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!
Amun grunted at Wessex's statement. "Yeah well, gods aren't immune from doing dumb things like the rest of us." Hesitating, he spared a look in her direction. "What's the deal with the seasonal deities anyway? We had just found the second one before I had my incident, and now there's this other one in the desert?" He shook his head.
Up above, the bird did have a clear shot at the potter. Although Zhanshi warned the Ascended of its presence, it still managed to shoot a metal feather at him. It sliced into his shoulder. Growling, he activated his metal manipulation upgrade even as he kept sprinting away from the Wraith. The metal crawled into his hand and formed into a throwing knife that he propelled into the creature.
“You’re tellin’ me!” she fairly cackles in return, “I know when our Lady says jump, I say how high, but Gods, I wish she’d have thought some shit through.”
Same went for the Heralds. She can imagine how Safrin might still have Sunjata in the palm of her hand if only she hadn’t been such a bitch. Good for their team, though. And maybe if the Old Gods hadn’t imprisoned all of the Grounds? Well, maybe they wouldn’t be staring down the barrel at their own little World War II.
Anyway, back to the sparring. “Not sure,” she says with a shrug. “They’re loyal to Frey, Rae, and the Old Gods, but I guess they aren’t as opposed to us, cause the Eirachi has done some deals with me and Tanau has always been kind.” The Mathair would probably try to kill her if given the chance. “Other ‘n that?” Shrugging, the thought dies off as the Wraith watches her summoned mech bird disappear and Amun’s knife bounces into someplace leafy and dark. Teleporting a short distance, Wessex tries to end up in front of her opponent, though as he’s moving, she’ll settle for just ‘general vicinity.’
"At least she listens to us. And lets us ask how high." Amun barked out a laugh at the idea of the Old Gods doing the same. When the conversation swung around to the seasonal deities, he arched an eyebrow. "Maybe the fact that they're close to Frey and Rae is why they're more willing to work with us. The nature gods have always seemed less opposed to us than the rest of the old gods, no matter what their followers might claim."
However, he found himself frowning. "So this was the Flowerbirth one? I can't remember its name. Was there a Leafchange one?" Distracted by his musings, he almost tripped when Wessex appeared directly in front of him. Eyes widening, he activated his upgrade. Still running, he held his arms out to the side and phased through her. Assuming that worked, he twisted his body around and would fire an energy blast at her.
Type: Offensive | Level: Basic
Energy Upgrade | Can shoot a pulse of electricity from his palms, up to 10ft.
Type: Defensive | Level: Basic
Can't Touch This | When active, this upgrade allows the user to walk through walls/barriers with a thickness less than 5ft. Can also turn portions (up to 80%) of the body intangible to deflect attacks. Requires a 1 post cool down between uses. Cannot use upgrades stored in parts of the body that are intangible.
When you see something out of the corner of your eye, turn to look, and see nothing at all, what should you conclude? That you were having a hallucination? Or that your peripheral vision is perhaps not to be trusted. Ask yourself, are you tired? Drunk? Under the influence of something? Is the lighting good? Are there lots of moving shadows about? Are there reasons you have to think that your mind is playing tricks on you?
Because...well, because it would be absurd to think that out of the corner of your eye you had just seen a house. A house with a figure slamming its hands against one of the upper windows with enough force to shatter it, and then...
“She loves us,” Wessex corrects aloud. Without being able to see Amun at that moment, she can only go off the tone of his voice and his barking laugh. “Like an all-seeing, much-knowing Mother. We can disobey, but -” but like Sam once found out, the consequences are often larger than they care to think about. Isla would soon stand in the same ranks.
And what he says rings true - at least as much as she can compare the seasonal deities to Sunjata. “I think they have their own agenda,” she concludes. “To outlast the war.” At least that’s what she gathers from her few conversations on what Frey wants and why their demigod is allowed to parlay with the Ascended.
“Ghilio, and Leafchange was actually the Mathair.” the Wraith says once she appears in front of him, and then experiences the very very weird sensation of being walked through. Like a fish, her mouth just kind of gapes open for a moment and she pivots on her heels before being hit with an energy blast. Now, Wessex could have left it at that but the energy blast prompts another reflexive biopulse as she shakes her head, trying to get her sensors to hush. The damage wasn’t that bad, compared to where she’d been a few weeks ago.
Except that something funny flashes in the corner of her eye, and she jerks her head towards it - but it's gone, just as quickly as it came. "Did you - see that? A house? In the maze?"
Nodding reflexively at Wessex's correction, Amun remembered that she might not be able to see him. "But why would we? And seeing as I've never spoken directly to Frey, I'll take your word for it."
He let out another chuckle, but all trace of mirth was wiped from his face when the Wraith brought up the seasonal gods. "Wait, really? So...the Fae's goddess lives and they're not mad at us anymore, right?" Snorting, he rolled his eyes since he knew how far from the truth that was.
And then, between phasing through the Wraith, the bio pulse, and the unexpected vision of the house, he stumbled and toppled to the ground. Groaning, he rolled onto his back and blinked up at her. "I did. And I very much wish I hadn't." He sat up and rubbed his temples.
“I’d say ask Sam, but -” he can’t. Neither of them can. Even if Amun hadn’t fallen down (and stayed down), it would have taken all the attacks out of her. Wessex seems to deflate a little, not necessarily becoming smaller - but obviously tired. “No, I killed their people. We trespassed. I’m sure they still hate us for that, if not for the fact that we’re Ascended.” Nothing to be done about that small detail, so she shrugs and then joins Amun on the ground.
“It reminded me of a house that held a Relic. Random, spooky thing.” Whether it is or isn’t that same house, she’ll never know, shaking her head a little. It’ll just be another weird ‘Caido’ thing. “You’ve gotten stronger,” she mentions with a half-smile, glancing over at her brother. “Cool tricks, too. What do you call the one where you walked through me?”
Grimacing as Wessex brought up Sam, Amun looked down. He dusted the debris off his back and his pants and sighed. "But," he echoed. His frown deepened. "I figured. It was my terrible attempt at a joke." He shook his head.
When she joined him he arched an eyebrow but didn't comment on it, just shifted to a cross-legged position. "Random, spooky thing sounds like my life since I came here." He barked out a laugh that had very little to do with mirth. "On the subject of relics, did your fancy book tell you anything about the next ones? The Voice told me to ask you." Scratching under his chin, he glanced over at the Wraith.
Shrugging at the compliment, he stared down at his lap. "I have, but I still don't know if it's enough. Even with whatever Nate did to help me, one hit from Ronin nearly did me in." Taking a breath, he lifted his hands and looked at his palms.
"I wasn't aware I had to call it anything," he responded to her inquiry with a trace of his old good humor. "Phasing, or intangibility. Can't touch this if I'm feeling frisky." Finally meeting her gaze again, he waggled his eyebrows.
Wessex sighs. “No, not yet. And the Voice didn’t have any ideas either.” Gnawing absently at her bottom lip, she fishes for the book on her person, pulling it out to give it a perusal right then and there. “She told me that she can’t fel her Relic, though. That it’s probably hidden, somewhere. And that made me think about a couple things like… did you ever hear about Safrin’s Library? Were you here when Amalia and Jigano and Deimos went there?” She opens the Knowtbook to the last page, but doesn’t yet read.
“Might be worth looking into. The Library is somewhere in the Grounds… the old Loreseekers place might have some info on it. Either that, or it’s in Stormbreak. Or the Draig.” Neither of those other options seem like great ideas. Safrin’s Library was probably a Bad Idea with a capital B, and Gods, wouldn’t she love to piss the starcunt off?
His name evokes a chuckle and she nods as she opens the book. “That’s like me affectionately calling my Lasers my Angry Eyes.” Reaching out to pat Amun on his nearest body part, she tries to reassure him, “Take on Noah, then. He’s a new demigod, the new ones are usually quite weak at first. Leave Ronin to me.” There’s something big about blossom in her - strength, or a new shift, maybe. She teeters on the edge and it’s only a matter of time.
Amun frowned as Wessex brought up Safrin's library. Humming a note low in his chest, he cocked his head to one side. "It's ringing bells, but nothing specific." Hesitating for a moment, his gaze slid away from the Wraith. "I can, uh, ask Maea. I found her out in King's End and she's back now."
He let out a huff of air. "The Library might have information on the relics. And if it's there's not a relic there, it might be out in the Wilds somewhere we have explored as extensively, right?" Sighing, he pinched his nose.
Rolling his eyes at the pat and the offer, he nevertheless reached up to give her hand a little squeeze. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," he drawled. Still, he chuckled. "Fine, I'll dance with the Sentinel, but leave some room on Ronin's dance card for me. I'm getting a bit sick of the Huntsman waltzing wherever he pleases."
Wessex had simply thought Maea was deep in her own distaste or denial and was avoiding the family. To learn that her absence was more a lost and found situation colors her feelings on the woman, but only just. “Oh? Is she… okay?”
Still, asking her, as the only other Grounder who might be familiar with the late organization, is a good idea. She nods in agreement. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s booby trapped against Ascended, but it’s definitely worth a shot if we can find it. Because I think the only place unexplored right now is the Draig and… the dragons there are a death sentence for most.” Including demigods. And it might have to stay that way for awhile.
Still, Amun’s pluck and determination makes her smile. “I’ll do my best to save you some action.”
Shrugging at Wessex's comment, Amun rubbed at his eyes. Sighing, he pressed his lips together. "Physically she's fine. I gave her some of my fluid to tide her over and made sure she got replenished at a shrine." Lowering his hand, he flashed a smile at the Wraith. "Paying your own rescue of me forward."
However, his smile slipped away as he went on about Maea. "Emotionally and mentally she's...well, much the same from before, honestly, if you remember her. Stubborn as a mule about all the wrong things and people." He barked out a laugh without any humor in it." Except now she's having trouble accepting her nature as an Ascended and that the world moved on without her." Grimacing, he glanced over at the demi-goddess. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her and the others to make sure no one else does something stupid, at least until the furor dies down." He gave a rather lackluster thumbs up.
Humming a low note, he frowned. Picking at the ground, he didn't meet her gaze. "I'll have to take your word for it, considering I haven't seen most of the Wilds myself." His lips twitched as she promised to leave him the challenges she could, though they both knew she was far more suited to take on their most dangerous enemies.
While Wessex isn’t about to start ragging on Maea right now, she does nod knowingly. “Yep. I remember. Always did question why she chose to return, but as long as she’s here and willing to chip in…” Trailing off, the Wraith shrugs. Everyone deserves a second chance. They need every body they can get.
Looking down at the Knowtbook, Wessex looks at the last page and frowns. Timelines are hard
“Nothing new yet, but I check in daily. Maybe tomorrow. We should see about getting up on the Grounds council again, if you’d like to rejoin.” While it’s ultimately a decision for Isla to make, the fact that Wessex is mentioning it at all indicates her ongoing faith in Amun. But only if he’d like the responsibility that comes with, of course.
Looking down into his lap, Amun played with a stray branch that had broken off the hedge maze. He didn't meet Wessex's gaze. Instead, when Zhanshi surfaced, the potter fed the landshark the stick. The Ascended's companion nommed happily even as Amun sighed. "She thought she could get back together with Sunjata," he explained.
Finally looking up, he arched an eyebrow. "I'd be more than willing to serve but one, isn't that Isla's call and two, is it a good idea? What with my actions in Stormbreak and all it might not be very diplomatic to have me serve." Rolling to his feet, he pulled out his compass. "Regardless, I imagine I've taken up more than enough of your time." Grinning, he inclined his head. "Thanks for the sparring. See you back in the Hollowed Ground?" Unless she had something further to add, he'd teleport back.
