“Where are they based?” he asked. “And how many of them are there?”
“They're up at Uttering Hills Cave, near Anga's Mill,” Niranye told him. “There's not that many, but Linwe's tough and I can't fight them all. Look, if you can do something about them, I'll gladly fence for you again, but while they're still out there? I can't help you, Brynjolf.”
Brynjolf nodded and took his leave, promising to look into matters. Wiping out a rival Guild, eh? Dangerous and difficult... but he had a plan.
“Well?” Karliah whispered from where she and Sapphire had been watching from the shadows. “Any luck?”
“Not exactly,” said Brynjolf. “We may have a problem. There's a rival Guild operating in Eastmarch and for as long as they're here, Niranye won't deal with us... not until we deal with them.”
“Then we'll slaughter the fetchers,” Sapphire said grimly. “Where are they?”
“Sapphire, there's three of us!” Karliah sighed. “Who knows how many they've got?”
“Not so many some heavily-armed warriors couldn't take them out,” Brynjolf said, finally smiling. “Good thing we've got some friends with experience in clearing out bandit dens, eh? Sapphire, get yourself back to the Nightgate and speak with Vilkas and Farkas again. I think I know how they're going to repay us...”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ria sat huddled in the corner of her cell, doing her best to keep warm. She'd been glad of the window at first... but that meant the cell was freezing. She had a pelt to wrap around her but all the same, she still wasn't warm enough. The food was hard bread and insipid soup, and a bit of weak Nord ale if she was lucky. There was a slops bucket, cleaned out when the guards could be bothered, but no real way of cleaning herself. She was hungry, filthy, cold, bored, she missed Jorrvaskr, she missed her mother and stepfather back in Cyrodiil and her little siblings.
She should never have come here, or at least stayed at Jorrvaskr and stayed out of the war. Following the Dragonborn had definitely been a mistake – not that she disapproved of Elisif or had turned against her, of course not. She just didn't want to be stuck in a dingy prison cell in Windhelm.
Footsteps outside and that'd be the guards again. Man or woman, they'd all stop by to fling cheap insults at her, call her an Imperial whore or other things along those lines. Sometimes there'd be threats, of violence or worse. So far, no one had acted on them... not yet. Ria feared it was only a matter of time, especially since Ulfric seemed to have forgotten about her. After the initial questioning, when it had become apparent Ria didn't know anything and wouldn't tell them if she did, she'd been left here. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
“Hey, Imperial. Looks like you got company. We got no cells free, so she's going in here with you. She's got grey skin and light fingers. Don't try anything.”
The cell door clicked open, and a ragged Dunmer woman was shoved inside, falling to her knees from the force of it. Ria could already see bruises forming on the woman's skin. The guards had not been kind to the young thief, it seemed.
The door locked behind her, leaving Ria alone with the young woman. As cellmates go, it could have been worse.
“Are you alright?” Ria asked hesitantly. “You look hurt.”
“I've suffered worse,” the woman said, looking up and Ria gasped to see purple eyes instead of the usual Dunmer red. “Not the first time my luck failed me. Happens to us all. Well, maybe not you very often.” She got up, making her way over to the small bed Ria was sitting on. “You're Ria, aren't you?”
Ria nodded, amazed. She didn't think she was that high-profile to be talked about widely.
“How did you -?” The Dunmer placed a finger to her lips, lowering her voice.
“Not so loud. Guards might be listening. My name's Karliah, I'm here to help. Your friends Farkas and Vilkas sent me.”
Ria could have cried. Her Shield-Siblings hadn't forgotten her. They were worried, Vilkas was worried, he'd been looking for her! She hadn't even thought he'd liked her that much... but he'd sent help.
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 19.5
Date: 2013-12-27 04:41 pm (UTC)“They're up at Uttering Hills Cave, near Anga's Mill,” Niranye told him. “There's not that many, but Linwe's tough and I can't fight them all. Look, if you can do something about them, I'll gladly fence for you again, but while they're still out there? I can't help you, Brynjolf.”
Brynjolf nodded and took his leave, promising to look into matters. Wiping out a rival Guild, eh? Dangerous and difficult... but he had a plan.
“Well?” Karliah whispered from where she and Sapphire had been watching from the shadows. “Any luck?”
“Not exactly,” said Brynjolf. “We may have a problem. There's a rival Guild operating in Eastmarch and for as long as they're here, Niranye won't deal with us... not until we deal with them.”
“Then we'll slaughter the fetchers,” Sapphire said grimly. “Where are they?”
“Sapphire, there's three of us!” Karliah sighed. “Who knows how many they've got?”
“Not so many some heavily-armed warriors couldn't take them out,” Brynjolf said, finally smiling. “Good thing we've got some friends with experience in clearing out bandit dens, eh? Sapphire, get yourself back to the Nightgate and speak with Vilkas and Farkas again. I think I know how they're going to repay us...”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ria sat huddled in the corner of her cell, doing her best to keep warm. She'd been glad of the window at first... but that meant the cell was freezing. She had a pelt to wrap around her but all the same, she still wasn't warm enough. The food was hard bread and insipid soup, and a bit of weak Nord ale if she was lucky. There was a slops bucket, cleaned out when the guards could be bothered, but no real way of cleaning herself. She was hungry, filthy, cold, bored, she missed Jorrvaskr, she missed her mother and stepfather back in Cyrodiil and her little siblings.
She should never have come here, or at least stayed at Jorrvaskr and stayed out of the war. Following the Dragonborn had definitely been a mistake – not that she disapproved of Elisif or had turned against her, of course not. She just didn't want to be stuck in a dingy prison cell in Windhelm.
Footsteps outside and that'd be the guards again. Man or woman, they'd all stop by to fling cheap insults at her, call her an Imperial whore or other things along those lines. Sometimes there'd be threats, of violence or worse. So far, no one had acted on them... not yet. Ria feared it was only a matter of time, especially since Ulfric seemed to have forgotten about her. After the initial questioning, when it had become apparent Ria didn't know anything and wouldn't tell them if she did, she'd been left here. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
“Hey, Imperial. Looks like you got company. We got no cells free, so she's going in here with you. She's got grey skin and light fingers. Don't try anything.”
The cell door clicked open, and a ragged Dunmer woman was shoved inside, falling to her knees from the force of it. Ria could already see bruises forming on the woman's skin. The guards had not been kind to the young thief, it seemed.
The door locked behind her, leaving Ria alone with the young woman. As cellmates go, it could have been worse.
“Are you alright?” Ria asked hesitantly. “You look hurt.”
“I've suffered worse,” the woman said, looking up and Ria gasped to see purple eyes instead of the usual Dunmer red. “Not the first time my luck failed me. Happens to us all. Well, maybe not you very often.” She got up, making her way over to the small bed Ria was sitting on. “You're Ria, aren't you?”
Ria nodded, amazed. She didn't think she was that high-profile to be talked about widely.
“How did you -?” The Dunmer placed a finger to her lips, lowering her voice.
“Not so loud. Guards might be listening. My name's Karliah, I'm here to help. Your friends Farkas and Vilkas sent me.”
Ria could have cried. Her Shield-Siblings hadn't forgotten her. They were worried, Vilkas was worried, he'd been looking for her! She hadn't even thought he'd liked her that much... but he'd sent help.