Star
Full Member
Posts: 168
|
Post by Star on Mar 17, 2024 5:47:04 GMT -6
Now he had a clearly defined body, head, and even a tail. He had only two legs and walked with an extremely awkward waddle, but even that was a considerable improvement over the seedling stage.
Another interesting thing about Sha was the way his face was split both horizontally and vertically by mouth-like seams. What I thought was a quirk of the seedling stage was actually just one of two such divisions to emerge. Most creatures I was familiar with had a generally similar face to my own - that is, with a jaw at the bottom, a nose in the middle, and eyes on top. Sha had two sets of eyes, one on top and one on bottom, and he was able to open his mouth both vertically and horizontally.
I had to wonder what purpose the extra pair of eyes served. It almost seemed as if he could be flipped over, but there was a slight difference between his top and bottom.
2 [23.05, 5.4]
|
|
Star
Full Member
Posts: 168
|
Post by Star on Mar 17, 2024 5:47:22 GMT -6
On his back, he had two rows of vents, not unlike nostrils, that oozed liquid light. It was very unsettling at first, but I eventually came to understand that it was a form of off-gassing the stored elemental power within.
All of this was a good sign. Sha was growing at a rapid rate, and the power within was beginning to blossom. I began to consider what he might look like in his next stage, what changes he might undergo. Regardless, I could now more easily imagine him as a fierce guardian of my hoard.
“You will be my little torch,” I said, holding him up into the air. Sha kicked his little legs and looked down at me affectionately.
Now that he could walk, Sha followed me everywhere. He was utterly dedicated to watching my every move. I had read about the devotion of elemental golems, but seeing it in action was something else entirely.
3 [23.1, 5.6]
|
|
Star
Full Member
Posts: 168
|
Post by Star on Mar 17, 2024 5:47:43 GMT -6
I imagined that his siblings would be the same, once they grew out of the lumpy stage. The seedlings did not have many options with their limited mobility, but I figured they would probably follow suit once they grew.
I set Sha down at the entrance of the mine to see what he would do. Usually at this point, Sapphire would immediately begin investigating. Sha, however, just turned around to stare at me. I could have expected that.
“We are here to find gems. For my hoard. Do you understand?”
His face was as blank as ever. That was fine. He did not need to understand what we were doing. He only needed to not get himself in trouble. If he could help, that would be ideal, but my expectations of his abilities remained low. This was all in service of making him more capable by exposing him to new experiences.
4 [23.15, 5.8]
|
|
Star
Full Member
Posts: 168
|
Post by Star on Mar 17, 2024 5:48:38 GMT -6
One day he would be the shining beacon of power I could only imagine at that moment.
Without Sapphire’s help, I would have to figure out where the best gems were on my own. That would inevitably slow things down a bit. I had to remind myself that bonding with Sha was the goal, and the gems were merely secondary. I set him out in the sun every morning at dawn, but I could tell that he craved more attention. I reasoned that I needed to spend some time with him, more than just carrying him back and forth from a high ledge each morning.
Since I could fly and most people could not, I was able to reach places within the mines that were not completely plundered by rookie miners. The most accessible entrances were scraped clean by years of people coming by to follow the path of least resistance.
5 [23.2, 6]
|
|
Star
Full Member
Posts: 168
|
Post by Star on Mar 17, 2024 5:49:07 GMT -6
Any fool with a pickaxe could walk in and tap at the walls. With enough brute strength, they might even find something useful. That was the thing about this place - the source of gems seemed neverending.
I ran my claws across the floor, bathed in the flickering light coming from Sha’s pores. I could feel the subtle bumps in the deceptively smooth surface. Knowing what kind of stone I was dealing with was important for finding the right place to dig. Starting there would not be ideal. The hardness of that particular stone made it difficult to crack into, and the composition of the minerals were not ideal for the creation of gems.
“This way,” I said to Sha, following a vein of rock that suggested I might find more fertile ground at the end of it.
Sha did not react to my call right away, but he did eventually catch up once he noticed I walked away.
6 [23.25, 6.2]
|
|
Star
Full Member
Posts: 168
|
Post by Star on Mar 17, 2024 5:49:38 GMT -6
I noticed that he seemed curious about his surroundings, something I had not observed in him before. I wondered if he was growing more intelligent as well as growing in size. Just as I considered that, he tripped over a dent in the rock and went tumbling over. Perhaps not.
His reactions were slow and methodical. That would certainly make him difficult to teach. I was not necessarily looking forward to that part, though I was pleased that he at least knew to stay close to me by instinct. That was enough to keep him out of trouble most of the time.
Sha landed on his back from his fall and began kicking his feet wildly in the air. Without any arms, it was difficult for him to flip himself back over. I observed for a moment to see if he would figure it out. He did not. I was not surprised.
7 [23.3, 6.4]
|
|
Star
Full Member
Posts: 168
|
Post by Star on Mar 17, 2024 5:50:27 GMT -6
“It did not take long for you to get into trouble,” I remarked. “Is this why you have eyes on your underside?” I flipped him over with a sturdy push, and he shook himself off and looked adoringly up at me. I could not easily tell whether he was appreciative that I helped him, or he would have just stared at me like that regardless. Probably the latter.
“It will take forever if we keep this pace,” I told him. Predictably, he did not move an inch.
“Come along, then,” I said, walking along the path I had set out for myself. I watched the subtle changes in the stone as I walked through the cavern, looking for anything that would point me in a good direction. Depending on the composition of the stone, different gems would be created, and I wanted to get the most out of my time there.
8 [23.35, 6.6]
|
|
Star
Full Member
Posts: 168
|
Post by Star on Mar 17, 2024 5:50:51 GMT -6
Sha came along without an issue, following after me in his awkward way. He toddled along rather slowly given his short stumpy legs, but he did a decent enough job of keeping up that I did not feel like I had to constantly police him. As long as he did not actively get in the way, I supposed that would be fine. It was much easier to deal with than the seedling form which must be carried everywhere.
Noting how much more useful he was already, I eagerly anticipated the rest of the pack growing as well. Even in this awkward state, it was considerably more convenient to have him around than when he was just a seedling. The nearly impenetrable shell around him made it so that he could stumble around as much as he wanted without being harmed. Young and vulnerable creatures had a habit of getting into things that would easily harm them, but Sha had no such worries.
9 [23.4, 6.8]
|
|
Star
Full Member
Posts: 168
|
Post by Star on Mar 17, 2024 5:51:10 GMT -6
It was almost comical to think of a predator trying to eat him and failing miserably.
The tangled web of tunnels gathered into the cave in which we stood. There were a few twisted pathways crossing over one another to create the relatively large opening. The chances of such a combination seemed slim, but it was surprisingly common for tunnels to overlap. It had something to do with the way the tunnels were formed, I surmised. It seemed almost inevitable that all splits in the rocky core found another eventually.
I studied many varied tomes about gems, stones, metals, and earth. Most much older than the city itself. Rocks were older than life by a considerable margin, after all. Books spoke at length about the nature of rock, its composition, how soil changed over the years, and where the gems and metals were most likely to dwell. People, too, craved the shimmering riches within.
10 [23.45, 7]
|
|
Star
Full Member
Posts: 168
|
Post by Star on Mar 17, 2024 5:54:10 GMT -6
A long time ago, before anyone understood the composition of the earth’s riches, people often thought of sparkling gold and brilliant gemstones as gifts from the divine. It was easy enough just to stumble across one, to pluck it from a riverbed or find it shaken free, jutting out of a cliffside. Over millennia, nearly every easy find like that had been relocated. Collected into the hoards of people. From spread out across the surface of the continent concentrated into pockets of life.
In a way, it was rather poetic and beautiful. The people shape the world around them, endlessly curating it in their favor. I could hardly blame them, as I intended to do just the same myself. However I, a latecomer into this world, would have to wrench the riches from the stone with my own claws. Thankfully, I had generations of written knowledge to build upon.
11 [23.5, 7.2]
|
|
Star
Full Member
Posts: 168
|
Post by Star on Mar 17, 2024 5:54:45 GMT -6
It was nice to have my claws free with Sha both being able to walk by himself now as well as serving as a torch to illuminate the darkness. Every time I paused to study the geology, he would plod along until he bumped into me, then abruptly stop. The light flickered around within tunnels as he seemed not to be aware of how he affected it. Each time he drew closer to me, the light grew dimmer as it was blocked by my body, and I would often have to adjust him so I could continue to observe the ground.
Perhaps it was not the most convenient method of travel, but I had to remind myself of my purpose. I was here to give Sha new experiences, so he would continue to grow and learn. The sunlight in the morning did a lot for his physical form, that was true, but he also had much to learn.
12 [23.55, 7.4]
|
|
Star
Full Member
Posts: 168
|
Post by Star on Mar 17, 2024 5:55:00 GMT -6
Not to mention all of the battle training we would have to do together.
As improved as his new form was, he was still not much of a fighter. He had seemingly no control over his elemental power and as far as I could tell, could not really attack anything. I supposed he could probably bite something if it was unfortunate enough to get near his gaping maw, but he was a little under equipped to chase down a target.
Out of curiosity, I lifted Sha off the ground and placed him in front of me. He instantly turned around to stare at me with that fixated gaze of his. I gave him a nudge, pushing him forward, but he merely stumbled a bit trying to keep his feet underneath him. He did not want to turn around and look down the tunnel. He only wanted to look at me.
13 [23.6, 7.6]
|
|
Star
Full Member
Posts: 168
|
Post by Star on Mar 17, 2024 5:55:16 GMT -6
While I could certainly appreciate the adoration, I was hoping that he would show an ability to lead the way. I supposed that my expectations of him were too high. He was a creature that was devoted to one and only one purpose - me. I would have to teach him a whole list of commands if I wanted him to do anything more complex than following me around.
“Just stay close, then,” I said. Though I hardly needed to say it. He followed me around like I was the sun at the center of his galaxy. It reminded me of a family of ducks that once inhabited my pond. Once they hatched, the ducklings dutifully followed their mother everywhere she went. Even when they were too small to bridge a gap, they would try and fall, then scramble to continue. Sha was like my own little duck, falling into cracks and hoping I will pluck him back out again.
14 [23.65, 7.8]
|
|
Star
Full Member
Posts: 168
|
Post by Star on Mar 17, 2024 5:55:43 GMT -6
The criss crossing paths winding through the cavern demanded that I make a choice between them. I ran my claws against the stone one last time to ensure that I was on the right track. “This way,” I said, tapping Sha with my tail to keep him in line as I headed further into the tunnel.
Compared to the open cavern where I flew into the mines, the tunnel felt oppressively narrow. Yet it was big enough to accommodate my natural stride. Many places in the mines became increasingly tight until it was nearly (or literally) impossible to traverse. Another reason that Sapphire made an excellent companion. Its small stature allowed it to squeeze into many tight places and come back out with gems in hand. It was a shame not to have it along, but I found it was best to focus my attention on Sha alone for once. How else would we grow that invisible bond that allowed him to reach full strength?
15 [23.7, 8]
|
|
Star
Full Member
Posts: 168
|
Post by Star on Mar 17, 2024 5:56:09 GMT -6
“If only you had claws,” I said, looking down at him once more. The odd little creature could probably fit into a narrow crevice, but he would not be coming back out again of his own accord. Not to mention his inability to carry anything. He might be able to hold a single rock in his mouth, if he did not then immediately try to eat it, but I doubted he could be of more use than that.
“You really are strange,” I said. My tone was endearing rather than critical, which I had come to realize was all creatures really wanted. They did not mind what was being said so much as how it was conveyed. I could call him useless right to his face and he would not bat an eye. Though that felt a lot more harsh than ‘strange.’ As much as I found myself complaining about his current lack of utility, I held no contempt for him.
16 [23.75, 8.2]
|
|