From Attuned to Ascended to Ancient, Kiada Njovu-Reyes has been reborn several times throughout her short life, but her fighting spirit has never once been diminished. With beauty, grace and a quick wit, Kiada is the whole package wrapped in an infectious smile. Recent endeavours have found her in the heart of the Hollowed Grounds, aiding the region and bettering it for her new Ancient kin, and whatever she does next, we know it's sure to pack a punch.
Congratulations, Kiada!
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!
01-23-2023, 04:28 PM (This post was last modified: 02-22-2023, 06:00 PM by Kaiden.)
kaiden
There is no shame in survival
Only strength
Kaiden made their way to one of the training grounds in the city. It felt wrong to be around so many other mers, so many other people. But the mershark wanted to train and this was the best place to find a partner that wouldn't try to kill them.
Despite not liking Darkeye, they had liked that spear. Kaiden had decided that they wanted to learn how to wield one, and as they looked at the racks of practice weapons, they picked one up. It was heavier than Darkeye's, longer too. They twisted it around in their hand, trying to get a feel for it. It felt off-balance so they put it back and tried another one. This one was too short.
Letting out a huff, Kaiden scowled. Why was this so difficult?
Try this one. The spear was offered from the merman who had swum up beside Kaiden, Hadama's slow movement through the water deceptively stealthy.
He had been surprised but pleased to see the young mershark in the training grounds outside the Palace, and remembering how their last encounter had ended he had already been considering which of the weapons would suit Kaiden's slender strength. It was a tricky business, choosing a weapon for another, but before he had been a king he had been a sea smith, learning in his mother's underwater forge. No easy task when his magic had not blossomed in the ways that would have allowed him to follow in her wake, but he knew quite a bit about weapons and how to suit them to those who would wield them.
Kaiden did not startle when Hadama appeared. Their eyes only widened, slightly. They took the offered spear and had to restrain their surprise. It felt more balanced than any of the others, a far better fit. It's a good spear. It felt more natural in their hands than the rest they'd tried. Figures that the King would have an eye for such things.
Barely. A spontaneous week of spearfishing was all the experience that Kaiden had. But it wasn't zero! And by spontaneous week, they mean the week where they had stolen and kept Darkeye's spear before the man came and took it back. Damn him.
Kaiden's praise was a rare thing, and Hadama accepted it with solemn gravitas, nodding at the mershark's words. It was a good spear. But the other mer's answer to his question gave him thoughtful pause. 'Barely' could mean a great many things, depending on the person and what they were comparing themselves to.
The King swam back a short way to look around, then gave a tilt of his head towards an empty ring of kelp before leading Kaiden there. He shrugged his trident off his back, gripping the blessed coral lightly but firmly as he turned to face the younger Mer again. Show me, he invited, relaxed and confident as he readied himself to see what the shark had learned - either bad or good - of his previous time with a spear.
01-25-2023, 02:51 PM (This post was last modified: 01-25-2023, 02:52 PM by Kaiden.)
kaiden
There is no shame in survival
Only strength
A hint of apprehension trickled through the bond at the sight of the trident, despite Kaiden's will. Still, they steeled themselves with a nod. Ok. They eyed Hadama for a moment, trying to see any clear openings or weak spots.
Coming up with an idea, they surged forward with a thrash of their tail. Once they got closer, they swooped down and came up sharply, trying to stab their spear into the lower abdomen of the King. If the other mer didn't block the attack from below, Kaiden would simply poke them with the tip to prevent injury beyond a minor scratch.
This was a strategy they'd used to hunt mahi mahi when they'd had Darkeye's spear.
There were many openings as Hadama floated calmly, holding his trident at the ready but not in an obvious position of offense or defense. Relaxed and comfortable with his weapon, he watched Kaiden's eyes, waiting for the light of decision to fill them before the mershark charged.
They were younger and had an impressive sprint, but Hadama had something that mahi mahi didn't.
He had a weapon of his own.
He pulled the haft of the trident back and twisted it a quarter turn so the narrow edge cut through the water in a short arc as he maneuvered it at the last moment to point down towards the incoming mer, then thrust straight down to meet Kaiden as they rose up. The mershark's spear would tickle the King's stomach in a light scratch, but the younger man with the shorter reach might find the sparkling tines of starlight tickling his throat. Not even enough to draw blood; Hadama's familiarity with his own weapon was formidable, and he held back his thrust to avoid any potential lethality.
But he hoped that Kaiden had gotten the point.
A good thrust, he rumbled. But reckless when my reach is longer. Withdrawing his trident, he reached out to tap the flat of the spear's blade. Again. But remember the counterthrust.
He swam back a little ways to put them back at a good distance for their weapons and set his weapon again; this time holding a more obvious defensive posture now that Kaiden had proved their ability to stab properly with the weapon.
Kaiden's eyes widened as they noted the ease with which Hadama wielded his weapon. They'd thought they were being clever by not going for a full-frontal attack. But they'd failed to consider the King's reach. Having the weapon so close to their neck sent shivers down their spine and against their will a spark of fear traveled through the bond, only fading when Hadama put distance between the two mer.
Letting out an exhale through their nose, Kaiden regrouped, simply giving the King a nod in response to his words. Another heartbeat and the mershark was on the move, with more caution than before. They attempted to use their smaller size and agility to their advantage. They rushed forward and at the last second, twisted to try and stab Hadama's side before the King could block it.
02-02-2023, 10:15 PM (This post was last modified: 02-06-2023, 01:26 AM by Hadama.)
Kaiden appeared to be taking his words to heart and Hadama watched the promising young shark with quiet satisfaction as the lesson made it past their armor of pride. They were fast and fearless and the King had taken a personal interest in ensuring their survival to the best of his abilities. For now, that meant training them in the sort of weapons work that would help to handle "civilized" foes that fought with more than just teeth and muscle.
He didn't have long to wait before Kaiden closed the distance again in another sprint, this time going to the side instead of down.
But in the end it was still a charge with a direction change at the last moment. The spear tip came close but the mermanta twisted in place on his tail, both hands shortening the haft of the trident as he knocked Kaiden's attack to the side in a sharp, explosive movement that kept his own polearm partially shielding his body crosswise. Their weapons reverberated in their hands at the solid impact. But unlike last time he kept moving, using the momentum from his block to bounce his weapon back to point at Kaiden again.
This time his back hand slid the short-gripped trident's shaft forward like a pool cue through his front hand as his looser forward grip aimed it towards the shark's chest in a fluid jab now that the other Mer was wide open.
Kaiden grumbled when they realized that Hadama had caught on to their attack pattern. It seemed that they'd need to get creative. They saw Hadama's weapon coming in for a hit to their chest and twisted with more grace than they thought themselves capable of. The hit dodged, Kaiden kept their momentum going and tried to turn it into an attack.
As they completed their twist, Kaiden tried to jab the butt of their spear into Hadama' side, away from where the King's weapon hopefully was. They weren't used to fighting like this, but they had to reluctantly admit that it was kind of fun. Though they'd deny any of the excitement and eagerness that leaked into the bond.
The younger mershark was certainly swifter and more agile than the larger mermanta, and though there was a faint pulse of wry amusement in the bond at that thought Hadama soon had other things to worry about. Kaiden's dodge was as neat and efficient as any instructor could wish, but of far greater pride to their King was how quickly they took the initiative to turn that dodge into a return attack.
In a true fight he could have used his magic to skew or soften the blow, but for the purposes of a fair training fight he kept to his weapon alone and was unable to block in time. The spear butt struck home and he grunted at the impact, but not before he noted the flash of positive emotions through the bond.
Releasing one hand from his trident he took advantage of having Kaiden's weapon so near. He couldn't undo the hit that he'd taken, but he grabbed for his opponent's spear shaft and yanked hard on it, attempting to pull the mershark into his own weapon as he finished swinging the trident back around. He was careful to aim the tines so they would only graze the mershark's hair if he was successful, and not actually hurt the other Mer.
Kaiden gulped as Hadama yanked on their weapon, hardly being given the time to celebrate landing a blow. As the King pulled them close, the mershark twisted, doing a barrel roll, and evaded the weapon entirely. Using their momentum, they attempted to yank their weapon free, while also smacking the shaft of Hadama's trident with their tail.
If they could knock the weapon out of the King's hand as well as retrieve their own, the mershark would have a brief moment to regroup and come up with a plan. As much as they hated to admit it, the subtle amusement hinted that the King was taking it easy on them. And that fact set Kaiden on guard.
Kaiden was strong but Hadama was significantly stronger. When they tried to yank their weapon back it didn't budge so much as an inch. Instead the mermanta flexed his tail and drove forward, pushing Kaiden ahead of him so long as the mershark held on to his weapon. It changed the position of his own trident and their attempted tail slap cut harmlessly through the water without making contact.
The seaweed-defined ring was large by necessity; underwater combat tended to involve a lot more movement than similar spars on land. Even so, Hadama used his greater size and weight to advantage to try to drive Kaiden back and attempt to push him out of the ring before he stopped, releasing the other Mer's weapon and backing off whether or not he was successful. Well done, he called out, the sincerity of his praise impossible to fake in the bond. It is a strong start. He began to swim towards the weapon racks, nodding to some of the other guards who were cycling through the training grounds. Your speed is a great strength. And your instincts are good.
He paused, emerald eyes gleaming with amusement as he looked back over his shoulder at the younger Mer. Are you hungry now?
Kaiden gritted their teeth as Hadama pushed them towards the edge of the ring. The mershark just barely managed to settle on the edge, a hair's-breadth from tumbling out. The mounting frustration at their defeat was instantly dispelled as Hadama's praise registered. Kaiden wanted to deny the sincerity, wanted to find the ulterior motive in the words. But there was none to be found and it threw them through a loop for a moment, their shock filtering through despite their will.
Thank you. You're uh... a good fighter. Too. They were trying, ok? The King had clearly earned his position, undeniably a warrior in his own right. Kaiden's scowled lightly as they considered their own train of thought. A train that was paused at Hadama's next question.
Just as they were about to speak, Kaiden's stomach audibly rumbled. Scowl deepening, they tsked but nodded. Yes.
Hadama's scars weren't just for show, though the mermanta was peaceful by nature. When his back was against the reef, however, he fought with calm, ruthless efficiency, as he'd shown when facing the Sea Panther cub during the War. Still, earning Kaiden's approval brought him a quiet satisfaction and he inclined his head in acceptance of the mershark's rare praise.
The rumble of a nearby stomach sounded like boulders shifting on the sea floor and the King maintained his stoic expression only by dint of significant discipline and an iron will. Come, he invited, swimming slowly away from the training grounds and towards the market. I need to gather ingredients for LongNight. There is a stall with fresh flounder. Do you know it?
Leading the way, he soon brought them to a small shop tucked off the main avenue of the market's spiral, easy to miss if one didn't know what to look for. Murmuring a greeting to the owner - a burly old woman with an eel tail - he began to peruse the offerings with a gleaming emerald eye, leaving Kaiden to make their own selection.
