While Mohg and Morgott were still whispering, the group of Omens had already gathered their respective weapons and begun slowly approaching a massive door.
The Omen leading them cast a glance back at the crowd behind him. He then pressed his hands against the door, exerting a steady force until it slowly groaned open.
In the dim, yellow light, an old, rusted ladder came into view—its state was so dilapidated it made one worry if it could even hold any weight.
Mohg racked his brain, searching his memories, and confirmed one thing once again: this place was definitely not the "Subterranean Shunning-Grounds" he was familiar with from the game. This was likely a different dumping site altogether. He had no idea where the location from his memory actually was.
However, he figured it couldn't be too far away. Otherwise, how would the "CEO" and his brother have eventually found the location of the Frenzied Flame prostration puzzle?
Unless, of course, the butterfly effect had caused them to be thrown into a completely different part of the sewers... but he decided not to overthink that for now.
The two brothers followed silently at the back of the group. Only after all the adult Omens had descended the ladder did the two of them cautiously approach.
Mohg scanned the area and noticed that, aside from the two of them, no other Omen children had made any move to follow.
Though he felt a twinge of confusion, he chose to keep going.
The reason the other Omen children were unwilling to follow was simple: it was too dangerous. Almost none of the young ones who had gone down before ever returned. As for the few who did make it back, they lost all desire to ever descend again; they simply stayed in the upper levels, using their larger frames to bully others and steal their food.
The moment Mohg reached the bottom, he was nearly sent into a coma by the sky-high stench. He had caught a whiff of it while on the ladder, but he truly hadn't expected the "attack power" of the smell to be this devastating!
Mohg pinched his nose and began to survey their surroundings. In the center was a flow of turbid, blackened sewage. On either side were narrow paths laid with bricks. The ladder they had just used rested against the path on the left. Ahead and behind them, the tunnels stretched into the gloom.
The group of Omens scavenging for food paused only for a moment. With a low growl from their leader, they split into two groups and headed in opposite directions.
"Let's follow the leader. He's stronger; it'll be safer for us," Morgott suggested.
Mohg nodded, agreeing with Morgott's assessment, and began mentally mapping out the sewer route as they walked.
They traveled for an indeterminate amount of time—climbing over stairs, descending more ladders, and wading through pools of stagnant waste. Finally, they reached a section of the sewers that looked entirely different from their home base.
The scenery here was significantly more... "spectacular."
There were mounds of unidentifiable, rotting matter that reeked of decay. The number and size of the rats were also steadily increasing, which immediately put Mohg on high alert.
At the same time, he was a bit puzzled. Why weren't there many of these things in their area? Was it because... they had all been eaten?
Mohg's mouth twitched as he watched an Omen grab a rat off the ground and shove it directly into his mouth.
I have to hand it to them, he thought, their teeth and stomachs are truly something else...
Splash—!
Suddenly, as he passed a junction, the sound of rushing water caught his attention.
Following the sound, Mohg soon saw a series of pipes where multiple water outlets converged. At the end of the pipes, he could see an extremely vast, open space. The brightness there was much higher than in the tunnels, but the current was so strong it made it difficult to cross and investigate.
"ROAR!"
While Mohg was lost in thought, a sudden, thunderous roar made him jump.
Immediately after, roar after roar echoed through the chamber. Mohg and Morgott quickly looked toward the adult Omens.
Sure enough, a group of Omens they had never seen before had appeared opposite them. Compared to Mohg's group, these newcomers looked far more feral and vicious. Among them were several Omens whose horns had been sawed off.
It was impossible to tell if they had been secretly dumped in the sewers by commoners or if they had wandered back in from the wilderness.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Seeing the intruders, the leader of Mohg's group hammered his chest once. He brandished a massive, notched cleaver and charged toward one of the enemy Omens.
CLANG!
Blinding sparks erupted in the air. The targeted Omen used a massive iron bar to block the strike. Holding his arm up to protect his body, he lunged forward, intending to ram his bulk directly into the leader.
At that moment, an Omen with sawed-off horns standing in the back suddenly crossed his arms and hugged himself tight. A wreath of crimson flame abruptly ignited along the edge of his weapon.
"ROAR!!!"
Mohg's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight. That power... it was Cursed Blood!
The great blade, wreathed in red fire, cut through the air and slammed into one of the "friendly" Omens. A violent burst of fire erupted a second later. The Omen who took the hit was sent tumbling through the air before crashing into the sewage with a pained groan.
After a few moments of struggling, he managed to scramble back up, but a terrifying, charred gash had been burned deep into his chest.
"...I think it's time for us to leave," Mohg whispered to Morgott, leaning close.
"Where to?"
"Just hide for now!"
Morgott glanced at the unfolding chaos and nodded quickly.
The two of them scrambled into a pitch-black pipe nearby, curling up inside to wait out the battle.
Sensing the immense threat from the fire-wielding Omen, the leader of Mohg's group cupped his hands over his mouth and suddenly spat forward.
A swarm of yellowish-black Cursed Wraiths billowed out, surging toward the enemy Omens. Upon contact, the spirits unleashed a powerful concussive force and a searing heat upon the enemy group.
The Omen who had been charging was the one who took the brunt of the spectral assault.
Shrieks of agony filled the sewer tunnels. However, the Omen who had mastered the power of Cursed Blood put on a savage face and charged straight through the swarm of wraiths to reach the leader.
THUD!
The moment he closed the distance, his thick arm swung out like a heavy iron club, connecting squarely with the leader's face in the blink of an eye.
The leader staggered back. Letting out a furious roar, he reached out with his left hand and grabbed the attacker's head, slamming it violently into the ground.
Then, he leapt into the air, his massive body descending like a mountain of flesh.
BOOM!
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (51 Chapters – Ongoing)
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