Shadow

Unslinging my glass bow from my back, I stealthily shot the flimsy mechanism that activated a ramp leading to Mercer's house, from my mostly reliable resource, I should be able to stroll through the place like I owned it.

The gate in front of me burst open as some thug ran at me, dull face contorted in rage and weapons raised. I rolled out of his way and ran for it, jumping over fences and somersaulting over the heads of beggars as I led my attacker through the winding alleyways of Riften, searching for an entrance near Mistveil Keep.

Oh I was SO going to kill Brynjolf if I got back to the guild.

Out of freaking nowhere, a dark figure in Guild armour appeared and brutally murdered the thug in the middle of the town, turning him into a bloody piece of holey cheese from Hammerfell with an ethereal purple daedric blade. My saviour turned towards me, pushing back their hood. My breath caught in my throat.

'Xria?'

'Sharinzah?'

The High Elf surged forward and lifted me off my feet in a bear hug, her black hair brushing my face. I gently extracted myself from her crushing hug, wincing and rubbing my ribs. She laughed, her solid pearly silver eyes shining in the watery sunlight.

'Xria Dialona you have a LOT to explain!' I said crossing my arms over my chest.

'Sharinzah, I think YOU have a lot to explain!' She countered, grinning and mimicking me.

'I hate you already. Flagon later? We can tell our stories.' I purred, poking her in the stomach before dashing back to Mercer's house.

I drew my daggers as I came across what looked to be a bandit outlaw by the way she stood and the weapons she carried, humming a little tune under her breath as she studied a priceless painting I had once taken from General Tullius himself. I put a hand over her mouth before slitting her throat and letting her choke on her own blood, attracting the attention of another bandit, also an outlaw by the way she held her weapon. I sliced open her chest and cut out her tongue before slashing my blade over eyes to make her blind.

Checking a bedroom, there was nothing of interest. Downstairs was a lavish dining room, full of Sweetrolls. Or... it was until I stole them all. What can I say? I'm just a typical thief. I love Sweetrolls, Skooma and Balmora Blue. I swear to Y'ffre that Balmora Blue is more divine than Talos. And I only have his amulet for the enchantments, because why would I stoop as low as worshiping a Nordic god? It's either Daedra or my traditional Khajiiti pantheon thank you very much.

Murdering a bandit who seemed to be a plunderer by his armour, I opened a wardrobe in search of the exotic clothing I had stolen from
Maven. Again, I have refined tastes in clothing, and I really regretted giving ALL the clothing to the guild. I looked FAAAAABULOUS in it, I swear!

Opening one wardrobe, I found that if I pushed it, the back panel shifted ever so slightly. I fitted my claws into grooves in the wood (well, I actually made the grooves with my claws because there were none...) and pulled it aside to reveal a stone staircase. How delightfully ominous.

Nearly singeing my fur in the first trap was bad enough, I thought I was ready for anything when I dodged a spurt of ice, but I was SO unprepared for the swinging axes and the giant bartering ram. I dodged through the blades with only a rather deep cut in my right arm as a reason to murder Brynjolf for telling me nothing.

I whipped out a dagger and cut a string which triggered darts, snagging my shoulder with an annoying poisoned little dart. Now I had a really good reason to murder Brynjolf AND Mercer. I hate poison darts.

Entering the room, I swiped Mercer's plans off his desk and snatched a glowing blue blade from a display case, before stuffing a bust of the Grey Fox into my magical pouch at my side. I tipped a bowl upside down and pocketed trinkets and gems that had resided inside of it.

I continued my adventure through the stony hallways, taking a barbed arrow to the knee and cussing more exotically than the clothing I wanted. And that clothing was from freaking Black Marsh. I did NOT illegally cross the border and steal those clothes for nothing! And plus, an arrow to the knee was SO not gonna put me on guard duty for the rest of my pitiful existence!

I dropped into the vaults, recoiling at the stench of the madmen that lived inside. Ugh. Quickly, I found an exit and surfaced in the Flagon. I opened the storage cupboard that hid the guild cistern, and began to search for one majorly doomed redhead.