Chapter 34 - Numa Fruit Tree

“I see you are a warrior species,” Snoff said. He had a soft tinkling sound, like a chime in the wind. “Please do not hurt me.”

“What the hell are you?” Logan asked, blankly staring at the strange creature. “Are you… A monster? From the Levemoth?”

At the mention of the name, Snoff’s creamy complexion went chalk white.

“Do not say its name!” Snoff hissed. “Come! There is no time! I must take you.”

“Take me?” Logan said. But before he could ask where, the little creature blew some dust at him and snapped his fingers.

“Do not worry, ‘tis an invisibility spell. For I can only bring you, not your brethren. Come now!”

“Wait, I don’t intend to go anywhere.”

“Oh,” Snoff said, ears drooping in disappointment. “But you should. For saving my life, the king of Faelves will surely grant a boon.”

Logan scratched his head. What was even happening?

“I… Suppose I could come and listen.”

The creature brightened. “Great! Please follow me.”

Snoff bounced up in light steps, as is barely touching the ground. He leapt graceful, skipping like a child, crossing a yard with each step. Logan with all his equipment could not keep up.

“Hey!” He called to his new friend. “Slow down.”

“Oh. Oops,” Snoff turned and grinned mischievously. “I didn’t expect you to be so slow.”

This cheeky bastard.

Logan followed Snoff deeper into the swamp, trying to keep up with the strange creature and to step where it had leapt to with its skipping.

After plummeting twice knee deep into the swamp, Logan told Tumor to mark the spots in red in his vision where Snoff had landed. The second time Logan’s leg had gone down for a drink, something had tried to crawl up his leg, and he decided to say nope to that.

The swamp was large. Logan wasn’t surprised it was there, this was a jungle after all. He was mildly surprised he hadn’t encountered it before. He shrugged mentally. It wasn’t that strange, after all. It was simply a direction Logan hadn’t traveled to before. It was not like he was well aware of the camp’s surroundings in every direction.

“Come, come,” Snoff called over his slender shoulder cheerfully, the pearly glimmer swirling around his porcelain butt, like a cloud of stars. “Must not slow down, for my home is near. ‘Tis time you meet the Faelves, tall folk.”

Soon Logan started to find more solid ground to step upon as they delved further. If he didn’t have Tumor, he was sure he’d never find back if these Faelves wouldn’t show him the way back.

Soon Logan stopped in his tracks. He was stunned. High up above the canopy, only faint light of the sun would reach down here. The highest trees must have been 80 feet tall now that the swamp had dwindled. Under the shade of these giants grew a different sort of tree.

A grove of stout trees, like oaks grew out of the ground. There were dozens of them. Their bark was a dark olive green, and their leaves were plenty and all glimmered with silver. But the fruit.

The fruit of the trees glowed a deep blue hue, and they pulsed softly.

“These are…” Logan said idly and dropped his weapons.

Snoff came up to him and grinned. “‘Tis Numa Fruit. Very delicious. Please have one. A gift from Snoff the [Explorer].

Logan approached on of the trees with a reverent silence. The branches were low from the weight of the plentiful fruits which lit up the grove like rows of christmas trees. Logan plucked a fruit with both hands. It came off gently. The pulse within was faintly warm, like the Numa crystals were.

Logan looked at Snoff, who nodded encouragingly. Then Logan bit into the fruit. It was sweet and rich. The meat was chewy and radiated a warm blue glow. Logan ate it, the sugar of the fruit rushing into his brain.

[Personal Numa Charge, 4%]

What the..?

Logan would ask about that later, but now he was too busy enjoying the fruit. Logan had experienced all the flavors the best chefs on Earth had ever had to offer. But a couple of days in the jungle, eating nothing but berries, snakes and beetles, this fruit was like fucking manna from heaven. Logan gobbled the fruit up, smearing his face with the glowing juice.

After the rapturous gluttony, Logan found himself holding the tiniest seed, a blue pea of a thing. It gave off no glow, but it pulsed ever so slightly on Logan’s palm.

[A-grade Numa-tree seed]

“What is this?” Logan asked Snoff.

Snoff picked it up. “Blessed spirits! An A-grade seed! It must be a sign. This is a good omen, friend. We shall plant this seed in your name, and so form a pact with the tall folk. Come! Come!”

Snoff grabbed his hand and frolicked forwards. They actually spent a considerable amount of time hemming and humming about the spot to plant the seed. Snoff muttered to himself.

“Should I call someone with the right class? I am bad at picking the ground.”

“Why not just put it somewhere with space so it can grow? The soil here seems really rich?” Logan suggested.

The Faelf brightened. “Yes! Of course. ‘Tis a genius idea. We can simply magick the growth later!”

Clearly pleased with Logan’s acumen, he guided them to a spot in the grove with plenty room in every direction. It wasn’t quite in the middle of the grove, but it would surely stand out. Logan wondered whether his new friend would catch flak for it, but it really wasn’t his business.

“Here!” Snoff announced, clearly pleased with himself. “Dig a hole and say a prayer with me for the spirit of Numa. Then we shall go to the court of the King of the Faelves!”

Logan did as instructed. He went and picked up his scythe-rang and carved the ground. Snoff muttered to himself in worry about using a weapon to dig the sacred ground. Logan stopped and looked at him questioningly, but Snoff only gave him eager nods, albeit with a strained, worried expression.

“‘Tis only right that a warrior people would dig with their weapons. This will only strengthen the pact. I but hope that it will not anger the spirit of Numa.”

“What’s this spirit of Numa?”

“Have you not known? But you have clearly used Numa. You have communed with her.”

“I… have?”

“You have given her your prayers, and she has answered. This is a boon, and one of the reasons I chose you.”

“Huh?” Logan stopped digging. “But everyone can use it?”

Snoff looked at him with an incredulous grin. “What? ‘Tis a preposterous joke of the tall people? Surely you jest!”

“No, man,” Logan said. “I’ve given these crystals out to a bunch of people.”

“You have, I know this,” Snuff said, barely holding a laugh. “And how many people have you seen use Numa?”

“I— uhh…”

Logan fell silent. He had not seen a single person use Numa except himself, had he? He’d seen people use tools he had made. He’d seen people take them and pocket them or bring them to his father. But had he actually seen anyone use a Numa crystal to make something. Logan asked Tumor if this was truly so.

[This creature is right.]

The look on Logan’s face was apparently priceless to Snoff. He fell down and held his sides as he rolled and laughed.

“You— ahah… You thought — ahahahahah! Whew…”

It took the little creature a while to collect himself. Logan was glaring at him, but the little Faelf only grinned.

“‘Tis not so often that the spirit of Numa blesses us with her grace,” Snoff said, still hooting with laughter as he wiped tears of joy. “Only one in twenty, nay one in thirty has the gift.”

Logan pushed his hands in the ground to make space for the seed. It had a strong earth fragrance and the ground was soft, moist and clean. Just perfect.

Could it really be that rare? Wait Can my father use Numa? What about Freya? I thought Kat and Balmer used some in the beetle-fight?

Logan pushed the seed into the ground as deep as he could and patted the earth on top of it. Then Snoff told Logan to lower his head and pray with him.

Logan tried. But while he could understand the language of Snoff, he gibbered at such a speed that he caught but a few words. Nonetheless, Logan solemnly hoped the tree would give fruit a plenty.

After Snoff was done, they got up. The Faelf grabbed Logan’s hand again.

“Come! We must go to the king’s court. He is waiting. Oh yes. A boon is waiting! And an A-grade seed… Come! We will return to your sapling later and bless it with water and spell. Come!”