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Character of the Season
Frail in body but dangerously quick of mind, Nikandr is the sort of character who proves that curiosity can be just as perilous as any weapon. A necromancer, inventor, and problem-solver with more ambition than self-preservation, Niki approaches the world like a puzzle box begging to be opened, even when what’s inside has teeth. Blunt, dry-witted, fiercely independent, and carrying a history best left partially buried, he has a knack for making even failure feel fascinating. Whether he’s raising the dead, moving across Caido to King's End, or experiencing a hangover for the first time, Nikandr brings a wonderfully strange spark to Caido, and we can’t wait to see what trouble his brilliant mind wanders into next.
Congratulations, Niki!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
OG Skinning provided by Kaons, with functionality and many custom plugins made by Neowulf!
It wasn't their first battle on a bridge, and it was probably highly unnecessary, but that had never stopped either man before and it wasn't going to start now! Tal grinned over at his best frenemy, still riding the high of having channeled Vi in the Oerwoud. Sure, that had been over a week ago now, but one did not simply channel the God of Life Himself and then go on about one's mundane existence like it weren't no thang.
Okay, maybe some people could, but Tal wasn't one of them!
"Maybe some o' Vi's power rubbed off on me," he teased Sah as he finished wrapping his knuckles. Today there were no quests, no interventions, no weapons, no special powers or items. It was just two idiots men sparring since they'd both ended up in the Grounds at the same time. Tal had finished his deliveries and had his picnic with Alys and he'd be getting on the sky roads again soon...
But not until he'd spend some quality time with a far-from-home Halovian first!
He shifted to the center of the bridge and raised his hands defensively, shifting his weight onto his toes. His grin was downright smug as he goaded his opponent on. "Why don't y'came at me an' find out?"
Sah was on this side of Caido to help Deimos and the guild hunt gourds later. He'd elected to arrive early so that he could take his time and test out his new wings. Flying again had been incredible, and if any Attuned had been listening in, he's sure that they'd heard nothing but adrenaline-filled laughter through the bond as he passed overhead.
He wasn't the only one with news, though, and hearing about Vi had caught him off guard. He was happy for the courier and proud, to say the least. But he wouldn't share that with Tal. Sah had already been far more affectionate than typical in their last encounter. The man would probably pass out if the hybrid said something encouraging now.
Raising his fists and stepping his stance, the Wild Thunder smirked. "Sure. And afterward, I'll show you what it really means for a god to empower you." Taking a breath, he lunged. Getting in close he feinted an undercut but twisted his arm at the last second to try and send an elbow strike into Tal's ribs.
"More power'n Vi makin' a whole ass void guardian disappear?" Tal scoffed his disbelief to hide his eagerness to hear about what Safrin had given Sah now. It wouldn't do for the hunter to think that he cared about his frenemy getting stronger alongside him! He'd already shown too much of his heart the last time they'd seen each other. If he kept it up, the wild hunter might start getting soft on him! Or worse, have a heart attack from shock and then it would be all Tal's fault!
No, pretending he wasn't impressed was for Sah's own good. Definitely.
Better to beat the snot out of each other the old fashioned way, like they used to. Safest for everyone that way, and Sah didn't disappoint. Tal grinned as the other man lunged at him and ducked down to protect his ribs with his elbows, tucking his head behind his fists. He ducked from the uppercut - the wrong instinct, so he was damn lucky it had been a faint - and felt the bruising impact of an elbow against his forearm. With a mock-growl he popped his fist in a short jab at Sah's face, hoping to catch the hunter in the nose and startle him back.
11-03-2024, 12:22 PM (This post was last modified: 11-03-2024, 12:22 PM by Sah.)
yet my blood renders me a King
"More permanent for sure." Saying that the very nature of Sah's soul had changed wasn't an exaggeration. And though he didn't understand it, he already had three shifts. The new hybrid had been under the impression that such things took time. Perhaps his Attuned side had had to alter to match the strength of his magic? He could see the necessity of that.
Tal's fist came in, and Sah tried to turn his head to avoid it but was unable to due to the lack of distance. The blow made him jerk back with a grimace. He could already feel the bruise forming. Turning his heel as he moved with the blow, Sah tried to use his momentum to knee Tal in the stomach or, at the very least, bruise the man's elbows.
They could talk more about it after they'd settled on a winner; at the moment, Tal was focusing on how close Sah had gotten and where his fists, elbows, and knees were headed. On the plus side, since they were so close, there were limits on what Sah could throw at him.
On the minus side, there were limits to what he could throw at Sah.
But it was still satisfying to see the other man pull back from the thwack of his fist against the hunter's nose. He hadn't had enough room to get any real strength behind his jab, but he hadn't needed to, given his target.
Unfortunately the other man didn't move back far enough. Tal was already sinking down to get under Sah's guard, and the knee hit his elbows at an odd angle, deflecting rather than striking solidly. Tal tried to capitalize on the one-legged position it left his frenemy in by peppering a pair of short, sharp jabs into the hunter's hopefully-unprotected stomach before he could get his balance back.
Despite their close quarters, Sah was able to jump back just enough to avoid Tal's blow. He stayed close enough that he was able to stay in close combat range. With narrowed eyes, the hybrid attempted to send a palm strike at Tal's shoulder to shove the man back. With the position that the courier had to be in to send his jabs, there'd hopefully be an opening on his upper shoulder. Unless the man reacted quickly enough, that was.
There was something almost meditative to the exchange of blows. Sah had missed this. Sometimes it truly sucked that Tal had left Halo. Even if he understood the reasons, the Wild Thunder still wished that he had stayed in the snowy region.
Tal missed Halo terribly, too. But things had been quiet for awhile, so he was starting to go back more frequently to visit his sisters and friends, and not just for business. And hey, now that Sah could teleport there was no excuse for the hunter to not come visit the courier in King's End more often! Life without a best frenemy to tease and drink and spar with was like toast without butter. Technically tolerable, but not nearly as good!
Especially when Tal was - in his own totally unbiased opinion - currently winning. Sure, Sah had managed to dodge back from his jabs, but if the Wild Thunder was out of range of Tal's punches, it stood to reason that Tal was out of range of Sah's shove. He only had to twist a little bit to the side as he popped up to let the palm strike slide harmlessly past him, and he turned the motion into a partial spin as he brought his leg around in a rough roundhouse kick to Sah's knee, hoping to make the hunter stumble. He was scowling behind his defensive fists, but by now the other man would realize it was Tal's intense focus scowl rather than anything personal.
Damn. Sah had thought that with his reach, he'd have been able to lean and get the courier. Apparently not given that the man dodged his strike with ease. But at least he was able to return the favor. As Tal attempted to kick him, the Wild Thunder was able to reach down and block the kick with his arm.
Finding mild amusement in the 'angry' focus directed at him, Sah attempted to take advantage of his current position and grab Tal's leg. If he succeeded, he'd use it to shove the man backwards and hopefully off of his feet. It'd give him the perfect chance to pin the man in a moment and end the spar if he was successful.
Focused as he was on the fight, Sah was still able to pick up a distant rustling around them. It didn't sound especially close so he didn't pay it any mind.
Tal was finally getting used to the fact that, at some point in the last couple of years, he'd gotten both stronger and faster than the hunter. He was more confident in himself and his abilities, and the regular training combined with the physical rigors of living most of each year sailing a skyboat alone were evident in his fluid movements and quick reactions.
Well, sometimes.
But this was one of them. Since Sah had to bend down to block, Tal shifted his weight and pulled his leg higher. High enough to avoid the attempted grab - a move he'd known Sah couldn't resist - and giving him the chance to kick out a second time without putting his foot back down, his foot heading for the hunter's head.
He was, in fact, so focused on connecting with the probably-final attack that he wasn't paying attention to what was happening on the bridge around them. There wasn't a ton of places to hide, after all, and they'd see anyone else coming along the skeletal span... or at least, they would if they weren't so focused on each other. And it was hard to see something coming when it was floating along beneath the bridge until the moment it chose to pop up over the edge, flying between the two men with a chittering laugh. Surprisingly sharp teeth sank into Tal's ankle and he hollered a curse as he stumbled back mid-kick to land on his ass.
Sah had his own problems as a second gourd floated up silently behind him and manifested a shadowy hand that closed over his face, blurring and blinding him.
Possessed Vampire Gourd (Uncommon): Infected by a wandering spirit, these gourds gain a sinister edge. No longer bound to the ground, they hover in place, their glowing eyes following each movement nearby. The Possessed Vampire Gourd can throw its voice and conjure minor illusions—a shadowy hand, an eerie face—within a foot of itself.
Sah hated that Tal was stronger and faster than him now. It was logical given that the Accepted focused his training on his body and weapons while the Abandoned had to split his time between magic and physical. They were built for different forms of battle. Of course, they would need to focus on different aspects of themselves. But it stung his pride. Even if he was also damn proud of how far the courier had come from the scrawny toothpick he'd been when they first met.
Still, it certainly gave Tal an edge in spars given that Sah so rarely used magic on him. Maybe he could convince the man to let him use his full arsenal one of these days?
Tal evaded his grab and then went on the attack, but the spar was quickly interrupted before Sah even moved to dodge. He was able to see the courier trip for a moment before something obstructed his vision. Snarling, Sah reached up with lightning-coated hands and tried to pull the thing off of him.
Maybe Sah could convince Tal... but he'd have to ask really nicely. The courier was enjoying the edge he currently had! So he would require a significant trade in teasing before he'd give it up. He was just enjoying the fruits of his labors when the damn gourds appeared and ruined his kick. He went down hard even as the wicked pumpkin rolled out from beneath him and chittered evil laughter through bloody teeth made of sharpened rind.
Sah had his own issues to contend with, but the sharp stink of ozone let Tal know that the lightning was in full force and he stopped worrying about the hunter to focus on his own opponent. The stupid gourd had started floating again and made a dash for his face just as he got his Dagger into his hand. "Go fuck yourself," he growled, unable to come up with anything wittier in the heat of the moment. He stabbed with his Dagger and caught the possessed pumpkin right in the center of its stupid orange face. It shrieked and shook as he cut his weapon free in a spray of seeds and stringy gourd guts and then stabbed again to pin it down to the bridge beside him.
"Y'done with yours yet?" he called over to Sah, keeping his eyes on the twitching remains of his own vampire gourd in case they tried to animate again.
As his lightning struck past the illusion and hit the gourd itself, it gave an awful screech. As soon as he could see again, Sah spun around and glared at the menace. It lay twitching and smoking on the bridge. It seemed dead but just to be safe, the hybrid smashed
it under his boot. "Damn, gourds." Using a bit of air and water magic, he cleaned up the worst part of the mess.
Glancing over at Tal's call, Sah nodded. "I'm done." He sent the dark spot on the bridge one last glare before walking over to join the courier. As he hid so he gave the area a quick scan. "I don't think there are any more hiding in wait at the moment."
Except he was wrong. There was the thud of a normal vampire gourd landing on the bridge. It waved its vines as if to shoo the duo off the bridge. In a brief moment, the hybrid had shifted forms and leaped onto the gourd. It only took a solid, crushing bite before it lay still. Blinking, the wolf paused and turned to eye the courier. Well, he'd been intending to tell Tal today, anyway.
"They're even weirder than usual this year," Tal agreed with a grimace. He pulled his Dagger free and stood up to kick the remains of his fallen foe off the bridge while Sah cleaned up his own mess. There was no hiding the carnage that the courier had done; bits of stringy guts and seeds were scattered around the area even after the larger chunks of rind had been punted over the side of the skeletal span, but the courier only cast a briefly envious glance at the evidence of Sah's cleaning magic before turning to face the hunter.
"Since when d'these fuckers know how to fl--" he started to ask, but they were interrupted by yet another carnivorous cucurbita before he could finish. He glared at it and prepared to slash with his Dagger, but a flash of gray dove past and Tal held his strike instinctively at the canine shape. Tal blinked and looked behind him, wondering Sah was conjuring animals now...
But Sah was gone. And the wolf - yup, definitely a wolf - was looking at him with familiar eyes. Tal blinked again as the wheels started turning in his noggin, not fast but steady, as he stood there with his mouth open in surprise. When the math lady meme finished computing he let out a startled "Whoop!" of happiness for his friend and pounced on the wolf to give him a big hug, scritching his ears with pride. "Holy fuck! Congratulations!"
Sah had expected surprise, but not a hug. As Tal tackled him, the black wolf let out a pleased rumble, playfully nipping at the fingers as they reached for his hears. As the courier's hand made contact, the wild Thunder's tail wagged. No one had scratched his ears since his home world. He'd forgotten how wonderful it was. No wonder Lilly and Pad loved it when he worshiped theirs. Sah found himself leaning into Tal's side in a canine hug, happily letting himself be pampered.
The hybrid would tell Tal the entire story later, sparing no details. He wasn't one to brag extensively. Not to say that he didn't indulge at time. But only a little. Something like this, however, deserved an exception.
That could happen later. If Tal stopped scratching his ears right now, the wolf would tackle him and demand more until he was satisfied.
