Elder Cultivator

“For the first time in centuries,” Runa commented to Velvet. “We’re actually pushing back the Exalted Quadrant on the majority of fronts. Knowing that they’re in a time of weakness was valuable, and there’s also an outsized impact from your relatively small numbers. Barely more than a half dozen cultivators and you’re set to secure a second planet in as many years.”

Technically, only four or five of them were involving themselves in battle during any stretch of time. The twins were more interested in the exchange of information, and Durff was spending a good portion of his time mining.

Velvet had only heard positive things about the productivity in the mines and Durff seemed to be enjoying himself, so that was good enough. Besides, it was still a form of training. It might seem inconsequential compared to what he could do with energy- the difference between a few tonnes of material and small moons- but there was also a threshold where advanced body tempering bore great fruit. Granted, that had only happened with Nthanda and to a lesser extent with a few Hardened Crown cultivators… but she trusted Durff to know what was best for him.

“I’m glad we’ve managed to secure victories,” Velvet said. “But I’m not certain this will last.”

Runa nodded. “They’ll send Augmentation cultivators soon, won’t they?”

“I would assume so. Even with some losses in the lower realms, they should still be able to outmatch you in that regard. Though you’ve done well to promote the development of Augmentation cultivators here.”

“Just two beyond my father and myself,” Runa said. “Most likely, they would have reached this level without guidance- and you’re the one who provided the insights initially.”

“Perhaps,” Velvet said. “But if those two then inspire two more… you’ll have steady growth.” Velvet shook her head. “I’ve been thinking about the numbers. Not Augmentation cultivators, but in general. Losses on both sides. The Exalted Quadrant has greater casualties.”

“Yet also a greater population,” Runa acknowledged. “It’s unlikely we could actually wear them down to nothing, but we might as well gain ground where we can.”

“I’m actually interested in historical records. When your side has gained control of systems and when theirs has. And other numbers, if possible.”

“What are you thinking?” Runa asked.

“I just want to know if it’s actually possible for you to continue to wear them down until they really can’t continue on. How much would you have to pull ahead in a given period before it wasn’t worth it for them?” Velvet asked. “I’m not the best strategist, but I have spoken to many and I know more than a few things. If you have access to that information, of course.”

“I do,” Runa said. “But not everyone trusts you like I do. They would want to see an Augmentation cultivator fall.”

“A specific one?” Velvet asked. “Because I won’t say we can take on any Augmentation cultivator. But if I get some profiles, I’m sure we could pick one out.”

“I know it’s a risk,” Runa commented. “But we would greatly appreciate it. Or you could wait. I might be able to convince enough people given time.”

Velvet shook her head. “We’re here to help. And every Augmentation cultivator we take down is one they don’t have to harass us later.”

-----

Juli knew she should have been proud, looking at the numbers. Doubled output in just a couple years. But that wasn’t only her contribution, nor was it sufficient. Maybe they could afford to stay fifteen years. Thirty would have been impossible, but a slight stretch like that might be possible.

But she felt that she could do better. For her own sake, as she’d made promises that were nothing less than world altering. More efficient transportation in and out of the mines was one thing, but that didn’t solve all the problems. Better airflow and working conditions, resulting in less danger? That was fine as well. They had already invested sufficiently in structural support.

The dangers of the mine were not in this case a product of greedy managers pushing people too hard. Or at least, not most of them. Like the underground beasts. Those would appear regardless, and there were many guards around the area to catch them before they entered a null-energy area. Or to draw them out to somewhere they could be fought if that wasn’t possible.

Part of Juli’s determination was for Velvet. She tried not to let on how much she wanted a replacement for her voidsteel dagger, but it was one of the few things she had mentioned. Durff had latched onto that as well. Probably. Maybe he just was suddenly a fan of mining, but the man had certainly thrown himself into his efforts. And the promotion of advanced body tempering among other was helping the mine- it would just likely take decades before they saw anything truly impressive from most of their workers.

The rest of Juli’s determination was for herself. This was a puzzle she felt compelled to solve. She had so many new tools in her arsenal, and she needed to know she could actually use them. Things like powered drills- not the hand sized ones, but large ones meant for boring tunnels. Juli had memorized various iterations, though most involved combinations of tech and upper or lower energy- with certain modifications required depending on energy type.

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Obviously that was no good for void ore, so purely mechanical was the goal. Fortunately, part repair and construction could be done with energy, otherwise it would have taken a very long time to build up an industry to make all of the parts.

It was quite a challenge, recalling each and every necessary dimension. Vast numbers of screws and bolts, plates of varying thickness and orientation, blades of various sorts- even things that didn’t look like blades. She had to relay all that information perfectly, or to be able to rapidly fix any flaws. There was also a question of what size was best.

Of course, if they had access to the wondrous networks for information sharing that the Scarlet Alliance had some of the difficulties could be solved in instants. But fortunately with the Ten Thousand Scrolls and her previous memorization experience, Juli had learned enough to help make something functional.

They might also use pumps to drain out water that ended up in the mines. They could be far more effective than screw pumps, and more space efficient besides. At the higher levels carving out more area wasn’t difficult, but every centimeter they had to carve out near the mines was labor they could have used for their actual goals.

-----

Upon surveying the various targets, Velvet wished that they had brought along Alva. Then again, she could have said the same of pretty much any of the other Augmentation cultivators. Prasad or Tauno or anyone else would have also opened up many options.

But for this particular individual, Alva would have been best. Velvet chose the target based both on potential threat yet also ease of elimination. While it might have seemed like a paradox, it was truly possible to have people that were great threats yet relatively simple to eliminate.

Zorka was a member of the Disciples of the Beyond, a sect who involved themselves with distortion beasts. Alva would have been useful either for killing the woman inside of the distorted space she might use for protection, or for fighting any distortion beasts if they managed to attract them.

The distortion beasts were the danger, capable of widespread destruction. Even if only guided by the Disciples of the Beyond rather than properly controlled, they were quite capable of ruining a planet. The Disciples of the Beyond could also create false projections in large enough numbers or strength.

That was why they were going to assassinate Zorka. If she wasn’t expecting danger at a specific moment… they might skip all of the trouble. There weren’t too many of them around yet, either, so taking her out before they were able to create the most dangerous projections of distortion beasts as a group would be best.

Most likely, the woman always had some level of spatial distortion from her defensive energy, but while Velvet wasn’t specialized in the area she could deal with little things easily enough. She had plenty of experience- even if it wasn’t all intentional. Dealing with partial dimensional subspaces had been a great pain.

Velvet wasn’t crazy enough to go in alone. If she were successful and Zorka died instantly she would still have to completely hide traces of her actions until she was away from their encampment. She wasn’t going to underestimate the danger of being attacked by thousands of cultivators, even if only a hundred at most were in Integration.

Thus she brought with her everyone. Misi and Juli were actually interested, as their style could be surprisingly effective against distortion beasts. If there was to be a battle, Jyotsana and Yuval were interested as well. Durff wasn’t going to be left behind either. And then there was Runa, because this particular mission was of serious enough consequence to pull her away from her cultivation and sect administration.

-----

The Disciples of the Beyond had chosen a vast wasteland full of the bones of long dead beasts to be their foothold on the planet. Powerful energy had built up in the area, but in a way that was antithetical to continued life. Great beasts could survive, as well as cultivators, but weaker plants and animals couldn’t get a foothold.

It was like a field of sacrifices from long in the past. Velvet had no doubt that they would be using the energy to draw in distortion beasts, when they were ready.

Velvet cloaked everyone with her energy as they drew closer to the camp. They walked along the ground as flying would only cause more opportunities for them to be detected. As they approached, Misi stopped the group. Velvet spotted the formation a moment later- she likely would have avoided triggering it, but having others looking out for particular hazards was the best part about having allies.

Misi and Juli- though mostly Misi- fiddled around for a few moments before gesturing them forward. Velvet could feel some sort of manipulation to the formation, certainly better than whatever she could have done. The fact that she could feel it meant they weren’t yet up to Catarina’s level, however.

Velvet led them on a route that wove between enormous rib bones or other pieces of fallen and dissolved beasts. Physical cover was still useful for high level stealth, and the ancient energy the things emanated was also a useful distraction.

Soon enough they were winding their way through tents and the like, before coming upon a large formation with formation flags and runes carved into the earth below. It was still being put together… but whatever it was meant for wouldn’t be good for the Chaotic Conglomeration. She hadn’t known about this in particular, but the general risks of the Disciples of the Beyond were why she had chosen this particular threat to take out.

Velvet gestured Chidi closer, but he shook his head. With his blade drawn, he gestured to the formation markings. Ah, right. He also had knowledge of formations from his mother. He could disable the formation swiftly. That left herself and Runa as the ones who would participate in the actual assassination efforts. Durff had previously been assigned to wide area combat- he would probably be the best among them at taking out masses of enemy disciples. Though the fire cultivators wouldn’t be far behind in that regard.

Meanwhile, Misi and Juli would deal with any unforeseen issues. Their abilities were quite flexible, and they actually had preparations to fight against particular categories of distortion beast.

Velvet spotted Zorka working within the area of the formation under construction. The woman was neither young nor old in appearance, though she did look somewhat haggard. She had bags under her eyes, but she didn’t look weak, just haunted.

Those very eyes flicked up towards their group.

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