A Thief's Ascension, The story of Jak's life from small beginnings Options

[BretonBlood]

I am by no means a writer, in fact I am horrible but figured I'd post a story I wrote on the Bethesda Forums here. I fully expect to be picked apart for my bad writing, this was also written about 2 years ago. I also like to include pictures to somewhat show what is going on since it kind of helps take away some of the burden of creating the scene through writing.

Chapter 1

"Oh wait, aren't you going to eat something before you go to work?"

"I can't I slept in, sorry mom." Jak said as he quickly rushed out the door to head to the Riften Docks.

Once at the docks Jak got to work quickly with the daily chores he was assigned when he got the job. Luckily he had been doing it for so long that even starting late he could get his work done in time, and after a few hours he took a break to relax watching the lake. It was peaceful for awhile until...

"Hey Jak! What are you doing?" The young Breton came up from behind and sat down beside Jak.

"Hello, Fina..." She stretched her legs out across his lap. "Alright then... well I am on my break, I got all my stuff done and before I get back to work I wanted to relax over the lake."

"Oh, that sounds like fun, I mean I can't imagine working here is all that fun."

"It isn't bad, it can get boring but it pays okay. Plus I get to rest here every now and then and take in the view and fresh air."

"It is beautiful, isn't it? "

"So what are you doing here, Fina?"

"I don't have anything to do since I haven't gotten any jobs from the Jarl or anyone, so I decided I would come see you today."

"Lucky me." Jak smirked and Fina smacked his arm.

Jak eventually stood up and explained he had to get back to work, so Fina hugged him and said good bye. Once the sun began set Jak finished up his remaining work, and headed home where his mother cooked a meal while he recovered from another day of working for the Riften Fishery.

As usual Jak worked a long day at the Riften Fishery and decided to go to the Bee and Barb for an afternoon drink. He sat the bar drinking several mugs of mead trying to take the edge off.

"By the gods, Fina? Is that you?"

"Marc?"

"That's right. Wow it has been years, what are you doing in Riften?"

"I live here, in fact I just got back from a job the jarl gave me to go take care some smugglers. What about you?"

"I have been travelling Skyrim looking for potential patrons, and ended up here. It is great to see you, want to get a drink?"

"Umm, sure." Fina and Marcurio headed to the bar to order some mead when Fina noticed Jak sitting at the bar and walked up to him.

"Jak, how are you?" She stood beside him at the bar and Jak nodded his head as Marcurio walked up to the bar. "Marc, this is Jak... Jak this Marc, he is an old friend of mine."

Marcurio greeted Jak, but Jak gave a quick hand gesture and took another drink of his mead. "Jak are you drunk?" Fina asked.

"Not drunk enough." he replied.

"I'm going to change out of my armor. Marc watch him for me and make sure he doesn't get into trouble." Marcurio laughed and agreed to the request.

"She is great isn't she?" Marc gave a sigh, "It's been so long since I've seen her."

"Yeah, she is great..." Jak replied.

Marcurio leaned forward onto the bar, "So what's the story between you two? Are you?"

"We're just good friends." Jak explained.

"Oh. Interesting."

Marcurio began small talk with Jak and explained how he knew Fina from when they used to study magic in Cyrodiil when they were younger. Then he began to rant about how he was a master of the arcane and his skill in battle was unmatched. He also hinted that if Jak ever needed him he could be hired. Jak didn't pay much attention, he instead noticed the coin purse he had hanging from his belt. After a couple minutes Jak went to get up from the bar, but stumbled and Marcurio caught him before he fell.
"I think you have had enough to drink, at least until Fina gets back."

"Fine. Maybe you are right, I'll just go home now. Tell Fina I said bye." Jak made his way to the door, "Sucker." Jak smirked and put the coin purse in his pocket.

[BretonBlood]

Acadian: Thank you! Arissa very experienced in all things thievery like being charismatic, smart, stealthy, etc, I mean she has been doing this for 10 years so she is more there actually helping Jak more than anything, he has learned a lot from her. This is also why he much better than his newb days, he has been travelling with Arissa for several weeks, it doesn't seem like that since I kind of skip over the long travel times and what not, so she has definitely taught him some things.

Darkness Eternal: Indeed it does, he isn't ready to be fighting off vampires, he would be dead his first day on the job. He would rather be raking in the coin.

They do make a great duo, don't they? As stated to Acadian, Arissa has helped Jak significantly with his thief skills, she knows way more than him, so its only natural that with the both working together they would be completing jobs with ease. And after the last several weeks of them working together Jak has definitely made a decent amount of coin so that his mother and he don't have to scrape by anymore, but he is aiming for the bigger picture of getting his mother out of Riften and to a nice city like Solitude with a nice house. Ironically, Arissa comes from money, and she has the proof to clear her families name, in the journals she got from the man who framed her family, and get what she lost back....

Chapter 10

The next day, Jak and Arissa left early in the morning to head to Windhelm. Fog filled the air as they saddled their horses and began their journey. Not far from the city they came across some Vigilants of Stendarr who claimed there were rumors of Daedric creatures roaming the Rift and warned them to keep an eye out. Continuing on, their journey was rather uneventful other than the occasional wolf that they dispatched easily enough. They arrived in Windhelm, getting some rest after the ride from Riften, then searched the city for the right house finally finding it in the Grey Quarter. They broke in and searched the house where Jak found the item upstairs. He quickly grabbed the item and the two thieves made their way out of the house and the city, they did not want a repeat of what happened in Solitude where one of them ends up in jail, so they chose to make the long ride back to Riften.

After speaking with Vex and turning in his job, Jak found Delvin who told him that the special request was set in stone and that Jak needed to talk with Torsten Cruel-Sea who knew something about a rival guild starting up in Windhelm. After resting for a day Jak and Arissa set out for Windhelm again, and once there they found Torsten wandering around the plaza.

"Torsten, right? Delvin sent us, he said you had something for us."

The man was startled out of his dead stare,"Yes I do.... my daughter, poor Fjotli, she was murdered by an Altmer... and the way I see it it's an eye for an eye. I found the Altmer and well... you know."

"I'm sorry for your loss, but what does this have to do with the Guild?"

"Well you see after Fjolti was murdered her body was robbed... by a new group of Altmer thieves known as the Summerset Shadows. They stole a precious family heirloom, and I want it back. I know this all sounds like it isn't worth the Guild's time, but if you get back that heirloom I'll gladly help the Guild in any way I can here in Windhelm. And at the same time you get rid of a rival guild. Do we have a deal?"

"Deal. We will help you. Where do I begin?"

"Speak with that Altmer, Niryane, in the market.. I think she had something to with all of this."

Jak shook Torsten's hand assuring him he would not fail then they left Torsten and went to the market to find Niryane. She was talking with a customer so Jak walked up and pushed him aside to talk to Niryane.

"Hey! I was in the middle of a business transaction!"

"That's great. Tell me about Fjolti."

Niryane sounded sympathetic about Fjolti's death and tried to play it of like she didn't know anything about what happened, "Tell me everything or end up like Fjolti!" Jak yelled.

"Okay, okay... let's just discuss this like rational people. I swear I had nothing to do with Fjolti's death." She went on to explain how she had no choice and that the group the Summerset Shadows came to her and threatened to kill her if she didn't fence their goods. She mentioned they stole from the deceased and that is how they got Fjotli's necklace.

"Tell me where to find them."

"I'll tell you if you promise not to kill me." Niranye begged.

"I'm not going to kill you. That's not how our Guild works." Jak replied.

"Speak for yourself." Arissa chimed in from behind Jak with a stern look on her face.

Niryane mentioned they were held up in Uttering Hills Cave, and so the two of them set out at once. They traveled west from Windhelm and eventually found the entrance to the cave guarded by two of Summerset Shadow members. Arissa was uneasy at all of this, as it hit a little too close to home, so while Jak wanted to sneak and catch them by surprise Arissa went ahead and began firing away with arrows. She fired from the bushes and the members charged, Arissa killed one and as the other went to attack her Jak stepped up and stabbed him with his dagger. They entered the cave and found more members patrolling, but as soon as they turned Jak would come up from behind and slit their throat. Eventually they came to a bigger cavern with a fire where two of the members were warming themselves while talking about their next mark. Arissa charged in and Jak followed trying to makes sure she didn't get herself killed, but they charged in so quickly the Summerset Shadows didn't even know what hit them and they fell quickly. Jak looted a key off one of the bodies which unlocked a door which lead to what looked like a fort inside the cave.
They entered into the fort and killed one more patrolling member, but doing so alerted Linwe who came sprinting out of one of the rooms with his lackeys and they began to attack. It was an intense fight, but in the end Linwe fell to Arissa's rage and as his body laid at their feet she kicked it and spat on it. Jak decided to loot his armor as sort of a trophy. Then in one of the rooms they found the banner that the Summerset Shadows used, so Jak lit a torch and burned it until nothing remained. With all the members dead, and their banner burned, the two of them left the cave and returned to Torsten. They found him in the market and approached him.

"So did you do it?"

Jak handed him the necklace, "It's done."

Torsten's eyes began to water as he looked at the necklace, "Thank you. Seeing this necklace pains me, but it brings me joy knowing it is back where it belongs. Tell Delvin if he needs anything done for the Guild here in Windhelm, just contact me."

The two headed to the inn to tend to their wounds and rest before heading back to Riften. After a days journey they were back in Riften where Jak gave Delvin the news who was happy to hear it and even told Jak he was a natural unlike anything he had ever seen. He thanked Delvin and returned home with Arissa, and as always they spent time with his mother and ate dinner, afterwards Jak put Linwe's armor on one of the mannequins in the basement.

"You did a great thing, Jak." Arissa commented and put her head on his shoulder.

"I couldn't have done it if you weren't there. Granted you acted a bit rash, but you still did a great job." He leaned in and began kissing her.

Arissa pulled back with a look of sadness, "I'm not really in the mood tonight, Jak... I'm tired after everything we have been through."

Jak understood so the two of them went to bed. In the morning he woke up to an empty bed, so he put on his armor to begin his search of the house for Arissa, she was no where to be found in the basement so he went upstairs. As he came up the stairs he looked in the kitchen to find she was not there either, and he turned to find his mother sleeping and something else... a note on the end table. Jak quietly walked forward and picked up the note:


Dear Jak,

You are probably wondering what is going on, why I am not there, and there is no easy way to say this, but I have decided to leave. It had nothing to do with you... I just wanted to return to my home and see my family, it is something that has been weighing on my mind for some time now, ever since you helped me find the evidence to prove my families innocence this has been consistently on my mind. After spending so much time with you and your mother, it really made me miss my family more than ever, and I just wanted to be able to see them again and have a family again, like you and your mother. Then after thinking about how Torsten lost his daughter it made me realize how life is short, and that I was given a second chance to see my family again, a chance I can't pass up knowing that either my parents, or myself, could be gone tomorrow and never see each other again.... What we had was great and I enjoyed every minute of it, but this longing to see me family is too much, I hope you can understand. I didn't have the heart to tell you this in person, it would have been too hard for me as I care too much to see you get hurt like that. I'm really sorry Jak, I hope you and your mother can forgive me and hopefully one day we will see each other again, but until then I wish you the best of luck. Goodbye, Jak.

- Arissa