The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

"Are you a moron?" Oscar's obsidian eyes reflected the light of the glowing foundry district surrounding him, but to Orden, it looked like a piercing gaze full of power threatening him slightly. "I still have to look for one more friend. I don't have time for this."

Orden stared down at Oscar's flat refusal and stared up into the ceiling as if he could see the night sky behind it. "It was short, but we've exhausted quite a bit, and it looks like shorty over there needs sleep."

Oscar followed Orden's outstretched finger, facing Erik with ragged breathing and trembling hands. Even though he could see Erik's Ein had recovered, he could tell Erik was mentally drained, even as an Elite Exalt. Erik must have fought and traveled without much rest while he and Orden had their trek from the first district to the mines. "Erik, are you alright?"

"I can carry on," Erik smiled faintly, a brave ruse not to be a burden, but his pale face and cold sweat told the truth. However, he still soldiered on, walking slowly. "Austin is still out there."

"Fine, we'll rest for tonight. Get some sleep, Erik. We can search for Austin tomorrow; he's not the type of person to die here." Oscar turned to Orden with a fiery gaze and smiled. "Seems we'll get our match after all."

"I am eager to see how you fare against me. A Grade Four with an unsuitable anima for fabricators, yet you have a magnificent hammer specialized for you. I'm curious to know what you can do." Orden bashed his hammers against each other, releasing a bang like an explosion. They fused into one and floated by his side. "Golem, where is the nearest workshop? I can't wait."

"This sounds interesting. As a specially made golem with an in-depth memory and handling of treasures, I'll be the judge." Gol-4 said.

"Quite so driven today, aren't you? But I can't blame you." Oscar took his Reis forged hammer, secure in his vice-grip. "I'm feeling very motivated as well. Lead the way, Gol-4."

"Sorry, but I wouldn't know," Gol-4 stated like an icy blizzard that cooled down both Oscar and Orden's fiery momentum. They both stared at Gol-4 in disbelief and gnashed their teeth. "Wouldn't Erik know?"

However, at this time, Erik had fallen asleep, unable to hold on for much longer. Even when he held the gate shut with his flames, his mind started to slip away, only clinging on due to his will to finish his responsibilities. With Oscar's agreement to rest, he fell asleep instantly without care; for too long, he had gone around while barely resting.

"Seems that he'll be no help," Orden groaned and canceled his Meld Stage hammer, frustrated at this slight annoyance impeding their duel. The foundry was quite large and would require time to find a proper workshop if it still existed here. "What a pain. I'll go search for it."

"That may not be necessary, my large friend." Gol-4 chimed in. "There may be a way for me to find that out."

"How?" Oscar lifted Gol-4 to his eye level, stared into his blue glass eyes, and grunted. "If you had a way, you could have mentioned it earlier. What's with building the suspense?"

"First, it's fun to keep it suspenseful, which makes it more entertaining after thousands of years in the vault." Gol-4 could not chuckle but purposely said the laughter in cold ha's.

Oscar narrowed his eyes at Gol-4. 'What sort of eccentrics were the Divine Stone Clan? Did they purposely make Gol-4 like this? Or is something wrong with Gol-4? Thousands of years is an odd time for a golem to survive, even in an isolated vault. Golems can have memory and directives, but he's too random.'

Not knowing Oscar's suspicions about him, Gol-4 continued speaking, "Try to go up the spiral stairs outside; there can be something that provides information about the district."

"Fine," Orden stepped toward the stairs on the side, taking up the front to fight off any threats because it was his request to duel.

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Oscar took up the rear with Gol-4 tied to his back and Erik over his shoulders and traveled up the spiraling stairs, going higher to the point where Oscar could see the entire district and several bridges that led to other places; some bridges had been destroyed while others were intact. Noting down these locations for later, Oscar turned forward.

They arrived in front of another door, but it seemed ordinary, made of stone and missing the fancy engravings that the other entrances had; however, the sound of a click made them tense up. Warily, Orden kicked open the door and rushed inside with his two hammers. "There's nothing here except for a stone slab."

"A stone slab?" Oscar entered the room, and it had no windows, no openings, only a single stone slab reaching up to his waist. The stone slab was smooth without a single blemish, scratch, or engraving. He regarded it as nothing until Gol-4 started fidgeting on his back.

"You found the stone slab? Stupendous. Take me to it." Gol-4 seemed desperate to get to the stone slab.

"What is it?" Oscar untied Gol-4, but the golem levitated and flew atop the stone slab, landing on it with a thud before he could grab him. Then, bright gold patterns began to shine on the stone slab, starting and extending from Gol-4 until they reached the base underneath. Oscar could not contain his shock, seeing golden energy encompass Gol-4; it was Ein. "What are you doing, Gol-4?"

Orden came up and swung his hammer down on the stone slab to destroy it, but instead, his body was flung into the air by a fierce rebound and smashed into the wall, cracks spreading around. He smiled and said through a mouthful of blood, "Bastard golem."

"Complete. All synced up." Gol-4 uttered strange phrases. "Information acquired."

The stone slab finally settled down as the lines disappeared, and Gol-4 was no longer engulfed in the golden Ein. Oscar swiped Gol-4 off the slab and stared at it coldly; even though Gol-4 had helped him and others out, he still didn't fully trust it, and he made a vow to take responsibility for its actions since he brought it out of the vault. "Explain before I throw you down the mines so deeper that you've never found your way out."

"Naturally, it is hard to trust what I did because of how strange the situation became, but I will not lie and tell you that this stone slab is information."

"Information?" Orden got off the wall; a huge chunk had fallen and scattered as rubble. He cracked his back and neck, shouting his frustrations in a mighty roar. "It better be good information, or I'll do what Oscar said."

"The stone slab is a special slab that looks unassuming to all and can only be activated by someone with relations to the Divine Stone Clan. I'm shocked that it is still here despite the invasion of the Forest Heart Clan." Gol-4 levitated back to Oscar's arms. However, Oscar did not look too happy at Gol-4.

There were too many suspicious points about the stone slab and Gol-4's involvement. The idea the Forest Heart Clan wouldn't know about its importance and take it away seemed highly inconsistent with how thoroughly they ransacked Stonehaven. But the key thing that itched his mind was the strange click.

'The room was empty except for this stone slab, but the click was too distinct; it couldn't have come from some random pebble. Not to mention that this room is too clean, not even a hint of dust, let alone a pebble.' Oscar clenched harder on Gol-4 without realizing it. 'What the hell are you? Why were you locked in the vault and not taken?'

"The stone slab communicated the layout of Tectusen." Gol-4 stated.

"Truly?" Orden stomped forward. "That means you know a way out."

"If the way isn't blocked, I can lead us to it. But we are resting now, and you wanted to go to a workshop for your competition. I can see Erik is still fast asleep."

Erik's loud snoring filled the room from Oscar's shoulder. The irritating sound forced Oscar away from his thoughts, and he decided to put them away for later; if Gol-4 did have a secret, he would have to figure it out after leaving Tectusen. Right now, he had to focus on this maniac, Orden. "Lead the way, Gol-4."

"I shall direct us to your destination." Gol-4 gave out directions while Orden pestered Gol-4 to join him instead of Oscar but was flatly refused each time. Gol-4 had chosen to stick with Oscar for some reason, and Oscar couldn't believe Gol-4's explanation anymore.

"Here we are." Gol-4 had them stop in front of a large stone building with the sigil of an anvil on the gate.

Orden did not handle the doors roughly this time, showing proper respect for the fabricators who worked here long ago. His hands gently pushed the doors and unveiled the workshop; many anvils lined up with kilns and furnaces. Orden took out his hammer and tapped on each anvil to assess them.

"Some are good, but the rest have cracked inside," Orden said as he started the flames in the furnace and kiln. Holding his hammer toward Oscar. "I, Orden Aesn, challenge you to an armament creation contest."

Seeing Orden's serious pair of eyes and flat lips, losing his smile, Oscar gripped his hammer and sweat from the pressure. Orden was undoubtedly a genius fabricator. "I, Oscar Terr, accept. Let's see who learned better from their masters."

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