[Training] Catch me or I go Houdini

The crab had been somewhat disappointing, in the end. The meat was gamier than ocean crab flesh, and decidedly tougher. It had still been quite tolerable raw and fresh from the shell, and it had given Hadama a few ideas for how to improve the flavor...

Though when he would have time for such things again he could not say.

Their whirlwind day of quest tasks for Safrin continued to be oppressively hot with a chance of burning, though that chance now included not simply peeling skin but actually catching fire. Hadama brought them to the Climb next, and a stretch of Crust where smoke and ash belched up from several nearby lava flows in semi-regular bursts. Caught by the wind, they blew haphazardly across the landscape and he studied the shifting visibility with satisfaction even as he tied a water-soaked cloth around his mouth and nose.

"I will attempt to hide myself within the smoke. Give me a count of thirty and then begin your hunt," he explained, emerald eyes gleaming with a hint of mischief in spite of all that had occurred to weigh him down recently. This, at least, was almost like a game.

If one could ignore the fiery pits of instant death all around them, awaiting one slipped step to plunge a victim to a painful demise.

Hadama waited for the wind to twist and then slipped into the obscuring fog of smoke and ash on silent feet. He pulled a dark scarf up over his steel-colored hair as he did so, hiding his most distinctive coloration as he momentarily disappeared from view.

sah Sah grinned at Hadama's challenge. "Sounds good." As the Demi-god prepared himself, the hybrid shifted into the one form he had that was truly at home in the Climb. Hands and feet gave way for jagged, stone paws, and embers filled his lungs. Soon a fyrhund had taken his place. Eagerly pacing the 30 seconds, the canine was on the move as soon as the clock was up. Head on a swivel, Sah caught the scent of the Demi-god and took off. Rounding a corner he thought he spotted the man, and his nose didn't seem to say otherwise. The hybrid jumped down from a rock, planning to land front of Hadama if he had truly found him.

"Interesting." The rumble was understated as Hadama contemplated the other man's shift. Suffice to say he had not known that Sah had gained it, and it made this test significantly harder. But so be it. His tasks for Safrin were not meant to be easy, and he would rise to the challenge.

He altered his path in light of the new information. He could not hide his scent completely, but he moved through the thickest clouds of smoke now. It sacrificed his own vision, but the the ash that began to coat his body would provide some misdirection, and he moved through the darkest depths of the ocean without relying overmuch on sight.

This was different only in the fire that he risked striding into if he was not careful.

If he could not see or smell his opponent, he could still hear him. Stone paws on stone ground gave away Sah's position and Hadama shifted backwards abruptly as the smallest click warned him. He moved by feel, letting the heat along his feet and calves guide him to the side and across a recently-exploded ash-geyser. The residual steam was scalding, but as it erupted again a moment later the veil of particles it cast between them was nearly solid.

sah Much to Sah's chagrin, he was wrong. If it had been Hadama, the man had already moved on. The Demi-god's scent was fainter, further melding in with the ash surrounding them both. The geyser erupting only increased the difficulty as sight was obscured too. As the geyser settled, it was still difficult to see so Sah elected to focus in on his hearing. Hadama was quiet, but the settling dust was surely landing on him and maybe the hybrid could pick up on the sound of it piling up. It sounded far-fetched but it was worth a try. The canine's ears rotated, picking up the slightest disturbance in the air. Locking onto it, Sah turned and stalked forward, going down a ridge to try and get clear of the worst of the smoke. When he turned a corner, the sound he'd been tracking grew louder and Sah went for it. Breaking into a sprint, he attempted to corner the Demi-god.

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.

Sah had not been wrong, but Hadama had been just a little bit faster.

For the second attempt, however, the fyrhund had indeed been stalking the wrong prey.

Hadama had gone further into the ash, covering his mouth and nose with his hand to protect his breathing as the stuff caked his mask. He could not do this for much longer, but he hoped he would not need to. Using the smoke as a defensive cover had worked well so far, but the muddling of his own senses was a questionable tradeoff, and he finally had to retreat from thickest smog.

The roar that came as he stepped into momentarily clear air was close enough to raise the singed hairs on his forearms and bring his head up sharply. Sah? he called through the Attuned bond, uncertain what other shifts his friend may have gained without his knowledge. Was that you?

Just in case it had been he reluctantly stepped back into an eddy of smoke as the wind tugged a fresh swirl of black air across the Crust.

sah Sah went wide-eyed as he landed in front of a dragon. The great beast raised her wings, letting out a growl. Snarling and sending a splash of acid in front of him as a deterrent, the fyrhund vanished into the ash as he responded to Hadama. Nope! Dragon. Let's head a bit further away from her. The words were filled with false cheer, the hybrid's ruffled fur apparent. Thankfully, he wasn't pursued but the echoing roar that did had him speeding up. After regrouping, Sah once more tried to focus on Hadama's scent now that he was well and truly off of the trail. It took some circling, but he eventually caught it and renewed his pursuit. This time, when he thought he found the Demi-god, he came from the side, attempting to check first before gently tagging the man. If it wasn't Hadama, he'd move on without approaching the being.

He trusted the young man to let him know if his assistance was required, but it sounded like the hunter had things well in hand. Over here, he called through the Bond, so that at least Sah would have the right direction to head as they moved - separately yet more or less together - away from the dragon's territory.

Even so, the Tidebreaker did his best to remain obscured, as Safrin had instructed. To read how the wind shifted and the way it sent the ash flying so that he could move with it, a shadow in the smoke. It was not easy to learn, and the deadly terrain made it even harder to put into practice.

And it was difficult to determine how successful he was when Sah relied on senses other than sight to follow his movements.

The fyrhund appeared through the ash, brushing against him with its rocky armor, and Hadama coughed his acknowledgment of the 'tag.' Good. Now we will start again. Since he had been caught it was back to the beginning, with Sah needing to count while the demigod moved away to hide again.

Not for much longer, however. His throat was growing raw and his eyes red with the irritation of his chosen method of obfuscation, and he would need to find clean air and water soon.

sah Sah sent a pulse of gratitude through the bond as Hadama helped guide him away from the dragon. His current shift may have been fireproof, but he didn't wish to test how the hardened fur stood up against a dragon's claws. Much to his delight, the hybrid had found Hadama. A tiny flicker of victory colored the bond, mostly internal and not a brag. Though he did side-eye Hadama in concern at how the cough. Even if the man was a Demi-god now, he still seemed far more suited for water than fire. The sooner they completed this, the faster the Tidebreaker could rehydrate. Alright. The canine nodded and then sat down on the jagged terrain, closing his eyes and trying to ignore his ears for a moment as he counted. When the time was up, Sah focused his senses. Scent had failed him once, as had hearing. He might as well try sight.  The ash and smoke were thick, but the canine tried to peer through as much as he could. Bursts of lava occasionally obscured his vision entirely, and he was left to shake the residual embers and ash from his face. There were a few shapes around him, but each time he checked, it was an oddly shaped rock that had been hidden in the smoke, and not a Demi-god. Circling for some time, Sah thought he'd finally found Hadama. Stalking forward, the hybrid moved in for a gentle tag once more.

Hadama did not mind the brief flash of joy in the Attuned Bond. He might have been more amused by it if the coughing fit had not distracted him, focusing him on the deteriorating state of his lungs. For once he did not compliment Sah's skills, a true sign that he was not at his best, but he could feel some of the smoke's movements now. However harsh the training, it was already teaching him the lesson that Safrin had tasked him to learn, and he would see it finished before he allowed himself to indulge his weakness.

A final test. This time when he slipped into the clouds of ash it was with a liquid grace that belied his bulk. He moved with the wind the moment he felt it touch his skin, staying within the veil of smoke and embers and keeping his steps light over the thin, hot stone of the Crust. He was more focused on moving with the obscuring veils than on deliberately avoiding Sah, and so it was almost a surprise when the fyrhund appeared beside him, booping his nose--

into a rock that Hadama had just slipped past. The miss had been a near one, but it was with satisfaction that the Tidebreaker drifted to a halt. Enough. The lesson is learned. Thank you, Sa- His thanks was cut short as a dark shape suddenly burst from the smoke, and only his recent training had him shifting to the side so the creature's thick wool brushed harmlessly past him.

Spinning, the angry pyrina bleated again and pawed the ground before lowering its head and charging again, determined to knock one or both intruders into the nearby lava pool!

---

Pyrina (Common): A cousin of the Alpina, the Pyrina has black fireproof wool to withstand the Climb's heat and firey landscape. Like their kin, they are prone to headbutting any who dare to come near them into the nearest lava pool. Their diet consists mostly of gemstones and fireweed.

sah Sah tried to stop his forward momentum when the smoke cleared enough for him to realize just what he was about to hit. Unfortunately, he hit a stray rock in the process and was unable to stop himself from slamming his nose into stone. Letting out an 'umph' the fyrhund sat down and raised a foreleg to rub at his aching nose. He looked up as Hadama spoke, only for the man to cut-off his own words at their sudden guest. The Wild Thunder stood, snarling at the aggressive pyrina. Sparing Hadama a glance, the hybrid didn't waste any time. The Demi-god wouldn't fare well in the lava. Lunging, the hound used his body weight to slam into the wooly menace and force it off balance. As the creature tipped over, a flash of sone fangs on a vulnerable stomach ended the brief encounter. Lifting the creature up with his muzzle, Sah turned to Hadama. Are you okay? Let's get out of here in case any others are around. When the duo left the fire and smoke behind, Sah would prepare the meat to bring home for dinner. -[FIN]