Touch Of Fate 277 Seeing The Forest For The Trees

The bas.e.m.e.nt was pitch black, but Mike's ring allowed him to see the room clearly. While he was searching for the origin of the voice, he noted that the room was basically an open square littered with a mix of equipment that seemed to be a hybrid between magical or alchemical arts and science-based technology roughly on par with the early twentieth century on Earth. Creating an orb of light to allow Tal to see as well, he stepped in and looked around.

In one corner of the bas.e.m.e.nt was a complex cage-like apparatus made of a copper-colored metal woven into a fine mesh. Wires and tubes ran to it from several other devices and containers throughout the room. Inside of the cage was a small, but oddly deformed tree, bare of any leaves. Scanning the chamber one more time, and not seeing any sign of the speaker, he moved in a little further.

As soon as he did, the voice spoke again, and this time he could tell that it was originating from the cage. "Welcome, welcome. I'd offer you some refreshments, but I'm pretty sure it's all dried up at this point."

The voice was fairly androgenous, but had an odd, echoing quality that reminded Mike of stringed instruments.

Perhaps taking their silence as a sort of rebuke, the speaker quickly started again, clearly distressed. "Wait! Wait! I'm sorry! Don't go! It's just been so long since I've talked to anyone. I've quite forgotten how I'm supposed to behave."

Deciding that the other party was probably not dangerous, Mike walked a bit further into the room and asked, "Where are you?"

"Huh? You..Ah, over here! In the Stasis Array... it's the metal cage thing, in case that wasn't clear."

"...Are you behind the tree, or something?"

"Funny story, actually. I am the tree!"

A quick Appraise let him know what he was dealing with.

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Reber Wentil

Age: 127

Race: Chestnut Tree (Human)

Cla.s.s: Druid

t.i.tle: Survivor of Solitude

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"...Yeah, I think I'm going to need some more information here." Mike muttered, more to himself than anything.

"I'm guessing you're the new owner of the demi-realm, right?" The plant asked.

"That's right."

"Well, first of all, congratulations. I hope you enjoy your new acquisition. It's quite nice a.s.suming you can get out from time to time. Not that I've really seen much of it, to be honest."

"How long have you been down here?"

"Hmm, hard to say. When you are trapped in an impenetrable darkness, unable to move, and artificially prevented from dying, the pa.s.sage of time is a bit hard to factor. It feels like it's been months since I've even heard someone's voice. Did you by any chance run into a black-haired woman upstairs? Charming smile, but pretty handy with a scalpel? No, she'd probably be dead if you can get in here…"

Feeling a little awkward, Mike cleared his throat. "I'm not really sure how to tell you this, but I got the doork.n.o.b for this demi-realm from the Almiran Royal Treasury. I don't know how long it was sitting in storage, but judging from the condition of the cabin, no one has been here for several decades, at least. I'm not certain where the woman you are talking about went, but chances are, she's been dead for quite a while."

"Decades? That's...huh…" The tree muttered quietly.

Tal tapped his shoulder and pointed to a bundle of clothes next to one of the strange consoles. "I found something."

He stepped over and looked a bit more closely. The pile turned out to be the tattered remnants of a simple robe wrapped around the skeletal remains of a humanoid creature. Appraise confirmed Tal's suspicions.

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Corpse of Fatima Juliani

Human Corpse (Tier 1, Rank 1)

The remains of a deceased human.

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"Hey, by any chance, is the woman you were talking about named Fatima?"

"...Huh? Ah, yes. That's her."

"Were you close?"

The tree laughed. "You're not exactly wrong, I suppose. I'm about as close to her as any torture victim is to their torturer. Who do you think locked me up in this cage?"

"I see...Well, if it makes you feel any better, I can confirm that she's dead. Her body is laying over here."

"...It is? Kind of a b.u.mmer, I was hoping to have a bit of revenge. Anyway, I don't mean to be a bother, but could you perhaps see it in your heart to get me out of here?"

Mike didn't see any obvious way of opening the cage, but used Appraise to see if he could get some insight.

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Stasis Array (Modified)

Hybrid Magic Device (Tier 3, Rank 2)

Crafted through a combination of ancient magi-science and modern alchemy, this device generates a pa.s.sive field that halts the physiological functions of beings placed inside. Ordinarily, this would allow living things to survive indefinitely without aging or requiring sustenance, however this particular model has been modified to reduce the field's effects. These modifications allow the subjects to retain consciousness despite the field, which will require external energy resources to keep the subjects alive.

Additional devices have been incorporated into its structure to provide food, water, and air to the subject, as well as creating a means for the subject to broadcast their thoughts.

The modifications have lowered the rank of this device from (Tier 3, Rank 4) to its current state.

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A quick search around the room eventually located something that looked a bit like a control console, and after a bit of experimentation, he found a b.u.t.ton that seemed to do the trick.

With a hiss of escaping air, a portion of the Stasis Array swung open, giving Mike his first good look at the cage's inhabitant. His initial impression was largely correct, in that the creature inside was basically an unusually shaped tree, however, it quickly became apparent that there was more to the story.

It was vaguely humanoid, with bark taking the place of skin and branches functioning as arms and legs. A head-like k.n.o.b of wood rested on the creature's shoulders, crowned with several small branches that looked like they should have had leaves, but were currently bare. Sprouting from its back were several other branches that curved towards the ground like some kind of cloak. These even had a few dried chestnut husks still hanging from them.

Mike waited a few moments, wondering if the creature was even capable of movement, before asking hesitantly, "h.e.l.lo? Are you alright?"

With a sort of graceless awkwardness you'd expect from someone who'd been trapped in the same position for decades, the tree man attempted to stand, barely managing it by grasping the cage for support. Two slits opened up on its head, quickly revealing a pair of pure green orbs that appeared to be eyes. They swiveled for a bit before focusing on Mike.

After a few moments of staring, the creature opened yet another slit, to reveal a toothless gash of a mouth, and started speaking. "H- *cough* - Ugh! Sorry, been a long time since I've actually talked. Quite forgot how to do it. Apparently, I don't really remember how to move, either."

"No problem. Take your time."

It nodded, a strangely fluid motion accompanied by a creaking noise reminiscent of the sound of tree branches straining under the force of the wind, and proceeded to take a few minutes to grow accustomed to moving again. Once it seemed mostly capable of functioning again, it stepped out of the cage with a slight gasp of inhaled air.

[I guess it breathes. Carbon dioxide, maybe?]

After a few further moments to adjust, it fixed its gaze on Mike. "Ah, now that hits the spot. Nothing like a good breath of fresh air...Although I suppose this place doesn't exactly have the best air...and it's not exactly fresh… Anyway, let me introduce myself. In this life I am...or perhaps was...Reber Wentil, a druid of the Circle of the Whispering Grove."

[In this life? Some kind of druid thing?]

"I'm Michael, but please call me Mike. This is Tal. We don't really have a definite affiliation, I'm afraid. If you don't mind my asking, what exactly happened to you?"

The creature who called itself Reber looked down at his wooden hands. "Well, you know the old story. Boy meets girl. Girl turns out to be a psychopathic researcher bent on turning humans into plants. Boy becomes an experimental subject that's slowly tortured until he masters the ability to become a tree. Girl is unsatisfied with that and makes the boy into a glorified lawn ornament. It's a tale as old as time."

"Um...I guess?" Mike offered, a bit confused. "You seem to be handling this rather well."

"That's the tree bit, I think. Old Fatima mentioned that plants don't really have emotions like humans do, even the sentient ones. Something to do with glands, if I recall. Anyway, it makes this whole insanity thing much easier to deal with." Reber shot back with the tree man equivalent of a wink. "On another note, any chance we can move this conversation outside? I've been jonesing for a bit of sunlight."

"Sure." Mike replied quietly while moving to the door. The three of them walked in silence up to the front entrance and out into the illusory sunlight.

As soon as he was outside, wooden feet firmly planted on the dirt, Reber looked up and said. "Even though I know it's all fake, this much better. Thanks."

They waited for a few moments as he bathed in the light of the demi-realm's artificial sun. Finally, Mike broke the silence. "I know I might not look like it, but I'm a fairly accomplished healer. Do you want me to try and fix your...condition?"

The tree man broke out of his trance with a jolt and gave him an incredulous look. "I literally just finished explaining how being a tree is the only thing keeping me from going fully bats.h.i.+t...Ah, whatever. Thanks for the offer, but I'll pa.s.s. Believe it or not, this form is actually pretty comfortable. All I need is a little water, sun, and soil, and I'm in paradise. Quite frankly, this is loads better than being a human with all of their feelings and needs and whatnot."

"That's fair, I guess..."

[Well, whatever floats his boat. Speaking of which, he's been using an awful lot of colloquialisms in his speech. I wonder if that's just the way he is, or it's some kind of effect from my Communication Magic. Hmm, maybe I need a second opinion.]

He turned to Tal. "Out of curiosity, what's your take on this guy?"

"I am unsure, truth be told. Since you have been communicating in that strange language this entire time, I haven't been able to follow what's going on."

[Huh?]

Reber suddenly broke in. "Man you've really adapted to living here, haven't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well based on your age, it can't be that long since you've reincarnated here, and you've already mastered another language. Some kind of Elven, right? Sounds totally bada.s.s."

Mike held up his hand, "Wait, how do you know about the reincarnation thing?"

The tree man shrugged. "Well, since you started talking in English, I figured you must be from Earth. Was I wrong?"

[Ah, the old 'we were speaking a different language the entire time' bit. I used to think it was just a cheap narrative ploy, but I guess universal translation effects make it a bit more believable.]

"You're not exactly wrong, but does this mean that you reincarnated as well?" Mike asked.

"Sure does." Reber replied cheerfully. "Apparently, I have a 'fat soul,' so some G.o.ddess had to send me to this world to get reborn. Ordinarily, this would have meant wiping my memories, but I managed to convince her to let me keep them."

"Oh? How did you manage that?"

"Let's just say that it involved a whole lot of begging, a little bit of crying, and a fair amount of terrified gibbering." He leaned over a bit conspiratorially. "Between you and me, she's got a bit of a soft spot for the desperately pathetic. Anyway, I ended up regretting it afterwards. No one ever tells you how much it sucks to be a baby, especially with the whole birth process. Had nightmares about that for years...So, how about you, same deal?"

Mike glanced over at Tal, who was patiently watching the two of them. He was starting to feel a little guilty about leaving her out. "Not exactly…can you give me a minute?"

"Sure thing. I'll just be over here, enjoying the sun."

He motioned to Tal and walked a few dozen meters away. Once he was sure they were out of earshot, he turned and faced her.

"What's the matter?" She asked after seeing his facial expression.

After pausing for a few moments, and confirming that this was the route he wanted to take, he looked her in the eyes and started. "There is something I've been meaning to tell you…"