@SubRosa: I’m glad that you liked the way I added dread to this quest. I know from experience how animals can sense when something is wrong, even when the setting is beautiful. And Julian is sensitive enough to Blanco’s reactions to pick up on his unease regarding that pillar and the corpse. And yes, you’re right, Chapter 26 is Sancre Tor.
@Acadian: Yes, I liked that there are options with this quest, but I tend to take only one path. As a melee player/fighter, I tend to ignore the potential magic offers. Julian is the same way. I suspect as we progress through our magical education, we will be kicking ourselves for not considering obtaining that spell! Yes, I’m liking what Slof did with the horses very much. Especially now that they are anatomically correct!
@Grits: Yes, it’s beautiful at Cloud Top. And it’s logical for Julian to think of Martin as someone who should have the book, not the quarreling mages down below. I’m glad you picked up on that, as well as the interaction between Julian and Blanco. If it hadn’t been for her time with Paint, and learning that Paint can spot hostiles before she can, this process would have taken much longer, as Blanco is so much more advanced than ol’ Paint. That desktop picture of Julian and Blanco is still up on my Windows partition. And yes, that was a rare moment of peace for the two of them.
@Olen: It’s great that you are picking up on the growing relationship between Julian and Blanco. It’s impossible to ignore it when they spend so much time alone together on the road. Humans seek social interactions all the time, and horses are just too happy to oblige. Dogs are the same way, and cats somewhat less so.
@Destri: Ah, yes, old prejudices do die harder than old habits! Yes, Julian is still learning just what magic can do other than witches’ curses, destructive spells, and healing spells. And I’m glad you agreed with Julian’s decision to give the book to Teekeeus after all.
@Cap’n Bam: I’ve never personally sought to obtain the Fingers of the Mountain spell, as I’m more a shock and fire girl rather than a frostbiter. While I have respect for cold, I’ve dealt with it waaay too much in Minnesota to consider it truly demoralizing the way shock (or fire) can be. And when half the Marauders I encounter are Nords, what use it it?
@ghastley: As far as that quote you pointed out, at this point Julian considers Teekeeus to be the appropriate representative for the Mages Guild. But she doesn’t consider him to be leadership material based on what little she’s seen of him. So she considers getting the book for him as getting the book for the Mages Guild. But when she realizes the power the book holds (beyond that of a mere textbook about spells), she has a moment of doubt about Teekeeus’s ability to keep the book safe without succumbing to its temptation. I’m sorry that was not clear in the writing.
@TK: I’m not sure that Teekeeus has the imagination to do anything drastic with that book. I mean, he even leaves it in a box with an easy lock! I look forward to what you do with that daedric text! And yes, I’ve been busy learning the ropes of modding. I’ve been successful at converting Gweden Farm into Julian’s retreat.
@Burnt Sierra: Thanks for your comments regarding this story thus far. There isn’t much more left to write, just a few more adventures before we finally reach the end of the tale Julian has to tell. I just have one question for you - why is Dawn at a writing group when there’s a great one right here on your computer screen? I’ve learned so much from reading not only others’ fictions, but also the constructive criticism that follows each story post. Some I’ve been able to apply to my own, and I have done so shamelessly.
And with this post I’m ending Thread Five. Thanks to all who have read Old Habits Die Hard thus far. I really appreciate your constructive criticism, your enthusiastic support and your encouragement. On to
Thread Six.