Chapter 708
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Chapter 708
Aside from the deepest depths, at least a modicum of light filtered down to the bottom of the sea where many creatures made their home. Specialized eyes picked up as much as they could, depending on how each denizen tended to live. In this case, the creature lived directly upon the bottom. The only room for eyes was on top, so two of them ended up there. These picked out various dangers, though at some point they had become almost superfluous compared to other senses.
As far as dangers were concerned, there was a better way. A strange sort of energy that everything strong had. That included not just other creatures of the sea, but humans as well. Today, it found a human, just like the others that had been causing trouble lately. Swimming just above the sands, even brushing along them, the creature crept forward then ambushed. Its large maw opened wide as it sucked in water, pulling in the unsuspecting human in front.
-----
The sudden suction pulled Anton back, and he barely caught himself on the rim of a giant mouth. It was instinct, though he wouldnt have been damaged by the snapping teeth anyway. In fact, it would have caused the creature more trouble had it actually succeeded. Anton spun around, pulling back as he focused on the creature. He had been far too focused on looking for humans that he had forgotten about certain denizens of the sea- and even then, this one had to blend in for him to miss it.
Upon seeing the massive flounder, Anton grinned. Derpy! Its you again, he waved. Sorry about last time. He pat the thing on the side of its mouth. Or the top? He wasnt really sure what was appropriate to call it.
He fully expected the thing to attempt to continue eating him. The next option was for it to run away. Instead, its eyes shifted as it looked at him with understanding?
Anton was not a beastmaster. Thus, he didnt fully understand how some beast grew powerful in cultivation but retained animal intelligence, while others didnt. It wasnt just based on the type of creature, but it also had something to do with some luck during development. Greater intelligence vastly increased their survival rates in the long run.
Hey, you wouldnt happen to have seen other humans around here? Anton asked. Though doing so was a waste. In the chance that Derpy was intelligent, he likely didnt understand speech. That had to be learned. How should Anton get the point across?
He started with forming a replica of himself out of light. It wasnt exact, but that was better anyway since it was supposed to represent someone else. He mimed following after it in a few different ways, eventually grabbing it and causing it to disappear. Then he watched the big flounder.
It remained in place then slowly shuffled back and began to turn around. Well, he could see why it had been scared off. But as it scuttled along the bottom, it turned so he could see its eyes once more. Did it really understand and want him to follow? He could at least try.
He walked along the sea floor after it, though it took unnaturally quick steps to keep up with something of that size made for the water. The flounder didnt seem to be attempting to pull away, so Anton simply kept up with it for a while. Until it began going in circles.
Anton stopped, thinking it might just be very bad at throwing people off. But Derpy turned about, fins flapping up sand. Anton considered the situation, then looked towards the middle of the circle. Because it was just one, and rather precise too.
He saw nothing. Nor did his senses pick up anything. Which, in itself, was a red flag. He began to make ever more complex patterns with his sensory energy, determining where it flowed the wrong way or seemed to fade into nothing. The formation was pretty well set up, they must have a proper formation master among them.
Good job, Derpy, Anton pat the giant flounder on its closest edge. You hungry? I can- Before he could even seek an answer to the question, the flounder slurped up a three meter wide crab scuttling nearby, crunching it down in a few bites. Well, it seems like youve got that handled. Let me know if I can repay you somehow. And sorry about yanking you so far up back then. He didnt expect it to understand, but the more the fish grew used to human speech patterns the faster it could learn to truly understand, if it had the intelligence and the drive.
Though his first instincts were to blast apart the underwater base, or melt them with focused light magnified through the water, Anton had a problem. He didnt know if this would be the only base of its sort in Inistra. If they were in contact with others, letting them be aware of his presence- if they hadnt already noticed him- would be a mistake. It would be best to get more locals on board, especially to pick apart their formations in ways Anton couldnt.
-----
Hmmmmmmn, Catarina said as she slowly circled Chidi. Very interesting. But isnt it a little exploitable?
The woman continued on bluntly. Where are you from?
Roistea, Sibylla said clearly. That information should be easily available.
It is. I just wondered if you would admit it. So why are you here?
Sibylla shrugged, It seemed like an easy way to endear myself to the Alliance, going somewhere like this.
Not that, the woman shook her head. Why are you here?
Same reason as you, I suppose. Then she frowned, Though I suppose you were from before Assimilation was common. Either way, I wasnt going to stay around Roistea.
Come on dear, said the man, placing his hand on her shoulder. Think about what your grandfather would say.
I am, the woman folded her arms. Hes also the one who reminded me to be cautious because of the war with Ekict. Catarina just stared at her for a bit.
Well? Sibylla tilted her head. Should I say more? My opinion of the Sylanis cluster isnt necessarily any higher than yours.
That got a more positive reaction from her. A fair point. Mostly, I was wondering how you would react. You could have been hoping nobody remembered where Roistea was, so if questioned you could say you technically didnt hide anything.
But we werent here to make you uncomfortable, Timothy reminded Catarina. We came to offer help dealing with formations.
Right, that, Catarina nodded. Since not all formation masters are interested in moving about, it could be useful.
I will gladly accept any help, Sibylla said. And dont worry, I intend to make my place among you- or I wouldnt have joined the Alliance at all.
-----
Everheart grinned. The first visitors had come to his system. Sadly, they werent from the Harmonious Citadel. It would require more pressure to get them to come, given there was a war on. Or maybe they were planning a more concerted attack. He couldnt imagine they would simply let the insults stand.
There was a slight issue that might come up if they sent all their saints together. He was confident, but not crazy. Five or more ascension cultivators would be far too much, even in a place he had prepared. If they did decide to do that well, he could figure things out then. They probably wouldnt, as that would basically involve giving up their home systems to the Scarlet Alliance and surrounding enemies.
As for the people in his system now well, he was doing his best to let some of them survive. It was no good to get people to show up and not report back how deadly and potentially treasure laden the area was. It would be bad for business if nobody showed up.
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Chapter 708
Aside from the deepest depths, at least a modicum of light filtered down to the bottom of the sea where many creatures made their home. Specialized eyes picked up as much as they could, depending on how each denizen tended to live. In this case, the creature lived directly upon the bottom. The only room for eyes was on top, so two of them ended up there. These picked out various dangers, though at some point they had become almost superfluous compared to other senses.
As far as dangers were concerned, there was a better way. A strange sort of energy that everything strong had. That included not just other creatures of the sea, but humans as well. Today, it found a human, just like the others that had been causing trouble lately. Swimming just above the sands, even brushing along them, the creature crept forward then ambushed. Its large maw opened wide as it sucked in water, pulling in the unsuspecting human in front.
-----
The sudden suction pulled Anton back, and he barely caught himself on the rim of a giant mouth. It was instinct, though he wouldnt have been damaged by the snapping teeth anyway. In fact, it would have caused the creature more trouble had it actually succeeded. Anton spun around, pulling back as he focused on the creature. He had been far too focused on looking for humans that he had forgotten about certain denizens of the sea- and even then, this one had to blend in for him to miss it.
Upon seeing the massive flounder, Anton grinned. Derpy! Its you again, he waved. Sorry about last time. He pat the thing on the side of its mouth. Or the top? He wasnt really sure what was appropriate to call it.
He fully expected the thing to attempt to continue eating him. The next option was for it to run away. Instead, its eyes shifted as it looked at him with understanding?
Anton was not a beastmaster. Thus, he didnt fully understand how some beast grew powerful in cultivation but retained animal intelligence, while others didnt. It wasnt just based on the type of creature, but it also had something to do with some luck during development. Greater intelligence vastly increased their survival rates in the long run.
Hey, you wouldnt happen to have seen other humans around here? Anton asked. Though doing so was a waste. In the chance that Derpy was intelligent, he likely didnt understand speech. That had to be learned. How should Anton get the point across?
He started with forming a replica of himself out of light. It wasnt exact, but that was better anyway since it was supposed to represent someone else. He mimed following after it in a few different ways, eventually grabbing it and causing it to disappear. Then he watched the big flounder.
It remained in place then slowly shuffled back and began to turn around. Well, he could see why it had been scared off. But as it scuttled along the bottom, it turned so he could see its eyes once more. Did it really understand and want him to follow? He could at least try.
He walked along the sea floor after it, though it took unnaturally quick steps to keep up with something of that size made for the water. The flounder didnt seem to be attempting to pull away, so Anton simply kept up with it for a while. Until it began going in circles.
Anton stopped, thinking it might just be very bad at throwing people off. But Derpy turned about, fins flapping up sand. Anton considered the situation, then looked towards the middle of the circle. Because it was just one, and rather precise too.
He saw nothing. Nor did his senses pick up anything. Which, in itself, was a red flag. He began to make ever more complex patterns with his sensory energy, determining where it flowed the wrong way or seemed to fade into nothing. The formation was pretty well set up, they must have a proper formation master among them.
Good job, Derpy, Anton pat the giant flounder on its closest edge. You hungry? I can- Before he could even seek an answer to the question, the flounder slurped up a three meter wide crab scuttling nearby, crunching it down in a few bites. Well, it seems like youve got that handled. Let me know if I can repay you somehow. And sorry about yanking you so far up back then. He didnt expect it to understand, but the more the fish grew used to human speech patterns the faster it could learn to truly understand, if it had the intelligence and the drive.
Though his first instincts were to blast apart the underwater base, or melt them with focused light magnified through the water, Anton had a problem. He didnt know if this would be the only base of its sort in Inistra. If they were in contact with others, letting them be aware of his presence- if they hadnt already noticed him- would be a mistake. It would be best to get more locals on board, especially to pick apart their formations in ways Anton couldnt.
-----
Hmmmmmmn, Catarina said as she slowly circled Chidi. Very interesting. But isnt it a little exploitable?
The woman continued on bluntly. Where are you from?
Roistea, Sibylla said clearly. That information should be easily available.
It is. I just wondered if you would admit it. So why are you here?
Sibylla shrugged, It seemed like an easy way to endear myself to the Alliance, going somewhere like this.
Not that, the woman shook her head. Why are you here?
Same reason as you, I suppose. Then she frowned, Though I suppose you were from before Assimilation was common. Either way, I wasnt going to stay around Roistea.
Come on dear, said the man, placing his hand on her shoulder. Think about what your grandfather would say.
I am, the woman folded her arms. Hes also the one who reminded me to be cautious because of the war with Ekict. Catarina just stared at her for a bit.
Well? Sibylla tilted her head. Should I say more? My opinion of the Sylanis cluster isnt necessarily any higher than yours.
That got a more positive reaction from her. A fair point. Mostly, I was wondering how you would react. You could have been hoping nobody remembered where Roistea was, so if questioned you could say you technically didnt hide anything.
But we werent here to make you uncomfortable, Timothy reminded Catarina. We came to offer help dealing with formations.
Right, that, Catarina nodded. Since not all formation masters are interested in moving about, it could be useful.
I will gladly accept any help, Sibylla said. And dont worry, I intend to make my place among you- or I wouldnt have joined the Alliance at all.
-----
Everheart grinned. The first visitors had come to his system. Sadly, they werent from the Harmonious Citadel. It would require more pressure to get them to come, given there was a war on. Or maybe they were planning a more concerted attack. He couldnt imagine they would simply let the insults stand.
There was a slight issue that might come up if they sent all their saints together. He was confident, but not crazy. Five or more ascension cultivators would be far too much, even in a place he had prepared. If they did decide to do that well, he could figure things out then. They probably wouldnt, as that would basically involve giving up their home systems to the Scarlet Alliance and surrounding enemies.
As for the people in his system now well, he was doing his best to let some of them survive. It was no good to get people to show up and not report back how deadly and potentially treasure laden the area was. It would be bad for business if nobody showed up.
Chapter 708Aside from the deepest depths, at least a modicum of light filtered down to the bottom of the sea where many creatures made their home. Specialized eyes picked up as much as they could, depending on how each denizen tended to live. In this case, the creature lived directly upon the bottom. The only room for eyes was on top, so two of them ended up there. These picked out various dangers, though at some point they had become almost superfluous compared to other senses.As far as dangers were concerned, there was a better way. A strange sort of energy that everything strong had. That included not just other creatures of the sea, but humans as well. Today, it found a human, just like the others that had been causing trouble lately. Swimming just above the sands, even brushing along them, the creature crept forward then ambushed. Its large maw opened wide as it sucked in water, pulling in the unsuspecting human in front.-----The sudden suction pulled Anton back, and he barely caught himself on the rim of a giant mouth. It was instinct, though he wouldnt have been damaged by the snapping teeth anyway. In fact, it would have caused the creature more trouble had it actually succeeded. Anton spun around, pulling back as he focused on the creature. He had been far too focused on looking for humans that he had forgotten about certain denizens of the sea- and even then, this one had to blend in for him to miss it.Upon seeing the massive flounder, Anton grinned. Derpy! Its you again, he waved. Sorry about last time. He pat the thing on the side of its mouth. Or the top? He wasnt really sure what was appropriate to call it. He fully expected the thing to attempt to continue eating him. The next option was for it to run away. Instead, its eyes shifted as it looked at him with understanding?Anton was not a beastmaster. Thus, he didnt fully understand how some beast grew powerful in cultivation but retained animal intelligence, while others didnt. It wasnt just based on the type of creature, but it also had something to do with some luck during development. Greater intelligence vastly increased their survival rates in the long run. Hey, you wouldnt happen to have seen other humans around here? Anton asked. Though doing so was a waste. In the chance that Derpy was intelligent, he likely didnt understand speech. That had to be learned. How should Anton get the point across?He started with forming a replica of himself out of light. It wasnt exact, but that was better anyway since it was supposed to represent someone else. He mimed following after it in a few different ways, eventually grabbing it and causing it to disappear. Then he watched the big flounder. It remained in place then slowly shuffled back and began to turn around. Well, he could see why it had been scared off. But as it scuttled along the bottom, it turned so he could see its eyes once more. Did it really understand and want him to follow? He could at least try.He walked along the sea floor after it, though it took unnaturally quick steps to keep up with something of that size made for the water. The flounder didnt seem to be attempting to pull away, so Anton simply kept up with it for a while. Until it began going in circles.Anton stopped, thinking it might just be very bad at throwing people off. But Derpy turned about, fins flapping up sand. Anton considered the situation, then looked towards the middle of the circle. Because it was just one, and rather precise too.He saw nothing. Nor did his senses pick up anything. Which, in itself, was a red flag. He began to make ever more complex patterns with his sensory energy, determining where it flowed the wrong way or seemed to fade into nothing. The formation was pretty well set up, they must have a proper formation master among them. Good job, Derpy, Anton pat the giant flounder on its closest edge. You hungry? I can- Before he could even seek an answer to the question, the flounder slurped up a three meter wide crab scuttling nearby, crunching it down in a few bites. Well, it seems like youve got that handled. Let me know if I can repay you somehow. And sorry about yanking you so far up back then. He didnt expect it to understand, but the more the fish grew used to human speech patterns the faster it could learn to truly understand, if it had the intelligence and the drive. Though his first instincts were to blast apart the underwater base, or melt them with focused light magnified through the water, Anton had a problem. He didnt know if this would be the only base of its sort in Inistra. If they were in contact with others, letting them be aware of his presence- if they hadnt already noticed him- would be a mistake. It would be best to get more locals on board, especially to pick apart their formations in ways Anton couldnt. -----Hmmmmmmn, Catarina said as she slowly circled Chidi. Very interesting. But isnt it a little exploitable?The woman continued on bluntly. Where are you from?Roistea, Sibylla said clearly. That information should be easily available.It is. I just wondered if you would admit it. So why are you here?Sibylla shrugged, It seemed like an easy way to endear myself to the Alliance, going somewhere like this.Not that, the woman shook her head. Why are you here?Same reason as you, I suppose. Then she frowned, Though I suppose you were from before Assimilation was common. Either way, I wasnt going to stay around Roistea.Come on dear, said the man, placing his hand on her shoulder. Think about what your grandfather would say.I am, the woman folded her arms. Hes also the one who reminded me to be cautious because of the war with Ekict. Catarina just stared at her for a bit.Well? Sibylla tilted her head. Should I say more? My opinion of the Sylanis cluster isnt necessarily any higher than yours.That got a more positive reaction from her. A fair point. Mostly, I was wondering how you would react. You could have been hoping nobody remembered where Roistea was, so if questioned you could say you technically didnt hide anything.But we werent here to make you uncomfortable, Timothy reminded Catarina. We came to offer help dealing with formations.Right, that, Catarina nodded. Since not all formation masters are interested in moving about, it could be useful.I will gladly accept any help, Sibylla said. And dont worry, I intend to make my place among you- or I wouldnt have joined the Alliance at all.-----Everheart grinned. The first visitors had come to his system. Sadly, they werent from the Harmonious Citadel. It would require more pressure to get them to come, given there was a war on. Or maybe they were planning a more concerted attack. He couldnt imagine they would simply let the insults stand.There was a slight issue that might come up if they sent all their saints together. He was confident, but not crazy. Five or more ascension cultivators would be far too much, even in a place he had prepared. If they did decide to do that well, he could figure things out then. They probably wouldnt, as that would basically involve giving up their home systems to the Scarlet Alliance and surrounding enemies. As for the people in his system now well, he was doing his best to let some of them survive. It was no good to get people to show up and not report back how deadly and potentially treasure laden the area was. It would be bad for business if nobody showed up.
