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!
Ray got onto the qilin carefully, not wanting to jostle either of them. Riding isn't that difficult for the Attuned, so she has no trouble staying on. When they arrive at their diving spot, Ray lets out a steadying exhale. The water beneath them is oddly dark, turbulent. Something is clearly wrong there and it sets her on edge.
At Amalia's inquiry, Ray nods. "Alright. "Let's do this." She carefully dismounts, ready to be bubbled, and ready to take care of the situation. Hopefully she and Amalia will be able to fix this without any unexpected issues. But given that they're diving into the Leap, who knows what lay ahead of them.
Amalia lowers herself once again as Ray slips off her back and into the dark water. It's not a task the Angel envies, diving down below, and part of her feels guilty for putting it upon the other girl. But Ray seems confident, and Amalia swallows down her nerves, shifting back to human form to stand barefoot upon the surface of the lake.
"Okay - let me know if it isn't comfortable." Biting down on her lower lip, the girl clenches bony fingers, concentrating on bending the light around Ray. A slightly luminous, transparent sphere forms around the Attuned's head - a makeshift diver's helmet. Amalia nods. It's not as good as a cloud manta gem, but it will have to do.
Ray takes a breath, trying to adjust to having a bubble around her head. It feels bizarre but it's not uncomfortable. And she can breathe comfortably, and that's all that matters. "How much air do I have? I don't want to run out while we're down there." She notes her biggest concern about the arrangement. Ray is nervous too, but her eagerness to help is pushing it to the backburner.
At the last question, Ray lets out a deep breath. Her eyes glance down, following the drop into water and darkness. It's daunting, and she's not sure what they'll find. She gives Amalia a nod. "Let's do this."
"I... Don't know." Biting on her lip, Amalia considers this lack of insight. How much air will the bubble hold? How will she know if it's too little? "Here-" and she wills her body to shift and change, until a ten foot tail extends from her waist. It glitters with immutable, harmless fire, even as it dips into the pool. "If you're running out - or if you need help - pull twice on my tail. Okay?"
The creature gone, all the girls have to guide them is one another. Amalia returns the resolute nod with one of her own; "Ready," she agrees as Ray descends, leaving Amalia alone on the still pool.
The dark water is eerily illuminated in purple and silver light. As she swims down Ray will see the normal sort of thing: stray plants, debris, a handle of dark fish. But once she's reached a dept of about six feet, something else will appear below her. Something blue, pulsing, beautiful... And wrapped around it, strings of inky black.
Ray nodded in affirmation. "That works for me." It was as simple and effective an idea as any, and unless something went drastically wrong it should work. As the descent begins, the Attuned is nervous but determined to see this through. Though regrets of not having an aquatic shift do run through her mind. She'd have to look into acquiring one.
As they dive, it grows darker, only to again lighten with a soft blue-glow. The entity before them is beautiful and Ray has no idea what it is. But the inky blackness is clearly an issue, dimming the light where it touches blue. The Attuned gets a sensation of wrongness as she looks at the black threads, and a desire to remove them fills her with a surprising amount of force. "How do we remove them?"
As Ray descends into the water Amalia can only watch and wait, anxiety a stone so heavy in her gut she's surprised it doesn't drag her down as well. Can you talk without shifting? If not, tug on my tail. The flickering light from her tail and the sphere cast odd shadows up against the surface of the pond; never before has she so acutely felt the loss of her aquatic shifts. All she can do is wait and watch.
Down below, the sphere of blue will continue to pulse in its cruel black cage. If anyone hears Ray they do not respond. As she draws nearer she will be able to discern that the tendrils are static, long, and metallic. And their shape is almost finger like.
07-07-2021, 09:08 PM (This post was last modified: 07-07-2021, 09:09 PM by Ray.)
RAY
In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods
Hearing Amalia's question, Ray gives a gentle tug to her tail. No, the younger Attuned can't speak via the bond without shifting, not yet. The finger like protrusions that encase the sphere send shivers down her back. They are not meant to be here, and removing them is the priority.
Biting her lip nervously, Ray reaches out a hand, stopping short of touching them. Giving Amalia a questioning glance, she asks with her eyes if it's worth trying to physically tear them off. She wasn't sure how else to remove the cage beyond a physical means. She lacked any form of magic beyond her shifts.
Amalia cannot see the look that Ray gives her. She cannot see anything but a dim blur of light and shadow as the younger Attuned moves far below. At least she can be heard, if not responded to in words. Silently she inhales a deep, calming breath, settling down to sit on the surface, her mind extending to a fish that flickers through the water at Ray's side.
As Ray reaches out to grab the cage, she will feel the water begin to thrum with a faintly foreboding sense of electricity. Should she touch the ancient metallic appendages, she will feel a jolt of static pulse through the water and into her fingers, making her hair stand on end. The water, meanwhile, has begun to churn: a subtle, almost unnoticeable upset that strengthens currents around and below Ray, perhaps not enough for a landlubber to feel but enough to unsettle the fish.
The distressed fish and electric shock has Ray on guard immediately. But the pain from the shock is mild, tolerable. And so Ray goes for it. She grabs the cage with both hands and begins to pull as hard as she can. Her feet even kick at the water to try and add more leverage. The Attuned is determined to remove the metal and free the sphere.
Teeth gritting with exertion and cursing mentally, Ray does her very best. She's honestly a bit terrified of what'll happen, of what the consequences of her actions might be. But she knows that the cage has to be removed, and so she pushes past the fear and pulls.
As soon as Ray grabs the cage the water will start to change, growing more agitated and turbulent. It's enough for Amalia to notice; the Angel finds herself rocking on unexpected waves, alarm bright in her eyes. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on, but she can sense the eager agitation of the Ceffyl Dŵr as it reacts to Ray's actions. Is everything okay? the girl calls down anxiously, her long tail searching for any amount of Ray to snag.
Meanwhile, a current has picked up underwater, threatening to spin Ray around and send her drifting away. Fortunately the Attuned is strong and stubborn; one by one she is able to curl the appendages - the fingers - away from the glowing light. The surging water around the light shifts and takes form, until the light splits in two, becoming an eye in the face of the Ceffyl Dŵr, which stares at Ray with intensity. The creature rears through the water before crashing its hoof ineffectually through the black metal limb, sending eddies through the water that threaten to catch Ray and send her spiraling away.
The metal - the arm - is lodged between two boulders; the water horse's onslaught has only managed to shake it a little, but the foreign object remains trapped. It is clear it wants the arm removed, and doesn't have the patience to allow Ray to extract it in peace.
Ray realizes that she needs to get out of the way. So in a desperate bid to escape and get the metal off, she pulls a stupid stunt. One hand grasping a metal finger, the other goes to tug urgently on Amalia's tail. Hopefully with the force of a quick extraction from the demi-god, the bar will come loose.
It's a stupid, foolish, reckless plan. But the Ceffyl Dŵr has implied that there's an urgency to the situation. It makes Ray worry that the cage is harming the sphere on tope of trapping it. And so, her plan is built off of that urgency.
Amalia can feel the current shifting, but it isn't until she feels a tug at her tail that her anxiety truly sets in. In an instant the Angel is on her feet, tugging upward with her tail, hoping that Ray is holding tightly enough. It's surprisingly difficult, almost like Ray is anchored to something below. Which, in a sense, she is. Deeply lodged between two stones, the arm does not want to come lose. Not yet, anyway.
Luckily (or unluckily), Ray is able to keep her grasp on the metal hand. Unluckily (or luckily), Amalia's strength is such that it tugs firmly on her other arm, threatening to dislodge the Attuned entirely if she doesn't keep her grip. Feeling the resistance, Amalia stops her tugging long enough to kneel back down on the surface. Are you okay? Are you stuck? Meanwhile the prehensile tail snakes down, trying to wrap around Ray's waist. Hold on, I'll get you out--
The Ceffyl Dŵr has been neither patient nor content during this time. As the pair of women work the equid is taking matters into its own hands (hooves?). Water continues to surge and churn, forming a whirlpool around Ray and, by extension, Amalia. The current makes one of the boulders begin to shake: maybe it will come loose after all, but are you willing to wait and find out?
Ray realizes instantly that this mission has gotten too dangerous. The risk of drowning, and of a concussion have increased alongside the Ceffyl Dŵr's impatience. Unable to respond verbally to Amalia, Ray gives her tail a stronger tug. It's as clear of a plea as she can give to get out of the water. To help herself escape, she lets go of the cage and holds on to the demi-god's tail with both hands.
As for the boulder? Once Ray notices it begin to move, she grows even more concerned. They both need to get to dry land now. Otherwise they might be stuck just as the sphere is.
The addition of another hand is all Amalia needs: without any further hesitation she hauls her tail up, straining, body a ripple of scales and fur as she fights against the current that holds Ray in its grasp. The water has become a proper vortex now, and as she spins atop it the Angel is in imminent danger of losing her footing. Indeed, she slips and flounders, spreading her palms over the water to keep from going under, desperation in her eyes as the water continues to rise.
It's worse for Ray, who is being tossed around like so much laundry. Under the water, chaos reigns as the Ceffyl Dŵr grows more and more antsy. But it isn't only the Attuned who's thrown from her place - the stone, too, is finally dislodged, freeing the metal arm and eliciting a scream of triumph from the water horse. Up and up and up it rises, taking Ray and Amalia (who reaches for the other girl with arms and wings, hoping to shield her from any more danger) with it, until a waterspout towers over the surface of the lake with the two young women pinned between.
