Chapter 21: Chapter 20
(The next morning)
Sam held his breath as he stepped into the forest, his heart calm.
It was fresh in the morning, having spent the entire previous day planning and deciding upon how they would carry the goods. They also scouted the immediate 20-meter area around the colony, not going anywhere deep.
What they found was nothing short of amazing. Sam had never been much of a "Wow nature is so pretty" kinda guy. He was into conquering it, knowing that man was the apex predator, and man created weapons and machines. So why could man not claim that title while using them?
This was how Sam could kill so many apex predators on earth. From being able to fly to different continents to the very weapons he used to end their lives. Technology had allowed him to do that. He was not stupid. They would turn a man and his bare hands into mincemeat.
But what he saw in the distance was amazing.
During the night, the forest lay quiet and dark.
But what he saw during the day was strange and counterintuitive.
The forest had many fungi on the ground. And one species seemed to be bioluminescent and dispersed throughout all the forest floor and tree trunks in sight. Giving a soft green glow. Making everything seem even more alien and eery. However, Sam saw this as amazing. He had never seen such a sigh anywhere on his hunts on earth.
There were multitudes of insects swarming around. Many almost appeared to be exotic ants from earth while others were alien like the world. One of them looked like a centipede, however its legs sprouted wings and it surfed through the air, moving just like a centipede on the ground.
Even the birds of this planet seemed to sound more like frogs from earth. However, the tree line blocked them from seeing any; they appeared to keep above the trees. The branches were entwined in multiple layers, creating a natural roof over the forest. Allowing for such a dark atmosphere.
Sam and the others had agreed to keep talking to a minimum. Which Sam didn't mind. He often hunted alone, preferring the silence. However, that didn't stop them from marveling at the truly alien world they saw.
"Honestly, this place is creepy as hell. It reminds me of a swamp. Even the ground is squishy," Alex said.
Sam put his finger over his lips and signaled for them to keep quiet. The attack last night had made them extra cautious about their movement through the darkness.
After a few hours, as they continued to explore deeper into the forest, the scouts stumbled upon something unexpected. It was a patch of rocks, covered in tree roots and surrounded by boulders.
Alex took the scanner from his pocket and pointed it at the rocks.
A second later, the screen beeped and showed that the rocks contained high amounts of iron oxide.
"I think we should investigate and see if this area contains more of these." Alex said, as he took the scanner and used it on the boulder itself. Which consisted mainly of limestone. "Jackpot!" Alex was excited. "How far are we from the colony, Alexis?"
His AI responded with a female sounding voice. "We are approximately 3462 meters from the colony. Travel time is currently at 3 hours based on your group's speed."
Alex nodded.
The iron ore was a valuable resource for the colony, as it could be refined and used to create tools and weapons, as well as lay the foundation for a modern society.
"Ok, time to quiet down. Let's scout around to make sure there are more here. After, we should head back to the colony. I don't want to overstay our welcome." Sam said without giving the others much room for argument.
They continued to scout around the area, and quickly discovered that as they walked toward the mountains, the number of boulders and rocks only increased. It was a surface mine!
But as they worked, they couldn't help but notice something strange about the limestone boulders. They seemed to be covered in a strange, glowing substance.
As they approached to investigate, they realized that the substance was actually some kind of glowing rock. When Alex tried to step on one of the smaller hundred pound boulders, it moved right from under his foot, causing him to lose balance.
After gaining his ground, he walked back to the boulder and picked it up. It felt like he was picking up Styrofoam! The rock contained many lines of the glowing red material.
He used the scanner on the item and read the description. It was mainly limestone. However, there was also a decent percentage of a substance the scanner was calling Gravitalodium. Alex showed the scanner to Sam with a confused look.
"Hey, does anyone know what this is? I have never heard of it before ..." Sam asked the group as they were inspecting the red rocks.
Each of them shook their head no.
The other two scouts were hesitant to touch the rocks, unsure of its properties. But Sam, ever the adventurer and avid hunter, was willing. He reached out and grabbed one of the smaller glowing red rocks on the ground and put it in his pocket.
Despite their excitement at the discovery, the scouts knew they couldn't stay out in the forest for too long. They had a mission to complete, and they needed to return to the colony with the ore samples as soon as possible.
Sam gathered the scouts together and gave the order to head back. They grabbed smaller pebbles of each sample, the limestone, the red limestone, and the iron rocks.
After a few hours of exploring a second route back, the scouts finally made it to the colony. As they stepped out of the darkness, and could see the colony again. They were very surprised at the progress made today.
Much of the base wall had been completed, and many parts were becoming chest height. They continued to walk to the storage facility. Eager to show the strange new items they discovered.
***
Sam saw Jacob working beside the graphene printer, they walked towards him.
"How did it go? Did you have any troubles?" Jacob asked them scouts as they came in and explained the situation.
As the scouts unpacked their pockets and makeshift bags, showed off their haul of samples, Sophia immediately grabbed the strange glowing ore with shining eyes.
Noticing her enthusiasm, Sam added, "Yeah, some boulders were large and hard, but felt as if they weighed nothing." He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment.
"I have seen nothing like this on earth! I can't wait to find out its structure and properties! It feels so light!" She ran off and began looking over the rock.
"Thanks for a great first day. And thanks for making it back in one piece." Jacob said as he shook their hands.
Sam couldn't help but think that he liked the guy. Sure, he didn't vote for him and had 0 choice in the matter, but so far he was no a##hole.
"It's no problem, Jacob. Anyway, I'm going to get some food. Let's discuss tomorrow's scouting in a few hours." Sam said to the group
He had always been a man who loved adventure, and this mission had been the start of an adventure, of a lifetime. He couldn't wait to see what other mysteries and wonders this alien planet had in store for them and he couldn't wait to put them on his wall.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Grishmark
Grishmark Let me know how this chapter went!
I wanted to give an example of where they are and try to write about the forest itself. Please let me know if this chapter went ok!
Updated!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone