Limits

Chapter 246

Apam showed me the place, where they reared animals for food. They looked very similar to the bulls, I encountered in Vulture Cliffs. Although these bulls were not orange in colour, but red. I asked Apam about them, and he said "These are called Taurus, they are very friendly, so we kill them outside of the group. We don't want them to be scared all the time". I thought 'So the name is the same as well. Their nature is also the same, but the colour is different. It might be due to the environment change'.

The moth like creatures were there as well, they looked less ugly, and more like butterflies. Apam explained, when I asked "These are Great Flies. They are helping us keep the Apium in the condition you see today. They are not aggressive, and take care of the weeds as well as pests, like bugs and so on. They have a short lifespan though, so we really take care of them". Again, there was a similar creature, that I met in the Vulture Cliffs. Although the Vulture Cliffs Variant was called Great Moths, and they were considered half pests and half useful, the Variant in Apium was only useful. It even killed off the pests.

I didn't try to explain the details, of what I saw inside the Vulture Cliffs, to Apam. There was no need for me to do that. Besides, I already knew that Avians stole their stuff. Apam then showed me, a kind of central region of their home Apium. There were loads of tall trees, with huge crowns full of leaves. A lot of houses and other buildings, were on top of them. Apam explained "This is the central region of Apium. It's where our guests stay, and where you can buy, as well as sell your stuff. If you go around this place, you can find some work too".

He then said "Come with me, I will show you where you can stay". I nodded, and followed after Apam. He climbed the tree, and then realised something. He stopped and looked back, but I was climbing the tree as well. He probably forgot to ask, if I could climb it, or not. I could of course, when I was a kid, I used to climb trees as well.

When we climbed to the top, there were some wooden bridges suspended between the houses, and buildings. Apam walked towards one such building, and said "It's here. Let's go inside, and I will tell the owner, that you will be staying here". I nodded my head, and we walked inside.

An old Atol, sat behind the well crafted counter. When he saw us enter, he asked "How can I help you Apam?". Apam replied "This is my friend, who helped me out in the Arena. Can you give him one room?". The Atol nodded, and said "Of course, the room to the far right is empty, he can take that one". Apam nodded, and took me to my room.

The room contained a bed, which was made from wood. It was very well crafted, even though it looked to be made from those dead trees outside. The trees were not really dead, but they looked like it. Besides the bed, the room also had a window, desk and two chairs. There was also a small shelf in the corner, next to the window. The room had no locks, but I guessed that Atols valued privacy, and didn't need locks in order to stay private.

Apam said "This room is a bit small, but you can stay here as long as you want. When you are ready to leave, just notify the owner, and say visit me to say goodbye". I nodded, and replied "Can do". Apam then continued "If you want to, I can show you the sculpture of our ancestors, as well as the large lake, with clean and fresh water". I nodded my head, and said "We can go now. I already know which room is mine". Apam nodded, and we left, to explore the Apium more.

Our next destination, was the statue of Atols' ancestors. When we arrived, I noticed a statue of three huge apes, that stood there proudly, with their chests raised forwards. Apam said "These are the ancestors, who started this whole place. The statue was made by master craftsmen a long time ago, after the ancestors passed away. The tradition still lives to this day. Many Atols are craftsmen, or take care of Apium by planting and growing more plants".

The statue itself, was made from wood, but it seemed to be some kind of special wood. Not only the wood didn't decay, it still looked pristine, as if it was carved a moment ago. The three Atols, seemed to represent three different aspects of their culture. One was depicted with flowers, as well as vines growing around him. The other was depicted with a piece of wood, and a carving knife, probably to symbolize that Atols liked to create. The last Atol was the most muscular, and had a stave in his hands. Probably represented a great warrior, that protected his land.

I asked "Was this very long time ago?". Apam scratched his head, and said "Very long time, but I don't know how long". I nodded my head, and asked "Why not show me that lake of yours?". Apam nodded, and said "Alright, follow me!". As we walked toward the lake, Apam said "That place is great. The young ones like to spend a lot of time there, playing in the water. Although, besides plants, nothing else lives inside the lake".

We soon arrived at our destination, and a large blue lake appeared in front of me. "Amazing!" I exclaimed out loud. Apam laughed, and said "Isn't it? A lot of people who come here for the first time, also exclaim like you". I asked "Is this safe to drink?". Apam walked over to the lake, cupped his hands, and lifted some of the water up. He then drank it, and said "Of course, this is what we drink. You can try it, it's fresh".

I walked over, and did the same. Indeed, the water was clean and fresh. I asked "How did you manage to keep the water clean?". Apam replied "The plants at the bottom, do it for us. The Atols responsible for the lake, also sprinkle some kind of dust once in a while. This keeps the water clean and fresh". I nodded, and asked another question "Right, but if you use it all the time, then how is the lake still full?".

He scratched his head, and said "I don't know, I never thought about it. Atols responsible for taking care of this lake, might know. Want to visit them?". I nodded my head, and said "Sure". We walked around the lake, and climbed one of the trees, that had a building on top of it. Inside, were a few female Atols. One of them asked "Apam? You don't come here often, and with a guest nonetheless". Apam replied "My guest is wondering, how come we still have water in lake? We use it everyday, but the lake is still full".

She smiled, and said "That is simple. The plants produce water". I then asked "Can plants produce water?". She nodded, and said "Of course, these plants can. The lake is half full of these sorts of plants, while the other half, is populated with plants that purify the water. We sprinkle the Aranid Dust once in awhile, to feed the water producing plants. That is how, we still have lake full of water". I exclaimed "Amazing! Is it possible to get a few of these plants?". She shook her head, and said "Unfortunately, no. We cannot give you any, even if you paid us. These plants cannot leave Apium, under any circumstances".

I nodded my head, and said "I understand". She then continued "We can show them to you, but we cannot give any. If you want to see some, we can dive into water". I replied "That would be great! I may be able to study them without taking them with me". She seemed surprised, and asked "You like to study plants?". I nodded my head, and said "Yes, I study plants to make medicine. The medicine I gave to Apam at the Arena, was created by me". She seemed elated, and said "It's nice to see someone, who likes to do the same stuff as we do here. Come with me, I will show you the bottom of the lake".