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Post by Xentus on Sept 11, 2020 10:48:40 GMT -6
The sight almost made him laugh. He would've, if not for the sharp pain in his foot. Definitely a splinter.. He'd take care of it in a moment, once the golem settled down. The walker and stalker stages of development were much more proactive about defending their bonded one. Even if they couldn't rationalize what was or wasn't a true threat.. It was a charming feature, but one that could be dangerous if they weren't trained properly. And given the nature of his project with them, he was still holding off on any proper socialization.. Something that he'd need to reconsider should he be around others. Xentus called again to the walker, "Come along, no need for that. Xentus will be fine."
Neptune's angered sparking ceased after repeated reassurance, vents closing as quickly as they emerged. As requested, it pushed through the lightly singed doorway, clambering over the splintered wood with ease. Its strange, malleable body had no problem with the jagged terrain, despite the splinters that embedded into the flesh. They slid out without the golem seeming to notice. Next up was the gargoyle's turn. Its stone body had no problem with the wood either, unsurprisingly. Its lanky form still traversed the path of least resistance.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 11, 2020 11:04:24 GMT -6
With that settled, the leopard sat down and handled this splinter.. It was a rather large, shattered piece of wood right above the knuckle of his toe. A spot of blood pooled around it, but overall it wasn't anything serious. He didn't want to set their little adventuring trip short because of this. With a fast pluck, the embedded splinter was removed and the wound was left to heal as-is. He didn't do well to bring any first aid equipment.. Something to note for next time.
"This one will sit for a moment, let him be", he sheepishly said to the two beings in his company. He didn't want to admit the amount of pain such a little wound caused. A moment to recover and he'd be back up on his feet exploring. As expected, the golem opted to settle itself right beside its master. It had no reason to venture about and it would much rather ensure the well being of its one in any case. The gargoyle, on the other hand seemed to take the offer into consideration. It slowly motioned its head toward the leopard, trying to assess him for the potential for betrayal or taking back his word..
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Post by Xentus on Sept 11, 2020 11:28:57 GMT -6
The warden only offered a gentle smile. With the time they spent together, the gargoyle was starting to trust that there wouldn't be anything odd going on.. But it still remained wary. Conflicted. The golem now stood just below how tall the leopard was sitting, giving it a proper vantage point to assess the man. But.. There was little to read on that calm, placid face. With that, Varus looked away, deciding to take a look around the dark hall. It still didn't know how to feel about the man, but decided.. To take a chance. Exploring just how far this 'free-but-not' leash extended. The stone being skulked further down the hall, casually glancing into an opening to the right. Within.. An unassuming, empty room. To most, at least. But to the discerning eye of the gargoyle, there was something that lured it in.
Xentus cast a quick glance to the gargoyle as it disappeared into the murk, trusting that it wouldn't stray too far away. Then, he looked back to his foot. The skin around the puncture throbbed uncomfortably.. He'd sit and let it subside for a little longer. A clawed hand reached to touch the cyan golem beside him, rubbing the stony texture of the creature's head.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 11, 2020 11:56:15 GMT -6
Neptune leaned into the touch, appreciative of its master's affection. Xentus smiled at it, tracing his hand along the seam which made up the creature's 'mouth'. He could sit and study the golems for ages, almost finding something new and curious about them. Thinking of which, he could be recording some things now, while he was loafing about. The leopard fetched his notebook from his pack and started to scratch down the path trailed so far in the mine shaft. It wasn't much progress, but it was something. A long straight, a left turn, then a right turn.. And a doorway. The crudely drawn map wasn't pleasant, but it would serve only his own eyes. With that much settled, he flipped to another set of pages with scrawling on golems, finding a spot to scratch down a few new notes about the recent event.
Meanwhile, Varus honed in on an pile of what one would assume to be rubble settled in the corner of the room. It seemed to be a partial collapse of the wall, with splinters of wood poking from the pile. Whether curious or simply drawn by the lull of earth, the gargoyle began rummaging through, clawing through the stones and wood.
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Post by Jack on Sept 11, 2020 12:16:14 GMT -6
Look at all the ore in this place!
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Post by Xentus on Sept 13, 2020 7:43:19 GMT -6
The echoing sound of rustling alerted the leopard, pointed ears flicking toward the source of the noise. Seemed like Varus was getting into something over there. His foot still hurt, but curiosity was prompting him to go investigate for himself. Like with the gem dragon, he assumed that the sound of digging, crunched stones, or rummaging were all sure signs that something of interest was found. This would mark the first of such events with Varus.. And he needed to be sure the gargoyle would take well to any spoils it found to be commandeered. With a quick breath, the man got to his feet and beckoned for the golem to follow. The duo traced after the path the gargoyle took, led by the rustling into the darkened room around the corner.
The light from the torch revealed the area to be somewhat small chamber, presumably for supply storage. There were empty shelves along the stone wall and rubble on the floor, including a long abandoned broken lamp. The approach of the leopard startled the small gargoyle, who's head pointed immediately at the man, figure backing away slowly from the rock pile. Xentus could see a bright assortment of stones in their hand.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 13, 2020 8:01:36 GMT -6
"What have you found there, Varus?", the leopard asked. He kneeled down so that he would be nearly eye level with the gargoyle, hoping to express his intent a little better now that the two could see literally eye to eye. Then, he extended his hand toward the stone being. "May Xentus take a look?", he continued, beckoning for the goods to be given. The gargoyle was an intelligent being, he knew that much. Intelligent enough to be greedy, want things of its own, and to refuse a request. Persuasion would be the best tool he had to use here. And he could only hope that they would come to a mutual understanding of one another's roles here in the mines. Their relationship was still on the fresh side, after all. He felt that there was some basic level of trust there, yet still shrouded by a layer of reservedness..
Varus felt caught, somehow. Doing something it shouldn't have. The warden there, his guard staring. The warden wanted something though. He wasn't angry. The gargoyle looked between the extended palm, the leopard's eyes, and the cyan golem standing there. Then, to the multi-hued stones in its own clutches. It took a moment, but it clicked. The warden wanted the rocks.
37 -- Varus: Drop - 1
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Post by Xentus on Sept 13, 2020 8:39:56 GMT -6
As with many who lived within the depths of the earth, the lure to precious stones was innate for the gargoyle. Giving up anything it found.. Was not usual. The warden has been kind though. For what purpose did he have of the stones, it wasn't sure. Varus fell back into feeling 'free-but-not'. For the fleeting moments it was alone in the dark, sifting through rubble, it was almost as if it were back in the deep earth wandering abandoned ruins that it called home. Somehow, though.. Its new life wasn't too terrible either, thus far. Aside from the surveillance.
"Let us work on this, Varus", the leopard started, getting himself comfortable in his spot on the ground, "Give." The request was short and sweet, moving away from asking and into something more direct. He'd thought up a small exercise: give and take. The gargoyle would give what it had and get it back. Or get something else back in return. Something to balance out from simply only giving what it found so it wouldn't feel anything it did was for naught. It sounded fair in his mind. He hoped the gargoyle would feel the same. Neptune was a little left out from the fun, but the golem didn't mind and simply planted itself next to its master.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 13, 2020 15:38:20 GMT -6
Again, Varus looked between the outstretched hand and the gems in its own clutches. It hesitated at first, but carefully crept forward and placed the stones in the warden's palm. Neptune clicked a warning, prompting the gargoyle to backed away immediately after the exchange. The stone being had its head pointed at the leopard trying to discern his level of approval. His hollow eyes were met with a gentle smile.
"Thank you, Varus, well done. Here, now take", the warden said, holding his clenched hand out. There was a look of cunning in that man's eyes. The subtle smirk. The gargoyle was caught off guard by it. The mammalian was certainly a surprising person. It suspected something awry with this behavior, glancing back and forth between the outstretched fist, the man's eyes, and that unnerving walker golem. Varus took its time, debating on whether or not this was some kind of trick. But it was lured by the stones and that little wiggle of the man's fist beckoning for him to take them back.
"Go on. Take."
Slowly, the gargoyle reached out one of his own hands, carefully edging forward within reach. And without any track, the gems were placed into its hand. Another soft smile and a word of thanks were given to the stone being
39 -- Varus: Drop - 3 Varus: Hold - 1
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Post by Xentus on Sept 13, 2020 18:46:02 GMT -6
"Shall we try this again?", the man asked, looking fondly at the gargoyle. He held his now empty palm out, curling his fingers in a gesture to signal the return of the stones once more. The stone being looked quizzically at the man, as if to question the point of this exercise. Why give to him when he will take it back? Why take from him if he will give it back? It was an odd thing to do. But.. It seemed he wasn't going to take things always. He might give, sometimes. Exchange.
"Varus, give." Beaked head looking between the man's palm and the stones, the gargoyle decided to follow along, handing off the stones again. It didn't feel like its find was being suddenly snatched away, deprived of any sense of reward. No, this was fine. The nervousness started to die down.
"Varus, take." The gargoyle peered up to view the mans face, as if to ensure that it was really okay. It glanced over to the golem, who was already threatening to clatter if it did anything funny. But, with the golem being the only real 'threat', the stone being decided to oblige the man. The outstretched hand dropped the multicolored stones into its own claws once again.
40 -- Varus: Drop - 4 Varus: Hold - 2
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Post by Xentus on Sept 14, 2020 8:24:32 GMT -6
"Excellent, Varus", the leopard praised, "See, Xentus does wish to share in the things you might find here in this place. And he too will share. Together, we shall collect." He wasn't sure how great of an explanation he had, or if the gargoyle even understood his words at this point, but it only felt right to tell Varus his ideals in any case. The whole switcharoo thing he did with the gem dragon likely wouldn't work too well with a being who could probably tell the difference between a worthless 'snack gem' and a valued diamond. It was difficult to read the gargoyle's face for approval, but he could've sworn he noticed the slightest nod.
"Alright, give", the leopard requested, holding his hand out again. The gargoyle dropped the stones in his hand without any qualms. This time, instead of repeating the exercise another time, the leopard stood and went to examine the crumbled pile of stones that the gargoyle was sifting through. Neptune dutifully trailed after him, stumbling over some wayward pebbles.
"Take", he said, holding out some of the rubble for the gargoyle to hold. This action was met by a tilted head, unsure of what the man was up to.
41 -- Varus: Drop - 5 Varus: Hold - 3
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Post by Xentus on Sept 14, 2020 8:34:13 GMT -6
It took a moment to deliberate, but reached out its hand to receive the worthless rubble rock. Just to be sure that maybe there wasn't some deeper message it was missing here, the gargoyle turned the rock over, examining the surface for anything out of the ordinary. It was met with surprise, the rock had slivers of ore coursing through it in veins. With how quickly the leopard plucked and gave the stone, it didn't seem like it was intentional.. Or maybe the warden was really more complex than it thought. The stone being stood back and watched the man rifle through the pile of rubble, curious.
Before long, another stone was handed toward it, a piece of it glimmering a cyan blue in the dim torchlight. "Take", the man called, hardly looking at the gargoyle. He seemed to be on to something, leaving it much more curious about the rifling than the stone. Still, it grabbed the rock, taking as requested. Then, it hobbled closer to view whatever the leopard was getting into. Perhaps.. It could help. Wary hollowed eyes peeked over to the golem, hoping that it wouldn't trigger some sort of alarm from it. But the strange cyan thing seemed more interested in whatever the mammalian was doing as well.
42 -- Varus: Hold - 4
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Post by Xentus on Sept 14, 2020 10:36:46 GMT -6
In the crystalline torchlight, the mammalian dug through the rubble, examining stones every so often before he seemed to find what he was looking for. Ore. There were traces here and there amid the rocks, a metallic sheen glimmering in little dots on the surface. Enough of the wall had collapsed that it was easy enough to find the heart of the ore. Upon closer examination, it seemed to be a mix between silver and copper. Or maybe the silvery metal was iron? Zinc? Tin? He wasn't sure by appearance alone. Whatever metal it might be, his aim was to dig enough out for an ingot, should the deposit here allow.
"Here, Varus, take", the leopard requested of the gargoyle beside him, handing off a powered flashlight. Another different object for the stone being, but it seemed to understand the purpose. With its other hand full of rocks, it stood upright to handle the flashlight as well. The warden carefully adjusted where the beam pointed, his gentle touch met with little resistance by the gargoyle. From the corner of his eye, he could see the golem watching on jealously. The leopard chuckled and offered the cyan walker a pat on the head, then turned his attention to the ore.
43 -- Varus: Hold - 5
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Post by Nadia on Sept 14, 2020 10:53:25 GMT -6
There's a chunk of ore to watch out for here.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 20, 2020 0:36:54 GMT -6
"Thank you, Varus", the leopard said gently to the gargoyle, flashing it a quick smile. Ideally, their roles would be reversed here, with Varus being the one diffing the ore from the earth. But they'd get to that point eventually. For now, Xentus was content heading the excavation. He brought out his pickaxe and got to work on the crumbled wall, tapping hard on the exposed metal to free it from its stony confines. This ore vein in particular seemed to run pretty deep.. He'd be here chipping away for a while.
Varus stood stock still, mistakable for a statue if one wasn't looking closely. Its hollowed eyes watched the leopard carefully, judging his attempts to mine the ore. It could do that better. But it wouldn't waste its time on such low quality metal. It would advise the warden if it could.. But it probably wouldn't if it could, for fear of backlash. The warden didn't seem the kind to be easily angered though. If anything, that cyan guard wouldn't approve. Varus's head slowly pivoted to catch a better view of the golem. It's bright yellow, inner seed was floating close to a pore, seeming to examine the leopard's work.
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