- THE LEVIATHAN -

"Good!" he boomed, in praise; "I did not expect you to pick it up so quickly. Your quick grasp of new magics is impressive."

Vargas then began to stretch, limbering up, though for what wasn't quite clear. "Now I will tell you of traps, of lures. With a little bit of backstory, to explain where this experience comes from--and why it is necessary. Each thing--each subject or ability--that you are taught, by Garnet Delta, Overseer Orthoclase-Alpha, myself; each of these are tools in your kit, tools to pass on to those you train. These tools can be mixed and matched, brought out and combined as you see fit. This tool is a necessity for prey that runs and hides. Things you cannot find, and must lure out; or things where you know where they are, and cannot reach."

He paced a little ways away, then sat to face V-Chaos-Two, again stretching; he looked around as he did so, eyeing the various crevices and cracks left by Draconua, by Khavur, by the movements of the rock itself. "Long ago, there was a rebellion in these caves. And even before that, there were always those who refused our ways, and who had to be put down. One of my tasks was hunting down rebels, and killing them." He looked to Chaos-Two, matter-of-fact, as he said this. It was hardly secret information; maybe Chaos had been told, maybe it hadn't but he didn't expect it to be shocking. "Naturally, a rebel going into hiding knows that I will be hunting it. One slated for trials who fears the trials more than they fear me might risk it. Either way that target will go into hiding, and they often did. But when you spoke of using the kindness of others against them--that is most certainly a possibility."

Vargas again pushed up, with a brief "Stay there," and paced off into the gaps torn open at the foot of the Black Spire--crevices rended into the very earth by Draconua's rampage. "They worked together--they gathered up, welcoming in other refugees. And so it was a simple enough matter to draw one out, when I found one." He pushed past a boulder, and out of sight.

The mimicry he attempted--enhanced, infused by magic--was not perfect, but perhaps Chaos-Two wouldn't know that: it hadn't ever heard the voice that he was imitating. And the voice itself was piteous: small, weak, a cry trembling with fear. "Help me-... I'm wounded. Help." Vargas then poked his head out from around the rock, his tone returning quite to normal: "You can see how this sort of thing would be helpful-?" he asked.

@V-Chaos-Two

Chaos-Two offered a goofy smile, tail flopping against the ground. Due to the placement of their gem, their smile, grimaces, or any expression, really, would be odd looking. It wasn't entirely their fault, though it could add to their unassuming demeanor.

"Do you think there will be another rebellion, Master Vargas?", they asked, head tilted, watching Vargas as he moved, stretched, sat, and moved away again.

The information he'd given was new, but not surprising. Of course Vargas would have been a rebel-hunter, it wasn't a shock. If he'd told them he'd been an executioner, commander, or whatever, they wouldn't be surprised either.

Chaos-Two's ears perked up at the cry, causing them to stand. Of course they knew it was Vargas, but they walked forward anyway, halting as he appeared once again.

"I see," they said, "I think I understand the premise. What other kinds of traps are there?"

They had one they'd used in the past to blind. Once the spell was triggered by someone walking over the spot it was placed, it flashed a bright light, making the eyes useless for a time.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas gave a quiet laugh. "This is not the trap, V-Chaos-Two. This is only the lure. It is one of many, and it is where knowing the psychology of your enemy, or prey, comes into play," and here he lifted one massive hand to touch about where his temple... probably... was. He paced out into the open, then gestured back to the mass of stones and fissures behind him. "The trap will vary on the situation. Rarely will you have time to create one in advance, particularly if you've followed your enemy to where they've gone to ground. Let me give you a common scenario."

He came closer, reassuming his conversational range of a few yards. "Let us say there is another rebellion. And I doubt that, to answer your question--it would be very bad for us, and also for the idiots who think it wise to rebel. They would be crushed if we did lose control of the caves. The fact that even we answer to a higher master is often lost on them," he explained. "But let us say there is another, and you have tracked a rebel down. It is hiding in these holes, here," he went on, gesturing back once more. "But there are tunnels they have dug, and you cannot fit. Nor can you spend time setting up an elaborate trap. They would hear you, undoubtedly--or smell you, or otherwise sense you. So you have only moments between your approach and a kill to lure them out. -Of course, you could try to wait them out, but the filthy beasts often have other escapes prepared--back entrances and so on--and you must be cautious not to walk into a trap they've laid, in turn."

Vargas paced over to the fissures Draconua had smashed in the rock, and then, with a light leap perhaps surprising given his massive size, he hopped almost silently atop one of the heavy ledges overhanging it. "So you will need to use the terrain. Use your magic, to lure them out. Perhaps if you know that they are carnivores, the sound of a wounded Lesser will draw them. Or the smell of food, and the sound of Cave Rats eating. Or a cry for help, if they're the pitying sort."

"Then you need to use the terrain: hide up here, for example, ready to leap down, using your shadows to hide you--and if there is wind, always be aware of the way your scent is blowing." He turned, hopping down and taking up position on the other side of the crack, as if to demonstrate; his movements were lithe, smooth, despite the wounds littering his hide. "If you do have time--or the terrain allows--you can set a trap--but always be wary the hunter does not become the hunted! I have encountered pit spike traps waiting for me, among other things. But use height; so many forget to look up," he went on, gesturing meaningfully ceiling-ward. "Hide above, be ready to push rocks down, or leap down yourself for a kill. There are tools you can use--weapons, spikes, poisons. If your prey is too fearful to leave its den, too sensitive to your presence, toxins can be left on food--not something I've had to do, myself," and he seemed to find this a tad distasteful, for whatever reason, "but it is an option. Just be aware you would need to return to finish off the gemstone, by whatever means you have. Are you following so far?" he asked, glancing up; he didn't want to push on if the fundamentals weren't clear.

@V-Chaos-Two

Chaos-Two was under the assumption that Vargas hiding behind a rock, ready to pounce, was the trap, but they didn't say as such, and listened carefully. They walked after Vargas, standing beneath the ledge he'd leapt upon, ears forward as they stood on their hind legs, arms at their side.

"... Kill the stone?", they asked, ears pinning, "But... wouldn't it be more useful to retrieve it and return it here? So that you can revive it or one of the Chaos Forge can?"

They didn't want to kill a gembound in the first place if they could help it, but to do even worse and destroy the stone? That made shivers go down their spine.

"... I am following," they said, "The situation you described is in the case of a rebellion. What about right now, in this moment of time? How would you lure and trap someone now?"

They peered at the tunnel and then up at Vargas, ears forward again, neck craned to watch and listen.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas stared at Chaos-Two, for a moment. Ahh--he hadn't taught it how chrysalises work, had he? And apparently neither had anyone else. Well! "If you kill with poison, it will return to its chrysalis. You haven't damaged it enough. You need to then kill the stone, or it will simply reawaken. Clearer?" he asked, head tilting. "What you do with its gemstone depends on the situation, but that isn't part of this lesson," he went on; it wasn't about laying out what made a creature's design either worthwhile, or too pointless, to use.

"Rebellion or not is not what matters so much as motivation. That is, how to motivate someone into your clutches. That is what I was talking about: the lure of sound, or scent. Mind you, don't overdo it. Enough to arouse curiosity, or concern--enough that they can't ignore it. Too much and it becomes too obvious. Now, I can teach you a little about actual, physical traps; certainly you can use magic, too, but again these are tools in a kit. These are things you can teach our spawn, yes?" he went on.

"I mentioned throwing stones. There are also pit traps. For those, you would dig or find a hole, and fill it with sharpened spikes--wood, gemstone, bone; whatever is available. Then cover it, hide it--loose branches, for example, covered in dust, dirt, leaves--anything to blend in. Your lure goes on top, or draws them over it. Another possibility is something that, when disturbed, brings something else crashing down on it. I prefer using my own teeth and claws--hiding above, or behind, and drawing them out. But traps are viable, and a creature specializing in traps, stalking and poison is very difficult to evade. A patient, skilled, experienced hunter can kill any prey--no matter how large, how powerful, how wary."

Vargas sat back, and looked around. "Let us imagine you had a target in... hm, Pegasus. How would you begin your hunt, knowing nothing of your target bar a vague description and a name?" He spoke patiently, knowing that Garnet-Delta had given it at least the basics of this sort of thing.

@V-Chaos-Two

Chaos-Two nodded, "Ah, the uh... the shell. I understand."

They listened, enraptured, nodding when it was appropriate and trying to remember as much as they could. There was a lot to take in, but they were confident the lesson would stick.

"Pegasus?", they said, and thought for a moment.

"If they are out in the open, there is almost no way I would be able to catch it, kill it, or what not," they said, "The best option would be to lure it into the trees, where hiding is easier and there are more obstacles and things to obscure yourself or the traps you set with."

Chaos-Two tapped their claws together, eyes narrowed, "As you said, very few look up, so hiding in a tree would be best, hidden among the leaves. Perhaps injuring a lesser and leaving it to struggle and cry would attract a carnivore, or mimicking a struggling greater to try and lure in someone well-intentioned. If a lure doesn't work, then setting something off on the other side of them to spook them towards the trees would be better, for they might think that the trees would provide good cover as well. In any case, if everything goes well, then you would jump down and strike them quickly to take them down, taking advantage of any weak spots, like clawing the neck, hitting the head with something blunt, or snapping the neck if the creature is small."

They were silent for a few more seconds, considering.

"Or you could set up a pitfall," they said, "Like you described, but only if you have time to spare, otherwise the first option is best."

Chaos-Two looked up at Vargas, hoping that was correct.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

"You are not wrong, but you have skipped a step. How do you know if it is carnivore, or herbivore? Step backwards one point in this scenario." His tone was patient, leading Chaos-Two along his thought process. "You have only its name, and a brief description. First you need to find it: and then you must learn what you can. Naturally, you may not have that much time--you may need to act fast. But for the sake of this example, let us say you are not rushed. You have hours--days--cycles; whatever you need."

One many-clawed hand waved vaguely as he spoke. "What, then, do you begin with? Your responses are good, in that once you do know, you can plan; and you are keeping the terrain in mind, which is also good. But how do you find out to begin with?"

"These are the two important steps of the hunt: the learning, let us say, and then the doing. The gathering of information--be it as brief as the scent of your prey, or as detailed as its social group and habits--and then the planning and execution. -Figuratively and literally speaking," he added, dark humor in his tone.

@V-Chaos-Two

Chaos-Two thought for a moment, and fiddled with their claws, "Locating a den or frequented area would be a start. If they have none and are nomadic, then trying to find a pattern, like a frequented path they walk could be a good place to ambush them. Finding hunting or grazing spots, perhaps the trees that bear their favorite fruits too."

They sat down finally and rubbed at the longer fur on their chin, humming, "Perhaps locating people who know the gembound could be useful, or the gembound themselves. Perhaps coming to them as an ally or a friend could have them drop their guard, then you could strike them at their most vulnerable after getting the information you need from them."

"If I had the time you speak of, then I would first find out their residence or where they wander the most," they said, "To pick up their scent and get a feel for my surroundings and to use the magic detection spell to gain knowledge on their type of magic and strength. I could set up places to retreat to, to hide in, or set up traps, like pitfalls. Either I could observe from afar or integrate into their group if they have one. I could learn their relationships, and if they are alone and have none, then that means no one will look for them and they won't know who to go for aid should anything go wrong. If they do have friends that means an extra level of carefulness, and perhaps getting close to friends isn't the best idea in order to keep my identity secret."

"The more I know, the more weaknesses I can exploit."

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

He nodded along, listening, commenting now and again. "That first thought is a good one, yes. Finding the den is finding a place they will be at rest, unaware, vulnerable; someplace where they'll let down their guard."

"But tell me, how would you find that den? How would you know their scent, when you speak of picking it up? How would you find their residence to begin with, or their group; their relationships? Has Garnet Delta given you ideas? You arrive in Pegasus; what is your first step?"

His tone was still patient. He was not trying to be pedantic, or overly demanding, but nor was he the sort to simply dump all of the information and hope that his student grasped it. No; he wanted them to think it through. To come to the conclusions, yes; but also to understand the why. In practice, in theory, "pick up their scent" would sound--to the uninitiated--like a sound plan. But how would one come to know this scent, to begin with?

And there were other considerations to be kept in mind--but for now, he wanted to know where Chaos-Two would start. It would, he hoped, be (in some figurative sense) like Chaos-Two undertaking these sorts of things for real, except in its imagination--and rather than real world experience, Vargas would explain what may, or may not, happen. It would learn--but not through failures of its own, but rather, information granted by one who already held this very experience.

@V-Chaos-Two

"Well to pick up a scent you could observe them eating something, and then once they have gone you could pick it up and pick up their scent that way," they said, "Then to find that den you could trail them until nightfall and follow them to their den or sleeping area. Garnet-Delta has given me a few ideas, namely tracking the individual to where their group gathers using their scent."

Chaos-Two was floundering a bit, but they were determined to at least try to get the lesson Vargas was teaching them.

"I arrive in Pegasus... and attempt to find the target's scent, either on food, dung, or on a belonging," they said, swallowing.

@Vargas