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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 was a perfectly pleasant crescent-shaped island with a grove of palm trees and bushes on one end and patches of thick dune grass sweeping across the rest of its curve, sitting out amidst the tropical blue of the Arclight ocean. Unlike the other isles that dotted the waters around it, this one had a sturdy skyboat with new railings and a subtle patch-job on its hull floating a dozen feet above it, tethered to the sand with a ground-anchor wedged into some large rocks.
It also had a big, glacial-pale dragon lounging on those same rocks, soaking up the sun in lazy contentment as she watched the day's entertainment with half-lidded eyes and a faint spiral of smoke rising from her scaly nostrils.
And then there was the courier, shifting his feet awkwardly in the loose sand as he tried to find his balance in the annoying terrain. He held a Dagger with a sinister sheen on its blade awkwardly in his right hand, but it was his left hand that reached up to rub sheepishly at the back of his neck.
"I can't thank y'enough, Ronin . I know it's askin' a lot, an' it really means th'world t'me that you're willin' t'help me get stronger," he gushed to one of his heroes. He'd explained Ludo's quest to the White Knight - or at least, the part of it he needed from Ronin - and there was no reason not to combine doing a god quest with making them both better at hitting harder, right?
"We can all use an excuse to get stronger," Ronin assures Talyson with a warm smile, casting his gaze out across the little crescent island and its very low coverage in terms of being able to hide or dodge about.
He supposes, though, that's all part of the training.
"Especially with Starfall on the horizon. Not that I think I'll be using this shift in battle, but I can say from experience that you really never know."
He'd explained to the courier that he'd also be trying to better himself, but for the Knight, he's donning antlers and prancing hooves for the occasion. And so, without further ado - and with a small white figure soaring overhead (Sugar is not going to miss an opportunity to laugh at her bonded, after all), man becomes luxere before Tal's eyes.
At this point in the season Ronin's antlers are at a full crown, if not presently robed in soft velvet, and it's with a toss of his head that he darts off across the beach, little more than a white butt and a kick of sand at Tal for his trouble.
The courier was practically beaming at the encouragement, though the mention of Starfall - literally on the horizon, here in Torchline - dampened his enthusiasm and reminded him of why he was going around stabbing his friends and himself. "Yeah... I kinda feel like a one-trick pony with just my Dagger," he admitted with a faint grimace. "But, y'know... I'd help if I could," he added, loyal if not always wise. "At least I'll be prayin' my Accepted-best t'Vi for you t'come back safe-- hey!"
His sappy soliloquy was cut short by the shift in Ronin's shape and the spray of sand that he had to shield his eyes from, losing his chance at an easy stab. He tugged his Goggles down over his eyes so that wouldn't happen again and scrambled after the much speedier and more agile luxere - not a sight he'd ever expected to see bounding across the tropical islands! He didn't have to get close, at least; he just had to get within thirty feet before he could throw an unsteady jab in the stag's general direction with the magic Dagger in his off-hand. His left hand he tucked behind him into his belt so he didn't try to use it on accident!
Sappy soliloquies later, Tal - shenanigans now. And it's a good thing that the courier takes some time to tug down his Goggles and adjust his stance, because Ronin really is causing havoc during his initial shift.
There's something to be said for a deer with zoomies, at least, the luxere bucking and leaping and prancing across the sands as if there's something nearby worth fighting or racing. It is, though, a tropical climate, as Tal has rightly noted, and so eventually he falls to a halt to pant and paw at the sand.
Once that's safely out of his system, he tosses his head (majestically, if he does say so himself) and turns his attention to the Messenger across the way. Then Ronin lowers his antlers - and charges.
Okay, so perhaps the shennaigans aren't entirely put to bed.
Well, at least the zoomies meant that Tal's dagger strike missed by a mile? Maybe not the best thing for a guy working on a quest, but hey, definitely a good thing for Ronin! The courier swore under his breath as he tried and failed to keep up with the dancing, prancing luxere and by the time Ronin came to a halt he wasn't the only one panting.
"Y'know what?" He waved his Dagger for emphasis. "I don't think you gotta worry about gettin' hit in that shape, at least!" But there was more to a fight than just dodging, and Tal realized he was about to be on the receiving end rightquick when the luxere reversed momentum.
Tal threw himself sideways with a yelp, slicing out with an especially awkward attempt to damage or deflect the closest tines of those big honking antlers with his Dagger as his feet instinctively threw him to the right and he had to compensate for his weapon being in the wrong hand by twisting and cutting across his body.
Time will tell on Tal's comment, but for this particular moment at least, yes, it does seem as though luxere!Ronin isn't the easiest target. Whether or not that remains to be the case is about to be put to the test, and if the Knight had known his opponent was referring to his antlers as being big and honking, he wouldn't have known whether to be impressed or offended.
(But probably impressed, let's be real).
Anyway - back to the headbutting.
Having being going full tilt and with no intention of trying to slow himself down, as Tal throws himself to the side, of course Ronin misses him by a wide margin, but by the toss of his head and the stomp of his hooves, he really doesn't mind. One might even think he's having the time of his life - until a dagger catches him across the flank, and he lets out a bleat of outrage.
Circling back and lifting both back legs, he bucks and tries to give the courier a good kicking for his trouble.
You know what they say about luxere with big antlers, Ronin.
Insert waggling eye emoji here.
Tal was just feeling lucky that he'd avoided being gored or smacked or run over. The fact that his Dagger actually hit, and hit flesh instead of antler left the courier momentarily stunned as he landed in the sand. He looked after the bleeding luxere and then down at his weapon, eyes widening as he realized what it meant--
Which wasn't exactly his brightest moment of epiphany. Instead of doing something constructive, like rolling to his feet and preparing for the next round, he found himself barely remembering that he was in the middle of a fight. The sound of pounding hooves had him scrambling belatedly upright just in time to brace himself for the incoming headbutt.
Except, y'know, he got the other end of the luxere.
Two broad, pointy hooves kicked up under his guard and caught him squarely in the Vest chest, shoving him back with an audible Whoof! of breath being knocked out of him. His butt landed right back in the sand, but this time he didn't linger. With a rattling wheeze that didn't replace nearly enough of the air that had been knocked out of him Tal pushed himself to his feet and made a wobbly slice at Ronin's glorious, glowing rack to encourage him to stay back while the courier recovered.
Joke's on you, Tal - Ronin won't be protective over his glorious, glowing rack for another half season. Kicking up a bit of sand as he's able to connect with the courier's chest, the Knight snorts and tosses his head to recover, shaking himself off a bit. He glances back at the blood sluggishly trickling from his flank in a mannerism that's much more human than deer, and based on the second toss of his head, he doesn't exactly disapprove of Tal's skill.
There is, however, more to do, especially as the Messenger gets back on his feet, prompting the luxere to explode across the sand in a side-prance that is probably just as clumsy as the other man's intended strike. The cut misses (though it's likely more due to coincidence and luck than any skill on either of their parts), and Ronin trots across the little crescent island to charge at Tal once more.
09-07-2024, 02:07 PM (This post was last modified: 09-07-2024, 02:07 PM by Talyson.)
At least Tal's fashionable Goggles protected him from the sand on this go-round, and having the breath knocked out of him meant he didn't try to breathe any in until it had settled again. He wasn't fully able to appreciate Ronin's deer-shaped approval, unfortunately, on account of standing up and trying to get that lost breath back.
You win some, you lose some, right?
At least he was on his feet again, even if his off-hand attack was more of a vague warning shot nowhere near the proverbial bow of the HMS Ronin. Aaaand then he had his own problems to worry about. He tried to dodge to the side again, but the luxere's four legs were faster than his two and it was a futile effort. Even so, he reacted instinctively as he felt the impact hit and lift him up, his arm coming down to try and stab the ol' Special Deliver Dagger into the deer's... well. Wherever he could reach before he was flung in the direction of Ronin's choice.
The fact that Ronin is able to connect with Tal, lifting him clean off the sand with his crown of antlers, is such a pleasant surprise that, had the courier been subject to the Attuned bond, he'd have heard the Knight's shock and laughter echo through it. And given that he isn't, in fact, like every other luxere around, he can easily ferry Tal about on those same antlers, and he's just about to prance his victory when the Special Delivery Dagger comes lancing down again.
It's into Ronin's neck, Tal - if you must know.
The impact has the Knight huffing out a breath, head lowering and hooves skittering on the sand as he tries to back up and detach himself from the Messenger. Blood, of course, explodes from the puncture wound, and Ronin promptly shifts back into himself to see the damage. "You got me good there," he wheezes, a lopsided smile on his face.
Tal had his own pleasant surprise when Ronin simply dropped him off his antlers instead of flinging him into the ocean. Somehow he even managed to keep his right-handed grip on the Dagger so it pulled free of the luxere's neck - not great re: bleeding, but probably better than having Ronin shift back to human form with a big ol' knife sticking out of him?
Hitting the sand like a sack of potatoes and rolling a few times before coming to a stop, Tal would have been content to just lay there and let the luxere trample him if he hadn't heard Ronin's voice and figured out that the spar was over. He flopped over, starting to beam with pride at hearing praise from one of his heroes--
And then yelped and scrambled to his feet when he saw the blood that looked way worse on a handsome white guy than a robust and thick-furred deer. "Fuck, sorry, lemme just--" He juggled the bloody Dagger back into his left hand and reached for Ronin with his ringed right hand, offering a burst of Mastered Healing to help stem the flow. "I thought y'were gonna fling me an' I panicked," he babbled sheepishly as he let the magic do its work.
Ronin might have preferred the knife sticking out of his neck, honestly, but as he shifts back and sits himself down on the sand, he doesn't really have time to think about it too much, given the considerable amount of blood and all. Still, he isn't panicking as much as someone with a deep puncture wound in his neck should be, and were it not for Tal approaching with his healing item in hand (literally), he'd already be summoning his Smite to do the job for him.
"Ah, thanks - that's kind of you." He smiles to the courier, as if Tal wasn't the one who had dealt him the injury in the first place. "I'll wash it out in the Healing Fountain after this, not to worry," he assures him. "That's what training is for, right? And hey, you're not half bad with your right hand now, I'd say." Based on the ratio of stabbings and all.
"Yeah... yeah, definitely wash it out," Tal agreed, swallowing hard as the Healing did its job at reducing the external damage. He flopped down onto the sand beside the White Knight and gave him a second burst from the ring to clear up the lingering results of a neck wound, just in case. The thought of the Bastion hunting him down because he'd left a new scar on his husband was enough to make the courier look a little pale beneath his brown skin.
He managed a weak smile at the demigod's praise however, trying to straighten up a little beneath Ronin's regard. "Thanks, Ronin. That means a lot, comin' from you!" He reached up to rub the back of his own neck sheepishly. "Even if th'last one was more of an accident... An' you're pretty sharp with those hooves o' yours!" He'd certainly caught Tal right in the sweet spot with them!
Murmuring his gratitude for the second bout of healing, Ronin is left pressing his fingers to perfectly smooth skin that's sticky only because of the residual blood, and he lets out a soft sigh. "Good as new," he tells Tal, stretching out his arms and rolling his neck before getting himself properly back on his feet. It might not have been the most rigorous workout, but he's definitely not had to do much training in that shift, and he has a feeling his muscles will remind him of the fact tomorrow.
"It might have been an accident this time, but next time you might decide to do it on purpose," he points out with a wink; only by achieving this success can Tal remember to use it, after all. "Thanks for helping me out with this as well. Anyway, can I get you a drink at the Hanged Man while we catch our breath?" After he's washed all the blood off, of course.
