Kapitel 14: Maluril - Secrets of the Dwemer

At the front of the fortified ruin, four bandits sit at a small round table. Bottles litter the table and ground around them as they all lean back in their chairs, grins on their faces and pupils dilated. The Imperial giggles as they trace invisible lines in the air while an Orc, Dunmer and Redguard stare off into the night sky.

An arrow pierces through the air and nestles itself in the nape of the one tracing the air. The rest of them watch it happen and stand, staring at the slumped over body. The Orc unsheathes his sword and plunges it into the Dunmer beside him. Ripping it out of their chest cavity, he turns to the Redguard who runs screaming further into the fort and he gives chase. Shouting and the clashing of swords is heard inside, then it all falls silent.

A figure quickly moves down the mountain using the snow as a slide. They land silently in the snow and sneak inside the fortified area. A small group of bandits stand in a circle in a small roofed area, speaking quietly.

"I've told them to stop using it, they never listened and now look at what happened."

"And I agree, but we should look back to when we were letting them join us. I warned you not to let them in, addicts never make for good guards."

"Yes, I'm seeing that now... we should find a hole to dump them in."

The figure makes their way past the group while they're distracted and slips inside Mzinchaleft. They lower their mask to rest under their chin, and take in a deep breath while rubbing their hands up and down their arms. With only one way to go, she walks down the ramp to the right, small piles of snow littering the stone floors.

Turning left she can see a shadow dancing on the wall and hear voices down the corridor. She unsheathes her dagger and moves up against the wall, taking the quietest steps she can. She peeks around the corner to see another Orc and a Wood Elf. Both face away from her and she takes aim with her dagger before throwing it at the head of the Orc. It embeds itself in his head and startles the other bandit, who starts investigating. He walks around the corner and past Ghel, who steps out of the shadows and snaps his neck. His body collapses to the floor and she strides over to the Orc to fish the knife out of his skull. Tugging a few times it finally squelches out and she wipes it off on his leather. Passing the fire pit she absorbs what warmth she can before turning right.

Rubble and broken pillars litter the hall, only a few are still standing. Passing a dead Dwarven Sphere, she treks down the ramp to her left leading further down. At the end of the hall is a ramp going down on the left, and a closed door lies on the right. A guard leans against the wall next to the door, his head hangs and his breathing is slow. He's asleep. Ghel walks slowly over to the ramp and peeks at the end. Two Dwarven Spheres sit still, steam blowing out of them. She turns and strides over to the door, standing in front of the guard before plunging her dagger into his forehead. Yanking it back out, she catches the bandit as he falls forward and slides him down the wall so as not to make any noise.

Placing a hand on the door, she pushes forward but it doesn't budge. Ghel turns around and eyes the bandit until she spots a small satchel on his hip. Taking it off of his belt, she searches it until she finds a key. Sliding it into the lock on the door, it turns and makes a clicking noise. Pushing the door forward once again, it opens up to a long and narrow room with a man sitting in front of a table facing away from her.

Sauntering up behind him, she watches as he writes in his journal. A grin stretches across her face as she backs out of the room and creeps down the ramp. Pulling an amulet from her satchel, she grips it in her hands and steps out of the shadows drawing the full attention of two Dwarven Spheres. The second they begin unfolding, she turns and sprints back up the ramp, running into the room that holds Maluril. Her pursuers reach the top of the ramp and charge after her. Stepping around the corner she places the amulet around her neck, turning herself invisible and causing the Dwarven Spheres to lock onto Maluril instead.

Leaving the room, she hears clashing metal and eruptions of fire. The Dwarven Spheres leave the area and head back down the ramp to their original post, and Ghel enters the room to find the mangled body of Maluril next to the table he was previously seated at.

"So fire doesn't work on them... good to know." She places a Nightshade on his journal and leaves the Dwarven ruin the same way she entered.

Once outside, she sees all of the bandits have spread out again. The Redguard from earlier stands alone in a corner, probably still shaken up over the Orcs rampage from earlier.

She reaches down and picks up a rock, just light enough to be thrown a distance and heavy enough to make a good noise when it lands. Throwing it in the opposite direction of where she needs to be, she waits for the other bandits to hear it smack. There's a crash on a pavilion and most if not all of the bandits turn their heads in its direction. Four of them start heading over but it's not enough for Ghel to get out unscathed. Once they reach the area she casts Mayhem on the one that seems to be the leader, causing him to lash out and attack his comrades. Two more run up to help while the Redguard huddles down and hugs her knees while Ghel strides past her.

Passing through the entrance, clashing can still be heard but it's not as bad. A light flickers in the distance and Ghel heads straight for it. The wind is cold and bitter, if it's a hunter they'll definitely let her warm up.

Marching through the snow, she keeps her eyes on the light. About eight meters away from the camp, Ghel watches as the light goes out and a shadow enters a tent nearby. She quickens her pace, if she gets there soon she won't need to use a lot of energy to relight it.

After reaching the small camp, she can see smoke still coming off of the wood. She pulls one of the smaller sticks out of it and snaps her fingers, igniting a small flame at the end of her finger. The flame takes to the stick and she places it back in the pile. It slowly relights the rest of the wood and she puts her hands next to it, rubbing them together and on her arms.

A footstep sounds to her left and turns her head towards the tent. The light from the fire dances on a figure standing halfway through the tent flap, a sword raised and pointed at Ghel. She focuses her eyesight and recognizes Nami who lowers her sword.

"Long time no see, Ghel."