|
Post by Ashe on Oct 13, 2019 14:55:45 GMT -6
They were here to teach the corpse some moves, so he wouldn't just sit there in a pile of meat and bones and muscle. He wouldn't be that stunning in the fighting Pit, but he might be able to hold his own. Certainly not against a Drake, maybe against... A mosca that wasn't Rayak? Just something, they'd figure that out later.
He walked around the corpse, and felt Reoz looking at him while he was in front, then the beast stared off into the distance, then looked at Ashe again when he came back around. It was like he was paying attention to things that were moving in front of him, but once they were out of eyesight then he didn't follow them. Ashe was reminded of the difference in intelligence levels between a walking corpse and most of his other pets. This might take a while... Though he hoped not. Eating things didn't take brain power - though only doing it on command might...
First up, Ashe had some chunks of meat. A whole bag of them, in fact. He took out some chunks and tossed one at the Corpse. His reaction time was way off, it bounced off of Reoz's head three seconds before the Corpse struck out for it. Luckily, Reoz's sense of smell activated and he dropped to all fours on the ground, leaned down and licked it up.
Inyala watched with a slight fascination. This was next to 'pet rock' in the level of intellect present. It was all instinct, it looked like.
Inyala: 0 2/5 Reoz: 0 2/5 Ashe: 0 6/10
Devour: 1
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Oct 13, 2019 15:17:19 GMT -6
"Eat it!" Ashe said, carefully hand selecting a complicated command that could never be mistaken for anything else. He was really pushing it by using two words, he thought, but if he said it real fast, maybe Reoz's brain could keep up. Maybe he should have just grunted in different tones? This time, accompanied with the command, was another chunk of meat tossed. He tried to toss it slower, and aim better toward the mouth. The Corpse construct reacted quicker this time. It hit his head and bounced, but he caught it on the bounce. He swallowed it without even tasting it and it was gone. His eyes actually looked up and around, as if he was gaining more mobility and presence the more he ate.
"Good boy, Reoz!" Ashe praised him, completely unsure if he could even process praise. "Eat it!" He called again, launching another chunk of meat his way. The Corpse wasn't responding to the command yet, not even to 'look alive' as if expecting something to come flying his way. That said, he was still getting better at reacting, and again he caught it on the bounce - but a smidge faster, if Ashe wasn't mistaken.
Inyala was watching with the kind of grave expression that people usually reserved for watching someone completely making a fool of themselves.
Inyala: 0 3/5 Reoz: 0 3/5 Ashe: 0 7/10
Devour: 2
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Feb 29, 2020 14:10:12 GMT -6
The process was slow and difficult. The Corpse Construct sort of existed, it didn't react to much of a stimulus. Ashe would have to work on finding a trigger and getting him to, he didn't know how to word it, care more about stuff. He didn't have to care in the way that Ashe cared about that picture framed on the wall; but he should care that there was something there in front of him.
On and on, Ashe tossed the smaller pieces of meat to him, until the Corpse was starting to get better at his reaction speed. He would turn his head and snap at the movement, gobbling up the small piece of meat in one gulp. Good. Ashe praised it each time, though he wasn't sure how much it was sinking in. He ran out of meat to tear chunks off during this process, probably about twenty times of "Eat it!" which was shortened to a quick sound of "Eaitt!"[/b] for what Ashe hoped to make for a more streamlined process.
Eventually they had to call it a day, and Ashe went home with his Imp. He did leave the Corpse in the equillion corral he had set up, with a sign on the outside saying "Don't Open, Dead Inside." He figured the Corpse would be alright for the night there.
Inyala: 0 4/5 Reoz: 0 4/5 Ashe: 0 8/10
Devour: 3
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Feb 29, 2020 14:14:43 GMT -6
The day dawned bright and cheery. It wouldn't be until past noon when Ashe made it back to the corral, and he was concerned a bit if the Corpse had gotten himself stuck in the sunlight. That was one thing he should have thought of, putting a tarp over the top of the corral or something for shade. It was chilly enough that he didn't think the heat would do too much to him even if he did take a nap in the sun, but he still felt irresponsible. He was both relieved and disgusted when he was greeted with the usual rotten smell - it wasn't any worse, that is. It was a distinct rotting-flesh sort of smell, rather than a baked-corpse kind of smell. If that could be counted as a good thing. Inyala was not appreciative and she hopped down from his shoulder, scurrying to a place a little ways away. So she could handle the experiments and the dead things Ashe had... but not the actual rotting corpse?
Ashe let Reoz out, beckoning to him with his name. The Corpse didn't respond to too much, just standing there staring, or shambling around. But he did know his name, and he was starting to learn Ashe's voice. The Corpse followed him out of the corral and onto the grass. "Eat it!" Ashe called, not wasting time in tossing a chunk of meat.
Inyala: 1 0/5 Reoz: 1 0/5 Ashe: 0 9/10
Devour: 4
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Feb 29, 2020 14:20:13 GMT -6
The Corpse Construct was a little sluggish, but his head turned and he snapped at the meat. He got it and swallowed. He actually turned and looked for more, which Ashe thought was a great sign. He was getting more involved, paying more attention. Ashe tossed a few more chunks, all with the command, and he grabbed each one.
On to the bigger chunks.
This time, Ashe had slabs that were half as big as his arm. He had brought several of these in a backpack, along with some other things. The bag had been quite heavy, and the going quite slow - this was part of the reason it had taken him so long to get back around to the Park. Now he pulled out one of those slabs and held it up. "Eat it!" Ashe said, tossing the piece. Reoz snapped the meat up and, instead of chewing like Ashe expected he might do (which defeated the purpose of devouring something if he just chewed it, Ashe wanted him to swallow like Macabre), he swallowed it. Ashe started to wonder if he even chewed, the man had never witnessed it. Ripping flesh from a corpse he'd thrown in, yes - but he hadn't seen him chew those chunks, come to think of it.
Inyala: 1 1/5 Reoz: 1 1/5 Ashe: 1 0/10
Devour: 5
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Feb 29, 2020 14:27:37 GMT -6
Ashe readied another slab of meat and called out, "Reoz, Eat it!" He then tossed the slab, and the Corpse Construct snapped his jaws shut on it. He tilted his head up and swallowed it whole. His tail whipped about, seeming to come to life. Other parts on his body seemed to be moving, too, as if fueled by the meal he was being fed. Inyala, from her spot near a tree, could even see the flesh moving, as if his body was rapidly absorbing it, or a monster in his stomach was eating it. So weird. Was this how he got extra parts, she pondered? His body absorbing it, rather than simply eating like a normal monster?
Ashe quickly ran out of the slabs of meat, tossing one and then another. Each time, he said the command, and each time, the Corpse swallowed it on up. And then, Ashe was out of the slabs, and he still had plenty planned for today's lesson. He went back to his pack, feeling the weight of the dead thing's eyes on his back. It was an odd feeling, not quite predatory, but enough to make the hairs on your arms and neck stand on end. He reached into the bag and pulled out a full animal.
Inyala: 1 2/5 Reoz: 1 2/5 Ashe: 1 1/10
Devour: 6
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Feb 29, 2020 14:36:47 GMT -6
These were a little different than the slabs or the chunks he'd used so far. These were real animals - dead things, that Ashe had bought for food for his other creatures. They were the size of (raccoons and opossum), in tact with their fur and tails and teeth and claws. A little bit different from unidentifiable chunks of Murp meat! So Ashe walked over to Reoz and, to see if he would eat it period, he held it up in front of him. "Reoz, eat it!" He said, swaying the corpse from its tail in front of the Construct. Reoz made a quick lunge, and grabbed the creature from Ashe, gobbling it up in the same way as the rest; a grab, a tilt, a swallow. Ashe watched his throat move as it stretched with the swallow motion, and he realized the throat must be much bigger than originally thought.
Inyala winced from where she was. That... That thing, that Reoz had just eaten - had been bigger than she herself was! She hoped to not have to face down the Construct, she doubted she would survive if it caught her and swallowed her whole.
Ashe was pleased, and praised the Corpse once again, though again he wasn't sure how well the praise was being received. With an inward shrug - what else could he do? - he decided to step it up a little bit.
Inyala: 1 3/5 Reoz: 1 3/5 Ashe: 1 2/10
Devour: 7
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Feb 29, 2020 14:59:50 GMT -6
This time, Ashe wasn't going to be the one to toss the corpse into his gullet. Eventually, Reoz would be able to eat opponents in the Pit, and Ashe wouldn't be able to toss a wounded Galabex into his maw. He would have to do it himself! So might as well get him used to the idea now. He set the corpse on the ground a few steps away, then backed up. Reoz watched him with interest, and even came down on all four limbs, stretching out his neck and sniffing. He could smell the dead thing, but it wasn't where he expected it to be coming from. It seemed to confuse him a bit.
Inyala started to creep up to join Ashe, staying near his legs and slightly behind him as they watched together.
Ashe pointed at the corpse on the ground and called out to Reoz, "Eat it!" Like a serpent blinded from sheer instinct, Reoz snapped at the air, expecting the meat to be coming at him that way. When his jaws closed on nothing but air, he immediately snapped his jaws to the side, thinking he'd missed it like he had in the very beginning. When that didn't work, either, he opened his eyes and looked around for it. Where was the food?
Inyala: 1 4/5 Reoz: 1 4/5 Ashe: 1 3/10
Devour: 8
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Feb 29, 2020 15:46:49 GMT -6
Ashe gestured again, and said the magic words again. Reoz looked around, and didn't see anything flying at him. After a full minute, he leaned forward again and sniffed around. Then he seemed to see the lump laying on the ground. Ashe left Inyala where she was standing, safe and out of the way, and she looked a little concerned about Ashe running into the line of fire in front of a hungry beast that wouldn't listen to sense.
Reoz sniffed the lump, and suddenly Ashe was there, gesturing to that lump on the ground and saying the command that usually meant food was there. Reoz looked at Ashe out of the corner of one eye, then he resumed his approach to the lump. He opened up his jaws, and Ashe was there encouraging him, and grasped the flesh. Tilting his head back and rearing up on his hind legs a little, he jostled the limp body down into his throat and swallowed it whole.
"Good boy, Reoz!" Ashe praised. He retreated back to his backpack and grabbed another of those furry creatures, the dead body dangling limp as he held it by the tail. He returned to where Reoz was and set it down a few steps away. "Reoz, eat it!" he commanded, pointing at it.
Inyala: 2 0/5 Reoz: 2 0/5 Ashe: 1 4/10
Devour: 9
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Feb 29, 2020 15:59:39 GMT -6
Reoz caught on faster this time. The food wasn't coming from the air - it was right there! He stepped forward and scooped the food up in his jaws, tilting his head back and swallowing like a snake might. This was no problem at all for him and he showed no signs of becoming full, causing Ashe to wonder if he was a true bottomless pit. It was possible, if the food he ate just contributed to his body mass and didn't exactly fill his stomach for long. Ashe would have to dissect one of these guys to figure that out, and that wasn't something he wanted to do, really. He liked these guys too much.
He repeated this process a couple more times before he ran out of bodies to use. He even had Inyala look around, see if she could catch anything alive that was living in the trees, but she reported back to say that there was nothing around here. Nothing alive, or dead, that they could use. Living things probably wanted to stay away from a corpse monster that would just eat them up...
Ashe figured it was a good time to end today's lesson. It had taken a few hours, trying different methods to get Reoz to listen and eat his meals. So Ashe lured him back into the corral, locked it up, and headed back home. "One more day and done, I hope..."
Inyala: 2 1/5 Reoz: 2 1/5 Ashe: 1 5/10
Devour: 10
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Feb 29, 2020 16:12:42 GMT -6
The next day was something very similar to the previous day. Ashe was up late, and took a while to get ready to go out. He had debated on how to finish this, and he had come across an idea that...many would not like. But he felt like it was essential for what he was trying to teach, and therefore he would do what he had to do. He had something in his bag, and he also swung by a local Murp dairy farm for the final... ingredient.
Inyala was on his shoulder, leaning down and scolding his new charge, when they arrived at the park. At his side was a young Murp, one torn from its mother for the milk production, and destined for the meat rack itself. So... Why not be purchased for something else? Same result. Vix would probably kill him, so he'd made sure she was busy and wouldn't pop in unexpectedly.
"Guard this little guy," Ashe told Inyala, and the Imp gave a nod and took the rope.
Ashe walked over to the corral and opened it, letting Reoz out. He seemed a little perkier today, either because he was starting to like Ashe's company, or because his belly was being kept more full than in the past. Ashe had one of those dead animals with him, and he tossed it at him, saying "Eat it!" as a refresher. Reoz snatched it and swallowed it whole. "Great job, boy."
Inyala: 2 2/5 Reoz: 2 2/5 Ashe: 1 6/10
Devour: 11
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Feb 29, 2020 16:17:51 GMT -6
With that great of a success, Ashe walked back to Inyala and thanked her for her assistance, then he took the rope from her. "Might not want to watch this..." he told her. He wasn't sure how she would take such violence. She seemed to do okay watching battles in the Pit, as long as Ashe wasn't involved like during the breaking of Sarane. But she was also a small creature, and had been a slave, so he wasn't sure in the grand scheme of things how she would like this. However, she bravely watched on, supportive of her master in everything.
Ashe took the murp calf over to the Corpse Construct and stood in front of Reoz. He eyed them, seeing what looked like it could be food, but he didn't hear the command for eating. Was this food? Without the word he didn't know. He sniffed, and nothing smelled dead, like what he had been eating... Still, it smelled delicious...
Ashe slipped off the rope and held the calf steady, then said, "Eat it!" And he darted out of the way quickly. His predator reacted quickly, eagerly, and the Murp barely had a chance to bleet before Reoz gobbled him up, swallowing him whole too. Ashe watched, then stumbled back to Inyala. Was this it? Was he done? The Corpse Construct seemed to be near perfect with this command. He wasn't sure they could do much more than that...
Inyala: 2 3/5
Reoz: 2 3/5 Ashe: 1 7/10
Devour: 12
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Mar 26, 2020 16:52:34 GMT -6
[] Accept Noise - 2 [] Accept Bloody/Scary sights - 2 [] Accept Sudden movements - 2 [] Accept Darkness - 2 [] Accept Enclosed Spaces - 2 [] At Ease - 3 [] Catch -2 [] Climb - 4 [] Cover - 2 [] Danger Sense - 10 [] Dash - 3 [] Deceptive Lure - 4 [] Dig - 3 [] Endurance - 4 [] Feed - 4 [] Fetch (??? Magical item) - 2 [] Forage - 5 [] Flutter - 2 [] Get (Nodes) - 1 [] Get (crystals) - 1 [] Guard - 5 [] Hunt - 6 [] Lick Wounds - 3 [] messenger - 5 [] Nightvision - 8 [] Pinch - 1 [] Pummel - 3 [] Read - 5 [] Rend - 3 [] Run - 3 [] Scratch - 1 [] Search (Nodes) - 2 [] Search (crystals) - 2 [] Shred - 6 [] Silence - 2 [] Snitch - 6 [] Stay - 1 [] Stop - 1
Working on: [] Recognize Color (Red) - 1 [] Recognize Color (Black) - 1 [] Recognize Color (Blue) - 1 [] Recognize Color (Orange) - 1 [] Recognize Color (Yellow) - 1 [] Recognize Color (Green) - 1 [] Recognize Color (Brown) - 1 [] Recognize Color (Purple) - 1 Ashe had a series of different items displayed today, each one a different color. He tried to go for the most vibrant colors he could find, though some didn’t quite live up to what he had hoped. But Inyala was smart and a quick study and she would be able to tell the difference in no time. It helped, too, that though he had never sat down to teach this sort of thing, that she was already well versed in the ways of Ashe’s world. Their bond made them near inseparable. The pair came back the day after they finished with Ashe’d Corpse Construct. Just the pair of them, a rarity here in the park and a welcome respite. Ashe pulled the items out of his bag that he carried with him and set them in the grass. He laid them out in no particular order, just making sure they were separated. Inyala watched, curious. She could usually figure out Ashe’s motives, but not quite yet. She glanced from him, then back to the item he just placed, and pondered. Inyala: 2 4/5 Ashe: 1 8/10 Recognize colors (8): 1
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Mar 26, 2020 16:58:20 GMT -6
”These are pretty colorful, aren’t they?” Ashe asked his Imp, gesturing to the items spread out in front of them. Inyala gave a slow nod, understanding his question but still trying to think ahead and figure out the meaning. It was in her nature to serve Ashe, and she was pretty good at planning one step ahead usually. This was different. Ashe didn’t have any other pet out here to train or bond with, so it must be her that was going to learn something. The thought excited her a little bit.
”Each one of these is a different color. I know you can see color, and you could probably pick stuff out if I asked, but I want to make sure you can figure out which color is which…” Ashe trailed off. He picked up an item. It happened to be his Dark Node, a swirling mass of purple magic inside a circular bauble. He felt the thrum of magic responding to him, and tried to push it back for now. ”What color is this?” He asked her instead.
Inyala: 3 0/5 Ashe: 1 9/10
Recognize colors: 2
|
|
|
Post by Ashe on Mar 26, 2020 17:05:07 GMT -6
Inyala did not speak like a normal human being. She spoke Impish, which sounded like a garbled version of Common to most people. Ashe wasn’t sure what it was in her anatomy that prevented her from being able to form the words of Common in the brunt way of humans, but she had never really picked up on it. Yamase’s words came back to him,
”She speaks Impish… it’s very simple really, just the same as your own sometimes, with everything increased in volume, pitch, and speed. Some words are unique, but generally demons speak a variety of languages so they may manipulate fools, or consult their masters for tasks. If you work on the bond between the two of you, in time you shan’t have any trouble deciphering it. Just a bit of practice, and the knowledge that she already knows exactly what you say to her- you’ll do fine.”
Her words were true. Ashe did understand her, and she always seemed to know exactly what he was saying. She might not always know the meaning, like right now when he wanted to have her recite colors back to him. If she didn’t know the word or the meaning of something, he couldn’t expect her to be perfect. But she was capable.
”This is purple,” He said, when she didn’t respond. She stared at it, watching Ashe’s finger swirl over the surface, indicating the inside of it was purple.
Inyala: 3 1/5 Ashe: 2 0/10
Recognize colors: 3
|
|