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!
We are only haunted by the things we refuse to accept -Bridgett Devoue
Nikolai had ventured out into King's End out of curiosity. Wessex's tale of statues and ancient languages, of champions and courts, had caught his attention. And so he'd set out that night to scope around. The stars were shining brightly overhead and the surrounding area was silent.
Until a now familiar sound reached his ear. The sound of vines snapping and round bodies bouncing. Whirling around with a snarl, Nikolai eyed the group of gourds with distaste. "Really? I can't go on a nice outing washout you fuckers showing up?" Thoroughly annoyed, he drew a dagger and with narrowed eyes waited for the pumpkins to make the first move. Sure enough one rolled up, attempting to bite him. The young Ascended slashed it wish his knife before kicking a second gourd away. It seemed that his peaceful exploration was ruined.
Resilience is born even when we feel like we are dying -Alex Elle
It could’ve been a fool’s errand, walking out through shadows and figments, but sometimes that’s all Mabel was. She toyed with the piece of tech in her hands, fingers scraping over glassy, glossy wings, and then sending it aloft through ferns and fields – catching over the images in her head of rolling barrows and verdant greenery –
Oh. And something else.
She recognized Nikolai from other ventures, stories, or whatever other things gathered in their wake. The gourds in their fiendish assault might’ve caused a hollow, eldritch laugh, but she doubted he’d hear her from so far away. Instead, silent, stealthy, and creepy, her bare feet traced through long grass, only embodying her appearance, her presence, with a flatlined tone. “They used to only stay in the Grounds,” and she shrugged, uncertain of what other explanation there could be. How many times had her family toiled along their crops, kicking away the nuisances? At the very least, when she’d not been Ascended, there had been ample pumpkin available to utilize in foods.
She kicked one and watched it roll away, vines teetering back and forth beneath patches of moonlight. “Do you have any purpose for them?” Or would they simply maul the evening away?
If you dig under my feet You will find things that you don't want to see
We are only haunted by the things we refuse to accept -Bridgett Devoue
Nikolai briefly recognized Mabel but her comment had him letting out a frustrated groan. "I know, I remember. Why the fuck are they all the way out here now though?" The slight snap in his voice was directed solely at the pumpkins, though it likely wasn't obvious. The young Ascended was just furious over the interruption to his exploration.
Mabel's question however got a sadistic grin, the other Ascend catching on quick to the hidden question. "None whatsoever. Want to join me in destroying them?" The sooner these little pests were taken care of, the sooner Nikolai could get back to his search. And if he lost some tension by wreaking havoc? Just an added bonus.
Resilience is born even when we feel like we are dying -Alex Elle
The little object returned to her outstretched hand and she pocketed it, a little furtive, a little secretive, as Nikolai muttered and grumbled near here. “I don’t know,” she answered simply, in her usual, residual flattened tone, seemingly unbothered. Behind those eyes though were some series of speculations. Maybe they’d spread themselves out just as much as the humans, away and out of the barrier, capable of amassing and playing the world with vines and fangs.
She lifted her brows when there was no reason to keep them around; nothing to savor, nothing meant to embody anything fanciful. The younger Ascended could find simply delight in destruction though, showcased in the sudden swing of her sinister, eldritch smile. “Sure.” Her feet went to them first, manifesting a series of kicks, and then occasionally crouching downward, fast and swift, to dig her dagger deep into their rinds.
If you dig under my feet You will find things that you don't want to see
We are only haunted by the things we refuse to accept -Bridgett Devoue
Nikolai tsked but accepted the answer. It wasn't too surprising that Mabel was also in the dark about this. Everyone seemed to be similarly baffled over the extend of the invasion. The gourds just appeared everywhere and it was infuriating for them all.
His fellow Ascended's eagerness for violence received a wide grin from Nikolai. It seemed he was in good company after all. "Perfect."
Teeth bared in a fanged smile, the young Ascended began to maul the gourds around him. He was still very new to fighting, but these pests were great for learning at least. It had been aiding him in learning how to slash his dagger to maximize damage, as well as allowed Nikolai to begin practicing how to dodge. He hoped he could apply this to actual training soon enough.
Resilience is born even when we feel like we are dying -Alex Elle
Mabel would’ve been content to stir and stab along in silence for a multitude of time; she enjoyed the prevailing nature of nothingness, and then the ghostly trails of damnation in between. But an air of mischief caught her too, and because she didn’t know Nikolai well, she wasn’t certain what the reaction would be.
Didn’t really care either, so as long as she had her amusements – selfish intricacies, but there within her soul nonetheless.
Taking hold of one of the wayward gourds, listening to it rumble and hiss, the younger Ascended only made a slight hint, a warning to her volley, before launching the pumpkin straight at Nikolai. “Catch,” she suggested – maybe along the back of his head, maybe by the dagger, maybe by something else – a smirk blooming on her features.
If you dig under my feet You will find things that you don't want to see
We are only haunted by the things we refuse to accept -Bridgett Devoue
Nikolai whipped around the second he heard Mabel speak. New Ascended reflexes only just allowed him to catch the incoming pumpkin. And by catch, I mean stab it through with his dagger till he had an enraged and nearly dead gourd hissing in his face. Not sure what to do now, Nikolai just hissed and swung his dagger, sending the now very dead pumpkin flying into a tree.
Crisis averted, he scowled at Mabel before punting a pumpkin at her. The creature came flying towards the other Ascended, highly offended. A weird, high pitched rumble of fear and anger escaping it as it took an unexpected trip through the air. "Catch." Nikolai noted, his voice dripping with sarcasm, scowl still present.
Resilience is born even when we feel like we are dying -Alex Elle
Mabel couldn’t help herself – she laughed. It wasn’t anything exuberant or wild, but a low pitched thing, as the dagger stabbed it the gourd through and through, as it sailed through the air, as Nikolai continued to scowl and be grumpy and growly. Good grief, was she like that?
Definitely not – more on the side of willowy, witchy conventions – she hoped, anyway.
She was punted one in return, and rallied forth – sinking her knife straight into the gourd’s eye with a relishing snap and slide. Her smirk broadened, grew, all the more eerie and enigmatic, something you wouldn’t want to see worn on any creature’s face, before she too followed through on its removal. Except it slunk towards her feet, like the start of a trophy line-up, and she snagged another nearby, a firm grasp on its vines, and hurled it at Nikolai. More towards his chest this time, to alter and change things up. “Catch.”
If you dig under my feet You will find things that you don't want to see
We are only haunted by the things we refuse to accept -Bridgett Devoue
Nikolai couldn't help it as his lips twitched. The game was set and perhaps this was one member of his family he'd actually get along with? Her eerie grin did send shivers down his spine but they all had their quirks right? Nikolai could suppress the anxiety the grin caused well enough to remain visibly unaffected.
Once more, the young Ascended only barely managed to intercept the incoming pumpkin. Slashing it roughly, he brought his dagger down across it's side. The force sent it sprawling until it spilled onto the grass. The result had Nikolai's expression twisting into one of disgust. "Gross. Isn't enough for them to be everywhere? Why do their guts have to get everywhere too?"
Annoyed, Nikolai grabbed another pumpkin by one of it's leaves and tossed it at Mabel. The pumpkin was sent with a sly but somewhat playful grin. "Catch this fucker, would you?"
Resilience is born even when we feel like we are dying -Alex Elle
Sprawling desecration, pulp sliding out over the wake of the world. How much longer would it be until it was their enemy’s blood? Until crimson lined the earth, and not fluid, not Brightened attributes? The notion burned in her mind, and she relished the sentiments too, laughing again but giving no excuse, no cause, for the unhinged giggles. Maybe Nikolai could presume it was simple enjoyment (and it was – in a way).
Her head tilted, raptorial, as he complained about the guts. “Maiming can’t be clean,” she murmured in response, a shrug to her shoulders. Not bothered by his irritation and annoyance, Mabel found she likely wanted to heighten it, as much as a sibling might do the same to a brother merely because they could.
She caught the next volley by her dagger’s edge, flicking it upwards so the bottom of the gourd was pinned by the metal – a grin rounding over her features once more. In response, she snagged one by her feet, kicking it upwards so there was no clear direction for him to figure out. “Your turn.”
If you dig under my feet You will find things that you don't want to see
We are only haunted by the things we refuse to accept -Bridgett Devoue
Mabel's giggles were creepy for sure but Nikolai decided to interpret them as joy over their current activity. Any other notion was far too disturbing for him to consider at the present moment. Surely his sibling wasn't that unhinged? Right? Her point on maiming was completely valid and received a nod from Nikolai, "Fair enough." However it certainly cemented his fears. Yes, this sibling was unhinged. Fucking fantastic.
The gourd that came tumbling at him haphazardly pulled the Ascended out of his thoughts. He had about half a second to react but it wasn't enough. There was suddenly a very angry and hissing pumpkin in his arms. With no option except to hold it away from his face, Nikolai grimaced. He couldn't see any other way out of this one. And so, hissing back at the gourd, Nikolai slammed his head into it, sending it to the ground where it cracked open.
A disgusted look on his face, he then wiped the guts off of his forehead as he nearly whined to Mabel. "Why does it always come to having to headbutt one of these things?" This was the second time after all. Two times too much.
Resilience is born even when we feel like we are dying -Alex Elle
For her part, Mabel watched as Nikolai…headbutted it. Again. Her brow arched unceremoniously, unimpressed, the amusements dying away to something stoic, and then a snort volleying through all in the same regards. “You know, you don’t have to.” Contemplating, she reached into her belt and produced another knife – not the nice ones Aamu had made her, but something sturdy, something refined, something decent to utilize.
Mostly because she was tired of listening to him complain.
Her hand offered it out, waiting to see if he’d take it. If he even knew how to use one. “There are other ways,” she mentioned, by methods of mauling. And what better way to try something out then on these endless gourds?
If you dig under my feet You will find things that you don't want to see
We are only haunted by the things we refuse to accept -Bridgett Devoue
Nikolai was surprised at the gesture. This sibling didn't seem like the kind to share by any means. But he accepted the knife with a nod, "Thank you." He then turned on the gourds with renewed determination and began to use it in conjecture with his dagger. The result was certainly satisfying.
Nikolai found it was far easier to deal with the pest when using two blades and it caused him to send Mabel a fanged grin. "This is actually kind of fun!" Perhaps this unhinged, unnamed sibling was onto something after all. Nikolai had begun to find the carnage rather satisfying. From that point the two Ascended practiced their knife skills on the all too willing pumpkins until the local population was thoroughly thinned.
-{FIN}
Resilience is born even when we feel like we are dying -Alex Elle
