Chapter 700: Nightingales

Chapter 699: Nightingales

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Despite the course of the Thieves Guild’s storyline, Jon decided to make one large interference through it by becoming a Nightingale alongside Jullanar, the one whom he sent to take the mantle of the Guild Master.

The role which Jon was filling just now should have been that of Brynjolf, but Jon stole that spot by forcing himself over the situation.

He wanted to be a Nightingale for a very important goal which he finally managed to get some leads on during his visit to the Clockwork City. To achieve that goal, he is now standing with Karliah and Jullanar at the Nightingales Hall south of the city of Riften.

“Jon, Jullanar. I am glad you finally joined me to walk the path of the Nightingale Trinity.” Karliah said as she greeted them outside the Hall, “… while I hope you two refrain from showing any disrespectful behavior in the sacred shadowside of Nocturnal.”

“Amusing!” Jon sighed and started checking out the place as they walked in.

To him, it was nothing but a ruined cave that was cut in the mountain and contained an old temple for Nocturnal.

“I know you two aren’t interested in wasting more time and would rather go straight to look for Mercer but his trace has long since gone cold and the Guild can no longer find him. That’s why we’re here. We’ve come to seek the edge we need to beat Mercer Frey.” Karliah said as she tried to make Jon and Jullanar interested in this matter.

“I know a dozen people that can flatten the ground with Mercer Frey. What would this Edge of yours do that we can’t do?” Jullanar asked.

“For starters, finding him.” Karliah said and walked further in, “To be honestly clear with you, I wanted two senior members that are more open-minded than you two but…”

“But my money is running the whole guild now.” Jon said.

“Even the Daedra are not this demanding.” Karliah sighed.

“Always glad to be of help.” Jon laughed.

“For your initiation, you shall witness a miracle from Lady Nocturnal.” Karliah said as the three arrived at a part of the temple where 3 pedestals stood. Each of the pedestals had a carving on it with the symbol of a bird surrounding a desk over its head with its circularly spread wings.

“I’ve always heard stories about the Nightingales. Never thought it would be real though.” Jullanar spoke as she looked at the old place with little to no excitement.

“The assumption that the Nightingales were just a myth was seeded within the Guild on purpose. It helped avert attention from our true nature.” Karliah said.

“If the other thieves were to hear that…” Jullanar looked at her with a menacing stare.

“We are no cult nor priests. This is merely a business transaction just as any except that we are dealing with the Daedra Patron of Thieves, so… think of it as making deals with the scariest gang leader that happens to be a Deadra Goddess to operate with her blessings.” Karliah explained.

Jon and Jullanar looked at each other and seemed in prior agreement on what to do. Just as they were invited, each of them stood against one pedestal and placed a hand on top of it.

Right then and there, the shadows cast by the pedestals in their surroundings started to flicker, absorb light intensely, and be animated.

Slowly and at a steady pace, the shadows rose up and surrounded the hand placed on those pedestals before slowly flowing through the arm and to the rest of the body.

As the three were enveloped with shadow, it took a few seconds for the shadow to take form and completely settle on their bodies in the shape of a set of armor. A pitch black, leathery, ornate, and beautiful set of armor with plates and straps covering every part of the body.

This armor suit was made of a full body suit, gauntlets, boots, and a masked hood that barely shows the two eyes of the wearer as fully black eyes with no defining colors.

Moreover, Jon had been given a sword in his right hand and Jullanar was given two daggers.

“Beautiful!” Jullanar expressed her admiration for the armor piece but she wasn’t looking at her own, but rather Jon’s, and specifically at his bottom.

“Stop it.” Jon said jokingly, “I’ll blush.”

“I’d take this situation more seriously but the armor is indeed beautiful. It is one of the perks given to us by Nocturnal.” Karliah interrupted the moment and urged the two to follow her, “Beyond that gate over there is the first step to become a Nightingale.”

The two didn’t seem to be in any sort of disagreement and followed along. Karliah was bothered by the silence so she went on to explain further.

“To hold any hope of catching Mercer, we must have Nocturnal at our backs. If she’s to accept you as one of her own, an arrangement must be struck.”

“And the terms of arrangement?” Jullanar asked.

“The terms are quite simple. Nocturnal will allow us to become Nightingales and use our abilities for whatever we wish. And in return, both in life and in death, we must serve as guardians of the Twilight Sepulcher.” Karliah replied.

Jullanar turned to Jon as if waiting for something from him.

“We make our own Fates.” Jon said, “I once heard about a Nord Dragonborn who turned into a Werewolf, served as a Nightingale, and a Dark Brotherhood Assassin.” Jon said, “Guess who got his soul in the end?”

“Who?” Karliah and Jullanar asked.

“I have no idea.” Jon said, “But if a human ascended his/her soul with enough power to satisfy each of those Original Spirits all at once, wouldn’t that be a sight to see?”

Jon’s statement made Karliah frown but Jullanar’s eyes widened as she understood something.

“So that can happen!” She said.

“It can.” Jon nodded, “Also, there are other things that may satisfy a Daedra other than souls.”

Karliah was unaware of what the two of them were planning but she didn’t really bother. No matter what Jon Dare or whoever it is intends to do mischief in this place, it is them versus Nocturnal, no worries here.

Only if she knew what Jon had in mind, she would scream, run, pull her hair, scream and run again, and eventually bang her head to a wall or something.

***

Deeper into the inner sanctum of the Nightingale Hall, the reformed Trinity of the Nightingales stood in front of the gate to the summoning chamber.

“Now, are you two ready to take the Oath with Nocturnal?” Karliah asked while placing her hand on the chain, seeing that the two barely nodded and remained silent, she pulled the chain and walked ahead of them, “Now, after we open the gate, Jon takes the eastern circle, Jullanar takes the western, I will take the one in the middle.”

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Jon and Jullanar did as they were told once they entered the chamber. There was a central stone platform with the sigil of the Nightingales carved on its grounds and then three bridges leading to three minor platforms, each had a circle carved on it. Once the three Nightingales were separated to stand on each of the circles as Karliah instructed, she began to chant the summoning.

“I call upon you, Lady Nocturnal, Queen of Murk and Empress of Shadow!” Karliah called as she raised her arms before calling one more time, “Hear my voice!”

Nothing happened for a few seconds but just as it seemed that nothing would happen, the temperature of the chamber went down a few degrees and an otherworldly presence invaded the place. The Nightingales, however, were unshaken.

As the chamber became darker, a sphere of shadows and void started to form and a feminine voice was heard responding to Karliah’s prayers from all directions of the chamber.

{Ah, Karliah!} The voice spoke sweetly yet with deep and unfathomable power, {I was wondering when I’d hear from you again. Lose something, did we?}

“My Lady, I’ve come before you to throw myself upon your mercy and to accept responsibility for my failure.”

{You’re already mine, Karliah. Your terms were struck long ago. What could you possibly offer me now?}

“I have two others that wish to transact the Oath; to serve you both in life and in death.”

So far, everything went as far as Karliah expected it would. She wasn’t sure how Nocturnal would react and she was betting on the restoration of the Nightingales to satisfy the Queen of Shadows but…

{You surprise me, Karliah. This offer is definitely weighted in my favor.}

“Hold it right there, ladies. We are not just some offerings here, are we?”

And at that moment, Jon interrupted the conversation between Nocturnal and Karliah. It was a great surprise but Jon immediately reached out to the Cowl of the Nightingale and tore it off his face with sheer physical strength. His eyes were to appear first followed by his hair and menacing smile, then his Magicka was unleashed boundlessly.

“Jon Dare! Stop this at once, showing disrespect in the presence of Lady Nocturnal is…”

“Jull!”

As Karliah wanted to stop him, Jullanar jumped off her platform and stood behind Karliah with a dagger to her throat and another to her side.

“Let’s be nice and quiet, shall we?” Jullanar spoke in the same tone Jon uses but her bloodlust was as high as the sky at the moment and she seemed like she would snap and kill Karliah at any given moment. Karliah had to be very careful from that moment on.

{You…}

Nocturnal immediately recognized who Jon was.

“Lady of Shadows.” Jon greeted Nocturnal properly and stepped forward to the main platform.

{Last I saw of you was when you hosted the Myriad Realms of Revelry.} Nocturnal spoke, {You did labors for Azura, allied yourself with Mephala and Boethiah, carried the arrogance of Meridia and the malice of Vaermina, and wore from the same shirt as Sheogorath and Hircine. You are famed among the Royalties of Oblivion, Mortal.}

“I also extorted Dagon, made enemies with Bal, Vile, Peryite, and Malacath. I can make enemies just as well as I can make friends.” Jon said.

{A threat well delivered.} Nocturnal understood Jon’s intentions, {But you are a being so close to the Shadows. Why not just accept my gifts, mortal?}

“A gift is a favor, a favor comes with a price. I am a being of business, I like unprecedented exchanges, unique profits, rarities and antiquities that are one of a kind.”

{My key?} Nocturnal asked, {Haven’t you been bearing it for quite some time now?}

“He did what?” Karliah, who just heard that and despite all the ways she can die at the moment, reacted violently to what she just heard.

“Say goodnight, lady.” Jullanar was just about to dig her blades in Karliah’s neck but Jon held his fist up for her to stop.

“I stole the key from Mercer at some point in time but it fell once again into his hands.” Jon said and turned to Nocturnal, “Now that I meet the owner of that Key, I can make a new legal offer.”

{You return my Key, I grant you the blessings of the shadows. Fair offer, don’t you see?}

“Oh, I see. Very fair except for the life and death part.”

{But eventually, you gain freedom.}

“Sounds like a no deal when you use the word eventually. Still, that’s not what I am after. I know you want your Key back so that you can keep your authority flowing in the Mortal World but you know very well that it eventually will be stolen again. So… where can this lead us?”

Nocturnal’s Key, the Skeleton Key, was an artifact that was famed for its multiple owners. It is hard to keep the Key in place since it had a very elusive nature and Jon wasn’t really keen on keeping it. He only wanted it for some time and he would give it back once again.

Still…

{Let me present you with a counteroffer, something of different value and immense usefulness for your needs, Mortal.}

“Oh! You have something I want?”

{I care nothing about what you want, but I know what you need. I shall grant you no blessings or such a thing, I will give you a key, a different key, a key from a set of keys that shall satisfy your needs. Something if you are smart enough, you shall use to a potential higher than that of the Skeleton Key.}

“A key?” Jon narrowed his eyes and for the first time, he was puzzled.

There were no other key artifacts in the Lore he knew by heart. Only the Skeleton Key was the apex of all keys that can lock and unlock all physical and metaphysical barriers. But for there to be another key.

“Is it… a spare Skeleton Key?” Jon asked.

{It is a Key for a Mortal to wield. You shall know when the time comes. Return my key and get yourself a different key, one that you will definitely be thankful for. Simple as it is.}

Jon wasn’t really pleased with what he got but he can’t put pressure on Nocturnal with his power alone. He can stand his ground but he can’t push against the might of an Ada.

He thought about it but more than simply thinking, he was very curious. It may not be worth it and Nocturnal is just lying to him but knowing what the Daedra are all about, Jon couldn’t help but fall for his curiosity.

“Why in Oblivion not?” Jon smiled and with an agreeing face, He held his hand out to Nocturnal, “Deal.”

{Deal!}

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