A Lucky Day: An Oblivion Short-story

Chapter 5: Stop Right There, Criminal Scum!

"So what do you think?" J'Kasha asked, taking a break from nervously chewing her gray claws. "Is it worth something?"

While she was running from that silly man whose purse she had stolen, she had felt the weight and shape of the bag. Instinct told her that there was something even more wonderful than she had been expecting hiding in this purse. Outside the city gates, nestled out of sight behind the stables, J'Kasha had opened the purse to inspect its contents. It wasn't jangling from a wealth of coins, but from a modest amount of coins clinking against a monstrously huge red amulet. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head at the sight of it and her first thought was that she was rich beyond measure. Closely following that, was the thought that a jewel that large was a fake.

And now she waited impatiently, hoping to hear some good news, while Shady Sam stared into the coin purse.

Shady Sam's silence was fairly typical for him; he wasn't the most talkative person in the world and he was always quiet when appraising. But he had always spoken openly with J'Kasha. One could even call him friendly with her. What worried J'Kasha now wasn't exactly the silence from Sam, but the stunned look on his face and the fact that he hadn't even pulled the amulet from the purse.

"Oh yes," Sam said, finally breaking free from his trance-like state. "It is certainly worth something."

He looked directly at J'Kasha narrowing his eyes. "But where did you say you got it?"

"From a man in the Market District," she said. "I saw it when he dropped it. Then he just set it down and turned his back on it." J'Kasha grinned in glee at the memory.

"I see," said Sam. Clearing his throat he tightened the strings on the coin purse and held it out to her. "While I am tempted to tell you of some buyers who may be interested in this particular item, I cannot. I would suggest taking it back to the fool who you stole it from."

J'Kasha's furry eyebrows came together in an expression of confusion.

Before she could ask why, Shady Sam continued to explain. "That particular amulet that you have has been seen by very few, but is well known to many. That amulet is the Amulet of Kings, the Amulet of Emperor Uriel Septim himself. And whoever the man is that stole it from him is either very dangerous or very, very stupid. I can imagine that the emperor will have his Watch looking for it. They might even tear apart the Waterfront looking for it." A thin humorless smile crossed his lips. "Good thing I don't live down there."

Though she was covered in fur, J'Kasha's face still managed to pale visibly. She stared blankly at the bag in her hands. The emperor's Amulet? How was it possible for that man to get his hands on the emperor's Amulet? The man looked like he could hardly take care of himself, let alone pull off a heist of that magnitude. Or of any magnitude, really.

Sam was quiet as he watched J'Kasha assimilate the information he had just given her. She pursed her cat lips and turned her attention back to the Breton.

"Who would buy this?" she asked.

Sam closed his eyes and hung his head, sighing loudly. "J'Kasha, I'm telling you, this is not something to mess around with. This is s-"

"Who would buy this?" she repeated louder and firmer, her grip on the coin purse tightening.

Sam pursed his own lips, then licked them nervously before he said, "I know someone in Morrowind."

"Morrowind?" J'Kasha exclaimed, her blue eyes widening.

"What? You didn't think you would be able to sell it in Cyrodiil, did you?" Sam sneered. "Selling that Amulet inside the emperor's own empire would be harder than giving an ogre a bath."