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!
ache first, but then let the cuts close spit out the blood
Sorry still reverberated, echoed, and came across with concern, despite given sentiments previously – for the Sword truly hadn’t been aiming for the Lullaby, even with their prior issues. The power that responded, flowed, through his frame was vastly contrasting – bizarre – and with a nod towards Ronin, he intended to unleash it again in the same mannerisms. They could change tactics if and when it became necessary. It didn’t mean his calculations diminished; still curling, waiting, in the back of his mind.
Remaining unmoving, still against the wall alongside Ronin, the Life Drain pulsed and pervaded once more. Strong, mighty, and nefarious, it slunk with his polished, precise control, striving to snag at only the basilisk.
--
Deimos uses Mastered Life Drain again, still trying to only hit the basilisk and avoid Remi.
Life Drain : Can take life force from a living thing to temporarily make themselves stronger within a 30ft radius.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered
watch your body pull itself back together then let your soul do the same
The Huntsman misses the snake, but given how much of Remi is wound around it, it's understandable. He doesn't miss Remi though. (slow clap). As the kraken begins to try and warp the snake into cracking (wtf is wrong with you), there are popping and grinding sounds as the creature is twisted in shapes its body was never meant to go.
Deimos's blast strikes both basilisk and kraken, but such is the way of things.
Again, the basilisk tries and fails to escape from the kraken, succeeding only in writhing pathetically amidst far too many tentacles.
Welcome to the Relic KQ!
Because this has plot ramifications, it (and all subsequent relic KQs) will be scaled based on level and more difficult than normal). Remember to include a summary at the bottom of your post with all action taken. If weapons/upgrades/abilities/items/shifts/etc are used, please include their desc. from your profile at the bottom of your post as well. If you don't do this, they won't be taken into account!
Your randomly assigned posting order is: Ronin, Remi, then Deimos. You have 24 hours to reply.
Fuck, sorry, Ronin hisses through the bond to his husband, shifting against the wall as if he can get a better vantage point where he won't risk hitting Remi. Because regardless of how repetitive it might seem, at the moment his starbolts and Deimos's lifedrain magic are probably the safest options. Keep going - if it gets out of Remi's grip again, we can change tactic, he urges.
And so, still ablaze with his Dazzle, Ronin directs three bolts of starlight towards the sections of the snake currently being warped and twisted by the kraken. Belated he wonders if Remi has been holding his breath this whole time, but then he decides not to think about that too closely.
Ronin continues with his Dazzle and unleashes another three starbolts, trying his best not to hit Remi.
Magic: Dazzle | At times of heightened emotion, Ronin radiates starlight. Any non-organic item he touches during this time will also give off light for a duration of 1 hour. The intensity of the light directly correlates to the intensity of the emotions.
Type: Light | Rank: Basic
Magic: Shooting Stars | The user may summon celestial energy as a projectile. Control is excellent, and multiple projectiles may be created at once. (In quests or other combat situations requiring dice rolling, only 3 stars may be created per post).
Type: Light | Rank: Mastered
It is fine. Comes the response, and whether that's because of how strong Remi is, because his mind is too focused on the basilisk (or Finn), or if it's something more problematic about liking the pain, we'll leave until later. Much later, and perhaps never.
Take note, other KQers—there is a time to be clever, and then there's a time to keep doing what you're doing because it's working. So it goes that the Lullaby continues to try and twist and break the snake, as if by bending it back and forth he might soften and snap its body like a weakened bit of plastic.
And yes, Remi has been holding his breath so far given the lack of water. There have only been 12 rounds of combat, which is 72 seconds so far. Pretty sure Mr. 84 END can hold his breath for more than a minute..
Remi continues to grapple the basilisk and try and twist it.
Kraken Ability | Legendary size
& it rained and rained and rained
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
ache first, but then let the cuts close spit out the blood
It didn’t feel fine. Perhaps because Deimos had long since been trained to not engage in friendly fire since he was quite young, and over multiple lives. But with the circumstances, the notions that it was working, he’d have to continue swallowing down the rancor puncturing between his spine. He nodded again at Ronin, and the apologies keep threading their way through in granules of regret.
He unwound another breath, and so too followed the Life Drain magic. Coursing and cursing, unwinding and unfurling, the bestial shades of his most familiar incantations strived towards the basilisk. The Sword notched another level of concentration, trying to hone in on just the snake.
--
Deimos tries to concentrate solely on hitting the basilisk with his Mastered Life Drain.
Life Drain : Can take life force from a living thing to temporarily make themselves stronger within a 30ft radius.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered
watch your body pull itself back together then let your soul do the same
Ronin lights up the space with more starlight, striking both the basilisk and his husband. Remi continues to bend and tug at the basilisk like a disgruntled toddler, while Deimos continues to drain the creature's lifeforce (and Remi's, but it's fine).
Where before the basilisk was able to turn its enemies to stone and inflict fatal damage with one blow (seriously, it was so much stronger this time), Remi's grapple combined with the devastating power of everyone being above level 11 the Huntsman and Sword, the basilisk was reduced to nothing more than animated stone.
As the last of what animated the basilisk is sucked away, its stone body distorts and shrinks. Rather than holding a giant snake, Remi will find his tentacle wrapped around the perfectly preserved—albeit dead—body of an ascended. Around its neck is an obsidian amulet in the shape of a snake.
Congratulations! You've killed the basilisk! The KQ portion of this thread is over. You may continue to post.
You've found a relic!
The Atticus Amulet | Contains a mythical shift of a Basilisk, which can be used regardless of character race, so long as the character is wearing the amulet. Mythical ability: Stoneheart | Any caught in the eye of the Basilisk may be turned to stone for 3 turns in combat situations.
Well, that was... it was... Ronin tries not to think too hard about what it was, because things still have a habit of exploding and killing him. (Okay it has only happened once but he still really doesn't like it). And so as the basilisk shrinks to the body of an Ascended of all things, he keeps his Dazzle up so the group can easily see - and given that he's concerned about Remi now the fight is over, he doesn't really have much choice - and quickly crosses the cavern to check it out.
"It was a shift?" He tilts his head, gazing down at the body and the pendant around its neck. "I suppose this was what Cian was getting at." He reaches for the pendant, before freezing and glancing between the other two men. "Last time we found something like this, it pulled some weird shit when Remi touched it. I don't mind drawing that short straw this time, but should everyone get back just in case...?"
With the basilisk no more than a feather in his massive tentacles (and yes, also because he's been holding his breath), Remi shrinks and shifts back. With the body of a man in his arms, the Lullaby sets him down as gently as possible while still reeling slightly from the injuries he's sustained.
"I...looks that way." Remi mumbles, breathless, nodding toward the amulet. Swallowing, Remi runs a hand through his curls which are now covered in stone dust and blood. Glancing toward Deimos, Remi tries to supplement his husband's suggestion. "The rapier I found...it...I don't know how to explain it, other than I could feel it thinking about killing me. It didn't, but not for any reason I understand." Which was all just to say whatever might happen, neither demigod knew what it was, or why it might happen.
Full of broken thoughts I cannot repair
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
ache first, but then let the cuts close spit out the blood
And then it was over, the last of the sentiments and additional strength pulsing, pervading, and tactfully flickering in his ichor.
“My unicorn can heal you, if you need it,” he nodded towards Remi, Zuriel outside somewhere, before glancing down at the Ascended. A strange occasion, given all the other times they’d punctured and pierced foes, monsters, and cretins – he couldn’t recall a moment where it’d been human thereafter. Something in the back of his mind contorted, and he didn’t want to name the emotion. It could’ve been rancor and regret. It could’ve been anything at this point.
The explanations caused his brow to furrow – so not only did they have to try and snag the items, but the relics themselves may be a threat. “Do you feel any sort of malice near that?” He questioned Ronin, perhaps a warning or a notion in itself. Why would an Ascended attack one of its own – if they had already been through here?
watch your body pull itself back together then let your soul do the same
Deimos's offer to Remi is more than generous, and yet the Huntsman has to stop himself from directing a sharp look in the Sword's direction. It's born from nothing more than possessiveness and now really isn't the time, so Ronin swallows it back and takes the comments on all sides into consideration.
"No, I can't feel much of anything from it," he admits, lowering into a crouch and carefully reaching out and over the Ascended, wary of it popping up and taking a bite out of him like in a bad horror movie. "Only one way to find out, I guess," he admits, before leaning down to unloop the pendant from the body's neck.
And a great big fat nothing happens.
His shoulders sink with relief, Ronin rising back to his feet and smiling. "I'll take that as a win. Shall we get the fuck out of here?"
"Thanks." Remi replies, appreciating the offer though not exactly sounding like he's accepted it. With bruised ribs, a sprained wrist, and numerous cuts and burns, weariness is what the alchemist feels the most succinctly. 'Whatever you did...' He mumbles, referring to Deimos' lifedrain magic. "...packed quite the punch."
Holding his injured wrist against his chest, Remi watches as Ronin reaches for the pendant. Unless stars suddenly fell from the heavens, the Huntsman was in about as much danger as Remi had been last time they were in this situation. And oh look, nothing happens.
"After you." He chuckles, raising one shoulder to brush some of the stone dust from his cheek and leaving a coppery smear in its place.
Full of broken thoughts I cannot repair
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
ache first, but then let the cuts close spit out the blood
He waited – the apprehension coiling again in the rigidity of his spine, watching as Ronin snagged and grabbed at the pendant – and nothing altered. Nothing changed. The Sword loosened a snort from his lungs, deep and relieved, maybe, with an assortment of other munitions and armaments on his mind.
His eyes went briefly to Remi, another wave of regret sinking in. “Life Drain,” by way of explanation, a nefarious and sinister intertwining of his capabilities, alongside the multitude of elements at his disposal. But he figured none of them would’ve been so effective as that bombardment of fiendish qualities.
So with everything completed, Deimos gave another nod, a promise of healing once they were out of the cavern. With that, they could all leave – one more relic found and snagged.
{FIN}
watch your body pull itself back together then let your soul do the same
