From being an Abandoned who had rarely left the Hollowed Grounds, to embracing the call of adventure, to dying and being reborn first as an Ascended and then as an Ancient, Maea has gone through quite the amount of changes in her life. One thing remains common, though, in her attempts to find out just where she belongs; she’s always had a craving for knowledge which has brought her to so many places and to meet so many people here in Caido. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for her!
Congratulations, Maea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
His fear deepened into something primal when the dragon's roar filled the air. It was a sound he had heard before, albeit at a distance, and it made his blood run cold. The effect on the cannibal was similar. The man froze with a hand raised to strike, still hovering over the prone Korbin. When Loren's voice sounded, the cannibal spun around, ready to charge - but immediately balked at the sight of the massive dragon.
Korbin too blanched upon seeing it, and scuffled backwards in the snow, trying to get away from both the scaled beast and the cannibal. His arm still hurt like mad, but for some reason it didn't cause him to black out like it had a moment ago. Wild-eyed, clutching at his broken arm with the free hand, he watched the cannibal weigh his options, eying the barren tundra far away, the craggy mountains surrounding them, and Loren's presence.
And something seemed to snap within the exile. Without even so much as a weapon in hand, he charged the Healer head on, with a crazed look in his eyes and spit frothing at the mouth. Laughing manaiacally as he went.
Swearing, Korbin rolled up onto his knees and lauched himself onto the man, trying to knock him over, to prevent him reaching the other man. He didn't even think, just acted on pure instinct.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
As the cannibal charged, Loren let out a snarl worthy of his honey badger shift. Not moving from his spot, he just had his dragon swat at the enemy. However, he swiftly had to abort as Korbin leapt onto the cannibal from behind. The healer cursed at the sight, and sent another bolt of healing magic towards the hunter.
Then the Launceleyn charged ahead himself. The snowy ground made his footing treacherous, but he didn't care about that. All he cared about was putting the full force of his run and his anger and his body into a single punch aimed for the cannibal's face.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
Having no idea that he'd just botched a perfectly good plan, Korbin knocked the cannibal to the ground. The impact made his arm jolt and the pain he felt reverberating through the bond, impossible to hold back. But not a sound slipped past his lips, stubbornly refusing to let his opponent know that he was hurt. Again, there was an easing of the pain, but there was no time to ponder why, or where it came from. The man was trying to turn beneath him, elbows shoving hard against his ribs, but Korbin just endured it and got his uninjured arm up around the cannibal's throat. Squeezed it tight, blocking off the air.
Then Loren was there, aiming a punch at the exile's face. It hit squarely, full in the face with enough force to knock the man's head back. Korbin just held on, his face twisted with pain and battle rage and determination as he grimly kept choking the life out of the cannibal. Hated the necessity... but knew better than to let go.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Loren's fist slammed quite satisfyingly into the cannibal's face. As Korbin strangled the monster in human force, the healer brought his hand back for another punch. Once again, though, as he wound up, he set yet a third bolt of healing magic into the hunter. The Launceleyn had never quite figured out how his distance healing worked, plus Korbin kept taking hits from the cannibal, so better safe than sorry.
On that note, Loren slammed his fist into the cannibal's head once more. The healer's goal was to knock the cannibal out if at all possible. Dragon looming over him, the Launceleyn's expression was downright murderous.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
The man struggled in his grip, dirty fingers laid bare to the cold scrabbling at his face, clawing towards his eyes without quite reaching. The impact of Loren's fist as it connected with the face again reverberated through Korbin, and he felt sick to his stomach. Clenching his jaws tightly, he pressed down harder onto the exile's windpipe, and slowly, surely, the movements grew more sluggish.
For a brief moment, Korbin looked up at the Healer. There was murder in Loren's eyes, but only a dull, soul-deep pain in his as he slowly squeezed the life out of the cannibal. Raw, unveiled hurt, from one who's had many loved ones taken away, but never stolen a life himself. Not a human one. Not like this.
And just like that... it was over. Too late to take back. Knocked senseless by fists, and choked, the cannibal shuddered, twitched... and grew still. Dead.
Breathing hard, pale as a sheet from shock and pain, Korbin relinquished his grip and shoved himself back, off the body that rolled limply off him and into the snow, face down.
His hands were shaking, and he didn't know if it was from adrenaline, rage or pain.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Loren had honestly been too bind to his rage to notice exactly what Korbin had been doing. Honestly, the healer had just been focused on knocking the cannibal unconscious. However, as the man went unnaturally limp, the Launceleyn paused with his hand raised for another punch.
Then he realized what they'd done and horror dawned. Immediately, he turned away and retched. Feeling the bile in his throat, he wiped the back of his hand across his mouth when he was done. Holding out his other hand for the hunter, Loren's eyes had gone from angry to horrified in a heartbeat. "Let's get out of here before the other one comes back." Voice raw, he dismissed his dragon.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
Korbin was no better off. He wanted nothing more than to follow Loren's example and empty his stomach. Swallowing hard, again and again, he stared at the dead man - the man he had killed - and couldn't really hear or see anything save the still body, and the high pitched keening in his ears.
It took him a long while to notice Loren's outstretched hand, and for the words to reach him. Dark blue eyes stared numbly at the hand, all traces of anger and arrogance gone; he felt far younger than his eighteen years, infinitely small and wretched in this vast, uncaring landscape.
Slowly, wincing as the movement aggravated the broken arm, Korbin reached up and took the offered hand. Let Loren drag him to his feet... He stood swaying for a moment, more gray than pale in the face. Would he throw up after all?
No. No, he did not. "... right." His voice was just as raw, weak and thin, easily torn away by the icy wind. It had picked up in fury, the snow coming down harder. A storm was drawing in. "Gotta find shelter," he said numbly, and looked around. Sought anything in the vicinity that could serve the purpose... but his head wasn't working properly. All he could think about was the way the cannibal - the man - had shuddered under his hands just before he stilled.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
As Korbin finally took Loren's hand, he sent a pulse of healing magic through the hunter. Hopefully the physical contact would help. Glancing around for any sign of more cannibals, the healer pressed his lips together at the tone of the other man's voice. "Come on." The Launceleyn wasn't at his best, but he managed to tug Korbin a bit.
Assuming the hunter followed, Loren would continue pulling them along until they were what he hoped was a safe distance away. Eventually the healer's mind started working with some sense of coherency, and he compelled some animals to search for a suitable place to hide for a bit. Remembering the cut on his chest suddenly, he blinked down at it and healed it belatedly. He looked behind him, dismayed to realize that he'd left droplets of his blood behind him.
Breathe. He had to remind himself to keep breathing.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
This time, Korbin noticed the healing. Didn't really feel it, save for a slight warmth and the grating sensation of bone scraping against bone as the his arm righted itself. The pain drained away, and a few scratches on his face melted off like they'd never even been there.
He couldn't bring himself to speak, even to say thank you. But the wall was down, all his emotions laid bare, and the sentiment was there. Faint, distant, like all of him... but it was gratitude all the same.
In a daze, he stumbled after Loren. Led by the hand, like the kid he felt like... it was all he could do to set one foot in front of the other. It wasn't right, he had to get a grip. This was his home, he should be the one to lead the way, find a spot, huddle down to ride out the storm. Yet... yet he couldn't pull his head from the haze. Recognized it as shock, and knew he would be in trouble if it set in deeper, healer present or not.
Looking down on his hands, he expected the gloves to be covered in crimson. But they were clean. Too much so. The only one to bleed was Loren... and it took him so long to notice it that the would was gone by the time he thought to glance at it. Nifty trick, the healing...
"Is that... a cave?" Hoarsely, he called for Loren's attention and pointed towards a dark shadow beneath an outcrop of rock in the mountainside. It was hard to see for the snow, but it looked deep. Perhaps enough to shelter two people.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Instinctively acknowledging Korbin's gratitude with an equally faint feeling of understanding, Loren continued to lead the hunter through the thickening storm. Glancing over, the healer sent his birds to investigate. They winged back, confirming the existence of the cave. "It is. Good eyes. Come on." He changed course, still bringing the other man along in the Launceleyn's wake.
It wasn't a particularly deep cave, more like someone had scooped a chunk out of the side of the mountain. Still, it was warmer than the outside, and hidden from view. Finally releasing Korbin, Loren turned to the entrance and frown. Raising his arms, a wall of ice and snow appeared there too, with a gap at the top for air, further obscuring them sight.
Facing the hunter, the healer's eyes swept over the other man. "Are you hurt?" Despite the businesslike words, the Launceleyn's tone was gently concerned.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
He staggered after Loren through the wind and the snow, barely seeing where he set his feet. The grip on his arm was not really needed, but he made no move to free himself, or do anything at all.
The inside of the cave was dark, and with the entrance sealed up it grew darker still. Warm, only in comparison to the outside; Korbin looked around but saw no vegetation, no shrubs or roots or even dung to make a fire from. This better be a short storm, quick to blow over... Or they would be in serious trouble.
"No," he replied, sinking down onto the ground, with his back pressed against the rock. Korbin tested his arm, felt his face, but found both free from injury. "Not anymore... You?" There was a numbness in his gaze as he looked at Loren however, that spoke of perhaps deeper wounds than physical ones. Shock, horror...
"I killed him," he said slowly, barely believing it even as he said it. Slowly, he raised gloved hands up before himself and stared at thrm, reeling. "I've never... killed anyone before."
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Clearly not worried about their surroundings, Loren focused almost his entire attention on Korbin. Though the healer was still processing what had happened, he did better with someone to focus on, and had a great deal of experience controlling his emotions. "Good. And I'm okay." Not great, but he'd deal with his issues once he knew the hunter was okay.
And it quickly became apparent that the other man wasn't. Hesitating for just a moment, the Launceleyn reached out to try and hold Korbin's hands. "Hey. Listen to me." Loren did his best to meet the hunter's gaze squarely. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you had to do that." However, the healer took a deep breath. "But he would've killed you, given the chance. Almost killed me, and did kill those other people." His tone was firm, yet kind. "You saved lives. Think of that."
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
Dull eyes just watched as Loren took hold of his hands. He listened to the reassurances, but they felt somehow hollow, distant. Korbin knew it, already. Had seen this kind of thing happen before. He nodded slowly.
"I know... He would have kept attacking. No matter what we did, he would have kept on... like a rabid dog. If I hadn't... We could have knocked him out, left him in the snow. He would have died either way. He couldn't be brought back to the Citadel. I know. I just..."
He'd never been the one to actually slake a life before. Animals, sure, on too many hunts to count. It's why he hated hunting. Why he hated fighting. Because it all circled around one thing. This kind of thing.
Shuddering, he closed his eyes. Let his head fall forward, to rest against the hands that held his. Didn't really care that he was supposed to hate this guy, or that his presence had made him want to scream in frustration just a while ago. It didn't matter. At least Loren was alive. No thanks to him, but... alive all the same.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
As Korbin spoke, then closed his eyes, Loren bit his lip. Slowly, gingerly, he let go of the hunter, but only for a moment. The healer's arms encircled the other man, pulling him in for a firm hug. "It doesn't make it easier." The Launceleyn's own horror at what had unfolded spilled out of him, filling his tone and his mind faintly.
Softly and slowly, so slowly that he didn't notice at first, his own reaction stole over him. He began shaking slightly. As he held Korbin as tightly as Loren dared, his eyes prickled with tears. He lost track of time, a bit, as they sat there in the cavern floor, just trying to recover from the trauma of what had just happened.
