Finally A Good Rest

"Shall we get going?" Zyra looked over the horizon. She started to looked around before taking a few steps in a direction. 

Lucas thought it was odd. There was no ant like hill or anything above the hive. Only a single hole that was filled with earth by Zyra. The one around them was flat.

"Are all Xeomorph hives completely hidden like this?" He asked while looking around for any other holes or any signs of the hive. He couldn't see anything indicating they were above a hive.

Zyra chuckled before walking in a certain direction. "Most Hives are like this. They find wide open area's and burrow underneath. It's almost like a trap. They don't want anyone who can fly above to know where they are. The worst is on jungle worlds. They hide extremely well there." 

She watched her step as she stepped lightly atop the Xeomorph hive. Not sure what else to do besides follow, Lucas copied her footwork. Each and every step and just as lightly. As they walked Zyra took a few detours around, to Lucas, random plots of land. They were heading the same direction, but the path they followed was more like a child drawing a squiggles on a map. 

The circled around plots of land. They even took a minute break or to. Zyra had to back track a few times as something in front of her didn't look right and turned around. Lucas would have complained, but when the first sun had set the land was much much cooler. It was odd. Even with a sun, further away from the first, there was still light, but more a twilight. It was slightly dimmer, but still daylight. Though if he lived on the planet he would count this as night time and sleep. 

After an hour of two of following Zyra, Lucas finally asked the big question. "Where exactly are we going Zyra? I thought we were going to travel back through the hive hidden till we met back up with Xylon and Kaelon. Why are we on the surface?"

"We are heading towards them" she said as we watched her footing. "I've teamed up with Kaelon and Xylon before. When we need a hidden base, I cause a distraction while they get away to make said hidden base. I also mark them with a piece of psionic energy for a technique I call [Psionic Map Mark]. I creates a mental map where I always know where they are and their position on the planet."

"I try to loop around in a big circle to head back to them. When we are close enough I can send a one or two word message for them to know where we are. We are going to position ourselves above them and let them know. They can dig upward and grab us." 

Lucas slowly nodded while half listening to her. He got the just of what she was saying, but his attention was drawn back to the ground. He was also trying to figure out why Zyra was walking, and him, a certain way. 

Slightly turning her head back she smiled seeing how clumsy Lucas looked trying to mimic her footwork. He was clearly an amateur cultivator yet as she thought about it she felt a sense of fear from him. He wielded great power yet was like a child. She recalled just moments ago the smile on his face as he decimated hundreds of Hooked Runners. 

There were many that she met in the CIA that enjoyed killing Hooked Runners, but Lucas was different. He had no knowledge of them and no animosity than being told to kill them by the Generals and Agents. It was like, to her, that Lucas enjoyed killing for the sake of killing. 

She shook her head tossing those ideas out. Lucas might have a bloodlust, but that didn't define him. He didn't act arogenate or showboating. He was as she thought, a kid with power who needed to learn to refine it. Maybe she should help out as a friend? 

"Lucas can you tell me about your Master and how you are being trained?" Zyra asked as nonchalantly as possible. 

Caught off guard by the question he almost stepped somewhere he shouldn't. Zyra had quickly turned back and grabbed him. Pulling him back on the invisible path she was walking. "Careful Lucas" she said slightly surprised. "We are stepping around other tunnels to the Hive. I'm able to sense the shadows underneath so we can avoid them."

"Ah that makes so much more sense" Lucas said while looking back from the way they asked. "So what's with this question about my Master all of a sudden?" He spoke softly as he followed Zyra's footsteps again. 

She just shrugged. "I'm just curious about knowing more of our group. I know some details about Xylon and Kaelon's training. I try to help out when I can. My Master always say 'Even in the Shadows close friends can be helpful' or so she says."

Some food for thought for Lucas. "Well" his voice was low. "I can't really discuss my Master. He prefers to remain in the shadows. No pun intended. That being said he isn't the best teacher. He's taught me a few things here and there, but I feel like he hasn't taught me the basics of cultivation or even the Path I'm on. So I feel like I'm lacking compared to those around me."

"The worst part is my Master believes in the 'Reinvent of the Wheel' train of thought. That the only way to progress is to reinvent the wheel. Learning through trial and error as to allow me to problem solve on my own without relying on help. Granted I have one person who is able to help me, but they are rather...reluctant to explain anything unless I ask certain questions." 

'Interesting' Zyra thought as she listened to Lucas. "He seems to be a lazy Master to me. Has he taught you how to cultivate your Nodes at least? That's the first thing you must master."

"He did" Lucas said while nodding his head. "Although I have to get through his test before I'm ready to cultivator. Or so he told me."

"A test? What kind of test would he ask of you?" She asked perplexed. She had never heard of a Master testing their apprentice before teaching them how to cultivate. If they were an apprentice then that would already mean they had passed their text to learn how to cultivator.

It's like putting shoes on before your pants. One can do it, but it's much harder to put the pants on after you have shoes on. She thought his Master must have a screw loose or two.

"No idea" he said with a shrug. "He just sent me here and said I will be tested on something." Lucas did his best to come up with a lie as he fleshed it out. "After some time he said he'd reach back out for my final evaluation"

Zyra nodded her head and remained silent. She wasn't sure what type of teacher Lucas's Master was, but he defiantly had a unique teaching style. 

Trying to avoid awkward silence. The two talked about for another hour about what they'd like to do once they are out of this training as they continued their walk. The cool twilight hours of the planet were pleasant. There was a cool breeze that would roll over the lands sweeping up dust. There wasn't a single sound besides their breathing and the whistle of the wind.

Once they arrived to the middle of nowhere, even though they were already in the middle of nowhere, Zyra raised her hand to stop Lucas. "We are here. I'll send them a message to dig upward." 

She opened her palm to the ground as a single dim purple sphere floated out of her hand and into the ground. She took a step back and the two waited in silence for half an hour before they began to feel a rumbling sound from under the earth. The two took a step back as the earth began to move an hole formed. Kaelon popped his head out. He smiled and clicked his mandibles together. 

"It's about time you guys showed back up" he said jokingly. "I assume that earthquake was you guys?" He said with a clicking of his mandibles as he chuckled. 

"It was" Zyra said noddingly. "Is the base hidden?"

"Yup!" He said proudly. "We have many tunnels that lead to dead ends, but are only a handful of feet away from breaching the main hive. Our tracks are covered and base is made. Even able to finally cook without worrying about smoke!"

"Good. That's what I like to hear." 

Kaelon ducked below the earth with Zyra jumping in behind him. Lucas quickly followed and noticed how bright it was. Even under ground there was natural bioluminescent fungi decorating the walls. Once Lucas was inside marveling at the sight Kaelon covered the hole he had made. He also noticed Lucas admiring the glowing fungi. 

"These are Bio-Takas" he said proudly. "they are a type of fungi's that is actually the product of waste from the Takas worm. These use these to mark their territory. It not only lights up to show other animals their land and release a scent that keeps other animals away. Including the Xeomorph. It doesn't hurt them, but they naturally don't like the scent and stay away from it."

Lucas paused as his eyes widened. "Wait wait wait. These fungi are...waste? what do you mean?"

Kaelon's mandibles clicked together again. "Like animal waste of course."

"So I was admiring...shit?" Lucas said while covering his mouth in shock. 

As soon as he said that both Zyra and Kaelon laughed at him. He truly lived under a rock if he had no idea what Bio-Takas were. They were commonly used by the CIA on Xeomorph infested worlds. And other worlds that shunned technology. 

"Come on" Kaelon said with a wave of his hand as he passed the two. "Xylon is watching the fire and we are about to get started on cooking dinner."