//------------------------------//
// Clan: New Recruits 
// Story: Skyrim: Band of Thieves 
// by Blackdrag-rose 
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The day following their assault on Faldar's Tooth, and the utter destruction of the clan that had called it home, Capper and his companions found that their own fort was a hive of activity as their leaders focused on dividing all of the loot that had been claimed from the other clan. As it turned out there was an excessive amount of items to be distributed among their ranks, as there were new weapons to replace old ones, better pieces of armor to be had, armor resources that went into improving things around their fort, and even the pieces of furniture were brought in. Capper heard that Bek-Kajin was a little annoyed that they couldn't tear down the actual forts and move the materials to their base, it was too time consuming and the amount of manpower would leave them almost defenseless, if he was serious about tearing it down. For the time being he focused on removing what they could and had it all hauled back to their base, which was what Capper's wagon was used for, transporting the resources to their base, with Azure and Midnight keeping watch over them.

Since his job during that time was to be a lookout, to help the others keep an eye on things, it allowed him to consider his new private vault, how he might go about accessing it without drawing attention to himself, and when he should tell Rarity and the others about it. He knew that keeping such a thing a secret was crucial, since there was a chance that someone might find a way to get to it if they knew it existed, but at the same time they were his friends, people he trusted more than everyone else, and knew he'd likely tell them about it when he was good and ready. What he found to be interesting was that Midnight had decided to hand him her bag of loot from the vault of the Royal Sisters, as she didn't want to lose items from their home world, something that actually caused Azure and Rarity to do the same. It was clear that all of them thought the same, which was a good thing in his mind, and he had double checked his vault early in the morning before being assigned to this mission, allowing him to deposit the bags next to the one he had placed in it during his test.

Such a thing did make him think about Rarity, who was definitely getting used to this world as best as she could, though after taking out that odd dark elf many of the other members of their clan had taken to talking with her, but it was hard to tell if she was suffering from the battle she had experienced while they were clearing out Faldar's Tooth.

One other thing he discovered was that the guard they had passed on the way to the now empty fort was eager for them to be done with the fort, no doubt because his superiors wanted to garrison it so they could better protect Riften from the rest of the dangers that existed in the surrounding area. Capper really couldn't assure him of when they would be done, since he had no idea when that would be, but he was pleased to see that the guard knew he didn't stand a chance against the group that was moving between the forts and stayed out of their way. He suspected that the guard might be able to call on more of his fellow guards, to potentially outnumber them if he really wanted to, but it was possible that he was under orders not to engage until he was given the command to do so, meaning they were free to do whatever they wanted. Other than that he found that nothing seemed to stop them from moving the items out of Faldar's Tooth and bringing them to their base, to be distributed to the rest of the base and put to use, allowing them to put up better protective walls on the outside and lightly improve the living conditions inside the base.

In addition to that Capper spent some time with Rarity and Midnight, teaching them how to improve their sneaking skills so they wouldn't be seen, since they were still thieves in the eyes of the rest of the clan, and with the couple of chests they had recovered he was able to lock each one and test their lockpicking skills, starting with the most basic of locks.

"Capper, I know you are the most experienced thief among us, but you certainly make this look easy." Rarity remarked, as she knew it would take her a lot of time and effort to figure out exactly how to do what Capper was able to do in a matter of seconds, while Midnight seemed to have a better understanding of how to do this.

"Well, it certainly helps that being a thief was how I lived my life before things happened." Capper replied, as he knew that his life before Rarity and her friends stepped into his life was why his skills were as good as they were, thus allowing him to teach the pair more about how to sneak, how to pick locks, the art of speaking and steering things in their favor, and even the art of picking pockets.

While they were training Brurid tracked them down and informed the group that they would be traveling with La'nari in the morning, to return to Riften and sell more of the items they had taken from the nobles, some of the more expensive items this time around, so he was expecting them to make more this time around. Capper understood that fact, because now that all four of them were outfitted, three of their number wearing light armor and Azure wearing heavy armor, that meant some of the coin didn't need to be spent and could be brought back to the clan to be spread out. With that thought in mind he made sure they were aware of which goods were going to be placed on the wagon, just so they could sell them well when they reached Riften and found Brynjolf, mostly to convince him that they weren't wasting his time. Such a thing did cause him to hope that Mercer wouldn't be present for the buying this time around, since he had cut into their profits last time and didn't want a repeat to happen, but they would know whether he was there or not when it came time to sell the items.

When morning arrived the group met it, even though they were getting used to a world where the sun and moon rose on their own, before having a light breakfast and then joined La'nari outside the fort, allowing them to climb onto the wagon so they could get underway once more. Sure enough Capper found that the trip back to Riften was dull, which was no doubt due to the fact that their clan had wiped out another one and the area that the Faldar Clan had been in control of had been freed from their clutches, meaning they wouldn't have to worry about encountering them again. They did, however, spot a large figure off on their right that seemed to be attacking a settlement with wooden walls, causing La'nari to sigh and tell her friends that what they were seeing was a giant harassing an orc stronghold, though before they thought about rushing over to get involved she also warned them that orcs hated outsiders. Capper translated that to mean that the orcs would either ignore them and force them to prove that they were worthy of entering the stronghold, or they would attack on sight if they got too close, so for the time being he focused on getting them to Riften, especially since it looked like the orcs didn't need their help dealing with the giant, as the figure collapsed as they resumed their journey.

Capper found that this time around the guards at the southwest gate were more than willing to let them into Riften, which was either due to the fact that their scheme at the northern gate had been silently called out, or because that scheme had been put on hold to allow more people into the city, but he wasn't about to complain.

"So, will our friend be in the market again, or will he be somewhere else?" Capper asked, where he and La'nari walked into the city while Midnight and Rarity carried the container, leaving Azure to watch over the wagon while they were gone, as he was curious as to where they might find Brynjolf this time around.

"We'll either find him in the Bee and Barb, keeping an eye out for potential targets and potential recruits for the Guild, or in the market, trying to sell one of his 'specialty potions'." La'nari answered, as she knew the figure well enough to know that his time in one of the market stalls was mostly a front for the few missions that took place in that area, and the 'potions' he sold were just things mashed together to make a convincing item, which was due to there being no real alchemist in the Thieves Guild, "I doubt he'd be down in the Ragged Flagon, since he's trying to find recruits to put the Guild back together... Mercer ought to be doing something as well, but he usually stays in the depths of the Guild, only leaving for a special mission that only he can accomplish."

Capper lightly nodded his head as he heard that, as it made sense that Brynjolf would be looking for people that would help turn around their bad fortunes, based on what La'nari had told them in the past, before turning his focus to the market area for a few seconds, finding that the merchants were already out and about. While many of the others were getting ready, as there was an argonian setting up a jewelry stand and a nord warrior in leather armor trying to sell her other gear to the rest of the city, it was easy to see that Brynjolf was still checking out everyone that happened to be in the area. Once he noticed that they were back in Riften, however, he removed himself from where he had been standing and headed over to where the Guild's secret entrance was located, allowing them to stand in a nearby corner, out of the way, as he fetched Tonilia. With how quickly she had valued the loot the last time they were in the city Capper was sure that she would be able to quickly do the same this time around, meaning they would be on their way in no time, they just had to wait for her and Brynjolf to come and evaluate their loot.

Sure enough it wasn't long before the pair emerged from the hidden passageway, where Capper nodded to his friends and they set down the crate that contained all of the loot they intended to sell today, allowing Tonilia to pull some of it out while calculating what sort of price she would offer them for all of it.

"Brynjolf told me you guys robbed a pair of nobles, and now I see that you were telling the truth." Tonilia commented, where her tone made Capper wonder if she was jealous of them being able to do such a thing, though at the same time she was more interested in the wealth that these items would bring to the Guild once she was able to sell them to her contacts, as she had a smile on her face, "You know, Brynjolf, you could always recruit them into our ranks... we might be able to make some progress at last."

"Wish I could, but they're part of Brurid and Bek-Kajin's clan, and you know they won't give up their members lightly... so I'm afraid there's nothing we can do." Brynjolf replied, though he agreed with her, at the very least two of the bandits that were in front of them could very well be the answer to their prayers, the key to saving the Guild from the downward spiral they were suffering right now, "How much do you think we can get for these pieces of jewelry?"

"Not much, I'm afraid." a new voice said, where Capper found that the speaker was a female nord that was dressed like she was a noble of some kind, or someone who seemed to think her way was the only path available to everyone else, plus her arrival caused the three thieves to pale for a moment, all while the lady stepped up to the crate and studied the items that were inside it, "These are hardly better than what you can find in the market right now... and a few pieces look like they were carelessly made, ready to break after a few uses. Best I purchase them to reform the garbage into real jewels."

"Garbage?! These are wonderful items, sturdy and true, not..." Rarity started to say, though a motion from La'nari stopped her as they found that the lady seemed more annoyed with her for speaking out of turn, allowing Capper to see that even the thieves seemed to fear the lady's power.

"Forgive us, Lady Maven, but these four are new to Riften and are not familiar with whose in charge of the city." La'nari said, which all but confirmed that the lady in front of them had more power over everyone than what even the true leader of the city, the Jarl, had, especially when he noticed a guard in the distance turn around and walk the other way once he noticed who was in the area, causing La'nari to turn towards the group, "This is Lady Maven Black-Briar, who owns the Black-Briar Meadery and pretty much runs the entirety of Riften... a single word from her would cause someone to spend the rest of the Fourth Era in prison, if she wanted such a thing."

"I understand. We are fortunate to have caught the eye of such an influential figure." Capper stated, putting on a smile as he presented himself like a gentleman, while at the same time Rarity and the rest of his group backed off while he did his work, though he refrained from snapping at the lady, since she reminded him of Verko far too much, "Shall we do business?"

He knew exactly what was going on, Maven likely knew that some of these pieces were actually better quality than some of the others, and she would be right since Capper had seen a number of the items before departing from their fort, but she didn't want to pay for them like a normal person would. Instead she was hoping to buy them for cheap from the Guild, as it seemed like she was the reason that Brynjolf and the others were able to operate without the guards arresting them for all of their crimes, so since they were in her pockets she felt that she could do whatever she wanted. Such a thing meant that by buying these for cheap, and only giving the Guild a fraction of what the items were truly worth, she deprived them of gold and that meant they would have no choice but to go on the missions and tasks that she had for them, to further her various schemes no doubt. If he was right that meant that the Guild would never get out from under her thumb, in fact he was sure she'd pay them meager amounts of gold when they completed her jobs, meaning she was just like Verko and he disliked her almost immediately, but he didn't let that show as they talked.

In the end he was able to get a few hundred gold for the items and another few hundred for the Guild, since they were why Maven was even getting the items in the first place, and once the transaction was complete the steel armored bodyguard she had brought with her hauled it off as she headed off to do something else, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief once she was gone.

"I have to admit lad, that was impressive." Brynjolf commented, as most people either backed down or paled when Maven talked to them, afraid of what she might do to them if they failed to do whatever she told them, but Capper had managed to keep his cool and made sure both parties got some coin for their effort, about two hundred for the Guild and three hundred for the clan, "We could use someone like you in our outfit... tell you what, if you ever feel like leaving the bandit clan that you are attached to, come find me and I'll convince Mercer that we would only benefit from making you a member."

"I'll consider it." Capper replied, because there was no harm in keeping a door like this open, since there was no telling what the future held, especially in a world like this, and he could tell that Brynjolf understood, even though he clearly wanted to induct the group into the Guild, just to give them some individuals that might be able to undo their misfortunes, though once the gold was counted he slipped the pouch into his bag, "For now, it was a pleasure to do business with you. We'll be back in a few days with the rest of our haul from the nobles."

"And we'll be waiting. If that haul was that good, enough to make Maven undercut us like that, I can only imagine what the rest of it might bring us." Tonilia remarked, as wealth was the only thing she really cared about and she knew that the items she was buying would fetch them a high price once she sold them, so it only made her that much more eager to see what else the group might have stolen from the nobles.

Capper agreed with her, it would be interesting to see how much they could get for the rest of the items that were back at the fort, though for the time being he wished the thieves well as he and his companions returned to their wagon, as it was time to head back home. The guards said nothing as the group rejoined Azure and started to leave the city, though he could tell that no one was very happy about their visit to Riften this time around and figured it was best if he didn't ask about it, as it would likely only make things worse for them. Capper decided to turn his attention away from Maven as he glanced out at the surrounding area, like the manor or estate that had been built in the center of the lake, on a number of close pieces of land since they were connected by bridges, causing him to wonder if Maven owned it or not. The meeting with such a figure had told him much more about the state of affairs in Riften than he was expecting to discover, and just how low the Thieves Guild had sunk if Maven was cheating them out of their gold, causing him to think about the bigger picture and what it might mean for them.

He had been hoping to go without meeting someone who reminded him of Verko, but he guessed such a thing was simply impossible once he thought about it, meaning that if they did join the Guild in the future they might cross paths with her in some manner, something he decided not to worry about for the time being.

"Just so we're clear, it would have been nice to have some warning about Maven's existence." Midnight remarked, keeping her voice low so that only the rest of the group could hear her, since she didn't know if any of the guards were in Maven's pockets and didn't want to give her anymore reason to hunt them down.

"Honestly, I was hoping to avoid drawing her attention... had I known we had caught her eye, well, I would have spoken up on the way to the city." La'nari replied, as she knew it was her fault that they could have walked right into a situation that would have ended with them being thrown in jail, since none of the others knew about Maven before meeting her, but she was impressed with Capper's resolve and unflinching nature, "What's done is done. We can only move forward and hope that our leaders aren't too annoyed with us for failing to secure more gold for the clan."

Capper said nothing to that as he continued down the path that was in front of them, eventually bringing them back to the entrance of their fort, because there were no enemies on the road in question for him and the others to worry about, due to taking out a rival clan and apparently scaring off the more dangerous animals. What they discovered when they returned to the fort, however, was that there was a new group standing outside the main gate, at least ten by his count, and the majority of them seemed to be outfitted in the same attire that some of their clan mates were currently wearing. Two of them were wearing better armor, normal steel to be exact, and seemed to be the ones in charge of the others, though at the same time it was easy for them to see that Brurid and Bek-Kajin were talking to them, the former smiling as the latter studied those that were outside their base. In the following moments the group noticed something interesting, some of the other bandits had small crates of items that seemed to be offerings that they made to the leaders of the clan, similar to what Capper and his friends had done when La'nari encountered them.

"It would seem that word of our war against a rival clan, and our victory, has reached some of the lesser groups that also call this Hold home." Midnight commented, as it seemed like they were gaining quite the reputation, or at least their clan was based on what they were seeing, so it made sense that the lesser clans were hoping to be taken in by the victor so they could all prosper together, instead of the lesser clans being wiped out, "They're also presenting offerings to our leaders, no doubt hoping that they'll accept them into the clan... but if this continues we won't have enough room for everyone."

"Then it's a good thing we took out a rival clan... maybe we can convince our leaders to expand and take over the other fort, thus expanding our territory?" Rarity remarked, though it would mean that moving everything out of Faldar's Tooth would have been for nothing, if they just took it over and moved some of their forces into that location, but she was sure that both of their leaders had a plan in mind for all of the newcomers that might be coming their way.

La'nari said nothing to that as they finally brought their wagon to a stop, where she looked at the items that were currently being offered to their leaders, as some of the bandits had lackluster items, stuff they had acquired from Faldar's Tooth to be exact, but a few had items of worth. Those ones happened to have some good pieces of jewelry and one even had a sword that was enchanted, which he was willing to offer to the leaders, and she was surprised to find that one even had a crate of Black-Briar Mead to offer to the whole clan. That offering made her nervous, because if Maven realized that part of one of her shipments had been stolen there was a good chance she could rain destruction down on those responsible, which could be what the bandit making the offering was aiming for, but without evidence there wasn't much she could do on this matter, only hope she was wrong. Capper, on the other hand, briefly pulled Bek-Kajin aside and explained the low amount of coins that had been brought back from Riften, where the argonian sighed and pinched the bridge between his eyes, showing him that they might have had experiences with Maven in the past and always lost out in the end, but decided to leave the coins in their possession.

Capper nodded and rejoined the others, who would be happy that they got something out of their efforts, though he agreed with La'nari, there was something about the newcomers that he didn't trust, causing him to prioritize the creation of his vault while waiting to see what the future held in store for them, and hoping that they were simply imagining things.