Chapter 779
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Chapter 779
Members of the little alliance gathered around above Shadysands Burrow. Three Squeaks began to address them. We have to do something about the lions. They werent after us out of desperation or anything. Theyre just hungry for power.
Youre right, said the chief of Shadysands Burrow, Pondering Hum. We can dig our burrows deeper, store more food
That doesnt help our allies, though, Deep Purr pointed out. The captain of the guard gestured to the warthogs. They could be targeted by the lions as well. Even our newest ally could fall to sufficient effort on their part.
The hippo Contented Grunt nodded her head. Sharp teeth will tear my flesh in sufficient quantity. Unless I become stronger.
Do you think the eagles are at risk?
Clever lions could climb to your nests, if they were motivated to do so, Three Squeaks confirmed. But you might be best at watching from afar.
Echoing Cry flared broad feathers. Until I learn archery. Then I will be unstoppable.
I meant eagles in general, Three Squeaks shook his head. Anyway, hiding away wont be good enough. Tunnels big enough for the warthogs would be difficult to construct. And any sort of defensive thing would take too long. The lions might start picking us apart tomorrow, if we are careless. One scare likely wont be enough.
-----
After the alliance made their initial plans, Three Squeaks found Anton on the hill. Master, you are back! He began to explain everything. Then he asked about the lions. What do we do about them?
If they want to hunt you, then you must stop them, Anton confirmed. If you could construct walls they could not pass, it might be sufficient. But you have neither the time nor the capabilities at the moment. And simply surviving can be easiest sometimes, but it isnt always correct.
So we have to fight them, right? Three Squeaks asked. And kill them?
If they have no remorse- true remorse, not regret at having failed their ploy- and especially if they seem likely to try again, then you must. If it comes to battle, killing is the safest method until your enemies are subdued.
And what then? What about their cubs?
Anton crossed his arms. It is a difficult question, Anton replied. Are the cubs at fault for the actions of their parents? Mostly likely not. Not mainly, at least. Yet if they survive they will likely seek revenge upon you. That is if they survive, which they likely will not. Death may be a mercy. The other question is if all of the pride is involved. Have they sought to devour others developing their natural energy as well, knowing they could think and feel? Or perhaps it is simply that one part of them.
How can we find out?
I would suggest espionage. Anyone confident in their stealth and ability to flee. If they find themselves to be in private, discussing their plans will happen naturally. And as they tend to live out in the open instead of in burrows there are plenty of ways to sneak closer. If you are careful.
Anton didnt mention the fact that he was listening to the lions at this very moment. What he heard certainly didnt seem like it could lead to any sort of peaceful resolution.
Its dangerous to fight and kill them all, Three Squeaks commented. Because we can die too.
Thats right, Anton agreed. It is always possible for your side to be the one that loses. For every victory in battle, there is a loss.
We could scare them away, Three Squeaks said. They must be afraid of death too. One already died.
They might be even more afraid of death than you, Anton pointed out.
Larger than most things here, the Great Queen said. Much more than the birds and other predators that worry you, at least.
They sound dangerous.
Their size isnt what makes them dangerous. But the danger is also what makes them great allies. Even if other humans want to wipe us out.
Why?
Because we are a danger to them.
That doesnt make sense, Common Oak admitted.
They can squash us. Except for myself, any of us could be squashed by the most common human. But to fight, they use natural energy. And we bypass that. The Great Queen snipped some of the natural energy around Common Oak to make her point. The leafy insect trembled.
Mutual threats. There must be much death.
At the moment, we only live with humans who accept us. And when the war comes, our soldiers will leave behind our colonies, safe to continue on, and fight along side our friendly humans to repel the enemies. The best way to not get killed by a threat is to not make it want to. So we are part of them. And maybe there will be others from this place that will be part of us. It certainly looks that way. Already, there are prey working with predators to fight against other predators.
How strange, Common Oak said.
It is highly desirable. As much as you can adapt from leaf to stick, there are limits. Others can be something more. Things you could never dream of. And with cultivation your body and energy can grow strong in ways that are difficult to believe.
Despite having built up a rapport with this group, the Great Queen knew that her own effectiveness would soon diminish in terms of actually empowering them. But one who knew about cultivation of energy and plants would be quite beneficial to these insects. They just had to want to meet Anton, and they likely wouldn't be drawn in by the promise of nibbling on ascension energy.
That said, before they made that decision the Great Queen did have some ideas for what they could accomplish with teamwork. Bridging a gap between large trees would only take a dozen or so longer stick insects they should be able to hold sufficient weight for that to be an option. Though in truth it was more effective for the much lighter ants, natural energy provided some options.
-----
Xugryke. That was the name that had been uncovered for the system through significant digging. A system with satellites still patrolling the extremes, clearly quite capable of using technology. And yet, they were no more.
Unlike Jinrisa, it didnt seem to have been the result of outside forces. But neither did it seem to have been the result of a civil war. The damage had come all at once, somehow involving the planets moon suddenly crashing into one side of the planet. Or rather a much stranger result than that. Only part of it, somewhere around two thirds of it torn away in an indescribable manner and splayed over the planet below.
Ruteras scientists were most interested in the investigation, and using their technology and personal energy they investigated everything they could. The moon couldnt have crashed into the planet, because there should have been scarring from entering the atmosphere. There were burn marks on some of it, but that was localized to where there had been obvious fires on the planet after the fact.
From everything that could be seen initially, it seemed as if two thirds of the moon had just deposited itself on the planet below. Not in a peaceful manner, but it didnt crash into it either. However, whatever caused that incident had resulted in rubble from the moon covering a huge swath of the planet. What followed, according to the investigations, was a rapid collapse of the interconnected systems of the planet as massive disaster abounded.
Food production and transportation broke down. Production of key technological parts immediately halted, buried or otherwise inaccessible. Millions dead instantly perhaps more. And while the addition of a small percentage of the planets mass didnt necessarily seem that relevant, it happening all at once had caused massive instability in land.
The cause remained unknown for the current moment, but they were still sifting through the rubble on Xugryke itself and the small pieces of the planet that seemed to have ended up with the remaining partial shell of the moon somehow.
Xugryke was just one among many planets and systems explored, though not many were both so interesting and worrying. It was an unfortunate reminder that more dangers existed than simply that of invasions from the upper realms- or even conflicts between groups in the lower realms.
Slowly, the knowledge of the border regions was expanding. From that, plans could be made about how to resist incoming invaders that would be carried past by the tides of the world. And though they hadnt found more humans just yet, they expected to find some eventually. Ñøv€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on Ñôv€lß¡n.
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Chapter 779
Members of the little alliance gathered around above Shadysands Burrow. Three Squeaks began to address them. We have to do something about the lions. They werent after us out of desperation or anything. Theyre just hungry for power.
Youre right, said the chief of Shadysands Burrow, Pondering Hum. We can dig our burrows deeper, store more food
That doesnt help our allies, though, Deep Purr pointed out. The captain of the guard gestured to the warthogs. They could be targeted by the lions as well. Even our newest ally could fall to sufficient effort on their part.
The hippo Contented Grunt nodded her head. Sharp teeth will tear my flesh in sufficient quantity. Unless I become stronger.
Do you think the eagles are at risk?
Clever lions could climb to your nests, if they were motivated to do so, Three Squeaks confirmed. But you might be best at watching from afar.
Echoing Cry flared broad feathers. Until I learn archery. Then I will be unstoppable.
I meant eagles in general, Three Squeaks shook his head. Anyway, hiding away wont be good enough. Tunnels big enough for the warthogs would be difficult to construct. And any sort of defensive thing would take too long. The lions might start picking us apart tomorrow, if we are careless. One scare likely wont be enough.
-----
After the alliance made their initial plans, Three Squeaks found Anton on the hill. Master, you are back! He began to explain everything. Then he asked about the lions. What do we do about them?
If they want to hunt you, then you must stop them, Anton confirmed. If you could construct walls they could not pass, it might be sufficient. But you have neither the time nor the capabilities at the moment. And simply surviving can be easiest sometimes, but it isnt always correct.
So we have to fight them, right? Three Squeaks asked. And kill them?
If they have no remorse- true remorse, not regret at having failed their ploy- and especially if they seem likely to try again, then you must. If it comes to battle, killing is the safest method until your enemies are subdued.
And what then? What about their cubs?
Anton crossed his arms. It is a difficult question, Anton replied. Are the cubs at fault for the actions of their parents? Mostly likely not. Not mainly, at least. Yet if they survive they will likely seek revenge upon you. That is if they survive, which they likely will not. Death may be a mercy. The other question is if all of the pride is involved. Have they sought to devour others developing their natural energy as well, knowing they could think and feel? Or perhaps it is simply that one part of them.
How can we find out?
I would suggest espionage. Anyone confident in their stealth and ability to flee. If they find themselves to be in private, discussing their plans will happen naturally. And as they tend to live out in the open instead of in burrows there are plenty of ways to sneak closer. If you are careful.
Anton didnt mention the fact that he was listening to the lions at this very moment. What he heard certainly didnt seem like it could lead to any sort of peaceful resolution.
Its dangerous to fight and kill them all, Three Squeaks commented. Because we can die too.
Thats right, Anton agreed. It is always possible for your side to be the one that loses. For every victory in battle, there is a loss.
We could scare them away, Three Squeaks said. They must be afraid of death too. One already died.
They might be even more afraid of death than you, Anton pointed out.
Larger than most things here, the Great Queen said. Much more than the birds and other predators that worry you, at least.
They sound dangerous.
Their size isnt what makes them dangerous. But the danger is also what makes them great allies. Even if other humans want to wipe us out.
Why?
Because we are a danger to them.
That doesnt make sense, Common Oak admitted.
They can squash us. Except for myself, any of us could be squashed by the most common human. But to fight, they use natural energy. And we bypass that. The Great Queen snipped some of the natural energy around Common Oak to make her point. The leafy insect trembled.
Mutual threats. There must be much death.
At the moment, we only live with humans who accept us. And when the war comes, our soldiers will leave behind our colonies, safe to continue on, and fight along side our friendly humans to repel the enemies. The best way to not get killed by a threat is to not make it want to. So we are part of them. And maybe there will be others from this place that will be part of us. It certainly looks that way. Already, there are prey working with predators to fight against other predators.
How strange, Common Oak said.
It is highly desirable. As much as you can adapt from leaf to stick, there are limits. Others can be something more. Things you could never dream of. And with cultivation your body and energy can grow strong in ways that are difficult to believe.
Despite having built up a rapport with this group, the Great Queen knew that her own effectiveness would soon diminish in terms of actually empowering them. But one who knew about cultivation of energy and plants would be quite beneficial to these insects. They just had to want to meet Anton, and they likely wouldn't be drawn in by the promise of nibbling on ascension energy.
That said, before they made that decision the Great Queen did have some ideas for what they could accomplish with teamwork. Bridging a gap between large trees would only take a dozen or so longer stick insects they should be able to hold sufficient weight for that to be an option. Though in truth it was more effective for the much lighter ants, natural energy provided some options.
-----
Xugryke. That was the name that had been uncovered for the system through significant digging. A system with satellites still patrolling the extremes, clearly quite capable of using technology. And yet, they were no more.
Unlike Jinrisa, it didnt seem to have been the result of outside forces. But neither did it seem to have been the result of a civil war. The damage had come all at once, somehow involving the planets moon suddenly crashing into one side of the planet. Or rather a much stranger result than that. Only part of it, somewhere around two thirds of it torn away in an indescribable manner and splayed over the planet below.
Ruteras scientists were most interested in the investigation, and using their technology and personal energy they investigated everything they could. The moon couldnt have crashed into the planet, because there should have been scarring from entering the atmosphere. There were burn marks on some of it, but that was localized to where there had been obvious fires on the planet after the fact.
From everything that could be seen initially, it seemed as if two thirds of the moon had just deposited itself on the planet below. Not in a peaceful manner, but it didnt crash into it either. However, whatever caused that incident had resulted in rubble from the moon covering a huge swath of the planet. What followed, according to the investigations, was a rapid collapse of the interconnected systems of the planet as massive disaster abounded.
Food production and transportation broke down. Production of key technological parts immediately halted, buried or otherwise inaccessible. Millions dead instantly perhaps more. And while the addition of a small percentage of the planets mass didnt necessarily seem that relevant, it happening all at once had caused massive instability in land.
The cause remained unknown for the current moment, but they were still sifting through the rubble on Xugryke itself and the small pieces of the planet that seemed to have ended up with the remaining partial shell of the moon somehow.
Xugryke was just one among many planets and systems explored, though not many were both so interesting and worrying. It was an unfortunate reminder that more dangers existed than simply that of invasions from the upper realms- or even conflicts between groups in the lower realms.
Slowly, the knowledge of the border regions was expanding. From that, plans could be made about how to resist incoming invaders that would be carried past by the tides of the world. And though they hadnt found more humans just yet, they expected to find some eventually. Ñøv€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on Ñôv€lß¡n.
Chapter 779Members of the little alliance gathered around above Shadysands Burrow. Three Squeaks began to address them. We have to do something about the lions. They werent after us out of desperation or anything. Theyre just hungry for power.Youre right, said the chief of Shadysands Burrow, Pondering Hum. We can dig our burrows deeper, store more foodThat doesnt help our allies, though, Deep Purr pointed out. The captain of the guard gestured to the warthogs. They could be targeted by the lions as well. Even our newest ally could fall to sufficient effort on their part.The hippo Contented Grunt nodded her head. Sharp teeth will tear my flesh in sufficient quantity. Unless I become stronger.Do you think the eagles are at risk?Clever lions could climb to your nests, if they were motivated to do so, Three Squeaks confirmed. But you might be best at watching from afar.Echoing Cry flared broad feathers. Until I learn archery. Then I will be unstoppable.I meant eagles in general, Three Squeaks shook his head. Anyway, hiding away wont be good enough. Tunnels big enough for the warthogs would be difficult to construct. And any sort of defensive thing would take too long. The lions might start picking us apart tomorrow, if we are careless. One scare likely wont be enough.-----After the alliance made their initial plans, Three Squeaks found Anton on the hill. Master, you are back! He began to explain everything. Then he asked about the lions. What do we do about them?If they want to hunt you, then you must stop them, Anton confirmed. If you could construct walls they could not pass, it might be sufficient. But you have neither the time nor the capabilities at the moment. And simply surviving can be easiest sometimes, but it isnt always correct.So we have to fight them, right? Three Squeaks asked. And kill them?If they have no remorse- true remorse, not regret at having failed their ploy- and especially if they seem likely to try again, then you must. If it comes to battle, killing is the safest method until your enemies are subdued.And what then? What about their cubs?Anton crossed his arms. It is a difficult question, Anton replied. Are the cubs at fault for the actions of their parents? Mostly likely not. Not mainly, at least. Yet if they survive they will likely seek revenge upon you. That is if they survive, which they likely will not. Death may be a mercy. The other question is if all of the pride is involved. Have they sought to devour others developing their natural energy as well, knowing they could think and feel? Or perhaps it is simply that one part of them.How can we find out? I would suggest espionage. Anyone confident in their stealth and ability to flee. If they find themselves to be in private, discussing their plans will happen naturally. And as they tend to live out in the open instead of in burrows there are plenty of ways to sneak closer. If you are careful.Anton didnt mention the fact that he was listening to the lions at this very moment. What he heard certainly didnt seem like it could lead to any sort of peaceful resolution. Its dangerous to fight and kill them all, Three Squeaks commented. Because we can die too.Thats right, Anton agreed. It is always possible for your side to be the one that loses. For every victory in battle, there is a loss.We could scare them away, Three Squeaks said. They must be afraid of death too. One already died.They might be even more afraid of death than you, Anton pointed out.Larger than most things here, the Great Queen said. Much more than the birds and other predators that worry you, at least.They sound dangerous.Their size isnt what makes them dangerous. But the danger is also what makes them great allies. Even if other humans want to wipe us out.Why?Because we are a danger to them.That doesnt make sense, Common Oak admitted.They can squash us. Except for myself, any of us could be squashed by the most common human. But to fight, they use natural energy. And we bypass that. The Great Queen snipped some of the natural energy around Common Oak to make her point. The leafy insect trembled.Mutual threats. There must be much death.At the moment, we only live with humans who accept us. And when the war comes, our soldiers will leave behind our colonies, safe to continue on, and fight along side our friendly humans to repel the enemies. The best way to not get killed by a threat is to not make it want to. So we are part of them. And maybe there will be others from this place that will be part of us. It certainly looks that way. Already, there are prey working with predators to fight against other predators.How strange, Common Oak said.It is highly desirable. As much as you can adapt from leaf to stick, there are limits. Others can be something more. Things you could never dream of. And with cultivation your body and energy can grow strong in ways that are difficult to believe.Despite having built up a rapport with this group, the Great Queen knew that her own effectiveness would soon diminish in terms of actually empowering them. But one who knew about cultivation of energy and plants would be quite beneficial to these insects. They just had to want to meet Anton, and they likely wouldn't be drawn in by the promise of nibbling on ascension energy.That said, before they made that decision the Great Queen did have some ideas for what they could accomplish with teamwork. Bridging a gap between large trees would only take a dozen or so longer stick insects they should be able to hold sufficient weight for that to be an option. Though in truth it was more effective for the much lighter ants, natural energy provided some options.-----Xugryke. That was the name that had been uncovered for the system through significant digging. A system with satellites still patrolling the extremes, clearly quite capable of using technology. And yet, they were no more.Unlike Jinrisa, it didnt seem to have been the result of outside forces. But neither did it seem to have been the result of a civil war. The damage had come all at once, somehow involving the planets moon suddenly crashing into one side of the planet. Or rather a much stranger result than that. Only part of it, somewhere around two thirds of it torn away in an indescribable manner and splayed over the planet below.Ruteras scientists were most interested in the investigation, and using their technology and personal energy they investigated everything they could. The moon couldnt have crashed into the planet, because there should have been scarring from entering the atmosphere. There were burn marks on some of it, but that was localized to where there had been obvious fires on the planet after the fact. From everything that could be seen initially, it seemed as if two thirds of the moon had just deposited itself on the planet below. Not in a peaceful manner, but it didnt crash into it either. However, whatever caused that incident had resulted in rubble from the moon covering a huge swath of the planet. What followed, according to the investigations, was a rapid collapse of the interconnected systems of the planet as massive disaster abounded. Food production and transportation broke down. Production of key technological parts immediately halted, buried or otherwise inaccessible. Millions dead instantly perhaps more. And while the addition of a small percentage of the planets mass didnt necessarily seem that relevant, it happening all at once had caused massive instability in land. The cause remained unknown for the current moment, but they were still sifting through the rubble on Xugryke itself and the small pieces of the planet that seemed to have ended up with the remaining partial shell of the moon somehow.Xugryke was just one among many planets and systems explored, though not many were both so interesting and worrying. It was an unfortunate reminder that more dangers existed than simply that of invasions from the upper realms- or even conflicts between groups in the lower realms.Slowly, the knowledge of the border regions was expanding. From that, plans could be made about how to resist incoming invaders that would be carried past by the tides of the world. And though they hadnt found more humans just yet, they expected to find some eventually. NvlRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on Novln.
