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!
This is a steal thread for the purpose of Darkeye retrieving his spear.)
Kaiden had had the spear for just a few days, but they already loved it. Spear fishing was far more precise then hunting as a shark, at least when it came to schools of fish. They'd still take their shark for any day for hunting larger prey. But for trout and other small fish? The spear was fantastic.
The mer was happily munching on some trout they'd caught as they lounged on the rocks by the shore. It was then that they heard a twig nap. On alert, their hand reached for the spear laying on the stone beside them. "Who's there?" Kaiden called out, hand grasping the spear as they put their snack down on the rock beside them.
The man who had tried to retrieve his spear just a few days ago showed himself. Darkeye had tried to sneak up on him. But unfortunately, he had landed on a branch. He had his hands hanging on his backpack.
He also had other weapons hanging on him but apparently, he wanted something from this mer.
"I think you know why I am here, Mer. I want my property back and as long as we can solve this peacefully, I'll just turn a blind eye and pretend nothing happened. You had fun with me and I'll give you that. It was good. My name is Darkeye. I got this spear from Frey and I would be very grateful if you could give it back to me. It was soaked in shark blood, I don't think you'd want one of those. I will forge you a better one when you come with me to the Grounds. But I can't let you have this spear. What is your answer? " he asked calmly. Was he a Shark it seemed so? Did Trinket not tell him a name? But was he rare or not maybe ask for a name.
Kaiden scowled as Darkeye appeared, their expression growing more severe as the man spoke. "First off, if this is from a god," They held up the spear, "... maybe you should have taken better care of it." It had been far too easy for the mershark to swipe after all. Granted that was mostly because the cleric was busy at the time. The mershark wouldn't have been able to do so in an actual confrontation.
"Second, why would I care if it was made with shark's blood? Clearly those were weak sharks if they were killed." If the creatures couldn't fight off an attacker, then they deserved their death. It wasn't Kaiden's blood that was used, so it didn't matter to them. Only their own survival mattered.
The final bit of Darkeye's speech received a snarl, "Thirdly, why would I ever go with you? I don't know you. I don't trust you. Your offer could so easily be a trap." Gods, it probably was. Why would anyone just offer up forging a custom weapon? Especially not to someone who took their own.
He nodded. "Yes I had better watch out for that I agree. Can't argue with you as much as I'd like to, I'm afraid."he said calmly. Still, he could handle this calmly. There was no need for blood to flow yet.
Again, he nodded quietly. " I just wanted it mentioned. Don't know how you mer feel about something like that. It should help make my offer more palatable. But you don't seem to care much. Good, then I know roughly what kind of creature you are," he said calmly. He slowly walked further toward him
"Because I could have killed you if I'd wanted to. I'm giving you a chance here right now. If you don't want to see it that way, then don't. But I'm close enough now to kill you if I wanted to. Because I haven't done that yet just shows that I'm trying to save lives after so much war and not have to take another life. It's your decision, Mer. What's it to be, dead or alive?" He grabbed one of his hand axes and was ready to throw it should Kaiden try to escape.
"It's my property. I'll take it from you alive or dead. I'd rather have it alive. I'll even give you something to compensate for it. Your life and a spear I'll forge for you and we'll pretend this never happened" he said again calmly. He did not believe that the mer would believe him. But he really did not want to kill him. But if the mer tried anything, he would teleport in front of him.
Kaiden sized up Darkeye and grit their teeth when they came to the conclusion that the man was likely telling the truth. Something about the cleric's stance spoke of experience and skill Even if the mer had the advantage of being in water, they didn't know enough about fighting with a spear to counter Darkeye's axes.
"Fucking hell. Fine. But that spear I get better be decent and not half-assed. Otherwise, I'll just take this back when you're not looking." Reluctantly, Kaiden laid the spear on the water and nudged it to Darkeye, letting it float over with the force of their push. They still didn't trust the man enough to get closer, but this way the spear was still returned to its rightful owner.
~
Darkeye has stolen the spear back from Kaiden!
Type: Light | Style: Other | Level: Basic
Karmic Spear | A finely forged weapon with vines engraved along the hilt. When hitting an enemy, the weapon causes Basic damage, but if hitting an ally, it will give Basic healing instead.
Darkeye took a deep breath and tried not to let his relief show. He grabbed the spear with which he had spent so much work. The only problem was with whom. A lot of Sunjata was attached to the spear. If it had not been Frey's, he would have left the spear here and now. It would have been only because of the theft. But since it was the first weapon they had made together. So he held on to it.
"I will forge it for you so that it lies well in the hand. But it won't be magical like this one. I can also show you how to use it. As you wish. That is my offer. You have your life back. You didn't just happen to talk to a little girl named Trinket, did you? Your name is not Kaiden. A girl with that name sent me a letter with that name," he said calmly, walking slowly in the direction of a small sailboat. He made it clear to the mer that he should follow. He wanted to keep his promise. They had potential.
"Deal." Kaiden grumbled, bristling at the mention of having their life back. The Accepted might be more powerful but that statement reeked of arrogance and entitlement to the mer. They would put up with Darkeye to get a weapon and training, but they would not forget that slight.
"Trinket?" It clicked for Kaiden, and they nodded to themselves, "You're the friend she mentioned." The mer swam alongside the bank, reluctantly following Darkeye. Clearly the man hadn't forged the weapon already, so why did they need the mer to come with them? It was suspicious and the mershark kept their guard up.
As they swam, Kaiden gave no confirmation or denial of their name, not feeling the need to.
Darkeye set about driving in the direction of the Ground. He seemed to know his way around boats. "I can use people like you Kaiden. You know the dark side of life. Do you have goals you want to achieve? Can you be recruited for certain services? There are places I can't go. But a mer like you should be able to. There is a place in the Grounds where the water has turned black. There's a tunnel system there. I'd be interested to know what's there. I don't know if it's dangerous or not, to be honest. But there are places to explore and I find that exciting," he said, not knowing if Kaiden was someone with a lot of ambition.
Now he was laughing. "I wouldn't call myself their friend. We were having a conversation. She thought living as well as killing is a game. So did her maker. Just disgusting. I don't want to be part of a game. Life is too precious to me for that. Apparently, she got part of that statement from you. Is she being hunted or do you even like to kill her?" He asked without any reproach in his voice. It seemed to be a normal topic for him. To be honest, he didn't care. It wasn't his daughter and if Ludo couldn't protect his child, maybe he shouldn't have created one. But his lack of response was a point that made her angry when he thought about it.
Kaiden followed Darkeye with a pinched brow, "My goal is the only one that matters. Survival. If what you want aids that, then I'm listening. Otherwise, find someone else." People's petty goals and unnecessary greed got them killed and usually ended up in them betraying others. The mershark refused to be that kind of person.
"Well, she referred to you as a friend." Kaiden didn't think Trinket would care that Darkeye refused the title, but it still rubbed them the wrong way. As did the man's flippant care for the child's wellbeing. Yes, the cleric was exactly the kind of person that Kaiden despised. Using and manipulating others only to talk about them behind their back and give zero care about their wellbeing. All while holding a high and mighty attitude. "Disgusting." The mershark mumbled to themselves.
"Trinket thinks in games and was trying to understand why I was hunting fish. I explained that life was the ultimate game that we all had to play, and that survival was winning. I told her the truth." Kaiden shrugged, "This world is dangerous, kill or be killed. If you want to 'win', you have to survive. And to survive you have to kill that which would kill you. Or kill to get what you need such as with hunting."
The mershark growled, "I have no need to harm the brat since she isn't interfering with my own survival." They shot Darkeye a pointed glare, "Not sure where you fall just yet."
A laugh was heard. "I thought you were just a boy who didn't know the way yet. But the fact that you already know life's most important lesson shows me that you haven't had it easy. I strive for survival, yes. But not alone, but in a group. If you like it that way, that we help each other survive, I think we can make it easier for each other. If not, we go back to the status quo and you go your way and I go mine. I just think life requires more of us than just surviving. We don't have to be friends," he said coldly. He knew Kaiden would stab him in the back at the best opportunity. But he wanted to see if the Mer had the potential for more.
Darkeye was no friend of Ludo and his kind, just as Trinket behaved im. But that the Mer had called life a game. That made him a little angry, but in that respect, he was still a child. He had yet to find himself and understand that life was not always about survival. That you couldn't save everyone. Darkeye had never tried to take advantage of Trinket in any way, but he just didn't like her kind.
He concentrated on steering the boat. But this remark made him pause for a moment. "You told her your truth. But I think the direction is something everyone has to decide for themselves. For her, I think it's gaining knowledge at any cost. But I don't know her for that, to judge her. I have different goals than you do. For example, I don't see life as a game. You won't get a second chance. Sometimes life can be a punishment. A person who lives and loses everything around him, friends and family, people who were important to him, might see life as a punishment. Such things can change like the wind. That doesn't mean your way of life or your ideas about it are wrong," he said, trying not to let on that he disagreed with that belief.
"If a girl comes up to you that you don't know. and tells you that she's going to get killed. You should give her an ax so she can split the person's skull. Of course, you try to help, but not without questioning things. But then it turns out to be a kind of game. She doesn't see it as a danger. She is Ludo's daughter or his creation. He's playing a trick on her. I don't know when she's really hurting someone with her games. She doesn't know the rules, she doesn't know how to behave, and she sent me a letter with your name on it. I think she expects me to kill you. But first I form an opinion about someone. I don't kill without a reason. That's the reason we're talking. I don't do what some would-be god tells me to do. I have my own mind. " he said and sailed on. Trinket was someone to keep an eye on. She was perhaps as dangerous as a Sunjata if given too much time.
Kaiden let out a rumble, "I'll think about it." Their eyes sharpened and they gave a firm nod, "Like hell we'd ever be friends. You've got that part right." But could the man beside him be useful? Would teaming up with Darkeye for a task actually be in their best interest? The mershark wasn't so sure just yet.
As Darkeye gave his views, Kaiden couldn't stop the bark of humorless laughter that escaped them. "Not all games are fun or even chosen. Nor can they all be played a second time. When I say 'game' I don't mean some flippant thing. I mean it's...." The mershark paused, trying to find the words. "It's just the most important thing. The overarching...task?" They threw their hands up in exasperation, "I don't know how to explain it. You get it or you don't."
It was both unsurprising but still unsettling to hear Darkeye talk about Trinket. "She thinks in games." Kaiden repeated before adding, "That's not something I can or have the motivation to fix. But no, she doesn't understand things yet."
The mention of Trinket asking Darkeey to kill them should have been concerning. Instead, it was amusing and Kaiden snickered, "No. She doesn't want you to kill me. Then it would be your win, not hers." Trinket liked to win. IF she wanted the mershark dead, she'd do it herself. At least, they thought so.
"It will not be easy Young Mer. But the chances are better if you sometimes team up." The mer didn't know how thin the ice was getting right now. Darkeye had let him get away with the theft and that was thanks to him. This arrogant child had to be taught a lesson, it remains to be seen if there will be an opportunity. He was no better than Trinket in that case.
He laughed. "You have your way and you see it that way. But don't expect everyone else to see it exactly that way. I just think the game is the wrong word for it. But that's my opinion. It doesn't mean that what I say is right. But death is not a game. Those who play with him have not understood life. Making the best of yourself is my idea of your truth." He said calmly, but inside it was boiling.
Again, he laughed out loud. "That's the problem Kaiden so she doesn't think. Trinket likes to win at any cost. It doesn't matter if she has to cheat, murder, or steal to do it, that's what makes her so dangerous. She is not a child of Kaiden, she is Ludo's creation. The walking chaos. If you think she's just a little girl, think again if you've really looked at her closely," he said with some doubt in his voice.
12-27-2022, 03:30 PM (This post was last modified: 12-27-2022, 03:31 PM by Kaiden.)
kaiden
There is no shame in survival
Only strength
Kaiden stayed silent as Darkeye spoke. As the man laughed at them. The mershark's tail thrashed with their annoyance. "Fine. Different perspectives and all that shit." Agree to disagree, that was the polite term. But the mer was done being even marginally polite.
It was only now just hitting that Trinket was Ludo's child. The mer had hardly listened to that statement the first time. But now? Now it just made them furious at Darkeye. "Maybe she doesn't have to. Maybe she does and she's crazy. But if she's a demi-god, a demigod of the herald of death? Then you have no place judging how she views the concept." Kaiden fully agreed that the way Trinket viewed life and death was messed up. But she was a demigod of Ludo. Who were they to challenge her view on death?
Kaiden swam backwards to distance themselves from Darkeye, their eyes narrowed. "If you think you know death better than Ludo, maybe you should check yourself first. That kind of arrogance will make you lose the life you claim to hold so dear." With that, Kaiden turned and dove beneath the waves, leaving Darkeye alone.
