A short message came through one of the communications devices that Aridasa had not used previously. The extras were simply for the sake of reliability, but it seemed there was some intention to use it differently.

It was only a single sentence.

“Ivory Maw Worldbinding cultivators on the offensive. One remains behind. Likely target [Weos].”

The last part had to be interpreted from the different names the Sylanis Cluster had for each place. Based on the lack of communication so far, it was possible they didn’t even know the local name of the system.

The question was whether or not they should trust the message. It could easily be a trap. One that was intended to draw people away from Rutera or to set up an ambush in Aphuna, where the Ivory Maw made their home. By now, the Sylanis cluster must have realized they had only a few truly mobile cultivators. There wasn’t much they could do about that- simply Anton alone wouldn’t have been able to accomplish much. Besides, that might have made them appear to look even weaker, and thus a more tempting target. The enemy could have easily chosen to commit more all at once and then where would the trifold alliance be?

The message was information that Weos needed to hear regardless- though if it was correct there wasn’t much time to exchange information. It couldn’t even be certain that the message would arrive before the Worldbinding cultivators, depending on the timing of various things. Still, it would arrive before any help could, and putting them on a false alert for a few days wasn’t a big concern if the information turned out to be false.

That basically left Anton in the Rutera system discussing with General Nicodemo, Nthanda, Devon, and the Great Queen. The latter was mostly recovered from her injuries, but Anton knew there was still internal damage and that her chitin was not as strong in the replaced areas yet.

“If anyone’s going anywhere, it should be me,” Anton said. “The question is what we’ll do. We can’t leave Rutera defenseless, nor do I imagine we have time to gather a large fleet. The Independence should remain here,” he looked to Nicodemo, who nodded. “Plans for if we think the message is true… we can either reinforce Weos or assault the Ivory Maw’s headquarters. I don’t think we can manage both.”

“Not when either place could have two or three Worldbinding cultivators,” Devon agreed.

“Supporting Weos is safest,” Nthanda postulated, “But they can likely handle their own defense. Striking a proper blow to the Ivory Maw in their own realm should be a great victory. If we can kill any of their three cultivators, their power will diminish. If our hopes are fulfilled, that will make them more tempting targets for rivals.”

“Assuming the message is true,” Nicodemo agreed. “If it is not, we can only imagine there will be an ambush or an attack here. With The Independence, it is tempting to get as much of our own victory as possible… and so far the Sylanis Cluster has not fielded more than two Worldbinding cultivators at once. With the ship and a defensive stance, one more of your level should be sufficient.”

The Great Queen tapped the table to get their attention. Given her size, it wasn’t particularly loud, but she could have managed something if she wished. “I wish to go on the offensive. My royal guard and I could be useful either in an assault on a sect or assisting against invaders.”

“As for myself,” Devon said, “And the question of what we actually believe about the message. I would prefer to go with grandfather. However, I am also well suited for a defensive role here. The question is… what then?”

“I would like to act as if the message is true,” Anton said. “There will be no time to contact Aridasa, though it is unlikely the same option would reach him regardless. No doubt it is destroyed by now, if there was any reason for using a different device to begin with. Stolen seems unlikely to me. Should the report be false, hopefully we can avoid entrapment of the Ivory Maw and pay him a visit.”

“So you intend to go for their base,” Nicodemo nodded. “I would agree with that choice as well.”

“I will also come with you,” Nthanda finally interjected. “If we are to go to their system, I will have no concerns about limiting my new abilities for the sake of the world we fight upon. I wish to test my limits in a practical circumstance, though I understand the danger of such.”

The other cultivators couldn’t really disagree, and without her the offensive force would be rather limited, even if they only had to face one Worldbinding cultivator. After all, fighting or killing one in their own territory was a big step up from doing so on the defensive.

It was only a short discussion to finalize the details- Anton would be bringing only cultivators from Ceretos, taking a few of their ships to sneak into the enemy system. Once there, he would do his best to determine if the words were true. If only one remained- even if it were Bala, the strongest of the trio- Anton was confident she could be killed.

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Along with Anton were members of many different sects. The Order, Fire and Ice Palace, Grasping Willows, and others from the same continent. Then there were members of Marvelous Rabbit Mountain and the Million Sword Vault. Finally, a few from the Exalted Archipelago- the Worthy Shore Society and Hardened Crown Sect specifically. There were some others that Anton had a positive opinion of, but these were the ones with sufficient numbers stationed at Rutera.

All were given the choice of whether or not to go, though none turned it down. Great risks for great rewards was the way of cultivators, and even if they didn’t manage to retrieve anything the alliance could cover reasonable payment for them- or their heirs, if they should perish. Some doubtless would, unless the target area was even more abandoned than indicated.

They were already on their way, their small fleet moving as swiftly as possible. There was some chance that the enemy was already approaching or already assaulting Weos, so depending on what happened there they might not even make it to Aphuna before they returned. There could be several layers of information delay involved.

Anton looked ahead intensely, thinking of Aphuna’s star. It was slightly larger than the others he’d assimilated with, though it didn’t have oddities like Weos star as far as he was aware. He was interested in this offensive for an additional reason- so far, he had only appeared in their own systems and Okloi. Showing up in Aphuna would make them uncertain, though perhaps they didn’t even consider his limitations. The others who were freely roaming had their own circumstances. Devon empowered himself with a concept, with Nthanda and the Great Queen relying more on a powerful body supported by energy in one way or another.

He was debating whether to directly assimilate the star now or wait. Someone had to be able to notice his efforts and thus he could tip them off if he did it beforehand. Waiting, however, meant that he wouldn’t be quite as familiar with the star’s power. He ultimately decided to wait for one reason- he was hoping for a burst of power as he assimilated with the star. For most of them he’d assimilated them from afar, except for his first. He knew he’d made some mistakes the first time, minor as they were… but connecting from up close might provide a short term boost, if he could control it. No. He could control it. He was confident of that- he just wasn’t certain it would happen outside of the first one.

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Aphuna’s star was more of a pulsing blue than a yellow or white like the other stars he’d dealt with- Weos’ star having the strange weight also added a feeling of dark lines from Anton’s perspective. It was slightly larger, but in practical terms Anton didn’t feel it was terribly different. It wasn’t unfriendly or helpful, it just was. As they wound their way through the system, avoiding the orbits of planets, he basked in its feeling.

In a short time, at least from Anton’s perspective, they were close enough to see Keitera. It was… boring. Even as they approached, Anton found nothing of interest on the planet’s surface. He saw only a dull brown light radiating reflected sunlight. As they drew closer he picked out some slight variations of ashy gray, but little in the way of actual terrain. He hadn’t expected much, but it seemed the limited information on Keitera wasn’t just because the Ivory Maw claimed it. There was nothing of interest, as it was a dead planet.

As they rounded it, Anton spotted in its shadow their actual target- the Ivory Maw itself. Perhaps it was once a moon of the planet, though such details had been lost. It certainly held no natural orbit now, remaining relatively closer to Keitera and always in its shadow, blocking it from the sun. As for the Ivory Maw… it was clearly unnatural, its form much like a giant skull. As it had to conform to gravity at given its size, it was mainly round. The ‘teeth’ were likely a mountain range of some sort, at least Anton hoped for that instead of some of the other options. Where the skull’s eyes would be were instead dark voids. Grand formations, perhaps, serving some nefarious purpose. Unlike some sects, Anton could easily say that everything the Ivory Maw did was for a nefarious purpose.

“Get ready,” Anton said, though it was mainly for himself. As they continued to round the planet, he reached out for Aphuna’s star. The process was not a long one, once he had done it the first time, but he still needed as direct of access as possible to the star. He could probably Assimilate with one without seeing it, but that would be an unnecessary strain. Once he was properly attuned, he could draw upon its power relative to his distance from it instead of caring about line of sight, though perhaps the latter might help somewhat.

He felt it flowing into him, another gate of power opening inside of him. He also determined that if he didn’t want it, there was no concern about a burst of power from a star as he first bound to it, not now that he had experience. But he did wish for it, drawing upon the sudden outpouring of power to extend his senses and fire a great flaming arrow, fully impractical in size normally but necessary to rid himself of the power he was drawing in.

The flames weren’t fully tinted blue- for yellow or white stars he still had orange flames- but there were some traces. His presence was already announced as he shot the bolt from the prow of the ship he was upon, but he’d already determined that only one Worldbinding cultivator was within the range of his senses. He could be wrong, which was why he needed the power at his current distance- they could still retreat if necessary. However, his arrow dove deep into the void of one eye and found in the center… a simple crater. Yet one that clearly stored something regularly. As the arrow tore through barriers it ultimately crashed into little of value- a few formation runes at best- Anton noticed fragments of bone littering the area. Was that where Bala’s bone mountain resided?

Before anything else could happen, there was a response from the Ivory Maw itself. The entire thing, all at once. Blood welled up from beneath its surface, pouring into the gaps of its eyes and nose as well as squeezing its way between the teeth. That should be Vaarlam’s power, one of the three Worldbinders of the Ivory Maw. So far, no signs of the others as a blood sea formed on the surface of the moon sized false skull.