Chapter eight - The Market District

Morndas, First Seed 20, 4E 0 - Dusk

Yesterday, Amusei, Methredhel, and I rode to Fort Farragut to buy our monthly armor from Arquen. I have let her in on the news of Ongar's murder, she promised to keep an ear out for any more vampire murders, but for now, cannot do anything until we've gathered more information of the suspect.

Today, after a week of my plan bring postponed, I will continue with my robbing of the Market District.

"Guildmaster, you have a guest here to see you." S'Krivva said after she knocked then cracked the door open.

"Come in." I called back.

I stood up from my chair, Corvus Umbranox, Count of Anvil, the previous Gray Fox, had stepped in the room. This had truly shocked me, completely unexpected.

"Count Umbranox. Good to see you again. What brings you to the Guild Hall?" I asked as he walked straight to me, eyebrows down and seeming to be furious.

"WHAT are you doing here? I handed you my title and look what you've done, you've exposed the entire Guild, including yourself, from secrecy and then our fence had been murdered!" He yelled right in my face.

I felt completely, and easily defeated in guilt, realizing that this is my fault Ongar had been murdered.

"I trusted my position unto you, and you went and placed a BAR in the house of Dareloth, having people come in and out like some damn everyday-welcome event! Soon you'll end up finding a battalion of guards with your warrant of arrest walking in if you continue on a reckless road that you're leasing the Guild into!"

I did not speak, I had nothing to say. Corvus had been right, I'm not leading the Guild into a safe direction.

"I had been the Gray Fox for 10 years, and this is the reason why I did not expose the Guild or leak out any information, because it can endanger everyone in the Guild, especially the beggars. How do you know any one of the beggars at this moment are being violently interrogated and asking where the Guild is located?" Corvus said this in a lower tone, then silenced to let me speak.

"I don't know, perhaps someone is, but I entrust they wouldn't expose our location because the beggars are well kept for and we help them. And perhaps you're right, I took this position as Guildmaster unprepared, untrained for leadership, before you quickly abdicate as the Gray Fox and hand over your title to me without properly warning me or notifying anyone of your decision. I may not be the best at what I do, but I still do it. I have created more jobs for the Guild, gave our name some popularity for recruiting, and we stand now at over 50 members who are all dedicated and committed to what we have together. We work together, help each other, and on top of that, we are a family. There's members in this Guild that cherish the fact they've joined the Thieves Guild because it's the best decision any of us has made in our lives. I exposed the Guild, because why should we hide? Half of Cyrodiil believes there's a Guild, the other half didn't, until now, neither does anyone that's not with us knows of our location. Ongar's death had been a tragedy, but that doesn't mean anyone else outside the Guild knew he was our fence, it could've truly just been an untargeted vampire murder." I stopped for a breather, Corvus kept quiet and considered my side of the story, listening.

"I may have changed a lot within the Guild, but we're getting more coin that we've ever had, and lately, I've been planning to have a fence in every town of Cyrodiil. I'm not doing everything as wrong as you believe." I finished explaining, Corvus calmed down and thought for a little.

He didn't seem mad anymore, maybe I had proven myself?

"Alright. I see you may be right also. I trust in your leadership, Gray Fox." Corvus said.

"Good, because now that you're here, at a good time, I need you to help me with something."

"What do you need?" He asked.

"You, Fathis Ules, and I are the best thieves in the Thieves Guild. I need your help to rob every story in the Market District tonight." I told him this as it caught him off guard, and his eyebrows rose up.

"What? What are you planning? And why have you been leaving notes of where you steal from?" He asked.

"Legacy and immortality, Corvus, I'm planning to have our Guild remembered through history. To spread fear among Tamriel's citizens as they know our name. Also, I have made business with the Khajiit brothers of the Black Horse Courier, they now sell copies of their newspaper and in the past weeks, they have been selling hundreds weekly. The sales made under our name, 20% of it foes to us. We do the dirty work, they write it and sell it."

"So you have been busy." He said.

"Yes we have."

"What of this new armor color? Where'd you get that from?"

"The Dark Brotherhood. We now have monthly business with them. Completely safe, they're our allies." I said proudly.

"Good to know, smart to have some friends. Maybe they can help you with this murder."

"We're trying, until then, will you join Fathis and I tonight? You'd be perfect for the job."

"Alright. I am here for once, so may as well have a little fun tonight."

Tirdas, First Seed 21, 4E 0 - Midnight

"So. I have called upon you two since you both are my best thieves. There are 16 specific stores in the Market District. Building 1 has 5 stores, Building 2 & 3 has 4 stores, and Building 4 has 3 stores. Which do you want to take?" I asked Fathis Ules and Corvus Umbranox as we sat in the bar at a table.

"I can take Building 1. I've been itching for some good thievery." Fathis volunteered first.

"I'll take Building 2." Corvus added.

"Okay, I will take Building 3. For the 4th Building, I'll find someone to do it, if not, I'll take it too. Fathis, Building 1 contains the stores Mystic Emporium, The Gilded Carafe, Slash N' Smash-"

"The Best Defense and Divine Elegance." Fathis interrupted me.

"Correct. Take these 5 parchments and steal whatever you want, something valuable that they'd miss, and replace it with the note. Make sure it can be found." I handed him the 5 notes.

"Will do, sir. If you don't mind, may I go right now? If there is nothing further to be said." Fathis sounded eager.

"Go ahead, take whatever you can hold, mainly the most expensive items."

"Yes, sir." Then he was off.

I turned my attention back to Corvus. "Building 2 contains The Three Brothers Trade Goods, Jensine's "Good As New" Merchandise, The Feed Bag, and Red Diamond Jewelry." I gave him 4 parchments as I explained to him.

"Sounds good to me. This should be fun." Corvus said then he stood up and left the Guild Hall.

I sat, looking at the parchments, 'looks like I'll. Be doing the rest tonight'. I stood up, turned around, and the Khajiit who informed me of Ongar's murder stepped into the room.

"Good evening, Guildmaster." Dra'haj greeted.

"Evening, Dra'haj."

"You remembered my name!" He said excitedly.

"Yes. I remember our talk. Say, how would you like to work for me tonight?"

"Yes, sir. I'll do anything!" He said enthusiastically.

"Very good."

I had assigned Dra'haj to rob the First Edition, A Fighting Chance, and the Main Ingredient. He gladly took this quest from me after I gave him 3 parchments, then I let him go. It was time for me to do my part, Fathis must be halfway done with his job.

The Imperial City had been very quiet tonight, no one was around at all. I'd find a few late-night wanderers, but no one in the Market District. I was able to catch Fathis or Corvus' aura, but no one else except guards standing their positions beside gates.

I had to walk through the city with my cowl off as no one knew who I was, then placed jt back on when I went into a alley on the outskirts of the Market District.

I unlocked the door to Stonewall Shields, went in, and noticed several armors in the store. 'Bad choice,' I thought since it would be unwise to steal armor while sneaking around, it would only give me more weight.

I had to steal something the owner would miss, something valuable and expensive, not just anything. I went up to his room, unlocked it, quietly entered as the room had been audible with loud snoring.

Immediately, I took notice of a chest. 'Perfect'. Unlocking it, I've found septims, a diary, and a gold diamond necklace.

I took them, no hesitation, shut the chest, then left the note on top of it.

I left to the next store, Edgar's Discount Spells, and found a few greater soul gems, took a few random scrolls and potions off the counter, then placed the note on the counter and moved on.

I cared less for that store, just needed to leave a note and go. Rindir's Staffs had been next on the list, I found this to be a little more interesting.

Rindir had staffs in big display cases, if I simply open one or two of them, take them, Rindir will most definitely notice. I tried unlocking one, but I wasn't able to, I actually broke a lockpick the first time in months.

'Had my mastery picklocking just suddenly wore off? That couldn't be.'

Then it hit me, and hard in the face as I should've guessed and never doubted my own lockpicking skills. The display case had a personal key that only Rindir has to it.

I went upstairs, entered his room, and approached him as he slept on his bed. I unlocked the bed-chest, took it's contents, and searched the room for anything else.

I found septims hidden here and there, bit nothing too special. So far, I had not come by a key, he must have it in his pocket.

Rindir slept silent, if he moved, there was a good chance he'd be awake since he made no noise, or even any heavy breathing.

I patted his only visible pocket as Rindir had been laying on his side, I didn't feel anything in his pocket.

'Somehow, without waking him, I need to have him roll over on his other side.'

Gently, I tried to pull his arm towards my direction to have him roll onto his back first, he wouldn't budge much, but I had to be careful, I didn't want to pull too hard.

After a few gentle slowly leading into hard pulls, he rolled over and laid on this back. I thought he'd awoken so I ducked down as low as I could beneath the side of the bed, but he hadn't moved any more.

I stood up, went to the other side of the bed, tried to pickpocket him but couldn't, so I grabbed his arm and crossed it over his body to meet with his other arm. Going to the other side again, I began pulling his crossed over arm so he could roll over.

I had to keep pulling over and over, I felt I was wasting time, I got impatient and pulled harder, he then pulled his hand back out of my grasp as it scared me thinking he woke.

I crouched low again to the floor, then he sneezed loud, disturbing all silence within the room, ringing in my ears. After a minute of waiting, I came to a conclusion that he must be asleep still.

I stood up, and found that he had already been rolled over to his side.

'Finally, Nocturnal must've blessed me.' I pickpocketed him, took out two keys, then left the room.

I opened one case, took a staff, then left the note in it's place along with both the keys that I did not need or care to take.

Next, The Copius Coinpurse, which had been outside and right around the corner.

I seen a man walking past the building where I had been standing at, walking into the direction of the Elven Gardens District. Before he left into the district, he ducked down and picked something up from the floor, or set something down, then continued his way.

I believe he did notice me, but since I was in shadow, he may not known I'm the Gray Fox.

Fathis had been finished by now, and Corvus must be now or very soon, Dra'haj will most likely arrive back last when I go back to the Guild Hall.

I unlocked the door and stepped into the Copius Coinpurse, I looked around, potions, scrolls, flowers, books, and many other useless things had been all around the store.

Nothing here had interested me at all, this was just a merchandise store.

'Whatever, just take anything so he notices.'

I just took as much random things I could, left the note on his counter, then left back home.

"Ah, you're back finally." Fathis said as I walked in through the door.

"We've been waiting, and wondering when you'd show up."

I looked at them, all three of them were already back! Even Dra'haj had been, maybe I did spend too much time with Rindir.

"How long have you all been back?" I asked, noticing each of them had a tankard in front of them on the table.

"Quite awhile for me, Corvus arrived not long after, and then Dra'haj." Fathis said.

"Really? I must've spent quite a bit of time. How'd you do, Dra'haj?" I asked.

"It was quite easy, sir. Everything went well." He said and smiled.

"Well, that's good then. You've proven to be worth to assist me. Maybe I will call upon you again, sometime." I congratulated him.

"Thank you, sir! I will do anything you ask of me, Guildmaster." He responded enthusiastically, but a moment passed, and his face changed into a worried expression.

Silence stood between the four of us.

"Alright now, I'm gonna head to sleep at the Tiber Septim's Inn, then go back to Anvil tomorrow by noon. My guards await me at the Inn, probably worried I hadn't been back hours ago." Corvus finally spoke.

"Don't you want your pay?" I asked.

"No it's OK, I just wanted to do this for fun. Have a good night, everyone." Then Corvus Umbranox left.

"I'm tired too, have someone deliver my share tomorrow. I'm going back home. Night to you all." Fathis said.

"Have a good sleep. Thank you for assisting me tonight."

"Not a problem." He said, then was gone.

I looked at Dra'haj, who seemed worried still, expressionless.

"Dra'haj? You alright?"

He shook his head. "No, master."

"What happened?" I asked.

He was silent again, hesitating. "I seemed to have dropped one of the notes on the floor in the Market District, I didn't realize until I reached the last store. So I wrote one up myself, finished the job while I was inside the Main Ingredient, but as I left the store and heading back to the district from which I entered the Market, someone had been following me in the Elven Gardens. I looked back, and the man was holding the note I dropped from when I entered the Market District, I know cause he held it up to show me, like he...knew what I was doing tonight." Dra'haj said.

This sounded quite suspicious to me, sounded like this man knew what was happening tonight. I can't be sure though, maybe he held the note up to show him he dropped it?

"Was he following you to tell you what you dropped?" I asked.

"No, more like, he was showing me that he has it, bu in no way trying to call after me to give it back. He just followed, and when I got to the Waterfront, I turned back to see him again, thinking he would have stayed in one of the districts, but he was still following. I ran the rest of the way back to the Guild, leaving him near the docks. I think...he knows I'm part of the Guild, and now, he may know that the Waterfront is home to the Thieves Guild." Dra'haj said, and I remained frozen in disbelief.

Someone out there, whoever this person is, now knows where we are.