He spent the next several minutes scrounging through Asclepius's storage for something suitable.
He was hoping to find some strange or interesting stone material, but apart from the runes, and a few odd trinkets, there wasn't really much of interest here. Most of what she had collected was of herbal nature.
Of course, he could try to use the obsidian throne he had 'seized' from Eikthyrnir's compound; however, without any research on it, he was rightfully sceptical about this idea.
Besides, he doubted he would have the means to grind such a tough-looking material into what he wanted.
~Speaking of which, I doubt I even need those grinding tools anyway,~ he thought to himself, realizing that the mole people could probably manipulate rock material way better than he could ever hope to with the tools he had made.
~Better yet, I might be able to learn how to manipulate stones as well,~ he continued, now looking at his new tail that still seemed to be mirroring the movements of his old one.
~I should probably get one of the Furtongs to teach it to me, and while I'm at it, one of the beaver people could help me learn wood manipulation as well,~ he thought to himself.
Of course, he didn't have much faith that he would learn anything substantial right now since he had just gotten the True Elmando tail, though he knew he'd have to start somewhere.
So he began walking back towards one of the central hubs of the underground camp where he noticed most of the off-duty creatures hung around.
It was a large open area with all sorts of food, and materials stored to the sides. Kind of like a market district, but leagues cruder, and less complicated -economically.
Once he got to the entrance, the bear-men on guard there bowed before trying to enter before him, no doubt to announce his presence.
"I'd rather you not do that," Lucius instructed, stopping the bear-man before he could begin speaking.
The bear-man looked hesitant for a moment before reluctantly nodding and allowing Lucius into the area whilst the creatures were still shouting and making noise.
It was a little odd to see creatures of different species communicating with each other, as opposed to the mana-lakes on the surface where each species formed little cliques.
It wasn't as if these creatures could understand one another either... though they seemed happy enough to interact with each other whilst they ate an odd plant.
As Lucius passed by, a few creatures noticed his presence and went silent. Some of them stared at him in fear, no doubt afraid that he would punish them for making noise in his presence.
~Hmm, I must seem like som sort of enigma to them,~ he thought to himself, making sure not to look at any of them in particular. If just his presence scared them, there was no doubt his monstrous eyes would cause some of them to roll over in terror.
~Yeah, but I suppose my looks don't exactly make me the most approachable creature,~ he thought to himself.
Remembering that he was currently wearing a black silk robe, had two monstrous tails, obsidian eyes, and these horns that looked like they could gore through meat like butter.
~When I choose a creature to mix into my genomes for my next evolution, I should try to get something less... demon-looking,~ he thought to himself, as a few of the creatures began to whisper.
"Why didn't they tell us he was here?" he heard one of them say.
"We're done for," another whispered.
"Do you think he's angry?"
"Of course he is; he hasn't said a word."
Lucius ignored the comments, making a beeline for what looked like a stone table at the far end of the room. It was stacked with an assortment of foods, the most abundant of which seemed to be this plant they were all eating.
Once he reached the table, he nodded towards the bear-man who seemed to be the 'lunch lady' there, before grabbing one of those plants.
It was a small plant, about the size of a shroom - which was no bigger than a bear-man's palm. It had green leaves and a sort of blueish stalk. And from the looks of it, it left a blue colour in the mouth when consumed.
Lucius turned to look at the group of creatures silently waiting for him to say something before taking a bite of the plant.
It tasted sweet but bitter and had a slight chlorine aftertaste to it. However, the real kicker was what came after.
He felt a jolt of energy pass through his body, then euphoria... like a warm tickle running up his nerves - or whatever systems he had in place.
~It's like a mix between coffee and tobacco,~ he realized to himself, intrigued by the effect.
As a former chain smoker, he was sort of relieved that something like this existed in this world. Of course, it could do with a bit of refining, but he could see himself using these during times of stress.
"What is this?" he asked, in a thoughtful tone.
The creatures in the room looked at each other in confusion for a moment, all of them too scared to reply.
Until one of the older-looking mole-people spoke up.
"It's demitas, Lighted One," it said.
"Hmm, interesting..." Lucius whispered to himself, before finishing the remaining demitas.
"I'm glad you all look well," he began, now addressing the crowd in front of him.
"I apologize that I haven't had the time to address you all, I will get to that soon. I'm sure that a lot of you have questions about the future of this camp now that I'm here. And I can assure you that your questions will be answered in due time."
"There are just a few details we have to finalize before we can hold an official meeting," he continued, before looking to the older mole-person who had helped him.
"For now, I'm looking for assistance in a very important project. I will need one or two... creatures.. who are skilled in wood manipulation, and another small group skilled in stone manipulation," he said finally.
Instantly, all the mole, prairie-dog, and beaver people present raised their hands.
