09 – QUESTIONS

The tree was gigantic, looking as big as a sequoia, sprawled in the middle of the street.

I wonder what a sequoia even is… Mateus thought, and shook his head. Random thoughts that made sense at the moment, but then lost all semblance of meaning whenever he concentrated on them were coming to him sporadically. It began after he first woke up, but it had been getting worse as of late.

He looked at the tree. Forcing his mind back to reality, he thought about how he could approach this problem. He could try to lift the tree, with his increased strength coming from his machine body it should not be a problem, but he had an inkling that the tree would split apart if he only used his hands to lift it.

He wasn’t sure how it happened, but the mental image formed in his mind, and told him that using one single fulcrum point would make the wooden fibers tear apart. He had never studied these things before, neither he nor his family needed to work with concepts like this. Builders and architects maybe, but not him. Still, he needed to think of another way. Maybe he could push it, or roll it. It would be easier.

But he wanted to lift it in the air. He recognized that his desire was completely nonsensical, but he was a hero and wanted to show off his new strength in front of the watching crowd. He wanted to surprise the merchant and the wolf-kin, in one case to show that he would be a good guard for the caravan, and in the other case just because.

Computer chimed in, offering him a solution.

Place your hands on the trunk, then I will create a lattice of nanites to support the tree’s weight. I will do it on the side where they aren’t looking. It’s unlikely these people know physics well enough to notice you should not be lifting a tree trunk from one single point.

Are you sure? I mean, this world might not have nanotechnology, but we know how to use levers.

The probability that they can calculate the accurate force on the spot is… unlikely.

Mateus grinned. This was what he was waiting for!

He approached the tree, under the attentive gaze of both Turmion and a few bystanders from the village. Some merchants of the caravan were present as well, having come all the way here to assess the potential damage to their time-table, and then sticking around for some good laughs at the expense of the hero.

They were giggling, and joking about the arrogance of the hero because, even if he was a hero, there was no way he could lift a tree this big. Hearing these words only managed to inflame Mateus’ heart more, and his desire to prove himself got stronger.

He placed his hands on the tree trunk, and bent his knees to prepare for the lift. While he was doing that, a small stream of nanites surrounded the tree unseen by everyone around. As soon as Computer confirmed that the hold on the wood was secure, Mateus started lifting.

The tree was heavy. Even with his machine strength, he could feel the strain on his mechanisms, the energy consumption of the strenuous task. Grunting, he made his fake muscles bulge and lifted the trunk high above his head, then threw it on the side of the road.

The crowd gasped, and the merchant and his helpers went dead silent. Their expression were varied. The people of the village were all in awe, their faces plastered with wide smiles and their ears twitching. They were already murmuring to themselves about how heavy and massive the tree was, and how strong the hero must have been to lift it.

The merchants looked more collected, and Turmion among all was the one shocked the least. In fact, his face had a stern gaze of doubt.

“See? I didn’t get the title for nothing!” Mateus said, smiling and looking proud of himself.

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With the obstacle out of the way, the caravan resumed their journey through the forest with little incident. Mateus managed to sneak away for a moment to eat a little biomass and replaced the lost energy, then returned to the caravan soon after.

Doing so, however, reminded him of a question he wanted to ask of Computer.

Computer, why am I hungry again all the time? I replenished the energy, so I should not be.

It is because you have not grown in mass for a long time.

But… you told me I needed to stop growing to keep my human form.

Then you must endure the hunger. It will never go away, it’s your nature now.

I see.

He looked down. This was bad news, but his resolve was strong. If he wanted to meet with his family again, he needed to keep this form, and therefore he would endure any hunger he might feel. This was the only way.

“You all right?” Turmion asked.

Mateus shrugged. “Yeah.”

“Cause I saw you go take a piss, then you come back all gloomy.” He snorted and patted the hero on the back. “Come on, life’s good!”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re right.” He forced a smile.

Turmion’s eyes lingered on him for a moment, then he looked at the street again. First piss ever since he’s with us. Doesn’t need to breathe. Is super strong… his hand instinctively went to his cloth. The warmth and the smooth texture of the fabric soothed him.

They arrived at the foot of a large mountain. The top was shrouded in clouds, but the light glimmer of a snow cap and a glacier could be seen just below the layer of dark and soft clouds. Turmion stopped the wagon, and hopped down, light on his feet.

“Alright, folks. We stop here for the night!” he yelled.

A few people groaned.

“I know, I know. Just thinking about all the losses makes my heart cry, but we can’t go further today.” He added.

The crowd groaned again.

“It’s not money I was thinking about…” one said.

“Yeah. A bed, that’s what I need.” Another replied.

Turmion ignored the many complaints of his underlings, and only looked at the sky. The night was clear and cold, the first stretches of winter already making the temperatures go down to uncomfortable levels at night.

And, most of all, a night here meant that tomorrow they would arrive late at the village, and he could not make good use of the day to sell his wares. He would be late for his scheduled call at the comms magic tower. That tree really threw a wrench in his plans, but he would make up for the losses soon enough.

Mateus rested his back against a large tree, and just stared into the dark forest ahead. The crackling of the fire was slowly dying down, and the whole camp was sound asleep. He heard, at times, the wind as it upset the top of the trees. Some other times, he heard some animals in the distance. A growl of a bear, maybe, but too far away to pay any mind to it.

“Can’t sleep?”

Mateus turned sideways to look at the disturbing person. He had heard him coming from quite far away, not that the merchant had done anything to mask the sound of his footsteps.

“Turmion.” He said. “Just keeping watch.”

“Ah, so diligent.” The merchant sat down next to Mateus, finding a flat rock to sit on.

“Yeah. I said I would guard you.”

“Good lad.” The merchant nodded to himself.

The two just stared at the forest all around, in silence. The moon was just coming into view, for a little moment at least, in a square of free sky between the canopies of the trees. Here, the trees were conifers, with their dark greens and sleek shapes. Mateus stared at the moon, and zoomed in with his supreme vision gifted to him by his machine body. The dark basaltic planes of the lunar Maria glimmered with invisible pockets of hidden ice.

Seas… on the moon. Mateus contemplated the idea of seas of black stone, flowing with immobile waves up there in the sky. I wonder…

“Sometimes I too look at the moon in wonder.” Said the merchant.

Mateus nodded. The events of the last few days still replayed in his mind, over and over. His thoughts jumbled and messy, but carrying with them the promise of clarity.

“Have you ever wondered why the wolf-kin have slitted pupils?” Mateus asked, to nobody in particular.

Turmion perked up. “What?”

“Wolves don’t. Their pupils are round, I’m sure of that. We hunted many wolves, and wolf monsters during our hero training.”

“Yeah, so?”

“Well… wolf-kin? Should be similar, yet they have slits like reptiles.”

“Uhm… that is a question fit for this late hour at night, is it not? Well, from what I remember, their tribe survived the melding plague all those millennia ago. They were among the few sentients from that era to survive this close to the center of its spread.”

“The melding plague?”

“According to the legends, at least.”

Mateus’ mind tried to connect that name to something. It strove to reach something, some enlightenment, but failed to do so. He was left with the impression that something was eluding him.

A noise distracted him from this train of thought. In the distance, yes, but quite closer than before, he heard the roar of a beast. He excused himself, and cautiously walked towards the noise.