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!
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Amun nodded at Chrys' explanation of why mermaids were still considered a novelty in Torchline. At her last statement, though, he frowned. Tilting his head to one side, he arched an eyebrow at her. "But you don't like it that way?"
Humming a low note, he jerked his chin at her. "Maybe. Or maybe we can come up with something that'll let you travel on land sooner and more easily. This is going to sound strange, how strong are your arms?" He tapped a finger on one of the metal bracelets he wore at most times.
Eyes widening at her offer to take him to the city, his lips parted. However, he pressed them together and shook his head. "I couldn't ask you to betray your people's law like that." However, he couldn't prevent the slight smile from creeping onto his lips. "The rest of those locations do sound quite incredible, though."
Chrys shook her head. "It's boring. If we'd still have to stay hidden, then I wouldn't be able to talk to you right now. Or all these other interesting landpeople."
While she tilted her head slightly and her expression clearly betrayed a certain degree of curiosity, Chrys furrowed her brows. "Not enough to hold onto something for long, if that's what you're planning." And then she frowned. "Plus, once I'm out of the water, I have trouble breathing."
Upon Amun's refusal to go to the city, Chrys just rolled her eyes. But then she smiled anyway. "Wanna go now? I was about to head to the kelp forest anyway since I need to gather a few things there. Want to come along?"
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Chrys explained her take on the situation with the merpeople coming more out in the open. Nodding, Amun rested his elbows on the edge of the boat again and leaned back. "I suppose it's hard to argue with that. And I'm happy we're speaking as well." He smiled though it still didn't reach his eyes.
Humming as she told him what limitations she was operating under, she dipped his head again. Resting his hands on the bracelet he wore, he activated his upgrade. The iron began to ripple and move as he shaped it. Eventually, it turned into what was basically a cross between a cart and a wheelchair. "So something like this wouldn't work?" He spun the wheels with one finger before he dipped it in the ocean to fill it. Holding it out to her, he arched an eyebrow. "I'll admit it's not pretty, but it is mobile."
When he saw her roll her eyes, he snorted. "I mean, I absolutely could ask you to take me there, and I absolutely do want to visit some day, but I'd feel bad if you got into trouble." As she offered to take him to the kelp forest, he looked into the depths below. "Sure. But I won't be able to move that easily or talk at all." Pausing, his brow furrowed. "Actually, I can communicate probably. Movement might be an issue though." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his illusory cloth.
Laying it on his palm, he picked up the oars and gestured towards the ship. "Let me just tie this up." He began to row back towards the Night Galleon, fully intending to secure it if he could.
Chrys shook her head. "I know some of us tried things like that already." And she furrowed her brows slightly. "It's difficult. I don't really understand it either. I think it needs to be where water naturally occurs?" Another shrug, as she looked at the wheelchair-cart Amun had made. "That's amazing though. Can all Ascended do that?"
Mood brightened at the prospect of underwater exploration, Chrys grinned. "Sure!" She took her bag out of the boat, hanging it over her shoulder again. Then she let go of the side of the boat. Swimming along, making sure not to get in the way of the oars, she then asked: "Why do you have trouble moving? Can't you swim?"
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
As Chrys examined the model that Amun had produced, he leaned forward. Looking between it and the mermaid, the potter's brow furrowed. "Really? Why would a bubble work and this wouldn't?" Shrugging, he shook his head. "Chalk it up to magic I guess." Snorting, he leaned back again.
His hands flew over the ropes as he tied the knots to secure the boat to the ship. Not looking up from his work, he sighed. "I can swim very well, actually. But the deeper under the water we go, the more pressure there will be. And unlike you, my body is not perfectly designed for the depths." Work done, he stripped off his shirt and his boots and rolled up his pants' legs. Emptying his belt pouch and his pockets, he slid his belongings into a waterproof container in the side of the boat.
Then he vaulted over the edge. Treading water, he inclined his head to her. "Lead the way."
Chrys shrugged as well. "I don't know if a bubble will work. But nobody tried that yet, so I'm gonna try." Tilting her head slightly, she watched as Amun secured the boat. "Then we'll try and see how it works out. If you can't go further, you can just swim up," she said enthusiastically.
With Amun ready to head off, Chrys nodded. "Follow me." And with a grin toward Amun, she dove beneath the surface. There, she made sure to move away from the boat to make sure Amun would not land amidst her tentacles when getting into the water. She waited for him to get into the water, before giving him a little wave.
A sudden bout of mist begins to swirl rather charmingly around your heels. It’s gone nearly as quickly as it came, followed by the indistinct sound of faraway laughter.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Humming a low note, Amun shrugged at Chrys' comment. "Like I said, magic." Nodding at her instructions, he waited for her to move a short distance away before slipping into the water.
That done, he pushed off the edge of his ship to gain some momentum. However, before he could actually get much of anywhere, mist swirled around them and a laugh sounded in his ears. Snorting, he glanced over at the mermaid. "This needs to stop happening to me. Don't worry, it's just some mischievous spirit or other."
With that, he slipped under the surface. Blading his body as much as possible, he began to swim behind her. His strokes were practiced and smooth, a long ago mastered skill coming back at his command.
Her brows slightly furrowed at the strange mist and laughter, Chrys shrugged off the thought. There were more interesting matters at hand. She quickly glanced Amun up and down to make sure he really had no issues in the water. Then she grinned and gestured for him to follow her.
Then she started swimming, partially in the direction she knew the kelp forest was, and partially towards the seafloor. As she set in motion, the jellyfish bell situated where human hips would be propelled her forward quickly. The tentacles emerging under the bell trailed behind her in the water. After a few moments, she glanced back to see if Amun was able to keep up with her pace.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Staring in the direction that Chrys was moving, Amun glanced up at his ship. He took a moment to measure the angle with his hands, even as he sank into the depths. Then he twisted around, arms and legs flailing a bit as he positioned himself in the correct way to slice through the water.
His arms and legs began kicking forward in a practiced stroke. As he was moving, he activated his metal manipulation upgrade. The iron began to crawl down his body until he had two metal fins. They were heavy, but they did help him move more quickly. Even with that, though, she was able to outpace him.
Once Chrys noticed the difference in speed between her and Amun, she slowed down. She didn't want to leave him stranded in the ocean after all. Swimming further down, the seafloor came into view in the distance. Nodding to herself, Chrys adjusted the course, navigating by using the seafloor.
It didn't take long for long stands of kelp to come into view. Reaching upwards, close to one another, they truly did look a bit like a forest. The kelp swaying in the water like trees in the wind. Looking back at Amun, Chrys pointed at the kelp with a wide smile. Then she swam closer, starting to inspect the top of some of the kelp strands.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Amun's eyes narrowed as he noticed the distance between himself and Chrys narrowing. Obviously, he hadn't sped up, so she must've been slowing down for him. Still, he didn't comment on the change in pace, not least of which because he effectively couldn't.
Even in these depths, his eyes had no trouble piercing the darkness. When he saw the first strands of kelp below and ahead of them, he shifted his strokes to move directly towards them. Once he'd reached them, he stopped swimming and let himself begin to sink. As he did, he reached out with a hand to stroke along one of the strands. Looking over at the mermaid, he gave her a thumbs up.
Looking over at Amun, Chrys did a thumbs up as well. For the moment, she busied herself with the kelp, however. Checking a few more of the higher tips of the strands, she seemed to have found what she was looking for. With a knife taken out of her satchel, she cut the topmost part of the kelp. Then both the knife and the pieces of kelp disappeared back into the satchel.
Now she looked around for Amun again. And a moment later, she was on her way to him, swimming down to where he was sinking next to one of the strands. Swimming straight down, she slowed her pace once she was next to him, so that she was looking into his face upside-down (or rather downside up?). With a smirk, she waved at him.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Watching Chrys' actions with the kelp, Amun narrowed his eyes. Kicking his legs, he halted his descent, instead treading water (or whatever the underwater equivalent of that was). As her face came into view of his, he grinned and gave her a thumbs up as well.
Then he pointed at her pouch. Lifting the hand which held the illusory cloth, his brow furrowed as he concentrated for a moment. Words started scrolling across his palm. Did you get what you came for? Then he cocked his head to one side. Why do you need the kelp anyway? Lowering his hand, he pumped his arms and legs until he was at that top of the kelp forest. He had to peel a few strands of the plants off when they attempted to cling to his limbs.
