Elder Cultivator Chapter 664

Why are you crying, princess? Are you injured?

Huh? Anishka reached up to her face, finding it wet with tears. I- dead? Are you sure?

Bisected. Next ti we will split faster.

Its my fault, Anishka said. Its my fault soone died.

She could no longer see the Sergeant. Everything was too blurry. Are you alright? Patka asked.

One of them died, Anishka said.

... I dont, uh. Thats not great but theyre ants, right?

Theyre people! Anishka retorted. Just really small and without hands or natural energy. Soone died and its my fault!

Sohow the others managed to drag her away- thought not before performing practical matters such as divesting the enemy leader of his storage bag and equipnt.

Anishka didnt feel any better, but she walked in the direction she was pointed. anwhile, Celinas attempts to console her didnt help at all. That was amazing. They actually defeated a Life Transformation cultivator. Wed be dead without them. I might have to work harder to make them my friends.

Dead gone forever. Anishka jerked away from the hand holding her. Wait, what about her body? A burial?

I- we need to keep moving, Celina said. They might co again. Or with others. We need to stay ahead of them.

It took a very firm pinch on her finger, enough to draw blood, to make Anishka pay attention to the Sergeant. Do not be sad, princess.

Why shouldnt I be sad? One of you died! Are you not sad?

Should I be sad?

Yes! One of you died?

Just a corporal.

It doesnt matter because they were lower rank than you? Anishka yelled.

No. I also dont matter. No individual matters below the queens.

Of course you matter! Youre people! You can talk and think and feel right?

It is regrettable that one of us perished, the Sergeant explained. We do not wish for it, and will do better.

Thats not an answer!

Dear, Celina grabbed her shoulder firmly. Please stop yelling at your friend. Especially since Im concerned that might physically harm her.

... you can think for yourself, right? Anishka asked.

That makes us more effective, the Sergeant agreed. But our purpose is for the colony, and above that all colonies.

But what about yourself?

What do you an?

Dont you want sothing? Like a goal? Marriage? A promotion?

We dont get married, the Sergeant responded. And I am a Sergeant.

What about I dont know. Sothing you want to do.

I want to complete my mission.

Not that! Anishka stopped herself from yelling again. For yourself.

... I heard that ascension energy is very tasty. I would like to try it.

You know what? Sure. You can want to eat sothing tasty. Anishka nodded. What about the corporal?

I assu you do not an for us to eat her.

No, uh. Did she want anything?

I do not know.

Did she have a na?

No.

... That sucks, Anishka said. You need to get nas.

I dont want a na.

You- fine. Anishka gave in. You dont have to get a na. Just know you could.

I can be identified when needed, the Sergeant explained. What else is there to a na?

It lets people know who you are. Lets you know who you are.

How does a na do that?

By making you special. But also by connecting you to people. Anishka shook her head. I was nad after my father. He uh he died in the last invasion.

Im sorry, Celina said. I was not around during the last invasion here, as it was centuries prior.

I never t him, Anishka shook her head sadly. My mother was pregnant with during the war.

None of us know our father, the Sergeant said. We only have a male to mate with the queen to start a colony.

Thats I technically knew that, Anishka admitted. Isnt that sad? Not eting half of your parents. The way the Sergeant tilted her head made Anishka hang her head. You youve t your mother, right?

I have not. I perford my duties and was fortunate to be approached by the Great Queen for this task.

... maybe its fine. You can be different.

We are different, the Sergeant agreed. ... Should I want to have t her?

Anishka shook her head. I dont know. I dont know anything.

-----

Fire. Endless flas made up a star, producing light and heat for a system. Inside Anton those flas burned, not just with the warmth that produced life, but with the heat of anger. Whether this was simply a reflection of his own state or a form of influence upon him he was unsure. Either way, it was sothing he needed to deal with. Now that he was aware of it, he could manage his own actions better.

He wondered what might have happened if Ekict didnt have a barrier covering their whole system, if he had been able to bond with their star imdiately. Would he have bypassed seeking council and simply caused the end of things by destroying their star? He didnt think he actually would have, but not necessarily for the right reasons. Not because of the innocents- both those from the Trifold Alliance and those that were still presud to exist sowhere natively in the system. They didnt have enough actually communication to prove the latter, though.

Further days passed, since the exchange. Anton had been unable to keep track of everything, every location people and objects were taken to. However, he did follow Annelies progress. He couldnt do much more than vaguely sense what happened through the barrier, and finding soone he didnt already know the location of would be nearly impossible. He could only extend thin tendrils, instead of covering a huge radius. She survived, mobile within the prison section of the Northern Glacier Sect. The void ants had been instruntal to that, and the sa was true elsewhere. It seed as though they had struck a serious blow, but it still wasnt clear how many Integration cultivators the enemy possessed.

That was why they had not yet begun a proper assault of the main planet. With The Independence and Aoibhin, they werent yet willing to commit to an attack. Just that much wouldnt be an issue, but who knew how many others were waiting?

In all, it had only been sowhat more than a week since theyd broken through the outer barrier. They could not afford to delay forever, but neither were they yet pressed for ti. They could manage several more months before they would have to concern themselves with supplies, and that discounted the possibility of taking from the locals.

Theyd had so victories on the outer planets, but that was of only moderate importance. Taking control of less populated areas would minimize the ways the enemy could send forces to attack them, but they still had a much greater population. They were gathering for battle, but that was being carefully monitored. In truth, it was easier to deal with gathered enemies- either with force, or by avoidance. Because nothing restricted them to attacking a particular location.

Aside from ditating to clear his ntal state, Antons official duties involved scouting the center of the system. Near the sun and innermost planets where he was strongest. He was not in danger there, even alone. He and the sun had co to an understanding. He would not destroy it or wipe out its people, and it would continue to provide power as usual- with a portion to him. Anton didnt truly believe that it was alive or conscious in any way. No matter how much natural energy it possessed, it still didnt have the spark of life. But for his own part and the connection his thoughts about using it in that way had certainly hindered the process of binding to it.

-----

Atop a hill, Anishka looked down upon the nearby military base. She had no spyglass, but was able to enhance her vision with natural energy. Both would have been best, but she had to work with what she now had. Including a fancy sword. She wasnt sure if this was the right type of weapon for her, or if she even wanted to use weapons despite their clear combat utility, but this one was more appealing than many. She swished it about, imagining swirls of heat and cold on either side. The blade drew a line where heat would only flow one way. But of course, the blade itself had nothing to do with it, it was just a convenient thing to latch onto as she pondered a potential technique.

But she had to focus on the mission. The military base had ships, clearly visible. Most importantly, they had a ship from Weos. The ring ships were probably third on her list out of three for what she wanted to see, but it should still fulfill their purposes. The question was, did they all go in? Did she go in? What about the void ants?

Just the void ants seed good, until she realized there was a verbal communicator. Unless they were exceedingly lucky and this particular ship had one of the rare void ant compatible computer systems, they would need a human present. And she was the only one who would understand things, so she had to be there.

But what then? Her imdiate thought was to take the ship and fly away, but she couldnt just leave people behind. Which ant they would all have to be there, but the plan was flawed to begin with. It had been her goal for a while, but stealing a ship was probably not that easy- and the enemy would likely be happy to shoot them down

Whats the plan? Celina asked.

We need to get to that ring ship, Anishka declared. But Id like the void ants to scout it first. She looked down to the Sergeant to make sure she was paying attention for a response.

We can do it, the Sergeant agreed. It will only take four to six hours.

... That long? Why? Its just right there

Estimated distance of six kiloters, the Sergeant said. Travel ti will be between one and two hours each way. Unless we travel in a combat formation which would be much more noticeable.

Yeah, sorry, I forgot you were not as fast as a human.

Shall we begin now?

Might as well, Anishka said. Should we wait here? No, perhaps down the back of the hill.

We will find you upon our return, the Sergeant said as she and the others were settled onto the ground, disappearing against the background of the dirt.

Hours. What was she to do until then? Perhaps distract herself with training. Sa with the others.

Anishka worked with Patka on transferring heat from one place to another. The woman knew the basics, but there were always improvents to be made. Here, they used rocks carefully placed to avoid starting a fire. It wouldnt do for them to produce smoke and thus reveal themselves.

You have many insights into the workings of things, Celina said. Is there a way for us to produce more heat by manipulating its position?

You could draw from things around you, Anishka said. And focus it towards one place. However, you would lose the effects of chilling an individual at the sa ti. And most importantly, you have to rember to not draw from your own heat. Shed made that mistake once. She was lucky soone had been nearby to unfreeze her, and that she hadnt burst anything important in the process. Most likely it is better to focus on refining your flas efficiency in other ways, but if any of you are particularly attuned to ambient heat, it might be useful.

Anishka spoke with as much authority as she could muster, trying to recall her teachers and the technique manuals she no longer had in her possession. She didnt want to lead anyone astray.

After a while, she got to thinking. That was often a mistake, because not all of the thoughts were positive. ... Why are you still traveling with ? Anishka asked.

What do you an?

Im not strong enough to ensure youre any safer, especially with the people looking for . You gave of your own finances for . Are you just betting on the chance we survive for to pay you back? I will, of course.

Dont be silly. Its just a bit of money. Thats nothing compared to being part of sothing more. Im just soone with a bit of talent for cultivation, but I could never hope to be important. But you are, and I was just hoping to sohow be written into history. Even just a little.

I didnt even do anything to be important, Annelie muttered.

Celina shrugged, Neither did most of the strongest here. Their parents were part of a big sect, and they just so happened to have the right amount of talent to work their way up. Or they were exceedingly lucky. But realistically, most of those who truly matter will have multiple generations of the strong before them. Like you.

Yeah Anishka said. Though I want to say that, technically, Im kinda a second generation cultivator? On my mothers side, at least.

But theres her, and your grandpa?

They started cultivating at basically the sa ti, Anishka explained. Grandpa was like a century old when he started. Before that he was just farming.

I see. He made use of so great cultivation crops to start his career, then?

No, Anishka shook her head. Just like really normal stuff. Possibly even more normal than those fields we passed. Hes amazing. My mother, too. There was so bad stuff that happened to our family. But they all pushed through. And now theres , and even though I had so many advantages I can barely do anything useful.

Celina shrugged, Wait until youre a hundred, then. You dont have to start out amazing. Though this would be a convenient ti

Overall, Celina was attempting to encourage Anishka and it worked to so extent. But her worries werent just going to disappear all at once, especially with the very real dangers still lurking around.