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 trip into the Climb was a dangerous and long one. Of course, Gideon had not hesitated to undertake it under the request of Ludo (there was nowhere on Caido he wouldn't go, if he was asked by a God - if he died there, it was their plan), but he had wanted to employ somebody perhaps more suited to the rough-and-tumble adventuring life to come with him.
Harper or Ronin had come to mind first, but he wanted to extend his connections with the Demi-Gods and faithful further. When he had remembered Remi was a servant of Ludo, the choice seemed obvious; with a familarity they didn't have, he'd asked the man to come with him on a lengthy hike, after speaking once. Gideon was not one to shy away from a potentially awkward social situation and besides, he had enough to say for both of them to last the whole trip.
Finally, they came to the entrance of a cave system that according to the rough map he had and knowledge he possessed, was their goal. Peering in and seeing the gleaming crystals shine back, Gideon broke into a wide grin and turned to look at Remi. "I think we've found it. I need to gather some crystals - you don't have any idea why Ludo would want me to gather crystals for Safrin, do you? It seemed an odd request to me. Not that I'd question the Gods, of course, but..." He shrugged. Remi might have more of an insight.
What I've seen so far
The good ones always seems to break
Flying would have been faster, but even as they made the trek, Remi didn't appear to have exerted even a bit of effort. Though he aimed for companionable silence, it was Gideon who ultimately made the journey slightly less awkward with his easy flow of conversation.
Peering skeptically into the cave system, Remi's eyes grow darker and more cat-like as he partially shifts them to better see. "When it comes to Ludo, almost anything is possible." He offers unhelpfully, before trying for an answer the Priest might find more valuable. "Earlier this year it had me lay offerings at the shrines of the other two heralds, but only so that I could replicate the powers of my fellow demigods." He explains. 'So even if it said these were for Safrin, I would expect there to be a twist somehow."
Reaching a hand forward to softly brush it against one of the crystals, the alchemist turns to regard the Priest over his shoulder. "Did you ask Ludo for something specifically?"
Who are you? They ask. Death? Sometimes... I say. But not today
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Gideon stepped into the cave, his feet making a crunch on the ground as they crushed fractions of crystals that had been untouched for years. Glancing down to make sure he hadn't broken anything of value and confirming he hadn't, he continued to pick his way through carefully. Remi might have had cat eyes, but he didn't, so he used his hands readily on the walls and ground before him to feel his way along.
"I see...and which two Demi Gods did you replicate the powers of?" He asked, glancing back; Remi really was terrifyingly powerful, when one spent any time considering it.
Stopping before what felt like a decent sized and smooth crystal in the wall, Gideon dug around in his bag for the tools he'd brought for the task. "No, not really. I just offered myself. My willingness to serve, to do anything right now in the face of the Ascended scourge. All I want to do is assist, however the Gods will have me." Finding a hammer and a chisel, he squinted at the crystals edge and began to try and chip at it. "I felt like I had lost my direction, after the spirits raged in the Temple. I wanted a God to set me back on the right path."
What I've seen so far
The good ones always seems to break
"Ronin and Amalia." Remi murmurs conversationally, unaware of Gideon's difficulty seeing. He'd taken it for granted these days just how much he was capable of doing. Sooner or later the alchemist would likely notice that he was moving ahead far more easily than the Priest was, but for now, he moved in ignorance. "But only their offensive abilities. I had to be injured by them in order to copy them, so anything healing-related or ... " Remi rolls his wrist as if to indicate something fluffy or gentle. " ... nice, I suppose, I cannot do."
Halting only once he heard the crunch of boots behind him stop, Remi folds his arms comfortably over his chest. Biting at the inside of his lip, Remi finds himself nodding right up until Gideon mentions the temple. Recalling the creature in the rafters, of its screams and the sight of Gideon writhing on the altar surrounded in fluid, has Remi standing straighter with a strange look on his face. "What...happened in the Temple? I was too concerned with the creature, and the Magnus' sisters seemed to have you well in hand, but...your mind...the vials..." Not one to pry necessarily, this seemed as intimate and appropriate a time as any he'd had with Gideon before, or perhaps would again.
Who are you? They ask. Death? Sometimes... I say. But not today
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
The most obvious choice, but Gideon supposed that didn't matter - it was still the powers of three Demi Gods in one man, which made Remi more powerful than they'd ever known a mortal to be. He was glad that he was on their side. "We don't have a lot of use for 'nice'. We have our own healers. What we need is the right attacks to get through the Voice's defenses. You have the right priorities." He nodded to himself, tapping away at the base of the crystal and nodding as he thought he saw some rock crumble away in the dark.
He supposed he'd brought on questions about what had happened in the Temple, so he put away the initial defensiveness that tried to rise and answered Remi truthfully. "Well...I have in my time been tasked with dealing with some Ascended. Ludo asked me for a vial of their fluid and I thought that it would be prudent to keep more around - it's often useful for weapons and so on." A little part of the Ascended, something to help them understand what they wanted to kill.
"I kept them in the Temple, under the floor. I should have thought--" Gideon sighed, the sound tense and annoyed, though his anger was directed only at himself. "--Storing something like that in a sacred place...it wasn't long before the spirits made their displeasure known. It was a painful lesson, but one I deserved." Shaking his head, he grabbed the end of the crystal and tried to wiggle it back and forth, seeing if it would come free.
What I've seen so far
The good ones always seems to break
Though Gideon's words were likely supposed to be validating, Remi felt himself pause slightly to hear them, as if the praise was cheapened somehow by Remi's not-quite-certain view of the man speaking. Nodding stiffly and offering Gideon an appreciative smile, Remi continues to...guard? loiter? stand around? as he had been doing.
Hearing that Gideon had been trying to stock-pile fluid brings no indication of judgement or distaste to Remi's expression as he turns his head to listen. "If only spirits could be reasoned with." He murmurs with a bit of a frown. Had the Priest been capable of receiving pulses of affirmation through the attuned bond, he would have just then. Instead, the alchemist can only offer a smile that aims to be understanding.
"Let me—" Remi offers, feeling useless and clumsy just standing around. If Gideon would allow, he'd reach forward to pull the crystal out of the wall.
Who are you? They ask. Death? Sometimes... I say. But not today
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
In Gideon's mind, Remi had two roles here: a guardian for the journey back and forth and a witness of sorts, validation for the quest. Doing it with a Demi God made him feel like he could guarantee it would be completed in a way the Gods approved of.
"Mmm. Though they had the right of it, in the end. They always do." Gideon seemed utterly convicted of this, freely admitting his mistake. "We must remember in this fight that we are the side of the good and pure. We cannot afford to let their corruption ruin us." Who knew what was in the Ascended fluid? If it was poisonous, if it could infect the skin? What if it's presence in the Temple had somehow enabled the Voice to listen in? The more Gideon thought on it, the more he was glad he had been punished and set right.
Quite gladly stepping aside to let Remi take over with the crystal, he looked out of the entrance at the bright, hot air of the Climb. "I'm not sure how many Ludo expects me to take. Do you think I should gather many, or will a couple do?"
What I've seen so far
The good ones always seems to break
"Mmmmmm." Remi hums thoughtfully, but without conviction. If what Gideon was saying was true, then Remi had been thoroughly corrupted in his time, having been bitten by numerous ascended. He'd friended them, loved them, really loved them, and vowed to protect them. Though the Priest certainly had the right of it in saying which side they were on.
"Might as well take a few. If Ludo does not need them, I am sure someone else can use them. It will save us a trip back here in the future if that is the case. Other than the hot pools here, having to trek through Halo is reason enough not to come back." Indeed, were it not for the pools, Remi would likely never come here. And speaking of, had he ever failed to cum, here?
Shaking the question from his mind, the alchemist reaches forward, pulling more crystals from the wall with tender and measured strength
Who are you? They ask. Death? Sometimes... I say. But not today
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Gideon heard in Remi's response the same hesitation to commit that he'd seen from Amalia, but did not comment on it. They would all learn in time, he hoped. The young Demi Gods did not yet have the courage to severe the ties from their Ascended 'friends', but as they saw further evidence of the Voice's evil and further love and beauty from the Old Gods, they would move towards the right answers with full conviction.
"Good idea. It seems a shame almost to take them from here, but..." He held up a hand to the wall and let his fingertips run down the smooth edges of the crystals, taking in each new angle and plane. "I am sure if the Gods will it, more will grow in their place."
Chipping away at the edges of one crystal in the time it took Remi to dislodge several, Gideon hummed and spoke up once more: "If you had to say - between all of you Demi Gods, would you judge yourself to be the most powerful? And more powerful than the best of the Voice's machines?"
What I've seen so far
The good ones always seems to break
The Priest's question has the alchemist's spine straightening as his shoulders grow tense. His gaze remains on the crystals, and for a moment it seems as though Gideon's words have sent him into some sort of trance given how still he's becoming and how his eyes have failed to blink. Eventually, though, he swallows slowly before turning a grave stare to the other man. 'Yes.' He replied in a low voice as if it was something to be ashamed of. "Though Ronin is a close second. Only Wessex is truly powerful, and even then, her strength comes from one of her abilities to retaliate damage automatically. I do not know how she does it, but..." Looking down at his hands, the Lullaby smiles sadly. "Not all of my attacks deal damage, so there are ways even around that problem."
Who are you? They ask. Death? Sometimes... I say. But not today
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Gideon had not expected his question to cause quite such a still in Remi - it seemed despite his strength and ability, the man still had fears, or at least hesitancies. "I have heard of Wessex. She is their only powerful one?" He perhaps sounded a little skeptical, though Gideon's face was still marked by a grin of glee upon hearing Remi thought he could take them all.
"Then the question is, why are we still waiting?" He asked, tilting his head to one side as he gently took crystals and placed them in the soft bag he'd brought. "Not that I'm one to question the Gods plans, but...do you know why they are holding you back? Could you not go today, find the Ascended and end this?" If they had all the ammunition they needed, it was time to shoot. The longer the Ascended were left alive, the longer they had to ruin the world the Old Gods had given.
What I've seen so far
The good ones always seems to break
"Yes. The only other demigod close to her strength is Nate, but he is still quite weak. He was only made a demigod a few seasons ago, and from personal experience, I can tell you he absolutely is not ready for a confrontation with any of us."
Gideon's question is strikingly familiar to one he'd asked himself, Isla, Ronin, and even Ludo not so long ago. Turning to properly face the Priest, the alchemist studies the other man for a long moment before exhaling a sigh and shrugging. "I don't. I asked Ludo the same thing. I did not understand why we would let them grow stronger when striking them now seemed the obvious thing to do." He replies earnestly. "But Ludo said the war was not mine to start. That it would be Vi or Mort who instigated it."
The answer had been as unsatisfying to hear as it was to say to Gideon now, but all the alchemist could do was offer the man the things he knew and had been told.
"Shall we?" He asks, inclining his head toward the exit of the caves now that Gideon seemed to have more than enough crystals in hand.
Who are you? They ask. Death? Sometimes... I say. But not today
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Nate..." Gideon muttered under his breath, recognising the name. A second later he connected it in his mind to the young man that had gotten into his face in Torchline, the partner of Sunjata - the tempter taking a man of Safrin away from the light. An unpleasant person to be sure; he was glad to hear he was weak. That, and it sounded like Remi had already taught him some of his lesson.
Remi's answer was much as he had expected and it was the answer he had to accept and respect, of course, but he was glad to know his frustration was shared. "There must be some reason. Some wisdom they hold that makes their plan make more sense. It is hard sometimes to accept how little we know in comparison, but...we have to be happy with what they tell." One day, it would come, and they would eliminate the stains of the Ascended.
Anyway. The answer was indeed unsatisfying, but he at least had what he had come for. Nodding, Gideon stepped out of the cave, having plenty of soapboxes to ramble from for the rest of the way home.
{FIN}
What I've seen so far
The good ones always seems to break
