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!
The Kaiholo Port was quiet, as it often was when people were busy taking their shady business from sea to land. People shuffled about, whispered, exchanged goods, and over all it was a normal night. There were a few ships docked that night, gently bumping against the wood as the waves lapped at the shore.
A lone dinghy, illuminated by a single lantern, slowly rowed into port, the side of the wooden boat gently thunking as it hit the dock that was farthest away. A man then stood, meticulously tying his boat to the dock before reaching into the dark blackness of the water. He rummaged around before feeling the silkiness of the mermaid's hair. Grabbing a fist-full of Johnny's hair, the man lifted him straight out of the water. The creature hissed and thrashed and the man gave him a solid shake. "Listen 'ere," the blue creature went silent, "We don't have to do this the hard way now, y'hear? Just stay here all quiet-like and we'll get this business over with, yeah? It'll go easy if ye behave."
The mermaid was entangled in a strong net, his hands bound together firmly in chain. Johnny hissed again, trying to bite at the man, who just grumbled and dropped him back into the water. "Struggle all ye want, but after tonight ye can be som'n else's problem," and then he went to tying the new more firmly to the dinghy, keeping the mermaid bound tightly to the small boat. Whistling to himself, the man stepped off and left the docks.
Johnny waited a moment before he continued his thrashing, his tail wildly whipping and smashing against the side of the boat. He tried pushing, pulling, wiggling, biting. Anything to get free.
In the darkness of the port, the dinghy steadily and loudly thump, thump, thumped against the dock.
But what does it take to break you, to awake you?
To make you bow and spit it out?
Ravens did not normally fly at night. Nor were they a very common sight on the Ahi coast, save perhaps for messenger birds with letters tied to their legs.
This specimen was not exactly normal, no matter how one looked at it. Fly it did, winging its way along the coastline. Crossing over the city with its many gleaming lights, down towards the harbor. It paid little heed to the comings and goings of humans below, more wary of Sear Cats and slumbering Hel in the ship riggings. It would have passed clean over the entirety of Kaiholo Port, had a racket not been heard at the far end of the pier.
Curious as a cat, the bird dipped a wing and swooped in on near silent wings, the rustle of silk the only warning that he was there at all. He had to dip quite far down to see more than a few feet in the dark, and by the time he spotted the dinghy, it was easier to just land on the dock.
Shimmering from bird to man, the tall, shaggy looking youth approached the boat cautiously, and peered over the edge. The sight of the trussed up merman made him whistle, slow and surprised - then quickly looked around, to make sure no one had heard that.
"You look like you could use some help, there," he commented, casual as a day. The voice was deep and quiet, hoarse as though it had not been used for quite some time... and sounded distinctly amused. Between his fingers danced a golden trinket, metal or gem or something infinitely more precious - he was hardly aware of carrying it, by now.
Doesn't matter if I hate you or embrace you
Nothing makes you turn around
Johnny was far too busy thrashing about to notice any birds swooping along the port. He continued to struggle, suddenly freezing in place when he heard a strange sort of noise. There was a moment of silence until the merman finally looked up to the boy. He was heaving, tired, angry, frustrated, if he had any ounce of truthfulness to him, he'd admit he was frightened. This was it, after all. He hadn't known what his captor had planned, but Johnny could only assume that it was to be eaten.
The boy spoke, offering assistance. This seemed like a trick. A sick, two-legged trick. Was he in any position to do anything else besides go along with this trick? He was stuck here after all. When he was free, though... they'd see what it was like to be tricked. His webbed hands grasped the net tightly as he stared up at the stranger, uncertainty bubbling up in the pit of his stomach.
Finally, the merman spoke, his voice as uncertain as he felt. "Yes?"
But what does it take to break you, to awake you?
To make you bow and spit it out?
The captive didn't sound entirely sure, but weak or not, the 'yes' was all encouragement Korbin needed. Surprisingly agile for his built, he slipped into the boat without making a sound. Stuffing his gleaming trinket into a pocket, he hauled out a set of lockpicks instead, and set to work on the chains with a deftness that implied much practice.
"Been a while since I did this," he mumbled conversationally to the merman, with a quiet glitter of mischief in wolf-bright eyes, "so it might take a while - Ah. Nope. Here we go." With a quiet 'snick' the lock came open, and Korbin stepped back with a pleased expression. "Are you tied up anywhere else?"
Doesn't matter if I hate you or embrace you
Nothing makes you turn around
The gleaming object that was tucked out of sight did not go unnoticed by the merman.
Holding out his bound wrists, Johnny patiently and curiously watched as the two-legged man fiddled with some sort of device. The sudden noise startled him, making him flinch away from the strange boy and the sound. The chains loudly thumped to the ground and Johnny stared at his wrists. A good chunk of scales had been rubbed off, a few hanging onto his blue flesh. He rubbed them and then set to untangling himself from the net — an easy task, thanks to his newfound freedom.
He then half-hauled himself up, the lower half of his body resting in the water while, arms crossed, he held himself on the side of the small boat. "Why did you do that?" And then quickly followed by a more important question, "What did you put in your pocket?"
But what does it take to break you, to awake you?
To make you bow and spit it out?
Korbin shrugged. "I don't like chains," he offered. "Besides. That fellow seemed very pleased with himself... Can you imagine the look on his face when he comes back to an empty boat?"
Though quiet to fit the stealth of the night, his laughter was a crows raucous mockery, a mischief maker og old resurrected for a night. The nosy question saw the man's teeth sharpening somewhat however, lengthening into fangs as he grinned - a warning this time, as golden eyes turned on the blue fellow.
"That would be none of your business. Now get going... unless you enjoy nets more than I thought."
Korbin turned himself, meaning to leap back onto the pier.
Doesn't matter if I hate you or embrace you
Nothing makes you turn around
Johnny wasn't sure what was so funny, nor why the strange man had bared his teeth at him. A trill rumbled from his throat, frustration bubbling within him now. Who was this man to dismiss him? He, soon-to-be adventurer? When the boy went to step back onto the dock, the merman reached a hand up to grab his ankle and bring him into the cool waters. Now on even level, maybe the man would give him more information. Why wasn't it any of his business? Who decided what was his business? Johnny thought that the shiny thing was definitely his business. It was shiny, he liked shiny things. This train of thought made sense to him.
Before he could demand more from the boy, he heard a voice. Angry. The man! The captor! There were sounds of footsteps on the dock as the man approached.
His hand gripped tightly on Korbin's leg, his talons digging into his flesh. The merman quietly hissed to himself before choosing to pull the boy deep into the water. The water was already an inky black, but Johnny continued to the depths of the Kaiholo Port. Give it to me, rang out his voice within Korbin's mind.
How long could land-walkers survive under water? The thought crossed his mind for a moment, but then left. He tugged at the boy's leg. I want it.
But what does it take to break you, to awake you?
To make you bow and spit it out?
The grip on his ankle was sudden and made Korbin stumble. The unfamiliar rocking of the boat threw him off balance, and with a sharp crack his head connected with the dock. Lights flared before his eyes. There was a tug, and a splash, and suddenly water rose up to swallow him. The instinctual gasp only made it worse as filthy harbor water rushed into his lungs, foul and tasting of salt, of fish, of all the trash that humans throw aside when they grow too lazy to carry them.
A voice kept intruding into his mind. Over and over, talking about it. Korbin didn't know what it was. He snarled soundlessly over the mental intrusion, hating the connection with strangers, with riffraff and traitors that still had a free pass into his innermost thoughts. He never invited them. Never wanted them there. Streaming across the attuned bond, his assailant would be barraged with hurt feelings - "I helped you!" - and mounting fear. Korbin tried to kick free, but his limbs had already lost strength. He couldn't breathe. Couldn't see. Even his wolf eyes could not penetrate this darkness.
Thrashing in blind panic, his hand went instinctively to the orb in his pocket. The only soothing light he had found. Pouring all of his anger, and pain, and terror into it, the gemstone began to glow. Stonger, and stronger, as life slowly ebbed away. When he grew still, a bright flash shot upward. Splitting the darkness with the brightest star he had ever created, guiding the way towards the stars.
"Weaver... Noah..." But his sister could not hear him. And he had gone where his brother could no longer reach.
How ironic, that life would suddenly taste so sweet only when it finally was over.
Korbin has passed away.
Doesn't matter if I hate you or embrace you
Nothing makes you turn around
08-01-2021, 10:05 PM (This post was last modified: 08-01-2021, 10:15 PM by Johnny.)
A faint glow appeared between Korbin's fingertips, the light cutting against the darkness of the water. It grew, first illuminating the boy's hands, his face, then Johnny, then the bottom of the sea. He loosened his grip on the boy, his pupils turning to slits as he stared at the beautiful light. Nothing else mattered at that point, the world was simply the merman and the strange, glimmering orb. The light then took skyward, a brilliant glow within the darkness of light. Unable to be seen from the depths they were at, the star shone brightly in the sky above.
From limp fingers, Johnny reached out a webbed hand and gingerly took the orb. He cradled it in his hands carefully, electricity flowing through him as he did. It didn't glow like it did when Korbin held it, but Johnny loved and cherished it all the same. There was nothing in the world for a while, the merman was completely enamored by the small object. There was something special about it, something far more important than any other shiny thing he'd touched.
This was it. This was the beginning, and this small orb a clear mark on his path to become an adventurer.
But then there was the case of the body...
The merman watched Korbin, giving him a gentle shove. Hello? he called. No response. He gave another shove, but instead the body just twirled in the water. Ah, yes Johnny, you seem to have committed a murder.
All things considered, he didn't seem particularly... upset that he'd just done one of the worst sins. In fact, if anyone were to ask the merman, he'd confidently announce that he had not murdered anyone. This unnamed boy had simply drowned and Johnny had simply not helped. Still, any adventurer wouldn't simply let a body rot away in the depths, would they? The right thing to do would be to put it somewhere. Was that... good?
Was he being... good?
Johnny didn't know. He didn't know what was good or what wasn't. He took one last look at his new object, precious and beautiful and shining, even in the darkness, and popped it into his mouth. This, Johnny thought, was the safest place for it to be.
He swam to Korbin, his arms carefully wrapping around the body before swimming to the surface. The night was still again, the sound of waves and boats thunking on docks and the voices of people who did not want to be heard. The merman pushed Korbin's body towards the shore and then gently tucked it beneath a dock. Maybe not completely noticeable, but someone would eventually find the boy.
Johnny looked up at the sky. Korbin's star shone brightly above them, dulling the stars around it in comparison.
"Thank you," he said, and then disappeared back into the inky black sea.
