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

[Acadian]

’Saya stared dumbfounded, until Teresa grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the center of the armored column.’
Buffy can identify with Saya here. My gosh how far our stringy elf has come since she was a cowering street rat back on the Waterfront! This sentence speaks volumes about Saya’s world as well as the world that Teresa now confidently embraces.

’In the meanwhile Lady Scaurus' agent - Laberius Maesa - vanished into the mining office. Teresa imagined that he might be going through all of the paperwork that still survived.’
Or perhaps cleaning his sullied silken trousers after seeing first hand how Pappy’s guild earns their living.

’If wishes were dragons, she thought, everyone would fly…’
Delightfully TESish application of ‘if pigs had wings’ as Teresa realizes that ‘ye dances with who brung ye and fights with what’s in yer pack.’

I loved it when Pappy took a long pull of that ‘potion’. I suspected not one of Teresa’s protective elixirs, but Nordic whiskey or such. You rewarded my suspicions in short order by revealing it was flin! Testimony to how well you have, over time, painted Pappy’s character for us.

A wise retreat from the big cavern back to a very tense fight in the passageway. Wonderful touches you used to describe the front rank’s reliance on their shields and Tadrose’s precise halfswording over the front rank.

This post has been edited by Acadian: Aug 12 2012, 01:10 AM

[haute ecole rider]

Pappy's hard training of the guild really pays off here. Instead of chasing after the fleeing gobbies, our brave guildmates are holding their ground and recouping their strength. They understand more fighting still lies ahead of them.

How nice to come home from work at the Apple Store to see this update! Like Acadian, I find the length of the posts very well done - it gives us an epic battle in very nice chunks that allow us to digest each portion thoroughly before the next one. And I agree with you, it gives us a chance to read other good stories on this forum (though I don't have the time I used to have).

[Grits]

I enjoyed every part of the organized march into the mine.

"This is it you meatheads."

Yay for Pappy! As Acadian said, you have made him so vivid that the flask could only have contained flin.

"Incoming!" Teresa tensed at Vincent's shout, and went down to one knee behind the Breton.

I thought this part was great. They fell back so neatly, and no one tripped over Saya. Perhaps she was watching Teresa this time!

The crackle of lighting filled the air, and Teresa had just enough time to see the dazzling energy slam the goblin magician into one of the walls of the cave. Standing at the other end of the blast was Tadrose, who had stretched her arm out beyond Valerius to aim.

Woo hoo, this is my favorite part! Go Tadrose!!

[McBadgere]

Loved the intensity of this...I was almost as scared as they were with all the close-quarters fighting!... ...

That was brilliantly done btw...Loved it!!...The idea of Tadrose having one hand on the blade of her greatsword while plunging it into goblins was ace!...Between that and the lighting at the end, Tadrose does most definately rock!... ...

Absolutely brilliant stuff...Loved it muchly!!...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

[King Coin]

Ha! It was amusing at first to see Saya out of her element, however the humor fled quickly. She’s going to be fighting with them, and she doesn’t know what she’s doing! Teresa’s going to have to watch out for her, and I’m a little concerned about some of the other fighters, she could hit one of them if she’s surprised!

A bottle of Tamika’s? A nasty cave is no place for fine wine!

And the battle begins. Smart retreat, and I enjoyed the description of the soldiers holding the line with their shields, being supported by the second line. Spears would be handy for this.

A brief respite, then onward. Very good chapter.

[ghastley]

I love the pacing of all this battle. The goblins are frantically attacking, like they alway do, but the Guild is doing what it should, and being very methodical and efficient about it.

I presume the fire-hurling Shaman is again a lesser one, and the big fireballs are yet to come (if Teresa can't silence her first). In-game they do seem to score a lot of friendly-fire hits, especially on their own summoned zombies, so hurling them in such tight quarters is quite in character. One hopes Saya is more circumspect with her lightning.

[SubRosa]

Acadian: Saya's being lost as the guild snapped into formation was indeed meant to show just how out of her depth the new battlemage is amongst Pappy's veterans. Where Teresa and the others have spent months in daily training, Saya has not. I wanted to subtly illustrate that.

That 'potion' in Pappy's pack (hmmm, can I alliterate more? ) was directly inspired by the same scene with the guild before the Battle of Bruma. Only this time Pappy did not have a Countess' wine cellar to raid for the flin. As you said, it was just so in character, how could he not produce such a bottle?


haute ecole rider: Just as you said, I wanted to illustrate in that post just how professional Pappy's guild are. Everyone standing in line, never breaking formation even when tantalized with the sight of an enemy's back. Harald lost the Battle of Hastings because his levy infantry would not stay in formation, and insisted on chasing after the retreating Norman cavalry. They paid dearly for that mistake. Pappy's guild will never do the same.


Grits: I could not let Pappy steal all the excitement from Tadrose. The last post gave me a wonderful opportunity to now only showcase our vice-commander's leadership skills and swording skills, but also pull out that destruction magic she learned as a young aristocrat in Morrowind.


McBadgere: Those half-swording moves of Tadrose are all taken from RL longswording. Halfswording plays a very important role in using either an arming sword or longsword, both for defense and attack. It gives your parries strength, and allows you to stab with incredible precision and power. It also allows you to use every part of the sword as weapon, not just the blade. The Arma has some very good examples on this page about Talhoffer's longswording manuals from the 15th century.


King Coin: You hit the nail right on the head with your observation on Saya's being out of place in the middle of the marching column. For all her impressive magical skills, she is out of her element in a professional army.

Teresa would argue that any place is a good place for fine wine!

Now you are making me miss spears in ES games again. Imagine having a phalanx of Amazon hoplites to throw against those gobbies?


ghastley: Like you said the gobbies are frantic and unfocused, while the outnumbered guild is the exact opposite. This whole chapter was a wonderful opportunity for me to show just how professional and well-trained Pappy's guild is. Yep, that was another apprentice in the tunnel. I picture every shaman having 3 or 4 apprentices serving/learning from her. We will finally be seeing the shaman herself in the next post.


Previously On Teresa Of The Faint Smile: Our last episode saw the guild march down into the mine itself. At the main chamber they met a barrage of fireballs, and were forced to retreat back into the tunnel leading to the surface. There they formed a new line of resistance, and fought off a furious - if uncoordinated - goblin counterattack. After the few surviving goblins fled back into the mine, Pappy marched the Fighters Guild back to the main chamber once more.


Chapter 43.16 – Hand of Fire

He stopped before they reached the opening however, and motioned Teresa and Saya forward.

"That shaman's still out there," he said, "and she's gonna be waiting for us, just like the last time. Teresa, have you got any more of those invisibility potions?"

The wood elf checked her bag, and produced her last one.

"Outstanding! You go invisible and sneak out there. Find yourself a spot with a good field of fire and wait." The guild commander produced a scroll and began to unroll it. "Then I'm gonna summon up a salamander and send it out there. Saya, I want you to do the same with your Daedra. With any luck, that will flush out their shaman. Then she's all yours Teresa. You give the all clear, and we'll come charging out there."

Teresa and Saya nodded as Pappy drew forth his scroll. The forester drank her potion, and crept out into the main chamber. Many of the crude hide walls of the goblin homes had now been trampled down, and the cavern floor was scattered with debris. There were far fewer goblins than before, sprinkled all around and trying to hide behind whatever cover they could find.

Teresa tip-toed along, silent as a grave. She did not go far however. She still remembered how she had gotten cut off from the others during the night raid on the goblin camp. Poisoning an arrow, she set it to her string and waited. Looking from one side of the chamber to the other, her eyes searched for the goblin shaman.

Pappy's salamander swept into the chamber with a blaze of fire. A gigantic serpent made entirely of flame, it seemed more like the Aedra was swimming through the air rather than flying. Propelled forward by whips of its powerful tail, the spirit roared around the room in a wide circuit. The goblins screamed and shouted, and many sprang from their hiding places as it drew near them.

The sound of leathery wings came to Teresa's long ears a moment later. She turned her head to see Kireteki fly into the room. Almost instantly a ball of fire erupted from the left side of the cavern and sped toward the Winged Twilight. The Daedra dipped her wings and rushed down toward the ground. The magical fire roared past, and blossomed into an inferno against the ceiling above her. Kireteki's wings snapped out once more, and she leveled her flight off just a few feet from the stony floor.

Teresa spun in the direction of the attack, and drew spidersilk back under her ear. She saw several forms at the entrance to one of the side passages. One held what could only be a staff. It was not easy to aim with an invisible bow and arrow, but her daily practice sessions behind the guildhall had made it all automatic. She did not need to see the tip of her arrow to know where it was. She simply lined that spot up with her target and let fly with her poisoned missile. But before it could land, one of the other goblins leapt in front of the shaman. Her arrow buried itself in its form, and the figures there became a jumble.

Teresa cursed as her body swam back into view. She drew forth another arrow and poisoned it. She heard another fireball blossom to life. Gritting her teeth, she ignored it and concentrated on her task. Thankfully the shot was not at her. She raised her bow once more to find that the salamander had sunk its flaming teeth into a goblin near the shaman, and was shaking its head back and forth like a dog with a ragdoll.

Teresa let fly once more, and this time she saw her swallowtail sink into the shaman's leg. The goblin went down to one knee, dropping its staff to the ground. Teresa smiled faintly, and raised her hand to signal Pappy and the others to come forward.

She readied another arrow as the guild marched into the cavern and formed a line. Many of the remaining goblins leapt upon them. Teresa noted from their small size that some had to be children. Her guildmates dealt with them and the adults in the usual way. Others fled into the side passages, and it was these fleeing creatures that Riveus picked off with his arrows. Kireteki did likewise, swooping around the walls of the chamber and picking up any goblin that she could lay her claws upon. The Winged Twilight flung the creatures head-first into the walls, cracking their skulls apart like grapefruit.

It was the shaman that Teresa was most interested in however. The wood elf doubted that one arrow would finish the goblin leader, even with Ravenfeeder's deadly poison. With the right potions, the shaman would be right back in the fight in no time. That could cost her guild dearly. So she ignored the rest of the battle, and focused her eyes upon the small knot of goblins that fought with the salamander. One of them had to be shaman.

Drawing her bow to full extension, her eyes scanned the chaos of goblins before the side tunnel. Most appeared to be males. The shaman's personal guard perhaps? They wore armored vests made from bones, and wielded steel axes and swords with both hands.

Teresa could not see the shaman behind them however. So she waited with her composite bow at full extension, knowing that sooner or later, one of the bodyguards would step the wrong way, and leave her with a clear shot. She did not even consider running over there. That would separate her from the rest of the guild, just as at the roadside camp.

Someone else did run that way however. Teresa saw glittering mithril armor, with a wisp of white hair falling from beneath the rim of the helmet. It was Saya! What was that damned fool battlemage thinking? Did she want to get herself killed?

Teresa bit her lip, and glanced back at the rest of the guild. Should she go after the mage, or remain with the guild? If she went after Saya, she would deprive the guild of her support. But if she left Saya alone, they might be returning to Bravil without their new mage…

"Damn you stupid slitch!" Teresa cursed as several of the goblin bodyguards vanished into the side passage. The salamander was still outside, ripping apart every monster it could plant its flaming jaws into. Kireteki joined the elemental spirit a moment later, and between the two, the goblins guarding the passage had their hands full. Saya easily slipped around them and vanished into the shaft a moment later, and Teresa knew what she had to do.

She raced across the chamber, leaping over rocks and dodging around the goblin homes that still stood. She ignored the goblins she passed. She knew the others would take care of them. A few tried to stab at her with knives, and some even threw rocks. She trusted to Aldariel to protect her, and sped on without a thought.

Darting past the summoned spirits, she sped through the tunnel as fast as her feet would take her. Under different circumstances, she would have taken it slowly and been mindful of traps. But Teresa knew that Saya would discover any of those the hard way, so she did not waste a moment on caution.

Brilliant light filled the passage before her, and Teresa knew that Saya had found the goblins. Or more likely the other way around. This was the goblin's territory. By now they would know all of the ins and outs of the mine. It would be child's play for them to spring an ambush upon an unwary pursuer.

Teresa rounded a corner, and saw that trap spring shut before her eyes. The tunnel widened out into a long chamber, before suddenly narrowing down to a tight passage at its far end. The upper walls along either side of the room had been dug out, creating what seemed like wide shelves running the length of the chamber.

Saya stood at the far end of the room and faced off with the goblin shaman, who stood in the entrance to the tunnel beyond. The shaman was flinging fire spells once more, confirming Teresa's fears that it had a dispel potion or two hidden away on its person. Saya gave back with her lightning, and the room glowed with dazzling light from the magical duel.

However, what Saya did not see were the two goblin bodyguards slinking out from the rock shelves to either side of the room behind her. One lifted his war axe with two hands as he crept toward the Dunmer's back. The other hefted an arming sword, the weapon's blade so long in comparison to its body that it was the equivalent of a man wielding a greatsword. It too, skulked quietly toward the unsuspecting battlemage.

Teresa stopped at the entrance to the room, drew an arrow, and fired. The elven swallowtail easily pierced the bone armor worn by the axeman and he fell face-down into the dirt. The other raised his sword with both hands, and prepared to bring it down upon Saya's head. A second arrow buried itself in the back of his skull, and the sword dropped from nerveless fingers as his corpse crumpled to the ground.

Teresa set a third arrow to her bow. She stepped sideways to get a clear shot at the shaman, when Saya moved closer to the goblin. Her mace rose and fell, only to be swept aside by the goblin's staff. The Dunmer countered by punching her shield into the shaman's face, sending it staggering back. Her mace followed once more, and this time its mithril flanges sank deeply into the monster's skull.

Teresa eased up on her bow, and shook her head. Even now the battlemage still had no idea how near she had come to death. The wood elf watched as Saya pulled her mace free, now covered in goblin brains. It was not until the Dunmer knelt down to begin searching the shaman's corpse that the wood elf trotted over.

"You bloody fool," the angry words spilled from Teresa lips, as if of their own accord. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

The battlemage whirled around and sprang to her feet. "I needed no help from you," the Dunmer sneered.

"Really?" Teresa fumed. She reached out with one hand and grabbed the other woman by her gorget. Pulling her away from the shaman, she pointed to the goblin bodyguards. "You never even saw them, did you? They were about to spit you like Saturalia ham when I got here."

Saya stared from one goblin corpse to another. Her mouth dropped open, and what could only be a genuine expression of surprise blossomed across her dusky features. Teresa shook her head again, and pushed the other woman back the way they had come from.

"You never leave your partners," Teresa grumbled. The memory of her own near death the previous night was fresh in her mind as she shoved the other elf back toward the main cavern. The Dunmer did not say a word as she stumbled from the chamber, and Teresa bit her lip to keep from saying more. What right did she have to be sanctimonious? She had done nearly as bad herself. Still, that did not keep her from fuming. But whether her fury was at the Dunmer, or herself, she was not certain.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Aug 18 2012, 06:22 PM

[haute ecole rider]

Excellent showing by Saya, including making the most fundamental (and usually fatal) rookie mistake.

I was delighted to see Teresa taking on the mantle of the Ninth Cohort pilus that Julian has been holding out during this entire battle. I'm sure Julian breathed a sigh of relief too. Teresa has come a long way from her rookie days with the Fighters' Guild, thanks to Pappy and Tadrose's tutelage.

I have one nit, and it is stylistic more than anything else:

and was shaking its head back and forth like a dog with a ragdoll.

While most people would accept this as is, I know from personal experience that terriers and dachshunds kill rats and other vermin this exact same way. Thus I would choose a more "natural" metaphor in the place of a common pet's toy, mainly to demonstrate how lethal such a move is for a live prey animal.

[King Coin]

Teresa’s going to snipe the shaman? Sounds like a good plan. I wonder if the shaman will be smart enough not to show herself to a couple of summons though.

Firing an invisible bow would be very difficult I would think.

Saya’s charging? If she survives, Pappy’s going to tear her a new one. Maybe Teresa too for going after her. She’s not used to working as a team. I’m glad Teresa got to show her the error of her ways, even if it may have been a tad hypocritical. Now it’s back to the lines.

[McBadgere]

Excellent stuff!!....

Still love that Winged Twilight...Loved that bit where it dropped out of the way and then caught itself further down...Loved that!...

I loved the fact that Teresa went after Saya anyway...Despite the danger to herself...That was cool...Yes, the irony of her scolding the Dunmer was great, but nevertheless, Saya is alive to get said scolding...And that's the important bit... ...

Fantastic story...Love it!!...

Nice one!!...

*applauds heartily*...

[Grits]

I loved the salamander, of course! And Kireteki’s aerial maneuvers were a treat to see!

Oh wow, Saya made a big mistake. It will be interesting to see how she handles it after the surprise wears off. I’m sure Pappy and/or Tadrose will have some words for her. I also wonder what the two of them will say about Teresa dashing off after her. I guess sending Teresa out away from the rest of the group in the first place gave her license to use her own judgment.

It was fun to see Saya work her mace and shield. She seems to be worth the trouble.

[Acadian]

"Damn you stupid slitch!"
Oh my goodness, what a censor-crushingly creative new insult. I can imagine a handful of words that blend perfectly to form such a befitting insult!

'Saya gave back with her lightning, and the room glowed with dazzling light from the magical duel.'
I love the colors that magical duals can conjure in Oblivion and smiled at the picture you painted here.

"Really?" Teresa fumed. She reached out with one hand and grabbed the other woman by her gorget. Pulling her away from the shaman, she pointed to the goblin bodyguards. "You never even saw them, did you? They were about to spit you like Saturalia ham when I got here."
This paragraph was perfect in so many ways, from Teresa’s use of ‘gorget’, to the wonderfully TESish Saturalia ham, to the surprise we knew would dawn on Saya’s face. More importantly, it introduced the wonderful blending of Teresa’s emotions as her anger mixed with second thoughts and confusion over her own choices. Once again, we see Teresa being Teresa – even as she has learned and continues to learn so much. You’ve done a great job of portraying Saya as a competent but inexperienced battlemage. I hope her aggressiveness and willingness to dirty her lovely hands is properly channeled and not quashed; I suspect Pappy, along with T&T are just the right examples to learn from.

[Captain Hammer]

I'm with Acadian on the censor-detector-defeater, great wordplay. I'm also adding 'Slitch' to my Chorrol.com vocab. Call it redistribution of originality.

I would like to bring up an old topic, namely, Pappy. I get the Gunny Hartmann references, but I don't think that's the best fit.

Rather, I think he's Gunnery Sgt. Tom Highway, of Heartbreak Ridge. Why, you ask?

Pappy's a drinker. So is Highway. Pappy's a fighter. So is Highway. Pappy has the Grass Crown, highest military decoration in Tamriel. Highway's got a Medal of Honor, the equivalent. Pappy's got a record, but is too d@mn good to be fired or forced to resign. Similarly, Highway will stay in till he ages out, because he's that good. Pappy throws everything he can during training. So will Highway. Pappy wasn't just a formation fighter, but led troops hunting down outlaws as a legionary. Gunny Highway leads a Recon platoon, a very close equivalent.

Lastly, Gunny Highway looks a lot like that handsome devil Clint Eastwood, with is much closer to Pappy's appearance than R. Lee Ermey (no matter how handsome that man is, as well). Just saying.

But on to the actual raid. This whole sequence is handled with impressive pacing, great descriptive narrative, and insightful glimpses into Teresa's mind. After all, those who rage loudest against a given mistake are likely to be the ones to have done the same previously.

[hazmick]

Things have gotten a lot more exciting for Teresa since I've been away, finally everything seems to be going well for her...I just hope it lasts.

I'm loving the inclusion of the Winged Twilight, I always thought it strange that there were so many things to summon in Morrowind but in Oblivion everyone seemed to forget about them

I'm also loving the character of Storm-Tail, I think he's my new favourite character in Teresa's epic adventure and I wouldn't mind seeing more of him in later chapters (unless he is destined to die of course, in which case I'll raise a cup of nightshade tea in his honour )

[SubRosa]

haute ecole rider: Teresa is indeed a veteran now. Although I assure you her assumption of the mantle of pilus is only because other, more qualified members were not present to do it instead!

I am going to keep the doll reference, because I think more people will identify with that from playing with their pets.


King Coin: It did not occur to me how difficult it would be to aim a weapon that you could not see until I was writing those sentences. Then I realized that you have no crosshairs/aiming reference. You would have to rely purely upon your experience in using the weapon. Thankfully Teresa has had a lot of practice!

Teresa's scolding was a bit hypocritical. But then it is often the people who have made the same mistake, who are most critical of others doing it later. At least Teresa knows what she is talking about.


McBadgere: Kireteki's aerial maneuvers were fun to write. I was thinking of how some birds of prey will fold in their wings so they can drop down at great speed to attack an unwary victim below. Then snap out their wings to arrest their fall.


Grits: I keep thinking about trying to make Salamanders in Skyrim. I think the Ice Wraiths look perfect. All you would have to do is replace the ice effects for a fire one. Like that one spell that lets you summon a flaming familiar.

Did you notice that Saya's mace and shield work at the end was exactly the same as what Pappy used on her in her 'audition'? I wanted to show that Saya was indeed learning things, and putting them to good use. Sadly, she still has a lot to learn when it comes to teamwork and prudence...


Acadian: As much as I would love to, I cannot take the credit for "slitch". I got that from the old pen and paper RPG Shadowrun (one of the best RPGs I have ever played). That game had an incredibly deep and rich history and culture it created for the world. Among that were some excellent slang terms. I have also gotten "dreck" from there.


Captain Hammer: Pappy is mostly inspired by the fictional portrayal of Greg "Pappy" Boyington in the t.v. series Black Sheep Squadron. In spite of all of its over-the-topness at times, I admit I love that show. I think Robert Conrad did an excellent job of portraying a larger than life macho hero. I usually cannot stand those types. But he pulls it off with not only charisma, but a soft touch as well. For example, he says "please" and "thank you". Plus he is just a fun character.


hazmick: Good to see you back Haz. I hope you were not drinking any of that nightshade tea! The Winged Twilight has been a lot of fun to write. I always loved them in Morrowind. Like you I was disappointed that they were left out of Oblivion. It would have been nice to have a daedra or two you could summon who were not out to destroy the world.


Previously On Teresa Of The Faint Smile: The Fighters Guild resumed their attack upon the goblin settlement last episode. During the fighting, Teresa witnessed Saya breaking formation to pursue the goblin shaman down a side passage. Fearing Saya was going to get herself killed, Teresa followed. She was just in time to save the Dunmer from being killed by two goblins who were sneaking up behind the battlemage while Saya was dueling with the goblin shaman. Saya finished off the shaman with her mace, only to learn of the trap she had nearly fallen into when Teresa showed her the dead goblins at her back. Afterward Teresa hastily took them back to the main chamber to rejoin the others, scolding Saya from leaving her teammates.


Chapter 43.17 – Hand of Fire

The fighting was over by the time they returned to the central chamber. Pappy's salamander roamed the edges of the cavern, cruising like a slaughterfish looking for a meal. Kireteki too, hovered in mid air, and swooped down to join Saya as soon as the battlemage stepped into view. The other fighters stood in a group near the center of the chamber. Several were bent down on one knee, and seemed to be clustered around a supine form. Teresa bit her lip once more, and raced past Saya. Please Mara, don't let it be Tadrose laying there, she thought. Let it be anyone but her.

Teresa breathed easier when she saw it was Storm-Tail who lay on the stones. His elven armor was scorched and blackened, and had been stripped from his left arm. The scales there had been burned black, and the Argonian's face was covered in what the wood elf hoped was only soot.

Teresa felt a pit yawn open in her stomach. Just a moment before she had been wishing for it to be anyone but her lover there stretched out in the dirt. Now she wondered what kind of person that made her, to hope for another person to suffer?

"Where in Oblivion have you been?" Pappy growled as the two women approached. He rose to his feet, and stalked toward the pair like a hungry lion.

"I was trying to keep our battlemage from getting killed," Teresa muttered, looking from Storm-Tail to Pappy.

"Undur Kurv!" Morghak spat in the dirt. "You ran out on us." The orc shoved past the guild commander, and for a moment Teresa thought that the green warrior was about to pounce upon her. But the Orisimer stepped past the forester and grabbed hold of Saya's mithril cuirass with one meaty paw. Her other hand cocked back into a fist.

Kireteki was quicker however, and clamped her long claws down upon Morghak's wrist. Blood seeped through the joints in the orc's armor, but the mer did not make a sound, or loosen her grip upon the summoner. The Daedra raised a wing to sweep across Morghak's face, and Teresa found one of her daggers in her hand, ready to bury itself in the Winged Twilight's armpit.

"That's enough!" Pappy barked. He stepped into the near melee, and shoved Orisimer, Dunmer, and Daedra apart with a great heave. Valerius and Chance leapt forward to help pull Morghak back, and Pappy turned his attention to Saya.

"You keep that thing in check," Pappy growled as his eyes flicked to the Winged Twilight, then back again to the battlemage. "Or I will. I've got a man down because you weren't here to back us up with magical support. "

"But I killed the shaman!" Saya protested. "You're the one who told me to go after her, and nothing else!"

"I didn't tell you to run off like some damn jekosiit!" Pappy growled back in her face. "You never, ever, leave the team. Do you understand that? We all stand together, or we fall apart. Now get over there and make yourself useful, and heal Storm-Tail."

"But I-"

"Not another word," Pappy stepped aside and pointed a finger to where Storm-Tail lay. Teresa now saw that Tadrose knelt beside the Argonian, and realized that she had not left his side during the ruckus. "We'll talk about this later."

The battlemage visibly fumed, but said nothing. She strode to where Storm-Tail lay as if she owned the mine, and knelt down beside him. Reaching out with one glowing hand, she laid it upon his arm, and the Argonian's body filled with white light. She knelt there for long minutes and poured her energy into Storm-Tail's withered flesh. In time she drew away with a sigh, and wobbled unsteadily. Kireteki was instantly there, and eased Saya down to a sitting position.

Teresa felt an odd sense of satisfaction at the Dunmer's exhaustion. She was a trained battlemage - a graduate of the Arcane University - and still healing others took a toll upon her stamina. A glance back to Storm-Tail dispelled that line of thought however. For the Argonian had opened his eyes and now looked around. His scales practically gleamed in Teresa's night eye-enhanced vision, and seemed as whole and healthy as ever.

She knew that she could never have healed someone with injuries as bad as Storm-Tail's had been. She simply lacked the magicka. With potions to restore her energy perhaps, but only after a long time…

Still, she was glad that the Argonian was better. That was all that really mattered after all.

"The mage?" The taciturn Argonian asked, his eyes moving from Tadrose to Pappy.

"Taken care of son," Pappy replied. The Colovian laid a gentle hand on the Argonian's shoulder. "How you feeling?"

"This one feels ready to pull the ears off a swamp troll," Storm-Tail smiled. It was an expression that made many people flinch, as it bared his array of pointed teeth in a grim rictus.

"Well, goblins will have to do," Tadrose laughed and slapped the Argonian on his armored back. He rose to his feet with the help of the vice-commander's arm. She handed him his curved Akaviri sword, and brushed the dust from his elven panoply.

The others crowded around to add their voices, and friendly pats, in congratulation. Vincent made a crack about Argonian barbecue, which elicited groans all around. Then finally Pappy broke it up and was all business again.

"Alright you meatheads," he said. "We still got a mine to clear out. I see almost a dozen side passages here. I'll bet you septims to sausages that there's still goblins hiding back in them. We're gonna split up into twos clean 'em out. Riveus, Teresa, Saya, you three stay here and make sure none of them fetchers get past us. Storm-Tail, you head up and check on Josse, then tell the Lady's agent that he can come down and get to work."

"This one can fight," Storm-Tail argued, placing his hands on his hips in a defiant posture. "Storm-Tail needs no coddling."

"I know, I know," Pappy nodded, holding his hands up to mollify the young fighter. Then he put an arm around the shorter Argonian's shoulder, and led him toward the tunnel leading back to the surface. "But I need to make sure there aren't more goblins sneaking around out there and bushwhacking Josse. He's an old man you know, and not all there upstairs." Pappy winked and tapped his forehead with a finger. "And that Maesa, he's a porcelain princess. One look at a live goblin and he'll probably fill his silk stockings with shite. But if anything happens to him, no one's gonna want to hire us again. So I need you to stick to him like sugar to a Khajiit's tongue, and make sure nothing happens to him. Our guild is depending on you."

Teresa smiled faintly as the youthful fighter walked off, undoubtedly fully convinced in the paramount importance of his mission. Had she ever been so naïve? Probably worse, she snorted. Then Tadrose put an arm around her, and all thoughts of the Argonian evaporated from her mind.

"Are you sure you'll be alright going into those tunnels by twos?" Teresa said as she leaned into the dark elf.

"It will be fine," the vice-commander smiled reassuringly. "There will only be a few stragglers left by now. Besides, those passages are narrow, more fighters would likely just get in one another's way."

"Let's move it people," Pappy groused as he walked back to the others. "We're not getting paid by the hour."

"I will see you in a little while." Tadrose withdrew her arm, and took a step away.

By some impulse that surprised even herself, Teresa reached out to take hold of the dark elf's arm once more. She leaned forward, and kissed the other woman gently on the lips. "For luck," the forester smiled.

"Who hoo!" The hoot erupted from Vincent, who was staring at the pair along with Chance. The Breton held out his hand, palm open. The Redguard said nothing. He merely shook his head and passed a handful of copper coins to the shorter man.

Teresa shook her head as well, and stepped away from Tadrose. The wood elf watched as the vice-commander and Valerius strode to one of the tunnels and vanished within. Teresa hoped that they would find nothing inside. Only then did it occur to her that she had made love to both of them. In fact, they were half of all the lovers she had ever had in her life.

By Dibella, what a strange thing was that?

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Aug 27 2012, 04:49 PM

[hazmick]

Good to be back, you know me: nightshade tea all round!

Poor Storm-Tail! You had me worried for a moment there but I'm glad to see he's alright. Saya might have the university education but she needs to learn to do as she's told if she's going to stick around with the guild (which I hope she is).

[haute ecole rider]

I had to smile at your comment about Teresa and that pilus mantle! Of course, that's exactly how one becomes pilus, because there is no one else around to do it!

I am going to keep the doll reference, because I think more people will identify with that from playing with their pets.

I respect your decision, as you are obviously writing for the audience. I only pointed out that a rat (or some other vermin) might be a more appropriate metaphor since it is not clear from your world-buliding if spoiled pets are common, or if dogs are used more as working animals (as they typically were in much of the medieval world). I took the latter approach, and if you are using the former approach (where pets are more common among middle and lower class folks, rather than being limited strictly to upper class women as lap companions), then your reference is perfect!

Now on to the latest installment. I'm glad Pappy ripped both Teresa and Saya, and that he was able to break up the battlemage, Daedra and Orc as he did. If he hadn't, I hate to think what would have happened!

I'm with hazmick there - you had me guessing about Storm-Tail's fate. Whew! I'm glad Saya did come through in the end. But I agree that she has to learn to get over her stupid pride and self-centeredness and focus more on her team-members. Else she might find herself facing a horde of goblins by her lonesome self.

That last paragraph made me think. Hmm, I only count three? Whom am I missing? I recall Nerussa of Weye Inn, am I forgetting Methredhel perhaps? Interesting that half of all her lovers should be working together in the same tunnel. I'm with Teresa there!

By Dibella, what a strange thing was that?

[SubRosa]

That last paragraph made me think. Hmm, I only count three? Whom am I missing? I recall Nerussa of Weye Inn, am I forgetting Methredhel perhaps?

Teresa never hit Methredhel. She did get busy with Nerussa of course, then Valerius, Aela, and finally Tadrose.

[Grits]

First things first: I counted Aela as number three, but I would have missed Tadrose since I didn’t think they’d done the deed yet. Oops.

Pappy was awesome throughout. I love the orcish and Khajiiti (I’m guessing) swear words! It didn’t take long for Teresa to start kicking herself and feeling envious of Saya’s education. And the fallen Storm-Tail provided the focus for both.

I was relieved to see Strom-Tail healed. I really like him. The toothy, rictus grin made me hoot with appreciation, Vincent-style. Outstanding! Teresa thinking of him as the “youthful fighter” made me smile. She has come a long way.

I also applaud Saya’s healing. She may be a haughty slitch, but she has the skills!

[Acadian]

’Let it be anyone but her.’
How well you’ve developed Teresa over the years I’ve been privileged to know her. As soon as this thought left her worried mind, I knew she would quickly regret it. And you very soon proved me right.

Pappy was great throughout, and I’m still entranced by Saya’s protective summon.

I really liked your description of Saya’s healing, especially how she was drained and wobbly after. I’m so glad that Storm-Tail was healable.

'I'll bet you septims to sausages that there's still goblins hiding back in them.'
Loved this ‘dollars to donuts’ adaptation!

The light touch you used surrounding the obvious bet between Vincent and Chance was just perfect. Let us smile and imagine the exact details of their wager!

Well, here’s hoping that Tadrose is right and that only stragglers remain.

Nit:
‘So I need you to stick to him sugar to a Khajiit's tongue,’
I suspect you wanted the word ‘like’ before ‘sugar’?