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!
03-01-2020, 05:42 AM (This post was last modified: 03-01-2020, 06:51 PM by Quanil.)
Quanil thought about protesting that they weren't a boy, but that wasn't really important at the moment, especially since Ms. Weaver didn't seem truly upset at being made to head up the party. Which was good because she had the huge weapon and the attitude that said she knew how to use it.
They accepted the staff from their guild leader sheepishly. "Thank you, sir. Sorry."
And they blinked when Mr. Samuel just... disappeared. "Wow." They'd put themselves second in the order because they weren't sure what the man was capable of and this was their quest, so they'd wanted to protect him. But of course anyone who'd made it to Mr. Samuel's age had some way of staying alive. (That wasn't "go hide under the table" because those sorts of people wouldn't have volunteered for a trip into the Labyrinth.)
"Okay, forward then. Be alert; it may not be boggarts! So please no slicing up my sister. Um, but if it's not her... well, we'll figure that out when we find out who's making the noise." As they urged the party forward, they wondered out loud, "Do you think the squirrels have learned other words?" That wouldn't have explained the voice itself, but regular, non-speaking squirrels were pretty crafty critters; they wouldn't have put it past the Labyrinth inhabitants to pick up new tricks.
ONWARD, FRIENDS! Weaver in front, then Quanil, then Samuel and Jigano and Isuma bringin' up the rear. Fingers and toes crossed it's not boggarts!
I thiiiiiiink RE has to go next? I'm... not sure. ^_^; sorry v__v after that, no posting order.
At the end of the path they will find her: or at least, it looks like her. Crumpled on the ground is Quanil's sister, her clothes torn and stained red with blood, a long gash on her cheek. As Weaver approaches she raises her head, reaching a hand to the group and staring directly at Quanil.
"Help... me..."
Meanwhile, in the back of the group, things are not going very well. From the shadows of the corridor a shadow appears, taking form slowly and steadily with a low, angry growl. A direwolf, white as ice with fire ringed around its paws, its fangs dripping with blood, hatred glittering in its crimson eyes. With a roar it swipes forward a massive claw, entirely missing the invisible Sam and raking a massive, gaping gash into Jigano's chest.
The way back is closed. The way forward is dark. But there is a path in the hedge to the right, and sunlight clear at its end.
Soon enough they came across what they were here to find - Quanil's sister, worse for wear but still alive, and Sam had learnt over the last few years that often had to be enough. Quickly he was distracted from the figure before them by the growl of the direwolf behind; no sooner had Sam turned to look than he saw in the corner of his eye Jigano clawed at and savagely hurt, more so than he thought it possible for the bard to be.
Wide eyes, acting on impulse he ran forward til he was in range of the wolf but away from Jigano then activated his barrier, hoping to shock the beast and distract it from finishing it's work. "Someone help Jigano!" He yelled back to the others, still invisible, his disembodied voice very distressed.
--
Sam runs forward and activates his barrier to shock the wolf (still invisible).
Samuel
He took a step but then felt tired
He said, I'll rest a little while
But when he tried to walk again
He wasn't a child
There was an injured human ahead, but no sign of what had been attacking her and Jigano hesitated instead of pushing forward, the hair on the back of his neck rising. "This isn't right..." he started to murmur towards where he hoped Sam was, but the growl of something large and vicious behind them had him spinning to face it, claws sprouting from his fingertips as he reached for his magic to--
He spun right into the fiery claws that ripped across his chest and knocked him sprawling to the side. Oddly enough, it didn't hurt at all, just a sense of impact and pressure and a splatter of red across the dry grass.
"Trap!" he tried to cry, too little and too late, and his chest rose and fell with the breath he took to manage a far weaker warning than he had expected.
Ah. Then the pain hit, dizzying and nauseating at once as he tried to push himself up against the sticky crimson wash down his tunic and the searing crunch of broken ribs shifting in ways that threatened to pierce a lung. His arm slipped in his own pooling blood, and he reached for his magic again through gritted teeth, wrapping his Healing magic around his torso to try and staunch the flow and stabilize the worst of the breaks. Isuma shrieked and fluttered around his head, but he sent her up, a mental command sharp with pain, to wriggle her way through the canopy and away, away to find help.
"I'm... fine," he tried to reassure Quanil and Weaver through gritted teeth. "Remember, they hunt in pairs!" Whether that would be warning enough that Freina probably wasn't Freina if the Dire Wolf was herding them back towards her he wasn't sure, but there wasn't time for a longer winded explanation.
And it hurt too much to breath for him to manage it at the moment anyways.
Jigano uses Mastered Healing on himself and sends Isuma away to get help.
It was too easy. Soon enough she spots the girl on the ground, torn and tattered but alive. How had she been so easy to find? To her right, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Then she hears it, the commotion behind. She’s too far ahead to have heard the direwolf creeping up on them, but then again, would she have ever been able to hear a boggart?
Weaver spins in time to see Jiagno take the hit. She stops for only a moment, feeling for the wound, and throws what little healing magic she has his way, trying to aid the Sage. His words, though quiet, find her. Trap. That she can believe, but with Jigano down and no idea where Sam is or what he’s up to, she doesn’t know which enemy to face first. And she fears Quanil may fall for the trap, because wouldn’t she, if she saw an image of her brother before her? She looks first at Quanil. ”Go, it’s not her. If you absolutely have to check, be prepared.” Because she knows if it were her, she’d check.
Then she springs into action. ”To the right! I can see light there.” she yells to the group. Weaver slings the scythe to her back and pulls out her tinder box, running toward Jigano as she lights a piece of tinder with ease. Years of living in Halo combined with some fire manipulation made it a fast thing, and she throws the piece of tinder at the direwolf. Using her magic, she encourages the flame to catch - on the grass, on the wolf, she doesn’t much care as long as it buys them some time.
”Come on,” she says, reaching out a hand to Jiango, offering support if he needs it, and grabbing a knife with her free hand. So much for the scythe; it was too hard to wield with only one hand, but at least she had options.
--
Weaver uses basic healing magic to help Jiagno, then uses upgraded fire manipulation to attempt to light the wolf on fire and buy them some time while offering Jigano help and yelling at everyone to go right.
weaver
-- ask no questions, and you'll be told no lies --
Quanil instinctively took a couple of steps towards the form of their sister, bleeding and in need of help. The guilt welled up in them:
I shouldn't have run off like that. I shouldn't have left all of you, and for my own selfish reasons. If I'd kept an eye on you...
But the lecture on the dangers of the Labyrinth was still fresh in their mind. This might not be Freina. They'd prepared a question for this moment, just in case, and they open their mouth to ask it...
But then there was a roar and a cry and Quanil spun towards them, putting their back to their supposed sister (well, and Ms. Weaver, who's ahead of them).
THE PROVOST HAS FALLEN.
And panic welled up in Quanil, their eyes widened, and for a moment their breathing stopped.
Jigano Silversmith has been a kinder and more understanding parental figure than either of Quanil's actual parents. He is the Guild Master and Provost of the Loreseekers' Guild, the man that Quanil has looked up to ever since the guild's inception. He is THE Loreseeker to the youth, the symbol of everything Quanil's ever wanted to be.
And he wouldn't be here now, wouldn't be bleeding and trying desperately to heal himself if it weren't for Quanil.
If it weren't for me and my selfishness and my... sheer ignorance and ineptitude...
Mr. Samuel and Ms. Weaver reacted with knowledge and experience, and all Quanil could do was stand there with their borrowed metal staff. But this is my mission, they thought. It's my fault. It's my responsibility.
"Help Provost Silversmith to the right!" they called out, taking Ms. Weaver's suggestion. "Get him out of danger, out of the Labyrinth if you have to!"
And they turned to the form on the ground. "I'll be right behind you all."
They swallowed hard and walked over to where they could see her eyes and she could see them, but didn't move closer than that. They'd had a plan for this moment, if it came. A way to tell Freina from Foe with a simple question.
But they asked a different question entirely.
"Freina, do you forgive me?"
No Post Order, as usual!
Technically, Quanil has given an "order" for Mr. Samuel and Ms. Weaver to help Provost Silversmith out of danger. Whether they listen to Quanil is up to them, of course, but their preference seems to be getting the injured to safety and facing Freina - or is she?!?! - alone.
The dire wolf snarls angrily as it is struck by fire and static, reeling back from its position above Jigano with an absolutely inhuman (and inlupine) shriek. Fury in its crimson eyes it withdraws, its body seeming to shift and change in deeply unsettling ways until it vanishes back into the thorns of the labyrinth with a final, furious growl.
Jigano is fine. He has mastered healing, and it 'twas just a flesh wound.
As for Freina? Well, I suppose we'll let her speak for herself.
She struggled to sit up and looked up into her sibling's eyes. Her brow furrowed.
"Forgive you? What for? You've done nothing wrong."
She eyed them over: the staff wasn't the only new thing. They seemed stronger - better fed, surely - and, somehow, more confident? Confidence wasn't something she was used to seeing in her older sibling.
"You've changed. For the better, it seems. Mother and Father must be pleased." She let herself collapse again. "Perhaps... it's better to leave me here after all."
OKAY SO IT IS FREINA AND NOT A BOGGART.
But she doesn't seem to want to leave for some reason?
Participants should feel free to question her (and heal her if they're able).
His own magic soothed the sharp pain of the fresh wounds, bolstered by Weaver's Healing as well. Between the two of them he was able to knit closed the rents in his flesh and hold the bones in place so their broken edges did no further damage. He accepted the offered hand gratefully, pulling himself up with Weaver's aid, leaving the direwolf to her and Sam while he looked back towards Quanil.
At least until he heard the screeching. The creature retreated but that didn't mean they were out of danger yet. Resisting attempts to pull him to the right he continued to push Healing into his wounded chest as he looked back for the youngest Loreseeker, desperately worried that they were approaching a dangerous beast that only looked like their sister.
One that... didn't attack?
He exhaled shakily, then patted Weaver's hand. "Thanks for that," he murmured, sincerely grateful at the stranger's willingness to help. "I can keep putting myself back together if you want to help Quanil and... Freina?" He still wasn't entirely convinced, but the clear conversation between the two seemed to indicate the girl in the torn dress wasn't a boggart after all.
"Sam, are you still there? This... might be more up the alley of the Natural Advisor," he called softly towards where he'd last seen the flickering sparks of his friend's barrier. "I'll keep watch."
Jigano continues healing himself and tells Weaver and Sam they can help with Freina. He's keeping watch for the return of the boggart or any more of the Labyrinth's tricks.
The Sage seems to recover well enough, though she doesn’t stray too far from him. Her eyes drift right almost longingly, but she doesn’t move. Instead she sheaths her knife and takes a few steps forward. Concern lingers though, not sure if they would be attacked from behind again and not wanting Jigano to take another hit. And of course she’s not going to leave Quanil either, and since the girl is talking, maybe she’s not a threat.
Not a threat, but definitely a nuisance. The whole maybe you should just leave me here thing is really not up Weaver’s alley. She glances around somewhat desperate for Samuel, hoping he’d be better suited to this task than Weaver was. She was not patient and she was not kind. Her skills were in fighting and protecting, not in encouraging a young girl to get up out of a dangerous place and leave it.
”We aren’t leaving you behind here,” she says, loud enough to be heard by the girl without straying too far from the middle of the group, as best she can manage with shifting bodies, ready to fight any additional attacks. ”I will carry you myself, if I have to.” The second part is much softer, possibly soft enough that the girl won’t even hear it. Not that she particularly cares if the girl hears her or not. She will absolutely pick up the girl and carry her. Well, it might be some combination of carrying and dragging, but Weaver isn't one for details.
***
Weaver grabs her scythe again and stands somewhat in the middle of the group, as best she can, ready to fight if needed. She also tells Freina that they aren't going to leave her.
weaver
-- ask no questions, and you'll be told no lies --
Happily, his own attack against the boggart, and the fire, drew it away and Jigano was able to heal himself. Not the tragedy it could have been, something that Sam was intensely grateful for. For a moment he ignored the conversation occurring between the siblings to make sure that Jigano was alright; making himself visible he nodded to the Provost's comment, sure that if he was well enough to give advice he was well enough to continue.
Nodding at Jigano's idea that he'd be better suited to it he stepped forward, glancing sideways at Quanil - hopefully they wouldn't feel he was stepping in where he wasn't welcome. Kneeling to look at Friena, he tilted his head. "This is hardly a nice place to stay. You must know there are better places to recover in our home?" Holding out a hand he tried to smile gently.
"Quanil has gone through rather a trial to bring us here to save you and they would be much happier if you came with us."
Samuel
He took a step but then felt tired
He said, I'll rest a little while
But when he tried to walk again
He wasn't a child
She didn't try to get up again. "Monsters belong in Labyrinths. Hidden away, where only the stupid or unlucky will find them." She stared at the hedges.
She interrupted Quanil before they had a chance to speak. "And don't say it. I'd rather be a monster than what I am. The only reason I survived the Fiat Lux Festival was because I... I..." She swallowed hard, had to force the words out.
"There was a shard coming right for me, I could almost feel it like a chill up my spine and Ludo's hand on my shoulder. And I don't know why I did, but I... I turned and held my hands out and I just thought NO and it... it moved. I MOVED THE ICE SHARD, there was a little puff by my palms, just a small puff of air and it shot out and redirected the shard. It hit my shoulder instead of my chest.
"So, you see? I'd rather be a monster. I'd rather stay here and die Accepted than go back home and face that I'm..." The tears were welling up again; she closed her eyes against them, but that just encouraged them.
Quanil shook their head listening to her. "No. No, Freina, it doesn't make you a monster or... or bad or anything! Just 'cause you have magic? You'd've died without it! And you're gonna die if you stay here. And then... who'll look after Kedran? Who'll get the best bargains for Mom and Dad? Who's going to terrify the merchants into behaving, right?" They tried to smile, to remind her how it was done.
When they looked to the others, there was panic in their eyes. "Help me convince her," they pleaded. "Help me show her it's not so terrible to be Aba-... to have magic!" Because she didn't seem to like the word, and the phrase "to be Abandoned" was... kind of terrible, actually.
Okay, we're nearing the end now, I promise. Everyone make an argument to Freina as to why her sudden revelation as Abandoned is not, in fact, the end of the world. No posting order, of course.
Weaver’s interest perks slightly at the girl’s story. Interest is not really the right word, but it is the easiest. There’s a mix of emotions that swirl through her; understanding, compassion, disgust, anger, hurt. After all, Weaver understands. Unlike the others, who have something else, who have not been abandoned by the gods, Weaver is simply Abandoned.
She walks forward, suspecting that if the boggart hasn’t come for them yet, it won’t. Still, she keeps her scythe in one hand, ready just in case. Joining Samuel, Weaver crouches, her free elbow propped against one knee with her hand open, palm up. Calling to the fire she’d lit, a few embers of it still in the grass behind them, a small flame races through the air and comes to rest in her palm.
”If you are a monster, then so am I,” she says, not bothering to try and convince the girl they are not monsters. Perhaps they are, but not all monsters have to be bad. ”I’ve had magic all my life, so I don’t really know what it’s like to be in the favor of the gods, but I can tell you that life without them is not so terrible.” Even if she was often bitter about it, even if she often wondered why the gods were foolish enough to keep their ‘enemies’ so far out of their confidence. None of that was really the point now. ”Magic isn’t a bad thing. It can be used for bad things, yes, but it can also be used for good things. What if it had been Quanil’s life you saved that day, instead of your own? Because one day, that might be true.”
Weaver lets the flame die on her palm and waits, hoping at least one of them would be able to convince her. She was ready to be done with this place.
***
Weaver shows Freina that she also has magic and says that magic can be used for good things, like saving lives.
weaver
-- ask no questions, and you'll be told no lies --
