Fate - First Reply Lost in a forest

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Argós

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And so Argós stopped. He was walking, walking and walking and nothing of finding a city, a village or even a building of someone who was living in that forest. The green trees of long trunks and exposed roots filled the scenario instead. Large rocks with moss and bushes of all sizes accompanied the trees, giving diversity to the place. The ground, which was covered by the of the leaves, seemed untouched, as it had no trace of a humanoid being's feet. The sky was blue, somewhat cold, the sun itself didn't seem all that bright, but there was a lot of light in the forest still. It was probably midday.
...Yeah, he shouldn't have took that shortcut. Well, to start off, there wasn't even a shortcut, it was Argós' idea to cut the dirt path and go deep into the woods. However, in theory, it could decrease the amount of time he would have to spend walking in the forest. The map was showing it - if, instead of following the sinuous, curved pathway, the golem followed a straight line, he would get from where he was to one of the cities having to walk less distance, and potentially, use less time to get to the urban areas. The truth it's that not everything goes as planned and, since he had dared to go beyond the dirt road, he was lost.
Who is it to blame, the idea, the map or the golem? Probably the golem - first, because he was the one who got the idea, second, because he probably got the job of reading the map wrong. Perhaps he thought he was somewhere closer, more to the east, more to the west, perhaps he thought he was in another pathway, perhaps he thought he was in the south part of instead of the north... Either way, he brilliantly found a way to lose all sight of the dirt road and get stuck into a maze of trees and more trees.
Argós heavily sighed. He removed his backpack sack and opened it - the gems were still there. They were of all colors and sizes, all very shiny. They were few, but very beautiful. It was good to see they were there - it was hard to get them, back in the mines. They would sell very well when he reached the civilized areas. While he wasn't worried someone would steal him while he was deep into the woods, there was still a higher level of concern while holding those stones. Either way, he kept shuffling the items in his sack when he found a piece of cheese, somewhat small, bought in the last city he visited. It was still good, no sign of mold. He grabbed it, closed the backpack and started to eat it. He was going to have to eat if he intended to survive his way to the next town.
 
Wandering with slightly more purpose than usual Nuir had been trudging through the forest. He was seeking out a particular herb that was common to falwood. It grew like a fennel. Low an sprouting from the ground. So he had been crouched over a bit of leafy greenery when he heard the heavy foot falls. Somewhat cautiously he had peeked from the foliage to investigate the noise. He had recognized the creature as a Golemn certainly. Though he was intrigued to see it fumble about in a sack. Then even more intrigued to seed it inspect a bit of cheese before eating it. He had seen golems used for menial tasks or as guards of sorts....but he was fairly sure he had never seen one eat.
Nuir let his curiosity get the better of him and emerged from the brush nearby.
"Well met...." He greeted though his tone went up in a bit of a question at the end.
 
While eating his cheese (it was somewhat soft, had a sweet flavor), Argós looked around to spot where the voice came from. He eventually saw the source of the voice: a somewhat short male elf of white skin and white hair. The golem assumed he was an elf because of the pointed ears. He seemed to be holding no single weapon, though it was of experience that that given affirmation would be quickly disproved if Argós dared to attack him. Well, better not to test.
Of course, there was the element of surprise. The golem could swear he was completely and totally alone in that forest. It was so unusual to meet another person in the wilds. Obviously, that element of surprise came accompanied by the element of... fear. Or suspicion. Did that elf see him holding the gems? He didn't know. Maybe, but he didn't seem the sort of person that would steal him. Or, that was just a trick and the stranger would suddenly knock him out with some sort of magic and run away with his backpack. Who would know?
Anyways, he set his suspicion aside. The elf greeted him. After the moments of silence, Argós decided it was best to return with some type of greetings too:
"Why, hello there..."
 
Unaware of the suspicions roiling in the Golem's head, the elf continued to observe it with interest.
His eyes scanning over the figure as if trying to decipher how the Golem worked.
"Are you.....eating....?" He asked the confusion clear in his voice. For the notion of sentient rock partaking of food was novel and he couldn't help but be curious.
"Is because you need to....or do you simply like to?" As a healer the idea that the being of stone should be able to ingest food at all was intriguing. Perhaps the Golem was a naturally occurring creature and not a construct at all. Because his only frame of reference were constructs it didn't occur to that it might be rude to ask such questions without even introducing oneself. He at least had enough sense not to immediately ask where the food ends up. His head tilted in curiosity and his voice quiet as he regarded the Large stone figure.
 
Argós inclined his head. Well, that wasn't the sort of stuff someone who intended rob him would ask, would it? The elf seemed more of an innocent person who got curious about seeing a golem eating cheese. Makes sense. Many people seem to think golems don't eat. Even though Argós wasn't a very sociable person, it wasn't very uncommon to receive exclamations such as "wait, you can eat?", especially from tavern keepers for whom the golem ordered food. That exclamation was usually followed by an even bigger exclamation: "wait, you can drink?", which was when they saw him drinking water. For some reason, it was always funny to hear those sort of questions. Either way, he calmly answered:
"Of course, what else would I be doing? I need to eat, just like you need to eat."
(Silence from his part.)
"I assume you're surprised, chief...?"
(There was a little bit of questioning at the end.)
 
"Like me... hm" Nuir replied quietly more to himself. So it did have a stomach of some manner.
He looked over the figure of stone curiously again.
"Apologies....I can't say that I've met terribly many of your kind...but the ones I have were created and powered by a magic of sorts..."
He rather wondered if the Golem really was flesh on the inside but even he knew it was a bridge too far to ask.
His eyes fell on the bag which was certainly considerable in size. More than Nuir would have been able to carry comfortably. Then again the Golem could probably lift quite a bit more weight that the Elf. It was hard to judge if it was a lot or a little for such a being to lug around.
"Do you.....live nearby?" Nuir replied in way of polite conversation. The Elf moved a touch closer both to get a better look and to avoid having to speak up. His own satchel was bit on the small side but deceptively so. An enchanted bag was indispensable as it was both expensive and inefficient to purchase raw materials every time he needed them. He often carried any number of herbs that would fill an ordinary bag to the brim.
 
Argós initially got uncomfortable with the elf getting closer to him. For a moment, the golem thought he was going to attack him with... what? He already arrived at the conclusion that the stranger had no weapon of sorts. In fact, now that he was able to see him clearer, the stone being thought he was some sort of botanist. That bag of sorts he was carrying looked like it, at least. It could also happen that he was the type of person who would use such plants for magic, medicine or both. Who knew? Either way, the golem controlled his impulse to pick up his axe from the backpack. A bit messed up by his paranoia, he answered, initially muttering, but later adjusting his manners:
"W-Well... I don't. I'm always traveling, and... I don't exactly have a place which I could call as a 'permanent home'. Only temporary ones."
(Argós took a small pause. He looked around to see if there was someone. There wasn't, apparently. He goes back to the elf, resuming calmly.)
"No need to apologize, chief... Even though I've probably met many people like you, I also don't know much about your kind. Perhaps we're equally ignorant about each other..."
(He points at the bag the elf was carrying.)
"Are you a botanist? You seem to be carrying herbs... Pardon me the intrusion. It's oka if you don't wanna answer."
 
The Elf's face was a mask of calm. He noticed the Golem half reach for something in its bag and its almost nervous body language. It was almost amusing to see a being whose body was nearly made of armor behaving to apprehensively. Perhaps that was wise. There were certainly perils in Arethil capable of slashing rock. Not himself though. He wasn't sure at all of the anatomy of the being in front of him. Even if he had been of a disposition to attack he wouldn't have known where to point the knife at.

"Is that so.... You may call me Nuir." a common enough story. Even a being such as this could get wanderlust it seems. Or perhaps there was a deeper reason. He also couldn't fault the Golem for not knowing much of the Aerai. He himself wasn't particularly well informed on his own people. His eyes followed the stoney hand as it gestured at his satchel.
Quietly he shook his head. "It is no concern. I hold few matters secret. I do have knowledge of many plants but it is not my trade. I am a healer. "
He too did not have a permanent home so he rarely grew plants aside from sowing seeds in lands he passed through. Sometimes he did envy healers who had built grand apothecary shops with large greenhouses. Alas he felt there was still yet more for him to see before setting roots.
The Elf tilted his head. He wondered if normal methods would be effective on such a being. He wasn't sure his power could mend stone no matter how much favor he held. He doubted ointments worked on rock either.....
 
A healer... Well, that guess was somewhat close, wasn't it? Argós little did know about the job, but what he did know (and, potentially, what everyone did know) was that healers used quite a lot of different types of plants. They have plants for this, plants for that; seemly everything could be done with the help of a few handful of herbs. When it didn't, magic appeared. The golem wondered whether or not this elf named Nuir (curious name... he couldn't recall from what culture it would've come from) had knowledge in magic.
But, of course, he had to introduce himself.
"Good to meet ya, Nuir... You may call me as Argós. I've never met someone with your name, though, I suppose you've also never met someone with my name..."
(Small pause from his part.)
"Do you know magic? I thought healers knew magic, but I don't know much about them."
It was funny; the feeling of suspicion was replaced by the feeling of curiosity. Curiosity over a profession Argós didn't know much about. In fact, there were many professions the golem didn't know and was also curious about, as he never had a stationary, "non-temporary" job. In fact, he didn't even know how he would have such a long-term job; apparently, as far as his tastes and abilities went, he had skills for mathematical (and astronomical and physical) problems, while being good enough to do menial and craftsmanship work and decent at fighting with an axe. How would that translate into one single dedication that he would have to follow throughout his life? Suffice to say, the idea of a long-term job certainly seemed alien to Argós.
 
The Elf seemed unbothered by the sudden returned curiosity. He supposed it was only fair.
"Well met.....and no I suppose it would be unique in these parts. On both accounts."
He had even met someone with his own name. There were as many names as stars so he found it more peculiar when such choices overlapped.
He quietly and patiently waited while Golem thought. The next question was a common one. It was often the next question. Some like the Golem were just curious, others had oppositions to one method or another. He had once been certain that magic was the correct method of healing. However he had come to realize in practice there was no correct method and there were wounds even beyond magic.

He nodded and there was a small hint of pride in his voice as he replied "Yes. I do. I know many methods. Healers are a diverse profession. I study the techniques of each place I visit. In my travels I have seen healers who despise magic, and healers who use magics even I cannot manage."
He added with a bit of a regretful tone " I should expect even in my lifetime I shall not be able to learn let alone master all such ways..." Which was really quite the statement considering how long lived Elves could be.

"And what of your travels? What does a Golem seek?"
 
The stone golem became even more fascinated with the elf. Argós had a somewhat wonder-like curiosity over magic; it was alien, not alien enough to seem horrifying, but alien enough to catch his attention. Magic was like a dancing light that changes colors in the the middle of the dark, distant and shiny. He wasn't very sure if it was his type of thing nor knew how he would start to even learn it (that's why he had never touched or would even plan on touching such matter), but it was still something that stood out in the dark, waving from far away, happily so. Maybe a naive impression? Maybe, but not a direct "yes", because the golem was aware that magic could be used to do horrible deeds. However, his fascination wasn't be stopped by humanoids' morally questionable decisions, and it still was able to sustain by itself.
...Perhaps the elf would be able to understand his inner workings, then? Probably not. From what he knew, the magic of his creator was very different from the magic people were used to practicing. Otherwise, magic users would be able to manipulate him in all sorts of manners and forms. And, from what it seemed, the ones who knew the magic of his creator were... nonexistent, practically. At least, he had never found them while traveling through those lands. Very rare for the elf to be one of them.
That said, Nuir was also curious about the Argós, and the golem thought he certainly deserved some answers.
"I can't say what other golems seek while traveling, because I've never met another of my likes in this life... However, I can say that I travel because it's how I survive in this world."
(He starts to gesture.)
"I spend some time in these wild areas, collecting all the sort of stuff people in the urban areas find valuable or necessary... Ores, gems, that sort of stuff. I sell 'em when I'm in the city. Then I use the money to buy food and other things which I may want to get my hands on before my money for getting an accommodation runs out and I go back to the wilds."
 
So the Golem was not a construct with a specific purpose or natural denizen of the area. There truly were all walks of life in Arethil. He wasn't sure there was a specific name for what the golem was doing, mining perhaps. Though most Dwarven miners he had known weren't in charge of selling their finds.

"I see...that seems...a decent way to survive." It made sense to him that Golem might know quite a bit about gems and rocks. Or perhaps that was a coincidence. There were certainly rougher professions one could find themself in. Though he only gathered ingredients himself when it wasn't too far out of way. He could afford such a luxury being able to supplement potions with more direct magic. If he ran out he could use his own hands until he made his way to another town. "What sort of things aside from food do you buy?" Nuir asked in a subtly curious tone. Argós had said 'want' not 'need'. He had been surprised the Golem ate food, but he was even more intrigued by the idea of such a figure having hobbies.

Though he supposed really a Golem enjoying a bit of commerce wasn't really so much stranger than a vampire or a Zorren. There were plenty of conjurers that summoned even stranger visages only to have such beings do quite menial tasks. Perhaps there was really nothing stranger about it at all.
 
Right. Argós wasn't very specific enough. The golem knew he wasn't very good with words or interpreting the daily people's words. Probably because words weren't how he would get to the next day... Though, that affirmation had its' problems. That's because he did know how to read; in fact, he would read books almost everyday. How would such a being read, one would ask? Keep this last fact noted as it's going to be explained in a few moments.
Anyways, the golem removed his backpack sack, only to put it back, this time, in front of him. He would open it and start shuffling its' items as he explained:
"Oh well, the usual things someone would need to survive..." (He picks his lantern.) "I buy candles for my lantern, so that I don't stay in the dark, having to rely on torches..." (He picks a potion.) "I buy regenerative potions as well... I don't think they're as efficient as they let out them be, but it's better than nothing..." (He picks a circular bomb.) "For mining... Though, I have to be very careful, otherwise, the entire cavern falls down or a fire starts... I can use them to just unblock certain passages, too." (He picks various pieces of cloth.) "I also buy these textiles, useful for when I want to wrap certain things together, or when I want to cover myself up when it's raining or snowing." (He picks a glass bottle with water.) "...I know it seems ironic, but I do need it as well. It comes very in handy when you're in a desert, a tundra or Mr. Fate just doesn't want to give you a pool of drinkable water...." (He picks up a metallic kettle) "I bought it a while ago, it's useful for heating the water." (He picks his map.) "This is the last thing I've bought... I confess that my ability when it comes to reading maps is... horrible. So much so I..." (He tries to return the map to the backpack sack.) "I..." (He keeps trying.) "I got lost and... this thing just doesn't want to-!"
Then, when Argós put enough energy to force the map into the sack, something falls from it. A book of some sorts. It didn't seem nor old, nor new. It had a few pages from other books among its' own. On the front, there was the caricaturesque drawing of a capybara in black and white, with a big title, also somewhat comic:
"Daily mathematical exercises to annoy you throughout one year"
Argós almost panicked. He motioned towards the book, but stopped, noticing it was already very late, and Nuir would've already seen its' cover. "Oh well, what have I done now...?!", the golem thought. The damage was already done, everything he could do was wait.
 
Nuir tilted his head watching with vague interest as the golem riffled through various items.
They did all seem like practical items...except for the glass bottle. It was a wonder that a being of rock could tote such a thing around without breaking it. Nuir rarely used glass or crystalline vessels due to their high expense and low durability. A potion being at least somewhat effective also made sense to him. If such a being could digest food then it seemed only natural that oral solutions should have some effect.

"Lost hm? Where were you trying to get to?"
He stooped down to pick up the book and dust it off. He glanced over the cover and thumbed through it's pages. There seemed to be a range of questions. They were exercises beyond what most common folk or even some nobles would be able to answer. Numbers were very important where he came from. So the idea of taking a year to finish equations and calculations was absurd to him. He supposed such exercises would be useful to someone who sold wares. It would be foolish to sell Ore or Gems on only exchange or bartering. So he had assumed that the Golem must know at least how to count and subtract. Both items were worth more than some common folk made in their whole life.
"One year seems like an exaggeration."
Nuir said with a chuckle as he handed the book back. Calculations and arithmancy were common in sidereal education. He often forgot that such knowledge was unusual. Though there was amusement in the idea of a stone figure hunched over such a book puzzling over arithmetic quandaries.
 
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Argós took the book from Nuir's hand in a normal pace. However, his eye (yes, eye) was visibly anxious. For the stone golem, it was almost as if one of his secrets had been revealed, even though that book was far from being a secret. Hidden would be a better term for it, since, in the cities, he would sometimes open such book in populated areas where nobody would really notice him or in somewhat reserved places where everybody was busy with their own pieces of text. Perhaps it was the direct eye contact that made him shiver. In the plazas or libraries, nobody was directly facing him solving the math problems from the book. In the forest, he was the main focal point.
Either way, Argós adjusted his manners again. He tried to answer the elf's question:
"W-Well, I was going to the city that was the nearest for me when I decided it was time for me to get away from these wilds. Or, at least, the city that was the nearest to where I thought I was on the map... It actually worked at the start, I was following a dirt path, but then I decided to take a shortcut, and... Well, here I am."
The golem looked at the compilation of math exercises on his hand. He started to flip through the book. Argós didn't quite understand Nuir's point - why an exaggeration? With a bit of courage, he managed to say:
"I-I don't understand why it would be an exaggeration, chief... It's just one exercise per day. Or 365 exercises a year... People certainly have studied mathematics for more than one year, and it didn't seem to have killed them, did it? I don't know... in fact, I would say there are times when I, myself, am able to solve two exercises in one day! Though I also can get stuck in an exercise for two days, so..."
Upon closing the book, he returned it to his backpack sack, quickly managing to take off the sack and put it on his own backs, as it was before. Argós was less stressed now. He then noticed that he had not asked the elf questions. It was better to ask him now, then:
"But... How about you, chief? Where are you going? Just wandering around, or do you have a place in mind?"
 
The elf tilted his head. He hadn't imagined that a golem could be flustered but this one seemed to be. Nor could he follow why that might be. Perhaps it was simply shy by its nature.
"I see." Nuir replied quietly to the golem's somewhat roundabout explanation that it was lost. He didn't know this forest himself all too well. Hard to be lost if you didn't has set destination though.
He offered a bit of a blank expression to the golem.
ah. was it flustered about...numbers...?
"I suppose there are very technically enough pages to last a full year if one is limited to an exercise a day.....but surely one would be capable of doing much more by the end..." Books were very expensive commodities most of them bound and written by hand....so there was an obvious reason to taut that a book would take a long time to finish. A way of artificially inflating the value proposition. He had seen riddle books which claim to be able to stump elves for a millennium. This book wasn't quite so bold.....but why a year... perhaps such a length was appealing to mortals of shorter lifespans.

".....is there a reason you keep referring to me as chief?.....I don't recall implying I had any such authority...?" Nuir asked with an amused expression. "I suppose I am headed deeper into the forest." He answered with a small shrug.
 
That made sense. Even Argós, a golem who was constantly busy with mining ores or selling gems, wished there was more than one exercise per day. Before the "Daily mathematical exercises to annoy you throughout one year", there were other books, and it was very common for him to get multiple exercises done per day. He promised himself he would follow the current book's recommendation strictly, but that certainly was starting wear off. One day, he would lose his patience and simply devour entire exercises of the book.

It's not like Argós would even want to follow the book's plan at the start. The stone creature only got his hands on the book because - one - it was somewhat cheap, compared to the other math books he came in contact with and - two - it had a gigantic collection of exercises. 365 exercises is not enough to keep someone busy through one year, but it's certainly enough to keep someone busy through one month. And, since time passes slow, he decided it was worth the prize. Nowadays, he was questioning whether or not that was a good decision after all.

...And then Nuir commented about his "chief" thing:

"Oh!...? Well, urm..."

Funny - there he was, wondering about numbers a few moments ago and suddenly he gets this sense of self-conscience! Nonetheless, it did feel a bit weird. It wasn't like pointing out he was doing a biological, involuntary movement like breathing, since paying attention to his own breath caused a higher level of strangeness, but it was somewhat similar. It was rare to think about something so "natural" and trivial like calling people "chief", and there was a certain uncanny feel to it; probably because of its' self-awareness element.

Either way, a few moments later, Argós returned:

"No, no, you don't, it's just that... it's just that I have this habit of calling people 'chief'. It's so natural, I don't even notice it... I can try to stop, if you want to, chi- I mean, mister."

(He lifts one finger.)

"But! I would first like to know... Do you know any way out of this forest? Any path I can take to take me out of the wilds and back at civilization?"
 
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