The bestial inhabitants of Yaitis were not necessarily pleased to have people around, and thus they kept approaching the camp. That made things easier for Aconite, since predators were still reasonable to eat. However, it was still annoying. Even if she was above traditional methods of marking her territory, the local beasts would figure it out eventually. It would simply take time for them to learn.

Like this bear. It was what, twice her size? A significant physical advantage, and it was not lacking in cultivation either. No doubt this mother bear thought this territory was hers. Unfortunately the bear couldn’t speak, so Aconite couldn’t correct her the easy way.

A half meter thick tree cracked at the swipe of a claw, Aconite jumping back out of the way. Traditional combat methods weren’t going to work here. Something potent would be necessary… but first, something to soften this woman up. A mess of powder was grabbed out of one of Aconite’s bags, both because it was difficult to be precise with such things and because erring on the larger end would be necessary for such a beast. Instead of spreading it out, Aconite just slapped it with her tail right towards the bear’s face.

Recognizing it as some sort of attack, the bear swiped it away, but that was an acceptable outcome. Much of the powder would blow away, certainly, but some would cling to the paw or scatter into the nearby air.

Aconite dipped her snout into another bag, pulling out a clay container which she crunched between her teeth. Keeping it from spilling out the side of her mouth or down her throat were the hard parts, and she chewed the shards of hardened clay to get the last bits of liquid sticking to her teeth.

The wolf lunged, sinking her teeth into the thick fur at the shoulder but avoiding a troublesome swipe. She did her best to keep her grip, but the bear whirled wildly, flinging her through the air and through the canopy of a tree. Eventually Aconite came down and spit out the chunks of fur in her teeth. She did taste a little blood, and since her teeth didn’t hurt too much it probably wasn’t from that. Good.

The bear stomped forward, not realizing that she was already dead. Aconite just had to keep her active, the poison pumping through her bloodstream, and the mother bear would be down. It wasn’t personal, nor had Aconite threatened her cubs. The mother bear had just overreacted, and that was what she got. At least as a beast she had an excuse, unlike human cultivators.

-----

Since it wasn’t possible to avoid settlements forever, Chidi had scouted out a few smaller ones. Hopefully they would have some information. Unfortunately, while their security was irrelevant, very little was written down in records. So interacting with the villages directly would be required.

That… was not Chidi’s job. So Captain Tiras had come with him. “So,” Captain Tiras said to the village elder. “You want us to kill this ‘Goliath’ for you?”

“Yes. The cultivators in our village aren’t strong enough to deal with it. And because of the conflict, the local sects haven’t been able to hear our request. We would be quite grateful,” the man said. “And we have information.”

“As long as the information is good,” Captain Tiras nodded. “But if you lie to us…”

“Certainly not,” the elder shook his head. His heartrate didn’t sound afraid, though Chidi was willing to attribute that to how old he was. A man who had only achieved Body Tempering in his life would have to grow used to the danger of those who were stronger. “I assure you it will be quite helpful… but we do need the aid.”

“What does Goliath look like?”

“A tremendous bear, the size of a mountain.”

-----

Their hunt took them back to camp where their mission had already been completed before it was assigned. That saved them some work, at least. Then it was back to the village with proof- just the creature’s head was heavy enough. And though it felt like a million steps, it was actually a fairly straightforward trade. Then the information was theirs. A location where Scarlet Alliance soldiers were hiding. They were quite happy to join up with the squad, which technically made the group more than a squad. But they were still led by Captain Tiras.

-----

Sharpness. The sort that made every blade Chidi had ever felt or imagined feel like it was about as sharp as a bowl of soup. The whole world was cut in half, including Chidi sliced into two equal pieces. It wasn’t a long, drawn out process, but rather everything was over in an instant from the recognition of the sharpness to the end.

Chidi jerked awake with a start. A dream. Did it have something to do with Rakiya? Was she coming? He didn’t feel anything, but perhaps it was a premonition. Cultivators got those sometimes. Unfortunately, if they had been found out it was too late. They wouldn’t be able to run from an Integration cultivator, so remaining in their sanctuary was all they could do.

And Chidi wasn’t convinced of that interpretation of the feeling. It felt more real than a dream. Yet strangely his memory now was dull. Distant.

-----

In the morning, Chidi led Ida and other prospective scouts on a short excursion, away from Sieburn. They were already quite some distance away, but getting any closer would open them up to patrols which they were not ready to deal with yet. Chidi could direct people how to hide, but they would learn best if they could do it on their own, perhaps with minor correction.

Chidi was alert for all sorts of dangers. Beasts were the most common, though his improved cultivation made him less afraid. He wasn’t exactly speeding through Essence Collection- it would take a total of three or four months to reach the next rank- but each small improvement meant more at the higher stage. And it also came with a confidence in his path, not for everyone but at least for himself.

There was something wrong with the area around Chidi, but though he trusted his instincts he couldn’t tell what it was. He couldn’t find anything hidden, traps or ambush predators or enemy soldiers. Nor was there any sort of poison or formation that he could pick out. What was it? He felt a vague directionality to it, and generally lead them along that path- though he tried to avoid being too close to the wrongness.

Some of the trainees spotted hiding animals, one of the exercises Chidi had for them. Animals without cultivation blended into the world better, and even if they weren’t a threat to most cultivators it was still good training.

Then it was time for a break. They would likely be returning soon. Then Isa leaned against a nearby boulder… only for it to almost fall on top of her. But Isa, even as an old woman, was still an Essence Collection cultivator. She caught herself and twirled around, weapon in hand. To face off against… just a boulder. Or maybe two boulders, previously one except for the smooth surfaces that now separated it into two.

Chidi’s hair raised up on the back of his neck. How could someone cut the boulder in half with none of them noticing? He approached carefully, taking a look at the evidence. There was no point in hiding- anyone who could do that could certainly cut any of them apart several meters further away.

After studying the marks, Chidi was relieved. At least for their current situation. Someone hadn’t come along and chopped the boulder in half just now. Instead, he determined that it had been cut in half long before- but so precisely that it still clung together until disturbed. The odd part was that the same impossible thin cut continued downward into the earth below. The worrying part was how that same cut continued in both directions for as far as Chidi could sense.

“What is it?” Isa asked.

“Just to be clear, can you see this cut in the dirt?” Chidi knew eyes were very good at distance, and sometimes they picked out small details, but…

Isa shook her head. “I can’t. Not directly, at least. Though along with the boulder, that blade of grass and that leaf…”

Chidi sighed. How had he missed all of that? Flat edges were totally unnatural, and though two random pieces of leaves didn’t seem like a danger on their own, he should have noticed that sort of thing earlier. But now that it was mentioned, he could feel that sort of thing everywhere.

As the squad returned- Chidi wasn’t suddenly going to lead them off on an expedition to find the far end of that cut- Chidi observed how trees were cut in half. Unless he peeled at their bark and prodded them, they didn’t even leak sap where they were technically cut in two. Twigs and debris on the ground had fallen apart, and Chidi couldn’t help but think of someone flying along, dragging a long blade below them. Though an uncomfortable feeling in his gut told him that wasn’t right.

-----

The whole purpose of being on Torthunes was luring the saints into a trap. They had hoped for fewer than three, but three was what they got. And with how things had progressed, Catarina thought they had a pretty good chance of taking out one. Yet she would have happily let them all go, leaving things a stalemate, if she had the option.

It had been more than a month since they lost contact with Yaitis, where Chidi was participating in the war. “We shouldn’t have let him go…” Catarina shook her head.

“I do believe that should have been my line,” Timothy countered. “But we did. And we couldn’t have reasonably refused. Unless we kept him locked up.”

Catarina’s eyes sparkled. “You think that would work?”

“Catarina…”

“We’d only have to do it until he could break out of whatever formation I set up on his own!” Catarina countered. “So once we get him back…”

“Still not a good idea,” Timothy said. “But we will get him back. After we kill a saint or two, to make him safer in the future.”

“Which one do you think would be easiest to kill?”

“The axe. They’re easiest to counter.”

“Hey!” Hoyt yelled from the other side of the war camp.

“This is a private conversation!” Timothy yelled back.

“Not if you’re talking loud enough for me to hear without trying!” Hoyt said as he approached.

“Whatever,” Timothy shrugged. “Anyway, you hardly count. Sure, you use an axe… but you’re no longer refusing to incorporate things like Falling Stars. And my words are still true, especially considering the Harmonious Citadel. Are you saying you wouldn’t have the easiest time taking out Abhilash?”

“Out of the three here? I suppose. Though I’ll admit to not being up for the task alone just yet.”

“Obviously,” Timothy said. “We’re not Augmentation cultivators yet. That’s still a good way off. But… as one of many involved in such a battle, we can target him. If we can get one pinned down by the trap formations and Tauno faces off against Luksa with the morningstar, I think we can manage.”

“And then we can go kill everyone threatening Chidi,” Catarina declared.

“Agreed,” Timothy said.

“Absolutely,” Hoyt nodded, “I’ll never let anything happen to your boy… but we also have to remain here to keep the saints pinned down so they can’t cause trouble there either.”

“That makes sense, unless there’s a saint there too…” Catarina said with a frown. “That would explain how they managed to cut off all communication at once. It would take a team of formation masters, but also overwhelming force.”

“Velvet’s been keeping tabs on them as much as possible… but perhaps it’s possible,” Timothy admitted. “Either way, we’ll have to trust in what we taught him, and in Aconite. We’ll reunite soon enough, you’ll see.”