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Post by Xentus on Aug 16, 2020 1:28:13 GMT -6
The idea was still abstract to him, but it was the main baseline he had. His intent and desires.. First, he wanted to see how these creatures produced their element. The easiest demand would be for water. He wasn't parched, but something to wash away the lingering tang from the strawberries wouldn't be a bad idea. From his crouch, he sat on the ground and folded his legs, staring hard at the trio of walkers. With attention focused on the blue one, he stated his desire to affirm it.
"Pour water."
A simple request, he felt. In fact, it would probably work for any of the golems to simply show how they produce their element. But water came first. The walker's inner seed peered through the closest pore to the leopard, taking its time to process the request. Being the first time he really asked this one of something, he waited patiently. The other two golems stood there quietly, waiting for their own instructions. Xentus didn't want to spread his attention and will around though, so he opted to ignore them for now.
"Pour water, come now", the man repeated his request, a little more urgently. The water walker shuffled on its three limbs, beginning to respond. It knew he asked something of it. The action he wanted it to perform.. It didn't seem to struggle. It took its time processing, preparing for something it had never done before. The man's eager blue eyes looked at it expectantly, waiting for something to happen.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 16, 2020 2:09:52 GMT -6
A tear opened on the golems body. Then, the tear widened. The leopard watched on, alarmed at first, but then water began to flow from the open 'wound'. He blinked a couple times, tilting his head at what he was just witnessing. A clawed hand reached forward and cupped some of the dripping liquid to confirm what it was. He brought his hand to his mouth, taking a quick sniff before lapping a sip with his tongue. Clear, clean, pure water. Impressive, somehow.. With the introductory experiment completed, the leopard was feeling a bit more confident in pressing for a more complex use of the golem's skill.
"Excellent, little one", he praised it, offering it a gentle pet on the head as a reward. But the water continued to flow. Concerned eyes flicked to the other two golems, who didn't exhibit any open tears like the water one did. The dribble of liquid soon made a small puddle under the walker's limbs.
"Ah.. Stop?", the quizzical words came. The mammalian man was mildly concerned, but as he turned his desire away from wanting water, the golem stopped. His request was satisfied. He did remember reading about how these beings often needed to be told when to do something and when to stop doing that thing.. Oh, that was a bit more troublesome than it first sounded. A hum sounded from his throat as he tried to figure how to work with this quality of the golems. They were unlike any other beast he'd tamed before.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 19, 2020 1:58:15 GMT -6
Any kind of training would need to be thoughtfully planned out, considering the need to ask for a start, a duration, and a stop. Compressing that into a short succulent command sounded tough. It was different from any other creature, who might do the bare minimum, tire, (or become uncertain, confused) then stop on its own accord. The golems were ever different from anything else. But he was up to the task. The leopard decided to continue experience building with the water golem, asking it to repeat the task.
"Again, pour water.. Briefly.", he asked, focusing his will and intent on garnering a drink, sating thirst, imagining flowing liquid.. Instead of it unendingly spouting liquid, he wanted it to do so only for a short time. He wasn't sure if this was entirely the right way to go about it still, but it was working well enough so far.. The blue walker shuffled its three limbs again, then opened a pore on its body. Water dripped slowly after a moment. Blue eyes peered into the open vent, trying to discern the source. But it was impossible to tell. No matter. He stopped thinking about water, wanting the creature to end this flow. For a few seconds, it didn't stop. But after a few seconds more, the gash closed.
Puzzling. Time, patience and repetition would be needed to get this exactly as he wanted. But imagining doing this for several other of these creatures.. Xentus glanced at the two idle other walkers. This would take a while.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 19, 2020 4:06:45 GMT -6
Time was something he had plenty of, as was patience. But his will faltered when imagining the total twelve of these creatures, spending the time with them to have them learn how to operate their own bodies.. He would be lying if he said he was looking forward to it. Then, there was the thought of raising their progeny and starting the entire process anew. Again, he felt like he was in over his head. Do it for the experience, he assured himself, it was enriching, he told himself. The most likely case was that it would become easier as he went, but the prospect was still overwhelming when he thought of it in its entirety.
One step at a time, he reminded himself. Small steps were not insignificant. This was the process needed to succeed, and once it was over, that was that. He also figured that he didn't need to train them all anyway. He'd garner some experience with his original three, then carefully raise the rest without bothering about research. These walkers were the guinea pigs. They wouldn't mind, and it would be a lot less stress for himself. Once more he was solidified in his resolve. Even if for a fleeting moment.
Out of curiosity, Xentus turned his attention to the fire and earth walkers instead. "Pour water", he asked of them, looking between them both. How would they react when tasked with something it could not do? The mammalian channeled his focus on water, will and intent on water..
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Post by Xentus on Aug 19, 2020 4:14:18 GMT -6
Nothing happened, at first. Then, there was a shudder, clacking of shells. The leopard frowned, a furrowed brow over the eyes watching the golems. He thought for a moment he'd basically given them a command to kill themselves. But as soon as the uncomfortable shakes and noises began, they ceased. The creatures seemed to droop a bit, as if disappointed in their own ability. The man tilted his head at them. Curious. At least they tried, he thought, then returned his focus back to the water walker.
"Pour more water", he asked this time. Honestly, he wasn't sure where he was going with this. But perhaps he could elevate the mere dribble the golem presented into something more interesting. How far could he push them to perform before they could no longer? Limit testing wasn't exactly preferable in his mind, but given the nature of these creatures, it seemed it would be easier to explore the full extent of their powers. With most animals, one could look it over and assess what it might be able to do. A rabbit jumps, scampers, and kicks but is not built to rend flesh from bone. With these, the extent of their power was ambiguous. Just what could they do?
Still, he knew their current form was not their most powerful yet. These golems still had plenty of growing left before they were a fully realized creature. Thinking of it that way did help him understand them better. Like teaching a baby to talk.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 19, 2020 4:25:07 GMT -6
... Except instead of a baby and its babbling first few noises and words, he had knee-high lumps of elements that dibbled. The water golem opened another vent on its body and began loosing more water, as requested. It was still more of a dribble still than a flowing current, but Xentus figured that could be developed with more practice.
"More", he demanded, urging the creature to use more force. Thoughts of rivers flooding entered his mind, trying to press the idea into a will, a desire. What he wanted from the creature. "More water", he encouraged it pressingly. He wasn't much of a forceful person, so this was rather out of character for him. But he had the feeling that forcefulness might help achieve what he ideally envisioned. The water golem shuffled, expanding the vent in its body. The pressure increased, and more water began flooding out of its side. It wasn't forceful, but it was excellent progress.
"Stop", he now calmly asked, returning to a calm and collected state. And in tandem, the water walker's pore closed, letting no more liquid escape. Somehow, that was satisfying. Not impressive, but it was encouraging progress. The mammalian looked at the puddle that formed, then glanced at the other two walkers. Repeating this task with the fiery one was not going to be fun.. The earth one wouldn't be too terrible, depending on what form its exuded element took. He hoped for something pliable like sand instead of pebbles or rocks. Somehow, he felt it not be the former.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 20, 2020 2:56:59 GMT -6
The man turned his attention away from the golems now. He had some notes to take. The trio stalked after the blur furred mammalian as he meandered to the gnarled root that he often perched atop. Rifling through his belongings, he fetched his journal and flipped to a fresh page to take notes. Every so often a hum would sound from his throat, accompanied by slight tapping against his chin as he figured how to word himself. Blue eyes peeked up over at the golems, darting between the three, then scratchings on the paper began again.
"You creatures are an enigma still", he admitted to them, a frown curling on his muzzle, "How is it that you operate, hm? Please tell Xentus, he is listening." An expectant look was plastered on the mammalian's face, still looking between the golems. He did truly expect them to answer. No matter what form said answer took, he just wanted to hear something. Anything would help him make sense of the walkers at this point. His mind continuously flipped between understanding and stumped. For a short moment, the trio remained silent. Then, the blue toned one spoke up, clacking its segmented shell as if to reply.
An amused chuckle escaped him. He played along, nodding his head and pretending to take notes. Then it occurred to him, this was valuable information. Expectation. Wanting some action performed by the golems was one thing, desiring it was another, but then honestly expecting the action seemed to help as well, as it seemed.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 20, 2020 3:21:05 GMT -6
It didn't seem to be the key to unlocking everything about the golems, but he did regain some confidence for continuing his efforts in working with them. Expectation, will, and desire. It sounded like a combination that could work well with these things. He scrawled a few more notes, jotting down ideas for what he might be able to do with their abilities. Curiosity swelled again, now leading him to try to see how much power these odd beasts contained. He kept in mind that they were still growing though. He couldn't expect too much of them in this form. Still, it was an exciting prospect, especially considering that these things were once near helpless little seedlings none too long ago.
And with that, his scrawlings were finished. For now. The journal was stowed away and Xentus again led the creatures into the center of the dirt plot he'd claimed as his training ring. He sat cross-legged before the golem trio, ready to begin his lessons once more.
"Burst", he commanded simply, staring hard at the watery golem. His mind filled with ideas of how it should look when the golem exploded with water, a torrent gushing from one of the small pores that it opened on its body. He knew what he wanted. He voiced it simply. He extended it to his will, his desire, and now, his expectations. Would it work? There was a chance that this concept was simply overwhelming or impossible for the creature to process..
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Post by Xentus on Aug 20, 2020 3:34:20 GMT -6
Expectant eyes fell solely upon the water walker. It was slow to react at first, but once it did, its actions happened fairly quickly. A vent opened on its body, then instead of a mere dribble of water, it released a sharp burst - something like a neptica exhaling and ejecting a spray of mist. It was aimed away from the leopard, but he could tell it wasn't all too forceful. Enough to make someone mildly soaked, but not drenched. If channeled and honed, he figured such a move could be used in a combative situation.. Water, when expelled forcefully enough, could bruise. Somehow, he didn't see himself entering the fighting pit with one of these basic elements. He wanted something grand.
It was tempting to go out an get himself one of those light golems the labs offered. To control light itself was an intriguing idea. Light was powerful, brilliant. Much more appealing to his tastes. Besides, he already had Nazura and Mizura - wiurns with control over fire and water, respectively. He didn't have much need for other creatures to do the same. There was a need for uniqueness among his personal menagerie. Every creature served its place in its respective niche that he assigned in accordance with their abilities. The golems here had their place as well, but not in their current form. They were the stepping stones in his pursuit for something greater. So for now, these three before him remained as experiments, for him to learn how to control the elements.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 20, 2020 3:40:42 GMT -6
The performance of the water golem did satisfy him, even if he wanted more power out of it. He figured that, with enough encouragement, he could have it perfect this 'burst' idea into a solid command. He simply wasn't sure if he wanted to or not, knowing that the lesson learned by the golem itself would eventually be lost whenever it was merged with one of the other ones here. Good experience for him, knowing how to get to this point. But there was hardly a need to continue. He did like moving step by step, progressing to something increasingly more complex with each try. The same process could likely be repeated with the two other golems, he thought.
Xentus felt like he was set to try this with one of other two. His attention switched off the water golem and bounced between fire and earth. Fire still seemed too dangerous to play with. If misguided, he could end up scorching something. The dirt plot was clear of anything that could catch fire... It was better safe than sorry though. He decided against that one, for now. Earth would be next in line. Slightly less safe than water, much more safe than fire. The worst that could happen with it was getting an errant rock or pebble to the eye. The water golem seemed good about directing its water flow elsewhere, so not to bother anything. The earth walker would likely be the same way, if he had to guess.
(Story has been suspended here) > Exeunt Xentus, Fire 1, Water 1, and Earth 1 (25)
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Post by Xentus on Sept 17, 2020 14:44:15 GMT -6
> Xentus, accompanied by...
Saturn The results of his first fusions were proving to be very interesting beings. His collection spanned four of them. Acid, mist, electric, and sand. There were still a handful of golems that he needed to.. Cultivate. But he was much more interested in whatever these fused seedlings had to show.
There he was, in his study again. Joined by a single new seedling, one of sand. It had come with him on a little adventure recently, growing quite well after the experience. It had most of a body formed and a third stubby arm growing from it. But, it was still immature. These things responded well to tender loving care, and that was what he aimed to give this one with their alone time. This seedling he affectionately named Saturn. He.. Felt it deserved a name, given its uniqueness compared to any other golem he had in his possession. But at the same time, he felt odd giving it one.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 17, 2020 14:51:30 GMT -6
Saturn was slated to be fused with another golem in his efforts to raise the strange creatures. In his pursuit of the glass golem. It was only briefly mentioned in a radio talk show he was listening to on the topic of 'version two elemental golems'. It still stumped him how glass qualified as an element and how he would even raise such a strange concept of a creature.. Would it feast on glass shards? Did he simply need to set it on the window sill to have it feed? Such questions could only be answered if he had one for himself. But this feat would involve having dear Saturn here give up its seed to fuse with another golem, leaving no trace of its former self once a new life is made. It felt so odd, planning the temporary life of these creatures. Growing attached and giving them names seemed like a folly.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 17, 2020 15:14:23 GMT -6
Ah, but he couldn't help himself. The distant letter and number names for the original set of golems he adopted were so impersonal to him that it felt wrong to not let their progeny to have the luxury of a true name. And so, he here was with little Saturn. The leopard smiled gently to the creature, petting its head-shell with a gentle touch. One of the things he enjoyed about them at this age was their simplicity. Sure, they were essentially useless, but it bothered him none. Except maybe for the fact that they couldn't really move themselves.. Ah, but this one was on the verge of maturing into a walker, and such a trouble would be in the past. He did have a fondness for the fully matured stalker.. But given their purpose in life, he didn't want to get attached to one until he was certain it would be the last iteration.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 17, 2020 15:24:50 GMT -6
He.. Really enjoyed the idea of these creatures. A clawed finger twirled around one of the sand seedling's pseudopods, pondering about what venture to take it on once it was mobile. The stalkers he raised were exceedingly loyal, sleek, and dangerous, if he wanted them to be. He still wasn't sure what his ultimate goal would be with the golems. As a guard of sorts, perhaps? The notice he would garner for being one of the only ones to successfully raise a glass golem would be a nice bonus. Perhaps he could train it for show or even battle.. He.. Didn't feel so terrible about sending a rebirthing, nearly indestructible beast into the battle arena. The mosca he trained for the tournament was a creature he feared getting hurt or injured, even if the pit staff promised hastened healing of contestants. But with a golem, such worries would be relieved.. He.. Had to think on it.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 17, 2020 15:30:48 GMT -6
For now, focusing on raising them would be his priority. He didn't need to bog down his mind with the morality of pitting beasts against one another for the glory of it. The leopard shook his head, then grabbed the writhing sand seedling into his hands. He'd rather consider where to take this little one.. It might enjoy the canyon. Akinai was alright with him bringing the wind walker a while ago (one of the parents of this seedling, if he remembered correctly), so it seemed only fitting to show her the fruits of his labor.
"What do you think, little one?", the leopard started asking the seedling, "To come with Xentus to Eterra, home of the Draconics." Even if it didn't know what he was talking about, the golem seemed to perk up excitedly, clattering its shell with approval. It could sense his anticipation. It fed on it. It grew from it.
> Exeunt Xentus, Saturn (5)
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