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!
Always running his mouth, yeah he's got a few scars
There's another huff, another roll of his eyes at the obvious admission. "It was only horrible for a second. Then I couldn't feel anything at all." Nate's voiced swelled again, more to be dramatic than with any real emotion. It was a little strange, to be describing his ascension like this, like some kind of horror show, when his only memories of the night, of the deep dark cave he'd been in, were excitement. Happiness. And that made it all the worse, didn't it? Because he'd done this to himself?
It was that last thought that always got him, that he always blocked out. He'd been convinced to do this, tricked into it. And with the vitriol that still swirled in Nate, it was still easy to believe, to blame Sam, to snap his bright eyes back to the stranger and work his jaw, grinding the answer between his teeth before he spits it out. "Long enough. A few months, maybe." Then, another snarl, a sudden realization. "Why does it matter? It's done, and I'm a fucking..." This wasn't fun to be dramatic about anymore, it was touching dangerously close to a real nerve, the one he'd come out to avoid.
In many ways that sounded worse to Kel, only helped by the dramatic retelling of the tale - however lacking in any concrete details it was. It made the man-thing before him sound less and less human by the moment, more a monster than someone who was once human. Though perhaps some of that was the result of the snarling, spitting spite that he spewed, lashing out like a wounded animal with words as weapons.
As long as that was all he lashed out with, Kel was hesitant to move. Woods-wise as he was, he knew the danger of running from a worked-up predator looking for a chase, and while he needed to breathe and rest eventually, there was no sign that this creature was held back by either limitation.
He might have been a romantic at heart, might have said something about a few months being enough time to fall in love and fall apart again, but he doubted that empty platitudes would improve matters in any way at all. "Is... did whoever do this to you... is it that they won't put you back the way you before? Or that they can't?" he asked cautiously, unsure what would set off the next round of venom or pitiable lament.
Always running his mouth, yeah he's got a few scars
Nate seemed to shift and swell within himself now, words barely contained keeping parts of him moving like an electric charge, never actually still despite the deep stillness of his chest, the way his eyes refused to move away from the strangers face, refused to blink. He wondered, distantly, if the other man would leave, would run away. If he would follow. Nate had wanted peace, but there was a certain amount of satisfaction that came from dragging fear out of others.
The next stumbling question actually seems to stump Nate a moment, his mind not fully catching up, held a step back by his roiling cocktail of emotions. "I... don't know. I would love to know, actually." All too soon, that aggression was back, an angry hand lifting up to tug through his hair roughly. "Every time I try to go to a shrine to ask her, she fucking ignores me. She's never, never shown herself to me."
Despite everything, there is a crack in Nate's voice, an emotion other than irritation, other than anger. He tries to work his jaw after it comes, tries to swallow down anything that goes against his current rage, but it can't be covered up completely. His frustration with what he is rubs at a scar that is far too old to be ignored.
Angry motions kept Kel on edge, though as long as Nate made no more moves to press the distance between them the young hunter maintained his position and his watchful – wary, cautious, fearful – gaze on the other… being. Unlike the Ascended he did have to blink, and each time he felt a moment of tension, worried that the other man would have moved when he opened his eyes again.
”A shrine…? You mean, one of the gods did this to you?” Jiao had mentioned them, briefly. Kel scrambled to try and figure out which one was likeliest to blame for this twisting of the natural order… the mortal one, maybe? If ‘She’ could only be Safrin or the Voice, then it did seem to narrow it down. ”But… even if she won’t fix you, maybe… will one of the other gods?” His advice was given cautiously, and even with his hackles raised against the strange former-man he found himself biting his lip. ”I don’t… sorry. If that’s a stupid idea. I think I saw a god once, at a distance. On the beach, when everyone was looking for a masked spirit but… The gods of my world didn’t usually show themselves to anybody unless they were angry or making a very large point.”
Not subtle, were Kel’s gods, and not personal, either, in the way Jiao had described them here. One did not simply chat with the Ghost Queen or Terregris. No mortal human or Hidden, at least.
Always running his mouth, yeah he's got a few scars
"Yes." Nate hissed, teeth gnashing at the word in frustration, chewing over everything else that left him/ "The Voice did it, and I don't even know if she'll fix it, if she'll make it more bearable, because she's ignored me since she did it." This is not the shining recommendation he's certain he's supposed to be giving, and he can all but feel eyes on his back, disappointed, irritated, whatever.
Other gods sends wheels turning in Nate's head, wheels that should have started turning a while ago. Though he still wants to be angry, he can't help the way he actually considers the suggestion. "The other gods wouldn't answer me either... unless I could convince someone to come with me." A low hum accompanies the thought, his eyes looking out over the horizon, the unblinking blue away from Kellan for the first time in their conversation. It wouldn't be difficult to find someone to accompany him, to help him ask. Something to consider, for the future.
Nate's gaze snaps back to the stranger quickly though, a brow raised and his lip curled. "Don't fucking apologize to me." For the most part though, he seemed to have puffed himself out, too much of his mind now embroiled in plans, appeals to make, if he ever got the chance. "The gods on my world didn't exist." It's a flat statement, meant to be an a-ha, and oh, things were worse for me, though it comes off uninspired.
Kel wasn't sure what to think of this 'Voice' though the position she'd left this man, this... crafted being in was extremely unsettling. That he had initially agreed to it and now regretted his decision wasn't lost on the hunter either, though, and tempered Kel's instinctive sympathy.
He was used to being ignored by gods, though apparently that wasn't quite so normal on this world and he hesitated over what to say to that, in the end deciding that 'nothing' was the wisest course. Only when the stranger seemed to settle a bit did Kel venture to open his mouth again. "Who?" he asked cautiously. "One of the Fai.. the Fae?" he corrected himself, remembering Jiao's tales of being beloved by the Old Gods.
The snarl was back almost before he could blink, and the muscles in Kel's arms twitched as he fought his instinct to raise a weapon in defense. He gave a wary nod at the demand, finding it easy enough to follow when rudeness was the rule of the night. The lack of gods was a curious one, but a view held by some humans Kel had known and he just watched Nate with wide eyes, knowing better than to try and engage him in any kind of debate to the contrary. "Why... wouldn't the other gods here want to talk to you?" he asked instead, ignorant of the history of the Ascended as a race.
Always running his mouth, yeah he's got a few scars
Though he knew the other man was new, nearly as new as one could be, Nate still scoffed at the suggestion of the fae, his eyes rolling. "I don't know any fae. And I'm not going to get the chance to meet any, because I'm not leaving here, and I'm not allowed in their shitty woods anyway." Another huff, Nate shifting again, stretching his neck and his shoulders. "There's other people the gods like though. I know a few." Well, he knew one, really, who he thought might be liked enough to actually help him get an answer, maybe.
The snap of fear in the other man settled something in Nate again, his gaze hard for a moment longer before he relaxed again, cracking his fingers while he considered his words, considered the best way to distill a bunch of history he had only ever heard half assed and second hand. "The uh... Voice tried to lead some kind of uprising against the Old Gods, so they hate her. And anything associated with her. So, me." Actually, not that hard to run through quickly. Skipped a lot of the details, but the stranger was the annoying type who'd actually ask questions, if he cared enough.
"I met a Fae here," Kel admitted quietly, tilting his jaw towards the distant beach without taking his eyes off the Ascended man. "Down on the coast." Silken black hair and shimmering butterfly wings and all, petite and lovely in her own otherworldly way. She had been kind enough to answer many of his questions, but left out so many details that he was only slightly less confused afterwards.
But if the other man had others to turn to, so be it. Hard as it was to imagine, given his bullying ways.
Each crack of inhuman fingers sent a little jolt of anxiety through Kel, the noise so out of place in the quiet rumbling of the geyser field. At least the stranger seemed to be easing back again for the moment, willing to talk - however half-heartedly - and giving the hunter more to think on. "Are they... are the gods still at war?" A cautious question, and one that prickled along the hunter's spine. The last thing he wanted was to find himself trapped in a world in the midst of some kind of divine war.
It didn't seem like it would go well for the mortals caught in the middle.
Always running his mouth, yeah he's got a few scars
The quiet admission has Nate's nose wrinkling, another bout of anger lining itself up in his throat, though he doesn't loose it, not right away. He had met a fae in Torchline as well, but the chances of getting into her good books enough that she would help him were low, at least for something like this. Redeeming oneself in the eyes of gods was a far taller order than tidying an old building. Besides, he already had easier avenues to explore, connections with others who were liked by the old gods, others who were already far more likely to help him.
All Nate did in response to the question was hum, cracking the fingers on his other hand and lifting it to rub at his neck, at the silvery patchwork of almost scars that lingered there. The idea of a divine war sounded dramatic, exciting, and decidedly not like what he'd seen. "If they are still at war, it's a cold war." Came the eventual blunt response. "I can't claim to know how the old gods feel about it though."
There was a glint of curiosity at how much weight the other man had put on the question, how concerned he seemed to be. "There's scarier things to worry about than what the gods do, you know." Something that was almost kind lingered in Nate's tone, like he was trying, for the first time, to be helpful.
The cracking continued, doing nothing to calm the tense hunter as he watched Nate's hands, gaze occasionally flicking up to the other man's face to gauge his expression. He wanted to be ready to brace for the angry lash of the stranger's tongue if he tripped another bout of bitter spite, but if the Ascended being was calming then perhaps he could find a few more questions answered.
Kel wasn't sure what to do with the idea of a 'cold' war. Human wars were usually far away, the Forest's reputation such that it wasn't trespassed on, even though it had technically been claimed by a human kingdom ignorant of the Hidden that lived beneath their noses. The Hidden themselves had their own conflicts of varying seriousness, but their numbers were few enough that 'war' could hardly be applied to them, at least in modern times. He simply nodded, hoping that his ignorance wouldn't spark another scathing insult.
The warning - threat? - had amber eyes narrowing slightly though, a light breeze teasing Kellan's hair and tunic as he considered the tone as well as the words. He was being baited, he knew... but he needed answers, so what choice did he have but to play along? "What's scarier than the wrath of a god?" he asked, voice soft as he grew still, breath barely moving his chest beneath the moonlight.
Always running his mouth, yeah he's got a few scars
The brief flash of kindness in Nate's tone spread to his lips, his smile serene for a moment, a breath he didn't need to take, before it stretched into something too sharp, something that showed off his fangs and the hunger that brimmed just beneath the surface of his skin. "Gods are so far away, in the grand scheme of things. It's difficult to catch their notice, their wrath."
Nate leaned forward, not stepping, not quite, but definitely invading the other mans space again, in all his unblinking, unbreathing, unnatural glory. What was scarier than the wrath of a God? "The monsters are scarier. The things that want to eat you, that could without a second thought. The things that whisper in dead voices, and lurk in the dark." He laughed, loud and harsh, enjoying the dramatics, though he wasn't exactly lying. The particular monsters he described would be easy to avoid, as long as the hunter didn't leave Torchline. "Anything that can actually touch you is scarier than a God."
Benevolence twisted back to threat between one heartbeat and the next, but Kel was no longer surprised by the swift shifts in expression and temper. Even so, the flicker of fangs sent a fresh pulse of adrenaline through him, heart racing once more as he held his ground against the purred threats. His bow remained between them and he raised it between them to remind Nate of the barrier he'd placed - however slender - as those sharp teeth came near again.
"Monsters like the Ascended?" he couldn't help but ask, his opinion of Nate's kind crystallizing under the barrage of bullying cruelty and silken threats. My, what big teeth you have, grandma... Jiao had made Safrin sound kind and patient and close enough to touch, though she had been of the Fair Ones and made it sound like they were more beloved by the gods than humans were. More than Nate's kind, he could guess easily enough given what he'd learned tonight. But no matter how distant the deities of this world were, they sounded closer than his own and he was far too new and too vulnerable to risk their wrath.
"But a god did touch you, didn't she? To... to make you like... like this?"
Always running his mouth, yeah he's got a few scars
Nate's head cocked to the side as the bow was brandished, the reminder of a threat, of defence, flashed in his face. Absently, he wondered if he could close the distance between them before an arrow was knocked, if he could be upon the other man before it was loosed. He was on the edge of the blood circle, and he was fast, especially under the cover of darkness like they were.
The sharpness of his face seemed to shatter inwards, the edges of it becoming jagged. Anger, not irritation, not frustration, but proper anger finally gripped Nate. There was no warning before he moved, the distance between closed in an inhale, his hand wrapping around the other mans wrist to keep him from raising the bow. "It's real fuckin' bold to call someone a monster to their face." He hisses, other hand moving to grab at the front of Kellan's shirt, keeping him from pulling away. "There's worse monsters than me too, but you won't get to meet them unless you say you're sorry."
The comment about the a god making him the way he was was ignored by Nate, for the moment. Something to circle back around to with a clearer head.
Kel had wondered how fast the unbreathing man was, had held his ground because of his uncertainty in outrunning him. He had thought he was prepared, braced for whatever the Ascended would try, but when Nate moved it was faster than the hunter could have imagined. The other man seemed to blur in Kel's vision, one moment there the next far, far too close. He barely had time to flinch, releasing the bow with one hand to try and reach for an arrow--
Nate's hand around his wrist was hard and cool, far cooler than Kel's skin. His heart leapt in his chest, rabbiting wildly within his ribs as he tried to pull away - futilely, the other man's hand an unbreakable iron band. The scent of fear spiked through the air, sharp and heady with scintillating undertones of anger and the silver edge of panic glittering in wide amber eyes.
"L-let go!" he protested - demanded, begged - as his shirt was caught as well, holding him close and preventing his escape even to arm's length as he struggled futilely against the other man's greater strength. "Wh-why are you d-doing this?" Fear tripped his tongue, a stuttering stumble over words as he stared the monster in the face. They were the same height, but the Ascended's confidence and anger seemed to make taller, looming over the hapless hunter, who's fears felt all too real in that moment.
