Pride regained his feet with a clatter of hooves on rock, sharply glancing around with a sense of disorientation, hurriedly trying to ascertain where she had gone. Everything seemed to be moving much too fast, and he struggled to reassert his control over at least his own actions.

He found Reseda reeling, where he'd left her, lowering herself down after what he felt instinctively was another failed spell. A strange sense came over him--a determination, almost savage in its primal nature, driven by the rush of combat and the brief chance he had to snatch the upper hand. It was a sudden, intense feeling, and he found with a detached, mild surprise in the back of his mind that he liked it.

Some other part of him knew it was somehow uncouth, and that he would have to avoid indulging in it too powerfully. Focusing more coldly on his magick, he decided swiftly to twin himself, to split himself in two directions so that the komodo might not know which one to focus on. With any luck, he was now too far for another shockwave like that to hit him again.

Hopefully.

He felt himself twinning once more, and exerted his willpower, his control, over both body and magick. One Pride bounded left, the other right, as if to circle Reseda from two directions at once: two small flashes of white, small and vulnerable... but which one was which?

Round: 4
Attempt: Double Up
Defense: None
Injuries: A bit banged up

@Reseda

Reseda watched with a twinge of what was close to anger when Pride doubled itself. She felt a sense of possessiveness at that spell, having used it many times to fool. And now it was being used right back at her. She had no idea which was the real one, the copies being so perfect in appearance and too far away to distinguish and fine details that could have been wrong.

However, she knew how she was going to flip one over on Pride. She breathed in sharply as she gathered magic from her gem into her body and the energy around her vibrated. She jumped towards the one to her right while simultaneously jumping to her left. Two Resedas facing two Pride's, neither of which knew which was the real one.

Round: 5
Attempt: use her own drift to confuse
Defense: none
Injuries: possibly bruising


"Living with myself."
Nothing but lies.


tags: @Pride
notes:

The fawn hesitated. Well, one of them did--and it might, he realized, have given him away. One of the "twins," the doubles, pulled his head back slightly, glancing uncertainly between both komodo dragons.

The other fawn simply stared, dull-eyed.

Pride grimaced. His only hope was to try and strike both at once... to hit both with his shockwave. But he wasn't quite in range.

Two of them-... Two of them.

There was a brief moment of near-panic as the situation threatened to overwhelm the young fawn, and once again he fell back on his mind to aid him. His true strength: his intellect.

Both twinned white fawns stood stock-still for a moment, as Pride gathered all the magicka he could from their surging surroundings. He drew it in; he focused it, hoping he had bought himself enough time, with his double.

He then directed it, this taking every bit of concentration the young fawn had, and every last reserve of magicka, in an attempt to snag one Reseda... and fling it into the other.

Round: 5
Attempt: Hit Reseda with... Reseda
Defense: None
Injuries: A bit banged up

@Reseda

Reseda thought she'd had it confused, but then she was flying, tossed in the air, right into her double. The magic disappeared and her head smacked into the ground. Pain split in her head as the world began to spin around her. For a moment, she lay there, seeing stars, before she scrambled to her feet, trying to shake out the dizzying sensation of the concussion

"Very...well done...Pride," she mumbled through the pain. She reached for her magic ans opened the gateway and warmth flooded her body. The pain began to ease until it was gone and the world steadied. The bruises on her skin faded as well. She gave her head a shake to clear the last of it before focusing on her student.

She began to make her way forward, realizing how far apart they had gotten in their fight. "Excellent. You have good instincts, a sharp mind, and strong magic. You've beaten me this time. We will fight again when you have grown even stronger. Now, if you have anymore questions about magic, I can answer them and we can be done for the day." She sat down and stared at Pride, waiting for an answer. The thing looked exhausted from all the magic and she wasn't surprised. It was still newly hatched, not even half a cycle old and it had performed some impressive magic.


"Living with myself."
Nothing but lies.


tags: @Pride
notes:

Pride watched Reseda, watched her tumble, watched lie there. He let his double fade, briefly swaying on his hooves. Short gasping pants escaped him as he tried to regain his breath.

When she rolled back upright, he briefly tensed, afraid that the fight would continue, and knowing he would fail--or find it very difficult, at least, to cast a spell again. Still, he gathered himself, ready to rally and gamely make an attempt at it--until Reseda began to speak. Faint relief striking him, he relaxed again, and drew himself up to listen.

There was a fine line between pride, and arrogance. Pride was proud of himself, to be sure: satisfied in his performance, that he had done the best he could and give it a damn good tackle, particularly for his first time. But he was proud, too, of his own self-worth and one part of that self-worth was his perfect bearing--and that required a delicate and agreeable dignity. He did not strut, nor brag; nor did he abase himself before his teacher, but instead he dipped his head, even as he panted, in a polite yet equal fashion.

"I have... no more questions, for now. Or rather... many. But I am tired." He glanced around, briefly and suddenly aware that with the two of them tired, and battered, and far from their den (of sorts), that they were both potential targets. "We ought to--find, safety."

All of this cautiously said, his silver-gray eyes returning to Reseda at the last, he took a deep breath and strode toward her--ready to follow her back. "Thank you," he added, in the same stately tone, "for teaching me."

@Reseda

Character: @Reseda Age: +5 (5 Cycles) Magic Level: +5 (Master) ROUND 1 Attempt: +4 Penalties: -0 ROUND 2 Attempt: +12 Penalties: -0 ROUND 3 Attempt: +13 Penalties: -0 ROUND 4 Attempt: +2 Penalties: -0 ROUND 5 Attempt: +15 Penalties: -0 Total: 56

Character: @Pride Age: +1 (1 Cycle) Magic Level: +3 (Pupil) ROUND 1 Attempt: +14 Penalties: -0 ROUND 2 Attempt: +15 Penalties: -0 ROUND 3 Attempt: +6 Penalties: -0 ROUND 4 Attempt: +15 Penalties: -0 ROUND 5 Attempt: +20 Penalties: -0 Total: 74

WINNER: Pride

Reseda was slightly surprised that Pride did not have anymore questions for her but, after looking it over, she realized that it was probably tired. It had done a lot of magic today, especially for a newly hatched, and it would probably be for the best if they rested. "Okay, good idea. Come, then, if you wish to talk more, we can do it in shelter or after our rest." She stood from the ground and turned towards where they had found a good resting place earlier. She led the way, her eyes flitting to the Spire every so often.

It was an incredible source of magic and, even though she preferred the room of bones, it was revitalizing being around it and introduced her to a strange sense she had never experienced before. She could not name it, for she did not know it. But it made her feel, nonetheless.

She nodded at Pride's thanks, also a little surprised that it had done so. "You are welcome. It is good to pass on my knowledge to one who can listen." There had been the unfortunate one, yes, but it had not the aptitude for energy magic, instead preferring the burning, blazing flame that she had not yet learned.

Once they were back at their den, Reseda stood at the entrance and allowed Pride to go in if it wished. "If you are tired, I can fetch us some food. Although...I do not know what you eat."


"Living with myself."
Nothing but lies.


tags: @Pride
notes:

Pride followed Reseda along, finding that his young limbs were trembling faintly with the exertion, finding that his belly did rumble. And as to what he ate? Hmm.

"I do not... know. Green..?" he asked, uncertain. He wanted to add more to this, but the sad fact was, his language skills were still not quite up to it. He remembered nibbling on plants, but he was unsure if this was a general dietary rule for him, or if he could eat more than that. Or if he were, even, limited to only certain types of plant.

When Reseda reached the resting place, he folded his limbs under him, and with a deep exhale, he lay down. He was, for the moment, satisfied--he had performed well, his mentor apparently was satisfied in having a decent student, and now he could rest.

He wondered what more there could be to learn. For a split second, he debated whether to ask about food, or magic, but his hunger for knowledge won over his more primal needs.

"What more... can I learn to do... with this magic?" he asked, slowly picking each word from his mind. Grey eyes regarded Reseda quizzically, as he regained his breath--and his energy. The crackling from the Spire seemed to infuse him further every second, and for a moment, it was almost enough to be uncomfortable. He glanced back to it, peering. "And what is--that?" he asked. "Why is it so..."

Potent was the word he sought, but potent was a word that he did not know. With a soft exhale, he adapted, choosing something simpler, if not quite bearing the meaning that he wished. "...strong?"

@Reseda

Greens? So it ate plants. Reseda didn't know where, exactly, plants would be growing around here. Perhaps near the river, but that was far away. She could search - it probably wouldn't be too hard.

"Wait here." She turned and trudged out of the cave, her tongue flicking for any signs of plants. She could taste something in the air, distantly, and turned to follow the scent. After a little while, it brought her to a scraggly collection of tough bushes. She reached down towards the roots and grabbed them in her jaws. With one yank, they came free from the earth. She headed back to Pride with green plants in her jaws.

Once back at the den, she set them down near the white one and settled back in her own corner of the den, turning to address its questions. "You can do whatever you wish with your magic. I cannot teach you everything you can learn, you must experiment, be creative. Magic is a tool that can be wielded however you wish. As for that..." She looked out towards the crackling blue crystal. "It is called the Spire. Nobody knows what it is or where it came from, only that it is made of such potent magic that it can be touched. It could be the source of magic, the life of the caves, or something else nobody has dreamed of. Perhaps one day its secrets will be cracked and we shall know. However, there is time. Eat and rest, we can resume tomorrow, if you wish."


"Living with myself."
Nothing but lies.


tags: @Pride
notes:

Pride glanced at Reseda as she settled the plants back down near him, hardly having registered in his exhausted state that she had ever even left. He blinked pale eyes at her, his detached indifference for a moment faltering as he was struck by some measure of surprised gratitude. He did not know--nor particularly did he care--if she cared, but it was still an act that surprised him.

"Thank you," he offered, then lowered his narrow snout to gently nibble on what she had brought him. One ear flicked, too, as he listened to her words, and after a moment his head came back up--dragging a twist of foliage with it as he chewed--to peer at the Spire as she spoke of what she knew.

Curiosity flickered within him: the secrets? Her phrasing piqued his interest, quite a bit. He wanted to know, now, what the Spire was, what it did. What it was for. So there were elements of this world that its inhabitants did not yet understand? Inspiration, too--some measure of purpose--flared up. He had drive--now it had found a focus. He wished to learn.

Some half-conceived notion of being the hero of the caves, better than all and standing atop the Spire, unravelling its mysteries as he spoke to those below, ran through his mind--faint, and quickly-forgotten. But the idea of learning, of being the first--and in a triumphant, proud way, not an arrogant and domineering one--stuck with him.

Still-... Reseda's other words also rang true: he had to rest. His young body was exhausted, and he found himself falling asleep even mid-bite. He chewed, swallowed, and eyed the reptile with exhaustion. "I am," he began in a very quiet croak, "...curious, about it. But, I am also... tired. I will rest, yes. Train more, later."

Train more, yes--oh yes; he wanted to be the best. Not the best in the caves--but the best that he could be. To exert discipline over himself, to rise higher and higher, and become something that he could always be proud of. To strive enough to make himself proud.

His head curled in, tucked against his flank; for a moment Pride gazed, half-asleep, out at Polaris's shimmering lights. Then his mind was drifting off, sleep swiftly taking him, oblivious to the komodo dragon by his side.

@Reseda ;; exit Pride