Plants

Surprisingly, there were no more monsters after they defeated the giant centipede. They embarked down the steep, winding path. Empty caves lines both sides like dormitory rooms.

Since they entered the labyrinth’s lower section, the air became stale. However, the air in this winding path was pure and cool.

Finally, at the end of the path, they found a cave unlike any others.

There was a feeling of peace in the air. Their steps quieted unconsciously as they approached.

The Witch, illuminating the way at the front, paused before the entrance. She tipped her cane forward into the cave. Several light orbs separated from the cane and floated up, illuminating the whole room.

The cave was no bigger than the Witch’s house. The rocky walls go up straight until it curved into a round smooth dome taller than the centipede they fought.

At first, the group couldn’t see much except for an empty cave. The Fleur was the first to detect the plants.

“I can feel them,” the Fleur said, their voice full of wonder and awe. “They’re all over the room, on the ground, on the walls.”

The Scholar adjusted his glasses. “I can feel something, but it’s hard to see anything.” He went through several adjustments until he found the right one. “Oh my,” he said, eyes wide open, head turning this way and that, looking all around the room with his jaw slack in amazement.

“There’s mana all over the place, I’m guessing those are the plants,” the Succubus said.

“I’ve never felt such pure mana,” the Paladin sighed, closing his eyes. The tension melted away from his body. “It’s so surreal, like I’m bathed in blessings.”

“It really does feel different when you’re not trying to run for your life,” the Witch said.

The Fleur plucked something from the ground. At first, it didn’t look like there was anything in their hand except a heatwave-like distortion.

When they stood up, a dead plant limped over their open hand. The transparent had taken on a material form. Its delicate patterns of snow-white silk connected and intersected with each other, forming the plant’s skeleton.

The skeleton of the mana plant had long leaves that ended in a rounded curve. From between the leaves arose long and elegant stems where small, thumb-sized flowers bloomed. A small cup sprouted in the center of the flower. Round, dimpled petals fanned out in a single layer, crowning the cup,.

“It died before I had a chance to absorb it into my body,” the Fleur said, their brows drooping in disappointment. Their fingers lightly went over the skeletal plant. “It doesn’t have any stamens or pistils.” The Fleur’s eyes shined with curiosity and fascination.

The rest of the group gathered around her and looked in.

“It reminds you of mana channels, doesn’t it?” the Scholar said.

“I wouldn’t know,” the Paladin said. “I’ve never seen mana channels before.”

The Scholar broke off a small piece and studied it in his hands. “It even feels like mana channels if it were to have form. It’s slippery and soft, almost the same consistency.”

No one thought it would be easy to manipulate the mana plants into a form that would be useful to healing Blue. The Scholar knelt on the ground and examined the flowers. While they were transparent enough to appear invisible, a breeze ruffling the plants was enough to distort the ground and the wall.

The Scholar lowered his face almost to the floor. Without calibrating his glasses, he could make out one plant even with his naked eyes.

When the Scholar reached out to touch it, he wouldn’t have realized he had made contact with the mana plant because there was so little to feel. It was too soft, too weak. It bent at his slightest touch like he was touching the softest fur of the finest quality. Yet, strangely enough, it hardened under his touch as if it had learned to become resilient.

Just when the Scholar was starting to feel that he was touching real substance, the plant wilted in front of his eyes. It collapsed like weightless feathers and fell to the ground in a clump of thin silk.

“It died,” the Scholar said, “and I didn’t pluck it from the ground this time.”

“You didn’t do anything strange to it?” the Paladin asked.

“No, I only touched it here and there. At first, it felt like I was touching nothing, but the plant started to solidify before it died,” the Scholar said. “Try touching it and see if the same thing happens?”

The rest of the group experimented. They made sure to start at the same time. They repeated the same experiment with the same results. The flowers underneath the Witch’s and the Succubus’s hands died first, followed by the Fleur. The Paladin’s flower died last by a long shot.

“Perhaps it’s because he was wearing his armored gloves?” the Succubus said. “It seems like it might be related to the amount of mana we possess.”

The Paladin took off his glove and touched the plant with his bare hands. Even though the order of the plant wilting was the same, it took a much shorter time for the Paladin’s plant to die.

“I think we can safely conclude that the plants are affected by our mana,” the Scholar said. “I was thinking that we could camp here during our stay, but I think we should camp elsewhere.”

They set up camp in the empty cave next door. It was strange, very strange, that there are no monsters down here after they defeated the centipede. These caves near the mana plants were empty and clean—no traces of carcasses, droppings, footprints, as if the monsters avoided this place. It was as if the monsters in the labyrinth purposely avoided coming here. Or perhaps the centipede has stood guard to prevent any creatures from coming further.

The group settled their bed rolls, and the Succubus threw up the diamond orb to set up a barrier. Although much smaller than the mana plant cave, the camping cave was just big enough to accompany the barrier. Strangely enough, even though they were deep underground, it was not cold and damp like the rest of the labyrinth. Even in the cave where they fought the centipede, it had been chilly and humid to the point where they thought they might catch a cold if they stayed there a few days.

The Scholar and the Fleur spent their time with the mana plants, studying them, taking them apart without uprooting them, experimenting.

Unfortunately, the Paladin did not have the skills or knowledge to help with the mana plants. He tidied up the camp, prepped for meals, and did whatever was in his capacity to make their time here underground more comfortable.

The Succubus didn’t have much to do either, but she liked hunting. She prowled through the labyrinth to clear the way for their return to the surface.

The Witch, who didn’t like hunting and didn’t like just sitting around doing nothing, explored the caves. It was the first time that she was able to be alone, finally, although it took some convincing to let the Succubus be alright with it.

“If you need anything from me, just send me a message,” the Witch said to the Scholar and the Fleur.

“We’ll probably need you at some point, but not right now,” the Scholar said. “Let us know if you find more caves with mana plants or mana whatever. It’d be better if there are mana animals, then we can directly extract their mana channels.”

The Fleur, studying the rooted mana plants next to the Scholar, scrunched their face in disgust.

“What, you think it’s too cruel,” the Scholar asked.

The Fleur nodded bitterly.

Just as the Scholar was about to go into another speech about his view of the differences between life forms, the Witch interjected. “I doubt such a creature would exist, but I’ll let you know.”

The Scholar, taking the hint, sat back down and resumed his work. “I know there are plenty of mana plants here, but since our bodies leak out a small amount of mana and our auras are composed of our manas, it would be great if there’s another room full of these plants.”

“How about we cloak our mana? That should limit a lot of mana leak and prevent a good part of contamination,” the Fleur suggested.

The Scholar shook his head. “If we’re not in an underground system where monsters can appear at any moment, I’d be alright with it. But we’re attacked out of nowhere with our mana cloaked, the others won’t be able to sense that we’re in danger,” the Scholar said.

“I think I sense some mana plant that way,” the Fleur pointed to one side of the cave.

Openings big and small strewed about the cave walls. The one that the Fleur pointed to was a small hole barely big enough for a child to crawl through.

“That won’t be possible, but I’ll go here instead,” the Witch said, putting her hand on a crevice narrow enough for one person to squeeze through. The Witch illuminated her cane and headed in.