Chapter 247
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Chapter 247
The storage bag hanging at Antons side was being watched carefully by two of his companions behind him in the carriage, though it hardly seemed necessary to him. Each day they checked to make sure the queen was still present- she had to know they were aware of her presence by now- and Catarinas formations would detect her anyway. Nothing was fully certain, but as much as anything could be, Anton was sure of that.
As Elder Tshering and Catarina watched him, Anton watched the world around them. While it would technically be better to have them watching for enemies as well, the chances that either of them would notice something their two with proper training wouldnt was fairly low.
The Comvern Peaks were in central Ofrurg, not too far from the end of their journey. The steep mountains rose and fell quickly, leaving few functional paths. Of those, only one could be traveled by carriage. It was the easiest one to travel from any perspective, and the most direct. That wasnt a coincidence, but rather the path had been carved out by people wanting to travel for trade and cultivators who just wanted a consistent route. It was still easier to go around the mountains to the north or south, but enough people favored the direct route to keep it maintained.
When Anton noticed the first enemy, he wasnt sure if hed made a mistake. It was obvious there was someone coming, but that was the catch. If their presence was so obvious, could they really be coming to attack? It only took Anton about a second to make the right decision- of course they could. They were just less skilled at it than many of the opponents hed been facing previously. But stealth wasnt the only metric to judge people by.
Someones coming, Anton warned the others. A few in front, across the bridge. The carriages were rapidly approaching the stone bridge- a far cry from rickety wood and rope bridges that often made up remote locations. Two Essence Collection. But behind us a larger group is approaching. Four Essence Collection, I think, and more than a dozen Spirit Building cultivators. No, more than that for each type behind us.
Despite the fact that Anton had detected the enemies at a great distance, they had at least kept their energy hidden enough for them not to notice as they passed. Only when they started moving in behind did he actually detect them.
What should we do? Catarina asked. She didnt sound worried, it was just a question about how they would handle things.
If the rear group is any bigger than I already can detect, its a bit risky to fight them. Especially since we might get pinned in from both sides. Anton focused his eyes in front of them, picking out the handful of figures moving towards them but nothing else. Our plans work best if we break through, though there are risks to either. Hearing no immediate objections, Anton made the decision. Forward it is.
If the group had the luxury of time, Anton would have opened it up for discussion. However, even as he was warning people about what was happening their time to make a real choice had been ticking away. He flicked the reins, encouraging the horses pulling the carriage to move more quickly. Behind him, Timothy did the same.
In many cases, Anton would have given a warning to his enemies. A chance to back down. And in a way, he kept to that tradition. He just gave the verbal warning after he shot a half-dozen arrows ahead of them. Get out of the way or face the consequences. Anton projected his voice so anyone ahead could clearly hear him. It didnt seem to immediately deter anyone, but it didnt hurt to try.
Alva had climbed to the top of the rear carriage. She couldnt think about the people coming up behind them too much. They were still hundreds of meters behind, which made them a problem for a minute in the future.
She knew she didnt have the power to even properly damage either of the Essence Collection cultivators, not directly anyway. But the one on the bridge throwing little packets of poison wasnt just conjuring them from nothing. Most of them came from around his belt. She had no idea what it would do to him if they exploded around him, but he had to know. That was why he bothered to dodge her shots.
He was still able to toss the packets, and she couldnt shoot them out of the air like Grandpa Anton- the man was using his energy to protect them until they got close to where he wanted- but if she made each attack a fraction of a second slower, she could buy time for others to get in range. Elder Tshering was almost there along with Catarina, with Fuzz and then Hoyt not all that far behind even though Fuzz started between carriages and Hoyt had been in the rear.
Two packets were lobbed over the first carriage towards the horses pulling the rear. Even before they got close, Timothy was out of his seat and standing on the horses backs. As the packets descended, he raised his shield. A standard shield wouldnt do much to block powder, but Timothy wasnt the sort that would just block. His shield shoved forwards towards them, energy extending in all directions around it. The shockwave from his movement shoved the poison powder up and over even Alva standing atop the carriage, though she ducked just in case.
As Elder Tshering reached the poison user, Alva was already firing her next arrows. One towards a path his arm might take to throw something, one towards the storage bag at his waist, and one towards the belt on the other side where there were a few adjacent pouches that hadnt been opened yet. With a swift twist of his body, the man avoided all of her arrows except the one aimed at his arm, which he let dissipate harmlessly against his energy.
Unfortunately for him, Elder Tsherings sweeping kick was not so easily dodged. The Elder sprang forward, kicking into the mans side. It was meant to catapult him up and off the side of the bridge, but he at least had the capacity to throw off the angle so he merely was thrown into the wall, nearly toppling the cultivator next to him.
Alva took aim at the late Spirit Building cultivator on the right of the bridge, where Catarina was about to make contact. It was a target she could at least threaten somewhat, and Catarina could take them apart if she made a proper opening.
A chill ran down Alvas spine as she sensed an incoming attack. She didnt have time to turn to look, but she knew someone was leaping from the side of the bridge. She had no idea how they got there. Perhaps they had been hiding the whole time, but either way she wasnt prepared. She felt a blade coming for her, and then she felt warm blood on her face.
Alva slowly let out her breath and fired her shot towards the end of the bridge. That had almost been her blood. However, Velvet had briefly appeared next to her, and the blood instead belonged to the person who tried to ambush Alva.
It was possible Alva herself could have avoided the attack. She was beyond the twentieth star, a powerful cultivator in her own right. But even if she wouldnt have been able to, it didnt matter. Allies were meant to cover each others weaknesses and empower each others strengths. She still wished she was riding Fuzz instead of standing on top of the carriage, since he always helped her respond to incoming attacks, but Fuzz was currently leaping onto the cultivator Catarina was engaged with.
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Chapter 247
The storage bag hanging at Antons side was being watched carefully by two of his companions behind him in the carriage, though it hardly seemed necessary to him. Each day they checked to make sure the queen was still present- she had to know they were aware of her presence by now- and Catarinas formations would detect her anyway. Nothing was fully certain, but as much as anything could be, Anton was sure of that.
As Elder Tshering and Catarina watched him, Anton watched the world around them. While it would technically be better to have them watching for enemies as well, the chances that either of them would notice something their two with proper training wouldnt was fairly low.
The Comvern Peaks were in central Ofrurg, not too far from the end of their journey. The steep mountains rose and fell quickly, leaving few functional paths. Of those, only one could be traveled by carriage. It was the easiest one to travel from any perspective, and the most direct. That wasnt a coincidence, but rather the path had been carved out by people wanting to travel for trade and cultivators who just wanted a consistent route. It was still easier to go around the mountains to the north or south, but enough people favored the direct route to keep it maintained.
When Anton noticed the first enemy, he wasnt sure if hed made a mistake. It was obvious there was someone coming, but that was the catch. If their presence was so obvious, could they really be coming to attack? It only took Anton about a second to make the right decision- of course they could. They were just less skilled at it than many of the opponents hed been facing previously. But stealth wasnt the only metric to judge people by.
Someones coming, Anton warned the others. A few in front, across the bridge. The carriages were rapidly approaching the stone bridge- a far cry from rickety wood and rope bridges that often made up remote locations. Two Essence Collection. But behind us a larger group is approaching. Four Essence Collection, I think, and more than a dozen Spirit Building cultivators. No, more than that for each type behind us.
Despite the fact that Anton had detected the enemies at a great distance, they had at least kept their energy hidden enough for them not to notice as they passed. Only when they started moving in behind did he actually detect them.
What should we do? Catarina asked. She didnt sound worried, it was just a question about how they would handle things.
If the rear group is any bigger than I already can detect, its a bit risky to fight them. Especially since we might get pinned in from both sides. Anton focused his eyes in front of them, picking out the handful of figures moving towards them but nothing else. Our plans work best if we break through, though there are risks to either. Hearing no immediate objections, Anton made the decision. Forward it is.
If the group had the luxury of time, Anton would have opened it up for discussion. However, even as he was warning people about what was happening their time to make a real choice had been ticking away. He flicked the reins, encouraging the horses pulling the carriage to move more quickly. Behind him, Timothy did the same.
In many cases, Anton would have given a warning to his enemies. A chance to back down. And in a way, he kept to that tradition. He just gave the verbal warning after he shot a half-dozen arrows ahead of them. Get out of the way or face the consequences. Anton projected his voice so anyone ahead could clearly hear him. It didnt seem to immediately deter anyone, but it didnt hurt to try.
Alva had climbed to the top of the rear carriage. She couldnt think about the people coming up behind them too much. They were still hundreds of meters behind, which made them a problem for a minute in the future.
She knew she didnt have the power to even properly damage either of the Essence Collection cultivators, not directly anyway. But the one on the bridge throwing little packets of poison wasnt just conjuring them from nothing. Most of them came from around his belt. She had no idea what it would do to him if they exploded around him, but he had to know. That was why he bothered to dodge her shots.
He was still able to toss the packets, and she couldnt shoot them out of the air like Grandpa Anton- the man was using his energy to protect them until they got close to where he wanted- but if she made each attack a fraction of a second slower, she could buy time for others to get in range. Elder Tshering was almost there along with Catarina, with Fuzz and then Hoyt not all that far behind even though Fuzz started between carriages and Hoyt had been in the rear.
Two packets were lobbed over the first carriage towards the horses pulling the rear. Even before they got close, Timothy was out of his seat and standing on the horses backs. As the packets descended, he raised his shield. A standard shield wouldnt do much to block powder, but Timothy wasnt the sort that would just block. His shield shoved forwards towards them, energy extending in all directions around it. The shockwave from his movement shoved the poison powder up and over even Alva standing atop the carriage, though she ducked just in case.
As Elder Tshering reached the poison user, Alva was already firing her next arrows. One towards a path his arm might take to throw something, one towards the storage bag at his waist, and one towards the belt on the other side where there were a few adjacent pouches that hadnt been opened yet. With a swift twist of his body, the man avoided all of her arrows except the one aimed at his arm, which he let dissipate harmlessly against his energy.
Unfortunately for him, Elder Tsherings sweeping kick was not so easily dodged. The Elder sprang forward, kicking into the mans side. It was meant to catapult him up and off the side of the bridge, but he at least had the capacity to throw off the angle so he merely was thrown into the wall, nearly toppling the cultivator next to him.
Alva took aim at the late Spirit Building cultivator on the right of the bridge, where Catarina was about to make contact. It was a target she could at least threaten somewhat, and Catarina could take them apart if she made a proper opening.
A chill ran down Alvas spine as she sensed an incoming attack. She didnt have time to turn to look, but she knew someone was leaping from the side of the bridge. She had no idea how they got there. Perhaps they had been hiding the whole time, but either way she wasnt prepared. She felt a blade coming for her, and then she felt warm blood on her face.
Alva slowly let out her breath and fired her shot towards the end of the bridge. That had almost been her blood. However, Velvet had briefly appeared next to her, and the blood instead belonged to the person who tried to ambush Alva.
It was possible Alva herself could have avoided the attack. She was beyond the twentieth star, a powerful cultivator in her own right. But even if she wouldnt have been able to, it didnt matter. Allies were meant to cover each others weaknesses and empower each others strengths. She still wished she was riding Fuzz instead of standing on top of the carriage, since he always helped her respond to incoming attacks, but Fuzz was currently leaping onto the cultivator Catarina was engaged with.
Chapter 247The storage bag hanging at Antons side was being watched carefully by two of his companions behind him in the carriage, though it hardly seemed necessary to him. Each day they checked to make sure the queen was still present- she had to know they were aware of her presence by now- and Catarinas formations would detect her anyway. Nothing was fully certain, but as much as anything could be, Anton was sure of that. As Elder Tshering and Catarina watched him, Anton watched the world around them. While it would technically be better to have them watching for enemies as well, the chances that either of them would notice something their two with proper training wouldnt was fairly low. The Comvern Peaks were in central Ofrurg, not too far from the end of their journey. The steep mountains rose and fell quickly, leaving few functional paths. Of those, only one could be traveled by carriage. It was the easiest one to travel from any perspective, and the most direct. That wasnt a coincidence, but rather the path had been carved out by people wanting to travel for trade and cultivators who just wanted a consistent route. It was still easier to go around the mountains to the north or south, but enough people favored the direct route to keep it maintained.When Anton noticed the first enemy, he wasnt sure if hed made a mistake. It was obvious there was someone coming, but that was the catch. If their presence was so obvious, could they really be coming to attack? It only took Anton about a second to make the right decision- of course they could. They were just less skilled at it than many of the opponents hed been facing previously. But stealth wasnt the only metric to judge people by.Someones coming, Anton warned the others. A few in front, across the bridge. The carriages were rapidly approaching the stone bridge- a far cry from rickety wood and rope bridges that often made up remote locations. Two Essence Collection. But behind us a larger group is approaching. Four Essence Collection, I think, and more than a dozen Spirit Building cultivators. No, more than that for each type behind us. Despite the fact that Anton had detected the enemies at a great distance, they had at least kept their energy hidden enough for them not to notice as they passed. Only when they started moving in behind did he actually detect them.What should we do? Catarina asked. She didnt sound worried, it was just a question about how they would handle things.If the rear group is any bigger than I already can detect, its a bit risky to fight them. Especially since we might get pinned in from both sides. Anton focused his eyes in front of them, picking out the handful of figures moving towards them but nothing else. Our plans work best if we break through, though there are risks to either. Hearing no immediate objections, Anton made the decision. Forward it is.If the group had the luxury of time, Anton would have opened it up for discussion. However, even as he was warning people about what was happening their time to make a real choice had been ticking away. He flicked the reins, encouraging the horses pulling the carriage to move more quickly. Behind him, Timothy did the same. In many cases, Anton would have given a warning to his enemies. A chance to back down. And in a way, he kept to that tradition. He just gave the verbal warning after he shot a half-dozen arrows ahead of them. Get out of the way or face the consequences. Anton projected his voice so anyone ahead could clearly hear him. It didnt seem to immediately deter anyone, but it didnt hurt to try.Alva had climbed to the top of the rear carriage. She couldnt think about the people coming up behind them too much. They were still hundreds of meters behind, which made them a problem for a minute in the future. She knew she didnt have the power to even properly damage either of the Essence Collection cultivators, not directly anyway. But the one on the bridge throwing little packets of poison wasnt just conjuring them from nothing. Most of them came from around his belt. She had no idea what it would do to him if they exploded around him, but he had to know. That was why he bothered to dodge her shots. He was still able to toss the packets, and she couldnt shoot them out of the air like Grandpa Anton- the man was using his energy to protect them until they got close to where he wanted- but if she made each attack a fraction of a second slower, she could buy time for others to get in range. Elder Tshering was almost there along with Catarina, with Fuzz and then Hoyt not all that far behind even though Fuzz started between carriages and Hoyt had been in the rear.Two packets were lobbed over the first carriage towards the horses pulling the rear. Even before they got close, Timothy was out of his seat and standing on the horses backs. As the packets descended, he raised his shield. A standard shield wouldnt do much to block powder, but Timothy wasnt the sort that would just block. His shield shoved forwards towards them, energy extending in all directions around it. The shockwave from his movement shoved the poison powder up and over even Alva standing atop the carriage, though she ducked just in case.As Elder Tshering reached the poison user, Alva was already firing her next arrows. One towards a path his arm might take to throw something, one towards the storage bag at his waist, and one towards the belt on the other side where there were a few adjacent pouches that hadnt been opened yet. With a swift twist of his body, the man avoided all of her arrows except the one aimed at his arm, which he let dissipate harmlessly against his energy.Unfortunately for him, Elder Tsherings sweeping kick was not so easily dodged. The Elder sprang forward, kicking into the mans side. It was meant to catapult him up and off the side of the bridge, but he at least had the capacity to throw off the angle so he merely was thrown into the wall, nearly toppling the cultivator next to him.Alva took aim at the late Spirit Building cultivator on the right of the bridge, where Catarina was about to make contact. It was a target she could at least threaten somewhat, and Catarina could take them apart if she made a proper opening. A chill ran down Alvas spine as she sensed an incoming attack. She didnt have time to turn to look, but she knew someone was leaping from the side of the bridge. She had no idea how they got there. Perhaps they had been hiding the whole time, but either way she wasnt prepared. She felt a blade coming for her, and then she felt warm blood on her face.Alva slowly let out her breath and fired her shot towards the end of the bridge. That had almost been her blood. However, Velvet had briefly appeared next to her, and the blood instead belonged to the person who tried to ambush Alva. It was possible Alva herself could have avoided the attack. She was beyond the twentieth star, a powerful cultivator in her own right. But even if she wouldnt have been able to, it didnt matter. Allies were meant to cover each others weaknesses and empower each others strengths. She still wished she was riding Fuzz instead of standing on top of the carriage, since he always helped her respond to incoming attacks, but Fuzz was currently leaping onto the cultivator Catarina was engaged with.
