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!
Her eyes narrowed against the shimmering light coming off the water, gritting her teeth as it temporarily blinded her, but she didn't let it stop her from completing the rotation she was working through. The practice blade lighter than a real one, but no less efficient. The Attuned swiped at the air, bare feet moving through the sand, twisting and turning her in an intricate dance that she preformed without a partner.
Of course this allowed her to practice moves that might not usually be possible with someone baring down on her. She rolled, dove, and sprang through the air. Her muscles already aching in protest at being brutally put through their paces. Cordelia didn't care. She kept pressing.
All the king's horses, all the king's men Couldn't put me together again
the fire can't touch me for I have burned too many times
Mornings were amongst the best times to train during Longheat’s oppression upon Torchline (the others being in the evening) before the heat pressed and carved its wake into their bones. The Sword took his walk across the sands in his usual sea attire, the furs long since stored in his rooms along the Monster Hunter’s Guild, intending to work and train to his idle contentment, and then dunk himself in the sea before starting out with the rest of the day.
He wasn’t surprised to see Cordelia doing much of the same thing – though it took him a moment to figure out whose silhouette marked against the shoreline of blending hues; snorting when he recognized the nature of his extended family. Partially out of mischief and partially because he wanted to scrutinize technique without her knowing, the soldier silently walked along the sand, ensuring his footfalls were precise and measured, carrying his weight without the sound traversing towards her.
The lack of another to guard or assault meant she was applying other strategies, and he tilted his head, folding his arms over his chest in careful, quiet survey. “Your stance should be wider,” he offered in his rumble of a voice, intending for it to carry over the shoal, dunes, and surf. A grin formed along his mouth, cheeky and boyish. “Will help with grounding you.”
the sea can't harm me for I have been drowning all my life
He's successful in his approach, catching her off guard as she worked through each motion, losing her footing as he let his voice ring out with its correction. Cordelia fell with a thud, sending a playful glare his way as she braced herself on her elbows, "My footing was fine. What would you know about it anyway?" He'd know absolutely everything about it, but Cordelia wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of saying so. If only to be just as annoying as he was.
The Attuned pushed herself up, dusting sand off of her loose clothes and wiping sweat from her brow, moving to approach him after taking up her sword, "I've been working on what you showed me before. I feel I've gotten faster." Cordelia's offer for him to witness it himself goes unsaid, knowing that he'd want to see for himself and continue to help her improve as he always did and Cordelia was hopeful that she'd see just that with his help.
All the king's horses, all the king's men Couldn't put me together again
the fire can't touch me for I have burned too many times
Deimos didn’t even try to muffle his laughter – it came rising along the tide and surf and swell with an eager, boyish reverberation, scaring a few Hels out of the nearby dunes. Her fall, comical and ridiculous, wasn’t serious, and some level of pride at having successfully, stealthily, foiled her, centered the amusements in a wide, Cheshire grin again. “Quite a bit,” he echoed, not with any level of arrogance, but with the confidence and experience of a beast who’d endured, survived, and battled his way through four wars. “Perhaps you should be mindful of your surroundings too.” Focused on the task, but not so much that she wouldn’t pick up on patterns of movement and motion around her – because enemies and adversaries lurked everywhere. Their run-in with the bear should’ve taught her that.
Once she’d managed to pick herself up, he approached, steps and strides purposeful. He didn’t take his blade out, not yet, so it remained tuck along his belt, as he tilted his head, heard the offer without the volley rambling through it. “All right,” and he conjured, created, a Hel looking figure in between his hands, lofting it into the air, controlled and measured by his machinations, so that it hovered a few feet in front of her. A target, rather than just the sea breeze and the shoal. “Show me.”
the sea can't harm me for I have been drowning all my life
Cordelia growled at his sudden laughter, shooting a glare that would surely knock him dead if looks could kill, getting to her feet as he approached. "Oh shut up." She grumbled without any real heat, feeling a smile tug at the corners of her mouth despite herself, taking a moment to dust the sand from the loose linen shorts she wore. Of course she knew that he had a wealth of knowledge in this area. Something she was going to take plenty of advantage of. That didn't mean she couldn't give him shit. Sticking out her tongue at his quip in what could only be considered a childish display, Cordelia took up her practice weapon again, squaring her shoulders. "I'm plenty aware of my surroundings. You just decided to be an ass." The Attuned accused, but her amusement was obvious as it sparked brightly along the bond, fizzling and cracking with energy.
The conjured Hel target made her brow raise, grin finally breaking through as a laugh bubbled up in her throat, watching it hover just before her. It took her a moment, but she steadied herself enough to focus, returning to her earlier stance. Cordelia hadn't been lying when she said she'd gotten faster. It was apparent that she'd been practicing with the way she moved through the combinations he'd taught her previously. Her strikes and stabs against the target sure and powerful, each one landing before she was retreating to start all over again, waiting for his feedback to apply corrections.
All the king's horses, all the king's men Couldn't put me together again
the fire can't touch me for I have burned too many times
Deimos was rarely told to shut up (because he didn’t talk enough as it was), and if looks could’ve killed, he would’ve already been in the dirt ten times over for a multitude of other things. Suffice to say, the notions and insults in sibling upheaval did very little; slinking off him with naught to show for it but the same devilish smile. Bemused that he’d ruffled her feathers, he remained still, permitting the bobbing Hel creation to remain oddly hovering as he tilted his head, ready to scrutinize – save for an arching of his brow at her last comment. “Not wise to insult the person you seek advice from.” He paused, gaze shifting slightly over the sea. “Or to blame others for your focus.” Or lack thereof. Had he been a thief, someone incriminating and dangerous, they wouldn’t even be having this conversation.
So he didn’t indulge her with any more notions of sagacity as she launched, but he did continue his round of bemusements by shifting the target within his Air incantations – purposefully waiting until she was close, and then motioning the figure out of the way, and into a new path.
the sea can't harm me for I have been drowning all my life
Was it childish to stick out her tongue? Absolutely. Did she do it anyway? Yes she did. Cordelia stuck her tongue out at Deimos, wrinkling her nose in the process before she focused on the task at hand, attempting to strike at the faux hel. "Perhaps not, but you'll help me anyway." She quipped, spinning in the sand and kicking up a spray as she tried for an overhead strike, lashing out with conviction. The Attuned grit her teeth, growling as she pressed forward again and again and again, not letting up as she lashed out in quick succession.
She knew he would give her plenty of feedback. He never held his tongue in such regard. Cordelia was thankful for that, yearning to grow and push herself further, to get stronger before the war was upon them.
All the king's horses, all the king's men Couldn't put me together again
the fire can't touch me for I have burned too many times
He rolled his eyes at her motion, preferring to wait until she’d turned around before making a few mocking gestures with his face. “That does not sound like an apology,” he remarked, tempted to still give her nothing out of childish pettiness. But ever a general and a blade, even without the title pressed next to his name, he watched and scrutinized.
Within the sway of his magic, the Hel effigy soared and volleyed, rounding along the convictions of her maneuvers as if it had seen it all before. The Sword relented a little as her speed seemed to unfurl in rapid succession, until she was hitting feathers off to the side, and the target began to take on a lopsided appearance. “Good with your speed,” he noted, approaching once more along the sand, taking his time. Swift hits could mean quicker fights, adversaries pummeled without delay. However, there could be less strength behind the motions as well, or haphazard melees where an enemy could breach and reach. “But you leave yourself open here,” and he pointed towards her ribs, unblocked as she unleashed her frustrations out on the bird. “Try to defend against it.”
Then, even with its very bent appearance, the fake Hel rallied, coming towards the left side of her ribcage.
the sea can't harm me for I have been drowning all my life
"Good because it wasn't." She panted, tossing him a grin over her shoulder before she was focusing on her assault, landing blow after blow with speed that was almost dizzying. That was until he backed off the Hel, stepping forward and exposing a weak point, explaining just how open she'd left herself open. He motioned and she instantly moved to cover herself, unwilling to let him get a well placed poke in her ribs, but he doesn't prod at her. Cordelia pushed a hand through sweat damp hair, nodding as a furrow formed between her brows, concentration setting in again.
The Hel swooped down towards the previously open spot, but she's prepared with a parry, grunting as she pushed against it. She dropped her other arm down, shielding her ribs with her elbow even as she lashed out again, "Better?"
All the king's horses, all the king's men Couldn't put me together again
the fire can't touch me for I have burned too many times
Another eyeroll prompted by her response, but he kept his attention pinpointed on her actions and movements, rather than goading or pushing further in words. He could easily do so by maneuvers alone, watching carefully as she aimed to block the Hel’s incoming barrage.
It was a decent notion; and the fake beak didn’t get a chance to shove its way into her ribs – catching the edge of the sword instead. “Better,” he relented, before altering tactics, permitting the bird to swoop upwards. The intention was to catch her off guard, to see where she could bend and defend, to be endlessly annoying and irksome, but instill an education as well. The effigy rounded forward, striving to meet her shoulder, or collarbone. Close quarters, perhaps making for sharper impacts.
the sea can't harm me for I have been drowning all my life
It worked. A little too well. The Attuned grimaces as the Hel effigy manages to get a hit on her shoulder, but she rolls back with it, lessening the blow. Cordelia hissed, glaring at Deimos and the Hel alike, grumbling under her breath as she recentered herself. It only took a moment for her to draw back her blade, coming at it with another strike. "Gods, these things are annoying. Just like you." She huffed, grinning back at him as she finally lowered the weapon, wiping sweat from her brow.
"I think that might be enough for today." Cordelia panted, taking a moment to catch her breath, arching a brow as she finally regarded him properly.
All the king's horses, all the king's men Couldn't put me together again
the fire can't touch me for I have burned too many times
“I will remember that, the next time you ask me for assistance.” He countered with a half-smirk, crossing his arms over his chest, watching as the Hel caught at her shoulder. Mostly amused, he’d leave it up to impending circumstances over whether he’d hold her to the measures or not – likely depending on the situation, and if he was feeling especially mercurial and childish that day.
Permitting her a moment to recenter, the makeshift bird rounded purposefully towards her spine – but either it’d been hit one too many times, or she utilized her swiftness once more. It was tangled in another blow, and he gave another huff and snort as it went spinning sidelong, nearly vanquished into the sand. “Your quickness will certainly be a strength,” and thereafter he permitted the effigy to become nothing more than granules, ash, and dust, gone in a flourish.
Giving a pause, he arched his brow back in return. “Now, I did have some news to share with you,” before continuing the discussion over newfound Halo ramparts, and plans that could hopefully, someday soon, come to fruition.
{FIN}
the sea can't harm me for I have been drowning all my life
