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: I am glad you are enjoying the read as he goes through the Thieves Guild. You should definitely try it out.

But yes, poor Jak, he lost his love because she wanted to be with her own family and get them back. Maybe we will see her again...


Darkness Eternal: Indeed the Vigilantes of Stendarr aren't exactly the best group of people, although Jak doesn't know this, he has just heard stories that they hunt daedra and such.

You are correct, the very thing that Arissa loved about being with Jak was the sense of having a family, in the end was the driving force to make her leave so that she could regain her own family. So yes she "dumped" Jak, but it was more of a leaving in hopes of returning some day kind of situation. Jak, of course won't take it so well.



Last Time: Our thief Jak met a young woman while on a job in Windhelm, named Arissa, and the two became business partners. This relationship grew to become more after spending weeks upon weeks with each other doing jobs and traveling Skyrim. However, after having helped Arissa get revenge on the man who destroyed her family and find evidence that would clear her families name, Arissa began to miss her family more and more after spending so much time with Jak and his mother. Waking up in the morning after a long journey from Windhelm Jak found Arissa gone and a note she had written claiming she left to return to her home and clear her families name.

Chapter 11

After having read Arissa's note, Jak sulked around the house for hours and his mother tried to console him. Lanier too was sad at Arissa's departure, but she was mainly upset seeing Jak suffer. Having had enough sitting around his house Jak headed to the Bee and Barb where he ordered drink after drink and even challenged people to competitions but none accepted so he drank for them. He eventually stood up and started causing a ruckus stumbling around and insulting people, laughing as he went from person to person, and even picking up tankards and other objects and throwing them around. Talen-Jei and Keerava had enough of Jak's antics and so Talen-Jei grabbed Jak and threw him out of the Bee and Barb onto the street where he laid there laughing for a minute.

It was still relatively early in the afternoon and Jak was not done drinking, so he went to the only other place he could think of, the Ragged Flagon. He stumbled his way to the secret Guild entrance and made his way through the cistern and into the Flagon.

"Vekel... get a round for everyone... on me."

"Jak, are you sure that's the best thing? You seem pretty drunk as it is." Vekel replied looking Jak up and down.

"Hey, I am paying so what difference does it make!" Jak pointed at Vekel, and he reluctantly filled a mug of Black-Briar mead and handed it to him.

No one else in the Flagon partook in Jak's drinking and instead watched as he made a fool of himself as he made jokes that only he thought were funny. He then stood up on the table and raised a cup in the air.

"A toast... to all the dirty stinking women that roam Skyrim... who only use you." He took a swig of his drink, "Oh, except you Tonilia, you and your nice bottom." Jak began laughing hysterically and stumbled off the table.

Jak went to grab more mead, but just like in the Bee and Barb the residents of the Ragged Flagon were tired of his antics so while he filled his mug Dirge came up and grabbed the mug from him. "No! That's mine!" Jak yelled and tried to forcibly grab the mug back, but Dirge threw it on the ground and cracked Jak in the back of his head knocking him out cold. Dirge dragged Jak to his bed in the cistern and threw him on to let him recollect himself.

Jak slowly opened his eyes and his vision slowly came into focus and he rubbed the back of his head which was sore. He stood up to find Brynjolf standing next to his bed.

"Take it easy, lad."

"No... I'm good, thanks."

"Want to explain what is going on? First I hear you make a ruckus in the Bee and Barb and get thrown out from there, and then you come down here and cause more trouble?"

"I'm sorry... I had something come up and I just needed to forget about it."

"Uhuh... well after your antics Mercer is furious, he is even considering throwing you out of the Guild. I may be able to talk him out of it, but you are going to have show him a good reason not to."

"What about all I have done for the Guild so far? Is that not enough?"

"You would think, but Mercer is a hard man to bargain with." Brynjolf put his hand on Jak's shoulder, "Look lad, why don't you go to Solitude and figure out this Gulum-Ei situation. That would surely put you back in Mercer's good graces, and it may help you get away from whatever this problem you are having is. Besides, I think you are ready, you have more than proven your skill as a thief, and in the mean time I'll talk with Mercer."

"Thanks Brynjolf, I really appreciate it."

After finishing talking with Brynjolf, Jak headed over to Mercer to let him know he was heading to Solitude to talk with Gulum-Ei. It was obvious Mercer was not happy, but he still needed someone to go to Solitude so he simply nodded and Jak left the cistern. Upon arriving in Solitude Jak asked a guard if he knew of an Argonian named Gulum-Ei, he didn't know who he was, but directed Jak to the Winking Skeever where he said an Argonian was staying.

"Hmm, what have we here? By your scent I would say you're with the Guild... but that can't be true because I told Mercer we were done working together."

"Good, I can skip the introductions then and get straight to business. I want to know about Goldenglow Estate." He played dumb and assured Jak he did not deal with properties, "You can drop the act, Gajul-Lei."

"Oh, did you say Goldenglow Estate? My apologies, it must have slipped my mind, you know what with all the deals that we make."

"What will it take to get you to tell me who the buyer is?" Jak asked and Gulum-Ei began to explain how he had a deal going that required him to get a case of Firebrand wine, if Jak went and retrieved a case of it that was currently in the Blue Palace he would give him some answers. With the cover of nightfall it was easy to make it into the castle, and luckily the guards were in the middle of their rotations so Jak essentially walked in found the wine and left with it. He returned to Gulum-Ei who was delighted to have the wine and then tried to "prolong his life" with a bribe.

"A woman approached me and flashed me some gold and said all I had to do was by Goldenglow. I accepted the job, simple as that."

"Did she say what she was doing?"

"Not at all, and in this business it is wise not to ask too many questions, although she did seem rather angry and it was directed at Mercer... that's all I know."

"She never gave you a name?"

"In this line of work we don't go by names, but more by the amount of coin we have."

"I think you are lying to me."

"Look, I didn't say I would have all the answers. Now, our transaction is done, I'll be on my way." Gulum-Ei stood up and pushed Jak out of the way and began leaving in a hurry.

Knowing Gulum-Ei was lying, Jak began to tail him. He slid down some rocks and watched as Gulum-Ei made his way to the docks. Upon following him further Gulum-Ei entered into a warehouse and so Jak too entered. The inside of the warehouse was huge and was stuffed with tons of items. Gulum-Ei made his way through the warehouse and past the wardens that patrolled the area, and after a close call with one of the wardens Jak decided to follow Gulum-Ei by swimming through the water as he walked along the warehouse. Eventually, Gulum-Ei went through a secret door that led to a cave, however this cave was inhabited by bandits. Jak sneaked past the first two bandits near the entrance and continued through the grotto, he then found two more bandits who were arguing as one was swimming in the water when they were supposed to be patrolling. Using a bow he found at the entrance of the grotto, Jak killed the bandit yelling, this alerted the bandit in the water who quickly got out of the water, but he quickly was pelted with arrows and laid dead. Instead of fighting the remaining bandits in the cave, Jak took a smarter route and swam in the water to the end of the grotto where he then climbed out of the water and killed a khajiit bandit who was loading a boat with cargo.

All that remained was Gulum-Ei and one last bandit, they were talking by the fire in the center of the room and so Jak took this opportunity to charge in. The bandit could not react quick enough and Jak plunged his dagger into his chest as Gulum-Ei watched in fear and began to back up.

"Please... there's no reason to do anything rash."

Jak grabbed Gulum-Ei by his shirt and pulled him closer, "Tell me what I want to know, now."

"Alright, alright. Karliah, the buyer was Karliah." Gulum-Ei said as if he was expecting him to know who Karliah was. Jak explained he didn't know who she was, much to Gulum-Ei's surprise and so then told the story of how Karliah had killed the previous Guild master, Gallus, and now was after Mercer. He then pleaded that Jak not tell Mercer anything about this.

"I won't tell Mercer, but you owe me."

"Now you are speaking my language." Gulum-Ei smiled, "Consider me your new friend in the north, if you ever have any items you need fenced come see me."

With that Gulum-Ei showed the way out by pulling a lever which opened a secret passage way. Jak left the grotto ready to give Mercer the news.