Chapter 437 From Cyrodiil to Hammerfell
Chapter 437 From Cyrodiil to Hammerfell
In third world countries, internet may break down for a week until they decide to fix it after the political drama passes by. ???
I experienced the lifestyle without internet .. the way my ancestors used to live ever since the Dawn of History. ???
I’ve got me to meet my family and friends (offline) and found out that they are actually nice people once you give them time. ???
Goddammit, guys! I don’t know what to say about this anymore. I just hope the overpriced Data Plan I have last until this is over.
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"Come at me, bro!" (Jon)
"Freedom!" (Jax)
"Haha! You missed." (Jon)
"I will catch you, human." (Jax)
"Told you to call me Boss." (Jon)
*Bang*
"Hooman, is enjoying himself." (Nefertiti)
"While reshaping the terrain." (Isha)
After the troublemakers escaped the capital, they charged through a band of Thalmor and kept riding running without taking a single rest. A week passed of constant high-speed riding and the team was sure that they shook all tails by now.
Right now, they are in the Colovian Highlands and bypassed Chorrol by two days heading west to Hammerfell. At some point, the seven were tired of a full week of either spending time in the Cube or riding the Mad Carriage. Jon also wanted a chance to introduce himself to his newest Minotaur employee, Jax Drum-Hoof.
"Come on, you are strong but you are so slow. If you can’t land a single hit, I won’t tell you how I killed Molvus Blood-Horn and his men." Jon taunted.
"You! Will! Tell! Me!"
Jax charged with his horns at Jon yet Jon nimbly jumped up over Jax with a flip supporting himself over Jax’s head with a single finger and landing gracefully.
"I told you, didn’t I? If you go for power, I will go for speed. if you go for speed, I’ll go for accuracy. If you go for accuracy, I will go for power. It is basically Rock Paper and Scissors." Jon said while instructing the Minotaur and bullying him at the same time.
"Snort! So many things to remember." Jax was displeased by Jon’s treacherous style.
However, it is as Jon said. Brute fighting tactics can be broken by nimble consecutive attacks which can in turn by taken down by one swift and accurate hit, however, a brute will need more than just one swift hit.
That’s how Jon understood how to fight.
"Let’s stop here, Jax. You obviously can’t hit me but if you agree to work for me, I’ll tell you what you want to know. I’ll even teach you some good tricks." Jon said.
"Snort! No, I’ll hit you."
"Quit being bull-headed." Jon said.
"I am bull-headed."
"Oh! Right... was it racist?"
"No, lizard folk are lizard-headed, cat folk are cat-headed..."
"Makes sense... anyway, I’ll tell you what you want to know if you be my coachman. What say you?"
"Mmmm... I don’t know..."
"Judging by your story, you can’t just stroll back to the Jerall Mountains with every Minotaur over there after your head. You also said you are at odds with the Orcs so staying away from there is a good idea."
"True... fine... I’ll tag along until things clear up."
"Good. Guys, we hired a Minotaur Coachman... maybe the only one in the world!" Jon waved to his group.
"Ah! Traveling with him maybe fast but mind consuming." Isha complained.
"Yes, I feel so stupid getting dragged into his trouble now that the Thalmor are on the lookout for us." Mirren sighed.
"It is fun so far." Miranda murmured.
The forest they were hiding in kept them clear from the scouting patrols and the Thalmor pursuers. Jon and Jax may have taken it upon themselves to mess up the terrain but they ended up coming to a deal.
They resupplied for fresh food and water from the nearby village of Hackdirt.
"I really should have delayed that damn Championship challenge. I could have toured Cyrodiil for some time." Jon complained.
"Speaking of which... I did have a tour with Isha around the Imperial City the night prior to the fight." Mirren said.
"Want me to blast you up from jealousy? Cause I am jealous." Jon retorted.
"Don’t be a brat. Nothing was really that interesting. However, the Temple of the One was magnificent and we got to see the Dragon Statue which is thought to be the resting place of the last Septim Emperor, Martin Septim."
"You really are asking for a beating now. Gimme details."
"Okay, jeez. The Dragon Statue was transferred from the center of the Temple to the Garden around it but received some damage when the Aldmeri Dominion sacked the Imperial City. Other than that, we took some time around the Elven Garden district and the Market District."
"Tsk."
Jon was really interested in having a tour in the Imperial City but that can hold for later. The Thalmor were distracted enough and there is a hired copycat that will appear and disappear around Cyrodiil to make the Thalmor run around like fools.
"There was something else, however..." Mirren said as he spoke secretly to Jon.
"What?"
Mirren looked around to see Isha and Miranda fooling around with Jax and Nefertiti. No one was focusing on them.
"Isha was being watched in the city and in the Arena." Mirren said.
"Is that so?" Jon frowned.
"I am positive. Thanks to the Thalmor we are always on edge for pursuers so some stalkers might have not been too important but what I noticed is their sole interest in Isha. I have let her for a few minutes and kept watching them but they were just keeping an eye."
"... That’s strange. Still, you are good at finding stalkers."
"I know. Stalking is my specialty."
"... Creep!"
"... That came out totally wrong."
"Anyway, someone stalking out another is always up to no good. Did you stalk them in return?"
"No. I usually need my sister to cover me up in those situations. We function better this way."
"That leads us nowhere. We just have to be wary in the Future. I’ll mark Isha to keep her location in check."
"Thanks."
Jon and Mirren didn’t know that they were up to something terrible at the moment but the situation was peaceful around them.
"What are you two chatting secretly about?" (Isha)
"Boys stuff. Go away, pervert." (Jon)
"I think they are planning on what Jon calls ’gay scene’." (Miranda)
"Sister! Wash your mouth." (Mirren)
"Jon... Mirren... you boys got a real nerve." *Cracking fingers* (Isha)
"Isha wait!" (Mirren)
"Run for your lives!" (Jon)
***
What separates countries from each other are mostly mountain ranges or seas. In the case of Hammerfell and Cyrodiil, it is the extension of the Jerall Mountains and the Dragontail Mountains that separate the two and what Jon and his party have to cross.
To cross through undetected roads. The carriage ran through the Colovian Highlands to the south and entered Kvatch County in by the following week. Three days later, they arrived at the Abecean Sea.
Such a warm sea and clear blue made Jon stare at it endlessly along the road. The scenery continued until they reached the border point at River Berna. Jon mindlessly used a stealth spell and the carriage road over the bridge without anyone noticing.
As they reached a safe distance, Isha opened the carriage and stepped down.
"Welcome to Hammerfell, Hegathe, Volenfell or if you want adventure, welcome to the Deathland." She said.
"I will assume that you will be our guide from now on." Jon said.
"Yes, and the first thing you must do is to prepare some light kaftan for day and a heavy cloak for night. Rihad has friendly weather but beyond that, you will get to experience how Hammerfell really works." Isha said, "And I see Jon is already tying up the turban. Nice skill!"
"I have been waiting to visit Hammerfell and do this my whole life." Jon said with a prideful face.
He started to feel the dry weather that brought him way back to the time of his past life.
"So what is the first thing we expect? Are the deserts still far?" Mirren asked.
"Yep, we won’t go near any desert any time soon."
"""Noooo!!!""" The whole team complained.
"Face it you idiots, no one travels through a desert unless they have a death wish." Ish scolded.
"I have one, can I go now?" Jon asked.
"We are not avoiding deserts. They are not on our road anyway. But rest assured, once we cross half of the way, we will arrive at the most infamous desert in the whole Hammerfell, the Alik’r Desert. Happy now?"
"Nah."
"No desert?"
"I’ll take off the turban."
"Hooman, can I eat desert?"
Depressed about seeing no seas of endless golding sands, the team traveled along the Abecean coast for days.
Hammerfell as a province is divided into eight major states divided between the Forebears and the Crowns, the largest two factions in Hammerfell and the ever bitter enemies.
Other factions like the neutral Lhotunics, the nomadic tribes and the independent sects and mosques were very common in Hammerfell just like the Clans of Skyrim that remained hidden out of political life.
The first thing to encounter in Hammerfell from River Berna’s Pass was the rocky land through the Republic of Rihad. The coastal city on the Abecean heavily influenced by the Imperial culture and home of great towers and a gigantic shipyard.
"To the Northwest is Taneth Republic and across the gulf is Hew’s Bane." Isha said.
"Hoes Bane... what a great name."
"Hew’s Bane."
"Hoes."
"Hew’s"
"Forget it."
To avoid Jon’s disturbing jokes, Isha decided to take the land road to Taneth, by reaching that city, the desert started to appear on the roadsides.
The traveling speed has decreased notably since Hammerfell roads were not as good as the Empire’s. It took a couple of weeks to cross to travel through the two republics and finally enter the Crown Tutambu region.
From that point onward, the rocky roads became open and the Horse Atronachs ran like the wind crossing the Khefrem district region in three days to finally arrive at the edges of the Great Alik’r Desert.
From that point, Isha was the only able navigator in this place. Jon kept mapping the Area with his gadgets but it started to get messy at some point.
Once, they met a Sword Dervish who wanted to challenge the strong creature riding the carriage (Jax) for a duel, another time was a band of desert marauders, third time was a lost Thalmor patrol... for a place that was supposed to be a desert, it is so damn lively.
More importantly, Jon managed to get in a full Redguard desert style and hunted a bunch of snakes with Nefertiti to prey on them. Nefertiti was fond of eating snakes to the point that she was willing to endanger the ecosystem.
What was also interesting was the fact that the desert was really hot during the day and very cold at night. The thing that made Jon as a Nord and Firemane cope easily with the place along with Isha while the High Elf siblings along with the Minotaur were stuffed in the Cube.
Jon also got to store away the carriage and conjured an Atronach Camel along with Isha.
Sad storms, desert worms, gigantic birds, stray undead, desert hyenas and lions, the Alik’r Desert was warmly welcoming the clueless Nord with all its arsenal as he kept smashing anything in his wake.
Once it all settled down and the desert became peaceful, a large dome appeared in the middle of the desert on a big rock plateau. It was then when Jon called out the rest.
"The Citadel of Ebonarm bids you welcome, travelers. Did you come in peace for worship or are you a merchant?" A woman walked out from the cover of a mound of sand donned in a scale mail and carrying two scimitars.
"Zahra!" Isha called.
The woman called Zahra heard Isha’s voice and her face hardened.
"Isha?"
The two women looked at each other with hard expressions. The rest felt some awkward situation was about to happen but the woman called Zahra looked away and walked by herself.
"That is..." Jon asked.
"My sister-in-law. Zain’s wife."
It seemed like some family drama he should stay clear of. Jumped off her Atronach Mount and walked after Zahra. Jon and the rest followed.
’She is the key to your last Labour...’
But still, Jon felt something was wrong... very wrong.
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