The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

Fire, brimstone, ashes, and soot; all manners of desolation enveloped the land and choked the skies with black clouds of thundering flames, not lightning. Oscar quickly covered his nose, stung by the sudden change in the air, filled to the brim with a foul burnt smell, reminding him of burnt matches. The land was scorched and burned, a land far worse than the ones before it.

The plains were beautiful and bountiful, and at least the dreary forest had trees and some semblance of a fresh feeling in the atmosphere. This place had none of that. His skin itched and cracked, a clear sign of dryness. How shocking that all of this happened before even touching the ground.

Next to him, Avril wiped her lips which were cracked and bleeding, and drank some water from her bottle. Erden touched down on the scorched ground, his hooves hissing from the great heat. Through his mental connection to Erden, the sensation of the ground was relayed to Oscar.

'Not too bad.' Oscar thought as he took off his footwear and unmounted Erden. His skin felt the same burning sensation. The heat wasn't unbearable but inconvenient enough to scorch his shoes and socks. To think a mighty Knight Exalt like him would have to walk on bare feet. He was still so far from the pinnacle.

"Um, Oscar. Can I ask on Erden?" Avril asked, her hands pulling her long dress to avoid the ends from touching the ground. Under them were non-transparent black stockings; the mere sight made Oscar feel hot, not from a rush of embarrassment or excitement to see them but from empathy on how much worse it must be to wear those in this heat.

Oscar coughed and drank some water to soothe his dry throat. His eyes wandered to Avril's feet, covered in a small pair of white boots. They had no special attributes and no exceptional materials. The ground would burn them off in no time. Oscar knew her reason and said, "You can rest up on Erden. This place isn't so friendly to people."

"Thanks," Avril cheered.

"No problem," Oscar said. For an entire year, Avril avoided showing any part of her skin, not even the slightest mistake with her gloves. He had an inkling of why and never asked, letting her be.

Turning his attention to the scorched lands around him, Oscar raised his eyes at the small structure. Its existence here led them to enter this land. Oscar approached the building, stones piled into a small dome like a hut. A hollow opening acted as the entrance, and Oscar entered through, descending a few steps into a hole. Pleasantly surprised, Oscar lifted his right foot and patted it on the smooth stone floor, still hot but much better than outside.

"This place is much cooler. She wonders how long they will stay here. Not very fun to remain in this overly hot area." Avril rubbed her hands on her cheeks, one entering below her face cloth. "Who built this place?"

"Unknown. It's well built with a dome with a hole on the top to let the hot air rise as the cooler air comes below this dugout area. Whoever lives or has lived here must know their way around." Reaching his hand down, Oscar brushed it across the floor and put on his socks and shoes. They survived this lesser heat well enough. He waved over to Avril. "It's not bad. Come down."

Avril hesitated, even with his encouragement. With a deep breath, she extended her foot down, paused right before the tips of her toes touched the floor, anxiety clear from her dry swallows, and lost her balance. She yelped and flailed her arms around. Her fears overwhelmed her capabilities as a Knight Exalt.

"Calm down," Oscar grabbed her, supporting her with one hand on her shoulder and the other on her back. Her heart was racing, and her lungs were gasping for air. Tapping her shoulder, Oscar faced her with a smile, trying to reassure his frightened partner. "It's alright. It won't burn your clothes, and it won't do what you fear it will. Even if it does, I won't look."

To help her more, Oscar got a large fur pelt from his space pocket and dropped it on the floor. It did not burn. "See how it doesn't burn. If your clothes start to burn, take this fur, wear it, and jump on Erden. I'll turn away. Erden, close your eyes."

Oscar stepped away from Avril and turned his back to her. With his Soulbond, he could also see and hear through Erden, so he had to make sure not to catch a single glimpse of her. It was silent for a moment. Oscar waited. It was only a matter of time.

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Then, he heard some shuffling, a small tap, and one more, then many as if a dancer had descended. Oscar chuckled and asked, "Can I turn around? Or do you wish to keep tapping your feet without anyone watching?"

"You can turn around! The heat feels nice on my feet." Avril said.

Oscar saw Avril tapping nonstop on the stone floor. Her laughter and excitement made Oscar wonder if her earlier fear was an illusion or dream. With Avril happy, Oscar went to work and prepared their bedding for sleep, laying down two mattresses. Avril took her mattress and moved it slightly further from his own.

"Oscar, let's practice my reading!" Avril assumed her natural position, resting on one side of Erden's body.

"Again?" Oscar shrugged and sighed. He leaned on the opposite side and took out a book, a volume of Records of Plants and Herbs, Avril's latest fascination. Oscar started to read from where they left off last time. After a page, he handed it over to Avril, and she read with great enthusiasm. Oscar answered her whenever she asked if her reading was alright.

An hour later, Oscar sensed what Erden did, his eyes wide and hands tense. Erden's beastly instincts and sharp senses picked up on something drawing close with slow and quiet steps of a leisurely walk, a consistent stride. Closing the book, Oscar got up with Erden.

"What is it? Is someone here?" Avril whispered, getting on Erden for the potential battle.

"Yes. I prefer not to ruin the hut; there's no place to ambush them. So, let's step out and meet them." Oscar nodded to Erden, a look of understanding.

They stepped out onto the blasted lands. Oscar was about to charge up his Ein and stopped, his eyes catching a glimpse of the newcomer. Rather than one person, they were two, an old woman and a young man. Their gazes met, and time seemed to stop. Neither party pulled their eyes away.

The old woman tugged the young teen closer and stared down at Oscar and the others. Facing her stern and unwavering gaze, Oscar admired the old woman for her protective behavior, wanting to fight less. Still, time passed, few minutes were gone without a single word exchanged.

"Excuse me!" Avril's voice parted the stagnancy of their meeting. She smiled and waved her hand in a cheery hello. "I'm Avril, he's Oscar, and this is Erden. We're on a great adventure and landed in this place. Nice to meet you."

"Hey…what are you doing?" Oscar asked.

"Huh? Doing what you did? You popped out of nowhere a year ago and said hello too." Avril had a look of reminiscence. "That was funny, and I ran away like you were a monster."

"That's because! Ah!" Oscar groaned. "I didn't see anyone for an entire fifteen years other than Erden and Gol-4. Looking back, it was incredibly dumb of me. I could have been more cautious, as that bastard always says to do. What if you were some witch or trickster playing around."

"That's rude! She flames up in anger and snaps at Oscar. She wishes to jab her fingers into his eyes but stops herself. That would harm those pretty black pearls." Avril shouted.

"I'm just saying…we need to be more careful now. I got lucky with you when I was injured, and you got lucky I wasn't some murder-loving deviant. Not everyone can be so lucky." Oscar said.

Then a loud, wheezing laughter interrupted them, a great chortling similar to a toad's croaks. It came from the old woman who couldn't stop laughing. All of the tension from earlier, her vicious stare, and the wariness died down.

"You two are an amusing pair. I haven't laughed so much in a long time. Nice to meet you, sweet girl. I am Old Yule, and this is Quinn." Old Yule rubbed the teen's head lovingly, which made him blush. Old Yule was an old woman with gray hair curling down to her waist, wrinkles all over her face and hands, and a smile with missing teeth. She wore a brown cloak with a hood over her head.

"Not in front of strangers, Grandma!" Quinn tried to push Old Yule's hand away but failed, standing helpless with his head lowered in embarrassment. He was a young, skinny teen with a fang earring on one ear, short green hair, and red eyes. He wore a similar cloak to Old Yule.

"Hmph! Who dares to make fun of my dear Quinn in my presence? Do you two dare?!" Old Yule's voice became more high-pitched as she turned to Oscar and Avril, a pressure of a Middle Knight Exalt washing over them.

"No, we're not. My mother does the same thing. It's nice to have a good family." Oscar eyed Old Yule with a hint of caution. That power was at the peak of Middle Knight Exalt. Her weary appearance indicated her age, but the power had not waned.

"Then, why don't you join us for dinner? I took little Quinn out hunting and brought back some meat." Old Yule croaked in laughter.

Oscar and Avril followed Old Yule and Quinn inside their stone hut. Avril abstained from the meat and ate her share of fruits which attracted the attention of their hosts. She tossed some fruits to them and smiled, watching them eat and devour the sweet fruit.

"Fruit is so good!" Quinn had no manners and continued to eat.

"It is quite rare in this place to get any fruits. Some plants persist in the flames and ashes but are so bitter." Old Yule took her time to chew each sweet bite.

"Can you tell me about this place? Where are we?" Oscar found the opportunity to ask. How lucky he was to find two people here.

"This place…is the Burning Valley, an unpleasant place to live in. But we still survive." Old Yule began to speak.

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