Turbulent waters completely filled Anton’s vision. He was unable to really swim, keeping his grasp on the child with one hand and weighed down by his clothes and traveling gear. The two of them surged down the river without direction. Anton vaguely saw or sensed something up ahead and instinctively wrapped himself around Jimmy protectively. A moment later, he impacted a large rock in the middle of the stream. The sudden collision forced air out of his lungs as he only afterwards thought to summon his energy. It wrapped around himself and the boy as they hurtled downstream.

Newly fallen logs and disruptive boulders were all too common, and there were only rare moments when the pair surfaced- and they didn’t have a real chance to breathe. Anton took all of the force of the river upon himself, unable to let a child be hurt. He kicked his legs, struggling to find the surface and a shore.

After what felt like an eternity of darkness and being underwater, he managed to bump into a root overhanging a washed out section of river. He grabbed onto it with one hand, stopping them. He pulled the young boy in his arm out of the water, but he had no expression- nor breath.

Anton didn’t have the flexibility or strength of his youth, but with all his effort he managed to toss the child up onto the shore. He used both arms to drag himself up the root and onto the shore, where he pulled the child further from the river just in time to avoid the bank collapsing further.

Beneath him, the child continued to draw no breath and his lips were blue, but Anton wasn’t done yet. What was the point in cultivating if he couldn’t save even a single child? He pressed down on the child’s stomach, hoping to force him to expel the water in his lungs. It barely seemed to work, and Anton knew he couldn’t afford to waste time. He had to get the water out. Energy was still new and mysterious, but he placed his hands on the child’s chest and gently reached inside with his energy. He could feel the water that filled them, not completely… but far too much. He tried to drag it out, and combined with a small amount of force on the child’s abdomen water spurted out. Then more and more.

A moment later, the child was coughing and sputtering. A good sign, if unpleasant. He stopped shortly after expelling more water, breathing raggedly. With his energy, Anton felt water remaining in the boy’s lungs. He wasn’t sure what problems that might cause, so he once again carefully reached inside with his energy, forming it into a cup with which which he dragged the water until it was outside the boy. His breathing eased somewhat, but he was still freezing.

Anton looked around. He wasn’t sure how far downstream they had gone, but finding which way to go was trivial. He just had to walk upstream parallel to the river, though not too close.

Clearly the exact area wasn’t traveled too much, because in the dark it was hard to pick out anything like a trail. Nearer to the river would be clear… but quite dangerous. He walked with the child on his back, step by step through the rain. If his body hadn’t been tempered, he would have already collapsed long before. His heart and lungs were working overtime to keep up… but while he felt the burn in his lungs as his steps quickened, he was able to continue.

Soon he stumbled upon the buildings of the village whose name he hadn’t yet learned. He knocked on the nearest door, where they seemed to have a fire going. The door opened. “Who are…?” a man opened the door, looking over Anton. Then he saw the boy’s head peeking over his shoulder. “Is that little Jimmy? Come inside! You both look half drowned! More than that, even.”

Anton managed to comply, getting inside the hut and setting down the boy carefully before collapsing into a heap himself. Then his consciousness faded as he felt safety.

-----

When he awoke, he found himself wrapped in a bundle of blankets next to the fire, with nothing underneath. His clothes had surely been soaked through. He sat up, looking around. The man who had come to the door was sitting at a table nearby and noticed his alertness. “Ah, you’re awake!”

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Anton nodded. “Where’s… the boy?”

“He’s alright. I went to find his mother, and he already went home. That was a brave thing you did, old stranger. Lucy and the rest of us are extremely grateful.” The man inclined his head respectfully, “I’m Darryl, by the way. That little Jimmy is my nephew. So, thank you for saving him.”

Anton smiled. “I couldn’t do anything but. I had children of my own, and couldn’t bear to see one lost. Especially if it just exchanged these old bones of mine for someone with youth.” Anton meant that, even though he still had to live to get revenge on the bandits and save his family. That goal was too far off… if he let himself lose his humanity and couldn’t even save a little child, what good was he? At least he knew he still had part of himself, because he hadn’t even thought about it. “I’m Anton Krantz, by the way.”

“It’s good to meet you.” Darryl scratched his head. “Listen, about your things… your clothes will do fine once they dry. The tent too, obviously, and that strange scroll somehow seems fine. But your travel supplies and your bow seem quite ruined. The bow itself snapped in half from some impact in the river. You yourself have some nasty bruises…”

When he thought about it, Anton did notice the pain from those. It was just… not nearly so much pain as he’d felt over the last few months, even just physically. “I’ll be fine. I lived this long.”

Darryl nodded, “You’re a tough old man, alright. Listen, we don’t have any bows that can replace yours here, but we can fill your pack with supplies. Though your travels might be quite delayed with the bridge in the state it is.”

“That is fine,” Anton said. “I can wait.”

-----

The villagers of Helmfirth Rill- that was what the village was called, once he had the chance to speak to them- were all very grateful for Anton’s arrival. A small village like theirs only had a few children, and losing one of them would have been devastating for more than just his family. Everyone knew everyone, so each child was treated almost like everyone’s own.

The flood died down within the next two days, though the drizzle continued over the village- but a sudden flood from the mountains was likely no longer a concern. “Listen, Anton, we appreciate what you did with Jimmy… you really don’t have to…” Darryl seemed to be trying to stop Anton from working on the new bridge, but he couldn’t stop him. He might have been able to physically wrestle Anton to the ground- though it would be close- and he really didn’t want to.

Anton pounded stakes deep into the earth. “I appreciate the concern, but I’ve been working hard my whole life. If I stop now, maybe I’ll just turn into a pile of dirt.” Anton hadn’t built a bridge before, but he’d set up fences and barns many times. He might not have been able to design the bridge, but he could certainly contribute as much as an average man. “Besides, I might as well help speed up the process, get out of your hair a bit earlier. Now don’t go saying I can stay as long as I like. I know you all don’t have too much extra food, especially after such a winter.” Darryl didn’t have much to say to that, just nodding and getting back to his own work.

-----

It took several days to complete the bridge, and during half the night Anton continued his cultivation. Circulating the energy throughout his body really helped with the bruises, clearing them up rather more rapidly. They might still last a week or two, but for an old man like himself the fact that they would ever heal was quite remarkable. Cultivation was an amazing thing. Anton thought everyone should try it, though he had to admit it had been a bit risky at the start.

He was working on the fourth level, where he’d chosen to refine the organs in his head. Basically, his eyes and ears and everything connecting down to his torso. His brain too, apparently, though he had to be careful with that. He’d chosen the next step mostly for his eyes, though now he was down a bow and archery skills weren’t much good without. Still, spotting things from a distance was good.

Soon enough he would move on from Helmfirth Rill. It was enticing to just stay in a small village forever, but they didn’t need him… and he had all of Dungannon to avenge. Or if nothing else, at least he might help others along the way to the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars.