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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!
As expected, he gave up on the weapon, leaving it stuck firmly in the ice. She reached on her toes to tap the end of the stick but otherwise left it - and the ice wall - in place. Nova peeked around the side of it when she saw his blurred form move, curious as to what other antics he might be up to, but suddenly he was gone and she was sweeping her head from side to side. "What are you doing? Bad guys don't hide."
Her voice rang around the clearing, but she didn't spot him, so she gave a shrug of her shoulders. And shifted.
Reappearing as a black tide jaguar with glowing rainbow rosettes, Nova lifted her head to the air, sniffing and searching for him. The dogs made startled yelps but didn't try to run once they recognized her scent, leaving her to the task at hand. She padded quietly through the snow, tail twitching with barely restrained energy that had nowhere to go.
But then she caught it - his rugged scent - and Nova's feline face curved up in something resembling a grin as she stalked towards the crates, deadly silent in her approach. Only once she could hear the soft shift of his movements did she lunge around the hiding place, a playful roar escaping as she moved to pounce on Damien.
and every demon wants his pound of flesh but i like to keep some things to myself
His fingers closed around a splintered edge, tugging free a board that had half-rotted from damp and cold. Not much of a weapon, but broad enough to take a blow—if he held it right. He angled it in front of him, testing its weight, shoulders hunched and breath steadying as he tried to imagine her next move.
The pups gave another warning yap, but this time there was an odd edge to it. Damien barely had time to glance up before the shadows shifted and something massive rounded the crates. His eyes widened, instincts jolting. Not a girl. Not even close. Black fur rippled with unnatural light, and then the jaguar was on him with a roar that, however playful, rattled his chest.
“Shit—!” The word tore out of him as he shoved the board up between them. Paws and weight slammed down, the shield taking the brunt as he was driven hard onto his back in the snow. The breath rushed out of him, a muffled grunt against the wood as he fought to brace it between himself and the creature that definitely wasn’t supposed to be part of this little game. “That’s—” He grit his teeth, shoulders straining as he put the board higher to keep teeth and claws from finding anything soft. “—cheating.”
Her paws came down to pin Damien in the snow with her increased body weight. Her claws were sheathed - not wanting to hurt him - but her fangs were on full display, shimmering like dangerous daggers through the curve of her smile. His board barely worked to hold her off, and his strained words proved that she clearly had the upper hand. With another playful growl, she flicked her tail then assaulted him with a dangerous, deadly lick to the face.
Grinning like the devil but much cuter, she shifted back into the giggling blonde that was now straddling him in a secluded alley. "'Cheating'? There aren't any rules!" Sure, she might have mentioned wanting to work on her magic, but her shifts were just as much a part of her as anything else. Plus, he'd been hiding!
Not caring about the positioning or the trauma she might have induced, Nova tilted her head at Damien, all innocence and amusement glittering in her eyes. "You don't make a very good Bad Guy."
and every demon wants his pound of flesh but i like to keep some things to myself
The board shifted against his chest as he blew out a breath, half a laugh, half an exasperated huff. Snow clung to the back of his hair, melted cold creeping down the collar of his coat. “No rules, huh?” His voice was roughened from the impact, but there was a trace of dry humor in it, the kind that said he wasn’t as put out as he looked. “Figures.”
He tipped his head back enough to meet her gaze, though it wasn’t easy with the sun-blonde weight of her grinning down on him and the plank still braced awkwardly between them. The whole thing was ridiculous—and yet, impressive. “I’ll give you this much: you had me. The whole time.” His lips twitched, conceding the point. “Deimos would probably call that good work. Probably have you flattening me again just to prove it.”
After a beat, his brow knit slightly, and he angled the board aside enough to make the request without jabbing her with it. “Now—if you don’t mind—maybe let me up before the pups start thinking I really am the bad guy?”
Lifting on her knees to look over the board at him, Nova clapped her approval at Damien's words. "You think so?! You'll have to tell him all about it, okay?! That way he knows how awesome I am next time we see each other!" Deimos hadn't looked impressed enough with her skills last time and she fully expected him to give her the praise and recognition she rightfully deserved.
Then her captive was making a polite request, using the dogs as an excuse, and she had to consider it for a moment. With the sort of somber resignation that someone might use when announcing cancer to a patient, Nova placed her hand gently on his shoulder, pity on her face. "You did your best, but I don't think anyone would believe that performance." She shook her head slowly like he was surely a lost cause as a 'bad guy' then spun to take her feet.
Nova bounced a few steps away to check on the dogs, the bubbling grin back on her face. She knelt to give them more abundance and loving attention in the form of scritches and scratches in all the right places. "Where are you off to now? More fun adventures?"
08-22-2025, 10:15 AM (This post was last modified: 08-22-2025, 10:15 AM by Damien.)
Damien
and every demon wants his pound of flesh but i like to keep some things to myself
“Alright,” Damien said at last, voice muffled behind the board she still had him pinned under, “I’ll be sure to write him a note about your very impressive skills first chance I get. Careful, though—he may want you to join the guild at that point.” His eyes flicked upward, catching hers over the crooked edge of wood. For some reason, he actually meant it. Deimos was a busy man, and letters traveled easier than people did. A little report slipped in with the rest of the guild’s messengers might not be such a bad idea.
Nova’s solemn little act of mercy earned a short laugh out of him. Not the polite kind, either—something more natural, something he’d been holding in all day. “Thanks,” he managed, the corner of his mouth tugging upward. “Though truth be told, I much prefer playing the good guy.”
When she finally spun off him, all glitter and giggles, Damien lay still for a beat longer, catching his breath. She made it hard to keep his guard up; the endless energy, the strange innocence behind it. He pushed himself upright with more effort than she had, brushing snow and grit from the front of his coat, his movements methodical, deliberate.
By the time he joined her at the pups’ side, she already had them wriggling with glee, soaking up her scritches like they’d known her their whole lives. Damien crouched beside her, steady hands untying the knots at their leashes. The dogs panted and whined, tails wagging furiously, eager for whatever came next.
“Most likely,” he started, watching their ears perk toward him, “I’ll spend the rest of the afternoon with these two.” He hesitated, just a flicker of pause before he added, “Might go and get something to eat first, though…” His eyes slid sideways to her, measuring her with the faintest hint of a smile. “You can come with us, if you want. I know a place that makes excellent ningo soup. Unless you're in a hurry to get back to... ?” His brows scrunched together then. Had she said where she was from? He couldn't remember.
Immensely pleased with Damien's answer, Nova gave an approving nod of her head that froze midway with the mention of joining a guild. She perked, eyes glittering as she asked insistently, "Guild? What kind of guild?" Her instinct was to say that she was already in a guild - a very top secret guild - but she knew she'd probably get in trouble for mentioning that.
Plus, she was distracted by his laughter, her smile shining a little brighter in the victory. Giggling, she stood and gave an excited bounce. "Then maybe I'll let you be the good guy next time and I'll be the bad guy!" She gave him a mischievous wink that suggested she wouldn't go easy on him, and that there would be a next time.
Meeting up with the puppies again, she assisted with freeing them from the pole, her own energy matching theirs as she hopped and bobbed in place. The mention of food had her looking similar too, her eyes widening and ears perking with the interested lean of her body. "Ooh! Sounds yummy! Using magic works up an appetite." That's probably why she's always hungry. Tilting her head, she added freely, "I don't need to be back in Torchline for awhile."
08-25-2025, 10:01 AM (This post was last modified: 08-25-2025, 10:01 AM by Damien.)
Damien
and every demon wants his pound of flesh but i like to keep some things to myself
“The monster hunter’s guild,” Damien said, the words plain but carrying a faint edge of respect. He glanced at her sidelong, one brow ticking upward. “Deimos runs it. Folks train and keep the rest of us from getting eaten in our sleep.” He gave a short huff that wasn’t quite a laugh. “Something tells me you’d fit right in, though whether they’d survive your… style is another question.”
Her wink lingered in his mind longer than he wanted to admit, but he smothered it beneath a crooked smile. “Fair enough. But don’t expect me to go easy on you either.”
The pups were bouncing in circles now, happy to have some of their freedom restored. Damien straightened, brushing snow from his gloves, and fell in step beside her. Her bubbling energy seemed to spill into the huskies, the three of them feeding off one another until he felt like the quiet shadow trailing behind. Not unwelcome, just… different.
“Good,” he said when she declared she didn’t need to be back in Torchline, his tone lightening. “Because soup’s not to be rushed.” His mouth tugged into a faint, thoughtful frown as he added, “Torchline, though. Seems like everyone I meet lately hails from there. Flora, Theea, now you.” He shook his head with a quiet chuckle. “Starting to wonder if I’m the only one not from the damn place.”
With that, he gave a low whistle for the pups, who came trotting eagerly to heel. He held the leashes loosely, letting them tug him forward toward the main street. “Come on then,” he said, tipping his head toward the road.
The dogs barked once as if in agreement, and then the four of them were moving, their laughter and breath misting into the cold air until it faded with their footsteps down the alley.
