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!
It was kind of weird to be part of a guild again, but also kind of comforting, Tal decided as he poked around the armory of the Adventurer's Guild. He wasn't usually much of a team player, and he wasn't always the best at following someone else's directions, but it was still nice to belong somewhere. And while the Adventurer's might fight the occasional monster, the guild wasn't focused around hunting and killing. As tough as he liked to act, the courier was actually kind of relieved that they'd be doing more in the way of exploring and trying new things.
It was still weird as hail that he felt like one of the handful of adults in the Guild, though. Since when was he the responsible one? He could barely take care of himself and his dragon!
In the midst of his musing he came across an axe hanging on the wall. His thoughtful scowl lightened to something almost bright as he reached for it and took it down, finding the heft and balance of it with a few careful practice swings. "Been awhile, huh..." he murmured to himself, voice almost fond. He was too distracted by his nostalgia to realize that he was no longer alone in the room as he put the weapon slowly through its paces, feeling the muscle memory returning with every cut and twist of the axe in his hands.
Edmund had time on his hands and elected to hone what Hadama had taught him. With his corsèque in hand, the young guildmaster headed to the training grounds outside of the building. As he passed the wing that led to the armory, he spotted Tal testing out one of the axes.
"Talyson. Good morning." Glancing at the weapon in the courier's hand he gave a small smile, "Would you like to test it in a spar? I was just heading to the training grounds." It would be beneficial to the Ancient as well. Learning how to counter different weapons using his own might save his life in the long run.
Tal didn't yelp for once at the sudden voice behind him, but he did fumble the axe for a second. Luckily he reacted quickly enough to catch it before it could fall, but his embarrassed scowl was in full force as he turned to see his new guildmaster in the hall. The scowl wasn't for Edmund - it was entirely at himself for losing track of his surroundings and letting someone sneak up on him, and then being butter-fingered enough to almost drop his weapon - but that didn't mean it was obvious who the grouchy expression was aimed at.
"Sparrin'? I mean... sure, I could do that," he agreed awkwardly, hefting the weapon on front of him almost defensively as he glanced down at it and then back to the young man who had pulled the whole guild together.
He followed Edmund down to the trainings grounds outside and took up a defensive stance, brows furrowing in concentration as he adjusted his grip on the weapon, finding its balance anew. "I guess we haven't really talked much, huh?" It wasn't the most graceful opener, but it beat standing around in silence trying to beat the shit out of each other, he figured. And if they were going to be working together they probably should get to know each other a little better, yeah?
Edmund politely didn't comment on Tal's less-than-graceful actions and instead just nodded in agreement, "Perfect." Tail swishing behind him he led them both to the grounds. Once they arrived the young Ancient spun his corsèque to adjust his grip as he spoke, "We haven't had many opportunities to do so." Living in different regions paired with recent guild activities being quite hectic had been an unintentional deterrent.
Once Talyson was ready, Edmund lunged in an attempt to strike the side of the axe and knock it out of the other man's hand. As he did so, he continued the conversation, "You're a courier, correct? Do you enjoy it?"
Tal followed behind and took his place across the circle, shuffling his feet a little to get the feel of pavement and sand under his feet instead of snow. It was weird and he wasn't sure he liked it, but it wasn't the worst ground he'd ever fought on. "Well... yeah, I guess not," he agreed lamely, remembering his whole reason for joining the Guild in the first place and feeling a little embarrassed. He definitely couldn't admit it to the guildmaster now so he'd just have to do his best...
Bouncing up on the balls of his feet, Tal tossed the axe lightly in his palms as he started to warm up--
And then bit back a yelp as Edmund suddenly lunged. The corseque hit the axe and Tal fumbled the weapon for the second time, only catching it before it hit the ground due to his reflexes. He got his foot under him and pushed up and forward, trying to get inside Edmund's reach as he swung the blunt side of the axe towards the Ancient's side. "Uh, yeah, s'pretty good. Lotsa travel an' shit. What'd you do before this whole Guild thing?" he asked, blissfully oblivious to the other man's origins.
Tal recovered quickly and Edmund made no comment on having caught the man off guard. The courier's axe grazed the Ancient's side with enough force to leave a small bruise. Letting out a grunt, Edmund grimaced slightly as he answered Tal's innocent question, "It's...complicated. But in short, I was reborn as an Ancient and had to handle the consequences, both good and bad of my choice."
Twisting, Edmund attempted to twist and knock the shaft of his weapon into Tal's shoulder. The older man had strong reflexes but maybe if he hit a pressure point, the young Ancient could gain an advantage.
Tal just assumed that his weapon's impact was the reason for Edmund's grimace, but the answer he got wasn't the simple one-word career choice he'd been expecting. "Oh shit, really?" His 'tactful' reaction ended with a grunt as he lifted the haft of the axe and twisted his hips to catch the corseque on his own weapon's shaft. The upside was that he stopped the incoming attack fairly easily.
The downside was that he couldn't really swing his axe now.
He solved the conundrum by taking a step forward, sliding his axe along the corseque's shaft and then kicking out with his other foot, attempting to plant his boot in Edmund's chest and shove the young guildmaster back and away in an aggressive disengagement.
"So y'mean y'used t'be... human?" That... that was literally what Edmund had just implied, Tal. But the courier wanted to make sure he was understanding exactly what the Ancient meant. "An' you've really met th'new goddess?"
Tal's reaction made Edmund's lips twitch, not having expected the exclamation. As the spar intensified the Ancient wasn't able to respond immediately. The courier's foot planting on his chest held his attention. Although Tal wasn't able to push him back or hit him with much force.
Barely reacting apart form a slight rush of air leaving his lungs, Edmund attempted to grab hold of Talyson's ankle to trap the other man. Simultaneously he stabbed the blunt end of his weapon at the older man's side.
"Yes. I was an Abandoned and went to Mother to request rebirth." The Ancient smiled softly, "She accepted me." The transformation from human to Ancient had been intense. Overwhelming and intimate as everything that he had once been burned away and reforged into something greater. The resulting bloodlust had been all encompassing thought Edmund quickly pushed away the memory of the man he'd killed in the process.
Luckily for Tal, Edmund releasing his weapon with one hand to try and grab at the courier's leg just meant that he lost control of his weapon and missed his attempt to trap the Accepted. The older man's movements were too fast (this time), and he skipped lightly back across the courtyard pavers, opening some distance between them and freeing up his weapon for his next attack.
It also gave Edmund a chance to talk, and Tal wrinkled his nose when he used the word 'Mother.' That was never not weird, and sent an uncomfortable shiver down his spine in memory of how the Ascended tended to talk about their goddess. "Did y'hate your magic that much?" he asked, bluntly curious. It wasn't uncommon with Abandoned, especially those from the Grounds, but wasn't Edmund from Torchline...?
Regardless, Tal darted to the side and forward at an angle, spinning the axe smoothly and then jabbing the butt of the handle towards the side of Edmund's ribs as he moved past.
Edmund startled and sharply shook his head, "No. I had fire magic and I loved it. Being reborn was just an expansion of that." Ancients were beings of stone, fire, and passion. Adjusting his grip on his weapon he added, "It's allowed me to better protect what's most important to me."
Talyson moved and the conversation halted one more. The courier's superior experience proved itself once more as handle dug into the Ancient's side. Gritting his teeth at his new bruise, Edmund quickly turned. He attempted to lightly graze Tal's side as the man passed him. If he landed the hit, the courier would likely only have a small tear in his shirt.
Tal didn't look entirely convinced that a pair of shiny horns and a weird flippy tail really made anyone a better protector, but he didn't know enough about Ancients to disbelieve Edmund completely, either. "Yeah? What's that?" he asked, genuinely curious about what Edmund had transformed himself - rebirthed himself? - to protect.
Curiosity killed the cat, as they said. Luckily Tal was a dog person, and though his jab hit home the corseque caught him before he could quite make it out of range, leaving a neat cut in his shirt but otherwise not hurting him. "Hey!" A startled grin flashed sharply across his features and he spun, attempting to bring the axe down on the corseque's shaft with a resounding clang! and knock it from Edmund's hands if he was successful. "D'y'think I could meet her sometime? Y'got me curious, now," he admitted. "Though I dunno about all the blood stuff..."
10-30-2023, 01:47 AM (This post was last modified: 10-30-2023, 11:24 AM by Edmund.)
"That which I can't live without. My family and region." And now Mother too had been added to the list of precious people and things that Edmund would fight tooth and nail for. Whether it be with fire or blood-soaked hands, all would be fiercely protected by the young Ancient without restraint or compunction.
Edmund smiled at Tal's exclamation and used the courier's surprise to push his advantag, blocking the axe with the prongs of his weapon and ending their spar with a nod.
Disengaging their weapons, Edmund held out a hand for the other man to shake, "That was a wondaful spar, thank you." Tail flicking happily, he added , "And you should absolutely go meet Mother. I'd gladly guide your through the Climb if you needed assistance."
The mention of blood being a barrier was noted and the young Ancient nibbled his lip as he considered possible solutions, "Mother prefers blood offerings. If you're not comfortable with giving some of your own perhaps the blood of creature you hunted? I'm not sure if it would work but it'd be better than offering any trinket."
Tal scowled as his attack was successfully blocked, clearly disappointed at having lost the advantage at the end, but he reached out to shake Edmund's hand with a firm grip. The scowl faded at the Ancient's praise, and the corner of his mouth even kicked up in what was suspiciously close to a grin. "You too," he admitted, gruffly pleased that his new guild leader wasn't a pushover. "It was fun."
The offer of a guide and the suggestions that followed had the courier's open face screwed up in a complicated expression, but he nodded slowly. "I think I know where th'shrine is," he said slowly, remembering a trip through the Climb with Sah, and the Abandoned's struggle with his magic in the Cathedral. "Could bring somethin' from huntin', too, I guess." If he'd been hoping for the company of someone who might protect him from the bloodthirsty new/old goddess, well, it would seem he'd have to look elsewhere. But that was a problem for Flowerbirth, and the courier shook it off and grinned more sincerely. "Thanks, k--uh, Edmund. I better get goin', but just send a raven if th'guild needs somethin'."
He made sure to put the axe back in the armory before collecting his dozing dragon and heading back to the depot to see where his next delivery would be taking him.
