Chapter 271 - Catatoskr (8)
Our hearts and thoughts for the victims' families of Christchurch, New Zealand terror attacks. May God accept them with mercy and peace.
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The plan was put on action and everyone had a role to do. Wulfur and Jon were the only two who knew Riften and could navigate in the Ratway so they went in two teams.
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Team Jon and Alina went into the Ragged Flagon to make sure that Mercer was in the Guild's Hideout. Jon used the [Eye of Magic] spell that was unique to him and checked that the mission can be executed normally.
He then mixed up with the guild and started a small celebration saying that he is going to leave the town soon and wanted to have a proper goodbye this time.
Even though the other members of the guild were wary of Jon, the unusual gifts he brought to them were enough to turn their heads around. Thieves may be used to expensive items but their weakness comes with Unique and Rare items.
Jon showed them an Enchanted Lockpick made of Ebony that can be considered unbreakable, a dagger that causes no pain when it stabs someone, a potion that can make one see through clothes. That last one was taken by Delvin.
Jons unique gifts did the trick and really made the thieves forget their suspicions around him.
While having a fun atmosphere in the Flagon, the Slime Spiders started to swarm the sewers. It was unusual to see the large Frostbite or a horde of Skeevers here in the Ratway but the Green Slime Spiders were indeed something new. The thieves in the Ragged Flagon and in the Hideout all panicked and started fighting the spiders.
"Hey, Delvin. When did such monsters appear in the Ratway?"
"Fuck if I know! I have never seen such disgusting creatures since the time I was in Orsinium."
"I'll take Alina away from the Ratway and come deal with whatever those are."
"Fine, go!"
Team Jon and Alina managed to keep the Guild in the Ragged Flagon while the Slime Spiders make everyone's life hard.
The slime spiders were creeping while slime was dripping from them causing a whole new level of mess, once the thieves came into contact with that Slime, their life became miserable. It was impossible to set foot on the ground with all the slime around but our special anti-slime boots did the trick.
The second team, Team Wulfur, Bjorna, Jullanar and Nefertiti moved as followed; Nefertiti will carry the Haven Cube while Wulfur leads her around the Ratway in the route they decided on earlier. Jullanar and Bjorna will stay inside the Cube to prepare the Slime Spiders for hatching.
The plan was for Wulfur and Nefertiti to spread the Slime Spiders while Jon and Alina distract the guild.
Once the spiders flooded the Ragged Flagon, Jon and Alina started acting as they left the Flagon. Jon was careful to not attract any suspicions around him and double checked that Mercer Frey was still in the Guild's Hideout. Once everything was clear, he rushed towards the meeting point.
***
We all met at a certain section in the Ratway. Wulfur and Nefertiti seemed to be doing a good job.
"Hooman, too many gross!"
"Well, keep it down a little. Now, let's start the second phase."
This time, Wulf, Jorna and Alina were to go out of the Ratway and wait for us outside to do the last preparation. Jull, Nefertiti and I had to go complete the heist alone.
The three of us moved as fast as we could to Riftweald Manor, a house gifted to Mercer by Maven Black-Briar and the place where he keeps the item I am after.
As we arrived near the sewer system around Riftweald manor, I was startled for a second.
"Damn! What happened here?"
"What's going on?" Jull asked.
"This part was clearly rebuilt once again. No, it was changed than what I used to know."
"What are you talking about?" Jull asked again.
"See this wall here, this is not on the map. It is also enchanted with Anti-Magic so I can't go through it."
"I thought you are the only one dump en... ehem, capable enough to enchant walls."
"Hey, I heard that... but you are right. Someone is as paranoid as me or even more can do that. I can break the wall but that will make a mess... also we won't be able to make the remaining spiders pass through here."
"What should we do then?"
"... Let me think..."
I was considering breaking the Enchantment on the wall and then established it again but that will take time.
"Hooman, this wall is problem?" Nefertiti asked.
"Yes."
"Give me [Greed]."
"... Fine."
I just had to listen to her. She took Greed that blended on her body and she then walked towards a small drainage under the wall next to me.
I could feel her location going rounds and rounds in her abnormal speed until she appeared on the other side of the wall.
"Brilliant."
With [Greed] on the other side, I could pretty much Teleport where it is because it is a part of me after all.
I disappeared from my location and appeared on the other side with Jull. Nefertiti was waiting for us there.
"Good job, girl."
We were now, beyond the wall and in the middle of some corridor.
"Left or right?" Jull asked.
"Neither. It should have been forward."
"Are you sure your map is right?" She asked.
"Positive, not only that, this place wasn't like that from my memory."
"What do you mean?"
"Remember the when I took action to steal the Bell from the Temple of Mara and attract the people to the Temple? This place is where the Corpses Robbers used to smuggle them. I checked the place later to the accident but it wasn't like that."
"... I see. But how can an underground structure change that much?"
I was thinking about the same thing when an idea struck my mind.
Could Mercer have done it that way?
That is the only possible explanation, but would he really act too risky?
"I think he used 'that' item."
"You are speaking too much gibberish, Jon."
"Sorry..." I replied nonchalantly and looked at the map in my hand.
I had now had to pinpoint the location I want and move based on it. That will be the best way to find it.
I was sure I am going to find 'it' there as it wasn't on Mercer and I am sure he can't hide it from my [Eye of Magic]. It is possible to hide 'it' in a none physical form but I am sure that the Theory is too advanced for Mercer to understand.
We started moving to the location where I think I can get a better access to the sewer tunnels under Riftweald manor and I wasn't off the mark. I was planning for this heist for too many years after all.
"There seems to be no way ahead." Jull said as we reached a dead end.
"I don't think anyone can seal of the sewers all for himself, he should at least leave some room open."
"Why would he?"
"Do you really want to live in a house with a sealed sewer system?"
"... Oh, I see! That would be too stinky."
We tried a tunnel after a tunnel until we finally found another drainage.
The thing here is that Mercer was trying to link his house to the lake outside Riften while ignoring all the city's sewers. Still, he can't completely ignore it and he had to at least let a room for it to pass by else he would flood the sewers.
These small drainages where easy for Nefertiti to go through while taking [Greed] with her.
Of course, there is no way on Nirn I let the world's most esteemed cat to go through a stinky drainage, she would transfer to the Shadow World and would go through the other version of the drainage in that Shadow World. Simple and safe!
We finally got the signal from Nefertiti to Teleport and went through the wall.
"Hooman, this room is full of traps."
I looked around and checked carefully.
"... No, there isn't."
"Jon, there is one just in front of you."
"... Oooh! You mean traps that kill people. Oh yes, this place is filled with those traps indeed."
I remember this place from the game. We are currently under Riftweald manor and the place is really infested with all sorts of deadly traps.
"How did that person manage to fit all that number of traps in such a tight corridor?" Jull asked.
I looked at her and smiled mischievously.
"How did we manage to fit little Jon in s... Ouch!!! Okay, sorry! Damn, I was joking."
Why did she turn so violent?
"How can we proceed?"
"The place is shut tight and I think there are areas where Magic can't work too."
"Wait! He can actually seal Magic?"
"With 'that' item, many things are possible. It is a cheat item on a whole new level. Even the God Sotha Sil valued it greatly."
"Sotha Sil... isn't that the guy who created the Haven Cube?"
"... The 'Guy'? For a half Dark Elf, I am ashamed for you. Sotha Sil was one of the Tribunal, an actual person with God-like powers. He was worshiped in Morrowind and he created Clockwork City, a realm out of Space and Time that can put any sort of modern technology to shame. This 'Guy' is straight out of a Sci-Fi comic book Guy."
"Okay okay... pull back the nerd. What should we do now?"
"Sigh! I am too large of a target for these traps and Nefertiti can't disable the mechanics."
"And that leaves me? Perfect."
Jull readied herself and stretched her body. She then looked at the corridor that was filled with traps and started to calculate her movements.
"Here, you can equip [Greed] on your body. It will be able to draw energy from me when you are in a Magic sealed area and it will protect you."
"Fine."
[Greed] spread itself on Jull and covered her head to toe, I then cast 'Hasten' spell on it and waited for Jull to move.
"We have less than half an hour. You should go now."
She nodded and walked the corridor. The first part was a pressure plate room that one wrong step may lead to a disaster, I really wanted to Teleport but my Magic was hard to pull out. If I gave myself a day, I can overpower the Magicless room but it needs time.
I controlled [Greed] to make Jull walk on the ceiling and avoid trouble. At the end of the room, Jull found a switch to stop the pressure plates from functioning.
The second part was a ton of slicing blades and spikes. Kinda mysterious how Mercer managed to install them.
Jull performed a gravity-defying performance in avoiding those traps, the flexibility of her body is something that can't be achieved by just effort. She is a real spider lady.
As she passed the second level of traps, she deactivated them from the end and I walked to her.
But as I was walking, I stepped on a pressure plate that I couldn't notice.
A spike came out from the left and another came from the right. With no time to dodge and no magic to support me, the only option was to block them barehanded and so I did.
Each hand was locked on a spike holding its body and pushing it back.
"Jon!" "Hooman!"
A struggle broke out and I could barely withstand the force behind the spike with my raw power. The muscles of my upper body were all in usage in the struggle and I unleashed the raw power of the [4th Level Iron Bones] physique.
With all the power in my hands, I pushed the spikes away and jumped out of harm's way.
"This was close!"
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah! Somehow."
I looked back at the spikes that almost screwed me and let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed Mercer had traps in his traps too. Kinda annoying to think that he can do all that with the help of an item.
Jullanar helped me up and we looked forward.
"There are no more traps until that door, let's just get this over with." She said while she pointed the door at the end of the corridor.
As she was about to step forward, I help her back.
"We are not out of the woods yet. Look at the walls."
There are strange metal things on the walls of the last third of the corridor, seemed suspicious enough for me. I took out a piece of cloth from the Haven Cube, which barely functioned in a magic sealed area, and threw it across the corridor.
And... as expected... Invisible thin cutting wires.
A terrifying trap!
"How can we walk across this?" Jull asked.
"I see now."
It was all obvious to me. The pressure plates from the first third disable the rest of the traps. Only Mercer knows how to walk them.
I explained it to Jull.
"Damn! This is smart. Should we start from the beginning?" She asked.
"No. This is another double trap, if we tried the pressure plates, even if we succeeded, we will leave traces behind. I think it is time to stop playing by Mercer's rules. Nefertiti, you can go through that by the Shadow World, right?"
"Yes."
"Take part of [Greed] to the other side behind that door."
I made [Greed] into two plates and gave one to Nefertiti, she disappeared in the nearby shadow and reappeared behind the door. Once I felt her presence, I put all my power to use 'Telepathy'.
{Teleport... through... Greed.}
It was rough but easy to understand. She did what I said and used [Greed] as a medium through the Shadow World. By aligning the two pieces of [Greed] we made a 'Shadow Portal' that connects two points in the real world through the shadow world.
"Now go."
I pushed Jull through the piece of [Greed] I have and jumped beside her.
We appeared behind the door after that.
It was a small room that I could feel my magic in, it had two doors and there were many items here and there.
This was Mercer's Secret Room.
"We finally arrived."
I stood up immediately and looked around me. Here must be what I am looking for and here it is. Lying carelessly on a table beside some maps and notes.
The secret behind the bad luck of the Thieves Guild.
The Skeleton Key.