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!
Quick calculations were mustered along the predacious edges of his skull – the dual longing of pulverizing and devastation, warring with protection and shelter. Managing both would take a great act of concentration, and they might have been better off if he chose the latter. Clenching his jaw, he followed after Noah’s steps. “Shield first,” he mentioned, so both he and the courier would know and understand what was coming.
Slowly, as if it wasn’t happening at all, he built the Mastered Earth up before them, gaining some vantage points, heights, and places to duck down. Amidst rock, stone, rubble, and snow, the Sword solidified proportions that would threaten another avalanche, while simultaneously offering them an opportunity to lay waste to the creature.
--
Deimos follows Noah and creates a rocky barrier in front of them with Mastered Earth, in order to ensure they have protection and a place to attack from.
He was going to have to get a lot closer than he wanted to in order to have any hope of hitting the Giant, Tal knew, and Deimos and Noah had both made it clear that any recklessness would not be rewarded. He nodded sharply at Noah's plan and then slowly at Deimos's decision.
Following the demigod's lead, Tal moved on quiet feet over the stable ground that Deimos created for them. He was a courier, not a hunter, and without Sah to inspire him to new heights of youthful idiocy he was able to admit that and follow the lead of those who had more experience than him.
Boreal glided silently overhead, waiting for her bonded's signal to dive and flame, but for the moment Tal asked her to wait until Noah gave the signal and he got into position behind the big, hairy bastard that had killed Deimos's bear.
Tal tries to sneak into position using Deimos's earth and snow bridges and Boreal waits for the signal to attack.
if there's a reason I'm still alive when so many have died
Noah nodded and slowed his advance, waiting for Deimos to set the parameters of their safety measures. Snow and ice and rock and earth all shifted and came to life, and the hunter crouched behind a small outcropping the Sword created so that he could still stand and fire his bow. With fire arrows ready, and his spear tucked also ready for use, the hunter notched and waited.
The sound of the shelter happening drew the attention of the massive beast. With a grunt the giant stood back to its full height. The interest of the ursur no longer drew its attention, but instead the motion of what was happening below it. Growling, the frost giant turned and grabbed another boulder. Winding up like a pitcher in the major leagues, the giant sent the boulder towards the trio of men.
As the boulder flew, Noah sent a fire arrow flying and teleported.
--
Deimos' building gets the attention of the frost giant and it hurls another boulder at them.
The Sword could’ve rolled his eyes and muttered of course as the creature turned, but instead, he gritted his teeth, clenched his jaw, and steeled himself for the inevitable. “Get down,” was a hushed, but feral, command to either of his comrades, because then there was a giant boulder cast their way.
And since neither he nor Talyson (that he was aware of) could teleport, the Warden hastened off to the side, while combining more incantations, more machinations, flickering them through his veins with enough haste and swiftness to hopefully counteract the incoming dominion. The earth, snow, and ice moved around them, a massive, encompassing shield, intending to absorb the blow of the hurtling rock, solidifying, hardening, and maybe even add it to the blockade.
--
Deimos tries to move out of the way of the incoming boulder, while strengthening the earth shield with more Mastered Earth (and maybe add the boulder to the damn thing ;D).
Tal, to the best of his knowledge, couldn't teleport either, so he followed Deimos's lead and ducked, throwing himself in the opposite direction as the Warden to break up their convenient little grouping. With the element of surprise lost, there didn't seem to be any purpose to trying to sneak up on the giant anymore and there was no safe way to get behind the creature without teleporting - something Noah could do a lot better than him.
"Guess we'll distract it?" he asked the Warden, a little rhetorically as he peeked out from behind the growing barricade. Sticking with Deimos seemed like the safest option at the moment, so Tal stayed behind the wall of earth and snow and readied to jab his glaive over the top of it if the Giant got too close. Tal tries to dodge the incoming boulder and stays behind the barricade, readying to stab at the Giant if it comes in range!
if there's a reason I'm still alive when so many have died
Noah’s arrow rang true and just as the demigod appeared behind the frost giant the fur covering the creature’s shoulder caught flame. Noah switched weapons and readied for what was to come.
The boulder flew through the air and came crashing down on part of the shield Deimos raised. Unfortunately, the quickness of the attack and the dice timing of the magic did not mix and the shield cracked and shattered, sending rocks and ice and snow flying. Thankfully, neither man was struck with more than golf ball sized shrapnel.
The giant tumbled and raged, stumbling towards Deimos and Talyson as fire consumed its shoulder. It’s roaring cries pierced the air at a pitch ready to shatter ear drums. Noah, from behind, ran towards the beast and as he did so called out, “Now!” hopefully calling his comrades to arms.
—
The giant caught fire and is stumbling towards Deimos and Tal. The rock shield is shattered.
So much for the shielding – and he clenched his jaw again as the minor fortress served its purpose, but was still destroyed regardless. A quick assessment of Noah and Talyson’s locations presumed neither was severely injured; his own bruises would matter very little in the scheme of things later.
He didn’t need the Sentinel’s command though – one rapid glance and surge of irritation was all it took to drive him to this particular onslaught.
An inferno blistered and scorched from his ramparts, surging past flesh and soul. Mastered Fire adornments rushed towards the giant, striving to engulf and consume, until it was nothing more than its own treacherous pyre.
--
Deimos tries to use Mastered Fire and engulf the frost giant.
Between Deimos's shield and his Vest, Tal got away from the boulder mostly unscathed, but it didn't look like that would last long if the giant had any say in the matter. As it lumbered towards them with its shoulder on fire, the courier's eyes widened and he swallowed hard, gripping his glaive with gloved but sweaty hands.
And then the Warden's fire cast out from behind the remnants of their bulwark and lashed around the Giant so now there was a flaming Frost Giant shambling towards them. Boreal huffed joyfully high overhead and turned to begin her dive, wanting in on the fiery fun--
"Boreal, no!" Tal called up, ducking away from the remains of their fallen fortress and putting space between him and Deimos so that the Giant would have to choose one or the other, rather than getting a two-for-one special. "We need its hide for the quest!"
Hopefully Deimos would hear that yell, too.
Tal backs away to give the Giant two targets instead of one and reminds his dragon and friends that they need that particular hide that might be currently on fire.
if there's a reason I'm still alive when so many have died
The urgency that carried the hunter's feet caught him stumbling ahead. His own ferocity was his downfall in this moment, as he went toppling over himself and rolled down the hill. Thankfully, it seemed, because if he hadn't he might have been scorched alive by Deimos' epic fireball. Despite eating snow, Noah tried to right himself and keep moving towards the beast that was now running as flames licked at its body.
The Sword was a powerful entity all to himself, and could probably bring this beast down on his own accord. However, the terrain was not optimal. As fire raged and grabbed and burned the giant, it screamed and ran. The mountain shook with its footsteps. Like the unlucky demigod, the frost giant found itself tripping over its own feet.
Talyson was well out of the way, but Deimos was not. Though the frost giant's massive body did not crash down on the warden and crush him flat, a flailing arm did send the burly warrior flying towards Talyson. Having righted himself, Noah advanced towards the beast as it flailed and moaned in the snow and attempted to stab it in the side with his spear.
---
The Frost Giant is started on fire, but it is doused as it stumbles over the remnants of the shield and comes crashing down into the snow. It nearly crushes Deimos, but instead tosses him aside with flailing limbs. Tal is safely out of range.
It’d been a long, long time since Deimos had been flung around like a ragdoll. He’d built up his prowess, might, and menace to a certain extent to nearly guarantee success for himself, and those around him. Perhaps not since first entering Caido on weakling, fumbling edges and boundaries had he been assailed so rapidly.
And with a grit to his teeth he landed along his side; bruising compunctions immediately rendering through his mind. Nothing broken, and nothing that wouldn’t warrant mild mending upon his return – naught to fuss over. Tal was safe. Noah was…down but not out either. Just the fact that the god damned creature had done it was enough.
So, righting himself back into monolithic prestige, he unfurled the snagging, biting, contorting, contemptuous ease from his soul – life drain snagging towards the Frost Giant with all the mustered frustration and acrimony stored along his bones.
This was fast turning into a shitshow and only the fact that he trusted Deimos implicitly and was in no little awe of Noah's demigodhood kept Tal calm while things burned and screamed and fell down nearby.
At least until one of those pillars of his world was sent flying.
"Dei--!" he started to call, scared for his friend and hurrying towards the mountain of a man, but Deimos was already standing up and bringing his displeasure to bear in his magic. Tal breathed a small sigh of relief and then hefted his glaive, jogging into the fray.
Not too close. He left the vitals to Noah; stronger and more experienced in such work. No, Tal instead targeted one of the Giant's outflung hands and slammed his glaive down, attempting to pin it to the ground while keeping himself out of reach.
Tal uses his glaive to try and pin one of the Giant's hands down.
if there's a reason I'm still alive when so many have died
The beast screamed as the fire dissipated with the hiss and steam of it combining with the snow. Despite the fog that crawled down the mountain, continuously threatening to drown them in blindness, it was easy to see what was happening with the creature so close. Noah’s aim was true and firm and the head of his spear sunk beneath thick hide. The giant roared in pain, but was too distracted by the next assault to take any retribution on the demigod.
A scream, a roar, a groan like no other that the Fangs had ever heard flooded the ears of those gathered. The frost giant twisted and it’s screaming turned to gasping for breath. Between Noah’s spear puncturing a lung, and the magic that pulled it’s very lifeforce from its bones the beast was once again unable to defend itself from the third assailant. Talyson’s glaive went through the giants hand, though it did not pin it into the snow.
The giant thrashed, limbs swinging as it knocked against both the courier and the hunter. Glaive and spear tossed about in the snow, but with one final groan, the creatures head hit the cold ground — eyes rolling lifelessly.
Noah scrambled to his feet and quickly took hold of his spear again. He stood with it ready until the beast ceased its movements. Looking up to Deimos, Noah swallowed. There was no elemental force that thrashed against the giant, yet it still was harmed. The demigods bones ached with familiarity. Whatever Deimos was able to wield to slay this beast was the same magic that Neron once used to try and end the Sentinel’s life.
A sense of ease came over him as the beast thrashed and stilled; laid waste before anyone else was brutally beaten and injured. His magic was retracted immediately, gone back into the wake of his soul, in the brutality of his bones. Eyes flickered briefly back to the others, quick assessments and examinations, followed by the low rumble in his chest. “Everyone all right?”
There was the aftermath and nature of the hunt to consider as well, and eventually his stare landed upon the lifeless, prone giant. “I can start cutting the hide.” The first of many pieces, most likely, given the size of the beast, as he snagged at the hunting knife along his belt, and proceeded forward to do exactly that.
--
Deimos checks in with everyone and starts cutting away portions of the hide.
It almost worked the way he'd planned. That was worth something, right? The glaive went in, but Tal didn't have enough strength to hold the hand down. For once he yielded to practicality rather than stubborn pride and let go of the weapon, scrambling back as the Giant flailed and Deimos's magic did its grim work.
Soon enough the creature succumbed without further mayhem and the courier breathed a sigh of relief. He waved reassurance to the Warden, gulping air as he double-checked himself for some injury that had been missed in the adrenaline but...
"I'm okay," he confirmed, edging towards the fallen Giant warily, as if expecting a ruse. But when Deimos got to work and the corpse didn't so much as twitch, Tal took a deep breath and moved in to join his friends in the bloody butchery.
Just because he was pragmatic enough to do it, didn't make it pleasant work, however.
Tal joins Deimos in skinning the Giant
