God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.
Chapter 973 - 973: The Blood-Curse.

Once they were done packing up, Cain, Steve and Blaze left without much fanfare. At Roc's advice, it was best they didn't make their coalition well known yet. After all, most of the {Willow Direwolves} still had bad opinions of humans.

'All thanks to a certain someone...'

Cain glanced at Steve who promptly looked away.

Blaze walked up to him,

"From what I know, the {Blood-Curse Bats} live in semi-undergroud caves that appear only in that portion of the forest. These caves contain {Bloodshade Crystals}. We haven't had very frequent run-ins with them, but from what I can recall, they don't seem all that powerful."

Steve had a frown on his face as he turned to Blaze,

"You mean those humanoid bats?"

Cain blinked,

"Humanoid?!"

Steve had a strange expression on his face as he nodded,

"They are more of man bats than anything else, really. And while they don't have very powerful combat abilities, their resistance to toxins and poisons is rather top-notch."

Cain's eyes narrowed,

"And you know this how?"

"Some questions do not have answers, Cain."

Cain sighed,

"What else do you know about them?" He said as he stepped over a root.

"The Blood-Curse in their name isn't just a part of the name. Their blood truly is cursed."

Cain frowned,

"Cursed? With what?"

"Hunger."

Cain turned his head.

Steve had a serious expression on his face,

"The Blood-Curse comes in two forms; a perpetual lust for blood that cannot be satiated and the ability to pass on said hunger. Perhaps what that dog said wasn't a lie. Although their physical might is not a lot, this blood of theirs allows them to transfer their curse onto other creatures, and amplifying it. By making use of this ability, they turn their victimy into mindless hungry thralls that can be controlled. I figured it was a rather interesting thing to see. Magic is such a fascinating subject."

He turned to Blaze,

"Perhaps you lot were just lucky. I believe those things might be one of the most terrifying creatures in this forest."

Blaze fell silent.

Cain was silent as well. If what Steve said was true, then it would make sense why Roc was so apprehensive of them.

"Then wouldn't us entering their territory blindly be a bad idea?" He suddenly asked.

Blaze stopped walking.

Steve and Cain turned around.

Blaze looked up,

"No, Cain is right. We can't just waltz in."

Steve hummed,

"You certainly do have a point. In that case, what do we do now?" He turned to Cain and asked.

Cain was silent for a few minutes,

"I certainly don't think going in guns blazing is a very good idea. Still, I believe they will be like the {Willow Direwolves}. Creatures at the top of the food chain tend to avoid battles with other hunters like themselves. Perhaps we can attempt reasoning with them."

Blaze shook his head,

"That only applies to hunters that don't invade their territory. I think the Direwolves were just as exception."

His eyes narrowed as he added,

"Also, don't forget that these things are still beasts at the end of the day. We can never truly know what is on their minds. They have only become more intelligent. And dangerous."

Cain silently considered everything he had just heard.

He agreed that they would have to be cautious going forward.

However, something that sounded as sinister as a Blood-Curse was bound to give one pause.

However, he wasn't all that bothered about himself.

What he feared the most, was a retaliation against all the humans on the island.

"In the first place, we are still rather far away from those caves. We have some time to think about what to do " Steve said with a yawn.

Blaze shrugged and continued walking forward.

"I really hate bats."

"Do you now..." Steve muttered with a chuckle.

Ducking below a hanging branch, he immediately went on a tirade,

"They are flying, bloodsucking rats. And you've seen those things, right? They are even more terrifying."

Steve chuckled,

"I have indeed."

"What do they look like?"

Steve paused for a moment,

"They are human-sized bats. Rather ugly things. Smaller than the Direwolves though. At least the one I handled was. Its mana pool wasn't anything impressed either, and while its affinity for the darkness and blood element was high, it wasn't anything special."

"I see..." Cain muttered.

He was now very curious.

It was very interesting how there could exist such variation in the nature of the beings that inhabited the same forest, and how such variations could be amplified in the presence of magic and mana so much so, there could be similarities.

'I wonder why they are all evolving to become more and more humanoid.'

It was also the same with the Devils as well.

The more powerful they became, the less they looked like monsters and the more they looked like monstrous humans.

It was rather off-putting.

"Magic that involves the blood is rather wicked, I'd say..."

Cain snapped back to reality and glanced forward. Steve was still going on while Blaze listened half-heartedly.

"It is the essence of life, but its composition varies from creature to creature. Despite this, blood elemental magic afflicts it all the same way."

"What do you think is the source of the Blood-Curse?" Cain asked curiously.

Steve chuckled,

"That much is obvious. Of course, it is the work of the Bloodthirsty Night God, Bellius. Such a name is indeed fear provoking and awe-inspiring!"

Steve waved his hands in a flourish,

"The Blood-Curse is indeed a curse. But it is a curse that manifests as a phenomenon very close to a physical condition. A semi-physical, semi-magical thing, for lack of better words."

He waved his hands again,

"I only studied it for a bit before I gave up and placed it on the shelf because its origins were steeped in Divine Mystiscm. A rather peculiar subject that is equal parts intriguing, and equal parts damning. It is indeed, nasty stuff."

They continued to walk and talk before eventually settling down for a break on a clearing between a few trees.