Solo Change of Plans

[Thomas Cosa]

"Y'ready 'pprentice?"

Thomas nodded, his expression cold. He felt angry and trapped -- the lingering feelings of tortured akalak. Though knowing the feelings weren't expressively his helped weakened them. He wondered briefly how the experience would have affected him if he had been angry?

How angry would he have become?

"So, as ye can see, tha source ain't exactly calm. Tried ta bring'n sum hypnos, but...well, didn't work as well as they thought, huh?" He chuckled darkly, signaling for Thomas to sit opposite him.

"I'll be makin' the LP alone, but I figure ye could watch. Sure ye'v seen sum animations done here, but won't do ye much harm to watch another, huh?

Thomas nodded as he sat down, watching as CId slit his hand, and the blood began to flow.

The sudden blast of windless air signaled the start of the animation, as Djed began to flow from Cid's circle, through Thomas' and to the golem.

It only took Cid a couple of ticks, and then Thomas would be able to start.

[Thomas Cosa]

Cid established the soul core, the twirling winds of Djed spiraling to a stop.

Stretching, Cid tossed the knife across to Thomas, "Ye'll be helpin' me wit the directives, and we'll be checking each other's work -- why I made the Djed flow the way it flows," he nodded, "And 'em directives, we'll be keeping everythin' nice and simple like. I want ya ta'stablish authentication, and self-preservation. Don't care how, but that's what I want -- I'll check ta make sure everythin's workin'," he paused, stroking his chin, "And...uh, 'member, he's angry. That emotion ain't got no place in a golem this size."

Thomas nodded, cutting through the skin on his palm. Blood trinkled out of the thin cut, pooling.

"On my count," the gadgeteer ordered, beginning to count.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."
"Three," Thomas echoed, allowing the blood to fall onto the chalk curves, and so it began.

[Thomas Cosa]

A whirlwind of energy blew past the animator, foreign memories and thoughts flowing through the Djed stream, pulling and tugging at Thomas as they sped past.

"I'LL GIVE YE TH'AUTHENTICATION CODE THROUGH THE DJED. LOYALTY TO ME AND THE MASTERS," Cid yelled over the wild beating of energy, coils of Djed twirling around within the animation circles. Numbers whispered past, lingering at Thomas' ears.

Just long enough for him to catch them.

Manipulating the Djed stream with a flick of his wrist, the numbers circled around the animator as he rearranged their order. "6..3..7..4..8..2," he whispered, repeated the sequence over and over, embedding it deeply into the flowing coils of Djed. The numbers in sequenced, wrapped around the young animator, and with a small gesture, Thomas sent the authentication code spiraling towards the sleeping golem.

Thomas followed the authentication with memories of his own -- the code would inspire loyalty and devotion, anyone who had the code would be nothing less than a god in this golem's eyes. Thomas' own devotion and admiration for his goddess, for Avalis. The feelings bloomed easily from his chest, a spiraling vortex of Djed ripping the feelings from inside him.

Thomas gave his memories of Cid, and Kromby and FIlch. The first moments, the introductions. The wrinkles on the gadgeteer's, his broken speech. He gave his own knowledge about the Nuit, so the golem would be able to adapt to seeing Kromby and Filch in different bodies.

"DONE." He shouted over the animation, relinquishing control.

[Thomas Cosa]

25th of Spring, 512AV

"Persona's today, 'pprentice," CId nodded, "It won be easy, and won be short. Take us a couple of days at most," he sighed, sitting down in a circle, "And persona means we'll be usin' 'im, today," he groaned, thumb pointing at the cage.

"He's sleeping," Thomas noted, "And I don't understand how he would be a problem. He's the source. We don't exactly need his permission"

Cid laughed, "Nah. Won be needin' 'is permission."

"Ye've done a animation, wi'out permission like, yeah?" He asked, expectantly.

"No," Thomas shook his head, "But...it's not like he's able to fight back," he added, chuckling nervously, the idea off putting. The young mage had struggled with his own station in life, and yearned for the power to change that; magic. Magic had given him control, or a passable illusion at least. The idea the akalak could still manage to fight back even in his current state...

"Nah, ye can 'pect a fight from this one, kid," Cid growled, "And from 'nyone else ya try 'n take sometin' from, ok? Ye always gotta try 'n find someone would wanna be the source, 'cuz it ain't the easiest thin', stealin' memories," he sighed.

"Right, well, today I'll be needin' 'is memories on defense and fightin'. S'all I need, yeah?" Cid stared at Thomas, making sure the lesser gadgeteer understood.

"Yeah. Nothing else," Thomas nodded, slashing his palm, the blood flowing.

[Thomas Cosa]

Djed roared and whirled around the pulser, empty and without memory.

And then he heard a scream, loud and pained. Tortured.

Suddenly, the streamed shook violently, threatening to break out of the chalk lines. Djed tainted with anger, with stolen memories pushed and pulled against the pusler's starved body. Determined, Thomas struggled against the stream, arms flailing willifully as if battling a hurricane.

Thomas vision was flooded with broken visions, memories of a life cruelly interrupted.

The flitting smile of a Konti, the feeling of skin against skin. A child's laughter. A trio of blue warriors fighting against a monstrous bird. A white city against a rushing river. The sea.

"NO," Thomas growled, fighting for control as memory after memory snapped after him. Hands grasping at invisible strands, Thomas pulled the stream, remembering which memories he needed, demanding the Djed to bring them.

Again, the wild energy pulsed and roared, and memories of a captured warrior flooded his vision.

Running. Breathing. Fighting. The pure joy to kill for a cause, to have purpose. To protect. To defend. The slashing of a metal sword, the clank of connecting metal.

This process took several bells, and after a while the Djed streamed slowed to a stop.

"Right, well, good job. Will continue tomorrow."

[Thomas Cosa]

26th of Spring

"Won be much easier, today," Cid muttered, nodding as he met Thomas on the animation circles. "Gunna need some body stuff, how he moves, how he fights," He sat down, slashing his palms.

Thomas nodded, barely bothering to reply. He was tired, and the wear of the animation was beginning to show on the young mage. He had managed a big animation before, but that had been with a willing source.

He had never fought for the information, at least never liked this. He had never hurt anyone before.

Thomas pricked his finger, pressing it against the cold ground, and almost immediately the Djed reacted. And almost immediately the screams followed.

But Thomas was prepared. He reached out, Djed pulsating wildly against his hands, mind open to the barrage of memories. Thomas felt for only the ones relating to the body, to motions. Of running, and jumping. Of Dodging. The golem was modeled after the Akalak, Thomas had to assume the golem would only be weighted as one.

At least that's what he would do.

Slowly, and meticulously, Thomas manage to separate the two, sending the memories needed to the golem, and the ones not needed to Cid. It was a constant volley between the two, balancing out the bad with the good.

Bells passed, and another day neared to the end as they finished.

"Right," Cid began, "Yer done. Just gotta make 'em pieces fit together all pretty like, eh?" he smiled roughly motioning for Thomas to leave the circles.

[Thomas Cosa]

Thomas sat outside the animation circles, watching silently as Cid constructed the astral body.

All those stolen memories collected over the last couple of days would merge and mash, forming a completely unique identity -- completing the golem as a being. Watching someone else finish something he was beginning to think of as his own, something he had helped to create was different.

Normally, he would had insisted to be a part of the process, but as Cid was his better, and this was Sahova, Thomas thought it better not to argue.

Still, though. He could watch it happen.

Breathing, Thomas counted to three, Djed bubbling beneath his skin, stretching out, and covering the unfinished golem.

Bright strands of Djed and memory whirled around the metalwork, slowly meshing and forming a shapeless blob. Then, stretching and pulling at itself, the colored blob formed exactly with in the confines of the golem's shape.

And with a snap of Cid's finger it was done.

Thomas's djed shut off, just in time to hear the gadgteer mutter a quick good job before heading off to start on another project.

[Mirage]

Thomas:

XP:
Animation: 3
Auristics: 1
Gadgeteering: 4
Glyphing: 2
Observation: 1

Lores:
Animation: Source Animation shouldn't be rushed
Animation: Using an unwilling source
Don't hammer screws
Gadgeteering: Basic Gadgeteering tools
Gadgeteering Tool: Torx

Additional:
OK so I quite literally laughed out loud when I read "WE WILL NEED A BIGGER CIRCLE" lol. That made this entire thread for me XD. PM me if you have any concerns