Elder Cultivator

Chapter 938

After the Desolate Deep were driven off, the local cultivators from Terbettem came to thank the group representing the Scarlet Alliance. Your timing was impeccable, said a woman with hair that shifted from red through orange to yellow and back. I am Ritu, she bowed her head towards Ravina, the Augmentation cultivator leading them.

Ravina, she said. My companions and I are here to help how we can.

Chidi noticed Aconite nuzzling into the pouches of a fallen member of the Desolate Deep. Then she licked something carefully, presumably their special powder.

Im glad our request was taken seriously, Ritu said. An Augmentation cultivator should help with the aggression weve experienced lately. Though its difficult to be certain as they should have known of our association with the Alliance and still have caused us this much trouble she shook her head.

Chidi left them to discuss the next course of action. He found his way over to Aconite. How is it?

Dry, Aconite replied. Its inherent properties are slightly absorbent of upper energy, but not to the level it would bother anyone. Perhaps direct injection of sufficient quantities into the bloodstream would be troublesome, though at a certain point

Isnt everything? Chidi nodded.

Exactly. Well, its not that this isnt toxic. Its just insufficient alone. Unfortunately, they dont seem to have their technique manuals on them.

They knew they were going to battle and maybe they didnt expect to win.

At least enough to be forced to caution, Aconite agreed. Its not that unusual.

Chidi nodded. Then he went to find those who had been fighting against the Desolate Deep, hoping to ask them about the energy draining. Unfortunately, when they were successful with their technique it often meant a swift death for their target afterwards as they would be significantly hindered. The only one who survived while experiencing a significant effect was currently unconscious and being treated.

He did ask the others participating in the battle about their thoughts, and some had a small effect of their energy being drained, but they didnt provide useful insights for Chidi. It seemed he would need to experience it himself.

-----

After their initial arrival on Gedale, they continued back towards Terbettem itself to engage in proper planning. The planet was nothing amazing as far as the Scarlet Alliance went, but as they had been independent just recently Chidi also didnt find it disappointing. What was disappointing was the lack of information they had on the Desiccating Deep and their techniques.

It wasnt worthless, and indeed they had practical advice on avoiding their assaults, just not resisting them. They seemed to establish a domain of control, the powders used to boost either directionality or power of their abilities.

They also didnt seem able to completely negate attacks coming into their domain, but those who remained too close to them could find themselves suddenly missing an important portion of their energy. In a fight, both energy stores and what was immediately active were critical. Lacking the former put one at a disadvantage in the long term, and the latter affected individual exchanges- any of which could be crippling or fatal.

-----

As was his goal, Chidi volunteered for the first opportunity to head into battle. It wasnt so convenient that it met all of his plans, like being solitary, but he couldnt be too picky. There would be a small group of them going to hunt down another group somewhere on Gedale. The planet was large enough that it was difficult to sweep it all at once, and its rocky surface had many caves that people could hide in. That was part of the main reason it was chosen as the Desiccating Deeps stepping stone into the system.

Both Alva and Aconite were competent trackers in their own ways, so the two of them set out with the others following- those others being Chidi and their fellow Conncha. Ravina was focused on a larger gathering of the Desiccating Deep that had been discovered and was coordinating with local forces to that effect.

Tracking down their quarry wasnt too difficult- even Chidi could have sniffed them out rather quickly. There werent many tracks left in the hard ground, but that was only a small portion of what could be used to find people.

The group descended into a series of icy caves, Alva taking up the rear with Aconite directing their choices ahead. Some areas were clearly natural, while others had traces of rock being carved out. These secondary tunnels tended to be smaller, and in Chidis opinion they werent particularly well constructed. Perhaps these people werent worried about a hundred tons of rock crushing them, but Chidi would still find it quite inconvenient.

Chidis hand grabbed the hilt of his sword before he even truly felt the waves washing over him. Somehow, the enemy forces had concealed their energy- though that was not a terrible surprise. His blade came out as the waves sloshed back and forth through him, not pushing him around but instead simply brushing against him.

Conncha found his way to the fore, reaching out as the first enemy came into view. His energy lashed out like a vine, striking both them and the wall before snapping short and pulling them back. His external energy was draining rapidly in the aura around the other man, but the restriction allowed him to strike the mans ribs directly, cracking them much like the stone behind.

Alvas arrows flew past Chidi towards several unnoticed targets. Chidi could only sense his way to one more enemy at the moment, so he stepped down one split and engaged. He could feel his energy being brushed away by the wave surrounding him. It was odd, the cold crushing waves wearing away at him. But there was a clear flow there, and he immediately moved into action taking control. His blade scratched along the walls and floors as he guided his foes movements with his own.

Before his opponent could force any sort of enhancement to their abilities, Chidi struck out. His sword caught the tip of their spear, pushing it to the side and allowing him to step inward. His movements were deceptively quick, bringing the point of his blade into their throat before they could even pull back.

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Chidi shook his head. That wasnt quite right. Not their draining technique, nor his own attempt to negate their own energy. Hed about half performed it, but he was still far from being satisfied with the results.

Meanwhile, the enemy was most likely regretting how they boxed themselves in- and the close battlefield wasnt as much to their advantage as they might have thought. Alva had no trouble fighting several opponents who came up from behind, her arrows piercing through their auras before her Spirit Arrows could be worn away. Aconite also engaged with several opponents who found that her mastery of proper poison meant that protecting against energy was useless. Unless they cut themselves off from all outside interaction, she had poisons that could reach them and filling a narrow cave was easy.

Chidis next few opponents were in Life Transformation, and he let them draw the battle out to experience their technique more clearly. He was quite certain he could cut off their draw upon his energy, but he fought against several individuals with spears and sometimes shields without concern.

Their own flow of energy was not hampered by the drain, but conversely it was not as strong as it might have been. The powder got used against Chidi, and he had to admit it was a huge step up in potency. The cold seas around him suddenly became salt drawing everything from him. Chidi stumbled for a moment as he manipulated two of his opponents into clashing energy with each other while he cut down the third.

Being left with two opponents on either side of him while his energy was drained wasnt ideal for most, but for him he simply was being pushed towards what he needed. The battle ended with Chidi being the victor, though he had received a nasty cut on his forehead and a spear to his guts- diverted away from any important organs of course.

Aconite was not gentle when she stitched him back together, but she was quite and efficient. How was it? she asked.

Its going to require a lot more practical experience, Chidi admitted. Plus, there was something else he was missing. His own energy flow was getting in the way. Maybe he wasnt strong enough, or his control was lacking.

-----

*Swish* *swish* a void ant spun around, swiping with her mandibles and forelegs at nothing but air. A few moments later she was joined by a companion. From an outside perspective, it looked like the two of them might be sick. Dying of some horrible disease that lost them control of their body. Instead, they were just reveling in cutting through the air.

When it came time to gather food, cutting better was more efficient. They could sever a whole leaf and turn it into perfectly proportioned slices in an instant. They wouldn't get caught on their burrows or passing terrain though for Snips and Chops they wouldnt mind forcing bits through or stacking layers of leaves and other food.

For the sake of their less developed brethren, however, they kept things simple. Young void ants were still capable of cooperation, but they didnt have initiative. That was their problem, though.

Im bored, Snips admitted.

Chops signed back. So what? You want to spar?

We will, later, Snips agreed. But I cant help but think that the queen needs that more.

She doesnt like sparring, Chops replied.

She just doesnt know whats good for her, Snips declared. We need to force Crossed Antennae to have some fun!

Chops flicked her antennae for a bit. Is it fun if youre made to do something?

I dont know, Snips admitted. I have heard a lot about our culture in the lower realms, but were missing a lot here.

Should we ask for more recruits from the lower realm? Chops asked. More queens?

No! Certainly not the second one. Shes already worrying if shes doing a good job. What if she thinks shes getting replaced? No, we just need to make this happen ourselves. Though we also need to get Bullet and Fire on board.

Ugh, but theyre so weird, Chops replied.

Yeah, but for my plan we really need them. You see, were going to make Crossed Antennae take a vacation. She needs to go away and see that everything runs just fine without her.

Isnt that also bad? Chops asked. If she is worried about her job.

Nah, Snips signed in reply. Everything here is happening according to her instructions, so shell see that was all she needed. And if there are mistakes, she doesnt have to correct them herself.

So why do we need the other two? We can carry her off ourselves.

Because, Snips signed clearly. They can totally destroy us if they misunderstand us for rebels.

Pfft, I could probably cut them in half before they did anything, Chops said.

Probably? What if they got a move in?

Id be super dead, Chops agreed.

Then its settled. Plan abduct-the-queen-for-fun-and-efficiency shall commence!

You dont get to name things, Chops said.

-----

Disaster. Crossed Antennae had nodded off for a single second, then she found herself betrayed by her own royal guard. More than that, the elites. One moment she was directing a new colony, the next she felt herself being picked up by her outer legs. Only the middle two were left alone along with her wings, which were too heavy to fly.

What was worse was that she couldnt produce any pheromones as she watched her unconscious royal guard laid out- except for the traitors around her now. She couldnt even have a proper conversation with them, as with both pheromones and limbs tied up she only had her antennae and mandibles to gesture. She wasnt going to accept the outpouring of peace and safety that came from them either!

But while she could probably individually trounce any of them, being older than them, as a queen she wasnt really fit for combat especially as she was spending most of her effort producing new queens.

Unable to do anything about it, she put up with the horrible situation until they arrived some days later at a pool of water. Had she been brought to drown? But no, her captors carried her onto a leaf and dropped her there, pushing it into the lake.

What is going on? she asked frantically. This is treason ! I will have you punished for this!

She didnt strictly know how they would be punished, given that nobody had ever assaulted her before or disobeyed her in any way. In fact, void ants had very little need for such a system in general.

You are here to relax, Snips said.

Enjoy the sun, Chops said.

Dont think you can just fly off, Bullet added. You have several days until the numbness in your wings will wear off.

Theres a little island with tons of tasty treats piled up, Fire added. Make sure to have some of everything!

This was the strangest situation Crossed Antennae had found herself in. She might have expected oddities like this from the wild people of Akrys, but from her own progeny? It was incomprehensible. And what did they mean relax? She was supposed to be founding a colony!