What do you get when two ruthless assassins raise their daughter travelling through the wildest reaches of Caido? Take one look at Theea and you'll get a pretty good idea. Cheerful and tenacious in equal measure, and curious beyond all else, she began her journey on a mission to find those her mother once called family. And find them she did, soon rubbing elbows with demigods, leaders and even ghosts from the past. Her determination is resolute, her thirst for knowledge unmatched. We can't wait to see where her next adventure takes her!
Congratulations, Theea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
OG Skinning provided by Kaons, with functionality and many custom plugins made by Neowulf!
He hadn't expected to run into Maea in Torchline on his first courier run of the new year, but he'd been glad to see the Ancient before their upcoming foray into Hak Etme. She'd seemed kind of down and Tal had offered a training run on the Peregrine to try and cheer her up. What if they needed to repel boarders at some point? They'd need to know how to fight aboard the small vessel, making use of her rigging and getting used to the constraints of her deck.
Or at least that was his excuse as they cruised out over the Arclight, the trim little skyboat tacking a lazy course along the Kuali'i Isles to the Maw. If anyone fell overboard, Tal figured that landing in water would be softer than landing on rock or sand, right? And anyways, he was kind of morbidly curious about the legendary crater in the sea.
As they sailed a low course over the waves the Maw did not disappoint. The sea turned black ahead of them, an enormous hole opening up in the tropical waters and plunging untold fathoms into darkness. It sent a shiver down the courier's spine, but it definitely made for an impressive backdrop as the wind whipped at their hair and darker clouds scudded across a white sky that could turn stormy again at any moment.
Boreal battled the winds to soar above them, keeping a weather-eye out for trouble as Tal hefted his Dagger in his off-hand and a belaying pin in the other. He'd tied a red scarf over his hair - less shaggy than usual thanks to Koa - and gave Maea a grin as he put on his best piratical accent. "Arr, lassie! I'm here t'steal your ship!" he claimed from his place at the bow, balancing precariously with one foot on the bowsprit and the other on the rail. "Avast, an' shit!" And with that bold claim he flung the belaying pin towards Maea's head and darted towards the mast!
Down and out, and out of luck, we're spinning but the needle's stuck
She was kind of down. Out of luck, out of fight, out of ideas and out of sorts, and perhaps she would have preferred to hole up somewhere and brood where she didn't have to talk to anyone. Or smile.
But Talyson had several good points about learning to move around the ship while fighting, and dwelling on her problems hadn't been enough to solve them so far. So she put on a pleasant face and stuffed her mood into the locker alongside her bag and coat, and rolled up her sleeves as the Messenger took them out to sea.
Crystal clear turquoise water turned to vibrant marine, only to deepen into blackest midnight as they passed over the Maw. It reminded her of the Black Lake, stabbing needles of home sickness into her that did absolutely nothing to distract her. Then there was Tal; the scarf on his head and the shit-eating grin was given a long, patient look before she sighed and bared her fangs in what looked more like a sour grimace than a smile.
"Have at me, then, you... uh... poxy cur?" It came out more as a question than an insult, but hey. She didn't speak pirate.
Ducking under the wooden object she snatched up her chakram and took off to block his path to the mast. What did she need to do to protect her - apparently it was hers, now - boat? Uh, rudder, mast, sails, and all of those relied on ropes. Got it. Protect the ropes. She set one of the red-rimmed discs into spin around a finger and sent it flying towards Tal to distract him. She hoped it wouldn't hit; she also hoped it wouldn't set the Peregrine on fire. Considering her luck lately, it was a very real possibility.
Okay, so she wasn't cheered up yet, but they were only just getting started! The belaying pin was harder to throw than it looked and Maea ducked easily out of the way with a good faith effort at an insult but something felt just a little... off...?
"I think it's a 'scurvy do--?' Hey!" He yelped as the fiery chakram came at him and he had to think fast. It wasn't coming that close, but if it went over the edge they'd lose it and he didn't fancy a swim in the Maw to get it back!
He reacted more on instinct than anything else, sticking out his Dagger to try and catch the spinning disk on the blade, and he was probably more surprised than Maea when it actually worked. With an elated grin and the confidence that came of succeeding at something more by luck than intention, he whipped his Dagger around and sent the chakram spinning around it flying back at its owner! "You'll be walkin' the, uh, plank afore sunset you...you... uh, scabby sea bass?" A somewhat difficult threat to carry out since the Peregrine didn't even have a plank!
But for the moment the 'pirate' had been distracted from his advance on the rigging!
Down and out, and out of luck, we're spinning but the needle's stuck
Deciding to leave the pirate lingo to Tal and use his distraction to close the distance to the mast, she managed to get there before him. It was not as easy as it could have been to run races on the sky boat. There were stacks of rope neatly coiled everywhere, lines and beams and a sail to duck beneath, and her wide arching horns did not make it easy for her to wriggle through in certain places.
She let out a surprised whoop when he deftly managed to catch her throwing disc on his dagger, and for a second her smile flashed wide and bright in genuine delight. But then he sent the sharp weapon flying back at her, and it was entirely reflex and very little thinking that made her reach out to catch it.
Mistake. Bad, horrible, awful mistake - hissing a blood-curdling curse foul enough to make a real pirate blush, Maea dropped the chakram and clasped her wrist. A deep gash had opened in her palm, and unbidden a red glow started up from the blood that dripped onto the deck. Red, gleaming, powerful... but dark, in a way that the healing gift was not.
Somewhat apprehensive - but also morbidly curious to see what would happen - she turned the magic on Talyson, not realizing that her eyes had gone utterly black - deeper, darker, more pitiless than the Maw below.
Magic: Bloodbane | Can injure themselves for upgraded damage to weaken others at a mastered level with a range of 20ft.
The smile on Maea's face made all the stupid pirate talk worthwhile, and a grin split Tal's face to match her own as the chakram sped away from him and towards her. He hadn't really been thinking when he sent it back; it had been instinct, pure and simple. It hadn't even occurred to him that she wouldn't be able to catch her own weapon - in hindsight a really dumb assumption, given how Ludo had him stabbing himself with his Dagger - and at her colorful curse and the drops of crimson hitting the deck, Tal's smile instantly dropped away.
"Oh, shit!" He hesitated moment, torn between continuing the spar and going to check on her, but the eyes that rose to meet his were anything but defeated.
In fact, they were kind of scary.
Then the pain hit. He wasn't really sure how or where it was coming from other than Maea, and it was Tal's turn to let out an explosive "Fuck!" from between clenched teeth. He wasn't sure how she was doing it, but he wasn't going to stand there like an idiot and let it happen. He moved with the lithe confidence of a man who had rebuilt his ship with his own hands, his love and care put into every plank and twist of rope. He dove over a pile of rope, knowing the deck was clear enough behind it for him to hit with a roll and come up behind the mast, keeping it between himself and the Ancient for a heartbeat before he leaned around it to throw a short, careful jab with his Dagger at his friend to try and break her concentration. He pulled the punch, very much aware that it was still just training, and very glad that they'd both be able to heal each other up afterwards.
"New trick?" he called as he ducked back into cover. "It packs a fuckin' punch!"
Tal stabs for basic damage with his Dagger
Down and out, and out of luck, we're spinning but the needle's stuck
The expletive from his lips didn't bother her. Power was surging through her veins, leeching out with the flowing blood, and it felt good. Warm, velvety, it lingered like a metallic tang on her tongue and it was so seductive that she reached down for the disc on the deck, to see if she could squeeze more crimson joy out of her veins.
A stab of pain punched into her shoulder before she could do anything else however, and as Talyson had hoped it disrupted her focus. Hissing and clutching the upper arm to keep from agitating the wound, the next time she looked up her eyes were back to normal again, and with a nauseating realization of what she'd been about to do, Maea backed off.
"A-apparently." she got out, teeth chattering in the aftermath of that black delight. Her hand hurt; squeezing it tightly to agitate the already present wound, it was the bloodboon she called for this time, to close the cuts and stop the bleeding before she made a mess. "You okay?"
It wasn't like she wanted to quit, exactly. But it might be best for everyone involved to pause at least for a moment before they continued. And she felt... felt like she owed Tal a free shot. For using him as a test subject in the first place.
He could deal with hissing and curses while they were sparring, but the weird chattering of her teeth and the stutter in her voice was definitely not the usual response to playing rough and tumble. He cautiously poked his head around the mast to check on her just as she asked after him, and he relaxed a little as it seemed like they were taking a small breather. He surreptitiously activated his Ring and straightened a little, breathing easier as its healing magic washed through him. "Yeah, caught me by surprise is all," he admitted ruefully. "Are you okay? Your eyes went all... black an' scary right before y'hit me with whatever that was. Y'seemed kind o' out of it."
He sidled out from behind the mast and put his Dagger away as he moved over to peer at her own hurts, which she was already in the process of healing up. He grimaced a little, but shrugged since it seemed to work for her. He wasn't enough of a masochist to hit himself every time he needed healing...
Then again, with his current Ludo quest he was going to have to stab himself again eventually, and that reminder drew a quiet huff of resignation from him. "D'you wanna keep goin'? Or take a break?"
07-07-2024, 05:15 PM (This post was last modified: 07-07-2024, 05:16 PM by Maea.)
Down and out, and out of luck, we're spinning but the needle's stuck
Dragging down a pained gulp of air, reeling from the agony both suffered and self inflicted, it was a relief to hear him speak. It meant the damage she had done was not permanent - and gods, she couldn't stand the thought of upsetting another friend right now - but when he expressed concern, she was quick to shake her head.
"No, let's keep going. If we stop now... Anyway, I'll explain later."
Counting out loud from five, she braced herself and shot up at the three, two, one! Sprinting towards the Messenger, it was with raised fists this time. No weapons, no magic - just fisticuffs, in an imagined last ditch effort to press this pirate back towards the railing where, if she was able, a good captain should be able to throw the offender overboard. Right? That's what happened to pirates? Or was she getting this twisted around..?
Either way, he would be met with a small fist aiming at his midriff, because try as she might Maea just wouldn't be able to comfortably reach his chin.
Admittedly, Tal was pretty easily upset by the weirdest things, but going rough in a spar wasn't one of them. He trusted Maea to be able to take what he could dish out and vice versa, and it made their training sessions all the more realistic - and therefore useful. Learning to think through - and push through - the pain of getting hit for real just couldn't be practiced any other way.
"Well... sure, then," he agreed, not entirely convinced but not about to argue with her. Maybe it was what she needed to shake off whatever had spooked her? So he backed up a few paces while she counted and then raised his fists to meet her charge.
And to be honest he was expecting a shot to his jaw. For some reason most people seemed to want to punch him in the face and he was already raising his hand to block her when she went unexpectedly low, her small fist driving into his stomach and packing a lot of force into a small surface area. The breath whooshed out of him in a wheezing "Arrrrr---ghhh--!" as he staggered back a step and bent over, but he wasn't above putting his hard head to good use, and he tried to clonk Maea with a headbutt once he was down to her level.
Down and out, and out of luck, we're spinning but the needle's stuck
That was the one benefit of being short; she aimed in places where most weren't used to getting hit. Though to be honest she wondered who it hurt more, because driving her knuckles into Talyson's gut was not that different from hitting a brick wall, and she could swear she felt her finger bones groaning from the impact.
Then lightning struck. Oh wait, no, it was just his head colliding with hers. The effect was pretty much the same. Blinding white light flashed in her eyes and brought her down on her knees without so much as a 'beg your pardon'. Her ears rang with the impact and with a long, keening wince she clasped her forehead in both hands.
And it just kept going. On and on and on. "Wha - is yor head--- made ooof?" she whimpered, tongue thick in her mouth.
This wasn't even remotely funny. It was NOT. Stop laughing.
Ludo should just have the man headbutt his opponents from now on. Maea could swear it did more damage than that bleeding dagger of his.
On the plus side, he felt Maea dropping to the deck in front of him. On the minus side, he couldn't see it happening because his own vision had flashed white and then black as he staggered back and then promptly sat down on his ass on the deck.
The fight was definitely knocked out of the Ancient, so Tal decided that he'd won - and never mind that he'd knocked the fight out of himself in the process. "Ma alwaysss said it wash good Halovian granite," he boasted smugly, oblivious to the slurring of his own speech. The ringing in his ears made it easy to ignore such a minor detail! "Uh. Yar?"
It took him a moment to remember to activate his ring again and he was surprised at how much easier it was to think afterwards. Abandoning his bandanna he took the wheel of the Peregrine and turned her around to head back for Haulani. The rest of the voyage was focused more on moving quickly around the ship than trying to beat each other bloody. There'd been enough of that for one day, but with Maea unlocking a new ability and Tal coming one step closer to his quest for Ludo, he figured they could both call it a win!
