Dust to Dust: Monster 05

Assimilation

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Upon awakening, the rabbit golem looked down at the ground, startled by just far down he had to look. His core, now larger, had drawn in the materials around him to such a degree that there was duvet in the ground for a foot in each direction.

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No, a couple feet. His new perspective was throwing off his estimations. He was no longer the small rabbit he manifested as. However it would be hard to classify him as anything at the current moment, due to his bodily predicament.

The new core had attracted the forest undergrowth and assimilated it indiscriminately, and now the former rabbit could only identify himself as a blob.

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The amalgam of dirt, stones, and other debris gazed hurriedly in all directions, looking for food. Survival is always first. After survival comes optimization. Adopting a rolling motion that allowing him to swing over to a leafy bush, he stuffed his slit of a mouth, until his storage, now larger, was full.

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Optimization. Remembering the past success he'd had at the pond, the golem rolled his way over to the water source. It no longer looked so deep or mysterious, it now looked rather shallow. In fact, he could even see the large smooth stones at the bottom. Checking his size and moisture, the golem gauged that his efforts would be met with success.

Dive.

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He needed it all. The water, the weathered rock lying in the bed, and the clay lining the sides of the shallow pool. Intense heat began to radiate from his core, growing yet hotter, scorching his consciousness as it reached out for the desired materials.

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Water, to wet and lubricate the dirt he had already accumulated. The blob began to shape itself with the addition of the strengthening liquid. Legs pushed down from the muck, forcing the still forming thin body off of the ground. The fight with the fox had taught the golem a few things about body structure, and he was now putting them into practice. Longer legs, foregoing the massive hind thumpers that hadn't been useful in combat for more lithe limbs resembling the fox's. A slimmer body in order to keep him mobile, and a wider head for a wider mouth. The mouth was important, vital, but the sharp teeth of the fox were ignored. More worn pebbles were added to those already present, and a herbivorous jaw once again worked up and down, ready to be used.

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The golem quite liked his leafy greens.

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The pond, now dry except for a puddle here or there, was now a treasure trove of hard stone and malleable clay. Now came the real work.

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Mud was perfect as a basic material, a placeholder, but something more substantial was needed to transmit the now more powerful heat of the core. Clay was torn off the walls by the golems paw, once again sporting sharp claws of broken stone. This clay was drawn into the body and formed slowly, precisely. While tearing into the fox's body the rabbit had come across bone, and it opened his mind to a world of strengthening techniques.

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Drawing the sticks he had unconsciously picked up into position as a simple skeleton, the golem formed a supportive and defensive structure just a bit stronger than the mud he previously was. However after molding the clay around the sticks already in position, the structure seemed to throb as if acknowledging its completion. Warm life force shot from his core like an arrow and spread through his new skeleton, much clearer and faster than the mud that used to carry out the same job.

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Taking a few tentative practice steps in a new body, the golem was pleased with the progress. Mobility was much increased, the core was burning brighter and consuming less green paste than usual, and his strength was incomparable to his past self.

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Great, but not quite done.

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Remembering how easily the fox had torn into his side, the golem picked its way through the water-worn rocks at the bottom of the dry pond. Only the best would do. He pulsed his core energy through each prospective rock, only keeping the ones that returned the clearest response. The ones he kept were added to a slowly growing pile, and soon his task was complete.

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He dove into the pile of chosen stones, bringing his inner heat to his surface in key areas. The top of his head, his back, and the bottom of his paws were armored with the rocks, becoming a shield to his claws' sword. Clay reached out from his bones and grasped onto the stones, feeding them purer amounts of his energy, keeping them rigid in place.

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After headbutting a tree and leaving a dent in the bark without noticeable damage to himself, the golem was satisfied. The armor was functional. The crisscross pattern of clawmarks next to the dent had proven the effectiveness of his claws, but he had already seen them succeed at their appointed task. The dent would be waist-high on his old master, making the golem's sudden growth measurable. Feeling impressive, the golem growled his approval to the forest glade.

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Confidence leaking from his swaggering gait, the rock dog sauntered into the deeper forest.

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Hey all! Love this chapter, it's a show of things to come.

Chapter went below 1k words, but I like it as-is. Anything else in this would feel crammed in, and these mini-chapters work out quite well in my opinion. (once the first Volume finishes I'll put them together in a better format and link to it in the first chapter)