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!
Sah waited for the ursur to be fully distracted, eyes narrowed in focus as he watched it's movements. Lilly crouched beside him, the young wolf eager for the hunt to begin.
At the signal, Sah leapt forward. Keeping clear of Noah and Eira's claws, he went for the ursur. He aimed for one of the beast's legs in the hopes of further debilitating its mobility. Activating his magic, Sah willed his sword to be coated in lightning, and then he attempted to stab through the ursur's back right leg.
Lilly meanwhile, dove forward and attempted to back him up, teeth snapping at the beast's feet.
every time i think i've finally made it, i learn i'm farther away than i have ever been before
The plan to use the deer to distract the ursur worked well. As it turned and bound away from the bear-like creature, bleating in panic, the limp went away. It had all been a part of Noah's guise. The ursur roared and went to charge after the deer, but was met headlong by Noah's assault. The wooly bear had not set up any defense against the hunter's charge, and thus stumbled to the side.
It roared again, rolling its massive head and tusks towards the polar bear. Noah slashed out with long, heavy claws. He intended to rip at the ursur's side, while staying out of the way of tusks. Sah came in then, Eira and him striking at the same time. Noah had managed to knock the ursur off balance, and as its leg swung out it also managed to knock Sah off balance - though the once-wolf was able to slice the back of the ursur's leg. Eira's strike was full of venom, and though her cut was not deep on the ursur's head, it was still present.
Getting knocked back hurt a bit, some of the air being forced from Sah's lungs. But he's satisfied to see the slice he managed to land on the ursur. Gritting his teeth, the Abandoned rushed forward again, lightning crackling as he went for another strike. This time aiming for the other leg. It'd be much easier to take the beast down if it couldn't walk, and Sah didn't want to get in the way of Noah's claws either.
Lilly continued to snap at the ursur's feet before leaping back. The pup had grown exponentially but was still learning to hunt. This way she'd get some practice but still remain mostly out of range of harm.
every time i think i've finally made it, i learn i'm farther away than i have ever been before
The ursur roared out in pain as the hunters attacked again and again. Having been taken by such surprise, and with venom now coursing through its veins, it had little time or advantage to react to its assaulters. Noah's polar bear claws, sharp and strong, were able to rip at some of the flesh along its side. At the strike of Sah's sword, it came crashing down to the earlth. In his second strike, not only had the abandoned sent electricity striking through the bear-like creature's leg, but had also managed to stab through a tendon that was necessary in walking.
Eira swung down again, this time claws and talons raking over the ursur's eyes and rendering the creature blind.
Noah continued to ravage the ursur's side, teeth and claws pulling away at wool and slicing through skin. He wished he could communicate to Sah, but without the bond, Noah was left to continue his assault alongside the mage--though, if Sah were to adjust his position with the ursur on the ground now, the chest was left vulnerable.
07-20-2021, 11:11 PM (This post was last modified: 07-24-2021, 11:30 PM by Sah.)
Sah
Only in the dark of night
Sah grinned ferally, triumph filling him as he managed to slice the tendon. The ursur wouldn't be able to escape now, so it was time to finish it off as cleanly as possible. Eyeing Eira's strike to the eyes, Noah's to the flank, and Lilly's agitating nips, Sah made a plan. He might not be able to hear Noah through any bond, but was a hunter. And had been since before Caido.
And so, even without it being pointed out, Sah noticed when the chest and throat were left unguarded. Eyes narrowing in concentration, the Abandoned went in to pierce his sword through the ursur's vulnerability. He hoped that he would successfully take the beast down without simply causing it unnecessary pain. After all, there was no pride in drawing out the pain and fear of your prey.
every time i think i've finally made it, i learn i'm farther away than i have ever been before
It did not take long for Sah's attack to make everything plain and clear -- the fight was over.
Noah took a few steps back from the beast before shifting, looking to Sah. "Excellent strike." He reached out for the abandoned's hand, to shake it in congratulations. Noah did not smile, though. Eira chirped and landed near the wolf pup, golden eyes looking to Noah. The hunter reached for the knife on his belt, unsheathed it, and handed it to Sah. "Frey said I need its claws, but we should skin it. We can have its hide turned to leather, and I reckon we can both have a share in it. I don't think we should harvest any of the meat, not after Eira poisoned it."
Reaching back Noah grabbed another knife and set to work, carefully removing each claw and placing it in his satchel. Frey had not been specific as to how many claws he needed, so he would take each one and place it before the god. Eira waited, chirping impatiently. While her poisons might have corrupted the meat for the hunters, she was still able to fill her belly.
Sah returned the shake with a grin. "Thank you. You're the one who made the opening though." He insisted, refusing to take all of the credit for the finishing blow. The Abandoned wasn't sure if he'd have been able to take the ursur down alone. This one had had quite a bit of fight in it.
The Abandoned nodded at Noah's wisdom. "That's a good plan." The hid would certainly make great leather, a solid piece for light armor. Or even for building materials. It was a bit of a shame that the meat was poisoned but that only meant that they had to make the most of the rest of the kill. It was good to see that Eira at least could eat it. But Sah doubted that the companion could consume the entire ursur.
"We should bury any leftover meat after Eira eats her fill, so no scavengers passing by are poisoned." Sah noted as he set to work helping Noah in skinning the beast. If they didn't bury it, it'd only result in more poisoning and death after all.
every time i think i've finally made it, i learn i'm farther away than i have ever been before
Noah did not have to think about what Sah suggested as they worked on breaking down the animal. "Burying it is...not an option. Unless you have magic enough to dig the hole. But we could burn it." Noah did not have the strength and power to break through the permafrost, that was for sure. Sah had not mentioned that he held any inclinations or command over the earth, and therefore burning the body seemed their best option.
Eira squealed an uproar of protest, and set to devouring what she could and filling her belly with what she wanted before the men disposed of the creature. While she ate, she grumbled about how she could not take more than what her body could handle. Noah chuckled some, "Eira wishes she was bigger." He translated for the abandoned, hand outstretching for the knife he had handed the other hunter.
Sah glanced at the frozen ground with a grimace. "Good point. I keep forgetting that I no longer have claws." Being able to dig through permafrost was something he never thought he'd struggle with. But glancing at his human hands was a very clear reminder of how drastically things can change.
Giving the knife back, Sah chuckled at the griffin's antics. "Fair enough." Standing up, he set about starting the fire once Eira was done. Soon enough the ursur was alight and on its way to vanishing into ash. Once it was dissipated enough that Sah no longer feared a passerby animal would go in for an easy meal, he nodded towards the direction of home. "Ready to head out?"
Soon the citadel was within sight and the two hunters parted ways, each heading home for the night. Lilly bounded alongside her bonded, grumbling that next time they went hunting, they better not poison the meat. The wolf pup wanted her rightful share.
