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Post by Xentus on Jul 17, 2020 13:33:54 GMT -6
This alone is enough to distinguish New Golems as a species far from the dull Old types. This first, single tough gives the New type Golems an intense, instinctual love for what is now their bonded. It might be likened to a baby bird imprinting upon its mother, but the drive is much, much more intense. This bond supposedly goes as far as to make a New type Golem kill itself, restarting from a seed, should its master will it. It is this which gives the sense that these creatures are companions, rather than a source of raw power to be conquered. Next, the fact that the New types absorb their corresponding element to grow tells that they are not a living element. They must assimilate their element, transforming it into a tool for its use rather than innately having the power to control whatever element it might be aligned with.
Another pause. What would happen if he housed a seedling with an original elemental..? One exudes, one absorbs. Hopefully, a seedling wouldn't absorb more than the other can provide. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't test this on his own, as the only original elemental he possessed was plasma. And he wasn't quite in the mood to add more of its brethren to his collection. Still, a curious thought. How convenient it would be to house the fire seedling with fire.. Instead of having a constant fire roaring in the pit. Earth, water, and air weren't as pressing to feed, thankfully.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 18, 2020 0:45:31 GMT -6
A subtle hum sounded from the leopard's throat as his eyes browsed the collected seedlings before him. The seeds within each of the creatures tracked him as he leaned in and surveyed each, assessing them for.. Something. He wasn't really even sure what he was looking for. Regardless, he then selected the red one, carefully grabbing its carapace and placing the basketball sized creature on his lap. The tentacles resting against his pants wiggled a bit, testing the fabric, before settling down and becoming stationary. Xentus looked down at the center of the plates that made up the shell, tracing a clawed finger along the seam. It was a little bumpy, an odd texture he couldn't quite describe. Rocky. Slightly warm.. He'd been told it was nearly indestructible. Perhaps he'd test that.. But there was more to write. He left the odd lump in his lap, leaning over it.
It is currently presumed that the New type Golem 'projects' its element to form its body.. This projection is not the same as simply exuding an element, however. If it were, a fire Golem would be hot as flames are, and yet it is not. A water Golem would drip and ooze liquid, yet it does not. It would best be described as akin to a light projection of an image on a wall. The surface is solid, and the image might appear to be, say, fire. And yet, going to touch the projected image of fire would result in simply touching the wall.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 18, 2020 1:42:19 GMT -6
He liked that explanation. It made sense to him, even if it didn't quite explain how these creatures managed to perform such a feat. As with most things that couldn't be explained by normal means, magic was the likely answer. How wonderful it was. Xentus enjoyed the idea of magic, and enjoyed the company of magical creatures, but the concept still boggled and amazed him. Apparently, there was a means by which he himself could perform magic.. Somehow, the thought was equally appealing and repulsing. Magic could change one's very being more than they might intend. With as plain as he tended to be, it could be a good thing as much as a bad.
For now, he'd leave magic to the creatures made of (and with) it.
He found himself drumming on the shell of the fire golem, losing the words to write. Given that the golems in his possession currently young and ill formed, there wasn't much more that he thought he could write about them. He'd covered the basics and included his own assumptions. He wanted to write more about the behavior and extent of loyalty to their master but... These things weren't the most interactive, at least not yet. Blue eyes flicked over to the other two golem seedlings, trying to decide what to do with the lot of them now. Perhaps it was time to let the pen rest and return them to their feeding spots. Xentus clutched the fire golem and stood from his seat, mulling on where to store it.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 18, 2020 16:42:10 GMT -6
Thunk.
An uttered curse sounded in the air as the leopard's foot met the a leg of the wooden desk.
Thunk.
And the sound of a helpless seedling falling to the ground accompanied the groaning. A twang of panic zapped the leopard's heart, eyes flicking between his throbbing toes and the fire golem now rolling across the floor. One hand was already wrapped around his foot, rubbing it to help the pain dissipate. The other was helping keep him balanced. But he was more worried about the possible damage done to the young golem after taking such a tumble onto the hardwood than his aching paw. He took a couple awkward hops toward the golem. Then, he threw any concern for his own pain away just to recover his pet. Carefully, he scooped it from the ground and inspected the hard shell for ant damage done. The creature wriggled its tentacles in response to the commotion, showing signs of life. That was a relief..
With a sigh, he limped back to his seat. The golem was placed back onto the desk with the other two while he nursed his still aching foot. The three golems were all now crawling their way toward the mammalian man. Their little tentacles only took them so far so fast, but they seemed alerted to the pain of their master. Xentus glanced over at them, tilting his head at the collective motion. He was confused more than anything, still fighting away the pain. Were they worried?
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Post by Xentus on Jul 18, 2020 16:58:04 GMT -6
He reached a hand out to the middle of the writhing group, centered at the earth golem. Two pesudopods from each seedling reached back in return, grasping whatever clawed fingers they could. The touches he felt were gentle, yet probing.. As if to find what was the source of whatever disturbed their master. Or perhaps to provide reassurance? There wasn't much to go on aside from the writhing touch. The lack of a face and sounds made it awfully difficult to tell what (or how) these beings thought. If they could even think.
As they were described to him, they weren't any more intelligent than the original elemental golems.. Which were awfully dull creatures. But they were much more 'affectionate' than the originals. Overall, he took this as something akin to companion robots. He hadn't quite interacted with his own couple of robots aside from Xio.. But he did own a couple of those strange 'liquid living steel' robots - one in the form of a cat and the other in the form of a dragon. The cat one was programmed to have cat-like behavior, roaming about on silent paws with little interest in anything. Perhaps it wasn't the best comparison to make.
He continued to mull on how to think of the golems, still having his hand out for them to touch. There were orbaru in his collection, were essentially plush toys given life. They were a little too lively, honestly. And also not quite the best comparison to make with these elements incarnate.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 18, 2020 19:37:22 GMT -6
It was safe to say that the behavior he'd come to witness of the golem seedlings would be unique to them. Something that was lively in a way distinct from a robot and loyal beyond its own will. Attentive to their owner, yet.. Yould they truly be able to understand (and feel) emotions like concern? Or could they express curiosity or desires of their own? He felt these question would be answered as the creatures grew more capable of.. Well, doing anything on their own. There was a lot of speculation at the moment, but it was interesting to get a glance into what he might see more of as they grow.
It took some time, but the pain in his foot subsided. He barely noticed, half in a daze in wonderment about how the golems behaved. They all seemed to settle down after fully assessing his fingers. The collection of pseudopods were tangled between his digits. They weren't grasping or clinging, but seemed to just rest in this tangled mass. The texture was still difficult to describe - he'd been mulling on it as well. It was like oobleck, but encased in an impermeable, texture-less membrane. He wondered if that too would change as they developed.
Ah, what was he even going to do now? He finally withdrew his hand and stood up again, taking the nearby fire seedling. He rolled the creature between his hands, inspecting the carapace once again. Apparently it was nearly indestructible. The tumble it had taken had alarmed him, but perhaps he could learn more..
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Post by Xentus on Jul 19, 2020 11:00:19 GMT -6
How to test its durability exactly? There was a distinct difference between the shell-like head and writhing pseudopods of the 'body'.. The only valuable part of the golem was its inner seed and core, apparently. Neither the carapace or tentacles were needed to keep the animal alive. To him, though, the golem already on the fringes of alive. Not that it was close to death by any means, but more that it wasn't exactly the liveliest creature he's ever handled. It was like a vespa locked in its crystalline cocoon. Supposedly 'alive', but from an onlooker's point of view, it merely looked like a solid piece of crystal. The golem was much less beautiful by comparison, but conceptually nearly the same.
A yellow claw tapped on the stony surface of the carapace. Even if the thing was considered 'indestructible', he didn't want to inadvertently hurt it. He was certain the only attack that would damage it would need to be made directly to the seed-core, but there was also the chance that he was incorrect or had been lied to. But he was curious now.
A fork was his weapon of choice to probe the defenses of the golem. He placed the fire seedling back on the desk and settled himself back in the chair, gazing upon his choices. He displayed the fork to the three creatures before him, as if to warn them of his incoming actions. The trio in turn seemed to be watching..? He couldn't really tell. The cores floating within hovered near the open pores closest to him though, so he could only assume as much.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 19, 2020 11:12:16 GMT -6
He tapped the metal fork against the casing of the water seedling, with as much pressure that one would use to crack the shell of a soft boiled egg. The fork resonated a metallic tin between the tines like a crude tuning tool. As for the seedling, no impression, dent, nor crack was left on the shell. Pretty much what he expected. Next, he turned his attention to the earth elemental and repeated the tap. This was assurance that the elements were of equal durability. From what he researched on the original series of elemental golems, their capabilities and defenses were vastly different between the breeds. Which, when he thought about it, did make sense. Earth and rock were usually considered to be a good standard to test the durability of objects. Fire was known to be intense, yet easily suffocated and quelled.
In the case of these new type golems, they seemed to have an equal standard between them. The body plan was the same, the growth (so far) was the same. The only real difference between them was the fact they consumed different elements and had different colors. It was a bit boring in comparison to their progenitors. Their eventually capabilities would be aligned with their consumed element (so he was told), but this was not yet evident..
The fire seedling was the last to receive the test-tap.. And the results between the three were the same. No damage, just the same metallic tune played on the fork.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 19, 2020 11:32:13 GMT -6
Next, he wanted to test the pseudopods. He held his hand out, asking for the touch of the fire seedling. All three creatures extended their pseudopods at the presence of his hand, but only the red one could reach. So strange how they all seemed eager to grasp their master's digits. This was about as interactive as these things got.. It wasn't impressive, to say the least. These were probably the dullest animals he's ever handled, at least as far as interaction went. Large lively beasts were his preferred type for sure, and his activities today only solidified that assessment. There was little to no thrill here. There was much thrill on the back of a giant owl. Xentus reminded himself that these things needed to be cultivated and grown.. But his mind wandered to more fun and exciting things, making him sigh. He was patient, sure, but as far as this being an interesting task.. Well, he could only give so much water to thirsty curiosity before it was quenched.
Still, he would quench it a little further. The fork was taken up in firm fist, then plunged into one of the fire seedling's tentacles. The surface of the appendage just under the fork reflexively tensed, causing the utensil to stick onto its surface without stabbing deep into the 'flesh'. The rest of it wiggled about as usual, seemingly unaffected by the sudden prod. Just to be sure it wasn't a fluke, the leopard stabbed at the tentacle once again, only the find the same result. What were these things made of?
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Post by Xentus on Jul 19, 2020 12:46:51 GMT -6
Xentus let the fork stay in a 'stabbed' position in the tentacle, pondering how the flexible material was soft and pliable, yet hard all at once. As the moments passed, the tines of the fork began to slowly sink into the pseudopod. It gelled around the metal, all the while writhing and feeling upon the leopard's digits. Oh this was puzzling. A furrowed brow emerged on his face as he tired to reason how this kind of biology was possible. He wasn't even sure if biology was the appropriate term to use here, for no manner of living flesh that he knew of behaved this way.
He lifted the fork easily out of the creature's limb, then rested it down so that the tines lay flat on the tentacle, applying a small amount of pressure. At first, the form simply lay there. But with passing seconds, the appendage seemed to slowly swallow the metal, letting it pass through to the other side against the desk. Odd. It really was like oobleck or putty.
Testing continued on the other two golems, just for consistency's sake. He had to be sure this was real, and it was real for all of these similar seedlings. He knew what to expect now, and more liberal in how hard he attempted to plunge the fork into the writhing tentacles. The results were all the same. He really liked his 'projected element' theory on the nature of these creatures bodies, especially knowing they were really unlike anything else he'd ever handled. But, that was enough for now. He needed time to wrap his head around the nature of these beings..
> Exeunt Xentus and Seedlings Fire 1, Water 1, Earth 1 (25)
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Post by Xentus on Jul 19, 2020 17:49:53 GMT -6
> Xentus, accompanied by...
A new day, a new time, and new seedlings. When there's a collection of twelve of these things to be had, he was going to stay busy taking care of them for quite some time. Which was fine by him. The seedlings made for company that would do nothing but sit and listen whenever he wanted. Not that they could actually.. Do anything else. But, they were still company all the same. Because there were so many of them, he'd taken to simply referring to them by their element, and ticketed each with a tag that listed its number. It might've seemed a little.. Impersonal, to say the least. But, he had a plan for them all. In terms of if it would turn out well.. That was another story.
Today, Xentus was out, taking a walk with two of the seedlings nestled snugly in his backpack. The wind one was carried in his arms. He actually quite liked the pure white color of the wind seedling, figuring it to be his favorite thus far. Its pseudopods were wrapped around his forearms, looking like a disembodied head being toted about. Which it pretty much was. The leopard hummed a random tune to amuse his throat as he wandered toward the outskirts of the city. A nature walk was on his mind. Perhaps he'd camp out for a little while out in the forest. Like he had before he came to this place.. There was plenty to think about, such as the happenings that would come of the seedlings he carried with him.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 19, 2020 18:01:28 GMT -6
His plan for them was to breed them. Now, he wasn't usually into such forms of animal husbandry.. He'd only ever bred kairfuryoo before, resulting in a pair of rather cute chicks. He'd kept Toku, but the other went to Jack as thanks for letting him borrow her little egg goblin. It was a venture he wasn't afraid to explore again. It'd been an interesting experience to say the least. Another time, though. Or maybe he'd just let Xio handle that from now on. Oddly enough, that strange, quiet robot really seemed to like rearing animals. Maybe it wasn't that odd. The TROD was pretty much designed to care for people's kennels. But the whole programmed personality thing was curious. Xio dutifully did its job, sure, but the fact it seemed to actually like doing something was interesting.
Anyway, breeding was the whole reason why he was even interested in these golem seeds. The trio with him today were among his starting points. There were more than just the base four he'd come to know - fire, water, earth, and wind. In fact, there were 10 others! More elements, yes, but also 'plant' and 'glass'. He wasn't sure how either plant or glass qualified as an element. Perhaps plant meant something more like nature. As for glass, he wasn't certain. There was the 'light' variety that the labs sold for a heightened price, so glass wasn't light in nature.. It some something he couldn't quite ascertain. And that lead to curiosity. Which led to him taking on this endeavor..
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Post by Xentus on Jul 19, 2020 18:43:28 GMT -6
Yes, it did mean a lot of work. A lot of cultivation, a lot of time, a lot of patience. Truthfully, he wasn't even sure if he truly wanted to take on this task to the fullest. Doing so meant that he had to essentially erase all the work he'd have done with the golems.. See, when bred, the golems didn't come together to make offspring. They instead fused together, dying in the process of making a single progeny. The process was nothing like he'd ever heard of.. The closest case he could think of was maybe.. Spiders. Some spider mothers sometimes ate their mate, hatched their young, then allowed themselves to be eaten by their offspring. Which was a rather morbid and drastic, but he understood it much more than a pair of parents fusing together to form one single new life.
He couldn't help but to feel as if his work rearing the seedlings would eventually vanish. The leopard rocked the wind golem in his arms as he thought about it. What if he grew attached? Wind was his favorite simply for aesthetic reason. He'd actually considered purchasing a light golem for its similar white luster.. It wouldn't join the eventually fusions, as the breed couldn't fuse itself. But it would make for one interesting companion.. If he had the patience to raise an additional golem on top of the potential.. 20. Well, he'd decide when he got that far. For now, he would take some extra time and care with the three he toted with him today.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 19, 2020 19:30:07 GMT -6
The number twenty rang in his mind. That was a lot more than he'd anticipated raising.. But, if his calculations were correct, that's exactly how many golems he'd need to raise to gather all the combinations of elements he desired. He.. Didn't exactly look forward to it. But, curiosity compelled him. It would give him something to do, a way to spend his time aside from dawdling about with the larger beasts he kept in his care. It was nice to expand in activities, he had to admit. After settling in the city, he only really kept to himself and the creatures in his personal menagerie. But they were simply a collection, up until recently. Nazura recently went through his first contest.. His own first contest as well. He felt that he did well, even if the results weren't yet known.
Breeding was a relatively new activity he'd taken up. Which would be occupying his time for a while to come. And aside from that, he'd had thoughts on taking up pit fights and hound raising. There was a large variety of things to do, as it would turn out, if one sought them. Perhaps he would make some name known for himself by raising these golems. He did like studying them, for they sparked immense curiosity. He'd never handled such odd beings. Xentus pet the wind seedling on the top of its carapace. It rattled in response to his touch, making him chuckle. The other two in his backpack clattered enough to make a bit of noise, as if to join in with the fun.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 19, 2020 19:46:52 GMT -6
Despite his earlier observations, the seedlings could be lively in their own special way. They didn't move or emote in the same ways he was used to, but the innate bond they had gave them a sixth sense for his will, and they usually responded in some way or another. He first got a glimpse at this when he'd stubbed his toe the other day.. The seedlings reacted to his pain with alarm, and seemed to try to comfort him. In later observations, he noticed that the creatures would try to encourage his laughter (or that's how he took it) by rattling or flailing their little pseudopods. Even being limited to a head and two tentacles, the creatures made due with the meager means that they had to communicate.
Xentus was happy with the group of seedlings he had with him at the moment, a smile on his face as he wandered down a dirt road. This one, if he remembered correctly, would eventually split off onto various trails into the forest. The sun hung low in the morning sky, but it was already fairly warm. Thinking about it, he should've brought more of the fire seedlings with him as well. Those ones probably enjoyed the heat of summer.. Ah, none the less, the three with him today would still be happy and well in whatever place he chose to camp out. Wind was usually fine in open air, which was among one of the reasons why he carried it (aside from favoritism).
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