T/W: Gore

The burlap sacks over their heads were still not removed when they were dragged out into the cold. Trudging through the snow, they eventually came across the paved stone of the entrance. Faint clockwork sounds echoed through the halls of the dwemer ruin.

They walked for some time until the terrain gradually changed from unstable gravel to solid pavement. Along the way, the echo of their footsteps kept Wheein alert. The hollowness of the structure is not lost on her and the stories about falmers roaming about don’t help at all.

“You!” the wizard suddenly halted. “Go check further down the corridor. I will not have ancient machinery ruin my study.”

There was some mumbling among the group of grunts but then one of them emerged and led the way. Wheein heard a panicked shout followed by metal clashing on metal. The rest of the grunts followed the noise and left her and Ggomo under the wizard’s eye.

Under the sack, light was faintly filtered through the rough stitching. Looking ahead, there were flashes of fire coming from the walls, probably part of the dwemer traps.

Her hand is itching to reach for the knife and make an escape but the eerie aura of the wizard prevented her from doing so. It seemed like even through the rough cloth, she gets affected by the wizard’s stature.

“We’re clear!” a shout resounded from the group ahead.

“Well, I’m glad these imbeciles are worth my gold after all,” the wizard murmured to himself. The next thing Wheein knew, she was being prodded along to proceed with a staff poking at her back.

The corridor still felt warm from the fire and there was a hint of singed cloth tickling her nose. These men must have gone through enough ruins to only have their clothing ruined.

They continued walking through the path with their steps echoing through the massive cavern. Later, they came upon some steps leading downward. There was a prevalent musk through the air that was being intensified by the humid atmosphere of the underground. It really doesn’t help that bat droppings could possibly be scattered all around.

As the ones ahead in the group finally reached level ground, some splashing noises were heard with the puddles formed in the cave. In the midst of it, Ggomo lightly wrapped his tail on one of Wheein’s ankles as discreetly as he can. The girl took this as a signal to try and escape in a few moments.

On the last step, the Khajiit tugged on the ankle a bit firmly and Wheein followed up with a stumble. The guard behind them prodded her to stand up. She settled for slowly getting on her knees with hands behind her back to pull out the knife in her boot.

What followed would be the most action the cavern would witness after centuries of no visitors.

Simultaneous with pulling out the knife, Wheein removed her bindings deftly and slammed into the guard while taking off the burlap sack. Behind her, Ggomo sprang to action and headbutt a grunt that was quick enough to react.

Seeing the world once more, Wheein was unable to appreciate the eerie glow of the ruins as she ducked to avoid getting beheaded by a sword. Knife in hand, she quickly stabbed her attacker in the hand unarming him and tossing the sword back to her brother.

As convenient as his claws were, Ggomo was grateful for the range provided by the sword and parried attacks on multiple angles. He was able to break through their ranks and give them both an opening to escape.

“This way!” he alerted Wheein.

They tried to weave through some of the massive ruins and boulders but the grunts were always on their tail. It also doesn’t help that the wizard was now aware of the situation and tracks them flawlessly for the mercenaries to find.

Outnumbered and outmaneuvered, they started to trigger some of the inlaid traps in the ruin, making sure that it is somewhat directed to their pursuers. The mysterious orbs and mechanical spiders can only do so much with the wizard blasting them to oblivion.

It is not enough until Ggomo bee lined to a piece of hulking metal that looks like a knight. He tried to look for a mechanism to activate it but the ruin guard started moving by itself with no clear cue. Not waiting to find out what it does, he pulled Wheein along with him so they can hide among some ruins while the piece of metal awaits an opponent.

Not too long after, the wizard’s entourage entered their field of view. By then, the group has gotten confident from the amount of traps that they have rendered useless. However, nothing gave insight as to what next they will face and their hubris can bring about their downfall.

The metal knight was massive but slow. It started to make its way towards the group, stomping forwards to cover more ground. Cocky from recent short battles, the group pushed forward to start hitting it but their weapons only blunted from the thick metal plate of the mechanism.

As the group battles a single giant, Ggomo and Wheein are starting to make their way around, avoiding either party’s line of sight. However, they have to be very quiet as the noise started to attract the Falmer towards their location. The blind people of the underground started inching their way towards the commotion and in order to mask their steps, the escaping pair has to go along the path of the underground rivers and falls.

A particularly loud clatter sounded through and Wheein turned to the noise to see one of the knight’s legs encased in ice and one of its arms got detached. The wizard shot a barrage of ice spikes while the remainder of his grunts surrounded it on its disabled side.

Wheein and Ggomo tried to speed up their escape and went to the staircase leading to where they came from. A pained shout from below once again caught their attention to see a grunt writhing in agony while the piece of complicated metal blew out steam toward its opponents.

The Falmer continued their descent to the commotion until they were only in the slight peripherals of the fight. With the fight near its end the siblings rushed the steps uncaringly and entered through the nearest corridor. With them considerably far from the fight, they finally ran to their way out, tracing the dark stained path from the earlier singed hallway.

Upon reaching the massive door, they took no time to rest and immediately detached the horses from the wagon and trudged their way down the slope. They led the horses through the harsh blizzard as fast as they could but the difficult terrain keeps slowing them down. Momentarily stopping at a nearby ruin tower, they took stock of their supplies and situation.

“We can’t run very far with this weather,” Wheein observed.

“The horses don’t look to be able to keep at it either,” Ggomo added.

Rummaging through some saddle bags, they were fortunate that the mercenaries left their equipment with the horses probably to sell at a nearby tavern when the job is done. Suiting up and gearing properly, there was a hopeful atmosphere between them as they tried to map the best way off the mountains.

Their relief was short-lived however as the door creaked open ominously with the wizard stepping out followed by an unseeing horde. From afar, it would look like he was leading an army but with the tower relatively close, one can see that some of them are sporting charred limbs, others deeply wounded or even dismembered in places.

The realization that the wizard is powerful enough to reanimate corpses hit the former captives with a kind of desperation they have never felt before. Ggomo then made his move and went toward what looks like a massive crossbow. Eager to end this as soon as they can, Wheein made a move to help while the wizard has yet to spot them.

“I’ll load it while you aim,” the Khajiit ordered.

From the tower, they only have one shot with how slow the structure can move. Peeking through the sights, it’ll be ideal if she can dismember the enemy but the priority is hitting him to impede his movements at the very least and that goal can be provided by the wider expanse of his torso.

Wheein took a look at a discarded arrow and checked how Ggomo is faring at trying to load it. His tail is taut with tension along with his legs spread to bear the weight of the arrow. With the effort her brother is going through, the violent blizzard won’t affect the trajectory of the hefty projectile.

The large crossbow clicked into place, drawing the wizard’s attention. With no time to waste, she can only hope that her aim is true and let the arrow fly.

Once again, she struck the wizard through the chest, rendering him immobile. It was more than enough to injure him and prioritize healing, leaving the corpses to disintegrate in the wind. The faint glow of restorative magic from his direction urged Ggomo to spring in action. The orange-streaked feline grabbed one of the horses and barreled to the wizard, unsheathing a short sword on the way.

Wheein then grabbed her bow and positioned at a considerable distance from the ballista. Violent winds rupturing the mountain would make any archer aim at quite a large angle. She tried shooting but the arrows get thwarted by the wind that lands her shots in a spread around the wizard. As Ggomo nears his target, she needs to land some arrows to hopefully further injure and somewhat distract the wizard from casting another spell.

Finally analyzing the turbulence, she landed a shot on the thigh and made the wizard fall on one knee. One more shot and she landed another on his foot. Aiming higher, she missed two arrows but finally hit one on the shoulder. With blood coloring the pristine snow, the wizard’s attempt at healing now needs the assistance of potions and Ggomo came just in time to hit the vial out of his hand with the sharp swing of a sword.

In a wide arc meant for beheading, Ggomo held out his sword arm. But just as he lands the blade on his neck, the wizard sneered through bloody lips and with a glowing hand, moved to take the Khajiit with him.

From a distance, Wheein could see that the wizard cast a spell, causing Ggomo to fly off him. Even as the head dropped to the ground, she cannot account for a victory if it meant she was going to lose her family.

She grabbed another horse and ran it rugged towards where the beast-kin is lying still. Once in range, she jumped off and took stock of his injuries. It looked like a powerful lightning spell if it threw him off and left him unconscious. The enchanted armor they got from a job thankfully did its job absorbing the brunt of the damage but it was not enough as there was a gaping hole and a deep, bloody wound on his torso.

Wheein rummaged through the wizard’s remains and took out a potion of regeneration. Ironic that her hope lies with how formidable enough the enemy could be to brew a powerful liquid. She also cut off a sleeve from the headless body to hopefully use as bandage and slow the bleeding.

On her knees beside Ggomo, she lifted his head slightly to make him consume the potion. It didn’t take effect immediately and by the looks of it, the wizard is not adept in alchemy. She then quickly made use of the torn fabric and wrapped it snug around his torso.

Desperate for survival, Wheein emptied the headless wizard of anything of value from his robes to trinkets and other supplies, no longer caring about ethics.

 She wrapped the remainder of the robe around Ggomo to keep him from freezing as his body recovers and set to work on their transport. The wagon horses were resilient but tired so she has to carefully steer them all out of danger. It’ll be impractical to tie them back in a bigger transport so she settled to have them in a caravan.

She started first by loading the saddle bags with some salvaged supplies then got to work on how she’ll transport Ggomo. Taking advantage of the slope, she positioned the seemingly strongest horse on a lower elevation. Then, she managed to haul him up and lean his weight over. She tried her best to get him to position and once he is atop the horse, she tied his legs together under the horse’s belly to minimize the risk of him falling off.

Finally ready, she tied the horses together in a single file and started the treacherous trek downwards.

They had been going through the snow for a few hours but the blizzard has finally let up, making way for the sun’s winding rays to penetrate the clouds. With the sun facing their backs, they have been trudging to the west and from what she recalls of the map, they might be headed to Winterhold.

Intermittently, she makes Ggomo drink more of the potion. He briefly woke up at some point but fainted again from the immense pain. Despite both of their displeasure, the mages’ territory might be the only place where they can get the best help.

The snow finally cleared and from quite the distance, she can see smoke wafting in the air. She urged the horses to take a faster pace to hopefully get some help before people settle down for the night.

As they reached flat ground, it became evident that they are approaching Winterhold with a castle looming in the distance after a bridge.

Tired but hopeful, Wheein hopped off her horse and led the caravan to the entrance of town. There, she saw a young girl pause and take a look at her. They must’ve looked quite the sight because the child turned around and immediately run into one of the houses. When the child came out, she was trailed an elderly woman and a young man while making way toward her caravan. Grateful for what could be help, Wheein’s body relaxed and finally fell to exhaustion.

“Seokjin, dear, please place the Khajiit on the extra bed. Eunbi and I will settle this girl on the couch beside it.”

“No problem. Anything else I can help you with?”

“If you don’t mind, can you please call for Heeyeon or Byulyi? I might need their help.”

A/N: It's been a long time, I know. Hopefully I can finish everyone's backstories and get them connected to each other.
I might set up a poll if I can to see who you want as the Dragonborn (it can only be one of them) and/or justify your choice in a comment.
Enjoy the story!!