I Hate Pressure Plates! But I Love the Screenies! Your description of the tests have inspired me to look up this quest the next time I'm in Bravil.

Acadian: Thank you Acadian. This one chapter has really turned out to be quite huge, and all for a little side-quest. In fact, at 124kb the doc weighs in as the largest file size of all the Moving Through Darkness chapters. I am glad it is exciting, because it was hard to try to keep up the tension with it mostly being puzzles.


hauteecole rider: Thank you haute. Again, I am glad there was some tension in that post, as I was worried it would seem overly dull.

That looks like Syl's dress because it is! I used the construction set to create a small mod that makes it playable, and consoled it in. I wanted something that would look bizarre, to match the rest of the craziness of the dreamworld. At first I was going to just use one of the SI Finery dresses, but then I thought, why not go all out?


Destri Melarg: Thank you Dest. I actually took all those screenshots (and a lot more I did not link to) to provide a reference when I was writing. It was only when I was finished that I realized that I might as well use them in the topic as well. That is when I found that nvde mod which I added to take those pics of Teresa. I did not want her in the standard bra and panties of the vanilla game, because the first would not exist in the TF (as they did not in the RL Classical or Middle Ages, although some women in Ancient Greece wore a simple strip to bind down the briasts when performing athletics). Plus it just made more sense that she would be completely naked, given that she was not physically present.


* * *

Chapter 14e - Through A Nightmare Darkly


The wood elf had expected to find herself floating within another void. Instead she was inside an underground cavern. Most of it was submerged in a layer of water, which was only ankle-deep where Teresa entered the chamber. She could see it deepened significantly the further into the room she went, and the wall of the cave was pierced by a tunnel at the far end, which was nearly completely underwater.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Nightmare10e.jpg

Now she wished she had the Jewel of the Rumare with her. This would be a lot easier with it, she thought as she looked down at the bare flesh of her finger where it normally resided. Well, there was nothing to do about it, she sighed, she would just have to swim the old-fashioned way once more.

The ground rose up from the waves to her right, and upon the little island was a spoked dais of Ayleid design, like a gear set upon its side. Sitting atop it was one of their hexagonal chests. Teresa leaped up to the dry ground with ease, and was once more thankful for the dream-reality allowing her to move so freely in her newfound gown.

Opening the container, she found a single potion within. As soon as she touched it she knew that it was one of water-breathing. However, she could also sense that it would only last a few minutes, and staring at the submerged tunnel, she wondered if she would have enough time.

She would just need to have faith, she thought as she stepped down into the water and waded to the tunnel. These tests were designed to push a person, to endanger them, she knew, not kill them outright. Or at least she hoped so.

Pulling the stopper from the bottle, she upended the potion and let the blue liquid slide down her throat. Tossing the empty bottle aside, she dove beneath the waves into the tunnel. She kicked hard to propel herself down, and was pleased to find herself moving as quickly as she would if she were not wearing anything. On the other hand it was not nearly as easy as when she wore the Jewel of the Rumare either. Now she felt the water pressing down upon her, weighing on her limbs, where the ring had made it seem as if it were not even there at all.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Nightmare10g.jpg

Teresa followed the tunnel deeper down, until it leveled out into a small chamber. Looking to and fro, she found a shaft leading down in the floor. Wasting no time, she swam down within and continued sink deeper. The light became dim, and she began having trouble seeing as she followed the well ever downward.

She felt the potion begin to wear off as she came to another small chamber. Looking around, she saw another opening in one wall, that seemed to curve down into another well. Should she continue downward, she wondered, and hope she found air before she drowned? Or should she turn back? If she did she just might make it to the surface while her breath lasted.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Nightmare10k.jpg

Have faith, Teresa thought. With that in mind, she kicked furiously for the side passage, and followed it into the depths. By now the potion had completely worn off. Holding her breath, she pushed on deeper and deeper. She felt the water pressing in on her, heavier and heavier as she went, as if it were a lead cloth that dragged at her limbs. Her lungs felt as if they were burst, and every part of her body was screaming at her to open her mouth to take a breath.

Still, she pushed on deeper, and was rewarded with the sight of another rickety wooden door set into the bottom of the shaft. Desperately reaching out for it with her hand, her fingers set upon it just as her breath began to finally give out.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Nightmare10l.jpg

She found herself standing in a shallow pool of water and gasped. Falling to her knees as she gulped for air, she noticed the water was colored teal and red. Looking up, she saw the sky was orange above her, and that she was within the circular stone walls of a ruined fort. Looming on a dais in front of her was another of the dark stones, this one glowing with yellow light.

She climbed from the water and onto the grassy floor of the fort. Stepping to the dais, she wasted no time in reaching out for it. The next thing she knew she was back in Henantier's house.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Nightmare10m.jpg

* * *

Only one more to go, Teresa thought as she stepped into the living room. What she found gave her pause however. The comfortable chamber she had seen when she first entered the home in the real world had transformed into a charnel house. The floor was stained with blood, including a long drag mark that went directly to a door that now loomed in the far wall. Framed in stone, it rose to a pointed top and stood where the fireplace had been. Lying on a table next to it was a headless skeleton, its skull carelessly discarded onto the floor nearby.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Nightmare11b.jpg

Teresa gulped. This did not look good at all, she thought. Henantier had regained his belief in her success after she had returned from her last test. If he could see this he might change his mind, she thought.

Well, the only way out was through, she reminded herself once more. Stepping forward, she realized that this was the Test of Courage. Swallowing hard, she reached out to touch the wooden planks of the door.

She found herself in a stone tunnel. Directly in front of her was a dais of spoked design, and another of the small Ayleid chests atop of it. Henantier sure has a thing for the Ayleids, the wood elf thought as she opened the lid. Or maybe they were the stuff of his nightmares?

Within she found a full suit of hide armor, the type bandits seemed to prefer to wear. If his dream was giving her armor, she better put it on, she reasoned. With that in mind she stripped off her gown and quickly donned the light armor of fur and leather. She even pulled the helmet over her head. Normally she preferred to keep her head bare, but the butterflies in her stomach told her she might need it.

Looking back in the container, she also saw a staff. Drawing it forth, she found that it was easily as long as she was tall. Its rosewood shaft split into three gnarled branches at the top, forming what looked like two fingers and a thumb. She had no idea how it could have fit within the chest, as the container was only a foot or so high. Yet there it was in her hand, just as plain as day. This was a Staff of Lightning, she thought. Somehow she knew that just as she knew the names of each test she performed.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Nightmare11d.jpg

She had grown up hearing bard's tales of great swordsmen, so skilled with a blade that they were described as being extensions of their arms. As soon as she touched the staff she knew that it was an extension of her will. She did not know how, but all she had to do was focus as she did when casting a spell, and the staff would shoot forth a bolt of lightning.

With that in mind she lowered the shaft and pointed the tip at a patch of stone wall ahead of her. A line of electricity leapt forth from each of the twisted fingers of the staff. They crackled in the air and all met at the stone, blasting a chunk of it loose and leaving the rest blackened and smoldering.

Mara, this was amazing! she thought as she stared down at the staff. It made her bow seem a child's toy in comparison.

That did not fill her with confidence however. She knew that if the dreamworld were giving her such a powerful weapon, not to mention armor, that the trial ahead must be equally dangerous. With that in mind, she strode down the tunnel and into the open.

She found herself standing in an arena. Stone walls rose around her in a circle, topped by long metal spikes that pointed inward to prevent her escape. Blocks of stone loomed up next to the wall in regular intervals, seeming to buttress it. Close to walls, stone daises containing blazes of white fire illuminated the scene, as did the red sky overhead. Four stone pillars splashed with blood and decorated with iron manacles sprouted from the dried and cracked dirt in the center of the arena. The circle within them was taken up by a rusted iron grill.

Between her and the grill was a curious rectangular area of white stone blocks set into the ground. It took Teresa a moment to recognize them as a stairs. She had seen the like in Ayleid ruins, and knew that a trigger would make them rise up from the ground and form a true staircase. Looking overhead, she saw that she was standing underneath a wide gallery made of elegantly carved stone. The stairs would lead up to it once they were activated, she knew. That was her way out.

Then Teresa noticed that she was not alone in the arena. Two others approached her from across the dirt. Splitting up, one ran along the Arena wall to the right of the wood elf, and the other to the left. Both loomed nearly twice as tall as she was, their massive frames bulging with muscle. Their torsos were those of men, but their backward-jointed legs ended in cloven feet and were covered in fur, like those of animals. Their massive heads were those of bulls, and they carried huge war hammers in their hands.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Nightmare11e.jpg

Minotaurs, Teresa thought. Clever ones too, splitting up meant that she would have to divide her attention when firing upon them. If she paid too much attention to one, the other would blindside her.

Leveling her staff at the nearest, she willed a bolt of lightning to spring forth. Blue-white light sparked across the arena floor, and the beast-man staggered for a moment as the charged energy struck him full in the chest. He shook his head, then launched himself forward a moment later with a roar that fairly split the wood elf's ears with its intensity.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Nightmare11g.jpg

Well, that made him mad, she thought. She pointed her staff at him again and unleashed another bolt of lightning into his massive frame. Again, the beast-man paused briefly before lowering his head and plowing on once more.

They moved quickly, but dodging did not seem to be in their repertoire, Teresa thought. That made them easy to hit, but they seemed to be able to take a lot of punishment. It was plain to her that even with the staff, they would be upon her before she could stop even one.

Glancing to her side, she saw the second minotaur was closing in fast. Turning in his direction, she sprang forward to cut the narrow distance between them. When he was only a few paces away she lowered the staff and fired a bolt of electricity into his chest. The minotaur reared back as the lightning struck him, growling in what Teresa imagined might be anger, or pain, or perhaps both.

The forester did not pause in her rush, scampering past the momentarily staggered monster. She continued to run, and did not stop until she reached the far wall of the arena. Turning, she set her back to one of the tall blocks of stone that buttressed the wall. That way one would not be able to sneak up behind her while the other occupied her attention, she thought.

Lowering her staff at the nearest one, she continued to blast away at him as he charged forward. The creature's fur was burned off and its flesh charred black, yet still it continued toward her. It moved with terrifying swiftness, seeming to gain speed with every step. The minotaur lowered its head when it was only a few steps away, and Teresa saw a red point of light form between its horns.

That cannot be good, the wood elf thought as that light came at her. Leaping to one side, the stench of burned fur filled her nostrils. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the dark blur of the gigantic creature as it lunged past her. A moment later she heard the crash as it slammed directly into the buttress. Dust and chips of stone erupted from under the monster's head. The minotaur did not fall, but did appear dazed.

Staring up at the tall stone blocks of the counterfort, an idea blossomed in Teresa's head. Leaving the minotaur to gather its wits, she took to her heels once more and raced to the next buttress. She could hear the snuffling breath of the second minotaur behind her, lending urgency to her steps.

Reaching the buttress, she did not stop. Rather she leapt straight up, reaching high with her arms. Her hands caught the edge, and she pulled with all of the strength in her slender muscles. Letting go of the staff to get a better grip, she let its wooden shaft roll free across the roof of the counterfort. Pulling her head and shoulders over the edge, she heard the loud breath of both minotaurs beneath her. Praying to the Nine that they could not grab hold of her before she could get atop the stone pylon, she swung one leg up and hooked her foot over the side. A moment later she rolled across the roof, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she sprawled on her back and stared up at the red sky overhead.

A crash ran through the stone beneath her, shaking the entire buttress. She heard the wood of her staff clattering on the rock, and turned to see it rolling near the edge. In a few more moments it would fall, she knew. Not wasting a second, she sprang for it, stretching out her hand for its shaft. Her fingertips wrapped around the smooth wood just before it could tumble to the dirt below, and Teresa thanked Mara for her good fortune.

Maybe she should have kissed the Lucky Lady before going to meet Kud-Ei? she found herself thinking as she rose to her knees. Every little bit helped after all. Then another shockwave ran through the buttress, and she had to steady herself to avoid collapsing onto the roof.

Climbing to her feet, Teresa cautiously approached the edge and peered over. She saw both minotaurs standing at its base, covered in dust and chips of stone that they had smashed loose with their headlong charges. She lowered her staff with a faint smile, and began shooting.

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It took a few minutes, but eventually she reduced both of the monsters to motionless piles of roasted flesh. Neither seemed to be able to leap up and climb the stone as she had, making them easy targets. Collapsing onto the roof of the counterfort, she let the staff fall from her trembling fingers and gulped for air. She was alive! she thought, alive!

The harsh sound of stone grating on stone came to her ears. Lifting her head, she saw the area of white rock in the arena floor was indeed rising to form steps. When it finally stopped there was a stairway leading to the gallery over the door she had entered. From her higher viewpoint, she could now see that a glowing ball of energy floated within the viewing area.

Grasping her staff, Teresa lowered herself to the ground. Stepping past the dead minotaurs, she made her way across the arena and climbed the stairs. Leaping over the rails of the balcony, she found that the orb was suspended atop what seemed to be eight bony claws that grew from the stone floor. Again, the sphere was black and featureless. Yet this one was surrounded in a halo of yellow-green light.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Nightmare11l.jpg

Teresa reached for what she suddenly knew was the Element of Courage, and a moment later she was back in Henantier's room and standing in front of him.

Yes!

That's how I did the Test of Faith! Drank one potion and kept swimming! There is actually another chest about halfway down holding another potion in case you lost the effects of the first too soon. I missed it the first time I did it, and the second time, I didn't even bother, just kept going. But let me tell you, I hated the test of Faith - I don't know how to swim, and drowning is one of my worst nightmares.

As for the Test of Courage, well, I chickened out and stayed just inside the tunnel. The Minotaurs couldn't get at me then, and I just picked them off with the staff. Yup, I cheated. The second time I did the quest, my PC was at a higher level, so I got the ebony armor and weapons, and used those instead. That was when I decided that ebony was my friend.

Well written, and it felt like I was doing them again, only for the first time!

What struck me here was your pacing. You sped my heart up and down just as Teresa's did. Almost drowning and hearts pounding, we made it! Then the fight with the Minataurs - you really had my heart going there. Well done!


Tis a simple thing, but this was beautifully done.


:lmao: This was precious!


Ok, I counted one faint smile this time. Yay! :goodjob:


They moved quickly, but dodging did not seem to be in repertoire, Teresa thought.
I could see where you might want this as is perhaps; if so, please forgive me, but did you by chance mean to say 'seem to be in their repertoire,'?

Kill the beasties,
Lady with small ...er... feeties?
Grow your courage
and you'll need no entourage
bring on the fighting
with bolts o' lightning
and I shall bring words
that are not ... er... herds!!!

:rofl:

That was exciting! :goodjob:

It could be me but I have the idea you changed the names of the tests. Intentional? From what I remember, the test with the diving is the test of courage and the test with the minotaurs was the test of resolve. :shrug:

hauteecole rider: Thank you haute. My first few times I tried the swimming test I died, because my old monitor was so dark that I literally could not see a thing. I bought a new monitor a few months ago, and what a difference! Now it is easy, and I do not need the second potion either. That is why I left it out of the story.


Acadian: Thank you A. I am glad the pacing worked. At times I was worried this story was dragging too slowly. As I have mentioned before, it is the largest chapter I have written for the TF.

I could not resist the line about the staff fitting in the tiny chest. It happens all the time in the game, but at least in a dreamworld one could see it actually happening!


D.Foxy: But not turds I see! Thank you Foxy.


RemkoNL: Thank you Rem. I did change the names of the some of the tests. They seemed kind of ambiguous, and I wanted the names to more directly relate to both the tests and the parts of Henantier that each represented.


Now the final post of this chapter:

* * *

Chapter 14f - Through A Nightmare Darkly


"You did it!" the Altmer magician cried after the orb had flown into his body as the others did. Now Teresa found that he was completely solid, and the shaking of his limbs and stutter in his voice completely gone. "You have restored me!"

"Can you get us out of here now?" Teresa asked. That was when she realized that the staff she had been carrying was gone, as was the armor she had been wearing. Once more, she was completely naked, but for the dreamworld amulet she wore.

She quickly moved to cover her exposed body parts with her hands, and felt a familiar warmth spreading through her cheeks. She had not really minded the wizard seeing her before, when his mind was in more pieces than Lorkhan's dead body. But now that he was fully rational it was another thing entirely?

"Where did your clothes go?" the Altmer asked, one eyebrow lifting in a curious stare. Then both his eyes suddenly widened, perhaps when he realized what he was seeing. He quickly turned his head and held up one hand over the side of his face.

"I?I am sorry," Henantier stammered once more. "I did not mean to stare, I just?"

"Just get us out of here already please," Teresa sighed. Now that the excitement of battle was draining away from her, her trembling limbs were beginning to feel leaden with exhaustion. She just wanted to lie down and rest for a bit, she thought. The irony of feeling that while in a dreamworld did not escape her?

"Yes, of course," Henantier said. He stepped closer to her, but with his head still turned so not to see her. Reaching out with one hand, he nearly punched her in the face by accident.

"It's alright Henantier," Teresa breathed. "You can look, just do what you have to."

"You are sure?" the high elf said, turning his head a bit to peek. When Teresa nodded, he turned completely to face her. Looking down, his hands reached out to take the amulet from between her briasts. Teresa saw his face turn a bright shade of crimson then, and he seemed to pause for several moments, just staring down at her chest.

"Umm, Henantier?" Teresa cleared her throat.

The mage jerked his head upward, but his eyes could not meet the wood elf's. "Sorry about that?" he murmured. Staring at the amulet now, he let go of it with his right hand and raised his fist high in the air. Opening his fingers, a bright point of purple light formed between them and fell down around the two of them.

Then Teresa found herself back in Henantier's house, his real house. Kud-Ei was standing over her, and when the Argonian saw her eyes open she nearly jumped for joy. Teresa could not stifle a yawn as she sat up on the floor. Stretching her arms out over her chest, she was glad to see that she was once again wearing her leather armor.

"Thank the Nine you are both alright!" Kud-Ei exclaimed, now moving to Henantier, who Teresa saw was standing up, and like her, stretching and yawning. "How do you feel?"

"Hungry," the Altmer mage said, and his stomach growled loudly to underscore his statement. "I feel as if I have not eaten for days!"

* * *

With a faint smile on her lips, Teresa looked down at the new amulet she wore. Hanging from its silver chain was a large red pendant in the likeness of a triangular shield with a white sword running point down across its face. She had seen them before, hanging from the necks of members of the Fighters Guild in the Imperial City. She knew it was their official badge. What she had not known before however, and what Pappy had told her when he set it around her neck, was that it also contained a mild Shield enchantment.

She had really done it! she thought as she carried her bags down the second floor hallway in the guild hall. Doors passed by on either side, and the wood elf was amazed at how many rooms they had just for living space. Tadrose had told her that they offered room and board to all members, but the hall seemed to have more bedchambers than an inn!

The muted sound of a lute came to the forester's ears as she made her way toward the room that the dark elf had assigned to her. It grew louder as she continued, and the wood elf realized it was coming from the room across the hall from her own chamber. Setting down her things in the hallway, she gave the door a gentle push and gazed inside with curious eyes.

Sitting on the bed was Ancondil, dressed in an outfit of black velvet chased with gold. In his large, green hands was the lute she heard, and Teresa watched and listened with amazement as he played. He was rather good, she thought, although all she had to compare him to were the street-corner musicians of the Market District.

The room was simply furnished, as all of the bedchambers seemed to be at the guild hall. However, the sheets on the bed were clean, as were the plain tapestries on the daub and wattle walls. However, what caught Teresa's gaze was the suit of ebony armor and massive war hammer of similar construction that hung from an arming rack in one corner of the room.

"Hi Ancondil," Teresa said in a subdued voice, "it's good to see you again." She bit her lip, hoping the Orsimer was not mad at her for what had happened the other night, after they had dinner together. Well, she thought, there was no time like the present for her to try to set things right.

"Teresa, do come in!" the orc looked up with a smile and set his eyes upon the wood elf. Laying down his lute, his gaze fell to the amulet she wore. "I see I am no longer the newest member of the guild, congratulations!"

The Orsimer's grin dispelled the worry that had been nesting in Teresa's stomach since the other night. She felt a faint smile creep to her lips in response as she opened the door all the way. "So you really are a musician too, as well as a poet."

"Yes indeed, although I am still learning the lute," he said, patting a muscular hand on the stringed instrument. Then he jerked a thumb at the gleaming black and gold hammer that stood beside his armor. "I have a natural talent for percussion instruments as well?"

The willowy elf could not stifle a modest chuckle at his quip. "I have something for you," she said a moment later, stepping back into the hallway and taking a minute to rummage through the sacks she had been carrying. Finally she produced a bottle of brandy and a book of poetry.

Turning back to Ancondil's room, she found the orc standing in the open doorway with a quizzical look on his face. "I wanted to say I was sorry for the other night." Teresa placed the bottle and book into his hands. "I thought you might like these."

"My stars Teresa!" the Orsimer gasped as he looked over both of the gifts. "I?I do not know what to say, except thank you. You do realize this is entirely unnecessary though?"

"I wanted to," Teresa said, biting her lip. "I was hoping we could still be friends?"

"Well of course!" the much larger man exclaimed. "Shall we open the brandy and celebrate your new position?"

"I can't," Teresa shook her head, looking down at her bags and thinking about her last experience with alcohol that she was unused to. "I have to unpack, and get out of this damned armor and put some real clothes on."

"It would be my honor to assist, my lady," Ancondil said formally, and Teresa was reminded of that knight at the Faregyl Inn who had kissed her hand. "I am highly skilled at lifting heavy things."

"That's ok, I have been dressing myself for some time now," Teresa said with a faint smile. She glanced down at her chest. "Besides, they're not that heavy?"

"Teresa!" the Orsimer's face lit up in a combination of shock and amusemant, and he began to sputter with laughter. "That is not fair!"

The wood elf could not restrain a brief giggle herself as she lifted her bags from the hallway floor. "I'll see you at dinner, Tadrose said that Pappy was going to make something for all of us. From what she says, he's a pretty good chef."

"Then I will see you there, you rapscallion!" the orc smiled and shook his head, then went back into his own room.

Teresa did likewise, and began unpacking her bags and putting her things away in the spacious room. She wondered what Simplicia would think when she told her in the next letter, or Volsinius. Just two weeks ago she never would have imagined herself being in the Fighters Guild. Oblivion! she snorted, just a few months ago she had been in prison!

A knock on the frame of her door snapped her from her musings. Standing in the open doorway was the tall, slender form of Henantier, still clad in his plain blue mage's robe. He was standing sideways, holding a massive crate in his thin arms and looking within.

"Good evening Teresa," the high elf said. His voice showed not the slightest bit of strain, in spite of the heavy burden he carried. "I hope I am not interrupting. I just thought I might bring you something."

"By the Nine Henantier, come in and put that thing down!" Teresa exclaimed, her eyes widening at the size of the crate. It looked bigger than he was, and had to be far heavier than the slender elf. "That must weigh a ton!"

"Oh no," the high elf smiled as he walked into the bedroom and easily set the crate near the doorway. "A simple Feather spell and it weighs next to nothing. I would have conjured something to carry it, but the last time I did that the City Guard was upset. I suppose they are not used to seeing skeletons carrying luggage very often."

Teresa felt a faint smile creep across her lips as she tried to imagine the skinny high elf walking down the main street of Bravil with a skeletal manservant in tow. Even in a huge place like the Imperial City that would have caused an uproar, she thought. Let alone in a sleepy little town like Bravil.

"What is in there?" Teresa wondered, stepping forward to look more closely at the crate.

"Potion bottles," the Altmer said, prying open the lid with his finger and producing a small glass container. "Before you left my house you mentioned that you had forgotten to acquire some when you were previously at the guild house."

"You remembered that?" Teresa said in amazement, staring down at the crate. "There must be hundreds of them in there!"

"Two hundred and forty two actually," Henantier said dryly. "It is the least I can do for the woman who saved my life."

"Oh, you don't have to do this for me," Teresa mumbled, feeling her face flush with warmth as she looked down at her feet. "I don't really need anything?"

"You saved my life Teresa," the Altmer said, "I would just like to show my gratitude in a meaningful way. Consider this a down payment. I hold my life to be worth more than a few bottles after all!"

"Really Henantier, you do not have to do anything." Teresa lifted her eyes and stepped closer to the high elf, putting her hands on his arms. "You don't owe me anything."

"Why of course I do," the magician replied, looked back her with a smile on his face. "How can I not?"

"Let me put it this way," Teresa said, biting her lower lip. "When I came down here from the Imperial City I was attacked by bandits. If a legionary had not come along and saved me, I don't know what might have happened. Before that, during the Oblivion Crisis, I would have died if not for another soldier. He lost half of his face to save me, my mother, and another person. They didn't do it for a reward. They did it because sometimes helping other people is just the right thing to do. If you really want to make it up to me, then the next time you see someone needs help, step in and do something for them."

"That is very noble of you Teresa," Henantier blinked, stepping away from her and sitting on the narrow bed. "That is one of the reasons I came here though, sort of." He stared down at his hands, and Teresa had the distinct feeling that he wanted to say something, but could not find the words. It was a circumstance she was all too familiar with, the wood elf thought wryly as she stepped to the door and shut it.

"I did not tell you and Kud-Ei the real reason I created that dreamworld," the high elf said quietly, still staring down at his hands, which he now wrung together nervously. "Well, not the full reason at least. But considering what you risked, I think you have the right to know the truth. People say that I am a great magician, but they are wrong. I am just an ivory tower wizard, a hollow sham."

"What do you mean?" Teresa sat down beside him, laying a hand on his shoulder. Whatever he had to say, it was clear to her that it disturbed him, she thought.

"I grew up to tales of dashing battlemages facing Daedra with a laugh and saving the day," the Altmer said glumly. "That was all I ever wanted to be. But when I tried out for the battlemage program at the University, I found that I just did not have the? nerve. There, I said it. I am a coward! Damn me to Oblivion for it."

"How?" Teresa wondered out loud, biting her lower lip once more. "I mean, did something happen?"

"No, that is the problem, nothing happened at all," the high elf spat, the sarcasm in his voice sharp enough to cut through steel. "Whenever I thought about having to fight, I mean really fight, I just could not do it. I was so frightened that I could not put myself in danger in the first place. Not even on the training field."

"So you created the dreamworld to face your fears." Teresa said, feeling as if a light had suddenly dawned within her.

"Yes," Henantier breathed, "after all these years, and made a total hash of it too. To the point I had to be rescued from myself!"

"Oh Henantier, do not say that!" Teresa exclaimed. She could not stop herself from putting her arm around the forlorn elf. She only hoped that he would not take it as a sign of anything more than compassion. The last thing she needed was another scene like the one she had with Ancondil the other night! "That was not your fault. The same thing would have happened to anyone who entered that dreamworld, even the Arch-Mage himself!"

The high elf swallowed hard. He opened his mouth to say something, then shut it again. Instead he continued staring at the floor.

"Henantier, look at me," Teresa said. With her other hand she reached out to gently cup his cheek, and turned his face to meet hers. "For all of my life, I have run from every problem I ever came across. Whenever there was anything dangerous I literally ran and hid. I was a mouse. It wasn't until a few months ago that I changed, and it was only because I had no place left to run."

"So what happened?" the high elf asked.

"I stood my ground and I fought," Teresa said, feeling a quiver begin to run through her voice. She remembered the Emperor, and how he died, as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. She remembered how she had went insane afterward, and hacked his assassin to pieces. "I didn't want to, and I never would have done it if I had a choice. I would have fled if I could, believe me, I'm no hero!"

"I guess what I am trying to say is that just because you feel afraid does not make you a coward. Believe me, I feel like shaking like a leaf every time, and afterwards I do! Volsinius - he's a centurion - told me there was one man in his tent group who pissed himself before every fight he was in. They didn't want to stand downwind of him afterward, but they never hesitated to stand beside him. It's ok to be afraid, everyone is."

"You created that dreamworld to face the things that terrified you. That's not something a coward would do. Especially since it could really kill you! That took real nerve, balls is what the guild commander here would say. Sure you screwed up, but so do all of us sometimes. If I told you all the things I fetched up in my life we would be here until we both died of old age!"

"Do you really think so?" Teresa saw that Henantier's eyes now glittered with something new, hope perhaps?

"Believe me," she said with a faint smile. "I've fetched up a lot of things in my time!"

That brought a chuckle from the high elf, just as Teresa had hoped it would. She squeezed him tightly with her arm and continued to speak.

"We have the power to make ourselves whatever we want to be. It is our choices in life that define us. Everything we do, or do not do, makes us what we are. You chose to face your fears once already Henantier. You can do it again. You are better than them."

"Perhaps you are right," the high elf admitted, sitting up straight. "I never thought about it that way."

"Of course I'm right," Teresa said, wrapping both of her arms around him now and holding him close. "I am a woman!"

I'm sure Zerina would agree :lmao:

This was sooooo good! It gave me more than a modest chuckle, as did the 'lifing heavy things' interchange that came after. :lmao:

This was just a wonderful post to read. Moving the story along, humor, more depth on your guild and characters. Lovely hard-earned insights from our elf Teresa!

Speaking of humor, I was delighted to see several of those faint smiles be joined this time by snorting, chuckling and giggling from Teresa. Yay!

During your last scene particularly (with Henetier & Teresa) I found myself tempted to take notes on how naturally you made their conversation flow. The magic of dialogue with creative speech tags and tidbits of action. Just wonderful! I'm envious for sure!



Nits?
The Orsimer's grin dispelled the worry that had been nesting her {in?} Teresa's stomach since the other night. - In addition to the tiny nit in this passage, I noted with admiration your creativity of using the word dispelled here. :goodjob:

" Let me put it this way," Teresa said, biting her lower lip. - I think your opening quote has an open space that snuck in before the first word. Sorry such a tiny pick; also easy to miss when formatting for the forum I know.

And Julian would second it in a heartbeat! :goodjob:

Well written, and I liked revisiting Teresa's philosophy:

I think Julian really likes Teresa just for that alone. :foodndrink:


Loved this statement of Ancondil's! :toughninja:


Looks like you lost an 'e' in the Dreamworld.

The little touches you put into your writing, whether through dialogue or a slight change to how the quest plays out, is absolutely delightful.

I do feel sorry for Henantier. Waking up with a strange naked woman is the most delightful and disturbing experience a man can have.
Now, what did I really do last night....
And worse than that, does she remember??

"Hey! My eyes are up HERE!"

"Sorry...it's just that your...thighs...are down THERE..."

"And stop staring at my....ZITS!"

"Er..no...I was staring at your...LIPS?? ... GODS! What a NIGHTMARE! And what trials! When I get out of her.."

"What? WHAT?"

"Freudian Slip. When I get out, I'll be so hungry I bet I can eat all your pu- "

"WATCH IT, BUSTER, or you're going to get SLAPPED!!!"

"...I was going to say PUDDING! Er...you DO bake, don't you? Arrgh...why did you have to say WATCH IT...now I can't stop watching it..."

"Just pretend it's a beaver. And now it's time to LEAVE HER!"

"There's the Freudian Slip again...OW!!!"




Ribaldry aside, your exposition on courage was as deep and insightful ... as your character's er...exposed-position in the dream was... um... 'peep' and delightful.


:rofl:

You managed to describe one of the strangest and most difficult quests with your usual flair and economy.

Better still was the scene of Teresa passing on the lessons she learned from the Emperor and from Volsinius.

She will have need of those lessons, now that she is a member of the Fighters Guild.

Excellent as always.

If given the choice between the Test of Faith and the prospect of drowning, and the Test of Courage with, count them, TWO Minotaurs I would gladly face down the Minotaurs.

In this latest chapter we are graced with three faint smiles from Teresa, and the wonderful incongruity of an Orc that uses words like 'rapscallion'. And then there is my favorite sentence:

She had not really minded the wizard seeing her before, when his mind was in more pieces than Lorkhan's dead body.

The lore-phile in me just did a back flip! :thumbsup:

RemkoNL: Of course! All women know that!


Acadian: Thank you A. This is the only kind of humor I can write, the occasional bits that come out of natural conversations. When it comes to pure comedy however, I am totally lost.

It probably comes as much of a surprise to me as everyone else that Teresa is now in the position to mentor others about courage. Yet that scene flowed naturally from my writing. It shows how much she has changed from that frightened street rat trying to sneak up behind the Emperor and Co.

Thank you for finding those nits. That dreamworld really messed with my grammar!


hauteecole rider: Thank you her. I never thought of Teresa having a philosophy, like Buffy has her Buffy Doctrine?. But I think you probably just hit it. She owes her life to other people stepping in and helping her out of nothing but their sense of duty or the goodness of their hearts (starting with Simplicia adopting her). So she is very much a "pay it forward" kind of person.

Thank you for finding my errant vowel. It probably got svcked into Henantier when he was re-absorbing the different aspects of his psyche...


Winter Wolf: Thank you WW. Feel sorry for Henantier? Waking up with naked women sounds good to me! -_-


D.Foxy: The sad thing is, Teresa is probably the first naked woman Henantier has ever seen, and probably the last for some time...


treydog: Thank you TD. As usual, your words will turn out to be quite prescient indeed...


Destri Melarg: Thank you Dest. Ancondil is one of my favorite personalities of the TF FG. In a few chapters we will even get to see him play a little percussion as well...

I am glad someone caught the Lorkhan references. I was looking for something like Humpty-Dumpty, and finally settled on Lorkhan, being that his heart is under Red Mountain, and the two moons are his dead body (and I am not sure how many other bits of him might be laying about Mundus).

* * *

Chapter 15a ?A Day In The Life


Teresa tied her hair behind her head in a ponytail and belted a grey legion tunic around her waist. To say the latter fit her loosely was an understatement of Bretonish proportions, she thought. The wood elf practically swam in the long cotton shirt, the same with the drawstring pants she tied around her waist. Lifting the Fighters Guild amulet from where it hung atop her mirror, she settled it around her neck and was out the door of her room.

The guild hall was silent as the wood elf slithered down the stairs and out the back door. She jogged lightly around the edges of the practice field behind the guild hall, making two complete circuits of the long enclosure. Hopping over the low stone fence, she made her way down the alley between it and the next building.

The sound of the chapel bell tolling a single note greeted her as she reached the main street, as did the first rays of the rising sun. The wood elf paused to stretch her limbs in the crisp morning air, going through a routine of exercises that Pappy had taught her. Finally, when her body felt loose and limber she sprang to her feet and began a steady trot down the road.

She did not race as fast as she could, rather she fell into a steady pace that she had found she could maintain over a long time. She reminded herself to breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth as she kept her pace. That was something else Pappy had harped on her to always do as well, she thought. Considering that he was twice her age, but clearly in better shape, she was not going to disagree with the Imperial.

Trotting by the main gate, she saw the city guardsman on watch in the tower above staring down at her and shaking his head. Well, that was better than them trying to chase her down, she mused, as they had the first time she went jogging through the streets. Why did watchmen always think that when someone was running it had to be because they had just stolen something?

At least the guild amulet helped keep them from being over-zealous, she thought as she sped along the inside of the northern wall. Or maybe word had finally gotten around that she exercised at this time? Either way she was glad for the peace.

This was her favorite time in the city; early in the morning when most people were still asleep. The only sound was the chirping of the birds in the trees and rush of the rivers, while the air was edged with a crisp bite that invigorated her lungs. Glancing up, she saw the sky overhead was stained a palette of soft colors ranging from purple to yellow as the sun began its daily circuit across the firmament.

By Mara, how had she become a morning person! she wondered with a faint smile. Back in the Imperial City she would have been just going to sleep. But the capital did not have sunrises like this, or quiet times when there was nothing but her and the beauty of Nirn.

The wood elf continued on, maintaining her pace as her heart beat harder and harder, and her breath became more ragged. Sweat was beading her brow as she circled the Mages Guild and crossed the bridge over the center river to the southern island. The city was coming alive by that time, with people scurrying around to the bakeries for fresh bread, and many fishermen already guiding their boats out from the docks below and into the bay.

Teresa waved to Aia as she trotted by the corner of the city walls where the old Imperial slept. The beggar was still waking up and took a moment to respond with a welcome cry. Teresa could not stop however, and turned east into the rising sun.

She followed the edges of the island, completely circling it and once more taking the bridge back to the northern isle. She waved to Henantier and Kud-Ei as she passed them on the street. The mages were walking west to their guild house, while she continued her trot in the opposite direction down the main boulevard along the docks.

She passed Tavian on the street as she neared her own guild hall and waved to him as well. He would be going to get fresh bread for breakfast, she thought. But even though her stomach rumbled at the idea of warm bread smothered in olive oil, she sped past the hall to make another circuit of the city, and did not stop running until she had crossed back over the central bridge a second time.

Dripping with sweat, she walked the rest of the way back through the streets to the hall. Her heart was returning to normal by the time she walked into the front door of the guild hall and followed the noise of voices to the dining room.

She found the rest of her guild mates there enjoying a simple meal of fresh bread and tea. Pappy was wearing his armor already, a hodgepodge of legionary plate around his torso, and orcish steel on his legs and arms. His dwemer sword rode his hip, a legion helm sat on the table next to his breakfast, and an orcish shield was propped against the wall behind him.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Pappy05.jpg

Next to him at the round table sat Tavian, the young porter wearing simple wool and linen clothes. Then there was Ancondil, clad in his gleaming ebony armor, gilded with bright gold designs. The handle of the orc's war hammer rose from the edge of the table beside him, and he smiled at Teresa as she entered.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Ancondil10.jpg

Beside Ancondil sat the newest member of the guild, a Redguard she had only briefly seen the day before. He wore a simple dark shirt and pants, contrasting sharply to the armor of the other advlts. His black hair was bound tightly to his head in lines that ran from the front of his skull to the nape of his neck, like rows of corn in a field. It was a style Teresa was seeing more and more from the sailors of Hammerfell.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Chance04.jpg

Yet what really caught Teresa's eye was Tadrose. The dark elf stood to the left of Pappy and munched on a piece of bread. She was clad from head to toe in the golden-hued armor of elven style. Brilliant rings of mail sheathed her body, which was in turn covered with slender bands of solid metal wrapping around her torso like leaves. Tiny plates of armor shaped like feathers descended from her hips and ankles, and her legs between were encased by solid plates decorated with scrollwork of gentle vines. A helmet decorated with more feathered scrollwork hung from her waist belt, dangling by its chin strap. Propped against the wall behind her was the long blade of a claymore, its hilt colored gold and again decorated with twisting vines of elvish fashion.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/subrosa_florens/oblivion/Oblivion281.jpg

For once the wood elf was glad for being short of breath, at least she had an excuse for not being able to say a word as the dark elf smiled and handed her a cup of milk as the men talked. "I know you prefer this to tea," the armorer said quietly, so that only Teresa could hear, "so I had Tavian get some along with the bread."

Teresa nodded and sat next to the blue-skinned woman. By Dibella! she marveled, who had taken the grimy blacksmith she had met a week before and replaced her with this golden raven of the battlefield?

When Tadrose smiled at Teresa, her entire face seemed to glow with a soft light that made the forester's heart begin to race once more, albeit for an entirely different reason than when she had been running?

"So is it true you got here by stowing away on a ship from Hegathe?" a wide-eyed Tavian asked the Redguard.

"Yeah," the newcomer nodded, taking a swallow of juice. "I snuck on board at night. They found me the next day at sea. But it was just my luck that one of their crew hadn't shown up when we sailed. So they let me take his place in the topmasts."

"What if the sailor had been there?" Ancondil asked.

"They'd have thrown me overboard," the dark-skinned man said, "at least that's what the captain told me."

"Sounds like it was your lucky day kid," Pappy said dryly. "If the Marie Elena's an honest merchantman, then I'm an Altmer."

"I was figuring that out by the time we rounded Valenwood," the young man related. "I think they had a hold full of loot, and they were going to fence it in the Imperial City. By the time we got here I had the distinct impression that they were only going to keep me around for that long too, then-" the Redguard drew a line across his throat with his finger. "That's why I jumped ship and swam to shore while we were anchored in the bay overnight."

"You are lucky you did not drown." Tadrose offered.

"Lady luck has always been good to me," the Redguard smiled at the dark elf, which prompted her to roll her eyes in return.

"Is that why they call you Chance?" Tavian asked.

"No," the lean young man said, then looked up at Teresa with a wink. "It's 'cause my mother took one."

The table broke out with a chorus of guffaws, and even Teresa could not contain the faint smile that escaped her lips. She broke off a handful of bread from the loaf at the center of the table and dipped it into a bowl of olive oil beside it. The bread was still warm as she took a bite, and tasted wonderful as she slowly chewed, savoring the creamy oil that softened it.

"The real question is who is this lovely daughter of the forest?" the Redguard smiled across the table at Teresa, and she wondered if Pappy was giving him lessons on how to make women melt. She was certain that smile would have gotten most. "I don't believe we've been introduced."

Teresa made a show of looking behind her. "Yes, I'd like to meet her too!" she said with a faint smile. "Where is this forest beauty?"

That brought another chorus of laughter from the table. Even from Tadrose, who leaned across Teresa to dip a handful of bread into the olive oil. Teresa closed her eyes for a moment and breathed in the other woman's scent, a mixture of the mineral oil that protected her armor with a slight hint of primrose beneath it.

"Our Teresa is the soul of humility," she heard Ancondil say to the others, and she opened her eyes again as he addressed her directly. "So how did your contract to bodyguard the most patrician Alessia Ottus go yesterday?"

"I'm trying to forget." Teresa frowned at the memory the Imperial woman. "It's no wonder people make death threats against her. I wanted to strangle the harpy myself!"

"She refused to even have me as a bodyguard the last time," Tadrose declared icily. "Since we Dunmer are 'wicked and profane'. Gaius had to shepherd the pompous twit around the city."

"Dealing with people like her is just part of the job," Pappy observed. "Just remember, their money is as good as anyone else's. Better actually, because I charged the noble Alessia three times the regular rate!"

That brought another round of laughter from the others, and Teresa used to time to savor more of the breakfast. It felt so strange, not simply eating a meal with so many other people, but actually sharing it with them as well. She was used to squeezing into a place between the throngs at the food stands of the capital, but no one ever talked to her there, or paid any mind to her. She had just been one stranger amidst other strangers.

Yet here in the guild, life was so different, the wood elf found herself thinking. For once she was surrounded by people who were actually a part of her life. Granted, she did not know the others very well yet, but somehow thanks to the time they spent living and training together it made her feel like she did, at least on some level.

"I want you to head over to the Temple of Mara and learn a healing spell after we finish up this morning." Her reverie was broken when Pappy rose to his feet and looked at Chance. "Tavian will show you the way. In fact, I want you to learn one too," the middle-aged Imperial now looked to the young porter. "If you are going to be a fighter one day, you will need it."

"A healing spell?" the dark-skinned man complained. "A Redguard warrior does not practice eastern magic!"

"He will if he wants to be in the Fighters Guild." The Imperial's voice was hard as iron. "Either come back here tonight knowing how to heal yourself, or pack your bags."

"But you never made anyone before Pappy," the young porter said, "Why do we have to now?"

"Because I am not going to plant the lot of you in shallow graves," the guild commander growled. "Only three of us came back from Bruma because we weren't prepared. That's not going to happen again. Now I want everyone out back in five for close order drill. Chance, we'll get you kitted out with armor this afternoon, for now just come as you are."

"And as for you my little legionary," the Imperial leveled a piercing gaze upon the forester as he settled his centurion's helmet around his head, "if it would not trouble you too much, how about putting your own clothes on?"

"You said I should wear something loose and comfortable when I ran," Teresa looked down at the legion tunic she wore as she rose to her feet. "I don't have anything of my own."

"So buy something!" the Imperial growled. "It's not like you are broke."

"But I like this!" Teresa found herself pouting. "Besides you never wear it anyhow."

"Well how can I wear it if you have it?" the Imperial shook his head and stomped off after the other men. His voice carried clearly from the hallway however. "How do they always find me? Every screwball in Tamriel, it never fails?"

"Do not worry about him, you can keep the tunic. It does look better on you anyway." Tadrose had lingered behind, and now lifted her claymore in her hands, resting the flat of the blade against her shoulder. "Do not mind Chance either, he tried it with me too yesterday. That one probably makes a play for every woman he meets, just like our commander. You have to get used to that when you work with men."

"So are you already seeing someone then?" Teresa asked, hoping she did not sound like she was doing the same.

"No, and I do not plan to," the dark elf said after a long moment. Then she headed for the door, pausing a moment to look back before stepping through. "You had better get upstairs and changed for drill. Now that our numbers are finally up we can start training in small unit tactics."


Edit: I added in two more pics.

I REALLY liked this! You brought your new guild to life by breaking bread. I envy your ability to smoothly present a conversation that involves several participants.

Like you, I can contentedly read of the normal activities, conversations and internals of a character I enjoy and care about (like Teresa) all day long. What a pleasure. You can post this kind of story as often as you like! :goodjob:

And we have what may be a delicate dance between wood elf and dark elf beginning to manifest. How exciting!

If I'm not mistaken, I believe the entire TF FG is now acconted for - and what a rich bunch of characters it is.

As always, a true pleasure to read, and very well done.

One nit?
"I know {you?} prefer this to tea," the armorer said quietly, so that only Teresa could hear,

Edit: Oh, I forgot to mention this from your comments:
I know EXACTLY what you mean - and have the same ability/limitation.

Ooh, I likey this one! Male Redguards like this I call Blackguards! Cuz they are! Scoundrels, I mean!

I enjoyed this scene immensely, including Pappy's insistence that everyone know their healing spells. That little spell can mean the difference between life and death, as Julian well knows!

Hmm, I see I have some reading to catch up on...the last thing I remembered was being in the dream world, and then I stumbled onto this chapter -- which was very good, btw! Alrighty, something to look forward to

Warm crispy bread dipped in olive oil...... :yuck:
Lovely chapter! I really enjoyed the homy feel you gave the FG!

Acadian: Thank you A. This chapter is meant to reveal several things. In the broadstrokes I want to show how being a member of the FG has changed Teresa's life, both for the better and worse (and there are things she cannot do now, at least not as often as she would like, as will be shown in the next few posts). Most especially I want to convey the professionalism that being in the FG is instilling within her, as well as the value of the mentorship she finally has. Both of which are things she herself saw that she was sorely lacking in.

Also I want to introduce more FG characters of course, and put a bit more depth into the ones already present, and Teresa's relationships with them. There are still more FG'ers to be introduced besides Chance. There in Vincent, who has only been mentioned in the past, and will finally appear at the end of this chapter. Then there is one more, who should be showing up two chapters down the line.

And yes, there is something there between Teresa and Tadrose. Just what it is, and what it might become, is still rather uncertain, as this chapter will also reveal.


hauteecole rider: Thank you haute. That is exactly what I was hoping to convey with Chance. He is essentially a young version of Pappy. Probably even more reckless and naive then he was at that age.

Learning the healing spell was one of the things in my outline that this conversation had to convey. It is part of that professionalism that I want to convey with the Bravil FG. You are right, that simple spell is a true life-saver. That is why Pappy is now insisting everyone learn it. I figure that at Battle of Bruma many members of the FG who died would have survived if they had known it.


Rachel the Breton: More coming too. This chapter ought to be good for maybe 3 more posts.


RemkoNL: Thank you Remko.

Bread and olive oil is good! One of the better Italian restaurants near where I live gives it to you while you wait for your meal. They bake the bread themselves so it is fresh, and the olive oil makes it even better. It is like butter, only easier to put on.

I also wanted to show that people do not eat fancy all the time. Simple things like bread or porridge would be the mainstay of the average Cyrodiilian's diet. Meat would be a luxury for most people, either rarely indulged in, if ever at all. With Bravil being on the bay, seafood would naturally take a large part of people's diets there as well, thanks to the local fishermen.


* * *

Chapter 15b ?A Day In The Life

Drill in small unit tactics they did, Teresa thought as the morning went on. Pappy had them practicing forming lines, semi-circles, and circles. They changed directions at his command, went from a marching column to a fighting line, then back again. Over and over, they practiced the same movements together.

Pappy and Tadrose were flawless at it all, Teresa observed, always being in exactly the right place at any given moment. Yet even after a week of practice she and Ancondil had problems from time to time. Chance, being completely new, spent more time stumbling into the rest of them than anything else. Teresa had to stifle to urge to laugh more than once. The memory of her own fumbling on her first day of the training stilled her tongue however.

She at least had it easy, she mused, as she was not expected to stand in line with the others, who were all melee fighters. Being an archer and a scout, she was always in front, behind, or beside the lines they formed. Yet even then she still had to be able to move between the others as they created their formations. Not always the easiest thing, especially when they were clad head-to-toe in armor.

After an hour of their stumbling and Pappy's cursing, they came to the part of training the wood elf enjoyed most, weapons practice. While the others went inside to work with wooden training weapons, she remained outside to shoot. She had never spent so much time practicing with her bow in her life. On the Waterfront she had only worked with it when she felt like it, using the wall of a broken down shack near the lakeshore as a target.

But Pappy insisted that she spend at least an hour every morning with her bow. She remembered how her shoulders had ached from the effort during the first few days, and how she had to drink Restore Fatigue potions to relieve the strain afterward. But the previous day she discovered that she no longer needed the draughts, so she imagined that she must be building strength in her muscles as well as improving her aim.

Spending half the time firing direct at the mortal-shaped targets down range, the wood elf used the other half of her hour practicing zone-shooting. She had never even heard of it when Pappy had shown it to her on her first official day in the guild, she remembered. Yet now that a week had gone by she was starting to finally get the hang of it.

Rather than directly aiming and adjusting the height of her shot to compensate for the distance, she fired in a high arc, so that her arrows came nearly straight down upon her targets. Rather than the usual butts that stood up vertically, these were circular rings laid out flat on the ground, stretching out in a single line going down the length of the field.

"You should be able to put an arrow in a circle no larger than one you can sweep out with your arms, at any distance, without seeing the target," Pappy had explained to her. "All you need are direction and distance, which we can tell you from the line. Every Imperial Legion archer can do it. That allows them shoot from behind the ranks without hitting any of us. It also means most of your hits will be head and neck shots, because of the high angle."

When the chapel bell tolled once more, Teresa stopped by the well for a drink of water and headed inside to the training room. There she found that the others had changed out of their armor and into simple loose clothing. Pappy himself went bare-chested, as he usually did, and drew her aside while Tadrose worked with the others.

"Alright kid," the older man said as he handed her a thick-bladed wooden dagger, "time to play with the big boys."

As they had done every day since she had joined, the two of them practiced together at parrying with the knife. Or that is she practiced, and he delighted in whacking her with his practice sword whenever she was too slow. In the beginning they had moved in slow motion, she remembered, so that she could learn the moves. Now that she knew them however, they worked much more quickly, and Pappy put real force behind his blows. That was one reason she always wore her leather armor when they worked out together. The other being as Pappy himself had told her, she needed to become used to taking a hit while wearing it.

"Remember, don't try to meet force with force when you parry," the Imperial reminded her as they went through the exercises he had taught her. "Move and deflect my blade aside, then step in and use your right hand to hit with a spell."

Teresa did just that, stepping inside the guard of his sword and standing nearly chest to chest with the larger man. The base of the blade in her left hand was still engaged with his sword, catching it between her own blade and crossguard to keep it away from her. At the same time her right hand pressed against his flesh. If it were for real she would be using her Absorb Health spell then, to draw forth his vitality and take if for herself.

"Good girl," Pappy smiled. "Even if I had a shield your spell would still get through." The older man stepped back then, crossing his hands in front of him. That signal was the first thing Teresa had learned, meaning to stop the workout, and she relaxed and lowered her practice knife.

"You learn quick Teresa," the older man said appraisingly, then motioned her to follow him as he walked to a table along one of the walls. "You still have a long way to go, but you pick it up really well. Once you master the single knife, I'll start teaching you to use a second one in your right hand. Then you can attack with that while you defend with the other. There are even some parries you can use with both hands."

Teresa nodded, drawing forth a cloth that was tucked in her belt and running it across her sweating brow. Being cornered had always terrified her, especially after her battle with the goblins in the prison sewer. It had only been blind luck that she had survived that, she knew. If she was going to survive, she had to learn to fight hand-to-hand.

The Imperial reached down to the table and lifted a sheathed dagger whose wire-wrapped grip ended in a thick, round pommel. A heavy crossbar of dark metal inlaid with gold gently curved outward in a crescent, protecting the handle. Drawing the weapon from its sheath, Pappy revealed a wide-blade of gleaming ebony, so highly polished that Teresa could see her reflection in the metal. Effortlessly flipping the dagger around in his hand, the Imperial offered it to Teresa hilt-first.

"I want you start carrying this," he said as the wood elf took the large weapon in her hand. It was heavy, but she found that the weight of the wide blade was countered by that of the thick pommel, giving it a perfect balance. When she thought of a dagger, she usually imagined a slim blade that someone could easily hide, the kind that most street ruffians used. Big and bulky, this was anything but that. It was not made for quiet murder, she realized, but open warfare.

"This is ebony," Teresa breathed, staring at the black metal in her hand. "It must cost a fortune!"

"You'll need it. Believe me, nothing is going to break that blade!" the older man said, "Don't worry about the cost. I'll take a portion from your contracts until you have it paid off, same with the second one, when you're ready for it. We do it for all our members. That's how our new boy Chance will be getting his armor and sword. He showed up with nothing but the shirt on his back."

Teresa nodded as the Imperial took the sheath and a pair of belts and wrapped them around her body. Rather than looping the belts around her waist, he ran them over her shoulders, like a pair of suspenders. Then he attached the actual sheath upside down, to her right briast. Only a strap of leather across the grip prevented the dagger from falling out of its scabbard.

"This will give you a quick draw, and leave your hips free for your quiver at your right and bowcase on your left, not to mention your poison and potions." The Imperial stood back and took her in. "Now you're looking like a real fighter kid. That reminds me, has Tadrose taken your measurements yet?"

"Yes," Teresa breathed, looking down at herself. She was covered in armor and weapons. Just a few months ago she never would have imagined herself this way. Yet somehow it did not feel strange at all. Rather, she felt quite natural, like a real fighter, just as Pappy had said. "She's even fitted my armor already."

"I thought you looked a little different," the older man observed. "It feels a lot better, wearing armor that's tailored just to you doesn't it?"

"Yes," Teresa admitted. She had thought the leather she had bought in Chorrol had fit her perfectly, at least until Tadrose had worked on it. Afterward she could not believe how much easier moving it had become. "Tadrose is wonderful!"

"Yeah, she could have her own chapter if she wanted one," Pappy said quietly, laying a hand on the wood elf's back and leading her to where the others, including the porter Tavian, worked out with bare hands. "She won't leave Bravil though."

"Really?" Teresa asked, looking at Tadrose. Just that moment Ancondil charged at her, and the dark elf somehow stepped to one side and flipped him onto his back. It had all happened so quickly that the wood elf had no idea how she had done it. "What is that she's doing?"

"That is Digordorn," the Imperial said. "It means 'opened-hand'. The Bretons developed it a few thousand years ago to fight bigger, heavier enemies, like the orcs in the Wrothgarians. I have that on your training plan, after you learn the dagger."

"I have a training plan?" Teresa asked. The older man had never said anything about one before.

"Damn right you do," the former centurion replied. "Tadrose and I create one for every one of you, to hone your strengths, and make up for your weaknesses. Did you think I was just pulling all of this out of my ass?"

"Well I-" Teresa began with a faint smile, making a show of looking down at his backside.

"Don't answer that!" the Imperial laughed, holding up his hands. Then his face turned serious once more. "Speaking of your plan, your Absorb Health is a good spell, but it lacks real punch. I want you to head over to the Mages Guild and learn a touch Destruction spell. Fire's good, especially against the trolls around here. So is shock, it hurts most anything, including Daedra. Stay away from frost though, undead are resistant to it."

"But I won't be able to cast something like that more than a few times before I am out of magicka." Teresa said. "I can keep doing the Absorb Health a lot longer."

"Yeah, but if you are fighting a pro, they will be able to recover from it just as fast," the Imperial explained. "Remember, you don't want to get into a drawn out battle up close. You need to hit like an ogre and get out of there. No matter how much you practice, you are not going to last in a drawn-out slugfest. That is what mules like me are for."

"You're right," Teresa breathed. He was always right, she thought, at least when it came to fighting. "Until now I always ran away from that kind of thing."

"Good girl!" Pappy smiled, "that's exactly what I want you to keep doing too! This hand-to-hand stuff is only to keep you alive when things go sour. Remember Pappy's Rule Number Ten?"

"Umm, never fight a battle you can't win?" Teresa furrowed her brow, trying to remember which one that was. For a man who freely admitted to like breaking rules, and in fact took great pride in doing so, he certainly had plenty of his own! she thought.

"Exactly," the Imperial said. "You retreat, and trade space for the time you need to regroup and get stronger, so that you can win. Battles are won up here," he tapped his finger against his forehead, "not with your biceps."

"Well, running is one thing I've always been good at, now more than ever that you have me doing it every day." Teresa breathed. "I don't want to be a hero."

"That's what I like about women fighters." Pappy smiled as he poured a cup of water from a pitcher and took a gulp. "You don't let your pride get in the way. That's the hardest thing to get through the heads of those young bucks." The older man nodded, looking at Chance. "They think they are going to win every fight, and would rather die than face the shame of losing. Or at least they think they would."

With that Tadrose called a stop and the others walked over to join them. Ancondil instantly noticed Teresa's new dagger and congratulated her upon it, asking her to show it off for all to see. The wood elf felt awkward with all the attention on her, especially when she thought of the entire suit of ebony armor that the orc himself possessed.

"All right you meatheads," Pappy finally broke them up, "I've got paying customers coming soon, and I don't want the lot of you ruffians scaring them away. Go get cleaned up and learn your spells. Just be back for dinner, I'm making something special in honor of our new member."

"He cooks?" Chance asked as they filed out of the training room.

"Indeed," Ancondil said. "Last week he made the best roast boar I have ever had the privilege of eating."

Teresa frowned at the memory. She had not been able to eat any of it, because it was meat, and just had leftover bread instead. She could tell that Pappy had been exasperated with her, even though the Imperial had not said anything directly. She wondered what he was planning this time, and hoped it would at least include something without dead animals.

I love Teresa's self-awareness here. Like Chance and Pappy she also has a tendency to make a play for every woman she meets.


This is a wonderfully accurate paragraph in a wonderfully accurate chapter. You have really brought the Bravil Fighter's Guild to life. Teresa's sense of belonging to something bigger than herself pervades throughout these chapters. It seems as though she has finally found the family that she has sought for so long.

Yup, that's my Pappy! :foodndrink:

The interaction and training sessions here are outstanding. I really enjoyed reading the techniques and the reasons behind them. You have done well to make this part of the Fighters Guild believable and convincing.

In the phrase above, though, I think you meant "in fact took great pride in doing so", otherwise it seems you're breaking tense.

Oh, and yes, bread and olive oil with Parmesan cheese! Yum!

Great chapter!

This one made me chuckle:

Who said you couldn't write comedy, again?


about the bread&oliveoil thing: My best friend had a project in Canada once so he went to Subway's for a nice sandwich with fresh vegetables, cheese, the works. What did that lame cow do behind the counter? Drench it in oil... Err.... I'll have a new one please... That's the kind of picture I had in my head when I read your bread dipped in olive oil part. Hence the :yuck: I hope I didn't offend you..

Oh SubRosa. This is very, very good. You continue to do a wonderful job of bringing your guild to life. This time with some heavier action, weaponry and tactics than the bread and oil that worked so very well in the previous chapter.

It is wonderful that Teresa has some resources that are mentoring her along, and that she seems willing to learn. As always, you lead your reader to the most logical truths.

Your characters just sparkle!

Wow!! I am LO-OOVING this chapter!!! I see Teresa really developing here. She is making new friends, AND getting the chance to improve on all the things she aspires to!! This is SUCH a wonderful read, SUBROSA!! You truly *are* masterful! Thank you, for giving me something to look extra-forward to during the week!