Chapter 70
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Chapter 70
The very same night they freed Patricia from the manor they headed to the energy stone mines. Anton hoped he hadnt rushed things too much, but now that they had caused a commotion he wanted to finish things and be off. He had no desire to stay in the area where he might be hunted down. And more importantly, others he cared about. But he also wasnt content to be passive about it. Hed assessed the situation and made his judgement that action was within acceptable risks. Now he just had to see if he was right.
Hoyt was the one accompanying him to the mines. Anton was fairly confident in his ability to deal with all of the cultivators guarding the mines alone. With Hoyt, he had no concerns. Normally it would have been better to use everyone he had at his disposal but Catarina was watching the others. There were almost a dozen people they had to protect that they couldnt bring running around with them to a battle, but also couldnt just leave alone. Anton was aware how effective formations could be at keeping a group concealed, and so Catarina had to maintain that. If things went terribly wrong, she could help that group flee.
But he planned to be quick and give little time for that. He wasnt sure how much uproar there would be when mundane slaves were stolen. He imagined there would be more concern about the principle of the thing than the actual value involved. The dead cultivators would be considered as well. Fortunately, Sarton was remote enough that they didnt have many high ranking cultivators, and those they did have wouldnt necessarily be interested in a manhunt.
Anton focused his eyes to spot the guards up the path. With the effects of Hawk Eyes Archery, he was able to pick them out easily. In return, he doubted they could see more than blurry shadows. He needed to get a little bit closer before he tried an attack, but there wasnt really anywhere for them to run. Anton waited as he slowly crept closer, using boulders alongside the path as cover. Hoyt should be coming up the back side, and Anton judged he should be in position.
He gathered energy in one smooth motion, drawing an arrow and firing it. Killing people in cold blood wasnt honorable, but as far as Anton was concerned he was killing someone engaged in active evil. These guards werent protecting the miners or even really the goods they mined. They were keeping slaves trapped. Hed heard enough from Oskar that he judged them sufficiently guilty regardless of their current activity.
It wasnt really fair, a Spirit Building cultivator attacking someone in mid Body Tempering. But neither was it fair when they used their own cultivation to suppress those without cultivation. It was just the level of fairness they deserved. Anton flew with his arrow, feeling as he/it struck the cultivator straight in the throat, passing through gaps in his armor. One man was down and a half-dozen sources of energy flared. Anton had no way to hide such an attack with so much open area around, so he didnt even bother. Instead, hed ensured that his first shot was successful.
Anton didnt sense Hoyts energy, instead feeling all of the sources moving towards him. The second guard at the top of the road was shouting something, but he made the wrong choice to try to charge towards Anton instead of running away. The slope was gradual enough he couldnt have gotten much cover anyway, but even as he readied himself to throw a weapon Anton was shooting more arrows at him.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.
There was no was no chance they hadnt noticed him coming up behind them- the escaped slaves had drawn enough attention to him. However, theyd remained coordinated, intent on taking out Anton together. It made sense- if they could move away from Hoyt and kill Anton, their life would be easier. Instead, the rear two had to make a sudden turn before they got close and one swing from Hoyt turned them into just a single rear guard. He had no reason to be cautious with his attacks when killing them also protected him, and his energy was sufficient to block at least a few hits from one of them.
The remaining parts of the group still moved to surround Anton and stabbed several spears and swung swords at him simultaneously. They were correct to assume that Anton was weaker in melee combat, but there was a reason he hadnt retreated while shooting at them. He simply didnt need to. His insight was almost fully trained, and even early Spirit Building had a large gap with the men he was fighting. He could see their most likely moves even more smoothly than he was used to. Clever use of Swan Steps also made the taskmasters attacks interfere with the guards. With a swing of his hand axe, he sliced into one taskmaster, his attack continuing to slice along the neck of one of the guards. His attack didnt quite hit the intended vital spot on the guard, but his movements took him past their encirclement towards Hoyt.
Antons movements distracted the guard enough for Hoyt to chop into his ribcage, and then the two of them faced the remaining group side by side. There was another short round of combat where Anton was glad his defensive energy could resist some of the more accurate attacks and more guards died and then the rest were running. It was probably the correct choice, but Anton still had a bow. Though Anton didnt feel any joy in killing them, his mind was clear of guilt. In fact, it was more focused than usual.
Hed already spent enough time cultivating to reach the eleventh star. It wasnt gathering energy to push through that he needed. It was just a little bit of something else. As Anton looked down at the fallen guards, he realized it wasnt even combat experience or the like. It was decisiveness. And maybe a little bit of serenity.
After making sure the guards hiding inside the hut were dead and counting to make sure the numbers were what he remembered, Anton went over to all of the miners. They hadnt actually run away, instead having equipped themselves with picks and any other heavy tools they could find. It was nice that they prepared to fight, but it wasnt necessary. As Anton looked over them he found someone missing. Wheres Oskar?
Hes in the mine, sir. Said there was something important in there.
Strange. Anton wondered what could be more important than escaping quickly. He was about to go in and find out when he sensed Oskar. He was running quickly, a small sack clutched in one hand and a scroll in the other. Anton! Sorry to make you wait. I stashed a few things in there. He held up the sack. Anton could feel the energy from it, but despite there being at least a dozen decent energy stones he was drawn more to the scroll. Something about it drew his attention, beyond the fact that it was clearly meant for cultivators. That would have to wait, though. Besides, it belonged to Oskar, whatever it was.
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Chapter 70
The very same night they freed Patricia from the manor they headed to the energy stone mines. Anton hoped he hadnt rushed things too much, but now that they had caused a commotion he wanted to finish things and be off. He had no desire to stay in the area where he might be hunted down. And more importantly, others he cared about. But he also wasnt content to be passive about it. Hed assessed the situation and made his judgement that action was within acceptable risks. Now he just had to see if he was right.
Hoyt was the one accompanying him to the mines. Anton was fairly confident in his ability to deal with all of the cultivators guarding the mines alone. With Hoyt, he had no concerns. Normally it would have been better to use everyone he had at his disposal but Catarina was watching the others. There were almost a dozen people they had to protect that they couldnt bring running around with them to a battle, but also couldnt just leave alone. Anton was aware how effective formations could be at keeping a group concealed, and so Catarina had to maintain that. If things went terribly wrong, she could help that group flee.
But he planned to be quick and give little time for that. He wasnt sure how much uproar there would be when mundane slaves were stolen. He imagined there would be more concern about the principle of the thing than the actual value involved. The dead cultivators would be considered as well. Fortunately, Sarton was remote enough that they didnt have many high ranking cultivators, and those they did have wouldnt necessarily be interested in a manhunt.
Anton focused his eyes to spot the guards up the path. With the effects of Hawk Eyes Archery, he was able to pick them out easily. In return, he doubted they could see more than blurry shadows. He needed to get a little bit closer before he tried an attack, but there wasnt really anywhere for them to run. Anton waited as he slowly crept closer, using boulders alongside the path as cover. Hoyt should be coming up the back side, and Anton judged he should be in position.
He gathered energy in one smooth motion, drawing an arrow and firing it. Killing people in cold blood wasnt honorable, but as far as Anton was concerned he was killing someone engaged in active evil. These guards werent protecting the miners or even really the goods they mined. They were keeping slaves trapped. Hed heard enough from Oskar that he judged them sufficiently guilty regardless of their current activity.
It wasnt really fair, a Spirit Building cultivator attacking someone in mid Body Tempering. But neither was it fair when they used their own cultivation to suppress those without cultivation. It was just the level of fairness they deserved. Anton flew with his arrow, feeling as he/it struck the cultivator straight in the throat, passing through gaps in his armor. One man was down and a half-dozen sources of energy flared. Anton had no way to hide such an attack with so much open area around, so he didnt even bother. Instead, hed ensured that his first shot was successful.
Anton didnt sense Hoyts energy, instead feeling all of the sources moving towards him. The second guard at the top of the road was shouting something, but he made the wrong choice to try to charge towards Anton instead of running away. The slope was gradual enough he couldnt have gotten much cover anyway, but even as he readied himself to throw a weapon Anton was shooting more arrows at him.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.
There was no was no chance they hadnt noticed him coming up behind them- the escaped slaves had drawn enough attention to him. However, theyd remained coordinated, intent on taking out Anton together. It made sense- if they could move away from Hoyt and kill Anton, their life would be easier. Instead, the rear two had to make a sudden turn before they got close and one swing from Hoyt turned them into just a single rear guard. He had no reason to be cautious with his attacks when killing them also protected him, and his energy was sufficient to block at least a few hits from one of them.
The remaining parts of the group still moved to surround Anton and stabbed several spears and swung swords at him simultaneously. They were correct to assume that Anton was weaker in melee combat, but there was a reason he hadnt retreated while shooting at them. He simply didnt need to. His insight was almost fully trained, and even early Spirit Building had a large gap with the men he was fighting. He could see their most likely moves even more smoothly than he was used to. Clever use of Swan Steps also made the taskmasters attacks interfere with the guards. With a swing of his hand axe, he sliced into one taskmaster, his attack continuing to slice along the neck of one of the guards. His attack didnt quite hit the intended vital spot on the guard, but his movements took him past their encirclement towards Hoyt.
Antons movements distracted the guard enough for Hoyt to chop into his ribcage, and then the two of them faced the remaining group side by side. There was another short round of combat where Anton was glad his defensive energy could resist some of the more accurate attacks and more guards died and then the rest were running. It was probably the correct choice, but Anton still had a bow. Though Anton didnt feel any joy in killing them, his mind was clear of guilt. In fact, it was more focused than usual.
Hed already spent enough time cultivating to reach the eleventh star. It wasnt gathering energy to push through that he needed. It was just a little bit of something else. As Anton looked down at the fallen guards, he realized it wasnt even combat experience or the like. It was decisiveness. And maybe a little bit of serenity.
After making sure the guards hiding inside the hut were dead and counting to make sure the numbers were what he remembered, Anton went over to all of the miners. They hadnt actually run away, instead having equipped themselves with picks and any other heavy tools they could find. It was nice that they prepared to fight, but it wasnt necessary. As Anton looked over them he found someone missing. Wheres Oskar?
Hes in the mine, sir. Said there was something important in there.
Strange. Anton wondered what could be more important than escaping quickly. He was about to go in and find out when he sensed Oskar. He was running quickly, a small sack clutched in one hand and a scroll in the other. Anton! Sorry to make you wait. I stashed a few things in there. He held up the sack. Anton could feel the energy from it, but despite there being at least a dozen decent energy stones he was drawn more to the scroll. Something about it drew his attention, beyond the fact that it was clearly meant for cultivators. That would have to wait, though. Besides, it belonged to Oskar, whatever it was.
Chapter 70The very same night they freed Patricia from the manor they headed to the energy stone mines. Anton hoped he hadnt rushed things too much, but now that they had caused a commotion he wanted to finish things and be off. He had no desire to stay in the area where he might be hunted down. And more importantly, others he cared about. But he also wasnt content to be passive about it. Hed assessed the situation and made his judgement that action was within acceptable risks. Now he just had to see if he was right.Hoyt was the one accompanying him to the mines. Anton was fairly confident in his ability to deal with all of the cultivators guarding the mines alone. With Hoyt, he had no concerns. Normally it would have been better to use everyone he had at his disposal but Catarina was watching the others. There were almost a dozen people they had to protect that they couldnt bring running around with them to a battle, but also couldnt just leave alone. Anton was aware how effective formations could be at keeping a group concealed, and so Catarina had to maintain that. If things went terribly wrong, she could help that group flee.But he planned to be quick and give little time for that. He wasnt sure how much uproar there would be when mundane slaves were stolen. He imagined there would be more concern about the principle of the thing than the actual value involved. The dead cultivators would be considered as well. Fortunately, Sarton was remote enough that they didnt have many high ranking cultivators, and those they did have wouldnt necessarily be interested in a manhunt.Anton focused his eyes to spot the guards up the path. With the effects of Hawk Eyes Archery, he was able to pick them out easily. In return, he doubted they could see more than blurry shadows. He needed to get a little bit closer before he tried an attack, but there wasnt really anywhere for them to run. Anton waited as he slowly crept closer, using boulders alongside the path as cover. Hoyt should be coming up the back side, and Anton judged he should be in position.He gathered energy in one smooth motion, drawing an arrow and firing it. Killing people in cold blood wasnt honorable, but as far as Anton was concerned he was killing someone engaged in active evil. These guards werent protecting the miners or even really the goods they mined. They were keeping slaves trapped. Hed heard enough from Oskar that he judged them sufficiently guilty regardless of their current activity.It wasnt really fair, a Spirit Building cultivator attacking someone in mid Body Tempering. But neither was it fair when they used their own cultivation to suppress those without cultivation. It was just the level of fairness they deserved. Anton flew with his arrow, feeling as he/it struck the cultivator straight in the throat, passing through gaps in his armor. One man was down and a half-dozen sources of energy flared. Anton had no way to hide such an attack with so much open area around, so he didnt even bother. Instead, hed ensured that his first shot was successful.Anton didnt sense Hoyts energy, instead feeling all of the sources moving towards him. The second guard at the top of the road was shouting something, but he made the wrong choice to try to charge towards Anton instead of running away. The slope was gradual enough he couldnt have gotten much cover anyway, but even as he readied himself to throw a weapon Anton was shooting more arrows at him.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.There was no was no chance they hadnt noticed him coming up behind them- the escaped slaves had drawn enough attention to him. However, theyd remained coordinated, intent on taking out Anton together. It made sense- if they could move away from Hoyt and kill Anton, their life would be easier. Instead, the rear two had to make a sudden turn before they got close and one swing from Hoyt turned them into just a single rear guard. He had no reason to be cautious with his attacks when killing them also protected him, and his energy was sufficient to block at least a few hits from one of them.The remaining parts of the group still moved to surround Anton and stabbed several spears and swung swords at him simultaneously. They were correct to assume that Anton was weaker in melee combat, but there was a reason he hadnt retreated while shooting at them. He simply didnt need to. His insight was almost fully trained, and even early Spirit Building had a large gap with the men he was fighting. He could see their most likely moves even more smoothly than he was used to. Clever use of Swan Steps also made the taskmasters attacks interfere with the guards. With a swing of his hand axe, he sliced into one taskmaster, his attack continuing to slice along the neck of one of the guards. His attack didnt quite hit the intended vital spot on the guard, but his movements took him past their encirclement towards Hoyt. Antons movements distracted the guard enough for Hoyt to chop into his ribcage, and then the two of them faced the remaining group side by side. There was another short round of combat where Anton was glad his defensive energy could resist some of the more accurate attacks and more guards died and then the rest were running. It was probably the correct choice, but Anton still had a bow. Though Anton didnt feel any joy in killing them, his mind was clear of guilt. In fact, it was more focused than usual.Hed already spent enough time cultivating to reach the eleventh star. It wasnt gathering energy to push through that he needed. It was just a little bit of something else. As Anton looked down at the fallen guards, he realized it wasnt even combat experience or the like. It was decisiveness. And maybe a little bit of serenity.After making sure the guards hiding inside the hut were dead and counting to make sure the numbers were what he remembered, Anton went over to all of the miners. They hadnt actually run away, instead having equipped themselves with picks and any other heavy tools they could find. It was nice that they prepared to fight, but it wasnt necessary. As Anton looked over them he found someone missing. Wheres Oskar?Hes in the mine, sir. Said there was something important in there.Strange. Anton wondered what could be more important than escaping quickly. He was about to go in and find out when he sensed Oskar. He was running quickly, a small sack clutched in one hand and a scroll in the other. Anton! Sorry to make you wait. I stashed a few things in there. He held up the sack. Anton could feel the energy from it, but despite there being at least a dozen decent energy stones he was drawn more to the scroll. Something about it drew his attention, beyond the fact that it was clearly meant for cultivators. That would have to wait, though. Besides, it belonged to Oskar, whatever it was.
