The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

"Becoming a Greater Elite Exalt is an exhausting task. Fortunately, you have a good amount of resources left." Gol-4 nodded as Oscar unstrapped him from Erden's head.

Erden went over to the beast cores pile and started eating them. It didn't matter which ones; it just ate them without reserve. Oscar stared at his own paltry pile of resources, a far cry from the original collection five years ago. Devouring raw resources was not the most efficient, as Gol-4 put it.

Some Ein tore through his body or disappeared into a puff of smoke, dissipating into thin air. Oscar held his ataerstone, unable to thank his master enough for providing it. With it, he managed better than a person would usually handle raw Ein. However, through an advancement, his core would swallow everything until it finished.

"I built up to this for five years, Gol-4. Even if it doesn't work, our only option is to venture out." Oscar started by eating several golddew figs; his body trembled and reddened from the vast Ein. He closed his eyes and tapped into his core, seeing Demon standing by with a cold expression.

Ignoring Demon, Oscar roused his core, which pulsed and started beating like a heart. Without warning or indication, his core flared and became like an endless whirlpool, sucking in all of the Ein. Clutching the ataerstone tightly, Oscar poured much of the rampaging Ein to quell its destructive nature, lessening some of the wrecking burdens.

'It's not enough!' Oscar chewed on the bitterest roots and plants, ate and drank most of the other fruits, and drank the remainder of his saved Ein Amassing Elixirs. With this, he was emptied and drained of all his gathered resources. He shuddered at the thought of failure and rallied himself to withstand the storm brewing inside him.

The Ein kept flooding into his core as his Elemental Spark drank of its sweet nectar like a greedy animal. Oscar paled, sweating all over with bloodshot eyes. Blood trailed from his orifices, and he roared, expelling dangerous Ein all over the cavern as the ends of his hair stood up.

"Come on!"

With a final shout, Oscar condensed everything into his core. It stopped rotating as if something held it in place and burst with light, turning the dark inner world into a world of light. Demon squinted his eyes and shielded himself from the flood.

Oscar stayed silent with his eyes closed. He breathed in and out, noticing how different his body had become. Slowly his eyes opened, taking in the sight of shattered boulders and collapsed walls. Right outside were Gol-4 and Erden, who had escaped before the outburst which followed his advancement.

Advancement…Oscar stood up and stared up through the hole in the ceiling. He had finally advanced. At last, he became a Greater Elite Exalt. Happiness? Sadness? None of those emotions welled up in him. He couldn't celebrate until he escaped this place and returned home.

"I'm one step closer. Wait for me, everyone." Oscar stretched his body and cracked his joints.

"Congratulations, Oscar. I would cry if I could shed tears," Gol-4 said. Although the head could not cry, the pride in its voice was enough.

"You old golem. How many people have you seen before? It's only an advancement into Greater Elite Exalt, nothing compared to a Primaere." Oscar chuckled.

"It's different. I may have known many during my time, but you're the first one in thousands of years. Can't an old memory of an old man be sentimental?" Gol-4 laughed and bounced himself atop Erden's head. "Will we be heading out now?"

"No."

"No?" Gol-4 was so shocked he forgot to keep up his levitation and dropped to the floor, clattering on the rubble. "Why no? After all the rants and curses over the years about being unable to venture out, you say you're not ready to go?"

"We still have one more," Oscar pointed to Erden. "One more person to wait for. If we're going as a team, we should do it right and together. How about it?"

Erden bleated and skipped its hooves. Oscar patted Erden to calm him down, smiling as he rubbed its white fur. He lived together with Erden for five years, enough time for them to grow closer together. His hand felt a scar on its back, and Oscar turned away with an awkward face. They fought numerous times, and this scar resulted from his carelessness in holding back.

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He owed it to Erden to wait until Erden was ready to go the long distance across Ashen Grove. So far, Erden had avoided danger by staying low and not straying too far from its home. Oscar wished for his new friend to walk fearlessly with him.

Thankfully, he had killed so many beasts and collected so many cores. Erden had whittled down his supply. It was fascinating to see how Exalt Beasts ate the cores and grew stronger from them. Oscar spilled out another small pile of beast cores, all Middle Elite Exalt beasts, as Erden already ate all the Lowers.

"You're almost there. These cores should be enough. Now feast!" Oscar shouted. He sat by the cave's entrance, watching Erden eat the cores.

Erden swallowed the last core and started to huff. Steam hissed from its white fur as its grunts grew louder and more strained. Erden growled and bashed its antlers onto the cavern walls. With blood bursting from new wounds on its body, Erden fell on its back, writhing from an evident intense agony.

Oscar witnessed the procession, unable to understand what was happening. Bones broke, echoing in the small cavern. Several more cracks followed like a cascade of noise. Erden became ablaze with a burning teal Ein which continued to emanate a rising pressure.

Erden stamped its hooves on the ground in a final slam which blasted the flaming Ein into nothing. It turned toward Oscar with a powerful gaze, releasing the presence of a Greater Elite Exalt. Moving closer to Oscar, it lowered its head with a grunt, and Oscar cupped its head and knocked its forehead with his own.

"Well done, Erden," Oscar said. Erden had grown a size larger with more branches on its larger antlers. The crystal hooves were also bigger, leaving deep footprints in the dirt.

"A double advancement. I am happy to see so much happening. Now, Oscar, are we ready to set out?" Gol-4 faced toward the vast forest which blanketed the horizon.

"You're the one who told me to wait for years, and now you're the most impatient. How in the world did any of your wives put up with you? They must have complained about your backtracking." Oscar laughed as they exited the cave, closing his eyes to the fresh forest air.

"Before you mock my marriages, get married yourself and come back to me with some advice. Though, I have many years and many marriages on my name over your resounding zero." Gol-4 insulted back.

"Right…we need to get out first." Oscar mounted Erden. "Alright, Erden. We trained for five years. Can you handle this? Let me know if you want to stop."

Instead of Erden's expected grunt or stomp, Oscar felt the air rushing through his ears and hair as Erden went into a ferocious charge into the forest. Erden was too excited, judging from its trembling back. Oscar patted Erden several times to calm it down.

"Phew! Erden, don't be too rowdy. We have to be careful on this journey. Gol-4, which way to the former location of the portal?" Oscar took out the map, feeling a bit cold from the breeze. All he had on him were the tattered pants that somehow survived these long years with him.

"I've looked at the sun's path for so long to get a general idea of our location. Tectusen and Oen Fortress lie to the west, if my memory serves correctly. Sorry, but can you pick off the leaves stuck in my head?" Gol-4 said.

Oscar cleaned Gol-4's head, removing the twigs embedded in the cracks on his head. He stopped his hands when he noticed the cracks had grown slightly bigger since the last time he saw them.

"Anything wrong, lad?" Gol-4 asked, confused.

"Nothing…just take care of yourself." Oscar strapped Gol-4 to his shoulder to let him get a good view. Golems couldn't last too long unless placed in a special chamber where he assumed the Cleaners and Bronze Ape were resting during the idle times between openings due to how pristine they looked. Gol-4 had persisted for so long by himself in the treasure vault. Since Gol-4 was out now, the age was slowly catching up to it.

'How much longer can he last?' A chill traveled down Oscar's spine. Would he lose Gol-4? He reflected on the five years together. Several times when he felt it was getting hopeless, Gol-4 encouraged him.

"Hah, take better care of yourself, Oscar. I am still able to go on for many more years. Let's travel and see what became of Stonehaven. We'll find the portals and get you home!" Gol-4 shouted right beside Oscar's ear.

Oscar smiled while rubbing his ear. It was this. Encouragements like this never failed to liven his spirits. He patted Gol-4 and Erden with a bright expression, renewed and determined.

"We're quite the unusual trio. It sounds like a joke in the making. A Golem, a beast, and a human walked into the forest. Actually, it sounds more like a good story in the making. Children go nuts for such interesting premises." Gol-4 said.

"You can write it with your nonexistent hands." Oscar kicked Erden at the side, prompting it to the west.

"Maybe you can make new hands for me. I wish to walk and grab things again." Gol-4 said longingly.

"I promise to fix you when we're out of this place. For now, let's head off west." Oscar laughed.

Their unusual trio entered the forest. Oscar made a strong showing with his Ein emanating from his body, and Erden followed suit with its Ein. Whatever came their way, they had nothing to fear. All around them, the beasts ran amok and ruined the tranquil peace of the forests.

"Should be about a two days trip," Gol-4 said.

Oscar nodded, seeing the forest around him blur from Erden's incredible speed and agility. Two days until he could get his answer.

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