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!
As the man evaded Alina's strike and managed to trip over his own feet in the process, she rolled her eyes mid-flight. It took her a few moments to come to a stop. When she did, she spun, raising her spear to block the stranger's counter. However, he was just scrambling to his feet and still recovering from his fall.
Narrowing her eyes at his words, she scowled. "There are beings much faster and more deadly than me. And they won't give you time to get back to your feet. Again." She flew forward, not swooping down this time, but instead swinging her spear in an arc that would cut across his mid-section if he didn't block or move.
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
The fae didn't seem to take advantage of Anden's fumble. Maybe she really did just want to help. Anden adjusted his grip on the stick. It was lightweight, unlike any axe he'd used before. If he were more nimble he might be able to sneak in an attack and dodge at the same time, but Anden wasn't that fast.
Again.
"How long have you been fighting for?"
The fae made her descent onto Anden. This time he wouldn't try to dodge - mostly in fear he would make a fool of himself again. Even though it didn't seem his opponent cared all that much. Gripping the stick he swung at his attacker, in hopes he would block her attack.
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
Alina raised her eyebrows at the man's question. Not only that, her mouth parted a little, since no one had ever asked her that before, at least to her recollection. Closing her mouth and schooling her features to a neutral expression, she shrugged. "Most of my life. Around forty years, I'd say." Her kind were long-lived and her young appearance belied her actual age.
Then again, she could say the same about the Ascended.
His block did indeed work. She snarled as her strike was fouled. However, she kept pressing the attack. Still flying forward, she shoved against the stick he held. As she did, her left leg snapped out, aiming to slam into his chest.
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
Anden had grown used to things not being as they appeared. Though he was still shocked to hear Alina's age. Was that a smile on her face? No, couldn't be. The warrior infront of him wasn't like the others he'd met. She was stern, and focused on her goal. What that goal was in the end, Anden wasn't sure. Or where she'd come from. The fae was mostly a mystery to him.
Her spear collided with Anden's stick, and surprisingly he was able to fend off her first attack. He jumped with joy for a moment, only to be kicked to the ground in the next. Like a huntsmen pushing away lesser prey, Alina had easily handled the Outlander. Anden fell to the ground once more. "I wasn't expecting that." He coughed. He rubbed his chest where he was kicked.
He regained his footing, and held out his stick. "Again."
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
11-02-2020, 03:58 AM (This post was last modified: 11-02-2020, 03:58 AM by Alina.)
As her kick sent the stranger sprawling to the ground, Alina couldn't help but grin in triumph. "Lesser number two: never expect your opponent to do what you think they will, and always expect them to have a trick up their sleeve." She flew backwards as the man regained his feet, once again showing him a courtesy an actual opponent wouldn't. When he rubbed his chest, though, she frowned. "I thought your kind didn't feel pain."
Before the last word was out of her mouth, she surged forward. This time, she didn't attack with the tip of her weapon, but the butt: it swung upwards in an arc heading between his legs straight for the man's groin. Although she was pretty sure of her comment about pain, she was also pretty sure that any man would instinctively try to guard that particular area.
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
She was right. Anden realized, he didn't feel the kick. He felt the impact, but there was no after effect. Was this part of the curse of the Ascended? To ever feel again. He didn't have time to question it as Alina readied another attack.
She aimed low with her spear. Anden let go of his wooden stick, and did his best to grab onto the spear. His spikes weren't the only curse The Voice gave him. Anden did his best to grab onto the weapon. If he could just grab hold of it, his hands would be able to keep hold. He felt the ooze begin to drip out of his hands, readying himself.
This was his only chance if he wanted to catch the Fae off guard.
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
The stranger grabbed Alina's spear. She growled, not expecting him to respond in quite that way. Given the differential in their sizes, and given that she had no leverage, mid-air as she was, she didn't even bother trying to pulling it away from him.
Instead, she just tapped the other innate gift that all her kind was gifted with. The magic wasn't her strongest gift, but most were thrown off by it. So she called upon her glamour to do what it could distract the man. Light flashed and sound blasted, not particularly skilled, but hopefully surprising enough. Letting go of her weapon with one hand, she balled up her fist and punched forward, aiming for the stranger's face.
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
Even with his own surprise it wasn't enough to win the fight.
Lights flashed before him, stunning him briefly. When he finally came to, he could see Alina's fist racing for his face. Anden tried to let go of her spear to protect himself, but he still didn't fully understand how his sticky hands work. Unable to release her weapon, Anden felt the full force of the punch.
The spear fell from his grip. Anden took a few steps back. Creating distance between him and the fae. "Was that magic?"He asked. He hadn't seen magic since he arrived, but he had heard from many about its power. "It was like a flash of the Sun." He commented.
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
As Alina's punch landed, she smiled. However, she dropped her arms immediately after. Swooping down to retrieve her spear, she landed a short distance away from the stranger. "You forgot rule number two." Clicking her tongue, she shook her head.
Nodding at his question, she raised a hand, palm up. A shimmering light rose from it, far less bright than earlier. "It was. My kind is blessed with glamour. It works best when you surprise someone with it." The brightness faded as she lowered her hand again.
Planting the butt of her spear on the ground, she leaned against it, panting slightly. "Now. Are you ready to repay the favor?" She reached up to wipe some sweat from her brow.
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
Fighting was all about rules? An interesting thought. Maybe it wasn't really the rules that were important, but the flow. He couldn't keep stopping, or waiting. He had to keep going, like a barrage.
Magic. It was beautiful. Some people in Caido were blessed by the gods, but not Anden.
It was his turn to return the favor. His turn to strike first. But how would he even be able to land a blow on the Fae? Anden chose to walk away from the Fae. After a few steps he did what anyone in his situation would do - he ejected a handful of his spikes.
They flew through the air. Not with any precision at all, that would have required more training. In truth, it was the first time Anden had ever thought to use them as a weapon. He looked over his shoulder to see the results.
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
As the stranger turned his back to Alina, she frowned. Her mouth was already opening to tell him that wasn't what she wanted as a favor when the spines rose. And then shot out, which she had not been expecting at all.
She leapt from the ground, spinning her spear like a staff to try and deflect them. Though she blocked a few, there were too many and she shrieked as they sliced into her fingers and her legs. Immediately flying backwards, she stared at them as they stung. It was far too painful for such simple injuries and she dropped her spear to begin yanking them out.
"For fuck's sake...I didn't mean I needed training in return from you. Something else." It practically came out in a hiss. Whining a bit and moved down her body, she made sure to get each and every needle.
"That was impressive though," she admitted. "Why didn't you do it sooner?" As she spoke, she drifted down to land on the forest floor.
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
Anden blinked. If he was able, he knew his cheeks would be a bright red. "I uh... Sorry." He fumbled out the words. He walked back to Alina. "I thought that we... Yeah." He coughed, though part of him was happy to have startled even the warrior herself - and to get praise from her.
"Thanks." Anden squatted down to pick up some of his spikes. He wasn't sure why, but he thought they might be useful later on. "I didn't think of them as a weapon." They were a curse. It was all a curse. Atleast that's what he had always thought, but maybe he would need to accept that The Voice wasn't entirely as evil as he made her out to be in his mind.
"So what is it." Anden asked. "What can I do for you?"
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
Alina pulled the last of the spines out with a wince. Rubbing her fingers and her legs where the bright pinpricks of blood welled, she slanted her gaze at the stranger. "Apparently I wasn't clear." She groaned, leaning against a tree, feeling far weaker than such small wounds should've made her.
Shaking her head at his comment, she stared at the needles that had struck her, which rolled around in her palm as she tilted it this way and that. "Well, they are." Slipping the spines she'd collected in a pouch at her belt she sighed.
"Can I have some of your hair? That's what I wanted in return for training with you." She gestured at his hair vaguely with the hand that wasn't holding her spear. "Just a few strands."
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
Anden winced in pain as he watched Alina pluck out the final needle. He was familiar with the damage something so small could deal. Wandering the Evergreen Forest back home, he was never sure when he might encounter one of the smaller spikey creatures.
She wanted his hair? Anden was lost. He'd encounter many different people since he'd arrived in Caido, but none had ever made such a strange request. Was it needed for her magic? Surely if that was the case someone would have explained that to him by now. Whatever the reason though, he made a deal. The last thing he needed, was for people to think he wasn't good for his word.
Anden plucked a few strands of hair from his head, giving them a curious look. There was nothing interesting or special about the few locks of hair, atleast not that Anden could see. He offered the fae his hand, "But first, what's your name?" Anden asked. "Mine's Anden." He wanted to know the name of the women who had trained him, he wanted to be able to remember her.
The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek
