Chapter 223
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Chapter 223
Every group was taking stock of their members as they walked towards whatever the next challenge would be. It seemed that quite a few people had not made it through, despite reaching the doors. Yet nobody could say what had been right or wrong about any particular door. A few people had theories, but the single minute had not been sufficient for anyone to focus on anything other than simply arriving at their destination.The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.
The Order was missing exactly two people. Anton, and a late Essence Collection cultivator known as Emma Strand. Despite her cultivation she wasnt one of the elders, instead leaving the greater responsibilities to others. The Order had a specific limit on the number of elders regardless, and not everyone wanted such a position.
Most large sects had at least one person missing and usually more, which wasnt a surprise. Random chance would indicate that those with greater numbers would also be more likely to be involved in random failures.
-----
Twisting turning maze-like hallways led to empty rooms in all directions. As Anton traversed through the area, he took careful stock of what he could do. The door he had come through had no portal back through it, simply a white-painted stone wall. There was no instruction on what to do, no guidance and so far, no other people.
He couldnt say for sure if he might be alone, because his senses were severely limited. Though he was aware of significant effects from formations around him, his energy senses didnt extend much beyond his body, and even his hearing was somewhat muffled to more what he would expect from a normal person.
Along with empty space, the area was filled with a moderate amount of traps. A scythe swung vertically across a doorway as he opened a door, and Anton leapt back. When they werent active, the traps were very hard to detect. Perhaps he had just gotten too used to relying on energy senses. Was that what this area was about? He couldnt be sure.
One step into the hallway he sensed a pressure plate being depressed immediately, and he rolled back into the room as spikes stabbed out of the walls. This was still considered moderately trapped by Everhearts standards. It wasnt as if every single tile on the floor was individually trapped, after all.
As he turned the corner to a new hallway, Anton saw it extended for several hundred meters. Even with his distance vision impaired by the formations around, he was still at least able to make out figures ahead of him at the two hundred meter mark. Even just around the corner he hadnt sensed them, but it was impossible to miss them fighting once they were in front of him. Especially with something coming almost straight at him.
Anton dodged to the side. He still felt the energy from the hurled spear brushing against his side as he did so, even though it was not aimed towards him but just down the hall. He actually somewhat admired the straight trajectory only minimally affected by gravity. It was a high level of accuracy over such a distance, though he also supposed that it wouldnt have particularly changed its likelihood of striking its intended target if it hit the wall or floors a hundred meters back.
Both figures appeared to be in late Essence Collection. Anton would have gone back around the corner and entirely stayed out of the conflict except for one thing- he recognized one of the figures. While he had to admit he barely knew Emma Strand, Anton couldnt very well just ignore a member of his own sect as she fought.
The hallway had very little in the way of offshoots, so it was just a straight path between him and them. Emma was on his side, wielding a long pike while her opponent seemed to have a limitless supply of spears to throw. If a non-cultivator had the same spears, they would have been much too large to throw. As it was, they were treated more like vastly oversized darts. Stabilizing fins were created with the use of energy, much like the fletching Anton added to Spirit Arrows.
Emma pulled back a moment later, wary of any last ditch efforts. Fortunately the damage had been sufficient that the man only managed a few half-effort throws which Emma handily dodged- and they werent aimed straight down the hallway towards him, so they got nowhere near Anton. Anton still stood outside of the trajectory he thought they would take had they been aimed at him, but as the man fell unconscious from his wounds he felt any illusory effects fade.
With a flick Emmas pike was cleared of blood, and she turned towards Anton with a smile. Glad to see you. Youre the first ally Ive spotted here. Everyone else wanted to attack me on sight or ran away. Though I suppose thats only a small sample size. Her voice carried easily down the hallway as she began to walk towards Anton.
He moved forward as well to be in a more comfortable speaking range. Shouting two hundred meters wasnt exactly good for conversation, nor was it subtle- though it was possible nobody would hear them given the design of the area. They met about halfway, though Anton moved a bit more since she had her injured thigh. Youre actually the first two I saw, Anton admitted. I hadnt expected to find a sectmate fighting a member of the Twin Soul Sect.
Emma nodded. That would explain why he was so keen to attack, though. Im sure theyd rather we dont develop any more Life Transformation cultivators. With her current cultivation she wasnt at the brink, but while she was advanced in age she might still be able to make that journey. Have you seen anything resembling a way out? Emma asked as she began to apply ointments and bind her leg.
Anton shook his head. Not even close. I havent even seen any other entrances than the door I came in. I imagine if I were to retrace my steps it would be well concealed in the wall. Well have to look about carefully, for both secret tunnels or traps.
The traps shouldnt be too much of a problem for me, Emma said.
I could see that, Anton said. So far even he hadnt been concerned about the danger they posed. Someone an entire stage ahead of him shouldnt have any trouble at all. He casually inspected her cultivation. Hed been able to feel she was at late Essence Collection as the two cultivators threw their energy around. I wonder how long it will take me to reach the fiftieth star like yourself, Anton said. He began to inspect a nearby doorway, since there was really no clear path it seemed as good as any.
Oh, it shouldnt be that long, Emma said. Youre Anton Krantz, right?
Thats right.
Then Id bet no less than a decade or two, if you live that long.
Three factors saved Antons life, at least for a moment. First was watching her fight and seeing her cultivation up close. The second was the ominous way she said that final line. And the third was the door Anton hurriedly threw between them as her pike thrust towards him. Maybe a bit of Instinct thrown on there helped as well.
Even so, he still felt the pike pierce through his side, below his left ribs. It was a clean stab with barely any energy radiating off of it, so the damage was actually concentrated into that one point instead of tearing up all of his organs. As the pike pulled back for another thrust Anton was already leaping through the doorway, traps be damned.
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Chapter 223
Every group was taking stock of their members as they walked towards whatever the next challenge would be. It seemed that quite a few people had not made it through, despite reaching the doors. Yet nobody could say what had been right or wrong about any particular door. A few people had theories, but the single minute had not been sufficient for anyone to focus on anything other than simply arriving at their destination.The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.
The Order was missing exactly two people. Anton, and a late Essence Collection cultivator known as Emma Strand. Despite her cultivation she wasnt one of the elders, instead leaving the greater responsibilities to others. The Order had a specific limit on the number of elders regardless, and not everyone wanted such a position.
Most large sects had at least one person missing and usually more, which wasnt a surprise. Random chance would indicate that those with greater numbers would also be more likely to be involved in random failures.
-----
Twisting turning maze-like hallways led to empty rooms in all directions. As Anton traversed through the area, he took careful stock of what he could do. The door he had come through had no portal back through it, simply a white-painted stone wall. There was no instruction on what to do, no guidance and so far, no other people.
He couldnt say for sure if he might be alone, because his senses were severely limited. Though he was aware of significant effects from formations around him, his energy senses didnt extend much beyond his body, and even his hearing was somewhat muffled to more what he would expect from a normal person.
Along with empty space, the area was filled with a moderate amount of traps. A scythe swung vertically across a doorway as he opened a door, and Anton leapt back. When they werent active, the traps were very hard to detect. Perhaps he had just gotten too used to relying on energy senses. Was that what this area was about? He couldnt be sure.
One step into the hallway he sensed a pressure plate being depressed immediately, and he rolled back into the room as spikes stabbed out of the walls. This was still considered moderately trapped by Everhearts standards. It wasnt as if every single tile on the floor was individually trapped, after all.
As he turned the corner to a new hallway, Anton saw it extended for several hundred meters. Even with his distance vision impaired by the formations around, he was still at least able to make out figures ahead of him at the two hundred meter mark. Even just around the corner he hadnt sensed them, but it was impossible to miss them fighting once they were in front of him. Especially with something coming almost straight at him.
Anton dodged to the side. He still felt the energy from the hurled spear brushing against his side as he did so, even though it was not aimed towards him but just down the hall. He actually somewhat admired the straight trajectory only minimally affected by gravity. It was a high level of accuracy over such a distance, though he also supposed that it wouldnt have particularly changed its likelihood of striking its intended target if it hit the wall or floors a hundred meters back.
Both figures appeared to be in late Essence Collection. Anton would have gone back around the corner and entirely stayed out of the conflict except for one thing- he recognized one of the figures. While he had to admit he barely knew Emma Strand, Anton couldnt very well just ignore a member of his own sect as she fought.
The hallway had very little in the way of offshoots, so it was just a straight path between him and them. Emma was on his side, wielding a long pike while her opponent seemed to have a limitless supply of spears to throw. If a non-cultivator had the same spears, they would have been much too large to throw. As it was, they were treated more like vastly oversized darts. Stabilizing fins were created with the use of energy, much like the fletching Anton added to Spirit Arrows.
Emma pulled back a moment later, wary of any last ditch efforts. Fortunately the damage had been sufficient that the man only managed a few half-effort throws which Emma handily dodged- and they werent aimed straight down the hallway towards him, so they got nowhere near Anton. Anton still stood outside of the trajectory he thought they would take had they been aimed at him, but as the man fell unconscious from his wounds he felt any illusory effects fade.
With a flick Emmas pike was cleared of blood, and she turned towards Anton with a smile. Glad to see you. Youre the first ally Ive spotted here. Everyone else wanted to attack me on sight or ran away. Though I suppose thats only a small sample size. Her voice carried easily down the hallway as she began to walk towards Anton.
He moved forward as well to be in a more comfortable speaking range. Shouting two hundred meters wasnt exactly good for conversation, nor was it subtle- though it was possible nobody would hear them given the design of the area. They met about halfway, though Anton moved a bit more since she had her injured thigh. Youre actually the first two I saw, Anton admitted. I hadnt expected to find a sectmate fighting a member of the Twin Soul Sect.
Emma nodded. That would explain why he was so keen to attack, though. Im sure theyd rather we dont develop any more Life Transformation cultivators. With her current cultivation she wasnt at the brink, but while she was advanced in age she might still be able to make that journey. Have you seen anything resembling a way out? Emma asked as she began to apply ointments and bind her leg.
Anton shook his head. Not even close. I havent even seen any other entrances than the door I came in. I imagine if I were to retrace my steps it would be well concealed in the wall. Well have to look about carefully, for both secret tunnels or traps.
The traps shouldnt be too much of a problem for me, Emma said.
I could see that, Anton said. So far even he hadnt been concerned about the danger they posed. Someone an entire stage ahead of him shouldnt have any trouble at all. He casually inspected her cultivation. Hed been able to feel she was at late Essence Collection as the two cultivators threw their energy around. I wonder how long it will take me to reach the fiftieth star like yourself, Anton said. He began to inspect a nearby doorway, since there was really no clear path it seemed as good as any.
Oh, it shouldnt be that long, Emma said. Youre Anton Krantz, right?
Thats right.
Then Id bet no less than a decade or two, if you live that long.
Three factors saved Antons life, at least for a moment. First was watching her fight and seeing her cultivation up close. The second was the ominous way she said that final line. And the third was the door Anton hurriedly threw between them as her pike thrust towards him. Maybe a bit of Instinct thrown on there helped as well.
Even so, he still felt the pike pierce through his side, below his left ribs. It was a clean stab with barely any energy radiating off of it, so the damage was actually concentrated into that one point instead of tearing up all of his organs. As the pike pulled back for another thrust Anton was already leaping through the doorway, traps be damned.
Chapter 223Every group was taking stock of their members as they walked towards whatever the next challenge would be. It seemed that quite a few people had not made it through, despite reaching the doors. Yet nobody could say what had been right or wrong about any particular door. A few people had theories, but the single minute had not been sufficient for anyone to focus on anything other than simply arriving at their destination.The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.The Order was missing exactly two people. Anton, and a late Essence Collection cultivator known as Emma Strand. Despite her cultivation she wasnt one of the elders, instead leaving the greater responsibilities to others. The Order had a specific limit on the number of elders regardless, and not everyone wanted such a position.Most large sects had at least one person missing and usually more, which wasnt a surprise. Random chance would indicate that those with greater numbers would also be more likely to be involved in random failures.-----Twisting turning maze-like hallways led to empty rooms in all directions. As Anton traversed through the area, he took careful stock of what he could do. The door he had come through had no portal back through it, simply a white-painted stone wall. There was no instruction on what to do, no guidance and so far, no other people.He couldnt say for sure if he might be alone, because his senses were severely limited. Though he was aware of significant effects from formations around him, his energy senses didnt extend much beyond his body, and even his hearing was somewhat muffled to more what he would expect from a normal person. Along with empty space, the area was filled with a moderate amount of traps. A scythe swung vertically across a doorway as he opened a door, and Anton leapt back. When they werent active, the traps were very hard to detect. Perhaps he had just gotten too used to relying on energy senses. Was that what this area was about? He couldnt be sure.One step into the hallway he sensed a pressure plate being depressed immediately, and he rolled back into the room as spikes stabbed out of the walls. This was still considered moderately trapped by Everhearts standards. It wasnt as if every single tile on the floor was individually trapped, after all.As he turned the corner to a new hallway, Anton saw it extended for several hundred meters. Even with his distance vision impaired by the formations around, he was still at least able to make out figures ahead of him at the two hundred meter mark. Even just around the corner he hadnt sensed them, but it was impossible to miss them fighting once they were in front of him. Especially with something coming almost straight at him. Anton dodged to the side. He still felt the energy from the hurled spear brushing against his side as he did so, even though it was not aimed towards him but just down the hall. He actually somewhat admired the straight trajectory only minimally affected by gravity. It was a high level of accuracy over such a distance, though he also supposed that it wouldnt have particularly changed its likelihood of striking its intended target if it hit the wall or floors a hundred meters back.Both figures appeared to be in late Essence Collection. Anton would have gone back around the corner and entirely stayed out of the conflict except for one thing- he recognized one of the figures. While he had to admit he barely knew Emma Strand, Anton couldnt very well just ignore a member of his own sect as she fought. The hallway had very little in the way of offshoots, so it was just a straight path between him and them. Emma was on his side, wielding a long pike while her opponent seemed to have a limitless supply of spears to throw. If a non-cultivator had the same spears, they would have been much too large to throw. As it was, they were treated more like vastly oversized darts. Stabilizing fins were created with the use of energy, much like the fletching Anton added to Spirit Arrows. Emma pulled back a moment later, wary of any last ditch efforts. Fortunately the damage had been sufficient that the man only managed a few half-effort throws which Emma handily dodged- and they werent aimed straight down the hallway towards him, so they got nowhere near Anton. Anton still stood outside of the trajectory he thought they would take had they been aimed at him, but as the man fell unconscious from his wounds he felt any illusory effects fade.With a flick Emmas pike was cleared of blood, and she turned towards Anton with a smile. Glad to see you. Youre the first ally Ive spotted here. Everyone else wanted to attack me on sight or ran away. Though I suppose thats only a small sample size. Her voice carried easily down the hallway as she began to walk towards Anton.He moved forward as well to be in a more comfortable speaking range. Shouting two hundred meters wasnt exactly good for conversation, nor was it subtle- though it was possible nobody would hear them given the design of the area. They met about halfway, though Anton moved a bit more since she had her injured thigh. Youre actually the first two I saw, Anton admitted. I hadnt expected to find a sectmate fighting a member of the Twin Soul Sect.Emma nodded. That would explain why he was so keen to attack, though. Im sure theyd rather we dont develop any more Life Transformation cultivators. With her current cultivation she wasnt at the brink, but while she was advanced in age she might still be able to make that journey. Have you seen anything resembling a way out? Emma asked as she began to apply ointments and bind her leg.Anton shook his head. Not even close. I havent even seen any other entrances than the door I came in. I imagine if I were to retrace my steps it would be well concealed in the wall. Well have to look about carefully, for both secret tunnels or traps.The traps shouldnt be too much of a problem for me, Emma said. I could see that, Anton said. So far even he hadnt been concerned about the danger they posed. Someone an entire stage ahead of him shouldnt have any trouble at all. He casually inspected her cultivation. Hed been able to feel she was at late Essence Collection as the two cultivators threw their energy around. I wonder how long it will take me to reach the fiftieth star like yourself, Anton said. He began to inspect a nearby doorway, since there was really no clear path it seemed as good as any.Oh, it shouldnt be that long, Emma said. Youre Anton Krantz, right?Thats right.Then Id bet no less than a decade or two, if you live that long.Three factors saved Antons life, at least for a moment. First was watching her fight and seeing her cultivation up close. The second was the ominous way she said that final line. And the third was the door Anton hurriedly threw between them as her pike thrust towards him. Maybe a bit of Instinct thrown on there helped as well.Even so, he still felt the pike pierce through his side, below his left ribs. It was a clean stab with barely any energy radiating off of it, so the damage was actually concentrated into that one point instead of tearing up all of his organs. As the pike pulled back for another thrust Anton was already leaping through the doorway, traps be damned.
