The darkness had settled over Dessix; everything for miles around seemed to be withering. Diggix could not tell how long he had been sleeping, but his joints were worse than ever; the need for a proper service has become an absolute necessity. He looked around and noticed that his sight had returned to normal; the inverse effect was gone. He could now see the colors of the forest and the darkness around him. The mist seemed to have thickened slightly,
There were sounds deep in the jungle that sounded oddly familiar; it was that of humans speaking. Though the little robot could not pinpoint exactly where the sounds were coming from, many of his functions were not working correctly yet. So he looked around to see where he was; it was by no means a familiar place.
The sounds of the jungles were back to normal, or so it may have seemed for that part of the jungle. Diggix had traveled far after running for so long that it was nearly impossible to determine how long he had run for. The animals weren’t anywhere close to being heard; there were no footsteps in the leaves. Diggix was safe. It was unknown to him how long he had been rebooting as it felt like a good couple of hours.
The sounds of speaking echoed through the forest once again; it sounded distant and strange. Diggix could not distinguish whether it was a female or a male voice. The little robot decided to walk in the direction he thought the sound was coming from; it was not as dense in those areas of the forest making it easy for him to follow the voices.
The density of the trees changed; he realized after a few moments that he was in the part of the forest where the little robot had witnessed the tree growing, the sounds of the voices grew louder, he was going in the right direction. Finally, after a while, he found the source of the voices. But, unfortunately, Diggix could also feel that his power crystal was fast approaching its drained state. So he decided to remain in the shadows hoping to find shelter soon, though his curiosity had higher importance than resting.
The little robot recognized one of the human travelers, Izzar; he accompanied another human he had not seen before. Far beyond them, he could see a hooded figure following them in the shadows; there was no doubt it was one of the monks.
Izzar and his companion were standing by a tree; they examined its bark and deliberated amongst one another. Diggix also noticed that Izzar’s body language suggested that he was attracted to his companion, a strange behavior he had not seen before. Izzar was not known to interact with anyone; he mostly kept to himself and was rude and abrupt to anyone who came into contact with him, or at least that is how Diggix came to know him.
The pair did not stay for long; they left the tree and continued deeper into the forest. The hooded figure approached the tree and placed his hand on the trunk; his touch was an affectionate one, he too, turned and followed the pair into the jungle. Diggix made haste towards the tree; he wanted to investigate what they were looking at.
The claw marks on the trunk were deep; it almost looked like it was made by the claws of the beast he had encountered. However, he doubted the beast had it in him to harm one of the trees; he seemed to have great affection for the forest and would see it protected rather than damaged. Diggix placed his hand on the trunk; knowing what they did when the sun went down, he tried to feel the heat they resonated. But, to his surprise, there was nothing.
Diggix found this strange but had to push forward; he guessed that Izzar was heading for shelter and needed shelter to recharge his crystal himself. Usually, when in the Citadel, his crystal would last for days; it was strange that it did not last as long in the forest. Though his systems did work harder when traveling through the harsh elements of Dessix.
The little robot kept his eyes on the strange hooded man; he could not see Izzar anymore or his companion. The monk was following them for a reason; it was not to harm but for protection. The forest was not for the weak; perhaps Thanatos believed Izzar was not ready to face the jungle after the stone had been placed on the altar. It was clear to Diggix that the stone he had placed on the Altar changed the wilderness in a bad way; it agitated the creatures and made them violent and territorial.
It was little more than an hour that Diggix was tracking the monk; every now and again, it seemed like the monk would notice him but continue on his journey as if he wasn’t there. Diggix wondered what would happen if he revealed himself to the monk and asked him to take him back to the Citadel. Though he had another mission he wanted to complete, deep down, he was hoping that either Izzar or the Monk was the Devourer that the entities spoke of. But, on the other hand, he did not expect so; if the premonition he saw through the stone was true, he needed to destroy this person rather than lead him to the place instructed by the entities.
Diggix didn’t notice that he wasn’t following the monk anymore; somehow, the monk had disappeared right before him into the forest. Though further ahead in the dark shadows of the misty woods, he could hear Izzar and his companion speak. The little robot stopped to look around to see where the monk had gone.
“Diggix?” A voice scared him; he turned around to find the monk standing right behind him.
“Master monk, you scared this unit.” Diggix was surprised by his own speech; the words did not flow as they usually would. Instead, he sounded more like a robot now with artificial speech.
“Are you functional?” The monk asked as he lowered his hood. Diggix recognized him; it was a monk named Tarium.
“This unit is damaged; rest is needed, power down imminent. This unit hoped to find shelter, this unit finds master Izzar and companion, hope to find shelter with them.”
His speech had definitely received some damage; it could only be fixed if he went to Tomal for repairs. But, unfortunately, the little robot did not have the energy to travel back to the Citadel for that.
“Master Izzar and Mistress Viha are traveling to the master’s old ruins, there you can find refuge with them and rest.”
“This unit thanks you, Master Monk.”
Tarium looked at the robot; he saw many scrape marks on the robot's paint and a deep dent on the side of his head. Whatever this robot went through, he imagined, was nothing pleasant.
“What are you doing in the forest?” Tarium asked out of curiosity.
“This unit has been sent by Epsimus Master Thanatos to complete a most important mission.” Diggix opened his storage hold and searched for the remaining stone he was meant to place in the jungle.
“This unit wanted to show Master Monk the objects of his mission, but it seems like this unit had misplaced it. Master Epsimus Thanatos will not be pleased with this unit. Termination of the program to follow.”
Tarium knew the mission; it had been planned many months before; it was not Diggix who would have been sent out into the wilderness but rather a monk. The mission was meant to build the bond between the three young people, though Diggix was sent out so quickly after his repair, Tarium could not help but wonder.
“It seems though you completed your mission….” Tarium added.
“Indeed, this unit has completed the mission.” However, Diggix was still unsure if he had completed it successfully; he was unsure how the stones had gone missing from his storage. The only explanation he could find was the beast that somehow removed it from his hold and took it somewhere else.
“Master Izzar and companion getting away, Master Monk and this unit must follow.”
Tarium nodded in agreement; he pushed the robot in the direction that the other two had walked in, trying to help the robot preserve energy. Unfortunately, Diggix was running low and very fast. His energy level was affecting his ability to think.
After what felt like a few minutes, the journey ended; Tarium and Diggix watched the pair enter the ruin. Tarium pushed Diggix to follow; he was sure Izzar or Viha would not attack the little robot if they saw who it was. Diggix was reluctant; he stood for a long while outside before mustering the energy to go inside. Finally, he pulled the door open and entered. Within the second room of the ruin, against the far wall, Diggix saw Izzar sleeping against with Viha resting her head on his shoulder.
The four stones that requested Diggix to go to the ruins started vibrating in his head, the other rocks were taken, but those were left behind. The rocks seemed to be whispering a song; it was loud enough for Izzar and his companion to hear it. Though the black-headed young master did not wake from his sleep.
This Story continues in Chapter 16 of Fables of the Void
