Meanwhile, at the house on the east end, …
Aphid was alive and fighting with every ounce of strength he thought to possess.
His machete – that he had thankfully kept hilted to him-- clashed with a raider's blade, the metal ringing out as he battled to protect himself, desperately seeking an opening so he could find his baby brother.
But he was outnumbered. It seemed for every raider he struck down, two more appeared, blocking his path out of the house, even just out of this room.
Unlike Kor, Aphid didn't possess supernatural strength or a mystical advantage. His strength to reach his younger brother stemmed only from an immense love and an unwavering parental instinct, fueling his determination to rescue Kor from this terror.
Aphid's machete sliced through the air, nicking the jugular of his attacker before impaling the other that charged him, but he knew he couldn't keep this up for much longer. He was tiring, and the attackers seemed endless, as three more filed in.
Beside Aphid, his co-worker, Ivannar, was wielding a hacksaw with a shaky hand, slicing wildly at the air as if these men were pesky bees.
Ivannar was too scared to outright fight, having left the teen Aphid no choice but to defend the both of them this entire time.
But Ivannar could see Aphid's exhaustion when the teen stumbled and fell into him to catch his breath.
He realized this scrawny young man was showing more bravery, more fight, than Ivannar ever has in his entire life.
What sort of Nord man is he, to let a boy fight his battles?
Ivannar took a breath of his own as the three raider's menacingly stood in the door's path, all chuckling, knowing they've already won.
And if Aphid and Ivannar were surely to die here, then Ivannar would earn his place in Sovngarde.
He pushed Aphid aside, mustering his Nord pride at last, and he charged the men.
Aphid tried to call out to him, to at least pick up a fallen weapon instead of the hack saw, but it was too late.
The three men easily seized Ivannar, and in a malicious form of play, they brutally broke his arm. The hacksaw flew from his grasp, clanging on the ground at Aphid's feet.
Aphid's heart sank as he watched in dread, unable to help. The raiders each pushed the point of their blades against Ivannar, and with disgusting laughter, Ivannar's life was extinguished.
They turned their attention to Aphid then, their eyes squinting with malicious grins.
They formed a semi-circle around him, trapping him against the wall.
Aphid knew he was cornered, with no escape. His machete trembled in his hand from fear and ache.
But he refused to yield.
He had to find his baby brother.
Just as Aphid was about to lash out at all three of the men, a large presence appeared behind them.
In quick session, each of the raiders' heads were struck with a devastating blow.
It was an attack made by Aphid's boss, Yern, a large and muscular Nord. Yern had struck the men down with a mere worker's hammer, though he did wield a fallen raider's sword in his other hand.
"You okay, scrawny bug?" Yern asked of Aphid, "Look at me, boy. Shake it off. Are you alright?"
"Y-yes—Yes, sir," Aphid replied, "I—I got to find Kor! I gotta find--!"
"We'll find him," Yern said confidently, "Come on."
Yern guided him out of the room. They stomped into the hallway, where two more raiders awaited, their blades drawn.
Yern charged forward, his hammer and sword at the ready. "Go, Aphid! That way is clear! I'll hold them off! You go and get your brother!"
Aphid turned to make a run for the opened door at the end of the hall, spotting Teeter just outside, stumbling through yard.
Were he and Kor together?
Aphid could see Teeter's terrified face and hear his desperate calls for his parents, for anyone.
Aphid hastened even more, overcome with his drive to protect the child. He practically threw himself out the door.
"Teeter!" Aphid called out, his voice among the many calling, shouting, screaming, crying.
Teeter spun towards Aphid's voice and wobbled unsteadily. When he oriented himself and saw the teen, he reached out for his help.
"Aphid!" Teeter cried, reaching both his hands forward, but he loss his balance and fell on his knees.
Aphid started to rush to the boy, but …
His eyes widened in horror as Teeter crumpled to the ground, his body limp and lifeless.
An arrow … through his head.
The entire world seemed to slow drastically, the sounds both piercing yet muffled.
Aphid's eyes seemed transfixed on Teeter's fallen form for what felt like an eternity.
Get up, Teeter. It's just another little tumble.
Come on.
On your feet, kid.
Please.
Get up.
…
Aphid was frozen in shock, yet his eyes finally began moving, scanning the yard for any sign of Kor.
The thought of being exposed, a potential target himself, didn't cross Aphid's mind as he desperately searched for his brother.
His heart raced with increasing fear, his thoughts consumed by the terrifying possibility that Kor might tumble next the moment he sees him, or … already has.
Aphid's gaze darted wildly, his eyes scouring every inch.
But there was nothing.
His breath caught in his throat, his eyes returning on the spot where Teeter lay motionless.
The world seemed to be fading away, or perhaps it was the tears clouding his eyes.
He then found himself gazing over his shoulder, seeing in what felt like slow motion, Yern fighting inside that hallway.
It appeared Yern had already slain one of his attackers, and had the other impaled against the wall with his blade, ready to finish him off with the hammer in his other hand.
But a hidden raider lunged from another room and ambushed Yern from behind with a dagger in his back.
Aphid couldn't react any further than spilled tears as he slowly put his gaze back on Teeter, with the boy's form beginning to morph into that of Kor's in Aphid's blurry eyes.
No.
No!
No, he had to find him.
Aphid scrunched his face and stomped a foot forward, determined to find his little brother.
But he was abruptly halted as he was yanked back by his hair, dragged into the house with an evil voice mocking him.
"Where do you think you're going, slim?" the voice sneered.
Aphid was paralyzed for a moment, both by the shock of the sneak attack itself and the trauma that snatching him by his hair resurfaced—Grelod be damned, but he quickly blinked it away and tightened the clutch on his machete.
The moment he tried to swing it towards his captor's arm, however, it was kicked from his hand. Aphid instead grabbed tight upon the bandit's hand and arm, digging his nails in as painfully as he could, but he couldn't free himself from the grip on his hair.
He was dragged helplessly back to Yern's fallen form, where a cold blade then pressed against his neck.
"You look tired," the voice mocked, "Why don't you have a rest with your friend here?"
The blade began to dig, but a loud voice boomed from outside: "Fine! If you want it this badly, then you CAN HAVE IT!"
The blade receded from Aphid's neck as a massive explosion rocked the house, shaking everything to its core. It all changed in a blink.