Nothing seemed different within the forests; every tree and fern and noise around him seemed like a different version to the other. Nevertheless, he pushed forward, hoping he would reach his goal before then of the day and be able to journey back to the Citadel and bring word to his master that he had completed his task successfully. It was in his programming to serve his master, after all.

Diggix had noticed the sounds of heavy footsteps beyond the trees around him for a long while during his journey, though he was now determined to complete his mission and ignored all distractions that might delay him even further. Unfortunately, the sun was already slowly going down, giving him less time than he would have hoped to have. Moreover, with the darkness creeping in all around him, he was reluctant to use his flashlights again, fearing that he would run out of power before reaching shelter. Nevertheless, Diggix did not even look back as he pushed forward towards his destination, not even when the footsteps seemed to get louder and creep closer to him in the ever-growing darkness.

The mist around him was pretty thin, giving Diggix the ability to see far into the forest ahead. Fortunately, there were no creatures around for him to see; the Fargesrats did not seem to travel in these areas or were hiding away from something or someone. The canopy above was also too thick to lure new trees to the regions; it was remote, dark, and dense. Diggix found no comfort in that.

The footsteps behind him seemed to have gotten too loud for him to ignore; Diggix turned around to see what it was and could not find the functions to move for a few moments. Behind him stood an immense beast. It stood on two legs and had two thick arms. Its face was hideous, it had long teeth protruding from its cracked lips, and his eyes glowed red. It stood almost as tall as the canopy above but seemed at ease looking at the little robot in wonder.

The first function to come to mind was running. Diggix turned away and ran as quickly as he could. He could hear the heavy footsteps picking up their pace and following him. He tripped over stones, fell over roots, and found himself damaging his frame. Diggix wondered why his masters would install a function that simulated fear, but he had no time to ponder on those thoughts as his circuits were overwhelmed by uncomfortable pulses of energy.

Diggix was looking for a hole again, the same kind he had used to escape the fargesrats. The forest was growing too dark to spot anything; his hope was running out quickly. Diggix looked over his shoulder and noticed that he had made enough ground between himself and the beast and promptly hid between some ferns. His internal cooling system was loud; he tried hard to keep his core cool after running. Shutting down all his cooling fans, he risked exposing himself to a greater danger; there was no turning back from a complete systems meltdown. He quickly grabbed the edges of his head covers and pulled it off, exposing his hardware to the moist cold air. Immediately Diggix saw a considerable fall in his core temperatures.

The beast caught up with him;. The beast sat down on a nearby fallen tree and kept staring at the plants Diggix was hiding under. The beast did not seem to be in much of a hurry. The beats couldn't have known where the little robot was hiding, though it did nothing. It was waiting for Diggix to reveal himself.

“Are you done running, young child?” The beat's voice seemed to shake the trees around them. It was deep as a war horn and echoed throughout the forest.

Diggix found it challenging to comprehend this creature's speaking ability; it was highly unusual, and he did not know what to do. Furthermore, Diggix wondered whether or not it was a ruse for him to drop his guard to reveal himself to the beast only to be destroyed.

“You can come out. I will not hurt you. On the contrary, I am here to help.”

The beast’s voice echoed once more; Diggix could not find any hostility in the beast’s voice. Slowly the little robot emerged from his hiding place. Diggix kept his eyes on the beast; it sat peacefully on the log with its hands covering its knees. There were no signs of hostility or preparedness to attack.

“You have traveled far.” The beast said.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“I am on a mission for my master,” Diggix replied.

“To awaken the furious wrath of the forest, no doubt?”

Diggix did not understand what the beast was saying; the only task was to place a stone on a specific place in the jungle. Then, however, he remembered what his master had said about the different abilities of the rocks. So somehow, he imagined that the stone he was meant to place on the ruin would have some kind of effect on the mission that will be given Izzar.

“Your master is a destructive human being; he seeks only to destroy. Be wary of him. I shall take you to the place he has sent you to.”

The beast stood up and walked past Diggix; his heavy footsteps seemed to cause tremors all around them. However, Diggix did not hesitate in following him; if the beast was to assist him in completing his task quicker, he would take the help he could get.

“I was here when your master forced the people of this planet into slavery to build his monstrosity amongst the trees. The trees don’t like his presence here. He no longer walks these forests because they torture him with the voices of those he had taken from the living.”

The beast maneuvered gracefully between the trees, taking great care not to harm or damage any single one. The beast would look back at Diggix to ensure he was still there every now and again. But, he kept on speaking, hoping to teach the little robot something, and it revealed many secrets the robot held that only a few knew.

“Your plot against your master is a noble cause; the planet will award you for your bravery.”

The little robot wondered what the planet could award him with, though that did not matter much. His recent discoveries had made up his mind on his master; he was an evil man seeking evil goals. If Diggix was not going to end him, someone else surely would.

“Why are you helping me complete my mission?” The little robot wondered out loud, now knowing the beast also sought his downfall.

“For longer than I can remember, this world was a peaceful world, where we could roam where we wanted and do as we pleased. The humans who settled this world lived in harmony with nature; though they struggled daily to keep the plant life out of their settlements, they still treated the wildlife with respect and dignity. That all changed since their bones scattered the forests, and your master took possession of this world. We get slaughtered for our hides and our meat.”

The beast stopped and looked around; there was nothing there; it almost seemed to Diggix that he was lost, but indeed he was not. So the beast deviated from their path straight ahead.

“We’re almost there.” He said in a deep growl.

“I can feel you’re carrying those of old, the priests of the void. They are not to be trusted.”

Diggix had apprehension towards the beast. However, the entities he had come in contact with seemed noble in a cause they strongly believed in.

“They want to bring about the birth of the devourer of the universe; such a person indeed lives this day. He wanders the fortress with your master; he is not to learn the ways of the Nihil.”

The beast was stern in his words; his voice was more profound, causing a sudden surge within Diggix. Something in the creature's words made him think of Izzar, the mysterious boy in his room constantly meditating, training and reporting to Thanatos. Was he the devourer of the cosmos? Diggix indeed believed that.

They only walked a few miles when they reached a large opening; it was the first of its kind. There were pillars on the edge of the tree line; it seemed as though the pillars formed a barrier keeping the trees from growing beyond them. They created a circle around a large stone altar clearly visible in the dim setting sun. This area was also warmer to Diggix’s thermal sensors. The beast, too, seemed to enjoy the warmth as he took in a large breath of air and closed his eyes, tilting his head to the sky.

“This planet had not always been this cold and misty; it used to be a pleasant planet with life in abundance. Nothing on this planet struggled for survival, and the jungles never used to be as cold as it is now.”

“What caused the planet to cool down?” Diggix was curious; the beast looked at him but did not offer any explanation.

The beats walked closer to the altar and turned towards Diggix. He gestured for the tiny robot to approach the altar.

“This is where you need to place the stone in your possession. Only the slightly larger one, the other will be useless here.”

Diggix removed the one he was referring to, remembering the instructions of his master. He held it in his hand and wondered what anger he would awaken in the forest. He looked again upon the altar, studying it intently.

There were no markings on it; it was featureless, the plants did not seem to grow near it as it was surrounded by loose soil, something he only saw in the section of the forest where the small glowing creatures went to plant new trees. Though this soil was almost white, it was an excellent indication to Diggix that nothing could grow in it.

“Be warned, once you place the stone on the Altar, it cannot be removed.”

Diggix looked at the beast and then to the altar again; he could not abandon his mission now; he had to keep up appearances; there was no other way. He looked at the ruin once more in his hand and saw the blue markings were pulsating very quickly. The currents within his systems were pulsated just as quickly.