"What are you looking at?"
Morgott walked over to Mohg's side, his voice laced with curiosity.
"...I was wondering if we should go down and take a look," Mohg replied, shifting his gaze from the pitch-black abyss of the lower levels to Morgott's face.
"...Are you feeling alright?"
Hearing this, Morgott couldn't help but reach out and feel Mohg's forehead, his expression filled with the kind of pity one usually reserves for the mentally disadvantaged.
Mohg almost lost his composure at Morgott's "caring for the handicapped" look.
"I'm serious. You must have realized by now that we are different from the other Omen-born. Our growth rate far exceeds theirs, and sooner or later, the nutrition available here won't be enough to keep up with us."
"Mhm... that is indeed a problem," Morgott nodded, but then he shook his head, dismissing Mohg's idea. "But that's no reason to go looking for trouble in the lower levels right now. With our current strength, going down there is just asking for a death sentence."
"Do you remember the power Big Brother infused into our bodies?"
Morgott paused, recalling the spark of energy Godwyn had bestowed upon them just before they were taken away.
"If we can master that power, we might actually be able to explore down there," Mohg said, his expression earnest.
"...I still don't agree with you. And rather than wanting us to 'master' it, I think Big Brother left that power to protect us and nourish our bodies. Haven't you noticed? You haven't felt truly hungry lately."
"Now that you mention it..."
Mohg scratched his head, realizing it was true. It seemed Godwyn understood the conditions in the sewers and had left them that energy to guarantee their growth.
As for after they grew up... would two fully-grown demigods blessed by the Primordial Crucible really have anything to fear in a place like this?
What? The Three Fingers? Well, that's a whole other story.
"So, until Big Brother's protection fades, you'd best put that immature idea out of your head," Morgott continued his lecture.
Mohg nodded. If possible, he didn't actually want to take risks either. If it weren't for the fear of stunted development, he wouldn't dream of crawling into the deeper holes...
"Are you talking about going down below?"
Lit suddenly appeared beside the two brothers, chiming in.
Mohg nodded. "Exactly. The food we can get up here is limited. I'm curious about the situation downstairs."
"You don't necessarily have to go down there to find food," Lit explained, detailing the ecology of the sewers. "The food here is up for grabs—you can compete and fight for it. It's just that since we're young, the older ones aren't allowed to steal from us unless you pick a fight with them first."
"If you really want to go down... every so often, the adults head down to scavenge for food. We can choose whether or not to follow them then."
Mohg's face lit up with understanding. "Thanks, Lit."
As he spoke, Mohg handed the half-eaten black cake he had been holding to Lit. Since he wasn't feeling particularly hungry, he didn't really want to eat the stuff, so he'd saved it. Besides, the thing looked like it had the shelf life of a brick...
Lit hesitated for only a second before taking the cake. He whispered a soft "thank you" and scurried off to a corner to nibble on it.
Mohg took the opportunity to observe the surrounding Omen-born. He noticed that most of them weren't active; they were lying quietly on the ground, sleeping. The adults, in particular, were mostly resting with their backs against the walls. Only the younger ones would play or scrap for a bit before settling down to sleep like the rest.
To minimize energy consumption and promote growth? Mohg wondered. He shook his head and dropped to the ground, starting a set of push-ups.
Since he had Godwyn's energy supporting him, he had to take this chance to train. He wouldn't have such a luxury later on.
"Are you messing around with that weird exercise routine again?"
Morgott found an empty spot, sat down, and glanced at Mohg.
This wasn't Mohg's first time exercising. Once he had grown a bit larger, he began a training regimen. For a while, Morgott had even joined him. However, Morgott quickly gave it up because it didn't seem to do anything for him—especially after Godwyn had discovered them and taught them some Royal training methods.
"It's called 'building a foundation'..." Mohg grunted, continuing his reps.
Why wasn't he using the methods Godwyn taught? Simple: if he could have learned them, he would have! He just hadn't mastered them yet, so he had to make do with what he knew.
Morgott ignored him and began practicing the training method Godwyn had provided, slowly increasing his internal energy and tempering his physique.
Mohg watched him out of the corner of his eye. He was convinced it was a matter of compatibility. He and the Golden Order simply didn't mesh well. Morgott had learned the technique in about a week, whereas Mohg had been at it for half a month and only had a sliver of progress. It would likely take several more days to fully grasp it. Until then, he'd stick to his own methods.
After an indeterminate amount of time, just as Mohg's muscles began to ache, the sleeping Omen-born slowly began to stir. They started congregating toward the leader they had seen earlier.
Panting, Mohg pushed himself up from the ground and edged closer to see what was happening. Such a large movement naturally woke the other Omen children.
Morgott slowly moved to Mohg's side. "Do you think... they're going to the lower levels to find food?"
"Probably," Morgott nodded, agreeing with the assessment.
"Then we—"
"Don't even think about it. It's still too early for us."
"...Just to the slightly upper parts of the lower levels?"
Mohg didn't give up, continuing to test the waters. If they could map out the sewer layout early, it would be beneficial for the future. At the very least, they wouldn't get lost.
"That's still very dangerous."
"What if we just go down, record the route, and come straight back?"
"That... I suppose that's fine..."
Morgott hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding his head in agreement.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (45 Chapters – Ongoing)
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