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!
Almost as soon as the portal had opened, Amun had sent a note asking Zidane to go check out Torchline together. Unsurprisingly, the potter's fellow Ascended had agreed, so they'd waited until night had fallen. Then Amun, cutlass strapped to his hip, had walked through the Spire's portal, and towards the new sign that awaited them.
Stepping through, he couldn't help but grin wickedly as the port appeared before them. He wore the square on his face, and he immediately used it to alter his features so he was less memorable, much less handsome. Knowing the tropical climate that awaited them, he was dressed in shorts, a loose shirt, and sandals, not that it really mattered given he couldn't feel the heat and humidity. Still, he breathed deeply, trying to catch at least a little bit of the scent of brine.
Then he turned to his traveling companion. "Shall we?" Assuming Zidane agreed, the potter would lead them away from the portal and plunge them into the port that was still bustling, even at this hour.
Zidane hadn't thought much differently then Amun since it indeed was a good thing to walk around less noticeable. He however didn't have the same ability as Amun which made it so he had to make a go of it in a different way. His otherwise expensive, dark clothing was replaced with a more sloppy everyday look in lighter colorations. Linen pants in light brown and a white shirt, hair ruffled in a more laid back way and a gray scarf around his neck. He did indeed look like another person at the moment with this look of carefreeness as his regular style was neat and expensive.
He walked through the portal with Amun which bright light made it impossible to see much at all for a short period of time. Well at the other side he focused his eyes to look at the beautiful port in front of him, it was completely different from the hallowed grounds in many ways. He actually let out a small sound of surprise as he watched the port like a statue. It wasn't until Amuns voice reached him as he snapped out of it and started walking with him to explore. Wow this place was something else.. Even if he couldn't feel it he still could imagine how warm this place was with its thriving palmtrees, white sand and the sound of crashing waves against the shoreline. "This place.. is something else.." He admitted to Amun which indeed was one of few people he tended to share thoughts with.
The people was like a herd as they walked though the street. Food cooking everywhere, salesmen and women shouting out what they had to trade for and if his smell had been somewhat proper he imagined the smells was overwhelming here. Seamed, logically, like the majority was seafood cooking but also a verity of fruits and vegetables.
At Zidane’s open gaping, Amun smirked. ”Close your mouth. If these locals are anything like those in other port towns, the more it looks like we belong, the less likely we are to attract trouble." Despite the warning words, there was just a teasing tone to the potter's statement.
Which was why, when Amun set off, he did so with a confident swagger and one hand on his cutlass. He stopped, now and then, to look at a stall, peruse some merchant's wares. However, each time, he moved on before too long, always without buying something. He ignored the hawking and the calls for him to stop. Instead, he listened to the crowd's rhythms and sounds, and watched for deals of a more clandestine nature. They were easy to spot for someone who'd once grown up on the sea.
He couldn't help but to smile in his usual, teeth hiding way after Amun's comment which indeed was a refreshing occurrence as always when he hung out with Amun. So few beings made him truly smile after all. The teasing tone was always welcomed from Amun but if someone else would do the same it would most likely have the opposite effect. Life was weird like that.
Zidane followed Amun from sales table to sales table as he focused A LOT on acting relaxed. Normally he would sometime be quite rigid in his body language since he never really trusted things in general. Always saw a hidden agenda in people and always being on guard. Call it PTSD or whatever but he was in his own way a damaged man. As the volume of the people around them as they "looked" at the for sale wares reached his ears it was constantly hiding an echo of death screams inside his skull. Death screams and pain which was why he normally never was out and about. It became quite.. strained to be around other beings, especially right now. Though the show must go on.
His outer appearance didn't show the turmoil inside of him however as he picked up a vase from one of the tables to look at it a bit before putting it back down. He was used to play along with different things but Amun was one that truly know the mess inside his head. It was nice to have one person who actually knew even though one was way enough. As they walked further they came across a bar from where you could hear some happy singing from inside of it. Happy.. Such a mysterious phenomenon. "This seams to be quite a lively place to live in" He said low enough for only Amun to hear as his eyes wandered up to the volcano behind the port, raising high up in the air. He wonders..
As Zidane smiled, so did Amun, though he used the square to blunt his fangs, make himself look normal. His held a wicked amount of mischief, which nothing could disguise, even if he wanted to. However, as the crowd grew thicker, he glanced at his fellow Ascended. "Quite lively, yes. And I imagine quite dangerous."
Spotting a gap in the flow of people, the potter slowed to point it out to the other man. "This way." With that Amun ducked and wove through the market. His destination was an alleyway, and once he reached it he walked down it with that same confident stride. Almost immediately, the cries of the people behind them faded, though he didn't stop walking until he'd turned a corner.
As like always hanging around with Amun it was a welcomed surprise how the other man without even asking seamed to know exactly what to do. He had quickly found a less heavy route and steared his steps that direction which Zidane followed happily. Such a simple but appreciated choice made from Amun which made Zidane feel very affectionate towards the other man, world needed more og his kind. Zidane followed his steps feeling the sensation of the screams dying more and more until finally disappearing as the noises of the crowd did the same.
He turned around the corner after Amun to in pure relief hunching forward with his hands on his knees, mostly to just recover from the screams in his head. He felt quite weak as a person when these things happened, he should be strong enough to block it out completely and yet he couldn't. The whole day in question had damaged him more then what one could imagine. After all; not a easy candy to swallow when ones entire family died in both pain and horror. Slowly he stood up properly again with his eyes falling upon Amun quite apologetic. "I'm sorry. I'm fine really.. thank you"
When Zidane spoke up, Amun grinned and shook his head. ”No need to thank me or apologize.” Taking a step closer to his fellow Ascended, the potter dropped his voice to a whisper. ”I was simply curious to see where these alleys led." Still walking forward, he gestured at the increasingly seedy looking surroundings.
"You'll never find the good stuff in the populated areas of a place like this." He tapped his nose as if revealing a big secret, though his eyes sparkled with mischief. Then, however, a clatter sounded behind them. Glancing back, even his eyes couldn't see anything. Still, he subtly picked up the pace, taking them deeper into the maze of alleyways they'd entered.
Zidane couldn't help but to smirk, he should had expected as much but still found himself slightly surprised to hear it. Though it was a good surprise since it was good to see that things were as it should be. He did smirk towards Amun as he got closer. "Lets carry on then." He stated as he looked around the Alleyway before following Amun's pace. As the clatter reached his ears he didn't react more then to slowly look back to see where it came from, he however couldn't see much either even though he had a suspicion as it was. What could it be? In any case not worth thinking about quite yet.
He followed Amuns pace like before and as they passed a clinging vine with some weird fruits growing on it Zidane simply snatched one of them to put it away in a pocket. It interested him after all so when he had time he was going to tinker with it, see what it was all about. Another sound rang out from behind them which intruiged him but not enough to REALLY care yet. Were they followed?
As Zidane indicated they should keep moving, Amun nodded. However, he was more distracted by listening to the sounds around them, trying to strain his ears. When the other man looked back slowly, however, the potter spoke in the quietest of whispers. "Let's keep moving." He did just that, picking up the pace a little bit.
However, as they did, another noise came from behind them, this time of something scraping against the ground. Sighing, Amun turned around, an almost expectant expression on his face. "I don't suppose you'd like to talk about this?" His voice was cheerful, almost friendly.
The three thugs who emerged from the shadows were anything but friendly. Two of them had clubs, while the third held a knife like she knew how to use it. "Cough up yer belongings and we'll let ye live." That was the man in front, who was apparently the leader if the way the other man and the woman looked at him were any indication.
Zidane wasn't very fond over the sounds following them as they picked up their pace through the alleyways, as stated he didn't like annoying sounds and especially not those meant to scare. He wasn't scared at all however since he had survived the mauling of LongNight monsters more than once but more he became truly annoyed again. Thank the voice that at least the screams didn't seam to pop back into his skull this time however. As Amun stopped in his track with a sigh Zidane rose an eyebrow, met Amuns eyes for a short second before he as well turned around. His eyes fell coldly at the three figures now in front of them without any other reaction what so ever. Even though the annoyance was lurking inside of him. Thugs, how lovely.. He thought where he stood straight backed without that single trace of fear.
Belongings? Sure Amun had things of value on him but Zidane? Not really. However, he would not allow them to take Amun's property so if they even tried to step closer they would most likely end up on the menu. With his steady, chilling voice he simply stated: "Go away." That statement was speaking for itself. Cold, short with a threat bubbling underneath the surface. He really didn't need them to try and steal the attention away from Amun. There was literally one person Zidane truly approved of and it certainly wasn't them.
Amun just smirked as the thugs made their ultimatum. As Zidane spoke up, the potter turned his head slightly to the other Ascended. "What my friend said." Shockingly, Amun's voice was still friendly and cheerful.
The first thug sneered. "Yer funeral mate." They stepped closer, brandishing their weapons. Perfect. They were in range.
The potter kept his easy grin. "You might want to shut your eyes and cover your ears." The words came out barely audible. Only Zidane, with his Ascended hearing, would be able to make them out.
Then Amun lifted his right hand. A flashbang shot from it, coursing towards the three thugs. The potter took his own advice and squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears. A deafening sound and blind light erupted. The lead thug took the brunt of it, but the other two were caught as well.
Due to Amun's precautions, he was mostly unaffected. Spinning, he reached out to try and grab his fellow Ascended by the elbow. "Come on. Let's get out of here while they're stunned." The potter preferred to avoid fights where he could, so whether or not he got Zidane, he'd break out into a run, dashing down the alley and skidding around a corner.
Zidane started to already get the hang of this new area which from his point of view seamed to be a hangout of delinquents and thieves. Yes Zidane what not very well known to easily trust people like.. at all. Unless they were named Amun and located next to him. As the thieves stated it was time for their deaths Zidane couldn't do much else then to roll his eyes over this inconvenience, well visable for Amun. True he wasn't the strongest Ascended around but he could indeed put shitstains like this at their proper place. Amuns voice reached his ears Zidane didn't have to think about it twice; he covered his ears and shut his eyes.
Even though he had thoroughly covered his ears he could still clearly hear the ruckus happening in front of them. Screams from the bandits almost completely muffled from the high sound from Amun. As he felt Amuns fingers grasping for his elbow he opened his eyes and released his hearing, casting a glance at the curled shaped on the ground before starting to run after Amun. What was that ability? He thought as he easily sick sacked between alleyway objects, even leaping over a barrel to keep up with Amun. Thanks to the nighttime they traveled in an incredible speed and as Zidane caught up to Amuns speed he grabbed the other mans wrist to steer him down a different alley path since it was a less obvious direction to follow, IF the bandits actually tried to.
As they leapt through the alleys Zidane all of a sudden felt lighter then he had done in a long time. It wasnt often he used his Ascended abilities and to just "flee" like this felt great to say the least and you could actually witness a sign of enjoyment in Zidane's face.
As Zidane grabbed Amun’s wrist, he instantly altered direction, letting the other man guide the potter down the alley. They ran down it for a while before reaching a fork.
Without hesitation, Amun took the right one. His ears had picked up the sound of a mass of people up ahead. By this point, he figured the toughs had recovered from his flashbang, and he didn't want to risk getting caught in the alleys they no doubt knew better than two strangers.
Thankfully, the alley he'd picked dumped them out on a larger street, with quite a few people, though definitely less than the last market they were in. Amun immediately slowed to a walk. Tossing Zidane a grin, he meandered over to a stall, picking up a fruit and inspecting it before setting it down. Then he turned to his companion and gestured for the other man to walk beside the potter. "I think we lost them."
Zidane swiftly followed Amuns direction, leaping over things more than he really needed just because the feeling of freedom it had ended up giving him. He felt unstoppable right this moment as if his burdens temporarily had left him, just a feeling looming in carefreeness. Almost worth calling bliss. He was almost sad when they slowed down their pace to end up walking into the street containing a few stalls but as he had long learnt; nothing lasted forever. As the smirk met him he responded right back with a smirk of his own, watched Amun as he inspected a foreign fruit before getting back to follow his friend as he had beckoned him.
Zidanes ears focused on the area they had just left but without hearing something suspicious. Yes indeed, they seamed to be rid of the vermin which, if you asked him, was a relief all in it self. His eyes couldn't help but to wander back up towards the volcano that was barely visible from this angle but still intrigued him. What was up there? More than the obvious. Without his usual thing of keeping things to himself he said; "Amun.. What do you think is up at the volcano?" Yes few things intrigued Zidane but the volcano was one of them. Maybe cause he had only heard rumors about the hot mountain and never really seen it before.
