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Post by Xentus on Aug 21, 2020 7:01:51 GMT -6
No, he couldn't give into fear. He steeled himself and continued to reel in his catch, every second coming closer to success. The shape of the fish was visible near the surface of the water. It was fairly small - a bit longer than the length of his hand if he had to guess. Despite that, it was putting up quite the fight. With another heaving tug and spooling of the reel, the fish was finally pulled from the water. It thrashed in the air as he reeled it in, flicking drops of water onto his face, provoking a slight wince from the man.
"A small one but a healthy fish, don't you think little ones?", the leopard cheered for himself, his tone laced with giddiness despite his calm demeanor. It flopped in the air, struggling until he grabbed it by the lip to unhook it. The walker golems paced around his feet, shells opened to allow their inner seeds to see the mundane silvery fish. Its fins were a fairly bright yellow in comparison to the rest of its body. And his earlier estimates of its size were accurate, measuring about seven inches from head to tail. Not impressive, but still satisfying.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 21, 2020 7:08:22 GMT -6
If he was remembering right, this kind of fish was on the lower end of the value scale, used as bait to catch other, bigger fish. The anchovy of the river, essentially. But like an anchovy, that didn't mean that it wasn't a good fish on its own. It might've just been his feline nature speaking, but in his eyes, all fish seemed like tasty fish. Despite that, this one wasn't on the menu. For now. He decided to bleed it and gut it in any case, withdrawing from fishing for a brief moment.
Down to the rocky shore instead of the perch he went, golems trailing closely behind him. They had a had time with the rocky surface, the fire walker tumbling down the natural steps with a resounding thud. The wind walker was a bit more graceful on its feet, only if marginally. The leopard looked back at the orange-red one with concern, but it soon picked itself up and hurried to be by his side. He silently chuckled at it, then went to work cleaning his catch. Ideally, he'd have some carnivore to feed the entrails to, but the walkers didn't eat food of any sort. So the guts got washed into the river - chum for some other fish.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 21, 2020 7:16:30 GMT -6
While rinsing the fish in the river water, he dipped his head in a quick prayer to the animal for its fight and its life. Xentus was a very naturalistic man. He believed in using every part of an animal killed for food or giving back to nature what wouldn't be consumed. One cannot expect to take from nature's bounties without offering something back in return. The now cleaned fish was ready to store in his cooler. But just as he was turning away to return to his perch, he noticed that the golems had taken an interest in something.
They were clattering at an oyster.
The leopard shook his head and could only question as to why, of all things, they would be distracted by a shellfish. He considered their concern for a moment, then decided to pluck the oyster from its exposed hiding spot between the rocky crags. The golems cautiously tracked the oyster as the leopard made his way back to his camp spot. The oyster was set down for them to terrorize while the fish went into the cooler. And now, he could resume fishing. A new line was cast, flicked into the same dark spot in the water.
Using Fuzzy Lure 15
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Post by Jack on Aug 21, 2020 18:45:20 GMT -6
  A pretty fish and a... what's that? |
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Post by Xentus on Aug 22, 2020 13:12:40 GMT -6
The golems wouldn't quiet down about the shellfish in their midst. Perhaps it reminded them too much of themselves? A shelled creature with a vulnerable center.. Or perhaps they recognized how odd of a creature it was (just as they were), unable to discern how to assess the potential threat.. Whichever the case, it was rather amusing seeing them make such a fuss over it. The fire walker was crouched low and close to the oyster, its own shell parted slightly to get a better look at it. Its head wavered carefully from side to side, scanning it from multiple angles.. Meanwhile, the wind walker kept its distance, seeming much more cautious of the bivalve.
"It is not going to harm anything, do not fret little ones", the leopard finally spoke up, shaking his head at them, "Nor is it going to suddenly be mobile."
Oysters weren't known to be threatening in any capacity, except, perhaps, for the potential of pinched fingers should one go poking about. His words seemed to assure the golems well enough, calming them down from their frantic alert state. They still seemed to keep a careful watch over the shellfish, but did opt to do so while closer to his feet.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 22, 2020 13:18:40 GMT -6
Now that this whole oyster situation was settled, he could return his focus on his unmoving line. It had been sitting in the water for a few minutes now, but nothing seemed to really be biting - save for a few curious nibbles. He almost wished that the golems would find something else to cause some commotion over. It was good entertainment, plus he enjoyed seeing their behaviors develop. Going from the immobile shelled seedling to an interesting knee-high walker allowed much more interesting traits develop. The semblance of curiosity, the ever watchful guard. He enjoyed those growing aspects quite a lot. The mammalian smiled gently to the two golems down by his feet, praising them by his sight alone.
Then, there was a tug at the line.
A quick whip upward to set the hook and it was fish on! The spool whined as the aquatic creature darted away, but the leopard did his best to control its movement. He let it fight for short bursts, then reeled it in when it tired. Occasionally, it would actually swim toward him in its effort to get away - which was both a good and bad thing. Good in that he could reel without worrying about tension snapping the line. Bad in that it could unhook itself..
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Post by Xentus on Aug 22, 2020 13:24:55 GMT -6
The fight lasted a couple of minutes. This one was desperate to escape, he could feel that it was a spirited one. It was pulled from the depths and toward the surface, causing it to jump from the water. There was a brief flash of brilliant green as the fish fluttered its fins, impressing the mammalian. It was a beautiful one.. And a somewhat large one, spanning at least a foot long or so from what he could tell.
The sudden splatter of water alerted the golems, causing them to clack their shells suspiciously at the sprinkle caused by the fish. Perhaps it was shared excitement when he saw the creature. Or they wanted it dead. Even if he could usually read these strange creatures, there were some instances that were more on the ambiguous side. He'd take the time to figure it out if he weren't busy reeling this fish in.
Finally, the aquatic creature seemed to get exhaused, and he could free it from its watery confines. A few remnant twitches of the body let he know it was still very alive as he gripped it by the mouth to unhook it. He had to say, this particular specimen was impressive.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 22, 2020 13:32:44 GMT -6
He felt like he wouldn't mind if this turned out to be the best catch of the day. The fight was satisfying, the fish was beautiful. If he peaked here, it would still make this trip well worth the time spent. He showed the golems his catch, buzzing with excitement.
"Isn't it a beauty? Such an excellent fighter", he murmured, admiring his catch still. The two golems began clicking their shells in an oddly rhythmic pattern, almost like clapping. The wind one offered little hops of what he could only assume was joy. It made him smile and laugh, appreciating their reaction. Supportive, alert, and elemental guard dogs. What more could he want from them?
This fish, like the last, was getting cleaned up before it was tossed into the cooler. He made haste with the process, eager to get his line back in the water. What else would he be able to catch out here? Oh, knowing the expansive possibilities was exciting. Of course, most of this excitement was locked away behind a placid exterior. His celebrations were gentle, even to the point of betraying his true feelings sometimes. The little thrilling moments like these made such a boorish activity much more tolerable.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 22, 2020 13:47:07 GMT -6
The man was quick to prepare his rod for the next cast. The hook was baited and flung out into the water, landing near a rock on the far end of the river. Not the most ideal spot, but perhaps it would work just fine. The water was dark and deep.. And as quickly as the line was set, the tip of his pole twitched. Another bite, so quickly! The leopard yanked it upward to set the hook, then began reeling in his next catch. He could already tell that whatever he had hooked was much smaller than his previous catch. But, that didn't make for a less thrilling time of reeling and pulling against the thrashing of the fish.
Soon, he had an odd brown thing out of the water. It.. Certainly wasn't as pretty as the last fish. The golems clacked at it suspiciously, not sure of what to make of this new prize. But Xentus was pleased enough with his catch. It too would join the other two in his growing collection. He took the time to clean it up as he did the others, placed it on ice, then returned to continue his fishing adventure. The next line was cast out into the water, landing with a satisfying 'plunk'.
Using Fuzzy Lure 20
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Post by Xentus on Aug 24, 2020 5:14:45 GMT -6
The bobber wavered around a dark pool of calm river water, sheltered by an overhanging rock. This strategy seemed to work for him the best. Darker waters were deeper. Deeper water housed bigger fish. Or rather, had the chance to house bigger ones anyway. He could still reel in another fairly small one if it were cheeky enough to venture into dangerous territory. He felt secure enough in the spot in any case. Now, to wait for the next bite.
The two golems at his feet were carefully observing the surrounding forest for any sign of danger. The sun drifted high overhead, warming the exposed area around the river. The fire golem cracked its skull-shell open just a touch to absorb some of the rays of light and heat. It wasn't fire, but it was close enough to feed on. The wind golem was much easier to sate, the air all around it providing it all the nourishment that it needed to grow. Its shell remained closed, only taking in the gentle wind through its open pores. The two of them seemed to relax a bit, planting their bodies down on the rock and tucking in their tentacles. Like strange little flowers..
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Post by Xentus on Aug 24, 2020 5:24:26 GMT -6
Such strange creatures, and he would never get over that fact. A curious eye peeked down at the golems, noting their resting state. Were they sleeping? He honestly couldn't tell if they did sleep or not.. They did rest and become inert for sections of time, usually when left to their own devices. Their biology, if they could even be considered biological in any sense of the word, was something that required much more study. Beings of magic were some of the hardest for him to understand.
His continued exposure to them, Kyrio, and even Mashiik seemed to rub off on him. He began noticing wisps of power around all these creatures. Not something that he could see, but instead innately feel. It was a hard feeling to describe too.. Something alluring, yet subtle. Waves of energy of a unique kind that stimulated a sense that he never knew that he had. The recent acquisition of a prismatic crystal helped him notice this feeling to begin with. The crystal wavered his vision like heat, obviously a fairly strong source of untapped magic. It was almost scary to think such a thing was latent in the earth, waiting for someone to stumble upon it to tap its power.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 24, 2020 5:37:46 GMT -6
Was it odd, that he was beginning to seek such power? Taming these elementals was one path to harnessing magic, in a way. They obeyed him, served to protect him, trying their best to enact his will.. But still independent from him. A source of arcane magic that he could command for himself privately appealed to him. Wouldn't it appeal to most who were curious enough? But, he also was afraid of such a prospect. How did harnessing magic change a person? Of that, he wasn't sure. For now though, he was satisfying in controlling the arcane from a third person vantage. It came with its own challenges that were enjoyable to face.
He stared longer at the golems than he thought. The creatures didn't mind at all - they seemed to really enjoy being on the receiving end of his attention. It was hard to tell most of the time, but he did think he was starting to get a better understanding of their mannerisms. Even if it was a multi-layered puzzle. The mammalian was snapped back to his current activity after feeling a tug on the line. He wasn't sure for how long he was standing there day dreaming, but it was long enough for a bite!
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Post by Xentus on Aug 24, 2020 5:43:42 GMT -6
The flow of fishing was starting to become ingrained in his muscle memory. Snap the rod up to set the hook on the fish, and be quick about it. Then, the fight begins. The line whined as the fish began frantically swimming away, startled by the hook embedded in its lip. Its instinct was to dart, escape, hide, anything that saved itself from falling victim to whatever predator was hunting it. A fight for its life. Xentus fought back, reeling in the line whenever there was a little slack when the fish darted in a different direction. He could feel where it wanted to go, and tried to prevent it from escaping into some hole or crevice. The taut line hinted that it was a fairly sized fish, maybe a trout of some kind. Until it was pulled out of the water, he couldn't say for certain.
The two golems seemed to perk up in response to the noise, extending their tentacles and taking up a tripod posture once again. Their inner seeds were set on the movement in the water, watching warily of whatever could be lurking below the surface. For them, anything could pose a threat to their master. And they had to be ready for when something strikes..
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Post by Xentus on Aug 24, 2020 8:07:49 GMT -6
Their segmented heads tracked the nearly invisible fishing line as it trailed through the water. Whether it was the splashing on the surface of the water that they honed in on or that they really could see the line, their movements were impressively accurate. Robotic, even. Not that the leopard could stop to marvel at them. His attention was much too focused on the fish, struggling to reel it in. It gained more distance than what he could close. This one did not tire as easily as the others.
The leopard stayed steadfast. It was exciting to get something with more fight in it. But he was also inexperienced. When to pull, when to reel, when to stop.. He didn't have these basics entirely set into tuned muscle movements. With the strength of the fish and his inability to adjust, the line snapped. A sharp twang cut the air, and the leopard stumbled back a little at the sudden loss of resistance. He managed to stay on his feet, avoiding taking a tumble over the golems. It was a little surprising, but Xentus quickly regained his wits about him and shook his head. Couldn't catch 'em all. A disappointed sigh escaped him as he turned to replace the broken line.
Using Fuzzy Lure 25
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Post by Nadia on Aug 26, 2020 13:35:02 GMT -6
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