Chapter 529
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Chapter 529
As the trifold alliances fleet drew away from Roistea, ships swarmed towards them from around the various moons and the planet itself. Though they had pulled away before getting terribly close to the planet, the fleet was limited in its speed by its slowest member- that being The Independence. The battleship was not excessively ponderous, but its maneuverability was low and it took some time to accelerate in a new direction. Thus, the fleets curved trajectory didnt immediately bring them away from the ships defending Roistea.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via Ñøv€l-B!n.
As Anton and The Independence began to take their first shots, the enemy fleet was already changing formation wildly. Some ships pulled apart, others gathered together. Anton found his shots suddenly targeting fortified positions where he had once seen weakness. The reaction was strange in its execution, but by the time he noticed Antons attacks were already close enough to strike. Since he was confident in breaking his way through the barriers regardless, he picked a few ships to focus on.
His arrows rippled into nothingness, showing little effect of the impact on the enemy barriers. Some had combined their power with nearby ships, while others displayed their resilient adaptations. Were they prepared for him specifically? There was no reason they wouldnt be, to some extent, but hed felt the barriers adapting even before his attack reached them. That could be done with conscious control, but somehow it didnt feel quite right.
The Independence might have lacked mobility to some extent, but being prepared for omnidirectional space combat it had weapons facing wherever it needed. Projectiles launched and beams of energy swept behind them, powerful enough to tear ships in half but causing no damage and likewise adapting instantly.
Was this a new advancement in barriers? No, that shouldnt be it. There had been no signs of that anywhere else, so unless this was exclusive to Roistea it shouldnt be the case. And the barriers themselves felt the same. It was just how they were used that was different.
WIth their previous battle experience, Anton and the gunners of The Independence coordinated their attacks on a smaller number of ships. The simultaneous bombardment should have meant the smaller ships couldnt withstand the attacks, but they managed to avoid shots from The Independence while remaining adapted to Antons more mobile attacks.
The results should be the efforts of the Children of Fortune, however they actually functioned. Whether truly manipulating fate or simply reading probabilities or the flow of battle, the higher concentration of them in these fleets was making it annoying to take them out. Not that the ships were entirely unharmed. Even when adapted perfectly the barriers had some limits- they were just many times more efficient at resisting damage. The overpowering attacks of The Independence and Anton together did manage to slowly take them down, but there was the rest of the enemy fleet still remaining.
Because of their retreat, The Independence tactically withheld the fighters carried within. They had limited fuel and if they were left behind the rest of the fleet they would simply be lost. Thus, with one notable exception, the hangars remained closed.
Anton took stock of Ty Quigley entering the battlefield while also spotting notable presences at the rear of the enemy fleet. Two Worldbinding cultivators hanging around the back, their ships clearly able to catch up but lingering behind. Was it because they were hesitant to fight away from Roistea, or was that their optimal position? Unfortunately, those details had not been available for obvious reasons- weaknesses were kept secret as much as possible from other Worldbinding cultivators.
Ty Quigleys ship accelerated and drifted unnaturally, moving in ways the ships thrusters simply didnt allow. His motions brought him into the enemy fleet, his ammunition flying through the rows of ships with little effect. As he swerved towards an enemy ship they were already pulling away. One wing stretched towards them but could not reach not by itself. As it would with a normal sword, the cultivators energy stretched beyond the blade itself, slicing through the enemy ship, the barrier splitting along with the enchanted wood beneath.
Now Ty had officially half as many ships destroyed in the battle as Anton. Sure, it was only one versus Antons two, but he couldnt let a mid Life Transformation cultivator compete that closely with him.
Anton stepped up his game. Hed been initially unfamiliar with this strange style of defensive techniques by the enemy, but it wasnt perfect. Anton drew upon greater power, his hands moving with great alacrity on his main bow while energy bows around him drew and fired themselves. He was hesitant to use one of his few remaining shots of Ascension energy to take out just one or two ships among the group, so he instead focused on a mix of quality and quantity.
His arrows initially targeted a dozen different ships, a handful focused on each. As they adapted and moved, Anton changed his target. The enemy fleet had basically caught up and was engaging the rearmost ships of their formation along with Ty crazily flying in their midst, so Antons arrows only took an instant to arrive but he could still maneuver them enough to pick new targets any time before he hit.
It is not a particularly concerning weakness to be vulnerable when there is a hole straight through your chest, the Great Queen pointed out. It would be more efficient to simply target my brain or vital organs, had one the ability.
What about cracks? Anton asked. Or is that asking too much?
You can let people believe what they would like about that. I shall simply point out that we do not just negate energy that directly touches us, but potentially that within some variance of range. The Great Queen was quite able to eat her way through defensive energy, which varied in thickness between a few millimeters and a handful of centimeters, depending on skill and desired effects. Thicker wasnt necessarily better. Of course, if she simply negated everything she touched that wouldn't be an issue, but Anton had seen her and other void ants literally tear away chunks of natural energy.
I dont suppose I can help out with anything? Anton asked. I do have medicines.
Void any physiology is quite different. I would need to consult one who had properly studied those details, and I assume you as well.
A fair point.
You could help remove extraneous bits, the Great Queen offered. I have no hands to reach in there myself, and handling it now instead of later might be preferred. A matter of weeks could result in uncomfortable complications.
Thus Anton was left with the puzzle of how to move millimeter scale chunks of a material that resisted natural energy. The answer was surprisingly simple in the end- the puncture wound was sizable enough for Anton to fit thin tweezers into her. A proper doctor might have been a better choice, but the queen had none among her royal guard and she did not trust most humans enough to let them try. Not that she distrusted humans. If it was an emergency she would have accepted what they could give. But given that her health was not deteriorating, she could wait.
Anton was surprised to find he could sense the Great Queens internals. He had to specifically narrow his senses into a thread that didnt touch the outside of the puncture, but her organs didnt have the same level of energy negation as the chitin. It still seemed resistant, but not nearly so much. Because of those senses, he could also pick out places where they didnt work- tiny chunks of chitin broken away by the thorn, lodged in organs Anton found it difficult to compare to human ones. The thorax mostly had a series of tubes, seemingly for nerves, blood, and a digestive tract if Anton was right.
He picked out little bits of chitin, focusing to keep his hands steady. He could support his hands with natural energy while leaving the tweezers free of it, as it would just be a waste. When he finished he had a goopy pile of black pieces and some vital fluids.
Thank you, the Great Queen said. I feel better, if only a little. If I could ask for something more?
What is it?
A special treat? she wiggled slightly. Just a bit of ascension energy?
Anton grinned. For a wounded friend? Absolutely. He wasnt sure if it would actually help her recover at all- though he knew some amount of it aided her growth. Either way, he was advanced enough in Fleeting Youth to supply her whenever she asked. She didnt consume terribly much of it at once, and she was careful not to be too needy about such a thing.
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Chapter 529
As the trifold alliances fleet drew away from Roistea, ships swarmed towards them from around the various moons and the planet itself. Though they had pulled away before getting terribly close to the planet, the fleet was limited in its speed by its slowest member- that being The Independence. The battleship was not excessively ponderous, but its maneuverability was low and it took some time to accelerate in a new direction. Thus, the fleets curved trajectory didnt immediately bring them away from the ships defending Roistea.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via Ñøv€l-B!n.
As Anton and The Independence began to take their first shots, the enemy fleet was already changing formation wildly. Some ships pulled apart, others gathered together. Anton found his shots suddenly targeting fortified positions where he had once seen weakness. The reaction was strange in its execution, but by the time he noticed Antons attacks were already close enough to strike. Since he was confident in breaking his way through the barriers regardless, he picked a few ships to focus on.
His arrows rippled into nothingness, showing little effect of the impact on the enemy barriers. Some had combined their power with nearby ships, while others displayed their resilient adaptations. Were they prepared for him specifically? There was no reason they wouldnt be, to some extent, but hed felt the barriers adapting even before his attack reached them. That could be done with conscious control, but somehow it didnt feel quite right.
The Independence might have lacked mobility to some extent, but being prepared for omnidirectional space combat it had weapons facing wherever it needed. Projectiles launched and beams of energy swept behind them, powerful enough to tear ships in half but causing no damage and likewise adapting instantly.
Was this a new advancement in barriers? No, that shouldnt be it. There had been no signs of that anywhere else, so unless this was exclusive to Roistea it shouldnt be the case. And the barriers themselves felt the same. It was just how they were used that was different.
WIth their previous battle experience, Anton and the gunners of The Independence coordinated their attacks on a smaller number of ships. The simultaneous bombardment should have meant the smaller ships couldnt withstand the attacks, but they managed to avoid shots from The Independence while remaining adapted to Antons more mobile attacks.
The results should be the efforts of the Children of Fortune, however they actually functioned. Whether truly manipulating fate or simply reading probabilities or the flow of battle, the higher concentration of them in these fleets was making it annoying to take them out. Not that the ships were entirely unharmed. Even when adapted perfectly the barriers had some limits- they were just many times more efficient at resisting damage. The overpowering attacks of The Independence and Anton together did manage to slowly take them down, but there was the rest of the enemy fleet still remaining.
Because of their retreat, The Independence tactically withheld the fighters carried within. They had limited fuel and if they were left behind the rest of the fleet they would simply be lost. Thus, with one notable exception, the hangars remained closed.
Anton took stock of Ty Quigley entering the battlefield while also spotting notable presences at the rear of the enemy fleet. Two Worldbinding cultivators hanging around the back, their ships clearly able to catch up but lingering behind. Was it because they were hesitant to fight away from Roistea, or was that their optimal position? Unfortunately, those details had not been available for obvious reasons- weaknesses were kept secret as much as possible from other Worldbinding cultivators.
Ty Quigleys ship accelerated and drifted unnaturally, moving in ways the ships thrusters simply didnt allow. His motions brought him into the enemy fleet, his ammunition flying through the rows of ships with little effect. As he swerved towards an enemy ship they were already pulling away. One wing stretched towards them but could not reach not by itself. As it would with a normal sword, the cultivators energy stretched beyond the blade itself, slicing through the enemy ship, the barrier splitting along with the enchanted wood beneath.
Now Ty had officially half as many ships destroyed in the battle as Anton. Sure, it was only one versus Antons two, but he couldnt let a mid Life Transformation cultivator compete that closely with him.
Anton stepped up his game. Hed been initially unfamiliar with this strange style of defensive techniques by the enemy, but it wasnt perfect. Anton drew upon greater power, his hands moving with great alacrity on his main bow while energy bows around him drew and fired themselves. He was hesitant to use one of his few remaining shots of Ascension energy to take out just one or two ships among the group, so he instead focused on a mix of quality and quantity.
His arrows initially targeted a dozen different ships, a handful focused on each. As they adapted and moved, Anton changed his target. The enemy fleet had basically caught up and was engaging the rearmost ships of their formation along with Ty crazily flying in their midst, so Antons arrows only took an instant to arrive but he could still maneuver them enough to pick new targets any time before he hit.
It is not a particularly concerning weakness to be vulnerable when there is a hole straight through your chest, the Great Queen pointed out. It would be more efficient to simply target my brain or vital organs, had one the ability.
What about cracks? Anton asked. Or is that asking too much?
You can let people believe what they would like about that. I shall simply point out that we do not just negate energy that directly touches us, but potentially that within some variance of range. The Great Queen was quite able to eat her way through defensive energy, which varied in thickness between a few millimeters and a handful of centimeters, depending on skill and desired effects. Thicker wasnt necessarily better. Of course, if she simply negated everything she touched that wouldn't be an issue, but Anton had seen her and other void ants literally tear away chunks of natural energy.
I dont suppose I can help out with anything? Anton asked. I do have medicines.
Void any physiology is quite different. I would need to consult one who had properly studied those details, and I assume you as well.
A fair point.
You could help remove extraneous bits, the Great Queen offered. I have no hands to reach in there myself, and handling it now instead of later might be preferred. A matter of weeks could result in uncomfortable complications.
Thus Anton was left with the puzzle of how to move millimeter scale chunks of a material that resisted natural energy. The answer was surprisingly simple in the end- the puncture wound was sizable enough for Anton to fit thin tweezers into her. A proper doctor might have been a better choice, but the queen had none among her royal guard and she did not trust most humans enough to let them try. Not that she distrusted humans. If it was an emergency she would have accepted what they could give. But given that her health was not deteriorating, she could wait.
Anton was surprised to find he could sense the Great Queens internals. He had to specifically narrow his senses into a thread that didnt touch the outside of the puncture, but her organs didnt have the same level of energy negation as the chitin. It still seemed resistant, but not nearly so much. Because of those senses, he could also pick out places where they didnt work- tiny chunks of chitin broken away by the thorn, lodged in organs Anton found it difficult to compare to human ones. The thorax mostly had a series of tubes, seemingly for nerves, blood, and a digestive tract if Anton was right.
He picked out little bits of chitin, focusing to keep his hands steady. He could support his hands with natural energy while leaving the tweezers free of it, as it would just be a waste. When he finished he had a goopy pile of black pieces and some vital fluids.
Thank you, the Great Queen said. I feel better, if only a little. If I could ask for something more?
What is it?
A special treat? she wiggled slightly. Just a bit of ascension energy?
Anton grinned. For a wounded friend? Absolutely. He wasnt sure if it would actually help her recover at all- though he knew some amount of it aided her growth. Either way, he was advanced enough in Fleeting Youth to supply her whenever she asked. She didnt consume terribly much of it at once, and she was careful not to be too needy about such a thing.
Chapter 529As the trifold alliances fleet drew away from Roistea, ships swarmed towards them from around the various moons and the planet itself. Though they had pulled away before getting terribly close to the planet, the fleet was limited in its speed by its slowest member- that being The Independence. The battleship was not excessively ponderous, but its maneuverability was low and it took some time to accelerate in a new direction. Thus, the fleets curved trajectory didnt immediately bring them away from the ships defending Roistea.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via Nvl-B!n.As Anton and The Independence began to take their first shots, the enemy fleet was already changing formation wildly. Some ships pulled apart, others gathered together. Anton found his shots suddenly targeting fortified positions where he had once seen weakness. The reaction was strange in its execution, but by the time he noticed Antons attacks were already close enough to strike. Since he was confident in breaking his way through the barriers regardless, he picked a few ships to focus on.His arrows rippled into nothingness, showing little effect of the impact on the enemy barriers. Some had combined their power with nearby ships, while others displayed their resilient adaptations. Were they prepared for him specifically? There was no reason they wouldnt be, to some extent, but hed felt the barriers adapting even before his attack reached them. That could be done with conscious control, but somehow it didnt feel quite right.The Independence might have lacked mobility to some extent, but being prepared for omnidirectional space combat it had weapons facing wherever it needed. Projectiles launched and beams of energy swept behind them, powerful enough to tear ships in half but causing no damage and likewise adapting instantly.Was this a new advancement in barriers? No, that shouldnt be it. There had been no signs of that anywhere else, so unless this was exclusive to Roistea it shouldnt be the case. And the barriers themselves felt the same. It was just how they were used that was different.WIth their previous battle experience, Anton and the gunners of The Independence coordinated their attacks on a smaller number of ships. The simultaneous bombardment should have meant the smaller ships couldnt withstand the attacks, but they managed to avoid shots from The Independence while remaining adapted to Antons more mobile attacks.The results should be the efforts of the Children of Fortune, however they actually functioned. Whether truly manipulating fate or simply reading probabilities or the flow of battle, the higher concentration of them in these fleets was making it annoying to take them out. Not that the ships were entirely unharmed. Even when adapted perfectly the barriers had some limits- they were just many times more efficient at resisting damage. The overpowering attacks of The Independence and Anton together did manage to slowly take them down, but there was the rest of the enemy fleet still remaining.Because of their retreat, The Independence tactically withheld the fighters carried within. They had limited fuel and if they were left behind the rest of the fleet they would simply be lost. Thus, with one notable exception, the hangars remained closed.Anton took stock of Ty Quigley entering the battlefield while also spotting notable presences at the rear of the enemy fleet. Two Worldbinding cultivators hanging around the back, their ships clearly able to catch up but lingering behind. Was it because they were hesitant to fight away from Roistea, or was that their optimal position? Unfortunately, those details had not been available for obvious reasons- weaknesses were kept secret as much as possible from other Worldbinding cultivators. Ty Quigleys ship accelerated and drifted unnaturally, moving in ways the ships thrusters simply didnt allow. His motions brought him into the enemy fleet, his ammunition flying through the rows of ships with little effect. As he swerved towards an enemy ship they were already pulling away. One wing stretched towards them but could not reach not by itself. As it would with a normal sword, the cultivators energy stretched beyond the blade itself, slicing through the enemy ship, the barrier splitting along with the enchanted wood beneath.Now Ty had officially half as many ships destroyed in the battle as Anton. Sure, it was only one versus Antons two, but he couldnt let a mid Life Transformation cultivator compete that closely with him. Anton stepped up his game. Hed been initially unfamiliar with this strange style of defensive techniques by the enemy, but it wasnt perfect. Anton drew upon greater power, his hands moving with great alacrity on his main bow while energy bows around him drew and fired themselves. He was hesitant to use one of his few remaining shots of Ascension energy to take out just one or two ships among the group, so he instead focused on a mix of quality and quantity.His arrows initially targeted a dozen different ships, a handful focused on each. As they adapted and moved, Anton changed his target. The enemy fleet had basically caught up and was engaging the rearmost ships of their formation along with Ty crazily flying in their midst, so Antons arrows only took an instant to arrive but he could still maneuver them enough to pick new targets any time before he hit.It is not a particularly concerning weakness to be vulnerable when there is a hole straight through your chest, the Great Queen pointed out. It would be more efficient to simply target my brain or vital organs, had one the ability.What about cracks? Anton asked. Or is that asking too much?You can let people believe what they would like about that. I shall simply point out that we do not just negate energy that directly touches us, but potentially that within some variance of range. The Great Queen was quite able to eat her way through defensive energy, which varied in thickness between a few millimeters and a handful of centimeters, depending on skill and desired effects. Thicker wasnt necessarily better. Of course, if she simply negated everything she touched that wouldn't be an issue, but Anton had seen her and other void ants literally tear away chunks of natural energy.I dont suppose I can help out with anything? Anton asked. I do have medicines.Void any physiology is quite different. I would need to consult one who had properly studied those details, and I assume you as well.A fair point.You could help remove extraneous bits, the Great Queen offered. I have no hands to reach in there myself, and handling it now instead of later might be preferred. A matter of weeks could result in uncomfortable complications.Thus Anton was left with the puzzle of how to move millimeter scale chunks of a material that resisted natural energy. The answer was surprisingly simple in the end- the puncture wound was sizable enough for Anton to fit thin tweezers into her. A proper doctor might have been a better choice, but the queen had none among her royal guard and she did not trust most humans enough to let them try. Not that she distrusted humans. If it was an emergency she would have accepted what they could give. But given that her health was not deteriorating, she could wait.Anton was surprised to find he could sense the Great Queens internals. He had to specifically narrow his senses into a thread that didnt touch the outside of the puncture, but her organs didnt have the same level of energy negation as the chitin. It still seemed resistant, but not nearly so much. Because of those senses, he could also pick out places where they didnt work- tiny chunks of chitin broken away by the thorn, lodged in organs Anton found it difficult to compare to human ones. The thorax mostly had a series of tubes, seemingly for nerves, blood, and a digestive tract if Anton was right.He picked out little bits of chitin, focusing to keep his hands steady. He could support his hands with natural energy while leaving the tweezers free of it, as it would just be a waste. When he finished he had a goopy pile of black pieces and some vital fluids.Thank you, the Great Queen said. I feel better, if only a little. If I could ask for something more?What is it?A special treat? she wiggled slightly. Just a bit of ascension energy?Anton grinned. For a wounded friend? Absolutely. He wasnt sure if it would actually help her recover at all- though he knew some amount of it aided her growth. Either way, he was advanced enough in Fleeting Youth to supply her whenever she asked. She didnt consume terribly much of it at once, and she was careful not to be too needy about such a thing.
