Chapter 229
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Chapter 229
Though Anton had for a few days had no encounters with other cultivators, he was certain they would be around. He wouldnt mind a whole forest that he could scour for interesting goodies all to himself, but even Everheart wasnt that generous. The fact that hed gotten Anton out of his deathtrap was already close to the limit of what Anton believed possible. How Anton ended up inside it was another question. There must have been some criteria, but he hadnt been given an explanation.
Anton looked at the doe traveling with him. She moved fairly quickly, given her pregnant status, but not nearly as fast as Anton might have gone without her. He wondered once more if it was a foolish idea to try to bring her along. What would she actually provide to the world? Assuming he was right and this deer was of a type that could no longer be found, did it matter?
He could tell she would be more durable than a normal deer, even discounting the energy he felt from her. Nothing amazing, but at least comparable to a mid or late Body Tempering human. Perhaps it was better to go for boots and gloves after all. Even if she gave birth, her child would have to mate with normal deer from below. But it seemed sad to think that this particular species of deer would be gone forever if he did nothing.
There was no way that this habitat stayed beyond the opening of the tomb. Even if this particular one didnt instantly collapse, it would have to eventually run out of the energy keeping the area functional. If Anton understood correctly, the moon shouldnt be able to maintain the air they had or any of the life present. It should be without air, or practically so at least.
His step into Essence Collection made him consider his actions. Should he care about this? Was it just thinking about what he could get out of the deer that was why he wanted to save it? He thought not, and he found inside himself real compassion for it. Though he still had to consider practicality. He might not even be able to leave with it.
Before that point, however, he had to get through whatever this trial had. The next of those things were the two people in the distance. His energy senses were able to range further than before, though depending on how much energy a particular person or thing was throwing off he couldnt sense more than a kilometer or so unless he focused in a particular direction. Hed be better at Horizon Shot now, but still had to get closer to someone to find them. At least for the moment.
The two cultivators ahead would tell him what the trial was, either through words or action. He had no intention to reveal himself to them immediately in case there was something competitive. He didnt recall any specific prohibitions against fighting in this place, but that could have changed.
Anton snuck closer. The doe followed behind, but at least seemed to understand the intent for stealth. Her footfalls were quiet, though her energy was still able to be sensed by those who were ready. He didnt really have a way to explain that, but he gave it a try anyway. The doe probably couldnt understand speech, but she might learn like Fuzz.
The energy of the two cultivators ahead of Anton was getting riled up, as if they were preparing for a fight. They hadnt sensed him, but were instead facing off with each other. He didnt recognize either of them, nor even the sects they were from. One was a young woman, and the other woman was somewhat closer to middle age.
As for the reason for the battle, there was a particularly tantalizing fruit tree nearby. Anton couldnt hear their words, but he sensed all of those details and put together the situation.
Cultivators fighting over resources was nothing new, but it seemed unnecessary in a place as abundant as this. Anton moved closer, trying to gauge whether he should interfere.
The younger woman held a large sword in her two hands. The other wielded a bow, and took her first shot when the younger began to charge towards her. The archer immediately ducked behind a tree, concealing her movements and attacking from the sides and back as she moved around.
The sword wielder seemed unable to track the movements of the archer, but was alert to the attacks themselves. She turned to face each arrow head on, swinging her sword in a sometimes wild fashion. Some portion of the time she actually managed to cut the arrow out of the air, but the rest the attack directly struck her breastplate. It was actually an extremely beneficial maneuver for her, as she was able to avoid the weak points on her armor being targeted. Her energy would be worn down from defending, but that only mattered if she didnt have more to spare.
From what Anton sensed, the battle could go either way. Though the current way it was going was terrible for the trees. In addition to swinging at the arrows, the woman with the large sword began to chop through the trees that were providing hiding places for the archer. It was an excessive and probably unnecessary use of energy, but as she amped herself up Anton only felt her output increasing. Her energy wouldnt last forever, but her opponent would have to last along with her.
I wouldnt, Anton said. It seems unpleasant. The seed was actually a large pit, perhaps five centimeters across. It was smooth, but that didnt mean much. I can tell from here your sword didnt even scratch it. Attempting to digest that would bring great pain. Anyway, if you intend to use it for something I do not mind, but I would like one to plant. Anton gestured to the tree, I could even take one from these lesser fruit. I imagine the tree produced should be much the same.
You a gardener? the woman asked.
A farmer, among other things, Anton said.
How about a hunter? she asked, looking over Antons shoulder towards the doe.
Sometimes, but this time I thought to try raising another type of animal.
Good luck with that, the gruff woman responded. She threw the pit at him, almost as if she were trying to hit Anton with it- but with just the force of her arm it was an easy catch. Go ahead and take it. I agree, Id rather not have that thing going through my guts.
Anton nodded, Thank you very much. Ill be moving on now. Many things to collect, and all that.
As Anton continued to move through the forest, he continued to find many interesting edible plants. Many of them were familiar but with a touch of energy and likely more potency than normal. He gathered at least one of everything for the sake of seeds, and piled extras of various fruits and vegetables into his storage bag. If he had taken the time to carefully look inside he might have noticed a handful of very small figures chewing on some of the various foods inside, but as he only tossed things onto the pile his senses never slipped into the modified space inside.
-----
Needle-leaf-blades fell all around Chikere as she continued up the tree towards her prize. Avoiding them wasnt terribly hard, since they fell without intent. They did sometimes tumble in hard to predict manners, but she wasnt going to lose to swords without wielders.
She almost didnt notice a pair of blades as being different until they were swiping at her. Those she had to dodge instead of merely deflecting them, sending her stepping along a large branch behind her. As for what attacked her she saw nothing. Just the tree, normal as could be. Though two particular leaf blades stood at an odd angle on a section that had otherwise become bare.
Then the branch in front of her moved, revealing a pair of eyes to go with the branch and leaf blades. For a moment Chikere was concerned that the whole tree was able to move and attack, but she quickly discerned that the creature in front of her was an independent entity. As blades fell from above she found it had a hard exoskeleton, harder than even the bark of the tree itself given the lack of dodging or avoidance of the falling blades.
Chikere had to dance back and forth on an ever-shrinking branch until she found a good opening for her strange opponent. She was extremely familiar fighting humans with swords, but something thats front limbs were swords was another matter. And when those swords were also parts of a tree, she thought she was quite reasonable to have been thrown off guard.
But while her opponent was quick and durable, it had already lost the element of surprise. Once she knew it was something that could attack her, all it took was a few quick parries and chopping at its joints to turn it into a pile of dead twigs. Her blades slicing into it clearly told her it wasnt a plant at all, merely some sort of insect with a carapace that looked like bark.
So shed have to watch for more of that on the way to her prize at the top. The good news was that its forelimbs were actually in the top one hundred. Still unnecessary, but perhaps they could be enchanted to be turned into something great.
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Chapter 229
Though Anton had for a few days had no encounters with other cultivators, he was certain they would be around. He wouldnt mind a whole forest that he could scour for interesting goodies all to himself, but even Everheart wasnt that generous. The fact that hed gotten Anton out of his deathtrap was already close to the limit of what Anton believed possible. How Anton ended up inside it was another question. There must have been some criteria, but he hadnt been given an explanation.
Anton looked at the doe traveling with him. She moved fairly quickly, given her pregnant status, but not nearly as fast as Anton might have gone without her. He wondered once more if it was a foolish idea to try to bring her along. What would she actually provide to the world? Assuming he was right and this deer was of a type that could no longer be found, did it matter?
He could tell she would be more durable than a normal deer, even discounting the energy he felt from her. Nothing amazing, but at least comparable to a mid or late Body Tempering human. Perhaps it was better to go for boots and gloves after all. Even if she gave birth, her child would have to mate with normal deer from below. But it seemed sad to think that this particular species of deer would be gone forever if he did nothing.
There was no way that this habitat stayed beyond the opening of the tomb. Even if this particular one didnt instantly collapse, it would have to eventually run out of the energy keeping the area functional. If Anton understood correctly, the moon shouldnt be able to maintain the air they had or any of the life present. It should be without air, or practically so at least.
His step into Essence Collection made him consider his actions. Should he care about this? Was it just thinking about what he could get out of the deer that was why he wanted to save it? He thought not, and he found inside himself real compassion for it. Though he still had to consider practicality. He might not even be able to leave with it.
Before that point, however, he had to get through whatever this trial had. The next of those things were the two people in the distance. His energy senses were able to range further than before, though depending on how much energy a particular person or thing was throwing off he couldnt sense more than a kilometer or so unless he focused in a particular direction. Hed be better at Horizon Shot now, but still had to get closer to someone to find them. At least for the moment.
The two cultivators ahead would tell him what the trial was, either through words or action. He had no intention to reveal himself to them immediately in case there was something competitive. He didnt recall any specific prohibitions against fighting in this place, but that could have changed.
Anton snuck closer. The doe followed behind, but at least seemed to understand the intent for stealth. Her footfalls were quiet, though her energy was still able to be sensed by those who were ready. He didnt really have a way to explain that, but he gave it a try anyway. The doe probably couldnt understand speech, but she might learn like Fuzz.
The energy of the two cultivators ahead of Anton was getting riled up, as if they were preparing for a fight. They hadnt sensed him, but were instead facing off with each other. He didnt recognize either of them, nor even the sects they were from. One was a young woman, and the other woman was somewhat closer to middle age.
As for the reason for the battle, there was a particularly tantalizing fruit tree nearby. Anton couldnt hear their words, but he sensed all of those details and put together the situation.
Cultivators fighting over resources was nothing new, but it seemed unnecessary in a place as abundant as this. Anton moved closer, trying to gauge whether he should interfere.
The younger woman held a large sword in her two hands. The other wielded a bow, and took her first shot when the younger began to charge towards her. The archer immediately ducked behind a tree, concealing her movements and attacking from the sides and back as she moved around.
The sword wielder seemed unable to track the movements of the archer, but was alert to the attacks themselves. She turned to face each arrow head on, swinging her sword in a sometimes wild fashion. Some portion of the time she actually managed to cut the arrow out of the air, but the rest the attack directly struck her breastplate. It was actually an extremely beneficial maneuver for her, as she was able to avoid the weak points on her armor being targeted. Her energy would be worn down from defending, but that only mattered if she didnt have more to spare.
From what Anton sensed, the battle could go either way. Though the current way it was going was terrible for the trees. In addition to swinging at the arrows, the woman with the large sword began to chop through the trees that were providing hiding places for the archer. It was an excessive and probably unnecessary use of energy, but as she amped herself up Anton only felt her output increasing. Her energy wouldnt last forever, but her opponent would have to last along with her.
I wouldnt, Anton said. It seems unpleasant. The seed was actually a large pit, perhaps five centimeters across. It was smooth, but that didnt mean much. I can tell from here your sword didnt even scratch it. Attempting to digest that would bring great pain. Anyway, if you intend to use it for something I do not mind, but I would like one to plant. Anton gestured to the tree, I could even take one from these lesser fruit. I imagine the tree produced should be much the same.
You a gardener? the woman asked.
A farmer, among other things, Anton said.
How about a hunter? she asked, looking over Antons shoulder towards the doe.
Sometimes, but this time I thought to try raising another type of animal.
Good luck with that, the gruff woman responded. She threw the pit at him, almost as if she were trying to hit Anton with it- but with just the force of her arm it was an easy catch. Go ahead and take it. I agree, Id rather not have that thing going through my guts.
Anton nodded, Thank you very much. Ill be moving on now. Many things to collect, and all that.
As Anton continued to move through the forest, he continued to find many interesting edible plants. Many of them were familiar but with a touch of energy and likely more potency than normal. He gathered at least one of everything for the sake of seeds, and piled extras of various fruits and vegetables into his storage bag. If he had taken the time to carefully look inside he might have noticed a handful of very small figures chewing on some of the various foods inside, but as he only tossed things onto the pile his senses never slipped into the modified space inside.
-----
Needle-leaf-blades fell all around Chikere as she continued up the tree towards her prize. Avoiding them wasnt terribly hard, since they fell without intent. They did sometimes tumble in hard to predict manners, but she wasnt going to lose to swords without wielders.
She almost didnt notice a pair of blades as being different until they were swiping at her. Those she had to dodge instead of merely deflecting them, sending her stepping along a large branch behind her. As for what attacked her she saw nothing. Just the tree, normal as could be. Though two particular leaf blades stood at an odd angle on a section that had otherwise become bare.
Then the branch in front of her moved, revealing a pair of eyes to go with the branch and leaf blades. For a moment Chikere was concerned that the whole tree was able to move and attack, but she quickly discerned that the creature in front of her was an independent entity. As blades fell from above she found it had a hard exoskeleton, harder than even the bark of the tree itself given the lack of dodging or avoidance of the falling blades.
Chikere had to dance back and forth on an ever-shrinking branch until she found a good opening for her strange opponent. She was extremely familiar fighting humans with swords, but something thats front limbs were swords was another matter. And when those swords were also parts of a tree, she thought she was quite reasonable to have been thrown off guard.
But while her opponent was quick and durable, it had already lost the element of surprise. Once she knew it was something that could attack her, all it took was a few quick parries and chopping at its joints to turn it into a pile of dead twigs. Her blades slicing into it clearly told her it wasnt a plant at all, merely some sort of insect with a carapace that looked like bark.
So shed have to watch for more of that on the way to her prize at the top. The good news was that its forelimbs were actually in the top one hundred. Still unnecessary, but perhaps they could be enchanted to be turned into something great.
Chapter 229Though Anton had for a few days had no encounters with other cultivators, he was certain they would be around. He wouldnt mind a whole forest that he could scour for interesting goodies all to himself, but even Everheart wasnt that generous. The fact that hed gotten Anton out of his deathtrap was already close to the limit of what Anton believed possible. How Anton ended up inside it was another question. There must have been some criteria, but he hadnt been given an explanation.Anton looked at the doe traveling with him. She moved fairly quickly, given her pregnant status, but not nearly as fast as Anton might have gone without her. He wondered once more if it was a foolish idea to try to bring her along. What would she actually provide to the world? Assuming he was right and this deer was of a type that could no longer be found, did it matter? He could tell she would be more durable than a normal deer, even discounting the energy he felt from her. Nothing amazing, but at least comparable to a mid or late Body Tempering human. Perhaps it was better to go for boots and gloves after all. Even if she gave birth, her child would have to mate with normal deer from below. But it seemed sad to think that this particular species of deer would be gone forever if he did nothing. There was no way that this habitat stayed beyond the opening of the tomb. Even if this particular one didnt instantly collapse, it would have to eventually run out of the energy keeping the area functional. If Anton understood correctly, the moon shouldnt be able to maintain the air they had or any of the life present. It should be without air, or practically so at least.His step into Essence Collection made him consider his actions. Should he care about this? Was it just thinking about what he could get out of the deer that was why he wanted to save it? He thought not, and he found inside himself real compassion for it. Though he still had to consider practicality. He might not even be able to leave with it.Before that point, however, he had to get through whatever this trial had. The next of those things were the two people in the distance. His energy senses were able to range further than before, though depending on how much energy a particular person or thing was throwing off he couldnt sense more than a kilometer or so unless he focused in a particular direction. Hed be better at Horizon Shot now, but still had to get closer to someone to find them. At least for the moment. The two cultivators ahead would tell him what the trial was, either through words or action. He had no intention to reveal himself to them immediately in case there was something competitive. He didnt recall any specific prohibitions against fighting in this place, but that could have changed.Anton snuck closer. The doe followed behind, but at least seemed to understand the intent for stealth. Her footfalls were quiet, though her energy was still able to be sensed by those who were ready. He didnt really have a way to explain that, but he gave it a try anyway. The doe probably couldnt understand speech, but she might learn like Fuzz. The energy of the two cultivators ahead of Anton was getting riled up, as if they were preparing for a fight. They hadnt sensed him, but were instead facing off with each other. He didnt recognize either of them, nor even the sects they were from. One was a young woman, and the other woman was somewhat closer to middle age.As for the reason for the battle, there was a particularly tantalizing fruit tree nearby. Anton couldnt hear their words, but he sensed all of those details and put together the situation.Cultivators fighting over resources was nothing new, but it seemed unnecessary in a place as abundant as this. Anton moved closer, trying to gauge whether he should interfere.The younger woman held a large sword in her two hands. The other wielded a bow, and took her first shot when the younger began to charge towards her. The archer immediately ducked behind a tree, concealing her movements and attacking from the sides and back as she moved around. The sword wielder seemed unable to track the movements of the archer, but was alert to the attacks themselves. She turned to face each arrow head on, swinging her sword in a sometimes wild fashion. Some portion of the time she actually managed to cut the arrow out of the air, but the rest the attack directly struck her breastplate. It was actually an extremely beneficial maneuver for her, as she was able to avoid the weak points on her armor being targeted. Her energy would be worn down from defending, but that only mattered if she didnt have more to spare.From what Anton sensed, the battle could go either way. Though the current way it was going was terrible for the trees. In addition to swinging at the arrows, the woman with the large sword began to chop through the trees that were providing hiding places for the archer. It was an excessive and probably unnecessary use of energy, but as she amped herself up Anton only felt her output increasing. Her energy wouldnt last forever, but her opponent would have to last along with her.I wouldnt, Anton said. It seems unpleasant. The seed was actually a large pit, perhaps five centimeters across. It was smooth, but that didnt mean much. I can tell from here your sword didnt even scratch it. Attempting to digest that would bring great pain. Anyway, if you intend to use it for something I do not mind, but I would like one to plant. Anton gestured to the tree, I could even take one from these lesser fruit. I imagine the tree produced should be much the same.You a gardener? the woman asked.A farmer, among other things, Anton said. How about a hunter? she asked, looking over Antons shoulder towards the doe.Sometimes, but this time I thought to try raising another type of animal.Good luck with that, the gruff woman responded. She threw the pit at him, almost as if she were trying to hit Anton with it- but with just the force of her arm it was an easy catch. Go ahead and take it. I agree, Id rather not have that thing going through my guts.Anton nodded, Thank you very much. Ill be moving on now. Many things to collect, and all that.As Anton continued to move through the forest, he continued to find many interesting edible plants. Many of them were familiar but with a touch of energy and likely more potency than normal. He gathered at least one of everything for the sake of seeds, and piled extras of various fruits and vegetables into his storage bag. If he had taken the time to carefully look inside he might have noticed a handful of very small figures chewing on some of the various foods inside, but as he only tossed things onto the pile his senses never slipped into the modified space inside.-----Needle-leaf-blades fell all around Chikere as she continued up the tree towards her prize. Avoiding them wasnt terribly hard, since they fell without intent. They did sometimes tumble in hard to predict manners, but she wasnt going to lose to swords without wielders.She almost didnt notice a pair of blades as being different until they were swiping at her. Those she had to dodge instead of merely deflecting them, sending her stepping along a large branch behind her. As for what attacked her she saw nothing. Just the tree, normal as could be. Though two particular leaf blades stood at an odd angle on a section that had otherwise become bare.Then the branch in front of her moved, revealing a pair of eyes to go with the branch and leaf blades. For a moment Chikere was concerned that the whole tree was able to move and attack, but she quickly discerned that the creature in front of her was an independent entity. As blades fell from above she found it had a hard exoskeleton, harder than even the bark of the tree itself given the lack of dodging or avoidance of the falling blades. Chikere had to dance back and forth on an ever-shrinking branch until she found a good opening for her strange opponent. She was extremely familiar fighting humans with swords, but something thats front limbs were swords was another matter. And when those swords were also parts of a tree, she thought she was quite reasonable to have been thrown off guard.But while her opponent was quick and durable, it had already lost the element of surprise. Once she knew it was something that could attack her, all it took was a few quick parries and chopping at its joints to turn it into a pile of dead twigs. Her blades slicing into it clearly told her it wasnt a plant at all, merely some sort of insect with a carapace that looked like bark.So shed have to watch for more of that on the way to her prize at the top. The good news was that its forelimbs were actually in the top one hundred. Still unnecessary, but perhaps they could be enchanted to be turned into something great.
