Reincarnated As A Plant Life

"We won't be too long. If something happens, make sure the rest of the commune gets to safety and protect Asclepius's pod as long as possible. Worst-case scenario, try to make as much noise as possible while you battle. My hearing has improved, so there's a chance I'll be able to hear it," Lucius commanded, to which Hannibal nodded his head slowly.

Lucius understood that leaving Hannibal as the sole protector of the camp was going to be risky, to say the least. However, without Ghost and Pagan coming along, the mission might take longer than needed.

And with the risk of there being other Eiknyr-like entities in this forest, Lucius didn't want to be left alone to rely on otherwise risky powers—such as the mystic mantle or kumulipo.

Not to mention that he was now restricted on the amount of Rena he could use.

"Hmm... well, if you do get into battle, remember all the techniques at your disposal. There's always more than one way of using those skills, especially your most recent one," Lucius added.

"Don't worry about me; the remaining guards are more than enough to give me support," Hannibal replied, apparently noticing the worry in Lucius's voice.

"Then I'll leave you to it," Lucius responded.

*

After collecting the members of his entourage, he and all the others set off towards the first target location: 'The Aternite mines'.

The furtong in the entourage knew of one relatively nearby, where several of their relatives were being forced to slave away. Apparently, such mistreatment of lower-tier creatures has been going on for so long that escape attempts don't happen often anymore.

Of course, Lucius's main priority was going to be the Aternite itself; everything else was secondary.

As they moved through the forest, they were arranged such that Lucius scouted the front as he was the fastest, Ghost remained 'invisible' alongside the bear-man leader to protect the entourage, and Pagan took the vanguard, since he had the most firepower after Lucius.

Their journey took them back towards the inner areas of the forest, where the trees grew to touch the heavens and their translucent leaves fell to the ground like snow.

*

Lucius was a blur as he zipped past the falling leaves, leaving a small gust of wind in his wake. Whenever he spotted even a small presence coming in the path ahead, he made a detour, not wanting to waste any solar energy or Rena on unnecessary encounters.

Of course, this meant he had to stop often and ask the furtong of the group whether they were still heading in the right path.

*[2 hours later]

~This is the fourth break we've taken in the past two hours. Something needs to be done about the group's stamina,~ Lucius thought to himself in slight annoyance.

In fact, even Pagan hardly seemed exhausted, as allergic to physical activity as he was. However, he supposed it was unfair to compare himself and his children to these creatures who didn't have a system.

"How far away is it from here?" Lucius asked, looking far into the forest.

It was a beautiful place... serene. One would think it paradise if they weren't aware of the creatures that nestled high on the treetops.

Lucius was yet to find out what exactly they were, but he knew them to be all over the pristine forest, even at the earlier 'alien zone'.

He suspected that they were opportunistic beasts of sorts, as they never moved to attack. However, he noticed several of them following the group earlier, particularly above the cynomys within the entourage.

~Whatever they are, I doubt going up to find out will do me any good,~ he thought to himself.

"I believe we are almost there, Lighted One," one of the furtong replied a little hesitantly.

~It's settled; we need maps,~ Lucius decided before gesturing for the group to continue their advance.

*

30 minutes later, Lucius noticed several energy readings spring up in the distance. And with each passing tree, more and more readings appeared.

"We're here, aren't we?" he whispered to himself, before suddenly halting.

Several meters away, the landscape abruptly transitioned from vibrant vegetation and colossal trees to an odd blue substance. From here, it sort of seemed like a part of the ocean had cut off into the forest; however, the lack of waves and the rather dull nature of the colour rubbished this thought.

"Hmm, no guards? Suspicious," Lucius whispered to himself, right as the rest of the group arrived behind him.

"Is something-" Pagan was about to ask, before Lucius gave a 'shushing' gesture, immediately cutting him off.

"Ghost, go scout that area over there. There might be creatures hiding behind some of the trees. Keep an eye above as well," Lucius whispered, pointing towards the last line of trees before the landscape changed.

No response came; however, Lucius was certain that she had already gone to carry out her task.

"I'm guessing the blue stuff over there isn't Aternite," he asked, now regarding one of the furtong.

"Unfortunately not, Lighted One. The Aternite can only be found deep underground. The blue rock is Acron, a very common material," the furtong replied.

"How do the mines usually look? How big are they? How much protection do their entrances have?" Lucius asked next, speaking quickly, without letting a breath pass between his words.

Two of the furtong in the group shook their heads apologetically, apparently unsure of that information. Though it wasn't surprising, Lucius doubted that anyone who had worked in the mines would be a free man today.

"The mines have several magic users at the entrance; however, they are only there to protect the Aternite being sent out. I've never been inside the mines myself, but my father once told me a story that there are high-level magic users within the mines that protect the workers from Terra-beasts," one of the furtong replied suddenly.

~Terra-beasts?~ Lucius wondered to himself, before quickly dismissing the thought. Whatever they were was of no importance right now as they wouldn't be entering the mines anyway.

"You said that they ship out Aternite... to the council members, I'm guessing?" he asked instead, to which the furtong nodded.

~Good, then today it seems that the council will be losing a few tons of Aternite... and maybe a few good magic users,~ he thought to himself, before turning to Pagan.

"How well can you use the solar beam?" he asked, before pulling out his crux. At this point, the 'Rena chains' had already completely disappeared.

"Not as well as you, Lighted One," Pagan whispered back.

"When you cast it, prioritize intensity over everything else. And use Elmando to make it extremely thin; it'll take some getting used to, but I'm sure with your talent you'll manage," Lucius explained, showcasing the skill on a spot on the ground.

His control over Elmando seemed to have improved after his time in Asclepius's mindscape, as he was now able to keep the size of the beam quite steady.

"I will try my best, Lighted One," Pagan said, nodding his head.

All the while, the other creatures in the group watched on in awkward silence, understanding that at the level they were at, Lucius couldn't see them as anything more than the extra weight that needed to be protected.

"We won't be taking on any prolonged battles. It'll be a hit-and-run. If we can't get the materials we need fast enough, we'll hit them from multiple places until they retreat," Lucius whispered.

He wasn't yet certain about the layout of the mine they would be attacking, however, he wanted Pagan to have a general gist of the way things were going to be done. Lest he try something crazy.

"The solar beam I'm teaching you is relatively hard to spot and doesn't attract as much attention as all our other spells. It's also very penetrative, with enough energy you can probably kill within a few seconds," Lucius continued, in a serious tone.

"If possible, I want you to avoid killing any magic users. Disfigure them as much as you want, but I want them alive. I want to learn more about the magic they use, so keep them sane enough to answer questions," he added.