Morgott walked over to one of the sacks of food, opening it to take a look. Inside, he found nothing but incredibly coarse grains.
"ROAR!"
A sudden, thunderous bellow made them both flinch. They quickly scrambled away from the sack as a massive Omen-born lunged forward, positioning himself in front of the food and letting out another warning roar.
"ROAR!!"
It seemed to be questioning their previous actions. Morgott and Mohg stood side-by-side, staring warily at this sudden intruder, terrified that he might snap and send them both back to the Erdtree on the spot.
Once the Omen-born checked the food and found it untouched, he seemed to relax slightly. He then stomped over to the two brothers, looking down at them with a fierce expression. He waved a massive wooden club, gesturing for them to head in the opposite direction.
Though confused, Mohg and Morgott realized that the Omen-born here didn't seem to harbor much genuine malice toward their own kind. But if there was no malice... they weren't exactly sure what the weapon was for.
Since they were still clueless about the layout and politics of the sewers, they simply followed the direction the giant had pointed.
As they ventured deeper, a figure even taller than the previous Omen came into view. Surrounding this giant were several Omen-born who appeared to be in their childhood, each holding a dark, black cake in their hands.
The massive Omen in the center paused when he saw Mohg and Morgott. He reached into a nearby sack, pulled out two black cakes, and held them out to the pair.
Mohg and Morgott exchanged a glance before slowly accepting the food from his hand. This was a turn of events Mohg hadn't expected; he never imagined he would find such a display of kindness within the depths of the Leyndell sewers.
"Where did you come from? I've never seen you before."
A raspy voice suddenly spoke from behind them.
Mohg turned his head to see a small Omen-born, his body draped in coarse burlap, looking at them with curiosity.
"You can talk?" Mohg asked.
"Mhm... my parents sheltered me for a while before I was cast into the sewers... they even gave me a name."
A flash of surprise crossed Mohg's eyes. He hadn't expected any other Omen-born to have had a similar experience to theirs.
"I'm Lit. Who are you?"
"I'm Mohg, and this is my elder brother, Morgott."
Morgott gave Lit a brief nod. "We just arrived in the sewers."
"Then you are lucky ones, children loved by your parents..." Lit nodded knowingly. "Let me introduce you. That over there is our leader. He protects us and provides food for us younger ones."
Mohg nodded. Based on the leader's actions and his sheer size, it wasn't hard to guess his role.
"But not every part of the sewers is this peaceful... the kin who live further down... they are feral."
"Also, occasionally, some very kind Perfumers come down to offer us help. So, in this area, you don't have to worry too much..."
Perfumers...
Mohg froze for a moment at the mention of the name. He recalled the lore from his previous life: some Perfumers investigated the Omen curse in hopes of finding a cure and ending their suffering. However, others—driven to madness by their failure to find a remedy—eventually became the dreaded Omenkillers, the bane of their kind.
"I noticed the others carrying weapons," Morgott noted, looking around the area.
"Yes. We have to stay alert for the kin from deeper in the sewers... like I said, some have lived down there for so long that they are completely different from us. At the very least, we've felt the touch of warm light. They... they have existed only in the darkness."
Mohg felt a jolt of shock. He hadn't expected such profound words from an Omen child living in a gutter.
"What's down there?"
"I don't know... I've never gone down..." Lit shook his head, signaling his ignorance.
Mohg nodded. He had a rough idea of what was waiting down there: disgusting slugs, imps, and... the "Lobster-bros." As for things like Royal Revenants, Mohg doubted they had appeared here yet... probably.
"Anyway... since you're new here, don't provoke the ones over that way. They have bad tempers. It's best if we just stay in this area..."
Lit pointed back toward the direction Mohg and his brother had come from, then pointed to their current spot and the area behind them. Mohg craned his neck to look and saw that the path behind them was mostly a main road with several sealed gates. He wondered if he walked over there, he would see the classic prompt:
The door does not open from this side.
"Hurry up and eat what's in your hands. There are a lot of others who are very hungry..." Lit said, glancing at a few of the slightly larger Omen youths as he warned Mohg and Morgott.
Mohg looked up and saw exactly what Lit meant. Several Omen youths were staring intensely at the black cakes in their hands, their eyes practically glowing with a green hunger.
It made sense. Omen-born grew quickly and had massive frames. Combined with the innate power in their bodies, a single black cake couldn't possibly provide enough nutrition for their development. If they wanted more, they had to either steal it or fight for it in the lower levels.
The blessing of the Primordial Crucible gave them incredible absorption and digestive capabilities. Essentially, they could process and utilize almost anything edible.
Mohg looked at the black cake once more and shoved the whole thing into his mouth.
Immediately, his face twisted into a "mask of pain." It was bitter and bone-dry. If his teeth weren't as strong as they were, he probably would have snapped a few off just trying to chew.
Morgott seemed to learn from Mohg's struggle. He took a large bite and chewed slowly. From his expression, it was clear he wasn't enjoying the experience either.
Seeing that the two had finished their food, the hungry Omen youths immediately shifted their focus to other targets. The "Leader" only intervened when the older ones picked on the obviously small infants; otherwise, he let the natural order take its course.
Mohg took it all in, gradually gaining a grasp of the local situation.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (45 Chapters – Ongoing)
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