Chapter 147
The battle wound to a close as the cultivators of the Temitope n surrounded the overlord. While it did not go down easily, it was overwhelmed by numbers and power. Each small wound became more significant as the course of the battle stretched on.
It made onest move, frantically dashing forward towards <em>something</em>, but matriarch Afi nted herself firmly in front of it, driving her spear into its heart, nearly burying her arm in its chest. The creature continued running, carrying her for several dozen meters before burying its head in the ground, digging up chunks of dirt. However, its movements were sluggish- and it copsed less than a minuteter.
Just because the battle was over didnt mean that people could sit idly. Begin dismantling! Matriarch Afimanded. See if we can find whatever this was protecting in this region.
Alva had an answer for that immediately. I think its the potato thing. She gestured to one of the deepest gouges in the ground, which revealed some already-chewed tubers. They werent exactly potatoes, but another sort of root vegetable. It wasnt one that Ambati had a word for, though theypared it to some of their simr products.
As for determining if this was something that a beast overlord of a region would want to protect, that was simple. Once they dug some of it up they could feel how much energy was packed into the nts. It wasnt just a single root, either. It was clearly arge nt that the overlord had been tending for a while, eating from it to grow to its terrific size. It was impossible to say how much there had been at one point or exactly how long it took to grow, but as they started digging it out they found hundreds of kilograms of the bulbous roots.
While the defeat of the beast overlord had calmed the creatures in the area somewhat, the unearthing of the tubers and the scent of the overlords meat had clearly drawn more attention. The process of parceling pieces of the beast and the roots to people to carry was almost as frenzied as the battle preceding it.
The Temitope n had ess to some magic bags, but the sheer volume and weight of what they had to carry was too much for just those. In the end, most of the warriors carried a hundred or two hundred kilograms of meat or tubers. A smaller portion of the burdens were the bodies of their own fallen. They were already leaving the area within the hour, making their way back towards Tailoga and the Temitope n. Though some beasts curiously watched them, none were brave enough to attack therge organized group of warriors. Likewise, the other two ns avoided making any attacks.
The trip back took slightly longer than a normal days travel because of the extra weight everyone had, but they didnt stop even after dark. As they grew close to Tailoga they almost rxed, but Ayotunde reminded everyone that this was the final chance for them to be ambushed. Only when they arrived at the gates of the n and were met by familiar faces could they finally rx.
But just because all of the warriors basically copsed into heaps didnt mean that the activity was over. Matriarch Afi wasnt done yet. A feast for everyone! she dered. Set aside a portion of the tubers to be ntedter. We shall feast on the overlord and the target of his protection! We celebrate victory! More quietly, she instructed the cooks to make sure both were edible. Boars could have all sorts of nasty parasites, and powerful specimens might have even nastier things inside them. Most tubers were safe to eat, but eating mysterious ones that stored energy without at least checking was downright foolish. It was just that saying that in front of everyone would be a bit of a downer.
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The feast actually took all night to prepare- however, the cooks of the n threw together some quick food to tide over their starving warriors while they waited. Technically they could just eat rations they had with them, but that wasnt a proper way to treat anyone after a great victory.
Extra seats were prepared for their fallenrades, though the food would of course be consumed by those present in body. The entire n was involved in the feast, with guards on the walls being rotated out to keep some modicum of safety.
Anton looked at the bowl of stew in front of him. The primary ingredients were the boars and the tubers theyd found. Even the leafy tops were used in the stew after being tested by the cooks. The number of other ingredients were small, just a few spices, but upon smelling it Anton understood why. The meat of a beast overlord was like nothing else he had ever smelled, though that wasnt nearly so pleasant before it had been cooked.
One sip of the soup told him that the cooks were right to keep things simple. It was extremely rich. The meat was quite tough, but nowhere near as much as it had been. The effort of chewing through it paid off, as the vor was amazing. The tubers were soft and absorbed the vors around them perfectly, releasing them as he bit into the chunks. Anton felt himself being fortified as he ate. He wondered if it was a bit rude to activate the Vessel of Insights in such a scenario, but he kept it limited. It would only absorb stray energy that wasnt going to be made use of regardless. As for the insights, he felt some of them pouring in. Even as he consumed the stew, memories of the battle flooded into his head. Very few true insights were among them, but a few. No wonder rich cultivators sought out powerful beasts for raising their pampered children. It would be so easy to grow strong with meals like this every day.
Fuzz! Alva chastised. Paws off the table. She took the bowl and put it on the floor. It wasnt that he couldnt reach it on the table, as he was quite tall enough but he couldnt help but want to look around more.
Nobodymented on their being arge wolf in the area. Those who had been involved in the battle appreciated his presence, and the others simply went along with the whims of their matriarch. No point in stupidlyining and maybe being kicked out of the feast.
The feast continued for some time, until a tremendous sound rang through the ns property. What was that? Matriarch Afi asked as she stood.
Just the formation, Catarina casually finished chewing a bite of food. It should hold on its own for a few moments at least. Though we should probably go check it out.
Catarina, Ayotunde, Tshering. With me.
Anton waited patiently as they left- and quickly returned without Catarina and Ayotunde. The sound of several more attacks rang out in the intervening time.
Matriarch Afi was quick to speak, but ultimately looked unconcerned. All of those who are capable of attacking at range, please make yourselves avable on the walls. We will also be rotating out people to provide energy supporting the formations.
Tshering grabbed a giant bone from the boar. Bones often softened when cooked, but for something of that size merely boiling overnight wouldnt have an impact. He tapped it into his hand like a club, with an impressive sound. The other two ns think they deserve a portion of the prize. So we thought you should all just finish eating it. Meanwhile, well go bat them around a little bit.
After beginning Body Tempering, Antons appetite had grown significantly. However, it wasnt enough for him to need the massive quantities of food that had been ced before him. He was mostly still eating because of the wonderful vors and not the hunger. Thus, stopping himself was simple enough. The younger warriors who had strong ability to attack at range looked a bit reluctant to go, but theyd had a full feast by any standards already.
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At the walls, Anton saw the patriarchs from both the yinka and Mwangi ns. Theplement of warriors they had with them was not astoundinglyrge, since it seemed they didnt have any of the more injured warriors with them. A wise choice, because Anton would have dly shot them. As far as legitimate cultivationpetition went, everything was over. The Temitope n had sessfully retrieved their target, and now their home was being attacked.
Based on how he felt the formations straining, it could be quite a danger. Except the strongest people who were causing that strain wouldnt be able to maintain that level of attack for long. Especially not when they were distracted.
Matriarch Afi and Tshering leapt down from the walls, as well as some of the elders of the Temitope n. They were all of the ones strong enough to protect themselves away from the walls, while the rest stayed up above, attacking or simply sustaining the formation. Catarina and Ayotunde were in thattter category, Ayotunde not because he had much to do with controlling formations but simply because of his ability to provide energy, like many of the others.
Anton was one of those who would be attacking. While he had gone through a great battle then run for hours to return to safety, the meals since then and the short time everyone passed out before the meal was ready in the morning was enough to invigorate him. He was feeling great, and while he could see that the patriarchs at least had replenished their energy they werent quite so fully refreshed.
As he shot arrows down below, Anton noticed that some of the mercenaries from before were missing. The other parts of the wall hadnt raised any rms, so it was unlikely they were making an attack from elsewhere. Instead, it was more likely their contracts didnt extend to attacking another n. The Orders contract didnt either- but they were <em>defending</em>, which was quite expressly covered. Far be it from them to go into another country and kill people in their own homes, but they would dly defend those they were working with.
It quickly became clear that the difference in recovery was great. Standard medicinesmonly avable just werent quite the same as boar overlord and what amounted to a natural treasure he was defending. The defensive position was an advantage as well, because it was possible for people to retreat to the walls if they were hard pressed. The formations were able to prevent any attacks from reaching them, with the patriarchs upied and the power being reinforced by rotating members of the n.
Though he wasnt able tond a single blow on either of the patriarchs, Anton began to focus most of his attention there. Because even if he couldnt hit them, the way that they dodged informed him on how he needed to improve. Did he need to be faster? More urate? More flexible in where his shots went? Of course, it was some of each. His shots didnt do <em>nothing</em> just because they were avoided or extremely rarely blocked. Each distraction from him meant that the real threats were more able tond a telling blow.
Such was the case when Elder Tshering found an opening to swing his improvised mace directly down on the head of the yinka patriarch. Actually, the patriarch blocked with his sword- but surprisingly Tshering let him cut through the bone and simply relied on the momentum of the top third to impact the man in the face. The blow was mostly a surprise, but in that moment, Tshering managed to kick him in the chest hard enough to send him flying two dozen meters, with a much more satisfying crack. And stay out! he gestured angrily. Unless you all want to die here.
The mercenaries certainly didnt and the lesser n members were already edging away before the patriarch gave leave to retreat. Anton was ready to keep shooting before Afi held up a hand. We can deal with the rest of that on our ownter. The strength of our n should increase from this feast, and we can leverage our current health.
Anton nodded. It made sense that theyd want to continue without outside help. Otherwise, their strength might be doubted. As Anton was heading back, he realized he still had the Vessel activated. It hadnt been at full power, but as he opened it up he saw a few longer golden strands of insight. He wondered if they would be useful. They werent a recement for his own training, but they were certainly a nice supplement. He was also able to help his allies grow, one small step at a time. Nothing that allowed them to leap over cultivation stages, but he still found himself quite fond of it.