Acadian: I never understood the whole "fort" names used in Oblivion. Is this the Old West? Give me castles to go with my swords and sorcery any time. And if you are going to have a castle, it may as well be a good one.

You are right about the neck chopped in half, I went back and reworded things to be more clear.


Thomas Kaira: Well, at least one of the people coming for Teresa is not a professional. As to the others...


liliandra nadiar: Funny you should mention conjuring... Stay tuned.


Grits: This is one of those chapters where we really see the results of Teresa joining the Fighters Guild. Thanks to Pappy, she has that professionalism you noted. It is good to be able to put it on display.


D.Foxy: I think you will find your wishes answered in the next few posts. Teresa and I did the best we could to use every possible thing to her advantage.


Previously on Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode, Teresa explored Castle Grief. In the basements of the empty ruin she found the body of Aleron Loche, and of many other peasants. All had been looted of their valuables, and had been killed by an amateur. Next, Teresa is caught in the same hunt that had killed them.


Chapter 40.7 – The Hunter


Teresa raced back through the halls and chambers of the castle's underground. Her feet were quick and light, not making a sound as she darted to the stair. She took the steps two at a time, and only stopped when she reached the ground floor. There she lifted her nighteye goggles from her eyes and pushed them up on her forehead. Then she drew a combination magicka restoration and shield potion from one of the pouches built into the right hip of her armor and drank it. She strode forward once again as the energy suffused her body, and fixed the symbol for her Burning Hand firmly in mind.

She had a pincushion arrow set to the spider-silk of her bowstring by the time she crossed the great hall and reached the front door of the keep. She waited there in the shadow of the entrance, and stared out across the bailey. She knew they would be coming very soon now, and she imagined that they would be well-armored.

The wood elf found that her premonition was correct when nearly a dozen mortals strode through the main gate, directly across the ward from her. Most appeared to be humans. They wore mail armor, carried oval body shields, and gripped either maces or axes in their fists. A few bore Imperial bows instead, and moved to the flanks of the pack with their weapons strung and ready.

A Khajiit archer strode in the midst of the group, clad in leather and hide armor, with a curved elven blade at one hip. Even in the distance, Teresa recognized him from the Lonely Suitor Lodge. Alongside him came a man she did not know. He was clad from head to toe in gleaming ebony armor, inlaid with elegant designs of shining gold. He clutched a longsword of the same material in both hands, and Teresa instantly recognized him as an amateur. She had seen Tadrose handle her own greatsword for months. It was as much a part of her body as her hair or fingers. Yet this man did not seem to know what do to with his two-handed sword, and he continually changed his grip and fidgeted with the weapon.

It was the last figure that drew Teresa's eye the most. Taller than any of the others by nearly half a foot, he was clad in a full panoply of Daedric armor. The wickedly spiked and flanged metal gleamed crimson in the afternoon sun, looking like a nightmare thrown up from the heart of a volcano. The giant carried a battle axe of the same fiendish metal, balanced easily upon one shoulder. Even though she could not see his face behind the full-faced helm, Teresa had no trouble recognizing him. It was Kurdan gro-Dragol.

Screenshot

The Khajiit seemed to look directly at Teresa, and he said something to the others. They all came to a halt, except for Kurdan, who strode in front of the others. He effortlessly flipped the heavy axe from his shoulder, and made a grandiose show of flourishing it through the air before him.

Teresa did not wait any longer. With one smooth motion she drew the feathers of her arrow back under her chin, and loosed. The thugs scattered as the missile spun across the bailey. Except for Kurdan, who ceased his show and stood there, waiting for the arrow to fall. It struck him a moment later, and his armor flashed with the golden light of a shield enchantment. The missile fell harmlessly away, and the orc made a show of stepping upon it and snapping it in two.

"Is that any way to greet a fellow traveler?" the crimelord laughed across the ward.

"I know why you're here!" Teresa found herself shouting. "You killed Aleron!"

"I haven't killed anyone twig," Kurdan shouted back. "That pleasure falls to my customers. They pay a pretty septim for a hunt like this. You should feel honored. I'm making more money off you than ever before. It's not every day that someone gets to kill a tournament finalist."

"You'll not live to spend it!" Keep him talking just a little bit more, Teresa thought. She reached into one of her pouches and grabbed a scroll. She noted that she only had two others left as she drew the rolled up parchment forth. Shaking it open, she glanced down at the single word inscribed upon the page.

"Green Man!"

The parchment crumbled to dust, and a ring of energy formed in the air before her. It fell to the ground, and a giant formed in its wake. His body was shaped like that of man, but was made of heavy stones, with softer dirt joining the rocks. His arms were tree trunks, and his head was made of wood, carved into the likeness of a bearded face. Numerous branches rose up like hair from his scalp, and his dark eyes seemed to glower down at the gangsters facing Teresa.

Screenshot

He immediately strode in Kurdan's direction. The green man's pace seemed slow, but his strides were so long that he quickly ate the distance between them. Teresa readied another pincushion arrow as he moved forward, and picked out one of the archers.

"Ra'jhera!" she heard Kurdan shout. "Deal with that!"

The Khajiit already had a scroll in his hand. Teresa saw his lips move, and turned her bow in his direction. But before she could fire, a burst of purple energy flared from the scroll and ground into the green man. The Aedra simply dissolved into a cloud of bright sparks, which themselves faded away a moment later. Afterward, there was no sign that Teresa's summoning had even existed.

The Khajiit had dispel scrolls!

She heard the twang of bowstrings. Ducking back through the doorway, she put solid stone between her and the gangsters. A moment later the clatter of steel arrowheads on stone told her that she had not been a moment too soon.

"Hounds!" she heard Kurdan cry out. "Run her down! Give Lord Herennius his money's worth!"

Teresa raced from the great hall to a side chamber. Glancing through an arrow-slit, she saw the mail-clad men sprinting across the open space. Behind them came the Khajiit, apparently named Ra'jhera. The man in ebony armor followed the Khajiit, and could only be Lord Herennius. Kurdan however, remained near the gate with the other archers and a pair of mace-armed bodyguards.

Teresa set another pincushion arrow to her nock and drew Ravenfeeder back to full extension. The Khajiit seemed to be in charge of the pack. Not to mention he had scrolls. So the forester sighted in on him and loosed.

But at the last minute one of the hounds stepped between the arrow and her target. Teresa's golden elven pincushion fell behind his shield, and pierced the mail that sheathed his torso like it was butter. He tumbled to the ground, snapping the arrowshaft in half and driving it deeper into his body. The other gangsters did not pause their rush however. They simply left him screaming in the dirt and continued to the doorway.

A pair of missiles came winging toward the arrow-slit a moment later, and Teresa sped deeper into the castle. She needed to make a fighting retreat: shooting, falling back, and shooting again. Little by little, she would whittle them down. They might have thought they could wear her down by making her run, but she doubted that they ran laps around the city every morning as she did. No, if anyone was going to become worn out, it would be her hunters.

But why fight if she did not have to? She knew that she had ground-down redwort flower in her Thieves Bag. She always kept some handy to make antidote potions. Yet something Ardaline had said to her while shopping the other week came to her mind. "Most people use wormwood to make invisibility potions, or tinder polypore. But a skilled alchemist can draw the symbol for invisibility from other sources, such as motherwort or redwort."

Teresa backtracked, and sped to the opposite side of the castle. That would give her some time as they searched the other half, where they had seen her arrow come from. Drawing her mortar from her Thieves Bag, she set it aside and next pulled out her ingredient bag. The sound of armored feet clattering on the stone floor came to her ears. Rummaging through the small pouches within, she found that of redwort and shook it into her mortar.

Thanking Mara that she always kept some pre-ground ingredients on hand, she poured water from her skin into the mortar. Mixing it with her finger, she concentrated upon the image of herself turning invisible. She heard voices ringing through the halls, and knew the hunters were getting close. But she did her best to shut them out, and just thought about her potion.

Finally, when it was as finished as Teresa imagined it ever would be, she lifted the mortar to her lips and knocked it back. Gulping it down like a woman dying of thirst, the wood elf felt a tingle run through her body. Staring down, she saw nothing but the stones of the floor underfoot. There was no sign of her at all.

She packed the mortar and ingredient bag away as one of the mail-clad Nibeneans entered the room. He stared directly at her. Teresa held her breath. She had made plenty of invisibility potions from wormwood that she had bought from Claudette Perrick at The Gilded Carafe. Selling them to thieves had been her bread and butter when she lived in the Chamber Pot. But she had never tried redwort before. Would it really work?

The Nibenean's eyes slid off Teresa, and moved to the doorway behind her. He stepped slowly through the room, shield up and mace at the ready. He said nothing, and gave no hint that he had seen her.

Teresa dared to breathe once more. She had done it! All she had to do now was wait for them to pass. Then she could backtrack, bypass Kurdan and the others the same way, and simply jump in the bay. It might be an hour or longer before they even realized that she was gone!

Ra'jhera stepped in the room a moment later, and Teresa's heart crashed. He stared directly at her, and flinched. "She's invisible!" he growled, and pulled another scroll from one of his belt pouches.

Curse that Khajiit! Teresa sped for the far doorway, and slipped through it just as the purple light of the gangster's scroll fell upon her. A moment later she found her body swimming back into view beneath her. The Nibenean shouted behind her, and his feet sounded like thunder as they pounded across the floor.

Teresa ducked to one side of the doorway and waited. A moment later the Nibenean stepped through, and she laid her hand against his side. An inferno blossomed from her fingertips, and engulfed the hapless Imperial in flame. He screamed and fell to his knees, blocking the doorway.

But the Khajiit was right behind him. His longbow was now in one hand, and an arrow in the other. Time seemed to crawl by as Teresa stared at him. She knew that she would not have the time to draw a fresh arrow and shoot him. His would strike her first. With the blazing Nibenean in the way, she could not reach him with her Burning Hand either. Her Flare would do little but annoy him, and there would not be enough time to dig out another summoning scroll.

She needed help, and now. Without really knowing why, she thought of Raven. He had always been there to guide her. He had always led her to where she needed to go, and been a companion in the darkest of places. He was what she needed now.

With that in mind, she raised her fist and loosed her magicka into those thoughts. An azure light burst from under her fingers. She uncurled them, and a disc of energy formed in the air between her and Ra'jhera. The Khajiit had set his arrow to his string by now, and was pulling it back to his ear. The energy fell between them, and from it issued the raucous cawing of a raven.

The wings of the sleek, ebony bird beat through the air above the burning gangster and dove upon Ra'jhera. The Khajiit's eyes widened in surprise as the raven swept down upon him. His arrow sprang errantly from his bow, and drove deeply into the back of the Nibenean at his feet, silencing the injured man's cries of anguish. The raven's claws darted for the Khajiit's eyes, forcing him to drop his bow to shield himself with his hands.

Shouts rang out behind Ra'jhera, along with the thunder of booted feet and the clangor of armor. Teresa wasted no more time, and sped away. She knew that her raven would keep them busy. Long enough for her to escape deeper into the keep at least.

Yay Teresa! Birds may not be grizzlies in terms of damage. but their isn't much better to draw attention then claws/wings/beaks going for one's eyes. Though with how often the Khajiit's been spotting her, he must have a detect life enchantment going. That would be a nice and shiney new toy for her.


May just be me, but I always see it as stairs, plurel. Also, the paragraph seems a bit... stilted, from starting There she and Then she, maybe expand the sentences a bit?


Good girl, monologing/showing off is a waste of time.
Didn't find any spelling errors or missing letters, but I'm not too good at either as is.

Also. it's your fault I give Simplicia a coin every time I'm in IC.

The Green Man was amazing! Too bad he didn’t have a chance to go Spriggan on the thugs. I remember what happened to the last pack of men that tried to hunt Teresa, but that was in the forest. That darn Ra'jhera and his scrolls.

I loved the breathless potion making while the gang closed in on her. Teresa is thinking fast under pressure.

Teresa dared to breathe once more. She had done it! All she had to do now was wait for them to pass. Then she could backtrack, bypass Kurdan and the others the same way, and simply jump in the bay. It might be an hour or longer before they even realized that she was gone!

That was a great plan! Argh, Ra’jhera! Summoning Raven like that was as natural as learning fire when she was angry. Very exciting!

Nits, to get them out of the way...



"The movement of her feet was quick and light", or "Her feet moved quickly and lightly". Did you half-change one to the other?

"two at a time".

It's good to see some failing spells and busted strategy. Heroes should only win at the end, or there's no suspense, and if Teresa picks them off too easily, we'll start to feel sympathy for Kurdan's crew. That said, you're going to have a fine line between that and making her final victory too miraculous. I'm looking forward to reading how you pull that off.

No pressure!

I kind of like the "quick and light," though, even if it's grammatically incorrect. It hits the "ear" better, for me.

Maybe just add a comma: "Her feet moved, quick and light..."

I am loving this story!

This was quite the nail biter. I could feel poor Teresa’s heart pounding as she executed her fighting retreat. Lots of things came together here in a wonderfully crisp episode.

Summoning her Green Man, only to have that pesky Khajiit equipped with dispel scrolls. Then some panicky field potion making to support invisibility, only to have him able to detect her! Summoning Raven was so neat, and bought Teresa just the time she needed.

I was fascinated when Raj’s dispel spell struck the scroll summoned Green Man and evaporated him. I know that for spell-summoned helpers, you must hit the caster with a dispel effect to get rid of the summon (hitting the summon with a dispel effect will not do it). I have never tried any of that on a scroll-summoned helper though, so I tested it. It seems there is no way to dispel a scroll summoned helper in game. We tried summoning a helper with a scroll, but neither dispel on self or on the summon made it go away. So I learned something new! No nit here of course, I just found it interesting. I do like the idea for our stories of dispelling even a scroll-based summon, but I think at least for BF, I will have it work the same way a spell-based summon would; that is, casting the dispel effect on the caster instead of the summon. Good stuff!

Kurdan in full Daedric armor and axe was a sobering sight indeed!

Love the treatment you are giving this quest.

I believe I saw a mod on TESnexus for modifiying magic in oblivion and one of the things mentioned was Dispel removed summons. Can't recall which one off hand (and I'm at work so I can't dig it up. )

All that I wanted, and more. Hooray! Now show us more of your tactical and writing genius in your next post!

Quite an intense episode. I see you are continuing you "Cyrodiil, but more epic" approach to the game's quests, and this one is unveiling itself to be a most excellent treatment.

The tension is expertly held throughout the entire piece. Despite Teresa's obvious physical advantage (small and fit), we constantly feel the danger she has happened across. I really hope she does not need to deal with that Orsimer through direct battle, though. Vicious armor with an even more vicious axe... AND an arcane shield nearly impossible to penetrate? Not good!

He stared directly at her, and flinched. "She's invisible!" he growled, and pulled another scroll from one of his belt pouches.

Good to see the TF villains are smart enough to know their way around a life detection spell or two. This really helps drive home the point that nowhere is truly safe for Teresa in this twisted hunt.

And Raven to the rescue! I leave here on a hopeful note and a ravenous hunger for more.

liliandra nadiar: Ra'jhera does indeed have a detect life enchantment. I am glad that was evident without having to come right out and say so. Teresa has never been good at making witty remarks during battle. Often not any other time either, though she has been improving at the latter since joining the FG. Pappy's influence no doubt.

Stair can refer to an entire flight of steps as well as a single one. I think it all depends on the context. You would not say I ran up the stair. But on the other hand, Dictionary.com gives an example of "a winding stair".



Grits: This chapter will allow me to showcase all the remaining summoned Aedra I have not gotten to before. In fact the only one left out will a Salamander. But one of those figured prominently in Teresa's troll encounter, so I am sure it is still etched in people's minds.

Ra'jhera is Teresa's opposite number in the Hounds. Like her, he is experienced and well-prepared. Much of the following running battle will be a chess match between him and her.


ghastley: Some of the nits picked. I am going to hang on to quick and light, and I think it evokes a strong image that is lacking if it is changed. We might actually feel some sympathy for a few of the Hounds near the end. Then again, maybe not. I guess we will just have to see.


Glargg: I am actually channeling Bob Seger for that phrase. In Like A Rock, he sings: "My steps were quick and light".


Acadian: As you can see, I am not sticking to exactly how Bethesda works things in the game. Dispel Magic is really nerfed there, as it only works on spells, not creature powers, item enchantments, etc... I figure if a spell is active on something, you ought to cast your dispel on the actual magical energy of the spell itself, rather than on the person who cast it. I can picture Feather spells working in a similar way. In that you do not cast them on yourself, but rather on a crate or a sack, and then everything in it is Feathered, etc...

Also summonses are very powerful in the TF. So they ought to have an achille's heel that can easily cancel them out.

Way, way back Destri suggested that Teresa learn how to summon things to help her out in melee. Even then, I had this in mind. Who knows, maybe now that she has the crow Teresa might change her look...


D.Foxy: The rest of the battle (which is several more posts) will be more of Teresa running, sniping, and using all of her cunning. So I think you will enjoy.


Thomas Kaira: Of course it will come down to Teresa squaring off with Kurdan. Just like in the original, it is either Zaroff, or the protagonist. It will take us a while to get there however. First she has to deal with Ra'jhera, who as you noticed, is not as dumb as the enemies in the game, and has plenty of his own toys to play with.


Previously on Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode, Teresa found her escape from Castle Grief blocked by Kurdan, his thugs, and a man in ebony armor. Kurdan told her that she was the latest prey in his hunt, and that he was being paid by the armored man - Lord Herennius - to help him kill her. Teresa fled into the castle after finding Kurdan's armor impervious to her arrows, and her summoned Aedra dispelled by the leader of Kurdan's hounds, Ra'jhera. Next, Teresa must keep one step ahead of her pursuers as they try to hunt her down.

Since The Kurgan Kurdan had some music for his first part, I thought it only appropriate for Teresa to have some music to fight to as well.


Chapter 40.8 – The Hunter

Teresa leaned around a corner and fired. Her bow roared like thunder in the silence, and a moment later one of the thugs fell with an elven arrow sprouting from his foot. She ducked back around the corner, and shouts rang out behind her. Moving quickly toward the other side of the keep, she heard more yells in that direction.

They were slowly closing in around her like a noose. She turned off the corridor she was in and tried another. But the sight of a body shield ahead caused her backtrack. Another shout rang out as the thug saw her, and she sped back the way she had come from. More gangsters closed in, driving her from any of the routes out of the keep.

Teresa found the stair leading down to the lower level in front of her eyes. She had hoped to stay in the keep, and retain the option of getting back into the bailey. But now the forester could see that she had no choice. Kurdan's hounds obviously knew the castle well, for they had methodically sealed off every avenue of escape. In fact, Teresa had the distinct impression that they were purposely driving her to the tunnels.

There would be little room to maneuver down there. Worse, there was only one way in and out - at least that she knew of. Once she went down there, she would be committed to defeating all of the thugs or dying in the attempt. It was the same thing that had happened to Aleron and all the other victims.

The twang of a bowstring made up her mind. She leapt for the staircase, and heard the crack of an arrow on stone behind her. Taking the steps two at a time, she hit the floor and dodged to the side as another arrow chased after her. The Khajiit was on her heels. She had to find a way to slow him and the others down.

She took a moment to pull her nighteye goggles down from her forehead and over her eyes. The once inky depths of the large chamber burst into bright illumination. Teresa noted that there was plenty of space to either side of the entrance, and an idea came to her. Drawing out another of her scrolls, she yanked off the string holding its tube closed and shook it out.

"Sylph," she whispered, staring down at the page. The scroll crumbled to dust in her hand, and a moment later a woman made of shifting wind took shape in the air before her. Just stay right there, Teresa thought, and wait. The wood elf sped across the room as quickly as her feet would allow, and the sound of booted feet rang out behind her.

She reached the doorway at the far side of the room just a moment before the first ruffian appeared in the door. He held a glowstone in one hand, causing Teresa to narrow her eyes against its brilliant glare in her nighteye-lit world. Trying to ignore the uncomfortable brightness, she drew a pincushion arrow and set it to silk. The thug stared directly at her, and stepped into the room with his shield up before him. Another followed right behind him, again with a shield ready to ward off her arrows.

Now, Teresa thought. The sylph exploded into action, spinning about so quickly that the forester could not make out her body in the blur of motion. Dust, dirt, and other detritus were thrown all about the room, causing Teresa to raise a hand to shield her face. The miniature tornado swept into the men, flinging them about like ragdolls. One crashed headfirst into the ceiling, and Teresa heard a loud crack, like the snapping of a dry branch. The other was hurled into one of the walls, and collapsed in a heap of mail.

As Teresa expected, the purple light of a dispel shot from the doorway, and her sylph vanished in a starry haze a moment later. But that had given her all the time she needed, and one of her arrows shot through the space her Aedra had occupied a moment earlier. The golden light of a shield enchantment flashed to life through the dissipating haze, and she heard the arrow thud home into flesh.

It had only taken seconds, and now the last of the dirt, dust, and magical effects had vanished from there air. Teresa saw Ra'jhera down in the entrance of the room, with her arrow sprouting from one of his thighs. Armored hands pulled him back out of sight, and another thug stepped into the same space, shield held up before his body.

Teresa glanced from him to the first two men to enter the room. The one who had been thrown into the ceiling lay motionless on the floor, his head turned at an odd angle to the rest of his body. The other rose to his feet with a groan, and stumbled for the axe he had dropped during his unexpected flight.

Teresa loaded another arrow and took aim at the groggy warrior. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that another hound had entered the room along with the one that had followed Ra'jhera. Like the other, he held his large, oval shield up before him, giving her little to shoot at. Teresa knew she had little time. The forester loosed, and her arrow buried itself in the torso of the stumbling man. With a clatter of steel, he fell face first into the stone floor and did not move.

By then a third man had entered the room, and the trio moved on her with shields up, forming a seemingly impenetrable wall. In the corridor behind them Teresa glimpsed the patrician in his gleaming ebony and gold armor. He was bending down beside someone. Teresa imagined it might be the wounded Khajiit, but could not be certain.

Five down, the wood elf thought as she raced down the corridor, perhaps six, if Ra'jhera had been finished as well. There were only about half a dozen more to go. She heard the hunters following her, but they did not seem so eager to close the distance with her now. That only prompted Teresa to put on more speed. It would give her more time to set up her next ambush.

Intense and exciting. The sylph was awesome, and Teresa used her to wonderful advantage getting that shot in as soon as Ra'jhera dispelled her. I love that Teresa is not fleeing for her life, but setting up her next ambush. Go Teresa!

I really enjoy the way scrolls work in TF as well as the summons that Teresa can call with them. I remember being impressed when she summoned a helper during her troll fight near Bravil, then similarly enjoyed the Green Man in last episode and sylph in this episode.

’The miniature tornado swept into the men, flinging them about like ragdolls. One crashed headfirst into the ceiling, and Teresa heard a loud crack, like the snapping of a dry branch. The other was hurled into one of the walls, and collapsed in a heap of mail.’
Wonderful description! I liked how you left what part of who cracked like a dry branch to our imagination.

And that damn Raj dispelled Teresa’s summon again, leaving our poor elf sylphless. I’m quite enjoying that you and I both perceived Raj as a formidable cat indeed. I’m so glad you explained how dispel works in TF. That is a fine way to go, and I am now free to fully revel in that aspect of the story without wondering.

What a perfect tensional balance you strike here. You ran into some of the same challenges I faced: how to whittle away many of your elf’s advantages (eg: foes that use detect life to counter invisibility and dispel to counter summons, shields that can block arrows, etc). We are in fear for Teresa, yet simultaneously almost pity the hunters that have pitted themselves against her lethality and cleverness. They know not with whom they deal it seems, for the hunted is becoming the huntress. This is nowhere more evident than, as Grits pointed out, Teresa is not running for her life, but running to her next ambush position.

Another lured by Kurdan, but with a significant difference this time. I like it.

My character doesn’t use scrolls very often but when she has, they’ve made a heck of a difference. They pack punch that her own magic lacks.

That trap was awesome! She got the other archer too despite the moving air still! How many more of those scrolls does she have?

Setting up a 'masked' shot - and then shooting as soon as the target is unmasked - now that's a veteran sniper's trick. Have you had lessons from a vet, Rosa?

It's official. My heart is now in my mouth...I can taste it...

M.O.R.E!!!!

One by one the hunters fall to our stringy Bosmer's... erm... string.

I gave a cheer when Ra'jhera was taken down by her shot. He may not be out, but now he understands the force they have unleashed. Hidden within that thoroughly mundane body lies the beating heart of a panther. And as many of them have learned by those who never had the chance to, you do not want to be near when she pounces.

Keep going, girl! I'll be right here cheering you on!

First I apologize for not keeping up with my commenting. I have, however, been mostly keeping up with the reading and have now fully caught up.

There's little I can add to what's already been said, other than Bravo! I'm just a little jealous of what you've accomplished with this quest - added depth and challenge to this one in ways I never anticipated.

And that cat is cunning, as he should be. I got the feeling from the game that he's Kurgan's Kurdan's go-to man cat.

More please.

Grits: I had a lot of fun portraying the summoned Aedra in this chapter. It really made me realize how limited summoning is in the game, not to mention the creatures you can summon. They are all just bruisers that attack anything in sight without the slightest bit of thought. It is too bad you cannot use them creatively, like Aela used her Undine to speed up her boat. I can picture using a sylph to fly, fill a ship's sails with wind, or even put out a fire by drawing all of the air out of a area. A Green Man might be used to dig tunnels, shape the earth nirn, or perhaps even build a house of out stone or even sod or mud brick. Of course a salamander would be perfect at barbecues...


Acadian: This was a very fun chapter to write, because as you noted, it gave me the chance to give Teresa some real competition, and force herself to use every trick and ability she has to survive. It also gave me a chance to portray some villains with brains and resources as well, and create a real threat to Teresa, while at the same time allowing her to strut her stuff.


King Coin: Teresa only has one scroll left. She mused that she only had two left when she pulled out the one for the Green Man. Now that the Sylph is gone, she only has an Undine left. We will see that in a few episodes.


D.Foxy: I cannot say I know what a masked shot is, unless you mean something like this? I do know all about bait though, and thought that another Aedra would be the prefect bait to flush out Ra'jhera, an give Teresa a clean shot at him. Not to mention thin out the herd of other hounds in the process. Plenty more tactics like this coming up.


Thomas Kaira: So if Teresa had a son, would he be Stringfellow Hawke then? Maybe he could give mom a ride in his helicopter sometime.


haute ecole rider: No worries, thanks to RL I cannot keep up with all the fics I would like to either. I wanted Ra'jhera to be exactly what you were thinking. Morandil is basically Kurdan's advisor and administrator, the face who takes care of all his day to day operations, acts as a liasion with the city guard, etc... Ra'jhera OTOH, leads the soldiers in battle. So he is definitely Kurdan's go-to cat when there is killing to do.


Previously on Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode Teresa unleashed her Sylph, using it kill two more hounds. In the process it also revealed Ra'jhera's position, when the Khajiit used a scroll to dispel it. That allowed Teresa to shoot Ra'jhera and at least wound him, if not kill him. Afterward Teresa was forced to flee as more of the hounds advanced behind an impenetrable barrier of body shields. Next, Teresa once again dips into her bag of tricks to whittle down the opposition.


Chapter 40.9 – The Hunter


"Don't just fight wherever you happen to be standing," the words of Pappy rose up in Teresa's memory. "Pick and choose your ground, so that it helps you and hinders your enemy. Outnumbered? Find a choke point like a doorway or narrow corridor. Then only one of them can come at you at a time. If you can, prepare fighting positions. Throw a table over to make a barrier, pile up chairs to make them dig through while you snipe at them. Withdraw from one position to another, and wear them out over time. Most of all use your potions and your healing spells! You can whittle down even the worst odds this way, and win."

As she glanced about her, Teresa realized why there were no doors or other furniture. The hounds had doubtlessly cleared them all away, so that their victims could not use them to fortify themselves within. Still, she at least had potions. Teresa took her guild commander's advice concerning them to heart, and guzzled another combination shield and magicka potion. It had not occurred to her before, but she now realized that the dispel that had ruined her invisibility must have cancelled out her last potion as well.

"There is nowhere to run bark-biter!" the husky voice of a Khajiit echoed down the corridors. "The only way out is through this one!"

Damn, Teresa silently cursed. That meant Ra'jhera was still alive. He must have used an antidote to counter Ravenfeeder's poison. Either that or he was just plain tough. He appeared to be the leader of Kurdan's thugs, and was certainly the most well-prepared, given his scrolls and ability to detect the magicka in others. She wondered what other tricks the Khajiit archer might have up his furred sleeve?

She had to finish him off. No matter what she did, he seemed to have a counter for it. He was clearly the most dangerous of all Kurdan's hounds. Without his leadership - and his abilities - the others were just thugs. Armored and capable, but brutes nonetheless. They would fall to her arrows and her last summoning. So would the patrician that had hired them.

Teresa wondered what kind of man would pay a gangster like Kurdan to hunt other people? If someone wanted blood, all they had to do was enter the Arena. Even though most matches were not fatal, some still were. Sooner or later, a gladiator would have the chance to take the life of another.

But a gladiator had to fight for their victory. They had the same chance of losing - and meeting their own death - as victory. This man did not want a fair fight. He wanted to kill without risking his own neck. Instead he let the hounds face all the danger of chasing and wearing down his victims. Then when they were too exhausted to fight back, he finished them off.

He was a coward, plain and simple. Teresa did not mind that at all. She had spent most of her own life running and hiding after all. But this man liked to kill, and preyed upon those who could not defend themselves. Teresa spat on the stone floor in front of her. What goes around, comes around, she thought. It would for him soon enough.

Winging an arrow down the corridor behind her to keep the gangster's heads down, Teresa sped away. Turning a corner, she found Aleron's body in front of her. A glance down at the lantern beside his corpse gave her an idea. Picking it up, she sprinted back to where the corridor turned, and upended the lamp. Oil spilled out across the stones of the floor, and Teresa made certain that she shook out every last drop of it before racing back down the hallway.

The light of the hound's glowstones filled the corridor behind Teresa, and she fixed the symbol for her Flare spell firmly in mind. Drawing a swallowtail from her gorytos, she set it to Ravenfeeder's string and went down on one knee. Drawing the bow to full extension, she took aim on the corner and waited.

Moments later the shield of one of hounds came into view. The man was crouched down behind its cover, and made certain to always keep it in front of him as he turned to face Teresa. She fired low, at his feet, and he ground his shield in front of him. Her arrow thudded harmlessly into its wooden surface, and he trotted forward as Teresa readied another shot.

"She's here!" the Nibenean shouted, and another of his comrades ran up beside him. Together they stood shoulder to shoulder in the hallway, and came to a halt as Teresa raised her bow once more. They knelt down behind their shields, clearly waiting for her shoot before advancing once more.

Then Ra'jhera came around the corner, bow in hand. He raised it the instant he saw Teresa, and took aim. Rather than loose her arrow, Teresa dropped it instead, and threw her hand forward. A fist-sized ball of fire sprouted from her fingers and hurled down the corridor. The hounds shrank away from the flames, and even as the Khajiit's arrow sped over their heads, the Flare struck the floor at his feet.

The lantern oil spread across the floor burst into an inferno, engulfing Ra'jhera in flames. The two thugs in front of him looked back in reflex. At the same time the Khajiit's arrow slammed into Teresa's chest. Blue light flashed and sparks flickered around her torso - as the shock shield enchantment on her cuirass flared to life. The wood elf staggered under the force of the blow. It felt as if she had been kicked by a mule. Yet she retained her feet. A glance down showed her armor - Aldariel - to be unblemished, and Ra'jhera's arrow laying harmlessly at her feet.

Teresa wasted no more time. Grasping her arrow, she set it to the spider-silk string of her bow and loosed. Ra'jhera's shield enchantment flashed brightly within the flames, and her missile buried itself in his chest. The Khajiit was now covered from head to tail in fire, and collapsed out of sight.

The hounds before Teresa now turned back to her and leapt forward. Raising a hand in the air, Teresa concentrated on the image of Raven, and poured her magicka into her fist. Uncurling her fingers, her power burst forth, creating a sleek black bird in the air between them. Her conjured raven croaked loudly, and dove upon the gangsters.

They were forced to pause their charge as the raven's claws darted for their eyes. Raising their shields above them, the two Nibeneans swatted at the bird with their axes. Teresa smiled faintly at the sight. She knew that her raven would do no real harm to them. But once again he would occupy them long enough for her to make her escape.

Teresa bought herself a little time in the last episode to get clear, recall her lessons with Pappy and get a new plan together. I hope that she remembers that they will be more wary now that she’s sprung a very successful ambush at least once. If she’s lucky they’ll underestimate her again.

Dispel canceled her potion? I have not messed around with Dispel much but can that happen in game?

Argh! A good plan (that lamp must have had a decent amount of oil in it still) with a nasty risk though. She’s lucky her armor and shield enchantments blocked the worst of the arrow. On the upside, it would appear that the Khajiit will be down for good.

A very exciting chapter!

Drawing the bow to full extension, she took aim on the corner and waited.

Teresa has come a long way, and she is much better equipped now than when she had to sight with the bow at half-tension.


The lantern oil spread across the floor burst into an inferno, engulfing Ra'jhera in flames. The two thugs in front of him looked back in reflex. At the same time the Khajiit's arrow slammed into Teresa's chest.

A kick from an arrow for a Kahjiit engulfed in flames, I’d say that was a good trade. Henantier really knows his stuff! Very clever of Teresa to increase her own fire with lamp oil. Then Raven covers her escape, wonderful! I’m interested to see what the hounds do without their alpha dog cat. Of course, the boss is still back there somewhere…

Like KC said, very exciting!

Poor Ra'j. By now he has to be wondering if this gig is worth what ever he's getting. He's been pin-cushioned, poisoned and set ablaze in the span of... an hour? Maybe two?

And the SageRosa opens with some SagePappy advice on shaping the battlefield!

Loved Teresa’s analysis of the patrician. I agree someone like that would indeed lack the stones to stand alone in the Arena in a fair fight.

By Mara that was fun to read Teresa’s brilliant set up and execution of her fire trap! Then, nonstop heart pounding till the end. What a wonderful test under fire (no pun intended) of her new enchanted armor that it stopped Raj’s arrow. Whew! With an arrow in his chest and flaming fur from head to toe, we can hope that Raj is done for! Then Raven again, and even a faint smile as the hounds fumbled at the bird. I’m really thinking she’s gonna make it outta here alive!

Teresa, you go, girl!

I know we think alike in this matter: Teresa does not fight often, generally preferring more important pursuits like fiery-eyed Dunmeri lasses or sharing lunch with Aia. But when she does fight, you provide us a splendidly compelling buildup and spectacular execution. Don’t mistake my meaning here, for I enjoy tagging along with Teresa in Bravil for a simple ‘day in the life’ episode every bit as much as your wonderful fighting episodes. I guess I’m saying that I love how you keep your fighting rare, but well done (gosh, that’s a terrible pun for a veggie like Teresa).

@KC: Dispel is an odd effect and I would be exceedingly generous in the latitude we afford fanfic writers with it. I just ran a test in Buffy’s game. She drank a combo potion (restore health, restore magicka and shield). While the effects were active she cast a massive (100 points) dispel spell on herself which did not cancel the potion effects. She then drank a massive (111 points) dispel potion that similarly had no effect. So the answer to your question is that it seems dispel will not cancel a potion. Now, it will in BF, and I would happily support whatever SubRosa decides for TF, just as she tweaked how dispel effects summons.

Thanks for the info. And I wasn't complaining, just curious. Since the potions have magical effects it makes complete sense that they would be canceled.

Grits:
As I understand it, Ravenfeeder is a recurved bow, and allows a full draw with less effort than a typical English style longbow such as the ones depicted in the game. Therefore Teresa is able to aim at full draw and wait . . . as long as it takes.

Fortunately for us her readers, not that long.

Of course, SubRosa may correct me on this, and she would be right to do so if I'm wrong.

SubRosa:
This continues to be an ongoing masterpiece. I'm enjoying the tactics and Pappy's translation of Sun Tzu. Yup, I recognized the principles from my own study of it a few years back. Fire and oil is a dreadful combination, especially as the oil keeps the fire from dispelling so easily. I think that knocked Raj back quite a bit, if not out for good. We'll see. But it's great to see a thinking, well-prepared enemy face off with our stringy hero so well. Keeps her (and us) from becoming too lenient.

Looking forward to how she uses her Undine.

Ra'jhera is beginning to resemble the Terminator. He has an arrow in his chest, and all his fur burned off so far. Will we find him following her as a reanimated skeleton, to be finally downed by a dog stealing his leg bones as shown to us by Sai?

I must say Kurdan's keeping quiet, but he'd lead from the back, like his client.

Can I add my applause to the ovation here?... ...

I do love a good battle scene...And that was amazing...Well thought out and executed...

Brilliance...*Bows to lady SubRosa*...

Nice one... ...

Ra'Jhera is one cooked kitty now! I'm not sure that burning to death is ever a way one deserves to die as it is arguably the most painful death one could possibly imagine, but it is still quite satisfying to see that Khajiit has finally been bested.

Raven to the rescue! And now that the alpha hunter is out of the way, the rest should be easy prey. Kurdon, though... I dread that fight.

King Coin: Like the old saying goes: "Sometimes you gotta roll the hard six." Teresa finally had to roll the dice herself and hope she could survive whatever Ra'jhera dished out, in order to get her own finishing move in. Besides, it was high time I showed what Aldariel could do.

In the game dispel magic only works against spells. For the TF I am having it work against everything magical (except permanent enchantments, which it might still negate for a second). That will make it a more useful, and give non-mages a chance against magicians.


Grits: She is much better off now then in the old pre-Ravenfeeder and pre-Aldariel days. Now she can stand up and play with the big girls. I am glad you caught the irony of the cat leading the hounds. I just loved it so much when I was writing this.


liliandra nadiar: As we will see this episode, Raj is wondering no more...


Acadian: I really have to thank h.e.r. for the example she has set with Julian's flashbacks. Those have made me much more comfortable doing the same with Teresa. I have found that it is an excellent way to show the wisdom she has learned from SagePappy. It would really bog down the sotryline if I had to constantly show every training session where he imparted some piece of advice. But doing in the h.e.r. way keeps the story flowing smoothly, and puts the information right in the reader's mind when they need to know it.

Rare but well done indeed! Since it is Ra'jhera being cooked, Teresa does not mind the pun at all! By the way, if Buffy is going to dress like that, Teresa would like to join her gang...


haute ecole rider: You are correct that it is easier to hold a recurve bow at full tension then a self bow. Of course Teresa also has those strength fortifying enchantments on her gauntlets and thumb ring too.

We will see her put that Undine to work next up.


ghastley: Now you have me thinking of this We will see Kurdan in a few more episodes. He doesn't go out with the hounds. That is Ra'jhera's job. But he is waiting nearby.


McBadgere: Thank you MB. Fighting scenes are generally rare for me. I try to take the less is more approach, with the hopes that when there is a battle, it feels more dramatic.


Thomas Kaira: Yep, Teresa finally got that alpha cat out of the way. Now she only has to deal with the remainder of the dogs, and then their master.


Previously On Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode Teresa set up a trap using lamp oil, caught Ra'jhera in the blaze, and shot him in the chest for good measure. Next, she is finally cornered by the last of the hounds.


Chapter 40.10 – The Hunter


The hounds were slow to resume their pursuit. That gave Teresa time to stage arrows along her path as she raced deeper into the ruin, and then speed back to where she had started from. Sweat now beaded her brow, and she found herself breathing hard. She dug into one of her hip pouches, and drew forth a potion to counter her exhaustion. She gulped it down, and her breathing returned to normal. She could run and fight all day, so long as her potions held out.

Soon enough, the hounds came into view down the corridor. As soon as the first appeared, she sent an arrow his way, aiming high. He ducked his head down under his shield, and the missile winged harmlessly above him. Moving as quickly as she could, Teresa picked up the arrow she had leaned against the wall beside her and set it to her bowstring. She had pulled the feathers back under her chin by the time the thug looked back over his shield rim. Then her arrow took flight, and before he could react, it buried itself in his shin.

He collapsed to the floor, clutching at his pierced leg. Another hound raced up in front of him, and took Teresa's next arrow on his shield. Damn, the wood elf cursed. She had hoped to finish the injured hound after his shield was lowered.

Trotting away, Teresa stopped at the next turning and readied another arrow. Again, she let fly as soon as the first thug came into view. Using her pre-staged arrows to load and fire more quickly, she filled the hallway with missiles before running away. Most were warded off by the shields of the gangsters. But here and there one found its mark in an exposed ankle or wrist.

Teresa was nearly out of arrows when she came into a large room with a pool of water in its center. A stone walkway just a few paces wide ringed the water. Copper pipes ran along the ceiling and drained out directly into the pool. There were no other doors or halls leading out. It was a dead end.

This must be the cistern, Teresa thought, giving the castle an endless source of fresh water even if besieged. Given that the water was carried to it by pipes, she doubted that the pool led out to the bay. Staring down into the depths, she could not see the bottom. She thought of simply leaping in and waiting below. But her only way out was through Kurdan's thugs. Sooner or later, she would have to face them. So it may as well be now. At least there could not be many left.

She took out her last scroll and stared down at the page. "Undine," she said, and a mer-shaped being with a body of deep blue water took shape in the air before Teresa. Her long hair was the white foam of spray crashing against the shore, and waved gently in the air as if it was underwater. Her eyes and other features were the dark green of algae, and she turned to silently regard the wood elf.

Teresa looked from the spirit to the rest of the room. Pappy said to always use your surroundings to your advantage. Perhaps the pool would prove a valuable ally after all? It would funnel the advance of the hounds around it. If she stood on the far side, it would prevent them from coming straight at her. If the undine hid in the water, it could spring upon them from behind. It might even be able to pull them all into the pool and drown them. Even if not, all the spirit had to do was make them turn. That would give Teresa a clear shot in their backs or sides, without their shields getting in the way.

As if bidden by her thoughts, the water spirit slid gently into the cistern and vanished within the dark water. Teresa circled the pool and drew an arrow. She waited, knowing that the hounds would not be long.

The sound of voices in the hallway outside came to her wood elf ears. "I'm not going one more step!" one of the thugs declared. "That Witch killed at least five of us, including Ra'jhera! Ceionius might never walk again with that arrow through his shinbone. Duillius, Fonteius, Gessius, and the others are no better. Half of them'll never hold an axe or mace again."

Assuming they survived Ravenfeeder's poison, Teresa thought. She was still not certain just how powerful it was. Nor of the enchantment that weakened her target's resistance to it. Pappy said it would even kill Argonians, who were normally completely immune to all poisons. If it was anything like her nightshade, then she would not be surprised if half of the thugs were already dead. That was assuming they did not each have an antidote potion. No member of the Bravil Guild would ever go out on a contract without at least one, let alone a full complement of other potions. But she had no idea how well prepared the rank and file of Kurdan's thugs were.

"Stop talking like an old woman Ofonius!" came the growl of another hound. "A few healing potions and they'll all be good as new. Besides, no one ever liked Ra'jhera anyway. Damn uppity house cat thought he was better than the rest of us. We're better off without that flea-bitten skunk."

"He had all the scrolls!" the first man - Ofonius - replied. "What if she summons another one of those Aedra?"

"She'd have done that already if she could," the second gangster replied. "She's got nothing left but those little birds. We've got her trapped in there now. All we have to do is keep our shields up in front of us. You saw she can't shoot through them."

"Then she'll kill us with her bare hands!" Ofonius declared in a shrill voice. "Damnit Peducaeus, this ain't no fat fisherman or stupid beggar like the other ones! That Witch is the same one that killed those trolls outside the city walls. I'm getting out of here while I still can."

"You leave and what do you think Kurdan will do to you?" Peducaeus rumbled. "It'll be you we're hunting next, mark my words."

"I'll take my chances," Ofonius said. "This is suicide."

The sound of stomping feet and jingling armor faded into the distance, underscoring the thug's response.

"Blast it!" Peducaeus hissed. "That tears it then. I can't do this alone."

"Wait, I'll pay you double!" came a third voice. Teresa imagined he must be the patrician. What had Kurdan called him, Lord Herennius?

"I can't spend it if I'm dead," Peducaeus said. "You want her, you get her. I'm going topside."

With that the sound of second pair of feet stomped their way into the distance. They were followed a moment later by the noisy clatter of armored plates scraping against one another. "You can't leave me down here alone!" came the last voice. "Wait for me!"

Blast it! Teresa bit her lip. She had the perfect spot to finish them all off! Worse, if they made it back to the surface, she would be facing at least six to one odds again. She had to stop them before they could rejoin Kurdan and the rest of his henchmen.

She sprang into motion, circling the cistern and racing for the single exit. The undine rose from the depths and joined her. She did not walk as an elf did, but simply flowed across the stones. Turning the first corner in the hallway outside, Teresa saw the back of a man in full ebony armor down the corridor from her.

She nocked her bow and fired at his receding form. Her pincushion arrow struck him dead center in the back. The golden light of a shield burst to life, and her arrow skittered harmlessly off of his armor. But the patrician staggered under the force of the shot, and fell down to one knee. Teresa could tell that he was not used to moving in armor. His every motion was clumsy.

She sprinted after him. If she could get closer, she might get a shot into one of the joints in his armor. Or she might even finish him with one of her daggers. In a moment her undine swept past her, rolling down the hallway like tidal wave. Even as the patrician regained his feet, her watery form crashed into him, and threw him back down to the stones underfoot.

The Aedra engulfed the nobleman, completely encasing him in water. He rolled onto his back, dropping his ebony greatsword. He swatted wildly at the undine, trying to push the spirit away. Yet his hands passed through her form as ineffectually as they would through normal water.

He reached for his sword, but Teresa got there first, and kicked it away. She stared down at the drowning man, thinking of Aleron Loche. Was this was the man who had cut him down from behind? Or did Kurdan have other customers? How many patricians could there be willing to pay to hunt and kill defenseless men?

His eyes met hers. They were practically bulging from their sockets. One of his hands reached out for her, like a drowning man trying to grasp for help. Teresa kicked it away in revulsion. Had Aleron begged for help too? Where had been his mercy? If it had been her on the floor, what would this man have done? Killed her, simple as that.

"You must become a wolf. For by using a bow, you are a predator." The words of Daenlin came to Teresa as she watched the sands of the patrician's life slowly drain away. "The bow is an instrument of death. To make one, you must understand its nature, and be prepared to wield its power with the responsibility it demands."

"I can kill, but not defenseless animals." Teresa own response to the master archer reverberated in her memory.

Yet was the patrician defenseless? He wore the best armor, and carried the best weapon, that money could buy. He came here to kill her with them, and had paid a criminal and his henchmen to help him do it. Why should she not kill him?

"Kill a patrician, and it's the cross," she remembered Simplicia telling her once. "The why of it won't matter neither. You'll still be crucified outside the prison. The laws are different for them."

Suddenly, an idea blossomed within Teresa's brain. Perhaps Lord Herennius was more useful alive rather than dead? With a motion of her hand, the undine slid away like the receding tide, and rose to stand beside Teresa. The patrician gasped for breath at her feet, and stared back at her with terror in his eyes.

"Please don't kill me!" he sputtered. "My family's rich! They can pay you whatever you want!"

"We'll just see about that," Teresa frowned. She was tempted to kick him, but she knew that given his ebony armor, it would likely just hurt her own foot. "Now get out of that armor. Make one false move, and I'll let her finish you."

Teresa sent a meaningful glance to the undine. The patrician was quick to comply.

Death by Undine! What a mystery that would make for CSI!

Julian would not have hesitated to finish off that fancy-pants client - her reasoning is: if I let him live, he'll just do it all over again. Typical Legion.

Anyway, I loved overhearing that argument in the passageway along with Teresa. It was a great way to show us just how much damage she did to those dogs. My only regret is that the undine didn't get to terrorize the lot further had they continued on into the cistern. That would have made them piss in their greaves (and more besides). Instead, she feels wasted on Lord Hoity-Toity.

Woo I've caught up. Quite the epic. Apologies for not replying, RL continues to eat me.

I love what you've done with this quest, the original was good but this really adds to it (and changes it which keeps things fresh and less constrained). Her finding Aleron dead was a surprise and caught me slightly off balance, but the section with the hunters chasing her was the real gem (so far at least). Her use of tactics against the thugs speaks volumes for her fighter's training but again it exposed a hole - Pappy hasn't really taught them how to deal with a mage among fighters. Her solution was pleasingly fiery though.

I'm liking the Aedra, I agree it makes more sense for them to be commonly used and fits her 'witchy' nature much better given they're closer to earth spirits than external beings. We've seen four elements now, I'm interested to see where you take this side of things and how they link in to the spirits (raven, bear and co.). Also I notice she can now do basic summons, will this pave the way for summoning a bear one day I wonder.

I agree with Haute on the argument in the passage-way. Humanising them also led very neatly on to her pondering the nature of her killing which she seemed quite happy (and almost eager at times) about in the heat of the moment. Are we standing near another turning point as the fighter and witch sides of her have to reconcile, I await with interest.

You've ended on a bit of a cliffhanger with the noble, how does she plan to use him to get out (and I imagine see to Kurdan in the process).

This piece is very very good. I'd rate this chapter well above plenty of books I've paid good money for (in fact it would be up there with the best) and even better it's free. You must be pushing half a million words in TotFS now...

"Then she'll kill us with her bare hands!" Ofonius declared in a shrill voice.

She has them more scared of her than they are of Kurdan, and it’s a long swim back to Bravil without him!

"You can't leave me down here alone!" came the last voice. "Wait for me!"

I was not expecting a full retreat! Teresa’s dilemma with the “helpless” patrician was interesting to follow. Now she has a very dangerous prisoner. This is a whole different kind of tension!

The undine and the cistern were a beautiful pairing. Too bad those hounds escaped their splashy end… for now. Still on the edge of my seat!

Loving it...Fantastic story...

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

Nice one... ...

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

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

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

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

Looking forward to the next part.

"Stop talking like an old woman Ofonius!" came the growl of another hound. "A few healing potions and they'll all be good as new. Besides, no one ever liked Ra'jhera anyway. Damn uppity house cat thought he was better than the rest of us. We're better off without that flea-bitten skunk."
Fabulous way to add some personality to Teresa’s foes! Giving them names and temperaments, even briefly, makes what happens to them more powerful.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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


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


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

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


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


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


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


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


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


Chapter 40.11 – The Hunter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"He brought you here?" Teresa wondered aloud.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keep feeding that Raven!

Fancy pants, indeed!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What a wonderful job you did with this quest!

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

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

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

Never underestimate our Teresa.
Never.

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

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

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

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

Looking forward to more insights!

Most excellent...

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

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

Nice one... ...

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


Chapter 40.12 – The Hunter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

First the nit:
Silverhome was too stuffy for the opening quote, too!

Okay, on to the fun stuff:
That made me laugh, as did Teresa's response. QFT!

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

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

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

Oh my gosh, GENIUS! Yay Tadrose! Whew.

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

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

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

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

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

Grrr! Varon Vamori. Pftuii!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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