Intense and exciting. The sylph was awesome, and Teresa used her to wonderful advantage getting that shot in as soon as Ra'jhera dispelled her. I love that Teresa is not fleeing for her life, but setting up her next ambush. Go Teresa!

I really enjoy the way scrolls work in TF as well as the summons that Teresa can call with them. I remember being impressed when she summoned a helper during her troll fight near Bravil, then similarly enjoyed the Green Man in last episode and sylph in this episode.

’The miniature tornado swept into the men, flinging them about like ragdolls. One crashed headfirst into the ceiling, and Teresa heard a loud crack, like the snapping of a dry branch. The other was hurled into one of the walls, and collapsed in a heap of mail.’
Wonderful description! I liked how you left what part of who cracked like a dry branch to our imagination.

And that damn Raj dispelled Teresa’s summon again, leaving our poor elf sylphless. I’m quite enjoying that you and I both perceived Raj as a formidable cat indeed. I’m so glad you explained how dispel works in TF. That is a fine way to go, and I am now free to fully revel in that aspect of the story without wondering.

What a perfect tensional balance you strike here. You ran into some of the same challenges I faced: how to whittle away many of your elf’s advantages (eg: foes that use detect life to counter invisibility and dispel to counter summons, shields that can block arrows, etc). We are in fear for Teresa, yet simultaneously almost pity the hunters that have pitted themselves against her lethality and cleverness. They know not with whom they deal it seems, for the hunted is becoming the huntress. This is nowhere more evident than, as Grits pointed out, Teresa is not running for her life, but running to her next ambush position.

Another lured by Kurdan, but with a significant difference this time. I like it.

My character doesn’t use scrolls very often but when she has, they’ve made a heck of a difference. They pack punch that her own magic lacks.

That trap was awesome! She got the other archer too despite the moving air still! How many more of those scrolls does she have?

Setting up a 'masked' shot - and then shooting as soon as the target is unmasked - now that's a veteran sniper's trick. Have you had lessons from a vet, Rosa?

It's official. My heart is now in my mouth...I can taste it...

M.O.R.E!!!!

One by one the hunters fall to our stringy Bosmer's... erm... string.

I gave a cheer when Ra'jhera was taken down by her shot. He may not be out, but now he understands the force they have unleashed. Hidden within that thoroughly mundane body lies the beating heart of a panther. And as many of them have learned by those who never had the chance to, you do not want to be near when she pounces.

Keep going, girl! I'll be right here cheering you on!

First I apologize for not keeping up with my commenting. I have, however, been mostly keeping up with the reading and have now fully caught up.

There's little I can add to what's already been said, other than Bravo! I'm just a little jealous of what you've accomplished with this quest - added depth and challenge to this one in ways I never anticipated.

And that cat is cunning, as he should be. I got the feeling from the game that he's Kurgan's Kurdan's go-to man cat.

More please.

Grits: I had a lot of fun portraying the summoned Aedra in this chapter. It really made me realize how limited summoning is in the game, not to mention the creatures you can summon. They are all just bruisers that attack anything in sight without the slightest bit of thought. It is too bad you cannot use them creatively, like Aela used her Undine to speed up her boat. I can picture using a sylph to fly, fill a ship's sails with wind, or even put out a fire by drawing all of the air out of a area. A Green Man might be used to dig tunnels, shape the earth nirn, or perhaps even build a house of out stone or even sod or mud brick. Of course a salamander would be perfect at barbecues...


Acadian: This was a very fun chapter to write, because as you noted, it gave me the chance to give Teresa some real competition, and force herself to use every trick and ability she has to survive. It also gave me a chance to portray some villains with brains and resources as well, and create a real threat to Teresa, while at the same time allowing her to strut her stuff.


King Coin: Teresa only has one scroll left. She mused that she only had two left when she pulled out the one for the Green Man. Now that the Sylph is gone, she only has an Undine left. We will see that in a few episodes.


D.Foxy: I cannot say I know what a masked shot is, unless you mean something like this? I do know all about bait though, and thought that another Aedra would be the prefect bait to flush out Ra'jhera, an give Teresa a clean shot at him. Not to mention thin out the herd of other hounds in the process. Plenty more tactics like this coming up.


Thomas Kaira: So if Teresa had a son, would he be Stringfellow Hawke then? Maybe he could give mom a ride in his helicopter sometime.


haute ecole rider: No worries, thanks to RL I cannot keep up with all the fics I would like to either. I wanted Ra'jhera to be exactly what you were thinking. Morandil is basically Kurdan's advisor and administrator, the face who takes care of all his day to day operations, acts as a liasion with the city guard, etc... Ra'jhera OTOH, leads the soldiers in battle. So he is definitely Kurdan's go-to cat when there is killing to do.


Previously on Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode Teresa unleashed her Sylph, using it kill two more hounds. In the process it also revealed Ra'jhera's position, when the Khajiit used a scroll to dispel it. That allowed Teresa to shoot Ra'jhera and at least wound him, if not kill him. Afterward Teresa was forced to flee as more of the hounds advanced behind an impenetrable barrier of body shields. Next, Teresa once again dips into her bag of tricks to whittle down the opposition.


Chapter 40.9 – The Hunter


"Don't just fight wherever you happen to be standing," the words of Pappy rose up in Teresa's memory. "Pick and choose your ground, so that it helps you and hinders your enemy. Outnumbered? Find a choke point like a doorway or narrow corridor. Then only one of them can come at you at a time. If you can, prepare fighting positions. Throw a table over to make a barrier, pile up chairs to make them dig through while you snipe at them. Withdraw from one position to another, and wear them out over time. Most of all use your potions and your healing spells! You can whittle down even the worst odds this way, and win."

As she glanced about her, Teresa realized why there were no doors or other furniture. The hounds had doubtlessly cleared them all away, so that their victims could not use them to fortify themselves within. Still, she at least had potions. Teresa took her guild commander's advice concerning them to heart, and guzzled another combination shield and magicka potion. It had not occurred to her before, but she now realized that the dispel that had ruined her invisibility must have cancelled out her last potion as well.

"There is nowhere to run bark-biter!" the husky voice of a Khajiit echoed down the corridors. "The only way out is through this one!"

Damn, Teresa silently cursed. That meant Ra'jhera was still alive. He must have used an antidote to counter Ravenfeeder's poison. Either that or he was just plain tough. He appeared to be the leader of Kurdan's thugs, and was certainly the most well-prepared, given his scrolls and ability to detect the magicka in others. She wondered what other tricks the Khajiit archer might have up his furred sleeve?

She had to finish him off. No matter what she did, he seemed to have a counter for it. He was clearly the most dangerous of all Kurdan's hounds. Without his leadership - and his abilities - the others were just thugs. Armored and capable, but brutes nonetheless. They would fall to her arrows and her last summoning. So would the patrician that had hired them.

Teresa wondered what kind of man would pay a gangster like Kurdan to hunt other people? If someone wanted blood, all they had to do was enter the Arena. Even though most matches were not fatal, some still were. Sooner or later, a gladiator would have the chance to take the life of another.

But a gladiator had to fight for their victory. They had the same chance of losing - and meeting their own death - as victory. This man did not want a fair fight. He wanted to kill without risking his own neck. Instead he let the hounds face all the danger of chasing and wearing down his victims. Then when they were too exhausted to fight back, he finished them off.

He was a coward, plain and simple. Teresa did not mind that at all. She had spent most of her own life running and hiding after all. But this man liked to kill, and preyed upon those who could not defend themselves. Teresa spat on the stone floor in front of her. What goes around, comes around, she thought. It would for him soon enough.

Winging an arrow down the corridor behind her to keep the gangster's heads down, Teresa sped away. Turning a corner, she found Aleron's body in front of her. A glance down at the lantern beside his corpse gave her an idea. Picking it up, she sprinted back to where the corridor turned, and upended the lamp. Oil spilled out across the stones of the floor, and Teresa made certain that she shook out every last drop of it before racing back down the hallway.

The light of the hound's glowstones filled the corridor behind Teresa, and she fixed the symbol for her Flare spell firmly in mind. Drawing a swallowtail from her gorytos, she set it to Ravenfeeder's string and went down on one knee. Drawing the bow to full extension, she took aim on the corner and waited.

Moments later the shield of one of hounds came into view. The man was crouched down behind its cover, and made certain to always keep it in front of him as he turned to face Teresa. She fired low, at his feet, and he ground his shield in front of him. Her arrow thudded harmlessly into its wooden surface, and he trotted forward as Teresa readied another shot.

"She's here!" the Nibenean shouted, and another of his comrades ran up beside him. Together they stood shoulder to shoulder in the hallway, and came to a halt as Teresa raised her bow once more. They knelt down behind their shields, clearly waiting for her shoot before advancing once more.

Then Ra'jhera came around the corner, bow in hand. He raised it the instant he saw Teresa, and took aim. Rather than loose her arrow, Teresa dropped it instead, and threw her hand forward. A fist-sized ball of fire sprouted from her fingers and hurled down the corridor. The hounds shrank away from the flames, and even as the Khajiit's arrow sped over their heads, the Flare struck the floor at his feet.

The lantern oil spread across the floor burst into an inferno, engulfing Ra'jhera in flames. The two thugs in front of him looked back in reflex. At the same time the Khajiit's arrow slammed into Teresa's chest. Blue light flashed and sparks flickered around her torso - as the shock shield enchantment on her cuirass flared to life. The wood elf staggered under the force of the blow. It felt as if she had been kicked by a mule. Yet she retained her feet. A glance down showed her armor - Aldariel - to be unblemished, and Ra'jhera's arrow laying harmlessly at her feet.

Teresa wasted no more time. Grasping her arrow, she set it to the spider-silk string of her bow and loosed. Ra'jhera's shield enchantment flashed brightly within the flames, and her missile buried itself in his chest. The Khajiit was now covered from head to tail in fire, and collapsed out of sight.

The hounds before Teresa now turned back to her and leapt forward. Raising a hand in the air, Teresa concentrated on the image of Raven, and poured her magicka into her fist. Uncurling her fingers, her power burst forth, creating a sleek black bird in the air between them. Her conjured raven croaked loudly, and dove upon the gangsters.

They were forced to pause their charge as the raven's claws darted for their eyes. Raising their shields above them, the two Nibeneans swatted at the bird with their axes. Teresa smiled faintly at the sight. She knew that her raven would do no real harm to them. But once again he would occupy them long enough for her to make her escape.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Oct 31 2011, 05:39 PM

Teresa bought herself a little time in the last episode to get clear, recall her lessons with Pappy and get a new plan together. I hope that she remembers that they will be more wary now that she’s sprung a very successful ambush at least once. If she’s lucky they’ll underestimate her again.

Dispel canceled her potion? I have not messed around with Dispel much but can that happen in game?

Argh! A good plan (that lamp must have had a decent amount of oil in it still) with a nasty risk though. She’s lucky her armor and shield enchantments blocked the worst of the arrow. On the upside, it would appear that the Khajiit will be down for good.

A very exciting chapter!

Drawing the bow to full extension, she took aim on the corner and waited.

Teresa has come a long way, and she is much better equipped now than when she had to sight with the bow at half-tension.


The lantern oil spread across the floor burst into an inferno, engulfing Ra'jhera in flames. The two thugs in front of him looked back in reflex. At the same time the Khajiit's arrow slammed into Teresa's chest.

A kick from an arrow for a Kahjiit engulfed in flames, I’d say that was a good trade. Henantier really knows his stuff! Very clever of Teresa to increase her own fire with lamp oil. Then Raven covers her escape, wonderful! I’m interested to see what the hounds do without their alpha dog cat. Of course, the boss is still back there somewhere…

Like KC said, very exciting!

Poor Ra'j. By now he has to be wondering if this gig is worth what ever he's getting. He's been pin-cushioned, poisoned and set ablaze in the span of... an hour? Maybe two?

And the SageRosa opens with some SagePappy advice on shaping the battlefield!

Loved Teresa’s analysis of the patrician. I agree someone like that would indeed lack the stones to stand alone in the Arena in a fair fight.

By Mara that was fun to read Teresa’s brilliant set up and execution of her fire trap! Then, nonstop heart pounding till the end. What a wonderful test under fire (no pun intended) of her new enchanted armor that it stopped Raj’s arrow. Whew! With an arrow in his chest and flaming fur from head to toe, we can hope that Raj is done for! Then Raven again, and even a faint smile as the hounds fumbled at the bird. I’m really thinking she’s gonna make it outta here alive!

Teresa, you go, girl!

I know we think alike in this matter: Teresa does not fight often, generally preferring more important pursuits like fiery-eyed Dunmeri lasses or sharing lunch with Aia. But when she does fight, you provide us a splendidly compelling buildup and spectacular execution. Don’t mistake my meaning here, for I enjoy tagging along with Teresa in Bravil for a simple ‘day in the life’ episode every bit as much as your wonderful fighting episodes. I guess I’m saying that I love how you keep your fighting rare, but well done (gosh, that’s a terrible pun for a veggie like Teresa).

@KC: Dispel is an odd effect and I would be exceedingly generous in the latitude we afford fanfic writers with it. I just ran a test in Buffy’s game. She drank a combo potion (restore health, restore magicka and shield). While the effects were active she cast a massive (100 points) dispel spell on herself which did not cancel the potion effects. She then drank a massive (111 points) dispel potion that similarly had no effect. So the answer to your question is that it seems dispel will not cancel a potion. Now, it will in BF, and I would happily support whatever SubRosa decides for TF, just as she tweaked how dispel effects summons.

Thanks for the info. And I wasn't complaining, just curious. Since the potions have magical effects it makes complete sense that they would be canceled.

Grits:
As I understand it, Ravenfeeder is a recurved bow, and allows a full draw with less effort than a typical English style longbow such as the ones depicted in the game. Therefore Teresa is able to aim at full draw and wait . . . as long as it takes.

Fortunately for us her readers, not that long.

Of course, SubRosa may correct me on this, and she would be right to do so if I'm wrong.

SubRosa:
This continues to be an ongoing masterpiece. I'm enjoying the tactics and Pappy's translation of Sun Tzu. Yup, I recognized the principles from my own study of it a few years back. Fire and oil is a dreadful combination, especially as the oil keeps the fire from dispelling so easily. I think that knocked Raj back quite a bit, if not out for good. We'll see. But it's great to see a thinking, well-prepared enemy face off with our stringy hero so well. Keeps her (and us) from becoming too lenient.

Looking forward to how she uses her Undine.

Ra'jhera is beginning to resemble the Terminator. He has an arrow in his chest, and all his fur burned off so far. Will we find him following her as a reanimated skeleton, to be finally downed by a dog stealing his leg bones as shown to us by Sai?

I must say Kurdan's keeping quiet, but he'd lead from the back, like his client.

Can I add my applause to the ovation here?... ...

I do love a good battle scene...And that was amazing...Well thought out and executed...

Brilliance...*Bows to lady SubRosa*...

Nice one... ...

Ra'Jhera is one cooked kitty now! I'm not sure that burning to death is ever a way one deserves to die as it is arguably the most painful death one could possibly imagine, but it is still quite satisfying to see that Khajiit has finally been bested.

Raven to the rescue! And now that the alpha hunter is out of the way, the rest should be easy prey. Kurdon, though... I dread that fight.

King Coin: Like the old saying goes: "Sometimes you gotta roll the hard six." Teresa finally had to roll the dice herself and hope she could survive whatever Ra'jhera dished out, in order to get her own finishing move in. Besides, it was high time I showed what Aldariel could do.

In the game dispel magic only works against spells. For the TF I am having it work against everything magical (except permanent enchantments, which it might still negate for a second). That will make it a more useful, and give non-mages a chance against magicians.


Grits: She is much better off now then in the old pre-Ravenfeeder and pre-Aldariel days. Now she can stand up and play with the big girls. I am glad you caught the irony of the cat leading the hounds. I just loved it so much when I was writing this.


liliandra nadiar: As we will see this episode, Raj is wondering no more...


Acadian: I really have to thank h.e.r. for the example she has set with Julian's flashbacks. Those have made me much more comfortable doing the same with Teresa. I have found that it is an excellent way to show the wisdom she has learned from SagePappy. It would really bog down the sotryline if I had to constantly show every training session where he imparted some piece of advice. But doing in the h.e.r. way keeps the story flowing smoothly, and puts the information right in the reader's mind when they need to know it.

Rare but well done indeed! Since it is Ra'jhera being cooked, Teresa does not mind the pun at all! By the way, if Buffy is going to dress like that, Teresa would like to join her gang...


haute ecole rider: You are correct that it is easier to hold a recurve bow at full tension then a self bow. Of course Teresa also has those strength fortifying enchantments on her gauntlets and thumb ring too.

We will see her put that Undine to work next up.


ghastley: Now you have me thinking of this We will see Kurdan in a few more episodes. He doesn't go out with the hounds. That is Ra'jhera's job. But he is waiting nearby.


McBadgere: Thank you MB. Fighting scenes are generally rare for me. I try to take the less is more approach, with the hopes that when there is a battle, it feels more dramatic.


Thomas Kaira: Yep, Teresa finally got that alpha cat out of the way. Now she only has to deal with the remainder of the dogs, and then their master.


Previously On Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode Teresa set up a trap using lamp oil, caught Ra'jhera in the blaze, and shot him in the chest for good measure. Next, she is finally cornered by the last of the hounds.


Chapter 40.10 – The Hunter


The hounds were slow to resume their pursuit. That gave Teresa time to stage arrows along her path as she raced deeper into the ruin, and then speed back to where she had started from. Sweat now beaded her brow, and she found herself breathing hard. She dug into one of her hip pouches, and drew forth a potion to counter her exhaustion. She gulped it down, and her breathing returned to normal. She could run and fight all day, so long as her potions held out.

Soon enough, the hounds came into view down the corridor. As soon as the first appeared, she sent an arrow his way, aiming high. He ducked his head down under his shield, and the missile winged harmlessly above him. Moving as quickly as she could, Teresa picked up the arrow she had leaned against the wall beside her and set it to her bowstring. She had pulled the feathers back under her chin by the time the thug looked back over his shield rim. Then her arrow took flight, and before he could react, it buried itself in his shin.

He collapsed to the floor, clutching at his pierced leg. Another hound raced up in front of him, and took Teresa's next arrow on his shield. Damn, the wood elf cursed. She had hoped to finish the injured hound after his shield was lowered.

Trotting away, Teresa stopped at the next turning and readied another arrow. Again, she let fly as soon as the first thug came into view. Using her pre-staged arrows to load and fire more quickly, she filled the hallway with missiles before running away. Most were warded off by the shields of the gangsters. But here and there one found its mark in an exposed ankle or wrist.

Teresa was nearly out of arrows when she came into a large room with a pool of water in its center. A stone walkway just a few paces wide ringed the water. Copper pipes ran along the ceiling and drained out directly into the pool. There were no other doors or halls leading out. It was a dead end.

This must be the cistern, Teresa thought, giving the castle an endless source of fresh water even if besieged. Given that the water was carried to it by pipes, she doubted that the pool led out to the bay. Staring down into the depths, she could not see the bottom. She thought of simply leaping in and waiting below. But her only way out was through Kurdan's thugs. Sooner or later, she would have to face them. So it may as well be now. At least there could not be many left.

She took out her last scroll and stared down at the page. "Undine," she said, and a mer-shaped being with a body of deep blue water took shape in the air before Teresa. Her long hair was the white foam of spray crashing against the shore, and waved gently in the air as if it was underwater. Her eyes and other features were the dark green of algae, and she turned to silently regard the wood elf.

Teresa looked from the spirit to the rest of the room. Pappy said to always use your surroundings to your advantage. Perhaps the pool would prove a valuable ally after all? It would funnel the advance of the hounds around it. If she stood on the far side, it would prevent them from coming straight at her. If the undine hid in the water, it could spring upon them from behind. It might even be able to pull them all into the pool and drown them. Even if not, all the spirit had to do was make them turn. That would give Teresa a clear shot in their backs or sides, without their shields getting in the way.

As if bidden by her thoughts, the water spirit slid gently into the cistern and vanished within the dark water. Teresa circled the pool and drew an arrow. She waited, knowing that the hounds would not be long.

The sound of voices in the hallway outside came to her wood elf ears. "I'm not going one more step!" one of the thugs declared. "That Witch killed at least five of us, including Ra'jhera! Ceionius might never walk again with that arrow through his shinbone. Duillius, Fonteius, Gessius, and the others are no better. Half of them'll never hold an axe or mace again."

Assuming they survived Ravenfeeder's poison, Teresa thought. She was still not certain just how powerful it was. Nor of the enchantment that weakened her target's resistance to it. Pappy said it would even kill Argonians, who were normally completely immune to all poisons. If it was anything like her nightshade, then she would not be surprised if half of the thugs were already dead. That was assuming they did not each have an antidote potion. No member of the Bravil Guild would ever go out on a contract without at least one, let alone a full complement of other potions. But she had no idea how well prepared the rank and file of Kurdan's thugs were.

"Stop talking like an old woman Ofonius!" came the growl of another hound. "A few healing potions and they'll all be good as new. Besides, no one ever liked Ra'jhera anyway. Damn uppity house cat thought he was better than the rest of us. We're better off without that flea-bitten skunk."

"He had all the scrolls!" the first man - Ofonius - replied. "What if she summons another one of those Aedra?"

"She'd have done that already if she could," the second gangster replied. "She's got nothing left but those little birds. We've got her trapped in there now. All we have to do is keep our shields up in front of us. You saw she can't shoot through them."

"Then she'll kill us with her bare hands!" Ofonius declared in a shrill voice. "Damnit Peducaeus, this ain't no fat fisherman or stupid beggar like the other ones! That Witch is the same one that killed those trolls outside the city walls. I'm getting out of here while I still can."

"You leave and what do you think Kurdan will do to you?" Peducaeus rumbled. "It'll be you we're hunting next, mark my words."

"I'll take my chances," Ofonius said. "This is suicide."

The sound of stomping feet and jingling armor faded into the distance, underscoring the thug's response.

"Blast it!" Peducaeus hissed. "That tears it then. I can't do this alone."

"Wait, I'll pay you double!" came a third voice. Teresa imagined he must be the patrician. What had Kurdan called him, Lord Herennius?

"I can't spend it if I'm dead," Peducaeus said. "You want her, you get her. I'm going topside."

With that the sound of second pair of feet stomped their way into the distance. They were followed a moment later by the noisy clatter of armored plates scraping against one another. "You can't leave me down here alone!" came the last voice. "Wait for me!"

Blast it! Teresa bit her lip. She had the perfect spot to finish them all off! Worse, if they made it back to the surface, she would be facing at least six to one odds again. She had to stop them before they could rejoin Kurdan and the rest of his henchmen.

She sprang into motion, circling the cistern and racing for the single exit. The undine rose from the depths and joined her. She did not walk as an elf did, but simply flowed across the stones. Turning the first corner in the hallway outside, Teresa saw the back of a man in full ebony armor down the corridor from her.

She nocked her bow and fired at his receding form. Her pincushion arrow struck him dead center in the back. The golden light of a shield burst to life, and her arrow skittered harmlessly off of his armor. But the patrician staggered under the force of the shot, and fell down to one knee. Teresa could tell that he was not used to moving in armor. His every motion was clumsy.

She sprinted after him. If she could get closer, she might get a shot into one of the joints in his armor. Or she might even finish him with one of her daggers. In a moment her undine swept past her, rolling down the hallway like tidal wave. Even as the patrician regained his feet, her watery form crashed into him, and threw him back down to the stones underfoot.

The Aedra engulfed the nobleman, completely encasing him in water. He rolled onto his back, dropping his ebony greatsword. He swatted wildly at the undine, trying to push the spirit away. Yet his hands passed through her form as ineffectually as they would through normal water.

He reached for his sword, but Teresa got there first, and kicked it away. She stared down at the drowning man, thinking of Aleron Loche. Was this was the man who had cut him down from behind? Or did Kurdan have other customers? How many patricians could there be willing to pay to hunt and kill defenseless men?

His eyes met hers. They were practically bulging from their sockets. One of his hands reached out for her, like a drowning man trying to grasp for help. Teresa kicked it away in revulsion. Had Aleron begged for help too? Where had been his mercy? If it had been her on the floor, what would this man have done? Killed her, simple as that.

"You must become a wolf. For by using a bow, you are a predator." The words of Daenlin came to Teresa as she watched the sands of the patrician's life slowly drain away. "The bow is an instrument of death. To make one, you must understand its nature, and be prepared to wield its power with the responsibility it demands."

"I can kill, but not defenseless animals." Teresa own response to the master archer reverberated in her memory.

Yet was the patrician defenseless? He wore the best armor, and carried the best weapon, that money could buy. He came here to kill her with them, and had paid a criminal and his henchmen to help him do it. Why should she not kill him?

"Kill a patrician, and it's the cross," she remembered Simplicia telling her once. "The why of it won't matter neither. You'll still be crucified outside the prison. The laws are different for them."

Suddenly, an idea blossomed within Teresa's brain. Perhaps Lord Herennius was more useful alive rather than dead? With a motion of her hand, the undine slid away like the receding tide, and rose to stand beside Teresa. The patrician gasped for breath at her feet, and stared back at her with terror in his eyes.

"Please don't kill me!" he sputtered. "My family's rich! They can pay you whatever you want!"

"We'll just see about that," Teresa frowned. She was tempted to kick him, but she knew that given his ebony armor, it would likely just hurt her own foot. "Now get out of that armor. Make one false move, and I'll let her finish you."

Teresa sent a meaningful glance to the undine. The patrician was quick to comply.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jun 24 2012, 02:05 AM

Death by Undine! What a mystery that would make for CSI!

Julian would not have hesitated to finish off that fancy-pants client - her reasoning is: if I let him live, he'll just do it all over again. Typical Legion.

Anyway, I loved overhearing that argument in the passageway along with Teresa. It was a great way to show us just how much damage she did to those dogs. My only regret is that the undine didn't get to terrorize the lot further had they continued on into the cistern. That would have made them piss in their greaves (and more besides). Instead, she feels wasted on Lord Hoity-Toity.

Woo I've caught up. Quite the epic. Apologies for not replying, RL continues to eat me.

I love what you've done with this quest, the original was good but this really adds to it (and changes it which keeps things fresh and less constrained). Her finding Aleron dead was a surprise and caught me slightly off balance, but the section with the hunters chasing her was the real gem (so far at least). Her use of tactics against the thugs speaks volumes for her fighter's training but again it exposed a hole - Pappy hasn't really taught them how to deal with a mage among fighters. Her solution was pleasingly fiery though.

I'm liking the Aedra, I agree it makes more sense for them to be commonly used and fits her 'witchy' nature much better given they're closer to earth spirits than external beings. We've seen four elements now, I'm interested to see where you take this side of things and how they link in to the spirits (raven, bear and co.). Also I notice she can now do basic summons, will this pave the way for summoning a bear one day I wonder.

I agree with Haute on the argument in the passage-way. Humanising them also led very neatly on to her pondering the nature of her killing which she seemed quite happy (and almost eager at times) about in the heat of the moment. Are we standing near another turning point as the fighter and witch sides of her have to reconcile, I await with interest.

You've ended on a bit of a cliffhanger with the noble, how does she plan to use him to get out (and I imagine see to Kurdan in the process).

This piece is very very good. I'd rate this chapter well above plenty of books I've paid good money for (in fact it would be up there with the best) and even better it's free. You must be pushing half a million words in TotFS now...

"Then she'll kill us with her bare hands!" Ofonius declared in a shrill voice.

She has them more scared of her than they are of Kurdan, and it’s a long swim back to Bravil without him!

"You can't leave me down here alone!" came the last voice. "Wait for me!"

I was not expecting a full retreat! Teresa’s dilemma with the “helpless” patrician was interesting to follow. Now she has a very dangerous prisoner. This is a whole different kind of tension!

The undine and the cistern were a beautiful pairing. Too bad those hounds escaped their splashy end… for now. Still on the edge of my seat!