Chapter 849
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Chapter 849
Cutting apart a thread of energy was easy. In truth, having a void blade made very little difference in that process. But that wasnt the actual results Velvet would want from her efforts. A cut thread of energy was easily reconnected. The void blade accomplished the necessary component of negating the connection for long enough that it would have to be established anew- meaning that all energy involved would have to be spent anew.
They were also practical against attacked made purely of energy, as they could sever them in two and negate their effects- though it wasnt perfect. It was quite easy for some of the energy to flow around the blade, leaving her vulnerable if she was careless in how she performed her counter. Thus, simply avoiding attacks was more reliable.
As for mixed attacks, unfortunately once a weapon was moving at superhuman speeds, blocking with a void blade was pointless. Even with the special alloy to counteract its fragile nature, it was still easily broken. And even without the augmented cutting edges that energy gave to weapons, a cultivator who had surpassed Body Tempering was strong enough to break a void blade. Parrying was a delicate task as well, and Velvet had broken hundreds of similar-strength weapons during her training. They were formulated to nearly match the durability of a void blade, and Velvet resolved to clash directly only as a last resort. Which was kind of the whole point of the training.
Plus detecting the lowest levels of energy, tiny connections that she could sever. And of course she brushed up on her ability to read the flow of energy of both cultivators and formations to find optimal places to attack.
There was no sparring against Runa or her father, not with the void blades. The Spirit Slicing Sect didnt fight in a way that it would be advantageous to use their own tactics against them, so it would be better for Velvet to use one of her normal daggers for most practical aspects of combat. However, a void blade in her off hand was a great boon. Along with her advancement to Augmentation, she felt nearly unstoppable.
She knew that wasnt true, of course, and did her best to quash such risky thoughts. She could die to a more experienced Augmentation cultivator or a handful of lucky or highly coordinated Integration cultivators. It wasnt terribly likely, but Velvet wasnt the sort that should end up in a fair fight with either.
Velvet didnt just train, of course. She was quite involved with clearing out Exalted Quadrant attackers on Taon. Until the point they were more or less eliminated.
After that, Velvet had to discuss the next steps with Runa and Emrik. They were her direct connections to the rest of the Chaotic Conglomeration, after all. What are your plans now? Will you move your headquarters?
It was only a temporary base anyway, Emrik said- though Velvet was reminded that theyd been here at least fifty years, perhaps over a century. But we also need to finish mining out as much of the void ore as we can, practically. This planet will still be useful as a staging ground for future conflict as well. It is a decent place to rest and train, so no doubt we will continue to fortify it.
Exactly, Runa nodded. The question should really be what do you intend to do?
Velvet frowned. Well, I she knew she had to get back to the Scarlet Alliance. Just because Runa was her friend didnt suddenly invalidate all the rest of her friendships and allegiances. So what was she going to do? First, Id like to thank you for your trust. I suppose I should provide some in return. Velvet pulled something out of one of her storage bags. It was a lockbox designed to fry the object inside, should it be opened incorrectly- something that was very easy to do. Of course, she knew the proper way. She did so, and presented the hand-sized device to Runa. Here is a communicator. It will allow you to contact the Scarlet Alliance.
... How? Runa looked at it, tilting her head.
First press this button, Velvet said, turning the device on.
Runa nearly jumped back. How did it do that?
Do what? Velvet tilted her head.
It lit up without the flow of upper energy changing.
Oh. Thats a special technique. Mundane technology, technically, but Velvet wasnt up for explaining that. Anyway, it only communicates directly with our comms center. It wont do you much good until I manage to contact them in person to inform them that the device isnt compromised. Before then, your messages will probably be set aside as suspect. Since you wont have my energy signature.
Velvet shrugged. If you could see some of the things we have, I think youd understand.
Emrik stroked his chin. Its strange, you know. The Scarlet Alliance has something the Exalted Quadrant does not. But youre effectively a new faction, arent you?
Velvet wanted to protest, but to be fair the Scarlet Alliance had only existed for somewhere around two-thirds of her life. Which kind of made it brand new by some measures. Even by the standards of factions in the lower realms that got reset every cycle, it wasnt particularly old. Something like that. If you somehow find the time and can do so safely, I would gladly show you around. But I dont know how easily you will be able to slip through Exalted Quadrant territory.
Speaking of which, Runa said. Will you be alright on your return trip?
Will I be alright? Velvet asked. Im a single individual among billions. Perhaps trillions. I just have to avoid the Limitless Edge. Though I heard that there was an incident
Everheart, Emrik said the name like it was the most foul swear he knew. Which it might be. And some swordmaster.
Rahayu, Velvet said. One of the few individuals who has joined up with Everhearts new faction. Normally, she would expect many more- but Everheart was known to use projections for all of his labor. So there was no point in having people below a certain threshold. Combined with the requirement that they be able to tolerate Everheart Velvet was almost surprised there were two of them.
So what are your plans to return? Emrik asked. Crossing the border territories will be the most difficult.
You have some captured ships, do we not? Velvet asked.
Sure, but it will be instantly obvious to anyone inspecting you.
Only once they approach. At which point, the ship should be empty.
And then what, you steal another ship from a contested world?
Velvet shook her head. I plan to push a ship to reach a few systems inward. I doubt it will survive the trip, but even in the worst case scenario I can finish the journey on my own. If all goes well, a random empty ship will be on a crash course with some sun. And then Ill take standard passage further along. I know how to blend in among them. I made it this far, didnt I? Returning well, I wont say it will be just as easy, but Im also more capable now.
Wouldnt it be safer to go around? Runa asked.
Safer? Probably. It would take significantly longer, hopping between border planets on my own. And Im not particularly enthusiastic about the capability of these ships to refuel in random systems. Besides, my work isnt done. I plan to engage in a bit more espionage along the way. A different route than before, of course. She wanted to stay well away from the stomping grounds of the Limitless Edge. Even if she disguised her face and subdued her own aura, she was concerned about being spotted. Though she could likely pick out the Limitless Edge first and avoid the danger, as long as she wasnt in a system packed with disciples.
We wish you good luck, then, Emrik said. Take any of the ships you please. You helped secure half of them anyway.
Thank you, Velvet said. I wont be leaving immediately but it will be soon. Hopefully, she would be able to make a return trip at some point but it was more difficult than the distances involved. And weakening the Exalted Quadrant to make them less of a threat was hardly something she thought they could accomplish in the near future. Maybe Runa would find a chance to visit the Scarlet Alliance- if she could do so safely, Velvet would be pleased.
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Chapter 849
Cutting apart a thread of energy was easy. In truth, having a void blade made very little difference in that process. But that wasnt the actual results Velvet would want from her efforts. A cut thread of energy was easily reconnected. The void blade accomplished the necessary component of negating the connection for long enough that it would have to be established anew- meaning that all energy involved would have to be spent anew.
They were also practical against attacked made purely of energy, as they could sever them in two and negate their effects- though it wasnt perfect. It was quite easy for some of the energy to flow around the blade, leaving her vulnerable if she was careless in how she performed her counter. Thus, simply avoiding attacks was more reliable.
As for mixed attacks, unfortunately once a weapon was moving at superhuman speeds, blocking with a void blade was pointless. Even with the special alloy to counteract its fragile nature, it was still easily broken. And even without the augmented cutting edges that energy gave to weapons, a cultivator who had surpassed Body Tempering was strong enough to break a void blade. Parrying was a delicate task as well, and Velvet had broken hundreds of similar-strength weapons during her training. They were formulated to nearly match the durability of a void blade, and Velvet resolved to clash directly only as a last resort. Which was kind of the whole point of the training.
Plus detecting the lowest levels of energy, tiny connections that she could sever. And of course she brushed up on her ability to read the flow of energy of both cultivators and formations to find optimal places to attack.
There was no sparring against Runa or her father, not with the void blades. The Spirit Slicing Sect didnt fight in a way that it would be advantageous to use their own tactics against them, so it would be better for Velvet to use one of her normal daggers for most practical aspects of combat. However, a void blade in her off hand was a great boon. Along with her advancement to Augmentation, she felt nearly unstoppable.
She knew that wasnt true, of course, and did her best to quash such risky thoughts. She could die to a more experienced Augmentation cultivator or a handful of lucky or highly coordinated Integration cultivators. It wasnt terribly likely, but Velvet wasnt the sort that should end up in a fair fight with either.
Velvet didnt just train, of course. She was quite involved with clearing out Exalted Quadrant attackers on Taon. Until the point they were more or less eliminated.
After that, Velvet had to discuss the next steps with Runa and Emrik. They were her direct connections to the rest of the Chaotic Conglomeration, after all. What are your plans now? Will you move your headquarters?
It was only a temporary base anyway, Emrik said- though Velvet was reminded that theyd been here at least fifty years, perhaps over a century. But we also need to finish mining out as much of the void ore as we can, practically. This planet will still be useful as a staging ground for future conflict as well. It is a decent place to rest and train, so no doubt we will continue to fortify it.
Exactly, Runa nodded. The question should really be what do you intend to do?
Velvet frowned. Well, I she knew she had to get back to the Scarlet Alliance. Just because Runa was her friend didnt suddenly invalidate all the rest of her friendships and allegiances. So what was she going to do? First, Id like to thank you for your trust. I suppose I should provide some in return. Velvet pulled something out of one of her storage bags. It was a lockbox designed to fry the object inside, should it be opened incorrectly- something that was very easy to do. Of course, she knew the proper way. She did so, and presented the hand-sized device to Runa. Here is a communicator. It will allow you to contact the Scarlet Alliance.
... How? Runa looked at it, tilting her head.
First press this button, Velvet said, turning the device on.
Runa nearly jumped back. How did it do that?
Do what? Velvet tilted her head.
It lit up without the flow of upper energy changing.
Oh. Thats a special technique. Mundane technology, technically, but Velvet wasnt up for explaining that. Anyway, it only communicates directly with our comms center. It wont do you much good until I manage to contact them in person to inform them that the device isnt compromised. Before then, your messages will probably be set aside as suspect. Since you wont have my energy signature.
Velvet shrugged. If you could see some of the things we have, I think youd understand.
Emrik stroked his chin. Its strange, you know. The Scarlet Alliance has something the Exalted Quadrant does not. But youre effectively a new faction, arent you?
Velvet wanted to protest, but to be fair the Scarlet Alliance had only existed for somewhere around two-thirds of her life. Which kind of made it brand new by some measures. Even by the standards of factions in the lower realms that got reset every cycle, it wasnt particularly old. Something like that. If you somehow find the time and can do so safely, I would gladly show you around. But I dont know how easily you will be able to slip through Exalted Quadrant territory.
Speaking of which, Runa said. Will you be alright on your return trip?
Will I be alright? Velvet asked. Im a single individual among billions. Perhaps trillions. I just have to avoid the Limitless Edge. Though I heard that there was an incident
Everheart, Emrik said the name like it was the most foul swear he knew. Which it might be. And some swordmaster.
Rahayu, Velvet said. One of the few individuals who has joined up with Everhearts new faction. Normally, she would expect many more- but Everheart was known to use projections for all of his labor. So there was no point in having people below a certain threshold. Combined with the requirement that they be able to tolerate Everheart Velvet was almost surprised there were two of them.
So what are your plans to return? Emrik asked. Crossing the border territories will be the most difficult.
You have some captured ships, do we not? Velvet asked.
Sure, but it will be instantly obvious to anyone inspecting you.
Only once they approach. At which point, the ship should be empty.
And then what, you steal another ship from a contested world?
Velvet shook her head. I plan to push a ship to reach a few systems inward. I doubt it will survive the trip, but even in the worst case scenario I can finish the journey on my own. If all goes well, a random empty ship will be on a crash course with some sun. And then Ill take standard passage further along. I know how to blend in among them. I made it this far, didnt I? Returning well, I wont say it will be just as easy, but Im also more capable now.
Wouldnt it be safer to go around? Runa asked.
Safer? Probably. It would take significantly longer, hopping between border planets on my own. And Im not particularly enthusiastic about the capability of these ships to refuel in random systems. Besides, my work isnt done. I plan to engage in a bit more espionage along the way. A different route than before, of course. She wanted to stay well away from the stomping grounds of the Limitless Edge. Even if she disguised her face and subdued her own aura, she was concerned about being spotted. Though she could likely pick out the Limitless Edge first and avoid the danger, as long as she wasnt in a system packed with disciples.
We wish you good luck, then, Emrik said. Take any of the ships you please. You helped secure half of them anyway.
Thank you, Velvet said. I wont be leaving immediately but it will be soon. Hopefully, she would be able to make a return trip at some point but it was more difficult than the distances involved. And weakening the Exalted Quadrant to make them less of a threat was hardly something she thought they could accomplish in the near future. Maybe Runa would find a chance to visit the Scarlet Alliance- if she could do so safely, Velvet would be pleased.
Chapter 849Cutting apart a thread of energy was easy. In truth, having a void blade made very little difference in that process. But that wasnt the actual results Velvet would want from her efforts. A cut thread of energy was easily reconnected. The void blade accomplished the necessary component of negating the connection for long enough that it would have to be established anew- meaning that all energy involved would have to be spent anew. They were also practical against attacked made purely of energy, as they could sever them in two and negate their effects- though it wasnt perfect. It was quite easy for some of the energy to flow around the blade, leaving her vulnerable if she was careless in how she performed her counter. Thus, simply avoiding attacks was more reliable.As for mixed attacks, unfortunately once a weapon was moving at superhuman speeds, blocking with a void blade was pointless. Even with the special alloy to counteract its fragile nature, it was still easily broken. And even without the augmented cutting edges that energy gave to weapons, a cultivator who had surpassed Body Tempering was strong enough to break a void blade. Parrying was a delicate task as well, and Velvet had broken hundreds of similar-strength weapons during her training. They were formulated to nearly match the durability of a void blade, and Velvet resolved to clash directly only as a last resort. Which was kind of the whole point of the training.Plus detecting the lowest levels of energy, tiny connections that she could sever. And of course she brushed up on her ability to read the flow of energy of both cultivators and formations to find optimal places to attack. There was no sparring against Runa or her father, not with the void blades. The Spirit Slicing Sect didnt fight in a way that it would be advantageous to use their own tactics against them, so it would be better for Velvet to use one of her normal daggers for most practical aspects of combat. However, a void blade in her off hand was a great boon. Along with her advancement to Augmentation, she felt nearly unstoppable.She knew that wasnt true, of course, and did her best to quash such risky thoughts. She could die to a more experienced Augmentation cultivator or a handful of lucky or highly coordinated Integration cultivators. It wasnt terribly likely, but Velvet wasnt the sort that should end up in a fair fight with either.Velvet didnt just train, of course. She was quite involved with clearing out Exalted Quadrant attackers on Taon. Until the point they were more or less eliminated.After that, Velvet had to discuss the next steps with Runa and Emrik. They were her direct connections to the rest of the Chaotic Conglomeration, after all. What are your plans now? Will you move your headquarters?It was only a temporary base anyway, Emrik said- though Velvet was reminded that theyd been here at least fifty years, perhaps over a century. But we also need to finish mining out as much of the void ore as we can, practically. This planet will still be useful as a staging ground for future conflict as well. It is a decent place to rest and train, so no doubt we will continue to fortify it.Exactly, Runa nodded. The question should really be what do you intend to do?Velvet frowned. Well, I she knew she had to get back to the Scarlet Alliance. Just because Runa was her friend didnt suddenly invalidate all the rest of her friendships and allegiances. So what was she going to do? First, Id like to thank you for your trust. I suppose I should provide some in return. Velvet pulled something out of one of her storage bags. It was a lockbox designed to fry the object inside, should it be opened incorrectly- something that was very easy to do. Of course, she knew the proper way. She did so, and presented the hand-sized device to Runa. Here is a communicator. It will allow you to contact the Scarlet Alliance.... How? Runa looked at it, tilting her head. First press this button, Velvet said, turning the device on.Runa nearly jumped back. How did it do that?Do what? Velvet tilted her head.It lit up without the flow of upper energy changing.Oh. Thats a special technique. Mundane technology, technically, but Velvet wasnt up for explaining that. Anyway, it only communicates directly with our comms center. It wont do you much good until I manage to contact them in person to inform them that the device isnt compromised. Before then, your messages will probably be set aside as suspect. Since you wont have my energy signature.Velvet shrugged. If you could see some of the things we have, I think youd understand.Emrik stroked his chin. Its strange, you know. The Scarlet Alliance has something the Exalted Quadrant does not. But youre effectively a new faction, arent you?Velvet wanted to protest, but to be fair the Scarlet Alliance had only existed for somewhere around two-thirds of her life. Which kind of made it brand new by some measures. Even by the standards of factions in the lower realms that got reset every cycle, it wasnt particularly old. Something like that. If you somehow find the time and can do so safely, I would gladly show you around. But I dont know how easily you will be able to slip through Exalted Quadrant territory.Speaking of which, Runa said. Will you be alright on your return trip?Will I be alright? Velvet asked. Im a single individual among billions. Perhaps trillions. I just have to avoid the Limitless Edge. Though I heard that there was an incidentEverheart, Emrik said the name like it was the most foul swear he knew. Which it might be. And some swordmaster.Rahayu, Velvet said. One of the few individuals who has joined up with Everhearts new faction. Normally, she would expect many more- but Everheart was known to use projections for all of his labor. So there was no point in having people below a certain threshold. Combined with the requirement that they be able to tolerate Everheart Velvet was almost surprised there were two of them.So what are your plans to return? Emrik asked. Crossing the border territories will be the most difficult.You have some captured ships, do we not? Velvet asked.Sure, but it will be instantly obvious to anyone inspecting you.Only once they approach. At which point, the ship should be empty.And then what, you steal another ship from a contested world?Velvet shook her head. I plan to push a ship to reach a few systems inward. I doubt it will survive the trip, but even in the worst case scenario I can finish the journey on my own. If all goes well, a random empty ship will be on a crash course with some sun. And then Ill take standard passage further along. I know how to blend in among them. I made it this far, didnt I? Returning well, I wont say it will be just as easy, but Im also more capable now.Wouldnt it be safer to go around? Runa asked.Safer? Probably. It would take significantly longer, hopping between border planets on my own. And Im not particularly enthusiastic about the capability of these ships to refuel in random systems. Besides, my work isnt done. I plan to engage in a bit more espionage along the way. A different route than before, of course. She wanted to stay well away from the stomping grounds of the Limitless Edge. Even if she disguised her face and subdued her own aura, she was concerned about being spotted. Though she could likely pick out the Limitless Edge first and avoid the danger, as long as she wasnt in a system packed with disciples.We wish you good luck, then, Emrik said. Take any of the ships you please. You helped secure half of them anyway.Thank you, Velvet said. I wont be leaving immediately but it will be soon. Hopefully, she would be able to make a return trip at some point but it was more difficult than the distances involved. And weakening the Exalted Quadrant to make them less of a threat was hardly something she thought they could accomplish in the near future. Maybe Runa would find a chance to visit the Scarlet Alliance- if she could do so safely, Velvet would be pleased.
