Chapter 277: Seeing the Forest for the Trees (1/2)
The basement 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 basement 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.
---------------------
Reber Wentil
Age: 127
Race: Chestnut Tree (Human)
Class: Druid
Title: Survivor of Solitude
--------------------
”...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 assuming 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 passage 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 doorknob 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.
--------------------------------
Corpse of Fatima Juliani
Human Corpse (Tier 1, Rank 1)
The remains of a deceased human.
---------------------------------
”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 bummer, 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.
---------------------------
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 passive 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.