Chapter 459 - The Enraged Woman
A/n: it has been ages since we met a new one so welcome aboard @Bon Bob to this ride.
Oh! Motivation…
Double Chapter everyone!
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(Part 1)
Reaper's March is a region connecting the jungles of northeastern Valenwood with the rolling plains of northwestern Elsweyr. The northwestern woodlands are called simply the Northern Woods, which give way to Jodewood in the south. Eastern Reaper's March is called Dawnmead. The Strid River forms its northern border, separating it from western Cyrodiil. It is home to the cities of Arenthia, Rawl'kha, and Dune, as well as some smaller settlements and Ayleid ruins. The walking city Falinesti has been known to spend the autumn in the Northern Woods west of Rawl'kha.
The March has a unique mixture of Bosmeri and Khajiiti culture, along with some Imperial influence. The senche-tigers native to the area are believed by the locals to have mystical alchemical properties. Despite the dry conditions of Reaper's March, the Khajiit have managed to farm and harvest moon sugar in the area for generations through extensive irrigation projects. While bandits and skooma smuggling are common, Daedra worship is minimal. Khajiiti temples in the region are noted for their awe-inspiring beauty, though there are many other monuments and grand structures that are decayed and ruined.
The team traveled through Northern Anequina for a couple of days until they reached the border fort of Sphinxmoth north to the city of Dune. There, the expert smuggler Ilverios Ulriric and his trusty Senche companion Chaz have made a few rounds of recon before heading to the secret roads. These secret roads spanned across the low savannah area to the high savannah forest and the rocky badlands until the group was officially in Reaper's March.
The only shortcoming of using unused roads is the low level of security that sometimes does not exist. Still, Jon mastered the art of aiming the staff out of the carriage's window, shoot a few spells and call it a day.
"This man Krilon knows his magic." Chaz commented.
"Believe me, you haven't seen him when he gets excited, and pray you won't." Mirren said.
But they will…
But as the team reached the official roads, the security was mostly lax and no one stopped them for inspection.
"Why is that?" Jon asked m
"It seems many men were pulled back by the Thalmor to handle a situation in the west. Where is your compass pointing again?" Ilverios said.
"The west." Jon replied.
"... Great."
"Yes, be positive."
Jon returned to the parked carriage where Zara and Miranda were eating dinner.
"Looks like we are heading towards some trouble." Jon said.
"Eat, can't face trouble on an empty stomach." Miranda passed a bowl of rice to him.
The Khajiit rice was famed for its long grain, the opportunity that Jon took to revive his obsession with his past life's food and some roasted mutton. It was to die for.
"Tell Zara about what to do." Moon Bishop Zara asked.
"Regarding?"
"The man we fought, Isha's brother."
"..."
Jon sighed and stopped what he was doing.
"I have a Labour I must do but I also have a friend who is looking for answers. I hope that the answers she wants can give me leeway in not putting down her blood relative." He said.
"If all came to the worst. What should be done?"
"I am not entirely sure what we are facing at the moment. Zain is out there aiming for something, we don't know if his mental state was affected by some sort of Hypnosis to attack his sister but I am sure if I have a sister, which I do, I would never allow anything in the world to so much get the faintest thought of harming her."
Jon revealed his anger towards Zain if what he did was out of real hostility because this means that a mortal clash will be the end of it between the two.
"What about what Isha thinks?"
"I will keep things go her way and hope it all works out. If she happens to screw up, I'll protect her and do things the way I see fit. She won't hate me by the end of things." Jon said.
"That's more diplomatic than the usual you!" Miranda said.
"I am not a bull-headed fool, you know… no offense, Jax."
"..." Jax was speechless.
"But Zara thinks that leaving her to screw up will make things worse and endanger someone."
"I know Isha is emotional right now but she is not a fool."
Jon ended the conversation right here, no matter what others think, Isha is apparently the key to this last Labour.
What Jon was worried about was the interference of Clavicus Vile and the other Daedra with him as well as Mannimarco, the King of Worms.
The CHIM and the Daedra may find it hard to act in the mortal world but Clavicus Vile has his dog Barbas, the Hound of Clavicus Vile. He is a shapeshifting Daedra, although he most commonly takes on the form of a dog or Skaafin. Barbas acts as a repository for around half of Vile's power, though behaves as his loyal servant rather than equal, often pining for his approval to little avail.
For this reason, Jon was keeping Nefertiti awake most of the time to keep an eye on any supernatural entity that gets close.
And on that routine, they arrived at Dune.
Dune is one of the eight major cities in the province of Elsweyr, serving as the largest Khajiiti settlement in the borderlands of Reaper's March. It is a prominent merchant town with a bustling crowd of caravans and herders. It is a city of artistry, with painted pavilions and statues that have intricate carvings of gold, red, and black. Dune is also known for the abundance of tea parlors. It was also one of the original sixteen kingdoms of Elsweyr, known for its moon sages and scholars.
As a large metropolis built on the hills that lead into the rest of Anequina, Dune is heavily fortified but not without its artistic attributes. The high walls and battlements of Dune are ornate, with crescent moons adorned across the walls. But despite this, Dune's walls are made out of wood, with some buildings falling into disrepair. But regardless, Dune continues to stand. The doors in Dune are decorative. The streets and thoroughfare have painted pavilions and decorative statues. They are also very clean for what it is, dung-free but with constant traffic from herders.
Once the group entered Dune, they were heavily inspected by the guards and a Thalmor officer. Jon morphed to become Jonya the red Khajiit and the rest blended in the way they always do.
Zara took Isha to visit the Temple of Two Moon Dances to acquire information about any unnatural activity or a sighting of a man wearing a troll skull on his head while Mirren and Miranda went to ask in the Thieves' Guild nearby. Jon was left with Ilverios and told not to cause a scene.
"As if!"
Jon walked dissatisfied in the Merchant District looking for new commodities to take notes off, business to learn from or any interesting Khajiiti spices.
While in the midst of wasting money, he stopped in front of a certain building as something caught his attention.
"So you found this place, Krilon. It is said that only the bravest of the brave dare to enter this establishment." Ilverios said from behind.
Jon's face reacted to the D word but he kept it in.
"I can understand why." He said.
Basically, this place is a brothel. The only thing that can make a brothel more special than another is the quality but this one had the taste.
An Orc brothel.
"Imagine a horde of beautiful Orc girls waiting to embrace you in there." Ilverios said.
"Is there such a thing as a beautiful Orc?" Jon refuted.
"You won't know until you try. I suggest that girl over there." Ilverios pointed at one.
"Oh, dear lord! Imagine getting a felatio from an orc mouth. Ochinchin won't feel kimochi at all." Jon said so and walked away.
"What is he saying?" Ilverios asked Chaz.
Chaz thought for a while.
"He must be speaking the language of Gods."
**********
(Part 2)
After fooling around in Dune, the group met at the inn they are staying in. They were to brief each other of their findings.
"The Temple had information about some trouble on the other side of the borders. The Dominion Soldiers refused to disclose any information or ask for help from the locals so there isn't much to know." Zara said.
"Did you guys know that there is an Orc brothel around the corner?..." (Jon)
"We didn't find a lot from the guild either but here is a map for the new areas that are being watched. Looks like we need to be more careful when we cross to Valenwood." Mirren spread a map on the table.
"... I was like 'nah, how can I do it with an Orc girl? Look at their teeth! What makes you so sure they don't have some of those down there as well?' You know… like that horror movie…" (Jon)
"After the temple, Zara went to someplace where the Dominion Soldiers hang out and spoke to Khajiit soldier. They said there were orders to keep the borders tight." Zara remarked as she agreed with Mirren's map.
"… But man! Who would know Orcs girls can be so tight and so stretchy? Despite their looks, which is not too bad after a heavy drink, you can have a really good chat…" (Jon)
"So, we are talking about walking into a place where we don't know much, right? I don't like it but we can just blend in or try to pass from Jodewood." Mirren adjusted the plan.
"... So I met that girl calling herself Candis. Pffft! An Orc with such a name? I know it's fake, I mean, she can be called Homromalakh Ghagarn for all I care about…" (Jon)
And here came the straw that broke the camel's back.
"SHUT UP, JON!" (Mirren)
"We're trying to think here." (Isha)
"Jon, not good." (Miranda)
"Can we just figure out what is happening on the other side of the borders now then hear your story later." (Zara)
"Oh! You mean the strange fire outbreak in Vinedusk village?" Jon said.
""""Hm?""""
"The strange Dominion army movements? There was a big fight in a village called Vinedusk and escalated to a big fire. There were traces for the fight talking moving towards Malabal Tor." Jon said casually.
The four paused for a second realizing what just happened.
"... How do you know about any of that?" Mirren asked.
"That Orc girl Homromalakh told me. Let's just call her Candis for short." Jon said, "I also bought some food on the way back, you really need to try this sugar cane juice when it is fresh and frosty. Tastes like heaven."
"Hey, focus! How did that hooker know all that?" Isha asked.
"Well, you guys went to your contacts in temples and guilds, I did what I do."
"Information hunting… from brothels?"
"Duh! It is the best place to do so. All brothel owners are information brokers under the table. I do the same since I have my business in Skyrim."
"You have a brothel in Skyrim?" Mirren questioned.
"Not a brothel, a bathhouse! Brothels are for you, southerners. A bathhouse is an honest work, we don't put girls on display like how things go down here." Jon refuted.
"Wow! I am having a whole new view of you now." Isha said.
"I think we should focus on what we know now, guys." Jon said acting all serious.
"You know what… let's keep the planning to our information expert over here." Mirren said and went away.
"Yes, Zara thinks so too."
And so did the rest.
"Seriously?"
***
Days passed since the group departed from Dune heading towards the west. The [Eye of the Moon Beast] amulets Jon was carrying still pointed to the west every night.
The team headed to Rawl'kha, a city on the border to the eastern bank of the Crescent River. Once they passed it by taking a smuggling ferry, the group was officially in Valenwood.
"Hey, Jon."
"Yes, Isha."
"That attack we discussed in that Vinedusk village. Isn't it possible that Zain is behind it?"
"We have already talked about that. It was an attack from Colovian Marauders."
"Are you sure?"
"What makes you so doubtful."
"Look, I know how military organizations act and react. If it is just a raid, they will fortify every place that they think Marauders shall attack, not pull the troops from everywhere and pretend there is a serious bandit hunt."
"Meaning?"
"Armies won't pull back like this unless the problem is bigger than what they announced. Maybe it is Zain or maybe not… just saying."
"Hmmm… good thinking."
Jon paused for a while and started thinking. Colovian Marauders are possible in some cases like if there is a famine in Colovia, the western half of Cyrodiil. But that is not the case, there is a good flow of trade and the empire is economically stable this year.
Other cases for Marauders from Cyrodiil would be an Imperial tactic. A war between the Empire and the Dominion is always possible so the intelligence agencies like to play cold while the armies disguise as bandits and exhaust the other armies in their land. Jon was familiar with these underhanded tactics but he was a bit of a dolt regarding large armies.
"Fine, we will investigate Vinedusk."
"Thank you."
But the real situation was much worse than what they thought. They reached the outskirts of Vinedusk village a couple of days later then all decided to wear as Dominion Soldiers. Jon had a lot of Dominion armor lying around.
Zara stayed with Jax at some distance to not cause a political issue if she was discovered while Jon, Isha, Mirren, Miranda and Ilverios started scouting outside the village.
This was the first ever Bosmer settlement Jon walks across. It was somewhat of a magical place the closest thing to relate to the elves from Jon's past world fantasies. In the middle of the village, there was a great Graht-Oak tree that is a distinctive feature to all Bosmer settlements. The houses of the Bosmer were hollow and sort of the graht-oak known as the pods.
The graht-oaks themselves are massive, ambulatory trees native to Valenwood. The Bosmer are known to build entire cities in the branches of these great trees. In their mighty boughs, Bosmer live alongside the ape-like Imga in a mobile ecosystem, coaxing the living wood into pathways winding around hide structures nestled in hollows.
The Bosmer never used wood in the way other races did. According to the Green Pact, Bosmer are not to eat anything made from plant life but only eat meat. When enemies are defeated, their flesh must be eaten, not left to rot.
This and many other things made a unique image to the Bosmer and their civilization.
As Jon took his fair share of looking around from afar, it was time to infiltrate and take action.
The village was calm and had no villagers walking around. This meant there was a curfew of a sort. There were also some patrols from the Dominion Soldiers so Jon and the group acted like some soldiers on a leave. The only place where they found activity was in the central graht-oak.
The tree that reached almost 50 meters in height housed many corpses of various origins. They were preserved with magic not to rot and were being investigated. It was clear that many of them were not warriors or locals but some were Nords, Khajiit and Dunmer which raised a lot of questions.
Jon and his group approached the area and kept looking from afar while pretending to be in a conversation.
Still, there was that strange thing that started to develop.
"Hey, I don't feel good." Ilverios said.
"What's wrong?" Jon asked.
"Don't know… something doesn't feel right. A lot of hate just possessed me all of a sudden."
"Hate?"
It was unclear whether the word hate meant anything in particular but it may be because of some Aura or any influence unnatural none knew about.
{Hooman!}
"Nefertiti, anything strange."
{There is someone strong nearby.}
"How strong?"
{Nurina strong.}
Jon paused for a second then looked around worriedly. Now that he thinks about it, the city guards are moving in designated spots and looking for strange happenings. If that's the case then…
"We should get out of here." He said.
"Why?"
"We are out of place. Those dead bodies are not Colovian raiders, the town is shut tight, they are looking for someone they don't that's why they are keeping the civilians in place."
Jon suggested a retreat but things weren't willing to go smoothly. As soon as the group moved away from the graht-oak, Ilverios started sweating heavily.
"What is wrong?" Jon asked.
"Not good. It is not natural." Ilverios said.
"What is it…" Jon asked but he was cut.
{Incoming!}
Nefertiti warned him and in a split of a second, Jon reacted. He turned around and caught a very powerful [Lightning Bolt] spell with his bare hands.
The magic dissipated in a cloud of electrical charges around Jon as he closed his hand to crush its energy.
Looking towards the central tree, Jon spotted a woman in a green dress walking closer.
"If I remember correctly, my orders were not to include Bosmer Soldiers in this dispatch. Now that there is this person blocking my magic like that, I guess I got some results after all."
Her expressions were visible with rage and her Aura was natural rather than a trained one much like the Beast Aura of werewolves. If Jon had to call it a name, it is more of a Primal Nature Aura.
"Hey, we don't want any trouble." Jon spoke.
"Silence!" The woman wasn't amused by Jon's reply and sent a stronger spell.
Jon circulated his Magicka to contain the spell and dispel it without making too much sound.
"You are skilled." The woman said as she kept approaching.
"..."
"..."
"Am I allowed to speak?" He asked.
"Oh, you will speak!" She shot another spell but Jon hurriedly handled it.
"Sorry about whatever is going on but can we clear the misunderstanding?" Jon said while signaling his group to retreat while supporting the exhausted-looking Ilverios.
"Sneaking to this place disguised only means one thing." She said as she kept approaching.
Jon felt the suffocating amount of Magicka this woman had as it manifested through her rage and hatred. She was a beautiful Bosmer lady that was most likely a noble, she wasn't a Thalmor but rather an orthodox Green Pact Bosmer from her clothing. Speaking of which, her dress was very revealing now that she got closer as her cleavage was visible to her torso and most of her arms and back were exposed as well.
Jon couldn't put his hand on her identity but he decided to distract her while the others retreat.
"So, you've seen through my disguise. I congratulate you." Jon said as he took off his Dominion helm exposing the Altmer face he uses.
He then transformed with [Lust] into an Imperial.
The woman paused as she didn't expect to see this one coming. A [Mimic] spell is not very unstable and easy to expose, this one wasn't even anticipated. The woman now had some doubts regarding what she is up against. Jon intentionally used [Lust] to cause this confusion.
"So, what was that thing about a Colovian raid?" He asked.
"A what?" The woman frowned.
"I mean the story that is being covered."
"Oh! That…"
The woman felt the urge to smack the one who came up with the Colovian raid idea for confusing her like that.
"... Was the attack your doing, Imperial?" She asked.
"My doing? Hardly. I am just here on a manhunt." Jon smirked while saying so.
"Insolent!" The woman shouted and cast an even stronger spell.
Jon had to take [Pride] out to stop this one but the spell caused a loud sound that alerted all the Dominion Soldiers nearby. They all flooded towards Jon's location and blocked every route.
"Shit!" The others were nervous from the number of soldiers around but Jon kept a calm attitude.
"Seeing you this angry means something bad happened, lady. Should we start once again but right this time? Nice to meet you, my name is Krilon, a member of the Sith." Jon stood straight and offered a slight now while going on with his usual bluff.
"The Sith? Is that from the Empire?" She asked.
"That's a tricky question!"
Jon paused to think about it. Technically yes but also no.
"Krilon, let's just get rid of them." Isha said while aiming her spear at the woman.
"You!" The woman evoked a strong spell towards Isha.
"Waiwaiwaiwait! Let's be rational here, Lady. This girl is a bit of a… Rogue One." Jon jumped in between to ease the tension.
"Hey!" Isha didn't like being called rogue.
"Calm down now, let me handle this situation… Solo."
He said and turned to the woman.
"Lady, please let's handle this peacefully, no one can handle… The Revenge of the Sith."
The woman was provoked but she wanted answers.
"What is the Empire doing here?" She asked.
"We're not really the Empire…"
"Was it revenge for last year's incident?"
"Well, in that case… the Empire Strikes Back."
"So it is you Imperial bastards who are behind this. There is no hope for you."
"There is always a… New Hope."
Jon's lips were twitching as he kept spamming movie titles whenever he talks, the woman noticed him and became enraged.
The Magicka around her moved as age shouted with rage.
"Don't bluff with me! What are you after?"
"A guy wearing a troll skull called Zain but I prefer to call him… the Phantom Menace."
Isha was taken aback but just Jon couldn't help it and leaked a laugh.
Still, mentioning the troll skull was exceptionally effective. The woman paused her actions for a second while staring at Jon with wide eyes then all of a sudden, her face twisted in a frightening glare.
"I knew it! You are with him!"
The woman was enraged beyond sense seemingly willing to pulverize over Jon.
On the other hand, he turned around and looked at Isha.
"So you were correct, the trouble here is related to him."
"Just get out of here!" The rest shouted at him.
"Nefertiti!"
Jon called for Nefertiti and many shadows moved on the ground. Several Shadow Hawk Atronachs appeared from the ground and carried a member of the group each.
But the madly enraged Bosmer woman wasn't willing to let them go.
"YOU! WON'T! GET! AWAY!"
She shouted and her voice echoed far and wide, an unnatural amount of Magicka glowed around her as she took up to the sky just by Magic.
"Well, that's what I call… The Force Awakens."
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