Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 313: The Great Escape

Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 313: The Great Escape

Oscar ran ahead to rejoin the battle. Piles and mounds of algae, grass, and branches littered the sacrificial chamber, the fallen remains of many Grovekeepers. In the center, near the stone altar, Serena and the others were fighting and holding on. Seeing their tired faces, Oscar felt the outlook of the current battle was bad.

Entering the state of Adamasreis, his muscles flexed and tightened under his clothes. He formed Silver Lances around his fists, using ordinary Ein, not Eirin. There was no need to use Eirin and tire himself out faster unless a powerful Grovekeeper like the large ones in Tectusen was here.

"Keep fighting!" Oscar shouted to his peers in the distance.

Then, the chamber started to tremble. Screeches, roars, groans, and caws echoed and made everyone and everything pause and turn toward Oscar. Behind him, several Exalt Beasts crashed out of their prison, tossing rubble and moss everywhere. Oscar jumped onto his deer anima, and by his side was the deer beast he freed.

Leading the charge with the savage beasts behind him, they rampaged around the chamber, crushing, gnawing, biting, clawing, and stomping the Grovekeepers. The men of moss and algae were helpless before the enraged beasts. Relaxing

"Oscar, where did these beasts come from?" Serena glanced around at the beasts frothing at the mouths. Her breathing slowly recovered from the respite of reinforcements.

"They were sacrificing beasts to this altar. Luckily, there were some left alive. Look at them go! We have a good chance now." Oscar got off his deer Anima and turned to the others. "Don't attack the beasts; we don't want to make ourselves a target."

Everyone nodded. Their eyes darted around at the commotion surrounding the altar. Torn bodies of Grovekeepers plopped near their feet. With careful aim, they fought not to harm the beasts, aiming for the Grovekeepers.

"How sure are you that these beasts won't attack us?" Serena chopped at nearby Grovekeepers.

Her worry was not unwarranted, and Oscar thought the same. They couldn't trust these beasts that moved on instinct, but at the same time, they were not being targeted. For certain, it was strange. The beasts seemed focused on only the Grovekeepers; they knew who to exact vengeance on. Very fortunate for Oscar and the rest.

"Orange spheres, up above!" Someone shouted.

Oscar snapped upward. A scattered cluster of orange spheres was about to rain down on them, so many that the gas would certainly fill the entire place. Oscar reacted quickly, forming several Silver Stars and aiming for the spheres. The other students and Serena matched him with their spells.

As delicate as the orange spheres were, similar to bubbles, the spells destroyed every single one. The sleeping gas that exploded from the orange spheres did not float down. It stayed afloat in mid-air. Seeing the clouds of potent sleeping gas, Oscar turned his attention to the beasts and Grovekeepers.

Leaping over the lingering orange gas on the floor, Oscar got off his deer anima and breathed in. He tightened his stance and recalled every move he learned from sparring against Demon. As the constant mass of Grovekeepers approached, Oscar flung several of them away, threw some in the air, and punctured holes with his sharp kicks.

'There is a constant flow I can maintain from fighting a crowd. Combine that with Demon's free-willed motions, and I'll be able to get through without using as much Reis and Ein.' Oscar consistently took Reis from other Grovekeepers, chaining it onto the next attack, then to the next, and the next. The Grovekeepers were helpless before his and his group's onslaught.

After another few minutes of killing off as many Grovekeepers in the tunnel, Oscar trembled and laughed weakly. Light. Not the light from the colorful moss and algae and not the light from everyone's spells. Light that drowned in from a hole, a bed of flowers blooming and basking under its radiant gift. It was the light from outside, from the sun.

"We're almost there!" Oscar and the others rampaged, gaining more ground and getting closer to their goal. Their feet did not care about the flowers they trampled on as they jumped out.

The familiar fluttering breeze tickled his damp skin. The sky was a scattering of orange, yellow, and red. In the distance, the sun could barely be seen over some trees as it set. What a wonderful view. Oscar felt it was a shame it was ruined by the group of Grovekeepers outside.

"The sun is setting in this direction, so the base should be this way," Serena knew the base well and could point Oscar and the others in the correct direction.

Oscar heard the others groaning but saw smiles on their faces. Some were about to cry but held it in. They weren't free yet. With a final rallying cry, Oscar went headfirst with the deers by his side. The enclosure wasn't perfect, and they escaped shortly.

Next to him, the deer beast grunted as if saying farewell. Oscar patted it on its head.

"Thank you," Oscar nodded to the deer beast, and it nodded back. The deer beast turned and ran, disappearing into the woods. Oscar sighed, feeling slightly lost at losing his newfound companion. Maybe they will meet later. Oscar hoped that would be the case.

Finally, after a long day of going through the lake, facing the hydra, ending up in a Grovekeeper's abode, getting knocked out, and fighting his way out, Oscar saw the walls of the Pavilion's base.

"We made it," Oscar wiped his face.

"We made it!" The others cheered. They were finally safe.