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Post by Xentus on Sept 1, 2020 19:06:17 GMT -6
Taking a moment to process, the two golems answered with tentative sounding claps. Unsure. Alarmed. Frightened, perhaps? He still wasn't sure. But it felt right to sit here for a moment and let them gather some strength in case the gas made them weak. Meanwhile, he could take the time to get a good look at their surroundings. They'd emerged into a rather spacious cavern room. The area was deep and wide, with a tall roof as well. One of the larger caves he'd ever seen in his time spent spelunking. The leopard warned the golems to stay put while he went to sniff around. Literally.
After taking in the smell of methane, he needed to cleanse his sensitive nose. The dense gas didn't reach up on this floor, else he'd be in some deal of trouble. Instead, he was taking in the damp smell of limestone cavern. And.. What seemed like pine? Surprised, he tried to track where this was coming from. It could mean a way out, should he need to make an escape from this cave. One of the golems wasn't looking too well. He could have Xio come pick it up and sent home. But if there was an escape, they would need to climb to reach it.
44
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Post by Xentus on Sept 1, 2020 19:24:18 GMT -6
The ceiling here was high.. High enough that it likely breached the surface somewhere. He wouldn't have liked to find out that his camping spot above here suddenly collapsed. Such a thought brought him to another idea.. Plant roots. If this cavern breached the surface, then he'd be able to see roots somewhere. The ground was probably kept in place with various root structures, if he had to guess. The leopard ventured deeper, skirting around a column of stone into another natural room of the cave. There was a gentle incline in this area that seemed promising. He wandered further, mentally pinging the trod to see if the signal would penetrate through the stone walls.
The effort eventually went rewarded, a connection established between master and robot. It wouldn't be long before the TROD arrived to take the golem. Now he just had to find a pick up spot. Xentus scanned the ceiling for roots and dirt rather than stone. He was getting winded even on the gentle incline, but the task was worth it. Before long, he found what he was looking for. A den-like opening that reached the surface, the perfect extraction site for the walker. The leopard figured he'd spend a little more time with the other, just to perhaps find another gem or two before making an exit.
45 > Exeunt E2, dismissed from this point onward (45)
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Post by Xentus on Sept 1, 2020 19:34:13 GMT -6
It was a relief for that to be taken care of. He wasn't sure what ill effects the golem might suffer from exposure to the gas, but he hoped that it only needed time to rest. Now, he was left with a single walker as company. This one seemed to be perky and alert, attentive to him and their surroundings. Now with an escape route, he felt more secure in spending time picking at stones and searching for something of value. The two stones that were all he had to show for as a result of this spelunking adventure was admittedly on the lackluster side. Somehow he almost felt that he was cheated by having such an unpleasant experience as the only 'reward' of the entire trip.
The golem accompanying the leopard followed after him quickly as the mammalian ventured forth to find a humble mining site. Since spelunking didn't work out, perhaps trying actual mining again would.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 1, 2020 19:38:20 GMT -6
He didn't like the idea of simply digging at a wall in hopes of finding something, but without Gid or another guide, it was the best he had. With a determined exhale, he examined the cavern walls for something that might tell him to dig. Given that the texture was the same brow-grey lumpiness throughout, he still lacked much confidence in what to be on the look out for exactly. He hadn't done too much research on how to find gems as much as he had on what kind of gems could be found.
The golem took up after the leopard's intentions and scanned the walls wherever his flashlight shined. It too didn't know what to look for, but at least it was more in tune with the earth! If the master sought gems, it would seek a feeding spot. The goal was about the same, the drive and desire similar enough to motivate the golem into action.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 1, 2020 19:46:02 GMT -6
A curious hum sounded from the leopard's mouth as he noticed the golem seemed to start taking lead. It partially followed the beam of his light, but also waddled toward a certain side over another. He only felt that it was right to shine the light where the golem went to let it see, but this behavior now seemed to be something new. And fascinating. While he didn't want to distract himself from gem hunting, he also wanted to observe this behavior.. Perhaps the two were related.
The walker led its master around a large stalagmite and toward a narrowed stone hall. The ceiling was tall, but the walls were a little on the cramped side. It was almost like a roofed ravine. Oddly cozy, yet cramped. Then, the creature paused, the waddle coming to a stop next to a divot in the rocky wall. It looked expectantly at the leopard, head segments partly opened..
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Post by Xentus on Sept 1, 2020 19:49:59 GMT -6
Xentus tilted his head at it in wonderment. What was the purpose of this? So that it could feed? It looked like it was feeding. A chuckle escaped him, a soft expression crossing his face as he pat the golem's head. The dots connected for him now, it led him to a feeding spot since it felt his desire for stones. A bit of a leap in logic, but perhaps this was the only way the creature could relate. It was novel. And so that its efforts didn't go to waste, he decided that he might as well choose this spot to dig. There was no harm in it, not like he knew of a better place to do so. The golem could comfortably feed and he could dig. They'd stay here a while and see what happens. With pickaxe in hand, the leopard began chipping away at the divot in the wall, hopes high for something interesting to find.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 1, 2020 19:56:35 GMT -6
More than anything, he wanted to make the time spent here worth it. Not that the time spent bonding wasn't worth the effort, but well, he simply wanted more to show for it. Soon, the golems would grow to walkers, then be fused into a new seed and this memory wouldn't stay with them. He could tell tales, but what were they worth if not experienced first hand? Maybe he was being superficial.
The clatters and clinks against the wall continued, all while the man immersed himself in thought. In the end, though, he simply reminded himself that the journey was the reward after all has been done. Which was a sentiment that he took to heart. The time spent with the golems was precious, as with time spent with another creature. He was much too invested at this point to have it any other way. Even if the earth walker here didn't share his thoughts, he looked upon it fondly, cherishing it and this time spent.
50 > Exeunt Xentus and E3 (50)
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Post by Jack on Sept 1, 2020 20:29:31 GMT -6
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Post by Xentus on Sept 2, 2020 12:25:33 GMT -6
Mining Trip #3 > Xentus, accompanied by...
Xentus found himself craving the thrill of exploration in the mountainous caverns again, and this time, with a couple of new companions. A gargoyle and a curious cyan-yellow seedling. The leopard and his party were situated within the mouth of an old mine shaft. Dangerous looking exposed wiring and oil lamps lit the interior, providing some comfort to those not yet ready to adventure into the dark depths deeper within. A nice place to get himself acquainted with the partners he chose for this venture. The gargoyle, who he had taken to calling Varus, was a recent acquisition from the trader. The poor thing was locked in a cage, kept under bright lights and in a place unknown to it. Though as much as he would've liked to say he freed it out of the goodness of his heart, he did have selfish reasons in saving it from its former captor. These beings made for excellent guides for those within the confines of the underground. And they were extremely intelligent, though the extent of which he was unsure of.. Rumor has it that the gargoyle is a being of magic kind, a defender of the earth and its unknowns.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 2, 2020 12:33:25 GMT -6
If anything, the creature seemed smart enough to recognize him as a savior of sorts. But perhaps it realized that it was still not yet truly free. The leopard preferred not to use the term 'owner' when referring to the relationship he had to the more intelligent beings of his personal menagerie. He was their guardian, they were his wards. Even if some might point and call him a master over his slaves, the relationship wasn't one that was so cruel. He supposed the gargoyle could opt to run off into the mines, never to be heard of again. Yet it lingered. He guided it to where they were now without any need of leash and collar, as the being seemed quite alright with stalking after the leopard. Varus slowly surveyed around their surroundings, mostly taking interest in the man-made implements added to the earth. Xentus could only hope that this place was comfortable enough for it. It wasn't completely natural of an environment, but still natural enough. He had it in mind to try to teach the being about himself and the golem he had with him. The basketball sized creature settled on the leopard's lap was affectionately named Neptune.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 2, 2020 12:42:23 GMT -6
The golem seedling was the result of his endeavors in working with the strange elemental beings. The result of a fusion. After raising a fire and wind golem for around a month, the two grew into amazing 'stalkers' as they were called. Powerful elemental beings with full control of their respective elements. And he had full control of them. While controlling the elements was the initial driving factor over his venture into raising the creatures, he also wanted to grow them into something beyond their original forms. To create something new. And that's how he ended up with little Neptune. The result of the fire and wind golem giving up their forms by his command, fusing together into the bright yellow seed that was with him now. It was electric in nature, the element which he feared the most. Electricity was nothing to play with. Thankfully, the seedling as it was posed no threat to anyone around. Perfectly safe to touch, unlike the plasma golem he had in his collection. Neptune silently and carefully watched over the gargoyle as it slowly hobbled about the mine shaft, wary of the being. The golem was clattering the entire way here, seeming distrustful of the rocky creature in their company.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 2, 2020 12:48:21 GMT -6
The journey here (along with plenty of shushing by Xentus) was enough to have the bright cyan seedling finally pipe down a bit. It still seemed wary. Watching. Waiting for the gargoyle to do something out of line so that it could clatter and snap! It couldn't do much else, honestly. Aside from writhe its little pseudopods, the golem was helpless at this age. He almost missed having them as company. Almost. The walkers and stalkers were nice in that they didn't need to be carried around all the time. But the leopard had a plan to remedy this. He'd have the gargoyle carry little Neptune for him while they ventured the mines. A brilliant idea, he thought. Perhaps the two of them could make friends and play when the golem was a little more independent. The chances of that were basically zero, and he knew this, but wishful thinking could still influenced how the golems behaved. If he wanted it to be friends with another, it would. Probably. He hasn't really tried to have them interact with other beings, knowing that they'd fuse and lose any memory of them. Neptune was destined to fuse with another golem eventually as well.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 2, 2020 12:55:03 GMT -6
It was.. Probably unwise to have named it. Names meant he was getting attached. And getting attached to something knowing that it would soon lose any recollection of its self and life was a bittersweet feeling. But, at least he could relish in the memories himself, even if it was an experience unshared. The twelve original golems he raised were mostly grown up at this time. Eight of them were fused with another, while the remaining four were awaiting their pairs to be mature enough for the process. Soon, he'd be left with six new lives to care for, nurture, and raise into stalkers, and repeat the process again with them as he saw fit. Rumor had it that diamond and life elements could be born. There was a radio talk show about it that he'd listened in to. There weren't any explicit details about how to raise either, but it was an endeavor that he wanted to face for himself. As far as he was concerned, they were the ultimate forms of elements. And er, nothing like the failed experiment by the labs. Goals to be met.. And a long road ahead to get there. He looked at his company, catching their returned glances. This was one part of the journey, with a gargoyle and a golem.
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Post by Nadia on Sept 3, 2020 12:39:53 GMT -6
Ooh, some rhodonite!
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Post by Xentus on Sept 7, 2020 7:16:13 GMT -6
Well, the first step, he figured, was getting better acquainted with one another. Mostly between gargoyle and himself. The golem was a creature that lived only for him, responding only to him. It would happily try to serve him in whatever way he desired it to, should he have the patience to try to impose his will on it. Seedlings weren't the most capable form of golem, but it would try nonetheless. The runic creature was another case entirely. It know him only as its new captor. It was smart enough to recognize that he'd rescued it in some regard and now in his debt. As their gazes met, it seemed to try to avoid his eyes, looking away quickly. Even those hollow sockets could see, he knew that much.
"Varus", the leopard called, offering a gentle smile, "Let us get to know one another better, Varus. This one thinks we would do well to work together." Xentus watched the creature, but as expected, the gargoyle payed him no mind. It didn't seem to be ignoring him exactly (it hasn't ignored his presence and direction thus far), but rather it took nothing of note from his words. He needed to gather its attention in some other way.
6 -- Varus: Name - 1
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