Chapter 774


    No, we cant just <em>cut off everything else</em> and rece it, Engineer Uzun said.


    Are you certain? Chikere asked. Id keep my head of course. But if everything can work like this arm


    First of all, I have to stop you there. Because if you treat everything like you treat this arm, youll run into some real issues. Doctor Escarra and the rest of the team performed a miracle just to rece your arm and frankly its another miracle that it held up here. You pushed this piece of technology to the very limits of what it could do without falling apart.


    Thats how youre supposed to use things, Chikere said.


    No, it isnt. Because trouble doesnte only at the breaking point. Unlike your own body, you might not feel it straining but-


    I can feel it, Chikere interrupted.


    Uzun sighed. Of course. And just like your flesh, you didnt care if it copsed.


    I care, Chikere objected. Why do you think Im here to be fixed?


    Uzun shook his head. If you cared, youd probably stop things before you took permanent injuries.


    There was nothing I could do, Chikere said defensively, I was restrained.


    Indeed, Engineer Uzun replied. From that point on, whatever you had to do to escape was necessary. But things didnt have to get to that point, if your path had gone differently.


    Chikere frowned, I dont see how it could have. There was no possibility of me defeating that woman.


    You could have not fought her. Not run off into enemy territory alone. That alone shows reckless disregard for the work of my colleagues in the lower realms. And a few who might be ascending soon, actually. In short I dont think we will be repairing you.


    Oh, Chikere said. I understand.


    -----


    No, Grandmaster Sadiq said.


    But its easy! Ill jump into the furnace or drain my blood into a bucket or whatever you need. And you can make a really good sword, Chikere said. It has to work right?


    In normal circumstances, Sadiq said, The life of a swordmaster offered willingly may indeed create a peerless sword. But what would be the point?


    Well, then Chidi would use it.


    I dont think he would, Sadiq said. And such a de would likely be extremely disobedient except to its intended recipient. Furthermore, for a de to reach peerless power would require the life of a swordmaster. And you have already said that you are no longer one, correct?


    Chikeres jaw dropped. Oh no, her head hung. Im no longer even worth anything as materials.


    Sadiq shrugged. I wouldnt say it quite like that. But its not untrue either. So until you regain your status ande back with the acquiescence of your apprentice, I wont be forging you into a sword.


    So she couldnt even die like she wanted. How unfortunate.


    -----


    On the floor in front of Chikere sat a carefully ced sword. Shed had to get it from someone else, because like a logical cultivator shed brought everything she owned with her. After all, she was only supposed to be able to lose it all if she died. And to be fair, shed lost everything relevant before anyone took away her storage bag. All it had was a pile of wealth and other garbage. But that money would have been convenient, currently.


    She carefully reached forward with her left hand. Her fingers could barely tighten around the hilt. She shuffled one knee onto the sheath to keep it still as she drew the de. She looked at it, reflecting her distorted face. This sword was it was


    Her right hand moved almost without her permission. It was much more responsive than the rest of her body, so she didnt really have time to stop it. Nor did she have the will. It snapped the sword in half, relieving the pressure in her stomach.


    Chikere tossed the broken sword away with all her might, causing a twinge in several points along her arm and all along her left side as she moved. Dammit! the sword nked off of the wall, not even causing a scratch. That was even worse than the pain. I cant even damage things any more.


    She looked down at the half de by her side. It wasnt a sword like this, but it was still sharp. But as a not-sword, it wasnt so bad. She reached down for it, tracing her finger along its edge. It was certainly sharp. It easily drew blood with her simple motion.


    Red liquid began to drip down, and she pointed towards the wall. Something pierced a hole in it. So, the question was had that been a sword, or was it not? Because she honestly didnt know. She only knew that using her own blood didnt feel too bad. But also that it was weak. Like her. Far too weak. In her shame, she almost didnt feel her apprentice approaching.


    Grandmaster-, Chidi called out. But her re interrupted him as he felt it. Chikere. Breaking things and injuring yourself wont help you.


    How would you know? Chikere asked.


    Because I learned from you. And you told me to only get injured with a reason.


    There might be a reason, she said.


    Chidi shook his head. That makes it sound like you dont have one. Anding up with er isnt good enough. Come, you should focus on recovery.


    I cant. This is as good as it gets, Chikere held up her barely functional arm. And my energy was fully centered around swords, anyway. So like this, what can it even do?


    Chidi spread his arms wide. I think that is what you should be finding out. You survived a battle with a powerful cultivator. Maybe the sword arts have rejected you, or perhaps you have rejected them. But I dont believe the master who taught me would let things end there. Perhaps you will recover your affinity or perhaps you are meant to seek out another path. The younger man paused. Not formations though. You sense energy just fine, but youre too straightforward about how you like to manipte it.


    -----


    Hello! Mister hippo! Three Squeaks yelled at the river. A head turned towards him and the thoughtless eyes disregarded him. Three Squeaks sighed. This was just another big hippo full of natural energy. Not one possessed of sapience. At least they didnt want to eat him, and wouldnt stomp or crunch him if he stayed out of their territory.


    Arent you supposed to be able to tell the difference? the eagle Echoing Cry said from atop a nearby shrub. Are you really just nning to scurry about yelling at them one by one?


    Yes. Do you have a better n?


    You could fly and spot them from above, Echoing Cry said. If you could fly.


    Not yet, unfortunately. Wanna carry me?


    No thanks, the eagle said. Youre far too heavy to carry about if I dont get to eat you.


    Three Squeaks snorted. You know, we dont have to foster the growth of those field mice


    Ohe on, Echoing Cry cawed. You know it was a joke.


    Yeah, well, how about I eat <em>you</em> instead? Three Squeaks said, opening his mouth wide. Pretty sure I can digest bird flesh.


    Fine, fine, I wont mention it. But I still dont see what you want from us. Besides not attacking you, which was probably going to be the case anyway with you all getting stronger.


    We need to n. To be stronger. Meerkats and warthogs arent enough. Were not strong enough individually, or as a group, or all together. I saw a lion, you know.


    Okay? You know lions dont bother eating meerkats, right?


    They could though. And with us having more natural energy, it might be worth it for us to try.


    So stay pathetic.


    Then we just get eaten by you. Or other eagles. Maybe even <em>regr</em> eagles, Three Squeaks said. And perhaps eventually well be as strong as Anton. But in the many many years between now and then, we have to survive. So we build alliances. Youll want our help too.


    I still barely see how.


    We can get into ces you cant. Catch snakes thate for your eggs. The warthogs can smash open rocks, even. And what if some bigger eagles want to eat you? Can you beat them without help?


    Maybe with a bow. Or an ally carrying a bow.


    Exactly! Three Squeaks dered. Were not the only ones who can think. And we dont have to settle for just surviving. Personally, Id rather work together with everyone. Other meerkats are at the top of that list, but we cant do everything. We cant even make bows yet. Though Anton <em>was</em> helping them develop their own crafting techniques. The simplest things involved shoring up the walls of their burrows so they could haverger chambers. But they were also developing other tools to supplement their own ws.


    There were also ns to put stuff on the warthogs too. They could dig stuff up with their snouts and tusks, but they didnt necessarily like getting their nose in the dirt. So nose guards. Anton had also mentioned armor, which involved finding things that were stronger than your own flesh and putting them in the way of injuries. Three Squeaks was going to get something made of lizard scales once they could work out the methods. But they really needed tools, and tools to make tools, before they could do much else.


    -----


    Three Squeaks came upon Anton working with fire. That wasnt abnormal, but usually it wasnt so intense. And he also didnt usually do it in a hole in the ground. What are you doing? Three Squeaks asked.


    Smithing. Sort of, Anton shrugged. Since many of you practice the fire element, Im testing to see at what level your natural energy will substitute for proper fuel. Its probably a bit beyond you currently, and youd have to make a forge, he gestured around him to the hole in the ground covered in rocks and fancy dirt. This might not be the best arrangement, however. Unfortunately, I didnt learn from anyone who wasnt already in an established environment. But all of you are figuring things out yourselves pretty fast anyway. Anton stood and stretched, Maybe you need less of this and more investment in body tempering. Eventually those ws of yours wont be enough. Especially since theyre not really for shing, but digging.


    Its a lot of work, Three Squeaks said. Spending many days to grow nts that we dont always eat ourselves. But then I eat bugs that eat the nts and I realize that its all worth it.


    Antonughed, Thats something we humans should do more of. Some of us can unnecessarily limit our diets. Im d you all arent too upset about your fields being eaten.


    It makes tasty food. I cant wait for the scorpions to grow big and juicy. But they have to eat <em>other</em> things that eat the nts. Its less fast? Three Squeaks pondered. For not as much more energy.


    It is less efficient, Anton agreed. Though ultimately, ites down to how much you can really eat. And how much energy you can handle. At least, with how things are going none of you meerkats are going hungry.


    But then we have more children, and need more food, Three Squeaks said. Spring will be trouble.


    That is where you have to learn restraint, Anton said. Thats something the Great Queen is surprisingly adept at, to be honest.


    If she wanted to, she could probably establish a new colony every week or two. And with the intelligence of the void ants and her mobility, they could have sewn themselves all over the already. And maybe there were ns in ce for such a thing eventually, but she had only <em>actually</em> established one small colony in the same section of forest as the leaf and stick bugs Anton had found.


    More exposure to them had made Anton realize they werent two rted groups, but rather they were somehow a single species that produced both fake leaves and stick forms, which was surprising as they were vastly different. Theirmunication abilities were still being studied, but Anton saw the intentionality of the two forms working together. The Great Queen was expecting to contact them first, as she would be less alien, at least. And quite a bit closer to their own size. Though Anton couldnt really say that void ants were really close to the stick creatures, despite technically being insects.


    As for somewhat closer creatures there <em>were</em> a few hippos. Powerful creatures, capable of eating huge swaths of nt matter in a short time. Three Squeaks hadnt found the sapient ones yet, but he would soon. And it was better for him to put in the work than for Anton to simply point them out, especially since there wasnt a rush.