Our two companions are currently following the path they presume to be the one that would allow them to arrive at the flower field on which our protagonist was born.
Similar to their way to the slope the ceiling of the cave is filled with holes. The further they go the more these holes are replaced by moss.
The blinding yellow light slowly changes into a fluorescent bluish light.
After half an hour of walking, they slowly recognize their surroundings. Boulders rise from the ground and the ground and walls are scared. Deep gushes are scratched into them. Due to their irregular placement, they can only assume that different beasts mutilated these walls.
After another ten minutes, they arrive near the gorge leading down to the small river. Looking around for tracks they cannot see anything. The only thing they can see is that the Hydromags seem to have left upstream. No tracks can be found identifying that they went back the way they came.
Deciding to follow their original plan, they head off and walk in the direction in which they should find the flower field. While walking our protagonist is currently checking the available information.
Over the course of her whole life, she only used and understood a small part of what she can use.
Reading up on different cultures, races and the general anatomy of humans was perhaps a bit boring, but in the long run, such information would be vital.
She would need to do so until she could find a soul with sufficient strength and tenacity to endure the purification and integration with her System. At that point, the System could interact with her and she would not need to manually input everything. At the moment she needs to constantly and consciously supply energy when she wants to use it. her attention has to be focused on the search. In a fight or during a conversation it would prove difficult. In a fight you'd be open for attacks and blanking out during a conversation is not the best thing.
Right now she would take the first soul she can get and forcefully integrate it. It would die after some time but at least it would make the whole thing easier.
Back to her studying session. She was currently trying to decide on the next step to take on the path of bodily cultivation. Her kidneys were reinforced and now she had to decide on what to do next.
She cannot strengthen the heart just yet. Her body is too weak and the brain is to complex.
Her control of energy is astounding for someone her age but tampering with the brain has to lead to the death of people with strength far, far, far above her own. Something like that should be done under the right conditions. A good external energy source, a quiet environment, and some calming and soothing potions as well as a manual for guidance. As far as she could deduce that information would appear later on. Probably after the third evolution.
But just because she has yet to unlock such knowledge doesn't mean she cannot prepare.
One step would be learning a language she is going to use for her spells. Normally a Protoss could choose by itself, but ever since the Protoss from Earth shared his information with the hive no Protoss has used another language.
Latin. As far as his information describes, this language has been father and mother to a plethora of languages. It once was the national language for an empire stretching across continents. Being such a wide-spoken language it had its benefits in learning. But over the time this ancestor experienced a sharp decline in this particular language. It became a "dead language". Something her ancestor could not understand. He knew the humans on this planet were weak but couldn't they see the power this language held.
Somehow the creators came close to the origin. The Protoss had a hypothesis. The creators of the Latin language must have found relics, dating back to the creators. Deriving their own language from these relics the language naturally has a close relation to energy itself.
Spells cast through such a language would be stronger, faster and less likely to misfire.
Latin is not the emperor of languages but it should be a part of the higher stages.
For a starter like her, this would be a giant benefit.
---------------------------------------------------
While she was occupied with her thoughts and deductions they slowly arrived near the flower field. The bluish light faded and golden light illuminated a big patch of grass. Flowers of all sorts grew wildly.
Aconitum, Alchemilla, Euphorbia, Iberis, Moonflowers, and Statice.
Strangely she could recognize some of the flowers as flowers from Earth. She would have to check their effects later on.
The first thing she had planned was to check for whatever could be leftover from her birthing process.
Moving towards the stone platform, near the wall, she only sees a slight indention in the middle of it. Whatever was here has either been taken and used during her body tempering or has by now turned into whatever. Perhaps gas?
While expecting this outcome, she couldn't help but be slightly disappointed. Who would reject free gifts? Something that could have been helpful, like the egg shards, would have been a big asset.
Not forgetting her goal she bends down and plucks one of the flowers growing in the surroundings.
Carefully inspecting the flower she first notices the pattern on its petals.
They resemble runes and glyphs. They stretch from the center of the flower and its stem to the petals tip. Using her energy and infusing it into the flower she hopes for a reaction.
And she would not be disappointed!
Instantly an intense scent of...metal spread around. While being surprised by such a strange scent she could not associate it with anything but metal. It simply "felt" like metal.
In a short period of time, the flower began to wither and die. Once the flower crumbled and turned to dust it stopped spreading the scent. The already emitted scent still lingered in the air.
Intrigued she decided to have the system scan the air.
*Commencing Scan*
Sample taken
Analyzing
32%
65%
89%
Finished Scan
Elements - 45% | Air, Earth, Water, Fire, Lightning
Further elements detected.
The abnormally high concentration of metal energy in the immediate surroundings
Warning issued: Metallic energy could lead to an overdose - metal poisoning
Breathable Air - 55% | Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon, water vapor, carbon dioxide
Further components detected
*No harmful elements found*
They were poisonous?! Without a second thought, she ran to Idan grabbed him by the neck and sprinted out of the flower field. Once outside she immediately checked for any signs of Idan being poisoned. She herself did not need to fear. Her Resistance would be able to handle that bit, but Idan was vulnerable.
Under the confused gaze from Idan, she proceeded to check his eyes, mouth, and nostrils for any signs of poisoning. Weirdly colored skin, slowing reaction of nerves and whatever else could be symptoms.
Idan was smart enough to notice that he should not protest right now. And honestly? It did not feel half bad. If she was a bit gentler it would be quite enjoyable. Thinking so he waits until she is finished.
"Now. What made you so scared?"
"Scared? I was only concerned about you. And the flowers or at least some of them release energy. It could poison you with an overdose of the specific energy."
Shuddering at the thought of the flowers being poisonous, a smile creeps onto Idan's face.
"You were concerned about me? Seems like your warming up to me. Should I start calling you girlie and think of a nickname for you, my friend?"
Chuckling to himself, Idan is happy about the rather fast transformation in his companions perception. To be honest, he expected this to take months.
That interaction with the female called Emma must have left a lasting impression. Such a flood of emotions can only leave an imprint on a girl who, up to now, did not know about most emotions and how to act on them.
Taking it as a big step forward, he focuses back on her reaction. He expected something similar to: What do you mean or what are you talking about.
Surprisingly she was caught up in her first real expression of emotion. These are emotions? The sadness and urge she felt compelled her to get Idan out of the field as fast as she can. She felt...sad about the fact that Idan might get poisoned. It would not be particularly horrible. She could heal him and he could probably do so himself.
Somehow she did not think her action through. She just acted.
"Let's talk about this after I finished picking the flowers."
Nodding, Idan agreed and proceeded to sit down and watch how she went back into the field. Taking the flowers alongside their roots she bundles them and afterward deposits them inside her storage ring.
(Let's see whether or not they all fit in...)