Chapter 359
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Chapter 359
The very best scouts were ones nobody was looking for. Even if the invaders currently occupying Diamond Hill Sanctuary were aware that they were looking for ants, it was basically impossible for them to spot them all. Regular ants could be picked out by using their energy senses, but they didnt matter to either side. Hundreds of smaller ants crawled through the area, only temporarily slowed by formations. While those the size of normal ants werent as intelligent as the Great Queen or the other older members, they were able to convey information well enough.
Diamond Hill Sanctuary- specifically the sects grounds- was more or less what the name implied. It wasnt full of diamonds but instead shaped like a faceted diamond resting on its head, sharp angles and flat expanses coming to a peak. It wasnt a perfect match, but the sect founders had found the unnaturally shaped location already arranged in that manner and decided to settle there.
It once had a series of gatehouses leading up to the entrance, but the majority of those were destroyed. Even with the abilities of high ranking cultivators it was impossible to repair so much in a short time, especially without access to a supply chain providing materials. Thus, most of the gatehouses were still in disarray and the walls had crumbled in parts. Even so, attacking with an army only had one path up. Climbing the various sides of the hill made of smooth rock wasnt impossible for a cultivator, but to do so with haste while keeping safe was nearly impossible. With the forces from Edelhull and Stregate leaning towards the lower end of cultivation, such an attack would only get them killed meaninglessly.
The defensive position wasnt overwhelming with the damage to the defenses, but it was awkward for one reason not giving the invaders anywhere to retreat. Everyone knew full well how viciously people fought when it concerned their own lives. Their opponents had been careless at first, underestimating them and only retreating when they realized the losses they would take. They could be nearly as dangerous as an entire nation trying to protect their homeland.
Cutting the enemy forces off from leaving and slowly starving them might work, but there was no way to know how much food they had in storage. Storage bags, specifically. The actual proper kitchens were well scouted by ants. The cultivators of Diamond Hill Sanctuary looked to have food for several months, maybe half a year, but the current number of invaders was higher than the sect was meant for. In the end, the uncertainty of the time required- and what else might happen in the world while they waited- led them to choose an active siege.
The siege wouldnt just involve throwing boulders at walls. In fact, that was only a very small part of the plan. It certainly wasnt being ignored, but while cultivators didnt often make use of traditional sieging tactics they still had records of it. And even if most had no real experience in the area, replicating techniques was easy enough.
There were options like undermining, digging beneath the foundations of the walls to collapse them. The walls themselves were atop the cliffs so it would require significantly more burrowing than in other cases. Burrowing had a big advantage in that it innately came with cover, but enemy cultivators made the process harder as they could sense what would be happening under the ground. The walls also werent the main problem at the moment. There was a more extreme version, however. If they hollowed out enough of the hill they could cause the whole thing to collapse. That would take a long time, but it would easily take formations with it.
As for actually throwing things at walls, Grant had put together a few cultivator-appropriate siege weapons such as trebuchets. Processes such as loading large weights were easier with cultivators involved. With high quality materials the machines could bear greater loads as well, which was important since there was no point in loading a weight that could not be hurled. Enchantments on the trebuchets would further enhance them, and like the ballistae they would make use of multiple cultivators as they fired. The siege weapons could certainly put holes in the walls, but breaking through defensive formations or targeting groups of enemy cultivators would also be valuable.
-----
A squad of soldiers on a mission infiltrated the enemy fortress. They followed paths laid down by scouts before them, perfectly clear to those who could recognize the signs and invisible to those who couldnt. It was a long march through enemy territory, but they walked one by one through narrow trenches and cracks. Sometimes they even took a ride on one of the enemy soldiers without them noticing. They carried with them heavy packs of supplies for sabotage.The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.
After a grueling trek they arrived at their destination. In front of them were mountains of food, the kind that would take an entire hive years to eat through- even if they were producing offspring as quickly as they could. But there were no offspring here. No queens. They were too valuable and too noticeable.
The soldiers spread out to their duties, working together to bridge gaps when climbing was difficult. They chewed through stitching on bags of flour. Just a small bit in the lower corners, or it would take them all day. Some of the stronger soldiers worked together to chew through seals on casks, not enough to make anything spill out but enough to expose it to the open air.
A few days at most, Grant admitted. Were limited by how much ammunition we can bring in. We built up as much as we could, but well eventually run out. I could maybe throw together an oversized ballista that launches trees but Id probably need a week, and I dont know if we have the materials. Thats longer than we seem to be planning anyway.
Thats right, Timothy nodded. Catarina said she can only learn a little bit more studying the formations from out here. At most a couple days before shell be ready. There will still be ammunition for these siege engines then, right?
Grant nodded, We have some set aside. And we took a few ballistae from Stregate, though theyre no good until we get to the actual fighting. He squinted as he focused on the city. Your wife can actually see something about the formations from watching this?
The bombardment should be helping, actually. Seeing how it reacts is important, Timothy nodded. Even I have enough training to come to the same assessment they dont have anyone worthy of the title of formation master with them.
What if they dont have materials?
Timothy shook his head. That doesnt matter. Well, it does. But if the person is skilled enough they could whip something together with what weve seen. You should see what Catarina has done with random arrangements of rocks and twigs.
Why have fancy materials if you can use anything?
Because they imploded, Timothy grinned. But it did stop the charge of a ten ton boar. Snapped the boars neck.
And here I am working with big rocks, Grant shook his head.
This is great, actually, Timothy assured him. You make things where many people can contribute, and theyre much less esoteric. But isnt enchantment related to formations?
In a way, but formations react to changing circumstances, or display wider effects. Enchantments are solidified.
Timothy was about to answer when he leapt up onto the structure of the nearest trebuchet, using that as a foothold to jump even higher out in front of it. A large dome appeared in front of him as he held out his shield, deflecting a ball of black-orange fire up and to the side. It was composed entirely of ascension energy, so it didnt hold its form to land and cause trouble that way. Seems theyre getting somewhat serious if that witch is getting involved. But thats great for us. It could take her hours to recover from just that attack. By the estimates of our tiny allies, the two Ascension cultivators are back to no more than two thirds of their full potential.
Still pretty incomprehensible, Grant shrugged. But it wasnt his job to deal with them directly, so he could manage.
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Chapter 359
The very best scouts were ones nobody was looking for. Even if the invaders currently occupying Diamond Hill Sanctuary were aware that they were looking for ants, it was basically impossible for them to spot them all. Regular ants could be picked out by using their energy senses, but they didnt matter to either side. Hundreds of smaller ants crawled through the area, only temporarily slowed by formations. While those the size of normal ants werent as intelligent as the Great Queen or the other older members, they were able to convey information well enough.
Diamond Hill Sanctuary- specifically the sects grounds- was more or less what the name implied. It wasnt full of diamonds but instead shaped like a faceted diamond resting on its head, sharp angles and flat expanses coming to a peak. It wasnt a perfect match, but the sect founders had found the unnaturally shaped location already arranged in that manner and decided to settle there.
It once had a series of gatehouses leading up to the entrance, but the majority of those were destroyed. Even with the abilities of high ranking cultivators it was impossible to repair so much in a short time, especially without access to a supply chain providing materials. Thus, most of the gatehouses were still in disarray and the walls had crumbled in parts. Even so, attacking with an army only had one path up. Climbing the various sides of the hill made of smooth rock wasnt impossible for a cultivator, but to do so with haste while keeping safe was nearly impossible. With the forces from Edelhull and Stregate leaning towards the lower end of cultivation, such an attack would only get them killed meaninglessly.
The defensive position wasnt overwhelming with the damage to the defenses, but it was awkward for one reason not giving the invaders anywhere to retreat. Everyone knew full well how viciously people fought when it concerned their own lives. Their opponents had been careless at first, underestimating them and only retreating when they realized the losses they would take. They could be nearly as dangerous as an entire nation trying to protect their homeland.
Cutting the enemy forces off from leaving and slowly starving them might work, but there was no way to know how much food they had in storage. Storage bags, specifically. The actual proper kitchens were well scouted by ants. The cultivators of Diamond Hill Sanctuary looked to have food for several months, maybe half a year, but the current number of invaders was higher than the sect was meant for. In the end, the uncertainty of the time required- and what else might happen in the world while they waited- led them to choose an active siege.
The siege wouldnt just involve throwing boulders at walls. In fact, that was only a very small part of the plan. It certainly wasnt being ignored, but while cultivators didnt often make use of traditional sieging tactics they still had records of it. And even if most had no real experience in the area, replicating techniques was easy enough.
There were options like undermining, digging beneath the foundations of the walls to collapse them. The walls themselves were atop the cliffs so it would require significantly more burrowing than in other cases. Burrowing had a big advantage in that it innately came with cover, but enemy cultivators made the process harder as they could sense what would be happening under the ground. The walls also werent the main problem at the moment. There was a more extreme version, however. If they hollowed out enough of the hill they could cause the whole thing to collapse. That would take a long time, but it would easily take formations with it.
As for actually throwing things at walls, Grant had put together a few cultivator-appropriate siege weapons such as trebuchets. Processes such as loading large weights were easier with cultivators involved. With high quality materials the machines could bear greater loads as well, which was important since there was no point in loading a weight that could not be hurled. Enchantments on the trebuchets would further enhance them, and like the ballistae they would make use of multiple cultivators as they fired. The siege weapons could certainly put holes in the walls, but breaking through defensive formations or targeting groups of enemy cultivators would also be valuable.
-----
A squad of soldiers on a mission infiltrated the enemy fortress. They followed paths laid down by scouts before them, perfectly clear to those who could recognize the signs and invisible to those who couldnt. It was a long march through enemy territory, but they walked one by one through narrow trenches and cracks. Sometimes they even took a ride on one of the enemy soldiers without them noticing. They carried with them heavy packs of supplies for sabotage.The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.
After a grueling trek they arrived at their destination. In front of them were mountains of food, the kind that would take an entire hive years to eat through- even if they were producing offspring as quickly as they could. But there were no offspring here. No queens. They were too valuable and too noticeable.
The soldiers spread out to their duties, working together to bridge gaps when climbing was difficult. They chewed through stitching on bags of flour. Just a small bit in the lower corners, or it would take them all day. Some of the stronger soldiers worked together to chew through seals on casks, not enough to make anything spill out but enough to expose it to the open air.
A few days at most, Grant admitted. Were limited by how much ammunition we can bring in. We built up as much as we could, but well eventually run out. I could maybe throw together an oversized ballista that launches trees but Id probably need a week, and I dont know if we have the materials. Thats longer than we seem to be planning anyway.
Thats right, Timothy nodded. Catarina said she can only learn a little bit more studying the formations from out here. At most a couple days before shell be ready. There will still be ammunition for these siege engines then, right?
Grant nodded, We have some set aside. And we took a few ballistae from Stregate, though theyre no good until we get to the actual fighting. He squinted as he focused on the city. Your wife can actually see something about the formations from watching this?
The bombardment should be helping, actually. Seeing how it reacts is important, Timothy nodded. Even I have enough training to come to the same assessment they dont have anyone worthy of the title of formation master with them.
What if they dont have materials?
Timothy shook his head. That doesnt matter. Well, it does. But if the person is skilled enough they could whip something together with what weve seen. You should see what Catarina has done with random arrangements of rocks and twigs.
Why have fancy materials if you can use anything?
Because they imploded, Timothy grinned. But it did stop the charge of a ten ton boar. Snapped the boars neck.
And here I am working with big rocks, Grant shook his head.
This is great, actually, Timothy assured him. You make things where many people can contribute, and theyre much less esoteric. But isnt enchantment related to formations?
In a way, but formations react to changing circumstances, or display wider effects. Enchantments are solidified.
Timothy was about to answer when he leapt up onto the structure of the nearest trebuchet, using that as a foothold to jump even higher out in front of it. A large dome appeared in front of him as he held out his shield, deflecting a ball of black-orange fire up and to the side. It was composed entirely of ascension energy, so it didnt hold its form to land and cause trouble that way. Seems theyre getting somewhat serious if that witch is getting involved. But thats great for us. It could take her hours to recover from just that attack. By the estimates of our tiny allies, the two Ascension cultivators are back to no more than two thirds of their full potential.
Still pretty incomprehensible, Grant shrugged. But it wasnt his job to deal with them directly, so he could manage.
Chapter 359The very best scouts were ones nobody was looking for. Even if the invaders currently occupying Diamond Hill Sanctuary were aware that they were looking for ants, it was basically impossible for them to spot them all. Regular ants could be picked out by using their energy senses, but they didnt matter to either side. Hundreds of smaller ants crawled through the area, only temporarily slowed by formations. While those the size of normal ants werent as intelligent as the Great Queen or the other older members, they were able to convey information well enough. Diamond Hill Sanctuary- specifically the sects grounds- was more or less what the name implied. It wasnt full of diamonds but instead shaped like a faceted diamond resting on its head, sharp angles and flat expanses coming to a peak. It wasnt a perfect match, but the sect founders had found the unnaturally shaped location already arranged in that manner and decided to settle there.It once had a series of gatehouses leading up to the entrance, but the majority of those were destroyed. Even with the abilities of high ranking cultivators it was impossible to repair so much in a short time, especially without access to a supply chain providing materials. Thus, most of the gatehouses were still in disarray and the walls had crumbled in parts. Even so, attacking with an army only had one path up. Climbing the various sides of the hill made of smooth rock wasnt impossible for a cultivator, but to do so with haste while keeping safe was nearly impossible. With the forces from Edelhull and Stregate leaning towards the lower end of cultivation, such an attack would only get them killed meaninglessly.The defensive position wasnt overwhelming with the damage to the defenses, but it was awkward for one reason not giving the invaders anywhere to retreat. Everyone knew full well how viciously people fought when it concerned their own lives. Their opponents had been careless at first, underestimating them and only retreating when they realized the losses they would take. They could be nearly as dangerous as an entire nation trying to protect their homeland. Cutting the enemy forces off from leaving and slowly starving them might work, but there was no way to know how much food they had in storage. Storage bags, specifically. The actual proper kitchens were well scouted by ants. The cultivators of Diamond Hill Sanctuary looked to have food for several months, maybe half a year, but the current number of invaders was higher than the sect was meant for. In the end, the uncertainty of the time required- and what else might happen in the world while they waited- led them to choose an active siege.The siege wouldnt just involve throwing boulders at walls. In fact, that was only a very small part of the plan. It certainly wasnt being ignored, but while cultivators didnt often make use of traditional sieging tactics they still had records of it. And even if most had no real experience in the area, replicating techniques was easy enough. There were options like undermining, digging beneath the foundations of the walls to collapse them. The walls themselves were atop the cliffs so it would require significantly more burrowing than in other cases. Burrowing had a big advantage in that it innately came with cover, but enemy cultivators made the process harder as they could sense what would be happening under the ground. The walls also werent the main problem at the moment. There was a more extreme version, however. If they hollowed out enough of the hill they could cause the whole thing to collapse. That would take a long time, but it would easily take formations with it. As for actually throwing things at walls, Grant had put together a few cultivator-appropriate siege weapons such as trebuchets. Processes such as loading large weights were easier with cultivators involved. With high quality materials the machines could bear greater loads as well, which was important since there was no point in loading a weight that could not be hurled. Enchantments on the trebuchets would further enhance them, and like the ballistae they would make use of multiple cultivators as they fired. The siege weapons could certainly put holes in the walls, but breaking through defensive formations or targeting groups of enemy cultivators would also be valuable.-----A squad of soldiers on a mission infiltrated the enemy fortress. They followed paths laid down by scouts before them, perfectly clear to those who could recognize the signs and invisible to those who couldnt. It was a long march through enemy territory, but they walked one by one through narrow trenches and cracks. Sometimes they even took a ride on one of the enemy soldiers without them noticing. They carried with them heavy packs of supplies for sabotage.The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Nvl1n.After a grueling trek they arrived at their destination. In front of them were mountains of food, the kind that would take an entire hive years to eat through- even if they were producing offspring as quickly as they could. But there were no offspring here. No queens. They were too valuable and too noticeable. The soldiers spread out to their duties, working together to bridge gaps when climbing was difficult. They chewed through stitching on bags of flour. Just a small bit in the lower corners, or it would take them all day. Some of the stronger soldiers worked together to chew through seals on casks, not enough to make anything spill out but enough to expose it to the open air.A few days at most, Grant admitted. Were limited by how much ammunition we can bring in. We built up as much as we could, but well eventually run out. I could maybe throw together an oversized ballista that launches trees but Id probably need a week, and I dont know if we have the materials. Thats longer than we seem to be planning anyway.Thats right, Timothy nodded. Catarina said she can only learn a little bit more studying the formations from out here. At most a couple days before shell be ready. There will still be ammunition for these siege engines then, right?Grant nodded, We have some set aside. And we took a few ballistae from Stregate, though theyre no good until we get to the actual fighting. He squinted as he focused on the city. Your wife can actually see something about the formations from watching this?The bombardment should be helping, actually. Seeing how it reacts is important, Timothy nodded. Even I have enough training to come to the same assessment they dont have anyone worthy of the title of formation master with them.What if they dont have materials?Timothy shook his head. That doesnt matter. Well, it does. But if the person is skilled enough they could whip something together with what weve seen. You should see what Catarina has done with random arrangements of rocks and twigs.Why have fancy materials if you can use anything?Because they imploded, Timothy grinned. But it did stop the charge of a ten ton boar. Snapped the boars neck.And here I am working with big rocks, Grant shook his head.This is great, actually, Timothy assured him. You make things where many people can contribute, and theyre much less esoteric. But isnt enchantment related to formations?In a way, but formations react to changing circumstances, or display wider effects. Enchantments are solidified.Timothy was about to answer when he leapt up onto the structure of the nearest trebuchet, using that as a foothold to jump even higher out in front of it. A large dome appeared in front of him as he held out his shield, deflecting a ball of black-orange fire up and to the side. It was composed entirely of ascension energy, so it didnt hold its form to land and cause trouble that way. Seems theyre getting somewhat serious if that witch is getting involved. But thats great for us. It could take her hours to recover from just that attack. By the estimates of our tiny allies, the two Ascension cultivators are back to no more than two thirds of their full potential.Still pretty incomprehensible, Grant shrugged. But it wasnt his job to deal with them directly, so he could manage.
