Chapter 461 - Martial Exchange
A/n: I was planning to publish a double but my Laptop has reached the end of its trip (again, maybe the last time this once but some Egyptian style mummification and it will be alright, I guess). I have ordered a new gaming PC that will arrive in a few days but until then… I am writing on phone
#Power_Thump
#Author_Goals
#Broke_Again
😭😭
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Back when Jon and the Green Lady faced each other in the sky above Vinedusk Village; Mirren, Miranda, Isha, and Ilverios headed to where Zara and Jax where stationed but things weren't what they expected.
Jax was surrounded by Dominion Soldiers, had a Flame Atronach carrying him from his shoulders and kept waving a [Lava Whip] around.
Zara was surrounded to but she was talking to someone.
"Hurry up! Free them." Isha jumped off the Shadow Hawk Atronach she was on and pulverized through all who were surrounding Jax.
"Cow head, you alright?"
"Where is Boss?"
"He is occupied."
"Be careful, the man talking to Zara is extremely powerful." Jax pointed at a hooded man who seemed to be arguing with Zara.
Mirren and Miranda snuck through the crowd of soldiers surrounding Zara and hurriedly took the hooded man as a hostage.
"Drop your Weapons! Now!" Mirren shouted.
The situation became tense as the soldiers aimed their weapons at Mirren refusing to surrender and it all became too hectic. The hooded man never acted or reacted but just kept a cool light attitude.
"Please, stop it." Zara called for Mirren.
"Will get you out of here." Miranda came behind Zara and pulled her away.
"No, Zara is not in danger. You are misunderstanding things." Zara said.
Mirren and Miranda paused to understand what's going on but the Dominion Soldiers seemed to be following the hooded man and all surrounding Zara, the same situation with Jax.
"Please, put down your weapon. This one will handle this." This time the one who spoke was the hooded man revealing himself to be a Khajiit.
His words were to the Dominion Soldiers who reluctantly retreated.
Mirren didn't understand what's going on but he wasn't letting a hostage go just because the current turned to his favor.
"Now nice and slow…" Mirren tried to hold the man from his shoulder but as soon as he did, his point of view started to spin and felt a slam to his back.
The hooded Khajiit simply twisted his shoulder while barely holding Mirren's hand sending him in circles. Miranda released an arrow soon after that the hooded man threw Mirren but the man showed some supernatural flexibility and reflexes evading an arrow from almost a point-blank.
The hooded Khajiit looked towards where Mirren was but he wasn't there any longer and so did Miranda. The pair magically disappeared but sure as hell they were around.
*Slash* *Swoosh*
An arrow and a blade moved at the same instant targeting the man's vitals. The man jumped and twisted his body evading the two attacks with a hair's width.
The Altmer twins wouldn't let such a chance of an enemy being midair pass by and so they returned with lethal attacks but the man managed to evade with graceful movements until he landed on a single foot and kicked Mirren without even getting a firm foothold.
Mirren was launched back like a stringless kite but he didn't resist, rather, he held his sword and dagger in a weird movement resembling a bow and arrow. Miranda took an arrow and ran recklessly toward the hooded Khajiit attacking as if she is holding a sword.
""Switch!""
The Hooded Khajiit felt a motion through the Space and all of a sudden, Mirren and Miranda switched places. Mirren was waving his sword and Miranda shot a very accurate arrow.
It was going to be a hit no matter how skilled the opponent is. This cooperation and understanding between the two have reached a ridiculous level that even startled the Hooded Khajiit.
But no matter what attack, this man was not someone to look down on. He adjusted his stance to firmness and waved his two hands together. All his ten claws brightened with the Moonlight revealing the Nature of his Aura.
With two hand waves, he stopped Mirren's sword by four claws and Miranda's arrows by two.
This stunning scene viewed the height of the martial arts this man has trained but what followed showed how terrifying it can go.
"Hya!"
The Hooded Khajiit shouted and pushed with his two arms at the same time. Towards Mirren was a palm attack carrying the unstoppable force of the Moonlight Aura. Towards Miranda was a claws attack as if blades of Moonlight Aura sliced everything in their path.
From point-blank, Mirren was hit and crashed on the ground nearby but kept rolling to avoid injury. Miranda performed an acrobatic side jump and evaded four claw attacks while sacrificing an arrow to block the fifth.
"Nice!" The Hooded Khajiit was impressed.
Mirren evaded a dangerous injury and Miranda went out of the situation swiftly.
The fight paused as the three exchanged looks.
"Senior." Miranda nodded to the Hooded Khajiit.
"Senior." Mirren stood up while holding his arm.
"Juniors." The Hooded Khajiit replied.
The three showed acknowledgment to one another.
"You two are Desert Wind? You must be from the Masters. Strange! Never heard about you two." The Hooded Khajiit said.
"We are Core Adepts… were. We disobeyed direct orders to operate on our own." Mirren said.
"Oh, that's bad."
"Senior must be from the Goutfang School." Miranda spoke.
"Indeed. How do you know?"
"Impressive defense, good stance, particular muscle mass."
"Wow! This one was seen through that much? But still… You are disadvantaged against me. You can ask your friends to join in if you want to make the odds somewhat even." The Hooded Khajiit said.
"We're busy trying to get a friend from trouble, senior. Will spar in a later chance." Mirren said.
"This one insists." The Hooded Khajiit showed a fair amount of fighting spirit, he wanted to keep the fun going.
"I'll entertain you." Miranda said.
The others looked at her doubtful but she threw her bow and loosened her quiver. She then grabbed two knives from her belt.
This was an unusual scene as Miranda never showed her skill in close combat that often.
Still, what's more strange was the sight of those strange knives. They were short curved blades in crescent shape held in a reverse-grip with a ring on top of each handle that the index finger goes through.
Karambit knives.
Those lethal things were very rare in these parts and a few knew how to use them. They were weapons that can easily resemble claws.
The Hooded Khajiit didn't turn down the offer and took a firm stance, to that, Miranda took a low stance on her fingertips.
"Hm?" The Hooded Khajiit noticed the stance but there was not much to react as Miranda was already kicking at him midair.
Strike, Block, Strike, Block, Strike, Block.
The kicks midair were blocked by the man's arm bracers but that was just the beginning. Miranda unnaturally went low and took a large circular lower leg attack at the man who resorted to hanging one leg up to avoid then kick it towards Miranda. She was anticipating this and her Karambits attacked the leg aiming for vital blood vessels.
The man retreated his leg in an instance and took three steps away to regain a stance. Miranda was impressed by the man's fast retreat that she couldn't prevent.
Usually, she should keep attacking but the man took three large steps to completely escape her range.
He wasn't underestimating her at all.
He looked at her blades with keen eyes noticing the vibrations through them.
"You are not Desert Wind but Whispering Claws. For a non-Khajiit, what a feat!" He couldn't help but praise her.
"Thank you, senior."
He looked at Mirren but the latter shook his head indicating that he doesn't practice that art.
The Desert Wind Martial Art, that Mirren used, relies mostly on dual-wielding swords which is extremely hard to master. Mirren uses many kinds of swords but his personal favorite is a one-handed sword combined with a dagger.
The Goutfang Martial Art that, the Hooded Khajiit used, is a style that is known for using the flow of energy through its user. It is a balanced and fast-moving martial art with a defense that is reminiscent of the Nord warriors. It has a versatility that requires coordination and strength, using aspects from other fighting styles, such as grappling. It is believed that even a quadrupedal furstock such as the Senche-raht can learn the Goutfang.
The Whispering Claw, that Miranda used, is a fast-moving and silent fighting style that is meant for taking another life, ideally for an assassin. Masters of that art are known for their quick reflexes and flight-like acrobatics. The style is considered the counter to the Goutfang.
"This is interesting. Two Altmer ladies are good at such arts. This is very rare. Let's fight a bit more." The Hooded Khajiit was all fired up.
"We are really late. Krilon is fighting that woman alone." Mirren said.
"That woman? You mean the woman in Vinedusk village?" The Khajiit asked.
"..."
No one wanted to disclose any information to him but he wasn't anyone dull.
"Forget about your friend, he's a goner. The Silvenar was injured and his Green Lady must be going berserk right now." The Hooded Khajiit said.
"Hm?" (Mirren)
"What?" (Miranda)
"Who?" (Isha)
"Where?" (Ilverios)
"When?" (Jax)
The others reacted in shocked expression there is to react with.
"The Green Lady, you know! The Spiritual Leader of Valenwood." The Hooded Khajiit said.
The others were well aware of the title but needed a minute to get it to their heads.
"Lord Mane was just explaining the situation to Zara when you interrupted us just now." Zara said
"Hm?" (Mirren)
"What?" (Miranda)
"Who?" (Isha)
"Where?" (Ilverios)
"Whose?" (Jax)
The Hooded Khajiit put down his hood showing his face that resembled a normal Cathy but had too many braids of various colors on his head.
The Mane, the Spiritual Leader of the Khajiit,
a unique breed of Khajiit. Khajiit tradition holds that only one Mane can be alive at one time. Manes can only be born under a rare alignment of the moons Masser and Secunda when, according to legend, a third moon actually appears.
The Mane of this generation, in particular, is known to be a top expert in martial arts to the point where he was known as a warmonger. Now, this friendly-looking Khajiit uncle has both the skill and the fire to fight but to think he is the Mane himself.
"Krilon is fighting the Green Lady and we fought the Mane? Who else is going to show up? My Grandmother?" Mirren went pale from the thought.
"It's okay it's okay, this one doesn't mind a good fight, let's just…"
"YOU CRAZY BITCH! SLOW DOWN!"
No one knew what had just passed but everyone had a good enough imagination to picture what's going on.
"That looks like fun." The Mane said, "Let's join them."
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