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Post by Jack on Sept 10, 2021 19:51:28 GMT -6
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Post by Xentus on Sept 26, 2021 18:54:35 GMT -6
The man then backed away quickly, eyes darting about the crypt to ensure that there weren't going to be some angry draugr rising from its grave. The tombs lay peacefully still. He didn't let his sight off the coffins for another moment, then he looked at his quarry. A thrumming crystal and a couple of polished gems. The deep black crystal felt deep, resonating with a tone that almost made his head hurt. Dark energies lay within it. Not the most appealing source of magic he'd found, but it was surely worth a lot.
"Grave robbery was easier than Xentus thought", the man murmured to his spelunking companion, "Not a hobby this one will partake in often, worry not" The gargoyle clicked its beak and tilted its head curiously at the warden's words. It couldn't tell if there was anything of importance spoken, but it seemed to get the gist that the man needed to speak for his own comfort.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 26, 2021 19:03:07 GMT -6
It wouldn't kill him to address the lineup of creatures that were starting to follow them, would it though? The leopard was rather unbothered by the two karzik and gem drake hovering around their space. The bug-like creatures were clicking at each other, undoubtedly telling the tale of how the other came to know the mammalian. The drake loomed nearby, scanning for its next gem-meal. And was likely attracted to the new finds of the man. And there was the lone gargoyle amid beasts and man. The familiar shuffled its wings and skulked closer to the warden's legs, seeking his attention or cover.. Something. Xentus peered down at the small, stone being, trying to ascertain what it was up to. Its hollow eyes stared blankly at him. A moment of silence passed. The leopard was patient, but even he was slightly unnerved by the silence of the gargoyle. "What is it, Varus?"
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Post by Xentus on Sept 26, 2021 19:13:33 GMT -6
There was acknowledgement. Somehow that relieved a minor stress on the gargoyle's mind. Now it strained itself trying to figure how to best express its contempt for the gathering of animals around them. A clack of the beak, a turn of the head to point at the nearby karzik. And.. Point. Yes, it would point at them. That was something the warden definitely understood. Unfortunately, the meaning of these gestures was lost on the man. Xentus could tell the gargoyle was trying to tell him something. His eyes flicked toward the two bugs and the gem drake. Welcomed visitors to their midst, he thought them. Yet there was something the gargoyle was trying to communicate about them that he just couldn't figure out. He could only assume the stone familiar didn't like the competition.
"Xentus enjoys your company, dear Varus", the man said gently as he knelt down, "These new friends are welcome to linger, however"
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Post by Xentus on Sept 26, 2021 19:19:16 GMT -6
More acknowledgement, more words that it didn't understand. The gargoyle wasn't entirely satisfied, but somehow felt more at ease about their newfound friends. It may not be proper communication, but if it got the point across, it worked just fine. Xentus looked at the familiar a little longer, trying to figure if there was anything else it was trying to say. Varus stared at him for a moment, shuffled its wings, then began to wander off. It ignored the karzik in its path and seemed to be on the trail for something. Or maybe it just wanted to move elsewhere. The crypt was starting to feel a little too comfortable for how chilly it was. Time to move on. There was the mystery of the stone tablet remaining and much exploring to be done in this ruin. What other secrets lay here? What kind of treasures were left to be found?
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Post by Xentus on Sept 26, 2021 19:29:31 GMT -6
With the treasures found already, there was nothing the man had to complain about. A handful of magic crystals were always to be celebrated. But.. Call him greedy, he wanted more. After getting a hint of thrill from spelunking, he craved the next taste. Plus, the curiosity of exploration was a good motivator. The leopard caught up with the gargoyle in a few hastened steps, shining his torch on the path ahead. The ruin offered them an array of halls, long and dark with several branching turns along the length. A maze. Or shoddy construction. Or something else, the purpose of which escaped him. His mind made up a story for the confusing corridors as the pair traversed them. This place used to be covered in murals depicting the victories of the emperor. Lost to time, covered with minerals and earth. And now remained only an echo of its former self.
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Post by Nadia on Sept 29, 2021 5:35:29 GMT -6
There's light glistening in the dark...
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Post by Xentus on Aug 5, 2023 20:37:38 GMT -6
His imagination ran wild as he traced the winding hall with his claw-tips, creating the whys and hows of the architecture as he walked. But on a more serious note, why exactly was this strange labyrinth created? He was familiar with hedge mazes thanks for that strange mansion, which provided hours of fun and frustration for him on one occasion. But certainly carving through stone to craft a maze was not fun. And having to traverse it was... Admittedly mildly entertaining. He could tolerate this for tens of minutes. With Varus guiding him, he somehow felt safe as well. The trust he had in the gargoyle would hopefully not be misplaced. The rock-being skulked with a certain kind of accuracy to it, as if there was something it was tracking. At first, it seemed to trail along the right side wall. It took the first right that it came across, then the next.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 5, 2023 21:05:22 GMT -6
Varus stayed steady straight ahead, until it passed three openings. Then it turned left. And stopped. The path branched into three separate tunnels, each faced a different direction. Xentus soon caught up with the gargoyle and peered down all three paths. His torch dimly lit all three from where he stood, but the light petered out far before he could see the end of any particular tunnel. "Hm", the warden rumbled then questioned the mining familiar, "What is this, Varus? Where to go now?" The stony being clacked its beak then turned its head to look at the leopard. It seemed to scrutinize for a moment, trying to decipher the man's words. It felt it picked up on... Confusion. Questioning. It was used to his voice, but trying to make out what the man's sounds were supposed to mean was difficult. If the warden was confused... It was too, it decided. The gargoyle turned around and rested its weight on its heels.
182 Varus: Foreign Language 1; Common - 1
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Post by Xentus on Aug 5, 2023 21:22:48 GMT -6
Xentus blinked at it. It would blink back, if it could. But instead it stared with its hollow eyes. They locked gazes for a long moment before the warden finally caved. "Tired, Varus?", he questioned in a gentle yet still confused tone, "Let us rest, then" The man put down his pack and sat cross-legged on the hard rock floor before the gargoyle. It seemed... Anxious. The good kind of anxious, the kind of eagerness and anticipation. "Come now, What is it Varus?", the man asked knowing an answer wouldn't come in reply. But he did notice the creature locking its sight (or what he assumed would be, given the lack of eyes) on his mouth. Something in his teeth, maybe? The leopard did his best to hide his continued confusion as he tried to figure what the thing wanted. Something about his mouth. Teeth, tongue.. Tongue, like words, maybe?
183 Varus: Foreign Language 1; Common - 2
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Post by Xentus on Aug 5, 2023 21:29:53 GMT -6
As far as he knew, the gargoyle couldn't speak. It has no vocalizations even, only making clicking noises with its beak. But knowing what his words meant didn't need to involve its own speech capability. From what he'd learned about the strange familiar, it was certainly intelligent enough to learn to comprehend the spoken tongue. Varus had already associated some words with actions as well, like hold and give. While the cavernous environment was no classroom, it would suffice for teaching some lessons while they rested. "Xentus", the man started, pointing at himself, then pointed at the gargoyle, "Varus" This was elementary. And with his habit of speaking in third person (and the gargoyle already knowing its own name), perhaps this was a lesson already taught. Varus clicked his beak, seemingly in acknowledgement. The man continued on. "Hand", he said, clutching his own pawed hands before grasping the gargoyle's, "Hand"
184 Varus: Foreign Language 1; Common - 3
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Post by Xentus on Aug 5, 2023 21:39:10 GMT -6
The word was repeated again as the man moved to the gargoyle's other hand. He tried to read the gargoyle's face, which looked at its held hand. It seemed to be pondering the man's actions. Admittedly, his approach was going to be a slow one and he needed to start somewhere basic. Using themselves and the environment around would be the best for associating words with objects and actions. The gargoyle seemed to catch on easily enough, it was no toddler after all. It clicked its beak when the man repeated 'hand' once again, trying to give Xentus some kind of sign that it understood. "Mhm, good", Xentus praised with a smile, then continued on, "Varus' hand" A name and an object. Its own name and its own body. Its name sounded kind of different though. Longer. "Xentus' hand" The same extended name trend carried on as the warden continued his lesson.
185 Varus: Foreign Language 1; Common - 4
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Post by Nadia on Aug 6, 2023 2:51:57 GMT -6
What a pretty stone...
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Post by Xentus on Aug 6, 2023 18:24:03 GMT -6
Before when just casually talking to the gargoyle, he'd spout all kinds of words and questions that went over the creature's head. Now he was trying to establish direct understanding. 'Wing', 'Wings', 'Varus' wing', and 'Varus' wings' was one of the more interesting expansion to the current lesson. Varus was picking up on the concept of parts belonging to him and how such words sounded, and how multiple of a thing sounded. It was simple enough with the addition of the 's' sound. The context of how and when the 's' sound was added seemed to make sense to the familiar too.
Gradually, Xentus increased the number of words he spoke. "Varus has wings", the man said, making a clear statement. The additional word... Didn't seem to change much of the meaning between it and 'Varus's wings at first. A pause and a moment to process was taken. The gargoyle eventually clicked its beak once Xentus repeated the phrase a couple more times.
186 Varus: Foreign Language 1; Common - 5
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Post by Xentus on Aug 6, 2023 18:36:53 GMT -6
"Xentus' hammer", the man said next after procuring the tool from his pack. He showed it to Varus, to which it clicked its beak in acknowledgement. He then handed it to the gargoyle and repeated the phrase, pointing at the tool now in its possession. It was not Varus' hammer. Yet, this was not much a surprise. It did seem to understand the concept of ownership - after all, it had often given the man gifts of stone that it found.
"Varus has Xentus' hammer"
This phrase took a moment to process. The gargoyle looked at the hammer in its hand, then looked at the leopard. And clicked its beak. "Varus learns well", the warden praised. Somehow, he thought he could tell it was happy to hear praise. Or perhaps he was only imagining it. The lessons carried on. He pointed to the hammer then said 'give', prompting the gargoyle to return the tool. While it did so, he stated, "Varus gives Xentus's hammer"
187 Varus: Foreign Language 1; Common - 6
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