Talla's Frontier Temple Chapter 5
Added 2022-10-27 12:44:12 +0000 UTCTalla, Zhair'lo, his squad, her pilgrims are all making their way to Turiksa.
Their strength and their unity, however, has its cracks.
We also, for the first time, get to meet up with some of the action at the Frontier, the counterpoint to the organized civility of the Empire the Goddesses have made of their network of Temples.
Cheers,
Xavier
(I am still working on the THD storyline, but if I'm going to do a proper novel, I need to know where I'm going before I publish the first chapter.)
Comments
Yeah, presumably Keeta believes she's got a Hero and Sera was certain enough of the guy she had that he wasn't worth saving. If you remember Areese, having to buff Zhair'lo up on the way to save Beshenna, was in a bit of pain from her Within upgrade. Even the Goddess Ascending scolded Zhair'lo for complaining about his discomfort compared to hers. When Talla got her quad, her breasts *over*swelled and then came back down. Every character has a Sorrow of some kind, I suppose, or they're just NPCs, unfleshed out and artificial. (Oh, and I have Tina(Str 3), Illya (Abund 2), Zoe (Facial 3)) For the rest, that all sounds about right, but I can't spoil where the assumptions are wrong. What fun would that be?
Xavier Torch
2022-11-02 00:07:30 +0000 UTCSo happy to get a new chapter. I like the opening regarding the local temples attempt to convert a non-temple region, also interesting to see how a hero, and enraged (I am assuming the eliminated man was enraged since his answer to no sodomy was strangulation.) It seems that the world can operate normally without the temple, but that outside the temple heroics are arguably in more danger from the enraged. This story line is a great addition, especially since their departure from Gerns means we will probably loose some other storielines. Maybe all the temple really offers is a safety-net. Greater protection, at least until the Temple falls and then all the rage withheld snaps back like a rubber band released from tension. Seems like the upgrades used to work a lot faster in Book 1 , Talla saw the effects of first upgrade a quadruple the next morning, along with swelling and soreness, but they were defiantly present. Looks like Tara might have more in common with Talla and Tina, than she might like to admit. In which case Tina might be the better one to approach her, since she actually lost her man who was sent far far away. Talla knows Tina’s Backstory but Tara doesn’t. The temple likes to drug men with an enraging potion and then rub their lover’s face in their seeming infidelity, thus crippling her belief in the existence of love or even her own worthiness to be loved. We have seen Tina’s hidden Sorrow as well as The Sorrow of the older hunter in Xhair’lo’s old camp. The Temple’s methods might have stopped the activity , but their victims don’t seem to be happy. Great potential for a heart – to – heart, if only the pilgrims and the fighters start talking. Which reminds me we have at least three Pilgrims: Tina (Str), Illia (Endow) and Zoe (Facial). Only Tina is even mentioned, surely the fighters would have recognized Zoe from their earlier encounter. Since Zoe has three Facial upgrades, and is also of form (even if she is Facial) she has a good chance of interfacing with the fighters, indeed I wouldn’t be surprised if Zoe winds up being the groups go to person for stuff out side the group, like Klinger of M.A.S.H. or Face of “The A-Team.” She certainly doesn’t seem afraid to explore, indeed she see’s it as an adventure, which could be very refreshing attitude, and might be even used as a foil to the heavier issues I suspect we will be witnessing. Looks like Zia might be having trouble processing the battle of Breshenna. I am beginning to see why the temple had him taming and breaking in horses. Zia’s on autopilot and as young as she is that defense mechanism is threadbare and she is just not equipt to deal with it on her own. I am glad Xhair’lo noticed and is there for her. Even if he lacks the psychological training to treat her, he is still able to recognize that she needs some peace and time to process in a safe non-judgmental environment. Last thing Zia needs is Tara’s drama. I doubt Xhair’lo can keep it from Talla in the long run, which might be for the best. Talla knows something about trauma after all, and she has a good heart.
Stephen
2022-11-01 14:09:46 +0000 UTC
