God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.
Chapter 972 - 972: The Trivialities of an Alliance.

Morning came eventually, just like it always did.

The scent of forest grass and dirt burrowed into Cain's nostrils, filling up his lungs.

A puff of white slowly seeped out of his lips as he rubbed his hands together, perhaps to dissuade the cold from completely enveloping his fingers.

Despite his high resistance to the cold, it was as though he was just always at the brink of freezing to death.

Surprisingly, there was no formation of ice, or did water seem to freeze over. Instead, the terrible chill seemed to afflict only creatures with life in them.

"And so, that is the gist of it... I received a revelation last night stating that I am to follow you and help you achieve your goals, Lord Cain. Please, feel free to use me as you wish."

Cain turned his attention to the {Willow Direwolf Lord}, Roc, who had his head bowed ever so slightly in front of him.

They were seated inside a tent.

On the outside of the tent, Steve and Blaze stood alongside the Direwolf Guards of the pack leader.

"Raise your head. There is no need for that." Cain could tell that this Direwolf Lord was just too proud to bow his head, especially to a human such as himself.

Luckily, he wasn't one to mind things like that.

Instead, he was more invested in what he could gain at the moment.

Roc nodded and slowly raised his head.

In it was a hint of defiance, as well as stark curiosity and doubt.

"How did you do it?"

Cain knew what he was referring to.

A small smile crept into his face as he considered how he would answer the question.

Eventually, he shook his head,

"I'd prefer not answering that. It doesn't matter either way."

He paused for a moment,

"Moving in to more important things, I'd like to know how many are in your pack, as well as the distance your territory spans."

Roc seemed displeased, but nodded,

"We number twenty five thousand, six hundred and ten. However, since the women bear cubs frequently, I expected our numbers to double at the next phase of the Silver Moon."

Cain raised a brow,

"I see. That is good news."

He froze for a moment then shook his head. He couldn't quite use them as cannon fodder even if they birth rate was high.

He felt like that would anger Sentry and could very well cause the alliance he had just built to crumble at the seams.

Oblivion to Cain's internal conflict, Roc continued,

"Our territory spans from here all the way to the edge of the lands filled with the caves of the {Blood-Curse Bats} further down north. It extends further down the lake and into the Knavestone River. Our hunting grounds are towards the west, and ends at the far edge of the human settlement."

"I see..." Cain muttered under his breath.

He quickly visualized the area described and couldn't help but be shocked.

'That is quite a bit.'

However, considering that he had said that the area should house over twenty-five thousand Direwolves, it did make sense.

He knew such numbers couldn't possibly all stay at the edge of the lake, so he could only assume there were more Direwolf dens within the forest.

That made much more sense.

"Then, these hunting grounds..."

Roc hummed and folded his arms,

"The greater hunters have designated areas within which we hunt. Usually, these areas are free of the hunters of the other species. However, some bastards don't seem to want to respect the rules anymore." The Direwolf Lord growled through gnashing teeth.

Cain hummed,

"But from the looks of it, your people don't seem to be lacking much at all."

Roc calmed himself and nodded,

"Yes. But that might not always be the case."

Cain closed his eyes.

While that could be true, such a thing would only come to pass in the worst case scenario.

Redscale Island was far removed from other bodies of land and since they had wiped all the Devils off of from it, the chances of danger rising up again were very low. The chances of the danger arising from the dark depths was also low.

Kind of.

It honestly was hard to know...

Still, if left to grow, the creatures of this island would become powerful beings within nothing to inhibit their growth.

In a way, it was a bit frightening. There was an abundance of food, the ecosystem was balanced, and worst of all, the density and purity of the Mana was top notch.

That meant the creatures here would keep improving and evolving until they had reached the peak of what was possible on the planet, perhaps even surpassing that as well.

'If this thing is to work, I need to lay the groundwork down as delicately as possible. There is a limit to how well force and coercion will work. I need to gain their trust.'

Cain cleared his throat,

"Even though you have been ordered to, I'd like to ask regardless; would you like to form an alliance with me?"

Roc frowned,

"I will not lie. I do not particularly like the idea. Humans are... not the most pleasant of creatures. Plus, from the rumors that had been whispered, I hear you humans capture and imprison us beasts not to eat, but to take apart and study."

A loud cough came from outside the tent.

Cain chuckled wryly,

"Rumors are just rumors after all. However, I promise that none of your kin will be dissected and cut apart for any experiments."

Roc's eyes narrowed.

Then he sighed,

"I will take your word for it."

"But something has to be done about those bats."

Cain nodded, "I plan to continue my journey today. But that means I will likely be entering the territory of the {Blood-Curse Bats} as well."

Roc snorted,

"Those damned things are the most insidious creatures you will ever meet. They are vile, wicked creatures only concerned about their own gains. And even worse, the God they worship is an evil god. One who's only desire is to spread death and carnage. An eternal enemy of our god, Sentry."

Cain couldn't help but shake his head. Although he knew the hatred ran deep, he had no idea it was this bad.

'Just what the hell did those bats do?'