Chapter 154
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Chapter 154
As Hoyt saw all of the bugs underneath the low overhang, he immediately stepped forward, sweeping his axe across the area. While he didnt contact more than one or two, he didnt have to. A trail of fire lingered behind his swing. He was still practicing the technique. Eventually he might make it last for minutes or more, but currently it was a handful of seconds. That was still enough when concerning a swarm of insects ranging in size from large to catastrophic.
The mosquitoes were relatively fragile, only threatening because of their great numbers. Those that tried to reach him through the flames caught on fire and spread to others, while those that held back still allowed the group some breathing room.
Fuzz was clawing and biting his way through the swarm, Alva having let him go ahead while she stood back with Anton. The both of them continuously fired arrows, some piercing through multiple insects, but the swarm seemed unending.
Hoyt and Fuzz simply couldnt hold them back forever, where they were nicely contained in the cave. The press of bodies was enough that they would eventually get out, no matter how many trails of fire he left. They could let them go, but if the creatures instead attacked they would have to deal with numbers on all sides. While many of them were smaller, they had the annoying ability to pierce through energy defenses.
Maybe if he Hoyt stopped the thought before it could continue. They would be fine. He just had to push himself a bit harder to make certain of that. Flames roiled around him as he swung his axe back and forth, aiming for the larger mosquitoes, especially the ones that had the signatures of magical beasts. He thought all of them had some amount of energy, but those with more would be a danger if they were allowed to roam free.
As they started pouring out of the low overhang, Hoyt wondered if it might not be safer to go inside. However, as he saw a portion of the mosquitoes turning towards the lake, he knew they couldnt just take a defensive position. While mosquitoes werent usually a swarming insect attacking in groups, instead relying on stealth with their size he could see the behavior had changed significantly at well.
Their other allies were at the lake. Alva and Anton were already shooting the more dangerous specimens flying towards the lake. Hoyt remained at the mouth of the cave for just a bit longer, until he could no longer take advantage of the shape of the area to hinder more creatures. After them! Hoyt was the one to lead the charge towards the diverted group, though he didnt move far ahead as he still had to help protect against the ones swarming them.
-----N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.
*Clap*
Elder Tshering squashed a buzzing insect between his palms. Well, most of it anyway. It was a bit too big for that, but bugs deserved to be squashed. Even excessively large ones. They all deserved it for trying to drink his blood.
His methods of destroying the insects might be inefficient, but he managed to match the continuous stream that found its way towards him. He had no need to do any better at the moment. He was monitoring the situations of the others, and if they needed support he would be able to offer it but otherwise, he didnt mind a nice relaxing fight with a swarm. Except for their ability to pierce through defenses, they werent any worse than the ant swarm- and he didnt need to think about them fleeing.
Then he spotted a big one. Head to abdomen it was about the size of a human. Its wingspan made it seem much greater, though its relatively sleek profile could also fool him into it being smaller. If he counted the length of its proboscis, it was half again as long. He could sense the energy radiating off of it as it approached- not all of the energy its own. He wasnt sure what magical beast it drained, but it seemed to have provided a boost to its power.
In discussions about formations nobody talked about how physically exhausting it could be. They talked about mental exhaustion, having to keep track of all the changes and implement them. Perhaps people didnt cover enough lakes with large formations where they had to physically move around to manage it. Perhaps even Everheart didnt, though he couldnt have always been able to produce perfect formations that didnt need modifying. She imagined he was the sort that frantically dealt with problems as they cropped up and later said he had everything planned from the beginning. She was at least willing to admit she planned to fix her problems along the way, whatever she missed.
Nearly there. Just a bit more. Elder Tshering started providing a strong stream of energy. Just what she needed. She guided it with tendrils of her own energy. The formation reached its limit and
Blood splattered on her face, as well as nearly everywhere else. Ah. Well, at least it worked. She hadnt intended for them to literally explode, but then again, what should she expect from pushing so much energy into all of the mosquitoes around them?
The lake was red, but not because of the sunset. Not only because of that, anyway. Well, at least she seemed successful. Any remaining larvae should die as the formation trickled to a halt. Then they could figure out how to keep the situation from returning to how it was.
-----
Fish, Elder Tshering suggested. I noticed the lake had a severe lack of them. If there were fish of various sizes, they could feed on the eggs and larvae. Most of them have perished, but if we just leave it theyll doubtless attempt to spawn again. With fewer things to feed on it might be different but, he shook his head, Its not worth betting on it. We will of course also inform the closest cities and sects of what happened so they can help monitor it, but we should do what we can.
With fish being the solution, that was what they got. It turned out storage bags could also store water, and live fish. It wasnt a good long term solution, it seemed, but as they ran to nearby bodies of water to retrieve fish and back it was enough. After a few days they had a good hundred fish in the lake. They had an abundance of larvae to eat, dead but still full of nutrients. The fish didnt care.
While they doubted that dumping fish into a giant stagnant lake would completely solve the issue, they took other reasonable steps. While it couldnt reasonably be called Clear Lake anymore, hopefully some plantlife would take a liking to it and help clean it up from all the junk in it. Perhaps animals would move back into the area now that there werent swarms of creatures feeding on them and roaming into the surrounding region.
-----
Elder Tshering grumbled to himself. He should have been more careful about the stupid mosquito. Though it didnt cause too much damage to his shoulder, the junk it injected into him willingly and unwillingly was messing him up. His shoulder still refused to stop bleeding after several days, and he was getting tired of holding his blood inside himself with his own energy. That was fading, but his focus on that had given whatever disease the creature carried a chance to stake a hold.
He was confident that he would root it out eventually, but for the moment his whole body felt like crap and his blood wanted to ooze out of his pores if he so much as breathed wrong. It was a good thing theyd dealt with the problem all at once, because several of them were carrying lingering troubles. If they were still having to face swarms of bloodsucking insects they might not do so well.
Instead, they were walking along well traversed roads back towards the Order. Elder Tshering had seen enough of Ambati to get a picture of what had happened. As with most things, there were multiple factors contributing to the troubles. He might return later to take another look, but he had a duty to bring all of the disciples back unharmed and he wanted to make sure it stayed that way. Besides, Anton had that insane technique he was planning to consult with the Elders about. Getting that to the Order sooner rather than later was probably a good idea.
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Chapter 154
As Hoyt saw all of the bugs underneath the low overhang, he immediately stepped forward, sweeping his axe across the area. While he didnt contact more than one or two, he didnt have to. A trail of fire lingered behind his swing. He was still practicing the technique. Eventually he might make it last for minutes or more, but currently it was a handful of seconds. That was still enough when concerning a swarm of insects ranging in size from large to catastrophic.
The mosquitoes were relatively fragile, only threatening because of their great numbers. Those that tried to reach him through the flames caught on fire and spread to others, while those that held back still allowed the group some breathing room.
Fuzz was clawing and biting his way through the swarm, Alva having let him go ahead while she stood back with Anton. The both of them continuously fired arrows, some piercing through multiple insects, but the swarm seemed unending.
Hoyt and Fuzz simply couldnt hold them back forever, where they were nicely contained in the cave. The press of bodies was enough that they would eventually get out, no matter how many trails of fire he left. They could let them go, but if the creatures instead attacked they would have to deal with numbers on all sides. While many of them were smaller, they had the annoying ability to pierce through energy defenses.
Maybe if he Hoyt stopped the thought before it could continue. They would be fine. He just had to push himself a bit harder to make certain of that. Flames roiled around him as he swung his axe back and forth, aiming for the larger mosquitoes, especially the ones that had the signatures of magical beasts. He thought all of them had some amount of energy, but those with more would be a danger if they were allowed to roam free.
As they started pouring out of the low overhang, Hoyt wondered if it might not be safer to go inside. However, as he saw a portion of the mosquitoes turning towards the lake, he knew they couldnt just take a defensive position. While mosquitoes werent usually a swarming insect attacking in groups, instead relying on stealth with their size he could see the behavior had changed significantly at well.
Their other allies were at the lake. Alva and Anton were already shooting the more dangerous specimens flying towards the lake. Hoyt remained at the mouth of the cave for just a bit longer, until he could no longer take advantage of the shape of the area to hinder more creatures. After them! Hoyt was the one to lead the charge towards the diverted group, though he didnt move far ahead as he still had to help protect against the ones swarming them.
-----N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.
*Clap*
Elder Tshering squashed a buzzing insect between his palms. Well, most of it anyway. It was a bit too big for that, but bugs deserved to be squashed. Even excessively large ones. They all deserved it for trying to drink his blood.
His methods of destroying the insects might be inefficient, but he managed to match the continuous stream that found its way towards him. He had no need to do any better at the moment. He was monitoring the situations of the others, and if they needed support he would be able to offer it but otherwise, he didnt mind a nice relaxing fight with a swarm. Except for their ability to pierce through defenses, they werent any worse than the ant swarm- and he didnt need to think about them fleeing.
Then he spotted a big one. Head to abdomen it was about the size of a human. Its wingspan made it seem much greater, though its relatively sleek profile could also fool him into it being smaller. If he counted the length of its proboscis, it was half again as long. He could sense the energy radiating off of it as it approached- not all of the energy its own. He wasnt sure what magical beast it drained, but it seemed to have provided a boost to its power.
In discussions about formations nobody talked about how physically exhausting it could be. They talked about mental exhaustion, having to keep track of all the changes and implement them. Perhaps people didnt cover enough lakes with large formations where they had to physically move around to manage it. Perhaps even Everheart didnt, though he couldnt have always been able to produce perfect formations that didnt need modifying. She imagined he was the sort that frantically dealt with problems as they cropped up and later said he had everything planned from the beginning. She was at least willing to admit she planned to fix her problems along the way, whatever she missed.
Nearly there. Just a bit more. Elder Tshering started providing a strong stream of energy. Just what she needed. She guided it with tendrils of her own energy. The formation reached its limit and
Blood splattered on her face, as well as nearly everywhere else. Ah. Well, at least it worked. She hadnt intended for them to literally explode, but then again, what should she expect from pushing so much energy into all of the mosquitoes around them?
The lake was red, but not because of the sunset. Not only because of that, anyway. Well, at least she seemed successful. Any remaining larvae should die as the formation trickled to a halt. Then they could figure out how to keep the situation from returning to how it was.
-----
Fish, Elder Tshering suggested. I noticed the lake had a severe lack of them. If there were fish of various sizes, they could feed on the eggs and larvae. Most of them have perished, but if we just leave it theyll doubtless attempt to spawn again. With fewer things to feed on it might be different but, he shook his head, Its not worth betting on it. We will of course also inform the closest cities and sects of what happened so they can help monitor it, but we should do what we can.
With fish being the solution, that was what they got. It turned out storage bags could also store water, and live fish. It wasnt a good long term solution, it seemed, but as they ran to nearby bodies of water to retrieve fish and back it was enough. After a few days they had a good hundred fish in the lake. They had an abundance of larvae to eat, dead but still full of nutrients. The fish didnt care.
While they doubted that dumping fish into a giant stagnant lake would completely solve the issue, they took other reasonable steps. While it couldnt reasonably be called Clear Lake anymore, hopefully some plantlife would take a liking to it and help clean it up from all the junk in it. Perhaps animals would move back into the area now that there werent swarms of creatures feeding on them and roaming into the surrounding region.
-----
Elder Tshering grumbled to himself. He should have been more careful about the stupid mosquito. Though it didnt cause too much damage to his shoulder, the junk it injected into him willingly and unwillingly was messing him up. His shoulder still refused to stop bleeding after several days, and he was getting tired of holding his blood inside himself with his own energy. That was fading, but his focus on that had given whatever disease the creature carried a chance to stake a hold.
He was confident that he would root it out eventually, but for the moment his whole body felt like crap and his blood wanted to ooze out of his pores if he so much as breathed wrong. It was a good thing theyd dealt with the problem all at once, because several of them were carrying lingering troubles. If they were still having to face swarms of bloodsucking insects they might not do so well.
Instead, they were walking along well traversed roads back towards the Order. Elder Tshering had seen enough of Ambati to get a picture of what had happened. As with most things, there were multiple factors contributing to the troubles. He might return later to take another look, but he had a duty to bring all of the disciples back unharmed and he wanted to make sure it stayed that way. Besides, Anton had that insane technique he was planning to consult with the Elders about. Getting that to the Order sooner rather than later was probably a good idea.
Chapter 154As Hoyt saw all of the bugs underneath the low overhang, he immediately stepped forward, sweeping his axe across the area. While he didnt contact more than one or two, he didnt have to. A trail of fire lingered behind his swing. He was still practicing the technique. Eventually he might make it last for minutes or more, but currently it was a handful of seconds. That was still enough when concerning a swarm of insects ranging in size from large to catastrophic.The mosquitoes were relatively fragile, only threatening because of their great numbers. Those that tried to reach him through the flames caught on fire and spread to others, while those that held back still allowed the group some breathing room. Fuzz was clawing and biting his way through the swarm, Alva having let him go ahead while she stood back with Anton. The both of them continuously fired arrows, some piercing through multiple insects, but the swarm seemed unending. Hoyt and Fuzz simply couldnt hold them back forever, where they were nicely contained in the cave. The press of bodies was enough that they would eventually get out, no matter how many trails of fire he left. They could let them go, but if the creatures instead attacked they would have to deal with numbers on all sides. While many of them were smaller, they had the annoying ability to pierce through energy defenses.Maybe if he Hoyt stopped the thought before it could continue. They would be fine. He just had to push himself a bit harder to make certain of that. Flames roiled around him as he swung his axe back and forth, aiming for the larger mosquitoes, especially the ones that had the signatures of magical beasts. He thought all of them had some amount of energy, but those with more would be a danger if they were allowed to roam free.As they started pouring out of the low overhang, Hoyt wondered if it might not be safer to go inside. However, as he saw a portion of the mosquitoes turning towards the lake, he knew they couldnt just take a defensive position. While mosquitoes werent usually a swarming insect attacking in groups, instead relying on stealth with their size he could see the behavior had changed significantly at well.Their other allies were at the lake. Alva and Anton were already shooting the more dangerous specimens flying towards the lake. Hoyt remained at the mouth of the cave for just a bit longer, until he could no longer take advantage of the shape of the area to hinder more creatures. After them! Hoyt was the one to lead the charge towards the diverted group, though he didnt move far ahead as he still had to help protect against the ones swarming them.-----N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.*Clap*Elder Tshering squashed a buzzing insect between his palms. Well, most of it anyway. It was a bit too big for that, but bugs deserved to be squashed. Even excessively large ones. They all deserved it for trying to drink his blood.His methods of destroying the insects might be inefficient, but he managed to match the continuous stream that found its way towards him. He had no need to do any better at the moment. He was monitoring the situations of the others, and if they needed support he would be able to offer it but otherwise, he didnt mind a nice relaxing fight with a swarm. Except for their ability to pierce through defenses, they werent any worse than the ant swarm- and he didnt need to think about them fleeing. Then he spotted a big one. Head to abdomen it was about the size of a human. Its wingspan made it seem much greater, though its relatively sleek profile could also fool him into it being smaller. If he counted the length of its proboscis, it was half again as long. He could sense the energy radiating off of it as it approached- not all of the energy its own. He wasnt sure what magical beast it drained, but it seemed to have provided a boost to its power.In discussions about formations nobody talked about how physically exhausting it could be. They talked about mental exhaustion, having to keep track of all the changes and implement them. Perhaps people didnt cover enough lakes with large formations where they had to physically move around to manage it. Perhaps even Everheart didnt, though he couldnt have always been able to produce perfect formations that didnt need modifying. She imagined he was the sort that frantically dealt with problems as they cropped up and later said he had everything planned from the beginning. She was at least willing to admit she planned to fix her problems along the way, whatever she missed.Nearly there. Just a bit more. Elder Tshering started providing a strong stream of energy. Just what she needed. She guided it with tendrils of her own energy. The formation reached its limit andBlood splattered on her face, as well as nearly everywhere else. Ah. Well, at least it worked. She hadnt intended for them to literally explode, but then again, what should she expect from pushing so much energy into all of the mosquitoes around them?The lake was red, but not because of the sunset. Not only because of that, anyway. Well, at least she seemed successful. Any remaining larvae should die as the formation trickled to a halt. Then they could figure out how to keep the situation from returning to how it was.-----Fish, Elder Tshering suggested. I noticed the lake had a severe lack of them. If there were fish of various sizes, they could feed on the eggs and larvae. Most of them have perished, but if we just leave it theyll doubtless attempt to spawn again. With fewer things to feed on it might be different but, he shook his head, Its not worth betting on it. We will of course also inform the closest cities and sects of what happened so they can help monitor it, but we should do what we can.With fish being the solution, that was what they got. It turned out storage bags could also store water, and live fish. It wasnt a good long term solution, it seemed, but as they ran to nearby bodies of water to retrieve fish and back it was enough. After a few days they had a good hundred fish in the lake. They had an abundance of larvae to eat, dead but still full of nutrients. The fish didnt care.While they doubted that dumping fish into a giant stagnant lake would completely solve the issue, they took other reasonable steps. While it couldnt reasonably be called Clear Lake anymore, hopefully some plantlife would take a liking to it and help clean it up from all the junk in it. Perhaps animals would move back into the area now that there werent swarms of creatures feeding on them and roaming into the surrounding region.-----Elder Tshering grumbled to himself. He should have been more careful about the stupid mosquito. Though it didnt cause too much damage to his shoulder, the junk it injected into him willingly and unwillingly was messing him up. His shoulder still refused to stop bleeding after several days, and he was getting tired of holding his blood inside himself with his own energy. That was fading, but his focus on that had given whatever disease the creature carried a chance to stake a hold. He was confident that he would root it out eventually, but for the moment his whole body felt like crap and his blood wanted to ooze out of his pores if he so much as breathed wrong. It was a good thing theyd dealt with the problem all at once, because several of them were carrying lingering troubles. If they were still having to face swarms of bloodsucking insects they might not do so well.Instead, they were walking along well traversed roads back towards the Order. Elder Tshering had seen enough of Ambati to get a picture of what had happened. As with most things, there were multiple factors contributing to the troubles. He might return later to take another look, but he had a duty to bring all of the disciples back unharmed and he wanted to make sure it stayed that way. Besides, Anton had that insane technique he was planning to consult with the Elders about. Getting that to the Order sooner rather than later was probably a good idea.
