Chapter 392
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Chapter 392
Humans were odd. That was what the Great Queen had come to understand in her time interacting with them. Yet every feature they had seemed to come from some sort of sensible origin. For example, the desire for privacy was a protective measure that came about from the inability to trust other humans, especially when their vulnerable anatomy was uncovered. The way they were organized made it difficult to keep track of them all, and their autonomy meant they could never fit into the organized structure of a proper hive.
Their individual strength was significant, and their size was a great factor in their success. Tool manipulation was also important. The Great Queen understood that her own kind were limited in how they could construct their homes due to their anatomy, though with a bit of cleverness they were able to accomplish much.
Cultivation was another strength they had. The ants- void ants, according to the fearful cultivators of the upper realms- simply could not cultivate as humans could. At best, they could feed on energy to strengthen their bodies, but they never had control over natural energy or ascension energy. It was a small sacrifice to be resistant to its effects, though it was somewhat troublesome that most of her kin could be squashed by the majority of non-insects. Other insects did attempt to fight the void ants, but their lack of teamwork was their downfall.
The Great Queen had to admit that one of the oddest features of humans was required for their lifestyles where they traveled great distances, sometimes on their own feet. Everything required rest, and humans did that all at once. The Great Queen dozed off briefly. It was only for a few minutes, but she nearly missed something important. Then again, if she were human she would have been asleep for hours more, so the advantages were there.
She got the attention of the nearby captain and the rest of her progeny. The majority had been conscious, but they did not have the delicate senses of royalty. There was merely a gentle scent lingering in the air to alert the Great Queen, but she found it discomforting and planned to seek it out.
-----
Anton awoke to the sound of a muffled curse. His subconscious filtered incoming sounds when he slept, or he and many other cultivators with trained senses would be unable to sleep in anything but strict isolation. Something about the sound snapped him awake, but his instincts also told him to keep his energy under control instead of actively seeking something out.
The stillness lasted only a moment before he grabbed a bow leaning against the wall next to him, deflecting a dagger stabbing for the base of his throat, just above his sternum. HIs energy was roused with utmost speed, then two blades met and his throat remained mostly unpunctured. Only a slight nick on one side, which was a thousand times better than the alternative.
He was quite glad for the bladed bow, despite how difficult it was to use sometimes. Hed cut himself more than a few times from careless interaction with the weapon, but it had its place on the battlefield and was sturdier than most bows.
Up to this point hed never had need to use it against assassins, but perhaps hed simply been lucky. His aura filled the room as much as it could, grasping ahold of his other bows and trying to form energy bows. As he blindly swung the sword-bow he was only able to target his opponent by the lack of presence they exuded.
He didnt find his attack connected, but it seemed to force them back and give him a little bit of room. He wasnt fully certain what was going on, but there were also sounds out in the corridor. Small sounds, but some were familiar. And when tidbits of energy were torn from their controller and devoured, he felt it.
It was a good thing the Great Queen liked him, or Anton might have found himself dead already. As it was, he was filling the room with arrows. Others would be on alert now. Not just those staying in the same inn, but much of the city. Anton wasnt going to attempt subtlety when fighting for his life- and for no reason. nôvel binz was the first platform to present this chapter.
Arrows filled the room where he predicted an opponent might move, despite him being unable to pinpoint them. He stopped his attacks before they hit the walls simply to maintain the structural integrity of the building.
With the battle already in close quarters, things happened quickly. He drew the tiniest bit of blood from his opponent, but received a cut along the back of his right wrist in turn. He was already feeling strange effects of something else. A heat deep inside him, as if his energy was igniting itself. The way the sensation flowed through him from his neck and wrist meant it was some sort of poison.
An hour later, Anton was the next in line to be looked at by a doctor. They had been quite busy in the immediate aftermath of the battle, and since he didnt have any deep wounds and his condition wasnt worsening he made sure others took priority.
There was a strange poison, Anton said.
Energy consuming, right? said his doctor, a man who showed nearly as much age as Anton himself. You did quite well to purge your system. Others did not do nearly so well. And based on the vials we found on those bodies, you were targeted with more than others.
I was lucky to only receive a couple small wounds, Anton said.
They had the skills to concentrate the poison on even small scratches. The doctor held up the blade. See? Very little residue, with congealed parts near the tip and one part of the blade.
I dont suppose these fellows had any antidote on them? For the sake of others.
Hah. Not from what weve seen.
Anton shrugged. He had some knowledge of healing from various bouts of learning, but hed never gotten to exotic cultivator killing poisons in his studies. He didnt recognize any of the vials that were still full. They seemed to travel very light. Storage bags were nearly empty. Maybe they thought theyd get caught.
Or prepared for it at least, the doctor said, carefully wiping away some blood from Antons wrist. Theres not much I can do for you at the moment. Just be cautious and let me know if there are any further symptoms.
-----
Information about the assassination attempts spread. Several others had happened in other cities nearly simultaneously, with some more effective than others. The continent lost more Life Transformation cultivators than they killed, but some of the cultivators determined to have the highest standing had come for Anton- and stopped by the void ants. Maybe hed just been one of many potential targets, or perhaps they didnt like the way hed been shooting at their sky ships. Either way, he was going to have to be careful until he was certain there werent any more assassins coming.
For the moment most of the counterattacking forces had retreated to Aicenith. They simply couldnt afford to linger in enemy territory, not with their numbers. The other continent could certainly provide a decent match, but they didnt exactly have the ships ready to cart over their entire population, even if they wanted to.
The war hadnt yet spiraled out of control. The total death toll was still manageable, but there was no clear advantage on either side. Hopefully that would make the Exalted Archipelago decide to give up, but there was some doubt about that. Yet they also clearly tried to avoid losses, so the continents simply had to keep fighting. At some point, they could have peace. Or at least a truce.
An unsteady peace seemed to be the best that the world could hope for, and Anton found that very upsetting. Yet he didnt know how anyone might get the power to change that for the better. Though uniting groups one day at a time had been making progress. He could imagine that in a couple centuries well, someone else having to convince a whole new set of generations not to pointlessly kill each other. But maybe there could be peace.
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Chapter 392
Humans were odd. That was what the Great Queen had come to understand in her time interacting with them. Yet every feature they had seemed to come from some sort of sensible origin. For example, the desire for privacy was a protective measure that came about from the inability to trust other humans, especially when their vulnerable anatomy was uncovered. The way they were organized made it difficult to keep track of them all, and their autonomy meant they could never fit into the organized structure of a proper hive.
Their individual strength was significant, and their size was a great factor in their success. Tool manipulation was also important. The Great Queen understood that her own kind were limited in how they could construct their homes due to their anatomy, though with a bit of cleverness they were able to accomplish much.
Cultivation was another strength they had. The ants- void ants, according to the fearful cultivators of the upper realms- simply could not cultivate as humans could. At best, they could feed on energy to strengthen their bodies, but they never had control over natural energy or ascension energy. It was a small sacrifice to be resistant to its effects, though it was somewhat troublesome that most of her kin could be squashed by the majority of non-insects. Other insects did attempt to fight the void ants, but their lack of teamwork was their downfall.
The Great Queen had to admit that one of the oddest features of humans was required for their lifestyles where they traveled great distances, sometimes on their own feet. Everything required rest, and humans did that all at once. The Great Queen dozed off briefly. It was only for a few minutes, but she nearly missed something important. Then again, if she were human she would have been asleep for hours more, so the advantages were there.
She got the attention of the nearby captain and the rest of her progeny. The majority had been conscious, but they did not have the delicate senses of royalty. There was merely a gentle scent lingering in the air to alert the Great Queen, but she found it discomforting and planned to seek it out.
-----
Anton awoke to the sound of a muffled curse. His subconscious filtered incoming sounds when he slept, or he and many other cultivators with trained senses would be unable to sleep in anything but strict isolation. Something about the sound snapped him awake, but his instincts also told him to keep his energy under control instead of actively seeking something out.
The stillness lasted only a moment before he grabbed a bow leaning against the wall next to him, deflecting a dagger stabbing for the base of his throat, just above his sternum. HIs energy was roused with utmost speed, then two blades met and his throat remained mostly unpunctured. Only a slight nick on one side, which was a thousand times better than the alternative.
He was quite glad for the bladed bow, despite how difficult it was to use sometimes. Hed cut himself more than a few times from careless interaction with the weapon, but it had its place on the battlefield and was sturdier than most bows.
Up to this point hed never had need to use it against assassins, but perhaps hed simply been lucky. His aura filled the room as much as it could, grasping ahold of his other bows and trying to form energy bows. As he blindly swung the sword-bow he was only able to target his opponent by the lack of presence they exuded.
He didnt find his attack connected, but it seemed to force them back and give him a little bit of room. He wasnt fully certain what was going on, but there were also sounds out in the corridor. Small sounds, but some were familiar. And when tidbits of energy were torn from their controller and devoured, he felt it.
It was a good thing the Great Queen liked him, or Anton might have found himself dead already. As it was, he was filling the room with arrows. Others would be on alert now. Not just those staying in the same inn, but much of the city. Anton wasnt going to attempt subtlety when fighting for his life- and for no reason. nôvel binz was the first platform to present this chapter.
Arrows filled the room where he predicted an opponent might move, despite him being unable to pinpoint them. He stopped his attacks before they hit the walls simply to maintain the structural integrity of the building.
With the battle already in close quarters, things happened quickly. He drew the tiniest bit of blood from his opponent, but received a cut along the back of his right wrist in turn. He was already feeling strange effects of something else. A heat deep inside him, as if his energy was igniting itself. The way the sensation flowed through him from his neck and wrist meant it was some sort of poison.
An hour later, Anton was the next in line to be looked at by a doctor. They had been quite busy in the immediate aftermath of the battle, and since he didnt have any deep wounds and his condition wasnt worsening he made sure others took priority.
There was a strange poison, Anton said.
Energy consuming, right? said his doctor, a man who showed nearly as much age as Anton himself. You did quite well to purge your system. Others did not do nearly so well. And based on the vials we found on those bodies, you were targeted with more than others.
I was lucky to only receive a couple small wounds, Anton said.
They had the skills to concentrate the poison on even small scratches. The doctor held up the blade. See? Very little residue, with congealed parts near the tip and one part of the blade.
I dont suppose these fellows had any antidote on them? For the sake of others.
Hah. Not from what weve seen.
Anton shrugged. He had some knowledge of healing from various bouts of learning, but hed never gotten to exotic cultivator killing poisons in his studies. He didnt recognize any of the vials that were still full. They seemed to travel very light. Storage bags were nearly empty. Maybe they thought theyd get caught.
Or prepared for it at least, the doctor said, carefully wiping away some blood from Antons wrist. Theres not much I can do for you at the moment. Just be cautious and let me know if there are any further symptoms.
-----
Information about the assassination attempts spread. Several others had happened in other cities nearly simultaneously, with some more effective than others. The continent lost more Life Transformation cultivators than they killed, but some of the cultivators determined to have the highest standing had come for Anton- and stopped by the void ants. Maybe hed just been one of many potential targets, or perhaps they didnt like the way hed been shooting at their sky ships. Either way, he was going to have to be careful until he was certain there werent any more assassins coming.
For the moment most of the counterattacking forces had retreated to Aicenith. They simply couldnt afford to linger in enemy territory, not with their numbers. The other continent could certainly provide a decent match, but they didnt exactly have the ships ready to cart over their entire population, even if they wanted to.
The war hadnt yet spiraled out of control. The total death toll was still manageable, but there was no clear advantage on either side. Hopefully that would make the Exalted Archipelago decide to give up, but there was some doubt about that. Yet they also clearly tried to avoid losses, so the continents simply had to keep fighting. At some point, they could have peace. Or at least a truce.
An unsteady peace seemed to be the best that the world could hope for, and Anton found that very upsetting. Yet he didnt know how anyone might get the power to change that for the better. Though uniting groups one day at a time had been making progress. He could imagine that in a couple centuries well, someone else having to convince a whole new set of generations not to pointlessly kill each other. But maybe there could be peace.
Chapter 392Humans were odd. That was what the Great Queen had come to understand in her time interacting with them. Yet every feature they had seemed to come from some sort of sensible origin. For example, the desire for privacy was a protective measure that came about from the inability to trust other humans, especially when their vulnerable anatomy was uncovered. The way they were organized made it difficult to keep track of them all, and their autonomy meant they could never fit into the organized structure of a proper hive.Their individual strength was significant, and their size was a great factor in their success. Tool manipulation was also important. The Great Queen understood that her own kind were limited in how they could construct their homes due to their anatomy, though with a bit of cleverness they were able to accomplish much. Cultivation was another strength they had. The ants- void ants, according to the fearful cultivators of the upper realms- simply could not cultivate as humans could. At best, they could feed on energy to strengthen their bodies, but they never had control over natural energy or ascension energy. It was a small sacrifice to be resistant to its effects, though it was somewhat troublesome that most of her kin could be squashed by the majority of non-insects. Other insects did attempt to fight the void ants, but their lack of teamwork was their downfall. The Great Queen had to admit that one of the oddest features of humans was required for their lifestyles where they traveled great distances, sometimes on their own feet. Everything required rest, and humans did that all at once. The Great Queen dozed off briefly. It was only for a few minutes, but she nearly missed something important. Then again, if she were human she would have been asleep for hours more, so the advantages were there. She got the attention of the nearby captain and the rest of her progeny. The majority had been conscious, but they did not have the delicate senses of royalty. There was merely a gentle scent lingering in the air to alert the Great Queen, but she found it discomforting and planned to seek it out.-----Anton awoke to the sound of a muffled curse. His subconscious filtered incoming sounds when he slept, or he and many other cultivators with trained senses would be unable to sleep in anything but strict isolation. Something about the sound snapped him awake, but his instincts also told him to keep his energy under control instead of actively seeking something out. The stillness lasted only a moment before he grabbed a bow leaning against the wall next to him, deflecting a dagger stabbing for the base of his throat, just above his sternum. HIs energy was roused with utmost speed, then two blades met and his throat remained mostly unpunctured. Only a slight nick on one side, which was a thousand times better than the alternative. He was quite glad for the bladed bow, despite how difficult it was to use sometimes. Hed cut himself more than a few times from careless interaction with the weapon, but it had its place on the battlefield and was sturdier than most bows. Up to this point hed never had need to use it against assassins, but perhaps hed simply been lucky. His aura filled the room as much as it could, grasping ahold of his other bows and trying to form energy bows. As he blindly swung the sword-bow he was only able to target his opponent by the lack of presence they exuded. He didnt find his attack connected, but it seemed to force them back and give him a little bit of room. He wasnt fully certain what was going on, but there were also sounds out in the corridor. Small sounds, but some were familiar. And when tidbits of energy were torn from their controller and devoured, he felt it. It was a good thing the Great Queen liked him, or Anton might have found himself dead already. As it was, he was filling the room with arrows. Others would be on alert now. Not just those staying in the same inn, but much of the city. Anton wasnt going to attempt subtlety when fighting for his life- and for no reason. novel binz was the first platform to present this chapter.Arrows filled the room where he predicted an opponent might move, despite him being unable to pinpoint them. He stopped his attacks before they hit the walls simply to maintain the structural integrity of the building.With the battle already in close quarters, things happened quickly. He drew the tiniest bit of blood from his opponent, but received a cut along the back of his right wrist in turn. He was already feeling strange effects of something else. A heat deep inside him, as if his energy was igniting itself. The way the sensation flowed through him from his neck and wrist meant it was some sort of poison.An hour later, Anton was the next in line to be looked at by a doctor. They had been quite busy in the immediate aftermath of the battle, and since he didnt have any deep wounds and his condition wasnt worsening he made sure others took priority.There was a strange poison, Anton said.Energy consuming, right? said his doctor, a man who showed nearly as much age as Anton himself. You did quite well to purge your system. Others did not do nearly so well. And based on the vials we found on those bodies, you were targeted with more than others.I was lucky to only receive a couple small wounds, Anton said.They had the skills to concentrate the poison on even small scratches. The doctor held up the blade. See? Very little residue, with congealed parts near the tip and one part of the blade.I dont suppose these fellows had any antidote on them? For the sake of others.Hah. Not from what weve seen.Anton shrugged. He had some knowledge of healing from various bouts of learning, but hed never gotten to exotic cultivator killing poisons in his studies. He didnt recognize any of the vials that were still full. They seemed to travel very light. Storage bags were nearly empty. Maybe they thought theyd get caught.Or prepared for it at least, the doctor said, carefully wiping away some blood from Antons wrist. Theres not much I can do for you at the moment. Just be cautious and let me know if there are any further symptoms.-----Information about the assassination attempts spread. Several others had happened in other cities nearly simultaneously, with some more effective than others. The continent lost more Life Transformation cultivators than they killed, but some of the cultivators determined to have the highest standing had come for Anton- and stopped by the void ants. Maybe hed just been one of many potential targets, or perhaps they didnt like the way hed been shooting at their sky ships. Either way, he was going to have to be careful until he was certain there werent any more assassins coming.For the moment most of the counterattacking forces had retreated to Aicenith. They simply couldnt afford to linger in enemy territory, not with their numbers. The other continent could certainly provide a decent match, but they didnt exactly have the ships ready to cart over their entire population, even if they wanted to. The war hadnt yet spiraled out of control. The total death toll was still manageable, but there was no clear advantage on either side. Hopefully that would make the Exalted Archipelago decide to give up, but there was some doubt about that. Yet they also clearly tried to avoid losses, so the continents simply had to keep fighting. At some point, they could have peace. Or at least a truce.An unsteady peace seemed to be the best that the world could hope for, and Anton found that very upsetting. Yet he didnt know how anyone might get the power to change that for the better. Though uniting groups one day at a time had been making progress. He could imagine that in a couple centuries well, someone else having to convince a whole new set of generations not to pointlessly kill each other. But maybe there could be peace.
