God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.
Chapter 974 - 974: Scent of Sanguine Sand.

The silence of the clearing seemed rather deceptive.

The soft singing of the mutant birds had faded away and even the giant insects had ceased their humming.

Cain leaned against a tree, one hand resting on the hilt of {Eidwyrm}, the other gripping a waterskin Steve had passed to him.

For some reason, holding onto his weapon felt better than having it sit in his inventory despite it being him lugging around extra weight.

He let his gaze drift around for some time.

They had been in this clearing for some time and the air felt denser. Almost like they were being watched by something unseen, buried deep in the shadows.

Despite that, however, even when he looked with the {Beholder's Eye}, he was unable to see anything strange.

And that put him off quite a bit.

After all, he had learned to trust his intuition.

So if he couldn't see anything, then that meant there was something impeding his senses.

Still, he didn't say anything or act differently, calmly keeping it to heart.

Steve lay flat on the grass, arms folded behind his head, eyes closed but clearly awake. Blaze stood a few paces away, back turned to them, gazing into the thickening shadows between the trunks.

They had left the previous clearing a few hours ago and had continued on their journey.

Passing through the thick forest, they had come into contact with all manner of beasts, mutant insects, plants, and everything in between.

Some were rather vile and insidious, making them hard to deal with.

As suck, they were rather exhausted at the moment.

Cain broke the quiet.

"We're close, aren't we?"

Blaze didn't turn but nodded,

"Yes."

"How close?" Steve asked lazily, his voice half-buried in a yawn.

Blaze finally turned, face grim.

"I'd say too close for comfort. We don't usually come through to this part of the forest. The trees are already thinning ahead which means that's where the caves begin."

Cain stood up straight. His armor boots pressed into soil darker than the rest of the soil in the forest.

A deep rusty color.

He knelt down, brushed the surface with his fingers. The earth was dry… yet it clung with a tacky stickiness. Blood?

He raised his hand to his nose and grimaced.

"Blood," he murmured. "Old dried blood. Lots of it too."

Blaze took a knee and did the same.

"We might— no. We are in their hunting grounds already. It is best if we proceed with caution."

Steve cracked open one eye and smiled without warmth,

"You've arrived at the gates of hell, dear Cain."

"How terrifying. Let's get going then." Cain said with a sigh

They moved again, this time, a bit slower, weaving between the twisted roots and gnarly shrubbery.

The forest began to change at this point.

The trees began to lean inward like conspirators whispering wicked secrets. Some vines hung low, heavy with something Cain realized were dried corpses of large Mutant birds, rodents and other creatures that could be considered as prey.

Cain felt a chill run down his spine.

'Isn't this too drastic of a change?'

He couldn't help but recall the hatred and disdain with which Roc spoke of the {Blood-Curse Bats}. Seeing something like this further cemented the image of these creatures he had in his mind.

The light in the sky dimmed even though the day was still young. Perhaps it was a change that came with stepping into the divine territory oblessed by a Celestial.

Only, Cain didn't think he had ever left something like this before. He never knew Divinity could feel so cold and cruel.

Even Balangol, a literal god of death had not given off such a feeling.

There was nothiyregal about this.

Instead, if felt filthy. And sticky. Like blood clinging onto skin.

Blaze shook his head and whispered, "These are cursed lands. Every nerve in my body is screaming at me to get the hell away from here."

Cain could only silently agree. Even though he knew what they were getting into, it did nothing to stop iom from feeling uneasy.

After another hour, the forest gave way to a shallow ravine with jagged rocks jutted out like broken teeth. At the base, several cave mouths yawned open, slick and black. Around them, the crimson earth spread like a wound, not a single plant in sight.

It was almost as though life itself seemed terrified of whatever lay within the depths of these caves.

Definitely not a good sign.

Steve squatted at the edge and hummed.

"How intriguing..." His eyes glowed softly with an enigmatic magical light.

"You see something?" Cain asked.

Steve didn't answer. Instead, he reached into his cloak and pulled out a small flask. He uncorked it, dipped a finger inside, and began drawing something on his palm. A strange jagged and complex rune.

The moment he was done, he raised the palm to his lips and whispered.

Almost instantly, a loud sizzling sound came from his palm as the rune ignited, leaving behind terrifying scorch marks.

Cain's eyes widened,

"Are you okay?"

Steve chuckled and nodded,

"Just wanted to check something."

He paused for a moment then pulled three vials of a transparent liquid out of his inventory. He downed one immediately and passed the remaining two over to Cain and Blaze.

Blaze's eyes narrowed,

"What is this?"

"The air here is rich with toxins. Just a whiff of it, and you'll be seeing all the dead gods. No wonder even the plants seem hesitant to go nearer. Luckily, there is no toxin impossible for me to neutralize. This antidote was made using Cain's blood by the way."

Cain nearly choked on the liquid that was already halfway down his throat already, while Blaze's face went pale. He had already downed the entire thing.

"You damned bastard!"

Steve guffawed as he threw himself out of Blaze's reach,

"Calm down, it isn't so bad, is it?"

Blaze unslung his spear and muttered, "I'm definitely going to kill you today!"

Cain quickly got in between the two to prevent any sudden casualties.

He quickly changed the subject,

"Let's not wait until nightfall. If they're anything like normal bats, they'll be weaker in daylight."

Steve nodded furiously, "Yes, yes! Let's go in now. Don't drag the rest of us down, Blaze!"

Blaze's expression was incredibly dark.

Cain could tell he was seriously fighting the urge to stab Steve at least once with his spear.

Eventually, he let out a tired sigh and gave up.

Soon after, the three descended the slope with practiced care.