Chapter 3 : the frontier

"It is sometimes strange to realize that although wild nature appears brutal and chaotic, it is nevertheless orchestrated as meticulously as the score of a classical music piece."

Aïma sought her bearings at the treetops, while her new friend merely watched her with a bemused expression, curious to see her next move. Fortunately, Aïma was resourceful when it came to finding solutions. Even in this vast vegetal ocean, she knew how to find her way. The sun would be her guide. Once she spotted it, she would know east from west. As for the north, she would likely encounter species common to the human borders or, conversely, those more at home in the forest depths. Familiar with the migratory patterns of some forest birds, she would quickly assess the situation, and spotting them from a distance wouldn't be a problem.

Still fasting, her stomach growled with hunger, and perhaps out of kindness, she thought her friend might also appreciate feasting on a good meal before continuing their journey. However, she hadn't spotted any prey. The forest remained eerily silent, densely packed. Yet, this didn't deter the ranger, who now listened to nothing but her hunger. She made quite a discovery, a few juicy fruits she could recognize among a thousand. These fruits resembled pears, speckled with black but with white, rough skin. They frequently grew near her village. Although the villagers usually used them to feed the Rhenfroces herds, gigantic creatures with long, flat skulls resembling black and orange shields at their centers, they were also peaceful, calm, and docile animals that helped the farmers. Moreover, they relished these pear-shaped fruits known as Rhens. The villagers had aptly named them "Rhen-eaters," or Rhenfroces.

Aïma had previously tasted these fruits, seduced by their gentle acidity followed by a delicate sweetness. She couldn't help but salivate at the thought of eating them. That's why she wasted no time leaping toward the branches containing these precious treasures. Ego, always mimicking her actions, joined in the collection. For a moment, she felt like she had finally succeeded in communicating with him. She took a fruit in her hands and showed him how to open it. The tough skin was the least flavorful part of the fruit. He attempted the same, although, as usual, his clumsiness left much to be desired. In fact, he nearly squashed the poor fruit several times. Aïma would scold him for the waste, but in this situation, he reminded her of young livestock trying to retrieve overripe fallen fruits. After his mishap, she took a deep breath, mimicking broad, sweeping gestures to demonstrate that the fruits were edible, bringing them to her mouth. Ego tried to follow suit, but as you might suspect, he lacked a digestive system. His clever designers had opted for a long-lasting battery system. This battery wasn't the robot's only energy source; he could also recycle residual environmental heat and his own excess heat to limit entropy, his energy loss. Not very practical in social situations where the goal is precisely to conform to the host's norms. Ego raised his arms, took a leap, and crushed the fruit against his face, mimicking Aïma's actions. The ranger, initially angry, pressed her hand to her forehead in frustration and bewilderment. The naive robot continued to mimic her, spreading even more of the juicy Rhen fruit fluid across his body.

She said:

"You're really too stupid!"

Trying to keep her composure to appear serious while scolding the naughty rascal, the robot lifted its head and repeated, demonstrating her words:

"You're really too stupid," in a tone that seemed playful.

Aïma couldn't contain her laughter, uncontrollable, knowing well that her interlocutor was merely imitating her. But the exaggerated way he did it and the absurdity of the situation made seriousness impossible, how could she not forgive him? Yet, she concluded that if he could produce sounds similar to her language, perhaps he could learn. However, there was no way she'd let him eat more fruits. Aïma requisitioned the remaining Rhens with an authoritative gesture, and this time, strangely, the robot didn't mimic her, showing a surprising wisdom.

After a few well-deserved and pleasant moments of rest, Aïma decided it was time to get moving again. She was aware that salvation wouldn't come from inaction. In the wooded paths, Ego struggled to navigate between the tree branches. However, Aïma allowed him time to acclimate to his new environment. Armed with a patience she didn't know she possessed, she took pleasure in observing him. She, who was usually stubborn and solitary, was beginning to adjust to the robot's presence, which somehow made her nostalgic for her own childhood, a time when she was gently cradled by her carefree innocence.

As they traveled hundreds of meters, they were surprised to hear the almost forgotten wild sounds of forest animals. To Aïma, this was a good sign; she even thought she recognized a few trees. Always alert, she soon spotted prey: a young but majestic Bradams with long, undulating white antlers, and most importantly, an isolated Bradams. Aïma thought aloud:

"What a stroke of luck. The goddess finally smiles upon me." 

Aïma drew an arrow, nocked it, and raised her bow, ready to shoot when suddenly the metallic being stepped in front of her, thundering incomprehensible words in a grave tone:

"Life in danger, life in danger!"

Aïma, surprised by the swiftness of his movement, fell from the heights. The robot lunged to catch her, absorbing the impact with its heavy armor. Aïma, her body sore, struggled to get up and realized she was now face-to-face with her Nemesis. A Gremörn, no, the Gremörn, the one who had sent her running panicked through the entire forest, the one who had nearly killed her. She recognized him easily; his face was etched in her memory like an indelible mark. Aïma panicked, running as fast as she could in a random direction, hoping to escape, not thinking of anything else. Her eyes were teary; she wondered what she had done to anger the goddesses so much. The robot, meanwhile, calmly straightened up, continuing to emit its unintelligible sounds, now resonating throughout the forest. The Gremörn paused. He had never seen an animal stand up to him, and it seemed to trouble him greatly. Moreover, the creature before him didn't smell like anything he knew, except for the fruity scent of the Rhens. He recognized nothing else. Too proud to be intimidated or perhaps too reckless, he launched his attack.

 The inert robot remained motionless. Neither before nor after the creature closed its infernal gaping mouth, which covered almost its entire body. Suddenly, Ego, as if struck by genius, seemed to react and changed his message. He no longer said, "Life in danger, life in danger!" but instead, "Danger!" Although the difference was subtle for his audience, Aïma quickly understood. The metallic being extricated itself from that lugubrious place, which held no curiosity for it, with a surprisingly skillful yet absurd movement that defied the logic of any human subjected to rigorous physics. The robot seemed to twist in all directions, balancing on points that made no sense, leveraging the force of its acceleration as if it were a fully functioning limb. In short, it took off running. Moving much faster than the exhausted Aïma, it caught up to her, grabbing her mid-flight. The surprised ranger struggled, but her fight seemed futile against the steel behemoth from elsewhere.

Le robot parcourut ainsi une très longue distance. Sûrement des kilomètres, durant lesquels Aïma ne put s'empêcher de remarquer l'odeur parfumée du liquide extrait des Rhems couvrant encore le pauvre robot. Après quelques minutes, seulement, Aïma avait abandonné le combat. Bien trop fatiguée, elle s'était endormie. Quand elle se réveilla, ils étaient à la frontière de la forêt. La machine l'avait déposé dans une plaine, à un endroit semblant étonnamment sûr. À côté, lui, semblant surveiller les alentours-là, à l'ombre d'un arbre, était immobile. Reprenant son souffle, Aïma vue au loin, l'ombre vacillante des remparts de Nomera. Ville de la province du sud-est nommé Eseka. Aïma aurait préféré pouvoir rentrer chez elle à Tenera, mais la vision d'une ville humaine la rassurait grandement. Elle souffla, relâchant ainsi enfin tout le stresse de sa journée comme celui des précédente tout en se promettant de ne pas remettre les pieds dans cette fichue forêt avant un long moment. Ce qu'elle faisait toujours d'ailleurs à chacun de ses retours. Finalement apaisé et sorti de ses pensées, elle prit sa revanche sur l'élément perturbateur qui avait osé lui faire subir toute cette épopée en insultant le robot qui se contenta alors, de l'observer avec toujours cet air idiot sur le visage. Il semblait feindre de ne pas comprendre la colère de sa victime d'autant plus en colère.

Thoughts of the robot:

Language N 002, estimated learning: 1%

Analysis in progress.