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Post by Swell on May 3, 2024 23:34:22 GMT -6
A peal of thunder, the sound of a million tiny drops of water falling on leaves. Summer rain? The large man waved his hand lazily and felt mana travel through his being allowing it to spread across his form and shield him from the storm causing the water to bead and fall off harmlessly. While he normally wouldn’t mind the sudden shower he’d prefer to stay dry for the duration of his walk with his companions. Gods… summer again already? How many summers had it been since he’d first walked into this city? Seasons had come and gone, but the number escaped him. The passage of time often slipped through his fingers, whether it was from hyperfocus or a lack of focus was anyone’s guess. While living alone on the fringes of the city had its perks there were plenty of drawbacks as well. A rainbow seryn undulated lazily through the storm rejoicing in the much beloved moisture. Iris had mellowed into his adulthood. The sudden rain would have at one time made the great fish dart about as if struck by lightning, but now he simply coiled his way through the air gracefully drinking in the serenity. He served as a wonderful juxtaposition to the small seedling golem that waddled on its ungainly tentacles after the man with a singular focus. [0,2][4,15] +1
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Post by Swell on May 3, 2024 23:38:19 GMT -6
He had to laugh at the wobbly thing. In return it fixed him with what could only be described as a “wobbly” eye before continuing its dogged pursuit. He supposed he hadn’t really laughed at how awkward the creature was, but rather how they could be so different yet so similar.
The elementals produced by the labs at their core were beings of elemental energy given physical form; he, as a spellcaster that had swallowed a node was a being that had been infused with elemental energy from the top of his bald head the the soles of his feet. Both wielded energies innate to the world, but one was made with the express purpose of guardianship and the other had no purpose at all.
Two sides of a very very similar coin.
“I envy you little one,” he scooped the seedling into the crook of his arm, its tendrils waving lightly in the rain presumably in pleasure,”life is simpler when your purpose is innate.”
The seryn continued to coil lazily around its master, its scales shining in what little light the overcast day offered.
[0,2][4,15] +2
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Post by Swell on May 3, 2024 23:38:52 GMT -6
As he walked he made sure to hold the golem out and away from his body to allow the rain to fall on it. Initially he’d planned to find some sort of remote stream and let the little one simply splash about, hearsay within the labs had said you were supposed to “feed” the golem its corresponding element and he hadn’t been able to think of a better way to do so, but he couldn’t imagine the rain would hurt it at all.
Though ever so slight he could just barely make out the raindrops imperceptibly being absorbed by the creature’s flesh. Or at the very least the closest approximation to flesh that it possessed.
Since settling within the labs he’d seen creatures big and small, creatures with bright colors and those whose hide could swallow light, and yet the variety of the life that had been created never ceased to fill him with wonder. The same minds behind the small lump of jelly-like flesh he held in the crook of his arm also had created the graceful flying fish at his side.
[0,2][4,15] +3
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Post by Swell on May 3, 2024 23:39:24 GMT -6
The biodiversity of these lands felt like the coral reefs of his homeland. Thousands upon thousands of species all crammed into a complex web of life each with their own niche, some even stealing niches from other creatures. Where once there had been native songbirds many of the trees sported jibiji or izer, and while that may not have been universally true across the city seeing so many of them instead of the birds or creatures he had seen in his travels was still disconcerting.
He absentmindedly ran his free hand over the gracile fish and it leaned into the affection. There were checks and balances to their growth though. Many creatures produced by the labs only thrived with humanoid companionship. The very fish he’d been staring at so intently could only metamorphose into an adult with the ability to navigate both air and water thanks to a strong connection with a bonded humanoid.
Even the small tentacled creature in his arms was incapable of growth without a human touch. He wasn’t even sure if the creatures could even possibly exist without being attached to an entity such as himself, certainly he’d never seen or heard of it happening. Then again, stranger things were known to happen.
[0,2][4,15] +4
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Post by Swell on May 3, 2024 23:40:16 GMT -6
The rain came and went and Swell eventually found a suitable spot on the bank of a small creek. Its water ran shallow and sluggishly over a bed of pebbles creating miniature rapid across the pockmarked stones. He gently laid the golem in the water and it swayed its arms or perhaps legs in what could be considered a content manner as it moved about in the shallow water.
“What a curious thing you are…”
Even in such a primitive form he could feel the inklings of the creature's magic. Magic and science seemed to walk hand in hand at the very core of life in the labs, but feeling real and true magic was something of a rarity. Oh sure there was the odd node here and there, he’d be a terrible practitioner of elemental magic if he weren’t able to feel out the presence of potential casters around him, but rarely was there anything or anyone with real power.
“Well other than that young man I’d made that node for-”
A shudder ran through his body and the seryn protectively coiled about his shoulders as the memory of the ritual came back to the forefront of his mind.
[1,3][5,17] +5
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Post by Swell on May 5, 2024 23:26:31 GMT -6
To this day he’d still wake up in the middle of the night suffocating beneath the presence of that place. It was as if he could feel every footfall leading up to the altar, could feel the gaze of the watchers and the weight that their silence had carried. He ran a thumb absent-mindedly over the now twice scarred palm of his hand.
A lingering scar now healed twice-over…
Perhaps it was this connection he sought out again, not just a connection to his own mana, but something else. Unfortunately while the years had been kind enough to his pockets he found himself without the supplies to seek out the altar again and to glimpse that bond once more. Not order this time no, an energy more familiar and innate to him.
He gazed over at the young elemental happily splashing about in the water it was absorbing again. Bonding with this “seedling”, he found the name quite amusing as while it did look something like a pod it seemed an almost too general term, would be as close he could get.
“I wonder what you’ll turn out like.” His seryn companion had settled into a lazy figure eight pattern above his head and he reached upward without thinking to allow his fingertips to graze its scales.
[1,3][5,17] +1
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Post by Swell on May 5, 2024 23:27:10 GMT -6
He’d never seen a full-grown golem. Or rather he’d never seen a full-grown golem of the newer species. While now somewhat defunct, or perhaps abandoned was a better word for it, it seemed that the labs had been obsessed with perfecting some of its older creatures. He’d seen a number of the original species, beings of elemental force shaped into roughly human-like forms. While wondrous there was something almost unsettling about them, maybe it was their almost too-human gaze. The newer golems felt and behaved more like creatures though which made them feel more manageable, or at least that was how he felt.
He laughed at himself, that was something of a double standard. When he’d come to the labs he’d inherited a host of creatures from his benefactor, a number of which seemed to have a “too-human” gaze.
“I mean you’re certainly a sharp one.” The rainbow seryn fixed its pink eyes on the man in a silent acknowledgment. A fish that could understand the common tongue would be out of the ordinary most anywhere else, but here it could be considered almost run of the mill.
The large fish departed the space above the man’s head instead opting to entertain himself by inspecting the golem which waved its tentacles in welcome, or perhaps warning.
[1,3][5,17] +2
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Post by Swell on May 5, 2024 23:27:45 GMT -6
As the afternoon dragged on the rain began to fall in earnest, but it was noticed little by the man still sitting beneath the tree as lost in thought as he was.
It was a curious thing to try and outdo your own living breathing creations. As he watched the seedling wiggle its appendages, for his own amusement he’d decided the display itself was supposed to be threatening, he had to wonder if it was really a “better” design. On the one hand this iteration was certainly more involved than the previous generation. The older golems felt as though they were more akin to a living piece of art, a vessel for the elements that could walk about and move. He’d remembered he’d helped an elderly couple with a few odd-jobs and they’d had several beautiful crystalline golems merely sitting in their garden looking pretty.
The seryn ducked low as if to invite the seedling to try and attack eliciting only more ineffective wiggling. A frown played across his face, he couldn’t imagine that same couple simply using the newer golems as decoration. They probably would have fainted at the very sight of the little creature at best, he didn’t want to think about their reactions at worst.
[1,3][5,17] +3
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Post by Swell on May 5, 2024 23:28:17 GMT -6
From what he’d heard while the newer golems might have lacked the aesthetics of the originals they were innately fiercely loyal in a way the originals simply weren’t. While he didn’t have much use for status symbols and moving artwork, he certainly had a use for a guard creature. He’d made enemies before coming to the labs, hell he’d had enemies since he was small and while no one had come knocking on the door of his abode from his past you could never be too careful even in civilization.
More than that though the newer golems had a spark of magic.
The seryn ducked low again and managed to knock the seedling onto its back on accident, or at least it had looked like an accident. With the large fish circling above in worried patterns the man rose from his seat against the tree and waded into the stream to right the seedling again.
“To think you’re going to grow into something magical is kind of funny.” The seedling in turn responded by fixing its large eyes on him again for a solid thirty seconds before returning to the meticulous task of shoving pebbles around with its tentacles. He supposed, however, he also had probably not looked intimidating as an elemental child.
[1,3][5,17] +4
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Post by Swell on May 5, 2024 23:29:00 GMT -6
He laughed to himself, causing his piscine companion to approach again for affection now that its interest in the seedling had waned.
He liked to think he’d grown into his power now, but he remembered being a scared child that’d swallowed a node. He could almost see himself in his tiny companion, but maybe the seedling’s existence would be a little gentler. As it stood though he was excited for the creature to be a little more mobile, while he was fine to carry the creature around at virtually any size it did make interaction a little puzzling.
“Say… I don’t think I’ve given you a proper name have I?”
Many of the creatures he’d inherited had come with names, notes about their personalities, but the golem had been a blank slate.
“It has to be just right, maybe not too on the nose,” his own name felt a little too perfect more often than not,”but I don’t want it to stick out either.” He already had a Rain, Drip or Drop also felt silly. He looked to his seryn for inspiration. According to his predecessor’s notes Iris had originally been named for the flower, but he didn’t really see the seedling being much of a flower.
“Seedling, flower, funny enough though.”
[2,4][6,19] +5
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Post by Swell on May 16, 2024 8:28:56 GMT -6
“No, definitely not a flower I don’t think.”
What was even in a name for something as strange as the golem? Normally names for the creatures he'd begun to gather came naturally, but there was just something that seemed ill-fitting about the naming conventions he'd as of yet chosen. He tapped his lower lip thoughtfully while watching the seedling splash about and tried to note as many of its characteristics as possible. The soft blues of its hide seemed evocative of a the crystal clear waters of a spring.
"I couldn't possibly name you Spring though," he chuckled as he moved closer to pat he creature's head.
He supposed there were other blues on its hide aside from flowers and springs, plenty of other shades from which to draw inspiration.
"Wait, spring..."
Another watery stare from the seedling.
"I suppose you can be Summer."
Summer like clear blue skies, summer like sudden rain. The seryn coiled in tight circles around the man's arms and neck causing him to chuckle at the tickle of its scales against his flesh.
"Well I'm going to take that as a resounding yes then, Iris."
A season and a flower, maybe they weren't as odd a pair as he'd initially thought.
[2,4][6,19] +1
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Post by Swell on May 16, 2024 8:29:38 GMT -6
“You know,” he again caressed the large fish again,”I’ve never seen one of your kind fully grown, Iris.”
He’d been told that they were a resplendent sight to behold, and while he believed the word of mouth and the rumors, he’d noticed that even the flying adults of the species were rare enough. The eldest of the flying fish were all but absent. The fish leaned into the caress thrusting its body against the palm of his hand as if in enjoyment.
“I suppose you’ve never seen an older version of me either though." And in all fairness he was the rarer of the pair of them in comparison within the bounds of the labs.
"Or even the world if we're being completely fair, eh boy?" He had no idea how widely his people were spread, his entire life he'd only ever known his community. He was sure the creatures of the labs had spilled well beyond their original confines and replaced species not only in the surrounding area, but given how adaptable most of the creatures seemed to be he wouldn't be surprised if there were species that had managed to find their way further out.
[2,4][6,19] +2
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Post by Swell on May 16, 2024 8:30:17 GMT -6
"I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't even a few of you back where I grew up," the seryn turned its attention back to the seedling," Summer though not so much."
Elemental forces manifested very differently back home, indeed, there were little commonalities between the seedling golem and the elementals Swell had learned to channel. When he'd asked about it once he'd been told that it was because of the way the labs created their creatures. Science and magic mixed together in almost inconceivable ways as they molded new life. Some creatures, like his seryn companion, were closer to their source material. It was a simple enough task to identify the less whimsical part of Iris's biology. You see his fins, his tail, the gills which now as a bonded adult took in both air and water.
With summer though there was little in the way of a biological analogue. Resting an egg in water was not strange, many of the creatures of the labs spawned in water, but the chimeric nature of the hatchlings was part of the oddity. For starters he'd noted that even though the water elemental had hatched in water, it was almost fully amphibious from birth. [2,4][6,19] +3
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Post by Swell on May 16, 2024 8:30:49 GMT -6
Despite this amphibious nature, the seedling was also not exactly adapted for life in water. Summer hadn't shown any strong inclination for swimming. When he'd happened upon the seedling after submerging its egg it had simply been bobbing in the water more or less. A master of buoyancy certainly, a master of swimming? Not in the least. Aside from that it lacked a means of locomotion outside of its small tentacles. One would normally expect tentacles to maybe indicate the creature is some sort of cephalopod, and while the overall shape of the seedling could be called similar the similarities unfortunately ended there.
He gave the seedling a quick pat and allowed the creature to explore a finger with one of its appendages.
"I suppose you do feel a little bit like a squid or octopus."
Just ever so slightly gelatinous, but given the fact that the small creature wasn't collapsing under its own weight pushed him farther from that notion as well. The only remaining conclusion would be that the golems were probably unlike most of the other biological entities created by the labs and were instead beings entirely composed of magic so the laws and rule of nature need not apply.
[2,4][6,19] +4
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Post by Swell on May 16, 2024 8:31:53 GMT -6
He closed his eyes and concentrated and he could feel the presence of the seedlings magic surely enough, but it was just a small trickle.
"But I suppose that's why they call you a seedling."
To grow into something more, to be something more they had to be cared for and carefully nourished just like any other seed. Eventually that would mean the small creature would blossom as it were. He'd seen some of the secondary life stage, the walkers here and there during odd jobs. They were interesting, pudgy little things that like their younger counterparts seemed ill-equipped for locomotion.
"Not that they're worse off than you, of course Summer."
He'd seen a stalker once and only once which he felt spoke to their rarity. It had been in the company of a passerby and had moved quickly and with little noise. At first sight he'd thought that it was some sort of feline, but as the passerby had continued on their way he'd seen the elemental venting they were known for.
A small and wet plop drew the man's attention back to his companions. Iris had knocked over the seedling again whilst trying to play with it, Swell reached down carefully and righted the seedling again while wagging a finger at the fish.
"Come now, be gentle, we don't know how rough Summer can play."
[3,5][7,21] +5
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