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

[Acadian]

Even though I well remember Teresa’s first encounter with Number Seven, it was a delight to have her review it for us! And I see you snuck in a perfect reminder of valiant Marius’ bloody death, taking us right back to Teresa’s scar-producing troll battle at the Bravil gate.

Ooh! And a great tiny review of the forbidden apple that drew Teresa into the Main Quest!

What a wonderfully interesting caravan trip through part of County Bravil!

I agree with Grits that Teresa's reaction to that troll bodes well for our stringy forester and the progress she's made since her injuries.

Pappy has picked exactly the right elf for a night advance reconnaissance! Give her some cornbread and a kiss then send her out. She’ll find ‘em!

The ‘Groaning Goblin’ sounds like a perfect name for a tavern, no?

Nits?

"I've worked a deal with the leader of caravan.”
I know it’s dialogue, but did you intend for Pappy to omit any sort of clarifying word prior to caravan? Perhaps, ‘this caravan’? Forgive and ignore if, after review, it is written as you intended.

’Because of that apple, she had witnessed the death of spy,’
Similarly here, did you want an ‘a’ in front of ‘spy’?

This post has been edited by Acadian: Jun 10 2012, 01:31 AM

[McBadgere]

Instead she simply allowed herself to smile faintly,

Noooo, surely not... ...

An excellent chapter!!...

Loved the bit when they came out of the guild hall and kissed the bronze lady... ...I think I'd have abstained too... ...

Nice scene to do with the caravan ride...Loving the idea of Josse and his mule...I think he's my fave character so far... ...Definately love him...Don't remember Grizzly Adams very well...I know I watched it, just not as often as Gentle Ben... ...

Aaamywho...

Loved it, looking forward to more...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

[ghastley]

I keep liking the way you make the world so much larger than the game allows. Having the team need a ride to the village, (which would be a few minutes walk away in-game) is just perfect.

...a wagon loaded down with crockery, drawn by an Argonian ... - did you mean "driven"?

As has been noted, Teresa has the forest on her side in her scouting mission, and trolls are in more danger than she is. I wonder if she'll meet any bears?

[SubRosa]

haute ecole rider: I know what you mean about forests at night. My father lives in the backwoods of Michigan - "Up North" as we call it down here in the D. Without all the streetlights and house lights that we city folk are so used to, it gets pitch black at night. Especially if it is raining or overcast. In the winter it is not as bad, becuase the snow reflects the starlight, and there are no leaves on the trees. I was driving up there one night in the rain, and literally all I could see was the road in front of me. It was like an impenetrable black curtain had been pulled up right beside the road.


King Coin: I think most people would be a little daunted by kissing the Lucky Lady. It just sounds so ridiculous, that who would not think it is some kind of trick to embarrass them? In the TF there is nothing underneath it though. I never thought it made any sense to me that the statue that gives you good fortune would be the entrance to you know what.


Grits: I used that transition of simple wattle fences to ditches and timber walls to show how far away from the city they were moving, and how far out into the wild they were going. Fortified villages are something that fantasy movies and novels seem to always lack, for reasons which escape me. But it does not take any special engineering effort to dig a ditch and throw all the dirt up on the inside to build a rampart (a six foot ditch plus a six foot rampart means twelve feet an attacker has to scale). Making a wall of wooden timbers is not beyond the capacity of peasants either. Just cut down some trees, strip the branches, and stick them in the ground. It is a lot of hard work of course, so people who live in safe areas where nothing happens would not need to go to all that trouble. A simple wattle fence to keep their chickens and goats from wandering off is all they need. But when people live in areas where they know monsters / raiders lurk, why would they leave themselves with no protection?

Ever since Valerius joined the FG, I have been dying to show him in mounted action. I guess it is just the romantic in me. After all, who can resist a knight in (literally) shining armor lancing down a foul beastie?


Acadian: I figured most people would remember Number Seven and Mad Jack from Teresa's first sighting of them. But I wanted to refresh the memories of those who did not. Not to mention finally have the recognition dawn in Teresa's own head. Likewise with the apple and how Teresa started out this whole business. It was such a long time (and amount of words) ago, that it is easy to forget that if not for that strange quirk of fate, she would be living a very different life now.

The Groaning Goblin is perfect for a tavern! Especially with all of Oblivion's beer-loving goblins. Quite right about those nits. They slipped past my editorial nets.


McBadgere: That's funny, because I never watched Gentle Ben. I see there were a couple of t.v. movie remakes with Dean Cain though. I might try watching them.


ghastley: In the TF the mine is about 40 miles from Bravil. Like you said quite a change from the game! It is a long way, especially since most of the FG do not own horses (or know how to ride). So hitching a ride on a wagon train was ideal for Pappy. Likewise, for the caravan, as they got a bunch of free guards. Teresa won't be meeting any bears in the forest, but she will find something else just as welcome.

Doh! the Argonian was supposed to be driving the wagon, not pulling it!


Previously On Teresa of the Faint Smile: Our last episode saw the members of the guild joining a merchant caravan heading north along the Green Road. Aside from a single encounter with a troll, the two day journey to the village of Snorscombe - the final settlement along the road - was uneventful. They camped out there as darkness fell, and Pappy sent Teresa out to scout the way ahead, as the Lady's mine is now only a few miles away.


Chapter 43.7 – Hand of Fire

The nighttime forest was black as pitch. The only natural light came from the stars and moons, and little of that filtered down through the canopy of leaves overhead. Teresa was thankful for the night eye goggles that lit the world to noon-day brightness for her. Without them, she imagined that she would be walking into the trees rather than around them.

But thanks to her goggles, seeing was not an issue. Nor was navigating through the trees and brush. The branches seemed to bend around her as she moved between them, and even the fallen leaves were silent under her feet. She was a shadow in the night, leaving no more sign of her passage than the wind.

It had been a quiet trip for the first few miles. Then she encountered her first goblins. There had been two of them, sitting upon the peak of a prominence of rock that jutted over the tree tops. Teresa imagined that they had a good view of the Green Road from there, probably enough to see travelers from over a mile distant.

The wood elf had passed them by without even a whisper. Her mission was to scout, not to kill after all. Leaving a trail of dead goblins behind her would only alert the others to the presence of her guild. She knew that was the last thing Pappy wanted. Surprise would give them an advantage in their first engagement with the monsters. Teresa knew that her guild commander would make the most of it, so long as she gave that edge to him.

Soon the rattle of metal and clunking of stone came to her tall, wood elf ears. Then the wind shifted, and the smell of woodsmoke was sweet in her nose. Creeping forward with extra care, she found a break in the forest. Within the clearing was a crude encampment of several hide tents pitched in a circle around a fire. Radiating out from those were numerous lean-tos made of tree-branches, arranged with no order at all.

A few goblins stalked between the sleeping places, but most lay beneath the poorly arranged shelters. They wore nothing but simple loincloths, and carried stone daggers or spears. Her eyes gravitated to the center of the camp, where a goblin clad in over-sized mail was screeching at another. The mail-clad goblin's face was painted with the imprint of a black hand that splayed across his features. Teresa now saw that he carried an arming sword of mithril, which he brandished with both hands like a greatsword. The other goblin scampered away, and vanished under one of the lean-tos.

That must be the war chief, Teresa reasoned. As much as she hated to admit it, he was just as Saya had said he would be. That meant that this was a war party. But what were they doing camping at night? Shouldn't they be raiding something?

Teresa moved around the campsite after taking the best count she could of the goblins within. She found the Green Road less than a hundred paces away, and the side road to the mine soon after that. The wood elf realized that the goblin camp was situated in the angle between the two, and imagined that it would be the perfect spot to ambush anyone traveling on either.

Scampering across the dirt road to the mine, she continued her surveillance of the land. She had not gone very far when the croaking of a raven brought her to an abrupt halt. Her gaze followed the harsh sound, and she found the bird nestled in the branches of an oak tree overhead. Yet it was the tree's other occupant that caused Teresa's eyes to widen with surprise.

It was a man clad in leather armor from head to toe. An unstrung Imperial Bow was slung over his shoulder, and a bag full of arrows hung from one of his hips. An axe hung from his opposite side, and a long knife was strapped pommel-down across his chest. He was leisurely perched in the branches, or at least he had been until the raven had leant his voice to the night air. Now his head scanned to and fro, and with one hand he tried to shoo the bird away.

"Riveus?" Teresa whispered. "Is that you?"

The man in the tree turned his attention from the bird to the ground below. Ironically, as soon as he did the raven flew off in silence. Teresa stepped out in the open, realizing that without magical aid, he would be hard-pressed to make out her features in the gloom. He made barely a sound as he slid down the branches and planted his feet in the soil before Teresa. He moved his hand away from his axe as he peered closer.

"Teresa of the Faint Smile?" the Colovian whispered in reply. Now Teresa could clearly see the Imperial Dragon emblazoned upon the leather of his cuirass. "Well I'll be! For a moment I thought you were a ghost. You know we're in the middle of a whole tribe of goblins don't you?"

"Aye," Teresa nodded. She bit her lip at the man's remark about her ghostly white skin. Still, she took a step closer so the fair-haired Imperial could see her better. "They are the reason I am here. But what are you doing out here?"

"There's too many of these buggers for me to fight," Riveus admitted. "But I can at least warn travelers off. They've got an ambush set up back the way you came. Anyone who comes down the road is going to walk right into it."

"How would you like to do something about that?" Teresa asked with a faint smile.

* * *

The look of surprise on Pappy's face fought with one of anger when Teresa returned from her scouting trip much earlier than expected. He was rising from his position around the campfire to level an accusatory finger in the wood elf's face, but stopped abruptly when he saw the blond-haired and blue-eyed Imperial Forester behind her.

"Riveus!" the guild commander barked. "Well I'll be a spotted snow bear! Come and have some ale, and tell us what the Daedra you are doing out here."

"I've been keeping an eye on those goblins," the Colovian said as Chance handed him a mug of amber liquid. "But Teresa tells me that now I can do more than just watch them."

The wood elf slid down beside Tadrose, and accepted a similar mug from the Dunmer. She was pleasantly surprised to find that this one contained shein however. Teresa smiled as the tangy comberry wine slid down her throat, and leaned against all she ever wanted in the world.

"Damn straight you can." Pappy declared. "We're here to send those little fetchers to Oblivion. We could damn well use another hand."

"You have it," Riveus spat into the fire. "I've been itching for it ever since I got here and saw what those bounders did to the miners."

"It was bad then?" Laberius Maesa asked from his position between Ancondil and Valerius.

"Many of the miners that were outside got away," the Imperial Forester explained. "I talked to some afterward. But most were trapped in the mine, with no way out. The ones they didn't kill straight out, the goblins put up on crosses. They didn't even wait to get them off the crucifixes before they started carving some of them up. I did all I could, and put them out of their misery. That got the greenies furious. They chased me through the forest for an entire day."

Teresa winced as the description of what the goblins had done to the captive miners, and noted that Laberius had gone as pale as she was naturally. Mad Josse did not say a word, but by the flinty look in his eyes, Teresa could see that the Breton was tallying up the scores he had to settle for his nephew.

Pappy went on to question Riveus and Teresa about the layout of the ground and disposition of the goblins. A glow came to the commander's eyes when the Imperial Forester told him about the ambush the goblins had set up near the road.

"Even better than I had hoped for," he murmured. The middle-aged Colovian stroked the stubble on his chin with one hand, and stared into the fire. "Yes, I think that will do nicely."

"What is it Pappy?" Vincent asked. "Are we gonna hit 'em?"

"You remember Rule Number Two don't you?" the guild commander cracked his knuckles with a wolfish smile.

"Never pass up an opportunity!" Vincent grinned back.

"Riveus says these fetchers are trying to keep a daytime cycle to hit travelers on the road, and Teresa saw more than half of them asleep." Pappy explained. "We'll wait a few more hours for them all to sack out. Then we'll go pay them a little bedtime visit."

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jun 16 2012, 06:55 PM

[haute ecole rider]

My, my, things are kinda quiet today! I've been away since Thursday afternoon and just now am settling down at my computer, only to find that no one has posted on your latest all day!! Hey! Hello?? I know Acadian's away, but what about the rest of you??

Anyways.

Loved the nighttime forest, the goblin ambush, and the brief insight into goblin behavior you gave us. I find those creatures utterly fascinating and wish Beth had done more with them. On the other hand, maybe that's on purpose so we writers can have something fun to write about!

And Riveus! So good to see him again. And Teresa not only gives him a faint smile, but an opportunity! Of course he went back to Snorscombe with her. And of course Pappy's glad of his intelligence (the military kind, though I imagine the natural kind is as much appreciated as well) in addition to the extra weapons.

And now let's see what Pappy and the Fighter's Guild make of Riveus's observations! I'm really looking forward to this one!

[King Coin]

But what were they doing camping at night? Shouldn't they be raiding something?
I’m with Teresa. Never heard of them camping above ground. They must be a good distance away from home cave if they are camping above ground.
Or have a wonderful ambush laid as it turns out.

The raven is still watching out for her. Riveus? Who is that?

The treatment of the miners was worse than I expected from goblins. I expected them to kill them, but to put on a show as well. Did the miners do something to them?

I’m looking forward to the nighttime attack.

[Grits]

Yikes, the goblins really are vicious monsters here. How neat that a raven was watching out for Teresa.

Riveus of the Tournament of Archers! A nighttime raid on the goblin camp sounds like a great idea. Afterward there will be fewer to fight underground. I’m looking forward to hearing Pappy’s plan!

[Acadian]

‘The branches seemed to bend around her as she moved between them, and even the fallen leaves were silent under her feet. She was a shadow in the night, leaving no more sign of her passage than the wind.’
Neatly put, and exactly what I would expect from our wood elven forester now that she is unleashed into her own element.

‘The wood elf had passed them by without even a whisper. Her mission was to scout, not to kill after all. Leaving a trail of dead goblins behind her would only alert the others to the presence of her guild. She knew that was the last thing Pappy wanted. Surprise would give them an advantage in their first engagement with the monsters. Teresa knew that her guild commander would make the most of it, so long as she gave that edge to him. ‘
Oh I like this! Teresa has done more that make elven oogles at Tadrose during her time at the guild. Here she shows us how very much she’s listened and learned about belonging to a well-lead and trained guild.

Good how you augmented what she saw with the sounds and smells of her surroundings.

‘But what were they doing camping at night? Shouldn't they be raiding something?’
A perfect injection of humor, done with your characteristically delicate touch and flowing quite naturally from the situation.

For KC: Riveus is a bit obscure, so don’t feel badly. Grits is right: He is a Legion Forester assigned to County Bravil that SubRosa and I created. He was first referred to in BF when Buffy made sure someone in authority would learn of the immobilized Rufio and arrest him at the Inn of Ill Omen during Buffy’s storyline, ‘Dancing with Darkness’. Riveus was then featured again in both TF and BF during the Tournament of Archers. He is a golden boy, looker and lady’s man, but a fine archer and forester. For SubRosa: I am so pleased to see dear Riveus once again.

"How would you like to do something about that?" Teresa asked with a faint smile.'
Hee! This brought a faint smile to my old face. There’s good reason we call her what we do!

"I've been keeping an eye on those goblins," the Colovian said as Chance handed him a mug of amber liquid. "But Teresa tells me that now I can do more than just watch them."
Eeep! Knowing the trickster Chance, I certainly hope that ‘amber liquid’ he gave Riveus is ale or shein!

I’m looking forward to Pappy leading a night assault on the greenies of the Black Hand tribe!

This post has been edited by Acadian: Jun 23 2012, 03:29 PM

[SubRosa]

haute ecole rider: Bethesda really does not tell us much about any of the critters in the game. For that matter, they do not tell us much about the playable races either. Tamriel is a huge blank slate for us to fill in.


King Coin: As others have said, Riveus is an Imperial Forester who has appeared in the BF and TF, mostly in the Tournament of Archers. He is the one who shot before Teresa in the finals, and ended up scoring just ahead of her as well.

I am writing the goblins as being unremittingly evil because I always imagined such creatures are. Plus in the game they have cauldrons filled with skulls, and more skulls hanging from the ceilings. So even just from the game alone, they strike me as being not only vicious, but they type to show off their victims as trophies.


Grits: Keep your eyes peeled for those ravens. We will be seeing more of Teresa's forest friends later in this chapter.

You have Pappy's intentions down to a tee. Gobble them up a little bit at a time until there is nothing left.


Acadian: I knew you would enjoy the surprise of seeing Riveus once more. That is why I did not say anything about him beforehand. He was a fun character to include in the TOA, so when I had the opportunity to use him again, I just could not resist giving him some screen time.

Teresa has indeed learned quite a bit from her guild commander. She is a far cry from that newbie adventurer who nearly got herself killed by a ghost in Castle Magi. Compared to many of the others in her guild now, she is a seasoned veteran. She has not been at it for long, but she has seen a lot of action. Still, even she can make mistakes...


Previously On Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode, Teresa performed a night time scouting expedition. She found that the goblins had set up an ambush ahead of them on the Green Road, and had lookouts stationed before their main position. She also found Riveus, the same Imperial Forester who had scored one place before herself in the Tournament of Archers. Riveus had been spying on the goblins since they had taken over the mine, and was more than glad to join Teresa and the Fighters Guild in their task to wipe them out.


Chapter 43.8 – Hand of Fire

Teresa crouched behind the pale trunk of a birch tree. Cautiously, she peeked around it to view the jumble of rocks before her. The massive stones rose nearly a hundred feet above the forest floor, and atop its peak stood a pair of small, hunched over figures. As she watched, one leaned back and stretched out its arms to either side. Then after long moments it hunched forward again, and began a slow lope around the crown of the hill.

Teresa fitted a swallowtail to the nock of her bow, and slid out from behind the tree trunk. Going down on one knee, she raised her bow and pulled the string back behind her ear. She felt the fletchings of her arrow beneath her chin, and sighted in on the moving goblin. With an effort of will, she breathed deeply and slowly, as if it was just another day at practice behind the guild hall.

"The archer must learn to feel the flow of divinity around him, just as if he was standing in a river and feeling the water rushing past his legs," Daenlin's words came back to her. "All of us are connected by the divine energy we share. Feel those strands that bind us, and you will not need eyes to shoot. Simply allow your arrow to sing along that thread."

Teresa stared at the goblin, and tried to feel that connection between the two of them. Yet no matter how hard she tried, those mystical strands which the master archer had spoke of eluded her grasp. She tried to calm herself, to keep from growing frustrated, and continued tracking the goblin as he moved. Finally he came to a stop, and sat down with his back to her.

"Now," Pappy's voice was a low hiss in her ears.

Without thinking, she loosed. The loud snap of her bowstring was joined by a lower note, as Riveus fired his Imperial Bow from the other side of the birch. Teresa held her breath as she watched the two arrows dart through the night sky. They would have been completely invisible in the blackness were it not for the night eye goggles she wore. Instead she could see them clear as day as they darted across the sky to snuff out the lives of the two goblins.

Teresa dared to breathe again when the creatures slumped over and lay still. She tucked her bow back into the chitin gorytos at her hip, leaving it strung. A glance at Riveus showed him also stowing his Imperial Longbow across his back. Rising to her feet, she felt one of Pappy's strong hands on her armored shoulder.

"Good shooting," he whispered, "the both of you."

The guild commander did not wear his usual iron mongery of legion plate and orcish scales. Rather he was clad in nothing but his padded under suit. But he still carried his ancient Nordic sword at one hip, and a long, triangular-bladed dagger at the other. The Colovian turned to the other members of the guild crouching in the brush behind him, and motioned them forward.

Like Pappy, most of them wore no armor. Only those with light panoplies, which would make little sound, still wore their full gear. Tadrose and Storm-Tail were among those, with their whisper-quiet elven armor, and of course Riveus in his leather. Teresa herself naturally wore her miran-talurn armor, and made even less sound than the wind as she moved out at the head of the column, the Imperial Forester at her side.

No one carried a light. Teresa knew that they were all using her night eye potions to see in the dark. Just as they had her shield and shock shield potions to protect them in the upcoming battle. If indeed there was a battle at all, and not the slaughter that Pappy had planned upon.

The two archers fanned out to either side, but not so far as to lose sight of one another. At first they stepped quickly, creating a gap between them and the rest of the guild. Then they slowed to a steady pace, and Teresa trained all of her senses upon the forest around her.

All was silent and still. The night air was cool and crisp, invigorating her lungs with every breath. A glance back revealed Storm-Tail rising up the rocky slope. She imagined that Pappy had sent the young Argonian to check on the goblin sentries, to make sure they were indeed dead. He would have to move quickly to catch up with the rest of them afterward. But if Teresa had learned anything about Argonians, it was that while they were normally slow and placid, they could move with blinding speed when they wished.

Soon she came to the goblin camp, and Teresa sidled up to the edge of the clearing and took a good look around. Even more goblins were asleep than before, including the heavily armored war chief. She only saw three of the creatures moving about the edges of the camp, and imagined that they were sentries.

It was strange to see them sleeping at night. Even Saya had remarked that they preferred to make their raids in the dark, and hide from the daylight. Teresa wondered if the latter was the reason for all the makeshift shelters? Were they meant to protect them from the light of the sun, which they appeared to loath? They must have been very eager to spring their ambush on unwary travelers, to subject themselves to such discomfort.

Teresa signaled Riveus to wait and continue observing the camp. She was thankful for the hand signals that Pappy and taught her and the other members of the guild - the same used by the Imperial Legion. For without them communicating silently would have been impossible.

She turned from the camp and crept back through the brush to meet Pappy and the others. They came to a halt while Teresa made her report. Her eyes lingered on Tadrose's frame for a moment as she spoke to the commander. Then they flicked around the rest of the guild. She noted that Storm-Tail was indeed among them once more, taking up the rear.

Now Pappy motioned the others forward. "You all know the plan," he whispered. "Sneakers go forward, the rest of us wait in support."

He pointed to Teresa, Tadrose, and Storm-Tail, and gave them the signal to advance. The rest of the guild drew their weapons and followed. They spread out in a wide line behind them, and halted at the edge of the trees while the trio two went into the camp.

Teresa stayed in a low crouch, her eyes riveted upon the goblin sentries. Using the lean-tos for cover, she melted into the shadows whenever a goblin turned her way, and darted across the open spaces when their backs were turned. She saw the others doing the same, and a glance back at the tree line revealed Riveus waiting with his bow ready, body pressed against the trunk of a maple for cover.

The Imperial Forester was their backup, in case one of them failed to silence their assigned sentry. Teresa hoped that they would not need his arrows. For if the sound of his bow woke the sleeping goblins, things could get very bad. By now Tadrose, Storm-Tail, and her were spread out through the camp. They would be quickly mobbed if all the goblins were to awaken at once.

Teresa's target was at the far side of the encampment, so she was the last in position. After a quick hand signal to the others, she drew one of the mithril daggers from the rig across her chest. She held it low, behind her body, so that its blade would not glint in the starlight. She sidled up behind her sentry, and rose to her feet. Clamping her left hand over the goblin's mouth, she yanked the lookout's head back, exposing its bare throat to the stars. At the same time she drove her knee into the monster's back, pulling it off-balance. Her mithril blade sank into the bare flesh of the goblin's neck an instant later. The point drove up into its brain, and the goblin went limp as ragdoll.

The dead weight of the creature was heavy in her arms, and Teresa was thankful for the strength enhancements which her armor and thumb ring bore. She quietly eased the goblin to the ground, and looked back up to see Tadrose and Storm-Tail doing the same. A glance to either side revealed goblins sleeping soundly just a few paces away, completely unaware of their presence.

Pappy's plan was working.

Teresa moved to the nearest goblin and leaned down upon its chest. She clamped one hand over its mouth, and slid her dagger from one ear to another across its throat. Its black eyes burst open like pits to Oblivion, and stared deeply into Teresa's. The creature thrashed beneath her, and reached out to claw at her. The forester flinched her face away slightly to protect her eyes from the creature's nails, but still held the goblin firmly in her grasp. She wished that there had been room for her to yank its head back, like she had with the sentry. Then she could have stabbed up into its brain and killed it instantly. Instead she had to hold on to the monster until the last of its blood had trickled away, and it finally went still.

Teresa shuddered as she stared at the lifeless corpse beneath her. That had been so easy, she thought. Just a few minutes, and a life was snuffed out like a candle. It had been even easier to kill the lookouts on the hill, using her bow. They had never even had the chance to look in her eyes before she sent them to Oblivion.

Did that make her a murderer now? Did goblins count? Murder was what they were doing after all, was it not? Teresa crept up to another goblin, and stared at its chest as it slowly rose and fell. Did she have the right to so casually take another's life?

A glance across the encampment revealed that Tadrose and Storm-Tail were also moving among the sleeping goblins and slitting their throats. The dim coals of a campfire smoldered in the center of the camp, with an iron spit hanging over it. A ribcage was suspended by the metal rod, from which chunks of charred flesh still hung. It was not that of an animal, but rather of a human or elf. Teresa now noted other bones scattered around the fire: a skull, an arm, and a leg. There was no sign of the rest of the body.

Teresa's heart felt cold as steel as she pressed her knees down on the next goblin's chest, and sliced out its throat. Like the first, it also fought back. But it could not utter a cry through the blood that filled its torn windpipe, and this time Teresa was able to pin its arms beneath her. All it could do was shake, until it too went still.

Teresa continued on, making her way back toward Pappy and the others. Every few feet she stopped to kill another goblin under the early morning stars. She was moving to a new victim when the sound of footsteps made her stop and turn her head. Just behind her, at the center of the camp, she saw a goblin walking up to the fire. It reached and yanked a chunk of flesh from the ribs suspended over the hot coals. Then it stopped and looked around. The seared meat fell from the creature's fingers, and its mouth opened to scream.

A bow twanged in the darkness, and the goblin keeled over an instant later with an arrow buried in its throat. The monster clawed wildly at the shaft embedded in its flesh, and fell against the spit. The entire contraption tipped over with the goblin, and they fell to the ground with a loud clatter.

A flash of movement caught Teresa's eye, and she saw a goblin raising its head from the lean-to beside her. She leapt atop it, but a ragged screech issued from its throat before she could reach it. It pulled out a flint knife of its own and stabbed at her. She felt the stone blade hit her cuirass, and snap in two. Grabbing the goblin by the throat with one hand, she drove the point of her knife under the beast's armpit. She shoved it back down as its blood stained the ground beneath them. But it was too late, the camp was waking up around her.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jun 24 2012, 01:48 AM

[haute ecole rider]

It was a great plan Pappy came up with!

But even the best laid plans don't survive enemy contact.

I liked the brief moment where Teresa is struggling with the ethics of killing the gobbies in their sleep. I was glad she got over it rather quick.

[Acadian]

Teresa was so true to form as she fretted and overthought her first shot. Pappy knows her well enough to understand she does better when she just shoots instead of thinking about it! What a great reminder of how she wrestled with the same problem during the Tournament.

Nice assassination of Teresa’s target sentry. I remember when Pappy taught her how to go up under the chin into the brain.

’Just a few minutes, and a life was snuffed out like a candle. It had been even easier to kill the lookouts on the hill, using her bow. They had never even had the chance to look in her eyes before she sent them to Oblivion.’
I knew the up close wet dagger work would trouble Teresa. Anonymous feathered death from the shadows at long range is ever so much more. . . tidy and comfortable – no eyes, no faces, no gurgling. It takes a different mentality (one that Buffy doesn’t have) to look your foe in the eye and deliver death by steel up close and personal. Nothing like seeing that human skeleton with some flesh still on it to help Teresa along. She certainly has the stones to be in Pappy’s guild.

But even the best laid plans don't survive enemy contact.

Quoted for truth!


Nit: ’and made even less sound then the wind as she moved out at the head of the column,’
I suspect you want ‘than’ (for comparisons) here instead of ‘then’ (for sequencing events in time).

[Taaron]

Forgive me, but I missed a few chapters(that means like 30 something) and ummm, are you in Skyrim now or still remaining in Cyrodiil?

[liliandra nadiar]

Teresa's in Oblivion era Cyrodiil just following the end of the Oblivion Crisis. Rosa's Skyrim girls have yet to get an official story thread.

IRT the latest part.

I was a bit off in my guess of Pappy's plan, I was expecting Teresa and Riveus to sneak arrow shot all of them after taking care of the sentries. Though the late-night snacker would still have caused problems.

Hope things work out well for the three stealth specialists now really stuck between a rock and a hard place.

[King Coin]

I was a little worried when none of the fighters had armor, but you said they took shield potions. Now when the inevitable goes wrong, they won’t be completely defenseless.

I was expecting the archers and a sneaky back stabber to take care of the three sentries. The snap of the bowstrings makes that impossible however. They have to go in close and kill them quick without allowing one time to shriek. This is going to be tense!

Teresa got it! Throat slitting is messy and dangerous, I was glad that she went for the brain when she could.

And there’s the alarm! The sneakers are going to be in hot water until they can rejoin the others. Awesome chapter!

[Grits]

I just loved every word of this episode!

If I had to pick out one thing that stood out the most for me, it would be Teresa’s observations about Storm-Tail and Argonians. In some ways he is as strange as the goblins, in the sense of being different from humans or elves.

I think this might be my favorite Teresa segment yet!

[Taaron]

People should check out my story. It's just starting but I think people would like it. It's called Tamriel Reborn. Please check it out I'd be really thankful.

[McBadgere]

As brilliant as ever... ...

Love the internal debate she had in the last part...Nicely done...

Also loving Storm-Tail...He's another one that just grabbed me...Excellent characterisations in this...So brilliant...

Definately loving the return of TFS...

Nice one!!..

*Applauds heartily*...

[SubRosa]

haute ecole rider: Pappy is definitely not going to give those gobbies a fair fight if he can help it. He is here to win after all. Slitting people's throats while they are asleep is an ugly business, no matter how you slice it. So it was important to me to show Teresa's inner conflict over doing it. I am sure that she never would have done it if they were simply bandits or enemy soldiers. Nor would Pappy have ordered it against people. But as Julian knows all too well, goblins are not people... Also as you noted, it was indeed my intent to show that even the best laid plans of mice and guild commanders often go awry.


Acadian: It is indeed much easier to kill people from a distance than up close. As you said, you don't have to look them in the eye, or see them as being people. Like Buffy, Teresa is used to shooting at targets. Getting close enough to smell them is definitely not something her conscience enjoys. But as you said, she has the stones to do it when she has to. Seeing the handiwork of the goblins makes it much easier!


Taaron: Teresa is firmly in Cyrodiil, at the end of the Third Era. I had the time to glance over Tamriel Reborn when you first posted it, but have not had time to really read it all. The truth is I simply do not have the time to read all the stories here that I want to. Not with how things are where I work.


liliandra nadiar: Those stealth specialists are indeed caught between that rock and the hard place. Teresa worse of all, which we will see next.


King Coin: When the inevitable goes wrong indeed! That is what usually happens after all. As you said, that is why they all have potions. You also called it with the reason for not shooting the sentries. Teresa's composite bow especially makes a lot of noise. Plus there are three. Besides, you always see it that way in the war movies, with the commandos sneaking up with their knives.


Grits: I am relieved that Storm-Tail is coming across as an interesting characters. I have admitted before that he is one I have troubles with portraying, because so much about Argonians a blank slate in the game. So I try to focus on how he is physiologically different from the others, and how that makes his behaviour different as well.


McBadgere: I am glad to see another vote for Storm-Tail. I think I missed an opportunity with him a few episodes back. I should have had Pappy tell Teresa to take him with her in her night-time scouting expedition, to give Storm-Tail some more experience. Then I could have given him some more stage time. But I really do not want to go back and change it either.


Previously On Teresa of the Faint Smile: Our last episode found the Fighters Guild making a stealth assault upon the goblin camp. Teresa, Tadrose, and Storm-Tail (the stealthiest in the guild) began by slitting the throats of the goblin sentries. Then they went to work killing the sleeping goblins while the rest of the guild waited, ready to rush in if things when wrong. Which is exactly what happened when a goblin awoke for a late night snack and discovered what was happening. In spite of being slain by one of Riveus' arrows, the goblin fell over the fire spit, making such a racket the rest of the goblin camp woke up. Now Teresa finds herself cut off from the rest of the guild, and surrounded by the monsters...


Chapter 43.9 – Hand of Fire

"Fighters Guild!" Pappy's voice reverberated through the night air. "Forward!"

Teresa saw her guild mates break cover on the opposite side of the camp. They did not race forward, but instead marched in a long line. Each fighter remained in formation, creating a solid wall that steadily drove forward. When they encountered a lean-to, they simply smashed it down and trampled over the ruins. The goblins fared no better against their ranks, and swords, axes, and maces drove the creatures into the dust.

But they were on the wrong side of the camp. Tadrose and Storm-Tail - having been nearer to that side of the camp to begin with - were quick to join the line. But even though Teresa had been working her way back toward the others, half of the site still remained. That left the forester alone in the midst of the pack. While many of the goblins nearest Pappy and the other fighters woke and immediately flung themselves upon their line, the others turned their eyes upon Teresa.

She knew she needed to join the others. But she also knew that she could not get through all of the goblins to do that. She sprang for the woods, certain that she could lose the creatures in the trees. But a goblin stepped in front of her. It wore a crude breastplate of sewn-together bones, and carried a heavy club whose inner edge was lined with sharpened tooth-shaped wedges of flint.

Long hours of training with Pappy took over Teresa's muscles. The goblin swung at her, and she deftly moved to one side. She swept her dagger out in the opposite direction, and did not stop the club with its blade, so much as push it just far enough out of the way to miss her. The goblin staggered forward, off balance, and Teresa stepped right up to it. Her left hand grabbed the creature by its long, greasy hair and yanked back. Her right hand brought up her dagger, and buried it in the monster's throat.

She pushed the still-thrashing creature down to the ground, and jumped over its body. The loud thunk of an arrow sinking home into flesh reverberated in her ears. A glance back revealed a goblin falling to the ground just a pace away from her, a legion arrow buried in its back. Teresa made a mental note to thank Riveus after the battle was over. If she survived.

More goblins moved to bar her path to the trees, and her feet came to a halt. She turned this way and that, but everywhere she looked, the small, green monsters closed in on her. She was trapped!

With her free hand, she reached into one of the pouches attached to the hip of her armor. She drew forth a scroll, and fumbled with the ribbon binding it shut. She wondered which Aedra it might summon? A sylph could carry her aloft, she knew, out of the goblin's reach. A salamander could simply burn them to a crisp. Whatever it was, it was better than being alone against the goblins.

The beating of great leathery wings sounded in the night. Before Teresa could open her scroll, she looked up to see the Winged Twilight - Kireteki - swooping down from the sky. It reached out for her with clawed feet, and the next thing Teresa knew, it had locked both around her shoulders.

She found herself borne aloft a moment later. She watched as the goblins rushed into the empty space where she had been an instant before. Teresa shuddered. She had been that close to being killed. If not for the Daedra…

Teresa looked up over her shoulder, at the dusky skin of the otherworldy creature that carried her through the air. The forester had to grudgingly admit that she possessed a certain kind of exotic - if somewhat frightening - beauty. As if bidden by her thoughts, the Twilight looked down and locked her liquid red eyes upon her own.

"Thank you," Teresa said as they swooped across the goblin camp, toward the line of advancing fighters.

"Do not thank me mortal," the Daedra said in her soft, silky voice. "I merely do as my mistress bids."

Then they neared the ground once more, and when they were a few feet away Teresa felt Kireteki's claws release her. She dropped to the dirt, and fell to one knee before she regained her balance. By then the Winged Twilight had swooped away, back to the goblins. Teresa rose to her feet and stared after the Daedra. She watched as the Winged Twilight lifted one of the goblins much as herself. Only this one she released after flying much higher above the ground, leaving it to plummet to its doom below.

Teresa took a moment to wipe the blade of her dagger clean, and slid it back into its sheath on her chest. Taking up a position on the opposite side of the line from Riveus, she drew Ravenfeeder and readied an arrow. Then she began firing. Not upon the goblins that rushed forward to engage her comrades, but rather at those who fled. She drove arrow after arrow into the backs of the monsters as they tried to escape, until finally there were none left to shoot.

"Did any get away?" Pappy called out from his position in the center of the line.

"I fear so," Ancondil replied, even as others shrugged their shoulders. Teresa noted that the goblin war chief lay dead at the Orisimer's feet. The monster's head was smashed to a pulp, and the elven war hammer that the orc held casually left little doubt as to the cause. He lifted Persuader with one hand and used it to point to the woods to the north. "I believe I saw two escape that way."

"Shor's bones…" Pappy grumbled. Then his eyes went to Kireteki. The Winged Twilight stood with Saya, wings now furled up at her sides. Teresa noted that the Dunmer conjurer's mace was now stained black with goblin blood. Apparently the new battlemage did indeed have what it took.

"You, Daedra!" The Colovian snapped his fingers at the Winged Twilight. "Fall in over here. I've got an idea. Teresa, Riveus, you too."

Kireteki simply stared back at the guild commander. She lifted one eyebrow with a look of such elegant disdain that Teresa almost found herself smiling faintly at the sight. Yet unlike the Winged Twilight, Teresa made quick tracks to stand beside the Colovian, as did Riveus.

"Go ahead," Saya said quietly in the Daedra's ear. "Do as he says."

The Winged Twilight took her time to saunter over to where Pappy and the others now stood. Her eyes burned like coals. Teresa could not read the emotion within them. If the Daedra even possessed feelings like mortals at all. The guild commander appeared unfazed however, and if the otherworldly creature's defiance bothered him, he gave no sign.

"Pick up Teresa and Riveus and fly out north of here, past those goblins," he said. "They'll be making for the mine. Go about a half mile out and set them down. Then just wait, and bushwhack 'em when they come along. My bet is that the goblins will be too busy looking behind them, to see what's in front."

"Wait," Saya stepped closer. "The summoning might not last long enough. Let me extend it." The dark elf stood next to her Daedra, and lifted one hand skyward. Purple energy leeched from her fingers, and showered down upon the Winged Twilight. The Daedra stretched like a cat in the sun as the magicka bathed her, and for a moment Teresa thought a smile as faint as any of her own might have flitted across Kireteki's features.

Saya leaned forward, and said something in the Daedra's ear too low for any other to hear. Again, the Daedra seemed to almost smile, and Teresa noted the way that she leaned closer to the dark elf, close enough to gently brush against her with one wing. Were they indeed lovers after all? Or were they simply sharing some private joke?

Teresa looked for Tadrose, and found the Dunmer by her side. "Be careful," the vice-commander said quietly. She laid a gauntleted hand upon Teresa's arm, and squeezed just hard enough for Teresa to feel it through the hard miran plates that protected her body. Teresa surprised herself, and leaned forward to kiss the dark elf quickly upon the lips.

"Alright, alright, this isn't the temple of Dibella you meatheads!" Pappy barked. "Get moving, we're burning starlight. And the rest of you, form up a line, we're gonna go back through these little fetchers and make sure none are playing possum."

Teresa ignored Pappy, and kept her eyes upon Tadrose. Even stained with blood, sweat, and dirt, she was more radiant than Magnus. The forester's heart soared at the smile that returned her look. She could not contain a broad smile either, and was still grinning when Kireteki's feet latched around her shoulders and lifted her into the air.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jun 30 2012, 06:23 PM

[Grits]

The beating of great leathery wings sounded in the night.

Woo hoo, I forgot there was a Daedra on the team! Although she would certainly not describe it that way.

Teresa ignored Pappy, and kept her eyes upon Tadrose. Even stained with blood, sweat, and dirt, she was more radiant than Magnus. The forester's heart soared at the smile that returned her look. She could not contain a broad smile either, and was still grinning when Kireteki's feet latched around her shoulders and lifted her into the air.

Aww, I love this part! So sweet. I have not forgotten that they are on a dangerous mission, though. I hope Teresa and Riveus won’t be too busy looking ahead of them for the goblins they’re going to bushwhack. Aren’t the rest of the goblins in the mine behind them?

Fun and exciting, I’m looking forward to what the rest of the night brings!

[Acadian]

The discipline as Teresa’s guild advanced on line is testimony to Pappy’s relentless training regimen.

Our woodster is cut off and alone! Neat to see Riveus send a timely arrow to her aid. Even better to see that Saya sent her Winged Twilight! Air power is a beautiful thing, is it not? What a perfect rescue – and leave it to our Teresa to look up and check out her rescuer’s Daedric goods! I loved how Kireteki then returned to the fight for some ‘lift and drop’ tactics. Nice touch mentioning that Teresa’s focus then became killing goblins who were trying to escape – that really emphasized how the tide had shifted.

I really enjoyed the nod to Ancondil and his war hammer. He is so wonderfully cultured that one can almost forget the magnificent power and savagery of his beautiful race.

Brilliant of Pappy to task his air asset in support an airborne deep interdiction insertion! Kireteki’s resentment is understandable and I’m glad to see that Saya supported Pappy’s brusque commands. Let me add here how fully and elegantly you’ve brought a summon to life as a full blown character.

Aww, nothing like a kiss for luck before flying into danger. Neither gobs of goblin guts nor a clan of meatheads could stay Teresa’s lips. What an image that conjures!