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!
Lisbeth reached behind her back and pulled an arrow from the quiver. She nocked the arrow and raised her bow, aiming down the length of the arrow at the target placed well across the training field.
With a quick release, the arrow went flying through the air. A deep shunk sounded when the arrow struck, just shy of the bullseye.
One of the other soldiers, on his way back to the barracks, shouted to her, "Hey, Pink! Staying out here all night isn't going to help you any. You ain't gonna make the front lines either way."
Lisbeth grumbled under her breath. She pulled out another arrow, gripping it in a tight fist. She hated that nickname. She also couldn't stand the way the other soldiers treated her. Just because she was literally half their size, and couldn't run a mile without collapsing, didn't mean she couldn't fight.
"Fine, suit yourself," the other soldier said, making a rude gesture.
Lisbeth set her teeth. She whirled around and nocked the arrow, letting it fly. The arrow flew across the training grounds and clipped the soldier's pants, tearing open the leather and exposing his underwear. An inch in a different direction and it would have been a very painful shot.
The soldier yelped in surprised and shouted at her, shaking a fist angrily.
"Looks like you're the one pink in the face now," Lisbeth shouted at him.
She ignored the rest of his shouts as she turned back to the target, drawing another arrow and wearing a smug smirk on her lips.
Alex had been wandering through Stormbreak, trying to memorize the city's layout. She'd been at the port once or twice for quick supply runs before, but she'd never actually delved into the city. But today the ship needed some repairs, so the pirate had left her first mate to deal with it while she went to catch up on news and gossip. Hopefully Alex would hear something that would tip her off for her crew's next target.
It was as she was walking that she witnessed Lisbeth's confrontation. Grinning widely, she danced around the soldier's fleeing and approached the younger woman. "Wonderful demonstration, kid."
Spotting a stand where spare weapons were held, the pirate grabbed a bow and quiver. "Mind if I join you?"
If you can't catch a wave Then you're never gonna ride it
Lisbeth glanced sidelong at the stranger, holding her bow drawn at full length. She held that position as she watched the stranger approach, then said, "I'm not a kid."
She let the arrow fly, hitting the target square on. She started drawing another arrow, then stopped before nocking it to the string. She watched the stranger grab a bow.
Lisbeth tapped the arrow against her leg. "Those are the property of the army. I don't think my sergeant would be okay with that..."
She glanced over towards the barracks. All of the other soldiers had already gone inside. She was the only one left out here training.
She let out a sigh. "...I suppose it won't hurt anything, though."
Alex snorted, eyeing her new training companion. "Definitely a kid." Drawing her bow she winked, "And I'm never one to follow rules so I wouldn't worry about your sergeant in the least."
Locking onto the target, Alex hummed. "Now, I've only ever done this once and that was years ago. So, let's see how much I remember." Arrow nocked and then released, the pirate watched as the arrow missed the target and instead landed in the padding surrounding it. "Well shit, not a lot apparently."
Pursing her lips, the pirate adjusted her stance and tried once more. This time the arrow sailed true and landed on the inner section of the target. Not a bullseye but a vast improvement. "That's a little better."
If you can't catch a wave Then you're never gonna ride it
Lisbeth rolled her eyes. "You're doing this all wrong. Your stance is terrible."
She stood with her feet spaced shoulder width apart, one in front of the other. She balanced her weight equally on both feet.
"Like this," she said, drawing her arrow and aiming down the length of it.
She relaxed her fingers and drew her hand back to the side of her face, letting out a breath as her shoulders came together and the muscles in her back contracted. The arrow flew straight and clear, once again hitting close to the center.
"You're clearly not a soldier," she said, drawing forth another arrow. "If you could learn to draw a bow, you should join up. There's a war coming."
Alex eyed the target and let another arrow fly as Lisbeth spoke. Sure enough, it hit the target, but further from the bullseye from the last. She let out a huff, "Well I did tell ya' I was a newbie."
The pirate watched the soldier's stance, trying to see as well as hear the instructions being given. After thinking about what Lisbeth had taught her, Alex tried again. Adjusting her stance and her shoulder blades, she let loose another arrow. It hit its mark just shy of the bullseye. "Well I'll be dammed!" Alex grinned at Lisbeth, "You're not a bad teacher, kid."
The next statement however made the pirate cackle. "I'm well aware of the war kid. I've already talked to the Gods about it." Alex had spoken to Frey seasons ago and declared her allegiance to the Old. "And I'm no soldier." Lisbeth seemed too much of a stickler of rules for Alex to tell her that she was a pirate. The soldier gave the impression that she'd run to get the guards if Alex said anything of the sort.
If you can't catch a wave Then you're never gonna ride it
Lisbeth couldn't help but let a little smile touch her lips at the compliment. She was only repeating what her sergeant had taught her. She was still a rookie in many ways. She'd only joined the army recently, in preparation for the war. Her squad considered her to be the least qualified person ever for the job.
Her eyes went wide at the woman's next sentence. "You've spoken to the Gods?" Her arms dropped to her sides, the archery momentarily forgotten. "I pray almost every day at the shrine, and they've never deemed me worthy of speaking to. What...what did they say to you?"
She fingered her arrow, running her thumb along the feathers. If Mort or Vi ever considered her worthy of gracing her with their presence, she might actually die on the spot. Sure, she'd heard stories of people who had met the Gods in person, but she'd never been blessed in such a way.
Maybe, she thought, if she proved herself in the coming war, she would finally earn their attention.
Alex was just firing an arrow when Lisbeth spoke again, and her concentration broke for a second. The arrow hit on the edge of the target this time, "Ah fuck."
The pirate then processed the question and she turned to the teen with a grin. "Yes, I've met Nature Frey. They're actually really laid back. Nice too. They helped me make this coat." Alex gestured to the captain's coat she was wearing, "It protects me from fire magic." Pirate ship plus fire was a disaster. The coat was a matter of necessity. Especially since her crewmate with the hottest temper actually was a fire magic wielding Abandoned.
Alex eyed Lisbeth for a second before perking up, "You know, if you bring Frey fresh fruits, maybe they'll come talk to you? They seem to like peaches especially. You could go with a request for an item or something, or if you have a burning question that only the Gods can answer."
Letting the soldier consider her words, Alex raised the bow and shot another arrow. This time it landed just a little closer to the center than the prior. "Damn it all. I need more practice."
If you can't catch a wave Then you're never gonna ride it
"Wow." Lisbeth reached out to touch the coat, then pulled back. A divine gift such as that was a precious thing. She could only dream of one day being granted such a gift.
"Peaches," she said with a nod. "I'll try that. I don't think they grow up here, but I can probably find a merchant that brings them in from Torchline or something." She didn't really go into the market that often--the army provided her with food and clothing, and she didn't need much else. But it was certainly worth a try.
She was distracted from her thoughts by the woman's continual mediocre archery skills. She shook her head with a sigh. "You're pulling back when you release. Let the bow do the work. Here."
She stepped up behind the taller woman, barely reaching her shoulder. She waited for her to draw the bowstring, then said, "Hold it there." She touched a hand to the small of the woman's back, silently guiding her to adjust her posture. Then she stepped to the other side and reached her arm around so that her fingers rested on the bowstring just above the stranger's.
"Don't pull," she whispered close to the woman's ear. "Release."
She guided the woman's fingers to simply slip from the bow, then she drew their hands back to her cheek. The arrow flew straighter and more true, guided by the force of the bow string alone.
"See?" She looked up and met the woman's eyes. Then her face turned pink and she took a step back.
Alex chuckled and held out her arm for Lisbeth to touch the sleeve, "You can touch it. It's soft. Made it with tiger fur actually." In the flickering light between the leaves above, the stripes were only just barely visible in the black cloth. The pirate was quite proud of the coat. The quest she'd gone on to acquire it had been a lot of fun, but very time consuming. Though undoubtedly worth it.
The pirate listened to Lisbeths' instructions and allowed the soldier to adjust her stance and posture. Alex grinned when the arrow hit closer to the center of the target. "Thanks, kid!" She noted the redness in Lisbeth's face and simply chuckled slightly as she drew back another arrow.
"Let's see if I can apply it." Narrowing her eyes on the target, Alex tried her best to mimic what Lisbeth had taught her. Letting the arrow fly, the pirate was ecstatic when she hit the bullseye. Grinning widely, she turned back to the soldier, "Thanks Lisbeth! I'm Alex."
If you can't catch a wave Then you're never gonna ride it
"Good job," Lisbeth said with a nod. "Now let's see if you can do this."
She pulled three arrows from her quiver, then went down on one knee, stabbing all three arrows into the ground. She held her bow out, taking a deep breath.
Then in rapid succession, she pulled one arrow out of the ground and fired it, then another, then another. Each arrow flew towards a different target across the training yard, not quite hitting the bullseye, but each one still sinking into the padded straw of the target.
Lisbeth glided back to her feet before the last arrow hit the target, bouncing on her toes for a moment to stay balanced. Then she looked over at Alex, trying and failing to hide a proud little smirk.
Alex through her head back with a laugh, "You little show off." With a wide grin she winked at Lisbeth, "Very impressive." Pulling out two arrows, the pirate stuck them both in the dirt. She'd try three later but first she wanted to get the hang of the mechanics of it.
Raising her bow, the pirate let out a breath. And then she attempted to repeat what Lisbeth had done, just with her two arrows. Much to her pleasant surprise, both arrows hit their mark. The two targets were a respectable distance from each other, and each arrow was in the second most inner section of the target. "'Hell ya!"
If you can't catch a wave Then you're never gonna ride it
Lisbeth's grin widened. Then she fell into a coughing fit, bending over and burying her face into her elbow until it passed. She wheezed a few deep breaths, wiping her mouth on the back of her sleeve.
She was still trying to catch her breath when she gave Alex a nod of approval. "Not bad. You could make a decent soldier, if you put the work into it. Just need to train hard every day. We need as many strong arms as we can get on our side." Not that her own arms were particularly strong. She was fast, but weak, both in strength and in wellness.
Taking her time with her next shots, Lisbeth lined up a few more shots, aiming each one at a different target. There were a dozen targets at the end of the training yard, half of them at chest-height, half at head-height, to give the trainees more to practice with than straight shots. She took her time planting arrows into one target after another, though her aim was a bit wobbly as she continued to wheeze. The bow was starting to feel heavy, considering how long she'd been at this.
"What do you do, anyway?" she asked, leaning on her bow to try to catch her breath.
Alex watched Lisbeth with mild concern when she started coughing but said nothing when the soldier didn't either. As Lisbeth got over her fit, the pirate let loose three more arrows, each landing on the inner two sections of the target, much to her satisfaction.
When it was clear that the soldier likely needed to stop for the day, Alex lowered her bow as well. "My ego is glad to hear it." Walking over to put her bow back carefully, she glanced up when Lisbeth asked about her day job.
The grin she sent Lisbeth was pure mischief, "Kid, some things yer' just better off not knowing." She winked, "Just know that I'm on the side of the Old Gods, so I'm an ally." Alex then opened her coat to show the cutlass at her side, "But here's a hint, and an explanation as to why I'm unused to archery."
If you can't catch a wave Then you're never gonna ride it
