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Post by Xentus on Aug 30, 2020 8:05:34 GMT -6
Which made sense, when he gave it some thought. They would be quite the unmanageable little beasts if they went around attacking anything that came near. Some people might desire that and train for it, but the leopard would rather not have things (or people) get lit aflame should they happen to cross paths when he was toting along a fire golem.
The water walker seemed satisfied with its job and began waddling back over to its master's side. Somehow, it looked pleased with itself. It had repelled an enemy and kept its master safe. Mission success. But, it still couldn't rest easy. Out here, anything could pose a threat.. Now back beside the leopard, the walker resumed its vigilant surveillance of its surroundings. The trees, the undergrowth, the skies.. It had to keep a close watch about all of them. And all the while watch the well being of its master, of course.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 30, 2020 8:09:52 GMT -6
The mammalian seemed to be in good status, not distressed. All was well, for now. The golem planted itself right behind the leopard as he began to work. The weeds on the fence path were cut down with hacking and swinging motions by the scythe. The rustling of the foliage as it was cut down was rather satisfying to hear. The work was a little odd on his back, but not to the extent of pain. It gave him the feeling that he'd need to take breaks regularly though. A small pause for every flag marker he reached sounded ideal. Good work flow and preparation to minimize the back pain! Hopefully. Xentus tried to keep in shape, keen on avoiding having health issues once older.. Old men and their back pain was so stereotypical. He didn't want any part of that. Eh, he didn't like thinking about aging. He was only in his 30's, but it made him feel awfully old.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 30, 2020 8:14:06 GMT -6
To be young and dumb again.. Eh, honestly not favorable either. He did feel that having a few more years of youth would've been nice though. The leopard's mind wandered towards age, his younger, dumber self, past experiences.. Future prospects were difficult to explore. There were a lot of things he wanted to accomplish in life, yet he wasn't sure what a single one was. All of these new ventures he'd undertaken since settling in the city opened new ideas and paths to take. Yet, which was truly the one for him?
The next flag was reached before he knew it. And as he promised himself, he took a small break - straightening out and stretching to keep limber. His eyes glanced down at the water golem that had been dutifully keeping pace with him. It was involved in one of his prospects as well. To craft the perfect elemental companion. A long road still, but one that kept him busy.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 30, 2020 8:25:51 GMT -6
The more time they spent together, the better it would grow, nourished by the energy that he inadvertently fed it from his presence alone. Ever still an odd concept, but one that he just came to accept and not question. What better was there than some TLC to raise creatures into the best that they could be? The golems simply elevated the matter. His collection of them, once fully fledged, would restart the cycle to be grown and reared again. Ah.. Xentus sighed, then shook his head. No, he wasn't going to think about all of that again. The garden called.
The leopard went back over the culled foliage and began cleaning up, tossing the remnants into the wheelbarrow so it could be dumped into the compost pile later. The bunched up plant matter was lighter than it looked, making tidying up fairly easy. The gathered mass in the wheelbarrow gave him an idea though.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 30, 2020 8:33:54 GMT -6
He could be feeding this to his herbivores. The entire four of them. He never thought much of the creatures he kept in her personal menagerie, but the tundergug, equillion, panilla, and jackaroo was probably the only grazing herbivores he had. A pensive frown curled on his lip as he gave it thought. Almost all other animals were carnivores. And if not a carnivore, then it ate something special or didn't eat at all, like the water golem with him now. The tundergug in particular was what most of what hay and grain feed went to. He could probably bring that big beast out here to graze and have the entire field cleaned out after a few days. Much less work for him! But then again, there might be plants out here that he didn't want it eating. What if there were poisonous weeds out here? Toxic mushrooms? It was risky..
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Post by Xentus on Aug 30, 2020 8:40:54 GMT -6
Then there was the wild plants that he wanted to harvest before culling, like the bella berries.. A grumble escaped him. It probably wouldn't work out as planned. Besides, Giizav wasn't exactly tamed. Sure, it was a friendly creature, more or less, but one that paid little regard to the comparably small leopard's demands. It could easily wander off and wreck havoc elsewhere. Mental images of his thundergug going off on a rampage unrestrained made him grimace.
... Manual labor it was.
The golem seemed to take notice of the mental turmoil the leopard was going through. The waves he let off were choppy. Disturbed, even. It was no mind reader, but it could pick up little hints on his will and desire, and A curious click rattled its head-shell to garner attention, but the leopard paid it no mind. As quickly as the disturbance came, it went, and the man went back to culling grass.
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Post by Jack on Aug 30, 2020 9:08:33 GMT -6
What weird grass you can find growing in your garden
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Post by Xentus on Aug 30, 2020 9:11:12 GMT -6
The sound of the scythe shearing through the weeds filled the air again. This part in particular was going to be a long stretch before reaching the next flag. The work was menial, his mind went drifting elsewhere. After all this golem rearing was done, he wanted to get back to taming his other creatures. Getting his wiurns and Mashiik into the air and with proper mount directions was one of things he wanted to pick back up on again. Nazura and Mashiik were the only kind-of mount-ready flighted beasts he had. Everyone else needed work. Perhaps he'd pick back up with the alurook and get her well learned. She was much easier to manage than that flaming wiurn..
The golem continued its dutiful service, following after its master with every step. There wasn't much that stirred and threatened to disturb his work.. For now. The rustling the leopard made did make it a bit difficult to scour through the greenery..
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Post by Xentus on Aug 30, 2020 9:26:26 GMT -6
The obvious threats were the easiest to respond to, of course. The large lumps that stick out, the ones that scuttle and scurry, disturbing the scenery. Those captured the golem's attention for the most part. The movement of the grass made it perceive the possibility of a threat much more with the mammalian rustling it than if it were left alone. Almost like a paranoid cat, the golem was captivated by the movement.
Xentus was half way to the next checkpoint when he came upon another one of those strange flowers. It looked absolutely mystical.. The other two were soaking in a vase at the cottage, and it looked like they would soon have the company of a beautiful blue companion. The scythe was set aside for the time being so he could pluck this new found flower from its woody stem. His touch wasn't the most elegant, but he didn't simply tear it from the ground.
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Post by Jack on Aug 30, 2020 9:38:02 GMT -6
A cute little green berry sits on a bush
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Post by Xentus on Aug 30, 2020 10:08:52 GMT -6
He knew that plants could grow better when cut in certain ways. Basil grew nice and bushy if young leaves are trimmed just above the buds. Roses could have their stems cut at a certain angle to then properly be grafted onto another plant. These flowers.. Well, he wasn't exactly sure how to cut it, but it looked close enough to a rose that he went with a slanted cut a ways down from the flower.
"Hold this for Xentus, yes? Keep it safe", he turned and asked the water golem, who had been observing him carefully. He held out the pruned flower, beckoning for the creature to take it. They were both blue. Wouldn't it be cute match? The golem first assessed the foreign plant for any threats, but soon cleared it as safe. It didn't seem to know what its master wanted other than that. But there, the woody stem was still outstretched to it..
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Post by Xentus on Aug 30, 2020 10:22:54 GMT -6
It could sense that its master still wanted something of it. Not just a quick assessment of safety. It clattered its shell softly, as if to question what more the man could possibly want. Meanwhile the leopard flooded his mind with thoughts of gifting and keeping. He expressed his desire, and the golem only had to act upon it. A few more moments passed before gingerly, the creature parted its shell and bit down on the stem. This made Xentus smile, his eyes lighting up. The look was rewarding enough for the golem, it knew it had served its master well, even in such a simple act, and relished in this wordless praise. It gave a little hop, kicking its tentacle legs. The leopard patted its stony head endearingly. He wasn't sure if it was his own happiness rubbing off on the knee-high thing, but it was behaving rather cutely. He wouldn't have guessed they were capable of this.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 30, 2020 10:27:17 GMT -6
He knew their actions and behavior did reflect from their owner. His typical calmness and stoicism made for companions that were rather dull. Of course, he could still get excited and be happy, which he guessed was appropriate for the golem now. Ah, he didn't want to mull on it too much. He was simply glad that the creature accepted his gift. It carried the flower with a gentle touch, so not to damage the stem. Yet, its hold was firm, keeping the gift its master bestowed upon it safe in its grasp.
With that, work continued. Xentus counted this as his break and continued trimming the weeds until he reached the further flag marker. Weeds were culled, bunched, and stored in a rather meticulous manner. This work was a little tough under the hot summer sun, and he could feel the sweat collecting on his hand pads. Thankfully, he had a walking source of water with him.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 30, 2020 10:39:33 GMT -6
He decided to get to the next checkpoint before stopping for a drink, pushing himself forward with a renewed purpose. The thought of quenching his thirst was enough to get him going. The sound of weeds being sliced and the rustling of concentrated plant matter filled the air for a little while longer. Then, it stopped.
"Pour water", the leopard asked of the golem again. It was getting a bit better at responding to this phrase in particular now that it's heard it a few times by now. The golem steadied itself on its feet, concentrating. A vent opened on the surface of its body, then water began dribbling down its side. Not the most appealing little trick, but it served its purpose perfectly fine. The leopard had himself a drink of the notably flavorless water, thankful that he brought a water golem with him. Saved himself the trouble of heading to the cabin for something to drink.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 30, 2020 10:45:15 GMT -6
The quick drink was revitalizing. Looking ahead at the rest of the work to be done, he figured he had himself another good hour or so before the perimeter was finished.. But, he was making excellent progress. The task was already more than halfway done, and it hardly felt like he spent much time on it. He was sure the time was passing along much more quickly than he thought. Looking to the sky, it seemed to be a few hours past noon. When did he get out here? Late in the morning or so.. He couldn't remember exactly. The sound of dripping water alerted him to his failure to stop the golem from simply dribbling everywhere. Satisfied with its service, he thanked it and had it stop. And then work continued yet again. The rest of the day was spent weeding, trimming, collecting, repeating.. The border was looking quite good now, even if the interior needed some work. But that would be left for another day.
50 > Exeunt Xentus and W2 (50)
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