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

[haute ecole rider]

I loved that Julian recognized Teresa from that so-brief visit at Weynon Priory a lifetime ago! Cool!

Simplicia's concern for Teresa's activities remind me of my own mother, especially when first my older sister, then I, went away to college and came home drinkin' and swearin'! "I did not pay tuition so you could learn how to drink and swear!"

The reference to Astav Wirich's passing in the cellar of Luther's tickled me no end!

It's wonderfully perceptive of Teresa to notice the Amulet. I wonder if the brief time she held it affected her. Of course, it's kind of hard to miss.

[Acadian]

This was great! I loved how you anchored the whole story with Teresa and Simplicia. Yes, Simplica was understandably concerned for Teresa, and yes, Teresa stumbled trying to explain her bandit loot. I was impressed however by Teresa as she explained to Simplicia that she could no longer be meek and keep her head down - wisely put for one so young. I was even more impressed by Teresa as she explained to Simplicia that the 'royal party' passing by did indeed matter, and why. Beautifully done, SubRosa!

It was wonderful, as always, to see Julian again in this segment.


A nit, perhaps?

"I'm doing good now, and I want you to do good to.

My guess is that by the bolded 'to', you mean as in 'also'; therefore I would think you want 'too'.

[Destri Melarg]

I fell in love with Simplicia in this chapter. She reminds me of my grandmother, the woman who raised me and went to bed hungry so that my brother and I didn’t have to. The woman who was there with a small handful of folded money, a sandwich and a hot bowl of soup, or a warm bed and blanket for anyone who needed it, yet who constantly refused help even when offered simply because she refused to be a burden to anyone.

Experiencing the Oblivion Crisis second hand like this, through Teresa’s perspective, is just great. I am in awe of your use of the little subtle details like the ‘two Redguards who killed the poor Breton’, or the absence of the Amulet of Kings and the use of the dispatch stations to change horses en route to the IC while quaffing Restore Fatigue potions . . . inspired writing, ‘Rosa!

[Winter Wolf]

The memory of this chapter stays with one long after it is read. The believability of the characters and the sweeping vision of the crowd scene is what makes the heart of it tick. Bravo!

Simplicia just oozes a realness here that was a delight to read. She was not going to move and even a bargepole would not have shifted her position. And the more Teresa got upset the more her feet became set. Fantastic!!

Strangely, I came across Simplicia last night while I was playing Oblivion. She had her back to me in the Market District and refused to get out of my way. If I turned left, she blocked me, if I turned right, she was there again. I had the strong urge to just pick her up and place her down on the sidewalk!!
Please ask Teresa to have a word with her, would you? I have my shopping to do.

The part with Julian was so wonderful. I cannot wait to see how Haute finishes the MQ in her story.
The 'Hero of Kvatch' title does seem to fit our delightful Redguard.

This post has been edited by Winter Wolf: Jun 29 2010, 07:03 AM

[Olen]

Excellent part, I echo Wolf's comments on the believability of the characters, they all seemed completly real with perfectly done reactions in this part. Simplicia was just excellent, everyone must know someone like that and Teresa's reactions felt so real.

The comments about Luther Broad's brings the setting to life too.

And we got Julian, that part was a real treat.

[SubRosa]

haute ecole rider: Thank you h.e.o. Simplicia is where Teresa gets her stubbornness from. Teresa carried the Amulet of Kings for a week, so its something that she is quite aware of. Not mention as you said, it is hard to miss being so huge! We will see more about he effects of her being an amulet-bearer in the future...


Acadian: Thank you Acadian. That was a scene that showcased several of the changes in Teresa's attitudes. Her self-confidence, her temper, and her changing feeling toward authority figures.


Destri Melarg: Thank you Dest. I was never satisfied with the treatment I gave Simplicia in the original version. I wanted to give her more depth, to make her feel more real. She is the most important person in Teresa's life after all.

I am also glad you liked the little bits of second-hand info about the Oblivion Crisis, delivered in the same way ordinary people would learn them. That is also something I have been aiming for.


Winter Wolf: Thank you o frozen Wolf. I am glad the extra work I put into Simplicia worked for you. You just need to give her some money in the game!


Olen: Thank you Olen. Julian does have one more cameo next chapter, and it will be her largest part in the TF to date.


All: Now for some manly killing, and we meet the man this chapter is named after.


* * *

Chapter 11c - The Knight of Swords

The sight of a legionary gave her pause however. Wearing the dark plate of all his brethren, he towered higher than ordinary Imperials, taller than most orcs or Nords even. Icy blue eyes flashed from the recess of his plumed helmet, and now Teresa did freeze. She knew those eyes. They had been etched upon her memory since childhood. Even now she could still see that gauntleted fist smashing across her face, feel the crack of a tooth breaking loose from her jaw, and taste the warm, salty blood that filled her mouth afterward.

"It's that fetcher Volsinius," Simplicia muttered darkly from beside her. Somehow hearing the older woman's voice snapped Teresa back into motion. Blinking hard to wipe the image from her mind, she resolutely strode forward. She was not going to allow some thug to scare her, she told herself, never again.

Making a point to ignore the legionary, she led Simplicia to Jensine's 'Good As New' Merchandise, pausing there to let the older woman open the door for her. She was aware of Volsinius hovering near, and could feel that frozen stare of his upon the back of her neck. Let him stare, she thought to herself, she was not a child anymore, and was not going to be frightened by childhood hobgoblins.

The interior of Jensine's shop was spacious and brightly lit by glowstones. The stone walls were lined with shelves and racks of merchandise. Clothing, tools, tableware, furniture, even a few weapons and pieces of armor filled the shop. A glass counter stood near the front door, its innards filled with jewelry, curios, and even a magicka gem that glowed from the energy stored within it. Jensine had a little bit of everything, Teresa found herself thinking as she walked to the counter.

Behind the counter stood Jensine herself. She was tall for a human, with a solid frame clad in worn linen. Her green eyes were set within a face worn by time and troubles, and her red hair was so dark that it was nearly brown. She was talking to a brown-haired Bosmer near the back of the store. He wore simple clothing of flax, and was taking candles from a small crate and arranging them onto a shelf. It was Gelephor, Teresa knew, the night watchman from the warehouse next door. She had seen him often enough in the shops along the arcade. The only other person in the store was a Redguard whom the forester had never seen before, looking over the silver cups and pitchers that lined one shelf.

Screenshot

Screenshot

Jensine turned at the sound of the door. A scowl dropped away from her face, to be replaced by a warm smile. "Simplicia!" she exclaimed, "has that girl of yours come back yet?"

"She just got back this morning," Teresa said dryly, setting her bags down on the floor beside the counter. The shopkeeper gave her a blank stare as she looked her up and down. Then the human's features lit up in surprise.

"Teresa? is that you?" Jensine cried, "you look so different!"

The wood elf could feel her cheeks color with warmth, and stared down at the floor. Had she really changed that much? she wondered. Then with a faint smile she lifted her eyes back to Jensine's. It was more a question of how much she had not changed, rather than how much she had.

"That's my girl alright!" Simplicia's voice rang out from beside her. Even Teresa could not fail to note the pride on the old Imperial's voice. "I told you, she's an explorer now she is. All fancy in her leather, out there in the woods making potions."

"Well it's good to see you doing so well!" Jensine exclaimed. "If you need more henna for your hair let me know. I got some in a few days ago." Then her voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper, and she leaned closer to the wood elf. "I've got plenty of silphium too," she winked, "with that hair, you'll probably be needing it."

Now Teresa blushed again. She knew all about silphium, Methredhel and Adanrel had been taking it for years to keep from getting in a family way. But that was hardly ever a problem for her!

"I, um, have some things to sell that I found in the woods," Teresa tried to quickly change the subject. Lifting the elven body shield to the counter, she set it gently upon the wooden top.

"You found this in-" Jensine's voice was suddenly cut off as the door burst open and a Khajiit ran in, his eyes wide with terror. The source of his fear became evident a moment later, as a nightmare leaped through the doorway behind him. Covered in brown scales, the massive creature's head was long and narrow, and reminded Teresa of an Argonian's. Only Argonians did not have razor sharp teeth that were half a foot long. Nor did they have feet adorned with similar wickedly-edged claws, nor tails crowned with spikes.

A daedroth! Teresa realized, having seen plenty of them at Bruma. She stared in horror as the Daedric beast pounced upon the Khajiit, slamming the poor man face-down into the floor. Its foreclaws raked across the man's back, and he screamed in a high-pitched voice as chunks of flesh and bone were torn free. He went silent a moment later, as the monster's massive jaws dipped low and locked around his throat.

Teresa knew that she should do something. She should draw her bow, she thought, string it, nock an arrow, and shoot. Yet her body was frozen in place. All she could do was stare as her stomach churned at the sight of the Khajiit's head being ripped from his shoulders. Then the daedroth rose from the corpse and looked directly at her and Simplicia.

Now the wood elf found she could move again, and pushed the older Imperial behind her. She knew that she could never string her bow in time to use it. The handle of the Dwemer mace poked from the open top of one of the bags near her feet. She wondered if she would be able to reach it before the daedroth was upon her?

The sound of metal clanking against metal came to Teresa's ears, and then Volsinius was in the doorway. His arming sword was already in his hand, and its brilliant, silvery blade stained with dark liquid along its length. He only paused a moment to take in the scene, then sprang into action as the daedroth moved forward. Charging up behind the Daedra, his sword darted forward even as it reached out for Teresa. The monster stiffened as the legionary's blade pierced the back of its skull, and collapsed to the floor in front of the forester a moment later.

The shop erupted in a bedlam of screams and shouts as Volsinius turned from the daedroth and faced the open doorway. Teresa remained silent however. Her bow stave was in her hand now, and her fingers drew forth a string from a pouch at her waist. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a bright red-orange glow outside the shop. She knew what that was, she had seen it at Bruma as well. An Oblivion Gate!


***
I do not have an in-game screenshot, but I have always pictured Ray Stevenson as playing Vols, except with blond hair and blue eyes.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jul 11 2010, 10:02 PM

[D.Foxy]

Damn.

You got it in one, girl. Yep, he looks the part...though of course Vols would be older, and more lined in the face.

Hmmm...you made Vols have a far different entry than the last story. Interesting. Let's see if you can get the same intensity here that you achieved then...


...waiting for your next post!

[haute ecole rider]

Yup, that's the way I always pictured Vols, only with a slightly broader face (i.e. a little more Slavic).

This is a different start to the Oblivion Crisis, and much more effective. It shows how things can change from the mundane, happy times to sheer horror in literally a blink of an eye.

I'm waiting to see how the rest of the Crisis plays out!

[Acadian]

This was great!

Wonderful, almost majestic opening description of Volsinius.

What really struck me in this story was your economy of words. At one point I was marveling at the detail you provided inside Jensine's shop. Yet, after finishing the story, I find I myself amazed how much ground you covered - - without the slightest sense of rushing the story. Very well done!

Teresa knew exactly what a Daedroth and Oblivion Gate were because she had seen them at Bruma - beautiful touch.

[Winter Wolf]

I always loved this chapter from Beth and I still do!
It is brutal and to the point, you lavish us with just the right amount of detail.

Ahh Vols. Welcome back.

I loved the reference to childhood hobgoblins. Was that in the original? It seems to slip my mind for some reason.

[Olen]

Well you introduce Vols interestingly, I'm fascinated to see how you develop him. You've certainly introduced him in the thick of it, just when I felt a pause for breath coming on you have a daedric invasion of the IC. Good detail with the daedroth ripping the bloke apart.

Again you demonstrate how far Teresa has come but you moved it subtlly enough that its hard to place a finger on any major turn in her character (with the possible exception of meeting the Emperor though even then is was more in the mind and liad foundations...). Simplicia's pride after complining in private fits her character perfectly too.

A nit?!
Charging up behind the Daedra, his sword - an obsessive might point out at this juncture that strictly 'Daedra' is plural and 'Daedroth' singular but seeing as this conflicts with the name of an individual variety I can see why you used daedra as singular, however I'm less sure about the capitalisation (I wouldn't have noticed but the whole singular/plural thing drew my attention from the shop (where it had been firmly lodged)).

[Remko]

You, my dear, are truly a miracle worker. Loved the little hint to the Breton killed by Baurus. I also adore the depth you have given Simplicia.

[SubRosa]

D.Foxy: Thank you Fox.


haute ecole rider: Thank you h.e.o. I wanted to make the beginning of the attack seem really sudden and unexpected. I am glad it worked.


Acadian: Thank you Acadian. You know me, the soul of brevity. It is funny, now that she has read Varieties of Daedra, and seen the battle at Bruma, Teresa is something of an expert on Daedra now. At least the ones of Marooned Dragon.


Winter Wolf: Thank you wolf. The hobgoblins are a new reference, to go with the new scene of Teresa and Simplicia seeing Vols lurking outside of Jensine's.


Olen: Thank you Olen. I go for slow and steady with character development, showing a little bit at a time, precisely so I can get that sense you mentioned, of it being hard to point out just one moment where things change.

I am not using daedroth as a term meaning all daedra, as that is just confusing. The differences in capitalizations are part of the style sheet I have developed for writing ES, it goes with how I do Bosmer and wood elf, etc... At the Beth forums we had a topic devoted to sounding off questions and ideas about how to do things like that. here it is. It might be a good idea to start one here.


Remko: Thank you Rem. I am glad Simplicia is feeling real, working on that has been one of my goals in Teresa 2.0.


All: Next, Teresa finds herself in a desperate battle to survive the end of the Oblivion Crisis.

* * *

Chapter 11d - The Knight of Swords

Just as she finished stringing her bow, a mob of Daedra came pushing through the door. Unlike the giant daedroth, these were little runts, barely half Teresa's height and even skinnier. Their brown bodies were hairless, and reminded Teresa of goblins with their pointed ears and deformed features. Yet goblins did not have rat-like tails, nor hooked claws on their fingers.

"Damn scamps!" Volsinius cried out, striding into the mass of creatures. His bright sword chopped into the nearest, severing one of its bony arms in a smooth motion. That is when Teresa noticed that the blade of his sword was not made of steel, but rather of a bright, silvery metal. Mithril! she realized. She had seen the battlemages of the army wearing mail of the same material. Yet she could only recall of a few foot soldiers carrying weapons made of it. The centurions, with their transverse-crested helmets, and a few others who otherwise looked the same as any other legionary.

Two more of the monsters leapt upon Volsinius, their clawed fingers scratching ineffectually across the dark steel plate that girded his muscular frame. Dropping his sword, the soldier grasped one by the neck and smashed it against the wall. The creature hit so hard that its skull burst open against the stone, draping the wall with black blood as its body slid to the floor.

Teresa had an arrow in her hand then, and set it to the nock even as another of the creatures sprang at her. There was no time to think, or aim. She simply drew and loosed. The creature jerked in mid-air as the fletchings of her arrow sprouted from its shoulder. A moment later it landed heavily upon her. The forester shoved it off of her as it weakly grabbed for her torso with its good arm, and she reached for another arrow.

Simplicia's scream brought her around. One of the scamps had cornered the old woman against the counter, and was tearing at the long skirt she wore. Blood stained the Daedra's claws, even as the beggar pounded upon its head with her closed fists.

Teresa felt her blood boil at the sight. Ignoring the scamp at her feet, she turned and drew her bow to half tension, sighting in on the torso of the little monster. She felt a tugging at her legs, and heard something tear. She paid it no heed. Letting half of the air from her lungs, Teresa pulled the string back to her cheek and loosed. The scamp attacking Simplicia jerked as the arrow drilled through its heart, then fell still.

Teresa looked down to see the first scamp tearing at the leather and hide on her legs with its good arm. The enchanted armor flashed yellow with every strike of its claws, but was slowly unraveling under its assault.

Her heart, already racing, doubled its pace as she stared at the malformed features of the monster so near to her. Trying to jerk it loose, she kicked and flailed at the creature, feeling panic rise within her. It clung on like a tick however, and as she stared a ball of fire erupted from its slender fingers and washed over her legs. The forester gritted her teeth and screwed her eyes shut, anticipating the agony to come. Yet she did not feel a thing. Opening her eyes, she found that the leather sheathing her legs was not even singed by the Daedra's magical fire.

Then its skull dissolved under the bronze head of the Dwemer mace. Looking up, Teresa saw Jensine standing next to her with the weapon in hand. The screech of another scamp came from near the doorway, as Volsinius pinned it to the wall with his shield and used his long, triangular-bladed dagger to grisly effect upon its wiry frame. It fell silent a moment later, and the legionary allowed its corpse to drop motionless to the floor.

Now the shop went silent, but for the clanking of armor and gasps for breath by its mortal inhabitants. Looking around, Teresa saw that the scamps had either fled or been killed. Volsinius quickly moved to the door and slammed it shut. The immediate threat over, Teresa knelt on the floor beside Simplicia.

"How bad is it?" she murmured, biting her lower lip as she gingerly lifted the torn strands of dirty flax from the old woman's legs. Her heart lurched at the sight of the bloody claw marks that raked across the old woman's wrinkled flesh.

"Oh, I've had worse from rats," the beggar said. Yet Teresa could not fail to notice how the Imperial had to force the jaunty words from clenched teeth, nor could she miss the grimace that crossed the old woman's features.

"I can make some healing potions," Teresa said, shucking the pack from her back and digging for her mortar and pestle. "Just give me a few minutes."

"No," Simplicia said, her voice hard as iron now. "Save that for something worse."

Then Jensine was kneeling beside the two of them, and her thick fingers effortlessly tore up the already ruined bottom of Simplicia's skirt into bandages. "You go help the others with the door," the shopkeeper said to Teresa, nodding toward the men who were now piling tables, chairs, and even shelves against the entrance. "I'll take care of our lady friend here."

* * *

"That barricade is not going to hold for long," Teresa said in a quiet voice, eyeing the furniture and dead scamps piled at the entrance of the shop. As if to underscore her point, the door buckled as something that must have been large and heavy crashed against it from the other side. Reaching into the quiver at her hip with a creak of leather, the pale Bosmer drew forth an arrow and set it upon her longbow.

"If you have any armor or weapons, you had better get them now," Volsinius said as he stepped closer to the barricade and raised his sword and shield. The legionary was clad from head to toe in armor plate, and his heavy steps came with a clangor of steel on steel. Yet somehow his motions were not as ponderous as Teresa would expect from someone in so much metal. She could hardly imagine even being able to walk in it, let alone fight, yet he made it seem effortless. "I'll hold them off as long as I can, but just in case..."

Teresa still could not believe that Volsinius had just saved her life. It made her feel strange to think that way about the legionary. Yet here he was, the monster from her childhood, fighting for her very life.

"Go through Teresa's stuff, its filled with bandit armor and weapons." Simplicia cried, hobbling to where the sacks of loot still lay against the counter. Upending them, she spilled cuirasses of hide and leather across the floor, along with greaves, gauntlets, axes, and maces.

Teresa watched as the beggar and the others in the shop began picking up pieces of armor and hurried to put them on. They looked as confounded by the buckles and straps as she had been the first time she had to put on her own armor. The bard's stories always made it sound easy, but in reality armor was not something you could slip into as like a pair of breeches.

Teresa was thankful for her own bandit-style hide and leather armor. It might be revealing, but the Fire Shield that Morcant had enchanted it with had already proven its worth against the scamps. Thank goodness she had come across the Witch, she thought, otherwise where would she be?

That made her think of the tarot reading the Bosmer magician had done for her. The Tower, the Daedric Prince, Death. The cards rose in her memory, grimly echoed by the scene of horror within Jensine's shop. She had hoped that the reading had been about the Battle of Bruma, that it had all been over.

Yet as she looked at Volsinius, the image of the Knight of Swords also came to her mind. "This aids you," the Witch's voice floated in her memory. "A powerful fighter, who will be at your side when you need him most."

With that thought the planks in the center of the door burst inward, creating a fist-sized hole in the wood. Teresa thought she could see something dark and scaly through the opening. A moment later a great beak chomped into the edge of the aperture and tore another chunk of wood loose, widening the breach.

"Step aside," Teresa found herself saying to Volsinius as she moved up to the barricade. The legionary briefly turned to face her, and she was not sure if she should be pleased with the look of surprise within the Y-shaped slit in his helmet or not. But he did move aside as she raised her longbow and pulled it to half tension. Still, he held his sword and shield at the ready.

Letting out half of her breath, Teresa carefully sighted her arrow on the breach. Then she pulled the waxed string back to her cheek and loosed. A feathered shaft blossomed from the hole, and a hiss of what could only be pain issued from the other side of the door.

Wasting no time, Teresa drew forth another arrow and sent it chasing after the first. Now the shafts of both missiles vanished as they were pulled through the opening by whatever they were lodged within. The hissing stopped, and a loud thump came from the other side of the door.

"By Talos I think you killed it!" Volsinius declared, and turned once more to look at Teresa. This time it was with what she took to be grudging admiration. "You certainly have come a long way from that little street urchin stealing sweet rolls."

"You remembered that?" Teresa was stunned. She had thought he did not recognize her anymore, not after dyeing her hair red and starting her new life as a forester.

"Of course I remember," the soldier said, "oh you threw me for a while with the hair, but I always remember a face."

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Nov 24 2010, 09:44 PM

[D.Foxy]

HELL YEAH!!!

That final dialogue...it was the one from the first story, and one of the pieces I abSOLUTELY loved...

aaaaannd IT'S BACK AGAIN!!! yEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

:thumbsup:

[haute ecole rider]

Way to go, Vols, Teresa, Jensine, and Simplicia!

Let's get the one nit out of the way:

Teresa had an arrow in her hand then, and set it to the nock even as another of the creature's sprang at her.

An apostrophe ambushed your creatures here.

Teresa felt her blood boil at the sight.

Do I know the feeling! It is what spurs us into action.

Then its skull dissolved under the bronze head of the Dwemer mace. Looking up, Teresa saw Jensine standing next to her with the weapon in hand.

Yay, Jensine!

You have recaptured the sheer tension and exhilaration and fast pace of the Crisis here. I truly enjoyed this rewrite - it is much tighter and quicker-paced than before.

[Acadian]

The action was immersive and heartpounding.

Buffy, sitting safely on my shoulder and reading along, shuddered when she realized that was a CLANNFEAR trying to get into the shop! Nice shooting, Teresa!

Lots of nice little touches, including the due you gave to donning body armor.

Reviewing the source of Teresa's own armor was a nice touch and fit beautifully with the way you tied the tarot cards from Morcant into the story. It was at that point, and with more than a faint smile, that I realized the full meaning of the wonderful name you gave this chapter. Knight of Swords, indeed.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, you finished by letting us know that Vols really did remember his encounter with the very young Teresa.

Fabulous!

This post has been edited by Acadian: Jul 2 2010, 06:54 PM

[Olen]

That was quite a part, one of the best I'd go so far as to say. Pleanty of action but also a lot of charactery stuff and all seamless, I echo Acadian's comment on how well tieing her armour into leading to the tarot and Morcant worked.

Its skull dissolved

That image really worked for me, I could see the bone blood and grey goo fly...

That's a powerful ending you gave it too, and a double cliffy. Not only is she barricaded in a shop with hordes of daedra outside but there's some juicy interaction to come too.

[SubRosa]

D.Foxy: Thank you Fox. That line was very important, as so much of the interaction between Vols and Teresa for the rest of this chapter (both spoken and especially unspoken), stems from it.


haute ecole rider: Thank you h.e.o. I put a lot more action into this chapter, and I hope the fast pace will keep it from feeling redundant after a while.

Also thank you for rescuing my creatures from that nasty apostrophe. Probably one of those snooty Alessian Orderists trying for force itself into my nice, elven word.

Jensine is going to keep that mace for defending her shop. I can already see where it will figure into later chapters.


Acadian: Thank you Acadian. That last segment, and this next one, are where it becomes apparent that Vols is indeed the Knight of Swords from Morcant's prophecy. In fact this is where many things began in that chapter with Morcant finally reach fruition.


Olen: Thank you Olen. As I am sure you noticed, I tend to keep the action to a minimum so it has a greater impact when it does happen. I also like to use it for character development whenever possible.

I am glad people like that line about Jensine killing the scamp. I was channeling years of watching anime into that visual!


Next: More Daedra, and more interaction between Teresa and her unexpected knight.

* * *

Chapter 11e - The Knight of Swords

Then the door buckled under another crash, and completely disintegrated after a second. What looked almost like a man stood in the entrance of the shop. He wore some sort of monstrous-looking metal armor that was rust red and covered with spikes and sharp ridges. In one hand he carried a jagged sword, and in the other a kite-shaped shield. His head was bare, exposing ashen skin and a pair of horns that rose up from his forehead. His eyes were fiery slits that scanned the room before falling upon Teresa.

"Your spine will be my trophy Bosmer!" His voice sent a chill through Teresa, sounding more like razor blades scraping against bare metal than the speech of a living being.

"A dremora!" Volsinius hissed, moving in front of Teresa with his shield up. His mithril sword was held low at his hip, edge parallel to the ground and point forward to stab.

"Give me room to shoot!" Teresa shouted, trying to push the legionary aside with her shoulder. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and every sane part of her was screaming at her to run. But something within her that was cold as Skyrim and hard as steel had risen up to steady her nerves and drive her on, as it always did in times like this

Volsinius moved aside while Teresa drew an arrow from the quiver at her hip. Clutching its shaft near the point, she drew hear arm across her waist to where a small jar hung on her left hip. Popping off the stopper with her thumb, she thrust the arrow into its open mouth and drew it back a moment later, leaving an inky paste smeared over the steel head.

By then the dremora had kicked a path through the corpse and furniture barricade and was charging forward. Teresa brought her bow to full tension in one smooth motion. There was no time to aim. She saw the fiery eyes of the monster in front of her, and simply loosed.

Then something large and unyielding shoved against her shoulder and sent her sprawling to the floor. Teresa heard the crash of metal on metal behind her, and when she turned her head and looked up she saw that Volsinius was standing where she had been an instant before, shield raised high to deflect the dremora's blade. If it had not been for him, she would have been standing there instead, she realized, and would probably have that sword buried in her skull.

As she watched, the legionary punched forward not with his sword, but with his shield. The dremora staggered, and Volsinius' arming sword darted forward like a serpent, striking low at the creature's belly. But the monster regained his balance quick enough to lower his shield and deflect the blow that would have gutted him. A second later it sent its own sword crashing once more into Volsinius' shield. Teresa could do nothing but stare in wonder. From where she lay on the floor they seemed more like a pair of gods trading blows than a mortal man and a monster.

The cold fury within Teresa did not allow her to stare for long however, and her fingers wrapped themselves around her bow. Scrambling to her feet, she reached for another arrow when the dremora suddenly slumped over forward, dropping his weapon and clutching at his midsection. His lips moved as if to speak, but no sound came out.

Volsinius did not spare a moment. He stepped forward and thrust the tip of his sword directly into the exposed flesh where the dremora's neck met his shoulder. A fountain of blood erupted from the terrible wound, yet the Daedra still made no sound. With a flip of his wrist that looked almost effortless, Volsinius tore out the rest of the monster's throat with his blade, and it finally crashed to the floor of the shop at his feet.

"I never landed a real hit till he doubled over like that," the legionary said, tapping his sword against the shaft of the arrow rising from the dremora's breastplate. "What's in that stuff?"

"Nightshade root," Teresa answered as she prepared her next arrow with the poison. "I was not sure if it would work on that thing."

"Good thing you were at point-blank range," Volsinius observed. "Its armor looks strong."

Teresa nodded as she poisoned another arrow and set it to the nock of her longbow. Simplicia and the others were now stepping up, clad in a hodgepodge of ill-fitting leather armor, with either an axe or mace in hand. If it were any other time Teresa would have laughed at how ridiculous they looked. But as it was she was having a hard enough time keeping her fingers from shaking on her bow.

"Volsinius I..." her lips tried to form the words to show her gratitude to the legionary. Yet as she looked through the slits in his helmet to his cold blue eyes, she found that her voice had deserted her.

She knew that she would be dead if it not for him, again, yet she could still not bring herself to even thank the legionary. She turned her face down to the corpse of the dremora at their feet, and was keenly aware of how red her cheeks were turning.

"There is nothing to say citizen," the legionary rasped. He strode to the doorway and began throwing junk back into the opening to rebuild the barrier. "We are here to serve."

Teresa had heard the men and women of the Imperial Legion say that a thousand times, but never to her until a few weeks ago. Once more her tongue felt the empty spot between her teeth, and she remembered that gauntleted fist crashing against her cheek. What do you do when the monster of your childhood saves your life? she wondered.

"Are you ok?" Teresa heard Simplicia ask, and she looked up just as the older woman brushed the red hair from her face to caress the same cheek that Volsinius had struck years before. "You had me scared to death."

Teresa wanted to say that she was just as frightened, but she did not think that the elderly beggar needed to hear that right now. Instead she put a comforting hand on Simplicia's leather-clad shoulder and forced a faint smile to her lips. She was just glad that both of them were still alive.

"What is going on out there?" Jensine asked, gingerly stepping near the doorway where Volsinius stood, but not too near...

"It looks like all Oblivion has broken loose," the legionary said, "this must be what it was like at Kvatch..., or Bruma."

"Bruma?" asked Gelephor, clutching an axe in his hand so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. "What about Bruma?"

"There was a big battle there a few days ago," Teresa found herself saying. "The whole army was there, and the new Emperor, and they stopped the Daedra."

"You're well informed," Volsinius rumbled, his eyes narrowing within the slits of his helmet. "We only just got the news from a courier a few minutes before all this started."

"But they stopped them right?" Jensine said, grasping onto that fact like a drowning woman onto a piece of driftwood. "So what are they doing here?"

"There must still be some left." Volsinius stated the obvious. "Most of the Fifth are still up at Bruma, so this is a damned bad time for it too. At least the Emperor's here. He stopped them before, he'll do it again. We just have to dig in our heels and hold out until then."

The Emperor! Teresa thought. He had been at Kvatch, she realized. Jauffre had sent Julian there to get him. Then he was at Bruma, and now here in the city. Every Daedric attack had been on a place where he was. They were after Martin!

Volsinius raised his shield then, and a moment later one of the massive crocodilian Daedra hurtled through the doorway and crashed against it. The legionary staggered backward with the daedroth's claws still wrapped around the edge of his shield. As Teresa watched in horror, she saw its long, serpentine head dart forward over the rim of his shield and at the soldier's head.

Somehow Volsinius threw his sword in front of his face, and the creature's jaws snapped around it rather than his head. The legionary tried to slash with it and rip the Daedra's jaws in half. But Teresa could see he was still off-balance, and was unable to get the strength of his body behind the motion. Instead the monster snapped its head to one side, tearing the sword from Volsinius' grip and spitting it across the room.

Teresa leaped into action then, darting forward right beside Volsinius. The wood elf saw the Daedra's head rear back for another strike, jaws gaping wide. She brought her bow to full tension in one swift motion, and the monster's head rushed forward as she loosed. A moment later it whipped back again with a brief flash of light. The feathered shaft of her arrow sprouted from the roof of its mouth, and its steel head erupted from the back of its skull.

The massive beast fell to the floor of the shop a moment later, still clutching Volsinius' shield in its claws. The legionary would have fallen with it if Teresa and Jensine had not been there to steady him. Once he had his legs under him, he used his free hand to pry the monster's dead claws from his shield.

"Those things hit harder than a troll," he gasped. "I think I saw the flash of a Shield spell when you hit it too. That was good shooting Bosmer."

Teresa had no time to think of a reply, because at that moment another of the dremora came charging into the shop, this one armed with a wickedly-flanged mace. Before either she or Volsinius could react, Gelephor, the Redguard, and even Simplicia rushed forward from all sides and hacked at it with their weapons. For a moment it staggered under the assault, but then it regained its feet and sent Gelephor flying with a backhanded swat of his mace.

Teresa drew forth another arrow and set it on her bow. Pulling it to half tension, she tried to sight in on the monster. But Simplicia, the Redguard, and now Jensine were clustered around it. She could not shoot without hitting one of them. She lowered her bow and tried to move to get a better angle, but there was always someone in the way. Then suddenly the dremora dropped to the floor with the Redguard's axe buried in the back of its skull.

Gelephor did not rise however, or make a sound. A moment later Jensine found that he was dead, his ribs crushed by that single blow of the dremora's mace.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jul 5 2010, 11:44 PM

[haute ecole rider]

It was wonderful to see the citizen rally with the second dremora - they weren't about to let Vols and Teresa do all the fighting by themselves, were they?

Yet it was sad to see Gelephor die, and just when his axe dealt the death blow to that dremora, too!

Such is battle, and though the scale is much smaller than Bruma, it is no less intense.

[Acadian]

This was magnificent! Character interaction and development within the crucible of a brutal fight. Teresa's feelings are powerfully and well-presented.

From where she lay on the floor they seemed more like a pair of gods trading blows than a mortal man and a monster.
- What a chillingly powerful image!

"But they stopped them right?" Jensine said, grasping onto that fact like a drowning woman onto a piece of driftwood.
- This was wonderfully evocative.

She brought her bow to full tension in one swift motion, and the monster's head rushed forward as she loosed. A moment later it whipped back again with a brief flash of light. The feathered shaft of her arrow sprouted from the roof of its mouth, and its steel head erupted from the back of its skull.
- This made me cheer for the lethal power and beauty of the longbow.

Teresa drew forth another arrow and set it on her bow. Pulling it to half tension, she tried to sight in on the monster. But Simplicia, the Redguard, and now Jensine were clustered around it. She could not shoot without hitting one of them. She lowered her bow and tried to move to get a better angle, but there was always someone in the way. Then suddenly the dremora dropped to the floor with the Redguard's axe buried in the back of its skull.
- Buffy was screaming and jumping about as we read this. How well we know the frustration of helplessly trying to take a safe shot among fast moving friends and foes. You captured it perfectly!

This post has been edited by Acadian: Jul 4 2010, 07:43 PM