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!
Slay an ursur and harvest its pelt, Frey had told him.
And so here Tal was, in the early days of Flowerbirth when the cold threatened to sap all strength from limbs and froze tears to ice on eyelashes in heartbeats, out with Bell and Boreal and three of his strongest, most steadfast wheel dogs.
And his friend Deimos, whose wisdom was sorely needed today.
The sled was running light, empty yet, behind the four dogs, and Boreal circled high overhead, scouting out sign of their prey. Tal had the long, crossbraced spear slung across his back and his trusty axe at his hip, but it was the training he had undergone in Leafchange and Deepfrost that he knew would make the difference today.
His hands were steady on the sled's handles and his balance was sure on the runners, but there was a tightness in the eyes behind his goggles and his lips were a grim line beneath his scarf.
The scars across his ribs ached fiercely.
"Any sign yet?" he called to Deimos, trying not to let the anxiety bleed into his voice but not succeeding as well as he hoped.
life shivers, melts, moves on the pain says I have come for you
The mountains called and he howled back in his mind, silent and certain. The wilderness opened to them, like a long stretch after Deepfrost’s pressing wake, and the predacious edges, fringes, to his form were all the more eager to rejoice in the sudden onslaught of freedom again. A providential liberation – for while he didn’t mind seclusion at its barest form – even Deimos grew restless meandering around the same walls time and time again.
But they’d survived, and as far as he knew, LongNight had been relatively quiet. By the end of the week he’d probably need to send out some letters and do some investigating of his own. But for now, they could hunt.
If Talyson was anxious, Deimos was determined, stalwart, and keen, pent up with rapacious energy. Half-tempted to unleash his hellhound shift, the need to discuss notions with the courier kept the shackles on, but just barely. Sending Belial off to scout, and watching resolutely with a narrowed gaze to the sky in half-warnings, long strides swept over the ice and snow with an age-old familiarity. “Not yet,” though whether this was because the peryton was being foolish remained to be seen.
White snow, grey sky. The lowering clouds made landmarks on the Tundra hard to see, but Tal had his compass and his dogs and he kept them heading north by northwest, towards the Fangs. For the most part they traveled in silence; the courier watched the land around them as best he could while Boreal provided sharper eyes from higher up. Both were alert and Tal didn't want to distract himself or Deimos from their search.
But it was Bell and then the dog next to her who pricked their ears forward first, their easy lope changing to something with more tension as they scented the wind. Almost hidden by the white drifts were the heavy tracks of a single bear, and half-obscured by those larger paws were the hooves of what could only be a moose.
Both were large enough to give Tal pause as he turned the sled to follow, glancing to Deimos and swallowing hard. "How fresh d'you think these are?" he asked, proud of himself for keeping the quaver out of his voice this time.
life shivers, melts, moves on the pain says I have come for you
Stoic and reticent, archaic form of weaponry brought to life, the General glanced at the prints layered in the snow, completely unbothered by either moose or bear. The latter was what they sought, what he’d fought numerous times, and the former was likely an unfortunate victim, but a moment of distraction for them to utilize. Crouching beside the track, he inspected the signs of life and motion for a moment, before looking out towards the tundra, then the sky, following the state of Belial’s movements above. “Less than an hour, I would guess,” based on the freshness of the snow, the way nothing had been scattered back into its threshold yet.
The peryton hooted from above soon after, and then darted through the sky. The warning, and the images, were crystal clear; the prey’s demise, the ursur’s lingering form. “He found the carcass, about thirty yards away.” The Sword pointed towards the right, along proportions of a snowdrift and rock formation – they could likely use the landmark as cover. Then he waited, brow arched, for Talyson to make a decision about advancing – it was his quest, after all.
Relief and fear surged in equal measure as Tal's hands tightened on the sled's handles. He swallowed hard at hearing how close they were; on the one hand, getting it over sooner was better, right?
On the other hand, even though he was as prepared as he could make himself, now that the time had come he didn't feel prepared at all.
Boreal stayed back when Belial charged ahead, catching an updraft and rising higher above the situation on the ground to give Tal a dizzying view of bear and moose - well, ex-moose, now - below. He swallowed hard, tasting bile, and nodded sharply at Deimos's estimation of the distance.
"Okay. Right. Let's... let's use the rocks to get close. Maybe if we can get the bear to charge 'em, we can kind of use them as a shield while we strike out from behind 'em?" He was already moving forward, leaving the sled turned around and the brake up in case a quick retreat was needed. Bell wouldn't let the other dogs panic or take off without him, and he didn't feel right asking the dogs to fight when they were bred to run.
Gripping his spear tightly in both hands, he moved over the snow as quietly as he could until he could peer over the rocks to the nearby ursur.
The very big ursur. The very hungry ursur, with its muzzle bloodily buried in the moose's side. It's skin hung on its massive frame, evidence of a harsh Deepfrost, and it didn't look like it would take any interruption kindly.
life shivers, melts, moves on the pain says I have come for you
Nodding at the plan, Deimos crept behind the rock, placing his tall form behind its constituents, and then crouching, remaining concealed for the moment. Belial provided an aerial view, and with the ursur far too concerned about its current meal, the General lacked any and all apprehension. Perhaps it’d been all the experiences beforehand, or the near-death ones from previous seasons. Had Talyson been a part of the Attuned bond, he would’ve felt the confidence, the capability of might and strength, diligence and meticulous factions. But since he couldn’t, wouldn’t, the Sword simply permitted the ease of machinations to decipher through.
The whisper contorted purposefully in their area, and not outwards, into the harsh wind and periphery of the bear. “We could do this in several ways. I could compel it over,” an arch to his brow followed, insinuating it might be a joke. “I can distract it while you sneak behind.” He paused, eyes flickering back to the picture provided by the peryton above. “Or we can flank it from either side,” though that left far more room for some errors.
But in all purposes, Deimos had no intention of allowing the courier to be hurt. Thereafter, he permitted the silence to fall – for Talyson to make the choice, for the monster hunting education to sink into the fray.
Truthfully just having Deimos there with him was helping with Tal's courage. The General had a fearsome reputation as a warrior, but he was also a stalwart friend and his steady calm did more to keep the courier grounded than any speeches or verbal reassurances could have done. Tal crouched behind the rock formation, studying the scene and chewing his lip uncertainly as he measured distance to cross and the size of the beast, and he listened intently to the options the more experienced hunter laid out.
"Um. I dunno if I'm good enough at sneaking but... we can try?" he offered tentatively. He liked the idea of attacking the bear from behind a lot more than from the side, at least. "Y... yeah. Let's do it that way." He tried to sound convincingly sure of the plan, giving a decisive nod, at least. "What kind of distraction are you thinkin'?"
life shivers, melts, moves on the pain says I have come for you
The beginning of a plan taking shape was better than nothing at all, and he continued in the modicum of whispers, mind and Belial’s eye keeping watch over the feeding ursur. Luckily for Talyson, Deimos had a swarm of options, incantations, and enchantments often immediately at the ready. “I could set it on fire,” followed by a broad, boyish grin that suggested favoritism by way of flames. “Electrocute it, stab it with some ice shards, trap it with some vines…,” and then he raised one brow, pondering if the courier wanted him to continue, or if that would be enough. There were also the possibilities of irritating the bear with other animals – compelled to do his bidding. Maybe some ningos flying around the predator’s head. Life Drain for the purpose of weakening it altogether, sapping strength and leeching, contorting, coiling, and curling all the sanctity of might back in return.
But he waited, permitting Talyson to make the decision, weigh out the choices. This was the youth’s opportunity to ponder in tactics and schemes.
07-04-2022, 04:07 PM (This post was last modified: 07-04-2022, 04:09 PM by Talyson.)
Tal's eyes widened at the list, and quite unintentionally a bloodthirsty grin flashed across his face, breaking some of the anxious tension that had held him. It was good to be reminded of the firepower that the General brought to the table beyond his already considerable experience and expertise, and the courier gave a more natural nod as he gave their machinations a few moments thought.
"Uh... let's... use the ice shards to get its attention and herd it this way, while I sneak out around the side and get behind it?" He suggested. "Maybe I can use some of the shards as cover, too. And then we just... come at it from both sides and hopefully I can get it in the back while its focused on the ice to its front?" He rose up to peek over the rock outcrop and make sure the bear was still distracted by its meal - it was - and then looked back to Deimos with a raised brow, ready to start his sneaky run when the General gave the signal that he was ready.
life shivers, melts, moves on the pain says I have come for you
Not indulging the Sword with his predilection for fire, the beast simply arched his brow at the plan, and then set it downwards thereafter. “All right, prepare yourself,” was probably the only warning the courier would receive. He’d only have so much time to work with, and so the General remained in his crouch behind the rock, sliding along the flanking side, beginning the incantations.
The water was immediately summoned, pervading and pulsing through his veins quickly, efficiently, and flowed in subsequent strikes. Over Talyson’s head as a creeping, ensuing storm of flakes and shards, so that he might be a hidden, cloaked thing, and towards the ursur, intending to distract, deter, by racing by its features.
The great bear raised its head, maybe alarmed, maybe surprised, by the sudden onslaught; its senses would’ve long ago picked up any intentions of an upcoming tempest. Wary and confused would be enough for now.
Tal was tense and more than a little scared, but he was also prepared and swallowed his fears a little further down so they only caused his hands to shake a little on his spear shaft. At the first breath of incantation he was off and loping across the snow; around and then over the rocky outcrop and lightly over the crust, feet barely sinking in.
Sometimes it paid to be on the scrawny side.
The storm settled over him, around him and between him and the bear, but his See-Right goggles had no trouble peering through the localized blizzard. The ursur's head was up, but it didn't seem to notice Tal within the magic or recognize either as a threat. A rumbling moan of confusion slipped from the beast as the snow and ice surrounded the bear and the courier worked his way behind it to where the moose lay quickly freezing in the Flowerbirth cold.
That was a mistake. Some predator's sense warned the old ursur, and the big male swung back around blindly with a warning roar into the distracting ice, taking a blind swipe that missed the courier by a wide margin but forced Tal to keep his distance.
life shivers, melts, moves on the pain says I have come for you
Attuned manners and senses picked up on the movement, and the General sighed, tucking away any sudden apprehension for the courier – motioning straight into battlefield instincts. Coldblooded machinations rather than anything else; no time for trepidation or misgivings. He knew what both of them were capable of.
The nefarious workings of his enchantments began – seizing and summoning the sinister components of their inner facets, of his own soul, as the storm brewed and became vile in its vehement haze. What was powder altered into meticulous, serrated shards, pointed directly into the bear’s right side, in a flurry, in a decimating, distracting, puncture and piercing of pain.
The great bear roared and flailed, and the Sword began closing in, tucking himself into the minor tempest’s adornments. Hopefully the actions would buy Talyson enough time.
Magic sharp as steel even if it was in the shape of ice was nothing the bear had any experience with, and it turned towards the direction of the wounding shards--
And away from Talyson.
The courier hesitated for a moment, the impulse of flight and a strong desire to live warning him to leave, to run, to get away from the great predator that towered over him. But Deimos was there in the storm, watching him, protecting him, and stubborn pride flared where courage failed. Hands tightened on the spear shaft with the determination to not disappoint his teacher and friend overcoming even his survival instinct.
Against all sanity he nerved himself for a running jump, using the moose's body as a ramp to gain more height and momentum before plunging the spear into the bear from behind. It was a good thing, too; he might have struggled to penetrate the ursur's thick fur otherwise if he'd relied purely on his own average musclepower.
The beast let out a whining grunt of pain and confusion, the sound far too high for such a big animal. It swung around, taking a clumsy swipe towards where Tal had been standing--
And no longer was. Instead the terrified courier was clinging to the spear shaft sticking out of the bear for dear life, feet swinging freely several feet above the snow. But blood was already beginning to bubble from the bear's muzzle as it swung around again, pawing ineffectually at the air and beginning to sink down as the strength ebbed from it.
life shivers, melts, moves on the pain says I have come for you
Minor tempests aside, the General watched through the haze of shards and upheaval, Attuned senses straining to catch and snare at actions amidst the distractions and deterrents. Tal’s movements represented an interesting litany, if slightly nonsensical motions to be addressed in a later training, but with the plunging depths and the high-pitch of pain, the end results were clear.
Even if Tal was busy clinging onto the spear.
In another time, amidst broken targets and decimated effigies, it’d been funny, amusing. Out here in the tundra, where anything and everything could involve a threat? Danger? Deimos didn’t laugh.
Instead, he launched another barrage of icy blades, intending to ensure the ursur’s misery was over, done, and no other incoming sieges would slip from death throngs and thralls.
