Capítulo 46: 35-42

Chapter 35

There was a pleasant meal with Catarina's parents and Timothy's father, as well as of course the young cultivators themselves. It was better than the cafeteria, though not by much. The Order had exceptional cooks and fresh food as well, but there was something about smaller scale home cooking that was just more satisfying. Maybe it was just the company. Anton certainly appreciated it.

The conversation mostly consisted of catching up with what had been happening with Timothy and Catarina. A few months was a long time for them, and they'd developed significantly.

Kellan Weston, Timothy's father, sighed. "I do miss having you around to help out. Those cultivator muscles can do a lot of work. I had to hire a replacement."

"I'm even stronger now," Timothy flexed.

Anton nodded, but didn't have much to add to the conversation. Nobody needed an old man going off on stories about himself, and he wasn't really in a mood to share them regardless. Eventually, however, Flora Riley asked about him. "So what about you, Mister Krantz? What's your story?"

A vague enough question that he had an answer. "I was mostly a farmer my whole life. Grew up in Dungannon, far to the east. I got into cultivating… very late in my life."

Catarina's father nodded in sympathy, "It's quite difficult, isn't it? When the members of the Order came by, Catarina and Timothy were tested to have some potential. I tried some of the steps to begin cultivating…" Jasper shook his head, "But it's harder to get into when you aren't young." He avoided mentioning how much older Anton was. At least twice his age, even if Anton looked a bit less wrinkly lately. "I understand the benefits, but pushing myself that hard just didn't seem like it would pay off."

"Yes…" Anton replied, "You need sufficient motivation to truly begin."

There were a few moments of awkward silence before Flora spoke up, "So, you said you lived out to the east… my mother used to live out there. Didn't like the small country life and moved to Edelhull. Though I ended up out here anyway," she smiled at Jasper.

Anton nodded, "It's not for everyone. Some like the hustle and bustle of cities. Sowing fields, raising animals, hunting… all suited me just fine."

Kellan commented, "Cultivation must be a nice change for you. I know it's work, but you don't have to move your body so much." He saw the twisted grin on Timothy's face, "What?"

"I'm pretty sure he moves now more than ever," Timothy said. "He climbed up a silo to shoot arrows at giant eagles attacking Thuston. And his bow…" Timothy shook his head. "It's not something non-cultivators can use."

The rest of dinner continued uneventfully, and then it was getting late.

-----

Before Anton had time to settle into the spare room, Catarina was inside shuffling things about. That included pushing the bed to a different corner. Anton just watched, since she requested no help. Besides, she didn't need any. She'd gone through the full tempering of her muscles for the sixth star. Anton had offered guidance if she wanted it, but she politely declined. However, the sounds Anton heard from her courtyard indicated she took up the active style of body cultivation he thought was most beneficial. She might not have tilled rows of soil, but she worked her body without relying solely on energy. Her muscles would be a bit weaker than those who had done a prime tempering of muscles, but her fighting style worked well enough without. The added power she now had would still ultimately be useful, just not critical to her success.

Catarina fiddled with the slats for the window and turned a small standing closet. None of the features of the room were more usable in their current positions, but she stood up proudly. "Done."

"With what, exactly?" Anton asked.

"An energy gathering formation," She shrugged, "As much as I can, anyway. Mom made me put the rest of the house back. My room is also set up."

Anton nodded. He could feel the concentrations of natural energy increasing, though he couldn't pick out the exact details that supported that. It wasn't anywhere near what was around the Order, even in Edelhull, but it was at least a step or two above where it had been which was a similar concentration to Dungannon. Certainly not weak, but not particularly powerful either. "I appreciate it. I couldn't have done it myself." He'd looked into formations after seeing their utility, but he just couldn't wrap his head around the details. If he wanted to learn, he'd need to devote months at least to develop his thought process, just to start learning. He certainly couldn't afford that now, though perhaps if he later found himself with time… he shook his head. That was quite unlikely. He was glad for Catarina that she was naturally suited for the learning required.

She left the room to him, and he started browsing the Ninety-Nine Stars again. There was one particular oddity in the technique. It wasn't as if it was kept secret, but there was something missing. The final step for the hundredth star- because it was supposed to reach the hundredth star. That was the summation of the first nine primes, which meant in actuality… Ninety-Nine Stars was incomplete. But so far, nobody had reached the hundredth star, as far as was known. The equivalent cultivation level for other techniques was also in the realm of mystery, though it was possible there were some cultivators in far-off countries that had accomplished it and remained… existent. Anton wasn't sure if cultivators exploding or transcending to other planes was correct- though the former was certainly possible. The latter was quite hard to test… especially since he was still ninety-three stars short.

Anton focused his energy inside of himself, taking advantage of the increased density in the surroundings. While he would normally move around while cultivating, the exact circumstances didn't allow for much motion without creating noise that might wake others. Besides, tempering the marrow didn't have much he could physically make it do, short of something like cutting himself to try to force it to replace his blood. Perhaps getting his blood flowing faster would suffice, but he would save that for when he could be outside.

-----

In the morning, Anton awoke as the roosters began to stir. Though he was on a smaller farm than what he'd developed over generations, there were still familiar sounds of the world waking up that it made. Anton pulled himself out of bed and went outside to see the chickens. "Hello there, little ones. Feed will be coming for you soon, I'm sure." He would have done it himself, as thanks for staying, but he didn't know where it was… and of course using other people's things without permission wasn't something that would be taken well.

He heard footsteps coming outside not long after. "Oh. Mister Krantz." Jasper Riley was carrying a bucket of feed, "Did they wake you?"

"Would have been up anyway," Anton smiled, "I was a farmer, remember? Need help with anything?"

"We couldn't possibly ask you to do anything. You're a guest," Jasper replied.

"And I'm old. So what? I'd rather not sit around and rot." Anton's eyes scanned the area. "Could fix that fence, or weed a few rows, help fill that firewood shed… there's always work to be done, isn't there?"

Jasper sighed, "Well, if you insist…"

Anton took the chance to do every single thing he'd spotted. It wasn't that the farm was poorly run, but it was a bit much for two people to handle. And things would forever crop up even if they hired some help. That was just how things were.

Timothy and his father passed by early as well, heading off with a third strong man into the woods not far off behind the few nearby houses- the Rileys, the Westons, and two neighbors he didn't know.

Jasper watched Anton, clearly worried he would overwork himself… but Anton hadn't yet done anything that would have strained him much even before cultivating had made him feel forty years younger. "I'm impressed. You really know what you're doing. That's experience for you."

"A hundred years of it… minus maybe five while I wasn't walking around." Anton grinned, "Though I wouldn't say that I was very helpful for a few years after that, either. Still needed someone following me around so I didn't tip over the feed bucket."

"A hundred…" Jasper shook his head, "You sure don't look it. Not that you're exactly a spring chicken, but…"

"Most my age are six feet under, right?" Anton nodded. As long as he didn't think about anyone specific, the morbid humor of age amused him. "I was thinking I'd hunt something, boar or deer or some such. Who has the hunting rights around here?"

"It's mostly open to anyone. Though you might ask some of the hunters about the populations. They live over thataway. I recall hearing deer were populous. Flora would be glad to have some venison to work with." Jasper nodded. "Her mother, Ashlyn, that was the only thing she liked about country life. Fresh venison."

Anton almost flung the hoe in his hand away, but managed to keep his grip and gently hang it by his side. "Ashlyn…" he turned to Jasper. "I assume she looks much the same as Flora, like Catarina?"

"Grandmother to granddaughter share similar looks, yes. Why?"

Anton did his best to keep his voice steady. "Was she called Ashlyn Krantz?"

"Krantz?" He shook his head, "No, she's Ashlyn Bognar. Though…" Jasper squinted his eyes at Anton. "It could have been. Flora's brother… almost looks like you."

Anton had to breathe deeply so that he wouldn't snap the hoe in his grip. Maybe his impression when he'd first seen Catarina hadn't just been random thoughts. Not every single one of his grandchildren had stayed in Dungannon. Ashlyn was one of the oldest. Having two more generations after her wasn't so crazy. The Krantz family had lost contact with those who had moved away for various reasons, and while he hadn't exactly forgotten their existence… they hadn't really registered as family. Living and safe… elsewhere in the world. "I think we should speak with Flora. It could just be the same name, but we need to find out one way or the other."

Jasper nodded and followed him towards the house.

Chapter 36

It was easy enough to find Flora inside, patching up a pair of work pants. Jasper hesitated a moment, clearly unsure how to broach the subject. "Your mother… she was from out east, right? Did she ever talk about where specifically?"

Flora's fingers continued to stitch without slowing, "She probably mentioned it once or twice, when I was little. Mostly to mention how much she liked being in Edelhull." She looked up at the two of them, "What's so important that it made the two of you come in from the fields? Still covered in dirt, even."

Anton looked down at the path of dirt behind them. He was usually more careful about things like that, since keeping the house tidy was hard enough without actual mud and chunks of dirt. However, it was easy enough to wave his hand and push it all away with some energy. It took quite a bit less than the power required to kill a giant boar, though it took a couple passes to get everything. "Sorry about that. It's probably not urgent… but I'd really be interested. Or if she mentioned her parents at all."

"Did she mention them? Certainly. But I only remember hearing about them as grandma and grandpa." Flora thought for a few moments. "I think I have some old letters from her. They might have names. I could dig them out this evening. It's a bit of a trip to Edelhull just to ask her, of course." She looked at the two of them with suspicion. "What is this about?"

Jasper sighed. "Maybe nothing at all. I'd rather not mention it if so."

"Alright. It's been some time since I read the letters anyway. Reminds me that maybe we should write or visit sometime. You know she'll never come out here."

Jasper grinned, "Why do you think I like to stay here?"

"Oh hush, she's not that bad. I might remind you of someone else's mother. She's not even so far away. I'm sure she'd be glad to visit."

"You wouldn't do that… to either of us," Jasper recoiled. "You're right though. We should keep in touch with Ashlyn more." He nodded, "I think we'd like to see those letters, if you can scrounge them up. Until then, there's work to do."

-----

There was something different about the soil on the Riley's farm compared to at the Order. Anton would say the quality of soil was high in both places, but it was actually easier to work the soil away from the Order. He hadn't noticed because he'd been cultivating for several months before arriving at the Order. The soil there was thick and heavy. Quite full of nutrients for plants, he was sure, and the abundant natural energy helped as well… but it was harder to work than normal soil. Now that he had something to compare to in recent memory, he was certain. That also made it easier to work quickly.

It wasn't necessary for him to hoe a field by hand- they had oxen and ploughs for that, and it wasn't the right season anyway. However, he still had to dig out stubborn weeds with deep roots. Some of them would break away at the surface, but if he left them they'd merely grow back. He could dig with a shovel or with his hands… though wrapping the whole thing in energy and tugging also did the job.

Jasper had some questions, "Can anyone do that, with a bit of cultivation? Move like that and pull up the plants by barely touching them?"

Anton considered for a moment, "You have to develop one thing at a time. However, this is all at an easily achievable level. The first star is a full tempering of the body. That won't do much for your ability to pull out whole weeds, but even a basic control of energy should be sufficient with a little effort." Anton looked at Jasper, "You attempted cultivating before, correct? What stopped you?"

Jasper shook his head. "Couldn't sense the energy, really. I wasn't able to gather it or doanything with it."

"Let's take a quick break," Anton gestured over into the shade. "Have a seat." Jasper did so. "Close your eyes. Try to feel the natural energy. It's the air around you, the breeze…" Anton gathered a bit of energy and washed it over him, "It's just everywhere."

"I think I feel it. Just a little."

"Grab onto it. You can't grasp it in your hand, but you can breathe it into your lungs. From there, it flows around your body." Anton traced a line of energy along his skin, guiding the path as he felt Jasper begin to circulate it, "Through your whole body. Then… don't forget to breathe out." Anton smiled, "Now that you've done it, you can do it again. But here's the secret. You don't have to sit still. Look here," Anton waited for Jasper to open his eyes. He swirled his arms around and swung a hoe in front of him. "You breathe while working. The energy will be more content to settle into a moving body. Just like the air in your lungs is used up faster when you work. It will take a bit of effort to move your body at the same time, but if you spend a month getting this down… even by next year it will pay off." Anton snapped his fingers. "Oh, I imagine your daughter took the cultivation manual with her, correct? The Order doesn't have so many they can just hand out one to each person."

"That's right," Jasper confirmed. "Though I had plenty of access to it before. I just couldn't make use of it."

"Not everyone learns by reading." Anton nodded. "I happen to have an extra I can leave with you." After Grand Elder Vandale had given him the full technique, he hadn't found a chance to return the body tempering technique. It was allowed to be freely distributed, so the Order wouldn't be concerned if he gave it away. They would just be handing it out to someone else eventually. He might as well pick someone specific.

"Oh, thank you." Jasper nodded. "Do you think I can really learn? Catarina picked it up so easily and I had so little success..."

"Of course you can. Your wife too, though I imagine she'll be slightly different. As for making it beyond the beginning… perhaps not." Anton was fairly certain anyone could complete the first full body tempering. Then came the second star, a prime tempering. The easiest one, but also the hardest since the cultivator would still be inexperienced. Then the third star just showed they could continue beyond that, which was sufficient for the Order to be willing to recruit them after a test. And apparently, the fourth star was sufficient that they didn't care about tests. Anton supposed he had been able to contribute sufficiently to work in the fields at just the fourth star. Though he didn't know if the Order actually profited from that work. Some of the early work of their disciples probably cost them more than it was worth- except for the training it provided.

-----

As she promised, Flora dug out some old letters that evening. "I don't think there's anything too personal in here… she was never much for spilling her feelings in a letter. Anton can help us look through for names." Flora clearly trusted her husband's silence, but Anton could tell she was curious as to why they were doing what they were. Maybe it didn't need to be kept secret, but Anton also didn't want to cause excitement for no reason. Perhaps not everyone would want to discover new old relatives, either.

Catarina was present as well. It wasn't possible to keep a secret in such a small household, not that they tried. "Why are we looking for names?" she asked. "Do you know grandma?"

Anton smiled as she cut right to the idea. "Perhaps." That was all he was willing to say for the moment. If he was wrong… he would be rather embarrassed. Though he couldn't say how things would go if he was right.

There were only a few dozen letters. Anton found it easy to scan through them for names extremely quickly. Especially since he knew what names he wanted to see. The handwriting wasn't as orderly as most cultivation techniques, but it also wasn't filled with difficult language or complicated concepts.

'Your father and I have been looking to expand the factorage. It's much more pleasant to handle selling rather than producing all the goods…'

Letters of that sort dominated. Anton couldn't say the hand was familiar, but it would have been many decades since he'd seen it… and at least a few decades of development after the last time when they would have been written.

"William?" Jasper asked.

"No, not what I'm looking for."

Catarina also found a name, "Barrett?"

"That's not it either…" Anton shook his head. "There are a number I'm looking for."

Flora found something that sparked his interest. "Cora?"

"That's a name I recognize… what does it say?"

"Let's see here… 'Cora came to the factorage today. Her vegetables are good quality, but a bit too expensive.' I don't see much else."

Anton sighed, "That doesn't sound right. I'm looking for people she would have known from before. There could be a lot of things, but Miles and Leslie are the best connection." They were nearly done with the letters when Anton's eyes finally found a name. It even had the right context. "...your grandpa Miles used to eat so many potatoes, I had no trouble discerning the quality of the batch at all. We won't be buying from that farm again."

Just as Anton was about to say something, Catarina held up her letter. "This mentions a Leslie. Ahem. 'My mother, Leslie, gave me this recipe for potato soup, but honestly it has far too much-"

"Celery," Anton said. "She always complained about that."

Catarina paused, looking at the letter. "Yes. Celery. Did you read this one?"

Anton shook his head. "No. But Ashlyn always said the potato soup had too much celery. Every time."

Flora eyed Anton. "You certainly sound like you knew her well enough." She seemed to have gathered some idea of what was going on. "Are you perhaps… an uncle of hers?"

Anton grinned, "I am flattered you think me so youthful. But Ashlyn properly referred to me as grandpa."

"Grandpa," Catarina muttered. "Even grandma had a grandpa?"

Anton thought that part was quite obvious. He was rather more excited about discovering another generation he hadn't known existed. It was a bit strange to have a great-great grandchild older than merely his great-grandchildren, but over a handful of generations it wasn't that odd. "You two look quite like her… and she was quite like Janina."

Catarina's thoughts were clearly still processing things for a moment, then her mouth rounded and her eyes grew wide.

Chapter 37

Feet fell rapidly on the dirt path. Anton ran at a quick pace, Timothy trailing along behind, panting. "Why are we... running... up the hill again?"

"Did you not hear what I discovered yesterday? I thought it was quite obvious."

Timothy took deep breaths to get enough to speak. "You said… that you are… Catarinas… great… great… grandpa… right?" He shook his head, "I still don't get… why that means… I have to run up a hill."

Anton clicked his tongue. "Typical. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

It didn't take long for them to reach the top of the highest hill in the area. Even a non-cultivator could have done so fairly quickly, and both of them had tempered muscles and meridians. Anton had the organs in his torso tempered, so he was less out of breath at the end than he would have been. There were more improvements to be made after the tempering, though that was the biggest moment of progress. It wasn't that Anton wasn't breathing hard at the end, but he handled it better than Timothy.

"Now… sword out." Anton pointed, though there wasn't anything in that particular direction. "One hundred swings!" At the same time, he pulled out his bow and began firing Spirit Arrows. He let them unravel not far away so that he wouldn't accidentally hit something in the trees. There was nothing complicated to what he did, just repetitive shooting at a regular pace.

For his part, Timothy had exhausted his questions. He just accepted that Anton thought this training method would pay off for some reason. He just shook his head and kept swinging. Technically sometimes he stabbed, but he was pretty sure that counted. His arm was tired by the end, because Anton's pace didn't give him a moment to recover.

"Good. Now, swap arms."

"I'm right handed though."

"I am aware," Anton said. "And maybe you'll never injure your right arm. But that doesn't mean you should leave your left untrained." Anton also switched his stance with the bow. It would require very specific injuries for him to not be able to fire the bow with his right hand pulling the string but still able to grip the shaft, but he began to fire arrows regardless.

When Timothy had finished each swing with his weapon and shield swapped, he found his balance was quite different on that side. It probably wouldn't matter since the situation shouldn't arise, but it was weird to be so… asymmetrical. He thought he might have a moment to rest after completing the exercises, but instead Anton thrust them both back down the hill… where they repeated the attacks another hundred times per arm.

Anton wiped his brow. "I think it is time for a short break." He took a deep breath, "Feel the energy flow through your meridians into your body, how it replenishes you." Timothy was briefly worried that would be the whole break, but the two of them remained standing and pulling in the natural energy. They stood a reasonable distance apart so as not to interfere with each other too much.

Once he was actually feeling recovered, Timothy had the bravery to ask another question. "So, why isn't Catarina doing this with us?"

"You think this training would be good for her?" Anton shook his head. "It might be, though she has her own methods that work. Perhaps we should have her join us for the next round."

Timothy groaned.

-----

Though he should probably be sleeping, Anton couldn't help but write his thoughts on his training. It wasn't some profound technique or expert advice. It was just his only way to make sure what he learned lasted beyond himself. But while he wasn't sure how long he would live or how long after that his words might last, he supposed he might as well aim high. This was his path to the peak of Ninety-Nine Stars.

Anton was startled by a knock on his door. He should have been able to sense Catarina coming, but he was preoccupied with his thoughts. "Yes? Come in."

She stepped inside and inclined her head. "Grandpa Anton." She'd gotten him with that one earlier. Something about the younger of cultivators strived for formality, calling him Senior Anton and the like, despite the fact that he wasn't particularly higher in cultivation than any of them. For the sake of brevity, Catarina left off two greats but he couldn't refuse her addressing him in that way. Catarina was usually serious, but her face was exceptionally so. "Can I ask you some questions… about you?"

He had some idea where that was going, but he couldn't reasonably refuse. Saying it wasn't her business might have been partially true before, but now… could he actually be family with these people if he didn't let them try to act like family? "Go ahead."

She sat down on the bed, looking towards where he sat at the little desk. "Why are you a cultivator? What's going on with the rest of… our family?"

She cut right to it… but Anton thought that was probably for the best, instead of both of them evading the subject for a while. "As you might have guessed, those are practically the same answer." It took Anton a while to continue, but Catarina waited patiently. "I was born and raised in the village of Dungannon. I have so many stories about everyone there. Perhaps someday I can write it down, if I have the chance. Though it will be of little interest to most." Anton shook his head. "There I met Janina. We had children, those children had more of their own…" Anton smiled in remembrance. "Some didn't choose to stay, but with those who did we continued to grow the farm. My parents passed away, many decades ago. It hurt for a time, but that faded like all others. You know it is coming, eventually. The same happened with Janina. I was supposed to be next."

Catarina waited patiently, but knew he needed some prompting as he was lost in memory. "What happened?"

"Bandits. A group of cultivators from Ofrurg. Wild and destructive." Anton grit his teeth as he spoke, "Elder Vincent tried to track them down, but he could never head them off. He couldn't track them to their camps, and they grew increasingly bold. In the deep of winter I was out on a hunt. I barely managed to find a deer, and the return trip was so slow… and I only came back to death and destruction. Unnecessary slaughter."

Catarina's face fell. "So everyone is dead?"

Anton shook his head. "Not everyone. At least, they weren't killed there. Ofrurg has a legalized slave trade… and they don't much care about where they come from, as long as it doesn't disrupt anyone important there." Anton took a deep breath, "Elder Vincent is the type who would chase them across borders if not for the consequences of doing so. They realized we found their camp. He said they scattered. He killed some of them but… couldn't get them all. Some might never be found, though the leader is a Spirit Building cultivator. Not quite as many of those to look for. And there was also a formation master, hiding them."

"The Order can't send people in to force them out of hiding?"

"Can they? Should they?" Anton shook his head. "You saw what happened in Thuston. Grand Elder Vandale wiped out hundreds of beasts from a distance. If the Order sends elders in to avenge some country villagers, what does that accomplish? Dead cultivators. Dead cultivators in Ofrurg, and dead members of the Order. Perhaps someone can track down bandits on an individual level. If there is no disturbance on a large scale… I wouldn't expect those of great power to get involved directly. If they do, more common folk will die as a side effect."

"But… wouldn't Ofrurg want bandits dealt with?"

Anton smiled bitterly. Catarina was a smart enough girl, skilled in cultivation… but she was still young. "I already said they don't care where slaves come from. And of course they don't cause any trouble inside Ofrurg. More importantly… Spirit Building cultivators don't just pop out of the ground. Potatoes barely do that, and that takes work. The chance of them being connected to a sect, formally or informally, is rather high." Anton nodded. "I'd love to be able to go in there, kill them all, free everyone taken away. And… I will try. But it's not so easy."

"Couldn't they just send someone a little bit stronger, not an elder but a disciple in late Spirit Building?"

"Who? And why?" Anton shook his head. "Nobody knows who they are looking to save, and assassinating people in another country is too much of a risk for a mission. The Order has already increased security on the border. Perhaps that should have been sooner, but what has been done cannot be undone." Anton stood up and stretched, "The job requires someone who can able to risk their life, in such a way that it can pay off."

"... I can go with you."

Anton smiled, "I appreciate the offer. But this isn't like Thuston. Disaster can't be prevented, it has already happened. You shouldn't risk your life for people you never knew or an old man you've known for a few months. You have too much value to risk yourself for it. Grow stronger, so you can protect more people in the future. I won't tell you to ignore any trouble you can see… but don't risk yourself for an old man who is about to die anyway. I'll be able to use what I have to save some people. I'll try to save everyone, to right every wrong… but we both know that can't happen."

"... I won't let you go alone."

Anton sighed, "We'll talk about it more later. Regardless, I'm not yet strong enough. I need more training… and that means so do you. I'll see you in the morning."

Chapter 38

There was some actual consideration in Anton's mind to leave that night, but he knew if he did Catarina would probably blindly follow him. Perhaps if she didn't find him she would run off to Ofrurg alone. He'd like to think her more rational than that, but having been a human for a full century… he could say people weren't like that. She wanted to help him, and he wanted her to live… and neither of them would be able to convince the other. Anton hated to let time pass now that he'd made up his mind, but he knew there was good he could do currently. Jasper did well with Anton's cultivation recommendations, and though Flora did somewhat less of the heavy manual labor, she was giving it a try as well. He should at least do his best making sure that those he knew could take better care of themselves before he left… and of course there was the problem with leaving Catarina behind. He had to figure that one out still.

On much more mundane problems, Anton found trouble with his writing. It was no trouble at all to write down his observations during cultivation. What was good for the vigorous sort like himself and Timothy weren't necessarily right for Catarina, though he did his best to share his experiences. He learned some from her and Timothy in return. Mostly little things, but every experience was important. But that wasn't where he had trouble.

Anton didn't think that any of the methods laid out in the Ninety-Nine Stars were wrong. Just incomplete. Of course, his notes would have holes in experience he couldn't cover as well… but if someday someone found his writing and used it as a supplement to bring them another step further in cultivation, that would be good enough. Anton wasn't concerned about it being the most important document ever written. Really, an old man just starting cultivating could only do so much. But there was one thing.

If others were to read it, it should have a name. 'Anton's Journal of Cultivation' was… bad. It was for others to read to begin with, so was it really a journal? He'd written down a name. Path to Ninety-Nine Stars. It was the sort of thing he'd expect to find in the library, but something seemed to be missing. More than just ninety-two of the stars, of course.

Anton stood and stretched. He very much appreciated the fact that his body could do that without yelling at him to stop. It just whimpered a bit. His cultivation was going well. The change in scenery provided benefits that mere density of natural energy couldn't make up for. He wasn't sure if he wanted to spend a full two months away from the sect, but that had never been a hard timeline for the stay regardless. Timothy and Catarina just wanted to show their parents their progress… and now their parents were beginning cultivators as well.

-----

A sword wreathed in copious amounts of energy sliced through the air towards Anton's head. The only thing he had to block it was his own arms… and of course the cloth armor covering them. It was quite durable, though nothing compared to the partially diamondsilk shirt on his chest.

Anton's arms rose up to meet the sword, his energy condensing until it could be seen not just as cultivators envisioned energy but in a way the naked eye would see the yellow shine. Golden, if one were to get fancy with the name. Anton staggered back under the force of Timothy's blow, but Timothy himself was staggered as well. Anton couldn't expect a real opponent to just straightforwardly hit his defenses, but he had to test how much they could actually withstand. Anton looked at his forearms, one of which was dripping blood. Slightly less than that, then. Maybe it was the way he angled the energy. Though of course Timothy's power wasn't something he could ignore. Muscles trained by chopping down trees with his father worked together with his energy to become powerful attacks, even if he wasn't using an axe.

"Sorry," Timothy said. "You said to go all out."

"I absolutely did," Anton nodded. "I merely couldn't withstand your attack. Which gives me more reasons to not try. The momentum of the attacker is a hard advantage to overcome."

"... you're dripping blood all over. Aren't you going to…?"

"It'll stop on its own," Anton said. "It's only a trickle."

"... You're tempering your marrow, right?"

"That's right," Anton grinned. "Might as well take the chance while it's working hard." The bleeding really wasn't as bad as it looked. Tempering his skin would come last, and that would also enhance the upper layers of his flesh. He wouldn't be able to take a blade without energy, but at least he'd be able to ignore pricking bushes. Energy flowed deep into his bones, supporting the marrow in its work. The cut stopped bleeding within a few minutes, but Catarina still looked a bit nervous where she stood on the side.

"... try me next." Catarina pointed. "I mean that." A semi visible barrier had been formed off to her side. It was a formation created by her own energy, but it would sustain itself on the natural energy of the area without her input, at least for some time. More powerful ones would require larger areas or more permanent physical fixtures, but spending money on special materials wasn't really as good for training as seeing what she could sustain otherwise.

Timothy readied his sword. He was only using it in one hand, but being able to attack unrestrained still had great power. "Step back." Obviously in combat situations Catarina would want to stand behind a barrier- or have something she intended to protect behind it- but there was no need to risk that in training. If Anton was able to form Golden Armor away from his body, he might have done that. However, it wasn't within his current capabilities.

Anton approved of the angle of the swing into the barrier. Timothy's sword struck a resounding blow on an edge… but the power merely wasn't enough. His sword rebounded and the barrier held. It wasn't undamaged, but his attack hadn't broken though in any significant manner. Timothy looked to Catarina, who nodded. "Keep going."

Timothy continued to swing at the barrier. Catarina directed some of her own energy to keep it standing, which half negated the point of it being a barrier formation and not her own defensive energy… but it looked like they were having fun competing. Eventually the barrier gave out- but that was inevitable. The power levels were similar enough, so a proper offense would always win against defense without retaliation. But they were just testing the limits.

Catarina smiled, "Good! I was able to keep it up for a while, but you still managed to break through." She turned to Anton, "Now you try." Catarina began setting up the barrier before Anton could protest.

"I'm afraid I don't have quite the sort of power required to break through. My arrows don't exactly have a lot of weight." It was why people didn't shoot arrows at walls in a siege. It simply wasn't what they were intended for. Anton didn't see it as a weakness in archery, since an immobile opponent simply defending while you were far away… it wasn't hard to just wait until they showed an opening.

Catarina frowned. "You can't do it? That's too bad. I heard you were a good archer."

"What, are you trying to ignite my competitive spirit so I'll make a fool of myself?" Anton grinned, "Because I absolutely will. Finish setting that up. Then everyone back away, because the arrows might deflect a bit."

Flora and Jasper watched from a further distance. Neither she nor Jasper were ready to compete in such a way with the others. They did have some spare time to train cultivation, though, because the others provided so much help with the farm. Catarina even set up some permanent- if weak- formations to keep foxes and the like away from the hens.

"Alright, it's ready. I'm sure you can do it," Catarina said.

Anton took a good look at the barrier… mostly to make sure it wasn't any weaker than before. He didn't want pity taken on him. It seemed Catarina knew her grandma's grandpa well enough, because it was possibly even a bit stronger. Not that it mattered, if he couldn't break it regardless. Anton took a few shots, shooting only Spirit Arrows because the energy would only deflect a few meters before he could have it dissipate. A real arrow might be dangerous to onlookers, and honestly just had trade offs in terms of power. Maybe if he had any with special materials it might be different, but he mostly had standard iron heads.

The way the arrows deflected off of the barrier without even making it tremble let Anton confirm his thoughts. He just didn't have the power to match Timothy… though did he have to? The young man struck the barrier with great force many times before it shattered. But if he wanted something practical, shattering it wasn't necessary.

Anton relaxed, then reset his stance. He wanted to get the most power possible. He readied his arms, then pulled as he formed a Spirit Arrow, muscles in his back straining more than his arms, though his whole upper body was involved. He wouldn't have the luxury to prepare himself normally, but he could add a bit of extra power. As he did so, he condensed the Spirit Arrow until it was even thinner. Elder Kseniya's arrows were extremely thin as well. They didn't need to chop off an arm. They just needed to… pierce.

At that thought, Anton released the arrow. It was a moment of concentration similar to when he'd had the contest with Elder Evan, just to borrow the bow he now held. It wasn't a state he could force, and sometimes it just happened. The arrow flew forward, and he felt like he was moving with it. Forward into the barrier. He jerked, and the arrow almost shattered… and then it pierced through. It almost felt blasphemous to dissolve the arrow a dozen meters on, but Anton wasn't sure how far it would keep flying if he let it. The hole in the barrier, half the area of a normal arrowhead, closed up almost instantly. However, Anton smiled. That was a result he could absolutely accept. Now if only enemies would stand still and let him take his time shooting them, he would be confident in defeating almost anything or anyone.

Chapter 39

Though there had been a nebulous plan to stay in Carran for two months, that plan changed. For cultivators early in their growth two months was a rather long time, if they had the talent. Anton noticed that Catarina's parents and Timothy's father didn't seem to be on track to complete the first star in the same time period as himself. However, they had other responsibilities to attend to besides madly cultivating to block out the world. Anton also understood that people had different aptitudes. Perhaps they could learn to be better at something, but the starting point of everyone was different. He had found that cultivation suited him quite well from his first experiences with it.

It was after one month that the group returned to the Order's lands. Cultivating didn't only require dense natural energy to absorb, but for breakthroughs and the like it was quite necessary. Nobody was on the verge of the next level, but their various experiences were helping with rapid growth and that the largest necessity was merely energy. Anton found that guiding others was useful for himself, as well. It made him think about why he did things a certain way, and if it was actually correct… or just a habit he'd formed. He was pleased that many times it was the former, but not always. That let him fix problem with his own cultivation, and he took notes in Path to Ninety-Nine Stars.

Anton found himself unable to rest for a single moment. Most of the past year he'd been active, but now he found himself especially motivated. He had more family. It wasn't that he had forgotten the others who still lived- he kept every name in memory- but instead discovering Catarina's connection to him imbued him with a sense of hope and vigor. It reminded him his task wasn't just to grow stronger, but to do so for a reason. Of course, he knew that. Knowing something and feeling it were not as closely tied as people liked to think. He had already considered the task impossible, such that he almost forgot saving villagers of Dungannon or what remained of his family was actually something that could truly happen.

It would have been nice to say that the connection to new family had a direct connection to refining his marrow, but it didn't. That was just his body, and he cultivated furiously to refine it. Perhaps every bit of natural energy he absorbed was just a bit more pure… or perhaps it just felt that way. Regardless, he spent several weeks cultivating… and seeking information from the Order.

The Order's policy on information exchange was quite simple. Disciples in good standing were able to obtain information the Order had without charge, though some sensitive information required a request. If the information wasn't available, it was possible to pay to have it obtained. After all, that would require someone to go on a mission and could not be done without charge.

There were always exceptions but the information Anton sought wasn't secret, and if he needed a reason to request it he could easily provide it. Vincent would also tell him anything he needed, but some of that information would come from the same place. For example, Vincent had never seen the leader of the bandits. In Vincent's own words. 'If I had seen him and known who he was, he would be dead.'

But just because Vincent hadn't seen him didn't mean nobody had. Nobody was perfect, including cultivators. Survivors of villages that had been attacked by the bandits could identify some of the bandits. With descriptions and other information, scouts in Ofrurg had learned more. The best candidate for the leader of the bandits was a man named Maximillian Van Hassel. Likewise, it was presumed that the formation master was Nirmal Slusser- though information about his actual ability with formations wasn't readily available. The information the Order possessed wasn't completely certain, but they had been involved with the sale of slaves at various key times. Anton looked over all the information the Order had obtained on them. Their current locations were unknown, but he wouldn't be able to fight them at his current strength regardless. Still, there was more he could accomplish before that point, if he went about it the right way.

-----

The council of Grand Elders rarely met. It was an unnecessary waste of time, unless there was something important. Vincent wasn't a Grand Elder, but he was called to speak. He didn't know much about the council meetings in the past, but he knew they very rarely met on matters concerning a single disciple. Even when appointing a new elder, the council of elders only needed the input of a single Grand Elder. Had they ever met concerning a Body Tempering disciple? Vincent was sure if they had, it wasn't an old man.

Grand Elder Bohdana Matousek wasn't nearly so old in appearance as Grand Elder Vandale, though Vincent knew there were merely a few decades between them. She waved her hand towards Vandale. "Grand Elder Vandale, why don't you explain what you called us here for?"

"Of course." Grand Elder Vandale inclined his head. "I'm sure you all want to know. As many of you will have heard from the elders serving under you, we have a rather strange new disciple. Normally, it is not the business of Grand Elders if a new disciple burns their way through Body Tempering with ease. But the circumstances of this one are… different. Elder Vincent, if you could explain when you met Anton Krantz."

"Of course," Vincent moved to stand in front of the Grand Elders. Of all of those he had recruited, none of them were on the list. Even the youngest was older than himself. Even so, he carried a measure of respect among them. "I was not searching for disciples when I first met Anton Krantz. If I had been… I wouldn't have even considered him. It was a decade ago, when the bandits in the far eastern part of Graotan were first beginning to test the waters. I came across Anton Krantz out in the forest, when he was ninety years old."

One of the other Grand Elders- Kunibert- frowned. "Did I not hear that he has achieved the seventh star only recently? That's certainly an anomaly for an old man, but a decade to go so far… am I missing something?"

Vincent inclined his head. "Indeed, there is more to be said. As I said, I was not searching for disciples. He impressed me with his vigor for one of his age, and I found him pleasant to interact with, but that was all at our first meeting. I remained in the area off and on again for a decade as the bandits grew more bold. They finally destroyed his village. I arrived too late, only to find him dazedly wandering the remains. He had been out on a hunt in midwinter, and hadn't been present during the attack. He had spotted their camp- and he led me to it. It was then I determined that they had a formation master keeping it hidden. Perhaps I was late in that realization, but that is not the important detail at this moment. Anton still had fire inside him, though he was close to being a sputtering torch. I gave him the Ninety-Nine Stars out of pity, so that he could die in an attempt to avenge his family and village. After that I set about to track down what information I could on the bandits. I merely found a few of their scraps and some potential candidates before I returned to the sect four months later. He was in a small bit of trouble for a conflict with another disciple… and was at that very moment breaking through to the Fifth Star."

Grand Elder Bohdana widened her eyes. "He reached the fifth star in four months? It's not unheard of but… for someone of advanced age who just took up cultivating, it's nearly unbelievable."

"But his pace has not slowed afterwards," Grand Elder Vandale waved Vincent to seat himself. "Three months after that he reached the seventh star, which is where he currently is. He has been seeking information on the bandits, and clearly intends to seek them out. I-"

There was a knock on the council door as a messenger stepped in. "Message for Grand Elder Vandale." She hurried forward and slipped him a note.

Grand Elder Vandale looked at the note in front of him, taking a moment to read it. "Oh. I see. There is some new information. Apparently, he has just achieved the eighth star… half an hour ago."

Vincent muttered to himself, "That man sure has a sense of timing…"

"Regardless," Vandale coughed slightly, his voice slightly weak. "It is clear his rate of advancement is… top tier. Few can match him. But one might wonder… if he was not a century old when he began to cultivate, what might that mean?" He looked over the rest of the council, letting them think for a moment. "But about why I called you here. Merely informing you of his existence would be sufficient… but we may have to do something. He is almost certainly going to head to Ofrurg soon. Though it is not completely lawless, it is not safe either. When one specifically is looking for trouble… it could lead to disaster. So what do we do? I doubt any of us here would have the audacity to tell him not to risk his life for those he cares about. Yet if we hold him back, perhaps his cultivation will expire. Even those who are young and healthy do not cultivate well when restrained. I have hopes for his future, but I don't know if he will have one. So what do we do?"

Bohdana shook her head. "I think we should do nothing. I will admit he's an enticing disciple, but if he cannot judge danger for himself… his future will go nowhere. Restraining his actions would almost certainly negate whatever future he has. But assisting him… may do so just as much. I would also prefer not to show too much favoritism to any new disciples- and he is new, still. Then there is the potential of war, if we settle the matter for him. We already considered that specific course of action."

Kunibert once again spoke up, "Could we not at least send a discreet guardian? Or assist him with a team? I am already unsettled at how long those bandits have lived with minimal reprisals from our side."

Grand Elder McAlister took her turn next. "I agree with Bohdana, though it may seem heartless at first. We should not interfere. Of course, if he recruits others to go with him on his own… that is also allowed. And… though we might think of those who advance quickly as young and rash, he is at least experienced with the world."

Grand Elder Vandale sighed, "Justice will be done, one way or another. I sincerely hope he is the vessel that will bring it. While I am also concerned for his well being… in addition to fast advancement, his actual performance so far has been exemplary. His mastery of Spirit Arrows is beyond what we would expect at Body Tempering. But, though I would like to say I have full confidence in him… a single person is merely that. I suggest we provide a simple guardian in the middle of Spirit Building. That should not interfere with his development too much, or cause untoward amounts of trouble with Ofrurg."

Vincent watched and waited as the Grand Elders discussed. He had no idea what the final result would be. He also had his own ideas on what should be done, though the only thing Vincent could be sure about was that whatever happened with Anton would surprise him. Hopefully, those surprises would continue to be good.

Chapter 40

In front of Anton sat a list. It was as accurate as he could make it… but it was possible he'd missed something or other. His memory wasn't perfect to begin with, and at the time he could have been most precise, he wasn't in a state to do anything to any level of accuracy. This was the list of those who were still alive… potentially.

None of his children were on the list, but that was understandable. They were old, like himself, and that meant they had little value as slaves. While the bandits had been somewhat unpredictable in their actions, taking everything of value was certainly consistent. That included people. Dungannon had not been large- a few hundred people- but Anton had buried most of them. Their faces, at least, he could picture in his mind… if not their names. Some had not been in a state he could recognize. At least fifty people had the potential to be alive.

Of those people, however, he only had information on a dozen. Some didn't stand out enough to have information remembered about them when they were sold. Most went to mines or farms. Hard slave labor wasn't good for anyone, but they could certainly survive since most were young and healthy. One went to a fighting arena. Devon was one of Anton's younger grandsons, the son of his youngest daughter. The chances of him being alive were much more slim than anyone else.

Then there was Annelie. Anton had avoided learning about her fate in particular until he felt he had at least a little bit of strength. Her fate was known to a certain point. She'd been sold to the Frostmirror sect. The Order of Ninety-Nine Stars was a righteous group… and the Frostmirror sect was not. The only thing to say for them was that they also weren't a demonic sect. But with the extravagant price they paid for her, Anton could hope they found some value in her being alive instead of otherwise.

Anton had exchanged contribution points for money, enough that he could buy the others he knew the locations of at a fair price, and even some extra. He destested the idea of supporting the slave trade with his money, but it was either that or fight an entire nation and their cultivators himself. That wasn't something he could do yet. He considered for a moment. Somehow, his mind hadn't had the doubt he expected. Was that what the problem was? He filed the thought away for later.

Though he could buy the freedom of a handful of people with what he currently had, Annelie's price paid by the Frostmirror sect had been more than Anton had ever seen. More than the price the family farm had been worth plus every contribution point he'd gained exchanged for money. There was some sort of test for cultivation aptitude, and Annelise had something special in that area. Specific details hadn't been obtained. Whether or not the particular thing found would be ultimately to her benefit remained to be seen. Anton had not personally experienced cultivators outside of the Order- except the effects of the bandit leader Kunibert and the rest- but he'd heard tales. Even accounting for exaggerations, it was clear that at least occasionally cultivation and cultivation aptitude were stolen by others. The actual effects for those attempting to take it weren't always as beneficial as they might hope, but for the victim it was always death- or something that might as well be death. If the Frostmirror sect had such intentions when they purchased her… Anton shook his head. He couldn't do anything about it now regardless. But he might be able to learn more if she was still alive.

He was ready to take a trip to Ofrurg. Perhaps he might save a few of those from Dungannon or track down some of the bandits he had basic information on. He might also acquire more information himself. The only problem was how to deal with Catarina. He didn't want to bring her with him… but he couldn't not bring her. As in, he was physically incapable of not bringing her. If he left without her she would just follow him. He considered a few options, but none of them made sense. If he just left without saying anything, she would almost certainly go to Ofrurg presuming that to be his target. Even if he could convince her he was just going on a mission to a specific place, when he didn't return she would know. And he had no logical reason not to invite her. She was capable. Certainly, she was one star behind him… but that wasn't so much as to hold him back in battle, and having additional hands would in fact be quite helpful.

Logic wasn't everything. Wanting to protect family was quite a paradox, because Catarina also wanted to protect her 'grandpa'. And though she wasn't very vocal about her choices most of the time, she was quietly stubborn. Anton wasn't sure what to do. Perhaps some cultivation would clear his head.

-----

Northern creeper was a completely innocuous name for the spike covered vine Anton found himself dealing with. Its seeds were pods with sharp thorns going in every direction, and they had to be planted carefully by hand. It wasn't hard physical labor that was required… but instead a certain level of energy defenses. Because while it was just a truly awful plant, its fruit could produce a potent medicine for cultivation. It was one of the main ingredients in tempering pills like the kind Catarina had given to Anton. That was quite understandable, considering the way it sucked up natural energy around it.

As Anton carefully put his arm deep into the plant where he might prune away some dead leaves, he cut a gash along his arm. While tempering his meridians had allowed him to handle larger amounts of energy, that wasn't enough to just ignore the thorns. After all, it wasn't an everyday plant. It absorbed natural energy from the world… and through its thorns in particular. Thus, his defenses were only half as effective at best. Hoyt had also moved on to the same work with Anton. Farming normal plants or even special herbs was just too easy, and hardly worth their time. It provided some contribution points, but this was worth more because of the increased difficulty and value.

Hoyt had one advantage Anton did not. He had already completed the tempering of his skin. Though he was a step behind Catarina at the moment, he was almost at the seventh star. Anton watched as the spikes slid along his skin without piercing through… unless Hoyt was careless.

As he carefully maneuvered his own arm, it came out bloody. He could wear armor, but patching it would take all the extra contribution points he would earn. Besides, the only thing left to temper was his skin anyway. While it wasn't a pleasant process, it was actually quite beneficial to add this into his cultivation routine. His practice and some discussions with Hoyt were giving him some initial success in the area. Anton didn't plan to remain in the Order for the months it would take to finish the tempering of his skin, but at least beginning the process in an optimal environment would help him later.

Hoyt, meanwhile, needed advice on tempering his internal organs, starting with his torso. He was young and strong, so he hadn't found it a necessity to take care of them earlier. Anton envied that youth, but of course he provided the best advice he could. Among other things, it involved a lot of running. That took care of the lungs and heart, at least. He wished he knew that such an active style might be helpful when he first began cultivating, though he would have barely been able to make use of it. His body had been in a better state than his mind… but only barely.

-----

Sometimes, one merely had to let themselves get stabbed with a thousand needles to clear their mind. Anton wasn't sure if that actually helped, but he at least arrived at a reasonable idea. Both he and Catarina were sensible adults, and they could talk about things. And, if he didn't get what he wanted and she insisted on coming with him… that would just give him more reason to be cautious.

Anton invited Catarina over. His living space was still mostly bare, but he had a sitting room with some chairs and a table, at least. "Come. Sit."

Catarina did so quite obediently. However, she didn't wait for him to continue. "Are we finally going to Ofrurg?" she asked.

Anton sighed. "Don't be so eager to run into trouble. There will not be anything glorious or fun to be had there. Just… salvaging remnants of old memories. I hope to do what I can for a few people… and end the lives of a few others." Anton shook his head. "I don't want you to come with me. It's too dangerous."

"I know," Catarina said. "That is why I can't let you go alone."

"I'm just an old man. If I die doing this… the world doesn't lose much. You, however, have so much life and potential ahead of you."

Catarina frowned, "People aren't worth just what they can do and become. It's also what they have done. You still mean something, for your past. And if we're bringing up potential… are you not improving in cultivation? I know you are, and fast. I can barely keep up."

"I don't know how much longer I can last," Anton said. "Can I even reach Spirit Building?"

"Can't you?" Catarina asked. "I know cultivating extends your lifespan. Even if it doesn't help as much for you… it's not like you'll die of old age in just a year or two. Not with a whole eight stars already." Catarina stood up and leaned closer, "You've already outlived one of my other grandpas. You're not just going to… fall apart."

Anton didn't have much else to say, but he wasn't going to stop trying. "You don't know any of those I plan to save. Don't risk yourself for them."

"So?" Catarina said, "I didn't know anyone in Thuston. Neither did you. We still wanted to protect them from the beasts. And if you're planning to save some family… aren't they my family too, grandpa? Just because I haven't met them yet…"

Anton sighed again. "If you aren't going to listen to me, then maybe consider how your father and mother would feel if you died."

"Maybe you should." Catarina was certainly a lot more comfortable talking with him lately. She had quite a few things to say, apparently. "I know you can't just wait around to be strong enough to do everything you want. But you don't have to do it alone. If you still think it's too dangerous… maybe that should stop you."

Anton locked eyes with her. How did she get so stubborn? Maybe she inherited that trait from her parents. Or her grandparents. Or her great-great-grandfather. If that was the case… maybe he should invite some others along as well. Timothy should be easy to convince, though Anton wasn't sure if Hoyt would have any reason to join. Were there any others he trusted? He hadn't really developed his social circle much. Too much training. Or maybe not enough.

Chapter 41

Finding Timothy wasn't difficult. They were neighbors, after all. Timothy wasn't in his courtyard, but that actually made it easier. He was running around their little complex, so Anton merely stepped out of his door to see him as he passed by. "Timothy," Anton smiled and held up a hand to ask him to wait.

Timothy stopped, but continued to run in place to keep his heart rate up. "Yes sir? What do you need?"

Was 'sir' better than 'senior'? Anton wasn't sure. But that didn't matter. "Catarina and I are going on a journey soon. I would like to request your presence."

Timothy's face fell. "When is 'soon'?"

"As soon as possible, actually. I'd prefer not to delay."

Timothy scrunched up his forehead in thought. "I'd really like to but…" Anton waited for him to say what he wanted. "I already promised to help someone with a mission. We leave in a week, and the mission might take several more. I already promised to help..." Timothy looked quite disappointed.

"I understand. It is good to keep your word." Anton tried not to let his disappointment show. It was foolish for him to assume that Timothy would have no other engagements. Just because he himself barely knew anyone didn't mean that others wouldn't be busy. That did mean the one he thought was a guarantee was actually out. "I hope your mission goes well for you."

"Can you wait?" Timothy asked. "I know a month can be a long time, but I'd really like to help."

Could it wait? It could… perhaps. But if he waited a month, it might never happen. He could wait a month… then what would another month to break through be? Then he might as well try to get to the tenth star. Another few months, and half a year would go by. The first few months of his cultivation he had no chance of doing anything, but now he could at least determine the full extent of what he was up against and perhaps save a few people. He wasn't going to foolishly think he could challenge a Spirit Building cultivator or two at his current cultivation, but he had leads on weaker individuals. "It is best to not delay so long," Anton said. "It won't be easy to meet up with us, so I wouldn't recommend it. I have no idea where exactly we'll be."

"Alright," Timothy nodded, clearly still disappointed. "Sorry." He waved and continued running laps around the area.

-----

Anton's skin draped loosely around his frame. There was a time his arms had been thick with muscle, and though he was regaining some of that size his skin would still be oversized and wrinkly. However, he was able to change that a little bit. Intentionally tightening up his skin required quite a bit of natural energy, and while not normally a necessary part of the refinement process Anton knew it was necessary for himself. Reforging his body was difficult and sometimes painful, but also quite exhilarating. There was so much more he could do now, with or without energy involved.

He was still harvesting northern creeper. The thorny plant required him to make the most of his manual dexterity as well as his energy control. They couldn't just break off all of the thorns, since those were involved with the absorption of natural energy and thus the growth of the plants. Even slightly pruned plants showed significant decreases in growth. Elder Howland had shown everyone the difference. So while people might complain, it was only the normal sort of bantery way it was done.

Hoyt was working with the plants as well. That was why Anton had made sure to come for the day instead of leaving as soon as possible. He knew he should make some more acquaintances, but it was too late to meet anyone new at this exact moment. "Hoyt. Are you free in the coming weeks?"

Hoyt nodded, "I have nothing in particular. What do you need?"

"Well, I am about to set off on a mission and could use another companion."

"Great," Hoyt said quickly. "I'd be glad to go with you."

Anton held up a hand. "Hold on now. I appreciate the eagerness, but I don't want you to agree to something you didn't mean to. It's not an official mission. It's something personal. No contribution points to be had… and perhaps quite a bit of danger. Though hopefully not the second."

Hoyt shrugged, "You need me though, right? I'll do it. It shouldn't be something completely insane. If you knew we would die, I doubt you would go. Danger can be good training, and either way some travel would be good for me. I don't want to stagnate in place. You said another, who else is going already?"

"Catarina."

"Even better," Hoyt said. "A mission with two of the rising stars has to end up worth it, somehow. I'm sure of it."

"Timothy won't be coming with us," Anton clarified.

"Really?" Hoyt shrugged. "How unexpected."

"He found himself with prior engagements, actually," Anton explained.

Hoyt smiled, "That's alright. I won't change what I said. Even if there's a bit of danger, we'll all keep each other alive. I know you wouldn't ask if it wasn't important for you."

"Yes," Anton agreed. It was important… but he had no clear idea of how much of it was for himself and how much for the others. It could certainly be both… but his mind couldn't sort it all out yet. "We plan to set out in the next day or two. There is one more local thing to take care of on the way. Perhaps we could meet up in Edelhull."

Hoyt nodded. "Just tell me a time and place."

-----

Anton and Catarina stood outside a small dwelling in the middle of Edelhull. Anton just stared at the door, unmoving.

"What are you waiting for?" Catarina asked. "This is the right place."

"I know," Anton nodded. "I just don't know what to say."

"Does anyone ever know?" Catarina asked.

Anton sighed. "No. It never gets easier. But this is even harder than normal."

"Stalling won't help," Catarina said. She raised her hand and knocked on the door. Then she stepped back. "Go on."

Anton stood bravely in front of the door. Why couldn't he just face down a charging boar or something?

The door opened to reveal a woman showing the signs of age. Her hair wasn't fully grey, but she had age spots and wrinkles as well as the general tiredness of older folk. She still had a clear family resemblance, to both her grandmother and daughter and granddaughter. "Yes, who is it?" She looked Anton up and down, her jaw going slack. "...grandpa Anton?" Then she noticed Catarina. "Catarina?" Her eyes flicked between them. "How did the two of you find each other?"

"Fate," Catarina declared. "Can we come in, grandma?"

Ashlyn smiled. "Of course, of course. I certainly wasn't expecting to see either of you today… leastwise yourself, grandpa Anton."

Anton sighed. It was actually much better when Catarina said it. She was so much younger. Then again, he hadn't cared about being old so much before. It was only after things went wrong.

"So, how are things in Dungannon?" Ashlyn asked innocently. The way Catarina looked down and Anton's pursed lips told her some of what she needed to know. "I suppose we best sit down." She led them to a small sitting area. "Should I put on some tea?" She got up to do that very thing, but even when she returned the awkward silence stretched on until Anton finally found some words.

"Disaster struck the village," Anton explained. "I'm one of the lucky survivors, if the others can even be called that. Cultivating bandits from Ofrurg came into the area, killing and enslaving."

"Oh." Ashlyn bit her lip. "I heard about things like that happening out east. I knew it got bad but…" she shook her head. "We didn't send many letters back and forth in so long. When did this happen?"

"Ten months ago, more or less," Anton said.

"Oh." Anton could see Ashlyn found herself uncomfortable. While she wasn't suited to life in Dungannon, that didn't mean her relationship with the rest of the family was bad. Just distant and infrequent. "Who…?"

"Not many made it," Anton said. "I'm the only one to leave of my own will… I was out of town during the attack."

"Can you…" Ashlyn turned towards Catarina, "You joined the Order, right? Can't they do anything?"

Catarina shook her head. "They're from Ofrurg. It's not so easy. Some of the bandits are dead, though. We plan to kill more."

"We?" Ashlyn looked at the two of them. "If they're cultivators, who else? I know you aren't…" her eye looked at Anton.

"I wasn't. Now, I am." Anton declared that flatly. "But I didn't come here just to bring depressing news. I was hoping at least we could share some pleasant stories of the past, and let Catarina hear about what things were like. We only met by coincidence-"

"Fate," Catarina declared.

"Or fate," Anton shrugged. "But I was able to meet her parents. I know a bit about her life, but little about your part… and I'd like to explain everything that happened. Hopefully, more pleasant things than unpleasant."

It wasn't possible to cover decades of events in a single evening, but Anton and Catarina promised to come back. Anton resolved himself that at least Catarina would be able to do so. However, he also knew that meant avoiding trouble to begin with. His eyes and ears would be on constant lookout… and if his goals would lead them into danger they couldn't handle, he would have to change them. Anton wasn't sure if he would have just led himself into death without having to watch out for her. There was no way to know for sure. But now, he had to live and be strong… for more than just those far away.

Chapter 42

Everything had been properly explained to Hoyt before Anton accepted his final agreement. He didn't want there to be any mysteries involved when Hoyt might be risking his own life to help him out, for no specific reward. Anton was still not comfortable talking about the subject matter, but since he was going to do something about it he had forced himself to talk.

Hoyt met up with Anton and Catarina in Edelhull- which was more or less outside the front gates of the Order. From there, they began to head east back along the route Anton had taken months prior.

"Ofrurg, huh…" Hoyt wrinkled his forehead as they walked. "I don't know much about it, having grown up in the west. I grew up hearing about Ambati beyond the borders on the other side. Not quite so nice as Graotan, but a decent place."

"Ofrurg's reputation in the east is certainly far short of stellar," Anton commented, "But we never expected anything to come from there."

"You trusted the Order to protect you?" Hoyt asked.

"That… and we didn't think cultivators would bother us. It's not that we were naive to the ways of the world. In a full century, there was very little trouble. Perhaps the only mistake we made was thinking that it couldn't happen to us." Anton shook his head, "But what would we have done? We heard about other towns being attacked, but we did not look, nor help them. We couldn't have, but beyond a shipment or two of food around the forest, we didn't consider it much. It's quite easy to get used to problems over there and never consider whether we should do something, whether or not it would ultimately affect us."

"It's not fair," Catarina said. "You worked so hard, and they stole everything away. Including… family."

"No. The world is not fair," Anton agreed. "But perhaps we can take advantage of that. Maybe we can make things better than just some arbitrary fairness." Anton laughed mirthlessly, "If we can affect the world at all. Look at us, two young folk on the rise, and an old man trying to hold onto a place in the world."

"You deserve to have a place, Grandpa Anton."

He smiled, "I appreciate the words."

-----

For the first half of the journey, they passed a large number of other cultivators connected to the Order. However, the further they got from the Orders lands, the fewer they encountered. Graotan was wider than it was tall, and they were headed to the furthest corner.

The journey was much more rapid than when Anton had been going in the other direction… even with some delays.

"Good day, sir," Anton inclined his head to a man working in the fields. "We're from the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars. Is there anything troubling your fine village here? Beasts, Bandits?" The Order accepted requests for aid from all of Graotan, but they also encourage their traveling disciples to offer aid, at reasonable prices. Some things people could wait weeks or months for a message to go to the Order and a cultivator to return… but some things were more urgent. A cultivator could earn contribution points at the recommendation of villages, as well. It wasn't the best way to do so, but Anton didn't care. That wasn't the reason. He was simply not able to confine his worries to a small area any longer. He didn't want to delay his current journey, but to pass by something on the way would be a shame.

"Not here," the man said. "But I heard something… up in Helmfirth Rill they spotted some water monster, I think. Usually quite peaceful there."

Anton had hardly realized they'd gone so far. Helmfirth Rill had taken him a week of travel in the other direction, as it was around a quarter of the journey from Dungannon to the Order's headquarters. However, now he was a similar time in the other direction, and not far at all. "I appreciate your time," he inclined his head, "Good fortune to you."

Catarina spoke up when they were further away, "Didn't you save a child from drowning in Helmfirth Rill?"

Anton laughed, "Just barely! I wasn't so far from going down with him myself. I was just at the Third Star, and my body was… still feeling its age. A pleasant town. I hope this water monster is just a scare… or at least that they have avoided too much trouble."

-----

Anton's eyes picked out Helmfirth Rill in the distance, and he once again focused his energy on his eyes. After tempering the organs in his head, he hadn't stopped developing them. It was just an initial boost. All of the practice- especially with eye techniques- kept him growing. Without energy being involved, his eyes weren't as good as when he was young. But he couldn't hope for that. With energy… he saw better than he'd ever imagined possible.

His eyes scanned the bridge- much more sturdy than the temporary setup he'd helped with when he was last around. Past the bridge and then to the south was a small building he recognized. Outside, a man was working in some little garden beds. "Oh, I do believe that's Darryl. I wonder if he'll remember me." Their feet crossed the bridge and turned towards the house. "Darryl!" Anton waved.

The man looked up. It took him a moment, then his eyes lit up. "Well I'll be! Anton, isn't it? You saved my nephew Jimmy in the spring."

"Fortunate timing, that was," Anton grinned. "Is he doing well?"

"Better than ever. And he's taken up swimming. Though… these last couple of weeks he's not been able to."

"Is that the water monster?" Anton asked. "We heard about it in another town."

"That's right," Darryl nodded. "Oh! Pardon me, I didn't notice your companions. I'm Darryl, I'm sure you've heard." He held out his hand.

"Catarina."

"Hoyt."

"That's a strong grip. You work in the fields?"

"Some," Hoyt commented. "It's a good way to cultivate my body."

"I joined the Order," Anton declared. "We'd be happy to help you with that water monster," Anton patted the bow sitting unstrung in his quiver.

"Oh! I see you've gotten yourself a fine new bow. I'm glad. As for the creature, well, it's hard to track down. The fishermen were noticing a lack of fish- and then some half eaten bodies washed past. Fish, mostly, but there was also a bear. Half a bear, maybe." Darryl held his fingers splayed out, hands touching at the wrists. "It must have jaws like this to take out chunks the size we saw. So we've been keeping out of the river. It's more trouble to draw all our water from the well, but people keep spotting a big shape. Mostly upstream, where it runs a bit deeper." Darryl looked over Anton and the rest. "I wouldn't suggest trying to fight it, but if you stay out of the water…"

"I see. We'll ask if anyone else has more information. Do tell others we're in town."

-----

In a place the size of Helmfirth Rill, it didn't take long to speak to everyone. Description of the creature's shape were inconsistent, but it was mostly noticed underwater as a large shape, at least man sized. Someone did have the ribcage of the bear that had previously been mentioned. It had an impressively smooth area of bone missing. Clearly there was something, though how a water creature got a bear… well, they didhave to drink water.

"It doesn't seem like any sort of natural creature," Anton said. "Perhaps a magical beast or something exotic. It's not afraid to attack large prey, and people could easily be next. If not here, maybe further up the river."

"I agree," Hoyt said. "We just have to find it."

"We'll start by looking in the deeper sections of the river, like they mentioned."

Anton had the most experience tracking down creatures. He didn't know what he was looking for, but he knew what he wasn't looking for. Deer and boar tracks didn't matter, though he paid careful attention to them near the edge of the water. He hadn't yet noticed any signs of anything being pulled in, but there was a lot of ground to cover.

"There," Catarina pointed into the river. "The flow is different. Energy and water are all jumbled up."

Anton squinted, trying to make out something in the water. With use of Hawk Eyes he could pierce the murk just enough to see something beneath the bank. Not a moving creature, but perhaps a den of some sort. "Good catch. I thought it was just a rock disturbing the flow."

"Should we set up here and wait for it to return?" Hoyt asked.

Anton nodded, "I think that might be best. Though we don't want to spook it away. I'm not sure if this thing frightens easily at cultivators… but if we simply force it to relocate elsewhere, the problem isn't solved."

"I can conceal us," Catarina said. "I'm getting better at it. At least it should get close before noticing us, even if it's a magical beast."

"Excellent," Anton said. "Now, we just need to keep alert." He looked around. No tracks, even close to its potential lair. He wondered at that. Perhaps it was just fully aquatic.

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