Chapter 147
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Chapter 147
The battle wound to a close as the cultivators of the Temitope clan surrounded the overlord. While it did not go down easily, it was overwhelmed by numbers and power. Each small wound became more significant as the course of the battle stretched on.
It made one last move, frantically dashing forward towards something, but matriarch Afi planted herself firmly in front of it, driving her spear into its heart, nearly burying her arm in its chest. The creature continued running, carrying her for several dozen meters before burying its head in the ground, digging up chunks of dirt. However, its movements were sluggish- and it collapsed less than a minute later.
Just because the battle was over didnt mean that people could sit idly. Begin dismantling! Matriarch Afi commanded. See if we can find whatever this was protecting in this region.
Alva had an answer for that immediately. I think its the potato thing. She gestured to one of the deepest gouges in the ground, which revealed some already-chewed tubers. They werent exactly potatoes, but another sort of root vegetable. It wasnt one that Ambati had a word for, though they compared it to some of their similar products.
As for determining if this was something that a beast overlord of a region would want to protect, that was simple. Once they dug some of it up they could feel how much energy was packed into the plants. It wasnt just a single root, either. It was clearly a large plant that the overlord had been tending for a while, eating from it to grow to its terrific size. It was impossible to say how much there had been at one point or exactly how long it took to grow, but as they started digging it out they found hundreds of kilograms of the bulbous roots.
While the defeat of the beast overlord had calmed the creatures in the area somewhat, the unearthing of the tubers and the scent of the overlords meat had clearly drawn more attention. The process of parceling pieces of the beast and the roots to people to carry was almost as frenzied as the battle preceding it.
The Temitope clan had access to some magic bags, but the sheer volume and weight of what they had to carry was too much for just those. In the end, most of the warriors carried a hundred or two hundred kilograms of meat or tubers. A smaller portion of the burdens were the bodies of their own fallen. They were already leaving the area within the hour, making their way back towards Tailoga and the Temitope clan. Though some beasts curiously watched them, none were brave enough to attack the large organized group of warriors. Likewise, the other two clans avoided making any attacks.
The trip back took slightly longer than a normal days travel because of the extra weight everyone had, but they didnt stop even after dark. As they grew close to Tailoga they almost relaxed, but Ayotunde reminded everyone that this was the final chance for them to be ambushed. Only when they arrived at the gates of the clan and were met by familiar faces could they finally relax.This chapter's initial release occurred on the n0vell--Bjjn site.
But just because all of the warriors basically collapsed into heaps didnt mean that the activity was over. Matriarch Afi wasnt done yet. A feast for everyone! she declared. Set aside a portion of the tubers to be planted later. We shall feast on the overlord and the target of his protection! We celebrate victory! More quietly, she instructed the cooks to make sure both were edible. Boars could have all sorts of nasty parasites, and powerful specimens might have even nastier things inside them. Most tubers were safe to eat, but eating mysterious ones that stored energy without at least checking was downright foolish. It was just that saying that in front of everyone would be a bit of a downer.
-----
The feast actually took all night to prepare- however, the cooks of the clan threw together some quick food to tide over their starving warriors while they waited. Technically they could just eat rations they had with them, but that wasnt a proper way to treat anyone after a great victory.
-----
At the walls, Anton saw the patriarchs from both the Olayinka and Mwangi clans. The complement of warriors they had with them was not astoundingly large, since it seemed they didnt have any of the more injured warriors with them. A wise choice, because Anton would have gladly shot them. As far as legitimate cultivation competition went, everything was over. The Temitope clan had successfully retrieved their target, and now their home was being attacked.
Based on how he felt the formations straining, it could be quite a danger. Except the strongest people who were causing that strain wouldnt be able to maintain that level of attack for long. Especially not when they were distracted.
Matriarch Afi and Tshering leapt down from the walls, as well as some of the elders of the Temitope clan. They were all of the ones strong enough to protect themselves away from the walls, while the rest stayed up above, attacking or simply sustaining the formation. Catarina and Ayotunde were in that latter category, Ayotunde not because he had much to do with controlling formations but simply because of his ability to provide energy, like many of the others.
Anton was one of those who would be attacking. While he had gone through a great battle then run for hours to return to safety, the meals since then and the short time everyone passed out before the meal was ready in the morning was enough to invigorate him. He was feeling great, and while he could see that the patriarchs at least had replenished their energy they werent quite so fully refreshed.
As he shot arrows down below, Anton noticed that some of the mercenaries from before were missing. The other parts of the wall hadnt raised any alarms, so it was unlikely they were making an attack from elsewhere. Instead, it was more likely their contracts didnt extend to attacking another clan. The Orders contract didnt either- but they were defending, which was quite expressly covered. Far be it from them to go into another country and kill people in their own homes, but they would gladly defend those they were working with.
It quickly became clear that the difference in recovery was great. Standard medicines commonly available just werent quite the same as boar overlord and what amounted to a natural treasure he was defending. The defensive position was an advantage as well, because it was possible for people to retreat to the walls if they were hard pressed. The formations were able to prevent any attacks from reaching them, with the patriarchs occupied and the power being reinforced by rotating members of the clan.
Though he wasnt able to land a single blow on either of the patriarchs, Anton began to focus most of his attention there. Because even if he couldnt hit them, the way that they dodged informed him on how he needed to improve. Did he need to be faster? More accurate? More flexible in where his shots went? Of course, it was some of each. His shots didnt do nothing just because they were avoided or extremely rarely blocked. Each distraction from him meant that the real threats were more able to land a telling blow.
Such was the case when Elder Tshering found an opening to swing his improvised mace directly down on the head of the Olayinka patriarch. Actually, the patriarch blocked with his sword- but surprisingly Tshering let him cut through the bone and simply relied on the momentum of the top third to impact the man in the face. The blow was mostly a surprise, but in that moment, Tshering managed to kick him in the chest hard enough to send him flying two dozen meters, with a much more satisfying crack. And stay out! he gestured angrily. Unless you all want to die here.
The mercenaries certainly didnt and the lesser clan members were already edging away before the patriarch gave leave to retreat. Anton was ready to keep shooting before Afi held up a hand. We can deal with the rest of that on our own later. The strength of our clan should increase from this feast, and we can leverage our current health.
Anton nodded. It made sense that theyd want to continue without outside help. Otherwise, their strength might be doubted. As Anton was heading back, he realized he still had the Vessel activated. It hadnt been at full power, but as he opened it up he saw a few longer golden strands of insight. He wondered if they would be useful. They werent a replacement for his own training, but they were certainly a nice supplement. He was also able to help his allies grow, one small step at a time. Nothing that allowed them to leap over cultivation stages, but he still found himself quite fond of it.
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Chapter 147
The battle wound to a close as the cultivators of the Temitope clan surrounded the overlord. While it did not go down easily, it was overwhelmed by numbers and power. Each small wound became more significant as the course of the battle stretched on.
It made one last move, frantically dashing forward towards something, but matriarch Afi planted herself firmly in front of it, driving her spear into its heart, nearly burying her arm in its chest. The creature continued running, carrying her for several dozen meters before burying its head in the ground, digging up chunks of dirt. However, its movements were sluggish- and it collapsed less than a minute later.
Just because the battle was over didnt mean that people could sit idly. Begin dismantling! Matriarch Afi commanded. See if we can find whatever this was protecting in this region.
Alva had an answer for that immediately. I think its the potato thing. She gestured to one of the deepest gouges in the ground, which revealed some already-chewed tubers. They werent exactly potatoes, but another sort of root vegetable. It wasnt one that Ambati had a word for, though they compared it to some of their similar products.
As for determining if this was something that a beast overlord of a region would want to protect, that was simple. Once they dug some of it up they could feel how much energy was packed into the plants. It wasnt just a single root, either. It was clearly a large plant that the overlord had been tending for a while, eating from it to grow to its terrific size. It was impossible to say how much there had been at one point or exactly how long it took to grow, but as they started digging it out they found hundreds of kilograms of the bulbous roots.
While the defeat of the beast overlord had calmed the creatures in the area somewhat, the unearthing of the tubers and the scent of the overlords meat had clearly drawn more attention. The process of parceling pieces of the beast and the roots to people to carry was almost as frenzied as the battle preceding it.
The Temitope clan had access to some magic bags, but the sheer volume and weight of what they had to carry was too much for just those. In the end, most of the warriors carried a hundred or two hundred kilograms of meat or tubers. A smaller portion of the burdens were the bodies of their own fallen. They were already leaving the area within the hour, making their way back towards Tailoga and the Temitope clan. Though some beasts curiously watched them, none were brave enough to attack the large organized group of warriors. Likewise, the other two clans avoided making any attacks.
The trip back took slightly longer than a normal days travel because of the extra weight everyone had, but they didnt stop even after dark. As they grew close to Tailoga they almost relaxed, but Ayotunde reminded everyone that this was the final chance for them to be ambushed. Only when they arrived at the gates of the clan and were met by familiar faces could they finally relax.This chapter's initial release occurred on the n0vell--Bjjn site.
But just because all of the warriors basically collapsed into heaps didnt mean that the activity was over. Matriarch Afi wasnt done yet. A feast for everyone! she declared. Set aside a portion of the tubers to be planted later. We shall feast on the overlord and the target of his protection! We celebrate victory! More quietly, she instructed the cooks to make sure both were edible. Boars could have all sorts of nasty parasites, and powerful specimens might have even nastier things inside them. Most tubers were safe to eat, but eating mysterious ones that stored energy without at least checking was downright foolish. It was just that saying that in front of everyone would be a bit of a downer.
-----
The feast actually took all night to prepare- however, the cooks of the clan threw together some quick food to tide over their starving warriors while they waited. Technically they could just eat rations they had with them, but that wasnt a proper way to treat anyone after a great victory.
-----
At the walls, Anton saw the patriarchs from both the Olayinka and Mwangi clans. The complement of warriors they had with them was not astoundingly large, since it seemed they didnt have any of the more injured warriors with them. A wise choice, because Anton would have gladly shot them. As far as legitimate cultivation competition went, everything was over. The Temitope clan had successfully retrieved their target, and now their home was being attacked.
Based on how he felt the formations straining, it could be quite a danger. Except the strongest people who were causing that strain wouldnt be able to maintain that level of attack for long. Especially not when they were distracted.
Matriarch Afi and Tshering leapt down from the walls, as well as some of the elders of the Temitope clan. They were all of the ones strong enough to protect themselves away from the walls, while the rest stayed up above, attacking or simply sustaining the formation. Catarina and Ayotunde were in that latter category, Ayotunde not because he had much to do with controlling formations but simply because of his ability to provide energy, like many of the others.
Anton was one of those who would be attacking. While he had gone through a great battle then run for hours to return to safety, the meals since then and the short time everyone passed out before the meal was ready in the morning was enough to invigorate him. He was feeling great, and while he could see that the patriarchs at least had replenished their energy they werent quite so fully refreshed.
As he shot arrows down below, Anton noticed that some of the mercenaries from before were missing. The other parts of the wall hadnt raised any alarms, so it was unlikely they were making an attack from elsewhere. Instead, it was more likely their contracts didnt extend to attacking another clan. The Orders contract didnt either- but they were defending, which was quite expressly covered. Far be it from them to go into another country and kill people in their own homes, but they would gladly defend those they were working with.
It quickly became clear that the difference in recovery was great. Standard medicines commonly available just werent quite the same as boar overlord and what amounted to a natural treasure he was defending. The defensive position was an advantage as well, because it was possible for people to retreat to the walls if they were hard pressed. The formations were able to prevent any attacks from reaching them, with the patriarchs occupied and the power being reinforced by rotating members of the clan.
Though he wasnt able to land a single blow on either of the patriarchs, Anton began to focus most of his attention there. Because even if he couldnt hit them, the way that they dodged informed him on how he needed to improve. Did he need to be faster? More accurate? More flexible in where his shots went? Of course, it was some of each. His shots didnt do nothing just because they were avoided or extremely rarely blocked. Each distraction from him meant that the real threats were more able to land a telling blow.
Such was the case when Elder Tshering found an opening to swing his improvised mace directly down on the head of the Olayinka patriarch. Actually, the patriarch blocked with his sword- but surprisingly Tshering let him cut through the bone and simply relied on the momentum of the top third to impact the man in the face. The blow was mostly a surprise, but in that moment, Tshering managed to kick him in the chest hard enough to send him flying two dozen meters, with a much more satisfying crack. And stay out! he gestured angrily. Unless you all want to die here.
The mercenaries certainly didnt and the lesser clan members were already edging away before the patriarch gave leave to retreat. Anton was ready to keep shooting before Afi held up a hand. We can deal with the rest of that on our own later. The strength of our clan should increase from this feast, and we can leverage our current health.
Anton nodded. It made sense that theyd want to continue without outside help. Otherwise, their strength might be doubted. As Anton was heading back, he realized he still had the Vessel activated. It hadnt been at full power, but as he opened it up he saw a few longer golden strands of insight. He wondered if they would be useful. They werent a replacement for his own training, but they were certainly a nice supplement. He was also able to help his allies grow, one small step at a time. Nothing that allowed them to leap over cultivation stages, but he still found himself quite fond of it.
Chapter 147The battle wound to a close as the cultivators of the Temitope clan surrounded the overlord. While it did not go down easily, it was overwhelmed by numbers and power. Each small wound became more significant as the course of the battle stretched on. It made one last move, frantically dashing forward towards something, but matriarch Afi planted herself firmly in front of it, driving her spear into its heart, nearly burying her arm in its chest. The creature continued running, carrying her for several dozen meters before burying its head in the ground, digging up chunks of dirt. However, its movements were sluggish- and it collapsed less than a minute later.Just because the battle was over didnt mean that people could sit idly. Begin dismantling! Matriarch Afi commanded. See if we can find whatever this was protecting in this region.Alva had an answer for that immediately. I think its the potato thing. She gestured to one of the deepest gouges in the ground, which revealed some already-chewed tubers. They werent exactly potatoes, but another sort of root vegetable. It wasnt one that Ambati had a word for, though they compared it to some of their similar products.As for determining if this was something that a beast overlord of a region would want to protect, that was simple. Once they dug some of it up they could feel how much energy was packed into the plants. It wasnt just a single root, either. It was clearly a large plant that the overlord had been tending for a while, eating from it to grow to its terrific size. It was impossible to say how much there had been at one point or exactly how long it took to grow, but as they started digging it out they found hundreds of kilograms of the bulbous roots. While the defeat of the beast overlord had calmed the creatures in the area somewhat, the unearthing of the tubers and the scent of the overlords meat had clearly drawn more attention. The process of parceling pieces of the beast and the roots to people to carry was almost as frenzied as the battle preceding it.The Temitope clan had access to some magic bags, but the sheer volume and weight of what they had to carry was too much for just those. In the end, most of the warriors carried a hundred or two hundred kilograms of meat or tubers. A smaller portion of the burdens were the bodies of their own fallen. They were already leaving the area within the hour, making their way back towards Tailoga and the Temitope clan. Though some beasts curiously watched them, none were brave enough to attack the large organized group of warriors. Likewise, the other two clans avoided making any attacks. The trip back took slightly longer than a normal days travel because of the extra weight everyone had, but they didnt stop even after dark. As they grew close to Tailoga they almost relaxed, but Ayotunde reminded everyone that this was the final chance for them to be ambushed. Only when they arrived at the gates of the clan and were met by familiar faces could they finally relax.This chapter's initial release occurred on the n0vell--Bjjn site.But just because all of the warriors basically collapsed into heaps didnt mean that the activity was over. Matriarch Afi wasnt done yet. A feast for everyone! she declared. Set aside a portion of the tubers to be planted later. We shall feast on the overlord and the target of his protection! We celebrate victory! More quietly, she instructed the cooks to make sure both were edible. Boars could have all sorts of nasty parasites, and powerful specimens might have even nastier things inside them. Most tubers were safe to eat, but eating mysterious ones that stored energy without at least checking was downright foolish. It was just that saying that in front of everyone would be a bit of a downer.-----The feast actually took all night to prepare- however, the cooks of the clan threw together some quick food to tide over their starving warriors while they waited. Technically they could just eat rations they had with them, but that wasnt a proper way to treat anyone after a great victory. -----At the walls, Anton saw the patriarchs from both the Olayinka and Mwangi clans. The complement of warriors they had with them was not astoundingly large, since it seemed they didnt have any of the more injured warriors with them. A wise choice, because Anton would have gladly shot them. As far as legitimate cultivation competition went, everything was over. The Temitope clan had successfully retrieved their target, and now their home was being attacked.Based on how he felt the formations straining, it could be quite a danger. Except the strongest people who were causing that strain wouldnt be able to maintain that level of attack for long. Especially not when they were distracted.Matriarch Afi and Tshering leapt down from the walls, as well as some of the elders of the Temitope clan. They were all of the ones strong enough to protect themselves away from the walls, while the rest stayed up above, attacking or simply sustaining the formation. Catarina and Ayotunde were in that latter category, Ayotunde not because he had much to do with controlling formations but simply because of his ability to provide energy, like many of the others.Anton was one of those who would be attacking. While he had gone through a great battle then run for hours to return to safety, the meals since then and the short time everyone passed out before the meal was ready in the morning was enough to invigorate him. He was feeling great, and while he could see that the patriarchs at least had replenished their energy they werent quite so fully refreshed.As he shot arrows down below, Anton noticed that some of the mercenaries from before were missing. The other parts of the wall hadnt raised any alarms, so it was unlikely they were making an attack from elsewhere. Instead, it was more likely their contracts didnt extend to attacking another clan. The Orders contract didnt either- but they were defending, which was quite expressly covered. Far be it from them to go into another country and kill people in their own homes, but they would gladly defend those they were working with.It quickly became clear that the difference in recovery was great. Standard medicines commonly available just werent quite the same as boar overlord and what amounted to a natural treasure he was defending. The defensive position was an advantage as well, because it was possible for people to retreat to the walls if they were hard pressed. The formations were able to prevent any attacks from reaching them, with the patriarchs occupied and the power being reinforced by rotating members of the clan. Though he wasnt able to land a single blow on either of the patriarchs, Anton began to focus most of his attention there. Because even if he couldnt hit them, the way that they dodged informed him on how he needed to improve. Did he need to be faster? More accurate? More flexible in where his shots went? Of course, it was some of each. His shots didnt do nothing just because they were avoided or extremely rarely blocked. Each distraction from him meant that the real threats were more able to land a telling blow.Such was the case when Elder Tshering found an opening to swing his improvised mace directly down on the head of the Olayinka patriarch. Actually, the patriarch blocked with his sword- but surprisingly Tshering let him cut through the bone and simply relied on the momentum of the top third to impact the man in the face. The blow was mostly a surprise, but in that moment, Tshering managed to kick him in the chest hard enough to send him flying two dozen meters, with a much more satisfying crack. And stay out! he gestured angrily. Unless you all want to die here.The mercenaries certainly didnt and the lesser clan members were already edging away before the patriarch gave leave to retreat. Anton was ready to keep shooting before Afi held up a hand. We can deal with the rest of that on our own later. The strength of our clan should increase from this feast, and we can leverage our current health.Anton nodded. It made sense that theyd want to continue without outside help. Otherwise, their strength might be doubted. As Anton was heading back, he realized he still had the Vessel activated. It hadnt been at full power, but as he opened it up he saw a few longer golden strands of insight. He wondered if they would be useful. They werent a replacement for his own training, but they were certainly a nice supplement. He was also able to help his allies grow, one small step at a time. Nothing that allowed them to leap over cultivation stages, but he still found himself quite fond of it.
