 The Adventures of Roderick: Part One |
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| ID | xx179369 | ||
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5 |  |
1.0 |
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Found in the following locations:
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| This Elder Scrolls Book Club selection was written by heldwyn | |||
Part One
As I stood near the entrance in the dark night, Lady Elante Valamine was locking the door to her expensive house. I was behind a bush, waiting for my chance to break in once Lady Valamine left. Thankfully, her husband Sir Alaric Valamine was away on a business trip. The Valamines were a very wealth pair of Altmers, and thankfully lived in the country, away from other cities. This would make my job much easier.
I could feel a storm coming, so I knew I had to act quickly. My goal was to enter the house, look for anything valuable, and then get out. I have been tracking her movements for the past week. Everyday Elante left her house at 9 o'clock at night to take a walk through the garden and then through the woods that surrounded their property. She was always gone no less than a half an hour, and no later than an hour and a half. I'd have to work quickly, but I shouldn't have any problems. During the night I had looked into the house, and I had not seen any bodyguards or dogs, so this should be an easy job.
Finally, Elante left the house and started down the dirt road toward the garden. I waited until she rounded a corner and was out of sight, and then I went to the door. I had already inspected the door and I knew it was a three-tumbler lock. I carefully unlocked the door and entered the dark house. Just as I expected, their house was absolutely magnificent! Everything looked as if it were custom made.
As I crept upstairs, I looked at the pictures on the walls in case I noticed anything of great value. I had been a thief for a long time, and I now only steal very expensive items. Unfortunately, I usually spend the money I get for the items as soon as I get it. My employer is a Bosmer just like myself. His name is Thoronir. He has been my employer for about five months now. I searched all the cities throughout Cyrodiil, and finally I came to him in the Imperial City. He was the only merchant that would buy "hot" items. All the others were part of the Thieves Guild, and I didn't want to join them anytime soon.
Thoronir told me that he once got into trouble with the other merchants in his city after he was caught dealing goods from dead people. Luckily, he had weaseled his way out of it by claiming he had no clue what had happened. His partner, Agarmir, had been killed, so Thoronir knew he could not be ratted out by his partner when he was already dead.
Thoronir was hesitated when hiring me, but finally decided that he could make a lot of money with the items that I was bringing in. To eliminate the chance of getting caught again, he changed his store from a discounted goods store into a rare items store. This way he could make all the money he wanted. He told the other merchants that his items were coming from all across Tamriel, and they believed him!
Thoronir has been issuing my missions since I was hired, and now he has me looking for some family relic the Valamines had. Before, I only stole goods that nobody would recognize after being stolen, but now he had me looking for a statue made from glass. It was made somewhere here in Cyrodiil and it was supposedly worth a lot of money. However he said that he would not sell it to the public, but to another customer from another country. I think he said somewhere in High Rock.
The statue was somewhere upstairs. Once I got to the second level, I started searching the rooms. The first room I got to was the guest room. After a quick look, I knew that the statue wasn't there, so I went to the next room. I looked out the window, and outside it was pouring down rain. I knew I didn't have much time, but I didn't panic. The room I was in now was the master bedroom. After glancing around I noticed a display case in the corner of the room. It was holding the item I was looking for. It was a five-tumbler lock, and it took me a few minutes until I finally got it unlocked. Just as I unlocked it, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I looked around and quickly rolled under the bed.
It took Lady Valamine a few minutes to get into the room. She must have changed in the bath or something, because as soon as she came in the room, she immediately went to bed. I waited for what seemed like hours until she finally started to snore. I quietly got up and gently raised the display case in order to get the statue.
I then went downstairs and as I got to the door, it suddenly opened, and there stood Sir Alaric Valamine. He looked at me, and then at my hand that held the statue. He then gave me a menacing look and tried to hit me with a Shock spell, but I dodged it only by inches. I got up, used a Paralyze spell on Alaric, and ran outside before Lady Valamine had a chance to help her husband. I don't know if he saw my face, but I have no doubt that he knew I was a Bosmer.
Once I got to the Imperial City, I immediately went to Thoronir's shop instead of my house in the Waterfront. It was midnight, and I knew that Thoronir would be asleep, but this was the first time I had ever gotten caught during a hit.
I quickly entered the shop through the back entrance using the key Thoronir gave to me. Like I expected, Thoronir was sleeping when I came into his room. I woke him up and he started cursing.
"Wake up Thoronir, wake up!"
"What is it Roderick, what on earth are you doing in my room at midnight!!"
"Thoronir, I got the statue from the house, but on the way out I met Sir Valamine, and I barely escaped. I had to use a minor paralyze spell to get out."
Thoronir was speechless for a few seconds, and then finally spoke. "But you have the statue right?"
I couldn't believe it. "Yes, I have the statue. I barely escaped with my life, but yes, I have the stupid statue!!!"
Thoronir was puzzled by the panicking. "What are you worried about? They're not going to catch you. Just calm down, go to your house, and go to sleep. I'm sure you'll feel much better tomorrow."
"Thoronir, he saw my face! He knows I am a Bosmer now. He'll have the whole Imperial Legion after me tomorrow!" I shouted.
"Roderick, there are thousands of Bosmer in Cyrodiil. There is no way that he'll have the Imperial Army after you. He doesn't know exactly what you look like, just that you are a Wood Elf. Everything will be just fine. It's late and I want to try and go back to bed. Come by tomorrow and I'll have your money. Don't worry, everything will be ok, you'll see."
There wasn't any point in arguing, and I could tell that Thoronir was getting agitated, so I went back to my house at the Waterfront and tried to go to sleep, but I just couldn't. I kept thinking that someone was going to bust through my door and kill me. Maybe Alaric wasn’t going to go to the Legion for help. He knows that the thief that stole his family heirloom must be a talented one. He might hire assassins to track me down.
I kept thinking about this, but I must have fallen asleep, because eventually I found myself in a dream. In it, I was running away from Alaric, who was chasing me along with two other figures whom I didn’t recognize. I was running when I tripped on a rock and dropped the statue. When I went to pick it up I saw Alaric cast a Fireball at me. Just before it hit me I woke up drenched in sweat.
It was ten o'clock in the morning. I had slept in much later than I usual do. I normally wake up at around six so I can get a head start on my assignment. After stretching my aching bones I got out of bed and changed into some clean clothes. I had worn my clothes from last night to sleep. After I was dressed and had breakfast I walked over to Thoronir's shop to collect my payment.
I arrived at Thoronir's shop to find it locked. This was unusual, because all the shops opened at eight in the morning. I knocked and waited for a few minutes. I knocked again, but nobody answered. So I went around the back to find it locked as well, but I expected that, because we always leave the back door locked. I opened the door with my key and stepped inside. The shop seemed pretty normal. I called out for Thoronir but there was still no answer. I went up stairs to his bedroom. What I found was the whole room messed up like an explosion went off. On the bed was Thoronir. He was lying in a pool of blood. I checked his pulse. He was still alive. I started to pull him up from the pool of blood when he began to regain consciousness.
"Roderick... you have to get out of the city. They know you live here."
"What... what are you talking about?" I was starting to panic.
"Someone else was in the house when you stole the statue. He... he was working for Valamine. Somehow... they knew you were going to steal the statue. It was a setup. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to make it. They came by last night to get the statue was from me. They... saw you enter my house but did not see you leave. I wouldn't tell them where you lived. They attacked me. I fended them off. There were only two of them. But they hit me as well."
I looked in the corner to see two Dunmer dressed in dark robes. They were definitely dead.
"You... have to take the statue. There using it... for something evil. It didn't hit me until I killed the assassins. You have to find M'aiq. It turns out that he doesn't lie about everything. Talk to him. He will explain everything. He... he lives somewhere in the Jerall Mountains, north of Bruma. Ask around Bruma and see if anyone can give you directions. So about you payment, heh heh, I think the assassins took all of my money. The statue is under my bed. Take it to M'aiq. Good luck, Roderick."
He was dead! Thoronir was the only friend I had. He was like a father to me. Now he was gone! Whoever did this was going to pay dearly. I would travel to Valamine Manor right now, but that probably wouldn't be a smart move. I guess I would have to travel to Bruma in search of this M'aiq fellow. I have heard stories about how crazy he is. I hope Thoronir was right. I wish he was still here to help me. I guess I'd slip a note to the guard captain that something was wrong in Thoronir's shop. I'd have to get out of the city. I couldn't let the captain know I was part of all this. The captain has a house in the Elven Gardens. I'd drop a note by his door before I leave. Now it's time to get geared up and take the statue to M'aiq.