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Sub Dio
Sept 4, 2021 14:32:09 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Sept 4, 2021 14:32:09 GMT -6
It would take time for either the dragon or owl to grow comfortable around the furred serpent, but their tenacity against fear was a great accomplishment. Xentus motioned for the pliathor to back away, giving them some room to breathe and relax. Both Mashiik and Sequinn stared as the serpent retreated, curling its body back into a mass of coiled scales and fur. "Good Mashi, good Quinn!", the man praised, deeming that the two had passed his test. Either creature seemed.. Skeptical about this. Trying to piece together what was the next thing to happen. If the serpent would stir again. But gradially, the alarm died down. The faeron was the first to let her eyes off the coiled mass, seeing that the battle today was won with little effort. Her keeper offered her another treat for her efforts, proud of her bravery. Mashiik followed suit a few moments later, taking time to stare at the leopard as if trying to figure what the deal was here. Her own offered treat put aside those worries for now.. With this lesson done, Xentus hummed, thinking about what else he could do with Basantai's presence here. He could take the chance to teach the serpent some new tricks while getting the littler ones acquainted with some attacks.. Ah but that'd split his attention quite a bit. For now, Xentus decided it would be best to focus only on the dragon and owl, leaving the pliathor to rest until it was time to go home.
> Exeunt Basantai (10)
Mashiik, Sequinn: Hardy - 10
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Sub Dio
Sept 4, 2021 14:57:10 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Sept 4, 2021 14:57:10 GMT -6
After taking time to relax, Xentus went ahead with the next part of his plans. Teaching something useful for these two in combat. Sequinn hadn't ever had much to offer in her previous bouts aside from being bait and a flashy, stunning light. Seeing her contribute to combat would be good. It sometimes did still strike him as odd that he choose a faeron of all creatures to participate in the pit, but it was a surprisingly effective choice. Mashiik was going to be new to combat, but his plans for her were slightly different. And difficult to actuate without some help. Now was a good time to tie the magic ribbon onto her; around the left leg.. Forging a new telepathic connection was always an interesting experience, usually met with confusion. But Mashiik seemed oddly excited to be able to pour her thoughts into his mind. After taking a moment to acquaint herself with this new form of communication, it was time to proceed to the next lesson. [Alright, Mashi. Xentus needs your wings], he told her, [Flap at the dummy there] This request was met with confusion, but the alurook gave a little flutter. "Quinn, look", the man then directed the faerons attention to the alurook, hoping that the dragon would catch on to what he wanted it to do with an example at hand.
Mashiik, Sequinn: Wing Buff - 1
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Sub Dio
Sept 4, 2021 15:11:50 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Sept 4, 2021 15:11:50 GMT -6
The faeron looked first at the leopard, then at the owl. The gears turned in her head, trying to figure what role she had in this. The faeron had been in a fight alongside the mosca before, playing witness to a flurry of wing-generated winds that beat that giant bug to the ground. In comparison, the alurook's attempts seemed.. Exceedingly lackluster. "Wing, Quinn!", the leopard urged, giving a little encouraging clap to the dragon. The command was not one she was familiar with, but that tone.. Meant she had to act. The dragon's wings lifted and gave a quick flutter before folding back, the tiny beast's eyes looking up at its keeper for approval. "Ah, yes! Good wing, Quinn. Good start", the man praised, rewarding the creature with a pat on the head.
{Mashiik also do good?}, the thought intruded into the man's mind, seeming to demand the same kind of praise the dragon received. [Ah, of course, Mashi, very good], Xentus responded dotingly, looking over to the alurook. Her fluttering had stopped and her eyes were locked into his form. [Do it again, Mashi. Like to take flight, but stay on the ground] His instructions were confusing.. The golden owl seemed to consider for a moment before spreading her wings and giving a big heave, lifting herself gently off the ground in the process.
Mashiik, Sequinn: Wing Buff - 2
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Sub Dio
Sept 4, 2021 15:32:52 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Sept 4, 2021 15:32:52 GMT -6
A crow of frustration sounded audibly from the alurook. Flapping like to fly, but not leave the earth.. The concept was a difficult one for the owl to grasp. The power of her wings had been for flying even since she learned how to. Shifting that power to not flying almost felt like unlearning the gift of flight. [It's ok, Mashi. Try again], the man gently encouraged. {Easy for Xentus to say.. He has no wings}, the owl retorted. The notion was met with a smirk. Oh, he had wings. He could help teach by example, he supposed - that was how he taught Mira before. For the sake of proving the alurook wrong, the man took a moment to don his mechanical wings. They whirred to life at his whim, thrusters emitting a yellow glow as they warmed. "Mashiik! Quinn!", the leopard called for the attention of his pets, then pointed his wings to the training dummy. Wind blasted from Papilio, thrusting with enough force to send the dummy flying while the leopard's feet pressed into the ground.
"Wing!"
{Xentus is unfair..}, the owl pouted in his mind. [Come now, Mashi. You fly far faster than these wings can carry Xentus], the man teased in response. Now that he demonstrated his expectations, there was a lot of work to do.
Mashiik, Sequinn: Wing Buff - 3
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Sub Dio
Sept 4, 2021 15:48:44 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Sept 4, 2021 15:48:44 GMT -6
Xentus reset the dummy and looked between both the alurook and faeron expectantly. Mashiik looked visibly disgruntled, while Sequinn seemed excited. The faeron's wings quivered with anticipation, little legs scrapping about to get a good hold on the ground. She seemed to get the idea here and wanted to have that kind of power too! Xentus was a little skeptical at the idea of the tiny dragon being physically capable of producing a blast of wind honestly, but with those broad bird wings.. Perhaps there was a possibility. The delicate fae-wings of the common faeron definitely didn't give him the impression of power. This was the chance for the little beast to prove him wrong. "Go on, Quinn! Wing!", the leopard commanded, giving the dragon the signal to act. The faeron's wings flapped quickly, focusing on speed over raw power. Then, she reared up, focusing the generated winds at the dummy. It was enough to topple her target over.. And herself. "Yes! Good wing, Quinn!", the man praised happily, rushing over to pick to the scrabbling faeron. [Now then, Mashiik, your turn], the leopard communicated directly into the owl's mind so that he was heard over the excited, mewing cries of the faeron. The tiny dragon was carried in one arm while the leopard propped up the dummy, then backed away to give the owl room to spread her wings.
Mashiik, Sequinn: Wing Buff - 4
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Sub Dio
Sept 4, 2021 16:13:45 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Sept 4, 2021 16:13:45 GMT -6
Not only was the alurook proven wrong, but even the little dragon could do this! The prideful Mashiik couldn't bear to let herself be embarrassed like this. But there was also an air of uncertainty about this. A lack of confidence. Mashiik seemed to waver slightly as she spread her wings, head turning to glance at the leopard for a moment before staring down her target.. "Wing, Mashiik!", the leopard barked his command, urging the owl to action. [You can do it, Mashi, Xentus believes], he then dotingly encouraged through their mental link. It seemed to be enough to encourage the alurook as she bared down with her wings, pushing wind from powerful flaps. Her talons gripped the earth in a desperate attempt to stay grounded. Despite the alurook's large size, her body was relatively small beneath those feathers, making her weigh deceptively less than she would appear to. Staying grounded while thrusting with power was a difficult task, but one that was met with success in this attempt! The dummy was launched backward, tumbling satisfyingly away from the dirt plot. "Well done, Mashiik!", the leopard praised, "Good wing!" Even the faeron tucked under his arm seemed to be impressed, wiggling with glee at the sight.
Mashiik, Sequinn: Wing Buff - 5
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Sub Dio
Sept 4, 2021 16:32:47 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Sept 4, 2021 16:32:47 GMT -6
Getting the two creatures to use their wings for offense was a good step toward getting them properly battle-ready. Now he'd like to get them to work together on it. For the sake of practice, mostly. But he'd planned on having these two be part of a team, so being able to coordinate their attacks would be vital to their success in combat. The little faeron was placed back on the ground; the dragon was buzzing with energy at being able to take action. Mashiik, on the other hand, seemed to puff with pride at being able to do better than her tinier teammate. "Alright, Mashiik. Take flight!", the leopard commanded, adding a small twist to his plans. The alurook took to the air with pleasure, happy to do something she knew she was good at. [Stay nearby, Mashi. Listen well], he told her in thought, making sure she'd be ready for his word. He then picked up the battered training dummy and set it back upright, prepared for another beating. "Quinn! Wing!", Xentus commanded the faeron first, giving the tiny dragon a head-start on her wing-flaps. Once the little beast reared up, he gave the signal to the alurook, "Wing, Mashi!" The owl steadied her flight, then directed her wingbeats to the faltering dummy as told.
Mashiik, Sequinn: Wing Buff - 6
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Sub Dio
Sept 5, 2021 22:59:35 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Sept 5, 2021 22:59:35 GMT -6
The alurook found it far easier to perform this while airborne - the vantage of flight behind her wings adding extra power to the buffeting winds created. Meanwhile on the ground, the scrappy winds of the faeron compounded into a fairly strong gust. Combined, the force of air roared toward the dummy, sending it hurling. That was definitely something he would not want to be in the path of. Funny enough, the combination of these four wings seemed just as powerful as the wings of Mira in flight. Which was more of a statement toward the power of that mosca than anything. If he got the faeron flighted, perhaps then the little dragon would add more to the blast. A task for a time before the next fight. For now though, praise was in order! "Good wing, Mashiik! Good wing, Sequinn!", the leopard cheered, beaming proudly. He knelt down beside the little faeron and gave her a pat on the head, ruffling her crest - his praise accepted with excited little mews. The alurook landed close by, expecting a reward for her efforts as well. Xentus chuckled and turned to her to scratch her beak, sure to give her fair share of atention.
Mashiik, Sequinn: Wing Buff - 7
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Sub Dio
Sept 5, 2021 23:09:31 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Sept 5, 2021 23:09:31 GMT -6
It felt like a good enough lesson for the time being. But, this wasn't all that the man had in mind for training today. He still did need to explore the effects of those injections he'd given these two.. Syringes filled with a shadow-essence concoction, to give his pets powers of night. A concept that he didn't fully grasp yet, but he was excited to see in action. With Mashiik, he could likely prompt her to channel some inner shadows through their telepathic connection. Sequinn, on the other hand.. He'd need to wait and see what she could do. Having a nice day out with these two sounded pleasant though, so the man didn't mind watching and observing under the shade of the trees. Perhaps with nightfall he'd get to continue his lessons. Xentus gave the faeron and alurook their space, letting them relax and enjoy their time out in the park now that training was paused. He let out a long exhale and settled atop a gnarled root. Mashiik followed close after him, being far less curious about the world than the faeron was. She just wanted some peace and quiet. Sequinn, on the other hand, took this chance to investigate the scaly lump left out in the field.
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Sub Dio
Sept 5, 2021 23:25:26 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Sept 5, 2021 23:25:26 GMT -6
Watching the faeron prance off to investigate struck something for the leopard. He'd forgotten about Basantai.. How did one manage to forget a gigantic, furred land-pliathor, even he didn't know. Eh, the big lug wasn't bothering anyone, and taking him back to the keep would be troublesome.. He could call for Xio. The leopard considered his options, staring at the big lump. He'd need to teach that thing how to go home on its own. Thankfully the serpent could prance through the air, because the idea of an unattended gigantic pliathor roaming the city streets on a missions to go home was probably a bad one. And a funny one. A soft chuckle escaped the man as he mused on the mental imagery. {What is Xentus doing?}, the alurook intruded into his mind. The owl stared curiously at the man, seeming to have gotten bits of what he was thinking. Normally, he was pretty good about directing his thoughts so that his linked pets didn't catch his wayward mental tangents. [Ah, this one just figures what to do with the serpent there. He has to bring it to the keep] And with that, the alurooks curious gaze turned into a judging, nearly sinister one. He.. Had a bit of explaining to do.
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Sub Dio
Sept 5, 2021 23:39:24 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Sept 5, 2021 23:39:24 GMT -6
Mashiik was keen enough to have caught on that the serpent was a fellow companion - she'd gotten a hint of that earlier when her keeper greeted that thing. Now knowing that beast lived in the keep with them.. How did such a thing to unnoticed? Keeping a giant monster like that unknown was baffling. Though, beyond her own cozy habitat, the alurook was rather unaware of many other beasts around the keep, aside from the wiurns. Those things were noisy.. Xentus did his best to explain his intentions, to get the owl ready to engage beasts in battle, while praising the alurook's steadfast courage once more in the process. Mashiik seemed to pout at first, but she grew less upset and more interested in exploring this idea of 'hunting prey', as he put it. This wasn't an exercise the bird had gotten to do, and the idea was awfully exciting. The bird fluffed her feathers and settled in beside her keeper, processing this for now. The faeron eventually sauntered back over to her keeper and shiny bird-friend after deeming the large lump of scales defeated. She'd even given it a taste of her new wing-attack, blasting it with stinging winds. It didn't move, so it must have been dead! The little dragon proudly stood watch over her keeper as the day passed, waiting for the next lesson.
> Exeunt Mashiik (20)
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Sub Dio
Sept 7, 2021 16:26:04 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Sept 7, 2021 16:26:04 GMT -6
> Some time later...
Dusk loomed over the leopard's dirt plot, warning of the onset of night. The perfect time for the mischievous to begin their play and plots. Xentus had kept a fairly watchful eye over the faeron over the past few days to see what effects that injection he gave it might've had. So far, one of the things he'd seen that the tiny dragon had an affinity for shadows. Which.. Was expected. But it seemed to regard shadows as something more alive than simple casts of their owner. As something to target. That was something to work with. "Quinn", the man called for the faeron after turning on his lantern. The faeron scampered over, avoiding the man's shadow, and looked up at him expectantly. Curious. "Look there", he said as he tried to direct the dragon's attention to the wiggling shadow of his fingers, tempting it to pounce and play. He watched as its eyes widened, getting ready to pounce..
Shadow Strike - 1
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Sub Dio
Sept 7, 2021 16:44:22 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Sept 7, 2021 16:44:22 GMT -6
The playful instinct of the little beast overtook whatever caution it tried to have for just a moment. It reared its hindquarters up, adjusted its paws.. And pounce! A set of claws lurched forward to the wiggling shades, pinning them down on the ground. Xentus felt his arm lock up, pain racing from his hand as if the faeron had scratched him directly. The sharp grunt of pain was enough to snap the faeron's mindset away from play-mode, making it whimper apologetically as it shied toward the leopard in concern. Xentus was more bewildered than anything with what just happened. "It's okay, Quinn", he mumbled quietly as his arm returned to his control. He knelt down and gave the creature a reassuring scratch on the cheek, contemplating how to better take advantage this strange trick without bringing more harm to himself. Perhaps the dummy's shadow would work? He wasn't sure if being alive would be a requirement, so this would take a little bit of testing..
Shadow Strike - 2
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Sub Dio
Sept 7, 2021 16:52:51 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Sept 7, 2021 16:52:51 GMT -6
Xentus thought up a rough plan in his mind. Sit behind the dummy, wiggle it a little bit in front of the lantern, prompt Sequinn to attack its shadow.. And then see just how strongly this effect took hold. Perhaps work away from fingers and toward the torso for better restriction. If this shadow play worked as he suspected, then his plan should work.. Assuming that the merged shadow of himself and the dummy wouldn't somehow also cause himself to be under these effects. The leopard put his ideas in motion, sitting before the lantern with the dummy in his lap. It was heavy, but nothing he couldn't move around. Sequinn watched curiously at what her keeper was doing, looking between him, the dummy, and the shadow they cast on the ground. The intangible fingers wiggled again, tempting her for action. "Go, Quinn! Strike!", the leopard urged, doing his best to encourage the tiny dragon.
Shadow Strike - 3
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Sub Dio
Sept 7, 2021 19:36:31 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Sept 7, 2021 19:36:31 GMT -6
Sequinn seemed skeptical about this arrangement at first. She didn't want to inadvertently harm her keeper again.. Even her playful little pounce on his shadow was enough to hurt. As much as she's like to try playing this fun little game again, there was a bit of uncertainty to overcome. The faeron looked at the leopard again, a quiet mew escaping her throat. "Come on, Quinn", Xentus encouraged, waving the dummy's arm, "Strike!" He watched as the creature's eyes snapped down to the shadow on the ground, pupils widening in anticipation. It was funny to see that she could hardly resist.. Then finally, she gave in, lurching forward and attacking the dummy's shadow with a yip. The faeron's claws dug into the intangible form, pinning it down. Xentus felt the dummy's arm lock up, unable to move it as it was locked down by its shadow. A fascinating phenomenon, which he was still trying to wrap his head around.
Shadow Strike - 4
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