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Character of the Season
Frail in body but dangerously quick of mind, Nikandr is the sort of character who proves that curiosity can be just as perilous as any weapon. A necromancer, inventor, and problem-solver with more ambition than self-preservation, Niki approaches the world like a puzzle box begging to be opened, even when what’s inside has teeth. Blunt, dry-witted, fiercely independent, and carrying a history best left partially buried, he has a knack for making even failure feel fascinating. Whether he’s raising the dead, moving across Caido to King's End, or experiencing a hangover for the first time, Nikandr brings a wonderfully strange spark to Caido, and we can’t wait to see what trouble his brilliant mind wanders into next.
Congratulations, Niki!
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!
Going somewhere within the Climb that wasn’t Frey’s Breath had been a rarity lately. He wasn’t opposed to it, however, and it served as somewhat of a break from the overbearing weight he was experiencing at home – permitting the long, sweeping strides of his hellhound aspects to settle into the layer of magma and lava with natural, inherent grace. But he’d need something amusing to encompass today’s trial – facing the boredom of everyday minutiae only seemed to herald complacency.
Want to try a race? he offered to Sah instead; not comfortable with striving to decimate the newfound shifts the other hybrid had; rather figuring the experience of trying multitudes of options, terrain, and actions might be more suitable. His massive jawline gestured towards the largest incendiary spot in the section, many, many yards away from them. We can go towards the larger pool. Difficult to miss, with a wide variety of challenges in the way.
Sah jumped over a small pit of lava as he trotted alongside the much larger canine. It was rather humorous to the younger hybrid how the height difference between him and Deimos only increased when they were both in their respective infernal shifts.
At the notion of a race, the fyrhund's eyes locked on the pool. It would certainly be a challenge to reach there before Deimos. From what he could see at first glance, there were various fissures, rock formations, and smaller patches of lava to overcome. Sah nodded. A race? You're on! Before Deimos could say anything else, the Wild Thunder took off sprinting. He had no doubt that the hellhound would catch up quickly so a head start was a must.
Acceptance came with an immediate cheating sprint; enough to make the Sword roll his eyes, and a steady bout of determination settle into his mind. Competitive to a fault, he drove onward quickly thereafter, long strides making up for sudden lost ground, launching over a modest pool of magma as he raced towards the Wild Thunder.
But he wouldn’t be with just his speed – if Sah wanted to play games, then Deimos would too; coaxing through his Attuned measures, bringing forth animals nearby, compeling, contorting, and controlling –
Until four more fyrhunds came streaking towards Sah, barking and howling and seemingly looking for a long lost companion – and above all, intentionally distracting.
Sah laughed through the bond as Deimos compelled a pack of fyrhunds to approach. Well played. The Sword took the lead as the Wild Thunder had to twist and dodge the first of the canines. The second was shoulder-checked, while the third was nipped in the leg and sent running. The last fyrhund came at Sah head-on, and the hybrid crouched low before leaping off to jump over the other canine's back.
Sending a scattering of rocks as he landed, Sah pursued Deimos. He couldn't compel or call any animals over yet. But he did have acid. Putting on a burst of speed, he sent a splash of acid at a lava pool just in front of the Sword, hoping that the resulting reaction would either splash or steam that would hopefully delay him even a few strides.
In the near distance, around another bend and of caverns, a roar can be heard – loud, potent, powerful. And were those flames, rounding along the corner?
That could be a black dragon: a pernicious beast of legend, ready, willing, and able to defend its home for little to no reason.
Maybe it would be best to go another way?
You’ve encountered a Black Dragon. This counts as an uncommon creature encounter for the purposes of levelling, but does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention. If you choose to follow this creature, you do so at your own risk, however, just having it in this thread is enough to satisfy your levelling requirements. (You may not kill this creature without admin permission. )
Black Dragon (uncommon/mythical) - Black dragons of average size. Highly aggressive with fiery breath that can instantly melt most substances.
Well versed in distractions, it would come to find out that Sah hadn’t needed to deal anything to make Deimos go off-guard. It’d be the roar of a dragon instead.
He sped along, content with racing and not slowing down; fully intending to use those long strides to engulf the obsidian crater and magma pools. He could hear Sah’s reactions, and only utilized a spin of amusement in his head, undaunted and unbothered, even at the acid spewing nearby. The beast coiled his muscles and launched, gratified to use the expanse of muscles and energy, concluding the notions with a noteworthy leap.
Until the reverberations of the dragon resounded, and he immediately altered course. It might have lost him a few strides, but it was the alternative to being roasted. He’d presume Sah would do the same, as he had no intentions of looming and lingering around one of those beasts. Figuring the Wild Thunder would follow the same path, he permitted flames to erupt and exude from his paws, making and marking a path of fire behind him.
Sah let out an incitive growl as the dragon roared nearby. Ahead of him Deimos' made their new path clear, and the younger hybrid didn't hesitate to change directions. Leaping behind a large rocky outcrop and over a pool of lava, the hound focused first on putting distance between himself and the reptile before refocusing on the race.
The hellhound was still ahead of him and Sah wished that he could call or compel creatures to his aid. It was an ability still out of his reach but there wasn't much that he could otherwise do to disrupt Deimos' path from behind him. In the corner of his eye, the Wild Thunder noticed a section of the rock rising jaggedly a few feet in the air.
Running towards and across it, he used the extra height to leap down, clearing more terrain, and resuming the chase. Now he was hot on Deimos' heels instead of yards behind his friend.
The fire from his abilities clearly didn’t bother Sah – but maybe he simply hadn’t been close enough. Hearing the fellow hound closing in, after some well-timed leap, Deimos snorted, ultimately amused at the shenanigans, utilizing those long strides once again as they swept over lava-infused grounds. If the flames weren’t successful on this go-around, he’d try something else. He had enough in his repertoire to keep the multitudes interesting.
So as he ran and rampaged, the flare of infernal prowess flickered from his paws; intending to be lined up directly towards the Wild Thunder’s own chasing dynamics. Maybe he’d have a singed paw. Maybe he’d have to run elsewhere.
This time, Sah was close enough for the fire did affect him. Mostly in the manner of smoke blocking his vision and forcing him to swerve and slow down a bit just to keep Deimos in sight. His fyrhund shift was thankfully fireproof. Enough so that the portal connecting the Climb and the Hollowed Grounds was something that the hybrid was becoming familiar with.
There wasn't much at Sah's disposal in this shift that would be effective on another infernal canine. His other shifts even less so. So, what could he do? As he sprinted, the Wild Thunder spotted a flock of gore crows gorging themselves.
Turning sharply, he sent a splash of acid their way. Just close enough to maybe singe a few feathers at most but certainly close enough to enrage them. Sure enough, a portion of the flock rose up into the sky, letting out caws of 'blood!'. Sah moved and put Deimos between himself and the birds, focusing on running as fast as he could. Hopefully the crows would turn their anger on the Sword. That was the plan at least.
How very kind of Sah to give Deimos another opportunity.
He barked some amusement as the crows began to fly upwards at their abrupt alteration. It wasn’t an uncommon thing to be targeted by the avian irritants; their outcries all too familiar. But as they descended upon him, with their intonations of blood and eyes, he was left entertained and diverted, rather than scorned or distracted.
In all his Attuned bombardments, while he continued to sweep along the grounds in widening strides, he simply compelled the birds. Control, ease, disruption in the heart of their minds, to gaze upon a new prey, quarry, and goal.
Namely, Sah himself.
They turned and twisted at his command, going for the Wild Thunder instead.
Sah groaned through the bond as Deimos turned his plan against him. The fyrhund ducked, avoiding the sharp talons directed his way. Twisting, the fyrhund sent out acid as one gore crow got too close for comfort. It backed off with a 'caw', deciding to turn to its meal. Much to Sah's relief, the others soon followed after annoying the younger hybrid for another few moments.
By then Deimos had already won the race. The fyrhund trotted over, amusement ringing through the bond. Congratulations. When I gain the ability to compel animals, we should have a rematch. With the race over, Sah became well aware of his growing appetite. They could hunt, sure. But the Wild Thunder was craving the luxere stew that one of the small shops had been advertising. His stomach growled at the thought. It was certainly time to go home.
