Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 312: Fight For Freedom
The last thing Serena remembered was Oscar's voice shouting for her to take cover and the bloated hydra exploding. A mix of flames and bubbles filled her vision until a sudden silence and darkness. Then, out of nowhere, she heard something snap, followed by more snaps.
"Ernest?" Serena mumbled the name of her gardener. Everything Ernest cut and pruned plants in the garden, a similar snap would come out. Agitated, Serena groaned and grumbled. Ernest couldn't be here in Ashen Grove. Was she dreaming?
"Wake up."
A voice called out to her. It sounded so familiar, yet she couldn't quite put her finger on whom. The voice resembled someone she knew well. Oscar? No, she thought it was impossible. Rather than the warmth and gentleness she had come to love, there was only a chilling harshness, a cold indifference. Her Oscar would never talk to her in such a dismissive tone.
"Wake up." The voice remained emotionless.
"Ah!" Serena felt herself drop, falling uncontrollably. She banged her head and knees, hissing in pain. Slowly, her eyes began to open, and a soft light of many colors expanded in her view. The light was comforting, setting her at ease, not too overwhelming. As her eyes recovered, the world around her came into focus.
The ground was full of moist dark-green plants and moss of several glowing colors. Many broken pieces of vines wrapped her arms. With a shake, most of them fell off her. They felt like tiny wriggling worms squirming on her skin, making her stomach churn.
"Where am I? Ugh!" Assaulted by the rotten smell, Serena gagged and could not breathe. The wriggling vines, her hands covered in a disgusting green mixture, and the horrible smell was too much.
"Get it together." Someone tugged her arm and forced her to stand up.
"Oscar?" Serena was surprised and smiled at the man with lovable black hair. Her chest felt warm, and she purposely staggered closer to his side, wanting to embrace him.
"Get off."
Confused, Serena snapped her head and glanced closely at Oscar. Earlier, she thought perhaps the change in Oscar's voice was due to her drowsiness and mind still coming to. Now, she was wide awake, and Oscar was still emotionless. The words he spoke and the harshness with which he handled her were unnerving.
The man she loved was behaving strangely. His features were the same, black hair, eyes, average yet lovable face, and enticing muscles. They were the same, but she saw a difference. The black eyes were dull and emotionless, and the face was stone-cold; not a single emotion could be seen or felt.
"Oscar? Is this a joke? Why are you behaving like this? Serena grabbed onto his shoulders with her trembling hands. Oscar knocked them away. She felt her heart breaking, and her lips quivered. Oscar had always pulled himself away in a gentle manner. The stinging pain from her hands was the result of his callousness and a lack of care.
"We don't have time for your foolishness. Free the others who are trapped."
"You...."
"Get to work."
Oscar walked to a bundle of vines wrapped into a mound. With his lances, he tore and cut through the many vines, some of which sprang out in an effort to grab onto him, all failing to touch even the hem of his garments. Serena watched in horror as a person fell out of the vines, struggling to breathe and covered in dead vines. The realization struck her at last. She had been held prisoner here like the other poor soul until Oscar came to free them.
Putting aside her misgivings about Oscar's current demeanor, Serena summoned her ax anima, chopped through vines like lumber, and freed several others. The prisoners were all Blue Ocean Pavilion students, and she recognized a few from her time in the base, people thought to have been missing.
If there were other places like this, then how many people were assumed dead when they were actually alive and held captive? What made her more uncomfortable was the unknown reason for her fellow students being imprisoned. Something was amiss. Serena wanted to know more.
"I noticed one of them drank a blue liquid before entering the gas to get me before." Oscar held up a large vial of blue liquid. "I figured it provided immunity to the gas. So I drank some and charged in."
"Well, still–"
Oscar rushed past her before she could finish speaking. She turned around and bit her lip. What was she doing? Shaking her head, Serena followed Oscar back into the heart of the battle. Focusing herself back on the battle, Serena released a torrent of water and flooded away many Grovekeepers.
"That bastard....thanks," Oscar mumbled next to her.
Serena trembled and turned to Oscar. It was the Oscar she was familiar with. The gentle voice and clear obsidian eyes. But what was this sudden shift? Her blood ran cold. The fear of what was happening to Oscar gripped her heart.
"Everyone! Let's jump down!" Oscar leaped over the edge. Serena gasped. She turned to the others, hesitant. But the waves of Grovekeepers came close, and they all jumped down to join Oscar.
.......
'I was too careless,' Oscar tapped himself on the head and landed on the chamber below. His fear and panic for Serena's fate were the main cause of his defeat earlier. Oscar cursed inwardly at how he so easily lost his wits. If not for Demon, then he might've....
'Let's stop thinking about it. I have to lead everyone away. Blasted Demon, he just wants to kill everything and doesn't care about the others.' Oscar didn't know if Demon could hear his thoughts, but he didn't care. He was going to give Demon a rant after this.
Peering around, the Grovekeepers surrounded him. Oscar turned to the stone altar. An Exalt Beast was tied up as the next sacrifice, a deer. The deer also looked weary and ragged. Blood dripped down from the torn skin under its tight bindings.
For some reason, his heart sank, and his eyes heated up. Was it his connection to deers from his anima that made him feel something more toward them? He couldn't keep calm.
The deer grunted and nudged its nose to reach his fingers. It came up short and groaned in pain, unable to free itself from its bindings. The saddened and tortured appearance struck Oscar like a nail to his heart.
Wasting no further time and seething with an unknown rage, Oscar swung the bulwark, using its thin edge as a blade with Ein to cut the bindings. Something kept nagging at him; whether it was his connection to deers or seeing something so helpless, whichever it was, he felt compelled to free it.
The deer rose, twice the size of a normal deer, twice Oscar's width, and reached over his head. Its beautiful antlers and hooves were made of teal crystals. Its thick coat of white fur with green markings like tattoos gave it a savage appearance, fitting for Ashen Grove. Releasing a loud, beastly roar, it leaped off the stone altar.
Oscar, his deer anima, and the deer charged together into a frontal charge. The deer's crystal antlers pushed away crowds of Grovekeepers, showcasing the strength of this beast.
The other students joined in, and all manners of spells exploded around the chamber. Still, more and more Grovekeepers sprang up out of nowhere. An icy chill flowed through Oscar's blood. It was inconceivable to see so many Grovekeepers.
'We can't continue this. There must be a way to victory.' As his mind spiraled around for a chance, he noticed another tunnel and smelled the scent of beasts coming from within. That's it! Oscar sprinted through the tunnel and found tens of Exalt Beasts, all tied up.
He had no idea if this would work. Right now, it was the only shot he had. With a silver burst increasing his speed, Oscar zipped through all the beasts. The sounds of their bindings snapping apart signaled the freedom of the Exalt Beasts. They all got up, roaring and growling, from which Oscar could feel their anger.
Oscar smiled and ran out of the tunnel, back to the chamber. The numerous roars grew closer behind him. A mini-beast tide was on its way.