Chapter 102
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Chapter 102
Preparing for a short expedition in the Beast Forest didnt take long. Every supply they could need was readily available, and everyone Anton intended to bring with him had an open schedule. They would just be training- going on a mission that was close by was also a good opportunity. Timothy and Hoyt had few skills relevant to the mission besides combat capabilities, but they were reliable and familiar. Catarina could provide formations which would be relevant as they camped overnight. Anton himself would be doing the bulk of the tracking and scouting work. After discussing with the others, Anton also invited along Velvet. Timothy had previous experience in a team with her, and while he didnt have a positive opinion of her as a person, she had reasonable enough teamwork skills. Catarina had long forgotten any grudge she might have had with her.
Few people developed wide skillsets at a young age. Cultivators learned to fight because there was little point in having so much power if they couldnt wield it. Other valuable skills related to knowing about opponents they might face, so they could have countermeasures in place. Beyond that, they might develop practical skills like pillmaking, smithing, or the use of formations. Those usually relied on preparing ahead of time, but everything came together in the end. For what cultivators did, most things came back to combat- or avoiding it.
Though Velvet didnt have as much experience as Anton did moving quietly through the forest, she had practiced stealth and had reasonable awareness of her surroundings. Her ability to find tracks was decent enough, she merely lacked training in recognizing how to make sense of them. Anton crouched down to show her some things. We have wolf prints going this way. More recently, a boar crossed that trail that way, in a hurry too. He mentioned the way the undergrowth was damaged and the dirt torn up more than normal, showing her why he could say what he did with confidence.
She seemed comfortable enough in the wilderness, but Anton noticed she relied more on her cultivation to manage than her experience. She might not know the signs of dangerous creatures in the area, but if they showed themselves she was capable of reacting. Does it matter if we know about them ahead of time?
With these? Probably not, if we dont intend to hunt them. But if we came across signs of a creature of normal size but abnormal power- such as some magical beasts- it could be important to know to avoid their territory. Anton glanced over at the elder traveling with them. Tshering was at the very peak of Spirit Building. From his age and the feel of him, his cultivation seemed to have plateaued there. Nothing seems unusual so far. Whatever sent a boar of this size fleeing so quickly must be quite strong, but it shouldnt be abnormal for this area. It seems to have been left well behind, as there are no parallel tracks.
Catarina was keeping an eye out for anything such as formations. She was better suited for sensing them, and while it was doubtful that anything would have been set up on the Orders territory some could occur naturally. They were usually of little concern, but if one was empowering or controlling the wildlife directly or indirectly it needed to be dealt with.
-----
Her feet shifted. Leaves crunched, but just a little. She picked one up. Bent it. It was dry, and it snapped- but not without some effort. Durable, like the bark of the tree. So the twigs and leaves crunched less because they held their form against her weight- though not everything had that property. She needed to spot the differences somehow. The trees were absorbing natural energy but not storing it, so they all felt the same as the environment around them.
What made you think it was the bird? Anton asked, approaching.
Well it- Velvet looked around. It was just the only strange thing. Its going the right direction, and it would move something like this, Velvet held out her arms like wings hanging at her side. They were a bit below the mark. Something like this, but taller. Now that she said it, it was a pretty shaky description.
That makes sense, Anton acknowledged. Velvet smiled as she still faced away from him. But the damage is from a blade, not a beak or talons. How would a bird cause it? Her face fell. She hadnt thought about that. It was just that the two things stood out and odd, and she connected them. How would a bird cause it?
The repeated question prodded Velvet. It was a real question, not just a polite way to tell her she was wrong. Could a bird have caused it? Im not sure if it could have. She thought about where shed placed her hands. Birds didnt have hands there. They had wings. Those certainly werent sharp. They were soft and swooshy. It could be something else. Then again, the bark wasnt supposed to be so hard. That made it even less likely that a bird could have done it. Unless it has sharp feathers? She turned to look at Anton.
His face had a pleasant smile. Encouraging, but frustratingly not telling her if she was right or wrong. Then he shrugged. It could. There are some. Not listed anywhere around here, but its not uncommon to have a few things out of place. Since we dont know, Anton drew out the word, We might as well follow the bird. Its the strangest thing weve noticed in the area.
Velvet nodded, though she kept her smile off her face. It was nice to know that even he didnt know everything all the time. It gave her confidence, like the elder watching over them who wasnt the wilderness sort at all. He had an overwhelming sense of strength, even restrained as it was. Strong, but not in the comforting way that Anton was- like a good solid roof over your head. She needed to keep learning so he wanted to keep her around.
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Chapter 102
Preparing for a short expedition in the Beast Forest didnt take long. Every supply they could need was readily available, and everyone Anton intended to bring with him had an open schedule. They would just be training- going on a mission that was close by was also a good opportunity. Timothy and Hoyt had few skills relevant to the mission besides combat capabilities, but they were reliable and familiar. Catarina could provide formations which would be relevant as they camped overnight. Anton himself would be doing the bulk of the tracking and scouting work. After discussing with the others, Anton also invited along Velvet. Timothy had previous experience in a team with her, and while he didnt have a positive opinion of her as a person, she had reasonable enough teamwork skills. Catarina had long forgotten any grudge she might have had with her.
Few people developed wide skillsets at a young age. Cultivators learned to fight because there was little point in having so much power if they couldnt wield it. Other valuable skills related to knowing about opponents they might face, so they could have countermeasures in place. Beyond that, they might develop practical skills like pillmaking, smithing, or the use of formations. Those usually relied on preparing ahead of time, but everything came together in the end. For what cultivators did, most things came back to combat- or avoiding it.
Though Velvet didnt have as much experience as Anton did moving quietly through the forest, she had practiced stealth and had reasonable awareness of her surroundings. Her ability to find tracks was decent enough, she merely lacked training in recognizing how to make sense of them. Anton crouched down to show her some things. We have wolf prints going this way. More recently, a boar crossed that trail that way, in a hurry too. He mentioned the way the undergrowth was damaged and the dirt torn up more than normal, showing her why he could say what he did with confidence.
She seemed comfortable enough in the wilderness, but Anton noticed she relied more on her cultivation to manage than her experience. She might not know the signs of dangerous creatures in the area, but if they showed themselves she was capable of reacting. Does it matter if we know about them ahead of time?
With these? Probably not, if we dont intend to hunt them. But if we came across signs of a creature of normal size but abnormal power- such as some magical beasts- it could be important to know to avoid their territory. Anton glanced over at the elder traveling with them. Tshering was at the very peak of Spirit Building. From his age and the feel of him, his cultivation seemed to have plateaued there. Nothing seems unusual so far. Whatever sent a boar of this size fleeing so quickly must be quite strong, but it shouldnt be abnormal for this area. It seems to have been left well behind, as there are no parallel tracks.
Catarina was keeping an eye out for anything such as formations. She was better suited for sensing them, and while it was doubtful that anything would have been set up on the Orders territory some could occur naturally. They were usually of little concern, but if one was empowering or controlling the wildlife directly or indirectly it needed to be dealt with.
-----
Her feet shifted. Leaves crunched, but just a little. She picked one up. Bent it. It was dry, and it snapped- but not without some effort. Durable, like the bark of the tree. So the twigs and leaves crunched less because they held their form against her weight- though not everything had that property. She needed to spot the differences somehow. The trees were absorbing natural energy but not storing it, so they all felt the same as the environment around them.
What made you think it was the bird? Anton asked, approaching.
Well it- Velvet looked around. It was just the only strange thing. Its going the right direction, and it would move something like this, Velvet held out her arms like wings hanging at her side. They were a bit below the mark. Something like this, but taller. Now that she said it, it was a pretty shaky description.
That makes sense, Anton acknowledged. Velvet smiled as she still faced away from him. But the damage is from a blade, not a beak or talons. How would a bird cause it? Her face fell. She hadnt thought about that. It was just that the two things stood out and odd, and she connected them. How would a bird cause it?
The repeated question prodded Velvet. It was a real question, not just a polite way to tell her she was wrong. Could a bird have caused it? Im not sure if it could have. She thought about where shed placed her hands. Birds didnt have hands there. They had wings. Those certainly werent sharp. They were soft and swooshy. It could be something else. Then again, the bark wasnt supposed to be so hard. That made it even less likely that a bird could have done it. Unless it has sharp feathers? She turned to look at Anton.
His face had a pleasant smile. Encouraging, but frustratingly not telling her if she was right or wrong. Then he shrugged. It could. There are some. Not listed anywhere around here, but its not uncommon to have a few things out of place. Since we dont know, Anton drew out the word, We might as well follow the bird. Its the strangest thing weve noticed in the area.
Velvet nodded, though she kept her smile off her face. It was nice to know that even he didnt know everything all the time. It gave her confidence, like the elder watching over them who wasnt the wilderness sort at all. He had an overwhelming sense of strength, even restrained as it was. Strong, but not in the comforting way that Anton was- like a good solid roof over your head. She needed to keep learning so he wanted to keep her around.
Chapter 102Preparing for a short expedition in the Beast Forest didnt take long. Every supply they could need was readily available, and everyone Anton intended to bring with him had an open schedule. They would just be training- going on a mission that was close by was also a good opportunity. Timothy and Hoyt had few skills relevant to the mission besides combat capabilities, but they were reliable and familiar. Catarina could provide formations which would be relevant as they camped overnight. Anton himself would be doing the bulk of the tracking and scouting work. After discussing with the others, Anton also invited along Velvet. Timothy had previous experience in a team with her, and while he didnt have a positive opinion of her as a person, she had reasonable enough teamwork skills. Catarina had long forgotten any grudge she might have had with her.Few people developed wide skillsets at a young age. Cultivators learned to fight because there was little point in having so much power if they couldnt wield it. Other valuable skills related to knowing about opponents they might face, so they could have countermeasures in place. Beyond that, they might develop practical skills like pillmaking, smithing, or the use of formations. Those usually relied on preparing ahead of time, but everything came together in the end. For what cultivators did, most things came back to combat- or avoiding it.Though Velvet didnt have as much experience as Anton did moving quietly through the forest, she had practiced stealth and had reasonable awareness of her surroundings. Her ability to find tracks was decent enough, she merely lacked training in recognizing how to make sense of them. Anton crouched down to show her some things. We have wolf prints going this way. More recently, a boar crossed that trail that way, in a hurry too. He mentioned the way the undergrowth was damaged and the dirt torn up more than normal, showing her why he could say what he did with confidence.She seemed comfortable enough in the wilderness, but Anton noticed she relied more on her cultivation to manage than her experience. She might not know the signs of dangerous creatures in the area, but if they showed themselves she was capable of reacting. Does it matter if we know about them ahead of time?With these? Probably not, if we dont intend to hunt them. But if we came across signs of a creature of normal size but abnormal power- such as some magical beasts- it could be important to know to avoid their territory. Anton glanced over at the elder traveling with them. Tshering was at the very peak of Spirit Building. From his age and the feel of him, his cultivation seemed to have plateaued there. Nothing seems unusual so far. Whatever sent a boar of this size fleeing so quickly must be quite strong, but it shouldnt be abnormal for this area. It seems to have been left well behind, as there are no parallel tracks.Catarina was keeping an eye out for anything such as formations. She was better suited for sensing them, and while it was doubtful that anything would have been set up on the Orders territory some could occur naturally. They were usually of little concern, but if one was empowering or controlling the wildlife directly or indirectly it needed to be dealt with.-----Her feet shifted. Leaves crunched, but just a little. She picked one up. Bent it. It was dry, and it snapped- but not without some effort. Durable, like the bark of the tree. So the twigs and leaves crunched less because they held their form against her weight- though not everything had that property. She needed to spot the differences somehow. The trees were absorbing natural energy but not storing it, so they all felt the same as the environment around them.What made you think it was the bird? Anton asked, approaching.Well it- Velvet looked around. It was just the only strange thing. Its going the right direction, and it would move something like this, Velvet held out her arms like wings hanging at her side. They were a bit below the mark. Something like this, but taller. Now that she said it, it was a pretty shaky description. That makes sense, Anton acknowledged. Velvet smiled as she still faced away from him. But the damage is from a blade, not a beak or talons. How would a bird cause it? Her face fell. She hadnt thought about that. It was just that the two things stood out and odd, and she connected them. How would a bird cause it? The repeated question prodded Velvet. It was a real question, not just a polite way to tell her she was wrong. Could a bird have caused it? Im not sure if it could have. She thought about where shed placed her hands. Birds didnt have hands there. They had wings. Those certainly werent sharp. They were soft and swooshy. It could be something else. Then again, the bark wasnt supposed to be so hard. That made it even less likely that a bird could have done it. Unless it has sharp feathers? She turned to look at Anton.His face had a pleasant smile. Encouraging, but frustratingly not telling her if she was right or wrong. Then he shrugged. It could. There are some. Not listed anywhere around here, but its not uncommon to have a few things out of place. Since we dont know, Anton drew out the word, We might as well follow the bird. Its the strangest thing weve noticed in the area.Velvet nodded, though she kept her smile off her face. It was nice to know that even he didnt know everything all the time. It gave her confidence, like the elder watching over them who wasnt the wilderness sort at all. He had an overwhelming sense of strength, even restrained as it was. Strong, but not in the comforting way that Anton was- like a good solid roof over your head. She needed to keep learning so he wanted to keep her around.
