Star
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Post by Star on Apr 14, 2024 1:38:10 GMT -6
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Star
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Post by Star on Apr 14, 2024 1:39:12 GMT -6
I had to admit that I was very impressed with Sha’s impressive growth so far. He had gone from a lumpy useless seed into a stumbling rock, then finally he reached his lithe stalker form. He resembled a generic quadruped with no specific features to speak of beyond that. His mouth still split at the seams in four different directions, each piece of the quadrant having its own set of eyes and nostrils. It was a strange arrangement to be sure, but it seemed to work for him.
His maw was now filled with sharp teeth, perfect for gripping and ripping into his opponents. That was excellent news with a tournament coming up very soon. The elemental vents on his back burst forth with pure light, some of it dripping down his back and the rest shining up in brilliant beams. His overwhelming light power was impressive to say the least.
[25.6, 15.2]
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Star
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Post by Star on Apr 14, 2024 1:39:28 GMT -6
I had unintentionally tested the hardness of his shell during a trip to the mines, and I believed one of his few flaws was his inability to resist damage once it was cracked. Therefore, I needed to help him harden it. I was not sure how much was possible, but I knew one place where I would be able to find out.
The training gym was designed to push creatures to their very limits. All of the best trainers spent their time there, making the creatures tougher, stronger, faster, and even smarter. I knew it would be hard work, but the two of us would have to spend a lot of time there before he was ready to fight in the tournament.
Sha followed me diligently as he always did, and he waited very patiently as I signed us into the gym. The process took longer than I would have liked as I also had to convince them that I was there for Sha and not myself.
[25.7, 15.4]
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Star
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Post by Star on Apr 14, 2024 1:40:44 GMT -6
I could never understand why people in this city refused to believe I was a trainer worthy of as much (if not more) respect than the others. All they could see was that I was a Tat-lung. Nothing but a beast to them. I snorted as I left the room, determined to forget about it and get on with the process as soon as possible.
Sha dutifully followed along as I explored each of the various rooms in the gym, lighting the way through the eerily quiet halls. There were places to train strength, increase vitality, run agility trials, and there was even a state of the art firing range as well. I could not believe they allowed trainers to access this place for free. I wondered what they were getting out of the deal.
The labs must be watching our every move, I concluded. They were closely observing what we did with their creatures, building us ever grander facilities to train them and to pit them against one another.
[25.8, 15.6]
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Star
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Post by Star on Apr 14, 2024 1:41:00 GMT -6
They wanted to know the limits of their own experiments, and here we were, doing all of the testing for them. As far as I was concerned, they should be paying me for the privilege. Though I was not about to make such an absurd demand. As true as it might be, I did not think it would go over well. What was the phrase the humans said? Something about a gift Equillion, I thought.
We arrived at the resistance training area to find it empty. For such an incredible facility, it seemed like there were not that many people there. Perhaps it was just bigger than I thought it was. Either way, I was glad to have space to myself. I did not want to share with any people who might be fumbling about. It was really best to work alone when it came to this sort of thing.
[25.9, 15.8]
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Star
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Post by Star on Apr 14, 2024 1:41:16 GMT -6
“We shall test your temperature resistance,” I said to Sha. Sha never understood me, but explaining the plan often helped me to cement it in my own mind. Regardless of whatever I said about liking to be alone, I had to consider my creature companions an exception. It was nice to have them around to keep me company, especially since they could not meaningfully disagree with me.
“If you can go from the heat into the water and not crack, I will consider this a success,” I explained. I did not expect him to crack, of course. I was not so callous as to harm him on purpose. I remembered the way my heart dropped into the bottom of my lungs when I saw him fall in the mines. That was why we were here. I wanted him to be tougher so he would be safe. It was not the most pleasant experience, but it was in his best interest. So I would not have to worry about him like that again.
[26, 16]
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Star
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Post by Star on Apr 14, 2024 1:41:38 GMT -6
“This room is temperature controlled,” I explained, mostly reading the information out loud to myself. “You will go inside, Sha, and I will turn up the heat.”
“Stay, Sha,” I said, pointing to the ground. Sha stood where I was pointing and turned all four of his eyes at me. He waited silently and patiently as I closed the door and began to fiddle with the controls. I moved the dial slowly at first. There seemed not to be any change, so I turned it a little further.
A creature like Sha could not sweat, so I continued to observe him closely for any signs of discomfort. To be sure that the system was working properly, I cracked the door open and stuck a claw inside. It was certainly warm, but not enough to be painful. Perfect.
As the temperature climbed, Sha’s mouth opened up. It seemed like he did this to better observe his surroundings, with the inside of his mouth being more sensitive than the outside.
[26.1, 16.2]
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Star
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Post by Star on Apr 14, 2024 1:41:55 GMT -6
I held still on the dial and allowed him to acclimate to the new temperature. Then I clicked it up a few more notches. I did the same thing again and again until I felt like it was enough to test his limits without actively harming him.
At some point, Sha lowered his body and rested on the floor. He rested his head directly on the ground. Did this mean he was uncomfortable? I continued to observe, carefully noting all of his movements. If he appeared to be in any distress, I would rescue him instantly. However, other than laying down, he appeared to be tolerating the high temperature just fine.
After an appropriate amount of time, a light lit up and a buzzer went off. That was as long as the system would allow a creature to be inside. I understood the system to be designed for more traditional creatures, but it signaled a good time to stop and switch tasks nonetheless.
[26.2, 16.4]
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Star
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Post by Star on Apr 14, 2024 1:42:12 GMT -6
“How are you feeling, Sha?” I asked, opening the door. Sha looked up at me as if he was asking to leave. Perhaps I imagined it. I called him to me and together we moved to another section of the resistance gym.
A huge artificial waterfall took center stage within this part of the gym. I had once read a book where the old masters of a particular fighting style would sit at the base of a waterfall to make themselves tougher. I was not sure if that was just a story or not, but seeing it here was as good of a confirmation as any that it could work.
“Sha, come,” I said. I slipped around the back of the waterfall and called him toward me.
Sha always did as he was asked, as long as he understood the prompt, of course. It was one of my favorite things about him.
[26.3, 16.6]
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Star
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Post by Star on Apr 14, 2024 1:42:28 GMT -6
He stepped into the rushing water and immediately it began to pour over the curves of his unusual frame. The water ran over him like it was filling an nevering vase. Other than turning his head so it did not flow into his eyes, he did not seem bothered at all by what was happening.
Despite being quite warm from the hot room before, the cold water had no effect on his carapace. Interesting. I was almost expecting small cracks to appear. If he were made of glass, going from somewhere very warm to somewhere very cold would induce a shock. This also happened with many kinds of crystal.
It was not clear what the more solid parts of his body were made of. He looked like he was blown from glass or sculpted from crystal, but neither seemed to fit him exactly. All of the golems were made of this strange material. Unlike their older cousins, they were not made directly of their element. Instead it was more like they were a living container for it. Very interesting indeed.
[26.4, 16.8]
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Star
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Post by Star on Apr 14, 2024 1:42:51 GMT -6
Whatever the case, a pounding waterfall was not enough to crack it. That was good news. Still, I hoped the experience was enough to continue toughening him up a bit. The entire goal of all of this was to make it more difficult to crack. If I did manage to crack it with such a simple test, well, that did not seem promising for his future career in the pit.
Seeing as he showed no signs of being in pain, I let Sha stay in the waterfall for the full recommended time. Once that was done, I called him back to the warm room and asked him to step inside. He did so without protest, as he always did. It was so difficult to ensure the safety of a creature that never seemed to be upset or uncomfortable. I had to wonder how much it would take for him to finally give in.
[26.5, 17]
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Star
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Post by Star on Apr 14, 2024 1:43:09 GMT -6
Unfortunately I might find out some day, and all of the studying I did now would make that moment more obvious when it did finally come.
Sha stood peacefully in his little room, only drooping his head again when the heat became more difficult to withstand. I could suspect as much, but it seemed his eyes and mouth were his most sensitive parts. He would always protect them first. That was a good thing to know. I could watch his head for future signs of discomfort.
As soon as the timer went off, I called Sha out and inspected him. He was looking normal with no cracks or weird oozing. Well, not any more than usual, anyway. I did not want to waste any time, so we immediately stepped into another room. I closed the door behind me and spun the dial the other way, making the temperature in the new room plummet instantly.
[26.6, 17.2]
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Star
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Post by Star on Apr 14, 2024 1:43:31 GMT -6
Going from as hot as the machine would let me to as cold as possible was the most difficult stress test I could think of.
Sha tucked his head under his armpit, and I had to strain to see his face. He was still fine for a moment, but I kept a very close eye on him from that point forward. I truly did not think I was causing him harm, but I could imagine the cold air in his eyes was not the most pleasant experience. I referred back to the dial and remembered a time in which I was that cold. It is not terribly fun, but he would be okay.
Again the timer went off and I let Sha out right away. I felt the fur on my mane puff up with the cold, dry air. I truly loathed winter, and I felt bad for Sha having to be in there for so long.
[26.7, 17.4]
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Star
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Post by Star on Apr 14, 2024 1:44:14 GMT -6
I looked over him once more, noting anything that looked out of place. The dripping from his vents had slowed down minutely, but otherwise he appeared to weather the temperature well. It was truly amazing what he could endure without batting an eye (or four).
“You have done very well, Sha,” I said. “I think you have earned a rest before we proceed with the next portion of your training.”
I stretched out on the floor of the more open room and took some notes about my experience. They might come in handy during a future training session, or perhaps I would publish all of my notes on the mark II elemental golems some day. There was not much information available for them, and I could very well be a pioneer in the study of the unusual beasts. I pondered the possibility for a moment as Sha rested next to me. He was truly a fascinating creature.
[26.8, 17.6]
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Star
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Post by Star on Apr 14, 2024 1:44:30 GMT -6
“This way Sha,” I said, putting my notebook in my pack and heading down to the opposite end of the resistance gym. Simply walking from one end of the place to another was a workout all on its own. It was truly impressive just how large the facility was. Criminally underutilized, I thought. Perhaps people just did not have it in them to do such intensive training. To be fair, I would not want to do it all the time, either.
“Welcome to the wind tunnel,” I said. While Sha was in the temperature controlled room, I had the idea of taking him there next. Combined with the climate control, this room also had a huge fan to blast wind at him, and I could control the weather as well.
I stepped inside and inspected the wind tunnel for any flaws that may be a problem. When I did not find any, I felt better about inviting Sha inside with me.
[26.9, 17.8]
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