"My name is Numa, my Lord." The young boy replied nervously, "I am twelve winters old. I hail from the Village of Ohm nearby."
"Erectus." Manusya looked up and said. "Chairs."
The ground below them morphed and protruded upwards to form two chairs below each of them.
"Sit." Manusya said to Numa.
Numa's shock continued, he was seeing things he would not believe if he saw it inside his own dream. He sat down with vigilance, wondering where the chairs appeared from. The boy was even more sure the man in front of him was a deity of sorts as he was capable of creating something out of nothing.
"Continue, boy. Where are we right now? This village of yours is it a part of some sort of nation?... Uhm... a nation is a community of a large number of individuals led by a government of sorts. Ah, a government is—" Manusya said. He was not sure what the boy knew, or what level of civilization these new humans were currently at.
Seeing as my slumber was cut short, Sapien must have deemed them not ready for the project. But to leave the ship this derelict, is rather irresponsible and uncharacteristic of Sapien. Manusya pondered in his head.
Numa answered immediately, "I think I know what you are talking about, Lord." The boy quickly covered his mouth with his hands. "I apologize for interrupting you, my Lord!"
Manusya shook his head, "Do not apologize. And stop calling me that. I am no one's lord."
"But I would not dare!"
"Nevermind. Just continue." Manusya frowned. He was not in a hurry to remove the misunderstandings. He was, however, in a hurry to find information.
The boy took his displeasure as something else. A hidden deity in disguise, the boy thought. Numa nodded to himself to correct his demeanour.
"I understand, Master Manusya." Numa replied. "This nation you spoke of, we are a part of it after a fashion..."
Manusya raised an eyebrow, "Elaborate."
"We are located in the Osma Reaches, and our village is a part of the Osma Alliance led by the Druids. However, our entire region has been occupied by the Kingdom of Hydaria, and we have now considered their territory—or so the Hydarians say." Numa answered.
Interesting. Alliance, kingdoms. We have gone that far in history. Very good. Manusya nodded to himself pleased. But this region seems to be colonized by this kingdom. Witnessing history and all its sufferings and plights like this rather than simply viewing them in books and films, I am not sure how to feel.
One word stuck out inside Manusya's mind from the boy's answer. "These Druids you answer to, why are they called so?" he asked.
Numa's eyes lit up. "The Druids are Weavers, Master Manusya! They are capable of utilizing Aether to transform into beasts, control the plants and decimate entire forces!" he said passionately.
What the hell is he talking about? Manusya was taken aback by the answer. But it makes sense. This is a primitive society that still believes in things like gods, legends and myths. These Druids must be strong leaders and fighters and have taken a mythical role in these people.
"I..see," Manusya replied. "If they are so powerful, then why were they defeated by the Hydarian Kingdom, as you said?"
"That is..." The flames in Numa's eyes disappeared. His spirits were crushed in an instant as he looked down.
Manusya noticed his mistake. This kingdom must have the numbers and military strength to subjugate these people. Asking for information from such a young boy like this, especially if I have to ask about sensitive topics, is not a good idea. Perhaps...
Manusya's brain lit up with an idea. "Numa." he called out to the downcast boy.
"Y-yes, Master?" Numa snapped out of his rainy daze and replied.
"Take me to your village. I want to see it myself." Manusya said, smiling
In truth, Manusya was also excited to finally see the outside world. He cannot help but feel like he had a hand in the creation of this entire world. He could not wait to see nature, the plants, the animals, and the people. It was something that he had never got to see in the Ark, but rather only in fiction.
The boy, on the other hand, thought that this deity—or at least an envoy—really came down to solve their plights. This was a revelation from the heavens. He was thrilled to hear Manusya's words. Usually, the boy thought, an encounter with the divine would be cut short and only end with some sort of message from the gods to be passed on to the people. But this time, he was going down to the village himself!
"Please, Master Manusya!" The boy jumped up in joy. "Follow me!"
"Wait for me outside," Manusya said. "I will follow you after some preparations."
The boy nodded and left the ship running in joy.
"Erectus, do we still have a delivery bot?" Manusya called out to the AI.
"AFFIRMATIVE, WE HAVE 5 DELIVERY BOTS REMAINING. THE REST WERE EITHER TAKEN BY SAPIEN OR DESTROYED." The AI replied.
That's rough. I assume all the other supplies are gone too. Oh well. He grimaced inside his head.
"Bring out one. Make it carry a Mini-Nano, the non-lethal Shock Rifle, the non-lethal Capturer, and the lethal Assault Rifle. Carry some basic wilderness supplies as well." Manusya began walking to a part of the floor with some sort of circular pattern. In the middle of the circle, there were two symbols in the shape of two feet. He stood exactly on those symbols.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
"I'll wear a Mini-Exo as well,"
"AFFIRMATIVE. PROCESSING."
Various sounds of machinery roared to life.
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The boy waited for around five minutes. He wondered if the deity tricked him to leave, or if everything was just another daydream of his. As he was pondering such questions, the sounds of multiple heavy footsteps startled him. He looked behind him into the hallways and his eyes bulged out in surprise.
Manusya's garments have changed. Before, he was wearing a simple UPF Bridge uniform, which resembled a business suit with a military influence. What he was wearing now was almost a slightly bulkier, more intricate version of that uniform. His all-black suit appeared almost like an armour of sorts, but it was seemingly too light and slim to qualify as one. One could still see a black tie on his chest that merged with the suit. The UPF logo—a painting which depicts the original solar system that humanity came from—decorated his left chest and right arm. If one could describe him in one word without knowing the context of such an outfit, it would be regal.
And regal he was. Numa was now even more convinced of his divine origin. Even the one Hydarian noble that once visited the village did not wear such a fine outfit. It was something out of this world. But Numa's attention was quickly overpowered by the...thing behind Manusya.
A golem made out of metal. It was bipedal and nearly humanoid with two arms, if not for its box-shaped head. Its head was bigger than the rest of its body, creating a seemingly unbalanced construction, yet it could walk.
"W-what is that, Master Manusya?" Numa asked while pointing fearfully at the Delivery Bot.
How am I supposed to explain what a robot is to these people? Manusya pondered. If they believe in magic, then perhaps...
"It's one of my familiars that I summoned. Do not mind him, he will accompany us on this journey and carry my belongings." Manusya answered.
"Is that so..." Numa said with a defeated look on his face. He did not know what other surprises were waiting for him. His entire worldview and common sense were being shattered every second. However, he snapped out of it quickly as he realized he had a divine mission ahead of him.
"Please follow me, Master Manusya!" The boy said as he took off.
We could ride the Delivery Bot. Manusya said as he looked at the bulky machine behind him. But this is my chance to see the world! How could I not experience it myself with all of my senses, including my legs?
He stepped out into a new adventure.
Manusya stepped out of the cave. Behind him, he could see the Delivery Bot breaking down the broken door so it could pass.
"Erectus! Fix the damn door while I'm gone! Use some scraps as materials." He shouted into the cave, assuming the AI would have heard him.
He turned his attention back to the wilderness. A lush forest, vegetation and subtle sounds of wildlife. He looked down, the soil was also teeming with life. Small critters scattered around his feet, and wild grass grew and spread like a fire. Manusya crouched down and touched the ground.
A planet. Manusya teared up slightly from simply this simple act. It was the collective dream of all humanity that has perished. All of his brethren fell in battle on that fateful day. All of our history, culture, music, art, everything that was lost. He was not sure if they had regained it. This planet was not Earth nor any of the other colonies in the solar system. But this was their new home, our new home.
"Master Manusya?" Numa noticed Manusya's odd reaction.
"I'm fine. Please, be my guide." Manusya wiped his tears off and proceeded onward.
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It had been nearly an hour since they began their journey. The Delivery Bot was following along behind them, its imposing figure intimidated the boy, and perhaps...
Strange. I have not seen any wildlife yet. Is the bot scaring them away? Manusya thought. He was disappointed but thought perhaps this was for the best to ensure a smooth journey to the village.
"Boy, is it usually this quiet?" Manusya asked.
"No Master," Numa replied, "But I'm a skilled explorer, so I chose routes with no beasts prowling!"
Perhaps Numa had said that too soon. Soon after that, the two of them smelled something...burning. As if the forest was on fire nearby.
"Do you smell that?" Manusya turned to the boy and asked.
Numa's face paled. His eyes struck with fear. "Master Manusya, a flame deer!" he pointed left as the sounds of gallops could be heard. In a flash, the beast could finally be seen. It was indeed a deer, but its horns were made out of pure fire. Its entire body was enveloped by this fire, and each step it made meant parts of the forest were being burnt. Its mouth was filled with sharp fangs, and a dangerous look could be seen in its eyes. It roared and charged forward — towards the delivery bot.
From the data we had, I had never seen a deer like that! Manusya shouted in his mind. He was almost in the trajectory of the deer's charge, along with the boy. His suit quickly whirred to life and he grabbed the boy and rolled to the side.
The delivery bot was not a combat machine, but that did not mean it could not fight. In an emergency, it was programmed to protect the cargo. It quickly caught the horns of the deer charging, and even the heat of the horns was not enough to melt the advanced materials of the robot.
The flame deer tried to escape from the robot's grasp, but it was not strong enough to break free of the robot's iron grip.
Manusya snapped out of his surprise and shouted, "DB! Toss me the lethal rifle!"
The robot beeped in response and its head started to open. One could see various baggage and briefcases inside its box head. It propelled one of the briefcases towards Manusya. He caught it easily out of the air and began opening the briefcase to reveal a sleek standard-issue UPF rifle with conventional bullets. He quickly loaded it and took aim. The weaponry practice throughout his nearly one thousand cryosleep kicked in, Manusya aimed at the deer's head and fired a couple of rounds. Even with the strange flame construction of the deer's body, it was still flesh and blood. While one round was not enough, several showers of bullets were enough to take it down. As it died, the flames surrounding its body were extinguished and it lay motionless in the delivery bot's grip.
Numa's eyes bulged out once more. He truly cannot believe his own eyes again. "Y-you...took it down that easily," he murmured.
Manusya noticed his surprise. Such a fierce creature must be a threat to the people here. But that's not what's important right now.
"Boy, what was that? a flame deer you said?" Manusya said as he approached the corpse.
"Yes!" Numa quickly answered with a voice mixed with fear and awe. "It's an elemental beast! That would have taken an entire party of hunters to take down. You are incredible, Master Manusya!" he exclaimed.
Elemental beast? Manusya was confronted with an unfamiliar term. Thirty thousand years would not be enough for all the creatures we introduced to evolve significantly, let alone adopt this...elemental construction. He pondered deeply.
Perhaps this boy was not lying about the druids? It cannot be. Manusya questioned in his mind. Something was wrong here. This world was different from what he thought. He must go to the village quickly.
"DB, carry the corpse of the creature. Boy, let's go. How close are we?" Manusya said while frowning.
Numa was surprised that Manusya was displeased to hear his compliment. He swallowed his saliva, hoping he did not offend this deity.
"T-this way, Master. We are close. We should be able to see the village soon."
And thus did the two continue the journey. It was not long before they arrived in the village.
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ART (Creature, Characters)
Numa:
[https://i.imgur.com/29mKXkf.png]
Delivery Bot:
[https://i.imgur.com/D5OhIio.png]
Flame Deer:
[https://i.imgur.com/ZUBhcdd.png]