The way down was not easier than the way up. Because flying was unusable in this strange broken land, their feet were unsteady with the slant, loose gravel, and gravity under their soles. Since there was nothing dangerous on this mountain, Oscar and Avril rode Erden down the mountain slope.
'Demon, what do you think about Avril?' Oscar asked inwardly and focused on Avril in front of him. She was swaying from her sides and humming in delight from his earlier declaration of the m...
2023-05-06 21:53:54 +0000 UTC
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If someone told him the winds turn into a frenzy during the night, Oscar would have considered it a lie or misunderstanding because the plains before him were still a stagnant realm where time does not pass. How else can the grass be so still? Was each blade of grass crafted by an artisan? Moreover, not a single piece of dirt or rubble fell along the mountain's slope.
Sadly, the frozen time of tranquility ended abruptly. Avril went up the slope, scattering the rocks under her feet and s...
2023-05-05 21:49:15 +0000 UTC
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Inside the cave, Avril shook and shifted in her sleep. Slowly, her eye fluttered and batted its eyelashes; a haze of exhaustion reflected on its pupils. Drawing strength from a deep breath, she forced herself up, noticing her hands gripping something soft, a warm comfort on her back, a fur blanket.
Avril smiled and felt warm all over her body as she wrapped the blanket closer around her. For so long, she had never felt such luxury, having slept on cold or uncomfortable floors with nothi...
2023-05-04 00:15:26 +0000 UTC
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There were no trees or obstacles to block his sight. Peering between the lonely mountains, Oscar saw more grasslands. Judging from its direction and the two suns' position, this place should be vertical from the normal ground. Constantly thinking about it only made him more confused.
"That mountain looks interesting. Should we climb it?" Avril rode on top of Erden, staring at the tall singular mountain in awe. "The winds breezed past her hair and felt like a refreshing shower. She wante...
2023-05-02 23:43:06 +0000 UTC
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After losing Reis's negative effects, Oscar was confident to unleash his full potential without fear of self-harm. As his shoulders and head pushed against the heavy weight of Ein, Oscar wondered how he and Erden might fight against it. After all, he was a peak Lower Knight Exalt capable of Meld, so Erden counted as himself.
'Can we do it?' Oscar released his Ein to the fullest to combat the pressure, alleviating the burden from his shoulders.
'Interesting. I'm also i...
2023-05-02 02:39:17 +0000 UTC
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The exit. Oscar expected a road, a portal like in Ashen Grove, a damned ocean, anything other than what was right before him. Just what the hell was he looking at? Pieces of earth were floating around like the islands of Edin, streams of water flowed like rivers without a base, floating in midair, and roads of stone were laid down but winded, twisted, and stretched anywhere. Up, down, left, right. There was no sense of direction.
"She feels nervous, standing here again. Seeing it made h...
2023-05-01 03:04:47 +0000 UTC
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An imposing figure rose from the wreckage of wood and earth, letting out a long deep groan. The earth trembled under the stomping of its heavy feet. The beast shook once, and the debris and dirt flung off and scattered everywhere, revealing its appearance. Its body was similar to a rhino but many times larger, and a large horn protruded from its nose, sharp and deadly. Sharp wide kite-shaped plates stuck out along the center of its spine, reaching down to its wide tail. The rhino was covered ...
2023-04-30 20:45:54 +0000 UTC
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The next morning, at the break of dawn, Oscar practiced his techniques outside. Although Avril stated she would wake up at dawn, she was still sound asleep, hidden under a mound of fur. Not knowing when she'd wake up, Oscar stepped outside to check his condition and get more used to his Lower Knight Exalt powers.
Each of his kicks and punches created a clear sound as if it struck a hard surface though he only fought the air. Oscar completed a set of exercises and routines, going through...
2023-04-29 03:27:25 +0000 UTC
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"Nice to meet you, Avril. Thank you once more for letting me into your home. I promise I won't be a bother." Oscar bowed slightly. "What's your last name?"
The woman, Avril, crossed her arms and tilted her head, frowning, her face expressing great distress. Did he make a mistake? Clearly, the topic of a last name upset her greatly, and Oscar clamped his mouth shut, not wanting to say anything else to disturb her.
"My last name…I don't have one." Avril lowered her head as the can...
2023-04-28 18:32:03 +0000 UTC
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Thunder resounded through the dark, warped space. It all happened in an instant. Oscar saw turbulent clouds, which exploded with sparks of spatial lightning, varied in red, black, orange, and green colors. His stay in the space between realms only lasted for a moment as he hurled past with the guiding light of the teleportation.
Along the way, several large bubbles floated around, undisturbed by the chaotic spatial storms. Some rotated and moved around, while others remained stationary ...
2023-04-27 02:45:12 +0000 UTC
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"What is this necklace?" Oscar held the seven-pointed necklace. Though the cord was thin and the crystal star seemed as delicate and fragile as glass, the necklace drew Oscar's interest. He grew interested in the material, the metal. He felt his power would not be enough to break it apart.
"That is her gift to me. From long ago…when she disappeared, she left behind this necklace and said if the day ever comes and I find my way, it will lead me to her." Gol-4 said, his voice growing mo...
2023-04-26 02:00:35 +0000 UTC
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Oscar opened his eyes. The light from the stone garden poured in from the ceiling of the underground cavern, and he flickered his eyelids before regaining some much-needed clarity. Conducting a body check, Oscar found most of his movements had recovered and stood up, limping slightly.
It was over. All around him, Oscar saw the colorful grass dying and withering, no longer holding up its dim glow. Most of the pollen was gone except for a few faint and struggling dots. The loss of the For...
2023-04-24 23:29:10 +0000 UTC
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A tendril smashed onto the floor. Oscar dodged in time and punched again, this time with his shield. Once more, the smaller tendrils created an opening, a void for Oscar's attack to hit nothing so they could enact a counter. Oscar's shield went inside the gap, and the tendrils contracted to close.
"Not this time," Oscar grunted and swung his arm up. Their mouths cried and screeched as his copper shield sliced out of their enclosure. Its edges gleamed with spheres of Eirin, allowing it t...
2023-04-22 17:44:43 +0000 UTC
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Oscar's deer anima sank into Erden, matching the beast by every inch down to the branches on its antlers, and fused like a soul entering a body. Mists and smokes of blue Ein hissed and steamed out from the pores of Erden's body, and he cried out. Ein burned from Erden's eyes, giving the beast an otherworldly look.
Erden stomped his hooves. A clear clang echoed and silenced the shrieking cries of the red root. Erden's hooves were coated in sapphire metallic plating. But that was not the ...
2023-04-22 15:52:11 +0000 UTC
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The gates to the Central Palace had two statues of men holding hammers in one hand and beating their chest with the other in a salute. Between the two was the widest gate Oscar had ever seen, much larger than the one in the Pavilion. Naturally, the home of a Primaere would exceed anything he had known.
Seeing this place brought back some unpleasant memories, and his anger grew deeper from the red roots and vines which rested out from the windows. Frowning, Oscar took another step, and h...
2023-04-20 16:49:20 +0000 UTC
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Oscar's shoulder spurted out volcanic blood, burning into Erden's teeth and lips. Oscar smelled the burning flesh from Erden and realized the Ein of the Divine Essence was spilling over to Erden. He struggled and tried to pry Erden's teeth off of him, but the deer's jaw remained tightly clenched, and his strength was already spent from his long ordeal.
As Erden drank more of Oscar's blood, the deer groaned and growled as its antlers cracked and exploded from the onslaught of Ein. Wounds...
2023-04-19 02:38:22 +0000 UTC
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Sounds of fists colliding and bones cracking filled Oscar's inner world. Oscar fought against Demon in their usual spars. Their bodies moved around the endless void, shining from each bout and exchange. Oscar sensed he would be waking up soon, and his astral body pulsed as parts of him started to fade.
"It's finally time," Demon said.
"Fifteen long years…I didn't expect to spend four years to reach the limit even with the Nydil Seeds." Oscar watched his hands start to disappear ...
2023-04-17 23:06:15 +0000 UTC
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"Welcome…to my…home, Outsider." The strange Grovekeeper spoke in rushed, hoarse words barely strung together in a coherent sentence. Contrary to its slow speech, the Grovekeeper moved with steady steps, approaching Oscar.
Oscar and Gol-4 were still stunned by the sudden appearance of a talking Grovekeeper. His mind blanked out as he stared at the enclosing Grovekeeper, trying to grasp the reality of what was happening. A loud footstep from the Grovekeeper pulled Oscar from his sinki...
2023-04-16 20:30:09 +0000 UTC
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Erden stomped in front and nudged Oscar aside, forcibly huffing strongly from his snout. His meaning was clear as day, contrary to the stormy sky full of rain. Oscar lowered his arms, holding back his Ein, and fed Erden some blue potion before sitting near the edge.
"Take your time. Don't be too hasty and get hurt too much." Oscar pulled out a large fur cloak and held it above his body to prevent more rain from pouring onto him. His skin was pale and cold after a long climb in the storm...
2023-04-15 17:41:48 +0000 UTC
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Oscar tapped his fingers on his knees, staring at the Great Tree. Sitting on a large moss-covered boulder, he glanced up and down all the vines in his current view. It had been two months since he hunted down all of the Grovekeepers who tried to scavenge on the ground, and now, for the past few days, none of them would climb down from the branches.
Despite having killed over a hundred, the size of a small colony, Oscar determined far more waited, hidden in the protection of the Great Tr...
2023-04-13 02:14:10 +0000 UTC
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Oscar traversed through the forest, riding on Erden the entire way. The bright sun wrapped them in the warm embrace of its soothing light, making the storm from yesterday seem like a lie. If not for the dews dripping from the leaves and the wet mud underneath Erden's hooves, Oscar would have doubted his memories.
The wide and ancient trees started to dwindle, spread out more thinly and increasing in separation with each distance traveled until Oscar reached a sizable flat land. Fresh sp...
2023-04-12 00:45:40 +0000 UTC
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Oscar shouted; his voice traveled throughout the mines, and others responded with numerous calls from everywhere. If the Grovekeepers didn't know where he was, they did now. Oscar darted his eyes around and back to the map, circling several spots where the activity was the highest. A clue might lie around these denser areas.
"Incoming!" Gol-4 exclaimed.
"Erden, stick with me." Oscar drank another mouthful of the blue potion and gave another to Erden, who recovered slightly. Hearin...
2023-04-10 21:51:04 +0000 UTC
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"A golem can only last so long. In time, the bronze ape and the cleaners will whittle away. Even if their parts are replaced, the artificial core cannot. It will never be the same golem even if the core is replaced." Gol-4 hovered down to the anvil, landing with a soft metallic clang.
"I'm sure you noticed my cracks spreading. You can try replicating the configuration of my core to another golem. It will only extend the gradual deterioration of the formation. Nothing lasts forever." Gol...
2023-04-10 17:54:28 +0000 UTC
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"Prepared? What's there to prepare for? This realm has taken away all the options. What can be worse than living the rest of my life stuck here?" Oscar asked rhetorically, moistening his mouth with fresh fruit juice. He exhaled in relief from the sweetness.
Dangers and risks were always beside him from the moment he became an Exalt. Whether it was training in Reis, Awaken, Prinstyct, or in general, everything had inherent consequences. Even after hearing the gravity in Gol-4's words, Os...
2023-04-07 22:57:06 +0000 UTC
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Oscar's rushed breathing was drowned by Erden's strides. He couldn't contain the thumping in his heart, not from overuse of Reis. All along, only the thought of returning home looped in his mind. As familiar trees whizzed by his sides and grooves from battles past entered his sight, Oscar urged Erden to go faster.
'Please be there!' A wordless prayer as Oscar closed his eyes for a moment. His eyes widened, stared longingly at the shoddy wall, which was falling apart, and the di...
2023-04-06 03:26:54 +0000 UTC
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"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? Normall...
2023-04-06 01:31:18 +0000 UTC
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Grovekeepers were made from humans. Oscar knew the fact from seeing the ones wearing miner's outfits in Tectusen. Gol-4 speculated they were the remnant people who became twisted by the environment. Then what was this abomination in front of him?
The strange hybrid of Grovekeeper and human wailed and failed its arms around, taking a step. Before it could make a second step, its legs broke like the snapping of twigs, and it fell, disturbing the pool of thick green liquid.
Oscar wat...
2023-04-06 00:49:01 +0000 UTC
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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, pla...
2023-04-04 02:55:14 +0000 UTC
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"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 th...
2023-04-03 22:10:50 +0000 UTC
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"I can't confirm whether we have a way out or not. The only things I can give are options and suggestions. It's a long shot, but if we make it to one of the four portals, I can attempt to start it up again." Gol-4 floated around while linked to Oscar's waist, peering into the vast forests around him.
"It won't be easy. The unknown laws scramble the realm when it is time to open and divide up the beasts by realm. Now that that's gone, we're in a hostile land." Oscar said, scrutinizing hi...
2023-04-03 18:37:06 +0000 UTC
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