Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 311: The Undergrotto

Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 311: The Undergrotto

After a brief break to restore his Ein, Oscar knelt to observe the tracks. The one in the middle that split the wet sand into two sections was sure to be Serena. This boded well. A good chance Serena survived the explosion and was brought here. His relief turned to caution, and Oscar frowned at the other sets of tracks.

'Webbed feet?' Distinct linings connected the tips of the distinct footprints. The tracks were unlike anything he had seen before. Bundles of algae were scattered in the indents. Oscar picked some up and felt it in his hands. The algae looked ordinary except for the tiny flakes of Ein woven in the wet leaves.

'I don't know who you are....' Oscar squeezed the algae, imagining it was the necks of the unknown creatures. 'But she better be safe.' He tossed the algae aside and followed the tracks into the tunnel. The walls were laced with more algae, moss, and mushrooms. A foul, rotten smell of sewage and eggs permeated the area. Oscar scrunched his nose and started to breathe through his mouth.

The algae around the tunnels varied in color from purple, blue, red, orange, and more. Some glowed dimly, providing Oscar with the light he needed to navigate through the tunnel. Starting a light with Ein was an easy task, but stealth was needed here. He had to find Serena before attracting unwanted attention to himself.

Oscar stepped slowly. The squishy ground and dampness seeping into his toes didn't help to ease his worries. Each squish of his feet was loud as the water was wrung from the moss. Analyzing the area after each step, Oscar moved to the next.

Hearing the sound of slithering behind him, Oscar turned around. His heartbeat quickened, afraid of an ambush. His face paled, and his surprised yell caught in his throat. He covered his mouth with his hand, successfully stopping himself from letting out a sound.

Behind him was a wall of moss and algae. The wet plants filled the tunnel. The leaves squirmed, wriggled, and twisted. The tunnel was locking him inside. Holding back the urge to attack this wall, Oscar turned back toward the unknown. If the cave wanted him to stay, then he would stay. The exit was a problem for later; right now, Serena was the priority.

'Where are you?' The tunnel was largely unoccupied except for algae that continued to expand to block him from retreating a single step—no signs of the owners of the strange webbed feet or signs of Serena. With a silent sigh, Oscar pushed onward. Then after a while, he saw something.

Another dim glow, like a lantern under the bedsheets. This glow was a mix of red and green. It appeared to come from a chamber below. Stepping up for a closer look, Oscar heard strange chants of a strange tongue. Garbled and messy, almost as if the chanters were speaking underwater.

Reaching the edge, Oscar glanced down below, and his jaw dropped. A similar scene to the one he saw in Tectusen was happening. Circles and circles of strange Grovekeepers made of algae and moss were kneeling and chanting. The place he arrived at was a circular pathway that overlooked the entire chamber. Not wanting to be noticed, Oscar lowered his body until only his eyes peeped out.

'This is madness. The Grovekeepers were once people, but they're strangely well-organized. So much can happen in 4000 years.' Putting down his shock, he glanced at the stone altar in the middle. Whatever it was, it didn't look reassuring.

Suddenly, the chanting stopped, replaced by the whimpers of a beast. Holding his breath under his hands, Oscar watched. A large bear was dragged by a group of Grovekeepers and thrown onto the altar. Bound by vines, the bear could not muster any resistance.

One Grovekeeper raised its hands. It held a golden fang, sharp and long. Without so much a warning, the Grovekeeper plunged the golden fang into the neck of the bound bear. The weary light from its eyes turned dull as its blood flowed down from the altar. Then the chamber began to shake, and a voice called out.

With a single swing, his bulwark tore through ten. Killing them was easy. The problem was twenty more took the fallen ten's place. Oscar cleared his mind and assessed the problem. At this rate, he'd run out of stamina and Ein before clearing this place out.

How many had he killed so far? It must have reached over a hundred. He ran a loop around the entire pathway and found nothing. Not a single trace of Serena. With no other option, he leaped down to the wide chamber of the altar. He chuckled and shook his head. Another mass of Grovekeepers awaited him.

"Fine, let's see who runs out first. Will you run out of Grovekeepers, or will I run out of Ein?" With Ein Awaken, he could fight longer. How much longer was the question? With a burst of Ein, Oscar gripped his bulwark, and his deer anima grunted.

Then an orange ball crashed in front of him. Behind him. To his sides. Orange spheres cracked like glass all around him. Out of the broken spheres, orange gas immediately covered his area, and he caught a whiff of it. Horrified, Oscar tried to leap off his deer anima's antlers.

"Shit!" Oscar stumbled to the floor. His deer anima dissipated. One of the Grovekeepers drank a blue liquid and stretched its hands out. And that was the last thing he saw.

.......

The Grovekeepers dragged Oscar's sleeping body away to another room. In the room were many other people wearing the uniforms of the Blue Ocean Pavilion. Each one was fast asleep and bound by the vines, unable to rouse themselves or break free of their bonds.

They communicated in strange, gurgled voices. Their moss-ridden arms lifted Oscar up and brought him to a free space on the wall of vines. The vines creaked and snapped, moving toward Oscar's body. Before they could entangle Oscar, and to the shock of the Grovekeepers, his eyes snapped open.

The Grovekeepers rushed to contain him, and the vines continued to furl around him.

'Ripple Shroud'

The Grovekeepers and the vines were forced away by the shockwave, and Oscar's body burst out, snapping their heads off their bodies with Eirin lances. The vines receded back to the wall, unable to extend out to Oscar's body.

"Pitiful." Oscar slicked his hair back and revealed a pair of dull, indifferent eyes. It was Demon, awake in Oscar's place. The spores knocked Oscar out, and with his consciousness fading, Demon, who had fully come into existence, swapped places.

"I'll handle this," Demon stomped his foot on the chest of a Grovekeeper. A green orb shot up from the impact. Demon caught it and stowed it away. "They will all die."