Chapitre 265: Catatoskr (2) : The Ragged Flagon
Finally an Extra! This one comes to you by (Merkur1) a bit late I know but there are more and I am taking my time...
~~~~~~~~~~
"Welcome to the Bee and Barb, lord and ladies. If I can interest you in one of our special drinks, you let me know."
Ah! It is Talen-Jei, the Argonian Innkeeper.
"Thank you, may we have a room for us three." I said not minding my words.
"Sure sure… may I see your city pass then?"
"Here you go."
"Oh! A local… not sure I have seen someone with your size around here before!"
"Oh! It has been years since I left Riften to roam the world. I am finally back, haha!"
"... So, in this world there is someone who is happy about coming back to this city… the world sure is strange."
"Don't worry, it is just a visit."
"Wise words… a room for three, you said?" Talen-Jei said and glanced at Alina and Jull.
"A room for three I said."
Talen-Jei smiled and led me to a room, there is a lot of weirdos like me in Riften but these two are my family, I will refrain from smacking Talen-Jei till later.
"A clean quiet room with a large bed away from everyone. Let me know if there is anything you need."
"Thank you."
Talen-Jei left and the girls finally sat down.
"This town is a bit extreme." Alina said.
"No, it is Winterhold that is too lazy compared to here. People are always working in Winterhold but here, people are always stealing so make sure to keep in mind that everyone has bad intentions towards you."
"... Okay."
"How do people live in this kind of place?"
"Haha! You just get used to it."
Riften is actually no different than a modern city on Earth. Just a bit lawless and people are more connected, they can smell outsiders easily and these are their normal victim. One of the reasons all the big trades happens outside Riften.
"Anyway, set up protection around this room, I paid for a week so let's keep ourselves comfortable. The place here is safer than outside but don't trust anyone and keep yourself under your hoods. You will get used to the place and people in a day or two so don't hold back and… keep your swords away, use only daggers or throwing knives. I will be using Greed though."
"That thing is so creepy."
"Sorry about it."
"Still, that's a lot of rules for a lawless town."
"Exactly, this is 'Riften 101' written a guy who actually lived here for fifteen years… the point is, don't try to look like an outsider or a rich person unless you are pretty famous in town."
"We'll keep it in mind."
And that how I started to teach the girls about Riften, it is pretty common for each country to have a Riften but if I was reincarnated in any place other than this town, I would have died of boredom.
But this trip wasn't all fun and meeting old friends as I expected, and that brings us to the next day.
I was in the market square and the situation there was normal. I even met some old kids from the orphanage like Grumpy Grelka and hanged up for a while until I was approached by a small girl begging for money, I noticed the way the girl asked for money and pointed out something.
"How old are you, kiddo?"
"Eight."
"I see." I patted the girl's head and whispered to her, "That boy looking at us behind the stall, that is your friend right…"
The girl's eyes widened up.
"If you signal for him to come, I will break his arm."
Even Alina poked me hard when I said that. Well, I understand what is going on. These kids are the rats as we used to be called when we started running down the streets back then. The rats are the regular lookouts and cutpurses, they also do the dirty stuff like causing scenes and getting captured instead of the other 'Senior Troublemakers'.
Still, there was one rule… no less than ten years old.
"Kid, you are an Orphan, right?"
The girl, who started shivering, nodded like a broken doll.
"I see. Let me take you to the orphanage."
I took the girl from her hand and walked out of the market. I noticed that I was being followed so Jull and Alina took distance from me and kept an eye on whatever is happening.
I walked the old road I remembered but I came to a halt, there was a presence hiding in an alleyway. I only gave a small signal and two shadows jumped down from a building and captured whoever was spying on me.
I took the girl I was holding and walked to the alleyway, as I reached there, I found Alina standing and Jull apprehending a person.
"No… Sapphire!" The girl in my hand almost jumped when she saw the person under Jull's feet.
It seems that this is the one who manages the orphans in the market… Sapphire, huh? She appeared in the game, not a really likable character.
"That's okay for now. Take this girl and give and buy her some food, leave that to me."
I handed the small girl to Alina and took over Sapphire.
Sapphire seemed to be just a young girl around 16, her eyes are sharp and she was glaring at Jull. I raised her up from the nape of her clothes to my eye level and started to talk.
"Let me make one thing clear…"
"Eat shit, asshole."
*SLAP*
"... Is that clear?"
Sapphire's circuits seem to have rebooted just now, she was still glaring though.
I raised my hand once again but she reacted splendidly this time.
"Good, I have a question."
"..."
"There was that rule the guild had to not make kids less than 10 do stuff around the town… there is still that rule, right?"
Sapphire seemed to have frozen.
"Oh… I see that was your private business. Good good, very good." I put her down but kept clutching to her neck.
Greed, which was under my sleeve, came out and tied the hands of Sapphire.
"Scream and your bones will bend in ways you have never thought they were possible."
Sapphire only nodded.
"Cool! Let's go."
I kept my arm on her shoulder as I dragged her with me.
My direction was clear, the Ratway.
***
If someone asked 'What is the worst place in all of Riften?', then there is only one answer and that is 'The Ratway'.
One can say the Ratway is the city under the city. Dark, dangerous, and no place for decent folk. An underground tunnel system beneath the city of Riften. It is the base of operations for the Thieves Guild and also serves as home for all sorts of weirdos, serial-killers, lowlifes and misfits.
Riften normally has two levels, the upper city where the normal folk lives and the undercity down at the canals where poor folk and cutoffs live, the Ratway is the extension of that undercity where a network of sewer tunnels run but it is fairly populated for a good reason.
I stepped in front of the main entrance of the Ratway and walked from there, normally I take another way in but I am not expected and I have Alina and Jull with me.
As we walked the dark smelly tunnels, I could hear, Alina complain every two seconds about something different. She is a princess so it must be hard for her yet Jullanar didn't let it go and kept mocking Alina on everything.
These two are fairly strong now but I would be worried if I run into any one of the big fishes in the Ratway. The underground Arena in Riften is actually full of top-notch killers and people I would have a hard time fighting against but my current size is intimidating on its own.
Still, it was all the same as I remembered, even the traps and the lookouts were in their usual spots.
It feels as if time didn't pass here.
After taking a few turns and knocking down a few skeevers, I arrived in front of a door that I simply pushed open. Behind it, there was a large circular chamber, a pool in the middle, pathway across the sides and a bunch of people at the other side of the room around what seemed to be a bar.
This was Riften's most infamous inn, the Ragged Flagon.
I calmly walked in with Sapphire under my wind while Alina and Jull followed, the seemed to be in total full awareness about the place. As we approached the inn, some brute stopped in our way.
"You're looking for trouble here, giant? Let the girl go."
The brute sounded intimidating for sure, I could feel Alina taking out a dagger but she triggered the rest of the inn's 'patrons'.
"Girls, say hey to my friend Dirge." As I said so, the place quieted down. "Fun story! Do you know we call him 'Dirge'?"
"Cause he is a sad person?" Jull guessed.
"Cause I'm the last thing you hear before they put you in the ground." Dirge said.
"Well, it sounds cool but that's not true… I actually know the true story behind it." As I said so, Dirge seemed to have figured out my identity as well as everyone else in the Ragged Flagon.
But before he could do anything, I waved my hand fast at Dirge's head, held it then crushed it to a wall.
*DIRGE*
"... Because that sound comes out whenever anyone bashes his head to a wall, hahaha!"
I walked past the passed out Dirge to the middle of the bar.
"Well well… ain't this a nasty surprise?" a voice came from behind me.
I turned around with a smile and let go of Sapphire.
"What? No hugs among thieves now?"
"I'll hug you if you have something worth hugging you for."
"Bleh, I won't hug a nasty smelling old man like you even if I go to Oblivion for it… which actually happened and I would hug a Hagraven instead of going back there."
"Eew! Jon, that's nasty. Fine, I'll hug you for free this time."
"Come here, Delvin."
It was my mentor and the man who set me on the path of nastiness, Delvin Mallory.
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Chapitre 266: Catatoksr (3) : The Thieves Guild
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~~~~~~~~~~
"Look at how tall you became, you ain't cut for this job anymore."
"Come on, Delvin. You'll hurt my feelers! I can solve it all with a few spells."
"You still trying to fix everything with magic, ain't you? And that reminds me… how is your mother?"
"Which one?"
"Oh! So they let you into their little secret, didn't they? Fine, let's start with the Headmistress."
"She's alright, free from responsibilities even though she runs a whole department in the College."
"I know another monster who can act the same, and speaking of which…"
"She too is alright… and I am going to have siblings."
"... bloody Daedra! Are we going to have more brats like you?"
"Nope, the world isn't fit for one more person like me… it would become a disaster."
"Yeah, tell that to those fuckers who tried to hunt your mother ages ago… still, I am glad you found your home… Crazy folk these Firemanes!"
"Yeah, tell me about it."
"HA! I remember your mother too bashed Dirge's head to the ground last time she came here."
"It is really fun! I hate to kill the guy but the sound of cracking his head to a wall is so addictive."
Talking to Delvin after all that time is as fun as ever, we were talking in a low tone for the time.
"And these are…" Delvin gestured with his head towards Alina and Jull.
"My people."
"Oh! You have people now… we heard about what you did in Winterhold, you pissed off all of our connections."
"... You go build a home in the most isolated piece of land in Skyrim and people still find excuses to hate me… people are hopeless, man."
"Still, you earned the hate. Erikur, Black-Briar, Silver-Blood and other names you don't know about… made a lot of enemies and you still walk into Black-Briar territory so freely."
"Hehe! A wise man once said; 'We make enemies to make friends'."
"... Who the fuck is that?"
"Me… just now."
"Fucking idiot! Hehehe! Still… you earned yourself a seat on the big table, boy. Come."
Delvin led me to a table where he sits, there were plenty of seats but it was only the two of us. Alina and Jull sat at the table behind me. Alina seemed to not like the place but Jull was curious. That was the case until the other people showed up.
"Is it you, Dare?"
"Brynjolf!"
Another old friend appeared… Vex and Tonilia came too.
"The boy became too large just like what Delvin said! This will be the end, huh?" Vex said.
"Come on, big sis. Don't be so hard on me. I can still prove I am good."
"How come, the security in your Winterhold is slobby." She said.
"Oh! First of all, there is no security measure that can work against you. And I know that you didn't come to Winterhold, Tonilia is the one who came to negotiate terms with some of the traders but failed miserably."
""...""
And now we are playing in the open.
"So you knew I came."
"Come on, Ton. That is my town and I keep an eye for outsiders. You taught me that."
"And we are regretting it now." Vex said.
"You guys just had to come to me. I know I own a lot of money now and I too much in the light but you need me… I know Maven and Erikur are upset with me but I appreciate that we are still friends."
Brynjolf, Delvin, Vex and Ton looked at each other. They got what I am trying to say.
"... So you're saying… friends' share?" Delvin asked.
"Friends share." I replied.
"Hahaha! The little red cat is back, Vekel, bring this boy a big man's drink."
"Finally! I get the big man's drink. After all these years."
I was genuinely excited about this.
"Here you go, Jon. And welcome back."
"Vekel ma man! Two soft drinks for the ladies and… if you have some fresh fish."
"Weird order!" Vekel tilted his head.
Before I reply, a black cat jumped from under my chair and sat on the table.
"For her meowjesty!"
Everyone widened their eyes when they saw Nefertiti.
"What? You guys think you can act all shady around me without me having someone who can actually sneak on you? Tsk tsk tsk… too mistaken."
"Oh, I see… things have changed. So, what is the king of Winterhold giving us?"
"Hmmm… I showed good faith lately, helped your people in the College a lot, you know."
"Yeah, we heard of it. What else?"
"Well, as you can see, the Dare Dragon Company and the East Empire Company are… expecting a baby." I said then thought of it again, "Gross, right? I tried to make it badass in my head but sounded so gross out loud."
""...""
"Point is… we can reach places the East Empire Company can't reach now. With the decline of the Empire and the current state of its international relationships, places like Morrowind, Black Marsh and Eastern Skyrim will be hard to trade with for some time. With Winterhold best trade route being the sea, we will connect that all together with our neutral stance..."
"... but you can't handle all that alone, and that's where you need us." Delvin followed up.
"Couldn't put it better myself."
Silence took over for a while as Vekel brought up the drinks and the fish for Nefertiti. We took sips while thinking of the next move.
"I see… but what guarantees that what you said is true?" Vex asked.
"Oh come on, just one word… War!"
The atmosphere turned gloomy all of a sudden. The word 'War' is not something a thief would want to hear. It wrecks business and causes lazy clumsy people to sober up, it empties the coffers and makes life hard for everyone starting with the thieves who get a lot of competition during the time of war. The main reason why thieves would hate war the most.
"You don't have a proof…" Vex tried to deny me but Delvin and Tonilia interrupted her.
"He is right."
"What he said is true."
I smiled at their reaction.
"We were having a rough time lately. This curse haunting the Guild is making everyone's life hard. Tell you the truth, your offer is the best thing we got so far… but what do you want to get back in return?"
"... Well, you can already guess that a neutral side is bad for whatever war is going to start, someone's trying to be peaceful will make both sides always suspect that he is working for the other side. I need someone to keep tabs on everybody while supports Winterhold. You give me that and I will let the merry little band run the docks of Winterhold, there will be rules but you will have some luck with me around. Isn't that right, Delvin? You always said that thing."
"Ah yes! Your luck is league on its own, the whole guild can get cursed but you will always be the luckiest brat in the bunch."
"Glad you still admit that."
"Fine, kid. We're onboard but only when Mercer agrees." Delvin said and looked at Brynjolf.
"Easy! I'll convince him." Brynjolf said.
"Cheers then!"
"""Cheers!"""
This meeting went really well. I know the weak point of the Thieves Guild and I acted on it. They are desperate but still arrogant and don't want to admit that they are cursed. Only Delvin understands the matter and he believes… no, he doesn't believe but he knows that my luck is different than the guilds'.
The reason why I came back here was to make some real allies to the Dare Dragon Company. The Thieves Guild cut contact with me ever since I established myself in Winterhold because of the sharp competition I have but as soon as I fixed myself with a powerful partner like the East Empire Company, I managed to make a real footing in the business world. The problem with the business world is that nothing is hardly definite and a superpower like the East Empire Company would calculate their gains and losses before anything, with the Thieves Guild, I can make the East Empire Company see more gains than losses.
This is how incredible the guild can be. They may be thieves and cutpurses but the ones who sit on the big table are the true money magicians.
Also, I will be able to control the Black Market when it comes to Winterhold. An organization I was raised in and learned from is much better than someone I don't speak the same language with.
The main point is… I can't control Winterhold on my own anymore. Criminals will appear as soon as the work is done and the Thieves Guild will surely be the best underworld organization I can rely on. Dealing with a disease you already know is better than one you don't know.
We started talking away from business right after that until someone came out from the back of the Ragged Flagon, a large figure and green to yellow scales. Once the figure saw, Jullanar, it walked towards her.
"Hey there, sweet thing. I see you found…"
Before the Argonian keeps on with his words, a beam of silver light flew towards his face at an insane speed. The Argonian raised his hand and attempted to catch the knife that was about to obliterate his face with his Aura but the knife curved in the air and dodged his hand. His eyes widened and he dodged right away.
"Call me that again and you won't be this lucky." Jullanar raised her hand and the knife she threw flew back to her palm.
'Telekinesis Shots', Jullanar's latest awesomeness. Undodgeable, Untraceable, Unpredictable.
There is normally no one who can cause trouble in the Ragged Flagon but no one would blame Jullanar. Being harassed by an Argonian is really a turn-off for everyone.
The Argonian seemed to be surprised but he ignored my stare and seemed to be thinking of causing some trouble for Jull but someone interfered.
Something not any of the people here would have imagined happened and a large figure appeared behind the Argonian. Without even looking behind him, the Argonian realized he would be screwed if he moved a muscle or breathed out of rhyme.
From everyone's point of view, they saw a large monster cat appeared behind the Argonian. Its head was over the Argonian's as it growled at him. Her voice was akin to an angry beast and her blue eyes reflected an angry cold light. However, from my point of view, I saw a cute big ball of fluff who was trying to intimidate the bad guys who annoy her friends.
How Freaking Adorable!
"Ehem, Nefertiti, it is okay now. You have made your point."
With me saying so, Nefertiti disappeared in the shadow and reappeared on my lap. She acted lazily and purred when I scratched her chin.
Ah! My heart… it is melting! You don't know true love unless you see a cat acting overprotective over you.
The people in the room were looking between me, Nefertiti and Jullanar. They then looked at Alina for a second and backed away.
Wise decision.
"... these past three years… what happened?" Delvin asked.
"Let's just say, even Oblivion couldn't swallow us."
"I am not asking anymore. Hey, Swims! Act with more manners around here, man." Delvin looked at the Argonian who moved a bit later.
The Argonian nodded and joined us… on the big table.
"Don't worry about him, Jon. He is a bit of troublemaker and a money bringer but he is a bit off lately. You two haven't met here before have you?"
"..."
"..."
"Jon this is Swims-at-Night, the best Argonian smuggler in Tamriel… or so he presents himself. Swims, this is Jon Dare the…"
"The Thane of Winterhold!"
Swims-at-Night extended his hand and I responded to his handshake.
"Now, Swims. That shipment you promised." Delvin said.
"... I will deliver, Delvin. Some complications on the southern mountains, that's all." Swims seemed annoyed. "Mercer already gave me the earful."
"Well, I am glad he is acting like the Guild Master for once." Delvin mocked.
"You owe me a Drink, Swims." I said as soon as they finished.
"Hehe, yes I do. Vekel, that Bloodwine I brought you, a bottle for the gentleman on my tab."
Oh, an Argonian Bloodwine! that's rare.
"You still didn't say… why you dragged Sapphire all the way here." Brynjolf reminded me.
"Oh! It became a bit personal between me and her. Say, Brynjolf. You let that chick run the kids of the orphanage?"
"Yes… just like the old days, the understanding we had…"
"Doesn't involve kids less than ten years old."
"..."
As I said so, the place became silent.
"Sapphire!" Brynjolf called out.
As he said so, the girl came running from the table on the other side.
"You did it once again, didn't you? The kids were younger than what I told you."
"But… Brynjolf… these kids came to me."
"And you had to shew them away." Brynjolf said.
"Wait wait wait! Came to you?" I asked.
"... Yes, they are hungry."
"Why? Is there a food problem in Riften?"
"No… it is that devil who runs the orphanage." Delvin said.
"Wait! Grelod is not feeding the kids now?"
"It is far worse than we thought it would turn out. The place is turning into a mess and the Jarl don't even hear of it." Delvin said.
"And where did you find the kids?" Brynjolf asked me.
"In the market."
Brynjolf glared at Sapphire right away.
"We said the market is off limits, Sapphire. Dammit!"
There seems to be something I am not catching up too.
"What's with the market? We all operated there when we were young."
"No, things are different now. The Jarl left most of the guards in the market to fight the Skooma, the market now became the Skooma den and not safe to operate for the rats at all. Last year, a kid was killed by an addict and his body was found in the canal, that's why we don't operate in the market anymore. Sapphire, you are answering for this."
Brynjolf took Sapphire from her arm and dragged her into the main hideout.
It seems the situation is bad. The orphanage and the market. That idiot Jarl is also being led by the nose again.
"Sigh! Delvin, you still have my cards."
As I said so, everyone looked at me with wide eyes.
Delvin waved at Vekel who came towards me with a tray and black card on it. The black card gas a drawing of a red cat.
"Oh, boy! I thought you will never ask."
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