Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-3293219-20140308235607/@comment-3293219-20140317121546

As Kaizen was brought to the Thieves’ Guild’s new headquarters, he found himself in awe at their choice of location.

The woman brought him to a clock tower, on the far side of Riften. This area mostly consisted of hovels, where most of the rabbles, who work in the factories, live, many of which were now out of work or widowed due to a recent accident at one of the factories. The clock was built during the early days of industrialisation but it slowly slipped into the background and all novelty wore off, after a while.

It’s hardly surprising that the Thieves’ Guild would choose it as their new hideout, hidden in plain sight. Even if it wasn’t very defensible against the town guard…

Although, he had a sanctuary, with a password protected door and the Empire found him… Perhaps it is down to luck and no amount of preparation can save you from what seems to be the inevitable.

Although, preparation always helps…

-

He was dragged over to an old Breton, who hunched over his desks, scrawling with a quill. Already Kaizen could tell that he was a repulsive man, whose days were numbered due to his failing health.

The Breton hadn’t noticed them enter, too busy writing to notice them come in and when he did see them enter, he was too pig ignorant to show any acknowledgement. The Black Argonian and the woman, who escorted him, stood by his desk for several seconds, slowly realising that they were being ignored.

“Erm… Delvin?” The woman muttered, timidly.

He didn’t reply, causing Kaizen to clench his fists…

This was always what differentiated the Thieves’ Guild from the Dark Brotherhood.

Respect.

If someone like ‘Delvin’ was in the Dark Brotherhood, he would quickly find himself, on his knees, kissing Kaizen’s hand, whilst feeling around for his recently plucked eyeball. Of course, that’s why the Thieves’ Guild was going into decline, that’s why it has slowly being going to the dogs, for the best part of three hundred years and why it’s been cornered into an abandoned clock tower in the armpit of the ugliest city on Nirn.

“D-Delvin…?”

Again, he ignored her, prompting Kaizen to step forward, place his hands on the table and sweep them across. The Breton’s documents were knocked all over the floor, much to Delvin’s annoyance, which he failed to hide.

He looked up at   Kaizen before turning to face the nord, who was now speechless in fear of the two men she feared more than anything else Nirn could possibly throw at her were both looking to her for answers.

“Melody… What the hell’s going on? Who is this prick, and why’s he in here?” He said all this, without looking at Kaizen.

Melody looked up at Kaizen, allowing him to speak for himself for the first time since he arrived in this city.

“This ‘prick’ is The Dark Brotherhood’s listener…” Kaizen informed him, staying his hand as he needed the old man alive and well.

“Oh… S-Shit… I…” Delvin stammered, looking back to Melody as if to say ‘why didn’t you tell me!?’ She just turned around and left them to converse, unable to hide the smile on her face from the satisfaction of seeing Delving drop himself in it, squirming like the worm he was…

The two of them watched her, as she left, waiting for her to shut the door behind her before they turned to each other again.

“Y-You’ll have to forgive me, listener…

We get a lot of…”

The Black Argonian raised his hand, no matter what this ‘Delvin’ said, he’d still despise him.

“It’s forgivable…” He mumbled as he walked around Delvin’s table and took a seat, he looked up at him and sat waiting for the low life to take his seat. The Breton eventually did, groaning as he had to bend his knees and back as he fell into his chair.

“Forgive me again, Listener, but I don’t believe I’ve seen you before.”

''Honor? Respect? No, I doubt you have… ''

“You won’t have…” Kaizen replied, not even flinching as he draped his hand over the back of his chair.

“I’m… making a comeback, as it were…”

“I see…” Delvin replied, stroking the stubble on his chin in response, he didn’t really; he always stayed out of the Dark Brotherhood’s affairs.

“Which sanctuary?” He decided to ask as he would probably end up working on it anyway.

“Cheydinhal, Cyrodiil.”

“Yeah, I know it…

How is Ruth these days anyway?”

“Dead…” Kaizen said, bluntly, assuming that he meant the nord woman.

Delvin looked haunted, not, because she was dead, death was a common fate for his friends, one that he accepted but…

The way he said it…

Blunt…

Uncaring…

Cold…

“Sh- I er…” The Breton was at a loss for words as Kaizen just glared at him, with his murderous gaze. He could hide it but it was more fun to give it to everyone who he was growing bored of and watch them crack under the pressure.

“I need some furnishings for my new sanctuary.” The Black Argonian finally said, though it was fun watching the pitiful Breton squirm, he had a sanctuary to run and an Imperial to get back to...

Delvin looked up at him with a relieved look, back to business, just how he liked it…

“Y-Yeah, I can take care of it…

For the right funds.”

The Argonian drew his coin purse and threw it across the table, allowing the coins to scatter across its scratched surface. There was around 8,000 gold in that bag, more than enough for what he needed.

“What’s that?”

“8,000 septims…” Kaizen replied, through gritted teeth, he’d better not ask for more…

Delvin shook his head as Kaizen passed him the slip of paper, he eyed it, shook his head and handed it back.

“That’s a 12,000 Septim job mate…”

Kaizen just glared, digging his finger nails into the table and adding to its collection of scratches… Perhaps all of the scratches were caused by this infuriating Breton…

“I can get the rest later.” He assured him, this was true as contracts paid well enough and he wouldn’t need anything else. This answer did not assure the Breton, he was too deep in thought as he sat back in his chair.

“Hmm… I don’t know…” He began; trying to think of a way to come out on top of all this with more than 12,000 gold’s worth. “I think I might be able to call in a favour…

If you’d be willing to do one for me.”

Slimy sack of… The Argonian restrained himself, looking away in frustration as he would love nothing more than to force the ill-gotten gold down this Breton’s throat.

“What’s the job?” He asked, hoping that he could get it done before nightfall.

“Well…” Delvin muttered, leaning forward, placing his elbow on the table as he proposed his deal. “I’ve got a real problem in Cyrodiil, that a Dark Brotherhood assassin would be the perfect solution for…”

“What kind of problem?”

“My boys…

TheThieves’ Guild in Bravil? They want to… ‘Expand’ their business to the more rural parts of Cyrodiil but… they seem to be having some difficulty doing so.”

Kaizen didn’t want to hear all of this, quite frankly the Thieves’ Guild could go and take a long walk into the sea, for all he cared but he sat back and listened, hoping that something useful could come out of this.

“So they want to become bandits…” He said, forcing the smug prick to move onto the next bit.

“Y-Yeah… But it appears that we have a competitor, one of our own who went ‘rogue.’ I remember her, back when we lived in the ratway, I knew that she wasn’t cut out for it, back then…”

“Who?”

“A Nord… Magna… Maggie? Anyway, she’s been a real pain in my arse lately.”

Kaizen could empathise…

“So you want me to kill her?”

“It’s up to you really, kill her or hit her camp so hard that she’ll never recover. It’s not like she could get any new recruits, if you were to wipe them all out.”

“Why?”

“She has a… sort of bond with them. Raises them herself, like she’s a disciple of Kynereth or some such shit…” The Breton then coughed, giving Kaizen a second to reflect on what he had said. Most of these people must be children, young adults or meek, how could they be any trouble for the mighty Thieves’ Guild?

“So… You’re having difficulty taking on a couple of punks with bows and arrows?” He smirked, relishing in their failure. If they can’t take on a couple of kids with wooden crossbows, how were they going to handle armed travellers or convoys?

“Heh…

Hardly…” He wheezed, sitting up again and looking grim, now for the hard part.

“Most of them run inside when we show up…

Then he comes out.”

“Who?”

“The Khajit… ‘C’laro’ Also ex Thieves’ Guild and a bloody strong warrior, you might have heard of him?”

“No…” Kaizen said, bluntly.

“Well, he was part of some… ‘Companionship,’ a few years back. You know the one that defeated that wizard, at Red Mountain?”

Kaizen didn’t know what he was talking about, he also didn’t care.

“Yeah.” He lied, pulling his hand away from the table before he did damage to his fingers.

“Well, he’s been around and he’s made a lot of enemies, I’d suggest staying clear of him all together.”

“All men bleed and die…”

“True but for some ‘bleeding and dying’ doesn’t come naturally for some people…” Delvin corrected him, looking around and sighing.

''I wouldn’t have it any other way. ''

Kaizen paused as the Breton looked around, waiting to draw out his verdict, even though he had already decided.

“Deal.”

Delvin glanced up, surprised at his verdict, he half expected to be accused of leading the Argonian into a trap.

“R-Real- I mean, great! I’ll get to work on the sanctuary improvements.” He got up and offered his hand, to shake on their deal.

“One more thing…” Kaizen said, reaching into his pocket and ignoring the gross man’s gesture.

“We’ve moved location, you’ll find us there…” He informed him, handing him a slip of paper with a map on it, leading to Fort Farragut. “If I’m not there; ask for Petra or Larius, they’ll show you what you need to do.”

He then turned around and left this retched place behind, hoping that it would be a burnt out ruin when he next visited.