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 watched in silence, terrified of the cruelty before him. He backed away, unable to tear his sight away from the poor aberration. It swung its arms and squirmed violently, thrashing to stay above the strange liquid. It lacked the strength even to hold itself up and slowly drowned.
Seeing the limp body of the wretch, Oscar lost control of breathing, trying to meditate. However, his face only strained further. Relaxation and calm couldn't return to him. He was distraught, overcome by nausea.
"I…never believed such disgusting and mockery would exist. I've heard tales of some very horrific deeds, but this is right up there with them. And all in my realm!" Gol-4 cursed without reservation.
"Everyone who was left behind…in all the previous times that people traveled into this realm…became like this?" Oscar placed his hands on his knees, gagging from the reflux. Erden knocked Oscar's head with its antlers, sneezing to rouse him, and Oscar refocused. Quickly he knocked Gol-4 on the head, who was still rambling about the horrific theories of how such a transformation could occur.
"Snap out of it, Gol-4. We can't stay here. I'd rather be up there with all that drumming and chanting." Oscar said.
"You're right, my dear lad. There's only so much time before they finish their sacrifices. Let's get out of here and never return to such a place again." Gol-4 darted its blue eyes to the entrance.
Oscar returned the way he came, up the winding paths of vines and bark, and heard the chanting and drumming grow louder with each step. Reaching the ground level, Oscar turned to his left, facing the path out, and to his right, where the sacrifices took place. Leaving like this didn't sit right with him.
"Lad? What's that look for? We need to get out of here." Gol-4 noticed Oscar's darkened expression. "Don't think about it. The Grovekeepers are quite weak, but they are vast in numbers. You'll be overwhelmed."
"Maybe not. Sorry, Gol-4. I can't just let this go." Oscar faced the right path, having chosen his battle. Erden's teal crystal hooves stomped on the weak branches of the path and scraped its antlers against the sides, ready for carnage. Considering the sleeping gas, Oscar drank some of the blue potion looted from the clawed Grovekeeper and gave some to Erden.
"This should be interesting or completely reckless. Sometimes I find being with you to be very exhausting." Gol-4 said.
"The least I can do is avenge those who had fallen and put the unfortunate out of their misery." Oscar blinked, squinting from the bright red light from the other end of the path. In a single thought, his deer anima manifested by his side, grunting at Erden, who grunted back. Flanked by two deers, Oscar strapped the shield to his arm, entering the sacrificial chamber instantly.
Gatherings of Grovekeepers awaited him. Most focused on the main altar where a dead Exalt Beast lay, spilling blood into crevices. Their deep and incomprehensible chanting stopped with a single blow from Oscar. Several Grovekeepers fell apart instantly, unable to regenerate from the destructive force behind his fists.
A completed Adamasreis went beyond Oscar's expectations. Rather than having a simple additive growth, his physical power and Reis exponentially spiked when he completed the Adamasreis. His transformed muscles stored more Reis than ever before.
'Ripple Shroud' 'Ripple Shroud' 'Ripple Shroud'
Shockwaves of rippling Eirin quaked from his fists, blasting away the Grovekeepers in his way and exploding the weaker ones. Oscar observed the gathering, finding many groups of all three realms of Elite Exalts. The ones to watch out for were the special types; however, he couldn't find any of them.
Performing a surprise attack worked wonders as many Grovekeepers were stumped still in the middle of their chanting. Erden and Oscar's deer anima coordinated their movements, spreading to the sides to protect Oscar's flanks. They trampled their steely hooves, crushing heads and bodies to a pulp, and swung their antlers, uprooting Grovekeepers like lifeless sacks.
Oscar and the deers cleared out a third of the room in mere moments. He heard several objects shatter on the ground, filling the air with an orange gas. Breathing in the orange gas, Oscar exhaled like a smoker, wiping his lips of the residue.
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'It won't work.' Oscar stomped, cracking the ground beneath him and releasing a deafening force that blew away most of the orange gas. The Grovekeepers seemed shocked and pointed at Oscar with their bark fingers.
Hurried footsteps trampled around the sacrificial chamber. Oscar saw more Grovekeepers start descending from the rooms and levels above. Feeling something grip his legs, Oscar glanced at his feet to see roots and vines trying to entangle him.
'Silver Burst'
Oscar's speed surpassed the Grovekeepers' powers and tore the entangling roots to shreds as Oscar appeared before the distant Grovekeepers. With an icy stare, Oscar spun several times, gathering an immense amount of Reis. In a single kick of Eirin Edureisclad combined with Flowing Mountain and Ripple Shroud, tens of Grovekeepers smashed into the walls.
'Keep going.' Oscar felt uncomfortable. His heart began to hurt again. Sharp pain stuck like nails in his heart with each beat. It wasn't life-threatening as Oscar tested himself multiple times in this battle, but it served as a reminder of his body having limited time in the future.
Out of nowhere, while Oscar, Erden, and his deer anima rampaged across the sacrificial chamber, three Grovekeepers landed into the fray. Powerful Ein radiated from their bodies which were unique. All of them were Greater Elite Exalts.
"Here are the special ones. Lad, are you still able to fight?" Gol-4 asked.
"Of course. I haven't begun to go all out." Oscar gripped his heart, conducting breathing exercises to calm it down. "Erden! You handle the rest of these Grovekeepers with my anima. You won't get caught so easily if you're fighting together."
Erden responded by bulldozing rows of Grovekeepers with Oscar's deer anima. Truly, they were a good pair, fighting in tandem with one another. Oscar had spent five long years training in Ein and Reis and controlling his anima. Finally, he achieved the parallel thinking required to move without being distracted by two conflicting actions, and what a wonderful boon it was.
As the two deers held back the hordes, Oscar faced the three special Grovekeepers. One was a large brute, similar in outward body shape to Orden, flexing its muscles made of roots and vines. The second one had six arms with sharp wooden blades for hands and a narrower face than its peers. The third held a wooden staff and stood with a hunched back. Their green eyes gleamed fiercely at Oscar.
"I still have a lot of time in my Adamasreis. Let's see what you can do." Oscar increased his output of Ein to the fullest, wrapping it around his fists to form Eirin Silver Lances.
Before he could move, more roots sprang from nowhere with precise and sharp movements, whipping through the air and binding his limbs. Oscar found the roots several times tougher than the ones he broke from earlier—strange but not a dealbreaker.
Oscar pulled his arm out of its bindings with a loud snap. More roots whipped around to tug his arm back into place. Oscar frowned at how annoying they were, constantly writhing around as more sought to claim him. Suddenly, the burly Grovekeeper rushed to him and punched Oscar's face with its bark fist.
'Eirin Silver Sheen'
Oscar heard a loud, dull sound from his chest where the burly Grovekeeper landed its fist. Tremors came from the blow, shaking his silver armor. His spell was unbroken and withstood the powerful blow; Oscar sensed the other move behind with quick speed. In an instant, several slashes scraped across his silver armor. A moment later, thin slits cracked across the silver.
'Quite powerful and dangerous. I should avoid these blades for now. Right now, my focus is this brute.' Oscar smirked as the burly Grovekeeper wanted to continue punching him. A powerful mix of Eirin, Ripple Shroud, and Shattering Wave expelled from all over his body. Roots turned to dust, and the two Grovekeepers blasted away.
Spores floated over to the two injured Grovekeepers from the one who used the roots. They instantly healed back to normal, faster than the normal regeneration rate. Oscar realized the staff Grovekeeper was a specialized support. Without wasting a moment, Oscar dashed to the healer.
The other two special Grovekeepers stood in his way, an irritating yet understandable notion. These Grovekeepers were created from humans, so their tactics should be similar. Their seemingly human actions grated on Oscar's nerves, and he flared his nostrils with hot anger flowing through his head.
Taking in the Reis from the burly Grovekeeper's wide swing, Oscar spun with his shield, deflecting the six-armed Grovekeeper's swings and sending it flying away. With a kick to the chin, the burly Grovekeeper was flung upward.
The staff Grovekeeper threw away its staff and scurried away on its thin legs. Oscar never allowed such a retreat and pursued it, surpassing it in speed and facing it with bloodshot eyes. He pierced it in the chest and traveled all over its body, riddling it with so many holes that it might as well have been burned into ashes.
Next was the burly Grovekeeper. It roared with what seemed like anger and grief. Oscar guided its fist to the side and used the momentum to toss it onto its back. Its back landed on the ground in a loud quake. Oscar released an Eirin Silver Star into its body, which exploded with the force of a Shattering Wave—another dead pile of scrap wood formed by his feet.
"And lastly, you." Sweat beaded down Oscar's brow, and he breathed out with a smile. He used his Shattering Wave multiple times with portions of his Adamasreis, an exhausting task.
The six-armed Grovekeeper moved strangely like an exotic dance. Each limb and finger seemed to move independently from one another. Oscar focused his Prinstyct, seeing through its movements easily. In a final step, Oscar cut off its arms and pulled the core from its chest.
"Erden should be almost done," Oscar controlled his deer anima the entire time, seeing the progress on the other side. Erden looked tired and had several wounds but kept its strides healthy.
"That Reis of yours is a wonder! I wonder if it'll be possible to make golems with the Reis forging you mentioned." Gol-4 exclaimed with great interest, glancing all over Oscar's exposed upper body.
"Maybe in the future." Oscar glanced at the pockets of Grovekeepers trying to escape. "I can't allow all of you to escape."
After a long battle, the entire mountain was cleared of Grovekeepers. With a safe place secured for the night, Oscar stood before the sacrificial altar.