"Another one where two were missed in the same area. One looks like a cattail, but they are 3-inches long and there are 3 at the top of a stem. This other may have been scanned already since it's bigger and towering over the cattail. The leaves are shaped like hearts but are as long as my arm."
The student and his team were off.
Lana smiled. This was Paul's group. "The plants are complaining there is an insect that won't leave this other plant alone. It's on the bottom of the leaf. The insect has not been scanned because it prefers to eat upside down. The plant is pleading for us to help it. Kill it if you want to or move it if you don't. You don't get extra points, but the plants would be thankful. The leaf looks like an upside-down shell."
She exhaled as she looked at the last group. The rude student had a scowl on his face. Lana smirked and walked him to a tree. Most of the other groups have already returned. She pointed at a leaf, "scan this."
The student's scanner beeped. A few minutes later, the last group returned holding a beast crystal high to show her their prize. She smiled.
"Okay, Sergeant Rage. Do you want to go to an area human eyes have never seen?"
His smile brightened his face, "lead on!"
The path was now narrow, forcing the students to walk 2 by2. Soon, there was no path at all. They had to step over roots, step around strange plants and bend down to walk under low-hanging branches.
Suddenly, Lana stopped, "here we are."
She fanned out her arms, "scan at will!"
They heard the recognizable sound as Nis turned on his scanner. A few wands beeped just by being near something new. This area was quite different from the other. They passed a mountain that was covered in various shades of purple. The mountain drew her attention, but the plants emphatically told her to stay away from that area.
The ground in this area was covered in some plant that resembled peas. She decided to pick a pod. She tasted one and was quite pleased to find it tasted like early peas as well. They were sweet and crunchy. She offered a few pods to the teacher after demonstrating how to open them, as they both observed the students.
"You could help your team, if you want," Nis told her.
"I'm helping by standing here, actually. They are making short work of this area. We've been here for an hour and they are almost done."
Soon the plants told her the area was done and led her to another area, further from the mountain. This new area was a forest that was shrouded in mist with a river nearby.
"Before I turn you loose, the plants are adamant about not disturbing the water. There are beasts in there that have not been scanned, but they are also very dangerous. I suggest if you want to try your hand there, have Sergeant Nis with you."
"Do you have a description?" Paul asked.
"It looks like a lobster but the size of a horse. There are sharp spines down its back."
"At the very least we can scan it… I'm a level 10. My team should be able to handle it."
Lana face-palmed. Yes, her friend was strong. She glanced at her team and sighed.
"Okay, Sergeant Rage, you stay here and monitor the class," she looked Dobin in the eyes, "that includes you guys. We are here for points, not to kill beasts."
She turned back to Paul, "you and your team, follow me."
Lana turned and headed in the direction the plants pointed her, showing her images of the beast fighting to give her an idea of how dangerous they were. Right on the edge of the scanner's range, they found the river they heard babbling on approach.
The sun was glistening off the surface. It was serene. They could hear splashes here and there.
"How do we get it to come out?"
Lana chuckled, "that's easy."
She fired a vine into the flowing water then readied another one.
"Get that scanner ready."
She could see a wand and realized she didn't need to say anything as a muddy tail emerged from the water. Soon the rest could be seen crawling toward them. The river was so wide they couldn't see the other bank. Lana kept an eye out for any additional threats, expecting the team to be able to handle what just emerged.
Suddenly an ice arrow flew from the shore targeting a claw. It shattered. The clopper screamed in pain. Or was it rage as it charged forward.
Paul fired a missile at the beast which went off target. The beast was faster than he anticipated.
The beep from the machine finally went off as the beast closed the distance. Lana noticed the tip turned green when it was something new. The ice boy missed on his second attempt as well. A big student walked up to the claw and punched it. While Lana didn't know this student's ability, the impact created a loud bang that reverberated through the area.
The next sound from the beast was undoubtedly pain. It hurt their ears as the tiny legs it walked on turned it around in a hasty tail slap that sent the strong student sailing through the air into a nearby tree. Meanwhile, the first claw that was destroyed was quickly growing back. Paul fired a second missile and the beast exploded into tiny pieces.
A beast core could be seen glowing in the water. This was a level 3 beast. Ice boy retrieved it and handed it to the boy with the wand.
While they were all classmates of hers, she stuck to her own friends. After her history with others, she didn't want to push her luck with making friends. She walked up to the tall, groaning boy. Kneeling at his side, she healed his wounds.
"Let's get back to the rest of the class. That was pretty good teamwork by the way."
Paul smiled, "we do okay. They are willing to listen to me."
Lana nodded, "good."
"Thanks for healing me, beautiful. What's your name?"
Lana cringed, as the boy she just healed looked at her in a way she felt uncomfortable.
"My name is a symbol, not a word…" she quickened her pace and returned to Nis' side.
Behind her, she heard, "let's stay on task. We want to be the best team."
She heard grumbling as the team appeared to go in a different direction.
Lana smiled. She would need to bring Paul two apple pies as a thank you. Thirty minutes later, this area was cleared as well.
"The next area has the scimmias in it. Do you want to risk it, Sergeant Rage?"
"Are they strong?"
"They are stronger than the clopper which was a 3," Lana replied.
"How many are there?"
"Well, the plants aren't always good with numbers, but they are telling me about 30. Do you want me to run recon?"
"Yes, but be careful."
She nodded and decided to swing through the trees like Tarzan using her vines. She knew she would hear them before she saw them. It didn't take long before she heard the indescribable sound of monkeys. They watched videos of animals in school, so she at least knew this much.
Lana climbed along a branch to get a closer look. She saw about 15 scimmias on the ground and heard the snarling of a wild cat. They could see she had given birth to a few cubs and were trying to get them from her. She had another baby on the way. The 4-armed scimmias had sticks in each hand and she had 5 rows of two tentacles each down her back. She was a solid, glistening black with six legs. Watching the way they battered this poor mother panther-beast, there was no way she was bringing her class this direction.
She watched as the mother lost the battle and all her babies were taken. She lay on the ground a broken heap while the scimmias left her for dead. The trees told her the colony had moved on, but she needed to check on the mother. Looking at her aura, Lana realized she couldn't heal her fast enough. She would succumb to her wounds.
Lana jumped from the tree and raced to the mother. She had given birth to the last of the babies and cleaned it but barely had anything left. Lana dropped to her side. She reached out a shaky hand and placed it on the mother, offering comfort in her final moments. The fur was very soft to the touch. She could see roots that were used against the scimmias laying limp on the ground. Her eyes were trying to close. Lana could tell the mother was watching her well, willing herself to live a few moments longer. The mother's nose twitched as though smelling her.
Without warning, the mother nudged her little baby, freshly born, toward Lana. She tenderly scooped up the little guy, but she knew the school would never let her keep it. She knew babies needed to be kept warm and the only warm place she could think of was her bra. First, though, she allowed it to nurse off its mother. Soon the baby cuddled up but the mother took her last breath. Lana placed the baby in her bra, removed its mother's crystal, then went back to tell her teacher the coast was clear.
As she helped her class move to the new area, the trees were telling her of another danger. Humans were under attack. The teacher had called for help, but they were in a communication dead zone. Once her class was in position, Lana decided she needed to do something.
"Sergeant Rage, I suggest you call the shelter and let them know where you are in case those scimmias come back. There is a class pinned down, but they can't get through on communications. If I wait for someone to get to me before going, it could be too late. This planet is too dangerous. If they recall everyone, don't let them leave without me. I'll bring that class back."
Nis asked her, "do you know which class it is?"
"2A."