[Bruma] Back to Work (Solo)

Castle Bruma was surrounded by a tall, stone wall, almost impossible to scale unnoticed. The stairs that led up to the castle were watched by two guards of the town watch. No doubt that if he simply waltzed up, they would note him, and once his task was discovered, would automatically remember him. Nightshade let out a soft sigh from his spot sitting near the middle staircase, a little ways away from the gate. It would be easy if he could just kill the two guards and hide their bodies before entering, but given the time of day, no doubt someone would notice him if he tried to do that. Really, he should've waited until Night fall, when less people were meandering about, but then, the castle would've been crawling with even more guards. An assassin's work was never easy... He watched as people milled about, living their daily lives without any real care in the world.

Well, that was a bit of an overstatement. Wandering around the town was apparently some Thalmor Emissary, and there was word that some Vigilants of Stendarr were in town. Bandits stalked the mountains nearby, and the ancient statue of the Champion had been defaced by some vandals. All this he could hear from his spot near the top of the city. Gossip and prattle...

A group of citizens, nords and imperials, were milling about near him, grumbling about the Thalmor in town. They were complaining about having to hide their shrines in case of some foolish inspection. Nightshade listened silently, pretending to be interested in a hangnail. He heard vague names, vague locations, and then he smiled. He slid off his seat and down the stairs.

About fifteen minutes later, Thalmor soldiers had approached a group of citizens, an innocent little child hanging near them, demanding entrance to their houses. A discreet frenzy spell caused a ruckus, and the guards standing near the castle gates were forced to intervene before the soldiers murdered the civilians. The scuffle brought onlookers, and no one noticed the Dunmer slipping into the castle.

Navigating his way to the Lord's Manor was relatively easy once he entered the castle. It seemed rather stupid to him for the doors to the Manor be just two hallways from the entrance. But this stupidity could be exploited. He crept unnoticed through the large hall, most people either running from place to place or milling about waiting for the evening audiences. The door to the manor was quickly picked and he slipped in before a maid had wandered by the hall.

At this point, Nightshade took out a small potion of invisibility, bought from the Brotherhood's alchemist. He quickly drained it, and held up a hand, waiting for the potion to take effect. It didn't take more than half a minute, and he started to quickly, but silently, wander the hallways, looking for his target's room. After a little wandering, he found a luxuriously decorated bedroom, filled with finery and luggage containers. There were no guards standing around, for there was no one in the room at the time. Most likely, the guest of the castle was at dinner with his host. This gave him time to act.

The dunmer silently closed the door behind him, making his way over to a water carafe set beside the bed. It was full, meaning it was waiting consumption. Casually, Nightshade tipped in the contents of another bottle, then continued to search the room. Any drinks around were poisoned, and the empty bottles were handled delicately. Before he left, he took whatever gold and jewelery he could find, stuffing everything in a pouch on his hip. He drank another bottle of invisibility potion and left, searching for his next destination, the servant's quarters.

In a sharp contrast to the silent halls of the Lord's Manor, the servants quarters of the castle were bustling with activity. Even the approach from the Great Hall was difficult for the assassin, invisible as he was. It was hard to not just bump into someone and expose himself. Thankfully, he had managed it, and once he made it into the quarters of his secondary target, he had room to breathe.

There were plenty of places in plain sight. Nightshade started to set the empty bottles onto the table in the quarters, then in a chest at the foot of the bed. He was about to set the last third under the bed when he heard footsteps approaching. He let out a low curse as he quickly hid himself away into the wardrobe. If anyone opened it, they'd get a nasty surprise.

Which would work just well for this contract anyways.

Though the door was closed around him, he could hear a heavy slam. Someone had frantically opened the door, and he could hear something. Harsh noises, heavy breathi- By Sithis. Really? He thought bitterly to himself as he took a quick peek through the crack of the wardrobe's doors. There, he could see the young maid that the room belonged to. And none other than his target entwined with her. Well, at least that explained the specifications of the contract.

The woman didn't notice the additions to her room. She just pulled the noble into bed with her. The assassin felt disgusted, and waited until they were distracted to carefully slip out of the wardrobe. Even standing right above them, they didn't notice him. He almost wanted to hit them both...but that would simply ruin his escape. So instead, he slipped out of the quarters and hid the bottles in a table right by the maid's door. Another invisibility potion, and the dunmer was on his way out of the castle.

About a half hour later, the dunmer re-entered the castle, his cloak hidden away in a barrel near a house. He would be back for it later. For now, he was openly walking in, claiming to be a hunter that was here to offer something to the countess. Indeed, he had a fine, strong stag slung over his shoulder, one gleaming iron arrow still stuck in its side. The guard at the gates escorted him in, admiring the kill, when they both heard an earshattering scream.

Maids ran from the Lord's Manor, claiming that the Noble from Anvil was dead, poisoned to death. The guard quickly forgot the hunter beside him, who looked shocked at this development. The guard excused himself, heading over. Several other guards started heading over, and the hunter asked where he could leave the stag. One shouted back to give it to the maids, and that's what he did. Without another word, Nightshade left, a small smile on his face.

Soon, he was returning to the tavern, his cloak back around his shoulders. He passed by a bloodstain on the ground, no doubt where the Thalmor soldier had attacked one of the innocent civilians. Whether or not any of them ended up in the jail cells was none of his concern...but it would've made a fine addition to a good day.