ORIGIN

As he listened, his relief was palpable. Visible, even, in the loosening of jaw and the abrupt drop of his head, a "thank heavens" sort of slump. "Thank the Creator," was what he actually said; "yes, 'every detail' is, surprisingly, what I want when I ask for 'every detail.'" There was sarcasm in this, dark, but humor too, and he sat back and rolled his shoulders to think over all that Chaos-Two had said.

"I had thought for a moment it had given you only the most basics. But this, we can work with." He lifted one hand, and began to tick things off, and it was clear that his memory on this front at least was admirable. "So: stalking, tracking and hunting--all parts of the same thing, really. It taught you how to use the shadows to hide, and how to silence your steps; how to use foliage as cover. To mimic a Lesser, in case you are being hunted in turn--I am glad it absorbed that lesson." It had done so well, too. "How to follow scent and sign--sign is the dung, the marks left behind, the prints. To observe the prey and watch where its attention lies--that is good! To have an escape route always prepared--that is also good! To make your kill quickly. And it taught you of the relative uselessness of the chase." He mulled this over, making a note; he'd need to teach it, then, of traps. Trickery was the Master's specialty, at least. "I was not asking of infiltration--but that is of interest; Garnet-Delta taught you that?" He hadn't expected that, but perhaps it would be useful; Chaos-Two could teach this to the appropriate children, then.

There was no pity showing in him, and if he noticed Chaos-Two's distress he made absolutely no mention of it. He was, instead, bluntly matter-of-fact, leaning back to consider everything Chaos-Two had said, going over all of this in his mind for any potential gaps in its learning.

"Right, so I will begin with a couple more questions: did it teach you how to use magic to mask your approach, bar the sound? Shadows, in particular; that is your power. Your element. Did it teach you to watch for magic being cast? I can teach you that, as well: you can learn to sense if someone is using their magic to find you. As for chasing and stalking, the lesson I have for you is related, but an alternative: has it taught you how to lay a trap, and to lure in prey?"

If it hadn't, that would be today's lesson, and his favorite one. He didn't think he'd taught it, much, to Garnet-Delta--he'd taught that crop of children this lesson very young, as a group, though. Chaos-Two had yet to see it, but given its bulk and size, and the purpose of the children it might be training, it could very well be one of the most useful.

Vargas peered at Chaos-Two. He listened to everything, but a couple of things stuck, and he addressed them pointedly--his tone was not demanding, but rather he seemed to have a point, indeed, to make. "When you say that 'no one suspected anything,' I assume there was nothing to suspect? If you were simply attending this event, then it is highly unlikely there was anything to hide from them. Ahh--perhaps you think that by form alone you are to be shunned; no. There are many creatures in this cave as strange as we. Not generally as powerful--but as strange," he explained. "Unless you meant something else?" and this was, at least, an admission that he could not read minds.

"As for exploiting kindness, you could. They are social creatures, but so are you--I did not make you this way, but perhaps your previous stone's owner left some imprint of such. It will help you better understand their intentions, perhaps. Their goals, when offering aid. More importantly--abuse of kindness aside--these are things that you can teach the spawn of the Forge; and that is good. That they can disguise intentions, and plan around the intentions of others. But on to our lessons today, then."

He pushed up, pacing in a long, slow arc around one side of Chaos-Two; it seemed to be the aimless meandering of thought, as he spoke. "That is the lens through which this lesson will be learned: that these are things we needn't expect perfection from. I know that there are drawbacks to your form; you are not built for stealth, certainly. But they are things you can still teach the creations: lessons you can impart to them." He glanced at V-Chaos-Two as he turned, sweeping gradually back the other way, ever the pacing drill instructor. Undoubtedly, if he could've clasped his hands behind his back, he would have; as it was, his was a monstrous predator's stalk. "We will begin with a brief lesson on using shadows to hide yourself: and magic to sense magic being used, in turn. Brief, because I do not expect you to learn them both perfectly today, if at all. And because both are magic, and you know how I feel about magic: useful, but a tool, not a foundation. And lastly, because the rest of this lesson will be important fundamentals."

Turn. Pace. Tail languidly curling as he moved, a smooth arc behind him, mirroring his movements.

"First: your element is the one that I hold. That Master Nemean bears. It is the ability to manipulate Light, as I am sure you know, but that means removing light, as well. This can be taught to any of our spawn, and even the magic of the Black Spire and the Creator lends itself well to this!" Vargas cast a brief, reverent glance up at the ever-shifting tower of Oilstone, and continued. "You and I--and many of the young that you will teach--will have a drawback; the glow of powerful blood." Abruptly, there was a soft hiss, and coiling smoky shadows poured from Vargas's Oilstone, from his hip, to swathe his entire body. It was as though he'd been dipped in ink: his body was as though it stepped through shadows, but more importantly the glow of eyes, of jaws and quills, was abruptly eclipsed.

He turned back the other way, more difficult to see, now, though due to close proximity his location was still obvious enough. "This can be used to hide our glow--do you see? The light pushed from what glows; the shadows exist where light does not. And so you remove the light; and what do you have? Shadows--shadows that you can hide in. You know the basics of this, but I tell you this to clarify the role that it will play in your hunting--and in that of the spawn."

Turn. Shift. Pace. The shadows fell away as he moved, the glow gradually returning. "Again, a tool; you would be a fool to move out in the open like this. But already hiding in the dark, it is wise to use this tool--for otherwise, your eyes would stand out even more brightly. Try to sneak now, and use the shadows to ensure I cannot see you. If you can move undetected to a new location, I will move on to the next part of this lesson."

That Vargas still did not grasp Chaos's point was perhaps a sign of his disconnect with the rank-and-file creatures of the cave--or perhaps a testament to Chaos-Two's paranoia. Both, maybe; but more likely, mostly the former. "And-?" It was not a challenge, but confusion. "Do they distrust us? Perhaps I had best let them know it is we who stand between them and their destruction," he added, thinking. "The last thing we need is another rebellion now, and respect works better than fear." Of course, both in combination was even better, but that went without saying.

"Do," he said to Chaos-Two, with a nod, when it said it would try again. He waited, pausing in his pacing, patient. "Try until you get it; I will wait. If you find yourself unable we will return to it another time, but it is wise to practice this until you know it, and can teach it well."

"Ahh, I meant among the... 'fair.' But yes, Dontacael is an enemy of all in these caves. I-" Ahh, but its magic was working, now. He turned, peering, and spotted Chaos-Two after the cleared throat drew his attention. He approached, pacing over to it with a nod.

"Good; and you can teach this, given time. For those with luminescence it will be a necessity. Now for sensing magic. There are those that will try to sense you--or whoever the assassin, or spy, or scout is that you are training. For this, if you have covered sight, sound and smell, there is still magic to find you. As you yourself have learned, the ability to sense heartbeats, and the like. But you in turn can sense this magic in use, and be forewarned. It is a matter of opening yourself to it, though it may take some time to learn. Focus, for a moment; can you sense what it is that I am doing?"

He didn't know if Chaos-Two were already capable of this sort of magic, or not; but anyone, he knew, could learn it. "Each type of magic has a... trace. A signature. It touches; and what it touches it leaves a mark on, if briefly! Can you feel what I am doing?" he asked. Granted, his own was a little weak: he could sense the heartbeat pulse, 'see' the red outlines, of the living things closer in the cave. But it wasn't a strong cast, nor strong magic; and he'd hardly blame Chaos-Two for being unable to sense it.

Well, now, that was a question. He'd never sat down, compared and contrasted, asked others if they sensed magic the same way as he.

He gave this question, as he always did, due consideration.

"It may be different for you, for others--I do not know. For me it is... a tickle at my mind, a brush across my own magic, placed out there to touch upon that which is in use. Once you are good with it, you can begin to sense what is being done; or at least, which element it might belong to. It is... difficult to describe, but you may feel a sort of... static for lightning; heat for flame, that sort of thing. Here: I will try to shroud myself again. Perhaps it will be easier for you to feel something in your native element. If I fail--or you do--we can move on, for now; this is something that can be practiced on its own time, and we've the meat of the lesson yet to touch."

There, standing in full view, he shrouded himself again with shadows; he shifted to his other foot, peering at V-Chaos-Two. "-There--do you feel it? I do not necessarily expect you to, so quickly; if you do not it is not a real failure. I merely cover it now as another tool for you to learn."