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!
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Amun had a bit of frustration to burn off. The inability to speak had been harder to deal with than he'd expected. So, needing to take that frustration out somehow, he'd headed to the boxing ring in Torchline. He figured that beating up either Nate or Sunjata—or at least trying—would help lift the potter's mood.
However, there was no sign of either of the men when the Ascended arrived. Growling, he stalked towards the ring. Ducking under the ropes, he turned in a slow circle, trying to find an opponent to face him. Punching the bags wouldn't be nearly as satisfying as another person.
see the sunset turning red let all be quiet in your head and look about
You've got your own stress to burn off, and so you make your way to the infamous boxing ring, fairly confident the 'Biter and his husband won't chew you out for using a public establishment even if it's theirs. It's been a while since you've properly boxed but the muscle memory is there, and as you bind your hands and shed your shoes you can feel said memories prickling through you, settling you into your stance.
A good few rounds and you're feeling warmed up enough to raise the bar. It's been a while since you properly sparred, and your arm makes you a weak opponent, but the wound is wrapped up in its binding and you've become pretty good at shielding your left side. Glancing around the dark establishment you catch sight of a man about your side, appearing similarly lost.
"Oi! Fancy a match?" you call out to the stranger, jerking your head to an empty ring before getting into position yourself.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
As the man called out, Amun turned to face the stranger. His gaze swept over the potential opponent, lingering on the bandages on Zephyr's arm. Grinning, the potter nodded. Glancing over his shoulder at the ring that the other man indicated, the Ascended nodded. Moving towards the ring, he ducked under the ropes before moving to the far end of the ring.
Pivoting, Amun raised his arms in a guard position. Waiting until the stranger had ended the ring as well, the potter would incline his head. Then he would gesture with one hand in the universal bring it motion. The Ascended would snap back into a defensive posture, beginning to circle to his right.
see the sunset turning red let all be quiet in your head and look about
You mirror the guard position that the other man assumes, raising your arms to protect your face as the customary dudes about to do a fight circling begins. You don't know his name or his race or his religion, but none of that matters because this isn't about who you are outside the ring. It's about testosterone and based on facial hair alone you are more than winning that battle.
You'll remind yourself of that, if he beats you into a pulp.
You step forward with a sharp jab outward, more practice than anything else, your right fist swinging towards his face. Testing the water, as it were. You're quick to retreat, knees bent and feet moving with surprising grace. Which isn't to say that you're graceful, you're definitely more solid than liquid, but for an old dude you have one or two moves.
Hopefully he doesn't exhaust those, because after that you're fucked.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
As the stranger went in for a blow, Amun's eyes narrowed. Instead, he just raised his left arm, taking the jab from the other man right on the forearm. The force of it caused the potter to stagger a bit, but at least there was no pain. He used Zephyr's own strike to carry the Ascended a few steps to his right, the stranger's left, which should hopefully give Amun access to whatever injury the stranger was sporting.
Although he was still slightly off balance, he responded with his own jab, right fist lashing out. His target wasn't Zephyr's face, though; instead, Amun aimed for the stranger's bandaged left arm.
see the sunset turning red let all be quiet in your head and look about
The strike you landed leaves your fingers a little bit tingly, not surprising considering you smacked him in the bone. But you didn't hit particularly hard, so it's not like anything bends or breaks or overly hurts. A good beginning, and you grunt in acknowledgment of his block, quickly retracting in again.
Well, how Amun expects to hit your upper arm while your lower arm is raised a bit unclear, especially as you retreat and side-step after landing your own blow, careful to guard the braced appendage. Leading the retreat with your left, you wind up taking the strike to your right forearm. Ow. But the move back has left an opening for him to gather some momentum, so you have to be careful now.
Stepping forward with your left leg, you abruptly strike out with a double jab, right leading and left in pursuit.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Amun probably should've paid more attention to the other man's stance, but boxing wasn't the potter's preferred method of violence. So when his strike hit the stranger's forearm and not his upper arm, the Ascended growled, but he wasn't surprised. Side-stepping as well to follow the other man's movements, Amun saw the stranger's left leg sliding forward.
Raising his right arm, he took both of the stranger's blows on his upper arm. Again, though there was no pain, the force caused the potter to lean dangerously off-balance and he could feel that the limb wouldn't be much use for a few moments. So he pivoted, bringing his own left leg forward and swinging his left hand in an uppercut aimed for the stranger's chin. The Ascended put all the force and speed he could behind the strike.
see the sunset turning red let all be quiet in your head and look about
He takes the hits right to his arm, leaving your knuckles sorer for the effort. His wobbling is a good sign, though: he might have speed on his side, but you have height and weight. Keep him off balance and you might stand a chance at coming out of this less bruised than the other guy.
Speaking of speed and power, the fellow is fast to follow-up, jabbing forward with an uppercut that you only narrowly manage to avoid. It hits your shoulder instead of your chin, the impact sending shockwaves through your fucked up arm and making your grind your teeth. In response, well, remember that bit about you being taller and thiccer?
That's right, folks, you're going in for a grapple. Going down from your dodge, you head in and under his swinging arms (hopefully), trying to catch one while wrapping your arms around his chest and shoulders in a makeshift hug. Thing. Look, real life fighting is awkward.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
As the other man reached out to grapple with Amun, his eyes widened. Letting out a wordless snarl, he tried to dodge out of the way of the stranger's arms. However, the potter was still a little shaky from the earlier blows and his evasion was unsuccessful. Finding himself hugged by the other man, the Ascended groaned.
Shoving against the stranger, Amun shifted as best he could in the other man's grip. Then the potter tried to sort of half-shove half-ram the top of his head into the stranger's solar plexus, or chin, or whatever other body part the Ascended could reach.
see the sunset turning red let all be quiet in your head and look about
You've grappled the other fellow effectively, and now you're attempting to kind of pummel at his side without releasing your grip which is probably not the most effective strategy but it's what you've got. Circle around, hug it out, get all up close and personal. No denying it, folks, wrestling between two men is kinda gay.
Good thing you are, too.
You do not expect the counter, and it comes hard and fast. A fucking cheap blow, Amun, but it works. The Ascended's skull smashes into your chin, causing a jolt of pain to rocket through your brain and send you reeling back. You release your grip, backpedaling swiftly, the taste of copper on your tongue. Spit in the sand and it comes out red - yup, you bit your fucking tongue, and hard.
Ouch. Ok. Uncle.
Your hand comes up in a gesture of surrender; the other one rubs over your sore jaw, trying to figure out if it's dislocated. Nope, just banged up, but you're old and sore and know when you're beat. "Good match," you tell the man, flashing a bright (albeit sanguine) grin his way and extending your hand.
12-17-2020, 07:21 PM (This post was last modified: 12-17-2020, 07:21 PM by Amun.)
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
The headbutt was enough to get the other man to back off. Still, Amun gave one last shove, putting as much distance between them as possible. Then he rubbed his head, grimacing. Stepping back he gave the stranger two thumbs up. Then the potter grabbed his opponent's hand and gave it a firm shake. The Ascended gave the other man one jerky head nod.
Then Amun turned to go, practically stalking away. The sparring hadn't really served its intended purpose of making him feel better about his inability to communicate. Leaving the boxing ring behind, he headed straight for the portal. He wasn't in the mood to sightsee and dawdle and heading home seemed more than a bit appealing.
