Chapter 552
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Chapter 552
Icy mist swirled, thick to the point that not only could Anton not see the ground in front of him, he could barely pick out anything below the surface with his senses. Natural energy was both abundant and yet inaccessible in the area, the cold more than it should be but the power that made it so distant and unusable. At least to Anton, who practiced powers of light and fire.
He was looking for tracks, days old in snowstorms that never ceased. So far, hed had little luck finding anything but concerningly large cat paws and some tunnels of burrowing creatures, neither the right size to be Matija or the woman he had not met, Janae.
The cold was harsh, trying to worm its way through Antons energy into his bones. Yet by comparison it was not the worst hed ever felt. Those had been when he was simply a common man, before he was a cultivator. Likewise, the effort required was nothing compared to his final hunt.
Even if it had been difficult, Anton would have pushed through it. He was far too stubborn to let a place local Life Transformation cultivators traversed with some regularity hold him back. Sure, they knew where they were going and had a goal, but even without drawing upon a sun he had the greater power of cultivation on his side. Internal heat fought with external cold as he hurried along his way, searching for signs of Matija in particular. She was neither local nor in Life Transformation. It had likely already been too long.
His steps carried him atop the snow, his weight distributed widely so as to not limit his movements nor disturb the ground. He kept his senses open for traces of the same, but everything was dull and distant. Even so, he could be certain that he had not passed over anything of note.
A small portion of his senses were locked onto the spire hed descended from. He needed to keep some sort of orientation in the white-out, and indistinct mounds of snow and ice covering what was presumably something else below were not much good for consistency, especially as the winds scattered the snow and even rent apart ice. That same ice cut like knives against Antons defenses.
He hurried his steps, hoping to cross something soon. He had no interest in dealing with the local beasts, so until he found any sort of relevant trail he avoided them to the best of his abilities.
There was quite a significant distance he could cover in an hour, and soon hed looped all the way around the Third Peak once with little of note. He was now widening his search, hoping to cross any path, when he finally found faint traces of an impact. What might have been a meters deep indentation was now little more than a bit of remnant energy and a negligible dip in the surrounding snow, but that energy was familiar. Matija practiced the One Hundred Stars, after all.
With that barest trace to go from, Anton circled the area to find some sort of trail. Ultimately, it appeared Matija had the same ideas about travel as himself- she certainly wasnt letting herself sink into the snow and pushing it apart as she trudged. He did find a faint trail, mostly based on imprints of boots several layers deep in the current snow-ice layers and just a bit of lingering natural energy. If Anton hadnt known Matija was here, he wouldnt have found it. But it was consistent enough he could tell hed finally found a direction.
He increased his pace, moving as quickly as he could while keeping the trail. That consumed more energy for both movement and searching, but now was not the sort of situation to be conservative. The initial posting of this chapter occurred via Ñøv€l-B!n.
With only the slightest indication of its presence, a fox that seemed to be more ice than animal leapt at Antons throat, tearing towards him. Perhaps the ambush would have been sufficient against a local creature, but despite the great power packed into the beast Anton fended off its attack at the last instant. A moment later his bow-blade was in hand. He did not begrudge the creature seeking food, but anything that attacked humans was dangerous to allow. The creature did not give up after a single attempt, either.
Matija found herself exposed to the frost. She no longer knew how long it had been, deprived of the light of the sun for what had to be days. Any innate sense she had was off balance due to the conditions. She had some measure of protective clothing, but she hadnt been walking around the Third Peak fully kitted out. Most of her technological devices were frozen solid, and if the ice on the outside didnt stop them from working the ice on the inside would.
Shed received a brief flicker of something from her communications device or so she liked to think. If there had been communication from Anton, it could just as easily have been an error in the current conditions. She couldnt even make out a screen.
She had intentionally left the proximity of the Third Peak, not wanting to risk the Life Transformation cultivators coming after her. She absolutely wanted to avoid capture, because even if the personal consequences werent unpleasant to think about, what they might do if properly instructed on the ship was something else. Matija didnt have much reason to think Gnadus was nearly as populated- but she didnt want to be responsible for potential deaths caused by them.
There was still her crew, of course. She couldnt be certain about them, inside the peak. Were they safe? Was everyone dead? She couldnt know, so she kept moving. Shed found some small shelter at first, protection from the wind and snow. Then the beasts had come. For the most part shed been able to prevent her actual body from being damaged, but with both creatures and environment wearing away at her energy defenses she would be vulnerable to both soon enough. Lack of food and ironically water were an issue, even for an Essence Collection cultivator.
Shed been lucky to avoid the worst predators so far, her time spent watching Janae move about providing some familiarity with the world. Just enough that with her scanning devices that werent all quite broken she could pick out dangers before they came together.
Then had come one of the foxes, the signal being physically small throwing off her judgment. It didnt catch her throat but instead cut a gash into her shoulder before she managed to snap her rifle into position. Of course by then it was back in the snows, and Matija barely avoided it several more times before she finally managed to take a real shot.
A beam of hot energy cut through the mist, instantly creating steam and scorching the foxs side. It scurried off, but the attack had lit up the area like a flare. Matija soon sensed many creatures of different sizes coming for a look.
A bear was the next to appear, but Matija only sensed it a moment before it was tossed to the side. I have finally found you, esteemed guest.
Rivulets of blood, long since frozen in place, created red streaks along Janaes arms, trailing to the tips of several of her fingers. Some also went down her forehead and her neck into her robes, and a few gashes had opened in her thighs, briefly revealed there before terminating at her bare feet.
You came. You survived, Matija said, suddenly aware her translator didnt work. Fortunately, the time shed spent had been enough for the cultivators to reconcile some of their speech differences without its aid, their natural learning capabilities kicking in as they exchanged words. My crew?
Waiting for your return, no doubt, Janae said as she turned to face the bear, only momentarily knocked back. Aid me with that weapon. You are already revealed.
Matija nodded, concentrating her limited remaining energy into the beam, aiming for the bears eye. She was quite aware of how impenetrable large beasts fur could be, and there was no chance of it properly catching fire in this place. But the difference in temperature was not all bad, if she hit the right target.
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Chapter 552
Icy mist swirled, thick to the point that not only could Anton not see the ground in front of him, he could barely pick out anything below the surface with his senses. Natural energy was both abundant and yet inaccessible in the area, the cold more than it should be but the power that made it so distant and unusable. At least to Anton, who practiced powers of light and fire.
He was looking for tracks, days old in snowstorms that never ceased. So far, hed had little luck finding anything but concerningly large cat paws and some tunnels of burrowing creatures, neither the right size to be Matija or the woman he had not met, Janae.
The cold was harsh, trying to worm its way through Antons energy into his bones. Yet by comparison it was not the worst hed ever felt. Those had been when he was simply a common man, before he was a cultivator. Likewise, the effort required was nothing compared to his final hunt.
Even if it had been difficult, Anton would have pushed through it. He was far too stubborn to let a place local Life Transformation cultivators traversed with some regularity hold him back. Sure, they knew where they were going and had a goal, but even without drawing upon a sun he had the greater power of cultivation on his side. Internal heat fought with external cold as he hurried along his way, searching for signs of Matija in particular. She was neither local nor in Life Transformation. It had likely already been too long.
His steps carried him atop the snow, his weight distributed widely so as to not limit his movements nor disturb the ground. He kept his senses open for traces of the same, but everything was dull and distant. Even so, he could be certain that he had not passed over anything of note.
A small portion of his senses were locked onto the spire hed descended from. He needed to keep some sort of orientation in the white-out, and indistinct mounds of snow and ice covering what was presumably something else below were not much good for consistency, especially as the winds scattered the snow and even rent apart ice. That same ice cut like knives against Antons defenses.
He hurried his steps, hoping to cross something soon. He had no interest in dealing with the local beasts, so until he found any sort of relevant trail he avoided them to the best of his abilities.
There was quite a significant distance he could cover in an hour, and soon hed looped all the way around the Third Peak once with little of note. He was now widening his search, hoping to cross any path, when he finally found faint traces of an impact. What might have been a meters deep indentation was now little more than a bit of remnant energy and a negligible dip in the surrounding snow, but that energy was familiar. Matija practiced the One Hundred Stars, after all.
With that barest trace to go from, Anton circled the area to find some sort of trail. Ultimately, it appeared Matija had the same ideas about travel as himself- she certainly wasnt letting herself sink into the snow and pushing it apart as she trudged. He did find a faint trail, mostly based on imprints of boots several layers deep in the current snow-ice layers and just a bit of lingering natural energy. If Anton hadnt known Matija was here, he wouldnt have found it. But it was consistent enough he could tell hed finally found a direction.
He increased his pace, moving as quickly as he could while keeping the trail. That consumed more energy for both movement and searching, but now was not the sort of situation to be conservative. The initial posting of this chapter occurred via Ñøv€l-B!n.
With only the slightest indication of its presence, a fox that seemed to be more ice than animal leapt at Antons throat, tearing towards him. Perhaps the ambush would have been sufficient against a local creature, but despite the great power packed into the beast Anton fended off its attack at the last instant. A moment later his bow-blade was in hand. He did not begrudge the creature seeking food, but anything that attacked humans was dangerous to allow. The creature did not give up after a single attempt, either.
Matija found herself exposed to the frost. She no longer knew how long it had been, deprived of the light of the sun for what had to be days. Any innate sense she had was off balance due to the conditions. She had some measure of protective clothing, but she hadnt been walking around the Third Peak fully kitted out. Most of her technological devices were frozen solid, and if the ice on the outside didnt stop them from working the ice on the inside would.
Shed received a brief flicker of something from her communications device or so she liked to think. If there had been communication from Anton, it could just as easily have been an error in the current conditions. She couldnt even make out a screen.
She had intentionally left the proximity of the Third Peak, not wanting to risk the Life Transformation cultivators coming after her. She absolutely wanted to avoid capture, because even if the personal consequences werent unpleasant to think about, what they might do if properly instructed on the ship was something else. Matija didnt have much reason to think Gnadus was nearly as populated- but she didnt want to be responsible for potential deaths caused by them.
There was still her crew, of course. She couldnt be certain about them, inside the peak. Were they safe? Was everyone dead? She couldnt know, so she kept moving. Shed found some small shelter at first, protection from the wind and snow. Then the beasts had come. For the most part shed been able to prevent her actual body from being damaged, but with both creatures and environment wearing away at her energy defenses she would be vulnerable to both soon enough. Lack of food and ironically water were an issue, even for an Essence Collection cultivator.
Shed been lucky to avoid the worst predators so far, her time spent watching Janae move about providing some familiarity with the world. Just enough that with her scanning devices that werent all quite broken she could pick out dangers before they came together.
Then had come one of the foxes, the signal being physically small throwing off her judgment. It didnt catch her throat but instead cut a gash into her shoulder before she managed to snap her rifle into position. Of course by then it was back in the snows, and Matija barely avoided it several more times before she finally managed to take a real shot.
A beam of hot energy cut through the mist, instantly creating steam and scorching the foxs side. It scurried off, but the attack had lit up the area like a flare. Matija soon sensed many creatures of different sizes coming for a look.
A bear was the next to appear, but Matija only sensed it a moment before it was tossed to the side. I have finally found you, esteemed guest.
Rivulets of blood, long since frozen in place, created red streaks along Janaes arms, trailing to the tips of several of her fingers. Some also went down her forehead and her neck into her robes, and a few gashes had opened in her thighs, briefly revealed there before terminating at her bare feet.
You came. You survived, Matija said, suddenly aware her translator didnt work. Fortunately, the time shed spent had been enough for the cultivators to reconcile some of their speech differences without its aid, their natural learning capabilities kicking in as they exchanged words. My crew?
Waiting for your return, no doubt, Janae said as she turned to face the bear, only momentarily knocked back. Aid me with that weapon. You are already revealed.
Matija nodded, concentrating her limited remaining energy into the beam, aiming for the bears eye. She was quite aware of how impenetrable large beasts fur could be, and there was no chance of it properly catching fire in this place. But the difference in temperature was not all bad, if she hit the right target.
Chapter 552Icy mist swirled, thick to the point that not only could Anton not see the ground in front of him, he could barely pick out anything below the surface with his senses. Natural energy was both abundant and yet inaccessible in the area, the cold more than it should be but the power that made it so distant and unusable. At least to Anton, who practiced powers of light and fire. He was looking for tracks, days old in snowstorms that never ceased. So far, hed had little luck finding anything but concerningly large cat paws and some tunnels of burrowing creatures, neither the right size to be Matija or the woman he had not met, Janae.The cold was harsh, trying to worm its way through Antons energy into his bones. Yet by comparison it was not the worst hed ever felt. Those had been when he was simply a common man, before he was a cultivator. Likewise, the effort required was nothing compared to his final hunt. Even if it had been difficult, Anton would have pushed through it. He was far too stubborn to let a place local Life Transformation cultivators traversed with some regularity hold him back. Sure, they knew where they were going and had a goal, but even without drawing upon a sun he had the greater power of cultivation on his side. Internal heat fought with external cold as he hurried along his way, searching for signs of Matija in particular. She was neither local nor in Life Transformation. It had likely already been too long.His steps carried him atop the snow, his weight distributed widely so as to not limit his movements nor disturb the ground. He kept his senses open for traces of the same, but everything was dull and distant. Even so, he could be certain that he had not passed over anything of note.A small portion of his senses were locked onto the spire hed descended from. He needed to keep some sort of orientation in the white-out, and indistinct mounds of snow and ice covering what was presumably something else below were not much good for consistency, especially as the winds scattered the snow and even rent apart ice. That same ice cut like knives against Antons defenses.He hurried his steps, hoping to cross something soon. He had no interest in dealing with the local beasts, so until he found any sort of relevant trail he avoided them to the best of his abilities. There was quite a significant distance he could cover in an hour, and soon hed looped all the way around the Third Peak once with little of note. He was now widening his search, hoping to cross any path, when he finally found faint traces of an impact. What might have been a meters deep indentation was now little more than a bit of remnant energy and a negligible dip in the surrounding snow, but that energy was familiar. Matija practiced the One Hundred Stars, after all.With that barest trace to go from, Anton circled the area to find some sort of trail. Ultimately, it appeared Matija had the same ideas about travel as himself- she certainly wasnt letting herself sink into the snow and pushing it apart as she trudged. He did find a faint trail, mostly based on imprints of boots several layers deep in the current snow-ice layers and just a bit of lingering natural energy. If Anton hadnt known Matija was here, he wouldnt have found it. But it was consistent enough he could tell hed finally found a direction.He increased his pace, moving as quickly as he could while keeping the trail. That consumed more energy for both movement and searching, but now was not the sort of situation to be conservative. The initial posting of this chapter occurred via Nvl-B!n.With only the slightest indication of its presence, a fox that seemed to be more ice than animal leapt at Antons throat, tearing towards him. Perhaps the ambush would have been sufficient against a local creature, but despite the great power packed into the beast Anton fended off its attack at the last instant. A moment later his bow-blade was in hand. He did not begrudge the creature seeking food, but anything that attacked humans was dangerous to allow. The creature did not give up after a single attempt, either.Matija found herself exposed to the frost. She no longer knew how long it had been, deprived of the light of the sun for what had to be days. Any innate sense she had was off balance due to the conditions. She had some measure of protective clothing, but she hadnt been walking around the Third Peak fully kitted out. Most of her technological devices were frozen solid, and if the ice on the outside didnt stop them from working the ice on the inside would.Shed received a brief flicker of something from her communications device or so she liked to think. If there had been communication from Anton, it could just as easily have been an error in the current conditions. She couldnt even make out a screen. She had intentionally left the proximity of the Third Peak, not wanting to risk the Life Transformation cultivators coming after her. She absolutely wanted to avoid capture, because even if the personal consequences werent unpleasant to think about, what they might do if properly instructed on the ship was something else. Matija didnt have much reason to think Gnadus was nearly as populated- but she didnt want to be responsible for potential deaths caused by them. There was still her crew, of course. She couldnt be certain about them, inside the peak. Were they safe? Was everyone dead? She couldnt know, so she kept moving. Shed found some small shelter at first, protection from the wind and snow. Then the beasts had come. For the most part shed been able to prevent her actual body from being damaged, but with both creatures and environment wearing away at her energy defenses she would be vulnerable to both soon enough. Lack of food and ironically water were an issue, even for an Essence Collection cultivator.Shed been lucky to avoid the worst predators so far, her time spent watching Janae move about providing some familiarity with the world. Just enough that with her scanning devices that werent all quite broken she could pick out dangers before they came together.Then had come one of the foxes, the signal being physically small throwing off her judgment. It didnt catch her throat but instead cut a gash into her shoulder before she managed to snap her rifle into position. Of course by then it was back in the snows, and Matija barely avoided it several more times before she finally managed to take a real shot. A beam of hot energy cut through the mist, instantly creating steam and scorching the foxs side. It scurried off, but the attack had lit up the area like a flare. Matija soon sensed many creatures of different sizes coming for a look.A bear was the next to appear, but Matija only sensed it a moment before it was tossed to the side. I have finally found you, esteemed guest.Rivulets of blood, long since frozen in place, created red streaks along Janaes arms, trailing to the tips of several of her fingers. Some also went down her forehead and her neck into her robes, and a few gashes had opened in her thighs, briefly revealed there before terminating at her bare feet. You came. You survived, Matija said, suddenly aware her translator didnt work. Fortunately, the time shed spent had been enough for the cultivators to reconcile some of their speech differences without its aid, their natural learning capabilities kicking in as they exchanged words. My crew?Waiting for your return, no doubt, Janae said as she turned to face the bear, only momentarily knocked back. Aid me with that weapon. You are already revealed.Matija nodded, concentrating her limited remaining energy into the beam, aiming for the bears eye. She was quite aware of how impenetrable large beasts fur could be, and there was no chance of it properly catching fire in this place. But the difference in temperature was not all bad, if she hit the right target.
