The flow of upper energy was more like a gas than a liquid, from the way forces other than gravity tended to overpower it to the way it could be compressed. And though they were different in many ways, lower energy tended to act similarly in Chidi’s experience. Of course, he didn’t have much access to lower energy. If he wanted it in any quantity, he would have to separate it from the upper energy. Upper energy was more useful by nearly any metric except for how easily it could be controlled. That was part of the reason it was useful to have objects or materials with lower energy during early training.

He wasn’t certain how long it had taken him to focus on lower energy. It wasn’t actually a decision, but something had happened naturally over the course of time. Still, it had been some years. He didn’t consider his training time before that wasted, but it was certainly less efficient.

A small clearing had been carefully put together with an outer formation that only stopped the flow of upper energy, keeping the area more pure. This was where Chidi would practice, swinging his sword about and observing the way things changed, the vortices and other aspects of turbulent flow. Predicting how it would react in three dimensions seemed nearly impossible… and by normal comprehension, perhaps it was. However, bit by bit he began to gain insights into the flow, and how he could change it.

He flicked his blade, leaving a line of his own energy lingering in the air. This served much the same purpose as formation runes, but if he wanted functionality it had even more exacting standards for length and magnitude. Or he could spend more time carving lingering runes into the air.

He could only keep the form of so many at once, which greatly limited the utility. But if everything went well, he wouldn’t necessarily need to hold onto them. A formation breaking could bring with it a great amount of power… and where it was unexpected, even the most rudimentary formation could throw off an enemy.

Chidi immersed himself in his training, such that any time not spend doing it seemed strange. But he still managed to perform his duties as a scout, because he would always be analyzing the flow of energy around him. Occasionally he attempted to apply his developing technique in battle, though he found that it was usually more efficient to directly strike his opponent.

But he still didn’t find his training to be without merit. If he could develop his ability, he could choose between otherwise equivalent attacks to set up for something greater. And if all else failed, he could still carve up the physical location of the battlefield into a beneficial formation.

-----

It was quite pleasing for Anton to have a disciple want to learn archery from him, even if they wouldn’t ever be an archer. That is to say, their devotion to the form would be merely to the point of proficiency instead of specialization. So when Varghese asked him to teach him archery, Anton was quite pleased.

When he asked Anton to help him develop a special technique, Anton was even happier. And while he already had a technique that achieved the same results, he absolutely understood Varghese’s reason to ask for something different.

An arrow flew from Varghese’s bow to land in the target, then another and another sequentially. Each of them followed the same path and hit the same point, just separated enough to not hit each other. And the fact that he was using actual, physical arrows was why Varghese needed Anton to make something special.

“I do believe you should learn Spirit Arrows as well,” Anton said. “Not only for cases where you run out of ammunition, but to provide versatility to your routine. If your enemy expects you to reach up to your quiver to draw an arrow but you skip that step, you can throw them off. And there are other benefits to arrows that lack physical form.”

Varghese nodded, “Of course, if you believe it will be beneficial.”

“It is unfortunate. I had a bow that would be quite suited to your current course.”

“What happened to it?” Varghese asked. “Did you sell it, or give it to another student?”

“It vaporized in a star,” Anton said matter-of-factly. “It was fully metallic and could be used as a melee weapon. I suppose it might be possible to get you a replica, but the resources might as well just be used for different weapons.”

Having recently lost all of his arrows, Anton was uncertain if he should build up a new collection for special circumstances or forego them entirely. Spirit Arrows were good, but he could admit there were also benefits to physical arrows. And they worked well with the Flowing Lines, the magnetic archery form that Varghese now used. They had different methods to redirect themselves in flight, and as Varghese had shown there was some efficiency to be gained from reusing an already formed path.

Then again, Anton didn’t want to be predictable. Having a set path for his attacks would result in problems. On the other hand, the efficiency per shot was increased and he wasn’t limited to just one path. Perhaps if he could adjust the technique to not rely on strict magnetism and set paths he could gain something.

-----

The Reef of Serenity had inherited its name from a time long past, that much Anton was certain of. It had hardly been serene in the past few decades, even for a moment. Of all the places on In’istra, it was the most contested. It contained not only valuable sea life around the islands, but it was also the main route connecting many regions of In’istra. That was because various sea currents met around it, forcing most travel to enter their domain.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

And yet, those same currents meeting made a zone of especially difficult travel. Anyone who wished to stop in their territory had to be guided through the waters by locals, and their familiarity also made it possible for them to attack passing ships with near impunity, since retaliation was difficult. That was what seemed to be going on above decks, according to Anton’s determination.

As he made his way onto the deck, the captain called out to him. “Honored guest, it would be best for you to remain below decks,” the young woman known as Wangi warned him.

“It appears we are being pursued,” Anton said. “How did they know we were coming?”

“I don’t know!” she snapped, then cleared her throat. “We were… just trying to figure that out. We should have been able to rendezvous with some friendly locals, but we can’t get to where they should be. They’d better not have betrayed us.”

“I don’t believe that to be the case,” Anton said. The feeling of this particular group was somewhat familiar. Not the Twin Soul Sect, but another sect from the upper realms. How they stayed hidden was another question, though that might have the same answer as how they knew this ship was coming.

A massive ballista bolt flew through the air, narrowly missing the bow of the ship. “Honored guest-”

“I do have a bit of cultivation,” Anton said. “I would prefer to assist, since it would be quite inconvenient if the ship were to go down.” Most people would drown, since the wild areas around the reefs would not only crash ships but drown cultivators who would otherwise be able to swim vast distances. But in truth, Anton was more concerned about arriving on a boat instead of flying. That was why he was on this ship at all.

“Fine,” Wangi shook her head. “Just stay out of our way.”

People were scrambling around for their own weapons, as well as manning the sails and rushing for oars below. Oars were surprisingly valuable for ships carrying cultivators, so even those that mainly worked by sailing had some oars to complement them. The issue of water entering the ship was easily solved with simple formations, quite affordable for any serious cultivators. Of course, the same was true for these pirates.

-----

“What was that?” asked a grumpy older captain.

The individual manning the ballista flinched. “I don’t- it seems that my shot missed. It shouldn’t have happened.”

“No. It shouldn’t have.”

“But my predictions-”

“Were clearly inadequate.”

The old man watched as the ballista was loaded once more, and as they were closing the gap the ones further back on deck were fired as well. All of the shots somehow missed the enemy ship either diving into the water, going straight over the decks, or wide of the ship. Nobody even managed to clip a mast or snag a sail.

“Clearly all of you are in need of remedial lessons,” the captain said.

“But elder, they clearly have a formation of some sort!”

“Then take it into account!” he roared. “If you cannot manage something so simple, why did we allow you to become members of the Void Scrying Sect?”

Nobody responded, afraid that they would only provoke further wrath. Unfortunately, their attacks continued to arrive off target.

The elder shoved away the nearest disciple, taking over the ballista for himself. The ship they were pursuing was managing to keep some distance, and now their stern was to the pursuers, limiting the targetable area. But that wouldn’t be sufficient to stop them. The elder poured a good portion of his energy into the ballista, as much as it could handle. The bolt fired with great power, far too much to be diverted. According to his predictions, it should cut through two masts at minimum. Or more likely it would be deflected by the enemy captain, but it would still crash into the deck and cause significant damage.

But instead of either of those, it drifted to the left. Nobody said anything, fearful of what would happen. Until…

“Fire!” one of the disciples yelled from the back. “Fire on the sails!”

“What happened to our defensive formations?!” the elder demanded.

“It seems to have pierced through, elder.”

“In a single shot?”

“Perhaps there is a Life Transformation expert among them?” the disciple said tentatively.

The elder just glared. “And you think I couldn’t predict that?”

“N-no. I mean, of course not, elder. But if they were particularly skilled at hiding their power they might have slipped past our initial impressions…”

The elder turned, then looked up. “Why aren’t the fires out yet?” He didn’t wait for an answer, instead leaping up the mast and smothering the flames himself. It took quite a bit more of his energy than he expected. The flames were sustaining themselves with more than just the fuel of the sails. By the time they went out, there were so many holes those sails would have to be replaced. And the enemy vessel was pulling ahead.

-----

“You can shoot quite a distance,” Wangi commented.

Anton grinned, “You don’t live as long as I have if you cannot learn to keep your distance. These old bones are quite fragile, you know?”

Wangi nodded, but she wasn’t really listening. “I’ve heard of ships going missing in this region before,” she said. “But here specifically it was thought to be captains getting too close to the dangers of the reef. It’s the most dangerous around here, I thought pirates didn’t operate here.”

“Perhaps they were desperate,” Anton said. “I have met some of them before,” he added. “They should be some of those from the upper realms. The Void Scrying Sect, I believe they called themselves.”

“Diviners, are they?” Wangi frowned. “We are lucky to get away unscathed then.”

“No prediction can be perfect,” Anton said. “Do you think the locals will wish to hunt them down?”

“If they won’t, I’ll convince them,” Wangi said. “Can’t have invaders living upon our trade routes.” She looked at Anton. “Can we call upon you if there is another attack? Your abilities could be useful. We could pay.”

“Certainly,” Anton said. “I will help where I can.” He looked off into the distance, beyond the horizon. He would remember that ship. And he would find wherever it went to berth. Disseminating that information to others might be more difficult, however.