After days of training before, during, and after class with the vampires, Peter, and my party, I found myself anticipating our return to Olga's classroom for an undoubtedly slow-paced day of lectures and labs.
"Magical Plants." Olga strode across the room with an eye-catching smile. "That will be the focus of our studies until the end of the quarter. Magical Plants." She stopped and faced us front and center. "And fungi too!" She beamed. "They and their non-magical counterparts are the oldest creatures in existence. They are the foundation of alchemy and artificing alike. And, like the many Trees of Life, they are what's responsible for life existing as we know it.
"Naturally, Divine Trees, like the Bodhi Tree, are the second-most sacred trees in existence." She declared with spread arms aimed up at the mighty tree above us. "As far as we are aware, a Divine Tree Seed can be obtained in two ways. The first and easiest method is to claim a seed dropped from any of the Life Trees. The second and most common method is to perform a ritual with another Divine Tree to produce a seed.
"This tree, in particular, was found by the headmaster over a millennia ago." She explained. "Even he doesn't know where it came from, but it has spawned many seeds throughout its life. Which in turn have been bestowed upon the graduates of the Guild Master course so that they can evolve their own mystics and the mystics found in the forsaken societies stretching far and wide.
"Like them, you all will start from the bottom. With magical plants, fungi, and trees. The Faerie Flax in our clothes is but one such example." She continued with a pluck of her collar and a charming smile. "However, our focus will be on live flora: Those that produce an environmental or personal effect when in close proximity to them, or when they're ingested. Examples include mood-changing spores or pheromones, and magical fruits that give buffs or auras- though sometimes at great risk, or any other effect one may think of.
"Be it an Incognito Brush or some Pitfall Taproots, you will choose two plants to grow from seed, spore, or sapling. One from my garden." She waved beyond the wall before doing the same towards a wall of potted plants and display cases. "One from my library. You will receive my help with one and nurture the other on your own and present them for a grade at the end of the quarter.
"You have until the end of today to assess my library and take your first pick. Once you do, I'll give you the basics on how to care for your plant before I release you to the garden to choose your second plant. Or, you may choose to find one during your outing tomorrow instead. Any questions?" She swiveled her head around before taking a step back and bowing. "Then take your pick!"
After waiting for the initial mob to subside, I approached the living wall to take a scan of the plaques to gain an overall idea of what these plants did.
Naturally, there were the obvious ones. Plants or fungi that radiated heat or sapped it away. Some were bioluminescent, some acted like hormone-altering incenses, and others released spores that made it easy to ignore pain or hunger.
I ended up choosing a fungus that thrived in cold darkness and released a euphoric pheromone. Then began thinking of what plant I wanted to pick and what experiment I wanted to run with it.
Naturally, my first choice was the opposite of a bioluminescent tree that had frustratingly been named the Shade Oak. It held a dissimilar likeness to the magical mark covering my chest and stomach. A great tree with a splayed hand of leafless branches poised up to the sky. Its bark was black like the permafrost of Deapou. Acting to absorb as much solar radiation as possible to channel into the ice-white grains running from root to leaf. In turn, emitting an aura of twilight that brought the silent cold of a midwinter's night.
Looking back, I'd seen a few sprouts in the woods during the last outing so it was safe to assume I could pluck a couple of them, the only question was if it would survive my experiments.
As for my Cloudhead Mushroom, Olga came to my desk to give me a summary of what's to be updated in my textbooks and released me to explore her garden until lunchtime. So I joined the few students who'd already gone through the process and went outside to wander around for the next couple of hours.
It didn't take long after that for someone to approach me out of the blue. Surprisingly, however, it was Winston Epeth who slowed to stop at my side and look around uncomfortably before turning his green eyes into mine.
"So, uhm. I was wondering if you have more reading material?"
'Of course, I do.' I snorted. Military tactics, principles of the scientific method, explanations for various natural phenomena, psychology. Things that he wasn't ready for yet.
Things that required a pledge or deal to receive. The elemental tomes were for everyone. These, however, were for the Legions.
So I asked. "What do you want to learn?"
And surprisingly, he took a look over his shoulders to whisper. "I want to learn what Odissi is like."
"Well." I sighed after a few seconds. "I could talk about it all day. But the best thing for you to do is to do as I did and see for yourself. Or maybe I'll show you someday." I shrugged. "Besides, you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me." He smirked.
"Well." I tossed my head around and thought. "The land is snowy and cold year-round, but the ground is heated by underground magma channels. Still, most of the land is barren. The citizens either live in city-states or underground complexes. They all have greenhouses in their homes and can produce their own food. Education is free for everyone. As is healthcare. And there's no tax or tribute enforced on the people."
"Then, who pays for everything?" Winston shook his head.
"My father and great-grandfather." I blankly stated. "The people still choose to give him tributes. But he saved it all for my allowance. As far as I understand, the only other source of income comes from tariffs.
"But again." I shrugged. "See for yourself one day."
***
"Good morning, everyone, and welcome to your second outing. As previously stated, you'll be allowed in the next two Zones. A wide expanse filled with hostile native beasts." Doyle's lips curled into an excited grin before he panned his head around the crowd of otherwise placid students. "You are invited to hunt and battle these creatures to your heart's content. And if any of you haven't chosen a plant for Miss Godzuik's class, today's your last chance to do so. If there are no questions, retrieve your gear from the consoles and come back here. You have ten minutes."
With his dismissal, the party scattered like roaches exposed to the light. Rushing to the nearest console to withdraw their weapons and stack up on potions and food while the heat of discussion filled the air around them.
Naturally, that extended to my team. Specifically to Slate, who was hovering over my shoulder asking about what plant I intended to pick.
'Ah. That's better.' I tucked my daggers into my waistband with a grin and patted them before turning to Slate. "It's a tree that makes twilight," I dismissively said. "My true goal for today is to do some hunting."
"But the animals here are so weak though!" Zakira groaned from my other shoulder. Being the only one of us to retrieve no gear, it was clear she meant it too.
"That's the point." I snorted. "It's hunting, not fighting. One is for sustenance. The other, experience. To stock up for the winter in a sense."
"Yeah- no. Sure. I gotcha." She dismissively waved.
"Hunting would be a good idea," Els grunted with a pat of his bag of holding. "I can finally fill up this sack of mine."
"Phrasing." I snickered with Zakira.
"Then it is settled." Slate nodded with a beaming grin. "Whoever slays the biggest beast wins!"
"Wins what?"
"Don't encourage him, Peter," I muttered. "Just nod your head and do what you want when he leaves."
"Uh, okay?" He squinted in confusion. Then turned and bulged his eyes before straining back from erupting in laughter.
I turned just in time to see Doyle hurriedly stomping out a cigarette and waddling up to us with a meek smile.
"Alright." He settled before us with a clap. "Unlike last time, I'll be staying at a central location while you venture as teams. Should you see each other, you may not attack each other or other party members. That comes later." He grinned knowingly. "Aside from that, the rules are the same as last time. You're free to take lunch whenever you please and the earliest time to leave is three in the afternoon. I'll make the final call at five. So." He stepped aside to gesture down the wide dirt path stretching behind him. "Have fun!"
"Let's go." I jerked my head to the northeast.
Evidently serving as the cue for Slate to start off through the brush, shouting over his shoulder about finding the largest beast in these woods. And I just watched him go. Wondered if he even remembered why we were here in the first place.
"Well." I turned to Peter with a sigh. "We can't stray too far from him, but I suggest you do the same and stock up on as much food as you can."
"You don't need to tell me." He called snorted. Then ran off with Els into the brush behind Slate. Leaving Zakira and I, standing alone in the thicket.
Having placed Beacons on the both of them, I made a quick detour to find and pluck a few shade sprouts. Netting a total of three just in case of a failure and then a fourth because I didn't like odd numbers. And with that, I followed Zakira around before she found and pulled the plant she was looking for. A clear mix between a flytrap and a pitcher plant.
A Blood Bog Weed, according to my book. A carnivorous plant that attracted insects and small mammals to its slicked lid. Inevitably causing the prey to fall into its barbed bowl to be punctured and injected with a liquefying venom. Causing the viscera to leak and accumulate into its bucket to be absorbed over time. Leaving a preserved, but sweet-smelling husk to attract the next prey.
"Jeez." I chuckled dryly, looking back to the plant. "That's fucking brutal."
"It's a vampiric delicacy." She explained with a pompous flick of her hair. "As a human, you wouldn't understand."
"I keep having to remind people that I'm only half-human." I sighed.
"You wouldn't have to if your hair didn't hang over your ears." She chided. Then leaned in to tuck the right side of my locs behind my ear while the left remained hanging loosely over my face.
"Yeah." I sighed. Even with my relatively recent trimming, my hair has gotten noticeably longer. As it did in my last life, my hair grew remarkably fast and absurdly thick. Which was why I had it locked in the first place. But if I were to live for centuries or more in this universe, it'd surely become an annoyance over time.
Though, in this magical universe, I was sure I'd find more than one solution for my illustriously long locs.
"What'cha thinkin' about?" Zakira teasingly bumped her shoulder into mine.
Growling, I turned to her with the greatest look of annoyance I could muster and sneered. "I forgot." Then increased my pace to step ahead of her.
Of course, it was a lie, but without my Eternal Eye, I truly would've forgotten. And that in itself was among my greatest pet peeves.
Though, she seemed to get the point and subtly hung her head as if to apologize before trailing after me.
"Have you ever hunted before?" I asked after a few steps. If only to change the mood. "Humans not included." I laughed.
"No." She shook her head.
"Really." I recoiled. "Have you ever had human blood?"
"A few times." She nodded with maddeningly wide eyes. "It tastes, like, really good. And it made me, like, really strong. But I don't like drinking everybody's blood. Most bad people taste bad, ya know? And most good people usually aren't willing to let me bite them."
"That's fair, I suppose." I shrugged. "But then, what constitutes bad in your eyes?"
"People that hurt people for no reason. Duh!" She giggled, bumping into me again. "And people who take away other people's freedoms. Like the opposite of you!"
"Of me?" I recoiled again.
"Yeah!" She leaned in towards me, smiling. "I mean, you helped the entire party."
"I trained them." I corrected her with a raised finger. "For self-interest, might I add."
"But you trained Peter first. You gave him power. And before you say, 'Peter already had power.' You also gave him courage."
Having no words, I remained silent. Squinting at her for a few long moments before I closed my slack mouth and pointed an accusing finger at her. "Is… is that what you think I sound like? Bowed up arms and all?"
"Hehehe! No. But it was funny, wasn't it?" She giggled. Then gave me a 'gentle' push that shoved me an entire meter away. "Don't change the subject!"
"So, I gave Peter power, wisdom, and courage. That means I gave him freedom?" I asked, somewhat amused. 'How nostalgic.'
"Uh, yeah! And he doesn't care about being judged by freckles anymore."
"Haha. Freckles." I shook my head.
"Peter's free from his fears of being bullied. He's free of hate. He's free to trust himself and follow his dreams. You gave him that." She leaned on my shoulder. "You should talk to him again. Like we did before. He's really broken out of his shell since then."
"So have you, it seems." I chuckled. Making her shy away immediately.
But in all seriousness, I was curious if what she said was true. I've only spent time with Peter while training. Any other time, I was following my own endeavors. So it was obvious he'd continue to talk and develop relations with the rest of the party with me gone.
"You're right though." I nodded. "I think I will."
"Good." She hummed. Then pulled away to face the brush and assume a stance just before an overgrown ostrich stumbled onto the path with an ear-splitting shriek.
She leapt before it could even finish. Closing the distance in a blur to latch onto its neck and bite like an overgrown tick. Forcing a comical croaking sound to pierce the still morning before it staggered and eventually fell, unmoving on the cold ground.
"Sorry." Zakira came up gasping a few seconds later and wiped the blood from her chin. "I was hungry."
"No worries," I said, storing the corpse in my shadow.
From there, we aimlessly wandered a few ways behind and to the side of the others. Encountering more of the overgrown birds and a variety of other fauna along the way. Among them were big cats, a family of rather large bears, and a muscled, featherless bird that truly qualified as raptors.
Easy prey for the likes of the two of us. So I debated on sending the Menagerie out to meet them, only to end up adding two bears and a raptor to the collection before regrouping with the others for lunch.
"How goes the challenge?" Slate ran up beaming the moment he saw me.
"I got this." I pulled Papa Bear's corpse from my shadow and held it suspended in the air for a moment before storing it away again.
"Hah!" Slate threw his arms towards the nearly severed rhino behind him. "I win!"
"Yeah, but can you eat that?" Peter asked, grimacing.
"Of course!" Slate nodded.
Rolling my eyes, I parted from the party to eat and smoke in silence until lunch ended. At which time, we elected to roam and do some hunting as a group. Taking turns to dispatch the many beasts came our way.
Els and Peter didn't need words to store their gains away and handoff whatever they couldn't fit to me. Who offered to make them separate pocket dimensions rather than mingle their wares with what's stored in my shadow. Which had exploded in contents as a result of Zakira giving me her drained corpses for free. Making them a prized commodity that I sparingly shared with the other two.
Our adventures also gave me a chance to gauge their companion's abilities in a real environment. And, gladly, they were a lot more reliable than I gave them credit for.