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!
Sam smiled at her encouragement, nodding a little. He had never cared for loud people, but he had noted they seemed to get what they wanted more often than not. Still, it was nice to encounter somebody who was so eager to comfort him about his 'flaws'.
"I can read...some of them." He replied, fiddling with the bottom of his shirt with one hand. "But I had a b-bad experience in there. Last time I went in. There are books there that are dangerous. That you shouldn't...want to read. They t-take you places you don't want to go and make you do things you don't want to do." This vague warning given, he had nothing else to say about the Atheneum; what had once been a sanctuary for him was now a threatening hall of potential nightmares.
"Oh, no, I don't have to do it right now. B-but if you need to go, it's fine. I was just...walking. And th-thinking. I should...get back to work, maybe. At my stall. I haven't been there much recently and I need to make more books..." Having said more than he meant to, gotten onto a mumbling tangent, he began to walk down the road. "I-I can walk with you back to the settlement? If you're going there."
Isla's interest at learning that he could indeed translate some of the texts in the Atheneum was dampened at the new information. Dangerous books that... took you places? From the abundance of magic in the area she got the idea that he wasn't speaking figuratively, the healer teasing her lower lip between her teeth and nodding. That warning was something worth taking seriously. "Thank you," she said, "for letting me know. Perhaps it's worth putting something up on the Notice Board about it? Is there any way of telling which books are dangerous...?"
Those thoughts continued to spin through her head even as the conversation turned back to work and walking and thinking - he had come out here for much the same reason she had, minus the search for medicinal herbs. "You make books as well as sell them?" she asked, smiling to him. "That is wonderful. I... may I petition you for a book in the future? I have been writing everything I can remember about what I learned in Northaven, but they are on loose sheets of paper. It would be good to bind them into a real textbook."
She nodded at his offer to walk back to the Settlement. "If you don't mind, that would be lovely. I am not keen to get too close to that bridge, in truth."
"No. There's no way to tell. You're just fine and then you're...there and it doesn't stop until the end of the story." Truthfully Sam didn't know if there was a way to check or not, but he had been caught unawares by the book so they clearly didn't come with warning signs.
Isla agreed to walk back with him, so Sam began towards the settlement. Before they left he glanced back at the crumbled ground where he had fallen - the mists beneath were not welcoming. He wasn't sure what it took to kill an Ascended, but he was glad he hadn't had to find out by reaching the bottom of the gorge.
"Oh-" He nodded and smiled brightly at the idea of helping to make such a book. "It would be an honour. I-I have made a lot of non-fiction books. Some of them about medicine already, but I'm sure you have in-insights. I have asked other Outlanders for information, too."
The idea of secretly making tomes of Outlander knowledge appealed to him well. It was a way to have a successful project yet stay out of the spotlight, the real stars the ones who provided the information. It was unlikely he would even write his name anywhere on the book, anonymity too appealing.
"Is the medicine here much different from your home..?"
Isla wrinkled her nose, not particularly liking the sound of that. "At least it let you out of the story once it was over," she murmured, shivering a little. It wouldn't be so bad, perhaps, if it was a good story too. But if it was something sombre or frightening, that could very well explain Samuel's reluctance to go back to the Atheneum. Isla would certainly be more cautious when exploring there from now on. He glanced back at the gorge but Isla's eyes were on the path ahead of them, the healer burying her hands in the pockets of her coat.
She graced him with a sunny smile as he agreed to help her make her textbook, looking very interested at the mention that he had already created a few medical texts. "You have? Where are they now, if I might ask? I would love to read them - they might have insights for me, too!"
He asked about the medicine and Isla frowned as she gave his question due consideration. "Yes and no?" she said. "Things were somewhat more advanced where I was from, so I have had to rely on my more basic knowledge. A lot of the medicines are the same, but the plants and herbs have different names and occasionally new side effects. It has been quite the learning experience." She laughed. "And now I have met an Ascended, perhaps I can figure out how to expand my skills to helping you, too."
"O-oh, they're just at my stall. Well, except one because I sold it." He had traded the book for some meat and spices, the information in all of his tomes already copied in a draft edition in his home. He had been meaning to remake the book he had lost but had not had a reason so far, medical texts far from the most popular of his offerings.
Isla's answer to his question was interesting, to say the least. He had not spoken to many Outlanders, but the ones he had spoken to seemed to have come from worlds of a similar advancement to his own or behind it. Sam wondered what a world with new everything would look like.
"I don't think I need much...help." He shrugged. "Ascended...we don't feel much. Or...anything, really. I don't feel pain or cold or heat and my wounds..." He lifted the cloth from his hand, looked at the mark on his palm which was already fading. "They heal faster. I'm sure other people need it more than us. Besides..."
Sam glanced off to the side and wrinkled his nose. "Other Ascended are not nice people. You d-don't want to help them."
01-09-2019, 07:20 PM (This post was last modified: 01-09-2019, 07:21 PM by Isla.)
"Perhaps I can offer you something for a copy of them, then." She smiled to him brightly, feeling suddenly more positive about the infirmary in general. It wasn't so much that she didn't know what she was doing or didn't trust those who were there to help, but with medical texts came learning material... they might yet have new medics.
Isla let out a wry laugh as he explained about the nature of an Ascended, nodding in agreement. "Yes, you're quite right there, about not needing help at least. But I'm always keen to learn something new. So if there's any way I can help, rest assured I'll try. Perhaps making a means for you not to have to visit those gods all the time, without hurting anyone..." She pursed her lips thoughtfully, before shaking the thought away for now.
She could agree with his second remark, at least, nodding quietly. "They can be quite formidable. But you seem nice enough, Samuel. The infirmary doors are always open for you."
Isla granted him kindness after kindness, first of all suggesting a way to help him need the fluids less (something he doubted was possible, from what he knew of the Gods in control of his powers, but still appreciated) then including him in her infirmary. Sam was not used to such unabashed niceness, and was quiet for a moment while he simply smiled to himself.
"Thank you, Isla." He responded, doing his best to keep his voice even so he could sound more sincere. "I will try and make the books soon to bring to you."
He managed to continue pleasant conversation all the way back to the town, much to his surprise (and delight). He got back to his house thinking he may have made another friend, or at least a friendly acquaintance - this thought kept him warm for the rest of the evening. Especially as this friend knew his Ascended nature and did not mind; something he was paranoid about to the point of a problem.
He let the thought enter his mind that maybe more people wouldn't mind, that maybe he could make more friends as time went on. This was a daring idea for him, something new and exciting. He wrote in his journal that night: Perhaps things are beginning to look up.
