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Post by Xentus on Aug 9, 2020 18:07:07 GMT -6
> Xentus, accompanied by...
Now, weren't these the most charming little things? No longer were his seedlings nearly immobile hunks of stone, oh no. They could walk! That alone was one of the more delightful parts of their development - no more carrying them around! But if that wasn't exciting enough, these now-walkers could openlittle pores on their bodies and exude their element. For the most part, they seemed rather conservative about leaking their respective elements all over the place. No needing to clean up dribble after the water golem or snuff out embers from the fire one. A great improvement from their progenitors, who were far from suitable house pets.. No special containers or containment procedures. Just little three limbed walking element suckers.
The leopard found himself in his study with his the first of his golems to begin walking on their own. Walkers. An uncreative name for this stage of development, to say the least. But it described them well, and he really didn't have a better phrase to call them by no matter how hard he tried to think of one. The knee-high golems were lined up on the ground, now a bit too large to sit atop the desk. Their master sat on his chair in reverse, arms folded atop the back as he gazed upon his company. They stared at him in return, seeming to await any kind of order or interaction. For now, it was a staring contest while the leopard mused upon what exactly to make of the trio.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 9, 2020 18:55:58 GMT -6
For him, he figured it would be interesting to see exactly the extent of the elemental prowess that the golems possessed. This.. Would likely best be done outdoors. The man stood and beckoned for the golems to follow, smiling softly at the odd, tripod-waddle they used to move around. The earth walker in particular seemed more able to balance on only two of its 'legs', wagging its third appendage like a tail for balance.
"Come now little ones, let us go to a more ah.. Safe location", the leopard spoke, musing on where to take them exactly. His eyes lingered in the orange-red fire golem, feeling rather opposed to having scorch marks on the grass in the lawn.. To the dirt ring he called his training plot! The man gathered a few supplies; a clicker, a bucket, and a towel. And some snacks for himself. He didn't think there would be much else he'd need. The golems didn't eat food so treats weren't on the menu for them.. He wasn't even sure if they would respond to treats at all, now that he thought about it. These beings behaved in such a unique manner compared to any other animal in his care. He grabbed his journal to record any new behaviors he encountered, considering the liveliness of the walkers.
With all of his supplies in his pack, the man set out to the park, keeping watch to ensure the golems stayed with him. They seemed to be fastidious in staying close, their focus solely on the leopard.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 14, 2020 6:14:58 GMT -6
He didn't feel the need to keep them tied to a lead, noticing their studious chase. Although the creatures supposedly didn't bond with any others, they seemed to respect the others space well enough. No purposeful tripping over one another or pushing or shoving to be the closest to him. They maintained their spot and avoided any unnecessary contact. The walkers also didn't attempt to swarm him either, keeping pace yet not invading his space. Their bond with him made them quite compliant. Which was a good thing at the moment. But he had the feeling this would pose its own set of problems when it came time to explore their capabilities.
The walk to the park was a relatively long one. The cottage was more or less in the suburbs of the city, not too far from the space used for public and private gardens. Secluded, a little out of the way, but made for a scenic walk getting around town. The leopard didn't mind this. Normally, Papilio would be used as transport; flying was much faster than walking. But the golems were much too large to carry around anymore, not that he liked flying with luggage in any case. Stretching his legs and walking wasn't uncommon for the man either, if he felt energized for the day that is. This was a good enough day, thankfully. The sun was bright, the air was warm, and he made sure to have a hardy breakfast. He had a feeling there would be.. Eventfulness.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 14, 2020 6:34:33 GMT -6
Passing by the various lush gardens that lined this part of the streets was always a treat. In the summer, strawberries were ready for harvest.. One of his favorite fruit. The sights and smells of fresh produce at the stalls that lined the pavement teased him. This area was like a farmer's market. Blue eyes wandered to the various offerings as he passed - freshly plucked carrots, tomatoes, berries of all kinds.. The temptation called to him, like tendrils of desire tugging on his heart and mind. He knew he had a purpose in going to his destination, but a little snack on the way wouldn't hurt, right?
The man glanced down at the trio trailing him. Their curious inner seeds stared back in return, seeming to notice the shift in his will. No longer was he as steadfast and determined as before to guide them. The walkers had no capacity for understanding the turmoil in the man's heart, even though they could sense it. There was little they could do to act upon this, except to express their concern by clacking their hard shelled heads. The clattering drew the party some attention, curious eyes glancing over at the strange elemental creatures with the strange horned mammalian. Of course, there were always stranger sights to behold in this city, and so the wandering eyes didn't stay on them long. The golems did get some slightly longer looks of curiosity than the man garnered, however. They weren't the most popular pet to keep, as far as he knew.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 14, 2020 6:44:35 GMT -6
Some people adopted them for the sake of doing so, they were free after all. The labs handed them out to any interested person, proclaiming their amazing capabilities when properly raised. An innate bond with their owner, magical control of the elements, immortal nature.. An interesting pet, to say the least. Perhaps not the most beautiful or intelligent, but they apparently had their strengths. This being the case, however, lead to very few of the adopters providing their golems the care they needed to flourish. Admittedly, the golems seemed to thrive much more with routine interaction and enrichment. He chalked it to about as much care he'd give a single house pet over the course of a month. But giving that kind of care to a single seed for an extended period wasn't the most thrilling undertaking. Hence their scarcity in walking form. No doubt he wasn't the first owner to spare these creatures the time they needed, but he did feel that he could count his number among him on a hand or two.
The casual glances the trio of walkers garnered did make him feel like he was showing off, somehow. Not a bad or good thing in his opinion. Perhaps he would inspire another to take up the very task he was. After much deliberation and perusing, the leopard decided to pick out some strawberries and carrots to take with him. The fruit as snacks for the day, the vegetable for dinner later. Roasted, perhaps? It sounded like a fantastic idea.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 15, 2020 3:06:01 GMT -6
It was a shame that the golems didn't seem to eat any food. With any other creature, he'd offer them some of what he ate (if it were safe for them, of course). Most animals were curious, giving a sniff or taking a bite. It was always fun whenever he could grab a snack and go on a walk, sharing the occasional bite with his company. This didn't happen too often, as his favored kind of company were large, carnivorous beasts who preferred live or raw prey.. But small beasts, like the ling-ling, would cuddle up, grab (or steal) an offered treat, and scamper off merrily. Which was pleasant to witness.
The golem trio, however.. Would they try to eat anything to attempted to offer them? After making a quick purchase of strawberries and carrots, he led the walkers away from the stall-lined street to experiment. He knew they gave into his will. If he really wanted them to try to eat, would they? The leopard retrieved a carrot and kneeled down, trying to choose which golem to offer it to. His eyes settled on the fire elemental. The brilliant orange toned creature waddled close, positioning its head so that its inner seed could examine the offered vegetable.
Blue eyes bounced back and forth between the carrot and the fiery golem in his best attempt to communicate his desire. But this proved fruitless. The mammalian took a moment to consider what might help persuade the creature into trying to eat.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 15, 2020 3:49:05 GMT -6
But no dice. The golem simply stood there staring at either him or the carrot. He honestly couldn't tell where they were looking.. Or how they even saw the world. The seed absorbed information, but how did that information translate? Of course, such a question would go unanswered. He did still want the creature to bite the carrot, just to satisfy his desire. A thoughtful 'hmm' sounded from the leopard's throat as he tried a different method - leading by example. He stared hard at the fire walker as he slowly, carefully, and meticulously bit the vegetable. The crunch resounded audibly, satisfying to his teeth. The flavor was sweet and succulent, which distracted him from the bits of dirt that remained on the root. Well, he knew it was fresh at least.
Then, he offered the carrot to the golem once more, beckoning for it to bite. He even held it close to the seams on the creature's head-shell. He cared not to speak his request, testing the strength of the apparent bond they shared. Just how strongly did it transmit his will and desires? It wasn't based on mere thought, obviously. He knew the golems weren't mind readers. Perhaps it was something more like.. Reading one's wavelengths. The stuff of psychics. That painted a better picture for him.
With the choreographed example and his directed focus for the creature to bite the carrot, it did eventually, slowly motion to repeat his actions in its own way. The interlocked shell opened, then shut on the root with an audible snap.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 15, 2020 3:59:16 GMT -6
A twinkle sparkled in the mammalian's eye, a toothy grin adorning his muzzle. It worked! Somehow, it worked. Fascination was written on his face, eyes watching carefully for the golem's next actions. It didn't chew, and it didn't seem to swallow.. Did it actually eat the carrot after all? The man leaned in and looked through the open pores on the creatures' shell, desperately needing to satisfy his curiosity. The fire walker made this difficult for him, however. Its seed floated near whatever pore he peered through, seeming to examine his actions and trying to discern if he was pleased with what it had done. He offered the creature no hint of satisfaction. His gleeful smile turned to an almost frustrated frown.
With a sigh, he decided it needed to open its mouth. Which, he wasn't sure exactly how this was supposed to go. Couldn't he just.. Pry it open? It wouldn't bite him as a reaction or snap down on one of his fingers.. Right? He wasn't confident in his assessment that the creature wouldn't attempt to harm him. How would it even know if what it did could hurt him? The leopard blinked a couple times, trying to judge the potential danger. He didn't quite trust these things enough to stick his hand in their mouth. He'd do it with Nazura, the flaming four-legged wiurn. But these little things were almost intimidating in that prospect. It was impossible to know what they were thinking, or how they thought, or what they thought..
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Post by Xentus on Aug 15, 2020 4:44:07 GMT -6
There was something oddly intimidating about that aspect of these golems. Other animals had tells, body language, verbal cues, and other hints to cue him in on what they might do, what they liked, what was going on in their minds.. He could see the gears turning in a creature's head by looking at their face and eyes, which could tell a lot if you knew what you were looking for. But the golems offered nothing of that ilk. Their robotic facade was difficult for him to get around. He was much too empathetic. His ability to read a creature failed him here. All he had was theory, ideas, and self-made conclusions based on what the labs offered as information on them.. Which honestly didn't tell him much.
The leopard mulled on some ideas, but settled on brute force. It was a simple way for him to express to the being that he wanted to open its mouth. What was the worst that could happen? Xentus stashed away the rest of the carrot and reached forward with both hands, grasping the golem's head. The creature didn't reel back or object in any way, which actually surprised him. His motions continued, beginning to pull to the shell an an effort to get it to open. At first, he was met with resistance - the natural force that kept the shell closed. But as he put more force into it, the golem relented and opened its head.. And the bitten chunk of carrot fell out.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 15, 2020 4:52:31 GMT -6
A chuckle escaped him. Of course it didn't actually eat the carrot. This was what he expected, but there was a little part of him that had hoped to find no trace of the orange root vegetable.. It would've added another layer of mystery to the elemental beings. But then again, these things were already enough of an enigma for him. It wouldn't do him any good to complicate them further.
This little experiment did shed light on a couple of things for him about these creatures though. The first was that they did seem to try to act in accordance to his will, in a way. He wanted it to bite, he solidified the idea of a bite in his own mind, then transmitted that to the golem. It was an odd way of communicating his desires. Voicing such things was easier, and helped reinforce the idea to one's self. But knowing it could happen without words was impressive. He felt like he needed more time to understand this though. The second thing he learned was that they didn't seem to mind bodily manipulation. It was a more direct means for him to express his will and influence the golems, but he couldn't help but to wonder if it might be detrimental in some way. There wasn't an instance he could think of off the top of his head though.
The man straightened, standing to his full height. Well, now that this experience was over, he could continue with his plans.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 15, 2020 6:27:07 GMT -6
The trio of golems waddled behind after him as he walked down the street. The occasional strawberry found its way into his mouth, sweet, juicy, and refreshing on this warm summer day. He took his time, seeing no reason to rush to the park. Even if he was eager to see what the elementals could do, he could still pace himself. In reality, his mind was still buzzing with ideas and thoughts on how to encourage the golems to do things. They had basic natural abilities.. How to draw them out was a different question. He'd hardly delved into much training, aside from his work with Mira and Nazura. And with them, the things he taught were physical in nature, things that he could demonstrate for or with them. But in the case of elements, well. That was in the domain of magic.
He was not quite familiar with magics and how to utilize them. Latent abilities brought forth by circumstance or happenstance.. Kyrio was a magical creature of his, but even that snooty wiurn wasn't able to just make something happen. If he did, he'd be a lot more of a handful. A grimace crossed the man's face as he thought about it. A quick head shake got that train detailed. No, he wasn't going to worry about the other magic ones. The trio he had with him were ones he had to focus on.. Water was likely going to be the easiest to work with. He began formulating a plan.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 15, 2020 6:42:36 GMT -6
Water was tangible, easily manipulated. He could splash it around without fear of hurting anyone. The perfect, easy start. Earth would be the runner-up in terms of leading by example - though it might end up getting chaotic if he started throwing rocks around. Wind was more confusing to use than anything, but he supposed he could enlist the help of Papilio if he really needed to. And fire.. He didn't look forward to manipulating fire. It was dangerous. To be respected. Not to be trifled with.. He had a lighter, but that was the extent he was willing to go in terms of producing his own flame.
He didn't even want to think of the other potential elements. He knew of several of the more.. Intricate elements. Lava was described to be a mix of fire and earth - molten rock turned into a tool (or weapon). Electric was another he wanted no part of, it was akin to fire but much more quick and deadly. The plasma golem he owned was enough of a threat by simply existing.. Another sigh escaped him. Was he in over his head? Sure, he could go on raising these creatures and ignore the elemental aspects of them, but what was the point anymore? They were supposed to be elements contained in a tamed form. He, as their master, would have control over whatever it was that made their being. If he were brave enough to harness that power, that is. The idea sounded nice on paper, but the road to get there was not simple.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 15, 2020 6:51:28 GMT -6
He could just be psyching himself out. He'd considered it for a moment.. This was his first time delving into such a venture. Only a handful of others traveled this road, so there were few lessons to be learned from the trials of anyone else. Was this due to difficulty? Lack of interest? Who was to say. But so far, he was feeling as if the idea was much easier than reality. He felt like he was up to the task, yet it was all very new at the same time. He was inexperienced, and coming to hurt himself due to irresponsibility was not something he was going to let happen again. The broken horn served as an example of that.
A slight frown pulled the edges of his mouth down. In over his head..? Maybe. The mammalian quickly glanced over his shoulder to ensure the trio was still following along. And they were, like overgrown little ducklings. A few shell clacks sounded, presumably in response to the waves of uncertainty and unrest he was emitting. Another head shake as the man looked forward again to his path, steeling himself.
Perhaps he was fresh to this. That.. Was ok. This was going to be ok. If he could handle a flaming flying lizard, he could handle knee-high living elements. It was almost silly, how much he was working himself up. Big beasties were fine, but a small walking bundle of contained fire? Too complex! He laughed at himself. Right. This shouldn't shape up to be too bad.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 15, 2020 7:02:45 GMT -6
Small stems first, if it proved to be daunting. It seemed like it would be a monumental effort because it likely would be.. Be he wouldn't take on the entire force at once. It could be hard to not get ahead of himself, knowing that the path would be a long one. Discouragement and uncertainty were natural. He cleared his mind of it for now, taking a deep breath. And another bite of strawberry.
Soon enough, the four of them arrived to the public park and all of its glory. The sounds of people yelling commands at their pets, the sounds of creatures bellowing out either cries of defiance or cooperation.. The smells of a zoo. There were various facilities that people could use here to aid in their training - sand pits, netted arenas, flat courts.. His place of choice was simply a cleared, stone-lined dirt ring settled by a large old tree. It was simple and all he felt like he needed - a wide open space to tame and train.
The last time he was here, it was with Mira, a once shy little mosca turned battle cat. He still had yet to test her prowess, but she was officially entered in the tournament for the month.. He could only hope their time together was enough to prepare her for whatever foes she might face. Thankfully, the experience did his foot in the door in terms of knowing how to plan out a lesson for an animal. He settled the golems in the plot while he mulled on a strategy..
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Post by Xentus on Aug 15, 2020 7:14:47 GMT -6
He already planned on working with the watery golem.. First would be to figure out how to make it exude its element. How could he encourage it to unleash it? By what means did it even manipulate water..? Through its 'mouth' like some other creatures? He rocked his head from side to side, mulling over the possibilities. From the information the labs gave upon adoption, the walkers were supposed to have little pores or vents on their bodies.. Somewhere.
The leopard crouched before the three creatures, lined up in the plot. Blue eyes carefully looked them up and down. Their body structure was simple. A head with a seed within, a body, and limbs. He reached out and traced a finger along the surface of the water golem. It was not wet to the touch like its predecessor. It was this odd, semi-solid substance that he could sometimes poke through, and sometimes not. The clawed finger on the body of the golem pushed into its body, feeling resistance at first, but with the passing seconds, his digit was starting to sink into the 'flesh'. It still wasn't wet.. There wasn't miraculously a vat of water stored within the creature. They were more complicated than that. Which meant more complicated for him to figure out.
But.. Perhaps it wouldn't be. Will. These creature operated on his will. He'd seen it in action just earlier, and he had the feeling it would be the sole means by which he could control the golems. If it wanted it to make water for him, he had but to desire for it to do so.. Right?
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