The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

"Ever wonder how the Grovekeepers know about the Knight Exalt red root and why they worship it?" Oscar turned to Gol-4 on his shoulder.

"They are very similar to humans. Some places regard Primaeres as gods. Though, gods don't live for only five thousand years. In this realm, a being like the red root is akin to an unstoppable force." Gol-4 responded. "I think the Grovekeepers have a strange relationship to this realm and felt the presence of the red root."

"Why sacrifice? Normally, one would expect a benefit if they sacrificed something. We sacrifice portions of our earnings to be allowed to live on the land. There's nothing this red root can offer them. Nothing at all." Oscar traced his hand across the length of the sacrificial altar, watching the blood of the last sacrifice drip to the ground.

He stared into the dull eyes of the beast atop the altar. Freeing it from its bonds, Oscar laid the beast onto the floor, taking out its core. At least he found his dinner for tonight. Erden and his deer anima returned to him and dropped to the floor in exhaustion, heaving their large chests. Oscar chuckled and unsummoned his deer anima.

"Ah, perhaps, fear is the reason. Many people would drop down and bang their heads on the floor out of fear of someone stronger. Though for most humans, it's just a matter of subservience. These Grovekeepers must have a similar belief." Gol-4 spat without spitting.

Oscar finished carving the meat from the beast, saving some in his space pocket for later. Stepping toward the sacrificial altar, Oscar spat on it as well, lifting his fists in the air and slamming them down with all his strength. The altar burst from the inside, exploding along the middle before crumbling apart.

Rubble tumbled down the steps, and dust clouds quickly settled thanks to the damp air of the mountain. Silence befell the chamber; even Erden stopped his breathing in anticipation. Then, a powerful low groan, a cry, echoed from below, coming from the crevices around the destroyed altar. Oscar hunched over as the force of a falling mountain fell upon his back, a pressure of a Knight Exalt. The red root beast was disturbed.

With a strained look, Oscar smiled even as the pressure bore down on him. Thanks to becoming a higher Exalt, he could withstand the pressure better. "If you're that angry, get out of the central palace. There's no reason why a powerful beast hasn't swept across the entire realm."

"Haha, it can't get out of the palace! Only its tendrils can extend below the ground, just barely. It serves you right, you thief. Taking over my home must come with consequences." Gol-4 laughed.

Once the pressure dissipated, Oscar sat on his rear, pale-faced and sweating. He sighed in relief and started a fire, roasting the tasty morsels of meat he had harvested. He tossed some juicy pieces to Erden, laughing as Erden finished it in one gulp. With such an eventful day, the night could only be peaceful.

"Oscar. Let's review the map again." Gol-4 suggested, placed next to the campfire. Erden was resting on the other side, releasing loud snores which could match Erik's.

"Here. I don't believe we're off track at all. We should arrive at the place by late tomorrow afternoon." Oscar said, unfurling the map before Gol-4 as he tossed Grovekeeper's remains to keep the fire alive. He drew a mountain to represent his current location.

"Hey, Gol-4. I never did ask you. But why did you place such importance on Stonehaven?" Oscar leaned down on a makeshift pillow of fur. Having only time since his training finished, he began to ponder other questions.

"Why did I?" Gol-4 continued to study the map.

"It's where you placed most of your descendants of your absurdly large family and the last holdout for your faction during the war with the Forest Heart Clan. Does this realm have any special meaning to you?" Oscar asked, interested in Gol-4 or Isaac's past.

"Ah, this realm. This realm is…full of memories. When I was younger, around the Knight Exalt, I discovered this place, a lively and stable realm, not one of those wandering realms which pop in and out at certain times." Gol-4 said, full of nostalgia similar to Oscar's father when drunk and talking about how he met his mother.

"So, you discovered it, and then what?" Oscar placed his hands behind his head, getting more comfortable as the crackling flames spread their warmth further.

"Don't interrupt, or I might not continue the story," Gol-4 scolded.

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"If you didn't pause after speaking a sentence, I wouldn't rush you." Oscar hollered back.

"Ah, little brat. Alright. The first thing I saw when I entered the realm was the vast mountain ranges and open plains. The feeling of a single bright sun on my skin never failed to make me smile. But the most important thing was this is where I met my first wife." Gol-4 snickered as if remembering something.

"Didn't you have twenty wives? Does that mean you have twenty special places?" Oscar joked around.

"Nonsense! I told you years ago about the many marriage requests and others in my life. I never took anyone as a bride until I met her. Evelyn, my dear. Oh, she was the one who sparked a new passion in me and put me on the path to creating golems."

"You said she was in the realm when you arrived? Did she enter before you?"

"Our circumstances were quite strange. She was someone who had gone through a perilous journey, only to enter a broken long-distance teleportation formation. With a broken teleportation, she was thrown into the twisting spatial storms and was spat out into this realm."

"That was like, what? Six or seven thousand years ago? Where did she come from? Why did she go through a broken teleportation formation?" Oscar couldn't help feeling more entranced by Gol-4's story.

"Ha…I never did ask Evelyn about that. I was wandering the realm, fighting and surviving with a fire of exploration in my heart, when she suddenly landed right on me. I was angered, but seeing her weary state and beauty quenched my brashness. Love at first sight, lad."

"Odd that you are beginning to sound like a poet. How bad were her injuries?"

"Very bad. I did my best, tended her wounds, and…I see that look from you, lad! I didn't overreach or invade her privacy in any way. Have some respect for me! Yes, I did have twenty wives, but I treated each one well and loved them all." Gol-4 shouted.

"I wasn't making a face. Please continue." Oscar said.

"When she woke up, oh, her dazzling sapphire eyes like the ocean in a jewel and blue hair like the frosty winds of the highest peaks tugged at my heart. Of course, her reaction was less than friendly. She thought the same as you and tried to kill me. But after some coaxing and swearing an oath to my innocence, she thanked me."

"So this realm is full of your first memories with her."

"Sometimes memories and the place are more than enough to recall those you love. However, I did have a specific reason for settling in here."

"Oh? And what's that?" Oscar perked his ears to listen closely as his eyes closed.

"She vanished. She was always cryptic in her speech, talking about how she came from a faraway place and that she'd need to return home one day. I always comforted her by saying she could always be with me, bringing a smile to my dear's lips. However, I could tell she tried to hide her sadness behind it."

"Where's her home?" Oscar asked.

"I don't know. Evelyn never talked about her home. One day, when I was a King Exalt, she left, leaving nothing but a note begging for forgiveness and telling me we would meet in the future and a blue pendant." Gol-4 sounded like he was crying. "I tried for years as a Primare, using all my influence to find her. Failure after failure greeted me. Then the war took over all of my time."

"Gol-4, if we ever get out, let's go looking for her or traces of her. It's been thousands of years. She's probably…."

"Dead? Yes. I've long since accepted that fact as the years went by, and no news of a new Primaere matching her descriptions came forth during my time there. And she never returned. Thank you, Oscar. Maybe we can find what became of her."

"If she was so wonderful as you spoke of, why did you marry nineteen others? Wasn't she enough? I can't understand the logic behind that. I understand the need to pass down bloodlines and have marriages for political reasons, which you did for some. But I can't imagine myself doing that."

"Bah, you're still just a brat. We're different types. You can have your one heart, one man philosophy while I go on loving many endearingly."

"You're a golem. That's impossible." Oscar turned in his makeshift bed and yawned. "Evelyn, huh?" Oscar thought about Gol-4's description of Evelyn, and an image of Gilbert filled his mind. Blue hair and sapphire eyes were distinct features, and Frederick said Gilbert's features came from his mother, who also disappeared.

'Surely there's not a link. Though, it is suspicious.' Oscar scratched his head. The two were strangely alike. Not wanting to think anymore, Oscar breathed softly, lulling himself to sleep. His last thought was of his mother, hoping she was well.

'I'll make it out.'

…….

The next morning, Oscar woke up with a groan, feeling groggy from the comfortable sleep. The campfire had burned itself to ashes a while ago, and Oscar started a new one to cook his breakfast.

"Good morning, Oscar." Gol-4 levitated and knocked Erden on the head. Erden woke up in a huff, spraying hot air all over Gol-4.

"Morning. We have a long journey ahead of us." Oscar wrapped some fur around him to cover his body and sat down to eat his breakfast. He tossed some cores to Erden for him to eat and become stronger.

"Farewell to this mountain, and may the Grovekeepers never return to defile it," Gol-4 said.

Oscar strapped Gol-4 to his shoulder and got on Erden, walking over the ruined paths and tunnels of the mountain. He was greeted by the morning light and a crispy breeze that moved the trees and plants as if nudging them awake. With a kick, Erden rode through the forest, a speedy beast with loud steps.

They traveled far and long as the sun reached its highest peak and started its descent. A great tree in the distance grew closer, and Oscar recognized it. At last, he reached Oen Fortress. The last known location of the portal should be a few hours away.

Whether the portal was there, a clue was left behind, or nothing was there, Oscar didn't know. He furrowed his brow, hoping it wasn't a pointless endeavor.

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