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!
It was time to get back to training after all the talking. He went through the training from before, the one from his training as a priest.
First he did fifty push-ups and squats. Then he walked once around the domicile with all his equipment. The sweat poured down his face. After that, he sat down at the edge of the training field and drank a hearty sip. He put his equipment aside and danced the blade dance.
A sequence of movements with the spear reminded him more of a shadow fight than a dance. With repeated powerful thrusts as well as punches and using the spear as a support to jump. In addition, he hummed again and again and made noises like "Hua" which was more than strange for the outsiders. But when he started to fall to the ground, stabbing again and again at non-existent opponents, most of them left shaking their heads.
Most left. Not Maea. She stood rooted and stared in fascination at the squat little man and his intense battle against the invisible something. What he was fighting she couldn't tell, but from where she stood, he looked to be winning. The bow and quiver hung limp and lackluster from her unmoving hands, and whatever shooting she had done so far had been immensely unsatisfactory. Mostly because it didn't really interest her anymore.
When someone coughed impatiently behind her, waiting for their turn at the butt, she nearly jumped out of her skin and hurriedly went to retrieve the arrows. As they were pulled one by one and gathered into the quiver, she kept watching the shadow fight in the corner of her eye. Intrigued. Awed by the intensity of it - not to mention the sheer and utter lack of care taken of the snickering and gawking that had gone on until a moment ago.
After setting her weapons aside, the young woman approached the one combatant she could actually see, and waved a pale hand to draw his attention. She had stopped on a safe distance from him - it seemed the prudent thing to do, considering the fervor with which he was stabbing into the air.
"Excuse me," she initiated politely. "Could you teach me how to fight like that?"
Nothing lasts forever, I thought you should know
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Darkeye stopped in his tracks. "Give me a moment young lady I'll be with you in a moment." Darkeye stabbed a total of nine times before standing up and splashing some water on his face, ignoring the people laughing at him. He also drank a few sips and took a cloth and put it briefly into the water to put it back on his neck. He stretched again which dan cracked a few times.
Darkeye walked towards Maea and smiled first and then stood bolt upright and indicated a bow towards Maea. "My name is Darkeye and I am pleased to make your acquaintance. May I ask what your name is? "He wanted to know who he was dealing with before he agreed to explain to someone how to fight. "I hope I didn't get in the way of your bow practice or distract you too much with my practice. What weapon do you prefer and for what purpose do you want to learn it?" He asked in a friendly manner.
"Of course, take your time." She waited patiently with the hands tucked behind her back, as the man completed his practice and cleaned up. There was a method and weight to every motion that reminded her of a ritual. Like each aspect had a place and purpose, and filled some vital function without which the entire exercise would be for naught.
Once his attention was returned to her, and introductions offered Maea found herself smiling back in response to the friendly demeanor.
"Pleased to meet you too, Darkeye. My name is Maea Valair," she offered in return. "I was glad for the distraction, I'll admit. My skill with the bow is negligible, and my enthusiasm for it not great. I've... practiced some with a staff, and with daggers, but I can't say I am skilled at either." As to why she wanted to learn? It was a question that gave her pause, and she rubbed the back of her neck as she thought about it.
"I was... drawn in by how seriously you took the training," she admitted. "How you seemed to know exactly what you were doing and why, and thought of nothing else for the duration. I lack that. I don't know myself anymore, and I would like to find out what my limits are. So to answer your question... I would prefer to learn how to fight with my bare hands. Or perhaps a dagger." She had no great affinity for any weapon, so it made sense to start with the basics. If he was willing and able to teach.
Nothing lasts forever, I thought you should know
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting. It's a great pleasure to meet you. Is it all right if I call you by your first name, Mrs. Valair?" He said politely. "Did you lack the training, or was it simply that you didn't like the weapon. Or do you abhor violence in general?"
Darkeye looked at her for a long time until the silence became almost unbearable. He seemed to be thinking for a very long time. "These movements and training saved me from going insane. They helped me to get a clear head and not to fall prey to my desire for revenge and to ignore the demons in my head. I was partially saved by this movement. that's why I do it with so much enthusiasm." Darkeye smiled slightly embarrassed
Then he became serious again "As for training, I can show you some basic techniques if you want and don't mind training with a laughingstock. "He smiled at her and put his spear to the side and pulled two daggers out from behind his back, apparently hidden under his armor. "You decide whether you want to learn to fight with one dagger or two. I can also show you how to fight without weapons. I have learned to use many weapons. I prefer the spear and the axe. But daggers can also be used very nicely in close combat."
"It's 'miss', actually. And you may." She offered him a wry smile. "Actually, it was neither. I picked up the bow to prove that I wasn't useless. Then I kept using it because of a man. Now it only reminds me of my poor choices, so I would like to start over." There was a certain pleasure in laying out her follies like that. Amun had offered her time and forgiveness - and blunt honesty. At some point it might turn into whining and the kind of bullshit Sunjata was so good at, but in this moment Maea thought of it more as a reality check. She'd always been so good at coming up with reasons and excuses - facing herself and the consequences of all the impulsive decisions made along the way was a whole other beast.
It would seem that Darkeye had some similar demons to her own. If training helped him chase them off, then perhaps it was indeed the right sort of medicine for her, too.
"I'm a laughingstock too," she assured him, "so neither of us will be alone there. If you would teach me, I will be honored to learn."
Accepting one of the daggers, she weighed it in her hand to get a feel for the balance of it. On impulse she shifted to the left hand, but quickly changed her mind. Apparently she still favored the right, just like before. Pushing away memories of the first time she ever tried daggers, the girl sank down in a ready stance, with a gentle bend to the knees and the blade reversed in her grip, pointing to the ground.
"This is all I know," she admitted. Lavender eyes turned back to the short, heavy set man, waiting for instructions.
Nothing lasts forever, I thought you should know
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
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.
Darkeye smiled at this comment. "I used to use a crossbow until I found the right weapon for me," she said. It took me a long time to find the right one. It actually became the dagger. A weapon that not everyone likes to think of as a weapon. I like to fight with a spear or axe. But my favorite is really the dagger. They are easy to hide and you should find a weapon that you feel comfortable with. A lot of trial and error is important here." He told her with conviction.
He smiled again. "One should never give a damn about the opinion of small minds. I don't mean to be rude, but what do I get in return? I don't know if you want to give me something in return or not. It's your decision, I'm happy to share my knowledge." He looked around the area and thought about how he could show or teach her.
Darkeye looked at how she moved and wondered about the posture a bit. "This is how assassins hold their daggers. There are different ways to hold a dagger. When the blade is pointing down, you make it clear that you want to kill. You can exert more force with it, but your movement is more limited because you have to use a lot of movement to change your attack pattern. There's nothing wrong with that, I actually prefer to hold it like a short sword to be more variable, if you know what I mean. But you can also attack me and see what I mean." Darkeye stood ready to fight.
The young woman looked down on her hands. Empty, until she picked up the knife. Puckered and scarred, the pale semblance of skin damaged from some great heat. Still functioning well enough, but without any of the relative wealth she had once possessed.
"I don't have much," she confessed. "Only myself, and these hands. If that is enough, then you may call on me to help with whatever you might need. Just say the word." A favor for a favor; it was the language of trade in the Hollowed Grounds, and had been all her life. Maea hoped that nothing had changed in that area... even though so many other things had.
Taking her stance and accepting the critique, she found it suitably ironic that Sunjata would have taught her to fight in this manner. Or tried to, at least. Not that it mattered - lately, such a vicious style of combat might be more suited to her. Daggers and shadows and sudden appearances - she could be there and gone again at a moments notice.
She struck suddenly after the permission to give it a go, stepping forward to close the distance between herself and the stout man, while aiming a long swipe of the dagger across that broad chest of his. She didn't hold back, exactly; confident that he was so much better than her at this, that he could easily dodge. Daylight made her a bit sluggish, anyway.
Nothing lasts forever, I thought you should know
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Darkeye smiled at her. "I don't quite have a clue how to do something like this yet. But I'm going to need some help soon, I'm planning on fixing up the streets here if you have the time and inclination I'd be grateful for your assistance." he would not demand this favor. He would only ask for it, never demand it.
"The advantage of a dagger is that you can use it at close range. There are also special parry daggers that are only meant to deflect swords and other things to make life difficult for the opponent." he continued his lecture.
He didn't expect an immediate attack, he thought he should explain more. But when she made the move, he grabbed her wrist where she held the dagger and tried to get her off balance to see what her equilibrium was. He had a big grin on his face.
"Something for something," she assured him, "is the only rule. Everyone has needs. Sometimes you don't know what the need is yet; that's where promises and favors come in handy. It's the only thing of real worth we have here."
Without noticing, she slipped back into the old way of addressing herself as one of the people here. A Grounder. She had spent so much time away, yet it took only a few days before she fell back into old patterns. When she realized it, the girl would be pissed at herself.
Launching into her attack with no further ado, she was not surprised to find herself stuck almost immediately. Darkeye's grip was like iron; no escaping it. So she followed around with quick steps as he tried to shift her balance, and her free hand came up to take over the dagger. Shifting it from right to left, she aimed a somewhat less accurate stab towards the great muscle between the man's shoulder and neck.
Close combat, he had said. Not her forte, usually, what with the lacking stature. Here though, they were of almost equal height. It was a curious sensation.
Nothing lasts forever, I thought you should know
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Darkeye nodded curtly. He didn't like that it had to be this way. "To be honest, I don't like this kind of business, it's too vague. I at least like to know what kind." One pack was enough, he didn't need another.
He realized that his attempt had failed. Another could, he thought to himself, but the weapon change from her was too fast. There were not many options left. Either he hits her now with much force against the leading has and risks a worse injury or he rather evades. He decided to dodge, but the blade tore his clothes at the shoulder and scratched the upper skin a bit. He pressed his leg against her belly. He tried an old judo throw. Was he fast enough?
He smiled broadly when she hit him. The advantage with daggers is you don't need much strength skill was all you needed and she seems to have understood that.
"... I'm afraid I don't know of any other form of trade," she said after a moment. There was a note of apology in her tone; it had surprised her to find that other places had other customs when it came to payment and trade.
Once upon a time, Maea would have hesitated before stabbing someone. But these days, it was easier than breathing. She didn't even cringe at the possible pain she was causing her opponent - it would only worry her later, sometime during the night when the quiet left her alone with her thoughts. Cloth tore and skin broke, but the cut was not clean and there was little if any blood.
The throw swept her clean off her feet and she fell to the ground with nothing to break the fall. A heavy grunt of air rushing from the lungs was her only reaction. No pain clouded her judgement, no rattled brains needed a moment to sort itself out. She moved instantly by rolling herself quickly towards Darkeye, in the hopes of felling him by knocking his own legs out from under him.
Nothing lasts forever, I thought you should know
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Darkeye smiled a little. "That's still something I have to get used to. There was something similar in my world, but it was only done with demons and gods. That's why I'm very cautious about such things. Forgive me." He raised his hands apologetically.
Darkeye had a big smile on his lips not to ridicule her but it seemed like he was having fun. He seemed to ignore the scratch, which was something he could take care of later. "That's it" he shouted when he was hit. He wanted more of it.
He jumped high, but not high enough, and when his legs pulled him away, he fell with his elbow directly on her back. He didn't want to hurt her, but she showed what she could do. It would only be hypocrisy if he would not do the same.
