I see Mad Josse's back! And Saya! Oooh, why do I smell cat-trouble in the near future?

Somehow I don't see Princess Leia in this scene, since we seem to be missing her favorite scoundrel . . .

"And you two… just keep your clothes on until dinner's over alright?"
"Cool your heatstones loverboy."
Poor Pappy. Saddled with hormonal referee duty.

Mad Jack! I hope Number Seven isn’t causing Button and the girls too much trouble out at the stable?

And Saya’s back! As I recall, she’s a fully carnivorous sexual predator? Pappy better keep an eye on his lads and Teresa on her mermaid.

'Teresa hated her already.’
This is cute as a button! Saya may have red eyes, but we are reminded that our stringy wood elf’s are green.

Damn, that old man is a good cook! Thank you for the delicious meal!

Once again, you remind us of the place setting for the fallen. Wonderful tradition.

Goblins! I don’t suppose the guild will be able to bargain with the gnarly little cave mers.

‘In Teresa's mind's eye, their soft clothing was replaced by armor of human and merish steel. A glance across the table showed the rest of her guild likewise attired for war. She thought of them all standing together, as they did in drill every morning on the practice field. Just like that, her doubts melted away.’
What a beautifully powerful passage this is. Wow!

This post has been edited by Acadian: May 20 2012, 12:14 AM

Standing within it was a Dunmer in gleaming black velvet and lace. Her torso was hugged by a corset of black leather, faced with panels of silk embroidered in a twisting floral pattern. Her long, straight hair was milky white, and parted to one side. Red eyes burned from eye sockets shaded black, and her lips gleamed with the same color. Even her fingernails were lacquered with a glimmering shade of ebony.

Oh my......

A hundred goblins? They're going to be in for quite a battle. Those little fetchers are pretty smart!

Saya seems like she can instantly find the weak spots. She got Chance right in the crotch, and Teresa in the self-esteem. I’m sure that Teresa will weigh every glance that Tadrose gives her. I wonder what the other T thinks of her fellow Dunmer, and if she’s misinterpreting Teresa staring at Saya. It should be fun to watch Saya engage in battlemagery. If she spends half as much time on her vocation as she does on her appearance, she should be awesome!

He lumbered into the room like a tired animal.
What a wonderful description, I love it!

"It's like Bruma isn't it?" Vincent said seriously. "We're taking on so many we need to make fortifications. Is it the high elves?"
It’s good to see Vincent using his brain. He may act foolish, but Pappy doesn’t keep fools in his guild.

The empty chair part was lovely, and a reminder of the risk that comes with their work. One hundred goblins! That’s a lot of arrows. I look forward to hearing Pappy's plan. And... maybe dessert?

Oooh yes! Preferably something chilled with a frost spell, like a sorbet?

McBadgere: Who can resist Denver Pyle? I have had him in mind since Mad Josse made his first appearance in the TF, many chapters back.

The empty chair is something taken from the RL military. Although I am not portraying it exactly the same. It felt absolutely right to be a tradition of the Fighters Guild, especially after Bruma, but before as well.


King Coin: Teresa's skin is slowly getting there. She is slinging comebacks to Vincent these days, like with the cucumber. But a lifetime of low self-esteem takes time to overcome.


Olen: The "Teresa hated her already" line was supposed to be funny, so I am glad it felt that way. Pappy will indeed test her as well, but not until next episode. It is also funny you mention Mad Josse's presence. We will learn exactly why he is there this post.


haute ecole rider: Saya will be trouble indeed, although perhaps not the way everyone expects... I was thinking exactly what you were about scoundrels. I guess our favorite princess is the most famous woman in the universe when it comes to having a thing for scoundrels. I am sure Pappy would be glad to fill in Han's shoes though...


Acadian: Poor Pappy is right! Being the boss is not what it is cracked up to be. He has to play relationship counselor for T&T, and den mother for Chance and Vincent! Whatever happened to drinking scotch all night, playing poker, and no paperwork?

Number Seven is actually in the backyard, as we will see next episode. I really appreciated the opportunity to use the empty chair here because it shows how much Teresa has changed since she first joined the guild. Where at first it was just a curious tradition, now she is seeing a friend sitting there.


Jacki Dice: Saya is indeed most yummy. Maybe she and Lildreth might hook up one day? Though it would probably not be the best thing for Lil, especially not in the long run.


Grits: I can promise that Saya will not disappoint. You are spot on about Vincent too. He may play the fool, but he is no dummy. When it comes to business, he is all business. He survived Bruma after all, he knows just how bad things can get.


ghastley: Unfortunately dessert will not be featured (although that does not mean it never happened). So have another kabob for now.


Previously On Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode, the guild sat down to dinner with several guests. There is Laberius Maesa, a Nibenean yuppie working for Lady Scaurus. A cantakerous old mountain man named Mad Josse, and a distinctly gothy dark elf battlemage called Saya, who has a thing for scoundrels. Pappy then announced that the entire guild has been hired to clear out a tribe of goblins from a gold mine belonging to Lady Scaurus.


Chapter 43.4 – Hand of Fire

"Okay, so the parchment pusher is here to make sure our fingers don't get sticky in the gold mine. And we got a battlemage to back us up against the goblin shaman." Vincent turned his gaze from one of their guests to another. "So what's your story then old timer?"

"Old? Who you callin' old?" Josse rose to his feet and shook a fist. "Why I've got half a mind to tar your britches for you sonny, callin' me old!"

"Dammit settle down Josse!" Pappy barked. "And you wonder why people call you mad? The kid's got a right to ask." The guild commander turned to Vincent. "If I am not off my mark, Mad Josse here has been asked by the families of the miners to represent their interests."

"Their interests?" Vincent looked puzzled for a moment. "You mean to sort out their bodies?"

"And return their belongings to their next of kin," Josse fumed. "My nephew's one of them too, so I'll have you rogues know I take a personal interest in this affair."

"You will have your hands full then," Saya declared. "Goblins do not show respect for the dead. They put them all in the same pot and-"

Chance stopped her short by laying a hand on one of hers. "I don't think he needs to hear about that right now," the Redguard said quietly.

"I know what those little bounders do to the dead kid," Mad Josse grumbled. "I wasn't born'd yesterday you know. I was killing those fetchers when you was still a glimmer in your momma's eye."

"Settle down you meatheads." Pappy growled. "Now we've got a big job ahead of us, and we leave at first light tomorrow. So we have a lot to get ready for. Now how many here have fought goblins before?"

Teresa raised her hand. She remembered her escape from the Imperial Prison, and the three goblins in the sewers. She had barely survived her battle with the small, but incredibly ferocious creatures. While she had encountered them again on the City Isle, and later east of Morcant's cottage, she had thankfully been able to avoid a fight both times.

Looking around, she saw that Tadrose, Vincent, Josse, and of course Pappy himself also had their hands in the air. She felt a tinge of pride when she noted that the new battlemage kept her hand down.

"Since our battlemage here knows so much about goblins," Pappy leveled his gaze upon Saya, "why don't you brief the rest of us mules on what to expect?"

"Well," Saya began, "as I am sure we all are aware, goblins are small and slight of stature. However, they are stronger than they appear, and are quick, agile creatures. They prefer to attack from ambush, and overwhelm their prey with superior numbers."

"Their craftsmanship is very limited. The only weapons they are capable of producing are simple spears, axes, and knives fashioned from stones such as flint. They tip their arrows with stone or bone, and sometimes fashion armor from bones as well. Rarely they can be found with weapons or armor of steel or better manufacture. However, these were all taken as spoils from civilized peoples."

Teresa frowned. She might be new to all of this, but the Dunmer seemed to know an awful lot about goblins.

"Their society is matriarchal," she continued, "and in fact it is the females who are the larger and stronger of the race. Far fewer of them are born than males however. This forces the males to compete with one another for the right to breed. For the females only choose the bravest and strongest to lay with. This is what drives the goblins to raid and plunder. They are all trying to impress the women."

"That's not so different from any other race…" Vincent remarked dryly.

"It is also only the women who are capable of using magic, and only a small number of them at that," Saya went on, pretending not to have heard the wisecracking Breton. "The greatest magician of each tribe is their shaman, and she rules with absolute authority. She can be identified by the staff she carries. It is the totem of the tribe, and will have the skull of a goblin at its top. Often it is decorated with other bones, fingers, feathers, even shrunken heads. They are always enchanted to throw lightning, the favored element of goblins. She is aided by her apprentices, and might have as many as three or four of them. All are capable destruction mages, as I said before, specializing in shock."

"Then there is the war chief, the highest ranking male. You can always tell him, because he will have the very best gear, usually of iron or steel. He is the shaman's consort, and leads the tribe's war parties. His lieutenants are the berserkers, the strongest, and most vicious of the other males. All are fond of using poisons, usually brewed from the wisp stalks often found in their caves. However, they are not skilled alchemists, so their poison lacks magical properties."

"So they will likely only make us sick if we are exposed, and it will take time before we even see the first effects." Teresa interrupted the Dunmer. Now she understood why Pappy had her spend the afternoon making antidote and shock shield potions.

"Aye," Saya replied. "But it is best to always keep antidote potions on hand when facing them. Just in case. To finish, goblins are nocturnal, and do not like the sunlight. They complain that it burns them, even though there is no physical evidence of this. This is why they live in caves and mines. They will also eat anything they can. They often grow cairn bolete and other mushrooms in their caverns for food, and herd giant rats such as skeevers for that purpose. But they hunt on the surface as well, both animals and sentients. Any living thing they can, they will kill and eat. So do not let them take you prisoner."

"You appear to be well appraised of these creatures," Ancondil observed, "for one who has never faced them."

"My thesis was on semi-intelligent creatures," Saya declared with evident pride. "Among my sources was a monograph upon goblins written by none other than Raminus Polus, now the headmaster of the Arcane University."

"Hey," Vincent sat up straight in his chair. "He taught me my healing spell! Remember Pappy, at Bruma."

"He taught me my first spells too," Teresa found herself admitting. "When I was a little girl."

The guild commander shook his head. "I remember Raminus and his goblins alright," he frowned. "What a clusterfetch that was."

"You have read his monograph?" Saya said under a raised eyebrow.

"Oblivion no," Pappy said. "I was there. I saw it all up close and personal. Who do you think commanded the century that had the sorry task of corralling his goblins? Some damn fools on the Elder Council decided that they wanted to figure out how the Altmer are controlling goblins for their army, so we had to go and stick our necks on the chopping block. I warned them it would blow up like bag full of mammoth farts, but did anyone listen? No. Then when it all fell apart guess who the scapegoat was? I spent three years in the Alik'r desert because of that mess."

"So what is their fighting ability?" Valerius asked the guild commander. "What kind of training do they have? What are their predilections?"

"No formal training at all," Pappy answered before Saya could speak again. "But don't discount them. They are absolutely ferocious. Even the children are lethal, and I do mean lethal. I once saw a three year old goblin slit the throat of a ten year veteran without batting an eye. So don't any of you get sentimental ideas about taking non-combatants prisoner. There are no innocents among these fetchers. They are all killers."

"Their warriors fight like a wolf pack. They will close in as a group, and try to separate one person from the rest. Then they surround them, and come in from all sides at once. They'll leap right on top of you, and stab, bite, kick, gouge your eyes, anything they can. I've seen good fighters panic and go down with half a dozen of the little fetchers hanging off of them."

"So how do we fight them?" Chance asked.

"By staying together," Tadrose said coolly. "This is what we have trained to do. We all stand in line, no one breaks formation. In the tunnels we will anchor our line at both walls. In the open we will form a circle. No goblin will get past us. The first rank will form a wall the goblin attack will break upon, just like the surf breaks on a cliff. The second line will knock them off the first with daggers, like flicking fleas off a guar. When someone is wounded they fall back in line and are replaced by the fighter behind them. The line never breaks, never falters."

"And when it's all over, we are all that is left standing," Pappy nodded. "I'm not going to kid you, this is going to be one long, tough contract. But we're going to do it smart. I don't intend to fight them all at once. Just as they like to single out their victims one at a time, we're going to break this up into smaller fights. They'll have raiding parties out. We'll start with them, and destroy each in turn. Then we'll move to the mine and draw out as many as we can, and kill them in an ambush. Only then are going into those tunnels. Once we're down there, we can use the narrow spaces to our advantage. Only two or three can fight abreast in those mine shafts. A handful of men could whoop an entire army in place like that."

"What about the shaman?" Morghak asked. "It sounds like she will be a tough nut to crack."

"That's what our battlemage is for," Pappy motioned to Saya. "If the shaman summons anything, or tries to command or frenzy any of us, Saya will dispel it. Then she'll hit her like a ton of bricks. Teresa too, is going to be carrying silence poisons with her. Her job will be to pincushion any goblin that starts slinging magic."

"That shock magic is going to sting though," Vincent rubbed his chin. "Can we get some shock resistance scrolls or potions from the Mages Guild?"

"Already taken care of," Teresa smiled faintly. "While you were carving stakes, I was making potions."

"I have been meaning to ask about those stakes," Ancondil said. "Just what is their purpose?"

"Standard legion practice," Valerius answered before Pappy could reply. "Dig in and fortify. I hazard that if the opportunity arises, our commander shall have us dig a ditch, build a rampart, and use the stakes to form a hedgehog atop it."

"That's right," Pappy said with a smile. "And this time the knights will be handling a shovel along with the rest of us mules. Gentlemen, and ladies, it's best to look at this like a big, fat Bruma steak. We are going to carve them up one piece at a time, until there's nothing left."

This post has been edited by SubRosa: May 26 2012, 07:43 PM

Let's get the nits out of the way:
Looks like you are missing the closing quote here. A little bleary-eyed from editing, perhaps?

Okay, that's done! I loved the battle plan Pappy laid out. I also found myself nodding my head along with Saya's dissertation - it's exactly what I had figured out. Kind of like a hive thing. Julian made herself scarce during this part, and I don't blame her! In any case, looks like the Bravil Fighter's Guild has their work cut out for them.

Uh oh, looks like you'd better feed us again before going into battle! Now you've gone and made Acadian hungry again! And I can't feed him - we're off into battle ourselves!

Well, with Teresa, Julian and Buffy all poised for (or in) battle, vittles is scarce. Saya’s talk about the goblins cooking up their foes however, will keep my hunger at bay for a time.

Listening to Teresa’s commander and his deputy, I see what you mean about them thinking somewhat like Buffy’s captain and his second in command. Pappy wants to attrite their foes by splintering their focus, drawing them out and, when possible, through a killing zone and into an iron phalanx. And he has done his homework and made preparations to protect his force as best he can.

I enjoyed hearing Saya share what she has learned about goblins. I think it is a great decision to ‘temper’ Saya by revealing that her knowledge of the fascinating little bounders is not first hand. I think there is no danger of us perceiving the battlemage as a ‘parchment princess’, but showing us a couple limitations makes her seem quite real.

’I warned them it would blow up like bag full of mammoth farts, but did anyone listen?’

And now we know why Mad Josse is there, but what are his skills like? I imagine anyone that mad and old will have a few tricks up his sleeve. I'm not entirely clear on what his profession is but as a mountain man I suspect he will know a bit about poisoning bait or trapping... whether they bother to try cheating (or if it would even work) against the goblins remains to be seen.

The dialogue is excellent, your characters all very much have their own voices. I think I culd read the whole exchange without being told who said what and know from the way it's said which is quite a feat with so many characters. Good examples are:
bag full of mammoth farts -- so Pappy and quite a funny way of putting it.
Then followed by What are their predilections which could only be Valerius or Ancondil of those present. It flows very well too.

We see another side to Saya too, she might be trouble and vain but she also seems to be an academic. No one can get that obsessed with a subject other than by doing an academic thesis. I'd almost hazard that she's not that good a one though, that she bases so heavily on having read someone else's work rather than doing her own... Pappy certainly put her in her place.

Speaking of which: "clusterfetch" -- loved this Great way of making a phrase I can't imagine Pappy not using forum and ES friendly.

Nit, maybe...
...overwhelm their prey with superior numbers."
"Their craftsmanship is very limited... - As she continues speaking I believe it would be normal to omit the closing inverted comma at the end of the paragraph to show that dialogue is continued. I may be wrong though.

I gotta say, I was a little underwhelmed when after Teresa’s lengthy absence that she was going to take part in a contract that involved goblins. This really does sound like it is going to be interesting though. I should have never doubted.

Pappy’s had to intervene quite a few times to get that bunch to settle down.

They are all trying to impress the women."

"That's not so different from any other race…"
Vincent has a point.

Raminus got promoted. Does this take place after the necromancer problems or is Traven just retired?

I’m looking forward to this contract. Those guys are just going to love digging in the dirt.

*is late to the game* Welcome back Rosa, good to see more of Teresa. Kind of odd to see Teresa leery about fighting goblins after waves of deadra and trolls, I'm guessing it's a case of not realizing you 'outgrew' an old bully.

Fun to see Saya pop back into things again.

@King Coin: Raminus got promoted awhile back, around the time Teresa was starting to head to Bravil IIRC, though I think it's following the Mage Guild story I don't know for sure.

If I remember right Raminus is running the University and Traven is running the Guild, and that's still the case in Teresa's version of the world. I've only seen the title "headmaster" used here, I think.

The scale of things is usually more realistic in this story, but how big a tribe a goblins are we talking about here? This is starting to appear like a larger fight than Bruma! Do you have any cavalry coming to yours?

Nice touch to have Josse representing the miners. Saya’s callous remark about miner stew made me snort. What a bunch of unique individuals! I’m really enjoying this.

The idea of being swarmed by small, ferocious critters is quite chilling. It sounds like they have a great plan. I’m looking forward to seeing how it works out!

Oh that was cool... ...

Clusterfetch!...Brilliant... ...I did Clusterfus in mine... ...

Loved the whole thing, from the Denver Pyle-isms to the whole lessin...I mean, lesson in Goblinesse-ness, this was an excellent episode with much to applaud...So I shall...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

haute ecole rider: Pappy has been to this particular dance more than once. So he knows how to deal with goblin tribes, and Bruma steaks. There will be more vittles coming, though not nearly as tasty as Pappy's Redguard feast.


Acadian: You have Pappy's plan down to a tee. Textbook stuff I suppose. But of course much easier said than actually done.

You were also right on about my decision for Saya to know about goblins through book learning only. As an Arcane University-trained battlemage, she can seem quite uber. Seven years of learning magic will do that to someone. It was important for me to show that while she has a lot of book-learning, she still lacks the kind of real world experience that Teresa and company have.

I am glad the mammoth farts line went over. I was originally going to use a bag of lighting bolts, but I decided to change it to something more colorful, to reflect the speaker.


Olen: It will be a while before we see what Mad Josse can do. Suffice to say, he's been living on his own in the backwoods of Cyrodiil for decades, so he can take care of himself. Pappy knows him from way back, so he doesn't need to drag it out. Saya OTOH, is a big question mark for him still. So he will be taking the time for get a better idea for just what she can really do.

I am glad the mammoth farts and clusterfetches were appreciated. I spend a lot of effort working on the dialogue, to make sure each line matches the personality of the speaker.


King Coin: I know a few goblins does seem meh. That is why I made it an entire tribe. With the guild outnumbered 10 or 12 to 1, it should make it exciting.

Raminus has been the headmaster of the Arcane U since the tale started. As ghastley said, in the TF Raminus runs the university, while Traven runs the Mages Guild overall, not just in Cyrodiil, but all over Tamriel. My Arcane U is a bit different from the game, as it is open to anyone who can pay. The Mages Guild simply runs it. But when you come down to it, it is really no different from how their local guild chapters teach spells to people. The University just takes that to a whole new level of focus.


liliandra nadiar: Welcome back lil. Hopefully the goblins will not disappoint. There are about a hundred of them or so, and they have mages.


ghastley: Their estimates put the goblins at about 80-100. But of course those could be off as well. It is basically an entire tribe that decided to move into the Lady's mine. As you said, a tribe to scale with the rest of things in the TF. So it is a lot of the little greenies. Unfortunately there is no Tenth Legion on the way to back them up, like at Bruma. But there will be at least one pleasant surprise.


Grits: I am glad they are all coming across as unique characters. It is hard to write so many different people in the same scene, and have them all come across with their own individual voices. They certainly are a bunch of rowdy types too! A lot of that comes from Pappy of course. Those are the kind of people he likes. He may have been born an Imperial, but you might say he is a Nord at heart. Must be a lot of that Nordic blood back in his Colovian ancestry.


McBadgere: Sometimes it can be fun to find creative ways of getting around the swear filter. The Denver Pyle mountain man talk was just fun to write. All I had to do was go back and watch a little Grizzly Adams.


Previously On Teresa Of The Faint Smile: Our last episode revealed that Mad Josse was a representative of the miners, there to make sure their belongings were returned to their next of kin. As his nephew was one of them at the mine, he takes this personally. Saya then gave the others a briefing on what to expect from the goblins, based upon what she had learned at the Arcane University. In the end Pappy revealed that his plan was to divide the goblins and destroy them one piece at a time, all the while controlling the battlefield.


Chapter 43.5 – Hand of Fire

Magnus was but a faint glow on the horizon when Teresa awoke. Taking a moment to stretch, she rose to her feet and glanced down at her empty bed. In spite of Tadrose's joke the other night, they still had yet to spend an entire night with one another. Someday, Teresa sighed, when Tadrose was ready. Until then, she at least had the comfort of the armorer's arms to hold her, and her lips to plant their soft, silken kisses upon her own.

Teresa was reminded of how Nerussa had once chided her to take her time when she ate, and savor every bite of her meals rather than wolf them down. "There is no hurry," the high elf had declared. "It is not going anywhere. So take the time to relish every nuance of flavor. Every scent is a work of art, every taste a masterpiece. Life is filled with simple pleasures. Do not let them pass you by because you were in too much of a hurry to pause and notice."

Teresa resolved to savor every touch, every kiss, every hour she spent with Tadrose. As Nerussa had said, there was no hurry. The Dunmer was not going anywhere. Besides, if she tried, there was always Ancondil's war hammer…

A clattering drifted up from outside her window. Teresa walked over and looked down through it to the practice yard behind the guild hall. There she found Mad Josse packing up the small camp he had made the previous night and stowing the gear away onto the back of his mule. Even from the second story of the hall, she could hear the aging Breton muttering to himself, albeit in tones too low for her to make out the words.

Now there was a real mountain man, Teresa thought. He did not sleep indoors, even in the city. She bit her lip. What kind of forester was she, compared to that?

She turned from the window and stepped to her dressing table. A quick spell left her body feeling clean and refreshed. Another removed any unwanted hairs. Only Mara knew when she would have the privacy to use the latter magic again. So she made the most of it while she could.

Then she dressed, starting with the velvet spirit bag which she draped around her neck. Rather than the legion tunic and drawstring pants she wore for her early morning runs, she donned Aldariel instead. Ravenfeeder followed, snugly tucked within its chitin gorytos. Then came her potion belts, and finally her Thieves Bag. She took several minutes to rummage through the magical bag to make sure that she had everything she might need. Extra potions, her bedroll, dried ingredients, her mortar and pestle, a copy of Grognak's Bravil Guide, a map, and even more items were tucked away within the enchanted container.

Fully armed, armored, and prepared, she stepped into the hallway outside. Even now she saw the light under Ancondil's door, revealing that he was awake as well. It was not to his room that she strode however, but rather to Tadrose's. After a gentle rap, she cracked the door open just enough to look within and find that the Dunmer was still donning her armor.

"Greet the sun Tadrose," she said with a gentle smile. The smile the Dunmer gave her in return was brighter, and warmer, then Magnus himself could ever be. By Dibella, Teresa silently marveled, how on Nirn did she do that?

Letting herself in, the wood elf took the time to shut the door behind her. Then her lips found those of Tadrose, and her hands availed themselves of the armorer's muscular frame. After long moments the Dunmer drew away, eyes aglow with fire. She laughed, and waved a finger at Teresa.

"Now don't you distract me," she chided. "I have to get my armor on and get downstairs."

"I'd rather get you out of your armor," Teresa pouted. Still, she moved to help the Dunmer with the overlapping plates of her cuirass. There were many more individual pieces to the elven steel than in Teresa's own miran-talurn armor. That made the process of putting it on or taking it off much more involved. Still, it gave Teresa the chance to touch the other woman. Or touch her armor at least.

When they were finally done, and Tadrose stood before her in full golden splendor, Teresa took a moment just to look at the dark elf. As she had often thought before, the armorer looked like a golden raven of the battlefield. Brilliant, noble, and deadly, that was Tadrose.

"Do you think you might pose for Alaine Retiene?" Teresa found herself asking. "I would love to have a portrait of you in your armor."

The vice-commander rolled her eyes. "You need to save your septims for that house," she said. "You are so close to being able to buy it as it is."

"Alaine and I might be able to work something out," Teresa contended. "He likes me. He's never gotten killed with me bodyguarding him after all."

Tadrose laughed, and surprised Teresa by leaning in to give her a quick kiss. "Have I ever told you I love you?" The dark elf winked, and Teresa found herself blushing. "Now come on, we have to get going."

The vice-commander took Teresa by the hand, and led her out into the hallway. Pappy was already clambering down the stairs from his third floor quarters, decked out in his combination of legion and orcish armor. Valerius too, already stood in the corridor, glowing like starlight in his panoply of silver meteoric glass. The clatter of metal against metal came through the doors of the other rooms, telling Teresa that the rest of the guild was still in the process of donning their gear.

"All right you meatheads!" Pappy barked down the hallway, loud enough that Teresa was certain he could be heard outside the building. "Drop your pricks and grab your kits. I want everyone downstairs and ready for inspection in ten!"

Valerius led the way down the stair, followed by the two women - still holding hands - and then finally the guild commander. They made their way to the kitchen, where they found Tavian waiting for them with fresh bread, Tenmar tea, and goat's milk. The other members of the guild stumbled in one at a time as they broke their fast. So too did Mad Josse. While the Breton turned down the offer of food, he did avail himself of the tea.

"Don't get this too often out in the woods," he proclaimed as he gulped down the hot Khajiit tea. "Damn fine tastin' too."

Teresa wanted to shake her head as she sipped her own milk. Again, Nerussa's words - chiding her to take her time - rose in her memory. At least she was not a forester like that! Not anymore at least.

"So where's our battlemage?" Chance strode into the room. He wore a suit of full steel plate, and his Dwemer mace Ncharcasti rode at one of his hips.

"She'll be here shortly," Pappy murmured. "At least she better be, or we're leaving without her."

After a quick meal, Pappy led them all to the practice hall. There he and Tadrose both inspected each fighter's weapons, armor, and potions. The guild commander cast a critical eye upon the extra potions that Teresa carried in her bag for all. He even made the wood elf take them out and display them on the floor for all to see.

"Antidotes, shields, resist shock, silence, and extra healing potions," Pappy nodded at each row of bottles. "What are these?" he gestured to another group of brews.

"Shock shields," Teresa declared. "They will stack with our shield and resist shock potions, for a little something extra. I have extra magicka potions too, in case our battlemage did not bring enough. I also have some scrolls from Ungarion, dispels, salamanders, sylphs, the usual."

"Outstanding Teresa!" The Colovian clapped an armored paw upon the wood elf's back. "Take note you meatheads. A good soldier is prepared for anything. This is how you fight, and win."

Teresa tried not to blush, and lowered her head as she separated her potions into even groups, to divide up amongst the others. She heard the sound of jingling mail rings as she did so, and turned her head to look to the door. None of their guild wore mail that made a sound like that. The elven mail that Tadrose and Storm-Tail wore under their panoplies was silent as linen, and the plate the others wore made more noise than the mail beneath it.

It was their new battlemage, walking into the wide chamber. She was girded in armor of gleaming mithril rings, and carried a kite-shaped shield of the same material in one hand. Her milky white hair was covered by an open-faced helmet, and a mace with glowing mithril flanges was tucked into her belt. Numerous pouches hung from belts along her waist and across her chest, and a leather pack was slung over her back, along with a bedroll.

"Hope we did not interrupt her beauty sleep," Morghak rumbled in low voice.

"Give me some time, and I'll be doing more than just that," Chance remarked out of the corner of his mouth.

"Pfft!" the orc's voice oozed with contempt. "Where are her scars? Her hands have spent their time unrolling parchment, not gripping the hafts of weapons."

"I've got a haft that could use gripping," Vincent laughed.

"Careful, she might take you up on that," Chance whispered back.

"Keep it up and I might," Morghak growled. She made a fist, and the noise of popping knuckles resounded loudly from underneath her gauntlet. She smiled with a mouthful of teeth, and Vincent nearly turned as pale as Teresa.

"All right kid," Pappy said as he walked over to meet the battlemage and cast an appraising eye upon her armored frame. His hands reached out, and Teresa noted that she flinched as he began checking her armor, and then the contents of her pouches. "Let's see what you've got. Standard battlemage mithril mail, that's good. Magicka potions, even better. Shock shields, antidotes, healing, cure disease. So where's your staff kid?"

"I prefer something more, substantial." Saya patted the handle of her mace with one hand. "And my name is Saya."

Teresa could not restrain a faint smile when she overheard the last.

"Sure it is kid," Pappy replied coolly. He walked over to one wall, and motioned for the Dunmer to follow. Once there, he drew a wooden mace from a rack of practice weapons, and threw it to her. She deftly caught it in one hand as he drew a shield and a practice sword from the same rack. "Now show me what you've got."

Saya glanced from the guild commander to Teresa and the others, clearly unsure of whether she should do as he said. Teresa packed up the last of her potions when Tadrose spoke.

"Go ahead, " the vice-commander said, "and if I were you, I wouldn't hold back."

The battlemage raised her own shield and brought the mace up behind her head. She stepped in closer to Pappy, and launched a blow at his side. Even to Teresa's eye, it looked slow and lazy. The Colovian easily parried it on his shield, and shook his head.

"I said hit me kid," he growled. "Those goblins aren't gonna be playing out there. Now show me what you can really do."

The Dunmer responded with another strike of her mace, harder this time. "Again!" Pappy cried, as he shrugged off the blow. Once more the dark elf swung upon him, and the Colovian's shield rang from the impact. "Come on princess, you afraid you might chip your nails? Hit me like you mean it!"

The Dunmer struck again and again, as Pappy goaded her on. The entire time, he never returned a blow with his sword. He simply let her pound away upon him, until his shield was dented and splintered from the impacts. Teresa realized what he was doing. He was trying to make the battlemage lose her temper, just as that first day she had demonstrated her archery for him. Yet while the dark elf looked as if she would like to rip the guild commander in two, she never lost her finesse or form.

Now Pappy began striking back with his sword. First simple cuts and jabs, which she easily turned aside with her shield. Then he moved in closer to her, and bashed his shield up against her own. She staggered back, and he closed in. In a moment his foot was behind her ankle, and he gave a rough shove. She went down onto her back, and moment later the rounded tip of his wooden blade was resting on her chest.

"Not bad kid," Pappy said. He reversed his grip on his sword and tossed it to Tavian. Reaching down with one hand, the Colovian helped the battlemage to her feet. "You kept your wits about you. That's the most important thing. You need experience though, but you'll get that soon enough."

The Dunmer simply nodded, and drew her helmet from her head. Her milky-white locks were beaded with sweat, and Teresa noted with satisfaction that she did not look quite so haughty as she had the other night.

"All right, now tell me what else you can do." Pappy again motioned for her to follow him back to the others. Tadrose took this as her cue to continue inspecting the gear of the regular guild members. "Please tell me you know destruction magic."

"Aye," Saya declared. "Shock, flame, or frost, and I combine all with a weakness to magic to make them more effective."

"What about healing?" Pappy asked. "Can you do that?"

"I can heal others, as well as use fortification spells" Saya said. "Although I will admit it is not my most potent school. I am also conversant in alteration magic, such as shock shields." The dark elf raised her hand into a fist. When she unclenched it a moment later, a wave of sparking energy fell down around her, and disappeared into her frame.

"I can also open locks, walk on water or breathe it, dispel magic, create light, and use night eye." The Dunmer's pride resurfaced as she extolled her virtues. "I am most skilled at conjuration however." She raised a hand again, and this time a blue light spilled from between her fingers. A disc of conjuration magic dropped to the floor in front of her, and behind it formed a creature the likes of which Teresa had never seen.

Her skin was a blue-grey, much like a Dunmer's, only softer in shade. The hair that was drawn back from her face in a ponytail was a light shade of purple, reminding Teresa of the twilight sky. The eyes that gazed from her eyesockets were the bright red of the setting sun, and her lips were as black as the darkest night. Her arms ended in a pair of great, leathery wings. Teresa was reminded of those of a bat, except that the fingers that sprouted from the leading edge of her wings stretched out into long, wickedly sharp claws. Her legs were like those of a bird, and ended in only slightly shorter, yet thicker, claws. Finally, a long tail stretched out behind her, ending what Teresa imagined might be a stinger larger than her fist.

Screenshot

Teresa gasped, and could not stop herself from taking a step back. Many others did the same, and more than one hand fell near the hilt of a weapon. Pappy and Tadrose remained impassive however, and it was the mistress of the forge who broke the silence.

"A Winged Twilight," the Dunmer said. Her smoldering eyes drifted from the summoning to mage who had brought her into the world. "Impressive."

A Winged Twilight! Now Teresa remembered the entry in Varieties of Daedra that described the creature. It was one of the few that she had not seen during the Oblivion Crisis. She imagined because they served only Azura, the Daedric Princess of Dawn and Dusk.

"I see my Lady's hand has touched thee," The Daedra's voice was as soft as silken sheets as she stared at Tadrose. "You may address me as Kireteki." Her infernal eyes passed over the other members of the guild, and Teresa wondered what it was that lurked behind them? A bloodthirsty killer just waiting for its opportunity? Or could there really be more to a Daedra, as Tadrose insisted?

"These are allies," Saya declared. "We shall be fighting alongside them soon."

The Winged Twilight nodded as she gazed from one fighter to the next. Finally she stepped beside her conjurer. Neither said a word to one another, but Teresa was certain that something passed between the two. The fingers from one of Kireteki's wings gently rested against the small of the mage's back, and Teresa suddenly wondered if the two were lovers? Could such a thing even be possible?

"I'm impressed kid. You just might work out after all." Pappy stood arms akimbo as he stared at the dusky-skinned pair. Then his eyes turned to the rest of the fighters. "You aren't getting paid to gawk you meatheads. Get your kits squared away so we can move out. We're burning daylight."

The mercenaries went back to their work of checking and double-checking their gear, although many eyes continued to stray to the new battlemage and her Daedric companion. Until finally Saya dispelled the Winged Twilight after a grumble from Pappy. In the meanwhile Teresa passed out the extra potions she had brewed, so that they were evenly spread around the group.

During this time they were joined by Laberius Maesa. The Nibenean was now clad in black and red velvet. He wore an arming sword at one hip whose hilt was gilded with shining rubies. Teresa had to suppress the urge to laugh at the man, who looked every inch the dandy. She saw Morghak rolling her eyes, and realized she was not alone in her assessment of the Imperial.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jun 2 2012, 09:22 PM

Interesting summation of the pre-goblin preparations!

I'm a little confused, though: I thought Saya had a mace?

Other than that, it was a wonderful moment. I liked the interchange between T&T before they came downstairs, and I can relate to Teresa's impatience. But it's good that they're taking their time before jumping between the sheets (or elsewhere, as the case may be).

And kudos to Pappy for not letting Saya slide without one of his 'auditions!' It's a good way to assess her fighting skills, and interesting to see that she didn't lose her temper, either. I'm very curious to see how she really will fight when faced with the real thing.

A quiet opening, filled with rumination of Tadrose’s kisses, Nerussa’s lessons and Ancondil’s hammer.

Teresa’s trademark insecurity was vividly on display as she critically evaluated her own forester skills while watching Mad Josse. Only Teresa could be envious of a crotchety old coot and his mule! A hint of full circle however as she later critically watched him violate Neurssa’s rules of dining etiquette.

Pappy’s inspection was a nice way to gently show us the detailed contents of Teresa’s kit.

"I've got a haft that could use gripping," Vincent laughed.’
You caught me by surprise here, nearly causing a soda mishap.

I’ve been looking forward to seeing more flesh applied to our mysterious Saya and you excelled here. We learned much here, and I’m sure we’ll learn more of her. She is not perfect, but impressive nonetheless - exactly what you are striving for I’m sure. The winged twilight was a real highlight! I love how it talked to Saya.

And a concise assessment of our parchment prince dandy, Laberius. I'm sure he'll be a real asset to Pappy's war effort. Maybe Morghak will stuff him in her pack so he can't accidentally prick someone with that ruby handled ceremonial sword.

Fantastic stuff!!... ...



That was sweet and the last sentence was just pure funny... ...

Loved the whole thing with everyone putting the armour on...The early morning feel of the whole thing...I could imagine the (almost for Bravil) fresh air as Teresa opened the window to look down on Josse...(He's instantly my fave...Loves his tea...Reminds me of me, mid-week just gone... )...

The whole thing downstairs was brilliant...The inspection, the testing of the battlemage...And as for that Winged Twilight thing...Oh-ho-hooo yes!!....

Well done that woman!!...

I'm with Acadian...But sodaless...(tea-choking-on, yes )...



I'm quoting the whole thing because it's just too beautiful to not... ...Love it... ...

An absolutely riveting chapter that was delightful and funny in so many ways...

Excellent stuff...

Love it!!!...

Nice one!!..

*Applauds heartily*...

This post has been edited by McBadgere: Jun 3 2012, 05:20 AM

Now there was a real mountain man, Teresa thought. He did not sleep indoors, even in the city.
They don’t call him Mad Josse for nothing!

Drop your pricks and grab your kits.
I like Teresa’s morning greeting better. This line was straight from Full Metal Jacket! Just a little more forum censor friendly.

The banter between the men when the battle mage entered reminds me of my friends.

The battle mage sounds like she will be of use to the team. I just hope none of the goblin mages know dispel.

Teresa’s “I suck at being a forester” thought was so Teresa. The urge to smack her (lovingly) on the head was strong. Just like with a real person who still can’t see how far they’ve come.

I love the humor in this episode. Morghak’s exchange with the boys is one of my favorite passages in the TF. Hilarious and so true to the characters.

Nice to see Pappy beat the sweat out of Saya, and then her Winged Twilight right-back-attcha. And finally an amusing appearance from the Nibenean peacock with the vaginal-sounding name.

Pappy’s lines were especially awesome in this episode. Looks like they’re ready to get moving!