. She could guess that's what Mercer has been holding over his head to keep him loyal. Second of all... he was Vex's ex. And when Sakura finally saw him for the first time in her life... she couldn't help but feel bad for her senpai.

Yes... Vex and the others were her senpais ... of sorts. Did they have a word for that in Tamrielic? ...superiors. Hm. Not quite. It's not like they even have a Guildmaster anymore.

Vald was pacing the courtyard. She supposed that the locked doors narrowed down the number of entries he had to guard.

Sakura simply walked closer, catching his attention. She turned, looking around.

"Phew. Nice weather are we having... right?"

Now, Vald was not the brightest tool in the shed. Far from it. But he was not that stupid and was proud of that mean left hook he could pack.

"Mercer doesn't like visitors, so get the hell away."

Well... he wasn't a ray of sunshine. That was settled. But the question was...

"Look.. I heard that you got into some trouble with Maven Black-Briar. What the hell did you do so bad that the old woman made you be Mercer's lapdog for so long?"

She merely got a grunt for an answer.

"You can tell me, buddy. Do not tell me that you haven't had enough of working just so you can pay a debt, instead of breaking your back and keeping all the coin."

Vald's eyebrow twitched.

"You've had enough, haven't you? Having them trample over your back for a mistake that could have been done by anybody else. You could as well become a human doormat for the old woman because she was unable to get off her ass and do it herself. Am I right or am I right?" Sakura crossed her arms, leaning against the fence.

"It's a damn quill," Vald grunted, but he was not facing her. Her words struck a chord in him, she was sure she did. "Lost the damn quill in Lake Honrich. What's it to ya?" He narrowed his eyes.

Sakura did not answer yet. What was so special about that quill? She figured that she could get some answers from Maven herself if she asked. But it MUST have been a special quill if the old bitch got that worked up for it... right? It would be a shame if it was lost forever... right?

Sakura simply walked closer to Vald and applied a swift punch to the gut, knocking the air out of him. He let out a gasp.

"You... you bitch..."

Vald lifted a weak fist as he was recovering, clutching the other arm to his abdomen. He was knocked down with a kick to the head, just hard enough to leave him out of cold. Sakura jumped over the fence and dragged the unconscious man, leaning him right against the metal bars. She picked up the key from his pocket and walked to the door.

"Well. That solves up Mercer's guard dog." The key clicked inside the lock, but still, the door wouldn't budge. It was barreled on the inside.

She snorted and stepped back, looking up.

True to Brynjolf's words, there was a mechanism right under the wooden platform of the balcony. Sakura called for her chakra inside her feet and jumped, grabbing over the railing. She kicked the level with her foot, allowing the ramp to spring and fall free with a loud thud. She pushed herself up and inserted the key inside the door. Much to her satisfaction, the door unlocked and let her inside.

She was not alone. A few more voices were ringing from all over the house; upstairs and downstairs.

She was on the second floor, in a room filled with crates, sacks, barrels, and dust. A lot of dust. This is what you get for never being home; you pay for the upkeeping but it's not like the maid can slack if you're never inspecting her work.

Sakura swatted away a dust bunny which tried to infiltrate her nostrils, as she pulled up the mask of her armor, over her nose. Her hand pushed the first door she spotted, gently.

She peeked inside. She was facing the back of a bandit, sitting in a chair, drinking from a silver goblet. She could briefly hear him muttering to himself, as she sneaked across the room.

"... gonna start keepin' a knife in my boot... tired of gettin' disarmed..."

"Yeah... maybe you should..." Sakura whispered, chuckling to herself. She spotted the stairs.

"Yer right... now, where the hell should I find a knife now...?" The bandit looked inside his mug and seemed to agree with her words, even if theoretically, he didn't exactly know where they came from.

To her horror, he sat up and started looking around, and Sakura knew she had to hurry up.

Brynjolf gave her permission to kill but...

She shook her head. Later. Plans were a priority. But that did not mean she could not loot the place before. She did spot a beautiful, shiny golden statue of Dibella on the shelf, just as she made her way to the first floor. She'd just need to find a sack somewhere... and put the other two bandits to sleep, so she could scavenge in peace.

Hmm.

Sakura grabbed a good hold of the statue, right by the neck, and held it like a baseball bat. She knew that she smacked it right over the head of an unsuspecting bandit. Now Sakura knew for certain that three bandits were hired to protect the place. One was upstairs, half-drunk, looking for a dagger, and the second one was now unconscious and leaning over Sakura's leg.

She sighed and dragged his body away, leaning him against a shelf full of cheese wheels in the dining room. She eyed the cheese and sighed, before snatching some rope from a loose empty sack, and tied him up.

Only then, she started to snoop around, carrying around the sack mentioned earlier. She dumped in the statue, a few books and all the gold she could find.

There was nothing strange about the house so far. The fire in the hearth was crackling gently, and the bandits seemed to have arranged quite a feast for themselves. Unless the maid has also left a meal for Mercer, not knowing if he'd come back soon or not. The long, wooden dining table was entirely covered by silver tableware, filled with salmon, grilled leeks, baked potatoes, and a few honey nut treats.

The Black-Briar mead was not missing from the table either.

But that was the last sign of activity in the house. Save for the banging which loudly echoed from downstairs. Yes, downstairs. It meant that this house had a cellar. And a cellar also meant a hidden secret room.

Sakura placed the sack filled with goods down and followed the sound as quietly as possible. She crept down the ladder, silently.

It was a typical cellar filled with wooden racks and shelves, on top of which you could take all kinds of cheese and vegetables, but most importantly, Black-Briar Mead and other alcoholic drinks. The last bandit was crouched in front of a shelf, looking in the back for some Alto Wine, it seemed because he pushed the smaller orange bottles of mead away.

Nimble on her feet, she wasted no time in diving full force in the back of the bandit, knocking him in the shelf and breaking several bottles in the process.

"Ysmir's beard..." The man muttered, grasping on a piece of wood, pulling himself up, albeit a little dazed and confused. It took him a few seconds to turn around to face the intruder, unsheathing his sword. It clashed against Gallus' blade immediately.

"Mercer doesn't like intruders..." He pushed back against the ebony metal.

"Funny. I've heard that before and the guy's been laying unconscious for the past half an hour." She called chakra in her hands and blade, coating the metal in a thin layer of black-like substance, before it tore right through the steel sword in the hands of the Bandit Highwayman.

In shock, he let the pieces of the blade fall apart from his hands as he backed away against the wooden shelves, knocking a cast pot down at his feet. He lifted up his chin, eyeing down the tip of the sword far too close to his throat for his own comfort.

"What do you know about this cellar?"

Has she lost her mind?

"It's.. It's a simple cellar; what do you want me to know about it?"

"Mercer must have a secret room somewhere. A room nobody knows about to hide his treasure."

The man gulped.

"Look. I've been down in these cellars countless times and besides all the wine, I have seen nothing suspicious. Now get that the hell out of my face!" Much to his relief, the thief lowered down the weapon.

Sakura pinched the middle between her eyebrows for a second. She has found enough rope from the sacks lying around to tie the second man up as well. She had no intention to kill... unless her hand was forced... so the drunk man upstairs would find and untie his friends when he would have sobered up.

She will have been long gone by the time all that alcohol gets burnt up from his system.

The sword was sheathed and Sakura started looking around, again, now that the last bandit was taken care of. She ran her hands all over the cobblestone walls, for any feeling that could give away the location of a secret entrance. Maybe he had commissioned something similar to those Nordic Tombs, with secret chains to yank and buttons to push, to reveal an entirely new secret passage.

The man watched helplessly, struggling, but the knots were too tight to tear apart or undo. The coarse material was burning patterns into the unarmored patches of skin the more he tried to wiggle away.

"Look how about I pay you to set me free?" He panted. "Half of the coin Mercer is paying me. Is that good? I won't even tell him you were here, robbing him! Don't you thieves have some sort of weird code of honor?"

He was a bandit, and bandits rarely had honor among themselves. But he has been hired for long enough to know that the Thieves Guild had certain rules to keep it functioning. For example, not robbing your damn boss. That was a good example.

Sakura, who has stopped fondling each centimeter of the four walls surrounding them, and has let out a rather unpleasant curse in her native tongue, has turned around.

"I don't want your coin. And if Mercer is smart enough, he won't be coming back to Riften anytime soon. Since I bet you're not well seen thorough the Holds, you will need some help to leave the house without the guards shooting you down on sight. Help I can provide, if you lend me a hand here."

"Mercer is gone? That bastard!"

The hooded woman snorted. "You're telling me?"

"He barely paid-up half of what he promised us! And you're telling me he won't be coming back?"

Well. Shit.

"That's exactly what I said. Now, about the cellar."

"Look. I told you. You rubbed all the dirt off those damned walls too. There's no damn secret room in this cellar." He watched her leave, climbing up the ladder, to further the investigation of the house. But something seemed to jog back his memory.

"Wait... come back."

"Did you say something?" She turned around, sitting down on a ladder step.

"Yes. Look. I might have been drunk, but I could have sworn I saw Mercer go inside his room a few days ago. When I checked again, he was gone and has returned hours later through the front door. Put two and two together." He snorted.

Sakura waited a little bit. "Try to find normal and totally inconspicuous clothes anywhere in Mercer's house. Then go for the second floor and escape the house through the door that leads to the balcony. Your drunk friend is untied and is looking for a knife. He'll free you and your other friend. If you follow me, I won't hesitate to burn you into a crisp."

She was gone and went right for what seemed to be the master bedroom. The bandit sighed, cursing to himself, muttering something about having to 'depend on that fucking drunk'.

Sakura remembered Vol's lesson on the rich people Skyrim houses back in Windhelm. Having a secret passage was not VERY uncommon, and it was not VERY uncommon for it to be hidden by a false back panel of a wardrobe either. She has initially thought that the cellar could be the best spot to hide a secret entrance because let's be honest, nobody would really step outside of the living room of a house without permission. Even a simple maid would go, dust the shelves, take a bottle and go.

The unlucky man downstairs was looking for drinks, not for jewelry either.

But then again, who would go for one of the most intimate chambers of a person's home? Thieves, yes, but Mercer was feared enough that even if a maid would have discovered the location of the secret entrance, she wouldn't have said anything.

After looting the place and hiding the coins in a pocket, she has gone straight for the two tall wardrobes. The first looked basic enough; there were a few coats hanging and the rest of the clothes were folded and arranged neatly in their cubicle. The second one was, however, vaguely familiar. It was completely barren, and the knocking on the back panel sounded empty enough to know that it covered what has she been looking for.

Sakura pushed it open and closed the wardrobe door behind, before hopping down the dirty floor. And boy, was it dirty.

Tiny frostbite spiders must have made this place their home because every wall corner was covered by their thick webbing. There were a few barrels Sakura has left untouched. The cellar ended with a hole in the wall which leads to a certain sewer network she was familiar with.

While she has never been to this part of Riften's underground level, she was almost positive the Ratway was nearby. And all she had to do was clutch onto her loot sack and hope for the best.

If it was anything like the Ratway, one misplaced step meant a knife to your gut. The whole place was booby-trapped.

She stepped through the passage, watching the waste-water fall in a cascade from behind the metal bars opening. The round, small alcove hosted a locked chest which upon closer inspection, it contained nothing more than common loot and no plans of action.

Sakura looked ahead, hearing the swinging blades of the traps before her and sighed.

"Forward it is, I guess."

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By the time Sakura has reached the Ragged Flagon, the three bandits have managed to get past the heavy number of traps that guarded Mercer's office. And after the whole Ratway Vault fiasco involving an army of skeevers, a few lowlives and a stray hammer, they did nothing but head right for the exit. Dirge didn't have the time to put them in their place, question their tattered (previously fine - from the traitor's own wardrobe) clothes and neither did Vekel.

All they did, especially the man which had been tied up in the cellar, was to glare at the woman sitting on a crate with a heavy sack of stolen goods at her foot.

Their drunk friend has been experiencing a strong hangover, almost missing the cut on the ropes and cutting his hand twice with the knife he found in the dining room. It was not a dagger, not really, but it was the sharpest shit he could have found in the house robbed blind by that menace.

"You let them ago."

"Ah, that I did," Sakura replied, washing the mug of mead down her throat. She sighed, enjoying its flavor, as she opened the sack.

"So? We've scoured the town and I've spoken to every contact we have left. No sign of Mercer. Any luck on your end?" Brynjolf sat across her, with Delvin, Vex, and Karliah listening closely. Tonilia was nearby too, eavesdropping, seeming interested enough.

Sakura dug her hand in the sack and pulled out a sheet of paper. The plans were placed right on top of the piles of books, extra weapons, and potions... along with a really interesting stone bust she has found right on top of the desk and the most beautiful sword she has ever seen. The bowl filled with gemstones and jewelry had its contents discarded right in her cuirass' inner pocket. She has analyzed the drawings and inscriptions over and over on that damned sheet of paper. She could make out the shape of a statue and the name of 'Irkngthand' right on top, but the handwriting was so messy it was less decipherable than Gallus' own encoded journal.

"He was gone. Thankfully. But other than the traps which gave me a good morning workout, his lair was fairly easy to explore. He has a secret cellar hidden behind a wardrobe in his room. I found these plans at the end of the sewer network, along with some other nice loot." She patted the sack before handing Brynjolf the plans.

He smoothed them over and Sakura could see his eyes widening slowly.

"Shor's bones... he's going after the Eyes of the Falmer! That was Gallus' pet project! If he gets his hands on them, you can be certain he'll be gone for good and set up for life."

Sakura wanted to ask about the Eyes but she decided it was not the time. Yet.

"Then we have no time to lose."

Brynjolf but a hand on her shoulder.

". Agreed. He's taken everything the Guild has left, and to go after one of the last greatest heists is just an insult. I've spoken to Karliah and made amends for how the Guild's treated her. Now she wishes to speak with both of us."

The Dunmer woman nodded immediately, walking towards a more secluded part of the Flagon, far away from the prying eyes, even if they belonged to the Guild per se. Except for the strange woman who managed to keep her robes white despite hanging around so much in that filth.

"Indeed. Brynjolf, the time has come to decide Mercer's fate. Until a new Guild Master is chosen, the decision falls to you."

"Aye, lass... and I've come to a decision. Mercer Frey tried to kill both of you, he betrayed the Guild, murdered Gallus and made us question our future. He needs to die."

It was the first time Brynjolf has spoken of killing anybody deliberately. It was a little strange... and familiar. But considering that the target was Mercer Frey, he made valid points nobody could argue against. He needed to die.

"We have to be very careful, Brynjolf. Mercer is a Nightingale, an Agent of Nocturnal."

"Then it's all true... everything I heard in the stories. The Nightingales, their allegiance to Nocturnal and the Twilight Sepulcher."

"Yes. That's why we need to prepare ourselves and meet Mercer on equal footing. Just outside of Riften, beyond the Southeast Gate is a small path cut up the mountainside. At the end of that path is a clearing and an old standing stone. I'd ask you both to meet me there."

Then Karliah has finally left, preparing herself for the battle to come.

Sakura was troubled, and she was rarely frowning lately.

"What are the Eyes of the Falmer?"

"That's what's troubling you? With that madman on the loose?" He seemed incredulous enough, but he could have honestly expected that. She was a naturally curious being.

"Part of it."

"They are gemstones, lass. They are flawlessly cut gemstones roughly the size of a man's head. Gallus and Mercer spent the better part of the month infiltrating Irkngthand, but the dwarves had protected the place far too well. There were just too many obstacles blocking the way. The plans were shelved and the rest is history."

"Huh." Sakura fell into deep thought afterward.

"There's something I want to do before we meet up with Karliah." She looked up, waiting for approval. Seeing him nod, almost brought a smile on his face.

"Just don't be late and hurry up."

They walked together out of the Flagon, going through the Cistern and climbing up the ladder. But instead of going into the town, Sakura has climbed up the wall and jumped down, where she knew she has let Chilly go. She couldn't have risked getting him to the stables just yet, so Karliah has fed him while she has been gone, right before taking her own horse and heading for their rendezvous point.

The horse seemed happy to see her, albeit a little cranky, but he let his master climb up in the saddle before she snapped the reins, heading towards Lake Honrich.

Galloping all the way through, it seemed faster than a simple stroll, and while discreetly tying him up to a tree branch, the pink-haired woman looked around.

She stepped inside the water and dove, heading for the bottom of the lake as fast as possible. A concealment genjutsu had come in handy, as the lake was populated by fishing boats, and her shiny pink tail could have attracted the attention of a fisherman.

Sakura opened her eyes and started swimming around, close to the sandy bottom of the lake, flapping her long tail gently, and combing her fingers through the sand.

Maven Black-Briar was supposed to be brought a quill that has been lost on the bottom of Lake Honrich by Vald. He screwed up a big-time if he was supposed to work perhaps for the rest of his life to cover the expenses. But then again, the old woman could have exaggerated.

Still, she was sorely going to miss it, and Sakura would help her lose it forever.

Since it had to be a really important quill, it was most likely Sakura had to be searching for a chest, or a strong metal box. Their locks were notoriously more difficult to pick, so it would have been safer to transport it in a metal box.

She kept swimming. And swimming. And swimming.

And swimming.

Until she spotted the wreck of a wooden boat near the opposite shore, close to the docks. She flapped her way closer, rummaging through the debris and holding herself close to the bottom as much as possible. She was dangerously close to the shore, and she could even be spotted with the naked eye if she was not careful enough.

Something silvery glinted in the water. Sakura raked her fingers and brushed the sand off. It was what appeared to be the corner of a metal box she started to dig it up. The box seemed empty, holding it in her hand, and the weight was most likely given by the box itself and not its contents.

She wanted to peek inside, through the lock, but she could see nothing.

That had to be it, though. It was worth a shot.

Clutching the box to her chest, she has swum carefully back, where the horse was waiting for her. Sakura pressed her tail low enough, as she emerged her head from the water, taking a breath of fresh, clean air. She pulled out a lockpick and started to work the lock around.

The box opened with a click, and true to Vald's words, there was an eagle feather turned into a quill. But what was so special about it?

She decided to analyze it later. Instead, she flopped out of the water and dried herself, before heading right for Chilly. She smiled petted his head, gently.

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A/N: I have to cut this short. It has started to get a little boring, but I can count like... two more chapters until the Arc will end. I have quite some cool shit planned for the first non-canon Arc. I think you will like it. I have fragments written already, and I simply love them. You'll be in for a shock.

I kinda have the feeling that it's kind of boring to write the preset scenes. I don't know. Boring and repetitive. I don't know, you tell me. Maybe you can give me a suggestion to improve them.

I also have to improve at writing fighting scenes. I really have to.

No stats, I have them saved in a separate document. If anybody's skeptical about her balance, they can message me about it, but I have to assure you that for the sake of realism, I'm counting every single coin.

Sakura is slowly replacing tea with mead and has adopted the whole 'no killing' policy of the Thieves Guild.

If you have also noticed, I'm trying to humanize the bandits when it's possible and plausible. In-game, if you can sneak and stay hidden well enough, if you get close enough you can catch glimpses of their conversations; either between each other or talking to themselves. Like the guy who's sorrowful that a certain 'she' would wait for him but she never did... or the other guy saying he won't pay child support because the kid is not even his.

Yeah.

I'd hug them. Poor guys. They're not entirely inhuman after all. One of the Thieves was a bandit which had to turn against his chief because he ordered them to kill the women and children as well; a thing which has never happened before.

So yeah.

If you're wondering why the three stooges ignored Sakura's advice and escaped through the Ratway... they didn't want the guards to recognize them. They wouldn't risk it.

Well... what else should I say? I'm sick, I caught a nasty cold and my head is throbbing. At least I can write. My head doesn't hurt bad enough to prevent me from doing that.

Take care of yourself... eat lemons... it's very healthy.