The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

Oscar rode Erden for half a day, passing by many sights he had never seen. A great place with orange pod-like trees, beautiful rivers where Exalt Beasts rested, and misty forests where all sounds became silent were all before him. Oscar ignored the various places with heavy reluctance and focused on his destination.

Five years was five years too long in this forsaken place.

"Oscar, the sun is starting to set. We should look for shelter and continue in the morning." Gol-4 said, placed atop Oscar's shoulder.

Oscar glanced at the sun and became disappointed. The light was dimming as parts of it were covered by the horizon, and the air slowly filled with a chill. Oscar patted Erden to stop so they could search for shelter nearby. He never forgot the deep, dangerous nights in Ashen Grove and didn't wish to commit a mistake.

Getting off Erden, Oscar took out a fruit and fed it to the deer. Erden munched on the fruit, spilling some mush onto Oscar's hand. He swiped his hand over the air to toss the partially eaten parts away, wincing at the slimy feeling. Perhaps one day, Erden would learn to eat much cleaner.

"Shelter…We're near one of the lone mountains." Oscar pointed up at the large mountain, a short walk away. After receiving Gol-4's agreement, Oscar moved toward the mountain, walking to allow Erden some rest. Other than Erden's tired breathing, another sound perked Oscar's ears, a crack of a branch or twig.

Oscar pulled the shield from his back and took a closed stance, eyeing the deep obscure view of the forest. Something was here with him, and whatever it was, it moved slowly and deliberately. Oscar tossed aside the notion of a mistake or overcautiousness.

"Come out," Oscar said, extending his voice to the forests. He didn't believe the creature would come out. He spoke to unnerve the creature. His wary outlook with a strong voice should deter the creature. Oscar felt something was amiss because his Ein should deter most creatures from the start. Why did this one follow me?

"Oscar, drop your guard and pretend it's alright. We can trick the creature this way." Gol-4 whispered.

Oscar nodded and put his shield on his back, relaxing his shoulders and turning his gaze back to the mountain. He tugged at Erden, who was also gazing with a fierce look. Despite Erden's animal senses, the unknown enemy still evaded its instincts, making Oscar wary of the creature's means.

"Let's go, Erden," Oscar said. Erden grunted in response and lowered its head to follow.

After several paces, Gol-4 shouted, "Now!"

Oscar and Erden turned around and kicked at the unknown assailant. It slammed into a tree that fell on it, rustling leaves everywhere and kicking up a cloud of dirt. Oscar covered his nose and shut his mouth as he approached the creature. Surely, it wasn't dead yet.

Something burst from the falling tree like a spider breaking through its egg. Seeing the creature, Oscar tensed up and glared with narrow eyes. It was a larger man of wood and roots with large arms and unique claws, unlike its other brethren. Oscar knew these creatures all too well.

"Grovekeepers. Just how many of these bastards are out there?" Oscar grumbled.

"They are remarkably persistent, somewhat civilized, and spread all over the damned realm. I can't help but admire what thousands of years of isolation can give birth to. I wonder if golems can be created based on their features." Gol-4 launched into a spiel on golems and the interesting natures of these Grovekeepers.

"Can you stop prattling right by my ear? I wonder if it has those orange sleeping gas. I can't see any." Oscar strode ahead to the clawed Grovekeeper, who spoke in a strange tongue. Not understanding it, Oscar kicked off the ground with Silver Burst, reaching faster speeds than Gail's swift movements.

The clawed Grovekeeper sidestepped Oscar's straightforward charge with great agility, unlike the usual Grovekeepers. This one seemed more specialized in swiftness and precision. It straightened its claws and stabbed at Oscar's neck and heart. Ein surged dangerously at their tips, seemingly able to penetrate through sturdy defenses.

Oscar twisted his body, elbowing down the claw reaching for his heart, and spun around, landing another elbow to the claw targeting his neck. The clawed Grovekeeper let out a garbled yell as Oscar's elbows broke its claws.

"Too much emphasis on the point. You're sorely lacking." Oscar said.

The Reis built from intaking from the claw attacks and spinning his body moved to his hand. Oscar fused it into Eirin and enacted Edureisclad on his hand. In a single swipe, the clawed Grovekeeper's head flew off its body and landed on the floor. Its body started to stagger before regaining its footing, and wooden tendrils reached from inside its body to form the outline of a head.

Without giving his enemy a chance, Oscar plunged his Eirin Edureisclad hand into the chest and held its core in a vice grip. He pulled it out, leaving the clawed Grovekeeper in a pile of brambles. Without much thought, he tossed the core into his space pocket, eyeing the small, rugged pouch from some animal's stomach.

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"How odd that we'd find a Grovekeeper with some loot. I can't say anything about their culture or way of life." Gol-4 sounded amused.

"It had the blue potion in some shoddy small sacks but none of the orange gas. This potion will help, at least if I run into a nest of them. I wouldn't want that bastard coming out any time soon." Oscar poured the blue potion into clean vials before stowing them away.

"Ah, your Demon." Gol-4 nodded. "Quite the unpleasant person. He still sometimes comes out when you're sleeping."

"I know. I can't control him when I'm sleeping." Oscar rubbed his wrinkled brow. "I hoped you'd be the one to have the answers."

"Well, excuse my lack of knowledge in two minds which sounds preposterous if I didn't see it firsthand," Gol-4 grumbled.

Oscar disregarded the topic of Demon for now. All his questions could be answered somewhere in the outside world—another item on his list of reasons to get out of this place. With Erden following behind, Oscar walked to the mountain's base, glancing around for a crevice or covered area to rest.

"Look over there. I spot more Grovekeepers." Gol-4 said, watching from a different angle.

Oscar snapped his head to see groups of Grovekeepers appearing from the forest's edge. He scampered with his long legs to a ledge, lying down to avoid being seen. Peeking over the ledge, he observed the Grovekeepers, noticing them congregating in the same direction.

"The mountain is theirs. No wonder we ran into the clawed Grovekeeper. We were inching closer to its home." Oscar whispered to Gol-4. He noticed Erden breathing out hot air with force. Erden's previous experience with Grovekeepers was less than pleasant. Oscar patted Erden to calm him down, not wanting an outburst to cause all the Grovekeepers to rush them.

"Their behavior has always been strange. They sacrifice beasts to the red root creature whose roots probably extend throughout the realm. However, they keep humans alive and asleep. Your descriptions earlier about the underwater caverns stoked my interest." Gol-4 hummed.

"They're not my concern," Oscar said.

"Indeed? Then we'll have to wait until the coast is clear and look for another shelter."

"I didn't say we weren't going in there."

"Then what are you focused on? I thought you wanted to avoid battle as much as possible."

"What if…" Oscar paused and said, "What if people are in the Grovekeeper's homes? Still asleep and kept away."

"That sounds like an overreach. It's been five years, Oscar. What makes you think anyone would still be alive in this place? Unless they hid like you."

"We don't know everything about Grovekeepers and why they trap humans and keep them alive. If there is the slightest chance anyone is in there, I should take a look. But at the very least, we can discover their fates and provide the information to the outside world."

"Forward-thinking! I like your growing optimism about getting out. Alright, I did want to go inside and see their lairs firsthand anyway." Gol-4 chuckled. "When shall we strike?"

"There's still more of them coming from the forest." Oscar narrowed his eyes to see further. "Dragging some beasts as well. They're making another sacrifice. Can that red root get stronger without the Divine Essence to weaken the restrictions of the realm?"

"No, but that doesn't stop the Grovekeepers from doing their tradition," Gol-4 said.

"Well, that adds another reason to go in. We can disrupt the red root even more." Oscar waited deep into the night until the entourages of Grovekeepers stopped coming from the forest. He got up from the ledge and traveled down the mountain, reaching where all the Grovekeepers were moving.

A large cavern, wrapped in vines and dead trees, greeted him. The entranceway held a path of neatly arranged branches and trunks for good footing. Oscar stepped inside with Erden. There was plenty of light as a strange pollen spread and floated everywhere, glimmering like faint distant stars.

Oscar walked for a few minutes down the path and stopped at the familiar sounds of chanting, only this time, the pounding of a drum added in. Oscar turned right and entered a room of brambles and branches, finding nothing. He took out the blue potion, holding it for unexpected orange gas attacks.

"What a comprehensive network they've created in the mountain. Carving out all these tunnels and lining the walls, floor, and stairs with plants." Gol-4 said in admiration.

"Hmm. This path leads down. They're still chanting over there, but why would they have a room below?" Oscar asked.

Long winding paths reached down to the very bottom. Oscar must have traveled for around twenty minutes. With a final step, Oscar landed on several inches of a green liquid. Reaching down, his hand rubbed the green liquid, which felt like honey mixed with water, slightly viscous and loosely held together.

"What is this place?" Oscar was confused.

Strange egg–like structures were laid all over the green chamber, ten in total. A strange smell, a mix of rot and blood, wafted over in the air. Oscar shook his head from the stupor and studied the strange egg-like things. It was made entirely of strange vines with a deep indent in the middle with enough space for a person to lie down in.

Oscar held one of the vines which protruded and stretched on the floor. Within the shell of many vines, a large tunnel traveled up the larger vine as wide as a tree trunk, connected to a strange spherical object containing more green liquid but a lighter color.

"Look, Oscar. Isn't that one of the uniforms?" Gol-4 whispered.

Oscar turned to one of the other strange shells and noticed the tattered remains of a red uniform. He recognized it as the Undying Flame Sect.

"Did they…place people in these things?" Oscar widened his eyes as the horrifying realization dawned on him.

"That is a good guess. Take a look at the other one. That one is different." Gol-4 turned Oscar's attention left.

Unlike the others, which had the vines fully extended on the ground with the indent in the middle, this one's vines wrapped completely around themselves and pulsed like a heart or, rather, a cocoon. Oscar could see through the larger vine at the top, noticing the liquid flowing into the strange cocoon.

Oscar cut open the cocoon without hesitation, spilling the lighter green liquid onto the floor. The vines squirmed all around after being hacked into pieces. Oscar couldn't breathe and stepped back with a pale face. Five years of training and entering the Greater Elite Exalt realm didn't prepare him for this.

A strange creature shrieked like a newborn's cry. It wore the uniform of the Blue Ocean Pavilion, however…One arm was perfectly fine, revealing human skin, while the other was made of plants. But the middle was a horror. Oscar nearly threw up, seeing the mangled mess of vines and branches mixed with human flesh, forming a gnarled face.

"They use humans to convert them into more Grovekeepers…" Gol-4 didn't speak further.

Oscar threw up.

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