Chapter 120
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Chapter 120
Sometimes there were people who seemed able to do anything they set their mind to. Anton Krantz was one of those. Reuben was aware that a farm had many different things it needed, and Anton could take care of them all. It seemed that even when the man hit a hundred the only reason the rest of his family had work to do was because he let them. The patriarch of that family was someone that everyone in Dungannon knew. But now he was different. Though honestly it felt just like the next step.
A cultivator always felt like something different from a normal human. Reuben hadnt really changed his assessment. Anton and his companions were different. People who were so willing to throw themselves into action were exceptional. They also had a wolf. That was just something Reuben had observed.
Beyond just learning to cultivate himself, Anton seemed to be proficient enough to teach it. Reuben had given a serious try for a few years but it just didnt click. Then he talked to Anton for an hour, and everything made sense. It still took a week for him to really have enough sense and control of natural energy to really feel like a cultivator, but the path had been laid out for him and he just had to walk it. Sometimes paths were rocky and full of twigs trying to snag you, but at least you knew you were going the right way.
Learning to cultivate was empowering but Reuben hadnt realized it would be so frightening. Actually being able to sense how strong cultivators were was intimidating. Anton had already been the sort of person who felt overwhelming when he was in action but like just a man otherwise, but the feeling was amplified. Others werent so restrained. There was the dark-skinned Ayotunde. A mercenary. He was even stronger.
Seeing some of the cultivators spar for training was entertaining, but when actual battle happened that was where he felt fear. When Dungannon was attacked hed seen people die. So many people, for no reason. As they approached the growing gorge, he felt people die. To the right, to the left. Powerful presences that were simply snuffed out. It made him realize just how much further he had to go if he wanted to really be a cultivator. What was the first star, even, against the attacks facing them?
Arrows he was certain could pierce through him and the man behind him flew in both directions. The ones from up on the cliff were greatly weakened by a sort of barrier set up by Catarina and another mercenary called Elisa. Enough that the villagers could block with the shields they had been given. Reuben held his shield above his head, doing his best to reinforce it with his energy. He should probably dodge, but he didnt know if he could do it in time- and that might just leave someone else in danger.
The arrows from their side were fired by Anton. Just him, yet he matched a handful of other archers. He didnt even have arrows, making them purely from energy. They didnt look like much, but the sharpness that radiated off of them combined with their speed and power made Reuben feel that they were indeed very real.
When Dungannon had been attacked, nobody could do anything. Now Anton was so strong. Reuben wasnt sure, but he wasnt too far from the stronger bandits. Since theyd had no real opponents, it was impossible to say.
Now the villagers of Dungannon were still weak, but they had hope. They were free- yet people were still trying to claim them. Reuben knew he was far too weak to matter, but he stepped forward anyway, just inside the edge of the barrier. Devon was right there as well, looking towards those approaching from the bottom of the gorge. Most of their warriors were atop either side, fighting opponents who outnumbered them. Reuben wasnt sure if he could harm some of the stronger figures approaching, but he was certain he could try.
-----
Each arrow was aimed at a precise spot. It wasnt always where someone was unprepared for an attack, or at least not where people thought they were unprepared. Anton was beginning to sense the subtler fluctuations of energy. He realized that there were always weak points, even in a persons defensive energy. He might have thought he had an even layer covering him like armor, but some places were simply weaker. When one of those matched up with a weakness in actual armor, he could use less than half as much energy to achieve the same result. Usually, that was killing someone.
None of his attacks were ever intended to go easy on someone. If he could kill them, he would. If he could wound an arm instead, that would make things easier for the future. People tended to overcompensate for areas they were injured, shifting to cover the weaker area with excess energy. Even if it was just a small change, he could catch someone while their energy was moving about and not perfectly placed.
It wasnt enough to kill other Spirit Building cultivators in just a few shots, but it could certainly distract them enough that they werent able to fight effectively. Against late Body Temperers, he took them out by his third arrow in most cases. It helped to have strong allies on the front lines suppressing people. He was glad hed hired all four of the mercenaries he did, because they were quite worth the expense just for this one battle.
The enemy mercenaries were turning to flee, and Anton began to relax. Then his eye twitched as he saw Alva running forward towards one wrestling with Fuzz. He was almost impressed how she managed to actually stab into his thigh. It took most of her energy concentrated into that attack, but it was well done. Antons arrow was already on the way, but he filled it with extra hate as Alva was backhanded by the man and sent flying a dozen meters. His arrow went up through the bottom of the half-prone mans jaw, and he swore to himself that if Alva was seriously injured he would hunt down every fleeing mercenary, his nearly drained reserves of energy be damned.
He should have told Alva she couldnt fight no matter what. As he reached her side, she was already standing up. She was trembling and blood dripped down her face, but she propped herself up with the butt of her spear. Yeah! You better run!
Thats right, Anton said. They should run. Which is why you should have let them instead of continuing to fight.
Alva turned up to him, blood streaming out of her nostrils. Its fine. Just a broken nose.
A little bit more and you could have died! Anton chastised.
Nu-uh. Broken noses dont kill people.
Anton didnt know what to say, but Catarina arrived to say the exact thing hed chosen not to. You can. The bones in your nose can be pushed into your brain, Catarina gestured. Its not pretty.
Alva turned to the side and threw up. What followed was a frenzy of activity as everyone tried to recover from the battle. They hadnt been lucky enough to be able to just avoid their enemies, and the consequences were severe. None of their top cultivators were dead, but Hoyt had a nasty gash on his arm and Devon had either reopened old injuries or gotten new ones in similar places.
It was honestly impressive that theyd only lost a handful of people against the enemy forces. They were outnumbered in terms of real cultivators, and there was only so much a little bit of edge in cultivation and skill could do against that.
Anton wondered if it was his fault the people were dead. If he hadnt taught them to cultivate, they would have been more cautious. Were his ideas wrong?
Something tapped his ankle. He looked down to see a man on his belly craning back to look up at him. Thanks, the man said. Anton just recognized him as Reuben under all the blood. I got to actually fight, instead of just being helpless. Then his head dropped face first into the dirt.
Anton flipped him over, seeing bloody wounds all over the mans chest. Before he did anything else, a quick check with his energy- and he found Reuben was alive, if only barely. He used his energy to keep as much blood in the man as possible while his hands moved as quickly as they were able applying coagulant powder, stitches, and bandages.
He still felt awful, but despite all the weary faces around him, he saw them strong and determined rather than giving into despair. These people had a second chance at life, and they were going to do their utmost to take it.
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Chapter 120
Sometimes there were people who seemed able to do anything they set their mind to. Anton Krantz was one of those. Reuben was aware that a farm had many different things it needed, and Anton could take care of them all. It seemed that even when the man hit a hundred the only reason the rest of his family had work to do was because he let them. The patriarch of that family was someone that everyone in Dungannon knew. But now he was different. Though honestly it felt just like the next step.
A cultivator always felt like something different from a normal human. Reuben hadnt really changed his assessment. Anton and his companions were different. People who were so willing to throw themselves into action were exceptional. They also had a wolf. That was just something Reuben had observed.
Beyond just learning to cultivate himself, Anton seemed to be proficient enough to teach it. Reuben had given a serious try for a few years but it just didnt click. Then he talked to Anton for an hour, and everything made sense. It still took a week for him to really have enough sense and control of natural energy to really feel like a cultivator, but the path had been laid out for him and he just had to walk it. Sometimes paths were rocky and full of twigs trying to snag you, but at least you knew you were going the right way.
Learning to cultivate was empowering but Reuben hadnt realized it would be so frightening. Actually being able to sense how strong cultivators were was intimidating. Anton had already been the sort of person who felt overwhelming when he was in action but like just a man otherwise, but the feeling was amplified. Others werent so restrained. There was the dark-skinned Ayotunde. A mercenary. He was even stronger.
Seeing some of the cultivators spar for training was entertaining, but when actual battle happened that was where he felt fear. When Dungannon was attacked hed seen people die. So many people, for no reason. As they approached the growing gorge, he felt people die. To the right, to the left. Powerful presences that were simply snuffed out. It made him realize just how much further he had to go if he wanted to really be a cultivator. What was the first star, even, against the attacks facing them?
Arrows he was certain could pierce through him and the man behind him flew in both directions. The ones from up on the cliff were greatly weakened by a sort of barrier set up by Catarina and another mercenary called Elisa. Enough that the villagers could block with the shields they had been given. Reuben held his shield above his head, doing his best to reinforce it with his energy. He should probably dodge, but he didnt know if he could do it in time- and that might just leave someone else in danger.
The arrows from their side were fired by Anton. Just him, yet he matched a handful of other archers. He didnt even have arrows, making them purely from energy. They didnt look like much, but the sharpness that radiated off of them combined with their speed and power made Reuben feel that they were indeed very real.
When Dungannon had been attacked, nobody could do anything. Now Anton was so strong. Reuben wasnt sure, but he wasnt too far from the stronger bandits. Since theyd had no real opponents, it was impossible to say.
Now the villagers of Dungannon were still weak, but they had hope. They were free- yet people were still trying to claim them. Reuben knew he was far too weak to matter, but he stepped forward anyway, just inside the edge of the barrier. Devon was right there as well, looking towards those approaching from the bottom of the gorge. Most of their warriors were atop either side, fighting opponents who outnumbered them. Reuben wasnt sure if he could harm some of the stronger figures approaching, but he was certain he could try.
-----
Each arrow was aimed at a precise spot. It wasnt always where someone was unprepared for an attack, or at least not where people thought they were unprepared. Anton was beginning to sense the subtler fluctuations of energy. He realized that there were always weak points, even in a persons defensive energy. He might have thought he had an even layer covering him like armor, but some places were simply weaker. When one of those matched up with a weakness in actual armor, he could use less than half as much energy to achieve the same result. Usually, that was killing someone.
None of his attacks were ever intended to go easy on someone. If he could kill them, he would. If he could wound an arm instead, that would make things easier for the future. People tended to overcompensate for areas they were injured, shifting to cover the weaker area with excess energy. Even if it was just a small change, he could catch someone while their energy was moving about and not perfectly placed.
It wasnt enough to kill other Spirit Building cultivators in just a few shots, but it could certainly distract them enough that they werent able to fight effectively. Against late Body Temperers, he took them out by his third arrow in most cases. It helped to have strong allies on the front lines suppressing people. He was glad hed hired all four of the mercenaries he did, because they were quite worth the expense just for this one battle.
The enemy mercenaries were turning to flee, and Anton began to relax. Then his eye twitched as he saw Alva running forward towards one wrestling with Fuzz. He was almost impressed how she managed to actually stab into his thigh. It took most of her energy concentrated into that attack, but it was well done. Antons arrow was already on the way, but he filled it with extra hate as Alva was backhanded by the man and sent flying a dozen meters. His arrow went up through the bottom of the half-prone mans jaw, and he swore to himself that if Alva was seriously injured he would hunt down every fleeing mercenary, his nearly drained reserves of energy be damned.
He should have told Alva she couldnt fight no matter what. As he reached her side, she was already standing up. She was trembling and blood dripped down her face, but she propped herself up with the butt of her spear. Yeah! You better run!
Thats right, Anton said. They should run. Which is why you should have let them instead of continuing to fight.
Alva turned up to him, blood streaming out of her nostrils. Its fine. Just a broken nose.
A little bit more and you could have died! Anton chastised.
Nu-uh. Broken noses dont kill people.
Anton didnt know what to say, but Catarina arrived to say the exact thing hed chosen not to. You can. The bones in your nose can be pushed into your brain, Catarina gestured. Its not pretty.
Alva turned to the side and threw up. What followed was a frenzy of activity as everyone tried to recover from the battle. They hadnt been lucky enough to be able to just avoid their enemies, and the consequences were severe. None of their top cultivators were dead, but Hoyt had a nasty gash on his arm and Devon had either reopened old injuries or gotten new ones in similar places.
It was honestly impressive that theyd only lost a handful of people against the enemy forces. They were outnumbered in terms of real cultivators, and there was only so much a little bit of edge in cultivation and skill could do against that.
Anton wondered if it was his fault the people were dead. If he hadnt taught them to cultivate, they would have been more cautious. Were his ideas wrong?
Something tapped his ankle. He looked down to see a man on his belly craning back to look up at him. Thanks, the man said. Anton just recognized him as Reuben under all the blood. I got to actually fight, instead of just being helpless. Then his head dropped face first into the dirt.
Anton flipped him over, seeing bloody wounds all over the mans chest. Before he did anything else, a quick check with his energy- and he found Reuben was alive, if only barely. He used his energy to keep as much blood in the man as possible while his hands moved as quickly as they were able applying coagulant powder, stitches, and bandages.
He still felt awful, but despite all the weary faces around him, he saw them strong and determined rather than giving into despair. These people had a second chance at life, and they were going to do their utmost to take it.
Chapter 120Sometimes there were people who seemed able to do anything they set their mind to. Anton Krantz was one of those. Reuben was aware that a farm had many different things it needed, and Anton could take care of them all. It seemed that even when the man hit a hundred the only reason the rest of his family had work to do was because he let them. The patriarch of that family was someone that everyone in Dungannon knew. But now he was different. Though honestly it felt just like the next step.A cultivator always felt like something different from a normal human. Reuben hadnt really changed his assessment. Anton and his companions were different. People who were so willing to throw themselves into action were exceptional. They also had a wolf. That was just something Reuben had observed.Beyond just learning to cultivate himself, Anton seemed to be proficient enough to teach it. Reuben had given a serious try for a few years but it just didnt click. Then he talked to Anton for an hour, and everything made sense. It still took a week for him to really have enough sense and control of natural energy to really feel like a cultivator, but the path had been laid out for him and he just had to walk it. Sometimes paths were rocky and full of twigs trying to snag you, but at least you knew you were going the right way.Learning to cultivate was empowering but Reuben hadnt realized it would be so frightening. Actually being able to sense how strong cultivators were was intimidating. Anton had already been the sort of person who felt overwhelming when he was in action but like just a man otherwise, but the feeling was amplified. Others werent so restrained. There was the dark-skinned Ayotunde. A mercenary. He was even stronger. Seeing some of the cultivators spar for training was entertaining, but when actual battle happened that was where he felt fear. When Dungannon was attacked hed seen people die. So many people, for no reason. As they approached the growing gorge, he felt people die. To the right, to the left. Powerful presences that were simply snuffed out. It made him realize just how much further he had to go if he wanted to really be a cultivator. What was the first star, even, against the attacks facing them?Arrows he was certain could pierce through him and the man behind him flew in both directions. The ones from up on the cliff were greatly weakened by a sort of barrier set up by Catarina and another mercenary called Elisa. Enough that the villagers could block with the shields they had been given. Reuben held his shield above his head, doing his best to reinforce it with his energy. He should probably dodge, but he didnt know if he could do it in time- and that might just leave someone else in danger. The arrows from their side were fired by Anton. Just him, yet he matched a handful of other archers. He didnt even have arrows, making them purely from energy. They didnt look like much, but the sharpness that radiated off of them combined with their speed and power made Reuben feel that they were indeed very real. When Dungannon had been attacked, nobody could do anything. Now Anton was so strong. Reuben wasnt sure, but he wasnt too far from the stronger bandits. Since theyd had no real opponents, it was impossible to say. Now the villagers of Dungannon were still weak, but they had hope. They were free- yet people were still trying to claim them. Reuben knew he was far too weak to matter, but he stepped forward anyway, just inside the edge of the barrier. Devon was right there as well, looking towards those approaching from the bottom of the gorge. Most of their warriors were atop either side, fighting opponents who outnumbered them. Reuben wasnt sure if he could harm some of the stronger figures approaching, but he was certain he could try. -----Each arrow was aimed at a precise spot. It wasnt always where someone was unprepared for an attack, or at least not where people thought they were unprepared. Anton was beginning to sense the subtler fluctuations of energy. He realized that there were always weak points, even in a persons defensive energy. He might have thought he had an even layer covering him like armor, but some places were simply weaker. When one of those matched up with a weakness in actual armor, he could use less than half as much energy to achieve the same result. Usually, that was killing someone.None of his attacks were ever intended to go easy on someone. If he could kill them, he would. If he could wound an arm instead, that would make things easier for the future. People tended to overcompensate for areas they were injured, shifting to cover the weaker area with excess energy. Even if it was just a small change, he could catch someone while their energy was moving about and not perfectly placed.It wasnt enough to kill other Spirit Building cultivators in just a few shots, but it could certainly distract them enough that they werent able to fight effectively. Against late Body Temperers, he took them out by his third arrow in most cases. It helped to have strong allies on the front lines suppressing people. He was glad hed hired all four of the mercenaries he did, because they were quite worth the expense just for this one battle. The enemy mercenaries were turning to flee, and Anton began to relax. Then his eye twitched as he saw Alva running forward towards one wrestling with Fuzz. He was almost impressed how she managed to actually stab into his thigh. It took most of her energy concentrated into that attack, but it was well done. Antons arrow was already on the way, but he filled it with extra hate as Alva was backhanded by the man and sent flying a dozen meters. His arrow went up through the bottom of the half-prone mans jaw, and he swore to himself that if Alva was seriously injured he would hunt down every fleeing mercenary, his nearly drained reserves of energy be damned.He should have told Alva she couldnt fight no matter what. As he reached her side, she was already standing up. She was trembling and blood dripped down her face, but she propped herself up with the butt of her spear. Yeah! You better run!Thats right, Anton said. They should run. Which is why you should have let them instead of continuing to fight.Alva turned up to him, blood streaming out of her nostrils. Its fine. Just a broken nose.A little bit more and you could have died! Anton chastised.Nu-uh. Broken noses dont kill people.Anton didnt know what to say, but Catarina arrived to say the exact thing hed chosen not to. You can. The bones in your nose can be pushed into your brain, Catarina gestured. Its not pretty.Alva turned to the side and threw up. What followed was a frenzy of activity as everyone tried to recover from the battle. They hadnt been lucky enough to be able to just avoid their enemies, and the consequences were severe. None of their top cultivators were dead, but Hoyt had a nasty gash on his arm and Devon had either reopened old injuries or gotten new ones in similar places. It was honestly impressive that theyd only lost a handful of people against the enemy forces. They were outnumbered in terms of real cultivators, and there was only so much a little bit of edge in cultivation and skill could do against that. Anton wondered if it was his fault the people were dead. If he hadnt taught them to cultivate, they would have been more cautious. Were his ideas wrong?Something tapped his ankle. He looked down to see a man on his belly craning back to look up at him. Thanks, the man said. Anton just recognized him as Reuben under all the blood. I got to actually fight, instead of just being helpless. Then his head dropped face first into the dirt.Anton flipped him over, seeing bloody wounds all over the mans chest. Before he did anything else, a quick check with his energy- and he found Reuben was alive, if only barely. He used his energy to keep as much blood in the man as possible while his hands moved as quickly as they were able applying coagulant powder, stitches, and bandages.He still felt awful, but despite all the weary faces around him, he saw them strong and determined rather than giving into despair. These people had a second chance at life, and they were going to do their utmost to take it.
