The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

According to Gol-4's summary from earlier, Tectusen, the Underground City of Stonehaven, was built as a deep place with a connection to the earth, true to the Divine Stone Clan's namesake. The central palace in the inner region was the most important place in Stonehaven, but Tectusen did not lose out in importance. The place was connected by a variety of underground chambers and systems of tunnels like the one Austin and Erik dropped into.

Oscar observed the stone dragon, tracing his hand across its smooth surfaces. Despite the thousands of years that had passed, this statue remained untainted and untouched until now. If he did not know any better, Oscar would have thought these statues were created just yesterday, not thousands of years ago.

"What incredible statues. They are not made from ordinary stone." Oscar took out a space pocket, one that was empty because the others already had many items within them, and lifted the stone dragon with all his strength, dropping it into the black orb, which sucked it in.

"One for each of us, though once we start fighting when we're out, it's winner take all." Orden put away the other stone dragon and stomped to the entrance.

The doorway, carved from the cavern itself, had a large arch and a closed stone gate with a thin slit and depicted a rough outline of a large mountain whose peak surpassed the depicted clouds. Oscar studied the gate and took a step back, recalling his previous experience with a shut doorway back in Oen Fortress, the same one that put him in the terrible illusion. However, to his side, Orden stepped forward but kept glancing at Oscar in case of an attack and pushed the gate with his large hands.

However, despite the sounds of Orden's strained effort and exertion, Oscar saw the gate had not budged a single inch. He strode forth and helped Orden in his efforts, using Adamasreis to boost his physical power, but the gate remained unmoving. The stone had an immense weight that Oscar had never felt before, not even from trying to push his master, Draven, and his hands held how hard the stone was and that any efforts to break it apart with his or Orden's techniques would be wasted.

"Unbelievable." Orden stepped back from the gate, dusting off his hands. "Even with the two of us, this gate doesn't open. We can try it break through it, but the stone is beyond our power to destroy. What do you think?"

Oscar tapped on the stone gate to try to find a weak point. "My friends went on ahead before you attacked me. They're somewhere in this city."

"The other way would be to dig ourselves out, but there's no telling how far we've dropped." Orden pondered, tapping his hammer armament on the stone gate as well.

'Dammit, do I have to do this?' Oscar cracked his wrists in irritation because of the ramifications of what he had to do. 'But what other choice do I have? I didn't want to show him, but we might be stuck here forever if I'm stingy.' With a sigh, he reached into his space pocket and pulled out Gol-4, much to Orden's dumbfounded look.

"Is that the head of a construct?" Orden found it strange that Oscar would plunder the ruined head.

Oscar ignored Orden's question and stared down at Gol-4. "Gol-4, wake up. We need your help in this place."

In response to Oscar's voice, Gol-4 woke up with a bright blue glow in his eyes and levitated off Oscar's hands with a mechanical hum. Gol-4 staggered slightly but regained his bearing and turned to Oscar. "What help do you require?"

"It talks? And it's still functional?" Orden was shocked and came close to Gol-4, his brown eyes beaming with interest.

"Hmm? Who is this? Where are your two other companions, Oscar?" Gol-4 did not recognize Orden and saw the different uniform he wore. "Is he not an enemy?"

"Temporary allies," Oscar answered.

"Incredible. What sort of craftsman created this fellow? To still be functional despite the damage? Is your core in your head?" Orden poked Gol-4 with his finger, gawking at him like a child in a zoo, containing unending interest and enthusiasm toward Gol-4. "Who are you?"

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"I am Gol-4, once a keeper of the Dragon Vault and servant of the Divine Stone Clan, but now I serve this young Exalt, Oscar." Gol-4 introduced itself with the same flat tone as always.

"Enough, Gol-4." Oscar facepalmed at Gol-4's candid response to Orden. "We're in this strange place which I believe is a part of Tectusen, but this stone gate is closed."

"Hmm. Let's take a look." Gol-4 floated up and scrutinized the stone gate, darting his blue glass eyes everywhere to each carving and making a loop around the arch.

While Gol-4 was in the midst of its analysis, Oscar frowned as Orden approached with a gleaming pair of eyes and a smile across his broad face. With his hand slowly gripping the bulwark, Oscar turned to Orden and asked, "You want to know about Gol-4?"

Orden chuckled as his hand never let go of his hammer. "I am interested. From what I can tell, he's a construct from this realm, so he should have some valuable knowledge that could help my academy's endeavors. After all, you took him out to analyze this gate. I can't simply let you have him, right?"

"Didn't you say winner take all at the end? You can have Gol-4 if you kill me and take him off my corpse. Though, I wouldn't be sure if he'd agree with you and might just keep his mouth shut. I brought him out, freeing him. He owes me." Oscar clenched his other hand in a fist, cracking the knuckles.

"True, but what good is that if the person he owes is dead? He probably wants a new body and to be free, no?" Orden's arms tensed, and his well-defined muscles could be seen through the tears in his uniform.

Silence befell the two as tensions grew. Neither wished to back down and took slow steps toward the other. When they stopped right in front of each other, Gol-4's voice called out to interrupt them.

"I see now." Gol-4's mechanical voice echoed in the cavern.

"You got it?" Oscar did not turn to Gol-4 but kept his eyes locked on the towering behemoth, Orden.

"Yes. But there's a problem. This gate is a specially created blockage that can only be opened by two power streams that lock onto the mountain peak. Where are the conduits?" Gol-4 floated around, scanning the area but found nothing. "Without the conduits, the gates cannot open."

"Do you mean this?" Oscar leaped back from Orden and let the stone dragon statue fall from his space pocket, landing with a loud thud but standing upright on its podium.

"Indeed. Those are the conduits; where is the other?" Gol-4 dropped to the floor, having run out of Ein to float up. Oscar sighed and picked him up while gesturing to Orden to take out his stone dragon. Orden did not make things hard and took out his stone dragon.

"Good!" Gol-4's volume increased. "Now face the dragons so that the orbs face toward the mountain peak, equidistant from each other."

After some heavy lifting by Oscar and Orden, the stone dragons were put to their proper place and rotated toward the gate. Following Gol-4's instructions, they surged their Ein and flowed it into the stone dragons. Suddenly, they heard a loud roar that made their blood run cold and their heartbeats faster.

The Ein concentrated on the orbs in the dragons' mouths, which then beamed out like a dragon's breath into the mountain's peak depicted on the gate. Oscar gazed at the gate, which began to tremble as the engravings of the clouds and mountain began to glow a bright light. Cursing at the familiarity, Oscar turned to Gol-4. "This isn't another illusion, right?"

Gol-4 remained silent for a moment before responding, "It shouldn't be. Probably not."

"What do you mean, probably?!" Oscar yelled at the forgetful golem and tensed up as the light faded. Loud creaking noises came from the gate as the doors flung wide open like a father's welcoming arms. Seeing the opened gates, Oscar stored the stone dragon away and nodded at Orden.

The two walked side-by-side as they entered through the gate. Then crystals of many colors, red, blue, yellow, white, green, and more, began to shine brightly to illuminate their surroundings to welcome them home. Lit up by the crystals, the darkness abated to reveal a sprawling complex of stone buildings with stairs and paths in many directions.

Some of the buildings were oddly stacked atop one another like a delicate house of cards, but Oscar, Gol-4, and Orden stared blankly at the blooming fields of flowers, moss, and vines that covered half of the place. One half looked like an ancient grove while the other a wonderful city of stone.

"This place is one of the many districts of Tectusen and not the entire city. But what a shame that the forest encroachment had reached all the way here. Not a surprise, considering we lost, but still a shame." Gol-4's voice lowered not to disturb anything that may lurk, but the sounds of something skittering about in the buildings alerted Oscar and Orden.

"Skreee!"

Large green spiders with purple vines covering its back fell from the ceiling, letting out a piercing cry, showing their disgusting set of pincers. However, a large set of earth spikes and an exploding silver ball caused them to retreat.

"Still allies?" Oscar asked.

"Still allies," Orden affirmed.

The two wielded their weapons and summoned their animas, charging into the mass of spiders, spreading blood, severed limbs, and vines all over the place.

Meanwhile, Gol-4 remained in a safe spot on the floor.

"This is not right. Tectusen may have fallen, but these creatures should not have become this way." Gol-4 stared at the purple vines that began to crawl on the floor like worms. His blue eyes glowed brighter as his volume increased. "Don't let those vines latch onto you!"

"Huh?" Oscar turned to Gol-4, only to see a purple vine had thrown itself in the air, nearing his face.

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