Published at 30th of July 2022 8:28 am

Chapter 664: Hard Answers

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Jon nursed Jullanar back to health by using a mixture of healing magic, energy circulation, and health potions. She soon was staring at the ceiling of the Guild Hall with a depressed look on her face.

"For the first time… I failed you, Jon." She said.

"No, you didn't." Karliah replied, "It was too overwhelming for you alone to handle and you escaped flawlessly."

Jullanar didn't listen to Karliah and turned to Jon. The look between them conveyed a level of understanding. Jon was clearly angered by what she has gone through and decided to handle the situation by himself in his own way. As for her…

"You have done more than well." Jon said and approached her ears before whispering something.

"Really?" She widened her eyes.

"I promised you once." He said, "Don't worry."

Not sure what he told her, the others watched Jullanar roll to his side and snuggle down with a smile.

"Alright. I'll wait for you." She said in a sweet and calm smile that didn't lose any of her psycho personality.

With that, Leon's stormy attitude calmed down for the most part and most of the frightened Thieves were introduced to a whole new Jon, one that they only heard about in the stories but they thought he was still the same boy that grew up among them.

"So, can we finally get down to business?" Delvin asked.

Jon looked at him and the two were on some baseline understanding that this situation will now take their full attention.

"Alright." Delvin said, "The guild's money was now solved by a contribution from one of us. He even left us his cut until this shit storm passes through. This is 10,000 Maormeri Gold Coins which can fetch up to ten times their worth. Tonilia and Vekel will handle the situation about the liquidation of those coins and we will fill the vault with what you can estimate as 100,000 Gold Septims. In other words, we are functioning just fine."

The thieves were hardly trusting the situation they were in but for now, they are stable and aware that Jon Dare and Delvin Malory are on their side. But then, there was a whole new problem here.

"You better have a damn good reason to be here, murderer." It was then when Brynjolf stood up against Karliah.

The situation was intense as Karliah was known to be the murderer of the Previous Guild Master, Gallus Desiderius. Not anyone here, except those who were here for a long time, knew about Karliah and the situation of her betrayal but those who lived those days still remember.

"Please, lower your weapons so we can speak. I have proof that you've all been misled!" Karliah replied in a tired and quiet tone. She seemed not threatened by anyone here other than Jon, who snapped just a minute ago.

"Just hear her out." But to her good luck, Jon sided with her in front of the guild members.

This gave them a sense of acknowledgment as if they followed his orders despite being his seniors.

"No tricks, Karliah, or I'll cut you down where you stand." Brynjolf walked to her without showing any trust but willing to hear her out, "Now what's this so-called proof you speak of?"

"I have Gallus' journal. He had it on him when he was killed and… I didn't have time to translate it since it was written in Falmer but I am sure there is something in it that clears my name." Karliah said.

In the game, Karliah translates the journal before bringing it to the guild but from the accident that happened and Mercer bringing allying with Arch Wizard Mecinar and Maven Black-Briar, the events have shifted greatly. But Karliah is right, this Journal is the evidence she needs.

"Well, it needs to be translated first." Brynjolf didn't lessen the hostility, "So in the meantime…"

"I'll translate it." Jon handed out his hand to take the journal.

"You can read Falmeri?" Karliah asked.

"Heh!" Jon put on a mocking smile, "A Mysticism Master doesn't know a thing such as a Language Barrier."

He then passed the Journal to Brynjolf along with a magic scroll.

"You can use the spell inside the scroll on yourself and read the journal. I am doing this because others trust you more than me so you do the translation yourself, Bryn." He said.

"Thank you, Jon." Brynjolf appreciated Jon's gesture as the two had some baseline trust in one another.

As he used the scroll of the Mysticism Expert Spell "Linguistic Comprehension", Brynjolf started skimming through Journal before the spell wears out.

He understood the words and realized that they were all true and not fabricated illusions. What he read terrified him and he couldn't stop his hands from trembling with visible anger.

"No, it... it can't be. This can't be true. I've known Mercer too long..."

"It's true, Brynjolf. Every word. Mercer's been stealing from the Guild for years, right under your noses." Karliah knew what was inside the journal judging by Brynjolf's reactions.

"We opened the vault." Brynjolf said, "What is written here is all true."

"Wait just a blessed moment, Bryn. What's in that journal? What did it say?" It was then when Delvin asked Brynjolf to reveal what was in the note.

"It says Mercer's been stealing from our vault for years. Gallus was looking into it before he was murdered." Brynjolf replied, clearing Karliah's name for good.

The whole guild fell silent as the truth can't be darker than this. Not only did their Guild Master steal from them but he even killed the former Guild Master and pinned it on Karliah. They may have had some trust in Mercer as he was a very good thief and led the Guild during its darkest hours and even with the inner struggle in the guild, this was too much.

"How can Mercer open up a vault that needs two keys? It's impossible. Could he even lockpick his way in?" Delvin asked both Jon and Brynjolf, "Jon said to me that wouldn't the Best Thief in the guild be able to open the two locks all by himself if he really wanted to… I didn't want to believe it but now I want to know how."

"That door has the best puzzle locks money can buy. There's no way it can be picked open." Vex stated.

"He didn't need to pick the lock." Karliah replied.

"What's she on about?" Delvin didn't seem to be able to comprehend it.

"You opened the vault with your keys, right?" Jon said, "The door was just fine."

"I've used my key, right, but the vault was still locked up tighter than a drum. Just how?" Delvin shouted, "Enough with the puzzles! Reveal it now."

Brynjolf himself was confused even though he read the journal Gallus wrote. Karliah and Jon knew the truth and as Karliah was sworn not to reveal the secrets of Nocturnal, it was Jon who had to explain.

"I am sure you all heard the legends about the best Thieves on Tamriel, the Trinity of the Nightingale Order." Jon said.

"It's a myth, Jon." Vex didn't buy it.

"It appears not." Brynjolf said as he raised the Journal, "Gallus, Karliah, and Mercer, they were all Nightingales."

"An Order within the Guild?" Vex asked and mistrust was written all over her face.

"Don't get us wrong, girl." Karliah spoke, "The Guild and the Nightingales are one and the same, always have been. It was like that for centuries until Mercer's Betrayal. Why do you think the luck of the guild has run dry? Why do you think everyone was having a terrible time with the guild's work?"

"So… it really was a curse!" Delvin asked.

"We're cursed!"

"By the Eight and Nine!"

All the thieves exclaimed.

"Yes. What Mercer stole was the Boon of the Shadows that hid our tracks and watched over us as we thieved. He stole our luck and with it, he became the most powerful Thief in the world. If we don't stop him and restore the blessings of Nocturnal, we will all face certain ruin." Karliah said.

"Nocturnal?" A Thief asked, "So we are worshiping Daedra now?"

"No." Karliah shook her head, "But it is Nocturnal who is the patron of all thieves. When you rob and steal, you draw luck from her. You don't need to worship her but you need the boon of Lady Luck. We all do."

"Then I believe we are all understanding our situation here." Jon said, "The Guild is going to pursue Mercer until we restore things to order. Until then, I will operate here to hunt Mercer and Maven and to settle my grudge with that Wizard Mecinar for hurting my woman. Also, we will start treating the situation about the Nightingales with a degree of importance. I am sorry Karliah but from now onwards, there is no Shadow Organization behind the Shadow Organization."

"I am fine with that." Karliah nodded, being the only follower of Nocturnal in this gathering.

"All in favor?" Jon asked the thieves.

"Aye." Brynjolf nodded.

"Finally." Delvin clapped with his emotions on fire.

"I'll be killing Mercer." Vex said, driven by her anger.

The entire guild seemed united for the first time in years and with that, Jon stood at the center of it all.

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