Teresa of the Faint Smile, Adventures of a Stringy Bosmer Options

[McBadgere]

Loving it...Fantastic story...

More excellently worked out fighting...The leaving the arrows in positions down the corridor was brilliant...

Nice one... ...

Oh, btw...What's an Aedra?...I found a book on my travels with J'Drell just before I did the MQ last, but then I couldn't find what they actually were...Just a quick exp will do...I don't need the full beans...As it were... ...

[liliandra nadiar]

MB, Aedra are sort of the opposit of the Deadra. Servents and such of the Nine more or less.

I was almost hoping Ra'j survived a bit longer, if only because I was respecting him as an opponet/rival for Teresa. Hope, at least, our favorite red-head gets his detect life item.

I can think of a few reasons to have Lord Scardy-Cat strip, and none of them are sexual (looks at Foxy) though I don't think she could quite pull off the plan I'm thinking of, since we don't quite know how close in body type she is to the patrician.

Looking forward to the next part.

[Acadian]

"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."
Fabulous way to add some personality to Teresa’s foes! Giving them names and temperaments, even briefly, makes what happens to them more powerful.

As Teresa went after the patrician, she revealed a delicious streak of righteous vengeance. Truly, she fully revealed here who are the hunted and who is the huntress. Yes, had Aleron’s likely pleas been heeded by Kurdan’s customers?

I’m very interested to see Teresa’s plan for this patrician and am hoping to see Kurdan taste justice as well.

Teresa’s use of the Undine was the real highlight (to date) of this wonderful chapter.

[King Coin]

Teresa’s really putting up a heck of a fight. Getting arrows laid out in advance great thinking on her part. Her training is paying off; she’s keeping a cool head.

Heh, those thugs are nothing but. That Khajiit was their brains and he’s gone.
Yes! Get the patrician!
DAMN. Should have let him drown. He better end up as dead as Aleron.

[Thomas Kaira]

Cowardice: like luck, it has a nasty tendency to ruin all but the best laid plans. Good to see Teresa is quick to the draw, though, and quick to assess her surroundings. Makes me wonder how she would fare if she were to be dropped into a world much more inhospitable than Tamriel....

So she did find mercy enough to spare the nobleman's life. Its not like the circumstances of his death would become common knowledge. Given that he drowned without a single pool of water near. And no arrows embedded in his armor. Plus, if anyone were to learn of what they were doing in Castle Grief, I'm sure even the laws of the patricians would find little sympathy for such people who hunt others for sport. But you can never underestimate just how far the rich are willing to bend the laws; promises of money and favor can go a long way with the weak-willed, after all.

It leaves me wondering what plans Teresa has in store for this patrician. I don't think using him as a hostage would do much good, Kurdan doesn't seem like one to be swayed by such a trick. No doubt he would disembowel him without a second thought if it meant killing our lovable witch in the process.

[SubRosa]

haute ecole rider: Teresa was going to let the undine kill Mr. Fancy Pants too. Except she thought of a way that he might get her out of the castle alive. In the end, she is more interested in surviving then getting revenge.

Teresa agrees that the undine feels wasted on Lord Hoity! But she had no idea that the hounds would flee at that point. I wrote that as an example of how even the best laid plans of mice and wood elves can go awry.


Olen: I am glad there were some surprises in this chapter. I wanted it to be different from what you experience in the game.

When I was working on the Aedric summonings, I went back to the creation of Mundus. Nirn and everything on it was made by the Aedra, of the Aedra. So everything we see on Nirn is Aedric energy and Aedric form. At that point it just seemed natural to make their summonings the equivalent of elementals.


Grits: I have often pointed out to other fan fic writers that real outlaws and animals are not utterly lacking in survival instincts. I was glad to finally get a chance to have some bad guys get the chance to run away for a change. The last opponents Teresa fought who were actually people were the smugglers at Bawn, and the spriggans never gave them the chance to make a run for it.


McBadgere: I got the idea for Teresa staging her arrows partly from reality, where archers often stuck their arrows point down in the ground for quicker reloads. I also had this scene in mind from A Better Tomorrow, where Chow stages extra guns along his line of retreat.

The Aedra are the spirits that created Nirn, and are associated with the cosmic principle of order. Except for Lorkhan, the Daedra are the spirits that did not take part in the creation, and are associated with chaos. Lorkhan did not tell the Aedra what creating Nirn would cost them though, and untold numbers of them died in the attempt, or were in essence dismembered. Afterward the surviving Aedra got revenge by tearing Lorkhan apart. Then most of them fled in such a hurry that the tore holes in the fabric of reality on their way out. These are the stars and the sun. Only 9 of the Aedra remained behind - The Nine Divines. So everything you see in Nirn is part of the Aedra, including all of the people. With a dash of Lorkhan thrown in for seasoning. The two moons are actually his dead body, and his heart lies under Red Mountain in Morrowind.


liliandra nadiar: I never even thought about Teresa putting on Lord Hoity's armor and impersonating him! That is brilliant. But as you pointed out, I don't think their body types would be near enough, although they are close. Her voice would be a dead giveaway though, and her pale skin under the open parts of his helm.


Acadian: I am glad Ofonius and Peducaeus came across so well. I wanted to impart some humanity into the hounds, as well as give a look into how events appeared from their side of the hunt.


King Coin: Right now Teresa would rather escape then get revenge. But it is coming.


Thomas Kaira: Once again, you have precisely skewered my supporting characters. Not only concerning Kurdan, but also Lord Hoity Toity's family. You can brag about your calling Kurdan this post. The Lord's family in the one afterward.


Previously On Teresa of the Faint Smile: The hounds cornered Teresa in the cistern in the last episode, but lost their nerve and fled rather than face her. She was able to use her last summoned aedra to capture the patrician who is paying them - Lord Herennius - and has a plan to use him to make her escape.


Chapter 40.11 – The Hunter

"What are you going to do with me?" the aristocrat practically sobbed. He stood before her in nothing but a loincloth - which she noticed was made of silk - and shivered in the cool air of the cellar. Teresa cinched up the ropes that bound his wrists behind his back with all the strength in her magically-enhanced limbs. The whimper of pain that issued from his lips brought a faint smile to her lips.

"I am going to see just how valuable you really are," Teresa spat. "Now move."

She pushed the Nibenean before her. Now that he no longer wore his armor, Teresa found that he was a young man. He could not have been far beyond two decades. She imagined that other women might find him attractive. His body was fit, if slender, and his features seemed to be what most called handsome. Not that she could fathom what any woman ever saw in a man.

She paused to drink another combination shield and magicka regeneration potion. It would be embarrassing if her last one ran out in the middle of a fight. She expected that there would be at least one more coming. Unless Lord Herennius proved as useful as she hoped he might.

Pausing at the top of the stairs, Teresa pushed her nighteye goggles up to her forehead. Then she set an arrow to the nock of her bow, and prodded the Nibenean forward. However, a moment after they stepped into the light, her undine faded into nothingness. Damn, Teresa thought, it had taken Herennius too long to get out of his armor. Yet there had been no helping that. She could not have done this while he was still wearing it.

"What are you going to do without your friend?" The patrician seemed bolder now that the Aedra had vanished.

"There are plenty more where she came from," Teresa murmured. To add emphasis to her words, she raised a hand into the air, and called forth a raven. The sleek black bird circled them for a moment, then landed upon her armored shoulder.

"Now move," Teresa said. She watched every doorway for ambushes, and listened for any sound of armor. But the keep was silent as a grave as they walked through its empty halls and chambers. Teresa knew that it was too much to hope for Kurdan to have simply left when his hounds had returned with the news of their defeat. He would have to clean up their mess.

At least only two of them had escaped, Teresa thought with grim satisfaction. Along the way back to the surface, she had found the other men she had wounded. All were now dead. Apparently their comrades had left them, doubtlessly with the intention of returning for them after the hunt was over. Their arrow wounds would not have been fatal on their own. Teresa had only been able to hit them in the extremities after all, where their shields could not protect them.

All had ruddy skin, as if reddened from exertion. Some even clutched at their hearts, which made Teresa wonder if they had suddenly stopped beating? That must be the mark of Ravenfeeder's poison, she ruminated. It was different from her old friend nightshade. Yet it seemed far more potent. Or perhaps that was simply the result of her bow's second enchantment, that weakened her victim's resistance to poison?

Teresa found Kurdan and the remainder of his thugs waiting in the great hall. Behind him, the doorway leading to the bailey yawned open. Beyond that was the sea, and her freedom. She only had to get through the gangsters. With any luck, Herennius would see to that.

"Ho, what is this!" Kurdan laughed as they approached. "The hunter has become the prey! I misjudged you Teresa. Why don't you come to work for me, instead of those guild babies? With Ra'jhera dead, I need a new leader for my hounds."

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"I'd sooner work for a Daedra than filth like you!" Teresa spat on the stones between them, and her raven took flight into the air. Where had those words come from? Surely she had not spoken them?

"I'll teach you some respect, you bark-biting Witch!" Kurdan lifted his axe and strode forward. "That was your last chance."

"One more step and I'll put an arrow through his head." Teresa drew her bow to full extension and held an armor-piercing missile inches from the patrician's skull.

"Go ahead!" Laughter rang out from within the full-faced Daedric helm that hid Kurdan's features. "The coward's paid me already, and there are more to take his place!"

"No!" Herennius cried. "You can't do that! I'm a patrician! My father is on the Elder Council! If I die, there'll be an investigation."

"I don't care if your father's the Time Dragon!" Kurdan barked. He turned his head to the pair of archers that stood to either side of him. "Kill this dreck, and then that elf freak."

The Nibeneans stared at one another, and then back at Kurdan. While each had an arrow set to their longbows, neither drew.

"I'll not be nailed to a cross," one muttered. The other just shook his head in silence.

"Do I have to do everything myself?" the orc grumbled. Then he exploded into motion. With that same quickness that surprised Teresa in the tavern, the crimelord drew a jagged-bladed knife from his waist and hurled it forward. Herennius collapsed with the Daedric weapon buried in his chest an instant later.

Teresa acted without thinking. Her arrow sped through the empty space where the patrician had stood a moment before. It crashed against Kurdan's breastplate. But the Daedric steel flashed with a shield enchantment, and it skittered harmlessly away. The loud cawing of her raven filled the air, and out of the corner of her eye she saw it dive upon one of the archers. She ducked as the other nocked and fired, and his missile swept past harmlessly overhead.

Then Kurdan was in motion, charging toward her with his double-bladed axe in both hands. He devoured the space between them with frightening speed. Teresa could not believe how quickly he could move in so much armor, and wondered if he had been born under the Steed? In any case, she knew that she would only have seconds before he was upon her.

Without thinking, she drew the last pincushion arrow from her gorytos and set it to her bow. Time slowed to a crawl as she pulled the spider-silk of her bowstring back to her ear, and felt the feathers of her missile under her chin. She noted the small clumps of dust and debris kicked up by the orc's armored feet. She heard his war cry ringing in her ears. The rest of the world slipped away. There was nothing but her and Kurdan.

Blocking out all other thoughts, Teresa calmly went about the business of firing her bow. Then she felt it, exactly as Daenlin had described. It was the spark of his divinity, and of hers, and the gossamer thread that bound them together. It was just like the countless others fibers that wove out from her, and touched every other thing in the universe. She was bound to him, just as she was to the ground beneath her feet, to the bow in her hand, and the arrow on its string.

She let that arrow sing upon the thread between her and Kurdan. She saw him duck as it sped his way. It reminded her of the heavily-armored deserter she had once fought on the Red Ring Road, when she had first made her way to Bravil. He had ducked when she had shot for his face as well, and her arrow had simply ricocheted off the top of his helmet.

But Kurdan did not fare as well as the former legionary, and Teresa's armor-piercing arrow buried itself in one of the eye-slits of his helmet. His head snapped back as if kicked by a mule, and his lifeless body crumpled into a heap at Teresa's feet.

His very act of dodging his head had insured the arrow would land in his only vulnerable spot, the wood elf mused. If he had kept still, it would have cracked harmlessly against his armored cheek. Yet Teresa knew that she had been aiming for his eye all the time. Somehow, she had put her arrow not where he was, but rather where he would be after he dodged.

"Some even say that when using a bow, we have the ability to see what a target will do before it acts." Daenlin's words came back to Teresa as she stared down at Kurdan. His motionless body was sprawled out in the dust before her, the black and white fletchings of her arrow growing from the face of his helmet like the branches of a tree.

The great hall filled with a brilliant flash of blue-white light, and the stink of ozone bit into Teresa's nostrils. She looked up to see the final sparks of a lightning bolt glittering through the air. At one end was an armored Nibenean, who collapsed to the ground in a charred heap. At the other stood Tadrose, her hand thrust forward, with sparks still flickering around her fingertips.

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The Dunmer wore her golden elven armor, and now took her longsword in both hands, in a reversed grip. She lunged forward against another of the hounds. She led with the pommel of her greatsword, her other hand clutched halfway down its blade. She trapped the Nibenean's own sword under the vambrace protecting her arm, and slipped her right leg behind his left.

The Dunmer then drove the pommel of her longsword up over the thug's shoulder, throwing him over her leg. He crashed to the ground, arms flying out to his sides. Wasting no time, the vice-commander reversed her grip, and drove the point of her sword down. Its golden steel blazed with fire as its tip drove through his mail. The word Anganar flared to life in bright letters near the hilt, and Teresa recalled that the armorer had once said it meant 'Forge' in the elven tongue.

Alongside Tadrose stood Morghak, clad in her armor of orcish scale. The former gladiator hurtled one of her throwing axes across the room. The arch-shaped blade sunk deeply into the back of one of Kurdan's thugs, who wordlessly fell to the floor a moment later. Then another of the crimelord's henchmen was upon the orc.

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She lifted her shield to turn the head of his flanged mace aside. Then Morghak's war axe was in her hand. It licked out to the thug, but he countered with his own shield. However, the orc hooked the long, trailing edge of her axe blade around the rim of his shield. Teresa realized that this was her intent all along, when the gladiator yanked the weapon back and pulled the gangster with it. He staggered, off-balance and unable to defend himself. A moment later Morghak's axe hissed through his throat, transforming it into a crimson fountain.

Teresa felt something slap her in the chest. Staring down, she found an arrow falling harmlessly away from Aldariel's cuirass. Sparing no more time to wonder where her reinforcements had come from, she drew a swallowtail and fired upon the Nibenean who had shot her. A moment later he collapsed with the elvish missile buried deeply in his chest. Teresa made a mental note to remember that. Ravenfeeder was powerful enough to push a broad head through mail. Or at least an elven broad head, through human steel.

Then it was over, and only the three women were left standing. Teresa's raven cried out in the silence. It rose from the mangled face of the other Nibenean archer, and flew back to her. It settled upon her shoulder after a furious beating of his wings, and looked from her to the other women.

"Teresa, thank Mara you are well!" The vice-commander breathed a sigh of relief. Then her tone spun on a reman. "What on Nirn made you come out here alone! Have you taken leave of what little sense you have!"

"There was no time to wait," Teresa said. She nodded to the bodies of Kurdan and Herennius. "They lured Aleron out here on a treasure hunt. I thought that if I hurried, he might still be alive. I thought I could save him..."

"Then he's…" Tadrose's gaze moved across the great hall. Teresa could see in her eyes that she already knew the answer.

"It happened yesterday." Teresa kicked the body of Herennius for emphasis, and the raven leapt from her shoulder. Winging around the hall, it landed upon one of the corpses and began pecking at its eye. "This fetcher murdered him. Kurdan's been using this place as his private hunting ground. He tricks people out here, and his thugs run them to ground. Once they're worn out his customers - like this fetcher Herennius here - kill them. I don't know if he's the only one, or if there are others. But there's plenty of poor souls they've killed down in the cellars."

"Why didn't he just become a knight?" Morghak stared down at the body of the patrician with a look of confusion. "Or enter the Arena? If he wanted blood, he'd get plenty either way."

"He didn't want to fight." Teresa curled her lip as she stared down the patrician. "He just wanted to kill, without any risk to himself."

A look of revulsion crossed the orc's features. "Nar Thos!" she spat.

"No balls indeed," Tadrose replied. The vice-commander looked away from the patrician, and stepped to the orc. She put a hand on one of her pauldrons. "You kept your part of our bargain, followed orders, and fought well. When we get back to Bravil, I'll give you a guild medallion. It won't be final until our commander returns, but I am sure he will not object."

"It was a good day for battle," the orc nodded. Teresa saw that the emptiness she had previously seen in the gladiator's eyes had been replaced with the bright light of post-battle euphoria. Morghak drew forth a rag, and began wiping her war axe clean. She looked back at Tadrose. "You have iron in your blood elf. I will fight in your guild."

Teresa felt the same excitement pounding through her blood - mixture of relief and exultation at still being alive. It took every ounce of her willpower to keep her hands from trembling with the excess adrenaline. Breathing deeply in and out to slow her heart, she stared at the other two women.

"Thank you Morghak," Teresa said. She slid Ravenfeeder back into the gorytos at her hip, and yanked the orc's throwing axe from a Nibenean corpse. Then she walked over to the taller woman, and handed the weapon to her. "I know you didn't have to come out here. You too Tadrose. I don't know if I would have made it out of here without you two. But how did you get here, or even know?"

"Cosmus was waiting at the guild when I returned," Tadrose explained. "He told me what you were about, and that he saw Kurdan sail for here shortly after you did. Morghak had also returned to the hall to meet me, as you suggested she do. As to how we got here, it was the same way you did: Dakari."

"He brought you here?" Teresa wondered aloud.

"He was waiting for us at the docks," Tadrose said. "He owes Kurdan, just as Aleron did. I think he understands that their places might have easily been reversed."

"Aye," Teresa replied thoughtfully. "He tried to warn me against coming here in fact."

"Well, we had best get Aleron," Tadrose sighed, looking from one body to another. "At least we can take him back to Ursanne and give him a proper burial. Where is he?"

"Downstairs," Teresa said around the lump forming in her throat. "That's where they drove them all, before finishing them."

Teresa lead the other two women into the depths of the keep, passing body after body of Kurdan's thugs along the way. "How many of them are down here?" Tadrose asked after the sixth.

"Almost a dozen," Teresa said off-handedly. "The last two ran back to the surface before I could get them."

Morghak whistled. "When I first met you, I thought you had flowers in the blood. But I see it's iron."

"Never underestimate our Teresa." Tadrose beamed, and the wood elf wondered if it was pride she heard in the dark elf's voice?

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Nov 8 2011, 04:09 AM

[ghastley]

"Some people wish to throw their weapons. That seems foolish to M'aiq. If you hold your weapon, you only need one." - Maiq the Liar.

But everyone in this fight has more than one, and a few get thrown to good(?) effect. I never understood why it was missing from the game.

Glad to see Teresa accounting for Kurdan, rather than having the cavalry do it. They're for mopping up the extras, which they did in great style. Nice point with the "how many did you account for before we got here?" on the way down to Aleron.

Keep feeding that Raven!

[haute ecole rider]

He stood before her in nothing but a loincloth - which she noticed was made of silk

Fancy pants, indeed!

And Lord Hoity Toity got what was coming to him - no matter how it came. Now he knows how his victims felt when they died at his hands.

Not hanging on a cross? Nice try! But those two guys were headed there the moment they signed on with Kurdan. People can be so short-sighted.

And Tadrose and Moghak to the rescue! Where are the horns when you need 'em?

[Olen]

The cavelry arrive with great effect. Still I'll bet Teresa is pleased she did for Kurdan though I'm interested to know if word gets out. People will have seen him leave, and seen her and the other two go there. Equally they probably didn't like Kurdan much and will be even more terrified of her now so might not say anything.

The count won't be pleased though, Teresa had better watch for the dark brotherhood

Lord Herennius got what was coming to him too. All in all a very satisfying and exciting episode, but as ever I want to know what happens next. It says something for your characters and the complexity of the plot that even when you end without a cliffhanger I want more. It's going to be a long boat ride back for Teresa to wonder...

A nit:
and the stink of ozone bit into Teresa's nostrils - ozone seemed a bit scientific and anachronistic for the setting to me, not sure what you'd replace it with though.

[Grits]

I’m afraid I missed it before, but why do people call Teresa a freak? Is it her pale skin?

I love the description of Teresa’s shot that killed Kurdan, when everything came together for her. And then the cavalry arrived! I wonder how many people know where Herennius went and with whom? He’s as well-connected as I worried, and the hounds’ concern about being crucified gives credence to Simplicia’s old fears. Good thing it was Kurdan that killed him, and there were some witnesses. Maybe Morandil really was the brains of the operation. And he’s still alive. Hmm… I’m often completely wrong, but I do have a feeling that this isn’t over.

[liliandra nadiar]

Tadrose cavalry to the resc--- oh, Teresa already got most of them all by her stringy self. Well, it's the thought that counts Tadrose. I'm sure Teresa will still be willing to reward you for saving the damsel in distress. (Mara and Dibella know they both need it.)

What's worse then one heavily armored orc? Two! Though Morghak is on her side, so it's balanced out.

Good to see Teresa skills are improving along with her gear. Raven Summon and the Arrow of Doom™, she's moving up in the world.

[Acadian]

’The whimper of pain that issued from his lips brought a faint smile to her lips.’
Here, Teresa sounds sort of cuddly, like a rattlesnake.

"There are plenty more where she came from,"
Why Teresa, you steely eyed little bluffer!

You provide us a nice review of the twin enchantments on Ravenfeeder.

"I don't care if your father's the Time Dragon!"
What a great TES phrasing here.

He devoured the space between them with frightening speed.’
I like portraying orcs as medieval freight trains and this sure did it for me.

And Teresa’s magical arrow shot that slowed time enough to bring its full due.

’A moment later Morghak's axe hissed through his throat, transforming it into a crimson fountain.’
Eeep! This reminds me uncomfortably of how Sir Mazoga fights! And Morghak has successfully axed her way into the guild.

Tadrose’s after the fighting reaction was so perfect! What a delight to see that our friend Cosmus played a key role in cueing Teresa’s rescuing heroines.

What a wonderful job you did with this quest!

[King Coin]

Wellll… The lord wasn’t as valuable as she had hoped. I guess he got her as far as she needed to make that stunning shot. I’m glad that vampire Aravi fought recently wasn’t as skilled with the bow.

Why couldn’t they have arrived a little sooner? Good to see the ladies finish off the thugs in short order. Lots of weapons being tossed about!

Teresa’s new poison had spectacular effects on the thugs. She whittled them down nicely with her fighting retreat.

Never underestimate our Teresa.
Never.

Excellent chapter! Time for Teresa to go home and sleep now. Or take another fatigue potion and have some fun.

[Thomas Kaira]

And now I get to rejoice for predicting exactly what Kurdan would do!

Another insight into Bosmeri magic, one that I would never expect to be as well executed than by our resident Sage. I'm already tallying up ideas for my own uses!

A gripping final battle, and I let off a silent cheer for Kurdan's death. Such a fantastic shot by Teresa, and one that only a Bosmer archer in full tune with her inner magicka could accomplish. I really like how you are giving each race in this tale their own feel and use for magic. For in a world as huge as Tamriel, one would think that there exist just as many outlooks to Magic as there are outlooks to the Aedric Gods of Nirn. And you have painted the picture for Bosmer style extremely well. They do not harness Magicka and use it to power their spells as they do in the game, but rather they use Magicka as a conduit to communicate with the natural order. This grants them, for one, the ability to see what their target is going to do before he acts. The free Magicka they have linked their own to shows them exactly what to do.

Looking forward to more insights!

[McBadgere]

Most excellent...

Right, so that's three fights scenes in a row...Less is more right?... ...

Thanks for the info on the Aedra btw...Handy that...I shall have the characters I'm writing at the mo' rip that particular piece of Lore to shreds soon... ...Body of an Aedra?...Yeeeaaah... ...

Nice one... ...

[SubRosa]

ghastley: Maiq says that about children too. But they have not spoiled any of Teresa's fun.


haute ecole rider: Mr. Fancy Pants even got it in the same circumstances as his victims: unable to fight back.


Olen: I wrestled with using ozone or not for the reasons you said. It sounds more modern or sci-fi then swords and sorcery. But I just could not come up with anything else. The Count really does not care about what happens to Kurdan. He probably does not even know he exists. All he cares about is that he gets his wine morning, day, and night. And that his son gets his skooma. Now Lerus will care, but Kurdan is nothing to her but a paycheck. As long as someone is paying her, she is happy, and now people like Morandil are queuing up to be the next crimelord paying her off.


Grits: Yep, it is that corpse white skin that makes most people call Teresa a freak. Except Falanu Hlaalu of course. You are spot on about not only Lord Fancy Pant's family (which will be addressed this next episode), but also Morandil. The Altmer is still out there, and with Kurdan and Ra'jhera both dead, that puts him next in line for leadership. We will see more of him next Monday.


liliandra nadiar: Teresa would love to be Tadrose's damsel in distress! If only Tadrose would carry her away on a white horse to her private castle...


Acadian: Teresa being called cuddly as a rattlesnake by Buffy's Fairy Godfather is quite the compliment indeed! She will have to polish up her tail rattle now...


King Coin: The Lord did not pay off at all. Sometimes you have to roll the hard six, and Teresa came up snake eyes that time. I wanted to show that things do not always work out to our heroine's advantage, or as she imagined. Teresa was wishing the cavalry had shown up sooner too! But better late then never after all.


Thomas Kaira: Yep, Kurdan was beyond the pale of other criminals. That is why he rose to power, and that is what destroyed him.


McBadgere: It is true that my most recent chapters have had more action in them then usual. Mainly because they have been based around quests in the game, rather than being 100% inspired by me. Try going back and reading Chapter 8 and 9 or Chapters 18 and 19, and see what you think.


Previously on Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode Teresa faced killed Kurdan with an arrow shot through the eyeslit of her helmet. Tadrose and Morghak arrived and helped kill the rest of the hounds, and explained that Cosmus the Cheat told them what was happening, and Dakarai ferried them to the island. Next, Teresa begins making up her debt of gratitude to Cosmus.


Chapter 40.12 – The Hunter

Cosmus belched loudly and leaned back in his chair. The patrons at the adjoining tables stared crossly at the beggar. But the middle-aged Imperial did not seem to care. Teresa inwardly groaned. Silverhome on the Water was the finest inn that Bravil could boast. Most of its patrons were decked out in velvet or silk, and the rest in fine linen. She wondered if such elegant and delicate folk could survive much more of the beggar?

Well if not, no loss, the forester thought. She owed Cosmus no small favor for his help against Kurdan. If not for the him, she might not be alive. If he wanted to belch, then as far as she was concerned, he could blast the roof off.

Staring across the table at the raggedly-dressed Imperial, she wished that she could buy him better clothing. But she knew better than anyone that no beggar would win a reman wearing good linen. Still, at least she could make it her business to see to it that he ate better than before.

"So whatever happened to that Daedric armor of Kurdan's?" the older man asked. "I saw you'se bring back all the mail his thugs had. That ebony rig from the nobleman too."

"It's at the bottom of the Niben," Teresa said. "Along with its owner."

The Imperial slapped a palm against his forehead. "Do you know how much that was worth!"

"I know where it came from," Teresa declared. "After what those creatures did to us - took our good Emperors and many other fine folk - I'll have no part of it."

"You're a fine young lass, that you truly are Teresa," Cosmus said. "But are you daft? If you're gonna get principles, at least do it on the cheap!"

"Principles are never cheap," Teresa said. "Besides, we made enough from the rest of the loot to pay off all of Aleron's debts. There was still some left for Ursanne, so at least she and her son can pay the rent."

"Aye," Cosmus said. "I suppose we'll be seeing her down at the docks again now." Teresa cocked an eyebrow, and the beggar continued. "You didn't know? She's a sailor too. Used to go fishing with Aleron all the time when they first got married. She only stopped when their little one came, oh about ten or twelve years back. I suppose now she'll be out on the bay chasing fish again. At least now her son's old enough to help."

Teresa nodded. At least Ursanne had that, or her job at The Fair Deal. She could still remember how devastated the Breton had been when she and Tadrose had told her the news. It was like her heart had been ripped out of her chest and torn to shreds. Then, and now, it made Teresa wonder how she would face the news of Simplicia's death, or Tadrose's? She could only pray to Mara that such a day never came.

"So I hear that Lord Albinus Herennius died a hero." Cosmus dug into the last of his T-bone steak, which the waiter had assured them was from the finest Bruma stock. Teresa felt sorry for the poor steer, but could not begrudge Cosmus his meal. Not after what he had done for her. "They say he valiantly tried to rescue poor Aleron, but was cut down by Kurdan and his henchmen."

"That was Tadrose's idea." Teresa frowned through clenched teeth. "She was afraid his family might send the Dark Brotherhood after me, for revenge."

"They might have," Cosmus agreed through a mouthful of beef. "His father's one right villain. Word has it he poisoned his own sire to get his title and his seat on the Elder Council. Not that anyone can prove a thing of course… But now if they kill you, then the truth will come out about what dear little Albinus has been up to. That'll ruin the whole family."

"That's what Tadrose said. Honor doesn't matter. Only the appearance of it." Teresa scowled down at her empty plate. "It isn't right, not after what he did."

"Right's got nothin' to do with it," Cosmus said. "You're from the street. You know that. He's dead, Kurdan's dead, and so are the others. That's more justice then most folk would ever see in a lifetime."

"I know," Teresa said. "But I just want to erupt whenever I hear Varon Vamori singing the tale of brave Herennius."

Cosmus slid his empty plate away, and looked over his shoulder to the dark elf Teresa was staring at. He stood at the far end of the common room, strumming his lute and purring out a tale of lost love. "He sings about you and the trolls too you know," Cosmus said. "Everyone's got ta eat."

Before Teresa could reply, the middle-aged beggar stood up. "I suppose we best be on our way," he declared. "I think that waiter is ready to throttle me for not wearing the right color doublet."

"He'd better not after the money I tipped him," Teresa grumbled darkly. She knew that a fine establishment such as Silverhome would never allow a beggar under their roof. But it was amazing how things changed once enough septims greased the right palms. She rose to her feet alongside the grey-haired man, and followed him out the door.

"Thank you again Cosmus," Teresa said quietly. "You saved my life."

"I didn't hardly do that," the grey-haired man waved a hand in the air. "Just told that vice-commander of yours what I saw is all. Even that's just dumb luck. If I hadn't overheard Morandil talking to one of his thugs, I'd have never even known where Kurdan and them others was going."

"Dumb luck or not, you didn't have to tell her," Teresa said. "I don't know if I would have made it out of there if Tadrose and Morghak had not been there at the end."

"You should be thanking them then, they did all the hard work," Cosmus shrugged. "Me, I just watched and listened is all. Like I always do."

"I did thank them," Teresa breathed. "And I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to pay them back in kind someday."

"Well I'll not complain if you want to keep buying me dinner!" Cosmus laughed, and looked back to the entrance of Silverhome on the Water. "Not here again though. This place is just too damn stuffy."

"How about udon noodles tomorrow then?" Teresa smiled faintly. "Some Argonians have a stand down on Riverwalk."

"Capital idea!" Cosmus declared. His gaze turned back and forth along the traffic on Bravil's main street. "Well, best get back to work then."

Teresa watched the middle-aged Imperial until he vanished into the crowds on Silver Avenue. That is when she noticed a boy walking toward her. He was a Khajiit, and she guessed in his early teens by his height. He was clad in worn linen, carried a rondel at his hip, and had his eyes locked upon her. By reflex, Teresa fixed the symbol of her Burning Hand spell in her mind, and called her magicka up into her fist.

He was young, but there was no age limit on being an assassin. Could he be the son of the Khajiit archer that had led Kurdan's hounds? What had his name been, Ra'jhera? His coloring was wrong though. Where Ra'jhera had the golden fur of a lion, this feline was the solid black of a panther.

"My lady Teresa of the Faint Smile!" the Khajiit cried out in the raspy voice of all the cat folk. "This one bears a message."

Teresa blinked. Who would be sending her a message? "And you are…"

"Dar'Jhaza," the boy said. Teresa noticed his tail flicking nervously, and his ears turning this way and that. Was he afraid of her?

"Well Dar'Jhaza, what is it you were sent to tell me?" Teresa asked.

"This one's lord - Morandil - requests your presence," the black Khajiit said. "That one says to come to the Lonely Suitor at your earliest convenience."

"Morandil?" Teresa wondered aloud. "What does he want with me?" Revenge perhaps? She had killed his boss after all.

"Dar'Jhaza does not know my lady," the Khajiit said. "This one only does as his master bids."

Teresa sighed. So the boy was a thief in training. Or worse. If only she could somehow put him on a boat to the Imperial City, and introduce him to Methredhel. She might be able to get him into the Thieves Guild. It would not be the best life, but it would be far better than running in a gang of cutthroats like Kurdan's.

"Very well," she said. "Tell him I'll be there shortly."

The Khajiit turned and left, and Teresa waited until he vanished out of sight. There was no sense taking chances after all. Just in case he really had been there to kill her after all, and was just waiting for her to lower her guard.

Gods, was she really thinking like that? The forester stared down at her hand, which she had held ready to unleash a fiery death upon a boy. Did she really need to be that cautious, or was she getting paranoid?

In either case, caution won out once more, and the wood elf returned to the guild hall to change into Aldariel and don Ravenfeeder. Stringing the bow before she ventured into the street, she double-checked her potions, and set out for the Lonely Suitor Lodge.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Nov 11 2011, 02:11 AM

[haute ecole rider]

First the nit:

Cosmus laughed, and looked back to the entrance of Silverhome on the Water. (")Not here again though. This place is just too damn stuffy."

Silverhome was too stuffy for the opening quote, too!

Okay, on to the fun stuff:

"But are you daft? If you're gonna get principles, at least do it on the cheap!"

That made me laugh, as did Teresa's response. QFT!

Makes sense that Varon Vamori would write a ballad about heroic Herennus. Does it go like this: Wet, Wounded and Wicked?

And now Morandil has his eye on Teresa? I'd like to be the fly on that wall!

[Grits]

"So I hear that Lord Albinus Herennius died a hero."

Oh my gosh, GENIUS! Yay Tadrose! Whew.

He was young, but there was no age limit on being an assassin. Could he be the son of the Khajiit archer that had led Kurdan's hounds? What had his name been, Ra'jhera?

That’s what I thought, too. I’m glad Teresa didn’t have to crisp another Khajiit.

I can see why Teresa geared up before meeting with Morandil. He’s too subtle to attack her at the meeting, but on the way? Looking forward to the next episode!

[Acadian]

How sweet of Teresa to buy a nice meal for Cosmus as thanks for his help. The interaction between them was delightful, right down to Teresa’s expected reaction to ‘the finest cut of beef from Bruma’.

You made plenty of choices here in what to lavish attention on and what to cover more summarily. Most notable was your call to summarize delivering the news of Aleron’s death to Ursanne. It worked perfectly and just seemed so natural to cover it that way. Well done!

Grrr! Varon Vamori. Pftuii!

Double grrr! Like Teresa, I hate what they felt obliged to do regarding that damn noble to help control the possible impact. Makes perfect sense of course, but I could feel Teresa gritting her teeth.

And you wind this episode down with some yet unfinished business. I want to know what Morandil has in mind. I’m glad Teresa is fully loaded for bear mer.

[King Coin]

If he wanted to belch, then as far as she was concerned, he could blast the roof off.

I’d be hard pressed to be so dismissive. And I think the old Teresa would have been too, before she joined the guild. Perhaps I’m wrong though.

I admire Teresa’s principles, but she tossed the armor in the lake?? Take something evil and put it to good use! If nothing else she could have given it to the guild!

… I didn’t think of the DB. I hate it that his name will shine despite who he was.

Interesting end, and an unusually polite message from a band of cutthroats. Makes me wonder what’s happening here.