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Bite Me
Jun 4, 2021 17:46:00 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Jun 4, 2021 17:46:00 GMT -6
[Varkon - Hardy - 13] [Varkon - Wing Buff ("Gust") - 6]
It wasn't as if Quake had done, well, anything, besides nibble on some leaves. His behavior was that of a harmless herbivore, the only thing that was really menacing about him was the size and horns. Varkon was starting to get used to it, and having something else to focus on did help, not that he'd admit that.
Even without the wiurn admitting it, Nerius could see that the cyborg was becoming less tense around the 'gug. It was slowing the other training, but given desensitization was the priority, he was okay with that.
He still wanted Varkon to be able to use the wing technique, and offered a suggestion, <Try changing the angle of your wing beats, air that's being directed downwards as you start to lift off is air that's not being directed at your foe.>
Varkon, for once, didn't have anything to grumble about to that, and cooperated with the instruction to use <Gust!> again was given.
(Nerius: 6/10) (Varkon: Lv: 48, 164/165 | Lyl: 34, 164/165)
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Bite Me
Jun 4, 2021 18:03:02 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Jun 4, 2021 18:03:02 GMT -6
[Varkon - Hardy - 14] [Varkon - Wing Buff ("Gust") - 7]
The result, while not perfect, was considerably better than his previous attempts. Practice had something to do with that, but directing the force of air better meant that nearly all the leaves were stripped from the plant, and he'd only lifted off a little.
<That was good!> Nerius told him as much, the wiurn may not have been praise motivated the way a houluh was, but he still appreciated knowing he was doing something correctly, rather than just 'no, do it again'. He looked quite pleased with himself, enough that he didn't even twitch Quake trundled around 'his' plant for more uneaten leaves.
Speaking of a lack of leaves, Varkon's target plant was too bare to continue, and Nerius had to look around for another 'victim'. <Keep practicing, I think you can refine it further...> Here he paused before spotting another unfortunate plant, a small tree this time, and pointed to it, <Strike that one.>
(Nerius: 7/10) (Varkon: Lv: 49, 165/170 | Lyl: 35, 165/170)
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Bite Me
Jun 4, 2021 18:17:27 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Jun 4, 2021 18:17:27 GMT -6
[Varkon - Hardy - 15] [Varkon - Wing Buff ("Gust") - 8]
Varkon moved to face the new target better, and when the instruction to use <Gust!> was given, he beat his wings, striking the plant with an impressive force of wind.
<That was better!> Nerius encouraged, there wasn't a huge improvement, but he wasn't expecting there to be, they were to the point of subtle refinement. The wiurn had the basics down, now it was just a matter of perfecting it with practice. As such, Nerius had him continue to strike the tree, blasting away at the leaves as he perfected his aiming technique.
He was hardly paying attention to Quake anymore either, too focused on refining his attack to chew on leaves. Really, for such a large creature, his behavior wasn't all that threatening.
Varkon also seemed to figure that the practice had improved his attacks, and once the tree was almost bare of leaves, he asked, <Are we finished with this?>
(Nerius: 8/10) (Varkon: Lv: 49, 166/170 | Lyl: 35, 166/170)
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Bite Me
Jun 4, 2021 18:40:17 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Jun 4, 2021 18:40:17 GMT -6
[Varkon - Hardy - 16] [Varkon - Wing Buff ("Gust") - 9]
<On the ground? Yes,> Nerius answered, and Varkon looked at him with slight confusion. <You'll want to be able to use this technique in the air as well; I don't expect you to be spending most of your fights on the ground.>
<I suppose not,> Varkon agreed, though wasn't terribly excited to continue practicing what was basically the same technique.
<Take flight, and use gust on another plant,> Nerius instructed, <Choose whatever you think the best target from the air.> He was careful to specify 'plant', but otherwise cared little what unfortunate leafy victim the wiurn chose.
Not one to do things the easy way, he chose a particularly large tree not too far away. It.. was also rather close to the thundergug, and Nerius had a sneaking suspicion the wiurn had an ulterior motive. It made for a good opportunity to 'accidentally' strike the 'gug.
But if that was his plan, he didn't go for it immediately, and instead struck the tree.
(Nerius: 9/10) (Varkon: Lv: 49, 167/170 | Lyl: 35, 167/170)
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Bite Me
Jun 4, 2021 18:52:43 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Jun 4, 2021 18:52:43 GMT -6
[Varkon - Hardy - 17] [Varkon - Wing Buff ("Gust") - 10]
It tore a good chunk of the leaves off, but it wasn't as effective as his grounded attacks had been. <You'll need to figure out a new angle to strike at a target and keep flight,> Nerius advised; this was exactly why he wanted the wiurn to practice in the air.
<I know that!> Being considerably smarter than the majority of his species, Varkon had figured that rather obvious bit out himself, and grumbled at the advice.
Despite his ill temper, or maybe because of it, he was fully willing to strike the tree again when Nerius gave the instruction, <Gust!> Though it still wasn't perfect, he'd managed to tear off more leaves than before, and Nerius told him as much.
He grumbled, but Nerius expected nothing less, and what mattered was he willing to keep practicing. His strikes steadily improved, tearing off more and more leaves, while disrupting his flight less and less.
And then, once he'd lured Nerius into a sense of reliability as he agreeably struck the tree, his next gust 'accidentally' hit the thundergug.
(Nerius: 10/10 +Added!) (Varkon: Lv: 49, 168/170 | Lyl: 35, 168/170)
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Bite Me
Jun 4, 2021 19:04:15 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Jun 4, 2021 19:04:15 GMT -6
[Varkon - Hardy - 18] [Varkon - Wing Buff ("Gust") - 11]
Quake didn't appreciate this one bit, and let out a startled bugle as he fumbled around looking for what had hit him. It took a moment for the thundergug to look up, and even then Nerius couldn't tell if the 'gug figured out it was the wiurn attacking from a distance, or he just didn't like a predator in the skies.
<Ooooops,> even if Nerius hadn't been half excepting an ulterior motive to choosing that particular tree, the wiurn's entirely unremorseful tone would have given it away.
<We both know you did that on purpose,> Nerius dryly responded. He wasn't really angry, Quake hadn't really been hurt, 'gugs were sturdy that way, and, <I suppose if you're feeling confident enough to launch a sneaky strike on Quake you're not feeling too unsettled by him.>
Varkon looked smug at this, but that faded as Nerius continued, <But since you 'missed' your target, I guess you'd better keep practicing on the tree.>
(Nerius: 1/10) (Varkon: Lv: 49, 169/170 | Lyl: 35, 169/170)
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Bite Me
Jun 4, 2021 19:13:40 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Jun 4, 2021 19:13:40 GMT -6
[Varkon - Wing Buff ("Gust") - 12]
Varkon let out a low snarl of frustration at this, but it was more his usual irritability rather than true anger.
<You can take it out on the tree, if that helps,> Nerius suggested brightly, knowing full well that it would not, indeed, help. Still, even with extra grumbling, Varkon cooperated when instructed to strike the tree with <Gust!> He'd already stripped off a good amount of leaves, and he already had the technique down, but Nerius figured the repetition would help it stick. It wouldn't do the wiurn any good if he forgot it the next day.
He had the wiurn continue until the last of the leaves were gone, it had seemed like a reasonable amount, but it had taken longer than expected. The good news was he was pretty sure Varkon wasn't about to forget it after the extra practice. The whole training had taken longer than Nerius had expected, and that would be all for the day. The TROD was summoned to return Quake to the kennel, and the other two returned home.
(Nerius: 2/10) (Varkon: Lv: 50, 170/175 | Lyl: 36, 170/175)
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Bite Me
Jun 12, 2021 21:28:49 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Jun 12, 2021 21:28:49 GMT -6
It had been a few days since the last trip to the park, but Nerius was back with the mechanical wiurn. He didn't have a whole lot planned for the day, in terms of sheer number of techniques, they probably wouldn't be the most simple things to teach. At least Varkon would actually understand what he was saying, and Nerius wouldn't have to startle him into performing the ability on instinct.
And he was thinking of that precisely because he'd had to set himself on fire to startle Schism into performing a similar technique. It had been magic, it was perfectly safe.
It was still early in the day, a time chosen partially due to the summer heat, and partially because what he had in mind would be easier with lower light. To aid with that, Nerius selected a spot under a grove of trees. Varkon realized they'd stopped, and asked, <What do you have planned today?>
(Nerius: 3/10) (Varkon: Lv: 50, 171/175 | Lyl: 36, 171/175)
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Bite Me
Jun 12, 2021 21:50:52 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Jun 12, 2021 21:50:52 GMT -6
[Varkon - Vanish - 1]
<Refining your ability to disappear,> Nerius told him, it was an odd ability, not quite like Schism's invisibility, rather he sort of, vanished into the shadows, even when there were very little shadows around. A darker area would likely help though, at least for training purposes.
For once the wiurn didn't question the strategic value of the suggested training, and simply gave a nod, an oddly human-like gesture he'd picked up after spending so much time around humanoids.
<I've seen you sort of.. blur into the shadows, yes?> Nerius asked, <Can you do that consciously?> He didn't think the wiurn was still doing it without meaning to, but it was inconsistent enough that he couldn't be sure without asking.
<I can, yes,> the wiurn answered, eyeing the long shadows cast by the trees in the low, early morning light.
<Good, that'll make things simpler,> Nerius remembered a large portion of Schism's training was simply getting him to turn invisible in the first place.
(Nerius: 4/10) (Varkon: Lv: 50, 172/175 | Lyl: 36, 172/175)
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Bite Me
Jun 12, 2021 22:02:04 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Jun 12, 2021 22:02:04 GMT -6
[Varkon - Vanish - 2]
<When I give the instruction, I want to you vanish,> Nerius explained, <I need to see what you're capable of now before I can know what you need to work on.> He paused, and when he saw the wiurn was agreeable, continued, <Now, vanish!>
The wiurn didn't so much flicker as he melted, edges blurring, features fading into a dark void. It was difficult to tell exactly what he was, but he wasn't invisible, even if he did somewhat blend in with the shadows of the trees.
Nerius studied the shadowy figure for a few moments, before sharing his observations, <I can't see any details, but I can still see your shape. It helps when you're near the shadows, but you won't always be able to rely on an area being dimly lit. You'll need to blur out your shape, and to fade more.>
<I don't suppose you have any suggestions on how,> Varkon didn't protest the description, but would have rather a more technical instruction.
--To be continued off camera because of training update-- --Exit--
(Nerius: 5/10 +Added!) (Varkon: Lv: 50, 173/175 | Lyl: 36, 173/175 +Added!)
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