literature

Swindler's Den

Deviation Actions

Codfish107's avatar
By
Published:
754 Views

Literature Text

    Seated on a rickety cart filled with cabbages, no doubt stolen from a poor marketer near Rorikstead or one of the other surrounding towns, sat Zastra, quietly observing the stealthy Dunmer make quick use of the guards in front of a cave.  Zastra had to respect the precision of a practiced killer, though she was a strategist, an opportunist, and wasn't going to let the dark-skinned elf have all the fun, and better yet, the loot.  Approaching the cave entrance, the cart was placed a little around the corner on the outside, to where one couldn't see it coming down the road. She inspected the exterior of the cave carefully, a subtle wave of melancholy suddenly washing over her, but she just as quickly pushed it away.  Her predatory eyes remained on the elf as she neared her.  "Looks like someone's been busy."
 
    Not seeing her at first, Iskierka was startled and immediately readied a fireball with her left. After seeing she wasn't a bandit, she regarded the Imperial woman cautiously, keeping a few yards away. She slide off the face guard of her Nightingale hood to speak, "Would you consider buying an apple, or rather by the looks of you, stealing an apple be considered busy?"

    Zastra gave a small scoff, her hand gesturing to Iskierka's frame.  "Don't give me that.  I've seen you around the guild and you're just as innocent as I am.  Now, if you don't mind, I'll be joining you on your little escapade,"  She said, brushing past the elf and towards the door to the inner chambers of the crumbling structure.  She opened the door and headed inside, but the door re-opened and her head popped out.  "And if you do mind, you're just going to have to live with it."  She gave a smirk and disappeared into the tunnel, hands checking every possible crevice for a spare coin or gem as she descended down the stairs.

    'That fool, does she any idea who i actually am!' Iskierka was extremely tempted to pull the Nightingale rank on the common thief, but remembered what Nocturnal said about the secrecy of the Nightingales, even among guild members. 'Shes here, might as well let her do some of the work.' She stored her hood in her pack and calmly followed her down into the cave. "What is your name?" She whispered.

    Inching closer towards the cavern, Zastra drew her bow and a single arrow, back pressing against the wall.  She leaned around the corner, aiming towards the bandit-man's skull.  She usually liked to sneak around enemies  but bandits tended to be a problem to her out in the wilds of Skyrim, so she figured clearing the camp was a better and more beneficial option overall. "Zastra," she whispered,"you?"

    "Huh..." the bandit exclaimed, but was cut off as an arrow landed square in his temple and collapsed, dead.

    "Iskierka, you know its better to aim for the heart or throat. The arrow has a chance to glance off the skull or the tip of the arrow breaking before it penetrates it." She drew her own bow and arrow and shot a bandit that was drawing an arrow up on a high catwalk. The arrow went clean through the heart area, the body fell off, and landed with a short thump. "Your careless, he would have shot you if i didn't get him."

    "I never knew that.  Huh."  Zastra said, raising to her feet to get a better look at the man she downed, but when the sound of another body hit the floor, she flinched and pressed her back against the wall, then looked down to Iskierka, confirming the dark elf was the one who had felled him.  She exhaled a shaky thanks. In all honesty she had not seen the second man.  Noting the bandits were quieter then she had assumed, she carefully took in her surroundings and even noted a pressure plate.  Her eyes trailed along the walls, finally noticing the arrow dispensers.  She pointed out the pressure plates to Iskierka, then went over to the bandit she had killed and began looting his pockets.  She made sure to look up every now and again to check for other bandits, her close call putting her on edge.  "Does that one have anything good?"  She called to the dark elf quietly.

    "This one was actually smart and didn't say anything when the other fell. Ya a greater soul gem filled with petty, what a waste of a higher one, and a few lock picks." Iskierka replied as she pocketed the items. She looked around the cavern, saw the trap Zastra pointed out, and found where the catwalk started and ended. She quickly rummaged through the book shelves and tables, taking anything light and valuable. "We have two paths to take." She stated walking towards Zastra. "There's the tunnel that begins with the pressure plate and then there's the one up there at the end of the catwalk." She pointed out. "I don't know about you but i'm going to take the one up there, because i'll have a better chance of having the high ground on the next set of bandits. I don't care which way you go, if you go the other way, i can get the loot to myself, if you go with me you can possibly learn something." She crossed her arms and smiled with that. She was originally unpleased with her being here, but Iskierka can never  pass down the chance of showing off, especially in a bandit cave. 

  Zastra thought it over as her eyes scanned both sections, she gave an audible sigh, then headed towards the catwalk. "I get to loot the ones I kill, but I wouldn't mind learning a thing or two.  What's the point of doing a team raid when you go off by yourself?"  She smirked and crouched, making her way up the stairs.  Her bow was drawn and she prepared an arrow.  Once on the other side of the catwalk, she entered a room, larger then the last.  But it looked riddled with valuables causing Zastra's heart to pound.  She gave a grin and turned to look at the Dark elf, then looked back into the room, using a railing to steady her hand.  She aimed at the nearest bandit and shot, the arrow embedding itself in the soft fleshy area between the shoulder and collarbone, into the heart.  The man fell without another sound.  That was one of her better shots, that's for sure.  She shot the Dunmer a grin. As Zastra crouched again, the others began to notice.

    Catching up to Zastra on the cat walk, one of the other bandits noticed them from afar and pointed them out to his fellows. "That was a good shot and you couldn't help the others noticing without extreme precaution and care, which takes alot of the time and isn't worth it with common bandits like these sometimes." By this time the bandits were charging towards them, about a hundred yards away. Iskierka stood up and said, "Now do you want to see something really cool." as she pulled out and drank two different bluish potions. "Let's hope none of them can create expert level wards." She said as she smiled and unleashed a lightning storm with both hands, directly hitting and disintegrating the front two bandits and then stunning the ones directly behind. They were only fifty yards away.

   Zastra flinched as the lightning danced around the bandits.  It was awesome and quite pretty, but mages and magic users alike, frankly, scared her to death.  However, the only one she had ever really gotten to know was Marcurio.  Now that she thinks of it, the Dunmer sort of reminded her of the sassy arcane apprentice.  The dark elf held herself high, almost conceitedly so much like Marcurio had.  Strange the personalities you meet traveling Skyrim.  She drew her arrows out and fired at a stunned bandit, hitting him in the navel at first, making him fall, but the next one landed in the base of the neck, killing him.  She then darted forward, replacing her bow with dual elven swords.  She stuck her swords into a charging female bandit, and used the bandits momentum to toss her over the railing .  As she began to turn back around, her swords blocked an axe that was dangerously close to her face , but what she didn't expect was the axe-wielder's knee lodging into her stomach causing her to buckle and kneel, nearly losing her block.

   Iskierka laughed a bit when Zastra flung the bandit over the railing, but then stopped when she saw her in trouble. The lightning storm completely drained her magica, it would take too long to fire an arrow, and she wasn't at sword range either. She did the first thing she thought of, she threw her eleven dagger at the axeman, entering in between the ribs into a lung. There was a brief gargled gasp of air before his soul left his body and flew to one of her soul gems. She ran to the body and quickly pulled out her dagger from the body to block a swordswoman, unable to draw Dawnbreaker out of its scabbard.

    Scrambling away as she was narrowly saved, Zastra leaped to her feet.  When she noticed Iskierka was in a tight spot, only wielding a dagger, she kicked the bandit away from the dark elf forcefully, and swung her swords downward into the swordsman's neck.  She dislodged her swords, then swung them again, cutting his head completely off.  She kicked the body over and drew the back of her palm along her fact to clean off the blood splatter, though it didn't do much but smear it across her cheek.  She let out a shaky breath and rolled her shoulders.  "Well that was close." She exhaled, referring to both hers and Iskierka's close encounters.

    "Indeed it was, she was alot heavier and stronger than i am. She almost overpowered me." Iskierka said as she put away her dagger. They looted the bodies, she only took the soul gems, alchemy ingredients, and a few of the lock picks  she let Zastra take everything else. "I don't think any of these are the chief, and we haven't explored the whole cave system yet. "So tell me, why are you here?" She asked as she walked off the catwalk and across the room.

    Zastra began to look through the bandits, taking gems, coins, the rest of the lock picks  and anything else that could match the value of a silver ring of true shot.  She then stood and looked around.  "Well we still have that way we didn't go, maybe the chief is down there.  There's sure to be a lot of loot."  She said, leaping down from the catwalk and into the room, instantly rummaging through the cupboards and chests, picking up the coin and gems, though left the magical-looking things for Iskierka.  "Well, I was on my way to Rorikstead to visit a friend but I saw a certain dark-clad elf take out a few guards.  I thought, 'Hey, why not tag along and get some coin and only do half the work of clearing a bandit camp?'.  So I did."  She shrugged.  "Why are you here?"

    Iskierka grabbed a magic steel dagger, a few valued books, and all the potions(five of them). "Now why would a thieves guild member be going to Rorikstead?" She asked, but then answered, "To put it simply, Jarl Balgruuf had a bounty out on this place, and im doing it for the influence that i'll receive, not the gold. Though of course the gold is always nice, why did you think i am letting you take most of the gold that we find." She laugh at her comment and sat down at a table and started eating an apple as Zastra was finishing her rummaging.

    "At least you'll get the gold from the bounty." Zastra said, standing up after rummaging through everything.  Her eyes scanned the area and she took notice of a door going in the opposite direction of the entrance.  "And I'm not going to Rorikstead for anything guild related, just to visit my friend Erik."

    "That's the idea." She said, still sitting down, but now drinking some mead. "So you go all the way to Rorikstead from Riften just to meet a friend, anything special about this friend." Iskierka was only partly joking, because she would go across all of Tamriel just to see Sarah. " And if you don't mind, i'll ask some more questions as long as there aren't bandits in hearing range, since i do feel it right to get to know guild members. Even as a thief, what is your opinion on the war?"

    "Erik used to be a follower of mine, he used to be a... special friend, but we're not just friends, if you get what i mean.  But it's nice to visit him once in a while."  She shrugged, leaning against one of the cupboards.  "As for the war, I guess I'm technically apart of the Legion or I used to be.  I was suckered into it.  I was promised a fortune for my efforts.  All I really got from it was a few coin-purses and a dead husband..."  She let the end of the sentence fade, trying to hide the pain in her chest as if someone had just shot her with an arrow, but it subsided as soon as it had come.  "But aside from that, I don't like the Thalmor, or any of those snobby High Elves for that matter," She said, seething slightly, but she had to admit Ondolemar had a nice butt."I don't know why Skyrim doesn't just team up and takes out those wretched jerks.  It wouldn't be that hard if these leaders of war would just get along and stop acting like children." 

    "I do believe i can relate to that feeling you have with Eric." Iskierka said, blushing slightly. "Of course you didn't get the gold promised. With the state of the empire right now, do you really think that they just dish out good to every legionnaire." She sat crossed armed, leaned back into the chair. "I don't like the Thalmor either, i hate the whole thing about Talos for my friends sake, and i especially hate it how the Thalmor declare themselves the saviors of Mer kind." She gave a short laugh at that. " If that is true, then where were they when the Red mountain exploded and destroyed half of Morrowind, while the other half was almost completely taken over by the Argonians, and now while my kinfolk are left off worse than the Empire itself is." She was standing up by now, with her palms on the table, speaking passionately. "I joined the Stormcloaks because Jarl Ulfric made me a deal, that he would help my people where the Thalmor didn't, once he is High King." She sat down, sweating and breathing heavily.   

    Zastra crossed her ankles.  "I've never even spoken to Ulfric except when he gave me an axe to give to the Jarl of Whiterun, and that didn't turn out very well in the end.  But he seems passionate, but both men; Ulfric and Tullius, have their flaws.  Ulfric is a murderer and Tullius is a damned liar.  As you can see I really don't hold much of a side in this war.  It's done nothing good for me.  Actually, it's done a ton of bad.  But that's in the past.  So you don't mind the racism of the Stormcloaks.  I'm an Imperial, a close blooded cousin to the common nord and they still seem to resent me.  I can't imagine what it's like to be a mer in this era."

    "Despite what people think, alot of Skyrim nords aren't like that, people generally only focus on the bad side of things. I mean come on, my shield sister is a nord and i'm a Thane. As far as Ulfric being a killer, i'm not sure on that. The Empire and Thalmor believe he murdered the High King, but actually talking to him, and seeing him in person, it doesn't seem like he would do that. So i have to say i believe that he challenged the High King, in the old nord way. You must see the point of view that i'm coming from to understand my beliefs of this whole issue. I only want whats best for my kind and those close to me, and i'll do whatever i have to in order to achieve that. Wouldn't you do the same for those close to you?"

    "I agree, but I don't have much as far as kinfolk and people I'm close to, so in retrospect, it doesn't matter that much to me.  All I know is people are fighting and the Thalmor are taking advantage of that and no one is noticing." Zastra gave a shrug.  "Are you a Companion as well?"

    "Oh I think people notice. It's just that the Empire is too blinded by the supposed peace and the Stormcloaks are too blinded by their cause. But you can't really blame either side. No, i'm not in any way apart of the Companions. Though i did study at the College of Winterhold for a few years."

    "Oh, okay, it's just I've really only heard Vilkas and the others use the term Shield-Sister, but I hadn't realized it was a more common term.  Anyways, I'd agree, they're all too blind to see the Thalmor is the real threat.  They need to see that soon or Skyrim is going to crumble."  She shrugged. 

    "Well she is more than just that, she is apart of the Companions, and she did call me that, so i guess it makes sense then. Not just Skyrim, but humans period, and i would hate to see how us Dunmers and the Argonians would be treated also once there isn't a political barrier between us and the Thalmor."

    "They'll probably oppress you.  They do think they're the superior race after all, and that's always a bad thing."  Zastra replied, with a sigh, crossing her arms.

    "Yup and despite being a Mer myself, arrogant assholes." Iskierka said. She heard voices, then laughed a bit. "Hear that, it seems the bodies have been found."

    "Ready to take on some more?"  She asked, smirking deviously and drawing her blades.  

    "Lets just wait for them to make their way into here, there's no rush. We can ambush them as they enter." She said standing up and taking out her bow.

    Zastra's eyes stayed on the opening of the catwalk and she smirked again.  "They won't expect us just to be sitting here waiting for them."

    A few minutes later three bandits stepped through the opening of the catwalk.. No sooner then they could react, arrows peppered their sides."Surprise." Iskierka said calmly with a smirk. "Now wasn't that much easier?" She said to Zastra.

    "That was.  Do you suppose the bandit leader is somewhere in there?"  Zastra asked, nudging one of the bandits with a sword.  He was definitely dead.  "Strong work."

    "Ya probably." She said going over to check. "Yup here he is." She said, rolling him over and taking his ring of major blocking.

    "Well that was easier then I expected.  I guess he doesn't have to be too strong when he's guarded by half of Nirn for Talos sake."  She scoffed, her hands instantly falling into the pockets of the dead men, picking up some coins, lockpicks, and gems.  

    "No they don't. Lets go find his room." She said as she walk back along the catwalk.

    "There should be better loot in there.  There usually is."  She said, heading down the catwalk, across the first room, stepping over the pressure plate, and into the chief's room.  There were multiple chests and Zastra rubbed her greedy hands together.  

    "Be careful." Iskierka warned. She went for the desk and bookshelves, looking for anything she hasn't read or of value.

    "I think we pretty much cleared i-"  She was cut off with the sound of a rope snapping.  She suddenly lurched forward, grabbed Iskierka's collar and pulled her to the ground, laying to the side of her.  Arrows darted over their heads and she let out a shaky breath.  Once the arrows stopped, she noticed a young bandit, probably no more then 15, wielding a small iron dagger.  He had set off the trap no doubt.

    "Whoa... you reacted before i could." She said  getting up a bit stunned. "Why didn't we see that second trap before hand?" She looked at the kid with pity. "Look kid just put the knife down, we aren't going to harm you." She said calmly, slowly walking towards him with hers hands raised. His eyes widened with fear and unpredictably stabbed out with the dagger. She jumped back catching his wrist, then twisted his arm behind his back, and swept a foot under his to make him fall, dagger still in hand. "Now if you don't calm down, your own dagger will go through the back of your neck."

    "Better listen kid.  We're trained to kill and steal, you might not want to second guess us."  She warned, continuing through the chests and picking out all the valuables and setting them on the floor for re-distributing after the kid was handled.

    She released him and stood there thinking, with a frown. The kid stood a few feet away not knowing what to do, while Zastra gleed through the loot like a little kid with candy. She didn't want to leave the kid, but didn't know what to do with him either. Then suddenly this kid reminded her of herself when she was a few years younger than him, alone and scared, and she knew exactly what she was going to do with him. "Zastra hurry up, you can wait a few hours to see your friend and help me take him to Whiterun." She knelt down in front of him and said softly, "It's ok, i'll take you to Riften where you can how to survive and be apart of a family."

    "We're going to take the brat with us?"  She asked, dropping the elven boots she was holding and they landed with a loud clang

    "I'm returning a favor, plus where are you going to sell your loot, Rorikstead?" She said a little loudly.

    "I was perfectly fine out on my own when I was his age."  She exclaimed, but thinking back, she wasn't exactly fine.  It kinda sucked actually.  She grunted in frustration.  "Ugh, fine. I see your point also."

    Iskierka asked the kid softly. "What is your name?"
 
    "It's Brego ma'am." He replied timidly.

   "Brego? That is a kingly name. Come Brego lets get you to Whiterun." She said softly placing a hand on his back.

    "What are we going to do?  Take him to an Orphanage?  He'd be better off on his own."  She mumbled.

    "I wouldn't dare take him there!" She turned around and snapped at Zastra, feeling her memories rush through her. She turned around slowly and said softly, "We will go to Whiterun. I'll then take him on cart to Riften."

    She took a step back when she was snapped at and glared.  "Good.  But what are you planning on doing with him?  What is the guild gonna use him for?  Cleaning?  That's all he's good for at this point."

    "Brego if you want in the guild, go into the first room and wait for us. Hurry!" She said with controlled anger while clenching her fists and slowly turned around to face Zastra, her eyes were watery. She spoke passionately, "In the name of Azura, you don't have the slightest idea of whats happening do you? And why should you, all you care about is your self and gold, nothing else. You have no idea what this means to me..." She paused trying to control herself, but a chocked sob got out. "what he means to me." She said quietly. She turned to follow Brego.

    It was true, Zastra didn't have the slightest idea what was happening.  She was unemphatic like that.  "What does this kid mean to you anyways?"  She asked slowly, trying to erase some of the harshness in her voice.  

    She was originally just going to arrange something with Brynjolf, but her memories were such a torrent now, that she was having second thoughts. "It's not specifically Brego, its the.. its the circumstances. It has to do with me, before the guild was my family, and the kindness..." She paused briefly, trying to control her self, "someone showed me one day." She said halfway looking at Zastra and into her memories.

    Zastra just sat there, looking in the direction of the kid before looking back to Iskierka with a brow arched. "Who was this person?"

    She sighed. "You may not know of him. His name is Gallus, he used to be a guild leader until he was betrayed."

    "I've heard of him..."  She replied, her voice dropping as a gesture for her to continue.  

    She sighed deeper this time, with a small urge to cry at the memories. "I was at Honor Hall from age five to eight. I had snuck out and meet him after i tried picking his pocket. He saw the potential in me and knew i would eventually help the guild in a great way, i only recently understood it, he got Grelod the Kind to let me leave with him. After that he was pretty much a father to me, he looked after me, and taught the thieves trade and how to use a sword up until i went to Winterhold to study Destruction magic and later joined a caravan."

    "That's really sweet.  So what about Karliah?"  She asked, actually pretty interested in the elf's ties with the guild.  

    "Other than Gallus, she was the one i looked up to the most. She was the one who taught me archery."

    "That's sweet.  I've never really talked to her much, but she seems really interesting."

    "She is, i guess you could say she was a mother to me." She sat there thinking for a little bit. "I want to leave, lets get going to Whiterun."

    "That's fine with me."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    An hour later saw them inside Whiterun at the gate. Zastra turned to Iskierka. "So what is your plan? Do you need me to watch him while you go speak with the Jarl?"

    "No. Sarah owns a house here, thats where we are living right now, i can just have him stay with her while i speak to the jarl. You can stay and talk with her if you want?" Iskierka offered.

    "Thanks, but no thanks. I want to get to Rorikstead before nightfall, so i'll only be quick here."

    "Very well." She held out her hand, which Zastra grasped . "Shadow hide you until next time my friend."

    "To you as well."




    





A fanfiction based on a roleplay session between me and :iconlava-aquamarine:

I only added the last bit and did a lot of editing, on both of our parts.
Yes i know the cave layout isn't actually that of Swindler's Den, but the location worked for the purpose of the story.

Zastra & Eric: :iconlava-aquamarine:
Iskierka, Sarah, : Me
Everything else; Bethesda
© 2013 - 2024 Codfish107
Comments0
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In